Morphs

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Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:53 pm

papa nurgle wrote:

"While in Morph, they (Celestials) experience every physical instinct of the body they have adopted. Many Celestials use this ability to experience the sentience, instincts and emotional responses of other creatures." MG3K Sourcebook, 2009 edition.

With this in mind, can these physical instincts actually overwhelm the Celestial to a point where the Celestial in morphed form would do something that the Celestial in its 'normal' forms would not? Could a Celestial in the form of a Tasmanian Devil actually attack other Celestials that it feels are trespassing on its territory? Can passive Celestials find themselves acting on more aggressive behaviors due to its Morph? Would the chemical processes of initial attraction make a Celestial feel attracted to another creature that the Celestial is currently morphed as? Just where does the Celestial stop and the Morph begin?

Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:16 pm

JenDiMarco wrote:

Matt, luckily, I have Launa sitting right across the Christmas table from me and as you may know she is our resident Celestial expert. I believe that Celestials in Morph are much like the kiddos in the Animorphs series -- the animal mind and the original (Human or, in this case, Celestial) mind exist in the same brain. The Celestial mind is in the "front," so to speak, with the animal mind strong just behind it. Sometimes the animal needs would press upon the Celestial mind but, most of the time (though, of course, there may very well be extreme cases where this would not be true) the Celestial could stay "on top" and in control. Would their animal-aligned, animal-specific instincts and desires be stronger? Absolutely. Would they be drawn to other animals of their kind? Totally. Would they ever, ever attack another Celestial in response to animal instinct? I would have to say: Absolutely not.

My ten cents worth.

Jennifer

Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:22 pm

Cris wrote:

Matt: Here's the info on morphs from the forthcoming Sourcebook: Please remember that Morphing is not a FORM it is an ABILITY.


MORPHS: Celestials have the ability to either Morph or Summon. Celestials who can Morph can change their shape into any living creature they have come in contact with—be it insect, reptile, mammal or even Human. While in Morph, they experience both the physical and emotional state of the creature they’ve adopted. Since morphing is not a surface change—but a complete transformation, a Celestial in Morph is limited to the natural abilities of the creature he or she has Morphed into. For example, Morphing into a jaguar would eliminate the Celestial’s ability to communicate telepathically. Many Celestials use this ability to experience the sentience, instincts and emotional responses of other creatures.

While this ability is present at birth, Celestials are not able to Morph until adolescence. The ability to Morph is genetic. Additionally, Morphs may be passed from parent to child if the Morph is acquired during pregnancy. Morphing is very difficult. Learning to do it takes focus, training and energy.

In order to acquire a Morph, a Celestial must come in physical contact with creature. The contact must be 3D to 3D. During this contact, the Celestial collects a sample of the creature with an incredibly thin, four-inch long, four dimensional Assimilation Array which looks like a small cluster of fiber optic threads. The Assimilation Array can sprout from any part of the Celestial’s body. Physical contact must precede the emergence of the Assimilation Array and be maintained for several seconds. This second step must be a 4D contact through the Array to a 3D creature. Aside from a deep bruise from the Array, the creature is unharmed.

Once the sample has been taken, the Celestial acquires the ability to Morph into that creature immediately. The Morph will be an exact replica of the specimen in perfect condition—perfect health, Prime, etc. It is important to note that a Morph does not include clothing. Celestials can manifest practically anything if they are inside their Outpost, but they would need to acquire clothing if they shifted into a Human Morph outside their Outpost.

A Celestial who is a master Morpher, with hundreds of morphs and decades of experience, may manifest a partial Morph. A partial hawk Morph, for example, might be as simple as a claw or beak, or as complex as talons, wings and head.

Celestials may not Morph under the following conditions:

If a Celestial needs to eat or drink. Though the Celestial can eat and drink while in Morph, the nourishment does not reach the Celestial body. It only nourishes the physical manifestation of the Morph.

If a Celestial is pregnant. A Celestial who is actively carrying a child cannot Morph because the transformation into Morph involves a complete rearrangement of the Celestial’s mass on a quantum level. A growing child’s mass would be integrated into the overall mass of the Celestial and may not be correctly separated when the Celestial shifts out of Morph.

Hope this helps.
Cris

Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:03 am

LaughingClown wrote:

I have been considering this topic in a slightly different way. In the Crusade Battle Anthology there are two stories about the character most dear to my heart, Eris. One of the stories is written by me and it is a fine story, I think. Then there is another story written by someone else that is truly, truly mind-blowing. I only got a chance to read the story before publication of the book because it involved Eris and I'm his "gatekeeper," so to speak. After reading both stories several times I began to ask myself this:

If a Celestial adopts all *physical* parts of a morphed form, what parts are physical? Does this include genetic predispositions or rarities like far-end spectrum autism? What does the MG3K universe consider genetic? If I am a male Celestial with a female Celestial mate, and I acquire a gay male morph, am I then allowed to morph and march in the Pride Parade?

