Dorian: Is there a tender reunion on the horizon? Inquisitor: (laughs) I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you for the tags, @rooks-dagger @grand-crow @kogarashi-art and @chaosherald!

Picrew link here. Feel free to make your OC’s kids, or your OCs as kids themselves!

So, I did something like this a long time ago and made up a kid for Rowan and Dorian, but ultimately that was nothing more than a fun venture into AU territory because I'm not sure I picture them as dads. So that’s not canon, but you can read it here if you want. Besides, now that I’ve gone all in on Professor!Dorian, I think he gets his fill of the youth of Thedas anyhow.

But making them as kids? Yes please. I’ve had a vivid mental image of lil bab Rowan for so long and this Picrew finally brought it to life. So here's Kid Rowan, + Dorian:

Yapping below the cut:

Thank you to @master-of-the-elements, @rooks-dagger, and @dudewheresmynug! Your posts were all THOROUGHLY delightful!!

Rules: make a moodboard to represent the vibe of your ship, but the pictures have to be text-based/memes/other things you wouldn't normally include if you were making a moodboard for them.

Soft tagging @serjory, @maagisterpavus, @blackwall-my-tiny-husband, @bronzieinthedas, @waxlyricalmoon, @jouskaroo, @epiphany-jones, @mildlyupsetzebra and @jukkaricity

Bullvelyan

Esha/Harding

Rocien

he's killed people I held dear

ROWAN LAVELLAN x LUCIEN TREVELYAN

… and I’ll throw in 2 for Lucien too ;)

♥ (02) Does another OC love your OC? If so, whom, and does your OC know?

HAH you know Rowan does!! And Lucien definitely knows (at least once they’re out of their intense pining phase. And uh, after the post-Trespasser shenanigans are done.)

♥ (04) Are there any romantic gestures that your OC hates?

Lucien does not like to be coddled. At all. Especially when he’s unwell, but also just generally. Offer to take a couple of work tasks you’re maybe better suited to off his plate? Fantastic, have at it. Offer to handle it all while he rests? Absolutely not. (I still love the “I’M FINE, ROWAN” line from when he’s pregnant with their son lmao.)

For Rocien: 🚪😏🌅🌌🩰

HEHE ROCIEN ASKS YAY <3 thank you lovely!!

ship headcanon ask list

Rocien (Rowan/Lucien)

🚪 Who's more likely to say "we're not leaving this room today"?

Initially I thought “that sounds like a very Lucien thing to say” lol. Wanting to get Rowan to slow down and relax and give him all those good and happy moments amongst all the Horrors. But… during DAI, Ro is the one with the power to say that and actually make it happen, isn’t he? Using that Inquisitorial Authority to cancel all his meetings and stay up in his quarters with his boyfriend all day. ;)

Honestly though I can see them both saying this lmao. Thinking it probably shifts towards Lucien being the one to say it in that awkward period post-Trespasser when they’re learning how to be together again (Rowan’s hesitant and doesn’t want to be too forward; Lucien showing him that yeah, I do want you, actually.)

😏 Who is bolder in public (hand-holding, kisses, etc)?

I'm gonna give that to Lucien, Mr. Not Afraid to Walk Around Skyhold Obviously Wearing Rowan's Pants.

Plus, I know you’ve mentioned Lucien is big on physical affection as a whole, right? Whether it’s with his friends or romantic partners. Rowan is more finicky about PDA, but if Lucien’s going to reach for his hand, well. He’s going to take it.

🌅 Do they go on sunrise/stargazing dates? Which do they enjoy more?

Oh I love this idea for them so I'm gonna say YES, most likely at Rowan's suggestion. He spent a lot of time stargazing and watching sunrises/sunsets when he was growing up in the clan, and it's one of those things he can always count on, even when everything else is in chaos. No matter what the sun will always rise again, that kind of thing.

For that reason, he likes sunrises the most and would love to do that with Lucien. Provided he can wake up early enough for it. Y'know, watching the hope for a new day rise in front of him, with his reason for that hope sitting at his side. (+ Aravas later on!)

🌌 What is their "we made it through hell" memory they'll tell their grandkids?

First of all I am CRYING over the mental image of them as grandpas. Idk if Aravas would ever have kids of her own but omggggg

Anyway. You mean like, their entire lives? Lol. I imagine the hypothetical grandkids would be very keen to know why their grandpas both only have one arm, which would kick off one hell of a story.

🩰 Slow dancing in the kitchen - who starts it?

This strikes me as something that might happen years down the line, once they're finally settled? And I think I'll give it to Rowan, actually. Dancing is something he only had to learn out of necessity but ended up being quite good at. He might not advertise the fact that he actually enjoys it (but only in a non-official capacity, do not put him in a ballroom ever again, please and thank you) but I can see him grabbing Lucien's waist and pulling him in just to stand there and sway together for a few minutes.

Rowan/Dorian

🌸What nickname do they have for each other that would mortify them if others heard?

