#rory/paris were pretty okay i think

[autumnrory]

that was a long winded post but i think REALLY the thing is no matter what you ship ayitl probably did them dirty

[booasaur]

Pinned post - F/F Fic Recs

  Anonymous asked:

Hi, I've see you saying that you're reading a lot of fic lately and I was wondering if you could rec some? I so trust your taste and I think we have so many fandons in common...

Hiya! So first, what I was reading over the summer were some new fandoms that I'm still mulling over. Those ships and fics, I'm not ready to recommend anything for, I'll come back to them later.

As you know, I find it hard to pick out faves and recommend things but coincidentally, some time back, when I hadn't read fics for years, I decided to see which I could easily remember. It’s not close to being an exhaustive list, I just noted down whatever came to me over a few hours, and almost all are pretty old, often from my first go-around in each fandom, but it’s a fair number. I've read other great ones that might not be as easily remembered for any number of reasons, like if I was in a particular frame of mind or if I read too many good ones at once so none really stood out, if I read them in between other things going on in life, etc. These ones slotted into the ole memory bank but that doesn't say anything about those left off.

I'm not sure how many of these are fandoms you're into, but when I'm in a real fic-reading mood I'll often try fandoms I don't know, so hopefully you can still give some of them a shot. I tried to organize by fandom though they're mostly in the order I remembered them, so it's not alphabetical or fave first--though it did end up being pretty chronologically backwards. I was literally going back through the years and I don't think I've read some of the anime ones in like, more than a decade? And while for my own list, I often was like oh, all of that author's fics for this ship and would know what I meant, here I tried to narrow it down to one fic per author, since it can be hard to know where to start, but definitely give their other fics a try if you liked that one.

Added a cut for length. All stories are f/f and complete unless specified. As I go through some of these, let me come back here to add that it’s worth keeping in mind as you read these that they are products of their time, some more than a decade ago. 

Gilmore Girls - Paris/Rory

The Best Of It - by dollsome - 74k words » Canon, fake dating, set after the original series (so ignoring A Year in the Life). To win a point on a talk show, Paris announces she's dating Rory. It's incredibly in voice and matches the show vibe so it's just so funny and sweet and just a plain delight. It's what actually made me create this list, I was idly wondering what else I'd read that brought me this much joy.  

Boston Marriage - by Jae - 5k words » Canon, college years, Paris has a proposal. The first fic for this ship I read, I think? Where I was like, oh, so it’s possible to be that in voice and replicate everything about a show even as distinct as this one. One of the ship’s classics (and being from 2005, just a f/f classic overall?).    

The Unbearable Weirdness of Being - by klynkey - 3k words » Canon, assumed high school years, Rory and Paris get into a debate. After having read the one above, I found this soon after and was like, okay, is everyone able to easily replicate that Gilmore Girls patter? (No.) Another ship classic.

Agents of Shield - Bobbi/Jemma

To Keep My Wolves From Your Door - by pirateygoodness - 41k words » Werewolf AU, so elaborate and for a ship so relatively rare, I’m not sure how this exists but I’m glad it does. It’s got some plot, a sweet romance, smut with feelings, just a rewarding read every time I go back to it, which is pretty often. Given my main audience, I’ll mention there are some flashbacks to Bobbi and her ex husband but that didn’t affect my enjoyment at all.  

Soulmate AUs (just chapter 2) - by alittleunstable - 3k words » Canon, cute little soulmate AU, which I’m always a sucker for. 

Star Trek Voyager - Janeway/Seven of Nine

Where the Dream Takes You - by nejvit - 27k words » Canon, one of the tamer getting together Trek setups, more introspective rather than caused by some alien tomfoolery, but I really like how it handles the very commonly featured J/7 conflict of Janeway dating someone in her crew. It is a bit dense but I found the character and dynamic exploration so insightful and interesting. When I first read J/7 fics years ago (in the late ‘00s), this author’s fics didn’t particularly stand out but when I came back to the fandom more recently, they were among my very favorite.  

The Rod and the Staff - by Trek in Tandem - 13k words » Canon, deals with the aftermath of an existing ep where Janeway went on a mission and ran into trouble. The religious stuff comes across as more the writer playing with the episode’s actual religious references than anything heavy-handed so I found it easily ignorable. Really great, clean prose, one of the writers who always stuck out to me for that.    

Not Just Strip Poker - by Pink Rabbit Productions - 15k words » Canon, a funny, lighter piece that definitely starts out as full comedy, after a misunderstanding, but there’s some deceptively interesting discussion later on in this one too.

Stargate SG-1 - Janet/Sam

Bits and Pieces series - by Pink Rabbit Productions - 278k words, WIP » Canon, this series integrates Sam/Janet into the first season of the show and I don't think it was ever finished, and the last one especially was left on a cliffhanger, but the rest of the “episodes” are worth the read. Also, when I put this down for my own list, I just said "Pink Rabbit's Sam/Janet stuff", because I remember going through all of them at some point, the stuff outside this series was fun too, and if this full incomplete series is too daunting, definitely some of the one-shots might be more fun.

The Devil Wears Prada - Andy/Miranda

Truth and Measure - by Telanu - 272k words » Canon, diverges from the end of the movie as Andy decides to stay with Miranda. What even is there to say about this one? A true f/f classic, has been in the top three of my general f/f recs for more than a decade and still holds up. Just a perfect continuation of the movie, same world, same characters, continuing growth and development of characters and dynamics, a true believable slow burn romance. And the author’s published it without taking down the fic. :)

Facts of Life - Jo/Blair

Ribbon - by Della Street - 15k words » Canon, diverging in the college years. This is the first of her fics I read for this pair and I fell in love with her writing. Back in an era when a lot of authors started off with lots of exposition and setting up the scenario, I was so impressed by how quickly and easily she did her worldbuilding and character development, and how in-voice and and close to the show everyone was. Definitely recommend going through the rest of her Jo/Blair fics.

Birds of Prey (2002) - Barbara/Helena

And Another Thing - by fembuck - 12k words » Canon, a straightforward getting together fic, things come to a head after Helena starts pulling away. After seeing which of the fics I remember best and like most here, I think I really just favor a great execution of a simple premise. And because this is fembuck, whose fic was a load bearing pillar of f/f fandom, there’s a nice balance of humor and angst with the romance.    

An Empirical Question - by harper_m - 30k words » Canon, an accidental fake dating situation spins out into something much more. In a funny coincidence, the same things I said about fembuck apply to harper_m, such a significant contributor to f/f fic over the years (see also this older archive account). This fic is again mostly a well done exploration of the characters and their dynamic if suddenly an explicitly romantic layer was added to canon.

Skins - Effy/Katie

An Imperfection in an Otherwise Perfect Plan - by harper_m - 21k words » WW1 AU, they’re nurses in the army. As with the Mockingnerd werewolf AU above, I’m surprised that for such a rare ship, there’s such a specific (and good) AU, but definitely not complaining. It feels that much nicer to find a true gem in such a tiny collection.    

fate is overgrown - by thememoriesfire - 53k words » Post-series, years later, Katie’s in a rut and stumbles into Effy again. I do find it funny that I have no Glee rec from TMF and instead went for the Skins fic that isn’t even transatlanticism but I really love this one, to the point where there were a couple of months where I just reread it constantly, even downloading my own version to fix formatting and typos. It’s almost slice of life, as Katie and Effy find themselves surprisingly healing together, after their fraught history. 

The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Sarah/Cameron

Resistance - by Anklebones - 120k words, WIP » Canon, diverges from season 2 as Cameron continues to glitch. Like a lot of the good Sarah/Cameron fics, this is a great dissection of AI and sentience and what it means to be human and have free will. I mean, within a great story, not just characters debating. It’s not finished but I really like what’s been written so far.   The author also has a three-part complete fic where Sarah and Cameron are already in a messy thing and then have to confront some things when there’s an attack at school: Just Another day in Paradise… 1 2 3 (19k words).    

No Rest for the Wicked - by InspectorBoxer - 172k words, WIP » Firefly AU, River Tam takes the place of Cameron while Sarah’s a new character to the universe. This is such a fun blend of the two universes and the romance is such a good slow build. As with most of the WIPs I’m linking, there’s enough to really enjoy even if not complete yet.

Once Upon a Time - Emma/Regina

The Secret's in the Telling - by pyrophoric - 250k words » Canon, set pretty early on but where Emma and Regina are at least nominally getting along. Things are set into motion when a mysterious thief shows up and keeps bullying Emma. This is one of my favorite iterations of their dynamic, with long-suffering secretly fond Regina and hapless too-earnest Emma.    

You do not have to walk on your knees - by dollsome - 10k words » Canon, mid-season 2, Regina and Emma learning to get along. As is dollsome’s specialty, a lot of character work and humor. Also would recommend Teenage ... Dream? (12k words), where Regina gets like...kind of emotionally aged down? You’ll see. The premise sounds cracky but again, the character exploration and humor and sweetness. :)

Once Upon a Time - Aurora/Mulan

a story, a tale - by maleficently - 27k words » AU where it’s Maleficent who casts the original curse on Aurora and her true love, not Regina on Snow and Charming. This is so fun because you can see all the similarities and differences in how the story unfolds compared to the show, including flashbacks to the fairy tale world before the curse is cast.    

Object Permanence - by badlance - 18k words » Canon, after Aurora and Phillip have made it to Storybrooke. Aurora’s still furious at Mulan for leaving them to go off with Robin Hood, but suddenly something happens to Mulan and Aurora can’t stop thinking about her. It starts off an interesting look at Aurora and how someone acclimatizes to the real world after Fairy Tale Land so like, therapy, jobs, but it’s quite romantic and sweet in the end.   Also Could Have Been A Year (5k words) and its sequel Bear It Out Even to the Edge (17k words), where Mulan learns the price of staying away from Aurora and gives up everything to make sure Aurora’s okay.

Wicked - Elphie/Glinda

Gelphie Trilogy: 1. Easier Said Than Done 2. Inevitabilities & Eventualities 3. Possibilities and Certainties - by mecelphie - 3.8m words » Rape trigger warning for the very first chapter: Elphie suffers a violent attack and much of the first story is her healing from that, though the other two stories also occasionally bring up the lingering effects on Elphie.     Back when I read it, the first story had some typos, missing punctuation and the like, that might also make it hard for some to get into it, but the world really unfolds into something incredibly rich and rewarding. Note that full series word count, it IS that detailed and extensive a story, almost slice of life, except for the precipitating event and things like homophobia and when Elphie's background is tackled. I haven't actually finished it yet, I pause every once in a while till I have a large chunk of chapters and then reread from the start and get sucked in anew each time.    

The Thrill, Basis Determined - by Ridiculous Mavis - 24k words » Bookverse, just delightful, beautifully written fluff. Everything this writer writes is beautiful. The further down I go on this list the less restraint I feel in linking multiple stories by the same author, so of her other Gelphie fics, I'll also specifically rec The Way Out of Myself (22k words), bookverse bodyswap with Avaric and Elphie where they both learn something about the other and Invitations Under False Pretences (27k words, WIP), bookverse fake dating, it's not marked as complete but it doesn't leave you hanging, if you know what I mean.    

The Week of Ill Repute - by Chudley Cannon - 37k words, WIP » Bookverse again, which, I don't prefer them over musicalverse, it's just worked out that I've remembered (liked?) these fics best. This one I remember from my very first Gelphie fic-reading tour and thinking, wow, this is so good. It never updated after that and I believe it actually does leave you hanging, but I mean, you specifically remember a fic more than 10 years later, it's gotta be on the list, right?

