Who Are You in There?

By Nyllone

 

A few weeks back, I did a quest by NurseJay.  It was a mystery quest titled Get A Clue.  Though I wasn’t able to solve who the victim and the suspect were, and the weapon that was used, I enjoyed following it.  Obviously, the quest was given a lot of time and effort by the writer, and questers could actually see that.  What really struck me was the characters in the story.  For some reason, the characters reminded me of some Thereians.  Although there was a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer that the characters were not based on actual members, I thought the characterization gave each of the characters a solid personality wherein the questers can get something from.

 

This led me to think.  Like in every community, there are social classes.  As There is an online community, whether we like or not, there are certain social classes in here as well.  This is not to discriminate any class.  This is just an innocent observation.  I won’t go big, and classify members according to socioeconomic status, or race.  I would just make an analogy of There to a RL High School.

In Walkway, I compare it to The Freshman Building in ThereHighSchool, where new students go to after registration, get oriented, meet and make friends with fellow freshmen.  If they welcome help, some students are there to help them out.  If not, they can venture on their own.   

There are different kinds of freshmen.  The interested ones, who go to school wanting to learn.  They ask questions, they try everything, they explore..  These are the potential graduates of ThereHighSchool.  The ones who are most likely to upgrade membership in a week.  Then again, there are those who couldn’t care less.  They are the ones who just run from the top of Walkway to the blimp.  They are even pissed at IGs who offer help.  These are probably second accounts, or third, or fourth.  In High School, they maybe the repeaters.  They know a lot already, they don’t need help.  They have something else in mind.  Whatever that is, it’s for them to know, and for us to find out.

 

 

Apart from the Freshmen in ThereHighSchool, there are the Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors.  These are the Premis of There.  They have houses, pazes, own a ton of vehicles, clothing, drinks, dogs, the likes.  These members are the ones who have found their niche in ThereHighSchool.  Some excel in Buggies, Hoverbikes, Hoverboards, Paintguns.  They can really be competitive.  And sometimes, it can get dirty.   

In that class, there are labels.  The bullies, the nerds/outcasts/quiet ones, the leaders and elites, the volunteers, the heartthrobs…  Name it, you can find it there.  The bullies, or the griefers go to school to bully other students.  Some bullied students end up not going to school anymore.  These are the cases of newbies not logging back in world after one bad experience with a griefer.  But sometimes these bullies get reported and they end up suspended, but only for a certain period of time. 

 

The nerds/outcasts/quiet ones are the ones who keep to themselves, with their own circle of friends, quietly living in their little spaces.  They are labeled as that, because often, nobody has ever heard of them.  Their names often do not ring a bell.  And even if they go on a three-month-ThereBreak, no one would notice.  But they have fun as well as the leaders and the elites.  

The leaders and elites are those whom everybody knows.  They are the ones who host worth-your-while events.  The ones who have achieved that distinction in certain fields, like Designing, or Developing, or managing a There Fan Site.  These members are the assets of ThereHighSchool.  The great alumni.  Although, be warned, there can be posers too.  The elite-wannabes.

 

 

The volunteers are those who give up some time to help out in whatever cause the school is promoting.  This would be the Themes in There, and the volunteers would be the Island Guides.  They are not perfect, they may not know everything, but they are there to help out (in whatever intent or purpose it may serve them).  Bottom line, they are volunteers and they try to help.

 

And as for the heartthrobs, they are the popular members that others swoon when they see, or hear, or more so, get to know.  This label could be subjective, of course.  One heartthrob may not be one to the other.  But the real heartthrobs I’m talking about are the ones whom most would agree that they are likeable, blowkissable, huggable, and the ones you would dream of asking “Can I add you to my buddy list?”  

Of course, in every school there are teachers who guide and teach students.  Teachers would depend on what class you are on.  If you’re a Freshman, your teachers would be the Greeters.  While the older members look up to other members as their mentors, guides, and teachers.  They didn’t have to be older in RL, they didn’t have to be older in There, as everyone learns from everybody else. 

As There is an online community, its members vary in race, in socioeconomic status, in personality, in beliefs…  But that’s what makes life in There a bit more like life out There.  Despite the cartoony appearances we represent to each other, what happens in world proves to us that we’re all humans after all.  We may be different, but we all sure enjoy living in this beautiful world called There. 

So, have you thought of who you are in There?