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I was surprised to see a notification from KP in my email. That hasn’t happened in a while!
It’s interesting to think back one year and 11 months to when I joined the site. That really wasn’t very long ago, but it feels like a lifetime. Back then I was considering writing as a career, and now I’ve transitioned fully into electrical engineering. I’ll always remember what I learned here, though. KP made me a much better writer and, in some ways, a better person.
Here’s to the memory of times past and the hope of times to come!
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.comI 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.comI’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.comYeah, seems like I broke something. Trying again with a new topic. Sorry if I annoy anyone.
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.comAnd for some reason this didn’t show up in recent topics. Tagging myself to see if the system’s working at all. @supermonkey42
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.comOkay, I don’t think this posted the first time. Anyways, it’s been about a year and a half since I joined KP and I decided to write a tribute to Kingdom Pen. I tagged some people the first time I tried this, so I won’t do it again so that I don’t annoy people too much with emails.
I 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.comI opened my email and saw, “ [Kingdom Pen] S.F. Dekreel mentioned you in a status update. “
Wow. It’s been a long time since I saw that. 🙂
It’s hard to believe my time here on KP was so short; I have so many good memories from it. Now that the people are mostly gone, though… I guess the name “Kingdom Pen” really doesn’t mean anything if the Kapeefers have left. It’s great that a faithful remnant has stayed on to keep the place alive, though. I’m still holding out hope that one day King Daeus will come charging back atop his golden stallion and reclaim the land of the KeePers.
Anyways, enough reminiscing. Thanks for tagging me, Dekreel. Thinking of the KPA, I just had an idea for one last snippet of Kapeefer literature, so I might see you guys in a few days. If not, I was probably devoured by dragons. 😉
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@ariel-ashira @catwing May the day of the Raspberry Banners come swiftly.
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@leumeister That’s really cool! I’ve designed several ships for a book of mine, and I started designing a 3D model of one of them, but I never completely finished it. Maybe I’ll finish it one day and 3D print it.
I’ve done a fair bit of 3D modeling for the R2-D2 my dad and I are building. We’ve used several programs from Autodesk (123D Design, Fusion 360, and Inventor) because all Autodesk software is free if you’re in high school or college (which is great!) Mostly we design parts for the exterior of R2, then 3D print them.
I’ve never done any effects like you have on your ship, though, with the engines and the electricity in the docking bay. I may have to check out Blender and see what I can do.
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@ariel-ashira It sure can.
You know, if you think about it, the subjects of the Kingdom didn’t just leave; the king left on a royal crusade to settle a new kingdom, stating that he would one day return and revive his first kingdom.
I have therefore decided to officially declare to the half a dozen people left here that I am a dual citizen of both Kingdom Pen and Story Embers. May both kingdoms thrive, and may they one day unite into a glorious nation: the United Realms of Writing. 😉
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@ariel-ashira The Compendium is the site I started to store all of the Kapeefer Literature. Rochellaine asked me to add Kaya’s story snippet to it.
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@rochellaine @jenwriter17 @kaya-young @skredder @ariel-ashira and everyone else
I didn’t realize there was still anyone on here! I might have been a little less “traitorous” if I’d known.
Yes, I can definetely add that to the Compendium. 🙂
Okay, really, guys, you’re making me feel bad for abandoning the Kingdom. Maybe I’ll check in every once and a while. I’ve actually been considering writing some KP/SE Lit, so I’ll let you know if I do.
(The guilds at SE really are great though. Just sayin’. 😀 )
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@jenwriter17 Everyone else has great suggestions!
If you want folk-y Christian check out The Gray Havens.
Also The Piano Guys are great.
And the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack
And bunch of other stuff I can’t remember
I listen to a lot of personalized playlists on Pandora, so I don’t necessarily know the names of artists or groups that I like….
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@skredder I got your Piglet reference! (A week late, but better late than never. 🙂 )
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com@filewriterbase13x I have the whole story in my email, so I can still stick it on the Compendium.
And I must say, I loved my part! 😉
A Kapeefer for life!
Compendium of KP Literature: kapeeferliterature.wordpress.com