Need help with werewolf culture

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Looking for ideas with the culture of werewolves that I am creating! Now, keep in mind that this culture is something that should be widespread and easily adoptable by multiple countries, as werewolves exist in MANY different countries.
Essentially, what I am focusing on right now is a group of Mafia-esque Italian immigrant werewolves called Luke's Pizzeria, which are located in the neighborhood, a vast dystopian urban slum, with runic industry and heavily focused on the entertainment district (think Las Vegas, but everything is meant to fulfil sexual fantasies with System skills and classes to back it up).
I need far more than I have right now. All I have is that they face constant prejudice, and wear specialized facemasks (that are incredibly expensive because they have no choice but to wear them), because any fluid of theirs is highly contagious. This is an allegory for AIDS, but I haven't researched the disease and popular movements and thought processes around AIDS.
They are also viewed as subhuman, and the disease came from South America, which some of the Americans tend to hype on. A lot.
I don't know how this werewolf affliction started in its country of origin, though it did spread quite rapidly from there to Europe and America, due to the continent having far greater and wide-ranging forests (providing more shelter for feral werewolves) than our Europe and America had at the time of its dispersal. There should be cultural attachments similar to Pride culture and the ones that those with cancer and/or AIDS have.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Pack mentality with the idea of the community coming before the individual. Classic eldership tribal style of leadership. Moon rituals.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

 

[Rhaps]

I just make my werewolves Communists

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Pack mentality with the idea of the community coming before the individual. Classic eldership tribal style of leadership. Moon rituals.

Pack mentality, and the spread of communism in tandem with the werewolf contagion is a great idea!
Do you think that classic eldership tribal style would easily diffuse through European culture? If so, I would LOVE to hear how. I just need to have it on a relatively reasonable foundation of facts. I especially don't think it will spread well in America with the anti-Native American sentiment. I don't think that infected Americans will pick up that cultural element.
Moon rituals sounds really cool. Not sure how well they will spread though.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

Huh? What do you mean? I'm trying to make an actual culture that is suppressed by racism and heapin' amounts of rhetoric and public panic (like the mutants in X-Men). I'm not quite sure how a werewolf apocalypse is going to help...

 

[Rhaps]

I'm trying to make an actual culture that is suppressed by racism and heapin' amounts of rhetoric and public panic

Make werewolves Communists. Communism is largely rejected and feared, but living in a Communistic country isn't that bad.

Look how I turned out.

 

[Midnight-Phantom]

werewolf.. umm let's ask the new kid on the block .. the gpt one ..


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Werewolf culture is a concept that encompasses the myths, folklore, and fictional representations of werewolves in various cultures. While the specific beliefs and traditions associated with werewolves can vary, here are some elements commonly found in werewolf culture:

1. Folklore and Legends: Many cultures around the world have legends and folktales about humans who transform into wolves or wolf-like creatures. These stories often involve themes of curses, shape-shifting, and the struggle between human and animal instincts.

2. Full Moon Transformation: In popular culture, werewolves are often depicted as transforming into their wolf-like form during the full moon. This association with lunar cycles has become an integral part of werewolf mythology.

3. Bitten or Cursed Origins: The origin of a werewolf's condition can vary, but two common narratives involve being bitten by another werewolf or being cursed by a supernatural entity. These origins typically result in the person gaining the ability to transform into a wolf or werewolf.

4. Dual Nature and Animalistic Instincts: Werewolf mythology often explores the dual nature of the werewolf, with the human side fighting against the animalistic instincts of the wolf. This inner struggle between human reason and animal instinct is a central theme in many werewolf stories.

5. Pack Dynamics: In some werewolf lore, werewolves are depicted as belonging to packs, similar to actual wolf packs. These packs have their own social structures, hierarchies, and rules that govern the behavior of their members.

6. Silver Weakness: A common belief in werewolf mythology is that werewolves are vulnerable to silver. Silver bullets, weapons, or objects are often portrayed as capable of harming or killing werewolves.

7. Werewolf Hunting and Lore: In some cultures, the concept of hunting down and killing werewolves is prevalent. There may be specific rituals, weapons, or techniques associated with werewolf hunting in these stories.

8. Transformation Rituals and Control: Some werewolf tales feature rituals or methods that allow werewolves to control their transformations or maintain their human consciousness while in wolf form. These rituals often play a significant role in the stories, helping the characters navigate their werewolf existence.

9. Werewolf Communities and Societies: In certain works of fiction, werewolves form their own communities or societies, separate from the human world. These communities may have their own customs, rules, and ways of life.

10. Healing and Remedies: Werewolf mythology often includes remedies, rituals, or magic associated with healing or breaking the werewolf curse. These remedies may involve rare herbs, spells, or seeking the aid of supernatural entities.

