Marlowe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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bakerstreet2018-02-20 08:01 pm
marlowe_tops) wrote in bakerstreet2018-02-20 08:01 pm
The (Possibly Post-Apocalyptic) Homesteading Meme
The (Possibly Post-Apocalyptic) Homesteading Meme
The apocalypse is over, you’ve reached the new world, the colony ship has landed, the bunker has opened, your inheritance has been bequeathed. Wherever you came from, whatever horrors you’ve survived, you’re here now. You’ve made it, and this is going to be your new home. Finally, you’ve found a little patch of land that wasn’t destroyed, or you saved up enough pennies to buy a farm, or you found the perfect fortress to keep back the monstrous hordes outside.
1. We’ve Earned This - Maybe you fought for it, maybe you’re the only surviving humans, maybe you just saved your pennies from your soul-crushing desk job. Either way, you earned this new life, and your own piece of land. Now it’s time to make it a home.
2. Robinson Crusoe - No part of this was planned. But here you are, washed up on this foreign island or distant planet, and you have no choice but to survive. There’s no way to send a message, and no one’s coming to save you. You’re just going to have to use whatever you can salvage from the wreck to make this barren place into a livable home.
3. Hermits Do It Alone - Ever dreamed about just running away from it all? Now’s your chance. You’ve purchased a piece of land somewhere so far remote that you don’t have neighbors anywhere within miles. This is what you want. And yet… you’re not entirely alone. Maybe someone has shown up on your doorstep needing shelter, maybe you just got a new neighbor, or maybe you brought them along (willing or not).
4. Manifest Destiny - Welcome to the new world. Your colony ship has arrived, and whether you’re coming from another planet or just across the sea, this land is yours now. It’s your destiny. You might have to fight the natives for it, or maybe you’ve found somewhere so unappealing or undiscovered that you’ll only be fighting against the elements—and whatever strange new foreign infections reside here.
5. Manifest Zombies - Maybe your manifest destiny (and the zombies or monsters chasing you) has led you to an established settlement. They have safety and food, but they’re not willing to let you in. You’re going to have to prove your worth to them, or you’re going to have to take it.
6. Louisiana Purchase - Expand! Settle! Homestead! Your home country or planet has just made some valuable new territory acquisitions. They’re unoccupied, rich with resources, and going cheap. Pack your trowel and buy plenty of seeds, you’re going homesteading.
7. You, Me, and this Bunker - The apocalypse has come, but you were ready for it! You’ve got your bunker, your water filtration system, your underground crops, and a room full of unwatched DVDs. Get ready to play a whole lot of two-player games of cards, because the two of you are stuck in your new home until the half-life of the nuclear disaster above ticks down to manageable levels. So, probably not within your lifetime.
8. I Think We’re Alone Now - You had your bunker, and you survived. Maybe it’s been only a few months, or maybe you were born inside that bunker, a descendant of the original survivors. It’s safe to emerge at last, into the ruins of what was once our modern society. No one’s alive out there, unless you can find another survivor like yourself. But you can probably find a nice farm somewhere, raid some abandoned grocery stores, and plant some crops.
tl;dr - Farming, housemaking, homesteading. Possibly after the apocalypse or on a new planet. Or just because you want a farm.
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