What tools and built environments would enhanced/uplifted wolves use?
What tools and built environments would enhanced/uplifted wolves use?
This came up on Discord, and I thought it was with sharing more broadly:
Anyone have advice on handling a U-wolf PC? Anthropic bias is heavy. ... ok, got a coherant backstory from them, Third Generation from initial uplift, not all Aunts/Uncles are in the S5 range, and lifespan improvement is generationally incrementing upwarsd. All of the pack that raised them are at least S4+, Moms are Foresters/Wilderness managers, Dad is a radio astronomer and hobbiest fisherman. Walter Brown (the PC parawolf), is an informal coordinator using a BCI to keep connected to networks, and taking advantage of a very high Dunbar Number to maintain lots of distinct relationships.
For tools, I like the idea of a harness with robot arm (perhaps similar to the arm on the Boston dynamics robot dog) designed to be lightweight but useful for when they have to interact with human-centric designs out in the world (elevator buttons, doorbells, doorknobs/keys, things on higher shelves, etc).
They also pointed out different handle materials being important if you're just using your mouth to grip things a lot of the time.
I really hope to see more of this kind of thing.
I love when animals are intelligent but still animals. I think people underestimate their resourcefulness. I had a dog that could open the bedroom door at my old apartment. It didn't even have a handle, just a knob. But the house had settled in such a way that if you just turned the knob about 10 degrees or gave it solid jiggle the latch would release, and the door naturally opened an inch or so. So when a firework would go off or something, or it just got late enough that he was tired of napping on the couch, he'd sit up, trot over to the bedroom and stand up, and swipe the knob with a paw, and then just nose his way in and put himself to bed.
He was like a roommate. He was such a cool guy.
You could base them on the beastmen https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Beastmen
Or for something more sci-fi. https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Technomancy
I like technomancy, although I don't know how it would apply to uplifted/enhanced wolves.
The Beastman thing feels pretty off. They seem to be anthros, and also bad guys. Uplifted wolves are still quadrupedal, and also not bad guys.
Some quotes from responses:
"The mind goes straight to a forest lodge, although that is unfair stereotyping I should move past! (But who doesn't want a forest lodge? College students!)
Lots of giant hamster wheels! Seriously, they need how many miles a day to keep their bowels working? Maybe a vibration massage plate bed for grandma.
Some equivalent of a shoe rack - maybe a wax tray you can rub your paws on for protection against hot/cold pavement, and a cleansing tray with bristles to clean your paws on the way back in. More extreme climates might need dog boots secured with velcro straps.
Steep rough slopes (duckboard ramp) rather than stairs. Maybe fixed on half the stairs width if it is shared accommodation with plains apes.
Western humans still tend to have liminal guest space and kitchens ect on the ground floor with bedrooms placed defensibly above on the next floor.
There may be a slight tendency among wolves to favour basements/enclosed/bunker like spaces for the bedrooms, and very large open communal rooms up top for guests. No point having seperate kitchen areas when you can smell everything anyway, just lots of flop down futons."
"I have to have two houses, one which is shared with Great Grandma (the elderly retired geneticist who did the uplift upbringing), and one which is the PC's Mom's Pack (and she's a forester) so the forest lodge elements make sense. For the Latter definitely going with a great room for mixed species guests and socialization, and two layers of Dens (well within capsule hotel standards) with those rough slopes for the upper levels. After consulting with a forester who trains work dogs, going with a Water shower with a bristle spinner, and giant hot air dryer, for the cleaning oneself when coming inside. He hadn't thought of the giant hamster wheels but laughed when I mentioned it, and says it makes perfect sense."