Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:05 am
I was just wondering if anyone read the full version of the Intro to Chakats essay.
I know this is a bit of a blast from the past but I was just browsing Wikifur and came across thisMikey wrote: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.ChakatBlackstar wrote: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.Mikey wrote:Thanks for the abridged version. So, are you one of the atavistic ones? Any scales or anything?
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.