The Bletchley Circle - Millie/Susan

In the Blackout - by RidiculousMavis - 11k words » Canon, set during the Bletchley years, Susan’s just arrived and meets Millie, her flighty and irreverent roommate. A wonderful look at how they start to get along after their personalities and keen minds first clash.    

Clerical Work - by Kivrin - 3k words » Canon, also set during Bletchley, Susan tries to figure out her feelings the way she would a code and then things fall into place in a surprising way. Relatively short but I loved the sharp little characterizations of the main four, including Jean.

Legend of the Seeker - Cara/Kahlan

All the Days - by tcbg77 - 67k words » Post-series, some years after, everything seems to be going well until Richard and Kahlan’s child is kidnapped. Cara, now Richard’s general, sets off with Kahlan to rescue the child. I love the pacing of this one, the length allowing for a full quest and a slow burn, and combined with the well-written action makes it seem like a fantasy story with romance on its own. I basically treat it as exactly that and reread every few years.    

Within My Heart There Is Another Heart - by badlance and pirateygoodness - 26k words » Post-series as well, magic pregnancy. This is pretty in a way that makes my heart ache. i was surprised to see it was 26k words, since it feels so much longer and shorter than that at the same time.

The 100 - Clarke/Lexa

Within Me An Invincible Summer - by badlance - 62k words » Canon post-s2, Clarke gets over her anger at Lexa. One of the many great fics written during the hiatus, I’d put off reading it when I first got into the ship, during the start of s3, wanting to focus on what was canon at the time. And then of course 307 happened and I moved even farther away from canon, but this fic, its two-line summary, it showed up again and again in rec lists and bookmarks and was so haunting at the time, you know, seasons and people not changing, but finally I caved, and it was as wonderful as it had promised to be.    

Love on the Ground - by hedaswolf - 19k words » Also canon post-s2, taking the s3 knife scene from the trailer and again spinning it into eventual forgiveness. There’s a bit in it that is one of my favorite moments in fic ever.     

they take their shots but we're bulletproof - by nightshifted - 10k words » Again, canon post-s2, it’s like a whole genre of amazing fics just within one fandom, all the more precious for how that all turned out in canon. Like Within Me An Invincible Summer above, I couldn’t bear to read it for a long time but I knew it was one of the classics, I’d seen it pass by my dash very early on because of our shared Glee past. And yeah, it was very good, like all these post-s2 fics, allowed to be a little rougher and harsher because they didn’t yet know how much comforting the ship and fandom would need.    

More Women than Warriors - by steklir - 172k words » Boarding school AU, new American student Clarke arrives at a British boarding school where Lexa’s the Head Girl. I don’t know what was going through the author’s mind when they were writing this but given the timing and content, it felt like an extremely low stakes and ultimately fluffy take on these two kids. There’s a lot of the show’s language and customs worked into this school, so that only adds to the impression, but in the end I’ll remember this for being a rewarding sloooowwww burn and really flowery, pretty writing.    

Stud: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Pride - by coeurdastronaute - 61k words » Modern AU, Clarke’s a teacher and Lexa’s a CEO. Really plays into the effortlessly cool Stud!Lexa thing that was going around at the time, but tbh, she was confident but nice, so I liked it. coeurdastronaute tends to write most chapters as self-contained, so it’s more like a string of connected stories than one long narrative. They’re super prolific and have a lot of stories I liked, I picked Stud as the one I remembered first, and then grabbed a few of the other more memorable ones, all modern AUs: Strip:  1, 2, 3 (10k words) -  Lexa gets a lapdance HSAU (37k words) - College AU, I’m kidding, high school AU Heart: 1, 2, 3, Thanksgiving (30k words) -  Lexa’s a heart transplant patient at the hospital where Clarke works    

Aftermath - by MaraudingTurkey - 8k words » Canon, diverging from the middle of s2, Clarke accidentally courting Lexa. It’s super charming and cute (and because of how early it was written, avoids a lot of the angst to come).    

Prompts Collection: Clexa - by nutalexfanfic - 114k words (as of 2022-12-30) » Lots of various short stories with all kinds of premises, canon and AUs. The author has several popular longer stories going as well, but they’re at various levels of completion and I actually remember really liking of the one-shots here. If interested in the longer ones, the firefighter AU Polis 433 (131k words, WIP) is quite popular, and I think the first one I read was the Olympic AU Individual Medley (95k words, WIP).    

Abby Doesn't Ask - by onlyasdark - 3k words » Canon, some vague point past 307 where Lexa doesn’t die, short vignettes in Abby’s POV. A great example of an external perspective on a ship, because you get deliberately limited glimpses, and in this case especially colored by Abby’s not exactly positive feelings about Lexa, but despite all that, the relationship shines through.    

The Library - by ethiobird - 55k words » College AU, they work at a bar (called The Library). I think what drew me to this one is that the Lexa characterization is more stoic than you often see in modern AUs, especially high school or college. I’ve ended up liking a lot of different takes on her but as much as it’s obviously nigh impossible to recreate the circumstances that created canon Lexa, I do have a particular fondness for that version so I like any fic that approaches it.    

although i'm not making plans (i hope you understand there's a reason why) - by brokendevil - 6k words » Modern AU, friends with benefits but secretly in love. The kind of second person fic that really lets you wallow in the angst before the rewarding payoff. The author has several other popular works, especially a year of sundays (98k words), a small town AU, but this one just stuck in my mind.   

To the Victor Go the Spoils - by exfactor - 11k words » College AU, Clarke and Lexa’s sororities are locked in a fierce competition. The author has some other very popular (and angstier) works but this one’s cute and fun as hell.    

the business of caring - by coldmackerel - 72k words » College AU, pretty much a workplace comedy set at campus police. Someone’s painting graffiti masterpieces all over the place and as the head of campus police it’s Lexa’s job (she thinks) to catch the culprit. This author is so good at humor, and also can be really poignant at times, like in it's called contraband for a reason (54k words), a jumbled up timeline of the two in prison. I’m told the canon amnesia fic is quite good but I’ve not yet felt emotionally up to it.    

The 300 - by Bucklethorpe - 66k words » Modern AU, Clarke accidentally burns down 300 of Lexa’s trees. This starts off as a bit of a joking take on canon, and is laugh out loud funny the whole way through, but also quite sweet. Definitely a frequent reread.    

sworn under an oath - by faithtastic - 14k words » Canon, diverges from 307, smut with feelings but the feelings are so good. This authors probably far more famous work is don't wanna be your girl (105k words), with one-shot extras and even AUs, in which Clarke is a porn star, and that is funny and hot, but this fix-it so soon after ep 307 will always be a particular balm.    

beat the devil's tattoo - by isawet - 53k words » Modern AU, they’re in college but Lexa’s secretly actually planning to take back the leadership of her small country. They fall in love anyway and it’s funny, hot, sweet, romantic, just a great well-written story with excellent reread value.    

Your Heart On My Sleeve - by aredpen - 58k words, WIP » Soulmate-marking AU set in canon, if that makes sense. Starts when Clarke’s still up in the Ark and it’s just an interesting exploration of how it all would work in those circumstances. I love the little details and insight into what would change and how.     

AGAINST THE MULTIVERSE - orphaned - 13k words » Modern AU, art student Clarke reads an article Lexa wrote and fires off an angry response, starting a correspondence. Despite not being particularly long or having a unique premise, I remember this one because the writing’s so confident and sure of what it wants to be. It feels like a lot of fics--most writing in general, really, tends to flatten itself to not stand out and it was nice to read something so strong.  

To Wear it Like a Crown - by Laney_builds_cathedrals - 42k words, WIP » Teacher/student, kinda, and definitely an age gap, so don’t read if that’s not your thing. Clarke’s the new art therapist at a school for troubled kids and realizes things aren’t quite right. It hasn’t been updated in years but the writing is just gorgeous and I couldn’t leave it off, it’ll always have a place in my lists.    

Remember Me. - by C_AND_B - 11k words » Amnesia AU, they were in a relationship and then Clarke gets in an accident. God, the perfect mix of angst and fluff. This writer has a bunch of adorable one-shots, so check the rest out too.     

tear down the walls - by wariangle - 5k words » Modern AU, Lexa’s an MMA fighter but it’s not really about that, just Clarke falling for her. Extremely hot in a very matter of fact way, but also plenty of feelings involved.    

five times clarke and lexa aren’t sure if they're a couple or not - by nutmeg101 - 8k words » College AU, everyone keeps on thinking Clarke and Lexa are together. They’re not so sure they aren’t. It’s cute! I mean, it’s exactly what a fic like this should be.    

Help, I Need Somebody (Not Just Anybody) - by thesummerofrain - 92k words, WIP » College AU, Clarke volunteers at the college helpline, Lexa writes in. It’s an anonymous line, so no worries about weird tracking or anything like that, things just organically progress so that they meet and slowly become friends. It’s mellow in general and includes lots of slice of life moments with other people as well, and of course the romance is slow burn as heck.

Maleficent - Aurora/Maleficent

The Queen of Sunshine and Bright Things - by alittlelesspain (oprhaned) - 31k words » Canon, after the first movie, Aurora has to learn how to rule while Maleficient has to learn what her place in Aurora’s life is now. Through time skips, distance, and political crises, they relearn how much they still mean to each other. It’s beautiful and romantic and a great fic for those who wanted their connection from the movie to go further.

Glee - Quinn/Rachel

This Kiss - by poetzproblem - 141k words » Canon, set in s2, starting from a game of spin the bottle. Rachel and Quinn are shaken by their kiss and Quinn especially doubles down on her mean girl persona. Faberry’s had a lot of great fics and I’ve loved so many but I remember thinking while reading this one that this is probably how it would go, if it ever happened. It’s patient and takes its time and is one of my definitive fics for them.     Also the Don’t Blink series (788k words as of 2023-01-13) is this expansive, ever-growing universe set after graduation. I haven’t read it all, but I’ve reread some of the earlier parts many times, for the super rewarding payoff to them realizing their feelings are mutual, and others finding out about them.    

A Family of Trees - by powergrapes - 8k words » Canon, diverging after s1, Quinn keeps Beth. Rachel’s somehow the only one the baby will calm down for and Quinn is reluctantly forced to call on her for help. It’s sweet and funny, my favorite from this writer but they’ve written several great fics, most popular being Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - 60k words), a real Faberry classic, where to cheer up Quinn up after giving up Beth, the club goes on a road trip.     

Summer Mornings (oldest chapters at bottom) - by freshtilapia - 35k words » Canon, post-s1, we follow Rachel every morning of her summer vacation as she sees Quinn pass by on her daily run. Slowly they begin to hang out and bond. I think this was one of my first Faberry fics? I was a late bloomer, it took me a while to see their potential, but I really loved how authors saw their post-s1 dynamic and this was a super cute, endearing version of it.    

Boats in the Sky - by WaveGoodbye - 39k words » Canon, diverging after s3, now both in college, Rachel and Quinn are actually friends. Such good friends that Quinn’s roommate thinks maybe there’s something more. As with Clexa above, it’s so interesting how much character dynamics and fandom attitudes change depending on when a fic is written, because unlike the tension in s1 or s2 fics or Quinn being strung so tight with internalized homophobia, now she’s chill, they’re getting along. I love seeing a fic starting with them as friends, plus, a good chunk of it is external POV, which is a fave.    

Our Brilliantly Tangled Thanksgiving - by Elly-Bells - 4k words » Canon, diverging from s1, Quinn has kept Beth--actually, kind of AU too, because her parents are super nice here as well. But it’s just a super fluffy, super cute funny little fic. The author has a fair number of other fluffy fics of varying length to check out as well.    

