#sorcerer!tav

[art-of-coo2woo]

I loved Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin as a kid and absolutely think Gale would adore it too because of Tara. Here is Gale asking my Tav if they can buy a copy.

[chaoticsorceress]

It's interesting to see different people's reactions to first meeting Gale. What they have personally experienced in life seems to affect whether they have a positive or negative experience with him at first.

I know for me the sorcerer comment he made came off weird. But because I also sometimes say things that can come off as mean or rude without meaning to I let it slide. He was perfectly nice afterward anyway. Maybe it's because I played EA a bunch as well so I was kind of biased already? But there are people who disliked him ever since EA so there's that as well. His subtle arrogance never put me off, maybe because it came off as very subtle to me at first. It also never seemed to be directed against or at me. The sorcerer vs wizard rivalry between a Gale and Tav!Sorcerer is one-sided on Tav's part if they decide to poke at him.

He never goes out of his way to put down a sorcerer and in fact will compliment them. And in the end anyway my sorcerer never had proper training. Nothing like a wizard's training. She just did the bare minimum to not die from her own magic and keep it under control. So also how you're roleplaying may change the dynamic a bit. Still it's interesting how some people are hurt when first meeting Gale. It's kind of sad because if Gale knew he offended someone I'm sure he would apologize. It's also a bit sad that this first interaction can taint the character for some people.

[incorrect-baldurs-gate-3]

(Just a bit I might put later on in Night Falls, my childhood friends to lovers au spawn!Astarion x Elf bard/storm sorcerer!tav fic...)

The whole evening after Astarion finally rid himself of Cazador once and for all, Iardi wasn't sure what to even say to her old childhood friend... the boy she knew was still there deep down inside, but he couldn't see it himself... he couldn't even really remember much of his life before the bastard found him. And it hurt... seeing him torn to pieces like this over what he went through, what he chose, and what he gave up...

It just about ripped her heart out, and she could barely hold back the tears to put on a brave face for her new friends... but mostly for his sake.

But around 2:30 in the morning, she couldn't take it anymore... she couldn't sleep she was so worried.

But she couldn't find him at camp... and at first she panicked, and started looking in the woods around the campsite for him... not having much luck.

And then she heard the faint sounds of sniffling... and her heart nearly shattered into a million tiny pieces like glass.

She rushed towards the sound, he couldn't have been far if she was able to hear it.

And she found him sitting in a clearing, face in his hands...

If he wasn't so distraught she would have thought him beautiful... the moon hitting him, making him look almost ethereal... like that first night they spent alone together.

But she shook that thought from her mind, and eased her way over to him, quietly so she wouldn't startle him.

She reached for him, putting a hand on his shoulder,

"Star...?"

And he flinched. He had a couple of empty wine bottles scattered around him, having tried and failed to wipe away the memories... the pain.

"What...?" he muttered, the sound muffled slightly by his hands that covered his face.

"I... uhhm... Astarion... sweetheart... are you... are you all right?"

He sighed,

"I was just... lost in thought I suppose..."

She frowned, she knew he probably didn't want to show weakness... that monster basically carved that into his very soul even... like those awful runes he had carved into his back... that he had to live with now... the permanent reminder of him... and everything he did to him.

But she knew that it wasn't good for him to be alone like this...

To dwell on the dark thoughts. To let them go round and round in his mind forever...

He needed someone to talk to... to get him through this...

so, he could start to finally heal properly.

After losing him for two centuries, thinking he was dead and buried long ago, and that she'd lost him forever...

She needed him to see he was not alone in this...

And as long as she lived... he never would be.

She moved his hands from his face, and he kind of frowned at her... but he wasn't angry or annoyed... just... numb... because of how broken he felt.

She raised a hand to his face, to stroke his cheek...

"Look... I know what you must be thinking... how you must be feeling right now... and I understand-"

His eyes glared at her now, his mood instantly turning from numb to just... frustration and rage... from the suffering he went through... and nothing to take it out on.

"You have no idea- you don't KNOW what it was like!!!" He took a shaky breath and shook his head,

"and you never will..."

Iardi shook her head,

"Star... that's not what I meant it's not like that I- I'm just worried about you... I don't wanna lose you again I just got you back finally and I-"

He groaned in frustration at her rambling and felt like she was staring at him like she pitied him...

He didn't want anyone's pity.

"what are you staring at me like that for damn it?!"

"Astarion I-"

She tried to put a hand on his back to soothe him, but it just brought back the painful memories of Cazador carving those damn runes for the ritual on his back, and His frustration started to boil over at that moment, and he lashed out, screaming at her-

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!! GO!!!!" He started to push himself up off the ground to leave, but he accidentally broke one of the wine bottles with the force of him slamming his hands to the ground, and Iardi flinched, as flashbacks of her alcoholic father who used to scream at her and beat her, especially when she tried to protect her little sister from his ire, flooded her mind. Her eyes welled up with tears and she sniffled, and started to leave, and he realized his mistake, as he remembered something... she had never told him outright... but the signs were there. Even in the few memories he had of her in his life before he was taken by Cazador.

