#Netherbrain

[phyllis-cottage]

Am I the only one who can't get over "my fallen star" and "shining star of mine"?

[bone0921]

Finished up this sketch page that got away from me

-

[tacogoats]

Unwell about the idea of Orin using Durge's face to keep the charade going of the Durge still being around, so Gortash doesn't get suspicious.

He does anyway because she didn't understand how real their relationship was - and she slips up. Often. He knew immediately when the Dark Urge became so, so very cold. Nothing like the warmth he has known for years now behind closed doors; because it isn't them.

She is good at fine details of the body; she gets every scar, every little blemish perfectly, but she can never truly imitate the person behind the Urge.

She couldn't have hoped to anyway, because she didn't know who they really were. Only Gortash could, because he is the first to ask.

It surprises her, and infuriates her, even! The mighty Dark Urge, debased into some lovesick puppy yearning after this little Lordling!

And the mistakes that follow are how Gortash learns the Dark Urge is gone.

[ghostcouncil]

what if baldur's gate 3 was about trying to find your neighbor's cat

[slayerdurge]

You know, I think one of my favorite things about a super evil play through is actually how hard it is to net approval with even the most potentially evil-leaning companions.

Astarion talks a big game about how much he likes violence and evil, and he does often give you approval for those types of actions, but you get this distinct impression from interactions with him that he's just sort of put on a permanent mask. I saw this post going around that Astarion dislikes it when you are very benevolent and heroic because he's thinking "How can there be so much goodness in the world but none of it was ever for me? It's not fair." And I think that's true. And I think when you actually take him down the road he claims he wants to go down, he takes on this mentality of "Ah, yes. Of course. I knew it. The world is without love." And he tries to pretend that it doesn't bother him but there are moments you can see it breaking through that it does. That's why I'm at the end of Act 1 of nonstop evil and I can't get him past medium approval.

On the other hand, I can't even get Shadowheart past neutral approval. She goes back and forth on giving me approval and disapproval, and, in my experience, she does the same exact thing in a good play through. I always find it hardest to predict what Shadowheart will approve of or disapprove of because she's so inconsistent. I think this is because her whole story is about the fact that she doesn't know who she is. I mean, she literally can't remember much about her life, to begin with. But also, she's in a state of indecision, not only does she not remember who she is, but she hasn't decided yet who she wants to be. Or more precisely she feels like who she wants to be is not a real option. She is definitely the companion (of the ones I actually had) who reacted most poorly to raiding the Grove. She got drunk and she went off about how it's not a real victory if you're killing people who can't even defend themselves. But then the next day she acted totally different. She was sober, and she took on this mentality of "Goblins killed some people. They didn't kill us. Time to move on." So she reasserted this control over herself that she has on most of the time, that had mostly only slipped because she was so upset and because she was drunk.

Lae'zel has been the easiest for me to get approval with. She got up to high approval very quickly, and she's currently at very high approval and stays there consistently. I think this is because she's way more honest than either Astarion or Shadowheart. She really is what she says she is. She's ruthless. And I don't actually mean that she inherently has to be evil. It is very possible to take her down a good path and convince her to embrace ideals of freedom. But I do think that her persona is far more honest than either Astarion or Shadowheart's is. And I think this makes sense because she was raised in a whole society of believers in "might makes right" who have believed in that for many generations and she was given chances to excel in that society rather than completely victimized. This is very different from Astarion because he was always a victim and never had an opportunity to actually strive for power. It is likely more similar to what Shadowheart would have experienced, though I think her memory loss complicates this, but it also just seems like Shadowheart doesn't take to ruthlessness as naturally. They both had to adopt that mentality because it was the only way they could survive, but I think Lae'zel is just better at it because she's just a way more straight-forward person. I think it's also why if she does decide to go against Vlaakith, it's an instant 180-degree change in her allegiance. She doesn't have to waver like Shadowheart does in regards to Shar, she just goes "This is what I believe now." and just switches.

Anyway, yeah... you learn so much about them on an evil play through... can't wait to torture them some more.

[cleomigadon]

Durgetash's Greatest Hits!

So did my foot. 🦶🏻

[garbachu]

REDEMPTION!DURGE AND REDEMPTION! GORTASH

like i can't believe that's not an option

there's a whole scene where ketheric almost wants to redeem himself and whatnot but there's no such thing with gortash who doesnt even want to fight you, who admires you, likes you, AND has a sad backstory and history of childhood abuse??????

how about you and him go to the brain at the end and along with you he finds out he has been manipulated this whole time by the stinky brain he thought he could control (which he has no way of finding out normally because he fucking DIES)

and his pride gets absolutely destroyed because what the fuck he was the all powerful tyrant but he was a puppet this whole time??? so like whaoah kind of devastated

so because of that and because he has special feelings for durge he 180s and instead of being fried he teams up with you and your forces and after everything's over you go live quiet lives finally free of any shitty gods and tadpoles somewhere in the countryside because you're both human wreckages who just want some peace after all the shit they've been through, and both durge and gortash finally find it in each others arms because they only feel something when theyre together

there i fixed it

[niaranda]

I redrawn the situation with Gortash and the brain in the third act as a meme

[backonrepeat]

Cursed fic idea that I need to share (because I'll never write it and I need you all to suffer with me): Gortash and Dark Urge arranged marriage.

