Figarou wrote:1st of all, lets set aside all those werewolf legends, myths, lore, and traditions and look at this from a scientific point of view, shall we?
Be careful what you wish for. Most, if not all, of these questions are invalid from a scientific point of view. I think, perhaps, you mean the "what if," and apply logic from there-type point of view. But if we assume werewolves exist ("what if"), then what are we basing our assumptions on, except legend, lore, or our own point of view? You're going to get nothing but opinion from this thread.
Figarou wrote:We all know the human body comes in many shapes, colors, sizes and chemistry. We have our blood types, and so on. But not everyone is perfect. Meaning that some of us may require glasses in order to see. Some can be allergic to chemicals or food items. A peanut can make someone sick or possiably kill them if eaten.
What about the werewolf?
I think the werewolf would be much the same: many shapes, colors, sizes and chemestry. I imagine the majority of this would reflect what existed before lycanthropy was contracted.
Figarou wrote:Is the werewolf "perfect?"
Who decides 'perfect'? I don't think werewolves are perfect inasmuch as I don't believe anything is perfect. I believe werewolves are perfect inasmuch as I believe everything is perfect. Everything in this world has balance. Does it make sense that I might believe all three of these things?
I believe werewolves would have both strengths and weaknesses, good along with imperfections, and that that is exactly how they should be. Perfect by not being perfect.
Figarou wrote:Werewolves do have their weaknesses and they can die.
That's the way I see it, too, but you're making assumptions! *pegs Figarou with a ducky*
Figarou wrote:Is the chemical make up the same in all werewolves?
That really depends on how widely or narrowly you're setting the scale. On the narrow end: is the chemical make-up of
anything even the same from one moment to the next? On the wide end: of course they're the same, all of their chemical make-ups contain the lycanthropy virus! I imagine, however, that you were getting at the 'all werewolves look the same' argument. To that, I would say that they would contain certain similarities, of course (i.e. the 'virus' and whatever it does to the system), but they would also be strongly affected by the existing chemical make-up.
Figarou wrote:Do they have the same blood type after becoming a werewolf?
That depends on whether or not lycanthropy does, or can, alter the surface markers on cells (as I recall, that is how blood type is determined?). If it can, likely the new blood type will be called: Lycanthropy positive. I imagine the existing markers will not be removed, so perhaps the blood types will be classified the same way, but with or without the lycanthope markers.
Figarou wrote:Are some werewolves greater than others?
Greater height? Greater girth? A greater personality? Greater body odor?
Just all-around greater? It seems to me that talents, skills and abilities would very much be dependant on the individual.
Figarou wrote:Can a bite be more leathal from one werewolf compared to another?
Ok, Now for the bite issue. (Note- These are plain bites in an area that won't cause instant death. For example-The arm. No skin or muscle was torn away.)
Probably not, unless the person being bitten was somehow allergic, or something. As I see it, no matter how much or little of the virus you initially get, it will spread until it reaches equilibrium in your body, and then stay at that point. It's possible, then, that a large werewolf might transfer more of the virus to the victim, but even if they transferred, say, twice as much of the virus to the victim than a less massive werewolf, it's not like the spread of the virus will be much increased.
To give an example, let's say you have a bacteria that doubles every minute. If you start with one, you will get 2.882303x10^17 after 30 minutes (the number is not really important). Now what if you start with twice as many? Will you get the same number in half the time? No, it will take 29 minutes to get the same number, only 1 minute less.
In the same way, even if twice as much of the virus is inserted, the process as a whole may only lose a few minutes. The only consideration when it comes to quanitity is whether a very small amount might be fought off successfully by the body, or whether a very large amount might keep the body from functioning properly until the virus takes hold (say, for example, the injected amount was enough to dilute the bloodstream so that oxygen could not be transferred correctly). I think it's safe to say that the amount transferred by a werewolf would probably not deviate from average enough to exceed ether limit, although the severity of the bite might come into play.
Figarou wrote:Say you have a human that was bitten by a werewolf. But that person dies. What caused the death of that person?
Chances are, it was from being bitten.
I don't really see many reasons why the virus would kill them, except if they were allergic, somehow.
Figarou wrote:Was the virus to much for him?
I doubt it, unless they were very sick from the beginning.
Figarou wrote:Did his body have a chemical reaction that lead to his death?
I wouldn't think so, myself. It doesn't seem likely to me that whatever lycanthopic agent is making the changes would do anything more to certain people than whatever changes it normally makes. I'm not sure the body chemistry is significantly different between people at the level that the agent is working.
Figarou wrote:Was he allergic to the virus? What kind of werewolf is needed to kill a person from a simple bite?
Maybe if they don't brush their teeth... Seriously, though, infection might play a role. I'm not sure it would be the case with werewolves, but the human mouth really is very dirty, even a mouth that is brushed regularly can cause serious infection if the teeth break the skin.
Figarou wrote:Next issue.
A person is bitten and the werewolf passed the virus. But the human never became a werewolf. Was the virus from the werewolf a weak one? Did the human overcome the virus?
The way I see it, as long as the amount transferred is not insignificant, the human body will not be able to fight it off (unless vaccinated? =P). I don't think the virus will be any weaker in one werewolf compared to another. However, perhaps it's possible that some external agent may prevent the virus from spreading, or kill it off. I can't think of what that might be, though. Chances are, it would have to be applied quickly and locally, as it is unlikely the human body could survive it in large quantities either.
Figarou wrote:Next issue
A person is bitten by a werewolf. But it takes several months, maybe years, to actually become a werewolf. What caused the delay? Did it lie dormant in the human body? What kind of werewolf bit him?
Next issue
A person is bitten by a werewolf and instantly becomes one moments later under a full moon. What kind of person can have that type of reaction so quickly? How did the virus spread so quickly? What kind of werewolf bit him?
Yes, I know. Tradition says the person bitten by a werewolf becomes one by the next moon cycle. But thats all it is!! A tradition!!! Is there facts to prove it? NO! Because werewolves dont exist!!! None of the statements I posted above can be proven.
I'll just address that big chunk all at once:
The way I see it, the moon wouldn't be a factor in this at all (except, perhaps psychologically). The virus would take a certain amount of time to take hold in the body, after which time the werewolf will begin to transform (likely in response to the effect certain extermal stimuli have on the body) without the ability to control it. Eventually, they will learn to have enough control over their body to prevent or induce the changes mostly at will. I can't think of any good reasons for the process to be delayed for any length of time.
Figarou wrote:N E Who. Its something to think about.
Now to go toss some duckies!!!
-- Vilkacis