Werewolves and phobias

[Set]

I was just reading through some of the topics here when a thought popped into my head. What would happen if a werewolf had some kind of weird fear of something? Like germs. Can you picture a germaphobic werewolf?

[Figarou]

I was just reading through some of the topics here when a thought popped into my head. What would happen if a werewolf had some kind of weird fear of something? Like germs. Can you picture a germaphobic werewolf?

Oh great. I can see it now.

Werewolf 1 *walks into the kitchen*

Werewolf 2 *sitting at the kitchen table*

Werewolf 1 "Is there anything to eat?"

Werewolf 2 "Sure, there is some meatloaf left over from dinner."

Werewolf 1 *catches a glimpse of something moving in the corner of her eyes* *screams* "Ahhhhhh!!! A mouse!!" *jumps on a chair* "Get it away from me!!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeee!"

[Kzinistzerg]

*aaaa! it's yeeelow! get it awzy from meeeee!*

duckiophobia

[Wolfhanyou]

Werewolf: "OMG!!! BUG BUG BUG!!! " *jumps onto the table*

[LunusWolf]

Werewolf A: omg look at that spider, its the size of your head!!!

Werewolf B:No, I belive its the size of a nickle...

[Kzinistzerg]

third wolf: oh, then it's the size of your brain!"

[Terastas]

Oh. My. Word. Is anyone going to try and take this thread seriously?

Being that werewolves are half human and typically spend the great majority of their lives in human form, it wouldn't come across as that much of a surprise for a werewolf to have a phobia.

The only way I imagine werewolves might differ from normal humans in terms of phobias would be that their lycanthropy might influence new phobias or negate old ones.

Cynophobia, for example (fear of dogs) could be negated by lycanthropy because it wouldn't make sense to continue to be afraid of canines when he happens to be one.

On the other hand, werewolves obviously aren't welcome in society just yet, so it would be possible for a werewolf to develop a case of sociophobia (fear of society or people in general).

Or I suppose if they were a member of this pack, a case of duckphobia (need I define it?) wouldn't be that uncommon either. Ah crap, even I couldn't take this thread seriously forever!

[Akugarou]

Oh. My. Word. Is anyone going to try and take this thread seriously?

Oh, sure!

I believe the primal instincts of a new werewolf would drive out any thoughts of phobias. As the WW matures, and is more in control of their abilities, they wouldn't allow themselves to be troubled by such human concerns.

..And now, a bit of fun!

Werewolf (post first shift): Yeeeaaaaugh! (hides under bed)

So what happened here? Some poor guy (or gal) who is an "accidental" werewolf, and has a wolf phobia. He (she) just happened to see their reflection.

edit note: fixed punctuation

[Darth Canis]

What about a werewolf that got sick at the sight of blood? A veggie werewolf now that is funny. .

[Terastas]

What about a werewolf that got sick at the sight of blood? A veggie werewolf now that is funny. .

That could be possible too. All he would need to do is schedule the moments he'll set aside to shift, have a huge dinner before then and fast until back in human form.

And I doubt fear of blood would be uncommon among werewolves either, especially considering what could happen if someone sees them with it on their hands and/or muzzle.

[Scott Gardener]

Actually, a fear of wolves, shifting, or other werewolves would be a fairly plausible fear, especially if the person either was infected with lycanthropy unwillingly, caught by surprise with an unexpected family secret or otherwise had a bad experience introducing one to lycanthropy. Fear of silver or full moons also are plausible, even in worlds in which those legends don't actually apply.

Other phobias might involve things one associates with werewolves--fur, teeth, claws, and the like. I could easily see a reluctant werewolf avoiding furry animals and feeling a sense of panic brushing against a faux fur pillow. They'd find "yiff" furry-fetishes outright traumatic, but then again, that goes for a lot of people.

Werewolves who are otherwise content to be werewolves might have fears related to getting caught or exposed, and thus the reoccurring nightmare about shifting in public, a variant of the naked in public dream.

Movies and such might create a fear of loss of control in those who normally can control their shifts and abilities, especially if phenomena like the full moon disrupt some of that control. A fear of the full moon would in particular be a plausible phobia.

Other phobias could stem from lupine sensibilities. For example, most other mammals are better at foreseeing natural disasters than humans are. Werewolves would be the first to get up and leave if a volcano is about to blow. Werewolves in a disaster zone (like Florida last Autumn, or worse yet, the Indian Ocean post-tsunami) would be on edge before disasters, and would have to wonder whenever they felt uneasy whether or not it was because bad things were about to happen. If you believe in ghosts (or include them in your world settings), other animals tend to see them better, and I suspect that would be passed along to werewolves, who might be the first to notice weird, paranormal phenomena--insult to injury if one is trying to escape from one's own paranormal nature as a werewolf.

Lycanthropy readily inspires all kinds of other psychiatric disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder is almost a given in people not expecting it. Just seeing a werewolf caused it in The Howling's Karen White, and the story was far more plausible than most of the stuff we've sat through, where people hunted werewolves without flinching. Imagine the post-traumatic stress caused by getting bitten by one, compounded by the first shift! I had to push plausibility to keep my character from being a basket case afterwards.

The resulting emotional duress could also cause one to crack in other ways, like, my personal favorite, obsessive-compulsive disorder!

Imagine running from a werewolf, chasing rapidly after you until he stops in front of a sidewalk, altering his gait to avoid stepping on cracks. Or, the werewolf having to stop and wash his forepaws.

[Apokryltaros]

Being that werewolves are half human and typically spend the great majority of their lives in human form, it wouldn't come across as that much of a surprise for a werewolf to have a phobia.

