#while wyll accepts his because he thinks he deserves them

[eff-plays]

What if ... Wyll x Durge ...

[powdermelonkeg]

just saw ur gale/mystra analysis post. im new to the game and dnd lore and honestly… ur take on their relationship feels like the most natural/compelling one??? esp since its all too easy to simplify topics that have many facets and nuance….

thanks for sharing i love analysis and reading people’s takes on narratives : D

My pleasure! (Bee from the future here: congrats, you spawned another meta!)

I love complicated characters, WAY more than I like a clear cut-and-dry case. Flaws, to me, are what make a character compelling and lead to interesting stories about them with choices that can get them into situations. I'm both writing a fanfic and running a campaign where I'm playing as Gale, and in the interest of portraying him properly and in-character, I've gone into SUCH a deep dive into all the decisions and facts that make him him.

It helps to, y'know, also be in love with the fictional wizard, but I digress

The thing about Baldur's Gate 3 is that no character in there is perfect. I've seen a couple analyses about the theme of continuing cycles of abuse vs breaking out of them, but in my mind, in terms of the characters themselves, it goes like this:

The origin characters have just come out of the lowest situation of their lives (Lae'zel being the exception; being tadpoled is a gith's worst nightmare. You're seeing that lowest situation in real time).

Not the lowest point, mind. Gale's lowest was probably the day after he got the Orb. Wyll's was probably the day his father cast him out. Karlach's was the day she lost her heart. But the lowest, accepted normal for them is what they've just left.

They're then thrown out of their depth and forced to rely on you to live. That's #1 priority: living. We get the extremes of these characters before we get their nuances, because they're quite literally at their breaking points.

Then once we get to know them, we see their wants, their hopes, their fears, as they open up to us. Every companion's story is at their own pace, but they all have a moment where they ping-pong between despondency and desire. Sometimes that desire is what we know isn't good for them, like Shadowheart wanting to be a Dark Justiciar. Sometimes that despondency is only for a flicker, like Astarion's realization that he's condemned 7000 people to a half-life of tortured spawnhood for as long as he's been a vampire.

Romance lets us crack all that open more, because if you pursue a romantic partner, they see you as their closest confidant. They WANT to trust you, so they're more willing to explain how they see the world and what decisions they want to chase.

And then their endings. Those often get simplified as good/bad, continuing the cycle vs breaking away from it. But how is Duke Wyll on the same platform as Ascended Astarion? He's not evil, he's not even entirely unhappy. He might even have broken out of his abusive cycle with Mizora, if you played your cards right. And Ascended Astarion is overjoyed, even if he is remarkably more cold.

I think that the endings are less a dichotomy of "this is good for them" vs "this is bad for them," and more one of "bringing out their best traits" vs "bringing out their worst."

Wyll's worst trait is being willing to sacrifice his own wants for whatever people desire of him. His best is standing for what he believes in and ensuring people are safe. Duke Wyll leans into that necessity to turn the other cheek in the name of people who count on him, while the Blade of Avernus has seized that moral compass of his and forged it out of mithral.

Shadowheart's worst trait is blind obedience at the cost of her individuality, while her best is her desire to be kind to things that don't deserve to be hurt. Mother Superior Shadowheart's whole life is defined by Shar. Selûnite Shadowheart's life is defined by her hospitality, especially towards animals.

Karlach's worst trait is how willing she is to accept that things are (to quote her) fucked, letting despair override hope. Her best is her durability in the face of horror. Exploded Karlach would rather die than try to work out a solution in the Hells, because she's terrified of facing Zariel alone. Mindflayer Karlach has accepted her fate and decides to give up her heart and soul to go out a hero, losing who she is. Fury of Avernus Karlach is willing to keep fighting for a solution, and by the time the epilogue happens, she's got her sights set on one.

Astarion's worst trait is his desire for power over people. His best trait is using the tools he has to his advantage. Ascended Astarion has let his powerhungry nature and paranoia lead all of his decisions, with his sights set on dominating mankind. Spawn Astarion has embraced what he is, and carved out a life for himself where he can do as he pleases.

Lae'zel's worst trait is her blind fanaticism, while her best trait is her individual dedication, making her loyalty a marriage of the two. Ascended Lae'zel is a meal for the lich queen, turning a blind eye to all Vlaakith's tried to do to her and literally being consumed by her fervor. Champion of Orpheus Lae'zel has turned her loyalty into something productive for diplomacy. Faerûnian Lae'zel has seized her individuality by the throat and decided her own future.

And then Gale. Gale's worst traits are his hubris and, paradoxically, his low self worth. His best traits are his creativity and wonder for the world. God Gale is the embodiment of ambition, having burned away all but that in pursuit of perfection. Exploded Gale has let his remorse blot out all hope for a redemption in which he does not die, because he thinks he's earned it. Professor Gale leads his life by embracing the school of Illusion and letting his creativity thrive, teaching others to do the same. House Husband Gale has multiple creative projects he's working on, and Adventurer Gale is always finding new sights to see and wanting to share them with you.

There are arguments to be made on which ending the origins are happiest in, certainly, or which one benefits them the most, but each ending represents the extreme of a facet they possess.

So with all that, there's a sort of malleable method to figuring out the ins and outs of a character.

You take their endings—all of them, all variables they can have—and reverse-engineer the flaws and details they carry. Then you start to notice how those work into their approvals for minor things: Astarion approving of your taking of the Blood of Lathander, or Shadowheart approving of standing up for Arabella. Getting a list of approvals and disapprovals is helpful, but having those endings on hand tells you why they react like that to a majority of their decisions.

You take their romance-route explanations of how they act, and apply those to earlier decisions. Astarion's confession to manipulating you and Araj-prompted admittance to using himself as a tool brings to light how he reacts to your decisions, regardless of his actual opinions on them. Wyll's fairytale romance and love of poetic adages speaks to his idealistic nature, and why he takes a sometimes-blinded approach to decisions in which the "right" answer isn't always the smart one.

You take their beginning reactions to stress and use that to measure how future decisions impact them. Lae'zel locks down and gets snappy when she's scared, while Gale immediately turns to diplomacy. Shadowheart has gallows humor, while Wyll turns to quiet acceptance. If they break from these and seem even worse, you know the situation is more dire in their minds than having seven days to live.

And then you factor in all their fun facts and dialogue choices and backstories.

A wizard falls in love with a goddess and her magic, attempts to retrieve a piece of her power for her, is scorned for his attempt and is cursed to die.

Give that backstory to a Tav. Look at how it changes.

