Tales From The Loop: Finding Your Clique

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Tyson Fraleigh - July 15, 2021

In Tales From The Loop, finding out who you are is essential to the game. Whether your are the nerd or the theatre kid, there are a few options ahead of you that can help figure out what kind of role you want to play.

Let’s check out some of these options to help find your first character!

Bookworm

Books speak to you – maybe literally. Weird stuff happens around the Loop.

With the reading list you have, you have expertise in a lot of things. You know where all the best research materials are, whether they be in the library or the science lab. You can estimate, calculate, and improvise with precision and accuracy. P.E. and sports may not be your thing, but that stuff is for the Jocks. You’ve got the words. That’s all that matters.

The trouble is that when you’re smart, everyone notices. Your classmates know, for better or worse, but the teachers know it too. Sometimes, even adults you don’t know are aware of who you are…

Computer Geek

You have been a computer whiz for a while. You just have a knack for it. Computers are the way to the future, and it seems only right to get a jump start.

You have a lot of dreams involving technology. Whether it’s working in the Loop, building your own robots, or even building your own computer, there are endless possibilities.

The trouble is that you’re invisible to everyone. You do all these great things, but no one cares. Your parents are focused on work, your crush doesn’t know you exist, forget about friends. The only people who notice are the bullies around school. What a life, huh?

Hick

Farm work and tinkering is the one thing you have always known how to do. Growing up outside of town gives you a lot of time to tinker on whatever you want to, whenever you want to.

You know every inch of the property. You know where the best hiding spots are, what trees are the best to climb, and where the best tech deposits are. You’ve been called a techie with cars and electronics. You have never been described as charismatic, but hey – what did being popular get anyone? You’re content with your isolation and gear-nut mindset.

The trouble is… you notice things. More than people realize. Especially about the environment and animals. And something is very wrong. Very, very wrong.

Jock

Whether it’s hockey, basketball, football, whatever – you are the best on the team. Coach always celebrates your work, pointing you out as a leader when your in the dressing rooms. Your buddies look to you for guidance, whether it for the game or girls. You are the king of this castle.

You may not be so great at school, but that’s what scholarships are for. If you can get scouted by a college or university team, then you have a chance of making it to the big leagues.

The trouble is that you may be worse at school than you were expecting. To stay on the team, you need to keep a minimum GPA, but one teacher is constantly tanking your grades. You don’t know why, but you think they hate you for some unknown reason…

Popular Kid

People say high school are the best days of your life. You made sure that was a reality for you.

You are the holder of the keys in this school. If anyone wants to be anyone in these halls, they have to be decided by you first. No one gets the easy way out.

Popularity is a social currency and you have a lot of it. You have charisma, dirt, and the willingness to do anything to stay at the top. If you are anything less than perfect – well, you know what you’d become. A loser. Tossed aside like trash. You can never allow that to happen.

The trouble is that the veil is always up. There is a lot of expectation about who you are supposed to be. Not very many people care about who you really are. Not that it matters much. Who would like you if you stopped being what they wanted?

Rocker

Music is your life. You can name every song on your cassette tape. You save all your money for the next Iron Maiden tape the moment you hear about it. Every guitar solo, every guitar lick, every note has been etched with sharpie into your heart and soul.

Now the trick is learning how to play them.

The trouble is that making the rock and roll lifestyle work is tough. You need to succeed against all odds. Live free, die young. You need inspiration for your art, and that involves doing things you don’t want to.

But screw it – all for the music, right?

Troublemaker

Hairspray and lighters have gotten you in trouble time and time again. You have done every dare people have challenged you to perform. You have been caught stealing, breaking and entering, trespassing, all of it. The next time you get caught, you might actually face some time in juvie.

You have no home life – you go there to sleep, occasionally. If your parents haven’t locked you out of the house, which is more common than not. But screw’em. You can make it on your own.

The trouble is that people don’t see the genius in your madness. They are not willing to understand you. You don’t set garbage cans on fire and shoplift for nothing. Sure, there is a thrill in it, but it’s just camouflage for survival. If you have no money, or parents who don’t care about you, how are you going to eat if you don’t steal?

Weirdo

You don’t have any friends. For good reason.

You eat lunch alone. You do your homework alone.

Isolation isn’t a bad thing for you. You get used to it after a while. When people come up to you, you find it difficult to communicate. But that hasn’t happened in a while. No one goes near you, thank god.

The trouble is if anyone found out who you really were, it would be so much worse. Being the weirdo means you are left alone. That’s the whole point. If anyone gets too close… they might find out what you’ve been hiding. And if they do – everything will fall apart.