Zombie fungus is a thing

in #busy6 years ago (edited)

Write what you know.

That's the advice for writers of fiction. Writing comes easiest when you know about your subject.

Write about what scares you.

That's the same advice but tailored for the horror genre. I know this and I have dabbled in a few stories about things that scare me most.

And what is it that scares me most?

image.png

Zombies

True story!
It used to be vampires and werewolves. I put that fear down to the scary stories we'd tell each other in the early dark nights when it's too early to go home, but the light has faded from the day.

Sitting in a 'den' or hidey-hole, we'd scare the living crap out of each other and then we'd go home. Some of us engineered the way home so their house would be the first drop-off place - and some of us (me) would be left to walk home alone... and my house backed onto a large, dark, empty (I hoped) playing field. Scared? Me?... sometimes.

image.png

Lately, I've tried to immunise myself from the fear of zombies - they're not real (still doesn't stop me checking and putting on the light in the garage when it's dark). I know how to kill them and I'm convinced I could (again, still doesn't stop me looking behind me when it's dark).

I've binge-watched The Walking Dead to the extent that I've started picking holes in the plot (where is it going now? The crew seem to get more bother from the living these days), the storyline (find a place to make a settlement and wait for the next attack) and the continuity (sometimes they walk, sometimes they run - nothing seems set in stone with regards to a 'Zombie Standard').

image.png

The acting is nothing short of excellent, but I do think they're running out of ideas and things to write about.

Setting TWD aside, I enjoyed Zombieworld and Warm Bodies (as much as I can enjoy something that terrifies me). They had a fun element and though some parts were tense, I grinned and bore it all without hiding behind a cushion (I loathe the parts where the humans are going into a dark place, fearful of what they'll find).

28 Days Later was a great movie, as was 28 Weeks Later. I liked the explanations given for the plague.

Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead - (originals and remakes) - gave me the heebie-jeebies because of the tension and 'jump-out-of-your-skin-factor'.

image.png

Then Shaun of the Dead - Simon Pegg is to blame for my biggest fear. Fast zombies!

image.png

Zombies shuffle and shamble, they don't sprint! That additional horror is all down to Simon Pegg when he took the mickey out of the 'Uuuunnnh!' and the arms-outstretched zombies.

Yeah... thanks for that, Simon!

So I decided to write about zombies... I've written a few stories and I'm pleased with how well they were received. I wanted to make 'my' zombies more realistic and so I've researched zombies... Yeah, there are things that make creatures into zombies... and that is horrifying!

During my research, I came across this...

Cordyceps

image.png

image.png

image.png

It's a fungus that invades a host, alters its behaviour to find an ideal place for the fungus to thrive and eventually spore, and then kills the host so that it can complete its life-cycle and start all over again.

Werewolves, vampires and zombies aren't real...

I've shown that zombies are real... now, what about the others?

Images from Google

Sort:  

I read about this mushroom. This fungus parasitizes on ants and some other animals. This is a mushroom puppeteer who skillfully adapts the body of his victim and uses it for his own purposes. It sounds creepy. Previously, it would seem fantastic.
Thanks for the interesting post!

There are lots of these things! Some are worms and larvae that eat the brain of the host and erupt from the back of the head... it's horrifying, yet fascinating!

You have to be real careful around those zombies, they could be ant or they could be bees, crawling or flying going and doing what they are told. And lets see I think there are vampire bats, so why not vampire humans hybrids. Werewolves, just to to many myths for them to not be real. people laughed at that guy that said Troy was a real city that Homer talked about, and well he found it from a myth to reality. But I still think witches and warlocks should really be written about often. It has been sometime since I have read a good warlock tale, Hint Hint you mentors of Michelle.

I'll look into the Warlock thing... I need to get myself back into writing now. I've been away for too long.

Christopher Stasheff and his "The Warlock in Spite of Himself" series was a very good read, old stuff from early 70's but still an enjoyable read, I also liked Terry Goodkind's series. Was not to big on the Rawlings wizards and hogwarts, but they did make kind of cute movies. But it has been a long time since any real good wizard/warlock/witch reads.

And I have no clue how I came on wizard and witch books from your post but I thought I would put the bug into the ears of some of your mentors. Its almost like they have been left out the few years of the writing world, or I have just fallen behind the times. Any ways, have a good time while the good times are available that cold wet rainy foggy season is not to far away.

I happened upon Terry Goodkind in an anthology. I bought all his books from then on. The series became a little 'samey' after a while and I stopped reading them. It taught me a lesson though... I never want my writing to become formulaic or 'samey'.

I'm a series reader, I enjoy them, but yes after about the 7th book, it's the same ole same ole story. Then it's time to move to another series. I find trilogy's to be the best, so long as it is not one book just broken up into 3 different parts. Each book has to have a real end, and not just a stand by while I wait for this one to make money then I'll give you the next part. Closure with a hope of a new part ending.

That's what I like too!

Fungi are amazing. This is I think the demonic variant of a short (and dense) story I wrote a while ago.

This line got me some blowback though:

So many were lost now, and the second coming had recently been attempted, but anti-fungal medicine had prevented immaculate conception from taking place this time around.

Still, I think a divine variant of your demonic zombie fungi is a really cool concept ;-)

Yes they really are amazing... and scary :)

Hey, @michelle.gent your photo shot is simply amazing.. Really great work my dear friend and I am glad to seen your daily post .many many thanks for sharing with us your interesting post.

Images from Google

You must have missed that... right at the bottom...

My son has done research on Cordyceps and has come up with some pretty scary scenarios. Perhaps he should start writing stories about these! LOL I will look forward to reading some of your zombie stories. I like @bashadow's idea of a good warlock story too!

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.35
TRX 0.12
JST 0.039
BTC 69796.92
ETH 3521.66
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.70