I know there are hundreds of zombie stories in books and audiovisual productions. On this website alone, there must be several thousand zombie stories. Heck, even Michael Jackson made the most famous music video in the history of music doing the zombie dance. These are usually stories that end up cannibalising themselves by repeating classic elements. So why make a zombie story?
Because zombie stories are usually fascinating. But what I notice is that the best of the genre leave the monsters in the background to concentrate on the development of the characters fighting for survival. These are stories that explore personalities, reactions in stressful situations, ethical issues and everything else. A good zombie story means a good story about humans in the first place.
I love Zach Snyder's Dawn of the Dead. It's not the best film in the genre, but it has a place in my heart. I also love The Walking Dead, because it explores the fact that the most dangerous element in the zombie apocalypse is man himself.
However, when I thought about this fic, my biggest inspiration was a reality TV show about survivalists. The TV show was very strange and I watched it when it was in the Netflix catalogue for a while. As well as all the elements that attracted me to zombie stories, there was also the question of survivalist naivety. In this case, I explored people who weren't, and learnt the hard way.
I also tried to exercise what a post-apocalyptic civilisation would be like. I wouldn't call any of the groups formed ideal, or even utopian. I would hate living in Edward-Brunswick, just as I would hate the isolation of a bunker. But I tried to explore both possibilities. Narratively, the story begins by talking about events that take place in the third act of the fic, and then goes back to the beginning of the events and progresses linearly, advancing the story beyond the point initially described.
Santana Lopez is usually my protagonist. But unlike other fics in which she's in this position, it's not her actions that make the characters move around the board. Mike is that character. Santana, on the other hand, is the anchor. And the proposal was to make this counterpoint of the need to understand the world that has become, but being afraid to do so. The other fic characters played a complementary role, in fact they were supporting characters who acted as moral compasses and emotional support for the two opposites.
Oh, there are also some easter eggs in this fic. Some unusual crossovers with Power Rangers, Dawson's Creek, and small references to other series and films. Did you catch them?
Anyway, I hope you had a good time reading the fic. That's what we're here for, right? Anyway, I hope you had a good time reading the fic. That's what we're here for, right?