Werewolves...Pitiful? *Rant*

[Rhuen]

The whole inner beast letting loose and out of control was the original appeal of the werewolf, that we all have the capacity to do harm and go on rampages and have no control of ourselves but our humanity locks that away.

However recognizing human evil, not becuase of loss of control but because they enjoy it and know what they are doing is much scarier. So the werewolf like the vampire looses this slot in horror today.

The werewolf in comics and such is basically a fluffy version of the Incredible Hulk or Venom. A character who can't control themselves and their other nature comes out in control.

Spider-Man 3's plot as far the Black Spider-man goes could be seen a simular plot to some vampire or werewolf concepts. Gain new power, unleash your wild side, but discover its dark and could cause you to turn on those you love so try to stop it.

The idea is still enjoyed and viewed as dramatic. Its just the whole sprouting fur, fangs, tail, and turning into an actual/hybrid of an animal that has lost its effect in the mainstream.
But we still love werewolves, and like vampires are being forced to adapt to a changing perseption by the audience.

[chubhound]

Thesis: Werewolves are mindless killers with no control.
Antithesis: Werewolves are in complete control and missunderstood

Synthesis: The perfect in between.

Of course, we still have to find that perfect balance..

Yeah.......what he(or she) said!! I'm ALL for seeing a werewolf in a movie as a guy that is (for the most part) a regular guy (or girl, whatever the case may be), but struggling every day with trying to keep a tight grip on "the wolf" or whatever you wanna call it. Sometimes they can do it, and sometimes they slip up, and when/if they do....it can have nasty consequences that they then have to deal with. There's GOTTA be a balance point between a werewolf running around like the Kathoga from "The Relic", ripping the heads off anyone it sees, and the other extreme of "Welcome to Professer Xavier's School for Gifted (and very furry) Students". The tough part is, of course.....finding it.

[Kelpten]

Yeah.......what he(or she) said!!

Um, it says the sex under the name. (I'm a guy by the way )

[Vuldari]

A well taken point: but the Werewolf stories themselves (historical ones) are less naturally violent than ones where someone has taken the Wolf within as a means of "evening the score" for some dispute or feeling of being deprived of something.
Historically, there are stories of people who did some sort of magic or other and became Lycanthropes. In some cases, they are out of control, but in some cases they are quite deliberate in their actions.

Of course, there is the Wulfen urge to rip-it-apart-and-eat-it; but if we see any Humanity here, there is a controlling factor involved. I'd see them as rough, but refined; and capable of being either as the situation requires.
Look at the Wolf Pack: The Alpha is a harsh taskmaster, but is also an excellent manager, and unquestioned leader. Why not a similar sort of mindset in a Werewolf?

While I maintain that I think the 'Horrible Mindless Killer' angle will always have some value in the genre, mostly for strictly Horror or Psychological Thriller type stories, AGAIN that is not what I have been saying that I want to see more of.

The more realistic mixture of Human/Wolf behavioral patters is what I am really after...just with a little extra 'Danger' spicing it up, (more than many of the rest of you, it seems), in homage to the frightening stories the creature originated from.

Ultimately, if they are victims; it is of themselves...not Humankind.

EXACTLY!!!

I'm all FOR that... but I maintain the stubborn insistence that in any GOOD Werewolf story, a Lycanthropes greatest enemy and challenge is, and always has been THEMSELVES. ...and not the Mean, Mean, Hyoomans who have it in for them.

The Lycanthropic condition, by my definition, is a literally manifested instance of the Never-Ending struggle between civility and, "The Beast Within".

You talk as if dealing with one's anger isn't a human trait.

Lets face it, we scare ourselves and each other better than any B-movie monster could. Applying a sense of humanity to the werewolf might actually be an improvement to the levels of horror. When Freeborn finally comes out, it won't surprise me if it is best remembered, not for the touching story of the Jack, but for the cold almost mafia-like precision of Maxwell.

We all know what it is like to care for another. We all know what it's like to be discriminated against. We all know what it's like to feel anger boiling up inside us. And we all know what it's like to be afraid. Why can't a werewolf experience that too?

Which is why I put the word "Literally" in bold.

