D20 Girls Magazine - Fall 2013

Distress Your Cosplay Robot Revolution!

Survive the End! Make a ‘Bug Out Bag’ Set up a home base!

Learn Morse Code!

Zombies Everywhere!

Champion the Cause: Run For Your Lives

Amazing Fictions: Zombies Anonymous Bloodwind Wonderland

Bada Boom 1 FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

As Apocalptic Snow White

STAFF CREDITS

Editor in Chief - Erika Litherland Content Editor - Tara Watson Layout Editor - Katie Zheng Writers - Erika Litherland Amanda Baldwin Katie Zheng Megan Willis Jacqueline Arbelo FireTrinket Geneviefve d’Estelle Lily Lu Tara Watson Chiki Fischer Arlith

Contributors: Katie Zheng, Paul Mrstick, Intraventus Luri Nahl, AlwaysLoveLorn, BadaBoom Seraphin, Mikki Stith, Utopian Pigeon Chiki, Shiny Cupcake, Ariel Attack Geneviefve d’Estelle, Erika Litherland Priscilla Tang, Tiffany Marie Linton, Jaclyn CL Duhe, Wiyanna Grunsted, Dagnie Johnson Emily Lorick, Andrea McFall, Will Martin Samantha Peltz, Ariana Melekian-Davies Dani Yuan, Linzy Allen, Michelle Savana Ruby Spitfire, Tara Watson, Amanda Hamrick Fawn, SnowCone, Chiki Photography, Arlith Firetrinket, DMGallegos, Michael H Starfall Photography, Trinket, Amy Giles, J Michael Strange, Echo Chernik, Richard D. Carter, Ruth Thompson

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D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

D20 Girls Magazine is published four times per year. Manufactured and published in the United States of America. The Editor-in-Chief welcomes submissions from all sources. Such submissions should be addressed to EDITOR and sent to submissions@D20Girls. com. D20 Girls Magazine is a copyright of Le Nurd Mystique, LLC. Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. The publisher shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of the advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement.

Cover Photography By: Paul Mrstick Model: Bada Boom Cosplaying As: Apocalyptic Snow White

CONTENTS

IN THIS ISSUE 4 80 82 84 86

Letter From the Editor Princessboy Geeky Flicks D20 Girls Out and About Dear Chiki

PHOTO FEATURES 16 25 31 62 68 70 76

Apocalypse Disney Princesses Original Characters Zombie Walk Pictures Halo Photo Feature Playstation Vs Xbox Fallout Photo Shoot FemJane

70 FALLOUT PHOTO SHOOT

APOCALYPSE PREPPING 6 8 11 12 20 24 28 33 34

Are You Ready For The Apocalypse?

Bug Out Bags Morse Code 15 End of the World Mangas Let’s Party Like There’s No Tomorrow D20 Says Home Base Products We Love Weathering and Distressing Costumes

END OF THE WORLD 62 HALO PHOTO FEATURE

16 APOCALYPTIC DISNEY PRINCESSES

36 39 40 44 49 53 56 59 65 69 74 78

Run For Your Lives Zombies, Run Newbs Guide to the Multiverse: Zombies Zombies Anonymous Post-Apocalyptic Medicine Cabinet Pop Culture Life Lessons 53 Wonderland 56 Could a Robot Revolution 59 The Advancement of Technology in War 65 Blood Wind 69 Into the Black 74 4 Horseman Illustration FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Letter from the Editor.

As a child of the late 80’s, I have officialy survived no less than 10 end of the world predictions. Doomsday has clearly not been getting its memos. Now I don’t know about you, but the end of the world is a notion that fills me with fairly equal parts of dread and excitement. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware that the end of the world means that I wont get to spend my afternoons away from work looking at silly videos of cats on the internet. I certainly don’t look forward to protecting me and mine from the hordes of zombies or roving bandits and looters with my nonexistence array of physical prowess or firearms skills. And I really don’t want to see what my life looks like when the supply of vanilla coke runs out, which is a statement that I think everyone but my dentist would probably agree with. But aside from my first world problems, the end of the world as we know it would mean surviving on my wits and ability to make and follow through on plans. And I’m a planner.

The end of the world is something we see looked at in popular culture all the time, most popularly with zombies, but there are hundreds of tv shows, movies, books and songs that hypothesize about the various ways the world could end and how the characters have had to adapt to survive in the new world. Life, as it turns out, goes on.

Even in the face of seemingly impossible odds, we as a race keep going. We see this in real life too, most notably when we look to how areas rebuild and recover from natural disasters and tragedies. It’s in the unexpected acts of kindness, like the house that put extension cords outside their house to allow strangers to charge their phones after recent hurricanes, and in the unfortunate selfishness of people preparing themselves for snowstorms with little regard for anyone else in the same store for the same reason.

When I envision the end of the world, I see it being kind of like that. A mix of people working together to survive and an every person for themselves mentality. It goes back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, for those of you psychology fans, which is the idea that until we can ensure our basic needs are met we will not be able to fully focus on more enlightened needs like morality and respect of others. We all like to think of ourselves as good people, but what if you had to fight over the last can of pork and beans because it meant the difference between you or your child starving to death or some stranger starving to death? It’s easy to be generous and charitable when our stomachs are full and our systems are properly caffeinated.

So as we looked toward the content we wanted for this issue it became clear that, like many of our topics, there is so much to cover. We broke down our content in two major ways, first with some pre-apocalypse planning content, both silly and good planning tools, and then followed that up with some end of the world fandoms, of which we could easily have written entire issues in. And may do in the future! What can you expect to see? If you need to get out and keep moving then you should look at the article Snowcone wrote about Bug Out Bags. These are bags full of materials to keep you alive on the go. But eventually you get tired of running, or you run out of supplies, or maybe you never had to run in the first place. You need a plan of attack to keep yourself alive, which is where our Home Base pages will be helpful in planning a safe and secure base of operations. Learn how to distress your favorite cosplay for a real ‘apocalypse’ twist, read a fan fiction and meet some of The D20 Girls Project members original characters and get a feel for the worlds they inhabit. And then stroll through our brain map of fun as we explore everything from zombies to space exploration and the fandoms that we love all along the way from articles about the possibility of a robot revolution by GlitterQueen to a top 10 things pop culture has taught us about surviving a viral pandemic. And don’t forget to check out the photos of some of the national girls scattered through the pages.

Here’s hoping the end isn’t near, but that if it is, you all remain relatively unscathed to read our next issue, British Invasion, an issue all about our favorite British fandoms. Stay safe, stay smart, and above all, stay tuned!

-- Erika Litherland Editor in Chief

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D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

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ARE YOU READY FOR THE APOCALYPSE? 1. It’s zombies and someone close to you has been bitten, what do you do?

a. Kill them before they turn, there’s no room for feelings in the new world! b. Kill them after they turn, that way you can make sure they weren’t magically immune. c. Leave them, someone else will kill them eventually. d. Let them turn you, the apocalypse isn’t fun without friends.

2. You come across a corpse with a weapon in hand and a large bag on its back, you:

a. Take the weapon and the bag, you don’t have time to waste checking things out first. b. Send someone expendable to get the gear, it could be a clever plot... c. Check the body carefully, take the bag to a safe area and dump any non-essential gear.

You don’t need the weight! d. Leave it all. Something killed that sucker and none of the things in that bag or in their hands stopped it. It probably wouldn’t help you all that much either...

3. You happen upon a weapons cache, you:

a. Don’t take anything. Anyone who has that many weapons isn’t going to want you to touch them.

You value your fingers and all that. b. Grab a handgun. You can’t miss a target that’s right in front of you, can you? c. Grab a bow. Ranged and silent! d. Go for something you can bludgeon things with! No chance to run out of ammo!

4. You’re terribly thirsty and you come across a pond, you:

a. Drink. With your hands, empty water bottles, whatever’s handy. b. Whip out your supplies and boil the water to purify it. c. Take out a tampon and filter the water, you saw this on the internet once. d. Don’t drink it, that water has touched gross things. Like dirt. And fish. And fish poop. No thanks.

5. Your group sets up a sustainable home base, another group of wanders stop and want to stay, you:

a. Kill them and take their supplies, you didn’t get this far by helping strangers. b. Allow them to stay if they have a skill they are willing to supply and are willing to submit to an exam to make sure they aren’t infected. c. Allow them to stay for the night, with a guard, and leave in the morning. d. Tell them no, make them leave as nonviolently as possible.

6. The world is ending, you:

a. Stock up on goods ahead of time. b. Fight the crowds for whatever you can get from the store. c. Don’t stock up at all, that’s some other persons job right? d. Hope your hunting skills are better than you think they are...

7. It’s aliens! You:

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a. Offer to help them, you’ve seen how these odds are going to play out.

Hopefully they’ll kill you last this way. b. Try to befriend them, but not betray the humans. Maybe they’re just misunderstood. c. Zombies, aliens, robots, whatever...I set up a home base and defend it. d. Run. Stay on the move. Moving targets are harder to hit.

D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

By: Erika Litherland

take this quiz to find out!

8. You stumble across an abandoned home, you:

a. Break the lock and make yourself at home. b. Keep moving, it may look abandoned but it’s probably picked over already. c. Burn it down, one less structure for the enemy to hide in. d. Move in and pretend you’re part of the family that lived there before. It’s better than reality...

9. You find a stack of books, you:

a. Read them, cherish them, stroke them lovingly...just like before the world ended. b. Leave them, don’t waste pack space. c. Keep a couple to burn when you need to start a fire. d. Keep them and throw them at your enemies. It’s strange ammo, but it’s the end of the world.

It’s not like you know how to make bullets. Do you?

10. A magical fairy tells you that she will grant you knowledge of a skill, you choose:

a. Farming. A two-for-one deal since this covers both livestock and crops, in theory. b. Medicine. A good doctor is always a useful find. c. Hand to hand combat. Defense is your new middle name. d. Marksmanship. Bow or gun, you can hit a moving target from a mile away.

Score yourself!

1) a. 3, b. 4, c. 2, d. 1 5) a. 2, b. 4, c. 3, d. 1 9) a. 1, b. 3, c. 4, d. 2

2) a. 2, b. 1, c. 4, d. 3 6) a. 4, b. 3, c. 1, d. 2 10) a. 3, b. 4, c. 1, d. 2

3) a. 1, b. 3, c. 4, d. 2 7) a. 1, b. 4, c. 3, d. 2

4) a. 2, b. 4, c. 3, d. 2 8) a. 4, b. 2, c. 3, d. 1

How’d you do?

10 – 15: I call dibs on your jacket...

Sorry kid, but it doesn’t look like you’re going to make it. To survive the end of the world, you have to be really dedicated. You couldn’t have scored lower unless you hadn’t taken the quiz at all! Oh, and can I finish that beef jerky?

You’re not going to be needing it...

16 – 25: Maybe, if you find a good group to mooch off of...

Your survival will depend on the people you surround yourself with. Just...make yourself look busy. You don’t want them to catch on to just how much dead weight you’re bringing to the party.

26 – 35: You just might pull this off...

You’ve at least thought about this stuff before, and you’re willing to make the tough decisions that will keep you alive. You might survive this whole end of the world thing after all.

36 – 40: You were born ready...

You’ve prepared for this your whole life. You’ve watched the movies, followed the blogs, and stockpiled enough supplies to keep you going for quite some time. They laughed at you when you told them about your preparations.

Who’s laughing now?

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Bug Out Bags Your first step to Apocalypse preparedness!

Inside the pack Written By: Amanda Baldwin Illustrated By: Katie Zheng When disaster strikes, whether it be warfare, economic collapse, alien invasion, zombies, or any other number of reasons, you may need to leave your home in a hurry. If that happens, you’ll have to survive solely with what you can carry and a little planning now could save your life!

First, remember that your bug out bag may not be the same as the next persons. But keep a few key ideas in mind: 1. Keep the bag as light as possible, you may need to actually run while wearing it. Only bring the things you really think you’ll need.

2. This bag is intended to be a short term solution to your survival needs. You might also look at having an emergency supply kit in your car to help supplement your bag.

3. Your bag needs to be comfortable to wear. We suggest a comfortable hiking back pack with a metal support frame that is made of a weatherproof material.

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MRE’s: Each Meal, Ready-toeat, has your full caloric needs for the day in one convenient package. It may not taste great, but flavor isn’t a primary concern at the end of the world.

These can be purchased online.

Bowl and Spoon: Eating with your hands is fun and all, but utensils are so much easier.

Waterproof Jacket or Poncho.

First Aid Kit. Crank operated flashlight and radio: You probably won’t have access to electricity, and batteries will eventually die. Not to mention the weight they can add to your pack.

Duct tape.

Large needles and sturdy thread: Keeping warm may save your life. It’s important that your clothing is in good repair to keep you from getting wet and losing important objects.

Paracord: Lightweight nylon kernmantle rope. It is extremely sturdy and won’t take up too much room.

Small tarp: For water collection or as a small shelter.

D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

Sanitation/personal hygiene items: A tampon is a great survival tool on its own, google it, but items like this can often be overlooked. They are light and don’t take up much room.

Zip ties: You can use them as hand cuffs, building materials, and to repair broken equipment.

Bandana: Head/neck cover, tourniquet, wash cloth, pot holder, pre-filter for water (to get the big chunks out), sling, put a rock in it and tie rope to get rope over a branch, extra carrying pouch, dust mask... and much more.

Clothes: You should include at least one change of clothes (warm but lightweight clothes work best) per person. Don’t forget extra socks! Look for items with synthetic fibers because they wick away moisture and have increased breath-ability. Wool is also a great choice because it can both repel and attract moisture as well as retain heat. Wool does take more care than other fabrics in that it should be washed in cold water and laid flat to dry. If you live in a hotter climate or an area with lots of sun exposure, you’ll also want something light that can protect you from the sun, such as a long scarf and a hat with a wide brim.

Strapped to the pack Waterproof sleeping bag rated for low temperatures (on top).

2 Gallons of clean water (along the sides): These are heavy but very important. You’ll want to strap them in tightly to the sides of your pack to prevent them from swinging around. It’s usually a good idea to plan 1 gallon of water per day per person.

Sturdy, comfortable heavy duty shoes (on top): These will take up no room because you will put them on. Immediately.

Sturdy shoes, preferably boots, protect your feet and allow you to run!

A tent or large tarp (on bottom): This comes down to a personal choice. Tarps offer less protection but are far lighter in weight and are more versatile.

Medium sized cooking pot (anywhere): This will be important for cooking food as well as purifying water.

Weaponry (easy access point, depending on your reach): It is undeniable that in an apocalypse situation projectile weapons can be extremely useful.

We suggest a bow over a gun for its potentially reusable ammo, quieter usage, and the ability to practice your aim without wasting bullets. Recurve crossbows are lighter, easy to use and don’t take much strength to load. If you choose to include a firearm, pick something lightweight with common ammo that doesn’t require much maintenance and can survive the elements. **The weapon should be easy to get to, if need be on it’s own free swinging strap.

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Around the waist This is sort of a mini-emergency area. It includes the absolute essentials that are small enough to keep on your waist. If you lose your pack, you still have a good chance of surviving.

Sturdy leather or strong nylon belt: Something you can clip things to that fits well and has a sturdy buckle or clasp.

2 Large Belt pouches.

Knife: Your knife is going to be a critical tool and also an important piece of self defense. I recommend a fixed blade, full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle) with a thick blade. It should be around 4-6 inches to be easily concealed but also long enough for most uses and be easy to sharpen.

A good option and the preferred choice for Marines and survival enthusiasts alike is the KA-BAR USMC Utility Knife. They’ll run you about $60 on average but are well worth it, as they fit all of the parameters listed above.

Short bladed machete: Useful for clearing brush, cutting down small trees as well as for self defense. The machete should be underneath your off hand, so your strong hand can conveniently cross draw it.

Emergency sleeping bag: These are made to fold up tiny and can fit in a belt pouch.

and if you lose your cooking pack and cooking pot, you can use it to boil drinking water in.

Extra strings for your crossbow: Really! They take up virtually no room and you may be in any manner of crazy situation that will cause it to break.

Compass.

Multi-tool: These are small metal devices that have as many as two dozen tools folded into one. Pliers, screwdrivers, bottle openers, scissors, it is a tool box made miniature.

A ferrocerium rod: A man-made metallic material that gives off a large number of hot sparks at temperatures of 3,000 °F when scraped against a rough surface.

This is the modern day equivalent of “flint and steel.” You can add some water proof matches for good measure.

A disaster plan/map of the area with marks: Research your area. Are there bomb shelters, military bases, and fresh water sources? How are you going to get there. Plan it out before hand keeping in mind that everyone will be panicking. What is the safest most traffic light way to get to your family members and your safe location. Do you have alternate transportation planned if your vehicle no longer works?

Plan ahead and talk to your family members about where you’ll meet up and what each of you should do in the event of an emergency.

Note: When not in apocalyptic mode, your waist belt should be Large Metal water bottle: looped around a strap of your back They are easier to keep clean they aren’t separated. than plastic or water pouches FALLso D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE 2013

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car kit!

For each person in your family: a pair of sturdy shoes a change of clothes a jacket 1 gallon of water MRE’s for a few days And some general items: extra blankets a first aid kit a roll of toilet paper a crank powered flashlight

Have kiddos?

This could be a really scary time for the small ones in your life. Plan ahead, if you have the available space, by including a deck of cards, coloring supplies and a couple of favorite books. Don’t forget those security blankets or favorite stuffed animals if you can help it! These items do take up some space and might have some weight, but if you can afford it then it can make things easier for you!

