#I have a lot of feelings about Gale and Mystra actually

[mumms-the-word]

Illithid Souls - Part 2

The Case Studies: Tav/Durge and Orpheus

In Part 1, I went over some of the basics of what a soul normally is, where souls go after death, and whether mind flayers have souls. I ultimately ended up saying that most humanoids have apostolic souls (souls that deities recognize as being capable of divine worship), while mind flayers have some other kind of soul, one that isn't recognizable by deities or devils. This is why Jergal and Mystra and so on think that illithid don’t have souls. When a humanoid with an apostolic soul turns into a mind flayer, their soul is either ejected and moves on to the Fugue Plane, or their soul is transformed into a non-apostolic soul (depending on what you want to believe).

But the problem is, that's normal lore, and BG3 has made things a little strange by imbuing all the tadpoles that infect our characters with Netherese magic. And that, friends, makes the BG3 mind flayers different.

This post is going to look at some interesting context from the game for the Emperor, Tav/Durge and Orpheus. (It got pretty long so I'm moving Karlach and Gale to a third post.) We're going to figure out whether the rules about mind flayers and souls change now that there's Netherese magic involved. The ultimate answer is yes, but how? And is it consistent?

(Spoiler: it isn't, but you can use this lore to come up with your own theories and ideas)

Let's take another deep dive! Buckle up, and don't worry, I have a short summary at the bottom.

The Case of the Emperor

I'm actually not going to linger too long on the Emperor because for many reasons he breaks the lore. If he's Balduran and a mind flayer, he shouldn't have lived as long as he says he's lived. Not only that, his memory is allegedly flawless when the lore states he shouldn't remember any of his previous life (there are other inconsistencies too, but that's a different post). However, I do want to touch on a couple of things.

The Emperor both is and isn't our baseline for how a mind flayer normally exists. He should be a normal lore-accurate mind flayer (though a rogue one), because he wasn't infected with a Netherese-touched tadpole. But he's a Special Mind Flayer instead, for reasons we don't entirely understand (again, he generally breaks the lore). Perhaps this is because of his brush with Gortash and the other Chosen of the Dead Three, or perhaps he just somehow has a strong enough personality that when he broke free of an elder brain's compulsion a lot of his memories came back to him. Who knows?

But regardless, a few conversations with him reinforce the idea that mind flayers typically aren't completely soulless. At the very least, they still contain memories (he has his memories of his time as Balduran), intelligence (he's a schemer, that's for sure), and personality/emotions:

Emperor: You think that mind flayers are soulless husks who feel nothing. Belynne thought the same at first. You are wrong. Feeling is vital to the pursuit of anyone's goals. Even a mind flayer's. Like you, mind flayers know fear. Like you, we crave recognition. But unlike you, unlike the others of my kind, I am no slave to either. My end is and has always been freedom.

We can quibble about whether or not he's manipulating the player here, but his words are generally true. As discussed in part 1, mind flayers are not soulless husks. When they're enthralled, they might be more devoid of independent thinking, but they have emotions/feelings and can create memories. They just might have a smaller range of emotion than humanoids do (thus his reference to "not being a slave" to fear or desire) and their memories might not be entirely their own (more on that with Karlach in part 3).

Regardless, the Emperor is our leading authority for what it's like to be a mind flayer, so we're sort of forced to trust him when we ask him to explain what full ceremorphosis is about to do to us, especially because its his Supreme Tadpole that is about to change us.

Player: What would happen to me? Emperor: You would be altered in mind, body, and soul beyond all recognition.

So this is interesting. Altered in mind and body, that's a given. Altered in soul, though...what does that mean?

Remember in Part 1 where I offered two theories about what happens to the original soul of someone undergoing ceremorphosis? Theory 1: they just die and the soul moves on to the Fugue Plane, and the mind flayer gets a new illithid soul from...somewhere. Theory 2: The soul transforms and remains tethered to the mind flayer body, different than it was before (potentially unrecognizable as the original soul, but some elements of the original may remain).

The Emperor's words suggest more of theory 2 here. But is that, in fact, what happens when we become illithid? Well...let's find out.

The Case of Tav and Durge (or most Origin runs)

When you do turn into a mind flayer, the narrative typically focuses on how powerful you feel. Your mind and body feel as though they are one and you are also desperately hungry. There isn't much in the Narrator's dialogue or your dialogue with your friends to suggest that your soul has been completely obliterated, though.

In fact, there's an interesting moment that happens if you turn into a mind flayer without the Emperor there and go up to Orpheus still in his cage. The way I accomplished this was to ask to change into a mind flayer so the Emperor would give me the Supreme Tadpole, then I said I would change later, then stopped the Emperor from consuming Orpheus so he would leave. Then I used the Supreme Tadpole to turn into a mind flayer and went to examine Orpheus.

Narrator: *His eyes are unseeing, his voice silenced. But even with his mind caged, you can feel his power. You can almost taste the fluid beneath his scalp, cushioning that sweet, dense brain, and the power within it. You are hungry.* Lae'zel: I see that look, I know that look. Don't you dare. Player: [Wisdom Check] Cling to your former nature. Quash your hunger. This is not who you are. Narrator: *Your mind and body whine with disappointment. But your soul lets out a gentle thrum of relief.*

I find this fascinating for a couple of reasons. One, the check I chose (there are two, the second is a strength check) meant reaching out to a "former" nature and reminding myself (or my Tav's self) that this is not who she is. When I succeeded, my Tav's mind and body protested, but her soul was filled with relief.

So she has a soul! And it seems to be her own soul, but perhaps transformed. So this sort of supports theory 2, that perhaps when humanoids turn into mind flayers, their soul is altered. This could also just be a quirk specific to those infected with a Netherese tadpole, or even further, someone who transformed using the Emperor's Supreme Tadpole.

Because here's the thing. When Tav/Durge, Orpheus, Companion!Karlach, or any Origin character transforms into a mind flayer using the Supreme Tadpole, they become a special mind flayer. This is mostly due to the Netherese magic, which adds some weird and undefined changes to the whole mind flayer thing. I'm going to use "I guess it's the Netherese magic/Supreme Tadpole" as a scapegoat this entire post because I don't know what else to point to to explain how these guys are just Different Than Your Average Mind Flayer, so be prepared for that. But at the very least, we know something's different.

In fact the Narrator literally says you're probably different than the average mind flayer after you defeat the Netherbrain!

Narrator: *You are a mind flayer, the very thing you sought to eradicate. Whatever self you still possess is quickly ebbing away. Your friends and enemies alike are ripe for manipulation, and if not manipulation, then consumption. Soon you will be able to trust yourself at all. You will be a monstrosity beyond redemption. Or not. Perhaps you are unique among illithid-kind. Perhaps you will retain enough of who you are to resist your nature. A rogue mind flayer. Like the Emperor. The risk is certainly yours to take - will you?*

Unlike normal mind flayers who lose most of their memories (and allegedly most of their personality/former selves) almost immediately after transforming, it takes Tav/Durge/most Origins longer to lose that sense of self, if indeed they lose it at all. The Narrator suggests we might be losing parts of ourselves, but there's a chance we're unique and might retain our sense of selves.

We do see glimpses of us retaining our personalities in the epilogue of course, but what is more interesting is if you decide to imprison yourself post-ceremorphosis. Withers will visit you in prison for a final conversation. (This conversation shifts a little if you're a Durge, but here is the Tav conversation.)

Withers: Thou remainest in thy chains. A hero, sacrificed. I told thee once that an illithid hath no soul, and yet...something glimmerest about thee. Something is not lost. Dost thou feel it? The spark of the divine within thee? Or does thy hunger consume thee? Player: [Option 1] I'm still myself. I don't know if I belong here. Player: [Option 2] I feel the hunger. But I feel myself, too. I'm not sure which to trust. Player: [Option 3] Have you come to torment me with hypotheticals, old friend? Player: [Option 4] Does it matter? This is my life now.

If you go with option 4, you hear Withers ponderingly say, "Thy life...yes..." before moving on to say that fate isn't done with you yet, which is his response to all the other options as well.

But the more important thing is that even Jergal recognizes a "spark of the divine" within you. Your soul should either be cast off and already wandering the Fugue Plane (if going with theory 1) or so completely transformed that it's no longer an apostolic soul that Jergal would be able to recognize as a god. Yet Jergal recognizes the soul within your mind flayer body as being...well, partly apostolic.

Interesting!

We get a similar dialogue if you sacrifice yourself as a mind flayer, too, though this is fascinating because now it's Withers literally finding your soul (still shaped like a mind flayer, which is interesting) somewhere that is...very gray. There's a suggestion that this might be in the Fugue Plane, or in some limbo state where souls sometimes end up, but regardless, Withers, the soul-finder himself, was able to track down your lingering soul.

Withers: Thou flickerest in the dark - but with mine keen eye, I hath scryed thee. I told thee once that an illithid hath no soul, and yet thou seemest to have something of the spirit about thee. I cannot account for it. How delightful. Tell me, how doth it feel to roam about as thou art now, transformed? Player: [Option 1] Where am I? [mumm's note: he basically doesn't answer this question lol] Player: [Option 2] I still feel like myself. My memories, my feelings - all intact. Withers: No matter how many aeons I have roamed this world and beyond, I am ever-surprised by mysteries new and old.

Even Withers is surprised that the soul you have is something he not only recognizes as a soul, but as your soul. I love how amused and intrigued he sounds when he says "I cannot account for it. How delightful." He even smiles when he says it. He thinks you're super neat! And also a new phenomenon.

(As an aside, I wonder if you being mind-flayer-shaped but still recognizable as you is a hint that your soul did indeed transform to be illithid, but didn't fully transform into a non-apostolic soul like normal illithids would. Like, I wonder if your soul is now half-apostolic and just permanently mind-flayer-shaped. RIP. But this would explain why bringing you back via True Resurrection is kind of a nonviable option since you'd just come back as a mind flayer, and this is the ending where you took your own life to avoid being a mind flayer for forever, so I doubt you'd even want to come back if you couldn't come back to your original body. Things to ponder!)

Anyway, you having something that has glimpses, sparks, or hints of the divine/the spirit about you does tell us that as a mind flayer, your soul wasn't destroyed. It may have been transformed, but you're not as soulless as you thought you were going to be, and you're actually still pretty close to being who you were before the transformation.

Close, but not perfectly or exactly like you were before. You did transform, after all. But these changes become more obvious in other examples, such as with Karlach.

You having a partly-apostolic soul that retains all its memories and most of its original personality is obviously VERY unique and different to what most mind flayers experience. For example, if you turn yourself illithid and then free Orpheus (again, see the same steps above, but go a step farther and actually free him this time), then Orpheus will be utterly shocked that you're capable of independent thought.

Orpheus: What is this... A mind flayer in possession of its mental faculties? This is the stuff of fables. It is as if I am reliving the legend of Oryndoll. You are the illithid Urengol, rebelling against your own hivemind. And I am the noble githyanki Valraag who must now reconsider his position. An illithid capable of rebelling against the Netherbrain's instruction... Not only capable but willing... If your intentions are as righteous as they seem, this is an advantage I cannot overlook. An advantage that must be grasped, for our enemy is formidable indeed. Very well. I propose an alliance.

