Name: Hina
DW username: (none)
E-Mail: keyofgdemolished@gmail.com
IM: eyeslikemoonlite

*note - I can also better be reached at my plurk, hina_mun

Other Characters: N/A

Character Name: Brittany Susan Pierce
Series: Glee
Timeline: S2E22: "New York"
Canon Resource Link: Brittany at the GLEE WIKI


Character Background:

In a world where people spontaneously bust into highly-choreographed musical numbers and few find this unnatural...there is a girl.  A girl known as Brittany S. Pierce.  Not Britney Spears, though it wouldn't be the first time she's heard all that.  No, this Brittany is a quadruple threat: singer, dancer, and fashionista.  

Our introduction to the not-quite-elusive Ms. Pierce comes in a role that, for a time, would appear to define her character: she is seen hanging out in the background with her cheerleader besties, watching the geeks of Glee Club perform.  Even when the Unholy Trinity (herself, Quinn and Santana) auditions for the Club under their Coach's direct orders, she is just a backup singer.  A Follower.  One who could be easily influenced by her surrounds, and dismissed as nothing more than another shallow Popular Girl.

However, this perception gradually diminishes the longer her presence lingers.  For one, even though she is supposed to be in Glee Club as a spy, she is the first to form amicable relationships with nearly every member of the club, each of them genuine.  She helps fellow members Kurt and Tina create a music video tribute set to Beyonce's All the Single Ladies.  Not only that, but when Kurt's father comes home and catches his son wearing a leotard and singing about Putting a Ring On It...she is the first to "cover" for him, creating a story about how he had just joined the School Football team as the kicker ("That's the smallest guy on the field, right?")

What's particularly interesting about this moment here is what it implies: not only is Brittany actually fully aware of the tenseness of the situation, as well as the fear Kurt has of disappointing his father, but she is able to think up an excuse quick enough.  True, it's a lie...but it's the thought and motivation behind the lie that counts.

Similarly, she makes a passing comment about Quinn buying "elastic-waist pants" at the Mall during a rehearsal absence, well aware of the girl's condition long before most of the other members. 

When Coach Sylvester joins the Glee Club as a co-advisor, the first thing she does is split the Club into two groups.  Everyone initially thinks that she's going to claim her Popular Cheerios for her team, and the first selection seems to prove her right.  She calls Santana.  Then she subsequently calls the remaining minorities of the Club (using such titles as "Gay Kid" "Asian" "Other Asian"), and not Brittany or Quinn.  The two of them are left on a team of five, along with Puck, Rachel, and Finn.  The odds aren't in her favor, however, because that still leaves her on a team with Mr Scheuster's golden children, whom he immediately gives all the solos too.  Quinn uses this opportunity to manipulate Brittany (because everybody does it!) into thinking that Mr Scheuster simply doesn't care about minorities.  This semi-justifiably angers both Puck and Brittany, who--being Jewish and Dutch, respectively--decide they want to defect to Sue's team.

Away from the influence of the Cheerios and Coach Sue Sylvester, however, Brittany is shown to be surprisingly kind and all-loving.  The incident with Kurt was the first step, but even more telling is the friendship she ends up forming with a young Down Syndrome girl by the name of Becky.  Even the less popular Glee Club members look upon Becky with judgement and visible distain when Brittany brings her over to their bake sale.  Yet, not only is Brittany oblivious to the hatred, she even sweetly offers to buy Becky one of their cupcakes just because the younger girl didn't have a dollar.  Puck later comments that Brittany regularly cheats off Becky's school papers, which may seem like an ulterior motive at first, until one stops to think about what this really means: Brittany sees Becky as just like any other girl in the school, and accepts her for who she is.  She is not ashamed to be seen with her, and even considers Becky an intellectual superior.

Her views on sex are oddly casual, despite her at times almost child-like, innocent, accepting nature.  During a five-way telephone conversation with several Club members, she inadvertently lets it slip that she and Santana are sleeping together, the first hint at her bisexual (or, as she calls herself, "bicurious") nature.  Sleeping together doesn't automatically mean dating, however, nor does she have any qualms with simultaneously dating the same guy.  Whom they are both willing to ditch mid-date yet take his credit card to pay for dinner.  Granted, this was mainly Santana's idea, with Brittany once again going along with what her bestie with benefits says.   Her main contribution to the conversation ends up being an odd position on the true nature of Dolphins (that they are actually "gay sharks"), a line which even Santana has to do a double-take on to make sure she is really hearing what she's hearing.

Further evidence of how easily influenced Brittany is comes during Coach Sylvester's Madonna phase.  She takes the Life Lesson to heart so strongly that, when encouraged to date a younger guy, she chooses her younger sister's seven-year-old soccer friend.  For once, however, she turns the situation around on Santana by offering her advice, again based off her casual views of sex, by suggesting that she should take Finn's virginity in order to gain his loyalty.  Somehow, she was able to remember that Finn's birthday was three days before Santana's, making him technically younger and  demonstrate a surprising awareness of the people around her after all.