A chaotic good wizard fell in love with a goddess, thought retrieving a piece of power for her would be a showy bouquet of love, and was punished for not thinking things through.

A lawful evil wizard fell in love with a goddess's power, snatched the most precious thing she owned, tried to use it to barter his way through to the secrets she kept, and was given a swift retribution.

Same backstory. Same class, same act, same goddess. Wildly different connotations. Wildly different conclusions as to who is in the wrong.

If you take all there is to Gale, all that the game shows us makes up his character, and apply it to this backstory, you get what really happened:

A wizard, enamored with magic, fell in love with a goddess. His desires led him to want more than she was willing to give. In his well-buried fear of inadequacy, he concluded that the reason she wouldn't indulge his ambitions was because he just hadn't proven himself worthy enough. So he tried to prove himself, but he lacked the context for what he was proving himself with. And the goddess, seeing a weapon that had killed her predecessor, saw this ambitious wizard as losing his way and coming for her just like the weapon's creator had. She was angry, she withdrew his link to her, and he didn't know why. So he drew the conclusion that she took his powers to punish him, and let that encompass his fall from grace.

Was he wrong to reach for what was out there?

If you knew that the answers to everything you cared about were not only known, but kept by someone you loved—someone who adored you—what would you do to ask to see them? What if your curiosities were if there were other planets with life out there, or how dark matter worked, or whether or not we could one day travel in the stars? What if it was the potential cure to an illness that's little-understood, or the way to make a program you dreamt up, or the scope of the true limits of your artistic talents? Would your answer change?

Was she wrong to cut him off?

If you were once hurt, and the person you loved—the person who adored you—brought the thing that caused it to your door, believing you'd want it, how would you react to seeing it? What if that thing was someone you thought you'd broken contact with, like a friend or family member you'd been trying to avoid? Would your answer change?

That's the sort of scope that needs to be applied to this, on both sides. You have to take the perspectives of each party, and apply two analogies instead of one.

Gale saw the vastness of the universe, untold wonders, the solution to every question he could ever dream up, and saw Mystra as withholding this from him because she thought he just wasn't worthy enough. To claim Mystra knew his perspective does her a disservice.

Mystra saw a cruel weapon she thought long gone, in the hands of someone who could use it, brought right to her, and thought Gale was willingly following the path of Karsus. To claim Gale knew her perspective does him a disservice.

Should Gale have researched his prize more, so he knew just what he was obtaining? Should he have kept his hands off a cursed book that would devour him? Of course he should have.

Should he have given up on chasing his dreams?

Should Mystra have understood that Gale's pursuit of power was nothing like Karsus'? Should she have communicated when she was angry instead of giving the cold shoulder? Of course she should have.

Should she have given him the benefit of the doubt?

That's the root of their falling out. That's what leads to hurt being inflicted. Understandable, human reactions to the situations they perceive. Unhealthy, unwise choices made afterwards.

You work backwards from this to figure out their dynamic as Chosen and goddess. You work forward from this to understand more of where Gale and Mystra are during the events of Baldur's Gate 3. Gale reached too high, and understands this. His goddess hates him, and he regrets this. Mystra isolated Gale, and understands this. Her Chosen wants redemption, and she wants to make it happen.

Just like we took Gale's character into account, we also have to take Mystra's.

A goddess is faced with a problem. She uses someone who's desperate for approval to solve it, by telling him to kill himself.

An evil goddess is faced with a threat to her reign. She sees someone who's unfailingly loyal and hates himself, and elects to have him tear himself apart rather than do anything about it.

A good goddess is terrified of the future. She sees someone who tried to hurt her, who's going to die anyways, and tells him to use it to save the world.

Same story. Same act, same power, same pawn. Different character. Different perspective. Different outlook on whether or not this is the right thing to do.

Mystra has died, multiple times, to people trying to stake claim to her domain. Someone appears with the very thing that could do it again, right as she's regained her stability.

She does not see mortals the way mortals do. She is timeless. She is eternal. She has a duty to protect billions of people, and one person lost to protect that number is more than worth the sacrifice.

People like to bring up the Seven Sisters as proof of Mystra's cruelty. For those unaware, Mystra asked permission to, then possessed, a woman, used her to court a man (with dubious consent from the woman), and bore seven children, all of whom were capable of bearing Mystra's power as Chosen without dying. The woman she possessed was killed in the process (reduced to no more than a husk, then slain by her now-husband, hoping to end her suffering), and the husband was horrified by the whole story.

Mystra needed Chosen in order to restore herself in the event that she was killed again, to prevent magic as a whole from collapsing and wreaking havoc on the mortal realm, like it had in the few seconds Mystryl had been dead. Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, and the Seven Sisters contributed to this. The more Chosen she has, the better; what happens if Elminster dies? She can't afford to have all her eggs in one basket.

Mystra has Volo (yeah, that Volo) as a Weave Anchor, imparted with a portion of her power to prevent the Weave from shredding itself to pieces in her absence. All Chosen of Mystra are Weave Anchors by nature. The creation of Weave Anchors was mandated by Ao, the Overgod, and Chosen are the best way to make sure those anchors aren't drained by ambitious people hoping for godlike power. Chosen can, and will, defend themselves, unlike static locations (which Mystra also has). The anchors are why the Weave wasn't completely obliterated during Mystra's last death, when the Spellplague rose up, because they stabilized the Weave around them.

Everything Mystra does is in the name of the big picture, to prevent a catastrophe like the fall of Netheril from happening again. Her restriction of magic, her numerous Chosen, her creation of Weave Anchors, her destruction of those who would claim her power, it's all in the name of the stability she's been charged with. Dornal Silverhand's grief and Elué Silverhand's death, while regrettable, were worth it to bring seven more anchors into existence to save all of the Material.

So someone appears with the Crown of Karsus, potentially powerful enough to try to kill the other gods in the name of the Dead Three. She can't risk being a target of them. She can't risk the destruction of magic again.

Gale is going to die. He lives in fear. He begs for forgiveness.

In Mystra's eyes, she's offering him the best outcome. She'll let him die in service to her, to save Faerûn, and she'll forgive him. He's going to die anyways, and if he does this, she'll give him everything (she thinks) he could ever want in her realm. She's asking him to do what (she thinks) is the right thing.

"She would consider what she considers to be forgiveness."

Notably, she leaves the decision in his hands. She doesn't have Elminster lead him to the Nether Brain. She doesn't activate him as soon as he's there. When he lives yet, she doesn't revoke the charm that keeps him stable. And when he declines, when he lets it go and starts pursuing Karsus' path, she doesn't smite him on the spot.

