#hightown funk 2020

[fanfoolishness]

in the long night (Hawke x Varric)

Written for @oneshallop and also up on AO3.  They requested Hawke and Varric on the Deep Roads expedition with some early hints of pining.  I hope it fits the bill!  2836 words, Hawke, Varric, Act 1 of DA2.

***

It was dark.

Varric almost roared with laughter at the thought.  Of course it was dark.  It was the Deep fucking Roads, wasn’t it?  

Sure, maybe in old dwarven tales these tunnels were supposed to be awash with red-gold, welcoming light, but every kid in Hightown’s dwarven quarter knew the Deep Roads had been overrun centuries ago.  There were still some intact corridors here and there where you could see the magma channels lighting the way as they’d been intended… but there were far more lonely and dangerous areas, where the magma had long ago been freed in cave-ins and cooled into just another kind of rock. Those corridors sat empty in the long-forgotten dark.

The thing was, though, it wasn’t pitch black, at least not where they’d set up camp for the night.  They had the torches and the campfire made of magelight to thank for that.  The orange-yellow of torchlight, the blue-white of mage-fire, they cast deep and disturbing shadows in the dark.  It disquieted him.  He almost wondered if it wouldn’t be better to let the lights go out, except that was complete crazy talk.

He hunkered down, trying to find a comfortable way to sit.  He could sit on this broken lump of rock, but then there was no back support.  Sit on the ground and that would take care of his back, but then his ass would start aching.  He decided on the floor, groaning under his breath.  

This lead of Bartrand’s better pan out , he thought sourly.  He cast a glance over his shoulder, where Bartrand and his crew had taken over most of the lower level.  Their torches lit the place up a little more, but the murmuring echoes of the mercs he’d hired were weird and distorted in the high open ceilings.  He tried to ignore the sound and the way it made his spine tingle.

A rustle at his side.  He nearly reached a hand toward Bianca, but this sound was familiar, somehow.  Safe.  He followed it to the source and saw the elder Hawke slipping out of her tent to tend to the fire, her hair mussed, her robes rumpled.  

“Trouble sleeping?” Varric asked.

A startled look crossed her face, followed by a shrug once she realized it was only him.  Shadows pooled along her cheekbones, dark semicircles cupping her keen eyes.  “I could ask the same of you.  Isn’t your bigshot brother paying for extra guards?  No need to keep watch, I thought.”

Varric chuckled, letting discomfiting thoughts about the long tunneling dark fade away.  This was a good distraction.  “You really think Bartrand managed to convince quality muscle to come along with us?  Oh, Hawke, he talks a big game, but I wouldn’t trust him farther than I can throw him.”

Her eyebrows leapt up somewhere in the vicinity of her hairline.  “You do realize this doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the expedition.  Or in the Tethras name.”

Varric waved her protestation away.  “Bartrand not having an ounce of charm in his body is his problem.  I, fortunately, do not suffer from the same issue.  Ergo, I was able to find some decent people for this thing.  Such as yourself, partner.”

She let out one of those sharp-edged laughs he was beginning to know well.  “You do have quite the silver tongue, dwarf, I’ll give you that.”  She bent over the fire, concentrating.  It flared up before her, dancing bright blue-white against the shadows.

“Thanks,” said Varric.  

“I can’t stand it being so dark down here in the lower levels,” she said, leaning against a chunk of paving stone that had been torn from the main floor.  “It’s unnatural.”  Then she glanced at him.  “Er, I mean, for humans,” she said clumsily.

Varric held up his hands.  “Believe you me, Hawke, I’ll moan and complain about the Deep Roads as much as any human.  Dwarves get some things right, sure -- they know what they’re doing when it comes to smithing and bullshitting -- but living underground forever, it’ll never play right for me.”

“You were born on the surface, then?” Hawke asked curiously.  

“Born and raised,” said Varric.  “Family had a nasty fall from grace in Orzammar when Bartrand was a little kid.  They were forced to run from their fuckups down here up to the surface.  My dad died not long after I was born, and my mother never recovered from the move.  Not sure if Bartrand ever did, either.”  He gazed into the fire.  Silver-white sparks leapt from its flames.

