Content Warning: Verde’s Doohickey 2.0: Sensational Summer Romp contains content that some readers might find disturbing, triggering or uncomfortable. This includes sexually explicit activities, strong language, and hateful language and slurs. Reader discretion is advised.
Verde’s Doohickey 2.0: Sensational Summer Romp
June 26th: Bond Xing
Part 1: Father & Son Heart-To-Heart
Date: Friday, June 26, 2015
Time: 17:32
Location: Armenian Grill
As the workday came to an end, the streets across Oransen were buzzing with traffic and commotion as people headed home or headed out to enjoy their Friday night. It was a common sight and, rest assured, many members of the Swap Posse were taking advantage of this opportunity. Yet there were two who were taking a more reserved approach, enjoying an early dinner nestled within the heart of Oransen. From the outset, it looked like Maxxie and Haruki, out and enjoying a meal at the local Armenian place. But beneath their skin lay the consciousnesses of Zoe and his dad, Liang.
Zoe(Haruki) was dressed up in the most professional outfit that Zoe could assemble from Haruki’s hectic wardrobe. It was actually a combination of old retrofitted school uniforms and clothes that coincidentally passed for typical office wear. It was strange seeing someone as casual as Haruki dress like this, but with Zoe’s composure, it didn’t look wrong either.
Meanwhile, Liang(Maxxie) was wearing a cool and crisp lavender dress, perfect for hot summer days, even though it left him shuffling in his seat, clearly not used to wearing dresses or skirts.
The two had already been served their meals, a typical assortment of meat, grains, bread, and a scattering of veggies, served into a to-go container. Far from fancy, but it was good, filling, food that the two chipped away at as their conversation grew.
Zoe(Haruki): “I know I say this every day, but I’m still impressed at how well you’re adjusting to all this.”
Liang(Maxxie): “The way I see it, I can either go kicking and screaming, or just go with the flow. Did I want my first dinner alone with my so— with you in thirt— so many years, looking like this? Not really. Am I gonna let it ruin anything for me? Absolutely not!”
Liang wore Maxxie’s face well, his boisterous tendencies were cranked up to a new level as he felt Maxxie’s emblematic and unexplainable energy course through his veins. Despite not knowing how to behave as her, because he didn’t know her, he pulled off a decent impersonation just by going with his gut.
Zoe(Haruki): “You don’t need to worry about censoring yourself like that. People typically don’t pay attention to the conversations of random people.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Are you sure about that? Because I’m not getting the best impression from… that guy over there.”
Looking at the nearby table where Liang(Maxxie) was pointing, there was a young Black man with a beard. He was scarfing down his food like he hadn’t eaten in two days, or was trying to fill up his belly before a late night shift. He occasionally glanced at the two as he ate, though nothing about him was suspicious.
Zoe(Haruki): “He’s too busy eating to pay attention to us, anyway. We’re not shouting or any such thing.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! Right you are. Now, where was I— Right! Life’s too short for me to slow down and take my time to adjust to things. It’s more efficient, and effective, if I just dive in, do what I want to do, and learn as I go along. Though, I’d be lying if I said that I learned everything as quickly as I’d like. These damn new-fangled phones still confuse me. Here I was thinking that a PDA was excessive, and now everybody’s got something twenty, maybe thirty, times more powerful. It feels wrong to call something so powerful, so miraculous, a mere phone. At this rate, we might not even need desktops. This thing’s at least three times as powerful as my old PC.”
Flaunting Maxxie’s phone like a… well, like the young woman he appeared to be, Laing(Maxxie) let out a hearty laugh before sliding it back into his non-existent pockets before plopping it into his purse. At this cute— positively Maxxie-esque— display, Zoe(Haruki) couldn’t help but chuckle.
Zoe(Haruki): “Sorry. No matter how many times I see it, I keep forgetting you have this side to yourself.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Knowing how Natasha is— was— How Nazz was back when and… All things considered, I can see why you don’t really remember me being like this. I barely remember anything from back when I was five or below. And knowing how they are, I can see why they would de-emphasize my more jovial side. She wanted you to be smart, successful, and knowing just how much she loved me. And she got a bit too scared in the process, so she pushed you a bit too far.”
Zoe(Haruki): “I… I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! You’re a good man, Zoe. But… you remind me a bit more of my old man than you do myself. He was always dedicated to work, would always find a way to turn his passions into work, and always had this… diligent cadence to his voice. I’ve seen that huge-ass document you’ve been working on for this body swap analysis project you’ve got going on. I’ve heard you speak in… however many different voices. And just, well, you remind me of him. It’s almost like his work ethic just skipped a generation! Makes me wonder how your kid’s gonna turn out!”
As the topic of conversation drifted into a different lane, Zoe(Haruki) flinched, his usually reserved composition shaken.
Zoe(Haruki): “M-My kid? D-Dad, I’m not planning on having children in the near future. We… people nowadays wait longer before getting married, and among my generation it is rare for people to start families until they are in their late twenties or early thirties.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Relax, Zoe! I mean, I was 35 when you were born, so who am I to tell you to get hitched? I can’t even say I’m surprised people are like that these days. Getting married is a big commitment, and you need to be smart enough to make that commitment, or else you just bucked up your life. But you kids these days… seem like a smart lot.”
Zoe(Haruki): “Uh, how many ‘kids’ have you gotten to know?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Oh, you know. You, a few of the younger staff at Flare Industries, and a couple of your friends. They all know how to act like kids, while being surprisingly mature for their ages. Lord knows me and my friends were a bunch of brats when I was your age. Of course, it was the 70s, and we thought the whole damn world was gonna blow up, but that’s besides the point. Jade, Shiaka, Gem, Haruki, they’re a good lot, though the one that really stood out to me was… oh, this body’s sister, what was her— Terra, that’s the one!”
With a smile on his face, Liang(Maxxie) took a swig of his small Coke and resumed his praise for the modern youth.
