Shifting

The term "shifting" in the alterhuman community refers to an experience that many alterhumans describe as periods of feeling more in touch with their identities than they do at other times. Shifts cannot always be controlled, but are not always involuntary. This is not an experience that all alterhumans share.

MENTAL SHIFT

A mental shift occurs when the mindset of the individual changes to be more akin to that of their identity(s).

PHANTOM SHIFT

A shift where the individual feels parts (a tail, ears, wings, paws, etc-- it depends on the being's identity) that aren't actually there. Previously referred to as "phantom limb", a term that is outdated and typically no longer used due to its erroneous conflation with medical terminology.

CAMEO SHIFT

A shift that isn't of the identity of the individual.

SENSORY SHIFT

When an individual experiences the senses of their identity(s).

DREAM SHIFT

When an individual has dreams of or through the eyes of their identity(s).

BERSERKER SHIFT

When an individual is believed to have been "taken over" by inhuman/unusual impulses, typically characterized by loss of control and bizarre actions. This could be for many reasons, perhaps psychological, but the legitimacy of these shifts is debated among the community. Nonetheless, shifted or not, an individual is always accountable and responsible for any harm done to any other being, and berserker shifting is not an excuse.