In my time in the fandom, I've encountered a number of people - not to mention a few online communities - that dabble with shapeshifting and transformation in general. The reasons for opting for a shapeshifting fursona are as myriad as the people who use them, but the end result is pretty straight-forward: there's a lot of power in being able to take on whatever form you feel suits your needs or wants - quite literally, the power to do anything you set your mind to.
As godly and liberating as transformation is however, it's worthwhile to step back and ask yourself this: Why should this character have this ability?
(We can apply this same question to many other powers fit for comic book characters, but in the context of fursonas it's a fairly important one, not least of all since a fursona is more or less the avatar of its owner.)
For the purposes of answering this question, I'm breaking down shapeshifters into the following archetypes to explain the finer details in summary: Therians, Walk-In Closets, Swiss Army Knives, and Mad Scientists. Bear in mind that these archetypes are by no means exclusive to one another, and that shapeshifting fursonas can have multiple reasons to varying degrees as to why they can shapeshift.
Therianthropy, in owing to its lycanthropic roots, revolves around the transitions between man and beast. Especially among the therian and (not surprisingly) were communities, the shapeshifting aspect is used to bridge the dissonance gap between fiction and reality. "I know I'm human," the rationale goes, "but how do I justify also being my fursona - a fictitious non-human anthropomorphic animal - at the same time?" It's often the case that the transformation elements in those scenarios are predicated, consciously or subconsciously, on building a mythos about the fursona's connection to its owner, rather than because the transformation itself is desired.
Where therianthropy revolves around a strong feeling of connection with one's fursona, the Walk-In Closet is quite the opposite; the owner of the fursona is generally less certain about what they want their fursona to be, or perhaps their fursona's appearance holds as much significance to them as the clothing they choose to wear (hence the metaphor). Others just don't like the idea of making yet another hybrid fursona in a fandom seemingly teeming with them, and so they opt for the ability to choose between multiple forms Ben-10 style. This morphological freedom, while liberating, is unfortunately prone to reducing one's fursona into a fashion statement if not handled carefully however, and especially so if the owner is more interested in the transformation than the forms themselves.
In contrast, the Swiss Army Knife is the utility-based equivalent of the Walk-In Closet, the idea being that such a fursona has specialized forms that are dedicated to particular tasks. Swiss Army Knives generally adopt a function-before-form design aesthetic, and it's not uncommon for such fursonas to temporarily become grotesque hybrids should it enable them to better be able to do something. With this emphasis on adaptability rather than on appearance, it's more likely that a Swiss Army Knife will have a default form than a Walk-In Closet will (even though it's not necessarily guaranteed).
It is also entirely possible that a fursona's owner has a firm grasp of what they want their fursona to be, yet still feel compelled to experiment with different forms from time to time. Such are the adventurous Mad Scientists, for whom the reasons for undertaking another form can be a simple matter of curiosity and possibly reflect an interest in fields of study. It's because of this experimentation that Mad Scientists are generally unlikely to have defined alternative forms, save perhaps those that they found to be enjoyable at some point, and it's just as likely that their owners take the transformation aspect lightly as hobbyists, compared to the other archetypes.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you want to approach shapeshifting if and when it's applied to your fursona. Keep in mind however that your fursona is reflective of you as a person in relation to the fandom, and no amount of slapping on labels and powers will contribute to your fursona's design in any meaningful manner without any context that's relevant to you.
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As an aside, I don't often mention that my own fursona, an anthro bronze dragon cyborg by default, is capable of shapeshifting. While he best fits the Swiss Army Knife archetype (reflecting a desire to adapt and overcome challenges), his origins are therian, with the shapeshifting ability reflecting an interest I have for biochemistry and genetic engineering.
As godly and liberating as transformation is however, it's worthwhile to step back and ask yourself this: Why should this character have this ability?
(We can apply this same question to many other powers fit for comic book characters, but in the context of fursonas it's a fairly important one, not least of all since a fursona is more or less the avatar of its owner.)
For the purposes of answering this question, I'm breaking down shapeshifters into the following archetypes to explain the finer details in summary: Therians, Walk-In Closets, Swiss Army Knives, and Mad Scientists. Bear in mind that these archetypes are by no means exclusive to one another, and that shapeshifting fursonas can have multiple reasons to varying degrees as to why they can shapeshift.
Therianthropy, in owing to its lycanthropic roots, revolves around the transitions between man and beast. Especially among the therian and (not surprisingly) were communities, the shapeshifting aspect is used to bridge the dissonance gap between fiction and reality. "I know I'm human," the rationale goes, "but how do I justify also being my fursona - a fictitious non-human anthropomorphic animal - at the same time?" It's often the case that the transformation elements in those scenarios are predicated, consciously or subconsciously, on building a mythos about the fursona's connection to its owner, rather than because the transformation itself is desired.
Where therianthropy revolves around a strong feeling of connection with one's fursona, the Walk-In Closet is quite the opposite; the owner of the fursona is generally less certain about what they want their fursona to be, or perhaps their fursona's appearance holds as much significance to them as the clothing they choose to wear (hence the metaphor). Others just don't like the idea of making yet another hybrid fursona in a fandom seemingly teeming with them, and so they opt for the ability to choose between multiple forms Ben-10 style. This morphological freedom, while liberating, is unfortunately prone to reducing one's fursona into a fashion statement if not handled carefully however, and especially so if the owner is more interested in the transformation than the forms themselves.
In contrast, the Swiss Army Knife is the utility-based equivalent of the Walk-In Closet, the idea being that such a fursona has specialized forms that are dedicated to particular tasks. Swiss Army Knives generally adopt a function-before-form design aesthetic, and it's not uncommon for such fursonas to temporarily become grotesque hybrids should it enable them to better be able to do something. With this emphasis on adaptability rather than on appearance, it's more likely that a Swiss Army Knife will have a default form than a Walk-In Closet will (even though it's not necessarily guaranteed).
It is also entirely possible that a fursona's owner has a firm grasp of what they want their fursona to be, yet still feel compelled to experiment with different forms from time to time. Such are the adventurous Mad Scientists, for whom the reasons for undertaking another form can be a simple matter of curiosity and possibly reflect an interest in fields of study. It's because of this experimentation that Mad Scientists are generally unlikely to have defined alternative forms, save perhaps those that they found to be enjoyable at some point, and it's just as likely that their owners take the transformation aspect lightly as hobbyists, compared to the other archetypes.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you want to approach shapeshifting if and when it's applied to your fursona. Keep in mind however that your fursona is reflective of you as a person in relation to the fandom, and no amount of slapping on labels and powers will contribute to your fursona's design in any meaningful manner without any context that's relevant to you.
--
As an aside, I don't often mention that my own fursona, an anthro bronze dragon cyborg by default, is capable of shapeshifting. While he best fits the Swiss Army Knife archetype (reflecting a desire to adapt and overcome challenges), his origins are therian, with the shapeshifting ability reflecting an interest I have for biochemistry and genetic engineering.
