I picked "immortality" over "shapeshifting" on that poll I just boosted. I'm surprised by this, given my usual "meh" attitude towards my own demise.
Guess it's a matter of which I could be of more practical help with? I'm not that attached to existence for its own sake, but I have that sense of obligation to see friends through.
And I could do a LOT more good with 100s of years of preserved knowledge than, I dunno, having cool wings and a tail. No judgement, but for me, a bit self-indulgent?
I'm a literary beast. Peggy and I joke that my eyes and brain basically function like a VT-100 terminal -- when I look around, all I see is "[prettydragon.jpg]" or "[twelvebunnies.png]" or "[lovely-pnw-sunrise.gif]" anyhow.
My ideal form is "brain in a jar," preferably with enough endocrinology intact that I still feel pleasure. If I want wings, shit, I can just write 'em. :D
But while philosophically I'm kinda GLAD I'll be recycled out eventually... 1000s of years to process data? Ok, sure!
@Austin_Dern There are complicated neurological and health related reasons behind the fact I tend to lean towards "brain in a jar." They're potentially kind of interesting in the context of this conversation, but it's 2:30 am here and I should get some rest, so this is kind of a note to myself to chat more about this later. :) (Conversational bookmark: "So why *did* you start out as an artificial vixen, zebratron?")