Reason for Warning: This page contains topics of mild and/or illustrated gore, confusing and complicated visuals, bright colours, mentions of body, species, and gender dysphoria, mentions of self-hatrid, references to religion, and mentions of (fictional) death.
Chaotic Shapeshifting is an aesthetic centred around the concept of chaos and the nature of unpredictability. It focuses on the idea of having a mental attitude or being akin to that of a chaotic entity, changing constantly and having no solid consistent path or method. Those who associate themselves with Chaotic Shapeshifting may feel a personal connection to shapeshifters, gods, or other such creatures with unimaginable power, as well as hybrid beasts with multiple distinct animalistic features. A key part of Chaotic Shapeshifting is feeling as though one would not be content with having just one physical form, and wishing for the ability to change at will.
This aesthetic may resonate especially with those in the therian and otherkin community, specifically those who have a shapeshifting kintype. It can also resonate with neurodivergent individuals, comparing shapeshifting and its incomprehensibility with no one understanding how you think and oftentimes being confused by even your own mind. Being different from those around you can make you feel like a whole different species at times, maybe like some kind of beast or creature. Finally, certain aspects of the aesthetic parallel the experiences of those with Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID), a disorder in which childhood trauma causes the brain to split into multiple different people in one body. It's hard to feel complete when you can barely tell who you are at any given time, frequently switching identities against your will.
Chaotic Shapeshifting also encapsules the idea of freedom to be whoever and whatever you want to be, regardless of realistic desires. It supports the belief that not everyone is consistent in personality or know fully who they are yet, and that is not something to be ashamed of. Self-discovery is important in Chaotic Shapeshifting, and it's okay if you never discover yourself because some people are ever-changing by nature.
It plays off of the trope of shapeshifting, alien life being treated like monsters, hybrid or Frankensteined creatures, and physical transformation in popular fiction. It is also related to werewolves, vampires, demigods, and sizeshifting.
The aesthetic itself is very flexible and can be fitted to most any other aesthetic whilst keeping the theme of oddity, weirdness, transformation, or shapeshifting.
Visuals[]
Visuals may include:
- Abstract or animalistic features like wings, horns, stripes, paws, claws, tails, etc.
- Outfits that don't quite fit together
- Unnatural stitches
- Bright or contrasting colours
- Strange patterns
- Overlapping, confusing imagery
- Glitches or inconsistencies
- Bad Photoshop
- Mythical qualities
- Vague or confusing biology
- Alien or mutated features
Characters[]
Characters that relate to Chaotic Shapeshifting from works of fiction include:
- A5 Wagyu (Hokkaido) from Objectified (more specifically, his parasitic forms)
- Abstracty from HfjONE
- Adamaï from Wakfu
- Andalites from Animorphs
- Animatic from Animatic Battle
- Animorphs from Animorphs
- Ax from Animorphs
- BeMeebEth from My Singing Monsters
- Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls
- Brynne from The Pandava Quintet
- Chameleon from Wings of Fire
- Changelings from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
- Discord from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
- The Donks from DONKS
- The Pokémon Ditto
- ENA (Season 1) from ENA
- ENA (Season 2) from ENA
- Esplin 9466 from Animorphs
- The Floor from Inanimate Insanity
- The Ink Demons from LEGO: Monkie Kid
- Mimic from My Singing Monsters
- Moetron/KimeKona-chan from Futaba Channel
- Monkie Kid from LEGO: Monkie Kid
- Morphle from My Magic Pet Morphle
- Nergal Jr. from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
- Nimona from Nimona
- Nory Horace from Upside-Down Magic (Book series and subsequent movie adaptation)
- The Pooka from Hilda
- Two Thousand Seven Hundred Sixty-Three from Battle For Dream Island
- Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi from The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
