Examining the Tail

We all know swords are cooler than bows which are cooler than many other things, gardening for instance, but are we misguided in looking at the items alone? The fact of the matter is that blacksmiths are a thousand times cooler than fletchers. The swordsman goes to a dwarf or huge guy and gets his meteorite-derived blade, but whom does the archer patronize? A workshop filled with grumbling children overseen by a sweaty man who considers manual labor beneath him.

Big Aliens

The reason we haven't seen any evidence of intelligent alien life in the universe is that they're too big to fit in a spaceship. It's a real problem.

Dragon Logistics

The general inspected the preparations and found them to be proceeding in good order. The palisade was up, the tents would soon join it, and the dragons were hauling in the engines required for the siege.
"General, I'm puzzled. Why do we have dragons do manual labor? Couldn't they take down the walls themselves?"
These brats from the elite families always asked dumb questions like that. So far the general had managed to preserve his patience in every such instance, which was the reason he had been able to become a general. "Yes. Then they claim the city for themselves. As it is, they don't even know what we're going to do with that mangonel, for instance." He pointed at a dragon who deposited that engine, accepted a copper bracelet as payment, and flew off.
"I get it now. That's why we have them digging the latrine, right?"
At least the brat was impressed with his own powers of extrapolation. The general was not. "Yes. They're excellent at it. Far better than my men."
"OK. I guess they're excellent doctors, too." The twerp looked at a dragon wearing a white coat who was struggling to set a bone without killing its owner.
"They're terrible at it, but you can't just look at that. A human would be much better, but that same human will be even more useful in the siege compared to a dragon. Something can be at a disadvantage in itself but still result in an advantage when you compare the optimum use for whatever is superior to it." Did the elites not teach their children economics? The general worried about the future of the country even if the siege were successful.
Finis

Never Refuse the Call

An ordinary young person on an ordinary day woke up, showered, ate, the usual. Who knew, who could have imagined, that soon everything would change?

"Shouldn't everything be changing?"
"Should be. I had the mysterious package sent over to the chosen one as planned."
"Huh." The mysterious entity checked its watch. "Huh."

Hours passed. Soon that typical, protagonist-looking person would be thrust into a new life of danger and sacrifice, but also triumph and a lifetime of memories.

"Is this site ever wrong?"
"Not that I've seen."
"It says 'already delivered.' Well? Something should have happened by now."
"Some new heroes take things more calmly than others."
"No way. Maybe. I don't know. Should I go over there? I think I should go over there."
"That doesn't sound like all that mysterious a thing to do."
"We'll give it another hour then."

Elsewhere, the invaders met their match. "Who is this Earthling who opposes us, and how does he have equipment that allows him to resist our extradimensional technology?" They were forced back through their latest portal without ever learning the name of Arnold T. Porchthief, whose name answered both questions.
Finis