The ramp
| Status | Defunct; the name is still in use |
|---|---|
| Government | None; effectively anarchic (self-described libertarian) |
| • Central figure | Aobaom |
| Legislature | None; the proposed Commonwealth of the Ramp was rejected |
| Historyof the Ramp | |
| • Formed | Circa Mattayom 2 (Aobaom's cohort) |
| • Peak | Mattayom 3 (Aobaom's cohort) |
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
[edit]The student collective associated with The ramp began to coalesce while Toemkun was enrolled in Mattayom 2 (M2). The group's formation initiated when Toemkun met with his friend Linus and, separately, reconnected with Narat, a former classmate from Grade 2. While Narat and his immediate social circle recognized Toemkun on sight, they did not share a close personal acquaintance at the time.
The initial reconciliation between Toemkun and Narat was reportedly complicated by a long-standing dispute regarding an unreturned set of Pokémon pencils borrowed during their primary education. Following the resolution of this grievance, the two established a friendship. Through Narat's existing social connections, Washi (colloquially known as "Wash" and later "Washing Machine")—who already maintained friendships with both Narat and Linus—integrated into the group at the Ramp.
During the second term of Mattayom 2, the collective experienced its first major expansion with the arrival of several new members. This cohort included Art (later known by the pseudonyms "Fubar" and "Artizonstacks"), BB (later known as "Noodle," "New Delhi," or "Dwarf" due to her height), Vanda, and later Seamus. Throughout this expansion, Toemkun remained a constant fixture within the group, serving as a senior figure around whom younger Mattayom 1 (M1) students frequently gathered.
Peak period
[edit]The collective is widely recognized as having reached the peak of The ramp during the academic period when Toemkun transitioned into Mattayom 3 (M3) and the younger Mattayom 1 students matriculated into Mattayom 2 (M2). Characterized as the group's most active and cohesive era, the social hub expanded to include several significant figures. Among them was Kate, who, despite lacking direct affiliation with the physical location of the Ramp, was regarded by both Toemkun and Linus as a major figure of the era.
This period marked the most boisterous era in the collective's history. Toemkun briefly designated the epoch as "declivis", though the moniker faded quickly alongside satirical institutional titles such as the "Student's Union of the Ramp" and "The Boys."
By this peak phase, the core group consisted primarily of Toemkun, Linus, Washi, and Art. Conversely, Narat's attendance at the Ramp sharply declined during this phase, limited to sporadic appearances. Interpersonal dynamics within the core group suffered from friction, notably due to an acute dislike Linus harbored toward Art's presence. This tension gradually abated over time, with Linus largely ceasing his criticisms of Art by Mattayom 4 (M4).
Decline
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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.
The deep end
[edit]The far end of the Ramp, at its turn — the same corner shown in the photograph of members holding the American flag — served as the group's space for sensitive discussion. It was here that members held their more "dangerous" conversations, touching on politics, controversy over the school's policies, and other subjects they preferred to keep out of wider earshot.
Later developments
[edit]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
[edit]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.