you know you love me.

               i hear wedding bells !                our favorite players have finally all returned to the city; some went off to college, some traveled the world, some even started careers - but in the end, new york always has and always will be home for us all.                and now, with our fashionista back from her latest stint in paris, sporting a diamond the size of her fist, she’s stealing center stage from our golden girl and queen bee - a feat we all thought impossible. it does, however, give us the excuse to get together and do what we’ve always done best: gossip.               while we like to believe we’ve grown since we’ve last seen one another, one thing’s for sure - things never really do change around here, do they?                     you know you love me,                        gossip girl

[gcssiphq]

                            welcome to the upper east side. 

                  mobile navigation. ♔ about. ♔ characters. ♔ application. ♔ ask.

current plot: happy birthday, golden girl ( july 9th ) current task: aesthetics ( jan. 8th ) recent update: ykylmtalk ( july 13th ) & you know you love me ( july 18th )

                      ↳ important calendar updates 

july 29th: connor reid’s birthday august 1st: first acceptances august 5th: group open for play

                      gcssipgrl ♔ unsplash collection ♔ spotify playlist

[gcssiphq]

thank you to all who took our survey ! i’ll be leaving it up and running while i continue to work on things, but expect to see some changes coming over the course of this next month!

we will be remaining as a tumblr based group, but integrating it as a ‘hybrid’ with a discord option for our gossip blasts and group chats.

the ages of the characters will be moved up to their late 20s / early 30s and biographies will be rewritten to adjust some storylines and plots for the group.

pages and more will be changing as well, including our application and a few other things!

keep an eye out on this space - we’ll be working on this for a ( hopeful ! ) grand opening of early december for applications, mid to late december for acceptances & grand opening right before the new year !

our inbox is open at all times, and if you have questions or requests, feel free to send them in.

in the meantime, thank you again and i look forward to seeing you all soon !

[gcssiphq]

Please no para sample, some people aren't good at para samples in apps but have no issues with paras on the dash I personally get anxiety with para samples and feeling like I'm not good enough for a app

i hadn’t ever considered that perspective before, but can definitely understand it! there are so many different ways to convey an understanding of characterization that i think removing a para sample is a quick and easy solution to hopefully remove some anxiety, especially since we have other questions in the app for development, so thank you for suggesting it!!

[gcssiphq]

Make it appless and no para sample you're less likely to get apps if it's a bio rp

i can definitely see your point ! however, while the app will most likely change when i come in and start tweaking things around, the writing sample will be an important aspect - i know there's not a specific correlation between app length and dedication to a group, but with pre written characters it'll give a better sense of who grasps the character best with their own interpretations, as well as hopefully keep those who do take the time to apply in the group for longer ! i like appless / no para sample if it's a generic kind of roleplay - a bring your own kind of character group - but if i'm taking the time to build an entire world, i'd like to know that the players are equally invested into building the world with us going forward!

[gcssiphq]

i’d love to finally get gcssiphq open by december, but as there hasn’t been a lot of interest the past couple of attempts, i’d love some feedback to guarantee that this time, gcssiphq can finally thrive ! this is a short survey, with only six questions and all are optional though very helpful in revamping / setting things up. i’m always open to constructive critique and feedback in the inbox as well, as this is clearly a group i’d love to bring to fruition. if you’re an rpt / rph, please feel free to reblog and help me get word out, and i hope we get some great feedback for a early december opening !

[gcssiphq]

           you know you love me / the photo collection.

by clicking the link at the source, you’ll be redirected to over 300 images meant for inspiration for the gossip girl universe we’re creating here at gcssiphq. with a plethora of images of new york city life, mixed with the high end luxury these characters are used to, this can be used to help inspire for our collection of characters - or for your own elsewhere!

these are all hosted on unsplash and available for use, and all graphics used in our group will always be added to this collection.

for any questions, please don’t hesitate to send our way - and feel free to like and/or reblog if you’ve found this helpful !

[gcssiphq]

                  introducing ykylmtalk - a talk tag for players !

thanks to a thoughtful anonymous request, gcssiphq will instate a brand new talk tag !

