What is it that you struggle with in the vanilla durge story?

OUGH I just about stopped bleeding followers, now I'm gonna start again.

Oh well RIP in piss me 😔 You're my sweet cheese though so I'll answer 💖

Basically I find that Durge (as far as I know) actually having a pretty good time before Orin put a worm in his dome undercut a lot of the "oughough I'm struggling against my nature" storyline they're going for. Because Durge never chose to try to leave before being forced to, him attempting to redeem himself basically happened by chance, without any sort of motivation. And that makes sense for a video game character with amnesia, but that's where the "set backstory" clashes against player choice. What in-universe reason does Durge even have for trying to resist his urges? Just like ... an innate feeling of wanting to be good? But why? How? If he's made from Bhaal's flesh, why is that instinct even there at all? If he's a thinking independent being, why didn't he try to leave before Orin did the worm thing?

I'm not even particularly against the Urge itself, even if the way its presented is very edgy and juvenile at times. But the fact that it's implied the Urge was SO strong before but now is just gone and been replaced with a new personality just doesn't mesh with me.

Either Durge had some agency before and chose to be a serial killer horny for murder, and that's why his not remembering shit makes it possible for him to prioritize doing good now that his Urges are suppressed/forgotten. OR he's Bhaal's own flesh and the Urge is an intristic part of him and he physically cannot comprehend doing good.

But because the player needs to be able to choose whether to indulge or redeem Durge, why Durge is choosing/capable of doing good is left to the player. And that just doesn't mesh with the backstory they set up. The Urge was so strong before that he was gleefully a serial killer, but now it's so weak that he's able to resist? Why? What changed? Why was there a personality below the Urge at all? What use does Bhaal have of a puppet who is, on some level, able to think for themself? And if Durge was always able to think for himself, why didn't he rebel sooner? Well, because what if the player wants to play Evil!Durge, then it wouldn't make sense for Durge to rebel in his backstory!

My friend said it's basically a factory reset, and that's what's bothering me. It's unmotivated, it's chance, it's not Durge acting on his own accord. Larian are trying to have their cake (protag with a set background) and eat it too (protag is vaguely enough defined that you can just insert your own motivations into them).

Idk ... Does that make sense? It's a very difficult sort of incongruence to explain, so I'm sorry if I rambled a bunch and said fuck-all.

I'm considering making Phoebus into a classic Bhaalspawn from the previous games, but I'd have to do a bit of research to make that work.

he got tadpoled because he failed an intimidation check against orin, but he doesn't remember that

aside from everything else about durgewyll I am loving how it highlights wyll and gortash as narrative foils. both their upbringings lead them to interact with demoniac entities, both can only become archdukes and join baldurian high society through uldred, both are swaying the dark urge from simply following bhaal (and arguably the dark urge sways them from simply pursuing an ideal and the dark urge can recognise both as their equal)

and by playing your card right in act 3 wyll just...gets everything gortash was trying to get? wyll really is a hero saving baldur's gate from the legion of the absolute. wyll influences gortash's favourite assassin into becoming someone they can defeat the netehrbrain together. they can even become archdukes together! ...or they can turn it down and then they can go to he hells to sneak around and have adventures (like gortash and durge used to) and save karlach's life (the same life that is at risk because gortash mindlessly threw it away).

like. it's a lot, wyll and durge can even murder raphael.

Hi my name is orin bh'aalspawn slaughterkin craven way and i have long white braided hair (it's bloody is why i got my name) with red streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and pale white eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me i look like Illasera (AN: if u don't know who she is get da hell out of here!). I'm not related to Abdel Adrian but I wish I was because he's a major fucking hottie. I'm a changeling but my teeth are bloody and bared. I have pale white skin. I'm also a Bhaalspawn, and I go to an underground temple in the Undercity in Baldur's Gate where I'm not the High Primistress yet (but I'm getting there). I'm a murderer (in case you couldn't tell) and I wear a suit made of flesh. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a fetid rotting corset with matching bone lace around it and a bloody leather miniskirt, arterial fishnets and my bare bloody feet. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eyeshadow. I was walking around outside of the Temple. It was stinky and wet because we are underneath the sewers and there was no sun, which I was very happy about. My brother and his Bhaalists stared at me. I put my middle finger up at them.