Crazy on You -  by roxystyle011 - 82k words » Canon, futurefic written early on, Rachel’s a big celebrity now but gets into trouble and is court ordered to see a therapist, who turns out to be Quinn. This is written so early on I’m not sure if people would consider it the most in-character fic out there, though what is in-character when it comes to Glee, but it’s bold and fun and, as with the Clexa multiverse fic above, I just like when people take big swings with characters. There’s a moment near the end of the fic, when a certain page is turned, that still remains one of my favorite, most memorable reveals in fic to this day.

Dune - Chani/Irulan

Serendipity - by Tamoline - 26k words » Canon divergent, Duke Leto survives and Irulan ends up living in the Atreides household as a guest, while Paul is openly with Chani. When Irulan is called off world to testify, Paul sends Chani as her bodyguard. I’m always so grateful that I picked that year to randomly go through the f/f Yuletide entries because this is such a good fic and I could so easily have missed it completely. It’s got politics, action, enemies to lovers, just this great little novella that happens to be set in the world of Dune. It’s fics like this that have me going through the lesser kudosed out there because it’s a genuine fave.

Marvel - Carol Danvers/Jessica Drew

Smell Like I Sound - by Sineala - 7k words » Comicsverse, Carol meets Jess who’s great except Carol can’t shake an unpleasant feeling whenever she’s around. Mostly fluff surrounding the concept of pheromones.    

He Picked the Wrong One - by beckydawolf - 34k words » Comicsverse, Carol and Jess are knocked out in a battle and wake up in an alternate universe where most things are similar, except that Carol is dead and there’s no Jess. They have to figure out what happened and why they were brought there and certain feelings come to light. It’s plotty and fun and the reveal of why they were brought to the alt universe is actually pretty great.    

put them back in poetry (if only I knew how) - by singalellaby - 31k words » Coffee shop AU, Carol and Steve Rogers are best friends and come back from the army to open a bakery together. It’s a lot of slice of life stuff, making friends in the neighborhood, developing crushes on the regulars like one Jessica Drew, grad student, that kind of thing.

Teen Wolf - Allison/Lydia

Untitled - by elvesarebad - 13k words » Canon, post-s2, after recent reveals they’re no longer friends but Lydia asks Allison to help kill Peter. It’s angsty, a lot of raw edges and slow thawing of their frosty relationship in the middle of difficult circumstances, but the canon characters and friendship are so interesting and the writer captures that.

Bleach - Soi Fan/Yoruichi

The Art of Transformation - by siyentista - 30k words  » Mangaverse, mostly, Soi Fan is injured during a big battle and Yoruichi realizes how much Soi Fan means to her. Despite an action-filled start, it settles into more of a slower character-centric fic, lighter and often comical. Given their canon relationship, it’s refreshing to see the dynamic be more mutual and balanced, and despite the relatively short length, the story feels satisfyingly built up (perhaps because of how much history they already have in canon?).

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Amy/Rosa

Farm-to-Table, Non-GMO, Responsibly Sourced - by impertinence - 6k words » Canon, going undercover as a couple to bust a maple syrup heist ring. I mean, what more is there to say, except that it’s appropriately funny and cute.     

Margin of Error - by idiopathicsmile - 8k words » Canon, Amy needs a place to stay and Rosa offers. The humor matches the show so well, and it’s great to see Rosa’s POV since she’s so deadpan.

Les Misérables - Cosette/Eponine

Any More Obvious - by idiopathicsmile - 2k words » High school AU, Cosette decides to befriend the school goth. It’s just sweet and cute.    

This Longing I Inherit - by myrmidryad - 44k words » College AU, Marius starts dating Cosette and brings her into the friend group. Cosette’s so shy and sheltered, she’s thrilled to meet new people, including the cool and intimidating Eponine. As they all become closer, Eponine realizes maybe she’s crushing on her friend’s gf. It’s much more gentle and sweet and friendship-focused than how soapy and angsty this description makes it sound, and the length allows it a slower burn. A frequent reread, especially to get to the payoff.     

she knows her way around - by lavendersgreen - 18k words » College AU, Marius is too nervous to talk to Cosette so Eponine, pining after him, volunteers to be their go-between. Cosette turns out to be surprisingly fun and as they become friends, Eponine starts to question some things about herself. The premise is already cute with even a but the characterizations and dialogue are so snappy and flow so easily, it’s a great execution of this trope.    

to be loved and to be in love - by missandrogyny - 7k words  » Soulmate-marking AU, they’re musical artists who meet at a concert and immediately get along. They start challenging each other to try songs outside their main genres, much to their fans’ excitement. The soulmate reveal is pretty satisfying as it’s seeded early, and the whole fic is sweet and cute.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - Gigi/Lydia

get loved, make more - by allthingsholy - 10k words » Post-series, Lydia feels uncomfortable around Gigi, given what they share in common and that everyone knows. In a series of vignettes over time, for each of the family events they meet up at, she slowly gets over it, given they have so many other things in common, including a love of gossip, fashion, and teasing their siblings. It’s a great character exploration and the writing’s so sharp and pretty.     

Searching For a Sound We Hadn't Heard Before - by Care - 13k words » Post-series, again things are uneasy at first but they thaw and the two end up taking a road trip. That’s a trope with a lot of potential, now that I’m thinking about it, the way people get to know each other under those very specific circumstances, and this is a great execution of it.    

from the dark with you above - by cairophoenix - 22k words » Post-series, again, an awkward meetup to slow friendship and in this case some prime pining afforded by the longer length. The strangers to friends to lovers pipeline just applies really well to these two, what can I say.    

Improvising - by krakens - 3k words » Post-series, some years after, Gigi decides to surprise Lizzy and Darcy with an epilogue posted on Lizzie’s vlog. She enlists Lydia’s help and things escalate. It’s cute and perfect for this particular series, it would have to be that vlog as the catalyst again.    

Candid - by rhymeswithblue - 5k words » Post-series, by simply hanging out with their famous siblings, Gigi and Lydia face some of the same online scrutiny. Again, I kind of love this aspect of a fic set in this world, because of course part it is that there’s a whole audience watching them and it influences them just as much they influence it.

She's the Man - Olivia/Viola

Loose Ends series - by fraidy_bat - 38k words » Post-movie, Olivia comes to terms with the fact that Sebastian isn’t Viola. By the time I was branching out and reading popular f/f fics many years ago, this was already a classic, both as a general f/f fic and in this particular fandom. One of those ships that makes so much sense, and this is an angsty but ultimately very rewarding take on what should have happened after the movie.

Tomb Raider (2013) - Lara/Sam

she traces your scars and rebuilds your world - by lescousinsdangereux - 18k words » Post-2013 game, Lara and Sam are still traumatized by what transpired on the island and lean heavily on each other, even as Lara heads off on another research mission. It’s a great character study at their PTSD but also building on the relationship from canon and sweet and romantic and funny. This was my definitive version of post-game canon, not the other games or the movie or the comics.

Game of Thrones - Margaery/Sansa

Keep the Bouquets series - by Netgirl_y2k - 7k words » Canon diverging...earlyish on, I don’t know the series, but most characters are still alive. Not thinking either’s worthy of Joffrey, the Lannisters arrange a marriage between Sansa and Margaery and they...make it work. Despite being relatively so short, each individual part under 3k words, they’re so effective, these two finding something in that brutal world.

St. Trinian's (2007) - Annabelle/Kelly

This Town We're Painting - by Fahye - 8k words » Post-movies, they’re an established couple, going about the not so normal lives of St. Trinian’s graduates. Funny and in the vein of the movies, bringing in many of the other former students, and solidifying the Annabelle/Kelly dynamic that seemed so full of potential.

Mai Hime - Natsuki/Shizuru

Inter Nos - by ethnewinter - 1.2m words, WIP » Ancient Rome AU, this very detailed, intricate story with all the Mai Hime characters, Shizuru’s a general and Natsuki’s assigned as her bodyguard during a visit to an allied kingdom. I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t read this in many, many years and definitely haven’t caught up, but even back then when it was a fraction of the size, it was already considered a classic. At this length, I feel like just reading what’s there is a reward in itself.

Kim Possible - Kim/Shego

Alone, Together - by Failte200 - 108k words » Canon, Kim and Shego accidentally get sent to an alternate dimension, same Earth, but no human. They have to get along to survive. Another f/f classic, I remember being much younger and the scale of the fic, the years they lived alone and grew older together, took my breath away.   

BSP01: Best Sidekick Possible - by Sobriety - 62k words » Canon, there's a King of Thieves competition and Shego wants the best sidekick possible, i.e., Kim. I think I ended up really liking the romance in this one.

Phoenix Wright - Adrian/Franziska

Follow the Fool - by CantFaketheFunk - 53k words » Canon, post-Phoenix Wright 2, Franziska feels guilty about advising Adrian to perjure herself so when Adrian asks to see her, she invites her to Germany to stay with her. The setting can be a bit goofy, as it is in the game, but the characters and relationship are taken seriously.

Sailor Moon - Haruka/Michiru

FwB - by harukaze - 321k words » AU, no powers, they meet as adults and decide to become friends with benefits. I remember this one Greyhound trip I took from NYC to Toronto, I was riveted to this fic and just read for most of the trip, wanting to see how it'd end. Soapy and angsty and very addicting.

Annnd then these two het fics:

The Big Bang Theory - Penny/Sheldon

The Paladin Protocol - by SpaceAnJL - 88k words » Canon, the guys take Penny LARPing and she ends up enjoying it, and bonding with Sheldon while Leonard feels left out. Very character driven slow burn romance while being funny and presumably true to the characters, I've not actually ever watched the show, but I've seen a few clips on Youtube. Just a great fic and one of the few m/f fics I've read more than once.

Star Trek (2009) - Spock/Uhura

The Place Between - by PsiCygni - 309k words » Canon, set before the movie, Uhura needs an advisor for her project and Commander Spock needs a partner while negotiating with a particular alien species. The only answer? Fake dating! Slowwww burn and since I like both the characters in all their forms, an enjoyable fic.

And ya know, however old some of these might be, if you liked them, think about leaving a nice review. I had a saved fic from a site that’d gone down and like, more than 10 years after it was written I sent an email to the address provided and actually got a reply! 

[frazzledsoul]

The thing about S6 Jess Mariano is that there is simultaneously too much of him and not enough.

I've been watching old episodes recently because of a story I've been writing on and off for a week, and I don't think people truly appreciate the amount of set-up that went into Jess's scenes in The Real Paul Anka. In this show, there are supporting cast members who almost never get scenes of their own outside of interacting with the girls and various townies. I think Paris has exactly one scene that doesn't involve Lorelai or Rory. Dean has a handful. Sookie has just one off the top of my head. I believe Logan has one as well. All of these people were on the show far, far longer than Jess was. It seems only Luke, Lane, and Jess have a lot of scenes with characters other than Lorelai and Rory...and in season 6, Jess has not been seen for two years and has not been a main cast member for three. We get an introduction to his place of work, he has interactions ALONE (!) with his friends/coworkers, we get an extended sequence where he explains to Luke how exactly his job works and where he lives, he has significant interactions with both Luke, April, and Rory, and closes out the last we see of his relationship with Luke in the OS on a good note. None of the other love interests get this, because while we spend more time with them, they are not developed as individuals outside of Rory. Dean is the good boyfriend who unexpectedly leads Rory into an affair and who we last see chafing at her desire to leave him behind, while Logan is the rich, dangerous boyfriend who entices Rory into the elitist world that Lorelai sought to escape from and who will eventually lead her astray because he is unable to escape from his father's expectations, forcing Rory to repeat the life patterns of her mother (God, I hate the AYITL ending. It blows). Jess is his own person, whose existence is not completely defined by Rory, but who eventually inspires her to seek out the path that she wants by virtue of his own example. And at the end of the story, he is the one door left open, the one person who is working with her on her goals and is still involved with her life.

