Morphos Institute #1: Inanimate Mental Changes

What follows is a small excerpt from The Morphos Institute’s acclaimed Collected Encyclopedia of Transformation, Transfiguration and Applied Metamorphoses. Morphos' text is highly regarded as the foremost reference on the various causes and effects of transformations and an essential companion for anyone interested in studying transformations. Though not often used among most magic users (as many feel they don’t need a textbook to tell them how their own abilities work), it has become essential for those looking to advance their knowledge of the phenomenon, as well as non-magic users who are aware of its existence and wish to be informed.

Today we have a small section from one of the encyclopedia’s chapters on mental changes, particularly the effects of inanimate transformations - which has become much more important to educators in recent times. Between inanimate and personality transformations, both which are very popular among the younger generation, teachers have their work cut out for them reversing all the different changes their students inflict upon one another. Knowing all the different ways a transformed person’s mind can be affected can spell the difference between a student who was fully capable of understanding the class even while stuck as a shoe and a student who spent a month effectively absent.

This section is also recommended to all who think they might end up transformed into an object in the near future - please note that the encyclopedia uses “spell caster” as a catch all term for anyone inflicting a transformation on another, not specifically magic users. Transformations can come from many places, and as one of the most dangerous forms of transformation inanimate changes and petrifications must be approached with a great deal of care. Knowing the risks is just the start.

Please transform responsibly.

Morphos Institute’s Collected Encyclopedia: Excerpt 1
From Chapter 7: Variant Mental Effects of Inanimate Transformations

…even moreso than other transformation types, changes into inanimate objects vary wildly based on the styles of magic or tendencies of the spell caster. Unlike animal transformations, where instincts will by default create a “buffer” for new transformees, any of the following effects can be more or less common depending on what kind of spell or source is used. As a result, one should not be complacent enough to expect to retain (or lose) their mental faculties when facing an inexperienced spell caster - this can mean the crucial difference between safely avoiding a bad situation and a permanent loss of humanity.

Whenever one changes into an object, they are inherently undergoing a significant mental change. Unlike living things, inanimate objects on their own do not have minds of their own and their is no “natural” state for a mind inside of an inanimate body. Thus, both the removal of ones mental faculties and the retaining of those faculties can only occur due to magic: there is no method that doesn’t inflict a mental change on a person turned into an object, despite what some magic users may claim. Because of this, the range of effects can be much wilder than other kinds of transformations, as there is no baseline.

This small segment is but a simple list of the most obvious changes, but should by no means be thought of as all one can encounter.

Full Awareness:

Simply put, the subject’s mind is unaffected. As noted, there are no “natural” buffers that can subtly effect a transformee’s mind even when they are otherwise unchanged - likely because there is no “natural” state for a human mind in an inanimate form (whether or not one of the other forms of mental alteration are “natural” is a subject of much debate in the current inanimate spell casting community: it is increasingly popular to claim that either Mental Adaptation or a mindless Full Transformation (see below) are more natural than retaining human cognizance). Because of this, an unaltered mind existing in an inanimate form can and will be completely identical to their normal personality, though trapped within an alien form. Any calming effects added are due to the transformation itself.

A subject retaining full awareness will perfectly “see” and “hear” out of some part of their form: if the object is humanoid and retains eyes and ears they will use those, if not they will typically sense from center of mass. As the ears, eyes and noses on inanimate objects aren’t actually functional (or even anything but visual imitations of the real thing, most of the time) this appears to be an unconscious mental effect, but isn’t widely understood. If their “ear” is chiseled away from the rest of them, a person turned into a statue might be able to “hear” wherever the ear travels, or they might be struck deaf - this varies. Transformed people may have the ability to sleep, or may be forced to remain completely awake and aware at all times. Likewise, in the case of a single inanimate object composed of several fully aware people combined together those minds tend to remain entirely independent, and may or may not even be aware that there is another mind in the body with them (see Chapter 10: Absorptions and Fusions for more information).

A person with full awareness remains perfectly lucid. Those who can communicate mentally with transformed people (see Chapter 14: The Relationship Between Transformee and Transformer) could have an entirely normal conversation with a transformee as if they were still human. In fact, transforming people into clothing in order to have apparel one can talk to whenever they want is a common fad among younger spell casters. In addition, upon reverting transformees who remained entirely aware generally report nigh-perfect recall of all events they experienced while inanimate -  provided that they were actually paying attention - regardless of the power of their memory while human. The applications of this are evident - in his famous memoirs, 20th Century secret agents John Brand recounted several incidents where operatives attended covert meetings as clothing and then were able to recount everything they witnessed with perfect precision (in addition to Brand’s memoirs, see Manci’s “Transformation in the World Stage” for further reading).