A couple of notes here: Oryndoll is/was a real mind flayer colony far, far below the surface in the southern regions of Faerûn (beneath the Shining Plains). Not only is it ancient, but the wealth of knowledge stored inside via illithid technology rivals and probably even surpasses that of Candlekeep's library. There's at least one book in the game that talks about a foolish drow adventurer searching for Oryndoll, only to end up a mind flayer, while another hints at Oryndoll's role in the history of the Duergar race. But these are the only mentions of Oryndoll in the game.

Oryndoll has a history in D&D lore, but there's no mention of Urengol and Valraag (that I could find). If this is a fable Orpheus knows, it's apparently so ancient that only he remembers it. But that itself is interesting, because it makes Urengol his closest reference to you having become a rogue, independently-thinking, and emotionally driven mind flayer. He can't think of any other examples, that's how unique you are.

The most important thing here is that Orpheus literally considers your independently thinking self as so baffling, so impossible, it should only exist in fables. That, I think, says a lot.

The next question is, does he think he would become just as unique?

The Case of Orpheus

We all know Orpheus can be convinced to turn into a mind flayer and sacrifice his soul for his people. I'm sure he genuinely does think he is sacrificing his soul, as there is no real precedent that he or anyone else seems to know of for a person who turns into a mind flayer and keeps their soul (or at least keeps their same memories, personality, and intelligence). But if he's surprised that he's kept all his memories after turning illithid, he doesn't really show it.

You can ask him about it, of course, after he's turned into a mind flayer and after you've defeated the Netherbrain. His response is kind of interesting.

Player: You're a mind flayer, but you're still you, aren't you? Orpheus: Yes. But for how long? My mind screams. It will never stop until it has slipped away from me entirely.

No one else seems to define their illithid experience this way. I'm curious if his mind screaming is referring to the hunger he feels, the same hunger he is actively trying to resist, but he doesn't elaborate on this. Regardless, he's certain that while he has retained his personality (and probably his soul) for now, it's not going to last.

This is why he asks for an honorable death after the defeat of the Netherbrain.

Player: You don't deserve to die. Orpheus: I will not be ghaik! I did what I did to save my people. [...] The rest is up to them. Someone else must rise within the ranks to lead the revolution against Vlaakith. Give me my freedom from this form, release my soul to the Astral Seas while I still have one to call my own.

Orpheus believes that he only has a temporary grasp on his soul or consciousness, which may or may not have transformed into a different kind of soul. Then again, if he thinks his soul is going to the Astral Seas, maybe it doesn't matter whether his soul was transformed from apostolic to non-apostolic. I'm not even sure if githyanki have apostolic souls at all, since they wouldn't really be interested in the deities that govern matters on the Material Plane. I mean, for a long time Lae'zel wants her soul to be eaten by Vlaakith (a literal lich queen who eats souls) via "ascension" so...

I also have no idea if his soul, once released to the Astral Seas, would be mind-flayer-shaped. I guess that's the great mystery. I would assume yes, but I also don’t know how souls manifest in the Astral Seas and finding sources on this has been difficult (it all boils down to “ask your DM”).

Orpheus can be convinced to stay alive and just hang out in a far-off "corner of these realms" to watch his people fight against Vlaakith from afar, and there's kind of a hint that him agreeing to do this means he isn't actually afraid he'll lose his entire soul. But at this point, we're getting too far into "maybes" and "what ifs" to suggest anything concrete.

Quick picture break of Orpheus contemplating the Supreme Tadpole to break up the text (I just thought it was a good shot)

Now I do have to acknowledge two things about Orpheus: one, he could be a special mind flayer precisely because of his unique abilities to shield his mind from elder brain compulsion, which means his unique abilities could also be the reason why he retains so much of his personality and therefore his soul. Since most of the time you end up eating his brain and absorbing his abilities, this could also explain why you retain so much of your own soul if you become a mind flayer instead.

In this scenario, you’re a special mind flayer because (1) you have a Netherese tadpole, (2) you transformed using the Supreme Tadpole, and (3) then you ate Orpheus’s brain. All three elements could be at play.

But not everyone eats Orpheus’s brain, so that theory has holes. I genuinely think you just end up being a special mind flayer because of the Netherese magic that messes with your tadpole. The Supreme Tadpole plus Orpheus’s abilities would only be the icing on the cake, so to speak.

The second thing I want to acknowledge is that there’s a glaring plothole for Orpheus even turning into a mind flayer at all, if you play the game a certain way. If you send the Emperor away to free Orpheus before the Emperor gives you the Supreme Tadpole (for example if you send Lae’zel over to smash the chains holding Orpheus captive without talking to the Emperor, which is what I did one time, and the Emperor was literally like “don’t talk to me again bye” and left), then how does he turn into a mind flayer? He doesn’t have a tadpole and you don’t have the Supreme Tadpole to give to him.

He gets around this with you or Karlach by saying he’ll lower his mental shields so that your tadpole hears the Netherbrain’s orders to transform and then replace the shields again.

Orpheus: My defences keep the voice of the Absolute out, but just as I can raise them, so I can lower them. I will allow the voice of the Absolute in. Once it reaches you, it will order you to transform. It will only take a moment. And once you are a mind flayer, I will fold you under my protection once more. You will be the saviour of empires, not least my own. Narrator: *With the withdrawal of Orpheus' power, your mind is rushed with the full force of the Netherbrain. You feel a compulsion unlike anything you've ever known - excruciating and exhilarating in equal measure. You wish nothing in the world but to evolve. Then - complete silence, as you are once again closed off from the Netherbrain's mind.*

So that makes sense, and it means you being a special mind flayer could boil down to your personality being hella strong + you being infected with a special Netherese tadpole. In this scenario, the Supreme Tadpole can’t be used to explain your unique soul-keeping abilities, and neither can you attribute your soul-keeping abilities to consuming Orpheus's brain (since he's still alive). So maybe the Supreme Tadpole and/or Orpheus's brain doesn’t have any effect on why you keep your mostly-unaltered soul.

In the end I guess it’s just the weird Netherese tadpole that does the trick? Honestly, I wonder if it all boils down to the fact that the Netherese tadpole doesn't eat your brain, it just lies dormant and incubating in your head, so you're not losing brain matter. (But this ignores or forgets that when you eat other tadpoles you literally watch them burrow into your brain matter so I'm sure the magic has something to do with it too.)

But anyway this still doesn’t explain why Orpheus, who shouldn’t have a tadpole, somehow turns into a mind flayer by, I don’t know, manifesting it??? Or why he is also a unique mind flayer once he does this without the Supreme Tadpole. I mean in his case I’m sure it is because he has special mind shield abilities but still. How did he turn into a mind flayer without a tadpole? Make it make sense, Larian.

He literally just touches his head with a psionic magic effect, which is the same gesture he uses to lower his mental shield to allow the Netherbrain to force you to transform. It's also interesting that if you have him transform using the Supreme Tadpole, then he doesn't say anything as he accepts the tadpole from you and absorbs it. But if you have him change without the tadpole, then he says, "The Netherbrain will be only too pleased to claim me."

Which...kind of implies that he's somehow able to communicate with the Netherbrain or hear its voice, so...maybe he secretly does have a tadpole? I mean, a popular theory is the Emperor probably did tadpole Orpheus off-screen since he seems to have a level of compulsion over Orpheus, but this is never explained or mentioned in the game so do whatever you want with that theory.

But I digress.

Let's do a quick summary, shall we?

TLDR: You're probably a super special mind flayer who gets to keep their soul mostly intact (or mostly unaltered) because your tadpole was imbued with Netherese magic and generally doesn't eat your brain. You might also be super special because you transformed using the Supreme Tadpole (optional) and/or consumed Orpheus's brain (also optional). Orpheus might be a super special mind flayer simply because he's Orpheus, and that is why he can still retain most of his soul/personality, even though he keeps thinking he's going to lose it. His status as special mind flayer seems unchanged whether he transformed using the Supreme Tadpole or not, so it really must be an Orpheus Thing.

Phew. That was a lot. And honestly, Karlach and Gale only complicate things, so they're going in a separate post. Keep an eye out for Part 3!

~*~*~

You made it to the end!!! Amazing, you deserve an achievement or something, but all I have are more gold stars.

✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨

Tags for those who wanted the update! @galesdevoteewife @stuffforthestash

[ella-and-her-art]

Vague doodles of Gale and Mystra. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it might have been like back when it was good. I think maybe he loved her because he thought he could make her human

[waaterdeep]

It’s heartbreaking to me how easily Gale abandons his plans of becoming a god when you romance him, because it shows that he never actually wanted to become a god in the first place.

When you ask him how he’s feeling after discovering the crown of Karsus he tells you that he’s excited about what the crown could do to improve both of your lives. His plans aren’t clear but it’s obvious that he wants to use it for himself. Of course there’s some selfishness there, perhaps a desire to get back at Mystra, but there’s a good part of him that sees this as a way to impress you, to become worthy of you.

But to convince him to let go of the crown in Act 3 you simply need to tell him that he matters, that you love him for the man that he is not the god he wants to be. You need to convince him that he’s always been enough and that he always will be, so long as he stays true to who he is. And with high approval he accepts this without question. While he feels uncertain about putting all of his faith into one person, he’s still relieved and happy to do so.

You have opportunities before the Outer Planes scene to tell him that you care about him, most notably in Act 2, when you can tell him that you want to spend the night with Gale the man, that you don’t need him to wow you with cosmic sex. While this clearly means a lot to him it doesn’t translate as “I am exactly all that this person needs” in his mind yet.

But when you have the Outer Planes scene and he tells you of his plans, if you gently bring him back down to earth, kiss him and tell him he’s perfect, he’s wholly convinced. While Tara might have told him many times some variation of this, you are the first person, and most importantly the first lover, to tell him and show him. The fact that you met him with diminished powers and the Netherese orb and still fell in love with him speaks volumes.

It shows that his ambitions are not born from hubris, rather, from a profound insecurity that could only be the product of his defining of his life, his value, in relation to the literal goddess of magic and, obviously, falling short. Conjuring visions of Waterdeep and the Outer Planes, it’s all his way to convince you that he’s worthy of your affections, you who in most cases cannot do that at all. But he bases his worth completely upon his magical abilities, it’s no surprise then that magnifying them to infinite proportions is his way to remove his fear of losing you, since his greatest weakness, his humanity, is what drove his previous lover away from him.

And that’s absolutely heartbreaking.

[mooreaux]

Silly questions ahoy. Sorry not sorry.

Who fell first, Deirdre or Gale?

Who fell harder?

Were there any things outside of the main romance plot beats that they had to overcome?

Do they have a Big Waterdhavian Wedding?

Well here is a real time pic of them realizing simultaneously that they were already neck deep in a romance without having clocked it up until that very moment

So much more rambling under the cut!

