Difference or the same? A bit of help to understand

[xluferx]

Is there an actual difference between Beastkin and demi human? Because what I see is that Beastkin show what you would call furries but also human with animal characteristics and demi how mans is just that demi humans.
Or Beastkin is a bit more feral and what term should I use for your typical harpy, lamia, animal/monster girl/boy,
I'm just confused or I should just create a new term

Images for a bit of reference

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Demihuman is just a more generalized term, I would say. Cuz it would include lizardmen and whatnot, too, not just those with animal characteristic or traits like a foxgirl or catgjrl.

 

[SuperHeiyan]

If in some setting beastkin are only demi-humans around then there is no difference. However, demi-human can also mean half-demon, half-angel, xianxia cultivator one step from true immortality, human that lost humanity and any kind of antrophormorphic monster.

Basically demi-human means someone that "looks like human, but not quite human"

 

[Daitengu]

Beast-kin are usually a sub category of demi-human when both labels are used. Authors that want folk with animal characteristics are also usually too lazy to give each their own race name and lump them together. Even though humans are technically ape-kin.

 

[Kilolo]

1 : Basically human, with minor furry features (perhaps eyes, nose, ears, claws, some fur, etc)
2 : Humanoid, with significant furry features (muzzle, tail, etc); this includes centaurs and mer-people
3 : Anthropomorphic animal (or taur)
4 : Equally comfortable on two or four legs (or, if you're a taur, on four or six)
5 : Animal shape, with some unusual features (perhaps hands, speech, etc); this includes most dragons, gryphons, etc
6 : Normal animal shape

Spoiler: Visual Scale

basically, demi-human is 1. beastkin is 2

 

[Biggest-Kusa-Out-There]

Don't forget that for a species to be called demi-human, human supremacy must exist first. To give every other races/species the -human suffix would require either humans to be the base or the first that showed up in your world.

I'd recommend calling them by their own name instead of lumping them together for simplicity's sake. Each could have their own country/habitat/whatever and different cultures/languages/history. It does make things more complex, but also aids suspension of disbelief. Personally, I'd expect demi-humans to not conform to the label and take it as discrimination for spice in the story.

Like, a lamia wouldn't proudly say "yeah, I'm a demi-human" and stuff, you know?

 

[K5Rakitan]

I have a friend who identifies as a fuzzy, which is partially furry but without the full suit, just ears and a tail.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I always thought the term demi-humans is used as vulgar slang on those who look different that the standard surrounding, basically if they have non-human features or comes from non-humans, they are demi (lesser) humans.

The term to me has a derogatory tone to it compared to beastkin, which is saying the same thing actually, but in a more roundabout manner and not heavy on human supremancy. Though somehow it is inpolite to point out the person's not human features and tag them as such.

Which is hilarious, because humans can be seen as a more intelligent goblin. Innovative, crafty and cruel even to their own fellow men.

 

[Jemini]

Don't forget that for a species to be called demi-human, human supremacy must exist first. To give every other races/species the -human suffix would require either humans to be the base or the first that showed up in your world.

Not necessarily.

In the world my story is based in, humans are considered the lowest of all creatures and despised by the gods who had never meant for true humans to exist in their world in the first place.

In the lore, they needed something human-like because humans were the only creatures they knew about that had a powerful enough imagination to produce "spirit energy" (an energy in my magic system that is related to thought and imagination, as opposed to mana which is related to life and action).

The dragons are the rulers of the world, while chimeras which were created after dragons were a flawed creature that was too hungry for spirit energy to survive without humans present in the world.

When the gods realized this, they tried everything they could to create a human-like creature that could supply that spirit energy without ACTUALLY creating humans. In the process, they wound up creating beast-men races, vampires, and then finally changelings. The changelings finally did it because they were able to take human form without truly being human. But, after reproducing generation after generation while constantly staying in only 1 form, the changelings started to loose their ability to transform. Eventually, they had human-shaped changelings that could no longer transform. So, effectively just humans.

In this case, all the human-shaped creatures that were also created in this process are called "humanoids" because they have the same shape as those detestable and hated humans.

(If you're going to ask how these gods know about humans to avoid creating them, it's because these gods used to live on Earth, and left after some human-form gods on Earth killed their mother. That's how they know about humans, and also why they hate humans.)

 

[SuperHeiyan]

Spoiler: Visual Scale

basically, demi-human is 1. beastkin is 2

Nah, 1-3 are demi-bumans.

I always thought the term demi-humans is used as vulgar slang on those who look different that the standard surrounding, basically if they have non-human features or comes from non-humans, they are demi (lesser) humans.

Not necessary deragatory. Literal translation is half-human. Althought it's not necessary strictly half, ethymology aside.

 

[Biggest-Kusa-Out-There]

Not necessarily.

In the world my story is based in, humans are considered the lowest of all creatures and despised by the gods who had never meant for true humans to exist in their world in the first place.

In the lore, they needed something human-like because humans were the only creatures they knew about that had a powerful enough imagination to produce "spirit energy" (an energy in my magic system that is related to thought and imagination, as opposed to mana which is related to life and action).

The dragons are the rulers of the world, while chimeras which were created after dragons were a flawed creature that was too hungry for spirit energy to survive without humans present in the world.

When the gods realized this, they tried everything they could to create a human-like creature that could supply that spirit energy without ACTUALLY creating humans. In the process, they wound up creating beast-men races, vampires, and then finally changelings. The changelings finally did it because they were able to take human form without truly being human. But, after reproducing generation after generation while constantly staying in only 1 form, the changelings started to loose their ability to transform. Eventually, they had human-shaped changelings that could no longer transform. So, effectively just humans.

In this case, all the human-shaped creatures that were also created in this process are called "humanoids" because they have the same shape as those detestable and hated humans.

(If you're going to ask how these gods know about humans to avoid creating them, it's because these gods used to live on Earth, and left after some human-form gods on Earth killed their mother. That's how they know about humans, and also why they hate humans.)

And this makes a lot of sense in-world. It works because it's justified within.
I was providing one view of the reason that could exist for the term to be applied. It's not absolute but helps in giving sense to the -human thing. Just calling them demi-humans without reason and wasting world-building potential would be boring imo.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Nah, 1-3 are demi-bumans.



Not necessary deragatory. Literal translation is half-human. Althought it's not necessary strictly half, ethymology aside.

I have too much Kuro no Maou on me, that thing is full of racist (literally RACES different from humans), sexist, hypocritical, narcissistic enemies and the MC being a PSTDed murder machine isn't helping.

Though I dropped it after awhile due to harem.

Back to topic, so it is like saying demigods, not full bloodied gods but still able-to-ruin-mortal-lives gods. I can never get the feeling off of how it means "incomplete".

 

[SuperHeiyan]

Back to topic, so it is like saying demigods, not full bloodied gods but still able-to-ruin-mortal-lives gods. I can never get the feeling off of how it means "incomplete".

If we talk about Greek or any other mythology where gods had sex with mortal resulted in children then meaning of "demi" leans toward "partial" god. In other cases it's leans toward "akin/similar" to god.
And then there is Gilgamesh who is both cases at the same time (2/3 god due to process of his creation (godling) and also demigod in his role both before and after death (god-like) ) but isn't called as one becase term "semi-divine" (demigod) wasn't invented yet at the moment of creation of "Epic of Gilgamesh".

 

[Leyligne]

I always thought demihuman was human-like with other features, including things like face, elves, dwarfs, cat girls, and the half-breeds between human and not. Beastkin are more like lizard men, aarakocra, full evolved animal form, only real resemblance to humans is being bipedal. Just my opinion.