Amalgam Universe

A 2287-post collection

Challenge #03497-I209: Sleepless in Ship's Night

"Can you help me? I can't sleep again. I keep waking up and pacing the floor." -- Anon Guest

Rescue Humans come with their own rewards. They also come with their own detriments. Such as chronic anxiety and sleep issues. The flip side is the hyper-vigilance that has saved far too many to be counted by now. So periodic interruptions to the rest cycle are a small price to pay.

With that in mind, Companion Thark kept any and all reprimands to themself and achieved enough consciousness to function. "Do you need a cuddlemate, a listener, or a dose of theobromine?" Those were the usual go-to's. Theobromine dosage at Ship's Night required an escort to keep the monsters in the dark away.

Human imagination was both a wonderous and terrifying thing. Human Dez had a fantastic imagination. Alas, the Deregger fear-based news cycles had trained him to imagine every worst possible thing.

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Challenge #03496-I208: Parenting is a Trial

Parent 1 - "And who do you want to sit with?"

Child - "Parent 2!"

Parent 2 - "Here's a seat."


Parent 1 - "Would you like a hug?"

Child - "No!"

Parent 1 - "Oh, OK." -- Anon Guest

[AN: Funny story time. When Miss Chaos (youngest spawn) started her first day of Official School, I asked her if she wanted a hug. Her exact words: "Shut up." Kids'll murder you. Heart first.]

Parenting has its rewards, but they're not where

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Challenge #03495-I207: When You Assume...

They're brought to the medics with blistered arms and burns on the face, though the eyes were protected due to goggles. OOPS, they didn't read the directions when trying to fix a faulty replica of a steampunk machine's boiler. -- Anon Guest

"The good news is that the damage is superficial," said Human Fonz, currently on some really excellent painblockers. "The bad news is that it's over -uh- about a quarter of my body. Who knew those leather aprons were for more

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Challenge #03494-I206: Not What it Says on the Tin

"I'm a cook, but I can't cook for shit!" she said.

"But how can you be a cook?" I replied. -- Anon Guest

"Okay," droned Human Cook. "I have to explain the joke. Cook is my family name?"

"Ah," said Companion Vael. "Asked and answered. From this, I can extrapolate that you complain of too many cooks and perhaps spoiled broth?"

"Got it in one. Thankyou for not making me dragging it out." Cook relaxed. "Shitty kitchen talent not withstanding, I can

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Challenge #03492-I204: Covert Patriotism

The CRC keeps trying to reward them for going around rescuing Dereggers and going from station to station to help clean and repair things and getting the stations back on track. They only accept enough to keep their ship in good repair and have supplies. The rest? Well, there are now a couple of charities set up to help those in need. -- Fighting Fit

Picture in your mind a general transit made for just about any work within civilised space. The

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Challenge #03488-I200: Trouble From the Little Things

A broken-hearted child who was severely scolded and reprimanded all because they were trying to be kind, now hesitates to help even when asked. Constantly terrified they are going to be shouted at for doing even the smallest thing for anyone. They've taken to isolating themselves, afraid of being around others, and in need of a lot of therapy.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03334-i046-satans-cobblestone -- Anon Guest

[AN: If you actually read that story, there's not a lot of yelling. Frustration

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Challenge #03487-I199: And Your Choice of Dipping Sauce

A group of humans invite a large group of Vorax, as well as other factions of their kind, such as the farmers, the factory workers and so forth, to a huge planet that's a foodie paradise. Shelling out the time to take them to an all-you-can-eat-high-calorie-lots-of-meat buffet. Why? Just for the fun of it. -- Anon Guest

It's not often that one invites the enemy to a dinner date. Neither side was truly prepared, but the Humans knew how to do peace

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Challenge #03485-I197: A Terror in Tulle

Never, EVER, assume, just because the human's so much smaller than you, that you can just bully them. You will NOT like the results! -- Anon Guest

There is an ancient Human saying, Never trust a very small girl in a frilly pink glitter tutu with a sword. The reason why it's a Human saying is only known to those who work at Renfairs. It certainly wasn't known to the attacking pirates when they encountered the equivalent of a lost tourist bus.

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Challenge #03484-I196: A Basket Full of Trouble

A young Tiefling brings a bouquet of flowers to Vee and Amatu while Wraithvine deals with the local authorities after picking up the young magic user they met.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03371-i083-deja-vu-all-over-again -- Anon Guest

[AN: The WHOLE adventuring party so far is: Wraithvine, Amatu, Pondermore, Vee, and Rawr. Our little thief makes six. That's a pretty full adventuring party. Therefore, Tiefling has to be a recurring NPC. It's usually a FIVE man band for a reason]

"Posies, Daisies, lu-u-ucky

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Challenge #03482-I194: The Time-Out Chamber

A Knomira is locked up for throwing a very violent temper tantrum in a shop which caused a large amount of damage to property and some injuries to various cogniscents. Now they're throwing another violent tantrum, because they're still locked up, and being required to go to therapy. -- Anon Guest

The habitat was a pale and inoffensive grey. Every possible surface was padded with cellulose fabric and cellulose stuffing. It did not help Marciatrude's general mood to know that any surface

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Challenge #03481-I193: Let's Dumb That Down For You

Despite multiple times being told NOT to do it, a Knomira ends up mixing multiple cleaning chemicals to "Clean their room properly." Ends up in an ICU pod with many in hazmat suits trying to clean the mess. -- Lessons

When she woke up, Iyn had the terrifying realisation that she was not breathing. She could glimpse the edges of some complicated machinery on her face and chest. She could not move. The screen above her eyes faded out from colourful blobs

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Challenge #03476-I188: Sturdy, Reliable... Ancient

They are stranded on a very primitive world, the technology here being pretty much obsolete. Good thing the friend they have with them still knows how to use this old tech. They'll need it to try to call for a lift home.

((Inspired by all the videos of teens and younger trying to use things like walkmans and rotary phones, and realizing these once very common pieces of technology are completely foreign to them.)) -- Lessons

They should not be here. They

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Challenge #03474-I186: Deadly Mixology

Never underestimate a person who is cornered, has nothing left to lose, and has access to cleaning supplies. -- Anon Guest

They had done a lot of damage to the ship as it sailed between one place and the other. They had done a lot of damage to the passengers and crew.

They were, in fact, talking about blowing the vessel up once they were done stripping it of anything at all valuable.

The one fly in the ointment was a single

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Challenge #03473-I185: Occupational Hazard

The entire ship is worried, the companion is starting to feel stressed. Why? The human has begun to mention how they've been getting bored lately. -- The New Guy

Humans are very strange. For a species of Deathworlders, they can both be remarkably gung-ho, and also remarkably paranoid. Often, it's the same Human being both. They will keep animals that would eat their bodies if they died. Some keep animals that would eat them when they're asleep. Some are content with routine

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Challenge #03472-I184: Taken Away From it All

The human is a Virtual Reality addict. Why? Because real life had become just too painful to face anymore. -- Anon Guest

It was the one thing she wanted to hurry for. After a tedious day of thankless, repetitious, endless toil, Mayra could take her day's wages, buy the cheapest meal she could get, and spend the rest of her resting hours in a Booth.

Like most of the Booths in Centua City, the actual facilities were filthy, falling apart, and had

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