Results are in! This year, you voted on which prompts you most wanted to see for Rutherfest 2026, and after a close race between several options, we have our winners!
(Divider credit: @sister-lucifer)
Friday, October 16th: Knights, Legends, and Lore
From humble beginnings at Honnleath and rising through the Templar ranks to becoming Commander of the Inquisition, Cullen has long secured his place in Dragon Age lore. Whether you choose to showcase some aspect of this or opt to tie him into another tale, there's no shortage of promise where this prompt is concerned!
Saturday, October 17th: Dawn or Darkness
Cullen has faced many challenges in his life and been through many ups and downs. Will shadows fall in your submission(s) this year, or will the dawn come?
Sunday, October 18th: Free Day
Keeping with Rutherfest tradition, the last day of the event this year will be a free day! Flex those creative muscles all on your own or choose from any of the remaining prompts from this year's poll or last year's list.
We will be maintaining our same list of rules and guidelines from last year.
Here's to another fabulous @rutherfest this fall! Stay tuned for more fun, updates, and updated tagging specifications as we move closer to the event.
Results are in! This year, you voted on which prompts you most wanted to see for Rutherfest 2026, and after a close race between several options, we have our winners!
(Divider credit: @sister-lucifer)
Friday, October 16th: Knights, Legends, and Lore
From humble beginnings at Honnleath and rising through the Templar ranks to becoming Commander of the Inquisition, Cullen has long secured his place in Dragon Age lore. Whether you choose to showcase some aspect of this or opt to tie him into another tale, there's no shortage of promise where this prompt is concerned!
Saturday, October 17th: Dawn or Darkness
Cullen has faced many challenges in his life and been through many ups and downs. Will shadows fall in your submission(s) this year, or will the dawn come?
Sunday, October 18th: Free Day
Keeping with Rutherfest tradition, the last day of the event this year will be a free day! Flex those creative muscles all on your own or choose from any of the remaining prompts from this year's poll or last year's list.
We will be maintaining our same list of rules and guidelines from last year.
Here's to another fabulous @rutherfest this fall! Stay tuned for more fun, updates, and updated tagging specifications as we move closer to the event.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS, Cullen fans! Prompt voting for the second annual Rutherfest will be taking place from Monday, April 20th to Monday, April 27th.
We will reblog the poll several times throughout the week, so make sure you don't miss out!
Rutherfest 2026 will be taking place from Friday, October 16th through Sunday, October 18th. As a reminder, Sunday will remain a free day to allow maximum creative flexibility for participants. When the prompts are put to a vote, we will be looking for the top two to serve as Friday's and Saturday's prompts.
Stay tuned and give us a follow for more!
Note: Please note that the admins/mod team operate within North American time zones, which may slightly impact the voting time frame for our friends overseas. We hope to alleviate this burden as much as possible with regular reblogs as reminders during voting week.
We can't wait to celebrate Rutherfest with you this fall from October 16-18th! In the meantime, we wanted to give you a tentative timeline on what you can expect from us.
(Divider credit: @sister-lucifer)
February: Save the Date! (complete)
March: Admins at work! Stay tuned.
April: Prompt Voting Begins (we'll explain!)
May: Prompt Voting Ends
June: Prompts Revealed (June 1st)
July & August: Light Promotions
September: Weekly Event Promotions + Special Countdown Activities
October: Finish Up! It's time for Rutherfest!
Follow us at @rutherfest to stay up-to-date on the latest news and information!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS, Cullen fans! Prompt voting for the second annual Rutherfest will be taking place from Monday, April 20th to Monday, April 27th.
We will reblog the poll several times throughout the week, so make sure you don't miss out!
Rutherfest 2026 will be taking place from Friday, October 16th through Sunday, October 18th. As a reminder, Sunday will remain a free day to allow maximum creative flexibility for participants. When the prompts are put to a vote, we will be looking for the top two to serve as Friday's and Saturday's prompts.