She is (she thinks) being incredibly patient. If Gale is going to try to be Karsus II, she's ready for him. If he decides to walk off and keep the Orb, he's dug his own grave in the Fugue Plane (those who don't have a god to claim them roam endlessly as husks and form a wall of bodies around the City of Judgement).

From her perspective, she's not being unreasonable. But from the perspective of a mortal, she absolutely is.

"Now, I have a question for thee: what is the worth of a single mortal's life?"

This is a question she cannot answer properly.

I think a lot of characterization is lost whenever someone paints one of them as being totally in the right. But I also think you have to be invested in them as characters to want to see that characterization. If you want to write about Mystra, you have to try to get into her head, analyze the decisions she made, figure out why she thinks she was right, and follow the pattern.

Gale's sacrifice is a very predictable thing for her to ask for.

[daisyofwaterdeep]

I say your Wyll thoughts so decided to slide some of my own your way.

I think Wyll deserves to be bridal carried. I also think he deserves dipped back as he gets smooched.

What do you think? Thoughts on my thoughts?

!NSFW!

not sure if this is the same person or if there's just a general consensus that Wyll needs to be bridal carried but either way? you're so fucking RIGHT. he's been carrying the weight of the sword coast on his back for years now, it's time for someone to carry him.

in fact, he's been forced to 'lead the charge' and to think on his feet for so long, he deserves to just....not worry. to be absolutely pampered and courted without having to lift a single finger. the problem here is, this man doesn't know what he deserves, so he's going to fight you on this. and by 'fight' i mean he's going to one-up every move you make.

take him for a nice stroll through the woods? the next day he'll ask to go again and bam-- he's set up a lovely picnic for the two of you.

gift him a pretty adornment for his horns? he'll be giving you a necklace with a pretty stone that you once examined before tossing away, but he secretly kept

surprise him with peck on the cheek while he's polishing his sword? he's setting down his rag and twirling you into a deep kiss before you even know what's happening.

it's the most sweet, thoughtful, and infuriating thing in the world.

you just want to spoil him! you want him to not already be plotting out how he's going to reciprocate your affections every time you give them out--you want him to just accept them.

so how exactly do you spoil Wyll Ravengard?

tell him you're going to. tell him that today you're going to pamper the ever-loving shit out of him, and that if he tries to do anything, you'll be very cross with him.

i'm talking breakfast in bed, blowjobs, cuddling up and reading, taking him out on the town for drinks and shopping, returning home and cooking him his favorite foods for dinner...

he'll slip up throughout the day though. trying to get up from bed to pour you both more coffee. offering to reciprocate after the blowjob (alright, he made a good argument on this one: he wanted to do it, so who are you to deny him?). offering to trade spots on the couch so you have the better lighting to read. trying to buy you things while you're out. wanting to help with cooking. the man just can't help himself!

but after dinner and a bubblebath (and yes, he once again argued that he wanted you to join him in the tub, so of course you did), it's time for you to roll up your sleeves and put your foot down.

while towel drying him off, he'll jokingly say that he could just fall asleep on his feet right then and there, and you'll half-jokingly reply that you can carry him to bed if he wants, and he'll laugh, but now you're determined to do it for real. now this entirely depends on your race/build/stats in this scenario, but this could go one of two ways.

you pick him up with ease and he's shocked, flustered, and positively delighted as you carry him to the bedroom

you do your best to pick him up-- maybe you use a levitating spell to help get him to the bedroom, or maybe you just take a few steps, just to prove how serious you are about going above and beyond

either way, the both of you are flushed from laughing and giggling and kissing each other because the whole thing is over the top and silly.

as soon as he's on the bed, still laughing, he'll try to pull you down with him to continue kissing you, but you stay firm and bat him away. you tell him to stretch out on his stomach as you procure the jar of lotion you purchased for this exact moment. it's scented with lavender and enchanted to warm up as it's rubbed in.

you already know where i'm going with this: full body massage. you spend an entire hour putting dollops of the lotion between your hands and massaging it into his skin, working out the numerous knots and kinks in his muscles, drunk on the sighs and groans of relief he's lavishing you with.

when you tell him to flip over, his cock is stiff and full. you want to immediately give it your attention, but you dutifully continue your massage-- feet, chest, arms, stomach. all the while, you get to enjoy the way his erection lazily twitches and jerks whenever you find a particularly tense area and work it into suppleness. seeing just how much Wyll appreciates your efforts has you nearly dizzy with happiness and lust.

and when you've got him melted into the mattress and blissed out, that's when you fuck him. go slow; drag him through your wetness a few times to show him just how much you've loved spoiling him, and then take him inch by agonizingly slow inch, telling him how good he feels the whole time. make him keep his back on the bed, nice and comfortable as you slowly grind against him, dragging out more of those happy, content groans from him.

pause often to kiss him. pause often to tell him you love him. pause whenever you can to drag out his pleasure and make him delirious with just how happy he is.

and after he's climaxed and he's back to a boneless puddle against the bed, bring in a little snack to handfeed him as the two of you chat and smile and laugh together.

and if he tries to feed some to you? let him. because as much as Wyll has enjoyed being spoiled today, his favorite thing in the world is spoiling you <3

[transquad]

Illithid Tav — romance epilogues

EDIT: This has only partially been updated with the Patch 5 party stuff and has nothing from any patch after that, I'll get around to it ... Someday

I am obsessed with the concept of a protagonist sacrificing their humanity for the greater good. That's why the free Orpheus + illithid player ending made me so fucking happy, up until Astarion decided to dump my ass in the last five seconds of the game, because he can't handle a few tentacles or whatever. It made me realize that as much as I like him, I really don't like his romance. It's just so much giving and so little receiving. I think my character deserves someone who can actually offer him a little love and support and reassurance every once in a while. Including (especially!) after he transforms into a squid man.

So I wanted to go into my second playthrough knowing which of these sluts would still love me if I was a worm.

Unfortunately I have not been able to actually find many variants of these scenes on Youtube. But from what I could find, this is how the epilogue scenes with romanced companions play out if the player character becomes a mind flayer:

• Astarion dumps you. Good Astarion says he is open to the idea of getting back together someday but he needs a break to process things. (Exactly what's going on in his head here is anyone's guess.) Evil Astarion thinks you're icky now and only wants you as a powerful ally.

PATCH 5 EDIT: Despite having six months to come to his senses, at the party Good Astarion seems pretty disinterested in getting back together with Tavflayer, something I'm never going to forgive him for.

