![]() In others, a transformation imposed from without by a hostile entity is a challenge to be overcome the protagonist seeks a way to to reverse the transformation and regain their original form. In some stories, transformation (especially various forms of lycanthropy) plays a role similar to the plot device of the protagonist being a commoner who finds out they are actually royal, or have unsuspected magical talent, or have some other wonderful secret destiny. One may distinguish two broad patterns in the role transformation or shapeshifting plays in stories. I think I would rewrite the problem paragraph something like this: In my idiolect, however, they are roughly synonymous I can accept an author giving them specific meaning within a given story, but I have no preconceived notions about what each will mean in a new context. One person might think of the former as involuntary and imposed from without, while the latter is voluntarily initiated by the person who changes shape. The problem may the unclear distinction between "transformation" and "shapeshifting". Both are problems of definition of identity: Don't define me! Let me define myself! (A meme which is common to the group in question, mostly 16-35 single males.) In contrast, a forced transformation from some outside source is something to deal with, something to overcome. They believe the idea that being a werewolf, werefox, werewhatever, naturally, is similar to the plot device of the protagonist being a peasant that finds out they are actually a prince, an heir, a wizard, a dragon-rider, some great and grand secret destiny. The contrast, which I should put in the article if I find the time, is that the community that writes these stories has several beliefs. I can think of counterexamples both ways. But I would hesitate to make such a broad generalization based on my own unsystematic reading experiences. I might guess: Amateur transformation or shapeshifting stories are more likely to involve a protagonist transformed against his/her will by a hostile entity than professionally published stories on that theme the latter are more likely to involve a protagonist who is in control of his shapeshifting or self-transformation. ![]() Do we want to generalize about the fiction in the TSA and contrast it with a generalization about the whole corpus of shapeshifting or transformation stories in general? Or contrast the amateur fiction in this archive with professionally published fiction on similar themes? Or what? The contrast as stated is unclear and unsupported by evidence. I'm not sure what the original author had in mind here. But maybe that's not clear enough either. I fixed the first sentence (which had a subject and no predicate) by adding ". In contrast, stories that deal with shapeshifting usually present shape-shifters as protagonistic or ideal. Stories with the transformed individual as the protagonist, and the person or impersonal force that did the transforming as the antagonist.
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