Deirdre and Gale started off as respectful colleagues. He had his little ‘o wow a warlock huh’ and she had her little ‘yeah what of it wizard boy?’ Both incredibly polite about it of course. They gravitated to one another immediately because they are both well read and spoken and kinda looked at the rest of their companions like

So in actuality they buddied up and then got teased relentlessly for being like an old married couple when neither one of them was even in the realm of romantic attraction. Gale because…. Bomb In Chest. And Deirdre having an internal incredibly well hidden behind bardic shenanigans PTSD nightmare from the horrors she witnessed during her imprisonment in Menzoberranzan.

It was only when they started sharing their magic; the weave scene, and the pic above with Dede sharing some fey vibes, that they started to shift from platonic to romantic. I would say Gale fell a little harder and faster because he just seems like that kind of person to me? Like he knows all the reasons he shouldn’t and that kinda unconsciously eggs him on even more. I’d say the crisis with Mystra’s order thru Elminster pushed them both into taking the step of actually admitting feelings tho. Dede couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. Especially to himself.

As for the last two questions… yeah. Gale’s big grand gestures got them into a bit of hot water during and post game. His constant need to prove himself worried Deirdre a lot about his self worth beyond what he could do for her. She had to go through a lot of talks with him to let him know he was enough. Just him. As he was. No magic or pageantry even tho she loves that about him too.

And of course, Dede has a TON of intimacy issues. A lot was done to her without her consent thru her life. Tadpole being the most recent offense. So she doesn’t really like surprises and has a hard time letting people in. Which is funny considering how bright and bombastic her personality is. She uses it mainly to cover the hurt. Not to say she isn’t well adjusted. She spent many many years with her patron working thru the stuff the lolthsworn drow did to her. Tadpole just kinda inflamed the wound again.

So yeah! I think it was actually several years before he even proposed. And several more after that until they got married. But the wedding was HUGE. Her family is gigantic and they have a wide social circle with the folk of Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate, and the Druid Grove which they still frequently visited. Gale went above and beyond constructing a castle out of flowers just for the occasion (dedes Patron helped).

Thank u so much for the ask Harding! I love my gnome gal (and i luv urs too)

[queen-rhaenyras]

If you don't like the idea of Gale being a father in YOUR game with your Tav or just with any character in general, then, girly by all means don't headcanon it. But actively trying to gatekeep the character, by shaming those who do, well....why be an asshole?

So listen, Gale girlies who want Gale to be a dad, (if this doesn't apply to you then scroll). Gale absolutely has dad energy. I've seen a lot discussion about the "I'm not exactly father material" line he says during act 3 and I'm not the first to say this, but I'm here to remind you that you can't take everything the companions say at face value, because these are complex characters and it's not always black and white. As others have said before, Gale not only has the orb in his chest at the time, but the tadpole, and your situation with him is uncertain and unstable. Of course he's not going to think of himself as father material in that moment. Why? Because it's something so far out of his reach. Gale has a lot of self-esteem issues, and I can definitely see him wanting to be a dad in the future, but unsure if he would even be a good one, but once he is a father, being the absolute dad of dads. Also saying you're not "parent" material, does not automatically equate to "not wanting to be a parent." These feelings can exist separately.

If I do recall, I did see a scene where Tara mentions something about Gale starting a family? Gale finding normalcy and having the things he could never have with Mystra makes perfect sense for his character, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Gale can definitely be seen as a father and would make a great dad. The people who claim so boldly that he wouldn't want children with Tav, are just projecting and they don't see these characters with nuance, they just hear the character say something in the game, and just decide with a gold medal in mental gymnastics that (you're mistaking his "dad energy" for "mother energy" which is actually just "malewife" energy) and spew their own biases out in "hot take" posts with every intention of ruining things for others. It's mean spirited, and should be ignored.

I see you all with your cute little headcanons, naming your Tav and Gale's children, and some of you with amazing fan art. I've seen you draw your little Tav/Gale families. It's precious and it's sweet. Keeping doing what you're doing, and don't let the gatekeepers bring you down. Seeing Gale as a father is perfectly valid.

K. Bye.

[bitethedevil]

I think that Raphael could be able to take over the Nine Hells.

“Raphael is biting over more than he can chew with his plans to take over the Nine Hells.”

“If the Crown of Karsus was so powerful why wouldn’t Mephistopheles have already used it?”

*Puts on my tinfoil hat* shhhh, come here…hear me out.

If you’ve read the Annals of Karsus, we know that there are three artifacts that are known as “The Regalia of Karsus”. There is the Crown, the Orb, and the Scepter and they are ‘the physical embodiments of Karsus’s wizardry’. Each of the three artifacts have their own power and purpose (this is directly quoted from the Annals of Karsus):

“The Crown of Karsus: to attract and absorb magical knowledge and give the wearer dominion over himself so that he remains his own entity apart from the Weave.

The Orb of Karsus: a storage device or battery that condenses mystic power, ever-gathering so that it must be syphoned at intervals of its excess.

The Sceptre of Karsus: an instrument of projection, a focusing utensil for the precise wielding of unimaginably vast forces.”

We know where the Crown has been: In Mephistopheles archive and later stolen by the Chosen Three.

The Orb?: Sounds a lot like what Gale deals with, but from what I can read, people disagree about whether that is the Orb of Karsus.

The Scepter of Karsus, though, is heavily hinted at to be owned by Raphael. I don’t have the exact quotes, but if someone does feel free to share them. The archivist says something about a scepter that is like the crown being in the collection and I believe Helsik talks about Raphael collecting Karsite artifacts.

If Raphael DOES own the Scepter of Karsus, it makes even more sense why he is so pissed at papa Meph. He owns an incredibly powerful magical artifact of ‘unimaginably vast forces’, but he isn’t able to actually use it and wield it because Mystra would stop him in a heartbeat. He needs the Crown to separate himself from the Weave to actually use it.

Let’s quickly talk about another Scepter from Netheril: “The Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings”. Its purpose was to strip the power of gods and banishing their influence from Netheril, but the guy (not Karsus, some other really powerful wizard) never completed it because the Netherese gods stopped him. The scepter, however, could not harm deities that had magic within their control (such as Mystra). But we can all agree that this all sounds very similar to the exact same thing that Karsus would attempt years later? The Scepter of Karsus and the rest of the Regalia of Karsus was even more powerful than The Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings since it could not only steal the power of Mystryl but also transfer it to the wielder.

Let’s go back to the Hells. Mephistopheles keeps the Crown in his vault and doesn’t use it for a millennium. Why? We have established that the Crown absorbs and attracts magical knowledge, and it also separates the wielder from the Weave. The Crown in itself seems powerful, but as many have also said about Raphael, it hardly seems enough to take down Asmodeus in itself.

What if…*adjusts my tinfoil hat* What if the Netherese truly learned nothing and history repeats itself as always, and it is in fact these mentioned ‘unimaginably vast forces’ of the Scepter that is the key to overthrow gods and steal their powers, and not the only Crown. The Crown simply assures that the wearer’s magic is out of reach from Mystra so they can do whatever they want, and it grants knowledge. Meaning, if Raphael has at least both the Scepter and the Crown, he could steal Asmodeus’s powers and go through with what his father could not achieve because his mischievous little son has been holding onto Scepter that is necessary to even wield and project those powers. He would become be the ruler of the Nine and gods know what else. It's not entirely out of the question that he might even have the Orb as well, seeing as we aren't really sure if Gale's Orb is the Orb.

Again, the Crown absorbs and attracts magical knowledge and it’s the key too using all of this naughty magic that Mystra doesn’t want you to mess with, but it does not seem like it actually gives you a whole lot of powers. It essentially just makes you know about it. What if the truly nasty stuff lies in the Scepter? It seems at the very least that the Scepter is necessary to truly harness and project the powers of the rest of the Regalia with any sort of precision.

(If you have any additions or corrections to my insane ramblings, feel absolutely free to add them and I’d love to read them)

[galedekarios]

gale's early access dialogue transcripts - part 1: the three tadpole dreams

in early access, the dreams would only happen, if you used your tadpole powers, be that via the conversation options or the skills in your skill bar. much like the guardian now, you could customise your dream visitor. however, before you did so, the game posed a different question to you:

who do you dream of at night?

the question set the tone for the dreams: the dream figure's role wasn't so much protection as it was seduction. seduction to welcome this newfound power and to use it.

for context, i'd advise you to watch the three tadpole dreams that the protag would have in early access here.

it allows you to get a feeling for what the companions may have seen as origins at that time weren't yet implemented. as far as i know only ast*rion's first dream has been partially datamined.

each companion used to have a specific dream figure that was related to their unique backgrounds - a stark contrast with how it is now, a random figure with no true connection to them, which i think makes very little sense.

gale's dream figure took the form of mystra in early access.

i have compiled the three possible conversations you were able to have with him, following those dreams:

first dream - the first dream would usually happen after you sought your first cure (ie nettie the healer)

Gale: Good morning! And it truly is, isn't it? A very, very good morning. Do you feel as chipper as I do? The night brings council, or so the saying goes, but last night had quite a bit more in store, wouldn't you agree? How's that for feeling better? Tav (Option 1): I see I'm not the only one who woke with new-felt powers? Gale: Hardly. Tav (Option 2): It's remarkable how much better I feel after feeling so sick earlier. Gale: Remarkable - or perhaps we should call it suspicious.  Tav (Option 3): Those are a lot of questions so early in the morning Gale: That's because there's so much to ask. Tav (Option 4): Why don't we skip to the part where we have some breakfast? Gale: Let's settle another appetite first. Gale: There is a glow about you, no doubt about me too. We feel... startling well. And yet there's a certain look in your eyes. The far off distance of a haunting. Which begs yet another question: did you too have such puzzling dreams? Tav (Option 1): Actually my dreams were quite delightful. Gale: Surely not the only adjective that springs to mind. Tav (Option 2): You nod in silence. Gale: Same here. Perhaps. The jury's still out.  Tav (Option 3): Mind your own business, Gale.  Gale: Not a morning person, I see. But those eyes of yours speak volumes. Gale: What I saw surpassed the vivid. The voice was too true, the touch too tantalising, I can tell you felt the same. Sought out in the night by... what? An illusion, or a promise? Tav (Option 1): I don't see the distinction. Gale: An illusion is only a lie, but a promise is a truth that may yet come to pass. Tav (Option 2): It felt more like being prey cornered by a predator. Gale: All too apt an analogy. Tav (Option 3): It was more than a promise: these powers are real.  Gale: You have me there. As for the lure of the touch, the kiss. Gale: Let's agree that at the very least there was the lure of a promise. The touch, the kiss, the everything... Did you relent or resist? Tav (Option 1): I relented. Gale: It felt impossible not to. I did as well.  Tav (Option 2): Lie and say you resisted. Gale: Then you're stronger than me. Tav (Option 3): Lie and say you remained silent. Gale: I could not. I relented. It felt impossible not to. Tav (Option 4): How about you telling me what you did? Gale: I relented. It felt impossible not to. Tav (Option 5): The kiss, you say. Now I know why you're so chipper. Gale: The dream wasn't just about power, it was about desire. Gale: It was an expert, this apparition. First the seduction, then the spurning, then that teasing souvenir. 'You are not ready, I will return when you are'. That's what I was promised. We have some restless nights ahead of us.  Gale: Perhaps it's time indeed. The power to bend wills is a mind flayer speciality. We're the ones who are truly at risk. Power is a treacherous thing. Sometimes it makes you betray yourself. (end)

second dream (would trigger after using tadpole powers)

