00:00I feel sorry for Gale, the wizarding prodigy of Baldur's Gate 3. Not because he has an explosive
00:05orb in his chest, or that Elminster keeps coming to camp and eating his cheese, but because he is
00:11so often overlooked by the fanbase. When people think of character development and depictions of
00:17real world abuse and trauma, almost every single Baldur's Gate 3 fan will think of Astarian. Not to
00:23discredit Astarian's story in the slightest, it's masterful writing, but a lot of people don't
00:30give Gale's story the chance it deserves. He's complex, depicts issues that often go overlooked
00:36when men speak up, and not to mention his romance just makes me feel warm and fuzzy whenever I go
00:41down that path, which is every single playthrough. So buckle in, because I am going to try and convince
00:48you to give Gale's story a proper try, even if it does mean romancing a complete nerd.
00:55A lot of people see Mr. Dakarios as a clingy young man, with a penchant for eating your magical boots,
01:02but it's not entirely his fault. When the game first launched, a bug sadly put a lot of people
01:08off exploring the Wizard of Waterdeep storyline, myself included. Larian admitted that the character
01:14approval ratings being so low were a bug, and Gale should never have wanted to be yours simply
01:20because you breathed within a 60ft radius of him. It was a scar that would take a while to heal in the
01:25fandom, and a lot of people to this day still see Gale as the easiest companion to romance because of
01:32this. It put so many people off, and a lot of my friends have told me they haven't romanced or even
01:39wanted Gale in their party because of this overbearing introduction. It's a shame really, as Gale's
01:45backstory is just as turbulent and detailed as the other companions. Perhaps except Will, who was
01:52woefully underdeveloped in my opinion, but that's a matter for another day. His story has so many
01:58layers and complexities that people are just not willing to give the time of day. He's the only companion
02:04I see where people don't really talk about the deeper issues. Everyone just seems to take him at
02:09face value of a wizard with delusions of grandeur. The one thing people seem to overlook is that Gale
02:16is in fact a survivor of an abusive, turbulent relationship, where power dynamics were never
02:22going to be on his side. I mean, this man literally dated a god. You're never going to be on equal footing
02:30with a god. The dynamic between Gale and Mystra, the mother of all magic, is kind of icky. It's made
02:38clear that Gale was first noticed by Mystra from a young age for his magical abilities, and as time
02:43went on she ended up becoming his teacher, muse, and eventually his lover. It sounds as if, when Mystra
02:50first came into his life, he was very impressionable, something that is never outright confirmed but
02:57hinted at. All of the gods in this universe are selfish and cruel, but Mystra took advantage of a
03:04young human male, stringing him along and promising him and showing him powerful magic, only to tell him
03:11he wasn't good enough to have it. Mystra took him as a chosen, initiated a romantic relationship with him,
03:18and twisted his views on not only romance, but himself. Gale even admits that magic is his life,
03:25so it's obvious why Mystra could so easily become his entire world.
03:31The saddest part is, Gale talks as if all of this is normal in relationships. Not being equals,
03:38being taken advantage of and manipulated. He speaks so calmly and indifferently to what he's experienced.
03:46This is further backed up by the fact Gale feels he needs to perform grand gestures to show his love to
03:52you. He made love to you as gods do. He takes you to the outer planes to prove to you everything he
03:59could be and provide for you. Nothing is simple for Gale, and he feels as if he has to achieve
04:05greatness to prove himself in both life and romance. This is the mark Mystra left on him.
04:12In Act 3's romance scene, Gale truly believes he has to be a god to be the best version of himself.
04:19If you tell him you like him as he is, just a regular mortal man, he doesn't believe you.
04:27You would really prefer me as I am?
04:30It's heartbreaking. It's so obvious Mystra left a mark which made him believe he was never good enough
04:36and would never achieve greatness. A lot of people think Gale himself is manipulative,
04:42but perhaps don't appreciate that everything he experiences is heavily tied to how he was treated and
04:48manipulated by Mystra. He believed he had to have more to keep her. Yes, Gale wants the Crown of
04:55Karsis for power, but he doesn't want it for evil. You can see that Gale doesn't really want power later
05:02in the game. He's content with being a university lecturer. He also doesn't eat your magical boots for
05:09fun. He literally needs them so he doesn't die. He's a book nerd with a cat, a library,
05:17and a weakness for a good glass of wine. There's a reason his God of Ambition ending is considered
05:23his bad ending. Mystra is the worst person and I will die on that hill.
05:31There's a lot more to delve into with Gale, and I could talk endlessly about my favourite wizard. I haven't
05:37even mentioned the fact he became a hermit, which obviously affects the way he interacts with your
05:42tav at the start of the game, or that he was so ready to end his life to appease his ex-girlfriend.
05:48Gale's trauma really hit home with me, and the fact there was representation of something I have
05:54personally experienced in my own life in a video game was a moment I'll never forget. When I realised
06:01what Gale's story was about, it hit me like a sack of bricks. Astarion hit home with many sexual abuse
06:09survivors, Shadowheart shone a light on religious trauma, and Gale offers representation for those
06:15who have felt suicidal and unwanted, people with agoraphobia, loneliness, and grooming victims. Gale
06:24made me realise we are not the traumas we have faced, but how we come out of it at the other end.
06:30We can be content with just being. We don't need to prove ourselves a god. Just being here, alive, is enough.
06:43I used to believe Mistress Forgiveness was worth dying for. But I was wrong.
06:51You showed me just how much I have to live for.
07:00You showed me just how much I could find myself in my life.
07:02You showed me continually that things are like you, and I didn't know why it's going to be
07:04toach. We don't need to know what our spirit will be of.
07:06You showed me just how much I have to allow my spirit to be as an act.
07:09You showed me just how much I was looking for.
07:10I saw you guys at being here today.
07:11You showed me and I showed you guys that I was in my life.
07:12You showed me what you had to be, and I just talked about yourself with your spirit.
07:14You showed me that you had to be 찾ia.
07:16You showed me just a little bit of your spirit.
07:19You showed me just a little bit of light.
07:21You showed me that I had to do something with a long part of the faith.
07:22You showed me when I was abernate.
07:22You showed me completely.
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