#bg3 epilogue

[half-dorks]

BG3 Epilogue : Origin Astarion (Spawn) x Gale

BOOK CLUB IS REAL

Well, they read for a reason.

[messiahzzz]

nothing further to add except this:

gale: i love you.

nodecontext: with the warmth of having said this a thousand times before.

[marigoldorlando]

I’m tired but the thoughts of happy Shadowheart just vibing at home, trying to make some bread and living her best life are healing

[dekariosclan]

So during the epilogue, if you romanced Gale, talk with him while he’s near Tara, and choose this during your discussion:

“You know me. I prefer you with your clothes off.”

He’ll immediately get flustered and say:

“Ahem. Not in front of Tara, please.”

…which I love. But what I DIDN’T realize (until I started playing around with the epilogue conversations) is that if you wait until he’s walking around the party and away from Tara, and then do your conversation, that same dialogue:

“You know me. I prefer you with your clothes off.”

Will get THIS response instead:

“I’m not entirely certain that would fall under the definition of ‘smart casual’, but I’ll be sure to indulge you when we get home…”

…

Tav, two minutes later: (slaps hands on thighs, stands up, stretches) Welp, it’s been a great party, but it’s time for us to go

Withers: Thou just arrived—

Tav: TIME FOR US TO GO

[elderidgeart]

I think about him a lot

[the-song-of-avernus]

It's fascinating how even though you don't always hear about \ anyone other than Astarion, every origin companion in BG3 has an endgame/epilogue state that is either outright bad for them or at the very least "not as good as they deserve".

Obvious there have been books and 100,000 pages of fic and discourse written about Ascended Astarion. In the moments when he almost acts like his old self, even then it's merely humoring you with a whim.

Mother Superior DJ Shadowheart flat out admits to severe empathy for what Viconia went through, and has fully closed herself off from any sense of attachment or feeling other than Nocturne and Tav. Her continued need to find carve-outs and exceptions and loopholes parallels Viconia's own eventual disagreements with Shar. And as we know, Shar will eventually betray or abandon her if Shadowheart doesn't betray her first. It's the story of every devout Sharran we meet.

Gale, the God is a smug arrogant hubris-ridden asshole that's even mean to Tara in the epilogue. Nearly every single sentiment he expressed about why he wanted the Crown and to ascend is immediately inverted. Of course he's not going to interfere. He's a figure of aspiration. Once he received power himself he immediately forgot and forsook everyone and everything about why he wanted it in the first place. A romanced God Gale is SLIGHTLY more grounded but that's mostly just because you ground him. And if you ascend with him, that ends that.

Lae'zel's return to Vlaakith results in her ascension, which leads to her missing the party and being very dead. The things that Lae'zel claimed to value will never truly be as long as Vlaakith rules, and her not escaping and falling back into her people's death cult robs her of the ability to create a new Gith, a better Gith.

Karlach is dead, or almost as bad, a Mind Flayer. And while most of her initial personality remains, by six months in she's already grown emotionally distant and her personality is clearly and evidently being slowly overridden by the brains of the dying she consumes. She's forsaken the embrace of death for the guise of eternal continuation in her. And even surrounded by the ten people who should mean the most in the world to her, all she mostly thinks about is others' perceptions of her (ala the Emperor) and the fact that she's hungry. Mind Flayer Karlach even notes that she used to think becoming a Mind Flayer would be the worst thing ever, but now she likes it. Shades of the Emperor x1000 and a clear sign that the Karlach we know and love is rapidly becoming a memory.

and then there's Grand Duke Wyll. On the surface, it appears the happiest of the "bad" endings, but pay attention. Note how he discusses wheeling and dealing and making agreements with patriars. (How well has contracts and deals worked out for you in the past?) Oh, and in certain conditions including romance, Wyll will offer you the chance to become a Grand Duke as well - with the others being his father (Ravengard #3) and Florrick (Wyll/Ulder's longest lasting family friend). That's not a government of the people for the people. When the power is tied up by a husband, spouse, his father, and their most trusted advisor, that's the makings of a monarchy or oligarchy. Of the type of patriar power-claim to last for generations, something Wyll himself once mocked. Oh, and if you adopt a child, then you get into the worst part of it all: Wyll's been busy running a city, and oh hey, instead of y'all bringing YOUR FOUR MONTH OLD DAUGHTER with you, hey, she'll be cool being watched by the Ilmater temple for a night right? Sorry, Wyll, were you saying something a few months ago about distant parenting? Yikes.

