^^^

Tbh it’s there show

I mean, it's also a large part of the source material Matt wrote in Explorers Guide to Wildmount. Representation is quite literally canon.

@@kriskenmonroe1 just facts

@@heartbreak1740 thats what the first person side and they used the correct their, whats up

Sometimes, even if we don't get to explore it fully, accepting and understanding parts of ourselves helps us feel whole. So glad you have ab understanding partner!

Mine is a similar story but with being non-binary

I only accepted my bisexuality last year at age 25. It was very freeing, my boyfriend took it well, and now I'm playing a character that is crushing hard on a woman she admires a lot! It just feels natural :)

I didnt accept it until I was 41.

Although I'm the only LGBTQ+ on my table, my players have started exploring making characters who aren't straight (nobody dabbled on non-sis so far, but I have hopes ^^) and to me, the _best_ part is seeing their slow realization of how the relationships those characters form are just about the exact same damned thing as any relationship their past straight characters had. 5 years ago, during one of the _very_ few times I got to play since a player wrote a One-Shot for the table, I took the risk of playing a bisexual character; back then my friends didn't know about my sexual orientation, and _damn_ if it wasn't an amazing feeling to freely flirt with male characters in front of them. To me, that is my favorite part of any non-sis/hetero relationship in RPGs: for anyone who has that hidden, it is just a great moment to get a little bit of a taste of what they really are... For anyone who _doesn't,_ it's just a great moment to see that it is literally the same thing as any other relationship. Almost like if we were all just people trying to live our lives in peace, GO FIGURE

Thank you!

Those other two campaigns were with an all white cast where others were merely guests for one or two sessions. This one has a black woman in the DM's chair. They were looking for reasons to complain, "SJW" is just another example of using coded language.

Unfortunately, I think this hits the nail right on the head. One of the reasons I wanted to make a video supporting her

@@devildham *Shrug* I don't get it, she has done quite a few other shows DMing so is this different because they posted it up as the main in between Crit roll campaigns game? I have been enjoying it so I don't see what the problem is, she has been a fine DM so far. Then again I don't see Crit roll as my favorite games so maybe I am just not as invested in this discourse.

I think you also have some active trolls who will just find any reason to complain. It's impossible to tell, sometimes, whether it's just a handful who are very loud or whether there's a genuine pushback by an actual fanbase - it's why I'm always a little suspicious of any media story that focusses on social media response to an event. "Yes, people had responses. And?" I swing back and forth on whether or not there's any value in responding to them. I think this approach of not dealing with those complaints directly, but simply representing why representation is positive, is a good one.

@@devildham smash that nail right on the head.

This got a legit laugh out of me, thank you for that

I think it was how it was presented, he was asking what he saw, if the halfing said "im non binary" would have made more sense and flow smooth, ive had players ask if male or female to better understand or imagine their look, and then the character introduces their orientation. By her saying non binary some people had a hard time imaging the look of the halfling.

That's not an SJW issue, though. That's a character perception v. DM exposition issue. And as a sometimes DM, I've done that many times. especially on the fly. Player: Is [NPC] for real? Me: Roll an Int save. [Player makes save] You are able to pick out a few discrepancies and irregularities that indicate this is not the real [NPC], but a sophisticated illusion. Player: Cool. But that was just me being exasperated with the BS he was serving us. You know, "are you for real?"

@@Thad0823 This is it exactly. When she just randomly says in a louder tone NON-BINARY to describe the halfling, it added nothing at all to the question that was initially being asked by Liam. I also rolled my eyes for how she presented it. You're right, if the NPC says themselves they're non-binary during a conversation it's totally different.

@@Thad0823 In settings with nonbinary characters, it's pretty common thing for the other people and characters to just Know the genders of whoever they're talking to (or at least use the right pronouns right off the bat) without much audience justification for how. Could be seen as an inconsistency, but it's to avoid avoid real-world drudgeries like asking pronouns or misgendering people or figuring out if someone's a boy or a girl--which can come with accidentally porting over closer-to-home issues that people don't want in their fantasy story. It's sort of like how there's no in-universe sexism or characters never need to use the bathroom. Also, wasn't Liam literally asking the race and gender of the NPC's?

I wish I could say I had that mentality from the beginning! It took a lot of people who loved me enough to work with me to understand those things. We as humans can only grow if we seek to understand

@@PlayYourRole try not to beat yourself up over it too much. Despite being part of the alphabet soup 😅 myself; I too struggled to grasp and understand the significance of that due to my upbringing in a (then) extremely narrowminded household and family. things have changed and then by leaps and bounds, mostly due to my stubbornness lol that's a story for another comment 😁

I second this!!