He cried out, reaching for her-

"No wait! Don't leave me!!! I'm sorry!!!" and he sighed in defeat, his voice shaking with unshed tears, as he said...

"Please...?"

She froze, her back facing away from him, tears threatening to fall.

But instead of her breaking down in tears... he beat her to the punch, and started sobbing himself, his arms wrapped around himself, sitting with his legs crossed, rocking gently, trying to stop crying because he felt like a baby... and that she didn't deserve to have to deal with him... especially after what she went through... all for his sake.

And even before that... he could tell from her reactions to certain things that she was abused by someone close to her...

Including her flinch when he screamed at her and accidentally smashed a bottle on the ground trying to hurry and get up and leave before she could see him going through a mental breakdown right in front of her.

She deserved better...

But instead of her leaving, like he expected her to, and he wouldn't have blamed her if she did, she turned around, face flooded with tears of her own... and she rushed to sit down on the ground beside him, shoving the empty glass bottles aside and hugging him, her arms wrapping around his neck, instead of his back, thinking it was her touching the markings on his back that triggered the reaction. And Iardi took all her years of experience soothing her little sister after she and their father got into a fight, and started trying to ground Astarion. Flashbacks of Astarion crying on the floor of Cazador's dungeon, covered in the bastard's blood, creeped back into her mind, and it almost shattered her heart again seeing him like this again, she would get him through this... she'd be the person to him that she needed when her dad would drink, scream at her and her little sister, and beat her... because nobody deserved to go through things like she and Astarion did alone.

"Shh... shh shh shh shh... deep breaths... deep breaths my love... you're having a panic attack."

He sobbed,

"I'm sorry!!! I'm so sorry!!!!! You deserve so much better than me!!! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!!!!"

"No no no no no of course not... it's not your fault... you did nothing wrong."

"Bullshit. I saw how you reacted... I should have seen it sooner someone hurt you didn't they the signs were there all along WHO WAS IT I'LL KILL THEM WITH MY BARE HANDS!!!!!"

She shook her head,

"No no no it's fine... I'm fine... let's just get you grounded first then we can talk okay?"

He nodded, sniffling, and Iardi sighed, hugging him again, this time around his waist like she did once before, but with her head on his shoulder. It seemed to help a little,

"breathe... it's going to be all right... I'm here... I'm helping... I'm here... you'll never lose me again... you can't get rid of me now I promise."

He took a shaky breath as his sobs subsided, and she sighed, it was a good sign at least...

"I'm here now... it's okay... I'm not leaving you... I'm helping..."

"I'm so sorry you deserve so much better I-"

"no... never say that... I love you... and you are not getting rid of me that easy okay? It's alright...just... breathe slowly for me okay...? Deep breaths for me."

He shuddered, and did as she asked. And it seemed to help a lot. She lowered her hands and backed up a little, looking into his eyes.

"Now... I'm gonna teach you something I learned to do years ago to deal with panic attacks okay? It'll be our little secret..."

His eyes widened in curiosity,

"Okay.. the trick is... to name one thing you can see around you... then one you can feel... then one you can hear... then one you can smell... and finally one thing you can taste..."

His eyebrow shot up in confusion and skepticism.

"Come on try it! It really works! been doing it since I was little."

He frowned,

"Sweetheart... the fact that you've had to do this multiple times since you were just a little girl is kind of concerning-"

She shushed him,

"Please... for me?"

He sighed looking around,

"let me see... uhhm..."

He looked up and smiled weakly,

"The moon..."

Iardi smiled,

"good good!!! now one you can feel!"

Astarion hesitated, seeing her in her pajamas and wanting to hug her so badly but not trusting himself to break down again from being touched just yet, so he stroked the back of her hand instead,

"Your hand..."

She smiled,

"one you can hear... it's starting to work now right? Just a little?"

Astarion nodded,

"A little... hm... I hear crickets..."

Iardi beamed,

"Okay good keep going! Now move on to smell!"

He sniffed, and sighed, a delectable feather light floral smell seeming to float through the air like a cloud,

"your soap..."

She smiled,

"okay... last one... one you can taste, you think you can think of something you can-"

But she's startled by his lips slamming to hers, his fingers carding through her hair, and she squeaks in surprise at first, then he gently pulled away,

"Thank you... so much for that... I needed that."

She turned pink,

"N-no problem... heh... so what was up with the-"

"I just... I was so... overwhelmed with gratefulness and love for you... for sticking with me through all this bullshit... for trying to see in me the boy you befriended all those years ago even though I'm pretty sure he's long been dead and buried... but despite that you believed in me... and I..." He sighed, shaking his head, "T-thank you."

