8 and a half years ago, if you’d told me the story world I’d been scribbling about in my little notebook would grow up to be one of the best and most beautiful elements of my young-to-not-so-young adult life, I don’t know if I’d have believed you.Â
Colony 22 started from almost nothing—it was born from a heartbeat of passion, a handful of excitement and a modest collection of relatively new friends from a place called Belvedere, and it grew to become a hugely significant and constant rock in my life. Colony 22 became a place of friends, found-family and inspiration. It was my little brain-baby oasis where I met truly amazing, kind and talented people and writers, who inspired me, challenged me, and who fell in love with a world I’d dreamt up, and then dove right in with me to foster it, adopt it, and make it their own.Â
And that's been the most rewarding part of this whole journey. Seeing all of you come together in joy and collaboration, knowing that you had met in the vivid dreamscape world of my imagination and had built upon it like a coral reef, a beautiful display of colour and spirit and individual imprints of your own design that I never could have formed all on my own. Colony 22 connected me to the world. It gave me a sense of community and kinship I’d never had before, and fused bonds for me and around me, that changed my life forever.
Colony 22 is where I grew up.
I don’t know if I can quite describe to you what this place has meant to me over the past decade, and how deeply the friendships I have made here have changed me as a person. I started this place when I was still in my early twenties, before I had been accepted to film school, before I moved away from home, before I came out, before I transitioned. This community brought me comfort and connection when I was at my worst and my loneliest. It brought me joy and excitement and laughter—and people to share all that with—when at my best.Â
In running this place, I have learned so much about myself, as well as about friendship and life in general. The hardships and the blessings, both. This community, and every single person in it, kept me afloat in some of the toughest years of my life, and in some of the most rewarding, and of the brief list of things I’d consider my most significant and worthwhile accomplishments in my life so far, this has been by far one of the most fulfilling.
I could talk forever, but would never even come close to covering everything.
As proud as I am of this community, I am also so, so humbled by it, and by each and every one of you. To members new and old, to recent members and to those whose chapters with us ended many moons ago, I wish I could express in words how much you all mean to me, and the utterly irreplaceable place you have in my heart. I don’t know how to stress it enough or in the right way for it to stick, but you have not only touched my life, you have also changed me as a person and you have all had a hand in who I am today. You have been the magical Neverland to my Peter Pan, when I was just a lost boy looking for love and connection, for story and creativity and people to share it with.Â
And so my heart is breaking. As much as I always knew and understood that this day would come eventually, I could hardly wrap my head around how it would feel when it did, because I didn’t allow myself to think about it for too long. We have done so many good and powerful things. We have done just as many silly and frivolous ones, and I am grateful for both, and for everything in between. We had so much fun, didn’t we guys? Together we saw the beginning and (almost) end of a global pandemic lockdown, we kept each other company and laughed when laughing felt otherwise impossible. We had games nights and Games Events and over the years we have told so many stories. So many stories that I’m a little overwhelmed just thinking about it.Â
Characters and members have come and gone over the years, and so much of Colony 22 has changed since it was first born in late 2013, and I have absolutely no regrets. I’m amazed and humbled by how diligently the community kept merrily chugging along, even as we said goodbye to older members and welcomed in new ones (and many a time, returning ones!). 8 years is a long journey, and it’s been such a beautiful and remarkable one. At the end of the day, no matter when it happens, it’s never going to be easy to move on from something so special, and it’s with this in mind that Maddie and I have decided to finally close Colony 22′s doors, in spite of all the positive feedback we got from the survey we posted (thank you so much for all your kinds words by the way. They mean more than you know).
But with a number of members feeling burnt out and like it’s just their time to move on, Maddie and I have agreed that we’d feel better about putting Colony 22 to bed on the heels of a good and healthy place, rather than pushing it past it’s time and watching it struggle in an unhealthy or unhappy way. So far, we have survived several big changes and turn overs, and have always come out the other side unexpectedly stronger. But we think that this time, The Colony has simply reached the last leg of her memorable journey, and it’s time to close this amazing chapter of our lives, our hearts heavy, but full.Â
I don’t want to say that we have any current plans for a revival at any point down the line, but by the same token, never say never. I know for a fact I will be preserving this blog and all its affiliates with care and adoration for a very long time, and should you want to reach me, you all know where to find me. Alongside my discord and my Colony/character accounts, I may also eventually return to using my personal tumblr [x] once my heart has had some time to heal.Â
I will not be removing anyone from the OOC blog, so please feel free to use it to share any wishes, notes, contacts or anything you would like, and I am also quite seriously thinking about starting up a discord server open to all Colony 22 members new and old, as a place to keep the community, friendships (and games nights) alive!
As for your characters: Any of you who are still around are welcome to keep writing with them amongst yourselves if you like and for as long as you’d like. The dash will be open to you for anyone who wants to keep using it. All I ask is that no one takes or reuses any characters or bios at any other RP or anywhere else public, unless they were OCs you wrote yourself, and I also ask that you not take or replicate this verse or any of the story details anywhere else, as I retain copyright of all original content. Private writing for your own personal enjoyment is fine so long as it’s not publicly accessible. If you have any questions, please do not be afraid to reach out! <3
Again, I’m going to try (and fail) to articulate my utter gratitude and love for all of you, for all that you have done for me, for this community, and most importantly, for each other. I feel unspeakably blessed to have been a part of something like this, that has connected so many people across so many borders and ignited so many life-long friendships. To those of you who were around for the 6th year anniversary letters: I still mean every word of them and more, and I hope you can end this journey with that in mind. And to all of you, current and old members (and mods!) alike, I thank you from the bottom of my big, fluffy, tearful gay heart. Thank you for being my family, my inspiration, my friends. Thank you for being here, for your joy and enthusiasm and commitment, and thank you for being there for me, night and day. You have touched me in a way beyond summary, or simplification. Just...thank you.Â
Sincerely and with immense love and gratitude,Â
Rory Nathaniel Cameron Troye de Grasse
