# "Feral..."



## Ricky (Nov 24, 2012)

The title is in quotes because this is referring to the _furry_ definition of the word feral (as opposed to the real definition).

For as long as I can remember, furries used the word to indicate the opposite of "anthro," or "of or like an actual animal."

Is this the correct *furry* definition of the word?

I've heard people call MLP feral, but the characters talk and have human behavioral traits, facial expressions and show emotion.

I wouldn't call Lucky feral:

[yt]UKUIy2ESrhQ[/yt]

...he is a quadruped, but he has all of these traits as well.

Am I totally off, here?


----------



## Batty Krueger (Nov 24, 2012)

Im pretty sure the furry def is being quad instead of upright.


----------



## TreacleFox (Nov 24, 2012)

Feral has always meant animals with human minds to me. 
"nonmorphic" might be a better word.


----------



## Fallowfox (Nov 24, 2012)

I agree that the general use amongst furries is 'physically animal'.


----------



## benignBiotic (Nov 24, 2012)

I always took 'feral' to refer to characters that are for the most part un-anthropomorphized physically. Kind of a nebulous definition now that I think about it though.


----------



## starcandy12 (Nov 24, 2012)

Wouldn't ferals be anthros that are mostly animal with human like behaviors, e.g. The Lion King characters?


----------



## Heliophobic (Nov 24, 2012)

Think sparkledogs, only they don't have to be special snowflakes. That's the furry definition for feral.

Never understood the appeal, really. Guess I'm just not that much of an animal person. I prefer humanoid skeletons.


----------



## Lhune (Nov 24, 2012)

Furries pretty much use the terms wrong anyway but it clears up confusion, so. As far as I've understood it it's;

Furry - Completely human in build and behavior, just covered in fur and an animal (or animal-like) head.
Anthro - Digitigrade legs, slightly more animalistic but still largely a human build. Basically any animal standing upright.
Feral - Animal in build, behavior/intelligence varies.

Funnily enough both the furries and ferals are pretty much always anthro. Anthropomorphic simply means "given a human form/trait", the cars in the Cars movies are anthro as well, for example. I'm not really bothered by the way the terms are used so long as we can understand each other, lol.


----------



## Heliophobic (Nov 24, 2012)

Lhune said:


> Furry - Completely human in build and behavior, just covered in fur and an animal (or animal-like) head.
> Anthro - Digitigrade legs, slightly more animalistic but still largely a human build. Basically any animal standing upright.



Oh god.
No. Don't start this bullshit again.


----------



## Ozriel (Nov 24, 2012)

starcandy12 said:


> Wouldn't ferals be anthros that are mostly animal with human like behaviors, e.g. The Lion King characters?



Still anthro.


----------



## Lhune (Nov 24, 2012)

Saliva said:


> Oh god.
> No. Don't start this bullshit again.



What bullshit is that? I didn't mean to start anything.


----------



## Dreaming (Nov 24, 2012)

benignBiotic said:


> I always took 'feral' to refer to characters that are for the most part un-anthropomorphized physically. Kind of a nebulous definition now that I think about it though.



That's pretty much how I used it


----------



## benignBiotic (Nov 24, 2012)

^ Cool. Come to think of it I don't really like the term _Feral_ in this context because when I think feral I think animalistic and entirely un-anthropomorphic. I'd rather just use 'furry' but explain that the character in question is closer to the 'animal' side of things.  Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism.


----------



## BRN (Nov 24, 2012)

Feral representing 
We've always used the term to refer only to appearences, and it doesn't really say anything about intellect. 

A cultural word for 'feral body, intelligent mind' is 'wild-built', while 'feral body, animal mind' is 'wild'.


----------



## Unsilenced (Nov 24, 2012)

I usually hear it in reference to a character that is only anthropomorphized on a psychological level, I.E the act like a human (or at least more like a human than their species usually would) but otherwise look like a normal animal. 

If it looked like an animal and acted like an animal, then it would just be an animal. 

