[Storm] Stranger Danger

[trpmods]

Content Warning: The following event post contains language and some linked images related to: blood, mouth related body horror, sentient vines/tentacles, choking, 'animal' attacks.

It starts the way that some months do. Those who have been around long enough will know the tell-tale signs by now. There’s a building pressure in the air, the sort that builds up in the temples and brows of those sensitive to it. Over the course of a day dark clouds begin to gather on the horizon, flashing with distant thunder. And of course, people might realize it’s been such a long time since the last storm. So there is time, if one chooses to heed the warnings, to avoid the part that comes next. Time to flee to Sh’Ka, where the storms are often gentler, where you can get by with losing your powers and electricity for a bit without truly suffering as badly from visions and ghosts trying to pull you into danger.

Regardless of whether one stays in Temba or goes, on the tenth of October the storm front bears down on the city and demands attention. With the first crack of lightning power goes out and all technology across the city dies. Along with this expected issue comes another recurring set of annoyances. All superhuman abilities are drained from He Rows still in the city, the dark skies and thick fog make it hard to navigate, and of course there are the ghosts. Everyone knows the storm ghosts by now, don’t they? The images of people you know, and sometimes those you don’t, that lure people into danger. As ever one might choose to try and pass the storm indoors or perhaps they will find themselves lost outdoors, calling for assistance or perhaps chasing a voice in the wind.

Honestly, compared to the last few storms it’s rather tame. The moon, which glares balefully down with the hideous face it shows only during the storms. This may worry some, as in the past the moon has screamed at night, restoring powers in a temporary and dangerous way. Yet tonight it is silent. Perhaps, just perhaps, this storm will be easier. No blizzards, no horror stories come to life, no confessions of your greatest secrets.

When the change comes, it comes over the sky suddenly. One moment there is a blinding peel of plasma-white lightning, making all the fog shine. The next there is another bolt, this one crimson and foreboding. The clouds around it change, growing crimson and blood red from within. Along with this comes a drop in temperatures. Not enough that you can see every breath you take, but not far off of that point either. Something in the cold seems to make the fog congeal, make it sink to the ground and linger only a few inches, swirling and eddying like something is passing through it.

Not an hour later comes the first sounds. Inhuman roars, unearthly hisses, horrific screeching. These are sounds wholly unnatural on Agra-10, and unrecognizable to He Rows. Unless, of course, you are one of a few very unlucky souls hailing from a small town in Indiana.

These sounds represent a new and highly dangerous threat, ones issuing at irregular intervals from great crimson gashes in walls, and in one notable instance, in the bottom of the fountain. The holes start small but grow as time passes, becoming fully fledged gates. Lingering close to them is a bad idea if you are not armed, and perhaps even if you are. Come too close and a long, thick, sticky vine may shoot through and grab your leg. If the vine isn’t stopped you will be hauled through the tear in space and into a place both familiar and unfamiliar at once. Welcome to Temba’s very own Upside-Down. Your best hope to survive is to get back out the way you came in as quickly as possible.

Of course Temba proper is only moderately safer than the other dimensional version of it is. The noises you’ve been hearing? Those are the Upside-Down’s horrific local fauna, predatory creatures that have decided to take advantage of the open gates to come do a bit of hunting. All of them are dangerous in different ways. Perhaps it’s best to hide from the flocks of demobats, the packs of demodogs, and the solitary stalking demogorgons, because to them you look tasty. In fact, it’s probably also wise to avoid bleeding, because the demogorgons at the very least seem to have an enhanced sense of smell for blood specifically, which is impressive given they have no obvious noses. Or eyes. Just horrible, horrible mouths filled with a terrifying number of teeth and wickedly sharp claws. Actually this is true of the demodogs too. At least the bats only have teeth. And wings. And three tails all the better to choke you with.

Yes, it might be a lot better to hide from the horrible creatures that roam the streets and prowl through the skies. Then again, if you do that, won’t it just get more dangerous for everyone? Who can say if the creatures will linger past the end of the Energy Storm. What if you need to go out for food? What if you need to get medical assistance? Perhaps it is time to make a stand, to show the storm and your observers that you are not scared. That you can brave whatever is thrown at you, and that you can survive. You are the He Rows of Agra-10 and you can face anything, with a little preparation.

On the third day things change yet again, in the most shocking manner of all. Around noon lights flicker back on, and… communications return. In fact, most technology seems to work for about two hours. Which means there is a chance to talk, to coordinate, to plan. Those who are familiar with the phenomena will be able to give details, those who are ready to fight can find allies. And those who want to strike back can start to act in concert, because apparently there is an answer to stopping all of the creatures roving through Temba, and the answer is to close the gates.

Things only get more interesting on the fourth day. Electricity begins to flicker in and out throughout the city, but it’s irregular and unpredictable, though more common close to certain areas: the fountain, the power station, the arcade, and the alien target. All locations of gates. All places where people might be on the other side, moving around, perhaps unknowingly distorting the flow of power in the ‘real’ world. At around midday those with superhuman powers will start getting the smallest hint of them back, the powers coming and going unpredictably and at only a trickle of what they normally represent. By the end of the day the storm still rages, but electricity and tech seems mostly back on, though very weak. It’s not enough to run the replicator, but there are lights, and communications seem to have stabilized.

