Instant Story

Challenge #02967-H044: Our Freedom or Theirs?

People are curious as to what happens to the prisoners at Greystone. They believe punishment and harsh time is the only way to reform. But those sent to Greystone never leave. Families of those sent there are wondering where their family members are. A crew comes to ask to do an interview with some of the inmates and show the families life inside the prison.

Just kinda curious what would happen if the outside world, especially the families of inmates, would do knowing what Greystone is like rather than what they think it's like?

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02168-e339-true-reform -- DaniAndShali

[AN: As always, eternal blessings for giving me the link to the thing]

In an infinite universe, all things are possible, including a world like this one. It is a world divided in half. A world where rigid, high borders scribe a clear line between law and order on one side, and namby-pamby moonmelon nanny-state permissiveness on the other[1]. Or, if you're on the other side, between the freedom to choose the shape of your life and an oppressive, fascist dictator state.

And then, in the middle, there's Greystone. On one side, it's very easy to tell that it's a prison. On the other, it's a reform centre where the residents are introduced piecemeal to the ways of the benevolent-anarchy side of the divide. On one side, higher, more menacing, imposing grey walls. On the other, no actual visible barriers. There was little, indeed, to denote a border between the reform centre and the rest of the "real world" that was not on the grey side of the wall.

Those on the grey side are eager to send the worst of their worst into Greystone. It is held over the heads of all "decent citizens" like the sword of damocles. It hung a little more intensely over the "stained" citizens. Those who had a less appealing history with the administration had it hanging heavier and on a thinner thread. That included the families of those who had already gone to Greystone.

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Challenge #02966-H043: Non-crucial Failure State

In the early days, humans had just been allowed into the Alliance, but quite a few were still wary. These were very dangerous deathworlders. Sure they were smallish, depending on the species that worked with them, and somewhat squishy, but damn were they tenacious and dangerous! It was well known they were predators, too, that could, and would, eat pretty much anything, including quite a few things that were poisonous.

However, what the crew wasn't prepared for, was during dinner. The human

Challenge #02965-H042: Time in a Bottle

time loop -- Anon Guest

[AN: Link leads to a looping video featuring temporal paradox. Very clever editing]

"Drink to become... something... immortal," read Thygrun the Powerful. He didn't need to think, he popped the cork and raised it to his lips.

"Don't take it," warned Thygrun the Powerful, yelling at him from across the room. "You'll regret it forever!"

Thygrun had taken one sip already. "What? Are you meant to be me?"

"Yes! The potion doesn't create eternal life. It creates

Challenge #02964-H041: Deconstructed Battle

The day was a very boring day. The human just received a package of an old game but finely crafted made out of materials that are rare in their home-world, each piece have a Jewel that crowns the top. Excitingly they be called over a haven worlder that is a close friend of the human urging them to play. “You known I shouldn’t be surprised that many games contain some form of war or conflict” the haven worlder sighed. It been

Challenge #02963-H040: Stress Management Strategies

H - "I am... in a bad place right now. I will be ok when we can get back home and this calms down, don't worry. For right now though I might not experience the same reality that you do, and I need help staying... here."

A - "What do you need from me?"

H - "If you see me turn to look at something or listen to a sound, just say either Yes or No if you see/hear something there

Challenge #02962-H039: Art For All

A flashmob on a space station, please. Flash mob. Flash mob.

[AN: First link leads to a video in which Musicians keep turning up to join in playing Beethoven's 9th, or Ode to Joy. There's even a Chorus. Second video features a dance performance that becomes a proposal.]

