#His story is connected with the Vanderbilts

[ofcourseitsafurry]

The(3)main player characters

Aka my main monster prom OC and his friends along with their drinks to help describe their personalities or aesthetics

First Sparkles Glowbright,ex-prince of Villa of Monocerotem, a very magical adept White Unicorn

Sparkles is my main monster prom oc. He's calm, collected, and goes with the flow(Yes, like Brian.)Unlike Brian, he's more energetic, he enjoys dancing, walking, and magic tricks with physical requirements. He's also much more thoughtful than most of the monsters in Spooky High, resorting to murder less, more education-focused, and less sexually interested preferring to take it slow. Sparkles, despite(hopefully)what a lot of future art shows isn't actually in Spooky Academy, his reason for being there along with his actual school is to be discussed later for his backstory.

Next is Draco Lung, the son of a Western fire dragon and an Eastern lightning dragon(also the brother of an Eastern water dragon).

Draco, short for Draconic, is a stereotypical greedy dragon, he doesn't steal damsels and force them to marry him as he finds that sexist and weird. Unlike Vera, Draco is lazy, stealing from shops, kingdoms, and even fountains for his fix of money obsession. (Hell, that last one was how he met Sparkles in the first place.)Another example of his laziness is his obsession with sleeping, likely due to the energy of being such a huge beast. While he isn't a complete jackass he's rude and just as quick to violence as several monsters threatening to fight someone if they annoy him enough.

Next up is Feng Xuang, a FENGHUANG not a PHOENIX or a VERMILION BIRD

Feng is the one I have the least plot thought out for. He likes astrology and astronomy due to the real-life monster corresponding to Celestial bodies and beings. He's obsessed with fire, not like just an arsonist, he likes playing with it, eating it, looking at it. Fenghuang mating rituals have two Fenghuangs doing a mating dance of death that combines both parents' personalities into one egg making Feng an orphan. He hates to be referred to as other similar mythical bird species. He's cheery and upbeat but a general everyman who enjoys preppy culture.

Last but not least, Mh'athra.Deity of Sacred Secrecy and darkness

Mh'athra is technically canon, but I'm giving her a non-canon design. Sparkles became a mortal contact for Mh'athra when he snuck into one of the cult headquarters on his way to Monstropolis and read a book that allowed it to come into the monster realm with his magic. Mh'athra is an asshole, she’s extremely dismissive of Zoe and her choice of becoming part of mortal kind, like the carnival mirror event, unlike the mirror event Mh'athra is actively cruel and even dead names Zoe while alternate Z'gord is dismissive but tries to talk her into rejoining her "purpose." While it's evil, it's not actively malicious, not currently into recreating the Nothingness.

[reality-detective]

Did you know the Vanderbilt and Cecil families owned Ashville?

The Vanderbilt family, specifically the descendants of George Washington Vanderbilt II, have a long-standing connection to Asheville, North Carolina. George Vanderbilt built the Biltmore Estate, a 250-room chateau-style mansion, in the late 1800s. The estate, located in Asheville, was his summer home and a testament to his love for the city and its natural beauty.

The Cecil Family's Involvement

The Vanderbilt family's connection to Asheville continued through the generations. In 1924, George Vanderbilt's daughter, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, married John Francis Amherst Cecil, and the couple had two children. Their son, William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil Jr., is the current president and CEO of The Biltmore Company, which owns and operates the Biltmore Estate.

The Company's Evolution

In 1999, The Biltmore Company formed a new business group, which expanded the estate's operations beyond tourism and hospitality. Today, the company is a privately held corporation, still owned by the Cecil family, and employs over 2,400 people in Western North Carolina.

Asheville's Economic Impact

The Biltmore Estate and its affiliated businesses have a significant economic impact on Asheville and the surrounding region. The estate attracts millions of visitors each year, generating revenue for local businesses, hotels, and restaurants. The company's agricultural and forestry operations also contribute to the local economy.

In Summary

While the DuPont family is not directly involved in owning Asheville, NC, the Vanderbilt family, specifically the Cecil family, has a long and storied connection to the city through the Biltmore Estate. The estate's ownership and operations remain in the hands of the Cecil family, who continue to preserve and promote Asheville's natural beauty and cultural heritage.

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Wait there's more 👇

DuPont State Forest, made famous as the setting for the movies The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans, is home to amazing waterfalls, mountain lakes and hiking trails. DuPont State Forest is located in Western North Carolina near the South Carolina state line, and is less than an hour drive (40 miles) south of Asheville.

Curious has anyone looked at NC governor Roy cooper's political investments from the Vanderbilt family? Cecil family? Or Dupont family? He's working in the heart of their investments...

Interesting this article coming up with the lieutenant gov is criticizing his efforts with the after math of hurricane Helene...

Read 🤔

NOTHING will be left unknown, EVERYTHING will be revealed and NOTHING will be hidden and remain a secret. 🤔

[luvly-writer]

“XOXO”

Ch. 3 Part-Time lovers, full time problem

—•—

Tim Drake x reader

Fic + social media Au

warnings:

taglist: @w31rdg1rl @mxtokko @loonymoonystuff @grandstrangerphantom

Author’s note: One thing i love about Christmas is all the free time i have to write new stuff after finals 🤭 (she said as she still has a few finals to finish 😍). HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!

For those wondering about “BOCM” i am having such a hard time finishing it. When my phone got changed the notes i had on that story got deleted and so i had to improvise a little cause i forgot its ending and it’s so frustrating cause i always want to give you guys quality content. I am scratching my head trying to finish it so i’ll continue this one and update slowly so that i can finish it correctly. Love you all and thank you for your patience.

Masterlist:

“Absolutely insufferable, she is,” said Tim to himself as he ran his hand through his hair. He had been begrudgingly cleaning his apartment. He was tempted to leave it dirty just to take a piss at Yn but he was sure that wouldn’t look good for his reputation so here he was. He would have hired someone to do it for him but recalling all the things he had regarding his alter ego, he knew he would have been fucked and he really couldn’t risk someone else knowing.

Finally, he finished ensuring everything looked great and sat back on his couch with his laptop. "There must be something about her that I can find. I refuse to be outdone and unprepared for this," he said, searching for any leverage he could hold over Y/n's head to bargain for his secret to remain so. Thirty minutes later he had found absolutely nothing. Unlike her two best friends, Clara Dupont and Satine Abbott, who were known to be found in scandal after scandal every week, Y/n had a clean slate. Satine was constantly partying during some fashion week or getting caught sleeping around with some governor's son or a married businessman. Clara has been known to pay off people to do her bidding, caught buying off police, lawyers, teachers, professors, judges and so, to run the city however she pleased. Yet, Y/n had nothing against her. Every article he found was about a charity she had worked on, a program she had opened, or an award she was given; and were all of them legit. She seemed like the angel in their group, but Tim knew better than to trust the all-too-shiny act. He has some recollection of them during high school though; he was a grade above them. They were known for their tight and exclusive group of three. He remembers how girls would do anything to become one of them. If it meant they had to step on someone else to appease one of the three, they would have done so. After all, having them as a connection moved mountains. Tim quickly grew frustrated. No psycho exes, no drug addiction, no jail time, no one dead, no bribes, nothing that could have stained the Vanderbilt name.

Throwing his head back, he heard his phone ring. Y/n was here. He sets his laptop on the coffee table and walks to the door, opening it and revealing a dazzling young woman in an outfit he thought someone as flashy as she never would wear. White Converse, comfortable mom jeans, a laid-back button-up up, and a cozy long brown coat. Her hair was loose and her face fresh with little makeup. Even after spending hours looking at pictures of her during his search, she still managed to take his breath away every time he was in her presence.

"I know I'm mesmerizing, but can you please let me inside? I'm freezing here," she said with her nose a little red.

He rolls his eyes with a laugh and lets her in. "I was gonna go more for repulsive but if that helps you sleep at night."

"Says the one that looks like sewer trampled rat" she quips back.

Tim couldn't help the snort that came out of him. She was an endless supply of good comebacks. He wonders how an interaction between his brothers and her would go, maybe he finally found someone to go head-to-head with Damian. She takes her coat off and lays it on the couch, together with her Burberry bag. He takes notice that her coat is also Burberry and decides to tease her a little. "And here I thought you were actually looking a little humble, but the coat and the bag ruin the look," he says as he scrunches his nose. He feels laughter bubbling as he catches the deadpan she gives him. "Whose less humble, me for wearing it and not saying a single thing or you for identifying it rather quickly and feeling the need to point it out?" she asks as she places a hand on her hip smirking at him.

"Touche"

She nods satisfied at his response and sits on the couch in front of him. "Ok. First order of business-"

"First order of business is giving me the reason as to why you are doing this." Tim interrupts her. She sighs and looks up, "God give me strength to not strangle him" she whispers and Tim tries to hold back a smirk.

"I wAS going to get to that before you so rudely interrupted me. The first order of business is giving you the context I am sure you are dying to hear." she pauses to look at him and he gestures for her to continue. He sees her look down and seem almost embarrassed. He can tell she is hesitating so he tries his best guess, "Are you trying to make someone jealous?"

"No, it's not that, it..." She takes a deep breath and spills it out. "My parents want me to marry a man who is very much too much older than me with the idea that it will help solidify the family lineage which I think is absurd because my sisters are right there AND THEY ARE MARRIED already to someone they love. But because Aurora and Charlisse keep on fighting to become the next CEO, my parents think it is only right to marry ME off to a very wrinkly and truly disturbing man who i am sure 20 years older than me because someone should continue the line whilst the other two are focused on their careers and making something out of their lives. SO, I needed to find a boyfriend who would be suitable for their standards whilst Aurora and Charlisse sort it out so that when they do, the attention and pressure of continuing the line will go back to them and not me." Y/n finishes breathing out. Tim was taken aback. Not only the normally composed girl he was used to seeing, spoke 7 words per second, but he was blown away by the information she had just given him.

