Chair per Season | Season 1 Episode 2 “The Wild Brunch”

cbessays:

Question: I’m a dair fan and I’m asking bc I honestly want to know: why do you think chuck is so great and hate Dan? No hate haha just wondering

Maribells (awesome):

I used to like both of them, actually. It’s funny to think about in retrospect, but I remember when I first joined the online fandom in S3 (posting on the TWoP forums), everyone there thought Dan was this horrible douchebag, and I was the one person who was like *small voice* “Umm, well, I like him…” Because I did, I found him kind of endearingly awkward and charming, and I enjoyed his dry sense of humor. Overall, he was just a pretty good guy. And yeah, he was judgmental, but as long as his flaws were acknowledged on the show, I didn’t mind them. After all, flaws are what make characters interesting. 

But then there was this shift that occurred in S4, where Dan got progressively douchier and the show (and the other characters) just stopped calling him out on it. He was downright horrible to Vanessa, cheating on her, getting back together with her and having her take care of “his” baby, then planning on dumping her for Serena again, and then acting all self-righteous when she (understandably) got pissy about it. And people- both fans and characters- acted like it didn’t happen. Because it’s Vanessa, so who cares, right? And let’s not forget that when he kissed his best friend’s girlfriend, Nate ended up apologizing to him- that was my first real WTF moment where Dan’s characterization was concerned. Then after 4x11, they started rewriting Dan and Serena’s relationship to make Dan seem like the victim, which was downright eyeroll-inducing. Serena was no angel, but half the problem with their relationship was that Dan constantly made her feel bad about who she was and guilty for not “changing” enough. It was an obvious ploy to have Blair and Dan commiserate together over how badly they were treated by their exes- but while Blair had legitimate room for complaint, Dan really didn’t. So that started rubbing me the wrong way.

Then we get to S5, when Dan starts bringing the douchery to entirely new levels. He treats Serena like dogshit, for absolutely no reason. He publicly humiliates Blair “for her own good”, blames it on Chuck- again- and then has the audacity to still act like he has some moral superiority over Chuck. He basically destroys Blair and Serena’s friendship without a hint of remorse. And now that he’s gotten dumped for the very first time in his entire life, he’s vowing vengeance on everyone. So basically- the guy is a judgmental, hypocrital douchebag.

The thing is, a character can act like a jerk and make mistakes, and still be likable- but the mistakes have to be acknowledged, and the character has to suffer consequences. Dan never admits to being in the wrong, nothing is ever his fault, and he never suffers any consequences for anything. What were the consequences for him humiliating Blair at her wedding and then lying about it and framing someone else? Oh right, she was pissed for like 5 minutes and then showed up at his loft to suck his face off. Whose fault was it when he had sex with Serena in the finale? Serena’s, of course, because she tricked him into it with her magical vagina voodoo. He took zero responsibility for cheating on his girlfriend, which was just so very… Dan of him. 

Contrast this with Chuck, who’s made the biggest mistakes, but also suffered the worst consequences. Chuck is flawed, for sure, but he acknowledges it, the other characters acknowledge it- and he’s shown genuine remorse for the horrible things he’s done. He’s not the stereotypical “good guy” who we’re supposed to believe is some bastion of morality even when he’s acting like a total douche. He’s the screwed-up one, the one who has to fight an uphill battle against his own instincts, his own demons. The one for whom “doing the right thing” doesn’t come easily or naturally, but rather takes concerted effort on his part. 

I’ve always liked Chuck, because he’s a fascinating character (and Ed plays him brilliantly). Much like Blair, he’s a study in contradictions- the heartless playboy who falls hopelessly, irrevocably in love; the unrepentant asshole who’s willing to go to any lengths to protect the people he cares about; the spoiled brat who had everything, except the only thing he really wanted- the love and respect of his father. No one on this show has been more of a dick than Chuck, that much is inarguable- but at the same time, no one has suffered as much as he has. No one, besides maybe Blair, has shown the same degree of vulnerability that he has. He was forced to grow up far too quickly, and never had a childhood as a result- and now, even though he’s a grown man experienced far beyond his years, there are times when he seems like a scared little boy. And the obstacles he’s faced, the lifetime of emotional neglect and abandonment, resulted in the misanthropic 16-year-old we first met in S1, who believed that happiness just wasn’t in the cards for him. I think him overcoming that, and overcoming all the shit that’s been thrown at him over the last five years, is by far the most compelling character development on this show.

