History Main / EmpathicShapeshifter

* ''RedDwarf''

* The WebOriginal/SCPFoundation has two of these. The first is a being that becomes "[[TheAce better]]" than anyone observing it. It will take on a shape that is more attractive, stronger, and smarter, with the particulars determined by the mindset of the observer. Even when there aren't any people around, if there is a camera monitoring it, it becomes a higher quality video camera. The second one is an object that transforms into something that will have no current use for the person holding it. For example, if you are cold, it would become an ice cube. If you are trying to put out a fire, it would become something flammable.

* A one shot patient in ''{{House}}'' had a bizarre type of amnesia, where he would automatically adopt the mannerisms and personality of whoever the dominant person in the room was.

* The SCPFoundation has two of these. The first is a being that becomes "[[TheAce better]]" than anyone observing it. It will take on a shape that is more attractive, stronger, and smarter, with the particulars determined by the mindset of the observer. Even when there aren't any people around, if there is a camera monitoring it, it becomes a higher quality video camera. The second one is an object that transforms into something that will have no current use for the person holding it. For example, if you are cold, it would become an ice cube. If you are trying to put out a fire, it would become something flammable.

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* Trauma of Marvel's ''The Intiative'' can touch the mind of his target and [[OneWingedAngel turn into their greatest fear]] -- complete with that fear object's abilites.

** Meggan, from thespinoff ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}''. She is the TropeNamer as she was explicitly described as a Empathic Shapeshifter and, indeed, she would look like what other people thought she should. This caused her quite a lot of angst as a kid, though she fortunately had other powers to back it up and had the ability to adapt to any environment bundled in. However, she managed to move past it as of the ''Captain Britain and MI:13'' series.

* Ex-SuperSoldier Shane "Goose" Gooseman of ''AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' shapeshifts automatically in response to any threat (forming reflective armor against FrickinLaserBeams, for instance), but if his [[RestrainingBolt Series Five implant]] goes out of whack, he [[PowerIncontinence loses control of his power]] and becomes a danger to himself and others.

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Empathic shapeshifters very often have some form of the VivaLaEvolution power as well.

** All Jokers have a form of empathic shapeshifting, except it's one-shot only (during initial infection), self-imposed, unconscious and uncontrollable, and ends in permanent ModeLock. According to Dr. Tachyon, the Wild Card Virus takes a random-- or maybe not so random-- image from the subconscious, and amplifies it to telekinetically influence how the virus is rebuilding the body. This explains why some jokers have animal or mythological forms, and why some Aces have overly specific powers.

* An episode of ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' featured a woman who was to be used to seal a peace treaty: she would marry the leader of a planet and end a centuries long war. The problem is, while she remains physically the same, her personality changes to whatever the men around her find irresistibly attractive, which has the added effect of her being irresistibly attracted to every man she meets, and whoever she first has sex with, she'll ModeLock into that person's ideal personality permanently. So the problem is, managing a way to safely transport her to her destination without her losing her virginity.

** Most mutants actually change their appearance (involuntarily and unconsciously) to match their ideal self-image. Again, usually comes with ModeLock.

See also ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve and SomethingForEveryone.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* [[spoiler: Ixtli]] in RahXephon will take the form of the whomever [[spoiler: the RahXephon's pilots]] cares about the most.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* The best known example may be Meggan, from the ''XMen'' spinoff ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}''. She is the TropeNamer as she was explicitly described as a Empathic Shapeshifter and, indeed, she would look like what other people thought she should. This caused her quite a lot of angst as a kid, though she fortunately had other powers to back it up and had the ability to adapt to any environment bundled in. However, she managed to move past it as of the ''Captain Britain and MI:13'' series.
** Darwin from the XMen would gain new powers to protect himself from threats, often shape shifting in the process.

* ''WildCards'' has Succubus, who becomes the ideal lover of whoever she's near, and has since childhood. Her parents actually took advantage of this and pimped her out as a prostitute (her clients were mostly unaware of her real age since she looked older even in her default form).

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* A one-off character on ''RedDwarf'' looked like whoever the viewer was most attracted to -- The very personification of beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

* The MonsterOfTheWeek in the ''TheXFiles'' episode "X-Cops" kills people using the form of whatever they're mortally afraid of. Forms it's assumed have included a werewolf, "the Waspman", Freddy Krueger, a crackhead, and the hanta virus.
* A one shot patient in ''{{House}}'' had a bizarre type of amnesia, where he would automatically adopt the mannerisms and personality of whoever the dominant person in the room was.
* An episode of StarTrekTheNextGeneration featured a woman who was to be used to seal a peace treaty: she would marry the leader of a planet and end a centuries long war. The problem is, while she remains physically the same, her personality changes to whatever the men around her find irresistibly attractive, which has the added effect of her being irresistibly attracted to every man she meets, and whoever she first has sex with, she'll ModeLock into that person's ideal personality permanently. So the problem is, managing a way to safely transport her to her destination without her losing her virginity.
** HilariousInHindsight when you realize that the actress went on the play Jean Grey to PatrickStewart's Professor X.

