Fanfic / Someone Else

Someone Else is a Dragon Age Self-Insert fanfic by obeyingthemuse, starting before the events of Dragon Age: Origins. As a babe, Carver Hawke breathed his last breath… and someone else breathed in. Someone else with their own memories of Thedas and the timelines that it could take.

AKA: Canon takes a brink in the face by the name of Carver Hawke.

It can also be read here and here.

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Someone Else contains examples of:

A-M

• The Ace: As much as he would want to deny it, Carver is one of the most skilled and well-rounded people in Thedas, as he is a high ranking soldier who has the ear of multiple monarchs, is experienced in the art of combat and diplomacy, and has access to his own independent spy network, not to mention he has earned the trust of many people who are in powerful positions in addition to the aforementioned monarchies.
• Acquired Poison Immunity: The dwarves of Orzammar possess a level of resistance to lyrium due to being regularly exposed to lyrium dust, which is omnipresent in their thaig. Dwarves who spend time on the surface gradually lose this resistance due to no longer being constantly exposed to lyrium in a less harmful manner.
• Adaptational Angst Downgrade: Several of Carver's actions have led to various people having happier lives.
  • Anders is a lot happier and nicer than in canon because: 1. Justice is possessing Ser Pounce-a-lot instead of himself, and 2. Karl was never made Tranquil and is living happily in Kirkwall.
  • Hawke is far less jaded and miserable by the end of the events in Kirkwall thanks to Carver saving their mother.
  • Thanks to Carver's efforts to improve human-elf relations, Celene and Briala are able to remain together in a loving relationship.
• Adaptation Expansion: The game has unconfirmed rumors that Bhelen poisoned his father. This story has his brother Duren Aeducan, the Dwarf Noble Origin, confirm it thanks to the warden's party's actions.
• Adaptation Species Change: Iona's daughter Amethyne is elf-blooded rather than a full elf as a result of being Vaughan Kendells' daughter in this fic.
• Affectionate Nickname: Leliana and Solona start calling each other Leli and Solo after the two become close.
• The Alcoholic: Oghren drinks in order to numb the pain he feels from all the misfortune he's experienced in his life.
• Altar Diplomacy: Carver suggests to Queen Anora that an arranged marriage between the Couslands, Kendells, and Howes is the only way to get the quarrelling nobles of Ferelden to unite in the face of the blight.
  • Chapter 58 reveals this to be Carver's ultimate plan to unite Orlais.
• Always Someone Better: In their youth, Garrett was better than Carver at everything they tried to do.
• Ascended Fridge Horror: Carver tries to compartmentalise and ignore that all the survivors of the Clash at Ostagar are male knowing what the implication is. Sure enough, it is later confirmed that the darkspawn kidnapped the women in order to create broodmothers.
• Ass Shove: Oghren incapacitates a few of Harrowmont's supporters this way.
  Oghren had shoved an axe up their rears.
  Literally. Oghren had split them open a second mouth with one bloody swing. Sten had finished them off with another.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Bhelen wanted the throne because he believed that neither of his brothers would be able to lead the dwarves into a new age. He succeeds in getting the throne, but only after poisoning his father, getting his eldest brother killed, and exiling his second eldest brother, leaving himself with none of the paternal or fraternal love he'd had growing up.
• BFS: Carver comes into possession of Summer Sword after getting it from his cousin Solona, who in turn received it from Carver's superior, Ser Cauthrien, who died protecting Solona's life from darkspawn.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Cassandra Pentaghast and several Seekers are able to stop the fight between Kirkwall's Templar Order and Circle of Mages before it can escalate too far, and then arrests both Meredith and Orsino for criminal investigation.
  • After Carver ends up in the Fade a second time, he and his allies are attacked by Giant Spiders. The party is almost overwhelmed, until the tides turn thanks to some unexpected assistance from OG!Carver.
    "Looks like this time, I saved your life."
• Brick Joke: When thinking of ways to ground the archdemon, Carver muses on the possibility of Elissa firing Faren from a catapult. During the actual battle, Faren is actually thrown by Shale into the airborne archdemon.
• Cabin Fever: The warden's party suffers this after spending months in the Deep Roads.
• Cassandra Truth: Due to the fact that some of the things that Carver says seems completely nonsensical, the people who hear what he says sometimes don't believe it until they see that it is the truth with their own eyes.
• Chekhov M.I.A.: Warden Solona Amell goes missing following the Clash at Ostagar. Cue Chapter 11, where a highly traumatised Solona is found by the Dalish after escaping the Deep Roads.
