Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2010-12-15 09:18 pm
rionaleonhart) wrote2010-12-15 09:18 pm
Entry tags:
I Don't Want To See Any Of You Hanging Out With That Dryer.
One too many threads on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fandomsecrets has caused me to snap and write a lengthy, rambling entry on Why It's Okay To Like Blaine Of Glee (But It's Totally Cool If You Don't), it appears. Whoops!
A common criticism of Blaine is that he has no personality, which I don't think is strictly true. He hasn't had a great deal of character development, but, then again, he hasn't had a great deal of screentime, and there's certainly enough in what little we've seen of him to work with. He has oodles of charisma and confidence (which is probably why so many people have fallen for the character so quickly). He has a strong playful streak. He's friendly and supportive but can be condescending. He's relaxed and open about his sexuality. He's much better than Kurt at modifying his behaviour where being too forward and enthusiastic would be inappropriate, not that it's difficult to beat Kurt at that. He's a gentleman in words and actions, but in body language he's a bit of a flirt. From what we've seen of him, it also seems that he could potentially be slightly repressed and inclined to scheme.
My point is that Blaine's character might not necessarily interest everyone, but it's there. 'A personality that bores me' and 'no personality' aren't quite the same thing. The former is fine, because it's a subjective judgement; the latter makes me bristle because it implies objectivity and therefore that people who like Blaine are shallow and tasteless.
(Regarding the question of shallowness: I won't deny that I find Blaine very attractive, but the reason I find him attractive is based more in his behaviour than in his appearance (although his looks don't hurt), so I like to think my reasons for liking the character aren't solely 'well, he's hot', at least. I dare say some people do like Blaine or Kurt/Blaine for shallow reasons, and that's okay! But that's not the only reason people like him, really.
I - I can't really defend myself against accusations of a lack of taste, given some of the fandoms I've been involved in.)
Another common criticism of Blaine is that he is a bit of a Gary Stu, which is, er, totally valid. I imagine we'll be seeing more of his flaws if he hangs around for a little longer. I like him in spite of any Gary Stu-ish tendencies he may have; others won't be able to stomach them, and that's totally fine. I'm not saying everyone has to like Blaine; I'm just a little tired of feeling judged because I happen to like him.
As for Kurt/Blaine as a pairing, which has also been getting a bit of stick, I suppose I 'ship it mainly because Blaine makes Kurt so adorably happy. I was half in love with the concept from the moment I saw the 'Teenage Dream' video, so I'm not going to pretend my initial interest in Kurt/Blaine was born of any deep analysis of the way the characters interacted. Blaine was obviously charming, and both Kurt and I were obviously charmed.
However, the Kurt/Blaine pairing has managed to not only awaken but keep and indeed stoke my interest, which, as I am tremendously fickle, is no insignificant feat. Probably a good portion of that, aside from the natural chemistry between the characters (some don't think they have chemistry; I personally do), comes from the fact that the writers are taking the time to give their relationship a slow buildup. This is assuming that they're going to end up in a romantic relationship, which hasn't actually been confirmed, but still: there's a slow buildup in what could obviously potentially be a romantic direction. Do you know how rare that is in Glee? Half the romantic relationships start and end within a single episode, with little or no indication in previous episodes of any relationship between the characters at all, and I cannot bring myself to care about those. Will/Emma was a rare exception, and I 'shipped that; Kurt/Blaine is another. Perhaps, in a way, my 'shippery is fired by the contrast with other pairings within the show; Glee's usual pattern led me to expect them to have kissed by the end of 'Never Been Kissed', and because that expectation was subverted I'm hungering for them to get together.