                                                 some small rules for this tag:

anyone is free to use it ! current members, future members, those who simply enjoy watching drama unfold and want to leave some commentary! feel free to use it on whatever blog you’re comfortable posting from, as this is obviously a public tag that anyone can pursue at their leisure.

how you use it is ultimately up to you. we’ll include a suggested intro style post below the cut, but this is your tag. some suggestions will also be located below for what to throw in there!

remember, guidelines apply - that means no drama OOC, and no harassing anyone in the tag - through replies, DMs, or even anonymous messages. while IC drama is vital, we want to create a safe environment here at gcssiphq and have a zero tolerance for anything less.

the tag, like other participation, is entirely optional. you are free to use it as much or as little as you’d like!

                                                some suggestions for the tag:

character development. use this to post about your upcoming application, to discuss headcanons, post memes, etc. in order to develop your character more.

creations. anything you make can always go into the ykylmcontent tag, but feel free to use the ykylmtalk tag as well! it can help push your creations into further environment of those who might not otherwise see it.

wanted connections. though there are tons of established connections, use this tag to search for more within our group.

suggest. whether you’re in the group yet or not, feel free to use this as a place for suggestions of all kinds - wanted connections, plots, events, tasks, faceclaims, etc. ! any time a suggestion is taken at an admin level, credit will certainly go where it’s due!

gossip. want to dish about an in character dynamic or interaction? want to gush about someone’s portrayal? use the tag to praise and acknowledge the talent involved in the group! 

etc. use it for what you want - as always, just remember to be kind and respectful above all else!

below the cut is also a sample introduction post for you to use as wanted, to play with and change as needed for you to use in the tag.

as always, any questions can head straight for the ask box for us to clarify asap! happy talking ♔

OUT OF CHARACTER INTRO /

name / alias - age - timezone - pronouns - character interested in / character playing - headcanons / ideas for plots - most desired connection type - most excited for - suggestions / ideas for the group - most wanted faceclaims - etc. -

[gcssiphq]

i know they're not as popular as they used to be, but would you ever consider making a talk tag so we can see other people who have been looking at this group and working on apps?

i’ve never actually run a group that’s done that before, but i’ve always been intrigued by the idea! i’ll absolutely take a look at figuring something like that out later this afternoon after work; thank you for the suggestion and stay tuned!!

[gcssiphq]

Can we apply for multiple characters and then just label which one is our first or second choice?

absolutely! just put your preference and, especially if we have multiple apps for the same character, it can definitely help us around acceptance time!

[gcssiphq]

hello! which characters would you like to see applied for the most? I can’t choose tbh.

i know this question is from when we were originally going to open, but i can't wait to answer it anyways! selfishly, i want to say all of them, because i think each of these characters is going to bring such a unique and chaotic whirlwind to the universe we want to create here. from an even more selfish point of view, i can't wait to play out the blair/serena dynamics with an ophelia, or the brother/sister dynamics with both alfie and bennett. but i also can't wait to see how someone tackles nora and some of the more original characters like lena and hayden!

[gcssiphq]

                    aesthetics./ task one.

everyone wants to be an individual, forge their own path and become an idol of their own right. they have their own spark, their own image - their own aesthetic.  for our first task, we invite you to create your own aesthetics - already a prerequisite for the application, you can use this as a jumping off point or link to it from your blog in your application! feel free to dive in and create or write whatever you feel best describes your character, with images or words of your own imagination. 

this task is open to current and new players, and never has a closing date. 

it can be taken as a creative or developmental task; feel free to create moodboards, color schemes, or write out as much purple prose as you want to describe your character. 

for an extra challenge, if you create a graphic, try not to use any faceless images ! create an aesthetic of their fashion choices, their environment, their hobbies, etc.

tag all creations with ykylmtask so others can see it too! 

an example will go up on the gcssipgrl website within the next 48 hours for potential players to use as their own jumping off point. 

as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

[gcssiphq]

hi! could you expand a bit on how you imagine alfie's and adelaide's relationship being like? thanks ! <3

absolutely ! as adelaide's mun, it's one of the relationships i'm most excited about - i love sibling dynamics, especially complicated ones. 

i think alfie definitely grew up in the shadows of his sister - she was the one laurent everyone knew of, he was content hiding in the background. both adelaide and their mother have large, dramatic personalities and much like his father, alfie was the calm in between, trying to keep the peace or stay out of the drama.

