Bloodshifting Part 1 Corrupted Bloodshifting

Relaxing music from The Legend of Zelda series played in the background as Eranoth prepared to write about one of the darker sides of shapeshifting. "I do not plan to write down all the ways to apply bloodshifting as that would take out people's creative thunder and take way too long."

The man paused to drink more of the 3rd can of mountain dew baja blast.

"Blood-shifting in simple definition is that there is something in the blood of the creature in question that allows for a transformation. The most common application of bloodshifting is blood corruption. 67% (made up statistic) of Lycanthropy lore is based around blood corruption."

Eranoth popped his fingers and smirked. "To start with the 'easiest' to find lore; we will use a very generic example of this: A Werewolf. Though just a reminder, this applies well beyond the scope of werewolves. Lore and application are different."

"If one does an in depth study of werewolves they would find that there are actually over 30 different variations of werewolf lore so don't begrudge me if I don't use the lore you are expecting. I will likely cover it in a different chapter."

"Whether it is a disease, a curse from a god, or a deal with a devil, most werewolves claim to be humans that have become corrupted by the 'blood of the wolf'. Even the Elderscrolls series uses a blood corruption."

Eranoth slapped his face and erased a few things to avoid going on a tangent.

"As I said before there are a lot of factors to consider when dealing with shapeshifting. So let's start. Blood corruption Go!" He lifted his hand in a fist heroically.

"HOW? When component X enters the bloodstream of a creature the blood becomes tainted and corrupted. In the case of a werewolf it is the substance known as 'Lycanthropy' With Blood corruption transformations you have to pay close attention to this. If you don't, it is easy to accidentally lore break. The specifics of how can be changed easily: skin touching skin, saliva, blood, (Omitted words for those not yet adults), and so on."

"WHAT? This is something for the individual author to decide. Usually there is one of four outcomes however more can become applied after all, creative geniuses exist everywhere.

1:Instant mutation- X turns creature into a new species. (In werewolf lore, there is a thing where instead of having a full moon transformation, they just become a wolfman like creature sometimes feral sometimes not.)

1.1 Permanent transformation- Some Lore dictates that once you have become a a new creature you will always be that new creature. In werewolf lore there is some of this as well. Once a werewolf always a werewolf. Most often this lore has a 'conditional release' like meditate in the morning dew every day for a month without eating meat. A condition that would be nearly impossible to complete as the new creature but usually feasible if you were your old self. (This is usually a one-time one-way transformation with conditions to undo it)

1.2 Temporary transformation- Other lore exists that say the transformation acts like a cold or a flu. You catch it, are under its effects and then you get over it and it goes away. In werewolf lore there is a supposed strain of lycanthropy that turns the victim into a bloodthirsty feral werewolf for 7-10 days where they go kill and infect others and after the time, they return to normal unless they catch it again.

2: Conditional Mutation- Under Y conditions, Creature becomes a new species. (Full moon transformation, consumption of a specific substance, etc are conditional transformations)

2.1: Creature is only new species under Y and is normal species when not. This is rare in werewolf lore but more common with other types of magical transformations.

2.2: Creature is extreme new species under Y, is still tainted even when Y is not around. This is the most well known lycanthropic lore. 'You are a werewolf. Things about your human self have changed slightly and you turn into a wolf or a wolfman during the full moon.'

2.3: Once Y happens, mutation is permanent. This one is not common in lycanthropic lore however other blood curses act under this thing. This is usually a conditional hostile takeover. If resolved before the condition is met then no problem but if the condition is met it is difficult to overcome.

3:Slow mutation- A progressive change occurs almost so naturally that it is hard to detect until it is too late. (This is also not common in werewolf lore. However think of it in terms of a health defect that progressively gets worse over time. Often it goes unnoticed until it causes a very significant problem. These usually start with the logic and emotions and inner workings of the body before they manifest externally. Most often there are ways to treat the symptoms but not treat the problem.

4: Genetic override or blood swap- Very similar to the permanent instant transformation and slow mutation types. This one is a bit different though. After X infects the bloodline it rejects the creature's original self completely. Turning the creature into a new being. This can be a long or a slow process but this transformation type is often dangerous to put into stories without careful consideration as this is one of many types that can lead to lorebreak easily. My sister RedPandaChick's novel Chdrtlsy: A Short Story uses this form of transformation."

"WHY? Usually it is done as a curse, punishment, or just plain being unlucky. Very rarely is a Blood Corruption type of transformation done willingly or for a good thing. (There are always exceptions to the rules.)"

"As for the other questions, those are more individual to the writer when it comes to blood corruption transformation. Speaking of other questions, with blood corruption there is an extra question to consider. If the creature dies under the effects of the transformation do they revert to their old selves or do they remain in their transformed state?"

"If there is a need for clarification on Blood corruption shapeshifting feel free to let me know. I know not everyone speaks Eranothian. Please know this is only the first of many chapters regarding shapeshifting lore. If I haven't covered it yet, I probably will, as I write more, lots more.

Eranoth took a deep breath. "Whoo, that is a lot. Mother is trying to call me over to figure out my work schedule for the week. So I will take a short break and continue writing."

He rubbed his temples. "Now that that headache is out of the way for the evening… time to continue my info dump in chapter 3. More dealings with blood. As a side note, bloodshifting will take a few more chapters."

© J Eranoth