#nothing but respect for MY njbc

[insistonyourcupofstars]

Wait! I was scrolling through Sena's blog (of course) and I just noticed this!

It kind of gives into the idea that all of these kids are lonely, despite being surrounded by people. Serena is the golden girl, so of course no one would be her friend because they are either intimidated by her, or scared of Blair's wrath. Blair is alone at this party because Nate has left her (because of Serena’s arrival? I don't remember), and now she sees Serena with a new boy and it's like she never left, but Blair feels that loneliness. So it's almost like time has moved backwards, but Blair still feels that pain. Then you have Nate, who has so much inner turmoil going on because of The Event, and has emotionally isolated himself from his girlfriend (who he loves! but maybe not in the way that was expected of them), he can't rely on his homelife for mental and emotional security, and the girl he is in love with left him without any warning and wants nothing to do with him. Dan practically blends into the crowd and you really wouldn't notice him if the camera's focus wasn't on him (which is like... duh, but I hope you guys catch what I mean). The only thing that marks his difference is that while everyone else is facing forwards, he is looking to the side, a direction in-between back and front (almost like how the UES is its own world, in-between issues of the common wealth and of royalty that doesn't truly affect them). But what does he get if he faces forward? Divorced parents, no friends, a life as the invisible boy that no one cares to look at. But what's to the side? A girl. A girl who, to him, is an escape from his life.

All these kids are so lonely, and I think these shots were purposeful. Of course, semantics; shots look good whenever you center frame a shot with characters, that's obvious. But looking deeper, you see their loneliness and how delicate their lives are.

#ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE WHERE DO THEY ALL COME FROM #I really did read a lot into these shots but 🤷‍♀️ #they are my babies and I love them #nothing but respect for my njbc #serena van der woodsen #blair waldorf - national treasure #daniel 'bleeding heart' humphrey #gg meta #mine #natie. my best boy

[terrainofheartfelt]

Blair Waldorf + Dance Fever (24/?)

#blair waldorf #gossip girl #serena van der woodsen #nate archibald #florence and the machine #dance fever #prayer factory #hiiiii this one is saaaaaaaad #nothing but respect for MY njbc #*bwdf #gg lyrics #it's queue. it couldn't be awful. #source: senamarais #source: homeofthenutty #source: florence welch

[strideofpride]

what are some personal/fluffy headcannons you have for dair and serenate?

Well first I gotta direct you to my GG headcanons tag lol

But also okay:

-I think serenate definitely took sailing lessons when they were kids one summer in the Hamptons and they pick it back up again when they’re older. Nate’s always been naturally good at it and Serena finds something really comforting about being untethered and out at sea

-I love the idea of Blairenate having all sorts of traditions and in jokes and stuff going back to childhood (nothing but respect for MY njbc) but they do always try to make Dan feel included by explaining the overly long and complex backstory only for him to be like "that...makes even less sense than it did before" lololol

-I also love the idea of Dan being like...the only one with any actual practical real life skills lolol. Like he's the one who knows how to sew (obviously not at Jenny's level but he gets the basics of a simple needle and thread), how to cook, how to clean, how to change a tire, etc. etc. and one day he gets fed up enough that he does like...a "rich kid rehabilitation boot camp" for them to make them learn how to actually take care of themselves like adults.

-I also love the idea of Serenate just having like...absolutely the most basic taste in TV, movies, music, etc. Like MCU, Grey's Anatomy, that kind of shit and god does it drive Dair CRAZY. They try so so hard to get them more "cultured" and meanwhile Serenate are just like actually no, we're gonna watch Legally Blonde for the 10th time this month and Dair pout but like...they secretly enjoy themselves.

This is not a headcanon but just want to state that Serenate are two golden retrievers and Dair are two black cats. That girls that get it get it.

