#Nate I can kinda be convinced but chuck?

[nevvaraven]

Chuck and Nate using the bus in the first season of gossip girl is so unserious

RIGHT 💀 The writers had to figure out some way to put them in the same vicinity as Dan loser Humphrey and they were struggling

Just imagining Chuck Bass swiping his gold card to get on a public bus is taking me out

[strideofpride]

just got into yellowjackets and the jackie/shauna serena/blair parallels are eating at my brain. in light of your “what if the cast of glee got yellowjacket-ed” post i am extremely curious how you think it might go with the teenage cast of gossip girl (chuck optional since he sucks but maybe he’d actually be interesting in this plot, idk)

Hmmm. Well since I've already decided Serena is the Shauna and Blair is the Jackie...sorry Blair you're freezing to death and Serena will consume you and marry Nate to sublimate her unfulfilled desire for you.

No but uh...this is a tough one. Cause they just...would have no survival skills whatsoever. Like those kids are not making it 6 months, let alone 19 lolololol.

Maybe Nate did boy scouts and Jenny did girl scouts so they are the most adequate in the wilderness but it's a very, very low bar.

I actually do see Chuck kinda starting the Lottiecult actually, but instead of convincing everyone there's supernatural stuff going on, his cult is just him being a dictator cause "my dad is going to send a helicopter any day now, I just know it" (reader: Bart does not send that helicopter. Bart laughs when he hears his son was in a plane crash) (Also in this scenario, a bunch of the side characters like Blair's minions and what not are there)

Oh wait though...Georgina as the leader of the Lottiecult...yeah, that too. Maybe she beans Chuck over the head with a rock and takes over.

I think unfortunately for him, Dan is both the Van (haha) and the Coach Ben. Because that's just his luck. And Georgina of course would be his Misty who miseries him because she's obsessed with him and likes him dependent on her.

Vanessa is definitely the Natalie like...for sure for sure. She's surprisingly the most competent hunter and she's the only one who can fight back against the Chuck/Georginacult. And if there is the possibility of supernatural stuff in this version, she's definitely the main skeptic.

Serena as Tai also is so!!!!! Like Serena having a shadow self is such meta commentary on the way the writers treated her post s1 like yesssss. Also Serena would totally fight off a wolf for Dan.

Also back to Blair as Jackie...Blair losing her virginity to Chuck out of revenge on Nate, Jackie losing her virginity to Travis to spite Shauna...yeah

[leverage-ot3]

notable moments from The Bank Shot Job

leverage 1.05

I decided I’m also going to start highlighting meta material in these posts for reference reasons (like for fics, headcanons, meta, etc)

I’m colorcoading by what character the meta pertains to btw

Clerk: Hello, Judge Roy.

Judge Roy: [slaps her ass] Hey, sweetheart.

Frank: Can I help you, your honor?

Judge Roy: Yes, Fred. Her phone number?

Frank: It's Frank. And she's 19, sir.

Judge Roy: That's too bad. She got a younger sister

diSgUsTiNG

- - - - -

Hardison: No. No more. We gotta talk to Nate. No more rip deals. They take too damn long.

Parker (ripping paper): That's why they're called "Rip Deals". You have to convince them they're getting a deal before you can rip them off.

Hardison: Two weeks. Two weeks sleeping in crappy hotels. Two weeks eating in crappy diners. Two weeks having my soul sucked dry. It's 107 degrees. Who lives where it's 107 degrees?

Parker: Juan's not so bad. I kinda like this town

I wanna see that domestic shit of them sharing hotel rooms and eating the continental breakfasts and dingy diners and everything about them living in rundown hotels for two weeks

- - - - -

Hardison: You know, I had to retask two satellites just to get a lousy internet connection. Took more than an hour to torrent the last episode of Doctor Who.

Parker: Hey! Illegal downloading's wrong. (lights paper on fire in trash can)

that’s it. that’s their relationship.

- - - - -

Hardison: How we coming on the breakdown?

Eliot (loading truck elsewhere): Fake addresses are shut down. Post office boxes are closed. The phones are cleared. Five more minutes, we never existed

bruh those props ??? I wish I had a screenshot but wtf where they DOING for the con ???

- - - - -

Hardison: Want me to call the Delgado family, tell them the news?

Eliot: Nah. Soon as I clear county line I want to do it. I just wish we could do more than bankrupt that corrupt son of a bitch

eliot is so good you guys im-

- - - - -

Nate: Get out. Now.

Hardison: Is he talking to us?

