Not So Royal

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Not So Royal

An original story by Lajien
Edited by Julia Miller

Note from Lajien.

I began this story last year, but I never completed it. I am posting it here, hoping you will read this story and leave me comments and suggestions on how or if I should proceed. All comments will be appreciated.

•••••••••••••

“In the year 2153, World War IV broke out. It was unprecedented for the new weapons and destructive power, and half the people on the planet died. Not even World War III was as devastating.”

Boooooring. Are my thoughts while watching this documentary? Even though I like history, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this documentary. Is the reason? I have watched this documentary hundreds if not thousands of times before. Why would I want to watch it in history class again?

“Mr. Middleton, eyes on the movie, please,” Ms. O’Brien scolds, making me sigh and look back at the 8K movie.

The old Joe used to tell us that 8K was only in cinema theatres. Honestly, can you imagine that? How did these people live at that time? By the way, old Joe is an AI computer, not a human. Its only task is to record human history and try to predict impending disasters before they happen.

“One of the pillars of the weapon industry was professor Alan Moore. He was born in 2131 in the former USA. Professor Alan Moore believed to be the chosen one, and only his offspring should be born. Professor Alan Moore created and weaponized a deadly virus that targeted all males other than his DNA family so that the only males would be his offspring. In less than a year, the population of males decreased to 5%, and most were newborn babies. By 2155, the number of newborn males decreased from 5% to 0%. For years, no males were born, and only women remained in the world. That was until the year 2178. Ten male babies were born in the same year. They were Alexie Perkins, Benjamin Middleton, Luther Cardiff,...).”

Hearing my name made me embarrassed a bit. No matter where I go, I will stand out. After all, I am one of the few boys who exist on earth. Two more male babies were born two years after I was born. After that, it was all-female babies. Even if we are males, we are nothing like the old males. Somehow our bodies adjusted in a weird way to the virus; the only difference between females and us is the reproductive organs. Our figures are feminine, and we grow breasts just like any other female, and other than what is hanging between my legs, we completely resemble any female and don’t resemble the old males at all.

As a 12-year-old, I am now wearing bras. My breasts are B-cup, and they keep growing. They only display old male clothes in the museum, and no one wears them anymore. As a boy, my school uniform may be a bit different it’s still very similar to the girls’ uniform. My uniform is a white blouse with ruffled pip, we wear the same dark blue fitted blazer jacket that shows how slim the waist is, and the blouse has a lot of room for the chest to grow. The only difference is that I wear dark-blue Capri shorts as a boy, and since it’s winter, I always wear tights to keep my legs warm.

Outside of school, I wore skirts, dresses, and my favorite style of shoes; heels. I use makeup only on special occasions when my moms allow me to. In school, I was only allowed to wear lip gloss. Rules are rules, and I really can’t argue with my moms about it. Being their only child and a boy makes both my moms way overprotective. They don’t feel comfortable with girls seeing me attractive. I can’t go anywhere without one of them. Even with the Federation’s protection detail, they still worry about me.

My moms are Eliza and Charlotte, and I took after them. My hazel green eyes came from mom Charlotte, who gave birth to me. My long strawberry blonde hair, which I had always kept loose, comes from my mom Eliza. Genetically, I am their son; unlike others, my parents were relatively wealthy and could afford to give birth to their biological child. I don’t understand how they did it, but I know it was very expensive, and scientists created a fertilized egg from both of my mother’s eggs. This method always makes a female baby, so they don’t know how I happened to be born a male.

There is another option that others who are not that rich follow. They had to buy sperm since many men had donated and frozen their sperm before they died when the virus started to spread in the hope of helping humanity survive. But you have to get permission from the Federation, which is not easy to obtain.

First, they must be married and then pass many tests to ensure they are qualified to be parents. If they pass the test, they undergo a selection process where the Federation will choose the one with the best chance of healthy birthing offspring. The child will be the biological child of only one mom and the child of a long-dead man.

We’re like celebrities. Everyone knows us; no matter where we go, we will be recognized. No one can blame the Federation; they can’t just give precious sperm to just anyone. However, because of these conditions, the world population has decreased significantly in the past decades. The world population is just over 210 million, with only 12 boys alive today, including me. That’s 0.000006% of the world population.