• (Crownless) Gale fully accepts you. You fuck offscreen. He asks you to marry him. He even says he will find a caterer who does brains for your wedding. It's incredibly sweet.

• Halsin fully accepts you. You fuck offscreen. You are invited to his anprim commune with the caveat that he will need to introduce you to his followers carefully, for both your safety and their mental health.

• (Good) Shadowheart fully accepts you. You fuck offscreen. She wants to take some time to go on a quest to find herself / spend time with her parents, but you're welcome to go with her in disguise.

• Wyll certainly acts like he accepts you, but he basically makes you his secret attic wife in the name of protecting you, which is pretty fucked up, dude. Halsin & Shadowheart are also very concerned about your safety and have the same impulse to hide you away, but it's easy enough to convince them that you'll be fine. Not Wyll, apparently. (What the hell, man?)

EDIT: If you don't get this dialogue because one or both of you go to Avernus with Karlach, then he is normal about everything at the party.

• I don't think Karlach gets a normal epilogue scene if she isn't a mind flayer. No clue what changes in the dialogue that she does have if you're the mind flayer.

• I don't think Lae'zel gets a normal epilogue scene if she returns to the Astral plane, which I believe she always does if you're a mind flayer. Yeah, she dumps you even after you sacrifice yourself for Orpheus. Sad! However. I saw someone say in a Youtube comment that if you are (were) also githyanki then you can go with her, even if you're a mind flayer now. So if that's accurate, I guess that's the exception?

• EDIT: Good news! Minthara is also a squid fucker.

Glaringly, none of these scenes acknowledge that Disguise Self is a spell that exists, and it's unclear how different they would be if they did.

If you know something I don't know, especially if you have proof in screenshots or videos, please let me know so I can update these notes. I have become very invested in finding out which of these clowns are squid fuckers.

[ell-vellan]

Masterlist of my BG3 Tavs

Because I need to keep a list of them around somewhere lol

Safiel Farspirit

Half wood elf druid (circle of the land)

Folk hero

Chaotic good

Raised in a free love hippie commune druid circle by her wood-elf father and human mother, Safiel ran with a small band of Robin Hood-esque do-gooders made up of her childhood friends before being captured by mind flayers. She is a free spirited, idealistic, slightly foolish, soft-hearted animal lover. Feels like she has a duty (imparted by her parents) to make the world better. Open minded, she respects all life, belives everyone deserves a chance for happiness and equality. She wants to fix Astarion - even vampires are a sort of life - and right the wrongs of his past. Safiel gets along great with Wyll - like a brother - as he reminds her of a childhood friend. She accepts Shadowheart, and wants to help her heal. She instantly hero worships Halsin, then is quickly head over heels for him, soaking up his wisdom with wide eyes and admiration.

Romance: Astarion and/later Halsin

Caitris Silverguard

High Elf Cleric of Selune (knowledge domain)

Sage

Lawful good

Stuck up, book-learned, ice queen who looks down her nose on...pretty much everyone who isn't a high elf. Not as smart as she thinks she is, but pretty close. Spent most of her life in study. Perfectionist. Haughty. Not very well versed in combat. Very devout. Clashes with Shadowheart, suspicious of Astarion, thinks Gale is a fool.

Romance: ?? (Probably Shadowheart)

Rowena

Half-drow bard, flute specialty (college of swords)/ Rogue

Urchin

Chaotic neutral, occasionally evil

Abandoned first by her Drow mother and then by her human father in Baldur's Gate, Rowena grew up on the streets, pickpocketing and busking with roving bands of orphan thieves to survive. Will always look out for her best interests first and foremost, and seem to hoard any bit of power she can after having none her whole life. She's angry that her father is human and stole her away from the Underdark, because I'd she had stayed amd been full Drow, she could have had so much more power. She's selfish, sarcastic, has a wicked sense of humor, and is clever and quick-witted. Reckless. Can talk her way out of anything. Dyed her hair blue as a disguise when she was wanted for angering some minor lord, then was too poor to dye it back, then it grew out. Changes her look every time a new wanted poster with her name on it goes up. Her tattoo represents each time she's escaped from jail (and also am homage to her childhood gang.)

Will kiss you, stab you, and then go through your pockets while making a joke as you bleed out.

Romance: Astarion (ascendent) and Halsin

Neridove Rainriver

High Elf

Storm Sorcerer

Neutral good

Scholar

Neridove is the type A gifted kid who wants and needs to be the best. She's stuck up, clever, and quick witted and doesn't have time for anyone's nonsense. She grew up as an apprentice to an eccentric sorcerer who made his pupils compete with each other, and she takes that same energy out into the world with her. If you're not first, you're last in her book.

Romance: Gale

(also shares custody of Gale with my friend @thegoblinwitchqueen's storm sorcerer, who drew this sketch! They're frenemies.)

Minoraun

Seldarine Drow Paladin of Vengeance

The Dark Urge (resisting)

Romance: Astarion

Nirrhuc Shahazar

Black Dragonborn

Dragon blood (bronze) Sorcerer

Outlander

Romance: Lae'zel or Karlach

Sereluska

White Dragonborn

Dragon blood (gold) sorcerer

Noble

Romance: ?

[thessalian]

Thess vs Things Left Unsaid

I started the day going, "This is a day in which I am going to do absolutely nothing, except put food in my face and maybe go to the corner shop for a treat".

Except asking me to do literally nothing is too hard an ask and while I have gone through a fair bit of Stray Gods Act 1, I ... kind of need something with combat. Except I also sort of don't because oh dear gods I hurt.

Anyway, not the point. This was actually just a quick one about the recent Video Game Awards, which have been yelled about a lot lately. Honestly, it's deserved yelling. Basically it's "They gave more time to reveals and trailers than they did to the people accepting these awards", to the point of flashing a WRAP IT UP sign on the teleprompter as the acceptance speech for Baldur's Gate 3's GotY award was getting to the part where they were thanking the cinematic animation lead who literally died not long after the game was released to such acclaim.

I get why, even if I don't agree with why. The people running this event wanted to avoid any "awkward" speeches - ones that might touch on ... for example, the situation in Gaza and how a ceasefire would be really nice, or the literal thousands of people that game publishers have laid off over the last year or so to inflate their profit margins, or the toxic work culture in those companies, and so on and so on. Awkward shit like that. Things that are really important to hear about and think about, but that video game publishers probably don't want people to think about, so they want to ensure that nothing gets in the way of "VIDEO GAMES YAY!"

