The ramp

The Ramp is a location within Satit Panyapiwat (SPIM), situated directly at the school's swing gate. It was originally constructed as an accessibility ramp, intended to allow disabled students and visitors to reach the school building without using the stairs. Because disabled students were exceptionally rare at the school, the ramp saw little use for its intended purpose and instead developed into an informal gathering place for a small, recurring group of students.

Origins

The group associated with the Ramp began forming while Aobaom was in Mattayom 2 (M2). Aobaom met up with his friend Linus and, separately, reconnected with Narat, a classmate he had known back in Grade 2. Narat and his circle recognized Aobaom on sight but did not know him well personally.

The reunion was initially tense: Narat was annoyed that Aobaom had never returned a set of Pokémon pencils borrowed back in Grade 2. The grievance eventually cooled, and the two became friends. Through Narat came Washi (also known as "Wash", and later "Washing Machine"), who had already been friends with Narat and Linus beforehand and joined the group at the Ramp.

Peak period

The Ramp is generally regarded as having peaked while Aobaom was in M3, its most active and lively period. By this point the group had found its footing and had grown to take in several significant figures. Among them was Kate who, although not directly affiliated with the Ramp, was considered by both Aobaom and Linus to be one of its major figures.

This era was the loudest in the Ramp's history. Aobaom referred to the period as "declivis", though the name faded quickly, as did a handful of joke names such as the "Student's Union of the Ramp" and "The Boys".

The core group had come together over the preceding stretch, Term 2 of M2, consisting of Aobaom, Linus, Wash, and a newly arrived M1 student named Art (Aobaom was in M2, Art in M1). Narat, by contrast, had largely stopped appearing at the Ramp by this point, showing up only on a few occasions. Relations within the group were not always smooth: Linus grew to dislike Art and his presence in general during this era. The tension eased over time, and by M4 Linus had largely stopped trash-talking Art.

Decline

At the start of M4, the group practically vaporised overnight. The M1–M3 and M4–M6 levels ran on different break times, which meant members could no longer meet. A significant number of members were still in M2–M3, while Aobaom, Washi, Narat, and Linus had already moved up to M4.

The dispersal was compounded by departures. Washi and Narat both left the school to attend SPSM. Aobaom applied to SPSM's animation major but was not accepted.

Aftermath

Although the group was never formally dissolved or disbanded, it was effectively dead following the M4 dispersal. The area itself kept the name "the Ramp" simply because it stuck; phrases such as "meet at the ramp", "waiting at the ramp", or a plain "I'll be waiting over there" remained common among the remaining members.

By this stage the only real members left were Linus, Aobaom, and Art. BB still sat at the Ramp but was no longer considered part of it, as the group had largely stopped talking to her. She is nonetheless remembered as a major figure.

The girls at the mouth

Early in Term 2 of M2, two girls, BB and Vanda, began sitting just outside the Ramp, at its mouth — the exit end. Like Art, both were in M1 at the time. They occupied the space outside the exit rather than the interior.

By M3, BB and Vanda had migrated to sitting inside the Ramp itself. Vanda's tenure was short-lived: she left SPIM shortly after M2 to find another school, and did not continue with the group.

Later developments

Beyond the core regulars, a number of other students passed through the Ramp but became progressively less significant to its history. In a later phase, the group was joined by Seamus.

Politics and character

The Ramp was never political in any organised sense. It had no leadership, rules, or formal membership, and its day-to-day life more closely resembled anarchy than any structured group. Aobaom has nevertheless characterised the group's outlook as broadly libertarian, in keeping with its aversion to authority and its loose, self-directed nature.

On one occasion Aobaom proposed founding the Commonwealth of the Ramp, a micronation built around the group, a concept he had already laid out in full detail beforehand. Linus rejected the idea instantly, dismissing it as a "nerdy, useless idea", and it went nowhere despite being fully worked out.

The group was notably wary of newcomers and of anyone who wandered into the area. The reaction was less outright hostility than deep distrust — an unwelcoming "who are you and what are you doing here" attitude toward outsiders, rather than open aggression.

See also

• Satit Panyapiwat
• Aobaom