Line #122 Main/PerpetuallyProtean


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2	%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
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5	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/FantasticFour https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/impossible_man_in_action1_6.jpg]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:The Impossible Man — shapeshifting showoff extraordinaire.]]
7
8	->''"I wish you'd stop changing shape like that..."''
9	-->-- '''The Silver Surfer''' (witnessing Impossible Man in action), ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer: Rebirth of Thanos''
10
11	Some shapeshifters just can't sit still.
12
13	In most depictions of VoluntaryShapeshifting, the power is usually left idle until needed while the character goes about their daily lives in a single ShapeshifterDefaultForm; at the very least, they only make use of this power to take a single form per occasion. However, some shapeshifters have this power in use ''all the time,'' shifting wildly from form to form over the course of a scene, perhaps due to PowerIncontinence or simply due to personal taste.
14
15	In the case of individuals who constantly shapeshift by choice, characters with this brand of shapeshifting tend to have few (if any) drawbacks to using their powers and may possess bizarre personalities to match their constantly-changing bodies -- from the [[CloudCuckooLander harmlessly eccentric]] to the [[ShapeshiftingTrickster unabashedly mischievous]]. Some may even possess utterly alien viewpoints as a result of their powers, and rarely ever return to their true form -- if they even have one.
16
17	If their shapeshifting is [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting involuntary]], however, they may not have a choice in returning to their true form. In more fortunate cases, something may trigger their shapeshifting, such as [[EmpathicShapeshifter people's perception of them]]. In the absolute worst-case scenario, their bodies may simply shift wildly without any obvious cause/trigger, and this can be played either for drama or laughs.
18
19	Whatever the case, the shapeshifter is either unable or unwilling to retain a single form for very long -- unless absolutely necessary.
20
21	A possible hallmark of the BlobMonster. Compare ShapeshifterShowdown, which is essentially this trope utilized in combat, ShapeshifterShowoffSession, and RandomizedTransformation.
22
23	Contrast ShapeshifterSwanSong, which usually only happens when the shapeshifter is either horribly wounded or dying, and ShapeshifterModeLock, where the shapeshifter is unable to change at all. And no, [[JustForFun/IReadThatAs this has nothing to do with being]] [[Franchise/MassEffect Prothean]], [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 you stupid primitives!]]
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25	----
26	!!Examples:
27
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Comic Books]]
31	* Downplayed in ''ComicBook/CaptainBritainACrookedWorld''. When [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Mad Jim Jaspers]] finally unveils himself as the RealityWarper behind the ongoing apocalypse, his ''hat'' keeps changing to fit his mood -- and given how demented Jaspers is, [[MoodSwinger he ends up wearing something new on every single panel]]. Later played straight in the case of his ''main'' universe counterpart -- who in one scene shapeshifts from a giant-sized version of himself, his ordinary size, TheGrimReaper, the Devil, a stereotypical SadistTeacher, and a farmer driving a combine harvester.
32	* Morph of ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'' is essentially a [[ShapeshiftingTrickster wisecracking]] BlobMonster with the power to transform into just about anything. Thanks to his [[{{Keet}} hyperactive demeanor]] and [[{{Manchild}} childish sense of humor]], he rarely retains a single look from frame to frame, regularly changing his face, his build, his costume, his gender and his species at the drop of a hat. Plus, he's in the habit of doing it both in combat and in simple conversation. Needless to say, if he's seen remaining in a single form for long periods of time, he's either in disguise or [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness the situation has gotten very grim]].
33	* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'':
34	** Character Impossible Man has a particular flair for this. A cosmic AttentionWhore with the powers of both [[RealityWarper reality-manipulation]] and shapeshifting, he can turn into literally anything from inanimate objects to all-powerful threats to humanity, his only limitation being the [[MorphicResonance inability to change colors]]. Combined with [[{{Manchild}} his low tolerance for boredom]], this often results in him shapeshifting on a near-constant basis, unless of course he's gotten more interested in futzing with the nature of reality. Case in point: his meeting with the Silver Surfer in ''Rebirth of Thanos'', in which he spends almost every single frame turning into something new -- much to the Surfer's annoyance.
35	** Downplayed but definitely present in Mr. Fantastic himself. Reed is only a rubber man, but he has absolutely no qualms about using his power to the absolute in MundaneUtility. Anyone else would spin around? Reed twists his neck.
