More polls!

I have many story ideas in the pipeline, but I can never commit to writing a lot of them. So I decided to throw a few polls together and see what kind of responses I get. I've also decided to keep them vague so as to not influence anyone too heavily. No age or physical descriptions! The first two polls are general ideas based on photos I have saved (not included in the poll!) The third is gauging what people would like to see more of. The last two are specific stories I have in mind. They're all 

 

Pick a profession 

 

Choose an outfit 

 

Select a recurring theme

 

Nominate a story idea

 

Vote for a two word description

 

I'm going to leave the polls open until the next story goes up, so about 2-3 weeks? Get voting!

 

 

 

Control-Alt-Fix

PART TWO

 

Half an hour. I left him alone for half an hour. How could he cause so much trouble in only half an hour? I had my suspicions while I was waiting to collect the pizza, and there was chatter on the local forum about a strange prank. A guy dressed as a statue was scaring people in the statue garden, despite there being no such thing. But I passed it off as being a neighboring town. Then I thought something was wrong when I was held up in traffic due to animal control trying to subdue a bear that was digging through the trash, despite living nowhere near bear territory. But maybe it had escaped the zoo, what did I know? It wasn't until I came home to find my younger, unambitious roommate playing a game on my computer that my suspicions were actualized. Because I live alone. That young man used to be my girlfriend's son until he got his grubby hands all over my Neighborhood Creator...

I guess I can't completely blame Matty. I shouldn't have left him alone. I shouldn't have asked him to get the N64 from my study. I definitely should not have left that damned game running... How was he to know it was a reality altering device? That's not a normal thing to have access to. He was just having fun coming up with zany ideas. He's a creative kid. Was... Turning himself into my 26 year old co-worker and roommate was definitely a deliberate decision taken after learning the true potential of the game. It's just lucky that I arrived when I did. Who knows what else he could have done. Thank God I stepped in before his final adjustment to make us lovers could fully set in. That would have complicated matters. Dating both him and Kathy at the same time? Woof...

Neighborhood Creator causes nothing but trouble. Matty's a lot like Billy in a way. Creating chaos all in an attempt to forge a perfect life. Then one little misclick, and wham! You're stuck as a puppy, and your son's turned into a large, hairy man in his late thirties as a safeguard! Well, stuck isn't the correct word. I can quite easily turn him back into a man. I could turn myself back into a kid. I've mulled the decision over many a night, and I always come to the same conclusion - It's safer this way. If Billy were to ever regain his control over this game, there would be Hell to pay. Especially if he knows that I left him stuck in a permanently puppified state...

And to be honest, I've come to begrudgingly accept my manhood. I have an easy job, lots of money, and I'm pretty handsome if I do say so myself. I barely even remember being a kid. It literally feels like decades ago, thanks to the game's powerful reality altering effects. If I let my mind wander, I can forget my old life altogether and live in the moment. And that's how I feel whenever I'm with Kathy.

Reality Virtual

PART ONE 

Normally, if Matty's mom had suggested he spend time getting to know the latest man she was dating, he would have laughed in her face and refused. She was so adamant that he grow up with a father figure yet every guy she chose to date was basically the same. But now here he was, walking up the drive to Richard's home like it was no big deal.

Richard wasn't like the other dorks his mom had dated since his dad "went to the store for milk" and never came home. Sure, he had the dorky dad 'stache, and the dorky pet names, and the dorky clothes. But despite appearances, he was actually, dare he say, cool? For a potential stepdad, anyway. Unlike the other adults he knew, Richard actually listened when he wanted to talk about the latest anime or the current esports championships. And they could hold a conversation about it since he loved that kind of stuff as well. His house was full of super expensive LEGO sets, anime figurines straight from Japan, and an entire room full of pinball machines. He was clearly loaded, and it showed. But the absolute coolest thing about Richard was that he literally played video games for a living! Sure, he said it was a boring job, having to constantly replay sections to seek out bugs and glitches until he was sick of holding a controller. But obviously he was being modest. And even if he wasn't, he still freakin' plays video games for a living!

As Matty stepped into his new idol's home, he was quickly greeted by Billy, the most adorable, rambunctious puppy ever. He was always trying to play and cause trouble, but he was so cute that he could get away with anything. Matty gave him a good cuddle while Kathy greeted her boyfriend.

"Thanks for looking after him tonight, I can't take him to another of Lacey's recitals after the last time..."

"No problem, it's always a pleasure to catch up with the little champ." Richard bent down to ruffle Matty's hair with a chuckle. His pet name since he always beat the old man at Mario Kart. Then he lowered his voice to a hush. "I have a little surprise for him. I found that thing I was looking for..."