“Oh,” said Hawke, first looking taken aback, then her face softening.  “I’m sorry -- I didn’t realize.”  She could be startlingly empathetic when she wanted to be, he’d noticed.

She sighed, shaking her head.  “Family.  Dreadfully inconvenient, aren’t they?”  Then again, she was just as likely to laugh the big stuff away, just another joke.  He liked that about her.  Liked it in himself, too.

He chuckled.  “You realize Carver is literally five feet away, right?”

She glanced over at her sleeping brother.  He’d said he felt claustrophobic, setting up a tent in a closed tunnel, and had instead opted to sleep out in the open.  She watched his chest rise and fall for a few beats.

“Carver’s different,” she said, “despite the way we fight.  It’s our fighting, right?  That’s the important bit.”  She flashed Varric a too-tight grin.

Varric thought of Bartrand, all family name and getting ahead, all Brother, you have to take this seriously or they’ll eat you alive.   He thought of just how often he’d been an absolute shit of a little brother, and how much Bartrand had really deserved it (completely, most of the time).

“There’s something to that, I suppose,” he said cautiously.  “But Bartrand really is an ass.”

“So’s Carver,” Hawke laughed in that bright, airy way of hers.  For a moment, though, her face slipped into genuine fondness. “That’s part of his charm.”

Varric snorted.  “That’s one word for it.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” said Hawke in mock-offended tones.  “As the eldest sibling, I’m the only one permitted to say such dreadful things about my own brother.  Which I have before, and which I’ll do again, thank you very much.”

Varric shifted positions, sitting up on top of his chunk of rock, seeing if that would help his aching back.  Eh.  Not much difference.  

A thought struck him, one he knew he shouldn’t say.  You never talk about the other twin that way.   But that was something private, wasn’t it, something he’d only gleaned from weeks of dropped references in casual conversation with the Hawke siblings.  At first he’d wondered if Bethany was a cousin back in Fereldan; a distant relative long-forgotten.  It’d taken an overheard conversation between Hawke and her mother for Varric to figure it out, and an aside with Aveline, plied with more than a little ale, to confirm it..  

He stuffed the information back down, watching the firelight flicker in her eyes.  If she wanted to tell him about Bethany, she’d do it, and it didn’t gain him any advantage anyway, knowing the blow she and Carver had suffered.  He held his tongue.

“You’ve gone quiet,” she observed.  “You never did say what you were doing out here.  Something nefarious, I’m certain.”

“Oh, you know me,” said Varric loftily.  “I’m just here for the scenery.”

Hawke giggled, loudly enough that Carter grumbled and rolled over before lapsing into a loud snore.  She stifled her laugh, just barely.

“Ah, yes.  Creepy empty caverns, moldering ruins, the endless dark.  You really know how to show a girl a good time,” she teased.

He shivered.  Or was he blushing?  He wasn’t sure.  Something squirmed in the pit of his stomach.

“Where better than the ass end of Thedas for a little romance?” he asked, in a voice that felt a good deal less smooth than he’d meant it.

Hawke wiped a tear away.  “This is why I like traveling with you.  You’re right.  If Bartrand had been doing the talking, Carver and I would never have thrown in our lot with you.”  She let out a long breath.  “Ah, thanks for that.  I’ve been feeling rather uneasy down here, to be honest.  A good laugh’s a bit of a relief.”

“Varric Tethras, at your service,” he said cheerfully.  Funny, though, that little bit of disappointment threading through his words.  Why was he thinking of Bianca now?  He shook his head.  “Well, Hawke, you’re not the only one with the creeps down here.  I thought maybe keeping an eye on camp would make things feel more normal, but turns out the place is damn spooky no matter where you sit.”

She nodded.  “I could see my fire fading through the gap in the front of my tent.  Didn’t feel right to let it go out.  So I’m keeping an eye on it, for now at least.”

“Seems like you’re getting better at them to me,” said Varric.  He didn’t know much about magic, but he’d long noticed that Anders was the one running around throwing fireballs while Hawke was much more likely to somehow conjure up a miniature earthquake.  

