thefirst3chapters

[thefirst3chapters]

Literati + when I look at you

#gilmore girls gifs #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

So... in the recent discussion about the likelihood of Jess having some sort of "criminal history," @kimberly-stocks reminded me of the show alluding to possible lock-picking skills, and there was some speculation about what kinds of either nefarious or tragic reasons he'd need to use those skills for... But then I remembered that post on here about the guy who taught himself how to pick locks because he thought it would impress girls with how "cool and mysterious" he was, and...

So, considering the show's running gag that Jess is never as much of a Bad Boy as everyone thinks he is (He has a black eye! Did he get in a fight?! No... he was attacked by a swan. He suddenly acquired enough money to buy a car under mysterious circumstances! Did he rob a bank or turn to prostitution?! Nah... he's been secretly working at Walmart.) what if... What if Jess Mariano only taught himself to pick locks because he thought it would make him look "cool and mysterious" to girls? Just like he apparently thinks his magic tricks do? Because he's a loser? (And because he likes a little mechanical brain puzzle now and then) 😂

#gilmore girls meta #jess mariano #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

jess mariano being a bad boy big old softie with a nerdy heart

#gilmore girls gifs #jess mariano #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

Unpopular opinion (maybe): Luke's ultimatum at the end of Season 3 inadvertently reinforced Jess's choices that stopped him from finishing high school in the first place.

Disclaimer: The intent here isn't to attack Luke for how he handled things. The overall effect of Luke's presence in Jess's life is undoubtedly positive and instrumental to where Jess ended up. Luke was put in an unfair position that he wasn't prepared for, he genuinely cared and tried his best with the knowledge he had, and it would have been well within his rights to say no to Liz to begin with or to Jess when he came back after the car accident.

From what Jess tells Rory in "Teach Me Tonight," it sounds like he never had much academic support from adults, which is of course why Rory's belief in him will end up meaning so much. Details about Jess's childhood that are revealed once Liz is around suggest that Jess didn't have trustworthy adults in his life and had to learn how to be self-sufficient early. Even though we as the audience can see that Luke is responsible and trustworthy through his own actions and his relationships with people who have known him for many years, Jess doesn't have the same history with him, and it can take a long, long time to unlearn those survival instincts. Additionally, Jess's Walmart manager, as gregarious and pro-corporate as he seems to be, doesn't appear to engage in the practice of pressuring introverts to socialize (which happened to Rory at Chilton) and allows Jess to do something constructive and work toward a tangible reward. Some people get these benefits from going to school, but Jess didn't. Then there's a layer of youthful hubris here because Jess really did seem to think that he could manage all of this and go to school just enough to graduate based on what he tells Rory in S3 E17, Luke in S3 E18, and the principal in S3 E19. With of all this information in mind, it's really not surprising that Jess would prioritize work above school. His logic is self-destructive but understandable, and his fatal flaw ends up being that he committed to more responsibilities than a person could reasonably handle. This isn't the standard media portrayal of ditching school.

Luke's approach to being Jess's guardian is fairly hands-off. After Luke's "laying down the law" talk in the first episode Jess is in, the only requirement we see enforced is that Jess has to work at the diner, which Jess complies with. Luke didn't know Jess was working at Walmart at all until Jess bought his car, he didn't know Jess is eventually working more than full-time hours, and he didn't know Jess was missing as much school as he was. (This last one suggests a significant oversight at the school, which is another story.) When the extent of Jess's work hours is brought to his attention and Lorelai speculates about what is going on, he tells Lorelai that there is no way Jess would skip school and doesn't investigate further. When he realizes Jess is working some days instead of going to school, he offers to pay Jess more at the diner (and later steals his car) to prevent him from working at Walmart (the place he worked before he had a car to earn the money to buy it???) but doesn't press him about what is really going on.

