#blaine anderson critical

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

fix-it fic for me is literally just either "holy shit canon really glorified this guy's horrible behavior so I've gotta give their love interest/friends a better ending" (i.e. glee, ofmd, etc.) or it's "i can feel the author's unintentional prejudices/hang-ups/etc. digging their fingernails all over the writing of this character that had so much potential so I've gotta wrest them away and fix some shit" (i.e. doctor who, avengers, once upon a time, the magicians, supernatural, narnia, etc.)

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Warblers Unpopular Opinion (maybe)

The Warblers were so much better after Blaine left. I am sad that the Warblers became the "evil" choir group and I found the Warbler council meetings hilarious. But the quality of the performances was ten times better after Blaine ditched them for New Directions. Still salty that the Warblers' sectionals win was overturned due to the drugs scandal. ND did not deserve that win, even if Marley did not faint. Sebastian and Hunter needed more screentime!

[klainepolls]

Battle of the Klaine Kisses - Round 2, Match 3

Full bracket / All polls

[weaponizedducks]

coming out in 2024 as both a glee lover and a rachel berry stan. these are dangerous times we live in

[khruschevshoe]

Having been in a couple of fandoms where this phenomenon happened, it always fascinates me when a character who has made semi-questionable decisions in the past (But nothing QUITE completely irredeemable) and is the center of the main/biggest ship in a fandom is suddenly given a hard pivot into abusive tendencies/hard-line no-go actions (i.e. Dean locking up/telling Jack he has no soul, Blaine SAing/cheating on Kurt, Ed being abusive to the crew in s2), the fandom/fanfic largely splits into two main reactions: either 1) taking the new events as new character traits, souring on the character, and writing fic dedicated to getting their partner/family/friends out of the situation written into the show, or 2) writing fix-it fic where the character they know never would have done such a thing and allowing the couple to continue on as they were pre-questionable-writing decision.

I've always wondered what causes people to fall into each camp (I tend to fall into the former, but when I was younger, I fell into the latter when it came to glee, especially). Is it love of the character and what they mean to you? Is it spite for the writers? (I'd argue that both options involve some level of spite for the writers, and I can at least understand both options rather than people who treat the abusive behavior in question as okay or even justified.) Anyone who writes fanfic/has noticed this pattern I would love to hear from- I've been curious about this for years!

[backslashdelta]

Regarding the kurtbastian/klaine ask u just answered, is there any particular reason u prefer fanon klaine over canon klaine?

Well one is just that in general I like fanon because it gives you the ability to put characters in different situations and play with the what ifs of it all. I can customize it to exactly how I want it, read different people's interpretations of their relationship and their individual characters and how they change in different circumstances, etc etc.

The other thing is just that... there are definitely some aspects of canon Klaine that I Do Not Like and wish either didn't happen or happened differently. And that's not to say that they shouldn't have had flaws and should have been a perfect relationship, because I don't think that, but when I got to the end of the show on my first watch I was left feeling frustrated at their relationship, and that's actually what lead me to reading fanfiction (which in turn got me into fandom as a whole) because I just wanted it to be fixed. And with fanon Klaine I can fix all of those problems (while still giving them issues and flaws that don't ruin anything for me).

I'm not getting into anything specific because they've been talked to death and I don't particularly want to open this up to more of The Discourse lol (and also I'm not sure if you even really want that), but if you do want to have a conversation about it in more detail I am happy to chat!!

[fanfic-lover-girl]

the New Directions shouldn’t have won some of the competitions that they did. Like I’m not saying they aren’t insanely talented. I’m just saying the other teams were more talented in those instances.

What I found interesting is that the show would show how amazing their rivals were (eg. Vocal Adrenaline and that girl group), and then ND would completely underutilize their own talent. SO much wasted potential. Underdogs usually have to bring their best A game to even have a chance against their more experienced competitors. Why did Mike and Brittany not have more chances to show off their dance skills? Why was Mercedes' voice not used beyond belting? Why were Tina and Quinn's softer voices not used for sweet songs? It makes no sense.

The Troubletones should have beat ND in sectionals. Hands down.

As much as I like the Warblers post Blaine, ND deserved to beat them in sectionals. The tie made no sense. The way how Blaine sabotaged his group for his crush was borderline disgusting. The Klaine fans can rant all they want. What Blaine did, changing their sets, was dumb. I hated Kurt in the Warblers. And I prefer the Warblers without Blaine there for his butt to be kissed by all of them. The dude is not even that great.

I don't mind ND winning in season 3 regionals. That was their winning season. I think the Warblers won in their right with Sebastian's redemption and performing for a wonderful cause.

BUT. The Warblers deserved to win sectionals in season 4! Like what the hell kind of writing was that! Their performance was pure perfection and they looked like they were having the time of their lives on stage. Especially during Live While We're Young. I feel bad for Marley but their performance sucked anyway. Even if the Warblers cheated, ND was freaking DISQUALIFIED!!! The runner-up would have advanced, not these clowns. If I cared more about this trash show, I would be angry. So glad they lost nationals. These people did not deserve to be there.

Hot take: the New Directions shouldn’t have won some of the competitions that they did. Like I’m not saying they aren’t insanely talented. I’m just saying the other teams were more talented in those instances.

Like the Warblers should have won more. Also the Trouble Tones should have won more. Make it make sense. It’s so sad that they knew the New Directions shouldn’t have won too because they made up so many strange excuses for why they did (i.e. drugs scandal).

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Hey! Do you know of an fics that are similar to Lord of the Manor by Divine Lady91? Please and thank you!! =D

Hello, I am assuming that you want the historical/lord/rich storyline? Here is the fic you mentioned, as others might want to see it. I've never read it myself, so have added it to my list!! Also below are the options for similar. ~Jen

Lord of the Manor by divinelady91

Blaine is the mysterious lord of an estate in the English countryside, rumored to have been inherited under mysterious circumstances. Announcing his intention to marry, he comes to the Hummel household, it is assumed, to claim the eldest Hummel child - Rachel - as his spouse. Once upon a time, her younger brother, Kurt, had been in love with Blaine, and he thought Blaine had feelings for him as well. Sure that those feelings have been thoroughly forgotten, and with his own intention to marry another man yet to be made known, Kurt helps to prepare his sister for the loveless match that awaits her. But what happens when Blaine arrives and tells them that they have all been mistaken?

~~~~~

A Match Well Madeby MeriKG

AU. This is the dramatic tale of two pair of star-crossed lovers. Lord Kurt Hummel III, heir to the great Barony of Lima, is the single most eligible bachelor in her Majesty’s kingdom. Lady Rachel is an aspiring daughter of the Baron of a successful territory. Lord Kurt has no interest in marrying an appropriate Lady, but his father has finally put his foot down. When Lady Rachel, along with her half brother the minor lordling Blaine, arrives at Blackbird Castle in an attempt to ensnare the reluctant young Lord, sparks fly…in all the wrong directions.

