#felid follies

[were-bastard]

Stars and Transformation (Where I yap more about stars being a possible transformation trigger for me and also yearn a little for my habitat)

Long Post Ahead!

My addition to this post has caused me to realize that I feel much more connected to the stars as a transformation trigger than I’d previously thought.

Now, new moons do factor into it a bit– since during a new moon the stars become the brightest things in the sky–, but they’re not the main trigger.

I’ve always felt incredibly aligned with the sun and radiation and such, since I quite literally radiate heat at all times– regardless of the weather. And what better to survive in such cold climates than a creature imbued with the warmth of the sun?

However, the sun itself tends to bring far too much warmth– no matter what, it will cause me to overheat.

But sunlight (from any sun, not just this one) in a more “diluted” form is something that I feel heavily connected to (excluding reflected light from the moon, for some reason).

I feel most connected to the light from the stars, but (oddly enough) I also feel connected to the Northern Lights, specifically. This is probably because the Aurora Borealis (no, I’m not forgetting about the Aurora Australis) occurs almost perfectly over my habitat range AND is caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.

Knowing these things– while interesting– does lend itself to a sense of longing. What could I be if I were born in the habitat I belong to, in the right body?

My whole life, I’ve lived under this sort of sky– one with barely any visible stars, and the light of suburbia turning the dark into more of a dimness than anything.

As a werecat, I belong under pristine dark skies– in my natural habitat of taiga and tundra. And yet, I’ve always been kept from both.

Being separated from their transformation trigger all their life is bound to prevent a fictional were from transforming, so doesn’t it make sense that this would apply to me as well?

(Perhaps it’s my disconnect from the stars that’s kept me in this more limited form all my life?)

Now, I don’t truly believe that being in the proper environment would actually allow me to transform– I know logically that that’s not how these things work–, but it’s a fitting and somewhat comforting theory.

But despite this, maybe one day– if I at last find myself under the light of those thousands of distant suns– I’ll finally be able to transform into my true shape.

[were-bastard]

I mean, I’M a werecat and I’ve always had more of an affinity for new moons than full moons. Something about the darkness is enjoyable– probably because it’s when people can’t see me as well.

However, I feel much more drawn to quarter moons (and occasionally crescents) for myself. I’m not the sort of were who “transforms” under the moon, I’m just always a werecat (yes, even physically). Despite this, I still have quite a draw to the moon.

If anything, being able to see the stars makes me feel much more cat than the moon does. Something about distant suns is very appealing to me as a feline. (And how if you look for long enough, you realize just how BIG everything is. Kinda feels like you could fall off if you tried.)

But yeah, the new moon (+ extra visible stars) does feel very werecat to me. Pretty neat idea!

Side Note: I often find myself staring up at the sky and idly chittering at the stars. Reminds me of my domestic fellows when they see something on the ceiling– perhaps that’s my equivalent? /hj

okay hear me out on this one:

werewolves turn wolf in the full moon, right?

then i propose that werefelines turn cat in the new moon.

In the light of the full moon, you can hear and see the silver-glowing fur of a werewolf pack.

but in the darkness of the new moon, you see nothing. You hear nothing. The feline’s night vision guides them towards their prey, solitary hunters in the darkness.

[were-bastard]

Anatomical Comparison

(Between my were-form, a human, and a cat)

(Maybe I’ll find the motivation to actually draw myself with flesh at some point too)

Notes:

Similarly to bio-cats, my were-form has free collarbones!

I can hold things with my paw-hands, and my fingers are both longer and more moveable than those of a regular cat (aaaand I’ve got paw pads!)

As mentioned in the image, my femurs are longer than those of a cat. This gives my hind legs a bit more of a human-like shape

While I do have claws, they’re not retractable, since my distal phalanges (tip-of-finger bones) don’t face upwards like those of a cat. My claws are also a bit more blunt– like those of a cheetah

I’m able to walk bipedally, but I can’t do so fully upright like a human, nor can I do it for a long time

Close-Ups (below the cut):

[were-bastard]

Ough, collared mountain lions are so me

This is literally how I look, y’all.

As a side note, I’m tempted to get my ears pierced, solely so I can wear a tag. I didn’t even know they gave mountain lions tags until now, but I’ve always wanted one.

[were-bastard]

When I’m tired, I love to let myself indulge in my cat-ness.

I get to enjoy the four-legged ambling gait of a big cat in its home territory.

My shoulder blades move towards my front– functionally reducing the entire area of my chest into a shallow valley between my forelimbs, my legs stretch out into their proper digitigrade shape, and my phalanges fold upon themselves until they’ve reached the compact shape of a cat’s paw.