Liang(Maxxie): “Terra Flare. Girl’s only 11, yet she acts like she’s well into her teens, and… is transgender. I didn’t even know that was even a word. We called ’em transsexuals back in my day, and I didn’t know much about ’em. To think that a child is able to self-actualize on that level, understand what they want to do with the rest of their life, and both understand and voice their desires… I think it’s great. People weren’t allowed to be themselves back when I was a kid. If they were gay or went against what White folks thought they should be, they were shoved down in the dirt, and forced to comply, or die fighting. The world was a cruel place, it got better as I got older and now… well, it’s all just beautiful, isn’t it?”
Zoe(Haruki): “W-Wow. I never expected you to be quite so… politically driven.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! There are plenty of men like me who drank the Flavor Aid, just not me! Of course, I normally just keep my thoughts to myself, nodding along and all that. Except, it’s tough acting like that when I look down at my hands and see… this.”
Liang(Maxxie) then stretched his arm across the table, showing Zoe(Haruki) his brown skin. Zoe(Haruki) looked down at his own skin, not as dark, yet definitely darker than what he was used to. With Zoe(Haruki) thinking about the racial element of these swaps yet again, Liang(Maxxie) proceeded to return to his dinner, picking up a chunk of lamb in a pita and taking a fat bite out of it.
Liang(Maxxie): “If I actually try and think about it, eating as someone else seems… weirdly intimate. Everybody needs food to live, everyone eats, yet everyone eats with a different mouth, different teeth, and different taste buds. I might expect something to taste a certain way, but no matter the mouth, it always tastes a bit different. Chewing is different, the way food hits the stomach is different. It’s gross if you wanna look at it that way, but also… it’s kind of delightful. It is a reminder of how diverse human beings are, and how even things that we think are standardized are still different for everyone.”
Zoe(Haruki): “…Of course you say something like that when I don’t have my recorder ready.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Mm-hmm. Just like my old man. What, do you take notes on how it feels when you’re screwing in different bodies?”
Zoe(Haruki): “I… yes. Should we really be talking about things like that in public—”
Liang(Maxxie): “Oh, I’m just screwing around.”
As Liang(Maxxie) shined a bright smile, Zoe(Haruki) couldn’t help but let out a groan.
Zoe(Haruki): “…Are you sure you’re my dad?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Eh, that’s a good question. I sure don’t look like it at the moment! Why? You’re not… disappointed with me? …Are you?”
Once his father’s tone shifted to something more dour, Zoe(Haruki) paused, thought for a second… and smiled, shaking his head no.
Zoe(Haruki): “No, I am not. The man I imagined was someone rigid and orderly to a fault. You’re a happier and more pleasant person than the man I had in my head all these years and… I’m glad I got to know you.”
With his heart swelling, Liang(Maxxie) nearly kicked his chair to the ground as he rushed over to grab his son, wrapping him in a loving hug.
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! How’re you so serious when you’ve got such sweetness deep inside you?!”
Zoe(Haruki): “H-Hey, let’s not cause a scene. People don’t pay attention to conversations… but this is something else.”
Sensing that Zoe(Haruki) was speaking more out of concern than anything, Liang(Maxxie) promptly plopped his plump butt back onto his chair.
Liang(Maxxie): “S-Sorry, I just… you just hit me where it counts, so… thanks for that.”
Zoe(Haruki): “No need to thank me. …Though, we should talk about something else… or rather, someone else.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Yeah, Nazz. You go first.”
Zoe(Haruki): “Well… it’s hard for me to recognize what was the mask and what is the face. Nazz has all the knowledge of Natasha, and there are stray remnants of her that I see in him. From one perspective, he is Natasha without any restraints, fears, or insecurities, with full freedom. From another, I see him as an outside influence, something suppressing and overwriting the woman who raised me. It would be one thing if Nazz was merely just a male version of my mother… but he’s not. He changed. It has only been a week since I met him, yet… I feel as if I will eventually see him the same way the rest of the world does. As a brother who abruptly came into my life.”
While Zoe(Haruki) offered his take, Liang(Maxxie) sipped the last of his Coke and took a deep breath before continuing.
Liang(Maxxie): “Natasha was the mask, and Nazz is the embodiment of their greatest desire. Natasha was a sad woman. Life was hard for her even as a child, she came into her own during a decade before the collapse of the Soviet Union. And she was never able to freely figure out who she wanted to be. She was shoved into a slot, and from that slot, she saw the only home she knew fall apart. Then, she came to America, to the home of ‘the enemy,’ and saw both the good and the bad. If she were a kid, she could have found herself, but instead, she could only focus on her own survival. She was scared. Scared she would not make it in this nation, scared of being all alone, away from her family, and scared about the future. She was determined, strong, and deep down, carried a kind heart. A heart that only grew after you were born.
Liang(Maxxie) paused to stick another fork-full of food into his mouth, chewing 70% of it before continuing.
Liang(Maxxie): “From the sound of it, she sealed that heart off and regressed after my death and now… now, I see her within Nazz. I see the woman I loved within Nazz from even the smallest things, from the way his mind works to how he behaves, doing things that Natasha would want to do, but was too afraid to. Nazz is… the person Natasha always envied, and thanks to your friends, we managed to give her the tools to become that person, in both body and mind.”
Zoe(Haruki): “You said a lot, but you didn’t say how you felt about Nazz. Do you… like him?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Of course I like him! I couldn’t ask for a better co-worker, and I am thrilled to see him so happy and content with his life.”
Zoe(Haruki): “I’m talking about your relationship. Does… Does Nazz still love you the way he used to, and do you…”
Regret plastered Zoe(Haruki)’s face as those words left his borrowed mouth.
Liang(Maxxie): “I love working with Nazz, I love being around him, and I like him as a person, regardless of my connection to him. He’s a bit cocky, can be a bit of a brat, but he has the skills to back it up. However… I still don’t know what he is to me. He is too mature to feel like a stepson or anything like that. Too close to be anything other than family and, well, I just don’t love him in the way a man loves a woman— if you catch my drift.”
Zoe(Haruki): “I do. Your sexuality is what it is, and you cannot force it to work differently. If it was, then conversion therapy wouldn’t be abuse.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Yeah and… Oh. Well, that’s a surprise.”
Saying that, Liang(Maxxie)’s eyes went wide, and he started shifting in his seat.
