Several Reasons

When the Great Shift happened, I was among a small group of people who ran. I don’t know why anyone else did so, but for me, it was a pure logical response. It was for several reasons.

For starters, finding myself in the body of a woman barely over five feet tall, I quickly decided a crowd was not the best place to be. A massive group of swapped people was also bound to be quite volatile. Again, given my new body’s stature, I don’t think I wanted to be involved in any fights or riots.

There was also the consideration of finding my own body, which wasn’t exactly close. The sooner I could get to it, the less likely it would move on itself.

And finally, well, this body did seem to be dressed for a good run, so why not?

Lungs

People often asked me what I noticed most about my new body. I was one of the few people in my neighborhood that was male before the Great Shift, and then found myself in a woman’s body afterward. I’m pretty sure they were expecting some sort of graphic details about my new gender -- but honestly? Gendered parts were among the smallest concerns with new body.

My lungs on the other hand were a huge issue. I’d get winded going up stairs. I couldn’t even figure out what caused it the first time it happened; it was just like I stopped breathing. When I found the inhaler in her purse, I was able to piece it all together.

When I tell people this, they always ask if I noticed what my chest felt like during the asthma attack. As if that would somehow be my primary concern! I tell them to shut up!

Video Message (Part 1)

Brian knew where he was supposed to be, and he also knew he wasn’t there right now. Instead he was enjoying himself on the beach, having probably one of the best days in recent memory.

But still, he knew he owed Krissie some answers, so he took out his phone so he could send a video message. He put on his best smile as he hit record.

“Hey, Krissie, I’m obviously not at the coffee shop. I’m not on the way. I know we were supposed to meet there this morning so we could swap our bodies back to normal, but I just wasn’t ready to do that yet. I want another day with your body...or maybe a week. Don’t make me feel too guilty about it, but I sort of loved being a woman...being you. Anyway, I’m sorry. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to swap back.”

Non-stop

The ability to fuse human and robot had grown immensely over the last several centuries. It wasn’t uncommon for people to replace parts of their body piece-by-piece with robot elements.

On the positive side, it allowed for people to achieve their ideal bodies. Xan may have been born a man, but he had always felt like a woman. The robot parts he bought for himself certainly reflected that, and he was happier about his body than he could ever remember.

On the other side, this process wasn’t cheap. Xan had done as much as he could afford so far, but he still had quite a way to go until he was was done. To help get himself there faster, he had been working two weeks without a break. Even forgoing things like eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom (none of which his mostly robotic needed, though the features could be turned on). It allowed him to earn faster.

Was non-stop work with no rest really the life he dreamed of when he had thought of himself as a woman?

Paradise Lost (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Paradise Lost.

The excitement of paradise didn’t last. It had only been three months or so, and Chase began realizing that the mundane aspects of life still maintained no matter where he lived or what body he was in.

For starters, it was just all the daily tasks like going to work or the grocery store that just became as routine as ever. They might’ve been exciting in a new place at first, but now? Well, they felt the same as they always had. And doing them all in a new body? It was kinf of the same.

Granted, it was certainly fun for a while to explore femininity and makeup an exciting clothes. But now? He just wanted to throw on yoga pants and a sweater and grab a frozen meal from the supermarket to eat alone in peace.

Trips to the beach had dwindled, and wearing a bikini just no longer had the same thrill.

Was this paradise?

Scared and Confused

The news reports would begin flooding in the hours after the Shift. People were glued to their screens with the stories of violence and fighting, but in my own experience, most of us were just confused and scared.

The bus had been late, and there were a lot of us waiting. I was thinking about how none of us would get a seat and probably most of us wouldn’t even fit. It seemed like such a simple, innocent thought in hindsight.

The flash came at the same time as a breeze and I felt an odd cool air rustle the fabric on my legs. I looked down, my whole body seemed thin and unfamiliar. I inspected my now female body, touching it to make sure it was real -- unsure how this could be mine now. It seems the others waiting were all doing the same. We weren’t angry at each other; we weren’t fighting like the news reports later told us; we were all just scared and confused.

"Full System Reboot"

I actually didn't give this one a proper title. There are a few options I considered.

Bounced Back

Robert crossed his arms over his chest. He had spent the last ten minutes arguing with this woman, explaining that she wasn’t on the list to get into the club. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and now somehow they had swapped bodies!? The worst part? She was still pestering him to get in.

“If I’m in your body,” She tried to reason, “Doesn’t that technically mean I’m allowed inside now?”

