animal

Definition

Animal refers to ordinary, real-world-style creatures depicted without sapience or independent character agency — a pet, farm animal, wild animal, or similar presence in a card that is not written as a sapient individual in its own right, regardless of whether it has a name.

This tag is not primarily about biological realism or body plan; it is about sapience and character status. A real-world species depicted as animal set-dressing, even a named pet, uses this tag. The same species written as a sapient, personality-driven individual character instead falls under feral.

Usage

Apply this tag to bots featuring animals present as pets, livestock, wildlife, or setting elements without sapience or independent character agency — a family cat, a named but ordinary pet dog, a background farm animal, wildlife in an outdoor scene. Combine with a species tag (e.g. cat, dog, horse) where relevant; for an ordinary pet with no further significance, the species tag alone is often sufficient, with animal available as a broader umbrella for search and filtering purposes.

Do not apply this tag to animal-bodied characters written as sapient individuals with personality, agency, or a narrative role. Use feral instead — for example, a talking animal protagonist, or any animal-bodied character functioning as a sapient individual rather than scenery.

Do not apply this tag to fictional or mythical creatures such as dragons, griffins, unicorns, or phoenixes. Use monster or a specific species tag instead.

Do not apply this tag to anthropomorphic or humanoid animal characters. Use furry, anthropomorphic, or kemonomimi where appropriate.

Related tags include feral for character-status animal-bodied individuals, monster for fictional non-animal creatures, and furry for humanoid animal characters.