(This is why I chafe when people say Jess wasn't endgame, even after all of these years. One of the last things ASP said about a follow-up is that she was going to chase Milo and Alexis down and make them do it. Her intentions were pretty obvious, even for those of us like me who don't necessarily hate Logan).

What's so great about S6 Jess is that almost all of the stuff that made him a terrible boyfriend and such a damaged, tortured character during his original run on the show has been smoothed over. He meets Rory on her terms and makes plans at her convenience: he acknowledges her discomfort: he is far more concerned with her than busting the chops of her boyfriend (although that part is clearly fun, too). He's considerate, social, a person who makes plans and follows up on them. He's confident yet self-effacing: when Rory is found to be using him, he reminds her of the boundary she's crossed yet doesn't lash out. It doesn't change his feelings overall: she isn't choosing him at the time being, but he still cares about her. Even though we leave him with a broken heart, we know he's got a life beyond her, something he didn't have when we last saw him in season 3 and season 4. He has friends, a purpose, a respected place in his community: he will be okay. It's a better place than we leave Dean and likely a better place than we leave Logan in AYITL. He will be okay.

I'm of the mind that Jess's participation in the last season of the OS has less to do with the writing team changing (although I don't think Milo was particularly keen on working with the new guys, either) and more to do with what else Milo was working on at the time. Heroes was a huge, huge deal when it first came out and networks aren't always amenable to lending out their actors to work for their competitors. I just don't think it was possible for Jess to show up no matter who was writing that season. I do occasionally wonder what the S7 writers would have done with him. It doesn't escape my scrutiny that the show skips the actual Christmas holiday because Rory was in London, because Jess almost certainly would have traveled to Stars Hollow to visit his mom and newborn sister and comfort his depressed uncle. There certainly were a lot of uses for him that had nothing to do with Rory.

AYITL Jess is of course more or less the same, only with bigger arm muscles and some of the edges smoothed out: the main difference is that we see he's been more or less accepted into the Gilmore/Danes clan and is a more active support system for Luke and his mother.

At this late stage in the game, I'm not expecting or wanting a follow-up and I think odds are very much against there ever being one. I do wish that knowing that AYITL was all there was that they had given us more time with Jess (if possible) and that there was some sort of definitive end for him and Rory instead of the door just being swung wide open and an indication of a future (and of course, Jess being a total dreamboat). However, as with all things ASP, you take what you can get and what was given to us here wasn't that bad.

Those last four words still suck, though.

[scoopsgf]

okay i’m back i took more notes (i should probably just make an ao3 account already & leave comments there & stop lurking as an anonymous freak but today’s not that day)

rory and jess experiencing a deeply traumatic evening/morning and then promptly smacking each other with bread in the grocery store is extremely real actually

rory worried about jess’ nutrition intake <3 pot calls the kettle black <3

righteous anger rory is my favorite i think. burning angel

jess/paris buddy cop au

abuela is everything i want her to be my abuela

lorelai suspicious of jess in every universe like we’re not all hoping someone loves us like that? okay girl

isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there were some invisible strings tying you to me !!!

meanest cliffhanger in the world i can’t wait for next week <3<3<3

BURNING ANGEL YEAH!!! i truly might have to incorporate that imagery somewhere bc i can’t stop thinking about it now that you’ve phrased it that way. wtf. and ISNT IT JUST SO PRETTY!!!! TO THINK!!!! TGAT ALL ALONG THERE WAS SOME INVISIBLE STRING!!!!!!!

[becomingpart2]

what are your opinions on the main Gilmore girls characters?

Oh! Okay let me see... I like Lorelai, I think she's an interesting woman and a complex lead, especially for the time, even though I sometimes think the show wants me to think she's just incredible all around. That said, she does kind of annoy me at times lol.

I don't know if it's something I developed over the years or if it was something that always bothered me but I really dislike characters (and people) who are always trying to be funny and quirky all the time. It gets tiring pretty quickly.

I like Rory, too, albeit a little less than I did when I used to watch the show as a kid (which now I realize were only a few eps of s1 lol). I don't have a lot of opinions or feelings about her yet. She's just a regular kid for the most part and like I said before, I understand why she would have problems later on because of the way she was raised and I can relate to that side of her to a certain degree.

I like Lane, I think she's funny and relatable and just the typical best friend lol. Dean is okay so far too, no strong feelings there as well. He's cute with Rory but I have a feeling that's about to change in a near future (the last ep I watched was ep 10).

Emily is starting to get a bit more nuance and I'm enjoying it. I like Paris lol, I don't care that she's a bitch, she's just so neurotic and all over the place, I can't help but like her. I really like Luke, which I didn't expect lmao. He's just adorable and hot! I can't stand Tristan lol. I guess that's about it. I feel like my opinions are really basic lol

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: SEASON 3, EPISODE 3-“Application Anxiety" (Part 2)

bint. / (bɪnt) / noun. offensive, slang a derogatory term for girl, woman.

According to Mr. College Admissions Dork, the following fatal errors will guarantee your REJECTION! From Harvard. Bad handwriting (how quaint) Your chosen after school activities are considered boring to Mr.Dork. You don't have enough after school activities. Not enough means you're not trying hard enough. You take too many after school activities. Too many means you're trying too hard. As per Mr. Dork, nobody is interested in everything, and if you like too many things you will be !REJECTED! You submitted your application too early. You are a hopeless idiot if you believed the myth of "Early Admission". Ha ha! Dumb idiot kids! You're too intense. Hyper intense students will FAIL their admission interview! Mr. Dork along with his cohort, Mrs Dork, the delightful rays of sunshine they are, seem to find great joy in publicly dragging their own future students, mocking children who dare to dream of Ivy League admission and cover their walls in university paraphernalia, calling them "hungry and immature". These people are assholes. I think Season 1 Spitfire Rory would have pushed these admission dorks right off the stage. QUIPPY! Rory is wetting her pants and Paris is twitching. Let's flash back to early season 2, where Rory was contemplating some potential after school activities. *sparkly flashback music*

The extra cirricular/summer school options visible behind Rory were: Junior life saving, rock climbing, botany, contemporary art, hiking, loom weaving, local geology, role playing (????), field hockey, and Shakespeare. Harvard will be jumping to accept the applicant with a strong Role Playing/Loom Weaving background. I guess the Asshole is technically not wrong that the school newspaper seems passe* with those options available.

The Dot-Com Bust. How quaint. I'm old enough to remember hearing about it at the time (I was still a teenager) but thanks to GG I decided to do a little research on the topic and learned more about it. Thanks Emily!

The notion that college=guaranteed success? How quaint. And Rory majoring in journalism is the cherry on top of the Quaint Jello. It's okay, she couldn't know. The brutal and hilarious truth is that Jess (who didn't finish high school but is already a published author and running his own business by 21) and Dean (who ended up working in construction, which tends to pay very well) were more succesful than Rory with her Yale education in the end. In fact, Rory had the nerve to needle Dean in S4 about his construction job when she has an Ivy League education but won't even take a job waiting tables. Hell, it's even implied that Luke is sitting on a lot of money and he didn't go to college (although maybe not the best example, as that might have been an inheritance, I can't remember if it was ever discussed in detail). Hell, pretty much everyone in Stars Hollow didn't go to college and they seem very happy with their little working class lives. And if Jess didn't dismember Shane and dump her body in the lake she'd have made a good living as a hairstylist or makeup artist. In a later episode this season, Lorelai turns up her nose at the thought of Rory not going to the most elite college and implies that beauty school and community college are beneath Rory. But lemme save that special rant for when that episode comes along. However, in a few moments, Lorelai does tell Rory, "You HAVE to go to college." I get it, okay. I get what she's doing. She wants Rory to reach for the stars and do better in life than she did, get a good education etc etc. But this notion that attendance at an elite college as the only possible means to achieve success and anything less is just short of failure feels short sighted. Emily continues: the competition is fierce for admission, every student takes honors classes and works on the student council, a high GPA is not enough anymore, Rory needs to do something to stand out, extra cirriculars, etc, etc, we know, we know. Emily: Now even celebrities are going to college. I was watching that insipid Kate Hudson and even she talked about going to college. She's going to get in over Rory! Kate Hudson must have been a big deal in the early 2000s (I vaguely remember it) because they reference her a lot. Almost Famous came out in 2000 and How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days came out in 2003 and she made 11 movies total between 2000-2004. So that tracks. Back on her home planet, AmyShermanPalladino must have picked up an Earth People magazine and read about how Kate Hudson was popular with Earthlings. Really funny that Emily is more aware of current pop culture than any character under 35. Lorelai's still over here spouting references to Yo Yo and Dingus from 1973 or whatever. Lorelai: Don't worry about it Mom, Rory's special, she'll get in to Harvard. Emily: Of course Rory's special. She knows that, I know that, you know that, we all know that. Years of that "Rory's a special snowflake who can do no wrong" talk is definitely not going to have adult Rory up to her eyeballs in therapy bills. Rory shows up at Emily's and Lorelai, Rory, and Paris (on the phone) proceed to have a three way simultaneous Nuclear Panic Attack over the Harvard applications. The next morning at the Gilmore abode, Lane is visting and fielding phone calls about her rock band personal ad. Still no Rygalski.

If that's what you want.

A SMALL CHILD IN STARS HOLLOW! HOW DID IT BREACH CONTAINMENT!

This dapper gentleman addresses Luke as "Sir" , orders an "Egg cream" and offers to pay for his meal (so he's definitely an outsider). Another child and then a manchild (Kirk) followup with requests for other malt-shop items that nobody has ever ordered outside of a 1950's Archie comic. ,... Waaaaait a minuuuute. I know what's happening. These children are Taylor's operatives sent to scope out Luke's Diner. The "Taylor Opens an Ice Cream Parlor Next Door" plot will soon have liftoff.

Between telling a small child to go to hell and insulting Dean to his face for no other reason than he felt like it, I could not love Luke more in this episode.

Things googled while watching gilmore girls: *Passe (I definitely think I used this word incorrectly). Bint Common extra cirricular activities Dot com bubble burst Kate Hudson IMDB How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days Almost Famous

[literatikoo]

Pro/Con of each Rory boyfriend

Okay, I'm gonna keep this as objective as possible but each boyfriend will be criticised a fair bit. I am not tagging this post as anti-anything but if you're uncomfortable at the thought of any of these men being criticised DO NOT READ!!!

