Shifters

A series of stories about shape shifters

• Shifters have two sets of DNA that they can choose between to express themselves
  • Interspecies mating works like normal interspecies mating - it might result in a blend of very similar individuals, it might result in a "mule" or it might just not work at all if they're too different (the majority of the cases).
  • Shifting is not possible when pregnant, however this block does not happen for a few days after conception. Shifting during those few days effectively terminates the pregnancy
• Higher brain functions remain the same and don't morph, but lower ones are encoded in the DNA for things like muscle coordination
• A Shifter is not able to shift until they reach the end of puberty around 20 years old.
  • When they do shift, the form is reset to the genetic form - in particular, fixing any injury, and slowing aging
  • Since DNA controls the shifting, cells with non-matching DNA are discarded - synergistic cells, such as gut bacteria, have DNA keys so they adjust accordingly, for example, so the animal diet can be handled when in animal form. During a shift, material in the process of being digested may or may not continue to be processed normally, which may result in a need to eliminate it not long after shifting.
    • This makes Shifters long lived - difficult to kill and it takes a while for genetic damage to age them (150 years?)
    • High percentage of gay shifters helps keep population under control
    • Typical age for parenting 50-75 with the extended time allowing freedom and financial stability before taking on parenting
  • Mass is conserved, so if, say a human shifts to an eagle, it's a very large eagle, conversely, a bear would be a small bear
    • Bird shifters don't generally look like a non-shifter bird, as human sized birds have very large wingspans and look more like pterodactyls than birds as a result
  • While a fat shifter stays fat, shifting takes a lot of energy and generally, there aren't fat shifters, and a fat shifter will be a little less fat from the energy consumed
    • Trying to shift could be fatal if a shifter doesn't have enough energy reserves to supply the shift, resulting in a partial shift
    • As a result, shifters typically carry a little cushion, and "6-packs" are considered unhealthy and dangerous
• Nudity taboos are silly in general, and unworkable for shifters
  • It can be dangerous to shift while clothed if the clothes are stronger than the form being shifted to, e.g. birds and their light bones
  • Clothing is used for protection or decoration, but almost always takes the form of an easily removed robe; exceptions are primarily in environments where loose clothing is dangerous, e.g. industrial settings.
• Predator/Prey shifter types conflict?
• In cold weather, metabolism is raised rather than treating extremities as expendable; conversely, in hot weather, metabolism is reduced along with the normal flushing/sweating actions. There are limits to how far each direction can go though - in particular, spending too much time cold can use up energy reserves, making shifting ill advised until they're replenished. In hot weather, the reduced metabolism tends to make one sluggish and sleepy.