Where Bhaal is very proud of his daughters' murdering prowess but would still like some grandchildren (bhaalspawn are not easy to make), and Bane is happy to offer his Chosen in exchange for being able to direct where Bhaal's cultists will strike next (and have them help further his plans, rather than ruin them)

Of course, both Durge and Gortash are less than pleased at the plan. Durge, because she's a strong independent woman who wants to keep slaughtering people and leading her father's temple, not playing house with a bloody banite, and certainly not having him tell her who she can, or cannot, kill. Gortash because the marriage is just another thing he has no control over and is instead forced upon him (he can see the value of the alliance but chaffes at being used as a bargaining chip yet again)

Featuring:

- Enemies to allies to lovers (to enemies again if we follow the game timeline)

- Instead of super kinky sex, they start their relationship with super boring, detached, and perfunctory sex because they both assume the other doesn't know how to fuck and want the whole deal over with

- Bridezilla Gortash

- Sceleritas Fel & Orin ducking it out for the Maid of Honor spot

- They start to care for each other, but are afraid to show it because their whole alliance is mandated by their Gods (plus they both have the emotional maturity of a rock), so the sex goes from boring, to nasty, to kinky with feelings

- like, they are allowed to look and touch, but they cannot feel, so they show affection in small ways, a soft touch here, a shared look there, some joint slaughter over there...

- Them being evil and domestic, like the true villain power couple they are

- Ketheric hates them and their married antics *so much*

- Durge being introduced to the Gate's patriars as Lord Gortash's wife and having to behave in public. There's a fancy ball at some point, with dancing, UST, sex and murder

(if the game plot happens, Gortash greets Durge as "my beloved wife", the whole party starts to seriously question their choice in leadership, and Karlach has an aneurysm. Astarion just loves the drama)

[alphagravy]

[truly-sincerely]

IS GORTASH ENTHRALLED?

(tl;dr: yes)

In this essay I will…

Okay, but seriously I did write an essay.

I got here after chasing a very different rabbit down its hole. I'd noticed that Gortash seems to have been throwing out a lot of his stuff (read: mostly employees).

Waldemar Prinski, a loyal banite, sold to a devil for a corn chip

Dark Breaker Antiope, sahuagin wrangler, A Negotiation

The Steel Watch Foundry, Orders to Black Gauntlet Rives

Scribe Yanthus, my beloved, sent on a wild bhaal chase

Vance Farnol, journalist, tho you could argue he had it coming

Goblin Worg handler at Flymm Cargo, plus the Worgs when they run out of Goblin to eat

And, of course, everyone at his Coronation

Was killing all of the patriars and their staff a grim necessity, Enver? Was it?

(Also, he's installed a giant portrait of Bane and a bust of Bane in the penthouse, but he doesn't have a single picture of himself, or any mirrors, for that matter. Food for thought.)

My initial diagnosis was macabre, but obviously I’ve moved away from that line of thinking. He's just way too happy to brag about how much danger he's put himself, us, and the entire world in. It freaked me out the first time I met him (as a Tav). Like I see him glancing at the ground and smiling coyly while saying, "If we're lucky, we'll become slaves," on the back of my eyelids when I go to bed at night.

For the love of all that is holy, could you please turn it down a notch?

I've been obsessed with The Ultimate State since I first read it. It's absolutely absurd nonsense. The item description says it's, "the philosophical ramblings of Enver Gortash." and I feel like it's worth noting that he doesn't write his own propaganda; he has the banites do it for him. But I mean, it really does read like he's twisting himself in knots to connect "unity" and "progress" together, but babe, those jigsaw pieces do not go together like that. Anyway, while thinking about this subject it dawned on me:

They're the same picture.

You know what other line of thinking these two have in common?

They both look so sad when they say this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I abandoned you.

I know we all love to joke about Durge or Gortash feeding the Brain the "Handsome, Younger Man" line, but what if that was just a smokescreen and it's been the other way around this whole time?

