A Werewolf in Motion

[Malignant-Librarian]

Hi guys!

Saw a thread similar, but discussing mainly ability of movement insofar as physical limitations are concerned, not so much your personal aesthetic preference/decision regarding movement. (http://www.thepack.network/thepackboard ... p?f=1&t=18). So I wanted to narrow it down and be much more specific. Hopefully this thread is different enough from the former to merit inclusion into the forum!

I wanted to talk to you guys about a couple of things. So, to start things off, my prompts -- and then my answers to my own prompt using my original character Sylvie, who will be the representative of the werewolves in Lunar Pulse. Then, you guys respond with your opinions! Ready? Steady? Let's go!

THE PROMPTS
1.) How does your personal idea of a werewolf walk? For the purposes of this prompt, we'll assume there is no present danger, and the werewolf is just casually strolling along. Do they stand on their hind legs and walk like a human being? Do they pad around on all-fours? Why? Is your decision more aesthetic or practical?

2.) How does your personal idea of a werewolf jog? For the purposes of this prompt, we'll assume that there is no present danger, and they are jogging a short distance -- going from point A to point B, just a notch quicker than before. Do they jog like a human being, on their hind legs with their arms pumping? Or do they lope on all-fours? Why? Is your decision more aesthetic or practical?

3.) How does your personal idea of a werewolf run? For the purposes of this prompt, we'll assume that they are running full-out -- their life, or someone else's, depends on them getting from point A to point B as fast as is physically possible. Do they run on two legs? Do they tear up the ground on four? Why? Is your decision more aesthetic or practical?

MY RESPONSES
1.) Sylvie walks on her hind legs. The movement is stilted and fairly awkward, though, and she has a tendency to hunch forward. Because of her digigrade legs, this isn't the most natural of movements for her.

2.) Sylvie jogs on all fours. Her jog is her only gait that isn't borderline humorous to watch -- assuming you'd have the balls to laugh at a 1, 200 lb. werewolf chargin' yo' a**. It looks more natural than her walk and her flat-out run.

3.) Before I say this, I'd like to point out that Sylvie is one of the few, the proud, the huge, who runs like this. The other, more normally proportioned werewolves in Lunar Pulse adopt a smooth and rapid canterlike movement that looks utterly natural.

Sylvie runs like a giant ape.

Because of the overdeveloped musculature in her extra-long and thick forearms, it's faster to reach forward, extending her arms as far as they can possibly go, and slam them into the ground for a foothold and drag her body forward in huge, lurching movements than it is to sprint like a normal werewolf. It's a movement on all fours, but picture not a wolf running, but a frenzied gorilla, and you'd have a better picture of how Sylvie runs. ... LOL.

-- Jingles

[Grey]

You know its actully funny, because I had an idea yesterday that I'm working on. For lack of a better word, it's a martial arts comic, using were wolves as the primary cast. So I would like to find out a few things about how were-wolves would move in this case aswell.

[Leonca~]

Ooo, fun!

1. My version finds the 2 main forms, full human and full wolf, to be most practical for movement. Since they have control over shifts they can choose based on what is most practical at the time. Walking is probably the only gait that you would see them do in bipedal mode, since they sometimes find the need to carry things in their hands while moving around. They can selectively shift parts of their bodies to be more like the other form, but this is most evident at the extremities. It’s easy to change their paws into something that more or less looks like hairy human hands and feet, but if they want to stay wolf their arms or legs are not going to be as similar. This makes bipedal moving awkward. I imagine it would be like a dog that is unnaturally well balanced on two legs. It works, but just barely.
For me it is both an aesthetic and a practical decision. I imagine it would be more fun to experience something different from being human when you change, so I mainly built them around the natural quadropedal movements.
I just realized how strange a wolf with human hands and feet would look. Must draw that some day.

2. Jogging would definitely be easier and more comfortable in full wolf form. Wolves naturally have a very flowing and easygoing gait when they move like this. It is quicker and more energy efficient compared to human movement, especially if you are trying to cover long distances.

3. Running would be pretty awkward in bipedal mode. About the same as a human, maybe even slower. All fours would definitely be preferred.

