The Craftspace

I'M SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS COMMUNITY!! ALL THE THINGS I DID FOR YEARS AND COULDN'T FIND ANYONE ELSE WHO DID!

ALL THE HOURS SEARCHING THROUGH NSFW CONTENT JUST TO FIND SOME NICE NESTING FICS!

THE MESSY NEST IN MY ROOM THAT I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY SCENT!

I like lists, so I made one. These are just recommendations, not how-to's or a declaration of what can be done. I tried to cover a broad range of beings but there is only so much a shapeshifter knows. Let me know if I missed anything.

If you ever need more info, I recommend peeping in on the cosplay communities. They know what's up.

Skin

Body Paint & makeup (For adding scales, shimmer, stripes, spots, etc.)

Skin safe adhesive (For sticking jewels, scales, feathers, whiskers etc. to the body)

Special effects makeup (No explanations needed, put enough time into learning and you can become anything)

Body glitter (Mica body glitter is eco-friendly and beautiful)

Fake eyes (Glue them to your face, glue them to your mask, glue them to your friends. There is much fun to be had with fake eyes)

Henna

Jagua (Similar to henna but a blue-black color. It may cause skin allergies, perform a patch test!)

Head/Face/Eyes

Contacts (Always get your eyes measured at the optometrist to know you size before ordering and always order from a reputable source, no aliexpress or Temu. Don’t play with your eyesight!) 

Masks (Consider adding head-harnesses, muzzles, halters, whiskers, etc.)

Hoods (With or without ears, feathers or no, can be attached to a mask, can attach to a mantle, can extend into a cape)

Cobra hood (Can probably be made with a head band and some cardboard and foam to achieve the flared look)

Ears

Horns & Antlers

Antennae

Whiskers

Pinchers (Depending on their size they could be attached to a half/full mask or glued directly onto the skin)

Muzzles

Manes (For animals like the maned wolf and the aardwolf, you can have it extend down to the shoulders or all the way to the tail)

Wigs

Featureless Face Mask (I'm not familiar with artificial kin types so just bear with me here. Something as simple as a stock metal or plastic face mask to obscure human features. Maybe add manufacturing info, maker's mark, or a barcode? Can you tell I'm not a robot kin? Also these are good for any kintype who get euphoria from obscuring human features)

Hair clip tentacles

Teeth

Fangs (If possible, try to get custom fangs made of dental acrylic so as not to cause gum or tooth damage. However, most temporary plastic fangs are just fine for wearing here and there. If you wish to DIY it, you can find plenty of tutorials using thermoplastic teeth beads. They can be worn fairly often and it's pretty accessible. For a more hardcore DIY experience, you can watch tutorials on how to make dental acrylic fangs yourself)

Grillz (Not everyones' taste, but I myself own a pair of silver fangs and am planning on getting a black set. These must be custom fitted, no excuses)

Tooth Paint (Alcohol-based tooth paint is easily accessible and safe to use)

Ears

Feathered ear cuffs (US peeps please abide by the Migratory Birds Act if you seek out real feathers and avoid wearing eagle feathers as that is a indigenous American practice)

Ear cuffs with gills or fins (can be made out of paper, organza fabric, etc.)

Pointed Ears (Either pre-bought or homemade for those who are crafty)

Neck/Shoulders

Collars (Can be made out of chain links bought at home depot, a good leather belt, woven paracord, etc. Get your own tags made at Petco or Petsmart!)

Neck Ruff (Can be made with fur or feathers and attached to a mantle. Also works very well for the puffy collar that moths have)

Mantle (Typically made of fur but can be made out of feathers or a material that mimics scales. I've even seen one made of sheer material with a butterfly wing pattern and shape)

Shoulder pads (Can have spikes or layers of leather for out armored friends)

Bodywear

Capes/Pelts (The best material to use for the environment & animal welfare include: recycled/used fur, wool, alpaca hair, cashmere, ethically sourced angora fur, cotton or other plant-based fibers. Silk is also a great option if you don't mind how it's produced. Feathered capes can also be made)

Tails (Yarn tails, super motion, etc. Feathered tails that are fanned out as if in flight can also be fashioned. I imagine a fully fanned out peacock tail would look absolutely stunning. Ostrich feathers can be used for larger projects and dyed different colors)

Wings (Either attached to your back via harness or to the arms. I've seen bat versions, moth, avian, insect, etc)

