#adaia

[jemandthesingalongs]

insaneeee insaneeeeee that for leliana meeting adaia was essentially a footnote in what is her lowest point in her life, a blip on the radar, not really even going out of her way to save her or anything, just happened to be in the direction she was going only for this chance crossing paths to lead to someone else having one of the lowest points in their life

and she can meet them and fall in love

[kinghomebody]

HOW I'M PREPARING FOR OCTOBER!

[gabs-magical-abs]

Adaia: alive

Tabris: dead via the ultimate sacrifice

Leliana: getting yelled at by Adaia for not protecting Tabris

[transmercar]

duncan x adaia is this a thing. is this lore compliant is this possible. it doesnt have to mean cyrion was cheated on. maybe tabris was already born and he adopted them. HMMM

[nathan-moth]

Flowers

FINALLY!!!!! I HAVE ALL 8 OF MY OCS WITH INDIVIDUAL DRAWING WITH THE SAME THEME!!!!!!! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO

[breninarthur]

HAPPY FRIDAY ASTER and welcome to DWC!! I would love to see some Kallian Tabris & Duncan (and would be intrigued if you were inclined to make it a / as you said 👀) for "the dead can survive as part of the lives of those that still live." from the Death prompts?? :D

HAPPY FRIDAY NIRI!! Thank you 🥰

okay i went a bit weird with this ngl! not canon to wdc! read at your own discretion :)

rated m, cw weird themes, age gap, bit creepy. duncan/tabris (kadunc). 284 words. for @dadrunkwriting

*

Kallian bickered a lot. Adaia always had an answer for everything too. They were both initially standoffish, suspicious, overly curious, stubborn... she was funny.

Duncan had bought her clothes. She needed some, that dress she wore was impractical and provided no protection. He hadn't meant to do it, but somehow her new clothes looked just like the things Adaia used to wear.

She snarked just the same too. Kallian didn't laugh much, understandably, but when she did... Maker, it reminded him of her. When she gave him her soft smile, the same shiver coursed through him.

He watched her by the fire. She tended the roasting rabbit, and in the cover of night the similarities shone. She chewed her lip in concentration. Duncan wondered if they were as soft as her mother's, if he could draw the same sounds from them.

Kallian caught his eye, and he was sure that she blushed when he didn't blink away. She smiled again, quick and nervous, before focusing far too much on the rabbit.

It lit a familiar spark in him. Part of him felt wrong, dirty, old. She was so young after all, younger than he'd ever even known Adaia. But he was tired of hearing her say his name so casually when he knew he could make her moan it.

"What?" she demanded, snapping him out of his morbid reverie with a put-on cross look.

"Just keeping an eye on things," he replied quietly, nodding at the cooking meat.

"You're putting me off," she mumbled, red in the face.

He chuckled, concealing a smirk as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"What?" she asked again, seemingly flustered.

"You are your mother's daughter," he smiled.

[shivunin]

the fact that you start the Tabris origin by literally stepping into your mother's shoes. the fact that what you get is a wedding outfit and your mother's worn boots, kept carefully intact for years, tucked away for this exact moment. the fact that you then immediately take the path she never could, leaving behind the alienage and the wedding and following Duncan (who would have recruited Adaia first, if not for baby!Tabris) to what ought to have been death.

And Then!! instead of fighting and falling as she did, cheating death and becoming the fighter she always intended you to be instead??? Reliving and simultaneously subverting the story of her life??

[sympateawithsugar]

Young dad and mom Tabris. I like to think Adaia was taller than Cyrion and had Dalish ancestry.

(the hair jewelry is a gift they gave each other)

[moghedien]

the timeline of Leliana’s Song vs things said in the city elf origin leave wiggle room for interpretation of exactly when Adaia died and there’s no clear answer for that which I love because I go feral for the potential there

like I’m obsessed with the idea that maybe Adaia did escape the dungeons and maybe she did tell her teenage child that there was a good human that saved her. And that child got their mother back for a little while and was old enough to consider that maybe their mother wasn’t lying and there might be a few decent humans. And then more humans caused trouble and Adaia was killed and there was no “good” human around to save her this time.

And the idea of this random good human becomes like a bitter thing in her child’s mind because the child has seen no evidence of this. They’ve only seen the evil humans can commit in them. They took Adaia twice. But that doesn’t change the fact that a human DID save Adaia from being tortured and killed in a dungeon. They got Adaia back for a little while because of a good human and it becomes a sort of nagging bitter feeling they feel conflicted about.

And then that child grows up and has a wedding that humans use as an excuse to hurt them and their family. They’ve never met a good human. Maybe some (like the priests) will tolerate them enough to perform chantry rituals for them. Duncan may have only helped them because he wanted to conscript them into the Wardens and take them from their family when they’re needed the most.

