In Case of Survival

Colds and Flus and The Apocalypse, Oh My.

Posted on October 11, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

I’m sick. I have a cold. It’s loud and uncomfortable and I’m full of medicine.

How am I supposed to deal with a cold during the apocalypse?

I can’t pile up pillows and alternate guzzling night and day medicine.

I should try some hippy apothecary shit while I have the chance but I really just want to sleep peacefully, breath without coughing, and not be in constant minor pain.

And speaking of noise, there is no way to hide someone coughing the way I’m coughing.

There is almost no suppression for sale that can tame this noise.

Seriously, fuck this noise.

I’m the worst thing in the office and I’m sleeping on the couch to be polite.

One thing that has worked for me a bit that will be around post-apocalypse: honey. I put it in water or drink it straight from the bottle.

Most of the articles I’ve read discount the use of Zinc or echinacea to boost the immune system or combat colds, they also seem to agree that vitamin c can be helpful but is not a remedy or preventative. Boo. I guess I need a wizard and a spell book.

WebMD offers 8 Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the ‘Natural’ Way, a list that includes gargling with salt water and keeping the right fluids in and out of your body.

Do you know any solutions? Solutions to have handy in case of apocalypse.

5 Burning Pre-Apocalypse Questions

Posted on October 4, 2012 by tavia.

In Case of Survival is all about answering the tough questions you may never have had. In case you haven’t noticed, the blog is extremely speculative when it comes to giving advice. We have to be because there hasn’t been an apocalypse to test any methods out yet.

Some major questions I have about the apocalypse I don’t think we need to wait for the apocalypse to answer:

1. Will you get sick from eating city pigeons?

They’re everywhere in every city and we eat foul all the time but pigeons are more like sky rats and I’d be hard pressed to eat a rat.

All the pigeons in my city are kind of deformed and hobbled so I’m not even sure if they’re even fit to live much less if whatever is wasting away their brains will be contracted after they’re cooked and ingested.

2. Will you go insane if you never go out during the day?

I know we need vitamin D, but we can get it from other sources like how sailors got their C from citrus fruits to avoid scurvy. But if there’s some compelling reason to avoid the daylight forever, will we go mad or die?

In my mind, it seem like we would but I can’t rationalize why.

3. Will cannibalism really make people crazy?

We’ve seen a number of examples where people start to go a bit mad from eating other people because they think it’s a easy food source but is there any evidence to support that? Are cannibalistic tribesmen loony?

Sure the cows went mad but those are cows and hardly the same as people, right? Right?

4. Do predatory viruses go after the weakest or the strongest?

I’m not going to carry you up a hill if you can’t leg it yourself, but I’m also not going to worry too much about your zombified Gran chasing me. Sweet, power walking. Maybe even throw down a few chairs for her to traverse. But will a virus, or other organism that is designed to spread and multiply, target the strongest or the weakest?

It would make sense to target the strongest because you spread better and last longer but it’s easier to infiltrate the weakest…

5. Does the government really have a plan for SHTF-level emergencies?

If I show up at my local rally point will I be greeted by a bunch of volunteers who never thought this would happen or by people who have matching binders with plans outlined for what to do in case something like this happened?

Will this rally point be defensible or just big enough to hold people. Will there be quarantine locations and rape prevention strategies[1. rape in “safe camps” is always an issue. I mean you can’t just be thankful you’re alive, you gotta go ruining everything for everyone. Personally, If you’re caught raping in my safe camp you’ll be strung up and castrated with no medical attention after the fact. If you bleed out or get infected, Whatever.] and 17 levels of team leaders?

I’m not saying I need the government, but I need order and without it I’d rather be on my own.

If you have any answers to these questions, please share!

Bonus Question:

When’s it okay to start looting?

Prepare you mind for the apocalypse.

Posted on September 27, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

PAX 2012 | The Last of US Live Demo

Posted on September 10, 2012 by tavia.

Naughty Dog has set a high bar for themselves with the Uncharted series and if PAX Prime 2012 is any indication, that bar has been met with The Last of Us.

I went into the demo with Kae from Fuck Yeah! The Last of Us (and Fuck Yeah! Uncharted) and our expectations were high. Before the demo even began Naughty Dog started off on the right foot. The inside of the viewing room looked like the long abandoned bathroom that Joel and Ellie make their way through in the demo.