I KNOW that every Human Being who has ever lived goes through those struggles every day. (I know I do.)

...but it's a little bit different when the instincts you are feeling are that of a Territorial , Carnivorous Predator, and not just the familiar human ones...and when a human gets raging mad at someone, they don't suddenly find a full set of sharp-teeth and claws at their disposal that were not there before, practically BEGGING to be used. That is a bit more Literal manifestation of that situation.

Well, as my half-crazed 10th grade English teacher Mr. Cantrell would say...Use the Dialectical Method!

Thesis: Werewolves are mindless killers with no control.
Antithesis: Werewolves are in complete control and missunderstood

Synthesis: The perfect in between.

Of course, we still have to find that perfect balance. My own opinion (after reading some of these posts it changed) would be close to what Kiri-Ryu said, I suppose, especially because that presents a nice internal conflict playing in to "is man naturally good/evil" but at the same time I don't like the idea of the wolf being portrayed as the evil side. Perhaps if you made clear that it was a combination of man's own evil desires cuppled with the primal impulses of the wolf. Aw well, a good compromise leaves both sides angry.

Once again, I AM NOT saying that I think ALL WEREWOLVES should be "MINDLESS, HEARTLESS KILLERS"!

Many of you are making assumptions about my motivations for this rant that simply are NOT TRUE.

This reminds me of one time I did a Google search for my name and found a locked thread in a Furry Forum where people were BASHING me for being an "Elitist Therian" and thinking that I (as a Therian) was better than Furries and was a general Furre H8r...and then they quoted some critical comments I made about the Furry Sub-Culture in one of my previous rants.

...but if they bothered to read the entire thread, or even check the phrasing in the quotes they extracted, it was plainly obvious that, not only am I NOT a Therian, let alone an "Elitist" one, (no offense to any Therians here...you either ARE or you AREN'T), but I don't HATE Furries either...I'm just troubled by some facets of their overall behavior and reputation.

PLEASE...if you are going to get mad at me, or call foul on something I have said, at least bother to make sure you know what I am ACTUALLY saying. If I clearly AM saying what you thought I was saying, and that is insulting to you in some way, then go ahead and flame me...I deserve it some days.

Yeah.......what he(or she) said!! I'm ALL for seeing a werewolf in a movie as a guy that is (for the most part) a regular guy (or girl, whatever the case may be), but struggling every day with trying to keep a tight grip on "the wolf" or whatever you wanna call it. Sometimes they can do it, and sometimes they slip up, and when/if they do....it can have nasty consequences that they then have to deal with. There's GOTTA be a balance point between a werewolf running around like the Kathoga from "The Relic", ripping the heads off anyone it sees, and the other extreme of "Welcome to Professer Xavier's School for Gifted (and very furry) Students". The tough part is, of course.....finding it.

Right!

[Vuldari]

Yeah.......what he(or she) said!!

Um, it says the sex under the name. (I'm a guy by the way )

Not in the NEW skin. That function has not been updated for the updated forum look yet. Anyone (like me) who is using it, does not see that at all, even if you have it entered in your profile.

[Kelpten]

Really? I didn't even know there was a new skin. How do you get it?

By the way, the point of the Dialectical Method is to get the most extreme of each side and narrow down to a balance. Your opinion, Vuldari, wasn't the other extreme, in fact after looking at it in more detail it seems like a good synthesis. Although in hindsight I don't think I acuretly described the other side. I think I'll edit that.

[Vuldari]

Really? I didn't even know there was a new skin. How do you get it?

By the way, the point of the Dialectical Method is to get the most extreme of each side and narrow down to a balance. Your opinion, Vuldari, wasn't the other extreme, in fact after looking at it in more detail it seems like a good synthesis. Although in hindsight I don't think I acuretly described the other side. I think I'll edit that.

Okay...now I understand. I thought you were claiming me to be an advocate of one of the extremes. I'm sorry...now I am the one who misunderstood...

Oops...


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for the new skin...go under [Profile], then scroll down to the "Board Style" tab. You will see:

*bsrf

*CounterStrike Expanded

*Galaxian

*subSilver


bsrf is the Default, Classic board style, and CounterStrike Expanded is the NEW one.

