Shift

Shifts were a type of conceptual entity first developed by the Celestis shortly after the creation of Mictlan. They eventually passed the technology to various groups in the outside universe, notably including the Enemy. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)

To create a Shift, a sentient lifeform had to be placed in a stable state of flux until it existed only as a series of memetic connections, preserving the meaning of the being without any of its mass. As a result, the resultant Shift could only exist as a series of disembodied ideas, but it could implant itself into any object that could carry information, like a recorded message or a piece of written text. (PROSE: The Book of the War) In other words, despite being unable to speak for itself, a Shift could communicate by modifying the perceptions of others to "see" its message in other ways, like making its words appear in the stonework of a wall or in the sound of someone else's voice. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)

The Enemy turned a Gabrielidean soldier into a Shift and sent it to Qixotl's action of the Relic. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)

An agent sent by a Wartime power to monitor Earth's history was wiped from history by Lolita and turned into a Shift. (PROSE: Head of State)

Many factions attempted to use Shifts as a form of sentient propaganda. (PROSE: The Book of the War)