Zoe(Haruki): “What? Did something happen?”
Liang(Maxxie): “I just thought about Nazz, shirtless— naked even— and a teensy voice in my head said ‘I want that.’ …Does being in a different body influence one’s sexuality? If it is caused by genetics then surely it—”
Zoe(Haruki): “Dad, it’s not really ‘genetic.’ There isn’t a ‘gay gene’ that can be found. It is something caused by a multitude of factors. Nobody’s entirely sure which factors, yet it’s also not something to be solved, or removed, it is just how people are.”
Liang(Maxxie): “…I take it that the gay gene theory got disproved a while back.”
Zoe(Haruki): “Yes. However, there are certain psychological factors about being in another body that cause one to view their sexuality differently. You are speaking with a woman’s voice, occupying a woman’s body, and are being seen as a woman. From an outsider’s perspective, you unequivocally are a woman. And you are taught the heterosexually normative idea that women have sex with men. As such, as you continue to exist within a female body, as you exist within a different form, you become more comfortable seeing yourself as a woman in sexual scenarios. …At least, that is my working theory. It almost certainly requires some adjustments. …My apologies, I could have worded it much more succinctly—”
Liang(Maxxie): “By being in the bodies of different people, by transforming my sex, I become more… interested in more people sexually?”
Zoe(Haruki): “You practically took the words right out of my mouth. Exactly.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Okay, but… is that even a thing?”
Zoe(Haruki): “…What exactly are you asking?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Can people even have more than one sexuality or—”
Zoe(Haruki): “Of course they can. Bisexuality is a well-known concept and millions of people around the world—”
Liang(Maxxie): “Wait, bisexuality’s real?”
Zoe(Haruki): “…Of course it is. Was that not commonly accepted ‘back in your day?'”
Liang(Maxxie): “If it was… I wasn’t send the memo!”
With a laugh, Liang(Maxxie) finished off the very last of his meal, and stood up from the table, inviting Zoe(Haruki) to do the same. Their meals were already paid for, so they walked out the door, leaving just at the start of the usual dinner rush.
With full bellies, the two walked along one of the main streets of Oransen, reminding themselves of their bodies’ ‘feminine traits’ before picking up their conversation again.
Zoe(Haruki): “I was hoping that everything would make sense after this…”
Liang(Maxxie): “Pardon?”
Zoe(Haruki): “I went through the majority of my life with plans, with goals, and ever since Nazz came into the picture, I haven’t had a plan. I know that I do not need one, but… despite things being better than ever in my family life, I feel lost.”
Liang(Maxxie): “We’re all lost, Zoe! Nazz might act tough, but he’s just winging it, and I still have a shitload of things I need to do or get smart on. You just need to cut loose, accept that life’s gotten weird and wild, and put a smile on that cute little face of yours!”
In a display of profound Maxxie-esque behavior, Liang(Maxxie) grabbed Zoe(Haruki)’s shoulders, looked into his eyes, and planted a smooch on his lips. It was quick, only lasting two seconds at most, yet it was enough to leave Zoe(Haruki) standing stiff, his eyes unblinking as his brain tried to process what happened.
Liang(Maxxie): “…Oops! Maybe I shouldn’t have done that in public. It just… felt appropriate in this body”
Nobody was looking, and if they did, nobody would have cared. Yet, Zoe(Liang) was still left paralyzed as he tried to process what just happened. He just kissed his dad, who was dead a week ago, while they were both in the bodies of his friends. He could have any reaction to such a bizarre situation… and he chose to laugh.
Zoe(Haruki): “Bahahahahaha! Everything is fucked and… and… that’s okay. Yeah.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Eh? Uh, Zoe, are you alright?”
Zoe(Haruki): “I guess. I’m… I’m just struggling to accept just how casual and aloof you and Nazz are. Having people like you in charge of my household is… hard to grasp.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Well, maybe it’s because you gotta plop that stick outta yer ass and act like a kid!”
For a split second, Zoe(Haruki) was convinced Maxxie had just hopped back into her own body and this was all a ploy of some sort. Yet when her body’s face returned to a gentle smile, he realized that Maxxie, for her myriad eccentricities, could not be that malicious.
Zoe(Haruki): “You know… you’ve got a point. Maybe I need to take after my parents a little bit more… at least in situations like this.”
Liang(Maxxie): “And my son finally remembered he’s a kid. …Hold on, how old’s Haruki?”
Zoe(Haruki): “24.”
Liang(Maxxie): “…Eh, close enough.”
Pausing for a moment, Liang(Maxxie) looked up at the sky. It was just past 18:00, they still had over an hour of daylight left, and the weather was nice enough that it felt silly to not be out and doing something. He hummed as he thought about what they could do, only needing a few seconds before reaching a eureka moment.
Liang(Maxxie): “I’ve got it! We’re kids, so let’s head off and do something stupid and fun together!”
Zoe(Haruki): “What do you have in mind?”
Liang(Maxxie): “It’s the summer, so our options are vast… but when it’s a father and son, you cannot go wrong with… a carnival!”
Part 2: Father & Son at the Local Carnival
Date: Friday, June 26, 2015
Time: 18:24
Location: The Local Carnival Park Grounds
Located just outside Oransen and in the neighboring village of Lincolnwood, a traveling carnival was set up for the weekend before Independence Day. It was nothing lavish or remarkable, featuring the same rides, generic fair games, and miscellaneous accouterments that one could find anywhere else in the country. All nestled within an oversized shopping mall parking lot. It was modest, even fair if one were the punny type, and it was home to a decent scattering of people. Enough to be lively, not enough to be crowded.
Amongst the crowd of unfamiliar faces, Zoe(Haruki) and Liang(Maxxie) were quick to blend in, getting lost in the shuffle of various young and high school-age kids fluttering about from the myriad attractions. These attractions included, but were not limited to, the following:
A mini roller coaster so flat it almost seemed like false advertising. A Ferris wheel that was surprisingly large for something that was ‘portable’. Tilt-a-whirls and other rides where the main gimmick was moving very fast and going through the air, which, biologically and objectively, was fun for the majority of humans. A bounce house for small children to experience… much of the same thrill, but in a more controlled environment. A haunted house for teenagers to go through in order to fill their rout lives with a facsimile of horror and give them an excuse to cuddle. Concession stands for those who would want to pay for the convenience of basic snacks and signature fair foods like cotton candy and funnel cake. And, of course, a scattering of stock carnival games that were designed to make money under a veneer of fairness. They would be subject to policing, but every child needs to learn that life is unfair and people will con them out of cash. Especially in America.