Stay tuned and give us a follow for more!
Note: Please note that the admins/mod team operate within North American time zones, which may slightly impact the voting time frame for our friends overseas. We hope to alleviate this burden as much as possible with regular reblogs as reminders during voting week.
We can't wait to celebrate Rutherfest with you this fall from October 16-18th! In the meantime, we wanted to give you a tentative timeline on what you can expect from us.
(Divider credit: @sister-lucifer)
February: Save the Date! (complete)
March: Admins at work! Stay tuned.
April: Prompt Voting Begins (we'll explain!)
May: Prompt Voting Ends
June: Prompts Revealed (June 1st)
July & August: Light Promotions
September: Weekly Event Promotions + Special Countdown Activities
October: Finish Up! It's time for Rutherfest!
Follow us at @rutherfest to stay up-to-date on the latest news and information!
@dogot - Love Letters (1) | Love Letters (2) & Vir'Lath Sa'vunin
@woundedsoul12 - Something Brand New
@viesalias - The Lights in the Shadow
Editors (gifs, moodboards, and more):
@animezinglife - A Prayer for You?
Whether you created something or cheered the creators on in the notes, we thank you all for showing Cullen some love and for making Cullentine such a sweet celebration!
(Late) submission for the @rutherfest Cullentine event
I honestly wasn't planning to submit at all as I haven't had time to write anything new, but then I realized this scene from my (unpublished) longfic fits perfectly in the Vulnerability prompt, so I finished it up for the event and here you have it!
Summary: Ten years after the events at Kinloch Hold, Cullen mourns the friends he lost.
Word Count: 1k
Warnings: Grief, mentions of death, hurt/comfort
Notes: Originally written for my (unpublished) Cullevelyan longfic. Scene under the cut!
---
"Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter."
The candle’s flames licked at the scrap of paper, first singing the edges, then catching alight before consuming the slip completely, sending the scrawled name floating away with the paper’s ashes.
One for Farris.
"Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just."
There, at the feet of Andraste, Cullen mourned. He felt his friends deserved a better sendoff than simply burning scraps of paper, but it was the best he could do during his time in the Order, and after ten years, the tradition stuck. Another paper caught fire and burned away.
One for Annlise.
"Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow."
He’d asked for the day off under the guise of personal matters, and since it was rare for him to ever take a break, Thalia and the other advisors were quick to grant it to him. It didn't feel right to dishonor his friends by filling his day with work, nor did he desire to train soldiers with a distracted mind.
The last scrap he held onto until the flames singed his ungloved fingers.
One for Beval.
As his best friend’s name disappeared into the flames, the rest of the Benediction caught in his throat.
"In their blood… in… in their…"
"In their blood the Maker’s will is written."
He hadn't heard her enter, but of course she would find him when he needed her. She always did.
Thalia knelt beside him in front of the altar and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I've been looking for you," she said. "Is this where you've been all day?"
"Mostly. I'm sorry, I should have told you—"
Thalia shook her head.
"It's alright." Her eyes darted around at the candles dripping wax onto the altar, the ashes before them, and the ink stains and burn marks on Cullen’s hands. Dressed down to his plainclothes, he was certainly an odd sight to behold for anyone who happened to wander into the chapel. "What are you doing?"
"A prayer," he began. "For my friends from Fereldan’s Circle. The ones who were…"
Killed. Murdered. Slaughtered, he wanted to say.
"The ones who passed," he said instead.
Thalia frowned, her hand wavering before she decided to pull it away from his shoulder entirely.
"I'm sorry. I can leave if I'm disturbing you."
He finally turned to face her and gently grabbed her hand to steady the shake of his own.
"Don't go," he said, voice nearly a whisper. "It's… nice to finally share this with someone. Ten years and it doesn't get any easier."
Thalia settled beside him again, leaning her arm against his in another show of comfort.
