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Challenge #02668-G111: A Study in Humour

Jokes can sometimes lead into a battle of wits. While normal jokes can be represented as a straight kick or punch, puns act as the roundhouse or the hooks or uppercuts. All can be block if they known or prepare. But there’s one genre of joke many dub as “distasteful”. Dark humour, a sucker punch, illegal moves to some. It is not the jokes themselves are funny it’s is the reactions of those in the receiving end which make the jokester burst with laughter. To some dark humour is like food, some don’t get it. -- Anon Guest

Laughter is universal. Comedy is not. -- A reminder on the Galactic Traveller's Essential Information FAQ.

There's a reason why slapstick is reserved for trained professionals. The root of this is in how vastly different varying cultures' ideas of physical comedy are. Slap a person with a fish, and an Englishman laughs. Collapse the bed under the amorous couple, and a Frenchman laughs. Blow up the outhouse, and an Australian laughs. That's just the Terrans.

Physical comedy has to be aimed.

Verbal comedy has its ups and downs, as some species are more literal than others, and a well-thought-out set-up joke requires way too much preparation to pull off in a pack-bonding situation. This leaves pranks, which are not appreciated in pack-bonding situations. By the time pranks become appropriate, the pack-bonding is mostly done.

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Challenge #02667-G110: A Chosen Confusion

It is, at best, unwise to mistake these things for each other...

Kindness for Weakness

Patience for Passivity

Caution for Cowardice

Silence for Ignorance

Those who have done so have, almost invariably, learned the differences are vast indeed, and quite often have learned this in a manner whose results ensure they do not ever make that same mistake twice... or do anything else ever again, either... -- Anon Guest

It's almost a joke: A Galactic Citizen and a Deregger arrive at a

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Challenge #02666-G109: Perplexing Perambulation

"Necessity is the mother of invention... Boredom is the father." -- SilverRey

So many inventions happen because their inventor thinks that they are vital. Others occur because they will create a tactical advantage against an enemy. Some rare and interesting inventions happen because the creator had nothing better to do.

Case in point - weird vehicles.

People don't need a bicycle that walks on feet, nor do they need a chariot drawn by crab-like legs. They don't need a powered boat with

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Challenge #02665-G108: Temporal Theory vs Reality

In today's episode of "Fun with Wormholes!" we will discuss how most people's family lines are actually Mobius Strips! -- SilverRey

Today in Fun With Wormholes, we explain how it's theoretically possible to be your own descendant. It all begins with one simple graph... An X-Y axis graph where one axis is time and the other is distance. On it, a line is travelling away from zero at a slight incline relative to time.

Here is our hypothetical traveller, moving at close

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Challenge #02664-G107: Killing Philosophy

"Ain't no kill like overkill." -- SilverRey

When there is no diplomatic recourse. When trade restrictions fail. When there are no other alternatives... they send in the humans. A small team, an individual, an army... Humans are sent in to deal with the problem.

Pinpoint accuracy is preferred, but there are other times... regrettable times, when one despot will simply be replaced with another. The revolution comes full circle with another power-hungry iron fist in charge, promoting those who agree with them,

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Challenge #02663-G106: All Signs Point to...

"OK. This place is disgusting. I don't think there is enough bleach on the planet to make it safe..."

"I found this stuff! It was in the cleaning section, and while I can't read anything on it it has a 5 page booklet of what I think are warnings... At least all the skull and crossbones and hazard signs look like warnings."

"Grab three. Anything with that many warnings has to be good." -- SilverRey

There are reasons why some hulks are

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Challenge #02662-G105: Bring Your Own Roadblock

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." - Roosevelt -- SilverRey

Welcome to Pantibole Prime. Mind how you go. Picture, if you will, a planet divided. For centuries, the Ventith and the Tigraas have been, if not at war, then at minimum intense rivalry since their history began. It has always been aquas against magentas. Either in bloody war, guerilla conflict, or beating the pants off the opposing side in sportsball... there has always been a rivalry between

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Challenge #02661-G104: Sorry to Cause a Fuss

Human to Alien: Could you please have the head of engineering come here? Don't worry, nothing is wrong. I just... saw a way to improve this! I am holding it so I don't lose track on the spot I want to talk to them about. Please hurry... I don't want to "forget" what I want to tell them.

Human to Engineer: So... Please keep this quiet. I don't want to cause a panic and make this worse... But, if I let go

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Challenge #02660-G103: Minimising All Possible Harm

"Don't fix what's not broken."

"If it's not broken, you haven't tested it enough." -- SilverRey

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it isn't broken, test it some more. -- Conflicting Human Axioms.

Some things need fixing before they break. Emergency services anticipate even the ridiculous emergencies so that they can be ready before they happen. This has lead to the 'zombie plague' and 'black hole' plans in the emergency systems all over Alliance space.

Zombie Plague has been on

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Challenge #02659-G102: Alexandria in Amber

A pre-shattering time capsule is found on Earth. In 2019, the time capsule was put into a cavern that was deliberately collapsed back in that prehistory era only to be opened, slowly, by centuries of erosion and earth shifts. Several teachers and historians carefully gathered text books, history books from around the world, old newspapers, maps, copied old scrolls, various sets of encyclopedias, bibles from as many cultures as possible, books on languages from around the world, to name but a few

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Challenge #02658-G101: Doing All They Can

The escape pod came down hard. The small crew of havenworlders, and the one human, now on an unfamiliar planet. The planet, itself, was more or less safe enough except for one tiny thing. The same explosion that had crippled the ship, caused by odd electrical storms the planet periodically suffered sending lightning sprites into the air, also had caused flash-burns across the human's face, they couldn't see. The medic cleaned the injury and wrapped bandage around the human's face, but the

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Challenge #02657-G100: Opposites Do...

Darkness without light is the void. Light without darkness is blinding. They are intertwined, for one cannot see the truth without them. -- Anon Guest

Light and Dark are fundamental elements of reality. Without light, an observer cannot know what darkness is. Without dark, one cannot see at all. Without either, there is no way to tell what else might be lingering about. There's a reason why so many creation mythologies begin with the making of light.

Far, far too many wielders

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Challenge #02656-G099: Holding On

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gCQyKJr6pJA Aliens often forget the Power we can have, when we WANT to Hang on to something. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Holy shit, that's terrifying. Offensensitivity warning for fear of heights and physical injury]

"There's only enough capacity in the lifeboat for seven. How do you plan on coming with us?"

The Ships' Human, having fought to the last enemy, just grinned. "Outside," said Human Karth. "I can hang on for long enough. Don't worry about

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Challenge #02655-G098: A Choice

"When they day comes and you know you're not coming out of a fight... Make sure there is a long line for St. Peter before you get there." - Advice from my very pacifist Grandfather -- Anon Guest

[AN: Not that conversant with this particular corner of Xtian theology, OP. Apologies in advance for the mistakes made herein]

The last shall go first, and the first shall go last -- Human Theological Saying.

Faith is a strange thing. Belief is powerful, but

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Challenge #02654-G097: A Surpassed Reminder

When we drink, we get drunk.

When we get drunk, we fall asleep.

When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.

When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.

So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven! -- Anon Guest

This was a decorative plaque found in the ruins. Unremarkable, save for the fact that most of it was legible, and didn't necessitate reconstruction. There were thousands like it. Almost one in every ruined home. Just like the ones with

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