This is a nice thread. Gale is my favourite closely followed by Astarion and Lae'zel. Team mom Jaheira also makes the selection of beloved characters as do Barcus and Rolan. Surprisingly for me, I do like the child characters quite a bit and even more surprisingly the Gur.
Gale is just someone I enjoy having around. I like his rambling, his easy, effortless confidence, his humour and his bouts of melancholia. I like that under the veneer of stuffy politeness he is a bit of a thrill seeker with a taste for a good challenge, and that he has a ratio-based morality which sometimes seems at odds with his otherwise wholesome demeanour. He further endeared himself to me, when I noticed how gladly he plays your ever loyal wingman and gives others a chance to shine - as long as you allow him the same courtesy and let him solve all the arcana and logic puzzles.
I wished his arc - especially his romance arc - was a little better resolved in game, but at least he got a very satisfying epilogue - and I did immensely enjoy his Origin - though I have to say a lot of the credits for this enjoyment falls to Astarion.
Astarion has been gushed about enough, I suppose, but I especially liked how he was used in Gale's Origin. Whenever the narration told me Mystra would disapprove of something, Astarion played devil on Gale's shoulder. After Astarion spun his little tale about taking over the cult, Gale's thought as he went to bed drifted towards what else could be achieved with the secrets at the Heart of the Absolute. Such a perfect partner in crime who does not shun you for ideas of magical power and employing less savoury methods.
Along with that though, I loved that Astarion was a very good Tav for my Gale. In Origin you don't get to share a beautiful illusionary sky with your dearest friend or loved one - you'll eventually figure out that exploding the orb is probably a stupid idea but all your companions are too wrapped up in their own affairs to care about the lonely guy with the divine mission to explode. I was wondering where I'd get the emotional component from that gives Gale some will to live and some sense of being more than just useful - and then Astarion came along with his hesitant confession. His confession is a lovely scene on its own, but I found it especially impactful with Gale. The transition from exploiting someone for their power to wanting a genuine relationship with them because they are a great person touches upon the core theme of Gale's character arc and resolves is much better than Gale's own romance does. My sole regret: I can tell Mystra that Astarion saved Gale's life, but I cannot tell Astarion.
Lae'zel started to grow on me after the group left the Grove for the first time. She first impressed me by reacting in a level headed manner to Shadowheart's goading and shortly after happily answered Gale's question about her fighting technique and instantly offered to teach him. I never felt regret for giving her a chance, she is such a good friend.
Not much must be said about Jaheira, Barcus and Rolan, I guess, but I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the children in this game. Arabella is great (I am still cross with Withers that he denied me teaching her the Weave!), I love how dark Mol's plot gets and I was so genuinely happy with Silfy's development. The Gur finally endeared themselves to me because they aren't mindless monster hunters. As soon as they learn that Astarion has control over his own will, they start treating him as a person, especially Gandrel seems to be a very laid back, open minded guy. Reading their letter during the epilogue brought me great joy.
As for Shadowheart:
While it sounds mean: I do like the ending without her parents better. During the epilogue I discovered that finding a cure for Astarion apparently can also include hunting shadow mages and since travelling Shart seems to do also fight those, I imagine her and owlbear teaming up with Astarion and Gale again for some further adventures. Her cottage core fantasy is also just a little bit too idyllic for my liking. I know it's mean, especially since I do quite like her parents.