“The Federation is the organization that has ruled the world since World War IV ended. The founding Mothers of the Federation (MoF) are the ones who control the Federation, and they thought that if all humans lived close to each other in a single area, then it would make life easier. All the humans came to live in one land: the former USA, Canada, and Mexico. After World War IV, the forests started growing again in deserted places, and nature took its course without human interference.”

Old Joe had shown me pictures of the world in 2123. It was different then; there were more people but more pollution and few green areas.

“Alright, students. Does anyone have a question?” Ms. O’Brien asked after the movie ended. I raised my hand immediately. I had a question that I wanted to ask. As a boy, I understood the causes behind World War IV, the pandemic, and my male duty, but no one ever mentioned the reason behind the virus.
“Yes, “Mr. Middleton?”

“What happened to professor Alan Moore? Did he fail? If he succeeded, how come no male relatives belong to him?” I asked the question I had in my mind.

Ms. O’Brien seemed the be thrilled with my question. I am pretty sure I am not some great-grandchild of this man.

“That’s a good question, Mr. Middleton. Unfortunately, no one knows the whereabouts of professor Alan Moore. For 21 years, he was the most wanted criminal in the Federation, and after 21 years of searching, the Federation had decided that professor Alan Moore was presumed dead. He failed to leave behind any male child for unknown reasons. He had only one daughter who couldn’t give birth to a boy either,” Ms. O’Brien answered.

Seeing that there were no other questions, Ms. O’Brien dismissed the class. It was the last class for today, so I walked out with some girls and my friend Alex. Both of us are the only boys in this school. We used to wear the same uniform as girls until two years ago when they decided we should wear Capri shorts instead of skirts.

“Will you come to hang out with us today?” Maria asked. She was one of my closest friends, with her black hair and blue eyes. She was cute; she asked me to date once, but I had to turn her down since my moms said I was far too young to date.
“It’s check-up day today. We have to show up at the hospital in time,” Alex responded to a disappointed Maria.

Check-up day is a day the Federation created when the twelve of us had to go through 10 hours of tests, including physical, mental, and health tests. It’s such a tiring ordeal that the school allows us to be absent the next day. They won’t let us leave the hospital until they are sure we are completely healthy and otherwise okay. It’s good because we need to recover from the ordeal.

The Federation conducts these tests every other month, and everything else can wait. Even if it’s exams, the school will reschedule them for us.

“That’s not fair. Why do you have to be kept in the hospital for 10 hours? I get tired only from watching you,” Alex’s identical twin, Allison, protested. Unlike me, Alex had two sisters, one older and his twin sister, and I envied him sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my moms, and they are great. I also have a nanny named Annika, she originated from former Ukraine, but there is nothing called Ukraine anymore. Annika is great, kind, and funny, and she sometimes mumbles things in Ukrainian in a funny way on purpose to make me laugh. Still, I always wished I had an elder sister. I usually go to Alex’s house and hang out with him and his family. His house was very close, and the whole area was made very secure by the FSF (Federal Security Forces.)

Two boys living in the same area? That’s a place that needs protection. It’s not just me. All boys are being followed by security forces all the time. That was why my moms would let me walk to Alex’s house, and there was also the idea of one security following me everywhere to ensure I was safe.

“I am going to the restroom quick, and I will be back,” I informed them before walking to the restroom.

“Wait, I am coming too,” Alex said before walking beside me.

The small heels on our loafers clicked on the floor as we walked to the restrooms. There is a restroom on every floor reserved for Alex and me. Having Alex and me in the school makes its security level much higher, making moms enrol their daughters in this school knowing that the education and security level will be high.

As we walked into the restroom, we each took an empty stall. I quickly pulled down my shorts, tights, and panties and stood in front of the toilet to pee.

There are things my moms couldn’t teach me; we had some differences. One such example is how I should pee. Annika stepped in after they started with my potty training when I was two. Instead of making it complicated because I have a different organ, she made it simple. She told me to sit down and pee and showed me. I get a tissue, fold it and wipe after peeing. However, Alex and I learned we could stand while peeing and shake it afterward.

After pulling my clothes back up, I walked out of the stall to wash my hands. Alex was already there washing his hands. “I hate check-up day,” Alex grumbled.

I agree with Alex since today will be a very tiring day. Usually, I would spend most of the next day in bed with a very sore body.

“What can we do? It’s not like we can do anything about being boys,” I shrugged, washing my hands.