"I need...a drink? Do you want one?" he said standing up and heading to the kitchen. No wonder she said this might take a while.

"Yes please" she said with a tense smile. "do you have wine?"

Tim made a sound of confirmation as he poured some scotch. He wasn't much of a drinker, but years of being part of the business world made him earn some appreciation for the drink. Especially on times like these. He poured some wine for her in a glass and walked back with both drinks. He gave her the glass and sat down. "Isn't that a little medieval?"

"Old money has habits that are tough to kill, unfortunately" she mutters dejectedly to her glass. "So, Timothy, any questions?"

"A few actually"

"Go ahead" she sad as she leaned back and got comfortable.

"Whose the old man?"

"Mr. Morris."

"You are fucking with me!" Tim reacted horrified, making Y/n laugh. If he hadn't been so shocked he would have delighted in her laughter but atlas, the situation did not give him the flexibility to do so. "Y/n say you are lying! That man is too old"

"I know, next question."

"Why me?"

"You are a good candidate and a lucky coincidence. I was going to ask Satine and Clara to help me but, that frankly would have ended in a disaster. I believe that as long as a plan stays between the parties involved who have something to lose, it will be successful. Satine would have chosen some random man who she's probably been involved with and Clara knows everything about everyone in the city-"

"Everything?"

"Except this of course, as I was saying she probably would have created a fake identity, assigned it to someone then, bribed them into playing the part."

"Much like you did?"

"I blackmailed you, not bribed you, get it right. Continuing, it was rather easy to choose you. You are Bruce Wayne's son, and even without that, you come from high society from your biological family, so you know the social cues and the ways of the people I am constantly surrounded by. You have proven to be quite ingenious as well as a good businessman. Knowing your "other me" proves you might as well be honorable too and what hero is not dammed with a savior complex can resist a damsel in distress? It is in your nature to want to influence things to be okay. My parents are friendly with Bruce therefore making things more appealing for the situation. I had the perfect leverage, the perfect candidate, and now I just need the perfect situation. So, lucky me when you bumped into me"

"You mean when you bumped into me?" he asked and she glared at him. "Careful, pretty boy," she said, and the way she said it caused chills to go down his spine.

"Any more questions, perhaps about my clean histoy and my best friend's not so clean image?"

Tim looked at her and she gestured to his laptop.

"What do you have to hide?" ha asked leaning foward.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Next question." she smiled as she also leaned forward in her seat. "What's our story?" he asked looking down at her lips, a little bit stained by the wine she had been drinking. Tempting

"Well, that's why I'm here huh, detective?" That nickname shouldn't have had the effect it did on him, but God, he wanted to hear those words from her again. "Show me why Red Robin is the world's greatest mind, second to Batman's only," she said leaning back and taking a sip of her glass once again.

"World's greatest detective, not mind, and some would say I have surpassed Batman, get it right," he said as he repeated her words in the end. "We need cero plotholes, so much so that it has to be so good that not even my family can find them. We are after all a family of detectives"

"Amazing" she said, sitting up straight, her entire focus solely on him.

"We both went to GA, so that's a starting point, we may not even have to lie. We met at Gotham Academy a few years back, you crushed on me for some time seeing as I was a year above you, and then forgot about me when I dropped out. Years later, we bump into each other on the street, and sparks fly or whatever the fuck will make the crowd fall in love with us, and then we start from there. Depending on how desperate are our odds, we will explain our timeline, but we have to agree on it before going public. How did you react when your parents told you the news?

"It waaaass..messy. A lot of screaming and crying"

"Then you will tell your parents of how heartbroken you were when they told you because you finally get the chance to be with your one true love and"

"Wait wait wait wait! Why do I have to be the lovesick puppy in this and you the prince charming" she said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Whose the one in dire need of escaping the situation?"

"Who's identity is in danger?"

"Who will be recreating the handmaid's tale?"

"You bitch!" She gasped at his insinuation

"Exactly so, puppy love for you it is. As I was saying, you finally got the chance to be with the love of your life, and the moment you are prepared to tell them, they spring this news onto you. So how dare they. We can coordinate public appearances, photos, family dinners, and posts so that everything will flow perfectly. Finally, once, you are liberated, we coordinate and stage a breakup and you hand me all the information you have on me cause I know you made copies of everything and I will eliminate all. of. it. We will just be another famous couple that got together and broke up and moved on." Tim was satisfied with his work. Y/n looked absolutely amazed by him.

"Wow...and you came up with all of that, that fast?" she said full of wonder. Tim felt a tug in his heart due to her reaction. It had been a long time since he had managed to make someone truly amazed by him in a really long time. He had been so used to being surrounded by skilled detectives, assassins, meta-humans, and aliens, that he forgot how great it felt to simply just be and have someone admire you for it. The little praise-seeking self in the back of his mind was thriving on her admiration. "Yes."

"Fuck...I think I couldn't have ever picked a better partner for this if I tried. Your reputation does you justice, Timothy, you are brilliant." she smiled. Y/n felt relieved. She was soon going to be free from her family's pressure. Another scheme has gone perfectly. She cleared her throat and masked her face once again. "We have to make a contract, establish some ground rules."

"By all means," said Tim. "I am serious. First rule, I get all evidence of my alter ego destroyed once it's over. I am doing this only if that is assured."

"Deal. Second rule, no one, absolutely NO ONE, knows except for the two of us." she said and he nodded, "I agree"

"Third rule, Kissing only happens if the situation requires it," she said. He hadn't noticed she had opened a doc in his laptop and was writing this entire thing down. He hummed in agreeance, too busy admiring her....admiring her...WOOP WOOP! EARTH TO TIM! This is a fake relationship and you are already getting fond of her?!?!??! WAKE UP

"Fourth rule, no feelings. This is strictly professional" he snapped, making her look at him strangely. "I think that was already implied but sure, if you want it written, I'll add it" and turned to his laptop again.

He felt a pit in his stomach. This was professional and besides, he just found her attractive, he can anyone attractive and it doesn't mean anything. Plus she is kind of an asshole. She is blackmailing him into a fake relationship...to save herself from being sold like cattle and forced to marry a creepy man which if he thinks of it maybe it is the best way she saw fit. AND AND she was very rude to him and has quite the attitude..although it is so attractive how she goes head to head with him. Tim was sweating' bullets.

"And done. I added a few things such as we have to have some sort of PDA, and how we might coordinate things. You know, some silly stuff that most people think isn't important but might end up being so. Do you have a printer?" She asked to which he nodded and gestured to his office. She sent the paper to print and went to look for it. Tim took a deep sigh, he just needed to calm down. He just found her attractive and interesting like a new case that needed to be cracked.

"Perfect, I printed two contracts; one for you and one for me. I also took one of your blue pens and signed on both papers, here, sign here and here." After it was done, she had noticed that a few hours had passed. "I should get going. I promised Satine and Clara that I would have dinner with them if they kept the paparazzi off me so that I could get here unbothered and we didn't have any issues." She said as she went for her coat and her purse. "Have a nice night, Timothy"

"Tim"

"Huh?"

"My friends and family call me Tim," he said looking at her.

She smiled softly, "Okay...Timmy, have a good night and get some rest." His heart melted at the fact that she took his nickname and altered it to make it hers. She heard her driver arrive outside and walked towards the door, Tim not so far behind. He noticed she faltered her step a little and looked at him hesitating. "Be....be careful tonight" she said but it was more like a whisper.

Tim nodded, "Thank you, enjoy dinner and get home safe," he told her as she went outside and went to her car. He stayed there until she got in the car and it began moving.

As she left, Y/n unfolded the contract from her purse and read the last rule...no feelings...

"you are going to be trouble.." she said fighting off a tiny smile and thinking of the handsome boy with the sharp quips, magnificent brain, and gorgeous blue eyes.

"What was that, miss Vanderbilt?" asked Donnie, her driver.

"Oh, it's nothing, Don. We are headed to L'amico, I'm meeting the girls for dinner," she said sweetly and her driver nodded.

Author's note: What do you think of their dynamic? Liking it so far? Feel free to give me any feedback you'd like.

[racefortheironthrone]

Read your post on "disruptors", loved it, and made me wonder why so many have a cult of personality spring up around them. Were there similar cults of personality for the mega wealthy in the past; like was Rockefeller worshiped the way so many worship Musk? Or is it a more modern trend fuelled by our constant connectivity and consumption of media? Thanks!

You raise an interesting question.

It was certainly true that the robber barons of the 19th century - Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, Gould, Frick, etc. - were larger-than-life figures in the media (especially the part of the media that covered high society). It is also true that with a lot of these figures, there was this popular myth of the self-made man that sought to turn them into quintessential rags-to-riches, up-by-your-bootstraps American sucess stories.

But for the most part, the robber barons of the Gilded Age were hated for their monopolistic behavior and their use of violence to suppress the working class - and these magnates often had to go to great lengths to repair their reputations. Andre Carnegie's library-building campaign, for example, was very much a PR move meant to soften his image after the Homestead Strike. In fact, my great-grandfather Humphrey Attewell helped to organize opposition to the construction of a Carnegie library in Northampton, because he and other working-class people felt that the funds for the library were blood money distributed by a murderer. Likewise, it's not an accident that John D. Rockefeller founded the Rockefeller Foundation right around the same time that the Ludlow Massacre turned him into a monster in the eyes of the American public.

I would argue that we start to see more of a cult of personality around the mega-wealthy a bit later - say, 1900s-1930s - and the major turning point was the career of Thomas Edison. While Edison was every bit as ruthless and grasping as the robber barons before him - hence the war of the currents, his penchant for patent theft and/or stealing credit for inventions, the very existence of Hollywood - the fact that he was an inventor with so many world-changing patents to his name made Edison into a very different kind of media figure. Thomas Edison became a star of pulp fiction and dime novels, a sort of proto-superhero Science Hero - in addition to Edison's Conquest of Mars (an unauthorized sequel to the War of the Worlds in which Thomas Edison gets revenge for the Martian invasion of Earth by launching a counter-invasion of the red planet with his superior technology), there was a whole genre of Edisonades all about young inventor geniuses who use their inventions to save the day and/or explore the "savage frontier."