So after all of that, it turns out Jess didn't go to school enough graduate. Luke does give Jess the option to stay in Stars Hollow and keep going to school, but I could never blame someone for not being able to have a rational conversation immediately after a stranger randomly shows up, claims paternity, and runs out. The emotional damage of that incident really can't be divorced from what happens here. Luke is of course also in crisis mode. Jess didn't graduate because he worked too much, so now he's in a position where his consequence is to keep doing what got him into trouble, only this time he doesn't have anyone looking after him. This isn't what Luke is intending, but his ultimatum basically reinforces Jess's mindset of prioritizing work (i.e. short-term financial security) above school and his reluctance to trust other people, and it reinforces Jess's family history (ironically not including Luke) of abandoning difficult situations (in this case, the aftermath of the fight with Dean) and relationships (in this case, Rory) instead of facing them. Jess ends up on his own with the money he had from work that he was saving for a different car, so he probably thinks it's a good thing he worked as much as he did, and he ends up without adult guidance or restrictions to help him sort all this out and repair the harm he caused. This could have turned out much more darkly than it did, and it's really a miracle that Jess got to where he was by the time he was 21.

When Jess is with Jimmy in California, he acknowledges that he's failed and doesn't know where to go from there. It probably isn't outlandish to think that Jess was earning more as a full-time forklift driver than what he is earning during Season 4. Factoring in the lower cost of living in Stars Hollow or somewhere nearby compared to New York, he probably could have been able earn a decent living if he stayed at Walmart (even if he wouldn't have been better off in the long run). That's probably why Luke's "I'm sorry I didn't think driving a forklift for the rest of your life was good enough for you" stung. It was likely a much better situation than whatever Jess is in mid-Season 4.

In late Season 4, Jess seems resigned to where he is. He doesn't complain or blame anyone else for his circumstances, even when Luke repeatedly mocks him in New York. (Even mid-Season 4, Jess doesn't express anger toward Luke about anything other than Luke stealing his car until Luke provokes him multiple times.) Maybe Jess was already thinking about writing a book or studying for a GED during Season 4, but his posture and mannerisms seem to suggest defeat more than anything else. At this point, Jess might not be envisioning anything other than what he has. It is only after Luke accepts Jess for who he is, and stops seeing him as a failed project, ("You are who you are. I cannot change that, and I'm going to stop trying.") that Jess really starts to move forward. Although Luke isn't even very positive in how he says this, it's still the sort of affirmation Jess always needed and maybe never received from a family member before. Then, he's honest with Luke about his emotions, he's receptive to Luke's advice, he expresses appreciation for what Luke did for him, he offers Luke a way to stay in contact, and he makes a commitment to pay him back even though Luke says he doesn't have to do so. He tries (and fails, for the time being) to make amends with Rory, and after all of these things happen, he progresses into the version of himself that returns in Season 6. Jess pursues a path that Luke doesn't quite understand but has accepted and is proud of (it's also a path that Rory does understand and is proud of, and both forms of support are so important).

#Thank you for these insights! #The distinction between acceptance and resignation is something to ponder #gilmore girls meta #jess mariano #luke danes #diner guys

[thefirst3chapters]

Unpopular opinion (maybe): Luke's ultimatum at the end of Season 3 inadvertently reinforced Jess's choices that stopped him from finishing high school in the first place.

Disclaimer: The intent here isn't to attack Luke for how he handled things. The overall effect of Luke's presence in Jess's life is undoubtedly positive and instrumental to where Jess ended up. Luke was put in an unfair position that he wasn't prepared for, he genuinely cared and tried his best with the knowledge he had, and it would have been well within his rights to say no to Liz to begin with or to Jess when he came back after the car accident.

From what Jess tells Rory in "Teach Me Tonight," it sounds like he never had much academic support from adults, which is of course why Rory's belief in him will end up meaning so much. Details about Jess's childhood that are revealed once Liz is around suggest that Jess didn't have trustworthy adults in his life and had to learn how to be self-sufficient early. Even though we as the audience can see that Luke is responsible and trustworthy through his own actions and his relationships with people who have known him for many years, Jess doesn't have the same history with him, and it can take a long, long time to unlearn those survival instincts. Additionally, Jess's Walmart manager, as gregarious and pro-corporate as he seems to be, doesn't appear to engage in the practice of pressuring introverts to socialize (which happened to Rory at Chilton) and allows Jess to do something constructive and work toward a tangible reward. Some people get these benefits from going to school, but Jess didn't. Then there's a layer of youthful hubris here because Jess really did seem to think that he could manage all of this and go to school just enough to graduate based on what he tells Rory in S3 E17, Luke in S3 E18, and the principal in S3 E19. With of all this information in mind, it's really not surprising that Jess would prioritize work above school. His logic is self-destructive but understandable, and his fatal flaw ends up being that he committed to more responsibilities than a person could reasonably handle. This isn't the standard media portrayal of ditching school.