So Adaia’s child is taken from their home because they’re useful to humans. They end up getting burdened with responsibilities because they’re useful and because of the skills Adaia taught them. They end up traveling with a number of humans. They get exposed to the world outside of the alienage for the first time. Things probably change slowly for them, as they’re getting closer to people and experiencing more. Some humans will like them because they’re needed to save the day. Some humans might just be nice to them for no reason. Then again, a lot won’t and will resent them regardless. Some will just pretend not to notice that a knife ears is leading the Wardens, but it’s clear they do. It’s both validating and complicating their worldview. Maybe their mother wasn’t lying about a human saving her because they were just good. Then again, maybe the human just saved a random elf by happenstance and not from goodness.

They probably get close to number of their human companions in a variety of ways. The fact that the humans are all different and get along to varying degrees is probably complicating their worldview. The fact that they might try to get closer to an elf for no obvious reason instead of sticking together probably complicates it more. Everything is probably very confusing for a very long time.

Maybe Adaia’s child recruits a strange Chantry sister from Lothering, another human. Maybe they find themselves getting closer to her in ways they never expected possible with a human (or with another woman even). And then they find Leliana more and more complicated the more they get closer to her. She’s Orlesian and Ferelden. She’s a spy and a killer, but a Chantry sister and the most earnestly devout person they’ve probably ever met. She’s says offensive things about elves to their face and then actually apologizes to them and thanks them for showing her it was offensive. She will talk big about her seduction skills and then stumble every step of the way as she’s trying to flirt with them. Information about her history and her life trickles in slowly as she gets closer to them and is willing to reveal more.

By the time they’ve learned much about Leliana, Adaia’s child probably realizes how complicated the world actually is for everyone. Maybe they’ve met the dalish and found themselves being looked down on and treated either as human would be or as a child. Maybe they’ve gone to Ozrzammar and realized that oppression can exist outside of human and elves and the Chantry. Maybe they’ve returned home. Maybe they’ve tried to return home and found they weren’t allowed in, to protect them from the rioting elves within. Maybe they’ve saved the queen. Maybe they’ve killed Logain. Maybe they’ve slayed the archdemon and saved the whole damned world by the time it comes. It could be never or after these or anywhere in between when it happens.

But imagine Adaia’s child who is not an adult with a very complicated and shifting worldview, who used to only have the concept of there being at least one good human to complicate their world. One good human that gave them their mother back for a little while at least. And now they’re close to a human. They’re in love with a human who is extremely complicated and who won’t tell them honest truths about her past until they’re very close and much time has passed. Time in which their worldview has probably shifted a great deal and got much more complicated.

Imagine how it would go for Adaia’s child in this circumstance when the details of Leliana’s past finally come out and she’s willing to talk about them. When they find out that the same estate where she was betrayed and tortured was the estate they rampaged through, slaughtering humans to save their family and themself.

And it isn’t even pride that makes her reveal it. She isn’t bragging. She didnt feel like she was a good person in the moment. She struggles to feel like she’s a person now, even when she knows her actions are for the greater good. So imagine Adaia’s child when Leliana almost offhandedly mentions saving other prisoners from the dungeon. Including an elven woman who said she’d tell her child about Leliana and the fact that there are good humans like her.

[rammota]

i know bros had no money for a portrait but please let the tabris finally be happy,,,

[jemandthesingalongs]

headcanoning war vet/night elf adaia with the line "[Adaia] wanted [Tabris] more than anything. It’s sad she never got to see you all grown up." and "Valendrian and [Duncan] have known each other for almost twenty years… since the time I tried to recruit your mother, in fact." [...] "I never made the offer. Valendrian convinced me that it was better for her to remain here with her family. As there was no Blight and thus no immediate need for recruits, I deferred to his wishes." really adds severe psychic damage of adaia simply wanting a peaceful life with her family after the war and im shattering like glass

[vigilskeep]

omg what if i solve the silly “how are outfits fitting on different companions” question by hcing that cyrion is a tailor and tabris knows her stuff...

[gyrovagi]

'loghain found military success commanding a squad of specifically elven soldiers during the fereldan rebellion' is a fucking insane stolen throne lore drop like WHAT!!!!! HUH!!!!!!! and theres never any actual detail abt the soldiers themselves or what happened to any survivors afterwards but it is a crazy space for ME to play in

[sotc]

i can't stop thinking about papa cyrion fretting over his bbgirl milana after she takes care of the unrest at the alienage🥺 cyrion telling her to hush if she tries to leave too soon, telling her sit down and eat and extending the invitation to serve a warm meal for her companions. it's the first thing on his mind after being kept prisoner and all the months she's been gone. all that wondering, praying, hoping for his daughter to be okay, to come back, if she was even alive.

soris and shianni lending a hand to cook and get to know the companions she's been traveling with. they share silly stories of milana growing up to tease her in front of her new friends, laughter is in the air. alistair being so, so polite at a table he's just a little too big for. zevran at the table watching his warden closely with a secret, amused smile (meeting the family now are we?) morrigan declining the offer but keeping her distance by the fire to watch and listen from afar. milana could almost feel awkward but the moment she tastes her favorite broth she starts bawling at the table i am so serious LOL😭 she missed her family sm!!!

but i also just can't help but think about how the companions must feel seeing the warden have a family and home to miss and they.. kinda didn't, did they? alistair wanted family so bad with his half-sister goldanna, wanted this familial moment sharing homecooked meals and stories so much it's a literal fantasy he found comfort in when trapped in the fade! zev spent his whole life forced to bury sentiments like family, belonging and love and i have to wonder if he felt like he was on the outside looking in seeing milana with her family, even for just a moment of something he could've had-- could have? and god MORRIGAN with all the nuances and complexities of a relationship she had with her own mother and the resentment she harbored growing up under her like ough. ):

maybe just maybe it's the first time they catch a glimpse to what having a real home and family looks like.