I think you can draw a line from the cult of personality around Edison to the cult of personality that formed around Henry Ford in the 20s and 30s as not just a car manufacturer but a visionary who had created a new age of modernity, and from there to the legend of the Packard garage, and from there to contemporary Silicon Valley.

[filthy-reckless-rp]

♛ Spotted on the Upper East Side…

Name: Adrian Vanderbilt Pronouns: He/Him Age: 45 years old Hometown: Upper East Side, NY Occupation: Judge Social Status: Insider Faceclaim: Mads Mikkelsen

Who Is Adrian?

“Vincit Omnia Veritas.”

Did a chill just go up everyone's spine or did you, Adrian Vanderbilt, just walk into the room? With a formidable reputation in the courtroom, many would be right to fear and respect you. You're dedication to the truth is admirable and threatening. With sharp wits, extensive knowledge and a tenacity that only a Vanderbilt could possess, there's no one that can stand in your way. Before truth, your family has always been your top priority. You have a lot to be proud of, right? And a lot to protect. You just want your wife and children to be happy, loved. You would never stand in the way of that or let anyone else for that matter. Even me? We'll see. XOXO ---Gossip Girl

A Little Extra

Adrian Vanderbilt is a distinguished judge serving on the Higher Court of America, known for his sharp intellect, unwavering commitment to justice, and an unrelenting dedication to upholding the rule of law. With decades of legal experience under his belt, Adrian has earned a reputation as a formidable figure in the courtroom, his decisions marked by both their fairness and meticulous attention to detail. His legal opinions are often cited for their clarity and depth, reflecting his profound understanding of the complexities of American jurisprudence. However, outside the courtroom, Adrian’s stern demeanor has become something of a legend in its own right. He possesses what many describe as a "resting bitch face," an intimidating expression that seems to convey disapproval or displeasure even in moments of complete neutrality. This has led to a general air of unease among colleagues, acquaintances, and even those who encounter him casually—most find themselves instinctively straightening up or falling silent in his presence. Yet, behind this formidable exterior lies a devoted family man. At home, Adrian is a doting father to his children and a loving husband to his wife, the only people who see the softer side of him. With them, his stern visage melts away, revealing a man who is warm, compassionate, and deeply invested in the happiness and well-being of his family. He is the father who never missed a school event, the husband who remembers every anniversary, and the man who once read bedtime stories with surprising tenderness. To his family, he is simply "Dad" or "Adrian," far removed from the fearsome judge the world sees. Adrian Vanderbilt’s life is a balancing act between his demanding career and his cherished family, embodying both the sternness required of a judge and the gentleness that comes with being a loving father and husband.

What Does Gossip Girl Have On Them?

He was married before he married Josephine Vanderbilt. He doesn't know but he also has a child with this woman - who rather not have them in contact with one another.

Connections

Peter, Nick and Chris Vanderbilt - Adrian's children who he is extremely proud of and loves dearly. They are his pride and joy, even if that's not always apparent.

Tripp and Juliette Vanderbilt - Adrian's nephew and niece. Adrian's especially proud to see Juliette starting her journey to becoming a lawyer.

Nate Archibald - when Anne Vanderbilt, Adrian's sister, married Howard Archibald... He wasn't so sure about him. In the end, his instincts were right. But he loves Nate, Nate's family.

[brostateexam]

“Food history is replete with honored legends, creative stories, slightly twisted truths, unsupported claims, leaps of faith, and outright lies,” Olver explains.

Several foods have fallen victim to fakelore. Take one of our most beloved snacks—the potato chip. As folklorists William S. Fox and Mae G. Banner explain, many believe that the chip originated in Saratoga Springs, New York, in the mid-nineteenth century. After several complaints that his fried potatoes were sliced too thickly, a frustrated cook “sliced the potatoes paper thin, fried them in deep fat, salted them heavily, and served them up.”

A common version of the story holds that the cook’s name was George Crum, and the hard-to-please customer was shipping and railroad magnate, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Variations on this story have been passed around since at least the late 1800s. But is any of it true?

Probably not, but the tall tale was helpful to at least one entity, the Potato Chip/Snack Food Association. The association and its public relations team were the likely culprit in introducing Vanderbilt as the unhappy customer. The wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney, the great-great-grandson of Commodore Vanderbilt, also capitalized on the chip’s mythology, publishing the Potato Chip Cookbook in 1977 and “publicizing potato chips and her cookbook in numerous newspaper articles and television appearances.” A local historian, who found no evidence of a Vanderbilt connection, called out Mrs. Whitney as an “opportunist who merely seized upon the potato chip story as a theme for one of her parties.”

[connievanderbilt]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, CONSTANCE CONNIE VANDERBILT! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like GRETA ONIEOGOU. You must be the THIRTY SIX year old CRIMINAL SENIOR ASSOCIATE LAWYER. Word is you’re INTELLIGENT but can also be a bit ABRASIVE and your favorite song is DON’T CALL ME BABY BY MADISON AVENUE. I also heard you’ll be staying in AURORA BAY DRIVE. I’m sure you’ll love it!

tw: forced marriage, leukemia

GENERAL DETAILS.

BIRTH NAME:  constance vanderbilt AGE: thirty six DATE OF BIRTH: 9th of december 1987 PLACE OF BIRTH: los angeles, california, usa ETHNICITY: african-american GENDER: cis female PRONOUNS: her/her ORIENTATION: homosexual/homoromantic RELIGION: athiest OCCUPATION: senior associate criminal defence lawyer

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS: intelligent & meticulous NEGATIVE TRAITS: abrasive & irritable MYERS BRIGGS: ENTP

THE RUNDOWN.

constance, known to those around her as connie grew up between the hills of los angeles, and the family mansion in aurora bay. depending on whether her multi-million dollar parents were fighting, and they needed to get out of town before the media picked up another juicy story on the vanderbilts. they'd built a legal empire from the ground up, and if you could afford their services, vanderbilt-dawson could get anyone out of their charges. the firm were all about discretion, and have represented people that may or may not have gotten away with serious crimes... but of course, that's just hearsay. connie had five siblings, but unfortunately lost one of her youngest brothers to leukemia when he was a teenager. he was the only member of the family that truly loved and supported connie. it almost destroyed her when he passed.

connie had everything she needed in life, except for a proper family life. she always belived her parents had kids out of societal expectations and potential succession, rather than wanting kids. they were reared to be the perfect little society kids, seen but not heard. but, of course, cracks would appear. always the intelligent one of the family, but second to her brother, connie had to fight tooth and nail for her fathers attention. after years of trying to prove she was the right person to succeed their father, connie gave up, went to UC Berkeley for a few years before leaving to study and work in france till she 30. connie then settled back in aurora bay while her family were permanently back in los angeles. at 34, she was ordered to come to the familly home she'd refused to go back to for years now, by her father.

one might wonder, why was a thirty-something woman beckoned back home? well, her father had a little surprise waiting for her back at the housee, a planned business marriage for her with a meyer's son. originally, connie refused, but eventually was blackmailed by her father. she resented him seeing her as a pawn, rather than a person with skills and potential. connie never hated will, but she certainly didn't love him. they had an agreement of playing house when around the family, but then went their separate ways to date other people. It took half a year before Connie's anger at the situation reached the brim, and she initiated the divorce for the sake of both herself and will. this infuriated her father. but this wasn't the only way connie planned to stick it to her dad. she'd been working, conveniently, at one of her fathers competitors companies. only a small player at this point, the firm wasn't on his radar till earlier in the year when they grew in power and shares, and she reached a senior associate roll. if connie couldn't have her rightful place at vanderbilt-dawson, she'd beat them at their own game. connie is known for being honest, very blunt. she doesnt have much patience. incredibly book smart, and driven by spite and vengence, she has a flame of determination that could never be smouldered.

PERSONALITY.

current connections.

Axel Mathis: Friend & Client Bradley Banner: Friend Emira Dursun: Best friend Imani Linh: Girlfriend & Past pro-bono client Jameson Cassidy: Former pro-bono client Mariana Velasco: Former best friend & Bad blood Priya Desai: Reunited good friend William Meyers: Ex-Husband & Friend

wanted connections. ( wip )

High life Friends: People who enjoy the finer things in life, calling all shopaholics.

[elysianpens]

"ARIJIT BASU - Be the difference maker and bridge the gap and connect the dots"

Arijit Basu, author of "Becoming a Special You" is currently associated with the world-renowned Pediatric Cancer Research Hospital – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States as Senior Clinical Database Engineer / Analyst.

Arijit, an International Ambassador of Dawn Research and Development Council ( Recognized by Govt. of India) . Top 100 Global Social Influencer - Piktale Influencer’s Award 2021. It's a unique recognition given to top 100 Global personalities for their contribution in varied fields. He is a Times of India (TOI) Brand Ambassador, Speaker, Educator, Coach, Entrepreneur, Author, Writer, Celebrity show host. He is also the Director- Communication for his entrepreneurial Edutech venture - digital learning platform Coachables. Recipient of 9th 2017 Kindle Gala award presented by Loretta McNary show, nrbnews24 channel journalist award. He was invited among the 50 special guests for the prestigious “Indian American Leadership Committee Congressional Luncheon – in July 2021 at Congressional Building for House of Representatives in the Capitol Hill – Washington DC. His passion for writing has earned him a niche name in the media industry. He was interviewed for news channels and was covered in various Business Magazine, vernacular, and English Language dailies. He is a contributing author to StoryBoard Memphis publication and Deccan Herald. He was also featured in a video by Kregse Foundation – “Our neighbors our stories.” Besides the above he was awarded for his work Internationally from various places. He is a recipient of the prestigious International Tagore award by Dawn Research and Development Council for the outstanding contribution in the field of Literature.

