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Post by wolfvanzandt on May 14, 2013 0:35:49 GMT -6
Aye, Lunar. I agree with you, not all Weres are going to fit the "textbook model" exactly for many reasons. For one, they're traits and traits aren't constant throughout the population. Also, we have conditions that modify our therianthropy - for instance, your ADD, and I'm developing a attention deficit as I get older (I'll be addressing that later on the page since it seems to be a common thing that happens to older Weres. One of the main purposes of the Timeline is to have people question it - especially people who decide to go on to formal research. I plan, if I live long enough, to have information up about every phase of therianthropy - psychology, physiology, anatomy, sociology, language, art, literature, technology, geography, history, etc. Hopefully it will generate research questions. Let's just see how long I survive....
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arcanusgreywolf
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Official Timelord Werewolf of Bandit's Hideout.
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Post by arcanusgreywolf on May 14, 2013 6:31:56 GMT -6
Quick self analysis based on this post.
Hypervigilant? Oh yes! Intensely connected with my surroundings and always "sniffing about" or "twisting my ears in all directions". I always listen to nature and perceive those little things that most humans ignore. I smell the water from a storm in the distance and can tell you when it will hit. I can tell when the compactor on the grocery side of Wal-Mart goes out... from the other side of the store... outside! We already covered the weird hearing deal.
Language - Yeah, I suppose when I am more shifted I get very non-verbal. When we chant in Wiccan circles I never chant, I begin to sway with the music and can feel the phantom tail wagging. Honestly I don't like doing quarter calls but when I do I always bark them out loudly and proudly. As I mentioned earlier, I learned language at an early age because I was encouraged to do so and I enjoyed it.
Distractability - Absolutely! I was never diagnosed as ADD or anything, but I swear I have on more than one occasion gone "Oh look a squirrel purple monkey dishwasher HEY Macarena!" Crowds? Hate them with a passion! How did I survive working in Wal-Mart for 4.5 years? The necessity of a job and the drive to provide and survive. There have been times when I had to grit my teeth and focus to get past the distractions.
Low Stimulation Tolerance. Not sure. I find that if I'm doing absolutely nothing, it bores me to tears. I have to find something to do during downtime or I end up falling asleep. I feel better interacting with a group of like minded peoples. I can make myself look busy if need to.
Non Linear Thought - Um, really? This is a Whovian we're talking about. Non-linear thought is a must to follow that show and all the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey goodness. To be honest? I understand the whole nonlinear time, causality paradox and the weird properties of quantum mechanics rather innately. When someone tells me how something works from cause to effect I look at the other effects that created the initial cause in the first place and right down the chain which eventually begins to take the shape of a spiral, a fractal, or some other sacred geometric form. Chaos is fun!
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twoworlds
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Post by twoworlds on May 14, 2013 16:32:08 GMT -6
Sadly my hearing isn't 100% anymore, I have always been able to hear things others haven't but I damaged my left ears hearing "just bellow the normal for people my age" and it rings all the damn time. I think to myself "this is how normal people hear? God there deaf!" My right ear is is still way above average according to the ear doctor and closer to what my hearing was. Remember boys and girls wear hearing protection when shooting no matter how small the gun is! Strangely I never did growing up and never hurt them... I'd have to retest them regarding high pitch sounds to see if I still can.
My smell is really good and it is sometimes bothersome because people smell..
I know I tend to spot things faster then most people. Like driving for example, I always see the dear first and good thing.
So yeah all over I'm more aware of my environment. I regret not taking better care of my hearing.
I only have problems when writing not spoken language. I read slow and have to be focused to read but can comprehend well. I have trouble encoding. This runs in my family however and may be unrelated to my wereisum.
I personal think that our nature gets us wrongly diagnosed with ADD and autism. I don't really have any evidence for this other then they like to stick labels to things that don't fit well and our behavior may fit those diagnoses.
Can't wait to see the art subject WVZ.
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Post by wolfvanzandt on May 14, 2013 17:46:38 GMT -6
Heh. Arts a looooong way down the line.
Keep in mind that, if you have a Humanside, that's not going to look so much like a Wereside. I think there are physiological Were traits and those are tied to the body, and those are going to be there regardless. But most Weres are not going to always look like textbook Weres.
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twoworlds
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Post by twoworlds on May 14, 2013 19:43:34 GMT -6
Then you better live long enough to add it, I'm holding it to you gray muzzle.
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Post by wolfvanzandt on May 15, 2013 1:08:29 GMT -6
Hmph! If not, somebody else can do it. Frankly, there are folks a heck of a lot better equipped in that area to be commenting. I'm almost 60 going on 3000 and I'm tired.....
