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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2014 at 15:37:
Zombies and Gatchaman
In our house we discuss the important topics, and as such, naturally the subject of Gatchaman in the zombie apocalypse came up (might have been because we were watching Walking Dead).
So the question was: how would Gatchaman fare is Galactor started the zombie apocalypse in an ill-advised bid to take over the world? Would Birdstyle be impervious to zombie bites? Would Leader X protect Katse or just abandon the planet in disgust, or make minions of the zombies? (They can't be that much worse than the goons, after all.)
How would the ISO respond? What would the SNT do if everyone they knew was dead or turned?
Discuss.... 
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Posted by Victoria on 22-02-2014 at 20:42:
That is an interesting topic.
My take on this is-
Gatchaman side:
Science Ninjas are informed of the appearance of people falling victim to some nerve agent/prion/virus (no mention of the word Zombie). Ken goes "This cannot be!" They are sent to gauge the situation, but unfortunatelly their cover is blown. Though they ready their weapons, they can't fire, as there are children, elderly, pregnant women, and even infants among the crowd. It is obvious that they are the victims. The team retreats back to their base, aghast at the situation outside. When Nambu mentions that there might be hope if they collect the leading virologists, neurologists, and other related experts, they go without further ado, not having rested for a while. It's no use, as settlements with the biggest human density are the first to fall. They do manage to get in touch with some, but as they try to extract one and get him/her to the Phoenix, zombies swarm towards them. It is turning into close-quarters combat. They can't fight as well as usual as they are too exhausted. Ryu lands and the team tries to run inside, but Jun, wearing a skin-revealing outfit, gets scratched.
Some time later, they are forced to abandon their undersea base. Not because of food, but because there is no way to power the station. Most powerplants have shut down, generators have ran out of fuel. They take refuge at some reinforced compound - prison, juvenile prison, places like that. If they want to survive, they have to clear the premises of their former occupants. By that time they don't care that much anymore, having had bigger problems to deal with. There are arguments whether or not it makes sense to continue with research as Nambu & co. lack basic laboratory equipment. Still no power - no way to use microscopes, scanners or even a fridge.
A change in strategy takes place and they decide to gather survivors instead, using bikes and fuel from abandoned cars. They have to change locations again and go to some uninhabited place in the country. They create some kind of a pseudo-military, agricultural commune - plant their own food, maybe get power from a couple of wind turbines. A semblance of peace returns, but everyone spends their daily lives knowing that the civilisation as they knew it is over and the future is bleak. Zombified Jun, who got abandoned during the move, sometimes stalks the premises with zombified Jinpei, who couldn't leave her behind. No one has the heart to shoot them.
Galactor side:
Experimental subjects who were first exposed to the infection escape. As the staff knows they would be immediately terminated if someone noticed they show symptoms, they quietly leave. Katse wants to nuke the whole area, but Sousai is against. He wants to observe. Therefore situation goes out of hand. It is aparent neither the infection nor the infectees can be controlled. Sousai leaves in search of a different world.
Katse and some staff baricade themselves in an underground base. The ground above swarms with zombies, so they fire missiles and burn everything within 100km to the ground. Power is still up due to the presence of a fusion reactor and there is some food, but stress and built-up grudges over their superior's callous treatment of them cause the staff to prepare a mutiny. Katse finds out and uses his control of the base to make 'accidents' happen. In the end only he remains alive.
The land above is irradiated, people dead or zombified. He spends his days wandering through the corridors doing meaningless stuff, or he just lies around and stares into empty space. At nights he drinks more than he knows should and listens to the ISO radio broadcast. He laughts at how pathetic they are. He gives speeches to the radio how he is the most powerful person on the planet and how he could wipe them out if he felt like it. He laughs even more at the fate of humankind and how they deserved every last bit of it. Eventually he begins to wonder whether there is any point at keeping the fusion reactor running.
In short - the Science Ninja Team/ISO has the will, determination and people to do something about the situation, Katse has the means/equipment. The question is whether or not they'll find a way work together. Or even consider the posibility.
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Die Sonne tönt, nach alter Weise, In Brudersphären Wettgesang, und ihre vorgeschriebne Reise, vollendet sie mit Donnergang.
My fanart is here
Posted by Becky Rock on 22-02-2014 at 21:41:
This is how I came up with my Falling Skies cross-over, a what if.
Victoria, you've got a well thought out possibility. Poor Jun and Jinpei.
I'd have to think about it.
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Posted by ElectricWhite on 22-02-2014 at 22:19:
At this point, I'll just give my first thoughts...Victoria's given a very well thought-out and (as far as I can see) logical progression of events.
Anyway, my very first thought was, ultimately, it wouldn't matter how impervious the BirdStyles were -- the Science Ninja Team would be quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of roving victims.
