#vanderbaizen

[haleyatwell]

BLAKE LIVELY & SEBASTIAN STAN as SERENA VAN DER WOODSEN & CARTER BAIZEN GOSSIP GIRL (2007–2012) 3.03 The Lost Boy

[blaire-bennett]

My Top 15 Gossip Girl Dynamics (in no particular order)

[rosesfromthedeep]

My favorite ships

Destiel

Stelena

Captain Swan

Frozen Swan

Red Beauty

Curious Archer

Eriel

Clizzy

Malec

Merthur

Morgwen

Klayley

Bonenzo

Sparrabeth

Sterek

Malira

Marrish

Thiam

Damie

Erin and Riley

Owen and Hannah

Sparia

Paily

Spoby

Rosalie and Emmett

Japril

Vanderbaizen

Snufmin

[opaliteskye]

Gossip Girl thoughts continued...

The main four (Nate, Chuck, Serena, and Blair) were consistently my favourites, though I had my moments of disliking and being frustrated by each of them. Some of my favourite moments were when they were all teaming up to help each other or protect each other. Like no matter how much they'd hurt each other, they were family! They'd still find their way back to each other! They were all raised together in a messed-up environment and they get each other in a way no one else could because of that! I just love how found family was such a huge part of the show, both with their friend group and later with the Bass-Humphrey-van der Woodsen clan, ESPECIALLY the sibling dynamic between Serena and Chuck and the mother-child dynamic between Lily and Chuck.

As for the Serena ships ... I disliked all but two.

I saw the Derena vision but for the most part, did not like them. Serena always seemed to be on this pedestal in Dan's mind, and anytime she messed up or did anything that went against his idealized vision of her, he was like ew nevermind. (Plus there's all the stalking, and if you consider him being Gossip Girl as canon, his obsession with writing about her and the harm that had on her.) And then by the end of the show, it doesn't even seem like he loves her anymore, moreso that she's this "prize" for him getting into the UES and the representation of him getting that life, and it's just so icky? But they do have their cute moments, and I especially liked when everyone turned on Serena during the Juliet Sharp plotline, he was the one there for her and listening to her and ready to run away with her. I'm a sucker for whenever characters are at their absolute rock bottom and they have that one other person who's there for them during that. Other than that, I'm not the biggest fan of them, though they had their moments.

To me, it made more sense for Serena to be with someone who was from a similar upbringing to her so they could understand her life and the pull she would always have to her family and friends and that lifestyle without judging her for it the way Dan did, but who also wanted to pull away from that world some and figure out how to be better, the way that she was. Someone who would understand that tension. And there were two characters who fit into that category: Carter and Nate.

I LOVED Carter and Serena and I wanted so much more from them!! I love Sebastian Stan so I'll almost always love his characters, but I also think he made so much sense for Serena! He broke away from their world to do his own thing, he was someone she could have fun and go on adventures with and could tap into her rebellious side with, he was supportive and helped her in her hunt to find her dad, Serena fought to save him during everything with Carter's debt, etc. They were so much fun together and their feelings felt equal and they had a great dynamic and I would not have complained AT ALL if they were endgame.

And then SERENATE. Ughh the wasted potential!! The childhood friends to lovers, Nate pining for years, the way they both seem the happiest together? The chemistry?? There were SO MANY MOMENTS where the show had the perfect opportunity to do interesting things with the two of them and just didn't, and I don't get it. To me, these two made the most sense together. And I'll never be over the scene in season 3 when Nate tells her he loved her and that she's the most alive person he's ever met 🥹 Like STOP they were so cute. I don't think the show did that great a job of delivering on the two of them as a couple, but sort of accidentally had so many moments where they could have easily set them up to get back together. Like even in the mess of the last season, when they're both like "why do we keep screwing up in relationships," or when he punches Dan after his Serena article. They could have easily written them back together in the end if they'd been willing to put in any effort into exploring their dynamic and weren't so hung-up on Derena.

[getyoursorryasstomine]

Me with my non canon/non endgame ships: pretends that they’re endgame and living happily ever after

[strideofpride]

Serena van der Woodsen + Tapestry "Tapestry"

[clerati]

✨

I don’t know who sent this or what fandoms/parrings they like, so I’m gonna take this as an opportunity to go niche! YAY!

✨ A fic you wish you could read again for the first time

I’m gonna recommend more than one to raise the off-chance that one of these sticks. 

Broken Toys by theohara is my favorite Lily lives AU in the Veronica Mars fandom. It is the classic LoVe parring, but Logan and Veronica’s coming and being together is complicated and twisted by Lily’s betrayals and continued life. It’s spectacular.

Burn by thestarsjustblinkforus (who has also written some great LoVe) is one of my favorite Ryros. Basically, Pyro and Rogue meet just after she gets the Cure, and romantic angst ensues.

anyone else would be long gone by firstaudrina (now secondaudrina?) is a van der Baizen that I’ve rec’ed before. It gets Carter and Serena’s voices perfectly, and is just heartbreaking recognition of self in the blorbos. The line that makes up the summary really is all you need to know for what you’re getting into: "I don't know what kind of life I want," Serena confesses. "All I know is that I don't like any of the ones I try." You don’t need to have watched Gossip Girl to understand this fic, a testament to the author’s talent.

Thanks so much for the ask!

[lajeunefilleenfeu]

Alternatively, Max is the van der Baizen baby neither of them asked for.