Which category would this go in?

[Senor_Smut]

Hi all,

I'm contemplating writing a multichapter story that begins with male and female coworkers magically swapping bodies (and, since basically nobody in their world believes in magic, swapping lives). Although much of the first few chapters would be about the two of them searching for a way to undo the swap, there would not be any magic in the story other than the inciting event -- the bulk of the story would be about a deeply unpleasant "sigma" douchebag learning to live as a woman with a husband, a female body, female desires, and the problems women face in society. So, in your opinion, is this Sci-Fi & Fantasy (without magic the story couldn't happen) or Transgender & Crossdressers (because it's a man becoming a woman)?

Thanks for your help!

 

[THBGato]

Fantasy

 

[TheLobster]

Without overarching fantasy element, I'd say TG&CD. I've seen the body swap stories go either there or in SF&F; you could try to come up with more detailed tags and see where is the larger overlap with the cloud of popular tags.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Could be either, but I'd say "Fantasy". The lead, from what you wrote, isn't a crossdresser and isn't trans.

 

[Senor_Smut]

Could be either, but I'd say "Fantasy". The lead, from what you wrote, isn't a crossdresser and isn't trans.

That's a good point, he's never really trans in the strictest sense. He's got a man's mind (slowly changing into a blended male/female mind) but there are none of the traditional trans trappings. And he's certainly not crossdressing.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Hi all,

I'm contemplating writing a multichapter story that begins with male and female coworkers magically swapping bodies (and, since basically nobody in their world believes in magic, swapping lives). Although much of the first few chapters would be about the two of them searching for a way to undo the swap, there would not be any magic in the story other than the inciting event -- the bulk of the story would be about a deeply unpleasant "sigma" douchebag learning to live as a woman with a husband, a female body, female desires, and the problems women face in society. So, in your opinion, is this Sci-Fi & Fantasy (without magic the story couldn't happen) or Transgender & Crossdressers (because it's a man becoming a woman)?

Thanks for your help!

This kind of gender swap story shows up in T/CD all the time, and since the overriding story is about the gender swap and how it's dealt with not the magic, I'd go with that.

 

[TheLobster]

That's a good point, he's never really trans in the strictest sense. He's got a man's mind (slowly changing into a blended male/female mind) but there are none of the traditional trans trappings. And he's certainly not crossdressing.

The description of TG&CD is a much more general "Erotic tales of gender bending fun." Name itself is mostly a legacy thing, and it's also not the only category where the name doesn't really correspond to the typical sample of content (*cough* Loving Wives *cough*).

 

[Senor_Smut]

The description of TG&CD is a much more general "Erotic tales of gender bending fun." Name itself is mostly a legacy thing, and it's also not the only category where the name doesn't really correspond to the typical sample of content (*cough* Loving Wives *cough*).

OK, this is off-topic, but what is the "Loving Wives" category really about? I've never poked my nose in there -- it's not my jam -- but every reference I see made to it makes it sound like the biggest dumpster fire since Chicago burned down.

 

[Bramblethorn]

OK, this is off-topic, but what is the "Loving Wives" category really about? I've never poked my nose in there -- it's not my jam -- but every reference I see made to it makes it sound like the biggest dumpster fire since Chicago burned down.

It's for stories about women sleeping with men who aren't their husbands, usually cheating. It attracts a lot of people who have Strong Opinions about this topic, including a fair few who get extremely angry about cheating stories but insist on reading them anyway and then taking out their anger on the story/author.

 

[Senor_Smut]

It's for stories about women sleeping with men who aren't their husbands, usually cheating. It attracts a lot of people who have Strong Opinions about this topic, including a fair few who get extremely angry about cheating stories but insist on reading them anyway and then taking out their anger on the story/authorl

Rageahol is a hell of a drug.

 

[Actingup]

It's for stories about women sleeping with men who aren't their husbands, usually cheating. It attracts a lot of people who have Strong Opinions about this topic, including a fair few who get extremely angry about cheating stories but insist on reading them anyway and then taking out their anger on the story/author.

You forgot and '1-bomb them before reading, just out of habit' On the positive side, if you're after a wild hay ride and you've got a thick skin, it seems to be a great choice, because you're not going to die wondering if anybody's looked at your story.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

It's for stories about women sleeping with men who aren't their husbands, usually cheating. It attracts a lot of people who have Strong Opinions about this topic, including a fair few who get extremely angry about cheating stories but insist on reading them anyway and then taking out their anger on the story/author.

Well, no. Not really, but that's where most get posted.

 

[mildlyaroused]

I would hesitate about putting it in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, since the bulk of the story occurs in a realistic, contemporary setting. T/CD would work. I know EC has a bad rep, but I like the category, and it works well for things that don't fit into others quite as well as you'd like.