His recent book “Becoming a Special U”: Chasing dreams - paperback and ebook published by the renowned publishing house Barnes and Noble. The book narrates the unique feelings of the author regarding the challenges of life. Seeped in seasoned experiences from life’s travail, the author finds himself-journey a worthy one. Embracing challenges and maintaining some golden disciplines, he finds that his voyage has indeed been rewarded with its unique essence. The true reward of penning this book will be achieved if the readers find it worth adhering to the life’s golden lessons of life that the author has shared. Arijit is a blend of analytical and creative mind.

Arijit was born in Kolkata, India and did his schooling from prestigious South Point in Kolkata and a science graduate from renowned St. Xavier’s College. He further did a few advanced post-graduation studies in Computers with Programs in Systems and Database Management and Data Science from various renowned Institutions.

He also worked as a Research Analyst with Vanderbilt University Medical Center with Division of Psychopharmacology, Department of Psychiatry under the leadership of world-renowned Psychiatrist Dr. Herbert Meltzer. Arijit also worked as a Database Analyst with Vanderbilt University Medical Center with the Department of Health Services Research in Vanderbilt University Medical Center and served as an important member in the research team under the leadership of Dr. Michael Matheny, a renowned research scientist and clinician. Prior to moving from India to USA in 2007 he has worked in important positions with Godrej and Boyce, The Hindu Group of Publications, Business Standard (Financial Daily in association with Financial Times)

Besides his excellent work reputation in the clinical domain field Arijit earned a name and fame for his writing in the last few years. Arijit plays an important role as Social Global Influencer – He put immense effort in researching, connecting, and showcasing many important stories of eminent personalities around the globe through his Facebook / YouTube channel Talk shows - hosting of many celebrity shows from different walks of life and to name a few are Padmashri Anuradha Paudwal, Illusionist P.C. Sorcar Jr. and Indian- American actress Nandana Dev Sen.

He focuses on Analytics, Research, Communication, Information, Networking – Mass Media and News Media. His key areas are:

· Excellent communication skills and out of the box thinking.

· Provide community-based input, interaction, content-sharing, and collaboration.

· Focus on creative writing.

· Work on stories of human interest.

His dynamic personality as a database analyst and media personality has earned him won prestigious awards in India and USA and have highly been featured in leading Newspapers, Business Magazines, and TV channels.

To know more about Arijit Basu, visit www.arijitbasu.net

[blogbibliophilia]

Book Review: Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe

•

Book Length: 290 pages

•

My Review: I’ve always been a huge fan of Anderson Cooper’s work as a journalist, but I’m even more so now of his work as a writer. How cool to hear the story of one of America’s wealthiest families from him, who Gloria Vanderbilt birthed?! It was so interesting reading this book. I learned much about this family, from disagreements about inheritances, their stamp on the transportation industry and New York, a custody battle, extravagant events, etc. I also did not know that, until I read this book, one of the Vanderbilt family members’ furniture was later used in one of my favorite movies, Psycho (1960). So cool! I could appreciate Anderson’s wanting to explore the side of his family that he didn’t quite feel like he was a considerable part of, even though his mother is a Vanderbilt. He has always said he felt more connected to the Cooper side of his family. I highly recommend this book to history lovers who want to learn more about this family.

[mwsa-member]

MWSA Interview with Karin Tramm

Date of interview: 18 May 2023

Karin Tramm is a navy wife, DoDEA teacher, and mother of two BRATs. She attended Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee, earning a B.A. in Elementary Education. She holds a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, and an additional M.HR. from the University of Oklahoma.

Karin began her overseas teaching career in 1983 on the beautiful island of Guam. In 1986 she joined the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) now Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), which took her to Kalayaan Elementary School at Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines. There she met her future husband, Gene, a naval meteorologist. She transferred to Bamberg, Germany to teach at Strullendorf Elementary School and then to Naples, Italy to teach at Naples Elementary School.

The Tramms relocated to Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California, where their two sons were born. They went on to Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, where Karin started a photography business. Karin's photographs have been featured in shows, newspapers and magazines, as well as presented to the White House. Karin also wrote for the base newspaper, The White Falcon, The USO News, and Iceland Explorer. From there they transferred to Virginia Beach and then rotated back overseas to Rota, Spain, where Karin re-entered DoDEA to continue her teaching career.

Upon Gene’s retirement from the Navy in 2006, they moved to Vicenza, Italy, where they lived and worked for 16 years. The Tramms both recently retired from DoDEA and now reside in Parrish, Florida.

Karin's short stories, There’s a Cobra on the Slide, and The Agriturismo Bolzano Vicentino, are included in the anthologies, Schooling with Uncle Sam, and Host Nation Hospitality, published by the Museum of the American Military Family. 100 Days Smart is her first book.

MWSA: How did you find out about MWSA?

Karin Tramm: Elva Resa Publishing, an independent publisher specializing in resources by, for, and about military families, holds a zoom meeting once a month for their current authors and illustrators. During the conversation, MWSA was mentioned as a resource for military connected writers. This being my first book, I’m always excited to network and learn from others on the same path. I look forward to being a part of MWSA.

MWSA: What compelled you to write 100 Days Smart, a book about military connected students during the pandemic?

Karin Tramm: So many Americans are unaware of DoDEA Schools to start with and our military connected kids were on the frontline of the European outbreak, two or three weeks ahead of the states.

On the 100th day of kindergarten, I put my kids on the bus, waved to them, and said, “See you on Monday!” Little did I know that would be the last day I saw them. With the first COVID-19 death (in Italy) just miles down the road, school was closed. At first it was just for two days, then a week, then until Spring Break, and finally for the rest of the school year.

Teachers jumped in with online instruction within that first week and forged on, building the plane while flying. I woke up one morning and realized the significance of what was happening and asked myself who would ever write about his. Someone needed to document what was happening within the American military community in Italy, and especially how it was affecting the kids. I wanted to show how tough they could be in almost any situation, even during a pandemic. They were my heroes.

Even though we continued school online, we never really had a proper good-bye as a class. That’s important for the kids, but it’s also important for the teachers. As I continued to write, it helped me process my situation and brought a lot of closure.

MWSA: How do DoDEA schools compare with stateside schools from a teacher’s perspective?

Karin Tramm: I’ve been fortunate to make teaching with the DoDEA system a career and to have my sons attend and graduate from DoDEA schools. The school culture is a reflection of the high value military families put on education, creating an integrated organization between teachers, parents, and communities. Large numbers of parents support the school, both as volunteers and as employees. Commands support parents by allowing time off for conferences and volunteering. Other programs such as the Military Family Life Counselors, MWR, SKIESUnlimited, the art center, and youth sports, partner with the schools in a variety of ways to enrich student success. Overseas travel gives an expanded worldview and rounds out DoDEA students.

The most important aspect, in my opinion, is that every student has an employed parent, health care, and a place to live. Having those basic needs met gives everyone a step up in an educational setting. Not to say there aren’t challenges. Living overseas, TDY, deployments, and the high turnover rate of families, are all factors that come into play in an educational setting. To counter that, DoDEA shines with many plans and people in place to meet the individual needs of each student, both overseas and stateside. I can’t say enough positive things about the teachers, families, communities, and students, that make up the DODEA partnership. I’m proud to have been a part of that.

MWSA: What impact has overseas life had on your worldview?

Karin Tramm: Anyone who has been stationed overseas has learned to be more tolerant and understanding of differences, both cultural and personal. I’ve learned that different isn’t better or worse, just different. I try not to be judgmental and to embrace diversity and opposing views because that’s how we learn about others and ourselves.

I’d like to think I’ve become more patient, observant, and flexible! I’m the kind of person who needs routine and predictability so striving to just roll with things was one of my hardest challenges. I know that everyone connected with the military learns to do this early on, whether they’re overseas or not. I always try to expect the unexpected; to adapt, regroup, and move forward.

Often, I’ve been asked which location was my favorite and I can only say it has to be where I’m currently at. Every place is a balance of joy and difficulty and many times the joy comes later, out of the difficulty. I always try to look for the positives and take advantage of my time and place. I love to try new food and check out local events. I botch up the language, but keep my sense of humor even when things might not be so funny at the time--I’m sure I’ve given the locals a few good stories to share at the table.

MWSA: When the lockdown occurred, in what ways did you have to reinvent yourself as an educator?

Karin Tramm: I’d like to share a quote from my book:

“Reinvention is what military spouses do best. In my past lives I’ve been a teacher, a stay-at-home mom, a travel writer, a bartender, a grad student, a photographer, and finally, a teacher again. Every time our family moved to a new duty station it required a restart. New home, new friends, new job, new life, and so it goes for a Navy wife. Now this job would require a restart as well. As much as I didn’t embrace change, I had plenty of experience with it.”

I had to become a Robo-Teacher and with that technology became my biggest challenge. Children get a lot of screen time at home and I firmly believe my kindergartners deserve face to face instruction at school. For that reason, I wasn’t up on the latest and greatest tech components of the curriculum. I was proud that I knew how to write electronic parent newsletters and that was about it. Thank goodness for my aide, who was on it, and helped me before I even knew I needed help. She was a champ at finding online resources, using google classroom, and cleaning up my tech messes, which most times she was kind enough not to point out.

I had to learn to involve parents in a new and interactive way. They were the “home teachers” and we were partners in learning now more than ever. I had to design lessons that allowed them to assist students with hands on learning at home. I also needed to construct a process for students to share their learning with classmates in an easy and meaningful way, all done on line in a simple fashion that a kindergartner could understand.

The most important thing I did, however, was to give myself permission to fail. I’m a planner and I like for everything to go as planned; kindergarten is definitely not the place to wing it. When things fell apart, and trust me they did, I learned to take a big breath and try Plan B. I think we all can agree our “big breath” moments make us stronger and better.

MWSA: Were there any changes that took place during the pandemic that turned out to be for the better?