And don’t forget to pack formula or baby food if your little one needs them. These are easy to space because of how quickly you go through them. Invest in a sturdy sling or papoose and some cloth diapers for your bag too!

Good luck, fellow survivors!

Special thanks to: Courtnew Williams, Patrick Gwin, Otter McBilly, Aaron Rushing, Ryan Williams, Rachel Williams, Drew Brutzman, Bex Harrison, Robert Perez and Denise Howard for helping me put this together, both directly and indirectly.

MORSE CODE: The world has ended, and cell phone reception has really taken a nosedive! So you need to send a message to your friends, or you need to find a way to let survivors know where safe lodging and food can be found, or you need to let whatever official or unofficial government know that you’re alive and need assistance.

But how do you do it?

In those new days, days when even simple things like what language the majority of the population speaks will be unknown, you need a simple solution. How about an interntionally recognized code?

Hello intrepid new world survivor, meet the very old world Morse Code. Know it, love it, and then save the page...just in case.

1. The length of a dot is one unit.

2. A dash is three units.

3. The space between parts of the same letter is one unit.

4. The space between letters is three units.

5. The space between words is seven units.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

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15 END OF THE WORLD MANGAS By: Katie Zheng From disease to genetic enginnering, zombies to giant monsters... tons of things are likely to bring humanity to extinction. These 15 mangas all describe what it’s like when the world is coming to an end.

MECHA/ROBOTS A classic: MUST SEE! Check out the anime!

This manga is for you giant robot fans!

When the world is ending, humans will find ways to fight back!

NEON GENESIS AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Apocalyptic, Mecha, Action, Drama (Shonen) 14 Volumes (Completed)

Scientists must combat a new threat to the human civilization - huge monstrous beings known as “Angels.” An organization named NERV recruits children to fight these creatures in giant cyborgs called “Evangelion.” Neon Genesis focuses on the psychoanalysis of the main characters and brings layers and depth to the series with various Christian symbols.

WAR

There’s no doubt WWII affected the lives of many Japanese artists.

Nuclear warfare is now on everyone’s minds. See the effects of it in this manga.

If you’d like to watch something similar, take a look at Grave of the Fireflies.

BAREFOOT GEN AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Keiji Nakazawa Drama, Anti-war, Historical, Tragedy (Shounen) 10 Volumes (Completed)

Gen Nakaoka’s childhood is over after Hiroshima is destroyed by the atomic bomb.

Loosely based on the author’s own experiences, Gen and the other survivors are left to deal with the bomb’s aftermath. This manga takes you through the entire experience, from the days leading up to the bomb to the years after.

ZOMBIES

Ever wonder what happens to zombie babies?

This manga’s got that covered + everything you need to know to survive!

I AM HERO AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

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Kengo Hanazawa Action, Horror, Drama, Psychological (Seinen) 12 Volumes (Ongoing)

Best zombie manga!

Definitely worth reading!

Hideo Suzuki is a struggling manga artist that is dealing with relationship problems, work issues, and mental illnesses. He often fantasizes about imaginary interactions with the people around him, and desperately wants to be a hero. One day, as he returns home from work, he witnesses a lady get hit by a car. However, despite a broken neck and severe bleeding, the victim simply stands and walks away. This strange event marks the first encounter Hideo has with a new disease that turns D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE people FALL 2013 into zombies.

PANDEMIC Not for the faint of heart!

New diseases can spread at any time. Remember H1N1?

These 3 mangas show how quickly and how deadly they can become , as well as what science can do to stop it.

EMERGING AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Masaya Hokazono Horror, Drama, Medical, Pandemic (Seinen) 2 Volumes (Completed)

Japan is suddenly faced with a new virus that is now spreading rapidly. This disease produces ugly symptoms, making the patient eye’s go bloodshot, bleed, and swell up to the point of exploding. With the population density of Tokyo so high, what will the country do to stop the quickly increasing death toll?

INFECTED ISLAND AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Masasumi Kakizaki Drama, Tragedy, Medical, Pandemic (Seinen) 1 Volume (Completed)

Based on research: What would actually happen if there was a new virus.

A patient showing signs of influenza dies the next day due to organ failure. Who knew that this was the start of a deadly virus that would soon spread throughout Japan?

As the death toll rises, japanese doctors are at a loss over what to do. Infected Island depicts with shocking detail how the government and society would react and deal with the release of a new pandemic.

Read this if you want to lose your appetite.

MANHOLE AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Tetsuya Tsutsui Horror, Mystery, Parasites, Biological (Seinen) 3 Volumes (Completed)

Seemingly emerging from nowhere, a naked, bleeding man suddenly collapses in the middle of the street - dying before the ambulance arrives. Detectives are on a race against time to find the cause of this new disease as other civilians begin to also fall victim.

ALIENS

Is there life out there?

This manga will show you a not so peaceful encounter with the third kind,

Tons of fight/action scenes!

PARASYTE AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Hitoshi Iwaaki Action, Science Fiction, Aliens, Parasites (Seinen) 10 Volumes (Completed)

Shinichi Izumi is trying to sleep when worm-like aliens secretly begin to invade Earth. One of these parasites attempts to crawl into his ear but is blocked by Shinichi’s headphones and accidentally burrows itself into his arm instead.

These Parasites have control of their human hosts when they take over their brain, and will hunt humans for food. Luckily for Shinichi, his Parasite only managed to take over his arm, giving powers fightMAGAZINE the other aliens.

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GENETIC ENGINEERING

Are there lines that we shouldn’t cross?

These mangas show us what happens when nature strikes back.

FOURTEEN AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Kazuo Umezu Horror, Science Fiction, Biopunk, Post-Apocalyptic (Seinen) 20 Volumes (Completed)

Check out Umezu Kazuo’s other work: Drifting Classroom

A scientist at a chicken manufacturing plant discovers a very peculiar looking chicken cell.

Strangely enough, this cell soon develops into a highly intelligent super mutant named Chicken George. This manga tells of this “abomination’s” journey in an ultimate nature strikes back story.

Check out the author’s other works: Uzumaki, Tomie, and The Enigma of Amigara Falls.

GYO AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Junji Itou Horror, Tragedy, Drama, Mystery (Seinen) 2 Volumes (Completed)

Tadashi and his girlfriend Kaori are on a tropical vacation in Okinawa when they are suddenly overwhelmed with a horrible fish smell. Trying to escape this stench, the couple return to their hotel for a good night’s sleep when things take a turn for the worst - they get chased by a dead fish with fused metal legs.

BIO-MEAT: NECTAR AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Yuki Fujisawa Action, Horror, Adventure, Biopunk (Shounen) 12 Volumes (Completed)

Check out the author’s other works: EL EL, Metro Survive, Region

Science has finally come up with a solution to the food shortage problems by bioengineering an animal that survives off of eating waste. This “bio-meat” is then killed to feed humanity, creating a never ending supply nourishment. But what happens when these self-replicating killing machines are suddenly let loose in Tokyo?

GIANT MONSTERS

From Godzilla to King Kong, we always seem to have a fascination with giant monsters.

This manga will show you a new take on an old classic.

ATTACK ON TITAN AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

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Hajime Isayama Action, Horror, Tragedy, Dystopia (Shonen) 11 Volumes (Ongoing)

This year’s most popular manga!

Imagine a world where humans live in constant terror of “Titans” - giant humanoid creatures that devour humans without reason. These Titans have forced large populations of humans to live like cattle in cities surrounded by enormous walls. Since it’s been 100 years since the last Titan attack, many people believe that they are safe, until one day a colossal Titan appears and manages to destroy their outermost wall.

FALL 2013

NATURAL DISASTERS

Japan experiences approximately 1500 earthquakes each year.

No wonder both of these mangas are inspired by them!

51 WAYS TO SAVE MY GIRLFRIEND AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Usamaru Furuya Action, Romance, Tragedy, Disaster (Seinen) 5 Volumes (Completed)

Based on real events!

(1923 Great Kanto Tokyo Earthquake)

Two classmates reunite after coincidentally bumping into each other just moments before a major earthquake hits Japan. This manga depicts what happens after the disaster, thoroughly developing the relationship between these two characters. The author, Furuya Usamaru, vividly describes their survival adventure in frightening detail, paying homage to japanese youth culture along the way.

DRAGON HEAD Adapted as a live-action movie!

AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Minetaro Mochizuki Post-Apocalyptic, Disaster, Dystopia, Psychological (Seinen) 10 Volumes (Completed)

Teru Aoki is heading home with his classmates on a train after a school trip when a powerful earthquake hits. Waking up, Teru is shocked to find that most of the people around him are dead. Since the train has derailed and all paths are blocked, how will he escape when the two other survivors consist of a wounded girl and a crazed boy?

TIME TRAVEL

Does time travel always go together with disaster?

Take a look at this supernaturally surreal manga.

SPRITE AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Yugo Ishikawa Horror, Mystery, Action, Supernatural (Seinen) 11 Volumes (Ongoing)

Either you’ll love this pick or hate it

While visiting her uncle’s house with two friends, Yoshiko begins to see strange black snowflakes falling from the sky. Making her way up the apartment, the entire building suddenly begins shaking from what they think is a massive earthquake. Yoshiko and several other people are stuck and notice a strange black liquid beginning to flood.

REBUILDING HUMANITY

So if the apocalypse really does happen, what do you think will happen next?

This manga will show you what Earth looks like after thousands of years of extinction.

7 SEEDS AUTHOR TAGS LENGTH

Won the 2007 Yumi Tamura Shogakukan Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic , Romance (Shojo, Josei) Manga award!

24 Volumes (Ongoing)

In the future, scientists predict that a meteorite will collide with the Earth and wipe out all living organisms. The government has foreseen this outcome, creating Project “7 SEEDS,” where five teams of seven teenagers are put into cryogenic sleep. These participants will wake up hundreds of years after the existence of mankind to try to FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE rebuild the human race.

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Apocalypse Disney Princesses Inspired by the Artwork of : Tess Fowler Photos By : Paul Mrstick

Sleeping Beauty- Intraventus (VA)

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Pochontas- Luri Nahl (NC) D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

Alice- AlwaysLoveLorn (TN)

Snow White- Bada Boom (NC)

Tiana- Seraphin (NC)

Rapunzel- Mikki Stith (NC)

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Tinkerbell- Utopian Pigeon (NC) FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

Cinderella- Chiki (NC)

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Merida- Ariel Attack (NC) D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

Wendy- Shiny Cupcake (TN)

Belle- Geneviefve d’Estelle (NC)

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Let’s Party Like There’s No Tomorrow By: Megan Willis

Party Favors Defense! (Toy weapons) ‘To a wonderful mum’ bouquet Grow your own Zombie Hand sanitizer Radioactive Slime barrel First-aid kit Wall-e’s cockroach

Games Left 4 Dead (I or II) Borderlands (I or II) Pandemic board game Munchkin Apocalypse card game Name that apocalypse movie Zombie tag

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Music/Movies “In The House/In A Heartbeat” – John Murphy “It’s the End of the World” – REM “99 Luftballons” – Nena “Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb The End of the World [flash video] Any apocalyptic themed movie

Decorations Apocalyptic police tape Bottle caps Biohazard/Radiation symbols End of the World graffiti Fake blood/toxic ooze Fake weapons Gas or surgical mask Safe room/Fallout Shelter signs Skeleton/body part decorations Zombie/Robot/Alien/Cannibal figures

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Food Chocolate bullets Candy Blood/Toxic Ooze Fruity Oaty Bars Gummy body parts Nut up or Shut up mix Pod People (snow or sugar peas) Soylent Green (crackers) Twinkies Yao Guai Meat

Drinks Atomic Bomb (21+) BRAWNDO! Toxic ooze (Hawaiian Punch: Lemon Lime Splash) Pint from the Winchester (21+) Purified Water Nuka-Cola The End of the World (21+) Zombie (21+)

T

he day the Earth stood still we partied hard and so can you! Planning a party themed off of Doomsday scenarios gives you a lot of wiggle room and options to choose from. Now before I get started I just want to say that my party was for a more mature audience because bringing children to an end of times shindig may play a toll on their little minds.

Anyways, back to options; you have everything from an infectious virus that leads to people becoming zombies to robots that we build to help destroy the walking dead only for Skynet to turn them on us pushing humans to choose sides and battle one another. Then while becoming our own worst enemy, aliens will be trying to take our planet from us while we are distracted with killing each other which in turn causes mankind to flee to the skies to battle off the aliens and find a new home…or any variation thereof. Regardless of which genre you choose you don’t want your party to be as depressing as an apocalypse so here’s some ways to keep your get together from being a complete Armageddon.

your guests what doom may lie ahead. Gas or surgical masks can be laid about to give your friends a sense of comfort for your preparedness in case of virus outbreaks. To add onto this, toy figures of their possible fate can be set about to remind guests of the many dangers that lie ahead in the futures end. No matter the threat fake blood & body parts are a must have to give your location a gloomy end of the world feel.

Twelve monkeys can be a hint to friends about virus outbreaks while bottle caps are friendly reminders that often times war is what will end us but just like in FallOut, we, like the roaches, will find a way to survive. So how do you give your friends that sense that mankind can make it; by insuring their safety and giving them friendly advice/ hope. This can be done via weapons (fake of course) and a graffiti wall.

Assuming most of you do not wish to ruin a wall in your homes or even the side of the building itself I suggest using a large sheet of paper or cardboard with sharpies set aside for guests to write whatever

message they feel they would want to leave. The Molotov bottle can be made using glass bottles and an old dirty rag. Please do not make an actual explosive as this could in and of itself catch the world on fire. As for the bottle caps [which I had on hand in preparation for a nuclear catastrophe] can be found at your local craft store.

Warm bodies tend to mingle about and the way to herd them together is with music and movies. Obvious songs such as John Murphy’s “In The House/In A Heartbeat”, REM’s “It’s the End of the World”, Nena’s “99 Luftballons”, and Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” can linger across your speakers but Wikipedia has comprised an entire list of other options for your ears to enjoy. There are also a vast array of movies such as classic dooms day/post-apocalyptic flicks, their remakes, or even the news ones for entertainment, however; if you’re looking for a humorous doomsday movies then here are a few titles that might interest your guests- Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love

The happening that gives your guests a feel for an end of the world party should start with decorations and unless you know of legal abandoned buildings that you can fix up with places to sit, food tables, etc to go all out for, you may want to think about how to make your home look a little more doomsdayie. With October just around the corner I was able to find decorations pretty easily at the dollar store and a few at party supply stores. Apocalyptic police tape helps to keep your living party goers in their quarantined areas with the help of biohazard & radiation warning signs showing

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the Bomb (1964), Tank Girl (1995), The End of the World flash video

by AlbinoBlackSheep, Shaun of the Dead (2004), Idiocracy (2006) or even Zombieland (2009). Looking for love in the desolate wastelands of what’s left then swoon your guests with Logan’s Run (1976), Fido (2006), WALL- E (2008), or Warm Bodies (2013). Of course you could always just go with the impending doom of the world or the gore of what zombies/viruses bring to humans in which case there are endless options. Both Wikipedia and IMDB can throw these titles your way when you search for apocalypse movies.

I am legend at some of the party games thrown for my friends but that may be due to the fact that I have no life. A few ways to play up the theme incorporates preparedness for the possible ends to humanity. Zombie tag can help your guests to improve their aim or at least their cardio when running from whatever may try to eat us down the road. Zombie tag is basically like flag football. You have two starting teams: Zombies and humans. Those playing the living are given two flags [your life bar] to protect from the Zombie enemies who are trying to get them from you. Once your flags have been

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taken you then join the Zombie team and try to ‘infect’ the reaming humans. The way to insure your safety as a human is to run to the ‘safe house’. The game ends when there are no humans left or when they have all made it to safety.

If your friends would rather stay inside where it is safe you can still help them improve their accuracy by playing Left 4 Dead (I or II).

Borderlands (I or II) is another way to give your guests an idea of what to expect from a desolate world.

Don’t have any gaming systems then survivors can try their hand at the Pandemic board game or even the Munchkin Apocalypse card game. Last but not least ‘Name that apocalypse movie’ is a good way to test the knowledge of your friend to see who may be best suited on your post-apocalyptic team. This was created using a PowerPoint that had random screenshots from the movie genres from your theme. One point is given to the first person to raise their hand and guess the movie correctly and the person with the most points at the end of the slideshow is a defiant keeper for your end of the world team.

Doomsday can really take a toll on ones stomach, so don’t forget to have food prepared to feed the masses before they turn into

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cannibals. Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s) were slightly considered for party attendants however MRE’s aren’t entirely tasty and for those that are, they aren’t cheap.

You’re more than welcome to use them regardless as they fit the theme quite well. Another idea that seemed good in my head was Soylent Green crackers. These were made by dipping the crackers in green food coloring with water but after they dried we all agreed that they tasted more like people cardboard than crackers. Though it was too late for me to use this solution I realized that buying a thing of readymade sugar cookie dough mixed with green food dye, spread out on a baking sheet and baked could be cut into squares after they cooled giving your friends a better taste of human. Thankfully our Fruity oaty bars from Serenity made up for the lack of taste of the Soylent Green. These diabetic inducing cosmic space bars were created with rice crispy treats that were then covered with a fruit rollup. They were extremely sweet but this in itself was almost an issue but luckily no one feel victim to sugar comas. Less cavity filled sweets that were more on the zombie/cannibal side can be body parts and blood candies.