(Kae took all those pictures)

In the demo Ellie even comments on the couple in the couple in the bathtub and how they “took the easy way out.”

The characters felt very well rounded and realistic. They worked well together and there was no hint of either Joel keeping Ellie around for the wrong reasons or Ellie being a useless little twat you’ll hope will die so you can go play in peace.

After the demo we were given sweet posters –you can see one pictured above—(I got a signed one by Bruce Straley, the game director, that we’ll be giving away here on In Case of Survival ASAP) and t-shirt.

Free stuff is always awesome but really the best part was the the actual demo. Kae and I were holding one another, gasping, giggling, and sincerely feeling all the feelings.

Check out The Last of Us demo below and let us know how it made you feel:

The Last of Us Live Demo from PAX Prime

[More about The Last of Us]

PAX 2012 | 3 Reasons FIREFALL is best consumed outside of the game

Posted on September 6, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

PAX 2012 | The Cataclysm Shifts The Mists of Pandaria Revealing The Pandaren

Posted on September 6, 2012 by tavia.

I haven’t played World of Warcraft in a long time, and when I did I found it hard to truly immersed. Blizzard was running the The Mists of Pandaria demo at the NVIDIA booth and what a good decision that was. When I saw and even play a bit of The Mists of Pandaria at PAX Prime I felt my resolution faltering.

The setting, story, characters, and attention to detail were adding up and combined with crisp colors, smooth movement, and delightful customization, The Mists of Pandaria was the in I had unknowingly been looking for.

This wasn’t the same world everyone had been frolicking in for years.

Via the Pandaren I could safely be the new kid without feeling like the new kid. Sure the Pandaria would still be populated by real world players who might be experts but The Mists of Pandaria starts the story at point A.

While other races have been tied to the Horde or Alliance for years, the Pandaren are Unaffiliated. I don’t have to choose a character based on what my friends play!

Shrouded in fog since the world was sundered more than ten thousand years ago, the ancient realm of Pandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Its lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains are home to a complex ecosystem of indigenous races and exotic creatures. It is the homeland of the enigmatic Pandaren, a race that celebrates life to the fullest even while under siege by an ancient menace.

The new continent reveals itself to a broken world just as the Alliance and Horde are spiraling ever closer to a war that will consume all of Azeroth. Will the mists of Pandaria part to reveal the world’s salvation? Or will the battle to control this rich and breathtaking new land push the two mighty factions over the brink of war and into total annihilation? The answers await within Pandaria’s mysterious shores!

SOURCE

If you think of the cinematic trailer as something like a story trailer than a game trailer then you won’t mind that the actual game looks rather cartoony in comparison.

Luckily, to complete the “storymode” you need to be a certain higher level (I forgot because I don’t completely understand the leveling system as I didn’t even last long enough to get a mount) to do it. I’m not willing to commit the time to get there just yet. Hopefully they’ll include The Mists of Pandaria in a novel!

However, if you are interested in rejoining or just making your way over to Pandaria, I say try The Mists of Pandaria.

If you’re unsure, leave us a comment with your thoughts about the addition of the unaffiliated Pandaren and the realm of Pandaria and we might be able to give you one of the beta keys we scored so you can try The Mists of Pandaria before the September 25, 2012 release date.

Why minorities will survive the apocalypse

Posted on August 23, 2012 by tavia.

Young Fresh Multiracial Group - Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys — Young Fresh Multiracial Group – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys… Why you want a multiracial group of strangers giving the thumbs up stuck on your wall is beyond me; but you can have it for $33.99.

In most popular media about the apocalypse minorities are pretty much Red Shirts— there because someone needs to die so it might as well be them. This was highlighted in a PinkRayGun article recapping the season finale of Falling Skies.

The Black Dude Dies First is a well trodden trope in almost all mediums, especially the post-apocalyptic genre. Terra Nova did it. The Walking Dead has championed the token minority trope— but at least they get to live. However these tropes don’t take into account the stereotypes and facts that would actually keep minorities alive in apocalyptic times.

Black people are fast and carry guns

Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports And Why We're Afraid To Talk About It If Black people are faster than the rest of the people then they’re the most likely to get away. It’s like that saying/cartoon/adage[1. To be honest, I don’t know where it came from. It’s just a thing people say.]: You don’t need to outrun the bear, you just need to outrun the other person running from the bear. In this case, “Bear” would be “Zombie.”

