RWBY and Toxicity

If you’re a fan of something a lot of people want to tear you down for that. “Oh you enjoy that series? Then you’re a __” Let’s stop there.

Fandoms have been at war with each other since the dawn of time. Millenials can all think back to Tumblr wars or spouts of toxicity on Fanfiction. And as the Metaverse starts to become a reality like Sword Art Online or Ready Player One, this toxicity will become an even bigger imprint or mold to geek culture as a whole. It won’t just be about a series anymore. It will also be about using a certain avatar from said series and being ridiculed for it. But that’s the future. This is now.

RWBY produced by Rooster Teeth has always been under this radar. If you enjoy the series there will always be lurkers who try and ruin the experience for you. Whether it’s due to Shipping Wars or a plot point people tend to make a meme out of the series as a whole.

While critique is important, this form of critique is on a different level. RWBY is not perfect, there are plotholes or even moments of character choices that the writers have addressed to be a problem or a rookie writing mishap. It happens. Even in novels or sitcoms there are plotholes that aren’t addressed until later on in a series. Nothing is 100% perfect nor should it be. If handled correctly a series with those writing mishaps can wrap up in a very structured way. Besides, there are more RWBY Volumes to come. Without the entire media at hand a full critique of the series is not yet accurate.

Despite its flaws, RWBY has a lot of spark and heart to it. To get on a personal note RWBY Volume 4 was my favorite of the volumes. Team RWBY disbanded and because of that we got to see the personal sides to each of the girls. Weiss’ family struggles with her father especially brought more meat to the Schnee family. Yang’s struggles coping with PTSD, change and separation showed that even in a vulnerable state a strong character can still endure something painful and slowly start to overcome that problem. Blake not only had to address her past but overcome the anxiety that came with the Faunus history. Let’s also not forget how she had to learn from Sun that it’s okay to talk to your friends about your troubles. Ruby had to act like a lone leader with Jaune, Ren and Nora, almost surpressing her emotions. In my opinion, RWBY Volume 4 brought that meat we talked about before that characterized everyone, giving more relatable moments and points we can resonate on.

Different opinions are good. Not everyone will agree, and what I said above about 50%-75% of people will have a disagreement on. And that’s okay! That’s needed. A story is the best it can be when you are able to have a discussion about it. What’s needed in the fandom is the ability to discuss rather than push away. People like to be entertained, but when something goes far off the rails for a character that’s when it gets ugly for the fandom. There are the people who continue to pressure the writers to write the way they see the story going. And there are people who won’t let you say one bad thing about the story.

One RWBY Positive channel is MurderofBirds. Arnold critiques RWBY for the good and the bad and uses the “positive, negative, positive” technique to his reviews. While drama may hook people in by simply calling the series “dumb” or “lacking” or even have people start bashing the creators and cursing the writing staff, it isn’t worth it. A good critique is a form of discussion and accuracy. If you watch MurderofBirds’ work you’ll notice that each review seems unbiased and filled with RWBY facts rather than judging the series for even existing.
Another good channel to get invested into is ThatKaitoDan. Storytelling to reviews is prominent to ThatKaitoDan’s channel. Even if there’s a plothole to a story, you get the logic of the scene and understand why the writers made that choice by simply watching a review video.

In order to tell a good story writers need to be open to that critique. RWBY’s fans are very loud on Twitter and CRWBY (the crew behind RWBY) chime in to hear what their fans (including the angry ones) have to say. Even if they don’t always take the suggestions they are open to it.

So the next time someone tells you not to like RWBY or any other series, listen to what your gut says first, then decide. No two people will have the same thoughts on RWBY. Avoid becoming toxic and allow people to like what they like and dislike what they want to critique. And as Monty Oum said “keep moving forward.”.

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