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The Exsurgant Virus Inspirations

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DTemplar5 DTemplar5's picture
The Exsurgant Virus Inspirations
The Exsurgant Virus is equal parts Sigma Virus (from Mega Man X series) and equal parts T-Virus (or whatever virus from Resident Evil). What movies, video games, and other such media makes for a point of reference of the Exsurgant Virus?
GregH GregH's picture
Inhibitors (aka "Wolves")
Inhibitors (aka "Wolves") from Allastor Reynolds and the femotech devices from "Pushinv Ice" by the same author. Lovecraft alien creatures could fit some of this this in motive (physically dated but still creepy in motive).
The Doctor The Doctor's picture
I was also thinking...
..the Ego Virus from the video game Rise of the Robots might have had something to do with Exsurgent.
The Fnords The Fnords's picture
Alastair Reynolds
As well as the Wolves/Inhibitors, I see something of Reynolds' Melding Plague in the Exsurgent virus, and while its origins are a spoiler for chasm city, its origins are certainly one possible Exsurgent origin - which makes a Dream Fuel type drug a possible plot point.

Then again, I'm a huge fan of the Revelation Space series, so I'd probably try to stop myself writing too much of that universe into a game or it'd slowly transform into "Revelation Space: the tabletop RPG".

Spoilers for Chasm City, highlight to read: In Chasm City, the melding plague is revealed to be a part of the immune system of the spacefaring Grubs, whose entirely biological technology puts them beyond detection by the Inhibitors. This plague doesn't affect purely biological or macroscopic technology, only nanotech; its effects are something like nanotech cancer, causing out of control growth and bizarre changes which cause the melding of nanotech and flesh in nano-enhanced humans. The Plague is kept in check within the Grubs by "Dream Fuel", the human name for a blood/oil looking secretion that contains something that prevents the melding plague taking hold. Some of the elite of chasm city have access to dream fuel, siphoned from the same Grub whose crashlanding brought the melding plague in the first place. Using Dream Fuel is a dangerous game, though, as the supply is ultimately under one man's control, and going without a dose means your nanotech implants may suffer the plague, by which time it's too late.

If you don't see the fnord, it can't eat you.