Hunched or erect?

[Teh_DarkJokerWolf]

I know I've seen on plenty of movies an shows how a werewolf would hunch over due to the back/spine pushing upwards leaving them hunched over, not so much ape like but well you understand an alot of folks art though the werewolf stance is erect, no hunched over wat so ever. I can't seem to shake the idea of a werewolf being hunched to some degree, even more so when stalking while standing on 2 legs an of course if the werewolf was planning to drop to all fours to maybe chase something..Now I know there are plenty of stance threads but I dun think this particular thing has been asked, but I could be an most likely am wrong an looked right over it, but if not wat is your input?

[KittyRose]

I've seen a lot of hunched over werewolves as well; more in the media than in art. I guess sometimes a werewolf would be hunch over to give him more of a monstrous or animalistic personality or look. Personally I would prefer a more erect stance because it would make the werewolf look more taller and stronger.

[Scott Gardener]

It's rather screwy that so many pop culture werewolves would be hunched over with no frigging tail! A hunched posture makes more sense with a tail for counterbalance. I found myself doing it a little at A-Kon out of habit after awhile when wearing a costume ShadowSaber made for me, one with a tail. If that tail stuck out more behind me (the costume one is flaccid and floppy, whereas a live tail could move and stick out further back), I imagine the forward lean could be even more.

Overall, I would expect the hunch and lean to be variable, depending on degree of shift and mood of the lycanthrope. I imagine one could do either, but would tend to lean forward somewhat.

[Ansuru]

It could be that a hunched posture might allow the spine to retain a little bit of the flexibility necessary for quadrupedal motion, whereas going fully erect would place more strain on the spine and require it to be stronger and more rigid, thus limiting quadrupedal motion...

And yes, if you want to send your mind to the gutter, that could also mean werewolves doing very...doggy things...to keep themselves clean O_o

[Terastas]

If we're assuming the werewolf has both wolf and human instincts, there might be an imbalance between the human tendency to walk upright and the wolf tendency to walk on all fours. Slouching could be a habit werewolves develop due to this instinctive contradiction.

Beyond that, I'd go with Scott's suggestion of counterbalancing the tail. Other than that, it doesn't make much sense.

[RedEye]

It might also be that after the shift certain articles of clothing are suddenly 'way too tight!

[punxnotdead]

I believe it should be haunched, because going from four feet to two feet would haunch the creature to a certian extent.

[Morkulv]

Huhuhhh, it said 'erect'... huhuh uhhuhuh...

I think it is realistic if they hunched a bit. Not completely, but like said before in this topic; If you grow a few good inches taller it would be natural.

[Ceekur]

I would say it depends on the height, the balance of instincts, and the mode/mood of the were. If they are more feral, then they will probably be hunched more. What I mean by mode/mood is what they are doing or feeling at the moment. If they are stalking something (or tailing somebody ) or are angry/physically fighting, they'll probably be more hunched over than if they were just walking around.

[punxnotdead]

Haunched makes more sense

[JoshuaMadoc]

Bit of both. I believe it is strictly up to the individual's preference, not his/her slavemaster.

[RedEye]

Hunched appearance--might it be an illusion?

Here's my observation on it: Most of the Were's we see on television or at the movies have hypertophied ribcages and shoulders, which makes sense, since Wolves have large ribcages and very muscular shoulders.
The reason? Well, they do need a lot of air in their movements along the ground; they "jog" faster than a human can run, and do it for many miles every day of their lives. They are even faster in their chase-and-hunt activities. Their forelegs do the main work at moving them along; look at some of the pictures of a Wolf running--their hind legs are just "helping" for the most part as they travel. Their forelegs provide most of the power.

When you transfer this to a human frame, there are a few things that happen rather visibly and forcefully:
> The shoulderblades move from the back of the ribcage to the sides.
> The shoulder muscles enlarge (engross) to support the shoulder blades in their new location, and the breast muscles (upper) also enlarge to hold the shoulderbaldes in place against the shocks of the run and chase.
> This will visually make the shoulders appear to be hunched:
>The arms are now jointed to the torso at the side, not the back.
>The muscular development of chest and shoulders will now be set for a horizontal ribcage, not an upright one!

I can see a Werewolf with a straight back that looks hunched, simply because of these two developments...so a Wulf whose back is straight will look hunched, even though he/she isn't. The orientation of the Wulf's head also makes for the appearance of hunched-ness.

That's my viewpoint, anyhow.

[ChaosWolf]

It could be that a hunched posture might allow the spine to retain a little bit of the flexibility necessary for quadrupedal motion, whereas going fully erect would place more strain on the spine and require it to be stronger and more rigid, thus limiting quadrupedal motion...

Yup, that's my reasoning too; makes perfect sense.

And yes, if you want to send your mind to the gutter, that could also mean werewolves doing very...doggy things...to keep themselves clean O_o

Dammit, I knew I saw a camera in that bathroom...