“We may have swapped bodies, but I still have a job to do. You’re not getting in there.” He replied.

“Now that I have your body, I could beat you up. Or just toss you aside!”

“I don’t think you’d do anything to harm your own body.”

“Well, in my body, you don’t look intimidating! How are you going to stop anyone else from getting in?”

“This job is more about attitude than muscle!”

Re-Invent

It is often said that college is a time to re-invent oneself. Whether you were cool or a nerd or the class clown in high school, no one in college would be aware of any of it. That was especially true in the years following the Great Shift when people had a particular interest in trying to forge a new life with whatever new body they might now have.

Sydney was particularly happy when he arrived at college, and people perceived him as the bookish woman he appeared to be. He never had to tell people he was once a jock or the star of the football team. He felt like he would finally be appreciated for his brain, and he was more than happy to play up the part. He acted shy with nervous waves; he wore skirts when he went out. No one even asked who he was before, and no one cared. And he loved that.

Self-Betrayal

It had been less than five minutes since Luke had become a woman due to his choices while driving the Magic Taxi; he was already regretting it. When his own body was stolen about a week prior, the decision to become a woman was not immediate. Becoming a man, of course, made much more sense. But it was his own attraction that likely betrayed him.

There was nothing exciting or alluring about the men that came into his cab. The same wasn't true of the women. Picking the most interesting was going to be the real challenge.

He saw her even before she hailed the cab as the blonde took short little steps on her chunky heels. Now that he was in her in her body, he understood those movement intimately. It wasn’t just the heels that contributed to the small steps, but also the short tight skirt.

There was no way he was able to keep up the gorgeous feminine mystique of her body as he moved it around like a clumsy, awkward man.

Bad Luck to See the Bride

Pete’s family always said it was bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding, but he was never one for any sort of superstition. And so with minutes before the ceremony, he went to check in on his bride-to-be. A strange flash of light, and the worst luck of all befell Pete as he found himself in the body of his own bride-to-be.

To complicate the matter, whoever was now inside his body seemed to be a clear lunatic. He told himself that if this was a simple body swap, it might’ve been easier -- but it started to seem like everyone he encountered had swapped bodies with someone else.

He was blaming himself. All because he wanted to see the love of his life for a moment before their wedding! Of course, it really had nothing to do with that; it was all just merely coincidentally timed right in line with...The Great Shift!

Disturbia (Part 1)

It had to be the weirdest day at work that Patrick could recall. Technically, he was still just an entry level employee, but he had swapped bodies with one of the managers -- a middle aged blonde woman by the name of Cheryl. She had been nice enough to give him a sweatshirt to cover up, as he felt quite exposed by the sleeveless white dress she had chosen to wear that day.

The company researchers promise to have everyone back in the right body tomorrow, and the lawyers promised a big bonus if everyone could keep a secret. An so Patrick found himself on a commuter train back to the suburbs that night. Cheryl had given him a rundown of anything he might need to know.

Though she had two kids, they were both off to college already, and fortunately her husband was out of town on a business trip. Patrick told her about his crappy apartment in the City with the roommate he never talks to. He was hoping for a very uneventful evening and that the swap back would happen first thing in the morning.

We Are One

Face to Face

About a week after the Great Shift, they were making us all come back into the office. None of us really wanted to, but they tried to say explain it by telling us people working in grocery stores or at the docks didn’t the luxury of working at home at all. They tried to ease us in by easing the dress code. It wasn’t much comfort.

Based on the way she looked at me in the break room, I don’t think Marie liked seeing me dress her body in sneakers and gray sweats. Of course, she might just not like seeing me in her body at all, but what could I do about that?

The Great Shift had plopped me into her body and that was that. It was probably easier for both us back when we only had the rare interaction on a Zoom call, but running into each other face to face? Yeah, it was awkward.

Speeding

Officer Nelson could tell the woman he had just pulled over for speeding seemed nervous. He asked for her license and registration as she began to dig through the mess in her front seat. Ultimately, given the fact that she was about twenty and just so nerve-racked, he decided to tell her to forget it and give her a warning.

As he turned to walk away, she pleaded. “Please don’t go!” She said, “I don’t think you understand. I don’t know where my license or registration is because this isn’t my car. This isn’t even my body.I had no idea I was speeding, because I just suddenly found myself behind the wheel. I didn’t even notice yu when I pulled over; I was just pulling over, regardless. I don’t know how this happened. I’m a 43 year old man!”

