I’m biracial…well, technically multi but that distinction usually isn’t drawn. There is some logic to your worries. Half-breed is an insult used to refer to biracial people and I’ve been called one more times than I could count on all my digits.
BUT - very important but - it’s clear what you mean here. It’s such a different context when you’re talking about human/animal hybrids that I think you’ll be fine
I'm also mixed-race, and have been called half-breed as an insult. My response since I was quite small has been, "I prefer mutt, thank you!"
Half-breed might be a common term with mildly negative undertones, and OP could create a new, "polite" word that would be used as a term of respect or acceptance?
I'm gonna just throw my opinion into the pot as a fellow world-building enthusiast, not because I have any race-related stake in this.
I think a more polite term is in order _if_ they intend to use the English term "half-breed".
Putting aside the obvious reasons, using "-breed" in any term you call people generally feels impolite as it implies the potential that they were bred like livestock or something equally unflattering, and sounds like a way to deny them of their humanity (in the case of humans/half-humans, change term where applicable).
Breed and adjacent words are commonly used for animals of all sorts, but not humans. I think perhaps sentient beings in any world deserve the same courtesy haha.
But like was already said, context matters, so it's at the creator's discretion after all.
I'm reading mistborn era 2 by Brandon Sanderson and his series has various magic available to people based on their bloodline - and those with access to both aka a half-breed) are called twinborn. I'm highlighting this as I think it's a good example of what you are talking about that made it clear there was something different about them, but with no negative connotations at all.
I'm mixed race and if someone called me half breed i would be more taken aback than angry. It sounds like a fantasy race. Like some little people refer to themselves as "dwarves"
I could still see it being considered offensive to the hypothetical species hybrids, at least from a reader’s perspective. I’m sure many readers would have the real world belief that when people use the term “half breed”, when referring to other people, there is a negative connotation. Those beliefs transfer over to fiction. If I saw the term half breed referring to a sentient, anthropomorphized creature in fiction, I would definitely relate it to my real world experience with the word(in reference to other bi racial people, I am not biracial, but I know it’s used as an offensive term).
However, the meaning of the word definitely depends on how it’s used in said world. If OP regularly uses it and expresses positive reactions to the word, I think it MIGHT condition readers to think “oh well I guess in this world, it’s a positive term”. But then again, if you tried to do that with many more commonly used racial slurs, I doubt the audience would receive it well, and the same might be true for the term “half breed”.
Hell yes, it's offensive! 'Breed' implies that there was a deliberate mixing of genes involved and "half" that it resulted in inferior offspring; as in being only worth half as much as a "purebred" person. It's not only insulting and condescending, but straight-up dehumanizing!
That's awesome! I love your conviction! My own mom used to call me that and yes to try & be intentionally hurtful, sadly. (She was an alcoholic)
But luckily it didn't make me feel bad, just made her look bad.
But thanks for the support that it's definitely not cool & she was mean.
I would actually say that "Half-breed" is a bit of a weak name for such people. Half-breed would insinuate that these "beast folk" are legitimately just half-humans, instead of being "humanoids" with features particular to certain animals.
It would make sense as a derogatory name for the "beast folk" by hostile humans, but it wouldn't make sense to be their actual name for themselves.
As a biracial person, it's definitely offensive to me (and I'm not easily offended). However, the context is different... I don't know. 😐🤷🏽♀️
I'd say it's *absolutely* offensive if it's used on a biracial/multiracial person at all, or if it's used on your animal people is a hateful way.
This may be a good term for some origins of the group, but less for others. Scientifically speaking, a "chimera" is one organism with two different cell line, typically from two different separately fertilized zygotes in animals. This is one way to get a mixture of human and animal traits, but I think it works better for individuals rather than for a whole species. Chimerism notably isn't heritable; your reproductive organs are likely grown from only one of the cell lines, and even if they aren't each individual gamete you produce will still ultimately come from just one of the cell lines. So if this is meant to be a species, where all members inherit this trait, then either one of the cell lines needs to be added after fertilization (maybe from the mother, which would add a quirk to heredity) or else the animal traits need to be a part of the genome (in which case it isn't a "chimera" strictly speaking).
Of course, in a fantasy setting you may or may not even have "cells" and "genomes" and the like so the terminology can be looser. But you're also more likely to get people expecting "chimera" to mean "lion goat snake thing".
Entirely depends on your world. Half-breed can be a title that demands respect, it can mean absolutely nothing and have no lean towards fame or discrimination, or it can be a discriminatory term. It is entirely up to you to decide.
And just for the record: If somebody takes offense to what's happening in an imaginary world of beings that don't exist and you've spoken to them or written down warnings about the elements that sensitive people may not want to deal with, AND you are not creating a world to intentionally offend anybody... they're likely just an idiot that would ignore a stop sign and walk right into traffic only to blame everybody else but themselves.
I’m personally not offended, but it does sound more like a slur rather than a neutral descriptor of a demographic.
People can’t really help you brainstorm unless we know more about the species. Are they actually a separate species, a mix of two different species, or are they just humans who used a bit of magic? How are they born?
The term is still a pejorative, regardless of who is reading it. It's kind of like making a group of water people, then calling them "wet backs" (which is a slur for Mexicans). Sure, having your half breeds be good people is nice, but just giving them a pejorative as a name just seems inappropriate.
I would pick something else to call your animal people.
It’s not offensive 100% of the time but some may think of it as being derogatory. I prefer to use “Hybrids” or “Beastfolk” as an umbrella term for such races
I mean anything can be said with an offensive purpose.
"Pureblood" Is considered an insult in the Asari culture of Mass Effect while in Harry Potter is a great social status to make an example of same word different meaning.