-Anyway, Dair obviously is very competitive by nature and can't help but turn small things into little competitions every now and then. Who can unload the dishwasher faster? Who can read War and Peace faster? Who can make a better creme brulee? Shit like that. It's foreplay your honor

-Nate and Dan go through a simultaneous beard phase. Serena is indifferent. Blair proclaims to hate it she loves it

#dair #serenate #gossip girl #dan x blair #serena x nate #dan humphrey #blair waldorf #serena van der woodsen #nate archibald #otp: dan loves me for me #gg headcanons #insistonyourcupofstars #strideofprideanswers

[filthy-reckless-rp]

♛ Spotted on the Upper East Side…

Name: Chuck Bass Pronouns: He/Him Age: 19 years old Hometown: Upper East Side, NY Occupation: CEO of Bass Industries Social Status: Insider Faceclaim: Charles Melton

Who Is Chuck?

"Dude, I’m Chuck Bass.”

Finally, a sight for my sore, sore eyes. I know that if I can depend on any of my Upper East Siders to never change, it’s you. Anyone who hasn’t been living under a literal rock knows who you are Chuck Bass but it’s only the elite of the elite who you know back. You couldn’t be paid to acknowledge a nobody and if you had it your way, you’d live out the rest of your days in only the company of your darling NJBC (and a few select guests to keep the party going). Life is just a meaningless mess of cashmere scarves, top shelf liquor and lazily lying at the top of Forbes’ lists some days, isn’t it? You’ve never bothered to step a toe out of the bubble you live in and why would you- you have everything you could ever want. Sure, you’re still secretly pining for the attention of your friends and the respect of daddy dearest (a little late now) but everything else is yours. Let’s be honest, it’s your world and we’re all just living in it. Well, now it’s back to being mine but don’t worry, Chuck. There’s always room for you. XOXO ---Gossip Girl

A Little Extra

Chuck Bass has a limited list of priorities- things he truly cares about- and that can almost be entirely summed up to consent, his friends and designer scarves. Growing up in the lavish life, in a tight-knit group of friends who have always been a better family than his own father, Chuck learned quickly how to not give a damn about other people. He’s always loved himself (well...) and felt a sense of obligatory superiority over most people. Hardly anyone can hold his attention for long and once he’s done listening to you, or entertaining whatever little thing you might have had, he’s done. You’re blocked, erased and barely a memory. Unless your name is Nate Archibald, Blair Waldorf or Serena van der Woodsen, you might as well not exist most days. Chuck would do anything for his found family. He won’t stand to see any of them crossed, he would let the rest of the world burn for their benefit. His actions speak so much louder than his words which is a good thing as he doesn’t always say the right thing.

He doesn’t always understand what other people are feeling. Like Nate and his whole ‘I want to backpack penniless and hang out with losers like Dan Humphrey’ thing- literally unfathomable to Chuck’s mind. When things change, especially in his friend group, he doesn’t like it. While he may claim to have none, Chuck’s feelings can be quick to be hurt and his actions can be quick to turn petty. Maybe he tries not to be cruel but sometimes he gets bored or feels venomous and has to lash out. A Chuck Bass scheme can leave no survivors so to speak (even worse when he and Blair team up). Having people like Nate in his life keeps him grounded though. When that old itch to lash out hits him, he’s got his friends to keep him from going nuclear. Is he perfect? No. Is he occasionally susceptible to the destructive ways of forces like Georgina Sparks making him worse? Yes. But he’s only human (don’t tell anyone). Chuck is currently itching for something else now though. A chance to prove himself, a chance to have something of his own. The chance to show that he can take the Bass name to the next level- a better level and nothing is going to stop him.

What Does Gossip Girl Have On Them?

Please, he’s Chuck Bass. Everything you could want to know about him has already been on GG (right?). When it comes to the whole ‘Takedown’ thing, he thought it was naive at the time and now the consequences have come knocking. Here we go again.

Connections

Nate Archibald - the best friend, the soulmate, one person he might actually love more than himself. Chuck and Nate have been together since the crib. Chuck would give his left arm if Nate needed it. And, sure, maybe sometimes he gets jealous when Nate tries to wander off and dabble with whoever but at the end of the day- they’re Chuck-and-Nate.

Blair Waldorf - Blair’s also been with Chuck since the crib. For most of their lives, she was all but engaged to Nathaniel but all that’s over now. Blair is constantly surprising him and nothing surprises Chuck Bass. She’s deviously smart and capable of anything. They actually make a great team.

Serena van der Woodsen - and then of course there’s Serena. Chuck has watched the mess of Serena and Serena-and-Nate and Serena-and-Nate-and-Blair unfold before his very eyes for years. He loves her though and with Lily and Bart’s rash behaviour, technically, she’s his family.