it can be fleshed out with the other mun, but i'd love to see the two of them navigating adulthood - no longer are they forced to be around one another because of familial obligations, but they can choose to have a relationship now. i'd like for adelaide to regard alfie for who he's grown into, and for alfie to pull adelaide into the real world a little more. i think there's definitely tension and drama - there always is - but ultimately, they are family and that's important. i can't think of a pop culture example off the top of my head, but also everything will be completely fleshed out with whomever takes on his role - i'm a very big believer in both plotting and seeing where things naturally go, but alfie and adelaide ( and bennett, between them ) are definitely one of the more complex and exciting dynamics i'm looking forward to exploring in depth here!

[gcssiphq]

Could we apply even if we haven't read the books and just watched the show? Sorry if this is answered somewhere, I am currently mobile

no problem! you absolutely can; so few people have read the books ( and that’s fair, the plots are great, the writing is ‘eh’ but they’re nostalgic for me ) that i doubt anyone else will have. it’s why i tried to make the backgrounds / connections so fleshed out.

core personalities of the main characters you’d know from the books are relatively similar, and of course, we’re making them original characters anyways! and if you ever have any questions about plots / dynamics / anything, i’m always around to clear things up!

[gcssiphq]

gossip girl.

gossip starters.

[gcssiphq]

        meet waverly fox - aka the heiress of the upper east side.

basics -

name : bennett fitzwilliam age : 25 birthdate : october 25th, 1996 zodiac : scorpio current profession : socialite gender identity & sexuality : UP TO PLAYER. known online as : w or the heiress based on georgina sparks.

the small details -

&& aesthetics : UP TO PLAYER. && habits : - UP TO PLAYER. - UP TO PLAYER. - UP TO PLAYER.

                   the unofficial biography -

Waverly fox understood the merits of having a mysterious past; it seemed like tragedy followed her from an early age. a mother who died under mysterious circumstances before she hit double digits, a father who had a heart attack before her sixteenth birthday, and waverly became one of the richest people in the world - all before she could even legally drive a car. 

it seemed like she was on a different path than the rest, but they all seemed to intercede one another's lives time and time again. spending a year at boarding school with the golden girl before both were expelled - one for excessive drug use, one for not showing up on time for the year. a year in rehab, where none other than the prince showed up after being busted in the park - a fling that put her on a spring break in sun valley with all the rest of them. back to boarding school to try and finish her degree, crossing paths with the dreamer and starting an affair that would last until present days. a murky connection that began with the casanova when they were still pre-teens, fumbling and hormonal and taking from the other what no one else could ever have.  just because she wasn’t raised in manhattan didn’t mean she wasn’t one of them anyways. college would have been pointless, especially since waverly plans to never need to work a day in her life. instead, she traveled - across the country in the imps tour bus for a couple months, through europe with the queen bee as she was setting up her own life. no one ever knew where she came from, but everyone always knew where she was - she was infamous in ways most of the others could only dream of, and while they all had ‘ambitions’ and purposes, all waverly wanted was fun.  with the upcoming nuptials of the casanova and the fashionista, waverly’s intended to crash in new york for the time being. after all, everyone else has come back - it’s about time she’s interwoven herself into their lives completely, wrecking havoc and drama the way only a heiress with too much time on her hands can. 

          keep your friends close, and your enemies closer -

theodore cunningham - they say you’ll always remember your first time, but waverly’s barely remembered most times. the one thing she knows for sure is that it was theodore - the two of them in one of his dad’s hotels, drunk on champagne and freedom and too much time on their hands.  though their sexual escapades have ( mostly ) diminished over the years, the two have been connected in more ways than one. there’s a rumor they got married in vegas a couple years ago - something crazy enough that either of them would do - but there’s no paperwork to show as far as the public is concerned. of course, if it’s true - and waverly isn’t saying it is - that would make his upcoming nuptials near impossible. and there’s nothing waverly likes more than a challenge to entertain herself with.  ophelia carmichael - while waverly spends more time with the elder carmichael sibling, the brief year she and ophelia were roommates up at hanover was one of her favorites. there weren’t many other girls that got along with her, but ophelia was cut from the same cloth - always looking for fun, for chaos, for something to break out the mundane boredom of life in a sleepy town in new england.  in the years since, they’ve come across one another a few times. sometimes it ends the same way it did back in high school - drunk, high, too out of their minds to make smart decisions - but other times it’s almost like ophelia blows her off completely, stating that she’s ‘moved on’ from all that. waverly’s never taken rejection well - and all those moments add up over time. though she’d never do anything to hurt her relationship with the grifter, the golden girl of the upper east side better be careful - no one scorns waverly fox and gets away with it for long.  other quick connections : grayson king ( ex-boyfriend ), damon carmichael ( partners ), eden granger ( frenemies ), lena baris ( current mark ). more listed here.