Thoughts?

Eric

Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:29 am

EJ wrote:

Oh. Eric. Okay. I think I see what you're asking here. Thank you for being so diplomatic, delicate even.

I think *everything* genetic would come through and this is why I say it:

Let's pretend I am a Celestial. I want to break into a high security company. I need to crack their codes but I suck at numbers. I want to acquire the genetics of a famous hacker's daughter. A daughter who has already shown signs of doing incredible things with codes and numbers. This ability is obviously passed down and something about her brain (and her father's brain) let them make those leaps needed to crack great big right brain mysteries.

In answer to your other question, about how things come down in the MG3K universe, the answer is yes, he could march in the parade in the morph. And that is actually not open for debate.

*gentle smile*

EJ

P.S. Really good to have to back, Eric.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:51 am

AreaneCreator wrote:

Oh wow. That's something I'd never even thought of. Eric? You rock So good to have a solidly Celestial voice back on the forum *sneaky smile*

I find this absolutely fascinating. The Celestial need for morphs, then, would really go up, wouldn't they? Because they're acquiring minor skill (little "s") sets as well? So it would not be unusual, then, for a Celestial to have ten or fifteen human morphs while on earth.

Is there, then, also the chance that a Celestial may get a morph for someone with, say, a genetic predisposition to rage and end up going off the deep end? Celestials can sense these things before acquiring a morph, yes?

Thu Sep 10, 2009 3:55 am

EJ wrote:

I think that Celestials can sense things, "see" things in an emotional spectrum that Human eyes can't, yeah. But I also think it would be possible for a Celestial to miss an ability/issue and wind up with a freaking morph.

[Maria]

I remember once seeing a Celestial morph that was a spider. It was, I believe, in an Alpha Deck belonging to Estella. I am not certain which variety of spider it was, but I would like to recommend one.

The newly classified Nephila Komaci are golden orb web weavers and the largest spiders web-weaving spiders in the world. They have incredibly complex, golden-threaded webs with five distinct sections that make them webs strong enough to catch birds, bats and lizards as well as large scarab and other beetles. The female's body is two inches long with her legs spanning four inches. The male, interestingly, is barely an inch in total.

Much like "The Art of War" influences life in many arenas, so does the unique structure of the webs made by all Nephila spiders. They begin with a thin outline that sketches briefly the major exterior and interior lines of the web. Second, with slightly stronger threads, they weave the radii like spokes of a wheel. Third, the auxiliary spiral is made, curving out from the middle up the length of the radii. Fourth, trailing along between the spiral lines, is the ensnaring spiral which is very adhesive and woven incredibly close together in over-lapping circles. The very last part of the web that is made is called the hub, the center waiting place for the spider where all the radii and both spirals begin and so feed all their sensory input.

Maria

This image is of two semi-mature females:

[Cris]

Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:45 am JenDiMarco wrote:

A question has come up recently and I wonder if anyone has spoken privately with EJ about it (or if EJ has a free moment -- I know how busy she is -- perhaps she can post real quick. No need for anything fancy, just a sentence or two).

On Earth. When speaking in English, do Celestials use wouldn't, shouldn't, couldn't, didn't etc or do they use would not, should not, could not, did not, etc?

Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:58 am EJ wrote:

Hey, Jennifer. Still at work. Yes, contractions. On the run but the answer is so simple: Celestials don't use them unless they are very good at a Human morph. Their use of any Human language would be formal, stiff. Hope this helps!

Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:30 pm JenDiMarco wrote:

Very! So only Celestials *very* good at morphing would drop the formal speech and contractions? (Like maybe Hylonome and Kianira)?

Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:11 am AreaneCreator wrote:

It would make sense to me that unless a Celestial used their human morph often or really knew human society, it wouldn't be in their nature to communicate the way humans do. I mean, unless a Celestial was experienced with vocal speech it may be even unusual to rely on a human tongue and mouth so often. For example, when she first had a human morph, Ganymede hated it. She didn't talk much and was really fairly awkward as a human being (socially). However, I think characters like Eliena and Lynor would be very passable humans not only because they've been in human morph so often and so long, but they're also used to 3D forms. Celestials would have to get used to human culture.

Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:44 am JenDiMarco wrote:

That makes perfect sense, yes. Eliena and Lynor would absolutely be able to "pass."

[Launa]

Would the fact that Celestial eyes must be all one color be too harmful to Celestials in human morph? The eyes are so noticed in so many cultures and I don't know of anything human that would make the eyes all one color. I'll go with it, of course, but how might a Celestial try to hide this that might work more effectively than avoiding eye contact? In earlier cultures, people might try to kill him for being supernatural or something or shun him.

