Gale is way too self-absorbed - and in difference from Wyll (which suffers from the same problem), he is not even the slightest aware of it. I nearly spat my drink out when I talked to Gale on one of my alt-playthroughs where I romanced Wyll and Gale went all on about how Wyll supposedly is narcissistic. :'] Probably one of my favorite moments ever - I am just sad there was no option to call him out on it.
Astarion may be lacking in more ways than one when it comes to ... The entire evil bit, but at least he is much more honest about it. And, in difference from Wyll and Gale, Astarion is much more approachable - he actually opens up and is surprisingly honest with Tav. Gale and Wyll is much less so, especially Gale.
I was tossing up between romancing Astarion or Gale in my first playthrough, but I got one of the early camp scenes where Gale admires himself as a magical "mirror" copy and that was too much narcissism for me. And Wyll also talks himself up far too much. Both of them have personal stories hiding behind that bravado, of course, but it's the bravado that for me is an instant turn off. However, Astarion is so well written throughout, he doesn't take himself seriously and is just enjoying life as it comes, in his own twisted way. After all, he wasn't able to enjoy life for 200 years, and he is honest about it.
