The Katy Nightmare

I hate this story. Only because it kept me up until 5 am.

The same week I discovered the Cheerleader Transformation Machine ultimately ended up being a lucky week so far as age regression goes, because in my internet gallivanting (I’m tired of saying “stumbling”. This makes me sound more manly), I came across a story by the name of “The Katy Nightmare”.

Now right away, this differs from the Cheerleader TF Machine in one way. The name. With a title like “The Katy Nightmare”, it brings to mind the inane, grammatical mutilation-ridden fantasy ramblings of someone far too young to be on this site. But, as the categories at least seemed promising, I clicked it, half expecting some piece of shit about a thirteen year old boy being forced into diapers by his mom or something like that.

OH GOD I WAS WRONG HOW WRONG I WAS!!

Okay, so. There’s this guy named Tony Bradley. Currently 21, he’s just getting used to all the privileges of adulthood: being in charge of his own time, legally drinking alcohol, partying all night, smoking weed, soliciting prostitution (I don’t know much about England, but I’m assuming all this is legal there). Then one night, this young teenage girl shows up at his door.

I need about tree fitty.

Katy Campbell, recently turned 14, shows up inexplicably to drop off a few bags containing her school uniforms. Tony, not being a creepy perverted Otaku, does not immediately run up to his room to fap to them, but instead, rather confused about what he’s supposed to do, just drops them off in his closet, where they sit, watching… waiting…

I hope this isn't going to end up like The Secret Stash

But no, the clothes turn out to just be normal clothes. Which I probably should have expected, but in this line of media, you can never be sure.

Over the next few days, Tony awaits the return of Katy, whom he assumes will show up eventually to pick her uniforms up (presumably, when she comes down from whatever high she was on). No sign of her, and school is supposed to be back in session, so unless she decided to make a daring fashion statement and go to school nekked (This is Europe, after all. And don’t picture that, you perv) she would have needed them by now. So it doesn’t seem likely she’ll be coming back anytime soon.

But it seems some shit is going down when Tony finds his bed has been replaced with a small, pink one, and no one seems to acknowledge this. Even if their memories have somehow been altered, no one even seems to find it strange that a 21-year-old man has a bed more befitting of a teenage girl, seeing how nobody ever muses “You know? I just realized how gay you are” or anything of the like.

He eventually gets in contact with Katy, who finally drops the bomb on him.

 

She’s sick of being a teenage girl. She wants all the privileges of adulthood and the respect of manhood, so guess what Tony? Katy’s going to be you, and you’re going to be Katy. A teenage girl. A school kid again, but this time of the opposite gender. Kaboom.

Horrified, but constantly clinging to denial, Tony goes on to experience the gradual usurpation of his adulthood allowances by his parents, all the while awaiting actually becoming Katy, and being forced back to school as her.

So up until this point, I’ve kept my actual opinions of the story rather vague and flip-floppy at times, mostly so I can be a jackass and keep you frantically guessing until the end (especially Mikkelm, if he happens to be reading this), so bluntly, what do I really think of The Katy Nightmare?

Pros:

This can be summed up in one word.

THISISONEOFTHEGREATESTSTORIESONFICTIONMANIANOBULLSHIT!         

This is… wow… where do I even start?

The is the prime example of the preteen/early teen age category in AR stories. That’s with a “the”, not an “a”. This is the example every other inferior author should hold themselves to.

What makes this story so great? Well, there are two general areas of excellence here. The first is the amazingly unique and powerful way in which this story illustrates one of the most fundamental aspects of TG: The experience of being female.

It’s the subtleties that really make this story great. I have a theory that, if an author wants his or her audience to know what’s going on, simply describing the situation will do, but if he or she wants the audience to actually feel, to experience the situation by proxy, they need to describe things in unexpected ways. And that’s how Mikkelm does it. Instead of focusing exclusively on the big picture, he spends a lot of time pointing out tiny, seemingly insignificant things, which actually help build the image in one’s imagination.

The infantilizing (juvenillizing?) way in which his parents come to treat him is one example. The way Katy talks, writes, types, her diary entries? All compelling tools to create an image of this person he’s becoming. My favorites are probably the changes in part four: the pictures on the walls, the messy room, the skirt on the floor… It’s like a behind-the-scenes look at a girl’s life: something a guy really isn’t meant to see. Hell, even the gradual discovery of his new body in part four is done so much better here than anywhere else.

The second appealing factor of this story is something more personal: There are so many things in this story that fall right into place amongst my own interests, something exceedingly rare. It’s got age regression (not the ‘innocent child’ kind either), it sticks to a realistic portrayal of the new Katy’s life, the only slightly more indulgent thing it uses is a sort of clothing fascination. And… it just so happens one of my few universally applicable indulgent interests is feminine clothing: both the tactile sensation on the body, and the sociological implications of wearing it.

