The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash

The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash, also known as Durgetash, is the pairing of The Dark Urge and Enver Gortash from the Baldur's Gate III fandom.
The ship rose to prominence within a few months of the game's release in August 2023, after fans began to encounter Enver Gortash in their Durge playthroughs. Fans noted the chemistry between the two and the familiarity Gortash displayed with Durge, and began making fanart, fics, and ship manifestos. Durgetash soon became the most popular Enver Gortash ship, and the second most popular Durge ship behind Astarion/The Dark Urge.
==Fandom==
=== Pairing Name ===
Shippers struggled to settle on a ship name for The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash. Portmanteaus tended to use the Dark Urge's abbreviation "Durge" to make the naming easier: "DurgeBane" was used for a while, a reference to Enver Gortash's god, but the predominant name for the pair eventually became "DurgeTash." However, non-portmanteau names remain popular, particularly Durge/Gortash or TDU/Gortash.
=== Canon Durge Appearance ===
Due to the fact that Durge's appearance is customizable, there are two types of content made around this pair, the content using Custom Durge, and those focused around "Default" Durge, a male white dragonborn. The latter appears to be mostly favoured by east-asian fandom for the moment, with big content creators on twitter being Chinese and Korean speakers, but it appears to be slowly gaining more traction in western spaces. 
=== Reception and Interpretation === 
The pair is sometimes considered a toxic pair, with Gortash manipulating The Dark Urge. However, the largest part of the fandom seems to consider that the relationship is simply a romantic relationship between two evil characters who found an equal in the other. Gortash appears to be considered the dominant partner of the pair on twitter, but the opposite has been observed on Tumblr, especially with Default Durge, where the dragonborn is the one depicted as the dominant one with his physical size and strength. 
Some fans are drawn to how The Dark Urge and Enver Gortash are both awful people, but love and respect each other anyway. 
=== Canon Evidence Discussions ===
Many fans of the pair consider the relationship to be hinted at in the game. the most obvious reason being Gortash's attitude during the ceremony changes depending on whether he's talking to The Dark Urge or Tav. With The Dark Urge, a few video show that he has a warmer attitude and smiles more, on top of using terms of endearment such as "My Nearest and Dearest" "My favourite assassin!" or openly expressing that he likes The Dark Urge "I liked you."
Another valued "proof" of the fandom is the prayer written by The Dark Urge, which states "Forgive me Father, for I cannot help but admire the Chosen of your sworn foe."
Fans have also pointed to the differences in animation and dialogue when the player character is The Dark Urge as evidence for them being close:
Some fans appear to think that a romance might have been planned by Larian but cut off from the game, because of Larian's newsletter when they revealed Gortash's character, which stated that they knew the fans wanted to know if he was romanceable. However, this has not been confirmed.
==Fannish Tropes==
Some popular story tropes for Durgetash fanfiction include:
* Dominant/Submissive relationship: Due to Gortash and The Dark Urge being the leaders of the churches of gods of violence and tyranny, the relationship between the two often revolves around BDSM, even when no romantic feelings are involved.
* Forbidden relationship: Because of their clashing religious beliefs, the relationship is often seen as a forbidden, hidden love and/or a doomed one.
* Violence: Both characters are violent without much love and affection in their lives, with many fanworks depicting then being violent to others or each other to attempt to control each other or show affection.
* The Exception: Gortash is a servant of the God of Tyranny, who sees himself as the only one worthy to rule—for that reason, his relationship with The Dark Urge is often depicted as being an exception. Gortash sees The Dark Urge as his only equal.
* Childhood friends: Both Gortash and The Dark Urge have had a troubled childhood, having spent a part of their lives on the streets. For that reason, imagining them supporting each other and rising to power together appeals to many fans.
* Pre-Canon: Gortash and The Dark Urge plotted together before canon, and a lot of what exactly happened is not described, including the romantic nature of their relationship. Many fics focus on their romance before the start of canon and The Dark Urge losing their memories.
==Notable Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
* Welcome home by boringKK, the first Durgetash fic published to AO3 on Aug 19 2023.
* Remember Me by Tinyshot, the first English-language Durgetash fic published to AO3 on Aug 20 2023.
* A memory of your blood by TimonTomato, one of the first Durgetash longfics.
* young rivers in your hands by m4rkab, an early fic set after the pre-canon heist Durge and Enver Gortash pulled off.
===Fanart===
* by faithcontinue
* by @Chitujiang
* by soottea
* by amaranthsynthesis
* by venndaai
===Fan Comics===
* by amaranthsynthesis
* by Haunted.dot
* by Haunted.dot
* by soottea
* by jyi-mi
===Meta===
* by lusticiars
* , essay about who fell in love first by animentality
* by yoakesan
* by yoakesan
* by broiamjustalilguy
* , ship manifesto by a Nonny on FFA
* , a mini ship manifesto by Nonnies on FFA
* DurgeTash Explained! - A Baldur's Gate 3 Analysis, a YouTube video essay by pocket leaves about DurgeTash appeal
==External Links==
* The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash works at AO3
* #Durgetash on Tumblr
* #Durgetash on Twitter
== References ==
Category:Baldur's Gate Relationships
Category:Het Pairings
Category:Slash Pairings
Category:Non-Binary_Pairings