the-half-elf:

Okay, so apparently there has been some tension in the Critical Role fandom and some comments made in the last few days. I haven’t been able to find the exact tweets or posts being referenced, but I do have some words.

The popular idea on this site seems to be that something or someone has to be 100% perfect or unproblematic at all the times, which is incredibly toxic and harmful. No one has ever been 100% unproblematic ever in their life and no one ever will be. If you think you are, take a couple of steps back and reevaluate that, buddy. 

As a non-binary trans/pansexual person, the amount of personal validation I’ve gotten from watching Critical Role has been more than I ever expected. There are so many characters on CR that are either not straight or not cis and it just blows my mind how amazing they all are. J’mon Sa Ord is a character who is a KICK ASS DRAGON and ruler of a major city that they founded and continue to protect up into present-day canon. They have immense respect from literally everyone and they kick ass on a regular basis. That they even exist means the world to me as a nonbinary person. 

Yes, there have been some flubs along the way with some things. Fun fact however, you don’t go through anything without making mistakes. And without going into every little thing the cast/Matt has been dragged through the mud over, I think the representation on the show was good, and it all came from a place of wanting to do good. No one comes out of the gate making everyone happy or without making mistakes. Veteran content creators don’t always get it right, and especially not in the eyes of every consumer. What really and truly matters is that you try and you learn, and that is absolutely what those on CR have done. 

And remember, it is possible to be a fan of something and still be critical of it. In fact, I would encourage that. But the hate-mail and and this general idea that it’s okay to shit on these real-life people needs to stop. 

At the end of the day, this is a show of people improvising storylines that are fun for them. And if we keep flinging shit at all of them whenever something isn’t 100% perfectly unproblematic (as if such a thing exists), it might stop being fun for them and the general attitude becomes why even bother trying if everyone’s just going to be angry anyway.