#this is NOT anti-widoj*est or anti-vaxl*th or anti-liam or anti-caleb or anti-vax etcetc

[vecna]

There is only one (1) criticism from the past 24 hours that I really feel like entertaining, and then it’s the last I’ll comment on this whole thing. It’s the fact that Critical Role really fails at MLM representation.

Behind a cut so I don’t flood the dash.

Now yes, I think it’s come a long way with WLW representation since campaign 2 stated. We’ve seen a whooooole lot of very visible female NPCs in relationships with each other, many in positions of power. We have two actual party members who are lesbians, with a third possibly bi (tbd). Matt’s even pretty good about occasionally offhandedly having random female townsfolk mention a wife, now and then. Could it be better? Sure. But it’s really obvious they’ve all taken strides to show that WLW are present and normalized in Exandria.

Buuuuut only WLW.

By comparison, MLM representation has been hilariously lacking. We had Tary and Lawrence as a couple in campaign 1. Gilmore was gay. Vax and Scanlan were both bi, and I’d argue Percy was too -- and ending up in m/f relationships doesn’t change their sexuality. But that’s... that’s it really. Campaign 2 has been neglecting MLM all together. I can’t think of any queer dude NPCs at all -- folks are welcome to correct me, but the fact I can’t remember any obvious ones is telling enough. Molly was queer in multiple ways, but, well. The rest of the party members are debatable, but there’s only one who’s even hinted at not being 100% straight. Otherwise it’s just... nothing.

And then there’s, you know, Vaxilm*re and Shadowg*st. Disclaimer: I love Liam, I love Vaxl*th, and I love Widoj*st. But yeah, it does get a little exhausting to have potential MLM ships dangled out there and teased for long enough we think they might have a shot, only for there to be a swerve into a m/f ship. Especially since, in both cases, it was really our only hope at seeing a male party member not end up in a m/f relationship. (Yeah, Liam did drop some more Shadowg*st scraps in that same convo last night, and I am ecstatic for that, but I also have 0 expectations.)

Anyway, the disparity continues to be disappointing.

But I’m in a weird spot with it because, as much as people like to say otherwise, this is not a scripted TV show. Should they be more aware of this and make a bigger effort to fix it? Absolutely. Should we hold them to the same standards we would some show on like HBO? Unpopular opinion, but no. I get this is a show in front of hundreds of thousands of people, but idk. I’d feel weird if someone walked up to my D&D table that I’m playing with my very personal OCs and basically went, “You’re playing your characters wrong.” So I’m a little on the fence about it, regardless of my personal feelings on the unequality.

And that’s that on that, back to shitposting.

[elstogs]

I agree with you on all points here. I will say there was a couple of husbands back in Zadash, very early campaign with the Knights of Requital. The leader guy who went into politics and his husband Horace who went into hiding in Labenda. But even that was so long ago.

There is only one (1) criticism from the past 24 hours that I really feel like entertaining, and then it’s the last I’ll comment on this whole thing. It’s the fact that Critical Role really fails at MLM representation.

Behind a cut so I don’t flood the dash.

Keep reading

[vecna]

Oh boy, yeah I had totally forgotten about them.

Which is understandable, because that means our last and only open MLM representation was this long ago:

🙃

There is only one (1) criticism from the past 24 hours that I really feel like entertaining, and then it’s the last I’ll comment on this whole thing. It’s the fact that Critical Role really fails at MLM representation.

Behind a cut so I don’t flood the dash.

Keep reading