Eric van der Woodsen - Chuck has always liked Eric. He’s been around the kid’s whole life and while Chuck Bass probably shouldn’t be anyone’s idol, he’s always been someone Eric could confide in.

Georgina Sparks - trouble with a capital ‘T’. Chuck hates to think that he might be just like Georgina. An outsider amongst the insiders, never quite to be loved and accepted like they want to be. He thinks her whole, new, ‘good person’ schtick is absolute BS but let’s see how it plays out.

#c: chuck bass #insider #ues #bass #nate #blair #serena #eric #georgina #t #*

[terrainofheartfelt]

In terms of hanging out and having an actual conversation, wouldn’t you say Dan was the preferred choice for Serena, Blair, and Nate through the first 5 seasons?

He’s my preferred choice that’s for sure! 

But yeah, I get what you mean. Like, Serena it’s obvious, they become very close, very quickly, and take the fascinating journey of lovers to best friends. Nate comes along a little bit later, but he leans on Dan during one the most difficult periods of his young life, and after that, they always trust each other, even when they are seemingly supposed to be rivals. And Blair, I mean, even when she is actively intent on hating Dan, she always takes his advice. The hallway, the “I love you” riff-raff, the empire state building conundrum. She can’t not trust him, which is sooooo—for this girl who seems to trust no one, it’s just — fascinating. 

It reminds me of this meta I think @scabopolis wrote a way wayyyy back, that the Humphrey kids have this thing about about them that makes them—instinctively vulnerable, I think are the words they used. And it’s true, they didn’t grow up in the psychological combat zone of the UES, so their genuity is natural, and the rich kids have never really had that except with each other, but even then they are always on guard because of the secrets they are keeping from one another (aka their isoceles love triangle that kickstarts the show). The Inherent Sincerity of Daniel Humphrey™, combined with his Outsider Status, make him the confidante of the njbc, whether or not they are truly conscious of it. 

#hope you don't mind the tag friend <3 #asks #anon #gg meta #nothing but respect for MY njbc #which only has 3 members

[terrainofheartfelt]

Gossip Girl Playlists: Theatre Kid AU edition! —Nate’s

[Blair's] [Dan's] [Serena's]

I don’t even remember exactly how this started, but it’s @strideofpride’s fault. 

The concept began as: if they were in this world, what would be in the GG mains’ MT books? What would be their go-to song? Their 16 bar cut? And then, I got on spotify, and got wayyyy too carried away (typical me), and it sort of morphed into: what are the NJBC’s (plus Daniel’s) senior musical theatre recital programs? And now I have this: a quartet of playlists of repertoire handpicked by me for these fake people, and I am very proud of them. 

All selections based on my very particular taste, honed from a childhood in community theater, an adolescence in high school musicals, and a 4 year degree from a majority musical theatre school

And, as in the tradition of Glee and all plays within a play, the rep reflects something profoundly personal about the character, because you know I love a theme. 

the meta:

Okay so Nate’s was realllllyyyyy hard to pin down, which makes sense because he as a character is hard to pin down, bc the show really only treated him like a whole-ass person for like 2 seasons. But, the beauty of men in musical theatre is they have much more license to just….do whatever the fuck they want—as opposed to women who get put into teeny tiny uncastable little boxes (but that’s a rant for another day). 

The point is, Nate’s type: because of his looks and talent, people try to put him in the romantic leading man box, but he finds that sooooooo boooooooring. He does play some himbos (bc, why not play to your strengths?) but he gravitates to roles that are more of a stretch. The fun roles, the character roles. The ones that less enlightened folk would say he’s “too pretty to play.” He likes to go for the laugh! He doesn’t want to be Billy Bigelow, he wants to be the Emcee! (I also see him having a great run being one of Les Amis in Les Mis in his 20s; and as the hot boy in Mamma Mia.)

His range is—and I hate that I’m saying this but it really is applicable to men in MT–bari-tenor. He can get up there when he wants to, but doesn’t necessarily want to live in the land of the high belt. He has a great low range that makes him prime golden age hunk material, but again, not really his thing. Also, theatrekid!Nate is a DANCER. He’s good on his feet and he knows it!

