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Inclassificabilis

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I've said it before and I'll say it again. Where TF stories are concerned, my favorite are the ones where everyone's having fun. Even - no, ESPECIALLY - the "victim."

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Untitled

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It's been a while since I've written anything, but as basically all my stories will tell you, I kinda like it when everyone's having a good time? Sometimes things are macabre, but even then, the "victims" will survive having their organs carved out, and most of the time they've outright asked for it. I just... magic should be fun, you know?

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So after that self-important, lengthy ruleset I laid out for myself, I'm giving up on it before it even begins. Maybe I'll think about doing something similar next year, but that's next year, if I'm even alive by then. I've probably done more work on the story I alluded to in the last few days than in the preceding 4+ years, so I'll probably post it in the next few days, but for a confluence of a variety of reasons (for which I'm keeping this post brief), if I were to try to get it done within the next ten hours it would read like a shopping list at best. Granted, it probably will anyway, but at least I will know that it is as far from a shopping list as is within my quite limited ability. That's probably going to be the last thing I post to DA for a while, probably at least until December, and now saying that out loud, watch me reach my creative peak in that period.


So, uh... yeah, all that. For kinda the same reason I'm not going to try to get the story done tonight, I'll keep this brief. (Also, I kinda doubt anyone but me was all that invested.)

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A little while ago, I asked "who else thinks there's too little consensual inan?" Of course I stand by that. I do have a couple further thoughts, though.


First off, let's take the narrowest sense. The mage tells their subject what they're being turned into and why, and if there is a reversal planned, it goes off without a hitch. If there are any surprises, it's only because they weren't careful what they wished for, and not in a monkey's paw way, but a finger-waving mother way. In the context in which I feel we best know the word "consent," sex, this would be the meaning. I feel like it's fun to have a few transformations like that in a broader story, but the problem with that is that it's not a story, and the stories it lends itself to (e.g., a Bond movie from the point of view of his pistol) don't really feel like "transformation stories."


So let's broaden it a little. The mage doesn't ask, but the "victim" doesn't object, and the mage doesn't expect the victim to object. Say we've moved out of the realm of sex and think more of hugs and cheek-kisses, where I feel this is the level of consent expected. I feel like this is my sweet spot, although it definitely rubs me the wrong way if it's irreversible.


Here's the caveat, though - all this assumes transformed people can communicate. Not necessarily the "telepathy with whoever wears them" cliché (which I do like, but it is a cliché), or necessarily "your shirt just talked? Wait, you're a witch, aren't you?" method, but in some way - hell, a teletype or Morse code transmitter will do. If they can't? I feel like unless they signed a form in triplicate, it's got to be temporary. I... guess?... it's okay to have someone turned into an incommunicado statue with their written, not spoken, consent. (Although generally permanent incommunicado rubs me the wrong way.) But something like "hey man, I hear this club is full of witches." / "Cool, man." / "Yeah, I hear witches are wild in b... man? Where are... oh." is great.


But here's the most important caveat - this is only if we're supposed to like the mage! If a witch for whatever reason turns a man into tofu and destroys his consciousness as she crumbles him up for Chipotle, that's fine - she doesn't even have to be punished - she just has to be vilified. She can rock a chair in fifty years with all her ill-gotten gains, as long as the narrative recognizes that it is ill-gotten.


So this has been my TED Talk.

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EDIT: Well... nevermind. Some thoughts in a journal to follow.


Naturally, me being me, this is anything but set in stone. In particular, there's a Gabriellaverse story I've been working on literally since 2017 - if that doesn't get finished by the end of September, this is an absolute no-go. I haven't even picked a list, although I'm probably going to purposefully avoid one that's meant for TF challenges (even though, just to be clear, this is about TF). If and when I do, I'll post it here.


This is a self-imposed challenge, so I don't care if I'm doing it wrong. Here are the rules I've set for myself:


  1. Day refers to publication date, Eastern time.

  2. No work on any story before the aforementioned story is up (when and if, I'll link it here), and no work on any story but the first before October. Other than that, I'll prewrite as much as I damn well please.

  3. Like I said, I haven't picked a list; if it winds up being one of the ones with two options (which seems likely), I reserve the right to choose either until the story is posted. I'll choose only one (although the other my appear) and won't change my mind once the story is posted.

  4. 500 word minimum, 1,000 for final day. I'll probably be aiming for about a thousand. Titles (and obviously descriptions) don't count.

  5. I guess this is the crux - every story is centered on an on-topic transformation. I'll probably be going mostly for inanimate, but again, it will depend what list I pick.

  6. Since stories are likely to feature multiple transformations, the "crucial" transformation will be identified in the description (even if there are no others).

  7. The crucial transformation will be in the present of the story, and, except possibly in the final story, not reversed at the end, nor suggested to be reversed in the future. However, future stories may feature a reversal.

  8. All subjects of a crucial transformation will begin the story humanoid and of humanoid size, defined as between one meter and 272 cm (the height of Robert Wadlow). Anthros, merfolk, etc., within reason, are considered humanoid.

  9. The subject must hold such a form at all points in the story's present (although not necessarily backstory) prior to the crucial change, although not necessarily the same forms. I reserve the right to also make such forms the target of the crucial change, but I plan to avoid it.

  10. No character will be the subject of two crucial changes, even if otherwise eligible. (Of course, characters can be transformed multiple times, except as above and below, it just can't be used as the crucial change twice.)

  11. As suggested by some of the previous rules, the stories will be in continuity, in chronological order (allowing for flashbacks, provided these aren't used for the transformation).

  12. Any "rules" of the setting established, including both rules of magic and rules of society, will be in force in later installments, although I reserve the right to flagrantly handwave reasons they don't apply to a given situation.

  13. The first rule: the existence of magic and transformation is not a secret or surprise to anyone. Instances of magic or an individual's abilities might be, but not magic itself.

  14. No transformation wears off, no transformation is irreversible, and no one can see the future or change the past. No minor will be transformed, and no one will be transformed to resemble a minor. I haven't decided and probably won't decide whether these are rules of the setting, but they are rules of the self-challenge, and they apply to all changes, not just crucial ones.

  15. To enforce the spirit of the previous four rules, no editing after posting, except minor error corrections, until November. (Note that does not apply to descriptions except that the crucial transformation will not be changed, nor to this journal except that the rules and prompts will not be changed after September 30.)

  16. Every story from the second on will connect to the one immediately previous in some way. No story will reverse or alter the crucial transformation immediately previous, except possibly the final story.

  17. Every story from the fifth on will connect to a second previous story in some way. Unlike the aforementioned, this may include reversing its crucial transformation.

  18. Beginning with the tenth story, the second reference will be unique. Having been referenced in stories five through nine will not count against uniqueness.

  19. Other previous stories will be referenced freely; the official second reference will be in the description (and like the crucial transformation, will not be edited) for clarity.

  20. Since I don't have an offsite account I'm comfortable linking to this one, stories will aim for an R or below (of course, given the nature of the self-challenge, below is unlikely).

  21. If I fail in any way once I've started (i.e., not if I put paid to it in September), I'll still complete the challenge to the best of my ability; if so, or if anyone thinks I've failed in any way I'm willing to entertain (not necessarily accept), I'll post a Dogme-esque confession on All Saints'.


(Now quick, someone come up with ten more rules and I'll have my list for free!)

(Not you, Moses. Or you, Madison.)

(I'm not going to do that.)


As I said, whether this is going to happen at all is very much up in the air, but I'm hoping that announcing it this publicly this far in advance will make it immeasurably more likely.

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