follow waverly fox.        ( suggested faceclaims :  naomi scott, chloe bennet, natalia dyer, and lex scott davis. ) 

[gcssiphq]

         meet bennett fitzwilliam - aka the explorer of the upper east side.

basics -

name : bennett fitzwilliam age : 24 birthdate : december 15th, 1997 zodiac : sagittarius current profession : drummer of the imps gender identity & sexuality : UP TO PLAYER. known online as : b or the explorer based on aaron rose.

the small details -

&& aesthetics : UP TO PLAYER. && habits : - UP TO PLAYER. - UP TO PLAYER. - UP TO PLAYER.

                    the unofficial biography -

Bennett fitzwilliam had a pretty obvious trajectory. skipping the fifth grade entirely, he was a year younger than the rest of his peers in school, which should have made him an outcast, but somehow didn’t. the fact that he was a certified genius ( his mother had him tested ) and could easily go on to fix world hunger or solve world peace, he was always more of a laid back, go with the flow kinda guy. the big degrees and eventual career in law like his father would come - he just wanted to hang with his friends and enjoy his youth while he could. 

he was already on the path - an early acceptance to harvard, his room decorated crimson to celebrate - when a giant snowstorm hit new york. stuck in connecticut with his buddies, they messed around on old instruments left behind over the years - a drum set, a guitar, a bass. and suddenly, a band was formed.  it was the most natural thing in the world. while he didn’t care about the business side of things, becoming a drummer in a band felt right. he could travel, which was all he really had wanted to do anyways, play music, hang with his friends, the photoshoots and interviews and magazines were just a side effect - and not always a welcome one - but a necessary evil as they hit the stratosphere running.  not one to dwell on ‘could have been’s’, bennett hasn’t much wondered what his life would have been. there would have been more suits, he’s sure, but probably just as many late nights surrounded by drugs and sex. after all, it was something they all learned growing up - the world of the rich and famous wasn’t all that different from the world of the just plain rich. more publicity, more reporters, but everything else - well, that was pretty much the same. the imps are down a main man, but they’ve been there before and if there’s anything bennett’s learned from the world around him, it’s that everything that’s meant to be will be. so maybe the writer is gone for now, but someone is sure to step up in his place - and in the meantime, he’s got enough money in the bank to take off and explore the world around him. 

           keep your friends close, and your enemies closer -

nora foster - you’re not supposed to snake your leading man’s girl, but the writer never even seemed to notice nora when she was around. in fact, it was as if he was blinded - but to bennett, it was the first time he really felt alive. she was dark and funny, taking life just about as seriously as he was. true love hit him, and it hit him hard - all the songs they were singing made sense, even if he knew they were written for a different girl entirely.  he fell harder than she did - he usually did - and while their fling was short-lived, he doesn’t have any regrets. now, the two are friends and that’s good enough for him. sometimes he still wonders what it is that draws her to the former lead singer of his band, but if she’s happy, he won’t stand in the way. the second she isn’t, though - he’s there, ready to make a move.  alfie fitzwilliam-laurent - bennett had never had siblings before the laurent siblings came into his life. while adelaide made her feelings of disdain clear, alfie was glad to have someone around to talk to - and bennett felt the same. the two were close enough in age to bond pretty quickly, and while they spent a lot of time laughing at their circumstances - the fits their sister threw, the impulsive decisions of the new mrs. fitzwilliam, the cringey aspects of mr. fitzwilliam - they found true brotherhood with one another.  it’s a coincidence that they both ended up in music, and while bennett knows some people in the band would love for alfie to come and produce for them, he won’t ask him to do anything he doesn’t want to. unlike everyone else, it seems, bennett isn’t about to use anyone around him - even if it helps himself.  other quick connections : adelaide laurent ( step-sister ), hayden brooks ( best friend ), elias quinn ( former bandmate ), ophelia carmichael ( ex-girlfriend ). more listed here.

