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Greater Deregulation

A 129-post collection

Challenge #01154-C057: One Ambitious Training Session on Amalgam Station

http://this-book-has-been-loved.tumblr.com/post/139007622507/things-ive-actually-heard-college-students-say

pick one -- Gallifreya

[AN: Only one? They're all gold!]

It was a minor Ambassadorial meet and greet session, allegedly concerning negotiations to stop the Greater Deregulations from being such massive collections of feces towards their fellow human being.

Not acting like massive collections of feces towards non-human cogniscents was going to take significantly more time and effort.

Laws and regulations were not really working. The most the Deregulations would do was show lip service to any of them and immediately return to business as normal the instant the Galactic Alliance turned their backs.

So now the Alliances were working on exposure therapy. Allowing delegates and representatives to open their eyes by showing them that the Other is not at all as threatening as they were wont to believe.

Which meant that all other humans in the room were frequently exposed to backwards compliments, like mad libs around, "You're pretty [COMPLIMENT] for a [SLUR]."

Rael was there to stop Shayde flying off the handle. He kept a firm grip on one of her elbows at all times and muttered things into their personal comms to attempt to keep her calm.

He was down to a list of After-Party treats. Number one on the list was always good to halve her stress levels.

"Consortium of Steam concert, following the meeting," Rael murmured. "With chocolates and a jam session. And you're going to take me on a merry-go-round, later. Figgy duffs at Unsuitable Food Eat..." What else, what else, what else? Ah. Yes. "A hot bath and a good snuggle session. Consecutively, in whichever order you please."

Synchronicity or Shayde's eldritch mutterings made the entire room go quiet enough for all the delegates and Ambassadors to hear one representative of Greater Deregulation North by Northwest say, "I'VE ONLY DONE ANAL TWICE, OKAY?"

The defensive cluster of Greater Deregulations realised that Shayde was also in the room, and turned their eyes to Shayde's pointy grin.

Never before had a cogniscent running their tongue over their teeth been subject to such terrified scrutiny.

"Don't do it," Rael subvocalised into their comms. "I can hear what you're thinking about and please don't do it. The fate of the future is in your hands. Please. For the love of your god... Don't. Do. It."

Shayde cleared her throat. Because it was her, it sounded like a harbinger of certain doom.

"...please don't do it?" Rael begged. Possibly far too late.

Instead of her usual crass ribaldry, she said, "Thank ye fer sharin', Greater Deregulation North by Northwest. If yer curiosity returns, ye might find an abundance o' lube advantageous."

The party wound to a quick and embarrassed halt, shortly thereafter.

Rael was the only one who heard her quiet cackling. "You'd do anything to get to a Consortium show, won't you?"

Her grin was still pointy and slightly menacing. "I honestly don't know what yer talkin' about... I did everythin' I was supposed to."

"With almost military precision, I noticed."

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Challenge #01030-B298: Non Sequiturs of Doom

I have no idea what that means, but it cannot /possibly/ mean anything good. -- RecklessPrudence

Rael almost congratulated himself. The first Ambassadorial Meet for Shayde was going well. Like the man falling from a building in that ancient joke, it was rather a case of so far, so good.

She had made it as far as lunch on the first day without causing a fracas.

"I tole ye. I'm no' fer sale and I'm past my amuse-by date," carried over the

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Challenge #01026-B294: Before She Met Hwell

Person #1: They just have to deal with it. Life isn't fair.

Person #2 (softly, sadly): No, it isn't. But that doesn't mean we should be making it less so. -- RecklessPrudence

[AN: Wholeheartedly agreed]

Two guards watched the product file from the conditioning yards and into the truck. Ready for processing. The newbie stared with an open mouth.

"Hey, if you want one, you could snag it after the buyers have picked the best ones. Bawdy factory don't mind."

"Just... take

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Challenge #00774 - B043: The Careful Calculation

Person #1: Fear is easy. Fear is cheap. Instead of fear, we’re going to give the people hope.
Person #2: Fear vs. Hope. Hardly an even match.
Person #1: That’s because you think of hope as something light and fragile. My version of hope has calluses and dirt under the fingernails and isn’t past bringing brass knuckles to a fight.

The board meetings of Cinderella Dreams were interesting. Around the Boardroom walls, circling the ceiling, was the company motto:

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Return to the Greater Dereg That Got It Right

Exactly what it says on the tin.

(#00763 - B032)

[AN: This would be directly related to Challenge #323 in One Leap Year of Instants, available for whatever you want at Smashwords]

How to run a world without taxes, Kell wrote. First: Eliminate the government. Elected officials only care for their results in the next election, leading to years of nothing done, followed by flurries of activity nearing the election season.

Public services are therefore run by non-profit organisations with client care

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Challenge #00514 - A139: One Dank Morning in the Dire Halls of MegaGlobocorp, West Esterly

“Should you choose to accept it, your mission - which you are required to accept or you’re fired - is…”

Working as a faceless minion in MegaGlobocorp was never fun. It was a dangerous lottery before one even made it to the labyrinthine spread of the offices. As unskilled labor, Dar had the marvellous advantage of having twenty bosses to tell her when she messed up. And a random number generator assigned her at random, to one of the

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Challenge #00266: Non-hostile Takeover

What ended the assassination attempts on Fawn Jackson? – Weirdlet

After she bought Main Security, she used a shell company to purchase the competitors. Kept them intact, but rearranged their priorities for the greater good.

Fawn Jackson was beginning to gain a controlling interest.

And the assassins weren’t even getting close.

She was doing almost the exact opposite of what the Executives and Pundits insisted was the correct way to manage large sums. And worse, her actions were stimulating the

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Challenge #00265: Pour Encourager Les Autres.

What finally prompted the start of assassination attempts on Fawn Jackson? – Wierdlet

“Sooner or later,” they said, “she is going to mess up.”

“The lure of wealthy living,” they said, “will make her one of us.”

“She can’t possibly rework the system with what little she has,” they said, “she’s going to crash and burn.”

And on the off chance that she might not act

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Challenge #00199: Spiritus in Machina

Lives and souls to buy, sell or trade

[Trigger warning: Most of the story that takes place occurs on one of the Greater Deregulations where women are property]

When Mary woke, she knew she wasn’t Mary any more. The strange feeling of duality that had accompanied every update so far was not there, just an echoing sensation of emptiness.

It was a peculiar thing to wake up and realize that you must have died sometime after your last save.

The

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