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something ive been thinking about recently...

so when people talk about their fursonas, the two terms i hear most often are 'anthro' and 'feral', with anthro representing the human/animal hybrids in a physical sense, and feral being, well, wild or otherwise physically untouched by outside influences.
the thing is, with anthro being short for anthropomorphic, the manner in which the terms are used doesnt really sit right with me. anthropomorphic is not specificly geared towards the physical form of a being. you could say mr. ed was an anthro, simply because he had human features; its just they were all in terms of mental and vocal capacity. so really, wouldnt every single member of the fandom be considered an anthro?

please correct anything ive said thats wrong, as it happens alot  

--edited for spelling--

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Quote (Keryth @ Dec. 18 2007, 10:45 pm)

No, since were human, we cant be considered anthro because anthropomorphic is displaying the characteristics of a human into animals or other things. Characteristics being said speaking english, walking on two legs, just anything that could be considered humanoid portrayed in lower beings that wouldnt normally have these physical traits. We cant be because you cant display a human characteristic in a human.

point taken, but im talking about fursonas  '>

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Quote (Alysian Trenoire @ Dec. 18 2007, 9:47 pm)

Quote (Keryth @ Dec. 18 2007, 10:45 pm) No, since were human, we cant be considered anthro because anthropomorphic is displaying the characteristics of a human into animals or other things. Characteristics being said speaking english, walking on two legs, just anything that could be considered humanoid portrayed in lower beings that wouldnt normally have these physical traits. We cant be because you cant display a human characteristic in a human. point taken, but im talking about fursonas  '>

Wha?! Oh for christs sake!! After all of, never mind that last post then . . . *sigh* well than im a little less confused now, and yes to considering our fursonas to be anthros because ultimately, most furries WANT to be anthros, err at least a look good kind of anthro. But we ourselves wouldnt be.

Yyyyyeah, that's a good point. "Anthro" technically refers to an animal with any kind of human characteristics-- even if you have an animal that's normal in every way except for human speech or human intelligence, that's considered an anthro. I've always felt kinda funny about that-- I think "anthro" should refer only to animals that are actually humanoid in physical form. There's a clear difference between anthros and ferals.

I was always under the impression that "feral" applied also to a were's animal form, talking animals (lion king types, and our resident Viper Sapiens )as well as true animal versions of fursonas.

"anthro" also well applies to the Transformers™ characters and the Cars ™ characters

Yeah, I suppose I always thought anthro would be applied to anything that could talk or display human characteristics no matter its form.

Same for feral. Furries that are feral to me simply have an animalistic mind despite their physical appearance. Like when a human is raised in the wild, I would consider that feral.

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Quote (sniffswind @ Dec. 19 2007, 9:57 am)

"anthro" also well applies to the Transformers™ characters and the Cars ™ characters

true, but that kind of anthro always creeps me out. Inanimate objects and machines shouldnt be displaying human emotions.


Ive always seen anthro as animalistic-humanoid higher beings above physical and intellectual levels of either humans or animals, but thats just me. Feral ive seen as anything totally dominated by the Id part of their mind, err in other words, creatures that act upon instinctual impulse rather than reason.

I always thought of anthro as Bipedal creatures (with the exeption of certain weres and naturaly bipedal animals eg. Dinosaurs, birds, etc.) and feral as quadrupedal (also with the exeption of certain weres) I don't neccessarily think of talking or intellegent animals as anthro. I also don't class machines as anthro unless it's a hybrid of animal and machine.

by the literal definition, Mechanicals count.  and there are several "artifical life forms" (IE star trek's Data)

Keryth suffers from "I, Robot" syndrome  '>

I think that it is anything non human, with human characteristics. It doesn't have to be animals.

Like most I see anthro as being a fur that has a humanoid form, with animal characteristics.  And a feral being a character that looks like the animal it is supposed to be.

My feral characters don't talk and are pretty much just wild animals.  And my anthros are basically humans that have an animal head, paws, tail, and that sort.  But I donno.

But yeah the technical meaning of the word is anything with human like aspects.  Could be a talking hot dog from a commerical, or whatever. XD

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Quote (oniyaneko @ Dec. 20 2007, 1:38 pm)

Could be a talking hot dog from a commerical, or whatever. XD

You just made me picture a giant anthro hot dog, with a bun and everything, bouncing after someone and growling "NOM NOM NOM IMA EAT CHUUU."

If you want me, I'll be hiding under my bed.

Well,  I think that by definition, anything that is non-human but that desplays human characteristics (intelligence, speech, a humanoid body, etc.) is considered anthropomorphic.  Then feral, would be something that is wild.  So I guess something could be both feral and anthropomorphic at the same time.  A car could be anthropomorphic, but you can't have a feral car unless it is anthropomorphisized.  I think.

Then, within' the fandom, the words become slang.  So and anthro is one's character that has a more humanoid form.  A feral retains most of the characteristics of the actual wild animal that it is.

Now, here's something to think about my fellow furs.  Is your fursona, be it feral or anthro, an animal with human characterisitics or a human with animal characteristics?  Does this distinction make a difference?

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Quote (Arbutus @ Dec. 20 2007, 3:14 pm)

Quote (oniyaneko @ Dec. 20 2007, 1:38 pm) Could be a talking hot dog from a commerical, or whatever. XD You just made me picture a giant anthro hot dog, with a bun and everything, bouncing after someone and growling "NOM NOM NOM IMA EAT CHUUU." If you want me, I'll be hiding under my bed.

And if you need me I'll be at my work desk trying not to giggle too loudly at that mental image. '>

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Quote (Wulffrith @ Dec. 20 2007, 4:09 pm)

Now, here's something to think about my fellow furs.  Is your fursona, be it feral or anthro, an animal with human characterisitics or a human with animal characteristics?  Does this distinction make a difference?

you read my mind there- thats almost word-for-word from something ive posted; it really makes you think.

my fursonas an animal with human characteristics, personally.

And I thought I over thought things! xD Welp, here is a diff way to look at it; We are furries, right? Doesn't furry have its own slang/ uses slang alittle differently. *cough* like how "yiff" can mean 50 billion things. Since this is a furry board, I will exclude machines ect. I always saw anthros as furry charas that could talk and walk - feral would be pure animal with no special atributes. Just to be evil an stump your minds..x3 How would you classify a talking bird or an ape using tools like a human?

It all depends if you're applying it to the "real" world or the world of furry. In the "real" world, birds like parrots and such don't really talk, they just mimic what they hear so they can be a member of the "flock". But if it was in the world of "furry", where the bird could have a conversation with you, then yes. With the ape, apes have learned to use tools to open various things and make their work easier. Albeit, they don't use tools as advanced as ours but a simple stick or rock. But using tools to make work easier isn't necessarily a "human" trait. Otters, Apes, and other animals have been doing it for hundreds of years.

My 'fruit'-sona is a peach with human attributes. I'm hardcore, yo.