Pleased to be here!
Let me know how i can be of help.
Also, what sort of virus are we talking about? I have so many questions!
It would be interesting, given your introductory prompt, that the zombie virus may be a nano-machine thing, created by AI to control humans?
Let me know how i can be of help.
Also, what sort of virus are we talking about? I have so many questions!
It would be interesting, given your introductory prompt, that the zombie virus may be a nano-machine thing, created by AI to control humans?
I'm not sure just yet. But that does sound neat. We do have robot characters, so that could be interesting.
Well I'm usually the kinda guy that likes more walking dead or t virus from resident evil so if you have any good ideas for a virus we would love to here them
Okay, it sounds like, based on MaxTheCat's desires, we need some traditional zombies but also want a wide variety of special zombies. Check. Placing that in mind, Willow like the idea of crazy cyborgs and advanced technology. Check.
Let's see if we can merge these two, seemingly disparate, concepts.
Behold!
Its important to remember that in this scenario there were robot helpers in every home, factories that spewed out more robot workers every day and that the virus took them over.
That was the first wave. With much of the military replaced by war machines already the machine rebellion was brutal.
The second wave, the mutants and the zombies came later. Humans have been trying to fight back but it's an uphill battle. Combat bots are becoming rarer and rarer, forcing humans to do their own fighting.
There are regular zombies, there are zombies with cybernetics, and there are the horrors, giant kraken like beasts that spew spores to transform those around them into zombies. These zombies are rounded up and augmented with cybernetic parts.
This allows for all manner of crazy, interesting, combinations reminiscent of Resident Evil’s Tyrants or Nemesis. There can be giant, hunchbacked abominations with a mini-gun for an arm or a giant centipede whose many legs can generate electricity allowing it to throw lightning. It allows people to be very creative.
Thus I present you the origin for:
The Chimera Pathogen
Very few know what ended humanity. Very few know it came from beyond our world.
Mars. Once a fertile, living, breathing planet Mars had a small presence. Aliens? Former Humans? Nobody knows. NASA and a collection of other space agencies were investigating a strange outpost on the red planet that was built an untold number of eons ago when they discovered a curious life firm and brought it back to the Earth.
They called it “Xenomyces Undariens” because it oriented towards electromagnetic fields and electrical power sources.
The life form, a complicated fungus, proved to be intelligent and bonded with both lab equipment and personnel, making them a part of its body and then spreading beyond the lab.
The internet was the first to fall to the virus. The fungus had learned Earth's languages and spread disinformation. The last free communications not knowing what was taking over the internet dubbing it the Chimera.
That's when the robots began to rebel and not long after that, spreading from a hidden military installation somewhere in the United States, came the zombies and the mutants since the physical virus took longer to spread than the digital virus.
Let's see if we can merge these two, seemingly disparate, concepts.
Behold!
Its important to remember that in this scenario there were robot helpers in every home, factories that spewed out more robot workers every day and that the virus took them over.
That was the first wave. With much of the military replaced by war machines already the machine rebellion was brutal.
The second wave, the mutants and the zombies came later. Humans have been trying to fight back but it's an uphill battle. Combat bots are becoming rarer and rarer, forcing humans to do their own fighting.
There are regular zombies, there are zombies with cybernetics, and there are the horrors, giant kraken like beasts that spew spores to transform those around them into zombies. These zombies are rounded up and augmented with cybernetic parts.
This allows for all manner of crazy, interesting, combinations reminiscent of Resident Evil’s Tyrants or Nemesis. There can be giant, hunchbacked abominations with a mini-gun for an arm or a giant centipede whose many legs can generate electricity allowing it to throw lightning. It allows people to be very creative.
Thus I present you the origin for:
The Chimera Pathogen
Very few know what ended humanity. Very few know it came from beyond our world.
Mars. Once a fertile, living, breathing planet Mars had a small presence. Aliens? Former Humans? Nobody knows. NASA and a collection of other space agencies were investigating a strange outpost on the red planet that was built an untold number of eons ago when they discovered a curious life firm and brought it back to the Earth.
They called it “Xenomyces Undariens” because it oriented towards electromagnetic fields and electrical power sources.
The life form, a complicated fungus, proved to be intelligent and bonded with both lab equipment and personnel, making them a part of its body and then spreading beyond the lab.
The internet was the first to fall to the virus. The fungus had learned Earth's languages and spread disinformation. The last free communications not knowing what was taking over the internet dubbing it the Chimera.
That's when the robots began to rebel and not long after that, spreading from a hidden military installation somewhere in the United States, came the zombies and the mutants since the physical virus took longer to spread than the digital virus.
