#priva adaar

[iapetusneume]

At the rate I'm going for finding fashion inspiration for my headcanons of the inner circle at Halamshiral, I should have enough examples to do commissions by Christmas, lol.

It's going to take awhile. Gotta find just the right thing for each character, and I'm doing the whole inner circle + advisors + a few extra.

[iapetusneume]

Also Priva/Krem gives me a lot of feelings and I really need to read up on writing smut with trans characters because it occurs to me I've never read any and being cis I'm already at a disadvantage to writing trans characters and really need to do my research.

[iapetusneume]

When you come from a group of people who have horns, you grow used to people treating you like a beast. It's something that made Priva and her brother cry as kids, even when Lavellan and the Dwarven kids down the street said it wasn't true. It never stops hurting, but as with many pains, she grows a callous to it. It gets easier to ignore because she moves herself into a world where it comes up less. Her mercenary company views her as a person. The Inquisition views her as more than a person, which is disturbing in a completely different way. But her inner circle and advisors view her as a person. So when she goes to Halamshiral and hears the whispers of the nobles that she is a pet, a beast, she has to take a deep breath and put that callous back in place. Because she's had years of friends and lovers tending to that callous, sanding it down with pumice and treating it with healing oils, reminding her that she is a person and that she matters. It leaves her tender to these insults that no one should hear, and it doesn't take long to undo their hard work. She will prove to them that she is better than them by not rising to the bait, and by playing the Game better than them. She needs to, if they are to save the world. After the ball is over and her guard drops, Josephine is there to listen. Priva knows when she gets back that Varric will find a way to steal her away for a few hands of Wicked Grace. She does not know what Dorian does, until much later. There were so many names in her head that night, and so many worries in the coming weeks. And as with the poison of those insults, it's best not to let it dwell. She does not forget the barbs but she forgets the faces, the dresses and suits, and the voices blend together. Josephine and Dorian don't say a thing. Leliana and Varric hint at something, something they've heard in their networks, but it isn't until Cole talks to her that it's spelled out. "They don't want you to hurt like that again," he says. "They will fight for you where you cannot." Priva is glad that Cole finds her alone, and cries until she's so thirsty she can barely speak. Cole brings her wine, knowing that she doesn't want anyone to see her puffy eyes. As she leaves the tavern from the battlements, she sees Iron Bull blocking anyone from getting to the third level. She washes her face, and goes to see the quartermaster about new books for Dorian's library, and those cakes Josephine loves so much. She'll think of other gifts for the rest of her friends later, but this is a start.

[iapetusneume]

There's so little we know about the Tal-Vashoth born outside the Qun, who didn't leave of their own volition.

I wonder how Tal-Vashoth parents, who had grown up in the Qun but now have rejected it, would raise their kids.

With so little to go on, I think that Priva's parents did a bit of a mix. They became friends with other parents (as parents sometimes do) and sometimes asked for advice. There's the elf herbalist (who will later become Priva and her brother's tutor in reading). There is the dwarf brother and sister-in-law of her parents' business partner. There are some other Tal-Vashoth who have families, but maybe they don't always see them because they're nomadic. (I haven't quite nailed that down yet in my headcanon.) 

Maybe they asked for some tips from humans, but Priva certainly wasn't raised like one. She certainly wouldn't compare her experience to a human parient raising a human child.

God that line just felt so wrong, especially since it's an Adaar saying it to Iron Bull.

What the hell, man.

[iapetusneume]

Priva is fairly politically-savvy, knows when to consult experts, knows how to delegate, is a natural leader, and is deadly with a pair of daggers.

But really she'd rather be in her garden, working as friends sit nearby and chat, or them helping out. Or in the room she's set up as her personal apothecary, where she brews her potions.

"Inquisitor," she'd told, "you don't need to do this. We have plenty of people to garden, and to brew potions now, thanks to your help.

She smiles as she bundles elfroot to dry. "You might not need me to, but I need me to. If I'm to be the leader you want me to be, I need somewhere to decompress."

"But wouldn't you rather rest?" she's asked.

"This is how I rest."

[iapetusneume]

Oh no help now I'm thinking of Solas having a baby with a yet-to-be-determined partner (probably the Lavellan I'll later roll) and Priva becoming the baby's second mother.

Not that there's anything wrong with the first mother. The child's birthmother is super good friends with Priva but they're not in a relationship together even though they're both in a relationship with Solas but that's totally cool okay.

Lavellan teaches the child how to fight with a broadsword and Priva teaches the child how to garden.

[iapetusneume]

I have some horn headcanons for Priva, and a few ideas of how she wears her hair to fancy functions, but still don't have a good headcanon for casual non-fighting situations. Like, getting up and doing things around Skyhold. Asdflkjh

[iapetusneume]

Lol I figured out a few things about Priva, and her yet-to-be-named mage twin brother.

She decided to go into mercenary work for three mains reasons:

it pays the bills

save money for her potions shop she wants to start

build a super awesome seed library

She'd prefer not to fight at all, and it's less of a pacifist-thing and more of a "I'd rather be gardening" thing. Being a diplomatic/military leader of a psuedo-empire was the last thing she wanted.

There will be two different versions of events, one where Priva is the Inquisitor and one where her brother is. Whoever isn't the Inquisitor is an Agent of the Inquisition and works mostly with their old company but does come to Skyhold a lot.

Priva romances Josephine and Cassandra. Her brother romances Dorian and Iron Bull.