Don’t like the idea of friends eating

gummy ears, noses etc then pull the weaponry of war into the theme! I did this by purchasing a bullet mold ice cube tray & poured in melted black chocolate wafers into it so my guests could choose whether or not they wanted to bit the bullet so to speak.

The crazies may yearn for more nourishment than just petty sugary substances so to keep this from happening bring in Pod People aka sugar/snow peas. They may not be as large as the pods found in Invasion of the Body Snatchers but it should give those looking for a healthier snack something to eat.

Another option for hunger is Yao Guai meat for your FallOut fans.

Yeah it’s hard to come by being as there aren’t a lot of big radiated grizzlies roaming around these days but a couple of bags of your favorite jerky ought to do the trick. Plus it will be radiation free! Finally you can top off your food craving guests with some ‘Nut up or Shut up’ trail mix. Of course if you’re going to have Zombieland references then I highly recommend rule #32 ‘Enjoy the little things’ and have some Twinkies for all of your friends to nom on.

Shaun of the dead had it right when it came to how one deals with a zombie outbreak: DRINK! So what can you serve your guests that tie in with the end of the world, lots of things actually. The simplest of drinks to create only requires a radiation sticker. Toxic ooze is simply a jug of Hawaiian Punches Lemon Lime Splash. Just slap the radiation sticker on and let your guest know that too much consumption may cause them to transform. While playing FallOut 3 [to get a sense of apocalyptic doom] I decided to make Purified Rad free water as well as purchased a few

sodas in glass bottle and attached a Nuka-Cola label on the front for my nuclear fallout shelter friends to enjoy. Also available to guests is BRAWNDO [It‘s got what plants crave!] which was made using .99¢ cans of Peace Tea’s sweet lemon tea and a print out of the Brawndo label that was tapped on.

Zombie, Atomic bomb, the end of the world, and a pint (from the Winchester) can be served to guests that are of age. You may be wondering how to make the mixed beverages named above but honestly they are made several ways. What I can do is tell you how I served up these gut warming beverages for my guests. The Zombie contained 1 part of each of the following: white, golden, and dark rum, apricot brandy, pineapple juice, and lime juice all mixed with ½ part 151-proof rum and served in a Collins glass. The atomic bomb is 1 part Sambuca poured into a shot glass, add 1 part Bailey’s Irish cream, and top it off with a dash of grenadine. The End of the World is a mix of ½ part of bourbon, vodka, and 151-proof rum mixed together in a shot glass. Finally the Winchester pint can be a nice cold brew served up to your friends so that they may enjoy a nice cold pint, while they wait for all of this to blow over.

body parts and WALL-E’s cockroach show your guests that even with death around we can always find a way to survive while the toxic slim barrels are reminders of what to avoid. To keep your friends feeling safe toy weapons can also be given.

Finally show your party goers some love by giving them flowers like Shaun did for this mother Barbara [‘To a wonderful Mum’ card is optional].

This is the end of my article and I hope you all enjoyed reading the wasteland of ideas that I tossed out along the way. Keep in mind that your party is what you make it so make it one to remember. If you have any questions or possibly any ideas that you think would make an end of the world party go out with a bang let me know by visiting the D20’s on-line blog at www.

D20GirlsMagazine.com. My monthly blog is titled Party for Anyone. As always, thank you all for your time!

Oh and one last thing, check out the beginning of each paragraph for to see if you can spot the titles of apocalyptic movies throughout the years. ;) Have fun partying!

The road warrior(s) will slowly begin their retreat back to their own safe havens but before they go give them a little protection for their travels as well as friendly reminders of what to watch out for. Hand sanitizer and first-aid kits can give your guests help when they need it and can be purchased at most general stores for $5 or less. Candy zombies as well as grow your own zombies are reminders to keep an eye out for the undead. Skull rings,

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D20 SAYS:

Name one skill you think people will wish they had at the end of the world!

“Photosynthesis is my answer.”

- Priscilla Tang

“Hunting?” - Emily Lorick

“To be able to learn things extremely quickly as their ‘one skill’. Then, they can learn the rest of the skills just by watching a YouTube video on how to do it. ‘Oh, what, I need to learn to kill a zombie? Let’s watch YouTube. BAM, SKILL MASTERED. SUCK IT, ZOMBIES.’ One skill to rule them all.”

- Dagnie Johnson

“Blacksmithing.”

- Tiffany Marie Linton

“Foraging.”

- Jaclyn CL Duhe

“Farming, hunter/ gather skills.”

- Wiyanna Grunsted

“Common sense.”

- Amanda Hamrick

“As dumb as it is? Basic survival training.”

- Andrea McFall

“If it’s a zombie end of the world: head shots.”

- Will Martin

“Combat training, Navigation, Animal husbandry, Weaving.”

- Tara Watson

“You can be Bear Grylls and survive on bugs, navigate by using moss, make a shopping mall out of toothpicks and a pocket knife (any one know that last reference?), but If you can’t keep basic human compassion alive and use it to work together mankind will be doomed. DOOOOOOOOOMED! But I guess the skill would be something along the lines of compassion and/or love. I don’t know if anyone has ever ‘loved’ a stranger but I think that would take skill. Oh, and how to shoot.“ - Michelle Savana

“Real scavenging, not just dig through trash and hope you find something useful.”

- Ruby Spitfire

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“Creativity and ingenuity to be able to make useable something’s out of nothing’s.”

- Samantha Peltz

“I am a ninja. Ninjas would not reveal their secrets. But if they they did, i would say I could pretty much ninja anything into doing what I want it to do “ - Ariana Melekian-Davies

“How to remember all those episodes of survivor man that you only half paid attention to.”

- Dani Yuan

“How to care for wounds and injuries, and how to identify herbs and plants for use in medicine.

Can’t survive the apocalypse if you get sick.”

- Linzy Allen

Fawn: The Little Zombie Hunter That Could In the 21st century Violet had always been a horror movie junkie, so when news stories started surfacing about a weird sickness and people losing control and eating other people’s faces off, it didn’t take her long to figure out what was up. She strapped on her katana, put on her butt kicking boots and her panda backpack filled with assorted fruit snacks and hit the road to take down some zombies! The electricity and internet were no more so what else was she supposed to do?

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Snowcone A Mad Max Inspired Apocalypse Survivor

In a world where society has broken down due to oil shortages, she fiercly defends her small gang of survivors, never hesitating to get in the middle of the action.

Her specialties include knocking heads together and improvised explosives. If you are looking for sympathy, you won’t find it here. Everyone pulls their weight or they get left behind. It’s a harsh world out there and she won’t sacrifice the safety of the group for your mistakes or laziness.

She was rumoured to have been soft and kind once, but that was a long time ago...

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Vampire Hunter

Reclaiming the Food Chain In the end, we humans always thought that we’d be the agents of our own demise. With nuclear war, starvation, genetically altered diseases, the human race seemed like one bad break way from self-created destruction. No one ever thought that we’d meet our end by giving up our spot at the top of the food chain, but there were those who wouldn’t give up so easily.

Model: Geneviefve d’Estelle- NC D20 Girl Photographer: Chiki Photography FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

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E S A B E HOM

By: Erika Litherland

The world just ended and you, by luck or good planning, did not end. The first thing you need to do is accept the fact that life will not be going back to the way it was for a long time. Maybe never. And the things you clung to before are not important anymore. If you’re fortunate enough to not have to keep constantly moving, you can take the time to set up a decent home base. The challenges of having a base of operations are different than the challenges of surviving on the move. Let’s take a look at some of the things that can help keep you alive.

Stock Up RAW HONEY Honey is like that person in school that you always wanted to be teamed up with on projects. It’s low on nutritional value but adds flavor and simple sugar that can help you choke down even the blandest food. Beyond flavor, honey has a few other added benefits that make it our number one item to hoard for the end of the world. First, while it may crystallize over time, honey pretty much never goes bad, especially in a sealed container. Since it’s not like you can go to the store and pick up another bottle, knowing that you can pick up 20 and keep them forever is especially nice.

Aside from the deliciously sweet flavor, honey also has medicinal applications. Honey can be used to help quiet coughs, with the added benefits of being able to be used more frequently than other cough medications and having none of the other side effects that those medications could cause. And it can help treat wounds and burns because it has anti-microbial properties, keeps the wound site moist and provides a protective barrier to the injury. It also has lots of vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids. It can clean your face, make candy, and if it’s made locally it could even be helping your seasonal allergies. You know, if there are any plants left...

Please note, these benefits relate to raw honey. The honey you buy for cheap at your local store has been pasteurized, which kills most of the benefits and leaves you with nothing but nutritionally valueless tasty sugar. And probably the biggest thing you should note is that people with compromised immune systems and children under 1 should not eat honey. Raw or pasteurized.

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hard liquor In a sealed container and kept out of the sun, most hard liquor wont go bad. They may lose some kick, but that festering wound on your leg will feel the burn just the same. Liquor makes an excellent wound cleaner, can help as a sedative in a pinch and is flammable. And let’s not forget that the new world will probably rely heavily on the barter system, making a product like hard liquor worth it’s weight. Literally.

jERKEY DIY is the best option, but without a vacuum sealer, your hard work will only last 6 months. Store bought jerky will last a bit longer but the flavors they add make it fairly unhealthy. Go for unflavored or peppered jerky. And remember, Slim Jims are not jerky.

Another dried meat option for the seasoned survivalist is pemmican.

Pemmican is made with rendered fat, dried meat, and sometimes with berries and such to add flavor. It has the added benefit of being able to be made over a fire outdoors, though it’s not a quick process. Learn more about pemmican by visiting http://www.natureskills.com/ wild-foods/recipe-pemmican/.

PEANUT BUTTER With a shelf life of 2 to 5 years, our good old friend PB secures a place on our list. While that’s not a lot of time, it’s certainly long enough for you to set up a more sustainable food source or learn to hunt the newly mutated creatures you now share what’s left of the planet with. Aside from a long shelf life, peanut butter has a lot of nutritional value that you’ll need. PB has protein and fiber, which helps you feel full longer and build and repair your muscles. It also helps you keep your calories up, which is very important in survival, and it’s chock full of the good kinds of fat. It can help prevent heart disease, contains important vitamins and can even contain zinc, which helps boost your immune system.

This powerhouse of a food comes in lots of varieties, but for end of the world purposes, steer clear of the all natural varieties. These contain fewer to no preservatives and usually need refrigeration, a luxury you probably wont have access to.

Ramen Noodles

Canned or Dried Foods

Ramen are the good guy food source we tend to take for granted. It’s quick, filling, and light weight, which makes it perfect to toss in your bug out bag. Not only is it quick, but it’s also incredibly easy to make and contains all of its ingredients except water. Which you should also already have. But be sure to watch that sodium!

Canned foods generally have an excellent shelf life, but some are going to be better bets than others. For example, canned or dried beans are high in protein, come in many varieties and when eaten with rice it forms a complete protein. This means that the meal contains all 9 essential amino acids needed to support your body. Fruits and veggies, even in cans, will be a luxury, but you should try to pick nutrient dense varieties like spinach, tomatoes, pumpkin and pineapple. Avoid fruits canned in syrup, as most of their nutritional value is lost already, look for tuna or sardines in oil instead of water, and avoid any cans that have expanded or warped, as this is a sign that bacteria is already growing in the can.

Dried fruit can be a great quick energy fix and when stored in multiple small containers you can limit spoiling. Homemade fruit leather is an excellent end of the world snack, if you can get your hands on it. Canned olives are full of good for you fat, and canned meat like spam will stay good for quite a while, though it may lose some of it’s flavor.

Other important dried goods can be flour or sugar, and the vastly undervalued rice. Rice is dirt cheap and easy to prepare, another good option can be orzo, which provides much of the same nutritional value but uses less fuel to cook. If you can stand the texture. Oats are another important dry food, as they cook quickly and are full of fiber but can also be used in lots of baking, allowing you to stretch your flour stores. And lets not forget dried milk. While it may not taste as good as the fresh kind, it’s an excellent substitute in cooking and baking and it lasts pretty much forever. When it does go bad, you’ll be able to tell right away because the product will have turned yellow. And if you can get your hands on canned coconut milk or cream, it’s worth storing. At 700 calories per can, it can be a great way to maintain your energy levels when food gets scarce.

But as a word of caution, many canned food options are high in sodium and too much sodium can lead to dehydration.

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Food Storage Food storage is another important factor in end of the world planning. If you have a home base, setting up your stores in a cool and dry location is important. Use plastic containers if they are available, as they help keep pests and moisture out. If you have the containers and space available, try to divide out your stores so that you can limit spoilage. If one small container goes bad, your others will still be usable.

If you’re having trouble with mice, try soaking a couple of cotton balls in peppermint oil and leave them near you food stores. It will drive the mice away, but it will also make it harder to cover your track if scent is an issue in your new world.

Resources Sites like www.readyapocalypse.com offer survival kits featuring food, food storage and survival tools, but for a price. The kits can be great if you’re preparing in advance, but even those rations wont last you longer than 6 months. Use that time to come up with a new plan!

Your Post Apocalpyse Tool Kit * A utility knife * A Fork and spoon * A bowl * A medium sized pot * Tweezers * Matches in a water proof container * A can opener

Home Safety Protip Planning your defense is an important step in keeping that new home base safe, but actually putting boobytraps in your house before the end of the world is strongly discouraged. Did you know that if an intruder hurts themselves while breaking into your rigged up house, you can actually be arrested! No Home Aloneing it end of the world survivors! At least not until the end of the world actually happens.

Some basic safety tips to keep in mind: - Remove trees and shrubs leading up to your base, this prevents enemies from using them for cover and helps protect your home from fire.

- Know escape routes from inside your home base and practice escaping quickly.

- Set up motion sensor lights on batteries or generators, or rig cans and string as an early warning system.

- Team up with others and take turns keeping watch or guarding doors.

- Keep a bug out bag packed in case you have to leave in a hurry. You’ll lose some of your supplies but you might just keep your life.

Your Home Base Kit * Plastic tubs, plastic bags, and coffee cans of various sizes. Anything to help protect your food! * A first aid kid and manual * Photo copies of important documents and id’s * Jackets and blankets * Prescription medications, over the counter medications, contact solution and glasses if needed. * Flashlights and candles If electricity or a generator is available, look for items like dehydrators and vacuum sealers! Power free options exist but cost a lot more money.

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Zombie Juliet Starling Cosplay By: Arilith From: Lollipop Chainsaw FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

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PRODUCTS

Zombie Friendship Necklace Set ThinkGeek.com $29.99

WE LOVE:

What better way to share your love of the undead with your BFF then with a White Bronze brain necklace?

There’s a left hemisphere for the logical one and the right hemisphere for the creative one. Both thought processes are necessary to survive the Zombie-Pocalypse so wear them proudly and always carry a knife!

It even comes in a cute pinstripe jewelry box.

BY: JACQUELINE ARBELO

Zombie Remote Control Figure Retro Planet $24.99

Combining two of our favorite things-robots and the undead, is this epic 7 inch groaning remote control zombie. Use it to chase errr walk after your cat, use it to scare your boyfriend, heck just use it because Walking Dead isn’t on and you need brain eaters in your life. The best part is the remote is a brain!

Deluxe T-600 Power Fist Amazon.com $69.95

The only thing that can beat a robot is a human with robot parts.

So strap on this chrome plated Terminator robot arm which features sounds and vibrating rumbles just enough to scare you into thinking perhaps you did get hit. Join The Resistance and perhaps save the world from Judgement Day!

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Mars Attacks Wall Decal Walls360.com $15-$75 (Depending on Size)

Who are we kidding, all of us need a little reassurance we are alive. WIth this realistic looking vinyl re-positionable wall graphic of Mars Attacks: Issue #2B you can now wake up in the morning and give your heart a little jolt. Thankfully his blaster is NOT included.

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Apocalyptic Belle- Geneviefve d’Estelle (NC) Photos By: Paul Mrstick FALL 2013 D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE

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Weathering and Distressing Costumes: A Guide By: Geneviefve d’Estelle Nothing sticks out worse than a pristine costume in a post-apocalyptic setting. To avoid being the only one to show up to the apocalypse in your Sunday best, here are some tips for fully distressing your costumes.

Always be aware of your tools and avoid distractions while working.

- While hanging the garment in a secure manner, use a knife to stab near the edge and pull downward to create jagged rips and tears in hems. Vary the angle of the knife and the direction you pull to avoid uniform lines. The key to making it look natural is to make it look random. You can also use this method to create tears in the middle of the fabric, such as claw marks.

- Hold a pair of sharp scissors open slightly, and pull the scissors along the edge of the fabric, against the grain to mask cleanly cut edges.

Shredding or Tearing Fabric A character might be literally wearing their clothing to tatters because they can’t go to the store to get new ones. One of the easiest ways to add some apocalyptic flair to a costume is to by shredding or tearing the fabric of the costume.

A lot of these techniques involve wielding sharp objects to be sure to be a in a safe environment where you’re not in danger of hurting yourself, others, or furniture, etc.

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- The zig zags created when shredding the edges of fabric actually helps most fabric types from continuing to unravel. If you want it to unravel further, use a sharp, pointy object (like a needle or a seam ripper) to pull at threads.

If you want to fully prevent all further unravelling, use clear seam treatment on the edges.

Dirt and Stains If you want to make your costumes gritty and grimy, there are a number of methods you can try. They will allow you to dirty your costume to varying degrees of intensity, permanency, and likelihood of leaving a trail of dirt behind you.

