Arooooooo.....

Inga: Werewolf!
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Werewolf?
Igor: There.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What?
Igor: There, wolf. There, castle.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Why are you talking that way?
Igor: I thought you wanted to.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No, I don't want to.
Igor: [shrugs] Suit yourself. I'm easy.

(a snippet from Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" via IMDb.com)

I was once asked, if I could have any superpower what would it be? I definitely wouldn't mind being invisible from time to time - a great way to see what the children think they can get away with. But, flying would be fantastic, as would having super strength or agility. My answer, consequently, was shapeshifting. I think this is an ability that surely encompasses, if not surpasses, other super-human feats. I certainly would perma-shift into a better body at the very least.

(This was also the deciding factor of choosing a Night Elf Druid on World of Warcraft. Spells -check, big ears -check, shapeshifting - you bet your sweet patootie.Squishy, yes, but who needs plate armor when you have Boomkin power?)

Take Sam Merlotte, for instance. In Sookie Stackhouse's world of vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc., he is what is referred to as a "true" shifter, meaning he can change into whatever animal he chooses. So, one moment he could be a cute little puppy dog (his animal of choice), and the next a bird, or a giraffe, and so on...Truly an advantage over other two-natured beings, in my opinion. In season 2 of True Blood we witnessed Sam escaping his jail cell (he was innocent, I tell you!) by morphing into a house fly and zipping out through the ventilation shaft... poor thing had to leave his clothing behind, however :) Later on in the same season, he shifted into a white Brahma bull and quickly dispatched the villain and saved the day. How cool is that?!

Of course, this season will introduce werewolves (and possibly werepanthers). They're pretty self explanatory ... human... wolf...human...wolf. Simple enough. In the Sookie books, werewolves consider themselves to be the most superior of all the shifters... delusions of grandeur, I say. The werepanthers are pretty neat, but dying out genetically. There's also a weretiger or two, but Sam's got my vote. Who wouldn't want to cuddle up at night with Mr. Merlotte at the foot of their bed? (hmmm... for the vast majority of men who just raised their hands, I'm sure there are some lady shifters out there... just substitute when necessary)

It makes me wonder ... how did it all start? From research I've done in various places I've discovered that the notion of a person not being fully human and possessing the ability to change shape has been around as long as we've walked upright. I imagine a scenario where one cave-person accuses another cave-person of smashing his fertility idol... His evidence? He saw a mysterious animal leaving the scene, and since the grievous act was so much more than a mere accident, the cunning suspect has to be a guiltyshiftingsonofabitch.

...and a legend is born.

So, I'm not going to get into the Twilight vs. Sookie debate, simply because the dimensions are so vastly different, and that everyone is probably sick to death of me talking/writing about it. I will, however, urge you to read both series and come to your own conclusions... I would also recommend Bitten and Stolen by Kelley Armstrong, and Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (the papery book thing, not the film) for those who like humans of the four-legged variety.

If you have any other book suggestions I implore you to list them in the "comments" section :)

Thanks for letting me chew your ear!