💔 For the people who hate happiness (broken-rebel)
16. Your muse breaks mine’s heart.
Valerius did not know how to describe the emotions coursing through him. For so long, he didn’t even know he had any. Emotions that is. He thought himself a wall. Built of stone. Unable to be penetrated. An unmovable shield placed in front of him. And yet, this moment caused it all to shatter. Perhaps, it had started to crumble bit by bit. When he had realized he cared more about Nennius than a master did a slave. When he freed him once Rebellion struck the region. When he saw him on the battlefield and killed a brother in arms to save him. When he allowed Nennius to brand him so he could remain with him in the rebels camp. And . . . now.
When Nennius spoke of Valerius’, still hindered ability to be intimate to the extent that he wanted to. For intimacy, was a word foreign upon the tongue. Foreign to the mind, heart and soul. Yet he knew now, that it was needed. That the mere physical, wasn’t enough for Nennius and well . . . Valerius knew that. He had dreaded this day. No longer was status an obstacle they faced. They were both of equal ground. And yet, Valerius knew nothing of how to act with a lover. How could he know the sensation of a kiss, when the only one who had touched his lips in such a way was the woman who had birthed him. Years of childhood robbed from him . . . erasing the concept of intimacy and love.
Valerius’ clenched his jaw, inner turmoil and pain over the mere thought of losing the man before him emotionally. Fucking irony, when it was Nennius himself who taught Valerius was emotion even was. That he could still possess ones apart from the indifference Felix felt for those perceived close to him . . . like his wife. What would be enough? No. Felix not dare ask. For he knew the answer. A kiss. A shedding of his own clothing. An . . . insight as to why Valerius was such a way. Yet silence lingered. Felix knew there was no bluff in Nennius voice. The former Roman soldier would lose the man unless he did something. Said something. Fought for him.
Yet, the thought terrified Valerius, and he could already feel that stone cold heart of his breaking . . . unsure if he could fully offer himself to Nennius. Swallowing, Felix finally found the voice to answer. “You branded me a slave, yet perhaps I was always so.” A slave. A slave of circumstance. Of familial ties; ones that Felix had thought would be so frowned upon . . . yet accepted in this fucking political world he had often strove to remain far away from. “And such shackles are not easily severed.” Not like the shackles that once bound all these rebels. Valerius’ were more . . . emotional chains. Scars that would never heal.
“Perhaps not ever.” It wasn’t exactly a hopeful statement, but Felix continued to battle desire with fear. Fucking him was all Felix had known. Though done now with more gentle touch and awareness of the other’s needs. Making love . . . giving Nennius that, intimacy that Felix knew he craved -- such as any man or woman would -- now that, was not so easily done. That, was completely unfamiliar, unknown. Completely foreign. Just like the feeling of his heart breaking.
@crippled-rebel-bastard
1 note
·
View note
“ choose people who choose you. ” frazer @ harry
dis meme eeyy. // @thropics
it's near on impossible for harry to stop the snort that escapes, and as he looks at frazer, he maybe feels some guilt at being so dismissive. but in his defense: he's allowed to be a little jaded, right?
"sorry. i just--" another small scoff and harry shakes his head. his hand comes up, running through his hair, pushing it back even if he knows it's a pointless attempt. hand drops and he begins pressing at the tear in his jeans, looping the loose threads around.
"bit of a stupid idea for me. the people i want to choose me tend not to, and the people that do are people i'd rather not be near."
maybe coming back to england was a bad idea. maybe he should have stayed gone. at least then, people wouldn't poke and prod and expect things of him.
but harry knew it was a stupid thought. there was no way he was staying gone for good. the guilt eating away at him made sure of that.
"nice idea though. you should run with it."
1 note
·
View note
Trespasser Liveblog, Part Three: Dungeon and Dragon
In which things get literally and figuratively dark and we embark on a final epic chase through eluvians.