Art has many facets. There's even a form of art that aims to have the viewer question, "What is art?" Of the performance artists, there are more many and varied types than one might

Challenge #02961-H038: Submitted For Your Approval...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI not all art is safe for all viewers. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Video link leads to the stage performance video of Shia LeBouff by Rob Cantor. Contains simulated, stylistic violence and references to same]

Media Flagging and Filtering is a never-ending job. What's "okay" for one culture is scandalously salacious for another. Even the face can be offensive if that face belongs to a certain gender[1]. There's a lot of churn in the "exposed

Challenge #02960-H037: So Not Fair

A ship with a mixed crew of deathworlder and havenworlder scientists, including a few humans, find a solar system that is a nearly a duplicate of what the Earth's solar system was like in the very beginning of the Jurassic period. The difference being, there were three inhabitable planets instead of only one. Where in the Earth's solar system, aka Sol, aka the Terran system, the planets Mars and Venus were uninhabitable, one being lifeless without an atmosphere and the other being

Challenge #02959-H036: Gods or Heroes

I’ve heard legends of that person

How he traveled the breadth of the land

Reducing all he touched to rubble

Revered by many I, too, revere him

Feared by many I, too, fear him

Now that person stands at my side

Now my friends are with me -- Anon Guest

[AN: Nonny - are you trying to get me into trouble? These are lyrics (translated) from Super Smash Brothers Brawl. A line or two is fine but the entire song? Please

Challenge #02958-H035: Not That Harmful

Aboard a station, a man is raising a small number of bees. Yes people are frightened, yes they complain to the management. Management sends security. The man explains how these bees, though more for the safety of the bees than the people around them are being kept in a special enclosure filled with growing plants, are not the kind that are able to sting. And shows how to make friends with stingless bees.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There are many varieties of bees and there is

Challenge #02957-H034: A Wholly Owned Subsidiary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvANy49Kqhw -- Anon Guest

[AN: Nonny wanted to link to this particular song, but it was found in this playlist. Enjoy at your leisure]

If there was one upside to the situation, then Bo would never run out of things to do. There was always something that needed doing. Something that needed fixing. Something that needed sweat and muscle and time to do. The downside being that Bo had swapped life in one crapsack situation, for

Challenge #02956-H033: And That's When I Snapped

A: "How often are you supposed to sharpen knives? Because you're always sharpening a knife when I come into the kitchen..."

B: "But...they have chips in them?"

C: "Is B sharpening knives? Good!"

A: "Every DAY??"

B: "They're cheap. They keep chipping when they get used..."

C: "I USE them every day!" -- Anon Guest

Many things are not common knowledge. This is why so many "retirement restaurants" fail inside the first year. The idea has merit, and it seems easy,

Challenge #02955-H032: We, the Undersigned...

The Dereggers gave up their trash planet, a toxic hell-hole that would've cost them a fortune to clean up. They signed an iron-clad contract that had every single i dotted and t crossed. Not so much as a gnat-sized loophole anywhere. And it was signed by their leaders and several leaders from the Galactic Alliance as witnesses, and him, of course.

He took all that was there and made enough time to make himself an insanely wealthy man. Wealth he then turned

Challenge #02954-H031: Operation Comeback

They were runners-up last year at the Zombie competition. However, their squad got wiped out in the start of the third hour. This year they were determined to make it through the semi-finals and into the finals. But it would take a lot of practice. However, this year, they had a long haul from the station they'd been at to the competition arena. They had plenty of time to practice.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02723-g166-just-add-zombies -- Competition

Zombie tag had somehow

Challenge #02953-H030: Critical Devaluation Error

What if I told you I can see everything labeled with a numerical value? Like I can see the value of hardness when comparing granite and diamond. That’s obvious but what if I told you I know how much your left kidney sell in the black market, and how much power this ship have left to the billionth of a decimal. Everything in this universe have value, but even as we speak the value have been going down. Everywhere I go

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Challenge #02967-H044: Our Freedom or Theirs?

Challenge #02966-H043: Non-crucial Failure State

Challenge #02965-H042: Time in a Bottle

Challenge #02964-H041: Deconstructed Battle

Challenge #02963-H040: Stress Management Strategies

Challenge #02962-H039: Art For All

Challenge #02961-H038: Submitted For Your Approval...

Challenge #02960-H037: So Not Fair

Challenge #02959-H036: Gods or Heroes

Challenge #02958-H035: Not That Harmful

Challenge #02957-H034: A Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Challenge #02956-H033: And That's When I Snapped

Challenge #02955-H032: We, the Undersigned...

Challenge #02954-H031: Operation Comeback

Challenge #02953-H030: Critical Devaluation Error