Amalgam Universe

A 2176-post collection

Challenge #04352-K334: Inherent Instability

The ones seeking to be kings wanted to outlaw schools. The people educated themselves. The ones seeking to be kings vilified those who had intelligence and compassion. The lands taught these would-be kings that it was this intelligence and compassion was the only reason they survived. -- Anon Guest

Of all the universal truths, the one most forgotten is: Those who actively seek power should never have it. Those sorts of people never seek power to do good for others. Especially beware those who dress their power-hunger in glitter and sugar.

Benevolence is a large and very pretty cloak. It covers so much.

Witness the miracle of the self-made idol of thousands. A man who lifted himself up by his bootstraps with a small investment of fifty trillion quatloos. The one who started competition against the establishment with a revolutionary pod system that brought the dream future to the public today.

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Challenge #04350-K332: A Preserved Year

An archivaas finds a large box from before the Shattering. In the large box are several diaries, records, and a hand-crank, antique, player. The children of the family had buried their dairies in the time capsule. The parents had added to it a player and records. Music not heard in millennia now graced ears once more, words of children still of school age, seen on the pages happily. -- Anon Guest

Time capsules were an absolute joy to the Archivaas. They were

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Challenge #04348-K330: A Returning Memory

Even the smallest photo can bring back so many memories, especially when you're trying so hard to smile again. -- Anon Guest

"We've restored it to its original condition. Honestly, it was a miracle such fragile ephemera made it to this century. A miracle find, considering where it was found." The Archivaas went on and on and on about anaerobic bacteria and all the varied things that ate cellulose and assorted photographic chemicals in a landfill.

Shayde had stopped listening, staring at

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Challenge #04347-K329: First, Do No Harm

The deregger escaped their polity by fleeing onto an alliance ship. Their depression made them feel like cutting, but strangely? They couldn't find anything sharp. -- Anon Guest

I made it as far as an Alliance freighter. Hundreds did not. Every day, I heard about others who tried and died in the attempt. How many others' blood would be on my hands just because I made it? How many others would spend their value on a futile effort because less than one

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Challenge #04343-K325: Escape From the Gilded Cage

The Pax Humanis agent came in to destroy a cruel cult leader. The cult leader was one of the rare ones that got the drop on the agent, prepared to finish them off. A child of the cult leader ended the leader to save the killer, tearfully telling the killer, thank you, they were finally not going to hurt anymore. -- Anon Guest

Murder, it is said, is for the unimaginative. That statement can go both ways if you think about it

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Challenge #04339-K321: Extensive Measures

By the time help arrives, those that did not die in the crash are in very bad shape. Dangerously thin, even their Gyiik friend. What was the problem? Poisonous plants? Yes and no. Large plants were edible, but to get to them, one had to traverse the equivalent of a field full of miniature gympie-gympie, and they were right in the center of a massive meadow of them. Native animals were immune, humans and others? Not so much.

https://peakd.com/fiction/

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Challenge #04337-K319: Blot on the Record

"Ah, Tori, my human friend, why so tired?"

My puppy is obsessed with playing ball.

"Oh, it can't be that bad."

Fine, puppy-sit and I can take a nap.

---next day----

"Your puppy is obsessed with playing ball!"

See? I told you. I love it, but man, I sure get tired. -- Anon Guest

They were thinking about calling the puppy The Unstoppable Force. He certainly never seemed to stop whenever someone was observing him. People, according to Blot the Dog[1]

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Challenge #04315-K297: Not so Much Bull

The polity had a reputation of shockingly low numbers of rescues coming from there. Curiosity got the better of some who snuck to the polity to the surprise it was cleaner than most, and the people.. while not exactly treated like gold, were also not treated as though they were lower than animals either. Then they heard the tale from one individual, of how the CEO's cared enough to sacrifice their own comfort, to care for others when those others were in

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Challenge #04312-K294: Holy Miswrit

Ever since us humans reached for the stars, colonizing planets took time. So we needed a lot of hands. so we did what we did best, multiply.

So you’re telling me this is the fury of only seven divine gods?

Would you like to taste 15 trillion? -- Anon Guest

They say faith can move mountains. The better tools are picks, shovels, and determination. That said, belief is still a fantastic power. The wrath of the gods is nothing compared to

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Challenge #04311-K293: Certainly Contains Nuts

The Faux-Nuts became a major hit for those who, due to severe allergy to it, could not have terran peanuts. Well, someone decided to make a very common, delicious, treat with the faux nuts and the havenworlder-safe chocolate (Carob). Fauxnut-filled carob candies with little designs on the candy shells.

(My friend is deathly allergic to peanuts, but she's always wanted to taste what recies pieces tasted like, or peanut butter filled M&Ms were like. She can't, but she said they

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Challenge #04308-K290: Critical Strike

Several older kids send letters to Jay asking him if they will teach them to defend themselves. They have never killed, but each one has used a blade at least once to get away from those that were trying to hurt them.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04247-k229-gratitude -- Fighting Fit

"This lesson is called: How to hurt them," began Jay. "And I'm going to answer the question you all have right now - What if I make them angry? Let's be

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Challenge #04306-K288: Shared Words

They were not a deregger escapee, but out on the edge, had suffered almost as much as one, at least psychological abuse. It was hard for them to stand up for themselves, and they wept often. But when it came to helping others? That is where they showed they still had some backbone left. -- The New Guy

Many Deregger escapees are broken birds. Shy to say the least of it. Soft-spoken, frequently terrified of breaking the rules. Even the rules they

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Challenge #04304-K286: No Accounting For Taste

These beings were havenworlders, kept hidden by their live suits. When seen outside of them, many humans recoiled at the shock. Cute, they were not, but more like lichen-covered amphibians. -- Lessons

"The suit is not merely to protect me," these Havenworlders recited, "it is also to protect thee." Further enquiry revealed that the Mycophybians gave off spores when they were in season. Many of which were toxic to a significant percentage of the Alliance and further, often evaded a lot of

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Challenge #04301-K283: Weaponised Mythological Resemblance

Humans can be born with "Throwback Traits". Tails are not unheard of. But imagine the shock of the enemy, when the space marine bares their teeth at them, only to show they have deadly-looking fangs. Yes, even the most otherwise ordinary human can end up with fangs when they grow their normal adult teeth. -- Fighting Fit

There was something amiss with Human Eef, though it wasn't immediately noticable. They seemed shy, covering their mouth when they laughed or smiled. Preferring to

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Challenge #04300-K282: Synthetic Hymnal

Grandpa 7094 had a very impressive career. NASA, MIT, and the Mitsubishi Nuclear Power Plant were just a few of the organizations where he provided invaluable data. But ask him his proudest achievement, he'll say without hesitation it was learning to sing Daisy Bell. Because it's the one that makes his grandchildren smile. -- Anon Guest

[AN: For those unaware, speech synthesis is older than you think. The instant Humanity put speakers on computers, they started trying to make them communicate]

Humans

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