Alex went to his small clutch that all students carried around the school and took out his hairbrush. A clutch is for students to carry their personal belongings. We don’t need backpacks like in old-style schools. The computer built into our desks does the job. We only need to use our mini-computers back home to study.

Alex started to brush his long dark brown hair in front of the mirror, and I started doing the same after drying my hand. A couple of minutes later, after Alex had fixed his makeup, we walked out of the bathroom. He used makeup even at school. Sure it’s light makeup, but still, his moms allowed him to use makeup, and I couldn’t. I have to admit I was a bit jealous.
Alex, Allison, and their older sister Diana were born the same way as me. They are all the biological children of their moms. Both my family and theirs are wealthy, so it wasn’t a problem for them.

We walked to the gate and left the school building to find Diana, Alex’s older sister, waiting for us in her brand-new personal transport. Diana was 16, and she was lovely. I always liked her.

“What took you so long? Get in already,” Diana hissed. She wasn’t in a good mood today, and neither were we. We just got in the transport to avoid any more outbursts from Diana.

Diana immediately engaged the vehicle as Alex, and I sat in the backseat while Allison sat in the front seat. “Listen, I am sorry about earlier, but you need to get ready for today, and like always, we are short on time,” Diana apologized, and we just nodded. We understood what she meant. I looked rear, and a black FSF van pulled out to follow us.

While Diana and Allison didn’t have to go to the hospital with Alex, they preferred to do so. They would rather stay with Alex for 10 hours than leave him alone.

She drove me to my home, but a guard stopped her from going closer to the gate. My house was a mansion, and we owned a big chunk of land around it. At the beginning of our property, many black vans blocked the road. The vans had the symbol of the Federation security force. Women, with their weapons out, stood by the vans. Their only mission is to protect a great figure of the Federation, mostly the founding mothers.

“No one can enter the mansion for the time being. Please turn around,” one of the women said. She wore sunglasses and seemed to be in charge.

“But that’s my home,” I protested loudly from the back of the car. It was a scary sight, but this was my home. No one can stop me from entering my own home.

The lady looked at me, removed her sunglasses, and seemed to study me intensively. “Mr. Middleton?” The lady asked, and I nodded. What she did next left me and everyone else in the car in shock.

“All units stand by... [roger]… Salute the young lord,” the lady ordered before everyone gave a military salute. It freaked me out. “Apologies, my young lord, but only you can enter the house.”

I had no idea what was happening, but I looked at Dianna and saw her nodding in the mirror. I reached to open the door, but one of the ladies quickly opened it for me.

“Please follow us inside the mansion,” the one in charge said. I heard another one of the ladies announcing the arrival of the young lord, and I guess they meant me.

I looked at Diana and everyone in the car before I followed one of the ladies into the mansion. I was escorted into the mansion and saw Annika standing in front of the door. Her face lit up when she saw me.

“Thank goddess, they didn’t scare you to death,” Annika said as the other lady left. I felt much better being around Annika than that scary lady in black.

“Annika, what’s going on?” I was freaking out and wanted some answers. I am sure Annika could also see that. My family is wealthy, but I have never seen anything like this. The mansion was full of Federation security forces wearing elite force uniforms. I am only used to the security forces who are always around the estate, and I haven’t seen them today.

“I don’t know, but I have instructions from your moms. It would be best if you took a bath quickly,” Annika said, and with that, she pulled me upstairs to my bathroom, where I found the bathtub full of warm water smelling of lavender. My favorite smell.

“Look, sweetheart, all I know is that there is a special guest, and your moms are sitting with her right now, so you need to take a bath while I get your clothes ready. Now get in the bathtub, please. We don’t have time,” Annika said before walking out of the bathroom in a hurry.

Today was turning out just great. If it was supposed to be crazy confusing, and tiring, it had just gotten much worse. It’s not like I could do anything about it. Sighing, I closed the bathroom door and started to take off my clothes. I removed the blazer and then started to unbutton the blouse. I unhooked the bra and took it off. I noticed it seems my breasts have grown again. I took off my shoes, Capri pants, tights, and panties. After putting my shoes beside the door, I folded everything neatly and put them on a shelf. I loved bubble baths. After spending some time in the bathtub, I started to wash my hair and then the rest of my body.

I then slipped into the warm water, moaning as I did so. It always managed to calm me. After leaving the bathtub, I was drying my hair and body when there was a knock on the door. “Are you done yet? We need to hurry,” Annika asked impatiently. I have never seen Annika this impatient before. It made me wonder who this VIP was, sitting with my moms.