36	* Warlock of the ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' is a techno-organic being that exists in a constant state of transformation; lacking a default form, he instead alters his body to fit the situation at hand -- meaning almost always -- often demonstrating a wacky, anarchic sense of style in the process. This results in much hilarity when Warlock runs into Impossible Man and ends up in an argument with him, both of them shapeshifting on autopilot as they get angrier and angrier until the confrontation turns into an epic ShapeshifterShowdown.
37	* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}: Dangerous Habits'' reveals that the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Third of the Fallen]] AKA Beelzebub exists in this state: unlike the [[HumanoidAbomination First]] and the [[LivingShadow Second]], he is constantly transforming into different shapes, often taking wildly different forms from panel to panel. In this first appearance alone, he appears as a BlobMonster, a flaming serpent, a floating brain with eyeballs, an armoured warrior, a skeleton, Elvis Presley, and many more -- though it's later revealed he's capable of disguising himself for long periods of time if need be [[spoiler:as John Constantine's friend Seth finds out [[CruelAndUnusualDeath the hard way]].]] For this reason, he's known as the Lord of a Billion Faces.
38	* FrancoBelgianComics: In the ''ComicBook/{{Melusine}}'' series, book 22 introduces a shapeshifter as Mélusine's lawyer. Because it has a cold, though, it {{Involuntary Shapeshift\|ing}}s every time it sneezes, cycling from a duck-headed humanoid to a filing cabinet, an octopus, a puddle of water, a giant mushroom, a bugbear, a giant snail, a scarecrow, a shark, an ogre, a werewolf, etc.
39	* ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'': As the Skrull goddess of change, Sl'gur't never stays in the same form for more than a few seconds.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Fan Works]]
43	* This is a state of being to which all members of the [[BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats Amorphous League]] aspire to in ''Fanfic/TheLandOfWhatMightHaveBeen'': known simply as "shapelessness", it is a level of existence in which no further [[SuperSerum potion]] is needed to maintain their powers and transformation is as easy as breathing -- and just as frequent. The leader and founder of the society, the [[OurFounder First of the Shapeless]], has attained this state and spends most of his scenes changing from shape to shape, only taking on specific forms for practical purposes or simply for amusement. [[spoiler:It also hides the fact that he used to be the Cowardly Lion.]] Attempting to attain this state early by macrodosing on the potion results in a full-blown ShapeshifterSwanSong instead, followed by a [[ImMelting messy collapse]].
44	* ''Fanfic/WithApologiesToHarlanEllison'' features the Administrator subjecting the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' team to decades of torture a la ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream.'' Apparently despising Spy worst of all, she inflicts the worst fate on him by making him into a '''real''' shapeshifter: not only is he perpetually transforming and unable to control it, but the constant process of growing, shrinking, expanding, contracting melting and morphing [[PainfulTransformation causes him agonizing pain]] -- to the point that he avoids walking [[BodyHorror because his legs break and reset with every step]]. Also, making eye contact with him is extremely difficult, for not only is his face changing constantly into everything from Richard Nixon to Frank Sinatra, but his eyes are described as "[[EyeScream runny]]."
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
48	* The Genie from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' transforms constantly, usually to [[TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson impersonate various real-life celebrities]] but also changing his size and shape in other ways -- from objects to animals to other humans; sometimes this is for specific practical purposes, but usually just for the sake of a gag (he's played by Creator/RobinWilliams after all). He tamps down on it for the more serious scenes, though.
49	* [[DestroyerDeity Hexxus]] exhibits this during his earliest scenes in ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest'': starting out as a minuscule BlobMonster composed of pollution, he's constantly reshaping himself to travel more effectively, sprouting tendrils to haul himself up the side of pipes, sprouting mouths to feed on exhaust, and growing steadily bigger. Even when Hexxus is sitting still, he's shaping himself into a new form -- either sprouting a long neck to look around the Leveller or shrinking back down so he can pour himself into the ventilation duct. At one point, he even shapes himself into the form of a ''cobra'' for no apparent reason. And then after shaping himself into a solid human skeleton, he uses the Leveller's electrical systems to convert himself into a [[SuperSmoke gaseous wraith]] -- which doesn't shapeshift at all outside of the DisneyAcidSequence / VillainSong.