It's important to note that werewolf culture varies across different cultures, regions, and literary or cinematic interpretations. The above list highlights some common elements, but specific details and characteristics can differ significantly depending on the cultural context or fictional universe.

=============================================================================================

Damn .. !!!!

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Pack mentality, and the spread of communism in tandem with the werewolf contagion is a great idea!
Do you think that classic eldership tribal style would easily diffuse through European culture? If so, I would LOVE to hear how. I just need to have it on a relatively reasonable foundation of facts. I especially don't think it will spread well in America with the anti-Native American sentiment. I don't think that infected Americans will pick up that cultural element.
Moon rituals sounds really cool. Not sure how well they will spread though.

It may diffuse through Europe and America but I can still see it happening because of cultural roots not wanting to be lost. I agree that infected Americans and Europeans wouldn't necessarily pick up on some of the cultural elements but due to the nature of werewolves, it may become a necessity to survive in modern culture. Also, I never said communism. I said community, like tribal and small community style.

 

[Maldrasen]

One thing I would avoid is the whole "Alpha / Beta / Gamma" dynamic that werewolf novels (particularly erotica) seem to focus on. It's not at all accurate for how pack dynamics actually work in wolves. Instead, I say make your pack a matriarchy.

Oh, and when TheEldritchGod mentioned Werewolf: The Apocalypse he was referring to the White Wolf game, which I too think would be a good source of ideas for a werewolf society.

 

[Tyranomaster]

I always like the idea of them also being socially awkward if they haven't been a werewolf for more than a few years, with the changes being akin to puberty. IF they've been a werewolf for many years, then they learn to deal with it, but up until then, they're really self-conscious about it.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Some common attributes to werewolves:
Involuntary shapeshifting affected by the Moon,
A weakness to silver.
Contagious spread of their state.

A culture based upon duality of an individual maybe? There is "human" you and a "beast" you. And having to reconcile both between themselves and with society... Maybe a tolerant acceptance of vices or flaws? Like a bunch of hippies?
Culture that revolves around time. Very regulated norms around time.
Weakness to silver - a general dislike for cleanness? Because silver is associatedwith purity? They don't wear well-washed and ironed clithes, their houses are messy, they are liberal with graphitty and vandalism...
Because they are contagious, maybe a kind of self-resentment being rampant? Self-hate?
I dunno.

Pack mentality, and the spread of communism in tandem with the werewolf contagion is a great idea!

What does communism has to do with anything? I mean, it's not as much of a class problem as it is an ethnicity problem. And where does pack mentality even come in?
Paul talked about the idea of community before the individual - but that is not communism. Communism is an ideology that serves to bring human society towards a classless state - nothing about community being first instead of individual.
In a single sentence, communism can be described thusly - abolition of private property. Where is community before individual?
In fact, there exists an ideology spawned from communism, although very flawed, called anarcho-communism which does not place community before individual.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

What does communism has to do with anything? I mean, it's not as much of a class problem as it is an ethnicity problem. And where does pack mentality even come in?
Paul talked about the idea of community before the individual - but that is not communism. Communism is an ideology that serves to bring human society towards a classless state - nothing about community being first instead of individual.
In fact, there exists an ideology spawned from communism, although very flawed, called anarcho-communism which does not place community before individual.

The pack mentality lends itself to making communism a more effective and viable proposition, making corruption far less common. They are less self-serving, so less likely to separate into separate economic classes. Publicization of land/common ownership actually works for them on grand scales, and does not end up becoming privatized anyway.

I always like the idea of them also being socially awkward if they haven't been a werewolf for more than a few years, with the changes being akin to puberty. IF they've been a werewolf for many years, then they learn to deal with it, but up until then, they're really self-conscious about it.

That sounds great! I don't think I have any of the younger werewolves in the story planned, but if I do end up adding one, that will be effective in creating their character.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

The pack mentality lends itself to making communism a more effective and viable proposition, making corruption far less common. They are less self-serving, so less likely to separate into separate economic classes. Publicization of land/common ownership actually works for them on grand scales, and does not end up becoming privatized anyway.

That really sounds more like ants from Chrysalys. Pack mentality here is probably not well-used. Pack here should refer to wolf packs, not pack mentality also commonly refered to as herd mentality. If taken from this angle, that would not make them trusting between each other and make cronyism rampant instead, with each member of the pack serving the interests of their pack - a small group. Otherwise you get hyper-social beings with an insane level of cooperation and it's not something you generally expect from werewolves.

If they were so big on cooperation and, goodness, communism, and if they were so widespread, they'd immediately trigger a world-wide revolution and take the power in their own hands. That's just the natural progression. And what you told of your story doesn't sound like a story about a revolution and overthrowing the bourgousie.

