lake-90

[sharess-festhall]

im here to second the confession about graysparrow's aradin x rugan fic. i'll be out having a normal day walking between classes and suddenly it pops into my mind and i nearly keel over, grasping my chest, tears in my eyes, acting like i'm going into cardiac arrest. graysparrow when i catch you graysparrow

[forget-me-maybe]

hi guys it's my first time posting fan art on this site. aradin and tav from a change of heart. just look how hot tav is. ref downstairs

[baldursbasics3]

I had a vision-

[invinciblerodent]

I just learned today, after a good 700 hours in-game, that it's possible for Aradin and his crew to attack you at your camp in act 3 (through someone saying, paraphrased, that if you enjoy him as a character you must not have played act 3), and I'm honestly so bloody into this possibility now.

Like, sure, on one hand that's textbook fantasy thug behavior and I like that he has the chutzpah to do it, but also... yeah, go on and tell the person you learned was hired to capture the Nightsong maybe three hours into the game, about how the Nightsong is chilling at your camp. Truly, the man who was offered enough money for this contract to have him set for life, and who'd abandon an archdruid and some of his own crew because they got attacked can be trusted with that information.

I'm sure nothing can go wrong if you tell him, he's such an absolutely 100% trustworthy individual. Surely this man has not done anything nefarious or underhanded (such as attacking a person at their camp) in his life. You should also give him a copy of the key to your room at the Elfsong in case he wants to drop by later for tea and crumpets...??????

I know this person likely meant that this is a reason one shouldn't like him, but if anything, I honestly enjoy his character like three times more, now that I know this can happen. He's a greedy, cutthroat, an kind of stupid man who is only an adventurer because his daddy was one, and all he wants is money enough to retire.

He's barely- to moderately hinged. I'm obsessed with him now.

[rosys-fans-fics]

Aradin is hot and I’m tired of people acting like he’s not.

I said I wanted to romance him on a Reddit thread and people were like “eww no” “I want to punch him” and the most insulting one “why not Art Cullagh, they have the same hair!”

You know Art? The guy in a coma for act 2? Totally comparable to Aradin imma right???

Aradin is such an interesting character that people unfairly hate on. You meet him on his two worst days. At the grove, he just saw his friends die, is almost locked out of the grove, can die, then has an old man acting all high and mighty like Aradin should have just died instead of running for safety. I’d be pissed too!

Is he racist against teiflings? Kind of. If you play as a Teifling you can push him on it and find out he thinks Teifling come from devils. He’ll even apologize to you! That’s a lot better than how the Druids treat the teiflings!

Second time you meet him he’s alone and we never see any of his crew again. So this guy has lost all his friends and is at the point where he’s desperate to try and make their deaths mean something. If he can get this money then his friends didn’t die for nothing.

And it sucks that your only options are to lie to him or kill him. He’s been through so much and I can’t give him a hug.

Basically Aradin is a sad wet cat that I am helpless but to love and defend against everyone. He is my beautiful baby boy and I will not replace him with coma art.

[faerieologymajor]

remira trying to dissuade the aradin fuckers (me) (i'm not listening anyway)

heavily inspired by @my-favourite-zhent's meme

[underthedark0]

light of my life, the @lizziemajestic of all time tagged me in

wip weekend

so enjoy a A Trio of Bastards below the cut.

no pressure tag for @graysparrowao3 @fangbanger3000 @faerieologymajor @forget-me-maybe

concept title: couple’s therapy

When Rugan approaches, it’s the drow that notices him first.

Their eyes light up with recognition, Faer leaning back in their chair and letting an inviting smile curl their lips. “Rugan, that can’t be you, can it?” they purr. “It’s been a while.”

The drow looks good—better than the last time he saw them, even.

“Too long,” he replies, letting his gaze travel over Faer in a way that’s far from subtle. “Surprised you remember me, considering all I’m hearin.’”

“Mm,” Faer hums around their drink. “You sell yourself short. Hard to forget moments like that.”

They aren’t wrong. Rugan smiles at the memory, their back against the cave wall, leg over his shoulder, his head between their-…

The man beside Faer clears his throat, drawing his attention. Rugan feels his lips twitch in amusement at the sight of him. This kid—whoever he is—clearly isn’t thrilled to see him here.

