What is Neko?

When I was looking for a cool pair of boots, someone sent me to a Neko store, and I liked the clothes so much, I think I might just grow ears.

But before I do, I have to know!

What IS Neko all about?

I've searched the web and this forum and did not find an answer that really satisfied me.

Does it just mean being part cat? Or is it a lifestyle? If I start walking around with a tail, are people going to assume anything in particular about me?

Just trying to look before I leap!

Here is a blog about being Neko:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/secondlife/discuss/72157604936260974/

Simply (not indepth) said, you have two mamal type of roleplays..

furries: Canine based dressup (part human, part canine type o breed costumes)

and

Neko's: Feline based dressup (part human, part feline type o breed costumes)

Canine = dog breed (e.g. wolves, dingo's, jackall, domesticated dog etc etc)
Feline = cat breed (e.g. wild cat, lynx, tiger, lion, domesticated cat etc etc)

what is it?

- A lifestyle (roleplaying), that one is a mixed canine/feline breed type of human. (that's why they dressup like the animal, either completely or partially) They have rules, they have to follow stricktly, as a culture.

- Costume party, showing off (some do it just for fun sake, find it funny to walk around with feline tails etc)..

No. There are plenty of furries who aren't canine-based, including feline anthros. Neko just tend to have more human characteristics.

Here's a great blog: http://virtualneko.com/

i'm sorry, but your information is false. (read up the history books, and dictionaries)

furries are mainly canine based characters. (that's where the origin lays anyway).

NEKO = feline (originally anyway)
Prenounced as: "neh-koh" which mean litterly: cat

but, indeed.. nowadays furs tend to dressup completely as the animal of choice, where neko's have more human visuals (part dressup), mostly.

However, it's two main breeds nevertheless.

infact, if you look at the history of both, it was ment as a battle between breeds! canines vs felines. (with their powers roleplayed).

and as roleplaying evolves, so are the cultural en rule aspects changing alongside.
Meaning: the border are becoming less restrict as they used to be.
And a mixture emerges between the two.
so, all in all.. the modern versions, are compatible with eachother..
and that's a shame really.. if you look at the origin of the two types.
but, oh well.. as long as peeps have fun dressing up.. who cares

I personally resent both, i'm RL human, and so i am digitally..(3d avatar)

Neko = cat in Japanese.

Nothing more, nothing less.
The whole Neko thing is just a few Japanese wanabees, knowing a word or two, and think it's cooler to have Neko-mimi, and not just cat-ears.

summing up, Neko is cat like clothing, to make you look like a humanoid cat.

Kasuga, are you Japanese?

Nope, I also know a few words. just a bit more than the usual anime nut
I know enough to survive in japan without a dictionary. I just can't write Kanji and or Hiragana.

I was talking about SL.


Last time I checked, Neko originated in Anime, developed by *actual* Japanese.


Ears, tails, eyes, and sometimes spotty/stripey skin are all considered clothing now?

Nekomusume is a popular character archetype in anime/manga art styles. The SL version usually uses the homeless or drifter neko style. Though... Some, like Ann and I, bathe. =^-^=

Neko is a definition of roleplay, either inside or outside sl. No difference there.



for SL terms, YES they are considered as such.

From the end-all, be-all source of knowledge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catgirl

i am not neko, but i do have a ears/tails set i wear on occasion. i wear clothes from all the neko stores. i love the dark, grungy styles.

"Neko" is a concept from Japanese cartoons and comic books. Essentially they are humans, almost invariably female, with cat ears and a cat tail, and feline manerisims. When a Neko has her mouth open or smiles, she usually has small fangs on the upper teeth, like the larger canine teeth on an animal, though the rest of her teeth look perfectly Human. (It is also the practice in Japanese cartoons and comics to occasionally show these fangs on otherwise normal Human girls, when they are acting "catty", but this does not make them Neko.) Neko usually only have fur on their tails and ears, though sometimes they have fur/paws on the feet and lower legs, or on the hands and forearms. More commonly, they actually have normal Human feet and hands, but may choose to wear gloves and shoes/boots that look like furry paws. Most Neko wear Human clothes, though they may tend to dress less modestly than most girls. Neko tend to be sensual creatures, and attracted to Humans. In some cases, it is a mild sexual kink - a female character that is more 'sexy' because she is just a little bit of an animal. A collar with a bell on it is a common fashion accessory.

There is a less-common canine variation of Neko, called Puppy Girls, that works exactly like Neko, but with dog ears and tail.

Furries, on the other paw, are sentient animals with anthropomorphic characteristics. Any animal could be a "Furry", including birds, reptiles, and fish, though the mainstream for Furry is mammal forms, most often dogs, foxes and skunks. They generally have bodies that are similar in shape to Humans, and walk on two legs, though some can switch to moving on all fours at will. Generally the entire body has fur (or scales or feathers, as appropriate to the species), and they have tails and ears and a head like their animal namesake. Hind legs may be Human-type or digitigrade or bird-like, depending on species... For most furries, the hind legs and feet tend to be more animal-like, while arms and hands tend to be more Human. Some furries, including Mammal types, also have wings coming from their shoulders, in addition to Human arms. Bird-type Furries may or may not have Human-type arms in addition to their wings. Behavior and characteristics tend to be very similar to their animal species, overlaid with Human civilized behaviors, though sometimes more primitive than modern Human culture. Clothing tends to be somewhat optional...

