Whats the deal with Nekos?

First, I don't mean to insult anyone with this question - its honestly a curiosity I have after starting with SL recently. PLEASE I do NOT mean to put anyone down here.

I am just curious what the craze is with Nekos...

I realize that it has something to do with the Japanese word for cat. In SL, it appears to be a group wanting to look like human cats.

Again, I'm not saying its bad or anything I am just simply curious. I'm no gamer, so I'm sure I'm missing some kind of sub-culture or something.

.. and besides... why are the outfits created for Nekos so much more interesting (and frankly way better) than anything else in SL that I have seen. (and that includes hair too). This tells me there is a really strong following.

Help clue in the clueless.

Its actually a question I've been scared to ask myself, so thanks for doing it...

Why not Neko? They're usually cute and SL is about being whatever you want...

Then again, I have a friend that's usually a hedgehog. To me, nekos seem to be pretty normal.

From what I've seen its a sub culture..people unwilling to conform to society....misuderstood...oh so sexy and shy...and smart..basically just like any other "group" putting a different spin on their "view" of SL.

I've seen nice things from every culture in SL though and crappy stuff too.

~Lana Tomba

I like my neko look becaues it is wicked Hott!

...and I do have an affinity for cats, however I know there is a complete Sub-culture that goes with neko and I seem to be completely ignorant of it. As I tend to like to have several different looks this is my favorite "not quite human" look.

I am a Neko. I know a couple more. I've never been involved in Neko things, otherwise, so have no answer to popularity.

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Its exactly why I'm curious. I see a lot of crazy avatars out there. Its really fun and I totally admit its cool that people can be who or what they want.

Its just that this seems like a rather large subgroup is all. It seems like it can't be just by chance but that there must be something more too it.

BTW: I love cats so that also sparked my curiosity.

It's because they are afraid to admit that deep down they are really furries

Why do most women wear 6 to 9 inch heels even in a swimsuit on the beach?
Why do most men wear tattoos?
Why are neko's popular?

Because it's a fashion fad. Their cute; they stand out enough to be noticible but not so much as to be glaring; and the cat symbolizes curiosity whichh is a good enough reason as any to wander around SL seeing what there is to see.

Exactly! For some strange reason that I seem a bit shamed to admit the look is super hot.

I don't want to jump into something without understanding a bit about the background I guess.

Are we talking about the grunge look that most Nekos favor?

Pick up almost any book on Manga art. There you are. They look dead sexy. Anything else you care to add or whatever manga series you care to follow is up to you.

I think the reason that it's hot..and to me furries are hot too..is because the neko ears and tail seems to strike a deep animalistic nerve that runs thru all of us.

It's like getting in touch with your animal instinct...atleast this is why I think nekos and furries are hot.

~Lana Tomba

For me, sorta. Its that sexy grunge and a bit more daring (?) look that seems to have caught my attention (aside from the sheer popularity).

The GothiCatz line is one example. Some of the best clothing I've seen in SL.



Well put.

Well, they're certainly cute, if not terribly original. Not sure about hot, but maybe the hotness is in the eye of the beholder. I have been tempted to tweak Claire's ear, though.

Pufferfish. Robot Cucumbers. Starbucks coffee cups. Now those are a bit more creative. Not all that hot, though.

I also tend to suspect that nekos are folks not quite willing to commit or admit to that whole furry thing.

In SL, "neko" is far more often a marketing buzzword than a product description. Way too much of the "neko" merch out there is indistinguishable from what passes for "punk" in SL, or not even that. One would think that stuff supposedly designed with kittycats in mind would take into account little details like where the tail is supposed to go, but yeah right There are a few creators who genuinely specialize, but not many.

But on the more general thing, the Internet was always infested with kitties! Furry avatars don't always play well with other SL content, whether it be clothes, animations, furniture, etc., so it's a really appealing way to maintain a longstanding online persona and still play with all the neat toys out there.

Neko is short for nekomimi (literally cat ears) as opposed to the more literal nekomusume (meaning cat girl) Slap on ears and a tail and ur a neko, and Jumpy LOVES nekos for the obvious conotations (even have a all Neko hit squad, the Slut Mag hot WHAT! search my profile in world gonna start an army)

Nekos are soft and cuddly and llove Jumpy and love rubbin up againt Jumpy. I'M CATNIP!

Only thing i think people in Sl need to realize is that there is no such thing as a male neko. In japanese vulgar slang calling a male a neko is like a homosexual insult [disclaimer: Jumpy Lane does not condemn ANY lifestyle choices as that may be in violation of LL's TOS ].

All one really has to is run to wikipedia and find out all the deets. i did when i was wondering. oh by the way search hookups cat girl akiko, and hatchet killer akiko. my all time fav neko!

I disagree about the "not quite willing to commit" position. On the other hand, I'm a were-cat and have never been a human with cat ears and tail, so I do not really know.


or

but not:
[I have no picture to put here, imagine a human with cat ears and cat tail]

Oh, and while I have cat eyes when I am human, I see that as part of my were-catness.



I actually knew that about the gay slang. I am not sure if that has anything to do with my never getting cat ears and tail for when I am human or not.

On the other hand, I've always seen myself more as a were-cat and not a human with cat stuff.

Watch an old Batman episode with Ertha Kitt as Catwoman and you have your answer. Neko's are DAMN sexy.

It probably has a lot to do with going for that little animal inside all of us without being a full furry, but that's just a guess on my part.

So i guess it's quite appropriate to see a Gay Male Neko then? and in fact according to your descript there is such a thing..according to the Japanese translation?

~Lana Tomba

reason I ask is i have a gay friend who is sexy hawt and hes a neko. He would be pleased to know he got it right

Cats are free roaming, self sufficient, night stalkers.

Strays even more. (^_^)

The grunge/punk thing is definitely a stray thing. Kitty ears are +20 cuteness and a good tail is another +30. Neko does have a connection to Anime, but that's not the only place catty people can be found. =^w^=

Nekos don't take orders. Nekos go where they want. And nekos bite and scratch when provoked. Who wouldn't want to be like that? ... Okay, maybe the Goreans ... (^_^)y

... I still haven't made myself a tail ... (T_T)

icanhazcheezburger?

I mean, who ever heard of a loldog?

I hate those things. I've known people that posted their kitties on Flickr only to turn around to see their kitties stamped with stupid bloody little sayings. But hey, who cares if the pictures get stolen and used like that? All for a laugh, right (note, I know some people do this to their own pictures)?

Stupid bloody lolcatz fad.

Moo shoe pork, on the other hand, is probably the funniest damn thing I have seen.

OK, a couple things that I want to respond to...

Neko do not all go for the alley cat look...I'm more of a pampered house kitteh myself.

It's not a 'fashion statement' for a lot of us, although it probably is for people who say things like "my Neko look." Not saying there's anything wrong with dabbling in Neko-dom - it started that way for me - just that, for some of us, the reason we're Neko in SL is because we're not comfortable being anything else. I will occasionally throw on another av, but even those are mostly cat-related, and I really don't feel like 'myself' until I'm back in Neko form.

Some of the furry avs are gorgeous and awe-inspiring, but I've never ever been inclined to go full fur...out of my human skin and into one my stripedy or spotty ones is as far as I go.

=^.^=

I do not find them any more or less hot than anything else in SL

as for neko clothes, no one says you have to be neko to wear them, the creators are mainly just targeting that group more than anything else

*shrug*

fads come and go in SL, some stay longer than others