He’s young, probably the youngest between the three of them (though the drow never gave him a straight number), with a mop of curly hair and a seemingly permanently annoyed expression. “You two, uh…”

The man’s eyes flit between them, sizing Rugan up with a mix of irritated curiosity and something else.

Something that Rugan finds intriguing.

“…know each other?”

Faer seems to notice it, too, the way the drow’s eyes find Rugan’s slowly as if they need confirmation that he sees the same thing they do.

And Rugan does. Oh, he definitely does.

“Yeah,” Faer murmurs around their smirk, their gaze lingering on Aradin, then back to him, smirk widening like they’re savoring every second of this little exchange. “We know each other.”

The man reacts predictably.

Rugan smiles, watching the man’s expression narrow even further, his jaw setting with an irritated edge, eyes flashing with something akin to annoyance or maybe something darker, his gaze hardening as he processes Rugan’s presence.

Rugan likes the way this is unfolding.

“Faer here saved me from becoming gnoll chow,” he explains, not waiting for an invitation as he sits down next to them. “Never quite had the chance to thank them proper, though.”

“No, no, you definitely thanked me,” Faer responds before taking a sip of their drink - something dark and amber that Rugan can smell from here. “It just wasn’t very proper.”

He laughs loudly and genuinely, then watches as the kid next to them sets his jaw in a hard line, expression tightening. Rugan doesn’t miss the flash of something possessive in his eyes as he watches the older man closely, like he’s trying to figure him out.

Good. Let him look.

Rugan tilts his head slightly, letting his gaze linger on the man. “Who’s your friend?”

“Aradin,” he responds before Faer can answer, voice gruff. “Beno.”

“Rugan,” he replies with a lazy grin. “So, what’s a guy like you doing with Faer?”

Aradin settles on “Keeping them out of trouble,” delivered with a clipped, dry tone that’s trying too hard to be indifferent.

“But trouble’s all I’ve got to offer,” Faer cuts in, their voice laced with amusement as they swirl the dregs of their drink, shifting closer to Rugan until their shoulder brushes his - a deliberate move that Rugan meets with a lazy smile.

“Yeah, I figured that out,” Aradin mutters.

Rugan can’t help but let a slow, satisfied smile spread across his face. “You’ve got your work cut out for you,” he replies, letting his hand drift to Faer’s knee, fingers tracing idle circles over the fabric. “Not everyone’s got the, uh... stamina to keep up with Faer here.”

Aradin’s eyes are glued to the movement, caught between irritation and something Rugan might dare to call interest. There’s a moment where he thinks Aradin might reach across the table and shove his hand off Faer’s leg, but instead, he just holds the stare, unflinching.

“I’ve been doing just fine,” he says, voice gruff.

“Is that right?” Rugan’s grin widens, and he can’t help the teasing lilt that seeps into his tone.

He tilts his head, letting his gaze travel over Aradin with a leisurely sweep that’s anything but innocent. He takes his time, his eyes tracing the line of Aradin’s jaw, the set of his shoulders, the way his hands are clenched just a little too tightly.

“Because I’m not sure you know what you’re signing up for.”

[love-toxin]

You’re so real abt aradin I want to obliterate him with my mind (and my strap)

YOU GET IT.......listen. he's a cutie. he's got the accent. he's got the 'tude. he can take a beating. i haven't gotten far enough in act 3 to see if he shows up but god i would love it. he's got the vibe of "I've got a sweetheart back home" where he's all prickly at first but he's absolutely besotted with his beloved back in baldur's gate, always thinkin of you and picking up a trinket or two to bring home as a gift.....sigh. nothing i love more than a grouch who's actually a huge softie for their partner! swoon!

