Guard Duty
I was marching the length of the border fence for the hundred and thirty-seventh time today. Dark clouds and thunder had been looming above for a while now, but I still hadn't seen any rain. But that's okay. I wasn't looking for rain—I was looking for...
Double Lives
The memory of my commute is always a little hazy. Day after day in the same routine, it's easy to just check out and forget all the useless little details. The sun was just barely visible over the plains as I arrived at Rockwell's condo. “I'm...
The Farmer's Favor
I used to be something else. I don't know _what_, exactly. It felt like an important thought to hold on to, even though I wasn't really sure what it meant; all I knew was a) I'm a pig, b) I think I know a lot of things pigs aren't supposed to, and c)...
Flip 1: Jacob
You are Flip, a boxtaur (a boar-fox hybrid taur), and you're just getting your stuff unpacked in your new dorm suite. It's your first day on campus and you're looking forward to getting to know everyone. You're taking a break now, sprawled out on the...
Flip 2: Blue Moon Back Room
The next day, you're walking around campus with a satchel slung over your back. You can't wait to get started. The satchel is full of copies of your menu--the list of all the ways anyone who wants to interact with you can change you. All they have to...
Tyler
You know how sometimes you just need a long vacation to relax and get away from it all, but the vacation itself turns out to be just as much planning and work and bother as everyday life? For a while I've been using my vacation time to just stay at...
The Newbie's Perspective
I looked over my character sheet, feeling a little lost. Andrew had invited me to join a tabletop campaign he was starting. The big husky was so excited about showing off his new homebrew game, he'd insisted I come, even though I had no experience....
Padderday in the Park
That Saturday I went to the park was a nerve-wracking experience for me. Not that I had any trouble with the park, or anything like agoraphobia in general, but I knew that Rockwell had Done Something, which always meant an unpredictable day. My first...
Not a Farmer
March was unusually warm, and the raucous sounds of bird and insect life on the back trails put me in mind of some deep jungle, even though it was only the path to the Tuesday market. The background noises of nature gave way to the even more pervasive...
Changing in the Locker Room
Nobody ever asks me what it's like to be a murderer. It's like the old saying goes: if you do your job well enough, one shouldn't be able to tell you were doing it at all. _Ars est celare artem._ I'd like to say getting rid of people is a hobby I...
The Tanuki Who Helps
Not a lot of people will tell you they love their job and mean it. They may _like_ their job, sure, especially comparing it to rough times in the past. And the boss may be nice, the clientele 99% decent, and the hours okay, but it's still _work_ and...
Containing the Cock
I must admit I'm surprised to see you in my office today. From our initial phone consultation, it didn't seem like you were...amenable to my methods. Someone as used to getting their way as yourself, well, usually isn't in need of my services in the...