Karin Tramm: In the classroom I did learn to be more tech savvy and that helped when we went back to school face to face in the fall. We relied heavily on online resources and tools and I was in a much better place to handle that after my experience with virtual teaching. Having those skills in my pocket also helped me navigate this new world of being an author. I’ve learned how to use social media more effectively and even built my own website.

The pandemic helped me refocus my family priorities as well. I was plagued with mom guilt for not being there for my sons when the pandemic hit. I was completely helpless when they were in limbo in the states and couldn’t come home to Italy. I was scared for my parents in Florida as I watched things go from bad to worse in Italy, knowing they were just weeks away from the coming storm. I was fortunate to have enough years in with DoDEA and decided to retire from teaching in 2022. I do miss my friends and my Italian life, but I’m so happy to be sharing laughs and special times with my family.

As a society, we’re still frayed around the edges from this experience. Loved ones lost, financial turmoil, as well as social and political and upheavals are scars we’ll bear far into the future. I hope as we continue to move forward, we can look beyond ourselves and approach life with a bit more compassion and respect for others and rebuild our sense of community.

MWSA: Do you think your story will encourage others to open up about their own pandemic experiences?

Karin Tramm: Everyone has their own pandemic story, unique to time and place. Many of those stories are still inside waiting, waiting, waiting, most times needing, to come out. As I’ve talked about my book, I notice people are initially hesitant to join in the discussion, the pandemic still being a bit raw and sometimes even divisive. Once the door opens, however, young and old alike have a lot to share. I’d like to think this book gives people some validation, a springboard to begin their own conversations, and some healing. The whole world needs a bit of that.

[seasonsofeverlark]

One For the History Books

Author: @hutchhitched​

Prompt: Fall is football season, so I have a football themed prompt (plus, I love athletic!Everlark, and obvi football!Peeta is always welcomed 😂) Anyways, how about something inspired by this? Katniss becomes the kicker for her college’s football team because they’re down players for whatever reason. This is how she meets Peeta - one of the team’s star players and her crush. [submitted by @daydreamsandcaffeine​]

Rating: T

Summary: Katniss Everdeen’s broken the gender barrier on her university’s football team, and she’s about to make history. She’s also caught the eye of fellow teammate, Peeta Mellark, and both are very, very important to her.

Author’s Note: Fun fact, the first game Sarah Fuller officially played was at my alma mater when Vanderbilt traveled to the University of Missouri during the 2020 season. Like I have every time Missouri’s played since I was a freshman in college in 1994, I watched the game and shed a tear or two when she kicked off in the second half. The media and crowd response was understandably astounding, and I’m really proud Mizzou, my alma mater, was part of such an important event. Two weeks later, Fuller scored her first points at a home game in Nashville, Tennessee. I hope y’all enjoy my attempt to Everlark this story. Also, go Mizzou! ________________

“Everdeen,” Haymitch Abernathy, coach of the Panem State University football team, calls to his female kicker. “Get showered and come see me. Immediately.”

Waving over her shoulder, Katniss heads to the locker room and ducks into the private shower on the far side of the area, away from the male players. As she does, Peeta Mellark, the star running back, catches her eye. He grins at her and winks as he strips his shirt over his head and holds it balled up in front of him. Apparently, he doesn’t mind if she sees him, but she does. That’s why she insisted on her own separate space, even though she’s the one who chose to join the football team.

Ten minutes later, she’s in Coach Abernathy’s office, and he’s giving her the shock of her life.

“I’m what now?”

“Playing on Saturday. We’re down a kicker, and we need one. Be ready. If we can actually score a touchdown this week, you might be the first woman ever to put up a point in a Division I football game,” he says between nips out of a flask that she pretends she can’t see. “Congratulations, sweetheart. You’re about to become the face of feminism.”

She’s still in shock as she walks from the offices to the parking lot where she ignores the cluster of players who alternate between cat-calling and insulting her and heads directly to her car. Just as she’s about to slip into her seat and slam the door shut, someone calls her name.

“Katniss? Everything okay?” Peeta asks from two cars down the aisle. “Abernathy giving you crap again?”

“Yeah,” she calls. “He, uh…”

“You all right?” he asks as he approaches. “He didn’t kick you off the team or something idiotic like that, did he?”

“No. Nothing like that. In fact, he… Oh, God.”

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his face serious and swimming in front of hers. “Tell me.”

Still too stunned to process it all, she looks directly at him and murmurs, “I’m going to play on Saturday. In the game. I’m going to take a snap.”

Disbelief washes over his face, and she can’t help the grin that stretches her lips and exposes her teeth. She must look like a loon. He stares at her for a few seconds and then grabs her in a hug. Before she knows it, he’s twirling her in circles and whooping in her ear.

“Congratulations! That’s so, so great.”

Dizzy and reeling, she presses her hand to the roof of her car for stability. “I’m so nervous I think I may vomit. What if I screw up? What if I miss? What if I don’t even connect with the football and fall flat on my ass?”

“What if none of that happens, you trust your training, and you end up being in the history books?”

“Well, there’s that too,” she admits.

Three days later, she’s sweating in her pads, but she’s also so excited she can hardly see straight. It’s official. They’ve announced her as the starting kicker, which means she’s going to take the field. Now, it’s just a waiting game for when the team can’t get a first down and needs to punt,  gets close enough for a field goal, or scores a touchdown and needs an extra point kicked.

“Calm down, Catnip,” her teammate Gale says, using a most unwelcome nickname and eyeing her as she shakes her leg. They’re seated next to each other on a bench in front of her locker, and she’s trying not to lose her lunch in her helmet.

“Shut it, Hawthorne,” she snaps and jiggles both her legs as her frazzled nerves make her stomach roll.

Raising her head, she glances around the locker room and locks eyes with Peeta, who’s half-dressed and staring at her with a concerned look on his face. Surely he doesn’t mean to do it, but that doesn’t mean she misses the flex of his pectorals or the way his biceps bulge as he tugs his dry-fit on over his bare chest. With a wink, he lifts the hem up to allow her a glimpse of his abs, and she can’t help the grin that tugs at the corners of her lips.

“Good luck,” he mouths, and she nods her thanks.

Before she knows it, Coach Abernathy’s giving the pre-game pep talk, and she’s in the tunnel with the rest of her teammates as the crowd roars and the band plays. When the announcer’s voice booms over the PA system, the cannon sounds, and the team runs onto the field. Squinting in the bright sunlight, Katniss tries not to faint, especially when Panem State wins the toss, receives the kickoff, and advances down the field to score a touchdown.

Suddenly, the special teams’ coach yells her name, and she tugs on her helmet and jogs onto the field. The enormity of the situation isn’t lost on her. If it were up to her, she’d just be a football player, but the national sports media has picked up this story and run with it. She’s not just the kicker for the Panem State football team. She’s a woman in a male dominated sport, and her name’s going into the history books.

As long as she doesn’t miss her kick, that is.

Too terrified to think, she relies on her training. Lining up behind the ball, she holds out her arm to assess the angle, and then takes three steps back and two over. When the whistle blows and the ball snaps, she takes her steps, and her foot connects with the ball. It goes up, flying in an arc toward the goalposts until—

The cannon booms and the refs hold up their arms to indicate the kick is good. Her teammates dogpile on her as the crowd roars. Everyone’s cheering, even the opposing team, and it finally hits her how big this moment is. She’s integrated Division 1 football. For the first time ever, a woman’s name will be in the record books. It doesn’t matter if she wants the attention or not; she’s got it.

When Katniss finally crawls out from under her teammates and jogs back to the sideline, Coach Abernathy gives her a high five, and then Peeta’s standing in front of her with a massive smile on his face. When she grins at him, he picks her up and twirls her around before setting her on her feet.

“Amazing,” he gushes. “So hot you’re on fire.”

“I, uh… Thanks?”

“Hold that thought, Everdeen,” he says as he pulls his helmet over his ears and buckles the strap.

As he sprints onto the field to take his spot behind the line of scrimmage, she watches the way his pants cling to thick thighs that are so very tempting. Shaking her head, she puts the thought out of her mind. They’re in the middle of a game, she doesn’t need to be ogling one of her teammates while they try to win the game.

When the clock winds down, Katniss finds herself the subject of a lot of media attention. Previously ignored entirely, it’s a shock to find out how many reporters want a quote from her so they can run a story about her history-making performance. By the time she’s back in the locker room, almost everyone on the team has left. Exhausted, she sinks onto a bench and exhales a lusty sigh.

“No shower yet, Everdeen? Better get on that because we both know you’re going to be very popular at the parties tonight.”

Smiling wryly, she lifts her gaze to Peeta’s and shrugs. “We also both know I don’t go to parties—not even when I’m in demand.”

“Well, then,” he says softly as he sits next to her and nudges her shoulder with his. “Maybe you just grab a shower so I can take you out for a post-game celebratory pizza, and then you come back to my place and watch a movie with me?”

“Do I get to pick the movie? And can we eat the pizza at your place instead of going somewhere?”

“Sweetheart, not only will I let you pick out what we watch, I’ll let you pick the toppings too.”

Pleased, she ducks her head. “In that case, I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes. Meet you in the parking lot? I can follow you to your place.”

“Can’t wait,” he says with a wink before leaving her alone in the locker room.

She sits still for a few seconds, allowing the day to wash over her before jumping to her feet. She might have made the history books, but Peeta Mellark just asked her out. It’s not everyday something so big happens to her.

[whilereadingandwalking]

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo (they/them) is a novel about rage, grief, and masculinity. When Andrew's best friend Eddie dies by suicide while studying at Vanderbilt, Andrew is thrown into a state of confusion. He can't explain to others why he believes Eddie was murdered. He knows they wouldn't believe him if he described the skeletal haunt following him around, if he told them of the dark magic that's tied the two of them together since a mysterious accident when they were kids. Now, he's headed down to Nashville to piece together what happened to his friend. 

