#tbh when it comes to brittany i think the only way she can stop pushing herself so much if she breaks to the point of no return Tumblr posts

[stuworbutwithchipmunks]

I find so interesting when i see people saying stuff like Simon and Britt would be an amazing duo because... I think their dynamic could be one of the most toxic ones if it's explored (Ofc they would get along at the end dw)

Brittany canonically is someone who push herself too hard to get what she wants, even if that includes putting her own well being aside to reach her goals. While Simon refuses to sleep or take care of himself when it comes to studying for a new project of his, or some invention and shit like that. I can totally see Brittany not understading what is wrong with Simon not getting enough sleep or not eating well if he is willing to get something. And at the same time i think Simon could be a total hypocrite by saying stuff like 'You shouldn't push yourself too much' while having the biggest eye bags on his stupid face.

[idontblushsrry]

Got the Aux hcs||Jujutsu Kaisen

A/N:  These hcs are prolly gonna vary from general artists/genres to general chaos towards the end :D also gonna do some for the kyoto school...eventually. Didn’t incl. Yuuta because he’s not here yet but tbh he prolly listens to MCR or smthng let’s be real. I apologize for Maki’s being so short, I know her fanbase is starving for content and I’m sorry I was unable to provide it this time.

Word Count: 1123

Plot Synopsis: Some dumb music taste headcanons for the tokyo school. ((I only included characters that have appeared in the anime like fully, onscreen w lines not just mentioned, and I also only did the main ppl from the Tokyo school so that’s why there’s no Yuta or Nanami.))

Itadori

First and foremost

The man is a barb (Nicki Minaj fans) and a hottie (Megan thee stallion fans)

No I don’t take criticism

Aside from that, Yuji listens to pop and some rap (mostly megan thee stallion)

His pop taste is also not limited by generation, he definitely listens to artists like Anri and Miki Matsubara

Other artists he listens to are probably; Rihanna, Post Malone(he just does, idk why), Doja Cat, Brittany Spears, Shakira, Kesha, Lizzo, Ariana Grande

Fushiguro

Fushiguro unironically listened to wake me up inside in middle school, again, I do not take criticism

He also listens to artists like Mother Mother

Fushiguro is kinda embarrassed of his music tastes though so he’ll lie about what he’s listening to

“Fushiguro what are you listening to?”

*cue panicked Fushiguro struggling to put his phone away* “N-Nothing why”

Also this man listens to Lady Gaga and probably some Panic at the Disco

But for sure panic at the disco

Also he makes playlist named after his friends and what not

Now one might say aww, how sweet

Which, yes it is, but also, Fushiguro refuses to let anyone know his true music tastes so adaptation is necessary for survival

If Fushiguro has the aux, it’s a good day, he knows everyone’s music tastes and probably already has a playlist tailored specifically to everyone’s taste, there’s never a single song that everyone hates

Kugisaki

She listens to Avril Lavigne and Kesha

Her and Yuuji have pretty similar music tastes (himbo/lesbian solidarity)

She also listens to songs like Jenny(by the studio killers) and Youth(Troye Sivan) and just stares at the ceiling pining

Her playlist reflects this

From pop to pining and then back again

Also she hasn’t stopped streaming Driver’s License(Olivia Rodrigo), her and Yuuji listen to it and every time she just falls out (when it first came out, she got so invested in the drama of it all)

Genres she listens to are rock ballads, pop, and any playlist with words including but not limited to ‘wlw’, ‘girls are pretty’, ‘how to not have a crush on Maki-senpai’

Artists she listens to incl. Kali Uchis (stumbled upon Dead To Me and hasn’t ben the same since), Queen, pop girlies like Brittany Spears, and Troye Sivan

Maki

Maki mainly listens to workout music or indie/chill beats

 Like her playlists are lowkey dry

And she refuses to use spotify premium, even though Gojo’s paying fo it

I can also see her listening to an occasional orchestral/instrumental piece like Ushiwakamaru

Inumaki also kind of put her onto listening to video game soundtracks, she probably listens to the soundtracks of games like Persona tbh

She does allow herself the small pleasure of listening to Hozier from time to time

Inumaki

Inumaki is a menace

His music taste, while there are bangers, mainly consists of music found in memes/tiktoks/etc.

((He also listens to video game music, but more of the Mario Kart sort))

I’m thinking like Vengaboys, Aqua, etc.

He does listen to other artists like Junko Ohashi and Rina Sawayama on occasion, the majority of his music taste exists to make him laugh as he thinks of all the random jokes made to the songs

Whenever, Inumaki has the aux cord, everyone in the car just mentally prepares themselves

With Inumaki, they feel bad telling him to stop because he’s really sweet and nice, and, maybe he just doesn’t know 

But he does know, he just doesn’t care

Panda

Panda listens to 80/90s rap

Tbh he’s got the best music taste out of everyone sorry not sorry

He mainly listened to whatever Yaga put on growing up so that’s why his taste is older than he is

Artists for Panda include Biggie, Pac, Outkast, etc.

Principal Yaga is black I just know Panda grew up listening to Ice Cube and the like while he was training I just knowwww

Panda’s playlist choices though usually aren’t too egregious

While Panda’s no Fushiguro in terms of adaptability, who’s really gonna be opposed to listening to bangers from the 90′s

Gojo

Gojo’s taste in music exists solely to torture Fushiguro

Now does he necessarily like any of these songs he plays? No

But does his desire to antagonize out rule his dislike? Yesyesyesyesyes

Gojo, unlike Inumaki, does not get the same sympathy

When Gojo syncs up his Bluetooth (bcus let’s be real that man does not have a car with a physical aux cord) everyone in the car just lets out the loudest groan

Just for that he’s gonna make 3 extra unnecessary turns

In actuality though, when he’s not bothering his students or Nanami, I imagine Gojo is a fan of 90′s rap as well as classical music

I think he also likes rock too, he discovered it back in his student days and it never really went away

He also definitely has a playlist called something like ‘my main character music’

General car shenanigans(imagine this as a class trip to some place that’s about 2 hours away)

Gojo and Inumaki team up to antagonize everyone

Like they will play 10 hour loops of caramelldansen with absolutely ZERO remorse

Fushiguro and Kugisaki slowly just go insane during the course of this

Although, Kugisaki will be a lot more vocal about it, cussing up a storm by the 4th loop.

This will then lead to Gojo and Inumaki being overthrown; Gojo being replaced with Ichiji at the wheel and Inumaki on thin fuckin ice

When the inevitable silence becomes too much to handle, Yuuji will tentatively offer to play his music

It’s all good, California Girls and Toxic instant hits

Yujji’s reign will end in one of two ways; 1) eventually, a Megan Thee Stallion song comes on a Gojo’s like “whoa kid, that’s not very family friendly” or 2)The sound of Kugisaki, Gojo, and Itadori singing poorly on purpose pushes Maki to take over out of frustration

Either way Maki takes over and they all kinda doze off because of how chill and soothing Maki’s music is

This ends when Ichiji gets a little too relaxed by the music and almost swerves, causing them to abruptly cut the music off

Panda just puts his paws up non-defensively like, “Don’t ask me, my music isn’t family-friendly either

At which point they all look to Fushiguro to save the day

And he does... until his phone battery dies

(Bonus) Sukuna

Sukuna probably tunes out all the miscellaneous stuff that Yuuji listens to

But one day he was minding his business till he heard Yuuji playing a Nicki Minaj song

Now, whenever Yuuji falls asleep, Sukuna will pop out every once in a while just to turn on Nicki.