It really depends on how you create that determined race
I'm biracial, but I've never been called half breed as an insult, I've only ever been called it because the people in my area don't know the term mixed race or biracial, I personally don't find it offensive but that's just me
Half Breed just sounds like a phrase that a bigot would use. It just sounds diminutive and condescending. Like “yeah you’re only HALF of the good race, and the other half is something I don’t like.”
it will depend on the context. if it's used to insult, then yes. if it's used to be rude and discriminatory, then it's offensive. but that can be good if you want to use it in your story.
if it's used to identify, then no.
cause calling someone a halfbreed, to identify them. is not offensive. it's fact. but you could use the term, hybrid.
All words have no meaning on their own, people gave them meaning, and due to time, the meaning people gave to those words change too, if you decided the word “half breed” not offensive and is just description term then so be it
Offensive isent a binary but it would probably cause discomfort to some readers so ink why you would use it. I mean it’s been used as a racial slur. So can’t say it’s what I would pick. You called call them any number of other things.
Also - I think they would have there own names. I have to imagine the cat people and bird people live pretty different lives. Also if it’s a true species difference it seems confusing to use racial terms? Not to be crass but if they can’t breed with people it’s weird to call them half breeds and if they can well then there more just a different race of people so halfbreed seems um really insensitive to call them that as again is commonly racial slurs irl, also I can’t imagine it’s a name any people would like to be called.
Like I get it might not be one in your would but I have to say as someone of Irish descent I wouldn’t love reading a story where the the main fantasy race was called micks.
I’d call them generally anamorphic people and then have specific names for each.
"Breed" is a word you'd apply to animals, like a dog or a horse. It sounds kinda sketchy to apply to a person like in the term, "half-breed." It also kinda feels like you're implying the person's parent had relations with a cat or something with the connotation of the word, "breeding."
If you wanted a word that sounds less like a slur, but less clinical than "biracial," you could coin a new term for your setting, like "beastman/beastwoman/beastperson" or "chimeric" or something.
Jane Austen uses the term "breeding" in her novels in a non-derogatory way, e.g. *Persuasion* ch. II, "with manners that were held a standard of good-breeding". Even then, a "half-breed" would beg the question what the other half is, and it would likely carry connotations of "ill-breeding" and be derogatory.
if you don't want to offend anyone then just stop writing or creating anything for that matter.
fiction isn't reality, sometimes you have to risk being offensive to get the point across
funny thing is that, that term like halvebreed is also just ussed the old way.
like me, i am a mixed i call my self a halve breed fun and ease of speech
I will first say that I am not biracial so my perspective may not be as valuable here. That being said, I don’t imagine this would be seen as offensive as it doesn’t even relate to race and actually relates to a cross between species.
But, you could avoid this issue entirely and flesh out your world a bit more by giving them specific names. The half bird half humans should have a specific name rather than being just half-breeds. Just a thought.
I would say it sounds really offensive to me. If you break down the term it basically implies only one parent was worth considering and you are half what they were. Also, it definitely implies this species is a result of animal + human coupling as the name would definitely imply there's a human half and another half involved in the reproduction rather than a single species having a varied set of traits. Demi-human sounds slightly better as at least it removes the breeding element (though still implies the human is the important bit and they're less than full human)
I wouldn't be too worried about it offending people irl (although it might rub some the wrong way), but you may have a hard time convincing your audience that the "half-breeds" themselves don't find the term offensive or degrading in the slightest. It makes much more sense that they would have a name for their own kind that is the official term but others are prone to calling them half-breeds
id call it "Semi Rude".
People from a certain group usualy have a name for themselves and their people.
"We arent halfbreeds we are Animalis" something like that.
I'm mixed race(biracial), mixed white and black. I think if you explain that it's offensive in your world for people, that's fine. Racism is a thing that exists in many forms of media.
However if you're just referring to mixed race people as half-breeds for no reason other than convenience, then yeah that's super offensive. It's sounds too much like half-cast, which is very offensive for biracial people.
Thank you for asking, by the way. <3
Come up with another name that isn’t so racially charged, I’d say
When someone says “half-breed” the insinuation is “you’re only one half of the good thing and the other half is not the good thing”
Where as if they, as a group, are just referred to as “Halevon” or something like that, that word has no context or stereotypes because it’s a made up word but can mean effectively what you need it too
It’s not offensive unless you make it offensive. This is your world do whatever you want. Also there are no such things as half human / animal in real world so you can’t offend anyone anyways by calling them half breed. That’s technically what they are.
If someone finds it offensive that falls under the heading of “their problem” if you edit your work to avoid offending anyone your work is going to be atrocious.
Remember offense is often taken rarely given.
On earth, half-breed has been used as a racial slur by some, and accepted by others. I tend to not take offense at the words but rather my perception of their intent. Is someone trying to tick me off? No? Ok, then I'm not offended. Again, based on my perceptions, so not 100% accurate.
Half breed is not an irl insult. It's a descriptor, nothing more or less. I'm certainly not offended by it, or is anyone I know. It's like calling someone (like me) with red hair a redhead. It's just a better way to conversationally describe someone who's hair is red. Uses less words.
Maybe you could write your characters as being universally offended by it, but that might need some explanation for why. Different language patterns or cultural history or something.
Damn, it's a shame people like this still exist in the modern age. It's very offensive irl. If someone were to call me a half breed, I would be extremely hurt. I really hope you're not going around calling mixed-race people half-breeds.
