Our beloved show is turning 20 in October, which seems so hard to believe! I feel that an anniversary like this shouldn't go unnoticed. Is anyone interested in doing something fun come October? Maybe organizing a rewatch, or we could vote on some sort of awards? Maybe a week of fanfics/fan art? I know the fandom is quieter on here these days, but I wanted to see if there was any interest in doing something. I'm tagging as many as I can think of, but feel free to tag more!
I would love to try and be involved! Work is all consuming lately, so I haven’t had the brain space to write in far too long, but I miss this world so much!
I LOVE YOUR WRiTING!!! Do you still have any plans for a sequel to Defining All In? I absolutely loved it. I’m currently also enjoying going back and reading your shorter docs as well. You have a great perspective and handle on Lorelai- so many docs make her a charicature of how she was originally portrayed by ASP and Lauren Graham. Thanks fo much for keeping her just as interesting and multifaceted.
THANKS BUNCHES!!! :D
Defining All In sequel: It’s never off the table! I have to find the right central plot first (I’m not a fan of unending day in the life type sagas, I need a solid through story). I know a lot about where the characters are after DAI, though, so that helps. Hopefully someday.
And thanks again, seriously. The characterizations of the characters - Lorelai especially since she’s my fave - are super important to me, so this kind of feedback makes me feel like a million bucks. :D
One thing I gotta admit: so much of what I draw from comes directly from the acting and directing.
Lauren puts SO much nuance into Lorelai, giving her more depth than is visible in just the dialogue, especially in seasons 5-7. I’m more of an actor than a writer, so I focus on what the actors are doing, and get into character to write, too. And then the fun part of writing (for me) is being able to relay the internal dialogue the actor can only use body language for.
The downside of this is being completely blocked when I can’t “get into character”. RevivalLuke, for example, threw me, because a post season seven Luke, to me, should not be so... regressive and unevolved. But anyway.
TLDR: characterization is everything to me, so I appreciate it being noticed. :D And thanks for reading the smaller fics, too! They’re not very popular, but Less Complicated, especially, holds a special place in my heart.
I’ve written more in the last few weeks than I have in quite some time, which feels amazing. The job has been kind of eating me alive the last several months, but recently, the creative juices began flowing freely, so I’m really trying to carve out time to write.
Can we talk about Younger for a second? Cause I need to talk about Younger for a second.
The biggest red flag people are throwing up involves Charles being resentful of Liza down the road. It’s possible; he’s only human. Empirical was his family legacy. But, even though he’s not running it, he still gets to be apart of it. He was a huge part of it becoming the powerhouse that it was. The only reason that they were in the hole so deeply is because they refused to work with a sexual harasser. That shows that the company, and by proxy its leader, has integrity beyond that of many other businesses and individuals.
Ah yes. Integrity. When Charles found out about Liza’s age, he was upset. He felt betrayed. And understandably so. As a lover, friend, or employer, that kind of thing would be upsetting for someone in any one of those positions; think about someone who was in all three. But once he processed it, once he understood why she did it, it was old news. He never mentioned it again, unless they were both making jokes (like about her reading glasses). He never threw it back in her face. He never pressured her to come clean. In fact, he did a lot of work on his end to make sure she could keep up the charade, and he did so because he knows how much her job means to her, and because he loves her and wants her to be happy. Then we have Josh, who, since finding out about the lie, has thrown it back in Liza’s face basically every chance he gets. Any time he is upset with her, both when they were together and when they were not, that becomes the barb with which he strikes her. He’s allowed to feel hurt and betrayed also, but nothing was at stake for him like it has been for Charles. But time and time again, he has rubbed salt in that wound; he’s never let it heal.
Now then. Back to Charles turning over his company to Quinn, Kelsey, and the other good people of Empirical (side note: can Diana also get some kind of promotion? Homegirl deserves a raise or something). His declaration to Liza in the park touched me in a big way:
“It was my life. But maybe it’s time for a new one with you and my kids. My father’s company is still alive and I get to watch you help run it. I have got everything I want.”
