He opened his eyes.
He was lying on a bed in an empty grey room, and he wasn't sure exactly how to move. Was it possible to just sit up, stand up, walk around? How do I do this? he wanted to ask, but he hadn't figured out how to talk yet either.
"Welcome to your room in TruSelf." It was that same voice from before. The Game Interface. Is this the game tutorial? Seeming to read his thoughts, the Interface answered. "To control your body," it explained, "simply think about what you want it to do. It will take some practice, but it will become easier as you grow in-game. Eventually you should be able to control your avatar as easily as you would your real body."
He focused on the action of sitting up and was able to look about the room. There was a door on the wall to his right and a mirror on the one to his left. Thinking carefully about each move, he stood and walked to the door, which did not lead outside as expected but instead into a walk-in closet.
"This is your closet," said the cheerful Interface. "Here all the items you purchase in-game will be stored. New users are provided with one random outfit when creating an account. Why not take a look at yourself?"
He suddenly found himself standing in front of the mirror and was slightly surprised by his lack of surprise at the face reflected back at him. Oh, right, he reminded himself, I'm playing as a guy. And a furry. He inspected his face. I'm pretty cute, though. He stroked the fur on his cheeks and chin. It was a bit thicker than what had been on the female version. His jaws were wider and more squared, and his nose was broader, too. The hairstyle that had been randomly generated for him was short and spiky. He ran his fingers through it and wished it was a little longer.
He suddenly had another realization. If he was a guy, that meant he had parts he wouldn't normally have in addition to not having parts he was used to having. How does this work? he wondered. Does the computer know my real sex? How can it make my body feel so different? Is this really what it feels like to be male? He ran his hands over his chest, marveling at how good it felt not to be weighed down by a pair of D-size breasts, and was soon feeling all over his body. Yes, that feels nice. Everything felt normal enough -- except for the fact that he'd suddenly changed gender and species. In other words, it was a completely new experience, and he still wasn't sure how this was even possible. He couldn't wait to get out and experience the rest of the game.
Once again, the Game Interface seemed to read his mind and answered preemptively.
"Until your account is complete and validated, this room will be all that is available to you. However, once you've read and signed that you accept TruSelf's terms of service, you will be able to choose a username, and more content and features, such as world exploration, user-interaction, and the shopping centre, will be unlocked to you."
"Okay, awesome," said the enthusiastic foxboy. "Where do I sign?"
A virtual piece of paper with several paragraphs of small print appeared in front of him. At the bottom of the paper was a line on which to sign.
"Once you have read and agreed to the terms of this contract, please sign with your username," the Interface instructed him.
Awesome, he thought. I don't even have to give it my real name. If I'm going to be a guy now, I can't be called Maggie... He thought about what he would go by in this world. He couldn't seem to recall any good boy names at the moment and was feeling pressured for time. Dammit, who should I be? he asked himself.
"Are you still there?" asked the Interface, further stressing his need to hurry. Finally, he just picked the first name that came to mind and wrote it on the contract: Starboy.
"Welcome to TruSelf, Starboy," the Interface said as the contract becan to glow and disappear. "Now that you're an official member, would you like to explore the world?"