My areas are psychology, sociology, and religious studies and I'm getting that down. Anything after that is gravy.
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twoworlds
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Post by twoworlds on May 15, 2013 5:10:17 GMT -6
And your doing a grate job and are appreciated for it
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Post by moonbeam on May 19, 2013 3:36:41 GMT -6
Okay, I've read through all of it now. One thing that stuck out to me was the part about weres idling pretty well mentally and are not naturally inclined to play out elaborate fantasies in their heads. - I used to do that ALL THE TIME, constantly. I think I mentioned in my introduction post the fact that I was in an abusive family, and I spent my adolescence simply trying to survive. Playing fantasies of alternate realities in my head was part of how I did it. So I was living in bad circumstances while simultaneously living a different life mentally. I can't really explain how that worked, but it helped me a lot. Though I was always very aware of what was real and what was not, and I have never had trouble separating the two. (I'd also point out that the fantasies I came up with back then never involved or mentioned my wereside. Mostly they were just various scenarios in which there were people who loved and wanted me). When I moved away from home at age 18, all of that stopped very soon after. I figured that I had simply grown out of my imagination, but it is possible that the real reason that stopped is that I was never naturally inclined to do that in the first place - it was a coping mechanism, and I knew it was a coping mechanism, and it didn't just happen on its own. I was doing it on purpose. I still can have a very colorful, vivid imagination when I want to, but I am content to just sit there and "idle" if I am in a situation in which nothing else is going on. When I am in situations in which stuff is going on, I'm very present in the present; and I don't have fantasies playing in my head like I did as an adolescent. Though I should also point out that I still have, and did also back then, excruciatingly detailed, vivid dreams - many of which, even back then, involved me being a wolf or being involved with wolves or being identified by others as a wolf even though I wasn't appearing as one. It was never the theme of the dream and rarely was/is the focus of what is going on. It's simply my state of being as I move through the dream. Since I think dreaming is definitely connected to one's imagination, I thought it was pertinent to point out that while I don't naturally concoct any elaborate fantasies in my head while I am awake, the way that I dream has not changed since early childhood. Also, I used to have constant sleep paralysis (by constant, I mean every single time I slept) as a child and up through my teen years - though my experiences of it were quite different from the typical "old hag" imagery. This also lessened significantly after moving away from home, but I still do have frequent instances of it. I don't know to what extent sleep paralysis is connected to dreams and/or imagination, though. Being content to be in the same room with someone and have no conversation: Not only does that fit me, but I would usually RATHER enjoy another person's company without conversation. If we have stuff to say, like needing to catch up on events or exchange needed information, I'm fine with talking. Or, you know, sometimes it is nice to have discussions about random stuff. But in general, I find it irritating if I am hanging out with someone, and they constantly want to talk to me and/or get me to talk to them. It makes me feel henpecked. Especially when it comes to people that I care about, I feel quite comfortable to just have them nearby. I have no need to keep their attention directed at me or to converse. I just want them to physically be there. The two people that I consider my best friends, coincidentally, are both people who can do this with me and have no complaints. Also, this is why my dog makes such a good roommate. I don't need his attention - I just need him to be there. Hyper-vigilant - Absolutely. Though I have also learned to observe my environment without being too obvious about it, so people usually won't notice how diligently I scan my surroundings. I have also found that if I am out in public with a group, particularly if the group consists of my family members, I feel intense anxiety if I don't know where each person is at all times. The last time was fairly recent, back in March. We went to an outdoor mall, and the whole time I knew exactly where every single person in the group was. The other adults in the group were constantly asking, "Where is so and so?" and it really struck me how oblivious the rest of my family seemed to what was going on. I kept having fits of anxiety when someone would stop to look at something, and everyone else just kept on walking... obliviously leaving them behind. Then I would stand like, stuck in the middle between the person who didn't even realize everyone was still walking, and the rest who were moving on, desperately trying to get one or the other's attention. I mean, yes, it was chaotic and distracting and lots of people were around... but how could they not pay attention to each other enough to know where everyone is? I mean, granted, there were only seven people in our group. If there were too many more, I might not be great at keeping everyone in sight; but I still feel a very strong instinct to keep everyone accounted for. I'm not used to going out in groups, though. I am usually alone, and I am still very aware of my environment. But being out in public alone means I don't have others to focus on, so I get anxious for other reasons. I don't like crowds. Distractability - I do have a difficult time concentrating on one thing for too