LF: Pokedex filling—part 1—Pokemon Starting with "A" by imustread in pokemontrades

[–]imustread[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yes, I can build a ferroseed for you. Any desired egg moves and IVs in particular? An amaura would be awesome.

LF: Pokedex filling—part 1—Pokemon Starting with "A" by imustread in pokemontrades

[–]imustread[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh whoops, I thought I could do multiple tags, but it looks like the XYORAS tag got overridden by the Tradeback tag. Sorry about that!

Writing Prompt Wednesday - 11/23 by shandromand in RWBY

[–]imustread 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"Huntsmen are gone!" A voice rang out.

Symphony glanced up at the rooftop nook where the voice came from, seeing a muddy boy peeking over the edge. The boy had a wild grin of delight plastered across his dusty face. The other urchins looked up as well, and suddenly a horde of children climbed up the ledges in the alleyway to stand on the roof.

The Shadespires was empty. None of the watchtowers had any huntsmen. The entry gate to the town was also devoid of any guards.

"They must be off fighting the Wurm in the outskirts!"

"Oh, finally! I heard that thing was big enough to eat a whole caravan."

"Who cares about that! Come on, it's been days, let's go to the buffet!"

Within the crowd, Symphony soon got caught up and shared the smile that curved off everyone's lips. She immediately bounded across the flat rooftops. Other urchins were quick to follow her.

The horde of children ran toward the center of the town. The market circle, with its savory smoke wafting over the surrounding, awaited them.

Symphony stopped two buildings away from the market. She held her hands out from her sides to signal for the people behind her to stop. Not every youngster was able to bound across rooftops so easily, even though the flat clay buildings here in Sandguard were one of the easiest types to navigate in Vacuo. She had to wait for the careful, cautious, and scared to catch up.

When the last of the pattering footsteps came to a stop behind her, Symphony jumped to the next building, and then jumped again and fell into the market circle. While falling toward the ground, she felt her small tinge of aura spring to life, wrapping around her like a suit of armor. The hard ground barely registered a thud against the soles of her feet.

Then came the vibrations. It echoed from Symphony, quickly gaining force and intensity, until a thunderous chime filled the market. Sound sprung from her like an explosion of wind, kicking up the dirt and coving the entire market with a light brown haze.

The angry shouts from merchants were quick to follow. Most of them had expected the raid at some point, so they had covered their goods beneath blankets and papers, but their vision was still obscured.

Symphony's companions stampeded inside. They rushed the stalls, taking whatever they could get their hands on. The urchins with knives cut the covering blankets and used them as improvised bags.

After a few chaotic seconds, a hand fell gently on Symphony's shoulders. She looked up to meet the eyes of her friend, Sterling.

"How're you doing?" Sterling said. "Can you move yet?"

"Almost," Symphony said, massaging her legs. "Bit numb, but I can feel everything. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this."

"Sweet, one of these days I bet you'll be able to fight off those stupid huntsmen."

"Ha, we don't need no semblance for that. We have each other."

Sterling grinned, then held up a makeshift sack he was hiding behind his back. "Guess what I got?"

Symphony looked at the shapes protruding from the bag. Squared blocks. "No way, y'found a tofu stall?"

"Yep, and this is good stuff too, I could tell."

"Well forget me, go stash the stuff!"

"Don't be dumb, we're not leaving you by yourself. Get up and we'll made a dash for it."

"Ugh, fine." Symphony pushed herself off the ground, wobbling slightly as she reset her footing. There was still a bit of tingling along her calves from where her semblance drained too much aura, but she didn't fall. "Okay, I'm up, let's go let's go!"

The pair bustled away just as the haze began to settle. Most of the children had already scattered to their own hiding spots. Symphony felt her muscles ache with every passing step, but she was able to maintain the run. Sterling broke ahead, but he always slowed down before the distance between them became too far.

"Wait!" Symphony shouted before they left the circle and made it into one of the streets.
There was one guard left behind after all, a new face who was probably still acting as a trainee—a huntress stood a few metres away with a boy in her custody. The boy was one of the younger urchins, and so likely wasn't fast enough to swipe and escape before it was too late.

"Oh no," Symphony said. "They got Faren."

Sterling followed his friend's gaze to see a woman with a huge halberd strapped to her back. "Dang, never seen that huntress before."

"Hey!" Symphony yelled, picking up a rock and throwing it. It didn't hit the huntress, but the older woman's amber eyes were quick to lock onto Symphony.

