Roxie

It made sense that everyone at the wedding was freaking out. The Great Shift had swapped everyone’s bodies. The groom’s mom was in the body of the Best Man; the Best Man was now the bride; the bride’s father was the maid of honor.

A few eyes were on Roxie, the bride’s younger half-sister. She seemed completely calm, and everyone was assuming she must not have swapped like the rest of the guests. In reality, it was the groom himself, Edward, who was now in her body.

It wasn’t a calculated plan -- at least not at first -- but it certainly became one. He was simply the level-headed type; the guy to keep cool under pressure. But as people started freaking out, he took notice of the body of own grandmother, who claimed she was the bride -- his bride.

He couldn’t go through with it and marry her inside the body of his own grandmother. It was too weird! Pretending to be Roxie would be a lot easier. He just had to hope the real Roxie had swapped into a body far, far away, or at least also just kept her mouth shut about things.

Better Deal

“What do we tell Carol?” Marilyn asked.

“I don’t think we tell her anything. You pretend to be me, and I’ll pretend to be you. She’s stressed out about this wedding enough to not have to worry about the fact that her Maid of Honor and her fiancé swapped bodies,” Connor replied.

“I think I’ll be fine for the weeding and the reception, but what if we don’t swap back after that?”

“Then you get a free vacation by going on my honeymoon while I spend two weeks being forced to work your boring office job. This all sounds like a better deal for you than for me.”

“What if she wants to --”

Connor cut her off, “Just roll with it. Like I said, no matter what, this is going to be better for you than me. Now, I have to go help Carol with her dress or she’ll start freaking out.”

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!

No Person Is Illegal

Fred had known his sister Lynn was adopted, but he had no idea she was undocumented. Throughout their childhood, their parents had tried to work out the legalities. They had only told Lynn the truth once she turned 18. Fred found out a few years later on the day of her wedding in perhaps the most painful way possible.

He sat there in her body on the verge of tears before the ceremony, questioning why she would steal his body and leave him stuck in hers. She explained her undocumented status, and the difficulties in obtaining legal status. The talk continued to her desperation and finding Mark online. She didn’t love Mark, and she didn’t want to marry him; however, it was probably her last chance for a path to citizenship.

Fred listened. He didn’t want to marry Mark either. He didn’t want to be stuck in Lynn’s body. However, she had been through so much already, and he did love his sister. Surely, they could sort out her citizenship status, divorce Mark, and swap back. And surely, he could do that for her...right? He just wished she had asked first.

Hands Up

Neil was confused as he held his hand up and looked at it. Well, first and foremost, it wasn’t really “his” hand. The hand he was holding up was small and soft with painted nails.

“Are you okay, Jenna? We need to get to the guests at the reception.” He heard a voice behind him ask. He wanted to ignore it until he realized the voice was actually talking to him; he was Jenna. It made sense given the hand.

“Reception?” Neil asked.

“For our wedding. Seriously, what’s gotten into you? Come on.”

As Neil’s eyes followed his arm down to the rest of the body, the white dress was unmistakable. He was a bride who had just gotten married; it just went from weird to weirder. He wasn’t even sure what to tell this woman’s husband...or even if he should tell this woman’s husband.

Reception (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Reception.

After some time, Julia and I retreated to our hotel room to discuss just exactly how we were going to more forward from here.

Getting a divorce or an annulment was obviously a no brainer for both of us. She suggested going to courthouse first thing on Monday; I told her it may not be open if everywhere there was body swapped as well. We still were both resolved to go as soon as we were able.

She had never told me how much she hated her sister, but it was all coming out now. Nicole coming to the wedding in a skimpy dress was just the latest in a long line of actions. Hearing Julia talk about how difficult it was to look at my current face was hard for me, but I still listened intently.

I responded by telling her that I did still love her; she said the same. It was a moment that might’ve ended in a romantic kiss if it wasn’t for the fact that I was looking at the body of Nicole’s dad, and I was presently in Nicole’s body.

Terrible Liar

It didn’t take long for Raymond to put the pieces together about the situation he was in. He knew he was a woman wearing a white dress sitting on a bed with rose pedals around him in a hotel room. He could hear a toilet flushing in the nearby bathroom. He thought fast, and quickly jumped up to use a chair to block the bathroom door from opening.

There was a knocking on the door.

“Hey Cheryl,” The man’s voice on the other side said, “I think the door is stuck.”

“Oh...no. I guess I have to...call the lobby,” Raymond said to the best of his ability, but he was a terrible actor.

