Who would think talking to the Ornate Mirror would go SO hard and distill Gale's entire story down into 2 dialogue options
I love how his strongest desires are 2 completely opposing things: love and power. He is pulled towards love somewhat easily in act 2, and yet once he catches sight of that crown, he is so very easily pulled back towards power (clearly having learned nothing after the orb lol). You really have to work kind of hard to pull him back towards love!
Imo his act 3 friend route gives a much better glimpse than the romance route of pre-orb Gale: a wizard who believes he deserves godly power, is willing to do very dangerous things to get it, and who has serious issues with being content (so serious that if he doesn't resolve them he becomes the god of "its never enough" aka ambition)
He makes known his anger at Mystra for worshipping her loyally for years, and only being granted "a barest sliver of the power I was ready to wield." That "barest sliver" was being an archmage and her chosen, but that STILL wasn't good enough for him. The he goes on to call himself Karsus' successor!! He then shows bluntly that he truly considers being mortal and having to exist in this plane as punishment with the line: "Why wallow in the dirt when we could reach for the stars?" (which you can call him out for, and I think humbles him, as that pushes down his crown score)
It's such whiplash coming from Act 2, where you see Gale does indeed desire to love and care for someone, and be loved and cared for in return. Because now you see when power is within his grasp, his ambition kicks into overdrive, and obtaining that power is all he can see. He can't see what chasing power will cost him, and how it might hurt others, even after everything he suffered from the orb. His issues with being content, which first show themselves when he reveals the story of the orb in act 1, now rear their ugly head again.
Ofc all these themes do come up in his act 3 romance scene, but he is not so angry and thus he's not so blunt about it. Some lines that best illustrate that theme of his inability to be content, or as I call it, his "wallowing in the dirt" theme: "have the best possible version of me" and "you would really prefer me as I am?" He could be a god, why in the world would Tav not want that? Especially since life on this mortal plane is an indignity he (and Tav) is being forced to suffer through when he deserves to be in Elysium. He is shocked — and I think humbled too — that Tav is content with their life here, and doesn't need nor want to chase power with him. Tav says they have everything they need right in that boat: each other 🥺
His alternate scene, where if you go to Mystra's shrine first, more bluntly illustrates the issues with contentment / "wallowing in the dirt" theme: "easier to pretend my destiny lay among such stars than work to salvage a life on solid ground." & "You see me as I am, and do not find me wanting. With these stars as my witness, I swear you will always be enough for me."
An archmage who pursued the power of the gods and then godhood itself tells Tav "you will always be enough for me." Pulled between love and power, he chose love, he chose Tav 🥺 LIKE 😭 I CANNOT bro, Gale's story is so beautiful and powerful 😭
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