UST is such a big thing for me. It's why I felt cheated by the canonical Jack/Ianto pairing in Torchwood: we didn't see them getting together; we saw very little previous interaction or indications of attraction between them; Torchwood just went 'oh by the way these two are having sex, we heard you fannish types like that sort of thing,' which I found frustrating and dull (although others enjoyed it, and that's fine!). When I say I want Kurt/Blaine to happen in canon, I don't just mean that I want to see them kissing; more than fanservice, I want the gradual, emotionally satisfying development of a relationship, and that's what Glee has been giving us so far. (Not that I'll say no to a bit of fanservice. I love how much Glee is teasing us, because the more 'asdfghdadfdgdfgh they both want to kiss why aren't they kissing' frustrated I am the more inspired I am to write.)
Also, they are really, really, really, really cute.
That said, it's okay not to 'ship it! I know I have at least one Sam/Kurt 'shipper on my flist, and I'm sure we can coexist peacefully. (I'd like Sam/Kurt a lot more if its fandom didn't insist on referring to the pairing as 'Kum' rather than the far superior 'Skurt'.)
In conclusion: I like Blaine, and I like Kurt/Blaine, and it is totally, totally fine for other people to dislike either or both of these things, but it is also fine for me to like them. I JUST WANT TO WRITE STUPID CROSSOVERS AND NOT FEEL JUDGED, GUYS.
All that said, a member of my flist has said that Blaine might as well just be an echoey voice in Kurt's head and I a) could see her point and b) immediately wanted fanfiction in which Blaine is a figment of Kurt's sex-starved imagination, causing his friends to worry about him quite a lot when he makes out with 'Blaine' in the hallways, so.
basically this entire entry was a thinly-veiled excuse to post the last sentence. someone write it.
fandomsecrets has caused me to snap and write a lengthy, rambling entry on Why It's Okay To Like Blaine Of Glee (But It's Totally Cool If You Don't), it appears. Whoops!A common criticism of Blaine is that he has no personality, which I don't think is strictly true. He hasn't had a great deal of character development, but, then again, he hasn't had a great deal of screentime, and there's certainly enough in what little we've seen of him to work with. He has oodles of charisma and confidence (which is probably why so many people have fallen for the character so quickly). He has a strong playful streak. He's friendly and supportive but can be condescending. He's relaxed and open about his sexuality. He's much better than Kurt at modifying his behaviour where being too forward and enthusiastic would be inappropriate, not that it's difficult to beat Kurt at that. He's a gentleman in words and actions, but in body language he's a bit of a flirt. From what we've seen of him, it also seems that he could potentially be slightly repressed and inclined to scheme.
My point is that Blaine's character might not necessarily interest everyone, but it's there. 'A personality that bores me' and 'no personality' aren't quite the same thing. The former is fine, because it's a subjective judgement; the latter makes me bristle because it implies objectivity and therefore that people who like Blaine are shallow and tasteless.
(Regarding the question of shallowness: I won't deny that I find Blaine very attractive, but the reason I find him attractive is based more in his behaviour than in his appearance (although his looks don't hurt), so I like to think my reasons for liking the character aren't solely 'well, he's hot', at least. I dare say some people do like Blaine or Kurt/Blaine for shallow reasons, and that's okay! But that's not the only reason people like him, really.
I - I can't really defend myself against accusations of a lack of taste, given some of the fandoms I've been involved in.)
Another common criticism of Blaine is that he is a bit of a Gary Stu, which is, er, totally valid. I imagine we'll be seeing more of his flaws if he hangs around for a little longer. I like him in spite of any Gary Stu-ish tendencies he may have; others won't be able to stomach them, and that's totally fine. I'm not saying everyone has to like Blaine; I'm just a little tired of feeling judged because I happen to like him.
As for Kurt/Blaine as a pairing, which has also been getting a bit of stick, I suppose I 'ship it mainly because Blaine makes Kurt so adorably happy. I was half in love with the concept from the moment I saw the 'Teenage Dream' video, so I'm not going to pretend my initial interest in Kurt/Blaine was born of any deep analysis of the way the characters interacted. Blaine was obviously charming, and both Kurt and I were obviously charmed.