[laughingupfromhell]

My Gillette Experience + Pre-Show M&G.  7.28.18 -- Extended Edition

I’m sorry this has taken so long to post, but it’s literally so hard to get my thoughts together because I’m still so overwhelmed by the fact that this even HAPPENED to me. I’d convinced myself it wasn’t in the cards, that Taylor didn’t know me, and that I needed to find a way to be okay with never meeting her. But then, IT HAPPENED. (I’m going to write the whole story from the time I got the DM and it’s going to be really long, so if you just want to read the Taylor part, I’ll write it in bold so you can skip to it easily. Just keep scrolling. I’m just posting the long version so I can look back on it whenever I want and never forget anything. I’ll post just the Taylor part individually too in case you don’t want to hunt for it.)

Friday, July 27th, I had the worst day at work. I work in a cafe, and the AC was out in the kitchen which made the entire place SO hot. Literally, it was 92 degrees in the building and we had the ovens on. I live in Florida, so it was disgusting and I felt so sick. We were shorthanded, I was stressed out about my flight, dealing with some pretty intense anxiety about meeting people I had never met before because I’m shy af, and just overall feeling kind of bleh despite being so excited for the concert the next day. I found out as I was on the way to the airport that my flight had been delayed nearly three hours and that set me into panic mode, because it would put me in Boston around 2 in the morning instead of 10pm. Eventually it got pushed back to only an hour delay, which made me feel a little better, and I passed the time in the airport just walking around the shops and scrolling tumblr. Jaime @cages-boxes-hunters-foxes texted me to tell me that one of my best friends Meredith @meredithswift had just met Taylor and I was SO excited for her because I’ve known how much she wanted this since we started talking in 2008. Jaime was like “you next!” and I was like “noooo, it’s not going to happen for me.” Taylor was intent on making me look like boo boo the fool.

Right before I boarded the plane, around 8pm, I took a selfie at the gate because I was bored and tagged Taylor in it on tumblr and said “I’m coming for you, Taylor!” I didn’t even know she was online, and she never liked the post, so I didn’t think anything of it after that.

 I boarded the plane, but there was a RIDICULOUS thunderstorm going on so we sat on the tarmac for nearly two hours, and I had been DMing back and forth with Jeannine @it-feels-like-a-perfect-night all day, so when I saw a notification on tumblr, I thought it was her...until I opened it and it said taylornation. All of my internal organs came flooding out of my ass in that moment and landed on the plane floor beneath me, not clickbait. I literally didn’t believe it was real for a whole hot ass minute because things like this do not happen to me and I was LITERALLY sitting on a plane about to go to Boston so WHAT WAS HAPPENING??? I open it, and they asked for all my information, and when the best time to call was. I was like????!!!? I’m LITERALLY SITTING ON A PLANE LESS THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE MY SHOW AND YOU WANT TO KNOW WHEN THE BEST TIME CALL IS???? YESTERDAY???? I ALREADY HAVE MY BAG CHECKED, I DON’T HAVE TIME TO BUY ANOTHER OUTFIT, I LOOK LIKE A RAT!!!! So obviously I said “I don’t land until midnight but anytime after that, thank you so much!” 

At this point I’m in such shock I literally have no reaction other than to stare unblinking at the seat in front of me and go into full body tremors. I’m pretty sure the girl next to be me on this flight thought I was scared of flying or something, because I was literally shaking so hard I could hear my teeth chattering together. My heart rate shot through the goddamn roof. If you don’t believe me, here is a helpful graph from my Fitbit. I hit 117 BPM from 58 BPM. I’m pretty sure that is indicative of an actual heart attack.

I didn’t know what to do, so I immediately texted my mom and I KNOW it says the message is confidential and you’re not supposed to tell anyone but I needed my mother to know that if her only child died mid-flight, it was taylor nation’s fault and to tell Taylor I loved her. It was VITAL. The southern jumped out -- I literally haven’t called her mama since I was 10, I don’t even know. 

I also told my friend Lindsey @lskbe because I once promised her she’d be one of the first to know if it was ever going to happen and she was a GEM even though she DIDN’T ANSWER ME RIGHT AWAY BUT ANYWAY!!!! (screenshot provided by her). She made me a playlist titled 7.28.18 on spotify and everything for the occasion because she is extra and I love her. 

 I spent the next 2 1/2 hours literally trying not to pee myself with anxiety and excitement because then of course I start thinking WHAT IF THEY FORGET TO CALL? What if it’s just merch? What if I’m boo boo the fool? What if this isn’t real life? Then we hit turbulence and my thoughts turn darker like WHAT IF THE PLANE CRASHES AND I DIE BEFORE I MEET HER? I literally had to make Jaime reassure me multiple times that turbulence wouldn’t make the plane crash and that I would survive. We love her logical brain. So obviously now that I’ve stopped panicking it’s time to take selfies to post later.

 I finally make it to Boston and at this point I think I’ve dissociated because I just can’t even think about it anymore. My brain was on overdrive and I didn’t even know how to process. It was either shut it down or shout it from a rooftop and I COULDN’T TAKE THAT RISK. 

I got to meet my sweet honeys @straightlinedownx and @heypay FINALLY and it’s up there in my top ten best moments of life. They’d just gotten home from Night 2 so they were pretty spent and it was 1:30 in the morning, so we all headed to bed, but if you thought I was sleeping, you’re WRONG because I was literally peeing every half hour because I was so nervous and excited. I was like a chihuahua I swear to god. I was talking to Brittany @messthatuwanted for most of the night trying not to be suspicious and I guess I did a pretty good job because she NEVER FOUND OUT until I wanted her to. Which is what her snake ass deserves tbh. I literally didn’t get to sleep until 4:30 in the morning and then I woke up at 6:45 am and was like...well they said they’d call me in the morning, and technically it is morning, so I should stay up. Clearly logical. Obviously. We love anxiety. I couldn’t turn the ringer on for my phone because I was sharing a room with people and I didn’t want to wake anyone up so going back to sleep was a risk I wasn’t willing to take. 

I spent most of the morning internally exploding, and I eventually told @heypay because I needed someone to tell me I was being crazy and that they would call and she did a very good job at this, so thank you Paige, you’re the love of my life. We were all laying around, relaxing, watching Lejla and Liana’s pet rabbit eat a salad, you know...typical things friends do, when I got a call from a NYC number and shit my pants. I got up from the floor so fast and ZOOMED to the kitchen and Paige followed after me and practically shoved me out of the apartment door so I could have some privacy lol. It was Sydney from Taylor Nation and she was a sweetie and asked how my flight was and and rambled on about delayed flights and I was like....I literally do not care, I’m so sorry, please tell me what I NEED TO KNOW WOMAN I AM DYING!!!! Eventually she cuts to the chase and is like “have you ever had an opportunity before?” And I was like um...hehe..it depends on what you mean by an opportunity because I REALLY JUST WANTED HER TO SAY THE WORDS and she was like “have you ever met taylor before?” and I was like NO!!! I HAVEN’T!!!! At this point I’m shaking so hard I had to lean against the wall for fear of falling down the stairs because THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING, HUH? Then she asks if I’m going to the show with anyone who hasn’t had an opportunity before and I said YES, my precious baby Emily @straightlinedownx. So she asks for Emily’s information and thank god I had checked her facebook to find out her birthday before just in case they asked (since they asked for mine) because IT WAS A STRESSFUL TIME. So she tells me I’ll get a DM within the hour letting us know when we’re verified and where we should pick up our envelope between 4 and 5 pm and I’m just saying thank you over and over and over again because WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO LIKE WTF IS EVEN HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!! 

