how does it work?

[Scott Gardener]

There is no other "virus" out ther that has sych a mutative quality is there? So why do we expect it to act as every other virus out there? I use the term virus loosely, not having anything else. It would be in a glass all by itself, wouldn't it?

I'd expect this to be very much the case. Obviously, any attempt at coming up with a scientific explanation of how it could be done is at best an educated guess. But, you're quite right, that being something substantially different from any known molecular or cellular entity, it would have a lot of unknown elements to it.

As for undermining the mystique, there's several different schools of thought. But, there are useful reasons for going into it. I do it for story continuity sake, so that my werewolves aren't haphazardously immune from one medical problem but overtly succeptible to another, or prone to toxicity from aconite in one scene but a few scenes later miraculously invulnerable to anticholinergic poisons.

[Apokryltaros]

You do have a point, but, there is a fine line between continuous plausibility for plausibility's and continuity's sake, and vivisecting a faerie to see how she makes faerie dust.

[JonathanBaine]

how does it work.....it just does

[celtwolf]

how does it work.....it just does

ok, now THAT'S a copout. you HAVE to have at least SOME plausible evidence to explain it. otherwise you'll have a bunch of people asking you why and how it works and you won't have ANY sort of answer to appease them.

Actually, I have to believe that this is being over-analyzed which kinda destroys the mysticism behind the phenomena. I personally don't care how it happens on a cellular level...as long as it doesn't kill me in the process.

we're building the ultimate werewolf here you know. overanalysis is all part of the process for creating a werewolf with a background, genetics, psychology, and sociology that is both believable and accepted by the majority of were-lovers and nit-pickers alike. the point is not to make something that fits with one specific ideology of werewolves, but to create something more, bringing bits and pieces from everyone's idea of a werewolf together to create something abe to be accepted by all. i'm sorry if you feel that we are trampling upon your mystic view of werewolves, but you have to realize that there are points of view other than yours that need to be taken into account in order to fulfill the goal of this board.
~Celtwolf

[Grayheart]

I was always interested in the way how the transformation into a werewolf works. The more I thought about it the more questions aroused.

1. If it's a virus, how is it passed on?
2. If the virus changes the genetical structure of its host, how does this work?

My Answers to this:

1. The virus is passed on by the saliva of the werewolf and troughout blood-contact.
2. The virus is a kind of retrovirus - like the HIV-Virus - and has its own 'reverse transcriptase' (hopefully this is the right word) that rewrites the genetical structure of the host.

So far, so good. But this was only the first step to me, because this caused a lot of more questions to me:

3. A werewolf changes between two different genetical structures - maybe more - How is this process initiated? (leads to next question with immanent answer) ->
4. Werewolves change - in the popular opinion - when the moon is full or if they are under pressure. Why? How do these things initiate the change?

Answer to 4.: There has to be a second factor that is linked to the werewolf-virus. -> 5. What factor is it?

Then I looked at the function of certain hormones. A special hormone - like adrenaline - causes certain reactions. According to this the virus - in my imagination - has to have certain characteristics that resemble the characteristics of hormones.

If this is the 'truth' than the werewolf-virus would be a hormone-like virus or a virus-like hormone, that is produced by the werewolf under certain circumstances -like the full moon or when he or she is really pissed off.

The next problem with that was, that a virus like the HIV changes the genetical structure only in ONE direction. Therefore there have to be at least two different versions of the werewolf-hormone-virus. One, that changes the human to the wolf, and one that changes the wolf to human.

Hopefully I was able to make clear what I'm talking about ...

[Lupin]

I was always interested in the way how the transformation into a werewolf works. The more I thought about it the more questions aroused.

1. If it's a virus, how is it passed on?
2. If the virus changes the genetical structure of its host, how does this work?

My Answers to this:

1. The virus is passed on by the saliva of the werewolf and troughout blood-contact.
2. The virus is a kind of retrovirus - like the HIV-Virus - and has its own 'reverse transcriptase' (hopefully this is the right word) that rewrites the genetical structure of the host.

If you mean the enzyme that converts RNA -> DNA then that's it.

The next problem with that was, that a virus like the HIV changes the genetical structure only in ONE direction. Therefore there have to be at least two different versions of the werewolf-hormone-virus. One, that changes the human to the wolf, and one that changes the wolf to human.