However, the Kurt/Blaine pairing has managed to not only awaken but keep and indeed stoke my interest, which, as I am tremendously fickle, is no insignificant feat. Probably a good portion of that, aside from the natural chemistry between the characters (some don't think they have chemistry; I personally do), comes from the fact that the writers are taking the time to give their relationship a slow buildup. This is assuming that they're going to end up in a romantic relationship, which hasn't actually been confirmed, but still: there's a slow buildup in what could obviously potentially be a romantic direction. Do you know how rare that is in Glee? Half the romantic relationships start and end within a single episode, with little or no indication in previous episodes of any relationship between the characters at all, and I cannot bring myself to care about those. Will/Emma was a rare exception, and I 'shipped that; Kurt/Blaine is another. Perhaps, in a way, my 'shippery is fired by the contrast with other pairings within the show; Glee's usual pattern led me to expect them to have kissed by the end of 'Never Been Kissed', and because that expectation was subverted I'm hungering for them to get together.
UST is such a big thing for me. It's why I felt cheated by the canonical Jack/Ianto pairing in Torchwood: we didn't see them getting together; we saw very little previous interaction or indications of attraction between them; Torchwood just went 'oh by the way these two are having sex, we heard you fannish types like that sort of thing,' which I found frustrating and dull (although others enjoyed it, and that's fine!). When I say I want Kurt/Blaine to happen in canon, I don't just mean that I want to see them kissing; more than fanservice, I want the gradual, emotionally satisfying development of a relationship, and that's what Glee has been giving us so far. (Not that I'll say no to a bit of fanservice. I love how much Glee is teasing us, because the more 'asdfghdadfdgdfgh they both want to kiss why aren't they kissing' frustrated I am the more inspired I am to write.)
Also, they are really, really, really, really cute.
That said, it's okay not to 'ship it! I know I have at least one Sam/Kurt 'shipper on my flist, and I'm sure we can coexist peacefully. (I'd like Sam/Kurt a lot more if its fandom didn't insist on referring to the pairing as 'Kum' rather than the far superior 'Skurt'.)
In conclusion: I like Blaine, and I like Kurt/Blaine, and it is totally, totally fine for other people to dislike either or both of these things, but it is also fine for me to like them. I JUST WANT TO WRITE STUPID CROSSOVERS AND NOT FEEL JUDGED, GUYS.
All that said, a member of my flist has said that Blaine might as well just be an echoey voice in Kurt's head and I a) could see her point and b) immediately wanted fanfiction in which Blaine is a figment of Kurt's sex-starved imagination, causing his friends to worry about him quite a lot when he makes out with 'Blaine' in the hallways, so.
basically this entire entry was a thinly-veiled excuse to post the last sentence. someone write it.
no subject
But now I just want to tell you how much I feel 'Kum' vs 'Skurt' is a perfectly valid reason to not like a pairing XD
no subject
'Skurt' is charming! 'Kum' - well, having a 'ship name that's a play on a sexual term is automatically going to put me off the 'ship, because I'm much more about the relationship development than about the actual sex. And clearly the fandoms for pairings I don't even 'ship should take my personal preferences into consideration when choosing the 'ship name. I mean, that's just obvious.
no subject
no subject
no subject
I selfishly want Sam to be straight because I'm so very fond of Kurt/Blaine and therefore want to avoid Sam as a potential complication. It would be sort of brilliant if Sam turned out to be an ex-boyfriend of Blaine's, though.
no subject
This. A thousand times this. I totally 'ship it, but I'm still irked by the fact they totally glossed over the fact that in "Cyberwoman" Ianto tells Jack he actually hates him and literally wishes him dead. Or wishses to kill him.
I'm not saying everyone has to like Blaine; I'm just a little tired of feeling judged because I happen to like him.
This also. I also like Blaine.
