CatGirl: Cat Girl

I think we should hold off for the moment. Its not hurting anything where it is, and if we do make changes, we can always move that stuff then.

I think it is valid to split the costume wearing examples from the biological examples, but I hesitate to make them two entirely separate tropes. I think soft split would do the trick. Note that someone already organized the Comics section that way.

edited 8th Aug '11 6:43:10 AM by Auxdarastrix

Considering that this is a huge page as it is, splitting now might be advantageous.

I just don't know how you can justify Azunyan, Koboshi, Cat Woman and Black Cat all on the same trope, just because all four wear fake cat ears.

edited 8th Aug '11 6:44:41 AM by SakurazakiSetsuna

We have Animal-Eared Headband too that you might want to throw into the description to achieve the effect but not be an actual example of a Cat Girl. (or the Anamorphic Cat People like Thunder Cats which is something completely different....)

Also I would be for splitting or soft splitting the Moe Kitty stereotype kind that purr, quick to go from cute to Genki Girl and playful (which is Japanese specific) vs say the page image which act more undomesticated or the older full on cat stereotype.

Ok Cat People didnt go to where I expected.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:01:22 AM by Raso

I didn't know we had Animal-Eared Headband. Should all costume examples be moved over there? Maybe rename that to Animal-Eared Costume?

I had no idea either. Absolutely thats where those examples should go.

We may want an "Animal Costume" page, though that might be mistaken for the large "mascot" style costumes, not animal themed superhero outfits.

Edit: Hah! It even has the exact image I would have suggested for it. Perfect.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:04:17 AM by SakurazakiSetsuna

I do think there is enough in common between the basic concept of giving feline features to a character through ears and such to justify it being a single trope. The Japanese examples are already mostly separated by the fact that most are under the Anime and Manga heading. Also, the current description would indicate that the Japanese also have the sexy dangerous version that is epitomized in the western Catwoman.

Perhaps this can kept as a super-trope with specific expression of cat people being split off as subtropes.

Cute Cat Girl and Sexy Dangerous Cat Girl does sound like a valid trope distinction, since those show how cat-like features can be used to highlight different aspect of a character.

And agreed on the "Animal Costume" suggestion.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:11:41 AM by Meeble

Just the headband (and sometimes tail, not always required.) does not make one into a Faux Cat Girl or Faux Kitty Girl though (at least in Anime) its also the act like the Verbal Tic, grooming, closed eyes etc.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:17:27 AM by Raso

Ok wow my internet is so sporadic with posting here I am going to just bow out for now till this problem is fixed.....

Okay, some general ideas:

Super-Trope: Cat-Eared Person.

Subtrope 1: Cute Cat Girl

Subtrope 2: Feline Themed Femme Fatale

Where do Cat Boys like Ritsuke from Loveless and Schrödinger from the Hellsing manga fit in? Neither seem much like the Cute Cat Girl description, even if they are related.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:23:51 AM by Auxdarastrix

Whether we go with that or not, I just want to mention that Feline Femme Fatale is an excellent name, and one that I hope we can use somewhere.

Cat Boy might be iffy I see Dog Boy more than cat boys. (Kotaro from Negima.) Girls are Cats, Boys are Dogs/Wolves is the general stereotype.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:25:18 AM by Raso

They are less common but they exist so they need to go somewhere.

We also Classy Cat-Burglar, which certainly relates to many of the examples.

As it stands right now, Catwoman, for example, would be both a Cat Girl and a Classy Cat-Burglar, wearing a Animal-Eared Headband and a Cat Suit.

EDIT: As a temporary measure, I've reorganized the description of the Cat Girl article. Any more serious changes such as splits or redefinition would of course require a vote here.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:40:32 AM by Auxdarastrix

Supertrope seems like it would work, but leaving it named Cat Girl seems best. It has over four thousand indounds, after all, and is a pre-existing term.

So how should we split this? Costume versus Biological? Japanese and Western? Cute vs Sexy/Dangerous?

Also, a rename to "Cat Girls and Cat Boys" or "Cat Girls and Boys" would have minimum disruption but remove the misleading nature of the title. The existing Cat Girl and Cat Boy would be kept as redirects, so there would be no need to change the bulk of the wicks.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:47:30 AM by Auxdarastrix

I'd say cute/sexy versus dangerous. For some reason, the source of the Cat Girl—biological or costume—isn't really treated all that differently.

I don't know why you're so against keeping Cat Girl as the main title. Most of them are girls, that's why its on the Always Female index. Yes, I know that's under repair, but that's why someone out it there.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:49:53 AM by Discar

Discar: The same reason I would support a rename of Action Girl if Conan the Barbarian was considered a valid example of an Action Girl.