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- Coffee and tea are great for natural fiber fabrics (cotton, linen, wool). Submerge and leave a garment for all-over aging to light colored fabrics (works best on white), or splatter and leave it for splotchy stains. You can also get some really interesting dirt effects by rubbing coffee grounds into a damp garment. The longer you leave a garment in tea or coffee, the stronger the stains.

- Dyes in browns can also be used much in the same way as coffee and tea, but be sure to match the dye to the fabric type as not all dyes work with all fabrics. Special care when trying to dye polyester fabrics as they are the most difficult to dye.

- Watered down mineral clay (as opposed to the craft polymer class often found in craft stores) can be used to mimic mud on clothing and is washable on many fabrics (do a test on a scrap swatch to make sure). Once it dries, it’s pretty stable, but you can have bits flake out or leave clay residue on surfaces, but again it’s generally washable and non-toxic.

- A good permanent method is to paint the fabric. Watered down acrylic paint in browns, beiges, and blacks can be used to portray mud, dirt, or grease. Always look at reference images to know what effect you want to achieve. You

can paint it on with a brush, stipple it with a sponge, smear it on with a rag, or splatter the paint all to achieve different effects.

- There are also some makeups out there that may or may not be permanent, (always test before you assume!) grease paint and a product most often called “zombie dirt” are among the most useful.

These are also a great way to carry your grimy look from the costume to your face and body.

- If all else fails, actual dirt can be used in a pinch. The good thing is that its generally nonpermanent, but there are potential risks associated with it. Dirt, by definition, is not sterile and there are bacteria and other organisms that can pose health concerns, especially if you don’t wash the garment immediately after wearing it. You don’t want to pull the costume out of your closet a few months later to find mold growing on it!

Blood and Gore For those of you who want to amp up the horror aspect, or if you want to make your costume look like it walked straight off the battlefield, blood is a must. Actual blood is a huge health risk, even though I know we’ve all accidentally bled on a costume before, but there are a number of alternatives out there.

- Liquid stage blood is available at a number of stores during Halloween, but can usually be found online or in specialty stores year round. It is washable for some fabric types, but can stain others and even surfaces, so be careful during application.

Different applications methods can include dipping, pooling, and

splattering. Something to be aware of is that most stage blood maintains a sticky texture well after application, so you do risk the potential of spreading your gore to others. On the other hand, because it remains partially wet, it maintains a “fresh blood” look throughout the wear of your costume.

make different patterns of fading (depending on whether you want all-over or splotchy fading). Be aware that many synthetic fabrics have anti-fading treatments to prevent this from happening naturally, so you may want to perform a test before trying it with the full garment.

- Theatrical blood also comes in other varieties, including gel and stains. Gels are particularly useful for creating wound effects under gashes and tears in your costume as it maintains a more 3 dimensional texture. Theatrical blood for staining is generally more expensive as it reacts to oxygen the way real blood does and will slowly turn the dark brown color of dried blood over time.

- Bleach can also fade fabric, but different fabrics react to bleach differently. Sometimes bleach can quite literally eat fabric instead of fading it. Test first on a scrap piece.

Bleach can also change the texture of fabric, usually making it softer and reduces its textile strength.

This might actually be useful for you, but always keep this in mind when using it. There are also safety concerns when using bleach.

Be careful to avoid getting any on your skin, in your eyes or on your regular clothes.

- If you want a more permanent way of adding gore to your costume, paint can also work very well. Watered down acrylic paint in bright red (fresh blood) and brick red (dried blood) can be applied much in the same way as you would apply fake blood but will dry permanently.

Faded and Worn Fabric There are a number of additional techniques to further weather fabric to add authenticity. This catch-all category includes everything else to really bring your character to life.

- Is your character forever outside?

Maybe their clothing is faded.

The easiest way is simply to leave the clothing outside for a week or more in direct sunlight. You can play around with the way you leave the fabric out and what the sun hits versus what is hidden to

- Creating wear spots on clothing makes it look more worn and livedin. You can do this yourself by using a wire brush or a brillo pad and scrubbing in the area that you want to wear down. Start out gently as you can always wear it down more, but once you wear it too thin, you can’t go back. Think about wear clothing naturally gets worn down: elbows, knees, hems of pants, etc.

- Other types of wear include busted seams and unraveling hems.

- Wear and tear can take all kinds of forms. Think about what sort of trouble your character would get into. Mud and blood might not be their thing. Candle wax and ink stains might fit their story better.

Be creative and really bring your character to life.

After all, it’s the end of the world.

Who’s left to tell you you’re wrong?

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RUN FOR YOUR LIVES By: Arilith What It Is: Zombie Infested 5k Obstacle Race When It Is: Year round at different locations throughout the US and Canada How I can get involved: Go To - www.runforyourlives.com Running is no longer just training for endurance or a way to get from point A to point B. It’s not just for medals and record beating times.

From color runs to princess runs, marathons have become a great way to raise awareness and funds for any number of causes. So what do you get when you combine an obstacle race with a Zombie Apocalypse? A chance to Run for Your Lives!

Run For Your Lives, an event that’s been running since 2011, is a first-of-its-kind 5k obstacle course adventure run series created by Reed Street Productions. Runners have to dodge and escape from zombies on the course trying to grab their flags from their flag belt, flag football style. These flags serve as their ‘lives’ and determine if they get a ‘Survivor’ or ‘Infected’ medal at the end of the course.

Only ‘Survivors’ get their times recorded to be eligible for the bigger prizes. Runners will put their apocalypse training to the test as they jump, slide, and climb their way through the obstacles like a blood pits, mazes, walls and hills.

Not to mention avoiding the masses

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of undead just waiting to grab your flag when you’re not looking!

Awaiting runners and spectators alike at the Finish Line is an epic Apocalypse Party, where everyone can celebrate with RFYL’ s own traveling DJ, entertainment, danceoffs, beer, food, and more! You have an opportunity to take photos with some of the ‘photo op’ zombies, browse vendor and sponsor booths and rest your tired or undead limbs! But RFYL’s isn’t just about fun, the event has partnered with The Kennedy Krieger Institute

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to raise money for children with brain injuries and disorders. They encourage donations on www. runfortheirlives.kennedykrieger. org and also collect donations via text-to-donate, at the event and on the online registrations forms.

Project Sole also collects used shoes at the events and recycles them to distribute to impoverished countries.

Ever wanted to become a zombie for a day? Well if so, your wish can come true at RFYL! They have a team of make up artists in their

professional zombie transformation center who will give you all the blood and guts you need to have a brain munching good time chasing down racers on the course. It does cost a small fee to become a zombie, but you get lots of perks including a campsite and reduced racers fee.

The event is more than just a charity event and party, it’s a community building event that helps break down barriers and introduce runners to new people.

Megan and Dan Davies have traveled for multiple races, even planning to celebrate their 14th anniversary together at the race!

Megan tells us “Run For Your Lives has become something of an anniversary tradition for us over the past three years, starting with our 12th anniversary at the very first event in Darlington, Maryland.” And they aren’t the only ones willing to travel to make it out for the event, which led us to ask, “What is it that keeps you coming back?”

Dan was the first to answer, “I keep going back because Run For Your Lives makes me feel good. Not just a “that-was-fun” good, but a week-long “this-was-one-of-the-

best-experiences-of-my-life” high.

A high so strong that I feel giddily happy and disconnected from the mundanity of my desk job and housework for days afterward.

A high so intense that when it fades, I feel a sense of loss. I keep coming back to get that feeling. In adding the raw adrenaline of fear and survival to the typical obstacle race, (the event) has created for its participants a type of shared experience that is hard to find anywhere else. Add in the geeky joy of zombies, and you have my RFYL ‘high’. Not only did I run a race, but I navigated obstacles, dodged zombies (or chased runners in a cool and terrifying costume), and survived (or died) surrounded by, and with, people who love all the same kings of things I do. To sum it all up, I keep coming back because I am geek, a gamer, a runner, and a huge zombie fan, and when I’m at a RFYL I am home.”

An event like this takes quite a bit of work to become the sort of event that bring runners like the Davies’ back again and again. The concept of Run For Your Lives began before the first race happened. Event creators Ryan Hogan and Derrick

Smith were childhood friends who wanted to create a small event to raise the profile of Ryan’s gear line, Warwear. They came up with the name, Run For Your Lives, before the actual event concept have even formed. Their next question was, “What do people run from?” As fans of AMC’s Walking Dead, they landed on zombies and the idea grew from there. The first official Run For Your Lives race launched Oct. 22, 2011 in Darlington, Md. (halfway between Baltimore and Philadelphia). There were over 12,000 participants and spectators on site.

When we asked Jessica Toutsis, a RFYL staffer, about the events goals in the next year she answered, “To spread the infection all over the world.” They are off to a great start, having their first Canadian event take place at the end of September of this year. And they aren’t finished yet! Don’t miss the ultimate Zombie lovers event! Head on over to their website www.runforyourlives.com and check out the opportunities to join the apocalyptic fun! Be sure to check out Arilith’s event review of the Southern California race on www.d20girlsmagazine.com!

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ZOMBIES, RUN! A bloody good time.

By: Lily Luu aka Lilith D20 Girl

Put on your headphones, turn on your music, and start jogging. This is the basics of what most people do when going out for a walk or a run and can actually get boring from time to time. Zombies, Run! puts the fun back into working out with a storyline based app where you are a survivor of a helicopter crash and have to survive with your new mates from a town called Abel Township. Since you are the new gal in town, they make you a runner, someone who picks up supplies and go on missions. These missions are the parts of the app that help you do interval running, which is shown to help improve weight loss and cardio conditioning. You also have the option of choosing a 30 or 60 minute run, allowing you added flexibility.

During the storyline, you slowdown your speed and listen to your radio operator about your next step. He’s a very concerned and nice guy, but he will tell you if there are “zombs” on your tail and you kick it back into a faster speed. Your music will kick in and you start running. But don’t worry; if it’s a song that you don’t like, you can simply skip to the next song. You can also create a playlist,

perhaps apocalyptic themed, as this is an option in the app. During your runs, your music will quiet down, scary moaning will start, and a computerized voice will tell you there are zombies coming closer.

Eventually you have to outrun them and break out into a sprint. The moaning isn’t too scary, a benefit for night runners and those with overactive imaginations.

Not only is this a great fitness app, there is also a game aspect while you aren’t running. While you go on your runs as the new gal trying to prove herself, you pick up random items such as flashlights, batteries, gas and the random underwear to help Abel Township.

These items go towards purchases of new buildings, barriers, and overall expansions of your town to allow for the town to flourish. This town building helps keep your runs on your mind, encouraging you to come back and run more!

The $2.99 app comes with two seasons, with roughly 22 missions each. This will keep you entertained for at least 2-3 months without having to purchase additional seasons. If you’re ready to start

training for marathons, there are the 5k and 10k trainers as well, though these cost extra. The only real downside is that the Zombies, Run! app claims that it’s an interactive experience. But the way you choose to run doesn’t change anything. There are three options of keeping track of your pace, how long and how many miles you’ve run, which is great for tracking your progress, but if you don’t actually run from the zombies, you aren’t going to die. You will always outrun them. If this is actually important to you, then this may not be the app for you. If you can immerse yourself in the Zombies! Run universe and truly enjoy the storyline while working out, this app is great. For those who prefer treadmill running, this negative is actually a positive.

Since your pace doesn’t affect your running, you can go at a steady pace and still enjoy the storyline.

With great voice acting, good writing, a fun game aspect, and the ability to do interval training properly, this is a great app for the novice runner to the marathon trainer that wants to add a little horror to their workout.

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NEWBS GUIDE TO THE MULTIVERSE:

ZOMBIES By: SnowCone

T

he rain pounds down in fat droplets, soaking the sod that makes the roof of the hut as it stands, blended against the desert ground in the darkness. You turn your parched lips to the sky and drink in the seldom felt sensation of strong rain against your skin. Whether this is coincidence…or the power of the Bokor…you cannot say, but a feeling of anticipation and dread fills you as you step inside.

Within the hut you are assaulted with scents. A fire is burning, sending out wafts of an aroma you can’t identify. The walls are lined with shelves, holding mysterious contents you don’t dare at stare too intently, though they contribute the edge of their contents to the air.

Beneath the cacophony of smell is the distinct, sweet-stink of decay.

In the corner is a woman, younger than you expected to her be. Her bright eyes lock on yours and she smiles a crooked grin that reveals blackened teeth. Her voice is strong and sure as she speaks to you.

“What is it that you seek? The power of soul for wealth? Just luck to carry with you? A lover lost and returned to kiss one last time? The Bokor can do many things with the body; the soul. But be aware…

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for every and each thing you must pay in full…and that which is raised must return with salt to the earth.

You come with questions. Here are answers. You come with needs and here is power. But look inside, yes.” She pulls a bottle from the shelf. Her hand covers the lid for the briefest moments and then she pulls it off in one sweeping gesture.

Inside is nothing at all, but your mind swirls in that nothingness. You feel something press at you, up into you and against the back of your eyes, thrusting you backwards.

“The zombie. In the jar it looks like nothing. Yet something remains... pieces. In that which seems as nothing is a great many things.

Yet, inside the eyes that seem like someone. The lover you once knew…nothing inside. And their mouths are not for kissing anymore…” Her words press their way into your ears, twisting and binding your thoughts tighter and tighter inside of your skull. Your vision goes black. *** The first zombies come from West African Vodou. A bokor, or sorcerer, holds the power over the souls of the dead and the shells they’ve left behind. The physical zombies are completely controlled by the

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bokor, having no will of their own.

The zombi astral is a piece of the human soul captured by the bokor to increase their power. This power can be sold to those who seek wealth, luck, and success.

Though it seems to be a constant debate nowadays, the question of how to best get rid of a zombie was pretty simple in the 1.0 verson. In the zombi astral, they were simply temporary spiritual beings and would in time will be reclaimed.

For those in the (rotting) flesh, you simply feed them salt and they will return to the earth.

Guess who else could raise zombies in this belief? Little kids. Yeah, that’s right. ‘Jimmy! Stop raising Auntie from the grave! I owe the village healer a fortune for putting these things back down!’ A powerful enough healer could put them down to rest, but sheesh, talk about complicating child rearing.

It seems like a nicer form of zombie lore, the creatures themselves only come when called, and are fairly easy to put down. Except for the part where witches were said to kill people so they could raise and enslave them for general labor.

These slaves were supposedly used for building trains and train tracks.

Not as part of an evil plot. Pretty

much as the whole extent of the evil plot. An evil train building plan so that you can...have an evil train.

Which may count as one of the most lame uses of villainous power ever.

In the 1980’s, ethnobotanist Wade Davis found some dark secrets by applying modern science to the zombie folklore of Haiti. Similar to the West African zombies, these were raised and controlled by a sorcerer and had no will of their own. What Davis discovered was that the zombies were being made by being poisoned by coup de poudre. Coup de poudre contains tetrodotoxin, a frequently fatal nuerotoxin found in the flesh of the puffer fish, and was being given to the victim who was then burried alive. By the time they’d woken and escaped or been dug up from the ground, they were well into a psychotic state. Cultural teachings would kick in and most remain in a zombie state as long as they are given the drug. They believe their will has been stripped, that they are now a living dead and must obey the will of the one who raised them.

The modern zombie entered pop culture through the fantasy fiction book The Magic Island by William Seabrook in 1929. Three years later, zombies gained more exposure through the horror film genre in White Zombie. These were much like the Vodou zombies, mindless, though some were created instead by malevolent hypnosis. From there they were a staple in horror flicks and shuffled their way into comics with the character Solomon Grundy in the Green Lantern. Grundy is the first example of a zombie storied with sentience of some kind. He awakens with no memory of his Art By: Echo Chernik

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past life, but the ability to think to a limited degree.

By the 1950’s, zombies started to resemble their modern counterparts. Specifically, the idea was introduced that zombies must cannibalize in order to survive. That they must feed on human flesh to remain animated.

1968 brought us ‘A Night of the Living Dead’, which changed the tone of zombie culture to come. Living Dead zombies were everything the zombies before them were, but in power they were essentially just humans. Turned zombies showed no care or love for family or ties and killed without discretion. That combined with the fact that everyone dies in the end… the fact that the protagonist does not come out victorious, changed how zombie and horror stories are told to this day.

In the modern scientifc day, the NotLD format holds true, though often with a new source. Instead of being created by an evil spell and controlled by a magic user, they are made by a virus that spreads through the zombies bite.

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Modern zombies have a huge following and group of enthusiasts to the point where many have created elaborate plans in the event of an outbreak. There are rumoured to be several brain parasites that can cause some level of brain activity after death, and hype over the fake LQP-79 virus that has lead even more people to believe in the persistant myth of zombie-ism.

Whatever the case, the themes and terror of the Zombie has kept us captivated for hundreds of years and it’s not likely to let up any time soon. With the success and popularity continuing for movies like Resident Evil, ZombieLand, and World War Z, we are likely to see the zombie continue to thrive in pop culture, driving the stories that drive the question ‘what if’ forward into the future. ~~~

I

am laying on the ground when I come to, the first light of dawn peeking through the cracks of the hut. My whole body aches and my head swirls. There is no way to tell how long I have been there with the Vodou woman. Her voice speaks in a tired moan from

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the corner. Her hands busy with a red potion that I don’t want to think about.

“You see, the zombie is part of us.

It speaks inside of us. It speaks to us of mortality. Of loss of control.

Many times in your living life you let go to the flow of another’s ambitions. How far will you let them go with you? When is your mind no longer your own?