[marshmallow-bg3]

So here's what I've got in all the saves. Gale doesn't get any titles in any scenario. Wyll doesn't get any titles as Blade of Avernus or Grand Duke. Gone to War Astral Projected Lae'zel - no title. Illithid Karlach - no title.

[xanfeursel]

OBSESSED with teacher gale still using his orb as a threat to his students to have them pay attention despite the fact he doesn't even have it anymore. If you guys dont pay attention to my lecture i am going to kill myself.

[lemotomato]

I haven’t seen anyone post about the epilogue you get if you romance Gale and he sacrifices himself at the final battle. I did this for science, but I didn’t expect how much it would wreck me 😭

New epilogue spoilers under the cut

[coolseabird]

Gale and Minthara Epilogue Conversation

Gale: I refuse to believe you still don't know my name after all we went through together.

Nightwarden Minthara: Your tressym is called Tara and she dislikes your beard. She is wrong - it is a fine beard. Dashing, even.

Nightwarden Minthara: You enjoy travel and adventure, but miss Waterdeep whenever you are away. This is because your mind is restless, and can only find peace in familiar places.

Nightwarden Minthara: Your ambition is not cruel, but you fear that if you indulge it, you will lose yourself in the mysteries of the Weave and unravel the world.

Nightwarden Minthara: You are afraid of so many things, and it is that fear that keeps you true to yourself.

Nightwarden Minthara: I know a great deal about you, Gale Dekarios. And that is precisely why I know how enjoyable it is to tease and befuddle you.

Extracted text from this datamined dialogue post by @wednesdayche:

https://www.tumblr.com/wednesdayche/735747430604226560/gale-and-minthara-reminds-me-of-niles-and-lilith?source=share

[snowfolly]

So I just realized that during the epilogue the narrator says that:

*one night, he (Astarion) tells you that these last six months of happy memories are the counterweight to two hundred years of misery*

This comes after saying (during certain dialogue choices) in act 3 that:

“Nothing can make up for that. Not even Cazador’s death.” (in reference to the year he was sealed in the tomb)

And I

just have a lot of feelings

about this man.

[disteal]

It’s so funny to me that Tara can basically end up as your shitty mother in law

[messiahzzz]

[sabrinaacarpenters]

what do you mean scratch isn’t living with me and astarion. who the fuck is mindy

[dekariosclan]

Allow me to rave for just a minute about Gale’s kiss scene in the epilogue.

First, there’s Gale’s gentle teasing of Tav, which we can all universally agree is magnificent, outstanding, exceptional, top-notch.

Then there’s The Boop™️. Something so perfect you could show it to an alien life form with absolutely zero understanding of human emotions or love, and it would still say, '…that’s the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life.’

But the part that I truly love the most (and that I don’t see mentioned often) is this right here:

I love that after Gale’s tease, Tav leans in for what they think will be a quick little kiss, but the minute their lips touch Gale’s, he’s so completely love-drunk he’s pulling them in for a makeout session.

Words aren’t necessary. Gale doesn’t feel like he has to ask or flatter or charm Tav first; he knows he can just reach out and his love will be reciprocated.

This is the result of Gale finally having a partner that lets his needs and his wants and his desires be met. He’s confident and secure enough in Tav’s love to know that he can just kiss them with a defenseless, honest passion, and he’ll get the same in return, because they love him for him.

Plus, the little sway/dance he does while kissing Tav!? He’s bursting with so much happiness he can’t contain himself.

I just. Love it. SO much.

And I am 100% sure this happens ALL THE TIME.

Professor Dekarios is late for his morning class again? He hasn’t even left his home yet, he’s still kissing his spouse goodbye.

Gale’s spending an evening with his friends at the Yawning Portal and suddenly they’re wondering where he went? He spotted Tav doing some shopping nearby and left to give his love a “quick peck on the cheek.” It’s been 40 minutes.

Elminster himself stops by to meet Gale to go to lunch? He finds Tara waiting for him, tail swishing in annoyance as she says, “Please do sit down and get comfortable. Gale will be awhile.”

Elminster just laughs. Is Gale caught up working on a spell? Got his nose in a book? He’s used to waiting on the boy, he’ll probably just be a few minutes more.

Tara: “He’s saying goodbye to Tav.”

Elminster: Sighs, takes off his hat, sits down.

And one final observation that sets my heart ablaze: remember when Gale told Tav at the Netherbrain battle, “I hope that wasn’t our last kiss. I’d take a thousand more if I could.” Just look at Gale pulling Tav in for those extra kisses; he’s already started counting. ❤️

[half-dorks]

BG3 Epilogue : Origin Astarion (Ascended) x Gale

Why indeed?..

~ 6 months ago ~