Gale: Good morning. I'm sorry, but I'm not in the best of moods. I tire of these dreams. Dreams. The word implies desire, but we're being played for fools. These are nothing but delusions.  Tav (Option 1): What makes you so sure they're delusions? Gale: [Jump to These dreams...] Tav (Option 2): I recall you being a lot more enthusiast after our first collective dream. Gale: I never said I'm not among the fool.  Tav (Option 3): The power we're given is real, and there's no denying that.  Gale: It’s not because they’re real, that they don’t deceive. Give it candy and a child stops asking questions. Gale: These dreams are too good to be true, and I can tell you why. Because they promises are perfect, and in perfection lies their flaw. It's the tadpole reading our every desire, but they don't read between the lines. They don't know some things are impossible. They don't know that... They don't know.  Tav (Option 1): Gale, who is the apparition in your dreams? Gale: She's... It doesn't matter. I just know her to be unreal.  Tav (Option 2): What's impossible about what you're been shown? Gale: Forgiveness. Tav (Option 1): I'll leave you to your ruminations.  Gale:  Remember: these are nothing but delusions. Don't let the illithid's close readings persuade you of good intent.  Tav [if told about Mystra - Loss scene dependent]: So it's Mystra you see. Of course it is.  Gale: I... why, yes. Clearly the tadpole isn't the only one who can read me like a book.  It's indeed Mystra I see. And yet it cannot be her. There was a time when I would have believed - but no longer. I told you that I lost her. Lost her favour and lost so many of the powers I took for granted. What magic I can still weave is met only with undercurrents of disappointing silence. Mystra has not changed her mind about me. That's how I know out dreams are delusions. Tav [Persuasion check, if not told about Mystra - Loss scene has not yet happened]: Come, you can tell me. We're among friends here.  Gale [Success]: Very well. It's Mystra I see. And yet it cannot be her. There was a time when I would have believed - but no longer. Things were different once, between the goddess and me. But things have changed. The parasite has plans for us. Gale: Suffice it to say she would not bestow upon me the favours promised in these dreams. That is how I know they are delusions. The parasite has plans for us, enacted through seduction and the promise of power. Don't be fooled. Behind the lips it wants us to kiss hide cold steel razor teeth. (end) Gale [Failure]: Another time maybe. I've said too much already. Remember, these are nothing but delusions. Don't let the illithid's close readings persuade you of good intent.  Tav (Option 3): If you say so. Now let's get going.  Gale: Very well. (end)

third dream (would trigger after using tadpole powers again)

first variation: the player used the tadpole power

Gale: The dawn broke with glorious streaks of red and fading blues – and I've never felt more tired. More dreams. More visions. Have you finally seen that nothing good can come from using the parasite's powers? Tav (Option 1): I'm sorry. I should have been more careful.   Gale: It's an all too easy mistake to make, but we have to fight the temptation. The parasite  will divide us if we let it... and conquer next. Let's not give the damned thing what it wants. [Gained Approval] (end) - Tav (Option 2): I will exercise my powers as I see fit. It's not your call to make.  Gale: Don't you see? The parasite will divide us if we let it – and conquer next. Clearly we can consider the division accomplished. [Gained Disapproval] (end)

second variation: the player had gale use the tadpole powers

Gale: More dreams. More visions. More the fool me for having used the powers of the parasite again.  Tav (Option 1): Don't be too hard on yourself. When you're given power, it's only natural to exercise it.  Tav (Option 2): Foolishness I did not expect from you. You're putting us all at risk.  Gale: I should have been more cautious. The parasite will divide us if we let it – and conquer next. To make use of its powers was a mistake I don't intend to repeat – that much I can promise. (end)

if you want to watch and listen to gale discussing these dreams with the protag, you can do so here. this youtube video has all three conversations compiled in one.

coming up next:

-part 2: major cut scenes: the deer stew scene & the loss scene

-part 3: minor cut scenes: abandoned temple of jergal, failed to save arabella, talking to the paladins of tyr and agreeing to go after karlach, edowin and the tadpole reveal, mayrina giving ethel's wand to her or breaking it, handing astarion over to the gur or defending him, reaching the druid grove, killing lae'zel, reaching the goblin camp & looking for halsin, killing the druids, priestess gut & the brand & the cult of the absolute, dror ragzlin and talking to the dead mind flayer, ogre couple, necromancy of thay, ethel, zhentarim chest, myconid colony

-part 4: gale's condition & the way it was treated in early access

taglist: @chainsawmascara, @randomfanner, @tacogoats, @khajiit-necromancer, @gwinharper, @galesenchantedpanties, @swampfaerie, @ardently-queer, @nirraein, @gale-enjoyer, @xiv-wolfram, @kairoswouldnever

i thought i'd tag the people i'd seen taking an interest in my original post! if you want to be taken off the taglist, please let me know!

[ssvnormandysr-1]

Something I've seen talked about a lot is some people calling Gale abusive, manipulative, or toxic for being occasionally passive aggressive or saying things that seem like guilt tripping. And you know what? Yes, he does get passive aggressive. Yes, he does have some unhealthy communication style. AND these do not necessarily mean he is abusive.

There's a difference between abusive (continued and consistent harmful behaviors to exert control over the other person) and unhealthy (sometimes being passive aggressive, communication not being completely open and free). In fact, if I had to guess, he may not even realize that his behaviors are not healthy. His passive aggressiveness or "guilt tripping", I feel, are reactions to his precious relationship with Mystra. When your attachment figure is high and mighty and do not acknowledge or respond to your needs or is very withdrawn or withhold love/praise unless you do something, people are gonna start to develop strategies to get their needs met - pouting, begging, acquiescing, etc etc - this can manifest as such unhealthy behaviors. Similar to how when children have withdrawn parents, they do all sorts of things ranging from making themselves very endearing or acting out to make them pay attention.

Do I think that this is 100% mystra's fault? Not necessarily. After all, she is a god and probably had lots of other things to care for and one mortal man among many other chosens (and who knows, potentially other lovers) likely wasn't on the highest of her priority list. But that doesn't mean the damage wasn't done. And I still believe that as a god Mystra should've known better than to be involved with a mortal romantically with such huge power differential.

Going back to the original point - such unhealthy strategies can absolutely get better and be changed when you do have a partner who responds to your needs, who is engaged, who doesn't withhold love, because that means you no longer have to survive the way you did before. You no longer have to elicit or win love from your partner because that love is already there. Such corrective emotional experiences can lower the defenses and build up healthy communication and relationship. With Tav, and hopefully other supports in his life, I think Gale can do so, too.

idk lots of people really seem to take just one part of certain characters and make them super evil or absolutely innocent - and they're not. None of the characters are. And that's the whole point especially in Gale's romance - he is a flawed human being, he made and still makes mistakes. And those are what it means to be a mortal, actually, and all parts of him still deserve love and compassion. He can be accepted as he is and still move towards positive changes.

[alpaca-clouds]

Baldur's Gate 3 and the Grooming Theme

I am on my second playthrough by now (the Astarion origin) and it really becomes even more apparent how grooming is kind of a central theme with all six of the origin characters. And funnily enough, I am not entirely sure whether it is intentional or more accidental. Mostly because I am not entirely certain whether the creators have realized how much the Gale-Mystra relationship reads as grooming and how much the entire Gith culture is basically about grooming their young into those perfect warriors.

The abuse aspect is fairly clear with Astarion and Shadowheart. If I am not entire mistaken, there is even dialogue in game that calls out Shadowheart's experience as grooming explicitly.

Let me go through all the Origin Six one by one.

Astarion gets basically groomed by Cazador, which kinda partly gets clearer if you consider that while under humans he would have been considered as an adult, among elves he would not have been. With him it is a clearer abuse situation, due to all the torture and violence we know he was subjected to. But Cazador in general tried to turn his spawn into what he imagined them to be. (There is a lot of speculation going on that he focused so much on Astarion, because Astarion reminded him of himself.) We also learn from Astarion that he tried to be what Cazador wanted him to be - though he clearly never succeeded.

Shadowheart embodies one of the most classical grooming scenarios. Often these day we use grooming to refer explicitly to sexual grooming - but the word is also often used in religious contexts, especially when it comes to cults. And yes, basically Shadowheart got kidnapped as a child and quite literally brainwashed to be a follower of Shar. We do not have that many details, but those we have actually do fit rather well with grooming inside of cults. And in her case this happened very clearly with the implicit knowledge of the people doing the grooming of what they were doing.

With Karlach we do not quite know how old she was, when she started to work for Gortash. But from all we learn she was probably in her teens. We have not many dialogues of her referring explicitly to what exactly happened between her and Gortash, outside of him selling her off to Zariel. But we have bits and pieces that sound a terrible lot like lovebombing. Of Gortash always knowing how to praise her that she would feel good about herself. Which, too, is a very typical grooming tactic. And what we know sounds like he kinda groomed her into the perfect bodyguard - before he sold her off.

With Wyll it is the clearest in so many ways, because we see him and Mizora interact with each other quite a bit. And make no mistake, Mizora very much groomed him. He was fucking 19 when he made that contract - and all we learn sounds like tons and tons of gaslighting happening between them, denying him to have any sense of reality. And I mean, just look at the official artwork with the two of them. While canonical there is nothing sexual happening between them (unless you do a Wyll playthrough and do the one night stand with Mizora)... It definitely feels at least somewhat sexually charged and she is quite touchy with him.

There has been a lot of discussion about Gale in this regard. Most of all because we do not get to know that much about how his relationship with Mystra went on. With Gale we do not know how old he is now, we know even less how old he was when Mystra took him in. But it for sure feels a lot like grooming, especially once you consider the inescapable power imbalance between a god and a mortal human. Given that Gale is still very enarmored with Mystra as we meet him - despite her abandoning him - we mostly hear rosy memories from him. But just his entire interaction when she fucking commands him to kill himself... Yeah that sounds a lot like grooming.

Finally there is Lae'zel. With her it is also more the cultish kind of grooming. Because the entire Gith culture under Vlaakith is basically a cult. We kinda see it when we interact with the Gith kids in the Monestary, who very much have absorbed this idea of the culture, going so far as killing and torturing each other. We also see that in Lae'zel if we talk with her about it and she looks at this and is like "Yeah, nothing wrong with that." Personally I found Lae'zel hardest to deal with because of this. Because she has absorbed all this stuff from her culture and when she follows those ideals she still thinks she is doing good/right. Like, Shadowheart can be a shitty person and Astarion definitely is. But they both kinda get that their behavior at times is shitty - while Lae'zel goes "this is right and good!"