On the fifth day comes the true spark of hope. The storm still rages, the creatures still rove, but something in the nature of the storm itself seems to alter, and just like that, superhuman powers seem to be back on the table in their full force. Now what chance could those monsters possibly have against you? What chance could the things beyond the gates?

And what, you ask, is beyond the gates? At first glance everything seems almost identical to the city you just left, from the broken roads to the ruined buildings to even those improvements made by He Rows over time. But the world is cold, colder than it is in Temba. There’s no water anywhere there should be, not even in the fountain or coming from any spigot or faucet. What’s more, the sky at night is a gray blue that seems to cast the whole world in a shade of blue that makes no sense, and during the daylight hours the crimson storm rages overhead, making the heavens look like an expanse of blood. Hanging in the air and falling from the sky are large, floaty motes that look almost like dust, or ash, and they taste of death if you inhale them so maybe cover your mouth and nose.

The major difference beyond the ambience of the sky and the chill in the air comes from the plant-life. Any growing thing from Temba proves to be dead here, very little even having a presence except dead and bare trees. Meanwhile there seems to be local ‘plants’ manifesting as a large network of moist looking vines that twist and turn and cover most surfaces, leaving the ground a broken place to try and walk. Try and touch them and they will prove sticky and covered in a strange ooze, and they might try and grab you back. Worse than that will be finding out that bothering the vines in any way will bring the attention of first demobat scouts, and then perhaps the larger predators. Your best option is to find cover and not upset the vines or creatures.

Oh, and one other thing. Stomping around the immediate area of any gate there will be one other being. They are twenty foot tall monstrosities that seem made up of smoke and dust and anger. These creatures seem to be trying to open the gates wider so they can break through, though thankfully their progress is gradual at best. Now if only there was a way to stop them. They are easily distracted by people though, and will chase any He Row they see, though what they will do to the He Row if they manage to catch their target is a mystery. Thankfully the moment one passes through a gate, intentionally or otherwise, any powers they might have had return, so perhaps they will be able to get away safely until they can find a solution to their problem. Now if only they could find a way to get back, or perhaps merely communicate with the other side.

Ultimately two things are very clear. First, the monsters will not stop attacking Temba until the gates are closed. Second, the gates won’t respond to any attempt to close them from the ‘Right-Side Up’. So someone, or more than one someone, is going to have to go in and stop this horror. And until they do, everyone’s at risk.

Work together, He Rows, and maybe you’ll all survive.

FAQ
Before anything else we will give our players a reminder. This event can involve a lot of potentially triggering content. Please make sure your logs are posted with the relevant CWs/TWs that relate to specific text in your top level, and you add anything needed as a subject line warning if it becomes relevant in a thread. We have done our best to compile a list of possible Stranger Things canon related trigger warnings to the top of this event post, and encourage you to copy-paste those at minimum to your logs. If you are going to have non-event logs/threads as well, we ask that you avoid putting them them in the same logs as you are using for event related content to keep potentially triggering content separate from standard material. Thank you.

What are the dates of the event?

October 9th: Characters who have been around since last October will possibly notice signs of an approaching storm.
October 10th: Energy Storm.
October 11th: Storm turns red, four gates open
October 12th, Approximately Noon: Two hours where comms function and some tech as well
October 13th: Intermittent access to technology/electricity, irregular access to weakened versions of character abilities/powers
October 14th: All powers and technology becomes fully accessible and powered, the first possible day where all gates may be closed.

As an additional note, once creatures come through the gates on October 11th, the days get a bit of a pattern to them. Democreatures will be more active during night time hours than they are in daylight hours. So take the daytime hours as a chance to prepare for the periods of greater activity at night. Find/make weapons, set traps, find other He Rows, patch yourselves up.

When does the event end?
For this we’re putting faith in our players. While we don’t have a specific end date for this as players must close all four gates to end the event, we are assuming that this will be achieved by the He Rows by October 17th at the latest. So while we aren’t stating a specific date (you all might be so badass that you finish it all on the 14th, the first possible date where you can close all the gates), if you want to set something for ‘post-event’, set it on the 17th or later.

Can we opt-out of this event?
Yes. As ever, Sh’Ka will be your option. It will experience one day of standard energy storm effects on the 15th, if you want to have those.

Can we reach Sh’Ka once the storm starts?
Unfortunately no. Once the storm rolls in on the 10th, you are stuck in whichever city you have chosen until the end of the event.

What if I join the game or return from hiatus during the event?
You will have the choice of either arriving in Temba during the event (watch that fountain gate), or in Sh’Ka’s fountain.

What are the goals of this event, what options do we have?
Players can do one or more of four different options for the event.

1. Opt-Out entirely by being in Sh’Ka (other options are not available to you)
2. Hide from the monsters while in Temba
3. Defend Temba and your fellow He Rows from the monsters
4. Actively seek out the gates and try to seal them

If we can hide, does that mean there are safe spaces in Temba?
Indeed, there are three. He Rows will find that the Library, the Whale Comb Sent Her, and the Residential Towers are the safest locations. These locations will only be attacked once, on the fourteenth, and they will be extremely meager attempts that won’t actually make it into the buildings before the creatures are forced to retreat because of other activities like distractions/attacks on the gates/defenders saving people hiding.