Hopefully I was able to make clear what I'm talking about ...

I just figured that it stuck all the genes for shifting in there once. So that once you become a werewolf you're always a werewolf.

[Apokryltaros]

2. The virus is a kind of retrovirus - like the HIV-Virus - and has its own 'reverse transcriptase' (hopefully this is the right word) that rewrites the genetical structure of the host.

Some DNA viruses can rewrite their hosts' genome, too.
All viruses that can alter their hosts' genome do so by inserting the entirety of their own genome into their hosts' genome, so that the host can begin producing more virus later, or that the host's progeny may produce viruses at some other time. Some viruses, like those that induce tumors, have genes that, when expressed by the host, cause cancer or tumors.

So far, so good. But this was only the first step to me, because this caused a lot of more questions to me:

3. A werewolf changes between two different genetical structures - maybe more - How is this process initiated? (leads to next question with immanent answer) ->
4. Werewolves change - in the popular opinion - when the moon is full or if they are under pressure. Why? How do these things initiate the change?

Answer to 4.: There has to be a second factor that is linked to the werewolf-virus. -> 5. What factor is it?

Then I looked at the function of certain hormones. A special hormone - like adrenaline - causes certain reactions. According to this the virus - in my imagination - has to have certain characteristics that resemble the characteristics of hormones.

If this is the 'truth' than the werewolf-virus would be a hormone-like virus or a virus-like hormone, that is produced by the werewolf under certain circumstances -like the full moon or when he or she is really pissed off.

The next problem with that was, that a virus like the HIV changes the genetical structure only in ONE direction. Therefore there have to be at least two different versions of the werewolf-hormone-virus. One, that changes the human to the wolf, and one that changes the wolf to human.

Hopefully I was able to make clear what I'm talking about ...

I would think that a werewolf has the same (altered) genes in any form.
On the other hand, it sounds perfectly logical for infected cells to produce a hormone, or more likely, a series of hormones that induce the transformation into a werewolf.

[Grayheart]

Okay, seems to me that I got out my thoughts about this a little bit to imprecise, so let me try to fix this:

In my theory on this there is one virus-like thing that rewrites the entire genetical structure of its host once it came into its body. The altered human cells - now the cells of a werewolf - are able to produce certain hormones that are responsible for the shifting ability. At least there have to be two different kinds of this hormone, of course.

[Vuldari]

GRAYHEART:
Are you saying that you think a persons entire genetic code would be changed every time they shift and again when they shift back (Every cells DNA re-written by the Hormone/Virus all at once each shift)?

That would be an interesting new kind of impossible, within the timeframe one would expect for a Werewolf TF. ...if that is what you meant. (forgive me if I am misunderstanding you).

As others have allready said, I think if the genetic code is altered that way, it would only need to happen once. The normal human code would be replaced by one for a creature whose biology changes between two pre-determined shapes (both as one within a single genetic code) naturally. They would not change between being a wolf and being human. They would be WEREWOLF all the time. The two shapes would just be the single body in two complexly different biological configurations. (Assuming the werewolf is purely of a biological nature, and no mysticism is involved.)

[Grayheart]

No, not the entire genetic code would be changed, just the structure. The physical structure of a human and a wolf and the Gestaltform is different and because of this the hormone would just change the 'configuration' of the cell. The DNA is always the same, just the 'building' changes slightly.

Maybe I should try to explain how this hormone-idea came into my mind: I alyways faced the problem that there are certain circumstances that cause a werewolf to shift (I tried to figure out a more realistic way of how does it work). Not only the full moon could induce the change, strong emotions and stress could induce this as well. Somewhere I heard that hormones are produced by the body under certain circumstances - like if one is angry or just hungry. These all are stressfactors that apply to the reasons for a werewolf to shift.

Okay, the way I figured out has its weaknesses if you're trying to find something that would - at least theoretically - function in the real world making it possible that werewolves exist. To me this was the solution for the problems I had, cause in the story I'm writing (oh wonder) there's a character that tries to find out 'how it works'. The werewolf involved in this research always tries to explain her friend that there is at least some magical thing about it but her friend refuses to accept this explanation ...

Hopefully I could answer your questions Vuldari!