Fr as long as kids and animals aren’t involved do what u want

Total agreement on the statement. I’ve seen plenty of people while growing up who would explain an abusive husband or wife as “that’s just the way they are / they’re under a lot of stress” but would find “that queer guy who lives down the block” as strange and for some reason think they should be reported just like people on the sex offender registry.

I think a lot of newbies to the fandom have shown up with this series, given that it is new and isn't hundreds of hours long, and haven't gotten used to the way things run around here.

I wonder if it may also be a thing where people put Matt on such a pedestal that they overlook him mentioning characters like Bryce or Otis being non-binary and just see them as how they want to but when Aabriya comes in to Critical Role things she says and how she does things is under much more scrutiny 🤔

It's a new DM, people are going to want to complain about it.

Ah, but keep in mind that Aabria is black and a woman, so that makes her opinions unacceptable to a certain demographic. People who will drink whatever kool-aid Matt gives them will refuse if Aabria hands them the same thing. Edit: autocorrect doesn't like Aabria's name.

In Campaign 2 there was mention of nombinary for sure... and Sam even had to retract his incorrect pronoun usage and switch to them

The argument is perfectly valid, you simply failed to grasp it.

I don't think Aabria turned EXU into a SJW fest (not by this clip nor the 2 episodes I managed to watch), BUT. This clip is VERY different from the examples you mentioned. They were all much more natural and none of them was presented with an actual label in the first few instants.

@@8Smoker8 my comment was meant as a joke :) so I was exaggerating a bit. Though I would argue that the clip is very similar to Otis. In both instances the GM clarifies the sexual identity of the npc after a player had asked. The only difference being that Sam asked several episodes after Otis' introduction instead of right away :D

@@Paddster I would have to rewatch Otis's, but this introduction does feel forced. I have no issue with it, she did just answer a question, but it was awkward. I think a simple "you can't tell" would have been sooo much better. There was also some attitude imho but no need to go into that.

Hah!

@@8Smoker8 When the party was talking about Otis an episode or two after their introduction, Sam looks confused when Marisha refers to Otis with he/him, so Sam asked "Otis is a female, correct?" Matt clarified "Otis actually goes by all pronouns" very casually, like Aabria did here. It's actually a pretty funny conversation, as Sam immediately just goes "Oh sorry. I still fucking hate Otis though" and Matt just shrugs and goes "all pronouns are valid and your hate is earned because Otis is the worst."

Sometimes people wanna be mad! I guess it's human nature?

@@PlayYourRole i remember playing a Dragonborn in a dnd game where non humans were hunted and jailed by the kingdom. My first brush with racism aimed at me was powerful and eye opening. If only briefly.

@@publishedsorrow3066 That can be a tough play, and a lot of DMs will avoid it entirely. Sounds like you guys dealt with it well.

@@ummacnai I don't believe in removing "difficult" subject matter from my games, but the DM and players have to have great trust and compassion for each other, and it has to be handled carefully and correctly. But I don't think such subjects should be ignored..unless you have a home brew utopian campaign setting that is, and if you do.can I join? lol

@@joshuajevans8824 trust is key

Dagen really opened up my eyes as well, it's amazing what a little representation can do

@@PlayYourRole thanks to Dagen being on CR, one of my players realized we never had a handicap PC and decided to make a deaf and mute character for the current campaign, and it's been _amazing._ One of the most fun parts is that the only other person in the party who knows sign language is a SUPER jaded chaotic character who always paraphrases what she says a lot, leading to a bunch of shenanigans, but those days will end soon since two other PCs have already started spending free time studying and practicing sign language

Wow that was beautiful and powerful to read. God bless you my friend.

Who dis liam play that was gay? The Gilmore thing to me always seemed 1 sided and I dont believe him ever confirming bi.

@@mikephillips1043 *SPOILERS* Liam implied that Vax did indeed have some feelings for Gilmore that went beyond friendship but you're right, to my knowledge he was vague on that. However, in Campaign 2 he plays Caleb who is indeed either bisexual or sapiosexual. Liam confirmed that Caleb was romantically involved with both Astrid and Eadwulf as well as being very interested in Essek.