Technically speaking we even see this partly in the villains. Orin definitely was groomed into the murder hobo she is. That makes her not the least bit less evil - but it was not as if she ever had a choice to become anything other than a murder hobo. And while I would argue that technically speaking Gortash was not exactly groomed (or maybe he was groomed by Bane?), he definitely also has been turned into a shitty person through childhood trauma.

To be honest, it is all this trauma that comes from all those experiences, though, that makes me just wanna write for this fandom so much. Because... Well, there is so much healing to do for those characters. And all those healing stuff is kinda the stuff I am all here for, when it comes to writing.

[randomfanner]

It crushes me how much Gale Slander there is.

I know a bug made him horny and clingy but in my current play through Gale and Blanche(what I named my Tav) are bros and I have found it easy to avoid romancing him.

And how can you dislike Gale for being a bit pushy and hitting on you when literally EVERYONE HITS ON YOU!!! At the Tiefling Party, if you have medium approval with anyone you can start romancing them and they all want you to god dammit.

But if you actually romance Gale, he is pretty damn shy and hesitant. You can think you want to kiss him and he doesn't just kiss you, he is just stunned. He is not trying to jump right into a romance with you! He can get pretty forward once you, the player, have shown interest in actually romancing him. (Like when he says you are hot when you fight)

A lot of people dislike Gale for talking about Mystra when he is trying to romance you but we have to remember: Mystra means so much more to Gale than just being his ex-lover. Gale worshipped Mystra as his goddess before, during and afterwards their relationship. Mystra is magic, the literal goddess of what he ties all of his self worth too. I will admit I am biased towards Gale because I am the same way about my grades, and for Gale, the Goddess magic and the embodiment of his art took an interest in him and made him his chosen.

When he lost the favor of Mystra, he lost everything he had worked so hard for in his life. Was it partly his own fault? Yes, he fucked around and found out. However I genuinely think if Gale had only been Mystra's Chosen rather then Mystra's Lover, he wouldn't have.

Mystra approached Gale and from how we see Gale act when he is trying to seduce Tav, he didn't make the first move romantically either. Mystra had a lot of power over Gale and I don't blame Gale for wanting to become the equal of the woman he loved.

Of course the problem arises because she is a Goddess and he is a Mortal Man who is overly ambitious. But I do not think the bases of what he wanted was too much to ask for.

Maybe I am giving Gale too much credit, I mean, look at how he reacts to the Crown and oh I do sigh at that. But his reasons are very complex for wanting the crown more then just power.

And the magic items. It is three magic items and you get so many thrown at you during this game. Not all of them are good for every run. An uncommon magic item is like what, 33gp?

When Gale actually comes to you about it too, it is either after you have shown you are a good person who likes to help people and he feels he can trust you to help him with the bomb in his chest that could wipe out a city. Or the alternative is he literally has to come talking to you lest he actually, literally explode and you are the person who is in charge. Yes he gets angry when you refuse but man has good reason, everyone's life is at stake!

Does he give you all the details? No! But the only people who tell you everything at this damn camp are Lae'zel and Karlach! Literally no one tells you ja

There are plenty of reasons to not like Gale. Gale is my favorite but I do see how parts of him, like how he can be sort of a classist asshole about magic(I do not think he intends to be and I think that is Gale's ~Touch of the Tism~ showing and being mixed with self worth issues)

Gale is such a genuinely sweet guy. He values life and people and magic. He may be over the top and get in over his head way to easily just wants to be at home with his cat and a good book and I am so sick of all the slander towards my boy.

[stars-and-inkpots]

Greetings, I'm hoping you're having a great day and or night😊 I love your writing, you're talented! If your requests are still open, can I request Tav (female please) being insecure that she doesn't live up to Gales standards because he was with Mystra? Tav just tells him "I'm in love with you, but I'm nothing. I'm no Goddess" I love my romance with some angst🥲❤️

I finally have a little time this week to write!! I loved this request, thank you so much. I actually had two versions of this planned out, one where you aren't yet together (this one), and another set in post game when the two of you are together in Waterdeep (I might finish this version and post it at some point too) ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy!

With You | Gale x Reader

You were nothing when compared to a god, and Gale certainly wasn’t blind to that. 

So you keep yourself at a distance. You convince yourself that this is for the best. 

Of course, Gale notices.

Pairing: Gale/Reader

Tags: Love confessions, hurt/comfort, fluff and angst, first kiss, comfort, self-esteem issues, low self-worth issues

Ao3 Link: Baldur's Gate 3 Requests

Word Count: 1,037

Realising you had developed feelings for Gale was a complicated discovery on its own. Knowing that Gale’s previous partner had been none other than a literal goddess complicated it even further. 

The two of you had grown close, and both of you would be fools to not admit that there was something between the two of you. But you hesitated everytime the opportunity to take things any further than friendship arose. Not because you didn’t want to, no; Gods, you wanted to so badly. But it was exactly because of Mystra that you hesitated. 

Gale had been with a goddess before. A goddess. And you were just… well, you were just you. You were mortal, and you could never hope to possibly compare to the divine. And what if he was just settling for you? Was he simply lowering his standards? What if Mystra, for whatever reason, decided to return to her affections for Gale? Would he, despite everything that She had done, go back to Her? You were nothing when compared to a god, and Gale certainly wasn’t blind to that. 

So you keep yourself at a distance. You convince yourself that this is for the best. 

Of course, Gale notices. 

Not immediately at first, but after a few days of you barely speaking to him, he can’t help but worry he’s done something wrong. There are no more late night talks by the fire; no walking just a little too close to be simply friendly during the day; no stolen glances. Nothing. Where there was once undeniably something, there is nothing. He curses himself for not saying anything sooner, for hesitating. 

At first, he wants to assume it’s because you suddenly realised that he’s dangerous, that he’s volatile. Then he worries that you’ve realised he’s just not as impressive as you thought he was. Maybe his skill no longer impresses you, and if he doesn’t have that then what else is there? The thought that you look at him and see only what he thinks he is, a pathetic shadow of a man who once was. 

Maybe it’s desperate on his end, but he’s not willing to just let this go. As much as he’s ready to wallow in self-pity, he needs to know. He can change, if that’s what you want. 

---

“I want to talk to you, if you have a moment,” Gale says before you can duck into your tent for the night. 

“Alright,” you relent. “Let’s go for a walk then.” You lead the two of you out of camp, and Gale follows beside you. You can’t shake the anxious feeling that only grows with the silence between you two. Once you’re far enough away, Gale speaks up. 

“I’m going to be perfectly transparent here; and if I’ve misread anything, do stop me before I embarrass myself too much.” Gale takes a breath, as if he’s already waiting for you to object. When you remain silent, he continues. “You mean a great deal to me, and I care about you a lot. In all honesty, I have feelings for you, very strong feelings. Now, a few days ago I had thought that you returned and shared my affections. But you’ve been quite different with me as of late. I know I am not owed an explanation or an answer, but I will still ask for one all the same.” 

You freeze. Even though you knew this conversation would come eventually, you don’t know what to say. He’s here. He’s here and he just admitted that he felt the same way as you did, and yet you can’t bring yourself to answer. 

“I just want to know if it was something I did. Did something change? As I said, you don’t have to answer, of course, I just… what happened to make you change your mind?” You can hear the nervous self-consciousness in his words, but it confuses you. How could he ever think it was something that he did when he had been with a goddess? How could he want you? 

“No, nothing changed. It was nothing that you did. I promise.” You sit down, and Gale follows, sitting beside you. 

“Then why have you been so cold with me? It isn’t fair to tell me I did nothing wrong when you go from spending so much time with me to barely even looking at me, let alone speaking to me.” He sounds frustrated, and you don’t exactly blame him. It was cruel of you to treat him so differently without an explanation. 

“I’m sorry.” You finally bring yourself to look over at him. Even through his slight annoyance with your behaviour, there is hurt. “You deserve better than me,” you say finally. You watch his expression change to one of confusion. “You shouldn’t lower your standards for me.” 

“What?” For once, you seem to have rendered him nearly speechless. 

“Gale, I’m in love with you, but I’m nothing. I’m no goddess.” 

A sudden understanding crosses his face. 

“Yes, you are. You most certainly are.” He takes your hand in his. “And you are more than I deserve, I assure you. If you truly wish to remain no more than friends, then so be it; but if those worries were all that were holding you back, I assure you you need not entertain them any further.” Every word sounds so completely genuine. 

“Are you sure?” You ask, despite yourself. 

“Completely.” He lifts your hand and presses a kiss to your knuckles. The act and the way he looks at you is enough to push your worries aside for now. You can tell he means everything he says. 

“Can I kiss you?” You ask, in a rush of newfound confidence. 

“I would like nothing more.” 

The hand not holding yours rests against your face, thumb brushing along your cheek. You brush your fingers through his hair, and you feel him shiver. It’s a soft kiss, the beginning of things. When you part he rests his forehead against yours and both of you are smiling. 

The walk back to camp is quiet, but comfortable. Gale doesn’t let go of your hand until you kiss once more and retire for the night to your tents.

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

You know what, fuck it: Baldur's Gate 3 Thoughts.

(The world is so so bad right now, can't even name all the bad things, so fuck it, no more bad feels, just some nice garbage right now)

I really love that the big 3 pairings all kinda arrive together:

Lae'zel and Shadowheart are already trapped on the ship together, like they are both trapped by their beliefs. They both know more about what's happening than anyone else and are also perhaps the most frightened.

Astarion and Gale show up stuck and as potential bait. They're both concealing some pretty big problems. The only way to succeed with them is to trust them despite this. And they both badly need to bond with others so they can survive their ordeals.

Karlach and Wyll actually already have a relationship, just one founded on misunderstanding. They can each empathize with each other in ways the others can't and adjust quickly to thinking of a previous adversary as a friend. They both have so much going on that when they arrive on the Sword Coast, they just resettle into business as usual. They've both been misused by those with control over them and seek to break that control, even if that doesn't fix everything, even if it means more loss.

They're all good ships, I love them. And all the other combos are good too, there are no bad options here, but I'm a bit of a sucker for these. Honestly, really appreciate having an entire party of bisexuals. I love that so much <3

Gale and I are the same person ha ha ha FUCK

I do have fic ideas, potentially for Gale & Astarion and Lae'zel & Shadowheart (spoilers below)

Like, I actually have a lot of feelings about Shadowheart being a complete dick to Lae'zel while she goes through a crisis of faith, only to eat pigeon pie later when she gets a crisis of her own.

And I'm obsessed with the idea of Lae'zel learning how to be comforting as she watches Shadowheart crumble apart, as she loses all sense of identity. Because at least Lae'zel has that. Lae'zel lost a lot in parting from Vlaakith, but she didn't lose who she was. Indeed, she left in defense of who she was, in defense of what she knew to be right. Shadowheart doesn't even have that. And it's a wild thing that comes over you, to feel like you've fucked up and lost and to find someone you can actually help. I think it would be a really cool and beautiful thing to see, Lae'zel helping Shadowheart find the pieces of herself. That would just be really, really good.