Dean- pros

Genuinely loved Rory

Got along with Rory's family

Went as Rory's escort to all her high society functions with minimal complaints

Tall

Nice hair in Season 1

Is very sweet to Rory when they first started dating

Is the only one of the three boyfriends who seems to know how a relationship works

Can keep up with the Gilmore's quirks

Tries to read big books for Rory

Dean- cons

Loved Rory to the point of infatuation

Got along so well with Lorelai that he started confiding in her about his relationship with Rory

Extremely possessive, has threatened bodily harm on two guys who Rory saw as friends

Got jealous of Harvard

Misogynistic, does not understand unusual family structures

Yells a lot

So tall that looming in shadows and being intimidating comes easy to him

Still seemed to think he had enough of a say in Rory's relationship with Jess to sucker punch Jess even though he had no idea why Rory and Jess fought

Got married to Lindsey while he loved Rory

Lied to Rory to get her to sleep with him (this is also in the grey area of consent btw)

Was not planning to end his marriage to Lindsey until she found out about the affair

Broke up with Rory twice, in public, by yelling at her

Blames her for both times, when really he just couldn't handle being inferior to her

Jess- pros

Genuinely loved (loves?) Rory

Has everything in common with Rory

Doesn’t care what anyone has to say about him or their relationship

Pushes Rory to fight for herself

Takes Luke's and Lorelai's feedback into account to be a better boyfriend

Though he didn't make the greatest impression on Emily the first time, he was ready to go back and fix it

Does not get jealous

Does not yell at Rory for being friends with guys

Instead tries to tell her that he doesn't want her to feel like she needs to lie to him or keep secrets from him

Slowly becomes friends with Lane and Hep Alien

Tries to be nicer to Lorelai because Rory asked him too

He "made sure she was okay"

Great hair

"Why did you drop out of Yale" "You should write a book"

Gets his shit together, writes a book and has a steady income by the age of 21 (is the only boyfriend to do this)

Jess- cons

Loving her was not enough for him to stay

Has some deep seated issues that stopped him from trusting anyone

Loses all impulse control when he's emotional

Kyle's bedroom (again, in the grey area of consent)

Asked Rory to go with him to New York after he left her twice

Did not take her to prom

Said "I love you" and ran away

Did NOT know how to be a boyfriend

Could be a bit pretentious

Was rude to Lorelai and Emily

Took his anger out on Rory in Keg!Max!

Didn't tell her he was leaving

Logan- pros

Genuinely loved Rory

Made an effort to get along with Lorelai that actually stuck

Gives Rory a place to stay after Paris kicks her out

Is the only one of the three boyfriends who seems to understand consent (SERIOUSLY the threshold is so low)

Gives brilliant gifts

Knows his authors and books

His and Rory's relationship lasted two years pretty steadily which is good for someone's first try at a relationship

Tries to communicate his problems with Rory

Had the entire adult relationship thing down

Was ready to change for Rory

Gave Rory new experiences such as the LDB

Knows how to have a good time

Gets along well with the Gilmores

Good at high society events

Supported most of Rory's career

Also supported Rory's... non career (aka yacht)

Logan- cons

Did not love Rory enough to support her choosing her career over their marriage

Broke up with Rory at her graduation

Cheated on Rory with his sisters entire bridal procession

Manipulative: twists Rory's words into something they aren't multiple times

Rude to people of lower social class (Marty, Jess)

Also known for getting jealous (Marty, Jess) (Though I would like to add that he was in the right about telling Lucy the truth)

Spoiled

Loses a million dollars in a business deal and then goes to LA to blow off more money

Has too much fun

Is a part of the Huntzberger dynasty

Introduced Rory to the Huntzberger dynasty

Tries to rebel against his dad by constantly flaunting his privilege

Rory forgives Logan for cheating after he jumps off a cliff in Costa Rica and severely harms himself

Supported Rory's non career (yacht)

Gatsby levels of pretentiousness

Doesn't go with Rory to SH events that matter to her (Lane's baby shower, Lane's wedding)

Still acting like a petulant child at his big age of 25

In conclusion, all three of them had a great deal of growing up to do and they all made their mistakes. But they were important for Rory's growth at that stage.

[theartofdreaming1]

Here is my attempt at portraying Peeta’s camouflage skills convincingly 😅😅

As usual, my thoughts regarding this week’s prompts and random thoughts on chapters 19-21 are below the cut.

heart

While I love all the banter between Katniss and Peeta, I think my favorite of these three chapters is: “Trust me. Killing things is much easier than this,” I say. “Although for all I know, I am killing you.” “Can you speed it up a little?” he asks. “No. Shut up and eat your pears,” I say. A classic 😄

mind

I always imagined that Cato went after Thresh before coming for Katniss and Peeta because a) Thresh took the backpack for District 2 (which contained the body armor that would make dealing with Katniss’s arrow so much easier) and b) Thresh killed Clove and Cato wanted to avenge her... Although I have no idea how Cato ended up killing Thresh... he was doing pretty well for himself in his grass-y area... Maybe the Gamemakers wanted to punish Thresh for not killing Katniss and generated that thunderstorm and rain to force Thresh out of his refuge, which would give Cato a fair chance to kill him, I guess...

soul

Lol, honestly, since Peeta just generally seems to be motivated by kindness and love/caring, I don’t think it took much for him to keep the star-crossed lovers angle alive (I could easily imagine him actually noticing Katniss in the willow tree early in the Games and offering to take care of the District 8 girl, so the Careers would get the hell out of there, away from Katniss)

Chapter 19:

Peeta, who’s been wounded, is now my ally. [...] I’d loathe any tribute who didn’t immediately ally with their district partner. Besides, it just makes sense to protect each other. - Honestly, this just highlights what a kind person Katniss is, despite her aloof front; her innermost instinct is always to stick together and to protect. Because it doesn’t really make sense for her to team up with Peeta - she knows he’s wounded and won’t be of much help to her, her chances of survival are way better if she stayed on her own, but it’s not something she’d ever consider now that they are allowed to form a team (and only then does she even factor in the whole ‘star-crossed lovers of district 12′ -angle)

Peeta, it turns out, has never been a danger to me. The thought makes me smile. - Aww 😊 (but also, how heart-breaking that the Capitol will do everything in their power to change that, to make Peeta become a danger to Katniss 😢)

He’s very hard to predict, which might be interesting under different circumstances - Okay, but this just makes me think of that exchange in Gilmore Girls when Paris and Rory talk about how you know a guy is right for you:  “Someone who’s compatible but not compatible.” “Yeah, kind of. I mean, you respect each other’s opinions and you can laugh at the same jokes, but I don’t know – there’s just something about not quite knowing what the other person’s gonna do at all times that’s just really exciting.” - fits these two to a T 😏

In fact, I’ve just about decided I’m on the wrong track entirely, that a wounded boy would be unable to navigate getting to and from this water source, when I see the bloody streak - Okay, but how flipping tough is Peeta?! He’s severely injured, with multiple tracker jacker stings and he drags himself to this terrain that is almost impossible to navigate for someone in his condition - a sturdy dandelion, indeed!

“You’re here to finish me off, sweetheart?” - What an entrance after having gone AWOL for quite a couple of chapters 👌🏼👏🏼

“Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.” I jerk my head back but end up laughing. “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.” [...] “Katniss?” Peeta says. I meet his eyes, knowing my face must be some shade of green. He mouths the words “How about that kiss?” I burst out laughing - He’s lying in a river bed, slowly dying, and he can still make her laugh 😊

“You know, you’re kind of squeamish for such a lethal person” - It’s such a small comment, but I can’t help but think that Peeta is just kind of intrigued to discover all these little idiosyncrasies that make up the ever-elusive Katniss Everdeen ;)

Impulsively, I lean forward and kiss him, stopping his words. -  Aww, she doesn’t even want to consider him dying, so she spontaneously decides to cut him off with a kiss👀👀 Honestly, at this point Peeta has elicited 2 (!) spontaneous kisses  (the kiss after the chariot ride and this one) from Katniss, who generally isn’t that big on touching people

“You’re not going to die. I forbid it. All right?” - Stubborn, protective Katniss... But also reminds me of their rooftop “date” in CF and the “Then you’ll allow it?” “I’ll allow it” - exchange

I kiss him awake, which seems to startle him. Then he smiles as if he’d be happy to lie there gazing at me forever. He’s great at this stuff. - KaTNisSs, gurl... 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️

Chapter 20:

But I knew he was injured. And still I came after him. I’m just going to have to trust whatever instinct sent me to find him was a good one. - The very best of instincts, Katniss, don’t you worry😉

Peeta’s struggling to get up when I reach the cave. “I woke up and you were gone,” he says, “I was worried about you.” - Gah, why are the both of them so good?! They just care for and worry about each other 24/7

“How do you feel?” “Better than yesterday. This is an enormous improvement over the mud,” he says. “Clean clothes and medicine and a sleeping bag... and you.” Oh right, the whole romance thing. - Oh Katniss...😐 I reach out to touch his cheek and he catches my hand and presses it against his lips. I remember my father doing this very thing to my mother and I wonder where Peeta picked it up. - Where did Peeta pick this up? From a time his family was less dysfunctional? Observing couples in the town square? Or is he a fricking disney prince and these things come natural to him? Questions, questions...

“You didn’t sleep,” Peeta says. “I’m all right,” I say. But the truth is, I’m exhausted. “Sleep now. I’ll keep watch.” [...] I test his cheek. Hot as a coal stove. He claims he’s been drinking, but the containers still feel full to me. I give him more fever pills and stand over him while he drinks first one, then a second quart of water. - These two are just too stubborn to take proper care of themselves - good thing that each of them is adamant to force the other to sleep/drink/eat when necessary

“Besides I like watching you sleep. You don’t scowl. Improves your looks a lot.” - When presented with the choice of being flirty vs being a cheeky little shit, Peeta will choose being a flirty cheeky little shit every time 😂

“I’m going to make soup,” I say. “Don’t light a fire,” he says. “It’s not worth it.” - Okay, but what he’s actually saying is “I’m not worth it” 😭😭

Katniss telling that story about buying Prim’s goat😊... A young buck, probably a yearling by his size. His antlers were just growing in, still small and coated in velvet. [...] Beautiful. - We are all very much aware of Peeta’s appreciation for beauty, but the same does apply to Katniss, too (she’s just overall more pragmatic)

“Was it [the goat] still wearing the pink ribbon?″ he asks. “I think so,” I say. “Why?” “I’m just trying to get a picture,” he says thoughtfully. -  Peeta is so detail-oriented! I have this theory that this is actually something that enables him to overcome his hijacking; we catch glimpses in MJ of how he inches himself out of his condition by asking/focusing on small details or things most people would dismiss as trivial (Katniss’s favorite color, the color of her dress visiting District 7, her Dad singing the Hanging Tree when Peeta was 6 or 7 years old...) and I feel like it makes a lot of sense - his tormentors in the Capitol either wouldn’t have access to distort these moments or not even consider them to have any significance (since they are all about big, flashy gestures in the Capitol), so these memories would remain untouched. Luckily, Peeta seems to live by Robert Brault’s words: “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. “

“Really? What did you cost me again?” I ask. “A lot of trouble. Don’t worry. You’ll get it all back,” he says. - Well, he’s going to cost her a lot more trouble in the future - but we know he’s going to make up for it and bring her much happiness, too 😊

“You’re not risking your life for me.” “Who said I was?” I say. [...] “Of course I’m not going.” [...] “You’re such a bad liar, Karniss.” [...] Anger flushes my face. “All right, I am going, and you can’t stop me!” “I can follow you. At least partway. I may not make it to the Cornucopia, but if I’m yelling your name I bet someone can find me. And then I’ll be dead for sure,” he says. - Soo.. their love language is offering to sacrifice their life like it’s nothing, huh?! 😳😅 

Peeta eats without complaint, even scraping out the pot to show his enthusiasm. He rambles on about how delicious it is, - lol, sounds like a husband trying to get back on his wife’s good side after they had a row 😂

I clamp my hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. He tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it’s too late, he’s already losing consciousness. - Ah, the most important indicator of true love: having person A force-feed person B a sedative so they can run off to get them life-saving medicine ;)

Chapter 21:

I lie next to Peeta in the bag, trying to absorb every bit of his fever heat. It’s strange to be so physically close to someone who’s so distant. Peeta might as well be back in the Capitol, - Reminds me how in MJ she’s going to be so close to Peeta (mentally/emotionally) while he will be physically so distant (in the Capitol!)

