Dorian/Cullen

Dorian/Cullen, also known as Cullrian, is the slash pairing of Dorian Pavus and Cullen Stanton Rutherford from Dragon Age: Inquisition.
==Canon==
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian is one of the three possible mage companions to the player-character (Inquisitor), while Cullen fills the role of the Inquisition's Commander and the Inquisitor's military advisor.
The two have several key interactions throughout the game, which hint at a Enemies to Friends dynamic off-screen and which have informed the fandom's interpretation of the ship:
*Haven: If the player chooses to recruit the Templars, rather than the mages, to the Inquisition, Dorian appears at Haven to warn the Inquisition of Corypheus' approaching army, and quite literally falls through the gate into Cullen's arms. The two exchange argumentative words over whether or not to accept defeat when trapped at Haven, with Cullen advocating that they cause an avalanche to take both the Inquistion and Corypheus' army out as the only decision remaining is "how spitefully we end this". Dorian objects strenuously, and asserts "Dying is typically a last resort, not first! For a Templar, you think like a Blood Mage!"
*Chess at Skyhold: It is possible to trigger a cutscene which shows Dorian and Cullen engaged in a chess-like game in the Skyhold garden, which is seems to be habitual: evidently they have moved beyond their respective antagonism and formed some kind of friendship. This includes the following banter:
::Cullen: Gloat all you like. I have this one.
::Dorian: Are you sassing me, Commander? I didn't know you had it in you.
::...
::Dorian: You need to come to terms with my inevitable victory. You'll feel much better.
::Cullen: Really? Because I just won, and I feel fine.
::Dorian: Don't get smug. There'll be no living with you.
*Wicked Grace: At the companions' poker-like card game, Cullen attempts to leave, claiming they have enough people for a game without him - Dorian convinces him not to go, saying "Losing money can be both relaxing and habit-forming. You should try it." When Cullen embarks on an unwise round of strip-poker against Josephine that ends in him being fully nude, Cassandra comments that she doesn't want to watch Cullen's walk of shame back to the barracks, and Dorian interjects, "Well, I do!"
If the Inquisitor romances Cullen, Dorian also comments approvingly: "Have a thing for strapping young Templars, I see."
==Fandom==
Like many NPC pairings in the Dragon Age fandom, this ship is often less popular than reader-insert or player-character-insert fics, for example where a player's canon Inquisitor is shipped with Cullen.
It is common for the ship to be combined with the pairing Adoribull, either as a secondary/prior pairing or in a polyamorous triangle.
=== Key Fandom Interests ===
* Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting (AO3 tag): Dorian is an exile from his home due to disapproval from both his father (Halward Pavus) and Tevinter society in general when he refused to hide his preference for men (since the Tevinter culture prizes heterosexual marriage in order to breed another generation of magical talent for the family). If romanced, Dorian reveals his ingrained assumption that sexual relationships between men are only permitted to be physical, not romantic. This is a key aspect of many Cullrian fics, with Cullen's experience in the tolerant south of Thedas acting as a foil. See the inescapable risk of intimacy [esstiel] or take all my loves, my love [susiecarter].
* Cullen's PTSD and Templar history: Cullen is one of very few (possibly the only) character to have appeared in all three games in the Dragon Age series, with perhaps the longest history of any character: in Dragon Age: Origins he was a young, idealistic Templar who was captured and tortured by blood mages and desire demons before being saved by the Hero of Ferelden, while in Dragon Age II he has succumbed to trauma of this experience and been radicalised, supporting the Knight-Commander Meredith's persecution of mages. By Inquisition he appears to have been de-radicalised and chosen to leave the Templar Order in order to atone for his behaviour. Since Dorian is not only a mage, but also one from Tevinter, where mages instead oppress non-mages (soporati, 'sleepers'), this is a primary dynamic in fic and many fanworks focus on it, for example Risk Addiction [orphan_account] or Make Me to Rest in the Warmest Places [littleraeofsunshine]. Popular tropes arising from this include Dorian supporting Cullen through nightmares resulting from his PTSD and more darker examinations of Cullen's PTSD and mage-phobia, including toxic/semi-violent scenarios, such as the series To Beard the Lion [BurnItAllDownDahling].