Neko is a common cosplay choice, "cosplay" meaning where one attends a party or a convention dressed up as an Anime (animated cartoon) or Manga (printed comic book) character. Neko is easy to do, as there isn't much to add to normal Human appearance or clothing.

Furry may just be something you like to observe or roleplay or identify with, or it may involve dressing up to various degrees, including full-body mascot costumes, referred to as "fursuits". It can be a lifestyle, or simply something one does for a lark at an annual furry convention. There are probably as many definitions of "Furry" as there are people who consider themselves to be "Furry", as it is a very personalized interest area, and most people make up their own minds as to what is, or is not, Furry for them.

But Neko are so cuuuute! I love their fuzzy ears, I love their twitchy tails. I love their cute bouncy kitty AO poses.

Every object I attach to my avatar can be considered clothing, yes.
And I know Neko is a Japanese Anime originated style.

Usually porn, or just cat-ear, tail and bell wearing female human, not wearing much else.

Or they also act cat-like, adding the Nyo after each sentence to make it look cuter than it should

I don't know what you're saying here. Whatever the historical origins of furries vs. Neko may be or may not be, in SL furries can be anthropomorphic versions of ANY animal.

I also don't consider what I do 'roleplay.' My brand of Neko is just what I'm most comfortable with being in SL...for whatever reason, it reflects my personality better than being fully human in appearance.


No, they aren't. They're body parts. Clothing covers/decorates your avatar's body.

That's a limitation of SL. I don't change my eyes - ever - and if I could permanently attach my tail and ears, I would. As it is, they only come off accidentally or if I'm 'dressing up' as something else...in costume, as it were.

explain me this then:

as for clothing acceptance..

why do have many neko clothing stores, ears and other attachments for sale, as if it where clothing parts?

because they are

(e.g. the tail, you don't have to wear it, e.g. tail inside the pants.. so the tail (if worn) is a clothing type of item)

infact everything you wear onto your avatar, is clothing. (clothing is coverage/decoration of a body, in pure definition. whilst clothing in street language is mostly fabric type of coverage/decoration, the definition is slighty more than fabric)

Anyway, you've created a sub breed, for the neko part.
that's ok.
but you are roleplaying, since you pretend to be something else (a neko type) than you really are. strictly said.

Thanks for all the info and links! Esp. to Ceera for the explanation and to Ann for the link to that beautiful blog.

Technically correct, I suppose. But by your logic, the avatar itself is "clothing".
The default av mesh is a human figure. The people who want to be something other than human, something not supported by the default mesh, must resort to attachments to complete their avatar.

I don't see these attachments as "clothing". Is a prim penis "clothing"? Nope, it's a body part...just not one that is included in the standard mesh. If you need ears, a tail, a muzzle, or a set of dragon wings to complete your avatar's body, then those parts are not, IMO, clothes.

It's your last sentence that shows our different mindsets. "...something (other) than you really are". To me, Ann IS "really" a kitty girl. Talarus really IS a huge dragon. Ghosty's a llama. These are their usual, default forms...although they may put on a different form as a costume once in a while. Just as I will occasionally wear a tiger or a dragon or mermaid. Those aren't the "real" me. As it happens, the "real" Lindal is human...but that's not true for every avatar.

As I said, it's a limitation of SL. I don't consider any of my Neko bits to be clothing...they're an integral part of Ann and I would make them permanent if SL allowed that. There are of course people who consider them fashion accessories, and that's fine for them, but it isn't MY perspective.


I'm not pretending anything. Ann's appearance is a reflection of who I am inside.

*tosses catnip coated shiney bouncy balls all in the thread by the shovel full*

Since I got used as an example a little bit ago, I'll jump in on this.

Llama. Sometimes full-on llama, wearing a top-hat, glasses and scarf so folks know I'm more cultured than the other llamas out there. Other times, anthro - llama head and front hooves, but torso and legs of a human (also top-hat, waistcoat, walking stick and so forth).

If need be, I'll don a human suit, with or without top-hat.

Am I role-playing? Certainly not as a llama. I do not graze, yiff other llamas, wander hillsides, climb mountains or whatever else llamas do in their lives. I do as I do; create art, build and enjoy the grid. Does that mean I'm role-playing a human, then, regardless of my activity? If I am human, how do I "role-play" one?

The things that make me a llama are attachments. I am actually an avatar. Avatars are hollow constructs in SL, nothing more. They are whatever we choose to make them. Avatars start with a basic human-like form, but we do not have to stay that way. Humans (and llamas) cannot ever do what an avatar can do.

We are not humans, llamas or whatever else; in reality, we are demigods. Avatars, representations of our true selves. And, as any student of Eastern philosophy will tell you, one's true self is anything but represented by our physical form - so "human" falls far, far short of the truth.

Historically, yes, furries are canine. This is SL however, and if anything can be said about the grid, it is that we are free to change, re-interpret and deconfine our perceptions - and the perceptions of others - as we see fit.

Throw off contrivance. This is SL. Historical context only has meaning if you wish to make it so, and in doing so you'll find yourself at odds with an environment driven more by imagination than by the rote of history. We are what we wish to be, we call it what we want and we write our own timelines here.