werebeasts

[ex_pippin880]

Werewolves and other werebeasts and transforming animals and humans -- what are your thoughts? Where does your suspension of disbelief start wavering? Do you prefer magical or genetic transformations?

Does a large mass difference bother you? Do you stay awake at night wondering how a woman with a menstrual cycle could safely and regularly become an animal with an oestrus cycle? Do placental mammals turning into birds or marsupials make you go "err" at the story? Do you get annoyed when the animal forms have human intelligence/morals, or even abilities like telepathy?

...Is this something you've never thought about because you're not weird like me?

What are your favourite stories with werebeasts?

Comments

[lea_hazel]

If it's transformation, I prefer magic to pseudo-science. I can sci-babble my own magic quite effectively (e.g. "pocket dimension" for all the extra mass) and most sci-babble explanations take up much more space than magi-babble ones. With magic, you just give the rules and stick to them, and add in an occasional nod to the mysterious forces of the universe.

I prefer willful transformations to uncontrollable ones, for story reasons. Then there are times when you can't transform or times when you have to transform back, but there's no "I lost my baby because of my cuuuurse!" angst.

What interests me about shapeshifters and werewolves in particular is the social psychology aspect, so how wolf-forms interact with humans is negligible, because they can interact with each other. Psychologically, I like them to have a spectrum of emotions that's affected by animalistic concerned, but not ruled by them completely. I especially dislike when the animalistic side is used to justify certain sexual practices. I can buy that being a wolf part of the time makes werewolves value things like family and hierarchy, but once we get into women submitting to random strange men because of alphaism or whatnot, I get cranky and leave.

Yeah, I like for people to own their fetishes. One day there's be a para-ro novel where the heroine says, "And then I let him tie me up and order me around because I like it."

[holyschist]

I can buy that being a wolf part of the time makes werewolves value things like family and hierarchy, but once we get into women submitting to random strange men because of alphaism or whatnot, I get cranky and leave.

And a lot of times that stuff has NOTHING to do with actual wolf behavior! Someday I want to see a para novel where the werewolves act like wolves, not extra-violent humans.