World versions of werewolves

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:29 pm

Seeing that there are so many different types of people

ie black, white, asian, indian. why wouldn't, depending on the evolution of the ww wounldnt there be small variations of the curse depending on were you are bitten or see a ww. Like if the werewolves on Japan do not have an apposible thumb while the ones on the mainland do. Or if the werewolves on the UK have a smaller apperence then the ones on France. It would just make more sence then if the ww have just stayed the same since the dawn of exsistence

JoshuaMadoc · Post by **JoshuaMadoc** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:55 am

I'm pretty sure they'll stay just as they are, unless stereotypicalism comes in, which i wouldn't like for it to happen. i.e. most japanese people are petite

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:13 am

Or species of wolves, like were-dingoes. (Wild dog). Red wolf (Canis rufus) shifters. If you were looking at it as a species, rather than a disease, I imagine ethnicity might play a part, depending on the genes expressed in the shift and such. Like hair colour.

PariahPoet · Post by **PariahPoet** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:17 am

I rather like the species idea, but yes, even the same creature will adapt differently to different environments, so biologically speaking there would be variations by region.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:58 am

Yeah natural selection. And by species in the second part of what I wrote, I dunno if anyone really likes the idea but I've always sort of thought if you had the DNA transmitted, you became a new species. Not a curse or disease or anything. So evolution and natural selection has a hold on you not just the 'disease'. I had a thread somehwere on Evolution if anyone wants to talk more about that

no one replied, haha typical of my weird posts.

Vuldari · Post by **Vuldari** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:51 pm

I most definately think there should be localized variations of lycanthropy.

Asian werewolves (or people bitten by them), african werewolves, australian werewolves, Native American werewolves, Modern american werwolves (colonized america has existed long enough for the locals to have intermingled and produced unique variations for the continent, seperate from the ancient native variety), British werwolves, Irish...Russian...SouthAmerican...etc, etc.

...all should have recognisable variations to the trained eye. Common hair/fur color in gestalt form...fur patterns...longer, shorter or NO hair...longer/shorter muzzles...rounder or super-long and pointy ears...color/size of claws...color of eyes...magnitude of personal growth durring transformation (beyond natural size)...side effects in human form (russian werwolves have unibrows but french ones don't)...

...so on and so on...plus variations from person to person as well...while still remaining within a certain range.

So two werwolves could look as different as a Dingo looks from a Timberwolf, but still similar enough to be clear they are related...albiet distantly.

All of this is just my personal preference, mind you...and one that I think would only apply well to SOME werewolf stories, but not All.

...but generally speaking, this would just seem natural to me.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:11 am

Haha Vuldari, I understand the 'Fits to some stories' thing. I change my werewolf/shape-shifter (And all other creatures and landscapes and stuff) in each story. But that sounds like an awesome idea. Haha the Howling anyone? The Thylacine shifters. I haven't met anyone who liked that film, but I did. I thought it was interesting. But there was a very hilarious shift scene where the wolf looked cool, then suddently the snout was very long and it looked really, really terrible. I mean what planet was THAT from? (They were watching a werewolf movie during the film).

Wolfsin · Post by **Wolfsin** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:55 pm

This would be a good art-topic, I have an idea! (Eureka!)(sp?)

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:38 pm

Wolfsin wrote:This would be a good art-topic, I have an idea! (Eureka!)(sp?)

well then you should run with it

Apokryltaros · Post by **Apokryltaros** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:57 pm

I dunno...
The problem I have with werewolf ethnicities is that, if we're still going with lycanthropy still being infectious, is, for example, if a European who's bitten by an Australian weredingo, would he turn into a werewolf, or would he also turn into a weredingo?

Vuldari · Post by **Vuldari** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:18 pm

Apokryltaros wrote:I dunno...
The problem I have with werewolf ethnicities is that, if we're still going with lycanthropy still being infectious, is, for example, if a European who's bitten by an Australian weredingo, would he turn into a werewolf, or would he also turn into a weredingo?

Just to clarify...in my presented opinion, I was not suggesting that there would be entirely different "breeds" of werewolves (such as weredingos), but merely used that as an exagerated example of visual distinction.