• Chekhov's Gun: The Mabari Madness tonic can be used to hold back the effects of being tainted for elves as well as mabari due to the magic in their veins while it does nothing for most humans. Carver uses it to save Theron Mahariel of Clan Sabrae in Chapter 3 from the taint long enough to get him to Ostagar and go through the Joining. It comes up again to save King Cailan once he is tainted, as his dragon blood means that it can also delay the taint for him.
• The Chessmaster: Carver has no issues with playing political agendas and using his knowledge of the games to manipulate the best possible outcomes, though he prefers not to think of it that way.
  • He starts out by doing his best to ensure the best possible outcome for Ferelden during the Fifth Blight.
    Alistair: How do you even compute all this? How do you line up the chess pieces and come out with the best outcome? Maker. I had no idea if we were going to survive Redcliffe – never mind our search for the bloody Anvil!
    Carver: I trust you two, to keep what you’ve heard a secret.
    Elissa: I’m sorry – what!? The person I’ve been traveling with through the blight is a super genius keeping Ferelden afloat, and you expect me not to treat you differently? Or accidentally leak it to anyone?
  • After the blight, he then expands his machinations to try and improve multiple countries in addition to Ferelden, specifically Orlais and the Free Marches.
• Clarke's Third Law: The abilities of a Templar, as explained by Alistair, work by tapping into the world to reinforce the immutability of reality, in contrast to magic, which works by tapping into the Fade.
  Alistair groaned, obviously condensing years of study into a single moment in battle. “When you drop an apple, it will hit the ground. That’s the world order!” He bashed an enemy. “When you catch the apple as it falls, it won’t hit the ground, but you’re still within bounds of the world order! You’re just behaving under a different law!”
  “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” Carver muttered. Arthur C. Clarke coming in clutch. In which case, magic in Thedas violated the world’s rules of physics, while Templar abilities didn’t, because Thedas was weird.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Carver ends up being captured and tortured by Solas and his followers when he goes out to follow a lead on the red lyrium idol on his own.
• Commonality Connection: Downplayed. Carver and Flemeth find they can relate to wanting to help others even if they themselves won't have a place in others' lives.
  A thread of understanding flickered between Carver and Flemeth. They were perhaps the only two people in the world who could come close to understanding how the other felt. Still, close didn't equate to close.
• Cunning Linguist: Carver is able to use his knowledge of languages from his previous life to passably teach himself Qunlat, Orlesian, Tevene (Ancient and Modern), Rivaini, and Antivan.
  • However, he isn't able to understand Elvhen.
    It needn’t be said that Carver had tried to read Elvhen when he could access it. Tried, and failed. Nevermind he had looked at romanised Elvhen before the written language itself.
    Written Elvhen was cursive.
    Cursive.
    Carver felt like he should have been rewarded for putting in as much effort as he had.
• Didn't See That Coming: When looking for three new Warden recruits at Ostagar, Carver was expecting two of them to be the canonical ones from the game, Ser Jory and Daveth. Instead, he finds that they are Elissa Cousland, Faren Brosca, and Solona Amell, the Human Noble Origin, Dwarf Commoner Origin, and Human Mage Origin respectively.
  A red-haired dwarf with a tattoo under his eye dispassionately flicked a gaze up from where he sat sharpening a knife, and a black-haired mage next to him timidly nodded in greeting. Carver whipped his gaze back to Elissa.
  A knight, a cutpurse, and a mage.
  Maker.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: In their first meeting, Carver is able to outwit Solas, forcing the latter into a magical agreement that can't be easily resolved or broken.
• Disease Bleach: Solona, after being kidnapped by darkspawn at Ostagar and being forced to witness the creation of broodmothers, ends up with her black hair turning white from the trauma.
• A Dog Named "Dog": Elissa Cousland actually named her mabari Dog, much to Carver's disbelief. He just hopes that if Garrett gets one he won't name it Boy, Pet or Default.
• Enemy Mine: Carver and Solas agree that Corypheus is the bigger threat, though they also know that once he's out of the way, they will immediately go back to being enemies.
• Enhanced Punch: When bereft of a weapon, Carver can simply punch his enemy while simultaneously smiting them.
  • He does so against the archdemon with a punch to the throat.
  • Carver is able to kill the Queen of the Blackmarsh with one well-placed smited punch to its ribs.
• Entertainingly Wrong:
  • Due to the fact that he was wearing an unmarked armor and running an errand the first time they meet, the warden's party assume that he's a page. They don't realize that he's a knight, and a member of Maric's Shield at that, until they are well into their journey.