“That’s sweet of you to say,” said Hawke. “Anders is much better at elemental magic than I am, but since he’s still up surface-side, I figured now was a good time to practice.  It wasn’t my father’s strength, either, as far as I know.  Or maybe he thought it’d be harder to hide fireball lessons out back of our farm.”  She shrugged.  “But I’m learning things, much as I can with the Chantry breathing down my neck.”

“Maybe it’s for the best Anders isn’t here.  I gather he’s spent way more time in the Deep Roads than any sane person would ever want to,” said Varric.  He could just hear Blondie’s complaints starting up in the back of his mind.

“It’s one reason why I didn’t ask him to come with us,” said Hawke cheerily.  “Felt sorry for the poor fellow.  I’m sure he’s enjoying the sunshine from Darktown.  ...come to think of it, it’s not that far off from being down here, is it?”

Varric laughed.  “Good point.  Though sometimes I swear you can see the sun through holes in the walls there… and it smells better here.”

“Do you miss it?  Not Darktown, obviously.  Kirkwall,” said Hawke.  “It’s been… what, a good three weeks now?  It’s the longest I’ve seen you away from the city.”

Varric considered.  He’d gone on long journeys before, been away from Kirkwall for weeks, even occasionally, months at a time on Guild business, especially after their mother died.  Bianca flitted through his thoughts again, Bianca and intrigue and furtive meetings in shitty towns.  But none of that felt right to bring up here, not to Hawke with the fire’s reflection in her darkened eyes.  

“I miss the Hanged Man,” he said honestly.  “Every time I try to lay down for bed here, I just think back to my bed back in the inn, and think ‘Tethras!  You’ve gone insane.’”  

“Ugh, you and me both,” said Hawke.  “I think I’ve got bruises on bruises from all these rocks.  Hopefully we’re not down here too much longer.”

“We can always dream,” said Varric, but the words felt hollow in the dark, and he drew his coat closer around himself.

Hawke nodded, but she seemed pensive.  “I suppose,” she said.  She shifted, sinking deeper into her robes.  “Hmph.  Well, as long as we aren’t sleeping, care to join me in a snack?”

“Depends,” he said cautiously.  He’d had her cooking before.  Carver’s was far and away the better meal.  

“I’ve been saving these.  For a special occasion, as it were.”  She rummaged in the pack beside her.  “I figured the special occasion would be for when I absolutely couldn’t tolerate another bite of Lowtown hardtack, but what d’you know, sharing it with a friend sounds all right, too.”

“You actually have something good in there?” Varric asked in surprise.  The perishable stuff had all gone a few days ago, and he’d started his grumbling about the salted pork that morning, right on cue.  

Hawke pulled free a waxed paper bundle, tightly wrapped.  “I may have tried a spell of stasis on these,” she said.  “I’m still working on the technique, but I think I’ve got it down for little things like this.”  She unwrapped the bundle and a tiny flash of light dissipated from the contents, the spell breaking at its maker’s touch.

“Chocolate almond biscuits, from Camille’s in Hightown,” she whispered, looking downright conspiratorial.  “It was the end of the night, that last night in Kirkwall.  The bakery was just about to close, but I saw them packing these up off the cart outside.  The baker’s girl told me they were getting a bit stale, but did I want to buy them anyway, half price?  Carver ate his straight away -- didn’t see the point in them getting staler -- but I wanted to save them.  Don’t know why.”  

Two biscuits sat in their waxed wrapping, delicate golden squares worked with scrolled lustrous chocolate, stamped with the Kirkwall crest.  He’d passed them up a hundred times, sweet sugary nonsense meant for nobles with more money than sense.  Bartrand would have scoffed.  But they smelled amazing.

“Aw, come on, Hawke,” tried Varric.  “They’re yours.  You should have them.”

“A good biscuit’s better shared, or at least it’s what my father used to say.  Probably so as to keep his children from fighting amongst themselves for the last one, but it’s a nice sentiment regardless,” said Hawke.  She shoved the biscuits at him.  “Go on, then.”

