#shadow shift

Background

[E] is a dragon otherkin with a spiritual explanation for their otherkinity (soul-in-wrong-body rhetoric and ideas). They very rarely, if ever, experience shifts. When they do, these are typically wing shifts. [E] claims their shifts are unvoluntary.

[N] is a dragon alter or headmate, with an assumption that whatever reason that they are currently where they are, and not in a physical body of their own somewhere else, is an explanation which is spiritual in nature. When fronting, they experience anything from wing shifts to semi-full body shifts, with varying regularity. [N] claims that they experience both voluntary and unvoluntary shifts.

Approximately one month prior to these tests, [E] and [S], the host of [N]’s body, were in the presence of an individual, [L], which has been referred to as a “battery” for things spiritual in nature. Both experienced strong shifts--[E] experienced teeth and muzzle most notably, while [S] experienced spinal, claws, teeth, and muzzle.

Approximately 9 days prior to these tests, both [N] and [E] went through a full body shift simultaneously and [N] remarked being able to both see, as well as ‘feel,’ in that [N] could very much tell when their phantom limbs bumped against each other through sense of touch alone, [E]’s shift. [E] did not appear to see anything.

Several hours before these tests, [N] recalled feeling a very strange ‘shift.’ They claimed that it felt as though human emotional capability and draconic instincts were both trying to occupy a single space in them--a space which both, individually, seemed to be supposed to fill on their own. [N] also experienced something similar to daydreams or intrusive thoughts (more closely similar to intrusive thoughts, as [N] did not seem to have much control over them,). After this, [N] and [E] spent approximately two hours with [L], doing physical activity (lifting heavy items/boxes, moving back and forth between locations while holding these items, etc.). [N] and [E] were also in prolonged contact for several minutes, something neither of them have ever allowed before (also notably something neither particularly enjoys).

‘Seeing’ Test Results/Notable Occurrences

[N] correctly guessed subject [E]’s specific shift of a single horn out of a pair of horns (the right horn).

[N] ‘saw’ subject [E]’s spinal ridges and consciously choose to not comment; subject [E] mentioned them a second or so later.

[N] also appeared to correctly guess foreclaw, wing, muzzle, and at one point hindclaw (dewclaw included), shifts throughout the night. 

[N] confirmed many things that [E] had previously thought about their dragonself, including things such as color, size, and the shapes of certain parts of their body (boxy muzzle, slightly curved horns). [N] also, however, seemed to go against things which [E] had previously thought about their dragonself--[E] imagined themself as partially yellow, when [N] only ever saw black as an accent color.

Potential Errors

[N] could have been unconsciously predicting shifts based off of [E]’s body language. [N] could also have been potentially influencing [E]’s shifts based off of [N]’s commentary, though occasions in which [N] would actively choose to not say anything and where [E] confirmed what they saw mere moments later seem to suggest otherwise.

Questions

Does any phantom shift have the potential to become a shadow shift, or only specifically phantom shifts thought to be spiritual in nature? Can anyone see strong phantom shifts, with enough training or under the right circumstances? Is there a specific type of phantom shift which has the ability to become a shadow shift and to be ‘seen,’ by others, or do all phantom shifts has this potential, with everything relying entirely on the individuals in the near vicinity's ability to ‘see’ such things? Were these events triggered by a specific event or occurrence, or was it something of a “perfect storm”--is this repeatable, with what we have at our disposal?