  • Garrett asks Carver if he's a member of Ferelden intelligence. Due to the problems that Ferelden might experience if he answers yes or no, he simply refuses to answer and lets Hawke and his party come to their own conclusion. The conclusion that they come to is that Carver is indeed one of Ferelden's spies.
  • Garrett reveals to Carver that Varric is trying to find out the true identity of the mysterious "Postboy", and that several dwarves suspect that this person is a fellow dwarf.
    As Garrett explained it, there was the rare person with the family name “Briefträger” or even more on point, “Postman,” but they often lacked the motivation to be thoroughly involved in the Waking Sea’s trade network. Before his illness, Bartrand had an opinion shared by others of the Merchant’s Guild where the Postboy was a dwarf. It explained the figure’s ingenuity and how he had yet to be caught in a raid, even a glimpse of him. Dwarves were averse to sailing or otherwise spending time on water. Gorim Saelac in Denerim had thus been suspected at one point, especially considering his relationship with a connected Antivan merchant named Cesar. Apparently, however, neither were involved in the Postal Service; Cesar was merely the main funder for Gorim’s inventions.
• The Face: Carver is usually the first one to advocate for diplomacy if there is a chance for violence to be avoided.
• False Flag Operation: The darkspawn who follow the Mother are smart enough to pull this off, something that Carver takes note of and informs his allies.
  Carver had rushed into this plot for a reason. It bade well for no one that darkspawn were growing intelligent enough to recognise surfacers’ social issues and emphasise them. While Warden Utha, the Architect, and the Mother likely couldn’t convey the full history of elven and human animosities to awakened darkspawn, it didn’t mean they couldn’t teach them to take advantage of it.
• Famed In-Story: Leliana writes four songs about Carver, Carver the Wolfsbane, Carver the Templar, Carver the Knight, and Carver the Warden, though most people assume "Carver" is a surname and stand-in for the real person's name instead of a given name and don't connect the songs to Carver Hawke.
• Fastball Special: In the battle against the archdemon, Shale throws Faren at the airborne archdemon, to the disbelief of all witnesses.
• Foreshadowing: Several things that are simply mentioned in earlier chapters become important later in the story.
  • Chapter 11 has Solona talk about her experiences after being captured by the darkspawn. One of the things she mentions is a sapient darkspawn that experimented on the captives. She and Carver later encounter this darkspawn: the Architect.
  • In Chapter 14, Carver helps spread the rumor that Arl Rendon disliked his two eldest children (Nathaniel and Delilah) in favor his youngest (Thomas), who greatly resembled Arl Rendon in mannerisms. During a meeting with Queen Anora, it's revealed that this was done in order to increase the possibility of an alliance via marriage to go through via the Couslands, Kendells, and Howes (Lord Oren Cousland and Lady Amethyne Kendells; the unborn child of Delilah and a future child of the Couslands) in order to get the quarrelling nobles of Ferelden to unite in the face of the blight.
  • Before the warden's party travelled to the Deep Roads, Carver and Wynne helped an herbalist treat one of his patients who just happened to be in Orzammar's royal palace. Duren later reveals that this patient was in charge of changing the late king's bedsheets, and Duren recognizes that the antidote that Wynne and Carver helped the herbalist make was for a deadly poison. Thus, Duren confirmed that his younger brother Bhelen poisoned their father.
• For Want Of A Nail: Several happen early on, which start to have major impacts as the story progresses.
  • Due to Carver’s deliberate interference, Fergus Cousland and the Cousland Legion return to Highever in time to run into Duncan, who had rescued his wife Oriana and their son Oren.
  • The cure for Mabari Madness saves the Dalish Elf Origin Theron Mahariel of Clan Sabrae from the taint for long enough to get him to Ostagar for the Joining.
  • Carver passes the order to Ser Rhiannon that Arl Rendon Howe be arrested for desertion when sighted, resulting in Howe being forced to go on the run and Denerim not falling under his control.
  • Carver sends the City Elf Origin Kallian Harthon née Tabris, as well as her cousins Soris and Shianni, to Highever under the guise of Fergus ordering the Cousland family servants and citizens back to his family's domain. Ser Rhiannon ends up arresting Vaughan Kendalls when he attempts to abduct and rape Kallian as the elves are leaving for Highever.
  • The Battle of Ostagar goes far better, with the signal being lit on time due to members of Maric's Shield being stationed in the Tower of Ishal thanks to some comments that Carver makes to Cauthrien and Nails. As such, Loghain does not abandon the army to their fate. King Cailan, Warden-Commander Duncan, and Arl Urien all survive, albeit with Cailan tainted and Duncan having his ankle broken. As a result, the Ferelden Civil War is averted.
