#dai Cullen

[duckydrawsart]

*softens ur commander* <3 :)

[noobsydraws]

I opened up art requests on ig last week and one of the first ones was "shy Cullen" and oh boy, am I happy to oblige!

One thing I barely talked about is that AU! Myrra and Cullen have such a sweet and friendly relationship, even before Melissa shows up.

Back in Haven Cullen even develops a small crush on Myrra because of how fast she is to protect all these people, that she barely knows, and who don't treat her all that well at times. The crush later grows onto friendship and later on he becomes more of a big brother to her.

He doesn't have much knowledge of Dalish culture at that point but Myrra appreciates how caring and kind he is, to her and to his troops. And yeah he is bad at taking compliments in my head.

Request by tecsiederp on insta thank you so much this was a lot of fun!

[nikyu0]

Inquisitor Blaithin Lavellan Art Log

Although Shapeshifter wasn't a class in DAI, I did headcanon my Lavellan to be one, the clan wasn't too happy about her preferred animal form tho

Also Cullen is still bad at sensing mages lol

[lemonsprite]

How tf did the inquisitor and Cullen go from being freaky on his desk to his bedroom up that gigantic ladder????? Who in their right mind is making out all hot and heavy and then climbing a 20ft ladder straight up???? Total mood ruiner in my opinion 😒

[justagayfish]

His ass is never betting in Wicked Grace again Inspired by this twitter post (and also posted on twitter!)

[arlathandreams]

"Cullen, remind me why you’re allowing the Chancellor to stay?" "Clearly your templar knows where to draw the line." "He’s toothless. There’s no point turning him into a martyr simply because he runs at the mouth."

[kimberbohwrites]

Been aging the dragons for a few weeks so far and I cannot believe what I'm willing to put up with all for some hot pixel idiots. <3

[alenseress]

And all things end

All that we intend is

Scrawled in sand

[fantalpacca]

[More silly shorts]

I love my Hawke but she was unhinged 😏

[lavendarr00]

Cullen post Inquisitor smooches 😆

[pupkinpumpkin]

Oh fuck I completely forgot

K, so, in Asunder, there's a scene where Lord Seeker Lambert comes to Evangeline's room and gives her 4 vials of lyrium for her trip

Later on in Asunder, when the team is coming back from the Western Approach,

1) Evangeline (Or Rhys, I don't remember who) notes that it's been two weeks since they left

2) When Rhys tries to convince Evangeline to run away with him, she shows him 3 empty vials and 1 full vial of lyrium (I think, the 4th vial might also be a bit empty). She says she's addicted and will be useless in a week. She also repeats this later on to Wynne

So we can conclude:

- Once a Templar is addicted, it takes about a week for the withdrawal symptoms to come in. Evangeline doesn't abuse the stuff though, and she shows a lot of restraint, so this might be the wait time for an average Templar, but it's probably much shorter for a Templar who's actively abusing lyrium

- We have no idea if Evangeline's taking lyrium one vial at a time or taking micro doses, but three full vials of lyrium are gone in the span of two weeks, meaning she's taking this shit pretty regularly. To my knowledge, we've never had an idea of how often Templars are taking lyrium, so this is great information to have

I can't remember fully where it's said, so correct me if I'm wrong, but Cullen, when talking about becoming a Templar, says that after their Vigil, they get a philter (a box of stuff that prepares the lyrium), and their first draught of lyrium, so Evangeline probably has this on her during her trip and philters are needed in order to properly take lyrium

Now for the iffy part

- In Origins, Alistair says he's never taken lyrium. This is a lie, but probably one he didn't know about

- The Joining requires lyrium as an ingredient, so Alistair definitely ingested at least a little bit

- Alistair is able to use his powers as a Templar for an entire year

As much as I'd like this to mean Templars definitely don't need to be taking lyrium as often as they do, there could be multiple reasons for this

- The amount of time lyrium works for a Templar simply got retconned and they do actually need to take lyrium often. Boo

- Bc The Joining changes a Grey Warden forever, it's possible that the lyrium is now permanently in a Grey Warden's veins just like the taint is, meaning Alistair could use his Templar powers forever if he wanted

- Alistair is just the Maker's specialist little boy and gets to be exempt from things like withdrawals because of his family's bloodline.

