Shapeshifters tend to be more obvious than tricksters. Shapeshifters often serve to bring doubt to the protagonist. As such, they can be hard to read. They are fickle, and you may never really know whose side they’re on. They may be hilarious or not amusing at all. And just when you think you know who they are, they become someone or something else. What makes these latter two archetypes even harder to grasp is that they can sometimes serve as both archetypes. In all cases tricksters and shapeshifters help to keep the protagonist—and the story—off-kilter and, one hopes, unpredictable. They are
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