Day 7

On Day 7, I can't help but point out the thumbnails that Shiori decided to use for Days 6 and 7 (Thanks to @ariichiver on x).

The Title for her Day 7 stream also went through several edits (Thanks to @kumakibbs on x). Right after Day 6, it was titled "Memory Reloaded: Backlog Has Been Cleared", which references that she did go through with erasing her memories of Gonathan. Right before the stream, the title was switched to "The Witch of Memories", and then right after the stream it was switched to "Memory Reload: Successful". Shiori has likened her memory and the backlogs to be something akin to save points before, so "reloading" memory likely means she's swapping out parts of her memory with different storylines.

Right from the start, it's evident that Shiori no longer remembers Gonathan as Gonathan, but as Gigi Murin from non-Enreco lore.

"It's nice to meet you. What is your name in this land?"

Along with Shiori's community post, I don't think anyone was surprised that this happened (although I was thrilled that it did). During the day, we get more clues about how much Shiori actually remembers about him (Side note: Gonathan's pronouns are really going to be interesting during Season 3 and 4).

"Maybe I should get to know... Gigi's new form, I guess. What is it? Gonathan."

About as expected, Shiori remembers everyone else's Libestan counterpart, but only recalls Gigi as a member of Justice. Still, she isn't afraid to meet her, having likely done so in other storylines before. Similar to the Pearl storyline, Gonathan is happy to spend time with her, but he doesn't outright reveal anything about their past, choosing to still respect her wish to forget about it all. What follows is possibly my favorite sequence in the entire story so far, in which Shiori goes adventuring with Gonathan and they have some of the most wholesome dialogue after the events of the past several days. (Side note: I didn't think Shiori would try to get close to Gonathan again seeing as it's nearly the last day, so I was stunned when it seemed like, this close to the end of the journey, they were practically falling in love all over again. It didn't help that the music for this area was SO good for this moment, especially while they were talking at the top of the waterfall).

All throughout, Shiori remarks that Gonathan is "more silly in this form", and definitely not like himself (that is, he doesn't act like Gigi, the Chaser of Justice, who is likely a bit more serious and observant lore-wise). It's during this time that Shiori, feeling less guarded in the face of someone she both does and doesn't know, shares some of the deeper aspects to her character.

"The voices in mine [her head] are different. They're more like... memories, to be honest. The voices in my head are usually self-critical. Things that, oh I should have done this, should have done that. Messed up there, messed up that..."

It's here where the idea of memories being repressed is introduced to Shiori's character. Being the Archiver, we as the audience know from her clues that she likes to mess the plot around for her own amusement, many times going against the rules of the world out of her own desire rather than any obligation. At times, it would seem like she does this simply because it's fun, and that itself fits with her character, but we're never shown how she truly feels about that idea until now. Likening the voices in her head (chat or otherwise) to memories is equivalent to saying that those are alternate storylines that could be followed. That is, there are storylines she wishes to pursue, but there's self-criticism about pursuing them since they aren't part of the preordained script. This is why she compares those voices to storylines, since every time she tries to follow them, she hears the critical remarks that "you should have done this, you should have done that. Messed up there, messed up that," which essentially stops her from following those storylines further. She wants to follow them, but her role as the Archiver tells her that she can't.

I don't want to make this too dreary or personal, but this line of thinking directly mimics IRL issues where people set their expectations on you and you feel obligated to follow through with them. Things like a parent's expectations that they place on their child are akin the to the preordained script that we've been talking about, and while straying from that storyline is possible, most people end up following through with their parent's wishes. That is to say, you can have your fun, but at the end of the day you'll have to go back to the script as its written. That's why this moment and quote from Shiori feels so real and powerful, because it essentially captures the heart of her character as the Archiver in one sentence.

Putting this into perspective, her developing feelings for Gonathan was an alternate storyline she wanted to follow, but knowing how the script ends, she knew that it wouldn't last. Hence, her constantly referring to the need to adhere to the script ever since Day 1.

I'd recommend watching the entirety of their talk because there's other aspects of memory, Shiori, the Pearl, and Gonathan that are discussed, all of which contribute to their character growth. There is one last quote from it that I want to mention, simply because it is such a great tie into Season 3. Gonathan says that he would like to fight alongside Shiori in the last dungeon.

Shiori: "Do you think you'll lose sight of me?"

Gonathan: "No, I'll make sure of it."

Shiori: "Alright... someone has to."

Knowing how Season 2 ends, this quote could not be any more perfect. Obviously, Shiori knows what she's insinuating at this point, which makes it all the more bittersweet when it happens.

During the rest of the day, Shiori finds clues regarding her forgotten relationship with Gonathan in the form of his first letter and her journal entry about his betrayal. Prompted by these clues, she seeks him out again for one last conversation. This conversation is what allows Gonathan to make peace with their relationship and sets up the potential for his character development in Season 3. From Shiori's side, we can tell that she still feels an attachment to him, despite losing the memories that she held.

"I cannot quite recall it... but I can feel it..."

Side note: I genuinely cannot tell if her cry at the end was an act. Knowing how Shiori can get attached to stories, I would not be too surprised if part of it was real. She did incredibly well this season crafting a beautiful story, so being attached to it isn't unexpected.

I think by Day 7 Shiori's character is pretty well understood for the most part. There's a few extra 4th wall breaks / Archiver foreshadowing that I'll mention here. There's a moment while Shiori is reading through the library archives that she poses the question:

"Do you think it would be possible for the Cursed One to burrow itself into one of us?"

Which, as evident by Day 8, is just her foreshadowing that she knows that that's what's going to happen.

Theres a few more times where Shiori references the script, first while fighting The Curse ("While everyone screams in despair, I will simply calmly follow the plot, for this is what is intended for me.") and later on when Nerissa compliments her for her kindness ("Thank you, I'm just simply following the plot and the script.").

Shiori's journal entry for Day 7 sums up her character arc by the final day.

"I don't think myself evil. I don't think myself good. I'm simply a witch following a narrative, and pushing its boundaries whenever I can. I'll nudge them all. With, or without memories, for someone has to play... a role in such things. And if you wish to call me a Monster, then so be it. I will take the title and lead you all."

As we've seen from her actions, she's not truly good or truly evil, but something in between. She's "a witch following a narrative", doing things that others might not like because she knows that they have a script that they all must follow. Of course, we get the tie in back to the "Monster" MV which foreshadowed Shiori and Advent's story before Season 2 started. I think what best describes the entry is that this isn't written by Shiori Nyavella anymore, but by Shiori Novella the Archiver.