~~~~~

23 by felix-felicis33

Blaine doesn’t think he’ll ever fall in love, or get the chance to, but that all changes when he meets a man with blue eyes and a beautiful smile at a coffee shop. The world seems a brighter place when Kurt enters his life. The only problem is, he doesn’t belong here with Kurt. He belongs ninety-one years in the past, back in the year 1923.

~~~~~

This Earthly Paradise by GlassParade

In Victorian England, Kurt Hummel is a struggling artist and contemporary of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an organization of painters, poets, and critics who strive to turn the art establishment of England on its very head. His mentor, one Dante Gabriel Rossetti, has grown tired of Kurt’s reluctance to grow as an artist, and so enter Blaine Anderson, an artists’ model of Bohemian disposition and eye-catching good looks. Can he, using rather unorthodox methods, succeed where Rossetti has not?

~~~~~

Haute Couture by LPBekka

In the year 1889 a young fashion designer by the name of Blaine Anderson is about to meet the love of his life, the most beautiful woman in Paris only to discover that she is not all she seems. Klaine, Warning: Lemon, Cross Dressing, AU

~~~~~

Whether Near to Me or Far by drunkonwriting

In 1937, Kurt Hummel, son of a rich family, and Blaine Anderson, part of the Hummel staff, have little in common beyond a shared education at Yale and a childhood friendship. The summer after their college graduation, Kurt and Blaine find themselves growing more and more attracted to each other. However, before they have a chance to be together, one night’s events and a chain of misunderstandings change their entire history and pulls them apart. As they struggle to find each other again, they’re hindered by war and the shadow of the events that ruined their lives. Klaine, Atonement!AU.

