Re: Archenemy
The thing, though, is that wolves are indigenous to a number of different countries, including Europe and the US. That's why the werewolf legend is so prominent - it's also why I made them the most common type; they're the 'white bread' among weres. As for assigning nationalities, all of the examples I chose (except the rats and pigeons) are regional variations on werewolves. In Africa, stories are told about people who turn into crocodiles; in India, it's tigers, in Russia, bears, etc. Generally speaking, it's the most prominent predator in any given area. I'm not 'identifying certain groups with animals'; the groups themselves have already done that. I'm not sure who the wererats, would be - Norwegians, maybe? That's where the most prominent breed of rats comes from. Anyway, at this point, they'd basically just be a subsection of homeless people who live in the subways and sewer tunnels. Werepigeons would likely be the same, only they'd be street people instead of tunnel dwellers. And yes, by all means it'd be easy to screw up - but that's why it's exciting; the tricky ones are the ones that pay off in spades when they're gotten right.