Writing Advice For RWBY Fanfiction

Abused And Neglected Male Reader

If you write this type of fanfiction, then k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ I have no respect for you. This has got to be the most overused archetype in all of RWBY fanfiction. Why do people still make this shit? I know some people say it's satirical, but I'm having a hard time believing that. These fanfictions are so ludicrous that they aren't even funny anymore.

There are some reddit posts that cover this topic as well, and what I'm about to say next is basically just going to echo that. When I say 99% of these follow the exact same plotline, I'm not joking. Let me start off the list:

A generic abused and neglected male reader lives in the Xiao Long household.

The family beats the utter shit out of him day after day for no given reason... and Summer is alive... somehow.

He runs away from home and starts a new life on the streets.

The family realize he's gone and have the quickest character arcs I've ever seen. No joke, these dudes change completely in literal seconds.

The main character realizes he has some bullshit universe-breaking powers and awakens them.

As usual, he ends up in Beacon and reunites with his abusive family.

The abusive family tries to express how "sorry" they are for being abusive.

And for some stupid reason, the author feels the need to give the MC a harem.

In case you haven't noticed, I've just explained the whole plot of Burning Rose. Yes, this is the story from start to finish. Words cannot convey how much I despise it, as this story is the progenitor of every other abused and neglected male reader fanfiction for RWBY, and they are all the same. Stories like this should've never seen the light of day.

Now let me tell you about this dude called @Sohaibtheex2. H̶i̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶n̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶B̶r̶i̶a̶n̶ ̶K̶l̶e̶n̶t̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶i̶x̶ ̶f̶o̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶S̶a̶n̶ ̶J̶u̶a̶n̶ ̶S̶k̶y̶w̶a̶y̶.̶ ̶H̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶c̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶P̶C̶E̶ ̶2̶3̶5̶,̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶n̶u̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶3̶4̶5̶ ̶2̶1̶6̶ ̶7̶4̶4̶2̶,̶ ̶e̶m̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶a̶d̶d̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶k̶l̶e̶n̶t̶b̶@̶g̶m̶a̶i̶l̶.̶c̶o̶m̶ ̶(̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶Y̶a̶h̶o̶o̶)̶.̶

This guy messages me one fine morning and says, "Hey, pal, guess what? This author, with the "shitty script - style format" will always be way more popular and loved than you could ever hope to be (:"

It pains me to say it, but this random guy in my feed does have a point. So I'll give him that one. Actually, he technically gets double points since this comment was on an "Overpowered Reader X RWBY" and not an "Abused and Neglected Male Reader X RWBY." However, popular garbage is still garbage, and just because some people like this shit doesn't make it alright.

But if you feel the need to write a story about abuse and neglect, don't follow the same generic ass template as Burning Rose. I don't care if the fanfiction is set in an alternative universe, you do not portray the nicest people in the entire show as psychopathic douchebags without a believable reason.

The problem is, most dudes don't know the ins and outs of how an abuser's mind works and what leads up to said behavior. For example, a man who was assaulted by a rabid dog in his youth may go on to abuse animals later on in life. This sounds predictable, but at least it's believable.

I don't know why people always make Taiyang the main perpetrator, but if you want to write him like that, then at least have the grace to keep him in character. Abuse is not always as straightforward and over the top as Burning Rose makes it out to be. There doesn't have to be physical harm or body mutilation. It can be slow, subtle, and degrading over time.

Maybe Taiyang doesn't give the MC the desired attention, or he just happens to forget every important event in their life, or perhaps they did something horrible as an infant that left a lasting impression on him. Any explanation at all would improve the story, even if it is as simple as my examples.

Don't start the story halfway through the abuse; expand on what happened before everything went bad. And when the MC does inevitably run away, don't let the abusers have a change of heart within the next five seconds. Just try to make the characters' interactions realistic. And for the love of God, slow the pacing. I know these impatient authors love to skip straight into the action and all that, but if the story keeps changing scenes every five seconds, it becomes unenjoyable. Also, why is Summer alive in most of these stories? Does the author even know why? Because I don't think they do half the time.