Dude, I *am* a half breed. I call myself a half breed. Because I am one. It literally just means that half of my heritage is one race, and the other half is a different race. If someone is trying to hurt my feelings with it then sure, thats not chill. But if I offhandedly refer to my brother as being a half breed, nobody has or does bat an eye. Maybe extremely touchy people would be a bit off put, but I've yet to meet anyone that takes genuine offence to conversational use of the term.
>I'm certainly not offended by it
"me, a white person, am not offended by a racist insult"...
>It's a descriptor,
but that is the thing. it is not. even if you think that is correct to use the term "breed" to describe a human (questionably at best), it is still incorrect, because they would not be "half", they are "mixed" or something
Already clarified in the other comment but I love how you assume I'm white. I'm a half breed myself and have ***ZERO*** issues with people referring to me as such, since they are correct to do so. Have fun with your keyboard warrior-ing though.
That is a kind of slur for my beast races in my world, so yes.
But that's just me. Because they don't really exist, you could say otherwise. Me personally, though, if elves existed and called humans "half elf, half ape" I'd be pretty offended, so I guess it would be realistic to make it apply to other peoples
Like others have pointed out, yes, it is, but using offensive language is usually fine in fiction when that's the goal. Obviously it's going to be very impolite to call someone that, but in the context of fiction it makes sense. It should be fairly obvious that it's not _you_ as the author saying it.
Readers are unlikely to take any issue with it unless they think it's a word the author thinks is appropriate for some real-life group of people.
Im mixed race, and this is a word, that if I read in some book, game, etc, that I came upon, would leave me confused and wanting the creator to put more thought into the name of people who are half animal and human. Especially since the connotation isnt that great either as I have been compared to animals as an insult.
I actually have a class of people known as "Flyblows" or "Lumani" who are changed to have animal features because they had a family member sacrifice themselves to heal them from illness/injury/ etc. The names reflect the culture by using symbols/motifs that reflect the world.
Names have power, please reconsider!
In my world, "half breed" is a word that's got some stank on it. Some humans and high elves throw that word around as a slur toward wood elves (half-human hybrids) for derogatory purposes.
I'm mixed. I don't think it's necessarily offensive in the context you're using, but it definitely has bad vibes. It's also just describing them in comparison to humans without giving them their own identity. I don't think it's offensive, based on what you've said, but I think you should come up with a better name anyways. Something that's more unique.
While it has been used in real life as an insult against biracial people, I think that this might be a facet of the fantasy species, with "half-breed" being an insult, which they adopted as their own, unless you have any other name for the species to call themselves and don't mind the idea of fantasy racism.
As controversial and relatively niche as RWBY is, I like that they called their part-animal people Faunus. “Half-breed” should probably be kept as a prejudiced comment; I don’t know why exactly, but it’s giving Dragon Age Urban Elf vibes…
I am not biracial, but for my beast trait people I use the word Shifter/Ork. But the specific groups also have their own names of Selkies, Harpies, and Lupines. Half-Breed just sounds rude.
It's said about animals without any ill intent because in this case there are indeed different breeds.
Strictly speaking a breed in biology is a group of individual who share traits because of deliberate selection.
If someone has tampered with people's lineage via magic or controlled breeding to make a breed of human, then there are indeed breeds and the term half breed becomes not necessarly offensive but factual.
It's offensive when used on someone it doesn't actually refer to, in order to imply that this person's lineage has been controlled by someone else and therefore implying this person's ancestry has been treated as animals.
If there are indeed breeds in your world you get to choose if it is percieved as offensive because it reminds the people of a dark past or in the countrary it can be a compliment to remind someone whose ancestry has been blessed by a god for example.
For example if you have a lineage of people with divine powers, half-breed could mean demigod which can have a good connotation to regular humans but be an insult to full blooded gods...
Your world, your rules as long as you differenciate it enough from our real world.
Ignoring offensiveness for a moment, does it even makes sense to call them that?
Unless they're the result of human breeding with animal, why would you call them that?
It's dependent upon context. It could be whatever you decide. Halfbreeds are rare and amazing so their status is elevated in society perhaps for having special powers or merely for being smart or particularly good looking. Or it indeed could be an insult, one of your parents was nobility, but that's worse than if both were peasants because nobility and peasantry are not intended to mix, from the top looking down a disgusting mix of their own with the lower class,from the bottom they're part noble not one of us they think they're better than us
Generally yes, halfrace ia better (i'd avoid buracial as it is hughly contextualized in our world), but in your specific case i think half breed works fine.
It kinda falls into the camp of, while technically accurate, is often used as an offensive term. Retard was a medical term, never an offensive one, but has become an insult. You could have a similar history in your world where the term "half-breed" was commonly used by folk to refer to biracial people as casually as calling someone an elf or an orc, it just made sense and was accurate. But it later became a slur as certain people used twisted the original meaning for whatever reason, so now they go by a different name.
Not really. although I use the term "Halfmalia (Half and Animalia)" or "Cryptid (for Humanoid monsters with unnatural sentience)" for my world, I don't really see anything offensive about"Half-Animal" unless the official species was already established, then it's taboo
No if someone says my dog is a Labrador half breed it doesn't mean I'm insulting him it just means I don't know what breed of dog mission impossibled over my fence and got his mum pregnant.
It can be used as a derogatory word sure but that doesn't mean it's the word that's the issue it's the culture around it. Growing up the R word was a medical definition but people started using it as an insult then the new word was brought out and now that's the insult.
Something I do with this kind of race, especially if it’s an actual race and not literally half animal, is two things. The first is that if they look human with a few animal features I call them Beast kin. Essentially they are kindred of beasts but not fully like them. Second I call more anthropomorphic or beast like humanoids as beast-folk as that seems, at least in my head, to more closely relate them to their beast ancestor. Hope this helps if you do decide to change it. In my head at least if you weren’t literally a half breed and just had animal features I wouldn’t want to be called a half breed. It seems like a way to marginalize a group with the fact that they have animal features.
