A Moment of Silence for the Mandalorian Guilds

That last two years have been hectic for me. Started and finished college, made a lot of friends, did a lot of great work, met a lot of people who became very important to me. Some were teachers, some were classmates, some were buddies on the internet.

I became a member of a small forum community called the Customizers' Universe. It wasn't very large, but it was a friendly place where we would chat about our hobbies, share our work with each other, and have a laugh. It was place I soon began to consider my home on the internet.

Now when I say that the CU Crew were my 'internet buddies,' I don't mean that they were just people who would post 'lol' at pictures I would post. Sure, I didn't know what they looked like, where they lived, what they did for living, we were nonetheless friends. I could always count on them for support, ideas, and advice, and they were always friendly and very supportive. The first custom action figures I ever made were inspired by the work of my friends from the CU, and with their help, I'd like to think that I've gotten a bit better. I hope!

The Customizers' Universe later became the Mandalorian Guilds, but it was still the place I knew and loved, with friends who were always just a post away. This very comic, Ages 25 & Up, began as a 'updated whenever I feel like it' feature at the Guilds. Were it not for my buddies' encouragement, I would never have gotten it off the ground (granted, it's not off the ground by much, but you get the idea).

But alas, nothing golden can stay. This week, I was shocked and deeply saddened to know that I'd lost my home: the Mandalorian Guilds went offline, with only an upsetting message from our Admin to let us know what had happened.

Was it a complete failure? Hell no, and far from it. It was an international collective of talent and imagination, united by our common interests and held together by our friendship. If that constitutes a 'complete failure,' then I can only imagine what success must be like.

CU and MG team, thanks for the times, thanks for the memories, thanks for the laughs, thanks for the support. Thanks for being there when I needed you. Thanks for being my friends. Joe, Kris, Lance, and the rest, if you need to reach me (and feel more than welcome to!), shoot me an email, I'd love to hear from you. Vash, Cuy, Mando, if anything I said, did, or posted might have lead to the demise of the Guilds, I really am deeply sorry. You know I wouldn't purposely piss you off or do anything to try to hurt you in any way. I'm not that kind of person. If you decide to start up another forum community some day, let me know; I'll be first to join.

Farewell, Universe. So long, Guilds. You've been good to me. You will be missed.