Hi, It's me... the member who haven't used these forums for months. Lots of things have been happening, I had to scrap my Fantasy series after I decided I needed that fantasy feel which I don't have right now and therefore the series became too cheesy in my taste. That's on the case for later writing and perhaps hard-core editing. Which therefore I had to mention the delay to my writing was getting a new-powerful PC to reduce stress for college which have been going around in circles with problems which I fixed mostly. Anyway, I recently discovered that over the time I've invested my time on this fantasy novel. I comprehend that I'd the need to make characters feel more evolving to their character built over the 200 pages I've written. Which then fails the plan I originally wanted in this book I scrapped; Explore the culture you created and expanded by having characters go there for potential reasons. Another point I realised is that the fantasy genre is not doing so much good in the past few years (correct me if I'm wrong), and then I saw zombies... lot of zombies around media (Not the NEWS media unfortunately). To that, the zombies around books, films, and a few games. Boy, where do I start? I already started off my zombie novel recently (About 6000 words in) and I keep thinking about the zombies. Shouldn't they be more tuned and specific, I was going to invest hellish monsters with meat, and intestines-like THINGS coming out of their mouths but Resident evil got that idea after researching into that area(They stole my damn idea!). I honestly don't want some cheap zombie-like creatures that stays there for the built of the concept in my book, I want it more tuned as I said. I was thinking about having set of stages but only two stages remain in my ideas. Number 1 stage will be something called Hungers as the characters in my novel will call them, due to their recent infection that happen mysteriously in the first place. They developed into the human body by taking over it mind, and control of their body of course. ... Not complete control of the human body in definite, I was thinking about having the human conscious, the mind easily dominated by a fiction disease . The fragment of ourselves would have very limited control over their former-selves, so few zombies depending on the time of infection will try to stagger themselves before they do something... rather disgusting. I imagine, my characters which I haven't developed yet into the story would be searching for supplies where they bust into a infection-filled area where they must sneak around the supplies to gather. They witness a waling woman, in tears of eating her cherished son and scream in agony of the sight of her hands ripping her son's meat out and gobbing it into her mouth (Not nice I know but zombie fans are pretty much used to this). So yes, the first stage will not 'infect' humans. Their flesh is wanted for an unknown reason for the second stage I thought up of that 'could' work. The second stage features the infected person in loss of their whole body after months of infection assuming that no survivor have pickled an axe into its head. Anyway, they'll have to just observe the horrors. Except, this stage doesn't simply go for food whether it wants it or not. They infect humans by the poisonous bite that sprawl in their mouths. I was thinking a much more venomous look to this infection stage, just like spiders and snakes do to protect themselves for sure. Only that these infected will seek to infect others, they will not kill you at all, they'll simply bite you and cower away. For their defence, they'll basically grip ahold of your neck and rip in with his teeth and you know the rest. They do that in case of protection needed to ensure future bites for their victims and do a basic gnarling of anger towards any oppressors that tries to shoot them. Their intelligent must evolve into the drivers and the endurance must more than equally provided to the human body much stronger. So If you're ever grabbed, you are definitely not pulling yourself away unless a survivor aid you in assistance. The only thing you can do is prevent it to not infect you or swipe its teeth it has across your tender neck. Their appearance... is difficult to come to terms with, I haven't thought much of it and I can only imagine this far enough for now that their eyes are black much like spiders and the rest are just devastating! That's it for the idea of stages but I'm sure I'll have a more in depth think about the appearance and move onto stage three. So the question remains to you- Do you prefer the basic concept of zombies that'd been present in its own interest to the world or would you prefer something new and exiting to know about as you reach months into my book (Assuming it'll catch success once it finished but I believe that I'll get a reject with the publishing since this will be and might be my first novel completed and not scrapped just like previous one)? The book doesn't mainly goes into that area, it's the characters I'm investing to since the book presents itself as a character-revolution type. Characters taken from their lives and into a ruined world where they will be tested on their morality and beliefs, and I always find interesting how among these survivors around the world find ways to survive. This book focuses on characters and their revolution, and hopefully shock the audience by some of their decisions even I'm having some trouble to comprehend I'm actually having such a shocking scene in my book. The infection are just the concept of the book, the things that hold the house that guard the base of the book inside and without those supporters. The house will obviously collapsed and nothing progress the idea of the book because it's crumbled. Anyway, sorry for my bad non-qualifying English. As always, I'm in a rush and I needed something of an opinion or answers to that question to guide my writing to the story.
