Greetings. It's Darkmoonrise. On the first of February, Monty Oum's light faded from this world. He was an inspiring man, a creator. A man to whom we all owe thanks. So I want to try to give it here.
I have always been a person on the periphery, I always sidelined myself from the center, never really putting anything full-force. Until I found this community here; the RWBY fan base. The fanfics, the art, the speculations and discussions. I still remember that day in august two years ago when I first stumbled upon his work at episode two. To think that I owe so much to Youtube's Geek Week. From just that one little clip of Red Riding Hood with giant scythe, I knew I would fall in love with it. And I did. Every week I waited for thursday to roll around, for choir to be over so I could go and watch whatever antics or action "the great Ohm" had team RWBY going through. It became a stabilizing event. Something I could look forward to each week, a thing I needed desperately at that time; something to hold onto. This little weekly web show of his helped keep me going in the hecticness of college start up, and has been stuck with me ever since. This show just held so much power to me, I don't think I have ever been into something so much as I have been into RWBY. I don't think there has been a day these past years my thoughts haven't drifted to RWBY at least once. It was an amazing thing that completely fascinated me. And it let me keep my spirits up. I have depression, and last year, RWBY was one of the things I turned to to keep myself from the dark depths. I would trail the grounds of fanfic or deviant art to find something to lift me up, or watch an episode or one of the amazing AMVs that sprang up on youtube to keep myself from going under.
Another thing I must thank him for is all the artist, creators, musicians, writers, - all the people I came to know because of his work. Even just past being my introduction to roosterteeth, so many of my favorite youtubers caught me because of our shared love of RWBY. JAC, SAGA, Cixajaula, all the people at Beacon Academy, and so many other great people. I even owe RWBY for getting me back into anime because I watched Gigguk and glass reflections "reviews" on them and kept watching. And of course, the fanfic. So many amazing stories, and so many amazing authors and friends I have found, all sprouted from the brain child of this one man. And so many of my own idea that this show forged in my head. It helped revitalize my creative spirit and I crafted out what I came out with. I made what I make: silly stories for laughs and smut. Now, in this time of grief, I must think whether I have gone too far; if I should really be treating his work, his legacy, in such a way.
I honed so many crafts because of RWBY. My writing improved when I worked on my fics. I learned how to work microphones and sound equipment to try to record a cover of the theme song. I learned how to use editing software to record my reaction to volume two. Hell, today I was going to upload the top 10 video about RWBY, but it was for the worst weapons, and I just can't put something like that up in a time like this. I even learned a bit of scythe techniques for the hell of it.
I never really knew too much about the man, even in this I did stray too far from the periphery. What I knew of him came second hand: jokes of his working nonstop and crashing in hazes of mountain dew, jokes about him being Remnant's God and Ren being the Jesus figure, Monty incarnate. But what I do know is his work, his legacy. The stories that he crafted and the characters he smithed have impacted so many. That will be his legacy. He may be gone, but he will not be forgotten. We will all honor his name by keeping this community alive, a community forged from the work of his hands and mind. So Monty, I thank you. For everything. Rest in peace, and rest well. And may the Lord have mercy upon you.
No matter how bright the midday sun, it will set. And no matter how dark the night, there will be dawn. Though these times are dark, the light will rise again. We just have to make it through the night.
God bless Monty, and everyone.