It is possible to hide in other locations as well. However we suggest people hiding in a place that isn’t in the list of three safe zones above find their hiding place attacked by some form of creature at some point. If you want true safety but still being tied into the event as supporters/planners/weapon makers/etc, choose the three safe zones. Otherwise, be prepared to fight or run.

How do we defend Temba/other He Rows?
You’ve got a variety of options. The Democreatures (Demobats, Demodogs, and Demogorgons) are not immortal and can be killed by conventional means. Bats are probably the easiest to take out with enough stabbing/crushing, Demodogs require more effort, and Demogorgons are particularly hard. The good news is that the creatures do have weaknesses. Removing/crushing/otherwise destroying the head seems to put them down real fast. Fire not only repels them to a degree but causes MASSIVE damage. And these three types of creatures are not so smart as to be able to recognize/avoid traps.

Just remember to work together in teams, jump over your own traps, and watch each other’s backs. You don’t want to die here.

How do we seal the gates?
Remember those twenty foot tall monstrosities we mentioned? Those are miniature Mindflayers. These creatures seem to be made of smoke and ash and darkness, but they are a bit different here in the Temba Upside-Down than they are back in Hawkins. These creatures can be physically harmed, as there is something tangible below the swirling mass of smoke and darkness. Of course it is VERY HARD to do so. We suggest a lot of fire, high tech weapons, guns, melee weapons, and teamwork. The Mini Mindflayers must be killed to close their associated gate. Please note that they are likely to call any nearby democreatures to them to help fight in their defense.

Below in the comments you will see one comment for each of the gate regions. We ask that players use these to decide their teams for the assaults. Anyone who was here for the giant mini-event in March will be familiar with this process. If you find there are a lot of people signed up for the gate you’re interested in, or all already have some team or other, consider making a secondary support team whose job is to fight off the democreatures while the main attack against the Mindflayer is underway.

Any group that desires it may ask in the general questions thread at any point for an RNG decision as to who gets the final blow.

You mention fire specifically as a weakness. Why?
Because all creatures of the Upside-Down are weak to fire, and what’s more, they are a hivemind (more below in ‘You mentioned vines’). That means burning one causes pain to any connected creature, especially in close proximity, and even their associated Mindflayer. Fire and heat are your friends more than anything else. But that doesn’t mean they need to be your only weapon. They are just a great distraction and a great tool for causing stagger damage in a large area with little effort.

I want to fight the creatures/defend Temba/attack through the gate but my character has no weapons/powers. What do you suggest?
Improvised weapons are useful if you’re strong or they are sharp. Traps are really helpful and might be valuable to set out to either ward off or actively kill/trap/harm the democreatures. There is also going to be a need for people to try and keep others patched up and fed, so that’s a useful thing to be doing even if you don’t want to be in fights. Finally remember that once power is back even intermittently on the 13th, it’s possible to take the Security datapoint and grab one of the guns. The energy scythe tools are also an option with the security datapoint, however they will still react the same way to blood and so will only be good for a single attack before they need to be repaired by someone with the Engineering datapoint. Please note that if you’re taking the security datapoint only for the duration of the event and then going back to another one, you are not obligated to report it as an expertise change on your AC thread. We’re happy to assume you bounced to it and back out later.

Can we die?
If you specifically would like to drop a character and have them go out dramatically, reach out to the mod team. This is far more likely to be allowed in the Upside-Down than in Temba itself. Serious injury is possible. Otherwise remember that all near deaths and potential maimings should be directed to the Death Intervention page. We’re happy to let you nearly die on your own terms, but it should still be discussed so we can determine what, if any, assistance the Agrii might try to provide (which is usually reduced/weakened in a storm, so it’s possible to be VERY injured in the course of this event).

What is meant by ‘weakened versions of character abilities/powers’?
We leave this up to player discretion, but are willing to give some examples. Say you have a character that can create hurricane force winds at will. During the period of weakened powers they can still create wind but it’s probably only going to be light breezes or maybe a gust that makes someone stagger but not fall. Or if your character could lift a car over their head with their powers active but without them might have trouble lifting a large bag of dog food, with weakened powers they might be able to lift two or three bags of dog food, maybe even four, but they aren’t lifting a car.

Is it possible to communicate between Temba and Upside-Down Temba?
Yes and no. You’re not going to be able to use your communication device across the dimensional rift, but there are ways to communicate otherwise which vary based on the side of the gates you are on. If you are in the Upside-Down it is possible to hear raised voices if you are sharing the same ‘space’ as another person on the other side (e.g. if you are in the diner and someone is talking loudly/shouting in the diner, you will hear them in the Upside-Down).

Meanwhile the presence of living things in the Upside-Down have an impact on the ‘real’ world Temba. Anywhere that a device that uses electricity is, whether it is on or not, results in the presence of a faint golden glow and sparkles in the air. When touched by someone in the Upside-Down they can effectively manipulate the amount of electricity going into a device. This allows one to use the sparkling energy to send what amounts to messages in the form of Morse Code or some other manner like answering yes or no questions or even as a spelling board if someone is creative enough to string electronics together with some means of representing letters.

