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If this movie is going to be about a community of werewolves, or even just a loose pack that meets up once or twice a month, (kind of like a bowling league except they shift into wolf and go after deer) then shorthand and slang is inevitable. What would some of it be? "Were out" to refer to the shift to wolf? "Wild boy" for someone who let their instincts take the upper hand? Ys? No? Any suggestions?

The only one I could think of offhand would be that they would have some sort of phrase for a werewolf that loses himself to the instincts and starts cornering hookers in dark alleyways like they do in the movies. They could just say he "went ballistic" or "lost himself," but a more cynical werewolf might say that he "went Hollywood."

Xodiac wrote: What would some of it be? "Were out" to refer to the shift to wolf?

Please don't use the prefix "were" to refer to the wolf. It comes from Old English meaning "man."

I don't think the word Hollywood should be mentioneds anywhere near the movie. Especially not in it.....

Since when would killing hookers in a dark alley be instictual : , Hunting a deer would be more down that road naturaly. If the weres are "good" give or take, wouldn't they not like the idea of killing people because it draws attention, so shouldn't the slag reflect the mood?

Apokryltaros wrote:

Xodiac wrote: What would some of it be? "Were out" to refer to the shift to wolf?

Please don't use the prefix "were" to refer to the wolf. It comes from Old English meaning "man."

I know. I was tossing phases out as I thought of them. I don't particularly like "wild boy" either.

"Going hollywood" would probably refer not to letting instincts rule but to using their lycanthropy as a means - perhaps an excuse - to go on a killing spree,

I'm still stuck for other terms, though.

Drake Arrokh wrote:Since when would killing hookers in a dark alley be instictual : , Hunting a deer would be more down that road naturaly. If the weres are "good" give or take, wouldn't they not like the idea of killing people because it draws attention, so shouldn't the slag reflect the mood?

Or drug dealers and homeless people as well I suppose, assuming they live somewhere where there aren't that many deer around (as most humans do); the only other options available in the city would be rats, pigeons, or dumpster dwelling. Skinny women in tight clothing are just so typical of B-movies, so if one turned up dead, that's when a werewolf would be most likely to use that sort of phrase -- because the scene would be something right out of one of those cheesy popcorn flicks that no self-respecting werewolf can stand.

Well if you have read kelley armstrong's books (Bitten and Stolen) they use lots of such slang. I suggest them to any true werewolf fan. They infact have a pack of werewolves that meet just like you mentioned above. The term they used for renegade werewolves were mutts a term which i liked. When they shifted they just used changed nothing special but it made it seem very realistic. You may also get some great ideas from her website www.kelleyarmstrong.com

Drake Arrokh wrote:Since when would killing hookers in a dark alley be instictual : , Hunting a deer would be more down that road naturaly. If the weres are "good" give or take, wouldn't they not like the idea of killing people because it draws attention, so shouldn't the slag reflect the mood?

Agreed.

As to slang, during they shouldn't be able to talk, maybe except to utter simple monosylabic words, yes, no, why, s***....etc....

As for Slang, it should be kept simple, if this is supposed to be taken seriousely, and not be thought of necessarily as makebelieve, then simple words should be used..."change" for example, "animal"

It has been my experience in watching and reading stories that the more fantasy based the story is, and less rooted in reality it is, than the more fantasy terms are used. If we as an audience are to get an impression that this movie could ACTUALLY be true in real life, then avoid such made up words... keep it simple. If you do use a made up word in the story, then have it explained WHY the word is made up, especially if the word adds something to the plot, or title....

Not to mention people taste yucky.. Ungh, gimme a deer any day over some hooker.

Actually, it's my understanding that people taste and smell alot like what they eat the most of. If people eat a lot of sweet things, they'll be sweet, if they eat a lot of spicy things, they'll be spicy.

Er.... this is very likely an urben myth though.

I think that's taking "you are what you eat" a little to the extreme

OTOH, I heard burned humans smell like pork. It's a good bet they'd taste akin to pork as well.

The lazy werewolves will just order a "meat lover's pizza" from Pizza Hut.

Maybe things like the werewolves refering to themselves as a pack. Or if a newbie werewolf runs off, thinking mostly with instincts, could be something like, "Great, the kids gone ferel." Refer to a couple as mates, children werewolfs as cubs/pups, ect

Silverclaw wrote:Maybe things like the werewolves refering to themselves as a pack. Or if a newbie werewolf runs off, thinking mostly with instincts, could be something like, "Great, the kids gone ferel." Refer to a couple as mates, children werewolfs as cubs/pups, ect

That makes sense. I know some people who talk like that anyway.

Xodiac wrote:... "Were out" to refer to the shift to wolf?

...oh please No. Nothing like that.

I'm always partial to the old Southern term "losing my religion" for flipping out and hitting people.

ABrownrigg wrote:Not to mention people taste yucky.. Ungh, gimme a deer any day over some hooker.

So only one that turned Hollywood would ever consider such.

EDIT: Maybe to keep Hollywood out of it, it could instead be a reference to the tabloids.

Great..now i'm hungry.

So... we're all agreed, then, that none of us can think up some decent slang that werewolves might evolve to refer to aspects of their condition? Oh good. Glad we could work this out.

Well lets give it a try...hmmmm

for changing forms i would say shifting or changing not really immaculate lol

Rouge werewolves: dogs

i don't know maybe xodiac is right well i guess my best advice is to use a thesaurus.

Yes a werewolf Thesaurus.

I think werewolves should have a term for people that aren't werewolves. It would seem kind of silly to keep saying "the humans" since werewolves are humans half the time anyway, and saying "non-werewolves" would probably get to be too much for the tongue after a while. I don't know, I think it would be kind of funny if a werewolf in human form watches a pure human do something a werewolf would never do and then mutter something about the silly "changeless" or whatever when out of hearing range.

"Normal" people --> Mundanes?

werewolf gone crazy or doing "abnormal" things --> Rabid?

Don't hurt me... I know those aren't exactly original...

I don't think a werewolf would talk in slang so much has they would speak in subliminal messages or have double means to their words.

ex:
Person: "Where were you last night?"
Werewolf: "I was out walking the dog."
Translation:

Werewolf innuendoes. Gotta love 'em.

Me, I've always liked referring to it as "getting in touch with my inner child."

Incidentally, my inner child is, in fact, a puppy.

In the full canine form, where their palate would make full human speech very difficult, then I would think they’d only be able to say certain things, and the “human’ speech would, over time, deteriorate. So I think a pack that had been together for a long time would have developed their own “language’ and slang. Go to any IT department that’s been developing their own software. They’ve already developed their own lingo for it.

And I think that would translate into the human language as well. There would be phrases that they used that meant things only a werewolf would get.

Like “Muzzle that!” could mean keep your muzzle shut, or put a muzzle on that (keep it quiet).

Or “Do I look like your tennis ball?” means a double insult. First, you’re stupid enough to play with tennis balls; second, I’m not your toy.

Or “that’s cub league” could mean that’s small time.

Or being “Yippy’ means being hung up on the small stuff, like a little dog that yips at everything and never shuts up.

Or calling someone a Mutt could mean that they are not a TRUE ww, because they have a hard time Tfing even though they’ve been a ww for a long time —

Phrases like “Bite Me” and “Scratch that” would have a whole new meaning.

So, yup, they could definitely have slang.