It's a southern gothic in all its genius. A story of class dynamics, privilege and plantations seeped in blood. Andrew struggles to connect to Eddie's former friends Riley and Sam, burying himself instead in his bitter anger and self-isolating grief. He tries to connect the dots of Eddie's research project in a dark academia setting, with scheming researchers and dark motives. The book blooms with a fierce rage, with fist fights and drunken car racing, with reckless, adrenaline-fueled choices. The men are gruff and difficult, with a brotherhood—and a queerness—that pulls them together. 

Some of the twists were more predictable than I think they were meant to be, and there were small, confusing hiccups in the descriptive writing. But neither took much away from this novel. Summer Sons thrives because of atmosphere: the heavy humid heat, because you feel like you're there as Andrew takes one more swig of beer and speeds down the highway. It is sexy, raw, and physical, a fantasy that deals in blood and drugs and sweat and curses older than any of us. Andrew's self-discovery, his twisted path towards closure, the tough, bloody way that the characters interact and bounce off each other, are all the core of this slow burn of a novel. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo comes out September 28 from Tordotcom. 

Content warnings for suicide, self-harm, hard drugs, f slur, homophobia, violence, abuse.

[cinema-tv-etc]

The True Story Behind a Deadly Love Triangle Involving Renowned Architect Stanford White

Expect to see White as a character in HBO's The Gilded Age.

By Mary Elizabeth Andriotis Jan 25, 2022

When design enthusiasts hear the name Stanford White, they likely recognize one third of the illustrious architecture firm McKim, Mead & White. White enjoyed much professional success—namely, designing historic structures such as the Washington Square Arch, Newport's Rosecliff, and the circa-1890 version of Madison Square Garden. However, White's personal life was much darker; the architect was widely known for his predatory behavior towards young women. This behavior would ultimately come to overshadow—and, eventually, indirectly end—his life in a twist of fate that sounds like something out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

Following White's appearance as a character in HBO's new series The Gilded Age, now is a perfect time to look back at his real life. One facet that we have yet to see in the show? A deadly love triangle between the renowned architect, model Evelyn Nesbit, and coal and railroad scion Harry Kendall Thaw.

Who Was Stanford White?

White, who was born in 1853, designed—and decorated—the Fifth Avenue residences of high-society families such as the Vanderbilts and the Astors. Although the architect did not come from money, his father, Richard Grand White, formed connections with many notable names in the design world, including Frederick Law Olmsted and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

White began his architecture career at just 18 years old, when he started working as an assistant to Henry Hobson Richardson. In 1879—when White was 26—he partnered with Charles Follen McKim and William Rutherford Mead to form McKim, Mead and White.

Predatory Behavior

White himself lived at 22 West 24th Street, in a multi-story apartment near Madison Square Park. One room in this home boasted a red velvet swing, fashioned with ropes made of ivy and suspended from the ceiling. According to the New York Times, White designed this swing so that underage girls—including model Evelyn Nesbit, who was 3o-plus years younger than him—"could entertain him."

These activities, it seems, were widely known: Celebrated writer Mark Twain once described the architect as "eagerly and diligently and ravenously and remorselessly hunting young girls to their destruction," adding that "these facts have been well known in New York for many years."

Evelyn Nesbit

In 1906, Nesbit revealed that five years prior—when she was 16 and White was 48 (and married)—he invited her to his apartment for dinner, gave her champagne, and seemingly drugged her, before raping her while she was unconscious. Despite this unconscionable start, Nesbit and White remained lovers for quite some time. The model discovered that White had a "little black book" containing the names of other young women he was having affairs with.

In 1905, Nesbit was married to Harry Kendall Thaw, the son of Pittsburgh coal and railroad baron William Thaw Sr. White is said to have warned Nesbit to steer clear of Thaw, as the architect had always disliked the scion, but had no concrete reasons behind his disdain. Eventually, after declining Thaw's many requests for her hand, Nesbit finally obliged. However, she had to tell Thaw the truth about what happened between her and White, given Thaw's obsession with female chastity.

As Paula Uruburu reports in the 2008 book American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White: The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century, while traveling through Europe together, Nesbit and Thaw partook in a tour of sites hand-picked by Thaw, all of which pertained to virgin martyrdom. The experience was, undoubtedly, miserable for Nesbit on many levels. Upon visiting Domrémy, France—the birthplace of Joan of Arc—Thaw left a message in the visitor's book, writing, "she would not have been a virgin if Stanford White had been around." Later in the trip, Thaw allegedly locked Nesbit in her room at the Katzenstein Castle before beating her with a whip and sexually assaulting her over the course of two weeks.

White's Murder

Approximately one year into their marriage, in 1906, Nesbit and Thaw went to a showing of Mam'zelle Champagne at the rooftop theater of Madison Square Garden, where White was also in attendance. During the final song of the musical, Thaw, who was standing just two feet from White, shot the architect three times in a row, instantly killing him while hundreds of people bore witness. The bullets mutilated White's face to the point that none of his features were recognizable.

According to witness reporters, Thaw proudly stood over White's dead body while shouting, "I did it because he ruined my wife! He had it coming to him! He took advantage of the girl and then abandoned her!" (Reports are mixed as to whether Thaw shouted "ruined by wife" or "ruined my life").

The crowd in the theater originally thought that the shooting may have been part of Mam'zelle Champagne, before soon realizing that this was not the case. Nesbit, who was not at her seat during the murder, asked her husband what had happened shortly thereafter, to which he responded, "It's all right, I probably saved your life." Nesbit and Thaw remained married for the next nine years, until 1915.

The subsequent trial for White's murder was deemed the "trial of the century;" it ended with Thaw being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

https://www.housebeautiful.com/about/a38871160/stanford-white-evelyn-nesbit-harry-kendall-thaw-hbo-the-gilded-age/

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

So not to be dramatic, but if you could get a degree in discourse-ology, the topic of my master’s thesis would definitely be “Which political candidates did the characters of the CW’s Gossip Girl (2007-2012) support?” I’m doing this in order from most to least obvious, and considering both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

[ little ivy interjection here: i haven’t changed ANYTHING, except adding a screencap of the title + the submission, because that made me laugh & more people deserve to see it, and putting this under a read more because that’s how i generally try & organise stuff on this blog. so this submission is exactly as it was when i received it! also while we’re at it, anon, this MADE my day.]

Blair Waldorf: “Hillary Clinton is one of my role models. I do not break treaties, you ass!” (04x13) There’s no question that Blair would go hard for Hillary in 2016, she praised her on multiple occasions throughout the series. Blair’s a classic American neoliberal, third wave Democrat-type: she’s decently progressive when it comes to social policies, and would be decidedly supportive of causes like gay marriage, racial equity, and women’s reproductive rights, but she’s still very much in favor of maintaining the status quo when it comes to capitalism and the hegemonic structure of power that, lets face it, heavily favors her own class interests. To use the American healthcare system as an example: Blair would have been all for the Affordable Care Act, and is largely supportive of the idea of creating a public option - but single payer, nationalized health care? It just wouldn't work in a country like the United States for “X” reason (although the real reason, deep down, is that she doesn’t want to see her tax rate go up in any meaningful way). So she’s thoroughly for Clinton in both the 2016 primaries and the general election, she maybe even comes out with a line of high-end “I’m With Her” merchandise if she’s still CEO of Waldorf Designs, and is personally heartbroken when Clinton loses.

Flash forward to the 2020 primaries. Blairhates Donald Trump, like emotionally, viscerally hates him - his misogyny, his incompetence, and his blatant tackiness are a direct repudiation of her beliefs, and the fact that he’s representing Manhattan society and the Upper East Side to the world in such a godawful way is frankly embarrassing. So in a certain sense, her strategy, like frankly many Americans at the time going into the 2020 Democratic primaries is, “Which one of these candidates has the greatest chance at beating Donald Trump?” I see Blair being rather conflicted at first, but ultimately going for either Amy Klobuchar or Kamala Harris. She has a certain admiration for Elizabeth Warren given her professional background, but her policies are a bit too progressive for someone like Blair. Buttigeg is fine, but not especially thrilling. Biden, quite frankly, doesn’t seem like he has any real chance at winning, although I think he’d be Blair’s third choice after Harris and Klobuchar. I can see her leaning more towards Harris ultimately - although, after the “Amy Klobuchar throws staplers at her interns!!” rumors start spreading, Blair cannot help but, at a personal level, kind of respect her for that. When Biden unexpectedly takes South Carolina and then the Democratic nomination, Blair is a bit disappointed, but not overly so, and quickly marshals her financial resources into supporting and fundraising for him for the remainder of the election. At least it’s not Sanders - or Bloomberg. As a New Yorker, of course Blair’s opinion is “Fuck Michael Bloomberg”.

Chuck Bass: Now here’s where it gets interesting. Chuck, as you said, isn’t stupid - there’s no way he falls for the “build the wall” crap or any of Trump’s rhetoric, he knows it’s a bullshit farce and sees right through it. But you know what he definitely is? Deeply greedy and deeply selfish. I’m hardly the first person to point this out, but Chuck Bass is, in many ways, the fictional equivalent of the Donald Trumps and Michael Bloombergs and Brett Kavanaughs of the world - new money billionaire who inherited his wealth from his father working in the real estate industry, who despite his lack of business acumen and deeply problematic history with women, has managed to coast through life failing upwards with absolutely no social or legal accountability? I mean, back in 2010, Forbes Magazine actually did a real interview with the fictional Chuck Bass in which they outright compare him to Donald Trump. I couldn’t tell you if the Gossip Girl writers meant to write Chuck as their Trump analogue - I mean, they did invite Jared and Ivanka onto the show, after all - but the parallels are just too strong to ignore. All of which is to say, not only did Chuck Bass vote for Donald Trump, he held exclusive political fundraisers for him and was probably a substantial donor to his campaign. Now, did Chuck distance himself publicly over time as the political climate became increasingly caustic and public sentiment towards Trump plummeted even further? Perhaps, perhaps not. It really depends on if the board of Bass Industries felt like being connected to Trump was a liability or an asset - but privately, I imagine Chuck once again voted for him in 2020, because the one policy Donald Trump did effectively execute during his tenure in office was massive tax cuts for billionaires, and for someone like Chuck Bass, that’s the only political policy that really matters. He wouldn’t wear a red hat and wouldn’t be caught dead within sniffing distance of a MAGA rally and the hoi polloi, but dude is basically the image of what the kind of rich conservatives backing the Trump administration for personal gain look like. On the off chance that the distastefulness of it all got to be a little much for even Chuck post-2016, perhaps he might switch his vote to Bloomberg. But I highly doubt Chuck would be politically invested in anything other than his own wallet to such an extent that he wouldn’t vote for Trump, no matter how much it would no doubt completely infuriate Blair.