And then there's Problematic Old Man Yaoi over here

Maybe what I love best about Gale and Astarion is how much fucking WOULD NOT solve it

Like, some people just need to fuck it out and then it's all good, you fixed the issue

And 100% fucking would not solve their shit. Like, it would help, or it certainly wouldn't not help. But it'd only help like... max 20% The rest has to be solved by Talking, Using Your Words, Talking To Other People No Not The Imaginary Conversations, and Admitting When You're Wrong.

I also love that this is true no matter where you think they get together.

Like, let's take Act I: I cannot IMAGINE how Astarion could talk Gale into bed that early. Gale "Never Nude" Dekarios who's never had a crush on anyone who wasn't Mystra. He'd be shaking and fumbling just trying to ask Astarion on a date. And Mr. Emotionally Available over here, who is not ready to be vulnerable in any sense, who uses sex as a crutch because it's so familiar and so easy to dissociate from... yikes, what a combo. Poor Gale would be sent reeling by the hot-cold of it, he'd act insane those first few days after sex as he tries to make sense of how Astarion said yes to everything, but didn't mean it, but also he did? So should he pursue that or leave it be? Is the best choice to let Astarion thaw in his own good time or obsessively work on cracking this because Astarion clearly needs help and just doesn't want to ask for it? Stupid question, OBVIOUSLY the second! I... instant explosion. God, it would go so bad. Honestly, the good version is Gale resists the invitations and instead Astarion sulks for a few days over his blue balls or just fucks someone else, thus giving Gale a new case of mixed signals to obsess over. Jesus, we're just never going to escape that are we? Wizards gotta fixate.

Act II: In which Astarion chooses to ignore his own problems by instead arguing with Gale about his. Not because he's invested, merely because Gale is clearly being an idiot. Gale at first demurs, refusing to be argued out of his guilt, but then when Astarion becomes more insistent, counters with why Astarion cares so much? This would inevitably erupt in some kind of sexual encounter, but the fighting wouldn't stop because despite getting laid, Gale is still sure he's right and Astarion is still sure he's right. Dick actually can't solve this today. The camp mournful of ever finding a solution, they would like to sleep peacefully again someday.

Act III: Make or break time. Both Gale and Astarion escalate as the threat of death or destruction looms ever nearer. Gale now just as dead set on stopping Astarion from destroying himself as Astarion is on stopping Gale from destroying himself. Same threat, very different outcomes. Gale keeps looking at him with those damn puppy eyes and whining about "he'll regret it instantly" and "hate who he becomes" and "I can't stand to see that happen to you" or whatever. Obnoxious. And Astarion keeps trying to convince him that Mystra was wrong, that she "manipulated and groomed" him and "didn't even give an explanation" which he's owed, or some such nonsense. As if an inhuman, all-powerful goddess was out of line for being afraid of mortal actions... wait, was that a logical inconsistency? Damn. I think Gale would convince Astarion first. I think deep down Astarion would hate to be a full vampire too much, I think they both know it, and when Gale promises to stand by him, to take care of him, to always protect him... As much as Astarion doesn't want to trust, knows he's a fool for trusting, he agrees. He won't do it. He won't take the power. Because, damn him, he believes Gale. And what would suck is Gale would go "Cool! I'mma become a god, I can protect you way better then!" like entirely missing the point. And Astarion would be galled, deservedly so, by the hypocrisy. But Gale's so caught up in how sure he's right and how sure he's wrong, he's not even listening. I think it'd piss Astarion off so much, he'd convince the whole camp to kidnap Gale so he can't go sacrifice himself, full "He won't get the chance to kill himself because I'll do it first!" Until we finally get to the Nether Brain and... Astarion lets him go. Because that's the point. Trust isn't real if there isn't a choice. And as much as he hates the fact that Gale might choose what he doesn't want, he has to let him do it on his own. And I think that'd finally break through. That simple act of trust and sacrifice and playing willing to lose would finally make Gale go "Oh... oh god, what was I thinking? This isn't right." The fact that Astarion loves him more for the flawed and fallible person he is than for the heartless god he could become... That would finally make Gale see, Mystra was wrong all along and she never loved you because she can't really love. Not like that. Yeah. That's a personal favorite of mine.

But there's also a lot to be said for post-end, Astarion with nowhere to go and Gale going "You know... I've heard of spells that allow creatures form the Underdark to safely experience sunlight. We could try some of those, I don't see why they shouldn't work on you." and Astarion being floored and not even having the words for everything he feels at that offer. And then the raw sexual tension of living in his tower together as "friends" as Astarion mercilessly pines and Gale blissfully carries on, unaware until Tara finally goes "That's it! I can't take it any more! I'm going to live with your mother until you two sort this out!" and flies off. Leaving Gale to go "Huh... wonder what she meant by that?" Meanwhile, Astarion can hardly stand to be in the same room with Gale because he ends up basically drooling and yet, he can hardly stay away, staring obsessively from the shadows, creeping around wherever he is, looking exactly like the jealous lover he longs to be. Also, Astarion and Gale's mother! Oh, I can't wait! Too funny!

Oh, tower days with Astarion would be so good as he tries to adjust to having a life again. A slow, painful process, but very deserved. He'd need an occupation, he can't have nothing to do. Maybe he can look into magistrating again?

Anyway, there's some thoughts. I haven't finished Act III yet, but I'm close so I guess careful with those Act III spoilers.

Also, for anyone still reading, if you want to do me a solid: There exists somewhere a Bloodweave fic where Astarion walks in on Gale with a construct of himself only there's a twist... and the author is Very Correct about this twist. if you know, you know. But I can't find this fic anywhere! Please help a girl out if you've read the one I'm thinking of.

[ceddar-cheez]

Ok I have a minor gripe about Gale’s big romance night. Absolute spoilers because I’m just gunna brain vomit. I love this nerdy wizard a lil too much

So! I’m kinda peeved about how the choice to indulge Gale in magic sex has a lot more detail and effort than wanting to connect with him as a mortal in mortal flesh. You don’t even get naked when you choose mortal sex. It’s so disappointing because it feels like I made ‘the lame choice’ that they didn’t bother finishing and that undermines a big theme in his romance (or how I’m playing it)

I rolled a Barbie Bard so “love your true self!” is like central to the role play. So of course Barbie pushes that she loves him for his personality and not impressive tricks. But then if you go that route Gale is like ‘eh well if you wanna do it the old way then sure’. Like no no no Gale this is can be just as sensual as the other stuff… if not more really. The point is to empty your mind and be present in every part of your body. I used to overthink during sex (ADHD related) and it became a whole other level when I got out of my head. And like what is that magic sex if not Gale thinking reeeeaally hard?

Really I think the astral projection sex isn’t as amazing as he hypes it up to be. I mean just think, he says he hadn’t been with a mortal since being with Mystra and that relationship lasted a while (for how I interpreted it). I don’t think he’s had sex in his body in a long time. Cause Mystra doesn’t have a body, the astral sex would be fulfilling, but for Gale I can’t help noticing he left something behind

Himself

His whole body

That thing that feels touch and heat and pain

I think this illustrates what I think it feels like:

A tiktok woman (StruggleCare) was in labor and it was long and rough. She was in the hospital hooked up to an IV that was keeping her hydrated but she wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything in case they needed to do an emergency c-section. Her body was hydrated, but after so many hours she was begging for water to get rid of her awful thirst. Something about the experience of feeling water in your mouth is important to tell your brain it’s not in danger. (They did give her water and her birth went fine, just in case you wondered how this particular tale ended)

I feel like Gale’s “ascended” sex is like that IV. He’s been parched for so long that he doesn’t notice the thirst.

But here comes Barbie Bard and this man tripping over himself saying how he likes her musk. In the shadowlands he stops you to make a comment about how hot you look fighting and sweating.

Mystra doesn’t have a musk. Nor does she sweat.

So really the question is… when was the last time he was actually touched more than on the hands? I wanted to see that touched-starved desperation. I just love the idea Barbie Bard took a man with his head in the stars and fucked him back to his own humanity.

Very Hozier if I do say so. I like the theme of finding salvation in human after being failed by a god with unobtainable expectations. (Mystra and God god aren’t 1-to-1 so not perfect fit)

Anyway I don’t know where I’m going with this except I guess it’s time to bust out Procreate. I wanna hear other’s thoughts on this too

[megs-98]

A Gentle Touch Under A Canopy of Wonder and Beauty

Well.. this was supposed to be something short and sweet for Valentine's Day yesterday. It got away from me and turned in a behemoth. It also took me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster as I wrote it so :') anyhoozers I hope yall enjoy <3

Inspiration from @write-it-motherfuckers romanced themed prompts 2 'A gentle touch against a sleeping face' and 8 'Tracing scars with a loving gaze'

Pairing: Gale x f!reader (Tav)

Summary: (This turned into a different take on Gale's love confession) Tav and Gale share a night together, saying, and doing things, that they need to get off their chest before they reach Moonrise Towers.

Tags: Explicit!, little bit of angst? (if you squint), expressing feelings, Mystra hate, female receiving oral, vaginal sex, sweet Gale, soft fucking, mutual orgasm, some religious themes during the smut (it's my favorite) idk I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this pixelated man.

Word count: 4.6k

“But now she has declared he is to be given a chance of redemption.” Elminster’s words still reverberate in your mind, even weeks later after meeting the man for the first time. You and your party were traveling through the mountain pass after leaving the gith creche. As you approached the bridge that would have taken you to the Shadowlands, you were quick to notice an elderly wizard looking at a map, looking a bit unsure of where he was meant to go, although this was a ruse as you were exactly who he was looking for. 

“Ah, hello! Might you spare a weary traveler a moment of time?”

You indulged the man as he explained that he was Elminster Aumar and was tasked with finding Gale of Waterdeep and how he had heard whispers within the weave of where Gale and the party might be. He disregarded Gale’s questioning of his sudden appearance by continuously asking for a respite from his travels at your camp . Reluctantly you all set up camp for the night and as Elminster finished his snack of cheese and wine, he asked that Gale accompany him to the prodigal wizard’s tent for some privacy. You stayed far enough away from the two to give them a moment together but close enough to hear what was being said. That’s when you heard Elminster explain to Gale that Mystra, the goddess of magic, the one who Gale had previously given himself completely too, knew what was happening to you and your companions. 

“If Mystra knows what’s happening then why isn’t she doing anything to help?” You asked angrily as you came up to the two men. Elminster explained that that was why he was there. He was delivering a message, and charge, for Gale. The message being that if he wanted a chance to be forgiven for his transgressions, he was to use the orb to rid the world of the Absolute with the charge giving him control of the combustion of the orb. He was to sacrifice himself. Gale had to calm you down as you started to yell at Elminster for delivering such a message and believing that that was something Gale would actually do. As unsure as Gale seemed, he told you he was determined to do what he needed to gain forgiveness with the goddess, to which you reiterated that there was a different way and that you would do what it took to find it. 