“All right, all right.  If you insist.  Only because you’re a powerful mage and I don’t want to get on your bad side.”  He reached out and took the top biscuit. It was a solid thing, sturdy in the hand.  The chocolate beneath his thumb tip began to melt, soft and silky against his skin.

“Cheers, Varric.”  Hawke took up the other biscuit and nudged it against his, then took a bite.  “Mmm,” she hummed, closing her eyes.  “Just as I’d hoped it would be.”

Varric bit into his biscuit.  It snapped satisfyingly against his teeth.  He tasted buttery almonds first, then a deep, complex sweetness tempered by smooth bitter chocolate.  He paused, savoring it.  “Damn.  No wonder they charge an arm and a leg for these.”

“Worth every copper,” Hawke agreed, a silly grin spreading over her face as she finished her biscuit.  Varric finished his a moment later, regretfully licking the last of the chocolate from his fingertips.

“Thanks, Hawke.  You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, I know,” she said, her eyes twinkling.  

The fire rolled and flared, almost a living thing, fighting against the shadows.  He half thought he could see a pattern to it, a heartbeat, a touch of Hawke herself within the flames.

Silence grew between them, a comfortable, familiar thing like the weight of a good blanket.  Or the taste of secret chocolate in the dark.  It felt good, until it was broken by a yawn Hawke tried to hide.  

“You should get some rest,” Varric said softly.  “The fire’s a good one, Hawke.  You don’t need to worry.”

“Hmm, but I worry all the time,” she chuckled, yawning again.  “But don’t tell anyone.  It’s a secret.”

He felt a pang, though he wasn’t sure why.  “Dwarf’s honor,” said Varric.  “Assuming you put stock in such things.”

“In yours?  Of course I do,” she said.  She gave him a tired smile.  “All right, then.  I’ll get some sleep if you promise to do the same.  It wouldn’t do for us to be too tired to carry back our fabulous treasure.”

“Imagine if we’d have to leave it behind due to exhaustion.  It’d be a crying shame.  We’d never live it down,” said Varric.  “All right, you’ve convinced me.”  

He got to his feet, his back and ass aching as predicted.  He reached out a hand to Hawke and she gripped it, hard, her calloused hand small but steely against his own as he helped her up.  “Thanks, Varric.”

“No problem.  See you in the morning, Hawke,” he said.

“If you can call it that,” she said.  “But I’ll see you then.”  She slipped back into her tent, and Varric returned to his.

He stretched out on his bedroll, staring up at the ceiling.  The blue magelight -- Hawke’s light -- seeped in through the cracks of his tent flaps.  He watched its delicate choreography through drowsy eyes.

They had this.  He knew it now in his bones.  Bartrand had his team and his map, and that was all well and good, but Varric had Hawke and her people, and he’d put the money on them every time.  No matter what they found on this crazy expedition, they’d be ready.

He smiled tiredly.  Yeah.  He had Hawke.

The tent was still and quiet.  His eyes fell shut; his breathing slowed.  He drifted off to sleep in the long night of the Deep Roads, still tasting chocolate.

[baker-and-fangirl]

Hightown Funk Letter

Hello dear gifter!

Thanks for taking my prompts! I have written this letter so you can check here if you have questions or want more information you can check here. If you find something about it that is difficult or you can’t figure out how to work it in, just try and get as close as possible.

Prompts

1.       Leverage/Heist AU

“Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys/The rich and powerful take what they want; we steal it back for you.” Look, I love Leverage, its my favorite show and I feel like it could fit really the found family vibe of Dragon Age. Hitter/Grifter Hawke, Mastermind/Thief Varric, and you can divide the other roles as you like. Them just stealing everything from Hightown Nobles who have taken advantage of their workers or wronged people and giving the money back. Just, lots of fun.

2.       Dragon Son Hawke’s love for dragons knows no bounds and Varric supports his girl no matter what. Everyone comments on how they are married/a couple and they don’t even notice it. They finish each others sentences, pick up food and stuff for each other and them noticing that they are, in fact, married and they are the last to notice. Basically Varric introducing Hawke to everyone he know and them just kinda being like “wow dude you got it bad” and Cass loves it (cause it is right out of one of her books). If Hawke is left in the Fade she just haunts everyone’s dreams until she breaks out in a rush of flame. Busting out with a dragon is optional. But really just them, running around and being nerds and in love and everyone knows it but them.