The bodily displaced father and son were quick to run through these attractions, hopping from one to another as they soaked in whatever amusement they could muster. Whether it be the sight of seeing the village from up high, or trying to knock down things for prizes… while in different bodies with far less upper body strength. Still, the two kept good spirits, and right as they rushed over to their next attraction, a scrambler, they spied a pair of familiar faces in the crowd waiting in line. They saw both Babs and Reyn, though they couldn’t be sure who was inside them until they asked. Well, they could use the VD 2.0, but that would be both rude and antisocial.
Zoe(Haruki): “Hello there. I didn’t expect to see you two here.”
Babs and Reyn both flinched as they heard Haruki’s voice, and turned around a moment later. With Babs’s wavy hair tossed over by the wind, and Reyn’s face sporting a well-maintained beard. The two were dressed casually— T-shirts and shorts— and looked like they were one kid away from being parents taking their kid to the local funfair.
???(Babs): “Oh. H-Hey. We should probably give our names one by one. I’m Terra.”
???(Reyn): “Babs on supervision duty.”
Zoe(Haruki): “I’m Zoe.”
Liang(Maxxie): “And I’m Liang! I’d say it’s nice to meet you in person, but that just doesn’t seem appropriate!”
Terra(Babs): “Wait, so you two… what are you doing here… and in those bodies?”
Liang(Maxxie): ” I never got to go to a carnival with Zoe before, and that Verde lady said that I should go ‘hog wild’ with the body swaps this weekend. And she wasn’t wrong, this body’s just fun to be in!”
Terra(Babs) stared at the man in her sister’s body with suspicion as he said that, folding his arms behind his head all nonchalantly. She wanted to comment on this… but when she looked down at her modest V-neck, she realized she had no room to criticize anyone for borrowing a body.
Zoe(Haruki): “And what about you two? It almost looks like you’re going on a date together.”
Babs(Reyn): “I could just switch over to Raiyne if I felt like it, but park rides are more fun when you don’t have hair flicking you in the face.”
Liang(Maxxie): “I’m not sure about that. It makes them seem more disorientating, and that’s a kind of fun.”
Terra(Babs): “Wait, so does that mean Maxxie is running around in your body, Liang?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Unless she traded it or something. I’m not sure why she’d want to be a 40-year-old man, but teenage girls have always had more peculiar tastes.”
Babs(Reyn): “Pfft. I’ve seen pics of your body. You look like an older Zoe, and if you feel like an older Zoe, then trust me when I say you’ll be very popular with the ladies in our crew.”
Terra(Babs): “…Why is every woman in this group so horny to be a man?”
Zoe(Haruki): “I’ve actually done some research into that, with the help of Vivi, and it appears to be a—”
As the four were conversing, they were abruptly interrupted by the ride operator.
???: “Hey! You gonna get on the ride or are you just standing there?”
They turned to look at the speaker, and saw a young Black man— the same one that Zoe and Liang saw at the Armenian restaurant— wearing a name tag appropriately identifying him as ‘Gregg.’ They weren’t sure why it was ‘appropriate.’ He just looked like a Gregg.
Not wanting to make his job any harder, the four shuffled onto the scrambler, hoisting themselves into their seats before the machine sprang to life yet again, sending them whirling about. The act of spinning could already be disorientating, yet it was on another level when propelled by a machine, and spinning in two directions as the world shifted forward and back. Inspired by those around them, the four cast their hands high, rejoicing in the sense of rapid motion as they were forced to feel their borrowed bodies shift and pull with the force of the ride. The twirling of their hair, the way the wind brushed against their face, how their boobs, or lack thereof, bounced about, and the way their weight shifted and shook throughout it all.
This was merely only one ride though and, with the night still young and the sun only nearing the horizon, the four proceeded to try everything the carnival had to offer. They split up, reconnected, played crappy games, and even partook in the overpriced novelty food, because why the hell not?
For Terra(Babs) and Babs(Reyn), it was an outing with just the two of them, without Maxxie joining as a hanger on, but given a wackadoo new flavor with their new bodies. They had gone to things like this periodically, as Babs, being her caretaker, saw inherent value in letting a child like Terra go out to places and experience new things. And Terra certainly was experiencing new things, even if they were things like what it feels like to have tits bobbing about when going on high-speed thrill rides while latching onto a strong man.
While for Liang(Maxxie) and Zoe(Haruki), it was something less… routine. Zoe was too young to remember many events he shared with his father, and this served as a bonding experience for them… albeit in a way unlike the typical father son dynamic. When they looked at each other, they saw a young woman, when they spoke or moved around, they felt like one. And their hierarchical dynamic became more… ambiguous.
Liang(Maxxie) lost himself in the fervor of the festivities, propelled by the vitality of youth, but mostly being Maxxie. To any onlooker, he was just a teenage girl frolicking through the carnival with her friend in tow. A friend who, unsurprisingly given their more formal attire, behaved more like an older relative, calling to their companion as they ran off, huffing as they tried to catch up and close the gap.
As they merrily enjoyed their day, the twilight gave way to a bright summer’s night. Not necessarily because of the 70% full moon overhead, but because of the ample lights from the festival attractions, and general lights that shined down on the grounds. Families had come and gone, the festival was within its last hour of operation for the night, and as things grew ever more mellow, the four reconvened at one of the bench tables, sharing in an order of fries.
Liang(Maxxie): “Y’know, I thought this would be corny and boring, but when you’re willing to cut loose, places like these are a lotta fun!”
Zoe(Haruki): “It helps when you have the right person by your side, clearance to cut loose, and per diems burning a hole in your pocket.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Oh, right, we get that daily allowance. No wonder you guys keep going out all the time!”
