Shathann is such a great character, truly. I feel like I don't see a lot like her - a parent who, in her own words, "was never taught how to be a mother," and thus makes a lot of mistakes. Particularly with a child as hotheaded as Taash.
Yet, for a trained scholar, one who was taught to "think critically without passion," the choice she made for her child was an emotional one. She saw the culture she was raised in, a culture she still ultimately respected, and decided it was a danger to her child.
And I LOVE this. I love a complicated parent. I love seeing a parent who often doesn't give their child what they need emotionally, because they never learned how. A parent who sees themselves making a mistake and still resolves to keep trying because they love their child. Shathann is that parent.
Because when it comes down to it? She DOES put Taash first. Even if she doesn't like Taash straying from qunari culture, even if she doesn't understand some things about Taash, she never outright rejects Taash for being themselves. Shathann didn't understand the nonbinary thing, sure, but she ultimately decided to accept that identity because she saw how important it was to Taash. A selfish mother wouldn't do that.
Not to say Taash is obligated to forgive their mother for the hurt she caused; the way Shathann often made Taash feel about themselves is not okay. But sometimes family is like that. You can love and cherish the ways they supported you while still carrying the pain from the ways they hurt you.
My thoughts are starting to turn into a mess so I'll leave it here, just...Shathann is a great character and her relationship with Taash is just written so well. I think about it a lot.
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