| Term |
Definition |
P
|
|
| Para- |
A prefix meaning beyond. |
| Perfume |
A pleasant smelling substance that is applied to the skin. Ad agencies in the real world espouse how it transforms a person into something sexually desirable. This vanity sometimes came with a price, as prior to testing and consumer awareness, many old perfumes were concocted with toxic chemicals (See also Plastic Surgery) It was used as a funerary makeup in ancient times. Perfume has sometimes been used as a transformative agent, usually given to someone vain to teach them a lesson. See also, Lotion. |
| Petrification |
Turned to stone. The most famous petrifier of all of course was Medusa of the Gorgons. Curiously, petrification does sometimes occur in the real world to deceased organic matter as water leeches through the remains and replaces biological material with minerals. A number of bodies have been exhumed for a variety of reasons and have been found to have been converted into an inert soap-like state. |
| Phasing / Phazing |
A transformation where the subject is 'out of phase' with the rest of the world, and can pass through solid matter as if it were not there. Phasing apparently comes in two primary ways - one way is the person is visible, but has no substance. The other way is the person is invisible as well as being able to pass through solids. Heroes who use this power include Marvel Comic's Vision and Shadowcat. |
| -Phile |
The liker or lover of some topic, usually specified by the prefix. a Furryphile for instance is a liker or lover of Furries. |
| Philosopher's Stone, The |
Originally a miraculous stone sought by alchemists (See Alchemists) which could turn base metal into gold. Later writers have used it as a prop, and vastly expanded its powers to include the ability to transform any material into any other sore of material that the user desires - including flesh to stone and so on. The other ability attributed to it is the power to grant immortality to its user. |
| Phoenix |
A fabulous bird noted in many legends across the globe. When the bird reached the end of its life, it would burst into fire (or build a funeral pyre) and be reduced to ashes. Out of these ashes would emerge a newly rejuvenated phoenix. As a result, the bird is often associated with reincarnation. The city of Phoenix Arizona takes its name from the bird because it is built atop a series of ancient abandoned Native American ruins, and thus was 'rising from the ashes' as it were. |
| Photomanipulation |
A craft almost as old as photography. Photomanipulations were once reserved for pranksters and professionals seeking to create the illusion of something that was not there - ie, UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, dancing fairies, and so on. However, this required considerable skill and real-world props. Since the 1990's, photomanipulation has become far more easier and has reached the masses. It ranges from the practical, such as removing an ex-significant other from vacation photos or touching up minor blemishes, to the fantastic, enhancing and merging photos to create furries, centaurs and other oddities. In the process, it has eroded one's faith in "photographic proof" since it has reached such a level that now movies can be photomanipulated one frame at a time. |
| "Pickled Punks" |
A term used in Freak Shows and Side Shows for deformed human fetuses or stillborn babies preserved in bottles of formaldehyde after their early deaths. The trend petered out in the 1930's as infant mortality began to go down, and children with birth defects who might not have lived, survived thanks to advances in medicine. Curiously, towards the end of this era, a Coney Island sideshow opened with incubators on display with prematurely born children within. While this is odd today, the unorthodox approach helped publicize the new incubator technology, and save those prematurely born children as well. See also Freak Show. |
| Plastic- |
A synthetic substance which is widely used in about everything these days, and has a variety of states, ranging from hard (bakelite) to soft (silly putty). Comic books have adopted plastic as a source for heroes powers (See Plastic Man). Unlike those with "rubber" powers (See Rubber) Plastic powered heroes can not only stretch but also take on a wide variety of shapes, although their colors tend to remain the same. Those who can change their colors as well as shapes are better off classed as metamorphs or shapeshifters. |
| Plastic Man |
A DC Comics superhero who can stretch, change his shape and so on. However, he cannot change his color. Today he is a comedic super hero, and has a young son who has all his powers, as well as the ability to change his color and hardness. |
| Plastic Surgery |
A real-world means to physically transform yourself to a certain degree. Originally developed to repair deformities or war injuries, it has become commonplace enough to be used to 'enhance' one's looks. While most of this is mainstream, and 'normal' there have been reports of some "Star Trek" fans having their ears pointed to look like Vulcans. On the whole, it is not a successful way to transform as the body cannot undergo repeated surgeries- for proof of this, please see the latest press photos of pop singer Michael Jackson. |
| Plushies |
People who like plush animals. |
| Pollution |
Often used as a method of transformation or mutation. The latter has been observed in nature in several cases involving deformed animals and humans. |
| Ponyboy / Ponygirl |
A TF genre where a person is changing into a horse of donkey. Can range from minor, like having a tail and ears, to a nearly equine body. |
| Poof |
A term used to describe an obscured transformation. Magicians use various concealment devices ranging from boxes, cloaks, and smoke to hide or distract their illusion as they change an assistant into, say, a tiger. It is used widely in animation, art and writing to hide the steps of a subject's transformation, and speed up the story. |
| Possession |
A form of mind control, although in this case it is a spirit or non-solid entity that has taken control of a subject's physical body. In most cases, the spirit only resides within the subject's body, although a struggle for control may take place. In certain cases in fiction, the spirit may decide to do some "remodeling" changing the subject's body into something it considers more suitable for occupancy. |
| Potions |
Potions are magic's equivalent to drugs (see Drugs) although the terms can be used interchangeably, potions has a magical connotation to it. Potions are sometimes used as a means to cause transformations. |
| "Power Dials" |
A DC Comics plot device used for "Dial 'H' For Hero" it was meant to entice fans to write in with ideas for superheroes. The device (of alien or magic origins) is shaped somewhat like an old fashioned telephone rotary dial. The person who "dials" "H-E-R-O" is transformed into a different hero, usually with the powers to deal with the threat at hand. The dial has appeared three times in DC Comics - the original in the 1960's-1970's; a pair of dials used by a boy and girl for heroes and heroines in the 1980's; and a reintroduction of the device in 2003. |
| Puck / Pucke |
Puck is a mischevious shapeshifting spirit most well known in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night Dream", where he exhibits the ability to transform others. The character predates Shakespeare, and Puck is known by various different spellings in England, countries along the Baltic Sea, and Scandinavian folklore. While Puck does mislead the gullible, he also aids the poor, oppressed and lovers. His legends are sometimes confused with Robin Goodfellow and Robin Hood. |