And relative to that, Dan is not only hypocritical, but quite frankly… he’s not very interesting. He’s the normal guy who grew up with a loving, supportive family, no real obstacles to overcome besides the horrors of being upper middle class. From academics to career to romance, he’s gotten pretty much everything he’s ever wanted. In 5 years of this show, he was never once rejected by a girl- in fact, his pattern is to dump girls and then treat them like shit afterwards. So why exactly am I supposed to root for him? What’s interesting or compelling about his “journey”?

Chuck’s journey is one of redemption. Of hitting rock bottom and almost losing himself in a morass of depression, addiction, and self-loathing, of being too broken and damaged to even know how to love someone- but against all odds, fighting to overcome his demons and make a real life for himself. To finally achieve the love and happiness he’d never believed himself worthy of.

And that is why Chuck is worth rooting for. 

(So… that turned out longer than I intended, haha. Hope it answered your question.)

Source. 

Chair per Season | Season 1 Episode 1 “Pilot”

After today’s post, I’ll post each photoset every 3 to 4 days. :) I hope you enjoy them as much I enjoyed making them.

BTW. I’m starting with season 1.

mylovetoborrow:

For me, the whole series has been about Chuck and Blair finding out who they are outside of Chuck-and-Blair. Chuck had to learn how to be Chuck, and Blair had to learn to be Blair before they could ever have a solid, lasting relationship. If they hadn’t spent time apart, they would have ended up resenting each other for all of the missed opportunities. In the finale, we saw each of them finally finding a clear purpose— Blair with Waldorf Designs and Chuck finally shedding his father’s expectations. They are both on the verge of becoming the person they always thought they should be. When they are both confident in their own identity and purpose, then they can figure out how to be a new and improved Chuck-and-Blair.

They have made mistakes. They have had horrendous fights. They have hurt each other deeply. They have survived tragedy. And at the end of the day, they always found themselves back where they started. Together. When they do get back together, it will be because they realize that their love is bigger than the struggles and the pain. They will be unbreakable because they will know that they can survive anything together. Because they already have.

To me, that is true love. Seeing the darkest sides of each other, every flaw, every weakness, and choosing to love those parts too. Being willing to suffer through the hard times. Being able to truly appreciate the good times. And being better and stronger together than apart.

rememberserenate:

This might be symbolic for Serenate and Derena. Obviously a wedding is something about love and the commitment of being together forever and a divorce is the end of that love and commitment. I think it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored that they made Derena have sex at a divorce party and afterwards Dan tells Serena that there is no “us” when it comes to the two of them, it’s like a metaphor for Derena like that was the end of them for good. I don’t want to get my hopes up but that makes a lot sense.

Serenate had sex at a wedding, that’s self explanatory. Nate never regretted what he did with Serena, he actually wanted to tell Blair about it and later on in season 3 Nate and Serena both admitted that they were in love with each other when that happened, whereas Dan blatantly told Serena what they did meant nothing to him and that they were over. 

Nate put Serena first and Dan put Blair first, look at Chuck and Blair, Chuck never put anyone else over Blair (and I said anyone not anything) he never fell deeply in love with another girl and had sex with Blair because he thought it was over with the girl he fell in love with when Blair told him she loved him.  I think Derena is done now, I really won’t be able to watch that show if they get together.

Everyone else always say that Chuck and Blair have an unhealthy relationship, but look at how Dan treated Serena like she was nothing, like she was some whore he could use to get over his pain from what happened with Blair, he knew how she felt yet he still exploited her feelings to benefit him. At least Chuck loves Blair, Dan doesn’t love Serena. At least fans of Chuck can admit when he did something that was wrong, but Dan fans can never admit that how Dan treated Serena was wrong.

purpleheadbands:

Okay, so a lot of Dair fans are upset because Blair and Dair didn’t get a break yup scene. Well honestly I don’t really think they needed one since the realtionship was going nowhere. Honestly the relationship was like the title with the tiara. You get the recognition but none of the perks ( kissing/sparks/sex). It’s like Kate Middleton known around the world, yet wearing knock off labels. She’s the future queen she should have the best wardrobe. Just like Dan and Blair should express being a couple. Yet the writers failed and acted as if it was a friendship but know with more hand holding. 

Also since the writers refused to give Blair one episode of mourning over the lost of her child (yes, I’m still ticked off about this. Blair has so much emotion. So many different qualities. Could you no given her a scene in her pajamas with Breakfast at Tiffany’s on and macarons eating with Serena. I’m sorry but when you lose a child that’s something to cry about. Every normal person expresses it in some way.) why should they give the scene to Dan/Blair? The couple was going nowhere and no offense this “baby” had more drama going on than dair.

Also when the baby died Blair ended up turning her back on Chuck which made me upset because they were going to have a life together and Chuck was going to love the baby even if it wasn’t his own. 