*swoons*
So besides the fact that it’s romantic as hell, it takes me back to when we first met Pauline (side note: I am so surprised she didn’t make an appearance…to quote Rory Gilmore, she’s “like a pop-up book from hell.”). Forgive me for paraphrasing or if I am over simplifying, but Pauline always said that she left Charles and the girls because she lost sight of who she was…and part of that had to do with Charles being a workaholic who cared more about his job than his wife’s happiness. He shut down emotionally when things got tough. He was unwilling to communicate with her. He just expected her to play her part and be happy with what he was doing.
So let’s flip the script. Charles passed his company on to a wealthy businesswoman and one of his employees so that it could stay afloat. So that the woman he loves could keep the job that she loves, with the people she loves. So that he could have more in his life besides his job. He and Liza are not perfect communicators, but they aren’t afraid to say how they feel, even if it’s hard and even if it’s not what the other person wants to hear. Their ability to be completely vulnerable and honest with each other is charming, intoxicating, and sometimes a little heartbreaking. She sees him and he sees her. He is happy that Liza gets to continue playing a part in running Empirical/Millennial even though that means he has to step away. And we covered some of the “resentment” factor already, but I don’t think it will be a huge issue because even though he lost something, Charles is gaining a lot more. He made that choice because he truly wants those other things. Nobody forced his hand; nobody made him give it all away. He easily could have denied his relationship with Liza (I actually thought he was gonna say, “It’s completely false” instead of “consensual” tbh), and I’m almost willing to bet that she would have understood. She would’ve been pissed, but I think she would’ve understood, especially based on her reaction when he starts to tell her the truth of it all.
We do know that Charles is impulsive when it comes to following his heart, by his own admission, but this isn’t the first time that he’s had to make a choice between his relationship with Liza and something else important. He always chooses Liza. Everything Charles has ever done over the course of the series has been for the good of Empirical. And even still, he’s making big changes for the good of the company. But this time, he’s also doing it for the good of Liza…of their relationship. So she can succeed. So their relationship can thrive. He’s putting her wants and needs before his own. He’s putting their relationship before his job.
Charles and Pauline’s relationship didn’t work out because Charles was a self-obsessed workaholic who always put work first. Charles and Liza’s relationship will work out because he’s a compassionate, benevolent human being who has begun to put work second.
The ending of the episode has me a little concerned about what is to come, but I am cautiously optimistic. People have said that they look unhappy. I disagree. I think that’s the first moment that the magnitude and reality of what has transpired in the last 24-48 hours (or more) for them has really sunk in; and the reality and magnitude of what’s next. Darren Starr himself said, “It doesn’t mean that they don’t want to be together. It doesn’t mean unhappily ever after, just realistically ever after.”
Anyways, Younger is the best show and I am so grateful for it.
A Gilmore Girls ficlet inspired by a conversation with @fruitofthe-poisonoustree about Luke's lack of adherence to more appropriate dress codes when meeting with the elder Gilmores as Lorelai's boyfriend for the first time.
This is lightly edited and decidedly unbeta’d; excuse any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
The hangers clacked loudly in the silent apartment as shirt after shirt was aggressively pushed aside.
Flannel, flannel, t-shirt, flannel, t-shirt, Limp Bizkit? Nickelback? Insane Clown Puss-WHAT? Nope. Cigarette burn over the O. Posse. Whew. Those last three must have been left behind by Jess. Flannel. More flannel, jeans, jeans and - aha! Dress shirts and dress pants!
Luke ran his hand down the sleeve of a familiar shirt, chuckling to himself over its awkward origins. Rachel had returned, and Lorelai made her very best, covert efforts to slowly drive him mad. And as frustrating and confusing as that time in his life had been, it was the first time he'd felt genuine relief at seeing Rachel leave.
