Are you saying that you see the companions as sort of Schrödinger's companions
Yes.
and that makes it impossible to analyze their characters?
And no.
(hehe, reverse Bilbo xD)
Tav encouraging something is an external factor
Indeed ... it just feels a bit too strong to me.
Its probably just a matter of my suspension of disbelief ...
- Lae'zel was brainwashed for who knows how long, bcs there is no time in astral plane ... even asuming her being on material plane since she hatched, its like 18 years at very least ... she seems to be older tho, i would say like 25-30.
- Shadowheat have simmilar amount of brainwashing on her side ... but improved of strategicaly removing every memory that would shape her in any other than desired way, this process was not perfect as we know, but they certainly tryed.
- Astarion is entirely different beast ... here we are talking about 200years of constant abusing and torture ...
- And Karlach ... ok, she spend "just" few years in hell ... but fck, its was LITTERALLY HELL! People who played tabletop DnD know effects of spending just few seconds there ... its called "hurl trough Hell" and it gives 10d10 psychic damage just for being there for quite litterally two turns, that is 12 seconds ... imagine what it does to you after even if just one whole year, im not calculating that.
And sure, then there are Wyll and Gale, but they are not exactly usable for this example.
My point is...
On one hand, you have this HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE bagage they bring from previous lives ... and on other hand, there is influence of your Tav.
Its perfectly fine to me that when you take them with you, care about them, help them to face things, when you fight side by side, when you talk to them ... it creates certain bond ... and that bond affects people, that is good!
My problem is, that when you just put them in your camp and ignore them for several weeks, or even months as someone pointed out here previously ... they create exactly same bond and are affected exactly same way ... for no reason at all!
That second part sipmly dont make any sense to me.
Does it help to know that if Tav is dead and Shadowheart confronts Nightsong alone, she apparently always kills her?
A little bit ...
It only shows that im right after all.
But as far as i know, there is basicaly no way to check it ... its only speculation.