Using these two methods, shouting in Temba and faint electrical surges in the Upside-Down, careful communications are possible.

Are there other major differences between the Upside-Down and Temba?
The effects of the energy storm in inhibiting powers does not seem to be in play once one crosses into the Upside-Down. Once you pass through that portal, it’s all fair game. For environmental questions, please continue on, we will cover that below.

Can I tell where someone is in the Upside-Down if I’m in Temba?
If you are in Temba and there are lights around you that are off, you will be able to ‘see’ the passage of people in the Upside-Down. This can be passive like lights going on and off in a hallway, or more active like holding up a powered off flashlight/torch and following the glow to track someone in motion.

How are people supposed to find the gates?
Well, you could trip over them, so to speak. Just be in the right place at the right time. The other reliable method is with a compass. Gates to the Upside-Down distort electromagnetic fields over a large area, and if you are near one any compass, even improvised ones, will point toward a gate. Guess it’s time to get out those homemade compasses. Time to show off your merit badges and summer camp skills.

In addition, the toxic/corrosive nature of the Upside-Down spreads from the gates. This means that plants in the area will, over time, die. We imagine this to be a roughly twenty to forty yard radius of dead plants around the areas with gates, though as the gates are mostly in buildings this will not always be noticeable as there may not be plants in the area.

You said the Upside-Down looks like Temba. How much like Temba?
The Upside-Down will be identical to Temba as it was in the exact moment that the storm first turned red. That’s down to the placement of chairs or even messes on your bedroom floors! The items that were there before are still there, including food. Perishable food will rot by the end of the first day. Non-perishable food is still going to be there. Water and electricity, though, will not be available.

You mentioned vines and issues with stepping on them. Can you explain?
So all lifeforms in the Upside-Down are actually part of a singular hivemind, and the vines, while the most sedentary of all of these lifeforms, also serve as something like a security net for the rest of the Upside-Down. They’re also mobile. It might help to think of them not only as vines, but as tentacles. If they are stepped on, all local democreatures will know where you are. They may even move to try and restrain you. They are very strong if they get you pinned, but can be cut or burned off. It is better to try and not tread on these when you can. Of course, you won’t know that if no one has warned you or you haven’t seen it in action before…

Is there a level of common/uncommon/rare encounter rate for the different democreatures? Also, tell us about the democreatures.
Demobats will be the most common within the Upside-Down and can make flocks of anywhere from three to a hundred individuals, or can be solitary scouts. They will make it through into Tembas as well, though in fewer numbers and will have a fondness for high places with good lines of sight. These creatures are often scouts or distraction tactics for other creatures. Their most common method of attack is to try and isolate an individual, usually with one demobat using its three tails to wrap around a limb or throat to pull the victim over and make it hard for them to get to their feet, and they can choke someone to death like this. Other demobats in the area will then land on the victim to try and get bites out of them. Their wings are particularly fragile, and someone with sufficient strength and leverage can actually rip their wings off or them in two.

Demodogs are less common in the Upside-Down but more common in Temba because they will be quick to head through the gates. These can show up as individuals or packs ranging from five to fifteen individuals. When you want to think about their method of attack, think about pack hunting animals (or the velociraptors from any Jurassic Park movie). They will often try to circle their prey and are predators used to running down their prey with persistence and stamina. Where there is one demodog you can bet there’s probably another two or three around. They are actually about the size of a medium-large dog, and can tear your leg off. They like to go for soft, fleshy areas though. Their legs are particularly susceptible to breaking, and they are small enough that enough blunt force trauma can take them out. While not overly durable they benefit from their hivemind allowing them to work together as a good hunting pack, and aren’t scared of anything but fire and demogorgons. The good news is that they are happy to feed once they have made a kill, unless they determine something else is a threat, so distractions with meat are viable.

Demogorgons are the top of the ladder predators here. When a demodog lives long enough and eats enough, it becomes a demogorgon, but that takes a long time to achieve. Demogrogons are bipedal, solitary, and ambush predators. They prefer to use either their hands/claws to cut into people, or to ambush them by coming up behind someone and eating their whole head in one crunching bite. Sorry, we can’t think of a gentler way to describe that. Unless there is other prey in the immediate area that they can see, demogorgons will stay to feed on their kills, or even other democreatures. Demogorgons are slightly more intelligent than their kin, and do not see people as threats. As such they are overconfident and may toy with their prey, switching between targets if they don’t feel threatened just to have some fun. They do not, though, recognize traps at all, so leading them into one is easier than you would think.

How do Mindflayers attack?
Stomping on you. Forming a mouth from their elongated and pointy heads to try and eat you. Forming tentacles full of angry sharp bits like teeth to grab and try and eat you. Summoning other creatures to do their bidding. Luckily, there are only four of them.

Is the Upside-Down on its own dangerous for extended periods of time?
The Upside-Down’s atmosphere can be toxic, so it is best to avoid prolonged exposure if possible. It is also advisable to wear something to keep larger particulates from being inhaled. In addition the area is very cold, which can lead to hypothermia if poorly dressed and stuck there for extended periods of time. There are also occasional tremors that can lead to falls (or tripping onto vines). All creatures from the Upside-Down will prove toxic if you attempt to consume them.