Officer Nelson was now thinking this woman was simply crazy. That is, until he started to hear others start saying the exact same sort of thing.

That's Rich

The medallion had allowed Anthony to steal Mandy’s life. He thought it would be better than it turned out to be. She lived in a mansion in the hills; she came from a rich family.

He knew he should’ve been suspicious when she didn’t seem upset after the swap. It didn’t take him too long to realize that it seemed Mandy’s life was falling apart. It seems her parents weren’t as rich as they seemed with their assets caught up in poor investments, which was revealed upon their deaths a few months ago. The mansion was a mess inside and falling apart; Mandy didn’t have the finances to properly maintain such a large property.

Once the twelve hours were up, Mandy had no desire to switch back. Fortunately, Anthony still had the medallion. He could probably trick someone else into taking Mandy’s life, but who?

Need for Speed (Part 1)

Tyson sat at the side of the rink contemplating what had just happened. Whereas he had been watching the speedskating competition of the teleivision moments ago, he soon found himself on the ice moving at incredible speeds. He had no idea what he was doing, but somehow managed to fall without hurting himself.

Discovering he was in the body of one of the female speedskaters, he just as quickly discovered he was not alone. Everyone in the entire area was in the wrong body.

He wasn’t able to think much about his new body; it was in too much pain. At first, he thought it might have been from the fall, but it was too focused in his legs. No, this was the sort of pain an elite athlete felt from pushing their body to the absolute limits. And that body was now his.

Books

If there was going to be anything in this college library about how to reverse a body swap, this seemed to be the correct section. Of course, Daniel had never been in this part of the library before; he had never even considered such a section would even exist in this library.

Maybe he was able to find it because he was currently affected by magic after swapping bodies with Maggie. Or maybe he just lucked out.

But amongst all this spooky stuff, there had to be a book about magical body swapping though, right? He pulled one of the books out, and was sorely disappointed. It was an outdated text on 1700s biology. In fact, while most of the books were rare, old, and interesting -- the subject of magic just wasn’t among the topics...whatever happened to him and Maggie that caused this body swap, he was likely stuck like this!

Work-Life Balance (Part 1)

Kim and Evan lived a pretty good life. They were married and living in a suburban neighborhood with their 5-year-old daughter. Evan made enough for the family, but Kim had been trying to get back into the work force. It had been difficult with the gap on her resume, but Evan kept encouraging her.

It was likely an idle wish about getting back to work that caused the swap. Kim, now in Evan’s body, was happy to be going into an office and was sure she could do the job with ease. Evan didn’t exactly hate being in Kim’s body either. He was going to finally get some additional time to bond with his daughter before she started school after his hectic work scheduled for the past few months.

It was nerve-wracking to have swapped bodies, sure. But for a little while at least, it didn’t seem like it would be that bad.

Drawn Out

Jake had been drawing the webcomic for a few years now. Mei had been introduced as a side character. People online had fallen in love with her, and Jake quickly shifted the series focus to her character. Because he used a gender neutral pseudonym, people assumed the comic was autobiographical and that he was Mei. He knew everyone would be disappointed to learn the artist was actually just some dumb white guy. He often thought about revealing who he was, but he was so hesitant.

As he grappled with the decision, the changed began to start. They were subtle at first, like needing to shave less often or a slight change in his taste in clothing. When he finally felt confident to take a selfie and post a bio to his site, he was startled by his own reflection. He looked almost exactly like his character Mei. It was surreal. It had all happened so slowly. Yet here he now stood in the body of an Asian woman. At least there was no reason for him to hide anymore.

Extra Credit (Episode 2)

View Episode 1 of Extra Credit.

Keep It Safe

Shayne held the orb in his hand. It granted him the power to manipulate physical reality in any way he saw fit, and understanding the extent of what this meant was still hard to wrap his head around.

And yet he hadn’t made any changes with the orb for several days now. Once he used it to transform himself into a woman, everything else didn’t seem to matter much. It was the one thing that had made him whole and content; what more could be possibly want?

But he also felt it was his responsibility to keep the orb safe now. If someone else got a hold of it, there was no telling what damage they could do. They might have more desires than he did; perhaps evil desires. The orb would stay with him; he would keep it safe.

Too Many

Evey now and again on Fictionmania, there used to be these really self-serving captions. I am certainly playing into that with this one -- mostly due to history -- but I do really appreciate those who subscribe on DeviantArt, and you should too! They really do help offset the cost of creating all these captions, maintaining this site, etc. I also gave a shout out to some friends who have been encouraging!