Next, I had to fight off the urge to call for a revolt when the questions suddenly became an essay exam! ("Discuss" ?!? This isn't a college course, TJ! 
)
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Posted by Redbird on 22-02-2014 at 22:29:
Victoria, that's an excellent, well thought out scenario. Totally believable too.
EW: I can't speak for TJ, but I think she means "discuss" more as in "brainstorming" ideas, and tossing theories around, rather than wanting something in an essay type format. 
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2014 at 22:51:
Yep, that's why I included the smiley. While you might see 'Discuss' on an exam, it's unlikely you'd see the smiley. <--- example of non-exam notation
Victoria, I agree, that's a well-thought-out supposition. I like the idea of Katse having the technology to overcome this and the ISO the will. I'm a little sad for Jun though, as you would think that the 'end of the world' scenario might actually allow for Ken to express his feelings for her. (Sorry. guess it's the 'shipper in me...)
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Posted by ElectricWhite on 22-02-2014 at 23:06:
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Ah, you didn't have any of my English professors! On my very first exam in my very first college-level lit course, the professor not only had a smiley face, but he also had written, "Write concretely and succinctly, for your score may be cemented among the gods."
My response to that was to quickly illuminate my manuscript before I turned it in! (I could've done more if it had been a take-home exam....)
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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury
Posted by Victoria on 23-02-2014 at 00:25:
Aw, thanks, everyone. 
This happens to be a scenario I'm rather partial to. TJ came up with such a good topic that as soon as I saw the thread, I couldn't help but start grinding down the keyboard again <3
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Remember that little thread we had a while back about fully dressed superheroines? This is why you shouldn't wear a combat outfit that shows any amount of skin.
As for Galactor having way and ISO the will, the dark irony of this - that the problem could be solved by both sides working together, but won't because neither side will even consider the possibility that the other could be useful - is something that tickles my sense of amusement. (and the thought of both sides actually finding a way to meet and work together tickles just as much. Ah, it's such a great topic with so many possibilities...)
Personally, I think that if Galactor would ever come up with this type of virus, things would go south pretty fast. Galactor goons being what they are, a breach of quarantine is bound to happen sooner or later. And the ISO doesn't have the gall to shoot who they believe are just an innocent victims. And all the UN would is bicker about what is whose responsibility and whether an attack against the 'zombies' can be considered a violation of basic human rights. Whatever solution they would pick, it would take days or even weeks to gather all neccessary approvals and by the time the paperwork would be colllected, the whole assembly would be shambling about, eating corpses. (No, really. I've read a detailed report on the happenings during Srebrenica. It was one big joke. The bureaucracy described there turned it into a one big Kafka novel)
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Die Sonne tönt, nach alter Weise, In Brudersphären Wettgesang, und ihre vorgeschriebne Reise, vollendet sie mit Donnergang.
My fanart is here
Posted by Becky Rock on 23-02-2014 at 01:08:
What if it wasn't Galactor but a well meaning human? I'll have to get out a fic I started years ago but never got very far with, Dust in the Wind. I hadn't intended for it to go to zombies, but it easily could. Hmmmm...
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Posted by ElectricWhite on 23-02-2014 at 01:23:
Becky -- 
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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury
Posted by Transmute Jun on 23-02-2014 at 01:32:
Becky, I hope I've inspired you to address that old fic again! Sounds like it could be something great!
Victoria, you have a great idea, but it's essentially a standoff. There's no 'ending'. If it were truly a fic, it would have to go somewhere. Hmmm... I'd say that the SNT somehow discover evidence of the base in which Katse is living. Maybe they see the area of devastation and pinpoint the center, maybe they still have enough technology (and power... solar cells? to detect an 'underground cavern' or some such, and then they're sent to investigate. Cue confrontation with Katse, and a tense standoff. Not sure how this would resolve (depends on what kind of ending you want) but eventually the SNT would realize that Katse has the data/equipment to potentially end the threat, and Katse would realize that the ISO wants to repopulate the world. With Sosai having abandoned Katse, I could see him eventually developing a rapport with someone... maybe Anderson? Maybe Ken? Maybe someone else altogether. Then they could eventually work together. Katse was always a psychological mess anyhow, and you could delve into the part of his psyche that 'just wanted to be loved'.
And if you really wanted to put a twist on it, just as that happy ending was coming around, the ISO and Katse working together to clear a large section of land, beginning to rebuild, Sosai could return, wanting the virus to use elsewhere... and then i just left it on a 'non-ending' again. Sorry. I tend to do that.
Anyhow, just some rambling thoughts.
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Posted by ElectricWhite on 23-02-2014 at 01:50:
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Actually, TJ, that's not necessarily true. Usually a fic has a nice, clear resolution, but not always. "The Lady or the Tiger?" is a classic example. And, in The Catcher In the Rye, J. D. Salinger couldn't figure out how to resolve Holden Caufield's plotline, so he (JDS) had Holden suddenly stop the narrative by saying that an asylum worker was coming and he didn't want them to know anything.
