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Newsfleshverse open post
Oct. 23rd, 2012 09:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sunshineandshotgunsIn the summer of 2014, three men tried to help the world, and nearly ended it instead. Two viruses met and combined to form Kellis-Amberlee, which turned out to be the Virus: it caused the dead to get back up as zombies and eat people, which of course generated more zombies. The initial series of outbreaks was dubbed The Rising.
Once the worst was over (for some values of "worst"), humanity researched the situation and quickly learned just how screwed they were: every mammal on the planet was infected with Kellis-Amberlee; any mammal large enough (about 40 pounds) would reanimate as a zombie upon death. A few would simply convert directly into zombies without dying. There was no cure.
In the twenty years since the Rising, life has changed drastically to address the continuous threat of new outbreaks. A significant portion of the American public has retreated behind walls. Everyone who has to go outside has to know how to shoot. Strict hygiene protocols must be obeyed.
Bloggers are now considered valid journalists because they immediately shared the truth and spread the word during the Rising, while traditional media was still either dancing to the government's tune or just failing to take the disaster seriously: “You’ve got Newsies, who report fact as untainted by opinion as we can manage, and our cousins, the Stewarts, who report opinion informed by fact. The Irwins go out and harass danger to give the relatively housebound general populace a little thrill, while their more sedate counterparts, the Aunties, share stories of their lives, recipes and other snippets to keep people happy and relaxed. And of course, the Fictionals, who fill the online world with poetry, stories, and fantasy. They have their own names and customs, none of them meaning a damn thing to anyone who isn’t a Fictional.”
Whether you're a blogger, a scientist, or just some poor bystander, welcome to the post-Rising world (or during-Rising, if you'd prefer). Beware the zombies, but other than that, have fun.
[Newsflesh overview provided by TV Tropes with a quote from the books. Just in case anyone wants to play who doesn't know the canon.]
Once the worst was over (for some values of "worst"), humanity researched the situation and quickly learned just how screwed they were: every mammal on the planet was infected with Kellis-Amberlee; any mammal large enough (about 40 pounds) would reanimate as a zombie upon death. A few would simply convert directly into zombies without dying. There was no cure.
In the twenty years since the Rising, life has changed drastically to address the continuous threat of new outbreaks. A significant portion of the American public has retreated behind walls. Everyone who has to go outside has to know how to shoot. Strict hygiene protocols must be obeyed.
Bloggers are now considered valid journalists because they immediately shared the truth and spread the word during the Rising, while traditional media was still either dancing to the government's tune or just failing to take the disaster seriously: “You’ve got Newsies, who report fact as untainted by opinion as we can manage, and our cousins, the Stewarts, who report opinion informed by fact. The Irwins go out and harass danger to give the relatively housebound general populace a little thrill, while their more sedate counterparts, the Aunties, share stories of their lives, recipes and other snippets to keep people happy and relaxed. And of course, the Fictionals, who fill the online world with poetry, stories, and fantasy. They have their own names and customs, none of them meaning a damn thing to anyone who isn’t a Fictional.”
Whether you're a blogger, a scientist, or just some poor bystander, welcome to the post-Rising world (or during-Rising, if you'd prefer). Beware the zombies, but other than that, have fun.
[Newsflesh overview provided by TV Tropes with a quote from the books. Just in case anyone wants to play who doesn't know the canon.]