Elliot realized he was probably visiting too many caption sites. After actually subscribing to Alicia’s captions on DeviantArt, it was the final straw, he had actually transformed into a woman.

Of course, it seemed it was a rather plain and boring woman. Perhaps it wasn’t that he ws visiting too many caption sites -- maybe he wasn’t visiting enough! If visiting this many had merely transformed him, it only seemed logical that visiting more would transform him even more, right?

He didn’t even consider just simply finding a dress or putting on makeup, he just started hitting other caption sites hard, starting with Alicia’s YouTube and then moving onto things from Rook Realms and Twisted TG Captions...

Hate to Burst Your dotcom Bubble

Gilbert always knew Eunice was a brilliant coder -- probably one of smartest at the company where they both worked -- but this was next level! Creating software that swapping his brain into her body over an at-home dial-up connection? It was next level!

He wasn’t even angry about it, he simply saw it as a challenge to flex his own programming ability. After all, she was a good developer, but he could think of at least one better: HIMSELF!

Hacking through several key files, he almost laughed at how easy some of her security systems were to crack. But when he thought he had found a breakthrough into her code, he found a spreadsheet instead. It was a list of layoffs scheduled at the company. Eunice’s name was among them. He realized she had swapped with him out of self-preservation, and she had managed to outsmart him, too. What he thought was a path for getting his body back was actually her plan to show him this file. He knew she didn’t deserve to be laid-off, but to go to this extreme? There had to be a reason!

An Adventure

“I’m not sure if I’m still upset about swapping bodies with you, or if its simply the biological nature of drow to be pissed off all the time,” Ibrim said, “But we need to find that wizard to have him undo this body swap spell.”

Araj agreed, “The stench of your human body bothers my nostrils -- even as I am breathing with human nostrils. And to be in a male body is so degrading. I never should’ve travelled to the surface, but I had no other choice in order to restore my family’s house.”

“Whatever. I get it. We all have our own reasons for adventuring. But they won’t likely care for you too much in the Underdark if you return there still inside my body. And I have no interest running around in your body or clothes any longer than I have to myself. So let’s just get a move on, okay!?”

The Kiss

It had been a fun enough week, but Glen was ready to swap back to his own body. He felt like he probably would appreciate some of the difficulty that Sarah had to go through on a daily basis better now, but he might still have some lingering jealousy about some of the pieces of womanhood.

They’d switch back in the same way they swapped in the first place...with a kiss! They stood in the exact right spot. Glen closed his eyes and could feel Sarah’s breath close to his face. Then he puckered up.

His eyes opened when he heard footsteps running away in the distance. It seems Sarah wasn’t quite ready to swap back into her own body yet. It was okay. He was sure she’d come around in due time. I mean, she had to, right?

Misdownload (Part 5)

View Parts 1 & 2 of Misdownload. View Parts 3 & 4 of Misdownload.

2002 (Part 1)

“Wait, are you guys...you?” Orion asked the two women standing in front of him.

“I’m Adlai,” Adlai replied looking down at the pink jacket he now wore.

“And I’m Xavier,” Xavier said while tugging on a green braid, “These aren’t the bodies we were supposed to teleported back into, and I’m pretty sure this isn’t the year we selected either.”

“Ugh, cheaping out on time travel vacations is always a bad idea. What year is it?” Orion asked.

“You aren’t going to like it. But there’s a paper over there that says 2002.”

“2002? But that’s long before Chrono-cells were invented. If you travel back that far...”

Adlai interjected, “...Then you’re stuck in the past.”

“And we’re stuck as women, too!”

Guilt Trip

“Did you follow me down here?” Miguel looked up at the figure towering over him.

“You seemed upset,” Patti replied, “I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

“I come down here to think. This whole Great Shift thing has been a lot for everyone to deal with. Some people have to deal with being old or losing loved ones. The only thing I have to deal with is being a woman. I shouldn’t even give it a second thought, and yet...”

“It’s okay to be upset about changing gendes.”

“But that’s the thing! I’m not! I’m not upset at all! I actually love being in this body! That’s the problem! While everyone else is panicking or upset, here I am...happy!? It’s a guilt trip, and it’s terrible!”

Unicorn Rainbow Latte

It was called the Unicorn Rainbow Latte, and I ordered it with soy milk. My brother would laugh when he saw he drinking it and say things like, “Soy turns you gay.” I ignored him; he was always a jerk anyway.

