I'd like to chat with you for a moment... (Patreon)
Content
Hey everyone, it's me, Arnold (MurderofBirds). I wanted to take a moment to type up some general thoughts I've been thinking over and share how I've been feeling these last couple of weeks. Truthfully, I'd like to do more of these update posts and generally be more active in the Patreon comments when you share your thoughts and theories regarding the content you watch and support here. Despite how much I like to talk and ramble about things that interest me, I haven't been the best at communicating online, so I apologize if anyone feels that their past or present support hasn't been acknowledged or feels one-sided.
I felt compelled to make this post because there has been a massive influx of Patreon support due to the hype and excitement surrounding RWBY Volume 9, in a way that I honestly cannot believe, given the two-year hiatus and my general reclusiveness with content during that time as well. I sincerely cannot believe so many of you are even here. Be it that you want to hear my opinions or perspective, you want to have a 2nd vicarious experience, or you want to show that you care, being here means the absolute world to me. It enables me to do what I'm still passionate about, and it allows me to do even more than I ever thought was possible. After being away from RWBY for two years and being on a content hiatus myself, I felt terrified that I wasted a golden opportunity when the build-up for RWBY started happening. I kept thinking to myself, "Does anyone care about RWBY anymore? Does anyone care about me anymore? Have I boxed myself into a corner with this series? What is my channel without Rooster Teeth? Is content creation even possible for me anymore? Have I failed? I wasn't hyped for Volume 9 at first, and it was because I was terrified that my uploads would fall on deaf ears. And even now, as the support continues to pour in, it makes me feel like I don't deserve mass support because of my past missteps.
At the heart of this post, I feel I took my audience for granted during the last two years, and I'm sorry. I wasn't at my best. I lost my sense of discipline. I got complacent. I started accepting the bare minimum. I made excuses and gave into ignorance when the pressure got to me. I had become the exact opposite of the person I was when I decided to go all-in on YouTube/Twitch/Patreon, and I hate having to acknowledge that about myself. But despite that, some people have been here from the beginning. Some people got fed up with waiting and left. But the fact that so many of you have returned after so long proves that I'm far luckier to have you as supporters and community members than you are to have me for content and entertainment. These last few weeks were a real wake-up call for me. The fact that you're reading this proves that I'm fortunate enough to have what many people would kill for. I have an audience of respectful, honest, hard-working people that give a shit. People want to know they're enabling me to do my best. And people that want to be a part of something, even if it's only for a time. This time, I feel like I have a second chance to do right with y'all support, and I'm already working beyond RWBY to make that happen!
Some of you probably read this and are thinking to yourself, "This is my first ever pledging. What the hell is this guy on about? I just wanna watch his reaction videos." And to that, I'd say, I'm just acknowledging that I might not be perfect, but if you're going to support any content creator, you all deserve nothing less than the absolute best from them. The staggering amount of support floors me in the last few weeks, and I hope my upcoming content will be enough to show that I'm here to give my absolute best this time!
In closing, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do. Whether it's RWBY, Red vs Blue, Genshin Impact, or anime reactions, I hope you'll continue supporting me and my diverse content. Sorry for the long-winded schpeel. I'll speak with you more soon.
Warm Regards,
- Arnold (MurderofBirds)