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* The Tulpas in ''OverTheEdge'' are formed by what their opposite expects them to be.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* This, combined with PowerPerversionPotential, can be found in...certain RP cliques on one of ''CityOfHeroes''' servers. ...*shuhdder*
* Arguable, but [[PokeMon Eevee]] may count. Every game describes it as having an unstable genetic structure, and it evolves into one of several creatures depending on environmental stimulus (or hitting it with a magical stone). So far, we have evolutions for seven habitats: hot/fire, aquatic, electrical, nocturnal, diurnal/friendship(?), forest and cold/snowy. That said, once it evolves it's permanent, and since there are reliable ways for Trainers to force/invoke each individual evolution...yeah.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* The WhateleyUniverse has in internalized version, where most mutants actually change their appearance (involuntarily and unconsciously) to match their ideal self-image. Again, usually comes with ModeLock.
** A much straighter example occurs with Fling, who shapeshifts according to other people's sexual fantasies, of any sex or sexuality.

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[[AC:RealLife]]
* The chameleon. They change colors based on their physical environment and their own emotions, not other people's.
** To clarify, features of the environment like temperature are more important for their colour change than the actual colour of the environment. A naturally green chameleon will not change to pink or brown if you pick it up or move it to a piece of tree bark - apart from specific patterns for things like mating, most of the colour changes are darkening, brightening or paling.

* One of the stories in ''Demo'' has a girl with this kind of power who's searching for someone who will see her the way she really is. She finds a woman who seems to be able to do just that and falls in love with her based on that fact alone, only to find out that the woman is already seeing someone (and hence implicitly didn't ''care'' about making her look like the kind of person she already had).

* One of the stories in ''Demo'' has a girl with this kind of power who's searching for someone who will see her the way she really is.

** HilariousInHindsight when you realize that the actress went on the play Jean Grey to PaatrickStewart's Professor X.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* The chameleon. They change colors based on their physical environment and their own emotions, not other people's.
** To clarify, features of the environment like temperature are more important for their colour change than the actual colour of the environment. A naturally green chameleon will not change to pink or brown if you pick it up or move it to a piece of tree bark - apart from specific patterns for things like mating, most of the colour changes are darkening, brightening or paling.

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<<|ShapeShifting|>>

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* The WhateleyUniverse has in internalized version, where most mutants actually change their appearance (involuntarily and unconsciously) to match their ideal self-image. Again, usually comes with ModeLock.
** A much straighter example occurs with Fling, who shapeshifts according to other people's sexual fantasies, of any sex or sexuality.
** Another secondary character shapeshifts into whomever she's looking at.

See also ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve and SomethingForEveryone.

** HilariousInHindsight when you realize that the actress went on the play Jean Grey.

** HillariousInHindsight when you realize that the actress went on the play Jean Grey.

<<|ShapeShifting|>>
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* Arguable, but [[PokeMon Eevee]] may count. Every game describes it as having an unstable genetic structure, and it evolves into one of several creatures depending on environmental stimulus (or hitting it with a magical stone). So far, we have evolutions for seven habitats: hot/fire, aquatic, electrical, nocturnal, diurnal/friendship(?), forest and cold/snowy. That said, once it evolves it's permanant, and since there are reliable ways for Trainers to force/invoke each individual evolution...yeah.

* Oh, I'm gonna hate myself for doing this. The ''shudder'' WhateleyUniverse has in internalized version, where most mutants actually change their appearance (involuntarily and unconsciously) to match their ideal self-image. Again, usually comes with ModeLock. I have to go bathe now.

There are some characters whose physical form is [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting involuntarily dictated]] by their environment, or the people around them. Sometimes this is useful; perhaps the character can instantly adapt to new environments. More often, this can be a pretty serious case of BlessedWithSuck: you can transform, but you'll only turn into whatever ''other people'' think of you. Which wouldn't be bad thing if you're hanging out with your close friends, but even Cthulhu shudders to think about what will happen should you be, say, [[MissYoYoKnickers Paris]] [[MyGirlIsASlut Hilton]].

* A one-off character on ''Red Dwarf'' looked like whoever the viewer was most attracted to -- The very personification of beauty is in the eye of the beholder.