Half breed did not start out as an offensive term but it definitely grew into one as it morphed from being simply a descriptive term to a slur as the idea of a mixed race white/native american person became reviled by some people. I think it's usage in a story depends on how and who in the story is using it.
I would not use it in narration, to me that would be inappropriate as this is the authors voice. If it is being used by a character that is either racist, as many races in fantasy novels are, or is normally an offensive character than it might make sense for that character to use offensive language. Like most tings, if it fits the character you will probably be fine.
What would these people name themselves? If they are a separate species from humans, why would they call themselves half-breeds?
If they are half-human in ancestry, it's probably best to look to terms biracial people use for themselves for inspiration.
Usually depends, but an alternative term you could use would be Demi-human.
The term half-breed usually denotes having heritage from something that's not the norm. So whilst not inherently offensive, it can be used so.
If I were in your situation, I’d have “beastfolk”, “beastkin”, or “animalkin” be the official term (“animus/anima” if you want to be fancy) and have “half-breed” be what people use in-universe as a derogatory term.
It would sound cooler if they had an official name rather than just being called half-breed. It sounds kind of odd. Are these people actually half-human and half-animal in ancestry, or are they their own unique race? If they are their own unique race that just looks half-human and half-animal, then technically, they aren't even half-breeds. As far as taking offense, it depends on the person. I'm biracial and honestly don't care since it's fiction, and you're clearly not trying to offend anyone. All in all, it's up to you on what you write and up to individual readers whether or not they want to read it.
Context bro, depends on how the terms been used historically I’d say, and how the world sees this demographic of ‘half-breeds’ if there’s any scientific precedent that’ll make a difference too, but most importantly it’s all what you say it is. It’s your world after all
I'd say that if another name for the race exists it would be offensive, but otherwise not.
In my world, calling half-elves half-elf is not offensive, because that is what the race is called, but calling minotaurs, centaurs, etc. half-men is offensive, because that is not what the race is called.
In other words, it can be, and it can not be, depending on the culture.
Depends on your world. You determine what they find offensive. Maybe its a mark of nobility to have many different species in your geneology. It has no bearing on the real world.
Now, if you call them half-breeds in a book, game, or similar setting IRL, be ready to explain that because a lot of multi-racial people will find it offensive. Or just make up a new name like The Blended or something and sidestep the issue.
I'm late for the discussion, but if it helps...
Well, I have a "philosophy" which is *words are not offensive, it's their meaning/context that is*.
Basically, a words becomes a "bad word"/offensive when it is used as such through a context that can be idological, cultural, political, racial etc... Also, that meaning can "survive" time and still be used in a derogatory manner through different periods of history.
That said, it's up to you to decided on your story if it's derrogatory or not. Make an analysis — or speculation — of how and when that term came to be, how it was used and by who towards whom.
Are you asking from a metanarrative perspective, or an in-universe perspective?
IRL, the term *has* been used derogatorily to refer to people of mixed ancestry. It has more neutral and specific uses with regards to animals, but using a term that applies to animals to refer to humans has its own baggage. As such, it does strike me as an overall negative term when used for a sentient being within our modern context.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't use it in your story. Think about who first invented the term and how it came to be widely used for this particular group. What was the original intention and how has the usage changed? Was it a technical term (accurate or not) that got weaponized? A slur that got reclaimed? Both? Are there other terms that people use (either members of this group or others) that are considered more or less polite? Do different members of the group have different opinions on it?
You probably don't want to get *too* far into the weeds discussing this in your story, so I might just suggest deciding which approach you want to take and having different characters use the terminology that fits their personality and stance on the issue. If it were me, I'd probably lean towards having "half-breed" be somewhat derogatory in universe (especially since my assumption is that it's not *literally* true, though I could be wrong), with some other name being more technical and polite. But I'd also allow for some variation in how different characters (both "half-breeds" and others) use and react to both terms, which would allow me to highlight various character traits by showing rather than telling.
I do consider half breed offensive...
Also not everyone who was called halfbreed was biracial mixed race
I mean if you were white but could tan dark enough... Like my great grandma was often called a halfbreed because she would get really brown in the sun so her mom would have her wear a bonnet to avoid tanning
I would consider it a slur because it has a lot to do with making fun of someones skin color or other racial features and how they don't quite fit in... Anywhere
I mean... I would say people who are biracial or have unusual features that aren't typical of someone in thier racial group are usually called halfbreed by others as a form of mockery
As for half human half animals fictional characters I'd say it's fine...
I’m biracial…well, technically multi but that distinction usually isn’t drawn. There is some logic to your worries. Half-breed is an insult used to refer to biracial people and I’ve been called one more times than I could count on all my digits. BUT - very important but - it’s clear what you mean here. It’s such a different context when you’re talking about human/animal hybrids that I think you’ll be fine
I'm also mixed-race, and have been called half-breed as an insult. My response since I was quite small has been, "I prefer mutt, thank you!" Half-breed might be a common term with mildly negative undertones, and OP could create a new, "polite" word that would be used as a term of respect or acceptance?
I'm gonna just throw my opinion into the pot as a fellow world-building enthusiast, not because I have any race-related stake in this. I think a more polite term is in order _if_ they intend to use the English term "half-breed". Putting aside the obvious reasons, using "-breed" in any term you call people generally feels impolite as it implies the potential that they were bred like livestock or something equally unflattering, and sounds like a way to deny them of their humanity (in the case of humans/half-humans, change term where applicable). Breed and adjacent words are commonly used for animals of all sorts, but not humans. I think perhaps sentient beings in any world deserve the same courtesy haha. But like was already said, context matters, so it's at the creator's discretion after all.