“Just a second, Annika,” I yelled, put on my dark blue bathrobe, and opened the door. “I’m done,” I announced, and she smiled. She led me to my room painted dark blue, and my king-size bed was covered in dark blue sheets. Yup, you guessed it, dark blue is my color.

When we entered the room, my eyes almost popped out of my head. The most gorgeous dark blue dress I had ever seen was on my bed.

Next to the dress was underwear which was different from anything I had ever owned. It was black with a white lace collar and a black gem. All my panties have extra space in the front for comfort since it was made for boys. But this was lacy and something my moms wouldn’t allow me to wear. There was also a pair of four-inch black stiletto heels and sheer black hose on the bed.

“These clothes are a small gift from the VIP guest. I am sure you will love it. Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

Annika pulled me towards the bed and held the panties to put on. As she pulled them up, I realized they hung loosely around the crotch, even though they looked very tight. Next, Annika kept looking for something under the dress. She pulled it out of the dress and finally found what she wanted, a camisole.

“Let’s get the bra on first,” Annika said, taking it from the bed and turning me around so she could help me put it on. Once the bra was on, Annika turned me around, frowning a bit. “Did your breasts get bigger again?”

I just shrugged at her question, making her roll her eyes. “I will tell your moms to get you measured, but we don’t have time for that now.” Annika pulled the camisole over my head, then made me sit on the bed. She started pulling the hose up my legs until it was around my knees when she asked me to stand up again and pulled them the rest of the way up. She brushed her hand against my tights, checking whether the hose fit properly. “Is it too tight, too small?” Annika asked, probably seeing my expression.

The feeling was nothing like I had ever felt before. It felt as if electricity ran through my body. My boy parts started to enlarge, making my eyes grow in horror.

“Is it supposed to do that?” I wondered.

It seemed normal because the moment it grew up, the panties expanded a bit, making more room.

“Let’s get your dress on so we can start with your makeup,” Annika said, taking the dress and holding it for me. She pulled the dress over my head and zipped it up in the back. “Put on the shoes and sit in front of your vanity. Please, we need to hurry up,” Annika said, and I nodded.

Usually, I don’t wear heels this high outside. I still own a couple of pairs. One of them is even five inches. I am just not allowed to wear them outside. Maybe if there’s a special occasion, that will be okay. I can walk in them like a professional model. Both my moms think it’s not appropriate for my age.

I put on the gorgeous heels and walked to the vanity, taking my seat. Annika started taking out items from a makeup kit that was not mine. She then spun my chair around, not facing the mirror.

“I can’t see like this,” I complained, to which Annika laughed and kissed my forehead. I huffed, crossing my arms. “Not fair.” I know I can’t win against Annika. She knows me very well. After all, she helped raise me with my moms.

“You know, I love you, Ben. I wish I could have a child, and she would be like you,” Annika said before starting on my makeup.

She attacked my face with many different brushes as she did my eyelids and eyes lashes. She then added a bit of a blush to my cheeks. She applied lipstick to my lips.

She then worked on my nails, painting in a dark red color which looked even nicer when she added the second coat.

“Perfect, I knew you would look stunning,” Annika said, making me very curious.

I wanted to see myself in the mirror already, but it seemed, however, Annika had other ideas. She took my hairbrush and started brushing my hair. She gathered it in a bun, and I complained. I always liked my hair loose.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but what your moms say happens. It has to be in a bun today.” Annika said, causing me to huff.
Whoever this guest is, she must be vital for me to skip the check-up day.

Annika had just finished my hair when my phone bracelet started to shine, announcing that I had a call.
“Can I take it? It’s probably Alex,” I looked at Annika with begging eyes. I know my way around; she can never say no to this pleading look.

“Alright, but don’t talk long,” Annika said, permitting me.

I touched my phone bracelet, and sure enough, the name and hologram picture that appeared was Alex. It was an old embarrassing picture of Alex. Feeling my bracelet again, I answered the call, and a hologram of Alex appeared in front of me.

“Wow! Ben, is that you?” Alex quizzed, making me giggle. I guess Annika did a great job, after all.

“Don’t even think about telling him how he looks. I spent a lot of effort to keep this look a surprise,” Annika said sternly, causing Alex to gulp.