Menel's like yay finally I found the Viddasala and we can talk—okay you’re just going to run through the eluvian and have your people attack me sadface
Speaking of which, do you have any genre awareness here, Viddasala? You do know if you leave chances are we’ll defeat all your people and come after you? Admittedly you’re busy hunting this agent of Fen’Harel.
Ah Viddasala you're not a good guy but I still like you as a character. Probably cause I wish we had more female Qunari characters.
Fun fact: when I watched @inner-muse play Trespasser I was convinced the book on her shoulder would have some plot significance. I was sadly disappointed.
Viddasala’s perspective on the Inquisitor as a tool necessary for sealing the Breach but then too dangerous to be left alive after is interesting though...Generally it seems like people fear the Inquisition for its military power, not the Inquisitor’s command of the Fade. I feel like Menel and Josephine did a good job of downplaying how terrifying the anchor can be, in part cause Menel is a very disciplined mage and in part because people see the Anchor as a divine gift since you can never dissuade people about the Herald thing, and divine gifts aren’t terrifying to the populace like mages are, they’re like Templar and Seeker powers.
Menel’s sick of the attitude the Qun and the Chantry have of, well if you hadn’t resisted and just submitted to our clearly superior ways, we wouldn’t have had to resort to violence
Thanks awesome archivist spirit for giving me the password
Also I’m amused at how the archivist is called “One who guides seekers of knowledge true” when I have a Chantry Seeker of Truth in the party
Goodbye library, hello war table angst
I completely forgot Dragon’s Breath targeted more than just the Winter Palace. The moment they mentioned Gaatlok in Denerim I instinctively flinched cause Karena and Alistair you do NOT hurt them
Wonder if Wycome was targeted too even though a council controls it, not nobles.
What is the timeline for this DLC, though? How quickly can messenger birds travel from Halamshiral to Denerim and back?
SHUT UP CULLEN STOP HATING ON JOSIE SHE WORKS SO HARD
Oh yessss Josie
Poor Josie
But yes put your feelings out there seriously your coworkers messed things up and you’re trying so hard to hold everything together. Seriously her dialogue here is one of my favorite things, the acting is so good and she’s finally tearing into Cullen and it’s great
Ouch ouch ouch
Excellent music shift when Menel starts talking about the anchor getting worse
Menel: So...it's been getting worse. I don't know why. I don't know how to stop it. I don't know how much time I've got left. What I do know is that the Qunari need to be stopped. So I need to get to the Darvaarad while I can still fight.
He’s just so determined and defeated at once cause he doesn’t want to end it this way, not in a fight, especially one he was not prepared for cause this was supposed to be a diplomatic venture, and the not knowing is figuratively and literally killing him. The Anchor has always been an unknown to some degree and it repeatedly has been something that intrigued and bothered Menel, it’s what drove him into studying rift magic in the first place, and now for all his efforts he’s still helpless. Is it a natural breakdown? Did his studies of rift magic aggravate it? At least laying out the facts, what he knows and doesn’t know, is solid, that’s something, and he’s just clinging to the certainty of a task to do, a way to help.
Rhovan welcomes Menel to the you're on limited time cause strange magic and enter extreme self-sacrificial hero mode club
Ooh nighttime, that’s a fitting mood shift
Okay I did run about doing a few side things, namely groaning about the fireworks being too hard, if pretty, picking up codices, finding halla statuettes, and Varric really you made a paper dog out of the letters?
I’m disappointed the purple smoke people are apparently just a minigame I was honestly convinced they were tied to agents of Fen’Harel and put me on edge from the beginning of the DLC
It's a top hat and a halla statuette! That gives me a staff schematic instead of a top hat....
It’s wonderfully eerie how the Inquisition soldiers are occupying everything. Except for that one Inquisition soldier playing with the dog.
Seraaaaa
“Not right. Do everything for everyone, get sick. Not right.
Can't put arrows in it, put them everywhere else.
