Therapy’s rubbish. Probably.

It’s also a bit weird when you think about it: you’re paying good money to isolate yourself from your normal life and have someone get their grubby fingers into your psychology to some esoteric end. Weird.

(I mean, really, who does that? Hmm?)

Still, you have to admit that things haven’t been working out too well for you and your partner of late. Having exhausted various options (which may have included: opening your relationship, finding time for intermittent date nights, exposing yourself to pottery classes or whatever other bollocks some matriarch in your life suggested, and indulging in the occasional screaming match or passive-aggressive text tennis), finding a solution between the two of you hasn’t been as successful as you might hope.

After some time of failing to help yourselves and Making Do, something has tipped you both over the edge. You’ve found yourselves stuck in a cycle, and neither one of you can see a way out. You don’t know – you’re not an expert. Who is?

Oh yeah: the two bods in that Guardian article. Well, at least that’s what they claim.

So, one way or the other, you’ve ended up here for the weekend with these experts and a bunch more troubled couples in the arse end of the Scottish Highlands. You’re not sure what good it will do having your feelings laid bare – all while trapped in one part motivational poster, one part Outward Bound centre, and one part TED Talk – but it might do something.

I mean, it’s probably not going to hurt, is it?

Flavour Pitch

Please click here for the .pdf Pitch Article

Logistics

• Event Date: 10th of May until the 12th of May 2019
• Time In: 5pm, 10th of May
• Time Out: Approximately midday, 12th of May
• Event Location: The Birks
• Ref Team: Cath, Craig, Jonno, Laura, Lucie, Monica
• Players: 16
• Total Event cost: £130 (deposit of £40). Please see our general Payment T&Cs here.

About

On the Rocks is set in the present day and time, and is an event about relationships and communication. Good, bad, or ugly, it exists between us all. As an attendee, you will be playing one half of a dysfunctional couple. For reasons known only to you and your significant half, it’s been deemed necessary to lay down the cash for what’s been described as a therapy weekend. Perhaps your character or their partner saw the article above, did their own research, or heard through word of mouth. Whatever the case, they’ve nothing to lose.

Your character can expect a weekend of self-reflection, self-discovery, and re-examination of the connection between them and their significant other hosted by relationship experts Eric Holdsworth and Denise Wickes. This will be explored through trust activities in the extensive wilderness around the venue, and counselling sessions inside the main buildings. Such activities will be tailored to the accessibility requirements of players.

The tone of this event is intended to be one of dark comedy with a relationship framing. For reference, consider Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or films such as Shaun of the Dead where the horror is very present, but in the midst of it all we see characters grow and overcome personal obstacles.

Although it should go without saying, we welcome submissions from players for non-heterosexual couplings.

Booking

Where possible, we recommend that players consider who they would like to be ‘coupled’ with prior to the event. You should consider organising finances so that one person books two spaces in order to avoid any disappointment. Later payments can be chased from individuals subject to that information being provided.

If you do not have someone you would like to RP with, then we welcome you to book as an individual. The booking form will ask you to specify the sort of relationship you would be happy to RP and we will do our very best to partner you with someone.

Please note: If we receive your booking as an individual and are unable to pair you with another player due to your requirements, we will use a ‘first place’ system to prioritise those people who have booked first.

For example: We have person A who is female and has requested a female partner and booked first, and person B who is male who booked second and requested a male partner. We will actively try to reconcile differences between the two solo bookers, but we may not be successful. If we are not, we may be forced to re-open bookings to find a partner suitable for person A. If we are unsuccessful in doing so, we will then have to re-open bookings to find a suitable partner for person B.

In such an example, we would be happy to refund the deposit of the individual who has been unsuccessfully partnered.

We welcome character concepts from players.

Content Warnings/Advisory

Gore.

As should hopefully be self-evident, players can anticipate interpersonal drama and mentions/exploration of sexual elements. You should also expect conversations about shitty behaviour such as adultery, and insecurities of various flavours.

This event will not be handling heavy themes such as abuse or rape, and so we ask players to not submit character requests with these issues.

This is not to say that we want the event to be superficial or vacuous: We want players to feel as challenged and threatened as they would be at any event. However, such heavy subjects are not appropriate for the tone of the weekend.

Should anyone be concerned, a system will be in place so that players can clearly but unobtrusively advertise their level of comfort with physical contact.

Accessibility

The Birks is an old building in a remote location without mobile signal or Internet.

Catering:

• Aeon will attempt to cater for all allergens and dietary requirements. You must let us know of any needs you have prior to the event so we can ensure we have adequate provisions and signage. Please notify us of any changes as soon as you can.

Mobility:

There are several issues of accessibility to consider before signing up for any Aeon events set at the Birks. While the ref team will make every effort to adjust and accommodate any specific needs, there are some elements of the building itself that we cannot alter. These include:

• Uneven flooring.  Some parts of the building have very old, uneven floorboards and flagstones, some of which have subsided slightly, creating lips and ruts in places. These may catch crutches/wheels. Caution should also be taken when floors are wet as they can become extremely slippery.
• The front entrance to the house is across a gravel path, up to a flagstone step approximately 3″ in height. This can make it difficult for wheelchair users or people who have difficulty walking. We will endeavour to assist wherever possible
• There are internal stairs which will restrict movement for wheelchair users and may be problematic for those with limited mobility. Navigation of a small set of steps is necessary to reach the bathroom area from the entrance. Further flights of stairs must be ascended to reach bedrooms.
• There is a downstairs toilet and shower area which is accessible for wheelchair users once they have been raised above the initial entrance level and are in the main living room area.

Our event will be making use of areas around the house. These areas are wild and unstable underfoot with forests, and moors. These are not accessible for a wheelchair user and may cause difficulty for those with mobility issues. The problems include:

• Uneven paths. This may cause people with fatigue or mobility issues difficulty.
• Muddy ground. Parts of the ground very quickly become boggy in the rain, which can present difficulty for those with mobility issues.
• Marshy ground. Parts of the ground are often water-logged regardless of the time of year which can present difficulty for those with mobility issues.
• Forests. The area is used by the forestry commission, and as such, there are managed forest areas where old trees have been left to rot. This results in highly unstable footing for all individuals wishing to explore the area.

If you have any further queries relating to accessibility or the pitch in general, please do not hesitate to contact Aeon on admin@aeonhorror.com. Anything raised will be treated in confidence.