Kind of weird since the actual usage of the word "feral" means basically the opposite (specifying someone/something that acts very wild/animal-like, regardless of physical species or appearance) but, well, furries.


----------



## Kalmor (Nov 24, 2012)

Unsilenced said:


> I usually hear it in reference to a character that is only anthropomorphized on a psychological level, I.E the act like a human (or at least more like a human than their species usually would) but otherwise look like a normal animal.
> 
> If it looked like an animal and acted like an animal, then it would just be an animal.


Exactly the way I think of it. In the furry sense anyway, though not the real dictionary definition.


----------



## Traven V (Nov 24, 2012)

The furry definition would be any creature that has four to the floor, regardless of the intelligence level.


----------



## badlands (Nov 24, 2012)

i've always understood it as a animal body with none or minimal human qualities added but possessing human level intelligence. the quadrupedal definition is a good rough guide but doesn't always follow (birds and some dinosaurs are natural bipedal)


----------



## Batty Krueger (Nov 24, 2012)

badlands said:


> i've always understood it as a animal body with none or minimal human qualities added but possessing human level intelligence. the quadrupedal definition is a good rough guide but doesn't always follow (birds and some dinosaurs are natural bipedal)


True, but a lot of those types of sonas are more upright and straight, instead of crouched over like, let's  say a raptor.


----------



## Avelore (Nov 25, 2012)

The furry definition is no more different than the actual definition. It defines a creature of quadrupedal stance, with little to no anthropomorphic features.

Feral could also apply to behavior. If someone is acting Feral, it means of an animalistic nature.


----------



## Ricky (Nov 25, 2012)

Avelore said:


> The furry definition is no more different than the actual definition. It defines a creature of quadrupedal stance, with little to no anthropomorphic features.



You are an idiot. Go get a dictionary.

I mean, really. How long does it take to look up a definition before posting?


----------



## Fallowfox (Nov 25, 2012)

Feral means 'resembling a wild animal' if you do want a dictionary, which leaves significant leeway. Almost all furries could be classed as 'feral' by a very inclusive use of the definition.


----------



## Ricky (Nov 25, 2012)

Fallowfox said:


> Feral means 'resembling a wild animal' if you do want a dictionary, which leaves significant leeway. Almost all furries could be classed as 'feral' by a very inclusive use of the definition.



It's more specifically referring to an animal that was domesticated and is now wild, but I see just "wild animal" as the definition in some cases.

Still, it has nothing to do with being a quadruped and has nothing to do with anthropomorphic features (or a lack thereof), at all.

I always heard it refer to animals that aren't anthropomorphic, as in _*feral porn*_. My barometer has been "if I think it's hot, it must not be feral" since I'm not a zoo. I'm not looking to start a semantic debate regarding make-believe words, however; I just wanted to know what other people think.


----------



## Fallowfox (Nov 25, 2012)

Ricky said:


> It's more specifically referring to an animal that was domesticated and is now wild, but I see just "wild animal" as the definition in some cases.
> 
> Still, it has nothing to do with being a quadruped and has nothing to do with anthropomorphic features (or a lack thereof), at all.
> 
> I always heard it refer to animals that aren't anthropomorphic, as in _*feral porn*_. My barometer has been "if I think it's hot, it must not be feral" since I'm not a zoo. I'm not looking to start a semantic debate regarding make-believe words, however; I just wanted to know what other people think.



A sound conclusion might be 'feral doesn't always equate to zoo', I guess. Most posts here elude to that, right?


----------



## Sar (Nov 25, 2012)

In the most common sense, Anthropomorphic basically means "Human Shaped". As in something that has human like characteristics. 
Like looking like a human body with an animal head and tail etc. (See Below)






Feral is sort of the opposite. Basically meaning  for something to resemble more of a wild animal through its characteristics. 
For example, Walking on four legs, having animal paws etc. (See Below)


----------



## Ricky (Nov 25, 2012)

Fallowfox said:


> A sound conclusion might be 'feral doesn't  always equate to zoo', I guess. Most posts here elude to that,  right?



