The Atlas System

Shifting is a popular topic among alterhumans. It's certainly a hot bed for discourse, for one. For two, it's one of the first things that new members inquire about. There isn't a moment where someone goes without asking about how shifts are experienced, what the specific shift they're under is called, whether or not a shift counts as a physical experience, or if a specific kind of shift is common in the community. Conceptually, shifts were introduced through the weres of alt.horror.werewolves. The modern therian community originates from this group, but before they were known for delving into species identity, their website originally gravitated around werewolves in fiction. It's not surprising that "shift" was used to describe an experience with one's species. After all, werewolves shapeshift from a human being to a wolflike creature. The communal definition and usage of shift came into fruition alongside the term "were", which was pulled from "werewolf' or "were-creature" and used to describe a nonhuman being. To this day, this usage of shift still holds up. I also wonder if there's anyone who labels themselves as were(s), too, but I digress. Maybe, I'll save that thought for another day.

As a shapeshifter, I think it's interesting that many who use these terms don't see themselves as shapeshifters of any sort. While there's certainly nonhumans who identify as some kind of shape-changing beings (ex: were-creatures), I mean this in terms of direct identification. For plenty of folks, shifting is something they do in relation to their species. It just happens to them, and that's that. A dog therian could undergo a mental shift, but that mental shift isn't a trait of their species. It's an atypical experience that they undergo as a result of being a therianthrope. For me, it is a trait of my species. Shapeshifting, or just shifting in this context, is embedded in my nature. 

My relationship with shifts is a bit complicated. I have an internal body that exists in tandem with an external one. This internal body has no "true form". It's a blank slate that seamlessly shapeshifts between versions of me. Each day, I wake up without a form for this body to take on. I may feel wings outstretch when I sleep or claws scrape against my sheets, but these feelings are fleeting. My mornings begin with a waiting period. Wei're stuck perceiving things through the external body— the one that's observable to those around muis— until muir other body shapeshifts. Regardless of what form wei take, I’m a shapeshifter through it all.

Additionally, I don’t experience every kind of shift that’s known to our community. There’s some that I’ve never experienced and likely never will, such as physical shifts and astral shifts. *The ones that apply to my shapeshifting goes as follows:

• Phantom Shift(s): a type of shift where the shifter experiences supernumerary phantom limbs or a phantom body of their kintype, theriotype, fictotype, etc. 
  
  • Integrated Shift: a type of shift that is fully integrated into the shifter's everyday life and to which they constantly experiencing to a degree. 
    • In this case, my phantom body is fully integrated. This means I'm constantly under phantom shifts, or "permashifted" into my phantom body and experience it alongside my observable body.
• Flicker Shift(s): a type of shift where a shifter will experience multiple, strong separate shifts in rapid succession.
• Emotional Shift(s): a type of shift which is induced or triggered by a specific emotional state. (Uncommon but present in my experience)
• Envisage Shift(s): a type of shift where the shifter has a consistent mental image and personal awareness of non-existing body parts but does not feel those body parts as supernumerary phantom limbs as in a phantom shift. (Uncommon but present in my experience, usually tied to non-integrated parallel lives)
• Cameo Shift(s): a type of shift where an individual experiences a shift as someone or something they do not identify as. 

*All definitions were paraphrased and sourced from the Sol System's Shifting Glossary.

That's putting it in communal terms, though. This helps me convey what I'm experiencing in layman's terms, but the act itself isn't something I try to categorize. I'll specify a shift that's unordinary if need be, and I'll do the same for my other body (or "phantom body") since my experiences are non-physical, but I don't need to use our vernacular to frame every experience I have with shapeshifting. My shifts don't strike anything in me, except for the times I'm something that I'm not ("cameo shifts"). In those cases, I hate when shapeshifting screws with my sense of self. It's very disorienting and frustrating to navigate through. Other than that, the various ways I shapeshift are equal to me. They're simply a part of my life.  

Since shifts are heavily discussed, I tend to sit back and observe these conversations as they unfold. Shifting is a neutral experience for me, so my opinions on the subject aren't as strong as others. I wouldn't be who I am without it, but it's not exactly an experience I'd run home and tell my folks about unless something truly unfounded happens. Let's take a look at fish to carry the point home. Because of their gills, fish have the ability to breathe underwater. These traits are essential to a fish and its means of living, but they're also the typical traits of a fish. The fish in question may recognize the importance of its gills, or why it can't afford to be separated from water, but that doesn't mean the existence of either is particularly ground-breaking. That's how I feel about my ability to shapeshift. The most I get out of it is assessing my phantom body. I enjoy mapping out its details and getting a feel for what I look like under different circumstances. Yet, I'm not overwhelmed or captivated by my phantom body's ability to shapeshift. Shifting is what one expects from a shapeshifter, thus the topic of shifts rarely interests me. There may be a day or two where I come across exceptions, but that's not guaranteed with the way conversations usually go in our community.

Despite my casual attitude, I think shapeshifting is very diverse. For a trait that's straight to the point in terms of what it entails, it's quite complex all things considered. In fiction alone, there's countless examples of how shapeshifting can develop. Be it through magic, alien technology, evolutionary adaptations, or good old-fashioned unethical science, there's no standard explanation for shapeshifting as an act. I reckon it's the same way for us. How it occurs for me won't be the same for someone who, for example, is a clinical zoanthrope. I know some alterhumans associate shapeshifting with physical experiences, but it really depends on the person if I'm being honest. That makes the subject all the more fascinating, at least for those who look into it. Although I personally don't relate to having a physical component to my shapeshifting, its prominence isn't lost on me. I imagine I must sound a little bewildering to fellow 'shifters in retrospect. A shapeshifter who doesn't physiologically shapeshift? How can that be?! I say this in jest, of course. We're each plentiful in this community, so I'm sure there's no shortage of either demographic of 'shifters. There's definitely no shortage of non-shapeshifters and non-polymorphs who experience shifts, so as the saying goes: the sky's the limit!