Would you transform into an animal?

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Would you Transform into an animal?

Yes, I'll gamble on chance.
13
15%
Yes, But only if I got to choose what animal I became.
37
43%
Maybe, if I got more information.
21
24%
NO, you're crazy!
15
17%
 
Total votes: 86

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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by NHWestoN »

Amazee Dayzee wrote:I don't want to speak for Loki's wolf son but I think when the topic was made, he meant HP! universe animals. x3
I'd guess but these exchanges become quickly, wonderfully unmoored.....
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

He does it all the time whenever he speaks using red text~
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Dissension »

I don't think I get what you're saying. Care to explain?
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

So we don't derail this topic anymore, I'll send you a PM about it.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by D-Rock »

Anywho…
Gameb18oy wrote:You know, a lot of people are saying no, and I said yes because I assumed it was understood it was in the housepets universe. I mean, without the human intelligence, I don't think whatever superhuman abilities I get from the transformation would balance out
I also gave my answer based on this understanding.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by dr_eirik »

D-Rock wrote:Anywho…
Gameb18oy wrote:You know, a lot of people are saying no, and I said yes because I assumed it was understood it was in the housepets universe. I mean, without the human intelligence, I don't think whatever superhuman abilities I get from the transformation would balance out
I also gave my answer based on this understanding.
Yeah, I assumed the question related back to HP. Though I'd have to give it serious thought even in our universe, though I'd have to be able to retain my personality and knowledge somehow. If' that's wiped, what's the point?
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by fenrirblack »

dr_eirik wrote:
D-Rock wrote:Anywho…
Gameb18oy wrote:You know, a lot of people are saying no, and I said yes because I assumed it was understood it was in the housepets universe. I mean, without the human intelligence, I don't think whatever superhuman abilities I get from the transformation would balance out
I also gave my answer based on this understanding.
Yeah, I assumed the question related back to HP. Though I'd have to give it serious thought even in our universe, though I'd have to be able to retain my personality and knowledge somehow. If' that's wiped, what's the point?
Yes, it is related to the HPU. This scenario would take place in the HPU. Taking place in our world would be an entirely different question with an entirely different set of circumstances. BTW if I did set the question for our world, I would make it so that you are feral but you keep your original personality and knowledge but probably couldn't talk to keep it more realistic.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Gameb18oy »

... are there means for me to write?
Despite my joke, I'd immediately swap to no if I can't talk, intelligence or not. I am not gonna be lesser to scooby doo if I got transmogrified
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by VeryAngryDeer »

No to either IRL or HPU.

IRL, there's just so many things that a human can do that an animal cannot. I've got a lot of health problems, but unless I was also paralysed, turning into an animal would be a definite step down for me. Even if I were to become the closest thing to a human - another ape - I would lose the ability to throw, the ability to walk long distances without stopping from heat exhaustion, and the ability to talk. Communication is one of the things that gives humans the power to build continent sized civilizations. Its an extremely powerful tool. Why voluntarily and permanently throw that away?

In the HPU, animals are treated as second class citizens at best. That's no fun. There's less reason for me to object to a HPU transformation than an IRL one, but the disadvantages would still massively outweigh the benefits in my view.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Douglas Collier »

Corgi. Anthropomorphic. Male. Young adult. Healthy. Indicated markings. Indicated measurements. Indicated universe. Indicated space-time coordinates.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Buster »

VeryAngryDeer wrote:In the HPU, animals are treated as second class citizens at best. That's no fun. There's less reason for me to object to a HPU transformation than an IRL one, but the disadvantages would still massively outweigh the benefits in my view.
i dunno, "working" at a zoo as a wildcat specimen sounds tons less stressful than dealing with stupid people who want me to un-break their overpriced garbage 8 hours a day (WHY DO PEOPLE STILL BUY PRE-BUILT DESKTOPS and AIO COMPUTERS?! THEY'RE A RIPOFF! at least with a laptop the portability off-sets a few of the drawbacks. Don't even get me started on Apple's catalog of worthless scrap...)
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

It depends on what job you find once you are transformed into an animal from however you were transformed. Some jobs could be really great and some would pretty much suck.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by dr_eirik »

I suspect one aspect of the HP universe is that, with the rise of the information age, it's possible for an animal to be a productive member of civilization and still be in many lines of work. Not all, of course. But someone like Gale or Miles are basically human sized (I think just a touch shorter) and could work in pretty much any field. You can see that in just how The Wolf clan has spread out. Miles is a teacher, and others have gone into cooking, online activites, call centers and, uh, retail sales.

You get into someone like Marion and there are a lot of information tech jobs, for example, where he'd do fine.

So becoming an animal in the HPU is not, by definition, a one-way ticket out of society. I think with some obvious exceptions (Marion is never going to be a mover, or a waiter) many jobs could be adapted.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by fenrirblack »

dr_eirik wrote:I suspect one aspect of the HP universe is that, with the rise of the information age, it's possible for an animal to be a productive member of civilization and still be in many lines of work. Not all, of course. But someone like Gale or Miles are basically human sized (I think just a touch shorter) and could work in pretty much any field. You can see that in just how The Wolf clan has spread out. Miles is a teacher, and others have gone into cooking, online activites, call centers and, uh, retail sales.

