Etiquette

In the Kemoverse, the Kemonos are expected to follow certain mores to successfully co-operate with their peers. The social manners largely evolved from the initial influence, but was adapted over time to better fit the physical characteristics of the Neofur.

Face and expressions

The face is an essential part of communication.

Eye contact is a significant factor in the agreement to a conversation because of the intrinsic connection between the sight and acknowledgement of parties. Staring intently towards somebody else can easily be seen as aggressive, and thus, wandering around with your eyes is seen as polite and especially inclusive between multiple conversation partners. Staring at someone behind their back is considered rude, as Kemonos more easily "feel" the presence of someone's eyes on them. Hiding the eyes, especially with a hand, is seen as a natural response of embarrassment and consideration, while hiding someone elses eyes can only be accepted as a gesture between close friends due to the intimate placement -- it would be either a playful "shut up", or an assertive action to take control.

While eye contact stand for the direct connection between conversation sides, the ears also fill a role - to be aware of the area around them. Ears doesn't physically move around a lot, but if they do, it is certain that it is because of something in need of immediate attention. Loud bangs and crashes may quickly "flick" the ear of people, while sustained, grinding noises may prompt the people in vicinity to close off the ears as much as they can. The ears have limited muscles to accomplish this, so the noise would need to be annoyingly persistent. Covering the ears in any way implies that the Kemono is selfish and withdrawn, but may make sense in some environments.

Teeth are used for reading intention of Kemonos. Most of them doesn't have an excellent grip on their muscles, and may end up gritting their teeth in frustration if, say, they miss their bus. Showing ones bare teeth to others is, by default, seen as a threatening gesture as the sharp, pointy shape of them have no place in a conversation. However, if the Kemono is able to showcase control over it, such as subtly showing off with a smile but still hiding the pointy parts, it is seen as respectable and maybe even cute. As with the teeth, the mouth may also be a place of shame, as its immediate meaning is food consumption. Of course, talking is necessary, but it's expected to keep the snout level to not bare the teeth. Kemonos doesn't care about showing teeth when it fits the role, such as a parent to her children as the teeth are meant to be slightly intimidating. Touching your teeth with claws is seen as an unruly act, and instead, little chewing bones are supposed to be used.

Tail and body

The tail is a generic indicator of the mood and status. A still one generally indicates a calm, collected, or perhaps a tired Kemono; while an active, bouncing and flapping one indicates a high-energy, enthusiastic one. However, calm behavior of the tail is to be expected in social situations - even in moments where the person feels momentary excitement. The reason is because the tail can often "take a mind of its own", and bother/destroy the surrounding environment. This is why adolescents are taught from early age to keep it in control, often by keeping it curled towards their feet or leg.

Happiness is expressed with a raised tail, which with practice can be one smooth motion from idling. A sustained, raised tail means a keen interest and enthusiasm, particularly if it wags lightly from side to side. Sadness and defeat is often shown as an idle tail with a subtle, yet noticeable curl inward between the legs. Most other emotions often reflect themselves on the tail with the severity - thinking may pause the tail while thinking hard may cause it to arch straight, feeling fear may poof it up while feeling horror may cause it to violently flap from side to side, feeling annoyed may make it wag faster and feeling rage may flap it up and down against something. Sitting down, it's mannered to keep it as close to your legs as possible or even curled up to your lap. However, if tail-holes in furniture are available, it is expected to make use of those.

Grabbing one's own tail is often a pointless gesture, much like grabbing one's purse or strap, but can provide something to hold on in tense situations to calm themselves down. Brushing someone elses tail is an intimate act, and indicates affection and trust. Yanking your own tail is... weird, but you should never yank someone elses tail. You are guaranteed to be yelled at, or even shoved away. Brushing your own tail is a rather self-caring gesture.

The body fur is an inconvenience to Kemonos. It sheds through-out the day, a fact accepted in society, and to help this you are expected to own your own personal brush for taking care of it. More brushing leads to less shedding, which can always be appreciated. Well treated fur sheds very little, and implies beauty and formality. You are not expected to brush for a visit to the local grocery shop (where employers are constantly cleaning the floors), but you are expected to vigorously shed beforehand for a visit to a company meeting. Public spaces often have fur laying around, contributing many kinds of smells - it is comparable to, say, the presence of leaf piles. Because of the easy shedding of the fur, scratching yourself is seen as a mostly inappropriate gesture, particularly indoors. If it's unavoidable, it's acceptable to excuse yourself from it to go somewhere else to do it, such as outside where there's wind.

Body posture is key to judge a person's characteristics. Straight and stable poses are of power, while crouchy and slouchy poses are seen as anxious or withdrawn behavior. Crawling on all fours is childish, but not unfamiliar. In general, interaction with the ground is unacceptable if wearing "proper" clothes (covering most of the body), so the less clothes they're wearing, the more acceptable it is to roll around on the floor. Climbing is expected and liked by most, however, it's preferable to keep it to nature.

Claws and paws

Claws are sharp things, and it is customary to keep them pointed away from fragile things. Scratching, and even clawing are uncivilized acts that are best done in private. Unlike teeth, it is okay to show the claws themselves as the Neofur isn't able to physically withdraw them. Shaking hands is standard and practice is needed from young age to angle the claws right. Clashing claws between two people is seen as a sparring gesture, and can be useful to reach an agreement in some cases: for example, for two friends to "sign" an informal deal between them, they might lock a claw or two between each others and "tug" once.

Feet should be aimed high instead of laying flat on the soles. While some degree of lowering is accepted, particularly when bending over or crouching, the heel and sole shouldn't come in contact with the ground for sanitary reasons. Dirty heels implies that the person is willfully ignoring basic and respectable postures; not only because of cleanliness factor but also because they become physically shorter, a pointless and weird act. To the contrary, if the heel is raised high to the point where the foot is parallel to the leg, it is seen as either uppity or pretentious depending on the context. Ones feet should never come in contact with items above the ground, except for things like kicking open a public door -- rude, but not gross.