a tiny orange one [backpack] [...] that must be marked with a 12 - Interesting how that backpack is orange, huh? Why is that? Are smaller backpacks generally orange (like the one Katniss already has) to be more visible or is this simply to connect the backpack to Peeta (though we don’t know his favorite color at this point)? Do the Gamemakers care whether Katniss gets a matching backpack? It just seems like an unnecessary detail to throw in🤔

The table has just clicked into place when a figure darts out of the Cornucopia, snags the green backpack, and speeds off. Foxface! - Honestly, this was a truly brilliant move; kudos! 👏🏼

[Clove] carefully selects an almost dainty-looking number [knife] with a cruel, curved blade. “I promised Cato if he let me have you, I’d give the audience a good show.” [...] “I think...” she almost purrs. “I think we’ll start with your mouth.” [...] she teasingly traces the outline of my lips with the tip of the blade. - Okay, but the idea of Clove cutting off Katniss’s lips is just all kinds of terrifying and disturbing 😨

“No! No, I-” Clove sees the stone, about the size of a small loaf of bread in Thresh’s hand [...] Thresh brings the rock down hard against Clove’s temple. [...] and I know she’s a goner. - Interesting how Katniss describes that rock that basically saves her life (or at least kills her assailant) as bread-sized, huh? “Your district... they sent me bread. [...] Conflicting emotions cross Thresh’s face. He lowers the rock and points at me, almost accusingly. “Just this one time, I let you go. For the little girl.” - Katniss mentions the bread from District 11 as a proof of her alliance with Rue (and the recognition of D11) and Thresh spares her; bread keeps saving her life (while it keeps representing acts of kindness)

Cato kneels beside Clove, spear in hand, begging her to stay with him. - I appreciate this small, humanizing moment with Cato

The last thing I remember is an exquisitely beautiful green and silver moth landing on the curve of my wrist. - I don’t know much about North American insects (not that I know that much about European insects either - just recently came across a relatively rare moth on my walks that I had never seen or heard of before) - is Katniss describing a special/noteworthy species of moth? Or is this a more literary symbolism kind of moth? (Just looked up some symbolism meaning of moths: change/transformation, seeking light; power of regeneration in some Native American mythology, hmm...)

[gingerteaonthetardis]

okay Abbey i'm surrendering. Please tell me what gilmore girl is about, except about rory and lorelai, i want to read your posts without just being like (´･＿･‘)

ahhhh, hello, sae!!! i am glad to see i've worn you down. >:) okay, i'll try to sum things up for you, but i'm sticking to the first few seasons, because i like those best. (everything is going below the cut, because this post is gonna get long, sorry.)

gilmore girls is about a mother and her teenage daughter who live in a quaint and excessively quirky small town called stars hollow. the show centers their relationships—with each other, with men, and with their family in general.

this is lorelai, the mother. she got pregnant with rory as a teenager and ran away from home (and her wealthy parents) with her infant daughter, carving out a life for herself in the town of stars hollow. she is pretty much the blueprint for moms who are actually more like best friends. she is quick-witted, obsessed with pop culture and coffee, hard-working, and highly emotional (though frequently immature).

this is rory, the daughter. she is a highly intelligent overachiever and bookworm who aspires toward an ivy league education and a career in journalism. she also shares a lot of traits with her mother, like her coffee addiction and love of pop culture and music, as well as her work ethic. the show follows her entrance into the world of dating and romantic entanglements, as well as into the world of academia. (it does not always do this well.)

this is luke danes, lorelai's friend (askdfhsks). he is, to paraphrase lorelai, the one who feeds them. he owns the diner that serves the best coffee in town, and because of that, the diner often becomes the setting for lorelai and rory's daily dramas. he has a huge crush on lorelai that everyone in the entire town seems to be aware of... except lorelai, obviously. he sometimes acts as rory's substitute father (since her actual father, christopher, is only sporadically in the picture) and is one of the backbones of this show, imo.

and for a while, so is his nephew...

jess mariano, the only valid hemingway stan and local hottie that makes your teenage daughter think about sex for the first time. jess is sent to stars hollow by his deadbeat mother who doesn't want to take care of him anymore. his entrance into the story serves to disrupt rory's relationship with her first boyfriend (dean) as well as... well, basically everything in the whole town. like rory, he's a massive bookworm (who bonds with her by stealing her books and leaving notes in the margins), but he doesn't value academics in the same way she does. as in, he is flunking out. as a result, lorelai does not approve of him. i could go on about how much i like him and how he did nothing wrong forever, but the summary would remain incomplete without...

emily and richard gilmore, lorelai's parents. rich, snobbish, and controlling, they start out as the kind of central antagonists of the show. when lorelai goes to them to ask for a loan so she can pay for rory's education, they agree—on the condition that lorelai and rory attend family dinners every friday night. though they are often manipulative and cruel, they also were deeply hurt by lorelai's actions all those years ago, and want to have a relationship with rory. the evolution of their relationship becomes a kind of secondary plotline later in the show.

some other miscellaneous persons you might see me mention:

paris geller, who we all agree is a lesbian, despite every piece of evidence to the contrary. she initially starts out as rory's private school rival, but they develop an unlikely friendship. and she's in love with rory, and she's a lesbian, and—*gunshots*

this is lane kim, rory's best friend in stars hollow. raised by highly conservative and religious parents, lane is a rebellious audiophile who has a secret closet where she can listen to her sinful rock music. she's adorable and i love her.

this is dean, rory's suckass first boyfriend and local tall guy who will eventually go on to... idk, kill angels, i didn't watch the other show. anyway, i do not like him at any point in the narrative.

this is sookie st. james, an accomplished chef and lorelai's coworker at the independence inn, as well as her best friend. together, they dream of opening their own inn. she is also extremely adorable, as well as notoriously clumsy.

and yeah, there's more to say and i could try to give an actual summary, but i need to stop at some point, so this is kind of an overview of who tf i'm blogging about.

[nateserenas]

so in you’ve been gilmored when rory is telling paris about the fact that she’s being fired as editor, i’d make that scene even more explicitly romantic. like rory says something along the lines of ‘we’ve been there for each other through good times and bad times,’ and then she gets a look on her face and she starts staring into the distance like she’s now realising something and talking to herself and she says, ‘yeah, no matter what was going on, no matter what guys were in our lives, it was always us. you were always there.’ and then paris gets a confused look on her face and says, ‘well multiple people have said i’m like flypaper.’ and that snaps rory back to reality and she looks at paris strangely but then smiles, shaken by her realisation, but fondly and says, ‘yeah, you’re pretty unshakable.’ and then that scene continues how it did in canon with rory telling paris she’s been fired. but paris isn’t mad at rory when she becomes editor. like we literally saw that storyline seasons ago when paris thought that rory was scheming against her in student government. so instead, we see the growth in their relationship. instead of fighting with her, paris, with a suspicious look on her face, asks rory if she was scheming for the editor job. rory reassures her. and paris just says, ‘okay.’ and then, i think rory would still move in with logan, not because paris kicked her out, but because rory’s had a realisation that is a lot to process and she does not exactly no how to be around paris. so she moves in with logan and she’s thinking about her sexuality. she’s rory so of course we see shots of her reading books about lgbt history. and then one day she comes out to logan. like they’re probably lying in bed at night and rory out of the blue tells him that she thinks she likes women too. and logan who is very bi is like, ‘join the club ace.’ and then rory says, ‘and i think i’m in love with paris.’ and then at some point logan and rory breakup idk i haven’t really thought about how but they breakup and remain friends. and then at some point rory talks to lorelai about her feelings for paris and she does in the rambling rory way where she talks really fast and is like don’t say anything until i’ve said everything i need to say. and then lorelai probably comments on the time rory and paris played romeo and juliet and also the time rory told lorelai about when rory and paris kissed on spring break. and then at some point probably after a few months, during which paris and doyle break up, rory decides to tell paris how she feels. so she tells paris like a week in advance that she needs to talk to her about something so can they have dinner and paris is like, ‘ooh sounds serious,’ and rory smiles and says, ‘it is.’ so they’re at dinner and rory’s rambling about how long they’ve known each other and what they mean to each other and at some point she starts talking about the time before their student government fight and that’s where paris chimes in very nonchalantly, ‘you know, i had the biggest crush on you back then.’ and rory is completely surprised. she’s like you were what now. and she’s staring at paris open mouthed and then paris is like, ‘come on gilmore haven’t you ever heard of bisexuality?’ and rory is like, ‘yes paris i obviously have.’ and then paris asks why her mouth is hanging open. and rory goes, you had a crush on me??? i’ve been obsessing over whether or not i should tell you i’m in love with you for months and then rory starts rambling until paris after staring for a while says, ‘wait did you just say you’re in love with me??’ and rory’s like, ‘oh yeah. i guess i did.’ and she awkwardly laughs a little. and then paris tells rory that she’s in love with her too <3

[blue-ravens]

CharHawk + modern highschool AU or coffee shop AU whichever cliche you find more tolerable :P

high school au!! oh gosh yes.

1. right so i don't know who else out there and on the air is familiar with 'gilmore girls' but these two are the original rory gilmore and paris geller.

think about it

one's smart, loveable and charming, raised by a single adoring parent, beloved by everyone in the small new england town they call home, and other's a prickly, stuck up know it all from a never-seen family, politely considered uptight and rudely considered a bitch. and oh my god they were classmates.

2. charles is the one with the top grades, all the extra-curriculars that matter, the family name, the best clothes, the letterman jacket, the polo pony, the car, the stock portfolio, the dream of the harvard acceptance letter, and... no friends. and now there's this wildly likeable and charismatic happy go lucky scamp with a bright smile and a gpa to match, and charles may have no friends but is never short on enemies, and this no name nobody from nowhere just made the list. this barely bothers hawkeye because he has the friends and the parties and the grades and not in possession of a singular fuck to give about that tall drink of water with a silver spoon up his ass over there brooding by the window backlit by the sun just so and

okay maybe a fuck or two has been given

3. so of course there is the dreaded group project. by some contrived set of circumstances the scene is so tensely set at charles' house and it's very clearly from the instant hawkeye walks in the double oak doors into what can be best described as an art museum masquerading as a family house that so much is explained about his classmate. it's very apparent that the only human contact charles seems to have at home is his younger sister and the housekeeper. in that second he promises that next time will be at *his* house because he's not even sure his classmate has ever seen a slice of takeaway pizza much less been around a parental figure who'd happily order one, and that's the least he can offer. of course he won't stoop to pity, because while they are declared enemies he does know enough about him that pity will go wasted and unwanted. but now he understands. and it might actually be possible to LIKE him. he's funny. he's smart. he actually does care about stuff when he wants to. and oh god when he's in the group chat with peg and bj later he is NOT going to mention that he finds him CUTE because he'll never hear the end of it.

4. they bicker. they argue. they bring out the best in each other. they're competitive and there are pranks and there are also the moments when the rivalry isn't so rivalry-ish. at some point they just... get each other. neither knows how or why, but while they still butt heads over nearly everything and have entirely different motives, they both wish for the same things. i could really like you. more than i should. i really could love you. maybe it takes a 'i never told you anything before' moment. a moment of mutual understanding, the 'oh. you are like me more than i realised'. that.

and i bet that's at a party they've gatecrashed and someone donna spiked the punch.

maybe.

5. it's a given they'd both be pretty much neck and neck for the valedictorian prize at graduation but it doesn't really seem so important because something else and something far better was gained. and i'm not uhhh saying summer roadtrip with new friends and several fulfilling life experiences, but oh to hell with it, i definitely am.