  • Due to Amethyne being Vaughan Kendells' daughter in this fic, as well as Lord Vaughan's foolishness bringing shame to the family name, she is taken in to be trained by Arl Urien as his new heir.
  • Warden Kristoff doesn't die at the Black Marsh, which leads to Justice possessing Ser Pounce-a-lot instead, and which also means Anders doesn't end up merging with Justice as well.
  • Carver's dealings with the Chantry eventually leads to Cassandra arresting Meredith and Orsino before the situation at Kirkwall boils over, preventing the local Chantry from blowing up and leading to Cullen and Bethany being put in charge of the Templars and the Circle respectively.
  • Carver helping Saemus Dumar join the Qun leads to Marlowe Dumar quitting his position as viscount of Kirkwall in despair and appointing Garrett as his replacement.
  • Carver accompanied the Inquisitor and Dorian in their trip through time. As such, Dorian has more trouble starting the spell to bring them back to the correct point in time.
  • Carver is able to get Haven to react to the attack from Corypheus' forces earlier than in canon.
  • As a result of Carver's various machinations, the Wardens of Soldier’s Peak are allied with the Inquisition.
• The Greatest Story Never Told: Though there are songs about some of the things that Carver's done, some details are left out of them. He has also done many great things that won't be revealed to the public for various reasons, such as defeating the Witch of the Wilds or single-handedly fighting one of the Forbidden Ones. There's also the fact that most people don't know that the songs are actually about Carver, with most believing they are simply fictional events.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Carver sometimes feels as though he's far inferior compared to the people he associates with or fights against.
  • Cole realizes that Carver feels this way after sensing Carver's emotions.
    Borrowed body, broken box, a world — bigger. Order: an apple in my hand, beyond my reach. You think lowly of yourself.
• Heroic Vow: Carver makes one to his cousin Solona in Chapter 11.
  She moved, surprising Carver when she lifted the sword from the side of her cot and cradled it in her arms.
  “As a mage, I can’t make full use of this more than I can a staff.” Solona looked at Carver. “As surely as you started this war…will you end it?”
  Bright blue eyes met gazes, one electric and one steel.
  Carver rose from his tree stump and knelt. “On my life, and those we have lost.”
  Solona extended Summer Sword to him firmly. “And those we have yet to save.”
• Hero of Another Story:
  • Chapter 14 reveals that Theron Mahariel, the Dalish Elf Origin, was declared the Champion of Ostagar due to remaining stationed at the fortress as part of the Line and leading skirmishes against the darkspawn, as well as the fact that he's healing the king.
  • Chapter 32 reveals Kallian Harthon née Tabris, the City Elf Origin, was named the bann of a new bannorn in Denerim named Adahlan, making her the first elf to join Ferelden nobility and giving her the power to protect and support city elves in Denerim.
• Humble Hero: Carver is always quick to downplay his actions or credit them to someone else.
• I Gave My Word: By Antiva's laws, an oath is the most sacred contract one can make. As such, those who know of this understand that when an Antivan makes an oath, they will keep it, no matter what.
• Improbable Age: Most of Maric's Shield is composed of middle-aged veterans. Carver gets promoted into their ranks at fifteen. He later becomes its captain at eighteen.
• In Spite of a Nail: Even with the changes that Carver is able to achieve, some things still happen as he remembers.
  • Despite Carver working on reducing Loghain's suspicions towards Arl Eamon, the former still has the latter poisoned.
  • Though Carver tells Hawke's party of Corypheus' ability to possess tainted bodies beforehand, Corypheus still escapes his prison by possessing a Grey Warden after the party kills his physical form.
  • Although the red lyrium idol is taken by the Seekers for analysis and containment at Kirkwall, it gets lost in transit, meaning it is still out in the wild after the events at Kirkwall.
  • The Mage-Templar War still happens despite Carver's actions in preventing the situation at Kirkwall from escalating.
  • Corypheus still attacks the Conclave.
• Internal Reveal: Carver's various secrets are slowly revealed to his allies throughout the course the story.
• Instant Expert: Carver is able to perform a smite, and later figure out other Templar abilities, immediately after asking Alistair how to perform one.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: Rendon Howe is able to evade capture by Fereldan authorities for three years after murdering the elder Couslands. He's apprehended by Carver at Château Haine and brought back to Denerim, where the courts had him executed under witness of the Couslands and Nathaniel.
