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It’s been about a year and a half since I joined KP. That seems like a lifetime ago. Anyways, I decided to write a tribute to Kingdom Pen. I tried to post it in a different topic, but it didn’t show up in recent topics and didn’t seem to be working right. I’m trying again in a new topic. I’ll tag some people who seem to still be active (and myself to make sure it’s working.) Sorry if anyone gets four or five emails about this.
@dekreel @catwing @rochellaine @jenwriter17 @seekjustice @valtmy @leumeister @supermonkey42I call this A Tale of Worlds Left Behind.
The October before last, a young man (call him a boy if you will) set out from home on a path he’d never wandered before. It was not long before he stumbled upon a small village surrounding a stately castle. The inhabitants seemed friendly, and in no time at all the boy was seated at a long table in the inn, eating a bowl of ice cream, surrounded by all manner of creatures. Dragons, flying cats, and old men with frogs on their heads introduced themselves with a grin and a bow, followed by their customary greeting: “Welcome to the Kingdom of Pen!”
Hours were lost in conversation with these fine folks, all of whom seemed excited to meet the newcomer. Every one of them offered useful advice or cracked a few jokes, usually both. The boy felt at home with these people, almost as if he was reuniting with old friends. He started to think of sticking around for a while.
Just as someone was getting into a particularly interesting tale, the inn fell silent and someone whispered, “The king is coming!” As the door opened, the boy bowed along with everyone else. When he looked up, though… Was that a giant raspberry on the king’s head?
“Up, up, my friends!” exclaimed the king. “You know I can’t stand it when you do that.” The old man walked up to the king and muttered something in his ear. The king scanned the room, then settled his gaze on the boy’s face. “So we have a newcomer, do we?” he said.
The boy started to respond with something proper like “Yes, my liege” but the king walked right up to him and held his hand out. “Daeus,” he said. “King of the Kingdom of Pen.”
“Ben,” the boy responded, shaking the king’s hand. “I’m a simple traveler who happened upon this kingdom by accident. I met many of your subjects already, and I… I was thinking about staying here for a while. The folks sure are nice, and they have great advice on some things I’ve been thinking about.”
A wide grin lit up King Daeus’s face. “We’d love for you to stay! I’ll even let you borrow a room in Castle Regnis until you find a proper residence.” He turned to the assembled crowd. “May I announce the newest Keeper of the Pen!”
“KapeeFer!” the citizens replied in one voice.
Daeus turned to Ben. “Now, I only have one question: Do you like raspberries?”
Ben chuckled and nodded. This was his kind of place.
* * *
Months passed in a whirlwind. Ben did his best to get to know everyone in town and to participate in the Kingdom’s various activities. He met a Chasm Beast, an elf, a boy with blue hair and a pet dragon, and many others. He learned much from the king, the old man (whose name he learned was Josiah), and others. He hunted GIFs at Easter. And above all, he appreciated having a kingdom full of like-minded people who were always ready to lend a helping hand.
He knew, however, that such a kingdom could not last forever. These times needed to be remembered for future generations, so Ben decided to start a book chronicling the adventures of the KapeeFers. A Compendium as he called it.
And indeed, just over half a year after Ben found the Kingdom of Pen, King Daeus and his advisors announced that they would be launching a crusade to a new land filled with new people who didn’t know the magic of a good story or the taste of a fresh raspberry. This exciting news sent a stir through the Kingdom, and most of the citizens volunteered to go along on the journey and to help found a new kingdom. Ben went along with them, excited for new opportunities.
They set out on their journey, and soon a new land had been claimed and a castle built, bigger than before. The gates were opened wide, and messengers were sent to distant lands to proclaim the birth of this new kingdom. Come one, come all! they said. Come, and let the embers inside burst into flame. Many did come, and Ben tried to meet them all but soon he felt like a stranger in the new kingdom. He still saw his old friends sometimes, but new organizations were put in place, called guilds, where the citizens would engage in friendly competitions to test their skills. These were fun and led to much growth, but Ben soon found himself overwhelmed with the new activities. He wished for a simpler time when he could talk with his friends over a bowl of ice cream. He missed the Kingdom of Pen.
So he traveled back to the old kingdom. However, it was not how he left it. A small number of citizens had stayed behind to keep the kingdom in good shape, but it just wasn’t the same without joyous faces around every corner, dragons swooping through the air, and the king laughing with his friends as he sipped raspberry juice. The Kingdom of Pen, at least as Ben knew and loved it, was no more.
