Transformation in everyday life

Quite a few furries (and some non-furries) get excited by transformation, or TF for short; more specifically, transforming into an animal. TF has been an element in storytelling for as long as storytelling has been around. It can include being turned into something by a curse or a witch; or being a spirit or sage who can turn between human and non-human forms at well. It might be a permanent change, an escape from your old life; or a monthly schedule like a werewolf’s transformation; or a more frequent occurrence. Some folks relish the feeling of their body taking on its new form; others cast themselves in the role of the sorceror, using TF as a magical ability; yet others dwell on the inconveniences of unexpected, accidental transformations, maybe brought on by carelessly touching a cursed artefact or speaking the wrong magic words.

While I’m not really a TF enjoyer, for a few years I’ve been toying with how we relate TF to our everyday existence. After all, several kinds of bodily transformations are part of our mundane lives. Cosmetics, tattoos, piercings: these are all mundane ways of changing your appearance a little. A new hobby (like chocolate-making, weight-lifting, or long-distance running) might change one’s body shape. A holiday, or regular visits to a tanning parlour, might change one’s skin colour somewhat. Some folks go further and use hormones or surgery to change their body’s sexual characteristics to match their self-image.

And because they are part of everyday life, we don’t think of them as TF. You can only change your form within the normal range of the human body, because that’s what the “normal range” is. But we continually talk about more drastic transformations: you might tell your kids they will develop square eyes from watching too much TV, or if the wind changes while they pull faces, they’ll be stuck like that. The classic song ‘Swinging on a Star’ warns kids that if they skip school, they will grow up to be a mule; or if slovenly, a pig; or if they “won’t do anything,” a fish. And of course Pinocchio is another example where wayward children gradually acquire more and more features of donkeys until they lose their humanity completely.

A second idea here is that people spend money on changing their outward appearance to show off what they spend their time on. They wear a band T-shirt, wear sports kit even when they’re not doing the sport, go to a tanning parlour.

For me, something snapped in September 2021. I thought of how we use these “activities that TF you” only to scare children into obedience, and thought: what if the normal range of physical changes weren’t just small changes in body shape and appearance, but just a smidge more?

I tweeted this:-

After taking a paddleboard lesson, I want to see TF art where falling in the water from paddleboarding is the trigger. It could realistically TF you into a seal: that’s what you look like when you try to get back onto the board anyway!

But an immediate transformation into a creature that can’t hold the paddle any more is a bit too extreme. Later, I came up with some more gradual examples. This first one is based on the observation that freshers often radically change their appearance: dying their hair, dressing differently, and maybe losing some weight after being parted from parental cooking.

You come home at the end of term and your parents meet you at the station. Your mum hugs you as you come through the ticket barriers, and says, “You said you’d joined the running team this year. You’re looking very well on it.”

“Why?” you reply, “Have I lost weight?”

“A little, but black spots really suit you. Would you like me to sew a tail loop on the back of your jeans?”

“Thanks, mum.” https://meow.social/@tuftyindigo/110622756389547891

And this one is a variation of how some of us specifically choose holidays with the goal of changing appearance. Outdoor swimming is a summer hobby of mine and I quite like that I get visibly more tanned and athletic-build over the course of the season - but what if it did more than that?

First day back at work, and you bump into the loud salesman at the coffee machine. “Looking good there, bud! You been on a beach holiday?”

“Yeah, it was beautiful. I was up at dawn every morning to swim a mile in the sea.” You look at your arm. “Have I got a tan? I didn’t notice.”

“No, you’ve got webbed hands.” And you did find it harder to put your smart shoes on this morning… https://meow.social/@tuftyindigo/110620803609257096

I enjoy that this isn’t just getting animal features for the sake of it: webbed hands and feet really could be an adaptation you would develop to swim better. Camping in the woods makes you start to grow antlers