Shifter Origins
The first shifters arose when other animals, seeing how much
more comfortably humans lived, escaped the harsh wilderness
by becoming human themselves and assimilating with local
communities.
The process of animals joining the human community continues
to this day, and likewise, many shifters decide that human
life isn’t for them and return to the wild. “Fresh” shifters
are easily identifiable, often retaining clear animal features,
difficulty speaking but clearly understanding, and feral
behaviour. There are organisations specialised in locating
these individuals and helping them integrate into human society.
Depending on the country, if they’re not found by a friendly
organisation first, they can be treated harshly or even
imprisoned.
Shifting 101
All shifters are born with the ability to shift between a base
animal form and a human form. It is inherent, and as natural to
them as breathing. Transformation is smooth, quick, and painless,
without any signs such as a “poof” or shining light. This is where
they get their in-universe name - slipshape - as they slip between
shapes as fluidly as water. Forms are not static, and can influence
each other depending on the time spent in them, clothes worn, and
other factors. They can shift isolated features e.g. a tail in
human form, but usually operate on a “sliding scale” between both
forms.
Shifters are able to retain clothes and accessories between
transformations*, which influence their colour in animal form.
Markings will take the vague positions and shades of colours on their
clothes, but exact patterns, logos etc. tend to bleed unless
consciously focused on. Small patches of colour may also disappear.
It is not, however, a one-way street - over time, if certain clothes
are constantly worn while transforming, the colour will leech back
into their human form. This is the case with Gold, who's red jacket
turned his fur red, and subsequently, his human hair as well.
There is also the question of mass. Shifters are not bound to keep
their exact mass between forms, but there is a general limit to how
big or small they can get (though this differs from person to person).
Most invertebrates are off the table, as are giants like elephants and
whales. It is easiest to maintain a form that is of similar mass to
their human self.
*Essentially, anything touching their skin can be treated as an
extension of the body.
Consequences of Shifting
It isn't just colours which can reverse influence a
human form. If enough time is spent in animal form,
features will be retained as a human too. These traits
vary between all individuals and range from plausible
human variation, such as differently shaped teeth, to
very clearly animal traits, such as patches of scales
or feathers.
Shifting for long periods of time can also influence
the mind. If enough time is spent in animal form, a
shifter will gain more instincts and start to lose
levels of consciousness, essentially retreating into
their own head and becoming more like a regular animal.
If more time is spent in human form, they will lose
instincts and find it difficult to survive should they
return to the wild. Intrusive thoughts of human morality
and etiquette can also negatively affect them. However,
since there is a sort of push-and-pull between both
forms, spending time in another form can tip the balance
back, or even cause a complete 180.
Gold demonstrating "feature leeching", having feline canines
and premolars even as a human.
The Myth of "True" Forms
Shifters do not have a “true” form, only a default;
their human and animal forms are equally “true”. Contrary
to popular belief, when a shifter dies they have nothing
to “revert” to, and they cannot be forced out of one form
and into another. The most that can be done is to lock
them in their current form by weakening them in some way,
or by physical constraints e.g. a cat in a small cage
simply doesn’t have the space to become human.
As stated earlier, all shifters have a base animal form
along with their human one - this is thought to be their
ancestral form. Features of said animal can show through
involuntarily with strong emotions, and can be accessed
easily and instinctively. Other forms can be acquired,
but take time and practice to learn. The chosen form must
also be observed and interacted with in person. In essence,
the shifter is learning to sculpt their own bodies into an
unfamiliar shape. It is a messy and difficult process. Many
do not learn more than two extras.
During the initial process, shifting isn’t exactly painful
but can result in discomfort, wild anatomical errors, and
getting “stuck” in between. This is usually the result of panic
and can be reversed by calming down. After the new form is
completely achieved, shifting will still take longer or experience
lag/lack of synchronisation between body parts, with some parts
changing faster than others. Over time, it can eventually become
as fluid as between the base and human forms. These alternate forms
also can’t be passed on to the next generation, whereas the base
form always will.
Human Shifting
Shifting into an existing human (as opposed to the shifter’s
own human form) is considered taboo and a criminal offense,
both within and outside the shifter community. It is effectively
a form of identity theft, and though it is very rare, the
possibility of shifters doing this is often used as fear
mongering in the human community. Altering a human form to be
unrecognisable can also be stigmatised, depending on the region.
Small cosmetic adjustments are fairly common however, akin to
makeup.
There are wildly different views on changing sex characteristics
within shifter communities. Generally speaking, shifters arising
from animals with little to no sexual dimorphism are more accepting
of changes. To them, it’s perfectly reasonable to be uncomfortable
with human dimorphism. On the other hand, high dimorphism shifters
tend to have strong gender-sex attachments and have trouble
understanding why somebody would want to change. This is not a
hard rule though, and of course can be influenced by the human
society they inhabit as well.