Oh no you didn’t answer something OR oh wait you didn’t mention this one thing about Stranger Things canon!
Please ask it below. We want to give you as many details as possible to help you in your adventures and your fight against the encroaching evil. We ask that questions related to this be asked on this page only and to the mod team. Anyone familiar with Stranger Things should not assume answers, not everything is perfectly identical after all.

Comments

Questions and Comments?

[trpmods]

Ask them here so we can see them.

Looting them corpses

[sunglassesincluded]

Is it possible to harvest pieces/samples from the democreatures for scientific research?
Same question for the Mindflayers? Can Albert chop off a tentacle and keep it as a souvenir?
Will those pieces remain after the event or vanish?

For the record: Wesker will totally aim to collect some mostly intact specimen to study. Because you never know which part of a creature can be useful.

[quark_assassin]

Very important and relevant question: Dustin is going to aim the telescope in the Amphitheater at the moon while it is smiling at them (it does have electric actuators but those aren't the only way to move/adjust its focus; it should be able to still function without electricity). What does he see? This would be something he does on the 10th, specifically.

More important and relevant questions:

• In Temba's Upside-Down, is the Replicator there? Can the real world version of it be made to work by Upside-Down residents touching its counterpart?
• Status of Upside-Down Hangar/forcefield area where the Hangar used to exist?

[playingtough]

I think I know the answer, but just in case - people from Hawkins who’ve been possessed previously/mentally haunted by the Upside Down, won’t be at risk for repossession, right?

[researcherprincess]

Important question. Do the Demodemons and Mindflayer count as Evil?

[newmemorywhodis]

Do items with abilities (like the Master Sword) also lose their powers?

And since I see from Kintz's question that the creatures count as evil...how effective will the Master Sword be at harming them? (If/when it does have it's power)

[belladonic]

What happens if someone is on the wrong side when the gates close?

[thepurpleone]

So Donnie's been waiting for a real storm to brew to test how the caves may be affected since he's heard that the Agrii used to weather the early storms there. If he got out there at the first signs of a storm building, how would things be in there when the actual storm rolls in?

Ghostie Questions

[the_freak]

If someone had an instant camera would it (still work?) be able to take a picture of the ghosts?

And I am sure this one is answered all ready, but just as a reminder- can other people see each others ghosts in a normal storm?

Gate Team Sign Ups

[trpmods]

Please use the relevant comments below to sign up for gate teams. We suggest that one person per team also make a specific team plotting comment on the post to handle your discussions how you want to play out threads, any tagging orders, or other communication as not all of our players are available on any one platform (Discord or Plurk) other than here.

If you find there are a lot of people signed up for the gate you’re interested in, or all already have some team or other, consider making a secondary support team whose job is to fight off the democreatures while the main attack against the Mindflayer is underway.

Any group that desires it may ask in the general questions thread at any point for an RNG decision as to who gets the final blow.

Arcade Gate

[trpmods]

Please reply to this comment to sign up as part of the Arcade Gate team. If you have any questions related to this gate, please use the questions thread above and use the subject line 'Arcade Gate Question'.

Plotting with Xy for Steve Rogers

[pursuitofcappiness]

Holy cow where do I start. Okay so first of all, Steve will be unpowered which means 1. he is 5' 4" 2. he couldn't lift and throw a sack of potatoes if he tried 3. he has asthma, and 4. a moderate wind could knock him off-balance. So naturally you would think he'd stay inside and try to hide, right?

Absolutely not. He is going out there with anything he can find which can be held with a handle and is somewhat flat and/or circular. If not, he's gonna fistfight things and get his ass kicked. So basically, someone please either rescue Steve from his own stupidity, or get hurt enough that he has to stay at the hospital and take care of the wounded. Oh because did I mention that Steve has taken the medical datapoint and he is now a fledgling medic. Way to throw someone into the deep end after training!

Once his powers come back online he will be yeeting things left and right, however! Steve also came to the game with his trusty compass, so I'm interested in going to check out a gate with someone. I'm not terribly picky about which one but since he's camping out at the hospital, he is closest to the arcade and fountain.

Things I would like:
- Teamwork! Steve works best on a team and honestly he can't solo any monsters right now and absolutely 1500% needs to make a fool of himself trying to fight against them until his castmates all come and yell at him for being an idiot.
- Tending to wounds! Having been on the opposite side of this table so many times he's got a decent bedside manner and definitely at least knew some basic first aid before arrival.
- Of course when he's got his powers back he will be strong, fast, endurant and resistant to poison but unless you'd like a rescue I'll probably just handwave that part.
- Gate team things! Again I haven't decided which one I will sign up for but if someone would like to be shoved together with Steve I will just take that one.
- I'm definitely gonna think of something as soon as someone responds to this, I'm sure. But also open for ideas. Since he's new I am open to pretty much meeting everybody anyway, even if it's for a lil downtime. Excellent first impression.

[sunglassesincluded]

Well, since Steve is hanging out in the hospital, chances are that he is running into Wesker. Who will glare disapprovingly at Steve should he wander into Wesker's lab area.

