#terrabeth

[maribells]

I am very intrigued by this info: "part of the reason for the delay is that I’ll also have some betaing to do :)" We all know that you usually beta for Terrabeth, does it mean that 'Criminal' is going to get an epilogue? Or do you collaborate with another promising Chair writer? Another question: which three unfinished GG fics by other writers you'd want to be updated and completed most?

Your first guess is correct :)

In fact, I would guess that it will probably be out before TUF, because I’m much slower at…. editing my edits, haha. 

As to which three unfinished GG fics I’d want to see completed (exempting hers, obviously), hmm…. well, with the caveat that I haven’t really started any new fics recently, so I’m not as familiar with those:

1. Fake Empire, obviously.

2. We are Nowhere and It’s Now, by MyRyRy 

3. Don’t Want to Pretend, by nondescriptf

Thanks for the ask!

[maribells]

Wow! Your analysis of the dynamics of the people on the show is so good. Your latest reply about why Dan and Blair were romantically incompatible is spot on! The show was trying to convey the same thing, but some people missed the obvious signs and misunderstood everything.

Thank you! I do have the benefit of having spent like 4 years thinking way too much about this show, haha. But I also think hindsight helps- at the time, I was too pissed at the characters and too “GROSS, MAKE IT STOP” to really articulate the other reasons why they weren’t right for each other.

But I think when you really consider what each character wants for themselves and for their future- and TB has a chapter in “Into the Woods”, where much more self-aware versions of Dan and Blair figure this out on their own- you realize that what they want their lives to be doesn’t match up. And IMO, you shouldn’t have to significantly alter the substance of characters to make them compatible.

Thanks for the ask!

[maribells]

I really don't understand the hype about Dan and Blair, I am in love with Chuck and Blair!! I was wondering if you could explain why Dan and Blair are totally WRONG for one another! Just so I can explain to my friends with a strong argument hahaha

To be honest, the show itself did a pretty decent job of showing why they were wrong for each other. Blair clearly never gave half a shit about Dan, his life, his feelings, etc., she just liked how much he worshiped her. And meanwhile, the Blair he was worshiping wasn’t even the real Blair- Dan saw her vulnerable side, decided that was the sum total of her personality, and constructed this fantasy in his head of a misunderstood damsel-in-distress. He thought scheming “wasn’t her”, he thought he could “change” her (the fact that he even thought she needed changing is an obvious red flag)- he just never loved or even understood who Blair really was. And the second he saw the real her- the Blair who was always and would always be in love with Chuck- he turned on her with predictable viciousness. 

So basically, Blair never cared about Dan, beyond how much he liked her, and Dan fell for a version of Blair he’d constructed in his head. And in the process, they managed to hurt and alienate most of the people who loved them. Seriously, what’s even rootworthy about that relationship?

I can understand why some people might have considered them compatible based on personalities/common interests, but that’s ignoring two factors:

1) Sharing similar interests makes you compatible as friends, not necessarily as a romantic match. You don’t fall in love with people simply because they like the same books and movies that you do.

2) There are other facets of their personalities that are completely incompatible. Dan considers himself an intellectual, and as such, he disdains the shallow materialism of the UES… but Blair is an elitist, and is not only part of that world, but wants to rule over it (and if you say she shouldn’t want that, or that she needs to become less shallow, you’re missing the point- and making the same mistake Dan did).

Blair wants to rule the UES as part of a power couple, with a partner who’s ambitious, wealthy, overtly successful in the same way that she desires for herself. And that’s why I think she never truly respected Dan- he’s a beta male, when what she really wants is an alpha male. That’s not a denigration of Dan, for the record (I’m married to a very lovely beta male myself). But I think even the most hardcore Dair fan has to admit that Blair viewed Dan as more of a subordinate than an equal, and that’s not a relationship dynamic that’s ever going to work. Dan coddled her instead of challenging her, much like Louis- and while Blair enjoyed the unconditional adoration, I think it made her not really respect either of them. And from Dan’s perspective, I think there were facets of Blair’s personality that he was simply never going to accept. He never approved of her scheming Machiavellian side, which is why he ignored it, tried to change it, blamed it on Chuck, etc. But that’s part of who Blair is, who she’s always been. It’s just not what Dan wants. He wants an inherently good-hearted, genuine person, i.e., Serena.

At the end of the day, Blair deserves someone who loves her for who she is, and Dan deserves someone who views him as an equal- and this makes them fundamentally incompatible. 

Anyway, hope that answers your question :)

TB also wrote a very on-point summary of why their relationship sucked, which you can find here.

[maribells]

why isnt teebles (or terrabeth) updating her tumblr? is she okay?

She’s fine, just busy :) 

(And she said I could quote her on that, haha)

[maribells]

(Smutty) betaing conversations with TB & M

TB: I bought a bottle of wine to drank while I smut-write

      but I don’t have an opener, hmm

...

TB: last two google searches: 

     ”how to open wine without a corkscrew”

     ”how to get wine out of clothes”

.

M: Well, you’re making me do this

     so you’re obligated to listen to me whine about it.