[theonethatwatchesalotofshows]

Why do you feel like Dean was a bad bf to Rory? While I don’t think he was perfect by any means (I’m actually mostly referring to S5 Dean, not teenage Dean) - he was a pretty good bf. He didn’t complain when she asked him to attend functions with her, made an effort to get along with her friends and family, built Rory a car, supported Rory’s interests and even partook in them.

Like was it petty that he broke up with her over the fact she didn’t say “I love you” back to him? Yeah. But he was a teenager and he got crap from the entire town for it.

Dean’s biggest mistake had been getting mad when Rory at Rory for prioritizing Harvard over him and even then he apologized on the same day.

Rory emotionally and then physically cheated on him with Jess, gaslit Dean for over a year and made him feel like he was in the wrong for being concerned about Jess. Dean was insecure and struggling to hold on to his gf. I don’t blame him for being clingy. In fact, I sympathized with him a lot.

I start hating Dean when he treated Lindsey like crap and cheated on her. But early seasons Dean was pretty good.

Anon, if you had gone through my blog you would've seen that I feel very strongly about Dean. I made like a 100 posts detailing how he wasn't a good boyfriend at all. But okay let's go through this again.

"He didn't complain when she asked him to attend functions with her." Have you seen the episode where Rory goes to cotillion and Dean spends the entire episode whinying about having to wear a tux (to a formal event) and learn to dance and at times he even seems as though he's going to blow up at Rory and storm off. Yet Rory praises him for it even after they broke up and Dean says: "I don't need a list Rory". Ugh. Even Jess complained less when she asked to go somewhere with her and yet people call him a shitty boyfriend.

"He made an effort to get along with her friends and family." Okay I will give him that. He was the only boyfriend who befriended Lorelai and got along with her well. He also made an actual effort to get along with Emily and Richard (before he was an ass to him) and Christopher. However I still quite can't get over how snarky he was to Lorelai the first few times they met. If he had spoken to my mother that way, she would've kicked him out of the house, yet Lorelai befriends him for some reason. And as for the getting along with her friends have you seen how he yelled at Rory right in front of Paris and acted as if she wasn't even there?

"He built Rory a car." I have talked about that at least a milion. It's great that Dean could build a car and maybe his intentions were actually good deep down but it was just too much at that time. They had only been dating for three months at that time and he already gave her an almost finished car. God knows how long he had been actually working on it. Since he met her? That's creepy honestly. Not to mention he dumped her in said car five minutes after he showed it to her which imo negates the romantic gesture.

"He supported Rory's interests and even partook it them." In their honeymoon phase during their very first relationship in season 1 yes. But once that was over he grew more and more frustrated with her studying too much and looked bored and annoyed at the book fair.

Dean getting mad at Rory for prioritizing Harvard over him was awful but I don't think it's his biggest mistake. I think his biggest mistake was that he was generally (just like you said) insecure, clingy and smothering and it ended up pushing Rory further and further away. He was unreasonably jealous and no, don't try to tell me that he was only jealous of Jess because Rory was obviously into him, he got jealous of Tristan way before Jess even got to town. Yes while both Jess and Tristan provoked Dean, he always took it out on Rory, yelled at her in public and made her feel awful.

It's sad that he had to watch the girl he loved fall for another guy and even flirt with him in front of him but I just can't find it in myself to sympathize with him. But that's just me. I never liked him even in the beginning of season 1 when we were supposed to like him.

[sparklycardigan]

Your tags on the "Jess and Lorelai are alike" post reminds me of something that occurred to me a while back, and that is: Jess is a combination of all the people Rory loves most, in one person. He's like Lorelai, but he's also like Luke. And she can share music with him the way she does with Lane, and argue with him like Paris, and share her love of literature with him like Richard... I mean, I know I'm biased, but clearly that means he's her perfect person! 😉 (Once they're both mature and ready, of course. Which is the thing, isn't it?)

Believe it or not, this actually crossed my mind a couple of times too, I'm just incapable of articulating my thoughts sometimes, mind gets overcrowded with ideas and the ideas obviously like hanging out together, but they also fight and I'm pretty sure there's some popcorn involved too (woah, previous sentence, Lorelai much?). Okay, hear me out (for the 2627627372 time, how do people still put up with me, where's the Lorelai quote???

yeah, that's the one!!!!!😌)

Anyhow, here are the 🎇thoughts🎇 (heads up: the following text is messy and probably makes zero sense, sorry in advance):

It's already been established that Jess is kind of an anomaly to the Gilmore Girls universe given how he has storylines that are entirely separated from the lives of the girls. If any of the characters was going to be shown as (shown as, it's all about perception) a collection of different personalities, it was him (besides the Gilmores, but they are the protagonists, it makes sense that they are the ones with the most layer). And people tend to be contradictory personality-wise in real life, but for writing, choosing to put the main focus on particular character(s) and showing the story from their point of view implies that you have to approach everybody else's story with a rather subjective lens. And that means how every person in the life of the main character gets a set of traits that resonate with said main character the most. Those are the traits that are going to be highlighted. Example (everything turns into a science experiment with me apparently): if Paris were to be the main character, the show would have naturally explored more of her journey and given us more information about her experiences (note how we already have more than enough material to analyse when it comes to her, but the things we have are heavily intertwined with the way Rory perceives her), but would have cut a bunch of Rory-related storylines. Maybe Paris wouldn't be as beloved because there would be more of her to see and Rory would have been a very different character from the Rory that we know (in what way different, I don't know, but it's not that relevant to my point). What I'm trying to put an accent on here is that Jess obviously has a lot of traits that resonate with Rory considering the manner in which his story is handled. It all links directly to that conversation we had a while back, the "they see each other with absolutely no filter" one. Rory understands and knows Jess (and vice versa, but the important puzzle piece here is that the show is told through Rory's pov) to that great of an extent to make him worth the risk of challenging the way this entire creative universe works (this can be applied to Luke in relation to Lorelai too). Even with Lane, the aspects of her life we are allowed to witness are the aspects of her life that Rory's been introduced to in detail (and if Rory knows about it, it's automatically a part of her universe). On the other hand, there's a bunch of stuff that Jess goes through that Rory has absolutely no knowledge of (and doesn't get to discover in the eternity of the show either, the swan incident for example), but still, the creators chose to show us that regardless. I think it says a lot about the importance of Jess in Rory's life. I totally followed the train of thought too far into the forest here, I'm a big time geek when it comes to the writing process and the way that things work😅. I just think it's not a coincidence that Jess is shown to share/shares that many personality traits with people important to Rory. And yes, I'm referring to him and Rory as life mates (let's just hope I get the copyright from Anne Shirley in court) from now on, I think it fits perfectly. They're each other's person, you know? And I am in no way dissatisfied with their ending in AYTL (open endings my beloved <3). Literati just give me that "best friends first, soul connection" vibe (and I kind of have a reputation for being a platonic soulmates queen around here so I suppose my take is somewhat valid, friendship is the solid ground of their dynamic, that's why they keep coming back to each other, there's no magical destiny stuff involved, I need to write a detailed post on that). I do believe Jess is Rory's 🎇perfectly imperfect geek🎇. And now I shall add Grey's Anatomy quotes because that's from where I get the my person obsession:

I think I might be a Gilmore myself, I managed to talk about a thousand things in one post and who knows what will happen in the tags...

[anxiouspotatorants]

@daydreamreality okay this post just got so long that I figured I should start a new thread 😂

But omg yes to all of it!! I think the main source of conflict within the label would be Paris’ success focus versus Lane and Jess’ creative integrity focus. I honestly think Paris would end up giving her role to Lane after interviewing a sea of candidates, and Lane then sharing that role with another professional (possibly a Truncheon guy like you said) that Paris has vetted and approved of. I am so bitter about Lane’s AYITL life and can think of so many ‘realistic’ jobs for her that would be better: producing, teaching, community organizer, music shop owner, music bar owner, small record label owner, working in a music magazine, working as a sound technician for a venue, managing a venue, owning a concert venue, running a festival, working at a festival, part time combo of any of these- I honestly could go on and on. So this AU is partly an opportunity for me to yell about her actually getting to work with music as a bandmember and possible producer.

I’d like the Truncheon guys to get introduced through Jess. Once Paris and Rory are in Yale he needs to find part time work to pay rent and keep busy, and he finds Matt and Chris. At one point all six of them meet up and they go from light socialising to making serious business propositions in less than an evening. I really like the idea of Jess as a creative promoter/director because it would allow him to utilize his inventive prankster side and combine it with his love of rock music. I still feel like he’d be sporadic writer as I headcanon Jess as using writing as a form of self-therapy (which he then publishes because the others implore him to and f*ck it why not), but his main job would be working with the label. Your idea of Truncheon and the label becoming one is genius btw! That way Jess can still be connected to Truncheon and Rory’s work with writing will still be connected to her groupie/manager roots.

I see both Rory and Jess writing books inspired by their experience that summer and overall. Jess probably writes one first and specifically about that first summer tour. It’s only semi-biographical or loosely inspired by the events, but it’s still pretty clear for those who know him that the events that inspired the book were really important to him and came at a point in his life where he really needed them. The book doesn’t do well at first but over the years it becomes a cult favourite for music fans and indie literature lovers alike. Rory first writes about the experience for college applications (like Paris) and realizes through that personal essay and her studies that she wants to combine her love of writing and music. Her book(s?) about the quartet are fully autobiographical and lay out both factual details, societal contexts and personal anecdotes. It’s basically her excuse to write a well written gush over her friends. The book does really well and helps promote the label/platform.

I don’t think Paris would continue as a label owner after leaving the Hep Alien-Truncheon platform, but move onto law fully. I think she would mostly be a lawyer for non-music cases, but whenever the platform needs legal advice she’s the one they call. She’s also their lawyer because of course she would never let the platform go completely.

As for early days: I’m just imagining so much chaos. That summer tour is 99% tiny shitty venues in small towns across the US, and the entourage sleeps in motels and weird B&Bs. Brian has a panic attack every ten minutes. Zack is trying and failing at being a bad boy bandmember (aka the diva who gets away with it because of musical talent). Paris keeps asking inappropriate questions to everyone, from band members to Rory and Jess to random audience members in the concerts. Jess has to disappear for two hours every once in a while because being this close to other people so suddenly is a shock to his system. Rory, Lane and Dave take turns alternating between meltdowns and damage control. It’s the best summer they’ve all had so far.

Between then and college is when I imagine the label starts. Hep Alien gets record label offers at the end of the summer and Paris goes into business mode. Once in college the Truncheon merger happens and new memories form around late night zine-editing right before the print deadline, slightly bigger concert gigs, messy talent scouting and Jess making the weirdest promotion tactics for both Hep Alien and the label — and those tactics working incredibly well.

Honestly there’s so much potential with this AU because there’s so much potential with these characters and their dynamics period.

[humansofstarshollow]

Could you please write something some soft Rory. Looking for hugs?

rory had never been a particularly touchy girl. like, growing up with a very affectionate mother, in a somewhat smothering little town, had made her accustomed to handle cheeks pinching, pats on the back, bear hugging and so on which doesn't automatically means she particularly ever enjoyed any of that, though.

you see, she's a bit of an awkward and shy girl, despite her best efforts to appear open and cheerful. she succeeds, for the most part.

lorelai has always been granted a free affection pass, however; and so has lane.

even dean, and then jess-- not even with them, had rory allowed herself to fully give in to pda or intimacy, aside from some awkward hand holding and light making out.

then, came paris.

_________

"Rory?" A loud voice enquires, from the living room. "Rory? Are you home?"

Much quieter, an "in here" comes, from the bedroom's ajar door.