[bloodofvalyriaarchive]

bringing back this gem @ghostfvcker 💜

[sharess-festhall]

there's this series of aradin x rugan fics on ao3 by graysparrow and it makes me more and more sad the more they update because the visceral need to be their third gets stronger every day and it kills me because they don't. need. one. sob. BUT I NEED IT!!! i need them both (okay, admittedly i want aradin) horrifically

[forget-me-maybe]

WIP WEDNESDAY

thank you for tagging me @honeybee-bard <3

no pressure tags for: @lemonsrosesandlavender @lizziemajestic @reverieblondie @heartfluttered and anyone who wants to really

here's a snippet from the post canon, longest and final (ehm) part of a change of heart, the fic collection with the man we all love to hate; aradin beno.

since apparently i've made it's my life's mission to clog up the tav/aradin tag on ao3.

can i fix him? man, i don't know.

can i get some good smut and angst out of him? YES I CAN.

this part's mostly angst tho. tav coping extremely well with the aftermath of saving the world and is, of course, totally over the bastard.

cw heavy drinking and nsfw and just unhealthy coping methods in general

it might be a bit patchy and strangely paced bc i just removed the spoilery parts and also bc i wrote this in a frenzy yesterday

Partying helps, at least she thinks so. The vaults of memories she doesn’t want to revisit are harder to open that way. Just as the fragments of last night lie shrouded behind a thick layer of fog. Just as many things do from the past months. 

This morning, she has an uneasy feeling of there being something she should remember. She shrugs it off. It’s probably just something she said. Maybe she insulted someone. Wouldn’t be the first time. Nor the last. 

An undignified groan slips from her mouth as she climbs out of the bed. Her clothes lie scattered across the floor, unceremoniously she steps over them towards the side table by the window. The whiskey bottle is half empty, and soon it’ll be completely empty. The first gulp is uncomfortable and threatens to return up her throat, but she pushes through the nausea, longing for the sharp edges of her mind to become soft and foggy again. 

Bottle in one hand, she carefully peeks through the heavy curtains. The light stings her eyes and she has to blink a couple of times before she can make out the sun’s position. Must be some time in the afternoon. 

The next mouthful of whiskey goes down easier, its warmth spreads comfortably through her body. The headache makes way for numbness. There’s a rustle coming from the bed followed by a yawn.

“Sweetheart, come back to bed,” Daryk murmurs. 

If someone were to ask how they met, she wouldn’t be able to answer. Some time ago he just ended up in her bed every night and with his arm swung around her at every outing. She sure as hells doesn’t love him. She’s not even sure she likes him. But he’s another distraction. 

She places the bottle on the bedside table, she’ll need it later, before crawling back onto the bed. His morning breath is awful, she reckons hers is too. She doesn’t care, he kisses her just as well. 

And she doesn’t care as he flips them over. She stares into the ceiling as he eats her out. She wonders if he’d consider it rude if she were to drink while he goes at it. Perhaps best to save that to some other time. 

Instead she closes her eyes, trying to lean into the feeling. But Daryk has always been more enthusiastic than skilled with his tongue, the movements too light and never hitting just the right place. 

Her mind drifts off and instead of long black hair, she imagines her fingers hold onto brown curls. For just a moment she wants to push away the image, just typical of him to barge in uninvited. But suddenly Daryk’s tongue feels good against her core, his fingers reach parts of her she’s quite sure he’s never done before. 

When she comes, she imagines a raspy chuckle vibrating against her core. When he crawls over her she imagines tanned muscle weighing her down, callused fingers wrapping around her wrists, whiskey eyes instead of blue ones. As he slides into her, it’s another voice whispering filthy nonsense in her ear. And as she reaches her second climax she has to bite her tongue not to scream another man’s name. 

[carusti]

"I'm drinking, you're leaving"

[fangbanger3000]

[rosys-fans-fics]

First Steps: Aradin Beno x half drow! Tav

Note: it’s been a while since I’ve written fanfiction so I’m a little rusty.

AO3: First Steps: Aradin x Tav

Aradin did not know what he expected when the half-drow took the night song contract, but he knew he did not expect her to do this. She had come back to the grove with Liam draped over her back. He was barely conscious but was able to get out that he didn’t let the grove’s location slip. Aradin though Liam was as good as dead, looking at his unconscious body curled up in a sleeping back, a part of him thinks he’d be better off that way. Beyond saving Liam’s life and asking for nothing in return, the drow also retrieved some of the gear and personal items from his fallen comrades.

