Miscellany Glee

I've made multiple posts about Sugar and Lauren, but I feel like maybe I should explain how I see their dynamic/relationship a bit more... Though, I'm mostly doing this for myself lol

Initially, I kind of thought that the ship (that no one was forcing me to come up with, mind you) didn't even make sense outside of the 2 second clip of them at the Sadie Hawkins dance where they're sitting beside each other, butttt now I'm reconsidering. Like when I made that first laugar post I felt that a relationship between them wouldn't technically work out because Lauren would dislike Sugar and their only possible romantic dynamic would have to be based on that, which is still fun, but now I'm thinking about them in a different way.

I feel like maybe there would be some dislike at first. However, I also feel that eventually Lauren would really admire how straightforward Sugar is (and the other way around would be true also). They're both kind of "mean" (in a way) and I think that Lauren would really enjoy having someone like that as a partner. They would have so much fun together... Also, considering how they defend themselves, I feel like they would be very very supportive of one another. Basically, their protectiveness of their own self would extend to the other.

This is just kind of a small additional throwaway detail that I though of, but there's like a fight in season 3 that I can't find a clip of rn, and Sugar is very engaged and cheering on the ppl that are fighting... Lauren does wrestling.. Which means Sugar would really enjoy watching and would be very very supportive of her... Think about it 🫣

Anyway, as far as I can remember, we never see Sugar doing romantic actions, and though Lauren has performed some acts of service before, it is mostly only others performing them for the two of them -- like Puck trying to get with Lauren, and Artie and Rory fighting over Sugar -- but I think (based on the 2 second clip of them getting up together) they would both be happy to do that for each other and then also, obviously, receive that in return...

Essentially, they both like big declarations/actions of love and I think they would both want to do that for the other because they finally found someone that inspires them to do so!

There are a few clips of Lauren doing these big sort of "actions" for someone (idk what to call it) and being helpful, but only one of them was "for love", I guess. That being her targeting Jacob, dressed as a vampire to get Robert Pattison's attention lol. I just think it's funny to think about her doing something like that to please or get the interest of Sugar, who loves this type of attention.

I mean, you could argue that her rescuing Puck and then asking to do 7 minutes in heaven with him would also be a depiction of this, but she also asked him for other stuff, so there were motivations other than love involved imo.

Also building onto the admiration + them at the dance, I think there could be like a kind of canon-compliant mutual pining trope with them. This is actually the basis/storyline that I imagine for them most of the time that I post about laugar!

It would happen during seasons 3 and 4.

Firstly, we're shown that even though Lauren is very confident, she still has some insecurities (like before she sings her solo and her being a member of the Old Maid's Club). I think that maybe after leaving glee, she becomes a little more unsure of herself and that underlying negative feeling intensifies. So when she sees Sugar, who is literally always so "in love" with herself and is also, in a way, the one that replaced her in glee, she hates her a little. Only, of course, to realize that she actually just feels a little jealous/admires these things about her... and later on, that her feelings go a little further than admiration 👀

This whole idea of Lauren beginning to lack self-confidence (off screen) after leaving choir is further supported by the fact that she joins the Too Young to be Bitter Club (which I talk about later). This isn't really a direct trait that we ever see in her earlier, but Lauren goes through some major personality changes as a character, which I think makes it plausible for her to go through this type of confidence shift again. By this, I mean that at the start of season 2, Lauren was shown to be an outcast, while later on, she became very noticeable and confident (which the Glee Wiki for example, credits to her being part of the wrestling team). Because of this, I don't think it's a stretch to assume that this type of personality switch isn't uncommon for her -- especially when it relates to her presence in school social circles.

Parallel to that, like I said, Sugar is always shown to be sort of "obsessed" with herself. Obviously this is dramatized in the show to a kind of comical degree, but that is still very much her personality in canon. She is characterized this way all throughout season 3 and even has that storyline with Rory and Artie. Then, suddenly, she isn't really depicted that way in season 4. Realistically, this is because Glee kind of ditched her character after one season and the writing is often pretty inconsistent with all the characters, but let's pretend for a second that it's not because of that...

She becomes a little less self-centered (which I'm not saying is either positive or negative), but that's not even the part that I find to be ooc; that can be just something that naturally happens to people. To me, the main shift in how they portray her comes when we find out that she's part of the Too Young to be Bitter Club.

Like, Sugar never seemed to doubt herself or her abilities (except for one time where she mentions not being able to sing lol), but she is then shown to be in that club?? (This is also how I feel about Lauren: She was never depicted as someone who was perpetually self-conscious, only slightly shy at times, and her presence at the Old Maid's Club was just kind of a throwaway bit before Glee really figured out her character)

Anyway, if we were to actually analyze this about Sugar's character, this would mean that something happened with her that made her want to join. I don't actually have a specific headcanon for this, so you can decide what kind of event or realization made her seek out support from other girls her age! This could be because she is seen acknowledging her lack of singing abilities, but yk... Lesbianism maybe or something idk...

Personally, I just see this as a signifier that Sugar was dealing with insecurities of her own at the same time that Lauren was.

For the sake of an interesting storyline in my hc, maybe Sugar had previously heard about Lauren from some of the other glee members, or from just seeing her in the hallways. Considering that she was beginning to feel a little unsure of herself, she also began to focus a lot on Lauren and how she did things around the school. Just like Lauren, she felt admiration for her... And eventually more.

So now, during the time that they were both kind of thinking a lot about the other and experiencing this sort of intense crush, they both join the Too Young to be Bitter Club. They probably find the other being there surprising, as they haven't seen or considered the vulnerable side of them before. Maybe that gives them hope that they can like actually talk to the other after however long they've been thinking about each other 👀

I think, even canonically, they do actually talk and become friends during the time that they are both in the club, which I obviously think is so so cute 🥹 Though, I don't think they actually get the courage to attempt anything else until later.

Later, of course, being the Sadie Hawkins Dance.

Tbh, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that the Too Young to be Bitter Club was actually maybe slightly in character, at least for Lauren. However, I think most of my confusion with how the characters were treated and depicted comes from the dance.

Because even though they're both shown to have (minimal) insecurities, they're never shown as doubtful of their romantic abilities 😭 So, even if they were part of the club, I think the dance being "Sadie Hawkins" style wouldn't make them nervous like some of the other girls were and they'd be able to find and ask a guy out without any issues (but if anyone thinks otherwise lmk).

However, this does actually work really well for my headcanon/storyline... In relation to the hc that I've been describing, it would make sense that, even though they were confident before, they wouldn't want to risk asking the other to the dance. I mean, they've been thinking of the other so highly + the additional factor and fear of both of them being girls; it is understandable that they wouldn't go through with confessing, but then also wouldn't want to ask anyone else because of their actual romantic interest.

Since Sugar and Lauren end up sitting beside eachother and seeing that they're both without a date at the dance, I think they gain a little more confidence. This is where I imagine it to diverge from canon. Instead of Sugar and Lauren taking each other's hands in solidarity to stand up and find some guys to dance with (...), they obviously stand up to dance together. 🥹

It could be something that they just naturally do and figure out later; it could be one of them asking the other; it could come with a confession; etc. Idrc and I find any variation/divergence of this scene really cute. And then they dance together and whatever and they stay together after and they're happy yay 🥳 They get to actually talk to eachother and their real selves, and that's where all the dynamic stuff I was describing at the start comes in!

Alsooooo, I was going to post this for week 2 (heatwave) but I was little unsure about it, so here it is now for ppl who cared enough to read to this point since it's a little less embarrassing this way :)