(Galaxian and subSilver are just generic, boring forum skins. I don't think anyone uses them)

[LightPaws]

You've got to remember that a Werewolf is a mix of a man and a wolf, and that Man is more of a monster than a wolf would ever be.

Humans want power, every single one of us, even if we don't think about it often. We'll do just about anything to get it. With wolves it's, "Gotta feed myself, gotta feed the family. Gotta protect myself, gotta protect the family. ooooh, I'm Alpha now! Gotta feed everyone, gotta protect everyone"

However, in the entertainment industry, Werewolves as monsters is pretty much the way it's gonna be. Even if it's just a cheesey cop story with Werewolf characters to fill in plot holes, it will almost always either be in the Horror/Monster section of your local bookstore.

The classic werewolves:

Evil: like I said, Man is far more evil than any animal could ever hope to be.(The Beast of Gevaudan doesn't count because I'm still not sure what the hell it was) If the werewolf were(lol) evil, That'd be the human side in charge most likely.

Mindless Man-eater: I never really understood this werewolf. No records of a healthy wolf attacking and eating an innocent human and most people don't eat other people, so why would a blend of the two eat people. Wolves are far from mindless, though I wish I could say the same about our fellow humans.

Cursed teen/young adult: Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present The Most Cliche Plot point ever! Through either a family curse or getting it from someone else, this Werewolf has been the most common one EVER! Through the years, this Werewolf has gone through many variations and makeovers, but still stayed common enough that it needs no explanation!

The Uber Wulf: The super sexy werewolf that everyone wants to be! Muscular, handsome, and sleeping with every pretty girl without infecting them! No weaknesses and a very over-used idea. Not considered a monster at all, He's just here because they said there was a boobie touching test here. Wolves are monogamouse, you dog among wolves!

Nice, unwilling, poor, wittle, misunderstood puppy: My personal favorite, this little boy is in full control of his powers, yet is hiding from T3H EEEEVIIIL HYOOOOO-MAAANSSSS! Barely considered a monster, also very cliche, It's nice to see something from the other side. After too many slasher-wolf movies, it's a bit of a relief for any wolf lover. But after too many, it's sickening. Though barely appearing in films and preferring to make his appearance in books, they usually stay true to the true wolf. Shy, quiet, and strong family values, but able to become a silent killer when need be.

Shape-shifting Furry: Like the Nice, unwilling, poor, wittle, misunderstood puppy It makes most of it's appearances in books. The film industry seems to be scared of showing these guys in movies. Though the wolf form is the type that people want to see in the movies, the temperment and storyline makes most cry.


In my book, My wolves are
Human They have the social structure of the true wolf, but they still have their human side. They laugh, they cry, they live, they die, they kill, the are killed. There are good wolves and bad wolves, the monsters, and the protectors.(and that one diverse, slighty insane group that is merely refered to as 'The Pack' but they don't count 'cuz they're bad baby sitters)

Our human society has Good people and bad people, and monstrosity is merely in the eye of the beholder.

But hey, this is the Film industry Baby, They'll keep on doing this until another movie comes in and resets the bar, like the way Jurassic Park did for Dino movies. So, we'll just have to wait.

[Set]

Edit: Much better.

The main problem with any and all of the categories you just listed is that they've been done, but none of them have been done well. They can all work and be entertaining but not if the people making them are lazy and don't feel like putting any effort into it. It's not the type of werewolf. It's who tells the story.

[Dreamer]

Well, my view of the benign werewolf is less that of the whin emo furry, but instead being just an average Joe or Jane who just happens to be able to shapeshift. Also, I honestly think that they would have to keep their their emotions, especially their anger, in check otherwise they might lose control and transform, thus revealing themselves, and/or killing someone.

ALso, I think Jekyll and Hyde is a better metaphor for the evil within man. And if there had to be a shapeshifter to represent the human id, I'd think it'd be reptillian not mammalian (Seeing as how the Id is the "reptile brain" in humans).

[Vuldari]

Also, I honestly think that they would have to keep their their emotions, especially their anger, in check otherwise they might lose control and transform, thus revealing themselves, and/or killing someone.