Parker: An unmarked van parked across the street from a bank that's being robbed? Yeah. I think he's talking to us.

Hardison: Yeah, well, five more feet and he would have been in the clear. What the hell was he thinking?

Parker: Don't be an idiot, Hardison.

Hardison: What?

Parker: Sophie was still in there

parker knows nate loves sophie and would never leave her behind because she may not always get people, but even she can see how much nate cares for sophie

- - - - -

Derrick: Everyone empty your pockets. Wallets, purses, watches, everything you've got, throw it over here.

(everyone throwing stuff to center of floor)

nate threw his fucking toothpick

- - - - -

Deputy Arnold: No, right here, right here, and we need ...

(Eliot crosses police line)

Deputy Arnold: Whoa, whoa, I need you to take a step back, sir.

Eliot: Tell me what's going on in there.

Deputy Arnold: I'm afraid I can't do that, this is an active crime scene, and you need to ...

Eliot: (to cop) I'm not talking to you. (to Nate) How many are there?

Nate: Yeah, you're right. Clearly amateurs, these two. Yeah. The younger one, looks like he's never handled a gun before.

Eliot: Is judge blow-hard next to you?

Nate: Yeah, uh-huh. Yeah, definitely amateurs, That's what makes them so dangerous.

Eliot: Alright, 2 guys, both armed, neither one a criminal mastermind. You want me in there?

Deputy Arnold: Sir, we can't have you going inside the bank ...

Nate: Probably, uh, a good idea just to sit tight, don't you think? You know, and see where these guys' heads are

at, you know?

Eliot (backing away): Alright, your call boss.

Deputy Arnold: Thank you

poor deputy arnold + eliot being done with local law enforcement

- - - - -

Sophie: Okay. So what is the plan, Stan

“what’s the plan, stan” adorable.

- - - - -

(Eliot leans against a building across the street and watches Hardison and Parker pull up in a sedan)

Eliot: Nice ride.

Parker (taking notebook and removing badges): It's embarrassing. Everyone knows you don't rob a bank without an exit strategy. These two deserve to get caught. 42 seconds. (tosses notebook back to Eliot)

Hardison: What?

Parker: To rob this bank. One security guard who has never fired his gun before, 2 closed-circiut cameras outside, 1 inside, and a Glen-Reader safe built in the 50's whose default combination is the birth date of the manager's wife! Get in, get out, 42 seconds.

Hardison: Seriously

parker was so angry that she chucked the binder at eliot and he was like ??? we good ???

- - - - -

Hardison: Seriously? (to Bill) I'm Agent Leonard. This is Agent Elmore. We'll be taking over this crime scene,

Sheriff ...

Bill: Bill Hastings. Nice to meet you. You guys sure are quick, just called this in 20 minutes ago.

Hardison: Well, we were coming back from a little border skirmish. Patrol unit came under attack from a pack of Chupacabras.

Bill: Chupacabras? I thought those things were urban legend.

Hardison: You're adorable

I love it when hardison fucks with people it’s hilarious

- - - - -

Hardison: Whoa, what's going on?

Bill: Cut power to the bank. Standard operating procedure.

Hardison: Standard ... it's standard op ... it's standard? Where do you getting that bull-hockey from son?

Bill: Deputy Arnold, he took a seminar in crisis management last year.

Deputy Arnold: It was an online seminar. We got certificates.

Hardison: Certificates? Magic kits come with certificates. Does that make it cool for kids to saw their parents in half?

Bill: We're just going by the book.

Hardison: The ... the book? The book got a good man killed. I can't ... my blood pressure.

Parker: Ex-partner. Probably shouldn't mention the book again. Or propellers.

parker is doing so well with grifting considering and I’m so proud of her

- - - - -

Sophie: They are not cops, I promise you, they're friends of mine, you can trust them.

Derrick: Why should I trust you? I don't know who you are.

Sophie: I am a thief.

Derrick: Okay, I'm not sure what to do with that.

that’s it guys. that’s the show.

- - - - -

Nate: I didn't say it was going to be easy. But nothing's impossible, especially when you have the world's greatest thief on your payroll. Parker, have you ever robbed a bank that's being robbed?

Parker: There's a first time for everything.

her SMILE YOUR HONOR

- - - - -

Parker: The bank was built before 1980, before computers. Means it's got a larger than normal night deposit chute.

Hardison: 'Cause business had to drop off ledgers with their daily hauls. What, you thought my genius was only limited to ones and zeroes?

