SPECIES INFORMATION Here at Wasted Skies you get the choice to either roleplay a human or a shapeshifter. I know that humans are fairly self-explanatory, but I will have some information about them below anyway. This roleplay is future based, so you might be surprised with what you read. Shapeshifters are another story entirely. There are so many different ideas on what shapeshifters are and what abilities they have. Below I promise to try and clear up what is considered a shapeshifter on Wasted Skies to the best of my abilities. If you still have some unanswered questions, you may want to check the FAQ, or you may PM me on the OOC boards, or send me an email at izzehkins@gmail.com. HUMANS Anything "general" may greatly vary and is not a set limitation, merely a basic idea. General height -- 5 to 6 feet tall. General eye colors -- Brown, blue, hazel, green, or a mix. General hair colors -- Blond, brown, red, or black. General weapons -- Since humans can't change shape, they use weapons to fight or defend themselves. This roleplay is based in the future, so you can be imaginative (however not insanely so.) Some general ideas for weapons on a human would be: plasma guns, hand guns, knives, swords, light swords, small lasers, etc... The humans that are most often found carrying weapons are soldiers working for SEG. Other humans have no need for weapons or violence and therefore usually don't have weapons. General view on Shapeshifters -- Humans, quite honestly, fear the shapeshifters. The war only ended a year ago and they all still remember the fact that shapeshifters killed thousands of humans. And it's hard to ignore them when the SEG is around, making sure that shapeshifters are captured. For the most part, the SEG are regarded the same as any soldier or police officer would be - men and women who risk their lives to keep other humans safe. Shapeshifters are known to be violent and unkind, as much as that may not be true - and it's not totally untrue, seeing as shapeshifters fought the war and killed too, and many are quite happy to kill humans. Humans may have had a family member or friend killed by one, or may be members of SEG who hunt out and try to capture the remaining shapeshifters on Cambria. SHAPESHIFTERS Anything "general" may greatly vary and is not a set limitation, merely a basic idea. General height -- 5 to 6 feet tall in human form. General eye colors -- Any color. General hair colors -- Any color. First Form -- A shapeshifter's first form is the shape besides human that they can take the quickest, easiest, and using the least amount of energy. This is the form a shapeshifter feels the most comfortable in besides human, and is generally the one that they pick to change into when they shift. The most common first forms are big cats, dogs, herbivores such as horses or deer, or birds. Second Form -- After reading about the first form, the second form is pretty self explanatory. It is just like the first form, only just a tad bit harder and using just a little more energy to take. The most common second forms are big cats, dogs, birds, or rodents. After their second form, most other animals could be considered a "third form" and take a decent amount of energy to change into besides the last form. Last Form -- This form is the one shape that a shapeshifter has the most trouble changing into. It takes a while, and it uses a large amount of energy. The most common last forms are fish, reptiles, wolves, or very rare animals. Any of the most common last forms are almost unheard of for first or second forms. (That means that if you'd like one of the more common last forms as a first or second form, it's wise to ask an admin for permission first.) Shifting time -- Generally it can take anywhere from 2 seconds to 10 minutes for a shapeshifter to change shape. It all depends on what form they're taking, and how skilled they are. The average is probably around 30 seconds to a minute, but if they're really skilled shapeshifter, they may manage to take their first or second form in under 1 second. Shifting appearance -- Shapeshifters do not change in a puff of smoke or a veil of wind or anything like that. If they shift slowly enough, you can watch their bones stretch, and the hair change length. They are pulled and twisted into the form they're changing into. Also, when shapeshifters change out of human form, their clothes and anything they were carrying (backpack, knife, gun, car keys, etc...) will disappear into what is sometimes called the White Zone. When the shapeshifter changes back to human form their clothes and held items will come back. They way shifting feels -- Each shapeshifter can describe how it feels differently. Usually it's either a burning sensation, or cold and numb like ice. Either way, it is not painful at all to shapeshift. If you're changing into something bigger, it may feel like you're stretching, and if you're changing into something smaller it may feel like you're being pulled smaller. It greatly varies between shapeshifters. Half-Shifting -- Half-shifting doesn't necessarily mean being half of one thing and half of another. It is considered half-shifting even if a shapeshifter is merely increasing their hearing or eyesight with their power. Half-shifting can be used to take on the form of mythical beasts, or to have cat ears or wings in a form that normally doesn't have them. It can also be used to change a shapeshifters natural hair, eye, or skin color if that is not their eternal trait. Half-shifting can be very dangerous if it's done wrong, and it takes skill and practice to be able to do precisely. Some shapeshifters are unfortunately not born with the ability to half-shift, though there is no real way to tell unless they try. White Zone -- The White Zone is referred to as the place where anything a shapeshifter is carrying or wearing disappears to when they shift. Skilled shapeshifters can prevent earrings or jewelry from going into the White Zone when they change. Very rarely are some shapeshifters born with the ability to be able to reach into and out of the White Zone as they wish, meaning that they can store things there and retrieve them whenever they wish. To say, pull a knife out of the White Zone and into your hand, it appears as if the knife is being pulled out of your skin, but it's not. Hardly anything is known about the White Zone; it is very mysterious and not something to take lightly. Limitations -- Eternal Trait - Each shapeshifter must have at least one physical characteristic that stays the same in each one of their forms. That means that whether the shapeshifters is in human form, snow leopard form, red-tailed hawk form, boa constrictor form, or any shape, it must have that particular characteristic. For example, common traits that a shapeshifter cannot shift are eye color, hair color, birthmark, or scar. Some shapeshifters are severely limited and can't change their hair or eye color, but other shapeshifters may only have a small birthmark or scar that stays with them when they shift. Although scars, jewelry, tattoos, and other such things can become eternal traits, a shapeshifter must be born with one; ie, if a tattoo is their eternal trait, fine, but they must also have eye color, hair color, a birthmark, or something else that they cannot change. Energy - Energy is very important to a shapeshifter. It costs energy to change shape, and if you try and shift without enough energy it could be fatal and you could die. Energy is something to be conserved at all costs, which is the reason why most shapeshifters are also skilled at using weapons; it saves energy because they don't have to shift. Injuries - Unfortunately, shapeshifters can't just heal their injuries by changing shape. The injuries shift with them, and appear on their other form in the equivalent place to where it was before. For example, if a shapeshifter is in the shape of a bird and they break their right wing, if they somehow manage to painfully shift back into human form, their right arm would be broken. Keep in mind that shifting while injured would be painful - imagine stretching out a cut while you turn from hawk to rabbit. Now imagine how much it must hurt to have broken bones rubbing against each other, changing shape, and moving around, potentially causing even worse harm. General weapons -- Well, besides the usual tooth, claw, and fist, most shapeshifters are usually skilled with weapons. Whether it be a plasma gun or a simple knife, shapeshifters are generally armed. Why shapeshift and waste energy in a shot battle when you can be skilled with a weapon instead? The most common weapons that shapeshifters use are knives or a small hand gun. Most shapeshifters are armed because the SEG is very vigilant, and will gladly arrest them if they are found out; no shapeshifter knows when the SEG might come for them. General view on Humans -- Shapeshifters tend to dislike the humans. It's kind of obvious, you'd hate a species that took over your home planet too, wouldn't you? Shapeshifters are hunted down like animals, and hate that fact. They are truly intelligent and civilized beings, despite the fact that they have greater senses and can sometimes prefer to be in an animal form. Many try and avoid humans, and others simply try and blend in and not get noticed. Either way, no shapeshifter ever wants to be caught by SEG.