So in my head I had this beautiful thing planned for how I would tell Emily she’s meeting Taylor, but it turns out beautiful plans can’t happen when your brain is literally exploding, so instead of doing this elaborate thing where I filmed her reaction and everything, I just went over to where she was lying on the ground and kicked her. As friends do. She turns around and I’m like “Come. Here.” I was probably terrifying, I’m so sorry Emily, but I didn’t KNOW WHAT TO DO. So she follows me out to the kitchen and WHAT DO YOU SAY OTHER THAN WHAT IS HAPPENING???? SO I JUST SPIT IT OUT AND SAID “We’re meeting Taylor” and she deadass goes “No we’re not.” Just so casual.  And I’m like “We are. We’re meeting Taylor tonight. I got a DM on the plane and they just called me. I’m bringing you. We’re meeting Taylor.” AND THIS DUMB BICTH GOES “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO BRING ME????” AND I’M LIKE “BICTH YES????? OF COURSE I DO???” And then she just kept doing this the rest of the day and it was my favorite thing. Here she is in Starbucks ten minutes after finding out. 

So we spent the rest of the day obsessing over make up and hair and we headed to the stadium around 2 PM because we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to meet up with people and buy merch etc. Here’s us waiting for our ride (photo credit to angel @iknowplacesclean and a big thank you for letting me stay at your apartment spur of the moment!!!)

 We met up with Steph ( @thesethingswillchange), Leyton, Jess ( @jtmaster13) , and Sammi (@slytherinraven13) and I got to tell them all what was happening and they were SO happy for us because they’re literal angels on earth.

 Once we made it to will call and gave them our names, THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT so I started to panic, naturally, but it was chill because they found it eventually and we immediately started taking pictures with the paper. Some nice lady offered to take one for us, bless her, because the struggle was so real. 

By this point I had told all of my friends but Jaime @cages-boxes-hunters-foxes and Brittany @messthatuwanted because I was planning on snaking them the way they snaked me when they met Taylor, and it brought me the greatest joy in life since they both thought I was incapable of it. Little did I know that Jaime was on her way to SURPRISE ME AT THE SHOW which was a MESS since I was in REP ROOM WHEN SHE WAS LOOKING FOR ME! But more on that later. So we met @ninetay89 at will call and we were all so excited for each other because honestly it’s what we all deserved and we just kind of hung out, waiting in line for the gates to open and that’s when Meredith @meredithswift came RUNNING towards me full force. Meredith and I met when we were 13 and 15. We were each others first online friends, and we became full blown stans together. She was the one that convinced me to make a taylor tumblr blog in the first place way back in 2010. We’d never, ever met before that moment and it was honestly one of the highlights of my entire life. I love her with my whole entire heart and it was one of the best hugs I’ve ever gotten. We didn’t let each other go for like 3 minutes. It was great. 

The gates finally open and me and Emily ZOOM up to the 100 level bathrooms to fix our make up because the humidity was KILLER and we were legitimately melting. Then we had to run back down the stairs to meet at the bottom of 129/30 and met up with @sunflowershealing and she was SO sweet! I’m so glad we got to meet! 

So a security guard comes up to us and tells us we’re actually supposed to meet at the TOP of 129, which isn’t what the paper said but it’s FINE, so we go up MORE stairs and it’s honestly beginning to feel like gym class now but it’s fine because I will do hours of cardio for Taylor Swift if need be. So we go up only to be told to go back down the stairs AGAIN because what is organization and they give us our wrist bands and we’re GOING TO REP ROOM BITCHES. 

Let me just say that I was chill literally the entire day. I was excited, yeah, but I wasn’t nervous or anything. Even when we got to Rep Room, I was totally fine. But when I saw the Rep Room doorway, I was jumping up and down like a five year old because how was this REAL LIFE? I never in a million years thought when Taylor shared the fact about Rep Room and showed us the inside that I would ever see it in PERSON. And here I was, walking through the arch??? SOUNDS FAKE. So we get in there, and there are three polaroid cameras sitting on a table next to the throne, but I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to touch them since I’ve heard that a lot of pre-show meet and greets weren’t allowed to do much in rep room. So Emily and I just kind of hang out next to them and hope for the go ahead, which Steph from Taylor Nation eventually gives us and then she has to help our dumb asses put film in them because we’re USELESS. But it’s fine. We take pictures on the throne first, and they came out so iconic honestly I will never take a better picture. 

Obviously I had to take a picture with the iconic rainbow dress.

My one singular complaint about the polaroid idea is that rep room is SO dark and it doesn’t really work well with the film. 

There was water, coke, diet coke, and sprite available to us, but not the booze or the cookies that were in previous rep rooms. Probably because it’s pre-show or because there wasn’t media that night, I’m not sure. Anyway, we’re able to mingle for about 8-10 minutes maybe? Maybe shorter than that, but Steph tells us to put the cameras up and line up. We were third from last to go in of about 5-6 groups. I’d say there were about 10-12 people in there. I’m pretty short, so  I couldn’t see Taylor when they opened the curtain to let the first group in, but I heard someone say “She’s wearing the purple Olivia shirt” and I was like...I literally hate her. Everyone keeps talking and I just wanted them all to shut UP so I could HEAR HER SPEAKING. Eventually, we’re a few groups from going in and I hear her laugh and that’s when it really started getting real. This was really happening. I was about to meet Taylor. Surprisingly, I managed to STILL hold it together. Right before we went in, “Type” by Todrick Hall comes on and I was screaming because I KNEW that would be her favorite song on Forbidden. 

So they open the curtain and she’s standing RIGHT there and she opens her arms so wide and goes “oh my god hiiiiii” and without hesitation I just go right into her arms and wrap her up so tight and said “Hi, I’m Megan!” and she starts laughing and goes “I know! I picked you last night, I see your posts all the time, I saw your selfie like I’m coming for you...and I was like I’m coming for you, I sent your post to TN and was like I need her, bring me her.” Literally I wish I could describe in detail the noise that came out of my mouth when she said I know, because it definitely wasn’t human. I was like “YOU KNOWWWWW???” But i literally growled it like some kind of rabid animal, I’m SO sorry, Taylor. That was the first time I lost my chill, which surprisingly only happened twice. 

As soon as she drops that bomb on me she turns to Emily to hug her which is what she DESERVES but I was so shook by what she said that I was leaning in for another hug but her back is to me now so I kind of halfway climbed her back I HATE MYSELF. Like my hand was gripping her shoulder and my other hand was pressed against her back and I had to physically talk myself off the ledge like BE COOL BITCH, BACK UP, DON’T BE WEIRD! So I just subtly slide my hands off of her and step back...only to embarrass myself further by stepping closer to Emily, aggressively rubbing her back and shouting “THIS IS EMILY! WE LOVE HER!!!!” Honestly what the fuck is wrong with me? She goes “Thank you guys so much for coming!” And I literally PANTED out “THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME!” Literally I was malfunctioning. I needed to be rebooted.

She turns back to both of us and shimmies her shoulders because she clearly wants me dead and goes “Sooooooooo....” and without hesitation I go “We need to talk about ‘Look What You Made Me Do’” and she’s like “okay, what do we need to talk about?” And then...I did it ladies. I literally told her I didn’t get the joke when it first came out, it flew right over my head and I thought she was being serious about the old taylor being dead and I was so worried about her that I threw up in a parking lot. She goes “Oh my god WHAT? That makes me so sad!” But she was laughing so hard, she threw her head back and covered her mouth, and for a split second I’m like DID I HURT HER FEELINGS??? DOES SHE THINK I HATE THE SONG??? So I was like “NO NO BUT I LOVED IT!” and she goes “You threw up!” And I’m like “BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU! I WAS LIKE IS SHE OKAY????” And she literally can’t stop laughing, she’s doing that stupid dolphin laugh she does and I literally wanted to smoosh her face between my hands because I adore her so much and she is so fucking cute and GOD I WANT TO DIE. So she goes “I was literally climbing out of a grave dressed as a zombie, you didn’t get how that was supposed to be funny???” And I was like “NO, I understood it was a joke when the video came out but for a whole week before I didn’t get the joke!” And she goes “Ohhhh, when the single dropped and you listened you were like WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER???” And she just kept laughing like honestly what the fuck is my life? I made Taylor Swift LAUGH? ME??? (Emily said everyone in the room was laughing, like the security at the door and everything I literally want to jump off a cliff.) So I was like “YES EXACTLY! I was like is she okay? I’m so worried about her, I need to know that she’s okay!” And she like...touched my arm and goes “But you’re okay now, right?” and made the most INTENSE eye contact like...if there is one thing I will say about meeting her, it’s that she keeps eye contact with you the WHOLE time and you know she’s hearing everything you say, she’s paying attention to every word and you KNOW she cares. And I’m like “yeah! I get the joke now, I get it, I swear!” And EMILY GOES “I don’t think she’s okay...” like honestly... drag me.

