The thing about "mass" incidents is that the survivors and the ensuing aftermath become the new norm. Whatever is left of humanity calls itself the best version and proceeds along an almost identical path to their predecessors until the next "mass" incident either forces them out or forces them to dramatically change til they no longer resemble their former society.
In this particular day and age, not too removed from our present, the common phrase "sex sells" shifted to "sex cells" and the constant need to provide them in order to produce as many infants as possible within a very limited time frame. The more genetic combinations created to engage in the cure trials, the faster they could achieve a workable antidote with less side effects than the last one.
The poor wretches left over from Cure 346-B had scarcely left civilisation before they were hailed as martyrs and considered dead to all who knew them. Not that they were aware of this of course, what with their consciousnesses becoming telepathically merged into one confused mesh of personalities. It had been interesting to study, calling out one name and hearing three people with the exact same voice answer and simultaneously tell the others to shut up.
Unfortunately that wasn't the progress they were after, though it was considered a back-up as it did reduce the full body pustules down to manageable golf balls instead of the standard spine-fracturing ones that burst at the most inconvenient times. No amount of injected dye could make them less repulsive but society, as always, was determined to work with what they had and they had disfiguring pustules (among many other symptoms).
Currently there is no further progress being made and with the lull in reports the public has taken it upon themselves to become even more creative around their state of being and what beauty now is. Colourful dyes were one thing, and very pretty when done right, but they still wanted to feel wanted.
To make disease-ridden disfigurement desirable was easier than it seemed. Straggly hair and bloodied gums became key features on the latest pin-up models, the thinner the hair the better their tumerous scalps could be seen. Blood stained teeth were more of a fad, quickly switched in favour of shiny yellow false teeth (all the better for concealing their decaying gums).
They made their shortened lives beautiful.
In this particular day and age, not too removed from our present, the common phrase "sex sells" shifted to "sex cells" and the constant need to provide them in order to produce as many infants as possible within a very limited time frame. The more genetic combinations created to engage in the cure trials, the faster they could achieve a workable antidote with less side effects than the last one.
The poor wretches left over from Cure 346-B had scarcely left civilisation before they were hailed as martyrs and considered dead to all who knew them. Not that they were aware of this of course, what with their consciousnesses becoming telepathically merged into one confused mesh of personalities. It had been interesting to study, calling out one name and hearing three people with the exact same voice answer and simultaneously tell the others to shut up.
Unfortunately that wasn't the progress they were after, though it was considered a back-up as it did reduce the full body pustules down to manageable golf balls instead of the standard spine-fracturing ones that burst at the most inconvenient times. No amount of injected dye could make them less repulsive but society, as always, was determined to work with what they had and they had disfiguring pustules (among many other symptoms).
Currently there is no further progress being made and with the lull in reports the public has taken it upon themselves to become even more creative around their state of being and what beauty now is. Colourful dyes were one thing, and very pretty when done right, but they still wanted to feel wanted.
To make disease-ridden disfigurement desirable was easier than it seemed. Straggly hair and bloodied gums became key features on the latest pin-up models, the thinner the hair the better their tumerous scalps could be seen. Blood stained teeth were more of a fad, quickly switched in favour of shiny yellow false teeth (all the better for concealing their decaying gums).
They made their shortened lives beautiful.
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