*Proceeds to start banging head on desk*

[Dreamer]

okay, why was that a stupid thing I just said? And no, that question isn't rehtorical. Or was I just repeating your idea without knowing it?

[Vuldari]

okay, why was that a stupid thing I just said? And no, that question isn't rehtorical. Or was I just repeating your idea without knowing it?

The entire point of this thread has been that, I am frustrated and annoyed with how people keep trying to make things easier on werewolves, taking away all of the things that would make their life difficult, excluding only social discrimination, (which obviously no one could do anything about), and turning them into pansies who are able to, and so just choose to never let the WOLF out at inconvenient moments, and likewise just end up looking like cowards, social butterflies, or just boring.

Those bad situations that you are suggesting that werewolves should be able to simply avoid at will are what I consider to be some of the most ESSENTIAL elements of a Werewolf Story.

I mean...if there is no danger of any of those kinds of things happening, (whether they actually do or not)...what the HELL is the story about anyway?!

What is the purpose and point of making any of the characters WEREWOLVES, if all they are going to do is live ordinary lives, and never change or do anything WEREWOLFY, except when they get together on Saturday Nights and play Poker in Gestalt form. ...for whatever reason.


It is the DANGER of things like that happening that makes a Werewolf story EXITING! ...if they are able just simply NOT...the tension, the danger, the POINT, is gone.

Where is the story...and why does that story need a Werewolf in it?

If there is no threat of the Werewolf being exposed, or doing anything dangerous...what is the reason for the story to be about a Werewolf?

[RedEye]

Lets see: there's Form Control> Going Wolf at the wrong time/place.
Then, there is the anger angle; get the Wulf angry enough, and he/she might forget about the Human side for awhile. Let there be a tension between the Wolf ( as a social animal) and the Human (also a social animal) to the degree that they are Socially Dependent: They have to have Werewolf company or they start getting depressed--and then the Wolf comes out looking for whatever has upset its other half.
Personally, I like the idea of "some changes are permanent"- like teeth and ears having to be hidden somehow, and perhaps fear causing a "Panic-Shift" like the old Hollywood Werewolves; decidedly Human and obviously Wolf as well...and recognizable! (Llike Lon Chaney Jr.-he designed his own makeup for the movie "Wolfman").
Some foods become indigestable, when you're a Werewolf "Passing" as Human and you are served Spaghetti... Canid Flatulence! ( Green air)
Then there's always the risk of someone putting two and two together; and now what do you do with them? They want to be "Friends?"
As a rule, Zero sex-life, unless you have a S.O. who's also Wolfy...
Howzabout the pervading fear of discovery-not for yourself, but for the rest of your Pack! Raising children (hard enough to do as it is) Convincing little Jerry that telling about Daddy and Mommy's "special ability" in show-and-tell is wrong...
Actually, there are any stress-factors to be overcome as a "less-than-legendary" Werewolf.
All of which are really good story line...

[Vuldari]

Lets see: there's Form Control> Going Wolf at the wrong time/place.
Then, there is the anger angle; get the Wulf angry enough, and he/she might forget about the Human side for awhile. Let there be a tension between the Wolf ( as a social animal) and the Human (also a social animal) to the degree that they are Socially Dependent: They have to have Werewolf company or they start getting depressed--and then the Wolf comes out looking for whatever has upset its other half.
Personally, I like the idea of "some changes are permanent"- like teeth and ears having to be hidden somehow, and perhaps fear causing a "Panic-Shift" like the old Hollywood Werewolves; decidedly Human and obviously Wolf as well...and recognizable! (Llike Lon Chaney Jr.-he designed his own makeup for the movie "Wolfman").
Some foods become indigestable, when you're a Werewolf "Passing" as Human and you are served Spaghetti... Canid Flatulence! ( Green air)
Then there's always the risk of someone putting two and two together; and now what do you do with them? They want to be "Friends?"
As a rule, Zero sex-life, unless you have a S.O. who's also Wolfy...
Howzabout the pervading fear of discovery-not for yourself, but for the rest of your Pack! Raising children (hard enough to do as it is) Convincing little Jerry that telling about Daddy and Mommy's "special ability" in show-and-tell is wrong...
Actually, there are any stress-factors to be overcome as a "less-than-legendary" Werewolf.
All of which are really good story line...