This is a question I asked in the Hylonome section but am moving here. How might a Celestial hide this in pre-contact lens/sunglasses eras? Do Celestials themselves make a kind of contact lens to help their eyes blend in when around a sentient species? Or is there a cube they can inhale to temporarily help morph their eyes? I would think this would have been a problem to Missionaries before, especially since one of a Missionary's main objectives is not to interfere with a sentient species and the eyes can be so noticable.

[Lombardi]

Launa, I would answer no. If they could make a contact lens than they might as well have eyes that morph with them. The un-morphing eyes, I believe, is meant to be a weakness to balance the immortals. I would think they (the Missionaries) would avoid sentient species and morph in ways that kept them hidden. Missionaries were seen as near celebrity or royalty status on early Hom. They achieved this status, I assumed, by doing highly dangerous jobs. This truth also feeds nicely into how incredibly dangerous missions to Earth are.

I actually wanted to post today about our global use of the word "assimilate" in regard to Celestials acquiring DNA for a morph. The word assimilate is tightly (and legally) associated with Star Trek's Borg Collective. I suggest we vote, perhaps, on calling acquiring DNA samples "acquiring" and "acquisition."

Also, I just reviewed Jennifer's brilliant revision of "Penelope: Written on the Body" and it seems I should also point out that we need a name for the physical part of the body that a Celestial uses to acquire a morph as it absolutely cannot be called an "assimilation tubal" as EJ had proposed long ago (which I found in Eric's archive of files). This is Borg terminology.

Not only do we need a name but I think we should make it clear that Celestials have different shapes and sizes and placements of their acquisition appendage or appendage. I don't think anyone should have such vicious ones as Kianira (as seen in the revision and in the version of the story in the "Crusade Battle Anthology," for instance, since she's quite dangerous and renown. Can Celestials have more than one type of these kinds of appendage? I don't think so, personally, but I do think that we should have a list of many (not all) of the possible manifestations of these appendages so that writers can ether think of something totally new and different or pick from the list.

Mike

[Cris]

Launa,

I agree with Mike on the eye question. This is dangerous work they're doing and certainly their elevated social status reflects this. I believe that there are Earth cultures which find direct eye contact to be not only in appropriate, but also aggressive. I'd research that to find your answer. I think, in fact, that Japanese culture is one of those, since this seems to be in reference to a Hylonome story.

[Cris]

Mike

In terms of "assimilation tubes"--you're right, it's definitely copywritten Star Trek Borg tech and Paramount is notorious for going after copyright infringement. Now that we've established how Celestials acquire morphs, we can certainly get the Homidin in place and stop using this copyright term.

Cris

[Cris]

Apr 18, 2010 1:05:24 GMT -8 Maria said:

I remember once seeing a Celestial morph that was a spider. It was, I believe, in an Alpha Deck belonging to Estella. I am not certain which variety of spider it was, but I would like to recommend one.

The newly classified Nephila Komaci are golden orb web weavers and the largest spiders web-weaving spiders in the world. They have incredibly complex, golden-threaded webs with five distinct sections that make them webs strong enough to catch birds, bats and lizards as well as large scarab and other beetles. The female's body is two inches long with her legs spanning four inches. The male, interestingly, is barely an inch in total.

Much like "The Art of War" influences life in many arenas, so does the unique structure of the webs made by all Nephila spiders. They begin with a thin outline that sketches briefly the major exterior and interior lines of the web. Second, with slightly stronger threads, they weave the radii like spokes of a wheel. Third, the auxiliary spiral is made, curving out from the middle up the length of the radii. Fourth, trailing along between the spiral lines, is the ensnaring spiral which is very adhesive and woven incredibly close together in over-lapping circles. The very last part of the web that is made is called the hub, the center waiting place for the spider where all the radii and both spirals begin and so feed all their sensory input.

Maria

This image is of two semi-mature females:

Maria,

You must be prescient National Geographic did a small piece on these spiders in their May issue.

Here are some additional photos:



"The golden orb-weaver spider Nephila inaurata lies in wait on a web more than three feet (a meter) wide on the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues in an undated picture. A related, newfound species, Nephila komaci, is now the largest web-spinning spider known to science, researchers said in October 2009. "Photograph by M. Kuntner for National Geographic.

This one gave me the shivers...


I remember the card. I think we should definitely use this spider in MG3K as a morph.

Cris

[Luz]

My madre is not prescient, Cris, no matter what it is she tells you. We also receive National Geographic. She is just first to steal it away to her study and to read the whole thing. Then she can say at the table, How is everyone feeling about the deforestation of the southern cloud forest with the displacement of the blue-rim, gold-eye biting toad?

