Musings on Carver Pairings
You know it troubles me somewhat that the most popular ship(s) for Carver, in terms of fic and probably art is M!Hawke/Carver and F!Hawke/Carver. Is it because people can’t think of other people to pair him with? Or that they desperately want to romance him themselves…because hey I can understand that…even if I wouldn’t ship him with my Hawke.
So what alternatives are there out there for Carver?
Let’s start off easy, with Hawke’s Companions.
I don’t see any possible or slight option of Aveline/Carver (The relationship is far too familial) or Varric/Carver (There is a kind of almost uncleish relationship there…Varric tries to guide Carver, nothing romantic there…for me anyway)
I have already talked at length about Carver’s relationships with Fenris…so I will not be discussing Carvris here. I ship it though.
Anders/Carver
Interesting dynamic, with Anders being so fixated on the Mage issue and Carver being so bitter about Magic in Act 1. I find both paths interesting in terms of the Anders/Carver relationship. Templar!Carver is far too noble to take advantage of his charges, and he has a lifetime of experience with dealing with Mages, without the need for powers, or chains or anything. He has been what a Templar should be for a Mage, his whole life. He was Bethany’s and Hawke’s guardian, protector, comfort, and likely the one who would have had to fight them should the worst have happened in terms of demonic possession. Most importantly he sees Mages as human beings…just with sparkles attached. He has no fear or illusions about their grandeur.
With Templar!Carver, Anders and Justice might have found a conduit to the Order, a way of reaching out and perhaps changing things without the need for the extreme act. Perhaps seeing that not all Templars were evil…there may have been room to compromise.
As for the Grey!Warden path and Carver/Anders, Carver thrives as a Warden, he blossoms under that structure and purpose where Anders did not. But they have the connection of Anders having been the one to beg Stroud to take him, to put him through the Joining. This bond, could lead to interesting developments as GW!Carver pops up throughout the game and then perhaps afterwards. I like to think that maybe Anders, concerned by Justice’s actions would have left with Carver to return to the Fereldan Grey Warden’s perhaps even have met with the Warden before he/she vanished, and rejoined the order, rededicating himself to that cause in the wake of the civil wars he instigated.
Isabela/Carver
Also interesting, because Isabela goes out of her way to tease Carver. I think in Act 1 she finds his naivete, and propensity for getting all flustered and bristly rather amusing. Do I personally think that she would go there with him? No, not in Act 1, and personally I don’t ship it.
HOWEVER.
I can see why people would, so I shall discuss it here.
In Mark of the Assassin and Legacy, when played in Act 2 or 3, Isabela continues her flirtatious teasing of Carver, and is surprised, and I think tickled by the fact that the brash, fumbling boy of a few years ago has now been replaced by one much more confident in his sensuality and self.
He rebutts her teasing with come on’s specific to his career, be it Templar or Grey Warden. For the Templar one he deepens his voice and mentions the Chant of light, stating that to complete it he needs stamina. He then recites a portion, filling it with as much innuendo as he can. Isabela is plainly delighted (Hawke and Sebastian…less so.)
As a Grey Warden he merely shrugs off the tease with the rebuttal that he ma not find it easy to have children but that just makes him try ever so much…harder. Again Isabela is pleased.
Perhaps this new, older, confident Carver (who teases her that she might like a man Out of his uniform better than in it) would appeal to Isabela’s roguish curiosity.
Merrill/Carver
One of the most popular Carver ships, after Hawkecest.
I have to admit I have little fondness for this ship any longer. I did initially before going indepth with Carver, and now…now it’s not even in my top ten Carver ships.
The allure for this pairing is in Carver’s awkward, bashful crush that is obvious throughout the times you have him in a party with Merrill. It’s adorable and halting and Merrill often is completely unaware of it, or seemingly indifferent. Still, he obviously fancies her on some level, so it is an interesting pairing to look at, if only for that reason.
Sebastian/Carver
There are possibilities here, if one wanted to look at ways there might be a relationship between these two. Sebastian is a lost soul, a former wild child who is trying to reform and be a better man.
Sebastian does not know Carver prior to Act 2 or 3. Not really.
Therefore we have the added bonus of Sebastian not having the initial preconceptions of Hawke’s prickly brother. The others may have spoken about him, but Sebastian has not met him himself, giving the new and improved GW! or Templar! Carver room to meet him without the past getting in the way.
Sebastian is clearly very appreciative of Templars.
Well he does believe wholeheartedly in the Chantry and its doctrines, which stands to reason that he sees Carver as a noble figure, standing up as a sword of truth. The truth itself is less glorious as we know, but it may give Carver an opening to meet the Prince on positive terms.
He is also has admiration for the Wardens, which Carver seems oddly uncomfortable with.
A thing that personally tickles me about the idea of Sebastian/Carver is the fact that Bethany clearly fancies Sebastian should she live. Carver and Bethany having the same taste in men amuses me for some reason.
I don’t know…don’t ask me xD
Other characters
Cullen / Carver
They have the whole mentor/mentee relationship (kink) going on, which makes them a very appealing pairing for many people. I have enjoyed reading a number of fics that mention, or go into the Cullen/Carver friendship and I wish there were more fics of them being more. I see Cullen taking a definite interest in the younger Hawke, not only because he would have met him in Act 1, but also because Carver iwould remind him a lot of himself.
Carver also makes it to Knight status quite quickly, so it stands to reason the Higher Ups would pay attention to his potential.
I also find the idea of them lickling lines of lyrium off each others body hot. Yeah I know…sue me.
Alistair / Carver
Brothers in arms! They do have in-game interaction should you have chosen to have Alistair remain with the Grey Wardens in DA:O, he is the one leading the squad of Wardens when the Qunari attack, not Stroud.