“It’s not much, but it will bring their family some peace,” she said. Aradin had always heard stories of Drow, cold hearted elves driven underground with their women ruling and subjugating anyone they could. But looking at her, he didn’t see anything close to those stories. At first glance, she looked like any normal half-elf with the same slightly pointed ears as Barth. But her complexion was just a tad too ashy to be normal. Almost as if she was close to death. Her hair was also another sign of her Drow heritage, it was a strange shade of white only seen on people from the under dark. The most human thing about her were her eyes. Soft, caring, and memorizing. He felt like she was staring right into his sole.

Aradin took the supplies and told his companions they’d leave as soon as Liam could travel. Before he could do much else, the half drow grabbed his arm.

“You’ll be dead if you leave the grove.” Her voice did not match the strength that she gripped his arm with. Too calm, like she had practiced saying it to everyone.

“The druids won’t like us sticking around. Better to get out now before the gobbos come back.” He tried to sound unbothered but it was difficult with her staring directly into his soul.

“We’re figuring out how to stop the ritual,” her three companions looked bored as they watched them. “Once the goblin camp is cleared, then it’ll be safe to leave.”

Aradin pulled his arm from her grasp, finding her grip all for show. “We don’t have time to wait around for you to straighten out this mess”

“The only way out is chocked with goblins, gnolls, orcs, and bugbears. We’re only alive cause I’m part drow. They won’t be as lenient to you. If you want any chance of seeing another gold piece, you’ll stay put”

The pale elf stepped up next to her, resting an arm on her shoulder, “I’d do what she says, we’d hate to wipe blood off your loot when you’re dead.” He gave a cheeky smile at his little threat.

Aradin tsked, mulling over his options. Look like a coward in front of his crew and hers or staying alive. “Fine. We’ll stay, don’t make us wait long.”

The pale elf turned away with a sing song voice saying, ‘see, it wasn’t that hard’. The wizard and cleric both looked fed up with their leader making a big fuss over him and his crew. But the drow? She gave him a soft smile that almost made Aradin forget her earlier warnings. “Thankyou,” she said before turning around to follow her companions off to their camp.

Aradin pulled himself away from staring at her retreating form to grab a drink. He sat down across from Barth and Remira, taking a long swig of the bland alcohol. The trio sat in silence for a while, each glancing over at Liam to make sure he was still there, still alive.

Remira was the first to break the silence, “she’d make a terrible sell sword. Didn’t even ask for money and gave it to us!” A large smile broke across her lips.

Barth joined in with more praise, “she also got me mum’s locked back from those brats. Thought I’d lost it forever.”

Aradin lost himself in thought about the half-drow. She was so altruistic, saving them at the gates, keeping Zevlor from attacking him, and saving Liam. She wasn’t a paladin as far as he knew. Most likely a ranger based on how she favored the bow over more close ranged weapons. He wondered why she was doing all this. Could she really afford to adventure without focusing on money? Just doing good deeds? Her companions did not seem like the type to go along with making the world a better place, but they stuck around with her.

It only took two days for her to return to the grove with Halsin in tow. The large elf didn’t seem to hold any ill will towards Aradin for leaving him to die. He’d even invited his group to stay for the party to celebrate the goblins’ defeat. Aradin almost declined until the drow caught his eyes, that sweet smile across her lips, that was all it took for him to accept.

Parties were not his thing. Not even the alcohol was enough to get him to socialize with the people there. Barth and Remira had ran off to talk to some teifling bard. Liam was healed up enough to be talking to the druids. That just left Aradin, standing off to the side, watching everyone have a good time. He was lost in thought that he didn’t realize the drow had approached him.

“Hey,” he jumped a bit but quickly composed himself, “how you enjoying the party? Worth sticking around for?” She looked up at him with such a genuine smile on her face. It had been a while sense someone looked at Aradin like that.

He took a moment to compose himself, masking it by taking a swig of the alcohol, “beats being dead. But could use better wine.”

She let out a cute giggles, “can I talk to you in private?”

That truly caught Aradin off guard, “what? Don’t want to be seen talking to me?”