Of course, Rachel couldn't simply allow her departure to be her parting gift. Instead, she brought to light something he'd been trying desperately to ignore and avoid for years: that he had long since gotten over Rachel and, in her place, had fallen head over heels for one Lorelai Gilmore.
And so it was that years after Lorelai had chosen countless brand new dress clothes, Luke stood in front of his closet, trying to put together the perfect ensemble for Emily Gilmore's famous or, more accurately, infamous Friday Night Dinner.
Knowing Lorelai, she'd not only remember the shirt, slacks, and belt, but she'd recall the store, the real price, the fake price she'd given him before splitting the cost between both their credit cards, and every the other item of clothing she'd purchased that day.
Luke grinned goofily to himself. It would be their shared secret, something to distract him enough to get through the necessary but always unnerving official Meet The Parents dinner.
Or parent in this case. He wasn't sure if Richard's lack of presence would make things better or worse.
After shedding his usual diner jeans, Luke reached for the black pants, stepped through, and pulled them up...
...Only to find that they were no longer sliding up quite so easily as they had previously.
After some tugging, he managed to get them up to his waist, fastened, and zipped.
He stared awkwardly in the mirror as he noted how very, very tight they were from the thigh up, almost to the point of indecency.
Had he made a mistake? Had Jess left these pants?
Luke pulled them off again and double-checked the brand. They were definitely the ones Lorelai had purchased.
Had they shrunk?!
Panicked, he attempted to shrug on the other dress shirts Lorelai had purchased that day only to find that they too felt smaller in size than he recalled. Even the very shirt he'd tried on that day in the diner was tighter than it had been.
His finest clothes had shrunk!
He couldn't even give Mr. Jennings a piece of his mind. Mr. Jennings had retired and moved away eons ago, taking Stars Hollow's original dry cleaning establishment with him. A far more appropriate action, given the size and uniqueness of Stars Hollow, would've been to at least sell the place, but no, it had to become Ellie's Teddy Bear Shop. Because what small town doesn't need shops specializing in both cat and teddy bear accessor-
Luke caught sight of the tag, as the size on the label brought his rant to a grinding halt.
It wasn't the shirts that shrunk.
Rather, the man had grown.
Luke had started hitting the gym more often after Jess moved in to keep both of them sane while they tried to occupy the same space. He'd found he quite liked the tension release, and since Luke had to drive two towns away to get to the gym, he also got to take a break from craziness that made up the people of Stars Hollow.
But the gym alone isn't quite what had caused him to bulk up quite so much.
It was the damn protein powder.
And that was all Kirk who, months after spending a few thousand dollars to sell the pyramid-scheme based Mega-Man powder and supplements, had failed to sell any of his stock. After finding Kirk hiding behind the diner, weeping with half of a stale donut in his hand, Luke caved and bought half of the stock of powder, which accounted for far more containers of powder than he'd ever thought possible.
Luke would never admit it when asked, but the stuff wasn't terrible, and he'd made sure the ingredients were as natural as they claimed to be.
Luke sighed and tossed the clothes into a pile to be donated. At the very least, he could breathe a little easier knowing that it was Jess and Kirk's faults.
He frowned at his remaining dress shirt and pants, sitting in his hamper of dirty laundry. He'd gone to the bank to meet with his financial advisor the day before and worn his usual attire. This would normally mean the clothes could be worn again thanks to the short span of time he'd actually had them on. But even that was out of the question, as little Davy Belleville had thrown a well aimed, ketchup-covered fry across the diner right as Luke returned - the perfect bullseye right in the middle of his left butt cheek.
Maybe he could wear them and tell Emily he'd been shot on his way to Hartford.
Luke buried his face in his hand.
He really had been spending far too much time with Lorelai if that was his solution.
"You're not dressed?" Lorelai called out, quickly shutting the door to his apartment behind her. "Or are you? You know, never mind, I like the boxers, undershirt, and dress socks look, let's go."
"You're a riot," Luke muttered. "Uh, nothing fits."
