Residents (Net Civilians)

This article is a WIP created during World Anvil Summer Camp 2022 and contains incomplete sections. Please stay tuned!

Residents are those who spend a good portion of their lives not only in what others would classify as reality, but also in the alternate reality of the Net.
Typically, Residents are at the level of engagement with the Net which often establishes its own communities within the mesh layers themselves. This group of Net users takes part in the ebb and flow of the Net daily, and a small subset of residents are even permanently connected. Residents may have virtual houses, plots of land, a ridiculous amount of clothes and hairstyles to swap on and off, or even transportation, all of which collected in quantities and styles that would be considered out of reach in the physical realm.
If one added up a Resident's time and resources in the Net, they would find more property in the Net than out, simply by virtue of the Net reality's flexibility. What they spend actual money on or invest the time to build themselves within the meshes of the Net is potentially limitless, even for a Resident with a modest income, though certainly beyond that of a casual visitor.

Extra Lives

Often Residents live many lives, including one in the internal reality and one in the external reality. Both "realities" are very real to people who connect to the Net in this manner. Entire social structures between each reality and/or each individual avatar the Resident chooses to inhabit may or may not intersect. Inside the Net reality here, Residents share a Net-related lingo and experience, as well as a common set of behavior values understood as acceptable within areas of the Net recognized as Residential, forging a culture unique as that of a city one would find themselves in physically.
Regularly, the Net is used by Residents for more than just meetings or the occasional short game or shopping trip. Participation is common in virtual adventures, clubs, long running immersive games, and various other activities for a significant time. Riskier games are popular, as one does not typically "die" in the virtual realm, but rather reappears--in a process known as a 'rezz' or 'resurrection'--either at the beginning of a game level or back at their respawn point.