[nathan-moth]

I've been wanting to draw Adaia holding sunflowers for a while now.

[breninarthur]

AND I ALSO COME BEARING MORE PROMPTS BECAUSE YOU KNEW I'D BE CHUCKING DING DONG DADDY INTO YOUR INBOX SO HERE IT IS: "it wasn’t just about needing someone tonight. it was you i needed." for Adaia x Duncan also if you need me I'll be in the corner being all :eyes: emoji af

dingdongdadaia? adaiaddy? much to think about.

thank you for the prompt, effe!

rated m. adaia/duncan. 828 words. @dadrunkwriting

*

The gates of Denerim were fearsome in the moonlight. Shadows played tricks across the wood making them look ever taller; staunch watchmen who promised to keep their secrets.

"Here," Adaia said, holding out her daggers.

Duncan turned to her with a frown.

"Elves who have swords will die upon them," she smiled wryly, shaking the weapons insistently.

"I know," he muttered. He always hated stripping her of her own blades, and his mouth was a grim line as he slowly reached for them.

His hands carefully closed around the hilt of the first, the metal cool against his skin. Adaia didn't let go right away. They held each other's gaze for as long as they held the dagger, before Adaia's small hand slid off and she looked away.

He secured the swords on his hip as she walked towards the gates. He needed to follow, to flash some Grey Warden authority to the guards and explain away why they had been out so late. But he stood rooted; transfixed.

Adaia had always been beautiful. She was beautiful when they'd met, a cut on her face and a snarl on her lips. She was beautiful each time he invited her on a mission, each time she skipped out of the alienage with a laugh and a wave. But in the night, lit by all the stars and the moon, the torchlight bathing her in an amber glow...

"Are you coming?" she smirked, looking at him over her shoulder.

He swallowed, clearing his throat before following her.

As they stole through the quiet streets, Duncan couldn't help but wonder how long they could keep it up. It had been a year since they'd met, fighting their way out of the Brecilian Forest together. How much longer could he ask her to go with him on his less important missions? How much longer would she want to?

The looming alienage gates always sent dread burrowing into his stomach – though he had to assume it was significantly easier for him than Adaia. This time, though, it felt worse somehow. He couldn't pinpoint why. Perhaps it was his closer brush with death than usual that night, or Wintersend knocking on his front door. But Duncan knew that this night couldn't be the same as all the others. He couldn't just say goodbye, watch her head home, and sleep alone in a grim little camp he'd sleepily set up on his way back to the Wardens.

"Well," Adaia smiled, leaning against her front door. They looked around quickly before he gave her back her blades. "Thanks again!"

"Thank you," he replied earnestly.

Her smile widened in a quiet laugh as her hand reached behind her for the door handle.

"If you need anyone again, you know where I am," she grinned.

He heard the door start to open.

He couldn't let it happen that way again.

"It wasn't about needing just anyone," he rushed out, for once not letting his brain filter out what he wanted to say.

Her smile faltered, and the door clicked shut.

"It was you I needed."

She blinked up at him with her big brown eyes, like autumn leaves in the sun. Her dark skin looked flushed in the candlelight that streamed through the window.

He held her gaze, as he could do nothing else.

Adaia was looking at him in a way he'd never noticed. Her eyes flicked between his, down to his lips, and back. Her breath was shallow, her chest quickly rising and falling. He shuddered.

"Good," she whispered.

She was on her tiptoes before he knew it, and he quickly bent down to meet her halfway. He could feel her breath on his lips as they neared, neither daring to push farther just yet. Duncan could feel her mouth against his, the barest brush as they danced around each other.

When the pounding of his heart and the rush in his ears was too much to bear, he brought his hands up to either side of Adaia's face, easily threading his fingers into her hair... and they kissed.

It built up quickly. A year's worth of tension overflowed from both of them, bruising and tender. Passion thrummed in his veins as he felt her tongue against his lips and he opened, deepening their kiss. It was hard, fast, and desperate, and her trembling hand blazed a fire under his skin as her nails dug into the back of his neck.

Her other hand fisted into the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, and he gladly obliged. Duncan pushed Adaia against the door, his hand trailing down her body, grabbing at her helplessly as she gasped into his mouth, tugging him to the present. They were being loud. Soft moans and gasps, the rustle of swords and daggers as they desperately gripped onto each other.

Adaia pulled away suddenly.

"It's getting late," she panted.

"Yes," he murmured, blinking nervously.

"D'you want to come in?"

"...Yes."