"Nothing?" Lorelai frowned and surveyed his clothes.
After a few minutes of banter, he was forced to try on the too-small pants again for visual proof.
The quirk of Lorelai's eyebrow, her pleased smile, and the area on which her eyes were trained told him all he needed to know: the pants were definitely too tight, and if she stared much longer, she'd make a new plan, and the pants would not only be tighter, but they'd be leaving for dinner later than planned...
Flustered by Lorelai's blatant ogling - as such overt gestures were still a little new to them - Luke dropped the shirt he was about to try on, and quickly bent over to retrieve it.
His hurried movement was enough for the poor garment. The tearing sound shouldn't have been a surprise, but Lorelai's look of disappointment indicated she truly had intended for him to wear the lewdly-tight dress pants.
He slid the black button-down shirt on, and noted while fastening buttons that while it was tighter than he'd normally prefer, it wasn't uncomfortable. Moving his arms around a few times, he found that the shirt was not in danger of facing the same fate as the pants. It would work well enough.
He turned around to seek Lorelai's approval and found her holding a pair of his darker jeans. He'd come to refer to them as "date night" jeans: not quite as rugged as his usual diner jeans, and the darker color made it seem like he'd put some effort into his appearance.
But denim at the Gilmore house?
"Lorelai, I don't-"
"They're not ideal, but they're as good as we've got for now. Emily's less critical of your gender's clothing, whole other story if it were me showing up in jeans. Believe me, I tried it once. Now if my father was around, you'd more than likely have an appointment set up with his tailor for a nice, new lineup of Zegnas and Armanis."
Luke grimaced. "Maybe we should just be a little late and stop at-"
"No way. We'll hear more about being late than we will about you wearing the wrong pants." She eyed the ripped pants with a sigh. "Just put the jeans on. And don't throw those pants out, I can fix the seam, and you can make dessert for me in 'em after you close up for the night. We can re-enact the day I bought those for you. But undressing you this time, and without an audience."
Luke couldn't help but laugh at the flirtatious smile directed his way. Once Luke was fully clothed, and Lorelai took one last thoughtful glance at the abandoned pants, the two made their way to Hartford.
Thus did Luke Danes arrive at his first official Friday Night Dinner in jeans.
And just as Lorelai predicted, Emily made countless other remarks, but cast no aspersions upon his choice of denim.
1st rule: tag 9 people you want to get to know better: I know her pretty well, but I’m gonna tag @fruitofthe-poisonoustree anyway. And if you wanna do this, say I tagged you ‘cause I have been bad about being active on the Tumblrs and I don’t even know who’s still around and about and how life is going.
2nd rule: bold the statements that are true
appearance - i am 5'7 or taller - i wear glasses - i have at least one tattoo - i have at least one piercing - i have blonde hair- i have brown eyes - i have short hair - my abs are at least somewhat defined - i have or had braces
personality - i love meeting new people - people tell me i am funny - helping others with their problems is a big priority of mine - i enjoy physical challenges - i enjoy mental challenges - i am playfully rude to people i know- i started saying something ironically and now i can’t stop saying it - there is something i would change about my personality
ability - i can sing well - i can play an instrument - i can do over 30 pushups without stopping - i am a fast runner - i can draw well - i have a good memory- i am good at doing math in my head - i can hold my breath underwater for over a minute - i have beaten at least 2 people arm wrestling - i can make at least 3 recipes from scratch - i know how to throw a proper punch
hobbies - i enjoy sports - i’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else - i’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else - i have learned a new song in the past week - i exercise at least once a week (I try)- i have gone for runs at least once a week in warmer months - i have drawn something in the past month - i enjoy writing - i do some form of martial arts
experiences - i have had my first kiss - i have had alcohol - i have scored a winning point in a sport - i have watched an entire tv series in one sitting - i have been at an overnight event- i have been in a taxi - i have been in the hospital or er in the past year - i have beaten a video game in one day - i have visited another country - i have been to one of my favorite bands concerts
