Question about Shifting into a Monster

Okay, I'm going to give a little background for my question, because I hope you will understand better. I'm writing a sequel to my Beauty and the Beast retelling, where Beauty and Beast have twins, Briar and Scarlet. The wizard who had cursed Beast in the first place is dead, but a relative of this wizard comes, and tells the couple that their children, on their 15th birthday will be cursed. One to die pricking her finger on a spindle, the other to toil as a monster like her father.

They lift the sentences slightly, by going to a good witch. Who changes it only a little to one will sleep, and the other will shift from monster to human and back at intervals. And that they can find cures to the curse's by sailing away to this continent full of shifters.

Now, Scarlet's nickname is Red, and she's going to be traveling with her father (being the one cursed to be a monster sometimes) but when she first shifts and every time after, she has no memory of it. She feels pain, then blacks out until she wakes up, and after the first time, she wakes up in the woods covered in blood and mud from the people around her who -- aren't really alive anymore.

I really don't want to make it that she shifts only at night, or on a moon phase, because that just does not work with my plot. So, I wondered, if anyone else has any suggestions? That may work to keep it moderately under control while they travel.

(I know this is long winded, and I apologize. I just couldn't think of a good way to ask without explaining)

Shifting when angry? Shifting after eating a particular food? Shifting after a (fairly common) word is spoken in her presence?

Hmmm... So, something that could be an element of the curse that could keep it moderately under control, sort of like a trigger for the transformation?

One way would be it being triggered by her emotions - perhaps not the anger factor, but something else, or perhaps a certain mood in her thoughts? Maybe when she feels threatened, or surprised, or when she's daydreaming.

Maybe it comes from literally having a certain recurring dream.

Maybe it turns up like a bad cold or a case of hiccups, but with certain herbs or medicines, it can be helped for a little while, enough so that it doesn't happen constantly.

Maybe it happens when she sees a certain color, or a certain type of weather begins to move in, or comes in contact with a certain kind of food. Maybe like a mental red flag, or else an allergic reaction?

Anyway, just throwing all these ideas out there. :) Good luck figuring it out!

Hmm, if we're throwing out suggestions for reasons to transform into a monster, I hope you won't mind if I contribute a few

Maybe she shifts depending on the temperature?

Maybe she shifts when under duress?

Maybe she shifts on exposure to a certain reasonably common element or item?

Maybe she shifts on exposure to a symbol or a specific kind of shape?

Maybe she shifts when exposed to something that reminds her of the initial curse?

Anyway, use or don't use these at your discretion. I'm just throwing out ideas :D

thanks guys, one of my thoughts have been when she has a certain emotion, because she feels like her family doesn't care about her, so some emotions are common for her to have. And I thought about it, and wondered if it would make sense if it wasn't anger.

Like a worthless feeling triggers it, or a feeling of frustration over her family life (she is the tomboy in a medieval royal family, isn't really accepted and feels her sister get much more attention than herself hence the feeling of worthlessness and not enjoying being around her family)

Does that make any sense?

One variation on the lunar trigger is not to use the phase of the moon but simple moonrise/moonset. The moon rises and sets in roughly 25.2-hour cycles, which if that's her trigger she would shift to and from roughly once a day, but an hour later each time. During a full moon she'd be transformed during the night, while during a new moon she'd be transformed during the day. Waxing half? Transformed at midday, back at midnight. Stuff like that.

But for something that's more plot predictable, emotional triggers could do it any day of the week. But what emotion should it be, and how does it compare to her normal emotional state?

How about she shifts when she starts to get really hungry or possibly thirsty. This way she has to try and stay satiated at all times or the risk of shifting increases. People may wonder how this lovely gal eats such an incredible amount, yet always stays in shape. Shifting based on negative emotions also sounds like it could work well.

Shifting based on depression specifically may have a lot of potential. You could say that the presence of endorphins and other positive chemicals suppress the trigger and keep her human, but if she has a serious bout of angst or depression then the trigger is unleashed and she ... fangs out. Conversely, whatever puts her monster in a good, contented state of mind will eventually suppress the trigger, returning her to her human state.

It also means that depending on how depressed she normally is, she could need to take antidepressants and/or drugs in order to remain human.

I've watched this short once where a boy changes into a literal monster when others around him are acting monstrous (i.e. drunk fathers). It could be emotional, like anger or tears. It could also be a self-defense kind of thing. Maybe when she feels too much pressure or fear, like being cornered or overshadowed, she just can't help it. Maybe it could be when there's too much commotion around her. She could get lost in a busy town sometime when she's little, and get so scared and starts shifting. Maybe someone tries to kidnap her and she shifts and destroys him.

By the way, your story sounds really interesting. I'm a sucker for fairy tale twists, and yours sounds creative. :)

One of my characters has a similar issue but with a change that is more mental than physical (think Jeckyll/Hyde instead of Banner/Hulk).
What I did was this: (Sorry in advance for the backstory)
At first there were no changes, but as the character's darker half became stronger over time it started manifesting during periods where the character was unconscious (mainly asleep but let's just say fighting happens...)

Without a means of controlling it, eventually it could directly influence the character's behaviour during conscious periods, then could occasionally manifest randomly and by the end could have gained total control over the character for good.

Perhaps you could do something similar in that it starts out rarely, say at night once a month, but it increases in frequency with a very possible risk of her becoming the Beast permanently if they don't find the cure in time?