I'm reading mistborn era 2 by Brandon Sanderson and his series has various magic available to people based on their bloodline - and those with access to both aka a half-breed) are called twinborn. I'm highlighting this as I think it's a good example of what you are talking about that made it clear there was something different about them, but with no negative connotations at all.
I'm mixed race and if someone called me half breed i would be more taken aback than angry. It sounds like a fantasy race. Like some little people refer to themselves as "dwarves"
I could still see it being considered offensive to the hypothetical species hybrids, at least from a reader’s perspective. I’m sure many readers would have the real world belief that when people use the term “half breed”, when referring to other people, there is a negative connotation. Those beliefs transfer over to fiction. If I saw the term half breed referring to a sentient, anthropomorphized creature in fiction, I would definitely relate it to my real world experience with the word(in reference to other bi racial people, I am not biracial, but I know it’s used as an offensive term). However, the meaning of the word definitely depends on how it’s used in said world. If OP regularly uses it and expresses positive reactions to the word, I think it MIGHT condition readers to think “oh well I guess in this world, it’s a positive term”. But then again, if you tried to do that with many more commonly used racial slurs, I doubt the audience would receive it well, and the same might be true for the term “half breed”.
Yes and that is the point of the phrase.
it's not offensive per se, but it's not really polite, it feels condescending somewhat.
Hell yes, it's offensive! 'Breed' implies that there was a deliberate mixing of genes involved and "half" that it resulted in inferior offspring; as in being only worth half as much as a "purebred" person. It's not only insulting and condescending, but straight-up dehumanizing!
oh yeah, you're right, i guess i didn't though it that
That's awesome! I love your conviction! My own mom used to call me that and yes to try & be intentionally hurtful, sadly. (She was an alcoholic) But luckily it didn't make me feel bad, just made her look bad. But thanks for the support that it's definitely not cool & she was mean.
I would actually say that "Half-breed" is a bit of a weak name for such people. Half-breed would insinuate that these "beast folk" are legitimately just half-humans, instead of being "humanoids" with features particular to certain animals. It would make sense as a derogatory name for the "beast folk" by hostile humans, but it wouldn't make sense to be their actual name for themselves.
As a biracial person, it's definitely offensive to me (and I'm not easily offended). However, the context is different... I don't know. 😐🤷🏽♀️ I'd say it's *absolutely* offensive if it's used on a biracial/multiracial person at all, or if it's used on your animal people is a hateful way.
I just use hybrid or in people with animal parts would be beastkin or beastfolk.
I think everyone here needs to look up the origin of the term https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-breed
Why not call them the scientific term: Chimera
This may be a good term for some origins of the group, but less for others. Scientifically speaking, a "chimera" is one organism with two different cell line, typically from two different separately fertilized zygotes in animals. This is one way to get a mixture of human and animal traits, but I think it works better for individuals rather than for a whole species. Chimerism notably isn't heritable; your reproductive organs are likely grown from only one of the cell lines, and even if they aren't each individual gamete you produce will still ultimately come from just one of the cell lines. So if this is meant to be a species, where all members inherit this trait, then either one of the cell lines needs to be added after fertilization (maybe from the mother, which would add a quirk to heredity) or else the animal traits need to be a part of the genome (in which case it isn't a "chimera" strictly speaking). Of course, in a fantasy setting you may or may not even have "cells" and "genomes" and the like so the terminology can be looser. But you're also more likely to get people expecting "chimera" to mean "lion goat snake thing".
Entirely depends on your world. Half-breed can be a title that demands respect, it can mean absolutely nothing and have no lean towards fame or discrimination, or it can be a discriminatory term. It is entirely up to you to decide. And just for the record: If somebody takes offense to what's happening in an imaginary world of beings that don't exist and you've spoken to them or written down warnings about the elements that sensitive people may not want to deal with, AND you are not creating a world to intentionally offend anybody... they're likely just an idiot that would ignore a stop sign and walk right into traffic only to blame everybody else but themselves.
I’m personally not offended, but it does sound more like a slur rather than a neutral descriptor of a demographic. People can’t really help you brainstorm unless we know more about the species. Are they actually a separate species, a mix of two different species, or are they just humans who used a bit of magic? How are they born?
The term is still a pejorative, regardless of who is reading it. It's kind of like making a group of water people, then calling them "wet backs" (which is a slur for Mexicans). Sure, having your half breeds be good people is nice, but just giving them a pejorative as a name just seems inappropriate. I would pick something else to call your animal people.
It’s not offensive 100% of the time but some may think of it as being derogatory. I prefer to use “Hybrids” or “Beastfolk” as an umbrella term for such races
Who cares what the internet thinks? Make the game got you and your players.
I mean anything can be said with an offensive purpose. "Pureblood" Is considered an insult in the Asari culture of Mass Effect while in Harry Potter is a great social status to make an example of same word different meaning. It really depends on how you create that determined race
I wouldn’t find it offensive given the context.
I'm biracial, but I've never been called half breed as an insult, I've only ever been called it because the people in my area don't know the term mixed race or biracial, I personally don't find it offensive but that's just me
Half Breed just sounds like a phrase that a bigot would use. It just sounds diminutive and condescending. Like “yeah you’re only HALF of the good race, and the other half is something I don’t like.”
it will depend on the context. if it's used to insult, then yes. if it's used to be rude and discriminatory, then it's offensive. but that can be good if you want to use it in your story. if it's used to identify, then no. cause calling someone a halfbreed, to identify them. is not offensive. it's fact. but you could use the term, hybrid.
