Feels like it's been a hot minute since I updated my ref, so…

As always, the fantastic lineart is by   zhivagod and can be constructed from this amazing free-to-use PSD!

DEEVEE THE TANUKI – BIO

Deevee is my fursona, a tanuki who specializes in shapeshifting abilities. As such, he has an extensive repertoire of powers, but with a number of catches and limitations.

Due to their variable-gender nature, I may alternate between using masculine and gender-neutral pronouns in this bio.

Leaf-Based Shapeshifting

By placing a leaf on someone's head, Deevee can turn them into just about anything he pleases. However, the effect is temporary; how long the transformation lasts depends on how much the form resonates with the subject on an emotional and personal level – the more it resonates, the longer the effect.

Another catch is that leaf-based transformations work on Deevee as well. He can use leaves to transform himself, but so can anyone who places a leaf on his head.

Because he's locked into the form for an uncertain amount time, Deevee tends to only use leaves every now and again. Nonetheless, Deevee keeps a stock of leaves in their hammerspace for rainy days.

Resonance-Based Shifting & Deevee's Form Repository

If Deevee is turned into a particular form enough times, and/or that form resonates with him enough, that form is added into his form repository, which enables Deevee to shift in and out of that form at will – no leaf needed. Generally, the more the form resonates with him, the fewer times he needs to get turned into it before it gets added into his repository, and vice-versa.

He's more likely to use this kind of shapeshifting, though he only has so many forms in his repository.

Empathic/Environment-Based/Emotive Shifting

For reasons even he's not too sure of, Deevee's subconscious ability to shift is stronger than his conscious ability. This occasionally manifests itself in shapeshifting when he doesn't consciously mean to, sometimes so gradually he may not even notice until it's pointed out to him.

This manifests itself in a number of ways. One of them is a tendency to change forms in his sleep, and he no longer is surprised when he occasionally wakes up as something else. Another way this manifests itself is as a form of adaptation to his surroundings or to an immediate need: if he's in a room with a bunch of female dragons, he, or rather she, may find herself becoming one of them; if he falls into the sea, he may become a sea creature.

On some occasions, these shifts stem from desires – conscious or otherwise. With certain transformations, Deevee has mild personality changes. They are still the same person, but they may express it different ways. For example, as a female bear, she might be just a little more interested to show off her body and strength, or as a male housecat, he may be more shy and anxious. In fact, it could be argued that shifts like these may simply be an unconscious way for Deevee to express different parts of themselves.

Like leaf-based shifting, the effects of empathic or environmental shifting are temporary and of variable (and uncontrollable) duration, and aren't limited by his form repository, but usually they don't last as long as leaf-shifting.

Gender/Body-Shifting

Thanks in part to resonance-based shifting, Deevee can make his body as masculine or as feminine (or neither) as he likes. His gender-shifting can carry over to other forms, even when he's under the effects of leaf-based or environmental shifting (unless the nature of the change specifies what their physical gender is to be for that time).

Deevee is equally comfortable in male and female form, and is likely to be found in either form at any given moment. Their pronouns generally correspond to whatever form they're assuming, since their physical form usually matches the gender they feel like.

They also have some limited control over other aspects of their body shape, like whether their feet are plantigrade or digitigrade, whether they're anthro, feral, or tauric, or whether they have a smooth "null" crotch (most of the time, they actually prefer this over the oversize… features typical to male tanukis for practical reasons).

Fur Colour/Palettes & the "Mark of Deevee"

Deevee has a number of standard color palettes. Generally when he changes form, his colour scheme remains the same, but rearranged to suit the species. For instance, compare his tanuki coloration above with his fox form. However, the coloration of the species takes priority over his coloration. If none of his color palettes match the form he gets turned into, his colour scheme will more closely match the form he's turned into (e.g. if he's turned into an emerald tree boa, he'll be green). If a form that has different colours gets added to his repository, the coloration gets added to his repository as well.

Another weird facet of Deevee's transformative constitution is that if anything colourful like paint or even not-so-colourful things like flour gets dumped over enough of his head and/or body, his body's colour scheme will change to match the substance in question, with the duration of the effect being similar to his empathic/environment-based shifts.

One thing that does remain constant across all his forms is the "Mark of Deevee", a vaguely horseshoe-shaped mark in his fur/feathers/scales/etc. In his tanuki form, the mark appears in white on his upper arms, but its colour and location on his body varies depending on his species – usually on his upper arms, chest, or back. Additionally, with some forms, he has dark patches around his eyes that resemble his tanuki "mask."

Toon Factor

Deevee has a high enough toon factor that he can be flattened, stretched, inflated, melted, squished, etc. However, it's not as high as some other toons (like his friend and roommate Martha).

Limits

For reasons he hasn't been comfortable expressing, Deevee is slightly behind the curve when it comes to his powers, resulting in a number of limits on them (some of which have been established above). For instance, he has yet to be able to add inanimate objects to his repository. And despite his toony constitution – and a secret wish he could have Martha's elastic powers – Deevee can't stretch or contort his body unless an outside force is acting on him (e.g. he can't flatten his body unless, say, he passes his body through a wringer).

Friends

Deevee's closest friend is his stretchy kitsune toon roommate Martha. Despite appearances, their relationship is mostly platonic. He sometimes gets annoyed with Martha's occasional over-familiarity, but can't help but admire (and envy) her optimism and her ability to reshape herself at will, and every now and then, he'll indulge Martha by wearing her in one of her inanimate forms. Tanukis are generally supposed to be better shapeshifters than kitsunes, but Deevee feels like his abilities don't stack up to Martha's. Really though, it's more that they specialize in different types of shapeshifting: Deevee specializes in species and gender transformations, Martha in toony and inanimate transformations. Every now and then, Deevee and Martha try to teach each other about their respective specialties (with varying levels of success), or volunteer themselves as test subjects for each other's abilities.