In fact, the areas of focus, the prose, everything seems like it was tailor-made to appeal to me, and people like me. It’s very possible Mikkelm is, in fact, myself from the future, sending a story back in time via Boson particles to help enrich my life. This doesn’t explain why my future self appears to be British, but as evidence of time travel it’s still fairly compelling (In other news, I was recently thrown out of Academia for this proposition).

I was also thrown out of my Eighth Grade science class for inappropriate use of Bunsen Burners.

Tony’s reactions were something I really liked, too. He always kept struggling, staying in denial, keeping the nonconsent aspect strong, but still played along, being smart enough not to pull a Sam Beckett and make everything awkward.

I first read this story fairly soon after the third part was released, which means I had to wait an entire TWO MONTHS AND FOURTEEN DAYS and four hours and thirty-six minutes and eight point two four nine three six eight four zero two seconds until the payoff from 111.8 kilobytes of elevating tension. You wouldn’t BELIEVE the Antarctic shower I had to take before settling in for the long wait until part 4.

They say you wouldn’t survive fifteen minutes in Antarctic waters. I think I caused global warming instead.

It’s amazing how this author builds up the tension. He managed to hold my interest viciously throughout the first three (transformation-barren) parts, and did so in a very unique way. By placing the transformation clearly on the horizon (unlike the Cheerleader TF Machine which, although having decent tension, doesn’t say or give the characters a heads up about what’s going to happen until very late in the tension-building), maintaining the knowledge that it’s creeping closer throughout the story, creates a gradual development that keeps me on the edge of my seat.

I also like how he managed to do this without defaulting to the way it’s generally done: via a gradual transformation. I don’t really like gradual change that much, partially for the same reason I didn’t like puberty (besides the fact that puberty didn’t turn me into a cute English schoolgirl). You can’t easily change from male to female without going through a very awkward half-and-half phase unless you go it all at once.

For the most part, though, I prefer faster transformations because they’re a more vivid experience. If you only change a little bit at a time over a few days or weeks, it gives you a chance to get at least somewhat used to every increment until you’re a complete girl, which totally takes the fun out of it. It’s like how robbing a bank is so much more fun than earning the money yourself.

The author claims he has never written anything before this story IF THAT’S TRUE YOU MUST BE THE REINCARNATION OF OSCAR FUCKING WILDE!

Ignoring the reviews that request the story include crossdressing.

Cons:

It’s British. That doesn’t sound like a flaw, but oh my God is this story British. You have no idea.

I know Mike Meyers isn’t really English, but he does make a damn fine stereotype.

I have no problem with Britain as long as it’s after 1812 (and last time I checked, it still is), and what I mean is something like this: I’ve read British stories on FictionMania and other places before. I’ve probably read a lot more than I realize, since they’re more or less identical to American ones. Usually the only tips which give it away are a mention of pounds instead of dollars, or some extra ‘u’s throuwn into a feuw wourds here and there.

Now, of course, this is a very subjective viewpoint, seeing how not everyone doesn’t not live in America like me, but it’s hard to nitpick this story, so I guess I’m clutching at straws here (just like Tony lawl!). Reading this story, though, made me realize how different England is from the US, in ways I had never witnessed before in all the Doctor Who and Monty Python I’ve ever seen. It surprised me and actually threw me off a few times. Here are some examples.

The word “bin” is used instead of “trash” or “garbage’’. I’d bin wondering what he was talking about, but then I realized it was obvious and I was stupid.

School uniforms. I actually knew school uniforms were worn in England, but I had minimal firsthand witness of (a TV screen displaying) it. Not many shows or movies from across the big-ass-shark-infested pond star school kids. But I did look up English school uniforms to get a feel for them, and there are tight skirts, and lots of tights. Hot. Or as the English would say… uh… I have no idea, nevermind.

Premature adulthood? From what I’ve gleaned from this tale of schoolgirlifying goodness, apparently English kids graduate from school at the age of 16? And they are considered adults at the same age? It’s kind of like the US's 18? Rhetorical question mark? I found this kind of odd, especially since, from what I know, pretty much every other industrial country uses the same kind of school system as the US: from age 6 or so to 18, grades 1 through 12. Some countries may separate their grades differently into elementary, middle, and high schools, but it usually has all the same grades in total. I guess I just wasn’t expecting this…

Speaking of elementary/middle/high schools, what does a “secondary” school encompass? Judging by Katy’s age, it would imply high school, but from what I’ve seen, I suppose I can’t quite apply my knowledge of the US school system here. Huh…

Also, if this were on any other website, I would mark it down for ruining the ending in the 17^th paragraph. But let’s face it, we all knew what would happen.

Two things that would make this story perfect in my eyes: Instead of being 14, Katy would be 11 or 12. She would also be Asian.

I’ve received confirmation that Mikkelm intends to continue this story, which fills me with excessive euphoric intoxicated joy. Seriously, the extent of this feeling cannot even technically exist on the internet as there is not emoticon that can express such an emotion, but I’ll try anyway.

Anywho MIKKELM YOU ARE A GOD AMONG MEN PLEASE WRITE MORE!