I also 'ship Kurt/Blaine. Again not an "I like it so it's right and anyone who thinks otherewise is wrong" thing, but why has it been getting such stick? It's pretty much the one functional relationship on Glee (almost everyone else is cheating, mistrustful, on again/off again...). They seem like they would make a good couple. It just seems so right for them, but even if they were never to get together but remain BFFs that would still make me happy because so far Blaine is the only character that "gets" Kurt. In my opinion anyway.
Ok I'm done with the rambling and the run on sentences, I'm stopping before I just start typing total rubbish.
no subject
Possibly Kurt/Blaine is criticised because it has the potential to work so well; a lot of people seem to feel that it's boring. Which is fair enough! But it's not the only valid reaction, and it troubles me when people who don't like it seem to feel that people who do are somehow wrong.
no subject
What's the shipper name for Kurt/Blaine? Blurt? Kaine? Is it as awesome as "Puckleberry Finn"?
Also Quinn/Sam --> "Quam" sounds amazing and I will be crushed if that name is not actually used.
no subject
Quinn/Sam is indeed referred to as 'Quam'!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
ALSO, er, well, I don't know if you're quite aware, but I'm in the acting world and know people who know people and stuff? I've a friend who's friend actually went out for the Glee audition for Blaine. Didn't get it, obviously but. SPOILER ALERT FOR THE FUTURE: Yay!
no subject
noooooo spoilers must resist
Okay, I'm resisting. I can do this.
Also, it is pretty cool that you distantly know a potential Blaine!
no subject
2) I'm a huge Darren Criss fan, AVPM is quite possibly the most hilarious thing I have ever seen. When I first saw NBK I was flailing, ridiculously so.
3) Blaine just oozes charisma, idk how anyone who wouldn't like him.
4) He makes Kurt happy, therefore, I love him.
I swear I'm not this easy to please usually. I can be indecisive and irrational about who I like my reasons continuing to change. I actually detested Kurt for half of season 1, then I rewatched a lot of it and grew to love him.
I still can't learn to like Mercedes or Santana. Brittany however, is love. Anyone who says otherwise can go diaf. js. :P
no subject
(I was also really into Torchwood, though, so my judgement isn't probably to be trusted. I did hate it when people got all sneery about it. Look, it's fine if you don't enjoy this utterly ridiculous show, but please let me have my fun.)
no subject
I certainly have no interest in judging anyone else's taste for liking Blaine. Like you said, one of your primary reasons for shipping Kurt/Blaine is because it makes Kurt happy, and I totally agree with that - I really like Kurt, I want him to be happy. My main problem with Blaine is that his only plot function and motivation so far has been to be Kurt's superego. I'm sure he'll do something more interesting than that eventually. So I'm just kind of sitting here waiting for character development to happen and complaining about it not having happened, when you're ready to take what little we know about him and do awesome things with it. And fandom's all about the latter, so I salute that. If I judge you at all, I judge you to be more awesome than me.
I also agree that the actors have amazing chemistry. You see a still and they JUST LOOK SO HAPPY TO BE TOGETHER.
...But I still want 'Blaine is just a voice in Kurt's head' fic, because I think that would work depressingly well.
no subject
And I do totally want that fic. I'd write it myself if I weren't worried about making it too similar to the Dalton-as-imaginary-paradise story.
no subject
no subject
...>_>
no subject
But there are always going to be haters. Especially when it comes to Glee-- there is a semi-automatic backlash towards pretty much anything Glee does at this point, and that's just from the people who actually like Glee. Well, you know what?
Let them. We'll just be over here, being happy and not giving a single fuck. :D
no subject
This is an excellent attitude to take! I really need to learn how to ignore what people are saying, rather than writing long entries of 'YOUR OPINION IS VALID BUT THE WAY YOU'RE EXPRESSING IT IS MAKING ME SAD :('.