3.       we got married for the tax benefits”/“we got married in vegas and I’m not sure I want a divorce and my children (my dog and dragon) have become attached” Hawke and Varric wake up in a honeymoon suite with no memories of the day before and massive hangovers. Isabella shows them the wedding video she helpfully taped and they decided to see what being married is like. They have a relationship in reverse.

Artists

Varric and Hawke being comfortable and soft is great. Maybe with her dog and their dragon child.

Hawke

Pro-mage chaotic good, purple Hawke. The default Hawke works well and she can be any class. I do like how she is just trying to ignore her emotions and feelings under hilarious one-liners and that Varric and her found family can see through it, even if her other family can’t.

Rating

Any and all you are comfortable with.

Other ships

I’m okay with most other ships, But if Aveline is with someone, please make in Donnic (who fell in love despite her being a socially awkward)

Things I love

BANTER!! I love banter. I also love the found family trope, pining, not actually unrequited love, and overall softness. Also, Varric supporting Hawke, including ripping Carver and Leandra a new one if need be. Him being fiercely protective of her is just, ugh, so great. Angst is good, but it needs to be balanced, no unhappy endings please.

Things I don’t want

No explicit assault, abuse, or rape. They can talk about how things haven’t been great or Leandra being fairly emotionally abusive but please keep it to a minimum and with a dose of comfort and fluff to balance it out.

Thank you so much for picking my prompts. If you have any questions, just ask on my tumblr account and I’ll be happy to answer them.

[hawke-varric]

Hawke/Varric Fic Rec Masterlist

(WIP - summaries/general info on each fic being added as I go) These are some of my all-time faves that I have re-read at least once (some of them 5+ times they’re so good)

A Reel for Fools by damalur 

Rated: M Becca says: I’m not blinded by my love for damalur’s writing, but it is my favorite, so there is bias. But when I say that it is so good, it really is that good. She perfectly captures two idiots so in love with each other they somehow think they’re the only one. 

bare boned and crazy for you by @bookishmoose

Rated: E Becca says: It’s smut, but it’s very intimate and romantic?? How did you do this so well, it’s just wonderful.

Crooked Little by damalur 

Rated: T Becca says: Oh, this is one of my favorites. It’s just so much fun, and I love protective Papa Varric so much and he’s in fine form in this one. Plus fancy clothes and a night on the town, and Hawke and Varric ‘hiding’ their illicit love affair? Priceless. Gem.

Crossbows Have Their Drawbacks (or the Romancing of Varric Tethras) by @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold

Rated: M Becca says: Manka never lets you down. I’ve reread what’s available 2-3 times. It’s a series of 500 word ‘drabbles’ that start before Hawke and Varric meet and continue into the story of Inquisition. I use the term ‘drabbles’ in quotes because each concisely written chapter builds upon the last, creating a story that captures snapshots of Hawke and Varric’s relationship over years.

Don’t Make it Hawkeward by @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold

Rated: E Setting: Inquisition  Chapters: 3 Becca says: OK, I have read this at least 3 times. I was gifted this fic during the 2020 @hightown-funk exchange and I felt like I hit the jackpot. The banter, the wit, the UST in chapter two and the very RST in chapter three... It’s so good. Idiots in love <3 (I also made art for it because of course I did, I love it so much)

Don’t Make This Weird by @tinyfierce

Rated: E Becca says: It’s funny, it’s sexy, it’s a must-read. Hawke can proudly boast that having sex with her saves lives!

Fade-Touched Hearts by alamorn

Rated: T Becca says: After Hawke is left in the Fade at Adamant, Hawke dreams. 

Greatly Approved by damalur 

Rated: M Becca says: I was not a Hawke/Varric shipper until I read this fic. This is the most perfectly written, most expertly paced, most humor-packed fic I’ve ever read. Ya girl has been around many fandoms for over two decades, and I have never loved a fanfic this much. This is my comfort fic.

Hero by @saint-leona

Rated: T Becca says: So short, so sweet. It makes you ache in a good way.