References: Hugh Jackman, Jonathan Groff, Derek Klena, Killian Donnely, Matthew Morrison (but like, with a better personality); and a kid in my voice studio who I’ll call Bobby, who had the rich low range of a deep voiced angel but could dance his lil heart out. 

the tracklist:

The Streets of Dublin — A Man of No Importance

A story about an Oscar Wilde stan who’s trying his darnedest to put on Salome with his community theater group. He tries to convince his hunky buddy Robbie to join in, but it’s not really Robbie’s thing. 

I’m Not That Smart — The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

A zany raunchy comedy where grown ass adults play 12 year olds battling to the bitter end for a spot in the national spelling bee. 

Leaf, a homeschool kid, is endearing, if easily distracted.

Joey, Joey, Joey — The Most Happy Fella

I’ll be honest, I just like this one because when sung right, it’s soooooo hot. 

A traveling farmhand (can you guess his name?) explains why he never stays too long in one place. There’s lots of plot happening around him, but his only job as a character is to be sexy and cause problems. 

Try to Remember — The Fantasticks

It’s the world’s longest running musical ever, so it must be doing something right! It’s an inverse Romeo and Juliet. Two fathers pretend to feud for years, to reverse psychology their children into falling in love. There’s also this spanish bandit? Idk. the fathers go a bit overboard with the plot and some strife happens, but there’s a happy ending!

This is the show opener, sung by the narrator/Spaniard-ex-machina El Gallo

Brush up Your Shakespeare (duet w/ Dan) — Kiss Me, Kate

A musical version of Taming with the Shrew is trying to get off the ground. There’s mobsters and divorced exes with sexual tension and lots of nonsense. And this bop. 

Agony (duet w/ Dan) — Into the Woods 

The only good thing that movie version gave me was Chris Pine tearing his shirt open. Ok, whore. 

Two princes, one in love with Cinderella and one in love with Rapunzel, commiserate on their love lives. I’d call them himbos, but they don’t respect women enough. They’re kinda just sluts. 

I’d Rather Be Sailing — A New Brain

See title for why I picked it. 

The show was written from the composer’s experience when he was diagnosed and treated for an AVM. this song is actually sung by the main character’s boyfriend, so it nautical AND gay!

The Song that Goes Like This (duet w/ Serena) — Spamalot

I can so see Serena and Nate just enjoying being little freaks on stage together, they feed off each other and are big hams. 

Sir Gahalad and the Lady of the Lake tick off the box of the broadway love ballad. And they break some glass. 

I Am Aldopho — The Drowsy Chaperone

Severely underrated musical. This and Curtains are both wild, gershwin-y sounding romps where I don’t really remember the plot, but I remember not being able to breathe for laughing. This show is about a grand 20s wedding, but there’s hijinks afoot, and the bride’s chaperone is drowsy because she’s drunk, and for some reason the Spaniard-ex-machina, Aldolfo, tries to seduce her with this song. I can’t not picture this scene without a cape. 

I Don’t Care Much — Cabaret

I just think. Nate would be such a good MC. I want that for him. I really do. 

MC sings this song as narration, when singer Sally fights with her lover Cliff. Lots of shit is going on, but it’s really about the desperation and precipice and uncertainty that the MC and the Kit Kat Clubbers are living in in jazz age berlin.  

You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught — South Pacific

MT guys get cast in this role if they look good shirtless, so. And it’s a better song than Younger than Springtime, like, yeesh. (this is the soldier set. I think Nate could also play that Miss Saigon guy, I don’t know the whole show well but I tried to listen to the guys big solo and I could not. anyway.)

Even though he’s in love, Lt. Cable’s deeply entrenched racism causes him to be a total jerk to his wartime love, Liat. Nellie’s same deeply entrenched racism ends her relationship with hot french dilf, Emile, when Emile seeks out advice, this song is Cable’s answer. 

Come Back — Dogfight

Everybody was losing their minds over DEH but the real Pasek and Paul opus is this musical. It only ran off broadway but the feelings! And the songs! 

In SF, a young GI meets and falls for a girl the day before he ships out to Vietnam, also the day before JFK’s assassination. This is the eleven o’clock number. He’s returning home, haunted, and broken, a marked contrast to the kid who left. 