My spine suddenly feels long, and languid movements suddenly more comfortable. The slow sway of my tail behind me is a personal favourite.

It’s a comforting sort of walk– almost easier than walking bipedally.

If I need to grab something, I prop myself up on my hind legs (in much the same way as a dog stealing food from a table), braced by my forelegs on a counter or other surface. Then– instead of walking away on two– I drop down to four legs, holding whatever I wished to grab with my teeth.

It’s often easier to be cat than human.

[were-bastard]

Kinda nsft for nudity, nothing sexual. Messy doodle of my werecat self.

(Warning, there is a wee drawing of the genitals I feel I should have, but it’s not detailed or really explicit)

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’m “shaped” as a werecat. Certain things like being neutered or sterilized are appealing to me from a species point of view. I wanted to sort of sketch out some of my cat-body’s primary and secondary sex characteristics to figure ‘em out.

Excuse the poor handwriting. It’s a simpler doodle just to get the point across.

I’ve also noticed that my sex-characteristics as a cat do affect my gender a bit, which is interesting. If I get neutered in the future I would very much enjoy getting a tattoo for it (probably the green line)

[were-bastard]

A sizeable part of my gender is just like, trans in the werewolf way, if that makes sense. Just a transsexual beast-creature, mainly werewolves. Also kind of includes selkies if you blended the human and seal sides. Very much like a hairy mixed “human” and creature-type butch trans thing.

1000% ties into being a werecat

EDIT: I’m creating a tag, for science. I’ve decided on using #were-beast

[were-bastard]

What would you say in your experience is something strange about being a werecat? 👀

I think the weirdest thing about me being a werecat is that I’m not one in the traditional sense. I don’t change at all (under a full moon or otherwise) and although I have certain “human” attributes, I’m not human in any way. I’ve got more “human-like” paws and proportions, but I’m “human” in the way that a changeling is. I’m just a cat that’s got some strange, human-mimicking features!

Also, my ears are feline (kind of rounded like a mountain lion’s ears), but they’re more on the sides of my head, rather than the top.

[were-bastard]

I just had a dream where I had to wear high heels, which was weird. But because of those (in the dream) my legs starting becoming more digitigrade and I kept having legs cramps in the dream where certain muscles were changing. Near the end, I basically had fully werecat legs! I got to take off the heels and run around properly. The dream implied that my hands and arms would change too, so I ran around on all fours!

It was a good dream.

[were-bastard]

🌙

🍄

🌸

🌱

Have fun!

Thank you for asking me things!

🌙- What is your scent? Why do you think that's your scent?

I’m actually unsure as to whether I even have a scent! I feel that I’m either scentless or have just a weak smell. I think that if I do have a scent, it’s probably a more “unique” one, if that makes sense? Probably kinda warm and me smelling, body-scented, but not in a gross B.O way.

🍄- What do you enjoy most about your dynamic?

Technically, I’m two dynamics smushed into one, but there are individual aspects I like! To be clear, this probably isn’t indicative of misce dynamics as a whole, since my misce identity is heavily influenced by my nonhumanity.

The alpha part of my delta identity is the part that makes me want to feed and take care of people, make sure they’re sleeping well, all that kind of stuff. (Since it’s also part of my gender) it feels big and confident and very Butch. Something really funny about this part of my identity is that it feeds into the part of me (a not very tall person) that’s happy to try and fight people twice my size. It’s like how chihuahuas are- they’ve got the confidence, but not the size/strength.

The beta side of me ties into my need to herd my people and make sure everyone’s all accounted for- including happily circling my favorite people when I’m content. It’s also the “I need to keep watch/perch from somewhere high” part of me, as well as the part that wants to dart off into a field and come back with prey for my flock-members.

🌸- Scents that you like or dislike?

I have a really strong sense of smell, so most perfumes/colognes I find intolerable. I do enjoy smells like oranges (actual oranges, not chemical fakes), mulch, those weird cinnamon pinecones they sell around Christmas, and books.

🌱- Do you have particularly strong nesting instincts / habits? Why do you nest?

Being a bird, I have really strong nesting instincts, but they usually oscillate in strength depending on the season. I do nest a lot, mostly because it makes me feel secure, but also in spring/early summer when I feel like I should be taking care of a partner’s eggs.

[were-bastard]

I’m not even a dog, but doing the little snap, snap, swallow they do when eating food is very creature

I’m eating salami :}

[were-bastard]

Just went to a lake that had really nice shallow water that was also clear, and I could see all the fish in it. Stalking them around was delightful, and the species euphoria was unreal. There were nice conifer covered hills around the lake too, and other birds were soaring on the updrafts. The whole thing made my bird brain very happy!