Though this could be an interesting encounter considering these two don't only share similar powers but also a military background. Which is a lesser known detail with Wesker, but he has served as an officer for the US army between his times as scientist and being assigned to S.T.A.R.S. - He can appreciate Steve doing what he is capable of without his powers rather than barging head-first into a suicide mission. In fact, Steve may have a chance of being the one super hero Wesker doesn't deem to be a troublemaking nuisance. We may see.

Jon & Wesker

[sunglassesincluded]

Jon

Will be your host when you decide to seek shelter in the library, obviously. Hopefully you don't mind feeling watched, though that effect obviously will be lessened A LOT during the storm. But it won't be gone entirely, which actually may be why the democreatures are avoiding the place? Who can tell.

On the plus side, you get to enjoy mothcat time.

When the powers come back, Jon can easily act as your Eye In the Sky. While he can't track the movements of the democreatures due to their LACK OF EYES, he can still watch them through any other eye in the city. So he's a good support option for anyone out there keeping Temba's streets safe.

Wesker

Wesker is all about defending his research the hospital while preparing for a direct attack. He comes with a military background of fighting BOWs, obviously, so he is no stranger to taking on vicious monstrosities. You know. Those things just happen to escape from labs from time to time.

Luckily Wesker is prepared. He doesn't rely on his powers to fight but has been working on designing and building potent weaponry since his very arrival. Consider it a hobby of his. He has a little arsenal of customized weapons at his disposal aside of his personal gun. Which he has created ammunition for as well. It may look like a regular gun, but that one as well has been customized by Wesker in the past to take out larger BOWs, so the little thing can do some noteworthy damage.

As a side objective Wesker will seek to gather samples from the democreatures. Yay! Don't mind him, he's a bioengineer and only wants to understand what the frick is being tossed at them. Just to be prepared for whatever may come next...

He is also going to get involved in taking on one of the Mindflayers, but that's in a different comment. Wesker is very prepared, very competent and has no time for nonsense. Join his team, bring an egg - And don't question the sunglasses.

General Sonic junk & Team Arcade Gate

[spinsandneedles]

Sonic
The blue blur is gonna be a blue tiny pointy lump who's only as strong as would be realistically proportionate to his size (the strength of like, two toddlers at best), a normal speed (again, for someone his size), and without his endless well of stamina.

He is absolutely still going to be out trying to help people, at least for a while. Maybe not actively seeking trouble, but trouble always has a way of finding him SO,Y'KNOW. He's used to always having to be the guy saving everyone, someone can save his goofy butt for once. He might even learn his lesson and stay out of trouble if he gets mauled a couple times lol. By the way he hates this???

Once his powers start coming back he's charging face first into some monsters, though.

Arcade Gate
He's running up the Mindflayer and kicking it in the head and nobody can stop him. He's fast and annoying so his goal would most likely be trying to keep it distracted while his team murders the hell out of it.

If a lot of people want to fight the Mindflayer, he's also good for crowd control and can beat up Democritters instead!

[newmemorywhodis]

Link will be joining Sonic at the Arcade Gate, and it turns out the Master Sword is SUPER EFFECTIVE, so...that should be helpful :P

Dustin Plotting!!

[quark_assassin]

So the reasonable thing to do in this event where a portal to another dimension opens would be to either get as far away from that as possible or go in there with the intent to close the place off forever, right? Well, Dustin is taking the secret third unreasonable option and more or less spending this whole event, post-portals, in the Upside-Down because his powers work there and he wants to know why.

Cue the creation of Dustin's Upside-Down Research Bunker, which is probably going to be some out-of-the-way building near a gate that he's going to fortify, surround with traps, and hide inside while he makes observations, snags many samples, and attempts to make manual measurements of the local environmental conditions, for Science. The creation of said bunker may or may not be precipitated by Dustin being attacked immediately on voluntarily entering the gate and then holing up somewhere while he nurses his wounds.

Easy points of interaction:

• Dustin is making just a bunch of traps, improvised weapons and/or firebombs, mostly for him but he's not adverse to sharing, especially if the person asking for them is in imminent danger
• Let's be real, the sheer amount of traps surrounding this building will make it its own hazard that may catch a character rather than a demodog
• Extremely long and complicated Morse Code messages tapped out through a solitary lightbulb somewhere (Dustin doesn't even need the Communications expertise for this, he's just that much of a nerd)
• Someone medical should probably go check up on him
• Science Pals
• oh right he could help close a gate or something I guess

Devon's Assorted Peoples (Billy K/Wiccan, Eddie, Peter B, Jan

[wearingthestars]

Billy Kaplan/Wiccan: Still to be determined. He's had some very bad experiences with the storm, so he would be tempted to book it. However he is Medical, and would feel bad abandoning people when they might get hurt. He will likely go wherever Soldier does as they are currently living together. Whether he is is Sh'ka or Temba, he will be available for medical assistance, and has more general survival skills now than he used to.

Eddie Munson: Jesus H Christ. He is not pleased at all. Eddie is very familiar with the Hawkin's version of the Upside Down, as it's where he drew his final breaths. He is NOT aware of the toxic air (thanks guys). He has some insight into how to fight the Demobats. He never faced the other creatures in person. Scared as he is- Eddie will want to help. Steve probably won't like that. But Eddie wants to help close a gate whether with the Stranger Things crew, or on his lonesome. He will try not to die again. He also knows how to communicate with the outside world all ready.

