Cliches - ''TF'' Stories

• Most "TF" stories have a tendency to include the abbreviation "TF" somewhere in the title, in conjunction with what the transformee/victim is turning into.

• Rarely will a TF story give much character development or expanded plot prior to the transformation.

• Rarely will a transformation-themed story carry on beyond completion of the transformation.
  
  
  • In those that do (particularly short stories), the aftermath is typically brief in explanation, and often closed.

• TF stories involving author-inserts are frequently derived from role-plays.

• If present, TF stories tend to describe genitalia in:
  
  
  • deliberate 'kiddy' terms (i.e. manhood, woman-parts, member, etc); or
  
  
  • deliberate anatomical terms which seem out of place within the rest of the story.
  
  
  • This is especially common in transgender-themed TF stories.

On Settings:

• The most common setting for a TF story is a generic non-descript locale.
  
  
  • if it is modern fantasy, it is usually Anytown, USA.

• Transformations generally occur in universes where the phenomenon is rather common or is becoming common, even if the transformee/victim is not aware.

• A transformee/victim is almost always human and being turned into something else.
  
  
  • When A transformee/victim is non-human, he/she/it is almost always humanoid in some form.

• Transformations usually occur to adolescents and young adults.

• Typical first-time transformees/victims are usually naive and/or unknowing prior to the transformation taking place.

• If a transformee/victim is the main target in a number of TF short stories, he/she/it will often:
  
  
  • Have no recollection of the transformations prior to the current story; or
  
  
  • Give little thought to previous transformations.

• If a foreign location is involved, the transformation will most likely occur to tourists on vacation (especially if they are ignorant of the local culture).

• Transgender-based TF stories are almost exclusively male to female for erotic purposes.

• The most common transformees/victims of fetish-based non-"TG" TF stories are female.

• Transformees/victims, especially in wish-fulfillment stories, almost always have crappy family lives.

General:

• Rarely will a transformation occur without some sort of external stimulus:
  
  
  • Magic is the most common catalyst for a transformation, whether it is a potion, spell or curse.
    
    
    • Transformations caused by curses usually originate with the victim(s) offending whoever cursed them in some way.
  
  
  • Science-fiction TF stories often revolve around an unimaginatively-named "TF virus", pseudo-scientific chemicals, radioactivity, or transmogrifier-type devices, thus bordering between science fiction and fantasy.
  
  
  • Whenever an object or potion triggers the transformation, the object or potion is almost always themed after the end result of the transformation.
  
  
  • There is often little development behind the objects, people, or creatures that cause transformations.


• When a character undergoes a transformation, changes in mass are poorly explained if at all.
  
  
  • When it is a fantasy character, the change in mass is hand-waved by magic.


• TF stories often either involve an element of, either implied or outright stated:
  
  
  • Wish-fulfillment and/or complete escapism; or
  
  
  • Body horror


• The overall transformation will involve at least one of the following elements:
  
  
  • Shifting, where the features of the transformee/victim transition into those of the final form;
  
  
  • Molting, where the final form bursts through the transformee's/victim's skin;
  
  
  • Amorphous, where the transformee/victim assumes a swarm-like, ooze-like or gaseous form before assuming the final form; and
  
  
  • 'Poof', where the transformee/victim suddenly changes to the final form, often in a flash of light and/or a cloud of smoke.
  
  TF stories frequently make use of shift-type transformations.


• Transformees/victims are likely to be in one of the following states during the transformation:
  
  
  • Shock/panic (especially unexpecting victims);
  
  
  • Agony/pain;
  
  
  • Disbelief;
  
  
  • Euphoria; or
  
  
  • Erotic behaviour.


• A transformee/victim will usually:
  
  
  • Absolutely love the transformation; or
  
  
  • Absolutely hate the transformation.


• The transformation is almost always:
  
  
  • Excrutiatingly painful; or
  
  
  • Miraculously painless.


• As opposed to happening all at once, transformations often follow a pattern that usually ends with the head being the last part of the body to be altered.


• The majority of transformations, although drastic enough to violently tear the transformee's/victim's body apart, only feature the ripping of the transformee's/victim's clothing with little to no gore involved.