- Shadow Milk Cookie from Cookie Run Kingdom
- Sun Wukong from Journey to the West
- The Thing from The Thing
- Ujurak from Seekers
- Zooble from The Amazing Digital Circus
Literature[]
Literature related to Chaotic Shapeshifting includes:
- Animorphs
- Dragon Girls
- Seekers
- Upside-Down Magic (Original book series)
Film and Television[]
Movies and shows related include:
- Gravity Falls
- Hilda
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
- My Magic Pet Morphle
- Nimona
- Upside-Down Magic (Movie adaptation)
Songs[]
- 2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.) - Will Wood
- 6up 5oh Cop-Out (Pro / Con) - Will Wood and the Tapeworms
- ...well, better than the alternative - Will Wood
- & - Tally Hall
- ALICORN BLOOD - PANKiEcOre
- A Mask of My Own Face - Lemon Demon
- Amygdala's Rag Doll - Ghost and Pals
- anarchy!!! - STOMACH BOOK
- Ancient Aliens - Lemon Demon
- Animals - STOMACH BOOK
- Astro Girl - Milk In The Microwave
- Birdhouse In Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
- BITE ME - Normal Pitch - AJ Dispirito, Zephyrianna
- BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA - Will Wood
- Black Rainbows - Miracle Musical (ミラクルミュージカル)
- Blow My Brains Out - Tikkle Me
- Body - Mother Mother
- Boys Will Be Bugs - Cavetown
- Break 'Em - S3RL
- Catabolic Seed - The Scary Jokes
- Chemical Overreaction / Compound Fracture - Will Wood and the Tapeworms
- Choice - Jack Stauber's Micropop
- Color of The Rainbow - PANKiEcOre
- Cryptid - Madilyn Mei
- Cryptid (Mothman) - Ratwyfe
- D.E.V.I.L - S3RL
- Devils - STOMACH BOOK
- Devil Town - Deviltown
- Discord - Eurobeat Brony
- Discord - The Living Tombstone, Eurobeat Brony
- Disembodied Mind - Sparkbird, Stephan Nance
- Dr. Sunshine Is Dead - Will Wood and the Tapeworms
- Eighth Wonder - Lemon Demon
- Everything at Once - Lenka
- FOXCRY - Dorm Demo - Rabbitology
- Freakshow - S3RL
- FUKOUNA GIRL - STOMACH BOOK
- Habit - Pearl Jam
- Hansel - Sodikken
- Happy Star's Rage - SacriStuff
- Hey, Doctor Doctor - Milk In The Microwave
- Hymn for a Scarecrow - Tally Hall
- I / Me / Myself - Will Wood
- I'm a Crazy Weirdo and I'm Calling You - Parry Gripp
- I'm Open - Pearl Jam
- In My Tree - Pearl Jam
- I Wanna Be A Machine - The Living Tombstone, Beat Saber
- Jaws - Lemon Demon
- Keyman - Jack Stauber's Micropop
- Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!) - Will Wood
- Lemon Demon - Lemon Demon
- LOVESICK, CANNIBAL! - femtanyl
- made for something - PANKiEcOre
- Maggot - Slutever
- Make of This What You Will - Billy Cobb
- Mankind - Pearl Jam
- Mewlzebub - vivivivivi
- Miracle Worker - Self
- Modify - Lemon Demon
- Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer’s Prosopagnosia/Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to the Fusiform Gyrus) - Will Wood and the Tapeworms
- Neon Pegasus - Parry Gripp
- Neverending Hum - Lemon Demon
- Off He Goes - Pearl Jam
- otherside - Lena Raine, Minecraft
- Outliars and Hyppocrates: a fun fact about apples - Will Wood
- People Eater - Sodikken
- Perfect Nothing - Ghost and Pals
- Pop Rocks - Cherry Hencefox
- Present Tense - Pearl Jam
- Redmageddon - Sodikken
- Red Mosquito - Pearl Jam
- Rock in God's Shoe - Sushi Soucy
- Rule #4 - Fish in a Birdcage - Fish in a Birdcage
- Rule #9 - Child of the Stars - Fish in a Birdcage
- Rule #34 - Fish in a Birdcage
- Ruler of Everything - Tally Hall
- Sleeping Giants - The Crane Wives
- Soft Fuzzy Man - Lemon Demon
- Sometimes - Pearl Jam
- Stuff Is Way - They Might Be Giants
- The Distortionist - Ghost and Pals
- The Main Character - Will Wood
- The Mind Electric - Miracle Musical (ミラクルミュージカル)
- The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives
- They / Them / Theirs - Worriers
- Time Machine - Miracle Musical (ミラクルミュージカル)
- Transform - PANKiEcOre
- Turn the Lights Off - Tally Hall
- Under My Skin - Jukebox The Ghost
- We All Fall Down - STOMACH BOOK
- We Will Commit Wolf Murder - of Montreal
- Wrongsties - PANKiEcOre
- Who You Are - Pearl Jam
Artists[]
Musical artists of this aesthetic include:
- Cavetown
- femtanyl
- Ghost and Pals
- Jack Stauber's Micropop
- Lemon Demon
- PANKiEcOre
- Pearl Jam
- Rabbitology
- S3RL
- Sodikken
- STOMACH BOOK
- Tally Hall
- The Living Tombstone
- The Crane Wives
- They Might Be Giants
- Will Wood (and the Tapeworms)
Gallery[]