You spent the next weeks doing what you could to show Gale that detonating the orb wasn’t the answer. Making sure to shower him with praise when he made dinner, doing small chores around camp to help him, and finding any time you could talk with him about.. anything really, among other things. The two of you found yourselves growing closer as your travels progressed, often flirting with each other, occasionally holding hands, and exchanging the even rarer pecks on a cheek or forehead. You just wanted to make it known to the wizard that you cared for him and couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. 

That’s how you found yourself in front of Gale’s room in the Last Light Inn. As you got closer to Moonrise Towers, and closer to the heart of the Absolute, Gale remained resolute in his decision to do what was asked of him. Sleep evaded you as you laid in your bed, thinking about what was to come, how you were going to lose the man you loved, and how you hadn’t truly expressed your feelings yet. 

Padding silently across the landing of the inn’s second floor, you stood in front of Gale’s door, quickly knocking before you talked yourself out of it. It felt like an eternity waiting for Gale to answer the door, you were so lost in telling yourself this was a bad idea and you might as well leave that you didn’t notice that the door was cracked open, with the man of your affections staring at you. 

“Tav, what can I do for you this evening?” He asked as he opened the door for you, inviting you in as he pulled on his outer robe, as he was only in his sleep pants. 

You fidgeted with your hands as you came in, looking at everything but Gale, unsure how to explain yourself. Admittedly, there wasn’t much to look at in the room, a chair in the corner of the room opposite of the bed, a wardrobe, and a side table next to the bed with a singular lit candle. It made you realize how small the inn’s rooms actually were as you continued to scan the room. Gale cocked his head a bit looking at you as he came closer, finally catching your eyes. Oh, how you could so easily get lost in those brown eyes of his. He often had a solemn look behind his eyes, which was unsurprising after you had learned everything he had been through. Between being cast aside by his goddess, condemned to spend however long in his tower due to the volatile nature of the Netherese orb that was within him, alone with only his tressym, Tara, to keep him company and provide help for when his arcane hunger struck. Having to figure out how to remove an Illithid tadpole from yourselves before potentially becoming mindflayers, and now being told he should sacrifice himself so he might gain forgiveness from Mystra. You watched as Gale grabbed your hands, smoothing his thumbs over the backs of your hands, bringing one hand up to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on your hand in an attempt to still your wandering mind. You saw the love in his eyes as he looked at you as you were sure your eyes were a mirror image of his.  

  “Please, my dear, tell me what you need.” The sincerity and concern in his voice, something you were still not entirely used to from a potential partner, almost caused tears to prick up in the corner of your eyes. You surprised both Gale and yourself as you wrapped your arms around his neck, taking in deep breaths, his lingering smell of old parchment and ink helping calm you.

“I can’t sleep, I was hoping I could sleep in here with you?” You asked, muffled against his skin. You felt as Gale’s arms closed around you, bringing you in closer to him to deepen the hug. You could also feel his shoulders stiffen at the request. Of course the two of you had cuddled up close to each other by the campfire or during your late night talks, but close proximity for the entirety of a night as the two of you slept was uncharted territory, something the two of you had not yet taken part in. Gale took in a deep breath before pulling away, a small smile on his face. 

“Of course you can, dear.” He said as he stepped away, one of his hands was still in yours. “I’ll go ask the tiefling boys for an extra pillow and blanket so I can sleep in the chair.”  A distinction he made as to not presume that you meant sleeping in the same bed as him. As much as that was something he wanted, he recognized that neither of you had specified where your relationship was going with the man, even though you both knew there were strong feelings for each other there. 

Your grip tightened on his hand, stopping him in his tracks. You shook your head and looked to the bed. Gale’s eyes widened as he realized what you meant, that you wanted to sleep in the same bed as him, just as he wanted. He felt his heartbeat quicken, thankful in this moment that Elminster had given him control over the orb. Now wanting to take advantage of being about to feel a whole spectrum of emotions again without setting it off, he knew he had to let you take the lead at this moment. He saw just how vulnerable you were allowing yourself to be with him and he wanted to do what he could to show that he appreciated your openness with him. 

“I just want to lay with you, be close to you. I’m scared for what’s to come and I just need to know you're here..” You whispered as you drew your hand back from Gale’s, wrapping yourself in your arms, feeling a bit foolish for thinking this was something that Gale was ready for or even wanted with you. Gale gave you a quiet hum as he came back to you, lightly caressing your arms as he pressed a kiss into your temple. 

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.” He said as he took off his robe, taking your hand to lead you to the bed. He held his arm up, motioning for you to lay down first. “Lay however you need to, there isn’t a lot of space and I want you to be comfortable.” 

You were quick to get under the covers, with your back pressed against the cool wall, watching as Gale entered the bed, both of you unsure of how to lay. You let him get comfortable before cuddling into his side, letting his arm wrap around your shoulders as you held him around his waist, bringing your leg up over his. You brought the covers over the two of you as you both settled into each other, a mixture of comfortability and timidness as the two of you got used to being entwined together. 

Soon enough, as you laid there in silence enjoying each other’s company, you could hear steady breathing coming from Gale indicating that he had fallen asleep. Your mind began to wander again as you laid next to him. Thinking of everything the two of you had been through together, from pulling him out of the portal he had found himself stuck in to the first time his arcane hunger affected him. You sighed as you thought of how he was not quick to tell you about his condition, not out of frustration at him necessarily, moreso at the fact he thought you would cast him aside because of it. As you let your thoughts distract you, your eyes looked around the small room again, your focus being brought back to Gale. Well, it was brought to the earring he wore on his left ear. Carefully, you moved your head back to get a better look at it, taking it in between your fingers that had been absent mindedly rubbing Gale’s side with. It was a simple star that held the weight of Gale’s world within it. It symbolized his loyalty to Mystra, the one who Gale had been in love with, now the one who told him he needed to use himself to end the cult that was the Absolute. 

It was a small insecurity of yours, knowing that the man you had fallen in love with had been intimately involved with one of the gods before he met you. You tried to shake those thoughts as you know that Gale cares for you and that his relationship with you is vastly different from the one he had with Mystra. You let the earring drop out of your fingers as you looked at Gale, admiring his sleeping form. Appreciating how serene he looked as he slept. As you watched him sleep, your eyes drifted to the faint lines sprouting from the corner of his eye, connecting to the orb confined in his chest. Carefully moving your arm, you brought a finger up to softly caress the lines. You traced the lines down his cheek, lightly dragging your finger across his beard, noticing the few gray hairs starting to grow in. Continuing to follow the lines down, you reached where the orb illustrated itself on his chest. You had never seen it this close before, as Gale was always wearing his robes or sleep shirt. You sat up a little to get a closer look at it, bringing your hand away from the man when he started stirring, acting as if he were about to wake up. 

Once it was evident he was still asleep, you were back to inspecting the orb. You remember Gale telling you the story of how he became one with the orb. After tracking down what he thought was a tome containing part of the missing Netherese weave for Mystra, hoping to give it to her to get back in her good graces, he opened the tome and was only met with a swirling black mass: pure Netherese weave. It had latched itself on to Gale, forcing him to become its new host as it demanded more and more magic to devour. You felt sad for the man as you thought of his desperation to win back the goddess who obviously wanted nothing to do with him, only acting on his devotion to her. That sadness quickly shifted, though, to that of distress as you realized that the orb had embedded itself into Gale’s skin. Tracing over his chest, you could feel how his skin was raised as if there was scar tissue along the edges of the orb, a physical manifestation for the bomb that was within him. Your heart ached as you thought of what he went through, not knowing what was happening after what happened, only knowing crippling, debilitating pain as he and Tara struggled to find a potential cure for the darkness living in him now. You had been so lost in your thoughts that you hadn’t noticed Gale was awake, watching you closely inspect him. Watching as emotion overtook you, though he wasn’t sure what was causing your sadness. 

You felt the heat of tears in your eyes again as you continued to look at Gale, trying to wipe away the tears that had escaped. Feeling Gale shift beneath you as he tightened his arm around you, you put your hand on his chest, trying to get him to lay back down. You felt his free hand against your skin as he cupped your cheek, wiping away your tears. 

“While I do love seeing some tears in the bedroom, I’m afraid these are not the tears that should be occurring right now.” He said as he pulled you into an embrace. You buried your face in his chest, apologizing for waking him up. 

“Shh, you have nothing to apologize for, my angel. Now, tell me what has you so worked up, hmm?” He said as he rubbed a hand down your back. 

“This shouldn’t have happened to you.” You said quietly. “You were just trying to impress a goddess who only saw you for your abilities.. She never loved you, she only loved what you could do and the loyalty you had for her. She used you. She didn’t see you for the man that you are. How kind, caring, and considerate you are. How you can realize, and admit, your wrongs. How you just want to be loved for you. And now you’re stuck with an all consuming thing in you unless you agree to blow yourself up. It’s bullshit, Gale. You deserved, and still do deserve, better than Mystra.” You had sat up at this point, starting to get angry, sitting next to Gale, who was still lying there rubbing your back. He smiled at you as you passionately expressed yourself, giving you another hum of acknowledgement. 

“Good thing I do have someone better than Mystra by my side now.” He said as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

You looked at him, perplexed, as he held out a hand to you. 

“I was hoping to save this for a different time but I do believe that now is as good a time as any.” You grabbed his hand as you sat on the edge of the bed with him. Watching as he took his hand away, closing his eyes. Obviously concentrating, he started murmuring to himself as he gesticulated his secret words with his hands. You patiently watched, trying to figure out what spell he was casting. Within a few minutes, you saw the ceiling start to change. Your eyes grew wide as you watched the ceiling of the small room turn into a night sky of varying shades of blues, greens, and purples, littered with constellations. 

Once Gale was finished, he flashed you a brilliant smile as he looked at you. 

“Well, what do you think?” He asked, obviously proud of himself. 

“Gale, it’s breathtaking. You never cease to amaze me.” You said to him as you continued staring up at the illusion, unable to take your eyes away from it.

“I’m glad you like it. You were the inspiration behind it, you know.” You turned your head as you heard his words, seeing that he was already looking at you. There was so much trepidation as well as love in his eyes. 

“This is what I see every time I even so much as think of you. I wanted to show you how I see you, but if I’m being honest, it really does pale in comparison to your beauty. This isn’t something that I can do often anymore, but tonight is different. As we both know this may be one of my last nights alive and I wanted it to be special, under a canopy of wonder and the likeness of the beauty of the woman I care most for… There is no turning away from the inevitable, at least this way it will be on my own terms.” You noticed a fearful tone in his voice as you listened to the man. 

“Nothing is inevitable, Gale. I can’t lose you, we can find a different way.” You laced your fingers between his as he watched you. 

“One moment with you could sate me for a lifetime. I’m glad you helped me all those weeks ago. You immediately showed your propensity for helping others at that moment. And in that moment, I found myself drawn to you. Not a day goes by that I don’t find myself falling harder and harder for you, Tav. I often find myself wishing that things were different, wanting to be back home again, with you, so I could court you properly, say everything I want to say better. But the reality is that time is short.. I’m in love with you.” 

