21, 22 and 30 for your durge c:

thank you so much!! <3

21. What are 2-3 songs that your Dark Urge would relate to?

You are a hero to me for asking this hahaha I already answered it but this is the perfect excuse to ramble on about more songs 😌 When theorizing or writing about durge!Aune, I choose to characterize the Dark Urge as a mostly seperate entity that exists within her. (I love how there are so many different ways for different players to envision the Urge itself, whether it's an external being or synonymous with your character.) Since waking on the beach, Aune is pretty damn traumatized by her violent thoughts and desires. Her method of coping with it is to seperate her conscious thought from this entity. (Of course, that comes with a whole host of problems as well.) She spends the journey constantly questioning if there really is this malign force inside of her, or if it's just been her the entire time. When she's really lost in the sauce (so to speak lol; sauce in this case being blood), the two internal voices merge together as one. It's interesting because it seems "healthier" in a lot of ways; there's less discord and disconnect going on in her brain, at least until the ecstasy of the moment wears off. (An interesting conversation to be had about responsibility & guilt & exactly how much Durge is bound to their darker desires.) ANYWAAAYS here are some songs that I think encapsulate the above very well:

Honeywell by Clem Turner is what I imagine the Urge telling Aune soon after waking; an introduction of sorts, and a seductive pleading to let the Urge fully integrate with Aune. Mm, here I am to bring Psychosomatic freedom to your head May I be of service, newlywed? See me as a host to all your greatest dreams [...] I may not be of great design but I can offer some advice Keep yourself inside the ride or else you'll lose your mind [...] I may not be of stable mind But I can promise that you're mine Trust my voice inside your head Take me with you instead [...] May I be of use? May I creep into your open hand And bid you take me to the grave? [...] Get it through your pretty head Take me with you instead Forget her, she's gone Forgive me, dear stranger Now, turn me back on

The Culling by Chelsea Wolfe is when the border between Aune and the Urge are less discernible; I picture this as a conversation between the two except you don't know who is talking at any given time. (It's also a pretty good representation of how the Urge talks about/to Astarion.) Dead eyes, I only call you when you’re in my dreams Died too young, the culling then, it was obscene I am depleted by love I am depleted by love I’ll never tell the secrets of my family Bled out, a cult of anonymity The kettle is wheeling, my love Riding on the back of a hell they caused One ear to the ground One eye on the room My tongue on your pulse My finger in your wound Sweet dead eyes, I long to hear you again Sweet dead eyes, I long to see your face Sweet dead eyes, I long for that illustrious hiss Sweet dead eyes, I know you feel it No turning back, only God knows what we're headed for The flowers bloom, the sun rises

All Things Devour by aeseaes is Aune reflecting on the destruction the Urge leaves in its wake. Drying, dusty / Heart beside me Dead streets carving / Bitter bright wings Worms and spiders / Spin inside her Like the story / Make me holy This thing all things devours This thing all things devours Devours This thing, taker / Pollinator Starving flowers / Hear them howling (Yes, this song references Gollum's riddle on time!) I really like this one because it speaks on the inevitability of time, of death and decay — forces that are significant to Aune as a spore druid. But there's an ominous or gloomy quality to the song (to me, anyway). The repetition of "devours"; the significance of "taker"; the mention of "pollinator" is perhaps uplifting, but it is immediately replaced by the image of "'starving' flowers 'howling'". Aune is a servant to life, death, decay, and rebirth, meaning she has a unique outlook on things that others might find upsetting. But the Urge takes and takes and takes and gives nothing in return. There is no rebirth. It's unnatural and disruptive. She doesn't want to be the champion of wanton violence or the bringer of perverse death.

22. What first impression does your Dark Urge give off to strangers?

Scary, off-putting, intimidating, dark, sad. She's always wearing dark, muted colors, if not an outfit of all black. Aune's neutral expression is a scowl or a frown and she doesn't smile or laugh in public (at first, because she doesn't remember how; later, because she thinks it's too vulnerable). She's also got an aura about her that is just straight up unsettling (it's the spores). Most people are either intimidated or frightened of her, but if you move past that and spend five minutes around her, it doesn't take much to realize she's just a sad person/clearly suffering through something. (Aune is our precious little edgelord who is not really an edgelord; she doesn't know how to deal with her BIG feelings is all.)

30. What are your Dark Urge’s intentions/goals after the end of the game?

I'm still in Act Two so I have no idea! 😅 Hopefully there's some peace and happiness in her future...