Dan Humphrey: As the unofficial king of the hipsters, Dan has been a Sanders supporter since before it was cool. Seriously, Bernie Sanders appeals to Dan intrinsically on every level - his policies, his rhetoric, even his aesthetic - the rumpled old man with wild hair wearing mittens and railing against the upper class is the sort of thing that’s basically political catnip for someone like Dan Humphrey. Not only would Dan vote for Sanders in both the 2016 and 2020 primaries, he’d go out and be one of the celebrities campaigning for him. This would definitely lead to him butting heads with Blair, and she would no doubt call him out on supporting someone like Sanders when Dan himself is now a millionaire, who made his money from writing stories about the upper class. The fact that in 2017 he apparently gets married to Serena, a billionaire heiress, and may or may not have been engaged to her back in 2016 when the Democratic primaries were happening might cause him a bit of cognitive dissonance, but really, just because he’s climbed up the socio-economic ladder now doesn’t mean his values have really changed, have they? (Debatable.) In any case, in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections, Dan would definitely vote for Clinton and Biden respectively - although he’d be significantly more disgruntled about it than Blair would be switching from Harris to Biden. I don’t think Dan would be a “Bernie bro” in the way that term is used, but he’d definitely chafe against Clinton’s past policy decisions, and would probably make some snippy Tweets about her during the election. Nevertheless, once it became clear that Trump was going to be the Republican nominee and was a serious threat, I think Dan would change his tone and start encouraging his fans and followers to vote for Clinton. Likewise, in 2020, Dan would probably become one of the Sanders supporters doing outreach for Biden, having become more politically pragmatic following the experience of living under the Trump administration.

Vanessa Abrams: Much like Dan, Vanessa is a progressive, although unlike Dan, Vanessa’s activism is more focused around specific issues and less around specific politicians. I can see Dan and Vanessa being in roughly the same place in 2016, and given that the only real choices were between Sanders and Clinton in the primaries (RIP to Martin O'Malley), Vanessa would no doubt go for Sanders. Whereas Dan might campaign for Sanders directly however, Vanessa would instead focus her time and resources around advocacy for specific causes that are important to her, like climate change and racial justice, and would probably use her platform as a filmmaker and documentarian to advance those causes. I could very much see her getting involved with movements like Black Lives Matter and organizations like the Sunrise Movement, and taking part in protests, marches, and sit-ins. When the 2020 Democratic primaries come around, I could see her possibly switching from Sanders to Warren for a while (and Dan would definitely argue with her about it if she did), but I can also see her switching back to Sanders after Warren amended her support for single-payer, “Medicare for All”. She’d definitely vote for Clinton and Biden in the generals, but not enthusiastically.

Nate Archibald: For someone whose family business is politics and who, in 2017, is apparently a candidate in the New York City mayoral election, Nate seems to be rather removed from politics. As Vanessa puts it in 02x19, “The only thing Nate’s ever voted for is American Idol.” Still, as Editor-in-Chief of The Spectator, Nate kind of has to have an opinion, and in that respect, I see him gravitating towards the type of center-left “establishment” candidates that he and his family would no doubt have close ties with. In the Gossip Girl universe, the Vanderbilts are portrayed as being a lot like the Kennedys, and I think Nate’s policies as a mayoral candidate would really reflect that. In 2016, he would vote for Hillary Clinton in both the primaries and the generals without much of a second thought - after all, she’s the obvious choice, and there’s no way a candidate like Donald Trump could actually beat her, right? Actually, optimistically, maybe that’s why Nate decides to jump into the mayoral race in 2017 - previously, he had been for all intents and purposes politically apathetic, but seeing someone as genuinely vile as Donald Trump ascend to the office of the presidency stirs him out of that apathy, and he wants to make a positive difference in the only way an incredibly privileged white man from a politically prominent family knows how. So he runs as a Kennedy-esque center left candidate, further left of someone like Hillary Clinton, but more moderate than someone like Elizabeth Warren - sort of like Kamala Harris, now that I think about it. I have no idea if he would actually be able to beat Bill de Blasio given the major incumbency advantage de Blasio would have, but who knows. Come the 2020 Democratic primaries, I think Nate would probably just vote for whoever he believed was most likely to beat Donald Trump. I don’t see him having any sort of clear preference - maybe he would gravitate towards Biden on the basis of him being the most established candidate, or maybe he would gravitate towards Harris on the basis of her campaigning as the “moderate progressive” candidate. I could also seeing him liking Andrew Yang, come to think of it. In any case, he would most definitely support Joe Biden in the generals. How involved he’d be in supporting him really depends on whether or not Nate actually gets elected to mayor - if he was the mayor, he’d definitely endorse him and probably donate to him, but I think he’d be too wrapped up in his own political responsibilities to really do much more than that. If, however, he lost the election and was still the Editor-in-Chief of The Spectator, I can see Nate getting more involved alongside the rest of his family, officially endorsing him in The Spectator, hosting political fundraisers for him, and maybe even campaigning for him. The Vanderbilts in the Gossip Girl universe (I have no idea what the family’s actual political beliefs are in real life) definitely seem to me like they’d be Biden supporters, and I imagine they’d use their political clout to try and get Biden in, and more importantly, Trump out.

Serena van der Woodsen: Oh Serena. Look, she knows it’s important, okay? It’s just, she’s been really busy lately, and she doesn’t really like to think about politics, and hey, remember that fundraiser she did with her mom for last month’s philanthropic cause du jour? Serena’s a Democrat, vaguely, but if you tried to really pin her down on her political beliefs she’d probably just change the topic. So who does she vote for in 2016? The truth is, she doesn’t. Not in the primaries, not in the general, not at all. She meant to, okay, Blair’s definitely been pestering her to send in her mail-in-ballot for weeks, but she just got distracted and forgot. Serena really strikes me as the kind of person who doesn’t enjoy thinking or talking about politics, save for perhaps a few specific issues, and she has a sense that everything will work itself out eventually and she doesn’t really need to participate. And then the 2016 election happens, and holy shit, she didn’t vote. Blair and Dan might have spent early 2016 bickering with each other over Clinton versus Sanders, but the one thing they can definitely agree on is “What the fuck, Serena?!?!” They both reminded her like, a million times, how could she possibly forget?! Serena feels really bad about it - she didn’t think it was such a big deal, she didn’t think Donald Trump could actually win! - and so she starts overcompensating whenever the topic of politics comes up, maybe even joins Vanessa at a few protests and marches, even though she’s still sort of clueless about the actual issues at hand. She does vote in the 2018 midterms, although only in the general election - straight blue ticket, all the way down. She takes a picture of herself at the voting booth wearing an “I Voted!” sticker and posts it on Instagram, tagging both Dan and Blair in the post (who already voted weeks ago using mail-in ballots, but it’s the thought that counts). Flash forward to 2020, and she really needs to make a decision about who to vote for in the primaries… but there’s just so many choices. Everything seems so scary and stressful and real in a way now that it didn’t back in 2016, and she can’t just ignore it and assume things will work out for the best like she did back then. So who does she vote for? Well, Serena always wins, so she votes for Biden. Conspiratorially, both Dan and Blair privately wonder if her voting for Biden isn’t on some cosmic level the reason for his unexpected victory, even if they know there’s no logical way that’s possible, right? But it would be such a Serena thing to do… In any case, Serena’s just happy her candidate won, and would probably host political fundraisers for him with her mom’s circle of philanthropic friends. Assuming she and Dan are still married at this point, she offers to help him do political outreach to Sanders supporters to get them to vote for Biden, which he sweetly dissuades her from given that most Sanders supporters would probably dislike her on principle.

So that’s how, in my opinion, the main cast would vote, ordered roughly in how confident I am about that analysis. You could make the argument that perhaps some characters would vote or act differently based on whether or not they’re dating or married at the time - like, would Chuck openly fundraise for Trump when Blair is a dyed-in-the-wool Clinton supporter if they’re married? (He totally would.) But I tried to consider them purely on the merits of their personalities and values, and not on the particularities of their situations at the time (with the exception of Nate, just because him being in office or not would obviously make a huge difference in regards to how politically involved he’s going to be).

I wish I put as much effort into my actual university essays as I did on Gossip Girl political analysis.

[dinawrites]

Westwood looks so amazing - not only all your edits (which are beautiful and clean and look like theyre from a real show) but your worldbuilding and your characters are so interesting and intriguing! Is there anything you can share about the overarching plot? Is it an ensemble of protaognists or is one of your characters more focused on than the rest?

Sorry if youve posted about this or answered these questions before Im just really curious (and bad at navigating blogs) and I wanna support Westwood

Thank you so much, that truly means the world to me 🥺💕 Since Westwood is still so new to me (I literally created it five days ago?), I am still unsure of how it will be received, especially since it is heavily influenced by: Harry Potter, Vampire Academy, Twilight, Monster High, School for Good and Evil (just to name a few), so your words have truly warmed my heart.