@@mikephillips1043 for real now? They kissed, the flirted like hell, yeah vax gave gil a rejection inbetween, but not for a lack of interest, but for his heart was elsewhere occupied and he did not want to string him along they had so many scenes that could not be misread . . .

@@mikephillips1043 you need to go back and rewatch, both vax and Caleb were bi and I'm pretty sure orym is gay. I don't think Liam has played a straight character.

Objectively, what is that difference? I've seen people find the presence of (for example) gay characters 'thrown in for the sake of representation' where it seems to me that it's just a character who's gay existing. It seems to be a very subjective line that has as much to do with how sensitive someone is to seeing 'gay stuff' in general as what's actually happening on screen.

@@irrevenant3 i don´t think that there is a clean line that can be drawn. it is indeed very subjective, what i think is the following: If the Story is sold then it is good representation, if i get the vibe that a charakter is just there to hit a diversity quota, and feel constantly reminded that this charakter is LGBQT+ without real story relevance to that fact, bad representation. but as you said yourself, it is somewhat subjective, and comes down to the sensitivity of those who consume the media in Question. However i don´t care if a charakter is LGBQT+ unless it is forced over the story that wishes to be told ;)

When it's forced into every scenario it becomes boring and not unique. Like how hollywood is forcing the agenda and having their movies fail because people don't feel it's genuine.

This is pretty accurate to me.

I hear this claim a lot but I can't think of any real-world examples of characters whose entire characterisation is based around their demographic novelty (ie. are 'just there to be gay/female/whatever'). Do you have a few examples?

@@irrevenant3 Admiral Holdo from Star Wars TLJ. There was no need for the character to exist, since on that same ship you had other characters that could have do the same as she did in the movie, Admiral Ackbar most of all, a classic and beloved character that deserved a chance to shine. But the necessity of a "strong woman in charge" overides that and gives birth to a character that only existed to treat one of the male characters as a walking stereotype and to show some bizarre moral superiority, even though the situation as a whole gave the male character all the reasons to be acting the way he did. But overall her character is nothing. She had no backstory other than she being a friend of Leia that the casual movie viewer never heard about, she didn't showed any specific skills (like leadership or even common sense) that would qualify her to such an important rank, and her "ultimate sacrifice" could have been done by literally any other person in the ship and the story would go exactally the same. She only existed to "girlspeak" over Oscar Isaac's character and suicide-jump a cruiser into a deadnought. Characters like Holdo only exist to resonate with twitter activists, since they have no purpose inside the narrative they are planted into. Only said activists find them cool, and only because for them the Ideology is all that matters. They don't care about the consequences for the plot, or even the franchise they are using to propagandise their ideas, they only demand a space for their agenda PERIOD; they don't need substance, they just need the corporeal presence of someone that reminds them of what they find virtuous or one that justifies their own character flaws (overweight, over aggressive and arrogant women are just a few examples of what these people are looking forward when they go consume a product).

@@bigbangrafa8435 You honestly don't think Poe deserved to be called out on disobeying direct orders and getting a bunch of people from the dwindling Resistance forces killed? I suppose you could've swapped in Ackbar for Holdo if you wanted to. But honestly the setting already feels tiny enough as it is with so many things coming back to the same dozen or so characters (Oh the rebellion wouldn't have gotten started without young Han Solo's help? That's nice.). It's supposed to be a *galaxy* and I'm cool with seeing them expand the cast a bit. She may not have been the deepest character, but she was deep enough for the supporting role she played in the story. She has roughly as much depth as, say, General Grievous in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. (She may or may not get more fleshing out in extended media like Grievous did). Or Chewbacca in basically every movie he's in (sorry Chewie). What "demographic novelty" do you see Holdo being anyway? And how was her characterisation based around that demographic? She doesn't seem to be any sort of minority, AFAICT. And she basically did two main things in the movie: (a) Justifiably chew out and distrust Poe for his recklessness, and (b) sacrifice herself so the others can escape. How do you see those as representative of whatever demographic novelty you see her as?

I agree with this. I myself am trans, and so i tend to write trans characters in both dnd and in writing in general. Its easier for me to depict both the struggles of being trans and the beauty of it but also because its lovely to create an ideal world where “i used to be a little girl, and now i am a man” is just reacted to with “okay, cool”. Plus, being trans can be sort of funny. In a campaign im doing with dome friends, my character is a genderfluid earth genasi. I am not genderfluid, but man, it creates some fun scenarios. My DM made a situation where only a woman could deal the final blow to this one enemy. So my character, who was female at that time, goes “fuck yeah” and charges the enemy… and at last second, she becomes male. And his sword just bounces off the demon and he collapses in a heap. It was a very funny situation when everyone realised why he had just goofily been smacked to the ground.