Make ‘Em Laugh — Singin’ in the Rain

A classic! Nate the actor would always be going for the bits 

I Can’t Be Bothered Now — Crazy for You

a role for a DANCER. Bobby is a blue-blood banker’s son who just wants to dance. His mission takes him to a small cow town out west where he puts on a show. Gershwinian nonsense like that. It is very cute, though. 

Moon-faced, Starry-eyed (duet w/ Serena) — Street Scene

Street Scene is technically an opera, but it’s a big extravagant blending of musical styles, from romantic 1900s opera to 1940s jazz. Guess which end of the spectrum this one’s on. It’s the comedic dance break before shit hits the fan in this New York apartment building. I can so see besties Serena and Nate being complete hams in this number.

Mae, a tenant of the building, comes back from a night out with her boyfriend, Dick. They are drunk and they are dancing!

Soul of a Man — Kinky Boots

Nate wearing those shoes. Send post. 

Charlie makes the bold—but sound! —business decision to redirect the family shoe factory to produce shoes designed and marketed towards drag queens. When Charlie snaps from the pressure of running the business, he ponders his family legacy and “what does it mean to be a Man”? Nathaniel-coded!

Not the Boy Next Door — Boy from Oz

I just think….theatre kid!Nate is soooo gay. And being in the “gay by may” MT major world, he grows into himself in a marvelous way. 

Aussie musical legend Peter Allen returns to Australia after his separation from Liza Minelli, and realizes he’s grown out of the place. Also he’s so very Not-Straight.

#gossip girl #nothing but respect for my njbc #nate archibald #playlist #*ggmt #on today's episode of liz was a music major and she's gonna make it everyone's problem #like seriously when it comes to opera and MT #I am an evil dictator of taste #s/o to S my ride or die for encouraging to make these #the other three are coming! I just gotta finish the annotations

[terrainofheartfelt]

I meant all the characters on the show end up liking Dan. Obviously season 6 that changed but I tend to believe 5 seasons of a show over 1 season where nothing made sense lol. Even chair only having sex once. Like if you're going to go that route, you leave their fans with only one sex scene lol. Just a troll of a season imo

lmao ok I see what you mean. It's true, all the gg mains go through that journey. I mean, aside from chip wiskers and his self-imposed homoerotic hostility. But yeah, Blair and Nate both go on a journey of "who tf is this guy" to "he's my best friend. my good pal. my rotten soldier. my sweet cheese my good time boy." Serena does too but she got there way before Blair and Nate did.

and, of course:

┏┓ ┃┃╱╲ in ┃╱╱╲╲ this ╱╱╭╮╲╲house ▔▏┗┛▕▔ we ╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲ know s6 is fake ╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲ ▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔

#asks #anon #nothing but respect for MY njbc #okay so I just read I Kissed Shara Wheeler #and there's this b plot of these two guys #best friends #who had falling out bc they thought they were going after the same girl (shara) #and whoops! they were in love with each other the entire goddamn time! #which is just. SO dan x nate coded #anyways....

[insistonyourcupofstars]

Gossip Girl Appreciation Week: Day 2 - Favorite Dynamic(s)

Dan × Blair - they invented romance, actually

Dan × Nate - they, too, invented romance

Serena × Blair × Dan - the relationship between the three of them is so integral to understanding each character as an individual.

Serena × Nate × Blair - nothing but respect for MY njbc!

Nate × Dan × Serena × Blair - I quite enjoy when the gang gets together. usually you have a few characters interact (... obviously), but it is just satisfying seeing the whole cast together doing shenanigans.

Jenny × Eric - the epitome of wlw/mlm solidarity. also, they're so cute it makes me teeth ache.

Dan × Serena - listen, I don't blame them for constantly going back and forth on whether or not they should be together because when they were it, THEY WERE IT! There was just this sweetness and innocence to them in season one and a bit of season two that is so downright charming that it's difficult not to root for them. unfortunately, season 5 forward ruined the relationship for me.

Jenny × Dan - my babies!!!! they deserved so much more than what they got.

Vanessa × Dan - they are my rory and lane, my jo and my laurie. I didn't care for the romance between the two of them, but I loved their friendship!

