Found this while going through the TV Tropes definition of Esoteric Happy Ending, an ending that's apparantly only happy to the author and a few select people, but it just makes everyone else cringe and wonder "How is THIS a good ending?" to the story they're reading. I feel a "little bit" the same way of how some transformations stories end as if it was a good ending. Except for the brainwashed endings, because the victim's minds are replaced with the mind of the animal or character that the originals can't do anything about it anymore.

I would tend to agree though maybe I would add that the ending in my tf stories isn't really what the author was focused on. Most are aimed at creating just enough setup to work the transformation, the meat of the story, and the conclusion is just where the author feels like leaving it. Loose ends a plenty in most cases. The stories aim for impact in what they expect the reader to be most interested in so really we can't judge too harshly. Of course I think the best ones are the few that create a world for the characters to work in rather than just a platform for the change itself, but I'm just one person.

Ah, man I can't believe I misspelled good when I was trying to erase "Always" but never put down the "G" in that "Good."

Anyway, I think I agree with you about how most stories are written like that and I also agree with you that the better TF stories are written well enough for the character to work in that story. But I think the better TF stories are the ones that do have good endings, like the story "The Woods" for example, it had a good werewolf ending where the girls managed to save the main character's friend and they were able to live with their wolf forms. Also, I think it might be a little better if we can actually have TF stories in which they won against the ones that changed them or managed to change themselves back to normal. I think we should try to write more stories where it ends well for the main character.

Well I never said endings weren't important. Any good story will have every major component (beginning, middle and end) in them and will take the ready from start to finish.

I also agree with you that a lot endings are very cut and dry and lack any real imagination. There are some where the one causing the transformation gets some payback, usually transforming themselves, but full reversion is hardly ever present. I would probably pin that on the fact most writers would want the transformation to happen and for it to be permanent.

I guess my overall complaint about TF stories these days is a lack of imagination when it comes to characters. They're too cut and dry, black and white and otherwise predictable. You could trip over the amount of stories that have 18-21 year old male/female leads getting transformed where, big surprise, lust and horniness factor in greatly either before or after said transformation. Not saying I haven't fallen prey to this myself in my own writing but some added depth and shades of gray would be appreciated. More moral ambiguity, more non-predictable transformed people, less having to do with simple lust. If a guy gets transformed into an anthro cat girl he probably wouldn't spend five hours masturbating, if I had to guess. Where is the fear and anxiety any human being would endure as a result of this sort of shift?

A lot of stories are cut and dry and can be glazed over in a minute. They're nothing special, blend into the background and are forgotten. A writer needs to try and think outside of the usual paradigm and give the reader something new and unique to really be remembered.

The main problem with a lot of TF stuff these days is that it is poorly written, with the exception of most of the stuff that gets onto the Lab.

Where the smut becomes more detailed than details of the feeling and physical transformation, and where the characters aren't described physically, or even given a personality. There lies poor quality spooge.


But as for 'good' endings?!?!? For most of us here the idea of transforming is a GREAT thing! The ending of a story where someone turns into a donkey is very sexy, from my point of view, and the fulfillment of a dream I'd like to try for myself. Basically I'm saying, when you are a true TF junkie, you'll understand the ending where the person remains in their new complete and healthy animal form, is a good one.

It's a fantasy after all.
In real life I would want to turn back for the love of my family, but boy oh boy in my fantasies? Turn me baby! Heeee Haaaw! OH YES! HAW!

Only in the furry/fetish subclass of transformation literature
furry-fun with my new tail
fetish-fun with my unmentionable

If this place were a horror story archive the notion of what a
'good ending' is would be wayyy different .

No you don't get it.

It's not the connecting of sexual themes with TF that gets TF fetishists such as myself off, it's the TF itself. Yes some sexy witches and control is always fun as an element. But a tf in a room on your own and not even more than a passing mention of genital changes ALONG with everything else is really needed, just to be thorough. The fantasy of being in another body, of the animal transformation IS the high people like me seek. A way to imagine BEING there ourselves, and yes we would be terrified, but frankly a little turned on too.

Take the Fly the Cronenberg version, that TF has sexy elements, but the degradation of the human form and the parallels with disease are gross. Luckily the extra leg scene is horny, as is growing new limbs, the moulting effect, and the ultimate TF.

For me it's the TF that is a turn on, not the splicing with porno elements. Um, the worst stories go too far down that route.

I don't think your right about horror stories having a different ending. How is the ending of 'Old Goat' anything but masterful, creepy, terrifying to normal people, and HORNY AS HELL to myself and a lot of others. (?)