Thank you all for your patience in waiting for the new chapter. We’re getting down to the final leg of our journey with this story. After this, we have two more chapters plus an epilogue to go. Thank you for reading, reviewing, asking questions about, and making beautiful art for my story. Y’all are the best! I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Pairing: Brittana
Rating: M
Word Count: ~36,000
Part: 13/15
Summary: “Not for the first time in her life, Santana wishes she could believe in one good thing. She can’t ask the devil on her shoulder to save Brittany because it doesn’t seem right to do so, so instead she just whispers to anything that will hear her.”
Author’s Note: I feel extraordinarily lucky to get to work with not one but two brilliant betas and an amazing Spanish translator. A thousand-million thank yous to Han for knowing the rules of my story so amazingly well and for going above and beyond the call of beta duty. A thousand-million thank yous to the wonderful Dr. Ruth for being so incredibly insightful and for being such a good reader. She does so much and helps me to up my game in ways I can’t even explain. A thousand-million thank yous to the fantastic Lu for translating for me. She always makes sure I say what I mean with the Spanish. Also, I dedicate this chapter to Alice. Happy belated birthday, bb!
A while ago, I wrote an essay in my Sexy Analysis series about the love scene in JJ’s “The Knife Thrower’s Daughter”. I have long hoped to write another essay about the later parts of the story, at the point of its completion. I still hope to do so, but time is sometimes not compliant and, regardless of whether I do write a more structured essay in the future, I thought it might be of interest to provide a form of commentary on the latest chapter.
I’ve been lucky enough to have the honor of guest beta-ing for JJ for the past few chapters while Han has been kicking ass with her PhD completion, and, with JJ’s kind consent, the following is a different kind of analysis — one which provides some snippets of what happens between writer and beta, and then elaborates on them in a more critical commentary.
Please Note: Under the cut are spoilers for the entirety of TKTD, up to the end of Chapter 13; if you haven’t read the chapter yet, please be aware that I talk about the whole of it, and from the very beginning of this commentary.
Okay, so I got behind on reblogging all the lovely fic posted during Brittana Week because apparently I cannot both read fic and write fic at the same time.
Since I will never catch up on those reblogs but still wanted to share in the awesomeness of what I’ve read with all y’all, I thought I’d make a rec post. Read and enjoy these stories and reblog them from their authors, a’ight? Cool.
“We came here for the girls who fell in love in a two-shot in the background. We leave here with the girls walking arm-in-arm, the only ones in their frame.
So the moral of all this?
Brittana is a love story that begins, “Once upon a time, there were two cheerleaders who fell in love…,” and ends, “… and they lived happily ever after.”
But more than that? Brittana is love.”
- JJ
On Brittana and Happy Endings
All right, fandom.
Real talk time.
Does one episode which exceeded our expectations make up for a whole season—or several seasons, as it were—full of heartache, disappointment, insult, and upset upon upset?
No, not even a little bit.
After all, any story can begin “Once upon a time…” and end with “… and they all lived happily ever after;” it’s what happens in the middle that really counts.
And, in this case? The middle was disjointed and bobbled at best, offensive and caustic at worst.
Glee is not a good show.
It is hurtful in its messages, sloppy in its storytelling, and doesn’t live up to its potential, as well we all know. Though it’s an equal opportunity offender, it oftentimes does the most damage to the same marginalized groups it purports to champion.
This season finale? It doesn’t make up for the season.
That said, it was the best season finale we could have asked for, given the circumstances.
And why?
Because it allows us to finally say goodbye.
Our journey began with our girls in love in the background, a two-shot. It ends with those same girls in love, the only two characters in the frame.
So let’s talk a little bit about our ending.
One more time, guys?
Feelings, feelings, feelings after the cut.
Once upon a time, there lived two cheerleaders who fell in love maybe over years or maybe overnight, but deeply and truly and with their whole hearts. They were both afraid, feeling so much for each other. They were afraid of changing because power brings about change—and their love was powerful. The one cheerleader felt especially frightened. She knew that if she loved her best friend, nothing would ever be the same, so she tried to shut out her feelings and run away. She couldn’t stay away, though—not forever. She was already in too deep. She loved the other cheerleader too much. And so she and the other cheerleader decided that they would face their fears together. They decided to stick together, even when everything changed around them. It wasn’t easy. People tried to tear them down and tell them that they weren’t good enough. Twists of fate and circumstance threatened to undo them and destroy what they had. But here’s the thing: true love conquers all. The two cheerleaders always found each other, no matter what came up against them. But then came distance. And then parting. It was difficult, sticking together, even when they were apart. The other cheerleader found herself lost, drifting through tides of people who didn’t understand her and called her names. She missed the girl she loved but couldn’t talk to anyone about it. For a while, she thought that maybe she and the other cheerleader wouldn’t make it. After all, they had said goodbye to each other. But here’s the thing: true love conquers all. And in the end? The two girls found each other, all alone on a stage, the lights out, their friends gone. Everything had changed. Nothing would ever be the same. But it’s like I said: true love conquers all. And these two cheerleaders loved each other deeply, truly, and with their whole hearts. Other people might try to tell you that their story ended differently, but it didn’t. They walked off hand in hand together, heart in heart with each other. And you want to know my favorite part? They lived happily ever after.
NO, IT’S FINE
I’M NOT IN PAIN
WAIT, YES, I AM