* Lyrium Withdrawal: As part of Cullen's abdication of Templar ideals, he chooses to stop taking lyrium, which is heavily addictive. The canon game notes this is extremely dangerous, with likely outcomes including death or madness, but minimises the actual observed symptoms. Fandom often highlights these, including having Dorian offer assistance or remedies for lyrium addiction: although it is unclear whether lyrium is addictive when taken by mages, works often include the fact that if so, a nation like Tevinter where mages are the dominant class would have remedies unknown in Ferelden to help manage withdrawal symptoms. This often leads to Hurt/Comfort scenarios such as that in Compelled by Good Alone [orphan_account].
=== Common Tropes ===
* Insecurities: Both characters have significant reasons to be insecure about potential relationships, which lends well to the Angst with a Happy Ending and Miscommunication tropes. Cullen's awkwardness on being romanced (which suggested a lack of significant romantic, if not sexual experience) and Dorian's own experience of homophobia in the politically-mercenary Tevinter sexual culture are common topics for examination.
* Enemies to Lovers: The oppositional nature (see: Opposites Attract) of the characters is often central to fanworks, since Dorian and Cullen, both born in Dragon 9:11, have lived diametrically opposed lives. A Ferelden farmer's son-turned Templar and a Tevinter Altus, they are both romantics who have been held back from positive, healthy relationships, and both semi-voluntary, traumatised exiles from their respective societies looking for new futures.
* Friends with Benefits: Fanworks where they are in a sexual relationship whilst pining for one another romantically are common: the history of their characters make this fertile ground.
=== Controversies ===
The pairing has been involved in controversy surrounding Cullen's character in particular: his canon arc, wherein he was first traumatised, then radicalised, and finally de-radicalised in Inquisition, has led to criticism on the part of some fans. Some of these fans feel there was insufficient screen-time or justification for Cullen's redemption arc, suggesting it primarily took place over the gap between Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition, and that the Cullen portrayal in the latter game is an unrealistic development. For this reason, some fans actively protest ever shipping Cullen with any mage, in particular, arguing that this can only ever be an abusive dynamic. Indeed, many fanfics grapple with this in detail, either by focusing on the process of Cullen's redemption and potentially including additional apologies/challenges, or by including a significant toxic dynamic (see FIC) which the couple may or may not overcome.
This has been exacerbated by a video made by Cullen's voice actor on the 4th of February 2020, in which he complained in-character as Cullen about cancel culture, Black Live Matter, the "intellectual glitterati", and former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah. Unfortunately this seemed to many to support the concerns about the character's history and suggest that the actor, at least, envisaged Cullen espousing such positions.
==Fanworks==
=== Fanfiction ===
The first ever Cullrian fanfic posted on AO3 was Screw Chess by ValkyrieShepard, on 8th December 2014; it was never completed. The first to gain a significant following was Cold Hands, Warm Heart by spicyshimmy and stonelions (completed 18th January 2015) which included several of the threads which have continued to be common in the ship fandom, and which remains the highest-bookmarked fic on AO3 as of August 2023.
Tumblr hosts some tumblrfic, primarily short drabbles, notably for example writtenjewels is still actively writing Cullrian drabbles as of 2023.
Other notable fics:
*Compelled by Good Alone - [orphan_account]: Lyrium Withdrawal; Hurt/Comfort
*Light in this Darkened Time Breaks - RamonaDecember: LyriumWithdrawal; Cullen's PTSD; Hurt/Comfort
*take all my loves, my love - susiecarter: Pining; Friends with Benefits; Hurt/Comfort
*Anything but Temptation - Verayne: Cullen's PTSD; Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting
*Exit Light - Dragonflies and Katydids: poly-fic with Adoribull; Cullen's PTSD
*the inescapable risk of intimacy - esstiel: Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting; Friends with Benefits