So I attempt to change the subject and the bitch CUTS ME OFF and leans in to me, looks down at me with this smirk on her face and goes “....do you need me to explain the joke to you?” like she was TEASING me, but I was being DRAGGED. I was like “NO, I get it now! I get it!” BUT SHE EXPLAINED IT ANYWAY. She explained that the whole concept of the line came from how people were saying Taylor Swift is over, she’s dead, and she was making fun of the whole cancellation culture that social media and media in general has, so she decided to just be like “Ohhhh, cause she’s deaaaaaad” (and she said it in the funniest, whiniest mocking voice I literally can’t stand her) to show them all how stupid they sounded when they said things like that. To paraphrase because I don’t remember exact wording, she said that’s really just the whole tone of the album, reputation, itself. That there are a lot of things that go into building a reputation, but that a reputation isn’t real, it’s a perception that can be formed by any number of things, true and false, but isn’t always based on what is actually happening. It’s fake, just like the old taylor being dead is fake, it’s a joke. I think the entire time she was saying this I kept repeating “No I get it, I get it” because I wanted to be sure she knew that I got it, but I think she really just wanted to explain it in general and I’m so glad she did, because I loved the insight. And then she goes “BUT IT’S SO FUNNY NOW because they’re like ‘What is she doing with the snakes? Why is she doing that? She’s so annoying!’ And I’m just like BECAUSE YOU TWEETED IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN EVERY SINGLE DAY! YOU’RE JUST MAD BECAUSE IT DOESN’T BOTHER ME ANYMORE!” And I shit you not, she was literally screaming this in my face, and acting like she was scrolling through her phone and laughing like...I was scared lmao. I just kept saying “I’m so proud of you, you just took it back, it’s what you deserve!” God, she’s so pretty when she laughs I can’t stop picturing it and hearing it and I don’t know where I could possibly go from here, I’ve peaked. 

She turned to Emily then, and I’m not going to share what happened there because it’s Emily’s story to tell, but I’m literally so happy that she gave her the love she deserves. The moment they shared touched me so much. 

When she looked like she was stepping into position for a photo, I suddenly flashed back to everything my friends who had met her already told me -- that if you stop talking, the M&G will end, but if you keep talking, so will she, so I sort of side stepped and started talking to her about how I’ve dealt with some pretty toxic relationships in the past couple years, and how it breaks my heart to think she’s ever felt the same way as I have in those moments of vulnerability and hurt, but that I was so thankful for songs like Dear John and Better Man because it made me feel less alone. And she goes “it’s always nice to know that you’re not alone in feeling the way you do, I totally get it. But that’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? That’s why we come to a stadium and we sing and dance and cry (we said cry at the same time, what kind of shared brain bullshit?) with each other, because we understand each other. We have that connection.” 

From there it got a little personal for me, and I want to keep that for myself, but she gave me the biggest, tightest hug and said some of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me and I’ve never felt more loved in my entire life than I did in those few minutes in a room with her. She said “I love you sooo much” and I said I loved her too, and then she asked what we wanted to do for a picture and Emily goes “I wanna do a smoosh...” because she’s the cutest person that has ever BREATHED and Taylor looked so confused so we both said at the same time (at the suggestion of Paige) “Can we do a Taylor face sandwich?” and she got so excited and was like “YEAH, I’ll smoosh your faces to mine!” So we got in position for that I knew I grabbed onto her, but I didn’t actually know what part of her I grabbed, I think I was reaching for her hand forgetting that her hand was on my face LOL. 

Anyway, we got our picture, she told us she loves us and hopes we have fun at the show and that she was so happy we were there and Emily manages AT THE LAST SECOND to go “CAN YOU PLAY COME BACK BE HERE.....please” and I’m like “Yeah, like....tonight.” And I felt so bad because I know I sounded so forceful and I DIDN’T MEAN TO. And she goes “Well, I can’t tonight because I promised someone else I’d play a different song, but I promise I will play it at a show soon, I know how much you guys want that one, I promise.” And we thanked her and told her we loved her and took our autograph and our dignity and got the hell out. 

I remember I was shaking when I came out of rep room, but I wasn’t freaking out really. I was still pretty chill. Chiller than I expected to be. We got about halfway back to her seats and I screamed “WHAT DID SHE SAY???” because for about five minutes, I blacked out completely. It was such a whirlwind of emotion that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to feel again. When we got back to our seats, the sweet angel that is Steph came over to me and asked how it went and I managed to get out “I said Hi, I’m Megan and...and....and...” and then I completely LOST MY SHIT and started SOBBING in Steph’s arms. I literally could not process that she KNEW WHO I WAS! I’M A LITERAL GARBAGE CAN! WHY DID SHE KNOW ME??? WHY DID SHE LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT? WHY DID SHE LAUGH SO MUCH? I COULDN’T PROCESS!

Steph: Meg, Taylor wanted to meet you, how do you feel?  

 The sobbing didn’t last long and I recovered just in time to meet my sweet baby Lauren @iknowplaces13 which I was SO EXCITED FOR! She was so happy for me and such an angel BUT THIS WASNT THE END OF THE ANGELS because JAIME APPEARS OUT OF THIN AIR TO SURPRISE ME (even though Dani @screamedsooloud ruined the surprise by accident but it’s FINE) and at this point, I still haven’t told Jaime that I met Taylor and I’m squirming trying to get out of the vice like hug she’s giving me so i can pull up my sleeve and show her my wristband LOL. Eventually she lets me BREATHE and I yank my sleeve up and go “SURPRISE, Snake!” and she literally is the blinking man gif, just no actually expression, raises her eyebrows, looks down at it and back at me and just goes “....when?” and then LAUNCHES herself at me because she is the sweetest, purest bean on the planet and was so genuinely happy for me. She’s listened to me cry about how I was sure this would never happen for so long and she kept telling me she was sure it would happen in Tampa and it was SO fun to outsnake her for once. I started telling her the story and every time I’d tell her something new, she’d tackle me again, it was so PURE. I love her with my entire heart.  Here’s a picture after I’ve cried all my eyeliner off. 

And then I snaked Brittany @messthatuwanted for snaking me because it’s what she deserved: 

The show was obviously amazing and we had great seats near the B stage and were able to make it to barricade, which was such a highlight to an already amazing night. I danced so much and sang at the top of my lungs and had a full on breakdown during long live that Emily the angel had to hold me through because I literally could not cope. Just full on sobbing for half the song. I had so much fun with Emily, Steph, Jess, Sammi, Leyton, Lejla, Sarah, Paige, and everyone else I spent time with this weekend. I’m forever grateful to Taylor for bringing so many amazing people into my life, I don’t deserve any of you and I can’t wait to reunite with 99 percent of the people I met at Gillette in Nashville. 

I quite literally had the time of my life with you, @taylorswift. Thank you so much for loving me like I love you, thank you for loving my friends and for bringing them into my life. I’ll never forget you as long as I live.

[echoes-of-realities]

If you take requests, what about Brittana and moments on stage?

Notes: I’ve been working on this for a couple days between work and wanted to get it up now, but I’ll start on the prompts as soon as I shower lol. There’s some really good ones that gave me lots of ideas.