my life - i have one person that i consider to be my Best Friend™ - i live close to my school/work - my parents are still together - i have at least one sibling - i live in the united states – i have hung out with a friend in the past month - i have a smart phone - i own at least 15 cds - i share my room with someone
relationships - i am in a relationship - i have a crush on a celebrity - i have a crush on someone i know - i’ve been in at least 3 relationships - i have never been in a relationship - i have admitted my feelings to a crush - i get crushes easily - i have had a crush for over a year - i have been in a relationship for over a year - i have had feelings for a friend
random - i have break-danced - i know a person named jamie - i have had a teacher that has a name that is hard to pronounce - i have dyed my hair -i’m listening to a song on repeat right now - i have punched someone in the past week - i know someone who has gone to jail - i have broken a bone - i have eaten a waffle today - i know what i want to do in life - i speak at least two languages - i have made a new friend in the past year
Prompt Response: S2, after or during Lorelai's Graduation Day: Lorelai apologizes to Luke in sincere way (more like the 'Mimi' speech, but you choose medium of apology), and tells him that Jess needs him because he's family. Nice if Lorelai doesn't expect to make up in return (no hidden motive). Bonus: Allusion to talk from S2E9 about always being there for each other. (Feel free to rewrite the prompt as you see fit).
Ohhh, goodness. So, this didn’t quite turn out the way you were hoping, largely because of my very strong preexisting feelings about this particular story arc. I’ll explain in more detail at the end. I did, at least, try to soften how I’d prefer to deal with rewriting any kind of apology issued to at least somewhat stick to your request.
We begin a few days after Lorelai’s graduation, following the episode…
His finger traced the edge of the envelope for what seemed like the thousandth time. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to wear through the recycled paper. He stared across the street at the mailbox. It was ridiculous, he knew, to be so nervous over mailing something, but words could be powerful, and he’d always been cautious about how and when he chose to use them.
With one final shaky sigh, Luke approached the menacing blue steel container and reached for the handle.
“Careful, it bites.”
His shoulders stiffened at the familiar voice.
“Huh?”
“The door of the mailbox, it’s like a mouth. It, uh…” Lorelai replied, her tone no less awkward than he felt.
They looked at each other for a moment, each resorting to nervous tics in favor of speaking. Lorelai bit her lower lip, Luke’s eyes widened and flitted around as he searched for the right thing to say.
Despite the ice between them, their roles had always been well defined. And as such, Lorelai spoke first.
“Luke, do you have a few minutes? To talk, or, I don’t know… Not talk? See who cries ‘Uncle!’ first?”
Fighting a smirk at the visual of them sitting across from each other in a staring contest to see who ran away first, Luke nodded slowly.
“Not here,” he said quietly. “Not in Stars Hollow.”
“Yeah, okay.” Lorelai’s mind took a brief jaunt to the surrounding towns, and she informed Luke of the perfect spot: a park in a neighboring town. They agreed on a time, a few hours later in the day.
If approaching the mailbox with papers stuffed in an envelope addressed to Lorelai Gilmore was unnerving, nearing the bench she was seated at to hand-deliver it was downright terrifying.
It wasn’t enough that she had arrived first, but the description she’d given him earlier in the day did little to prepare him.
The two benches were not simply facing each other as Lorelai had detailed, but awkwardly placed barely a foot apart. For two people who’d been avoiding each other’s presence for the last few weeks, knowingly sitting right in each other’s personal space seemed ludicrous. And perfectly suited to Lorelai Gilmore, who seemed to thrive in the most ridiculous and awkward circumstances. Would that he were so skilled in uncomfortable situations.
Before he could break into a run back to his truck, a pair of blue eyes caught him, their unmasked sadness only heightening his feelings of guilt. The contents of the worn envelope he’d been carrying around all day would hardly help either of their moods.
“For awhile there, I didn’t think you’d show up.”
“You were early,” he answered defensively.