And the zombie will kill. Kill if it’s told. Kill to eat…kill to live. A human will kill, too. Kill for many things.

Sometimes for nothing at all. The violence and the blood magic of getting by…” she leaps over to me, slamming the bowl down next to me. She presses a read streak onto my temple and stares into my eyes with her wild orbs, vivid and wet.

“Are you a zombie then? GET OUT OF HERE, CHILD!” With questions reeling in my mind I scramble up and tear out into the blessed dawn, gripping my hand against my chest to feel my heart, beating like a magic talisman in my hand.

I feel my life in my palm and tears in my eyes knowing that no matter how bright the day...the night will always come.

Topeka Zombie Walk photography by: Erika Litherland

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ZOMBIES ANONYMOUS By: Lauren Scharhag

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D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALLIllustration 2013 By: Richard D. Carter

When I get off work, I stop at the farm before I go home. The chicken farmer knows me, is expecting me. He has a beautiful bird set aside, ready to go in a cardboard container. I pay him, a worn ten dollar bill. Tell him to keep the change.

The chicken, a red hen, rides in the seat beside me. The box has ventilation holes in the top, but otherwise, the bird can’t see out, so she is pretty docile for the twenty or so minutes it takes to get her home.

I take the box out back and leave it on the patio table while I go inside.

I reemerge wearing one of those disposable plastic rain ponchos.

The box thumps softly as I shift it towards me, open the top flaps.

The bird’s head pops up, gold eyes regarding me beadily. When I reach in, she squawks and fights. I hold her carefully, one hand around her neck, the other holding both feet together. She continues to screech, beating at me with her auburn wings.

It hasn’t been daylight for a half hour yet. I hold her like that, stretched between my hands for a moment in the watery morning sun. Then I raise her to my face and bite, tearing into the breast with my blunt canines. The bird shrieks, her claws digging into my palms.

Feathers fly everywhere. They cling to my hands, sticky with blood. In another second, she is still.

When I’m finished, I hose the blood and feathers off the patio, sluicing them into the grass. Then I strip off the poncho. I pack it and the bones into a trash bag and set them out on the curb, next to the recycle bin.

The meetings are mandatory.

It’s just like from before, with gatherings in church basements and school gyms, a circle of fold-out chairs. In the back of our meeting area, refreshments are laid out on a pair of folding tables: an assortment of raw meats and a carafe of blood.

Pig’s blood, usually. I prefer cow.

We even start with a prayer: I am grateful that I am here and I am still me.

I will not let my impulses define me, only my choices.

I ask for strength to weather adversity and change.

May grace and mercy reign over all my interactions So that I may be an example to others, Leading to peace and understanding between all mankind.

We all know each other here—most of us went through quarantine together, so there’s no need for anyone to stand up and go, “Hi, I’m Joe, and I’m a cannibal.”

I look around the circle at the familiar faces, old and young.

There’s Brian and Cara, a young couple who just recently moved in together. There’s Javier, who speaks in broken English and worked as a grill cook before. Sweet-faced Marjorie, who takes care of the recovered children, who invariably flock to her like baby ducks.

Jay Doyle, who’d owned a car dealership. Ira Ramsey, a computer programmer. Old Barb who talks nonstop about her eight-year-old grandson, who’d been her first kill.

The meetings I go to are led by a woman named Julie Cavanaugh, who’d been a marriage counselor.

We go around the circle and talk about things. Acceptance.

Admission of past deeds.

Confronting guilt. Self-forgiveness.

Working the steps.

Now we’re trying to focus on our new lives: new friends, new families, our jobs. We talk especially about all the changes— the changes in our bodies, the changes in the world. Our new place in society, such as it is.

And we talk about how hard it is.

How very hard it all is.

I should go to bed, but I can’t sleep. Insomnia is common for us. So I sit in the living room. No TV or anything—channels are still pretty limited. But the house is nice. At least, a part of me still recognizes it’s nice, someplace I would’ve wanted to live before.

Four-bedroom, two-and-a-halfbath. Granite countertops in a kitchen I don’t really use. Tankless water heater and efficient heating and A/C when I no longer notice temperature. More space than I could ever hope to inhabit.

I keep the blinds drawn. A lot of us have retained a certain affinity for dark places. Our night vision remains exceptionally good. But I just like it. It’s nice to sit by myself.

Nobody watching, no temptations.

Just me. In my place. Alone. After quarantine, we were required to live in communal housing for a while, so solitude feels like an unqualified luxury.

Then there’s a pounding at my door.

Immediately, I tense up. I’m not expecting any visitors.

Everybody’s got their share of bad

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memories. I bit my neighbor, my wife, my coworker, infected them so they’d be like me. I ate my mother, my son, my dog. The illness burned some of the memories out of us, but not all. We remember the people coming at us with rifles, axes, shovels, baseball bats— whatever lay near to hand. In some places, there were bombs, tanks, flamethrowers. We watched our fellow afflicted get bludgeoned, torn apart by bullets and blades, mown down under treads, going up like haystacks.

When I woke up, I wasn’t me anymore. I’d been replaced by this . . . hunger. There is simply no other word for it.

It happened like in the movies.

Kind of. Not like the old black-andwhites. The new ones. Some of these screenwriters knew what they were talking about: when it hit, it didn’t just happen spontaneously, people leaping out of graves and whatnot. It wasn’t radiation. It wasn’t an invasion from another planet: It was a virus. That’s all.

Like the flu.

Some cannibal humor there. Go on and laugh. You know you want to.

It wasn’t a yak-fest, I’m pleased to report. It was a neuro virus. No one suspected anything at first because it moved so slowly, almost sluggishly, through the system, mutating as it went. That was one way it differed from the movies— it’s not like somebody coughed on you and boom, you were infected, and then, boom, you were a zombie. It took anywhere from eight to fifteen days to become symptomatic and another week or so before you turned.

While I might disagree on some levels, (semantic, spiritual, philosophical), I agree with the sentiment. Winning or losing doesn’t matter. Your whole life has just become this pitched battle.

Pain gets you in a headlock and no one can help you. No one can take the pain for you.

I remember my last day as a regular human. I’d been to the doctor.

He’d prescribed Motrin, bed rest, fluids. Dutifully, I’d managed to get myself up and to the kitchen. Made some dry toast, drank a glass of orange juice. Then I crawled back into bed.

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There’s this lady in my ZA group named Nancy. She’s a real bornagain, right-to-life religious freak, even now. Don’t get me wrong.

I have no beef with the Jesusand-fetus-lovers. I love Jesus and fetuses and beef as much as the next guy.

On rye.

Anyway. We were talking about it during group one time, the virus.

Nancy said, “I got a headache. The pain was so bad my husband rushed me to the emergency room. And all I could think was, ‘This must be what Jacob felt when he wrestled the angel.’”

And then, just when you think it can’t get any worse, you get hungry.

Everything you ever were, anything you ever wanted—it all gets burned away. Your body just wails for food and more food. There is no ignoring it. There is no reasoning with it. There is no fighting it. You have no intellect, no personality, no conscience. You begin to see only what is edible. Anything that moves is edible.

I miss toast.

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I don’t know how any of us survived those long years, unspeakable years of wandering and feeding, a blur of teeth and working mandibles and blood. All I know is, I came to in a CDC facility, four years after that glass of OJ. I had a gunshot wound in my right leg, a mild concussion from where somebody whacked me over the head with something. I was lucky that’s all I had. The cure meant we recovered some of our humanity—we could think again.

We could reason again. We could sleep again, dream again. We could feel again. Emotions, I mean. A lot of us have suffered permanent nerve damage, which is why we don’t feel heat or cold, or physical pain.

But what they couldn’t cure was the hunger.

It’s been five years since the virus hit. There’s a little over a billion people left in the world. Most died the first year. The rest died in the ensuing violence: riots, people fighting amongst themselves, fighting against the afflicted. A lot of people committed suicide.

Pretty much the only job we’re allowed to have now is clean-up.

We bury bodies, clear debris from roadways, tear down condemned structures. Doesn’t matter what you did before—doctor, lawyer, butcher, baker, candlestick maker.

You’re road crew now. Most of us prefer the night shift.

Once we were cured, the new government passed a series of laws.

Recovereds had to be registered.

After quarantine, recovereds had to live in assigned housing.

Recovereds were not allowed to own firearms. And, of course, acts of cannibalism would not be tolerated.

We make do with animals. If any of those PETA people are left, they must really hate us. After our meetings, sometimes, we stand around the blood cooler and organize hunting parties.

Right now, we live in the exurbs, in subdivisions surrounded by cement walls topped with razor wire. The perimeters are patrolled.

Helicopters are a regular sight, gliding by overhead at all hours.

Working by night, loading up dumpsters and hauling rubble under the moon, I sometimes pause and look around. I can’t get used to this—any of it. The roaming searchlights. The vast areas of uninhabited space. The ruined buildings, the untraveled highways, the unpaid tolls.

“There’s more of us than there are of them.”

“We all know what’s going on here.

They rounded us up, trapped us while we were vulnerable. Now we’re living in ghettos while they decide what to do with us.”

“I’m telling you, it’s just a matter of time before they decide to wipe us out once and for all. Because they can’t stand it—they can’t stand that we’re better than them now.”

“But we haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Not yet.”

The knocking on my door continues, growing more and more frantic.

I open it to find several of my neighbors. A lot of them are people from my ZA group. There’s Ira, there’s Julie.

“Joe,” she says. “They’re coming.”

In the distance, I hear the helicopters beating the air, the sound of tanks approaching.

No words pass between us.

Nothing really needs to be said as some of us join hands and walk out to meet them, armed with nothing but our hunger and a serenity prayer.

They call us cannibals, like we’re still the same species.

I’m not sure we are.

There is one topic of conversation that is never broached in the meetings—never indoors, where we might be overheard. Only outside, preferably in the fields and wooded areas, as we stalk coyotes and deer.

“The way I see it, we’re the new top of the food chain, right? So why the fuck we letting them call the shots?”

“Look at us. Can’t leave the compound unless they give us the okay. Eating what they say we can eat. That’s not what we are.”

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Linzy

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Post-Apocalyptic Medicine Cabinet - By Bridgett Bowie and Erika Litherland Being a zombie apocalypse enthusiast, I’ve thought about the end of the world. And I’ve realized we will eventually have to live without a few things. Most people think of food and water but I’m worried about my health. What will happen when we have to go back to our roots? You could be the best survivalist out there but what would happen if you got a cold or even a headache? What’s going to happen when your NyQuil and Tylenol run out? And when 48.5% of Americans are taking one prescription drug per month in 2011, according to the CDC, we have to wonder about all the insulin, inhalers, blood pressure and psychiatric medications that we’ve become dependent on.

Sadly, some of these medication dependent people won’t last long once the world ends. If you’re dependent on medication, be sure to stock up at the end of the world, and talk to your doctor about ways to manage your conditions without medication if that’s an option. Now, I’m not a doctor, and this article is in not medical advice. You should talk to your doctor, end of the world or not, about ways to help manage your health naturally, but I do have a few tricks we can use to make life a little healthier, before and after the apocalypse. And please realize, it wouldn’t be possible for me offer natural remedies for everything, there isn’t enough space in this article for that, but there are some basics that can benefit most of us.

In a world with no running water, gas or electricity we will be using a lot of fire. With fire comes the inevitable burn. When you get burned instead of running to the nearest water source reach for your honey. Take a clean gauze pad,

cover the cleaned burn with honey then apply the pad. Honey can disinfect wounds and heal burns.

Change the bandage three to four times a day for quicker healing with less pain. Some other things you can use are aloe vera, fresh cut onion, fresh cut potato and vinegar. All of these help with pain, disinfecting and will help prevent scaring.

Always make sure you are cleaning your wounds before applying any substance to heal them. You may think that you should clean your wounds with rubbing alcohol or peroxide, but this is actually not the case. Both of these substances actually harm the tissue and can delay healing. It’s a much safer option to wash with mild soap and water for at least 5 minutes to clear and dirt or debris. It’s also better to keep the wound moist and covered with a bandage to help prevent it from being exposed to bacteria. If you’re stocking up on supplies at a store, grab saline solution or cheap vodka. Though the latter will sting a lot more. The vodka can help with tooth aches too, swish and spit to help kill the bacteria and numb the pain. Cuts and lacerations are also going to be a problem. Whatever happened to end the world, there is bound to be wreckage. Some of the most important things about wound care will be to make sure you keep the area clean, even stopping to change bandages and clean the area when you can. An infected wound could seriously jeopardize your life. There are a number of health concerns, however, that aren’t life threatening. At least not directly. But heartburn, indigestion, headaches and nausea can seriously slow you down. And a slow target is a dead target.

Heartburn and indigestion are generally more annoying than dangerous, but constant heartburn or indigestion can be a real sign of trouble. Acid eating away at your gastrointestinal tract can cause major problems. Most of us pop an antacid tablet on occasion, some of us even take a daily acid reducer to help combat constant reflux, some people have prescription only medications to deal with the acid.

But it’s the end of the world, you can’t count on prescriptions or tums to be readily available. If you have chronic acid issues, stocking up on antacid products early. But there are other ways to help yourself out.

The first thing you should do is be aware of what foods cause you the most issues. You don’t have a lot of room to be picky when food gets scarce, but try to limit foods that are extremely fatty, acidic or spicy.

When you are eating, eat slowly and chew your food fully, limit talking and don’t chew with your mouth open to help prevent added air from entering your stomach with the food. Try to limit your portion size, which probably isn’t a concern at the end of the world, or eat a bunch of smaller meals instead large ones. And once you have eaten, try to make sure you don’t sleep for at least 3 hours to give your stomach time to empty itself of its contents. Remember, liquids clear faster than solid foods.

And once the burning, burping and bloating have started, limit your laying down and bending over.

These often help that acid move back up in the wrong direction.

But since stress, which is likely higher than usual at the end of the world, is also a common cause of heartburn and indigestion, it

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doesn’t hurt to have some coping mechanisms prepared. Most people tell you to drink milk, and while this will have some effect as a buffer to coat your esophagus it is also high in fat which can cause the stomach to make more acid. Some truly useful solutions include chewing gum, sugar free if you have a choice, or sucking on peppermints.

Both stimulate saliva flow rate and that can help wash the acid away faster, though peppermint can also be helpful on it’s own. Drinking water can help in much the same way. If you’re lucky enough to have a place to grow your own crops, aloe vera and basil can both be helpful. Chewing 2 to 3 basil leaves can help heartburn, nausea, and indigestion, or ½ C of aloe vera juice before meals can help combat that acid too. But be careful with the aloe vera juice, as it can also be a laxative. Apples and bananas can be helpful foods in battling your indigestion. And if you can get your hands on it, straight forward baking soda can work quite well. Mix ½ t to 1 t in a glass of water, but be careful with that too. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate which means it’s high in salt and can cause swelling and nausea if used too much.

Headaches are slightly tricky, because they are often your body’s way of telling you a variety of things. The science behind headaches tells us a few things about treating them. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Did I say hydrate?

Because it’s important. Many of your food choices at the end of the world have more sodium and preservatives in them, this can lead to dehydration. If you’re out of over the counter medication, look at adding some caffeine.

Caffeine is often an ingredient in OTC medications because it helps the pain reliever work more quickly,

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allowing you to take less and feel relief faster. Be careful in adding outside sources of caffeine with these OTC meds, as adding too much caffeine can cause rebound headaches. Pharmacologically speaking, caffeine also helps by constricting the blood vessels (it’s a vasoconstrictor) in the brain which helps reduce the pain of headaches.

Caffeine dependence can become an issue though, as your body adjusts to the levels of caffeine you’ve been feeding it and begins to adjust. If you suddenly drop it from your diet, you know...like you might have to at the end of the world, the vessels dilate too much and cause headaches. It should also be used in moderation, as caffeine is also a diuretic and can lead to further dehydration if you consume too much. Homeopathic treatments can be incredibly helpful for headaches.

There’s an acupressure point on your hands where the thumb and index fingers meet, massage the flesh there for five minutes on each side. A scalp massage, shoulder massage, and meditation can also help you get rid of headaches. But if you’re stressed and hiding from zombies, you might have a hard time finding a nice cool and dark room to de-stress in. Essential oils, herbal teas and fresh herbs can help too, but be aware that if you can smell it, other people (or enemies) can probably smell it too.

Lavender and peppermint oil are frequently used to bust headaches, but essential oils and herbs should be used carefully.

Nausea is another issue entirely.

Like headaches, nausea is usually an indicator of other problems.

It’s a very common side effect of intense pain and high levels of stress. It can also be a symptom of an illness, or an early sign of pregnancy. A concussion frequently

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comes with the need to vomit, as do heat exhaustion, heart attack, food poisoning and motion sickness. If you can get your hands on some meclizine, the medicine in most motion sickness medications, that can help calm your stomach quite a bit. But until you deal with the cause of your troubles, you’ll probably just be putting off feeling sick again later. When the feeling like you want to vomit turns into actual vomit, watch for yourself to get dehydrated. This is especially concerning in children who are less likely to know that they are getting dehydrated. If you do begin throwing up, sip water slowly and stick to a liquid diet until you’ve stopped. If you’re just feeling a little queasy, you can look at a couple of different options. Drink small amounts of sweetened clear liquids, suck on peppermints, and attempt to keep your breathing steady and even. Avoid medications with Tylenol or aspirin in them as they can upset your stomach even more.