So, Victoria's scenario would be a legitimate piece of fiction. It just wouldn't have the nice, pat ending that readers would expect.
Okay, now that I've had a few moments to relive my short career as an English teacher, I'll get out from behind the podium!
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“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." --Ray Bradbury
Posted by ChrisW on 23-02-2014 at 01:51:
I can see it going down the way Victoria has it. Perhaps if you wanted to take a dark humour, Shaun of the Dead twist, they keep zombie Jun and Jinpei in secure premises so they're at least cared for. Ryu and zombie Jinpei play video games with Ryu sitting too far out from Jinpei to be bitten or scratched, and for TJ's shipper heart, Ken keeps bringing zombie Jun flowers.
ETA: It's completely legitimate to leave a story open-ended. It gives the reader/audience something to ponder.
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Posted by Victoria on 23-02-2014 at 05:56:
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Indeed. King's Mist ends this way. Or the afore-mentioned Kafka. Or anything I've ever read from Edith Wharton. Personally I prefer open ends as they invite interpretation.
Every time I've watched a zombie movie (and I've watched quite a few), I've always wondered how did it go afterthe heroes rode off into sunset. (Or were eaten. Whichever.). I hardly ever cared about the characters, as a horror movie is a horror movie and not (neccessarily) a character study, but the knowledge that civilization and culture are essentially screwed is what chilled me the most. If I were to write a story like that, (Iwon'tIwon'tIWON'TNo-ooo,Ican't!Imustn't!), I would pay special attention to Katse's situation and the fatalism surrounding it.
Last, but not least. TJ, when you wrote about repopulating the world... you all might know I'm not much into either romance or erotica, but damn. This sure evokes interesting mental images.
__________________
Die Sonne tönt, nach alter Weise, In Brudersphären Wettgesang, und ihre vorgeschriebne Reise, vollendet sie mit Donnergang.
My fanart is here
Posted by ChrisW on 23-02-2014 at 06:12:
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It's an interesting issue. Does "repopulating" become more like work and less fun? Would the ISO try to make the best genetic matches or would you be able to be with whoever you wanted? Would exclusive relationships be considered un-helpful if there was an imbalance in the surviving genders? If power/tech/medicine is very scarce, does childbirthing and child-rearing become much more dangerous again?
So many ways to take these things.
"Repopulating" I'm thinking wouldn't be all that romantic, all things considered, though it could be done with the right writer! Especially if, say, the writer had most of the survivors be men, and so they have to convince the remaining women to choose them over the others. Then romance might become important. (Though survival skills might be moreso.)
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Eagle Whisperer
Posted by Tengu on 23-02-2014 at 10:00:
Lame, lame LAME!
Pretty much every GB comic these days has a zombie story in, which shows how epically lame it is.
How about go back to the mythical idea. Zombies are completely harmless folk used as free labour?
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Though I am no Condor, my Skylines rusty enough."
Posted by Springie on 23-02-2014 at 16:05:
Poor Jun and Jinpei! I'd like to think that none of the team get turned into zombies, but if they did, they'd be able to be cured. I like the " repopulating" idea! Oh the pictures that are crawling around in my head right now...including * gasp* Zombie Zark!!!
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 23-02-2014 at 16:19:
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What?
Zombie Zark? Now you're really scaring me!!!
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Posted by Redbird on 23-02-2014 at 16:26:
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I totally agree with this! As much as it sometimes frustrates me (as a reader), I do tend to leave my stories open-ended. I always like to leave people with a "what if"?
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This is a really good point CW.
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Interesting scenario for sure---I like it! I can see things being more "arranged" than romantic--if people are to survive, romance might not factor into it, at least initially.
I could see something going down as well like the book/movie "The Road"--do to some kind of "disaster" people become zombie-fied (instead of just being cannibals, LOL....from fallout or whatever). But the theme is the same, natural resources are running out, there's no gasoline, medicine is scarce, etc.
What if the Gatch team did something that initially caused the zombification of human life? Maybe Nambu and the rest of them wouldn't realize it right away, but many years later, they found out that *their* actions started it all--not Galactor or the Gov't.
What a kicker that would be!
__________________
Playing darts with the Condor's feather shuriken...
Posted by Becky Rock on 23-02-2014 at 19:26:
There are the voodoo zombies, which is where the term came from, I believe. I'm not sure where the 'eating flesh or brains' part came in other than the original movie 'Night of the Living Dead', which was filmed about 60 miles from where I grew up.
Ken bringing zombie Jun flowers. How sad!
I've got so many fics going on right now, I don't know if I can add another to the mix. We'll see.
I've only seen bits and pieces of 'The Walking Dead'. It seems like a no win situation.
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I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers so far...
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