Curated List

that "Dude, Where's My Genie?!" trope

Curator: Nu and the Nus

last change on August 2, 2023

Stories where the main character starts out with an object that lets him change reality — but then, through his own hubris (or simple negligence), he loses control of it to someone else. Now *he's* the one at the total mercy of its reality-warping power... and he can't do a thing to stop it.
A classic. One of the first stories I read that *really* nailed this turnabout reality-warp trope and made me realize I loved it. The protagonist gets the ability to make three special wishes to change reality, so that he can 'take care' of a handsome jock bully. HIs first wish is to turn the bully gay. But it doesn't teach the bully empathy — if anything, it makes him more predatory. And then, when the *bully* gets his hands on one of the wishes, and makes a wish of his own about the protagonist... Well, just give it a read and you'll see!
Another classic oldie — back when iPods were a thing! Check out the **second chapter** for the turnabout scenario. Ryan's developed a sound file that allows him to convert straight jerks into his gay sextoys. Chapter 2 of this tale details how he 'punishes' his sister's cheating boyfriend by converting him into his own gay lover. But Ryan's control of Vincenzio is less complete than he thinks — and when Vincenzio gets his hands on the mind-controlling iPod, well... Ryan's life will never be the same. Just like with "Jerk" by Lee, what sells this story is how Ryan's fall at the end is due to his own hubris. It's his *own* changes to Vincenzio that lead to Ryan's downfall at the end.
A classic by a master of the genre. Paul spends most of the story showing of his brand-new wishing bracelet to his friend Marshall, and using its powers to make his life amazing while humiliating their old high school rival. Paul is so focused on celebrating his own new football-star life that he ignores how there might be some *ripple* effects to his other changes... which end up costing him the bracelet, and his freedom. Like with the previous two stories on this list, it's Paul's own hubris that leads straight to his downfall. He literally creates a version of Marshall that seems laser-guided to trip him up... but because Marshall is *gay* while Paul is straight, Paul doesn't quite take him seriously until it's too late.
An underappreciated oldie-but-goodie, which also has a happy ending! But not before engaging in some steamy turnabout shenanigans first... This one is great because the protagonist never loses control of the wish-granting book. Rather, he's careless with the second wish he makes — and ends up as much under its power as everyone else. Which means *other* people can take advantage of him, thanks to his wish. Including two bullies he can't stand, but who he now can't say no to... This story is great. I recommend it!
This is a *classic* story of "Hey, I misplaced my Chronivac! Where did it go? And why am I totally oblivious to all these changes that keep happening around me?" Read the **first chapter** for the turnabout. The second and third chapters are hot too, but are continuations of the post-turnabout story. (Also, a heads up that this story was sadly never completed, though the first chapter is still very effective as a standalone.)
This is another one by MonsterMash, who really is a master of this type of story. He wrote a ton of great "shorts" on Tumblr back in the day, and this is one of my favorites from then. Like "MyWorld" by CoyoteR, this story is a pure distillation of the turnabout into a compact form. What's really great about this one is how it gets us inside the head of Tobey when reality warps around him. So we're right on that mental ride with him when he gets turned from average straight dude into a muscle-obsessed cocksucker who can't stop lusting for his roommate. I also love how it's so obvious what's happening but Tobey doesn't notice anything off — thanks to implicit changes made by Tobey's roommate, Jin-woo can literally use the program right in front of Tobey and he won't even register it. (And I love that the program *technically* remains Tobey's the entire time. It kinda rubs it in your face, in a really fun way.)
1,325
8/2/23
Tobey gets a copy of the MasterMaker program. What’s he need that for though when his life and his roommate’s are already a gay wet dream? And why does he feel like his roommate knows something he’s not telling Tobey?
What I love about this story is how the first two chapters follow a standard format of a guy with a magic wishing ring who uses his powers to warp former assholes into needy gay sluts. And then, with the **third chapter**, the confident protagonist misplaces his wishing ring... and so he's totally oblivious when it's *him* who starts warping the next day instead...
The **third chapter** of this story is a doozy. Up till then, James has been having fun with a reality-changing app, making his life with his two roommates a gay utopia for himself. Then he foolishly makes a few careless changes to his roommate Dave... which put the protagonist (and his app) completely under Dave's thumb, and unable to resist his new domineering personality. This is another fantastic example of a story where it's the protagonist's own carelessness that causes the turnabout and loss of control. He has no one to blame but himself... which somehow makes it all the hotter.
This story was sadly never completed, but the first seven chapters follow a standard fun adventure of a guy who tries using his reality-warping MacGuffin to get his sexy older brother to sleep with him. Hijinks ensue (and eventually sex too). Then things take a swerve at **chapter eight**, when the protagonist goes to run an errand, and his older brother discovers his reality-warping computer program... without even realizing it *actually* affects reality. And so he pulls up the main character's profile, and starts playing around with it — not knowing that he's literally reshaping the main character as he does it, who doesn't realize what's happening either. The other chapters are great too, but chapter eight is definitely my favorite.
The first chapter (aka, the **Nipplesluts** story) is an interesting example of this trope for me. There's no reality-warping, or wish-granting... but there is the protagonist Benny, who foolishly puts on a pair of latex "nipplesluts" and has his world transformed. The turnabout comes at the end — and, once again, it's largely a scenario of Benny's own making. It's his own earlier choices that lead to his (very hot) 'downfall', and it's a fantastic ride the whole way.
This is another unusual example of a turnabout. There's no sex, and the 'bully' never overtly just *grabs* the brainwashing technology from the protagonists... Instead, it's far more clever and insidious. The protagonists are smart inventors, but very oblivious and naive about other people (and more than a little self-absorbed). Meanwhile the 'bully' is strategic and people-savvy, and so he's able to manipulate the protagonists via their blind spots. Consequently, without ever touching the tech himself, he manages to get the protagonists to use their own technology to *gradually brainwash themselves*... into being his loyal slaves. This is a *very* well-paced slow burn. You get to watch the protagonists ever-so-gradually seal their fate, one mp3 file at a time, while being totally oblivious to what they're doing and how much they're changing. It's a hubris-driven turnabout that unfolds in erotic slow motion.
Two young men, fresh out of college and carrying big aspirations, are about to present their exciting new invention to one of the world's largest tech companies.