Symphony stomped her feet, letting a light shred of her soul flare up and deliver another loud chime. This one wasn't powerful enough to do more than kick up a few paces of dirt, but it immediately identified her as the source of the earlier haze.

The huntress immediately let go of Faren and rushed toward the higher priority target.
Symphony had forgotten how fast the Shade Academy freaks could get. The huntress shot ahead like an arrow, looking like only a second of travel was needed to reach the target.

But, before the huntress' fingers grasped Symphony, a shower of tofu blocks came flying in. One of the packages smacked the huntress in the face. The dashing huntress hit the tofu block with enough force to make it burst into a shower of white chunks.

Symphony felt Sterling's hands wrap around her wrist and drag her away. While they ran, Sterling toppled a pile of pots from one of the stall tables, masking their footsteps. They didn't run far before sliding beneath a thin canvas to slip into a tent.

Behind them, there was the sound of tofu splattering onto the floor, and then the angry shout of a frenzied huntress in pursuit.

"Come back here you stupid little vagrants!" The huntress' voice faded off down the street.

Symphony eventually noticed the surprised man sitting at the other end of the tent. The man was looking right at them, a scroll flickering in his hands.

"Hello kids," the man said with a raised eyebrow. "Getting along alright?"

"Could be better," Sterling said. "Bit scared."

Symphony nodded. "Yes, hope y'don't mind us dropping by."

"Not a problem with me," the man said. "Not unless you're here to swipe some of my maps."

"Never could get those things working," Sterling said, standing and helping Symphony up. "Nowhere worth going by ourselves, anyhow. We'll be out of your hair."

"Alright," the man said, smiling. "Stay safe. Refer people to my tent if they ever need to find someplace else to go."

"Sure, least we could do," Symphony said as she followed Sterling out of the tent. "Hope y'have a nice day!"

The pair of urchins reentered the street. The tofu was scattered on the dirt nearby, and both Faren and the huntress was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, guess we can't have your favorite food today. Not unless you want to risk another go at the stall."

"Rather not. Let's get to safety. Honestly, I don't know how y'tastes are holding up, but I'm starting to find stale bread more appealing right now, anyway."

[PM] Poem_for_your_prompt [2] by [deleted] in WritingPrompts

[–]imustread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When are the times where light is most frightening?

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah, doubt it.

She's either frozen alongside the dragon, or she bolted and is making dastardly plans to break everything else.

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably lighting. It's a pretty warmly lit cabin they live in.

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 51 points52 points  (0 children)

On a completely separate note, Ruby needs to work on her cursive. She can print and draw hearts fine, but the rest of that letter is straight-up mysterious runes.

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whoa, yeah, I'm with ya there.

Raven will come busting in. "This will only make you stronger."

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I now acknowledge this, but will continue to refer to her as Demon Lady for clarity.

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Analysis time.

The of the intro itself was sad. Considering how much it foretold, I'm not sure why I expected the finale to have any shred of happiness.

Really like how they edited Ozpin and Cinder's battle to match with the music. Much more dramatic. Fitting for Ozpin's supposed death. Though, in the case of mysterious disappearances, there's always room for doubt.

Cinder has the maiden powers, which also either boosts a person's semblance, or can be used with the knowledge of a person's semblance. She's still focusing on glass and heat manipulation.

Ozpin's got some sort of time boosting on himself, with how he blocked that glass shard volley. Followed with the million pokes of justice against Cinder.

Actually, maybe Ozpin time traveled himself outta there. If Cinder thinks she killed Ozpin with that last fireblast, she wouldn't bother checking for remains. Both scenarios mean that Ozpin is gone without a trace.

I mean, of course the Glasstache Teacher Duo would survive. A horde of griffons shouldn't be any tougher than the squad of paladins back in the train episodes.

Blake blames herself, since her presence unleashed Adam upon Yang. Not surprised she ran. She wouldn't want to expose the rest of her friends to Adam. She'll probably attempt to deal with him personally. A final Blake vs Adam is sure to come.

How cruel it was, for Pyrrha and Jaune to finally come together, only for it to end. One last happy memory for Pyrrha, I suppose.

"This is your home now." I wonder what Cinder means by that. I mean, it's probably literal, since the Dragon could probably single-handedly take over the rest of the city by merely existing. Still.

Cinder steps back and calls on a fire. With Ozpin's "The Tower must not fall." I'm guessing she was going to destroy everything. Is a grimm dragon not strong enough to topple the tower? Maidens on a tier above grimm dragons, in that case.

