AN INTRODUCTION TO CHAKATS

[Blackstar the Chakat]

I was just wondering if anyone read the full version of the Intro to Chakats essay.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Thanks for the abridged version. So, are you one of the atavistic ones? Any scales or anything?

What? That refers to behavior. Most heavily seen when a cub is threatened. Even the nicest Chakat will slit your neck open if you threaten hir cub.

No, it doesn't. Who told you that? The word "atavistic" means "showing traits of a pre-existing, ancestral, or deevolutionary genome." For example, a person with a vestigial tail could be referred to as displaying atavism. Even if you didn't know what it meant, the fact that the word showed up under the "Physiology" section should have been a tip-off.

I know this is a bit of a blast from the past but I was just browsing Wikifur and came across this

Atavism (verb: to atave) has many meanings, but in the furry fandom, the two most frequent meanings are:

Among lifestylers, atavism means when one's animal instincts partially or totally take over. This may be voluntary or involuntary; when voluntary, it is considered relaxing, but when involuntary, it is inconvenient at best, dangerous at worst.
In stories, atavism is generally less pleasant, and is usually considered to be a symptom of a poorly designed species. In this, atavism is closer to its medical definition; that is, a reversion toward the appearance or behaviors of ancient (and usually less-humanoid) ancestors.

[Mikey]

OK, but I think I could hardly be expected to know the colloquial usage among Chakat lifestylers.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

OK, but I think I could hardly be expected to know the colloquial usage among Chakat lifestylers.

You did ask "who told you that." It just took a few months to remember

[Mikey]

Guilty as charged.