I think that (in this scenario) there would be Werewolves...period. ...but that clans that have not intermingled with other clans for many generations, and perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years, would have developed over time subtle unique differences. ...the same way an asian human differs from an african one, even though they are both human.

As for the question of which would be the dominating factor, (the hosts origin or the origin of the lycanthropy-variant), I would say primarily the origin of the lycanthropy (IE: Being bitten by a French Werewolf would make you a french-style Lycanthrope, even if you are native american), however...a persons default human genetics would have an influence on the end result. (An African Native/French-Bitten Werwolf would be distinguishable from a South American Native/French-Bitten Werewolf...but only just barely...likely so subtle that mostly only other werewolves could recongnise the distunguishing marks/features.)

Apokryltaros · Post by **Apokryltaros** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 3:03 am

Ah...
Thanks for clarifying.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:04 am

Yeah I'd say the genes might 'mix' a little. Like me, for example, an Italian hybrid with Irish/English/Scottish, and bits of other countries. Or an Asian hybrid with an African person, you know what I mean. There might be two types of werewolves breeding. It'd depend on the type of cross each gene is, (ie the eye colour, fur colour etc. Fur colour might be a different sort of inheritance to eye colour, which might be simply monohybrid cross dominant recessive).

Im making little sense here!! Yeah an art thingo would rock!

Figarou · Post by **Figarou** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:58 am

Fenrir wrote:
Wolfsin wrote:This would be a good art-topic, I have an idea! (Eureka!)(sp?)
well then you should run with it

Or clean up with it.

Heh. Couldn't resist.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 8:41 am

Kirk Hammett wrote:Yeah I'd say the genes might 'mix' a little. Like me, for example, an Italian hybrid with Irish/English/Scottish, and bits of other countries. Or an Asian hybrid with an African person, you know what I mean. There might be two types of werewolves breeding. It'd depend on the type of cross each gene is, (ie the eye colour, fur colour etc. Fur colour might be a different sort of inheritance to eye colour, which might be simply monohybrid cross dominant recessive).

Im making little sense here!! Yeah an art thingo would rock!

That brings up another point, would they be able to breed together. For example Squirrels on one side of the grand canyon are unable to breed with those on the other side.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:32 am

Fenrir wrote:
Kirk Hammett wrote:Yeah I'd say the genes might 'mix' a little. Like me, for example, an Italian hybrid with Irish/English/Scottish, and bits of other countries. Or an Asian hybrid with an African person, you know what I mean. There might be two types of werewolves breeding. It'd depend on the type of cross each gene is, (ie the eye colour, fur colour etc. Fur colour might be a different sort of inheritance to eye colour, which might be simply monohybrid cross dominant recessive).

Im making little sense here!! Yeah an art thingo would rock!
That brings up another point, would they be able to breed together. For example Squirrels on one side of the grand canyon are unable to breed with those on the other side.

Haha, the old 'speciation' example.

That's very true. How close are they genetically, do they interbreed often and what does it cause? Guess it depends on the story

Apokryltaros · Post by **Apokryltaros** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:38 pm

The two squirrel groups of the Grand Canyon belong to one species, the Abert's or Tassel-Eared Squirrel, Sciurus aberti, but, the squirrels of the northern rim are considered to be their own subspecies, the Kaibab Squirrel Sciurus aberti kaibabensis. One could, if one really wanted to, and was able to get around the park officers, interbreed the two squirrel types, but, they can not naturally interbreed with each other, given as how it's impossible for a squirrel to cross the Grand Canyon without assistance from humans.

What Wikipedia says about the Kaibab Squirrel

PariahPoet · Post by **PariahPoet** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:35 pm

Kirk Hammett wrote:Haha Vuldari, I understand the 'Fits to some stories' thing. I change my werewolf/shape-shifter (And all other creatures and landscapes and stuff) in each story. But that sounds like an awesome idea. Haha the Howling anyone? The Thylacine shifters. I haven't met anyone who liked that film, but I did. I thought it was interesting. But there was a very hilarious shift scene where the wolf looked cool, then suddently the snout was very long and it looked really, really terrible. I mean what planet was THAT from? (They were watching a werewolf movie during the film).