However. Once again, I give props to Neil Newbon. YouTube actually happened to recommend a clip of his acceptance speech, and ... okay. Y'all know as how TEH GAMERZ have been bitching about Baldur's Gate 3. "Pronouns", and having to endure male characters making passes at their male OC. "The Woke", basically. Hell, it's got even worse since a) some modders on Nexus made a mod that turned Dame Aylin male (Ser Aylin - for real) specifically to "make the relationship with Isobel more in line with medievel norms", and b) Nexus Mods shutting that homophobic piece of shit mod down. TEH GAMERZ are shitting themselves, and I can only cheer.

Anyway, point is, at the point where they must have flashed their stupid "WRAP IT UP" sign, after he'd thanked people as best he could in the thirty seconds or so they gave him and the "get off the stage" music was starting, he leaned into the microphone and started talking about how people all over the internet had said they felt seen by this game, and how grateful he was that they did - that those people were seen, and how he was thankful that the people who needed to be seen got to feel that way. And honestly? I don't think it was just the LGBTQAI+ community that he was talking about. Because the man played Astarion. And whether your playthrough has him queer or not, and honestly, all things considered, I doubt you can make Astarion's story not-queer, given that I imagine Cazador ... erm 'enjoyed' his thralls ... honestly, that's the point. It wasn't just the queer community that would almost certainly feel seen by Baldur's Gate 3.

Two words: abuse survivors.

Astarion. Shadowheart. Karlach. Wyll to a point. Hell, technically Lae'zel. So many of the companions in Baldur's Gate 3 have been in some way abused and lied to by someone with power over them (twice in Karlach's case). And in this game, you not only see what it does to those characters but you can help. For those who are living through or even have just escaped from abuse ... they can be the protector that they wanted and needed, but maybe never had. They can see, at a remove, the strong temptation to become the abuser - or at least be like the abuser - because when you're abused, the idea is basically shoved in your face that the only way to be safe from abuse is to have the power your abuser has. Astarion's story in particular gives the option of a more healthy way to heal.

It was such an important thing to say, and Newbon did what he could to say it despite the organisers only wanting their winners to say the briefest of thank-yous before running off to leave more time for previews, trailers, and new release announcements. It was rushed, but he felt it was important enough to at least get out there, as a message, so he did what he could in the brief time he was allowed. I do very much appreciate that man.

In other news, I'm a bit of an idiot. I got to a point in Stray Gods where I was going, "Wait, I know that voice. Where do I know that voice from? Okay, here's IMDB ... I know that name. From somewhere big. Why do I know that name?" And it took a lot of scrolling to remember that Kimberly Brooks voiced Ashley Williams in Mass Effect. Then again, I admit that a) I haven't played ME1 in awhile because even in the LE, the UI is still a little iffy, and b) because of the logic my Shepards generally use, Ashley has never once been my VS. Not that I don't like the character; just ... the way shit pans out on Virmire, usually. Also c) I'm pretty shit at names anyway.

Right. Back to the vegetation. I'll probably throw on some trousers and go to the corner shop soon, and then I have an apparently easy recipe for gluten-free toad in the hole, and nice long hot bath later. Anything to get rid of the migraine, the aches, and this tic under my right eye that's been there for three straight days now and is driving me ever-so-slightly crazy. And then tomorrow, back to work, and wondering exactly what horrors the other staffers have left for me. Five hours, I worked last night and I still barely feel like I made a dent. Couldn't finish all of Friday's (partly because a lot of them were long and complicated, but mostly because there were a lot of them) and definitely couldn't touch any of the stuff done on Saturday and Sunday. At this rate, I'm going to be on overtime until the Christmas holidays. I just keep reminding myself that I did actually make a dent and it's not my fault that people just keep filling that dent up with more work. It helps. Not enough for me not to dread what the queue will look like tomorrow, but it helps.

[gaysindistress]

(1/2) My headcanons for Gale, Wyll, Astarion, Halsin, Dammon, Rolan, and Zevlor with shy gn s/o who would go out of their way to help others whenever they can request is so good! I'm glad you found it sweet & cute 🤭 I definitely enjoyed it (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) I love it especially Gale isn't surprised since they helped him out of the portal immediately 👍, he would tease them gently about their shyness 😁, just the sight of him smiling & looking at them while brushing a strand of their hair & telling them how kind they are makes me feel so loved 🥰, he would be firm if they took more things than they could handle 😤, he would cancel any plans they had & have them rest in bed all day if they're too tired because they ignored themselves to help others 🛏️ (He's so caring 😍), Wyll is charmed by their selflessness as he takes pride on being the Blade of Frontiers who signed a pact to protect the city 😍, he finds their shyness endearing 🤭, the contrast of how they always try to help others yet they can't say hello first is cute to him 💕, he's more on the reserved side when he's not in work mode 🤐, just how precious the kid is when they told their parents how a hero helped them (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠), they're trying to hide themselves from the kid featuring to them is exactly what I would do (How did you know 🤣), he got closer to them & gently encouraged them to accept their praise 🤭, he's aware of how much they hate having the spotlight on them (How did you know again 😂) but he thinks that their actions deserved to be acknowledged 🥹 (,Wyll is so precious too 😍), Astarion being annoyed or being attracted to their kindness is so him either way XD, he appreciates how much they have helped him but he might see it as a threat considering his trauma 🥺, he would upset at first because he can't understand how they can care for him & others at the same time 😔, it makes perfect sense as it's a double-edged sword to him 😞, he would come to understand that how they are & they still love him after some time with therapy 😌, there are times he struggled with but he's not as threatened as before 👍, he would absolutely tease them about how shy they are especially making him help Dribbles 😁, he went out of his way to tell people they have the cure for smelly armpits because he's finds their reaction funny from people asking them about it (Of course he would 🤣), Halsin finds their selflessness the most attractive thing about them especially with how much they have helped him 😍, he may have put his feelings aside for the time being but he pined for them HARD 🥺, he fell hard for them & that shy smile whenever someone thanks them when he confessed to them ☺️, he would whisper to them to go back to camp in a strained voice when they helped someone out 😳, he doesn't think about their shyness much as he's reserved 🤐, he would prefer being in nature or away from people so he would ask if they don't mind staying at home instead 🏡,

I love all of the emojis 😂💓 it feels like we’re on FaceTime talking about this

[mybg3notebook]

Gale: Hypothesis and Analogies – Part 2

Here, I will compile several hypotheses that are pretty common to find around and I will express my opinion on them showing what EA has given us so far to justify them or not. 

