(TL:Dr thanks for being you, and especially for the recent Off Topic)

Honestly I'd be surprised if you even checked DMs at this point

But on the off chance that you do, I Ijust want to thank you so much for the most recent Off Topic (on YouTube at least). 

As a queer black man, I have long struggled with seeing myself in RT content (and the community as a whole), and I'm not even a woman. I would watch a video and react a certain way, and nobody in the video would react the same/see the joke. Someone would make an off-color joke that's offensive for one reason or another and I'd just think, "They're not making that joke for me. If I was their audience, that joke wouldn't be funny."

That is why I loved Mica. Mica was me. I'd laugh at something nobody else would, but Mica did. She'd make jokes or references that white people wouldn't get, but I would. In Mica I felt seen. I watched every video she was in, from Let's Plays to Always Open. When that Off Topic came, and she came forward and talked about her experience with race and sex, I can firmly say that I have never been prouder of someone I didn't know.

Which is why it was such a punch in the gut when the community hated her. When that Off Topic became the most disliked video I'd ever seen, and all the comments were full of hate, it was like a punch in the gut. As every video Mica appeared in continued to draw hateful comments, the common excuse was "But, she's not even good at [the game being played]. Why is she here?" Those same people turned out on droves to watch Geoff being bad at mini-golf or Gavin crashing into everything in GTA, and found it hilarious. Those same people watch Alfredo fail at platformers today, and say that his being bad is what makes it funny. it was clear that the problem wasn't gameplay. Mica was just a woman of color that dared step out of line and let people know that she was a human being. It was at that point that I knew that this community did not welcome people like me. Honestly, when Mica left the Rooster Teeth Community, I kinda also left. I still watched videos, but I didn't log into the site anymore, and I certainly didn't talk to anyone else.

This is why, when you joined, I was so worried for you. (Especially cuz AH kind of jumped you into some games and didn't actually teach you how to play before videos came out.) I didn't check any comments because I already knew what I'd see. It got to the point where I could tell who was in a video based on the likes/dislikes ratio. To be honest, I was convinced that soon enough, you would end up leaving RT for a community that deserved you. I know I would have.

 Instead, I watched you grow into a person that didn't take shit from anybody (though, as a New Yorker, I have faith that that person was always there) and was unashamed of being herself. I watched you develop chemistry with some of the other RT guys, and improve at games like TTT. I watched you start to be more comfortable saying what you wanted to say, and I started hearing myself in Rooster Teeth content again. I felt seen. I felt seen! It was a miracle I never expected. I knew that transition had to be tough. I didn't know how tough.

The Off Topic in question came out last week, but I'm only writing this now. That's partly because of how difficult it was for me to get through it. I continuously had to stop, and walk away, and just cry at the injustice of it all. From low view count and high dislikes, to shitty commenters, to actual death threats; and you didn't even feel comfortable enough at work to tell your boss and co-workers about it, because they'd just tell you to ignore it and quit complaining? I was furious for you, and even more than that, I was scared. I had seen how much worse it had gotten for Mica when she spoke up, and it was already so horrible for you I couldn't fathom how bad it would get. But near the end, you changed everything for me. When you said that RT was going to stop staying silent for this shit, and was going to diversify content even if you had to make it happen yourself, I was blown away. The amount of bravery it takes to look at this community and say that is frankly mind-blowing. It's like standing on the tracks, watching a train coming and saying, "No. I'm staying right here. You move." I will forever be in awe at how firmly you believed in the ability or RT to change. And when you said that you were excited to see where RT goes next, I felt hope. I have been an RT fan for a little over eight years, and I have felt a lot of emotions watching content. I can firmly say I have never felt hope before. And it is for that reason that I'm saying thank you. I would never have dared to dream that I could look at the Rooster Teeth Community and see a space where I was welcomed, until now. 

I owe you a debt that I can probably never repay, but I can at least say this. This community can and will change, but you won't ever have to do it alone. You'll always have people like me who believe in you and are behind you every step of the way.

You're my hero.