But after a week, I did certainly notice the effects the drink had on me. I did now, in fact, enjoy watching cute boys buy coffee as I sat at the shop sipping on my Unicorn Rainbow Latte, though I don’t think it could technically be defined as “gay” anymore, as my body had been completely transformed.

I was no longer a 21-year-old guy fresh out of college, I had a become the most adorable 21-year-old woman you’d ever seen! I liked pink and being cute and accessorizing and everything! I let my inner unicorn rainbow shine! I was everything I dreamed I could be!

Paradise Lost (Part 1)

Not many people swapped into a body thousands of miles away from their own as a result of the Great Shift, and Chase had to imagine that even fewer found themselves in the body of someone living in a tropical paradise -- and even among those, to find themselves in the body of a beautiful woman lounging on the beach in a bikini? Well, Chase actually felt pretty good about this whole “Great Shift” thing.

It just felt laid back and different here. Far from his stressful job and cramped apartment in the city. Everyone even seemed chill about swapping bodies and helped each other out -- which was certainly helpful considering he swapped into a body whose identity he didn’t know and not wearing very much.

This was paradise.

Stand-Offish

“Being a woman is not the end of the world, you know,” Amelia tried to explain to her boyfriend Paul after the Great Shift.

Logically, he knew this was true, but it didn’t exactly make him feel any better. It wasn’t just that his mind was in a different body; it was also being exposed to all sorts of different hormones. And those hormones were having an influence.

And of course, he was rational enough to realize the effect of those hormones. Not finding Amelia attractive anymore bothered him greatly, and it was not something he wanted to even admit to her. But he also felt more irritable as well, which he couldn’t totally explain, but was also part of the reason he was so stand-offish. If he had thought a little harder, he might realize what it was signaling...

Poor Choice

Bruce clutched his purse tightly. Money was so tight, he certainly couldn’t afford to lose it. Things had changed so much for him in the past few months. It was all so hard to believe that he had once been a rich man living in lower Manhattan taking cabs everywhere, and now he was a poor woman from the outer boroughs forced to take a bus.

It was one of those cabs that had gotten him in trouble in the first place. The crazy driver ended up stealing his body and his life. He was so desperate to track down his old self, and he realized certain aspects of being stuck as the driver of the magic taxi made it impossible. He needed to steal someone else’s body to escape, and so he did it as quickly as possible, not giving much consideration to the woman he would become.

And yet, once the swap happened, and he tracked his old body down, he realized the person in his body was just as much a victim as he was. They too had been forced into the cab driver’s body for a while, and now Bruce had doomed the woman to the same body swapping fate. Of course, she might take much more care about it than Bruce did!

Costume Contest

Not everyone dressed up for the party -- in fact, very few people did -- but there was a contest for the best outfit. I thought I was pretty much guaranteed to win, and I began to rub it in my competitors faces.

“Really, Yukiko? You think that’s going to give you any chance for a win?” I asked, noting that she seemed to be wearing little more than a mask and a hat.

I was unprepared for the deep, male voice coming from her mouth. “I actually think my odds are pretty good.”

I didn’t recognize the voice, but it wasn’t Yukiko’s! I was beginning to think my victory wasn’t quite so secure, but I also knew as long as this guy didn’t open his mouth, I might still have a shot, as people would just assume he was a woman instead of just being dressed up as one...

Body Swap

Collision Course

Ahn often did her best to try to defy Asian stereotypes. Despite her thin frame and her stature at just over five feet tall, she was loud and obnoxious just about anywhere she went. And there’s no way she would allow herself to be pushed around...ever.

As she walked down the street, the man walking the other way kept on his path straight towards her. Well, she wasn’t going to be the one to step to the side. They were on a collision course, but she simply refused to budge. And despite all odds, when they collided, she remained standing.

But then she looked down to see her own body laying a pile of garbage.

“What the f---?” The words only partially escaped from strange lips in a register that was far too deep.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Her former body now said, “I supposed the last time I would’ve expected today was to swap bodies with someone, let alone a woman!”

Ahn wasn’t really paying attention though. She was more focused on herself, and thinking how no one would be expecting her to be quiet, shy, or timid now.

Dumb Townie

Though his hometown had a pretty notable college, Will never thought he was smart enough to go there. He started a career in the trades and often felt made fun of by the college kids and often heard them snicker “dumb townie” in his direction. It didn’t bother him so much, he just wished he could get a drink at a local bar in peace.

When Soo approached him at the bar, he thought she was going to make fun of him too. But she actually ended up being kind of nice. She even asked him out, and they went on a few dates.

