Neko

When I first joined SL, I knew there were humans, and I knew there were furries ( the first I met was Fauxy from Hot ‘n Hung), but I hadn't yet encountered a Neko (neck-oh) until after sometime. I didn't even know the name of them at the time; I just thought they were "cat people".

Generally speaking, when I encounter a group of Nekos, the majority of them tend to wear a more grungy, alley cat look… including torn or messy clothes, heavy-duty boots or shoes, kitty or other grunge-like collars, face piercings, tattoos, and the ever-present legwarmers and armwarmers on girls (and guys sometimes).

Neko means "cat" in Japanese... the word is rooted in Japanese history, culture, language, manga and anime. Over the past decade, the use of this word has been evolving and adapting to imply a global "catgirl" phenomenon -- namely humans "dressing up cat" in real life.

Related words:
Bakeneko: a character from historical folklore, a "ghost cat" with supernatural abilities
Nekomimi: the Japanese term for catgirls, literally meaning "cat ears." A catgirl is a person who dresses up (in real life, or in online virtual communities) with ears, a tail, and sometimes additional accoutrements such as paw gloves and boots.
Nekomusume: this sometimes also applies to catgirls (though less often), and literally means "cat daughter."
Oh And In Japan Cats Say Nya Instead Of Meow.

This Saturday we have a Neko Party at T.R.A.C.S. Jenna made this great flyer.

Oscar Wilde once said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.
                                       Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”