Real-Life Weirdness

[William]

Thrash metal drummer gets COVID-19, requires medically-induced coma, has near death experience...

...is sent to Hell, finds out it kind of sucks, decides to live cleaner after coming back.

NDEs tend to the "enter the light" side of the spiritual scale, so this could definitely be a notable background for a character. The trip to the underworld is a classical journey of enlightenment, too, on which you could base any sort of dark powers you want your rich, famous, thrash-metal-drumming straightedge sorceror to have.

Plot twist: apparently he wasn't thrilled with Heaven either though, which if you think about it turns the bleak up to Lovecraft levels...

[Anders]

If anyone wants to run a spy campaign in World War II, you may want to look at Dusko Popov, the "real-life James Bond."

[Luke Bunyip]

The precursor for War of the Worlds is rather prescient, wouldn't you say?

Originally Posted by Science fiction inspired by Australian brutality

...In 1892, six years before War of the Worlds, an Anglican clergymen from Melbourne, Robert Potter, got there first with The Germ Growers, a tale of aliens secretly arriving on earth with the aim of destroying humanity through germ warfare. Fiction can be frighteningly realistic sometimes.

Sourced from here: ...Science fiction inspired by Australian brutality

[Luke Bunyip]

Townsfolk believe that they are protected from an incoming hurricane by an underwater alien base.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

Townsfolk believe that they are protected from an incoming hurricane by an underwater alien base.

Where I grew up, there was an occasional mention of the area being protected from tornadoes due to some connection with a Native American burial ground or similar (a bend in a large-ish river that passes through the city is also mentioned, typically linked to some "Indian legend" of dubious origin). I'd say "nearby ultraterrestrial base" would be something like a more modern equivalent.

[Anaraxes]

What makes you think the two legends are different? Obviously, Native Americans are extraterrestrials. Thunderbirds aren't mythical; they're just memories of shuttlecraft. Even Gerry Anderson subconsciously picked up that vibe. It's true; it's all true.

[Anders]

Wasn't there a Voyager episode where aliens had contacted Chakotay's ancestors and taught them stuff?

[Irish Wolf]

Originally Posted by Anders

Wasn't there a Voyager episode where aliens had contacted Chakotay's ancestors and taught them stuff?

Yes, because if your ancestors weren't white, they obviously had to be taught everything they know by extraterrestrials. They couldn't have figured any of it out on their own.

I think this is probably one of the reasons Robert Beltran doesn't like to talk about playing Chakotay.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Irish Wolf

Yes, because if your ancestors weren't white, they obviously had to be taught everything they know by extraterrestrials. They couldn't have figured any of it out on their own.

I think this is probably one of the reasons Robert Beltran doesn't like to talk about playing Chakotay.

Well, that and the unfortunate fact that the background of the character came largely from a fake expert.

[Dr. Beckenstein]

The Australian Austrian Government issued a warning for one the country's most dangerous beasts.

Be careful. There are real killers out there.

So - one for the encounter tables in modern settings?