Her borderline dependent nature is pushed to its limits when Coach Sylvester falls into a slump, leaving the entire Cheerios squad at a loss without her.  Brittany takes her absence the hardest, suddenly no longer to even dress herself properly.  She is briefly seen wandering the hallways in a daze, hair and uniform backwards and begging the most unpopular kids in school for help.

For all her sexual conquests--including having made out with nearly every guy and girl in the school, including the janitor--Brittany sees herself as high ranking in both social status and hotness.  In fact, she ranks #4 on an anonymous Glist posted for the entire school to see.  But that wasn't enough for her.  She wanted to be #1.  She's even quick to jump Kurt when the boy suddenly decides to take on a more "masculine" way of life out of fear of his father's rejection; she claims that being able to make out with him (something she had previously shied away from out of possible respect for the fact that he identified as gay) would give her a "perfect score."

Another side to Brittany is the role of Fashionista.  When the Glee Club puts together a Lady Gaga tribute performance, she not only manages to put together a fabulous outfit for herself, complete with futuristic dress and a silver lobster headpiece, but she is the first to voice aloud what everyone was thinking regarding Rache's less than impressive dress: it looked terrible (and she looked awesome, for the record).  This lack of inner censor at times gives her the ability to make comments such as these when others would hold back.

At the end of the school year, upon losing at Regionals, she and the rest of the Cheerios admit to having come to love being in Glee Club, joining in the believed Goodbye song to Mr Scheuster, To Sir With Love.  However, it is soon revealed that Coach Sylvester, of all people, convinces the Prinvipal not to axe the Club just yet, because Scheuster was too good of a rival to give up so easily.  Brittany and the rest look forward to sharing the following school year together.

Brittany has been defined by her creator and actress as being literally insane, the definition of which refers to an innate habit and ability to repeat the same thing over and over again, without the promise of change in results.  It is possibly because of this that she is so good at cheerleading and dancing, two activities which require rigorous amounts of practice, often involving insane levels of repetition over an indeterminate amount of time.  It is also possibly because of this insanity that she is revealed in the season two opener that she spent the entire summer lost in the sewers.  

Her Follower status is once again brought into play when Coach Sylvester, finding a new rival in the form of the new Football Coach, a woman named Beiste, talks her into claiming sexual harassment.  Her slightly eccentric ways make it difficult for people to tell if she is lying, until she cracks under pressure and admits that, no, Coach Beiste didn't touch her boobs.  In fact, she actually wants to touch Coach Beiste's boobs.  She had nothing against the new Coach whatsoever, and had only gone along with the charade because Coach Sylvester made her.

An interesting tidbit about Brittany to take note of is that, while just about every other character in the show that has had a sexuality-related story-line has been seen to struggle with that particular identity, Brittany has identified herself as bisexual/"bicurious" from the very start and never once faltered in that identity or felt ashamed of it.  Nor does she draw much attention to it beyond passing comments or in relation to other people's struggles.  In return, she is one of the few characters who has never been shown to have social-emotional fall-outs from this: Kurt was bullied for being gay.  In fact, with few exceptions, Brittany has never shown anything but the utmost confidence in who she is and what kind of person she is.  One of these exceptions comes into play when the Glee Club attempts to do a tribute to Britney Spears.  It is here that Brittany reveals she doesn't like her music because her middle name is Susan, meaning her full name is actually Brittany S. Pierce, and she never liked the comparison.

It is also during the Britney/Brittany tribute that we learn a few more random tidbits about her.  She was once abducted by aliens, and going to the dentist reminds her of the experience.  She doesn't brush her teeth, instead washing her mouth out with soda, and ended up with over 60 cavities.  She thought Dr. Pepper was a dentist.  She also hallucinates Britney Spears music videos while under the effects of anesthesia, and apparently comes out of the experience with a new appreciation for the ex Mickey Mouse club member.  Her own confidence in her abilities increases, and she now claims that not only does she no longer mind the comparisons because she is that awesome, but her awesomeness is deserving of all the Glee Club solos ever now.  

When the Glee Club goes through a crisis of faith over Kurt's father having a Heart Attack around the same time Finn finds an image of Jesus burned into a grilled cheese sandwich, Brittany steps up both by offering her stance--that she does, in fact, pray (even though she falls asleep)--as well as doing what she can for Kurt by giving him a book she wrote especially for his father's doctors.  The Book says that Heart Attacks came from Loving Too much.

