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[b][u]MY PLACE s01:e02 - Where you headed?[/u][/b]

Oh my god it’s a cat in a sweater.
Did someone spike my cereal this morning? Crap, he’s coming this way! I’m not asking for trouble buddy but if you want some then—

“Oh! Excuse me, I have a quick question for you…” asked the cat “It’s 3:15 on August 4th 2013, right?”.

I blinked. Here I was staring at an anthropomorphic feline on a train I don’t remember boarding, and he asks me a question I hear all the time. Maybe he’s lost too? Is this some kind of limbo where people from different dimensions cross over to the afterlife!? I nodded, shakily. Despite the friendliness in his voice, I was still on edge and really freaked out. He was relieved to hear that confirmation, quipping how his watch gets thrown off really easy. Before I could point out the fact that he wasn’t even wearing a watch, he helped himself to the seat opposite me. I squirmed in my chair, but I don’t think he even noticed how scared I was.

“So, where you headed?” he asked, his cheery demeanour ever present.

“I… umm” I couldn’t get the words out. This was all too much happening at once. I wanted the conversation to end quickly so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “A… err… place..?”

“Place, huh? I don’t think I’ve heard of it… wonder where it is…”
I shrugged. Did he actually think I was naming a town?
“Oh, right! Map, map, map… let’s take a look along this train line…”

He pulled out a series of brochures and maps to find this fabled “place” that I was apparently heading to. He was clearly somebody who travelled a lot, or at least had a thing for train journeys. It didn’t take long for his eyes to light up as he scanned the pile of papers on his lap.

“Ah, maybe this is it right here?” he asked, presenting me with one of his maps.
The map showed a small village with a handful of shops and a river running through it that connected to the sea. And, sure enough, at the top of the map it read: “The Village of Place – A Secluded Retreat”.

“Uh... I guess it is” I replied in disbelief that a place - dang it - that a town with that name even existed.

“Heh. I’m glad we found it! This is Place, is it? So, do you go to Place very often?”

“I-I’ve never been there”

“Oh, so today is your first time? That sounds like tons of fun!” I was beginning to find his enthusiasm annoying. Can he not tell how terrified I am!? “Can I ask why you’re headed there?”

“I’m… moving?”

“Oh really? Well, someone as interesting as you is certain to dig up some fun in a new place. Oh! Place! Get it?”

“uh huh”

Suddenly an announcement played over the train’s intercom: “Now arriving at Place! Place Station!”

“Oh hey” said the cat “Looks like we’re about to arrive in Place. Thanks for chatting with me! It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a train ride this much!”

If I’m lucky, I thought, this would be the last train I ever get on.
And the last time I ever have cereal for breakfast, I ain’t getting spiked again…

~~ Author’s Notes ~~

Yes, that’s my town name.
I remember the whole “uh… it’s a place” joke actually being what I did way back when I started playing New Leaf. And that’s where the title comes from! It’s also the name of a KK Song so in retrospect it was actually a 1200 IQ decision.

I find that when people adapt their Animal Crossing experience in comics or fanfiction, they tend to have their self-inert already used to being around animals, that they already belong in this world. I wanted to do something different, to have my guy be completely freaked out at first. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna do any “omg animal crossing is actually creepy!!!” garbage, this is just how the main character initially reacts to the world he’s thrown into.

After a lazy and ego-driven guy finds himself in a wild world populated with talking animals, he is inexplicably made the mayor of a quiet little town and given the unthinkable burden of responsibility.

Created by CookieBoy011.

[u]Later Seasons:[/u] "Season Two":https://e621.net/pools/50043 - "Season Three":https://e621.net/pools/52413