• Let Us Never Speak of This Again: The warden's party agrees to never speak of their fight against a broodmother in the Deep Roads.
• Like a Son to Me: Although Teyrn Loghain never says it outright, Iron Bull observes that Loghain sees Carver like a father would a son.
• Living Legend: Several characters earn fame throughout the story and become renowned for their actions.
  • Theron Mahariel leads the fights at Ostagar and helps heal King Cailan, causing him to be renowned as the Champion of Ostagar.
  • Thanks to Carver crediting the victory against the archdemon to Elissa Cousland, she becomes known as the Hero of Ferelden.
  • Garrett Hawke defeating the Arishok and saving Kirkwall has him declared the Champion of Kirkwall by the surviving nobles.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Carver keeps what he's done since leaving home from his family until he's either forced to explain something or they find out on their own.
• Lonely at the Top: Bhelen realizes this after Duren says that, though he won't go against his younger brother, he won't stay to support him and will go to the surface.
  Bhelen hadn’t realised what he had been blessed with until he had erased his father and brothers from his life. Now at the chance to reclaim one of them, the king was trembling like a desperate child. He had forgotten what parental and fraternal love had felt like, and Duren had originally been the source of both.
• Martial Pacifist: Duren Aeducan, the Dwarf Noble Origin, is revealed to have become this after his exile to the Deep Roads.
• Meaningful Rename: After OG!Carver gets his own body and is freed from the Fade, he takes up their original name while Someone Else now goes by Gavin Carver, as chosen by Garrett. Only later does Carver realize that his new first name can mean 'white hawk', so that his full name can be read as 'Hawkish Carver', showing that Garrett still cares for him even after learning Carver's origin.
• Mentor Archetype:
  • Carver is taught by Sten on how to fight with a greatsword after the former gets Summer Sword from his cousin Solona. Qunari who fight Carver remark that he fights like a qunari.
  • Solona asks for lessons from Morrigan in order to both control herself, to prevent the spirits she communes with from becoming demons, and to learn shapeshifting.
• Mr. Exposition: Due to a combination of learning everything that he can and meta-knowledge, Carver often explains obscure or forgotten knowledge to his allies.

N-Y

• Name Order Confusion: Due to the fact that Carver is a common surname and the fact that Ferelden is the only country on Thedas that has First-Name Basis as the norm, the Carver songs are mistaken as using that name as a filler name for the common man or woman.
• Never Gets Drunk: Downplayed. Wynne can get tipsy, but is able to outdrink dwarves before she gets to that point.
• Not So Similar: After Solas becomes aware of Carver, he comes to the conclusion that the latter is a master manipulator, similar to himself. However, what he doesn't get until Carver spells it out, is that Carver is willing to die for what he believes in, something Solas seems incapable of doing.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
  • While the warden's party was off recruiting the dwarves for the fight against the archdemon, Solona and Leliana had to fight the latter's former patron/lover.
    Leliana also revealed that her past as a bard had caught up with her, to her regret. Her old mentor and lover, an Orlesian patron of arts named Marjolaine, had rallied fellow bards together and attempted to assassinate Leliana out of an unfounded fear that Leliana would strike at Marjolaine first. Several wardens in the keep had perished in the crossfire. Marjolaine had taunted Leliana till the end, hissing that Leliana was someone who sought cutthroat moral challenges because that was how Marjolaine had made her.
    Solona had burned Marjolaine’s hair off. Leliana had stabbed Marjolaine in the chest.
  • Chapter 40 reveals that Carver fought and defeated Gaxkang the Unbound single-handedly.
    Read: knocked on the front door of “Vilhm Madon’s” quaint hovel and asked about a “Gaxkang.” Carver had ended up wrecking an entire back alley killing the demon possessing a dead body at above-revenant levels. Nails still spontaneously berated Carver about the time the commander had found his captain bloody and face-down in Denerim’s sewers. Nails had received a second fright when Carver had flipped over and groaned, revealing he had been alive.
  • After Carver is knocked out from the fight against Corypheus, the rest of the party takes on Malvernis.
• Older Than They Look: It's often remarked that Carver has a baby face, so people tend to think he's younger than he really is.
• The Omniscient: Downplayed. Carver doesn't know everything, but he does have access to meta-knowledge, which helps him out when it comes to "deducing" things. People who get to know Carver realize that he knows a lot of things and doesn't always share what he knows.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: After Carver gets drunk for the first time, his friends try to make sure he never drinks too much ever again, especially if it's before a big fight.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Most soldiers of Ferelden mostly only call each other by their nicknames.