Congrats, Black people, all you have to do is live up to the hype and you won’t be the minority for long. And if all else fails, just whip out your standard issue gun and slow some folks down like our favorite Deputy Dickbag [2. SPOILER – I’m talking about Shane from The Walking Dead.].

Asians are smart and have super-human muscle memory.

While I might be in a minority of people still watching America’s Next Best Dance Crew, I’m sure if someone else had been watching they’d notice the disproportionately high number of Asians (then blacks and then Hispanics). It’s similar to the disproportionately high number or Asians in the Math, Science, and Engineering schools on college campuses.

These people[3. Yes, I see what I did there.], if they have the aptitude they’re assumed to have, will be able to out survive their majority friends. They’ll build lifesaving tech, and bust out some mind-bending dance/fighting moves to confound the enemy then scurry away through a tiny air vent that the more privileged and more obese can’t fit it.

Hispanics are shifty and travel in uncountable numbers

Surprise, Bitches! Little Jose isn’t alone.

As soon as the bandits get comfortable confronting him, sixteen dudes with chains and bats start creeping slowly from around corners. What the What?!

If Hispanics truly travel in deep, secretive numbers as it’s suggested they do, they’ve got the element to surprise built into their social culture.

We saw it on season one of The Walking Dead, there was one little boy. Then five(ish) dudes that he ran to for safety. Then a community of, like, 67 people running a co-op as though it wasn’t the apocalypse at all… Okay.

Minorities expect the worst

Being a minority doesn’t just mean you have super powers, it also means you’re persecuted on some other make-believe shit. Sometimes that’s in the form of actively being hunted. Sometimes that’s verbal assaults. Often that physical violence. In Carriers (2009) there’s a scene where a bunch of redneck thugs in a pick-up truck string up an Asian man with a sign that reads: Chinks brought it.

This constant persecution and threat of violence has bread a more cautious mindset into many minority cultures. Not simply, the choice to “stick with your own kind,” but a self-preservation instinct that identifies others as not only actual, but also statistical enemenies.

By default, if you’re The Black Guy you expect to be the first to go down. The Hispanic Guy should expect to not be trusted and eventually turned on. And the Asian can expect to die second because no one will get his back.

From Nazis to the Ku Klux Klan to the Westbro Baptist Church, rightness and facts have never been the first choice for those who prey on minorities. And consistency has never really been the first choice of wrirters portraying minorities.

Maybe one day the apocalypse will come and and everyone will flood the local ghettos (because that’s where you find people of color) in a desperate attempt to recruit a few good minorities into their party. Or, maybe, one day we’ll realize minorities aren’t this amalgas concept of “people of color” as much as they’re just people. Not embodiments of concepts, standards of measurement, and especially not cannon fodder.

Designer Feature: Chris and Jane's Place

Posted on August 11, 2012 by tavia.

One if my least favorite things about being a grown up is being restrained by boring grown up decorations for the house and home. Chris and Jane of Chris and Jane’s Place are working to change that with their line of Zombie Gnomes.

The Zombie Gnomes come painted or blank for a fun craft project. How fun would that be!? Sitting at home during with candles on, chatting about survival plans, maybe playing Munchkin Zombies, and personalizing an undead lawn ornament. Perfect.

I had the chance to ask Chris and Jane some questions about them and their business which includes not only Zombie Gnomes but also fancy, hand decorated top hats; Survival Gnomes, and more.

Learn More about Chris and Jane and their Zombie Gnomes:

1. Who are you, I mean, really?

Our names are Chris Stever and Jane Marie DeRosa and we are recently engaged. Jane grew up in an very artistic family. Both of her parents are Disney animators and so she was always surrounded by all medias of art. Jane then went to collage and studied Theatre. Where she developed more of her painting shills and her story telling abilities. Chris has always been an artistic and creative individual as a child he had several note books filled with designs and schematics for new inventions. He started sculpting when he was in High School and then started taking classes in practical effects for films and theater

2. What is it that you do?

We make Zombie Gnomes along with prosthetics and other special practical effects. Recently Jane loves playing Skyrim every night after work. Chris enjoys playing basketball and going on to espn.com to chat on NBA trade forums. One thing we love doing together is watching Game of Thrones we are halfway through season two. We also like finding new recipes and cooking together, but we haven’t had a lot of time to do that lately because Zombie Gnomes have taken over our lives.

