TIKE

Times Writer

Perhaps you read Merchant's article a while back titled, "The Return of the Monarchy". In it, she explained how people have been wearing crowns and other royalty clothing items. She believed that the old Kingdomship Club was back. I must say that I have some admitting to do. It was I who was wearing a crown and a staff. However, I do not believe that I am more superior to the rest of Whyville. The purpose behind the clothes was to achieve a look that was different from the rest of Whyville. It seems as if I attained that urge for diversity in my appearance, as well as bringing some much-unwanted attention to myself.

However, Merchant's article did get me thinking. Some of you might remember the time when the Kingdomship "reigned" over the rest of Whyville. There is quite the story behind this club. Many people though that the members in the Kingdomship club believed that they were far greater than any of the other citizens of Whyville. Although I was not a member of the club, many of my friends were. In fact, some of my good friends were leaders and founders of this infamous organization. If you do not remember it (or have just joined Whyville), this is how the story goes...

The club itself began about ten or eleven months ago, and ended just as 2002 was coming around the bend, and the year 2001 was fading into the distance. This was also the time when infant and baby looks were the norm. People were always sporting the latest baby blanket, bonnet, or soother. In addition, drool was extremely popular (although it is hard to imagine). A group of Whyvillians had an idea to start a club based upon age-old European pasts. Kingdomship meant royalty, and their clothes were designed to resemble those of medieval times. The sign-names of club members all began with the term "Why". Leaders created awareness in Whyville, saying that members could only have the "Why" status instead of using a simple "Y". This was because the web-site is called Whyville, not Y-Ville.

Some of the names of the Kingdomship club included WhyKing, WhyPrince, WhyKnight, WhySorcer, and WhyWitch. Besides receiving a sign-name, members were provided with a salary that reached up to 25 clams/day. This may not seem like very much, but remember, it was given to them -- leaders played the games, then gave out the accounts. The members did not establish this salary themselves. Moreover, they were granted special "unsellable" Kingdomship clothes, manufactured by the club's several designers.

I do remember when some people decided to go against the club. Because they made that choice, their accounts were swiftly taken away from them. After that, any member of the Kingdomship Club did not respect them. I also remember the time when there were polls and petitions trying to abolish the club. It seemed weird, because City Hall did not have the power to leave the club at a standstill. Those who took part in these actions were labeled "peasants" by club members. Ironically, today the term peasant is still in effect, and is used to label new citizens (also known as newbies). In early October 2001, Astro25 interviewed a leader of the Kingdomship Club in his article called, "The Kingdomship Club". You could say that this started the fame and worry of the club itself (although there wasn't anything to worry about). It is my opinion that this club was established as a type of fun and role-play and the members that I am familiar with did not mean (or even want) any harm to come out of it.

I am not certain on how the club ended. Perhaps it was because many of the members of the group left Whyville. However, you could say that the Kingdomship Club was a piece of Whyville's History. It included approximately 35 people who were club members, appointed workers, or bodyguards. If you ever come across a club member's outfit, you wouldn't hesitate to say that it is well made and creative. A list of their clothing included crowns, gowns, and capes. However, I think it is safe to finally say that this club is no longer in effect. Nevertheless, those who watched or took part will always remember.

Until next week,
TIKE