Sissypocalypse
Added 2019-10-26 10:18:51 +0000 UTCYou thought you were safe but you're going to be adorable.
Based on a suggestion from TheSamstitute for October's theme of "Halloween".
Comments
I think a Invasion of the Body Snatchers type sissy story could be really good.
aj70
2021-06-12 06:04:18 +0000 UTCAll really great ideas!
Jenny North
2019-10-30 12:21:50 +0000 UTCThere are still lots of twists you can do on a linear threat. They escape and they're so relieved to be safe but the last thing we see is that one of them is infected and nobody has realized it yet. Or they don't escape but they somehow find a way to survive, perhaps by blending in and pretending, just as you suggested. And, yes, I like the idea of a gradual change so it feels more like they changed instead of being replaced. Another thought about origin stories - if you want to do a story that includes the origin, you don't have to tell the story starting from the origin. You can start later and have the origin be revealed. Maybe a special team has a solution to the plague and, at great risk. they go into the quarantine zone, right to the origin point, making heroic sacrifices along the way, but then they discover that the origin wasn't what they thought it was and their solution isn't going to work. I agree that a good hero story involves personal change. I like the idea of a hero deciding that the new way is better. Or you could have a selfish person becoming a hero when they choose to sacrifice themselves in order to save the rest of their group.
Dov Sherman
2019-10-29 22:58:31 +0000 UTCGotcha. Yeah, those can be very interesting stories! Of course the challenge is that the assimilators generally only have one club in their bag, which makes for kind of a linear threat. The heroes are either turned into drones, or they escape, which can make for a predictable ending. Personally I love stories that deal with matters of identity, but I generally loathe stories that deal with the identity death of the hero, because it removes all the stakes. (Except in some situtations where it involves self-sacrifice, which is akin to killing the hero. Not to be done lightly, but it can make a good story.) To me, the fun of an identity story involves exploring some bit of nuance, which makes things less predictable. For instance, a Sissypocalypse survivor may need to dress and act like a sissy to try not to be caught, which raises the question if he'd be happier as a zombie since he's fearful and humiliated, and they gleefully delight in their change. Or a victim who transforms slowly rather than all at once might slowly come around to see their point of view. In those horror stories, the antagonists feel justified because the loss of personal identity brings "world peace" of a sort. So maybe a closed-minded survivor who's humiliated by the crossdressing slowly starts to see the benefits. After all, we don't sit in judgment of a hive of bees or an anthill for being a colony, that's just how they are. Maybe that survivor realizes that he's the last remnant of a failed society that destroyed itself and it's time to give this new model a chance, and he decides to join them. To me, the essence of many good stories is some personal change of the protagonist that's driven by a personal choice. The threat can be linear, but then the hero's response needs a bit more nuance. Hope that provides a little inspiration! (And wow, I've completely hijacked this comment thread...sorry!) :)
Jenny North
2019-10-28 12:48:57 +0000 UTCThere's still a horror element to it, just not one expressed in violence, more in loss of identity, like the movies "Annihilation" or "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or even Star Trek's Borg. In most traditional zombie stories, the origin doesn't really matter and one of the most common themes is simply following a small group of survivors and exploring the conflicts within their group and the dangers they face. You can still bookend a story like that, just bookending from something other than the origin of the zombies. For example, if you start with the characters arriving in a new area, you can end with them escaping the area, or establishing a permanent home in that area, or perishing there. And avoiding violence can actually make it a more frightening story because, if violence is completely ineffectual against the walking cute, the survivors are completely helpless to do anything except try to run away.
Dov Sherman
2019-10-28 08:34:35 +0000 UTCI kind of figured as much. I'm always drawn to try new things when I write, so doing it in more of a traditional zombie apocalypse horror style appealed to me since you seldom see TG stories with real horror elements in them. But your idea is fun, too! More whimsical and playful, definitely. And a comic along these lines would be great fun! If you want to skip the origin part, it's easy enough to jump forward a few years to follow the travails of a group of survivors in this new world. In a post-apocalypic setting, a small group of survivors might never know how it started. However, I see how that makes the ending less obvious since then you can't bookend the origin. And if it's more whimsical than a horror story you don't want to end on a downer. One possibility might be to have the survivors be mobile and living on the run, and then they encounter a group that's looking for a cure or even just to coexist with the walking cute (that's a great term!). Then you could end with them either resolving things there or ending up back on the road. Sorry, there I go again...brainstorming story directions is like writer catnip. :)
Jenny North
2019-10-28 04:24:24 +0000 UTCIt's mainly a stylistic/taste difference. What you wrote is fine and works well as a horror story but, if I were writing it, I would probably do something a bit different. I don't like actual violence in my stories because I think it's too much of a turn-off and I don't want to mislead any fans into expecting me to draw violence. I wouldn't have the walking cute kill anyone, just convert everyone regardless of gender. And I wouldn't have anyone shooting at the walking cute. I would either have any attempt to attack them somehow magically stopped (bullets turn into flowers, machetes turn into pillows) or maybe anyone who tried would simply find it impossible to actually follow through because they're just sooooo cute. And I would skip the origin and leave it unexplained because I prefer apocalypse stories that are more about a few people trying to survive the post-apocalyptic world. I've actually thought about doing a comic on this subject in the past (and if I ever do, I might just use this picture as the cover). If I ever think of a good ending, maybe I will.
Dov Sherman
2019-10-28 03:45:47 +0000 UTCUnderstandable! Finding the right blend of horror with this stuff is always hit-and-miss with people's preferences, but it seemed appropriate for Halloween. :) No worries, though...I wasn't planning on publishing it, it was just a much-needed little writing exercise to loosen up after a dry spell. Thanks for the inspiration!
Jenny North
2019-10-28 03:00:17 +0000 UTCNot how I would write but it was a fun take on the idea. :)
Dov Sherman
2019-10-28 01:31:04 +0000 UTCI can't help with a sequel, but how about a screenplay for a trailer? The artwork looked so much like a movie poster that I couldn't resist. Hopefully this works, this is a link to the story on Google Docs: http://bit.ly/344BWRX
Jenny North
2019-10-27 15:57:10 +0000 UTCI'm gonna do a +1 on all the calls for a sequel.
Ambiguous
2019-10-27 05:44:34 +0000 UTCWould love to see the end result and pack of Sissy's
Fujinotsukimaru
2019-10-27 04:08:06 +0000 UTCNooo! NOOOOOOOHHHH I look fabulous!
Rick Russell
2019-10-27 01:55:26 +0000 UTCThis would be fun to watch a whole comic book sequence...
z
2019-10-26 21:52:32 +0000 UTCAnother fantastic job Dov. This is SUPER funny. Especially the "thumps up" hand. I can just imagine instead of zombie noises they are all talking like valley girls. If you can do a sequel, Id love to see him transformed.
JBBB
2019-10-26 12:11:00 +0000 UTCPlease do a follow up on this! What a clever idea!
Maryse
2019-10-26 10:20:58 +0000 UTC
