Beards?

[Lupin]

No, they just have big hair.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... a4-14a.jpg

Wow, I never realized that that was her hair until about 5 minutes ago, when I saw that picture.

[Apokryltaros]

In the original series, the actress grew out her hair so it could be styled like that.

[Darth Canis]

Well, i think the only werewolf that would be premited to maintain a longer beard would be an elder. Still i think the beard of a werewolf would be shorter in were form then human form just so it wouldn't get in the way.

[Jamie]

In my idea of how things should look:
If hair gets sucked into the body and regorged as fur, then beard hair would be no different. If hair falls off and regrows with each transformation, beard hair would be no different.
The only case in which it would matter is if all human body hair stayed exactly the same and fur grew in around it. Short and/or sparse body hair and head hair would be almost completely hidden by the fur, but a beard or long hair would be obvious. However, in this case, I would be wondering why there are special rules for the hair that was had in the human form, because the wolf fur once again has to either be reabsorbed or fall out and regrow. I'd be wondering why the human hair didn't do the same.
In terms of werewolf looks and special effects techniques, I think beards should be avoided. A guy who already has a beard looks too much like the wolf man, and it introduces unneeded silliness and complications for the special effects artist.
However, a little "soul patch" or small moustache would probably not create much of a problem.

[Scott Gardener]

human hair and wolf fur differ by more than just length. They have a noticably different texture. It's best to reabsorb (or shed, or magically quantum transdimensionally reroute through the phase conduit inverter couplings) the fur or hair, rather than leave it in place in the wrong form. (Unless you're one of those Fabio wolves who keeps long human hair in Gestalt form.)

The fate of human hair in wolf form has been pretty significant a pondering for me, since both I in real life and some of my characters in my novel have long hair.

[Apokryltaros]

The fate of human hair in wolf form has been pretty significant a pondering for me, since both I in real life and some of my characters in my novel have long hair.

Just give it a rest, will you?
I'm so tired of hearing about hair.
Why not just slap wigs on the 'wolves and be done with it?

[Jamie]

human hair and wolf fur differ by more than just length. They have a noticably different texture. It's best to reabsorb (or shed, or magically quantum transdimensionally reroute through the phase conduit inverter couplings) the fur or hair, rather than leave it in place in the wrong form. (Unless you're one of those Fabio wolves who keeps long human hair in Gestalt form.)

The fate of human hair in wolf form has been pretty significant a pondering for me, since both I in real life and some of my characters in my novel have long hair.

As a strange sidenote to the whole hair topic, I'd like to mention some research I've been doing for my upcoming book. I've been digging up some legends about a race of hairless weredogs (in Hawaii, no less). According to the few references I've tracked down so far, these people were supposed to have a custom of plucking out all body hair, so that they were entirely bald everywhere. They seem to be related to Hawaiian fairy lore (except that the fairies are often described just the opposite: as Bigfoot-style hairy).

[garouda]

It is not just the textures that are different.

Ever wonder why Wolf Fur coats are so damnably warm and popular in particularly cold climates ?

Part of it has to be the hollow nature of certain hairs. These make astonishingly excellent insulation.

[Vuldari]

The fate of human hair in wolf form has been pretty significant a pondering for me, since both I in real life and some of my characters in my novel have long hair.

Just give it a rest, will you?
I'm so tired of hearing about hair.
Why not just slap wigs on the 'wolves and be done with it?

If you don't care about this topic, don't bother to read or respond to it.

...sheesh...

[Apokryltaros]

The fate of human hair in wolf form has been pretty significant a pondering for me, since both I in real life and some of my characters in my novel have long hair.

Just give it a rest, will you?
I'm so tired of hearing about hair.
Why not just slap wigs on the 'wolves and be done with it?

If you don't care about this topic, don't bother to read or respond to it.

...sheesh...

Trim your ear fur, you hippie.

[Silverclaw]

Maybe each lil strand of human hair could tf into wolf fur. *shrugs* That way, because a gestalt is a mix of human and wolf, they would have some of both. Most, if not all, body hair is body fur. Head would have some kindof half fur/half hair mane thing going on.
Some short face hair would convert to fur and blend in easily. Long beards would get a bit shorter. Maybe turn into fluffier neck fur than the avarage ww. It seems that WWs with long 'hair' have it move down onto the back of their necks/upper backs. So then beards could do a bit of traviling too. Though it would be further down on the neck.

Hmm, would a WW in human form have longer ear hair after a transformation?

[garouda]

Since wolf hair is decidedly different in colour and structure from human hair, there would likely be some mechanism for the change. OF course, maybe werewolf hair is disimilar from both wolf AND human hair.

[Therian]

I dont think werewolves should have beards in ww form but in human thats ok.

[garouda]

I dont think werewolves should have beards in ww form but in human thats ok.

Tries to imagine the elder wolves in the pack as greybeards, reminiscent of the ZZ Top of the Werewolf World.

Hmmmm

Bearded Wolves.

