Travel Tips From The Oracle

The chief has been called on to travel across the country on a mission for the Zombie Survival Crew, where she will meet up with Green Brigade Commander — IronE Singleton, her trusted right-hand man, Red Brigade First Lieutenant, Neil Brown, Jr., and me (the Oracle — Commander of the Purple Brigade). Since this is the first time our fearless leader has traveled on ZSC business without the use of her trusty workhorse truck, and since she’s practically lived in it for months on end, I decided there were a few reminders she might need.

  1. You don’t need to carry your whole life with you. This is a short jaunt and you’ll be back in time to leave in your beloved truck for the next mission. Keep the truck packed and only bring essentials. Commercial airlines DO weigh luggage.
  2. While it may pain you to leave it behind, it is best to remain circumspect with the airlines because the government is controlling the baggage, so leave the trusted crossbow at home.
  3. (And this is one from personal experience) Do NOT attempt to carry on a pink plastic stick…. Airport security does not find this amusing and will put you in jail for the attempt.
  4. You are not in control of the itinerary. The airline has commissioned pilots and they give the directions to the pilots. In fact, if you attempt to storm the cockpit to issue instructions, airplane security will detain you.
  5. The other people on the plane are not all UGA plants (although I’m sure there will be one or two, so watch your back). Do not respond with any guerrilla warfare tactics learned from Neil Brown, Jr. if someone attempts to engage you in conversation.
  6. Texting and calling is forbidden while in flight. This is non-negotiable. The rest of the commanders and I have taken up a collection to ensure that the regulation remains that way. It is the only time within the year where we can be certain of lack of communication from you. We’re all going to take a nap… after ensuring command is manned appropriately.
  7. You will be involved in some social situations during your mission:
    1. When someone reaches for you with open arms, do not run screaming the other way. They are trying to give you a hug, not chew your face off.
    2. It is best not to enter the room throwing orders left and right to bystanders as you trundle through the crowd.
    3. It is generally frowned upon in a social situation to run screaming in circles. If you feel the need, please excuse yourself and find an empty alley or bathroom (with lots of carpet to deaden the sound) to carry out this activity.
    4. Smile and nod — this works in all situations.

Hopefully the chief will be able to remember these 7 simple rules… Otherwise, the next memo from the Command Center may be about taking up a collection for bail.


Ted Raimi Delivers the Terrifying Truth

Brace yourselves Zombie Survival Crew. Light Blue Brigade First Lieutenant Ted Raimi knows what it means to battle the undead and will mince no words when addressing the Zombie Survival Crew troops.

Now, some might find Commander Raimi’s warning a bit chilling. But the bald truth is that this commander is demonstrating true leadership with a no-holds-barred assessment of the threats we’re all preparing to face.


Halloween 2011 Zombie Apocalypse Instructional Video

Want to know more about how to participate in the LIVE 2011 Halloween Zombie Event? Joseph Tremblay, the originator of the event has put together the below instructional video to help you plan your halloween zombiepocalypse.

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Don’t forget that if you are unable to participate in person, we’ll be tearing it up on Twitter. For more information, read about the virtual event here.


IronE Singleton Rocks the Mic!

IronE Singleton

Check it, Zombie Survival Crew!

Your Green Brigade Commander IronE Singleton has done something wonderful for the premiere of The Walking Dead. That’s right, not only is there a countdown on his website to the premiere of season 2 that will air on October 16th, but he’s given the fans of TWD a song!

We in the Command Center encourage you to head on over to IronE’s website and have a listen, and then become our ZSC Street Crew that we love so much by telling everyone you know about it!

Bring on The Walking Dead!

 


What is Essential for the Lt Blue Brigade Go Bag?

Lt Blue Brigade

Lt Blue Brigade Commander Anthony Guajardo explains the reasons for his choices of essential Go Bag items… But in order to see what the reasons are, you’ll need to login and if you are not a registered member, please take a few moments and register for the site. The links for both the login and the Member Registration can be found in the sidebar to the right.


Walking Dead TV Interview with Michael Rooker

The new head of our Special Forces, Michael Rooker, no sooner signed on with the Zombie Survival Crew than he was giving the ZSC shout outs in interviews. You have to love that in your head of Special Forces. Anyway, here’s what The Walking Dead TV Podcast has to say:

On this very special episode of The Walking Dead TV Podcast, your hosts get to chat with Merle Dixon himself, Mr. Michael Rooker! Brad, Jordan and John touch on a plethora of subjects with Michael, including his role on The Walking Dead, lost hands, Atlanta heat and Dancing with the Stars.

All this and we still find the time to give away another blu-ray.

You don’t want to miss this one.

Special thanks to The Zombie Survival Crew.

Link: The Walking Dead TV Podcast


Sean Patrick Flanery Takes (another) Bite Out of the Chief

After a semi-hostile takeover bid, and nearly being run down, you would think your Zombie Survival Crew Commander-in-Chief would know better than to ask Yellow Brigade First Lieutenant Sean Patrick Flanery for battle technique sessions.

Well, he is an expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu so it should hardly be any surprise that this PSA from Sean almost knocked me down.


Undead Is Not An Option: Foreword

We thought it might be fun to post some excerpts from our very first anthology, Undead Is Not An Option. We had a lot of fun putting this together and want to share a teaser from time to time to whet your appetite. We are proud of the number of commanders who we were able to arm wrestle into willingly contributed to the cause. The foreword was co-written by our Fearless Leader and Red Brigade commander, Juliette Terzieff, and IronE Singleton, Green Brigade commander.