"Will you tell me about them? Your friends?"
He hadn't spoken about them since the mass vigil held at Kinloch Hold for mages and templars alike, save for the letters he’d write their families every year in remembrance. No one had ever been close enough to ask. Cullen wasn't sure he could answer without breaking down, but Thalia had smoothed over all his jagged edges, had shone light on his sorrows and given him a soft place to land. If there was anyone he could stand to grieve in front of, it was her.
"Beval and I practically grew up together," he began, his voice catching on a lump in his throat that he had to force down before continuing. "He knew me when I was still a sorry excuse of a recruit in training. His father was a soldier in the Fereldan army and he already knew everything I've ever learned about using a sword at just thirteen."
Cullen smiled at the memory of sparring bruises on his arms and legs, long since faded from the days they’d trained together before pledging themselves to the Maker.
"The Order assigned us to Ferelden’s Circle together where we met Farris and Annlise. Farris was quiet. He was this scrawny kid from South Reach who jumped at his own shadow, but he probably knew more lines of the Chant than the Divine herself. Annlise was his sister. She was bolder than any of us, but she always said she had bravery enough for two. Watching her die… all of them. I…"
His voice broke and he felt his eyes welling up. He tried to wipe away the tears before Thalia noticed, but she must have caught on, for she moved her hand to stretch across his back and pulled him close, allowing him to lean his full weight into her. Her other hand raked gently through his hair before coming to a rest on his jaw, her thumb brushing lightly over the stubble there.
"I can't even remember who died first. Only that none of them deserved it."
They were quiet after that, and he didn't know how long he let her hold him there, only that she didn't let go.
When the candles had burned to half their height, the wax pooling in thick puddles on the steps of the altar, he finally spoke.
"I think I'd like to be alone with them for a while, if that's alright."
The last part of the vigil was always the hardest, and while one day he wanted to be able to share all of it with her, he knew this year he needed to finish the service alone.
She pressed a kiss to the crown of his head, giving him one last squeeze before moving to get up.
"Of course. Send for me if you need anything."
He nodded and waited until he heard the chapel door close behind her, then clasped his hands in a final prayer, his voice trembling on every word.
"I am not alone.
"Even as I stumble on the path with my eyes closed, yet I see the Light is here.
"Draw your last breath, my friends.
"Cross the Veil and the Fade and all the stars in the sky.
"Rest at the Maker’s right hand, and be Forgiven."
Rutherfest's first-ever Cullentine may have drawn to a close, but we wanted to give everyone a chance to get in any late submissions before we post our thank you and reference list later this week.
We are SO GRATEFUL to each of you for your work to make this mini event such a success. We were, once again, blown away by your talent!
We loved seeing your work and positivity that showered Cullen with some love.
If you want your username and work included in our thank you list, please have submissions in by Wednesday, February 18th. While we will still reblog any submissions and update that list later on, we want to make sure we're able to send it out by the end of the week.
Thank you all again for making Cullentine such a sweet celebration of our beloved commander!
Scholar's Mate is a one-shot written for @rutherfest Cullentine 2026.
Pairing: Cullen Rutherford x Josephine Montilyet
Rating: Mature Warning(s): None
Summary: Josephine may be bad at chess but she is proficient in other types of games.
Excerpt:
Josephine was talented at every game of intellect but there was one game where her skills seemed to fall short. That very same game was one of the only skill based games that Cullen excelled in: Chess. The ambassador understood the rules of the game, of course, but her ability to outmaneuver the commander consistently fell short. In the beginning, Cullen suspected that she was humoring him, that she was purposely leaving their games to chance in a way to bolster his pride. Yet as their matches repeated, he realized that her deficit was genuine.
Read Here
No Pressure Tag List @aetherflowers @bibutterflies @briannasroger @carako @dogot @dragonagedorks @inquisiorastoria @morganaofcamelot @priya-san @summergreen009 @tired-truffle
