#this was a bit messy but you love brittana anon so i'm sure you'll find something in there

[tuiyla]

Should I like, maybe examine why Santana would fall for Brittany over the others on a character level?

not the og anon but i love brittana so i’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

I kinda got into it when replying to OG Anon a second time but I didn't want to leave this unanswered, and since then I got another ask I'll take as a chance to explain Brittany's POV. So with this one, allow me to look at Santana's POV in-universe a bit! Because bringing in the production perspective is always appreciated but it can get messy and sometimes it's nice to just look at these characters as people.

To be perfectly honest this will be more gushing than analysis and I don't think I could, or maybe should say why it's Brittany over the others. Because we could talk about compatibility and the potential of any pairing, but the truth is that we only ever see Santana be romantic with Brittany and Dani, but even the latter is on such a minuscule scale. So it wouldn't even feel fair to compare with any other ship because it would all be pure speculation. I think there's space for that, but just for right now and for me, who does treasure Santana's other relationships very much and doesn't want to diminish their importance in any way.

So, why Brittany for Santana. I think the fundamental biggie with Brittana is how they believe in each other. For Santana, that means that Brittany was for the longest time basically the only person who didn't expect the worst of her. I've talked about this before but I don't get how anyone can say Brittany doesn't want Santana to be better at all or that she encourages her worst tendencies. I don't think so. I just think that Brittany has always known what good Santana was capable of and didn't write her off as many others had. So when Santana says, "you've always just wanted me to be myself," it's about that belief. It's not about pushing her to be a better person but giving her space the express what's already inside. Santana proves in The Back-Up Plan that all she really needs is someone to believe that she's worth the wait and long before anyone else did that, Brittany believed.

So imo that's a huge part of it, Santana naturally being drawn to Brittany's faith in her. As I said in my second reply to OG Anon, I also think that Santana likes Brittany's eccentricity. I think she found Britt's blunt yet amusing and very unique way of talking and seeing the world refreshing. Anger had been her default emotion for so long and I think she had her guards up but Britt was able to push through that and be someone Santana's just happy to be around. I also think, being with her, Santana could relax more than she could with other people. It'd be super fascinating to know when and how they began hooking up (from a ch perspective) but I'm sure Brittany was able to put Santana at ease like no others.

Brittany's also shown to be very patient with her. She doesn't tolerate everything, as she shouldn't, but she goes so long before she first starts asking questions about the nature of their relationship and pressing Santana on that. Which I don't see as her pressuring Santana at all, Britt had every right to be confused and to want answers. But overall, she doesn't let herself be pushed away like others do so easily and that's something Santana desperately needs. For someone, when she lashes out, to say: I know you're hurting but that's no excuse, however I won't let it happen because you're self-sabotaging. Like I said Brittany doesn't tolerate everything and I think it'd be unhealthy for both if she did, but she also doesn't give up on Santana.

Then there's Brittany being such an overall light in Santana's life. Everything that's good in this miserable, stinking world. And make no mistake, I don't think you should build your whole life around a single person (hence my love for every other Santana relationship), and I don't agree with the interpretation where only Britt matters to Santana. I think their breakup allows her to branch out and learn to care, and show that she cares, about other people. I don't think Brittany is the sunshine and rainbows one and Santana the mean grump who only ever even likes this one person, like I see others do sometimes. I think that misunderstands both their characters.

But, I do think Brittany softens Santana. I think she brings a side out of her that had until then been buried, probs thanks to Alma (thanks, Abuela). And it's Brittany who can get Santana to drop the tough act, Brittany who smiles at her and suddenly the world's not so miserable. Brittany who makes her feel, you know? And this is where we reach the point when, after all of the above, I say that Santana fell for Brittany just because. I could continue listing what I think she ultimately saw in her, but I think Santana was just a 14-15 year-old kid who got close to this other pretty cheerleader girl and that was that.

Why do people fall in love? I don't know. I just know that Santana Lopez used to count the number of times Brittany S. Pierce would smile at her and she'd die on days that she didn't. That Santana would melt into puddles just staring at Britt for a beat too long in the locker room and see the genius when everyone else called Brittany stupid. Santana grew up thinking she always had to be tough and show no vulnerability but then here was this girl with her blunt words, questioning things no one else did, being so casually honest with an open heart. And then she used that heart to believe in Santana, of all people? Girl never stood a chance against falling for Brittany. And maybe, in another timeline, it could have been someone else but then who would have told her that dolphins are just gay sharks.