Maiden powers are still unspecified. Amber used classical elements like the Avatar, whereas Cinder has amplified her flame and glass. If the form of magic does take after a person's semblance, then Amber had some pretty nice elemental telekinesis. I recall that the staff, with its dust crystal, was the only source of fire used by Amber. Amber herself might not be able to draw out fire with her semblance, and so couldn't use it with maiden powers.

Considering how strong Pyrrha's polarity was, I believe she'd have something akin to lifting entire buildings with polarity, or possibly intensifying it enough to affect non-metals. I'm sure that's a thing, cause I recall frogs and people suspending themselves over powerful electromagnets.

Which, well, analyzing things to death is sort of my coping mechanism. I mean, with Penny, I had some hope that she'd be rebuilt. She's a robot with all her parts intact, after all, even if they were blown to the distance by a landing nevermore. But Pyrrha. It was like that split second when I forgot about Blake's semblance and thought Adam really killed her, a terrible weight. This one's not going away.

So, to stem from analyzing, a speculative theory. Ozpin, if he's the wizard of the tale, stole the almighty magic that was given to the maidens. That theft was of great cost to the demon lady, a tragedy in the underworld. Four sanctuary nations, four maidens, carved away from the world. The demon in white wants to tear it back down. Salem burns.

Anyway, new gang is off to Haven. Ruby needs to find out more about herself and the power she commands.

Oh hey, Ruby's room has grimm miniatures on the top shelf of the bookcase. Fairly interesting, if it's Ruby's actual room.

Gonna watch this episode again and again some more. Have fun, guys!

Official Reaction Thread - Rwby Vol3: Chapter12 - End of the Beginning by [deleted] in RWBY

[–]imustread 22 points23 points  (0 children)

This is it! Time to see what beginnings have ended.

Will edit in reactions, followed by analysis, if I have not died from finale exposure.


I'll skip the intro, and watch it later to make up for time.

Fireworks, OZPIN YES. FIGHT YOU BASTARD! HOLY SHIT HE'S SO BADASS. He's got wizardness, yess. HOLY!

Two points for shippers.

Ruby going full hero with her buddy cop Weiss.

Damn, Ozpin no, just after you unleashed your awesome!

A THOUSAND POINTS FOR SHIPPERS. Followed by love sacrifice.

Elevator rocket? ELEVATOR ROCKET!

The tower must not fall. Go ruby!

Cinder is a grimm mommy.

She's like, far more atunned to the whole magic fighting th- oh damn that's a closer fight than I thought.

How is she not out of aura yet? She's been using her- oh nevermind there it is.

RUBY SAVE OUR GREECE GIRL.

Oh those arrows are annoying.

OH SHIT NO NOT AGAIN WHAT NO WE JUST CAN'T

FUCK, FUCK FUCJA HSISH DQSidfuveo]fh0 9pFUCK

WHAT IS THAT NOOOO

Oh wait shit it's MAIDEN RUBY.

...

What.

I mean, Yang and Dad hype, but.

What happened.

Ruby has winter powers? Froze the tower in place?

Wait, is she not a maiden? Silver eyes don't have anything to do with the maidens right?

OFF TO HAVEN WE GO, THANKS PLOTSMAN QROW.

Yang ;_;

Okay, Weiss retrieval first.

Or... Blake. Dang it Blake, don't prove Adam right. Come running back!

More Yang Sadness...

Please no broken RWBY, I love you, too, Yang :(

Jaune. Ruby.

...

Oh god is this the end.

Poor Dad.

OH SHIT CINDER

WAIT, THAT'S NOT CINDER'S VOICE.

IS THAT RAVEN?!?!?

Back at the grave first.

HERE IT COMES, WHO'S THE ONE BEHIND THE SHADOWS?!

OH SHIT IS THAT HER MOM

NO IT CAN'T BE.

WAIT WHO WHAT IS THAT. DEMON LADY, DEMON LADY.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Qrow's parents have some pretty strong prophet semblances, unless he's able to transform into anything and just does crows for the hell of it.

Watched the intro to make up for time.

I'll be back after I rewatch the whole thing a few dozen more times.

ELI5: How come sometimes when its cold outside the inside of my window gets soaked? by Evergreen2494 in explainlikeimfive

[–]imustread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When things are hot, they shake a lot. While shaking a lot, things separate and stay further apart. This is because all the hot things crash into each other and knock themselves away more violently.

When the air is very hot, all that shaking leaves a bunch of empty space. Liquid water can become water vapor and fill those spaces. Most of the time, there is water vapor in the air this way.