Blair × Vanessa - they hated each other. they were in love. they were the same freaking person lol.

#ggaw23

[terrainofheartfelt]

7+ Nate, 8+Vanessa, 3+Blair

Nate here! <3

Vanessa:

1: sexuality headcanon bi/pan, sapphic, that bitch is GAY

2: otp Serena!

3: brotp Dan. and Jenny

4: notp Dan.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head she went through a boyband phase when she was 12. dan will never let her forget it

6: favorite line from this character I did not sign up to be in a love triangle with you and someone else's mom!

7: one way in which I relate to this character the opera box sets in her apt <3

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character sleeping with chuck

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? cinnamon roll. she has done nothing wrong. ever. in her life.

Blair

1: sexuality headcanon nothing heterosexual about her but depending on the circumstances, she may never gains enough self reflection to figure that out

2: otp Dan

3: brotp Nate & Serena & Blair (nothing but respect for MY njbc)

4: notp 🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑

5: first headcanon that pops into my head she has a magnificent singing voice, but the only one who know are serena and her kids

6: favorite line from this character Then what are you, exactly? An eighteen-year-old blonde coincidence?

7: one way in which I relate to this character desperately wanting love but secretly convinced she doesn't deserve it ahahahahhahaha I'm fine

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character her cringey casual racism, classism, misogyny

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? problematic fave

send me a character!

#ty cherry <333 #asks #blairwaldcrf

[terrainofheartfelt]

sometimes i do like to imagine what the show might have been like if, instead of the “njbc”, we had had serena, blair, dan, nate, and vanessa all as a friend group. i strongly feel that all of the individual connections in that group of characters were very compelling, and given the friendship arcs dan canonically had with nate and blair, and the sweet serena-vanessa friendship that formed in the first couple of seasons, it could have been the basis for a pretty fun friend group.

Ohhhhh anon you are speaking to my soul!!! I highly agree, and I so enjoy the connections each of them have to each other, and we so rarely (if ever) got ensemble scenes with them, and those would have been incredibly fun! That’s why I enjoy the heist plot episodes even with chip there, bc it’s fun to see the whole gang interacting. (I’m thinking of the one in s3 about wdvw)

I really had fun with my LW au for this reason too: the Pickwick club of the March Sisters in the novel becomes a club made up of Serena, Dan, Eric, Jenny, Vanessa, and Blair, and then later Nate, when he comes on the scene.

This is something I’ve been ruminating on in a few wips actually. My Date s4 au has been so fun because all the fake schisms caused by Juliet aren’t at play, so they’re all just friends. I just yesterday wrote a scene for the next installment where they’re all hanging out and the banter is just so fun!!!

and none for chip wiskers bye

#asks #anon #nothing but respect for MY njbc #gg meta

[terrainofheartfelt]

Gossip Girl, obviously

oh but of course!

otp: Dair and Rufly. Both shoulda been endgame

favourite canon pairing(s): Dair, Rufly, Serenate, Van der Baizen, Natessa, Derena & Blair x Nate in their s1-2 cutenesses, Raina x Nate, Dan x Lizzie McGuire (they were cute okayyyy),

worst pairing(s) ever: made this plural bc lots of Sins were committed: Rufus x Ivy; Serena x b*n; Dan x r*ch*l; Nate x she who must not be named; Nate x the other she who must not be named.

guilty pleasure pairing: oh though now that I think about it...Dan x Georgina...it's a disaster, but I kinda love it.

a pairing you want to see more: Eric x Jonathan, or, Eric x Eliot, basically Eric being cute with a bf that makes him happy.

that pairing everyone likes but you’re like “lol no” : well the obvious answer is 🪑

favorite non-romantic pair: van der Humphreys my beloved. and Dan & Nate; Serena & Blair & Nate (nothing but respect for MY NJBC); Dan & Vanessa (& Jen!); Dan & Milo...

put a fandom in my ask and i’ll give you my ship opinions

#asks #insistonyourcupofstars #thank you for asking <3333 #anti chair #anti chuck x blair #it's a pet hc of mine that eric and jonathan reunite in like...grad school or something #after all the runarounds...eric's the one who ends up happy with his hs sweetheart <333