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I really wanted to make sure it was presented as properly as possible for the people in my life who struggle with this

Thank you Mr. Straigh White Man. Keep on existing!

Could not agree more. Thank you so much for making sure representation exists at your table! It means the world more than a lot of people realize

@@PlayYourRole I try, I'm sure I fail too. I'm a white, middle aged guy, like you I have no real idea what it's like to have my voice silenced or ignored, but to paraphrase an old quote, if you've got it good, build a longer table, not a higher wall. I can't fix systemic racism or sexism, I can't single handedly stop hatred or fix the world, but I can certainly make my little corner of it as pleasant as I can for as many people as I can.

I'm not against representation of Gays, Lesbians, People of Color, Gender Dysphoria and Disabilities in general. But If there's one thing I learned by being around people is that when you start going to social media trends that aren't real, like these new made-up genders and gender neutral stuff most people tend to get fed up really quickly. These new "factions" (for a lack of a better word) are just looking for attention, and in the process are (willingly or not) causing harm and breeding intolerance against people with real issues about their identity. I'm sorry, you can call me names If you wish, but when someone introduces themselves to me as "Gender-Neutral" I imediatelly understand that said person Isn't a serious person, he/she probably is spending too much time online and I shouldn't waste my time with said individual. If you exist you're an animal, If you're an animal you have hormones, and If you have hormones you have a gender. It may not be compatible with your body, in the case of Gender Dysphoria, but It still exist and that's why we affirm said gender through medical treatments. Such nonsense only exist because social media algorithms (damn you TikTok) keep feeding It to teenagers who already have no clue of what they are and what is their place in the world, and that's why It shouldn't be endorsed.

@@bigbangrafa8435 "I'm not against representation, now let me list all the ways I'm against representation and dismissive of people". You're a bigot who wants to seem tolerant because you don't want the backlash is all. I

​@@bigbangrafa8435 if hormones determine gender how can a person's gender not fit their body? And if gender isn't determined by the usually (though not always) binary options created by hormones, why could it not be something other than those two options?

Hi fellow Denmark invader! (Any/all)

It was my genuine pleasure. Being able to support my family is one of the most incredibly important things I've ever done

Thank you so much, and I agree. I think people were probably just ready to try and give Aabriya push back on it given she's new to the show.

and Ottis

@@conrad_os I hate Otis!! But certainly not for their gender identity 😁

Wasn’t J’mon sa Ord in C1 also non-binary? It’s been a while but I remember Matt specifically using they/them pronouns.

@@therealameliabedelia7821 yeah they are :)

I think the difference is that people might feel uncomfortable with stuff like sexual scenes bc they’re just like young or playing with family like you mentioned whereas someone would only be uncomfortable with an lgbt person being in the game if they’re bigoted and you shouldn’t conform for bigotry