Parker: I'm thinking the chute's my way in. Only problem is, it's in the alley on this side of the building

the way she looks at hardison like damn boy you know my stuff

- - - - -

Hardison: I can take care of that, but, we actually have bigger problems.

Eliot: What's that?

Hardison: Well, Sheriff Coltrane over here called the FBI, the real FBI. Now the closes office is in San Diego, so they should be here, in about, um, give it 45 minutes.

Nate: We can't worry about that now.

Hardison: When do we worry about it?

Nate: In about 45 minutes

hardison, internally: lord give me strength

- - - - -

Hardison: Hold on ... Excuse me. (answers phone) Agent Leonard. We will do whatever you need us to do, just please, don't hurt anybody. Okay. (hangs up) Guys ... Boys, boys, come on, gather 'round. Now boys, that was THE call. The call we were waiting for. Now look, they have a list of demands. First off, they want 12 large pizzas. One cheese, one Hawaiian, extra pineapple. Two pepperoni and black olives, two meat lover's, t ... Seriously? Nobody's writing this down? Seriously? One triple-shot half-caf vanilla latte, tall,

(Parker goes down alley and opens deposit drop box)

Hardison: …three of the latest copies of the Hall and Oates CD. I know, right? Exciting stuff I didn't know they were coming out with a new one either. We're gonna need steaks. Steaks and a grill. They're trying to tailgate. Okay, they need your overalls, I don't know why. They need some kibbles n' bits, we need an Etch-A-Sketch, somebody in there likes to squiggle okay ... Are we good? Let's go people. Everybody. I need you guys moving. Everybody get out. Go. (hardison points at an officer) You stay. We need to talk about Hall & Oates.

I fucking loved this monologue,,, hardison is VERY GOOD at improvising

- - - - -

(Derrick opens night deposit box)

Parker: Hi.

Derrick (hands her the briefcase): There's a lot of money in there.

Parker: Yeah, I know.

Derrick: My wife's life depends on that money getting where it needs to go.

Parker: I understand. Sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get

parker’s face softened and you can see that she understood. parker didn’t get people in the beginning of the show, and sure her values and ideas aren’t typical, but she was ALWAYS a good person. she cared and understood what was at risk and she consoled him.

also, this is yet another piece of evidence that parker was the main character all along!!! I’m not gonna go super into it because there are already posts out there about it, but she had three (3) episodes dedicated to her character in season one alone AND had her say what is basically the mission statement of the show here in this scene

- - - - -

Sophie: Things could be worse.

Nate: Worse than me getting shot and you blowing our cover?

Sophie: No, no, you're not gonna lay that crap on me. We wouldn't even be in this mess if you'd just walked out with the cash when you had the chance. I would've been fine.

Nate: I know.

Sophie: Yeah, I can take care of myself. I've been doing it a long time. Since way before I met you. I'm just saying.

Nate: Yeah, you're right.

Sophie: Okay

nate knows sophie is a strong independent woman and that is one of the only things I stan about him lol

- - - - -

Sophie: We lost communication.

Nate: Yeah, we did.

Sophie: Hardison, Parker, and Eliot ...

Nate: That's right, they are on their own. Yup.

they ended up doing great on their own, but also, can we acknowledge what a glow up it was building up to the rundown job ???

- - - - -

(Mom gets out of truck and tries to run)

Meth #2: Where the hell you think you're going, old lady? (pulls mom back) Where the hell you think you're g ...

Eliot (catches Meth #2’s arm): Hey, what smells like crank and screams like a girl? (Takes his gun and breaks his knee)

Meth #2: AAHH!

Eliot (kicks car door closed before Meth #3 can get out, empties the bullets from gun): That's the right answer. (throws gun into car at #3, hits #1 as he approaches) Come on. (fights #1, kicks door shut, beats #1 more, kicks door again) Stay in the car. (beats the hell out of #3 and #1, kneels down near mom and removes her gag)

Mom: Who are you?

Eliot: Well ma'am, we'd be the cavalry.

this entire fight scene always has me ROLLING it’s so funny

also I’m not sure if this should go on the List Of Non-Weapon Objects Eliot Uses As Weapons but eliot DID use the car door in the fight

- - - - -

Sophie: Just let the paramedics take him. The rest of us will stay.

Judge Roy: And give up my leverage

*sophie and nate look at each other*

both, internally: tHATS OUR WORD

- - - - -

Nate: Hey, listen. She's gonna be alright. Everything's gonna be alright

Derrick: Your people ... they're good?