Honestly? I'm not sure there are any. Ro's not really a nickname guy in general, beyond the occasional "[my] dear" or the even less common "vhenan." Dorian wouldn't be embarrassed if anyone heard those. Rowan might be, a little bit? Just because he tries to hide the fact that he's a big sap. I don’t see Dorian as using anything ridiculous or embarrassing either, tbh.

💞 How do they act when one of them is sick?

I feel like Dorian goes one of two ways when he’s sick: Big Man Baby who acts like he’s dying when he gets a sniffle, OR Big Tough Man who acts like he’s not sick and insists on doing everything he would normally do anyway. Either way it goes, Rowan is def the ‘quiet caretaker’ type. If it’s just something normal like a cold, he won’t coddle or be overbearing (and if Dorian’s in Big Baby mode he’s like 🙄) but will do what he can to help. He probably has a lot of Dalish tricks up his sleeve for herbal remedies and Dorian’s looking at the tea like 🥴 lol

Rowan is a terrible patient, which is fine because (dai era) Dorian is a terrible caretaker. It’s giving “don’t breathe in my direction until you’re not contagious.” Does Thedas have surgical masks? Bc he’s probably wearing one until Ro quits sniffling.

But he gets BETTER I promise lol. Once he realizes he’s feeling all kinds of those dreadful sappy and mushy things, he wants to help Rowan feel better. He does all he can during Trespasser (and would have done even more if Rowan, y’know, told him what was going on).

🧩 What tiny habit of the other do they find unbearably adorable?

Answered here!

😘 Who kisses the other first thing in the morning, morning breath & all?

+1, 3 and 6 for Rocien

Oooooh Rocien asks??? 👀🫶 I am EXCITED (and ofc please add your two cents if I miss anything lol)

Questions from this list!

Rowan/Dorian:

1. What appeals you to the ship? Is it based off of canon interaction, personal headcanons, or are you not sure?

I think what I love about them the most is that they’re two people from two completely different worlds, who find each other under the most extraordinary of circumstances, and who seem like they have so little in common, and yet fall for each other anyway and make it work against all odds. They both have doubts about themselves and their relationship, and shit gets hard, but they still keep coming back to each other again and again.

4. In what areas would they help one another grow?

Answered this one here :)

14. What are their core values?

Ooh, good one. Growing up, Rowan was very much instilled with the concept of “protect and provide” so that’s probably the biggest one for him. He measures his worth in how much he has to offer and how much he can be useful, because he grew up believing that was the only reason he had a place in the clan. Failure to protect or provide feels like failure as a person. Big contributing factor to the post-Trespasser nervous breakdown + disappearing act. And he very much values honesty.

For Dorian… well, it’s pretty clear that he feels a strong sense of duty to the greater good. He leaves Tevinter behind and joins the Inquisition because it was the right thing to do - only to go back to Tevinter anyway in hopes that he can help make his homeland a better place, because that’s the right thing to do, too. He definitely values loyalty in all its forms - to his country, to his loved ones, and to himself.

Rowan/Lucien:

1. What appeals you to the ship? Is it based off of canon interaction, personal headcanons, or are you not sure?

Goddddd where do I start

I mean, who doesn’t love friends-to-lovers, right? I’m so taken with them developing a mutual trust and safety with each other right off the bat. Lucien taking one look at Rowan after the Conclave and thinking “must protecc” and Rowan realizing that there’s no one else around who makes him feel so safe and grounded. And then all of that has so much room to blossom into something beautiful that neither of them ever expected to find - until Rowan shatters it after Trespasser. All that trust, everything they built, gone. But he comes back anyway, and they learn to love each other again through putting all their broken pieces back together, and even though they’re both missing some pieces of who they were before… they end up with a life more full than they could have ever imagined.

THEY MAKE ME WEEEEEEP.

3. What do they like about one another? Include both physical and personality traits, anything they like.

Rowan absolutely adores Lucien’s BIG. BROWN. PUPPY. EYES. Even when they’re used against him. Maybe that’s when he likes them the most tbh. And Lucien’s arms (especially when they’re wrapped around him), and that beautiful, bright, boyish smile of his. Personality-wise, he loves Lucien’s innate kindness and warmth, his patience, his gentle demeanor, and his steadfast dedication to helping as many people as he can. He also admires that Lucien is so secure in who he is.

I’d say that Lucien is a fan of Rowan’s eyes too, and I know he loves those dexterous hands. I get the impression that Lucien loves all the things that Rowan doesn’t love about himself, which is… a lot. Similarly, he sees a lot of qualities that Ro doesn’t see in himself - bravery, determination, humility - and loves those too.

Probably also loves it when Ro is a little shit, perhaps more than he’d care to admit?

6. Which character developed feelings first? And is there a specific moment or way this could've happened?

I… think it was probably Lucien, right? Or at least, I see Lucien as the one who realized it first - overall it seems like a mutual slow-burn that started all the way back at Haven. Rowan is just spending a lot of time being oblivious that Lucien is feeling anything more than friendship, or questioning what he’s feeling, or in denial that he’s feeling anything at all. Bab is sooo afraid of getting his heart broken by another close friend.