Zoe(Haruki): “How about you two? Did being an ‘adult’ affect your enjoyment, Terra?”
Terra(Babs): “Oh, no, no. For one, I could get on all the rides without worrying about my height, and feeling my boobs shift like that felt… nice.”
Babs(Reyn): “And here I was about to say the lack of boobs was the best part about this! I like my girls, but sometimes it is nice to get rid of them. Now if only Reyn actually had any ass. I don’t know how men can stand sitting on a chunk of metal like that.”
Terra(Babs): “Yeah, yeah, I get it, boy butts aren’t as comfy. I could’ve told you that much.”
Babs(Reyn): “What, so do you just want me to say nothing when my butt hurts?”
Terra(Babs): “I mean, am I supposed to do anything about it?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! I know you’re not who you look like, but you two seem like such a couple when you bicker like that.”
Terra(Babs): “W-We might’ve gone on a date, but we’re not a couple. That would be… illegal.”
Babs(Reyn): “Terra, for the last time, this wasn’t a date. We just went to a place together, and nothing about it was romantic.”
As Terra(Babs) processed Babs(Reyn)’s words, she stared at her handsome bearded face, a look of mild disapproval as she let out a small groan. Terra(Babs) could not deny that she was in some way attracted to the body before her. As she looked down at herself, a layer of sweat on her exposed breasts, she could not help but foster a sense of longing.
Terra(Babs): “I wish I could go on dates though. They seem like a lot of fun.”
Babs(Reyn): “You can. Just ask out a girl, or boy, you like and see what ha—”
Terra(Babs): “Not with someone my own age.”
Babs(Reyn): “Terra, we’ve been over this. You need to prioritize your development and not go into the adult world before you’re ready.”
Terra(Babs): “Yeah… and according to you and Mom, I won’t be ready for a couple years.”
Babs(Reyn): “That’s just how people work, Terra.”
Groaning, Terra(Babs) smacked her exposed thighs and stood up, looking down at Babs(Reyn) while Liang(Maxxie) and Zoe(Haruki) looked up, concerned yet silent.
Terra(Babs): “I’m sick of being told that. We are dealing with something that nobody’s ever dealt with before, and you keep saying that I can’t make decisions for myself. It’s so… wrong becoming an adult like this and being told that I can’t act like one! Every day, you tell me about the things you do, people post about their exploits on Telegram— and the sex— every day I hear someone having sex, and then I am told that I cannot have it. I know I said I was fine being a kid two weeks ago but… I’m not. I’m sick of being left out of things and being the odd one out. There’s nobody else like me now and… I can’t even use my VD without Mom’s permission! All because… I wanted to try being an adult.”
Zoe(Haruki): “Terra, I don’t know your parents all too well, but I’m sure that all these restrictions come from a place of concern. This is all new, your parents might be taking a conservative approach, and you know why? They don’t want you to hurt yourself. As your parents, it’s their job to protect you from danger, even if that means yourself.”
While she doubted his words when he began speaking, Terra(Babs) saw truth in Zoe(Haruki)’s words.
Terra(Babs): “I… I know why they do this, I know this is from a place of care, I just… I just don’t like this. I know I’m still a kid, but… kids want to be adults, they want to see what the world is like as one, and I like what I’ve seen. I want to grow up, but… I’m not allowed to.”
Zoe(Haruki): “If that’s the way you feel Terra, you need to talk about this with your parents. Ken is rather… agreeable, so perhaps you could rope him in and ask him for more freedom. Naturally, they won’t let you do everything an adult does, but they may be sympathetic to your plight if you make your case well enough. I’m sure Maxxie would be willing to help you workshop your approach if you asked her.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! Ever the reasonable one, Zoe. And here I was about to tell Terra to live dangerously, since she’s not gonna get into any trouble she can’t get her way out of. Especially not with Urabe and her friends!”
Zoe(Haruki): “…Really?”
Liang(Maxxie): “Yeah! Back when I was a kid, I was a regular old trouble maker! Stealing from stores, smoking pot with my buds, sleeping on the streets, breaking all sorts of rules! I got all of that out of my system and cleaned up during my college days. And I think that’s how a kid should be. Given the room to act like a kid, and have their little rebel without a cause phase. She might be a bit young, though she’s easily the smartest 11-year-old I’ve ever seen!”
Babs(Reyn): “…And here I thought you’d defend me as a parent.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Different parents have different styles! I say let kids be kids, even if that means making them ‘legal adults!'”
Babs(Reyn): “…You told us about your childhood, so let me tell you about mine. I was taking care of my brothers for as long as I could remember. I went to school, took care of them, raised them, while my parents worked. And when my family fell to shit after my mother died, I had to give them up, get my GED, and move out, getting a job as a caretaker when I was only 16.”
Liang(Maxxie): “…Huh. Sounds like a rough time, but you seem to have gotten through it with style and grace.”
Babs(Reyn): “I got through it, but I lost a lot in the process. Because of my lived experience, because I couldn’t be a kid, I view childhood as something to be cherished. And I don’t want Terra to lose hers by delving into the adult world. Because once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Terra(Babs): “What makes you think I haven’t already gotten past that? You… you know what I’ve been through so far, and even before that, I wasn’t necessarily the most sheltered thanks to Maxxie. I… I’m mature enough to know that there’s no convincing you here, so I’ll just drop it. And seeing as how all the fun’s already been drained… I’m going home.”
With her brow thoroughly furrowed, Terra(Babs) then rose up and started walking off in a huff, not quite running but clearly trying to build up distance between her and Babs(Reyn).
Babs(Reyn): “And where do you think you’re going?”
Terra(Babs): “To drive myself home.”
Babs(Reyn): “You can’t drive!”
Terra(Babs): “I actually can. I ‘picked it up’ thanks to the VD 2.0. Just like Jade did.”
Babs(Reyn): “You’re still too young to—”
In a huff, Terra(Babs) dashed off, heading to the parking lot with the keys still in her pockets. Babs(Reyn) took chase, only for her to feel someone grab her hand. She turned around, ready to tell off Liang(Maxxie) for thinking he has some authority over how to raise Terra, only to see Zoe(Haruki), a stern look on his face.
