What type of instincts would a were have?

[Dreamer]

I know that everyone talks about the fact that Weres would probably have mixed wolf and human instincts, but no one has said what those instincts would be.

What do you think those instincts would be?

[Terastas]

I don't think the werewolf's brain would change much, but the way the brain experiences the world would, IE: the eyes, ears, nose, and all other sensory organs change.

The greatest extreme I think would be the change in the nose, from a very dull sensory organ to a very sensitive sensory organ. After the first shift, I imagine a werewolf would ask himself "what's that smell?" some hundred-odd times in the first few minutes. That said, I think werewolves would be prone to sniffing a lot. Not necessarily sniffing specific people or objects -- just at the air in general.

That might carry over into their human form, only instead of sniffing, they would be sniffling, because compared to the sense of smell available as a wolf, having a human sense of smell would feel like having a cold.

[Shadow_in_the_Moonlight]

I imagine that would suck alot. being just human, it wouldnt matter much but having those senses and then have human senses again, i think it would be akin to feeling deaf blind and incredibly(sp?) weak and slow. and wouldn't the colors that the eyes percieve in wolf form dim some what? I know that wolves and dogs are color blind. would that effect the eyes sight of the were? i imagine the thought process might be the same though the they might have a tendency torwards wolfish thoughts.

[Terastas]

I imagine that would suck alot. being just human, it wouldnt matter much but having those senses and then have human senses again, i think it would be akin to feeling deaf blind and incredibly(sp?) weak and slow. and wouldn't the colors that the eyes percieve in wolf form dim some what? I know that wolves and dogs are color blind. would that effect the eyes sight of the were? i imagine the thought process might be the same though the they might have a tendency torwards wolfish thoughts.

There would be pros and cons to both forms; some senses would be better in human form, others in wolf form. Also, some people might find the heightened senses unsettling and prefer the more dulled sensory organs. Some people might like the heightened sense of smell, others might be unnerved by being able to smell what kind of person used the john before them.

The biggest contrast of opinion, I think, would be in terms of hearing. A wolf's hearing is better, but also more sensitive; sounds that don't phase us much can be agonizing to a canine. Consider the violin, for example. Some people would like the better hearing, others would hate the sensitivity.

[Dreamer]

Well, I was actually wondering more about how the instincts would affect the Were emotionally.

[Terastas]

Well, I was actually wondering more about how the instincts would affect the Were emotionally.

I think that would depend on the individual. Different people react to different things in different ways.

[RedEye]

Actually, I suspect it would be a combination of fright and confusion: The new Were' would not be at all used to his/her new senses, and mostly unable to make sense of what they were tellinig him/her.
We all supress things that are not important to our life as we live it, the newly made Werewolf would be in sensory overload most of the time.
We Smooths have ONE main sense: Sight. Were's have in addition: Smell, Taste, and Hearing amped up almost to the point of pain at first.
Both Wolf and Human have a common response to "too much-too fast", which is to seek someplace quiet and think about what has just happened to us.
Instinct would tend to make the new Wulf want to hide, to keep away from the sources of stimulus that are so confusing and possibly threatening; and since the only reference this new person would have was the Human levels of strength and force; the new Wulf would tend to be a bit destructive when frightened.
So, it would be up to his/her Initiator to provide a quiet, calm location for the the newly made Wulf to start to learn how to deal with the new world that he/she has entered, without fear-and with acceptance.

[Dreamer]

Actually when I was talking about instincts, I was talking about the wolfen emotions and mind mingling with the human part of the were.

[Shadow_in_the_Moonlight]

i imagine that the smell of blood would effect them greatly at first, maybe triggering exitment or maybe a sort of bloodlusting anger, quickly followed by fear as the human parts of the mind realize what is around them and the initially bizarre ways in which they are responding to them.
think about it. as a human, if you were to smell fresh blood you would want to vomit almost instantly, but if, at the smell of blood, you suddenly find yourself think 'food' you'de be pretty freaked out. probably it all depends on who you are i geuss.

[Set]

think about it. as a human, if you were to smell fresh blood you would want to vomit almost instantly

Eh? I've never come across anyone who would react like that. I've never known the average person to almost puke just at the smell.

[Shadow_in_the_Moonlight]

eww trust me its not uncommon. i myself am guilty of it. just the sight of it makes me quisy. it might have something to do with my aquite sense of smell. its nothing spactacular, but apparantly its enough.

[Ansuru]

Depends on the blood, honestly. My own...yeah, I get a little shaky when it's -my- lifejuices dripping out.


When I'm cutting up fresh steak to make beef stroganoff, it just makes me drool.


Yes, I mean I've literally found myself salivating at the scent of raw meat. If it happens again, I may even give in to temptation >_>

[RedEye]

Go ahead! Raw beef is...sweet ( if it's fresh ).

I have steak tartare about twice a month-which is raw steak with herbs.

[Shadow_in_the_Moonlight]

there are times i cant even bring myself to eat meat. cooked or not. but we're getting of topic. i suppose how greatlyones emotions change and are effected depends on the person. if you were to be a naturl leader you might find yourself becoming more aggressive when challenged, more confident, maybe a bit of a bully. if you were naturlly subordinate, you might become more timid, and nervous when a leader isnt present. i dont think it would be so far fetched to imagine some one being changed right down to the very person you are, once you were changed.(much like in sims)

[Rhuen]

depends on the individual, as human behavior is mostly learned not instinct, so it would be that individual's learned behavior mixing with the canine insinct.

Although somethings have been noted as instinctive in humans, but what effect this would have on a werewolf is unknown.

