>>546411274
Shadowheart did forget who her parents were and that she's not really an orphan. She did forget her own name. The mirror did work - for almost 40 years - so claiming it had no effect at all on her is blatantly incorrect. While it is true that people are largely shaped by their memories, personality traits and a sense of right and wrong can survive even targeted memory loss or amnesia, as is the case with the Dark Urge. This "Urge" only exists in contrast to a moral framework - without one, there'd be no tension or internal conflict. Tav is the blank slate, not the Dark Urge.

Sentient beings are not software - they don't reset to factory settings after being hit on the head hard enough. The shy little kid who likes flowers and cute little pets could have plausibly survived repeated mind wipes. Shadowheart doesn't even need to be special for this to be true. You're free to roll your eyes at how the Nightsong scene plays out, but ultimately, how Shadowheart is convinced in the moment is a narrative choice, not a logical oversight. This is like the Frodo meme where you ask why the giant eagles didn't fly the Ring to Mordor. Because we would have no story arc had that been the case.

>>534953082
This is actually a case of realistic writing, intentional or not. Her decision to spare the Nightsong doesn't hinge on a morality system that tracks how good or evil the player character has been so far. Rather, it is trust in the player character that influences her most in the moment. It also circles back to the idea that people are complex, nuanced, and flawed. We use shorthand terms like "good playthrough" or "evil playthrough," but that doesn't mean even an evil, self-serving Dark Urge would always encourage the evil option like a robot - especially if they see no immediate benefit. We assign labels and alignments like "Neutral Evil," but that doesn't, and cannot, fully encapsulate Shadowheart.