oh shit i didn't expect this to actually get notes lmao
these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked)
i highly encourage you to read it yourself!
that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)
i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.
ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.
iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.
iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.
v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.
vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.
vii. the monster stands at the threshold… of becoming - Within the monster we find information about the self.
Something that I cannot help but admire about Gortash is his loyalty to Durge.
And with 'loyalty' I mean the fact that he is not only willing to continue their partnership from where they left off (after Orin betrayed Durge), but that he is also willing to overlook the mess the Dark Urge is when they meet once again.
What do I mean with mess? The memory issues, the constant fainting, the struggle to keep their own body in control.
By now everyone knows that the Dark Urge suffers from amnesia, but nobody ever seems to talk about Durge's other, numerous, issues.
First and foremost, yes, Durge does suffer from amnesia. They have no recollection of their past because Bhaal madr sure that they can't remember a thing. Sure, Orin helped with that, but it's still mostlx Bhaal who is keeping Durge from remembering anything.
But there ia another memory related issue Durge is suffering from, that isn't just not remembering their previous life. It's the fact that they keep losing memories.
Durge can straight out tell Ethel this:
"I lost all of my past memory, and worse: I keep losing new parts of it."
And they can mention this to Halsin as well:
"Black outs, fainting spells. I'm losing new memories every day..."
It pisses me off beyond measure that none of the companions ever acknowledge it.
There is also the fact that Durge just seems to lose consciousness now and again and nobody cares!
"Black outs, fainting spells..."
And the scene in act 3 when you enter Wyrmsrock, Durge passes out and has their little dream sequence with Orin, and then wakes up again. The only one to make a comment about that is Jaheira.
And that's not even it. Durge also hallucinates and sleepwalks and it's, once again, just completely ignored outside from a few dialogue choices.
"Sleepwalking... hallucinating creatures... the temptations... I could lose myself before I make it to a cure."
And Raphael points it out as well:
"This is no night you can sleepwalk through, somnambulist, you must be wide, wide, awake to survive."
Aside from Durge sleepwalking, they seem to have problems falling asleep to begin with:
"The Urges are calling on you again, aren't they? I haven't seen you sleep through the night once in the past days."
The Dark Urge also seems to have trouble concentraiting/focusing on the presence:
"Where am I? What's going on?"
This fits nicely with the black outs Durge can mention to Halsin. I fon't know if they sre dissociating, but I wouldn't put it past them.
Furthermore, Durge is in almost constant pain:
"I have such a headache."
And this one:
"My mind is full of holes and some of them are still being punched."
As for Durge being unable to properly control their own body:
"You look rabid, pained, sick. You're spasming and twitching..."
And this seems to be quite obvious for everyone, given that Minthara also recognices it:
"...when you're so clearly broken. Beautiful, but broken."
So it isn't a secret.
Aside from all the things I already mentioned, I also wanna add that Durge displays self-harming and self-loathing tendencies:
Astarion: "So. What happens next?"
Durge: "We whip each other within an inch of our lives."
There is also this narrator line when facing Bhaal in act 3:
"For a moment the brine-pool of your brain clears. To die: to rest, to save the world from yourself..."
And this one:
"Better to die than live on an earth walked by you. Each of your deaths is a mercy."
The Dark Urge also constantly refers to themselves as 'broken':
"In another lifetime, you were greeted in this throne room like a God, not the living wreck you are now."
Or this:
"Oh, don't mind me. My brain is all but mincemeat - I'm harmless now!"
Anyway, Durge is an utter mess and according to Omeluum, their brain shouldn't even be fuctioning and they should be dead,
And I can't help but respect Gortash for still wanting to ally with them.
Gortash knew Durge in their prime, they were allies when Durge had earned the respect of (almost) every member of their cult, of Gnolls and even of an Elder Brain. That is something almost no mortal has ever achieved before. Elfer Brains are highly intelligent, complex and cruel beings. They are capable of working out more than one highly efficient scheme at the same time, they have a better grasp at reality and their power is often incomprehensible to mortals. And the Dark Urge was so respected by one of them that said brain would have followed their plan without the intention of treachery. Not only were they respected, they were admired.
"You brought the Crown to me, Bhaalspawn, thinking the army I amassed with it would become yours. Your plan was devious, your cruelty unparalleled. I would have followed it, were your mind not destroyed by your sister."
And this:
"I respected Bhaal's child once, but not you, Gortash."
And also this:
"Gave- ---us- -EVERYTHING--- ---disappeared--"
The Absolute also calls Durge 'Tyrant' and 'Kingmaker', which should be a title given to Gortash because he is Bane's chosen. But the Absolute isn't the only one who respects them.
Gortash obviously does it and has no quarrel admitting it. But there is also this:
"You were the jewelled hope for their design, but now you are their flaw."
