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Proud dad🍻

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Heavy topic.

They look so exhausted in the last chapters

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From Strike to Your Shine by chorylbingbonsley (staystark) on AO3

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Fantasy Guide to Cults and Cult Leaders

Cults are a terrifying concept. The idea of a group of people under the control of a singular figure or belief that is isolated from what one knows or understands is unsettling. Cults are interesting because at their heart, they are complex dynamics which highlight some of the most unsavoury parts of human nature and the damage imposed from the imposition of certain lifestyles and beliefs upon a group of, sometimes, vulnerable people.

If it Quacks like a Cult, it probably is a Cult

A cult is a group of people who share a certain belief in how they must live their lives. Cults are usually closed communities, very often separating themselves from the mainstream society in order to protect their way of life and live in the bubble of their beliefs. Cults control, usually everything from what you might eat to who you can speak to. It ingrains in every aspect of your life, it takes over the way you live, the way you think and it draws you in like a mouth to the flame.

How a Cult Operates

A Cult doesn't have to use violence in order to control their members.

Isolation is the biggest weapon a cult has to impose their values and take control. If you prevent any outside intervention or prevention, you can impose control better. Cults typically either physically isolate their members from society, friends and family or emotionally isolate them, by telling them what they want to hear and speaking ill of the outside world. The thought of 'us vs them' is a feature that always has centre stage in a cult.

Indoctrination is used to impress certain ideas upon somebody else through repetition. Any outside thought or contradiction is explained away or discouraged. Only the ideas that the group has are right, anything else is either wrong or close to sinful. It isn't exactly that people in a cult are gullible, its that cult leaders understand their weaknesses and prey on them. They focus on things that the group mistrusts and offers protection from it.

Peer Pressure is also used. The group as a whole, armed with the beliefs of the leader, are often a weapon deployed against other members. Think about it, if you were alone in a group of people and they began to isolate you or make your life unpleasant and you had no escape, you would probably conform by the end. Human nature seeks approval, especially in a group setting.

Control over almost every aspect of life is also used. Cults usually follow strict rules. Members will have to live their lives along certain rules, how they act, what they say, who they speak to, what they believe, what they do at certain times etc. The The Peoples Temple implemented sleep deprivation on its members. The Heaven's Gate Cult had a strict vegan diet. The Aum Shinrikyo Cult bathed in the blood of their leader.

Punishment would be used to correct members who step out of line or stray from the teachings. This can be anything to social stigma and isolation to physical abuse. Sometimes even the fear of punishment is enough to keep the members in line.

Cult Leaders

Cult leaders are charismatic. They draw people in due to their knowledge and instinct of what people want and they know how to make them believe that they are the one person to deliver it. Leaders will prey on the fears of their followers, making themselves seem understanding of the member's fears and plight. They will form control around the group by presenting themselves as the answer or the salvation or the path in which the members can find it. They will manipulate relationships between members, playing them off against one another or fostering close relationships to foster competition between members. They will exploit the group for whatever they can be it money or other favours; it is not uncommon for the leaders of cults to form intimate relationships with members.

Why People Join Cults

Cults offer answers. They might be whacky answers like UFOs but it is an answer. People crave something to believe in, they want something to live for. It's a mixture of desperation, desire to be apart of something larger and a need for approval and social connection. People need something bigger than themselves and they will look for that, even in the worst of places.

Escaping a Cult and Life Beyond

People can and have escaped cults. Finding the strength to question what the cult teaches you and then the strength to abandon the life you have built in the community, takes a lot out a person. First, the person will begin to become disillusioned by the ideals and dynamics in the community, this can be due to their treatment or the fact that the cult has yet to deliver the promise they made at the beginning. They may even become liberated by an outside influence and realise the situation they are in. Leaving a cult may be dangerous so it is up to your character to plan an escape. Some cult survivors used help from outside to free themselves but an escape first comes from gradual separation from aspects of the cult. But even when somebody escapes a cult physically, the emotional and mental toll can still leave scars. They may still live in fear of the leader and the community exacting retribution, they may still internalise some of the teachings of the cult, they may have a hard time adjusting to mainstream society. They will have a long road in unlearning the harmful practises and thoughts of the cult. They will need a good support system to rebuild their lives and rebuild their relationships with friends and family.

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being so very brave right now by coming out as a Verso and Monoco yaoi enjoyer

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Two more Clair Obscur chibis

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"...and they shared their manly love for style, which none of them would admit to each other." I was smirking nastily during that scene. No homo, of course. Just dudes being bros

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family ❤️

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been watching my friends play 33 and god damn what a good game, Maelle and the others need a break tho

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🔥

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Esquie is perfectly friend-shaped😌

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It's all coming up Astarion.