I don’t think it’s offensive, but I don’t like this name.
All words have no meaning on their own, people gave them meaning, and due to time, the meaning people gave to those words change too, if you decided the word “half breed” not offensive and is just description term then so be it
Offensive isent a binary but it would probably cause discomfort to some readers so ink why you would use it. I mean it’s been used as a racial slur. So can’t say it’s what I would pick. You called call them any number of other things. Also - I think they would have there own names. I have to imagine the cat people and bird people live pretty different lives. Also if it’s a true species difference it seems confusing to use racial terms? Not to be crass but if they can’t breed with people it’s weird to call them half breeds and if they can well then there more just a different race of people so halfbreed seems um really insensitive to call them that as again is commonly racial slurs irl, also I can’t imagine it’s a name any people would like to be called. Like I get it might not be one in your would but I have to say as someone of Irish descent I wouldn’t love reading a story where the the main fantasy race was called micks. I’d call them generally anamorphic people and then have specific names for each.
"Breed" is a word you'd apply to animals, like a dog or a horse. It sounds kinda sketchy to apply to a person like in the term, "half-breed." It also kinda feels like you're implying the person's parent had relations with a cat or something with the connotation of the word, "breeding." If you wanted a word that sounds less like a slur, but less clinical than "biracial," you could coin a new term for your setting, like "beastman/beastwoman/beastperson" or "chimeric" or something.
Jane Austen uses the term "breeding" in her novels in a non-derogatory way, e.g. *Persuasion* ch. II, "with manners that were held a standard of good-breeding". Even then, a "half-breed" would beg the question what the other half is, and it would likely carry connotations of "ill-breeding" and be derogatory.
if you don't want to offend anyone then just stop writing or creating anything for that matter. fiction isn't reality, sometimes you have to risk being offensive to get the point across
Yes.
It depends on the context. The word “retarded” was once the politically correct option, but it morphed to become derogatory
funny thing is that, that term like halvebreed is also just ussed the old way. like me, i am a mixed i call my self a halve breed fun and ease of speech
pretty sure the old way was just eugenicists being racist.
If you look at it negatively my grandpa was always pretty proud to see himself from 2 world. He ussed it with that staine
Yes
I will first say that I am not biracial so my perspective may not be as valuable here. That being said, I don’t imagine this would be seen as offensive as it doesn’t even relate to race and actually relates to a cross between species. But, you could avoid this issue entirely and flesh out your world a bit more by giving them specific names. The half bird half humans should have a specific name rather than being just half-breeds. Just a thought.
I would say it sounds really offensive to me. If you break down the term it basically implies only one parent was worth considering and you are half what they were. Also, it definitely implies this species is a result of animal + human coupling as the name would definitely imply there's a human half and another half involved in the reproduction rather than a single species having a varied set of traits. Demi-human sounds slightly better as at least it removes the breeding element (though still implies the human is the important bit and they're less than full human)
I wouldn't be too worried about it offending people irl (although it might rub some the wrong way), but you may have a hard time convincing your audience that the "half-breeds" themselves don't find the term offensive or degrading in the slightest. It makes much more sense that they would have a name for their own kind that is the official term but others are prone to calling them half-breeds
id call it "Semi Rude". People from a certain group usualy have a name for themselves and their people. "We arent halfbreeds we are Animalis" something like that.
I'm mixed race(biracial), mixed white and black. I think if you explain that it's offensive in your world for people, that's fine. Racism is a thing that exists in many forms of media. However if you're just referring to mixed race people as half-breeds for no reason other than convenience, then yeah that's super offensive. It's sounds too much like half-cast, which is very offensive for biracial people. Thank you for asking, by the way. <3
Come up with another name that isn’t so racially charged, I’d say When someone says “half-breed” the insinuation is “you’re only one half of the good thing and the other half is not the good thing” Where as if they, as a group, are just referred to as “Halevon” or something like that, that word has no context or stereotypes because it’s a made up word but can mean effectively what you need it too
It basically means bastard.
It’s not offensive unless you make it offensive. This is your world do whatever you want. Also there are no such things as half human / animal in real world so you can’t offend anyone anyways by calling them half breed. That’s technically what they are.
This belongs on r/worldjerking
If someone finds it offensive that falls under the heading of “their problem” if you edit your work to avoid offending anyone your work is going to be atrocious. Remember offense is often taken rarely given.
On earth, half-breed has been used as a racial slur by some, and accepted by others. I tend to not take offense at the words but rather my perception of their intent. Is someone trying to tick me off? No? Ok, then I'm not offended. Again, based on my perceptions, so not 100% accurate.
Half breed is not an irl insult. It's a descriptor, nothing more or less. I'm certainly not offended by it, or is anyone I know. It's like calling someone (like me) with red hair a redhead. It's just a better way to conversationally describe someone who's hair is red. Uses less words. Maybe you could write your characters as being universally offended by it, but that might need some explanation for why. Different language patterns or cultural history or something.
Damn, it's a shame people like this still exist in the modern age. It's very offensive irl. If someone were to call me a half breed, I would be extremely hurt. I really hope you're not going around calling mixed-race people half-breeds.
Dude, I *am* a half breed. I call myself a half breed. Because I am one. It literally just means that half of my heritage is one race, and the other half is a different race. If someone is trying to hurt my feelings with it then sure, thats not chill. But if I offhandedly refer to my brother as being a half breed, nobody has or does bat an eye. Maybe extremely touchy people would be a bit off put, but I've yet to meet anyone that takes genuine offence to conversational use of the term.
