After careful review, we are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a full scholarship to Dyer Academy for the upcoming academic year.
As always, making the selection is difficult--but it is clear that you are highly gifted, and we hope you will join our exceptional student body. Historically, our graduates have enjoyed a high rate of acceptance into the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Miskatonic University.
Welcome to the Academy—and please, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to keep them to yourself. As our motto goes: obscurum per obscurius.
Signed, Headmistresses Penrose
In the vast void of outer space, there exist a panoply of cosmic beings that are beyond human control or understanding. Society at large is unaware of these incomprehensible, god-like creatures, as well as the strange monsters that crawl the Earth. Occasionally, either due to cultist activities, steamy nights with Cthulhu-spawn, or other such meddling with bizarre beings, a child is born with a bit of... erm... non-human blood in them. Not enough to corrupt them entirely, mind you, but enough to make their lives a special kind of strange.
You were one of these children. Now, you are a teenager, and your strange abilities are just beginning to appear. What's more, it's the summer before 11th grade, and you've just received a mysterious acceptance letter from one of the nation's top prep schools--despite not even applying. You think you've been welcomed into an exclusive two-year boarding school; however, you're about to find out that their admission standards are based on something other than academic merit...
Sequestered by dense forest, just outside the dreary coastal town of Cartham, Mass., lies the enigmatic Dyer Academy. This exclusive preparatory school accepts only a handful of 11th and 12th grade students from around the world. These students—you included—have been "blessed" with (usually hideous) supernatural abilities, as well as the tendency to encounter what the normal world does not: mutants, monsters, and other semi-gelatinous, tentacled beings from beyond our dimension. (Rumor has it that the blood of your kind is especially tasty.)
While boarding at Dyer, you will not only receive a world-class education from nutty professors and ex-(or not so ex-)cultists—you will also learn to fight off Lovecraftian horrors and master your preternatural gifts. The goal of the school is to teach you how to survive in a world that seems intent on killing you or driving you mad. Successful graduates often go on to work in various secret service agencies aimed at protecting the general populace from cosmic horrors. Others will return to society, content to try and carve out as normal a life as they can. But be warned—the dropout rate is high. Will you survive your two years at the Academy?
In addition to the general misfortune that seems to follow them everywhere, every student at the Academy has at least one preternatural trait, or "corruption," that significantly affects their life.
Physical abnormalities are typically present at birth. Special abilities, on the other hand, usally start to show themselves around the onset of puberty, then rapidly gain intensity around the age of 16. For this reason, any child suspected to have alien influence in their genetic line is secretly monitored until age fifteen, whereupon it is decided whether their corruption is significant enough to warrant admission into the Academy, so that the true nature of the world should be revealed to them.
With that said, Academy students are typically "blessed with suck" to some degree. The so-called "gifts" that spring from their tainted blood usually feel more like curses, especially since they tend to come bundled with physical oddities, psychological issues, and general calamity. At the time of admission, students have only a small amount of control over their abilities, and using them takes a considerable physical and mental toll.
This is a place to stretch beyond the vanilla magical powers and tread into the dark, funny, and bizarre. This can mean several different things in terms of your character's abilities. They might fall into one or more of the following categories (not exhaustive, and feel free to modify any of the ideas below):
- Seemingly useless and/or embarrassing. Ex: A character can talk to spiders. A character can manipulate flowers. A character vomits corrosive black slime.
- Dangerous. Some abilities are flat-out bad news, and end up causing serious injuries--or worse. Ex: Pyrokinesis, ice powers, weather control.
- Costly. If your character has a more traditional ability, think about a way to make it difficult, morbid, or impractical--put a twist on it! Ex: A healer (or person with self-regeneration abilites) must drain the health of something else.
- Not too OP. Stuff like mind reading can cause obvious problems for an RP, so just be sure to consider others! If a character's power is OP, then at least include some drawbacks and restrictions.
- And the most important rule... have fun!!
Remember: Average people are generally unaware of the supernatural, so your character has likely learned to hide their experiences with the arcane lest they be feared or locked away. It is possible that a few parents or friends may be aware of your character's powers, but your character would definitely want to avoid the evening news.
First, make sure you go to the Rules tab and read over everything! :) When you're done, send your completed CS to Insomia.n and Starbleme as a PM. Once accepted, you can post it in the OOC.
A drawing or faceclaim is totally optional. If you don't include one, then your description should be more detailed to compensate! Remember: a sharp, punchy physical description of your character can be just as striking as a faceclaim.
Full Name: Appearance: (Odd, disconcerting, or striking details are not necessary--but given the nature of this RP, they are encouraged. Also, feel free to give your character physical flaws.) Gender: (All genders, including NB and trans characters, are welcome!) Age: (16 or 17 for human students) Orientation: (Straight, bi, pan, ace, prefer not to say… etc.) Personality: (Paragraph or longer) Hobbies/Interests: Greatest Fear: Anomalous traits or abilities: (Do make sure to read the "corruption" tab and include a detailed description here. You can make most ideas work with a little tweaking, and you get brownie points if it's gross, odd, or has serious consequences.) Bio: (At least a paragraph. Summarize the key parts of your character's personal history.) Theme Song: (Fun but totally optional) Sample Post: (A good way to introduce your character. If you're having trouble with inspiration, write about the moment your character received their acceptance letter.)