50	* From ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie2TheSecondPart'', Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi is not a minifig but made entirely of LEGO bricks. If at first she appears as a horse for a BaitAndSwitch, she soon enough demonstrates her shapeshifting power ''constantly'', and in fact it is how she moves around. Especially during her {{Most Definitely Not a\|Villain}} VillainSong, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIvW2tSjfXk "Not Evil"]], where she transforms for about every verse.
51	* ''WesternAnimation/{{NIMONA\|2023}}'': The titular character shapeshifts almost constantly, at least once it's revealed that she's a shapeshifter. As she later reveals, ''not'' shapeshifting makes her uncomfortable, comparing it to holding in a sneeze.
52	* ''WesternAnimation/RaggedyAnnAndAndyAMusicalAdventure'': One of the stranger characters featured is the Greedy, a huge [[BlobMonster shapeshifting blob]] of [[AnthropomorphicFood taffy and other confections]] so massive he counts as a landscape unto himself. Always hungry, the Greedy is constantly shaping his mass into new desserts and [[ITasteDelicious eating himself]], or sculpting himself into an almost-human body before melting back into the ooze -- usually while eating something.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas'' has Eris, the [[GodOfChaos Goddess of Discord]]. She's a somewhat downplayed example in that she does stay looking like a purple-skinned human most of the time, but her hair constantly moves as if flowing underwater, the edges of her dress turn into billowing smoke, and when she moves she typically dissolves and reforms in a new position. She's also very casual about changing her size, often shifting from human-sized to kaiju-sized and back mid-conversation.
54	* [[EvilSorcerer Ekh]], the main villain of the short Soviet cartoon ''[[Animation/ArmenFilmAnimatedShorts Wow, a Talking Fish]]'', shapeshifts on a near-constant basis in a manner as bizarre as [[DerangedAnimation the general atmosphere]] of the movie. At first appearing in the form of a DraconicHumanoid with two mouths, he randomly sprouts the face of Santa Claus and becomes a snowy hillside, then appears as himself again, inverts his body so that his hindquarters become his head, transforms into an ape, then unzips his own skin to reveal himself as a dragon again!
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
58	* When [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Dave Bowman]] finally appears in physical form during ''Film/TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact'', he's constantly shifting between different states of being during the short conversation he has with Dr Floyd: at first appearing exactly as he was when he vanished [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey in the previous movie]], Dave then takes the form of his older persona from the alien mansion, his ancient dying self, and his true form -- the [[GooGooGodlike Star Child]].
59	* In ''Film/ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets'', the shapeshifting burlesque dancer Bubble introduces herself in a performance that features her adopting a wide variety of fetishistic styles; even once the show's over, she reveals a habit of transforming on a whim until a standoff with Valerian forces her to revert to her true form. Justified, as she's an entertainer.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Gamebooks]]
63	* In the ''Literature/LoneWolf'' series (and its spin-off ''World of Lone Wolf''), the Chaos-master is an EldritchAbomination that is pretty much chaos personified. As such, its appearance is that of a vaguely humanoid giant composed of the many parts of various animals... which keeps moving and changing shape unceasingly.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Literature]]
67	* ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'': Aphrodite is an EmpathicShapeshifter whose appearance is constantly changing to fit someone's perception of ideal beauty.
68	* The Ghost of Christmas Past from ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' is described as shifting constantly between various humanoid forms, most notably having a fluctuating number of limbs and somehow managing to look like a child and an old man at the exact same time. Allegedly, the description was so [[MindScrew mind-bendingly weird]] that Dickens' illustrator at the time didn't even try to draw it, making it the only ghost in the cast to not have been illustrated by him.
69	* In Creator/MichaelMoorcock's ''Eternal Champion'' works, this is the condition of recurring villain Gaynor the Damned beneath his armour. At one point, Corum tears his faceplate off to reveal a constantly shifting series of agonized faces, including (briefly) Corum's own.
70	* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': The Haggunenons of Vicissitus Three possess the most impatient chromosomes in the galaxy, meaning that [[HollywoodEvolution evolve into new forms]] at the drop of a hat. [[BlessedWithSuck This is terribly inconvenient in their daily lives]]; if a Hagguenon can't reach their coffee mug, they will immediately mutate into a form with long enough limbs... but their new body will probably ''not'' be able to actually drink the coffee. Because of this, they harbor serious FantasticRacism towards those who do ''not'' shapeshift; it's mostly jealousy, but they justify it by saying that as they have personally experienced what it's like to be every race in the galaxy, leaving them in good positions to appreciate their worst points.