All of which are exactly the kinds of things that a good werewolf story needs, (except that spaghetti thing...wtf?)...and some of which are EXACTLY the situations that some have been suggesting that a Werewolf should be able to easily avoid, because they have gained control over it and will never let any of that happen...pretty much destroying most of any chance of there actually being anything INTERESTING happening in the story.

Two of the things you mentioned are the exact same two that I have been saying need to stay, that Dreamer suggested otherwise about.

ANGER stimulated transformations ... and a persistent risk of being exposed and revealing oneself as a Werewolf.

Werewolves should NOT be able to control those things so well that those situations would never happen.

If you are going to write a story about a period of time in a Werewolves life, (most novels and movies don't follow a characters WHOLE life, from birth to death...just one of the most interesting moments in it), you might as well make it about one of the times that they DIDN'T manage to control themselves...and everything that happened because of that.

Again...otherwise...what is the story about? ...just a character sulking about how frustrating it is to secretly be a Werewolf and not tell anyone about it?

Now...if it is a COMIC STRIP, then that could be doable, because following the stupid things they do with their shapeshifting abilities when no one is looking could be really funny, but outside of COMEDY, I just don't see the point. Unless something BAD happens, related to them being a werewolf ... if all we get out of it is a Werewolf racism story, as morally and intellectually profound as that may be, (or just cliche and lame...I'm not sure which), that sounds pretty damn Boring.


The Werewolf NEEDS to Slip-Up for there to be a story...and if your werewolves are so mild-mannered and In Control, that will never happen. ...nothing will happen...

[Kiri-Ryu]

No fair replying to my post when I'm asleep!

Unless it's a battle frenzied Comic-Book/Anime Universe where everyone is trying to kill each other every day, and the guy with guns is a 7-foot tall, musclebound FREAK who carries a rapid-fire rocket launcher as his small Sidearm, in which case the constant threat of death and worldwide Armageddon would probably be enough.

but our leet werewolf, in a fit of panic, gets in touch with his ancient wolf spirit who teaches him, in a split second mind you, an ancient secret to defeat this mighty foe..... So he huffs and he puffs and he blows the 7-foot tall musclebound freak down.

In most cases, neither do I. ...though I think the plot element of involuntary murderous tendencies remains very valuable to the genre of 'Psychological Horror', and should not be entirely tossed out so readily.

Agreed, although I think it should be more of a reason to kill someone than "Hey, he's walking down the street! Rawlroarsnarlhowlmurderdeath!"

Now I am just splitting hairs, but I disagree with the phrasing and concept of "Taking Control" of ones instincts. IMHO, that is IMPOSSIBLE, whether you are talking about werewolf instincts, or even your regular HUMAN ones.

Varying levels of 'Discipline' and Self-Control is one thing...but I think it is simply crossing the line to ever claim to have fully "Taken Control" of it.

...unless you are talking about a super-exceptional Werewolf GURU, who has spent his/her entire LIFETIME dedicated to mastering and taming their inner-beast. ...but not any old ORDINARY person/werewolf.

(Gets out microscope and super fine hair-splitting knife)
I don't think I made myself clear on that one. I probably used the wrong words althogether, but hey, it was 2:30 in the morning, give me some slack.
Okay. With years of practice, discipline and Vulcan logic training, one could influence the wolfish instincts when shifted. Not to the extent of "Ah-hah! I am now a grand master of Lycanthropy. I can now shift when I want, have full control in my shifted forms, and all I have to worry about is piddling on my sofa because it's my territory!" I mean that you could stop yourself from tearing up some person into little shreds because they majorly pissed you off.

[Vuldari]

I mean that you could stop yourself from tearing up some person into little shreds because they majorly pissed you off.

Again...I still prefer when THAT is something that a Werewolf DOES need to worry about. ...when that is something that very well can, and sometimes WILL happen, if the werewolf is not careful not to put themselves in situations where they will be pushed to rage.

...or, AT LEAST cause them to shift and snarl and scare the **** out that person...ultimately revealing themself as a Werewolf in the process.