[Therian]

yes that would bve wierd ww with beards scary.

[Morkulv]

Well, old dogs happen to have white/grey hairs under they'r chin, so I think a beard is more possible then you might think. I don't know if its the same thing with wolves though.

[garouda]

Well, old dogs happen to have white/grey hairs under they'r chin, so I think a beard is more possible then you might think. I don't know if its the same thing with wolves though.

But then visualize them with long LONG beards.

Running through the forest on the night of the full moon.

Tripping on their own beards, and getting tangled up in them.

Beards ?

[23Jarden]

he he he ahem...

Well then having a beard would become of problem of practicality. Ofcourse, if your going to be running through the forest you not going to want a long beard. Maybe people who don't move much. Like elders.

[Morkulv]

Well, old dogs happen to have white/grey hairs under they'r chin, so I think a beard is more possible then you might think. I don't know if its the same thing with wolves though.

But then visualize them with long LONG beards.

Running through the forest on the night of the full moon.

Tripping on their own beards, and getting tangled up in them.

Beards ?

You mean a beard like this?



I know it sounds weird, but I don't think anyone saw a werewolf on picture with a beard, so who knows?

[Apokryltaros]

Actually, there were pictures of werewolves with beards in some of the later White Wolf's Werewolf the Apocalypse books.

[Therian]

[Morkulv wrote:] Well, old dogs happen to have white/grey hairs under they'r chin, so I think a beard is more possible then you might think. I don't know if its the same thing with wolves though.[/quote]

I think that would be normal. A beard on a werewolf . . . . . no coment.

kinda scary if thought about. eeeh

[RedEye]

One tends to go along with the Quantun Swap idea, or the Grow/Lose idea.
There is a new item I've heard about in sheep shearing. The sheep are given a shot of something that weakens a part of the hairshaft. A few days later, the Wool can be just pulled off the sheep in one filthy, lanolin-soaked mass.
That might work with were's, since Silver referred to there being a pile of Hair left over after the Return Shift.
I can just see a bunch of Reverted Were's picking each other's backs.

This is getting to be fun.

[Therian]

REverted Weres Ha thats funny XD

[Wingman]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but I've had this on my mind since I first read it a few months back.
The first thing that comes to mind is a limitation for hair and beard length, much like the eyebrows. That's probably the easiest explanation you could get, they can grow beards like anyone else but they're not going to be of sufficient length to braid and toss over their shoulders. It does make some sense when you think about it, if their maximum beard length is the about the same length as their fur in whatever alternate form they have.

The second explanation, and this is the one I'm using as a basis for an overhaul of most of the supes out there, is largely inspired by Infected, by Scott Sigler. My working explanation is that all the supernatural creatures have an infection. At the time of initial infection their bodies are flooded with the virus which produces a toxin. The virus cells produce an antitoxin that keeps the toxin from doing any harm. Once a body part is separated from the antitoxin it undergoes rapid apoptosis caused by the toxin. Hands, feet, hair, blood; all is broken down into slime and dust This also meshes with how a cure is usually possible for their condition, but only within a certain timeframe. After that time has passed, their body has such significant levels of the toxin in it that they'll die without the virus. They become dependent on it. As time goes by, being cured is less like going through withdrawal from a drug addiction to more of trying to survive without any red blood cells. The more complete the infection, the swifter the decomposition after antitoxin production stops. Makes for some nice disappearing corpses, kill a werewolf and by the time you get back with a camera all that's left is a pile of dust and maybe a tooth or two, or all 'supernatural' components of them have disappeared provided the infection was not potent enough.
What better survival mechanism? A parasitic infection that makes the host dependent on it.

If that makes any sense to you folk. Or you can pick option number 3: It's magic.

[Celestialwolf]

Wow, can't believe I didn't see this earlier!
My thoughts are that fur length depends on the temperature of the weather. When in human form, and the body senses that it's cold, they will shift with longer, winter fur. If it's summer, the fur will be shorter. This applies to unnatural temperature changes also; If they step into a freezer and shift they will have winter fur. If they come out and shift after that the fur length will depend on what the temperature is wherever they are outside the freezer.

Now, with regards to beards and head hair, I don't know. Longer hair would mean slightly longer fur, but not too much longer. As for beards, the fur in gestalt form would be noticeably longer in that area, but not so long as to be a hindrance. In other words, Gandalf the werewolf would have a longer beard than other gestalts, but it wouldn't get in the way of running, even on all fours.

Wingman, that is an interesting idea! I'm with the persuasion that werewolves are created by a virus passed on by a lycanthrope's bite that then dies and is expelled from the body. With your idea, maybe the virus stays and is also counteracted by an anti-virus that when active prevents shifting, but when "disabled" allows shifting to happen... If a werewolf dies the anti-viruses destroy the virus, thus changing them back to human form at death! I like it!

What about werewolves with those curly sideburns like some jewish people and rabbis have?

I guess following with the beard being noticeable, there would be a longer, thin tuft on each side? I duno...