The only way I imagine werewolves might differ from normal humans in terms of phobias would be that their lycanthropy might influence new phobias or negate old ones.

Cynophobia, for example (fear of dogs) could be negated by lycanthropy because it wouldn't make sense to continue to be afraid of canines when he happens to be one.

Phobias are tricky, wily beasts, and just being the object of your fears might not necessarily negate it.
In my opinion, when a person becomes the object of his fears, there's a good chance that his mind will, to put it bluntly, break.
I mean, think about it.
You've spent the vast majority of your life hating/despising/fearing dogs and or wolves, doing all in your power to either avoid or persecute the bane(s) of your existence.
And then, one night, you become that thing.
Cuckoo-city, ja?

[Terastas]

You've spent the vast majority of your life hating/despising/fearing dogs and or wolves, doing all in your power to either avoid or persecute the bane(s) of your existence.
And then, one night, you become that thing.
Cuckoo-city, ja?

I think cuckoo-city would be a possibility when one learns that werewolves exist by watching his face bulge out into a muzzle in the mirror, but unless the subject of his phobia is lycanthropy itself, it shouldn't make him go nuts. He'd naturally flip out during his first shift, but with the wolf form comes the wolf senses and instincts, and with the wolf senses and instincts comes a better understanding of canines in general. Being a werewolf wouldn't automatically cure his phobia, that much is true, but it would give him at the very least a different outlook on the object of his phobia.

[Vuldari]

Cynophobia, for example (fear of dogs) could be negated by lycanthropy because it wouldn't make sense to continue to be afraid of canines when he happens to be one.

Why would that make any difference? Do you have any idea how many Humans are deathly afraid of other Humans? ...heck, my dog is terribly afraid of other dogs when I take her to a dog park. She hides behind me with her tail between her legs.

I don't see any reason why werewolves would not have phobias. I also don't see how becoming a Werewolf would negate any existing ones. If anything, I think it would make them more paranoid.

Based on my own experience with animals, the idea that primal instincts would negate/ drown out fear is utter nonsense. (IMHO)

The most powerful and common Primal Instinct IS "FEAR". (Even for carnivores.)


[Edit: Wait...that didn't come out right. Why is it, when I read that back to myself, it sounds like I'm mean or something? Well...anyway...I might be toatally wrong, but that is what I think. ( ...I've really got to stop posting at 1:26 in the morning... ...*YAWN*...)]

[Figarou]

And then, one night, you become that thing.
Cuckoo-city, ja?

[Aki]

Being that werewolves are half human and typically spend the great majority of their lives in human form, it wouldn't come across as that much of a surprise for a werewolf to have a phobia.

The only way I imagine werewolves might differ from normal humans in terms of phobias would be that their lycanthropy might influence new phobias or negate old ones.

Cynophobia, for example (fear of dogs) could be negated by lycanthropy because it wouldn't make sense to continue to be afraid of canines when he happens to be one.

Phobias are tricky, wily beasts, and just being the object of your fears might not necessarily negate it.
In my opinion, when a person becomes the object of his fears, there's a good chance that his mind will, to put it bluntly, break.
I mean, think about it.
You've spent the vast majority of your life hating/despising/fearing dogs and or wolves, doing all in your power to either avoid or persecute the bane(s) of your existence.
And then, one night, you become that thing.
Cuckoo-city, ja?

Yup. I hate spiders, if i became one, i'd have a hard time from going nuts myself. I doubt someone with Cynophobia would be much different.

[Apokryltaros]

One example, though, mind you, this was a Black Spiral Dancer in Australia, but, when this one nun found out that she was a werewolf, she had such a mental catastrophe that she developed a second personality, ala multiple personality syndrome, for her werewolf-persona.

[Kzinistzerg]

It is possible for wqerewolf to have phobias- those of other animals are likely to be compouned and tyhose of other things may be lessened. someone who is afreaid of dogs would still be, but it really depends- i don't like dogs because they have an annoying tendency to be bigger than i am (this comes from when i was smaller... but i still and reliively tiny) but if i was a werwolf, i could think, "hey, now they get to run form me..." so it would be lessened.

[Figarou]

Wolves have a natural fear of man. That or a fear of something he has never seen before. Its part of his instincts. Without it, he can be killed if curiousity gets the best of him. That fear can be overcome when his confidence is greatly enhanced.


We have that same instinct. (fear) We see a snake and fear it because we know it will bite. If that instinct of fear is at its extreme, then its a phobia of some type.


My 2 cents

[Kzinistzerg]

mmm. but remember- fear of specific things is taight- fear of the unknown is universel.

[Figarou]

mmm. but remember- fear of specific things is taight- fear of the unknown is universel.

*looks at DVD*

A film from Universal!! *screams* Ahhhhhh!!!!! *runs away*


Ok, that was dumb. I admit it.

[Kzinistzerg]

*thows duckie*

[Figarou]

*thows duckie*

destroys duckie

[Kzinistzerg]

would a werwolf end u pwith a ohobia of the night if they didn't want to be a werewolf?

[Figarou]

would a werwolf end u pwith a ohobia of the night if they didn't want to be a werewolf?

How about a werewolf with a phobia for tails?


werewolf1 "OMG!! Whats that behind you?"

werewolf2 "HUH?" *turns around*

werewolf1 *points* "You got something on your butt!"

werewolf2 "Thats my tail you ding dong! You got one to!!

werewolf 1 *turns around and sees a tail wagging* *screams* AHHHHHHH!!! *runs* Oh no!! Its after me!!!