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…
Sunset was Nathaniel’s favourite time of day.
As a young man he had fond memories of riding back through the gates of Vigil’s Keep after a day of hunting, bringing with him the spoils of his day. He had little love for the killing of it, he did not crave the blood and the death as some did, but to come home empty handed was not an option. Failure was not an option for Howes and his father would see it as a day wasted.
He found peace in the challenge of hunting, of quietly slipping through trees, the soft leather of his boots padding silently over the knarled tree roots of the forest, the soft, comforting creak of his bow as he sighted at his prey. There was a balance here, hunter and prey and he never killed anything for the sport of it. No his catches were always animals that would eventually end up on the dinner tables of the Keep’s halls.
Riding home, he would still feel that peace from the woods, greeting the men and women of the Keep as he passed, and seeing his home lit up with the soft yellows of the end of days sun.
As a squire he had taken to seeing the sunsets on the battlements of whichever city state in the Free Marches he was in. In Starkhaven he would usually sit beside the youngest Vael, Sebastian. The two of them would swap stories, although to be fair most of the good ones were Sebastian’s. He had an easy charm about him, an irrepressible vivacity which drew people to him, a wickedness about him that promised trouble…but fun at the same time.
They should not have gotten along as well as they did, but somehow they did. He had been sorry to leave Starkhaven, and he had missed the young man’s easy friendship in the years to follow.
As a Howe returning to a land no longer so welcoming he had sailed into Amaranthine harbour, seeing the familiar roofs glinting in the light. He had felt relief, relief that he was home at last and determination to get to the bottom of everything. His father was dead, murdered, and the lands which had been his to inherit by right were signed over to the Grey Wardens. His father’s murderers.
The sunset had been welcome because it meant he had little reason to linger in the city…when all the answers to his problems could be found at the Keep, shrouded in the cover of night.
Now as a Grey Warden, he found pleasure sitting on the fence to the training yard, perching there on the worn wooden beams that had been there for as long as he could remember, and watch as the young recruits trained under the watchful eyes of their instructors. Sunset reminded him that Amaranthine had ever and always been his home, and the home of his family. Never would he have expected to count the Grey Wardens as his family, but now…now he couldn’t imagine anything else.
So it was with a small smile that he sat on the sun warmed timber, listening to Oghren’s voice rumbling away as he tried to explain some technique to the recruits, interrupted by Sigrun who was continually correcting him. So it was that he closed his eyes, just feeling the last rays of the sun on his skin, listening to Velanna and Anders bicker over the instruction to the mage apprentices they had been sent, and listening to Justice’s exasperated sighs as the two devolved into insults and then, finally, the flicking of small balls of fire. Listening to the Commander laugh from the battlements, watching them from the position on the walls.
Yes…sunset was definitely Nathaniel’s favourite time of day.
When I first played through Dragon Age Origins, my first character was a female Cousland. I don’t even really remember her because I got stuck somewhere I couldn’t go back from and couldn’t go forward either. I usually need a crap first playthrough to get the initial terribleness out.
My second character was a female Brosca. But then on my third playthrough I returned to the Female Cousland story.
This is my Ephena Cousland.
For me, Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn in the Tudors really captured what I envisioned my F!Cousland to be: not conventionally pretty but with something about her that makes you keep watching her.
Ephena changed a great deal from the attack at Castle Cousland, In Dragon Age terms I would say this ‘Hardened’ her character. Sure she is still capable of great love and empathy, feeling compassion for people around her, but she struggles with those darker demons now. Her goal should be ending the Blight, saving the world, and indeed she does, but she was lucky that that goal coincided with her deepest desire…revenge.
But in the end she was able to stand over Howe’s corpse and know that it was a Cousland who brought him down, know that her parents and Oriana and Oren can sleep easier now that their murderer has gone to face the Maker. And she is finally able to relinquish that burden, the knowledge that it is over and she can let go of this hatred and grief. So when she meets Nathaniel in that cell in Amaranthine she looks beyond the bitter words and the anger and sees a man who would make a fine Warden.
She knows then that her lust for revenge has truly been sated.
Canonically I tend to have Ephena end up with Alistair and be his Queen. Although if pairing her with Nathaniel or Sebastian was available…I would totally go there.
Also…in her world Alistair becomes King…no matter if she romances him or not…and Anora ends up being married to her brother, Fergus. A match which ends up being incredibly loving.
If anyone is interested in reading any snippets of her I’d be happy to write them…she and all the other Warden stories, and everyone else is in my Epic Dragon Age Big Bang fic.
:)
I approve!
I HAS PROMPTS! Now tell me where to start…
So I have taken a table from LJ with prompts and decided to write up 30 Dragon Age Drabbles.
Problem is I don’t know where to start!
Any requests?
01. Defiant – Carver/Nathaniel (Bratty recruit Carver makes it tough on Nathaniel)
02. Powder – Carver/Cullen (Cullen licking lyrium powder off his protoge’s body….)
03. Grateful – Female Cousland / Nathaniel
04. Decent – Anders/Carver
05. Union – Anora/Fergus
06. Cleansed – Anora/Fergus
07. Go – Carver/Cairn (Carver talks to Cairn about being a Templar recruit prior to the Deep Roads Expedition)
08. Shame – Male Cousland/Nathaniel
09. Objective –Nathaniel/Sebastian (They know each other in Starkhaven…Seb is a bad influence and Nathaniel is competitive)
10. Strength – Cailan/Cauthrien (Cailan admires Ser Cauthrien and fantasises about a Warrior Queen)
11. Life – Shianni/Zevran
12. Contempt – Carver/Nate
13. Wrong – Aeducan/Brosca (Princess Aeducan has mixed feelings about her Casteless companion. Wicked Brosca is determined to shake her Noble foundations.)
14. Sweeten – Feynriel/Orana (He visits her in her dreams, and she adores his magic)
15. Hands – Anders/Fenris (Both of them are sensitive to touch.)
16. Strangle – Cairn/Garrett Hawke (Cairn dominates Hawke just to shut him the hell up.)
17. Lullaby – Anders/Fenris, + Baby (Varania is killed and Fenris finds that she had a little daughter…Crysanta…)
18. Untouchable – Cullen/Keran (Cullen wants his recruit…but he shouldn’t)
19. Whispered – Anders/Fenris/Nathaniel
20. Prayers – Bethany/Sebastian
21. Obvious – Alistair/Cousland
22. Rhythm – Male Cousland/Anora Mac Tir (M!Cousland listens to his pregnant wife’s and baby’s heartbeats)
23. Afterlife – Anders/Nate (They meet in the Deep Roads during the Calling…)
24. Hidden – Alistair/Cullen (Templar Recruits sneaking sexings…)
25. Parade – Sigrun/Varric (He takes her to her first topside festival)
26. Touch – Anders/Nathaniel
27. Free – Anders/Fenris
28. Enjoy – Fenris/Sebastian
29. Shining – Alistair/Bethany (King Alistair’s and Queen Bethany’s Wedding day)
30. Overflow – Alistair/Zevran
Fic: Sensual Satinalia
Title: Sensual Satinalia
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairings: Fenders (Fenris/Anders), M!Hawke/Sebastian, Isabella/Merrill, Carver/Nathaniel (Implied)
Prompt: “I have been itching for Anders shoving Fenris against a wall and kissing the shit out of him not gonna lie”
