I'm So Sorry That You Have To Have A Body || interest check

neptune

a god among men
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Look for groups
  2. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. One post per week
  3. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Advanced
  3. Prestige
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. No Preferences
Genres
Slice of Life, Horror, Fandoms, Superheroes, Crime, Drama, Grit, Supernatural, Light Sci-Fi, Modern Era, Dark Themes

beginning

Major setback for NASA as Aura-II satellite crashes off of Maine coast
...satellite meant to take readings of the Earth's atmosphere caused waves with an unexpected splashdown just off of Maine's northeast coast near Haning. Aura-II was launched only three months ago after several delays. When reached for comment, a spokesman for NASA stated, "the [AURA] program was always meant to be short-term. These satellites don't stay up there for years and years..."
-- excerpt from The Dirigo Register, written by Lon Goff, 1975

"Well, there it is again, that funny shimmer in the water that looks like an oil slick. I saw it myself for the first time about thirty years ago. Just like that algae bloom, it comes and goes when the conditions are right. It weighs down everything. The kelp sags, and the little critters in the tidepools can't seem to get away from it. I used to go collecting snails during this time, perfect weather for it, but that stuff...it just lingers."

"Someone should clean it up, grandpa!" the voice of a curious seven-year-old chirps from up the beach. A Polaroid camera lays by his bare, sand-covered feet, and his sun-freckled hands reach out to pat the opalescent seafoam. The tide is coming in, the wind is mild and the smell of salt in the air leaves the boy feeling vaguely sick.

"Someone should," the old man agrees. He won't tell the boy that the government has bigger things to worry about than pollution in their tiny town. Hell, it took those bastards months to clean up the junk from that fancy satellite that crashed however many years ago. The old man shakes his head at himself, a few white hairs coming loose from beneath his cap. His weathered face turns back toward the water, to the rising waves that are lapping at the shore. He swears, he's lived his whole life with the cuffs of his pants rolled up and sopping.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

A gull cries overhead and the tide rolls the limp body of a fish onto the shore. "It's like the eggs this morning!" the youngster gasps, pointing at the two-headed fish that reminds him of the double-yolked egg he had with toast hours before. "It's so weird," he coos his fascination, blue eyes wide as he leans in to poke the head. Two pairs of milky eyes stare lifelessly, slowly cooking in the hot sun.

"Don't touch it now!" the old man scolds, taking the child by the wrist and straightening him up. He wished that he could say that the fish was an aberration, one of those one in a million deformities that spawned an article in the paper, but he'd seen the two-headed things wash up more and more frequently. Jeremiah Hampton--Hammy--claimed to have caught a live one once while fishing out on the ocean with the guys. Hammy claimed to have stomped its brains out, but there was no proof. The rest of the guys on board were too drunk to remember.

Then there was that calf up at the Valentine's farm, damn thing had six legs and didn't make it through the night. And all of the conjoined twins, all the stillbirths he'd seen during his days at the local hospital, conditions he had to scour medical texts just to diagnose. It didn't make sense. Almost like Haning was trying to turn itself inside out.

middle

So what is this? I truly don't know! I'm bored and have a craving for something that I can't quite put my finger on. With spring waning and summer right around the corner, I'm in the mood to connect with and write about nature, as well as man's constant struggle to exist within it. The trope of man vs. nature is one of my favorite concepts to explore and I think it could be even more fun with some sprinkles of body horror and cosmic horror thrown in. If I caught your attention with my introduction and you're still with me now, please read on for more technical specifics <3

end

Genre: Sci-fi, gore, body horror, cosmic horror, exploration, adventure
Themes: man vs nature, man vs man, man vs self, mutation, science, infestation
Inspired by: Annihilation, The Southern Reach trilogy, The Colour Out of Space, The Andromeda Strain, The Thing
Looking for: 1 co-GM, 4-6* player characters (*subject to change)
Posting expectations: Intermediate - advanced, 1-2 multiparagraph posts and collaborations per week to keep the story going. Participation in the discord server is highly recommended.

What is the setting: Summer of 2000 in Maine in the small seaside town of Haning
Can my characters die?: Yes and no. Some characters will die, but it's my goal to have all characters transformed into something unrecognizable by the end of RP, whether that be literally or metaphorically.
Is there room for romance?: Not really. Your characters can and should have rich inner lives and backstories and human connection is something that ups the stakes of survival, but romance isn't really going to be the focus.
What happens to my characters if I drop/am absent?: Dormant characters will be written by GMs or written out of the story. All previous players are welcome back if they needed to drop due to RL circumstances.

Please feel free to throw in any constructive criticism or ask any questions you might have! Admittedly, I haven't written anything in a while, so I'm shaking off the rust myself but I'm always down to hear how I can improve.


 
@neptune SO WHEN IS THIS STARTING? :D
 
You're out here, making bitchin' RPs when I definitely don't need to join another one.

I will though. And the terrible fates that fall upon my characters will be my punishment.
 
Yeah so this sounds intriguing as buggardy, and that list of inspirations is a vibe in and of itself. I might struggle to join another game, but it's great to see RPs like this in the works.
 
  • Thank You
Reactions: neptune
Yeah so this sounds intriguing as buggardy, and that list of inspirations is a vibe in and of itself. I might struggle to join another game, but it's great to see RPs like this in the works.
Thanks so much! I'd be happy to have you if you have room for another RP. Like so many other things, the posting speed is subject to change and I don't mind accommodating anyone.
 
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Reactions: Kuno
Read more about the AURA program here
 
hi! if you're still looking, i'd love to join, i'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and if you don't mind a member who is refamiliarising themself with iwaku and its systems but is pretty active on discord, maybe i could come up with a character to fill a space?

"that funny shimmer in the water" caught my eye IMMEDIATELY, by the way, i'm in my last year of undergrad and i'm doing my final year project on the southern reach trilogy so anything related is super exciting.
 
  • Love
Reactions: neptune
hi! if you're still looking, i'd love to join, i'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and if you don't mind a member who is refamiliarising themself with iwaku and its systems but is pretty active on discord, maybe i could come up with a character to fill a space?

"that funny shimmer in the water" caught my eye IMMEDIATELY, by the way, i'm in my last year of undergrad and i'm doing my final year project on the southern reach trilogy so anything related is super exciting.
We're still looking and would love to have you! Feel free to join the discord <3

Man, I love The Southern Reach Trilogy. No other series has given me the creeps in such a romantic and lonely way. Your final project sounds dope.
 
  • Love
Reactions: barnes
It's come to my attention that the discord link was expired :') but now it's fixed <3
 
I'd be interested as well if you're still recruiting.
 
I'd be interested as well if you're still recruiting.
We are! Feel free to hop in the discord. I’m on vacation until the 4th but I hope to start sometime in mid-July.
 
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Reactions: neptune
yes. i'm hooked. annihilation's such a great movie!!! have u read the book? it's beautifully written, it's so complex and poetic and it just makes me want to melt into a tree, or into sand and sea foam.

are you still looking for other writers?

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yes. i'm hooked. annihilation's such a great movie!!! have u read the book? it's beautifully written, it's so complex and poetic and it just makes me want to melt into a tree, or into sand and sea foam.

are you still looking for other writers?

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I have! The trilogy was beautiful and left me with a sick feeling for days after I finished the third book. I’ve gotten into some of Vandermeer’s other titles as well.

Please feel free to join the discord! We’d love to have you :)