Zoe(Haruki): “Let her be. If she hurts herself, we have ways of undoing it. And if you stop her, the animosity will only grow worse.”
Babs(Reyn) began to pull her arm away from Zoe(Haruki)’s firm grip… only to relent, taking a deep breath.
Babs(Reyn): “You’re right. Terra’s growing up fast and… all I can do is try to reason with her.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Now you’re talking like a parent!”
As Liang(Maxxie) moseyed before her, Babs(Reyn) adopted a disapproving scowl.
Babs(Reyn): “I might not be a parent, but I raised children for 18 years. You raised one child for five years. I will not take parenting advice from you.”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ha! I might be a crappy parent, but I am a few years senior to you, sister, so don’t think I don’t have any wisdom to share. And from living my life, I can tell you that all children have their rebellious phase. It is part of growing up, and it is best to just go with the flow. You can slap on some guard rails, but you can’t stop ’em from going down that road.”
Zoe(Haruki): “When have I ever had a rebellious phase?”
When faced with this obvious contradiction to his perspective, Liang(Maxxie) paused, shrugged, and smiled at his son.
Liang(Maxxie): “You’re just a late bloomer. With all this body swapping and transformation bullshit, I’m sure you’ll get around to it one of these days!”
Laughing at his own remark, the three exited the carnival. Terra(Babs) was long gone, leaving the three to cram themselves in Haruki’s car as they headed home. The bright street lights and dark orange ‘soupy’ sky overhead indicated this day was well and truly done, with nothing more to do but head home and embrace tomorrow. With the roads clear, they only had the sounds of wind brushing through the car windows to fill their ears. They had the opportunity to converse, but with the billowing tension, none of the three wanted to risk an argument.
In this state, sitting awkwardly in the back seat, Babs(Reyn) was left stewing in melancholy. Not necessarily for her actions, out of concern for what was happening to Terra. While 11-year-olds were still young, and children were ‘growing up’ slower, she could not deny what Liang had said. Terra was growing up. She was mature for her age. After finding herself in this world of magical happenings, of course she would want to grow up. Babs didn’t want it. Neither did Elly. Yet what both of them had forgotten is… that you cannot control a child.
All you can do is help them make sense of this complex world and become who they want to be.
The Posse Logs: My Sensational Summer Vacation Diary
Jade(Dia): “I don’t even know how this happened. A bunch of people put in ‘requests’ for bodies, and Urabe started generating lists to make sure we were happy with them and… things just worked out this way, with most of the swaps going live at 17:00. I only wound up in Dia’s body because Maxxie wanted to role-play being husband and wife at my house, and insisted that we maintain kayfabe from minute one to minute 420. Despite being trans, I never really had the typical ‘housewife fantasy.’ But being able to spend the night with someone I care about, making them dinner, and just relaxing was… nice. When she needs to act, Maxxie can really be a comforting lover. With neither of us really knowing Liang or ‘Dia’ we had to feel out our characters, giving and taking before getting a firm idea of who we were before finally ending the night… in my mother’s bedroom. …If we’re going to keep doing this, I should look into getting a queen-sized mattress.”
Maxxie(Liang): “Damn it feels good to be a DILF! When I first saw Liang, I immediately thought ‘I wanna be that!’ A fully formed, fully matured, Zoe Xing. I sorta worried that he’d have some ‘tall man problems.’ Like aches and back pain and weather-based joint functions. But nah. His body is just an older Zoe’s, except without the glasses! It made me feel like a regular old salaryman, and sweet sweet Jade sure made me feel like one. I wasn’t expecting us to go seven hours doing our LARPing, but we did, and it was dope. Jade(Dia)’s a natural housewife, and being able to wrap these big strong arms around her tiny curvy little bod made me feel like a man straight outta the 50s. Now if only Verde could find the decency to just ka-boy me into a better man than whatever hot shit she served me with Max. Genetics my eight inch dick! I know you could make me hot, and I’m sick of asking, you two-toed bitch!”
Zoe(Haruki): “While we hit a snag with Terra, Dad and I did not let that get to us and when we returned home, we wanted to still enjoy the night. I was not the most recreational person beyond playing video games on occasion, but Dad was quick to suggest that we watch a movie, asking to watch Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. He was a big fan of the original trilogy as a teenager, and wanted to see how the series ended before the new movie comes out this December. It was strange seeing him get this worked up over a movie, becoming even more childish than usual as he marveled at the spectacle and became absorbed in the drama. It almost felt like watching a movie with Maxxie more than watching it with my Dad… and rather than just let him have all the fun, I did my best Haruki impression. It made for a strange bonding experience where we got closer… by acting like someone else.”
Shinji: “Everybody made reservations to trade bodies before I could choose mine, so I chose to spend today as Shinji. It was a good excuse to try being a boy while still being ‘myself.’ Not older, yet still stronger and a bit less… vulnerable. Mostly, I was just going through my day, needing to regularly adjust things to my height, and get used to using these hands, but then my parents and Gem(Paz) asked me to go out to a nightclub with them. I felt like I stumbled into another reality, as they would have never thought to ask me something like that before, yet… they did.”
“I didn’t like it. It was loud, crowded, and I would have rather stayed home. I was too nervous to eat around all these people, and I didn’t want to ever drink alcohol. My parents said they would be there if I needed them, but they looked like they were having fun with Gem(Paz). I spent the night in the quietest corner I could find, just waiting and playing a game on my phone, and when it came time to head home, I was in charge of driving them. They kept asking if I was okay, offered to come up with something if I wasn’t, and while I didn’t want to do this, while I wished I had stayed home, I still went out. I went out and did something I thought I could never do, all because I wanted to prove to myself that I could. I didn’t do much more than that but… it’s still something.”
Terra(Babs): “Feeling the wind in my face, driving a car, and having a full night ahead of me, I… I decided to do something stupid. I didn’t go home like I said I would. I went to the nearest ATM, withdrew $5,000, and kept driving east until I wound up in Schaumburg. Over 10 kilometers away from Oransen, and far enough that they wouldn’t be able to find me, even if I had my phone on. I booked a night at a hotel, and with no VD 2.0 in range, I was free. Free to take this weekend and… become an adult on my own terms. Liang had a point. I should be more rebellious, and while I feel bad about stealing Babs’s body like this, it is the best way for me to be seen as an adult. I know this is probably a bad idea but… I’m tired of second guessing myself. It’s time for me to stop being a girl… and become a woman!”
