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Since I've fallen victim to the curse of the short story writer (a rather deafening blast of "Encore! Sequel!"), while I await inspiration for where I can take the story further, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the characters - which may be of use if anyone decides to write their own tale featuring them (hint, hint!)
First of all, I imagined the cast as being in their late 20s / early 30s. So they've got a nice big pile of qualifications, have worked their way up to respectable office-based positions in their companies (different roles/industry sectors, so there's little chance of Peter moving over to Lydia and Kim's company - even if Lydia moves elsewhere). They've probably paid off their student loans, but haven't accumulated anywhere near enough savings to consider buying property, so are renting instead. (Of course, renting has the side effect that at the end of my tale, Peter can make a quick getaway!)
Peter and Lydia are cohabiting: Peter paying the rent, Lydia paying the utility bills, and sharing the cost of food etc.
As mentioned in story, Lydia was initially appalled at her partner's cross-dressing, but possibly one day after noticing him looking at her clothes, or the female clothing section of a store, she started searching the 'net to find out more. Inevitably, she discovered some FF stories, liked the concept, and thought she'd have a go. However, I doubt she planned it in much detail, as she didn't think of revealing the blackmail until several weeks after Peter had stopped wearing the 'incriminating' outfit (which in itself should have warned her that her scheme wasn't going quite to plan!), and if she succeeded in persuading Peter to stay home 24/7, she'd have a slight problem in paying the rent when the money going out of Peter's bank account in the form of rent wasn't replaced by his salary. I'd expect that during those few weeks, she would probably have 'winged' it, experimenting to see what she could get her partner to do.
Julie, Kim and Claire are of a similar age to Lydia and Peter, and in similar financial circumstances - except that they're probably renting flats rather than a house. Kim, at least, is still single, which may be a contributory factor to her needing a lodger. Alternatively, her income may be slightly less than the others, or she may be younger and still paying off her student loan. She's probably considered advertising for a lodger, but been reluctant to because she didn't fancy the idea of sharing her flat with a total stranger.
Now, as for this writing a sequel business...
The existing story was fairly easy to lay down - after all, before I even opened gedit I knew my beginning (the DVD), roughly what happened in the middle ("You're not the only one who can play games"), and the end ("I'm leaving").
The info above practically maps out a plot for a prequel, which logically would have to be from Lydia's POV (getting motivated by reading FF, formulating her plan, putting it into action, playing the DVD) - but I'm not really interested in that side of the story.
Now comes the problem with writing the sequel. We know the beginning (Peter moving into Kim's flat), but while there are elements of a middle (reports of what happens to Lydia at work, Peter settling in and probably spending larger portions of 'free time' as Petra, forming a close bond with Kim, Julie and Claire; with hints at a possible developing romance with Kim) there's not really a definite end point, and there's no clear driver for the storyline. While some people can write reams and reams about ordinary, everyday life; I can't (well, not yet at least!) - at least partially because I'm still living on my own and single (hey, I'm a geek and an introvert - one day I'll start socialising and securing a mate, but until then, I've no experience whatsoever).
On the issue of story developments and a possible endpoint, I can imagine that he might eventually develop a romantic attachment with Kim, but of course it would develop slowly, with the relationship evolving over time. One thing's for certain - if he's invited to a costume party, he definitely will NOT be going as a French Maid! Obviously with a flatmate who accepts his feminine side, it's likely Petra will have more appearances, and Kim / Julie / Claire will undoubtedly help refine Petra's appearances and mannerisms so she passes in broad daylight as well as a dimly lit pub at night time. Maybe Peter/Petra end up with a 50:50 or even 40:60 share of time, maybe Peter finds Petra so endearing he decides he's TG.
There's also the possibility of a separate sequel for Lydia, which would probably be a very introspective and emotionally turbulent tale, as she comes to terms with losing her partner, her scheme being exposed, finding alternative accommodation, coping with negative attitudes at work. of course, her colleagues would have to be subtle, so she couldn't quit and claim for "Constructive Dismissal" (i.e. you haven't been fired, but the working environment is so hostile to you that you felt pressurised into resigning). Perhaps there's a convenient opening at a similar company in another town, and her boss agrees to write a glowing reference to get her out of the way (legally!) asap.
Heck, there's even the possibility of a tale from Kim's POV, which would overlap with the Peter/Petra sequel. Arrggghhh, so many choices for expansion!
One day I might get around to writing the Peter/Petra sequel, but until then I'll continue reading as many other stories as possible, and possibly noting down situations / events I see in other stories that I could perhaps adapt. Until then, you're free to have a go yourselves at anything involving these characters - or maybe even bounce a few ideas off me and see if we can collaboratively take this tale further.
Oh, and finally, one of my reasons behind choosing the names Peter and Petra was that although they're male/female equivalents, they're pronounced quite differently, which helps dispel casual connections between the two until pointed out.
Meanwhile, I'm working on a tale called "The Genie", which is currently being reviewed/revised pre-release; and I'm hoping this weekend to start a TG parody of a well-known ancient tale (from way, way back many centuries ago), which will probably take the Michael out of several songs from musicals en-route (usually by the route of incorporating their title or a lyric into the storyline). If you've any favourite candidates, PM me the list (to avoid getting caught up in discussion of Peter/Petra).