~~~~~

Westerville Abbey Verse by @hkvoyage

Blaine is the second son of the earl of Westerville, and is considered the spare heir. After his 18th birthday, he attends the London Season to fulfill his duty of finding a wife. He soon realizes he is more attracted to the new footman. Kurt, who has just arrived at Westerville Abbey to work alongside his father, becomes equally as smitten with the earl’s youngest son. Will Blaine and Kurt be able to overcome their class differences in 1910s England? Will their forbidden love survive WW1? A Downton Abbey inspired historical Klaine AU.

~~~~~~

Gilded Cage by @canarian

In the winter of 1895, Blaine Anderson, the son of a wealthy doctor, and Kurt Hummel, the son of a middle class mechanic, cross paths at a luxury hotel in the quiet seaside town of St. Augustine, Florida. With everyone and everything working to keep them apart, can they find a way to be together?

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss and Cat Cohen Will Lend Voices to GWYNETH GOES SKIING in Edinburgh and Utah

Gwyneth Goes Skiing is headed to Edinburgh Fringe this August, and will also make its international premiere in Utah.

Darren Criss will provide the singing voice of Terry Sanderson alongisde Edinburgh Comedy Award Winning comedian, actress and singer Cat Cohen, who will lend her voice  as Gwyneth Paltrow on the vocal track with hits including I Wish You Well and See You In Court. 

Darren Criss is best known for playing the role of Blaine Anderson in Glee (alongside the real  Gwyneth Paltrow!). In 2018, he was awarded Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his  leading role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Criss has also starred  on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry  Inch. 

Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner Cat Cohen’s live comedy performances combine stand-up  comedy with cabaret-style songs. The comedian, actress, and singer’s first Netflix comedy  special, The Twist...? She's Gorgeous, was released in 2022. As an actress, she has appeared on  comedy series such as High Maintenance, Broad City, Search Party, and What We Do in the  Shadows.

Criss and Cohen digitally join Trixie Mattel who makes a special on-screen appearance as  Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother, Blythe Danner. They are seen alongside the original Gwyneth Goes  Skiing cast - Linus Karp as the Goop-founding, Door-Sliding, Shakespeare-In-Loving, consciously uncoupling Hollywood superstar Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Martin as her nemesis, Terry  Sanderson, a retired Optometrist from Utah.  

The world debut of Darren and Cat’s voices will be back where it all began, Park City, Utah. The  now-infamous location of Terry Sanderson and Gwyneth Paltrow’s collision in 2016 will play  host to the US transfer of Awkward Productions and Pleasance Theatre’s runaway hit. Gwyneth  Goes Skiing’s transfer to The Egyptian Theatre marks the first international transfer for Awkward  Productions’ work. 

Gwyneth Goes Skiing, which is a co-production between Awkward Productions  and the Pleasance Theatre, returns to the slopes after two sold-out and critically-acclaimed runs  in London. This silly play-with-music marks Awkward Productions’ return to the Fringe  after Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story had a sold-out run in 2023. 

Gwyneth Goes Skiing recounts the collision in 2016 on the slopes of Deer Valley and the court  case seven years later that enthralled the world. This very silly story of justice, betrayal and  optometry makes the audience the jury, asking them to decide who's guilty and who's gooped.  Gwyneth Goes Skiing features a whole lot of fiction, a sprinkling of verbatim lines from court  transcripts and delightfully catchy original music by Leland (RuPaul’s Drag Race; Cher’s  Christmas; Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other). 

Performance Information The Egyptian Theatre, Utah  Thursday 16th – Sunday 26th May 2024  328 Main Street, Park City, Utah 84060 https://parkcityshows.com

[blaineshq]

antonio anderson (father, 49) — neurosurgeon at wexner medical center and board chairman of the anderson medical foundation. fc: conrad ricamora

pam anderson (née shahbazian, mother, 48) — owner & ceo of glow cosmetics. fc: nazanin boniadi

cooper anderson (half-brother, 27) — commercial actor. fc: sam asghari

freddie purrcury (maine coon cat, 2) — gives the best hugs. fc: leo.mainecoon

both antonio and pam have always had busy jobs, which is why blaine was raised with the help of a nanny, the occasional au-pair and his paternal grandparents (aka his lolo and lola), and blaine often finds himself alone in an empty house. antonio always comes off as charming and amicable, albeit a bit reserved, at the many fundraisers and fancy dinner parties the andersons attend, but as a father he is strict and emotionally unavailable, with extremely high expectations. pam is bubbly, outgoing and always supportive of her sons, encouraging them to do what makes them happy. after having previously dated, pam and antonio got back together just a week after pam found out she was pregnant with cooper, so although antonio isn't his biological father, he has always been cooper's dad. while blaine is quite close to his mom, the relationship with his dad has always been somewhat strained, despite their many attempts at bonding. blaine sometimes can't help but feel like his father hopes that rebuilding a car with him might make him straight, and like it's only okay to be himself if he does it quietly. there have also been many fights between them over the summer about blaine's plans to apply to nyada, to the point where they aren't speaking to each other anymore at the moment. blaine isn't exactly close to his half-brother cooper either. blaine used to look up to his brother when he was little, but cooper has always been overly critical of blaine and would often push him into the background (both literally and figuratively) to be the centre of attention. cooper now lives in la and blaine wishes they were closer, but he has no idea where to even start when it comes to rebuilding a relationship with his brother.

[jammie3132]

Fandom: Glee Pairing: Blaine Anderson & Sebastian Smythe Summary: Blaine Anderson and his best friends are co-owners of the hottest (literally) new restaurant in NYC…Dueling Dragons. When they discover Sebastian Smythe (city’s toughest food critic and well-known hater of anything spicy) is coming, everyone goes into crisis mode to make sure his review doesn’t bring down what they’ve worked so hard to build.

10 Days of Seblaine 2023 Day 7: Dragons

“Hell no!” Sebastian Smythe, NYC’s most popular (and toughest) food critic, yelled as he plopped down on the couch in his editor’s office. He was too tired (technically hung over) for this.

“Did I give you the impression you had an option?”

“I’ll quit.”

Santana Lopez laughed at her favorite employee (most of the time). “Dueling Dragons is Manhattan’s hottest new restaurant. You’re the website’s critic for new/up and coming restaurants…”

“I can’t do spicy, you know that. When I researched the place, being thorough as usual, I you don't know what you'll get until you arrive that night. And it's a set menu, the only choice you have is Asian or Latin. I wouldn't have the chance to ask for substitutions. On top of that, the five courses get progressively hotter, and I don’t mean temperature. The Scoville scale is involved!”

"Remind me again why you chose to become a Food Critic?"

"You know damn well when spicy isn't involved, my palate is the best in the business." 

“That is true." His palate and award-winning writing was the primary reason Santana had her current job. "I heard alcohol is also part of the experience. Maybe by the third course you won’t care.”

“I heard alcohol is also part of the experience. Maybe by the third course you won’t care.”

“Getting drunk won’t help, especially once they figure out I’m there for a review. It’s not like I’ll fly under the radar.”

“Come on, I’m known as The Spicy Latina. I’ve got to go. I’ll eat whatever half you don’t and give you my two-cents.”

“You know that’s not the way it works. I can’t review anything I didn’t eat. So again, the answer is N…O…NO!”

“Rumor is all of the owners are gorgeous and at least one is gay.” Fuck! Why did she say that?

“Yeah, I’ve seen a couple of Blaine Anderson’s interviews. He’s definitely sex-on-a-stick. But remember, I was told by company lawyers not to sleep with the owners of the restaurants anymore.”

“I meant flirt, you slut! Bat your dreamy eyes and flash your snarky smile. Turn on the charm your followers and fangirls/boys fall for.”

“Hey! The judge believed that the idiot only sued because his husband caught us and threw out the lawsuit! And if I knew the guy was married it never would’ve happened! You, more than anyone know that!”

“Seb…”

