#col22admin

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Sincerely and with immense love and gratitude, 

Hi ya’ll! 

Just dropping in to give a special shoutout to the loveliest Lou (@clove-modius) for allowing us to use his beautiful Netflix inspired graphic [x] for our promo blog purposes! With his permission, we have edited it to make it more rp-promo specific, and since the promo blog isn’t actually visible outside of the tags, we thought we’d post it here as well to share with you all! That’ll be coming up in the next post shortly!

Thanks again Lou for allowing us to use your gorgeous work, and we hope you enjoy the final product! 

Okay, so this is a day late. As ya’ll know, it was yesterday, and we’ve acknowledged as such in the OOC, but I didn’t have time to make a mod post last night because I worked too late and was zonked. 

Guys, I’ve said it all before, and from now until the end of time I’ll really only be repeating myself, but I am humbled and grateful everyday for this community—to see how much people enjoy it, how it brings people together in love and friendship and inspiration, and to have such an amazing team of writers and friends who not only keep this place alive but also keep me alive and sane. Keep all of us sane, together and apart, I think. 

These past two years have been especially crazy, and though we’ve seen lots of change since the quarantine, we’ve also seen lots of growth and I can hardly even express how much every single one of you mean to me. Thank you so much for coming back here everyday, every week, every year. Thank you so much for your continued support and time and energy. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your commitment and your creativity. Thank you for your friendship and love, and for loving each other and this community. 

Thank you. 

Now I’m extremely emo to announce that Lou has made something and submitted it to the graphics blog to mark the occasion that has made me sob I’m very excited to share with you all. I will be posting that soon. Lou, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I just...hardly have the words, but I am touched and humbled and very emotional. Ily. 

We have a few hiatus/semi-hiatus updates to announce as well, but that will come shortly and we will be updating the hiatus list accordingly.

For now, I love you all, I’m sorry for the day-late post, and HAPPY COLONY BIRTHDAY!!!

COL22 EVENT  ╬  RUINA REX: “THE FUNERAL” ╬  part ii

Kiss your perfect day goodbye Because the world is on fire Tuck your innocence goodnight You sold your friends like guns for hire Go play with your blocks And now you'll pay when these walls come tumbling down Oh, they're tumbling down                                                —Guns for Hire, Woolkid [x]

The day dawned bright and unseasonably warm, as though nobody had thought to tell the sun that it was to be a grim day. Breakfast was a subdued affair; anyone with a hand in the funeral wasn’t present, whether they were discussing last minute changes to the ceremony or ensuring the coffin was properly sealed, and those that were present talked only in hushed tones. It was out of respect, in some cases. In others, it was out of a furtive need for privacy as people discussed whether a man like Kaiser could really be felled by something as mundane as an aneurysm.

It was the first grave in many years that had been dug at the Natural Memorial and it felt momentous to different people, for different reasons. At the foot of all those thin, sickly trees lay a hole, vacant for now. Soon it would be Kaiser Bahr’s final resting place, and as Colony 22′s first martyr (if one believes the rumours), it would likely change the meaning of the Memorial forever. It would be impossible to go to the trees now and not think of him.

There was certainly no risk of anyone forgetting him today. If he had few he called friends in life, it seemed as though the whole Colony turned up to say goodbye this morning, gathering in little groups around the grave, which was presided over by the Colony’s own reverend, Enoch Lynch. Cambie, while arranging the funeral, had hesitated to approach him since by no account was Kaiser a religious man, but if nothing else Enoch knew how to lead a funeral and she’d really had no idea who else to ask.

She’d had no idea what ought to be said, either. They couldn’t incite a riot, but it was difficult to talk about Kaiser without acknowledging his extreme beliefs—and yet getting into that would only anger the NWRF. His son, Diederick D’Mornay didn’t have the energy for much input beyond ensuring nobody accused Kaiser of being a good father. In the end, the ceremony was simple by necessity. Enoch spoke, the crowd listened, and heads were bowed respectfully as the coffin was lowered into the ground.

With the formalities completed, attendees were invited to move to the chapel where there would be a wake. This was when the rain came. A sudden, bellowing downpour, driving citizens inside in scurrying lines. It was as though the skies had now caught up and wept for this unexpected death, swollen tears from angry clouds nobody noticed rolling in. Perhaps Kaiser had sent them. Perhaps his followers, fallen before him in the wastes, in riots.