[chubhound]

I mean that you could stop yourself from tearing up some person into little shreds because they majorly pissed you off.

Again...I still prefer when THAT is something that a Werewolf DOES need to worry about. ...when that is something that very well can, and sometimes WILL happen, if the werewolf is not careful not to put themselves in situations where they will be pushed to rage.

...or, AT LEAST cause them to shift and snarl and scare the **** out that person...ultimately revealing themself as a Werewolf in the process.

I gotta agree here. Like I said earlier, part of what I think makes a good story is the struggle to keep "the wolf side" under control. I don't think it should ever be something they can forget about, but with practice, they can get to where they DON'T eviscerate someone for cutting in front of them in line at the DMV. Of course, how they deal with the pent-up stress afterwards can make for some good drama too. I guess the closest thing I can relate to it was when I was in school and had to keep my Tourette's under control for the whole day. I could do it but it was ROUGH and once I got home I really had to let it go. Plus if I was in a stressful situation it made it that much tougher (still does too). So I gotta wonder how a werewolf would let off some steam after they managed to keep their cool in a stressful situation.

[Kiri-Ryu]

I mean that you could stop yourself from tearing up some person into little shreds because they majorly pissed you off.

Again...I still prefer when THAT is something that a Werewolf DOES need to worry about. ...when that is something that very well can, and sometimes WILL happen, if the werewolf is not careful not to put themselves in situations where they will be pushed to rage.

...or, AT LEAST cause them to shift and snarl and scare the **** out that person...ultimately revealing themself as a Werewolf in the process.

I gotta agree here. Like I said earlier, part of what I think makes a good story is the struggle to keep "the wolf side" under control. I don't think it should ever be something they can forget about, but with practice, they can get to where they DON'T eviscerate someone for cutting in front of them in line at the DMV. Of course, how they deal with the pent-up stress afterwards can make for some good drama too. I guess the closest thing I can relate to it was when I was in school and had to keep my Tourette's under control for the whole day. I could do it but it was ROUGH and once I got home I really had to let it go. Plus if I was in a stressful situation it made it that much tougher (still does too). So I gotta wonder how a werewolf would let off some steam after they managed to keep their cool in a stressful situation.

Hey I never said it would be easy for a werewolf to stop himself from tearing someone into little shreds. I just said/meant that with a little self control, one could do it.... barely.
As for letting off some steam after the encounter, well, back when I was in highschool, one of my friends got so pissed of at a guy he had to punch a wall just so he wouldn't start a fight. I can see a were doing something similar, only rending apart a wall/tree/nearest object to him

[Joey Liverwurst]

The entire point of this thread has been that, I am frustrated and annoyed with how people keep trying to make things easier on werewolves, taking away all of the things that would make their life difficult, excluding only social discrimination, (which obviously no one could do anything about), and turning them into pansies who are able to, and so just choose to never let the WOLF out at inconvenient moments, and likewise just end up looking like cowards, social butterflies, or just boring.

Those bad situations that you are suggesting that werewolves should be able to simply avoid at will are what I consider to be some of the most ESSENTIAL elements of a Werewolf Story.

I mean...if there is no danger of any of those kinds of things happening, (whether they actually do or not)...what the HELL is the story about anyway?!

What is the purpose and point of making any of the characters WEREWOLVES, if all they are going to do is live ordinary lives, and never change or do anything WEREWOLFY, except when they get together on Saturday Nights and play Poker in Gestalt form. ...for whatever reason.


It is the DANGER of things like that happening that makes a Werewolf story EXITING! ...if they are able just simply NOT...the tension, the danger, the POINT, is gone.
Where is the story...and why does that story need a Werewolf in it?

If there is no threat of the Werewolf being exposed, or doing anything dangerous...what is the reason for the story to be about a Werewolf?

Great post. Not as if werewolves have to be evil to be scary, but there is a disturbing trend to make them all big Beanie Babies who sit around and drink Ovaltine and play pat-a-cake. Either that, defanged and declawed werewolves, or werewolves whose stories are nothing but the same old change scene with more misspellings than the time before. If there is one thing werewolves should not be, it is boring, and yet the Internet already had neutered them a decade ago. I hope through this site there is some restoration.

