Writing just seems more personal to me, images are great fun, but I can imagine what was written for myself.

As a trans woman I find mtf transformation stories kinda fit that desire to fully turn into a woman. What I do prefer though is where the person maintains their mind, they're the same person that they were before the transformation but obviously opposite gender (and possibly species). I also like stories more focused on the character learning to cope with the new changes and the learning process both enjoying it and maybe embarrassing at times too, clumsy, etc.

You also make a good point that I didn't mention: retaining my original mind is another important part of it all. I still want to be "me," just perhaps with a different body that I get to learn and explore with.

Too many TF stories basically create a new character that way.

Most stories are also filled with cliches. The interesting parts are how it is told.

I would have to agree also. I myself have a rather different difficult view points in Gender change for me personally. While i would prefer to be a women i am not for me to change what the what the gods have laid out for me. As well as the fact i would rather grow the seed then plant it if you get my meaning. And as a trans women i could do neither. Now don't get me wrong i am not trying to put down those who do get one. Bringing me to the original question. I like transformation stories and art (more specifically sequences/comics) that are MtF cause if only for a moment it lets me imagine i am a real female of some sort. And the animal aspect while i would prefer to see allot more wolf related mtf stories and art i am happy with anything cause it allows me to distract me from the fact i am human a fact i honestly hate. So theres my 2 cents

I never came to an answer for myself. Ever since I was a young kid, I had constantly wondered what it would be like to live through the body of another being. I think Pokémon red/blue along with the series started to kindle this interest. This was when I was around 8 years old so the interest is rooted in me from an early age--if not earlier.

I wonder of the sensations it would be to have a tail,, claws, wings, or perhaps to know would it would be like to echolocate, swim like a dolphin, fly like a bird. To look down from the skies and see the world through inhuman eyes and obtain a new perspedtive unlike any human possibly could..I suppose it is a desire to experience something unlike anything I could ever truly hope to do in a human body. Though realistically I do like being human, and I probably not want to give it up completely, after all, being human allows me to utilize fantastic technology and communicate with like-minded people from across the world

As I grew older, the curiosity for experiencing the feelings of others grew to be more erotic and more taboo in the eyes of society. I constantly wonder of the pleasures other experience, or even of fantasy creatures or aliens. In a sense my interest in transformation is a desire for not only knowledge but also a desire for understanding the forms and experiences of others.

TF is what introduced me to this fandom. Started with my fascination with werewolves when I was a teenager and just carried on. I always liked the idea of inhabiting a body that wasn't originally yours, different sensations, abilities, etc.

It's fun to see what the character's like when they lose everything.

Now that I think of it, that sounds kind of sadistic.

There's a certain type of drama that comes inherently with the genre, if it could be called that. Transformation stories have a certain arc to them, and can lead to many situations unique to it. There's so many ways you can do it and have characters react to it, or if that's not interesting, how OTHER characters react to it. You can play it both funny and/or seriously as well.

I like reading and writing transformation stories cause as a mtf transgender as well as otherkin I feel a strong resonance with being a dragoness. I've also always had a strong curiosity, always wondering what it would be like to be a different species in general. And how it would feel to transform. Heck, would my mind remain the same or would it change too. And how would I perceive such changes. So many questions and many more when you consider different species, whether it be earthly, alien, mythical, or complete fantasy. To end up a female creature, whether it be humanoid or completely animalistic, is a dream I'll keep on dreaming for a long time.

Maybe I'm into it cuz you're around ;3

Seriously though, as a gender fluid guy with feminine tendencies, It's hard not to enjoy the idea of becoming "the fem". Simple as that, m'dear.

There are a lot of things that make reading a more reliably pleasant experience than seeing when it comes to TF. To start with, its hard to find truly good TF artists with a style and sense of color especially that is appealing beyond just the idea of transformation. I love TF but often get feelings of revulsion from artistic depictions of it (why do so many people use sickly green magic aura clouds to "show" the tf happening, ugh). With writing, it is much harder to disagree with stylistic elements of the artist that strongly. You can always pick and choose which elements of the story to pay attention to- you can compartmentalize word choice and imagery and contextual themes, ignoring and replacing in your imagination the ones you dislike, whereas a whole picture is much harder to compartmentalize and personalize. In general, writing leaves enough to the imagination that self insertion is easier. It's easier to pinpoint and revisit the moments in writing that most appeal to our desire and fantasy, and I find the ability to latch on to individual words (such as "Lusty") convenient for savoring those moments, especially from memory. You can't revisit an image in that way unless you have a photographic memory.

Also, I should mention, writing is much easier for many of us to produce and edit and feel involved in than art, since learning to draw is so difficult. For many, high quality TF writing is actually within our capabilities, and so it's easier to be excited about reading and discussing others' work since it is a community of artistry which feels much more accessible.

I like the idea of becomign somehting else. And, a lot of them are just really, really...well, I find them quite erotic.

A fascination for intelligence in other shells... a sense that the current shape of my intelligence is not the permanent one... and, very much at times, a disgust for all that is human.

To me its interesting. I like to see how someone reacts to their situation and how they attempt to live their lives after the fact. Sometimes its because I think about how fun it would be to be able to do things I do everyday as something else and i kind of envy the characters in the story...

hmm. I prefer transformation stories due to an innate wish to essentially be part of one, in a way. I have Species Dysphoria, so i've spent most of my life feeling as if i'm trapped in another race, knowing i cannot escape. Stories that appeal to that sense of loss for me, help me settle that sensation, as well as connect with it.

Of course, it stands to reason that i also have trouble with poorly written or overly-exaggerated transformations, as it ruins that slight sense of want.

To me it's always something that interested me, transformations, mainly because of my species dysphoria I think. While images are always nice, I find there's something more to stories, more depth I'd say. An image you glance at it and that's it, but a story is constructed carefully (well, most of the time, depends on the writer) and needs more time to be really enjoyed and in the end it tends to feel more memorable. Also, some things can hardly be drawn, such as what is a character thinking while the changes are creeping up for example. Overall, I enjoy stories because of everything which make them what they are.

I think personally what fascinates me is the idea of change. People tend to be fairly adaptable, but it takes time, and changes throw them off the norm and cause their innermost self to come to the forefront. In essence the idea of transformation that most fascinates me is the reaction, do they fight it, do they accept it, or do they succumb to some outside force, gradually finding themselves changing in more than just the physical. It's these things that most fascinate me in regards to transformation.

Intense escapism coupled with pornography. It's easier to imagine being a human turned into a dolphin than it is to simply imagine being a dolphin when reading a story, so you get a sort of escalating connection to the character's sexual experience that ramps up nicely.