Werewolf jargon and abbreviations

[Jamie]

This is not the same as the Werewolf slang topic. What I'm asking here is, what slang terms or abbreviations do you actually use. For example, in talking to others, in posting on boards like this one, or even in your short stories. Only count things that you actually use, not things that real werewolves, if they existed, might hypothetically use (which is what the werewolf slang thread was about).

[Renorei]

I use 'TF' for transform, practically all the time on this board. Also, I think I might have used 'weres' or 'WWs' sometimes as well.

Also, I don't know if this counts, but I typically refer to werewolves who weren't born with the virus as 'bitten' werewolves, although I sometimes simply call them 'new' werewolves. As cool as 'bitten' sounds, it doesn't encompass every way that a new werewolf could get lycanthropy. The way I see it, lycanthropy is also an STD, so one could get it that way.

[Jamie]

I use 'TF' for transform, practically all the time on this board.

Yeah, "TF" is one of the most common ones I see.

[Grayheart]

I'm writing a story including werewolves and my characters use to call a werewolf that acts like the hollywood-kills-everything-at-full-moon-type a 'Bloodwolf' (not very original, I know). They also call a special partial lunar eclipse a 'Bloodmoon' because of its red color and the fact - in the setting of my story - that werewolves loose their selfcontrol when a real Bloodmoon occurs. (Not every partial lunar eclipse is a Bloodmoon and it doesen't occur all over the world at the same time)

I also use the term 'Bitten' to refer to not-born werewolves in contrast to born werewolves. Born werewolves I divide into human-born and wolf-born ones.

[Kzinistzerg]

I use WW, Wwolf, 'wolf, TF, were, and occasionally P-shift. but toehr than that, nah.

[Lone_Wolf]

I use ww for werewolf, sometimes use were when talking about any type of were-creature. I frequently use tf for transform.

Also, on the therian front: p-shift = physical shift, ph-shift = phantom shift, m-shift = mental shift, d-shift, dream shift, etc.

I'm sure there're some that I've forgotten.

[Anubis]

depends on what i'm doing like in a RPG i'll say lycan or what ever but in a conversation like this i like to use WW or TF to say werewolf and transform and such crud like that.

[Vilkacis]

I don't mind (too much) seeing 'were,' 'p-shift,' 'bitten,' 'gestalt,' and the like (it's fairly clear what they mean), but I don't use those terms myself, excepting the rare odd circumstance.

The ones like 'WW,' 'SS,' 'PS,' and 'TF' are a bit more of a stretch. I tend to prefer quality in everything I do, and it doesn't take me but a fraction of a second longer to type the entire word. Furthermore, to most new visiters, these terms are not going to be intuitively clear. They'll no doubt be able to pick them out based on context (maybe sooner, maybe later), but it's better to be clear from the get-go.

Finally, I'll only use specific terms such as Lycan and Garou in the situations where they apply, such as (in this case) when describing Underworld or White Wolf werewolves. It does irk me a bit when people misapply them.

-- Vilkacis

[Celestialwolf]

I use a few: were, shift, ww. None others I can thik of right now.

[Jamie]

The ones like 'WW,' 'SS,' 'PS,' and 'TF' are a bit more of a stretch. I tend to prefer quality in everything I do, and it doesn't take me but a fraction of a second longer to type the entire word. Furthermore, to most new visiters, these terms are not going to be intuitively clear. They'll no doubt be able to pick them out based on context (maybe sooner, maybe later), but it's better to be clear from the get-go.

*Nods*

I rarely use such abbreviations on boards like this, for the same reasons you just stated, but I do use them extensively in the massive research notes that are a necessary precursor to any decent folklore book. It saves me a lot of time!

[outwarddoodles]

Not often. Even if people understand what it means I find posts to be much cleaner, easier to understand, and just sound better when words are typed out and slang isn't used.

I will use 'were' in referance to any werecreature, and occasionally 'TF' for Transformation. I do tend to use 'p-shifter' a lot though.

If you really pay attention. There does seem to be a lot of slang terms used around the community. I use them, and I didn't notice how much we do this untill I started talking with some (non-werefan) freinds about werewolves, apparently I was constantly defining some of our terms for them. The problem with slang is, despite the fact they are fun, people who have not heard the word will get confused.

Slang seems to happen easy though. I remember one day on these forums I noticed 'ww' appear that was replacing 'werewolf'. I then saw that for awhile afterwards several over people were using 'ww', in fact I used it a couple times too. Yet this little term seemed to disappear as quickly as it appeared. I will admit the first couple of times I saw 'ww', I didn't know what in the world it meant.

Slang can be useful though, it's just like how having a good vocubulary works: Useful when people know what it means.

[Lupin]

I tend to avoid using the jargon for the same reasons as everyone else: If the person reading it doesn't know what they means, it only confuses them. Plus I can type fast enough that spelling words out doesn't slow me down. The one thing I'm guilty of is refering to werewolves as 'weres' which annoys me because it's really inaccurate.