#werepanthers

[seasonofthebxtch]

I cannot understand Jason's total obsession with Crystal

[sosthemortalcoil]

//BARRELS IN// Okay. So theoretically if Gab were to romance one of the were characters does 'meeting the family' mean the entire clan? Is clan approval a thing here? Vote yay or nay on significant others?

Werepanthers are far more individualistic than werewolves. While being the alpha’s mate you should meet the clan, it’s not a priority; most of the panthers want to be left alone to do their own thing. So it’s not a priority for them. However, alphas approve all mates, so if it’s serious, at some point you have to present your SO to the alpha. Failure to do so can result in exile from the pack--or worse. The werewolves trust their alpha. They want to meet their alpha’s mate, but they don’t expect you to know them all especially as a non-were. While not being a were could be a big deal, this pack is newly formed and used to doing things differently than ‘tradition’ might dictate. Yay or nay is more of an archaic design. Charleston, for instance, is very much of the opinion that it’s none of the pack’s business who he dates--though the alpha always meets any significant others to judge if they are a liability or risk to the pack. For the werewolves it’s more of meeting the quirky, extended family--once you’re introduced, you’ve already been accepted. It’s getting past the alpha that’s the big step. A nay from the alpha does kill the relationship.

[thedarkplume]

BFT Book Photo Challenge

Day 24: Favorite Fictional World

Out of all of the books I have read over the years, the Sookie Stackhouse Novels has the most exciting world I've ever visited. There's so much more to the series than the vampires and even Sookie herself. Witches, shifters, werewolves, werepanthers, weretigers, and so much more!

Aside from The Vampire Diaries, True Blood is the only television series I have seen that expands on the books in an interesting way. Lafayette and Tara are not related and are written as minor characters in the novels. The show scrapped that particular story arc and recreated two of the most memorable and beloved characters in television history.

Bon Temps, either in the novels or the television series is a place I am always willing to revisit.

[pandoraarti]

it's supposed to be a werecat? And it's from a movie called curse of the cat people or something... though it was pretty obvious that they use Black Panthers.... blah blah blah I suck at explaining....

( I can't draw Panthers even if it did save my life)

[thegayhimbo]

A Different Perspective on the Werepanther Arc on True Blood:

I'm currently in season 4 of my re-watch, and during it, I've had some time to re-evaluate my feelings on the werepanther arc in seasons 3-4. I know it's not a particularly well-liked arc, and I understand why, but I will admit there were some thought-provoking features I found in this arc on my re-watch (both from a character and a thematic standpoint) and I wanted to share a different perspective on the story:

While the werepanther arc had flaws, I liked what it provided in terms of Jason's character. I liked how he wanted to get Crystal out of the abusive situation she was in because he recognized she was a person who needed help. I liked how he found out about Crystal and her tribe being werepanthers and came to accept them for that similar to how he accepted Sam as a shapeshifter in season 2. In a way, I thought it showed Jason becoming more open-minded about the supernatural world, and being willing to re-evaluate his initial perceptions about his worldview while also becoming an ally to other supernatural creatures. And finally, I liked seeing Jason step up and take care of the werepanther tribe at Crystal's request.

Through all of this, I thought it showed a more selfless and caring side to Jason. I also believe it was some good character development for Jason in learning to be responsible for other people, and taking his job as a caregiver and a cop more seriously. For all the talk about how Jason is shallow and stupid, it's very telling to me that he kept his promise to Crystal during the year she was gone, and helped provide for the werepanthers to the best of his ability. Not only does it show that he genuinely cared about Crystal, it also shows that Jason actually wanted to become a better person. Jason could have easily walked away at any point during the year between seasons 3 and 4 (especially since he didn't know if he would ever see Crystal again), and he didn't. I think that's worth something, and he should get credit for it.

As for what happens in season 4 with the gang-rape.......................I will admit I hated this scene as well. It was gross, ugly, mean-spirited, and a cruel betrayal to Jason after everything he did for the tribe. That being said, I can see how it tied into the main theme of season 4, which was about victimization and the dangers of becoming just as bad as the people who hurt you. We see this in many of the stories in season 4 (Antonia/Marnie, Tommy, Mavis, etc) and it applies here to the werepanther story as well:

Take Crystal for instance: She was a former abuse victim who had the deck stacked against her. She came from a tribe that was heavy in incest, inbreeding, disease, and insanity, she was promised to her half-brother Felton, and she was unwilling to truly break away from her tribe. I know a lot of people found her indecisiveness in season 3 (as well as her reluctance to initially tell Jason her secret) to be frustrating, but I can understand why she was like that: She was caught in-between two worlds. She saw Jason as an escape from her life, but at the same time, she had also been conditioned to see the werepanther tribe (and her family) as her only home, and was extremely reluctant to break away because of that. With the kind of circumstances Crystal had, even if Jason had never gotten involved in her life, she was someone whose life was already on a downward spiral, and was primed to become an abuser just like Felton and Calvin because abuse and mistreatment was all she ever knew in her life.