Standard Hero Reward by @feoplepeel and @jacketthief

Rated: T Becca says: I love Hawke as the Inquisitor... so, so much. The relationship dynamic is so true to character for both of them, but especially for Varric. So many great lines, such great pacing. I wish there were 50 chapters of this because I enjoyed it so much, but it’s perfect as it is.

Suggested Pairing by @tetrahedrals

Rated: G Becca says: This is a fucking masterpiece. Do you wanna laugh? Do you wanna cry? Do you want to shake your head while rereading a phrase or a quote because it’s too goddamn perfect to be real? Seriously, please read this.

The words I’m leaving out by @thehumantrampoline 

Rated: T Chapters: 5/5 Becca says: This is such a good time. One of my fave Hawke/Varric tropes is fake-dating because Dwarven politics. Also all the descriptions of food made me hungry...

touch me now, for I am wild by @bookishmoose

Rated: M Chapters: 1/10 Becca says: This is so beyond deeply gratifying to read and there is only one chapter posted. While it hasn’t been updated in ages, it’s worth the read, even if it is just a tease of what could be. I think about this one chapter a lot. Like... a lot. I love it so much <3

Your Last Serving Daughter by damalur 

Rated: T Becca says: Damalur’s writing is so precise that no words are wasted. The humor makes you literally laugh at loud, and the feelings? Ohhh, the feelings. They’re so rich and so good.

[sinsbymanka]

Spotlight Saturday: The Varric/Hawke Edition!

Sorry it took me so long! I wanted to read and rec some Varric Hawke fics in honor of @hightown-funk but I am an outrageously slow reader so I just spent the morning going through the ones I loved, commenting, and getting this together <3 Most of these are from Hightown Funk 2020 but I did throw in one of the ones from Paragon of their Kind 2020 that I just got to!

In no particular order, have some Varric/Hawke!

A Rose by Any Other Name by @enigmalea Rating: Teen Pairing: Male Hawke/Varric Tethras Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, The Hanged Man (Dragon Age), Idiots in Love, idiots to lovers, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, POV Third Person Limited, POV Third Person, Past Tense, Flirting, Fluff, Kissing, Boys Kissing, POV Varric Tethras, Modern Thedas, Pre-Relationship Summary: Varric hires a cute dwarven serving girl at The Hanged Man for reasons and it comes back to bite him in the arse. Hawke leaned heavily on his elbows at the end of the bar, grinning broadly at Rose, who was perched on a bar stool; it was difficult to miss the way her back was curving just so to make all of her assets absolutely, irrefutably enticing. She was leaning into their conversation, bright smile plastered on her lightly flushed face, the two of them whispering about something Varric couldn't hear. He bit the inside of his cheek and tried not to dwell on how damn irritating it was that Hawke felt like he could just relax at the bar when they had an inventory to complete. Rose, he could let slide. She'd come in early and helped him restock the empty slots behind the bar, but Hawke? He'd walked in five minutes ago and Rose had caught onto him like a thorn in fabric and seemed reluctant as hell to let him go.

Idiots to lovers done perfectly. Varric and Hawke both competing for the same cute dwarven serving girl only to realize they’re both pining for each other? It’s absolutely fabulous. Well done friend!

We Could Form an Attachment by @lesquatrechevrons​ Rating: General Audiences Pairing: Female Hawke/Varric Tethras Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Regency, Illustrations Summary: A brief respite during the crush of a court presentation; just a glimpse of the Viscount Tethras and his intended, Lady Hawke, lingering in the sidelines.

This is an art rec because I like to do at least one! This illustration is darling and makes me want a whole regency Hawke/Varric fic. SOMEONE GET ON THIS. 

The Story Where I Love You by @thehumantrampoline Rating: Teen and Up Pairing: Female Hawke/Varric Tethras Additional Tags: Purple Hawke (Dragon Age), Mage Hawke (Dragon Age), Hawke has no personal bubble, Varric is only dying inside a little bit it's fine, POV Varric Tethras, spans from Deep Roads to Inquisition, no Abyss, Falling In Love, First Kiss Summary: Marian Hawke has trouble with keeping her hands to herself. No, that's not quite true — the trouble isn't hers. Put it another way: Varric Tethras has trouble with Marian Hawke keeping her hands to herself.