Luke's approach to being Jess's guardian is fairly hands-off. After Luke's "laying down the law" talk in the first episode Jess is in, the only requirement we see enforced is that Jess has to work at the diner, which Jess complies with. Luke didn't know Jess was working at Walmart at all until Jess bought his car, he didn't know Jess was eventually working more than full-time hours, and he didn't know Jess was missing as much school as he was. (This last one suggests a significant oversight at the school, which is another story.) When the extent of Jess's work hours is brought to his attention and Lorelai speculates about what is going on, he tells Lorelai that there is no way Jess would skip school and doesn't investigate further. When he realizes Jess is working some days instead of going to school, he offers to pay Jess more at the diner (and later steals his car) to prevent him from working at Walmart (the place he worked before he had a car to earn the money to buy it???) but doesn't press him about what is really going on.

So after all of that, it turns out Jess didn't go to school enough to graduate. Luke does give Jess the option to stay in Stars Hollow and keep going to school, but I could never blame someone for not being able to have a rational conversation immediately after a stranger randomly shows up, claims paternity, and runs out. The emotional damage of that incident really can't be divorced from what happens here. Luke is of course also in crisis mode. Jess didn't graduate because he worked too much, so now he's in a position where his consequence is to keep doing what got him into trouble, only this time he doesn't have anyone looking after him. This isn't what Luke is intending, but his ultimatum basically reinforces Jess's mindset of prioritizing work (i.e. short-term financial security) above school and his reluctance to trust other people, and it reinforces Jess's family history (ironically not including Luke) of abandoning difficult situations (in this case, the aftermath of the fight with Dean) and relationships (in this case, Rory) instead of facing them. Jess ends up on his own with the money he had from work that he was saving for a different car, so he probably thinks it's a good thing he worked as much as he did, and he ends up without adult guidance or restrictions to help him sort all this out and repair the harm he caused. This could have turned out much more darkly than it did, and it's really a miracle that Jess got to where he was by the time he was 21.

When Jess is with Jimmy in California, he acknowledges that he's failed and doesn't know where to go from there. It probably isn't outlandish to think that Jess was earning more as a full-time forklift driver than what he is earning during Season 4. Factoring in the lower cost of living in Stars Hollow or somewhere nearby compared to New York, he probably could have been able earn a decent living if he stayed at Walmart (even if he wouldn't have been better off in the long run). That's probably why Luke's "I'm sorry I didn't think driving a forklift for the rest of your life was good enough for you" stung. It was likely a much better situation than whatever Jess is in mid-Season 4.

In late Season 4, Jess seems resigned to where he is. He doesn't complain or blame anyone else for his circumstances, even when Luke repeatedly mocks him in New York. (Even mid-Season 4, Jess doesn't express anger toward Luke about anything other than Luke stealing his car until Luke provokes him multiple times.) Maybe Jess was already thinking about writing a book or studying for a GED during Season 4, but his posture and mannerisms seem to suggest defeat more than anything else. At this point, Jess might not be envisioning anything other than what he has. It is only after Luke accepts Jess for who he is, and stops seeing him as a failed project, ("You are who you are. I cannot change that, and I'm going to stop trying.") that Jess really starts to move forward. Although Luke isn't even very positive in how he says this, it's still the sort of affirmation Jess always needed and maybe never received from a family member before. Then, he's honest with Luke about his emotions, he's receptive to Luke's advice, he expresses appreciation for what Luke did for him, he offers Luke a way to stay in contact, and he makes a commitment to pay him back even though Luke says he doesn't have to do so. He tries (and fails, for the time being) to make amends with Rory, and after all of these things happen, he progresses into the version of himself that returns in Season 6. Jess pursues a path that Luke doesn't quite understand but has accepted and is proud of (it's also a path that Rory does understand and is proud of, and both forms of support are so important).