Humans have an instinctive preference for grassy environments with a water source and shade trees.
(many experiments and polls taken world wide to confirm this)

and how colors and sounds affect the mood of the two species.

So something unpredictable is the likely outcome.

[captdecoy]

In humans, most things are learned. The Smarter a creature is, the more learning is required to survive. Even hunting is a learned behavior.

What is partially not learned is social interaction. Things like smiling, flirting, and aggressive behavior and expressions are universal in humans and wolves. It would depend on the "ratio". In any case someone who was not fully human would be socially awkward.

Animals and humans display the same range or behavioral attributes as far as shyness, social awkwardness, etc.... so I don't think that would be a distinguishing feature. Reliance on smell would be as it is the primary sense for canines, but not for humans.


OH, and a craving for meat and blood is learned through conditioning. If you raised a wolf on Alpo , or something high in protein and fatty, he'd carve that too.

[Rhuen]

Actually expressions are not universal

Smiling for example

Human: joy

Chimp & most primates: fear

Wolf & most canines: anger or trying to intimidate

Just like the tail between the legs, not knowing that this differs is a bad move for many a tourist in areas with big cats

canines: submission
felines: agression

[captdecoy]

I was stating that they are universal within a particular species. Human expressions for human and wolf for wolf.

[Scott Gardener]

I think the basics are pretty much a necessity. Being able to walk, lope about, or run in wolf form--I think that would come pretty quickly. I also give my storyline's werewolves some hunting skills and other abilities that would require more advanced use of one's modified body. I picture werewolves having a subconscious tendency towards some lupine behavior and mannerisms even in human form--sniffing, flicking ears (twitching them in human form), and the like.

[Dreamer]

Well, speaking of hunting instincts, wouldn't they cause some problems in normal life? I mean, Peter is the Wolf mentioned car cahsing, and i could think of other problems that might come up.

[Berserker]

To wolves, behavior may be driven by both instinct and emotion; indeed, there's a blurred line between the two. Wolves (probably) have a hard time separating objects from the inherent meanings their instincts attach to them. Humans on the other hand are defined by introspection: we can separate meanings from objects, dissect emotions abstractly, etc.

Werewolves get both. They would be driven by instinct, but with a self-observation about it. As a result, they would have much stronger compulsion than humans, but much better judgement than wolves. The stronger the sensation, the stronger the emotion, and the more wild the werewolf becomes.

I've often compared the sensation of being a werewolf to taking a mind-altering drug. Your personality is still there, and you know this, but your perception of the world is changed in such a way that sometimes you just can't stay on the fence.

[WerewolfKeeper3]

This is just an idea:

I doubt that most of the wolf instincts would survive. There would be enough for them to understand the new abilities, but the hunting instinct would be surpressed, something like an over-sense of hunger instead. The instinct for the pack might possibly survive, but nowadays, it'd probably be pretty loose. Meaning, there would be no alpha male or female, just one massive web of people who help each other to survive. And there would also be the increased feeling of the "Inner ANimal". But everything would probably be surpressed, for the sake of the creature. Can you imagine what it would be like for a werewolf in the middle of the city? Instant overdose of inhaling all the chemicals and sewage. That, or they'd be constantly sick. And the forests are starting to disappear, so they'd have to learn to cope, or be exposed.

Then again, this is just an idea from someone who talks to himself, and to someone else whose himself, just different from the other... well, you get the idea.

And this is just an idea. Just an idea, just an idea.
Just to make that clear...

[RedEye]

Actually, that was brought up in a recent issue of Peter Is the Wolf. Sarah, the "thrall" or newby werewolf is almost overwhelmed by the smells she encounters on the college campus they are sited on. She finally realizes that she is smelling every trash can and every waste area on the entire campus.

What might happen would be--not a shutdown of the Wulf's instincts, but a mental restriction of what you could smell and taste for some time, until your Wulf mind could handle it. We do "edit" what we sense all the time; as a sort of survival device that lets us concentrate on what is important to survival and ignore what isn't. If the survival parameters change, our senses change to match, which means that we were "sensing them" all the time, and just ignoring them when they were apparently unimportant.

[Dreamer]

Well,what about the idea that hunting instincts may lead ot an amplified response when a were is angered, basically making them able to be rational in were form under normal circumstances, but if they get angry, you're pretty much dog meat.

And then there is the "killing bite", whichisthe instinct that all canines know to bite down on the neck of their prey to kill it. A were would probably need to learn to control that to keep from killing someone if they get in a fight.

[Whisperwind]

Well,what about the idea that hunting instincts may lead ot an amplified response when a were is angered, basically making them able to be rational in were form under normal circumstances, but if they get angry, you're pretty much dog meat.

And then there is the "killing bite", whichisthe instinct that all canines know to bite down on the neck of their prey to kill it. A were would probably need to learn to control that to keep from killing someone if they get in a fight.

i think it depends on the type of were - if we're going totally human to wolf (ish thing), i dont think a wolf associates killing with emotions, i think its more of a "food" or "you pose a serious threat to my family/way of life and need to be disposed of". if there is an angry reaction that's probably be the human talking, and blaming it on the were change (we all know a good chunk of humans would, if they were suddenly given some kind of power, abuse such and blame the power instead of their own issues). just a thought, though.

as for the killing bite.. i think it depends on the *individual* were, but then again in my head its like a personality trait. kind of like how some people like to play a tank in video games while others like to be the shadow stalker, slowly picking off people one by one. i cant see all weres being one way or the other - there would probably be some who'd try to go all strength and overpower their foes, and others who would go for a jump-in-and-slash-and-jump-out dance, trying to wear out their enemies, possibly getting them to bleed to death.