71	* ''Literature/TheNekropolisArchives'': This is a hallmark of Darklord Amon. As the king of the city's Shapeshifters, he can transform in ways that most [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent werefolk]] can only dream of. His introductory scene features him transforming into a different shape on almost every page, each one concerned with hunting in some way -- an English foxhunter, a gun-toting redneck, a fur-trapper, a prehistoric hunter...
72	* ''Literature/RWBYFairyTalesOfRemnant'': The God of Animals in "the Shallow Sea" is described as constantly shifting into a new animal or combination of animals every passing moment. The god ''can'' hold a shape for a long period of time, but it feels uncomfortable and unnatural to do so.
73	* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'': Undercover police officers are required to exist in an ''electronic'' version of this state: in order to protect their identities while on official business in public or at headquarters, they wear full-body "scramble suits" that constantly cycle their appearances through a million and a half fractal identities -- noses, eyes, mouths, etc. Consequently, the wearer is impossible to identify and is said to resemble a "vague blur."
74	* ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'': Shapeshifters end up spending more time in a state of transformation [[PowerDegeneration the older and more powerful they get]] -- to the point that they soon find themselves forced to spend less and less time in their natural form before they absolutely ''must'' turn into something else. And eventually, they always end up [[ShapeshifterModeLock stuck in one specific form]] and unable to ever change again; Septimus' own shapeshifter grandfather ended up stuck as a sentient tree, and his granduncle settled on being a storm petrel.
75	* ''String City'' eventually reveals that the nameless gumshoe's predecessor, Jimmy the Griff, is suffering from this as a result of losing a [[ChessWithDeath game of chess with the Titan Cronos]]: his temporal proteins have been scrambled and his state of being is now warping constantly through time, leaving him continuously changing from paragraph to paragraph -- sometimes [[RapidAging aging into a skeleton]], sometimes [[FountainOfYouth regressing to childhood]], sometimes growing extra arms or flippers as he evolves or devolves... and more disturbingly, it's impossible for any of this to kill him, no matter how old or young he gets. Worse still, getting too close to him can result in the effect ''[[WalkingWasteland spreading]].''
76	* ''Literature/ThievesWorld'': The arch-wizard Enas Yorl is under a curse that makes him shape-change without any control at all. In some stories he changes shape all at once and then holds each new shape for a while; in others, his shape is ''always'' changing, a little bit at a time.
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
80	* ''Series/RedDwarf'' features this in play whenever a [[EmotionEater Polymorph]] shows up; when not taking on forms designed to provoke emotions from its victims, it shapeshifts wildly into a huge variety of different bodies for the simple act of travelling down a corridor, only retaining a stable shape when it needs to remain hidden.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
84	* The TropeNamer is of course Proteus, a demigod from Myth/ClassicalMythology; all members of the Greek pantheon had the power to shapeshift, but Proteus made a gimmick out of being able to turn into anything, often in succession and at a moment's notice. He also became famous for agreeing to reveal hidden truths to anyone who could catch and hold him down until he stopped shapeshifting and yielded -- no easy task considering that Proteus could transform into water or even ''fire''. As such, some depictions portray him in a state of constant transformation, [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bO5BlKIzpx4/S8loMkUCOJI/AAAAAAAAACM/vKz2jnyiHMI/s1600/Hoellischer_Proteus.jpg like so]].
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Podcasts]]
88	* Josh Crayton from ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' is a shapeshifter whose appearance keeps changing unpredictably because of his fluctuating emotions, though he has enough control over his powers to sometimes change into older-looking people [[MundaneUtility so he can cut class]].
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Radio]]
92	* Following the trip to Milliways in ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978'', the heroes end up unwittingly stealing the flagship of a death fleet owned by the Haggunenons, an alien race whose bodies are in a state of constant and barely-controlled evolutionary flux as a result of having "The most impatient chromosomes of any lifeform in the galaxy". This instability has rendered them [[FantasticRacism extremely resentful of all non-shapeshifter lifeforms]] and not above launching unprovoked military strikes on the "samelings." Thankfully, Zaphod and Trillian end up [[AchievementsInIgnorance accidentally]] tricking the Haggunenons into thinking that they are both the admiral of the fleet in different forms. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the admiral is already on board, having fallen asleep in the form of Zaphod's chair -- and is not at all amused.]]
