These are [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]'s nominations and comments for the 2015 awards. See all nominations here.
24 Months is one of my favorite works posted this year, and for good reason. A unique style and solid prose are just bonuses in a story that expertly explores the range of motions experienced by a mother waiting on her child to finally come home.
A fun setting, an escalating plot, and even a little intrigue combine to make The Master's Trick a real blast to read. The first-person narration lets readers experience the complete strangeness of the Trick Master's house in a fresh way even if they've played the games.
Humor is hard. Drabbles are hard. bobandbill make them both look easy here, usually using the short length to actually make the punchline funnier and more effective.
By using a pleasant voice and the kind of sweeping overview style of old stories and old storytellers, this one-shot is reminiscent of both traditional holiday stories and the folk tales it's about.
The moms of the pokemon are criminally underdeveloped, and Dramatic Melody fixes that for at least one of them. Behind every exciting journey is a mother left at home, and the worry, disappointment, and grief all come across crystal clear in this one-shot.
Blackjack Gabbiani explores what it means to be a villain after your team's been shut down. What's great is that she does it several times in unique ways by looking at Team Galactic's entire admin roster.
As more and more desserts come between Wally and O's real intent, I was practically biting my nails in anticipation. Even when she explains herself, neither the reader nor Wally is sure what to make of the strange girl, and it only serves to heighten the admittedly low-stakes suspense.
Posted all the way back on January 1st, Writ in Water stuck with me thanks to a clever use of canon that will purposely and permanently sever the ties between two close friends. Although readers are denied a definite ending, we're left with the impression that Will and June's time as friends is coming to a heartbreaking end.
Bad Idea is cute and funny, and even has a moral at the end. The result is something akin to a children's book, making this an easy read with a charming story.
If we're being honest with ourselves, I think we can all admit that Aarune was kind of annoying in ORAS. Luckily, Psychic's here to do what she can to fix that, and it actually works. Her take on the character is nostalgic, sweet, and hopeful, and I ended up liking Aarune more than I ever thought I would.
Even with no familiarity with the source material, Blackjack Gabbiani's Mars is immediately gripping. Describing her as an extremist do-gooder only scratches the surface on what the author sets up in a surprisingly short length.
For a dragon, Bjorn is surprisingly well spoken, but it only makes the one-shot more enjoyable. With narration that's both serious and deeply emotional, Bjorn's loss, love, and desire drive Ironside forward beautifully.
“All right,” Vega sighed after opening her eyes, her face now matching his in redness. “Let me have the Poké Ball.”“But Ms. Arista—““Mr. Gomez, the last thing you want to do right now is disobey me. Hand me the Poké Ball now.”Rico felt uncomfortable about the uncertainty of the situation, but Vega’s stare made him unable to refuse. He reluctantly offered the Poké Ball to her, which she forcefully took out of his hands. Vega turned back to her computer and scanned his Poké Ball, once in a while glancing at the nervous expression of the concerned grunt. After some swift but sloppy clicking and typing, she gave it back to him, almost shoving it onto his welcoming palm. “Now you listen to me,” Vega started, exerting as much authority in her voice as possible. “If word of this gets to anyone, and I mean anyone aside from the two people in this room right now, I will personally ask Mable, Aliana, and the other scientists to go to your home, drag you back to this base, give you your uniform, and reinstate you into the lowest position a grunt could ever have in the team. Yes, you may have resigned from Team Flare, but that does not mean you have completely disconnected yourself from us. Any word you say against Team Flare and any act you do breaching this agreement will be met with the most severe punishment possible both for you and this Pokémon. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Gomez?”All Rico could give in reply was an affirmative nod. “I have changed this Mightyena’s last ownership activity from a loan into a trade, with what was given in return listed as ‘a year of outstanding service’. You are officially his current trainer, Mr. Gomez, and you may do with him as you see fit. Save your tears of joy for when you’ve completely left the base. If I find out any of the grunts outside got word of this transaction, I can revoke the change of ownership with the click of a button, and you will be asked by the guards at the entrance to surrender the Poké Ball. You may leave my office, Mr. Gomez. Your exit interview, and your time with Team Flare, has officially come to an end.”
There's nothing quite as heartwarming as an all-business character briefly succumbing to kinder tendencies, and Dramatic Melody nails it here. Sure, there's some punishment probably coming her way, but the fact that she risks it to give another character a happy ending is as sweet as it gets.