Lorelai shrugged, a small smile appearing.
Luke sighed.“I almost changed my mind a second ago.”
Lorelai’s hint of a smile grew, evolving into a knowing grin which Luke returned with a smirk of his own. Before he could think twice, he shoved the envelope into her hands.
Surprised by its nearly frayed edges and multiple creases, she raised an eyebrow in question. Luke shrugged in response, and took his designated spot on the bench opposite hers. His knees made painful contact with the bench in front of him. He adjusted his legs, cringing as the side of his knee bumped Lorelai’s.
Her fingers were learning the same edges of the envelope his own had grown familiar with over the past few days, and her hesitance to open it pushed Luke’s patience to its limit.
“I owe you an apology,” he started.
“No, I… That’s not what I-”
“Just open the envelope.”
He stared ahead as she followed his instructions, his eyes tracing the roots of a nearby tree, their entangled, convoluted twists and curves diving deep into the earth for several inches before resurfacing, embarking on paths only known to the tree itself. Distracted by the sound of a sniffle, Luke tilted his gaze back to Lorelai, finding her staring at her own writing.
“You’re giving me my apology back?” she asked softly.
He shook his head and grabbed the paper from her, his finger crushing Garfield’s face slightly as he flipped it over, revealing his own writing on the other side.
There was no way she could’ve read the entire note given how quickly she looked back up. Before Luke could growl at her refusal to follow his instructions, she shook her head at him.
“You don’t need to apologize for defending your family, that’s-”
“If you’re not gonna read all of my letter, at least take a good look through the other papers in there.”
Watching her read his own heartfelt apology had proven difficult, but keeping his eyes on her as she read through the other pages of writing he’d included was painful. Nevertheless, it was on par with cauterizing a wound: harrowing, yet healing.
He wondered what her reaction would be when she finally reached the last page. His own experience with the details had sent him through a few different emotional peaks. Anger, mortification, sadness, and guilt were among them.
Coop, a childhood friend of Luke’s and a member of the local police force, had stopped by the diner after Jess’s incident with Rory’s car and wrist. It had been Luke’s first introduction to the papers he’d just bequeathed to Lorelai. He knew it was serious when Coop suggested they talk upstairs rather than in the diner itself.
“There were a few witnesses,” Coop had said grimly. He’d flicked the leafs of paper with his finger. “These damn kids may try to save each other’s asses, but we’ve got individual accounts of the shenanigans they were up to.”
It started with old Ms. Rex, who’d been out for an evening stroll with her adopted Great Dane. Though she’d gone into excessive detail about Thomas’s absurdly small bladder compared to his overall size, she’d eventually gotten to the point:
It wasn’t the swerving that had caught her attention, it was the shouting. The driver, his focus on the melting ice cream cone in his hand instead of on the road ahead, was laughing loudly as the passenger reached for the wheel. Rather than hand the passenger his ice cream and drive responsibly, the car had actually sped up, the driver paying little heed to maintaining control of the car.
She hadn’t been able to identify them, but the car had been familiar, similar to something she’d driven in her own youth.
A few houses down, Jed Brown had been chasing a raccoon away from his trash cans. He’d watched with horror as a driver scrambled to get his hands back on the wheel to help the passenger steer the car away from the startled animal.
He didn’t see the crash itself - the driver’s ice cream was flung out the window, landing squarely on Mr. Brown’s nose.
“On the bright side,” Mr. Brown had said optimistically, “The coldness of the ice cream helped keep the swelling down from the damn cone.”
Two more neighbors with similar stories were included, along old Mrs. Slutsky’s ranting statement. The crash had scared away the grubs she’d been hunting in preparation for her upcoming fishing trip. After a lengthy diatribe, she did, eventually, confirm the boy had shouted a quick, “You okay?” before scampering off into the wood. Despite the girl’s response in the affirmative, Mrs. Slutsky was a retired nurse and knew the angle of the girl’s wrist proved otherwise. It was she who’d called for an ambulance.
