Bitten vs Born

[white]

I ran into a little discussion on this on an ancient thread, and decided to see if we can get some more detail into it, and a quick search didn't reveal any obvious threads already dedicated to the topic.

Alright, I also wanted to get my opinion in without bumping an ancient thread with an offtopic post

Anyway, I've seen Figarou, among others, say that their idea of a werewolf has pure born werewolves being stronger, more powerful, more contagious, etc. than those who contracted lycanthropy from a bite. While this gives wonderful oppertunity for things like discrimination among werewolves, I can't really say I agree with it. Here's what I'm thinking: a pureborn werewolf would either have a natural instinct for controlling their shifting, or learn how very quickly; a bitten one would have significantly more trouble learning this (I wonder how many studies have shown that younger people learn quicker?), but would still eventually gain the ability. As someone else said, they'd be genetically equal. To add in a little more similarity to Figarou's idea, perhaps a freshly made werewolf would be weaker, having only just gained the new forms. and over time build up the strength of a pureborn werewolf through use of them. Perhaps a werewolf who remained in human form almost constantly would have a very weak gestalt and full wolf form for the same reasons, no matter whether they're pureborn or bitten. Thoughts?

[Akela]

Hmm... It's been a while since I've posted.

I'm guessing someone who was born a werewolf would handle themselves much better as they've always lived with the curse while someone recently infected would not know what to expect. Though they're both not so different when their heads decorate someone's living room....

[white]

Exactly. It'd be more a question of experience than heritage, and ye can still get into the whole discrimination thing; in fact, if there's no real reason for discrimination against an experienced bitten werewolf, as he/she'd be just as powerful and able as any other, that might actually add to it. Prejudice is never logical, and almost always completely baseless; this would be yet another example of that.

[Silverclaw]

I also think born WWs would have more control. They have been living with it all their lives after all. Shifting may come easier and less painful to em since they have been shifting and such for a while. They would find all their forms to feel more natural than a newly bitten WW. Would be better with wolfy things like tracking scents and hunting and such. Though a bitten WW would learn and be just as good as them after a while of practice and all. Maybe bitten WWs would be even more sensitive to the moon then born ones.

[Anubis]

i think both werewolves come threw both ways

[Kzinistzerg]

I figre a newbie is wweaker simply becuase he's new; after x years of expirience, they're essentiall equal. of course, if a WW bites a human ,the WW is liekly to consider himself dominant to the bitten one.

[Figarou]

Anyway, I've seen Figarou, among others, say that their idea of a werewolf has pure born werewolves being stronger, more powerful, more contagious, etc. than those who contracted lycanthropy from a bite.

To me, a pure born werewolf has better control, stronger, ETC. compared to one thats bitten.


If I'm writing a story of my own, that will be my way of doing things.

[Scott Gardener]

If lycanthropy is "digital," it's genetic makeup is preserved or reinforced with each generation, so that someone who is bitten is just as virulent, powerful, and so forth as someone who is born into it. Examples include most familiar storylines. I use this model myself.

If lycanthropy is "analog," there is deterioration over bitten genertions, so that those who are born are "pure," whereas those who are bitten are somehow less potent. (A copy of a copy of a copy is blurrier and muffled in sound. Ask long-term Anime fans in America, before it was readily available here.) Bites from someone who is bitten could then represent a degradation, until one reaches a generation that is simply non-infectious end-product. The D&D role-playing game in its various versions have followed this model. White Wolf followed it, but not with werewolves--they did it with Vampire: the Masquerade. It was a major plot point. I prefer to avoid this model, as I have never liked the idea of an inherant system of superiority and inferiority.

[Lupin]

I think they'd only be 'stronger' in the sense that they're around other werewolves, and they'd have a helping hand, and other werewolves around them who could give them some idea of what to expect. Otherwise they'd be the same with expierence.

[white]

Well, it seems that yet again the consensus is uncannily akin to my own ideas.

@Lupin: I'm afraid I don't quite follow your meaning there; are you referring to that the born WW's have more experience, or something else?

@Shadowblaze: Exactly my thoughts. It might take a while to gain enough experience, but it would work. However, I suspect the feeling of superiority wouldn't be restricted to the biter; chances are, the pureborn of the entire pack would feel the same. After the aforementioned X years of experience, though, chances are the WW could move off to somewhere else and pass himself off as a pureborn. Of course, the WW community might actually be small and restricted enough that such things as discrimination don't exist; I suspect it would really depend on members and leader the pack in question.

[Lupin]

@Lupin: I'm afraid I don't quite follow your meaning there; are you referring to that the born WW's have more experience, or something else?

No I'm saying that born werewolves have 'access', but that after a while, you probably couldn't tell the difference between someone who was born, and someone who was bitten.