This was such a good request tbh. It was so much fun to write.

The first time Santana catches Brittany’s eye on stage, her heart stops.

It’s only a brief moment, a split second where their eyes meet during a turn in the choreography at their very first performance during invitationals, but Santana’s instantly addicted. Brittany’s blue eyes sparkle under the stage lights, and she’s bright and glowing, her movements sure and easy; she looks as thrilled as Santana feels. It’s electric and exciting and intoxicating and just a little bit scary, and Santana can’t wait to feel it again.

//

The next time she feels it, it’s during sectionals. She can sense more than see Brittany behind her, just above her on the choir riser, and when she turns Brittany’s there, with a warm smile for Santana like she always is. She’s beautiful in black and pink, her dress swirling around her knees and her body spinning like it was made just to dance. The crowd cheers for them but all Santana can focus on is the back of Brittany’s hand brushing over her arm and causing goosebumps to rise. She feels alive, and every part of this moment is engraved in her memory.

//

It’s at regionals, in the middle of their Journey medley, that Santana realizes that this isn’t just a little thing, but a full-blown, happens-every-time, makes-my-heart-stop thing. She can’t quite believe that the glee club made it this far, if she’s being honest with herself, and she can’t quite believe how much she relies on this dumb little club now, how much she looks forward to it everyday, and she especially can’t quite believe how fast everything feels; the performance, the lights, the crowd, the song, the entire year. Before she knows it her first solo line is right there and her stomach turns into a ball of ice; but then Brittany’s eyes meet hers from the row beside her and everything in Santana stills. Rachel’s voice fades away, the crowd quiets, the stage lights dim, and, for just a moment, it’s just her and Brittany, and the anxiety in Santana’s shoulders melts away as Puck’s voice echoes across the auditorium. Brittany’s smile is the last thing Santana sees before the colours of the lights and the crowd and the stage fade back in and it’s her turn to sing.

//

Santana doesn’t show it, but she’s so nervous about her solo that she’s actually nauseous, but everyone always knows her as the untouchable Santana Lopez, so she pushes her nerves down and smirks and plays up her confidence backstage. Before she knows it, the lights are dimmed and she’s at the back of the choir risers and the music is starting. She takes a shaky breathe and glances and Brittany who gives her a sweet, encouraging smile as she pushes Santana’s hair back from her face, as soft and gentle as she always is. And a couple verses later, when she beckons Brittany over to her, she forgets about everything that’s been going on between them for the past little bit, and everything on stage narrows down to just her and Britt; Brittany looks into her eyes and everything simplifies.

//

At regionals their junior year everything hurts. Santana can feel the ache like someone is wrenching on a fishhook right beneath her sternum, like her heart is being battered against her ribs, like her bones are freezing right down to the marrow, like a ball of lead is caught in her stomach and the ceiling is pressing her down into the floor and she can’t move; she feels stiff and sore and nauseous and everything hurts. Acting like she hasn’t been torn in two hurts, everyone’s nervous smiles and oblivious support hurts, dancing beside Brittany hurts, the fact that the choreography places fucking Wheels between them hurts, seeing Brittany’s sparkling blue eyes directed at someone else hurts, feeling Brittany’s hand ghost over her shoulders hurts, but what especially hurts is the fact that she has to smile and pretend it doesn’t. Brittany catches her eye from across the stage at the end of the performance, breathing hard and staring at her so intently that Santana feels like she’s burning up. Santana looks away and that, more than anything, hurts.

//

It’s both terrifying and exhilarating to sing a song she helped to write, a song that she wrote the first verse for, a song that she wrote for Brittany, a song that she is singing for Brittany in front of hundreds of strangers; Brittany was the first person to see the lyrics last night, and she kissed her so softly that Santana’s heart ached. All of her nerves fade as soon as Brittany’s voice joins her, and when she steps up beside Brittany and their eyes meet with wide smiles, all of Santana’s shame and fear and everything that’s happened over the past year melts away and Santana’s practically giddy with the possibilities that the coming summer will bring.

//

Dancing with Brittany is something that Santana’s loved ever since they were five years old and Brittany was teaching her to waltz in the soccer field behind the playground; dancing with Brittany for the first time on stage since being outed is both terrifying and freeing. Brittany’s arms are strong around are her back, as they always are, and it makes her skin tingle. Hundreds of people in the audience know about something she’s kept hidden for so many years, but with Britt’s eyes on her and a warm hand on her shoulder, she knows that she doesn’t really have to worry about everything that’s been scaring her anymore, because Brittany’s always been there through it all.

//

Brittany is really nervous for her first big solo part at regionals, so nervous that she almost freezes before they head out on stage. But Santana catches her hand and gives her a smile right before they head onto stage and she can see the tension melt from Brittany as she softens, her face relaxing and her shoulders dropping. Brittany gives her a relieved smile as they head out onto stage, and that’s when Santana knows that she has the same calming effect that Brittany has on her while they’re on stage. Brittany kills her solo, because of course she does, and as she spins at the front of the stage and heads back to the rest of the Troubletones she beams at Santana, and Santana has never been more proud.

//

Santana meets Brittany’s eyes as the walk towards each other, their voices rising and falling together flawlessly, and Santana can’t help but think back to last summer, that night after the fireworks; a smile twitches the corner of her lips, and a returning one spreads across Brittany’s face. Santana knows that Brittany’s thinking back to that night, what seems like a lifetime ago. Santana’s been out for almost six months by now, and she almost can’t remember how nerve-wracking it was to kiss Brittany on the check that night; what she can remember in vivid detail is the red lipstick kiss on her cheek, the glow of green-blue light from the dashboard flashing in blue eyes, the flicker of streetlights painting freckled skin in gold, and Brittany’s fingers tangled with hers over the centre console. She remembers all this in split-second technicolour, and this new memory of Brittany in red, singing a duet together at nationals doesn’t obscure the old one, but rather makes it even more precious.

//

The next time Santana performs everything is so different she barely recognizes anything anymore, but not in a good way. Brittany doesn’t perform beside her and that stings the most; she watches from the wing of the stage, with that broken look on her face that mirrors the one Santana feels. Her heart aches almost constantly, these days, and despite her best intentions of saving their relationship before it could crash and burn, everything’s already in flames. It doesn’t just hurt a little bit, like Brittany said before Santana went on, it still feels like something reached into her chest and ripped out her heart every time she looks at Brittany and remembers that she’s not hers anymore. Santana knows that she did this to herself, and that somehow makes it worse.

//

They don’t perform together for a very long time after that, long enough that the memory of that spark only her and Brittany shared when their eyes met on stage starts to change and fade, no matter how desperately Santana tries to hold on to it. But glee still has regionals, and Santana tears up as soon as she spots Britt on stage without her by her side. Santana’s eyes track Brittany the entire time. She’s beautiful in her purple dress, but also sad; her smile is glowing but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, even under the bright stage lights. It’s the sadness hidden behind her smile that sends Santana looking for her after the winners are announced and the auditorium is empty. Brittany sits by herself on centre stage, and Santana’s chest aches at how wrong it is, how wrong everything is right now. She doesn’t say anything as she approaches her, but she doesn’t have to; Brittany always knows, and she takes the offered hand with a small smile.

//

It’s still a couple months before they perform on stage together again, and it’s somehow even better than Santana remembers, with Brittany beside her the entire time, beaming and flirting and teasing and just being, in a way they haven’t been able to for a very long time. Santana almost forgot how right it feels, dancing beside Brittany with their fingers tangled together. Brittany’s eyes sparkle and, when they meet Santana’s, like always, they send a spark racing down Santana’s spine and everything in her stills and calms. Brittany spins into Santana, using her momentum to press a kiss to her cheek with a grin that’s both cheeky and sweet, and Santana melts into her arms.

