If you could change gender, would you?

[Bard2dbone]

I was trying to write a story a while back (NaNoWriMo, as my daughter refers to it. It might be an official-ish nickname for it. November is National Novel Writing Month) and my basic concept required large numbers of people developing super powers, but almost all of them were lame or useless powers, such as the ability to communicate with lice, or the ability to lift immense quantities of corn. Some had powers that sounded cool at first, like super strength, or flight. But even then everyone generally had a catch. Strong girl crushed nearly object she touched. And flight ability doesn't automatically come with flight skill or much ability to aim yourself.

So while I was trying to come up with more lame powers and ways that cool ones could go sideways on you it occurred to me that shapeshifting sounded really cool. But how easy would it be to shift to a specific person, even if that person was your previously normal self?

So that character tried swapping bodies with someone he found attractive and then realized he'd never studied his own self in anything like that detail. So he could turn into a somewhat believable Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition model. But he couldn't quite turn back into himself.

 

[sissy kathy]

I was trying to write a story a while back (NaNoWriMo, as my daughter refers to it. It might be an official-ish nickname for it. November is National Novel Writing Month) and my basic concept required large numbers of people developing super powers, but almost all of them were lame or useless powers, such as the ability to communicate with lice, or the ability to lift immense quantities of corn. Some had powers that sounded cool at first, like super strength, or flight. But even then everyone generally had a catch. Strong girl crushed nearly object she touched. And flight ability doesn't automatically come with flight skill or much ability to aim yourself.

So while I was trying to come up with more lame powers and ways that cool ones could go sideways on you it occurred to me that shapeshifting sounded really cool. But how easy would it be to shift to a specific person, even if that person was your previously normal self?

So that character tried swapping bodies with someone he found attractive and then realized he'd never studied his own self in anything like that detail. So he could turn into a somewhat believable Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition model. But he couldn't quite turn back into himself.

A Hitchcock super power novel; what a great idea. You should be able to get that published easily.

 

[catcauphonic]

I totally would do that if it was easily reversible. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.

And anyone who wishes to stand to pee (mostly overrated, btw) can do so with this piece of camping gear ~ http://thepstyle.com/

 

[slobake]

or the ability to lift immense quantities of corn.

Was Phalex in the novel?

 

[Bard2dbone]

A Hitchcock super power novel; what a great idea. You should be able to get that published easily.

I gave up on it (for now, at least) after I found out there was a series in the UK with a similar premise, people developing superpowers who were in juvie. One had complete control over dairy products, or lactoknesis.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Nope. I wouldn't change genders. I don't like to wait in line for the bathroom.

 

[Clark Dark]

after pitching,....could you really see yourself catching
just sayin'

 

[Munjibunga]

Come back, Fassa ...

 

[ShredderMaximus]

after pitching,....could you really see yourself catching
just sayin'

Nobody said you had to change your orientation.

That doesn't matter anyways, since if was a chick for a day is keep myself plenty entertained.

Actually, that makes me think of another question...
If you were to change sex for a day and took a bunch of selfies and whatnot, would it be weird if you... uhhhh... "used" those images later when you reverted back to normal? Why am I thinking about this?

**** this thread. I'm going to bed.

 

[TBird1958]

after pitching,....could you really see yourself catching
just sayin'

Yep, it's better than you think

 

[smperry]

I gave up on it (for now, at least) after I found out there was a series in the UK with a similar premise, people developing superpowers who were in juvie. One had complete control over dairy products, or lactoknesis.

Misfits. It's on (or used to be on) Hulu. It was a fun show, but went down a great deal after 5 seasons. Milk Boy was a minor villain.

 

[SamanthaCay]

Come back, Fassa ...

We need more bass vomit!

 

[crucislancer]

This reminds me of a series of novels that I’ve read.

Has anyone ever read the Culture series of novels by Iain M. Banks? The quick and dirty breakdown is that the Culture is a galactic civilization, made up mostly of humans, in a post-scarcity society with little in the way of laws. Most people either live on very large orbital rings (think Halo or perhaps Ringworld) or in very large interstellar craft, both of which are administered by A.I. called Minds, that are incredibly intelligent (and also have an odd sense of humor). Anyways, the humans in this society have a long life span (over 400 years easily), have organic implants in their heads that can administer various chemical compounds like narcotics, and have the ability to change sex. The act of changing sex isn’t difficult, they just will their bodies to get the change started, but the process takes a year. It’s mentioned in one of the books that changing sex happens quite a bit, with people changing sex to experience things that only the opposite sex can experience (like changing from a man to a woman and giving birth) and then change back again when they have had their fill.

Anyways, while reading the novels I asked myself that question: If I could change sex, would I? I think if I were to have the power to change back and forth at will, even if it took a considerable amount of time to do it, I think I would. Why not? If the change were permanent, then no way. I would want to be able switch back.

 

[Eric66]

Seems like fun for a few weeks, haha!

 

[Bard2dbone]

Misfits. It's on (or used to be on) Hulu. It was a fun show, but went down a great deal after 5 seasons. Milk Boy was a minor villain.

I was trying to come up with more lame powers and had the idea of telekinetically controlling things that other people had already eaten. A co-worker heard me muttering to myself and said "Like lactokinesis?"

My flabber was totally gasted. She went on to tell me about the show. And in doing so pretty much killed the enthusiasm that I'd had for my story up to that point. It still feels like too cute of an idea to not write anything with it. But I won't be doing the full length novel that was my original idea. Currently I'm picturing a string of very short pieces that mostly come down to : Person suddenly develops/recognizes/discovers a superhuman ability...Person tries to master said ability. Pain, humiliation, or death generally follow. Sometimes more than one of those.

I particularly liked the scenario of the person who seemed to teleport, but was actually disconnecting from Earth's momentum. He would suddenly move westward at about a thousand miles an hour. When he realized that he was out over an ocean and couldn't go backwards, he had to try to continue his 'jump' in hopes of having land move back underneath him. Unfortunately, Earth moved on without him. He ended up in space and suffocated. Time from acquisition of powers to death? Around twenty minutes.