#gilmore girls meta #luke danes #jess mariano #diner guys

[thefirst3chapters]

in honor of prom season i’m thinking about the absolute robbery it was not having lane and rory in pretty little dresses. their cute little boyfriends going with them, the perfect little y2k prom that was in every show/movie at that time (can you tell i romanticize prom in films because i was ‘too cool’ to go to any of my own? … i still don’t regret it).

i think it would’ve been nice to have one final rory and jess scene where it shows genuinely how much he cared for her. he’s doing something he’s uncomfortable with for her sake. she’s got him **kind of** slow dancing in a crowd of people he hates in a button up. ugh. prom jess please come back. but MORE importantly, i’m thinking about what rory would’ve worn duh.

haven’t duhed in awhile…. anyways. they always incorporated blue in her wardrobe for events. because of course, that perfect icy blue looks killer on the gilmore girls. even made it sookie’s bridesmaid dress colors just for that sake. so it’s safe to say that’s the color she went with.

heading to pinterest, these were some of the first blue dresses i found in style at the time. the second one isn’t exactly her favorite blue shade and both of them have beading. that trend feels a little too ‘cool’ for rory.

now, i would’ve really liked to see rory in a classic audrey hepburn style neckline. but she was a teenager going to prom, so i’m not gonna plea with her to play 60s mod girl.

skipping to dresses that i actually think she’d like:

i noticed in gg that rory never really wore tight fitting/revealing clothing (ever) until after graduation. which was pretty different than the trend at the time (and probably forever for teenagers). but as she graduated chilton, she slowly started growing out of her teen t-shirt phase (i am still in my t-shirt phase, do not think i’m hating). rory AND jess both wore purple during that scene where she’s scolding him in his cute little jean jacket. this purple dress could definitely be a nod to that. and even though it’s not her typical blue, i think it would be a really pretty change. also her long layered hair was so pretty in season 3, it would’ve looked so good with this dress.

now, out of the three blue dresses selected, i think the second one is giving stars hollow high prom. however it’s also reminding me of lorelai’s dress in season 5. do with that what you will. i think this could be a cool nod that she’s becoming more like her mom as she grows up. but it’s also her indulging in trend at the time, while remaining her authentic self. i’m totally overthinking this.

regarding lane, i’m still on the fence what she’d make possible. would she have a secret dress from mrs kim? or would she actually like what mrs kim allowed her to wear? would lorelai sew her something and hide it in the school bathroom? i don’t know yet. maybe we’ll get into that another time.

what do you think?

#gilmore girls costuming #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #lane kim #if only...

[thefirst3chapters]

I can't stop thinking about how both Dean and Jess made attempts to be on their best behavior when coming to dine with Rory's grandparents (the intent is the thing here, not the results, haha), just because they knew it was important to her. And Logan... stole from them. He stole from them merely for his own amusement, like they were anyone (and would have let the maid get fired for it). He didn't seem to be worried about earning their approval, and maybe it's because he thought he didn't have to. He was confident that he was already good enough for Rory in their eyes. The sad thing is that he was right, but even leaving out his indifference to the maid's livelihood (which is pretty damning on its own), it doesn't sit well with me that he felt so entitled to their respect no matter how he treated them.

#gilmore girls meta #anti logan huntzberger #(for filtering purposes) #queue wrote a book #One thing Dean and Jess do have in common as opposed to Logan is that they both have working class jobs as teenagers #and are very much out of their element at Richard and Emily's house while Logan is well-versed on how to function in that environment #The other thing is that Dean and Jess are teenagers when they go to Friday Night Dinner while Logan is 23 #This is a case of the classic (although perhaps unfair) phrase “You're the oldest so I expected more from you!”