"Hey Orin!" shouted a voice. I looked up. It was… Minthara Baenre!

"What's up Minthara?" I asked.

"Nothing." she said shyly.

But then, I heard my brother call me and I had to go away.

@drhu0806

sorry this isn't a githyanki i just think this is objectively funnier

Durgetash giving each other handjobs while Durge's hand is still bloody from a sacrificial murder in his father's name, and Gortash's is still painted black from the sermon he had just finished giving. Durgetash being blasphemous together bc they just can't help it

No actually, im not over the fact that Durge get treated the way they are. On a good run they helped everyone, they helped Shart, Laezel and Minthara to escape a cult. They helped Astarion to start healing. They helped Gale and Wyll realise they're worth more than their might, their goddess or their feats. They helped Halsin to lift the burden that has been weighting on him for centuries, allowed him to be free after 300 fucking years.

And what did they do for Durge? Jackshit. At best one of them helped them once to make it through a horrible night, by tying them up and watching over them. Once. After Durge tried to kill them. In an act of self-preservation. Jaheira at least offers her 'support' when she finds out what Durge is. But that's it. They did not help with the temple. They did not mourn Durges' very apparent death. They did not offer any comfort when they killed everyone they must've once held dear. They stood by as Durge duelled for their life. For a Tav this might work since they don't have any specific troubles or quests, but Durge does. And they get fucking ignored. By everyone except the deadbeat mother and the loveable fool that is Minsc. The people they met only recently. But the people who spent weeks or months with them, who could escape their personal hells thanks to them? Lol get ignored fucker.

Yes, yes, they all have grey stories. Nothing is black and white except Durges' story. It's black. There's no nuance. They're fucked regardless of what they do. Their choice is mind control and death or presumed immortality and endless suffering from being a Bhaalspawn, as well as not having their memory and working for yet another Dead God, and nobody gives a damn. As cruel as Durge is, as fucked up as they might've been, they, too, were a victim of an evil deity and cult. Hell, Orin can straight up tell you 'bro, that Gortash guy? Kept manipulating your ass since like ever'. And if we're being real, he does just that the second durge is back too. 'He did miss this' and he wouldn't want you to submit, but at the end of the day, he's still the person with the last word, and everything goes exactly how he wants.

Durge was manipulated and exploited like fuck in the past, by everyone around them who survived. Just like most of the other companions. But fuck Durge in particular I guess. The game is very much like 'fuck Martyrdom it's not worth it' but when it's Durges turn, your choices are Martyrdom or falling right back into the abuse. Oh, or becoming something less than an animal and essentially just a sentient doll to be used by their guardian.

Laughing at the durge romanced Astarion convo after the final fight when they discuss what’s next:

Astarion: I am now once again restricted to the shadows are you sure you wanna stay with me?

Durge: *spent a good portion of their life living in the sewers of a major metropolitan area*

Durge: Yeah, I can handle that.

Still just thinking about how it makes no sense for Bhaal to want there to be more Bhaalspawn. The existence of Bhaalspwan literally weakens him because they carry paces of his divinity, like in a way that that divinity is now separate from him, he cannot personally use or tap into it for power for himself. That's why all of Bhaalspawn born out of The Time of Troubles had to die (this includes the offspring of Bhaalspawn like Abazigal's son Draconis. Which Abazigal is literally a dragon not a Dragonborn. It would have been funny of Larian to make a Blue Dragon be a merchant. Or at least give him a human form resembling his portrait in Throne of Bhaal- dragons would never take the form of Dragonborns. Dragonborns where their slaves at one point after all. They don't respect them and would not take their form (this is also why it's very fucked up for Lae'zel to imply Dragonborns are inferior to dragons). I digress. That's an issue for another day.)

The last thing he would want, in his weakened state of not being a fully deity, would be more Bhaalspawn living in the world. He wouldn't want Bhaalspawn siring more. Because the children of Bhaalspawn are also Bhaalspawn.