Animorphism:

• Transformation stories involving animorphism usually depict the resulting anthro to be superior to the average human being in at least one functional aspect.


• Transformations involving animorphism may also involve muscular growth in males or an increased hourglass shape in females. Like "TG", this is usually for erotic purposes.


• Transformations involving non-equine non-avian livestock, or any relatively massive animal, will often include weight gain as part of a fetish.

Vehicles:

• Vehicle-based transformations will usually leave the transformee/victim in the form of a vehicle appropriate for their personality and/or vocation.
  
  
  • Alternatives typically include high-performance/high-maintenance vehicles such as sports cars and aircraft.


• Most vehicle-based transformations are implied to still enable the transformee/victim to speak clearly.

Inanimate:

• Most inanimate TF stories involve a transformee/victim turning into giant-sized fruit and will either imply or give a direct reference to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Usually done for erotic purposes.


• Inanimate TF stories involving petrification may reference Medusa or King Midas or at least pay homage to one of the two.


• Transformees/victims turning into clothing will usually:
  
  
  • retain their personalities; and
  
  
  • gain a heightened sense of touch (especially arousal, for erotic purposes.)


• Other inanimate TF stories usually involve a transformee/victim turning into common household items or plants.
  
  
  • The end result may retain some of his/her/its likeness, especially if the transformee/victim is female.

Amorphous:

• Transformees/victims of amorphous transformations will most often end up in a gelatinous or liquid state.
  
  
  • Rarely will an amorphous transformation result in the transformee/victim attaining a gaseous state or will it consist of a transition between solid forms.


• Transformees/victims of amorphous transformations are most often female.

Mind Alteration:


• A transformee/victim subject to mind alteration is likely to have little to no recollection of their previous life by the transformation's completion.
  
  
  • Other characters will tend to act as if the transformee/victim had always been in their final form.
  
  
  • The transformee/victim is likely to inexplicably gain alternate memories in place of the memories they lost.
  
  
  • The transformee/victim is usually not aware of the mental change, no matter the rate.

Fandom:


• In TF stories involving a fandom with a developed universe, the final form is usually something:
  
  
  • based off of a mythical creature;
  
  
  • powerful within the fandom; and/or
  
  
  • popular within the fandom.


• Most fandom transformations are triggered:
  
  
  • because the transformee/victim has gone to the universe in question; or
  
  
  • in order to prepare them to go into that universe.


• Transformees/victims that are canon characters usually turn into something that either fits their personality or is part of their personal theme.
  
  
  • If a main character of a fandom has a friendship of any sort with a nonhuman character in their fandom, they'll often be transformed into whatever species their friend/partner is, and they're usually shipped together
  
  
  • If transformation is canon in a fandom, whatever character was transformed will usually be the main subject of a TF story involving canon characters.
  
  
  • Original characters are more likely to be the transformee/victim than the main characters in a fandom TF story.
  
  
  • If there is a group of main characters in a fandom:
    
    
    • all of them will be transformed; or
    
    
    • a maximum of two will be transformed and will spend the rest of the story:
      
      
      • trying to tell the others they have been transformed; or
      
      
      • trying to keep the others from finding out they have been transformed.
  
  
  • Most canon transformees/victims of fandom TF stories are female, whether canonically or genderswapped through TG.

On Aftermaths:

• The end result of a transformation is almost never human.

• Usually a transformed character inexplicably adapts to the physical transformation in a matter of seconds, often without suffering any psychological change whatsoever.
  
  
  • If a transformed character was human, he/she often, with little other evidence of mental change, immediately decides that he/she loves his/her new form and that life will be so much better for him/her.
    
    
    • This is especially true if the TF story involves a transformation into an entity that is physically powerful compared to the average human.

• If someone knew the transformee/victim and was not present for the transformation, they will typically react accordingly to the transformee's/victim's final form unless explained to by someone who was present (if any at all) or by the transformee/victim (if the transformee/victim can still speak).

• A transformee/victim will usually become aware of previously unfelt urges offhandedly referred to as "instincts", the intensity of which usually corresponding to the severity of the transformation.
  
  
  • Said instincts are often vague in description.