“Babe? Are you messing with me?” There was a pause. “Or are you having trouble getting out of that dress and slipping into something more comfortable for our first night as man and wife?”

“No. It’s just that...uh...I...um...had my period just now. And I’m...uh...perioding all over the floor in here. Oh, yeah, it’s a mess. You don’t want this snatch tonight.”

“Now I know you’re messing with me. What’s wrong?”

Raymond knew he wasn’t selling any of these lies, but would this guy really believe the truth? That he suddenly swapped into the body of his newly wed bride?

Something

Eve was wondering why her fiancé Ken had been acting so strange. He fumbled through his vows even with cue cards even though she KNEW he memorized them and the kiss at the end of the ceremony felt distant. She told herself that he was just nervous and decided to hit the wine hard at their reception.

About halfway through, Eve was thoroughly drunk when Annie approached. Annie and Ken both sighed and told Eve they had something important they had to share.

Eve looked worried, maybe even like she was going throw up, “Oh, Gawd! You two slept together last night, didn’t you?”

“Oh, no! No, no, no! Nothing like that! But we did...swap bodies,” Ken confessed from inside Annie’s body.

Eve’s drunken mind was having trouble understanding, “So I married Annie?”

“No, legally, you still married me, Ken. I doubt any entity would be convinced otherwise...or that body swapping even exists. But the person standing next to you when it happened? Well, that was Annie in my body. And I’m...well...I’m in Annie’s body.”

“But how...?”

“We don’t know!” Annie inside Ken interjected, “We hoped it would all sort of resolve itself after a few hours. But we ultimately decided you had to know.”

“Yeah, well, I just married...I don’t even know who the hell I just married!”

“Just calm down,” Ken spoke again, “We’ll figure it out!”

“But it’s my WEDDING!” Eve began to whine.

“And mine, too! And I think the fact that I am standing here in a satin dress and heels showcases that I’ve got it a lot worse than you, but we WILL figure it out.”

Ronnie 1/2

“Anna!” Ronnie shouted, “I need your help!”

Anna squealed when she saw him. It had been months since she had seen Ronnie in his Ronald form instead of her Rhonda form. “Did you get splashed with warm water?” She asked, knowing full well his condition.

“Yes! It wasn’t even that much! A caterer got some hot tea on me! Luckily, it didn’t get on my dress! You need to get some cold water from inside to splash on me so I can transform back to being Rhonda! I can’t go, because everyone is in there! Especially Marvin! Please, you’re the only one here who even knows my secret!”

“You haven’t told him!? You’re getting married to him in an hour! I think the fact that you change genders when different tempurate water splashes on you is an important thing to share with your future spouse!”

“But I hoped to never be Ronald again! I wanted to stay as Rhonda forever! The tea was an accident. Please just help me!”

“Of course I will, but you HAVE to tell him! I guess just wait out here, and I will go inside and see what I can do!”

“Thank you.”

Sisterly

Despite everything that happened in the past few years, Michael found it hard to do anything but smile as his ex-girlfriend Hai exchanged her vows with the man she was now marrying. If things had gone according to plan, he’d be the groom at this ceremony; but fate had other ideas.

Michael and Hai had been engaged; they had a venue and scheduled a date. They were discussing it all with Hai’s family on the day no one would forget; the day of the Great Shift. Hai was one of the lucky few who didn’t swap. She was confused as heck when she discovered her mom and dad were in each other’s bodies, but the worst moment was discovering Michael had swapped into the body of her younger sister, Ling.

Both Michael and Hai knew immediately that continuing a romantic relationshionship would be a nonstarter. If Michael had been any other woman, it would’ve been possible to be lesbians or something. But with Michael in Ling’s body, they were now literally blood relatives. It just felt wrong.

And yet they both knew they still loved each other. They remained close, and that love turned into a sisterly love. Even Hai’s parents treated Michael like another daughter (which was probably made easier for them considering he was in their daughter’s body). Eventually, Hai moved on to other relationships and met Lou. And she soon had a favor to ask of Michael; would he consider being a bridesmaid for her?

Michael did feel a fleeting sense of what he had lost, but it was diminished by the pure unbridled happiness he felt for Hai. He did have one condition for agreeing: no heels!

And so as he sat in the front row with the biggest smile of joy on his face, he began to consider his own life. Ling had just started to pursue a medical degree at the time of the Shift, which he was permitted to continue. He had recently started his residency, and looking forward to his career as a doctor. But a love life? He hadn’t even thought about it. He wasn’t even sure if he was still into women or if he should go after men. For now, he was just happy in the moment for his big sister.