Cat Girl with a redirect to Cat Boy is the way to go... The tropes that are heavily one sided like this its ok to do that we have a ton that do it.

Also Always Female is under repair to get split into Mostly Female (which this is) and Always Female which cant possibly be male by diffination without being a Futanari or flat out crossdressing.

We have Rare Male Example and Rare Female Example for a reason too.

edited 8th Aug '11 7:58:37 AM by Raso

Try this on for size:

—

This item is available in the Trope Co. catalog.

A Cat Girl is a character that looks mostly like a human, however she has feline Unusual Ears. Catgirls sometimes have other feline features, such has cat tails, Cute Little Fangs, cat-like Animal Eyes, claws, Super-Reflexes, and personality traits that conform to feline Animal Stereotypes. A Cat Girl will often have a Verbal Tic that imitates the sound of a cat, such as "Meow" is English works and "Nya" in Japanese works.

Some catgirls are biologically Cat Girl, either because of some degree of non-human ancestory or because of a change brought upon by Magic and Powers or Applied Phlebotinum. Others catgirls merely wear cat-themed costumes, sometimes as part of a wider feline relate Animal Motifs. See Animal-Eared Headband for a list of characters using fake cat ears.

The Cat Girl is most commonly female, perhaps because of the Feline Female association, or perhaps because Most Writers Are Male. However, Catboys can also be found, particularly in media targeted at a female audience. They tend to be either Keets or bad boys, and are actually more likely to wear collars than their female counterparts - especially in Fan Art.

This trope is particularly popular in Japan, where the term ''Nekomimi' is used, meaning "cat-eared".

Their are two main subtropes for Cat Girl:

• Cute Cat Girl uses feline features to emphasis cuteness. See also Everything's Cuter With Kittens
• Feline Femme Fetale uses feline features to emphasis a dangerous, sensual personality. See also Cats Are Mean.

For other animal-ear themes, see Little Bit Beastly and Unusual Ears. Compare also to Petting-Zoo People, where you'll find humanoid cats, rather than characters that are essentially human but with a few feline features.

—

edited 8th Aug '11 10:50:14 AM by Auxdarastrix

I definitely like it at first glance. I would prefer for the dangerous/sensual to be Feline Femme Fatale (just to be more concise and flow better), but that's something that can be decided in a title crowner later.

It does sound better without the "Theme" but then the question would arise as to whether or not we want to include literal felines.

edited 8th Aug '11 8:23:12 AM by Auxdarastrix

Brainstorming for Cute Cat Girl:

—

Most people agree that Everything's Cuter With Kittens, and in the minds of some people, everyone is cuter with cat ears.

The Cute Cat Girl is a type of Cat Girl feline features are used to emphasize cuteness and innocence.

In Japan, the Cute Cat Girl is closely associated with Moe and features prominatly in Anime and Manga. It is noteworthy that the most common method of drawing anime characters, particularly females, tends to give them catlike features (large eyes, a small mouth and a skull shaped much like that of a young human child) - and that cats are extremely anthropomorphic for non-primates in the first place. Given this, the Cat Girl is possibly nothing more than the logical conclusion of this. Cute Cat Girls usually have Cute Little Fangs and a tendency to use a Cat Smile when happy. Female Catgirls often have a Genki Girl personality, and a male Cat Boy may have a Keet personality.

Anime characters which are not actually catgirls often show up as catgirls in the fantasies of other (male) characters. Collars often make a prominent appearance in such cases. In a less suggestive context, playful female characters often have catgirl avatars in Cyber Space sequences. Characters that do not naturally have cat ears will sometimes wear a Animal-Eared Headband. See also Sprouting Ears for examples of characters that do not normally have cat ears being temporary drawn with cat ears because of the use of Super-Deformed art to emphasis certain emotions are character traits.

Catgirls are extremely common subjects of cosplay and roleplaying and in the US at least, catgirl cosplayers are often stereotyped as obnoxious, pushy preteens with squeaky voices, broken Japanese, and gratuitous use of the "Nya" Verbal Tic. 'Please spay your catgirl' is a common joke in some circles, reflecting the general low esteem they are held in by some people, especially those who conflate them with the more negative aspects of the Furry Fandom. However, catgirls are a popular subject of Fan Art among US anime fans, including catgirl versions of non-catgirl characters.

For other animal-ear themes, see Little Bit Beastly and Unusual Ears. Compare also to Petting-Zoo People, where you'll find the literal anthropomorphic cat people, rather than characters that are essentially human but a few feline features added on.

—

edited 8th Aug '11 9:04:38 AM by Auxdarastrix

Important Question: How should Classy Cat-Burglar relate to the Proposed Type 2 (dangerous/sexy) Cat Girl?

edited 8th Aug '11 9:07:44 AM by Auxdarastrix