It is important to note that even in cases where no magical alterations have taken place, the fragility of the human psyche cannot be forgotten. A seemingly normal-minded transformee who eventually begins “thinking like an object” or falls into a state of mindlessness may be the result of a gradual mental change taking place, or may be the result of what’s known as “transformation madness” (see Chapter 11: Effects of Transformation on the Natural Psyche) from the trauma of being stuck in a non-human form. Be warned, extended periods as inanimate objects tend to be far more dangerous for the psyche than any other transformation type, especially for those who are claustrophobic. This can manifest as anything from a coping mechanism to a full on nervous breakdown, and must be taken into account upon reversion.

Hypersensory:

Thought of as a bridge between Awareness and Adaptation or Mindlessness, Hypersensory is any kind of change that technically retains human awareness but still warps or dims their ability to think or reason. The actual “category” is extremely vague (and there is much debate as to whether it truly exists) and it encompasses a wide array of mental changes, though there are two primary subsets that fit most cases.

The first is known as “overloading,” where a person has the capacity to be completely but feels such an extreme amount of a certain emotion or feeling that they cannot actually think straight. The most common version of this involves sexual pleasure, but there are methods and feelings that can be used in place of it - including a generally energized feeling nicknamed “electricity” by many groups of ex-transformees. It is popular to link this to the sense of touch, allowing a transformee normal human thought in most cases but giving them a powerful overload when caressed in certain places. This can result in what’s known as “Lovedoll Effect” (see, again, Mental Adaptation below) even without the usual mental alterations, if frequently given enough of a euphoric feeling while transformed.

The other is known as a “dreamlike state,” where a transformee is aware but their thoughts are “fuzzy.” As if nearly asleep or severely intoxicated, the subject will be unable to fully comprehend what goes on around them, but still perceives and thinks in a sluggish way. This also includes the rare transformation where a transformee can only feel, but not think, and there is some debate as to whether it includes Full Transformations that the transformee retains full memories of (transformations where the subject is simultaneously aware and yet completely mindless are a recent phenomena that is undergoing a lot of scrutiny).

The validity of this category is also still a subject of debate, and it is mostly for ease of description rather than as a legitimate classification. There are many other strains that would fall under Hypersensory, such that it would be excessive to list them all.

Mental Adaptation:

Also known as “thinking like an object” or an “inanimate personality.” When undergoing this kind of change a transformed person’s thoughts, feelings and desires will be altered in a manner similar to being overtaken with the mind or instincts of an Animal Transformation (see Chapter 5) or being overwritten during Personality Transformation (see Chapter 9). In this case, the persons mind will begin to match an idea of what the object they’ve become would think about if it were capable of intelligent thought (an article of clothing, for example, may think about being worn, while a statue may think about being watched or adding to atmosphere). The transformee can retain the bulk of their human intelligence (though their thought process may undergo some simplification or degeneration), but begins to lose cognizance of their human identity and may forget about being human entirely while at the same time being filled with an oblivious euphoria.

This kind of transformation is more common on objects that get a lot of use - like clothing or toys - for reasons that can be beneficial to both the spell caster and the transformee. Such changes are very active for the transformee, and can be very uncomfortable or frustrating without some kind of “buffer” in place (a similar effect occurs “naturally” in Personality Transformations - again, see Chapter 9). At the same time many spell casters, especially those capable of mentally communicating with their possessions, tend to prefer those possessions to have as little mental turmoil or independence as possible as it allows them to go about their business without spending undue time thinking about them or acknowledging them in any way, unless they wish to (Full Transformations (see below) are increasingly popular for a similar reason).