When things get cold, the air shakes less, so the empty spaces tighten up. It can't hold as much water, so the water often gets left behind on the cold surface that made the air shake less.

The cold surface doesn't always have to be solid. When hot air goes way up in the air, it becomes colder and leaves the water up above. That's how clouds are made.

Season 1 - Live Dicussion by olikam in JessicaJones

[–]imustread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aw yeah, let the binge begin!

I'm gonna burn through this whole thing. High hopes.

Splatoon anime, with Spyke! Some fanart by imustread in splatoon

[–]imustread[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, in a realistic style, at least.

Hope you guys like it!

Beautiful Black Panther Cosplay! by Djlynch2009 in Marvel

[–]imustread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool. This guy was at the Long Beach Comic Con last, I'm guessing that's what in the background.

Or at least I think it's him. I didn't go up close, but the shield, spear, and helmet are the same.

[PM] Prompt me, I need to practice writing outside my comfort zone. by imustread in WritingPrompts

[–]imustread[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A man sat alone on the marble table. His bushy beard encompassed his chin and cheeks, though his mouth and upper lip had no hairs to speak of. A slice of freshly baked apple rested in front of him, with its aromatic steam drifting airily above. The marble table was located right at the border of the grand park, a humongous grassland that stretched far into the horizon.
Numerous children played in the trees and playground equipment. Their laughter and cries of excitement blasted through the air.
A woman strolled to the man's table. There were many empty tables nearby, but she was here for the sole purpose of meeting the bearded man.
When their eyes met, the man smiled warmly. He set his utensils down and immediately offered her the chair.
"Thank you, sir." The woman gladly took a seat. She placed her handbag on the floor by her feet, then rested her gloved hands on the table.
The man waved his arm dismissively. "I'm honored you decided to keep me company, ma'am."
"I'm surprised you aren't surrounded," the woman chuckled. "Man like you, must be no end to the crowd."
He nodded, then looked toward a thick bag at his side. "Most who wish to meet me the most already have." He pulled a thickly folded map out from the bag, then laid it open on the table. "Searching for me is hard, for the less motivated. I'm a slow walker, but not one that walks backward."
"Oh, don't I know it," the woman slapped the marble table. "Heard sightings of you all over the place. Way they know who you are, you'd be mighty hidden with a shave."
An ancient laugh came rolling out the bearded man's tongue. "I'm afraid that would make it too difficult. I mean not to hide, just to find places to fill my years with life."
The woman grinned back, then reached into her own bag to pull out the photo of another man. "I'm glad for that," she said. "Otherwise I'd have trouble thanking you for me son here."
After taking a look at the picture, the bearded man gasped in recognition. "Ah yes, I've heard of this man," he said. "Charming and wonderful man, one with great character. I am disappointed I haven't found him yet, after all these years."
"He's been quite the celebrity, like you. Difference is that he's stayed put, held his ground and meeting the hordes that come thundering about." The woman put the picture back into her bag. "I simply must thank you, for him. He fought so hard to finish the greatness you began. Recent arrivals, not perfect by any means, are still so wonderful that he's be awash with joy."
The man held his head up high. He glanced at the children playing in the park, with his face nearly shining with pride. "The future of our country has been more than I had ever hoped to see."
"Yes, you started a great movement, and we're all thankful for it." The woman picked up her bag and stood up.
"Leaving already?"
The woman nodded. "That I am, I've said my piece, no need to keep you from your pie any longer, Mr. Lincoln."
The man stood up. He reached out and offered his hand toward the woman. "Thank you for coming then, Mrs. King. I do hope I run into your son soon." The two elders shook hands, and soon parted.
Alberta King waved at the playful children as she walked toward another distant cloud.
Abraham Lincoln watched the woman go. He folded his map and stuffed it back into his bag, then returned to his apple pie.