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
96	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
97	** Chaos beasts, fittingly for creatures from the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, are amorphous monsters constantly shifting into new forms. This makes them immune to any ForcedTransformation or magic like ''[[TakenForGranite flesh to stone]]'', but they avert ShapeshifterWeapon by having two puny attacks per round no matter how many muscles or claws they have at the moment. Their real danger is that their condition is contagious, causing those they attack to mutate and melt and roil until their sanity drains away and [[TheVirus they become a new chaos beast.]]
98	** From the 3[[superscript:rd]] Edition ''Monster Manual II'', the grimalkin is a shapeshifter whose true form is a large blue-gray housecat, but which can turn into any animal close in size. Their chosen form depends on the situation, but in combat, they will change shape every round to confuse the opponent and make it difficult to adopt a strategy.
99	** One of the many monsters featured in the ''Epic Level Handbook'' is the hagunemnon, a pretty obvious ShoutOut to the Haggunenons of ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978''. Like their inspiration, they are constantly taking on new shapes and possess a xenophobic hatred of all non-shapeshifters. More worryingly, they are known to travel extensively in search of new shapes to copy -- and they prefer to kill their targets once they've finished acquiring their forms. Their talents allow them to mix and match body parts from multiple creatures to create some truly dangerous attack options, but the problem is, since they're constantly changing shape, they have to spend a move action each turn to ''keep'' the form they were in the previous round.
100	** The Homebrew [[https://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Shapeshifter_(3.5e_Class) Shapeshifter Class]] can eventually achieve this state: at the 20th level, the power of transformation is always active and the Shapeshifter becomes "an amorphous, mutating wonder" capable of casually taking on any form for any duration of time at the drop of a hat. For good measure, the Shapeshifter's ceaselessly protean nature allows players to flow through narrow gaps and manacles like water, [[HealingFactor regenerate]] or [[MadeOfIron resist]] a huge range of injuries, and ''[[TheAgeless cease aging altogether]].''
101	** The changelings of ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' shapeshift as instinctively as breathing, and some might shift their appearance multiple times in the span of a single conversation in order to punctuate their statements, or simply on a whim.
102	* ''TabletopGame/OdysseyOfTheDragonlords'': Legends disagree on the exact height of the titan Kentimane because his form is always shifting. While his gameplay classification is gargantuan, he can be as large as he wants.
103	* Chaos Beasts from ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' have no set form except a single eye and a maw with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily. They shapeshift every turn and are actually immune to ForcedTransformation of any stripe, including ''flesh to stone'' and the like.
104	* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'':
105	** In the Gehenna event book, the Withering of vampire blood begins to have some rather unusual effects on the Tzimisce Clan: more specifically, in the scenario "Fair Is Foul," [[{{Biomanipulation}} Vicissitude]] becomes simultaneously more powerful and significantly [[PowerIncontinence harder to control]], prompting random displays of mutation in both the wielders and their targets. Towards the end, Tzimisce may lose their ability to maintain a single shape for even the briefest period of time, [[BodyHorror constantly sprouting new claws, tentacles, jaws, and eyeballs]]; as a result, breaking the {{Masquerade}} becomes practically inevitable.
106	** In another Gehenna scenario, "The Crucible Of God," the [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]] [[MonsterProgenitor Antediluvian]] manifests as a gigantic blob of ever-changing flesh, constantly sculpting itself new appendages or sprouting secondary bodies to attack or feed.
107	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
108	** Chaos Spawn are wandering masses of ever-shifting organs, limbs, and perpetually-warping flesh, most commonly created when a Chaos champion or mutant receives too many "rewards" from their patron god, causing their bodies to collapse into an unending series of random mutations. Reduced to feral madness by the experience, Chaos Spawn will eventually die from their condition as the Chaotic energy mutating will quite literally rip them apart -- though most tend to die in battle first.
109	** In some editions of ''Warhammer,'' according to ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'', champions of [[TricksterGod Tzeentch]] can earn the gift of a protean form: characters with this ability are perpetually mutating and warping beyond recognition, constantly becoming more unusual, more attractive or more nightmarish. Though quite useless for disguise, it's very handy in combat for the HealingFactor it confers on the bearer.
