Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-4820209-20150202184613/@comment-24741115-20150205202954

To the RT staff, Sheena, and the rest of Monty’s family: Unlike many others here, I never got the chance to meet Monty. To me, he was always a speck of light in the distance, an inspiration to always try harder, to push that boundary, and be creative – with dedication and effort, you could do something wonderful.

For me, this inspiration manifested in my love of writing. I have always loved creating universes and stories, but my busy schedule had all but erased that part of my life as of late. Monty’s love for creativity and constant push for the community to invent caused me to try again, however – and I never realized how much I had missed it. I now write regularly as a hobby, and I couldn’t be happier – But Monty has done so much more for me.

I, like all others here, am I member of the RWBY wiki. And while many of us came here out of interest for the show, intending to grow our knowledge and better understand the wonderful universe of RWBY, we found something else here as well – each other. This community has grown and embraced one another in amazing and wonderful ways. What started off as a small group of fans dedicated to logging facts about a little start-up anime project has turned into a group of genuinely loving, caring, and friendly people you could lose yourself for hours talking too. I find many among our number that I would gladly call friend, and many more that I would look upon for advice in troubled times. I genuinely do love them all – We’re a family, and we look after one another. We’ve helped people through depression. We’ve started relationships. We’ve given the trapped a place to escape, a home to the lost, and friends to the friendless. We’ve done so much – and it’s all purely because of Monty. Monty created RWBY, RWBY created us, and thus, all the good that we’ve ever done rests solely on his shoulders. Without Monty, we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be helping each other – It was Monty who gave the friendless a friend. It was Monty who gave the lost a place to stay. It was Monty who extended a hand in times of need. This community owes its life to Monty - for without Monty, we wouldn’t be the family I love so dearly.

And for that, I owe Monty an insurmountable gratitude and debt. We all do.

While I cannot hope to understand the depth of your pain and loss, I hope we all can provide some form of comfort. Monty lives on in the hearts and minds of millions – he’s done so much for so many, and we’re not like to forget soon. In life, Monty created things that brought people together in ways that persist and grow stronger with each passing day. In death, he continues to inspire us to be creative, generous, and loving; living eternally in our hearts and minds. He illuminated the lives of so many others, and while his death is a tragedy, his life is likely to be a favorite of poets everywhere. May his legacy persist for as long as the stars burn bright in the night sky, and may his work inspire us for as long as love brings light to a weary heart.

Next time I write, I’ll keep Monty in my mind, and be as original and creative as I possibly can. I hope I can do him some form of justice – and if any of us ever meet, I’ll make sure to bring roses.

My heart goes out to you all. You have my sincerest condolences. Monty will not be forgotten.

-- Andrew S-997