Only one resident had correctly identified Rory and Jess, Coop had noted, cautioning Luke against accusing the town of, once again, trying to defend or excuse Jess’s behavior to the town. Someone had been hurt, a car totaled, and the raccoon was still unaccounted for.
“She didn’t tell me this,” Lorelai said, finishing the last page of Coop’s report. “She didn’t tell me any of this.”
“She was protecting him. I’d been too, I guess. He’s not a dumb kid most of the time, he has so much potential, and he’d rather steal gnomes, money, and break Rory’s wrist than care about anyone but himself. And if that’s all he cares about, he can be by himself, away from here, away from Rory, and away from any temptation to ruin every good thing anyone tries to do for him.”
Lorelai remained silent. She’d seen Jess’s issues early on, and warned Luke the very first day Jess had arrived. Luke had rebuffed her then, but from the few words she’d scanned after glancing at his response to her apology, she knew he hadn’t forgotten. There was no use rubbing salt in the wound when he was already hurting over this troubled child’s countless transgressions.
Instead, she cringed as she thought back to her own childhood and the bad boys she’d been attracted to, defended, and been dragged down by. As painful as it was to watch Rory go through the same phases, she’d hoped she’d given her enough of a foundation to not make the same mistakes.
Frustrated with Rory and Jess, and hurting for Luke and herself, Lorelai shifted her leg slightly to softly and briefly bump Luke’s. A small sign of solidarity as they made their way through the latest snag in their friendship. He didn’t jerk away, though he couldn’t hide his look of surprised approval at the gesture. She tried it again, pushing her knee against his for a moment longer than the last time. His knee shifted to tap hers back. Their gazes met, directing sad, supportive smiles toward each other. Understanding was as important as forgiveness.
“I am sorry I yelled at you,” she said, holding up her original note for emphasis before setting it in the bag beside her.
“Don’t be. I would’ve yelled at me too. I know that kid can’t go five minutes without supervision. I should’ve stayed in the diner. I asked Rory to tutor him, not babysit. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“A rare moment of optimism.”
“See? That’s why I don’t venture into that area,” Luke grumbled.
“Ah, there’s my Luke!” Lorelai chuckled, grateful to receive the smiley-eyed smirk she’d been missing.
Tempting fate, Lorelai pressed her knee against his again, but this time chose not to pull it away. The shared warmth reassured her, made her feel as though the energy passing between them was healing the damage and distance of the past few weeks.
She didn’t hate Jess. She knew what it was like to feel unsettled and unhappy. She’d avoided taking it as far as he had, had never endangered the life of another person, but she understood Luke wanting to save his nephew. It was the same chance Mia Holloway had taken on Lorelai so many years ago. Jess simply wasn’t ready for it, too damaged and angry to understand the importance of Luke’s gesture.
As if reading her mind, Luke sighed heavily. “I never should’ve brought him here.”
“But maybe it’s good you did. He might be your sister’s son, but he knows you’re the one that’s there for him.”
“Does he?”
“At the end of the day, Luke, you’re about as loyal as they come. You’re not the type to give up easily, and you didn’t give up on him. Once he works things out in his head, he’ll realize you’re in his life for good.”
“For good, huh? Like permanently forever?”
“Something like that.”
Luke and Lorelai grinned at each other, simultaneously reaching for each other’s hand, squeezing to acknowledge their renewed, permanent places in each other’s lives.
They stood, each secretly regretting the loss of their brief physical connections. Lorelai turned to distract herself and caught sight of the tree Luke had been looking at earlier. She gestured toward its base.
“You don’t know where it all begins or ends, but it’s all tied up together.”
He nodded, stealing one final glance at the tree’s interwoven roots, and smiled to himself, his thoughts far from his nephew.
Fin.
DON’T HATE ME!!
Sooo, here’s the thing about Jess, and this story arc in particular.
