Do you know what my biggest gripe with these story sites is.The fact that the sick bitches can do what they want,and are never punished.And any female that finds out what is going on,they jump right in and say,"let's have some fun",also the victim alway rolls over and says"I love what you did to me,I love you".

What is wrong with the victim getting a backbone and revenge against the ones responsible.

[Admin Note - Sephrena: Edited line out due to site violation.]

And yes I do know it's just a story, but I read them in the vain hope that there is some justice in the stories. But those are few and far between

Wonderful story!!!! I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for a nice wrapup to this story. While the evildoers were not brought to a satisfyingly just end, Jessie seems happy with herself, and sometimes that's the best outcome you can get in this unfair world.

Jessica seemed focused on looking like a girl, and it still isn't clear to what extent she feels like one. Her femininity still appears to be mostly superficial. She's proud of her depth, but it isn't clear whether she's interested in letting her boyfriend experience it, how a prom date usually ends these days. Her reprogramming seems to have stuck to well, and she's still less than a complete person.

It was nice to see that she'd gotten back enough muscle tone to be a cheerleader. Jessie's old athleticism is still in there somewhere.

(It was a little disappointing that the most significant change she's undergone was given away in the teaser.)

Horror?

Really. From the very beginning, I considered this a horror story. There a few moments - e.g. when Mom rebelled against her mother and called an end to the "program", much too late - when I thought that it would become a "cautionary tale". (sigh)

Deni

This has been one of those stories that I have a hard time putting a finger on whether I think it is a good story or not. Given that I don't like (most) forced femme stories, and that is what this story started and ended as, it had a bad mark from the very beginning on it to my tastes. Given that, I continued to read the story, through all fifty-three chapters. Why? Because I HAD to know, just HAD to, what happened to Jessie. I might not necessarily LIKE the story, but Ashley, your ability to make someone feel compelled to continue reading is much to your credit. I can't necessarily say I'll read this story again- it's a bit too uncomfortable for me to get through again- but I can't say I regret having read it once, which automatically places it well above most other forced stories I have read or tried to.

In the end, I don't know whether to feel happy for Jessie or saddened at the end results. Jessie is no longer so much 'mind controlled' as just plain old brainwashed, and while he/she has part of her old self back, and SEEMS happy, is it a 'happiness' from giving up the fight to resist the programming that had been forced upon him/her for so long, or legitimate happiness with who she has become? It's hard to tell in the story, just like it's hard to tell where, after Ashley's interference, the leftover programming begins and Jessie's actual preferences, altered by the female hormones and experiences as Jessica, end. It was almost inevitable that Ashley's brother would be Susan's next victim, given people's reactions to him, though I can't say I see any more justification for it with him than I initially did with Jessie.

In the end, an honest 'well done!' is in order. You told an effective story, whether it was meant to be cautionary as some have suggested, or just a bit of a darker fantasy for others. I hope to see more stories from you. If they are along the same lines as 'The Softening of Jessie', I can't say I will necessarily read them, but with the qualities found in your writing they would make an excellent addition to the Big Closet library.

Melanie E.

I was originally going to have to send this as a PM, btu then after a little bit of name checking, revised my opinion, and am poisting it.

The most important thing I think, is in a long series like this, keeping names straight. To wit:

• Jesse|Jessica, the protagonist
• Amanda, the concerned and distraught mother
• Susan, Amanda's monther, and instigator of the main plot
• Jason, Jesse's best friend
• Ashley, Jason's sister, and Jessie's best friend.

When I first finished the story, after having read the whole thing over the past few weeks, I was outraged, becuase Amanda isn't mentioned, and I forgot for a moment who Susan was. I couldn't believe that someone who supossedly learned a lesson was continuing in murder. After clarifying that Susan was the grandmother, things made a great deal more sense.

Now, time for an opinion. However well written, and this was fairly well written, although a bit heavier on narrative than I prefer. However, forced identies to the extreme shown here are a form of identity death, and are therefore murder. I use the sensationalist word on purpose. Amanda may be a psychologically weak person (which lead to her son being so out of control in the first place) but Susan was, and as the ending proves, an unrepentant murderer.

Anything which supports her actions is morally dubious, criminally negligent, and socially reprehensible.

What really could have sealed the rift between Jesse and Amanda is common experience and mutual respect. The fact that Jesse had to become Jessie is unfortunate, but that's the way the story was written.

Technically, I would place this as moderate. It's easily understandable and grammatically correct on the whole; I do not recall any particular section where outstanding errors ruptured immersion into the story. The dialogue however is thin. That may be beucase of how the girls talk, but there doesn't seem to be—immediacy to the dialogue; for a pair of girls to be talking calmly to each other, never interrupting, changing topics mid-sentence, or getting overly excited is outside my experience. Also, in serious conversation, there only seems to be a few lines before a response. No one seems to deliver exposition, although that could be considered a stylistic mark.

The plot is somewhat generic, althrough you did write such strong characters that it was easy to empathize with them, even though one knew exactly what was going to happen. It's a mark of great ability to write characters that we, as readers feel sincerely about, even if that emotion is deep and passionate loathing. And yes, as several people have commented, the epilogue does seem rather abruptly short. The later chapters seem to be getting shorter, was it just a lack of interest and a desire to complete the story so it doesn't hang in limbo?

To summarize, the story was pretty good, although I can't say it was brilliant, and the characterization immediate, but somewhat…lacking. Overall, ‘good job,’ says the pompous ass.

Although this is a silver bullet solution,I have known many uncontrollable brats over the years of driving school buses,and working in mega stores.Personally I have often thought that this could have been a great solution.XXX