[thefirst3chapters]

I just realized we don't see Jess smoke or even mention smoking ever again after that kiss at the end of Let the Games Begin when he was last seen with a cigarette and Rory told him she's glad he didn't smoke it. Coincidence? I think not

#rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

*Luke smiling at Lorelai*

req. by anonymous

#gilmore girls gifs #luke danes #javajunkie #❤️

[thefirst3chapters]

The Rad Tetrad aka Rory Gilmore, Lane Kim, Jess Mariano & Paris Geller -requested by @tackyarthoemixtapes

-endless possibilities: yes, that's the group chat's name. Lane provides the memes, Jess leaves on read, Paris uses correct punctuation, always, and Rory is the pop culture queen

#gilmore girls aesthetics #rory gilmore #lane kim #jess mariano #paris geller #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

I think part of the reason I’m so drawn to Underdog Quartet is that Lane, Jess and Paris all feel like the people who make Rory be herself the most. Lane is her childhood friend and has been there for every interest and rollercoaster, and we know they accept each other in ways people around them don’t always do. Paris hits that work-ethic-button and ambition that Rory undoubtedly has. She’s also unique in a way that matches Rory like few other people. And Jess… well it’s not secret that I ship Literati, and like many shippers say, he is the one boyfriend who doesn’t represent the Lorelai vs Elder Gilmores fight. Jess sees and confronts her in ways that rival only Paris, Lane and Lorelai. So yeah, I think if we’d had more screentime of these four together in some form, then we also would have seen Rory develop more independently of the expecations of others. Because Paris, Lane and Jess aren’t Lorelai’s world or Emily’s world. They’re Rory’s world.

#gilmore girls meta #rory gilmore #jess mariano #paris geller #lane kim #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

I've always wondered about Jess's use of "I could care less if she eats" to Dean in There's the Rub. Because it's an incorrect usage! If he COULD care less, that means that he DOES care! Now, it's a pretty common mistake that a lot of people make, so I normally wouldn't think about it much, except for two things: 1. Jess is a huge nerd who reads all the time, so I would expect him to know the difference; and 2. in Lost and Found, Jess actually makes a POINT of being particular about this exact expression! Rory says, "You couldn't care less," and Jess says, "Oh, yes, I could!" emphasizing that he COULD be LESS interested than he actually is in that moment (he is not at the bottom level of caring!).

Now, I don't know if the WRITERS did this intentionally, but I've always wondered if Jess misspoke on purpose (because he DOES care if she eats!) and was betting on Dean not knowing the difference. And then he can feel sneaky and clever about getting away with hiding in plain sight afterwards. 😆

#gilmore girls meta #jess mariano

[thefirst3chapters]

anonymous asked: Wasnt Rory supposed to get her trust fund money, at her 25th birthday? Do you think Rory spent all of that by AYITL? In just 5-6 years? because she said she was broke and I don't remember the exact number but it was a LOT

I don't remember the exact number either but I recall that it was at least a couple of hundred thousand dollars, and I think this trust fund was JUST from her great-grandmother, not taking into account the other possible inheritance/trust fund that Emily and Richard likely put aside for her (I don't remember if they mentioned it or not but I can't imagine them not having money put aside for Rory).

I don't think she spent it by the time she was in her 30s in AYITL though, mainly because the show never has Emily mention if she needs more money from her or anyone ever even making a remark regarding her trust fund. And Rory didn't just write a piece for the New Yorker in the period of 9 years between the season 7 finale and the revival, she wrote several articles at least for different newspapers, since Headmaster Charleston mentions that he followed her work and was pretty proud of it. I think it's more likely that Amy and Dan simply forgot about Rory having a trust fund or didn't want the characters to take it into consideration since in order for their plot for Rory to work, she would have to be broke and desperate enough to move back to Stars Hollow. The whole "I'm broke" speech she gives Jess doesn't even have continuity since she tells him that she has no car because she has no money, and that her licence expired, but just in a couple of the previous scenes in the same episode, we see her driving a car towards her grandparents' house to talk to Emily and see how she's doing. And as far as I can recall, I don't think this was Lorelai's car? Or at least I don't remember the miniseries making a point about how she traded in the Jeep for another car.

The show's always had a weird lack of continuity when it came to the topic of money, tbh. I remember in the early seasons that Luke in season 2 had more than enough money to impulsively buy an entire building from Taylor, or in season 4 lend Lorelai thousands of dollars in order to help her out with the Inn restoration, but in season 3 he apparently can't save up enough money to buy himself a new car whereas Jess can after having just saved up his paychecks from Wallmart in a couple of months. It's pretty much the same with how people constantly complain about Lorelai and Rory "acting" like they have no money, but at the same time having the possibility of lending some or taking it from Emily and Richard. Obviously they'll always have the option of lending from them, but it's been made clear numerous times throughout the series that neither of them feel comfortable with it, and Rory only ever took to asking for money when it came to her tuition fees (she later took to letting Christopher pay for it since he's her father).

