#it is absolutely beyond the pale of anything that would be acceptable even in wartime

[navree]

Honestly, what even was the point of having Criston kill beesbury? Why are they using ever bad thing Mushroom said about the greens when he wasn't even there. Honestly, I hope they do the brothel queens then, because it goes to show the Blacks cruelty (although they probably won't lol)

I think in the books it's to show how deadly serious the entire thing was, what with everyone swearing blood oaths and shit, but at least they provided a lot of ambiguity in how Beesbury died (personally I like the idea that he was arrested and then, because he's an eighty year old man, died due to poor conditions in the cells). It's especially weird because the two accounts of people who say that Criston specifically killed Beesbury right away aren't even people who were present, while Orwyle, who was, is the one who said that he was just arrested but then caught a chill and died.

Given how much they've softened the circumstances surrounding taking the crown for Aegon, I'm not entirely sure what killing Beesbury serves in the show, except to show that Criston has.......idk, anger issues??? Roid rage???? I appreciate that they tried to make it an accident but the whole thing was really weird and it does come off as "well the book said this happened so we gotta make it happen we just don't know how". It's really weird, especially when we know they start rounding people up and shoving them in cells anyway in order to keep things secret, so why not just do the same with Beesbury and then have him die due to mistreatment, or Larys killing him or something?

What I've found odd about the writing of the Greens, and I do stand by this, is that they've clearly put a lot of effort into developing these characters and giving them much more layers than they ever had in the book, and it's clearly come at the expense of the Blacks, which immediately became a problem in episode 10 when I cared far more about the stakes in Otto's one scene than I ever did for Lucerys who was literally going to die. But at the same time, they've paired that development writing with consistently choosing the worst option when it comes to canon things, especially for Aegon (it's OK honey, Tom Glynn-Carey and I share a hivemind and we understand you), so you've got good characterization on the one hand, and demonization on the other, which is especially galling when you remember that they don't even HAVE Mushroom in the show, so they're willing to take the worst things as objective proof without showing where those stories even came from. It's weird, they want the Greens to be more sympathetic so they put a lot of work into that, but they still want the Blacks to be the most sympathetic and in the objective right, so when they're not developing, they're taking every horrible story and treating it as fact even when it's stupid.

(I think this is emblematic of an issue I noted in an earlier ask, which is that this show has a much larger writers' room than GOT did and nearly every episode was written by a different person, who all clearly had different agendas, and it's made the writing a bit wonky).

Though I will say, I really hope they won't go with the brothel queens story. For one, I just really don't want to see it, especially since Alicent's already endured enough rape as it is, and Helaena's still going to be shattered, and the whole thing is just nauseating to even think about. I think there are other ways of showing the Blacks' cruelty, like if they go all out with Blood and Cheese, and maybe making the story about Mysaria's role in Helaena's death official. Having Mysaria also suggest the brothel queens idea wouldn't be beyond the pale, but I wouldn't want it to actually happen. I think there are ways to show how dark Rhaenyra and her side have become over the course of the war without resorting to gang rape.

[saberwolff-blog]

just to be quiet with you

My entry for day one of @ferarepair-week2k17! I chose the prompt Fireworks, because I'm not creative, but I am super gay. So here's something equally gay that I was too lazy to upload to AO3. This is probably all over the place cause it has a bunch of stuff I had thought about for this ship and had nowhere else to put.

Prompt: Fireworks

Pairing: Sakura/Hana (Fire Emblem: Fates)

Words: 1,539

"I d-don't want you to get in trouble with Yukimura because of me! L-let's just go back, okay? I swear, I'm f-fine! Everyone must be so-" A gentle squeeze of her hand and a calloused finger pressed to her lips were enough to quell Sakura anxious ramblings, if even for a moment.

"Enough of that. Just let me do this for you, alright?" Despite the finality of her words, Hana's words were soft and gentle, just like the person they were spoken to. "You deserve to relax too. Besides, I asked Subaki to cover for me. He'll think of something."

With a confident smile, the samurai's silently removed her finger from her liege's mouth, and continued to lead her awkwardly through the dusk, away from the lights and sounds of the ongoing festival. As both princess and the figurehead of the Dawn Dragon shrine, Sakura  had done her duty and led the procession but, being the first festival since the long-awaited peace treaty with Nohr, more than a few of their western neighbours were to be in attendance, including the entire royal family, as well as that of Valla. The thought of all those expectant eyes on Sakura made her stomach turn. What if she had fallen on her face in front of all those people? What if she had forgotten the words to say, or the moves to do? What if she dropped her rod, or just cracked under the pressure and burst into tears in the middle of the street? What if they all saw how terrified she looked, and were even now laughing at what an ill-mannered and embarrassing princess Hoshido had?

Upon confiding in her loyal retainer and closest friend, Hana had whispered something to her red-haired partner, who gave a nod and a knowing smile in response, and whisked Sakura out the back exit, leading her off to who knows where. For all the worrying the young princess did, this hasn't worried her. She trusted Hana with all her heart, and that trust had never once led her astray.