But she soon had a favor to ask: if he would help test something she was working on for her graduate studies. She said a lot of technical stuff Will didn’t understand before mentioning a body swap machine.

The thing ended up working and Will found himself in Soo’s body with Soo in Will’s. But for some reason, it wouldn’t swap them back. Soo started working on it, and Will offered to help. But she snapped at him, telling her she hadn’t loved him and the whole thing had been a ruse as no one else had been willing to test the machine with her, but she figured tricking a “dumb townie” would be easy.

Will found himself running off crying. It was only a short while later when he picked up a book in the library that things got weird. He understood the complex equations. He not only had Soo’s body but important chunks of her knolwedge as well. If he wanted, he could single-handedly fix the body swapper. Then again, it might just be more fun watching Soo continue to squirm with his dumb mind.

Outlet

“What are you doing, Shelby?” The man asked upon entering the apartment and seeing his girlfriend on her knees looking at a wall outlet.

“Well, for starters, I’m not ‘Shelby,’” She responded indignantly, “I’m not sure how I ended up in this body, but there were sparks coming out of the outlet in my apartment and sparks in this outlet after the swap. This isn’t my body; this isn’t my building; I certainly shouldn’t be a woman!”

“You're a dude? There’s a dude in my girlfriend’s body.”

“Relax. All I’ve been doing since I found myself in Shelby here is trying to examine this outlet to figure out how all this happened. Being like this is the last thing in the world I want, and I’d very much like to be myself again.”

Not Fair

Douglas looked over to his girlfriend Anna sitting on the couch. It had been a few months since the Great Shift, and he had really given this thing a chance. He thought he could deal with the fact that she was now a man. He wondered if he had swapped with a woman in the Shift, if it might’ve worked. They could’ve swapped roles or something. But Douglas just swapped with another guy, and Anna had tried clinging onto her former identity.

Even now, she was wearing a floral dress. She had started to grow her hair out, too. She had tried shaving her entire body, but she claimed it grew back too fast, even the beard!

He had only put this off for so long before she often talked about how much she had lost in the Shift. He didn’t want to be one more thing that she’d be losing, but he just couldn’t stay in this relationship any longer; it wouldn’t be fair to either of them...

Bass

We had formed the band and played a few gigs here and there before the other members gave me the bad news. They were kicking me out, but it was for the stupidest reason. They wanted to get a girl in the band, and a female bass player was simply “the trendy thing to do.”

I didn’t say anything; I just left.

But I would respond to the ad they put up online a few days later. They’d never notice it was me. How could they? I was completely in disguise. I looked exactly like the woman they wanted, and (no surprise) I picked up the songs almost instantly.

I was back in the band. And all I had to do was transform myself into a woman for every practice and every gig.

Slop Machine

No Matter the Effort

It didn’t seem to matter how hard or how much Nelson worked out, he was gaining weight every day since swapping bodies with his girlfriend Cindy. After a month, he was huge.

Cindy just looked on and laughed, “It’s not so easy to stay fit as a woman, is it?”

It was like a lightbulb went off in Nelson’s head when she made that comment. “No,” He said, “But you should be bothered by seeing your body look like this, and yet you’re not. It’s part of the curse, isn’t it? You didn’t just swap our bodies, there was some sort of weight gain spell involved too, wasn’t there? No one gains this much weight in a month! It’s impossible! It didn’t matter how much effort I put it, this was going to happen no matter what!”

Cindy was at a loss for words. Nelson had finally figured it out. And, honestly, she was surprised he finally did. After the first week, she thought he never would. But maybe it was time to reverse all the magic, or maybe she could let him suffer just a little bit longer...

Life Goes On

Two days ago, Ethan had woken up to the sounds of screams outside, but today it was eerily quiet. It seemed almost impossible for the world to adjust this quickly to the massive body swapping event that was being called “The Great Shift.” And yet, that seemed to be exactly what was happening. What choice did people have, after all?

Because, after all, Ethan had adjusted as much as anyone after his initial panic. He had shouted about not wanting to be a woman and freaking out the entire first day. But today, he woke up, showered, got dressed in some Lulelemon-type outfit from this woman’s closet, and starte on his day as if it was all completely normal and routine for him now.

Sure, there was still plenty of drama among celebrities and politicians and whatnot. But for the average person? Well, life just went on...

Miss Personality

Angie gave a reluctant wave to her friends, but she felt disgusted looking at them. They were dressed in pink, preppy clothes with bubbly personalities; it all reminded her of how she had been just a few days ago. That was before the personality swap with Spike.

