Exploring There’s Past

 by Archie

They say time in There is like “dog years”. You know, a dog ages seven for every one year of Real Life… 

What was it like in the early days when the magma of There was still cooling? I came to There in the summer of 2003, and I was left entirely to my own devices. I was spawned on Kantana Point, near the tower where the Crow’s Nest is. But I didn’t know that at the time. I walked- uncomfortably down the hill, and learned the water was a surface. I headed for the hills. I did not have a hoverboard, just my feet and a noob white tee, khaki pants, and my crop of blond hair. 

I walked what seemed like forever, unknowingly into the fogginess toward Tabu. I got a very strange impression of where I was. It was kind exciting and a bit spooky too, as Tabu is, well, …kinda creepy. 

I walked out of Tabu by walking up a hillside, and that seemed difficult, because sometimes it gets too steep and one slips and falls back down. I must have made several attempts, I wasn’t sure if I had gotten hurt or would some kind of health points. 

This strange new world was very lonely. I hadn’t seen another person at all yet. I finally made it to the top of the hill and got a good look at the huge mountain. And then I saw Akia! Wow! Another person. I walked up to her and began to tell my story, but before I could say it all, (typing text) she offered to loan me a hoverboard. Oh! That made a huge difference in my attitude! Now I could cruise all over the place. And I did! I began to see some more avies here and there. Sometimes they were in full chat groups and it was sometimes a little intimidating to break in, but what the heck I just walked up and said “hi”. In There, people turned out to be very friendly, and the ones who weren’t, well…I soon learned the word “griefer”. 

Well that’s the story of my beginnings, but those days like “dog-years” quickly marched on. There was shopping and dropping, you could drop a bench or Tiki Seating group anywhere, and sit down and enjoy a Hot Blues drink or whatever. Maybe you would spot some couple making out right there in the desert! lol! 

Soon I got a buggy, then my favorite dirt devil dirty old beat-up TUV, and eventually a Hoverpack and some more paz building stuff. Plus it was a blast to be notified that I leveled up in something, and all I was doing was driving around or chatting.

Well I dug through my photo collection, and although I lost a ton of shots when my ‘puter crashed in ’05, I still managed to find a couple saved shots. And, I still have my noobie outfit so I can show an example of what I must’ve looked like when I spawned! ROFLMAO! 

So thinking back on the old days certainly doesn’t mean There was all that different or even any “better” than the quality of the experience now. It was probably a little more problematic and a lot has been overcome since those days.

Here is a shot of a bunch of avies piling onto a multiple chair overlap creating what looks like a severe end-result of a game of “musical chairs”. 

Once I had set up a castle PAZ near Clucky’s Hideaway. I was so happy to get my first GPS mapping compass! 

Birthday Party, Gawd, that tux almost choked me into a faint! And then there were the “GOD” days when another dyslexic avie who couldn’t sleep, stayed up all night wondering if there was a “dOg”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And high above all the rest of the clouds was Deep Space 999,999 the highest thing to have ever been built in There, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Rush and many members who would then contribute to the space community. That was a cool and amazing thing!

Unique PAZ’s were fun to discover in surprising locations. Some avies got in trouble for building in areas that since became “sacred”.  

There was the first avie sacrifice when Comet Island appeared and then just days where finding a ufo in the desert and trying to get a phone call to There Air was a challenge in itself. 

Thanks for looking back with me!

Always,

Archie