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Have a conversation first. Explain herself to her confidant, make it clear she IS a shapeshifter, and willing to prove it, until the person she is talking to demands a demonstration. Then provide ...
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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36244 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36244 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
### Have a conversation first. Explain herself to her confidant, make it clear she IS a shapeshifter, and willing to prove it, until the person she is talking to demands a demonstration. Then provide the demonstration. You can think of this as a form of intimacy, she has been keeping something about herself private. So write it similar to revealing a long held romantic attraction to another person: You don't typically announce that by taking all your clothes off, or trying to take theirs off, or even trying to kiss them if you are not certain they wish to be kissed in that moment. You would approach it with talk, perhaps obliquely ("what do you think of shapeshifters?") or more directly. You don't have to equate it too directly with romance (unless that helps your story), but the dynamic of the reveal is similar. The shapeshifter feels the reveal is necessary, but is fearful of how the reveal will change their relationship. She desires a more intimate level of interaction, but may be rejected and lose a friend. It will be easier (on the confidant) if they are the ones that demand proof of this claimed shapeshifting ability.