Rules
General rules include the typical stuff: no god modding or autohitting, be respectful OOC, and follow Iwaku policy. GMs will try to solve problems that arise around the RP if need be, but if please keep drama out of the OOC thread. Also, please notify us if you will be away for a while or plan to stop playing. There's nothing wrong with dropping an RP, but letting the GMs know is a courtesy that ensures no one gets left hanging.
Content and Language
Make sure to include your character's name and location in every post as a header, so that it's for everyone to keep track of where we all are! At least one paragraph is preferred per post, with an Intermediate writing level or better. Try to use font colors that work on all Iwaku styles (it will save people some eye strain.) This guide is really helpful!
Dark themes, profanity, and some body horror are most definitely allowed. It's the nature of horror! With that said, this is not a redstar roleplay. Romance is accepted and encouraged, but if you want to write smut (with someone of appropriate age), take it to the PMs.
Posting Speed
Around two posts a week is the expectation (more is OK). It's understandable for life to get in the way; just communicate with me so that the game can keep rolling smoothly. If your character is absent for like two weeks with no word from you, they'll most likely be written out (perhaps as snack food for one of the Academy's resident eldritch horrors).
Characters
To keep things easier to manage, the RP will start off small. As it's getting off the ground, everyone is allowed up to two students. Really frequent posters could be eligible for more in the future, if desired. A few teachers might be included as well!
SUPER DUPER SPECIAL RULE!!!
To show you read these rules to the end, include the word "lugubrious" somewhere in your CS.
The Mysterious Move-In
Lower students (Year 11s) move into their dormitories.
Orson Grey
Ulric Grey
The various spooky locations in the RP. Make sure to include your character's name and location at the top of each post. Also, feel free to travel to locations other than those named below, as long as they're a logical fit for the school/town.
The Forest: A sprawling thicket of tall trees that makes up most of the grounds and, if you manage to get past the great iron fence, the surrounding area. Don't go in alone--ever.
The Town of Cartham
Cartham is a sleepy little village with basic amenities such as a barber's, grocer's, clothing store, and mortuary. During most of the year, it's covered in thick fog. An unsettling aura permeates the town, and seems to repel the summer boarders that would normally flock to a coastal New England village. The paint on most buildings is faded and chipped, the signs losing letters; as you move out from the village center, you'll find many houses lying dilapidated, overgrown, and empty. The townies are generally distrustful of Academy students, though not overtly hostile.
Crappie Beach: Don't let the name deceive you; this cute little sandy strip, surrounded by rocky outcroppings and small houses, is a nice place to spend the very rare sunny afternoon. If there's no one around and the waters look strange and dark, however, one should retreat to the town proper.
Sal's Convenience Store: Exactly what it sounds like. Nothing fancy, but if you really need a particular item, Sal can probably get it for you. Slide him a few extra. Just don't look at his eyes for too long; there's something strange about them.
St. Whateley's Church: A generic-looking church of unknown denomination. Mostly abandoned now.
Cod and Country Inn (restaurant), The Bean (coffee shop), Rocky and Co. (ice cream): Local eateries. Usually fairly empty.
The Academy Grounds
Main Campus: The green outdoor area that connects all the various buildings and lecture halls. It's speckled with trees, and there's a main plaza.
Swimming Pool: Your basic indoor pool. A much safer alternative to the lake.
Tennis Courts: A fenced-in tennis court on the rooftop of the athletics building. If you hit a ball over the fence, something will occasionally throw it back.
Training Grounds: A neatly-mowed field of grass that can be used for sport and physical education class.
Library: A massive, ancient, and dusty library that contains a myriad of books, some of which can only be found at Dyer. Needless to say, there's also a forbidden section.
Dormitory: The student dorms. There's a lounge on the first floor with couches, a television, antique lamps, and a grand piano.
Dining Hall: A large, warmly-lit hall with long tables, ornate boiserie on the walls, oil portraits of previous headmasters, and two chandeliers. The food is surprisingly tasty. There's also an afternoon tea service.
The Lake: A large lake that extends into the forest. Good for skipping stones.
Various other school buildings
A place to keep track of school NPCs. Unlessbolded in magenta, NPCs are common property and can be used as such, as long as their personality is kept consistent.
The Headmistresses
The Housemaster
Content and Language
No god-modding or autohitting. Make sure to include your character's name and location in every post as a header, so that it's easy for everyone to keep track of where your characters are! At least one paragraph is preferred per post, with an Intermediate writing level or better. Try to use font colors that work on all Iwaku styles (it'll save people some eye strain.) This guide is super helpful for choosing good colors.
Dark themes, profanity, and some body horror are most definitely allowed. With that said, this is not a redstar roleplay. Romance is awesome, but if you want to do smut (with someone of appropriate age), slide into those PMs.
Posting Speed
Around two posts a week is the expectation (more is OK). It's understandable for life to get in the way; just communicate with me so that the game can keep rolling smoothly. If your character is absent for like two weeks with no word from you, they'll most likely be written out (perhaps as snack food for one of the Academy's resident eldritch horrors.)