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god this is so overdue. im finally making a bg3 side blog

for a first post i wanted to list some of the artists i've been (mostly) refraining from reblogging to main for many months at this point. i meant to only do my favorite few but then i couldn't decide who my favorite few were so... here you go

@meanbossart draws absolutely beautiful art of his absolutely beautiful du drow, and also has an amazingly well-written and well-characterized story about what he, astarion, and shadowheart get up to post-game

@kawareo goes deep how his durge strike suffers from both the urge and orin's attack, and into strike before orin's attack. i love the standalone art and comics, so when i say his writing is my favorite thing he's done that's high praise

@velnna's tav staeve is another very pretty man and i don't know how to describe what i like most about his art other than "very pleasantly textured", it catches the eye in a very pleasing way

@lucklessrat has incredible dramatic and comedic timing in their comics of lethean, and i love what they do with leth being old. you don’t see that often

i have a soft spot for half-orcs and paladins so naturally i think about @everchased's finch constantly. they have several of my favorite bg3 comics ever but the SMITE one is... just gonna say i agree with astarion there

there is so much to say about @jeeaark's tav greygold, from the jokes to the relentless optimism to the visceral (in a very good way) art style, but my new favorite thing is the dark urge (godsdammit) companion series, it's really fun to see DUG and greygold interact and i can't wait for more. also, another half-orc!

@ejoym's durge devlin is wonderfully deranged, i love the dark humor in the comics, the art is really crisp, and the artist makes really great use of colors. i love how pointy everyone is also

@ohpsshaw's durge typhus is going through it at the moment. love his expressive face (and the expressiveness of the whole art style) and puppydog vibe, i can't wait to see how much he... enjoys... the rest of the game as daddy's chosen. also check out the artist's entertaining commentary on her main(?) blog

@taygra5shaon's big scary durge jacq somehow can do adorable and terrifying equally well, sometimes at the same time. this is another artist who has great timing in her comics. i especially like the young jacq ones.

@angiemaniac's tavella and durge companion au presents durge from a different and very interesting perspective. and she does a great job including every companion into the story, while tavella is still a compelling character on her own!

cae is the most beautiful durge you've ever seen and @hellothisisangle's art does such a good job of making him feel dangerous. it's incredibly beautifully rendered, the poses and fashion are always amazing, and on top of it all cae's lore is fascinating too

@wellen-katze's comics are really in a league of their own. their comics vary but my favorites are the ones that hurt to read. my favorite series is this one with ascended astarion and a nameless durge dealing with the tragic aftermath of the story. their comics hurt in an incredible way that i can't get enough of.

ghost, aka niro, by @oathbreakerapologist is wonderfully fucked up. he has a really upsetting presence (/positive) and i can't look away from his relationship with orin. this is probably the least sfw blog i'm linking, which i hope comes off as a complement

with mistercrowbar's @aldiirn it's hard to pinpoint specific things i like because the art and comics are so well-rounded, but if pressed i would point to aldiirn's visual design and the skill with which the artist makes his desire for approval and will to break the rules mesh together. i'm not sure if i want to be his friend or study him like a bug

i love @crocodiller's pining dumbass (affectionate) rowan so much. there's a lot to like about the comics but my favorite is rowan's supportive friendship with karlach. they're also very well-paced and some of the crispest art i've ever seen

i found @ryvenarts and sullen literally yesterday but i'm already very interested and excited to see if there will be more

another recent (to me) discovery, thirkuir by @jayfitzmaurice. i really like his design and the expressiveness of all the characters

@quess-art has an adorable baby durge who still has a compelling backstory i'm excited to see more of. plus the wagging tail is just perfect

@3eefstud's durge Einar is really nice to look at, with amazing colors and gradients. i'm surprised i didn't find them until very recently

i thought @panksage's Ebony Darkness D'urge was just a joke at first but no, the comics are sincere (and also funny) and just beautiful, especially the colors!

i do not know if @arianiziolek's durge has a name. catty little murder lizard (affectionate). has some of the funniest comics but more importantly the best durge facial expressions

@bajablast666 is double dipping with durges kaethan and kelrath. both their art and writing have an intensity that i love (the red outlines they use often are so good) and their writing in particular conveys emotion and visceral feeling so well

karl by @beltart is another on the surprisingly long list of people i initially found from their art, then read their writing and was blown away. i don't think i've seen anyone else depict the weight of the urge as intensely as this and i love it

and finally, a palate cleanser from all the durges, @wirywyrm's tav arthur who's in a sitcom as opposed to a horror story. i really like the texture and detail of their art and also how much of a dork arthur is. least smooth bard(adin) in the realms

incredibly i did leave out a few people, mostly people who draw companions rather than their tav/durge because i sort of locked myself into this format, so i may come back and update this later!

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The Durge Companion AU - Bloody Habits

CW: Blood and Gore

Happy Spooky Month! Some DurgeTav and blood to celebrate!

Join the Discord and Patreon

First: Start Here!

Next: Chapter 11

Previous: Chapter 9

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Hello there! Our contributor applications are officially open! If you're interested in joining the team, the application forms can be found on our carrd (link in bio) and below the cut

We’re currently looking for: Artists, Writers and Merch Artists

For a full breakdown of each role, please refer to the application form of the role you want to apply to directly. We look forward to seeing your applications!

Artist Application:

Writer application

Merch Artist Application

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I will do a proper scan later but i wanted to show you my little Eris Shepard ! It feels so good to do watercolors again