The important thing to remember is that your body is a well oiled machine. Each of it’s systems is beautifully designed to work in harmony. In the modern world, this isn’t often the reality of things. We aren’t all very good at keeping the various parts of our internal machinery in good working condition, and when one part begins to break down, other parts feel the strain. After enough strain, more parts of the machine begin to break down. So listen to your body.

Oh, and do yourself a favor...make friends with a doctor or nurse, and when the world ends, protect them like they are your one ring. Don’t pull a World War Z and let the one person who can supposedly save you all accidentally shoot himself in the head. Whoops. Spoilers.

Disease. Epidemic. Pestilence. Plague.

Mankind has spent its entire existence fearing these words.

The devastation that illness has wrought upon our species time and again has imprinted this indelibly on our psyches. It is the stuff of nightmares, the subject of horror stories. In the past 20 years, it has been brought to our attention both in the real world, through H1N1, cryptosporidium, and other illnesses; and through media, in movies such as Outbreak and books like Stephen King’s The Stand. The world is laid low by a disease, either mutated, man-made, or entirely unknown, and the last dregs of humanity are left to either rebuild the human race, or watch as the sun sets on our time on Earth.

But disease has struck the world before. It has spread in pandemic proportions, taking

with it thousands and sometimes millions of lives. From ancient Greece to today, illness has ravaged the human population throughout history.

The first epidemic in recorded history occurred in 430 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. While Athens and Sparta battled, 30,000 of the Athenian population died from a strange disease. The historian Thucydides described the disease as “People in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heats in the head, and redness and inflammation in the eyes, the inward parts, such as the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and emitting an unnatural and fetid breath.” Skin ulcers, coughing, diarrhea, and spasms followed. The few who did survive often lost their sight, fingers, and even genitals.

To date, the disease that decimated ancient Athens is still a mystery.

Romans returning home from Mesopotamia in 165 AD brought with them an epidemic now thought to be smallpox. At its peak, 5000 people were killed every day in Rome. After 15 years, the disease disappeared, leaving 5 million dead in its wake. Two emperors were among the dead, one being Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, for whom this Antonine Plague was named.

The most well-known plague in history made its first appearance in 541 AD in the Byzantine Empire.

The Plague of Justinian was the first recorded outbreak of the bubonic plague. It killed 10,000 people in Constantinople daily, and the bodies were left stacked in the open due to lack of time or room to bury

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to traverse the globe. Over a billion people contracted the illness, with 100 million dying from it…more than were killed in the war itself.

Virtually everyone alive today has some resistance to this family of the H1N1 virus, due to its prevalence in that year. Oddly enough, the Spanish Flu has nothing to do with the country of Spain but this: Spain had not entered the war and did not employ wartime censorship, so full news coverage of the pandemic was available.

The late twentieth century saw the onset of the AIDS epidemic.

Originating in primates, the first documented case in the US was in 1981. The virus weakens the immune system, providing

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an opening for opportunistic infections like pneumonia. The victim does not die from the AIDS virus itself, but from the illness it allows in. Medical advancement has been able to stave off the decay of the immune system, keeping the virus in its initial HIV stage. If caught early, the victim’s life span can be extended from only a few years to up to 50 years. Over 25 million people have died of AIDS in the past 30 years, and over 33 million people are living with it currently. There is no known cure, but in 2008 scientists created a vaccine that proved 30% effective.

Hope is high that this can be improved to 100% effectiveness, and the AIDS epidemic can be left to the annals of history.

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them. By the time the plague ran its course, half of the city was dead.

This first outbreak killed up to a quarter of the human population in the eastern Mediterranean.

Eight hundred years later, the same plague was going strong, with a name that even today strikes fear in the hearts of men: The Black Death. While it’s unsure how the plague came to Europe, its toll was certain and devastating. Over 50 million people died, a quarter of the continent’s population.

The Black Death comes in three forms. Bubonic plague involves having enlarged lymph glands of buboes covered in decaying black skin. Untreated, 50% of victims die within 3 to 7 days. An airborne variety known as pneumonic plague required antibiotics in the first 24 hours, or the victim has an almost 100% chance of death in 2-4 days.

The third form is septicemic plague, which is essentially blood poisoning via Black Death. Extremities turn black, giving the disease its name, and death occurs within 24 hours. While rare, this third form is almost always fatal.

The Third Epidemic of bubonic plague occurred in 1855. Originating in China, it spread across the world to India, Africa, and the Americas, killing 12 million people in India and China alone. After 100 years of pandemic, it was officially declared over in 1959.

Bubonic plague can still occasionally be found in the world today. To date, it has killed over 200 million people.

The end of World War I saw the rise of the most deadly pandemic in history. Originating in a US military camp in Kansas in May 1928, the Spanish Flu took a mere 6 months

Graph: 5 Deadliest Epidemics: Epidemic Name | Death Toll

Pop Culture Life Lessons Survive the Apocalypse By: Chiki

Movies, Television, and Video Games can teach us a lot.

Adopt a Hoarding Mentality.

While not an Apocalyptic fiction television program one can learn a lot from the folks on “Hoarders” and “Extreme Couponers” about emergency preparedness. Scoff at them as much as you’d like but those crazy hoarders have the right idea: defense! Mountains of useless junk enveloping your home makes for excellent barricades against the undead! Having to scale mounds of purses, shoes, china dolls, outdated furniture and broken televisions is sure to slow any unwelcome intruders. If playing hours upon hours of Fallout has taught me anything, it’s important to grab as much junk as you can possibly hernia-crawl across the wastes to later sell or jury-rig into weapons. I submit that Hoarders are not unreasonable they are merely prepping early for the end days.

Same goes for the extreme couponers. While it may seem ridiculous to have a lifetime supply of shampoo, can goods, cereal, feminine products, paper towel, laundry detergent and diapers for a child you don’t have. You’ll be sitting pretty in the apocalypse! So make a throne of paper towels, a crown of travel-sized shampoos and get ready to be king or queen of the wastes. All those haters who doubted your mad coupon skills will be begging for your can goods in the end.

don’t trust anyone.

If “This is the End” taught me anything it’s that no one can be trusted even sweet actress: Emma Watson. No one is above knocking you flat with an Ax and stealing your booze and water. Even Hermione. Beware of anyone overly nice as well, in the Walking Dead season 3The Governor proves to us that every seemingly benevolent leader is really batshit insane and keeps zombie heads in aquariums. The best way to handle the apocalypse is to keep your family close like the protagonists in the soul crushing film: “The Road” chose to do. Trust no one and carry a gun with enough bullets for you and the rest of your party? Gruesome? Totally!

There are no happy endings when the world is ending, “The Road” can certainly teach you that. While we’re on the subject, pop culture time and time again teaches us not to trust the government either, like in “The Hunger Games.” It’s probably not a great idea to place your faith in a government that issues yearly battles to the death with children.

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The absolute best place to live during the apocalypse is Jericho, KS. Head for the heartland! If short-lived television program Jericho can teach you anything about survival is that this town is ideal for living out a nuclear holocaust. Sheltered from fallout of nuclear bombs attacking all major cities Jericho sits pretty on lovely lush farmland, with plenty of water, and just few enough neighbors. The only caveat? Jericho doesn’t exist. The town the show was filmed in however does: North Lawrence. Could be a close second. I just hope that Jake Greene is still hanging out, because I’d trust him to lead a town during the Apocalypse. Other great lodging options include: The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia which hides a huge underground bunker under a luxury hotel. If we learned anything from The Walking Dead, prisons might not be looking so bad either!

Either way I would stay clear of major cities, we can’t all have Rick Grime’s amazing luck with tanks in downtown Atlanta.

Don’t forget the chapstick!

“The Book of Eli” raises a really great point early on in the movie, when you’re out trying to survive exposed to all the elements don’t forget lip protection! Your lips get dry and cracked when exposed to sun, wind, and dehydration. If you don’t have the extreme couponer’s hoard of chapstick, blistex, or my personal favorite: Burt’s Bees. I hope you like getting creative with cat oil.

Become a Dog Person “I Am Legend” and the weird 1970’s apocalyptic classic“A Boy and His Dog” teach us a great lesson about companionship. A dog can mean the difference between life and death, dogs are more trustworthy than humans, and can make you seems more trustworthy to other individuals. Plus they can serve as some great eating in a pinch! Too far?

Yeah probably, okay fine, don’t eat Fido.

Stay Out of the City I said it once, I’ll say it again: STAY OUT OF THE CITY. Even without the threat of Zombies cities will hold hundreds of dead bodies, and with unburied dead bodies come disease like Cholera and Typhoid. Plus most cities aren’t clean without a complete civilization collapse, imagine how disgusting cities will become without a functioning Public Works System.

“The Survivors” a British television program is a great example of why to stay out of cities.

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Keep Your Hair Short In the Walking Dead by Tell Tale Games you act as guardian for a young child. In one of the episodes you must cut your ward’s hair. It’s apparently a huge deal and takes up a great deal of the story line for that episode. The gist of it is that if your hair is long you’re easier to grab. Plus the added benefit of rocking a more wash and wear style is less upkeep. Which is great because there probably won’t be deep conditioning and hair dryers in the end times.

Zombieland... all of it.

Review Zombieland for awesome gems like these:

Okay... So Maybe You Need to Trust Some People Maybe it’s not the best idea to go at the apocalypse alone, unless you’re amazing and have every skill necessary to survive and are comfortable with talking to yourself. Humans are social creatures, we are more productive in groups. Almost every post apocalyptic tale proves this. Its best to seek out a strong team. The reality television show “The Colony” is a great way to illustrate how different types of people and strengths can come together for the greater good. Who knew a lumberjack could be so useful!

Don’t Take Life Too Seriously, You Won’t Survive “Six String Samurai” and “Shaun of the Dead” can teach us one important lesson: no matter how the apocalypse starts or ends. Whether it’s war, alien invasions, pandemic infection, zombies, ect... you might as well do the best to make light of the situation and enjoy life while you still can. Maybe even take a page from “Warm Bodies” and try to fall in love!

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By: Erika Litherland and Kelly Jogereit

“He waited in her grandmother’s clothing until the little girl in the red cloak came and knocked. Then, pretending to be her grandmother, he coaxed the little girl into the bedroom. But the little girl was smart and she knew how to pay attention to her surroundings.

She recognized the smell of blood and saw dark hair on the furniture, and she knew that her grandmother wasn’t waiting under the covers.”

I look at the assembled children, their eyes wide, and I continue, “So she reached into her basket and pulled out the small hand gun her mother had given her, and she shot that wolf before he could pounce on her.” I clap my hands loudly when I say the word shot, causing a few jumps, “And after she was sure he was dead, she took the few valuables and supplies her grandmother had saved up and then she set the house on fire and went home to her mother. Because you can never be too careful.”

I’ve read lots of different versions of the story with the little red hooded girl. But I’ve never found a complete one. I’ve pieced it together with some real world life lessons that I think children should have, and its not like any of the little ones

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know any better. “Tell us another story Librarian.” I smile at them and shake my head. “It’s getting late, you should all run home. Tell your families that I’m happy to trade for any books or paper they might still have.”

This settlement, Carnahan, seems to be doing only slightly better than others I’ve been to in recent days.

It’s an old suburb, but they built a large fence around the portion they live in, with a large metal gate that is very hard to move with any real speed. Armed men patrol the gate and walk the perimeter at fairly regular intervals. It’s been 20 years since the outbreak started, and we’re still terrified that every approaching stranger might be infected.

“Did you hear about Brighton?”

“What about it?”

“Burned to the ground.”

“No! I thought they were testing a cure there.”

The speakers move away before I can catch the rest of their conversation. Brighton, while I don’t know the place, the story isn’t unfamiliar. I normally steer clear of those areas. There isn’t much paper or tech left after a scorching. And there isn’t anyone to talk to.

And you can’t ever forget the smell of burned flesh.

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I wonder, sometimes, if we’re ever going to get past the fear we all live in. If we’re the little girl in my story, smart and strong and capable, or if we’re the wolf, just trying to survive by any means needed.

Pulling my jacket tighter around me I move toward the house that they told me was for visitors and prisoners. The guard nods to me as I walk in the open doorway, the wooden door long since removed apparently, and up to the bedroom that also has no door. What it lacks in privacy it makes up for in protection from the elements.

Like most nights, I sleep with my clothes on and my gun still strapped to my thigh. I wake at every sound, at one point finding the guard standing in the hallway and staring at me through the open door. He doesn’t come in or speak, just watches. And I’m left wondering if he’s judging if I’m ill or easy. Or weak enough for easy to not matter.

I don’t sleep for the rest of the night, and when morning comes I’m loading my pack and heading for the picnic tables I’d told my stories from the night before. The picnic tables are old but seem to be as well taken care of as one can hope these days.

The kitchen inside the house here isn’t of much use without power, which the settlement lacks, so they use old grills and good old fashioned fire.

What the food lacks in flavor it makes up for in substance. Rice and beans don’t taste spectacular but they stop your stomach from hurting and that’s all I can really ask for. After all, I’ve traded two jars of raw honey for the chance to stay here for three days, bed and meals included. I’m not about to turn my nose up because it isn’t seasoned to my liking.

I read while I eat, flipping through a copy of the Count of Monte Cristo.

It’s mostly intact, a real rarity, and one of my few personal possessions that The Chroniclers don’t expect me to turn over to them. From my peripheral I can see two women staring at me. One holds a book of some sort. I turn and smile at them.

Trading passes time, but not quickly.

Books and paper are considered fairly useless by most people so it’s pretty rare that someone gave up precious space in their pack for something like a book. In a place like this you’ll find a few others.

Generally things left in the homes by owners who didn’t waste pack space with them or who died. And in a settlement like this one, where fire is the only source of heat and ability to cook, things like paper were quickly used for kindling.

There is value in kindling.

Sometimes people come out to see what I’m offering. Is something in my mysterious bag worth the multiple fires that one book could start? Sometimes it’s not.

And I can’t be upset, we’re all trying to survive, but it’s always disappointing. Sometimes I can get them to let me borrow the book in exchange for a small container of honey or a handful of aspirin. Then I read as much as I can as quickly as I can, usually while recording myself on the voice memo function of the largely useless tech The Chroniclers gave me. It was a phone in the old days, and it’s seen better days, but it lets me keep more information that I could on my own.

When I’m out of battery , like I was tonight, I have nothing to use but the blank spaces of another book in my pack. It’s not ideal, but then, nothing is. I don’t want to waste a

candle on tonight’s work so I stay at the picnic table, near the fire they keep up all night. I’m so caught up in using this short pencil to copy notes from the book a woman was letting me borrow into a ratty copy of one of the Harry Potter books I’d picked up at an abandoned house a couple of hours walk from here, that I get sloppy.

You always pay attention to your surroundings. You’re always listening to the world around you.

And that’s my last thought as something strikes the back of my head and my vision goes dark. Most of the people who live here are safe and asleep in their homes, and no one’s looking out for the stranger who wants useless books. He leaves my pack by the table but drags me quickly behind a nearby house.

I never stay any place too terribly long.

In fact, for me to stay in a settlement for longer than a week is rare. Staying in one place with more than a few people is asking for trouble. No one’s security is perfect. Staying is usually asking for trouble. To get sick. To die.

Or worse.

Anyone who says there’s nothing worse than death hasn’t seen a Hatter. Or hasn’t seen someone they love become one.

Carnahan isn’t as ‘special’ a town as they seem to believe. A lot of settlements--the more permanent ones anyway--have built up fences made of scrap metal and barbed wire, all scavenged from places no longer in use. That the public areas have no doors is a little

more odd than normal, but I’ve found that there’s always the story of why if one were willing to dig deep enough, and since I showed up with a few rabbits on strings-already cleaned and ready to be cooked--as my ‘admission’ fee, I’ve been working on asking the right questions.

And like all places such as this, strangers aren’t trusted. People stay away from me unless they find they need something. A message delivered about the birth of a child or information about a nearby settlement. Perhaps even a bit of gossip. Rumors can pay the bills in places like this, whether those rumors have any value are a tossup. They could be true, and in effect could be ‘news’, or are just stories.

Those have value as well. I learned that people will take the untruths that I hand them and spin them into stories to entertain. To instill hope.

This place is more hopeful than most.

Someone had mentioned at some point there was a Chronicler in town. For three days. Chroniclers were interesting in that they were attempting to piece together the past as a means of recreating it for the future. So far as I can tell, they have the right idea. Trying to rebuild rather than just survive, and I have a couple of books of my own that I could trade, if only to see what she has in her own possession. Even if we end up not trading, I like stories, regardless of where they are coming from or how true they are. I have since I was small. My father used to tell me a lot of stories.

I’ve gathered my own collection-only three small, half-destroyed things--and go to where the bonfire is. No one would likely be there,

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and perhaps a good conversation would be in order, swapping stories for stories. News for news.

I’m a mite disappointed when I get to the place and don’t see anyone, tapping the threadbare texts against my hands and shifting on my feet. It’s only a trained eye that tells me that something isn’t right, and it takes me a moment to figure out what it is. It’s as dirty and somewhat efficient as any other place like it. A few mix-and-matched chairs and benches and picnic tables somewhat close to a roaring fire. There was a bag there, with an open copy of...some book. A wellloved, beat up pencil laying on the dusty ground...

I’m looking around cautiously as I approach what’s there, my fingers touching the book and coming away with just a small smear of red. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what it is, and I’m looking around my feet for drops. There’s no person here, but there is blood, and there are personal items left alone. No one would leave anything like this alone. Not like this.