long, but I certainly can do it if I have to. I am in a job in which multi-tasking is required on a regular basis, and I do it automatically, without even thinking about it. My work performance reviews, year after year, always praise me for being excellent at multi-tasking and for keeping everything running smoothly no matter how chaotic it gets in my office. And things CAN get very chaotic, since I have to simultaneously respond to multiple phone calls, radio calls, and other tasks. I've been told by my bosses that if an emergency happens on campus, they would rather I be in the office than any other dispatcher, because they know I can keep it all running without a hitch. Conversely, if it's quiet, I can sit there and stare at the cameras without any trouble. I don't have much issue with the tactile sensation of fabric against my skin, though I do have my moments. I'm used to wearing clothes, though, so it's not a huge concern for me. But stuff like electric hums, unnatural frequencies (like those put out by TV's and my office's monitors), and stuff like that really can get to me sometimes. One place where modern noises annoy me a lot... We have a nature center here with some trails to walk on. It isn't huge, but you're surrounded by trees. The problem is, it's right next to the highway. When I am walking there with my friends, the constant sound of the cars passing really upsets me; but my friends seem to not notice it at all. Out of sight, out of mind. As for the language part - I mentioned before that I'm good with language because it's a family trait. I am definitely pretty good on the empathy front as well. Something else that I have noticed that is related to verbal language but also related to empathy: I'm pretty good at understanding what people are "really" saying either when they are having trouble getting it out or based on very brief explanations that would leave others confused. I can't really explain what I mean, but it's like reading between the lines - except verbally. It may be the empathy filling in the details, or it may be something else.
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Post by wolfvanzandt on May 19, 2013 11:45:48 GMT -6
Heh, I get into the sleep paralysis in the next section (the one I'm working on now.)
I'm tackling shifting and, given that there's about a thousand different kinds of shifting according to what website you're looking at, that's a pretty tall order.
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twoworlds
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Post by twoworlds on May 19, 2013 17:46:33 GMT -6
WVZ one of the wolves I know thinks that weres commonly toss and turn in there sleep in that we arn't fully paralyzed in our sleep. Have you run into this in your studies?
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Post by Ashen on May 19, 2013 19:31:29 GMT -6
I toss and turn quite a bit if I'm not in a sleeping bag or otherwise confined space.. have accidentally kicked Soma as he's coming to bed just cuz I turn over at the wrong time.. But if Gambit is laying where he usually does at the back of my knees I won't toss so much or if I do it's just from my side to my back..
Destractibility... Squirrel!! bout covers it. (if you haven't seen disney's 'UP' you should.. it's cute and then you'll get how squirrel is related to distractablity.. lol
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Post by moonbeam on May 19, 2013 20:27:33 GMT -6
Oooh, cool. I actually didn't know that sleep paralysis was a thing until I was in my 20's, so you can imagine how unusual I thought it was. I still haven't read a ton on it, because I tend to get impatient with a lot of explanations of it, particularly since they all focus on the "old hag syndrome" imagery. So I'm looking forward to reading what you've got on it.
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Post by wolfvanzandt on May 19, 2013 22:37:14 GMT -6
I don't know if it has anything to do with therianthropy. It could.
I've always been very active in my sleep - more so when I was younger. I would sleep walk out of the house - I've broken windows and furniture. But then, sleep walking isn't that rare a phenomena.
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Post by moonbeam on May 20, 2013 2:05:28 GMT -6
I don't think that sleep paralysis actually means that you physically can't move for the entire time you have been asleep. It's like... when you get up and do stuff, then wake up a second time and find out that you hadn't actually gotten up the first time. Or when stuff is happening in the room that you can see, feel, and hear; but you can't make yourself wake up enough to interact with it, so you're effectively paralyzed.
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Post by Lunar Flare on May 20, 2013 12:13:34 GMT -6
I don't know if it has anything to do with therianthropy. It could. I've always been very active in my sleep - more so when I was younger. I would sleep walk out of the house - I've broken windows and furniture. But then, sleep walking isn't that rare a phenomena. That reminds me... When I was very young, 3 or 4, my mom said I would sleep walk all the time. One time in particular, she said that I was acting strange, and I looked at her, in her words "you looked at me as if you were going to eat me up", and said I had a wild animal look in my eyes. I then climbed up on the back of a large cushion chair, as if I was a cat, which knocked over the chair. And then I left and crawled into her bed. I do remember constantly waking up in her bed when I had previously went to sleep my my own. From what I remember, the older I got, the less frequent I would sleep walk, or at least, the less frequent I was told about it. The last time I remember being told about it was when I was around 14, and I think I tried to walk out of my house.
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