Nate: Yeah. The best.

nate’s smile when he says that??? proud dad alert

- - - - -

Sophie (looking at replay of tape): You're still a geek.

Judge Roy: They're trying to ruin me.

Hardison: Geek power, baby. Stay strong!

in other words: age of the geek, baby

also- kudos to 2008 hardison editing video like that. I can’t do that shit with today’s tech lmao

- - - - -

Bill: Go home now. Bank robbers are in custody, hostages are safe. FBI's got the whole thing wrapped up.

Taggert: Do you have any idea what?

Mcsweeten: Just go with it.

Deputy Arnold: Mr. FBI guys, can you help me here?

Bill: My, my. Look at this. Our local drug boys, both with outstanding warrants. It's incredible.

Taggert: Damn, we're good!

mcsweeten and taggert stumbling onto the leverage crew’s cons and directly profiting off of them is iconic. they have no idea. too pure for this world

- - - - -

Sophie: Hey, thanks Parker.

Parker: Whatever.

Sophie: No. It was an excellent performance.

Parker: Yeah, I think I can act okay when I'm yelling at people and bossing them around.

Sophie: Well, it's a good start.

proud mom!sophie + grifting parker

Nate: Listen, we have to make sure we get the cash to the Delgado family. Ow!

Eliot (tending Nate’s wound): Oh! Settle down. You act like you've never been shot before.

Nate (glances at Sophie): So, uh, pizza boxes, huh?

Hardison: Yeah, I know, I know, You could have done better.

Nate: No, no, no. No I couldn't have.

eliot casually stitching up nate’s wound bc no hospitals but also can we talk about how much nate has to trust eliot to literally operate on him

+

nate giving praise to hardison ??? rare af I don’t know her

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I just watched the s6 finale and although it’s kind of stupid and rushed and should’ve been like 2 hours I still kinda liked it and the 2 weddings made me smile. And finishing with Kill Me by The Pretty Reckless was just 👌

haha, i personally don't like the finale at all, esp when you think of the pilot and how none of them wanted to be their parents, and like.... how they very much became their parents? this post says it better than i could. im glad you liked it though!!

things i liked from this episode are limited solely to:

the pale blue dress blair got married in (she looked gorgeous!)

nate eye-fucking dan at the derena wedding (i literally rewatched the episode after seeing an edit of this and can confirm it 100% happened. nate started the series checking out serena and ended it checking out dan. so very valid 💯)

dorota asking for vodka. because honestly? same.

this is probably gonna sound like me being anti chair but i feel like even if you ship chair or it's your OTP you'd still agree that the chair wedding was weird. it was so rushed and so awkward and they literally married in order to evade legal stuff which is... fucking great for a crackship actually, dan/georgina should've gotten to do that. but i just. why couldn't chuck and blair have just signed those papers and then later on had a proper ceremony? the cops bursting in on their marriage was the most suspicious thing on the planet. does anyone actually unironically like the chair wedding? not the fact that they were endgame, i know people like that - but the wedding itself. pfft. not going to go there right now.

i forgot that "kill me" by tpr was playing for a hot moment!! i love tpr. ive been a fan since high school LMAO. Iconic stuff. legendary serve.

uhhh if you haven't watched them yet, the bloopers for season 6 that involve penn badgley being unable to say "gossip girl is dead" without losing his shit are like... among my favourite bloopers. 10/10 recommend, probably the one good thing we got out of them trying to convince us that dan was gossip girl.

[yourxoxogossipgirl2020]

The Witches of Bushwick Analysis

By Keren Hernandez

Are you a saint or a sinner? In the world of the Upper East Siders, it seems that the sinners are the ones ruling the world of the glamour. In this episode of Gossip Girl we see a great deal of gender and class playing a huge role in the Upper East Siders’ lives. From Serena, the “it girl” of the Upper East Side, to Vanessa, the only recurring, lead Black character in the whole show. Let’s take a deeper dive.