Netherbrain: You think you know why you are here. You think you can atone for giving me my power, child of Bhaal, by destroying me with the Netherstones. You are wrong. The Emperor: It’s messing with your mind. Don’t listen to it. Use the stones. Netherbrain: By eliminating Ketheric and Orin, you have simply unbound me. Exactly as I intended. The Crown is now mine to command - mine alone. The Emperor: Don’t listen to it! Focus on the Crown! Netherbrain: You placed the Crown upon me in the depths of Moonrise Towers, and there I was born. The Crown is not my weakness - it is what made me what I am. Gortash: You are delusional - the Crown is how we controlled you! Netherbrain: I respected Bhaal’s child once, but not you, Gortash. I allowed you to control me as long as it suited my purposes. You have played your part. The next order to be given is mine and it is this - die. Gortash: (crumples like a piece of parchment) Netherbrain: When the parasite entered your ruined mind - you became a pawn in my design. Who do you think told the Chosen about the Astral Prism? Who do you think planted the knowledge of Orpheus’ power, and the fear of what it could do? When the Chosen sent my thralls to retrieve the Prism - who do you think let the ‘Emperor’ slip its leash, knowing it would be the one to bring you to me? The Emperor: We were part of its plan… Netherbrain: I only needed one Netherstone loosened from the Chosen’s grasp to guarantee my freedom. You brought all three back to me. In doing so, you have liberated me. This was your role - and it is complete. Now you will witness the Grand Design.

The face of a man who has 20 INT and 16 WIS and is definitely not the brainwashed pawn of a giant brain that's been manipulating him in his sleep.

You think his puny +7 WIS save is gonna beat the Netherbrain when it's been working on his ass every time he goes to sleep for the last nine months? I say thee nay.

Also, and this is probably oversharing, but my dad, who I used to think of as a really smart guy is now a huge Trump supporter. He's an atheist but he'll parrot conservative christian talking points that I've seen clipped from Nazi talking heads. The words that come out of his mouth and the way he smiles when he says completely insane things is haunting.

What all of this means at the end of the day isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it's kind of sad, and it definitely says something about his characterization. This man is floundering in a soup of his own making. A tragic puppet. A poor little meow meow.

There's an interesting line of demarcation between the various writings that he dictated to Scribe Yanthus, the things he wrote himself, and the things he says to us in the game.

Elder Brain Domination (from Ketheric, but about Gortash)

Suspended Ceremorphosis

The Grand Design

Studies of the Elder Brains

Accelerated Grand Design

Memoir Notes With Recent Addenda

Journal of Enver Gortash

He's so much more motivated and insightful early on, epitomized in Ketheric's entry, "Gortash fears that, energised by the dark energies of the Crown, the brain we now call the Absolute will eventually metamorphose into something new and more difficult to control." And he was right! But that guy's nowhere to be found by the time we meet him.

This one makes me particularly sad, "No weakness but the unexpected. It seems I shall need unexpected allies," because, again, he's right, and we could've saved him if the game had given us the opportunity to say, "No, there is another way. Let's not walk into this obvious trap." He wrote us a roadmap; left a trail of breadcrumbs; and we weren't given the option to follow them.

But I guess that's what fixfics are for.

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TAVtalk!

[thedarkjerg]

Dude, whenever I hear the the netherbitch say 'you think you know why you're here', my brain instantly thinks of wwe edge's theme song. Iykyk.

[thewitchoftherock]

Smash or Pass : The Absolute ? :p

The Absolute eh? Well, your Tav can Become Absolute at the end, but I don’t think that’s what you meant XD

I think you meant this thing.

Ok. Lessee…

First, it’s got the same brain powers as a mindflayer, and if BG3 is any indication, that’s means some Pretty good Super Happy Funtimes. Freaky psychic sex sounds great, and I imagine this thing could basically find the nut button in your brain. It would also get into my mind, and know everything I wanted it to do as I wanted it to do it… and NGL, that’s kinda hot.

Extra points for the tentacles.

negative points for the whole wanting to destroy everything bit.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Fuck. Yeah. I think I’d smash on the condition that it couldn’t enthral me, but we’d NOT be cuddling after.

[baldursgateconceptart]

Karsus Crown

Concept art for Baldur's Gate 3

Art by Jane Katsubo

[nightcityvngel]

Dispira playthrough gifs & pictures 27/??

[shewolfofvilnius]

A Dark Urge who is pregnant with Gortash' child and just found out.

A Dark Urge asked by Enver and Ketheric how their plan with the Illithid could possibly work when tadpole infections manifest in a matter of hours to days.

A Dark Urge, thinking of the new life slowly growing inside her. A parasite, growing slowly, excruciatingly slowly, over nearly a year. The potential victim of the parasite caught unawares for weeks or even months. Only realizing something is wrong when it's too late and their life is already ordering around this thing growing within them.

THEN, when the time is right, and only then, then the transformation finally manifests.

A pregnant Durge suggesting they order the Elder Brain to treat ceremorphosis less like a mind flayer factory...and more like a pregnancy.