Vidkun: “I spent the entire day alone, all because Verde shoved an ultimatum onto me. I had a full day to answer the question if I wanted to be a guy— as my default— which just makes it weirder, because most people only have a default. It’s not like choosing to transition or anything. My past, my relationships, all of that is going to change if I go through with this, so I had to figure out what being Vidkun was like. I went through texts with my parents, looked over stuff I did for school, dug out a photo album of Ron and me, and even gave him a call. He called me ‘little bro,’ instead of just ‘sis’ he seemed… happier to talk to me, like he found it easier to relate to me. I even checked my abandoned gaming WordPress site and saw that my writing was different, more… typical of a teenage boy, I guess you could put it. Laying in my bed, after going for one last ‘crank’ before nodding off, I… mostly accepted this. That I like this more. The only hold out I have is what Anita wants. If she wants me to be Vivi, I’ll settle for that. If not, well, I just need to make sure I love Tony as much as Anita.”
Tony: “Fuck. I spent the entire day trying to test the limits to this new life of mine, and I… can’t really find a downside. I checked my old trophies for track, and I did better than I did before. My grades were higher, not by much, but I made high honor roll one semester! Looking through old photos… my parents just seem happier to be around me, and took way more photos of me as a kid. And they even text me more than before! Hell, my dad even took me to the movies when he got home tonight, when he would’ve never done that, but he said he wanted to spend some more time with me. Like… is Verde just fucking with me here? She said she isn’t, but all of this feels too good to be true. This life, this body, I… I just hope Vivi and I get along on the more physical side of things. Because with every new thing I find out, the less I want to ever go back.”
Gem(Paz): “Ah, back in Paz yet again! Her vessel may be bereft of the youthful vitality or the curves I have become most accustomed to, yet she still retains a maturity of gracefulness and MILF-like sex appeal all her own. One that I was resolute about using as I took charge as a teacher, reciting Paz’s lecture with a most impressive impersonation, and as I ventured off to the night with my ‘family in tow.’ Truthfully, I had harbored a desire to attain intimacy with Paz(Gem) ever since I noted the gaze she bore toward me in her body. She wanted me, and I wished to reciprocate such desires! I had hoped for an intimate MILF and gigolo encounter at a cool club, yet when she proposed making this a family outing, I insisted we depart on a wilder direction. One to lower their inhibitions and achieve my goal! A spousal threesome! With both Daisuke(Jade) and Paz(Gem) surrounding me, embracing me, and loving me as I loved them much the same. Truly, such delights were well worth the sacrifice of lesser plans.”
Caroline(Terra): “It feels strange being this young and small again. My childhood was so long ago, and I haven’t even seen a photo of myself as a child in nearly twenty years. I don’t want to say I had forgotten what it was like to be one, yet… I had. The world truly looks different when standing this tall, and being so light and… flat feels like a new experience at the very least. I’m not sure if the fact that I’m Terra of all children is any stranger. I wished I had taken a stronger part in her life, getting to know her better as she grew up, yet Babs cared for her as well as anyone could and… I had my own struggles at the time. It was surreal in a way prior body swaps weren’t, given how extreme the age change was, and nothing emphasized it better than… what I had gotten into. I went to hang out with her kiddy friends and, well, one thing led to another and now I’m at Evelyn’s house, bound up in a sleeping bag, finally falling asleep after a lively slumber party. Just being able to cut loose like this, act like a kid, and indulge myself without getting distracted by adult hormones was… nice.”
Raiyne(Cain): “Abigale forced me to switch bodies today, with someone older than 18, and become a man. If I had to be anyone else, I chose to be Caroline. I had seen her male form, Cain, before, though actually being in it was… more than I expected. This past week, it has been the same. Being in another body filled me with an inexplicable lust, and whenever I saw my face, saw my body, I was filled with a longing. Even after working out, the scent of my own sweat was enough to get me hard, and try as I might, I could not ignore it. I felt my mind slipping as I went through this, holed up in my house. No matter how much I tried to focus, I was always an hour away from being so pent up I could barely see straight. Even as I tried to fall asleep in my own bed, I was filled with this longing. The only way I could get past it was… thinking about Caroline in my body… and fucking her as she called ‘my’ name. I… I just wish I could forget about all this. I knew who I was before. And I want to be that woman again.”
Babs(Reyn): “…I couldn’t find Terra. She took my body, my car, and ran off. I took time to drop off Zoe(Haruki) and Liang(Maxxie). Made some small talk with Nazz. And by the time I truly realized what happened to her, that she was gone, it was too late. She is not within 10 kilometers. I called Verde begging for help, and she told me not to worry, that she was dealing with ‘gangsta-punk isekai bullshit.’ Whatever that means. I didn’t mean to push her way. I care about her deeply. I only want what is best for her. For her to be happy, healthy, and content with herself. I thought I was doing a good job but… I fucked up. I just hope that she comes back. That she… doesn’t hate me.”
Ken: “What kind of asswad keeps a man at the office on a Friday night? I know they work on Saturdays over there, but that’s their problem, as a society, to figure out. Elly and I didn’t get home until 20:00, and we were too tuckered out to do much other than eat dinner, relax, and… not even have sex. We just cuddled because we were so damn tired! And here I was hoping to be part of the little Friday Night Swapping game they had going on. I know I had eyes on little Shiaka and Elly wanted to give being Gem a go. But instead, we’re left out, again!”
