Hello @samriegel i hope youre having a good time. staying home and all that. i want to talk to you about veth brenatto.

I want to preface this thread by saying that i am a woman, in the broadest sense of the word. im a lesbian for sure. 1/

and the existence of veth makes me. extremely angry because i struggle when faced with the depth and breadth of her potential.

I really, really hope you take this criticism, if you see it, in the constructive way in which I mean it. Veth is extremely important to me 2/

partially because I love goblins, partially because I connect very deeply with her arc, and partially because she is just. So endearing!

However, her character. Struggles when one looks at her arc in a feminist way. the core of the issue is this 3/

what IS her mother’s name.

I know you said as much on the show. But you and I and everyone all know that your answer was a joke. Why, if her parents were as wonderful as she says, did you not name them over 2+ years of play? Do her brothers have names? 4/

there is also the issue of her treatment of beau, who she barely speaks kindly of despite them both being calebs closest friends. beau, the short-haired lesbian who veth calls “abrasive” and “ugly.” how does that feel, then, to the abraisive ugly lesbian listening? 5/

what of veth’s persistent attempts to set up fjord and jester right after beau’s confession? after jester expresses feelings to veth that so clearly show that her feelings for fjord have waned?

feminism is about solidarity between women, a quality veth sorely lacks. 6/

there is then the issue of goblins. of course veth would hate the goblin tribe near felderwin because they were personally complicit in or responsible for her being tortured for years. her hating all goblins seems to be an obvious character flaw she would grow out of 7/

after meeting regular goblins time and time again during her travels with the nein. now, that her arc appears to have reached its end, she still has not changed. no real major personal growth in compassion and understanding for the goblins who did not hurt her 8/

it feels almost as if she is unfinished. happy and resolved but still majorly flawed. why?

i think it would have been beautiful had her arc been rooted in love and not hatred. let me explain.

imagine for me veth brenatto. recently married, loving husband kid on the way 9/

sure yeza would never repress her himself but she still, from years of abuse, hates herself for what she thinks are flaws. traumatizes herself into being the perfect housewife, keeps her weirdness down.

then she is turned into a goblin. she hates goblins 10/

then over the course of several months she meets the nein. realizes from example that women are allowed to be weird. allowed to have short hair and be muscular and draw dicks and most of all be imperfect.

she realizes that she does not hate goblins when 11/

she meets ones that are kind and funny and most of all normal. she realizes that the people she really hates are the people who abused her and. and herself.

over the months with the nein she grows a sort of self love. tentatively and slowly. 12/

especially with beau. might lash out at beau and first before realizing that it’s out of fear.

eventually she grows. she grows until she no longer wants to be a halfling again because she hates being a goblin but because she loves being herself. and she IS a halfling 13/

notts arc as is is rooted in hatred. hatred of herself. of goblins. of beau.

namely: of anyone or anything that defies the modern idea of how a woman should be. goblins are ugly because they do not have little houses and yards and beau is ugly because she cuts her hair short 14/

this would be fine as a character flaw. the issue is its not.

the issue is that it isn’t just that veth defines herself by gender roles. it’s that YOU define her by gender roles.

it all ties back to her mother’s name. and all her family members that aren’t yeza and luc 15/

if you saw her as anything other than a Loving Wife and Mother, her parents and brothers would have names. she would have an identity outside of the men in her life. she would care deeply for the women around her.

i hope that you did this out of ignorance and not malice 16/

like i said i love nott/veth. i think that she is charming and she is a character built out of potential. i just worry about the implications her arc holds when looked at in depth.

i understand there is little to be done now. if you see this, take it as advice 17/

for future endeavors. have a good night 18/18.