You get into someone like Marion and there are a lot of information tech jobs, for example, where he'd do fine.

So becoming an animal in the HPU is not, by definition, a one-way ticket out of society. I think with some obvious exceptions (Marion is never going to be a mover, or a waiter) many jobs could be adapted.
Miles is probably 4 feet probably more 4 and half. He's still shorter than your average human.
Yes, I believe that the animals integrated into society would not experience much more discrimination than any other minority which would allow them to prosper and thrive in a community that accepts them for what they are and around more open minded people who see them as equal or at the very least non-threatening. We've seen this time and time again with the wolves and Itsuki. The majority of the people we've seen do not care that they are animals especially as the years have progressed. So NO, being an animal does not mean you get booted out of society but it does mean how society perceives you will be altered even if you wear a shirt that says "Former Human" but you can draw comparisons about that with the real world.
WIth Marion, his real difficulty is his physical limitations but that can be worked around just like someone who loses a limb or has a stroke. It's hard but he still has a place in society.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by VeryAngryDeer »

dr_eirik wrote:You get into someone like Marion and there are a lot of information tech jobs, for example, where he'd do fine.
He'd need a tiny keyboard and mouse.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by dr_eirik »

VeryAngryDeer wrote:
dr_eirik wrote:You get into someone like Marion and there are a lot of information tech jobs, for example, where he'd do fine.
He'd need a tiny keyboard and mouse.
I'm not so sure things like that are impossible. After all, Rock is seen several times with a ferret-sized smartphone. Some kind of computer input device should be easy.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Buster »

we already have stupidly tiny keyboards that work just fine.

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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I am so surprised that anybody is actually able to TYPE using a keyboard that small and get into texting. :shock:
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Vertigo Fox »

I guess I'm kind of a leopard person (long story) so if I had to be a leopard forever I could probably live with it. Same would go for a snow leopard, I've actually met a few of those and they're fairly nice as wild cats go.
Would be nice if I could still play an instrument of some kind afterward.

If it were the price for saving somebody, or, even just doing something really good for the world, I don't think I'd hesitate.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

When you put it like that, I guess I would transform also if it was to save someone or stop the world from blowing up or something.

I would want to be a female dog though, so I could be around the wolves, Fox, Ralph, Kevin and Mungo. =3
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by OdedZeituni98 »

I want to stay human
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by tychoaussie »

I did a deep dive into TF by writing a couple of books once. One in particular had to do with genetic reconstruction of ancient species; In this case, an Archaeopteryx. The bulk of the story had to do with how the main character, with the mind of a human, dealt with being in the body of an oversized archaeopteryx. At first, it was great, with lots of fame, money from appearances in media, travel to many different countries, and even a research job at a leading university to investigate the anatomy and behavior of a transitional species. But then, as his mind begins to increasingly become more Archaeopteryx -like, his ability to walk the line of being human in a non-human body fails, and he becomes a ward of the institution that he once worked for. He eventually loses his freedoms; funding to support his habitat declines, and his increased lifespan means all of his family and colleagues eventually retire and expire. What is left is a single, neglected Archaeopteryx , re-located to a zoo in Washington D.C., in an environment where school children pass by a glass wall and peer in all day as the docents describe the 'living fossil' as part of their science curriculum. A forgotten scientific curiosity.

Mmm, probably not for me, thanks.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by NHWestoN »

How about the "Thomas variation"? Know anybody you'd like to transform into an animal?
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

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The entire management engineering marketing and executive branches of apple inc, into fish, and with no effort made to relocate them to sources of water.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by fenrirblack »

tychoaussie wrote:I did a deep dive into TF by writing a couple of books once. One in particular had to do with genetic reconstruction of ancient species; In this case, an Archaeopteryx. The bulk of the story had to do with how the main character, with the mind of a human, dealt with being in the body of an oversized archaeopteryx. At first, it was great, with lots of fame, money from appearances in media, travel to many different countries, and even a research job at a leading university to investigate the anatomy and behavior of a transitional species. But then, as his mind begins to increasingly become more Archaeopteryx -like, his ability to walk the line of being human in a non-human body fails, and he becomes a ward of the institution that he once worked for. He eventually loses his freedoms; funding to support his habitat declines, and his increased lifespan means all of his family and colleagues eventually retire and expire. What is left is a single, neglected Archaeopteryx , re-located to a zoo in Washington D.C., in an environment where school children pass by a glass wall and peer in all day as the docents describe the 'living fossil' as part of their science curriculum. A forgotten scientific curiosity.

Mmm, probably not for me, thanks.
That's one way of doing it..... :?
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Putting it like that, now transforming into an animal now sounds incredibly and largely disturbing. :|
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Vertigo Fox »

As someone else said, that's only one way of writing it.
And only citing a story you yourself wrote as evidence for your point isn't necessarily the best way to bring others around to your opinion. Of course, it's as good a reason as any other to hold that opinion yourself. 'Cause both the story and the opinion that stems from it are probably reflective of views and values that you had long before ever putting pen to paper.