i agree with everything you said. i am a straight male, but i also play female charakters some of them straight, others lesbian or bi-sexual or just loving who they love and go with the flow. but my charakters do look all "normal for their biosex and kin" the orientation isn´t visible, and as you said it, one wouldn´t see or expecting it just from looking at them. thats the same in real life, i can´t look at a person and say "ok that person is gay, straight, trans or just non binary or asexual" unless something is heavily hinting at LGBQT+, i can only see a person with a biological specific bio-sex, i can´t see what they identify as, it is impossible. as a matter of fact i don´t even care what is a persons orientation or gender identity, if i deam that person nice enough to chat with while having a drink together (non alcoholic for me since i am a dry alcoholic), i couldn´t care less about those things, but do respect them for who they are and have a good time in their company. before i make too much of an ass of myself i want to clarify a few things about my opinions about representation in media, i care about an imersive world with great stories, about propper charakters, no matter if it is the main-, support-, or extra charakter, no matter the media format or gameplay. i don´t care if they are LGBQT+ as long as they sell me the story. let me give an example via the knivesout movies, the main charakter bennoir blanc is gay, that was represented well enough it was clear he lives with a male partner but since it didn´t really mattered to the story they wanted to tell, it was made clear by a few scenes with his partner that they have a romantic relationship and than told the story without bringing it up in unneccesary moments or as a constant non relevant reminder. i had my issues with those movies but not because bennoit was a gay charakter, it was about his deductions comming from seemingly nowhere when all the rest of the movie he didn´t seem to have a clue what is going on. but the point is that the way the fact he´s gay didn´t disturb the storymade it a good representation in my book, since it was a story about murder solved by a ingenius detective who just happens to be gay. while this was an example of good representation i would like togive an example of a bad one as well, but have to admit the example is not directly witnessed but based on a video about why american comics are loosing to manga on the american market places. since it is based on third party info i want to make a disclaimer that it is more a theoretical that is based on facts i can´t verify myself and should be considered as a theoretical. supermans son in his own comics, not his fathers is designed to be a bi-sexual super hero in a gay relationship with one of his schoolmates. up untill this there is nothing wrong with the concept and i wouldn´t refrain from reading it, but the next part of the video i am refering to is pushing me away from wanting to read it. the story is meant to have a bigger focus (compared to other superhero comics) on their relationship and less on supersons adventures as a superhero. so it will not be a superhero comic with a bi protagonist, not a zero to hero story, not a heros journey, not really be superhero comic, therefore not hitting the genre. i don´t now what it would be, but definetly not what i want from the genre it is advertised as, so it feels forced like super son isn´t happening to be Bi but rather Bi for the sake of forced representation. and please don´t get me wrong when i say the above, i still would read the comic if it was what it is supposed to be, a heros journey, i don´t care if the hero happens to be LGBQT+ and i would have the same feeling for his live partner i would have for lois lane if the hero is forced to decide to rescue his partner or a shitload of innocent strangers, i would even dig the relationship struggles afterwards and selfdoubts of his life as a hero because of it. but i don´t want a superhero-story more focused on the heros lovelive than his adventures. but back to the halfling part, what really bugs me about this, it was bad form of representation, since it isn´t something that could be deduced by a look. since the look wouldn´t give it away, relaying it in the meta info was unneccesary and gave the vibes of that NPC is Non-Binary for the sake of forced representation. To me it is no wonder it got that backlash, as you said it should have come from interacting with them, because it couldn´t be seen and it wasn´t at all storyrelavant as what the halfling identified him-/herself.

Your last sentence sums up most of the sessions I've DMed.

I said it in a few other comments but I think a lot of the people saying these things aren't actually critters, just people popping in because it's a new show so they may not realize how normal it is that there is representation in Critical Role. Could be wrong though!

omg I didn't even realize Molly used he/they! All I knew was that he was bi & genderfluid- YES LET'S GO, ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE MOLLYMAUK

@Ace Trainer Astrid Taliesin stated that Molly uses he/him, but would probably be fine with every pronouns. As far as I know Taliesin never mentioned that Molly used he/they. I would love to be corrected though ^^ The genderfluidity of molly was later stated by Matt in an interview I definitely agree that a lot of these people seem to be new to critical role, due to the abundance (/pos) of lgbtq+ player characters in C2, I think it's unlikely that people that obviously get annoyed by representation would ever watch the show for a long time. Representation has always been a part of CR and I don't think about to change. Slight spoilers for Campaign 1: Even in C1 there was already a very prominent non-binary or maybe genderfluid character (J'mon Sa Ord) that used multiple sets of pronouns (mostly they/them) vague, Exandria Unlimited Spoilers: Looking at the brewing ships in ExU it’s definitely not changing ^^ and if folks got mad about a minor nb character they will definitely get mad about the inclusion of a mlm and wlw ship in one show. + the probably not straight Orym and his potentially not straight backstory

as an asexual person who is probably aromantic but doesn't really care about it and feels it isn't really important in terms of my identity, the way Cadeucus was played was so important to me. It didn't matter to him, he just didn't care about it which resonated really well with me. It doesn't need to be in your face, it just needs to be there.

@@quendi5557 YES! THIS! Caduceus was such a breath of fresh air, honestly! I resonated with him a lot!

but I was so confused that Matt did it and no one batted an eye but when Abria did it people went wild

I think her response was awkward in this instance, because I think Liam was asking for a visual clarification, but due to the question being vague for the sake of expediency, the answer didn't line up exactly, revealing more than just the visual aspect. That or she recognized a potential confusion that would be harmful to the pacing and just preemptively filled everyone in. That happens in real time at a table. It didn't bother me at all.

@@hqueso asking for clarification of the gender of the two people isn't really asking for visual clarification, if she would have said "female haflin, male elf' no one would have bated an eye, it because the character was non-binary people in an uproar.

