User blog comment:TheNewProtagonist/Dust is actually kinda dumb./@comment-23784953-20130813151815/@comment-23784953-20130813153655

The reason I actually appreciate Dust is because Monty didn't took the simple route and just had 'magic' be used for RWBY, instead he went out of his way to create a reason for magic to exist. The choice to take the easy route was always there, he didn't do it.

Pain in the ass for us to figure out, yes. But it's the effort that counts.

Besides, Dust isn't just not!magic. It also used for mundane things. It's literally the energy source of everything that humans use in Planet RWBY.

Like Materia and the Lifestream.

Personally, RWBY will just be a semi-generic Fantasy series without Dust. Now that Dust exists, it tip-toes the line between Sci-Fi and Fantasy.