On the anniversary of Templars this year, I made a promise to myself that within the next year I would become the next Grand Prior. I stand before you all now, after almost five months after returning to the community, and only a year and a half into my army career, as the next leader of this glorious nation. Despite all circumstances, the first flag of many has been reached, and the future has never been brighter.

Six months into my tenure in armies, situations arised which, despite my youth, I could not stand idly by and watch. Not caring for any previous statuses, I sought to bring the Rebel Penguin Federation down to my level, and shed light on wrongdoings they so carelessly attempted to cover up. Looking back on these events now, it’s evident that my way of doing things was far from morally sound, and I do regret what my actions led to in regard to The White Order.

No matter what negative emotions I may have now towards the events of last summer, one thing was made clear by them: anyone can be known. Through this disaster, I was given an opportunity to connect to people who I had read about in old posts, in wiki pages, seen in old archived footages of events. My idols, my inspirations, these people were now speaking to me and about me, acknowledging my existence and agreeing with my points, not caring at all for my youth in the community. I am very glad to say that these connections did not falter, as most of them are now among my inner circle of friends, with some being family.

The second thing that was made evident through my public statements and outburts was that being just another staff member was not in the cards for me. I had already gone off the deep end and showed that I was capable of much more. This led to my time in the People’s Imperial Confederation, the army that no matter where I am, I consider to be my home. PIC saw the furthering of my qualities as a capable leader, as no matter what others may try to claim, PIC’s rise last year can be directly traced back to my presence. Pushing for different event types, pushing for proper recruitment from the right sources, I gave the 5th generation of PIC something it had not had for most of its duration: a proper troop base.

Ultimately, it was my own actions that led to the anti-climatic end of what was a promising future for this army I hold so dear. Due to very irresponsible comments made by our leadership, and by extension myself, PIC would be closed and I would later be banned from the Club Penguin Armies organization, deservingly so. Within less than a year in the community, I had both made a name for myself and gotten myself banned, which in most cases would signal the end of someone’s career.

Yet I persist now, granted a second chance by the leaders here in our home, by some of the same people who had presented the information leading to my ban in the first place. Turning over a new leaf, I find myself only getting better at what I do, a stark contrast to the current stale state of the community. Many armies choose to sit idly and do nothing, breeding no conflict and a stalemate map, all while maximizing their position on a leaderboard that ultimately does not show the true impact of an army. Of course, it is impossible to say this without recognizing the hypocrisy given that our own army also fails to participate in the culture that gives armies their name, a fact which I have pushed to change since my return.

While the S/M community runs rampant with new armies and rivalries starting seemingly every day, we as a Major community, with Templars included, have failed completely to invoke the spirit of the older generations that is much missed in current time. Admittedly, it is hard to discuss this point from my perspective, as in the eyes of many the Templars were given a chance to engage in this activity and ran with our tails between our legs, however as large conflict between the Army of Club Penguin and us is starting to fade, I hope it is apparent that this conflict served to do nothing but further push our community away from the wider Club Penguin community, dividing us further in a time where our own community is fractured. If we cannot come together to create a space of competition without disrupting the experience for other players, if we cannot agree to set aside our differences to push for a better path forward for all of us, if we use the power we are given to tirade rather than to preach an overall unity to build up the community we ALL are a part of, then how could we ever reach out to other communities positively?

This problem does not stem from one single army, and as such it is not on a singular army to somehow fix. No matter our internal feelings for one another, we must fight to keep the community we all take part in alive and keep pushing it forward, rather than letting it grow stale and crumbling away. Once again, this is not something Templars is exempt from, and I plan to continue pushing for what I believe is the correct way forward. Recognizing our own faults is the first step, and being able to publicly bring attention to them the second.

I wish to step back and speak further on this last point, speaking now not as Grand Prior but as Elizabeth, someone who took this community for granted and who was rightfully cast from it for a time. As mentioned earlier, I was banned at the end of last year from Club Penguin Armies due to shameful conduct, actions which I have no issues discussing in private for those who wish to know more. Knowing what I know now, having the growth which I have proved to those around me to be substantial, I do not want these past actions to be a reflection of who I am today, as they are absolutely not and I denounce them wholeheartedly. While I can never take back what I’ve done, I wish to prove myself to the wider community now, and overcome those past actions rather than cover them up only to be forgotten. Never do I want my wrongdoings to disappear, they will follow me throughout my entire career, and it is my goal to face them rather than run away from them. Hopefully one day I can prove myself enough to be fully welcomed back.

I don’t want to make this too long or drawn out, I’m sure throughout my time back in the community I’ll have a lot more posts to discuss further my thoughts on things, but this is not that post. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Templars, one that has been building since the start of this year, and one that has a very bright future ahead of it. To all of you, troops or staff, you all are true Templars and I thank each and every one of you for seeing us through what has been a rebuilding phase. As our rebuilding phase is slowly coming to an end, it is the hope that I, as Grand Prior Elizabeth, can continue to give back to this glorious place the care it has given me.

Thank you all for reading, and thank you all for making my comeback worth it
Elizabeth | Grand Prior