#day 1: new beginnings

[baubeautyandthegeek]

A Dove Gains Her Wings – Tamerlane Usher/Verna

A/N: Day 1 for @flufftober fluffspring 2024. GIF made for me by @whoreofthecottage

A flutter. That’s the first sign Verna gets. A flutter of wings, then, a coo. Soft, hopeful. A new beginning, one taken willingly by the other woman. Another soft coo, another flutter of wings then she lands. The girl steps from the shadows where the Dove landed. New beginnings were rare in her world, but Verna beams as she sees the girl. Tamerlane, her sweet, tragic, girl. She looks happier, here. The marks of the past aren’t obvious not to everyone, but she sees them, the silver lines where Tamerlane’s body healed in the after, her body empty of blood had healed, turning her from angel to Dove, the balance of Verna’s darkened soul, a Dove for a Raven alone. Tamerlane reaches for her now, emerging into the sun, pale skin marked just barely with silver, eyes still silver-blue with the past. New Beginnings. Verna thinks the words as she steps to pull the girl close, letting their lips meet, watching the scarring fade entirely, the girl’s eyes returning to the right shade. “Verna…” “Hello Beautiful.” Verna murmurs, tucking hair from Tamerlane’s face. The soft copper curling under her touch. “My Dove.” “My Raven.” The words seem to surprise Tamerlane even as she smiles. “You chose… me?” “I did.” Verna murmurs. “I will always choose you, my deal breaking darling.”

[episodes-without-incident]

12/3/2024:

2 episodes since Drawfee last referenced Cats (2019)

4 episodes since Drawfee last referenced Everytime We Touch (2005)

[deoidesign]

Been thinking about her recently.

[odetojupiter]

jean kevin and neil all being 19 when they officially leave the nest feels significant somehow

(kevin being 19 when he runs, jean being 19 when renee takes him, neil’s fake age being 19 when he leaves after christmas and his real age being 19 when he leaves after riko is shot and he’s officially pardoned by ichirou)

[backjustforberena]

Rhaenys Targaryen being perceptive as HECK:

Devotion has never sat well with him. Where he goes, he wishes to be his own master. [...] Not as such (will he challenge her). But neither can he allow her to command him.

"Neither can he allow her to command him." - We never see Rhaenyra actually order Daemon's flight to Harrenhal. Not directly. It was his choice to go when he did, it was his plan to being with, at the start of the whole thing - to create a toehold in the Riverlands. It was Daemon's instincts and feelings. He follows his own path.

Again, Jaehaerys's murder was done without Rhaenyra's sanction, he chafed against staying on Dragonstone whilst she searched for Luke's remains, and he took charge of the war council and drew his sword against Otto without waiting for her leave to escalate. He addresses Otto's terms before she does. Whilst he shows loyalty and believes his motives to be selfless and his allegiance as true, it's not true deference. He seeks power/independence where he can.

Devotion and love don't sit well with him, though he has great capacity for it - we see him struggle with those feelings and the warring sides of his nature during Harrnehal: his brother, his niece, his second wife. His ignorance of his daughters. There is a corruption to his love. An acidity.

"Where he goes, he wishes to be his own master" = he goes to Harrenhal, and wishes to be his own master, and even King.

He doesn't not challenge her "as such" = he never raises banners against her, never pushes for his own claim other than in private conversations. Still, his behaviour causes Rhaenyra to have doubts in herself as Queen and others to have doubts in her as well.

It absolutely challenges outside perceptions of her rule - his lack of communication creates fractures in her council, leading, amongst other things, Alfred to question her suitability. It also makes her strategy wayward as they cannot be sure of ground support for any campaign. She's doing things she shouldn't have to do because of his behaviour.

His behaviour also challenges her because the things that he does impacts how her cause is received. Her name is cursed in King's Landing because of what he enacted, leading to the death of Jaehaerys. They blame her for what he did in her name.

Otto Hightower would never have allowed this. Hotter blood has prevailed, I think. The young men have taken the bit in their teeth. They wish to punish, to avenge. Soon they will not even remember what it was that began the war in the first place.

Otto Hightower did, indeed, not allow or know anything about sending Arryk to assassinate Rhaenyra, leading to the death of both twins. In fact, Otto was appalled by the scheme.

It was, as Rhaenys surmises done on the orders of the "young men" (Aegon, and the less young Cole) - as punishment and revenge for the death of Jaehaerys.