So he returned to the new kingdom, but this time not to stay. He resigned from his guild, sold his possessions, wished his friends good luck, and said goodbye. The new kingdom was great, possibly even better than before, but it wasn’t the same, and Ben found himself increasingly drawn towards other untraveled paths. So he left both kingdoms behind, only pausing to look back every now and then, and set off towards the horizon. He had new dreams, new goals.
He would never forget, though. As he traveled, he always carried the Compendium with him, reading it from time to time to remind himself of the fun they’d had and to inspire himself to keep journeying. And every now and then he thinks about what the future could hold.
Maybe someday they’ll return. Maybe someday King Daeus will come riding over the hills and return to the Kingdom of Pen. Maybe both kingdoms, new and old, will thrive together and spread their borders ever more distant. I look forward to the day when a scout will enter a distant town and cry out, “Come one, come all, to the Kingdom of the Pen!” By then it probably won’t be for me, but for future generations. They need to experience something amazing, encouraging, magical. They need to experience the Kingdom of Pen.A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.comThis is amazing!! It makes me want to cry. The pure nostalgia you’ve put in this is beautiful.
I too hope for the day the Kingdom of Pen may return to its former glory. 😉 There are a lot of really nice people on SE, but it’s just too big to have the sense of a close-knit family we had here, in my opinion. And we had too many good times here to forget about it so quickly.
Are you putting this on the Compendium?? Please do!
"Sylvester - Sylvester!"
@supermonkey42 Oh goodness. . . This perfectly summarizes how I feel about Story Embers. I wish I had more to say but. . . wow. . . thank you for sharing it with us!
You can pronounce it however you want.
I’m glad you guys liked it! Yes, I’ll definitely add it to the Compendium. I don’t know if anyone visits it anymore, but it’s still there. Fun to read every now and then.
Sorry I don’t show up on the forums much anymore. I’m doing less writing than I was a year ago, and it’s just not the same as it was. I’m still holding out hope that they’ll revive it though, because the forums are still running and it must be costing them something to keep it going. We’ll see I guess!
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@supermonkey42 I understand. I’ve drifted away a bit from writing too.
the forums are still running and it must be costing them something to keep it going.
I don’t know if you noticed, but a while ago KP was totally inaccessible for about three months. I think Reagan stopped paying for it. We had to contact Josiah who contacted Reagan. So @reaganramm, thank you so much for letting us keep the Kingdom!!
You can pronounce it however you want.
Ditto what Dekreel said. Kinda made me want to cry…Touching. 🙂
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.comI do visit the Compendium once in a while. 🙂
I’m going to tag a couple of people you missed who still show up here now and then and would probably be interested.
"Sylvester - Sylvester!"
@supermonkey42 *sigh* Yes… That’s what it felt like when I joined… That’s what it felt like when everyone left…
The new kingdom was great, possibly even better than before, but it wasn’t the same
Sadly true… Though I think it got slightly better after the guild improvements back in January (at least Erekdale… or maybe it’s just my optimism). It still isn’t the same.
And yes. I sometimes look at the Compendium. *sighs at happy memories* 🙂
This was a nice story… Sad, but hopeful.
Good luck on your new travels.IMMA KAPEEFER! Til we're old and gray!
@rochellaine Thank you for tagging me!
@supermonkey42 Aww my, this is really sad and sweet. I love SE and my guild a whole lot, but I also miss what KP used to be.And I did visit the Compendium the other day actually. I still come over here to read old articles and sometimes watch those funny videos Josiah did. 😀
"In a mask, was he?"
I actually didn’t notice the site was down, @dekreel . I guess that shows how long I’ve been gone. It’s nice of them to keep it running!
Many thanks to everyone else for keeping this place alive! And good luck on your own travels, whether writing-related or otherwise.
@jenwriter17 @catwing @rochellaine @ariel-ashiraA Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@supermonkey42, I started tearing up reading this. Good job, well written
I still stop by the Compendium every now and then
WIP - Decisions
Kapeefer til we're old and greyAw man, agreed. So nostalgic and sad. I miss the old days. Doesn’t mean new days can’t be as good, but there’s nothing like the close-knit circle of friends there used to be. I don’t frequent KP to speak of anymore; other goals, other priorities like you mentioned. But I shan’t ever forget it. *cue the sappy music* It was an awesome experience, even for a non-writer. 😉
Definitely a touching story. What can we do to restore what was great about Kingdom Pen in the past?
My Music:
AndromedaCoastMusic.comLearn Music Production:
OrpheusAudioAcademy.com@supermonkey42 Wow. Great story.
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