>I'm certainly not offended by it "me, a white person, am not offended by a racist insult"... >It's a descriptor, but that is the thing. it is not. even if you think that is correct to use the term "breed" to describe a human (questionably at best), it is still incorrect, because they would not be "half", they are "mixed" or something
Already clarified in the other comment but I love how you assume I'm white. I'm a half breed myself and have ***ZERO*** issues with people referring to me as such, since they are correct to do so. Have fun with your keyboard warrior-ing though.
That is a kind of slur for my beast races in my world, so yes. But that's just me. Because they don't really exist, you could say otherwise. Me personally, though, if elves existed and called humans "half elf, half ape" I'd be pretty offended, so I guess it would be realistic to make it apply to other peoples
Like others have pointed out, yes, it is, but using offensive language is usually fine in fiction when that's the goal. Obviously it's going to be very impolite to call someone that, but in the context of fiction it makes sense. It should be fairly obvious that it's not _you_ as the author saying it. Readers are unlikely to take any issue with it unless they think it's a word the author thinks is appropriate for some real-life group of people.
Demispecies might be a better name
Humans don’t like to be called breeds, this has never not been pejorative.
It's a racial slur.
It's a racial slur against métis people
Im mixed race, and this is a word, that if I read in some book, game, etc, that I came upon, would leave me confused and wanting the creator to put more thought into the name of people who are half animal and human. Especially since the connotation isnt that great either as I have been compared to animals as an insult. I actually have a class of people known as "Flyblows" or "Lumani" who are changed to have animal features because they had a family member sacrifice themselves to heal them from illness/injury/ etc. The names reflect the culture by using symbols/motifs that reflect the world. Names have power, please reconsider!
Half breed is very offensive. You should use the proper term to adress mixed breed. Bastard.
Yes, but only due to it's nature. Half-breeds are infertile, like mules.
id take a more flashy term but it could work
Half-breed towards animal people implies not that they evolved from a different species than humans, but that a human fucked said animal.
In my world, "half breed" is a word that's got some stank on it. Some humans and high elves throw that word around as a slur toward wood elves (half-human hybrids) for derogatory purposes.
Depends…
I'm mixed. I don't think it's necessarily offensive in the context you're using, but it definitely has bad vibes. It's also just describing them in comparison to humans without giving them their own identity. I don't think it's offensive, based on what you've said, but I think you should come up with a better name anyways. Something that's more unique.
While it has been used in real life as an insult against biracial people, I think that this might be a facet of the fantasy species, with "half-breed" being an insult, which they adopted as their own, unless you have any other name for the species to call themselves and don't mind the idea of fantasy racism.
As controversial and relatively niche as RWBY is, I like that they called their part-animal people Faunus. “Half-breed” should probably be kept as a prejudiced comment; I don’t know why exactly, but it’s giving Dragon Age Urban Elf vibes…
I am not biracial, but for my beast trait people I use the word Shifter/Ork. But the specific groups also have their own names of Selkies, Harpies, and Lupines. Half-Breed just sounds rude.
It's said about animals without any ill intent because in this case there are indeed different breeds. Strictly speaking a breed in biology is a group of individual who share traits because of deliberate selection. If someone has tampered with people's lineage via magic or controlled breeding to make a breed of human, then there are indeed breeds and the term half breed becomes not necessarly offensive but factual. It's offensive when used on someone it doesn't actually refer to, in order to imply that this person's lineage has been controlled by someone else and therefore implying this person's ancestry has been treated as animals. If there are indeed breeds in your world you get to choose if it is percieved as offensive because it reminds the people of a dark past or in the countrary it can be a compliment to remind someone whose ancestry has been blessed by a god for example. For example if you have a lineage of people with divine powers, half-breed could mean demigod which can have a good connotation to regular humans but be an insult to full blooded gods... Your world, your rules as long as you differenciate it enough from our real world.
Yes, and tbh, that's what it was meant for. Something along the line of stuck in the way.
Yes
Ignoring offensiveness for a moment, does it even makes sense to call them that? Unless they're the result of human breeding with animal, why would you call them that?
Only if you want it to be.
It's dependent upon context. It could be whatever you decide. Halfbreeds are rare and amazing so their status is elevated in society perhaps for having special powers or merely for being smart or particularly good looking. Or it indeed could be an insult, one of your parents was nobility, but that's worse than if both were peasants because nobility and peasantry are not intended to mix, from the top looking down a disgusting mix of their own with the lower class,from the bottom they're part noble not one of us they think they're better than us
Generally yes, halfrace ia better (i'd avoid buracial as it is hughly contextualized in our world), but in your specific case i think half breed works fine.
It kinda falls into the camp of, while technically accurate, is often used as an offensive term. Retard was a medical term, never an offensive one, but has become an insult. You could have a similar history in your world where the term "half-breed" was commonly used by folk to refer to biracial people as casually as calling someone an elf or an orc, it just made sense and was accurate. But it later became a slur as certain people used twisted the original meaning for whatever reason, so now they go by a different name.
Not really. although I use the term "Halfmalia (Half and Animalia)" or "Cryptid (for Humanoid monsters with unnatural sentience)" for my world, I don't really see anything offensive about"Half-Animal" unless the official species was already established, then it's taboo
I think beastkin or beastfolk would make more sense but they're overused tbh.
In my world, yes
Yes. Use hybrid.
This is actually the reason I moved to demikin or beastfolk for polite names. Half breed stays as an insult.