“I might be a man whore but I’m not a slut!” Once Sebastian calmed down (slightly), he realized there had to be more going on if they were discussing what was never to be mentioned at work. “What’s this really about, San?”

Was it a smart idea for Sebastian to sleep with the owner of the place he was there to review? Hell no! But none of the shit show that followed was his fault. He was just the one paying for it. “The lawsuit might have been thrown out, but your reputation took a big hit.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“Bad enough.”

“Tell them to send Thad. That guy can eat anything.”

“That’s why he covers street food. The big bosses said it has to be you.”

Santana wasn’t just Sebastian’s editor. She’d been his best friend since 3rd grade. He could read her like a book. There was still something she wasn’t telling him…Oh shit! “I know I threatened to quit, but are you saying I could get fired?”

“I’m saying it would be in your best interest to create some positive attention. Just being seen at Dueling Dragons will generate tons of comments on social media with your fans guessing what, if anything, you’ll eat. Your spice aversion isn’t a secret. I think the only reason some people follow you is to see if you’ll vomit. People in this city are gross.”

Sebastian sighed and shook his head. He’d gotten himself into this, only he could get himself out of it. “What night are we going so I can renew my prescriptions? And I’ll probably need a couple days off to give my digestive system time to recover.”

“We have reservations for 7PM tomorrow. Go call your doc and I’ll submit for the time off.” The conversation had actually gone better than Santana expected. “I’ll get you through this.”

“Damn straight you will. I’m going home with you afterwards so you can take care of me while I’m puking my guts out.”

“It’s the least I can do. And Seb, I’m sorry about the slut comment.”

“I love you too Satan.”

Blaine Anderson loved his job. What he didn’t love was how much time he spent doing interviews. He still didn’t understand how these had become his responsibility.

Is it true you and your partners, Sam Evans and Mike Chang, had the idea for Dueling Dragons back in high school?

Not quite. It’s true we’ve been best friends since high school and talked about opening a restaurant someday, but not until Culinary School. Dueling Dragons didn’t come together until after we reunited last year.

Can I ask why the three of you separated for so long?

While we all knew we wanted a career in Culinary, and went to the Institute together, each of us had our own interests. Sam focused on mixology and wine studies. Mike’s love was Hispanic/Latin cuisine. After graduation he spent 2 years traveling Mexico, as well as Central and South America, working for some of the best chefs in the world.

And you?

I left the Institute at the end of my first year when I was accepted to the Cordon Blue in Paris. After 2 years there I spent 3 years in Southeast Asia basically doing the same thing Mike did. I’m sorry but I’m going to have to end this to go prepare for tonight.

No need to apologize. This was the only information that wasn’t clear from our previous interview. The article should be up on our site next Friday. And thank you for the reservation this weekend. The entire office was embarrassed when we couldn’t solve this week’s puzzle and get the code.

We know having a weekly code to make a reservation is a little weird, but it’s working for now. However, with as popular as we’re getting, we’re close to the point where we’ll have to come up with something new.

If at all possible…don’t. Our advertising department thinks it’s brilliant. It drives traffic to your website. Not to mention, the exclusivity of having to have the code to make a reservation works for NYC. Some A-list celebrities I know practically begged me to help them get a code when they found out I’m writing an article on you.

It took another 5 minutes to get the guy off the phone, but Blaine was happy to see the call took less time than he thought it would. He had to get the stock for tomorrow night’s soup course on to simmer. When he walked into the kitchen Sam and Mike were huddled together with their lead hostess, Brittany. These conversations never ended well. “What’s wrong and how much will it cost to fix?” he asked once he got them into the office.

“It’s nothing like that” Mike assured him before moving his focus to Brittany.

They’d hired her away from what was now their biggest rival and worth every penny they overpaid her. “I was going through tomorrow’s reservations and there’s one under the name Grant Dalton.”

“So?”

“Grant Dalton is an alias Sebastian Smythe uses to make reservations. I didn’t think to include Smythe on our list of critic aliases because everyone knows he doesn’t eat spicy food. He has some sort of digestive condition.”

“This is a disaster!” Mike had always been the (overdramatic) worrier of the group, especially with what he considered the sky is falling events. “He’s doing this to give us a negative review. That’s the only reason. He…”

Blaine reached up and clutched tightly to his tall friend’s shoulders (please calm down, please calm down). “Mikey, take a breath. His bosses were here the other night and told each of us how much they enjoyed themselves. Even if Smythe plans to sabotage us, they wouldn’t allow a hit piece on the website.”

“But he does have a massive social media following” Brittany reminded them.

“Although he had that scandal” Sam said much too nonchalantly for anyone’s comfort. He was the one with the big ideas, but also the one with the ridiculous plans to accomplish them.

“He was cleared.” All eyes turned to Blaine. “What? I follow him on Instagram. He’s gorgeous…and gay.”

“Perfect!”

Uh-oh! “Samuel Dwight Evans, whatever plan you’re forming…”

“Blaine Devon Anderson, wouldn’t you do anything within your power to save Dueling Dragons? Our dream…”

“Where all our money is invested! Every…single…dime!” Mike began to hyperventilate but Brittany got him to a chair and helped with his breathing exercises. She’d become their Mike Chang whisperer in the short time she had been with them.

Correction on his previous statement. They weren’t paying their lead hostess nearly enough.

“You both, and Brittany, know I’d do anything for Dueling Dragon, but I’m not going to sleep with Smythe…no matter how gorgeous he is.”

Sam went to Blaine and put his arm around his shoulders. That was never good. “I wasn’t saying sleep with him…woo him. Picture this, we set him and his dinner companion…

“When he uses Grant Dalton he’s usually with his editor, Santana Lopez.”

“Thanks Britt because this wouldn’t work if he was on a date. Where was I…oh, yeah. We set Smythe and Lopez up in a private room, primarily so other customers don’t see him vomit, but also so you can read his mood. We can adjust as needed.”

So far, this wasn’t bad. “Ok, where does the wooing come in?”

“Come on, B. I know your love life if crap…”

“Hey!”

“Your last boyfriend who lasted longer than a week was the guy you ran all the to the Cordon Blue to get away from.”

He wasn’t lying. “Continue.”

“You’re a complete package…good looking, expressive eyes with ridiculous eyelashes, tone body…thanks to me, amazing ass…thanks to me. But your secret weapon? That flirty yet snarky charm of yours. Cast him under your spell. Jedi mind trick him if necessary…”

Blaine freed himself from his partner’s hold and began to pace. The others just watched for a while until Brittany asked “Blaine, are you going to share with the class?”

“What if we did Jedi mind trick him?”

Sam looked to the others and then back to Blaine. “I was kidding, Dude.”

“No, listen. Part of our popularity is we have a different menu every night. Customers have no idea what they’ll get until they get here.”

“Yeah, Blaine” Mike was confused…they were all confused. “We wrote the mission statement with you.”

“I know but while we serve half Asian/half Latin, that’s not what the mission statement says. That’s our choice. The mission statement says quality food. That’s the only requirement we set for ourselves. And the #1 rule for Food Critics is they can’t review anything they didn’t taste themselves.”

“Still don’t get it.”

“We don’t have to serve him spicy.”

“Then what the hell are we serving him?”

“Let me take care of that.”

NEXT DAY 6:45 PM

“Blaine Anderson!” Sam stormed into the kitchen with a receipt in his hand. Blaine hoped that meant what he thought it did. “Why did I just sign for a $1000 bottle of French wine?”

“Yes, it made it! I was beginning to panic.”

Mike hurried over (no running in the kitchen) from his station. “$1000?! On ONE bottle of wine?!”

“Hey Mikey” his head sous chef called from his side of the kitchen. “There’s something wrong with this batch of soup.”

“Oh my God!”

Blaine and Sam weren’t worried about the soup. They’d asked Mike’s staff to invent a potential food disaster whenever situations like this occurred. However, that didn’t mean they weren’t worried. “This has to work, B. We can’t have Smythe trashing us. It’ll kill our momentum.”