Iardi frowned,

"He's still there deep down inside... I've seen him... it'll just take time to get him back enough to where you can see it too... but you've gotta heal first for that to happen."

He nodded,

"You did nothing wrong Star..."

"He looked at her with wild panicked eyes,

"I'm glad YOU think so... because I'm still not sure! I just feel... I feel... ill... cold... broken... numb."

She wasn't sure what to say, she started to reach for his shoulder to comfort him but then he said something that caused her heart to crumble for the hundredth time tonight.

"Repaying what he did to me... is impossible... as much as I wish I could fix it... to be who you want to see in me... the boy you fell for all those years ago... to pick up where we left off and to help YOU heal from those who hurt you for so long... I don't think I could possibly come back from this the same person that I was back then... and for that I am so sorry... it isn't fair. And you deserve better... because that boy you cared for all those years ago... is gone forever I fear. So it'd be better for you if you just moved on..."

Iardi shook her head,

"No... never. I'm not gonna leave you... I'm not losing you again."

He took a shaky breath... relieved that he didn't have to deal with that monster ever again, and happy, despite how selfish it seemed to him, that she wasn't going to leave him... so he didn't have to deal with these memories that haunted him alone.

"It's over... it's finally... over. I'm free from him... forever..." He sighed, "a bit of a novel concept... so strange... knowing he'll never be able to hurt me... control me... rule over my life... ever again." he shook his head, "I'm sorry... I need to process this... I think... what it means now that he's finally gone."

Iardi nodded, understanding,

"all right... I guess I'll turn in for the night then... see you in the morning."

He grabbed her wrist in a panic,

"Wait!"

And she paused, confused, worried.

"Don't leave me... please... take me with you." he pleaded, on the verge of tears again, and she sighed, and nodded,

"all right... let's get you on your feet then shall we?"

She helped him up off the ground, taking his hand and squeezing lightly, then she pulled him in for a gentle hug, and he sighed in relief.

"Thank you... for not giving up on me... for everything really..."

Iardi nodded, and then he tilted her face up to look at him, his index finger under her cheek, looking over her face, staring for a moment, then he kissed her.

She sighed contently, and he gently pulled away,

"I... I love you... so... so much... never forget that." he whispered, and Iardi's heart melted and she nodded,

"I love you too... always and forever." He smiled gently at her response, kissing her again under the moonlight, and for the first time all night... he almost felt... happy.

Iardi sighed as he held her,

"I don't know what the future holds for us now... but... if you'll have me... I'd like to pick up where we left off all those years ago... if that's all right that is... because a life without you... I don't know what I'd do without you now..."

Astarion smiled, relieved, burying his face in her soft ebony locks, inhaling the smell of her... committing everything to memory at last.

"Life... is what you make of it my love... and... I'd like to spend it with you..." he whispered against her hair before leaning in to kiss her.

His time of freedom and healing... had finally begun.

And as he cuddled with Iardi, spooning her tiny figure, her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist as they rested for the night... for the first time in 200 years... he felt... at peace.

[chaoticsorceress]

I feel like you can factor DnD experience into it too. Sorcerers and wizards are both powerful in their own right and it also depends on domain and all of those other factors, but generally speaking wizards tend to be stronger than sorcerers. And there's also the whole thing about how wizards are scholars of magic whereas sorcerers aren't. So people take Gale saying exactly that as a diss when it's just the way those classes work.

I never had any prior DnD experience before playing bg3. I knew very little lore but nothing about the classes and how they can interact with each other. But I can see many people having no experience and taking what Gale says as a diss. The way he says it can sound off-putting as well. BUT the more time you spend with him it becomes obvious that Gale is seriously studied in magic and he has loads of knowledge. He's confident in his abilities and should be.

He really is a true scholar of magic and honestly that impressed me lol. The more I spent time with him the more I saw Gale as someone that could still teach my sorcerer more about magic. He's so happy to just share his knowledge but to some people it comes off as condescending and it's really sad. I can only hope as they play the game more they will change their minds but there are people who just leave him in camp after that and view him as annoying because he asks for artifacts in act 1.

Then there's also this that you said "And there's also the whole thing about how wizards are scholars of magic whereas sorcerers aren't." and it reminds me of the dialogue in act 1 where you can tell him that a magical education is bizarre to you because as a sorcerer you had to either learn or die. That's a huge thing that differentiates sorcerers from wizards. Wizards seem to learn magic because it interests them and because they may have the privilege of perusing a magical education. Sorcerers MUST learn how to use and control their magic. It doesn't matter if they like magic or not they have to.

Wizards are generally stronger in a lot of ways than sorcerers but what drew me to sorcerers was the roleplay aspect and also the wild magic class. Metamagic however is what keeps drawing me back to playing a sorcerer over a wizard.

ANYWAYS I kind of went off topic a bit but what you said made me think a lot lol