That's what I love about stories like this, there are so many different ways to imagine them and none of them are really worse or better than any other.

Actually, on that note @tychoaussie, is there any place I might be able to find those stories of yours? Sounds like they could be an interesting read.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by NHWestoN »

fenrirblack wrote:
tychoaussie wrote:I did a deep dive into TF by writing a couple of books once. One in particular had to do with genetic reconstruction of ancient species; In this case, an Archaeopteryx. The bulk of the story had to do with how the main character, with the mind of a human, dealt with being in the body of an oversized archaeopteryx. At first, it was great, with lots of fame, money from appearances in media, travel to many different countries, and even a research job at a leading university to investigate the anatomy and behavior of a transitional species. But then, as his mind begins to increasingly become more Archaeopteryx -like, his ability to walk the line of being human in a non-human body fails, and he becomes a ward of the institution that he once worked for. He eventually loses his freedoms; funding to support his habitat declines, and his increased lifespan means all of his family and colleagues eventually retire and expire. What is left is a single, neglected Archaeopteryx , re-located to a zoo in Washington D.C., in an environment where school children pass by a glass wall and peer in all day as the docents describe the 'living fossil' as part of their science curriculum. A forgotten scientific curiosity.

Mmm, probably not for me, thanks.
That's one way of doing it..... :?
Your Archaeopteryx do live in D.C., Fen. They're found on K Street and they're called "lobbyists" becaue our duly elected life forms cannot pronounce "Archaeopteryx" without swallowing their dentures... :twisted:
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

If that is so, somebody should offer to make all of them go back to the zoo that they are exhibits in. 8-)
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Zesortinge »

Buster wrote:The entire management engineering marketing and executive branches of apple inc, into fish, and with no effort made to relocate them to sources of water.
That is a lot of people.

I went for maybe, because I do not have a set stance for or against.
I have ideas and I occasionally put them down.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by NHWestoN »

No, but watching Sophie dozing on the couch, you could think about the advantages of being a senior dog.... ;)
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by dr_eirik »

NHWestoN wrote:No, but watching Sophie dozing on the couch, you could think about the advantages of being a senior dog.... ;)

OK, for a second I though you were next to a sleeping camel.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I am pretty sure that he doesn't own any camels that are able to come in the house or sleep on the couch without breaking it. :lol:
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by OdedZeituni98 »

I rather stay human
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Even if you were in the HP! world, you still would have a lot less rights since that is Keene's whole purpose after meeting Miles. Fighting fro equal rights. If you were to choose to become whatever domesticated animal you want then there is a lot of stuff you would have to give up like driving, going to public places and being able to live on your own.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by tychoaussie »

Vertigo Fox wrote:As someone else said, that's only one way of writing it.
And only citing a story you yourself wrote as evidence for your point isn't necessarily the best way to bring others around to your opinion. Of course, it's as good a reason as any other to hold that opinion yourself. 'Cause both the story and the opinion that stems from it are probably reflective of views and values that you had long before ever putting pen to paper.

That's what I love about stories like this, there are so many different ways to imagine them and none of them are really worse or better than any other.

Actually, on that note @tychoaussie, is there any place I might be able to find those stories of yours? Sounds like they could be an interesting read.
heh, I wasn't trying to sway anyone's opinion :) TF all you want, actually!
But really, if we COULD have some technological way of moving from one species classification to another, what would happen? That was my thought experiment: What would happen long term to a person. I figure the subject would be a sensation for a few months as a curiosity, but then eventually, as years pass, the national curiosity would fade. What would happen as decades pass? Would our relationships remain as they were? Would we have the same goals, passions, priorities? Would we plan for the future or, like a real animal, would we live mostly in the present here & now. I think that the fate of Thomas, for instance, isn't far from the truth. He has lost his freedoms, almost completely, and is perhaps one rock shy of a dozen in terms of his wits as a result. Then there's Marion: His relationship with his mom is fundamentally changed. Lois was pretty open minded with her boyfriend's change into a female squirrel and was a powerful human advocate for helping to keep him engaged with his former life. But now, that human advocacy is lynx advocacy?



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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Vertigo Fox »

I'm glad you got to share them with someone. That can be the hardest part of writing.

I think where I differ is on the idea that human relationships and priorities are the only way to feel fulfilled. You might find that if you manage to change your perspective on the world you could find something else that's just as meaningful.
As humans we may not know what that thing is, but that's what makes stories like this such a great adventure.

Thomas, I think, couldn't care less that he's a camel. He's used to having power over people and being in charge, I think he simply can't deal with not being important anymore.
He never had much humanity to preserve in the first place.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I'm thinking that just a LITTLE bit of Thomas actually wants to go back to being a human. :3
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Vertigo Fox »

Sure, but his idea of being human is all mixed up with the idea of being the boss.
You can see it in his "office", how when he picks something to pretend, it's not that he's back in his old shape but that he's back in charge.
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Re: Would you transform into an animal?

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I'm thinking that if he did find a way to turn back, he would just be grateful he was human again. LOL
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