This is a common “below the surface” effect. In a change that generally results in a Full Transformation, for example, secondary Mental Adaptation may take effect in times where mindlessness wears off, ensuring that the subject’s thoughts are always under control. Spells that variably inflict a Full Transformation or Mental Adaptation while other times allowing the transformee Full Awareness are common, as it is a means of allowing the spell caster to control their possessions’ mental state. This is an aspect that is used for beneficial as well as cruel purposes. An example: Dr. Sandra Biggs, one of the foremost minds in the subject of inanimate transformation, has been trapped in the form of a pair of silk stockings for nearly five years at the time of this publication. Due to the complicated nature of the curse she suffers, she has so far proved impossible to restore. Despite this, she continues to run her institute and give lectures on the subject, communicating mentally with members of her staff as proxies. In cases such as her own she actively suggests using a Mental Adaptation to ease the transformee’s mind when not in use, to prevent mental wear and tear in the same way sleep aids a normal mind.

That said, crueler uses are far more common. Overloading the senses is a favored method — giving the transformee full awareness until they are touched, at which point the “inanimate personality” takes over (this is similar to Hypersensory, above). This is generally known as the “Lovedoll Effect” due to the popularity of using it on those transformed into sexual toys or inflatable objects. Others, like triggering an adaptation whenever the transformee thinks about or tries to do certain things, can be used to protect the spell caster’s interests.

Important Note: While rarely impeding physical restoration, Mental Adaptation can have extreme lingering effects on a transformee’s psyche. Cases where a person has been transformed for some time, forced to think like an object, and then finds it difficult not to continue thinking that way even while human are not rare. Even without such a severe effect, it is common for people who have undergone Adaptation to feel attachment to being and remaining in an inanimate form. This can and will result in an addiction to transformation and/or withdrawal while human (again, see Chapter 11).

Full Transformation:

Also known as “mindlessness” or “full inanimation.”

To start, it must be noted that this should not be confused with situations wherein a transformed person is technically aware but perpetually asleep - which can happen when a subject is transformed while unconscious. Historically, misdiagnoses such as this have led many cases of eternally sleeping victims to be dismissed as hopeless cases.

In a full inanimation, the transformee fully becomes an object in mind and soul as well as body - which, due to the fact that inanimate objects usually (but not always) have no minds to speak of, results in the transformee themselves losing the capacity to think and feel. A transformee suffering a Full Transformation is practically indistinguishable from an actual object of the same make, and indeed effectively is merely an object from a certain point of view. In the vast majority of cases the resulting object may still “feel” human to those with magical sight. A magic user or being with the ability to see souls would be able to see their presence if they wish, frozen (often in a pose or shape that mimics their new form - a person-turned-chair might appear to be squatting, for instance).

In regular cases, a restoration will return the transformee to normal human cognizance almost immediately - like restarting a machine or reopening a saved file after closing a computer program. The person in question might have vague feelings and memories of their time as an object, or might remember nothing - this varies. A period of several months may result in symptoms of Transformation Withdrawal (see Chapter 10: Transformation Addiction), but not with as severe an effect as Mental Adaptation.

With more powerful transformations, however, it is possible for the human presence to vanish: it is still technically there (for reversals are possible, if at times so difficult to be effectively impossible - see the Fatal section below), but at the same time it is not. This is a state that we still do not fully understand. In such cases, the transformee would no longer truly be a person changed into an object - they would more accurately be an object that was once a human. Though it would be possible to return them to human form from this state, they would likely be completely unresponsive. In some cases, time would allow a human personality and identity to reboot itself. In most cases, it does not.

It is important to note that time is almost always the most important factor in a case like this. A Full Transformation that only lasts for a short time is far easier to reverse with no adverse effects than one which has lasted for a longer period. A personality can sustain being suppressed for a surprisingly long time, with cases involving people being returned to normal months after being changed. This, however, depends on both the unwitting mental strength of the transformee and the method and skill of the transformation. With an expert spell caster, a mind can remain “shut off” for decades. With most, however, the personality will begin to degrade in closer to a year. With a spell caster whose method involves intentionally reducing the transformee to such a state, the point of no return can pass within weeks, days or even moments.

The effect this has on the soul of a transformed person is also the subject of much debate. It is typically theorized that such transformations carry a powerful effect to the transformee’s essence itself, resulting in spirits that continue to “believe” themselves to be objects even in the case of the original body’s destruction. Stories of spirit realms furnished with the inanimate souls of transformed victims are the stuff of legend, and even in modern times are common among those who claim to have sight into the beyond (though it should be noted that true testimonies of such experiences are rare - for more information, see Dr. Fran Thoms’ “Transforming The Soul Beyond”).

Due to the risks involved with being trapped in this state, and the state following it, we must give another warning to those using inanimate transformations - be careful!