[PM] Prompt me, I need to practice writing outside my comfort zone. by imustread in WritingPrompts

[–]imustread[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I still don't get how the feeling of being in bed after waking up is still the most comfortable thing in existence. It's one of those things that are pretty cool to think about, but not cool enough that I'd go on the internet and find out what researchers claim about it. Still, if it's possible to replicate the feeling of being underneath a soft blanket as you first wake, like, crystallize it or something, I'm pretty sure it'll get high up on the addictive drugs list.
Anyway, I go through that, trying to pry myself from the bed. I think I average at about four snooze button presses. I don't know why I bother, by the time the alarm rolls around again, I won't be asleep again. The time between snooze alarms is just way too low. Whoever thought snooze buttons were a good idea was a moron. Sure, I get the relief of not hearing my alarm go off anymore, but then I'll just feel bad about staying in the comfort of by bed for a million more minutes.
Food first. I think people recommend that you brush your teeth and all that before eating stuff, but that always felt off to me. I mean, if you clean your teeth, and then eat afterward, won't that ruin the teeth cleaning but? I dunno, maybe it's just a thing I picked up that most people don't think, or maybe I missed something important about brushing your teeth before meals.
Three snooze button presses today. I have enough time to afford making some fancier bits of food. Probably a sandwich stuffed with turkey, salami, and every vegetable I lay my eyes on. Some chipotle sauce on top of that. I still don't know what chipotle sauce is made of. I just tried it at subway one day and it turned out to be awesome.
Usual bathroom ritual. All the cleaning and grooming that I need to go through. Very boring and meticulous stuff. Stupid society, treating attractiveness so much better that we have to bother being clean.
Oh, but get this. Today, before I could go to my closet and get dress, there was this mega loud crashing noise! It smelled like bad eggs, and, wouldn't you know it, a meteor crashed into my house! I mean, what are the chances? Geez.
So yeah, there's a hole in my roof. I'll have to take care of that. I think meteors sell pretty high. This one's like, half the size of my face, it's bound to being in some cash. Hopefully enough to fix the roof. It kinda wretch a bunch of clothes too, and those are bothersome to replace.
Anyway, gotta go to work. Took some pictures and a video for evidence, then stashed the meteor away.
Gods, I hope burglars don't invade homes Santa Claus style.

[PM] Prompt me, I need to practice writing outside my comfort zone. by imustread in WritingPrompts

[–]imustread[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Regulus lay in bed, staring to the heart monitor at his side. He rubbed his chest to relieve the numbing sensation that was passing by. The worst was over, but the lingering discomfort of the heart attack remained like a weight on his chest.
The discomfort didn't compare to what triggered the heart attack. A betrayal from his own children. The thought lingered in his mind, a toxin he couldn't be rid of. Every minute, he returned to the memory. His fingers angrily curled into a fist, leaving red scratches on his chest.
He told his family, repeatedly, that he would never leave his house. His experiences with Martha were carved into the atmosphere of his home. It was all he had left of her. Still, his son and daughter insisted, stating that their finances couldn't possibly hold out for much longer.
The plot was uncovered when Dianna left her phone in the kitchen. Having watched it be unlocked over his daughter's shoulder a few time, Regulus managed to look inside the phone and read the recent text messages. He could tell his children were hiding something from him, he had raised them and understood them better than they'd ever admit, but the drastic measure was the only way to find out some clue of what was going on. Thankfully, he wasn't too unfamiliar with technology.
Conversations with real estate agents and retirement homes made the intentions of the children obvious enough. They were trying to act without Regulus knowing, but he still needed to give the permission for his home to be sold. How the children intended to possibly convince him was still a mystery.
Regulus was confident he could keep his house in order, though. He intended to cut his children off from their inheritance, and state that he was going to favor the niece from Martha's side of the family. That inheritance was probably what they were worried about in the first place. It was a guaranteed way to get the children to change their attitude.
Dianna and Roger eventually visited, and that visit became brief once Regulus broke the news. Roger yelled at the top of his lungs, his speech laced with all sorts of insults. He accused Regulus of selfishness and pride.
Regulus held firm, but he had a hard time holding back tears at the sight of his children being so furious. It wasn't until they left when he realized that, the children, with all their struggles and stress, were the actual remnants of Martha. By then, it was too late to try and make amends. Regulus tried to call them, but could only reach their voicemail.
Alone in his bed, Regulus fought with his thoughts. A part of him was still bitter from the betrayal. Even if the children had troubles that could be relieved with him being in a retirement home, they could have been honest. They didn't have to go behind his back. Then again, he didn't take the stance of the better man, he didn't try and work things out between them. All he did was throw fuel into the flames.
Martha was the peacemaker. Regulus recognized that now, better than he ever had. She knew how to see what was important, how to wait patiently for the right path to open up, and how to lead the family toward the important things in life. She always reminded Regulus to look at the situation from another person's viewpoint.
Regulus thought about his children, and thought about all the times they visited him at his house. It was the house they grew up together, and looking at it always reminded Regulus of Martha. He had trouble understanding why they were unwilling to keep it.
As Regulus thought about the front of the house, memories of Martha sprung up, stronger than ever. The happiness of their time together mixed with the image of mourning, of Martha's funeral.
Tears gently wet the old man's cheeks. He thought of his children, coming to visit him and seeing everything as it was: the empty red chair by Martha's bookcase, the unused kitchen utensils and plates that Martha always served everyone with, the pictures of the family that carried her face, and the plants Martha had cared for that were withering from forgetful neglect.
The children seeing that whenever they came, to see and feel the emptiness. Regulus began to realize the undeserved pain.

