Zombie Cliche Lookout: Unnecessary Delays
In a crisis, it’s important to act quickly. Don’t worry about things that aren’t immediately important. That project for work? It can wait, you need to run away from the zombies now. But in zombie stories (and horror, and many disaster stories), people often come to peril by ignoring this advice and taking completely unnecessary detours to do something that really doesn’t matter in light of the current situation.
Of course, there are examples both ways. Countless people have said, “If I hadn’t stopped to pick up that penny, I wouldn’t have been crushed by the out-of-control ice cream truck”. But then, witnesses to other events might weigh in with, “If only she hadn’t slowed down to push that child out of the way, she’d be alive today.”
About this Episode:
I tried my best to make Sam’s office building seem modern, but not too modern. Like a software company from the early 90s, perhaps. Lots of grays, with pops of color from modern art and the seats in the lobby. Speaking of those seats, I had originally used brown, but they faded into the background way too much. I was hesitant to use brighter colors, but then I thought about Tiger Stadium.
Several years ago now, they tore down the old Tiger stadium in Detroit. The Tigers had moved to their new stadium – Comerica Park – years earlier. A lot of people bought pieces of old Tiger’s stadium, including lots and lots of bleacher seats. And some of those seats were used in businesses, “man caves”, and the like. With that in mind, I think these yellow and blue chairs work just fine.
Discussion Question: What Will You Miss Most
While I’m sure most of us look forward to killing hordes of zombies in creative ways, there is going to be a lot about our modern society that we come to miss. Hot and cold running water, electricity, television, internet, the grocery store… I could go on and on.
With that in mind, what do you suppose you will miss the most, and why?
I enjoy cold water, I can live with out games and usually electricity (the lack of light would be the only bad thing. I like sitting in the pure quiet while reading), this internet thing here? Might bug me for a day.. Really it wouldn’t be the worse for me. The thing I think I’d miss most is the availability of different kinds of meat, fruit, and vegatables. I enjoy variety in my meals and day to day eats.
But other than that? I could replace all I do with things I already do. Read, Play DnD (and similar systems), and enjoy nature.
I agree with most of that, but the thing being that if it’s TEOTWAWKI, and the internet stops forever, that’s it for this website. I’d miss talking to all my friends on here, unless I can get an aeroplane and land it somewhere in America or Belgium or wherever, which would be the only way, and there is no chance of doing that.
What I’d really like to do, if I won a ridiculous amount of money (They did a £112 million lottery prize once) I would travel to America and build a fully sustainable walled up solar powered place, with homes and farms and a bunker with an armoury and storehouse. I’d grant all of you guys access in, along with anyone else you’d like to bring. It could work.
If you make it to the US with your millions, LegoMiles, don’t forget your buddy Dave and his silly little website!
Ooooo… Count me in for that. Hey, if you provided a decent wage, I’d live there full time and do some farming and stuff for you. (Since we’d need to have that sort of thing going BEFORE anything resembling the rise of the dead takes place. Let the more socially oriented people work outside the walls until it hits the fan, I’d like to do some hands on stuff.)
Not a bad outlook, Calicade. Embrace the change and make the best of it.
Typo alerts for Dave:
1. Zombie Cliche Lookout, first paragraph, fifth sentence, after the comma at the end of the brackets, 7th word should read “ignoring”.
2. Same section, second paragraph, third sentence, third word after the comma should read “other”.
I’m going to be busy moving for the next couple of days, and may possibly be without internet for a couple of months at worst, or I might be on crappy radio internet instead of a nice fast ADSL 2.0 landline, or something equally bad.
Therefore I would like to ask regular commenters to BotD to voluntarily be on the lookout for Dave’s typos and help him out both in present and past articles and episodes and really help him make this site proof-read!
Please note: If you don’t want to proof-read and help Dave improve his site, please don’t complain. I am not asking this be mandatory or in any manner compulsory, this is just so that Dave can make his site stand out a lot when someone comes to browse it!
Until I get back into a regular internet usage scenario, play well, and don’t let the zombies eat the last cupcake! 
Much obliged, as always BrickVoid.
And yes, if you see a typo, grammatical, or usage error, please don’t be shy about letting me know. That sort of thing drives me nuts, and I always fix them as soon as I know about them.