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in June 2021.

Disclaimer about interpretations of Real Life concepts: I’m not a fan of bringing real life issues into plain analogies/allegories in a game which intention in doing so was not made explicit, but the fandom seems to like this aspect and therefore I would like to share those opinions here as well since some seems reasonable despite not being of my taste. This topic may be sensitive for some people. Be aware of it.

Hypothesis: Gale is a gaslighter

Concept

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgement. It may evoke changes in them such as cognitive dissonance or low self-esteem, rendering the victim additionally dependent on the gaslighter for emotional support and validation. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction,and disinformation, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilise the victim and delegitimise the victim's beliefs. 

A gasligther's ultimate goal is to make their victim second-guess their choices and to question their sanity, making them more dependent on the abuser. Fandom does an incredible misuse of this word (and similar ones), that over-magnifies situations which don't have those dimensions. For example, it’s pretty common to read in this fandom that Wyll “gaslights” Tav when he denies that his eye is a sending stone. Gaslighting and lying are not synonymous at all. 

Then, what's the difference? A person usually lies by either withholding or concealing information, or falsifying information and presenting it as true.

Gaslighting is similar to lying, but a gaslighter will also be attempting to confuse the other person by flipping a situation and putting the blame onto them, making them doubt their perception of events and second guess themselves. Typically the gaslighter is either trying to avoid taking responsibility for something and they want someone else to take responsibility, or they are trying to gain control over someone because they have an agenda.

So basically, gaslighting is about flipping, attacking, confusing and blaming, gaining power over another, and trying to get someone else to take responsibility for their bad behaviour. But lying doesn’t involve flipping, attacking or blaming and the liar isn’t trying to get someone else to take responsibility for their behaviour, they are merely hiding information for personal reasons. 

Inside the context of BG3

Honestly, nothing of this is happening with Gale, not even with Wyll and his denial about the sending stone. Gale and Wyll are hiding personal information, but without any interest to control Tav. In fact, the one holding power is Tav: the leader of the group that no companion questions. It's clear for any player that Tav has so much power over the group that they can kill any of the companions without consequences. 

Unlike an average gaslighter, Gale is well aware that his dire situation is the product of his own mistakes; the folly of his young self who believed that Mystra's love would last forever. We also learnt in the Loss scene that he deeply regrets this situation and during the Revelation scene he makes it clear over and over again that the only one to blame is “the silly wizard who did not accept a no from a goddess”, while being quite oblivious of the power imbalance his young self was in (here is where the grooming interpretation comes. Read Part 1 for details). Gale never disrespected Tav's opinions, confusing them or dismissing them. Gale can agree or disagree with Tav, and be very clear about it, but like an expected scholar, his disagreements are done with sensible touch and respecting Tav's individuality. In the only moment where Gale is aggressive due to dissidence is during the conversation after the goblin party or in his final scene before leaving the party when he is very low approval. But it's more than understandable since Tav forced him to be part of evil acts he did not want to participate in (after all, he is a good-aligned character, as Sven said it in PAX). 

Even Wyll, lying straight to Tav's face about his stone eye, is not even gaslighting. Gaslighting is about power, control, and submission of the other. I would really like the fandom to learn the context of the words they use. 

Hypothesis: Gale is a narcissist

Concept

Another word that fandom can't grasp and misuses so lightly. The difference between a narcissist and a cocky person or a high self-esteem person is big. 

A narcissist is not just someone who loves themselves in excess and has a big ego. A narcissist is a person that has very specific character traits, the three main are: having a sense of entitlement, being exploitative, and being empathy impaired, or having a complete lack of empathy for others.

Sense of entitlement: A narcissist views themselves as superior and special and better than everyone else, so they think they should be treated that way. They have delusions of grandeur and a sense of omnipotence and grandiosity that makes them feel entitled to have whatever they want.

They see their needs and desires as a priority and more important than anyone else’s; they are ruthless in getting them fulfilled. They crave admiration and adoration and will demand attention, but they will not give anything in return. They’ll punish others if they don’t get what they want. They don’t care about the consequences because they don’t believe consequences apply to them, since they think they are above reproach.

Being exploitative: Because of their sense of entitlement, the narcissist needs to exploit and use others to get what they want. Exploitative behaviour includes: intimidation, manipulation, control, plotting, conspiring, strategising, teasing, bullying, threats, being aggressive and passive-aggressive. They take advantage and treat people unfairly . They do only what is best for themselves in order to achieve their own goals. Due to their lack of conscience they will not feel any remorse or concern for the person they use and exploit. Instead they will just feel excitement and pleasure at having gained what they believe is rightfully theirs.

Lack of empathy: Empathy is the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes, and imagine what they are feeling, understanding those feelings. Narcissists lack this ability, so they do not concern themselves with other people's feelings, showing little compassion for others. This lack of empathy means they have no problem taking advantage of people or hurting them when they exploit or degrade them for their own means, and they have no conscience or awareness about the pain they cause in others. This is the reason why they can't offer comfort or reassurance. Another big sign that someone might be a narcissist is if they have trouble being told ‘No’. Narcissists lack boundaries and they don’t care about other people’s boundaries, so trying to set a boundary simply by saying no to them, may provoke a very strong reaction in them.

So, the difference between a narcissist and a cocky or high self-esteem person are clear: 

A person with high self-esteem greatly respects themselves. Self-esteem is confidence in one’s ability to think, make choices, and act on those choices, as well as feeling deserving of happiness and benefiting from one’s hard work and accomplishments. Above all, it means valuing the facts of reality and reason to guide one’s life. A lapse in knowledge or a mistake won't threaten their self-esteem. In fact, they embrace facts, whether those facts come from themselves or someone else, because they know that knowledge will help them in their life.

People with high-self esteem rarely (if ever) evade facts or rational advice because they know reality is their survival tool and means of achieving and maintaining happiness. They may be cocky at times, but they have tact and empathy to understand their own mistakes and the effect that they may cause on others, accepting the blame.

Narcissism is the opposite of self-esteem. Narcissists act as if they know everything, and anything that contradicts what they believe is either evaded or rejected out of hand. They’re not interested in facts that contradict what they feel or want to be true. They feel they must be right all the time. Their charm and show-off is usually aimed to belittle people. They always want to remain blameless. 

Inside the context of BG3

Gale is certainly confident in his knowledge and he is proud of what he does; he spent many years learning under many tutors; his skills are a product of hard effort and a privileged education (wizard education). 