At first I thought 'they' referred to Gortash and Ketheric, but the wording threw me off. Because the 'design' was also Durge's, so if it would refer to the chosen three the wording would have to be more like 'to your design', due to the fact that Ketheric and Orin only joined later and didn't really plan anything. They just joinrd when most of the details were already planned out, which is why I believe that 'they' actually refers to Bhaal, Bane and Myrkul.
Bhaal, despite being a horrible man, clearly knows that Durge is still dangerous and still useful. Even in their broken state they can defy gods, lead a whole party with people who have their own issues, and claw their way back to Baldur's Gate. This is even mor eimpressive if we consider the constant nausea, pain, fainting etc. They are not weak, they are powerful and they do get shit done. Bhaal, even if he would never openly admit it, does recognize that his child is durable and cunning, and he can even, indirectly, acknowledge it.
Bhaal is all about self-control, killing those stronger than you and in so doing proving that you are superior, patience and, obviously, death.
If the Dark Urge wins the duel against Orin and defy him, Bhaal kills them.
BUT.
He doesn't enslave them or rends their mind asunder. He could still do it. There is nothing keeping him from doing to Durge what he does to them when they lose the duel. Why? Because despite their disobedience they did prove themselves worthy by not only managing to drag themselves all the way back to his temple while being an utter mess, but also by killing Ketheric, an avatar of Myrkul, Orin and (maybe) Gortash and an avatar of Bane. By surviving all of what happened while being clearly weakened, Durge did prove that they have not forgotten how to survive. They are still dangerous.
And say what you want about Bhaal, but killing Durge instead of making a slave out of them (which he still could have done) very much does say that he recognizes that. Durge showed that they can still control themselves, and Bhaal, while being utterly cruel and mad himself, may yet has seen a sliver of reason and acknowledged that his dogma/doctrin had been fulfilled/respected by Durge.
If Durge loses the duel they prove themselves to weak, a disappointment, which Bhaal straight out says. By killing Orin they proved their worth, even if they deny him.
As for Bane respecting Durge:
"My master admires you, as I always have. For the slaughter you bring, and for the Netherstones you bear."
One could argue that Gortash is lying here, but I don't believe that. Bane and Durge are eerily similar to begin with: The infancide, the ego, the reckless pursue of mass-slaughter, the loss of self-control, the absolute lack of elegance. Really. Durge would make a great Banite. But even aside from this we do know that Bane also admires Bhaal, even if he would never say that out loud. And I will take a guess and say it's for the same reason Gortash admires Durge:
"I always preferred your methods to hers. You have mastery over your Urges, Orin was consumed by her gruesome obsessions."
It's a pity that the Dark Urge doesn't get any unique dialogue options with Bane.
Anyway, Bhaal, like Durge, does suffer from violent urges as well. Bane, undoubtly, knows that. Yet he also recognizes that Bhaal is in control of himself most of the time. If Bane clearly respects Bhaal for it, he will respect Durge for it as well. There is also the fact that Bhaal served Bane as personal assassin and that Gortash calls Durge 'my favorite assassin, and that Bhaal is Bane's oldest ally/friend/frenemy (his nearest and dearest, so to say (no idea what exactly those two have going on, but given their past and how Bhaal despises Gortash, I will say that they had something going on (I am a self-indulgent idiot))).
As for the 'now you are their flaw' part: The Dark Urge is running around throwing everything into disarray, despite barely functioning. So yeah, they are as durable as a cockroach.
And Gortash, who knew the Dark Urge when they were an utter menance, a scheming mastermind with remarkable self-control, someone who had earned the respect and admiration of an Elder Brain, various cults and of Bane, looks at this absolute broken, hyperventilating mess they are in act 3, and wastes not even a single second trying to be close to them one again.
Yeah.
I never really was into Durgetash, but I am getting it now. That man still considers zhem his equal, despite Durge blacking out and whatnot. Even if they deny Bhaal Gortash is still waving his 'Welcome home' flag around and grinning like an absolute idiot.
Gortash is ready to work together with a barely functioning and completely mentally fucked up Durge again because he respect and admires them. Maybe even cares for them on a deeper level.
...
Which also reminds me of Bhaal and Bane, I am sorry to say.
In 2e Bhaal is listed as serving Bane. We don't really know how that happened, but I believe it happened after the Moonshae Triology.
At the end of the triology Bhaal was thrown from Greater Deity status down to lesser. That's already bad enough, especially if you happen to reside on the lower planes and every one of your neighbors will try to enslave or kill a weakened deity. So... Bhaal really had quite a problem here. And there is also the fact that even if we ignore his massive loss of power, he was almost completely defensless. Here:
"... pulling his tortured and writhing form through the ether."