Also, in the Silent Grove, like 8 years after Origins I think, when Alistair, Varric, Isabela, and Maevaris are surrounded by mage occultists or whatever, Alistair uses his Templar powers. Someone asks him how he did this, and he just says something like "I knew we were coming to Tevinter so I decided my Templar powers would be useful, so I got back into practice"

We never find out what this means

Whether he decided to take a little bit of lyrium, or is just cool enough to not need it, is up to anyone

We also have no idea how long Cullen is able to use his Templar powers in Inquisition since I'm pretty sure we never see him in action besides in his personal quest when trying to find Samson, but he'd literally have no reason to use Templar powers on other Templars, so who knows?

So in all, we've basically no clue how often Templars NEED to take lyrium and no official date for how long their powers last after they stop taking it, but we do know ~generally~ how often they're taking it, which I don't believe we knew before

I personally like to think that Templars could just take lyrium like once a year but the Chantry likes to have them on a leash so they make them take it way more often so they get addicted because the Chantry is terrible

But ya, that one line made me spiral

[theheraldsrest]

Hey! I really really love your blog! If I may request, during downtime, how would the members of the inner circle react to find the Inquisitor drawing/sketching them?

“Companions react to Inquisitor drawing/sketching them”

After our *cough* little thing with Bull, let’s have some fluff, shall we? Thank you anon for the ask!

-Lord Lex

Cullen

“You did this? It’s certainly…it’s…how did you even…it’s amazing.”

-So surprised, no words. It makes him feel a little special that you’d choose to sketch him but also very embarrassed. In return, he tries drawing you. Might not be as good and there are a few rough sketches that were thrown in the fire, but he wanted to return the favor. 

Josephine

“Oh! Look at the detail and the softness! I wouldn’t have even thought it was me from how stunning it is!”

-Absolutely gushing over it. Josey’s always had a fascination for the arts and to be the subject of the piece from someone close to her? Adores it, even asks to keep it. She has it tucked away in one of her favorite books. Will always compliment your art even when talking to dignitaries.

Leliana

“I commend you on your artistic talent. Though, I’d ask you not to sketch me. Perhaps one of the ravens would make better practice?”

-Like Josephine, Leliana has an eye for art. She loves looking at the little details in your sketches and finds it a surprise that her face is amongst the papers. As much as she appreciates it, she’d rather her face remain a secret. She is your spy master, after all. Though, if she becomes Divine, she keeps the sketch as one of her favorite pieces of her. 

Vivienne

“Darling, as much as I’d like to say you're wasting your talents by leading the Inquisition instead of honing your skills, you are equally talented in both. Most usually fail to make me look this stunning.”

-It might not show on her face or in her words but she loves it. Several times people have been commissioned to paint her yet none come even close to your level of detail. More points if it’s of her smiling or laughing, the lines on her face as well as the wrinkle around her eyes gives her a sense of…normalcy. If she becomes Divine, she commissions you to do her portrait, no one else.

Varric

“You drew me? I think that’s gotta be one of the scariest pieces of your art I’ve ever seen! When you're done, can I keep it?”

-Though it doesn’t sound like it, he brags about it constantly. Even when he’s making fun of his slightly crooked nose or how his eyes might seem smaller than other dwarves, he’s complimenting the skill you put into the very minute details of his face. Varric will try to pay you for it even if you refuse, later trying to commission a drawing of Hawke when they come around.

Cole

“Oh, it’s me! Not really, but it’s Cole. But you’re trying to draw me…I can still remember his face, then.”

-He’ll stare at it for hours, his shoulders down. It’s been sometime since he’d been able to see his own face, forgetting that he even had a face. To see you draw that face, the real Cole, just from looking at him makes him happy. Will ask to look at it every now and then, just to make sure it’s still the same.

Solas

“I must say, you are quite talented and steady with your hands. It does allow others to see how the artist sees. You certainly make me seem…at peace.”

-From one artist to another, he gives you high compliments with very few complaints. It is unusual to see him drawn in such a way since he’s so used to seeing only the mosaics. He meant to get rid of it when he left the Inquisition, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Cassandra

“Inquisitor, though your craft is very beautiful and I admire how you can make these pieces, I must ask you not to sketch me.”

