Ten years ago, in 2012, I was new to Minecraft, and I had started watching an old television show called Doctor Who, with Tom Baker. I played Minecraft too on some servers with other fans of the show, but I had never heard of "Dalek Mod" until a friend suggested it to me later in the year. Having colorful Daleks all around the game world suddenly felt at home in a way that I could not describe. At this time I had a YouTube account, so I decided to record a few short videos.

     One of those videos depicted a camera going through TARDIS doors, and I later ended up in contact with 1WTC (John), through Skype. It feels so long ago now, a software like Skype. John had thought the video was showcasing a bigger on the inside effect for the TARDIS through code, and he wanted to ask if I could help out development. Unfortunately I had to tell him that it was video editing, but I was still allowed to help with art and sound alongside YouTuber02 (Luke), who only joined a week earlier.

     The year that followed was probably one of the most memorable I'd ever had. Fun ideas we would come up with, playing on servers together, recording videos as a group, even others we had met... I had never had such close friendships. Like all the best things, it didn't last. UDWF1 (Sam) left, and I missed the mornings where we'd talk away until everyone else arrived. Didgeridoomen (Matt), a great friend we knew already, joined in his stead, but things never felt complete.

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     More years passed, some of us went different ways from anger or sadness or just growing up. I moved on to my own pursuits, but felt unresolved. I ended up in conversation with everyone again almost 3 years ago now. I did not know if anyone would hate me, or how it would go. Very quickly, that lost friendship came back. John shared his archive of so many memorable pictures and videos, RedDash16 (other John) and I reminisced about things we created when they taught me programming, and Luke and Matt could not have been any sweeter.

     My worries left me and everything felt like 2013/2014 again. We created new projects and videos , spoke to old and new friends, I even got to hear from Sam. Those couple of years became much more than closure. In this last year of 2022, things quieted... I knew what was coming, we all did. This group had been around for 10 years, and life can't pause forever. Luke was already gone all of the time, and sometimes Matt would disappear for a while too. I started doing the same. We all did, but we also made a promise to stay together until that anniversary.

     The anniversary was yesterday, it feels like it happened so fast that I almost forgot about it. Sam was the first one to congratulate everyone, poetically. For the first time ever, all six of us celebrated an achievement together. 10 years had gone by of playing and making video games, new show episodes, inside jokes about things we loved or things that hurt us, laughing at things until it hurt or fighting until we couldn't remember why. If you would have gone back and told little me about everything that would happen, it would have sounded silly. It's just a few kids trying to program something? How would things end up so complicated and big?

     After everything that had happened, I had been prepared for the end for a while. We all kind of were, but for me, in the last year, I've found myself wanting to put more time into home and pursuits. The person that raised me wasn't around anymore, and I want to make them proud through my work. I cannot dedicate enough time to these things anymore, and if I'm not giving my all, then it's not for me.

     I don't like focus on departures, I actually never meant to be known here in the first place. When I came back to talk to everyone I wanted to work anonymously, but Matt opened me up to otherwise. Instead, I want to talk about my fondest memories over the years.

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     One of the first things I can remember is learning what Nitro-9 was. At this point I had not reached the Seventh Doctor's series in Doctor Who yet, but Luke being the avid fan of that era he was, was placing the stuff all over a cobblestone castle on our server. I know the others would remember that little castle, it was the one on top of the hill. It was snowing in-game at the time, and I just didn't understand what those canisters were. So I clicked one... I did do my best to help repair it afterward!

     Another time, I was building Dalek Saucers across the top of towers John had built. They weren't his usual towers, and I can't remember where. It was snowing again, I remember that. I remember the ships too, since the inside of one was used in Sam's final video. I remember server members trying to climb up to the top and reach them, and a few claimed areas inside as their own. There was a fun to the chaos those early Minecraft servers had.

     Probably my strongest memory was Rainbow Island, a brick village I started building across from a spawn. At the time, this spawn was a glass dome in the sea. This was back when Minecraft had a bit of an ocean issue... So the nearest island I could find was used. John used to tell me that he remembers watching. It got refurbished a few times, there was a pizzeria, and a waffle factory, and a TARDIS parking bay on the side. That town got renamed to Big Nose Falls, eventually.

     My favorite memory was my birthday that first year. We were doing this new Dalek Mod Advent Calendar, where every day a little feature was released. My birthday happened to coincide with these releases, so I woke up to the Sixth Doctor's rainbow coat as a gift. It made my day, and is still one of the happiest times I've ever had receiving something. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it.

     Being part of Dalek Mod and the people I met through it, has shaped much of my life. If it weren't for the team we were, I'd never have learned programming. I'd never have pushed myself to improve my music or art the way I have. It's been dear to my heart to be part of this, and I'd like to express my appreciation of everyone.

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     Luke and I never spoke a lot since the early days, but the times that we did he's been one of the most trustworthy people I've ever known. There's a reason that with how few he's available, he's always stayed with us. He's always the first one to speak up if someone needs help, and I envy anyone who has someone like him in their life regularly.

     Like Luke, Matt and I never spoke excessively. At least not one on one, but when it comes to group calls he's always done his best to say hello or make a dull day into a fun one. I wish I could put it into words, but there's an inspiration that he gives with such lovely stories he could create each year, his side knowledge of music and film, I feel like I barely have experienced how cool some friends are. It's really amazing.

     John (the red one with crazy tech skills) when I was younger, was my best friend. They gave me my first programming lessons, played hours of games with me, and gave me a love of developing and creating that I'd never had before. Sure, watching everyone in our team was inspiring, but being shown how to write "Hello World" for the first time, coding small indie games, even just talking about what makes software or games good.

   If they had an idea, they'd not give up no matter how difficult. My dreams are tied to those skills and attitudes that I wouldn't have otherwise. The projects we created together, the hours of bug testing... Whenever I program a test entity, I use the same cloud sprite we did. I could go on, but I would ramble. It just meant a lot to me. 

     John (the boss, officially and endearingly), it's hard to put into words what he gave me. It goes without saying, the only reason any of this ever happened was because he put a made that first Dalek, but I don't think he expected what would happen. When we all met, I remember we had this idea that one day we'd all be working in a studio together. If Red John taught me to have passion for creating, John taught me to what it felt like to follow passion in the first place.

   He has eccentric coding that's hard to describe... He could find helpful shortcuts or create the complex fun where you'd least expect. But, coding is not something we bonded strongly over compared to appreciating our team. I can't think of anyone else who more understood those memories and what we had, because of that I'd always felt very understood.

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     I could say a lot more about a friends I'd made, or I'd love to think they all know it already, but I don't think I could even find the right words. I spent a long time trying to find these ones, and I still feel like I've come short.