“I’m hoping if he does people will take our current reputation and his aversion to spicy food into consideration, but I’m worried too…don’t tell Mikey.”

“Are you kidding? We’re too busy for Brittany to spend the night back here having him breathe into his oxygen tank. Speaking of busy, I’ve got to get out front. Things are so crazy tonight I had to schedule both our new bartenders.” As he walked back to the bar, Sam saw Smythe and who had to be his editor approaching the Hostess Station. "Ok Britt, you're on."

Sebastian was the one dreading the evening but it was Santana who stopped before reaching the Hostess Station. “Did you change your mind? Can we get out of here?”

She tightened her grip on his arm and nodded to the blonde behind the station before. “Where have we seen her before? I remember those boobs from somewhere.”

“Mr. Smythe, Ms. Lopez, you table is ready.”

Sebastian leaned over and quietly asked “Why didn’t you use my alias?”

“She did” the same blonde, who was now right in front of them, answered. “Would you please follow me?”

If that was confusing, they were more confused when they were escorted to a private room set for two. “We thought you’d be more comfortable in here, Mr. Smythe. There’s privacy if something you eat doesn’t agree with you. Hopefully, that won’t be an issue.”

The beautiful blonde excused herself, but Sebastian needed answers.

“How did you know…?”

“That you’re Grant Dalton? What can I say? I’m a genius.”

Once she was gone Santana announced “I’m going to marry that woman.”

“Tone it down, Lopez. My public humiliation doesn’t mean I just can’t sleep with restaurant staff. Everyone was included…” Sebastian was rendered speechless when the most beautiful man he’d ever seen walked in. He’d known Blaine Anderson was attractive from watching his interviews. In person he was stunning.

Blaine was hit with exactly the same thoughts about Sebastian. But he couldn’t be distracted. Everyone was counting on him. He placed a rectangular bucket of ice in front of each of them and stepped back.

“Good evening Ms. Lopez, Mr. Smythe, I’m Blaine Anderson, one of the co-owners, and I’d like to welcome you to Dueling Dragons. Within these buckets are carafes of water and milk, if you should require relief at some point.”

Sebastian looked into his bucket and saw a third carafe. “Why do I have an extra carafe?”

“Pepto Bismal…should you require extra relief.”

Santana sat back and watched the interaction between the two. So, this is what they meant by YOU could cut the (sexual) tension with a knife. Any other time she would’ve helped amp it up, but not now. “Can we have a rundown of tonight’s menus?”

“That’s not how it works. I will not give you a rundown. I will give you the title of each theme and you choose from there. I will say some of our Asian dishes tonight do contain peanuts, but our kitchens are completely separate with no chance of cross contamination.”

“No issues here. I was always choosing Latin. What’s my theme?”

“You’re in luck. Tonight it’s Tour of Mexico. It’s one of the most popular themes my partner prepares.”

“Wait” Sebastian might have been intrigued by the man but he felt like he was being set up. ”If I remember correctly you are the other chef of the trio. Why aren’t you in the kitchen?”

“I assure you, Mr. Smythe, anyone who chooses my cuisine tonight will leave Dueling Dragons completely satisfied.”

“Challenge accepted. And what is my theme for the evening?”

“Surprise me.”

After Blaine left, Sebastian pulled out a notebook and pen. “They’re up to something. Trying to throw me off with their private room and Pepto Bismal. Not to mention, Anderson’s gorgeous eyes and amazing ass. But I’m too smart for that.”

On the other side of the restaurant, Blaine announced triumphantly to Mike and the kitchen staff “He bought it! Now the fun begins.”

Serving a 5-course meal was playing a piece of music. Each part building upon the one before until it reached the crescendo, or in this case, main course. Besides taste, the fastest way to ruin the meal was for the timing to be off. So, after checking how his staff was doing with his scheduled theme, Cambodian Combustion, he made sure everything was in order before he took out the first course. None of his amazing staff was touching anything he served the critic. For better or for worse, this was all on him.

“Mikey! Let’s go!” His partner brought him a small cloche covered plate. “Is the soup good to go? You know there’s no turnaround time between one and two.”

“Now who’s nervous? And the soup is ready to go. You can do this, Blaine. It’s not like our entire future isn’t riding on this.”

Back in the private room, Sebastian noticed something for the first time. “There’s a trash can next to my chair in case their food makes me sick.”

“Can you blame them? Seb, this isn’t just their livelihood, this is their dream. You showing up has to be their worst nightmare. So, what if they figured out you were coming and prepared as much as possible? Have somewhat of an open mind…please?”

“You just want to take the hostess home with you.”

“Yes, but instead I’m taking your sorry ass home. And you can’t tell me you’re not intrigued by Anderson.”

“I definitely am but I’m putting it on the back burner until I figure out what he’s up to…shut up, he’s back. Let’s get this over with.”

With his back turned, Blaine took a deep breath before plastering a smile on his face. It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. Smythe was as charming as he was gorgeous.

Show time!

“I am proud to present your Amuse Bouche course this evening. If you’ll remove the cloche. Ms. Lopez, you have a handmade corn tortilla chip with jalapeno mouse. Mr. Smythe, tartlet with foie gras and caramelized onion.”

Sebastian looked to Santana who shrugged. It didn't make sense to her either.

“We are pairing the chip tonight with a shot of Patron and Mr. Smythe, you have received a taster’s glass of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2019 as your pairing. Enjoy and I will return momentarily with the soup course.”

The editor was humming enjoyment for her course, but the critic had all sorts of questions. “Anderson, what the hell is this?”

“Your Amuse Bouche. As I recall, you accepted the challenge to eat what I prepared. Remember we do not allow substitutions. If you’ll excuse me.”

Santana reached toward her partner’s plate. “If you aren’t going to eat it, I will. It looks delicious.”

He slapped her hand away. “Tana, that wine is like $1000 a bottle. And the crust on this tartlet is perfect. Oh, I get it. His theme tonight is Surprise me. There’s probably Thai chilis in this or something. But I don’t smell…”

“Eat the damn thing already!”

Sebastian closed his eyes and popped the tartlet in his mouth, expecting the worse. It was one of the most delicious things he’d ever eaten.

“Is everyone ready for soup?”

This continued through the next 3 courses…a classic French dish with a French alcoholic pairing. He knew Santana’s courses were following the expected process of increasing creasing heat because she’d gone through half her milk and was drinking his water because hers was gone.

But they were surprised when Blaine told her she had a choice for her final dish. They were not as surprised when that meant the habanero version or the ghost pepper version. She wisely chose habanero.

“Mr. Smythe, if you’d remove your cloche.”

Sebastian removed the cover to find his favorite meal…Coq au vin.

“Ok, what the fuck Anderson?”

“Have you not enjoyed what I presented you?”

“It’s the best damn food I’ve ever eaten but…”

“Enjoy your Coq au vin, Mr. Smythe. If you still have questions when you’re finished, I will be happy to answer them.”

Blaine left before he could be asked anything else but ran directly into Sam. “How’s it going?”

“Food wise? Best food he ever ate. Otherwise? I’m probably going to need the rest of that very expensive bottle of wine to calm him down.”

“No, I’ve got a better idea.”

Blaine didn’t serve them the Dragon fruit sorbet that came at the end of the dinner. It wasn’t big enough to be called a dessert, just enough to cool the mouth down after the final (and spiciest) course. 10 minutes later Brittany asked Santana if she’d like to see the kitchen and thank her chef. Sebastian knew there was no way she was declining. They were barely out the door when Blaine appeared with a bottle of cognac and two glasses. “Still have questions?”

“Don’t you have a restaurant to run?”

“That’s why I have partners and pay our staff 25% above going rate. We also tip match nightly with kitchen staff.”

“Most establishment have servers tip share.”

“We don’t.”

“Don’t you think that’s a risky plan for a new restaurant, especially in NYC?”

“Less expensive than constant turnover and retraining. Now that we’ve established I’m not abandoning my responsibilities, do you have anything else to ask or are you writing a hit piece no matter what I say?”

