We asked our fellow staffers for their favorite听国产吃瓜黑料听moments of the year, and we want to hear yours, too. In the comments, tell us what moved you, what mattered to you, and what moment stood out most.
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McKayla Maroney . She鈥檚 wearing a red, standard-glitter leotard, and her hair鈥檚 up in some kind of half-assed bun. She presents herself up to the crowd鈥攈ands up over her head, feet tilted to her toes, smiling because you have to. Then she steps onto the runway. It looks likes she鈥檚 brushing away something, excess chalk residue maybe, but she eventually sets her feet, takes one last big breath, and checks her hands. Then she鈥檚 off, bounding toward the vault. She starts to flip and….
The Earth鈥檚 off its orbit, and the whole planet is just bouncing around the universe. Dogs and cats are giving birth to human children. Volcanoes are shooting out fully-cooked Christmas hams. There鈥檚 a bear driving a John Deere mower across the Atlantic Ocean. You throw a football and a sentient tree catches it, puts his arm around you, and tells you what the dinosaurs were like. Someone clicks a fax machine, the Nile River drips out the sides, and Cleopatra gives him a kiss. Then it all vibrates, and now it鈥檚 dark.听
Then, it鈥檚 bright again. And she鈥檚 standing there, arms up, again on her toes. She faces the crowd, then turns to face the judges, twirls her hand, and presents herself once more. She鈥檚 smiling again, but this time she definitely wants to鈥攁nd you鈥檙e smiling too because you have no idea what just happened, but you鈥檙e still here, and whatever that was: it will never happen again.
(The real best moment was Gabby Douglas winning gold, but I can't say it any better than this.)