[Celestialwolf]

I say that bitten werewolves are weaker at first compared to their born werewolf pals, but in time it shouldn't make a lot of difference as experience is gained.

Also, strength or ability wouldn't be lost if less time was spent in werewolf form. There would be less time to gain experience, but nothing would go backwards, if that makes sense.

And lastly, the digital vs analog idea is a cool concept to think about, Scott Gardener! I think I just felt myself get smarter. I would go with digital, then, in this case.

[Aki]

Experiance wise, a Born Werewolf would be better until a bitten one caught up with him in exoeriance, but nothing else of a difference between the two.

I kinda find the idea of a born one being stronger a bit silly.

[white]

Well, I'm glad most of us agree on that; I do think a movie would be worse off with the analog concept.

[Scott Gardener]

I'm also in agreement with the consensus on this one. I favor the "digital" model. Someone born with it doesn't have to go through the process of getting experience, thus eliminating things like the painful first shifts, or the getting used to having a heightened sense of smell.

[Figarou]

I'm also in agreement with the consensus on this one. I favor the "digital" model. Someone born with it doesn't have to go through the process of getting experience, thus eliminating things like the painful first shifts, or the getting used to having a heightened sense of smell.

Oooo...digital werewolves!! Now we need HD werewolves.

[Shadow Wulf]

and with surround sound howling.

[Terastas]

Someone born with it doesn't have to go through the process of getting experience, thus eliminating things like the painful first shifts, or the getting used to having a heightened sense of smell.

This would be a pro for born werewolves, but on the other hand, they wouldn't be able to coax freshly-bitten werewolves through the first unwilled shift because they wouldn't understand what life was like before they were infected. They could become experienced in their own regard, but if they expected to expand their pack, they would need at least one member that had become a werewolf via infection if they intended for their recruited members to survive the first shift, both physically and mentally. In effect, more newcomers to the pack would feel more trusting towards the infected werewolf that helped them learn to live with lycanthropy than the born-werewolf, and since the presumption is that the pack's unofficial hierarchy is decided by consensus of the other pack, that would make the infected werewolf the honcho (I say 'honcho' since 'alpha' was declared offensive).

So while a born werewolf would be better able to take care of himself, a bitten werewolf would have a better chance of forming a pack through his ability to relate with the newly-recruited. Hopefully werewolves don't have the same hierarchal "pureblood > infected > familiar" mentality that has been depicted in multiple vampire movies, because the likely scenario of a born werewolf with that mentality is that the infected werewolves would rally against him (asking "what have you done for the pack?" and such) and potentially turn the pureblood werewolf into an omega, or if he didn't have the two parents that made him to defend him, a stray.

So yeah, they would be better suited to the symptoms of lycanthropy, but not to the community.

[white]

I'm in agreement with that; my earlier statements were just to evidence that the possibility still remains. However, I see werewolves as much, well, friendlier and more accepting than vampires, who seem to typically have a cold outlook, and be prone to things like prejudice. Also, I can follow your logic there; the pack's recruiter couldn't exactly be very low in the heirarchy, and everyone has a bitten ancestor someone along the way.

[Renorei]

I don't think there should be any inherent physical differences in born werewolves and bitten werewolves. It would be a matter or experience and knowledge of how to control the form. So, a born werewolf would be "stronger", "faster", and "more in control of their shifting", simply because they were used to the body and knew how to really use it, and were accustomed to resisting or beginning a shift at will. Over a period of time, say maybe between 1-5 years, however, I think a bitten werewolf would be just as good as a born werewolf in every way, except, perhaps, contagiousness.

[Silverclaw]

I agree 100% with Excelsia

Thats how I see it as well.
I really dont see werewolves being prejudice against one another as well.

[Renorei]

I really dont see werewolves being prejudice against one another as well.

Yeah, I'm not in favor of that at all. If some random person wants to write a novel in which this occurs, that's cool. But I certainly wouldn't want the idea of born werewolves being better than bitten werewolves to become the norm in the werewolf fan community, or for prejudice amongst werewolves to be a common assumption.

[white]

Yah. As I said earlier, I see werewolves as being very cohesive, friendly, and accepting to eachother, if only because it's in their own interest to maintain a tightly knit community.

[greniar]

i say that a born werewolf would be the only one to transmit the illness and that only a male could pass it on (its in the myths)

[Vuldari]

i say that a born werewolf would be the only one to transmit the illness and that only a male could pass it on (its in the myths)

Really? ...which myths? I've never, ever heard that before?

(I think the idea that only Born Werewolves are contagious is an interesting concept...but I am not at all fond of the "only males" part. That's just like, "What the Hell?...why?!")