[Scott Gardener]

My werewolves don't have fixed forms, but instead can be human, wolf, or anywhere in between. It's very difficult and takes lots of skill to shift one body part more than another, though, so wolf with human hands is not a common form, and those who can do it usually can't keep that form very long. But, one can go from two-legged, upright to four-legged pretty easily--after the first few weeks, that is.

For the newly shifted, one tends to get thrown into full wolf more than Gestalt-like partial forms, though once one has fair control, it's common to shift more to a Gestalt upright form, simply because it's less completely unfamiliar. Unless one shifts almost human, though, the digitigrade stance, weight center, and tail will tend to hunch one forward.

Jogging: Most seasoned werewolves will, in the absence of any specific reason not to, shift to wolf form to cover long distances faster. Those who don't can still move pretty quickly in Gestalt form, with a loping stride that could easily keep pace with a bicyclist on an open road.

Running: Pretty much full wolf, all fours, with a top speed of warp 9.6.

[JoshuaMadoc]

Disclaimer: I didn't include full-trot since everyone here knows what it is.





Yay for inconsistencies!

[lycanthropeful]

Kitetsu, that is... AWESOME. It's very clear how your werewolves move.

Let's see. I've hardly put any thought into this at all. XD

1. Walking: Versa just walks on two legs, despite them being digitigrade. She tends to slump a bit and holds her chest/upper body forward, letting her tail balance her massive weight.

2. Jogging: Same as walking, only faster, haha. I really don't see a difference. Versa never jogs on all fours - that's reserved for running - so the motion is very similar.

3. Running: If it's really urgent, she stays on two legs, but also can run on all fours. The quadrupedal locomotion isn't as effective, though, because Versa has about 99% human hands. They are completely human except for the leathery pink padding on the palms and inner fingers and the claws. Smacking against the ground at the balls of your hand/palms is sure to not be very comfortable or expedient, but if she finds running on two legs a bore, the four legged option is available. Her werewolf form is not meant to run on four legs.

[JoshuaMadoc]

3. Running: If it's really urgent, she stays on two legs, but also can run on all fours. The quadrupedal locomotion isn't as effective, though, because Versa has about 99% human hands. They are completely human except for the leathery pink padding on the palms and inner fingers and the claws. Smacking against the ground at the balls of your hand/palms is sure to not be very comfortable or expedient, but if she finds running on two legs a bore, the four legged option is available. Her werewolf form is not meant to run on four legs.

I think I can help you on this one.

[RedEye]

In the Wulfen Blood series, the Wulfen (Werewolves) locomote thusly when in bipedal mode:
1> Walking: Like anybody else...putting one foot in front of another; only this is not the Smoothskin "controlled fall", it is a gliding motion since there is no heelstrike.*
2> Jogging: Again, like anybody else; even moreso, since at any gait faster than a walk most people become digitigrade. In this case, the Wulf would jog exactly like a Smoothskin (or "Smooth"), and at a distance, in sweats with the hood up, might be mistaken for a Smooth.
3> Running, as in "Get the Hell out of Dodge" running triggers the full Wulf mini-shift, and after about fifty feet they are quadruped and running like any other Wolf would. This mini-shift is completely instinctive and automatic, and turns running into a series of leaps where the back, rather than the legs, does most of the work.
They refer to running full out as "Flying near the ground" and can hit speeds of thirty-five miles per hour at a sprint while maintaining around thirty miles per hour as a steady lope. Some individuals are even faster than that in a deliberate for-speed run and have hit forty miles per hour in a sustained run over level ground.
*Heelstrike is what the Wulfen people can't manage, since even when passing in Smooth, they remain somewhat digitigrade. Heelstrike is also what wrecks runners' backs when they wear the wrong shoes.

An idea: Since Versa is a more-or-less "standard" werewolf, she might develop a short Achilles' tendon from her fuzzy times of life. This could be "explained" away and divert suspicion by wearing moderately high heels (which can produce exactly the same effect in the Achilles' tendon)
at very public situations where they would be noticed. Thus diverted, any unsteadiness caused by her natural digitigrade nature would be excused as "high heel" problems, and her Wolfy Secret would stay safe.

[Berserker]

My werewolves take an upright stance, and they would move in the steady gliding motion that RedEye has described for his. I can't think of my werewolves running on all fours... it would be awkward.

[Malignant-Librarian]

@Grey: That's awesome! There's a Chinese werewolf in Lunar Pulse who uses wushu.