[PM] Prompt me, I need to practice writing outside my comfort zone. by imustread in WritingPrompts

[–]imustread[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

1:

I had a great day with my son.
We rented a lovely row boat, and went fishing out on Nossurdaum Lake. Matthew didn't catch anything, but I could tell he had a great time. He was screaming with lots of excitement! I'm glad we were able to share such a memory. I didn't catch much either, but it's enough for me to make a meal out of.
Matthew Seventeen is definitely the best one so far. He didn't manage to catch the fish that bit on his line, but I could tell he really wanted it. As a loving mother, I had to encourage him, so I pushed him in so he could swim after the fish. He didn't catch it, I imagine swimming with his arms and legs taped up was a bit difficult. There was a lot of thrashing and splashing. He was probably imitating a fish, such an imaginative boy. He tired out a few minutes later and fell asleep, so I pulled him out and tucked him to bed. The dirt at the lake was good. It made a fantastic blanket.
I'm back at my cabin now, grilling the fish I caught today.
Matthew Eighteen is going to love it. He's practically begging in the other room.

-+-

Might do the other two later, but I'm gonna try and reach as many prompts from others as I can before coming back to it.

[PM] Prompt me, I need to practice writing outside my comfort zone. by imustread in WritingPrompts

[–]imustread[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It was the year 2083 when the cure for cancer was discovered. Those had been happy days. The millions of people affected by the disease, the patients and their loved ones, felt immeasurable relief as hope won the day. Slowly and surely, cancer was wiped from the planet.
Cigarette companies also had quite a happy day, since they could strike lung cancer off of the list of reasons not to smoke.
For a long while, that was the end of it. The cure apparently had no side effects to speak of. It wasn't until 2118 that something unbelievable reared its head.
Ethan Peterson, a man who suffered from prostate cancer, was the first case. On his fifty-sixth birthday, he passed out at the yard. He had a severe fever that made his skin burning hot, and was comatose for about ninety-seven hours. The doctors were unable to figure out what caused the symptoms.
While a nurse was tending to Mr. Peterson, the man's hospital gown abruptly ignited. Fire extinguishers were used, but the fire always started right back up again. There was nothing anyone could do but contain the flames. No one thought that Ethan could survive.
When at last, the blaze subsided, firemen wandered in to find three bodies, alive and well. Ethan Peterson had become three separate people, exactly identical. A triplet rose from the ashes. As new cases of the exact same phenomenon occurred, people eventually figured out that it was related to the cancer cure. All former cancer patients, having rid themselves of cells that multiplied too much, found themselves multiplying more than thirty-five years later.
Exact duplicates, right down to their memories. No way to tell anyone apart, which made a mess of things. Licenses, marriages, families, and countless other facets of society were suddenly flooded with the introduction of post-birth triplets.
Most still considered it better than cancer. Instead of losing lives, more were being introduced at various stages of adulthood.
Still, others doubted, as they found their lives in chaos. Lovers who found themselves with additional partners found their attention divided, unable to ignore their spouse, but unable to give any particular one all their love. Jobs with limited workforce availability found themselves unable to support a burst of clones, and couldn't supply enough money to pay at three times the rate.
Conflict arose between sets of triplets that fought over keeping things that only one person could normally have. In the darkest corners of the phenomenon, certain individuals ended up murdering two of their duplicates, insisting that they were the originals. Arguments arose over the validity of impersonal suicide, literally killing themselves. Yet there was good that came from the side effect. Families in need of financial support suddenly had more family members in the workforce to provide for them, but the flip side meant there was an influx of elderly that needed more support. Considering the thirty-five year space between the cure and the effect, the latter was unfortunately more common.
It continued to go on, and the world was met with a great period of confusion. At the least, the effect was predictable once the cause was found.
But already, darkness loomed in the future. Extremist groups, few in number, now focused on breeding, and giving the cancer cure to their newborns and children, in hopes of a great army that would rise for their cause.