She was pulled from this train of thought when  her companion's guiding footsteps came to a stop, as she squinted in the early moonlight to make out the shape of a hill, on top of which sat a tall tree, which she recognized instantly. Hana had showed her this place many times- told her it was her favourite place in all of Hoshido. They had snuck away to this place many times when they were young- playing under the old tree, admiring the pale, almost ethereal cherry blossoms as they fell. This was the place she had- no, that wasn't important right now. They hadn't visited this spot in years, but it was still exactly how she had remembered it.

"Oh, Hana..." she sighed, forgetting that the subject of her wistful sighs could still clearly hear her. The samurai looked proud of herself, but continued setting out a blanket Sakura hadn't noticed her bringing in the first place. "Sit with me? Please? The fireworks are about to start, if you want to watch. We can still see them from here." Hana kept talking, even though Sakura had already sat as soon as she offered, and stifled a giggle as her retainer gave an awkward, theatrical cough before kneeling properly next to her, at a respectful distance, of course.

It surprised the both of them when the rose-haired princess closed the distance between them, letting her head fall softly onto her best friend's shoulder and her eyes gingerly drift closed, exhausted and content. Sakura was surprised by her own bravery, and Hana was surprised, though pleasantly so, by the typically sweet show of affection from the most important person in her world.

They sat like so for what felt like an eternity and an instant at once, muscles slack and eyes closed, appearing to the world sound asleep, though they were merely basking in each other's company.

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin at the crack of the first firework, shooting up straight even as her dainty fingers wound themselves through Hana's in her lap. After a moment of comforting words and Hana's other hand over hers, and they were able to settle themselves back into that comfortable silence, with one additional point of contact. When Hana attempted to respectfully remove her hand, Sakura had tightened her grip, silently begging her to let them stay like this, and so they did.

No matter how many festivals she had seen (virtually all of them since she was old enough to appear in public), fireworks never failed to strike awe into the young princess's heart. This night more than ever, whether because of her best friend's company or the momentous occasion that they stood for, the fireworks seemed truly magical - which they may have been, for all she knew - as if the gods themselves had splattered paint across the sky.

They shone like dying stars, lighting the sky for the briefest of moments as if in a final call for help, before bursting into stardust, dissipating throughout space before vanishing altogether. It was sad but beautiful, and for a brief moment, Sakura found herself wishing that she could have a death like that - giving off light for others, however briefly, remembered fondly by all as far as her light was able to reach.

The feeling of Hana shifting her weight against her brought the princess out of her poetic and morbid thought process, bringing her back to the moment in which she was sitting hand-in-hand with her best friend as time stood still, save for the starbursts illuminating the sky above them, giving her a brief glimpse at her samurai's reddened face.

While Sakura gleefully watched the fireworks in the sky, Hana stared only at her lap, in which both of her hands lay clasped around her beloved princess's dainty hand. It was not a hand made for war. This was a hand made to enjoy peace- it was a hand made to be protected, covetted, kept safe from the evils of this world. Hana's hands were made for war.

She had lost her purpose with nothing to protect her princess from, and as selfish as it was, began to seek out reasons to be useful to Sakura, just to be as close to her as possible at all times. But in the new world of peace they had built together, she found herself with time to contemplate things she had never allowed herself to in wartime. To contemplate feelings of love. For her liege.

When Sakura tightened her grip, refusing to let go of Hana's hand, the young samurai's face screwed up, turning a bright red. Two things controlled everything Hana did in her life: her honour as a samurai, and her love for Sakura. The two forces were now battling it out in her head. This perfect scene overwhelmed her with just how much she truly did love Sakura, but her father's voice in her head reminded her that a samurai must always be respectful and place their lords above all else, themselves in particular. Hana had struggled to even accept friendship with the princess for precisely this reason- romantic intent was entirely out of the question.

And yet she couldn't ignore how she felt about Sakura. She was so beautiful, so gentle and sweet and loving, so strong in so many ways that she had never truly appreciated. She loved her more than anything else in the world, and she would be selfish if it meant never living without this girl she thought was absolutely perfect. Her mind had already been made up, and Hana was not known for backing down.

Swallowing her pride, she cursed herself and opened her mouth, trying to untie her tongue. "L-lady- No, Sakura- I- I li- I love you!" She felt like she was shouting, but she could barely hear herself over the crackle of fireworks overhead. And judging from Sakura's unchanged rapt expression towards the spectacle in the sky, it seemed that neither had she. So much for Hana's big dramatic confession.

They sat on that hill long after the fireworks had come to an end, and Hana's newly disappointed expression didn't go unnoticed by Sakura, though she didn't bring it up.

Hana had definitely not been starting to doze off still leaning against her already seemingly-sleeping princess when what seemed to be Subaki's voice cut through the thin woodlands between the hill and festival grounds, calling both their names in succession. Why the fool didn't simply mount his pegasus and fly over the trees was beyond her, but she broke away and gently jostled Sakura awake, or at least attent. She suggested they return to the grounds, neglecting to mention her partner's searching in any capacity. She stood briskly, offering Sakura one hand as she brushed off her hakama with the other, and tried to ignore the pit in her stomach as the princess took her hand.

As she rose to her feet,  Sakura sheepishly tucked a stray strawberry lock behind her ear before bobbing to place a sweet, chaste kiss to Hana's lips. It was just how she had imagined Sakura would kiss, but also so much better.

"I love you too."

This was the place Sakura had fallen in love so long ago, and she hopes they would start coming back here more often.