Have a look at this real creature that turns crabs into zombies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacculina May give you some ideas...
Whoa... Definitely taking a look at this a little further. Thanks. EDIT: I've never thought that even what I described could be true to some origins in the real world. Still, that just covers two stages for readers to definitely take a look in their own research in curiosity. It's funny, I already planned a scientist (also leader) who's part of the GMT (Modifying crops) for America. This could come in when the characters in the group capture a dead stage two infected. He'll point out the similarities between the infected and these crabs being controlled in some areas until ultimately taken over by the parasites. This also calls for description of the stage two appearance as well, gonna take a whole new leap of it now. Anyway, thank you for the information I can look closely at in my research that's sure enough to keep things occupied. Thank you. I'm still amazed that my own imagination came up with something similar to this. Of course, I'll have to put out some parts and just mark it... similar traits in the story to produce.
And transgendered zombies at that! Fascinating. Doubly so when one knows the Sacculina is a barnacle which is also a crustacean, thus relative to the crab itself, though its physiological resemblance is utter lost.
It's been done before, the most recent example being The Last of Us video game, so it can definitely be done. And if you like the Resident Evil type stuff, no one's stopping you; do what's right for your story.
That's it. Barnacles are incredibly evil. Why hasn't anybody made a horror movie series about barnacles? Where's William Castle when you need him? Paging Rob Zombie ...
I'm aware of that, I've played it. *SPOILERS* (Spoilers for this tiny paragraph) The fungus were the concept supporting the event through two characters bond that goes closer by events that happen in the game only to end by the mind-blogging ending chapter that turned you exactly to the character you been playing as when you steal back the 'chance' of a vaccine to your arms depending on your emotional attachment to the other character. So, in the final chapter... your anger will depends if you're willing to kill all the surgeons of this firefly group on the operation. Admittedly, I killed all three. My congrats goes to the creative director for this sort of story, I just loved how you were given an whiny-like kid into your arms and watch the two of characters evolve on this journey. In the end, you cared for the girl unless you're a primitive sexist who doesn't like females fighting and should belong in the kitchen. Still, remarkable story and a rare game. Sure, the infection is similar. They both based on the real-life parasites, funguses and such. But that's just support the story to be built. My story as I've very briefly described looks into characters turned by the new cruel of this world now turned upside down in a blink. While it's hard to describe since the idea need spilling of the story to understand immensely (which isn't a good idea putting on the face of the internet for the taking), the idea is that the characters will face decisions you wouldn't think of in a zombie-like apocalypse. I'm lightly only say such a decision I'll put in such as killing someone in a group of four but one of them is infected. Let's make it adapt harder to the readers' focus, make them children of the group who's been playing in a sewer-like area on a childish dare when there's an infected down there. One of them got bit and obviously they all ran, but the infected one won't admit and rather reject the idea that he or she is bitten so to ensure that the survivors in the group is safe, the character (I chose scientist/leader) narrowly made a choice to kill them all. Bam, bam, bam, bam! (okay, childish), not sure it'll be shock on the audience but I'm thinking of enhancing that event by putting a character the MC knows too well and adore for some reason. The walking dead is a little example and again here comes *SPOILERS BELOW*. ---For example, Rick loses his sanity when his wife died by childbirth and start seeing things. which what changed the ruthless rick to a leader losing his mind which I would imagine people in his group that will question his ability to lead (Haven't watched the rest of season three yet)--- Anyway, sorry. My mind does that when in fascination of this parasite in the crab and how it can work massively with the book in makings and to define it clearly as well as emotionally.