@@jlog3540 I was assuming that Liam's question was based on "what does my character see?" as I've seen his RP style and he would, IMO, usually interact with the NPC to get info beyond the immediately apparent. I may be wrong- I can't read his mind. I'm not sure if the rest of your post is addressed to me- I wasn't commenting on the motives of those criticizing the scene, just saying what I thought about the exchange myself- that there was nothing to be offended at, just a fairly common sort of DM/Player miscommunication.

Yes and no. In this case I totally agree with you. In fact, I think that probably the only "pushing of an agenda" here are the people who think there's "too much representation" or whatever they're saying. That said, I think it is *possible* (less relevant to Crit Role just a possibility) for people to truly be "pushing an agenda" with representation. Representation for the sake of virtue signaling is pushing an agenda, and I don't think you're pushing your own agenda to call it out as such. Over "representation" is no longer representation at all. Again, to clarify this is *not* about critical role. They're great! I just want to clarify that I think it's *possible* to push an agenda through improperly done forced representation and that it does exist out there. Honestly no idea why people are even attributing "sjw fest" and the like to EXU. Very saddening to see a legitimate, extremely rare problem attributed to something that's *so* far from anything disruptive.

@@simone8172 What kind of agenda is over-representation pushing? Can you name some examples of over-representation? Genuinely curious.

I feel like this point is lost on many. Pushing for the status quo IS definitely pushing for an agenda, and most people try to pretend it isn't.

@@TehCakeIzALie1 I'd say representation is all about keeping a balance, and also being accurate. Sure representing LGBT people, handicapped people(through one way or another), black people, women or a combo of any and all of the previously mentioned types of people is important but you should also make sure to represent everyone. Having all of your heroes be LGBT and have all of your villains be non LGBT and get it popular enough and that can be damaging to people who enjoy your content. I can't name examples but it is something to be aware and careful of when planning a D&D campaign or writing a story. Everyone deserves to be given representation and sure, straight people have had it for a long time, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have it still.

It’s not about pushing the status quo. It’s just reality. There are lot less people that fit these random groups then is represented.

Thank you Kelse!! Means a lot!

I think Cad being asexual was one of the best forms of representation I had seen. It just made so much sense when it was revealed, that it felt like I had always known it even without realizing it.

What characters are ace and autistic? As an autistic ace, I'd love to see good representation of that intersection.

Same for me. I did not know something like asexual/aromantic exists until well into my 30s and until then, I thought my whole life I was somehow broken. I was so happy to finally see some representation!

I can tell you that Ayda from d20 is canon autstic and gay she’s done amazingly and also from d20 adaine and Ruiz are ace aro

That's an excellent point of view. If those things are causing people to get upset, that's a symptom of a larger issue not necessarily just the problem. Thank you so much for your point of view!

@@PlayYourRole np, you keep making videos my guy!

I remember I was a little annoyed when I was watching that clip, but its not because I think this type of representation is a bad idea or an agenda. Its is simply because while she describes the outward physical appearance of two characters entering the scene, she chooses to specifically notate an internal personal identity of a character. Its not like non-binary persons wander around with "NB" tattooed on their foreheads. This is something you find out as you get to know the person; not something you can visually see when you first meet them. So its "forced" because we get this internal bit of information, that should be earned through dialog and relationship building. On the flip side, Aabria does a lot of hand-waving to explain things (assuming because this is a short-run series) and I believe this was an unfortunate short-cut. I think it would have been much more interesting to have just spent more time with the character and built a relationship with them to find out more about who they are and not just use them as the McGuffin they were. But as presented, only mildly annoying. I'm quite happy those characters were part of the story, and I hope there are more to meet.

@@DavismTXAG98 matt introduced bryce in a similar fashion, along with every he/him and she/her using character he's created. most of the time he won't make the pcs ask for pronouns bc it slows the game down and i assume that is the same reason that aabria did it as well.

​@@DavismTXAG98 I think this was mostly handled that way for the reason of time, as well as the fact that Liam didn't ask in character and clearly didn't want to mess up this person's pronouns. I don't think Aabria would have introduced the character as "this person is non-binary" if Liam hadn't explictly asked for their gender. I trust that Aabria would have maybe found a smoother way to kinda drop that or at least mention the right pronouns. I do agree that it would be nice to see a fully fleshed out nb character, but that's probably only a reasonable hope when it comes to a long term campaign and even then players tend to not spend a huge amount of time with npcs.