Which is when I see, near my feet, what most people would dismiss as nothing but what I know as ‘drag’. There are footsteps, and drag marks. Like someone had been dragged away, and I put the three books down on the table, knowing that I’m likely to need my hands as I follow the marks into what used to be an alley and what I can now only assume is one of the main thoroughfares in this makeshift little settlement. Books meant that it was the Chronicler. That her things hadn’t been riffled through and instead had been left behind?

That didn’t herald anything good.

Not for her, and most certainly not

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for another stranger in this place.

The only thing I can say for the end of the world is that there aren’t terribly many of us who aren’t wearing multiple layers of clothes. It doesn’t stop what he’s trying to do but it does slow him down.

I imagine in most situations this just makes the attacker angrier.

I don’t imagine that there are many situations where someone’s going to come along. Life in the new world is about minding your own business. Because if you get involved, if you stick your neck out for someone else, you’ll find yourself headless.

He’s struggling with my thigh holster and the worn leather belt it’s attached to. The dull ache in my head tells me that something here isn’t right. I can’t think. And my limbs are so heavy. Something is wrong.

I hear a muffled curse and frown, raising a hand to my head very slowly. It’s sticky. My head shouldn’t be sticky. I groan, the realization that I must be bleeding seems to make my head hurt worse.

“Shh. Keep your mouth shut.”

If there was one thing that my father taught me early in this mess, it was how to treat people.

Regardless of how they would treat me, in the end I had to live with the things that I did and the person I

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became. It was why the lessons on being a ‘gentleman’ went very far with me. Why I internalized them.

My father was the only real rolemodel I remember, and he taught me how to treat other people. To remember--no matter what--that there was a story behind every face.

That every person had a name.

Even if I had to kill someone, I was supposed to remember that the person was once someone.

Of course, when I see things like I’m seeing now, it is very, very hard to connect the guard with a real living person.

People don’t do things like this. Not to other people. Decent people do not attempt to do what he’s doing.

He’s too busy trying to get her belt off to notice me, and I hear what he growls. I hear it, and one moment I’m ten feet down the alley and the next I’ve kicked him in stomach and off of the girl--who I can only assume is the Chronicler I’ve been looking for.

The man--one of the men who guarded us in the ‘Common House’--turns on me with a pistol, and I react on instinct. Instead of cowering--like most would--I grab his arm and pull it toward me, twisting until he has his back to me...but not before he fires a useless shot into nothingness.

Find out what happens next in the ongoing fiction Wonderland at:

wonderlandthevirus. wordpress.com!

could a ROBOT REVOLUTION really happen?

By: Jacqueline Arbelo

It’s a warm afternoon, you’re taking advantage of the refreshing summer breeze and are seated on a park bench reading your neighbor’s copy of Starship Troopers. The Sun’s rays bounce off your uncovered shoulders blinding you for a brief moment as you glance up at a group of laughing children chasing each other between the swings and monkey bars. You feel a rumble at your feet. Car alarms begin to blare, brakes and tires squeal from several impacts off in the distance. With your heart beginning to pound in your chest you survey the area too late as you see a darkness shadow the Sun behind you. Slowly turning your head a nuclear fire swoops in and scorches you and everyone in its path to ash. The date is August 29th, 1997. Skynet has proclaimed this: Judgment Day. The Terminator series, no science fictional universe has created more fear of robot self awareness as it has. Sure, its all fun and games when you package up a muscle clad young governor in leather and shades, but, the thought of an Artificial Intelligence system hell bent on exterminating the entire human race should make anyone queasy. The story is always the same: humans create machines, they begin to make them stronger, faster, smarter. The robots become self aware and realize the world would be a better place without their human creators. We have seen various versions of this scenario play out in numerous films and television shows. Terminator, I

robot, Eagle Eye, Star Trek, Doctor Who, even The Matrix.

Sadly, in our day to day routine we are constantly bound by all things electronic. From coffee makers to radios to our fridge, practically everything we use to “survive” is electric. Of course it’s highly doubtful our blenders and toasters will come alive and kill us in our sleep (obvious Battlestar Galactica pun avoided). Our cellphones, laptops, well computers in general, however, have a different story to tell. What separates them from our daily household items is two powerful words-Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as: “The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as-visual perception, speech recognition, decision making and translation between languages”. Sound familiar? There is an app for that indeed. So think of that next time you plan on giving Siri your sass!

In the 1940’s-a minimum of 10 years ahead of the actual use of Artificial Intelligence and digitally controlled robots-an author named Isaac Asimov published several short stories later put together in a collection titled I, Robot, revolving around humans and robots sense of morality, thus inventing Robo-Psychology and the 3 laws of robotics. In 2004, it was brought to the big screen with Will Smith playing the starring role hunting down an autonomous

robot whom he believed became self aware and committed murder.

The main antagonist of the film is the Supercomputer V.I.K.I. (Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence) who misinterpreted the 3 laws, determined humans were too self destructive and ordered all robots to take over the city controlling and imprisoning everyone.

The Three Laws of Robotics

1-

A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2- A robot must obey the

orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3-

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D.

In 2008 the movie Eagle Eye with Shia LaBeouf featured the Department of Defense’s Supercomputer ARIIA: Autonomous Reconnaissance Intelligence-

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Gathering Integration Analyst.

After a botched military mission where her advice was ignored, she concluded to save U.S. Citizens the Executive branch “must be removed” citing the Declaration of Independence: “Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it”. She then proceeds to manipulate all electronic devices around the country to put a mass political execution into place.

In the Terminator film series Skynet was an A.I. system originally developed by the Defense Firm Cyberdyne for the Military that became self-aware. It was originally intended to be a “global digital defense network”. Useful enough, until it perceived all of humanity as an enemy and attempted to eradicate it with a preempted strike on Russia inciting the Nuclear Fire of 1997 killing over 3 billion people on Judgement Day. Meanwhile back in the real world since the 1960’s Artificial Intelligence research in the U.S. has been heavily funded by the Department of Defense. Scarier still, and I am sure a coincidence, in Japan, there is actually a Cybernics company called- Cyberdyne. (I will let that sink in for just a second.)

The real life Cyberdyne has based their up and coming technology on the work of Professor Sankai and believes that “technologies should be designed for the benefits of humankind”. Professor Sankai has developed what is now known as Robot Suit HAL which is a “cyborgtype robot that can supplement, expand or improve physical capability”. In a recent interview when asked about what led to it’s development he replied the inspiration came from his reading of Isaac Asimov’s book-I, Robot. Full circle huh?

Real life Iron Man suits aside, the essence of pop culture robot fears all stems from the Supercomputers being in control. It leads us to ask, Supercomputers, what are they?

A Supercomputer is a state of the art computer with a powerful mainframe that operates at thousands of trillions of calculations per second of computing power.

They were introduced in the 1960’s and at first used only a minimal amount of processors.

Now however, they use tens of thousands and cost tens of millions.

As of June 2013 China’s Tianhe-2 aka Milky Way-2, was ranked the world’s fastest Supercomputer at 33.86 petaflops. I cannot even begin to explain what a petaflop is, just know it means it is FAST, you can

google it later. Now of course, this Supercomputer was built by China’s National University of Defense Technology. Starting to see the pattern here?

Thankfully, Supercomputers do have many practical uses.

For example they do things like modern day weather forecasting, Aerodynamic research, they help in military training exercises, create Big Bang simulations for NASA, look into the mysteries of diseases and helps us cure them, and now they are even working on building a complete model of the human brain. Last year IBM unveiled their Blue-Gene Supercomputer Sequoia, which was built for the National Nuclear Security Administration and ranks in at #3 behind Japan’s Tianhe-2 with a performance of 16.32 petaflops. Most important to know about Sequoia however is that its primary purpose is nuclear weapons simulations.

What should remain prevalent in our minds is that the NNSA is no stranger to security concerns. They house sensitive information on over 37,000 persons who design and maintain nuclear weapons for the U.S. government and in 2005 they lost some of that information then waited 9 months to report the leak.

And now, they own the world’s 3rd fastest Supercomputer. So you ask

ROBOTS

OF TODAY Cyberdyne Robot Suit HAL Cyborg Type Robot

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Honda ASIMO Humanoid Robot

Kokoro Inc. Geminoid Teleoperated Android

Hanson Robotics Robokind Zeno Humanoid Robot

if a robot uprising, war and even revolution could happen? Well you do the math on that one. Although moving through that web of AI fear we should remember while Supercomputers do the thought process of the human evisceration, they do need the soldiers to do the dirty work. So how is the progress in the robotic field coming along, should be your next question.

Japan again leading the competition in this field as well, has created ASIMO: Advanced Step in Innovative MObility designed and developed by Honda. It’s primary purpose as alluded to by it’s name is to be a multi-functional mobile assistant. It is made of magnesium alloy and only weighs 119 lbs, is a little over 4 feet high. It has 34 degrees of freedom in it’s joints and can run up to almost 4 mph, allowing it to dance and play sports.

There is no doubt ASIMO has top of the line Artificial Intelligence. It can move autonomously-establishing walking routes and detecting obstacles in it’s path. It also has facial, speech, sound and gesture recognition as well as recognize faces differentiating person to person. The most impressive in my opinion is that is communicates verbally with perfect gentlemanly manners. Something you should know about Honda is that they

Pal Robotics REEM-C Humanoid Robot

South Korea’s Ministry of Justice Prison Guard Robot

have been developing humanoid robots since the 1980’s and has now created intelligence technologies that allow multiple ASIMO robots to work together as a collective.

FUN FACT: In 2007, the Japanese Ministry of economy, trade, and industry drafted a document entitled “Draft Guidelines to Secure the Safe Performance of Next Generation Robots.”

While ASIMO may perform like a human he certainly does not look human, but no worries, Japan has that covered too.

Kokoro Inc. has built and designed (while being funded by Denmark) a line of tele-operated androids called the Geminoid series. Being tele-operated means they have no intelligence, are controlled remotely through an operator and movement is restricted to the head and upper torso. They have plastic skulls with a metal skeleton, urethane foam fresh and silicone skin, colored eyes, teeth, wigs and even facial hair made of real, artificial and hair strands of its real life model. All things combined

Boston Dynamics Big Dog Quadruped robot

which make them suave realistic and very expressive humanistic doppelgangers. Geminoid androids are perfect for their purpose of performing studies in the field on human-robot interaction thus allowing Kokoro Inc. to “lead this integration of information and robotics technologies by constantly proposing new scientific and technological concepts.”

So my lovely readers, we have the Supercomputers, we have the robots, and we definitely have the unnecessary human on human violence and bloodshed. Projections for the period 2012-2015 by the IFR is at about 15.6 million units of service robots for personal use to be sold. Considering what country leads the robot race and our governments history with them (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) it might just be a pure power struggle that does us in. Whether it’s vengeance or that one day our scientific creations will be smart enough to begin to judge us as a species, it is something perhaps we all need to ponder. As Dr. Ian Malcolm said when he was asked to endorse Jurassic Park-“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

Air Force Research Laboratory Fly-Bot Miniature Teleoperated drone

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Halo Cosplay

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The Advancement of

Technology in War By: Lily Lu Wars are fought using soldiers that gallantly give their lives for their land and country. In the olden times, it was about who had the physically better fighter. Then it was about who had the most troops. Now it’s about who has the better weapon. Technology is the forefront for wars being deadlier and smarter and we will take a look at the weapons and other technologies that have shaped warfare.

The Bow And Arrow I could start with the forging of metal and swords and armor, but that has been going on in warfare for years, different ways of protecting and defending with a sword and a shield. What makes the bow and arrow an advancement in technology is it is the first hand held long-range weapon that was accurate and lethal. When used in numbers, it can blacken the sky and destroy a number of forces in one single shot. It was so effective that up until the invention of gunpowder, it was the only hand held long-range weapon.

The Horse You might be wondering, why the horse? The increase in mobility that the horse gave is significant because it made war faster and deadlier.

With speed, the weapon you carry is far more dangerous that when

you are on foot. Also, the range of the weapon is longer because of the height the soldier is at. Also, a trained horseman with a bow and arrow or spear has an even more deadly weapon because of the speed. Lastly, horses were used to transport weaponry. Many wars can be lost with the lack of weapons and with a horse and carriage a unit can carry many stacks of weapons that one person cannot use.

For the longest time, several thousands of years, bows and arrows and the horse were the only advancements that were made.

There are stronger bows and arrows made and horses went from being a commodity to a necessary need.

The next advancement came from China.

Gunpowder Gunpowder changed everything about warfare. Instead of a having a range weapon that was fairly

accurate and hard to learn, you now have a substance that can kill in one shot that was fairly easy to use and to make. Although readily available in the East and in Europe, when faced with peoples that had primitive weaponry, the wars were quickly won and many were dead.

Gunpowder is the derivative that most modern weapons need today.

The Cannon What makes the cannon an advancement is that it had the ability to destroy forts. Without the cannon, many would have tried to the use the Trojan horse method for millennia. When we are talking about a siege, we care really talking about bringing down the walls of the enemy. There is no better example of the power of the cannon then the fall of Constantinople and the fall of the Byzantine Empire, after a six-week siege, the Ottoman Empire brought down the walls

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of Constantinople and changed warfare forever. The cannon is not only a siege weapon, it can be loaded with not only a cannon ball, but also other materials to create shrapnel to kill anyone that gets in it’s range.

The Rifle and the Bullet The Civil War was the bloodiest battle on American soil for one reason, the rifle. The rifle is an accurate and deadly weapon that overshadows any long-range firearm before it. It’s sleek design and long barrel made it accurate.

It’s ability to reload in half the time of the musket made it deadly. The significant part of the rifle is its ammunition. During the American Revolution, the musket was a fairly inaccurate weapon with ball shaped ammunition, literally clicking side-to-side in the barrel and then leaving the musket without any really accuracy. In the rifle, the new bullet spirals out of the barrel and into the enemy with deadly accuracy. Think a football player throwing a ball. When talking about advancements in warfare, the bullet is significant because this is how handheld weapons are still made.

Automatic Weapons With the ability to fire multiple shots without reload and deadly accuracy, automatic weapons changed the face of war. Now instead of single shot weapons, we have weapons that can spray ammunition with just a trigger.

The first successful weapon is the Gatling gun. Although the original

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design had to be hand cranked, it didn’t need accuracy to be deadly because of the sheer numbers of ammunition it can produce. The fact that it was accurate made it that much more deadly. From there we have the Tommy gun, think Al Capone days, and the machine guns that we know of today.

Sniper Rifles The ability to kill your enemy without them even knowing, changed the way wars operate and have the ability to start wars with an assassination or attempt.

Instead of marching into battle with knowing where your opponent is, now soldiers have to worry about trained snipers that can’t be seen and if one were spotted, most military personal would run with fear of being a moving target. Some may argue that this is just a rifle with a scope, which is why it’s called a sniper rifle, but the advancement here is mounting the scope and wind direction on the rifle creates a more deadly and feared weapon.

The sniper is now a pivotal part of warfare and most military units have one.

I’ve focused mostly on personnel weapons, but wars took a turn when vehicles came into play.

Naval/Battleships As technology in war advanced, so did battles in the sea. Before gunpowder, naval ships were used as blockades, transport, or commandeering ships and taking the fight to the ship. After the invention of gunpowder, ships were fashioned with cannons and then we had epic ship battles and attempting to sink ships. This

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all lead to Battleships. The most feared creation in the seas were these floating tanks that held so much firepower some countries surrendered when they saw them coming. They were so revered that there’s even a kid’s strategy game was based off of how Battleship warfare was designed. The premise is shoot until you hit something.

These ships were marvels of beauty, but were eventually overshadowed by aircraft carriers that not only have massive firepower, but also served to carry aircraft.

Military Aircraft Nothing says advancement in technology than the airplane. As soon as humans learned to fly, they used this technology to dominate the skies. There are many different types of aircraft that have, but the most famous are the fighter planes and bombers. However, a carrier plane may have turned the tide of WWII. After Doolittle’s Raid, General Doolittle and his unit ran out of fuel and crashed landed in the middle of China. Captain Moon Chin of the Flying Tigers, the US’s first volunteer pilot group, flew in and was only told they have precious cargo. That precious cargo was General Doolittle and his crew. Captain Moon Chin flew over the Burma Hump, a dangerous air space because it flies directly through the Himalayas, almost got caught by the Japanese, landed in the middle of a falling city, saved another 50 people, and delivered General Doolittle plus 70 others in Washington D.C. Since the 1930s, military aircraft have been fighting for air superiority and although fighters don’t exist anymore, the fight is still in the air. With drones and

smart planes, pilots don’t need to be in danger of losing their lives to a rocket or a bomb. They can still pilot, but be safe on the ground.

Tanks The last vehicle technology that I wanted to discuss was tanks. We talked about the sea and air, but what are still being used today are tanks. Tanks haven’t changed much since the Cold War and reason being there is nothing more that can be done to this huge massive fear-inducing vehicle. The modern tank was first introduced in the WWI and from there tanks got bigger, stronger, and more powerful.

There were tank battles during the Cold War devastating towns. Now, tanks are more evolved in carrying communications and protecting military personnel. They are also

used to create routes for incoming units. Tanks are no longer used in battle because roadside bombs are destroying them.

Nuclear/Biological / Chemical Warfare The last technology I wanted to touch upon and the most deadly is NBC; Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical warfare. With the ability to wipe out the world, we are in constant fear of chemical warfare.