Rory's sprawled in the middle of the bed, messy hair and her favorite, comfiest loungewear on.

"Why are you still in bed? Weren't you supposed to be in class this afternoon?"

"I-" the brunette sniffles, shifting slightly to sit upright. "I just needed a moment. A moment to breathe, to refocus."

"Has anything happened? Is lorelai okay?"

Heart swelling with so much, rory cannot restrain herself from reaching out to grasp paris' fingers. "Everyone is alright, baby. I didn't mean to worry you," she adds, leaning to peck the blonde's cheek. "And nothing specific has occurred, really. I'm just feeling extremely overwhelmed, today."

They've known each other for many years, now, and dated for the most part of it. Paris and Rory; Rory and Paris.

And paris knows that sometimes her girlfriend simply needs some support and reassurance; just a warm set of arms, understanding eyes and the exact right words -that paris only, apparently, is always always able to provide.

Taking off her shoes and trousers, paris approaches the bed. "Scoot over," she says, gently.

"Don't you have a study group to get to?"

Shaking her head before softly pressing her lips to rory's, "nothing that cannot be dealt with at a later time. right now, though, there's movies to be watched and poptarts to be eaten, and a girlfriend to cuddle with."

And paris, who is probably even more intimancy-wary than rory is, has very early on learnt that rory gilmore will forever be the one exception to all of her rules. Namely-- spontaneous embracing, gentle (more often passionate) kissing, frequent little touches just because, and very much desired lovemaking.

"Yes please." Rory replies, scooting even closer, pretty much ending up in the blonde's lap. "I think i need a hug."

Chuckling, paris tightens her hold and places a kiss on rory's temple. "And a hug you shall receive."

[not sure this is what you were expecting, anon, but it's what i came up with during a quiet moment at work. and i did make it a gellmore snippet because-- idk it's what came to my mind. hope you enjoyed it]

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls: Season 1, Episode 17 ("The Breakup Part II")

What happens in this episode: In the previous ep, Dean dumped Rory because he is a barrel of smelly expired coleslaw. Rory eats two giantic beach pails of ice cream over it. Lorelai continues to dole out questionable relationship advice to her daughter. Rory goes with Lane (?!) to a massive Chilton party. Rory takes a can of Parmasean cheese into her bedroom and Lorelai doesn't blink. Rory throws Dean's pointless shit in a box and Lorelai has been throwing pointless Max shit into a box as well. Rory and Diet Logan share an unnecessary kiss. Everyone is boinking everyone except our eternal virgin girl scouts Rory, Lane, and Paris. It's a boinkfest with sprinkle cheese on top. Strap in. 9 episodes to go until a breath of fresh air arrives in Stars Hollow and everything goes to hell in a different way. (talking about Jess).

OK THIS IS NOT CUTE OR HEALTHY LORELAI. ESPECIALLY NOT FOR A TEENAGER. LG: "Have you seen the cover of his notebook? It's one step away from stalker material." NOT CUTE! Lorelai is so stunted when it comes to dating that she is passing this unhealthy shit down to her daughter. Why is Lorelai only tolerable when she's not getting involved in Rory's love life? The scene: Rory throws everything Dean ever looked at or touched including The Quarter on A String bracelet into a box. RG: Dean gave me this sweater. He saw me in it and he liked it. LG: Well, he's got good taste. RG: He said it bought out the blue in my eyes. LG: Then he's gay. Early 2000's tv writing, everyone! LG: In the future you might regret that you don't have those things anymore. They're 16 fucking years old. It's not like they were getting married. Half of what she threw in there were some old books Dean pretended to read. I think she'll live. I need to come up with a headcanon about what Rory put in her Jess Box. Ideas, people. I need ideas. Rory asks Lorelai to burn the box, throw it in a dumpster, get the box out of the house, etc etc. Lorelai agrees but just hides it in a closet under some blankets. If that were Rory's Jess Box, Lorelai would definitely have burned it.

Some guy out there selling nuts on the street at like 7am. I respect the hustle. Thought it was going to be another festival. Guess Taylor ran out of funds to embezzle. For now. Rory doesn't want to go to Luke's because Dean might be working next door at Doose's. Luke is unbothered by their frequent boycotts because the Gilmore Girls never pay him for their food anyway.

Now we can't go past the high school either because if he happens to be off from work he'll be playing football. Are these the same "Friends" Jess "played football with"? I need to see these guys, okay? I don't believe they actually exist. I guess Dean is a jock again. Lorelai is panicking because Rory won't go near Lukes. Just dump her off at the Nut Cart and go there yourself. Cut the cord, Mamma. You'll both live. Does Luke put crack in his Folgers? Is he dealing Lorelai drugs out of the stock room? Mamma is SWEATING. They take a detour through a back alley that I don't remember seeing again and enter Luke's through a back door #ThatsWhatSheSaid

I have to share this amazing accidental screen shot.

Let's place our bets on whether or not Rory is too naive to realize why Rachel is wearing Luke's shirt.

Heh heh. They had sex. Rachel is working at the Diner because why not. Luke hires literally everyone in town at some point except for Rory. Who never held a single job throughout all of high school & college except for swiping meal cards at Yale for one day (she slept through it). The only thing Rory contributed to society was picking up trash during her community service. Anyway where was I...

The boinking was good huh? Tomatos Sign spotting!

Luke has got a real post-boinking smirk going. Luke: I knew that kid Dean was trouble. Does he think he can do better than Rory? Well, Lindsay seemed pretty nice, other than having questionable taste. #JusticeForLindsay

Luke spots Dean trying to come in and he runs outside to kick his fucking ass! LD: "Do you see a smile on this face?" DF:"No, but what's so different about that, you're not exactly the town crackup."

KICK HIS ASS LUKE! KICK IT!

Babette: "I can tell Rory about how you have to go through a lot of bad relationships to get to the good one." Ah yes. The Jack Pearson burnt pancake theory. "I can tell Rory about all the horrible men I've known in my day, really, truly awful men. I was pushed out of a moving car once." #ILoveHer

A paper invitation. How quaint. #Giraffes?

Rory pulls out a can of Kraft Parmesan cheese and retreats to her bedroom with it. Lorelai does not question it. As if this is a regular occurence. I know Rory is going through a breakup but this may be a cry for help. I need answers. You know what else I need answers to? How Lane was allowed to go out to a Chilton party with Rory and leave the house in a spicy red low cut blouse AND she has a midnight curfew?

Oh stick a fork in my eye. What is this? It's either A Max Box or a Christopher Box? That she keeps in the same closet as the Dean Box? That closet needs an exorcism. (it is never directly said, but it is likely a Max Box). Overwhelmed with emotion over her Box Of Max Shit, Lorelai first stops at Sookie's house where Sookie is interfering with Jackson's cooking a romantic meal. Lorelai then makes her way to Max's doorstep without any prior notice and the first words out of her mouth are "Rory and Dean broke up." And then she starts one of her rambles. Max looks reasonably befuddled and then invites her inside. Figured he'd shoot his shot with an emotionally vulnerable Lorelai just like Christopher did a few episodes back. Just like with Christopher, it worked. This is a first and probably a last: Lorelai actually admits she's a hypocrite. She uses the words "I'm a hypocrite." That's refreshing. She is the BIGGEST hypocrite. You know what it means when Lorelai starts rambling to a man? They're gonna have sex. They had sex. Still no answers on how Lane was allowed to go to this Chilton party. Besides being in awe of the size of the house she seems comforable and unfazed at this massive party that should be wayyy out of her element (same for Rory), but maybe that's just my own social anxiety talking.

Here's a Dork Hall of Fame worthy quote from Rory to Paris: "Can you show us the way to the soda?" Such a good little girl scout. Lane, not to be outdone: "All this soda is French!" I never drank in high school or even much after that, so there's nothing wrong with drinking soda whatsoever, but they still sound like absolute fucking dorks and it's kinda cute. Although there are people walking around with red Solo cups, there is curiously no alcohol mentioned or visible at this massive unsupervised teenage rager run by a pair of Bad Girls (the show had no issue with depicting an underage keg party in season 3 but I guess they needed time to build up to that or in season 1 there were censors up the writers' asses or something) In this episode Rachel and Luke boinked, Sookie and Jackson presumably boinked, Lorelai and Max boinked, Madeline and Louise presumably had an orgy with their 30 year old looking hookups with frosted hair, and Tristan has an argument with a girl named Summer who boinked some guy named Austin in a bathroom. Rory, Lane and Paris remained unfucked soda-sippers who bring books to parties. I want to see Rory and Jess tucked away at a table reading together in the strip club.

#StepCousinSoulmates Lane and Henry dancing at the party is one of the cutest moments of the show. Lane has got some moves too. Later, Lane explains to Rory how Henry has all of the qualities her parent (s)?? would love but she doesn't want to date someone her parent(s)?? would actually approve of. I thought this is where we'd hear Lane's panic set in when she realize she'd have to find a lie to tell Mrs Kim. How would she explain to her Mom that she met this perfect boy at an unsupervised high school party at a mansion with a pool table and soda in plastic cups? But no. Still no answers about Lane's presence/escape. Lorelai and Max are making out awkwardly. Max pulls away. MM: We have to get a grip here. LG: I thought that's what we were doing. Lorelai you dirty bird! Diet Logan (Tristan) is attending this party and he's being mopey and annoying. Rory, being the ever sweet and thoughtful soda-sipping girl scout that she (currently) is, decides to talk to him and see what's bugging him.

Tristan (aka Diet Logan): "Think you'll get back together with Dean?" Rory: He was pretty set in his decision. Narrator: Neither Rory nor Dean were "pretty set in their decision". Diet Logan pretends to empathize when Rory tells DL that Dean dumped her and "apologizes" for bullying her. Whatever. Then just like Max did to Lorelai in this episode, DL takes advantage of Rory's vulnerable emotional state to kiss her. DL says "did I bite your lip?" after he kisses her and Rory looks like she's about to cry. All I can think about is the time Rory told Logan he bit her lip after he kissed her. I want to jump in my time machine and tell her to be patient because someone who actually knows how to kiss without mangling her mouth (Jess) is going to arrive soon. The dynamic between Rory and Tristan (and also Paris and Tristan) continues to be utterly confusing. I still don't know what purpose Tristan was meant to serve.

I have never seen such a huge plastic beach pail of Ben and Jerry's like that before in my life. Plus there are two of them and one already appears to be empty. Slow down, kid. Don't waste the good ice cream on Dean. ESPECIALLY not Cherry Garcia. The best flavor. Can we get another shot of this pail? Holy moly. That must be a Costco-sized tub that's meant to feed an entire birthday party.

OMG. We STILL haven't gotten to one of the worst advice speeches Lorelai ever gives Rory (besides the one she just gave about how stalking is so cute). It's already two or three episodes further into the show than I remember it being and still hasn't happened. If you don't know which one I'm talking about you hopefully will soon and this misery can end. The Good: Actually not a lot of Dean in this episode. Luke kicking Dean's ass. Henry and Lane are adorable. Rory and Lane being dorky. Lorelai admits she's a big fucking hypcorite. New Headcanon: The content and fate of the Jess Box. The Bad: Lorelai's usual sketchy advice. Men taking advantage of vulnerable women. The Confusing: No answers are given on how Lane ended up at a Chilton party either without her mother noticing or without revealing what lie she told Mrs. Kim to be allowed to go. Just like Jess, Dean claims to have friends he plays football with when we know he has no friends. A man is selling nuts at 7am. Rory eats two buckets of ice cream by herself and lives to tell the tale. WHAT DID RORY DO WITH THAT PARMESAN CHEESE?