#gilmore girls meta #economics of gilmore girls #rory gilmore #queue wrote a book #Unlike a lot of details in AYITL (especially whether or not Rory has a driver's license/car...) this explanation makes sense!

[thefirst3chapters]

For some reason, the thing that stood out the most in a recent "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" rewatch was the otherworldly level of dramatic irony when Lorelai and Rory are upset with each other at the end.

Lorelai tells Rory that Jess "seems cool because he has this dangerous vibe and this problem with authority and he's seen a lot of Sylvester Stallone movies" in the episode that quite possibly features Jess's dorkiest hair/wardrobe styling ever. (And of course, the "dangerous vibe" isn't even why Rory is drawn to Jess to begin with.)

Rory's "How could Jess get me hurt?" is reminiscent of a Shakespearean tragic prophecy. These kids are already doomed. ☹️ It's going to happen even though Jess doesn't want it to, and it won't happen in the being-led-astray way that everyone is worried about.

Lorelai and Emily talking at the dinner table about how Jess is going to get Rory into trouble is so incredibly ironic considering how the rest of the show plays out. A little more than two years after this, Rory will leave the country with Emily after Rory and Lorelai are upset with each other over Rory participating in an affair with the guy Lorelai trusted. A few months later, Richard and Emily will orchestrate a scheme to direct Rory away from that guy and toward someone in their social circle. Then, Rory will move into the house where this worried conversation is happening in "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" after committing a felony with the guy Richard and Emily approve of, and she'll be estranged from Lorelai for months until the "nice young hoodlum" Lorelai and Emily disliked so much reappears as a success story and encourages Rory to get back on track.

Lorelai finally resists agreeing with Emily and says that Rory is a good judge of character. There's an ominous undertone knowing what happens next, but Rory's instincts are good here, and after some twists and turns she'll be proven right.

#gilmore girls #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #rory x jess

[thefirst3chapters]

#gilmore girls gifs #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #so cute

[thefirst3chapters]

@pheebebuffy: am I irrational for being angry that they repeated a literati line but tainted it w dean. bc I don’t feel irrational but. am I

NO! YOU’RE NOT! it makes me feel insane i sat in silence when i heard that line i completely forgot they paralleled the literati phone call… the oh yeah? yeah is theirs only its a literati staple i can’t believe they did this to us. like yes i know it’s supposed to show that rory’s entire motivations for getting close to dean again are completely rooted in loving jess, even that she’s so attracted to a guy that looks and talks exactly LIKE jess but yknow. is nothing LIKE him. and this pretty much turns her off immediately bc he’s kind of a meathead fratboy type, like… well, dean. remember when he stumbled around town drunk with his friends. he would’ve been a perfect fratboy.

but its just… to do all that buildup on rory very clearly and obviously still being hung up on jess and going well now there must be a catharsis there must be a wallowing scene for him! this is great! and then rory’s doing literati Remake Remastered Redux but with dean as jess and this is supposed to be the catharsis. this just looks like more repression. this is just more repression. there is no catharsis to be found here.

#gilmore girls meta #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #s4 literati is 100% angst #queue wrote a book

[thefirst3chapters]

just watched Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin’ the Twist and….. there’s no way that they casted a guy that looked and talked exactly like jess and then had rory think of jess immediately when louise asks if shes “still with her boyfriend” (despite louise having NEVER even MET jess) and then have the deanrory phone call at the end almost exactly parallel the literati phone call in A-Tisket, A-Tasket. theres no way they did that. did they know how insane it would make me. how did i never see this before. jess haunting s4 rory always and forever why won’t you go away why won’t you leave me alone and all he’s been doing is leaving her alone and going away but he’s stuck in her head he’s in her brain she’s always thinking about him because she’s trying to not think about him. okay.

#gilmore girls meta #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #s4 literati is 100% angst #queue wrote a book #Never really understood the “Why won't you leave me alone? You won't go away?” line before but this makes SO much sense 😔