I've Come Far Enough In DaV To Have All Companions And I Don't Get Why So Many People Are Upset With

Okay, let's talk about the coming out scene, because people are saying Taash was the one out of line.

Shathann is a sympathetic character. That does not make her a good person. She saved her child from a life of servitude by leaving the country she loved and tried to preserve that culture in her child. I respect that. I also wish there was a way to encourage Taash to embrace both sides of their culture.

BUT.

From the moment we meet her, Shathann criticizes literally everything her child does. Taash runs an errand for her, and Shathann criticizes their posture, pronunciation, gender presentation, AND sexuality, completely unprovoked, yes, in one fucking conversation. Shathann invites Taash over for dinner and then makes Taash cook that fucking dinner. And this has happened before, as stated in the dialogue. Taash is so affected by this behavior and probably worse they have endured their entire life that they say "you don't get to tell me who I am" at a simple question about their heritage, out of pure instinct.

Now to the actual scene.

Taash invites their mother to their new home and prepares a dinner for her, which Shathann immediately criticizes and has Taash make vegetables to go with. Can you imagine inviting someone into your home for dinner you prepare only for them to shit on it and ask you to cook more. And Taash does so, with a grunt. I'd be like bitch you're in my house, I cooked, eat. But they just do it.

Then they say it. "Im nonbinary." Shathann asks what that means, completely fair, and Taash explains that it means they're not a man or a woman.

Shathann asks if this is because she criticizes their gender presentation. Now listen. I have a parent who thinks nearly everything "wrong" with me is a reaction to their actions. It pisses me off. So Taash is getting reasonably frustrated, and insists that's not why. VALID. They were asked a question and they answered.

Let's talk about the Qun and gender identity. Yes they have a word for people who identify as a different gender than they were assigned. But this is implied to apply to trans men and women, not nonbinary people, so Shathann is asking Taash if they "just" identify as a man, because that's something Shathann can better understand, something more convenient for her to process. Sort of like when trans people come out to someone and are asked if they're "just gay."

No. And Taash says no. They have explained who they are. If Shathann was just having a hard time processing it that would be one thing, but she basically talked over Taash and tried to suggest that they were just a man, which they are not. Taash is being vulnerable. Taash doesn't even HAVE to tell Shathann this, but they want to, they think she deserves to know.

And what Taash says next is not purely to do with this one conversation, as explicit in the text. "why am I never enough for you." Never. Not now. We have seen Shathann critique Taash in every scene they share, and that's with a whole other person present who is not in the family. We don't know what happens in private. Shathann signed her child up for a fucking war without even talking to them about it. What Taash says is the build up of years of being talked over and criticized for everything they do, provoked by offering themselves to that person in a vulnerable position only to be talked over and criticized more.

"Why am I never enough for you."

And Shathann does not answer. She doesnt say "of course you are." Even if she disagreed with Taash's identity, which would be shitty, she could still affirm that they are enough for her. She doesn't.

She fucking leaves.

Maybe she thinks that's what Taash wants. Maybe not. But if someone asks you something like that, you affirm them. You say they are enough. Especially if they're your fucking child. But no, this conversation is too inconvenient for Shathann, she's not getting her way like she did when she signed Taash up for a war without their consent, so she just leaves. She could've said "I don't understand, but I love you." She couldve said anything. But she just left.

I'm sad she died. Im glad she accepted her child in the end. But no, Taash was not in any way out of line in this conversation.

Shathann was.

not to be dramatic or anything but this makes me wanna commit crimes

If you romance Taash (and you should) it WILL drive you insane to think of them when Rook is in the fade prison.

They literally got into a fight with Rook before that battle JUST cause they didn’t want to lose them. So they try to not think about it.

And yet, during the battle, they cannot take it. As much as they were trying to avoid it, the thought is driving them insane, all they can do is beg Rook not to die.

And then Rook disappears.

They’re just gone.

I don’t think Taash rested for a second after. But there is also nothing they could do. They have lost literally everything in the last months and now Rook is lost as well. They don’t know anything about the fade or magic or any of that. They weren’t supposed to have to deal with it at all! They were there for the dragon stuff!

And the desperation of feeling useless and unable to do anything to get Rook back, at the mercy of Emmrich and Neve or Bellara’s expertise. Nothing to do, no one to fight, no way to make this better.

But I don’t think they lost hope for a second, I don’t think they stopped pressing and insisting that they could find Rook, that they were not gone forever. Because they asked them not to die, they begged them, and they have to come back and keep their promise.

cottage. quiet. [chapter 02]

Cottage. Quiet | Chapter 02 [ Ao3 Link ] [ ch. 01 ] [ ch. 02 ] Word Count: 4500 Rating: 16+ Summary: After a heart to heart with Ma', Taash and Harding visit their local market.

If you enjoy the fic, please consider leaving a kudos or a comment. It does help me stay motivated!

Authors Notes under the cut.

Authors Notes: This chapter went through a few different outlines before I settled in on this one. I thank @grimrevolution for helping guide me in the right direction. The Good: I pushed through and finished it. Usually I drop projects once I start, but I actually feel like this will be a fun project to keep up with. I've met so many great people on here who are insanely talented writers, and they've been nothing but supportive. It's giving me motivation to keep up with my practice. This fic is still just me living out my sapphic farm fantasies through the two. I don't know why I adore the two as much as I does, but I does. The Hard: It's been a challenge to combat imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy. Teaching myself how to not compare, but to observe and learn. Always practice. Self-growth or some shit.

okay maybe this will work with putting it in Taash's tags :c

looking for an elven Rook save file for the final Taash romance scene for Rookanis modding purposes.

will give credit. 👉👈

I was forwarded a DISSERTATION on how Neve isn't a real relationship for Lucanis, “because she doesn't validate Spite”, and truly, genuinely:

I need y'all to stop whole ass making shit up to protect your blorbo from this character, who is actually better than you in every way, and go see a therapist.

This is why I can't take this fandom seriously.

Taash is in their very early 20's. They are not a “thousands of years old being who speaks in iambs” or whatever the fuck it is that Solavellans gush on about. Not a goddamn thing they say is “crap” - it's short, it's to the point, it's very often funny as fuck because it pulls no punches. It serves as comedic punctuation very often simply because they don't have the patience for other people's bullshit.

I never see specifics as to what people find cringey and I suspect it's because people are uncomfortable with Taash's identity, or CONSTANTLY forget they are 20-23. And holy shit the cringe things everyone says at that age.

Taash is remarkable and mature for their age, an expert in their favorite subject, and recognized as such by people much older than them, who literally put their lives in Taash's hands regularly. I think Taash is allowed a few moments to be weird and 20 once in a fucking while without people coming for Trick and gurgling on about inconsistent writing.

Isabella is so real for pulling a Bharv, because I would do ten push-ups too if something I said made Taash look like this

Ahh, I remember the day when I decided that my Rook and all of my future Rooks were going to romance Taash.