CharlotteKurai
??????
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2025
- Posts
- 20
I need to write an other topic for a story. Girl is going to be better written because I got so much pending I have deleted it for that reason. I need beta readers.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Having submitted this story, now I immediately want to write a follow-up. But it will be from the perspective of a mage in an Urban Fantasy setting, who has to track down the protagonist of the first story ("Dead Together").After a few false starts recently, I am now close to finishing my Halloween story. I have one more scene to write, and then a quick round of editing to make everything feel cohesive.
It will go in Erotic Horror - yes, flying in the face of all the advice people have posted here during this contest. I think I have the "horror" element, but I probably need to add some more eroticism to make it truly pop.
I am cis, but transpeople I know actually don't think surgery is required or desired to be trans. You're trans based on how you feel, not how you look.... In my mind, this should be Transgender, but I can understand people arguing that, without physical changes, it should be in Crossdresser. The point of the series is exactly that: how does a person deal with the emergence of her inner feminine when the body must remain male presenting, especially when their inner woman is emerging later in life and they're average working folks living in "average" communities?
I reckon that's transgender, where the theme of the story is sexual or gender identity, knowing you're in the wrong body.In my mind, this should be Transgender, but I can understand people arguing that, without physical changes, it should be in Crossdresser. The point of the series is exactly that: how does a person deal with the emergence of her inner feminine when the body must remain male presenting, especially when their inner woman is emerging later in life and they're average working folks living in "average" communities?
Your comment raises an interesting question: if gender identity is in the mind/spirit, is there really such a thing as the wrong body? I'm not trying to disparage those with gender dyphoria. My character, Galatea, is trying to come to grips with accepting the body she's been given but accommodating it to who she is and who her masters want her to be. Given all their realities, rather than railing against the unfairness of life, how do they make the most of discovering who they truly are in the later stages of their lives? What I want to develop in the relationships is that it's not only Galatea who is being transformed, but all of them.I reckon that's transgender, where the theme of the story is sexual or gender identity, knowing you're in the wrong body.
Cross-dressing is when the gender identity is assured, but the cross-dressing is a kink. There's a big difference, I reckon.
Being very much a cis male with no doubts about my gender or sexual identity, I'm not best qualified to answer that. I learned about the complexity, also the fundamental simplicity of this part of the human experience, when I befriended a transgender woman who gave me a far better understanding of her identity, circumstances, than I would have otherwise got.Your comment raises an interesting question: if gender identity is in the mind/spirit, is there really such a thing as the wrong body? I'm not trying to disparage those with gender dyphoria. My character, Galatea, is trying to come to grips with accepting the body she's been given but accommodating it to who she is and who her masters want her to be. Given all their realities, rather than railing against the unfairness of life, how do they make the most of discovering who they truly are in the later stages of their lives? What I want to develop in the relationships is that it's not only Galatea who is being transformed, but all of them.
I've made some good progress with this premise! Our heroine has her scrying/spying session interrupted to be told that she's in charge of finding out what's happening because the mage who would normally handle it is dead. So yay for our heroine, a chance to prove her worth to the Inner Council!Having submitted this story, now I immediately want to write a follow-up. But it will be from the perspective of a mage in an Urban Fantasy setting, who has to track down the protagonist of the first story ("Dead Together").
The opening will probably be something like this:
The mage who trained me had a crystal ball the size of a watermelon. Wonderful for scrying, of course, but it wasn't very portable. Thanks to advances in magic and technology, my own crystal ball is little more than a marble. I project the visions onto my television, or my phone if I'm on the road.
Mostly I use it to watch my neighbour Marcus while he's showering.
Librarian - but at some national archive.I've made some good progress with this premise! Our heroine has her scrying/spying session interrupted to be told that she's in charge of finding out what's happening because the mage who would normally handle it is dead. So yay for our heroine, a chance to prove her worth to the Inner Council!
What I'm struggling with at the moment is what her day job should be. I want it to sound plausible in an Urban Fantasy context for someone who is a fully trained mage. Not overtly magic because magic isn't out in the open. And not a boring job that leaves sorcery as little more than a hobby. And not something cheesy like running an antiques shop that's a front for selling magic. And definitely not a magical private eye.
I was thinking perhaps working for a museum, investigating historical artefacts for possible magical origins. Her bosses could be aware of what she does, but not the general workforce.
Does anyone have suggestions they care to share?
Perhaps running a compounding pharmacy with an assistant who blends potions/elixirs. Your MC is a registered pharmacist who only handles regular drugs; as a mage, she doesn't do potions. The assistant is a pharmacy tech she is training to handle the regular business while she's off on her cases. Something like that, perhaps? That would allow lighter moments when the MC has to remind her assistant to keep potions and meds separate.I've made some good progress with this premise! Our heroine has her scrying/spying session interrupted to be told that she's in charge of finding out what's happening because the mage who would normally handle it is dead. So yay for our heroine, a chance to prove her worth to the Inner Council!
What I'm struggling with at the moment is what her day job should be. I want it to sound plausible in an Urban Fantasy context for someone who is a fully trained mage. Not overtly magic because magic isn't out in the open. And not a boring job that leaves sorcery as little more than a hobby. And not something cheesy like running an antiques shop that's a front for selling magic. And definitely not a magical private eye.
I was thinking perhaps working for a museum, investigating historical artefacts for possible magical origins. Her bosses could be aware of what she does, but not the general workforce.
Does anyone have suggestions they care to share?
Sexy librarian trumps sexy museum worker?Librarian - but at some national archive.
This would be fun, but I want her to be using her magic in her day job, not just as a hobby. So far she is mentioned to have an affinity for dealing with necromantic manifestations, which is one reason why she is tasked with finding out what's happened.Perhaps running a compounding pharmacy with an assistant who blends potions/elixirs. Your MC is a registered pharmacist who only handles regular drugs; as a mage, she doesn't do potions. The assistant is a pharmacy tech she is training to handle the regular business while she's off on her cases. Something like that, perhaps? That would allow lighter moments when the MC has to remind her assistant to keep potions and meds separate.
If she's dealing with necromantic manifestations, would she, perhaps, be working in a mortuary/funeral home? What better way to determine the deceased's wishes for their funeral than by asking them? And a funeral home with a reputation for providing just the right services would be profitable.Sexy librarian trumps sexy museum worker?
This would be fun, but I want her to be using her magic in her day job, not just as a hobby. So far she is mentioned to have an affinity for dealing with necromantic manifestations, which is one reason why she is tasked with finding out what's happened.
But it just feels a little odd to me that all those wizards in Urban Fantasy are fine studying magic for years, but then they get humdrum jobs. And then there is all this magic going on in the background that causes all kinds of trouble, but the trained mages don't have day jobs that are about regulating it.![]()
This is definitely on the list of possibilities!If she's dealing with necromantic manifestations, would she, perhaps, be working in a mortuary/funeral home? What better way to determine the deceased's wishes for their funeral than by asking them? And a funeral home with a reputation for providing just the right services would be profitable.
Another possibility is she could be working as a grief counselor. But that would only work if she sees ghosts.If she's dealing with necromantic manifestations, would she, perhaps, be working in a mortuary/funeral home? What better way to determine the deceased's wishes for their funeral than by asking them? And a funeral home with a reputation for providing just the right services would be profitable.