Chapter 33-2 Red Winter

[Adventureless_Hero]

I did say non-permanant.

Understandable. I don't know if the procedures are the same all over the world, but I do know that in the United States, and in California, a plastic bracelet is used, as well as a chart and label on the infant bassinet. The only ink applied to the children might be if the parents want the infants footprint. They also prick the bottom of the foot to check the blood. As far as I know, no ink is applied to the child's arm. Identifiers are bracelets and charts.

Another thing to consider is that the ink has been on these Inklings for months now. Considering that they have likely been in all sorts of weather and rummaging through grody stuff, those numbers should either be smeared, illegible, or completely gone.
That and the mention of the home made tattoo pen in the Devil's Workshop suggest they are permanent tattoos.

[Robzombie]

An enforcer? Did they specify that? I need to go back an listen. I could have sworn that he was just a mass murderer. I'm pretty sure they didn't mention ties to "the family" but I've been wrong plenty of times. I'll have to research this more. But if you are right, then I would readily agree that being both a hit man type and a geneticist seem unlikely. But if he's a doctor type turned crazy, I can easily picture him killing patients through experimentation. Again, I'll have to go back and listen to the TiVo blurb about Bill Roberts.

Actually yes you are right. It isn't specified that he's an enforcer. He was declared insane, convicted of multiple homicides, and the "family" was devastated. I think after listening to it, what, 2 years ago that the idea of him being an enforcere just stayed...I'm considering more now that he's also a member of the family...otherwise why would "the family" be so devastated??

[LiamKerrington]

Mandatory neck tattoo? Wtf ... ?
Although I don't stick with the idea that Bill Roberts / Ink might do some genetic/ bio-chemical/ medical engineering on his zeds, I hav no trouble in thinking of a madman that, also being a psycho, a killer and an insane madman, he might be able to do bio-engineering of whatever kind. It only depends on the time where the button was pushed making him a madman; if he was kind of educated or trained as this kind of engineering-dude before having become an Hannibal-Lecter-clone, he might be able to use his skills form his former life ... And unless zombie-ism does not stop him from using such skills, here you go: a psychic madman-zombie doin' zombie-engineering ... Why not?
Again: I don't of this as being solid, nor even valid for the WA-verse, but in other zombie-stories I could imagine something like this ...

All the best!
Liam

[Robzombie]

Understandable. I don't know if the procedures are the same all over the world, but I do know that in the United States, and in California, a plastic bracelet is used, as well as a chart and label on the infant bassinet. The only ink applied to the children might be if the parents want the infants footprint. They also prick the bottom of the foot to check the blood. As far as I know, no ink is applied to the child's arm. Identifiers are bracelets and charts.

Another thing to consider is that the ink has been on these Inklings for months now. Considering that they have likely been in all sorts of weather and rummaging through grody stuff, those numbers should either be smeared, illegible, or completely gone.
That and the mention of the home made tattoo pen in the Devil's Workshop suggest they are permanent tattoos.

Well yeah and that's what I've been saying all along...they were "inked" by Ink...but it was just with considering now that they might have been newborns at the hospital that the numbers may actually correspond to the bassinets and might really be the explanation for them, IDK....maybe Ink still did it and he numbered them according to the bassinets??

[Robzombie]

Mandatory neck tattoo? Wtf ... ?
Although I don't stick with the idea that Bill Roberts / Ink might do some genetic/ bio-chemical/ medical engineering on his zeds, I hav no trouble in thinking of a madman that, also being a psycho, a killer and an insane madman, he might be able to do bio-engineering of whatever kind. It only depends on the time where the button was pushed making him a madman; if he was kind of educated or trained as this kind of engineering-dude before having become an Hannibal-Lecter-clone, he might be able to use his skills form his former life ... And unless zombie-ism does not stop him from using such skills, here you go: a psychic madman-zombie doin' zombie-engineering ... Why not?
Again: I don't of this as being solid, nor even valid for the WA-verse, but in other zombie-stories I could imagine something like this ...