Dair was just a rebound. Nothing more and if possible even less. That ship was never  a ship. More of a boat. So Dair not having a break up scene isn’t the end of the world.

Next season Blair and Dan will probably have a scene where Blair says “I’m sorry we didn’t work out/I’ve loved Chuck since the beginning.” Dan will respond with “Saying something mean to Blair and then trying to ruin her life. ” because he’s DAN. He’s hated Blair since day 1 because 1. He’s always wanted to be from the Upper East Side and is not. 2. she hated him because he’s not from the Upper East Side. Also I don’t remember but one episode Jenny was yelling at Dan about Nate/Ashton (don’t remember which one. Probably both but at different times in season 2.) about disliking him because he’s everything he’s wanted because it’s true. All in All Dair won’t have a “break up” scene and doubt they will come back at all. 

chairdelenazade:

ANY TIME A GIRL SAYS SHE DOESN’T FIND THIS MAN ATTRACTIVE :

I’M LIKE :

allyouneedislovechair:

It is just so beautiful. To see these two strong individuals that evoke fear in other people to be vulnerable to each other. It makes you realize that the reason why they make each other vulnerable is because there is no facades…there is no personas…its just them two. They don’t have to pretend to be anything more or less than what they are. They can be strong and fierce…they can be weak when they can’t handle more…they can just be anything they are. They get to be their true self with one another. I guess thats why they are vulnerable…how can you not be ? when you have someone that has gotten to know parts of you no one else does…someone that understands you sometimes better than you understand yourself. I mean isn’t that what we all look for? Just someone that accepts us, embraces us, loves us and encourages what we are? To have a love that is so strong and so beautiful that is capable of recognizing and accepting our good qualities and our bad qualities all of it while knowing that they make us…who we are. And who we are is not perfect. so yeah because we DIDN’T ONLY LET THEM PIERCE INTO OUR SOUL…NO WE LET THEM GET SO DEEP INTO OUR SOUL…WE LET THEM LIVE THERE…yeah we are vulnerable towards them. They know our darkest fears and our darkest pain…they know our happiest moments…and they can make us the happiest…they can also hurt us the most. They can hurt us the most because they live in our heart…in our soul…because we love them with everything we have and everything we are…and because mistakes they make are disappointments and there are no disappointments that hurt more than the ones that come from the people we love the most. 

I guess that I love Chair so much because even in their complex and messy love…it is still love…the kind of love we all hope for in one way or another. To have someone that chooses to believe in us…someone that literally believes us worthy of risking their heart and possible pains to come…all because they believe we are worth of the most pure kind of love…the unconditional kind of love. Someone that falls in love for you forever…not until you hurt them..or until you make a huge mistake…no just someone that will love you until the day he/she dies. 

That is Chuck and Blair. Thats why their vulnerability to one another is beautiful and it is a sign of strength, because let me tell you not everyone has the courage to love in that way. Not everyone is willing to let someone so deep into their soul. 

I adore them so madly, deeply and equally in love with one another <3

beelieve:

but let’s be completely honest here, in this ship war I’ve been told by a Dair shipper that I’m disgusting, pathetic, a whore, a bitch, someone who deserves to be in an abusive relationship, someone who deserves to DIE and most recently that I condone abuse all because I love Chuck and Blair.

I have NEVER NOT ONCE gone into the Dair tag, tagged something as Dair or Dan Humphrey, gone on a Dan or Dair shippers blog and into their ask and attacked them or told them they deserved to have violence in their life or that they should die all because they prefer Dan to Chuck. I’ve never done this because I’m a sane person who doesn’t believe in online bullying. I DO believe in defending myself and I feel I have the right to do so when someone attacks me. But I never provoke it or am the first to attack.

So Dair shippers, you can play the victim all you want, but you don’t see Chair shippers doing these things do you? Sure, I’m sure that Chair shippers are just as guilty for anon attacks but they’re not stooping THAT low. At least I haven’t seen any proof of it.

This is ridiculous. The ship war is over. Dan lost. Not because Chuck did anything to sabotage Dan and Blair. Not because of scheming or manipulation. Because Blair didn’t love Dan and she could never love anyone like she love Chuck. Get used to it. And get over it. She choose Chuck on her own, with her own free will. Without any convincing from Chuck. Actually, Chuck turned her away but she loves him so much that she’s going to fight for him. And even if Blair hadn’t choose Chuck, your ship would still be sunk because Dan slept with Serena.

Get over it. Stop bullying. Stop saying we condone abuse or deserve to die or calling us whores and sluts because it’s ridiculous, ignorant and incredibly immature.

We won. Fair and square.