Aegon has "declared" war following the death of his son and has seized on offence. He did this whilst his blood ran hot: a scene where he is smashing up Viserys's model.

We teeter now at the point where none of it will matter. And the desire to kill and burn takes hold and reason is forgotten.

The deaths of the children (Luke & Jaehaerys) in the scene with Alicent and Rhaenyra, ultimately don't affect the idea of peace or war. Alicent does not change her behaviour due to the loss of a grandson, and Rhaenyra does not for the loss of her son, either to make war or peace more or less likely. The road is already set. They reach a point where it doesn't matter.

Rook's Rest represents a point of no return. They pass the point.

Rhaenys sees "the desire to kill and burn" take hold over reason in close quarters - she sees Aemond burn his own brother. That is the kind of savagery: the unforgivable. The bloody war between dragons and the hateful act of kin against kin. It's chaos.

Rhaenyra’s council is wayward. She has a hard task. I must hope she will rise to it, but I fear she’ll need you by her side sooner than late.

After Rhaenys dies, Rhaenyra has one council session, where each of the men around her have individual ideas - they argue amongst each other but none of them have no true plan to offer her. There is no progress.

Nor does she rise to command them: they continue to ignore her, shoot her down, not work with her, leaving her isolated. As Rhaenys fears, she needs Corlys. Rhaenyra soon offers Corlys the role of Hand.

[undead-moth]

I know I've been on about this for a while now and I'm being a hater but you're telling me SydCarmy was "always meant to be platonic" even though there are two seasons of writing making use of tried-and-true explicitly romantic tropes, themes and writing signals, and SydLuca is going to be romantic because...he was nice to her on screen for a few minutes?

I don't even care if people ship SydLuca, or if they just prefer it, but you can't honestly tell me that you believe Carmy was always meant to be a friend but Luca is an obvious love interest.

Just because Syd and Carmy haven't kissed or confessed their love to each other doesn't mean that isn't very obviously the direction this show is going. The Bear has already shown you who is endgame. It has shown you every episode of the show so far.

Honestly I really don't think The Bear fanbase understands this show or cares about these characters or the story being told here, which is unfortunate because this show is shockingly well-written in comparison to most shows right now, and we should be so grateful for it but all we're doing is complaining that the writers led us on by not making a ship canon fast enough. It's just. Sad.

[rui-drawsbox]

First commission out of the list! @yellowplumfruit's MC and Baxter relaxing♪

[obsob]

do you make enough money from selling prints in etsy to sustain your life? how are you able to afford this beautiful house and time to crochet and go on walks and all of that? i’m not asking for nosiness but because i’m trying to figure out what i would need to do in order to make my life financially sustainable… is art an option… etc

short answer i mooch off my bf <333333333333333

[weirdbabs]

[jasperyourmutt]

Thank fucking god for doctors who give a shit about your health. I just met my new doctor who is going to be prescribing my T and I feel so relieved to have someone who actually CARES

[freshthoughts2020]

[baubeautyandthegeek]

A New Beginning – Jessie Burlingame/Tamerlane Usher

A/N: Day 1 for @flufftober 's fluffspring 2024. GIF 2 made for me by @whoreofthecottage

New beginnings. People always said they were hard. Jessie, as she wakes with Tamerlane resting against her, soft copper hair falling loose across her shoulders, beautiful eyes closed, at peace, isn’t so sure. She had felt lost for months since Gerald, but then she had heard of the Usher family deaths. Tamerlane alone, broken, terrified out of her mind, blinded and bloodied. It was that which made her take the step to protect her, it was that which made her sure she needed to but now, here, it feels right. New beginnings, she thinks, stroking soft fingers through copper hair, marvelling at the sensations. New beginnings blossoming from old pains. Tamerlane had healed wonderfully, only her eyes, now blind, and a couple deeper cuts on her neck show what once happened. It was a new start, together. Safe at last.

[svtskneecaps]

i had arin for two days and i'm deeply endeared. i miss him. i miss arin, tails.

[b4kuch1n]

been scribblin with the dip pens to prepare for inking the next comic (yuuto⏫’s “origin story” kind of basically) and wow turns out I can do anything I want forever

yuuto’s new friends names of amy and linh >:]c

[gio-cosmo]

Bro is beautiful

[yellowloid]

only way i'm accepting the apology video that's no doubt going to come from watcher in the next few days is if ryan and shane decide to throw steven out altogether