*To Beard the Lion - BurnItAllDownDahling: series; Cullen's PTSD; Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting; toxic outcomes
*Risk Addiction - [orphan_account]: Cullen's PTSD; Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting
*Mutually Beneficial - Veryane: Enemies to Friends to Lovers
*Checkmate - Kauri: Chess; Friends with Benefits
*Make Me to Rest in the Warmest Places - littleraeofsunshine: Cullen's PTSD; Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting; Lyrium Withdrawal; Friends with Benefits
*please disregard any undeserved compliments - awwpants: Love Potion
*Serpentine - Shiny_n_new: soulbond; AU featuring blood-mage!Dorian
*Don't Worry, I'll Protect You - metatiki (tklivory): AU featuring Inquisitor!Dorian
*We the Sunset - stonelions: hurt/comfort; post-game; prior Adoribull
*Brave New World - erelis: AU featuring Cullen as a chieftain of the Avarr
*Only True in Fairytales - Dragonflies and Katydids: modern military rescue AU
*Body Glitter (don't delete the kisses) - [orphan_account]: longest-ever Cullrian fic, approx. 650,000 words; Modern musician AU featuring Lyrium Withdrawal as drug addiction; prior Adoribull
*Smoke Signal - [orphan account]: modern AU
===Fanart===
*Cullen/Dorian by 1000butts
*smooch by 1000butts
*Ad Altiora Tendo by el-mroko
*feathers by el-mroko
*it's late by el-mroko
*moment between by el-mroko (mild NSFW)
*morning by el-mroko (mild NSFW)
*morning by el-mroko (different piece than above)
*night by el-mroko (NSFW)
*please by el-mroko
*a pleasure by el-mroko
*report by el-mroko
*scared by el-mroko (mild NSFW)
*silly by el-mroko
*Suffering by el-mroko (mild NSFW)
*sunshine by el-mroko
*wake up by el-mroko
*warm by el-mroko
*what by el-mroko
*worth it by el-mroko
*yes by el-mroko
*I needed some scruffy, fuzzy Dorian and Cullen. So … there. by farseerdri (mild NSFW)
*Cullen/Dorian by geeky-sova
*Lame Men by ghostsjogging
*Smooch by ghostsjogging
*Cullen/Dorian 1 by kaciart
*Cullen/Dorian 2 by kaciart
*Cullen/Dorian 3 by kaciart
*Cullen/Dorian 4 by kaciart
*Cullen/Dorian 5 by kaciart
*Cullen/Dorian 6 by kaciart
*Cullrian by Leo-Fina
*Cullrian by Leo-Fina (different piece than above)
*Cullen/Dorian by Luerro
*C: Dorian x Cullen by madnessdemon
*Here they are! by mica-sky (mild NSFW)
*Christmas Proposal by MistyKat
*Hold On To Me by MistyKat
*I've Got You by MistyKat
*Lion and Peacock by MistyKat
*Selfie by MistyKat
*Starting Over by MistyKat
*A Sweet Moment by MistyKat
*Sunset by MistyKat (mild NSFW)
*Wherever you are... that's home. by MistyKat
*Will you? by MistyKat
*Would That be Such a Bad Thing? by MistyKat
*Inquisitor told him, someone’s crush on him by orientalld
*this ship q_____q by orientalld
*Yay my sweet guilty pleasure ship! by orientalld
*commander by Spanoodlez
*Cullen and Dorian by Soyouz-Aldrin
*dorian would pout about the cold but he’d like borrowing cullen’s coats by stonelions
*found this one in the archives too by stonelions
*from the junk pile by stonelions
*Gentle Beasts Both by stonelions
*goofing off but like, romantic by stonelions
*I really did not mean to like them this much! ! ! ! by stonelions
*nerds by stonelions
*just kiss each other already nerds by stonelions
*Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by stonelions
*on tonight’s episode of how many times will i draw the same thing... by stonelions
*some gbb-verse soft times by stonelions
*some unfinished dorian worrying about sick/tired cullen by stonelions
*these two again by stonelions (mild NSFW)
*comfort by suohenki
*oh commander, my commander themightynyunyi
*Goodbye by TovarasNightroad
*A Good Morning Indeed by TovarasNightroad (mild NSFW)
*you should come to bed, amatus by VeritasD
=== Fanvids ===
* undisclosed desires | dorian/cullen - threedrinkames
* give me a try [cullrian] - threedrinkames
* Dragon Age - Cullen X Dorian ~ Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starheavan 88
* [Dragon Age Inquisition] Cullen & Dorian || This Love is Getting Dangerous - Missy
* Super Psycho Love - Cullen x Dorian - kai
* Dragon Age Inquisition - Cullen x Dorian - kai
* 10 Dragon Age Inquisition - Romancing Cullen [Inquisitor Dorian Pavus MOD] - Hatter Games
==Art Gallery==
File:Cullen x Dorian by maXKennedy.jpg|Cullen x Dorian by maXKennedy
==Archives & Fannish Links==
* Dorian Pavus/Cullen Rutherford works at AO3
* Dorian x Cullen tag on Tumblr
* Cullen x Dorian tag on Tumblr
* Cullrian tag on Tumblr
Category:Dragon Age Relationships
Category:Slash Pairings