110	** As one of the greatest of Tzeentch's daemons, the [[ShapeshiftingTrickster Changeling]] is capable of taking any form imaginable in order to advance his many pranks and schemes. However, according to his fellow daemons, he's changed so many times that he's [[ShapeshifterIdentityCrisis long since forgotten his original appearance]]: whenever he appears undisguised, he wears a hooded cloak to hide the fact that he's constantly cycling through different forms in a desperate attempt to rediscover his old self -- or so the rumors claim.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Video Games]]
114	* In the first ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'', one of the bosses of the Warrens is the aptly named Formless Flesh. It's a big pile of semi-living demon-possessed pig bodies that's constantly shifting and mutating -- in game terms, it's a set of four body parts that share a life bar and shift into one of several different forms at the start of every round.
115	* Glowing shapeshifters in ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawlStoneSoup'', which are shapeshifters that have lost control of their abilities and constantly shift forms every few turns or so. They heal every time they shift, too, making them surprisingly difficult to kill even if they don't manage to turn into anything dangerous.
116	* ''VideoGame/{{Nethack}}'' often has rings of polymorph, usually a CursedItem, which gives a 1% change per turn for the player turning into a randomly selected creature. It's undesirable unless it can be controlled (e.g. using a Ring of polymorph control), or if used at low level as a means to gamble.
117	* Morphius, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/ReturnToZork'', is essentially a gigantic shapeshifting blob that's always morphing between different faces. For good measure, most of these faces belong to the people he's already petrified and assimilated.
118	* ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' has Double, a BlobMonster who often serves as an in-universe justification for the occasional MirrorMatch. In her true form, she is a constantly writhing mass of grotesque flesh, rarely staying in one form long and often switching between the appearances of other characters to use their attacks as her own. It's not unusual to see half the cast show up in her combos.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Webcomics]]
122	* ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'': Quizmalia, the Lady of Fate and Fortune, is ChaoticNeutral {{Trickster God}}dess that appears in Julie's dream. She has a basic shape, that a tall woman with "palm tree hair" (granting her the nickname of "Palm Tree Ghost" when all that could be seen of her was her darkened silhouette), but beyond that her appearance never stay the same from panel to panel. All of her colors keep switching, including gaining multicolored hair at times, and her skin goes through all coloration ([[https://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0682.html even turning transparent one time]]). The details of her garments varies greatly too, often asymmetrically, her clothes even disappearing once (and she uses her hat as a HandOrObjectUnderwear). Not to mention other physical attributes, like suddenly growing a tail or a second pair of arms, or her face momentarily replacing her midriff.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Web Original]]
126	* ''Bluehilda'' by Creator/JamesSugrue features an energetic young witch who loves to change shape to emphasize what she's talking about.
127	* In ''Literature/TheNewNarnia'', the Nanny's form constantly shifts depending on her mood, ranging from her [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm default Nanny outfit]], to a nun, a nurse, and even an adult baby around Tommy's age.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Websites]]
131	* ''Website/{{Mortasheen}}'':
132	** The garbage-type [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/decompoglob.htm Decompoglob]] never stops mutating, sometimes to the point of spontaneously decaying into a heap of mush and regenerating back to normal. Less pleasantly, it's prone to cause mutation in ''others'' as well: its tissues are highly infectious and often cause those around it to [[BodyHorror sprout fish heads]].
133	** The [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/ectozyme.htm Ectozyme]]'s body is constantly shapeshifting and is prone to [[TheAssimilator absorbing anyone or anything it makes contact with]]; consequently, mimicries of past victims may occasionally be seen emerging from its body, though they are quickly reabsorbed and replaced by new appendages. Its only consistent features are its udders -- which leak a noxious fluid that causes instant random mutation in anyone touching it.
134	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-7955 SCP-7955]] is a shapeshifter who is gradually losing control of his powers thanks to dementia. Consequently, the final stage of his condition features him being unable to hold a single shape at any time, leaving him constantly shifting from form to form even when he's asleep. It's so bad that Foundation staff have given up on trying to dress him, because [[ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing he'll just grow or shrink out of whatever he's wearing]], and in order to feed him, they have to aim a spoon into one of the many mouths he continuously sprouts and ''hope'' that he has enough of a stomach to digest it.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Western Animation]]
138	* As [[TimeMaster master of time]], Clockwork of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is constantly cycling between different ages, appearing as a child, an adult, and an old man -- all wearing perfectly-fitting versions of his costume and all speaking in the same voice.
139	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': While perfectly capable of remaining in a single form if they choose, Double Trouble has a habit of switching between forms while delivering {{breaking speech}}es to people in order to add a certain punch to a line delivery.
140	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PerpetuallyProtean