Cullen/Inquisitor

Cullen/Inquisitor, also known as Cullavellan (Cullen/Lavellan!Inquistor) and Cullvelyan (Cullen/Trevelyan!Inquisitor), is the canonically het pairing of Cullen Rutherford and The Inquisitor from Dragon Age: Inquisition.
==In the Game==
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Cullen acts as the Inquisitor's military adviser, and is a potential romance option for female human and elf Inquisitors.Dragon Age Wikia According to the game's creative director, Mike Laidlaw, he was not originally intended to be a romance option, but was added as one (along with Solas) when development was extended by a year.Post by Mike Laidlaw on the official BioWare forum Fans have speculated the inability to romance Cullen as a female Qunari or dwarf in the game may have been the result of time and budget constraints."So... Why is Cullen race-gated?" thread on the Fextralife forum Cut dialogue suggests Cullen may have also been planned as a romance option for male Inqusitors at some point in development."Dragon Age Inquisition Dorian & Male Inquisitor (involved Cullen)" on YouTube
There is a fan-made mod which allows players to romance him as any race.Bi Cullen Mod on Nexus Mods However, this mod does not alter all character animations to account for the different sizes of the Qunari and dwarf models, producing unintentionally humorous glitches in certain cutscenes. One notable example causes Cullen to motorboat the Inquisitor's breasts when he is supposed to be kissing her."Cullen & Female Qunari Kissing on the battlements (Bi Cullen Mod) Dragon Age Inquisition" on YouTube
==Fandom==
===Ship Variants===
Cullen/Inquisitor is one of the most popular pairings in the Dragon Age: Inquisition fandom. The Cullen/Trevelyan (human) version of the pairing appears to be somewhat more popular than the Cullen/Lavellan (elf) version. Cullen/Adaar (Qunari) and Cullen/Cadash (dwarf) also have small followings. Cullen/Male Inquisitor is fairly common and has inspired numerous fanworks.
===Statistics===
*In 2019, Cullen/Inquisitor was the most popular ship for Cullen in a survey of FanFiction.net, with the pairing's variants collectively accounting for 70% of sampled fics. Cullen/Trevelyan individually accounted for 36% of the sample and Cullen/Lavellan for 16%, while 18% of fics used the catch-all "Cullen/Inquisitor" label.Phantom Statistician: Cullen's FanFiction Shipping Chart 2013 - Present 
*As of 2020, Cullen/Female Inquisitor is the most popular Dragon Age: Inquisition pairing on Archive of Our Own, and also the most popular Dragon Age pairing overall.
===Common Tropes in Fanworks===
* Friends to Lovers: Some fics focus on the progression of Cullen and the Inquisitor's relationship from comrades-in-arms to lovers.
* Happily Ever After: Fics sometimes show Cullen and the Inquisitor settling down to a quiet life after retiring from the Inquisition.
* Height Difference: Cullen/Adaar fanworks often emphasize their significant height difference.
* Hurt/Comfort: Many Cullen/Inquisitor fics feature this trope in some form. Some play the trope straight by having the Inquisitor or Cullen tend the other's injuries after they are wounded. Others have the Inquisitor supporting Cullen through his struggles with lyrium withdrawal or helping him find healing from the trauma of his experiences at Kinloch Hold and Kirkwall. Alternately, Cullen may be the one comforting the Inquisitor, helping them bear the pain of the Anchor, the trauma of being the sole survivor of the Conclave, or the general strain of leading the Inquisition.
* Love Triangle: Some fics place the Inquisitor in a love triangle with Cullen and another character, generally Solas or Blackwall, but less commonly The Warden.
* Mundane-Mage Romance: Cullen/Mage Inquisitor fics often explore the complex and fraught dynamic of a former Templar and a mage falling in love. This sometimes involves Cullen having to reckon with his involvement in mage persecution and overcome his latent anti-mage views.
* Rude Interruption‎: During the first kiss cutscene in the game, Cullen and the Inquisitor are interrupted when an Inquisition recruit, named Jim by the fandom, delivers a report. This has lead many fics to feature humorous scenes of Jim barging in on other moments of intimacy. Some fics even characterize him as a voyeur who intentionally spies on the couple.
* Second Chance at Love: A significant number of fics feature the Inquisitor finding love with Cullen after experiencing heartbreak or loss. Generally, this involves the Inquisitor having been jilted by Solas or Blackwall, but some fics feature the Inquisitor grieving for an OC spouse or lover who died (typically at the Conclave). Since it is possible to romance multiple characters in the same playthrough, it is not uncommon for Cullen to be an in-game rebound after a player romances Solas or Blackwall. Some fics also feature Cullen learning to love again with the Inquisitor, which typically involves overcoming his unrequited feelings or grief for the The Warden.