[were-bastard]

My gryphon theriotype and I

(I saw this meme and I had to)

[were-bastard]

I made some of those memes that I saw going around a while ago. I find them amusing. If anyone wants one, you could probably ask, since these are fun.

[were-bastard]

Hey dude!! Thanks for always liking my posts! You rock!! 😸 I think you’re super cool btw! Being a fellow cat AND a thunderstorm too?? That rocks!!! How did you discover you were a thunderstorm? Does the feeling tie into being a griffin too since griffins can fly and thunderstorms are above ground, or are they more separate feelings?

Sorry for not answering this sooner! I saw your question and I had to think about it for a WHILE.

Extremely Long Ramble below:

So, I’m still not sure if I actually am a thunderstorm itself, but I’ve always (like, since I was a kit) been extremely connected to storms and other such weather. Whenever it’s stormy out, or just “bad weather” (the best kind of weather) like hail or rain, I cant help but smile ridiculously. I love it so much and I associate myself strongly with it.

Additionally, as you said, me being a gryphon gives me another layer of deep love for and connection to the sky and its weather. Something interesting I’ve found is that I (as a gryphon) consider myself under the umbrella of dragon, though moreso dragonfolk than anything, and (being a werecat), I see myself in most big cats (& larger lesser cats). As a werecat, I carry many lion and mountain lion traits- including my build and coloration. So, I find it fascinating that I associate thunderstorms with these creatures. Did I project myself onto them, or did they leave an imprint on me?

In a bit more detail, storms always felt like they embodied the archetypical role of a lion or a dragon- like how a thunderstorm can purr or roar, how it can shake the sky, and is, in general, animalistic. Weather always seemed like a living thing to me (in a way).

It’s also always been interesting that I, as both a sub-arctic gryphon and a cold weather feline (with thick fur & feathers) am so well suited to storms. The storms I’m used to are cold and biting, and I, in a body that is without my true fur or feathers, somehow was born with all of the features I need to endure the cold and wind. As an avian and a feline, I should have thick integument, ample fat reserves, and thick skin to insulate me. And somehow, despite being born into a body that is neither of these creatures, I have these things. Out of most people I knew, I’ve always been uniquely suited for harsh weather and cold environments that perfectly match my hearthome- the habitat I should be in.

I’m not spiritual in any way, yet the perfect alignment of my shape and the ability to enjoy the storms I so love is amazing. I’m a bird whose literally meant to hold and be held by the sky, and despite it being unable to reach me here, I still carry the traits that show I belong to it. Being so intertwined with something like that, in both love for it and design for it, often makes it difficult to distinguish between it and myself. When a bird is flying in the sky, being lifted by both its own wings and the sky’s updrafts/winds, is it strange to not separate the two? When I fly (if I COULD) we’re the same entity, I am a bird up in the sky- in a storm- just as I am the storm and the sky carrying a bird within it.

That interconnectedness often leaves me with a feeling similar to an almost animalistic angel. Since I am both myself and the storm, it’s difficult to perceive the whole of me without losing part of it from your field of view. Having my feathers, my talons, my wings, and pairing those with something as ever shifting as a storm gives the impression of an angel, despite me being perfectly mundane. It makes me feel bigger than myself, which is a sensation similar to the divinity(?) of a fallen angel- changed, but not fallen too far (aligned with earth). I fill that grey space that often drives humans to apotheosis, something large and impactful, but not supernatural. Like how some people say a supercomputer or the interconnected root system of a forest is an “angel”. I’m not divine, deific, or angelic, just large and interwoven between the parts of myself.

Being dragonkith as well gives a sense of belonging with the large growling things of the sky (not saying all dragons must be large or flighted, but those are the ones I relate my storm + self form to). As a gryphon on my own, I am a creature (or even a critter)- barely bigger than a bobcat and only intimidating towards small rodents and leporids- but in tandem with a storm, I am a beast, a force to be reckoned with (a dragon, in a sense).

I haven’t found a label that encompasses my “connected -> being” feeling that I have for storms and the sky, and despite attempting to make my own label, nothing fits. So, I just say that I’m a thunderstorm- even though that doesn’t even begin to cover or properly convey being sense of being.

So, yeah! I’m a thunderstorm, both distinct from my gryphon-ness and because of it!

[were-bastard]

weird cat people mutuals now 🤝

Hehehe, indeed. Gotta find more weird cats!