Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-24993958-20161230201819/@comment-26397825-20170105145358

I think part of the dislike of animal shapeshifting is that it is an excuse for edgy werewolf wannabes. The very first semblance someone posted after we saw Qrow transform was a person who pretty much went "yes! My hellhound idea can work!" And he turned into a demon dog with fire and brimstone abilities that weren't even related to dust, if I remember correctly.

The next one decided to turn the character into Quetzalcoatl, and when I asked if we could avoid turning characters into gods and demons he asked about mythological serpents such as the Rainbow Serpent from Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime mythology.

While they can be done well, and I personally have no problem with them, people use it as an excuse to make edgelords, port the animal gods in, or just do bizarre stuff. They can't simply turn into a crow or Raven like Qrow and Acen, they have to have some sort of ability or be a mythical creature.