-Don’t get her wrong, she loves seeing your sketches but it’s mostly out of formality (and somewhat embarrassment) that she asks not to be your subject. If she becomes Divine, it’s one of the only pieces she prefers over the paintings. Though she does ask you, if you have the time, to draw something for her. When you give her a perfect picture of her brother and her, it’s one of the few times she truly hugs you.

The Iron Bull

“Holy shit. I’m alright when it comes to sketching, but you make it look pretty damn easy while so complicated! You even got my scars and the detail on my patch! Damn, boss!”

-Bull is used to doing quick sketches, usually of small details to make sure he could track someone or to remember something easier. Never had he really seen himself drawn so picture perfect that it completely baffles him. He looks at all the details with a smile on his face.

Dorian

“I can’t believe you managed to get my good side! In all honesty, though, this is remarkable. And not just because it’s me.”

-He had studied some art pieces before and never really found any he liked, but he has now found one of his favorite artists. Constantly asks if you’ve done any new pieces just so he can look at the heart that goes into them. Ask if you could teach him to sketch as such so that he can add better drawings to his research notes.

Sera

“What the fuck! That’s me! How the fuck! How did you do this! You even got my eyes to be lined up! How the hell did you do that?!”

-We all know Sera’s drawing style. She keeps saying the same things over and over again because she’s at a loss for words. Except for cuss words. Along with the rooftop hangouts, she insists that you two just draw together sometimes. Some of the goofiest drawings come from these times, especially one of a cartoonish Coryshit falling from a very detailed tower.

A little speech bubble near it says “Oh shit, I shat myself!”

Blackwall

“I…I’m honored to be one of your subjects. Not to blow my own horn, but this looks stunning. You really are something special, hm?”

-Blackwall has done a lot of sketching himself and finds your art a breath of fresh air. Other than looking at bits and pieces of his reflection, he usually tries to avoid seeing himself. So when he sees your drawing of him, he almost doesn’t recognize himself. You both trade sketches of each other just for fun and even sketch together.

[cullenssweatyballsakk]

I just had an epiphany.

There's a tiktok trend, where people post pictures of them and their father/mother/paternal figures. Typically the parental figure was emotionally absent, a deadbeat, or manipulative/abusive.

No hold on, I'm going somewhere with this.

Cullen and Meredith.

I want to dive deep into their relationship, and how we actually don't see much of it. This is where headcanons come in.

By the time Cullen came to Kirkwall, he was traumatized, mentally broken, and grieving not only his friends in the circle, but his parents that died during the blight. Now let me explain where I'm going.

I have a theory.

A game theory, if you will.

I believe that Cullen, in his broken state, began to idolize Meredith, and view her as a mentor at least, and a sort of maternal figure at most. I believe somewhere in-between.

Meredith was cruel to the mages, treating them unfairly and making many mages tranquil for small offenses. Cullen most likely saw this as justified, because of the trauma he went through in Kinloch Hold and how he viewed mages as 'non human'. Meredith saw how full of hatred he was, and how he idolized her heavy-handed punishments. She played into his fears, feeding him skewed beliefs. She wanted him to feel his hatred, and to let it consume him as it did her. As long as he was full of hate, angry, hurt and traumatized, he would be a perfect pawn to enact her bidding.

So she favored him, almost like a favorite 'son'. She promoted him quickly, and made him her right-hand man. In reality, she didn't give much of a fuck about him. She only cared about him because he was useful. Maybe in her own way, she cared about him, but probably not much.

Cullen thinking so highly of her is probably why her red Lyrium poisoning went unnoticed for so long. He didn't want to have any doubt in his mind about Meredith. To him, she was 100% right, and after all he's seen, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle her being wrong.

He most likely thought that the sheer numbers of blood mages was why Meredith became more and more strict, without realizing the reason as to why there were so many blood mages. The vice grip is that Meredith had on the Kirkwall circles balls was why the mages there began to resort to blood magic. They were tired of being harassed and beaten, which Meredith allowed under her supervision.

Okay thanks for coming to my ted talk

[nikyu0]

All these options are great, but when can I hug Varric romantically?

[lemonsprite]

Sera, running around Skyhold with the inquisitor, pranking their advisors:

Sera: “I don’t know if we should mess with Cullen’s desk… I have no clue how sturdy it is….”

Inquisitor, who had Cullen on top of them eight hours ago, doing the horizontal tango on top of said desk: “oh it’s sturdy alright………”

[twilight-sanctuary]