You seem to imply that the wolves are an oppressed party living in a world of humans - so they also do not possess lands - if they did they'd isolate from the rest of the world and eventually clash for group interests with outside world. Again, your story doesn't seem to be titled: werewolf-human world war.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

That really sounds more like ants from Chrysalys. Pack mentality here is probably not well-used. Pack here should refer to wolf packs, not pack mentality also commonly refered to as herd mentality. If taken from this angle, that would not make them trusting between each other and make cronyism rampant instead, with each member of the pack serving the interests of their pack - a small group. Otherwise you get hyper-social beings with an insane level of cooperation and it's not something you generally expect from werewolves.

If they were so big on cooperation and, goodness, communism, and if they were so widespread, they'd immediately trigger a world-wide revolution and take the power in their own hands. That's just the natural progression. And what you told of your story doesn't sound like a story about a revolution and overthrowing the bourgousie.

You seem to imply that the wolves are an oppressed party living in a world of humans - so they also do not possess lands - if they did they'd isolate from the rest of the world and eventually clash for group interests with outside world. Again, your story doesn't seem to be titled: werewolf-human world war.

They are very widespread, but always the minority everywhere because they are forcefully spread out, and enclaves are often broken up via targeted laws. Humans are almost always the majority and Imps are typically the second largest group, though the floating Republic of Vampires tends to mess up demographics. Not to mention there are large enclaves of varying, less wide-ranging species. It is important to note that they are forcefully repressed in numerous ways (including enormous massacres, which are not uncommon in this world) and are not able to collect in meaningful quantities beyond gangs like Luke's Pizzeria (which is the exception, not the rule). And Luke's Pizzeria still requires many other groups of non-humans in order to pad out the numbers.
I can see that (for the similarities to ants). They are not so similar to wolves in that their pack mentality is limited to smaller groups. Cronyism can be pretty common, but no more than is normal in most gangs.
It is nowhere near the natural progression, both given that the werewolf contagion is relatively new (70-ish years) and they may be vast in quantity, but are spread out.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I just make my werewolves Communists

That's W:tA

 

[beast_regards]

Huh? What do you mean? I'm trying to make an actual culture that is suppressed by racism and heapin' amounts of rhetoric and public panic (like the mutants in X-Men). I'm not quite sure how a werewolf apocalypse is going to help...

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is the name of the Role Playing Game from the World of Darkness setting. It, obviously, involves werewolves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf:_The_Apocalypse

(and no, werewolves don't cause apocalypse)

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is the name of the Role Playing Game from the World of Darkness setting. It, obviously, involves werewolves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf:_The_Apocalypse

(and no, werewolves don't cause apocalypse)

Dang! That title is so confusing, but the source material itself may really help! Thanks for the explanation!

 

[BigBadBoi]

Bruh I'm not eating pizza with werewolf AIDS in them

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Bruh I'm not eating pizza with werewolf AIDS in them

Well yeah. That's why they wear face masks and invest in Vitality so they don't get cut easily.
Seems pretty obvious... that they would take the proper precautions... you know... that seems pretty... werewolf-phobic...

 

[Placeholder]

> because any fluid of theirs is highly contagious. This is an allegory for AIDS, but I haven't researched the disease and popular movements and thought processes around AIDS.
They are also viewed as subhuman,

You'll want to handle the subject carefully.

The US government, at the very highest levels, ignored it as an issue because they thought it was principally killing gay people. And that their deaths were either morally just, or just unimportant.

Most every surviving gay person from that era lost friends and family members to it.

People thought you could catch it from a handshake or shared drinking glass.

> Inside the West Wing, however, there was strong resistance to growing public calls for the Reagan administration to become more aggressive in combatting the disease. Some of the president’s more conservative advisers contended that AIDS should be viewed as the consequence of moral decay rather than as a health issue. White House Communications Director Pat Buchanan, before joining the administration, had written a column in which he sneered, “The poor homosexuals—they have declared war upon nature, and now nature is exacting an awful retribution.” Many of Reagan’s allies on the right were more concerned with identifying and isolating those who had AIDS than treating and caring for them. In 1986, the conservative lion William F. Buckley, the Reagans’ longtime friend, proposed tattooing HIV-positive people—on the upper forearm if they were IV drug users and the buttocks if they were homosexual.

Nancy Reagan’s Real Role in the AIDS Crisis

The former first lady fought the most conservative elements of the Reagan administration in an attempt to get her husband to pay more attention to the deadly pandemic. It wasn’t enough.

www.theatlantic.com

How Princess Diana challenged HIV stigma with every hug | Terrence Higgins Trust

For what would have been Princess Diana's 60th birthday, Ian Green reflects on her lasting impact on the HIV epidemic in the UK.

www.tht.org.uk