From the Hallways
Author: Jahily al'Karee
Published: March 11, 2021 Tar Valon Times Blog
From the Hallways, a note from your Novices and Recruits
As a follow-up to last week’s spectacular TVT Takeover, I asked my fellow Recruits and Novices to share something about their experiences here in the Tower at TarValon.Net. Many Senior Members have fond memories of your time as Junior Members (JM’s) — from roommates who became friends, to working together on free weeks, to pulling off pranks. Not to mention attending and being raised at live events. There’s something special about being Novices and Recruits in our community, and among other things it’s the first step toward finding home.
So what do our current crop of JM’s think about being Novices/Recruits? I decided to focus on the two most important questions — what do they dislike, and what do they like best?
First, what do they dislike? While people understand the reasoning why, the most common answer is losing access to the City. Even though it’s temporary, it can be disjointing to lose track of conversations for several months. One JM said they disliked “the lack of unlimited power.” Clearly that JM hasn’t been involved in enough pranks…
What do Recruits and Novices like best? Some said having mentors — for the friendship, support and guidance they provide during the process of working through the steps. Overwhelmingly the thing everyone likes best — getting to know people. Making connections and friendships, both with other JM’s and Senior Members. After all, our members are the heartbeat of our community, and there’s nothing better than finding your place in it.
In closing, I’ll add a couple of observations from my uncommon experience of having been a Novice twice. While many things about the Tower are still the same, there are some notable differences. For one, in this post-integration era all of the JM’s are together. Which has been great. I’ve really enjoyed getting the opportunity to hang out with everyone!
Another main difference that I’ve noticed since my first time around is where JM’s spend their time. When I was a JM the first time, circa 2012-2014, the Forums were the primary activity spot. Now in 2020-2021, the updates to Discord (including more chat spaces, voice channels, games, movie watching, etc.), have given the JM’s (and everyone else) the opportunity to interact with members from all over the community in “real time” — something many community members have expressed a need and appreciation for in our current global environment. Activity in Discord has been invaluable to me personally, and it’s definitely a place where there is growing involvement among my fellow JM’s. Feel free to start a chat with me sometime!