[JoshuaMadoc]

All of which are exactly the kinds of things that my dream werewolf story needs.

This paraphrasing better not be your *real* intention.

Set said it right: It's always about plot execution.

Take Densha Otoko, for example. Almost no plot, but it was executed so well that it became an instant hit, because of how the story went.

But whatever. What should a supertastically great story need that will appease all audiences instead of just one, anyway?

[Kirk Hammett]

Some of my favourite werewolf pictures: (There's heaps more on galleries such as Sabre's, Silverclaw's, Nago's, and all that but you've seen those!)


I can't find one of my ultimate favourites!

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/411 ... n%3Ascraps

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/10879785/

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/460 ... _scale%3A5

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/120 ... _scale%3A5

Good quadruped one:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/486 ... _scale%3A5


-Adds two cents to Kiri-Ryu's pile- Keep it up, we'll have enough for a beer each!

Well my opinion:

I love horror werewolves. I dislike werewolves who look too wolf, unless they have also got a 'feral'' wolf form (A word I recently came across, excuse my ignorance). I like anthro's to be scary. I'm also not a fan of too human werewolves (But still love to see any werewolf movie regardless of looks although some are painful to watch haha).

A werewolf MUST have conflict. I found Bitten boring because it didn't focus in my opinion on the werewolf traits. Sure, Clay may act like a wolf. But I just didn't see much there to hold my attention. Most people may disagree with me...but I just thought the series was boring! I like werewolves who have trouble with control, trouble with being accepted, where there is a lot of conflict surrounding them. I agree 100% with Vuldari about boring werewolf stories being horrible!

My ideal Gestalt would be beautiful, graceful, bushy long tailed (See pictures)...and very, very scary. I like big claws, big manes and ruffs and hair, snarling fangs. Nobody wants to be followed by a hungry tiger or a wolf in the wild, do they? Nobody wants to be attacked by the pretty hawk in the sky.

Werewolves can be attractive but I will always love my snarling, clawed werewolves. They can be good guys and still be scary and absolutely beautiful at the same time. My main werewolf characters are always quite scary and if the main character is in a pack, they might be friendly humans but extremely violent and punishing in wolf form if a pack member disobeys, or even in human form.

In my stories, some werewolves have no control and others have more control. In my stories, the human makes them evil, but the wolf instincts and the fear of confusion can make them violent.

Because I use so many different species and breeds of shape shifters, some are just different. Some are trained young to control their form, and it only depends on human personality and well I guess other factors on whether they are violent. For example, a gentle person with little control would probably run off in wolf form and might attack only if cornered. A violent one would kill people mindlessly.

Other species simply kill. And yet others are different yet again.

So in my opinion, a wolf may be a killer if pushed to it, like any wolf. A human half makes the werewolf evil. But, on saying that, if I like to just have one species which is the devil's werewolf or just cursed, or bitten by a virus which creates violent monsters (After all, werewolves are fantasy!) then yes they may kill at the full moon. Where other species might be gentle and just that: A species, not a bite-passing-on virus-infected beast.

I too would find overly gentle werewolves utterly boring. But this is only my opinion, I will watch any werewolf film.

Yes I was bored when I wrote this.

[JoshuaMadoc]

*Was going to ask about pacifist werewolves that can still kung fu people's asses in self-defense, but felt that kind of question doesn't belong in this thread*

[WerewolfKeeper3]

Vudari does have a point.
When i first started writing my stories, my werewolves were piece loving creatures, with only the evil ones doing any harm.

That didn't feel right...

However, when i began to make them into (not monster but close to it,) more violnet creatures, (as in, 'We've had enough with the Hunters killing our kind in the masses. Its time we rip them to shreds like they do us." Kind of thing) they started to take on a more balanced persona.

What i mean, is that Nature in it self is violent, and being that werewolves are technicaly part of nature, they should have a violent side to them.

I wrote them as avengers of their kind, their fallen friends, placing them in a war that had existed sense the fall of an anceint aliance, and it fit.

I don't like super violent werewolves. But I hate the weakling ones who'd prefer to have their heads ripped off then fight.

[Kirk Hammett]