@Leonca: I agree with most of your assessments! Especially the consideration you took as to what it means to have digigrade legs and how they walk when in their in-between forms.

@Scott: Very nice, it makes a lot of sense.

@Kitetsu: Very, very cool to learn about. My favorite aspect was the illustration of the paw sinking into the earth and tearin' up the ground when she launched off to explain the strength of movement. The bipedal sprint is really intimidating, too, in a good way, it looks great.

Can you maybe explain the half-trot more? I looked at it for a long time but it was hard to tell what was going on. A huge leap, legs swung forward, and then bouncing off the ground and stretching the body out? How do they 'recover' from this movement to go into it again? Or is it a one-time deal?

(The artist in me just won't shut up about the incorrect placement of the tail, but obviously the illustration is informational, not a finished piece, so just ignore me. xD)

Also, very nice hand illustration, that's exactly how I picture Sylvie to run.

@Saxy: I'm not gonna lie, I find Versa's method of running very strange considering you draw her with digigrade legs. It just doesn't make sense, since those legs aren't build for bipedal movement in the slightest, in my opinion. If she didn't have digigrade legs, it would make sense to me, though.

(Not that I have room to talk, considering how Sylvie chooses to cover long distances xD)

@Redeye: Very cool to learn more about WB!

@Beserker: I can understand that. ^^

[JoshuaMadoc]

@Kitetsu: Can you maybe explain the half-trot more? I looked at it for a long time but it was hard to tell what was going on. A huge leap, legs swung forward, and then bouncing off the ground and stretching the body out? How do they 'recover' from this movement to go into it again? Or is it a one-time deal?

Simply put, it's a movement theory that's very similar to a cross between a kangaroo's bipedal hop and a cheetah's sprint. It's a tricky maneuver that takes a bit of time to start, and the upper body has to be lowered slowly before it starts and needs to remain so while the momentum of the legs makes it rock slowly up and down while it acts as a sort of reverse balance as opposed to the tail, even if you don't have one. You also need to have a good concept of depth perception/sensation to be able to judge surface and object distance to avoid unnecessary collision that might hamper the maneuver or cause direct self-harm. The one who invented it is also pretty light for his size, is able to do it continuously, and can do it in various angles, namely upwards against the wall surface of a huge building. He's still working on refining this maneuver while not having to rely on his sight, as he's also reputed to be able to move/fight while blindfolded.

[Malignant-Librarian]

Sounds very cool; I think Sylvie is too heavy to do that -- though she's muscular enough to.

[FormicHiveQueen]

One thing to keep in mind is that my werewulves are perpetually in what is the gesalt form for most other people's werewulves. With that aside:

1. Either can be done because their feet are somewhat weighted and their tails are strong enough to provide a tripod stance if necessary. Walking on two legs is about as fluid as it is for a human. It would be a lot like walking tiptoe, but more balanced because the hind paws are very large.

2. If it's a fast jog then it can be managed on two legs since that's how humans run anyway. A slow jog is best done on four legs. If you've ever tried slow jogging on tiptoe you'd find it's just a little bit awkward (or maybe it's just me ).

3. Running at full speed requires all four legs. The back legs are basically giant springs that propel the werewulf a good meter or two each bound, while the arms and hands catch the ground and pull the body forward. Basically it's a bunny hop on steroids.

[Terastas]

For mine it varies from one werewolf to another. Some werewolves have trouble standing upright and move about on all fours Gollum-style whenever they can get away with it. Others have trouble establishing a rhythm on all fours and try to run human-style.

There's no encouraged method either, as typically the members of a pack will have a million other things on their mind and adopt a "whatever works" policy when it comes to movement. A werewolf might be able to run faster on all fours, for example, but if a werewolf can't run on all fours without getting their arms/legs tangled or making missteps that will have them falling over all the time, then they'd be faster on two legs.

The average werewolf only spends one day every other month in their gestalt form anyway, so learning how to behave like a werewolf typically takes a back seat to learning how to behave like a human. Packs try to discourage their members from embracing their gestalt forms, so teaching them how to maximize the efficiency of the form they want their members to be in for as little as possible. . . Well, it'd be like that scene in the movie 1941 where they show Mr. Douglas how to use the anti-aircraft gun even though they clearly don't want him anywhere near it. It'd be mixed signals, in other words.