She rolled her eyes, “just have a few things to discuss that I’d rather not have people eavesdropping on.”

Aradin gave her a nod and let her lead him away from the party. She took him down to the beach next to the grove. To his surprise, a white dog and owl beat cub were curled up next to each other sleeping.

“Didn’t know you brought pets with you,” Aradin was cautious not to wake to animals.

“I found them near the goblin camp. Scratch, the dog, was guarding his owner who the goblins killed and the owl bear cub was captured by the goblins after they killed his mom.” She sat down on the sand, gazing fondly at the two.

Aradin followed suit, placing himself close enough to her that they might touch without it being obvious, “you brought me out here to talk about your dog and cub?”

She shook her head but still kept looking at the duo, “I wanted to offer you some information we found on the night song,” she pulled out a small leather bound journal and opened it to a page with multiple notes scribbled down. “The night song isn’t in a Selûne temple. Whatever it is, is hidden in a Shar temple in the shadowlands.”

Aradin skimmed over the notes in her journal, they confirmed what she was saying. “So why you given this to me? I ain’t sending my crew after the night song again if that’s what worries you.”

She looked up at him, an eyebrow quirked, “while it’s not the night song, I hope Lorroakan will pay for information on its location. Especially considering he doesn’t know where it’s actually located.”

Aradin scoffed, “so you want me to be your errand boy? I ain’t-”

“I want you to take the money,” she cut him off. “Get your crew to Baldur’s Gate and get whatever the wizard is willing to pay for that information.”

That truly stunned Aradin, “what’s the catch? Drows aren’t this friendly.”

She bristled at his words. She reached up and grabbed the front of his tunic, pulling him down slightly. “I’m helping you and you insult me? Forget it you’re an ass.” She pushed him back and snatched her journal back.

“Wait, no!” She turned back to look at him, “I am… sorry. Im not used to people being nice, not without me giving something in return.” Aradin took a deep breath, steeling himself for how vulnerable he was being. “Thanks for savin’ my life, gettin Barth’s mums locket back, saving Liam and the Druid, it’s more than anyone has done for me. I don’t know what I could give you in return but thank you for all of it.”

Her face softened back to a smile, “I don’t do good things so people give me stuff. I just like helping.” She ripped the page of notes on the night song from her journal and handed to him. “All I need you to do is stay alive long enough to get some gold.”

He smiles back, in the moonlight she looked very pretty, her eyes sparkled, and Aradin’s cheeks flushed.

She began to fidget with her journal, “there is one thing I wanted to ask you to do. It’s kind of a big request but I’m willing to give you some stuff to help if you agree.”

Aradin raised a brow at her, standing up to match her gaze, “yeah? What kind of problem do you need my help with?”

“Both your crew and the Teiflings are heading to Baldur’s gate. My crew can’t accompany them so I was wondering if you would? I know you and Zevlor don’t get along but it would mean a lot if you helped them”

Aradin was disappointed that this was her request. His gut reaction was to say no, let the Teiflings fend for themselves. But her words made him second guess himself. Helping just to be nice? People don’t do that, especially for people they don’t like. Zevlor didn’t help his group when the goblins chased them back, only telling Aradin that they should have died instead of trying to live.

“Why do you do this?” Aradin asked.

“I told you I like helping?” Her brows raised.

“I mean, why do you help people that don’t like you. You’re a drow, I doubt the Teiflings or Druids were thrilled to have you running to their rescue. Hells, I was an ass to you so why are you helping me?” He gestured at himself to emphasize his point.

“I never had people want to help me when I struggled. It was just my mom and I, no one let us stay for long before running us out of town. No one wanted to help a half-drow. I don’t want to be like those people. If I can make the world just a little better, try to bring people together, maybe that wont happen to the next kid.” Her arms crossed over herself and she looked to the ground.

Aradin thought back to his own childhood. His parents weren’t around for long and he learned how to survive on the streets after they were gone. People rarely stopped to help a starving kid in Baldur’s Gate. Had he stopped to help any kids now that he was an adult? He was becoming the type of people he hated as a kid, so self focused and unable to see those struggling outside themselves.