* Substance Abuse/Recovery: Some fics focus on Cullen's lyrium addiction or the difficulties of withdrawal after he decides to stop using it. In the game, the player, as the Inquisitor, can encourage Cullen to stay strong and remain off lyrium, or ask him to start taking it again for the good of the Inquisition. The Inquisitor is generally portrayed as supportive of Cullen's decision in fics, although some fics explore the fallout of the request to start taking lyrium again (which may result in Cullen breaking up with the Inquisitor in the game). A smaller subset of fics focus on the Inquisitor starting lyrium (usually due to choosing the Templar specialization) and how this impacts their relationship with Cullen.
* Table Sex: This is a common kink in Cullen/Inquisitor fics as a result of the couple having sex on Cullen's desk in the game (or at least being implied to have done so).
===Terminology===
* Cullenlingus: Term used to refer to Cullen performing cunnilingus on the Inquisitor in smutfics.
* Cullenmance/Cullenmancer: Terms used to refer, respectively, to the Cullen romance story in the game and to players who romance him.
* Cully-Wully: Sera uses this as a sarcastic nickname for Cullen when teasing the Inquisitor about her relationship in the game. Fans have adopted it as a general nickname for him.
==Fannish Reception==
===General Opinions===
Fans of Cullen/Inquisitor often cite what they see as the sweet and wholesome tone of their romance arc in the game as once of its main appeals. Some have also praised the romance as having depth, emotional maturity, and believable character growth, finding that it manages to explore themes of trauma and addiction while avoiding negative stereotypes.
Fans who dislike the Cullen/Inquisitor romance sometimes criticize it as bland or wish fulfillment, but some Cullenmancers have said they enjoyed it as a sweet, straightforward "fairytale" with a happy ending that feels earned to them.
===Mage!Inquisitor Discourse===
Fans have expressed reservations about the way the game handles the Mage!Inquisitor version of the romance story. Some see the Mage!Inquisitor's relationship with Cullen as inherently problematic given Cullen's history as a Templar. In particular, they argue that he has not rejected and grown beyond the anti-mage sentiments he openly expressed in DA:O and DA2, but simply come to see the Mage!Inquisitor as a special exception.
Some see objections to the Cullen/Mage!Inquisitor romance as an example of metagaming since they may be based more on a player's feelings about Cullen from the previous two games than their Inquisitor's in-universe experiences or knowledge.
==Fanworks==
====Fanart====
With Lavellan
* Long road from Haven by AdMacART
* Cullen and Lauren Lavellan by Agregor
* A Dalish Wedding by balanceandruin
* Inquisitor and the Commander by Dorottya Deák
* Withdrawal by ErsbethShadowsong
* Cullen and Lavellan by goatrocket
* Cullen Rutherford and Moonkeep Lavellan by HeathWind
* C: Inquisitor x Cullen by madnessdemon
* Shiera and Cullen by madnessdemon
* Au Revoir by milchaotic
* Commission by needapotion
* Inquisitor and Cullen in the Snow by Pastelideas
* Commission: Tenderness by R-Aters
* War room meeting by RanmaCMH (NSFW)
* Illustration for Dragon Age Zine by Rina-Li
* Dejanira and Cullen by DominqueWesson
* Cullen/Lavellan by xla-hainex
* I thought you didn’t dance by xla-hainex
With Trevelyan
* King and Lionheart by Alassa
* Temple of Dumat Battle by GerryArthur
* if i gotta do perspective studies... by captainreverie
* Cullen/The Inquisitor (human,female) by cnicslair
* Inquisitor and the Commander by Dorottya Deák
* Afterward by ghostier
* Cullen and Lyra by gravity-zero
* The Inquisitor And Her Commander by gravity-zero
* Romance Card - Cullen and Evelyn by gravity-zero
* Romance Card - Cullen and Evelyn II by gravity-zero
* The Sun and The Moon by gravity-zero
* A late b-day present for junkipii by greendelle
* Chants and Mirrors by greendelle (NSFW)
* A Token by greyallison
* Commission - May I Have this Dance? by ibbitmonster
* Do you have some time? by JustAnoR
* and commission by mappeli
* Commission by mappeli
* Commissioncullen by mappeli
* Could you care for the mage? by mappeli
* Goes on by mappeli
* Hrist Trevelyan and Cullen tarot card by marty-mc
* Be Safe Inquisitor by Merwild
* Commission: Kassandra Trevelyan and Cullen by Nikranel
* Trevelyan x Cullen by qissus
* Cullen and Trevelyan by Risel
* Dragon Age Inquisition by shalizeh
* Dragon Age Inquisition 2 by shalizeh
* The Sun by starsandskies
* A tarot card featuring @sarcasmfish‘s Talia and Cullen by steftastan
* Isilme and Cullen under the moonlight :) by steftastan
* Cullen Romance Tarot by stella-minerva
* Cullen/Trevelyan by TheRealMcGee
* Hand kissing is my weakness by TheRealMcGee
* Commission 34 by VelvetRue
* Silk and feathers by WildBara
* Elizabeth Trevelyan and Cullen by xla-hainex
* Dance with me by Yakina
* DAI Inquisitor-Cullen by YamaOrce
* Interlude by ynorka
* Morning Negotiations by ynorka (NSFW)
Unknown Inquisitor
* Commander Love Card by AlexielApril
* Cully-Wully romance Tarot card! by annieartz
====Fanfiction====
====Zines====
* Sweet Nothings
==Art Gallery==
File:Cullen and Inquisitor by the-ALEF.jpeg|Cullen with a male Lavellan Inquisitor by the-ALEF.