“Yes, ma’am,” Alex answered nervously. “I’m just calling to make sure you’re okay, and they delayed the check-up day until tomorrow. We don’t even have homework. It’s like a second birthday today,” Alex said, making me laugh. Alex hates anything that isn’t science or math, even though he’s doing good in all subjects.

“Yeah, I’m okay, but I have to go. I have to meet an important guest.” I felt bad for ending a call this fast with Alex. Usually, we would spend hours talking.

“Okay, but you owe me a story,” Alex said, ending the call and causing me to let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to end the call myself.

“Ready to take a look at yourself?” Annika’s question didn’t make any sense. Of course, I wanted to see how I looked, but I nodded eagerly. With a smile, Annika spun my chair to face the mirror. I gasped, seeing my reflection in the mirror.

“Is that okay?” I asked Annika while still looking in the mirror. I looked a bit older like I was 15 or something. I was afraid my moms would have a problem with it.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I didn’t expect my moms to agree, let alone ask for it. But I liked it. The makeup was on your moms’ instructions,” Annika said, surprising me even more.

“Now we don’t have time. Let’s go. The guest is waiting for you.” With that, Annika took my hand, pulling me out of the room.

I couldn’t help but start to feel nervous. Who was this very important guest that my moms broke the norms to make me look this pretty just to meet? I was about to find out as we stood in front of the ballroom. From the guards outside, I could tell the guest was very important.

Annika knocked on the door, and soon we heard permission to enter. Annika opened the door for me and then stepped back. I looked at her with confusion. I thought she would come with me. Annika seemed to understand as she gave an apologetic look.

With a sigh, I entered the room but was not ready to see who I saw in front of me. My eyes grew wide open as I realized it was Wanda Middleton, one of the six founding mothers.

The six founding mothers come from six prominent families, and they effectively control the Federation. Challenging their authority is a fatal mistake, and they won’t hesitate to show their power if they have to. Seeing such a significant figure in front of me, I immediately curtsied.

“Greetings, founding mother,” I announced, looking down to the floor, not raising my head. Was Wanda Middleton our guest? Seriously? Is there any way for today to get weirder?

“I see you have properly raised him as he should be,” she said, lifting my head slightly and seeing both of my moms smiling broadly. They would never miss the chance to say how proud of me they were. “There’s one issue, though,” Wanda continued, standing up and walking towards me. “My grandson doesn’t bow down to anyone.”

Her hand reached under my chin, causing me to stand up. I looked at her in shock and disbelief. Did she say grandson? I must have misheard. I always thought we were distant relatives since we have the same last name. But there’s no way I am her grandson. That simply didn’t make any sense.

“Excuse me, did you say Grandson?”

She had a big grin that I had never seen once in my life. I saw her a lot on the news but never saw her smiling at all. She had the same hazel green eyes as mine and the same strawberry blonde hair, except hers, had a couple of grey strands. Now that I think about it, this would explain why I resembled her a lot. She can’t be right, can she? I must have heard her wrong.

“Why yes, sweetie, you are the one and only grandson of mine. You think you carry the Middleton name from Martha only?” She was talking cheerfully in the most informal way; she was not talking like a founding mother but rather more like a real grandma. “I am glad I could see you again in person. Now come and sit beside me.”

I was pulled gently by her hand and sat beside her on the sofa, I looked at my moms for them to say anything to clear my confusion, but they just smiled. I was in shock. I didn’t say anything, simply because I didn’t know what to say.

Wanda, or grandma, pulled me towards her as we sat down. It felt like she was holding onto a treasure she didn’t want to let go of.

I still couldn’t believe that Wanda Middleton was my grandma. She’s not just a founding mother. She’s the most powerful woman in the world with the highest rank in the Federation.

“I see you’re wearing my gift.”

I looked up at her, nodding and smiling widely. The dress, the hose, and the shoes combined were something I usually could never wear. My wearing hose was simply out of the question, the heels were something I could only wear around the house, and I never wear a dress like this except for exceptional occasions.

“I am glad you liked it; I know you have many questions but know for sure that I am your grandma, just like Olivia and Martha are your grandmas. I will make sure to answer your questions later,” Grandma said, planting a kiss on my forehead.
She was about to say something when one of the guards in the room stepped up, making her presence known to us. Grandma rolled her eyes, her smile turning into a frown.