Inside, the chapel was muted and eerie beneath the thundering on the roof. At the end of the room was a charcoal portrait of Kaiser, hand drawn by one of the more artistic members of the Colony, a wreath of synthetic flowers, a few candles and an abstract tapestry to make a memorial of sorts. It was carefully apolitical, and as a consequence felt as though it were missing something. The pews had been pushed to the sides of the room, with a few tables scattered through the space left by them. What might pass as a buffet was laid out— sausage rolls, mini sandwiches, potato salad, cheese and meat, chocolate cupcakes, the sort of finger food that is easily eaten while milling around. There were even a few bottles of wine set out, though the guards made it clear they were keeping an eye out for anyone taking more than their fair share.

Since Enoch had done his part, Cambie was unwilling to ask more of him— instead she took the lead herself, and went to the fore of the room to say a few words about Kaiser, and to invite anyone else that had stories to share to go up at some point over the course of the afternoon.

And with that done, the rest of the afternoon’s proceedings were left in the hands of the residents of the Colony. While Cambie hadn’t known Kaiser terribly well, she felt pretty confident in her conclusion that he’d not want his funeral run exclusively by Elites. He was a man of the people, and the people should be the ones using their voices now.

Just a quick update, Lee has decided it’s finally time to change her FC for Roy Walters! As much as we adore Dane Dehaan, he’s definitely majorly out-aged the bio by now (jfc, he’s 36... my how time flies...), and it’s severely limited his resources! So Roy’s new FC will be the lovely Mark Mckenna, and we’re excited for him to bring new life to one of our earliest Col22 vets! His bio has also been tweaked a touch and aged up to 22 to fit the timeline! 

In other news, Ellie requested a hiatus/extension this week for Anaya Dolmen, and she should be back on the dash by or after tomorrow! Other than that, we have no active short term hiatuses! 

Thanks everyone for being on top of activity and communicative! We hope everyone’s enjoying the next stage of our event, and keep up the fantastic work! Lovely to see all the plotting and new threads on the dash!

Much love!

xxMod!Ro

COL22 EVENT  ╬  RUINA REX: “HOWL” ╬  part i

The lab techs always prepped with a bit more finesse—not to mention tension in their shoulders—on the mornings when Kaiser Bahr was scheduled to come in for testing. He could rarely be considered a cooperative participant, but ever since the New Wave, taking disruptive patients off the roster list for testing was no longer an option. Because now, it was political. Testing was mandatory not just for the sake of the scientific research, but also as a display of dominance and control. The Reformists couldn’t let a known Radical leader off the hook for testing purely for being disruptive, because then others could take that as a cue to follow suit. Besides, if they were trying to send a message about cooperation with Colony Officials and the New Wave Mandate, excusing a violent and disorderly Infected citizen from testing would be sending the wrong one. It was about principle, about setting a precedent.

So there was a palpable but familiar anxiety hanging quietly in the room as the looming German stalked into the testing unit, a correctional officer at each elbow.  Given how much time he’d spent in the correctional wing as of late, they might’ve cuffed him had he not been a Telekinetic. As it stood, cuffing him would only make him angry, and an angry Kaiser Bahr was a significantly challenging beast to control.

Now, there are many reasons why Lab Techs and Researchers beg the NWRF Reps not to interrupt during testing. On paper, a Rep is ‘allowed’ into the labs whenever they feel it’s necessary. But this work wasn’t theoretical; it was experimental and science didn’t care about politics. Passers through simply coming and going as they pleased was highly discouraged by the techs, and this particular morning, with Kaiser begrudgingly seated in a chair hooked up to an EEG, was an excellent example as to why.

Clove Modius insisted his interruption would be brief—he also insisted it was important. With instruction directly from Chancellor Quinn to clarify something in the most recent progress report on the classified work with the specimen sample, he walked with an important stride as he approached Narcissa Shor at their station.

