The virus came out of nowhere and spread rapidly across the planet, traveling through the air, water, saliva but infecting only men, inserting its DNA into every y-chromosome in the body before falling dormant. The symptoms of the original infection were generally mild and the virus was universally derided and dismissed as a bad case of man-flu.
One year after infection, the latent virus entered its active phase. The effect was almost invariable fatal. Bleeding from the eyes and ears, behavioral disturbances often culminating in violent mania, eventually culminating in systemic organ failure and death. Before they even knew what was happening, mankind was a fraction of its former self. Roughly 75% of all men died. Those that survived had a long road to recovery.
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So the plague wasn't a barrel of laughs, sure, but civilization continued. Politicians died, but they could be replaced. Militaries were gutted, losing almost three quarters of their soldiers, but since each country was affected almost equally it didn't matter, and in the period after F-Day nobody really felt like fighting anyway. Military conflicts practically ended overnight. Police forces were severely diminished by casualties, but the level of violent crime dropped in line with the male population.
The virus still lingered, latent, in the bodies of every man and woman on the planet. Those that had survived were immune, but it soon became clear that only a quarter of male pregnancies could be brought to term. Forced to accept the fact that the male population would never recover to pre-F-Day levels, women stepped more confidently into the roles of power.
Five years after F-Day, the world is almost as it was. The dead have been buried and mourned for. Society is entering a golden age. There hasn't been a war in four years and crime is at an all-time low.
A golden-age for women perhaps, but not for men. Outnumbered and pushed out from every governing organization and position of power, men have become a lesser sex. Their rights have been stripped, reducing them to chattel.
After fighting off the disease, most of the surviving males were weakened or debilitated. Unable to care for themselves, many died of secondary causes, such as malnutrition. In order to ensure that the remaining men are cared for, the Guardianship Program was set up, whereby each male would be placed under the care of a Guardian whose job is to keep their assigned male safe.
In order to ensure their weak, but often disobedient wards could be protected from the world and themselves, the Guardian Laws were gradually put in place, extending the powers of Guardians over their wards, until the point where Guardians were able to dictate much of their ward's life, and mete out severe punishment for disobedience to ensure their ward remains obedient. Over time, the Guardian Laws became increasingly authoritarian and misandrist, until the Guardian Program became little more than sanitized slavery.
Guardianship contracts may be bought and sold openly, and men may be purchased and sold at markets, Males, particularly young, virile, attractive ones, are regarded as status symbols, and the wealthy and powerful women may be identified by the menagerie of males that they keep.
Your guardianship contract determines everything about the life you lead. At the moment, it (and by extension you) is in the hands of...
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