File:True Love by Aracton.jpg|True Love by Aracton
File:Commander by Beautiful-Doubt.jpg|Commander by Beautiful-Doubt
File:Dragon Age Tarot - Cullen by Taylor Cobb.jpg|Strength by Taylor Cobb – Tarot-style art with an out-of-frame Inquisitor touching Cullen's face.
File:Cullen by Eamikkir.jpg|Tarot-style art by Eamikkir with an out-of-frame Inquisitor embracing Cullen.
File:A moment of peace by hellenys.png|A moment of peace by hellenys
File:The Conquest of Fort Longdale by hellenys.png|The Conquest of Fort Longdale by hellenys
File:Cullen and Mara by hellenys.png|Cullen and Mara by hellenys
File:Delylah and Cullen by hellenys.png|Delylah and Cullen by hellenys
File:Mara Trevelyan and Cullen Rutherford by hellenys.png|Mara Trevelyan and Cullen Rutherford by hellenys
File:Michaela Trevelyan and Cullen by hellenys.png|Michaela Trevelyan and Cullen by hellenys
File:Trevelyan and Rutherford by LadyKalynne.jpg|Trevelyan and Rutherford by LadyKalynne
File:Cullen and Lavellan by Lynxina.jpg|Cullen and Lavellan by Lynxina
File:Dragon Age Commission 3 by maXKennedy.jpg|Art by maXKennedy
File:Cullen x trevelyan by misi-chan.jpg|Cullen x Trevelyan by misi-chan
File:Cuddles cuddles by morbidcookie.jpg|Cuddles cuddles by morbidcookie
File:Oh my by morbidcookie.jpg|Oh my by morbidcookie
File:Fate by Myunna-sama.jpg|Fate by Myunna-sama
File:Fell in love with a girl by pythonomorpha.jpg|Fell in love with a girl by pythonomorph
File:Anyla by Ravietta.jpg|Anyla by Ravietta – Tarot-style art with a female Lavellan holding Cullen's lion armor.
File:Love by ReelLifeJaneway2.jpg|Love by ReelLifeJaneway2
File:Val Royeaux by Rina-Li.jpg|Val Royeaux by Rina-Li
File:Cullen Appreciation Week entry by stacie-draws.jpg|Cullen Appreciation Week entry by stacie-draws
File:Wedding by StrawberriPaopuJuice.jpg|Wedding by StrawberriPaopuJuice
File:A Cullen Crush by SoulCentinel.jpg|A Cullen Crush by SoulCentinel
File:The Cursed by TalviEnkeli.jpg|The Cursed by TalviEnkeli
File:Cullen x asha trevelyan by YoungGirlBlues.jpg|Cullen x Asha Trevelyan by YoungGirlBlues
==Archives & Fannish Links==
* Female Inquisitor/Cullen works at AO3
* Male Inquisitor/Cullen works at AO3
* Cullen x Inquisitor tag on Tumblr
* Cullen x Lavellan tag on Tumblr
* Cullen x Trevelyan tag on Tumblr
* Cullavellan tag on Tumblr
* Cullvelyan tag on Tumblr
==References==
Category:Dragon Age Relationships
Category:Het Pairings