TB: you know I was right

     if you didn’t you would have kicked up a much bigger fuss

M: I totally kicked up a fuss

     I stomped off and pouted for like 24 hours.

TB: did you now?

     I would be lying if I said I didn’t think that was kind of cute

M: it’s part of my charm

.

TB: I almost feel like I’ve had more mental sex with Chuck Bass than I’ve had with my long-term boyfriends. I don’t really know what to think about this.

.

TB: ”It was a game they played- she would try to keep up her good girl facade, and he would tempt her with increasingly dirty endearments until her naughty side finally came out.” I feel like this describes out smut-writing/editing relationship, haha

TB: I was just trying to wirte some analogy about the successful text being like an orgasm but I started to feel pretty weird in the middle of it

M: Yeah, let’s not make things weird.

.

(Warning: this is super dirty)

TB: ok this is super dirty, BUT

     you can have Blair ask him how much he came.

     Which I think is a legit phone sex question.

M: is there some measurement of that?

     like… milliliters?

TB: no, science person

     a reply like “uh. a lot.”

     is probably sufficient.

M: what, I’m quantitative.

[maribells]

Hi Maribells! I am curious to know how your betaing process with Terrabeth works. Do you guys write your stories individually and then send finished drafts to each other to edit? Or do you discuss ideas and edit each other's work as it's being written? I think it's so awesome that you guys are betas/friends because you're two of the most talented CB authors. :)

Thank you! I'm so glad you've enjoyed our stories :)

As for betaing, it's usually a pretty interactive process. We discuss ideas as we're writing, and we often send each other first drafts. That can save a lot of time later, because the further you get, the more it sucks when your beta objects to a plot point/scene/etc. and you have to totally rewrite or scrap something. 

And, in my experience, while it's hard to add writing during the editing process, it's actually even harder to delete writing. For someone to be like, "this whole section, it's gotta go" is really difficult, especially when it's something you've slaved over. But as TB likes to remind me, as a writer, what you cut is often as important as what you keep. And she can be ruthless with the deleting sometimes (I think she deletes extra because she knows I'm only going to accept like 60% of the changes, haha). 

So yeah, I think we balance each other pretty well. She's always trying to curtail my characters' "thinkiness" and pushing me to add more drama and angst, and I'm always trying to pull back the reins on her drama and angst, and we both try to keep each other from having our characters do things that will make the readers hate them, haha... so yeah, I think it works out well in the end. 

Thanks for the ask! :)

[maribells]

What's your take on the character Mack in TB's "Criminal"? Did you enjoy him with Blair? Or did your CB bias kick in ? :)

Interesting question :)

No, I couldn't stand Mack. TB and I had many conversations about the importance of making the third party likable/believable as a challenge to Chuck, and how great it was that a lot of readers seemed to like him, etc, etc, and I was like, "yeah, I still fucking hate the guy", haha.

It's partly CB bias, of course, but partly that I thought his behavior was just really, really shitty. I get that some of it was coming from a place of concern for Blair, and legitimately believing that she was in a relationship with an asshole who treated her badly- but IMO, that doesn't excuse him involving himself in a situation that wasn't any of his business and actively trying to fuck up a relationship he knew nothing about. Ultimately he ended up hurting everyone because he was so convinced he was right and focused on getting what he wanted (sounds almost Dan Humphrey-ish, haha).

And of course, even if there'd been any possibility of me ever liking him, it's spelled out in Chap. 1 what happens between them (which is subsequently told as a flashback), and I don't know how it's even possible for a CBer to like them together knowing that.

I know TB sees things differently, although she's also feeling a lot less charitable towards Blair these days herself, haha. 

Thanks for the ask :)

[maribells]

Hey, it's not that I don't know what physical means, it's that I find it surprising when you "highly recommend" a chapter of a fanfic that is mostly Chuck and Serena making out, groping, and their lust and understanding for each other. I can't imagine you recommending a fic in which Blair tells someone else that they "get" her like no one else and how she's fantasizing about them constantly.

I highly recommend it because it’s extremely well-written, thought-provoking, and spot-on in terms of characterization… which are three things I generally appreciate in fanfic.

But it seems you’re so caught up in the physical aspect that you completely failed to grasp the point of the story, or any of its nuances- thus, the multiple asks you’ve sent me complaining about it. Which is fine- if you read fanfic solely for CB romance, this won’t be your cup of tea, and that’s exactly why I put a disclaimer on it. No one’s requiring you to like it. I am, however, requiring you to quit bitching at me about it. I’ve been betaing this story from the beginning, so I don’t get why anyone’s suddenly shocked that I’m recommending it now. Furthermore, if you’d read the chapters prior to this one, none of what happened should’ve come as a surprise.

And btw, whining about whatever Chuck is doing, at a point in canon when Blair was all about Nate- not just lusting after him, but actually planning on marrying him- seems pretty hypocritical even by your own made-up shipping rules, yes?

But either way, I don’t do ship-policing. I will continue to like whatever I like, and continue to not care whether anyone has a problem with that. You, of course, are free to do the same.