The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

This is the place for discussion and voting on various aspects of werewolf life, social ideas, physical appearance, etc. Also a place to vote on how a werewolf should look.
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John Galt
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The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by John Galt »

I've been working on a werewolf novella for a few months now and have revised the transformation scene about four times at least. After four passes I'm still not completely satisfied. So here are some questions about the physical transformation process:

1. How do your hands change?

2. Feet change?

3. Torso change?

4. Legs and arms change?

5. What would it sound like? Ie what would you be hearing while shifting?

Any help is sincerely appreciated.
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Scott Gardener
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Re: The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by Scott Gardener »

High levels of LR-3 from the pineal body and LR-2 from the hypothalamus activate reflex pathways along the craniosacral reciprocal tension membrane, coordinating activation of lycanthropic contractilin/shiftin complexes throughout... Maybe I'm getting too complicated.

I picture anatomic congruence of homologous structures--that is, each part becomes its exact anatomic counterpart.

1. Hands to fore-paws: Second through fifth fingers shorten and become the four toes of the fore-paw. Fingernails condense and are partially broken down at the microscopic level, to form claws. The distal end of the hand (portion just before the fingers) develops a pad over the palm. The mid-portion of the palm becomes the lower forelimb. The thumb recedes and becomes a rudimentary digit, with a dew claw. Upper arm to forelimb: The radius and ulna reshape but do not shorten nearly as much as the humerus does.

2. Feet to hind-paws: The second through fifth toes become the four toes of the hind-paw. The first toe and first metatarsal of the foot shorten and recede, until it is no longer directly visible. Toenails shift to claws much the same way that the fingernails do, except for the first toe, which absorbs the toenail, dissolving most of it. The human foot becomes the wolf lower leg. The tibia and fibula form a mid to upper leg portion, while the femur drastically shortens to form the final upper portion.

3. Torso: Late in the transition past Gestalt into wolf: Clavicles seemingly disappear as bones, becoming ligament-like in consistency. The scapulae migrate from the back to the sides, forcing the forelimbs forward. The chest barrels and becomes oblong. In females, human breasts flatten while wolf breast rows two through four appear. (Note that in spite of speculation otherwise by stand-up comedy, breasts in wolf form are small and inconspicuous; human breasts get their shape not from mammary tissue so much as surrounding adipose tissues.)

4. Legs and arms: as previously noted.

5. Sound: A newly afflicted lycanthrope undergoing the involuntary first shift will have more of the characteristic "cracks" and "pops" than a seasoned lycanthrope, who can shift silently. (If you have ever heard ankles or hands "pop," picture that sound a few times.) The process is not overly noisy; the eruption of hair does not generally produce sound. Someone undergoing the involuntary first shift may experience noise in their head from increased blood flow, which can manifest either as a deep pounding or high-pitched whistle. Most notice instead the change to one's own hearing range, with high-pitched sounds from the outside world becoming more noticable as upper end hearing range increases from about 30-40 kHz (that of a lycanthropic human) to about 80 kHz (that of a wolf). At that range, insects and nocturnal small mammals produce sounds that humans do not hear, but wolves can, such as bat echolocation chitter.

Hope this helps. Eventually we'll get the first issue of Journal of Medical Lycanthropology out, once I can get some colleagues to stop giving me funny looks and take my work a little more seriously.
Taking a Gestalt approach, since it's the "in" thing...
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Re: The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by Trinity »

That is a fascinating thought Scott. Thanks for the question John. I'll have to think about this for a minute and respond. Right now my 1 yr old needs lunch.
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Volkodlak
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Re: The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by Volkodlak »

i advise you, read this topic it could help you:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14222
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Morkulv
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Re: The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by Morkulv »

I don't think werewolves should go full wolf at all, to be honest.
Scott Gardener wrote: I'd be afraid to shift if I were to lose control. If I just looked fuggly, I'd simply be annoyed every full moon.
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Re: The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by Terastas »

Okay, this is just me talking about my werewolves from Inhuman, which may or may not be reflective of the consensus of The Pack as a whole.
John Galt wrote:1. How do your hands change?
The nails toughen up, becoming thicker and more prominent, and the werewolf will grow fur over them. Other than that, there actually isn't that much of a change to the werewolf's hands unless they enter a full-wolf form. They tend to look more like claws, not because they literally elongate, but because werewolves have odd nerve and blood flow sensations that cause them to habitually hold their hands differently. Similarly, the werewolf won't develop pads on his hand unless he makes a habit of running on all fours, which will gradually cause his hands to callus and toughen up.

In a related note, this is what many werewolves believe to be the origin of the myth about the pentacle.

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The five-point star, in their interpretation, is formed by the five lines of fur in between their footpads.
2. Feet change?
Actually, even less than their hands, at least physically. Werewolves don't literally have plantigrade feet. What they have instead is a plantigrade posture (IE: with their heels elevated off the ground). Beyond that, the changes aren't much different from what happens to their feet; fur, tougher nails, and a gradual formation of footpads.
3. Torso change?
The biggest change, apart from the rapid fur growth, is in the spine. Since werewolves have tails, the werewolf's spine appears more prominent and doesn't "disappear" into the lower back. Beyond that, however, most changes are minor and negligible. Werewolves don't grow bigger or more muscular. They just look like it because of their change in posture.
4. Legs and arms change?
I know this is getting redundant, but until they start pushing towards the full wolf form, not a whole lot. Most of the apparent increase in size werewolves gain in their limbs is fur, and the rest of it is optical illusion from their posture.
5. What would it sound like? Ie what would you be hearing while shifting?
I know this is going to sound stupid, but. . . Like an old guy getting up and stretching on an empty stomach. A lot of popping, cracking and gurgling noises. Like the kinds we're accustomed to hearing from our own bodies, only more frequently and louder. You know, assuming you can even hear them over the werewolf screaming (the pain associated with shifting is, quite literally, indescribable).
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Re: The Nuts & Bolts of the Transformation to Full Wolf

Post by Volkodlak »

for sound thing:

depends on form if you go galstat(hybrid form) noise wouldnt be so loud or noticable by others because there isnt that much of bone modification as it is for full wolf form.

John Galt arent you intrested in head change or you dont need to know?
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