Elly: “It was a longer week than expected, and we did everything we needed to, meaning we can enjoy this weekend in peace. We’re heading back to Japan next week, marking our final trip for the rest of the summer. Ken’s excited that we’ll get to swap bodies with more people. He loves doing it with me, though he wants to keep ‘spicing it up.’ I agree to an extent, though… I just want to spend more time with my girls. Maxxie is Maxxie. I know she will take her own path and is strong enough to succeed on her own. Terra though, she worries me. She is trying to grow up so fast, and… I don’t feel like I have gotten to know her, as a girl, as much as I want to. I had only known her as herself for a few months, and I don’t want her to change before I truly get to know her. I feel like I’m suppressing her, that I’m just being a selfish, absent, mother, but… I promise to spend more time with her. I just need to go on one more trip…”
Nazz: “God fucking damn it am I sick of you getting on my dick about swapping, Verde! I have the best body. I have my ideal body. The fuck am I supposed to gain by fucking around with the margins and riff-raff? I mean, yeah, maybe I’ll fuck around when I get used to this, except I’m not fucking used to it! I’m trying to keep shit normal, figure out how my fucking family works, and that’s pretty fucking hard when you keep turning my bro and Liang into girls! I’m half tempted to fuck off to NYC for the summer until you get off my shit!”
Liang(Maxxie): “Ah… I don’t think I feel more like a dad after today. Which was the whole point of going out with Zoe. Still, I got to learn a lot about him and had a blast just talking to him, going on rides, and just… fucking around. I figured he’d look up to me more as a dad, but after watching Star Wars with him, he feels more like a friend which… I’m not sure if that’s what I should want, but I’ll take it. Seeing him take off his mask, embracing the child within… that made me feel good. He’s been pulling off this bravado for so long that I think he forgot his true self, and I like it! …At least, I think that’s what happened.”
“I know this body has been making me feel a little funny. Not haha funny, just… funky funny. I feel like I was a kid again, because I was, and… okay, I’ll say it because you already know it. I masturbated before going to bed. Just laying there, with tits hanging off my chest, it got me feeling all hot, bothered and, well, when I thought of Nazz, I thought of him in a completely different way. …Is it gay to masturbate to the transgender man who used to be your wife, while in the body of a teenage girl? …Probably not.”
Daisuke(Jade): “I can’t say I ever thought I’d be in Jade’s body. Not because I have anything against her, she was always a responsible girl and took care of Shiaka when I couldn’t. I just never imagined her wanting my body. Then again, Maxxie is the one who arranged this. I had hoped to become Jad by using the VD 2.0, just to be a young man for a bit… except it didn’t work. Probably because she’s trans. Anyway, tonight was… bizarre. Dinner, dancing, and drinks have made things foggy, and Jade is only slightly better than Dia at carrying liquor. It felt surreal, being dressed in such a tight black dress, around so many lights, and looking up at Gem’s face of all people as Paz(Gem) made me move like the girl I appeared to be. I danced even when I could barely see a few feet in front of me. I danced when in bed, too… infatuated and enamored by my very being to think about the fact Paz(Gem) brought a third person into our sex life. I feel like I should complain… yet, at this point, I have learned to just lay back and… accept the madness.”
Paz(Gem): “After our arrangement yesterday, I felt… emboldened. I spent the entire day as Gem, and he spent a day as me. I felt bad about making him teach my class, forcing him to behave as me again, yet he seemed to… be thrilled by this, by being a woman older than his mother, and by seeing me in his body. Gem explained that he wanted to have a date with me while in my body, and I couldn’t deny that, something about the way he moved as me, something about his body… turned me on. I agreed, roped in Daisuke(Jade) and Shinji so it felt less awkward, so I could deny what this was. Yet, after a few drinks, after feeling this cock rub against my pants all damn night, after seeing Gem(Paz) and Daisuke(Jade) gyrate on me like that, I couldn’t deny it, and I had them both. I wish I could say it was great, yet… there’s a reason why they say threesomes are better with two men and one woman.”
Haruki(Zoe): “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Rating: SSS+! Who did it? I did it! I gave one of my friends the best date and best fuck of her short life, and she wound up cuddling with me as she fell asleep. I’d say that I was just that suave, just that cool, though that’d be a load of shit. What I did with Nazz last week was just a trial run of this, for me to get used to being a hot guy, and here the body did all the hard shit! She was swooning over me from minute one, and all I had to do was talk the usual talk while looking handsome as fuck, and she was like putty in my hands. They say that hot girls have lots of power but… nah. I’m going straight up reverse sexism and will say that if you’re a hot guy, with cash and credentials, you can have whatever woman you want! And goldarn does this make me wish that my dudesona was just a Japanese Zoe! …Maybe I can convince Verde to reward me if I fuck the same girl, but as Haruya? Now I’m thinking with cock!”
Verde’s Doohickey 2.0 Main Page
Act 1: SwitchY Swap
May 16th: Prom Pomf Pomf Preview
May 29th: Enter Verde’s Doohickey 2.0
May 30th: Let’s Get Swappin’
May 31st: Flare Family Fiasco
June 1st: Graduation Day
June 2nd: The Kurokawa ‘Sisters’
June 3rd: My Day As Zoe Xing
June 4th: Love in Seoul
June 5th: Sister Mother and Sister Daughter
June 6th: Back 2.0 Basics
June 7th: Assembling the Posse
June 8th: Anita Neukar in… Vivi Gaimz
June 9th: Mother Daughter Heart-2.0-Heart
June 10th: Daisuke and Paz in… Wacked Up Wednesday
June 11th: VAG Swap
June 12th: Terra’s Tomorrow
June 13th: Haruki’s Birthday Bash
Act 2: CHAOTIC CHANGES
June 14th: Jade and the Kuro Abigale Quinlans
June 15th: Aku_Mako’s E3 2015 Rundown – Day Zero
June 16th: Transform Sex Power
June 17th: Erotic Blitz
June 18th: An Evening At The Local Water Park
June 19th: Date Night Cubed
June 20th: Chicago Diamond Symphonia
June 21st: The Father’s Day Resurrection Special
June 22nd: Nazz and Liang Do Flare Industries
June 23rd: The Kurokawa Family Visits the Museum of Science and Industry
June 24th: Whatever Happened to… Yuccot Kikansky?
June 25th: A World Where The Gamers Won
June 26th: Bond Xing
June 27th: SSS – Sizzling Sexual Summer
June 28th: Lesbians 2.0 Gay Boys
June 29th: Caroline and Raiyne’s Cabin Logs