15 BRAINS ; anonymous text

[livable]

Scenario: Zombies exist. They are conscious beings, look just like humans (no rotted flesh), except they have super strength and have to eat human brains or they'll lose their minds and go full Romero-style like in the movies. Probably a couple hundred of them in terms of population. Most of them don't kill humans, they buy brains off of coroners or funeral directors for premium prices just to keep from becoming murderers because while yes, they do feel hunger when they look at a human person, they also used to be a human and aren't typically psychopaths unless they already were before they died. They also sometimes get glimpses of the memories of the humans they eat. It can be spread via scratching, biting, and sexual contact. It's not spreadable to anything but in-species (so zombie rats can only infect rats, zombie humans can only infect humans).

What do you do about the zombie population?

(Disclaimer: This is hypothetical. Been watching a lot of B horror and got curious!)

[ She has been watching B horror movies, anyway. All replies from Liv are anon text unless otherwise stated. ]

Comments

text; NOT anon

[black_black_heart]

I think it sounds like the tuesday crowd at the earth version of my bar

husband was a sluagh, we had a lot of dead folk hanging around

[livable]

How did you deal with the rest of the population? Everyone was just fine with that?

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[acrostic]

Is it public knowledge in this scenario? If it isn't, I would say closely monitoring the infected until a potential cure could be developed is a general rational choice. Assuming the scenario has some sort of "zombie virus" instead of one of the more campy depictions that involve the actual dead crawling out of their graves, of course.

[livable]

I'm sure it's possible some of them woke up in body bags or were buried alive when someone thought they'd killed one, but it wouldn't be the standard case in this scenario.

What do you mean by closely monitoring?

[text]

[aurabble]

Did you say super strength?

I don't know. I probably wouldn't do anything. Maybe try to come up with more tasty versions of brains because I'm not a scientist, so I can't help them with a cure. But I'm not a cook either...

[livable]

Super strength and can't be killed except for the normal zombie-killing ways.

Most of them can't tasty anything besides the brains and one particular flavor. Or they wouldn't be able to, in this scenario. Got to have quirks in fiction. Still, it'd probably help with the texture.

[ Hahahahaha.. ]

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[orlokbutterfly]

Well, that sure brings a whole new meaning to "sexually transmitted infection"

Doesn't sound to me like there'd be anything to "do" about 'em. If there's no murder or extra crazy, no reason why they can't coexist.
I mean, frankly it just sounds like a typical day in Everglade.

also what B movies were you even watching?
sounds like I need hooked up with these for a good laugh.

[livable]

A little worse than your standard itch.

If one of them doesn't eat on time, it could result in full-on zombie outbreak and mass carnage. Possibly.

A whole bunch plus a creative imagination. :)

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[misskringle]

One question: in terms of the memories how would that work if you can explain that part?

[livable]

The memories in this scenario would essentially be any strong memories that a person might have that get triggered by things in real life. A person yelling at the zombie could trigger a memory of the deceased individual's past that involved someone yelling at them. Seeing a particular person that the deceased had strong feelings for could result in anything from an emotional scene to straight-up sex. A license plate could be a memory of getting hit by a car, or a pencil dropping could trigger a memory of the last conversation they dropped a pencil during. The zombie themselves wouldn't know how to intentionally bring them on and wouldn't have control over it.

Video

[k2so]

We find them a nice house in Everglade. Sounds like they would like it there.

[livable]

Nooo.

I think most of them would really rather not be profiled and shoved off with a bunch of horror movie monsters and just keep living their life.

Unlife*

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[deathsought]

Everglade is full of such creatures already. Creatures that feed on human blood or flesh in order to live. Nobody has proposed an invasion of Everglade, regardless. By all accounts, it functions no better or worse than any other archway.

I see no reason why zombies should be afforded any more or less tolerance than any other 'creature of the night,' at least in that regard.

[livable]

OK there are a few things I want to get straight here once and for all.

Everglade is an archway whose known purpose is to utilize fear to generate the barriers. The past few years have been a series of human beings turning that on their heads. One former human guardian made mediumship in courts and necromancy illegal, both taking a voice away from murdered victims in court and claiming that the raising of the dead is sinful. The next Guardian removed that, then the human mayor set a curfew that basically said "humans can be terrorized after dark here monster monsters come and get it," then changed his mind and set all of the criminals loose and effectively made Everglade the most dangerous city in Genessia. At which point the Acting Mayor (human) who took over after that man was arrested then claimed he was behind it and killed himself, to make way for another mayor. The current City Guardian in Everglade was elected because the people being terrorized and told that they were disgusting for having to eat humans were the non-humans, and the humans have been arguing every step of the way that they're the ones in the right. There have been anonymous posts going around about how Everglade should be destroyed so that the barrier can be torn down that only popped up after the "monsters" finally got some control over their surroundings back.

I haven't measured it but I'd be willing to bet there are more "monsters" generating fear in Everglade than human beings.