  Military life. No one went by their born name the instant they were called something else. At one point, people could only identify each other by their nicknames, because their real names were never used except on paper or by soldiers clearly under-ranked to them. It was a pain for Carver when he handled paperwork for the army. If “Mumble” wanted more paper and soap, then Carver would have to update their provider and have the supplies delivered to “Ser Carac’s” barracks.
• Oxymoronic Being: Anders sees Carver as this, which irritates the former as this leaves him confused as to how to treat or feel about the latter.
  "You helped me escape the Grey Wardens. You admire ancient Templars and told Hawke that you learned Templar abilities from a Warden. You hail from a family of blighted apostates. You’re a pagan! You stand in the middle of two peoples as if holding hands and singing a song will make us touchy-feely. If you were a stereotypical Templar, this would be far much easier."
• The Paragon: Carver helps his friends, and sometimes others whom he interacts with, grow and become better people thanks to him always trying to find the best way to help others, spare lives when killing isn't strictly necessary, and fight injustice.
• Pinocchio Nose: Leliana tells Carver in Chapter 13 that he closes his hand when he lies. Afterwards, he tries makes sure that he's always grabbing something, usually the handle of his sword, when he thinks he needs to lie, though he isn't always successful in covering his tell.
  • Satin notices that Carver is lying in Chapter 22 thanks to noticing this tell.
  • Morrigan is able to tell that Carver means it when he says that he's okay with her leaving after the battle with the archdemon and that the party will miss her because she sees that he isn't clenching his hand while saying it.
• Power of Trust: After Zevran joins the warden's party, Carver demonstrates time and again that he trusts the Antivan Crow, even when the other party members didn't. This leads to him becoming a loyal friend and ally to the party, and to Carver in particular.
• Praetorian Guard: Maric's Shield is made up of knights handpicked by Teyrn Loghain himself to join the elite force of the king's army.
• Pre-Climax Climax: Morrigan and Faren spend the night together before the final battle against the archdemon.
• Rank Up: Merely two years after joining the army, Carver is promoted to Knight and submitted into Maric's Shield, the elite force of the king’s army. By Chapter 32, he officially becomes the captain of Maric's Shield.
• Really 17 Years Old: Carver joins the king's army when only thirteen, when the minimum age required is fifteen. By the time anyone realized he had lied, he had already gotten training and gone on missions, so there were no repercussions.
• Red Baron: Carver picks up a few titles in his mission to make Thedas a better place: Fen’halam, which means the Wolfsbane in Elvhen, and Postboy, the mysterious leader of a spy network called the Postal Service.
• Reincarnated as the Opposite Sex: Chapter 9 reveals that Carver was female in their previous life, which has caused some problems for them emotionally in their current one.
  When someone else had arrived in Thedas, they hadn’t been able to bear looking at themselves. Their intense, womanly desire for men was difficult with the fact that their vessel was a literal boy. Someone else had had to snuff out their attractions. Quickly. It had been one of many levels of wrongness in their situation that they had had to simply accept as the new normal.
  They were severely repressed.
  Their messed up situation had helped shape them into the emotionally constipated peanut that they were today.
• Related in the Adaptation: Iona's daughter Amethyne is Vaughan Kendells' daughter in this fic, which then turns her into the heiress to the Arling of Denerim due to her father's death. She's also elf-blooded rather than a full elf.
• The Reliable One: Carver works to make the world a better place in every way he can. In the small scale, this manifests as him doing many things behind the scenes to help his allies. In the large scale, this means he works to not only ensure that Ferelden is stable and improving, but other countries as well.
• Resurrective Immortality: Carver theorizes in Chapter 8 that he is somehow sustaining his current body after it dies, bringing it back to life.
  Seeing Eleni’s situation reminded him that he –– no, this body had breathed out its life twice. Once in the crib, again in Ostagar. Someone else was sustaining the body somehow, like Wynne’s Spirit of Faith.
• Robbing the Dead: Foggy and Badger, two members of Maric's Shield, were killed and turned into undead in Redcliffe. Carver ends up taking their equipment to replace his own lost/unmarked armour.
• Running Gag: Party members saying that Carver is always right, with Carver rebutting that he isn’t.
  • Also, party members asking Carver if he knows/deduced something.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Solona is completely traumatized as a result of being kidnapped at the Clash at Ostagar, forced to witness the creation of broodmothers, and then being the Sole Survivor to successfully escape.
