In which Blaine's rigidly conditioned conceptions about gender are torpedoed by Kurt, and maybe that's for the best (it is absolutely for the best). A great little introspective fic.

In which we see Blaine's life in a cross section of important moments with his ties. Adorably and occasionally heart-breakingly fitting. This fic drops into Blaine's headspace like a bomb going off underwater, rippling in strange and strangely heavy ways.

In which Blaine makes breakfast for people, and then someone makes breakfast for him. Oooh, feels.

In which we see the aftermath of the Sadie Hawkins dance. This fic hit me right in the nostalgia gut. I remember being a young teen and overhearing hard stuff from my parents and feeling the weight of their words like a death sentence. Even if this fic is sort of indulgently angsty, it's pretty damn age appropriate.

In which we see what a typical day is like in the life of Blaine Anderson. ;_________; My heart.

"As the warm, pure-hearted crooner, Blaine becomes the perfect counterpart and love object for the more ambitious, complex Kurt and for fans."
.......
"Perhaps most unusual of all, Criss writes and performs songs from a female point of view even outside of the Blaine character. Criss composed the song “The Coolest Girl,” for the character of Hermione in a musical adaptation of Harry Potter. In concert, he often performs the song, asking the largely female audience to join in, since “I am not a girl, although I try to be sometimes.”

Just as Colfer provides a model for queer kids who have not yet been represented, so Criss provides an equally significant alternative model for queer straightness. Both performers, through Glee and beyond it, give voice to radically fluid adolescent masculinities that do indeed offer their audiences new ways to dream."

"In the narrative, Kurt transfers to Dalton Academy to escape bullying and joins the Warblers, an all-male a cappella group fronted by gay crooner Blaine. Musically, Glee also takes a big leap, shifting from exposing the homophobic, misogynist stigma surrounding male singing to actively shattering it and singing on its grave."

Going back and rereading all these is making my day. "But what I really love? Is that Blaine is a leader. And readily followed. And deeply insecure. And struggling with the consequences of talent and attention. And maybe it’s the blazer and my sense that I can understand the world of his part of the show more than I can understand the world of the other parts of the show .... But he knows he’s lucky. And he just grabs for things. It’s all there in “Raise Your Glass,” which is his victory moment after doing something he adores (singing) with someone he adores (Kurt, who is complex and remarkable in his own right). It’s glorious.

Most of us don’t get victory moments like Blaine’s on that stage. Not in front of a cheering crowd, not spurring every one of your friends on to more joy and awesomeness. But somehow we get let into that moment in “Original Song,” and it’s startling. It’s why musicals matter. Hell, it’s why music matters."

In which they're all American Idol contestants, and the journey to self-acceptance can sometimes be hard and and sometimes be nationally televised. This was... amazing, is probably a good word? Scandal, emotional breakthroughs, friendships, romance, sweet scenes, sexy scenes, and a shit ton of giddily perfect musical numbers (OH GOD, GOLDEN SLUMBERS/CARRY THAT WEIGHT) make this fic the best kind of roller coaster you could possibly ask for. Blaine's journey in this fic was riveting and heart-warming and really, embarrassingly cathartic for me, and if you want to grin your mouth off you should just open this fic and begin reading immediately. P.S. The addition of Jesse St. James to any fic automatically increases it's awesome by a factor of about a hundred, but this fic really capitalizes on him in an unabashedly hilarious way. He WOULD be on Idol. Perfection.

In which we see Blaine adjusting to life at McKinley after everything with Kurt. A continuation of the Truth & Consequences verse. I seriously do not have enough words to praise this series. This author has a fantastic way with words, and Blaine here is clear-sighted and endearing and, with Kurt, frankly enchanting to read. As I said before, it's not about Kurt so much as it's about the way people can't help but respond to Kurt, and seeing Blaine evolve into someone who can be the person Kurt keeps in the center, someone to be steady in the face of that force of nature, is flooring and heady and liable to produce giddiness. Everything this author produces is a treasure, but I'm feeling that more than usual after reading this fic.

In which Blaine transfers to McKinley and suddenly sanity reigns in the form of intense, dedicated, often salacious deadpanning. THIS IS THE GREATEST THING. THE GREATEST. SCREAMING IN LAUGHTER. ELEVEN AND TWELVE ARE MY FAVORITE, BUT THEY ARE ALL AMAZING. ALL. AMAZING.

In which LotR was Blaine's childhood passion, and he continues to measure his life by this books. Wish I'd seen this sooner. Secret personal canon!!!!

In which we see Blaine's many years at Asian Camp before Junior year of high school. This was really, really lovely.

In which Kurt brings his Dalton friends to come to sit in on a New Directions rehearsal and Blaine has his eyes opened. Hilarious and a little bittersweet. :')