I was referring to _*feral porn *_and the only people who get off to that are zoos.



Sarukai said:


> In the most common sense, Anthropomorphic basically means "Human Shaped". As in something that has human like characteristics.



I'll go back to the example in the OP. Would Lucky be considered "feral?" He walks on four legs and definitely has a body resembling that of a dog, but he also has human behavioral characteristics, facial expressions and he talks. These don't seem like "feral" traits to me.


----------



## Kalmor (Nov 25, 2012)

Ricky said:


> I'll go back to the example in the OP. Would Lucky be considered "feral?" He walks on four legs and definitely has a body resembling that of a dog, but he also has human behavioral characteristics, facial expressions and he talks. These don't seem like "feral" traits to me.


I suppose so in the furry sense of the word. Dragons, as an example, mostly walk on all fours but have the intelligence and characteristics of humans.


----------



## Batty Krueger (Nov 25, 2012)

In the furry sense of the word Lucky would be feral, IMO.


----------



## BRN (Nov 25, 2012)

Ricky said:


> I was referring to _*feral porn *_and the only people who get off to that are zoos.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll go back to the example in the OP. Would Lucky be considered "feral?" He walks on four legs and definitely has a body resembling that of a dog, but he also has human behavioral characteristics, facial expressions and he talks. These don't seem like "feral" traits to me.



  Sure, why not?


Lucky's an anthropormorphic dog, wth a feral body. It'd be a mistake to tie up the classic definition of feral with the furry one.


----------



## Kalmor (Nov 25, 2012)

Just took a trip over to wikifur:



> Nonmorphic (may also be written as non-morphic) is a term used differently by different people.
> For some, it means characters that have human characteristics such as sentience and/or speech and clothing, but which do not have an anthropomorphic body.
> Many animated movies, for instance The Lion King or Balto, have nonmorphic characters (in this sense) that can speak and think like a human being, but whose body is that of a normal animal. These are sometimes referred to as talking animals.
> 
> Another commonly used term for this sense of nonmorphic is feral.



http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Non-anthro

So yeah, the proper term is nonmorphic but you can use feral.


----------



## Ricky (Nov 25, 2012)

SIX said:


> Sure, why not?
> 
> 
> Lucky's an anthropormorphic dog, wth a feral body. It'd be a mistake to tie up the classic definition of feral with the furry one.



I wasn't thinking domesticated but rather lacking human traits.

It seems like people are still a bit split on this with your definition being the prevalent one. That's no great surprise since it's a made-up definition anyway XD

And thanks Raptros.


----------



## starcandy12 (Nov 26, 2012)

Ozriel said:


> Still anthro.



Are ferals separated from anthros? I always thought ferals were like a subgenre of animal anthros in general, like kemonomimi. If a kemonomimi is 90% human and 10% animal, ferals would be the inverse: 90% animal and 10% human, but both would still be called anthro. Are ferals not considered anthros?


----------



## Ricky (Nov 26, 2012)

starcandy12 said:


> Are ferals separated from anthros? I always thought ferals were like a subgenre of animal anthros in general, like kemonomimi. If a kemonomimi is 90% human and 10% animal, ferals would be the inverse: 90% animal and 10% human, but both would still be called anthro. Are ferals not considered anthros?



That's an interesting take.

Are we referring to the style of drawing or the characters, themselves?

It seems most people argue the former, which isn't any huge surprise since the majority of content is drawn artwork.

To me, it would make more sense to refer to the characters since you could just say "quadrupedal."

TL;DR: Furries need to stop making up their own definitions for words (and words, for that matter).


----------



## Batty Krueger (Nov 26, 2012)

Dumperloft!!
thats furry for reach around


----------



## starcandy12 (Nov 26, 2012)

Ricky said:


> Are we referring to the style of drawing or the characters, themselves?




I think the Furry definition of the word would apply to the drawing style, whereas the literal definition would apply to the characters themselves. The way you draw the anthro (more or less humanoid) would determine if the character is feral by the furry definition, but the way the character acts would be described using the literal definition ("in a wild state; resembling a wild animal"). 