• Shout-Out: During the celebration for the end of the Fifth Blight, Sten remarks:
  “They said they had cake. I had nearly taken it for a lie.”
• Shrouded in Myth: Carver's role as the Postboy is this to most people, even the members of the Postal Service, as Carver observes in Chapter 52 after saving some of its members.
  “S-Signore,” the person openly wept. “Y-You’re him: il signore. We thought…a m-myth….”
  Carver could imagine it: veritable strangers from varied backgrounds secretly passing and following orders for a bigger image they couldn’t fully comprehend, only knowing that beneath the layers of the Postal Service’s actions was a common good, an idea. The Postboy. Should anyone come to a captured merchant’s rescue, it would be someone entrusted with the task from high up, not someone who could claim the network as his own.
  “No myth.” Carver stroked their back to encourage warmth. “I’m here.”
• Skewed Priorities: Upon learning that his son Vaughan has been arrested for sexual assault, Arl Urien seems more concerned with the fact that he has blemished the family name.
• The Smart Guy: Carver often acts as the most knowledgeable one in the group about most subjects due to a combination of reading everything he could get his hands on and his meta-knowledge.
• Sole Survivor: Solona was the only one to escape among the women kidnapped by darkspawn at Ostagar, who intended to make them broodmothers.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Carver's actions help prevent the deaths of several characters.
  • Oriana and Oren Cousland are saved from Arl Rendon's sacking of Castle Cousland due to Warden-Commander Duncan being there to protect them and a few others long enough to reach the Cousland legion.
  • Cailan survives the Battle of Ostagar, albeit tainted. His life is prolonged via the Mabari Madness tonic just long enough for the archdemon to be defeated, allowing for its blood to be used to perform the Joining on the king, saving his life.
  • Duncan survives the Battle of Ostagar, with his only significant injury being a broken ankle.
  • Arl Urien survives the Battle of Ostagar with no significant injuries.
  • As Carver and Varric accompany Saemus Dumar on his way to the Chantry, they are able to prevent his assassination at Mother Petrice's hands.
  • Carver personally goes out to prevent the death of his mother.
  • Thanks to Carver telling his brother to go to Viscount's Keep to stop the Qunari, Viscount Marlowe Dumar isn't killed by the Arishok.
  • Knight-Commander Meredith is arrested by Seekers before she could use the red lyrium sword for long, which would have killed her in short time.
  • Carver is able to ensure that the circumstances that lead to Wynne sacrificing her life never come to pass, so she is alive by the time of Dragon Age: Inquisition.
• Spiders Are Scary: In addition to darkspawn, the party has to contend with spiders while in the Deep Roads.
• Spit Take: Carver is able to get Oghren to do this by revealing what the warden's party's mission is and letting the latter know that he can reunite with his first love.
  “We’re hunting the archdemon.”
  Oghren spewed his drink across the table.
  “I’m in charge.”
  Oghren wiped his mouth. “Bemot’s beard, what?”
  “I can have the party swing by the Circle’s docks,” Carver continued, “check up on a tavern waitress there named Felsi. I also need to make sure Dagna is settling in well at the Circle. Then we’ll head to Soldier’s Peak to start Ruck’s treatment and regroup with the northern warden forces. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
  Oghren caught Carver’s mug before he could sip it. “I think you’ve had enough.”
• Stealing the Credit: Inverted. During the celebration for the end of the Fifth Blight, when the nobles say they've come to cheer the savior of Ferelden, Carver claims that Warden Elissa is a true hero. This results in her being known as the Hero of Ferelden.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Solona Amell looked similar enough to her cousin Bethany Hawke that Carver briefly mistook the former for the latter the first time he met her.
  At first sight, he had nearly called the mage recruit "Bethany" before catching himself, and he wasn't easily mistaken as Bethany's born twin. Solona shared Bethany's sweet face and dark hair, as if Bethany's mirror was pointed Carver's direction. The only differences between the two girls was Solona's northern blood darkening her skin to a smooth, milky chocolate, her thick hair being worn back in a long braid, and her electric blue eyes.
• Stupid Sexy Flanders: Anders finds himself attracted to Carver despite his best efforts to not feel that way, much to Bethany's amusement.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: Carver is prone to letting others make their own assumptions about him if doing so is easier for him than correcting them.
  • Carver decides to go with Elissa Cousland’s misconception that he is a page, instead of a full-blown Knight who is in the elite unit of the Ferelden army. Elissa is mortified when she finds out
  • Then again in Chapter 12, Zathrian assumes that Carver is a Grey Warden considering the group came to Clan Siona under Warden business. Carver just lets it go because challenging the assumption at that point wouldn’t have been helpful.