Peter B Parker Miiiight actually be smart enough not to bring his baby to this fight...maybe? If so, would need a babysitter. Without his powers he won't be able to see since he's got no stupid glasses, he has no spidey sense, and his strength is gone, but the web shooters might still work? I don't really know how they are powered, I will ask. But yes, either not great fighting with or without baby, or maybe trying to hide and cope with his body, and use SCIENCE to fight? Thoughts?

Janet Van Dyne By this time, Lestat will be dropped and Jan will arrive to...this mess. She will obviously want to fight, even without her powers. She will be looking to team up with whatever Avengers she can find if possible. She's ready to kick butt. Maybe too ready. Someone might need to remind her she isn't as strong right now.

[farrahfawcetts]

STEVE DOES NOT LIKE THIS.

‹spoilers for stranger things in this comment›

[ephemerios]

Well, she died in canon before she got to experience this and now it's coming to give her an immersive recap - THIS IS FINE AND A GREAT TIME 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

Unfortunately she is small and sucks at fighting which means she'll probably be appealing bait for the monsters (someone pls teamwork-fight some with her), but fortunately she is small and sucks at fighting which means she can find all the cool extra hiding spots and help make traps/etc. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

In conclusion:

[hashtagparkerluck]

Hello, if she needs a quick rescue Peter can swing in to help. He's mostly depowered though so there's a limit to how much he can do, sadly.

Donnie Plot Things

[thepurpleone]

Donnie is thankfully ninja-trained not to rely on his tech and hasn't tapped into his ninpō naturally yet so not having it available doesn't really change anything for him. He'll still nevertheless be annoyed by the lack of functioning tech, but at least he'll have a titanium bō to use in the meantime.

Someone might want to make sure he doesn't go running after people that aren't actually there though so he won't get himself accidentally killed.

He's got a few breathing masks he's made (one of them's specifically for his blue buddy because his head situation is a bit ridiculous), so they're limited but available if the subject ever comes up with the kid.

Once power's working, he'll be very useful in fighting off things as his tech-bō will be functioning so if you need a guy with a laser rifle and a rocket mallet or need a buzz saw or flame thrower, look no further.

The cold is definitely going to be a hindrance though, more so in the Other end of things because yaaay cold-blooded, so that's also a thing.

...I'm just throwing down whatever I can think of right now but I'm sure I've missed a lot, I tend to largely wing it through these things either way. XD

[quark_assassin]

Considering that Dustin is going to spend almost the whole event in the Upside-Down I think he could benefit from a breathing mask :')

Also I would love for these two to do some Nerd Shit related to like, communicating with each other from one side to the other, because 1. If Dustin commissioned a mask from Donnie ahead of time then he would know roughly where Dustin is and they could still plan to coordinate without a working network, and 2. Donnie seems like a character that could casually translate Lightbulb Morse Code even without the Communications data point (or they could make up their own language or something equally silly)

Plot with Steve and Richie! Spoilers in Steve section

[farrahfawcetts]

Steve Harrington: Jesus FUCKING CHRIST. He thought they couldn't get him here. He thought this was a fucking vacation. But apparently not! Apparently he has to do this ALL OVER AGAIN and, yeah. He will. At least this time he has a proper mace.

Steve is going to have two priorities during this: Close the gates and Protect his loved ones. Eddie died once during this and he has absolutely no PTSD from that and all the other fights he's been in. That said, he knows how to fight these guys and won't hesitate to throw himself into danger. Put him on your team if you need a tank.

Richie Tozier: Pass. Fucking pass. Richie fought stupid shit too much as it is. He's a 40+ year old man with bad eyesight and a buddy with a sprained ankle. He is only going to get involved if dragged into it by someone he cares about being in trouble or someone intentionally asking him to help. Otherwise, this bitch is leaving you heroes to this. He'll take care of those left behind.

[daddy_longlegs]

Hey Richie, wanna watch a baby?

Ash Ketchum, Peter Parker & Princess Zelda

[researcherprincess]

Ash & Pikachu Ash is very used to having to fix things and risk his life. He's died seven times in the series and he will feel like he has to help. Pikachu won't like it but he supports Ash 100%. Ash is human. He does have what in the Pokémon world is called 'Aura powers' but that's really just makes him extra empathetic and he can lend life force to people but it does take away his life force so... he can't use it much.

Pikachu, once in the upside down will do some serious damage and his priority is keeping Ash alive. He'll also help out anyone that might need something thunder bolted.

Peter Parker Peter is going to hate being depowered. That means his asthma is back but he'll still want to help. He'll jump into do some rescues around town if needed up until he goes into the upside down and gets all his powers back. Again, he's here for quick rescues and he can probably hit a demo demon pretty damn hard. He'll be going in through alien target.

Princess Zelda She's going to switch to the medical data point so she can help out as best she can. She's not much of a fighter. She does have her sealing powers so maybe she can go into the Upside Down and fight the Mind Flayer. Does it count as evil? Anyways. Princess Zelda will be Nurse Zelda for this event.

UPDATE: they do count as Evil. She might be a good candidate to fight the mind flayer.