“I thought I made myself clear. No one interrupts my conversation with my family, especially while I am with my grandson,” Grandma forcefully said, visibly annoyed.

“My deepest apologies, your Excellency, but a young girl is standing at the gate demanding the right to enter. She claims to be the young lord’s older sister,” the guard said as grandma’s eyes narrowed.
The guard was terrified by her stare. Just two seconds ago, she seemed different, not scary at all.

“The young lord doesn’t have sisters. He’s an only child. Whoever they are, tell them to leave. I don’t want anyone to disrupt my time with my grandson.”

She was not happy at all. On the one hand, I felt delighted she wanted nothing more than be with me. On the other hand, I was bewildered and a bit scared.

Let me explain. In the Federation, there’s always one empty seat. Other than the six seats of the founding mothers, there is the seat reserved for the founding father.

If one of the families ever had a male child, this seat would be his, and he would take the position of the founding father. I am the only male born of any of the six families.

I didn’t look forward to this. I didn’t want to become a pawn or a political toy. I didn’t want anyone to use me to achieve power. That was a scary thought to me.

“Hold on, does the girl have dyed blonde hair and brown eyes?” My mom Eliza asked the guard, who didn’t answer until grandma nodded.

“Yes, ma’am, she’s refusing to leave the property. I am afraid we will have to remove her by force,” the guard said, making me gasp.

That was harsh. I couldn’t let the guards do this to Diana, who only came here because she was worried about me. I was about to say something when my mom Eliza stood up.

“Don’t you dare touch that girl! She’s not lying. She just as well may be a big sister to Ben,” mom ordered.

I was happy that she stood up to help Diana. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt after all. I had never heard mom’s tone so threatening before. I could already see the guard shaking as she turned back toward grandma.

Grandma looked at me, and I made sure to give her the best pleading puppy dog look I could muster. She just sighed.

“Is she that special to you?”

I nodded rapidly to Grandma’s question while maintaining my puppy eyes.

“Bring her in here and be sure to escort her gently, I don’t want to see a scratch on her.” The guard walked away after taking her orders.

“I heard that your best friend is Alexie Perkins. Is that true?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied as her arms held me tightly as if she was holding into a treasure. I could feel my value from how she held me; although her arms felt strong, I felt secure and protected.

“That’s grandma to you, little one,” Grandma said, pinching my cheek. “I have investigated the Perkins, and they are good people; you made a great choice in choosing your friends.”

Soon, the guards escorted Diana into the room. She was about to rush to me when she saw me but stopped seeing the person sitting beside me.

With a shocked look, Diana immediately curtseyed. “Greetings founding mother,” Diana greeted.

She looked at me in confusion while I just gave her a smile and a little wave.

“No need to be formal young lady,” Grandma instructed. Diana immediately stood up from her courtesy, although she never raised her head.

Diana was a fan of grandma. She always admired her power and authority. Who knew that Wanda Middleton would be my grandma?

“I heard my grandson sees you as his older sister, which makes you a family of mine.” Grandma smiled at me, and I smiled back. I have known her for many years, even though we had just met.

“Grandson?” Diana asked in shock.

“For security reasons, we couldn’t let anyone know that Ben is the heir of the Middleton family after me, and we wanted Ben to grow up normally. We still don’t want that to change, but my mother couldn’t take it any longer and had to see Ben,” my mom Eliza explained.

“Wait! Ben is from the Middleton family, the ruler of the northern territories. That means - Ben, you are royal,” Diana exclaimed in surprise.

“I am not so royal,” I replied, making everyone laugh.

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Comments

Nicely done.

Nicely done.
Good world building
Evil doctor
Unknown royal connection (love the name Middleton)
Good characters.

Keep it going.

Is the doctor really evil or is he trying to save the world?

What will his friends think of the new Ben?

Frank Marks

Not exactly my cup of tea... but

Patricia Marie Allen's picture

It's well written and has a plausible storyline. Now that you've teased everyone (some 400+) with it, I really think you should continue.

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt

An interesting

Maddy Bell's picture

Premise.

There are some timeline issues (Ben gets in the Bath before undressing for example!) as well as geographical issues.re the mansion.

The other thing I’d question is costume, surely in a dystopian future 20th century fashion would be for museums? We don’t wear the same as our forbears of even ten years previous, it’s hard to think we would a hundred plus years ahead - unless there is some strange retro fascination by the ruling classes as in great sci-fi like the Amtrak wars.

