In which ChatGPT reads my Baldur’s Gate 3 Brainrot for filth… (2024)

ME: Hey ChatGPT, I have a bit of a thought experiment for you.

I’m going to give you a person’s primary, secondary, and tertiary enneagram types. The way they should be interpreted is as follows:

Primary: The person’s core personality. In Jungian terms, this is the “ego.”
Secondary: The person’s support traits and how they project themselves in order to function. In Jungian terms, this is the “persona.”
Tertiary: The person’s “Shadow Self” or the traits they repress but which show up in times of extreme stress or distress. It may be a part they consider their “weakness.”

Given your knowledge of the Enneagram Types AND Baldur’s Gate 3 personalities, which Baldur’s Gate 3 companion is most like someone who has:

Primary Enneagram Type 4
Secondary Enneagram Type 5
Tertiary Enneagrams Types 2 and 3

Please let me know what other info you need if this is not enough to draw a conclusion.

ChatGPT: This is a great thought experiment! Based on what you’ve provided, I’ll interpret the Enneagram types in the context of the Baldur’s Gate 3 characters:

Primary: Enneagram Type 4 (“The Individualist”)

• Type 4s are deeply introspective, emotionally attuned, and often feel different from others. They long for authenticity and depth in their relationships and personal experiences. At their core, they desire to find their unique identity and express their individuality.

Secondary: Enneagram Type 5 (“The Investigator”)

• Type 5s are intellectual, observant, and tend to withdraw to gather information and maintain independence. They project themselves as knowledgeable and self-sufficient, often using their mind and expertise as a way to interact with the world.

Tertiary: Enneagram Types 2 (“The Helper”) and 3 (“The Achiever”)

• Type 2s, in times of stress, try to earn love and approval by helping others, but this can lead to self-sacrifice and people-pleasing.
• Type 3s, on the other hand, can become image-conscious and focused on external success, striving to maintain a positive public image and achieve recognition.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Companion Comparison

The companion that most closely aligns with this combination is Gale. Here’s why:

• Primary Type 4: Gale has a strong sense of individuality and a need to express his identity, especially through his mastery of magic. He wrestles with feelings of being different due to his relationship with the Weave and the artifact he carries. He yearns for recognition and acceptance, even as he feels set apart from others due to his immense power and responsibility.
• Secondary Type 5: Gale is highly intellectual and presents himself as knowledgeable, frequently diving deep into magical theory and history. He often withdraws into his mind, preferring to deal with problems through thought and strategy rather than immediate action. His intellectualism is his support system and defense mechanism.
• Tertiary Types 2 and 3: Under stress, Gale can display a strong desire to be helpful, especially in earning the affection of those he values, like his companions or even Mystra. He also shows a Type 3 tendency to seek validation and recognition for his magical prowess and accomplishments. His need to prove himself (particularly to Mystra) and achieve success reflects the Achiever’s traits in stressful moments.

Why Not Other Characters?

• Wyll leans more toward Type 2 and Type 3 as a core personality due to his heroic and image-conscious nature.
• Astarion is more of a Type 3 in his primary personality, as he focuses heavily on charm, manipulation, and the external image he projects.
• Shadowheart may have Type 4 traits, but she’s less about projecting intellect (Type 5) and more about internal conflict and hidden emotions.

Gale’s introspective nature (Type 4), intellectual projection (Type 5), and stressed desire to be helpful and recognized (Type 2 and 3) fit this Enneagram profile most closely.

Let me know if you’d like any further clarification!

ChatGPT: This is a fascinating psychological question! Let’s break it down by considering the core aspects of your friend’s Enneagram profile and Astarion’s personality and storyline in Baldur’s Gate 3. Even though they might not share much in terms of outward traits, the emotional connection could stem from deeper psychological dynamics.

Astarion’s Storyline

• Astarion initially comes across as amoral, hedonistic, and self-serving, but his backstory reveals he has endured extreme trauma as a vampire spawn, where he had little autonomy or control. His bravado and flamboyance are survival mechanisms, hiding a much deeper vulnerability. As the story progresses, Astarion grapples with themes of control, identity, and freedom—specifically, reclaiming his agency and deciding whether to rise above his dark past or embrace it.