UGH THIS IS SO GOOD. Out of a brilliant exchange this is probably my favorite. These two idiots falling in love and pining for years and not realizing until DAI is kinda my new bread and butter and the inner grumpy monologue of Varric here is perfect.

Rounds by @pine-scraps Rating: Teen and Up Pairing: Female Hawke/Varric Tethras Additional Tags: Purple Hawke (Dragon Age), NPCs from DA2 and DAI appear in minor or background roles, Card Games, Pining, Resolved Sexual Tension, Fade to Black, Flashbacks, Hawke at Skyhold, Drinking Summary: They’re both older than they used to be, and she’s got a very faint hint of crow’s feet coming through. He likes them, because of course he does.He’s sure he’d very much like any of her sharp corners, her soft creases. (Varric is forty years old, and in the privacy of his own mind he’s resigned to being a little embarrassing.) Hawke is at Skyhold. Varric is nostalgic, except for when he's extremely in the moment. (Several warm moments from their years together.)

The sheer amount of sexual tension in this fic is RIDICULOUS and amazing. I was dying the whole time. The way the story is told is so clever as well - the present where Varric and Hawke are in Skyhold wallowing in sexual tension - cut back to the past where the relationship blooms. VERY cool. 

Heavy by @meggannn​ Rating: Teen and Up Pairing: Female Hawke/Varric Tethras Additional Tags: Red Hawke (Dragon Age), Animal Death, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Gore, Pining, Custom Hawke (Dragon Age) Summary: Varric knows what it is like to bury a loved one alone. That is why he stays with Hawke until the sun goes down, watching quietly as she digs a grave for her mabari along the windy shore of the Wounded Coast.

I think Red Hawkes are SO HARD to do well and the author absolutely knocked it out of the park. This is a red Hawke that is achingly beautiful in her anger and still remains human. This is Varric trying to love someone (even though he’s bad at being in love) who isn’t great at being lovable. It is amazing and perfect and one of the best Red Hawke stories I’ve ever read. 

Thank you so much authors/artists for making this spectacular Varric/Hawke content! <3 <3 

[saint-leona]

Last question from your 2020 Hightown Funk gift giver... Does Varric have any special nickname for Aliss besides the canon "Chuckles" for the purple Hawke?

No nickname, and honestly, I don’t lean into the “Chuckles” thing either.  Kinda ruined it when it was reused for Solas.

[fanfoolishness]

Hi there! If you haven't heard yet, Hightown Funk is back for 2020. I'm reaching out because you've been a participant in past HTF exchanges to see if you're interested in joining us this year. Please check out the blog (hightown-funk) for all of the details. Sign-ups are currently open, but will close this Friday, October 2! Posting deadlines will be in January 2021. Thanks for being a participant in past exchanges, and let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you so much! Gonna post this publicly so any Hawke/Varric fans following me are reminded too!

[likeabirdinflight]

Title: 5 (Attempts at) Love Languages Pairing: M!Hawke x Varric Rating: M (for language and drunken shenanigans) Word Count: 3219 Summary: Varric Tethras and Hawke have never been good at being honest with one another. One "lies a lot," and the other defaults to sarcasm and deflection. So where does it leave the two of them? Five vignettes study their five attempts at love languages: words of affirmation, receiving gifts, acts of service, quality time, and physical touch. Author’s Note: So, this is the first prose writing I’ve done in a long while (other than D&D prep). I’m really rusty, but I’ve missed it. Give it a read, a kudos, and some comments if you could. It’d mean a lot. 

Words

Something crinkled against the bottom of his foot. His brows furrowed. He sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His hand fished around the inside of the boot, plucking the offending piece of parchment from the toe. It was the tenth one he had found this morning, and Hawke was beginning to wonder just how many they had planted. Could be dozens. ‘Could be hundreds,’ he thought.

Maker, he hoped not. Otherwise, it’d take him weeks, possibly even months or Andraste forbid, years to find them all.

“Just how drunk was I last night?”

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