You let his words sink in as he scanned your face, desperately hoping that you shared his feelings. The look of disappointment fell across his face as you dropped his hand. However you took him by surprise as you moved to straddled him, grabbing his face, and crashing your lips against his. You heard his shock turn into a moan as he deepened the kiss, causing the concentration for his illusion to break, leaving the two of you left in just the dim candlelight. You carded your hand through his hair as he brought his tongue against your lips, seeking entrance. You both moaned as you felt your tongues dancing around each other. Gale’s hands started to roam your body, coming underneath the hem of your shirt. You cupped his face as you pulled away from the kiss, a whimper leaving him as he had started losing himself in how sweet your kiss tasted. 

As you tried catching your breath, you brought your forehead against his. You saw him looking at you, unfortunately still unsure of your feelings. You didn’t need to connect your tadpoles to know what he was thinking, that he was hoping that you shared his feelings, even though the kiss the two of you just shared should have been his answer. 

“Gale, I am hopelessly in love with you. I love you more than words can express.”

 As soon as the words left your mouth, Gale had his lips back on you. Messily kissing you as he stripped you out of your shirt, kissing every inch of your skin that he could reach. You relished in his touch, running your hands down his chest as he pawed at you. A moan escaped you as you felt Gale’s mouth close around one of your hardened nipples, causing you to heave your breast farther into his mouth. Keeping an arm around your waist, he lifted you as he stood so he could lay you down on the mattress. He continued kissing down your body as he removed your pants, tapping you on your thigh to signal you to raise your hips. 

You did as he silently requested, helping him get your pants off. Gale sat on his knees between your legs, barely brushing his hands down your thighs, sending a shiver through your entire body. 

“Gods, look at you. You’re so beautiful. How did I ever get so lucky to be blessed with someone like you?” 

“I could say the same thing about you, Gale.” You smirk as he continued stroking your legs. You watched as he lowered himself again, peppering kisses down each of your legs, slowly kissing his way back to your lower stomach. He watched with half lidded eyes as you moaned and writhed under his touch for him, occasionally bucking your hips, trying to get him to kiss you on your aching core. He chuckled as you put one of your hands in his hair, trying to guide him.

“Gale, please. There’s only so much teasing I can take.” You whined at your lover, unable to find any friction for some sort of release as he laid himself down, bringing an arm around your hips as to hold you down.

“Ah, ah. Impatience is not a virtue that suits you, my love.” He winked at you as you rolled your eyes at him. “But I do suppose you’re right, we’ve both been wanting this for far too long.” 

Gale moaned against you as he finally put his tongue between your folds, feeling euphoric as he finally had his mouth against your dripping cunt and hearing you moan his name like it was a prayer meant only for him. He knew in his mind, though, that it should be him chanting your name like a prayer as you became his new idol of devotion in this moment. This was the point of no return for Gale as he continued to eat you out. The way you tasted, rolled your hips against his face trying to help bring yourself closer to the edge, how your body reacted to his touch, and how his name sounded on your sweet voice. He was yours, from now until his last breath. Nothing in this world would take him from you now, gods be damned.

Once you had reached your climax, Gale ascended your body, once again littering kisses wherever he could. He lovingly watched as you fought to catch your breath, recovering from the best orgasm you have had, carefully getting out of his pants. He pressed bruising kisses against your neck as he gave his aching cock a few strokes, groaning as he finally felt a little bit of relief. 

“I can’t wait any longer, angel. Please, I need to feel you around me.” Gale begged as he kept his hardened length just barely away from your soaked and aching entrance. You quickly nodded as you let out a breathy please. 

You let out a gasp as you felt Gale place his cock between your folds, thrusting a couple of times to cover himself in your slick, while hitting your already sensitive clit. You felt Gale shift his weight as he placed one of his forearms on the side of his head, his other hand pressing his tip against your entrance. Slowly, oh so slowly, he sank himself into you, able to bottom out from how wet you were. He stilled once he was completely in you, placing his other arm by your head. His knuckles white from how hard he was gripping the sheets, trying not to cum already from how good you felt. You were as equally blissed out as he was, sinking your nails into his back as you felt the slight pain from being stretched out and how full you felt. Your senses were nothing but Gale. In addition to how he filled you, you could feel how he set your skin ablaze, you could smell the musk that was the result of your bodies coming together as one. You felt as his beard slightly scratched you as he put his face in the crock of your neck. All of these feelings only amplify as you finally feel Gale start to move, slowly thrusting in and out of you using long, languid strokes. You brought your arms around your lover as you tried to pull him impossibly closer to you, almost trying to physically become one. 

Gale knew he couldn’t last much longer, between hearing your soft moans directly in his ear and how it felt as if your pussy was made for him. He was ready to topple over the edge but he needed to get you there again first. He knew you were close as you clenched tighter around him. 

“Uhnn, Tav. You’re taking me so well, love.. I’m not, oh gods, I’m not gonna last much longer.” You clenched even tighter around him hearing his praise. 

“Shit, you feel so good.. I need to come again, sweetheart. I know you’re close. Can you cum again for me?” He asked as he pressed a kiss on your mouth. 

You nodded, to fucked out to give him a proper answer. Seeing you nod, Gale pulled out of you, a whine quickly leaving you. You felt as he grabbed your legs, pulling your knees over his shoulders. Just as fast as he left your cunt, he was back in you, changing from slow, loving strokes, to hard and fast strokes while keeping a bruising grip on the back on your thighs. The cord you felt in your core was quickly being pulled tight, on the verge of snapping, with this new angle and intensity. Gale was hitting your spot so perfectly, your back was arching off the bed as your eyes rolled in the back of your head. You could hear Gale singing his praises as he moaned, still trying to hold off his orgasm. You felt as he quickened his pace even more, quickly feeling as he brought you over the edge again, screaming his name as you came. Gale dropped your legs, caging your body with his, slowing down his thrusting, as he finished with you. He helped you both ride out your high, pulling out once he knew he was softening in you. He pressed a kiss to your forehead as he got up to get a rag out of the wardrobe. Carefully, he cleaned you up and then himself, tossing the rag somewhere across the room when he was done. He helped you move over in bed so he could lay down next to you again, tangling your limbs together as he held you close. You quickly fell asleep as you laid against your lover. Gale, as tired as he was, couldn’t help but stay awake as he thought about how there was, in no logical way, any chance he could go through with sacrificing himself now. He had something much bigger than himself to live for now. Your love. And he wasn’t about to lose that over some god who couldn’t even compare to you in any way, shape, or form.

[lokiina]

I wasn't gonna do it. But I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna kjhdkfjghdkfjg

If you don't want character spoilers I'm slapping this under a readmore but I need to cry a lil about Gale.

So many people just think he's annoying or Solas 2.0 and that's kdghdfkjgh

if it's not coherent I apologize I need to word vomit.

!! also some mental health related TWs ahead as a warning !!

THIS MAN IS SO DEEPLY DEPRESSED. His self worth is so low and it's so heart wrenching to listen to and the writing is incredible.

(A lot of the characters in this game deal directly with like Gods and the abusive relationships they have with them but this is for Gale specifically. Everyone's got their own mess that's it's own thing. )

Holy fucking shit. I don't know if you get some of the dialog options I have gotten if you don't actively romance him but omfg. Man openly admitted to being suicidal so you talking him out of blowing himself up while everyone else including the last love his life is saying "kill yourself" is such a big big deal. Even if the end result is being framed as help. It's not. It's more manipulation and down right fucking EVIL.

His relationship with Mystra is messed up, the power imbalance is fuckin wild and if anyone out of this is expecting a goddess to be the victim when she was clearly a manipulator is unreal. Their situation he was just trying desperately to prove his worth to her and her essentially stringing him along until he wasn't of any use anymore. He wanted Mystra to see him as equal to her, and nothing he ever did was enough for her. Cuz she did not care about him. If it was a proper relationship and she actually loved him back he wouldn't have had to try to continuously prove himself.

He was taken advantage of through his relationship and his entire self worth has been shattered. Now he's not entirely without fault through some of it and acknowledges where he screwed up himself.

When you offer to find another way for him that doesn't end up in him exploding, you kick a lil spark back into him and as someone who's fuckin struggled with self worth and depression. I feel for him so hard. Sometimes it does take another person simply acknowledging your worth to be that lil spark. It doesn't even have to be in a romantic sense.

This man is high key autistic coded. Everything about the way he loves so purely, misses cues on certain things and misunderstands and needs direct clarification on stuff. Ask him about his special interest, magic. The gloom drops in these moments. It's fuckin precious as hell to see him light up.

The writing in this game is fucking phenomenal and I just. I have a lot of deep feels on this whole thing. Every character has so many lil layers to them and I wanna just smooch the whole dev team.

Anyway. He's my fav character out of this chaotic game and I just. I will protect this silly wizard with my life. He deserves good things. Fuck his haters.

I wanna go get some comfy fluffy art of him and my boy.

[mightymizora]

What popular/fandom take on Gale do you feel most out of step with? Where does your interpretation diverge?

I’m gonna make this non rebloggable, people can capture this if they want but under the cut! There’s a lot… and it’s mostly headcanon territory with a bit implied from canon.

I think he is an only child of a single mum. I mean this is about fifty fifty.

He grew up rich. He would call himself comfortable. Again this is fifty fifty I think.

Morena was emotionally a bit overbearing but also sometimes a little absent. He was a bit of a lonely child before Tara.

I think he came to the attention of Elminster way before Mystra. Possibly 15 years before. Mostly because of the Mystra timeline.

I think he was absolutely insufferable in his late teens and early twenties as he got enabled by people. I think he can be quite easily influenced by other people in social situations, and this was definitely more when he was younger.

I think he was popular as a young man, and could have had a lot of one night stands, but instead wanted things with a bit more intellectual connection. He’s had a handful of experiences with people he felt a connection with.

Elminster introduced Mystra to him thinking she would absorb his power. He brought a ton of potential chosen to her to complete her ascension until he found another solution. This would have been not long after Gale’s studies in his mid twenties.

When Gale met Mystra she still had a small spark of humanity (like how we see god!Gale in the epilogue actually!) and when that disappeared, Gale was trying to reach for it. That’s what led him to the weave.

But also, although he would never admit it, it was also pride. He wanted to be an equal in her eyes, even though that is impossible. He’s frustrated, unfulfilled by their relationship and he doesn’t know why.

He has chronic pain and that’s key to his character (again, mixed feelings in the fandom on this I feel?)

He would literally want to be with anybody if they were intellectually stimulating to him. Doesn’t mean they have to be academics but as long as they challenge him he would love it.

He would be very happy without kids and if he does become a father he would not be super good at it all the time! He’d have to learn how to be patient and would need to be supported!

I think his stamina with physical sex is terrible to start and I don’t think he’s as good at oral as he thinks. But he’s a good learner!