I have a lot of issues with Jess, and I think the only thing Luke did right in this story arc was sending Jess away. I also believe Lorelai was justified in her anger at Luke. Luke had been enabling Jess’s bad behavior already by never forcing him to be held accountable for any of it. The snotty little kid yelled at Luke’s friend the very day he appeared on the scene, and Luke not only allowed it, but defended it. Jess stole someone’s property. Luke put it back. Jess stole money. Luke defended him. Jess ruined property. Luke didn’t make Jess clean it up.
Luke needed to stop being an enabler. Jess needed time away to learn a little gratitude, and recall that life isn’t easy when your uncle’s not there to clean up all your messes.
hand with pen icon [i dont know how to do it and didnt copy/paste but welcome back]
I’m glad the revival happened for one reason: the people it brought into this funky li’l fandom and the friendships that came of that. But...
Unpopular opinion: The series was more enjoyable leaving “what happened next” after season 7 to the imagination. I mean, my god, they even took the awesome KC’s away from us. Is nothing sacred? 😭
Since the episodes introducing Liz (in the flesh) first aired, I’ve had some serious confusion over her character. This person we’d been lead to believe was absolutely terrible... wasn’t.
And so, I’ve come to realize it was solely through Luke and Jess and their patented self-righteous perspectives that we believed Liz to be so terrible.
On-screen, we see her son and brother treat people more atrociously than anything we ever see from her.
So. Unpopular opinion: Liz is actually pretty awesome, and the Danes men have judged her unfairly. Most likely Luke and Liz’s dad was pissed she left Stars Hollow, Luke carried the torch, and Jess... well... ‘nuff said.
Rules: Tag nine people you want to get to know better.
Tagged by @frazzledsoul
Relationship status: Single and pretty much staying that was for the time being because men in the US are trash, and you don’t get to choose your sexuality, so I’m stuck in this cis-het hell.
Favourite colour: This truly varies, but I’ve had a thing for teal/minty tones the last few years.
Lipstick or chapstick: There is no “OR” here. This is a “BOTH” situation, people.
Last song: “Light” from the ‘Next to Normal’ cast recording.
Last movie: Kiki, the documentary (underwhelming, btw, stick with ‘Paris is Burning’ which it tries so hard to be it fails to be interesting, and can’t compete with the original).
Top three tv shows: X-Files (this burns so soon after the shit show that was the revival seasons, but whatever). West Wing. Gilmore Girls. I think. But can I also throw Blackish and Madam Secretary in this? Because they’re so fucking good.
Top three ships: Mulder and Scully, Han and Leia (my OG ship), aaaand I’m sorry but Henry and Elizabeth McCord are gonna bump Luke and Lorelai these days because of the GG revival (I’m working on erasing it from my mind, but I’m not there yet).
Top three bands: REM, REM, and REM. Okay, fine, U2 can squeeze in there. Yes, I’m an old. Deal.
Three favourite foods: Sushi. Lebanese food. Thai food. Dessert. That’s four. Rules are made to be broken.
Currently reading: I’d love to list some culturally fascinating books here, but fuck. X-Files fic.
Tagging: no one because I’m super fucking late to doing this as it is and everyone I know has probably already done it. So tag yourself if you see this and didn’t do it and say I tagged you.
stop. what are 3 things currently on your mind. go.
Oh, that’s fun.
1. This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tgq97tnOIk and how that piece of music (love you, Mark Snow) and the Land Race from the movie Far & Away (John Williams) are two of my favorite pieces of music of all time. To quote what I just said to my best friend a few minutes ago: Those two pieces of music set my soul aflight. I would give just about anything to hear both or either live at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by their composers. Lord (the link above and this one are probably about as close as I’ll ever get *sigh*). The score from Sweeney Todd might be third.
2. Whether or not I should be an adult and put away my folded laundry tonight or whether I can wait to do it in the morning before I go to brunch.
3. How much I like my decision to move three of my candlesticks from my bar cart to a side table, and the endless conflict of whether one should actually light said decorative candles or not.