Gale: I'm a wizard of considerable acclaim, and scholar of exceptional accomplishment.

Lae'zel: You strike me as cleverer than most istiki, Gale. Multiple tutors I should guess. Gale: Many a wise man and woman, indeed. Waterdeep is the home of myriads of scholars. 

Gale: Benefits of a wizard's education, you see. Of course my considerable talent didn't hurt either. Well... That depends on who you ask, I suppose. I may have summoned things rather more exotic than a winged cat.

This is not mere fake, because the scene of Ceremorphosis shows that Gale has a deep understanding of the process, compared to the knowledge that any githyanki has (Lae'zel or githyanki Tav). What Gale continues stating are facts:

Tav: And what makes you the expert? Gale: Study. 

He is far from being the typical obnoxious scholar who enjoys making people feel small and inferior. Unlike the archetype, Gale doesn't enjoy mocking Tav's ignorance, on the contrary, the excess of explanation can be seen as a typical vice of a teacher (which is confirmed after the Weave: Gale has been a teacher for some students even though his patience was thin). But in the same way Gale states the fact that he knows a lot, he is also well aware of his limitations, and he doesn't hide that fact: during the scene of ceremorphosis, he acknowledges that his “knowledge fails him” when he tries to understand the anomalies they are experiencing. 

During the Weave scene, he acknowledges the obvious: 

Tav: You’re a good teacher. Gale: I Know.

Annoying? yes, but true. After all, the game allowed a non-wizard Tav to channel the Weave, a unique experience for non-magical users. They are casting the Weave for the first time thanks to Gale's good instructions (and some luck with the dice). 

Another situation can be seen during the scene of the consumption of the artefacts.

Tav: Thanks don't get me that artefact back Gale: I myself am a much more powerful artefact in your arsenal. Rest assured of that.

His comment may be cocky, but it once more displays a fact: a functional wizard (with many spell slots) is more valuable than the power that those artefacts give to Tav (usually one spell alone). It’s also worth noting that none of his show-off comments tries to dismiss or belittle Tav. 

Because of his habit of over-explaining, Gale tends to be considered a mansplainer. I would see it that way if his excessive explanations would only happen with female Tavs. But the truth is that he is explaining too much to anyone, even to fellow wizards that may know all that stuff already. After all, it makes sense: he has the [sage] tag; he read all his life, he knows a big amount of things, and he was a teacher: a terrible combination that justifies a character with a tendency to over-explaining.

But Gale is not even that cocky, in my opinion. Many of his scenes have a level of teasing that implies more a hidden joke than high self-esteem. This is a pattern that can be seen in several opportunities: Gale uses this fake cockiness to put some levity in the moment, showing his joking intentions by context or explicitly with words:

The scene of Ceremorphosis starts with him observing his own reflection. When Tav asks him what he is doing, Gale answers: “Indulging in a spot of vanity. Handsome devil, aren't I?”. He deflected the raw context of the answer with teasing. He was not indulging into vanity, what he was truly doing was to observe any change in his physiognomy, and he attempted to levity by teasing. This is explicit later, when the topic of the conversation focuses on the changes that ceremorphosis causes. Even the handsome devil comment has teasing implications: according to some idiom dictionaries, the expression handsome devil “it's usually used playfully or flirtatiously”. Again, a teasing. 

During the Stew scene, Gale puts some levity before introducing the dramatic conversation about the artefacts he needs:

Gale: Curious time to be dieting. Especially with a chef like myself around. 

When meeting the Myconid, Gale will talk with fascination about the ability of this species to raise the dead through spores.

Tav: Sorry, but I don't share your fascination for fungi. Gale: Nobody's perfect. 

Tav can be a bit dismissive with his response, to which Gale will reply with one of his typical teasing/jokes, implying the ridiculous idea that a perfect person should always be interested in fungi. It’s a joke.

Another attempt to levity despite fearing to turn into mind flayers that night:

Gale: More blood. That's a pretty sight. Give it to me straight, how do I look? Tav: Like your handsome self, Gale. Gale: Thanks, that's what I thought.

During the Loss scene, in the romantic path of “more than friends”, we have this silly, teasing/cockiness which lacks belittling intentions. He is just playful. That can be seen because he doesn't let the situation last more than a moment, immediately calling himself “insufferable”. A narcissist, under no circumstance, would call himself as such. 

Tav: When I said we could be more than friends, you answered “perhaps”. What does that really mean? Gale: If I recall correctly, the Waterdhavian Dictionary of the Common Tongue of Faerûn defines it as an adverb that conveys the meaning of “It may be that”, or “possibly”. Sorry, sometimes I just can't help being quite insufferable. In seriousness, I'm glad you asked that question. [...] 

When the joke/teasing finishes, his words change immediately returning to the “serious” note of the conversation, doing it explicitly: “In seriousness”. Meaning he was joking a moment ago. He is painfully explicit. 

The same exact teasing/joke happens during the scene of the consumption of artefacts:

Tav: Let's hope this was the last artefact I had to part with. Gale: Come, come, these are mere fabled objects of great to enormous value. My continued presence though – quite priceless! On a more serious note, I do not wish to give you false hope. We're only treating the symptoms, not the cause. [...]

After the teasing, Gale explicitly says “talking on a more serious note”, meaning, the previous moment was a joke. Again. 

Another example of teasing/cocky joke:

Wyll: Between the orb and the bug you've got more than your fair share of unwelcome passengers. Gale: What can I say. Mother always taught me to be a gracious host. 

Gale claims to be a gracious host, but the context surrounding this... just makes it into a joke. This is why I insist so much in the Context.

This happens during the “Revelation” scene too, when it's Tav who attempts to use this teasing to relax the tense situation with a joke:

Tav: When you put it like that – no one can say no to me. Gale: After all, even I am only human. (Gale Approves)

It's painfully obvious they tease one another. After all the conversation of Mystra and the orb, some Tavs may want to opt for this option to answer Gale, and he even would approve this attempt of levity, because it's the same exact, silly thing he does as a pattern. He also approves it because he likes confidence. Again, I will repeat myself, but it's clear that Gale is char with high self-esteem, and likes people with that same trait. We know this because during the party when Tav accepts his out-of-nowhere “thank you”. Gale immediately says: “There's that confidence I like”.

During the scene after the party, we have some extra silly, cocky moments that could be the result of wine in Gale's system, or the messiness of the scene itself, since it’s so unpolished:

Tav: I think that sounds delightful Gale: That's because I'm full of delights

Tav: You’re a good kisser. Gale: I’m of the opinion one should try to excel at everything. 