All the best!
Liam

You know what, I can kind of see it now... maybe on top of being insane or previous to it he was very intelligent. He went nuts, killed some people and there ya go...perhaps he was into some freaky shit and thats what made him go bonkers.

[nikvoodoo]

I'll relisten soon (if this podcast was an old audio tape...I'd have worn out the Tivo section by now....) for the semantics. I don't know that I have since we really learned about the nature of the families.

I wouldn't doubt this to be the case, though I wonder why would an organized crime family be devastated that one of their people got out of a murder trial by going into a psych ward... seems like that would be something they'd love to have happened. In fact...it's almost like something they'd pay to have happen.

I may still just be stuck in my original headspace for that moment, but I feel like the devastated families would be the victims families. I understand that's what we're supposed to imagine. I'm currently just having a hard time breaking out of it.

[Penguine]

...I do know that in the United States, and in California...

Thank you for proving that California is seperate from the United States! I always knew ya'll were just a tad different.

As for everything else, Ink could of very well been into genetics. Being that he is insane I would go so far as to say he might not even be a doc/former doc. Maybe just someone that used to read A LOT and then dabble with chemicals and things. Why else would he have all those funky looking tattoos? They have to mean something.

[Robzombie]

I'll relisten soon (if this podcast was an old audio tape...I'd have worn out the Tivo section by now....) for the semantics. I don't know that I have since we really learned about the nature of the families.

I wouldn't doubt this to be the case, though I wonder why would an organized crime family be devastated that one of their people got out of a murder trial by going into a psych ward... seems like that would be something they'd love to have happened. In fact...it's almost like something they'd pay to have happen.

I may still just be stuck in my original headspace for that moment, but I feel like the devastated families would be the victims families. I understand that's what we're supposed to imagine. I'm currently just having a hard time breaking out of it.

You just showed me how what might be obvious to some can be completely missed by others, certainly including me. It actually never occurred to me that from this statment "the family itself was devastated" (note: singular, not families) that it was the family of the victims being referenced here.

See, I'm glad we talked this out. Although differing in opinions at times, it's helped to challenge and even reconsider my assumptions and see the story perhaps a little clearer.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Thank you for proving that California is seperate from the United States! I always knew ya'll were just a tad different.

As for everything else, Ink could of very well been into genetics. Being that he is insane I would go so far as to say he might not even be a doc/former doc. Maybe just someone that used to read A LOT and then dabble with chemicals and things. Why else would he have all those funky looking tattoos? They have to mean something.

I'm from TEXAS!

Maybe we are over thinking it. Does Ink have to be a geneticist or some sort of scientist? What if he just discovered some weird biological formation created by the Haze that he sticks on someone's face and it craps ooze into the victims mouth that alters their biological make-up. Think Aliens; he sticks a face hugger on you and it pumps you full of Gaia's steroids, turning you into a Behemoth, Inkling, Jumper, Runner... I dunno. It sounds far fetched, but maybe the simple answer is he just mixed zombie blood with shit he found in The Haze and poof: biological benefits.

?

[Penguine]

I'm from TEXAS!

Maybe we are over thinking it. Does Ink have to be a geneticist or some sort of scientist? What if he just discovered some weird biological formation created by the Haze that he sticks on someone's face and it craps ooze into the victims mouth that alters their biological make-up. Think Aliens; he sticks a face hugger on you and it pumps you full of Gaia's steroids, turning you into a Behemoth, Inkling, Jumper, Runner... I dunno. It sounds far fetched, but maybe the simple answer is he just mixed zombie blood with shit he found in The Haze and poof: biological benefits.

?

Damn! Texas is ok.

Yeah I think this whole how did zombie "x" come in to existence is getting a little crazy. Unless KC wants to say his thoughts on it it is all speculation, just like watching every TV show or what not. I watched an off the wall movie on the SciFi channel last night called Morlocks. It explained where the Morlocks came from but not the other "creatures", and it was supposedly only 68 years in the future. Sometimes you just have to roll with the story and not get to over analytical.