Emotional Affinity through the Lens of the Enneagram

Despite your friend’s different personality (especially the focus on individuality and intellect), the emotional resonance with Astarion’s story could be linked to a few key factors:

Type 4’s Desire for Authenticity and Depth:

• As a Type 4, your friend likely has a deep sensitivity to emotional nuance and complexity. Astarion’s journey from a shallow, self-serving mask to confronting deep personal trauma and reclaiming his true identity might resonate with your friend’s core desire for authenticity and transformation. Even though Astarion initially appears as someone who embraces amorality, his inner struggle for self-acceptance and authenticity speaks to the emotional depth that Type 4s crave.

The Shadow Self (Type 3 and 2):

• Astarion’s storyline has themes of repressed vulnerability and self-worth. In your friend’s tertiary Enneagram traits, Type 3 (Achiever) and Type 2 (Helper) emerge under stress. Both types are highly sensitive to external validation and fear being unloved or unworthy unless they meet certain standards or expectations.
• Astarion’s quest for freedom, autonomy, and self-worth—after being subjugated and controlled—might stir up buried feelings in your friend. Even if they don’t share Astarion’s specific trauma, the emotional wounds around self-worth, needing approval, or feeling powerless could be things your friend relates to in times of stress.

Projection of a Shadow Fantasy:

• Astarion’s hedonism and amorality could represent a fantasy of liberation for someone who feels constrained by their intellectualism (Type 5) or their need to find authenticity (Type 4). In Astarion, your friend might see an exaggerated version of their own Shadow Self—someone who disregards moral limitations, acts without overthinking, and seeks pleasure and control without guilt. While your friend may not consciously embrace these traits, they may emotionally project onto Astarion’s rebellion against control and expectation.

Transformation Arc:

• Astarion’s arc offers a story of self-redemption and transformation, which might deeply appeal to your friend’s own journey toward self-discovery and authenticity. Type 4s are drawn to stories where characters find their “true self” after emotional hardship, and Astarion’s eventual choice (to rise above his dark nature or fully embrace it) could parallel your friend’s desire for inner transformation.

Attraction to Complexity:

• Astarion is a complex character, with his playful exterior masking a deeply troubled past. For someone with a Type 5 secondary, this intellectual and emotional complexity might be intriguing. While your friend doesn’t relate to Astarion’s amorality, they likely find his depth and psychological intricacies fascinating. Type 5s appreciate the challenge of unraveling someone’s layers, and Astarion provides that in abundance.

In Summary:

Even though your friend may not identify with Astarion’s hedonism or amorality, they likely connect with his emotional vulnerability, his struggle for authenticity, and his journey toward reclaiming self-worth and autonomy. For a Type 4, these themes are particularly resonant, and for a Type 5, his complexity is intellectually engaging. The fantasy of unrestrained freedom, even if morally dubious, might represent a powerful, though repressed, part of your friend’s shadow self.

This emotional connection might also come from an empathetic recognition of Astarion’s trauma and a deep desire to see him find peace and meaning, something a Type 4 can deeply empathize with.

ME: That sounds pretty spot on, but mind if I add a little more context? While this person isn’t outwardly amoral or self-serving as Astarion is, like Astarion (and Gale), they are a trauma survivor with BPD and cPTSD–though their trauma is more akin to Gale’s, where they made horrible decisions due to feeling/being abandoned by those whose love and respect they craved. Also, the Netherese Orb in Gale (and, I suppose, Astarion’s vampirism) could be seen in their eyes as similar to this person’s mental illnesses: a destructive thing, living inside them, changing the way they live.

Given this added context, could you perhaps explain why this person might agree that they are like Gale…but have more empathy and identify more emotionally with Astarion’s story?

ChatGPT: Given the added context, it makes even more sense why your friend feels emotionally connected to Astarion’s storyline, despite being more outwardly aligned with Gale’s personality. Let’s unpack it further:

Gale’s Parallel:

Your friend can likely relate to Gale’s struggle with the Netherese Orb because both share the experience of living with something destructive inside them (Gale’s orb and your friend’s mental illness). This “inner force” shapes their choices, behaviors, and relationships in profound ways, often making them feel isolated or misunderstood.