The idea that Bhaal would want Durge to sire an army of Bhaalsapwn is just so wrong. Like why is it written like this? It just makes zero sense. I can only guess that they want to make Bhaal look sexually predatory? 🙄 (the only time it was implied he acted as such was with Gorion Ward's mother, it was not implied to be of SA for any of the other mothers either- from what I remember, but that was proven to be a lie implied by Gorion himself because Gorion's Ward's mother was actually a Bhaalist priestess who had his child willingly. I could go one forever by how none of the weird sex stuff surrounding Bhaal and the Bhaalists in bg3 is not supported by any sources outside of bg3. It's just really weird choices that I can't see as being made as innocent mistakes and not born out a place of ignorance or bigotry. That's just how I feel though.)

I seriously think that Larian doesn't know any lore.

1am and all I can think of is a good-aligned Dark Urge in the temple of Bhaal and this line from Critical Role:

So I fully intend on going onto Larian’s forums and fighting for more Wyll content to pressure them to close the content gap for Wyll within the next patch or two.

I know there are obvious problems like:

His lack of agency when it comes to what happens to Ulder

The lack of seriousness with which his pact with Mizora is taken

“Well met” being his only greeting because it’s bugged

Lack of responsiveness to being in his hometown because it’s bugged

Not really having any really strong opinions unless you commit genocide in act one.

Being the only romance option with no sexual content and only two major romance cutscenes where other main companions get at least 3 (sans Karlach, who we should ALSO advocate for!)

Is there anything else I’m forgetting that should be addressed and would it benefit me to romance Wyll/play Wyll as an origin beforehand to get a first hand POV on the issues with his writing and to brainstorm suggestions for more content/alternatives for problem areas? Am I missing anything major?

I’d love any advice on how to go about this as I’ve never written a complaint like this before and I’m white so there might be some problematic stuff I didn’t even pick up on. I’d love some insight from BIPOC fans who WANT to give it. Putting all the responsibility on BG3 fans of color is the exact OPPOSITE of what I’m trying to do!

If you wanna reblog with any points you wanna make feel free, I’m sure it’ll help other people in similar straights. If you don’t want any drama just DM me no pressure. But I wanna make sure I’m going about this as respectfully and well thought out as possible!

"Durge and Astarion are canon your honor!"

Well canon Durge is a white male dragonborn sorcerer and yet y'all are making cute little drow girlies and sexy little tiefling twinks to get at that extra content so what's the truth?

Oh that your personal preferences are somehow more canon than someone else's because the devs didn't have enough time to write extra content for every companion, leaving an unfair and imbalanced emphasis on the one character that did get extra content? That you feel your choices are validated because they're reinforced by poor planning/game design? Hmm. Hmm. Hmmmm 🤔

Still so baffling to me how you cant completely ally with gortash as durge with all that history. For a game that lets you do some truly heinous things.

The weed is making me courageous so I think my biggest unpopular opinion for Bg3 is I don’t think Astarion is sexy or cute or anything at all really. He’s just there. Like he’s just a dude with an attitude problem lol like I keep seeing people compare the man to a renaissance painting like he’s fucking Lestat. Dude wishes he was Lestat lmao he’s just some white man with high cheekbones 😂😂

Gortash 100% pretends they’re in control of Durge in front of others but also 100% loves Durge making him submit

"I hate default Durge!!!!111"

"Custom durge shouldn't be an option!!11 they're all bad wish fulfilment"

"Well MY DURGE was always a good person and never committed murder or cannibalism or necrophilia!!! Youre a sick person if your durge did that!"

"But but my Durge wouldn't have even been friends with Gortash!!"

"I hate [insert gender/race Durge here]"

Lol, okay, Sentry has a message for y'all if this sounds like you:

Like....seriously, let people enjoy things....default Durge and custom durges are equally valid and keeping your mouth shut and just ignoring people's characters that you don't like is a free action. There's no reason for infighting and bullying. Let's just enjoy Durge in all their edgy glory and be nice.