Slight color changes are not indicative of a shift. There are many reasons as to why you might see a ‘different’ color. Most often this is due to lighting. For example If it’s sunny, natural light may make colors more warm toned. Even with basic white artificial light, it may be hard to tell the true color of something. The angle at which you look at things is also a factor. People from the ‘p-shifting community’ are always claiming they’ve shifted in one way or another. If you’re telling the truth you should show proof. Like the other anon said, how can people ever be expected to believe you when there is zero evidence backing your claims? Have you considered how harmful this can be to children learning about otherkin? Many have been taken in by cults, making them think if they just practice they too can transform. There are still people out there who think that the earth is flat despite they’re being pictures of the earth. The only “evidence” flat earth era have is that they cannot see the curvature of the earth. So clearly it must be impossible to prove the earth is round. But as we know, it’s impossible to see the curve of the earth due to our small size compared to the earth and how close we are to it. With an unobstructed view even it’s possible to see a fraction of the curve. I know you aren’t going to listen to what I have to say but you should consider the facts. Think of shifting as a science experiment, a hypothesis, rather than a fact of which it isn’t. Or until it can be proven. And if I’m being honest, you watch too much TV. No one is going to experiment you or hunt you. You are a human being. I do not doubt that you are otherkin but your physical body is human. If people were allowed to do so and kill freely then there would be anarchy. But there’s not. Of course there are criminals here and there, crime is present virtually everywhere. But you’re not going to have the government coming to your house because you *think* you grew a scale or your skin changed it’s tone slightly. And even if you were able to completely transform, biologically you are a human. Let’s say I take a ball of clay and I sculpt it into a coin. Maybe I paint it silver as well. I can’t just go to a store and pay for something with it. Does it look like a coin? Does it maybe feel like one? Certainly. But it’s not a coin. It’s clay and paint and it will always be that no matter what form it takes. Do you think trans people get experimented on just because they identify as the opposite gender? No of course not. And neither do otherkin of any kind. There has not been ONE otherkin that has ever been captured or hunted because of what they identified as. Any people that claim someone is a hunter is clearly a child who’s been manipulated into believing in them or an adult who’s trying to pass on those false claims. You’d really have to be extremely paranoid to believe in such a thing. You may as well believe in the boogey man or bigfoot. Honestly unicorns are more likely to exist than otherkin hunters.
I think there is a misunderstanding here. I definitely do think that shifting should be seen as a science to be studied, and I'm majoring in biology to study just that. On the biological level, our cells undergo a lot of changes- shifts, if you will- just being a part of our bodies. Stem cells, for example, transform and become whatever cell is needed in the body when they're needed. Stem cells are our microscopic shape shifters in everybody. Production of things like hair are regulated by hormones in your body, which is why men tend to have more body hair; it's regulated by testosterone. This works by telling a cell to activate and read a certain portion of the DNA in your cells that cause hair growth.
Now let's talk about scales for a second: scales are made of keratin. The skin on your body is keratinized skin, meaning it produces keratin. This is what makes your skin waterproof. Among the dragon shifters I've met, we all have a skin condition called keratosis pilaris, which is an excess of keratin in our skin that collects around hair follicles. I have a hypothesis that I intend to study and test empirically, but don't yet have the equipment to do so, that there is a connection between shifters that produce scales and keratosis pilaris.
As you can see, there is preliminary evidence to support this hypothesis, even though it's not yet been thoroughly studied. And this is how all science starts out. There's something that exists that suggests something, and it gets studied, repeatable experiments are performed, and the hypothesis becomes accepted as fact. I'm not approaching this like a conspiracy theorist, I've long wanted to study shifting empirically and develop factual evidence to provide to the public. As a personal rule, I would not ask anyone to do or endure anything that I wouldn't do or endure myself, and all studies would be done safely and humanely.
As for my skin color change, this is what's called anecdotal evidence. I wouldn't have claimed this as fact if I didn't see such changes in artificial lighting that I have seen my skin in many times before, and only sometimes have I seen it a different color. At these times, I've felt particularly like I was going to shift or like a shift was starting. While anecdotal evidence is considered impermissible in most situations, it can provide the basis for further studying and experimentation to figure out why it happens.
Also, I don't think otherkin are shifters. In my eyes, otherkin and shifters are different. You can be a shifter and be otherkin for a creature other than that which you transform into, but not every otherkin can shift. It is dangerous to spread information that suggests that, and I agree with those statements.
Let me rephrase the privacy topic and lack of evidence. There is a correct way to reveal the existence of shifters to the public. If done correctly, things will likely go the best way that they can, with the least amount of abuse of the information as possible. However, you have to recognize that even with mundane issues, such as racism and homophobia, people who are people and nothing more are being killed, arrested, abused, and otherwise mistreated in 2021. Shifters can logically expect the same, if not worse, because it would be much easier for people to call us less than human. These are real threats to the community, whether you think so or not. You cannot deny the violations of human rights in our modern world. Again, I won't deny the improvements within the past hundred years, but we're still far from perfect. So yes, we fear for our lives and safety of our identities are revealed and things are revealed to be true.
Posting anonymously online helps us find others like us and build a community, and yes we're aware of hackers and how easy it is to find your identity, but most people are going to see us as liars as you and the other 10 anons in my inbox have.
I have always and will always respect skepticism. I understand that it's difficult to believe something as truth with no evidence. But understanding that most shifters dont have the means to collect evidence, don't have the knowledge to explain it in a factual manner, or don't have the resources to study themselves and provide sufficient evidence can help you understand that it's not so easy to give you the evidence you require to quell your skepticism.
To the other anons, your asks may have been answered here as well. I appreciate the anons who are at least somewhat respectful in their requests for more information and seem receptive to the idea of a response that may sufficiently rebuttal some of their claims.