Aperitif
Aperitif by Iron Eater first appeared in issue Issue 93 in 2021.
Creator's Notes
CONTENT WARNING: this story depicts a toxic relationship that is both physically and emotionally abusive, both of which are depicted “on-screen”, with the POV character being the abuser and not seeing anything wrong with (often frequently rationalizing or defending) his actions. There’s also body horror and cosmic dread, but those are generally a little less personal, you know?
Once again I am telling a horror story with heavy elements of technology and modern culture in it, because unless I’m writing gothic romance this is apparently just what I do for Octobers these days? At any rate, I knew I wanted to do something based on ARGs for months before I sat down and finalized what this was going to be; like many October entries the concept changed wildly from when I first sat down with the theme list for the year (I start planning very far in advance!), but I came across some very basic imagery extraordinarily early on and held on to it more or less untouched until it came time to write. This was also slated to be a Bad End story from the beginning, which colored how I presented the characters and plot from the beginning. Any other issue and they’d just be another weird-but-cute couple doing their best to make a home together. Hence why I went for the absolute antipode of that.
The Sacred Order of the Red God isn’t based on any ARG in particular, though the ways they distributed content were strongly inspired by personal research (such as an excellent video put out by the YouTube channel Night Mind which aggregated some data sent by viewers who’d run ARGs of their own). They are absolutely producing an absurd amount of content for the time frame involved. This might technically be doable by someone who’s independently wealthy and stuffed to the gills with passion for their project, but in SORG’s case they have what amounts to someone using extra-potent thoughtography sitting in the producer’s chair, and he wants your attention. Reggie’s a fast learner in all sorts of ways. Whether or not anyone in their videos other than him and Les actually exists is left as an exercise for the reader.
Les is quite possibly the least likeable protagonist I’ve ever written, and this includes the assorted people-eating monsters, body part harvesters, and characters based on IRL serial killers. Good job, Les…? He cares far too much about what people think of him but never for the right reasons. That heartbreak of his is legitimate but it is by no means an excuse for anything. The details of said got heavily trimmed away in the finished version, but he’s interested in making a living off of ARGs because he’s a hopeless auteur type who believes himself above “lesser” labor, and he’s got a nasty habit of living outside his means, so with his trust fund running out he needed to get creative to maintain the lifestyle to which he was accustomed. Usually people invest in shady startups or something. Him living in the middle of the woods was partially due to this; easier to get a big-ass house and lots of privacy in some remote county with limited wow factor than in the big city! The coasts would eat him alive one way or another.
How, exactly, Reggie might get deported if the feds caught wind of him is unclear, but it can’t be the sort of scenario that’d end well. An unspoken joke of his appearance is that he’s the sexified YA-friendly version of himself, physically, hence the tousled hair, affinity for suits, and slightly creepy features on what’s still a conventionally hot face. This is tremendously Les’s doing, to ensure Reggie is as consumable as possible (as touched upon lightly with Reggie’s “friends”); to quote my ever-stalwart beta reader, “oh my god he made the [O]nceler.” Not that the other personalities Reggie mentions are much better! Thinking about the consumable nature of media (the name is not an accident) led to all sorts of interesting thought processes this issue.
Octobers encourage me to experiment with my art techniques, so it’s photocollage time again! I went more for something that’d match the mood and feel of the piece than any particular scene. Obscuring Reggie’s face was important, as he’s meant to look as hot as the reader can possibly imagine and maybe then some, plus the recurring image of peeling back the world to see what’s on the other side and his connection to water and stars. Also it looks cool. Sometimes you just want to draw something that looks cool! I wanted to, and so I did, and so the story has a picture. Hope you enjoyed!