//

The first performance during Mercedes’ mall tour is Santana’s moment, the one that her mami always told her about, that someday she would just know when something’s right, and she would know exactly what to do. It’s looking across stage to catch Brittany’s eyes like she always does that makes realization shoot through her like liquid light. Brittany’s blue eyes still glow bright under the crappy mall lighting, and her smile widens as she meets Santana’s gaze, her lips spreading and softening and her eyes sparkling. Santana starts as she realizes that this is that moment, the one her mami told her about, the moment that she realizes that this is exactly what she wants for the rest of her life; to be able to look over at Brittany’s glowing eyes and know that she’s the reason behind their happiness. It’s at a dingy mall in L.A., her shirt stuck to her back with sweat and bored shoppers wandering past without a second look, that Santana starts to plan the most important question she’s ever going to ask Brittany; it’s where Santana starts to plan their future.

//

They’ve performed together so many times before, both throughout high school and on tour with Mercedes, but this, this performance, Santana knows is the most important of her life. She’s nervous and jittery but also excited and eager. Brittany is as adorable as always, moving through their mostly improvised choreography with ease, fun and bright and beautiful. Santana can barely contain her excitement, and even when she starts to sink down to one knee and Brittany follows her lead instead if staying in the chair like Santana planned, she’s nothing more than ecstatic; Brittany is always on the same page as her. Brittany hops on the piano and her eyes turn soft and liquid and warm as her voice melts into Santana’s, her fingers trailing down Santana’s arm with all the gentleness in the world, and Santana knows that this is the moment she’s been waiting to arrive for months — or, really, her whole life.

//

Santana knows that all their other moments, all the performances they’ve done together, all of their songs and dances have lead to this, to this first performance as wife and wife. The song keeps going, but Santana can’t bring herself to pay attention, not when Brittany is goofing off with her on stage, her eyes bluer than Santana’s ever seen them, her smile happier than its ever been. Santana meets Brittany’s eyes and love and adoration shoot through her like an electric shock, warming her from where Brittany’s fingers twine with her own all the way through to her toes, like liquid happiness is spreading through her veins until all she feels is loved and adored.

And, just like the first time Santana caught Brittany’s eye on stage, all those years ago, her heart stops.

[spaceorphan18]

TDB Rewatch: The New Rachel

Hmmmm....  Hm. Hm. Hm.  I have lots of thoughts, but I’m not entirely sure where to start.  Now that we’ve entered season 4 -- the show feels different.  The show feels different at the beginning of every year, but this one may be the most awkward?  I mean, it really feels like they’re trying to do two shows -- and I know I’ve talked about it before, the smushing together of Glee the College Years with Glee the New Class, but the unfortunate thing is that neither one is very developed, which hurts both parts. 

I wonder if too many people are missing -- I mean, do I miss Puck, Quinn, or Mike? No, not really.  I do think Mercedes, Santana, and Finn’s presence is really missing though.  And while I think it was intentional to have the tone be about something missing -- I think maybe the change is too abrupt to feel satisfying.  

It’s also weird that despite missing half the cast, it feels like there’s a lot shoved in here, something that’s going to be a part of the show until we get to the back part of season 5.  Nothing gets to breathe as it should - also a hindrance.  

At the same time, I can already tell it’s not season 3 anymore.  There’s a bit more maturity in it -- it’s not all fluff and happy times, and while there is a heaviness looming over it (that’ll break around the break up), the style of storytelling feels more enjoyable.  I’m not sure if I can make sense of it, but yes, I’m glad to be past the aggravating tone of season 3.  

Thoughts: 

Let’s start with Rachel -- if this had been a show where it’s only about Rachel, I’d be okay with it.  I don’t think her supporting characters are very interesting, but Rachel is finally, finally struggling with things, and that’s a good place to start a character, especially after all the nonsense of season 3.  I will take more issue with it as the show goes on -- does Rachel arc really go anywhere? I’d argue not really outside of her personal relationships, and the non-tension of getting Fanny, but those are thoughts for later in the season.  For now, I think it’s a concept that works, and as usual, if only Glee had built on the potential.

However -- I don’t like Cassie July.  She’s another mean character being mean cause she can be mean.  We already have had Terri, Sue, Quinn, Santana, and now Kitty.  What the hell Ryan Murphy, really?  I guess it also frustrates me because you can show the realities of how tough the business is without having a washed-up angry wanna-be be mean to the main character.  I also hate that once again a failed performer is a teacher.  Stop it, show.  Stop.  

Annnnnd then there’s Brody.  Man, remember when we were happy because at least it was not Finn and no more Finchel? This does not hold up well at all.  I’ll admit - Brody’s introduction was pretty funny.  Then he started talking.  And it’s like - Rachel, ew, no don’t.... for the next seventeen episodes.  But more so than the questionable “advice” Brody’s gonna give Rachel over this arc - I just think he’s boring and has the personality of a block of wood.  Sorry dude. 

Also, NYADA is a scam school -- there’s no way that that chick singing Ava Maria would’ve been cut, she was fine, just needed work.  I get tired of this show presenting actually talented people as bad.  Meanwhile, you would not be singing Billy Joel in the same set as classical music.  It... just doesn’t happen like that? Yeah - get ready for a year of me nitpicking how music school does and doesn’t work.  I have to use my master’s degree for something. 

Meanwhile - back at McKinley, which is marginally more entertaining than the New York stuff at this point... 

Will is really the instigator for all the bad behavior over the years.  Seriously.  He really has no idea what’s going on with his kids.  Fosters this idea that there is a /star/ of the show.  (Even if he lamely tries to shut the ‘New Rachel’ stuff down).  Stops Jake from finishing his song -- which is really kinda rude.  And when he has a ton of interest in the club - doesn’t fill it with members.  Do you guys realize how big show choirs normally are?  A good group might have 20-60 people.  I realize - hey TV and can’t focus on everyone.  But let’s stop with 12 is the most limit.  That’s a chamber group.  C’mon. 

Meanwhile, Matthew Morrison looks like he can’t wait to get out of there.  Poor guy. 

The B-Cast (Sam, Artie, Tina, and Brittany) were b-cast for a reason.  (Oops)  I mean they’ll sorta come into their own, but it’s awkward right now.  Also - the show can’t seem to get past it’s season 1 premise, even if the show has evolved.  Everyone seems to be totally out of character this episode as they try to be a part of the cool kids because Nationals.  It doesn’t work with this group -- even with Brittany, where it’s obvious she’s not trying to be mean, but saying things that make sense to her.  I’m glad this whole idea was dropped after the first episode. 

Kitty’s irritating - they didn’t need a literal retread of Quinn/Santana.  While I don’t think Jake is Puck - Jacob Artist’s acting is a little cringy in this episode.  And - I don’t have an issue with Marley, but I’m not a fan of her mom giving pushing her issues onto her.  Unique is the most interesting out of the new cast -- and I do like that there is interaction between the old crew and the new kids, but after this it sorta becomes separate - which is another issue. 

And, as we’ve all said before, the biggest issue with the newbies is that they felt like they were created to fill the exact holes emptied by the previous graduates instead of letting them be their own characters (like they do in season 6).  It’s going to take a while for them to come into their own - and by then, it’s a little too late, tbh. 

Blaine is a little goober, a sweetpea, and a cinnemon roll.  He does deserve the New Rachel title - and it’s sad that Will will never recognize him for the welcoming leader that he is.  Oy.  

Kurt’s story, my god, I realize I’m biased here, I get it - but it’s the most interesting arc in the episode.  They could have done so much here -- going through leaving your home and going off to the big city to make it without the safety net you were planning on having -- including making the decision to leave your family and significant other behind.  It’s the story Rachel should have had - maybe I’m glad she didn’t.  Hm.  If only Kurt’s season 4 story had been more developed... 