3. When did you first realize you wanted to do that thing?

One day Chris was contemplating the inevitable zombie out break and his plan to survive it when he wondered what would happen if the fantasy world was affected by the zombie virus. Zombie garden gnomes was ultimately the conclusion to those thoughts, and after telling Jane we decided to make one for laughs. At first we just made Zombie Gnomes as a joke for our friends but when we put them up on etsy and we started selling them we realized we really had something.

4. Where are you from (and how do you feel about that place?)?

We are from sunny southern California and we love it here :). We wouldn’t have it any other way.

5. Why would you make a good apocalypse party member?

We would be good members of an apocalypse because we know how to grow our own food and we both know, between the two of us, 5 different styles of martial arts.

6. How can we find out more?

You can learn more about our products on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ZombieGnomes
Buy our products on our etsy page: www.etsy.com/shop/ChrisandJanesPlace
Follow us on Twitter: @ZombieGnomes

A huge thanks to Chris and Jane for taking the time to answer our questions and create these wonderful additions to zombie culture!

Revolution is not Jericho 2.0

Posted on August 9, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

A show set in near-future, post-apocalyptic, mid-western America about survival, family and fighting for what’s right? No, not Jericho. NBC‘s new show: Revolution.

I keep seeing comparisons, complaints, and accusations about how Revolution is a rip off or retry of Jericho. However, if you dig a little deeper, look just a bit closer, you’ll see these are very different stories.

In Jericho we saw an immediate reaction to not only a loss of electrical power, but also social power. Jericho was the parable of being doomed to relive the history we refused to learn from. At the genesis of society’s reboot there was constant competition between the old way and some possible new way that might work better. Fear, confusion, and order were everyday challenges for those living in Jericho’s post-apocalyptic world.

Every time normalcy was established in Jericho it was under threat, be it from their neighbors in New Bern or from the sketchy new corporate government in Cheyenne. They couldn’t really settle into a lifestyle because the world hadn’t settled yet.We see fear, confusion, and order conquered in Revolution. The story is set about 15 years after the blackout and anyone who was going to survive has survived. Community and sustainable lifestyles have been established.

There’s a massive difference between surviving for a few months, or even a couple of years, and doing it for a decade or more.

There’s a comfort in normalcy, even if it’s the new normal created out of necessity.

Revolution removes the option characters had in Jericho to run away or pity themselves. Unless their people are somehow worse off than the people elsewhere, their situation is what it is.

The citizens of Jericho not only trying to stave off conflict, they were also constantly trying to plan for the next situation be acid rain, winter, or food shortages.In Revolution we’re introduced to a world that’s accepted its fate, survived it, and lived in it. Unlike in Jericho, no one was excluded. We, the audience, get to see from the introduction that this is not an isolated issue. No care packages are coming and there’s no safe zone to be thankful for.

In post-apocalyptic Revolution, people might want to migrate away from winter and they might need to deal with the local power-mad warlord. Personally, I think a power-mad warlord, unlike a starved and desperate neighbor, is somewhat their own damn fault. It’s their community and their responsibility to stomp that noise out at its inception or suffer when it comes to fruition.

In Jericho we say a civil war where the winner got to survive. In Revolution we see a bully with an agenda and an army. While the solution to both problems is to band together, it’s a different and scarier kind of stand that needs to be taken when it’s a moral imperative rather than a life or death one.

I encourage you to watch both– at least a little. Jericho because it’s awesome and I can’t say enough good things about it. Revolution because it might be awesome if you give it a chance on its own merits.

Official site: nbc.com/revolution

Official twitter: @NBCRevolution

Announcement:

Posted on August 4, 2012 by tavia.

On tuesday I will be liveblogging the ridiculous Black Sheep, at around 3pm GMT. So acquire your copies, and come join me.

Consider this post not only an announcement but the testing of the live-blog software before we go live.

Testing, testing.

OK, Worked it out. What you need to do on tuesday is to refresh the page fairly often in order to read the liveblog. Join in with your reactions in the comments.

[liveblog]