  • Carver lets Hawke's party think that their guess that he is a member of Ferelden intelligence is accurate, because telling the truth wouldn't be good for Ferelden as a whole.
    Carver ignored the energy around him. It was neither. Due to Chantry influence, Ferelden had had a manner of an intelligence department only once in history, and that organisation –– swayed by the laissez-faire culture typical of Ferelden, among other cultures –– had downsized and seceded into the presently known Antivan Crows. How Carver had actually functioned up to and during the blight was more similar to that of military police, but no one except the Qunari would grasp the concept, so Carver kept his mouth shut.
    Or rather, open, to ingest the cat’s piss that only psychopaths could call a “drink.” Phew. At least dwarven ale’s burn had quality.
    Fact of the matter was, Ferelden hadn’t had its own intelligence before, and, despite Carver’s personal wishes, likely never would. Yet to answer Garrett’s question would be to admit that Ferelden didn’t have a Swiss army knife of a spy organisation like certain nations –– or more precisely, stable nations –– of Thedas did. Even though everyone assumed spies were standard to their homeland’s government, not everyone was correct or corrected.
• Talking Animal: Thanks to Kristoff surviving and help against sentient darkspawn arriving as quickly as possible, Justice ends up possessing Ser Pounce-a-lot, to Anders' dismay.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Subverted. Solona is able to take advantage of a Pride demon taking the time to gloat to bring down a building on top of it.
• Team Member in the Adaptation: This story has Malvernis as a member of the Forbidden Ones. In canon, three members are named, with the last one only being known as The Formless One, and Malvernis is a separate, though admittedly powerful, demon entirely. This story has Malvernis replacing The Formless One.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Carver and Solas know that Corypheus is a bigger threat, but they dislike the fact that they need to work together, to the point where they sometimes take subtle jabs at one another.
• Think Nothing of It: This is Carver's go-to response after helping someone else with no tangible benefit.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Part of Carver's training under Sten on how to wield Summer Sword includes knowing how to throw it like a pilum.
• Time Skip: Several happen over the course of the story.
  • After Chapter 1, it cuts to two years later, when Carver is promoted to Maric's Shield, and then another two years to before the official beginning of the blight.
  • After the fight against the Mother, three years pass before Carver goes to Kirkwall to deal with all the problems that will happen there.
  • After Carver returns to Ferelden from Kirkwall, another three years pass before he's captured and interrogated by Solas.
  • Another three years pass after Solas steals Carver's journal before the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition
• True Companions: Everyone in the warden's party becomes close friends with one another from adventuring together during the Fifth Blight.
  • Similarly, the members of Hawke's party are also close to one another.
• Tunnel Network: The Deep Roads are a network of underground tunnels that spread all across Thedas. However, most of it has been abandoned due to the darkspawn.
• Undying Loyalty: Zevran feels this towards Carver due to the fact that Carver's trust helped Zevran overcome his Death Seeker tendencies and feel like his life has meaning.
• Unreliable Narrator: Carver, so much.
  “Carver is an unreliable narrator, as he only shares what he notices and deems important for us to know. We won’t get all that is happening around him, or all of what he’s thinking. Prepare to read between the lines, hehe." - obeyingthemuse
• Wrong Assumption:
  • After Zevran makes an oath, Carver assumes he made it to Elissa. It isn't until much later that he finds out that he actually made an oath to him.
    Zevran: I've promised to protect my charge until I die or until he chooses to release me from my oath.
    Carver: [looks at Zevran in shock] He? As in Warden Elissa?
    Zevran: [cheekily smirks at Carver] You were there, Carver.
  • After meeting "Charis", Varric believes he may be one of his brother's spies. He doesn't find out how wrong he is until he learns who "Charis" really is.
  • Garrett suspects that Carver may be a Qunari spy due to the fact that he knows things he shouldn't be able to. Carver is amused by this and says that Garrett's been hanging around Varric too much.
• You Are in Command Now:
  • After Ser Cauthrien is captured by darkspawn, the captaincy of Maric's Shield falls to Nails. After Teyrn Loghain is conscripted into the Grey Wardens for poisoning Arl Eamon, Nails becomes Lieutenant-Commander and Carver succeeds Nails as the captain of Maric's Shield.
  • After Cassandra arrests Knight-Commander Meredith and First Enchanter Orsino, she names Cullen and Bethany as their replacements. Shortly after, Viscount Marlowe Dumar resigns his post and names Garrett Hawke to the position.

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