Like Gale, they may have made decisions based on a desire to regain the love, respect, or approval they lost or felt abandoned by. Gale’s desperation to prove himself to Mystra, even after his fall from grace, mirrors your friend’s struggle to reclaim their sense of worth from those whose validation they once craved. This could explain why your friend acknowledges the similarities between themselves and Gale—they see in him the reflection of someone trying to balance deep internal burdens with the desire for love and redemption.

Astarion’s Emotional Resonance:

However, Astarion’s story of surviving trauma and his journey toward reclaiming autonomy might hit closer to the emotional core for your friend. Here’s why:

1. Trauma and Survival: Astarion’s vampirism is a direct metaphor for trauma—he’s been exploited and dehumanized by Cazador, and this lack of control over his own body and choices speaks to anyone who has experienced trauma that has fundamentally altered their identity. Your friend may empathize with Astarion’s struggle for freedom and agency because they, too, might feel that their mental illness (like Astarion’s vampirism) controls aspects of their life that they wish they had more autonomy over.
   • Internalized Shame and Struggle for Identity: Astarion’s vampirism is more than just a physical transformation—it’s a curse that warps his identity, much like how your friend might view their BPD and cPTSD as something inside them that shifts their reality. Astarion is constantly torn between reclaiming control over his life and the darker, more destructive impulses that come with his vampirism. This mirrors your friend’s potential battle between their true self and the destructive forces of their mental health struggles.
2. Hidden Vulnerability: Despite his amoral and hedonistic exterior, Astarion hides a profound vulnerability, much like how trauma survivors often mask their pain with external personas. Your friend’s Secondary Type 5 tendencies to present themselves as self-sufficient and intellectual could be a similar coping mechanism—an outward projection that hides a deeper pain and need for love and acceptance, just as Astarion hides his trauma behind bravado and charm.
   • The Need for Love and Protection: Astarion, underneath his bravado, craves love and protection. Much like your friend, who experienced abandonment, Astarion is driven by a need for care and safety. However, his trauma has made it difficult for him to trust others and be vulnerable, even as he yearns for that closeness. Your friend might feel a kinship with Astarion’s deep-seated need for connection while struggling with the scars of their past.
3. Identification with the Struggle for Autonomy: Astarion’s journey is about reclaiming control over his own life, deciding who he wants to be beyond the shadow of his trauma. This is a deeply emotional story of survival and choice, which might resonate more strongly with your friend than Gale’s more intellectual pursuit of redemption. For someone who has lived through trauma and mental illness, the emotional struggle to reclaim agency and decide one’s own path (instead of being defined by past hurt or illness) is profoundly relatable.
4. Feeling Misunderstood or Abandoned: Both Astarion and your friend share experiences of feeling abandoned or betrayed by those they trusted or loved. Astarion’s backstory involves profound feelings of abandonment, as he was used and discarded by those in power. This could mirror the emotional rejection your friend experienced, making Astarion’s anger, pain, and desire for freedom emotionally compelling. Astarion represents a character who refuses to be powerless, which might be empowering for someone who has had to fight their own internal battles.

Why Gale Feels Familiar but Astarion Resonates More:

In essence, Gale’s story might feel familiar to your friend because of the shared intellectual approach to handling trauma and mistakes. However, Astarion’s emotional journey of trauma, survival, and reclamation of identity may feel more personally resonant. Where Gale intellectualizes his burden, Astarion’s pain is visceral and raw, aligning more with how your friend might feel about their own struggles.

Astarion is also a character who seeks liberation from his inner demons rather than just atonement for his past, which could be more aligned with your friend’s emotional journey. This emotional fight for autonomy and personal freedom from something that haunts and controls them might feel more powerful than Gale’s more abstract quest for redemption.

Conclusion:

In short, while your friend can see themselves in Gale’s intellectual burden and quest for redemption, they might emotionally identify more with Astarion’s struggle for agency, freedom, and the very personal journey of surviving trauma. Astarion’s story of reclaiming his life from a controlling force feels emotionally raw and direct, which may resonate with your friend’s experience of mental illness and past trauma more deeply.