#vampru

Hey, minor PSA, but if you see someone (on here or on discord) telling you that...

Shifting will lead to you killing someone (because you become a monster and eat everything in your path)

Spirit possession is the only way to become a shifter and it'll likely kill you

That werewolves only partially shift, or can't shift much more than a man with claws or that guy from the movie Split

Vampires are called vampru, werewolves were created by raping women, and supernatural creatures defend magical power lines that could destroy the world

That anyone who claims to be a full animal shifter, or not possessed but still a shifter is lying

That they can turn you or make you into a real supernatural (by going to the astral and selecting a spirit for you to get possessed by)

They're lying or misinformed. Don't get spooked by their claims, you will not hurt anyone while shifted, you don't have to be possessed by a spirit to be a shifter, and you're not going to be chased down by supernatural beings for shifting. If people were being turned into supernatural beings and killing people we would know (a weird string of killings would attract attention, especially if people got away) and if that were the case, they wouldn't be handing out the ability unless they wanted to turn other people into murderers. Either way, they're not good people.

Now, spirit possession can lead to shifter-like experiences (some spirits can cause people to shift partially) but they still don't shift fully, they aren't generally considered shifters, they don't directly lead to people's deaths, and they don't actively harm people in the way this person is claiming. If you're thinking about harming people due to a spirit, it might be a good idea to see a therapist or confide in a trusted person before assuming you're going to shift. And you don't need them to get possessed (positively or negatively), read up on spiritualism or mediumship to channel one, if you really want to.

The astral is also not off limits; you can astral project anytime and learning how isn't too hard. You don't need them to pick a spirit for you.

This person also claims that they and their friends have proof of their experiences, but it's extremely poor quality, and not something a person couldn't pull off with fake fangs and editing. It's dark images of them baring their teeth, or of them dubiously shifting their bodies in ways anyone could replicate.

(I would normally be a bit more cautious with showing a shifter's shifted form, but there's barely anything there to censor, and they've posted this publicly. Also if shifters are so dangerous, and cameras can be affected just by them being near, how do you have a picture of one? And why hasn't anybody else noticed the people intangibly altering technology and cameras around them?)

(I've amended my Tall Tales and Proof of Shifting essay to address this.)