The 2020 MTT Dundie Awards

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"Well I've been kinda going through a rough patch. The whole year actually." This Michael Scott quote pretty much sums up 2020, but one silver lining to this sh*tstorm of a year is quarantine and lockdowns led to lots and lots of great fanfic with over 240 new and updated stories!

As we've done the last couple years, we asked the MTT community to name a few of their favorites in many categories, plus create some recognition for their fellow MTTers. And this year, our members more than answered the call! So here is our monster of a Dundies Post for 2020

Table of Contents

Top Voted Categories
Under The Radar
Favorite Moments in a Fic
Favorite Rereads/Discoveries
Favorite Authors
Breakout Authors
Favorite Genre Authors
Favorite Reviewers
Member-created Dundies

This year we did things a little different and asked people to vote in a handful of categories. We'll start off with these voted categories, where we crowned a Top 15 Overall and Top 10 in the rest. Interested in who all was nominated? Here's the full nomination form (google doc)

Favorite Fics Overall of 2020

Runner-Ups

Favorite Longer Fics (10k+ words)

Runner-ups

Favorite Shorter Fics (up to 10k words)

Runner-Ups

Favorite Fluff

Runner-ups:

Favorite Angst

Runner-ups

Favorite Steam

Runner-ups

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Under The Radar
fics our members felt deserved more attention

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Favorite Moment in a Fanfic
As you can see there was a lot of love for the fics this year! Multiple fave moments for a single fic were consolidated into a single paragraph and are separated by semi-colons

10 Hotel Rooms by Donnamour1969 - The Shower Scene

A Bad Dream by Dernhelm - Pam worrying about how to exorcise a ghost without messing up the basement

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood by agian18 - "I just realized, I didn't know their names until last week."?

Aeternum by boredhswf - James running into the Beesly mansion that's on fire; James smirking around a mouthful of bread as Pam recounts her mother's guidance on marital affairs; James and Pamela's first time; Any time James and Pam stand up for each other; waist touching; James and Pamela at the piano; "He wasn't sure what he just agreed to do but he knew, without a doubt, that he would follow her anywhere"?; Chapter 5, Bound for Another Home: "A large drip of hot wax fell on the edge of his hand with a stinging hiss and she reached for it, bracing it in both of her own before wiping the cooling wax free with a swipe of her thumb. The feel of her hand caused sparks of heat, far hotter than any wax, to course through him, and as her lips touched his skin to soothe the injury, those sparks ignited into flames." Just some really great imagery and beautiful writing overall.

All That Glitters is Gold by Maxine Abbott - Jim's vision of the future at the Fairview rest stop

All This Time by JennaBennett - Tying Jim packing up his desk to the lyrics "and it took you five whole minutes, to pack us up and leave me with it"?

Aquarelle Blooms by PenciledCadenzas - Pam escaping the camera crew

As Far As First Dates Go by BigTuna - for the best summary of the year; Jim ripping off Pam's tights twice

At the end of the day, you just gotta jump by Basscop69 - Jim turning Wally so that he's not watching them have sex in the Third Date chapter; literally the entire ski trip

Beets on The Tree and Christmas In Their Hearts by Mazine Abbott - the reveal that Jim and Pam's new Christmas tradition is being passed down to the next generation

Beyond the Blackboard by Wandering Watchtower - for the slow and gorgeous build across the corridor between Pam and Jim's classrooms and their early interactions in the early chapters; Christmas in the cabin; sex handprint in the gymnasium; When Jim proposes to Pam in front of her students/Jim's promposal and then flipping the card for a real proposal

Bookstore Girl by beth0501 - Jim and Pam against a bookshelf.

Christmas Tied by BigTuna - BT giving us rope daddy Jim

Cosa Nostra by Coley - Pam passing Betsy's NYU/Brown test; having the audacity to make Mafia Jim drive around with sleeping Pam for two whole hours & expect me to be okay.

Counting on a New Beginning by agian18 - I do like the dialogue in the love scene in Chapter 4...that's as specific as I can be! Lol; When Karen showed up at the DM prom. My heart literally SANK.

Date Line by Comfect - Pam and Jim finding each other in Australia, "and holy shit Pam Beesly in Sydney Australia."

Diversity Jim by Comfect - "How did you tell someone you could recognize them blindfolded and muffled without making it sound like you meant something more intense than what she intended

folklore -

Halfway Home by Dernhelm - Jam's non-date at the Barren Mount

Hello My Old Heart by Duchess Cupcake - Jim and Pam Finally go on a Date - and Jim tells his mom he's going to crash on Pam's couch; Pam getting a tattoo in BK; Make out session against Pam's wall mural; Ch. 12 right after the flashback when "They both knew"; '"?Okay, you're getting cut off.' Karen ceremoniously moved the wine bottle to the floor. 'You say 'fuck' a lot when you get twisted.'"? (That is the moment I officially fell in love with Karen.)

