The 40th Year: Dads by Design

In the dystopian city of Madison, conformity is law. As men approach their 40th birthdays, those who haven’t yet aligned with society’s strict expectations are subjected to the state’s Development and Assimilation Directive. This program forces them into meticulously designed archetypes of manhood, transforming them into hyper-masculine figures—the perfect “dads” that society demands.

Julian, a free-spirited artist; Leo, a reclusive professor; Tristan, a disciplined yogi; and Noah, a nature-loving minimalist—four friends standing on the brink of enforced transformation—are marked for a future they can’t escape. Each is slated to become a new kind of “dad”—a handy handyman, a drill-sergeant sports coach, a relaxed grill master, and a tech-savvy family man. But as the government’s virtual reality workshops chip away at their identities, the battle between personal freedom and imposed perfection grows ever more intense.

Will these men find a way to hold on to who they are, or will they succumb to the relentless programming that promises order at the cost of individuality? Don’t miss this gripping exploration of identity, resistance, and the lengths society will go to control those who don’t fit the mold.

The 40th Year: Dads by Design is a 13,000-word novelette. All content in this story is fictional and describes activities between consenting, unrelated adults who are 18+.