Sebastian sat back and sipped at his cognac. The Blaine Anderson who served them dinner was charming, but it felt a bit…staged. Snarky Blaine Anderson was his fucking wet dream (seriously…fucking wet dream). “Who cooked my meal?”

“I did.”

“Anderson…” Blaine scrolled through his phone. When he found what he was looking for he handed it across the table. “Your bio?”

“Read it.”

It didn’t take long for Sebastian to find…“You graduated top of your class at The Cordon Blue? In Paris? Why the fuck are you cooking that spicy shit?” For some reason, that was exactly the wrong thing to ask.

“Fuck you! Write what you want. We’ll survive whatever bullshit you say about us!”

Blaine started leave as it hit Sebastian how badly he’d screwed up. “Sorry, I’m really sorry, that’s not what I meant…well, it is, but not the…shit! Can I have a do over? Hi, my name is Sebastian Smythe. I’m a food critic and an idiot. I’d like to have an intelligent conversation with you but I don’t know if that’s possible…on my part. I’ve just eaten the best meal of my life cooked by the most attractive chef I’ve ever seen and I’m totally off my game.”

Blaine sat back down but was not fully sold on the apology. Despite that he brought down his defenses to explain. “I was in a relationship when I was at the Institute. The Cordon Blue was his dream, not mine. When he sent in his application, he forged one for me. I got accepted, he didn’t. As you can guess, he didn’t take it well. It got so bad I broke up with him which made it worse. I only went to Paris to get away from him.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”

“While I was there I learned everything I could. I mean I did finish first in my class. But Paris was always his dream. From Paris I went to the Philippines to visit my mom’s family. I found out Mikey was on his trek through South America and thought What the hell? I’m here. The Philippines turned into 3 years in Southeast Asia. It was the best thing I ever did.”

Sebastian went for the bottle of cognac to discover it was empty. Not good. The booze would have helped quash the feelings that were developing for the man sitting across from him. “Then why cook me the best dinner I ever ate.”

“We assumed you were doing a hit piece as part of your crusade against all things spicy. We invested everything we have in Dueling Dragons…savings, inheritance, trust funds.”

“I wasn’t doing a hit piece. Ever since my life became Page six fodder, my reputation has taken a hit. You’re the most popular new restaurant in NYC. It’s my job to review new restaurants. In the past I would’ve passed this assignment to a different critic. This time I wasn’t given the option. I think my bosses wanted me to bail so they could fire me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

ONE WEEK LATER

Blaine was in his office, going over the books. His idea to trick Sebastian Smythe cost nearly $3000 they didn’t have. He didn’t know how to tell Sam, and no way in hell he was telling Mike. Maybe they could try to fit in a few more tables on weekends?

He was so focused on the numbers he didn’t hear Brittany the first time she called his name. “Blaine!”

“Oh, sorry Britt. What’s up?”

“There’s someone here to interview you.”

"I don't have an interview scheduled."

“I don’t know what to tell you. The guy said he needed to talk to an owner and insisted it was you.”

While he was annoyed at least it gave him a chance to clear his head. That was until he saw Sebastian Smythe was the person waiting to talk to him.

Fucking great

“What can I do for you Mr. Smythe?”

“How about we take a seat and talk? And maybe call me Sebastian?”

“Sure” With the restaurant empty he motioned to a table far enough from the bar Sam couldn’t eavesdrop. “What can I do for you Sebastian?”

“We had such a dramatic end to my last visit…” Sebastian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope “I didn’t pay for my meal.”

“Your editor did.”

“No, she paid for the meal I expected to have.”

“I don’t…” Blaine opened the envelope and found a check for $3048.28. “What is this?”

“I had no idea what to do with my review so I went to my bosses. They laughed so hard that you got one over on me that they insisted paying for everything. That’s an estimate. If it was more…”

“No, it’s down to the penny. Thank you.”

“I swear it wasn’t me, but this is.”

Blaine accepted the gift bag he hadn’t noticed. “Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2019 but that was part of the money…”

“That’s not from my bosses, it’s really from me. I know you don’t have the fondest memories of The Cordon Blue but it’s a travesty you won’t cook French food because of them. I was hoping if I brought the wine you might cook me dinner one night. Not here, but as like a date?”

“YES!!” Evidently their table wasn’t far enough from the bar since Sam, Mike and Brittany answered for him.

“My friends…this is just a date?”

“Yes. After the last few months I learned my lesson about…well, you read the tabloids. I think I’d like to take things slow, if that’s alright.”

“Very alright.”

Sebastian’s smile filled his face until…“Please tell me you’re not married.”

LATER THAT DAY

Dueling Dragons A Sebastian Smythe Review

It is not a secret that I don’t like spicy food. It’s not that I don’t like it, due to a digestive condition, I cannot eat it without becoming violently ill. I’m usually able to avoid these dishes when reviewing a restaurant.

Then I was assigned to review Dueling Dragons.

Dueling Dragons is co-owed by two of NYC’s hottest (pun intended) new chefs, Mike Chang and Blaine Anderson, and a master of mixology, Sam Evans. Their unique vision of a half Latin/half Asian menu is a breath of fresh air.

I am declaring the latest trend of Wall Street burnouts deciding “Hey, I can cook. I’ll open a restaurant” officially over. I refuse to eat tasteless pasta, steaks dripping in a pound of butter or overcook salmon again. NYC is the greatest city in the world. We don’t deserve that crap. We deserve food prepared with thought and a little whimsy. More than that, we deserve food prepared by expert hands. Hands of chefs who give a damn, not only for the meals they prepare but the customers they serve.

What we deserve is Dueling Dragons

Yes, I ate the food. No, I’m not going to describe what I ate. Each night is a new experience, and I don’t want to ruin yours.

I will say it was the best meal I ever ate.

[spaceorphan18]

Scenes from December (20/24)

Klaine Advent Day Twenty : Recast

****

December, 2064

Kurt’s hands fumbled with the tie.  He stood in front of the mirror, decked out in a full three-piece suit (complete with appropriate raven brooch on his lapel), trying to do something he had done a thousand times before, but he couldn’t quite make the knot.  Frustrated, he threw his hands down.  Why did he have to go to this thing anyway? Why did he let them talk him into doing a retirement party? And why did it have to involve the fanciest clothes he owned?  If it were up to him, he would have slipped off into the night quietly.  He didn’t really need the accolades -- the validation of a lifetime's worth of work.  

“Would you like me to get that for you?” Blaine asked.  Kurt didn’t need to answer as Blaine swooped in, still able to work the fabric as easily had he done all his life.  He took a moment, straightening it, then dusted off Kurt’s shoulders, looking him up and down.  “You look quite stunning tonight, Mr. Hummel.” A smirk lay on his lips.  

Kurt only grumbled.  No amount of Blaine’s charm would appease him tonight.  “Well, Mr. Anderson, I’d really prefer to get this over with and be done with it.” 

“Kurt, what is it?” Blaine stepped closer, tugging on Kurt’s tie a little.  There was concern in his eyes.  “You’ve been like this all week.” 

“There are just a million things for people to worry about,” Kurt said, gruffly.  “You’d think that my retirement would just make it easier for them.  They can get back to hiring a new lighting guy or recasting the understudy who flew off to Germany on a whim.  I’m just the obligation written down in the planner.” 

“Oh, Kurt, you know you mean more to them than that, right?  That’s the whole purpose of tonight.” 

Kurt let out a tiny sigh, and moved to sit on the end of the bed.  

The Gilbert-Hummel Theater had celebrated its forty-third year of operation, and after being there through all of it -- managing a theater wasn’t quite where he had thought his career would go, but life never really went the way you expected -- he was finally stepping down.  Elliott had left years ago, selling his half to a nephew who loved theater.  Kurt at least was keeping it the family -- Tracy said she’d take over his duties, and she even said she’d try to get one of her boys to follow in her footsteps.  