They have banter and it appears the two of them are very comfortable with one another. Alistair is clearly the Warden in charge but Carver slots neatly into his stance as his second naturally, and I think that makes it an interesting pair.
Also worth noting on a VERY AU level. They were both at Ostagar…and Alistair often spent time in the main soldier camp…
Nathaniel / Carver
I’ve never made any bones about loving this pairing. I do love them, lots.
It is my personal headcanon that Carver joins the Fereldan Wardens. And I personally see Nathaniel as being one who would take the younger Hawke under his wing, even though the bratty boy would aggravate him. I see them as having a good relationship. Nathaniel can be a tad straight laced at times, a little serious, a little tense and lost in his own head. Carver is much more brash, questioning orders and unorthodox moves. I see them balancing each other out…which both of them need.
They too could have a mentor/mentee relationship. Nathaniel is a senior warden to Carver’s youth, and I personally think Carver would be one groomed for leadership. Nathaniel’s upbringing as an Arl’s son would make him a good one to instruct him on tactics and such.
Warden / Carver
Depending on your Warden…yeah it could totally work!
In Conclusion!
Carver is one of the most versatile and growing characters in DA, and I feel that there are a huge number of untapped pairings out there for him. Most could be tweaked somehow to fit him.
Anora/Carver? Maybe the Queen likes having reports from the Wardens and the Hero sends Carver to report. Maybe she visits them, and takes a liking to the young Warden. Or maybe Carver is in Fereldan on Chantry buisness.
Jowan/Carver? Perhaps Warden!Amell or Warden!Surana send him after Jowan hoping to recruit him to the cause after the Blight, or perhaps the Templars send him to catch him as a mission to get the bratty boy out of their hair.
Morrigan/Carver? He lived in Lothering, she might have found his naivite intriguing, and his lack of fear about magic. Or she might have been bored…
Basically the lack of Carver fic, art and pairings makes me sad. Bring me the Carver love my friends.
He is so under appreciated.
DA RP
Does anyone still RP dragon age characters on dreamwidth or insanejournal? Cause I think we need a specific comm to all post in with one another…
I miss the Thedasdressing…and I think we need something similar again…like treksixwords…that was a ton of fun…
Anyone else getting the urge to just go and scream ‘NO!’ in his face?
Or maybe just yell reeeeaaally loudly at him and then weep.
Or am I alone in this?
Nope not at all!
The Howes are pariahs now. Those of us who are left.
Teen Wolf and Dragon Age Crossover
Derek Hale as Nathaniel Howe…and Stiles Stilinski as Anders…and the rest of the Pack as Grey Wardens.
yessssssssssssssssssss
RP
Anyone fancy rp’ing the Nathaniel to my Carver?
I also want other Carver ships, like Fenris or Anders or Alistair or Sebastian and so on…but I particularly want Nathaniel.
Please ?
Carver’s relationships in Dragon Age
So far I’ve done Fenris and Varric
Coming up are Alistair, Isabella and Sebastian.
I would love some more to do?
Soft-porn book cover? Or something like that.
(I used so many soft filters I lost count :|)
Unf…so gorgeous!
Fic: Insubordination
Title: Insubordination
Authors: Kelcat + MissCricket
Pairing: Carver Hawke / Nathaniel Howe (Carvaniel or Narver)
Rating: Adults Only
Summary: Carver runs away from the Grey Wardens after a fight with his lover, and almost gets himself killed. Nathaniel is furious, and decides to teach him a lesson…if he can get him home that is…
Story Located at Archive of Our Own
‘Nathaniel, that face you’re making… Either you just caught a whiff of childer grub, or you’ve finally succumbed to our crackling sexual tension. …Which smells a lot better than childer grub, by the way. …At least when you’re not covered in it.’
*
‘Nathaniel, do you know what archers and mages have in common? Well, I’ll tell you, the answer’s not much, but they both do it in the back! See what I did there, with the— Yes, pretend we don’t know each other all you like, but the matching outfits give us away every time.’
*
‘Maker, Nathaniel, look out—there’s a giant spider on your chin!’
*
‘My lightning-swift reflexes and hearty fireballs would have taken care of it if it had been a giant spider after all, and not your facial hair. So in a way, as you can see, I am a bold and intrepid hero, and ought to be given presents.’
*
‘So, the Warden-Commander gave you a sextant, is that it? And here I always thought I’d be the one to give you a sextant first. Didn’t know you even liked sextants. You always seemed like the sort of fellow who didn’t even think about sextants. Truth is, I’ve been thinking about giving you a sextant all along. You know what I haven’t had in a long while, Nathaniel? Yes, that’s right, the answer is a sextant.’
*
‘I’m not sorry about the sextant thing. Just sorry it didn’t work.’
*
‘You know, back in the tower, all the little apprentices with short hair used to pull the hair of the apprentices who had longer hair whenever they wanted to be friends. Or create lifelong enemies; sometimes it’s so hard to differentiate between the two. Now, I could pull on your hair, Nathaniel, but wouldn’t it be better if I pulled on your nose, which is even longer?’
‘You have no idea how to make friends, do you, Anders?’
‘Funny how that wasn’t in the How To Train Your Mage handbook.’
*
‘Say, Nathaniel… What is a sextant? Other than the most disappointing not-what-it-sounds-like ever.’
I don’t normally go for guys in leather, but when I do, it’s this guy.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I just keep looking at that little bit of hip exposed there….
ohh, mister howe… ಥ◡ಥ
Okay must appreciate this. asdjahdfkjfgksjfdhgsh <33333333
Howe have I not reblogged this yet!
This man will always be Nathaniel Howe to me xD
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