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Challenge #03438-I150: Critical Misunderstanding

A Knomira sees a human carrying a large bird on their shoulder. They try to pet the bird and the person states quite coldly they have to ask the bird's permission. The Havenworlder is NOT happy about the Knomira throwing a fit calling them a 'pet'. It's not their fault their translator's broken! -- Anon Guest

[AN: Translator software is almost universally useless in my future. Galactics prefer to use the services of living translators, usually JOATS]

"Why didn't you train your pet?" demanded Tourist Naom, as she was still trying to reach for the bristling avian on the fellow Human's shoulder. "It's irresponsible to take untrained pets into public spaces!"

"It's just as irresponsible to not ask permission before touching. Do you even own protector gloves?" The Human with a bird on their shoulder shied away from Naom, moving one arm to block her reach. "And this isn't my pet, they're my friend. This is Engineer T'riok, thank you very much."

"I don't care what fancy name you've given it," Tourist Naom went directly to fury and didn't even glance at listening or comprehension. "You're lucky I don't call Security on you, dragging around a dangerous animal like that. Someone could have been hurt."

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Challenge #03437-I149: Diminished Responsibility Reformation

A young Knomira who had been spoiled their entire life by their parentals is incarcerated and in therapy. What did they do? Doesn't matter right now. What does matter is helping them realize their path in this life was self-destructive. It didn't help the parentals were one step to getting themselves incarcerated if they didn't stop harassing the therapy center. -- Anon Guest

"You can't do this to me! I know my rights!" There was nothing to throw, and the isolation environment

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Challenge #03436-I148: Found Home

A young teen comes up to Kevin, Ma, and the rest of the party and asks Kevin to please teach them how to use a bow and arrow. They live with their grandparents and want to help make life better for their poor family by providing more food. They would be honored if he would be willing to teach them. -- Anon Guest

Rex, Kevin's new baby brother, spent most of the journey riding someone else. In a backpack or sling, he

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Challenge #03435-I147: From the Mouths of Babes

The beatings the human was enduring from the very angry parental were bad enough, but worse was to come. They had to face the child after the child came out of the ICU, but still heavily bandaged, still very weak, and try to explain themselves. Injected with a medication meaning they could not, at least for the time being, tell a lie, they had to be honest, not just to the family, but for once in their lives, to themselves.

https://peakd.

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Challenge #03434-I146: Born Again Gormlessness

They find a necromancer willing to make a new body for the poor idiot. But the person will lose all their magic and have to learn everything back from square one. Maybe learn better manners and respect as well.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03245-h336-2020-hindsight -- Anon Guest

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll need a holiday after this. I'm getting old and creaky."

Yngvar, barely visible under a newly-invented Helm of Obviousness, said, "How long do Kobolds

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Challenge #03433-I145: Congratulations on Your New Cat

They decide to keep the cat, the poor kitten needs them, this is obvious, and raise it. Though learning to raise such an animal was a bit of a learning curve. However, they found it quite protective of them, and very comforting on days when things were ... difficult.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03290-i002-hello-you-are-mine -- Anon Guest

When the Humans encounter something small, usually a serving of food, they tend to say, "It's a shame to take it away from its mother.

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Challenge #03432-I144: Bonus Action

Mr. Sunshine and his apprentice, Jay, are on a Deregger polity on a mission when a small child runs up to them terrified, pulling on Jay's blood-stained clothes, begging them to help rescue hir family that have been trapped and are being hurt by "bad people". -- Anon Guest

"It could be a trap," murmured Mr Sunshine. "At least wear a fresh 'drop'[1] for the occasion."

"Right," Jay shrugged off the old garment, leaving it in Mr Sunshine's capable hands. The

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Challenge #03431-I143: Leave Only Footprints

With hir new robot body, the militant, nearly fanatic vegan, considers going home to try to get everyone to pledge to be rid of their 'dirty' animal bodies and give up ever eating anything again. After all, isn't eating the same as killing, be it plant or animal? Hir therapists are starting to run out of ideas.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03243-h334-is-this-a-perfect-body -- Anon Guest

"You cannot go free, not yet," said the Phloran therapist. "You do not understand the wrongs

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Challenge #03422-I134: Non-chocolate Chocolate

A chemist invents a type of treat that tastes, and looks, almost exactly like chocolate, melts and is as usable as chocolate, can even be made into candy bars. And yet, it is chemically safe for all humans and almost all galactics. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Carob!]

Deathworlders make very tasty things. This is known. Also known is the fact that most of the ingredients are deadly to most known cogniscent life. No matter how many things one can do with fruit

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Challenge #03430-I142: The Raveled Sleeve of Care

What if the Lich King of Ages.... is little more than a cursed child? A child whose own father, out of jealousy, greed, avarice, or just plain cruelty, cursed them? What if, all they really need, is to know kindness for once in their life?

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03336-i048-youve-been-mothered -- Anon Guest

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, they had fought their way to the innermost sanctum of the Lich King of Ages. Though 'fought' was an expansive word for

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Challenge #03429-I141: The Last Song of Ease

An apprentice cleric is about to be elevated to journeyman status. Their mentor goes to teach them the song of death. The melody which ends a life gently, and eases the dying into the next world. The apprentice is appalled that such a song exists, but there is a reason it can only be used on those who are at the edge of death and in pain. The journeyman has to sooth the apprentice, this is one of the hardest lessons among

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Challenge #03428-I140: Weighed in the Balance

A younger person, who is heavy-set and was mistreated on their homeworld due to their appearance, has very poor self-esteem. Upon finding their way to Alliance space, they make friends that help them realize that they are, in fact, quite beautiful, in body, mind, and spirit. -- Anon Guest

They made fun of hir, even as Adina was leaving them forever. All the usual bon mots like, "Better pack light so they can compensate for hauling you," and, "Sure the ship will

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Challenge #03427-I139: A Study in Suffering

In a class meant for therapists working with inmates, a history of prisons from various worlds, especially earth, is given. Along with unfortunate examples of prisons, and prison-life, from Deregger worlds and the damage it does before people are rescued. -- Lessons

Deathworlders, especially, hold the belief that punishing a wrongdoer will prevent them from doing wrong ever again. This has naturally lead to the idea that some groups are genetically predisposed to crime. That, as we know today, is a logical

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Challenge #03426-I138: Strange Justice

The criminal begged for mercy, demanding a trial rather than what was facing them. The Pax Humanis member stood there, blade in hand, blood staining the clothing, giving the criminal the choice between the knife, or take their chances and jump from the cliff to the sea. -- Fighting Fit

Out in the Edge territories, things are a lot less formal than what one might expect. A small settling colony may take objection to a traveling shyster, but their decisions about meting

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Challenge #03425-I137: Explosive War Prevention

Please tell me, father, why we keep going to war? It never works, and all that happens is we lose the ones we love most. -- Anon Guest

"That's the trick of it, my lad," said King Gerhardt. "They also lose the ones they love the most. Make them pay for killing ours, eh? Balance the scales a bit. We must remember the pain they caused us so that we can claim our vengeance."

Prince Ethelbert frowned at the concept as he

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