Link

[newmemorywhodis]

Link's going to be very focused on protecting Zelda during this event, and since she'll be at the hospital, he's basically going to be working on keeping it safe. So, expect him to be patrolling around and in it.

He's also going to be pretty darn effective during this event - even when depowered he's got ridiculous combat skills and a sword. And when they do have powers, said sword will be SUPER EFFECTIVE and is going to make the democreatures wary of it after a while.

So yes, if anyone wants to run into trouble around the hospital - or have someone help protect them while they run to get medical treatment - Link can help!

He'll also be going to the Arcade Gate to fight the mind flayer, because of course he is.

Hargrove & York - Stranger Things spoilers in Hargrove's section

[playingtough]

Hargrove

SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS
Please put it back in the fridge if you don't want spoils
Okay ilu guys <3

October 9th - 10th: No change from Hargrove. He hasn't experienced an energy storm yet so he doesn't know what's going on. On the eve of the 11th, he'll start getting worried.
October 11th - 12th: I can flip a coin whether he's going to be in fight or flight mode, mostly fight mode as the storm turns red. He'll probably be out near one of the gates and have a PTSD moment that maybe the others in his canon will get. Depending on the level of his mind going in and out of memories, he might not even recognize your character is there, or even where he's at. He might feel like he's repossessed and there's going to be screaming.
Lots of screaming.
October 13th-14th: He finally gets himself together and is going to help with the creatures. He has an axe that he has some knowledge in how to use it ("Swing swing swing, chop chop chop" ~ "My Axe" by Insane Clown Posse). He will be aggressive obviously, but more of a 'get out of the way and to safety' than a bullying kind of way. We can discuss whether or not he'd accidentally hurt your person trying to get them out of harms way.

York

October 9th - 10th: York will recognize the storm, but not think much of it. They don't really effect him all that much. He will be worried about Connor and wonder where Markus went off to. He'll try to plan with people he cares about to get them to safe places like in the hotel.
October 11th - 14th: Curiosity might hurt the android. Then he'll start helping others get to safety or things they might need to fight the creatures.

I'm open to tagging more with York, rather than making a top level for him. Fighting is not his forte at all, he's dealt with actually wielding a weapon once and it was in a... bad situation. Like this one, but not quite (canon event: the raid on Jericho in Detroit: Become Human if one is curious). He is not good at fighting, his directive is building. Teach him how to do things (IE: Make traps) and he'll set that shit up though.

Note: I'll talk to people if I'm interested in tagging with Hargrove, to see if spoiler things are okay, but I do not plan on tagging out much with him. I don't want to spoil people by accident. York's gonna be the one to go to people instead. <3
If you tag Hargrove, I am going to presume that spoilers are okay.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Hargrove can run into Steve he's def gonna try to defend Billy from the monsters and Billy can shove him aside lmaoo

Churby's People Plotting

[doubled_speed]

Listen, I'm doing them in separate comments after this because Robin's gonna have spoilers and all of that and it lets me share things as I think of them. Thanks.

Gladiolus Amicitia

[ziedrich_bearer]

I've got a few plans here for different phases of the adventure.

October 10th

Gladio will of course be unaware of the storm's approach and so get caught out in it. He will be seeing visions of his sister and father. So yeah, you can encounter him out in the storm.

October 11th-12th

I'm not saying Gladio's been stockpiling some weapons (mostly stuff he's been carving out of wood or putting together out of scrap, but also some promised ones), but he's been stockpiling weapons. And he'll be trying to get to find his little ones to hand those out. Want a club? LMK. Otherwise him getting people out of trouble and going hand to hand against demodogs and the like. He's good for rescuing people out of their depth or getting them to safe locations.

October 13th-14th

Gladio's weapons will be accessible to him on the 13th. He'll know it immediately and snatch them out. This will leave him with a spare great shield to loan out to someone who might want it for the duration. He's going to be focused more on defending the city and helping with that. Though he could be at a Mindflayer fight. But he'll need convinced. Someone needs to invite him (he would do it happily but dude didn't go through a gate on his own).

Sh'Ka, or the spoiler free option

[sinistral]

I just started watching the series so everything up there? Spoiler. Therefore one Winter Soldier will be hanging out spoiler-free in Sh'Ka, for anyone who wants to try to put up with him or just isn't feeling the event. Need your heavy lifting? Hit this guy up. Want to explore the landscape? You'll probably come across him doing some general cleaning up, cutting back vines and shifting rubble away from useful structures. Feel like being saved — or attacked — during the storm? I got you. Want to handwave any of the above because Life is super busy but it'd be great for future CR? Let's hash an outline out here.

I'm pretty flexible for almost anything. My only request is please no Stranger Things spoilers, event-related or not.

[soldiers_heart]

Winter soldier meet child soldier? :D

Keith | Voltron: Legendary Defender | DF:AU

[tempredmental]

So, thanks to a rickety ladder while fixing his and Lance's house from the earthquake damage, Keith's down an arm for this fight. But, he's also definitely not the type to sit things out. So, he's going to end up at the Alien Target Gate. Thankfully, he is actually ambidextrous, and can fight as easily with his left as his right, and he'd gotten his bayard back a while ago, so he has a weapon to fight with. It's not the first time he's fought with an injured arm/hand, either... he's done it twice before... because he's that stupidly heroic.