therianthropes

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Therianthropy refers to the metamorphosis of humans into animals. Theirianthropes are said to change forms via shapeshifting. Zoanthropy is sometimes used instead of therianthropes. There are several kinds of therianthropes, but the two most common are lycanthropes (werewolves) and ailuranthropes (werecats) and will be the only two discussed here. Cyanthropes (weredogs, Greek) and werehyenas (African and Eurasian) are more rare. Many therianthropes are born, not made. They are called “natural therianthropes” to distinguish from “afflicted therinathropes”. Natural therianthropes that are not half-bloods are almost always people of color. Afflicted therianthropes have difficulties changing other people into therianthropes.

To contract therianthropy, you must be bitten by a therianthrope somewhere with good blood flow. No symptoms of therianthropy appear until the first full moon. On that night, the afflicted person involuntarily assumes animal form and becomes a ravaging beast, forgetting their identity. The character remains in animal form until dawn the next day and remembers nothing of the incident. Thereafter, the character is subject to involuntary transformation under the full moon and whenever damaged in combat. They feel an overwhelming rage building up and must succeed at controlling their shape to resist changing into animal form. Unlike vampirism, therianthropy can be cured. People who eat a sprig of belladonna (aka wolfsbane) within an hour of of being bitten can attempt to shake affliction. If a healer administers it, you may have a higher chance of being cured. The cure can only be attempted once as there is only once chance of shaking it, no matter how much belladonna is consumed. The plant must also be picked within the last week.

They have three forms: human form, hybrid form, and beast form. Their human forms vary extremely from therianthrope to therianthrope, but all are on the muscular side and usually have brown or yellow eyes. Werecats have slit pupils. The hybrid form is a mix between human and beast-like features. This form is bipedal that is approximately the same height as as the human form, if not taller. It has a short tail and is covered in fur. Animal-like legs and a head that combines animal and human features. These features vary from one therianthrope to the next. Their animal form takes the appearance of a wolf or big cat, depending on the ancestry of the character. A Latin@ person would be able to turn into a Mexican wolf as opposed to a Eurasian wolf. This only applies to natural therianthropes. Afflicted therianthropes take on the beast form of who bit them. For example, a Native American person who is bitten by a Taiwanese person will turn into a clouded leopard instead of a mountain lion. A therianthrope can turn at will, but they cannot turn back until the moon is no longer out. During the full moon, they must attempt to control their shape otherwise they will unwillingly change.

Therianthropes heal faster and have better immune systems than the beasts they can turn into and humans combined. They can be killed in average ways, but they have a supernatural weakness to silver. It burns their skin and poisons their blood. They have a high allergy to vampire blood and if they accidentally consume some, it gives them severe fever symptoms. This is the only time therianthropes usually get sick.