Fatal:

As inanimate objects tend not to feature any of the parts required for sustained life, with even petrifications involving extensive alterations that transform one’s bones and organs into a solid, uniform block of non-human material, some inanimate transformations can be instantly fatal. Furthermore, it should be noted that while methods that specifically incur fatal transformations are rare in modern times for a variety of reasons, with even the Gorgons of old having been modified by unknown means thousands of years ago to inflict what are essentially Full Transformations instead (the subject of whether irreversible transformations that involve Full Inanimations can be considered “fatal” is under some debate - in such situations the transformee is effectively “dead,” but the soul is not separated from the body and could be restored on the slim, chance that a reversal is found).

Though a supposed callsign of a fatal transformation is pain during the transformation process (though largely because offensive transformations intended to be fatal are often meant to wound as well as kill), it is a myth to say that all life-threatening transformations are painful. The most well known fatal transformations are petrifications - again, due to ancient Gorgon legends - which are typically painless, though other forms of inanimate transformation can be life threatening as well. One of the more famous examples of a fatal transformation in modern times is the case detailed in young transformation scholar Samantha Siekup’s prizewinning journal “Flesh to Fabric:” where she detailed an example of a high school classmate secretly using a hastily learned spell to transform another, less popular classmate into a bra with intent to keep permanently, only to be thwarted when that same classmate walked into their next period as a ghost. The situation ultimately required the use of an exorcist, as the transformed student could not be convinced of their untimely demise. In such cases, the penalty for irresponsible spell casting can be quite severe - the high school student in question was punished via permanent transformation into matching underwear, and then the both of them presumably given to charity.

It is important to note that except for cases wherein the transformation accounts for damage, the destruction of a transformee’s inanimate body can also result in the soul moving on, but this is not a “Fatal Transformation.” Likewise, some methods do in fact kill the transformee immediately, but still technically inflict other kinds of transformations: the stare of an Untrue Gorgon being the most famous example (while technically a Full Transformation, it can still send the transformee’s statuefied soul to the spirit realm). The most important distinction in this case being that while spirits that move on while under the effects of Mental Adaptation or a Full Transformation may retain those mental effects after doing so, a person who underwent a Fatal Transformation will move on the instant they transform and will never lose full cognitive abilities, though they may be unable to recall their transformation.

For more details on the hardiness of transformed beings, see the preceding chapter on the Physical Effects of an Inanimate Transformation.

Other:

While no other classifcations are as widespread as the four major types, there are other types of mental transformation being discovered every day. Because there is no baseline for inanimate changes and far less reason to interact with inanimate transformees than those changed into animals or other people, it is common for spell casters to transform people and then forget about them entirely. It is not rare to find a spell caster who legitimately has no idea what state of mind, if any, exists within the inanimate transformees they possess. Because of this, odd mental effects from transformations often go completely unobserved simply because those capable of doing so couldn’t care less. Unique transformations that combine inanimation with other techniques, such as a transformation into a robot or a computer program, are also under much debate.

For example, a proposed variant of the Hypersensory effect involving desire rather than feeling made headlines recently in the case of Siobhan McTavish, who was suddenly overcome with he inexplicable urge to track down a specific mannequin in a specific shop several cities away from her home, and was then overcome with a strong sense of longing to become that mannequin’s dress. It was only after she tracked down a witch to transform her that she discovered the mannequin was in fact her twin sister Gloria, who had vanished a week earlier after running afoul of an unscrupulous wizard merchant. Upon being reverted, Gloria exhibited the same overpowering desire to become the mannequin again. Both sisters eventually convinced the witch to transform them, who then turned to duo over to the Morphos Institute for help in curing them.

The wizard who initially transformed Gloria was tracked down by authorities while running a seemingly legitimate mannequin factory, but upon being questioned he claimed to have no idea why the sisters reacted that way or what went on inside the minds of his wares. The wizard, who had long been in the business, simply transformed his victims and left it at that, claiming not to know or care what state they were in afterwards (thanks to popular opinion it is nearly always assumed that people transformed into mannequins undergo Adaptation, similarly to the assumption that petrified victims always undergo mindlessness). The case is still ongoing.

For any interested in up to date information regarding cases such as this, it is suggested that one refer to publications such a Transformation Weekly or The Gorgon Press. In addition, art history publications have begun adding transformation based segments due to the frequency of famous pieces having their humanity discovered.

End Excerpt