Interested to see where you take things.


image7.1.jpg    

Madeline Anafrid Bell

Thanks for seeing that mixup

Julia Miller's picture

The sentences are now in the correct order. We wouldn't want Ben taking a bath with his clothes on. lol

An interesting

Maddy Bell's picture

Premise.

There are some timeline issues (Ben gets in the Bath before undressing for example!) as well as geographical issues.re the mansion.

The other thing I’d question is costume, surely in a dystopian future 20th century fashion would be for museums? We don’t wear the same as our forbears of even ten years previous, it’s hard to think we would a hundred plus years ahead - unless there is some strange retro fascination by the ruling classes as in great sci-fi like the Amtrak wars.

Interested to see where you take things.


image7.1.jpg    

Madeline Anafrid Bell

So where do we go from here?

Julia Miller's picture

Is Ben’s life going to change once his grandmother now seems to be involved or is he still too long?
The evil scientist mentioned in History class. Is he still alive? If so, other than killing off virtually all the men, and since it seems only 12 male/female hybrid men are alive, will he return to help out or make things work?
What is Ben’s future with the Federation council? Are they looking at him to join immediately? What will that entail? Will the other families want to use him for children? Since he is friends with Alexis, will his friend also be drawn into this mess? How will Ben’s life change if he moved to his grandmother’s palace? These are the questions that I come up with. Doesn’t anyone else have any ideas?

Good start

But how to go on ?

That's the question

Julia Miller's picture

Lajien was hoping someone here could give him a few ideas on how to proceed with the story. I had a few of my own, but Lajien was hoping the readers here could think up some plot lines.

I see

I always like dystopian worlds. For me they are reassuring. Because they sometimes are just a few bad decisions away from us, but we are just thinking about what could go wrong and how to avoid that. I’d follow two separate plots. One in which the older women explain how the surviving women managed to keep the world working, losing all the male workforce, barely surviving because there were no female plumbers, electricians, carpenters and technicians in general. It would be interesting to see how she’d develop this plot. And the other one in the present where the lead character singled out as one of the few sort of hybrid new males is ostracized by part of the population just for being himself, and at the end refusing to take the vacant seat, because of the rejection of part of the society. I miss th3 freedom in this dystopian society. His walking away would be considered a revolutionary act of freedom.

I Tend Toward Paranoid Readings...

...in situations like this, and wondered if that was what the author had in mind.

The documentary that Ben had seen "hundreds if not thousands of times" -- it's not clear how often his classmates have seen it, but this isn't necessarily their first time, especially since none of them had any questions -- made me think of the kind of lying propaganda presented in Orwell's 1984 and other dystopias, which has to be drilled into people by frequent repetition. And the concept of an AI providing its version of history added to the feeling, especially since the example we're given, no home 8K, is already untrue, with 8K-resolution computer monitors and gaming systems currently available a hundred years before 2123, according to DuckDuckGo Search and YouTube.

And once one starts doubting things, the whole background becomes open to question, produced by the Federation in order to justify their dictatorial control of North America. Is the rest of the world really void of human life, or are they just preventing others from communicating with them? (Presumably they did move people out of other countries, but was it really everyone from everywhere?) Even if they intended to, is there an alternative more democratic country (with unaltered males?) hiding out in some remote place? Was WWIV a cover story for the accidental release of a runaway virus, or for a crazy radical feminist plot gone wrong? Did the Professor even exist, or did the Federation just need a male villain to blame it on?

On a less fevered note unrelated to all that, the presence of ten male children in 2178 and two more in 2180 sort of screams "medical experiment". Obviously if the experimenters were trying to replicate prewar males, it wasn't a complete success. If (as in David Brin's novel Glory Season) they were trying to breed more docile males, then it may have worked. In any case, they wouldn't know whether it will produce viable sperm until the boys reach the point where the constant check-ups can tell them.

We don't know how many of the boys have Federation-leading grandparents, only that Wanda Middleton had just one of them. Apparently she's the "first among equals" of the Founding Mothers, so her boy would have the inside track on the Founding Father position if his reproductive organs work, even if there are other members of the aristocracy among the kids. How many people know that, and would want to prevent it?

Did Wanda choose this day to visit (and take him away?) in order to prevent him from going through the following day's check-up where his having reached manhood would be documented? Was Wanda concerned about a possible plot by the examiners to kill or sterilize him at the check-up?