Slipping into his gutter punk aesthetics was easy. Pulling from thrift stores and even swiping some of Spike’s old clothes was a no-brainer. There was a subculture for it on the college campus. She imagined it was all much more difficult for him -- trying to fit into his dropout crust punk lifestyle with her perky preppiness.

However, external styles were the simple part of the personality swap. The fact that she now felt like a guy trapped in a woman’s body was a much more difficult struggle. And seeing all these femme, preppy girls was somehow making it that much worse...

Cold (Part 3)

View Part 1 of Cold.
View Part 2 of Cold.

Even though returning to the world at large where the devistating effects of the Great Shift loomed large, Harvey and the rest of the guests at the resort were trying to put that out of their minds for now.

The relative calm of the resort was comforting. Like many others, Harvey acclimated to his new body fairly quickly. He was just set on trying to have a good time while he could without worrying what he looked like on the outside.

Sledding, making snowmen, and other activities passed the time. Snowball fights with other guests was one of his favorite things. Much like when it first happened, he barely even took notice to the fact that he was a woman now. He knew he’d probably have to deal with certain aspects sooner or later, but for now he could just enjoy himself. Just like all the other guests.

All in the Family (Part 3)

View Part 1 of All in the Family.
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“I had no idea how much trouble you got into at school,” Amber’s mom began to lecture her, “When we get home, your father will not let you hear the end of it.”

It felt hypocritical, and Amber wasn’t having any of it. “You’re one to talk! You’ve been in my body for one day, and you were already in the principal’s office!? Plus, it takes an extra special sort of effort to do something bad enough to call me in -- you in -- whatever -- a parent in! I just hope we can get back in our bodies before you screw up my life any more than you already have!”

“I’m trying to set it right, Amber! I’ve seen your grades! And your father is in no condition to go to work considering --”

“Oh, God! He’s doing fine in Autumn’s body! You’ll see.”

Cold (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Cold.

Had he walked in the wrong direction, things might’ve been quite tragic, but luckily Harvey headed in the right direction and found a ski resort. As it seemed, it’s where this body was actually staying as a guest. And it also seemed, just about everyone else there was stuck in the wrong body just as he was.

Most everyone else were families switch around with each other or staff swapped with other staff. Relatively speaking, Harvey’s tale of being swapped from miles away was quite dramatic. However, he still didn’t get the attention of people who had broken legs or other harrowing tales.

Still, it appears this resort fared better than most of the world. Even with a few injuries, there were no deaths like many reports on the news coming in. And most everyone here tried to take it in stride. Still, returning to the Shifted world was going to be difficult for everyone.

So Far, So Good

“You said it was supposed to work again after twelve hours, so we tried to swap back after twelve hours. Then you explained that it might not be working because I started your period, so we waited until that passed. So why the hell isn’t this necklace swapping us back NOW?” A very annoyed Corey said.

Natalie shrugged. She actually knew exactly why they weren’t swapping back. That necklace Corey wore wasn’t the actually Medallion of Zulo, which she had switched out a while ago with an exact look-alike. Her entire goal was to steal Corey’s body permanently, but she needed to make this convincing. If he knew she wasn’t telling the truth, he would force her into swapping back. But, so far, so good...

Extra Credit

Fine

Joel found his way to a mirror, his brain still reeling with the intense pressure of what had just happened and his arms and legs still sore for some reason. His own body was no longer staring back. Instead, there was a woman reflected. She was plain and unremarkable. This was his body now somehow.

It was fine. He knew the swap would be somewhat random, and he knew it could have gone much worse. And he was sure who’ve this was probably wanted their body back.He snapped a photo and sent it to himself, along with his planned ransom note.

He expected a response quickly, that whoever he swapped with would want their body back. But no response ever came. It seems the woman he swapped with was perfectly fine with how things had turned out...

Cold (Part 1)

Harvey felt a sudden sense of cold all around him. A gust of wind brushed his face as the foggy outside air made it difficult to see. He had somehow been transported miles from home to a snow covered forest.

His body felt strange. There was a sense of his brain not quite connecting in ways it should. He reach felt shorter; when he stood, he felt his feet hit the ground before they should. It actually took longer than he expected to realize it was a woman’s body and not his own; the bulky winter clothes and first person perspective just ended up hiding a lot of obvious details in that regard -- and the gendered parts of you aren’t necessarily the focus when you are bundled up and trying to stay warm.