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Foreword
by Juliette Terzieff and IronE Singleton

We are our own worst enemy. For no logical reason we—our collective human family—continue down a long and winding road toward annihilation. Better weapons. Less trust. More fear. Panic. Selfishness. Lack of preparation. Ignorance. All of these belong buried in a landfill, but sadly remain firmly secured in our collective arsenal.

And now as wars unfold in every corner of the world, each addition to the body count increases the fear, and advances notions of the end of the world. It convinces us—even if we are too afraid to admit it in public—that we will be the source of our ultimate earthly destruction.

The fear is hardly new. In fact, it has been taking solid form for decades. Creeping like a ghoul from the grave with every advance in defense technology, with every master of hate to climb the pulpit. And now the walking dead have exploded around us—eclipsing the resurgence of romantic monsters of the past couple decades. Lestat, Edward, and their vampire brethren prowl around the edges, but the shambling hordes control the streets. They are us, and we are them. We cannot escape the truths they reveal.

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In the aftermath of World War II and throughout the Cold War years, writers and filmmakers crafted some of the most disturbing post-apocalyptic scenarios ever put to paper or film. The social commentary stung, but rang true. Was there anything beyond the bounds of human cruelty? Given the evidence of places like Dachau and Hiroshima, really, what limits could possibly remain? Through art these visionaries asked people to see beyond the face-level horror to the real monsters in their stories.

Take British author John Wyndham’s book The Chrysalids (1955) set in an über-conservative post-nuclear society where any hint of physical or mental abnormality is considered blasphemy. Those unfortunate enough to display any genetic variance are forced to undergo sterilization, banishment or are killed outright. Family members turn each other in out of fear. Fathers battle sons. Mothers are forced to give up their children.

Out of the question? Hardly.

Or the stunning black-and-white Last Man on Earth (1964) based on Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend in which an increasingly disturbed Vincent Price battles loneliness and sorrow in a Quixotic quest to maintain sanity in a world overrun by vampiric former humans infected by a plague. Desperate to protect his humanity though there is apparently none left in the world. Searching for a reason, a cure, some way to regain a measure of his former life—with no real hope that any sort of happy ending can be possible. Just driven to keep going.

Again is this scenario so far-fetched? No. Not nearly far enough.

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To read more, including the compelling words of IronE Singleton, check out Undead Is Not An Option.


Halloween Zombie Apocalypse Preparation

We’ve been talking about the three day zombie extravaganza called the 2011 Halloween Zombie Event and how you can participate in person. If you missed the video teaser about it, check it out here. The command of the Zombie Survival Crew is excited about the opportunity to test our brigades strengths in a mock zombiepocalypse and look forward to fielding all of the reports during the event to keep all our members up to date with how everyone is faring. But when Joseph Tremblay first approached us about partnering with him to support the event, the Oracle (Purple Brigade Commander, LK Gardner-Griffie) posed the question: “But what about those who don’t have enough people close by to play in person or those who are unable to do so? Do we deny them the opportunity to participate?” She then followed it with the suggestion of going back to the ZSC roots and hosting an online portion of the event. And we’re finally ready to reveal what Orange Brigade Commander, RC Murphy has cooked up. So, take it away RC!!!

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This is the moment we have been preparing for. The undead have vacated their graves and are on the hunt… for us. They will not stop. Very little can destroy them. You are the last line of defense for mankind. Now is not the time to realize you aren’t ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.

On October 29th through October 31st, the world as you know it will come to an end. Your city, Grizzly City, is under attack by hordes of hungry, newly-risen zombies. Survivors must band together to fight them off and escape to safety outside of the infested city.

If you think you are up for the challenge, join us on Twitter for a 3-day Role-play scenario that puts you in the first 72 hours of the Zombie Apocalypse. To join you must first decide if you want to be a Survivor or a Zombie. Once you’ve decided, apply the appropriate Twibbon image to your avatar (we will be revealing the twibbons soon). With your designation in place all you have to do is use the official Halloween Zombie Apocalypse hashtag in your tweets, #HZA11. Follow the hashtag via Twitter’s search function to immerse yourself in the action.

Each day of play will last a full 24 hours. The action will unfold thusly in conjunction with the live events hosted by the 2011 Halloween Zombie Apocalypse site.

Day 1 – Zombie Outbreak: The first zombie sightings are reported in the city. In response, the Survivors begin to execute their escape plans, utilizing information broadcasted on TV.

Day 2 – Survival: The Survivors band together and establish safe zones within the city while the Zombies dog them at every turn. These attacks breed more undead, increasing the size of the attacking hordes.

Day 3 – Fight to the End: The city is overrun. Survivors are attacked more and more frequently. The only way to survive is to abandon the city. They flee or succumb to the zombies.

We understand that most participants will be unable to take part during all 72 hours of the #HZA11 Twitter event. Should you need to leave the role-play for any amount of time, switch out your Survivor or Zombie Twibbon image with the Idle image. This conveys to other participants that you are unable to interact or fight, but will return to play at some point.

The city, Grizzly City, has been divided into sectors. Participants may utilize these sectors while setting up their Safe Havens, planning raids for supplies, or arranging a location to battle a Zombie opponent. The hashtag for each sector will look like this – #HZA11S4.

Below is the map we will be using throughout the event. Study it well. Preparation may be your best defense when the zombies are on the hunt. More information on how to play is posted here. (Click the map to make it larger.)