At the center of the episode is Serena van der Woodsen. She’s involved in a huge scandal with one of her professors that ended up on The Post (because of course the sex scandals of a college student are important enough to land on the front page of The Post). Throughout the episode we see her mother, Lily van der Woodsen, trying to navigate the situation by harnessing her status and wealth. When meeting with the Dean, Serena and Lily approach it casually, almost as if it is just another parent meeting and nothing is wrong. Lily offers the school money to have the scandal swept away and to not let it affect her family's reputation. Lily feels as though the Dean will easily accept her proposition and is surprised when the Dean seemingly requests that Serena withdraw from Columbia University. Obviously, Lily fights back and threatens to take this to the press. The Dean backs off. This scene alone is a perfect example of the class, status, and privilege that the van der Woodsen’s exhibit. Since they are all well-known socialites and have major power (as we see, Lily manages to convince The Post to retract their article and post an apology), they also have a great vast amount of wealth to buy their way out of scandals and it seems like it has happened more than once. This scandal is not enough for poor Serena; in this episode she has a love triangle dilemma. Both Dan Humphry and Nate Archibald are head over heels in love with Serena and end up giving Serena a ultimatum that she must choose one of them by the end of the night. This overall plays a bigger role in the story plot. Serena ends up with none of them due to three girls in the show plotting against her.

Moving on from Serena and her ongoing problems we go to Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf. In this episode it seems that their on-again, off-again relationship has turned into a friendship that includes casual sex. In Blair’s new challenge, she is trying to become the new face of the Girls Inc. Foundation. She is being recommended by Nate’s mother, Anne. However, in the beginning of the episode we see Anne telling Blair that it is not her dedication in question but rather her personal relationships i.e. referring to Chuck. If Blair wants to be the new face of the foundation, she has to let Chuck go. Chuck is faced with a similar dilemma. His personal advisor named K.C. is seen telling Chuck that he needs to bring his “bad boy bachelor” attitude back and forget about being Blair Waldorf’s boyfriend for the sake of saving his hotel. In the grand plotting of Chuck and Blair, Blair gives Chuck the idea of the “Saints and Sinners” ball and Chuck gives Blair the idea of impressing the board by having a grand dinner at her home. They are now under the impression that they will get everything they want. Later in the episode, we see that as they are about to have sex, Chuck confesses that he loves Blair. Dismissing this, Blair does not bring this up again until he arrives at the Saints and Sinners ball with a sultry red dress. Beforehand Blair was having a conversation with her maid, Dorota, where she quotes the following line, “and be a weak, sniveling, ‘stand by your man’ who never runs a foundation or anything else? No! I am an empowered woman, and I won’t let three words that were probably meaningless change that” (20:12). It seems that Blair, even though she got the love of the man she yearned for in the previous season, she does not want to be overshadowed by a man. She wants to become her own person. We see this again in an endearing moment at the end of the episode between Chuck and Blair, where she quotes the following, “As long as I’m with you, I’m Hillary in the White House, and I want to be Hillary Secretary of State, but with better hair” (3:59). Rightfully so. Blair is seen as cunning, devious, intelligent, a girl who gets everything she wants. Her soft side is something that the audience can relate to.

The media does a chore of representing the “strong women” stereotype. The women of Gossip Girl are frequently seen as heartless, cruel, and people not worth loving. In Blair’s case, she is still strong despite the fact that she also shows vulnerable emotions. In the article “Media Representations and the Creation of Knowledge,” the authors state that “their methodologies are shaped by their values and assumptions regarding what constitutes a ‘good story’ and what they believe ‘the public wants to know”(Kirk and Okazawa, 2020). Writers typically paint the strong female anti-heroine as someone unlikable, but Blair is a strong anti-heroine who we are enticed to empathize with – in this episode you got to see the human vulnerable side of her, something that the audience can relate to. The most important message that comes across in this whole episode is what Anne says to Blair. She claims that Blair has ruined her chances of becoming the new face of the foundation just because she chose the man she wanted to be with. Anne tells Blair “the man you’re with may not be a reflection of you, but you will always be a reflection of him” (8:14). Blair cries out saying “it's not fair” and I have no choice but to side with her. It really isn't fair that Blair is subjected to being only the shadow of a man when she herself is already someone pretty powerful. While things may not have worked out for Blair, they inevitably worked out for Chuck. He was able to embody complexity: a devilish bachelor, with a heart. This is a great example of double standards. Why is it that Blair, a woman, cannot have both a successful career and the man she loves? In the article “On the Question of Women’s Liberation,” He-Yin Zhen states the following: “To rectify the wrongs, we must first abolish the rule of men and introduce equality among human beings, which means that the world must belong equally to men and to women. The goal of equality cannot be achieved except through women's liberation” (He-Yin, 1907). Blair is a woman who in the end chooses herself and Chuck reassures her that if they are meant to be then they will end up together. What a heartwarming thought to give the audience.