But how did he get here? How did he end up stuck in this body?

Difficulty (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Difficulty.

Orson arrived the next morning to find much of it destroyed with only the power source still emitting a dull light. Hannah had come in early to do the damage, ensuring they could never swap back.

After living one night with her life and in her body, he understood why. Her husband was a cold man, and the evidence he was cheating on her was clear to Orson the moment he had walked in the door. Her children were grown and had moved away, so he wondered why she stayed with him.

Of course, with the machine destroyed, Hannah’s life was his now. He could do what Hannah couldn’t, and he guessed that was kind of the point. Hannah knew the type of guy Orson was, and if he was going to be stuck as a woman, he wasn’t exactly going to be satisfied sticking in an unloving marriage. And he was Hannah now; there was no going back. Things were going to change...

Pills

Xander often wondered how past generations dealt with problems. AI had been unreliable, the internet was filled with lies, treatments were crude, and science just wasn’t up to par with where it was today.

For instance, he knew he suffered with depression. He knew he had from gender dysphoria. Yet dealing with either of those these days was as easy as popping a pill. They worked without any side effects. He could be in a world that felt alive and vibrant -- and do it in the gender of his choice. It would all happen in an instant.

He rarely ever used the pills to turn back into a guy any more. Why would he? Being a woman was what he wanted, and the pills made it a reality. Life was perfect.

To Pay the Bills

Becky sat in the chair as the Asian woman did her hair, makeup, and nails. The influencer had a hard time understanding just how this woman was so talented with beauty treatments while taking such poor care of herself.

“Is there a reason you don’t do anything about your own hideous acne?” She finally blurted out.

Eugene sighed. He just pretended not to speak English well and keep working. It wasn’t exactly a lie; he didn’t speak English well anymore. In fact, when he swapped bodies with Miyong, he switched skills with her completely. His knowledge of English decreased as he became fluent in Korean; his skills as a beautician blossomed as he forgot how to code. He had to take on her job at the salon, as that’s what he knew how to do now. But these things just didn’t interest him, so it’s not like he kept Miyong’s body up to the standard she did. He cared not about putting on makeup in the morning, or keeping smooth skin blemish free, or wearing trendy fashion.

Despite appearances, however, Miyong was still known -- and continued to be known -- as one of the best, even with Eugene being in the one inside her body.

Your Transformation Horrorscope

Parking Lot (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Parking Lot.

Jake felt a vibration in his coat and eventually discovered a phone. He felt stupid for not checking for one earlier. The number calling him was (of course) his own. Discussing this whole body swap thing in person seemed like a good idea, so Jake told the woman in his body to meet him in the parking lot.

Now, he waited.

He leaned up against the car, and the waiting felt like forever. He began to feel ever more keenly aware of the fact that he was now female as time went on. And instead of thinking about how he might be cute if he smiled, he thought about how much he didn’t want to deal with any aspect of being a woman whatsoever. Not monthly cycles, not makeup or women’s clothing. And yet, it seemed like he wasn’t going to have a choice unless she showed up here with his body AND a solution.

Catalyst

The Great Shift had been quite the catalyst in Lou’s life. For sure, things were likely to be upended when he went from being a guy in his early 30s to a woman in her late 40s, but he never expected things to play out quite like this.

He and his wife had made plans to try to continue as normal. People expected her to be the one to cheat; she was in the body of a gorgeous supermodel now and seemingly way out of his league.

And yet it was Lou who actually cheated when he was alone one night at the office with a co-worker now in the body of a 50-year-old man. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his wife. He did, but his body craved something else that his wife couldn’t provide no matter how beautiful she was.

He confessed his transgression the next morning. Within a week, he was moving out. He wasn’t sure what was next, but he hated that the Great Shift had ever happened. And yet deep down, he knew he had no one to blame but himself.

Which Witch

She was dressed as a witch at the Halloween party, and Milo tried some lame pick up line on her. She was having none of it.

At first, he thought her revenge didn’t seem all that severe. Swapping bodies? He didn’t mind spending a little time in her hot body. Heck, if he thought of numerous ways that being a woman for a little while could actually be a lot of fun. But the curse wasn’t so much that he had swapped bodies with her, it was that everyone else seemed to have swapped as well.

And they were all blaming him.

After all, he was the “witch” now. And even when he tried to explain that he swapped as well, they thought he was the one that could switch everyone back to normal. He wasn’t left alone for a second with request and pleads and outright begging. But he had no way to help. He just had her body; he didn’t have her powers...did he?