Hello, all! This is the first of what will hopefully be a long running column here. I know you're all asking yourselves "What does TSAT need with a dragon column -- isn't this supposed to be about transformations? Is Cubist getting that desperate for content?" Well first, it's only natural for food -- I mean 'non-draconic species' -- to worry about draconic content to show up in their favourite webzine. Second, dragons are inextricably linked with transformation. In fact, it was the transformational qualities of dragons that caused me to take notice and get into the whole genre.

When correctly portrayed -- as the wise, intelligent creatures they are -- dragons are, of all the mythical species, probably the most likely to end up being involved in transformation. Why is this? Well, if you think about it, it's not surprising:

• Dragons are innately magical. Magic helps when you want to transform someone.
• Dragons are highly intelligent and have a lot of time of their hands for learning complex transformation spells.
• Dragons are big. Being able to change into a body with lower maintenance and higher maneuverability has distinct advantages.
• Dragons are large and intimidating. Most mortals can't deal with our impressive bodies, and having an alternate form makes it easier to approach them, whether for a bite to eat or intellectual curiosity.
• Dragons are tempting targets, be it for someone's vengeance; treasure hunters; or wizards that want to make our body parts into various aids for immortality or sexual potency. A transformation a day keeps the knight's sword away.

Furthermore, unlike your typical TG story, the types of dragon transformation plots vary widely.

• Dragons will transform themselves in order to interact with mortal friends, adventure unmolested or implement their secret plans to manipulate the mortal realm.
• Dragons are also frequently stripped of their true-forms -- perhaps as punishment or by covetous wizards looking for a quick source of power.
• Dragon magic can rub off on mortal friends or lovers, giving them the gift of scales, and dragon seed can impregnate just about anything resulting in all sorts of fancy hybrids.
• Dragons can possess any number of transformational abilities beyond shape shifting which include (but are not limited to) turning into mist, clouds, shadows, fire, liquids, rock, energy, lightning and anthros.

Finally, the last thing that makes dragons especially ripe for transformation stories is their pride about being a member the greatest race in the multiverse. As Krusty once said to Sideshow Cecil: "You can't just throw a pie at anyone. The sap's gotta have dignity!" When a dragon is forced from their true-form, there is always going to be some degree of friction, be it resentment or bemusement. If you're looking for a character with an emotional or psychological crisis, just take away a dragon's dragon body. If you want to give a character the biggest trip of their lives, just give them access to a dragon form.

So as you can see, dragons and transformations go together like peas in a pod. Simply by getting a dragon involved in a story, transformational content becomes highly plausible; it can benefit from a high degree of variation; and it naturally lends itself to complex character development. If Cubist doesn't cancel my column, in the coming issues I will hope to provide you, the reader, with a window into the fast-paced, exciting world of dragon transformations -- and hopefully, more than a few of you will be convinced to work dragons into your fiction and/or fursonas.