#look i just think that balgruuf needs a break and somebody to be there for him in a way that isn't tied to his duties

[umbracirrus]

what made you settle on balgruuf of any character? just curious

OOOH

Okay okay okay, so like, bare with me on this because this is a very good question!!!! It is in part my own judgement of his character but alskfhsajdfhasdj I'm not normal about him

He is one of the first characters that become a 'constant' in the Dragonborn's main quest. You meet him early on, you go back to him time and time again, and he is always willing to listen to you even if what you are telling/asking him is downright madness (i.e. asking him to trap a dragon).

And that is even bearing in mind that you can downright tell him that you were being executed in Helgen, he sees the bigger picture than the fact that there is a soot-ridden possible criminal on his literal doorstep, because this one person has brought him news which set into action things which in the end likely saved the lives of many of his people in Whiterun hold.

He doesn't panic when the news of the dragons reaches him, he instead takes time to think and chooses to be practical by planning and preparing and remaining vigilant until the time comes that they can be pushed back and/or killed.

Whilst Proventus and Hrongar bicker about the importance of the Dragonborn and whether you are or not, he keeps a level head and advises you on what to do (go and see the greybeards because it was them who summoned you as that was what the thunderous noise when you reentered the city was) as opposed to showering you with admiration (or being highly suspicious of you)

The Dragonborn, as part of the main quest, becomes a Thane of Whiterun. That means that you have contributed significantly to the hold of Whiterun and that he trusts you.

And speaking of trust, he gives you his axe when you become thane and giving axes is a huge sign of trust in Skyrim (and I have written a mini essay on this before, so I won't go into that all again. that post is my pride and joy lol)

And speaking of Balgruuf trusting you, his voice if you join the Stormcloaks and says that he thought better of you breaks my heard ashjkasdablkjsdhjkh- (again, see linked post about axes above because you can only do battle for whiterun after you become thane of whiterun)

Even if you ask him the most nonsensical things, he thinks rationally about it. Yes, ending the dragon menace is a good thing even if the insane has to happen to do so (aka trapping Odahviing), but if the cost of stopping it is his hold and his people, it is out of the question. His priority is keeping his people and hold safe, and by the looks of things if things were to go to shit, when weighing up the options, it being the result of dragons is preferrable over it being a result of brother against brother, friend against friend. It is also likely preferrable because of my earlier point that he is trying to be practical about the dragons and come up with plans to handle them. He does not wish to partake in the war whilst he has the option to keep clear of it.

You don't often see him interact with them, but he has his family around him! His brother and children! And even though there is a lack of interaction, there are a few little ways in which he can be seen as looking out for them. For example, Frothar likes to go around saying 'Father says I'm too young to train with a sword' and that he wants to fight in the civil war. He's trying to keep his child as far away from the danger as he can.

Admittedly, Dagny is a bit of a selfish and spoiled child... and Balgruuf contributes to that. She argues with Frothar about how Balgruuf promised her a new dress and doesn't like it when her brother calls her out on the selfishness. It's almost like he can't say no to her when his little girl wants something (and adds an extra layer to his character that you don't really see otherwise in-game!)

And Nelkir, he does worry about the boy. He knows that he is typically a quiet child, but is incredibly worried about him once he starts falling under the influence of Mephala (though obviously doesn't know that), and is worried that he is the cause of him no longer talking to him and ending up all brooding, which unwittingly he kind of is, because of the secrets he holds... such as Nelkir having a different mother to his siblings (leading to a whole other thing about their identities because you have no idea who their mothers are, were they a string of tragic romances? a result of affairs and such? there are so many unexplored opportunities there, of which I quite like the concept of two consecutive tragedies explaining why he doesn't appear to have a significant other at the time of Skyrim because of what if it happened again, no, he needs to put what he has of a family and Whiterun first), that he doesn't want to be forced out of Whiterun, that he doesn't like the Thalmor, and...

He still worships Talos! In theory against rules, something which could potentially get him into trouble or killed, but he still does it, he still gets away with it, and may be a contributing factor to the fact that there is still numerous statues of Talos in his hold, including the city of Whiterun itself, and that Heimskr is still about preaching and not in jail.

Just quickly going back to Mephala, he knows (presumably first-hand if the book found during that quest is anything to go by) about the dangers of the Ebony Blade. He and Farengar did what they could to destroy it to protect everyone in the long run, but couldn't - so they did the next best thing and tried to lock it away in a hidden/difficult to get to room and limit access to it by being the only ones to have keys. I don't think he ever anticipated one of his own children finding said door though and getting the Dragonborn involved...

Going back to the worship of Talos, that is one of (but not the only) justifications for the civil war. In the end, he sides with the Imperials which is quite interesting, given that he seems to have a rapport with Ulfric Stormcloak. Though he does mention at times that he sees good reasons for both sides. His reasoning is not completely clear(from what I can recall without loading up the game) but based on the fact that he seems to look out for his people and hold over other things (and would have preferred to remain out of the war completely), he must have deemed that siding with the Empire was less bad of an option than siding with the Stormcloaks. Perhaps he felt that would lead to more stability in the long run.

Basically, he's a loyal man who looks out for those nearest and dearest to him (even if his way of doing so is unhealthy *cough* Dagny *cough*), holds his position with pride and does what he can for his people, and there are many little nuances of his character which I really just like and makes him much more of a multi-dimensional character than quite a few others in the game. Probably could've just said that from the start hehe.

As I have said though, this is my own interpretation of his character.

Sorry if this list is very ramble-y - I've been awake for like an hour or so at this point and still haven't sufficiently caffeinated myself lol...

#skyrim #balgruuf the greater #look i just think that balgruuf needs a break and somebody to be there for him in a way that isn't tied to his duties #he needs the emotional support damn it