When Puck, Santana's current boy toy, is thrown in juvie for a while, Santana turns to her bestie for makeout times.  During one of these moments shared, Brittany suggests the two of them do a duet together.  She even suggests Come To My Window, a song written by Melissa Etheridge, an iconic gay and lesbian activist.  Coincidental, or perhaps a hint that Brittany was starting to recognize stronger feelings?  Either way, she is quickly rejected and passed off as a convenient temporary substitute.  This hurts her enough to turn around and initiate a relationship with Artie in order to make Santana jealous.  In fact, Brittany's past advice about taking a guy's virginity to earn his loyalty comes back to her when she does just that, after Artie confesses he still has feelings for Tina.  Unfortunately, the entire experience backfires in the long run: just as Artie confronts her about how the experience meant too much to him to be able to stand her using him like that, we find that she had actually started to develop genuine feelings for him too.  She is left watching him wheel away.

They try again when Artie also realizes he still has feelings, going on a double date with Puck and Santana.  Brittany's attempts at flirting go unusually unnoticed, since they involved her squeezing his (paralyzed) leg to get his attention.  She forgot.  Ultimately, her inability to ever say no to Santana for too long is her downfall yet again, as she goes along with Santana and Puck's suggestion to up and leave Artie with the bill.  

Somehow, they manage to become an actual couple, despite the constant misunderstandings, by the time Kurt and Finn's parents get married, and are seen together at the wedding.

A test of this relationship comes into play when Brittany and Mike are chosen to perform a duet dance number at Sectionals.  Brittany, despite her confidence, starts to crack under the pressure.  Artie tries to help by giving her a "magic" comb, but she almost immediately loses it.  Out of guilt, she starts avoiding him.  Spending more and more time with Mike practicing.  Mike's girlfriend suspects them of cheating, and when Artie confronts her about committing "adultery", her limited vocabulary causes her to think he meant she was being "a dolt", and she promptly admits to it.  The misunderstanding is later cleared up, at which time Artie tells her that she doesn't need a magic comb because she is "magic" to him.  She dedicates her performance to him, and she and Mike rock the house with a show-stopping routine set to Valerie.

Brittany's belief in magic further comes into play when it is revealed she believes in Santa Claus.  Not just the notion and idea of him, but the actual man.  As a loyal girlfriend, she only asks the mall Santa for one thing: she wants Artie to be able to walk again.  A true Christmas miracle.  Not wanting to destroy the last of her innocence, Artie goes so far as to convince Coach Beiste to dress up as Santa and visit Brittany at home to explain why it can't be done.  But the fact that she was denied her wish disappoints her to the point where she wonders what the point is in believing anymore.  Artie goes out of his way to aquire a piece of highly advanced technology that acts as an exoskeleton for his legs, effectively allowing him to walk again (albeit awkwardly and stiff, and not truly under his own power.)  The sight of this alone is enough to renew her faith in the Holiday Spirit, and she no longer stops believing.

Her first major act of independence against Coach Sylvester comes when the Coach makes her and the others choose between Cheerios and Glee Club.  Initially choosing Cheerios, she finds herself nearly confronted with a literal life-threatening situation.  Coach wants to shoot her out of a canon as part of their routine.  She nearly agrees to it, until Finn shows up and convinces her that it isn't worth it.  When she does, finally, confront her Coach and officially quits in favor of going back to Glee, she does so with the line, "Sucks for you."

No longer constantly donning her Cheerleading outfit, we now see Brittany's fashion style for what it is: she's a natural trend-setter.  So much so that Rachel actually uses her in order to convince the rest of the school that her poodle sweaters and headbands and catholic school skirts are actually a trend.  It works, but all too well: Brittany receives all the credit.  Something which Brittany is proven to not only be aware of, but confronts Rachel with when Rachel tries to reprimand her.  She was being used, and it honestly served Rachel right to have the plan backfire.

During the club's brief experience with Alchohol, we learn two things: one, that Brittany is the "drunk that turns into a stripper" (as Finn puts it), and two, she does Ke$ha better than Ke$ha.  

For all her sexual experience, Brittany doesn't learn exactly where babies come from until "Cool" substitute Holly Holiday explains that no, a stork outside your window doesn't mean you are pregnant.  After that brief pregnancy scare, Brittany and Santana decide that Holly is the best person to go to for advice on their complicated relationship.  Words are still left unspoken, which is why it is suggested they get their feelings out in song.  They do, performing Landslide in an emotional moment.  Most everyone in the Club realizes what is going on, and Santana even takes the time afterwards to privately admit that, all this time, she has been so bitchy and mean because she couldn't deal with the fact that she was in love with Brittany and isn't ready for that kind of public judgement.  Brittany admits to loving Santana as well (although she doesn't admit it aloud as respond "Of course I do" when Santana asks her), but she also loves Artie and can't hurt him like that.  Loyalty won't let her break up with him under these circumstances because it would hurt him too much.

Santana 'moves on' by starting to go after Sam, and the complications continue.