I will never miss.
I will make them know Menel had (scratched out) HAS friends.”
Just feeeellsss
Time to go to the Darvaraad. I have to bring Cassandra and Sera cause there’s no way they wouldn’t help, they’re the ones who would deal with being helpless the worst, and then I need one mage in the party cause Menel knows with all this crazy magic around if he falls they need a mage to keep the party safe, so Dorian cause Vivienne’s going to stick to handling the politics. Maybe I’ll just headcanon Bull was also in the party...
I also headcanon the Taken Shape outfit was actually a product of Vivienne and Dorian’s efforts to research ways to fix the growing problem with the Anchor, with some assistance from Menel cause he is a rift mage. They weren’t able to reverse it but the armor possibly slows down the breakdown of the Anchor and also takes away enough of the pain for Menel to focus on casting. Mostly. It helps that the arm with the anchor is the one encased in armor.
Plus I love symbolic costume changes.
Ooh is this codex written to DA2 Tallis? It’s really eloquent too. If concerning.
Menel: Red lyrium. Do the Qunari have any idea what they're dealing with?
Sera: Of course but they’re special and careful and nothing bad will happen.
Haha yes true, the story of so much of Dragon Age
Maybe we shouldn’t blame them too much, they’re probably assuming they’re protagonists who actually can get away with such things if they so choose (blood magic for the Warden and Hawke, chugging mysterious liquids in general for the Warden, the Inquisitor carrying around red lyrium shards, etc).
Aww Sera’s “Stop hurting! Please” line was so well delivered
Pfft there’s a copy of Swords and Shields and of course Cassandra notices
Ahhh Josephine’s letter trying to stop a war with the Qun I love her she works so hard
Although again I’m wondering at the timeline cause there’s the implication all the eluvian mess happened in a day since it ends at night but sending a raven to the Qunari and (almost) back is even farther than Denerim. I guess the way back might have been shorter cause Eluvians but even so.
Ataaaaaashiiiii
That dragon is so gorgeous wow poor thing
The poison breath is so creepy though.
I still keep forgetting discharging the mark is a way to explode things
Aww Sera's little delighted “this will be legend!” as we free the dragon
And it was pretty legendary
I’m really happy we had a dragon encounter that didn’t involve killing a dragon please can we keep up with this record?
Menel: NOW CAN WE TALK PLEASE
Vidasaala: FINE HERE LOOK AT HOW IGNORANT YOU ARE SOLAS IS AN AGENT OF FEN’HAREL THIS IS MEANT TO BE A DRAMATIC PLOT REVEAL
I headcanon Menel already pieced things together and suspected it was Solas but was hoping to be proven wrong so when the Viddasala confirmed it he took the "that bastard was manipulating us" line
And Menel rarely expresses anger in words so
But he was practical enough to know Solas is his last chance for his hand even though he knows Solas has lied and manipulated and has his own agenda but Menel clings so desperately to that hope of negotiation
And here comes the mark going haywire. The energy coursing around his body when the focus bar is close to full is so good
THE THEME MUSIC
This place is so pretty I want to just run around taking screenshots but I’m too much in dramatic climax mode to do so. The anchor meltdown and the music help
I keep Fade-stepping ahead of the group cause my focus bar is almost full and right into hordes of enemies to discharge. Not sure if Menel did that canonically cause that might be too much for his companions.
Hi Saarebas
I saved the Chargers, but I wonder what happens if you don’t bring Iron Bull along for the last mission and hadn’t saved the Chargers. Does he just show up out of nowhere?
We have to fight the Saarebas twice?
“Your soul is dust!” seriously Qunari can be so dramatic
I DID NOT REMEMBER THE PRIDE DEMON WHY WHYBWNRKRJRJR
At least it falls the moment you defeat the Saarebas
Going to save the conversation with the Egg for another post cause that is going to get long.
2 notes
·
View notes