The music of this episode was really good.  I unironically love Call Me Maybe.  And It’s Time is amazing.  I am also not someone who thinks that Lea Michele is miles beyond Melissa Benoist - they just have different styles, and Marley lacks a slight edge, but it mostly works.  

[aresaphrodites]

Hey but sorry to bother u but could give me those book recs? Relying on u girl

of course!! sorry bout the long wait, dear x

you said you preferred trilogies or series’ (which i don’t read much of tbh) so here are a few of my favorites: (( some of these will have full on summaries and some… not so much, i got lazy lol ))

The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout : Meet Katy and Daemon! Katy is a funny, down-to-earth book blogger who has just moved to West Virginia. And Daemon? Well, he’s her hot and arrogant next-door neighbor. He’s also an alien. This one is cheesy, yeah, but it’s so FUN! Follow along as Katy and Daemon try to figure out what they mean to each other while trying not to get killed by the Arum; the Lumen’s enemy. In this world, the DOD is well aware that aliens exist and that they live on Earth. However, they are unaware that the aliens known as Luxen actually possess powers that make them.. well… powerful beyond means. This isn’t just a romance story; it focuses on family and friendships and it has a bunch of kick ass action and the entire plot with the DOD is so interesting. 

The Pine Deep Series by Jonathan Maberry ; I’m only on the first book but this one is a bit more mature in terms of horror and things like that. If you like scary books or feel like being spooky in time for Halloween, you should definitely check this one out! 

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare : I’m sure you know about this one, but if you don’t! Angels, demons, warlocks, vampires, faeries, werewolves? What more could you want? When Clary Fray discovers she’s actually a Shadowhunter; an appointed warrior of the Angel Raziel and has angel blood coursing through her veins, her life is about to change forever. Join her and the rest of the Shadowhunter gang (and even a few others) as they team up to rescue her mom and stop an all out war from happening. 

The Darkest Minds Series by Alexandra Bracken ; I’m only on the first book but I absolutely love it! It’s an intense read that has me on the edge of my seat constantly. I adore Ruby and she’s easily become one of my favorite female characters of all time. 

Dorothy Must Die Series by Danielle Paige ; Okay. I know, I know. Really? Dorothy Must Die? Hear me out! This book is FUN. Trashy? Perhaps, but fun! The first book is really fast paced and honestly? I am living for a world where Dorothy is evil. So basically our main character is named Amy and she is the other girl from Kansas. She’s sent to Oz to save it from Dorothy Gale who has become power hungry and is now pure evil along with the Tin-Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow. The rest of the series doesn’t really live up to the first book, but I would say you should read the first one anyway. It’s a lot of fun. 

Did I Mention I Love You Series by Estelle Maskame: Sixteen-year-old Eden Munro decides to spend the summer with her father in Santa Monica as her parents are divorced now. Once there, she meets her father’s new family and that includes Tyler Bruce; her new asshole step brother with a short temper and a huge ego but as she gets to learn more about him, she finds herself falling for him. This trope isn’t for everyone and I know the whole step sibling thing is super taboo but this series is awesome and I read it during a huge reading slump and it really helped me get though it. 

Perfect Chemistry Series by Simone Elkeles: When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she’s worked so hard for―her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. (Each book in this series focuses on a different Fuentes brother.)

Fighting to Be Free Series by Kirsty Moseley: Jamie Cole has just been released from juvenile detention. Determined to go straight, he tries to cut ties with crime boss Brett Reyes - but Brett has no intention of letting him go. Jamie’s life is already more complicated than it needs to be, yet it’s when he meets a beautiful stranger at a bar that Jamie knows he’s really in over his head. Ellie Pearce has just come out of a terrible relationship and isn’t looking for anything serious; until she meets Jamie. Their attraction is overwhelming and intense - she can’t seem to shake her growing feelings for him, even though she’s trying to keep it casual. But when fate goes horribly wrong and Jamie’s family is faced with ruin, he’s forced to strike a deal with Brett. Despite his struggles, he wants nothing more than a future with Ellie. That’s until Ellie finds out that he’s been hiding more from her than she could ever imagine. 

Mind if I drop in a few stand alone’s? I’m trying to read more series’ but I’ve always been more of a stand alone kind of girl, so here are some of my current favs: 

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil : WELCOME TO THE NEAR FUTURE, where good and honest citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society’s most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0. When seventeen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realizes she’s about to be the next victim of the app. Knowing hardened criminals are getting a taste of their own medicine in this place is one thing, but Dee refuses to roll over and die for a heinous crime she didn’t commit. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she’s innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman’s cast of executioners kill them off one by one?

One Small Thing by Erin Watt : Meet Beth and Chase. Beth is entering her senior year and is still trying to move on from the death of her older sister three years ago. In a small town with parents who have suddenly become her wardens; that seems nearly impossible. And then she meets the mysterious and hot Chase who immediately draws her in. Their attraction is instant and he’s the first person who makes her feel like Beth Jones and not Lizzie; the young girl who lost a sister and is somehow broken by it. But as she falls harder for Chase, she’s hit with the reality of the part he played in her sister’s death. It’s about forgiveness, love, and moving on. It’s sad and sweet and such a fun, quick read. Definitely good for trying to get out of a slump! 

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren :  Fangirl meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this funny and poignant coming-of-age novel from New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren about two boys who fall in love in a writing class—one from a progressive family and the other from a conservative religious community. If you read one book off of this list, PLEASE let it be this one. This book is so… amazing. It’s been months and I still think about it constantly. 

Fault Line by C. Desir : Trigger WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS A RAPE. It is not shown, but it’s the main conflict in the book. Over the years I have struggled with if I liked this book because it was good or if I liked it because of how much it fucked me up. I read this book in one sitting and when I finished, I sat in my bed for a good hour and just…. didn’t move or do anything. You will NOT be rooting for the main couple. The narrator is unlikable and you will HATE all the characters in this book. The ending is NOT happy and I don’t know why I’m recommending this but GOD. This book, after so many years, just stuck with me because of how fucked up it was. It deals with the whole “recovery” process in such a dark way that we normally don’t see in YA fiction and I think that’s what makes it stand out so much. If you want something darker, read this. But read it with caution. If this isn’t something you like then please, don’t bother reading it. It’s not happy and it’s sure as shit not fluffy. Summary : Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl—sarcastic free-spirit Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want. But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone. Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame? Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero : If you like Scooby-Doo or Archie’s Weird Mysteries this book is probably for you. 1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club are all grown up and haven’t seen each other since their fateful, final case in 1977. Andy, the tomboy, is twenty-five and on the run, wanted in at least two states. Kerri, one-time kid genius and budding biologist, is bartending in New York, working on a serious drinking problem. At least she’s got Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the team. Nate, the horror nerd, has spent the last thirteen years in and out of mental health institutions, and currently resides in an asylum in Arhkam, Massachusetts. The only friend he still sees is Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star. The problem is, Peter’s been dead for years.The time has come to uncover the source of their nightmares and return to where it all began in 1977. This time, it better not be a man in a mask. The real monsters are waiting. 

Fatal Throne by Candace Fleming ; A book about Henry VIII and his six wives. If you like historical fiction then this book might be for you! It’s told through the perspective of his six wives (and even Henry himself) and it’s a really fascinating read. 

Okay, I think I’m going to stop here. Let me know if none of these speak to you and I’ll give you some more recs! I didn’t know what kind of genres you liked, so I tried to throw in a little bit of everything.

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Season 2 Wrap Up Thoughts (Part 3)

Okay - hopefully I can be more concise with the rest of it... 