As soon as we all can find representation of who we are, it becomes a lot easier to no longer have to worry about barriers but instead just enjoy what's around us and create with everyone. Here's to a wonderful world for you granddaughter

@@PlayYourRole For me it's also a matter of verisimilitude, of the imaginary world feeling real enough for me to accept the fantastical parts. If your world only contains cookie cutters of the type of people you approve of then it will seem a bit flat and unreal. Nonbinary people exist, and have existed whether or not societal norms and conditions allowed them to express it openly. So if your world assumes acceptance of different gender expressions- which Exandria has done consistently- it makes sense that there are a number of individuals who will do so.

I'm certain it's a part of it. I also think it's important to acknowledge this is a new show, so many people who are not traditionally part of the critter community may have joined to watch and were not used to the regular representation

and of course Otis, the most hated, but also any pronouns

@@TheAciddragon069 The thing I feel necessary to point out here is that Matt Mercer has been DMing for around 10 years now both on and off camera so he's had a lot of time to get comfortable in the Dm's chair. This includes fleshing out his world, getting used to resolving conflicts between himself and the players, all of it. Aabria probably doesn't have that much experience under her belt and when you add to it that she is running in a game in Matt's world, with Matt at the table? Methinks it sets an unrealistic expectation she will be just as good as Matt. I also think we need to keep in mind this is a short series, only 8 episodes, not 100+. Aabria doesn't have time to always describe things in a longer fashion. Yes it might only take a minute or two more to convey a person is handicapped in some fashion more tactfully, but those minutes add up.

@@TheAciddragon069 And that is the Matthew Mercer effect my friend

@@TheAciddragon069 Perfectly valid to like different DM styles, I personally love Aabria's. I think the situation is question is definitely due to the time limit of this mini campaign and the general very short appearance of the character. I don't think the group spoke more than 10 minutes with them and their friend. I am fairly certain that if Liam hadn't asked what this person's gender was, Aabria would have found a more elegant way to work it in or just mention the pronouns without saying anything about the specific identity.

Well said. Any ‘critter’ that has an issue with her I don’t think is a real critter.

Please don't forget, like I said in the video, everyones opinions are valid! It doesn't mean they're right of course, but it's important to keep an open conversation so that everyone who has a misguided view point, even us, can come to an informed conclusion. That being said thank you so much for supporting Aabriya and this video!

Wholesome and inclusive is exactly what I'm trying to do. Thanks for watching!

Heck, remember the Nightmare in Ivory? Sam asked if they could change it to a boy dragon and Matt put his foot down in the most hilarious way possible. Still one of my favorite moments

Or, maybe, perhaps, possibly, it has nothing to do with her being a black woman and has to do with the fact that she's not Matt Mercer.

@@blobjorn3248 Or it's all three

@@Witheringdawn2 Nah. Inclusivity is toxic, doesn't matter who does it. And contrary to popular belief, an overwhelming majority of people don't care about race.

At the end of the day, the more this representation occurs, the more we can enjoy more and more characters of varying race, sexuality, and beyond without finding that to be something that causes problems

This right here is the perfect representation on why your faction is a hateful supremacist movement. You aren't being represented unless white and straight people are being suppressed. You never wanted equality, you just want to be on top. Things are racist until whites are in the dirt. Things are sexist as long as heterosexuality is within eyesight. The best part is that none of you will ever realize that you're the biggest bigots out there, who can only identify with someone who looks and acts exactly like you. You can only identify with the most exterior, minor attributes instead of the character traits that actually matter. You only identify with race and sexuality and yet complain that others do the same. Identify with a characters dreams, aspirations, and drive? No, I identify with their melanin and which holes they like. You are the hatred you see in the world. And you always will be.

@@pooppoop6337 I think you’re misunderstanding their words, they didn’t say they wanted less cis white people in media, they said they want more POC and LGBTQ++ people in leading roles, like so many cis white people before them. They just want to add to media representation, not subtract from it.

I honestly can't express how much I've appreciated the discussion and collective desire to understand

Very true

Was he really being called out, though? He asked for clarification for the purposes of his notes, and received it. Having our assumptions corrected isn't a call out.

@@allywebb No, he wasn't. All the more reason to check emotional reactions by reflecting on circumstances.

