UPDATING OCCASIONALLY (FOR NOW)

9 thoughts on “558 – Cotton Clad Calamity”

  1. Raznaak

    Yup, he’s a bastard XD

  2. Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)

    Are those pajamas available in XXXL in the gift shop?

  3. Otaku

    It’s been a while, so let me ask: Did we get a reason for him to WANT Susie dead? Not to backseat, but if we didn’t, I’m worried were about to move into “Stupid Evil” territory. Now, stupid happens, don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad storytelling for that to be the case here.

    You’ve just done a good job NOT having that be a driving factor, so the “Kill off the stars of my successful reality TV show.” seems shortsighted, otherwise. Oh, I guess I could be mistaken about the in-story reality TV show’s success. Like, if the company behind them is losing money, or they think a change in management at the ranch would make the whole thing more popular/profitable, then I can see the above scenario happening as well.

    I REALLY think I’m just forgetting something important, but that I don’t have time to deep dive to remind me of, hence the comment. >_<

    1. Deoxy

      It certainly has been stretched out over quite a while, but there have definitely been hints from quite near the beginning that whoever is running the reality TV show definitely wants her dead.

      But I certainly don’t recall any reason why.

      1. Clint

        Yeah it’s fair to not remember since it’s been a hot minute (many, many minutes) but if you feel like a refresher the most relevant bits would be the beginning of Episode 8 and the end of Episode 15. We haven’t explicitly spelled out exactly what The Exec means by his “side hustle” or who was on the other end of that phone call, though.

        I’m hoping that when the whole thing is eventually available it will make sense, or at least enough sense to have hung this narrative on.

        1. Otaku

          Thanks for the replies, Deoxy and Clint. Yeah, I’d totally forgotten about those things. Good to know!

  4. Evervigilant

    Seems about time for the two people who aren’t there to make a surprise entrance as the ace Susie didn’t even know she had.

  5. Scarsdale

    There’s still 3-5 people on her side that might be planning something. This guy is a megalomaniac with a god complex, so letting him think he’s the sharpest tool in the shed sets him up for a fall. Everything depends on those cameras, and I suspect their little stop over by the charging coffins had something to do with her actual plan, not the one the a-hole thinks it is.

  6. lyra

    Really enjoyed the opening of Zombie Ranch. I like the combination of the western setting with the zombie concept, it gives the story a really distinctive atmosphere. I’m a freelance illustrator and animator, and I’d be interested in seeing how some of these scenes could translate into motion, especially as a short animated teaser or character scene.

    If you’re ever interested in something like that, you can reach me here:

    IG: eve_verse_
    Email: [contact.lilaclines@gmail.com](mailto:contact.lilaclines@gmail.com)
    Discord: Lyralilac_

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558 – Cotton Clad Calamity
Posted on August 26, 2026 by Dawn

What would you call this? Armchair assassination? Merk-from-home?

Well, Suzie ain't dead (or undead) quite yet, so we'll just have to see if his gloating is justifiable.

Wait, let me explain…

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Clint

Ever watched a film where the villain has the hero at their mercy, but instead of finishing them off they have to stop and gloat for a few precious seconds? During which something inevitably happens to turn the tables, at best leading to the hero’s escape and at worst causing the villain’s demise and the undoing of their entire plot?

I always scoffed at such scenarios, and yet several years back I was part of an RPG session where the Gamemaster had me representing the antagonist character in opposition to the other players, and it happened. I got so into it and was so convinced of my own motives for doing all the terrible things I was doing and somehow at the climactic moment I had to pause and try to explain. It wasn’t gloating! But somehow I genuinely just felt this irrational conviction that if I could just persuade them to see things my way, they’d join me, or at least cease trying to stop me. So what if it all hinged on the murder of an innocent woman who was the betrothed of their leader? If they would just listen for a minute, I could…

Oh, and now I’m dead and my plans are ruined. Oops.

It’s a reminder that even the most cartoonish supervillains can still think of themselves as the heroes. Come on, Luke, join me and we can rule the galaxy together. Don’t make me destroy you.

Maybe it’s a holdover of tribal days, but there just seems to be something in human character where we want to be understood. Hell, we’ll even spend days arguing with ourselves that such-and-such was necessary, or so-and-so was clearly in the wrong in that confrontation, even though we have no audience. And if we’re fortunate enough to have friends to vent to, we’re not really interested in hearing the wrong answer to a posed question of “am I the asshole?” We want to feel justified. Ideally we’d want everyone to admit we were right, especially our antagonists. Defeating them is good, of course, but if they would also see that your way is correct that would be all the better.

So nasty people write memoirs, and shadowy executives record audio logs, and villains explain their evil plans as the laser slowly makes its way towards James Bond’s crotch… and sometimes that leaves the audience scratching their heads and wondering why they even bothered.

Well, turns out we might just be funny little creatures that like to talk. And to be understood. Even if it kills us.