Tav: Thank you for a wonderful night. Gale: Like I said; I try to excel at everything.

I would like to highlight this line because the way it's said shows a level of confidence that is not related to an excess of ego, but to a high self-esteem behaviour: he says “try”. Meaning, he knows he may fail. His past is proof that he can try to excel at things that he would never be able to manage, and unlike a narcissist, he acknowledges his limitations once more. 

Another interesting exchange is after that night: 

Gale: A night to remember. It was wonderful, wasn't it? Tav: Oh, I've had better. Gale: I had a goddess, but you don't hear me complaining. [After apology] Tav: We should do it again sometime. Gale: We absolutely should, after all I need to undone the misconception that you had better. 

Tav can question Gale's performance, and after repaying that rudeness with his comment on the Goddess, (again, Gale is a character that will pay you with the same coin [18]) he accepts the criticism and promises—with a teasing—to do it better. Again, an impossible gesture in a narcissist.

But not only in these teasing/joking situations we see his high self-esteem: in bitter or aggressive reactions, we see he uses it to enrage his rude/violent interlocutor:

During the Weave scene:

Gale: What did I think about seeing my head on a spike? That I still looked as handsome as ever, that's what.

Gale is hurt of being depicted beheaded (we know he fears death, the scene with Nettie shows it). His answer is, of course, rude after such a gore image projected in his mind. But instead of resorting to plain aggression, he pretends that it did not have the effect that Tav wanted to cause. To do so, he shows off.

The scene of Mirkon displays both styles of teasing: Gale started using his teasing/cocky attitude with a clear intention of sharing something personal with Tav, who has just done an action that it's important for Gale (saving children/youngsters of their own mistakes [5, 12b], a concept that echoes in Gale's background).

Gale: Benefits of a wizard's education, you see. Of course my considerable talent didn't hurt either. Well... That depends on who you ask, I suppose. 

Tav can ignore this silly cockiness and engage in what Gale wants to share, leaving the moment at that. But if Tav opts for a rude comment, Gale will answer with a degree of rudeness too, using a condescending tone (but it’s very light if we compare it with the level of aggressive condescending he displays with an evil Tav). We need to remember that Gale is a char who follows the philosophy of giving people their own medicine [18]. That's what he does:

Tav: Considerable talent. Are you always this full of yourself? Gale: Only when the occasion suits. That's mostly a synonym for 'yes', by the by. Anyway-- 

Gale is a very confident character, but his high self-esteem is not that broad. It is limited to his knowledge and appearance, but never to relationships. Exactly it's there where he becomes less confident and when his emotions and abandonment issues conflict with his good sense.

Don't get me wrong, Gale's ego is there, I'm not denying it. But like everything in this fandom, some groups tend to over-magnify what the game gives in EA. Gale has a very well founded self-esteem in academic and researching fields: he has been a prodigy of the Weave from a young age (probably very close to a Weavemaster, skill referred in the novel Dead Masks), and a remarkable scholar with artistic attitudes in poetry. He worked hard for years to amass all that knowledge (he has a [sage] tag for a reason) and then he became, briefly, a Chosen one (not a small feat) which catapulted him to an status of archwizard. He could be so immensely obnoxious, aggressive, and dismissive as Fane is in DOS2. Still, Gale remains in a low level of a playful ego that only surfaces when the situation requires a teasing/levity or when it is a bitter tool against an aggressive and rude Tav. Considering him a narcissist is to over-magnify this trait out of the chart. He is a lore-content character; that character that in many rpg games will accompany us while explaining the context of the fantasy world we are playing in; therefore it is natural and obvious that he will over explain like no other companion so far. 

Of course, all this is EA and may change by the time the game is released. But so far we should analyse what has been given to us. 

I personally don't like this trait of his, but I think it's part of his many flaws. After all, he is the embodiment and the concept "humans are fallible", and he is very aware of that every time he speaks in seriousness.

Hypothesis: Gale is a manipulator

Concept

I suggest reading the post about "Context, persuasion, and manipulation" for the definition and understanding of the concept.

Inside the context of BG3

On this aspect, I won't repeat myself, and I will recommend to read the series of posts I've done about "Gale: Manipulation, Lies, and Trust" which explains in detail the Stew Scene, the Loss Scene, the Party Scene and extra scenes (death protocol and dreams). This series focuses exactly on the degree of truth and lies that Gale shares with different Tavs (depending on their choices). As a broad conclusion I can say that Gale is not a manipulator as a main trait in his personality, and may (or not) withhold information if romanced (depending on Tav’s choices). 

He is not even a liar, since he has always made clear his boundaries and never denied to have secrets. Earning his trust to open up takes its time and good actions, and only in a romantic path there is a more messy approach: the scene pretends to create a “great betrayal”, when there is little since all the information concerning the “orb” has been given in broad strokes previously. The information that Gale has been withholding was personal and private but said in a bad timing making it of poor taste. The whole scene is very unpolished, not reacting to the amount of information that Tav can have from previous scenes. It presents two apparent conflicts: 

The “orb”, which danger has been stated since the first moment we met Gale, and it was reinforced in most scenes; so there is not a great revelation in it by the end of EA. 

The other conflict is apparently Gale's past lover: Mystra. Which can be surprising for a Tav, but not so much for a player who knows the lore background. In any case, the scene offers poor options to react to all this: or it ignores all the information that Tav can know by that time (information given by Gale himself), or gives over-reactive options, pretending that Mystra and the Orb are informations that never were informed in the game. 

So far in EA we see that Gale could withhold personal information not because he wants to have power over Tav, but as a consequence of his visceral fear for a second abandonment. Gale suffers from abandonment issues that make him prone to making bad decisions when confronted with that situation. 

As I said before, for a real and detailed analysis read the post "Gale: Manipulation, Lies, and Trust", which is summary of the posts 

'Stew' Scene    (extensive)

Loss Scene ( extensive )

Party Scene ( extensive )

Extra Scenes: death protocol and comments on dreams

Hypothesis: Gale makes you "cheat" your LI

I won't repeat myself so I recommend to read the post Gale proposes you to 'cheat' "

Hypothesis: Gale still loves Mystra

I recommend reading the post Does Gale love Mystra?.

Hypothesis: Gale has no Tadpole

I recommend to read the post of "The Tadpole"

---

Sources for both parts:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( 5V)

Some concepts were summarised from: https://melcrowecounsellor.com www.d2l.org/child-grooming-signs-behavior-awareness/

This post was written in June 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index