(Inspired by Virtual Neko and crossposted from my blog)

It was odd, today. After I’d transferred most of my inventory to my new alt, the next thing I needed to buy again was replacements for the no-trans Neko tail and ears I’ve been wearing non-stop for about 18 months. I’d managed to replace the shape, hair and my usual outfit, and it seemed strange to be looking at my avatar’s backside without the usual tail swishing behind it.

Then, today, I saw the Virtual Neko blog for the first time, which made me wonder, why Neko? What made me choose this particular culture out of the near-infinite possibilities in SL?


To begin with, even long before I even came to SL, I have considered myself to be quite feline in nature. I can relate to cats. Something about the way they can go from purring, laid-back enjoying a belly-rub, to a hissing ball of clawed fury at the merest twitch of a whisker. People tend to think of cats as being domesticated pets, but of all the animals that humans choose to share their lives with, cats are probably the least domesticated of them all. Short of keeping one caged up and locked in 24/7, you cannot curb a cat’s freedom.


Your dog will consider its territory to be the house, the yard, and maybe that stretch of pavement it can see from the front window, at which it barks madly when anyone walks along it. Your cat’s territory will cover not just your property but several others, anything from half a block to… well, who knows how far some cats travel when they’re on the prowl. To a dog, the humans are its lifelong companions, with whom it shares it’s life, it’s unconditional love and unwavering loyalty. The cat regards its humans as a provider of food, shelter and ear-scritches, and it holds unwavering loyalty to no-one but itself. Mistreat a dog and it will cower under the table. Mistreat a cat and it will simply walk away and find someone else who understands how to treat it with respect.


And that’s the key. Cats may be lazy and indolent, they may be predatory and quick to anger, they may be aloof and independent, but barring force, they will never be anywhere they do not wish to be. And so, I feel that on the whole, cats must be inherently happy, because when they are not, they have the freedom to change their lives until they are.


So I have always identified, personality-wise, with cats more than any other animal. And when I came to Second Life, and I saw there were people called “furries” who took animal shaped avatars, I thought that was for me, and so I got a furry cat avatar and hung around in the furry communities. I had a lot of friends who are furries in SL; I still do, but somehow I never really seemed to quite fit in.


Eventually I dropped the furry avatar but having seen people with the Neko ears and tail, I decided to stick with that instead, just to retain some outward trace of my feline-ness. What I didn’t understand until later, was that Neko-ness isn’t just about the ears and tail, there’s a whole subculture involved. It’s gritty and urban; not the pampered kittens in the penthouse but the tomcats howling in the alley below. Neko is punk and alternative but it’s a softer (if grimier) kind. A Neko will wear big fluffy furry boots and a floppy Emo hairstyle instead of big hard Doc Martens and a spiked Mohican. A Neko will be more likely seen carrying a fluffy toy than a switchblade (although be careful - cats have claws and there may well be a switchblade hidden in that fluffy boot).


There’s something youthful I find in the Neko subculture. We’re like a bunch of lost kittens, cast out into the streets, struggling to survive alone when all we really want is a nice warm fire, a bowl of milk, and someone to provide belly-rubs and ear-scritches. Most Nekos I’ve met are young, or at least they appear to act that way; maybe it’s an attempt to re-capture lost childhoods in the same way that others choose to play child avatars. But of course cats, or at least happy cats, never grow too old to play.


An interesting observation I’ve made in Second Life, or maybe it’s just related to the groups of people I tend to hang out with the most. But the majority of Nekos I know are either straight girls or gay (and usually slightly subby) guys. I don’t think I have ever met a straight male neko, or even if such a thing exists.


Its also a slightly odd choice for a guy who in real life doesn’t like either meat or milk. I do however, adore a good belly-rub.

…just… right.. there… ahhh yes *purrs* =^.^=