“Fine, I’ll help get the Teiflings to Baldur’s Gate,” He finally answered. “But it Zevlor tries to punch me again, then I’m leaving him and his group behind.”

“Just don’t call him a foul blood and I think you’ll be good,” she playfully punched his arm, grinning up at him. “I have extra supplies your crew can use, some better armor and weapons.”

“You sure your crew will be fine if we take a bunch of their stuff?”

She gave him a reassuring smile, “they don’t need anything more than they can carry, they’ll understand. And thank you for agreeing to help, it means a lot and I know Zevlor and the Teiflings will appreciate it.”

“You convinced me. And thanks for the Nightsong info, I’ll get that wizard to cough up something.” Aradin reached out his hand for her to take, “would you like to stay here a little longer? You don’t get views like this in the city.”

She blushed and took his hand, “I’d like that.”

The two sat down together on the beach. The drow leaned her head against his shoulder and Aradin relaxed knowing she was feeling a similar way to him. He leaned into her, laying his head against hers. The two shared a quiet night there until they heard her crew calling out for her.

She sighed and stood up, his hand reached out to grab hers before she left, “thank you Aradin, I’ll see you in the morning.” She gave his hand a tight squeeze before walking back to camp. The owl bear cub and dog both woke up to follow her back.

Aradin waited a bit before leaving to join his own group. He found that Remira and Liam had already fallen asleep with Barth being the only one left awake.

Aradin nodded to Barth before curling up in his own sleeping bag.

“What are you doing with the drow?” Barth asked.

“Half-drow, I’ll tell you in the morning,” Aradin heard Barth chuckle before getting into his own sleeping bag.

“Whatever you say boss.”

The morning came far too quickly for Aradin’s liking and started off far too busy. From the Teiflings packing up their wagons to the druids clearing out the grove, it was all far too much. Aradin headed toward’s the other adventuring group to meet up with the Half-drow again. She created him with a big smile before pulling him over towards a traveling trunk. She pulled out some improved weapons along with armor. One of her companions stopped to chastise her about giving all their supplies away only for her to say they had more than enough.

The two set off to meet up with Aradin’s group and distribute the gear. Remira got an improved two handed bow and some bracers, Liam a sword and armor, and Barth a stronger shield.

“Oh before I forget,” she reached for her necklace and unhooked a silver pendant. “It’s enchanted to offer guidance, it will help when dealing with Zevlor.” She placed the pendant in his hand, letting her hand linger longer than necessary. With a quick squeeze she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, “good luck, I hope to see you again.” And she was off.

The feeling of her lips on his cheek lingered, he wanted to run after her and kiss her. He was knocked out of his fantasy by Barth slapping him on the shoulder.

“So you got some last night? Didn’t know Drow was your type.”

Aradin pushed Barth’s hand off him, “nothin like that happened.”

Remira laughed, “so she handed out gear for free?”

“She asked us to escort the Teiflings to Baldur’s Gate. The gear and some info on the nightsong is our payment.” Aradin explained.

Remira and Barth both looked exasperated at the thought of spending more time around the Teiflings but one look from Aradin got them heading over to the wagon train. Liam stayed besides Aradin, “so we’re helping the Teiflings out? What about what happened earlier?”

Aradin clasped Liam around the shoulder and began walking towards the wagons, “someone’s got to help them, might as well be us.”

Zevlor gave Aradin a curt nod as the two approached, “thank you for agreeing to help escort the wagons, we need all the swords we can get.”

“Don’t mention it, old man” Aradin and his crew helped load the last of the Teifling’s supplies into the wagons before pushing off to the mountain path. He looked back at the grove to try and catchable glimpse of the half drow. He saw a glimpse of her white hair before the tree line obscured her and her party. Aradin turned back to the road, he looked down at the silver pendant she had gifted him and felt the guiding energy from it.

[faerieologymajor]

you can find love in the weirdest places, and you can get fixated on the weirdest people ever

[rolanpilled]

Open the Bloody Gate to My Heart - An Aradin x Zevlor Work

WARNING: Lemon. Don’t like, don’t read.

(All tags are accurate. Contains explicit depictions of sex and scenes of violence)