Sam Evans - The Introduction of White Chocolate

The funny thing about Sam is the fact that I don’t think the show knew quite what they wanted to do with him.  At first -- he’s a foil for Finn, and obsessed with status - the only time (if I’m remembering correctly) that he really cares about that.  He dates Quinn - which is more about Quinn.  And it isn’t really until the second half of the season that we get a Sam, who feels more like Sam.  I will say - it’s nice to know that his kindheartedness, though, is there right from the start (in the way he treats Kurt - but in the way he’s inclusive of everyone), which makes him a fresher character.  And through his struggles with being poor, and his interest with Mercedes, while not huge plot points in this season, add some nice complexities to his character.  There seem to be very few ‘good’ characters on the show - but Sam is one of them. 

Puck and Lauren - <Insert Witty Tittle>

There wasn’t a whole lot of Puck in season 2 - which is completely fine.  I think his character served the purpose he needed to in season 1 and I’m not sure there was much more to do with him other than graduate him off, which is why we’ll get an overabundance of Puck in season 3.  The best part is hooking him up with Lauren.  I am a little sad, though, that the writers couldn’t push it all the way though.  While I appreciate Lauren having control over the relationship - it would have been nice to see an obese woman be in a sexual relationship with a conventionally attractive man.  They always toyed with it - but never let it be consummated, which I find sad. 

As for Lauren herself, I’m always back and forth on.  On the plus side, I’m glad we have a larger woman who knows her own strength, and is not afraid to be the person she is.  On the other hand, they couldn’t get out from under the overweight character tropes, such as lame jokes about food.  By the time the season was ending, Lauren was really coming into her own, so I do find it a shame that there wasn’t another season to really develop her -- and her final appearance in season 4 just didn’t do the character justice, even if she was at least given some sort of wrap up. 

Santana, Brittany, and Artie - Lots of Shades of Grey

Hm...where to start.  Let’s start with Santana.  I’m always so back and forth on Santana, because she’s a mean character for the sake of being mean, and I don’t like it.  Like Quinn, there’s this whole deconstructing mean girls thing Ryan Murphy seems to enjoy, and I don’t really give a fig about that stuff.  During the first half of the season - Santana is a bitch because, well, she can be.  

And then they go forward with Santana being a lesbian, and I can get behind this.  I hate to say it added depth to the character, because I feel like that’s diminishing being a lesbian to a novelty (which I’m not trying to do), but Santana became a better character when they add more layers to her.  Stuff with Brittany aside (I’ll get to that in a sec) I do think Santana’s struggling with acknowledging that she’s a lesbian is one of the better arcs in season 2.  And I like that it gives Santana some vulnerability that we otherwise don’t get to see.  

The stuff with Brittany, though, I’m uneasy about.  I don’t doubt that Brittany loves Santana (Brittany, uniquely, loves everyone), but I really do not like the lengths Santana goes to manipulate her and her relationship with Artie.  It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  And while I’m all about the inclusion of f/f romance - I wish they just let them deal with being in love with each other on their own without the added love triangle bonus. 

Brittany, meanwhile, I mostly like in the season.  However, my two issues here are a) Heather Morris is a weaker actor - and while she has some fantastic lines to say, I don’t always feel it from her, and b) like @ckerouac pointed out on the podcast - they have an issue of creating an infantilized Brittany -- reducing her to a childlike state, often times within her romance with Artie, which feels icky, especially when they sexualize her at the same time.  Brittany is an interesting character study - because I do enjoy how much she seems to be open about sexuality and love and seems to genuinely care about everyone! But let’s stop making her like a child, too, show.  

And then there’s Artie - I do feel a sliver bad for him - in that being in a wheel chair makes him feel inferior.  But I really feel like he’s using Brittany to make himself feel better about himself, which doesn’t feel fair at all to Brittany (and in this respect, I prefer Brittany and Santana - cause I think Santana thinks of Brittany as an equal and not as someone who will help her status).  On top of that - Brittany and Artie spend most of the season in happy-ish couple land, which means to the background you go.  Artie, especially, seemed to disappear unless it was semi-troubles with Brittany.  

As an aside - show, why can’t you let Brittany straight up identify as bisexual? Ug, c’mon... 

Mercedes - Always Second Place

If there’s someone who got the short end of the stick this season, it’s Mercedes.  Seriously.  She didn’t really have an arc, and the two(-ish) times she got something to do she was dumbed down or made out to be a bitch.  It’s like the writers had no idea what to do with Mercedes other than make her sing, so they mostly just ignored her the entire season, which is really sad.  The one bright spot is her burgeoning love story with Sam late in the series - which is unfortunately cut short and dropped until mid-season 3.  Sorry, girl - you deserve better! 

Mike and Tina - Happy Couples Don’t Get Screen Time

Mike and Tina spent a lot of time in the background making out.  Seriously - I think they made out more than any other couple on the show, tbh.  However, they had zero plot lines.  Maybe some c-plots here and there.  But they were the happy couple, and c’mon, we should know by now how this show feels about happy couples.  I get that in an ensemble cast this big, you can’t focus on everyone equally, and season 2 tried it’s best - but there seemed to be zero interest in developing either of these characters.  So they made out in the background.  Which, to me, isn’t interesting.  **Shrugs**

Kurt, Blaine, Klaine - and the best damn story of the season 

Alright, so I’ve had an entire meta series and podcast dedicated to gushing about how much I love this, so I’m going to keep this short.  I realize I’m biased, but, by far, the best part of season 2.  And I will go as far as saying, had this arc not been a part of season 2, I don’t think I’d have continued watching.  (In fact, when Kurt left during Furt - I thought they were writing him off the show, and I didn’t want to watch any further.)  

And let’s be honest -- a question to you other Klainers out there -- take out Kurt and Blaine from season 2.  Is it still the best? Do you still think of this as the perfect season of Glee?  I really am curious about this...  

But anyway - the thing that I truly love about this particular arc is how masterfully it’s woven throughout the season.  We start with Kurt -- still dealing with stuff from his season 1 arc, at his lowest of lows, and adding on the bullying stuff as well.  And gradually, throughout the season, he picks himself back up, finds love, finds confidence, and finds a way to say ‘fuck you world - i’m gonna be me’.  And it truly is a gorgeous arc to watch.  (Which, as an aside, I don’t understand just following the Klaine arc of the season, cause Kurt’s arc is so multifaceted)  

Klaine (and Blaine) is this extra bonus.  The Warblers are comedic gold, and entertaining in their own right.  Dalton is this delightful little side world.  But more so - Klaine gets to a gay fairy tale romance.  And it’s such a beautiful thing on it’s own.  And obviously, all the love...  

As for Blaine -- isn’t as developed as a full character yet, but of course, we’ll get to see him do that in the upcoming seasons.  For now - he works as what he is - Kurt’s romantic interest.  On a random, shallow note - I kind of like this Blaine look out of all the others.  Sorry. :P 

Anyway - yes, just a lot of positive gushing for Kurt and Blaine - but I’m sure you knew that already. 

Some Final Thoughts

I’ve often gone back and forth on where I place season 2 in my own personal rankings of the seasons.  Is it the best season? -- Personally, no, it’s not -- but I can understand why it means so much to so many people.  The first season, I still think, had the best writing - and was probably the funniest, but season 2 did something wise and focused in on what people wanted the most - the younger characters and their relationship dynamic.  And when you add that to the the fandom experience -- this kind of golden age where everyone was more or less getting along, it seemed like this perfect time.  So, I get that season 2 gets renowned the way it was.  

But, for me, when you take away the stuff with Kurt and Blaine, there isn’t a whole lot of things for me to like.  I do think there was some good stuff with Santana in the second half.  I do think there were some overall strong ensemble stories.  But most of it -- I find myself not really caring about.  And I think, overall, season 2′s lows are lower than season 1s.  There are some really bad episodes and plot lines in this episode that I think are forgotten because the highs are so highs.  Season 5 might be a bit messier in its story telling, but I think as a giant whole - I prefer that one better.  However - I will say that Kurt’s story arc in season 2 might be my favorite story arc in the entire show.  

And I suppose that is how SO sees it ;)