The reason I chose this episode is that there is so much going on with the female cast of this show, from the three girls that are plotting the demise of Serena to Blair coming to terms with her unfortunate situation. The three girls are the villains of this episode and one just so happens to be Vannessa, a biracial Black character. Even though Vanessa is a villain in this episode, she still is hardly seen – at best, Vanessa is just another supporting character playing a small role. It is interesting how Vannessa more than once is portrayed as the villain or the antagonist. She seems to be the only leading person of color on the show and it is quite unfortunate that she is an unlikeable character. The girls are seen as spiteful, vengeful, and almost evil. Blair is seen as a strong vulnerable character in this episode, and Sereena is seen as a huge mess trying to figure out her love life. The women keep going after one another, making each other's lives a living hell while the men are just kinda there trying to figure out their own conundrums. In the world of the Upper East Siders, it seems that everything is off the table.

Citations:

Goodman, S. (Writer), & Fortunato, R. (Director). The Witches of Bushwick [Television series episode]. In J. Schwartz & S. Savage (Executive Producers), Gossip Girl. Retrieved from https://www.netflix.com/watch/70212588?trackId=14277281&tctx=-97%2C-97%2C%2C%2C%2C

He-Yin, Z. (2013). On the Question of Women's Liberation. In 1052134123 803375099 R. E. Karl, 1052134124 803375099 D. Ko, & 1052134125 803375099 L. H. Liu (Authors), The Birth of Chinese Feminism: Essential Texts in Transnational Theory (pp. 65-66). New York, NY: Columbia University Press

“Untangling the ‘F’-Word.”  In Kirk, G., & Okazawa-Rey, M. (2020) Gendered lives: Intersectional Perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press.

[strideofpride]

Also bc I’m greedy gimme some dvd commentary on the time travel au:

Blair presses some more. “Do you…uh, remember the day I left him? What I told you?”

“Is that a trick question? Of course, I remember, it was one of the greatest days of my life. And nights.” He smirks again and Blair feels heat rise to her cheeks at the implication. “You told me that you must’ve had severe head trauma or something, because you couldn’t stop thinking about me, even when you were with him. You yelled at me that I had purposely sabotaged your relationship with my movie nights and my friendship and my dumb book, and then when I told you I hadn’t done any of it on purpose, I just wanted you to be happy, you kissed me. And uh…” Now Dan blushes. “I knew that I would never kiss anyone else ever again.”

Blair sits in that revelation for a moment. The story feels like her, like something she would say and do, and she’s self-aware enough to know it was typical for her to be in denial until the bitter end. But she still can’t really wrap her head around the fact that Dan is going to be the person she loves one day.

But then he takes her hand and looks her straight in the eye, saying, “Blair, I love you. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. And I made a promise that I would do whatever it takes to keep you happy and if it’ll make you unhappy to write about your relationship with your mother, I won’t do it. Okay?” And Blair maybe, sort of understands what her future self sees in him in that moment.

Blair nods. “Okay.” He cups her face and leans in to kiss her, but Blair is much more receptive than she was in the morning, kissing him back this time. He pulls away after several seconds, and the two get up and start clearing the table. They wash dishes together, her washing, him drying, just like that Christmas that was six months ago for her, but six years for him. It’s nice, Blair admits to herself. Being with him like this isn’t too horrible, she certainly could’ve done worse.

Okay, so here's where I have to preface this by saying I wrote this part of the fic over a full year ago, so my memory might be a little fuzzy...

But okay, so, this is what I would say is the first turning point for Blair. Keep in mind that Blair in this fic went to bed abused by one man she thought she loved and engaged to another. She's convinced herself that her and Dan are nothing more than friends. And now, she's woken up in a future where Chuck and Louis have no part in her life and she's married to Dan (not to mention she's missed out on five whole years), so she's more than a little confused and off balance for the first part of the fic. But this is when things start to change for her. It's no longer "how on Earth did I end up married to Dan, it's become...oh wait I can actually see how this might've happened."

This is a post 420 AU where Nate took out a restraining order against Chuck on Blair's behalf, so I kinda had to figure out a whole new way for Dair to get together. And that's the purpose of the first half of that passage really, just an exposition dump for both Blair and the reader. But also, yeah, I do think if Chuck wasn't in the picture, Blair would've fallen for Dan sooner and would've never gone through with the wedding to Louis.

And then that second half...I mean who is Dan Humphrey if not a man of words. And sweet, simple gestures. And like I said, this is the first moment where Blair goes "oh". And then I just wanted them to share a moment that was both domestic and already familiar to Blair, hence the washing dishes together again like in 411.

Yeah, this is definitely up there in fics I'm most proud of, second only to the [redacted] fic.

fic dvd commentary