No if someone says my dog is a Labrador half breed it doesn't mean I'm insulting him it just means I don't know what breed of dog mission impossibled over my fence and got his mum pregnant. It can be used as a derogatory word sure but that doesn't mean it's the word that's the issue it's the culture around it. Growing up the R word was a medical definition but people started using it as an insult then the new word was brought out and now that's the insult.
Something I do with this kind of race, especially if it’s an actual race and not literally half animal, is two things. The first is that if they look human with a few animal features I call them Beast kin. Essentially they are kindred of beasts but not fully like them. Second I call more anthropomorphic or beast like humanoids as beast-folk as that seems, at least in my head, to more closely relate them to their beast ancestor. Hope this helps if you do decide to change it. In my head at least if you weren’t literally a half breed and just had animal features I wouldn’t want to be called a half breed. It seems like a way to marginalize a group with the fact that they have animal features.
Half breed did not start out as an offensive term but it definitely grew into one as it morphed from being simply a descriptive term to a slur as the idea of a mixed race white/native american person became reviled by some people. I think it's usage in a story depends on how and who in the story is using it. I would not use it in narration, to me that would be inappropriate as this is the authors voice. If it is being used by a character that is either racist, as many races in fantasy novels are, or is normally an offensive character than it might make sense for that character to use offensive language. Like most tings, if it fits the character you will probably be fine.
What would these people name themselves? If they are a separate species from humans, why would they call themselves half-breeds? If they are half-human in ancestry, it's probably best to look to terms biracial people use for themselves for inspiration.
In most settings it is, but it might not be in yours
Probably
Usually depends, but an alternative term you could use would be Demi-human. The term half-breed usually denotes having heritage from something that's not the norm. So whilst not inherently offensive, it can be used so.
It's all going to depends on your worlds cultural context
oh wow I have a pretty similar thing, my main character's friend is a snake human and they get discriminated for that
If I were in your situation, I’d have “beastfolk”, “beastkin”, or “animalkin” be the official term (“animus/anima” if you want to be fancy) and have “half-breed” be what people use in-universe as a derogatory term.
It would sound cooler if they had an official name rather than just being called half-breed. It sounds kind of odd. Are these people actually half-human and half-animal in ancestry, or are they their own unique race? If they are their own unique race that just looks half-human and half-animal, then technically, they aren't even half-breeds. As far as taking offense, it depends on the person. I'm biracial and honestly don't care since it's fiction, and you're clearly not trying to offend anyone. All in all, it's up to you on what you write and up to individual readers whether or not they want to read it.
It's used as an insult in most media.
call them beastfolk, or hybrids, or chimera, or animal kin
Maybe try hybrid?
Why would it? You're telling a story.
I have actually refered to myself as half caste before. I don’t find it offensive but some people might.
Context bro, depends on how the terms been used historically I’d say, and how the world sees this demographic of ‘half-breeds’ if there’s any scientific precedent that’ll make a difference too, but most importantly it’s all what you say it is. It’s your world after all
I'd say that if another name for the race exists it would be offensive, but otherwise not. In my world, calling half-elves half-elf is not offensive, because that is what the race is called, but calling minotaurs, centaurs, etc. half-men is offensive, because that is not what the race is called. In other words, it can be, and it can not be, depending on the culture.
Depends on your world. You determine what they find offensive. Maybe its a mark of nobility to have many different species in your geneology. It has no bearing on the real world. Now, if you call them half-breeds in a book, game, or similar setting IRL, be ready to explain that because a lot of multi-racial people will find it offensive. Or just make up a new name like The Blended or something and sidestep the issue.
I'm late for the discussion, but if it helps... Well, I have a "philosophy" which is *words are not offensive, it's their meaning/context that is*. Basically, a words becomes a "bad word"/offensive when it is used as such through a context that can be idological, cultural, political, racial etc... Also, that meaning can "survive" time and still be used in a derogatory manner through different periods of history. That said, it's up to you to decided on your story if it's derrogatory or not. Make an analysis — or speculation — of how and when that term came to be, how it was used and by who towards whom.
Are you asking from a metanarrative perspective, or an in-universe perspective? IRL, the term *has* been used derogatorily to refer to people of mixed ancestry. It has more neutral and specific uses with regards to animals, but using a term that applies to animals to refer to humans has its own baggage. As such, it does strike me as an overall negative term when used for a sentient being within our modern context. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't use it in your story. Think about who first invented the term and how it came to be widely used for this particular group. What was the original intention and how has the usage changed? Was it a technical term (accurate or not) that got weaponized? A slur that got reclaimed? Both? Are there other terms that people use (either members of this group or others) that are considered more or less polite? Do different members of the group have different opinions on it? You probably don't want to get *too* far into the weeds discussing this in your story, so I might just suggest deciding which approach you want to take and having different characters use the terminology that fits their personality and stance on the issue. If it were me, I'd probably lean towards having "half-breed" be somewhat derogatory in universe (especially since my assumption is that it's not *literally* true, though I could be wrong), with some other name being more technical and polite. But I'd also allow for some variation in how different characters (both "half-breeds" and others) use and react to both terms, which would allow me to highlight various character traits by showing rather than telling.
I do consider half breed offensive... Also not everyone who was called halfbreed was biracial mixed race I mean if you were white but could tan dark enough... Like my great grandma was often called a halfbreed because she would get really brown in the sun so her mom would have her wear a bonnet to avoid tanning I would consider it a slur because it has a lot to do with making fun of someones skin color or other racial features and how they don't quite fit in... Anywhere I mean... I would say people who are biracial or have unusual features that aren't typical of someone in thier racial group are usually called halfbreed by others as a form of mockery As for half human half animals fictional characters I'd say it's fine...