How Not To by agian18 - Jim and Pam pouring the alcohol down the sink together; directly deposited to the nearest Dunkin' because I was making twice a day appearances to remain an approachable human being." (I mean, of course AG would put this in a fic)

Humble and Kind by JHalpert - Cece and Jim's relationship ; Cece pranking Jim to move his recovery forward

I Think He Knows by SprinklesTheCat - The deliciously flirty lingerie text exchange; "Pam, I want you to seduce me."?

I'm the only one who needed saving by agian18 - "sup roomie?"

Illicit Affairs by NobleLandMermaid - Pam and Jim giving into each other and having phone sex

In Sickness and in Health by Sam - Pam holding off the fish army; Creed had been dating with Karen's mom

Islands in the Stream by WanderingWatchtower - The pinky promise at the end

It Had Nothing to do with Peanut Butter by agian18 - "You're the peanut butter to my jelly" and the barrage of messages that followed; Jim saying "But apparently I'm not allowed to be happy anymore"?

Jam 6.0 by DoomGoose - Pretty much the entire AU of Drug Testing

Kind of Reckless by Coley - Pam watching Jim from the porch; The Queen Cougar reveal.

Letters, Numbers, and the Spaces Between by BigTuna - word-of-the-day game; Pam and Jim in the hospital; The Shower scene

Life's a Beach by Donnamour1969 - When Jim confesses to his feelings for Pam to her

Love Ain't by JennaBennett - "You're everything, Pam. I wish he treated you like that"?

Murder Pool by Darjeelingandcoke - Pam's talking head

Murder in Savannah by BigTuna - Pre-raphaelite Pam; Pam confessing that she feels the same way as Jim on the dock

Never Give Up by 3vasectomies - the epistolary chapter

Of Fish and Ocean by Dernhelm - "She wanted to feel the sun kissing her skin again. And she didn't need water to breathe."?

Open Your Eyes by trulisthetic - the point-of-view flip between chapters

Our Way Back Home by WanderingWatchtower- Jim showing up at Pam's for the First Date with a cardboard cutout of Dwight

Pieces by JennaBennett - Dwight standing watch over the breakroom while Jim and Pam fight it out ; having Dwight describe how he'd handle Jim and Pam's awkward relationship if they were goats

Postcards by BigTuna - "We had fun, didn't we?"

Quarantine by Donnamour1969 - The first Jim-Pam hook-up in Quarantine;

Rainbow BMW by ThePinkButterfly - Jim and Pam meeting each for the first time in the library

Sketchbooks & Wine by boredhswf - He would be there. With her. And this was her purgatory. Initiation, Diwali, Merger She had always loved Christmas bookends Ch 4 Benihana Christmas

Spring Fever by Donnamour1969 - Jim and Pam's first time

The Missing Episode by Lawrencespen1777 - Pam telling Jim she can't watch him die

The Unicorn by BigTuna - Jim just casually dipping that bead of condensation into his mouth in like it wouldn't kill me dead; "You can be lucky, too, for tonight. If you want."?

They Can't All be Winners by darjeelingandcoke - Pam smirking at Jim at a prank gone wrong

Ultimate -

Virtus by boredhswf - When Pam tries to go save Jim; When Mac finally dies in "Virtus"/Pam kills Mac

What Like It's Hard by agian18 - Pam's victorious headbob

You, Me and the Sea by JennaBennett - Pam very carefully preparing for her clearly pre-rehearsed speech that turns out to be how Jim is the Dwight of Stamford

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Favorite Rereads/Discoveries of 2020
Fics published/last updated before 2020

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Favorite Authors
in order of how many nominations they received

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Breakout Authors
in order of how many nominations they received

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Favorite Genre Authors

Special Genre Awards

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Favorite Reviewers

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Member Created Dundies
The most anticipated awards! Roughly separated into specific story related and member related.

Story Related

Member Related

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And that's the 2020 Dundies! Thank you everyone who submitted a nomination form and who voted in the top categories! And congratulations to everyone who got a Dundie! If you have any comments or want to congratulate anyone on their Dundie win, you can comment on the News Post, give a shoutout in the Shoutbox or say something in the #The-Dundies channel in our Discord.

We'll see you next year!

Other Dundie Awards: 2021 | 2019 | 2018