Even if a hypothetical zombie would want to go back to living life they way they were before every part of it was changed into a nightmare where their own friends make their stomachs growl sometimes and they see others' memories and lose themselves in the people they've eaten, sometimes to life-ruining consequences, I can't understand why anyone would think Everglade is a "solution" except for: 1. People who want to be left alone by humans or 2. Humans who like that all of the things that go bump in the night are in one place, away from them.

I'm kind of hoping I didn't just read someone telling me that segregating zombies into Everglade is a good idea but I'm pretty sure I didn't just have a nightmare about reading an internet comment.

[captain_by_the_book]

I would hope there are information campaigns so people can take appropriate measures to prevent infection, just as with other transmittable diseases.

I would also consider it the duty of the government to provide for food (preferably funding research for substitutes) since it should be illegal and considered highly immoral for funeral directors or coroners to be trading with human body parts. Besides moral concerns, the high prices for brains could also force zombies into committing other crimes to pay for food.

The ones who do kill have to be dealt with just like every other criminal.

[livable]

In this scenario, unfortunately a large number of zombies were created due to an insane manchild who wanted to run the brain sales biz in town, so the majority of them are rich socialites who already have money at least.

Agreed completely that the law should still apply to everyone, though:
-What if they're trying to kill to prevent the aforementioned manchild from scratching anyone else?

-These zombies have what I like to call "full-on zombie mode" which is essentially an adrenaline-induced rage mode that activates when the zombie is in danger or under extreme stress. It's very difficult to control and can result in humans getting thrown through walls and other carnage, but it is typically a result of self-defense and not something the zombies can set off on their own. Despite that, it goes into the overkill territory despite being a self-defense mechanism. Should they be held responsible for something they can't control, particularly when zombieism was never their choice to begin with?

-Sometimes if brains with particularly strong personalities are consumed, it can result in the zombie taking on characteristics of that personality. If one unwittingly eats a sociopath or an obsessive stalker and no longer has access to their ability to differentiate between right and wrong for the digestion period, are they responsible for their actions?

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[youfool]

I would hope someone took said coroners and funeral directors to the bar for their deeply depraved behavior at selling the brains of the deceased. They haven't the right for such desecrated theft.

If one was a zombie I can't see why they should value such a life so much, knowing that if they didn't subsist on inhuman practice, they might kill and/or infect others. Most humans I know would sooner take their own life than put others at risk of such a gruesome fate. A tragic death is much to be preferred over an ignoble and selfish life.

Hopefully by some miracle one might be cured of this disease, or quarantined until one could be found.

[livable]

So your solution is: lock them away and let them rot because despite that none of this is their fault that it happened to them, they should kill themselves for existing.

Good to know.

[text]

[eatsfish]

This is surprisingly specific for a what-if scenario. You must have an exceptional imagination. I do, however, see the merit in asking. A fictional set of events or not it isn't all that difficult to align certain parts of it to issues that do exist in our reality.

I can't speak for everyone, but considering that many with non-human attributes have been able to find acceptance and aid in Everglade I would do whatever I was able to assist those affected. I would treat their case no differently than any other unless, of course, a different course of action would be to their greatest benefit.

[livable]

You're the mayor right?

How do you justify non-human segregation lead by a human mayor when humans have pretty clearly been the main cause of fear in Everglade for some time? I'm not trying to be offensive, I just don't trust Everglade or think 'everyone who isn't human and humans hate come into one easy-to-locate place with only one way out of the city' is a great safety measure. A lot of people have told me "They can go to Everglade" as if that's a solution instead of just proving that they're not accepted by anyone else.

[text]

[om_nom_namur]

Big diffrence btween this kind of zombie and the rotten assholes i spent a few yeers beeting back 2 the grave
Sownds liek this kind just wants 2 keep livng there life so let them i gess?
I mean
Why do u gotta do sumthing abowt them if there just eating folk thats alreddy dead?

Also i just met a
Shit
Medical examiner
If u need a hookup
For science of corse ;)

[livable]

Yeah the rotting and raging typically only happens if a zombie doesn't eat brains or they get a concoction of the original substance that causes it. Not to mention, there are very few zombies who actually want to be zombies. I can't imagine the cannibalism and having other people in your head or dulled senses is enjoyable.

Thanks, but it's just a hypothetical. No zombies here.

[ HAHAHAHA YEAH JUST HYPOTHETICAL SHES DEFINITELY NOT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER AND SHE DEFINITELY DOESNT EAT BRAINS AHAHAHAHAHAHA ]

Anon Text | RIGHT ON TIME right

[reachnotflexibility]

Hate to break it to you, but that is not how husks work.

ditto SURE

[livable]

Good thing I'm not talking about husks.

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[klutzette]

They're not hurting anyone, though, right? So... as long as they're not killing anyone or trying to turn them into one of them without their permission then I don't think you have to do anything. They're people too, so it would be wrong to kill them.

[livable]

That's nice that you think that. Most people don't seem to.