I think you broke my brain. Seriously. I don’ know how to use coherent words in sentences anymore. I need to whip out the thesaurus to see what words are synonyms to “Wow.” This is cruel and completely mind blowing. My mind has been shredded through the story that is Before Sunset and I can’t pick up the pieces fast enough to scramble something completely witty to say about it. It’s weaving in and out of coherency. I can’t even being to describe the love expressed deeply between the words you sewed beautifully together. This was … for a lack of better words, wonderful. Just simply and eloquently wonderful. The thought of a sequel to Before Sunrise was something I grasped onto for a week after the finish. But now, it’s just … I dunno breathtaking.

This story has left me completely nauseated. Which doesn’t make a difference because Gilmore Girls the show and all its glorious fanfics have made me nauseated since 2004. It’s harsh to call your writing fanfiction, because it surpassed that a long time ago. It’s literature. It’s tear-wrenching literature. (and yes, I did cry in the end)

I love the whole build up. It’s nothing big. There’s no long monologue. It’s as simple as the actual opening of Before Sunset was. Completely and beautifully simple. She’s come back and it’s spinning in the back of your mind “Jess. Jess. Jess.” It’s buzzed there because you know it’s gonna happen and it’s spiked on a high because it’s so gloriously mind-numbing.

The way you handle Lorelai and Rory’s banter/relationship is perfect. They don’t say too much, but they say enough just so it feels like there was never a separation between the two Gilmore girls. And Emma, their new little doll, a cute bundle of … cute for all to coo at. I love the jumping in to welcoming Rory home. Taping the networks. *sighs* Hee. Smoopishness. They fall into this majestic routine and I can see it.

Rory wrote a book. *squees*

It’s funny to think of Jess in small town life. There’s still that picture painted of him as the seventeen year old cynical son of a bitch he use to be, and then there’s this new one where he’s stripped down from that old image and running to his uncle’s diner to stack jaws, fighting away writer’s block and demanding hugs from his step-cousin. *swoons* its love.

It’s Rory and Jess the later years. I love the familiarity of it. How they meet in the place you most expect them to, and how they can fall so comfortably back into one another. And he liked her book! He liked her book. That made my week. My month. My year. The fact that he gave her a full on Cheshire cat grin when he said it to made it that much more special.

I love the spectrums in which they see everything. She’s the one rejecting the happy ending, and he’s full of praise. The shift of characters makes me giddy.

-- He laughs. “I suppose that’s true.” He shakes his head. “But did you really have to name him Jess? I mean…come on.”—

No, I lied. THAT is made my forever.

Al’s. Of all places. It’s not Westin’s where he walked out on her, but Al’s where everything is quiet ad still and small town life changes like everything else. How nearly heartbreaking.

The bits and pieces of small-town life weaved in and out of the paragraphs. Taylor and Patty fighting. Remarks about festivals and town meetings. Kirk. It’s what makes this story so radically different from Before Sunrise where it was focused on them. But not they’re back in this familiarity of where they once shared a home, and it’s almost a place of nostalgia.

Jess living on Peach Street makes me giggle. He’s mellowed out and getting old. *sighs*

Him keeping tabs n her life makes me unbelievably happy. The fact that he still tries to find a way to keep a notice on where she is in life is just something so squee-worthy. I love all the cute subtle things. Recommending books and the ease of their conversation. And I love the bigger things. Like having a book-fight. It’s the only Literati fight you wanna read about. *smiles*

The bridge is a representation of their youth, and now that it’s crowded by other youth doing horrid things to break the bridge, it makes me feel pathetically sad. There’s no riot over it. There’s no shooing them away like pesky disease filled birds. Jess has influenced a whole new generation of hoodlums under his wing. Hee.

-- “Pretty well, actually. We’ve gone over the basics: looting, minor sabotage. Next week we’re tackling Pissing Off Your Girlfriend.”—

That made me ridiculously giggly. Rewinding into their past without the eye-rolling clichés.

The thought of Hannah Montana mortifies me in any shape or form. But the thought that Jess would sit down with Emma to go through the agony of a Hannah Montana marathon deserves an “Aw” He’s molded himself into this sort of new lifestyle where he’s more grown up and sweeter. Mushy!Jess in some sorts. Almost.

I do adore the sort of rendezvous sequence of events that take place. The time placements over the parts of their days ticking it off to Sunset. And when Sunset arrives, it’s the most blush worthy scene. It’s not picking up precisely where they left off, but extracting the odd ins and outs of where they were last, and meshing them back together. In her old childhood room. With bunk beds. The built up, the spike to the high, and then it’s downplayed beautifully. Nothing has to be rushed, nothing has to be forced and it’s just them. It’s Lit. You nailed it.

The casual question ‘How was your first day home” was a slight irony with her answer. But it casted the same sort of nostalgic bubbling away.

-- “We could go to my apartment,” Jess says, “pick up where we left off?”
She wraps an arm around his neck. “Where we left off this afternoon or where we left off a year and a half ago?” she asks.—

And it brings it completely back around with those words. Almost brushing it aside like it’s nothing and they’re not perfect, but they damn well should be.

The ending. The build down. The ending like the beginning with Rory and Loerlai with all their simplicity and new questions and how it’s a promise of staying and happy and new family ties all tied in one almost open-ended finish is possibly the only way to end it.

Well that went on way longer than it should of.

Lovely fic.

-Lee

"We’ve gone over the basics: looting, minor sabotage. Next week we’re tackling Pissing Off Your Girlfriend.”


*Sigh* Jess watching a Hannah Montana marathon. That's just...wow. Dare I say, "squee!"

Maybe it's just been forever since I've read a decent fanfic. Maybe I'm about to start my fucking period. I don't know. But I cried at the end. I usually want more when I get to the end of a story, but your ending was just so perfect. I legitimately cried.

I'm so glad I came across this. I haven't read fic in such a long time...

This was amazing. I love this Before Sunrise/Set world you've created for Rory and Jess.

I NEVER read fanfic anymore but something brought me here today. Sad I missed this until now. Thanks for writing.

Perfect and beautiful. Thanks for writing this! It wraps things about wonderfully, and I think all of us lit fans are always looking for closure that feels right. Now I just need to go re-read Before Sunrise- it's been a while. :)

FIZZY! I almost didn't read this b/c it's been so long since I've read GG fic I wasn't sure I'd be able to get into it... I'm so glad I did! It's amazing. You're amazing!! After dwelling in nostalgia all day, it put a smile on my face.

Thanks for reminding me what it's like to be a Lit.

OMG thank you so much for writing a sequel!! I've been waiting years for one! love ya. ROry and Jess is awesome, and you capture that so well.

wow, this was so wonderful! and i didn't expect you to write a sequel for bs, but oh my god i loved it so so much! it was adorable and the most beautiful fluff i've read in a really, really long time! so totally made me smile from ear to ear. :D

i adored every bit of it!

oh my gawd thank god you wrote a sequel! UPDATE SOON! :) love it and the first one!

good story

Damn, girl! This was unexpected! And delightful! I've been reminiscent lately, and this is EXACTLY what I needed. Thanks for making my day. :)

Love you!
-Nicolle

liked it.

I can't believe you did this but this was great and I loved it. I guess i'll say to update again, or keep writing out of habit. This was perfect. I wish I could say more but I can't form words right now.

GOOD START

aaw, I liked this one. I remember reading Before Sunrise some time ago (before watching the movies) and liking it very much. It's so sad that this is a one-parter. I might need to get to those season 2 and 3 dvds that I got for Christmas soon...