 Take Lucky or the MLP characters for example. By the furry definition, they're all feral, since they are mostly animal with human behaviors, but they wouldn't be described as being literally feral. The word 'feral' has multiple meanings to furries for some reason.


----------



## Ricky (Nov 26, 2012)

starcandy12 said:


> Take Lucky or the MLP characters for example. By the furry definition, they're all feral, since they are mostly animal with human behaviors, but they wouldn't be described as being literally feral. The word 'feral' has multiple meanings to furries for some reason.



The most obvious reason is_ it's not the real definition_ that they use.

If we mean quadrupedal we should just say that.


----------



## Batty Krueger (Nov 26, 2012)

Cuz furries are sofa king we tawd ed.


----------



## Sar (Nov 26, 2012)

Ricky said:


> I'll go back to the example in the OP. Would Lucky be considered "feral?" He walks on four legs and definitely has a body resembling that of a dog, but he also has human behavioral characteristics, facial expressions and he talks. These don't seem like "feral" traits to me.



*Implying that Lucky is a furry.*


----------



## Ricky (Nov 26, 2012)

Sarukai said:


> *Implying that Lucky is a furry.*



He's a talking dog. So yeah, he is a furry.

The furry genre isn't limited to stuff that is made by other furries.

When it started out it was a fanbase that revolved around more commercial stuff.

Tony the Tiger is also on that retarded page that explains what "furry" is, though I can't seem to find it anymore.


----------



## starcandy12 (Nov 26, 2012)

Ricky said:


> The most obvious reason is_ it's not the real definition_ that they use.
> 
> If we mean quadrupedal we should just say that.



Hmm...good point, but 'quadrupedal' is such a long word compared to simply 'feral'. Maybe people are just lazy and don't want to type something that long when there's a nice five letter word that means the same thing to furries.


----------



## Ozriel (Nov 26, 2012)

starcandy12 said:


> Hmm...good point, but 'quadrupedal' is such a long word compared to simply 'feral'. Maybe people are just lazy and don't want to type something that long when there's a nice five letter word that means the same thing to furries.



"Quad".

You are welcome.


----------



## Sar (Nov 26, 2012)

Ricky said:


> He's a talking dog. So yeah, he is a furry.
> 
> The furry genre isn't limited to stuff that is made by other furries.
> 
> ...



I didn't even say it was limited to stuff made by other furries. I do of course agree with you on how the fandom has it's roots in relation to commercial stuff. Much in conjunction with it's origin in Sci-Fi.

Now, Tony the Tiger as we all know is most famous as the mascot for "Frosties". As we can clearly see he would be Anthro because of his human qualities and how he reacts and moves like us humans. Thus giving him his human qualities. This has always been so.

[yt]RBiIgC8QtQ4[/yt]

In the 1970s, his human qualities were further developed by giving him a Italian-American Nationality and also a family. 
His family are Mama Tony (Mother), Mrs. Tony (Wife) and Antoinette (Daughter) in addition to Tony Jr. (Son) who was created about the same time as Tony the Tiger.

[yt]Po5_pgIS3sk[/yt]

To bring this back to the original debate, Tony the Tiger would also be Anthro because of those above reasons.
Out of curiosity, I would like to see this page if you would find it to illustrate your point.


----------



## Ricky (Nov 26, 2012)

Sarukai said:


> Out of curiosity, I would like to see this page if you would find it to illustrate your point.



TBH, I think it may have been this page but modified since then.

It used to have a really bad picture of Tony the Tiger and was the first result for "furries" in Google for a while.

It still has a section on The Lion King; I guess that is relevant, as well.


----------



## Batty Krueger (Nov 26, 2012)

Hahaha I remember that site


----------



## Avelore (Nov 27, 2012)

Ricky said:


> You are an idiot. Go get a dictionary.
> 
> I mean, really. How long does it take to look up a definition before posting?



So I was wrong. You don't have to be a cunt about it. -.-


----------