If Blaine had pressed him, however, he would have admitted that it wasn’t the theater he was worried about.    He was proud of his legacy.  The theater was small, and had never made a huge splash in New York’s crowded theater world, but their productions had been mostly critically acclaimed, smaller productions that usually made back what they put into it.  There were cast and crew who had their start in his tiny theater to go on to do bigger and better things.  Maybe, perhaps when he was younger, he might have been somewhat jealous that those around him went on to make more of a name for themselves, but he didn’t begrudge them now.  He was grateful for the steady and stable life the theater had given him.  He was grateful for all the memories.  

The problem was -- now what? 

Blaine sat on the bed next to him, grabbing onto his hand.  Kurt leaned over to rest his head on Blaine’s comfortable shoulder.  

“You know - I waited years and years to be given this amount of free time,” Kurt said.  “I worked really hard my whole life to get to this point and now that I’m here -- I’m not sure what to do with it all.” 

“Oh,” Blaine said, with a soft smile.  “Like you won’t find other things to fill it up with.  Maybe I can push you to do all the things you've been talking about doing -- like writing that musical you’ve been talking about since your thirties or maybe you can do some freelance fashion work or hire that plumber to fix the sink like I’ve asked you to do a hundred times.” 

“Hey - you can call them, too,” Kurt teased, laughing into Blaine’s shoulder.  Kurt let out another heavy sigh.  “Oh, well, I have been looking forward to a really long nap.  Are you sure we really need to be there for this? Can’t we just stay home and fall asleep on the couch in more comfortable clothes like we usually do?” 

“We can do that tomorrow,” Blaine said.  He stood up, and held out his hand, waiting for Kurt to take it.  

Kurt grumbled again, but took Blaine’s hand anyway.  “You know, I’m going to remember this when we have your retirement party.” 

“Are you kidding?” Blaine let out a laugh.  “I’m not going to retire.  Do you know that right now there are probably a good ten or so doctoral students all plotting my murder in an attempt to get my position at the university?   I figure as long as I still have my mental facilities why not have fun torturing them.” 

“You’re absolutely diabolical, Mr. Anderson.” 

“Well, I wonder where I learned it from, Mr. Hummel.”

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Glee Gay Ships

As Pride Month comes to a close (thank God), I want to reflect on the Glee gay ships with this PSA:

All the gay ships in Glee were unhealthy and toxic to varying degrees,

For all of Finchel's issues, at least Finn and Rachel were learning how to become their best selves apart and were willing to let go of each other when the time came. Finchel was on the bumpy track to being a proper adult relationship. While Klaine and Brittana still felt like highschool romances and the codependency was awful to witness. Brittany felt like an overgrown toddler. Santana refused to let Brittany go and treated her like a dumb pet. Kurt outgrew Blaine. And Blaine became a pathetic mess and emotionally dependent.

Let's admit it: Burt and Carol were the healthiest pair on the show. And all the gay romances sucked.

[klainepolls]

[what-if-rpg]

Welcome to the family, SUMMER! Your application to BLAINE ANDERSON was accepted. We’re really happy to have you around! Make sure to read the beginners checklist, and remember, have fun! We can’t wait to roleplay with you! Have fun!

IN CHARACTER

CHARACTER NAME: Blaine Devon Anderson CHARACTER AGE & DATE OF BIRTH: 27, April 18th. OCCUPATION: Broadway Actor, Songwriter FACE CLAIM: Darren Criss HOMETOWN & CITY WHERE LIVES NOW: Westerville, Ohio. Currently lives in New York City. SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER: Gay, Male. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married to Kurt Hummel POSITIVE TRAITS: Charismatic, Modest, Supportive NEGATIVE TRAITS: Insecure, Impulsive, Dramatic CHARACTER QUOTE/LYRIC: “Prejudice is just ignorance.”

HEADCANONS

When your older brother is perfect at everything he does, it’s not always easy to keep up. Cooper was ten years older than Blaine, and although their age gap and individual differences did play a role in impacting their relationship, however it was Cooper’s overly critical and nitpicking attitude that bothered Blaine the most. As a kid, Blaine had always felt so small in front of his older brother. Cooper was talented, charming, and everyone adored him. It wasn’t easy growing up with someone like that, but Blaine still looked up to Cooper. The more Cooper criticized and picked on him, the harder he worked to live up to his expectations.

Blaine can be very charming and confident when he wants to be, but he also likes to use those traits as some sort of mask to cover up his insecurities. His feelings of inadequacy started with Cooper, but it got worse after he came out to his parents and was rejected by his own father. Then, things sort of escalated from there, what with the bullying that he faced and later on Sadie Hawkins. Needless to say, feelings of shame and guilt still followed him around like a shadow since that day.

Transferring to Mckinley to be with Kurt was a turning point for Blaine. Dalton was a safe space and he truly enjoyed being a Warbler, but he didn't feel like he was being his true self at Dalton. Students were expected to conform at Dalton; it felt more like he was playing the role of Blaine Warbler rather than allowing himself to be - well, himself. Mckinley was chaotic, unpredictable, and absolutely nothing like Dalton, but he made friends who treat each other like family by joining Glee, and they taught him how to be his authentic self and learn to have fun again.

Kurt calling off their engagement and breaking up with him nearly broke him as a person, causing him to run away from his dreams, from New York, and back to the safety of his home and Dalton, much like he did after Sadie Hawkins. And even though he’s happily married to Kurt now and they have a daughter together, but a part of him is still affected by it and will always feel insecure about that.

CONNECTIONS

PAMELA & TODD ANDERSON (Parents): Blaine grew up being closer to his mother than his father. His father’s rejection of his sexuality further strained their relationship, to the point where they barely spoke to one another unless it was absolutely necessary. The fake shooting incident at Mckinley brought them to their senses, however, and even though his parents are now separated, Blaine still keeps in touch with them, with him calling his mother more often than he does with his father. COOPER ANDERSON (Brother): Blaine still doesn’t know how to interact with Cooper most of the time, and their relationship is still awkward, but deep down Blaine knows that Cooper cares about him, and is trying his best to support Blaine in his own way. KURT HUMMEL (Husband): Kurt is the love of Blaine’s life. Despite their ups and downs and also differences, Blaine never stopped loving Kurt, and as if being drawn and pulled by some invisible, universal force, they always seemed to go back to one another. And although they’re happily married now, but Blaine still sees their relationship as a work in progress, and is constantly learning how to communicate better with his husband. SERENA ANDERSON-HUMMEL (Daughter): If Kurt is the love of Blaine’s life, then Serena is the culmination and proof of that undying love. While Kurt is the strict parent, Blaine couldn’t help but to spoil her instead. He would buy her sweet treats and new toys, always giving in to her requests and pleas (much to Kurt's dismay) SAM EVANS & TINA COHEN-CHANG (Best Friends): They were the trio who were there for each other at Mckinley. Sam was there for Blaine when he cheated on Kurt by stopping him from running away to Dalton. Blaine is forever grateful towards Sam for being in his corner, even when he was at his lowest. They bonded over superheroes and games and Star Wars since, and Blaine truly admires Sam for the genuine and supportive person that he is. As for Tina, she developed a crush on Blaine while Blaine was crushing on Sam during their senior years, but things were never awkward between them. If anything, they became closer over the years and their friendship is still as strong as ever. SEBASTIAN SMYTHE (Close Friend): While it’s true that Sebastian almost blinded Blaine back in high school, but Sebastian has since turned over a new leaf and Blaine is all for giving someone the redemption they deserve and second chances. Besides, once a Warbler, always a Warbler. RACHEL BERRY (Friend): Blaine and Rachel became good friends when he went back to Ohio that year, where they both supported each other even though they were also rivals at the same time. Blaine has always admired and worshipped Rachel’s grit and talent, and their relationship only became stronger when Rachel became the surrogate for Serena. DAVID KAROFSKY (Ex-Boyfriend): Blaine and David had an amicable breakup, hence they’re still on good terms. While their relationship only lasted for a short period of time, but Blaine will always look back at it with great fondness.