What If It's Forever

“I know they say it’s bad luck for a husband to see a bride before the wedding, but I never expected...this!” Tim said from inside his soon-to-be-wife’s body.

“It’s fine. We’ll be fine,” Liz replied nervously inside Tim’s body, “It’s weird, but we’ll get through it. Maybe we just through this wedding and we’ll swap back...like when we kiss or something. It’ll be some sort of romantic climax.”

“I hope so...but what if we don’t? What if we’re stuck like this...forever?”

“Then we’re stuck with each other forever. It’s just a different kind of romantic, I suppose.”

“I still can’t believe I’m going to be attending this wedding as you, though. That’s going to be weird.”

“You’ll love it. The bride is always the center of attention; I’m jealous.”

“Well, yeah, because it should be you.”

Forever Hold Your Peace

“I told you nothing would ever stop me from marrying you today, and I meant it,” James said looking at the woman he was about to wed, “And that includes the Great Shift and finding myself in this woman’s body over a hundred miles away. Sorry I was just a little late to the ceremony.”

“I knew you’d make it. It gave me time to alter my dress so I could fit into it now that I’m in your body.” Heather replied.

“You made my body look absolutely ridiculous, but you’ll always be beautiful to me. And in that dress, you’re the most beautiful you’ve ever been, and you’ll be more beautiful each an every day. And I am still the luckiest man...er...woman?...alive to have you by my side.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re a narcissist.”

“I’m saying that because I love you.”

There was a pause before the officiant spoke up. “Were those your vows? Very well. If anyone has any objections, speak now, or forever hold your peace.” There was another pause. “You may now kiss the bride.”

PooPoo

One minute I was the handsome groom cutting the cake with my new wife at my wedding, and the next I found myself sitting amongst the guests. I was in someone else’s body -- a woman’s body -- and I was wearing a dress! But it was the ugly brown sweater I wore over the dress that tipped off exactly who I was -- my wife’s younger sister, Putri.

I began to shift uncomfortably in my seat, feeling really weird about the fact that I was now a 19-year-old female.

My wife’s mother began to stare at me before whispering, “Be still. You’re making a scene, PooPoo.”

(Allow me to interrupt this story to say that, yes, her parents literally used the nickname “PooPoo” to refer to their own daughter. Look, I knew she was shy and had issues, but stealing my body so she could be married to her own sister still seemed very extreme...and, you know, completely impossible.)

“You don’t understand,” I whispered back, “I’m supposed to be up front there.”

“Aw, PooPoo, someday, I’m sure. But you’ve never had a boyfriend; that’s an important first step for landing a husband. Try being slightly more normal. It might help. And please stop trying to mess up Melati’s big day.”

I just sat their seething until I could confront Putri in my body. I was sure she was responsible, and she needed to reverse this!

I Do.

I suddenly found myself in a room, surrounded by people I didn’t know. They were all staring at me. I looked down to see breasts and a white dress; somehow I had gone from being a man to a woman in a mere instant. Speaking of a man, a handsome one stood next to me in a tux; he looked nervous. I began to put all the pieces together. I wasn’t just a woman; I was a bride. I knew what they were waiting for, and I decided I didn’t want to ruin this woman’s big moment.

“I do.” I said.

I heard another man speak as I turned to see a priest, “You may not kiss the bride.”

A moment later, the man in the tux did just that, and everyone clapped. I smiled nervously and escaped to the bathroom at the earliest chance I had.

I looked in the mirror. I was glad I hadn’t screwed this up for her. She just didn’t strike me as attractive enough given how handsome her husband was, but I suppose they loved each other. Though technically, as long I was in her body, I was keeping them apart. I needed to figure out how to get back into my own body...

Not According to Plan (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Not According to Plan.

They quickly managed to contact most of the guests. Everyone may have been in a different body, but everyone also seemed to be okay. The only person Calvin wasn’t able to get ahold of was his future wife, Marisol. But it turned out she wasn’t far; she ended up swapping bodies with one of the undocumented workers on the venue’s kitchen staff. He owned no phone nor car, yet Marisol was determined to make it to the venue.

She showed up and explained who she was. Calvin also told her about how he swapped with the wedding planner. The two agreed to move forward with the ceremony, despite being in different bodies. Marisol borrowed a suit from another guest. Calvin apologized for not having a dress; they hadn’t located Marisol’s body, and Calvin wasn’t sure it would fit his new body anyway. Marisol told him it didn’t matter; the only thing that mattered was that they were together. Calvin couldn’t help but blush and smile. He couldn’t believe he was about to get married and was in even more disbelief that he was technically now the bride in this situation. Marisol was right though; none of that mattered. Right now, he was simply the luckiest woman in the world.