Brittany, meanwhile, accidently ended up joining another club: the Brainiacs, and academic team that was apparently that desperate for members.  Much to everyone's surprise, however, the walking stereotype turns out to also be an idiot savant when it comes to cat diseases, helping them to win their latest competition.

When Santana makes a deal with former bully Karofsky to be each other's "beards" (as both of them were still in the closer about their sexual identities), Brittany is shown to be extremely jealous, even though she is still with Artie at the time.  The Glee Club does another Lady Gag tribute, including having them wear printed t-shirts about something they have or currently admit about themselves.  Brittany's shirt reads "I'm With Stoopid", and an arrow pointing upward.  Indicating she is fully aware of her own mental shortcomings and accepts them.  She tries to make one for Santana that reads "Lesbian" (although an improper spelling leads it to read "Lebanese"), but Santana refuses to go along with it.  In the end, Santana does wear the shirt...but sits out of the performance in the audience, with Karofsky.  

Shortly after, Brittany's vocabulary once again gets her in trouble: on her new Internet Gossip Show, Fondue for Two, she makes a comment about Santana "playing for the other team".  She actually meant that Santana had once been a Cheerio but now was a full-time Glee Club member.  The misunderstanding angers Santana even further.  Meanwhile, Artie confronts her about her relationship with Santana, to which Brittany admits that she believes sleeping with another girl isn't cheating.  Artie tells her that this is Santana's manipulation talking, and calls her stupid.   Brittany starts crying, telling him that he was the only one who had never called her that, and runs off in tears.  

To Santana.

The girls share a private confessional moment, now that Brittany no longer feels the loyalty she once did to Artie.  However, Santana says she isn't ready to go public yet.  Wanting to be supportive, Brittany offers for her to come on her Internet Show, where she will ask Santana to the prom.  Santana agrees, but then stands her up.  Not only that, but she purposely gives an interview the next day to the main school reporter, Jacob Ben Israel, in which she purposely looks at Brittany while calling Karofsky her 'soul mate'.  The drama continues.

At Prom, Brittany decides that she is going to prom alone so that she can dance with everyone's dates.  Even an attempt by Artie to makeup (though song, of course) doesn't sway her decision.  Artie called her stupid, and it still hurt.  At the prom, she dances with boys and girls alike.  When Santana loses the Prom Queen vote to Kurt, she comforts her and admits she voted for her.  She then tells her that they should both support Kurt, who is their friend, because this is his moment now.

At Nationals, the Glee Club come in 12th Place.  Brittany, having gotten multiple solos this time around, doesn't find this upsetting in the least.  In fact, she confesses to Santana that she's just happy they get to be in Glee Club because she loves everybody in it.  But she loves Santana even more.  More than she's ever loved anyone.  The two hug and link pinkies, finally overcoming the countless roadblocks that had been separating them until now.

Abilities/Special Powers:
As Brittany is 99% Human (the other 1% is undetermined), she possesses no extraordinary abilities or special powers beyond the physical limitations of her species.  It is worth noting that, thanks to the 4th Wall nature of living in a Musical world, she is somehow capable of seemingly spontaneously producing song and dance numbers with limited to no prior rehearsal.  Often times, in synch with her fellow Lima, Ohio residence, though it is possible for her to solo.  Most impressively, she is capable of performing highly athletic dance moves in questionably high heels.

She is also apparently an idiot savant when it comes to cat diseases, both in identifying and knowledge of how to treat, and capable of generating fashion trends simply by wearing a particular style.

 

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Third-Person Sample

A world that didn't make sense?  No big.  The last one she had spent her days wandering through never made much sense to her, either.  One where there were supposedly a double of her running around in a parallel dimension?  Hot.  Something about puzzles and time and space?  Less hot.  Too many numbers.  But a world apparently based off of some to do with Mirrors?

Best.  World.  Ever.

It kind of reminded her of the last time she was abducted by aliens.  That strange, metallic lab where they used all sorts of shiny objects to poke and prod at her mouth.  Giving her strange substances that made her hallucinate.  Oh, no, wait.  that was the dentist.  Her bad.  But then there was the other strange, metallic lab that definitely belonged to aliens.  They reminded her of the dentist, except that time was totally different.

Where was she going with this again?  Oh, right, mirrors.

She stared at the smooth, glassy surface for what seemed like an eternity.  Her own reflection stared back.  Hmm.  Suspicious.  Especially the part where she held up upside-down, to the left and to the right, and even spun around a few times.  Nothing.  Still there.  It was following her.  Like a paparazzi stalker.    Pretty rude, mirror!her.  You could at least bring a camera with you or something, instead of just staring back like that so obviously.  

She put the mirror down, and stood up, stretching her arms over her head.  This was getting her nowhere, so she might as well go somewhere.  Did this world have a Breadstixx?  She sure hoped so; staring at her reflection could work up quite the appetite.

First-Person Sample