She then tisk at us and roll her eyes when we have no idea anything about this big issue.



Luz

[LaughingClown]

Cris, what about the words acquipe for acquiring a morph, and acquipege for the name of the appendage. What do you think?

Eric

[Cris]

May 9, 2010 16:16:22 GMT -8 LaughingClown said:

Cris, what about the words acquipe for acquiring a morph, and acquipege for the name of the appendage. What do you think?

Eric

Eric, I'm thinking it sounds a bit cumbersome. I've posted some possible words on the Homidin thread. Come give me your opinion, okay?

Cris

[Cris]

During the writing of the Hylonome anthology, a number of questions about morphing have been fodder for discussion and I'd like to pass on a few things which hopefully will help.

Please remember the following about Morphs:

1. Celestials DO NOT sample each other. This would be seen as extremely invasive and as heinous as rape.

2. When a Celestial samples a Human, he gains the ability to do what the Human can do, but not the knowledge base. For example, in my Hylonome story, the first Japanese boy Morph he acquires knows how to speak Japanese, but Hylonome doesn't. He now has the ability to make the sounds, but he still has to learn the language. In other words, your Celestial gets anything that's genetic (an ability to ... excel at physics, speak numerous languages, play an instrument, etc.) but still has to learn how to do whatever it is. It will come easily to him, but it still has to be learned.

3. The general nature of the Human will become second-nature to the Celestial. If a Celestial samples a Human who is easy-going and fun to be around, then when in that Morph, the Celestial will exhibit those characteristics. Those things are not learned they are innate, inherent in the Human and therefore become innate in the Celestial when in that Morph.

Any questions, please ask!

Cris

[Launa]

May 9, 2010 21:56:30 GMT -8 Cris said:

3. The general nature of the Human will become second-nature to the Celestial. If a Celestial samples a Human who is easy-going and fun to be around, then when in that Morph, the Celestial will exhibit those characteristics. Those things are not learned they are innate, inherent in the Human and therefore become innate in the Celestial when in that Morph.

I have a question about this. First of all, I love these new facts. A lot. But I was wondering how powerful these innate traits are compared to the Celestial's personal natural traits. For example, if a Celestial is, by nature, aggressive and they are in the morph of a gentle creature, how would the Celestial behave? Would the gentle nature be exhibited as a resting state but the Celestial could become aggressive when necessary? Or does the morph literally change the Celestial's personality?

[Cris]

May 12, 2010 21:30:21 GMT -8 Launa said:

May 9, 2010 21:56:30 GMT -8 Cris said:

3. The general nature of the Human will become second-nature to the Celestial. If a Celestial samples a Human who is easy-going and fun to be around, then when in that Morph, the Celestial will exhibit those characteristics. Those things are not learned they are innate, inherent in the Human and therefore become innate in the Celestial when in that Morph.

I have a question about this. First of all, I love these new facts. A lot. But I was wondering how powerful these innate traits are compared to the Celestial's personal natural traits. For example, if a Celestial is, by nature, aggressive and they are in the morph of a gentle creature, how would the Celestial behave? Would the gentle nature be exhibited as a resting state but the Celestial could become aggressive when necessary? Or does the morph literally change the Celestial's personality?

Launa,

We might be talking about apples and oranges here, so let me see if I can clarify.

If you have a Celestial who is, by nature, aggressive, then it would take a lot to overcome that natural tendency, whether in morph or not. However, unless you're talking about someone who is pathologically aggressive, then even the most aggressive male silverback gorilla or the most accomplished warleader isn't aggressive *all* the time. So, no, the morph does not change the personality, per say.

However, a Celestial in a powerful animal, aggressive animal morph who is by nature timid, might find himself overwhelmed by the nature of the beast (if you'll pardon the pun) while in morph. But once the morph is discarded, my feeling is the base personality returns.

That said, my first question to you might be, why would a naturally aggressive Celestial choose to acquire a morph so opposite from himself unless he needed that morph and those traits to *do* something in particular? That being the case, I think the Celestial would be willing to sublimate his innate aggression in order to achieve whatever goal it was that required this morph in the first place.

If you're talking about a Celestial acquiring a morph of a particular Human in order to take his place or present as a particular type of Human (as does Hoshi in "Shakuhachi"), it would make no sense at all if the Celestial then behaves in a manner that's opposite of what would be expected. If Hoshi were aggressive and insolent, for example, the morph would be a waste of time.

If this doesn't answer your question and you cannot be more specific in the public forum (if it is for a story under contract where there is information that should not be revealed prior to publication, I mean), then feel free to PM me with your specific question.

Additionally, these are my thoughts (taken as a logical extension of the facts we've been working with). This is certainly open to discussion.

Cris