Not According to Plan (Part 1)

Calvin had shown up early to the reception hall to make sure things would go smoothly for his wedding later. It all seemed to be set up, and the only person he ran into was his wedding planner, who assured him there was nothing to worry about. And that’s when the glasses began to shake. Calvin worried it was an earthquake, but then the flash of light happened.

When Calvin could see and feel again, things were different. It seemed only a moment had passed, but his perspective had entirely changed. And it only took another moment before he realized he was now in the wedding planner’s body. The initial sense of panic was about how he was supposed to get married like this; but when he learned that the Great Shift swapped bodies all across the globe, his thoughts quickly moved to wanting to find out if his wife-to-be was okay! And, of course, the guests. Both he and the wedding planners pulled out each other’s phones and began to call people.

Outta Here

“You can’t seriously expect me to go through with this whole wedding thing in your body, Amber,” her ex-boyfriend, Victor protested, “I came here to confess that I still love you, that I never should’ve broken up with you, and that you shouldn’t marry Tad. And once I finish, just as you’re about to respond, we end up swapping bodies somehow! And now you expect me to go out there in your body and marry Tad in your place? I hate the guy’s guts! I’ll surely gag when it’s time to kiss. Maybe this whole thing is a sign anyway! There was no way you’d ever run out on your own wedding, but now that I’m you, I can run out for you! You can’t force me to marry him, and you can’t stop me from leaving! I’m doing it, Amber! I’m outta here!”

Engagement Photos

In the days after The Great Shift, there was a lot of disagreement amont scientists about what was going to happen next. Some insisted the body swapping everyone experience was permanent; others suggested that people might realign back to their own bodies in a relatively short amount of time. Jenna chose to believe the latter group and asked a favor of her friend Tyler.

Jenna had engagement photos for her wedding scheduled and Tyler was the one in her body. She asked if he wouldn’t mind doing the shoot in her place.

Tyler took a breath before he spoke, “You’re asking me, a gay man stuck in your fabulous body, if I wouldn’t mind putting on a gorgeous wedding dress and posing in front of a camera for a few hours on the beach? Honey, you don’t even need to ask! I am there!”

Jenna and Tyler both smiled. Of course, the swaps caused by the Great Shift never reverted, but Tyler was still more than happy to take the photos.

Stop

There was probably some explanation why I suddenly swapped into this woman’s body as she stood at the altar. The eyes of the church were on me. I think they were expecting me to say “I do,” but instead I ran. I found the nearest bus stop and waited. I didn’t have any money on me, so I hoped the driver would take some pity on me and let me skip the fare. I just don’t know how this happened! I was just an average guy playing video games one Saturday, and the next I’m in the body of a bride. Well, that was one commitment I didn’t sign up for, so I wasn’t about to go through with it. I don’t know why these thoughts still ran through my head as I waited. I knew I shouldn’t feel guilty for running, but for some reason I did. For some reason, I needed to keep rationalizing it to myself. I hadn’t even yet considered how I was going to get my own body back...

No Broken Promises

I met Sakae my first semester freshman year at college. She was an international student, and we were both in the computer science program. We bonded over a bunch of nerdy stuff, and a two times we considered dating.

The first time was sophomore year. I asked her out, and she simple replied that she’d love to, but she couldn’t.

The next time was a year later. She began to explain that she wanted to date, but that arranged marriages were a thing in her culture and there was a guy ready to marry her when she returned after college. I promised her that if there was anything I could do to get her out of it, I would do it. I never expected her to take me up on that offer.

It was a few months after graduation. I had just started my new job, and was exhausted after an extensive code review. I went to lie down on my bed, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was bombarded with loud music and bright lights. I was wearing a fancy dress, and I quickly learned I was in Sakae’s body standing next to her soon-to-be husband.

It was fortunate that that the whole thing was a rehearsal and not Sakae’s actually wedding. I was able to text her to ask what was going on. She explained that she couldn’t let her parents or her culture down, but she had remembered my promise. If it was something she couldn’t do, maybe it was something I could. I didn’’t ask how she was able to switch bodies; instead, I just started to plan ways to gently tell her parents and her would-be husband to call off the wedding. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but I knew I couldn’t break my promise to Sakae.