There have been many people in the comments who have (kindly) called me out for calling it a lifestyle. Wish I had caught that sooner! I think it is a perfectly valid point to make and I will be adjusting my language in the future to be more understanding. Thanks for taking the time to explain it! As for the paradox of intolerance, I'm looking into it now! Just a brief overview makes it clear there's a lot to learn there. Thanks for showing me!

@@PlayYourRole thank you for appreciating this comment!! Honestly, nothing makes me feel more accepted and loved than someone willing to learn so this means a lot to me!

Much appreciated! Thanks so much for stopping by!

I can definitely understand where you're coming from. Something I like to consider is whether something is meant for me or not. If it seems like something that is put there for someone else, I generally don't let it bother me.

Absolutely a fair viewpoint. It's important to remember that things are helpful, and harmful, from two sides and it takes careful discussion and observation to make sure it remains healthy

I think there's been enough said to support the message of this video without saying much more to the point. But i agree with you here. As a "straight male", there has been almost a stigma that because we identify as straight and male that we are "just not accepting" or "just being problematic". While we do have to support ALL of our rainbow friends through this enlightening socialogical moment in history, we can't create a rebounding discriminatory dialogue for people who identify as straight. My son, who is 11. Just came out a few months ago this year, as transmale he\him THE SAME WEEK his little female body decided to menstruate for the first time. He was SO terrified to come out to me but honestly i couldn't care less! My words to him were "you being trans is a you problem. Its not my job to tell you what you identify as, its my job to love and support you. Its my job to educate and raise you to be respectful as a human."

Absolutely. I can't thank enough my friends, family, and wife for encouraging me to post it

Thank you! I tried very hard to communicate well in this video given the sensitive topic, so this means a lot

I understand your point, but as a non-binary person who physically looks like my agab, I hate that people assume I’m cis. Because they know what I look like, because they have an idea of what my agab is, I have people who know my pronouns and have only ever known me to use they/them pronouns misgender me. It’s why it’s so freeing to not associate agab with people and ask them their pronouns and respect those pronouns. My DM introduced a character using he/they pronouns. If she hadn’t we would’ve assumed he/him pronouns for them. As it were, none of our characters asked him about pronouns and most of my fellow players referred to them solely with he/him pronouns. Which, y’know… kinda sucked… Especially as a non-binary person whose gender gets assumed far too often. If the characters asked every NPC they encounter what their pronouns are, then that really would cause hang ups in the game. Plus the likelihood of someone using 3rd person pronouns in front of you are slim and the chances of you feeling comfortable enough to correct a stranger are even slimmer. So yes, I see where you’re coming from, but honestly I would prefer that the cast be told outright than them continuously misgendering an NPC because they didn’t think to ask/double check what the pronouns were. Also, the issue of the whole “visualisation” thing is that people assume it’s their right to know, especially on the internet. I have mentioned being non-binary in online spaces and got the response of “Do you have a d**k or a p***y” over and over again, which is obviously not what you are saying/doing here, but unfortunately those people exist and even the answer of “you can’t really tell” wouldn’t satisfy them. There really isn’t a way to appeal to everyone, but as a member of the community Aabria was trying to represent, this did appeal to me.

She didn't need to say what their sex is either, but yes some kind of physical description is important for any NPC character.

My problem with the criticism is that it seems to be based off of this one instance. It's not unusual in the moment to answer a question with the usage you have on your mind (This character I made for this encounter is non-binary) rather than the usage the player intended (what visual am I getting here?). This seems to be what happened; it seems the player got enough out of the exchange that further clarification at the moment wasn't necessary, and everyone moved on. Live DMing involves mistakes. Plnety of them. Sometimes you have to go with "close enough" and keep the pacing rolling. If this were a common, repeated issue, there might be a valid criticism of her confusing player pov with behind-the-scenes adventure knowledge (sort of a reverse metagaming). I haven't seen enough to see if this is a problem for her or not. In any case, it didn't strike me as pushing an agenda, just a slight misalignment of DM and player meaning for a moment.

Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to watch!

It's my hope to be able to make things just a bit brighter, and that's all I could ask for. Glad you enjoyed!

Brilliant point here. I've said it a few times, but I stated representation wasn't necessary at every table and I believe I was wrong. Comments like these really highlight that. Good on you for learning!

I don't think it makes you a terrible DM. What would make you a terrible DM would be not learning from that, or refusing to create an NPC that would be attractive to a PC, if that's what you were doing for straight PCs. There is only good that comes from learning, and it's our willingness to learn that demonstrates that we are mature, creative and positive human beings.