Oh, and lots of luck with the move. We just did one six months ago. Exhausting work.
I don’t personally want any reward for myself because I enjoy finding things that need fixing. But perhaps Dave would give people some kind of bonus or incentive for people to find typos for him. Perhaps an acknowledgments page, or something like that!
Also, I don’t mean the monetary kind of reward or giving a set as a prize as this isn’t really a competition, it’s a way to show Dave we care about his site and want to make it a Grade A site!
It’s really up to Dave where he wants to take it, and there are many directions he could pick! Just don’t pick the one with the zombies at the end of it!
I’ll have to give some thought to that, because some acknowledgement beyond a quick “Thank you” in the comments is in order.
The feeling of security. Just being able to walk around without having to be afraid. Peace and quiet… Well, you get the picture.
)
Why? well, I think I would prefer that feeling over anything material (which isn’t a necessity like food
This is a huge one. It’s just something that so many of us take for granted that it comes as a huge shock when it’s not there. I remember a few years ago my car got stolen. There’s leagues away from being in actual danger, but it really shook me.
Pissed me off a lot too.
Also, in the discussion question, “the grocery story?> Is that what you intended, there, Dave? Grocery store would make a little more sense but somehow story seems to fit in there too, in a manner of speaking, if you take a few lightning leaps around English sentence syntax!
Oops. I’ll fix that too.
I typed this one after a very, very long day. Can you tell?
We just finished (or are finishing), the coldest winter in about forty years here. The winter was cold, being out in my car all day long didn’t help. It was bleak and depressing. I got really sick of the cold.
Ah, but in Salt Lake in the Spring, it is heater in the morning and AC in the afternoon. I went to do a home visit for a geriatric woman yesterday. I walked in and began to feel uncomfortably warm, like I was going to begin sweating at any moment; and I thought “That’s right. Old folks hate to use the AC…” I slogged on.
I’d miss AC in the summertime the most, especially here in this high altitude desert. And when the bodies start to stink. Ugh.
Oh god, I’d miss AC so much. You can do a lot with the cold (more layers, build a fire, move around, etc), but with heat you have a lot fewer options. Luckily, Michigan is a pretty mild state, but we still get some decent heat waves in the summer.
One of many reasons a zombie apocalypse here in sunny Florida terrifies me…
Plumbing. Hot water, flush toilets. Yes, plumbing.
Electric lights and furnace heat probably come in close behind.
And to go along with that, toilet paper. Two-ply.
Quality toilet paper and a hot shower…
Testify!
Hot showers are over rated unless your talking in the Winter. TP is a must, no poison ivy crack for me thank you. Gasoline would be nice but that won’t last either.
Viddeo games and the internet
Mostly the discussion questions delve into the fears about zombie side, but here’s a really dark question for Dave: What would you do if you came across someone who actively harvested zombies for dubious purposes, like burning them in a boiler to make fuel out of them or some sinister and dark purpose that has no respect for the fact that they were once people?
We often think most people in a zombie apocalypse are going to be afraid of zombies and want only to be rid of them, what happens though if you find someone who is actively using them as a resource, does that bring out the disappointment factor or does that just seem like life continuing to live on despite the fact the zombie infestation is deadly?
Easily I will miss this site and Reasonably Clever, along with Smosh.
Let’s say you zombified a genius and an idiot, then put survivors in a boarded up house near them. Would the genius zombie look for weakness in the building’s barracades, or be reduced to a slobbering brain dead corpse like other zombies? Or, more in general, would a zombie’s past attributes (strong, smart, etc.) influence them in any way?
I’m sad
Why’s that?
My girlfriend broke up with me!
Dude, you were too good for her! Don’t worry, there’s always someone else!
Dude, you were too good for her! Don’t worry, there’s always someone else!
I don’t know why she said through Skype, We need to talk I haven’t seen you in a while I think we should break up and like that she was gone! Thanks for your support Portaler98.
I don’t understand! Why does the world hate me!:’(
Maybe your right Portaler98 there is always someone else
This isn’t the place for all that guys..
Agreed
The forum, however, is perfect for it.
Ya you guys are right.