[daltonblaineanderson]

Dalton Blaine Bio

We can assume that Nick knows all of this and the other Warblers know most of it. Sebastian knows more than most from the “family friendly texts.”

Blaine was born to a blueblood, wealthy family in Westerville, OH.  His father (FC Chris Noth) is from a blueblood Ohio lineage, is a Dalton and Harvard alumni, and a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. His mother (FC Catherine Zeta Jones) came from a middle class Welsh family. She was a West End dancer when she met Mr. Anderson in London. 

Blaine’s father is traditional and distant and did not know what to do with Blaine when Blaine came out. Rowena Anderson is warm and open but she struggled when she moved to U.S. as a young bride. As a result, she threw all her energies into motherhood and her misguided, helicopter efforts resulted in their child Cooper Anderson being one of the most spoiled children Westerville has ever seen. 

With Blaine she overcorrected and left him alone too much. Plus by the time Blaine was born Rowena had become swept into an anxiety-driven Westerville high society life. Her younger “oops” child was thankfully so easy going that it was not difficult to believe he was really always as happy as he seemed. Taking the young boy’s word that he was “fine,” Rowena, in her earnestness to be a proper Anderson wife, left Blaine often with nannies and too often, and worse, with Cooper.

Cooper loves his younger Brother but was convinced that his choices for Blaine were the only ones which could be right. His treatment of Blaine was uneven. One minute he was the most fun other brother you could imagine, the next minute he could be cruel. Blaine clung to whatever time his parents and Cooper would give him and focused on excelling in school and extracurricular activities for validation from his family and those at school. 

When Cooper left home for college in California at 18 to seek fame and fortune, eight year old Blaine was left feeling abandoned and deeply lonely at home. These issues from these years would become prominent in unpacking Blaine’s anxiety and depression. 

Naturally extroverted and eager to please, Blaine had made friends easily in school and in sports, but his immigrant mother didn’t think to arrange playdates so when he wasn’t invited to them he mostly spent any spare time finding solace and companionship in music. He read voraciously as well. It was reading online about Broadway performers’ lives that helped him come to to the realization that he was gay at around age 13.  

He enthusiastically came out to Cooper when he was home for Christmas first, then to his mother. Both of these Andersons had been around gay actors and were very supportive, but all three approached Mr. Anderson with trepidation, knowing he had grown up in a traditional right wing family.  Mr. Anderson had clearly been prepped by his wife to deliver an accepting speech to Blaine, so Blaine was stung by what appeared to be a lack of genuine support.

After a traumatizing bullying assault hospitalized him in January of his freshman year, Blaine was sent to Dalton Academy, the boarding school his father had attended. It was indeed a safer environment, with a zero tolerance policy on bullying, but Blaine couldn’t help but wonder if his father was secretly glad to be rid of him around the house. 

Nevertheless Dalton turned out to be a critical step in recovering from the trauma of the  assault. Blaine thrived in the show choir, on the polo team, fencing team and in other clubs. A sweet boy came to campus during his sophomore year. Kurt fell in love with Blaine instantly. Blaine thought of him as a friend for a long time before Kurt sang a song that showed so much soul that Blaine could see the extent of his beauty. He told Kurt how he felt and they were in love in the romance Blaine had always wanted. When Kurt’s family moved him back to public school at McKinley HS, Blaine followed. 

Their relationship became the center of Blaine’s identity, which was okay while Kurt was around and they could focus on his senior year activities and college admissions process. It wasn’t a perfect relationship - looking back, Blaine could see how he was too anxious about doing everything perfectly and Kurt was insecure and envious of Blaine’s “alpha-gay” qualities. 

Blaine’s anxiety was treated with bandaid solutions - spa treatments, movie marathon snuggle fests, sweet sex. Kurt’s issues were harder to address - he was jealous of Blaine when he was cast as Tony in the school’s WSS musical, and of many other similar situations.

An even bigger issue was Sebastian Smythe. Devastatingly handsome, witty and roguishly charming, he seemed to swoop into Blaine’s life out of nowhere. Kurt tried not to show he was threatened but he obviously was. Blaine thought he was harmless, and low-key sunned himself with the attention Sebastian gave him. He also felt Sebastian deserved some support, being one of a still relatively small group of out gays at Dalton. 

They became friends mostly over text even though Kurt didn’t like it. Then, inexplicably, Sebastian went too far in his attempts to one-up Kurt. He planned a prank to ruin Kurt’s clothes that ended in Blaine being hospitalized again. Then he tried to blackmail the glee club - Blaine was so mad at him. His bad behavior finally came to an end when a gay boy in their circles attempted suicide. Sebastian felt he’d played a part and felt badly about it. Blaine was finally able to forgive him and they continued their friendship.

When Kurt went to New York for college, Blaine felt bereft. Later, with a therapist, they would discuss Kurt leaving felt like abandonment. The depression that sank in triggered feelings from his childhood when Cooper left. Then and as Kurt grew increasingly distant as he was swept up into a new life, Blaine was crying himself to sleep. He tried hard to create a happy life after feeling left behind, finding a way to feel closer to the glee club and even winning the class presidency. But nothing had a lasting effect. In a lapse of despair, he ended up cheating on Kurt - a one night stand, something completely unlike him. 

He confessed his terrible mistake to Kurt, apologizing profusely and hoping for forgiveness. Kurt broke up with him. Blaine struggled to move on, trying out for only a small role in the school musical.  It was as if he’d forgotten about Dalton in his cloud of depression. Or maybe it just seemed hopeless to reach out to anyone there after he’d left them for Kurt. Then, they rose from his memories to be remind him they were very real - though only by disappointing him again by stealing McKinley’s the Nationals Trophy. They were up to pranks again and Blaine was tired of it. He was tired of everything. He headed to Dalton with frustration to get the trophy back.

When Blaine arrived to Dalton he felt he was in a dream-state, all the memories of his days there, of freshman and sophomore years, of “Uptown Girl” and Sebastian taunting him with “I Want You Back.” But then, with a strange miracle of music and performance, they managed to make him smile again, for the first time since his break-up with Kurt. Singing “My Dark Side,” singing lead for the Warblers, seemed to awaken a small light in him that hadn’t been there even when he sang “Beauty School Drop Out.”

All the same, Hunter Clarington frankly scared him. Even the once friendly Sebastian suddenly felt like a bit of an unknown quantity, he was a little too smooth and it made Blaine nervous. Though to be fair, everything made Blaine a little nervous these days. He didn’t trust much in life, especially himself.

Like a child, he turned to Cooper. He called him, hoping he might be able to help. His brother was trying to be better about their relationship, after his visits to McKinley in the spring. Thankfully, this time he was a good listener and Blaine felt better than he had in awhile after their call. 

Cooper actually advised him to go back to Dalton, which had been a safe haven after Blaine’s hospitalization his freshman year. Blaine said he would think about it. It was hard to imagine leaving McKinley after being elected president, leaving glee club when they had momentum and great new voices to win nationals again.  Then suddenly, his decision was made for him. Cooper had mentioned the Dalton visit to their mother on the phone, who then mentioned it to Mr. Anderson that night. His parents appeared in the doorway to his bedroom and told him that they felt a transfer back to Dalton was the best thing. They had (well his mother had, Blaine guessed) been worrying about Blaine since the school year began, and his father felt strongly that there had never been a good reason to transfer to McKinley in the first place. He pointed out that graduating from Dalton would look best to colleges in the admissions process and made it clear that they were not asking, but telling Blaine about the decision.