this sentence I don't understand, but take *this* one!

Yay, they did something with the archive and now I can go through the Yuletide stories in no particular order!!

. we should have met in finavir | tigana - I am not really one for fixer-upper fics, but so *much* went to hell in Tigana that it's nice to have one, especially for the inexplicably hot Dianora and Brandin.

. a matter of convenience | merlin rpf - this story manages to have a cute puppy and it *doesn't annoy me*. How is that even possible? Also, this version of Colin & Bradley forever, please.

. never met a more impossible girl | delilah (song) - uh, the only "Delilah" in song form I know is the Tom Jones version, and I'm pretty sure this ain't it. But it's a great broken-fingernailed messy-drunk heartbreak little story even if you don't know the proper song.

. bittersweet | beauty and the beast (disney) - ahahah, all my recs today are coming with caveats, and this time it's this: despite the bookishness that makes her a fan favourite, I always thought Belle was kind of a simpleton. But this story gives her a little more edge, and makes Beast more unsure without making him mush, and despite living up to its title there's wee touches of the ridiculous that make everything all the more poignant.

. ali of finghington bluff | lawrence of arabia - I always liked Ali a lot, and this tense snippet of a story outlines his character very well while addressing a sore, much-contended event in Lawrence's life.

. all your heart-melodies | lilo & stitch - WHAT THE HELL THIS STORY MADE ME CRY SO HARD. Also, the Stitch in my head sounds like cathybites.

. sick | children of men - a sharp little snippet of Kee and Miriam, one woman not daring to hope and the other not even knowing what to hope for.

Also, I forgot to mention that along with that awful 1978 Little Women, we also saw Godspell (the movie) for the first time over the holidays. I tell you, even top-drawer BC bud can't remove the horror of realizing that Clown Jesus dresses right.

welcome to t. g. i. mcscratchy's

Incidentally, I'd like to join the rest of you in giving 2009 a sound boot in its smug, resentful, withholding ass on its way out the door. So long, year, and never come back.


. harold and kumar and maria and vanessa go to bed. together. | harold and kumar - wow, I haven't even seen the second movie yet and can't remember/don't know what the girls look like, but knowing what the boys look like is enough for now. Also, Maria and Vanessa are smart and have good ideas.

. it's the thought that counts | harold and kumar - ahahahaahah omg Kumar leaves gifts of food lying around for Harold! LIKE A CAT! This is hilarious to me for reasons only glockgal will understand, but it's a sweet and funny story even without in-jokes.

. mr. yunioshi's photographs | breakfast at tiffany's - I don't need to tell you what a horror this character was in the movie, so it's sheer delight to read a quiet, sleepy story where he's a human being instead of a caricature.

. la adelita | like water for chocolate - all about gertrudis and war and there's no food, but goddammit, even for me that's not a deficit. Gloriously like Esquivel but strongly original and bold.

. rome | gattaca - a spindly, polished, self-loathing highball of a story that loops around on itself with a fascinating viciousness.


And that's it for a while. I'm leaving work now and school starts up again next week, so heaven knows when I'll start back with recs again, but I definitely shall! And meanwhile, I will leave you with an exhortation to read the Yuletide story that was written for me:

. the principles of professional pride, by precious ramotswe | the no. 1 ladies' detective agency (tv) - a juicy-golden fruit syrup of a story, smooth and sweet with flecks of wry humour and characterization that would coat a spoon. I love it so much!!