what’s the difference between gossip and scandal? so glad you asked, UESForever. anyone can commit a minor indiscretion and generate a day’s worth of buzz. but in order to birth a true scandal, it requires the right person to be in the wrong place. take one It Girl on a pedestal. add a crowd eager to see her fall. and give them the means to knock her down.
s.v.d.w. by bee ( 27 , est , they/she )
hi! i’m bee - 27, they/she, est.
previously vanderwoods3ns
mutuals only/private/selective.
this blog is going to be low activity. i have a full time job that takes up a lot of my brainspace & do theatre & i am chronically ill.
standard rp rules ; no godmodding, forceshipping, etc.
largely focusing on serena as a student at columbia / shifting timelines so she is in her early 20s!
a lot of canon divergencies and headcanons will be found here. please feel free to ask questions if you have them. i will eventually make a proper about but...well...it's serena. you know and love/hate her!
general little warning ; i'm in tech for a play i joined late to replace someone in, which opens on friday! i will have rehearsal all week & performances through the weekend, so may be mia until next monday!
general little warning ; i'm in tech for a play i joined late to replace someone in, which opens on friday! i will have rehearsal all week & performances through the weekend, so may be mia until next monday!
"Mother of shite." Run-in evokes a curse whispered brief with devout intention as she struggles to steady her Scooby-Doo key currently piled with a heaping bump of blow. The woman's face immediately burns hot with embarrassment as she steps back from the glitter-spangled creature currently hopping gracefully out of a strappy designer heel. She's about to utter some kind of apology —who likes getting caught in the middle of a key bump you shouldn't have been doing to begin with? —and by such a babe? New York City Babe? But it seems there's no need —she's preoccupied with her shoes. She might've found it somewhat comical if she weren't so stressed out. That was the worst part about being invited to a party filled with people you don't know in a culture you don't quite understand: You never knew which drugs you were allowed to do out in public. Bummer.
"You're fine." Her heart's beating fast. She's nervous, evidently out of place —all shaggy dark hair and baggy denim. Standing in this creature's dazzling light does something to her —it makes her wanna shrink away. She swallows hard, still holding the condemning key just at chest-level. "Do you, uh. Want me to go back inside?"
the key is barely noted; god knows this is far from the first time serena has walked in on someone doing a bump in the middle of a party. hell, there was a time she would have batted her lashes and pouted and asked to join in. she's strictly alcohol only these days - or, well, alcohol and weed - but a semi-longing glance lingers for a moment before the words hit her. "what?" serena laughs softly and shakes her head as she manages to snag the heel and pull it off, "no, no. you were here first!" now that both shoes are expertly held in one manicured hand serena pads out to join the stranger at the edge of the balcony, leaning a hip against the railing.
"you can," she makes a motion with her hand, as if bringing it closer to her face, that semi-indulgent smile still bright on her face, "i don't mind. don't let anyone in there see though, or else you'll be dealing with people trying to beg it off you literally all night." the fresh air is exactly what she needed. serena takes a deep breath and brushes wind-swept hair from her face. head tips to the side a little, "i don't think we've met?"
an eyebrow raises as a laugh escapes out of Ethan's throat, eyes moving to where the teenagers are seated. ⠀❛ ❛⠀I'll keep that noted for the next time.⠀❜ ❜ ⠀as the coffee is offered to him, the brunette accepts it with a grin. ⠀❛ ❛⠀cream and sugar, right?⠀❜ ❜ ⠀after the question is spoken, Ethan doesn't wait for a response before he's taking a sip of the liquid. ⠀❛ ❛⠀could use more sugar, but...⠀❜ ❜ ⠀his smile only grows, laughter occurring. ⠀❛ ❛⠀I'm kidding, it's perfect. thank you for this.⠀❜ ❜ ⠀he takes another sip before he continues on with his spoken train of thought. ⠀❛ ❛⠀the museum has a new exhibit and it's been really intense lately.⠀❜ ❜
serena pouts at the jest, but it doesn't last long - too easily broken by a bright laugh and a shake of the head, "sorry, sorry, i'll get more next time." her own coffee is sipped through the straw that sticks out of the plastic cup as she leans back on the heels of her boots, "oh! the sargent one?" she keeps up to date on things like museum exhibits and events ; it's hard not to, when her mom is on half the boards in the city. "it's basic or whatever," serena waves a hand, as if to dismiss the very idea of art being overrated, "but i've always loved madame x. when i was a kid blair and i would go in sometimes and i'd just like - stare and stare and stare, y'know?" they stopped going into the met frequently sometime during their freshman year of high school, when the steps started to hold more interest than the art within.
"some things never change," her coffee cup is used to gesture to a gaggle of girls in constance billard uniforms seated at the corner of the steps, exactly where she and blair used to sit before school every day, "i think i created a monster there. sorry you have to deal with tweenage power struggles on your way into work now." the coffee cup in her other hand is offered over with a smile, "if one of them shivs the other just keep going and don't intervene, they'll sort it out. probably."
" ah — i see. " the empty hallways, the warm yet empty glow of the lights, it does invoke feelings of late night at the university, stumbling back from the lab to sleep in a decent bed rather than at a desk. " all the better for us now. " he slips in after serena, letting the door close behind them. the lights in the service stair are harsher, more blue than yellow and washing them both out. " lead the way, mademoiselle — " a teasing note in his voice. " there are truffle fries calling our names. " and likely, a few more back in the event they left, but that's not either of their concern for at least a little while yet. they descend further down the staircase, their surroundings unremarkable though an employee or two do pass them with either a platter of appetizers or used dishes and fix them with a curious look. " your ability to navigate all … this is truly impressive, " he tells her, and no, he's not talking about the staircase. " i feel like i'm being spun in circles most the time. "
she waves off his words with the hand not holding her shoes, shrugging one shoulder as she loops 'round one landing and onto the next set of stairs. "guess you can call me a natural," serena tosses over a shoulder with a smile that doesn't quite meet her dark eyes, "you should see some of my friends if you think i'm good at this stuff." blair, who would still be in that ballroom doing her best to impress everyone rather than ducking out at the first opportunity. "it gets easier the longer you do it, i think. if that's any comfort - or maybe you should be running for the hills, mr talis." she's only half-joking. serena stops at a door and pushes it open, leading into a hallway that - if the scent of the air has anything to show - is near the kitchen.