i wanted to write something about tf tropes after answering a couple of lore-related questions about amphimorpho over on my discord server, so here i am :3
i say tf tropes, but i really meant like, one specific thing, and i'm more than likely gonna talk about it in the context of type 0 (mutant or hybrid) amphimorpho
i'm personally not super interested in transformations that end in the individual's identity replaced or erased...it's not very satisfying to me. i like exploring the ways one grapples with the mental shifts of a transformation, while still fully or mostly aware of themselves. still themselves, but forced to reckon with the ways they've changed, directly and indirectly, as a result of their transformation
my amphimorpho species specifically, i envision being transformed into one to have a subtle, but steadily noticeable effect on the mind (i mean, if you wanna get really technical, the brain literally gets gooped into a nerve bundle-like structure). they're intelligent critters with a capacity for human-like reasoning, so of course, you likely wouldn't immediately notice anything off about your thought processes; you're not fighting off "animal instincts" like the kids in Animorphs are, after all
rather, it's the little things you start to notice, maybe shortly after the initial shock of the physical transformation - changes in your preferences for various things, quiet urges that come out of nowhere that aren't necessarily weird, but they're weird for you. suddenly discovering that your reaction to being startled is to bite at the offending stimulus, or that you're using the sensory input from your newly-heightened senses to analyze your surroundings as easily as if you'd been born that way. they're things that are either infrequent or easy to make an active choice to not engage with, things so small that others would blink and miss them, but you notice them, and they're hard to just ignore.
i'm fascinated with the ways different personalities deal with that. do these minute mental changes drive your curiosity, or do you fear them? do you see this suite of new feelings, desires, and behaviors as something to be accepted in order for you to adapt and move forward, or do you bury and reject them, hoping to preserve any shred of your former self that you can? to what end do you feel holding onto that version of yourself is helpful?
i like the complication shapeshifting can add to this equation, too - it may give you back your original form, however temporary, but your mental state is forever altered, regardless of what form you take, and that's sometimes a scarier form of permanence.
it makes for a nice metaphor for a variety of scenarios, and that's half the appeal for me (the other half being, of course, "what if i put these characters in a situation, would that be fucked up or what??"). struggling with the mental changes that accompany a sudden, unwanted physical transformation, trying to hold onto your sense of self, becomes a representation of how trauma changes you, or coping with puberty as an unaware trans teen as it wreaks havoc on everything you've ever thought you'd known about yourself, really fun stuff!! it could just as well represent positive self-discovery, finding things out about yourself that you wouldn't have been able to without some major change.
i'll 100% be touching on a lot of this in my webcomic, in due time, and i can't wait to do it! transformation is such a neat avenue for exploring identity and the many facets that make it up, can you blame this silly noodle for being obsessed with the concept? XP
