vethiest

as the campaign comes to an end, i wanted to say thank you to veth brenatto. as a queer asian girl who grew up desperately trying to conform to mainstream western beauty standards and failing, and as someone who tried her hardest to fit in every day.

i got into critical role when i was at a pretty low point in terms of self-image. i came in with no expectations- just looking for something else to watch, and expecting that d&d would be filled with tall, skinny, gorgeous white elves and knights and damsels, or something. (clearly i did not know much about d&d.) instead i ended up finding comfort in the art of veth that popped up every week: especially the wide nose and the shape of her eyes, similar to mine. i found comfort in her description: plump face and bushy eyebrows. 

most importantly, i found comfort in her story. once she was able to, she could have transformed into anything. she could have looked however she wanted to look. and yet she returned to her original form- the one she was teased for and insecure about- but made stronger by the journey and confident in her beauty. 

every moment with veth was a blessing. veth being unapologetically herself, no matter how strange people thought she was. sam’s descriptions of her winter dress and face tattoos, where i could hear veth being so excited to be even prettier for herself. the mighty nein always referring to veth as strong and beautiful and brave. veth being loved just the way she looked- but more than that, being loved for being an incredible fighter, strategist, alchemist, protector, and friend.