(P.S. I've been running around for the past couple of days, and by this point I'm too embarrassed by how late I am in responding to reviews to actually respond to them, but thank you so much for your lovely comment on The Transfer! ♥!)
no subject
Yes, our. I think we can all share him. It would be cruel to do otherwise.no subject
no subject
1) re: Blaine is somewhat of a Gary Stu. I read that and went, "Really?" Because personally, I identify much more with Kurt. Blaine may be a dream come true for Kurt, but he's not going to be the character I'm vicariously living through should I ever get around to writing any fanfic with the two of them. (Which lends weight to the 'echoey voice in Kurt's head' theory, and that idea completely had my interest when I read it, lol! I'm letting that plot bunny simmer, though.)
2) re: Blaine's lack of character. You're absolutely correct that we haven't seen much of him yet, so hopefully we'll get more. The slow build-up is nice, because we're getting to know him just as Kurt is - which again makes me wonder how exactly people think he's a Gary Stu, since the whole idea is that Mary/Gary is the viewer/writer. Yes, he seems perfect for Kurt, but that doesn't make him a Gary Stu. He's got to have flaws, we just don't know them yet. We see him through the awestruck/lovestruck eyes of Kurt, who hasn't noticed any flaws even if he's seen them "off-camera".
Before I'd even read this, I was playing with the idea of writing Kurt & Blaine, and trying to figure out what Blaine's faults might be. In fact, he's admitted at least one to Kurt already: he's at least something of a coward. He ran away to Dalton instead of letting people bully him. Having seen what Kurt went through with Karofsky, most people wouldn't hold it against Blaine, but just how deep does that cowardice go? He tried to help Kurt stand up to Karofsky, but he seemed completely surprised when Karofsky turned violent. He hid whatever he was feeling afterward with a joke ("Well, he won't be coming out any time soon"), but how would he have reacted if Kurt hadn't been there?
All we've ever seen of Blaine's character is when he's either at Dalton, safe and secure in the knowledge that he's accepted and won't be judged/bullied, or with Kurt, and the one time with Kurt's accepting friend Mercedes.
We also know that Blaine is rich, because his family can afford to just move him to Dalton (with it's apparently steep tuition fee) without any problem. We've never seen how he handles anything of a financial nature, like buying clothes or food, etc. For all we know, he's a complete snob when it comes to money (although I'd like to think it's snobbery bred from ignorance, having never known anything else, lol).
In conclusion: Blaine can have depth of character, we just haven't seen it yet. I love Blaine (he's...pretty much the reason I got back into the show; Darren Criss is, anyway), and I love Blaine/Kurt.
Sorry for the impromptu dissertation on Blaine, hehe.
no subject
I think that with regard to Blaine people might be using 'Gary Stu' as shorthand for 'a bit too perfect', rather than 'an idealised vehicle for the author'. Which is fair enough - at the moment, we haven't seen many of his flaws - but, as you say, it's just that we haven't had much of a chance to see them yet. I'm intrigued by your comment on his cowardice; I'd quite like to see that aspect of Blaine further explored in the show.
Thanks for this comment!
no subject
Now my mind is running rampant with bad things he's actually involved in that would shock the audience. Like being a meth dealer or something. Because as sad as it is, nobody's that perfect. But I'm actually hoping whatever flaws he does have, they're relatively minor, and forgivable (at least for Kurt).
no subject
no subject
On an entirely unrelated note, I just glanced at your journal. One of your tags is 'finny fun'. That song is now in my head for ever. All your fault.
no subject
Also, I don't even know what that tag is doing there (shows how much I use my journal...) but I'm not sorry. I hope you go replay it now.
no subject
Oh, I was actually poking fun at myself there, not at you. Sorry if I wasn't clear!
It really did frustrate me when people were saying that Blaine had no substance at all. With any luck, people will be more prepared to acknowledge that he has a personality now that he's shown a little vulnerability in 'Silly Love Songs'. If you're interested in analysis of Blaine's character,
It's very easy, come on in; just take a chance and shake a fin! It is an evil creation. Donald Duck should never be allowed to sing. But I do love that you can actually see Sora messing up the dance if you mistime your button presses.