Extra limbs (Can be made using foam similar to tails and worn on the body with a harness or belt. Depending on the construction, you can attach a string between the extra limb and physical one to make it move alongside your movements)

Carapace (Cardboard or another suitably stiff material can be cut to shape, painted, and worn. Extra props if you add insect wings underneath and make the carapace able to open)

Keel bone bodice (Might require a bit of ingenuity, but a chest plate or bodice with a peaked centerline to mimic a bird’s keel bone)

Compression vest or thick leather vest (To mimic a exoskeleton or armored skin. If you want to go the extra mile, consider making hardened leather)

Dorsal Fin (Attached with a belt or harness) Be careful if you want to use it in the water, choose a buoyant or neutrally buoyant core and a water-proof fabric. Do not wear fins not meant for the water in the water, it could make it very difficult for you to swim!)

Body Harness

Tentacles (Can be attached to a belt much like a tail)

Hands/Arms

Arm Fins (Can be made cardboard, EVA foam, or another suitably stiff material. Covered with material and attach via straps to the forearm. Be careful if you wish to swim with them, choose water-proof neutrally-buoyant or positively-buoyant material. I don't recommend swimming with larger fins like those meant to simulate pectoral fins and cover the whole arm as they can hamper your movement. Swim safe!)

Hand Fins (Versions can be bought online meant for swimming. You could also make a fabric version meant for daily wear)

Mermaid/Aquatic sleeves (Can be made of sheer fabric like organza, extra fabric can be added in between the fingers to make webbing and along the sides to make fins)

Reptilian sleeves (Made of fabric with a scale pattern or with scales attached)

Press on nails shaped like talons or claws

Nail Gloves (Fabric gloves with nails attached to them)

Paw gloves

Hoof gloves (Attach hooves made of foam or another suitable material to a sleeve, add supportive/shaping material around the wrist area. Don't do quads in these as the ones I've described are not suitable. Quad friendly hoof shoes would require way sturdier hooves, tread on the bottom, wrist support, and a way to prevent your hand from slipping in the glove, etc.)

Gauntlets & arm guards (For our exoskeleton and armored friends. Also can be fashioned to mimic polo wraps worn by equines)

Three fingered gloves (They pair the pinkie & ring finger into one section, the index and middle into another, and leave the thumb free)

Tentacle sleeves

Feet/Legs

Digi-grade stilts (Can be paws, hooves, avian, etc)

Shoes (Flat shoes can be customized with attached paws, hooves, toes, etc.)

Cloven shoes (Similar to the jika tabi style of shoe, you may need socks made especially for wearing cloven shoes)

Tights with sewn on, painted on, or glued on scales

Shin & thigh guards (Exoskeleton & armored friends)

Shin fins

Feet fins

Press on nails as claws or talons (These may need to be made yourself as they don't appear to make a whole lot of claw-style press-ons for toes. Something to do with wearing shoes or something human like that)

Aquatic Tails (Can be made in various style like merfolk, aqautic mammal, or eel. There are water-safe versions made of silicone or specific materials. A non water-safe version can be made at home with typical fabric & sewing, or even knitting and crocheting. Do not wear any tail in the water unless is is explicitly made for that purpose, other material may weight you down and make you unable to swim)

If you get phantom shifts, what’s the parts of your body that you get shifts of the most? (Ranked) I’ll go first:

Ears

Face fur

Paws

Snoot

I'm sorry I haven't been as active, and I'm sorry for not responding to DMs.

I'm Minnesotan, and as you all likely know, things here have been extremely scary. ICE has been terrorizing our state as well as the rest of the country. They are violent, because we are stubborn and unrelenting. There have been two public executions here in under a month. The media refuses to acknowledge it for what it is. They keep deflecting blame as if lives weren't taken in cold blood.

Along with this, my mom's health has significantly worsened and I have had to play the role of the parent and have had to put on my "humansona" as much as possible.

•ﻌ•𐂯𐂯𐂯𐂯𐂯⋆ᓚᘏᗢ⋆♡⋆ᗢᘏᓗ⋆𐂯𐂯𐂯𐂯𐂯•ﻌ•

I'm scared. I'm exhausted. I'm at a point where I just can hardly function. I'm burnt out. I can't go outside, it's too cold and unsafe. And I can't be online without seeing something about all the hell that's going on just 30 minutes away from me. I've had to put my personal projects and hope on hold. Most of my days are spent looking after my mom and making sure she's safe.