These are Firaga Metagross's nominations and comments for the 2018 awards. See all nominations here.
It's an amusing story about the absurdities of working in a strange place like the Rainbow Rocket HQ. Like a fantasy version of dilbert, in a way.
She heard the nurse's steps getting closer, and a soft hand patted her on the shoulder."The flowers change here every year. Soon a new field of color will bloom on top of this grave," she said. "I'm sure she will be happy resting here.""Eh, it'll do I guess." Inyssa shrugged, perhaps too strongly. "Could be better. If it were me I'd want a whole party around my funeral; some marble statues of me, maybe a couple flying jets doing pirouettes around my grave… you know, go out with some style."Laughter sprouted from her, wild and sharp and just a little bit unhinged. The nurse shifted her gaze from her to the boy, unsure if that was a joke or not. It didn't last long however, and soon she felt her smile drop dead as the silence grew around her once more.She stood there, waiting, expecting someone to say something. Should she say something? She remembered a lot of people giving eulogies for her father when she was young, but she was never good at talking about others. She simply put a hand over the cold dirt and lowered her head, trying to cover the wetness in her eyes."I'm sorry." She spoke between sobs, eyes closed and wind roaring in her ears. "You deserved better than this."
Inyssa's use of hyperbole to mask her sadness is so in character and just adds to the emotional impact.
“I have an idea,” says Jodi, getting up. “I think it might make you feel better.”“Yeah?”“Yeah.” She turns lightly on one foot, holds out a hand. “I've got maybe two minutes left, and I don't know when or if I'm gonna be able to project like this again. So. May I have this dance, Miss Spearing?”Tacoma blinks, surprised.“You can't dance,” she says, though of course this is the wrong thing to say. “You've never danced in your life.”Jodi shrugs.“That's probably just gonna make it more entertaining,” she says. “Two minutes, Tacoma. Last chance for either of us. Wanna try?”Tacoma looks at her outstretched hand.She feels like shit. Her knuckles are bleeding more and more with every movement of her fingers. She wants a sharp piece of metal to draw across her arm.“Yeah,” she says, taking Jodi's hand. “Yeah, I'd like that.”In two minutes, there will be no more music and no more hands to hold; in two minutes, Tacoma can be as violent and ugly as she wants. But until then, she is human again.She really can't say no to that.
It's a really cute scene between two very hurt characters.
Negrek's one of the most thorough reviewers on the whole site. Very helpful, all around.
It's harder to find a story Cutlerine hasn't reviewed! She gives a lot of newer writers on the site the opportunity to receive critique and the incentive to write more. Also, really good at catching grammar/sp errors.