Zombie setting where the undead are drawn towards unhygienic scents, so survivors constantly bathe to avoid being eaten.
Zombies are docile when adorned with flowers.
Settlements overgrown with herbs and flora.
Barely any banditry; everyone is focused on farming and gathering.
Different human factions and towns named after flowers like Lilies, Orchids, Roses, etc.
Instead of immediately killing an infected survivor, they’re given special funeral rites – the zombie is covered with flowers to keep them calm, and allowed to walk out from the settlement to join the hordes.
Thank you all for the responses!!!! I got a few more notes to share from folks asking me about this setting 😀
It’s incredibly risky to attack zombies. The scent of
the attacker’s aggressive intent coupled with spilled pungent rotten blood drives other zombies into a frenzy.
Zombies given funeral rites grow flowers within their bodies, eventually bursting from their chest and head area. These zombies are naturally gentle and their presence tames other zombies in the vicinity. Due to their helpfulness, it’s taboo to harm “blooming” undead:
Sweaty summers are the worst and everyone hopes they have enough dried flowers to last the winter.
It’s a colourful apocalypse! An overabundance of flowers in the world leads to plenty of dyes and busy little honey bees!! Scented candles are a thriving export.
Survivors who help spread flowers, look after “blooming” undead, cull the hordes, and herd zombies away from safe areas are affectionately called Florists.
Regular weapons such as guns and knives are still used but everyone prefers perfumed water guns, spray bottles, and incense.
Zombies are so overwhelmed by the pleasant scent of rain that entire hordes cease movement until it’s gone.
I wanted to add more to the funeral rites, so here we go!
When someone is infected, their favorite flower is what the people cover them in. It’s in honor of their bravery.
If someone had been a horrible person, say, they sacrificed someone selfishly, the flowers they get are Aconites (they symbolizes hate.) Those who consider Aconite their favorite but were good people are instead given their 2nd favorite flower.
Thanks to the funeral rites, most survivors know the many different meanings behind flowers.
Some flowers are rarer than others, so usually it’s replaced with the persons second favorite. If someone goes out of their way to get the rare flower, then it’s considered a very strong sign of grief and love, leading to people trying to help the person with their lose.
If two lovers die together, they get both theirs and the others favorite flower.
When a blooming undead is killed, they are grieved as if they were human, but instead are buried with the flowers they were covered in.
(This one if off topic of funeral rites.) Arson is not only a crime, but one that is punishable by undeath. They are pushed into a hoard of zombies and left for dead. (Some survive if they’re lucky enough.) The punishment is so severe because arson can possibly burn flowers.