"Here he lay in broken despair, scorned by other gods of evil who now far superseded him in might and influence,..."
"Motionless, Bhaal knew only suffering."
"Thus he would lie for generations, as a forgotten god and a distant relic of the human past."
He was in agony, utterly defensless, and would have quickly become subject to the whims of another god. He could have been killed with ease by other deities, or even just enslaves or subdued. He was incapable of pulling himself back together and a god that is in such a state in the lower planes usually never survives for long.
But he wasn't killed or enslaved.
Bhaal would never start serving Bane if he didn't had to. We could argue that Bane enslaved Bhaal, but this seems unlikely:
"In life, he commanded Bhaal and Iyachtu Xvim, his son, though Xvim performed his designated tasks only reluctantly, as he held no love for his father. Loviatar and Talona served Bane indirectly by serving Bhaal."
It's specifically pointed out that Xvim hated serving Bane, yet there is no mention, anywhere, of Bhaal loathing it. Let's be clear here: I don't think he was thrilled, but he did owe him. And Bane seems to have given Bhaal quite a bit of freedom as well.
Though I also could interpret into the 'as he helf no love for his father' part. Could be a coincidence, could also be that Bhaal did have some kind affection for Bane and now, after the Time of Troubles, sees Durge repeating his mistake.
Tiamat, Hruggek and the gods that serve Bane are specifically mentioned to only save Bane out of fear. Bhaal isn't.
Those two have a long history and Bhaal has put up with Bane's bullshit longer than anyone else (and Bane with Bhaal's). They respect and admire eachother.
And it is reflected in Gortash and Durge as well.
The mutual admiration and respect, the knowledge that they will have to turn against the other at some point.
Gortash and Bane ignore the vulnerable state Durge and Bhaal are in and keep them around, even if it goes against their own doctrine. Bhaal and Durge are the perfect equals of them, so far that both stay their hand and don't kill them even if they know that they should.
The parallels are there and it is not like Durge and Gortash are the only bhaalist and banite duo that works well together AND display affection for one another.
Tamoko (Sarevok's first and only real lover) wears Banite armour.
Then there are Polandulus and Clotilda.
And now Durge and Gortash.
This seems to be a reoccuring theme
Welp. Gortash and Durge are fascinating to me and I admit that I ignored that pairing for far too long.
To every Durgetash fan: I apologize for side-eyeing you for the first two years. You had the right idea all along.
Also, everyone who ships Durge and Gortash should do the same to Bhaal and Bane. It just fits and makes everything more dramatic
WHY MUST SHE BE KEPT? AND WHY IN THIS PLACE SHE MUST BE KEPT? AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF YOU ARE NOT ASKED? AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF YOU ARE NOT ANSWERED? AND WHAT IS IT TO SEE AND TO KNOW, BUT TO BE TOLD YOU HAVE NOT SEEN. YOU HAVE NOT KNOWN. AND WHY IS HER TONGUE CUT OUT? AND WHY IS HER DEATH PROLONGED AND WHEN WILL IT STOP AND WHO WILL STOP IT? AND WHY MUST THEY, MUST WE, MUST I, MUST HE, MUST THEY, AS THE MILLENNIA, UNFOLD? WHY THE GIRL CURLED? WHY HER EYES LOWERED? WHY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD? WHY LIMP IN THE STRAW? I AM THE GIRL! I AM THE GOD! I AM THE VOICE! I AM THE SONG! I AM THE NIGHT AND I CAN ANSWER! I CAN ARRANGE IT! I CAN SAY RISE, AND I CAN SPEAK! AND I AM HER! AND I AM SHE! AND I, I, I, I AM THE ANSWER!
Me (A time traveler visiting 20-year old Mozart): OK, so, this is called an electric guitar, basically instead of the body functioning as a resonance chamber, it produces music by harnessing the power of lightning. Do you have any other questions?
Mozart (Currently shredding Violin Concerto No. 1 on the guitar, having figured it out within 30 seconds): What other music can be made from harnessed lightning?
Me (Loading up some heavy dubstep): Oh, we're just getting started.
2. The Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism Within US Slave Culture by Vincent Woodard
3. "Abolitionists turned the tables on Europeans by accusing them of being cannibals when they ate sugar tainted with the flesh and blood of slaves."
4. Zombies (which I would class as cannibals, since they were human and need to eat humans to live) have a root in Haitian folklore and represented enslavement.
adding that, if you can find it, cannibal culture by deborah root is about exactly this. the way the white western world is a hungry, destructive force that cannibalizes non-white cultures and creates wealth and status through the cannibal colonization of those cultures.
here's the intro
i almost think there's an essay in bell hooks' black looks about this too? yes! just checked, there's an essay called "eating the other"