 follow bennett fitzwilliam.          ( suggested faceclaims :  ronen rubinstein, joe keery, alex fitzalan, and charles melton. ) ( the imps band claim: jukebox the ghost. )

[gcssiphq]

          meet alfred fitzwilliam-laurant - aka the prodigy of the upper east side.

basics -

name : alfred fitzwilliam-laurent age : 23 birthdate : april 7th, 1999 zodiac : aries current profession : music producer gender identity & sexuality : UP TO PLAYER. known online as : little a or the prodigy based on tyler rose-waldorf.

the small details -

&& aesthetics : UP TO PLAYER. && habits : - UP TO PLAYER. - UP TO PLAYER. - UP TO PLAYER.

                     the unofficial biography -

Alfie fitzwilliam-laurent ( never alfred, he is not a batman butler ) was used to being in the background. his sister, the queen bee, took up most of their parents attention with her endless hobbies and extracurriculars, and that was if they were bothering to even really look in the first place. even after the divorce and subsequent re-marriage, he was now sharing the spotlight with a new brother, the explorer, and not too long after, a new baby - named, of course, after his sister’s dream school. 

most would find this frustrating, become angry or bitter. alfie simply took it as it was, losing himself in music, finding old vinyls and piecing together new productions that he’d share on the internet. he made mix tapes and mash ups that producers long in the game hadn’t come up with - and did so with ease. while his new brother could play music, alfie could make music - turn something that would otherwise be garbage into something akin to art.  bucking tradition, he skipped on the ivies - much to the dismay of all three of his parents. but he was making way in the music scene of manhattan, and found himself dj’ing at clubs owned by his peers parents and immersing himself into a scene he was only just scratching the surface of. most of all, he found acceptance, and peace. he was happy.  while everyone else traveled in and out of the city, he made it his center of operations. sure, he wasn’t about to turn his back on the money that helped him survive, but he didn’t need much - a small studio, some equipment, and his saturday nights free. no longer was he sporting the blazer and tie of his private school, but the signature graphic tees and ripped jeans other dj’s wore. he was making a name for himself - not as a laurent, not as a fitzwilliam, but as alfie.  it was freeing in a way he never expected, and when new musicians started coming to him to help them with their ep’s and samples, he found himself a niche. sure, producers are a dime a dozen, but true genius is rare - and alfie plans on being the best of the best. 

            keep your friends close, and your enemies closer -

eden granger - there’s something to say about your first love staying with you - the first mix alfie ever released publicly was after his tragic breakup with eden. but she was off to conquer the world, and he wasn’t about to stop her - they’d spent their last two years of high school supporting one another, a perverse copy of his own sister’s relationship, he knew. but while the queen bee and the prince never seemed to communicate completely, he and eden never had that problem.  in the years since she’s left, alfie’s kept in contact with her - he’s not pining, because that would be sad, but they’ve remained friends. he’s had his fair share of relationships, and she hers, but they haven’t been in the same city since high school graduation. and sometimes, coming home means coming back to what - and who - you missed the most.  hayden brooks - though some might have seen him as the obnoxious little brother, the explorer never did, and through him, alfie and hayden connected. a musician and a music producer - a match made in heaven, really, at least on the surface.  the truth is harder to distinguish. alfie knows that hayden’s a perfectionist, but he’s also stubborn and refuses to hear what alfie tries to tell him - how to make his music great instead of just good. if hayden knows about alfie’s disdain, that’s news to him, but for the most part, alfie’s just trying to keep himself out of the way of the imps, even if tying himself to their rocket would send his own career flying.  other quick connections : adelaide laurent ( sister ), bennett fitzwilliam ( step-brother ), grayson king ( 'mentor’ ), elias quinn ( friend ). more listed here.

  follow alfred fitzwilliam-laurent.           ( suggested faceclaims :  aria shahghasemi, anthony keyvan, parham rownaghi, and troy gentile. must be at least half-iranian.  )