While I agree that what Crystal did to Jason was unforgivable, and I don't want to sound like I'm trying to rationalize that God-awful gang-rape scene, I think from Crystal's perspective, her reasons for inflicting this on Jason was about her trying to have it both ways: She wanted to have Jason, but she also wanted to force him to become a part of their tribe by turning him into both a werepanther and a "Ghost Daddy," regardless of whether or not Jason was okay with this. She wanted to mold Jason into her version of the man she wanted him to be, much like how Calvin and Felton molded Crystal into the kind of person they wanted her to be. It's a dark example of the cycle of abuse at work, and what's both sickening and tragic is that Crystal doesn't have the self-awareness to realize that she's become just as bad as the people who abused her (or maybe she is aware of this and just doesn't care anymore because she's rationalized it as okay to treat Jason this way). She basically went from being an abuse victim to becoming an abuser. There aren't any excuses for Crystal, but I do think it's a reminder of how the cycle of abuse can destroy any remaining good in a person and cause them to inflict damage onto other people.

I also think there's a real-life parallel between Crystal and the werepanthers and people in real life who operate on an "All Take, No Give" mentality. Jason did the best he could to help them and provide for them, but it wasn't ever going to be enough. They consistently wanted more out of him. They were not really willing to change on their own. Whether or not it was because of their culture or circumstances or whatnot, they were not willing to make the effort to improve and break away from their unhealthy patterns, and they were perfectly okay using and abusing Jason and then throwing him aside once they were done with him. For some of us (me included) we have known people who behave like that: People who consistently take and take and take and are perfectly okay using you without caring about you as a person. And if you let them, or if you refuse to set boundaries, they will suck you dry like leeches. Sometimes (in very extreme circumstances) it can put you in a dangerous situation where your safety is at risk (which is pretty much what happened with Jason).

My point is there's an interesting theme here about how you can help someone to the best of your ability, but at the end of the day, if they are going to put you in danger, drag you down, or refuse to change, you just have to walk away. Crystal and the werepanthers weren't really willing to change despite the help Jason provided for them, and Crystal wanted to have it both ways where she had Jason in her life AND she got to still be with the werepanther tribe. It was all about what she wanted, and she didn't particularly care for Jason beyond what he could provide for her. The result is they almost destroyed Jason. He was lucky to get out of there, and I'm sorry he had to go through that. He did NOT deserve what happened to him.

With all of this being said, I don't think what happened in season 4 undermines Jason's character development in taking care of the tribe for a year. Regardless of what they did to him, there was some nice growth and maturity for him in taking personal responsibility for other people and trying to be someone others could depend on. It showed that Jason had a selfless and loyal side to him, and I appreciated seeing that.

Also, on a last note, I still love that scene of Jason escaping from Hotshot, carving a makeshift spear, and jumping from a tree to stake Felton. I also liked seeing Jason tell Crystal to fuck off. Those were scenes I enjoyed watching.

In any case, I know the werepanthers aren't popular, and I get why people dislike them and that entire arc, but I wanted to share this perspective to explain my view on the story and what I took away from it. I also wanted to introduce a different angle for people to look at this story through. I don't expect everyone will agree with this, but I still want to have a discussion about it.

[sosthemortalcoil]

is the full moon/solar eclipse very important to weres nowadays? (if so, are there any particular differences between what the werepanthers/werewolves do on these occassions? .... party hardy?) 🙈

Full moon is still the easiest time for any weres to shift and the most difficult time to not shift–weres with poor control are incapable of not shifting. It tends to be a time for partying or celebration–clan meets are almost always held around the full moon as it’s the time weres feel closest to their wolf-half.Every were pack has different traditions. Out of all the weres, werewolves have the most unified governing body and thus shared celebrations. For the pack in Jericho City, it’s very suburban celebration for most full moons: a backyard barbecue and a pack hunt/run in the woods. The werepanthers in SoS tend to lock themselves away on the fullmoon–that’s when the alpha and his cronies are out and about causing the most ill. Solar eclipses have no significance to weres.

[sosthemortalcoil]

So if one of the Were ROs walked in on Gabby naked (who they're crushing on), they'd just kinda shrug about it since nudity isn't all that big a deal to them?

Were culture doesn’t mean that it applies to each individual the same.

Karyn–Whatever. Though she might comment on you being nude in a place where generally humans aren’t.

Tom–Politely leaves. It doesn’t bother him, exactly, but humans in general don’t appreciate being walked in on.

Charleston–You share a locker room with him. It happens, no big deal.

Leo–Surprised, and turns his back to try and give you privacy. He’s not flustered, exactly, but he understands that many creatures don’t like being walked in on while nude. Not necessarily because they’re naked, even, but because they appear vulnerable.

Tadea–Huh? Oh, you’re naked? Okay.

[sosthemortalcoil]

I'm curious about the werephanter pack. The Alpha is decided by combat, this means a fair combat right? So if the alpha happens to be backstabbed that wouldn't count? If the alpha dies another way, who would suceed them? (...Leo is adorable but he must be pretty strong to have killed the alpha, he looked like someone you shouldn't mess with)

The rule is the next alpha must kill the current alpha. Trial by combat is not necessary. Weres are fairly resilient, and the cases of them dying other ways is one that doesn’t often happen. In the case of the alpha dying another way, the beta becomes alpha, and if someone doesn’t like it, they can try to take the new alpha out.

This rule is an old archaic one that most prides do not observe.