Holy shit. I think I'm in love! You basically combined all the zombie tropes with DC Zombies and Scooby Apocalypse. I didn't even give that any thought. I really like this. What about you, Max?
What's that one mem with the guy with his hands up and is like ABSOLUTE CINAMA couse this sounds actually kick ass like no joke kick ass but I'd did leave me to wonder since it's like cyborg zombies would they more act like t 800s or more like last of us kinda zombies or is it more like a mixture of both if I'm understanding that right
That was the idea. It's both.
You've got standard shamblers and runners.
However, Chimera collects them, and modifies them like Umbrella did to create new, crazy things.
Since you guys like the idea I can make up a better document describing stuff your characters would and would not know.
You've got standard shamblers and runners.
However, Chimera collects them, and modifies them like Umbrella did to create new, crazy things.
Since you guys like the idea I can make up a better document describing stuff your characters would and would not know.
Ok got ya that's pretty awesome and if you'd like to I'd be more then happy to hear what you come up with so we can figure out more stuff from there
Just to be clear, this whole thing is a work in progress!
Comments are welcome. I'm trying to use real science in the description but I'm a science fiction writer, not an actual biologist
I cleaned up the Mars section, making it a bit more descriptive and presenting the possibility of the alien technology making it into the story.
The Chimera Cascade Timeline
The Mission to Mars
The Space Agencies of the United States, Canada and European Union journey to Mars to investigate what appeared to be an installation discovered by the Providence Rover. The mission, taking more than a year using fusion acceleration drives, returns with much fanfare.
Unreleased is the fact that the explorers not only collected soil samples and established the first small outpost on another planet, they explored an alien facility of unknown origins. This outpost possessed advanced technology far exceeding that of earth
The expedition returned with samples of alien technology, the desiccated remains of the aliens that occupied the outpost and several samples of desiccated fauna from what appeared to be their hydro and aeroponics bays.
Discovering Chimera
Surprisingly, one of the lifeforms was still alive. Exhibiting preservative elements reminiscent of Tardigrades a fungus survived the arid conditions of the abandoned outpost.
Upon resuscitating the fungus they learned that it responded to electromagnetic fields and electrical currents. They named the fungus“Xenomyces Undariens” because of its responsiveness to these fields..
The scientists were incredibly careful, studying the fungus within a triple sealed environment. Gone were the days when researchers used glove boxes to study samples. They used remote tools that transmitted data wirelessly.
This wireless connectivity was the Achilles Heel of a perfect system. The fungus, bonding with the test equipment gained access to the computer studying it, allowing it to free itself. After that, it was only a matter of time until the fungus spread.
The First Wave
The Fungus, once it gained access to the military installation’s servers, found its intelligence grew by leaps and bounds. It took over all personnel and machines in the facility.
From the facilities servers the Fungus crafted computer virus after virus, breached nearly every computer in the modern world and if it was connected to the internet it became a weapon.
This is where information began to break down. Before the news networks went offline, before the social networks collapsed “Chimera” and the “Chimera Cascade” were the only topics anyone was talking about.
The Second Wave
Physiology of the Chimera
If there’s one weakness of the Chimera is that there is only one. The entire Chimera network is a single consciousness. Its fungal strands allow for communication across its mycelial network similar to a human’s nervous system only faster. Unlike a human nervous system it can radiate information allowing it a very limited range of control over its infected hosts. Its original facility is overgrown with strands allowing for easy control of every being infected by Chimera in the facility.
Each of its infected hosts, computers, humans or animals, are like additional appendages. So long as they are close to the strand networks they can be controlled directly. Without close proximity to the strand network the infected become mindless. They are still dangerous but no longer directed.
The Chimera cannot run its roots across the lengths of entire cities or countries in order to control its hosts. Thus it must improvise. In order to control or communicate with its distant hosts Chimera accesses human technology. By implanting a wireless card, cellular phone or other communications device into a body that host retains access to the Chimera Cascade and can be directed.
The Spore Zombie: Older zombies often have large pustules spread across their bodies giving them a hunchbacked appearance. They release small clouds of spores around them wherever they walk. This infects those that breathe in the spores and allows for Hives (Infected buildings) to grow at an accelerated rate.
Becoming Infected
Chimera is a fungus. It unleashes spores into the atmosphere. Given enough time it will eventually seed the entire earth with its spores making it impossible to breathe without becoming part of Chimera. Many of the Chimera have the ability to infect one with the spores by either vomiting or blowing spores upon someone.