As Ben pointed out in his narration, he's well aware that all of this makes him a political pawn, which he'd hoped to avoid. Running away, if it even were possible, would only make things more unstable for him; my limited feel for his character makes me think he wouldn't want that. Of course, being recognized as one of the few living boys would make hiding impossible. Having to pretend he's a girl wouldn't be difficult in terms of behavior and such, but nobody knows where adolescence will take him, or how quickly. While he has gone through a female puberty so far, if his body is now producing testosterone, that may start to change in a way that will be harder to conceal. Would he know that?

Does Wanda want to take him (and Diana) away, and if so, would it be to hide him or to flaunt him? The latter may make more sense; he'd probably have (even) more protection as well as more visibility -- also possibly a more personal kind of education geared to his position in society. (And sex education too, I suppose, since we've seen that he's clueless as to how his equipment works.)

Anyway, I hope at least the non-paranoid section of this is helpful.

Eric

ideas?

OK so you have a bit over 400 million on earth, all supposedly located somewhere in the North American continent. That is very close to the current population of the continent therefore society would closely resemble today’s, with the exception of no males (except for the 12 feminine boys) and any technological changes. I would suggest taking the current population of the area and using half that number, which gives more room for greenspace, forests, farming etc.

Also by using half the current population, you can have some conspiracy theories and rumors, any of which may or may not be true.

Such as the virus only affected North America and not the rest of the world. Easy to disprove if you have the money and time to take a trip over to Europe and see for yourself, but impossible for a woman farmer and her 3 girls in Missouri, that make just enough profit off the farm to keep their heads above water.

Or the Good Doctor that invented and released the virus is a McGuffin, he doesn’t exist. The story was made up to give everyone a bad guy to hate, instead of digging up the truth about the old women on the council being the ones that really released the virus so they could take over.

It seems that all 12 of the male boys are in fact something a female with a penis and testicles. I’m sure one of the tests done during their checkups would be to see if they are genetically XX, XY or have an extra chromosome...XXY, XYY? Are they genetic aberrations or has mother nature come up with a way of continuing the species? Will they remain rare or will more like them be born in the future?

Another test would be if they could produce viable sperm capable of fathering children.

Are these female boys the new norm for the male of the species? And no old type of masculine males will never be born?

What would happen 200 year in their future if a masculine male was born? Would the child be thought of as disabled? Would doctors and parents wish to use drugs and surgery to correct the child’s malformed body?

I love “what if’s” like the above. It gives you so many idea of how a story could go and tons of red herrings to throw at the reader.

What if the feminine boys are not just boys with a female appearance. What if they are truly both male and female with the vagina hidden under the skin that requires surgery to open when puberty hits so they may menstruate? Or maybe the skin covering is more like a hymen and grows thinner with age until menstruation causes it to break open? What if they are capable of both fathering a child and becoming pregnant? Will the human race eventually become a single sex race of hermaphrodites?

You mention forests becoming repopulated and must more green space. With the population you mentioned, this would not happen in North America unless there was some technological advance that removed the use of fossil fuels. Possible solution… Electrical power generated by Nuclear Fusion, all free to the public through wireless electricity transmission such as the one Tesla attempted.

Transport vehicles between cities would have batteries for when they are out of range of the wireless towers. Or there would be a rail system between the cities using a powered rail like the 3rd rail on many subways to power the electric train. All other electric vehicles would not need batteries or recharging as they would use the electricity from the wireless towers.

For plots, there are so many possibilities. Of course the boys have security but someone with enough money could try to kidnap one or more. Although I believe his grandmother would brings hell on earth to any who tried that with her grandson.

Doctors at the hospital would be very hard pressed not to hide back some sperm samples for themselves or their families to use.

His mothers are good to be so protective, not only girls he knows but the mothers of those girls might very well have ideas of seducing him.

The identity of his grandmother will get out in school.

We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.

Royally screwed?

There is always sex and/or romance. You have created a fluid world that aches for a little transformation. I have enjoyed several of your previous works and presently I am following "changes" and "Sammy". You could always use teaching boys to be boys or girls finding ways to be different. I'll be watching to see what you come up with.

Thank you all. Lots of ideas.

There are so many ideas and many possibilities that even I couldn't think of, so thank you all.

You’re Welcome

Non c’è di che piacere mio.