magical gender transformation as a horror story

I'll be the first to jump in and say it all depends on how well you write it. Presumably he screams really, really loudly when he looks in a mirror.

And hello to a new member. AW is a good place to ask questions.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103016/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_38

-cb

Personally, I'd like to see such a man turned into an adult women; a toddler doesn't feel the full weight of gender discrimination. Yes, discrimination starts at that age. But it is mild compared to what comes after puberty. Let him learn what it's like to be catcalled on the street. Or be paid less than male coworkers. Or try to point out an engineering failure at work, only to be drowned out for being female. Or be treated horribly while trying to play HALO online. Or feel unsafe on the street. Or not get an overdue promotion, and then a less qualified man gets it. Or deal with the entitled mentality so many men unknowingly have towards women's bodies in general. Or even the little things in life that belittles women, like people saying, "You play sports like a girl."

There are so many things about being a man men take for granted in 2015.

If written well, I'd read such a book.

Transforming this high school jock into a female toddler cutie pie, is not only a way to explore how a sexist male would cope reduced to a plaything of women - as toddlers are, given that mothers still have large control of the domestic sphere, it is also a good way to examine how baby/toddler girls are hyper feminised and cutesie pooed.

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I get the feeling the women are going to be the villians in this. Is that right?

As cute/fun as the toddler aspect could be, I think it would become very boring, very quickly, or risk making the women into villains as they seek their revenge against this guy. There's only so much you can do to a toddler, and only so many scenes of dress-up and smile-pretty before the plot gets repetitive.

That story? I would more than likely not read it unless it had really great reviews.

As a teenager, or young adult woman however... the possibilities are endless, and far more educational to your jock/jerk, and definitely more interesting to me as a reader.

So the women will be the villians in this?

Kergulen said:

again, if he was transformed into a teenager or young adult he has a lot more power over the situation and can refuse to learn anything.

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Yes, but he already was a helpless toddler at some point in his life. That would teach him nothing.

That's an erotica website. I really don't think your toddler story would appeal to the same audience.

I mean...

I HOPE you're not trying to appeal to that audience.

If you're trying to sell this as a short horror story, not a sophisticated critique on gender, I think it could work just fine. I've seen the man-turned-into-a-girl thing many times before, but only as a comedy. Horror might be a fresh new angle.

On the practical side - the big problem that I see is that there is no obvious way for the women to whom the protag has behaved offensively to know that Little Miss Cutesie is actually Jack Studmuffin. So if they treat LMC badly, it's because they are bad people, and might even deserve (in some sense) to have been treated badly themselves.

Some ways around this - have them responsible for the change (though the apparently-ordinary-women-are-secretly-witches trope has been overworked,) have the people treating him badly differ from the innocent ones he mistreated, or have him treated in a way that is not abusive, but feels so to somebody with the mind of an adult male.

And I'd suggest keeping it short. This feels more like a short story premise than a novel premise to me. Anstey's Vice Versa was all very well in its day but to this modern reader it outlives its humor.

Kergulen said:

I'm sorry if i've messed up. I was left disabled by a birth accident and I've wanted something to be my legacy.

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Well, what I'm trying to understand is what lesson is this guy supposed to learn? How?

Just be aware that all women have face gender discrimination, some of us more than others. Many of your potential readers will be hypersensitive because of it.

Personally, I've given an industry six years of my life. I became better at a particular job than anyone in my region. I was proficient using various machines, grinders, a forklift, and even a laser. But I was still paid equal to or less than men with drug problems who didn't know how to do their job. Why? Because I'm a woman, and the boss knew they could get away with it.

Not to mention, all the times I've said things like, "Strapping this load down like this isn't safe." Only to have some dumbass ignore me and drive off with it like that, and wind up losing a $5000 load. Why? [Sarcasm on.] Because we poor women can't possibly know about the mechanics of ratchet straps, trailers, or heavy loads.

Or when the company bought a brand new truck, the guys said, "I hope she's the first one to dent it." (I wasn't.)

Or the boss who said, "Don't lift that much, your uterus will burst." (I virtually never sustained any lifting injuries on the job, even though I was doing a good percentage of the overall shop lifting.)

Or the boss who said, "I know this amount is not much, but you don't have a wife to support like they do."

Or the guy who said, "You don't know what a circle saw is, honey, do you?" (Yes I did know what that was, asshole. The expression of blankness on my face was because you were wanting to cut a 2" diameter hole in the steel panel, when the blueprints clearly said 1.25".)

I know there are a few women on this board who have been sexually assaulted by men. Luckily, I have only once, long ago. And it was only a forceful kiss by some strange creep. But it was still terrifying.

So perhaps before you start on this story, do a lot of research about gender inequality in this day and age. Perhaps read some blogs like We Hunted The Mammoth. Your general idea has potential. Honestly, I've often longed for a Skyrim-ish magic staff that has the ability to turn a man into a women for one year. There are a few guys in this world I wouldn't mind using it on. Gosh, it'd be fun. Let the D-bags see what life's like for us women.

Hope this wasn't too long and rambly, and I hope it helps! Welcome to AW.

I apologize for my earlier comment. I thought you were trolling us.

Robert Dawson makes good points. Having the women he's wronged be the persons responsible for your MC's predicament would keep them from becoming the villains when the true villain is the MC.

Kergulen said:

again, if he was transformed into a teenager or young adult he has a lot more power over the situation and can refuse to learn anything. It's a lot easier to refuse to go to the prom in a ball gown than it is to fight back when your mother has put you in a dress with strawberries on the front and you're secured in child restraints/toddler reins.

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You make a good point about toddlers not having the same level of agency as teens or adults, but my concern is that he might be too passive. The MC has to drive the story, so he can't be incapacitated for too long. That said, I'm sure there are parents on this board who can vouch that some children are very good at escaping from their cribs, car seats, etc.

I really enjoyed Switch - it was the first story that came to mind.

I just think if this is a man trapped in a female body nothing is going to make him a woman. Does he want to be a man again?