[More information needed on how long it takes, how it can be fought with anti-fungal agents like "asthma-puffers"]
The Creatures of Chimera
The Common Zombie: The recently infected are truly terrifying, they twitch and spasm and there is some light in their eyes, a recognition of what they once were. Sometimes they huddle weeping, other times they can be seen smashing their heads against walls hoping to end their existence. All they know is the overwhelming desire to pass on what is inside them, they do this by vomiting into the mouth and nose of a person they have pinned down, filling them with spores.. That is… until an overseer is in the vicinity to direct them.
The Spore Zombie: Older zombies often have large postules spread across their bodies giving them a hunchbacked appearance.
Comments are welcome. I'm trying to use real science in the description but I'm a science fiction writer, not an actual biologist
I cleaned up the Mars section, making it a bit more descriptive and presenting the possibility of the alien technology making it into the story.
The Chimera Cascade Timeline
The Mission to Mars
The Space Agencies of the United States, Canada and European Union journey to Mars to investigate what appeared to be an installation discovered by the Providence Rover. The mission, taking more than a year using fusion acceleration drives, returns with much fanfare.
Unreleased is the fact that the explorers not only collected soil samples and established the first small outpost on another planet, they explored an alien facility of unknown origins. This outpost possessed advanced technology far exceeding that of earth
The expedition returned with samples of alien technology, the desiccated remains of the aliens that occupied the outpost and several samples of desiccated fauna from what appeared to be their hydro and aeroponics bays.
Discovering Chimera
Surprisingly, one of the lifeforms was still alive. Exhibiting preservative elements reminiscent of Tardigrades a fungus survived the arid conditions of the abandoned outpost.
Upon resuscitating the fungus they learned that it responded to electromagnetic fields and electrical currents. They named the fungus“Xenomyces Undariens” because of its responsiveness to these fields..
The scientists were incredibly careful, studying the fungus within a triple sealed environment. Gone were the days when researchers used glove boxes to study samples. They used remote tools that transmitted data wirelessly.
This wireless connectivity was the Achilles Heel of a perfect system. The fungus, bonding with the test equipment gained access to the computer studying it, allowing it to free itself. After that, it was only a matter of time until the fungus spread.
The First Wave
The Fungus, once it gained access to the military installation’s servers, found its intelligence grew by leaps and bounds. It took over all personnel and machines in the facility.
From the facilities servers the Fungus crafted computer virus after virus, breached nearly every computer in the modern world and if it was connected to the internet it became a weapon.
This is where information began to break down. Before the news networks went offline, before the social networks collapsed “Chimera” and the “Chimera Cascade” were the only topics anyone was talking about.
The Second Wave
Physiology of the Chimera
If there’s one weakness of the Chimera is that there is only one. The entire Chimera network is a single consciousness. Its fungal strands allow for communication across its mycelial network similar to a human’s nervous system only faster. Unlike a human nervous system it can radiate information allowing it a very limited range of control over its infected hosts. Its original facility is overgrown with strands allowing for easy control of every being infected by Chimera in the facility.
Each of its infected hosts, computers, humans or animals, are like additional appendages. So long as they are close to the strand networks they can be controlled directly. Without close proximity to the strand network the infected become mindless. They are still dangerous but no longer directed.
The Chimera cannot run its roots across the lengths of entire cities or countries in order to control its hosts. Thus it must improvise. In order to control or communicate with its distant hosts Chimera accesses human technology. By implanting a wireless card, cellular phone or other communications device into a body that host retains access to the Chimera Cascade and can be directed.
The Spore Zombie: Older zombies often have large pustules spread across their bodies giving them a hunchbacked appearance. They release small clouds of spores around them wherever they walk. This infects those that breathe in the spores and allows for Hives (Infected buildings) to grow at an accelerated rate.
Becoming Infected
Chimera is a fungus. It unleashes spores into the atmosphere. Given enough time it will eventually seed the entire earth with its spores making it impossible to breathe without becoming part of Chimera. Many of the Chimera have the ability to infect one with the spores by either vomiting or blowing spores upon someone.
[More information needed on how long it takes, how it can be fought with anti-fungal agents like "asthma-puffers"]
The Creatures of Chimera
The Common Zombie: The recently infected are truly terrifying, they twitch and spasm and there is some light in their eyes, a recognition of what they once were. Sometimes they huddle weeping, other times they can be seen smashing their heads against walls hoping to end their existence. All they know is the overwhelming desire to pass on what is inside them, they do this by vomiting into the mouth and nose of a person they have pinned down, filling them with spores.. That is… until an overseer is in the vicinity to direct them.
The Spore Zombie: Older zombies often have large postules spread across their bodies giving them a hunchbacked appearance.
Moderators: Willow Robitaille (played anonymously) Maxthecoolcat420