Ack! That was the stupidest premise for a werewolf movie ever. Thylacine aren't even canids! >_< They aren't even pacentals for heaven sake!

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 1:01 am

PariahPoet wrote:
Kirk Hammett wrote:Haha Vuldari, I understand the 'Fits to some stories' thing. I change my werewolf/shape-shifter (And all other creatures and landscapes and stuff) in each story. But that sounds like an awesome idea. Haha the Howling anyone? The Thylacine shifters. I haven't met anyone who liked that film, but I did. I thought it was interesting. But there was a very hilarious shift scene where the wolf looked cool, then suddently the snout was very long and it looked really, really terrible. I mean what planet was THAT from? (They were watching a werewolf movie during the film).
Ack! That was the stupidest premise for a werewolf movie ever. Thylacine aren't even canids! >_< They aren't even pacentals for heaven sake!

Yeah, they did cover the marsupial bit, but it should NOT have been a 'Howling' sequal. If The Howling is supposed to be a werewolf movie.

And yeah I meant the question not about the squirrels, but about the various wolves. It'd depend on how close their genetics were and etc. Unless they mated while in wolf form, humans can cross many geographical barriers and meet in other countries, marry, have children, or just have relationships, etc. I remember doing the squirrels last year in Uni as an example of geographic barriers, but not really much about them so thanks

. It's amazing how much I learn at Uni, ace an exam for, then just forget what I learnt a month after the exam!

Apokryltaros · Post by **Apokryltaros** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:11 pm

As for the 'wolves' snouts being extra long in The Howling 3, wasn't that because the thylacines originally had long snouts?

ChaosWolf · Post by **ChaosWolf** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:49 am

Personally, I think that the human will influence the beast, not vice-versa... for example, werewolves coming from Asian human-basis will have subtle similarities to each other, that werewolves from, say, Mexican ones will not - and the Mexican stock will have similarities the Asian ones will lack...

...but if a Mexican werewolf bites an Asian, that won't turn the Asian into a Mexican werewolf... they'll stay Asian, since the base human is Asian, although small differences will crop up with that mixed-blood werewolf, that a "pureblood" Asian werewolf won't have, such as a thicker pelt or darker snout, much like the offspring of interracial parents will usually favor one parent, but have 'hints' of the other parent's bloodline.

Basically, the "stock chassis" determines the end-product, not the customizing. You can bolt a Chevrolet body onto a Ford frame, but it'll still be a Ford, even if it's got Chevy parts now.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:30 am

As for the 'wolves' snouts being extra long in The Howling 3, wasn't that because the thylacines originally had long snouts?

Nah I don't mean the thylacine were..err...marsupials, I meant the werewolf in the movie they were watching. Im sure it was that Howling sequal. It was just a general werewolf and I think it was from another planet :S

...but if a Mexican werewolf bites an Asian, that won't turn the Asian into a Mexican werewolf... they'll stay Asian, since the base human is Asian, although small differences will crop up with that mixed-blood werewolf, that a "pureblood" Asian werewolf won't have, such as a thicker pelt or darker snout, much like the offspring of interracial parents will usually favor one parent, but have 'hints' of the other parent's bloodline.

Yeah I know what you mean there, but I mean if an Asian were bred with a Mexican were and their child was the product. Im not sure what'd happen if the other was bitten. Probably what you said.[/quote]

23Jarden · Post by **23Jarden** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:21 pm

Well I think whether it was spread by virus or birth wouldn't make a difference in the outcome. Even viruses change and mutate with time. As for differences in the wolf, why not? The American german shepard has longer legs then it's German bretheren.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:21 am

Yeah if there was a reason for the virus to mutate, I agree it could.

Apokryltaros · Post by **Apokryltaros** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:21 pm

Yes, viruses have a reason for mutating...
It's called "no proofreading during replication."
Leads to all sorts of useful mistakes in the next generation.