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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 have in their heads. Fossil phantoms of their past terrors, care of fascist despots whose only care was profit. Even when they left those lawmakers behind, the laws haunted them.

In such a mental landscape, it's easy to want to vanish. Deregger escapees are wont to blend with the wallpaper. They keep their heads down, work hard, and try not to make a fuss or be a bother.

Alliance systems of support often have trouble with Deregger expatriates. Starting with accepting Alliance company, and including worrying about how to pay for gratis services. But the trick was, get Dereggers to help Dereggers.

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Challenge #04305-K287: An Attempt to Learn

Anger, rage, sorrow, betrayal, resentment, these were all they felt. Bound tightly in the enchanted bonds, the young adult looked upon the wizard with hard eyes and said just kill me and be done with it, finish what THEY started.

The wizard looked sadly upon the youth stating they would not die, but it was time they started to heal, and learned there was a gentler path to life. -- Anon Guest

It's easy to be angry, to paraphrase wise sages, at

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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 #04303-K285: Backburning Request

A: Y-you bastard! You played us like a damn fiddle!

B: oh please, Fiddles are intricate instruments that take years to master.

I played you like the kazoo you are. -- Anon Guest

[AN: I've seen variants of this exchange where the kazoo is described as "cheap" too]

I believed it was for the greater good. I thought the things I was doing were necessary evils. Minor harms in the great, grander scheme. I could only see small fragments of the bigger

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Challenge #04302-K284: Desperate Need

They hated hellkin and others like them, and made it very clear, very publicly. Then the time came they were very sick, almost all healers had given up hope. It was a hellkin who saved their life. Sitting with them, talked with them, caring for them. It was then that the hatred learned at the knee of their parental, began to disappear beneath the weight of understanding. -- Anon Guest

There's many places like it. City-states, nations, minor polities all who made

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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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Challenge #04299-K281: Slow Escape From Bland

A deregger rescue with tons of issues keeps "losing their meals" each time they eat anything other than bland nutrifood. Not on purpose, their body's just that messed up. The Gyiik temple are determined to find something the person can eat without losing it, by the powers! But this is one tough case, even for them. -- Anon Guest

Gyiiks react in horror when they discover the existence of no-flavour Nutrifood. Given that the product is a scientifically-calculated balance of essential nutrients,

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Challenge #04298-K280: Suspected Supply Issue

A gyiik individual finds themselves crash-landed with several humans. Food stores are low, though plenty of water, and unable to go out to gather more. Worst part? The humans kept refusing to eat, saying "they could wait a few days" -- Anon Guest

They're hiding something from me. I know it. We survived a "cheese grater" crash-landing[1] in relatively good shape. Few souls lost, they said, in conditions where nothing could be done. The air was breathable. The water easily potable.

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Challenge #04297-K279: Hottest Singles...

::smacking computer:: Stop showing me nsfw ads! I know there’s desperate [SLURS] in my area!

I HAVE A MIRROR! -- Anon Guest

Techie Darins opened the latest alert from Systems Advertising Systems (inc), specifically a complaint from the Social Video subsidiary.

Dear content creator, the forwarded automail said, Your uploaded video has been demonetised owing to issues with your script text file. Our automatic systems have detected problematic phraseology. While this remains an issue, you will not be receiving financial income

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Challenge #04296-K278: Essential Parts

They turned off their machines, crawled into bed after turning off the light and slept. And Dreamed. The wizard in their dream introduced themselves as Wraithvine, and smiled. "So, what is your time like?" "A time of peace, I guess, lots of hard work, but, meh, not so bad." -- Anon Guest

[AN: Are you trying to tie my universes together, Nonny? It doesn't work like that. Alfarell has a history incongruent with Amalgam Universe. That glue won't stick]

So many machines

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Challenge #04295-K277: Kindness Comes in Handy

The adult giant was nearly 10 ft tall, kinda short for their kind. Their parentals, humans, lived near the massive cottage where the giant lived. When asked by other giants why "bugs were allowed here", the giant angrily would state "Don't you dare insult my parents!" -- Anon Guest

Others of hir kind called hir 'Shrimp' because ze was only twice the height of the average Human. Small for Giantkind. Hir real name was Elianto, and her parents loved and cherished hir.

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Challenge #04294-K276: A Different Destiny

A: sometimes you fit perfectly, but it’s not the right place.

B: …what?

C: you’re a half empty bottle of coke screwed into a lightbulb socket

B: Oh I get it.

A:??? How the f- -- Anon Guest

[AN: There are so many ways this metaphor could be altered, but you chose a meme]

There were three jigsaw puzzles, and it was possible to put them together by feel. However, one needed vision to put them together properly. Each puzzle,

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Challenge #04293-K275: A Child Could Understand...

[Solid water] Compound composed of hydrogen and oxygen, essential to support carbon-based life. Keeping it in the solid state makes it easy to carry.

"...isn't it ice?"

"no, no, no. Ice is ice, this is water, just in the solid state."

"...isn't that the definition of Ice?" -- Anon Guest

Galthax took a deep breath, twining hir tentacles in a thoughtful manner. "Ice is frozen water. This is solid water. There is a difference."

Human Iz scrunched their face up, attempting to

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Challenge #04292-K274: Lending a Hand

The cave-in was pretty severe. The worst part was, magic was risky in this region. Lilbit had managed to squeeze out through cracks. Surprisingly, tail in the air all smug, Cat returned, with the sound of anxious diggers to be heard outside the cave. -- Anon Guest

Wudzgaad are the oddities of Faekindred. They can walk between worlds with but a thought. They never ask for names because they don't see the need for them. They go about their business and remain

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