Shor’s work station was across the room from where testing was being conducted, but apparently—and unsurprisingly—a bit of distance wasn’t enough to make Kaiser Bahr forget his venom for Clove and everything he represented—a figure among many who put Kaiser here, who was responsible for the leather straps around his chest, the silver discs stuck to his scalp. Kaiser’s greeting, as well as unnecessary, was predictably scathing. The man never missed an opportunity to insult a Reformist, just as Clove never missed an opportunity to bite back when an Infected crossed a line. In retrospect, the lab techs would come to wish they’d intervened in the hostile exchange, because they were powerless to act when Kaiser decided to hurl a chair towards Clove. It had to be assumed that he intended to miss, because Kaiser wasn’t known for inaccuracy when it came to his telekinesis. A power play, then: the chair splintered into kindling against the wall, and the lab techs scrambled to do something, anything to prevent any further destruction.

As though unaware of the chaos he had just caused, Kaiser set his gaze levelly on Clove with a vulpine smile on his mouth. “Did I scare you, little boy?” he asked, his voice like gravel. Low as it was, it still carried over the noise of the lab techs. One of them hurried out, mumbling about bringing Angel Thorne in before Kaiser did any further damage. Another collected the broken pieces of chair with an air of weary resignation.

As it happened, nobody was quite looking at Kaiser when a strange look came across his face, rolling like sharp thunder across the storm clouds of his eyes. They certainly looked a moment later, though, when he barked with pain.

There was a moment of silence as all present tried to process the noise they’d just heard—such a curiously vulnerable, animal sound from so strong a man. And then he really howled, hands clawing at his head as though he could break through his skull and scoop out the thing that was causing him such agony. With the organized panic that can only come from medical professionals who have been too long without an emergency, they descended then and tried to prise Kaiser’s hands away, to shine a little torch into his eyes—one lid drooped, and he glared blindly out at them—and to haul him out of his chair.

Clove watched.

“Message the infirmary, tell them we’ve got a big, German fuckin’ problem,” one of the techs grunted, trying to bear the weight of the man on his shoulder. That was the moment they realized how serious this was. The Kaiser they knew would never allow himself to be hauled around. His full weight, it seemed, rested on the lab tech, and he rent the air with another awful cry. Someone threw the door open to allow them out, eyes wide and panicked.

And Clove watched.

╬

Kaiser Bahr would be pronounced dead before the hour was up. Doctors quickly deduced a brain aneurysm as the likeliest cause of death, but until a proper autopsy could be performed, they couldn’t be sure. Even then, there were no guarantees. But what officials did have, were the EEG results, since Kaiser’s brain activity was being monitored at the exact time of the aneurysm. Those documents were immediately classified and fast tracked for close study— by authorized personnel only, of course.

When the passing of the would-be New World Radical leader Kaiser Bahr was announced to the citizen body, it would take little time for conspiracy and fear to rip through Colony 22. While the NWRF none-too-subtly inferred that it was likely the long-term overuse of his Telekinesis putting strain on Kaiser’s brain which eventually lead to the aneurysm, scientists and medical professionals of Col22 are neither confirming nor denying this theory publicly. Meanwhile, rampant rumours spawn from the anxiety of the unknown and the suspicious circumstances surrounding the Radical’s death. Word would get out that Kaiser collapsed in the testing facilities, while an NWRF Rep was present, no less. Was there more to the story? Could the NWRF be trying to cover up an accident or experiment gone wrong?

Or worse, could this death have been an execution?

So a few quick updates for ya!! I’m heading to the island tomorrow for just a couple nights! So I’ll be MIA for a few days (lurking from mobile, of course ;) ) but I should be coming back Saturday afternoon or so, so you’ll probably see some of me on the dash by Sunday!!

Regarding the promised plot-drop, Maddie and I have been working on that behind the scenes this past week, and the goal is to be able to post the first phase of it next week! If all goes as planned, I’m hoping for Monday! Also since this is a multi-part plot drop, we may not move the timeline ahead for this portion of it—that may only come with phase 2! But we’ll figure out those details and keep you posted! 

We currently have one more lovely app in the inbox, which makes us VERY happy! We won’t be getting to applications this week, so if any lurkers are still considering applying or have have questions, don’t be afraid to reach out! Maybe we could get you in with the next round of acceptances :) 

Another heartfelt shout out to our newest members on the dash Juliette and Crosley! We’re so excited to have some fresh faces around, and well done everyone with activity on the dash! Even with a couple people on short hiatuses/extensions, the dash has been looking so lively and healthy lately and it truly gives us ALL the warm and fuzzies and happy tears :’) <3

Keep up the great work everyone! Ta for now my favourite humans!!

xxMod!Ro