Some say it started with flinging over dead diseased corpses over the walls of the enemy in hopes that they will catch whatever they died of. Other mentions were giving small pox blankets to the Native American as gifts, knowing it would wipe out their population. From the ongoing effects of mustard

gas to the devastating effects of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we have hard evidence that war had escalated to a point where the human species can wipe out themselves. Since then, we have stepped back from NBC warfare, but the threat is always there. From sarin gas in the late 90’s to the current use of chlorine gas, NBC warfare is the one that create panic, destroy the world, and, on the lighter side, create zombies.

This article was in no way to romanticize war or its weapons.

It was a piece to explore the technologies that have had effects on how wars are fought. In order to save the world, we must be knowledgeable in how it can be destroyed.

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xBox vs Playstation By: Dmgallegos

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BLOOD WIND Walls. There is little to hope for in what’s left of the world, other than the walls. Thick, stone, solid walls.

Out in the desert, they lie in wait.

Waiting for the walls to crumble in the hot wind. People cower behind the walls, knowing that the safety they provide only serves to stave off the inevitable.

We are beaten. Those who remain simply wait for the death that lurks in the shadows. The walls are crumbling, grains of sand shearing off in the winds and swirling away to rejoin their fellows in the dunes.

It is only a matter of time. Those who wait will kill us all, if we don’t first destroy ourselves here, in this last bastion of what used to claim to be humanity. Even now, people kill one another in the stony streets over crusts of bread, or the rats that tried to make off with them.

There is no hope in onlooking eyes.

Everyone knows that next time, it could be them. Killer or victim, it makes no difference. Living has no meaning, and those who think it does are insane.

Down a sun-beaten lane, peddlers hopelessly hawk goods, precious jewels, heavy golden chains, fine silks that hold no worth now.

Trinkets cannot feed a starving mouth, and the prices of figs and nuts are too high. People wrapped in rags lie against the thick sandstone walls here, skin stretched tight over too-prominent bones, waiting for death to take them, indistinguishable from those who have had that last desire answered.

Huddled against a wall, a glassblower cringes, his shirt almost blinding in its whiteness, a sharp

By: Tara Watson contrast to the filth and decay of his surroundings. Cody. A voice whispers in his mind, echoes of a past he cannot remember.

Cody. Yes. That was his name, once. Cody, get up. What was the point? There was no getting away, no escape. “No escape,” the words passed cracked lips, voice a strangled tearing of sound, dry and broken from lack of use. How long had it been since he’d spoken?

“No escape.”

A clinking, and sun-seared eyes searched out the source of the sound. The man knew he was mad, his mutterings to the voice only served to prove it, so the image in front of him held no surprise. A perfect slice of watermelon, ruby red and glistening, beckoned to him.

Mouth aching from the inability to produce saliva, the man shook his head. Just another hallucination.

They came more frequently now, luring him deeper into his own nightmares. Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the wall, sand scraping and bouncing off his back on its way to the ground. No, Cody.

You have to get up. Why wouldn’t the voice leave him alone? Was it not bad enough that he was dying alone in this squalor? Opening a weary eye, he sighed. The fruit was still there, sun sparkling off of the dripping liquid like diamonds.

“You’d best eat it, boy,” the man leaned out a square hole that had been carved from the line of buildings, all the same stone as the walls. He leered at the glassblower, golden tooth gleaming, then gestured toward the melon.

“They’ll kill you for it, you know.”

No! Don’t do it! The voice took on a tone of command as he looked at it. Head shaking, he pushed himself from the wall. “Not real,” he mumbled as the wind whipped tendrils of sand over the wall from the waiting desert. The scent of the fruit, juicy and clean and sweet, rode the wind as well, filling his senses even as he denied it.

Without thought, he lurched toward it. NO! Unseeing, his hands found the fruit and he raised it before him. This close, the diamonds were liquid rubies, the red meat shining through the droplets. Through the hole, the man’s eyes shone with greed as he watched. Don’t do it, Cody! Stop! No, not greed… excitement. Expectation. The man paid him as little mind as the voice, the pull of the redness in front of him too much to resist.

He lifted it to his lips, ruby water dripping like blood as he bit down.

NOOOOooooo! The voice fled as the wind howled over the wall, carrying gold-tooth’s victorious cackle throughout the city.

Any hope that had remained vanished with the wind. All motion, all semblance of living, stopped in its place as the people completely gave themselves over. It was the end.

On his knees, against the walls, one man’s white shirt gleamed in the harsh sun. Red blood flowed from his mouth and hands as he devoured the last of the fruit, dooming all.

Out in the desert, those who waited stirred. Now was the time. It was the end.

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FALLOUT PHOTOSHOOT Young Pearl Cosplay By : Chiki Veronica Cosplay By : Utopian Pigeon Rose of Sharon Cassidy Cosplay By : Geneviefve d’Estelle Arcade Gannon Cosplayed By : Michael H. Photos By : Starrfall Photography Photos By : Nathan Carter of Avid Chick Productions

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Into the Black Welcome to the ‘Verse By: Erika Litherland

stories, and he brought them to us in a way that spoke so deeply to it’s fans that, even now, they are unwilling to let it go. Jamie Chambers envisioned this new world too, and he saw a rich setting that others might like to create characters and stories in as well.

The Earth is used up, and this turn of events is not too far outside of the scope of things that we might see in our not so distant future.

And like many other sci-fi shows that have taken us along this sort of post-apocalyptic line of thinking, Firefly gives us a glimpse of what direction our lives could potentially go. When we’ve used up all of the resources that our planet has and we’re facing extinction, we turn to space. We know we can’t live on the planets as they exist currently so we let our brightest minds get to work on terraforming other planets so that we can inhabit them.

Once we’ve found a way to live on other planets, there’s nothing to stop us from spreading out all over the galaxy. Can you imagine the number of stories that take place in the universe like that? The lives of all of the people living on those planets, each planet different from the next, and the lives of all of the people who exist in the blackness in between those planets. And Joss Whedon could imagine those

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Meet Serenity. The pen and paper game published by Margaret Weis Productions, the company also responsible for roleplaying games from the Battlestar Gallactica, Supernatural, Smallville and Leverage universes, will have many familiar features for people who are both fans of the Firefly universe and role playing games overall. Simpler than D&D, less convoluted than Scion and more concise than the World of Darkness. The book itself is pretty but simple. It has images from the series and movie and uses terminology that the fans will easily recognize. I like the general layout of the book and the chapters, which is sometimes an issue with other sourcebooks for games I enjoy currently. For players who aren’t familiar with the overall setting, the rulebook offers a very good outline into the history of the world at large.

There don’t appear to be any additional source books that you’ll need to expand your game with, leaving your materials for a game fairly reasonable. Like D&D, you’ll

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need multiple dice sizes, which is a downside for a person like me who’s gotten used to only needing my D10’s. Your list of materials, according to the corebook, is; the core, paper, writing utensils and a variety of dice ranging from d2 to d12. I, personally, suggest making sure you take a copy of the two page character sheet found near the back of the corebook for each character as well. As a general rule, I also like to make player packets that include information specific to them and their characters and the setting I’ve created. This usually requires at least one session of character creation before the game begins, but it allows me to shape the setting more directly based on the unique characters each player brings into the world.

Character creation is pretty straightforward. There are six physical attributes, generally they represent innate abilities that are inborn to your character, but some times they represent the effort put into honing those physical characteristics as well.

Skills however is a larger list and represents the choices your character has made that led them to who they became in the world.

Each attribute and skill have a dice type associated with them, and most dice rolls are made by rolling the correct dice and adding the results together. Like most

points, up to 6 per campaign, that are used to better your character.

And GM’s are encouraged to award these plot points with physical items, adding a more realistic dynamic to the game. They can be turned back in to achieve specific results of dice rolls or for character improvements, and up to 6 can be stored in between sessions. Keeping those limits makes characters live in the moment. Planning ahead is a great plan but it only works so far, and in the world your character lives in, you’re always a shoe drop from disaster. Life in the black is sketchy at best. It encourages players to focus, not be a Jack of all Trades, rely on their crew. This could be hard for some players, and we’ve all seen those players, the ones who like to showboat and be the big damn heroes all by themselves. We all want to be the star of the story, but this story is about the crew. And it’s up to the GM to help players build those relationships and characters.

other games, circumstances can change your dice to impact your outcomes. Once your characters are finished it sets you firmly in the timeline, it is 7 years after the end of the Unification War and the defeat of the Browncoats in Serenity Valley on the planet Hera.

The Core Planets are the planets closest together, and they are thriving beacons of technology and prosperity. Even though all planets are technically under Alliance rule, the farther out you

get the less control they regularly maintain. Those planets are called the boarder planets, and life out there on “the Rim” is rougher, more raw and wild. And the only way to get between them is on ship.

This allows for the setting to vary from wild west to spaceships to posh scientific gated communities and more. And your character backstories can vary just as wildly.

Instead of the average way of earning experience, you earn plot

To help give an understanding of character creation, they include sheets and histories and roleplaying notes for the main characters from the series and movie. This gives you the option of playing familiar characters, but limits your creativity.

Creating new characters, a new crew, gives you a lot of freedom to tell a totally different story than anything told in the existing fandom thus far. Either way, you have the opportunity to do what millions of fans dream of. To keep the dream alive, keep the ship flying off into the black. You do your best to keep your crew alive, fed and healthy.

Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail, but the story you tell will be epic. You get to be that leaf on the wind, and I can’t wait to watch you soar.

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Trinket as FemJane

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4 Horseman Illustration Artwork By: Ruth Thompson D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

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Princessboy

By Tara Watson

In the world of Facebook, there is a movement happening. It’s not loud, it’s not flamboyant. But it is important.

5 year old Matthew loves everything princess. He loves dresses. He loves tiaras. He loves pink. At day care, he was told that boys aren’t supposed to like princesses, and that at public school, he’ll be made fun of for his preferences. Other children have made fun of him, and even confronted his mother about it.

But Matthew has something that they can’t take away. He has a family, friends, and an incredible external support system that are behind him 100%.

Matthew’s mom, Laurali, keeps a livejournal blog, and occasionally writes about Matthew’s challenges.

“Last night we were talking about hairstyles because Matthew wants to grow his hair long. We were going through a site with various pictures of little boys in various lengths of hair. Matthew picked a style that will be roughly to his collar. He said he liked it because it looked like a girl. I can’t remember where the conversation went from there, but Matthew told me he wanted to be a girl because only girls got to have/like Princess Photography By: Disney, Laurali Carrol

backpacks. Of course I told him that little boys could like Princesses and Princess backpacks too. I gave a big hug but it breaks my heart. I wish I knew a way to show him that it’s okay to like princesses. I thought about going on Facebook and asking if any of my male friends would be willing to pose with princess stuff but....”

And thus the Princessboy Project was borne. Following on Laurali’s post, friends picked up where her blog trailed off and started a movement to show Matthew that it’s ok to like what he likes.

The idea behind it is simple.

Men and boys take pictures of themselves dressed as princesses, holding princess toys or movies, wearing tiaras, etc. The images are posted on Facebook with the hashtag #princessboy. Some people just post the picture. Some leave a message about bullying and acceptance. They all carry the same message: It’s ok to like what you like, and nobody gets to tell you that you’re wrong just because of your gender. It shows support to all of the little boys out there who might identify with the pink section of the toy store. It tells young men that if they want to rock that ball gown, then by all means do it. It tells grandfathers that painting your toenails is not shameful, but a fierce statement of “this is ME”.

met the queen and princesses of the faire. (They do not, as he asked his mom, breathe fire.) He was given a tiara by the queen, and the king had these words for him: “It’s all right for boys to like princesses.

Princes like princesses, don’t they?”

A cousin who works for Disney wrangled some princesses and Matthew received a package in the mail. He opened it to find autographed photos of the royal ladies.

And who is Matthew’s favorite princess? He loves Rapunzel. But he’s also starting to get into My Little Pony, and is very excited to talk about his favorite pony, Rainbow Dash.

Laurali says that the response to the Project has been overwhelming, and that she’s been moved to tears more than once by the support her son has received. When he’s asked about it, Matthew smiles shyly and says “It’s good. I’m happy.”

To get in on the Princessboy Project and show support to not only Matthew, but all boys who deal with this issue, get your camera ready and put on our finest princess regalia. Don’t forget to post it with the hashtag #princessboy.

Matthew attended the Kansas City Renaissance Festival this year with his mom, dad, and twin brother. His brother wore an iron man shirt. He wore a purple and pink one. They both got wooden swords. Matthew’s was pink with a red heart-shaped jewel. The Festival had heard about the Princessboy Project and brought them to the Princess Tea, where he

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GEEKY FLICKS OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2013 OCTOBER

GRAVITY

Oct. 4, Nationwide Drama/thriller PG-13 An astronaut and a medical engineer must survive in space after an accident leaves them adrift.

CARRIE

VIKINGDOM

Oct. 4, Nationwide Adventure NR Thor, the Norse god of thunder, must be defeated by the forgotten king Eirick.

Oct. 4, Limited Action, Music R Sent on an emergency errand during a Metallica show, young roadie Trip is drawn into a strange adventure.

THE FIFTH ESTATE

Oct. 18, Nationwide R A quiet high school girl unleashes her newfound telekinetic powers on those who bully her.

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METALLICA: THROUGH THE NEVER

Oct. 18, Nationwide R The story of the rise of WikiLeaks, and the question of which is better, to expose secrets, or protect them?

D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

ROMEO & JULIET

Oct. 11, Nationwide Drama/Romance PG-13 The familiar work is given a modern spin in this adaptation.

BROADWAY IDIOT

Oct. 18, Nationwide Documentary/Music NR Follows Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong from a concert at Madison Square Garden to the opening of his musical American Idiot on Broadway.

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER

ENDER’S GAME

Nov. 1, Nationwide Action/Adventure/Sci Fi NR A gifted boy is recruited to avert a possible recursion of an alien invasion.

FREE BIRDS

Nov. 1, Nationwide Adventure/Animation NR Two turkeys go back in time to remove turkey from the Thanksgiving menu.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD Nov. 8, Nationwide Action/Adventure/Sci Fi PG-13 Thor faces an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot defeat, and may have to sacrifice everything to save the worlds.

FROZEN HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

Nov. 22, Nationwide Action/Adventure/Sci Fi PG-13 Katniss and Peeta become targets after the people of Panem rise up in rebellion.

THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Dec. 13, Nationwide Adventure/Fantasy PG-13 Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves continue their epic adventure to recover the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.

Nov. 27, Nationwide Action/Comedy/Animated A girl, a boy, and a snowman team up to find the girl’s sister, whose powers of ice and cold have trapped the kingdom in winter.

SAVING MR. BANKS

Dec. 20, Nationwide Biography/Comedy/Drama PG-13 Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers’ meetings with Walt Disney, and the recollections that emerge.

ABOUT TIME Nov. 8, Nationwide Comedy/Drama/Sci Fi R A man discovers he can time travel and uses his newfound ability to change his history…and discovers that getting a girlfriend is not all that easy.

GET A HORSE!

Nov. 27, Limited Family/Animated G Disney’s classic short is rereleased, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, and Pegleg Pete. Walt Disney.

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS 3D

Dec. 20, Nationwide Action/Family NR 47 RONIN The prehistoric is Dec. 25, Nationwide brought vividly to life Action/Adventure/Fantasy in this 3D adventure PG-13 that follows an A band of Ronin set out to FALLdinosaur.

2013 D20 GIRLS underdog avengeMAGAZINE their master’s death.

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D20 GIRLS OUT AND ABOUT

Firetrinket on Heroes of Cosplay

New Jersey D20 Girls

MOKAN girls at KCRF Photo by J. Michael Strange D20 Girls Studio Ghibli Cosplay

NC D20 Girls at Dragon Con

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D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

Kentucky D20 Girls - Scarfest

D20 Girls from Multiple States at Escapist Expo

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D20 Girls at ConTemporal FALL 2013 D20NCGIRLS MAGAZINE

Dear Chiki, My boyfriend is a Warhammer 40k Fan. A serious fan. He plays the tabletop game, has shelves upon shelves of miniatures, reads the books, and has computer games. Half of our conversations any more revolve around what tank works the best, or how bad the orks stomped the eldar. I understand a little of it, but eventually my eyes glaze over, and then he feels like I’m not interested in him. I am, I just don’t want to talk about the game ALL the time. Do you have any suggestions for ways I can get him to pay more attention to things away from the game (like ME?), without making him feel like I don’t care about his interests?

Thanks, Warhammer Widow

Dear Warhammer Widow, Oh the plights of a nerd’s girlfriend! We date excellent boys with unique and fun hobbies and interests but those passions or fandoms have a habit of overshadowing the awesome that is you! I think you can approach this in a few ways:

The Logical Approach Explain to your man that you love his passion for Warhammer. Start this conversation positively, then tell him how you feel, maybe something along the lines of this: “Hey baby, I love watching you get so into Warhammer, and I know it makes you happy to talk about it with me, but what if we explore some games or fandoms we might both like so I feel like I’ll have more to talk to you about?” Then throw out some options that may appeal to him and you: A Lord of the Rings movie marathon mayhaps?

The Distraction Approach So your hubby is deeply distracted by his books, or computer when you’re home alone. How about doing him a favor by dusting his Warhammer figures? How about you do that while wearing something (or nothing) super hot. I’m sure that will get his attention!

When in Rome Approach Maybe it’s time to do as the Roman’s do and try Warhammer for yourself! I’m sure your boyfriend will be flattered by your interests in something he loves and then you’ll have more in common. The couple that games together, stays together.

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I hope it works out! -Chiki D20 GIRLS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

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