"Oh, well don't let me keep you. Make sure he eats something nutritious, and I'll be back in a few hours. Love you."

"Mmhmm, love you too honey," Richard replied before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss that left both of them chuckling. Matty, meanwhile turned away with a groan and pulled a disgusted face. What could be grosser than two adults kissing? The two guys waved her off before Richard closed the door and crossed his arms, a smirk on his face.

Infectious

PART ONE 

It started that Friday morning. Rohan wasn't at the bus stop, and when the bus went past his house, there were emergency vehicles parked up outside. I was worried, he hadn't been feeling well since Roger dared him to lick those test tubes during the museum field trip. I tried telling him there was no knowing what they were used for, but he said he couldn't back down from a dare. Now he was missing school because of it.

I knew something big was up when Rohan wouldn't answer his phone. Even if he didn't respond right away, I'd at least see the blue tick next to the message to prove he'd read it. The entire school day went by and not a single read message or notification from him. I even tried face-timing him and nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. The dial tone ended early, as if he'd declined my call.

So on the way home, I decided to get off the bus early and walk over to his house. All the hubbub from the morning was gone, which was a relief. I ran up to the front door and Rohan's mom answered. Except, she seemed distracted. When I asked to see Rohan, she dismissed me, saying that he'd caught something, and she didn't want it to spread.

But I couldn't take no for an answer, he was my best friend! So I crept around the back of the house, and clamored up the big tree in the yard. This wasn't my first time sneaking in, after all. Lucky for me, he'd even kept his bedroom window open so I didn't have to do my secret knock.

I stumbled through the window in a less than polite fashion and brushed myself off. "Rohan?" I asked aloud. I heard the door to his wardrobe shut and hangers clang together. Amused, I laughed, "Why are you hiding?"

"Go away!" He seethed. He sounded weird, like he had a cold. His voice deeper than usual. "You can't be in here!"

"No way!" I replied. "I gotta know what's wrong. I saw all the vans outside your house this morning, your mom wouldn't let me in, you won't even answer my texts. You promised we'd never keep things from each other."

"I want to tell you, really. But..." He sighed. "This is bigger than you know... I can't bring you into this."

"Fine. Don't tell me. I'll just find out why my best friend is hiding like a baby some other time." I grumbled and stomped toward the window when I had an idea. I waited a few moments before slamming the window down hard. Then I ducked down and hid as best as I could behind the bed and held my breath. Poor, gullible guy. He didn't even wait a minute until he opened his closet door and slunk out with a sigh. We locked eyes almost instantly, and he knew he was busted. But I was the one who screamed out loud, because that man wasn't my friend.

New Year, Same Me?

PART ONE

A warm sunbeam peeped through the partially closed curtains, causing Derryl to wake up and rub the sleep from his eyes. He sat up and looked around. He wasn't in his bedroom, it was the almost unfamiliar guest room of an increasingly familiar man who'd invited his family to spend New Years with him... He smiled slightly. Finally, it was New Year's Day. Which could only mean...

He jumped out of bed and ran towards an antique mirror in the corner of the room, only to halt mid-step with a confused "Wah...?" He stood face to face with a young teenager with floppy hair and acne-ridden skin. The same young teenager he'd been seeing for the last year in every single reflective surface. "But, but... We were supposed to... It was meant to... It's the new year!" He blustered before stomping his foot with a frustrated growl.

Derryl sulked out of his room and through the warm cabin. There he saw a young man in the open kitchen cooking some scrambled eggs, coffee in hand. He was needlessly shirtless, as if he were showing off his toned muscles. "Hey there, sport," he grinned as he set the eggs aside. "Happy New Year! We missed you at midnight. You just couldn't stay up an extra hour, could you?"

"Don't you 'Happy New Year' me, Asher!" Deryll replied in disgust. "Why haven't we swapped back? It's a new year! Those old resolutions should be null and void, and I should be your father again!"

"Well if you'd stayed up last night, you'd know I had this exact conversation with-"

"I don't care about your boyfriend! I only care about reclaiming what was once mine!"

"Okay, cool your temper and let me plate up some breakfast. Then we can discuss things a little further. We're mere hours into the new year, don't spoil it with those rancid vibes."

Deryll scraped a chair out from under the table and slumped into it with a scowl. "Stupid site, stupid magic, stupid life..." he grumbled under his breath as Asher prepared some bacon and eggs for him. "I spent weeks trying to get a response from that hackneyed group that wasn't just automated bullshit."

"Language..."

"Then when I finally got through to an actual person, they couldn't do anything but tell me to wait! All I've done for the past year is wait. Wait wait wait!"

"Well maybe if you worked on the entire reason we swapped... You know, our resolutions? Then maybe you'd feel more fulfilled with the way things have turned out."