#hoc lore

Finally taking the time to write down my ideas for Hawkins Outcasts. These are ideas that are currently simmering in my head, and I'll be adding more. :)

Finally got around to designing the Proto-Party; a group of childhood friends broken by fear and trauma.

I have a shit ton of lore to share about the Proto-Party, but I'm going to wait and do that for another post because I want to have more drawings to accompany it. So for now I'll just share these official designs.

The Proto-Party is meant to represent a 60s version of the Party we know, but in a scenario where they fail to save their most vulnerable person from a tragic fate. Henry's backstory is roughly the same as it was in s4, but this time much darker and better tied into the Upside Down. (More details here)

When the Party learns about Henry's past and their parents/Scott and Bob's involvement, it serves as a cautionary tale for them to not let the Mind Flayer get between them. (Especially between Mike and Will, as Henry let his guilt and shame consume him, so he did not get his love interest...psst take a guess of who that might've been)

ANYWAY I promise to share more of this in the near future. Sorry that my art's been all over the place lately, but I'm doing my best to focus on projects one at a time.

After Vecna is defeated and the Mindflayer destroyed, Hawkins is left in ruins. Much of the town is destroyed, and many of the residence long to leave the cursed town forever, including our main heroes and their families. After being given large sums of hush money, the people of Hawkins leave and scatter across the country, leaving Hawkins behind.

The town is then cut off from the rest of the world: the zipcode is removed, blockades are put up around highways, and one lone guard house is erected at the center of town. Over the next couple of decades, all of the houses, stores, community buildings and local motels decay and rot. Foliage grows through floorboards and along the walls, moss grows in basements, and dust collects in old bedrooms and offices. Some homes still have belongings in them, while others are completely vacant.

In the mid 2010s, the town was rediscovered by urban explorers and curious google map enthusiasts, giving birth to the Hawkins Conspiracy Theory. Those who dabble in the conspiracy theory try their best to unravel the history of this unknown town, but their efforts are often spoiled. Much of Hawkins' history has been carefully polished to fit with the government's official assessment, which conclude that the old town fell victim to mining toxicity, similar to Centralia, Pennsylvania or Picher, Oklahoma. However, many experts debate on what this toxicity actually was. Finding former locals who are willing to talk, let alone exist, is very hard to come by for internet sleuths. Digging through censuses and birth certificates, a handful of people have been discovered as being former residence, such as Will Byers, now known as Will Maldonado.

During an interview at a 2018 Comic Con, the comic book artist was asked if the fictional town from his horror fantasy comic Knights of Satin was inspired by his old hometown. Will took several minutes to answer. Finally, he answered in a calm, careful tone, "Kinda. I grew up there, and it was a weird town. Me, my family and my friends were all driven out of there because of this nuclear stuff that happened. You know...There's a lot of bad memories there for me, so I try to not think about it these days..." Will politely declined to answer more questions.

Ahoy friend! This is the perfect question to ask :)

So since Hawkins Outcasts takes place in the 90s, The Party listens to a lot of music from that era. (Well, Mike is the exception as he prefers older music)

Will: Big fan of Nirvana, thanks to Jonathan. He listens to a lot of Grunge and Alt Rock stuff. He's also a big Alice In Chains fan

Mike: Prefers Classic Rock, and his favorite Rock band is Kansas. They're a Prog Rock band and Progressive Rock is a subgenre themed to fantasy and shit.

Lucas: Lucas's taste in music varies, so enjoys stuff ranging from cool Jazz to weird stuff like Stoner Rock. His fav Jazz musician is Billie Holiday, while his favorite Stoner Rock group is Blind Melon.

Dustin: Listens to Grunge and some Nu Metal. He's a fan of Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine.

El: She's a big fan of the band Phish. I feel like Eleven's taste in music would be eclectic so she listens to a wide range of stuff. She enjoys the weird quirkiness of Phish and listens to them the most probably.

Here's a treat