Plot is as follows: Centuries ago, a Witch named Atticus Aimes forged a way to bend a demon to his will instead of the other way round, and Warlocked himself to a demon called The Fiend. The struggle of subduing The Fiend proved too great, and it, alongside the experimental magics coursing in his veins, drove Atticus mad. He became murderous, believing he was freeing people from their enslavement to an unkind God. The First Families – the first Witches to settle in Warwick – managed to seal and bind Atticus using a bloodlock; a curse that ensured Atticus would never escape as long as there was blood of the First Families flowing in their descendants veins.

It had meant to remain a secret, but the Vanderbilts, one of the First, desired power above all else and wished to uncover and perfect Atticus' charm. Destrian and Vera Vanderbilt, the founders of Westwood, revealed the blood seal to the Warlocks — particularly those loyal to The Fiend. And so the hunt began, unearthing and slaughtering the descendants of each bloodline. Ulric Baranov is of Dumont blood, while Ottoline Brassard is a Castemont – two of the First Families.

The story kicks off with Otto's father's death, which attracts the scrutiny of the Eldritch Council. Realizing Otto is not only an untrained Witch but also a Castemont, they send her to Westwood Academy of Magical Learning for her own protection, where they assign to her Thomasin Rothchild and Matías Vilades as guardians.

She is placed in the same house as Ulric, both of them being Witches. During her time there, she comes to believe that those who wish to do her harm have infiltrated the school when Lucille Burke goes missing shortly after warning her to "Mistrust the Mistress."

Although it will be written in the third person perspective, we see the story unravel primarily through Otto's eyes as she is our vessel into this world of the Recondite Citizenry. We learn and discover things about everyone through her, such as Atticus and Belladonna Aimes' relation, Lucille Burke's history, the history of the school, and Otto's connection to the Castemonts. But I would say that Thomasin and Eliseo are as much a part of the story as Ron and Hermione were in Harry Potter, and Ulric is pretty much with Otto 23/6 because they practically live together in the dormitories and attend all the same classes.

And on top of it all, Otto is dealing with an unnecessary amount of attention due to a protection spell her mother placed on her that thralls powerful mystical beings into wanting to protect her, an emotion that gets too easily mistaken for desire. (I wanted to play around with the Mary Sue trope of the girl who every guy she meets falls in love with her because I thought it would be fun to flip it a little, and make it all come down to a misguided protection charm).

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Gossip Girl OC Masterlist

Name: Alessandra Vanderbilt

Story: Picture Perfect Lies

Face Claim: Maia Mitchell

Name: Alia Kelly

Story: My Castle Crumbled Overnight

Face Claim: Camila Mendes

Love Interest: Nate Archibald; Tripp Vanderbilt; Dan Humphrey

Once upon a time, Alia was the undisputed Princess of the Upper East Side. But then, three years ago, she was unceremoniously exiled by Serena Van Der Woodsen, with lots of blackmail to make it stick.  After two years of exile, Serena goes to boarding school, and Alia returns, quickly reclaiming her crown, alongside fellow princess Blair Waldorf.  And for a time, everything is perfect.  They’re on top of the world.  And then, Serena is spotted at Grand Central, bags in hand, and Alia knows that everything is about to come crashing down.

Name: Audrey Cartier

Story: The Lucky One

Face Claim: Lily Collins

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf

Roman Garrel was, by far, the best boss that Audrey had ever had.  He had been her mentor since she was twelve and first started modelling, guiding her through French society with ease and helping her forge all the connections that she would need to advance her career.  He had even invited her to spend the summer with he and his boyfriend, and his boyfriend’s daughter, Blair Waldorf.

Audrey hadn’t meant to develop feelings for the New Yorker, but the recently heartbroken girl was far more charming than Audrey had ever expected.  Still, she knew it would never go anywhere.  Blair was straight, and returning to the States for the school year.  But when Eleanor Waldorf herself invites Audrey to be the face of her new collection, a job that would involve moving full-time to Manhattan, she can’t help but hope that New York will become her personal city of love.

Name: Bex Bass

Story: Party Girls (Don’t Get Hurt)

Face Claim: Lucy Hale

Name: Chanel Rhodes

Story: Got A Secret

Face Claim: Dianna Agron

Love Interest: Tripp Vanderbilt

Name: Clara Waldorf

Story: Scars Of Love

Face Claim: Willa Holland

Love Interest: Tripp Vanderbilt

Clara Waldorf was perfect. Perfect grades, perfect outfits, the perfect princess of the Upper East Side. But Clara Waldorf had a lot of secrets, too. Not the drinking or the drugs, everyone knew that she was the perfect party girl. No, Clara’s secret was the truth about what happened with Tripp Vanderbilt, and no one would never know the real story. Or so she hopes, but Gossip Girl disagrees.

Name: Clementine Astoria

Story: Material World

Face Claim: Madelaine Petsch

Love Interest: Tripp Vanderbilt; endgame TBD

Name: Corrine Adler

Story: Art Deco

Face Claim: Shay Mitchell

Love Interest: Serena Van Der Woodsen

Name: Eloise Quinn

Story: A World Alone

Face Claim: Candice King

Love Interest: Carter Baizen, Nate Archibald, Dan Humphrey

Name: Emerson Archibald

Story: Heartlines

Face Claim: Zoey Deutch

Name: Erin Humphrey

Story: Cool Kids

Face Claim: Ashley Benson

Love Interest: Nate Archibald

If Erin Humphrey was going to get into Harvard then she needed to take advantage of everything that Constance had to offer. Not just the unparalleled academic experience, but the connections too. She wasn’t friends with Blair Waldorf, or a slave to her every whim the way that Jenny was, but they were civil. She was friend-adjacent with Nate Archibald, she flirted back when Chuck Bass hit on her. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the kind of pull that she needed. Until Serena Van Der Woodsen returns from boarding school and pulls Erin headfirst into the elite circle of the Upper East Side. Erin is determined not to blow her chance, but with Gossip Girl looking for any opportunity to tear them down, she has to work harder than ever to keep her newfound position at the top of the world.

Name: Evie Van Der Woodsen

Story: Freshman Generation

Face Claim: Meg Donnelly

Love Interest: Jenny Humphrey; Theo Archibald

Everyone on the Upper East Side knows that you can’t have change without drama, and for New York’s richest, there’s nothing like the first week back at school to deliver on both fronts.  And this year promises to deliver more of each than most people will experience in their entire lives.  First, Serena van der Woodsen, spotted at Grand Central after mysteriously disappearing for a year, months after the twins went MIA on their trip to “Miami”. Blair Waldorf  is clinging to her crown and to her white knight — only Nate seems more concerned by both Serena and Theo Archibald returning from boarding school. And what exactly is Chuck Bass doing, lurking around the Ostroff Centre?  No one knows yet, but one thing is for sure — Serena’s abrupt disappearance may have been the trigger, but her unpredictable return won’t be what leads to a cure.

Name: Heather Reign

Story: Candy Store

Face Claim: Emma Roberts

Name: James Locke

Story: Oh No!

Face Claim: Sabrina Carpenter

Name: Josie Archibald

Story: Tell Tale Heart

Face Claim: Nina Dobrev

Love Interest: Chuck Bass; Blair Waldorf

Name: Katrina Richmond

Story: The Love Club

Face Claim: Ellie Bamber

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf

Name: Leighton Rosenstern

Story: Everybody Talks

Face Claim: Tilly Keeper

Name: Michelle Beaton

Story: Leader Of A New Regime

Face Claim: Elizabeth Gillies

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf

Name: Nolan Van Der Woodsen

Story: Million Dollar Man

Face Claim: Nicholas Galitzine 

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf

Name: Odette Beck

Story: Flashing Lights

Face Claim: Phoebe Dynevor

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf

Name: Percy Carlisle

Story: Sweet Creature

Face Claim: Andrew Garfield

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf & Dan Humphrey

Name: Rhys Astor

Story: National Anthem

Face Claim: Grant Gustin

Love Interest: Blair Waldorf

Rhys Astor was the bane of Gossip Girl’s existence. The richest boy in New York, notorious for his love of partying and one night stands, and friends with Blair Waldorf, he should have been a constant source of headlines. And yet, he wasn’t. Open and unapologetic about his vices, there was nothing about him that could be called a secret. Even his biggest scandals could hardly be considered newsworthy when Rhys himself was so willing to confess his sins. Somehow, despite being the most scandalous member of the Upper East Side, talking about Rhys Astor was only ever a death sentence to Gossip Girl. At least that was the case, before Serena Van Der Woodsen’s grand return.

Name: Sabrina Van Der Woodsen

Story: Last Great American Dynasty

Face Claim: Lily James

Love Interest: Tripp Vanderbilt

Name: Sawyer Archibald

Story: Hollow Lies

Face Claim: Troian Bellisario

Name: Tessa Rosenstern

Story: Everybody Talks

Face Claim: Brianne Howey

Love Interest: Tripp Vanderbilt

Name: Thea Mellon

Story: Illicit Affairs

Face Claim: Holland Roden

Love Interest: Tripp Vanderbilt; Nate Archibald

Name: Theo Archibald

Story: Freshman Generation

Face Claim: Alex Fitzalan

Love Interest: Eric Van Der Woodsen; Evie Van Der Woodsen

Everyone on the Upper East Side knows that you can’t have change without drama, and for New York’s richest, there’s nothing like the first week back at school to deliver on both fronts.  And this year promises to deliver more of each than most people will experience in their entire lives.  First, Serena van der Woodsen, spotted at Grand Central after mysteriously disappearing for a year, months after the twins went MIA on their trip to “Miami”. Blair Waldorf  is clinging to her crown and to her white knight — only Nate seems more concerned by both Serena and Theo Archibald returning from boarding school. And what exactly is Chuck Bass doing, lurking around the Ostroff Centre?  No one knows yet, but one thing is for sure — Serena’s abrupt disappearance may have been the trigger, but her unpredictable return won’t be what leads to a cure.

Name: Vic Locke

Story: Oh No!

Face Claim: Kristin Chenoweth

Name: Vienna Callahan

Story: Started With A Kiss

Face Claim: Victoria Justice

Love Interest: Nate Archibald