I'm concerned that myself and others may be using the paws tag incorrectly. I was under the impression that it essentially means the distinct presence of a character's feet such as in this image:

post #953354

The paws description specifically mentions they are "the soft foot of a mammal, generally a quadruped..." clearly not expressing the example image. I'm unsure what the proper tag for this situation is. I would assume hindpaw is the correct choice but that tag implies paws.

The problem is expressed in pawpads as well where a non-mammal species may have distinct foot-pads (as in the example image).

feet should probably be the correct tag, but it's massively underutilized compared to paws for representing the "distinct presence of a character's feet".

How should this be handled?

Also, I'm pretty much a lurker here so I'm unfamiliar with any sort of conventions I should be following. Let me know if I'm going about anything the wrong way!

I fail to see the problem. Those are hindpaws, and hindpaws are paws. Paws can have pawpads, but don't always have them. "Generally a quadriped," not always. It's a mammal's feet, it has claws, it's a paw.

I think what you are saying is correct, so the appropriate course of action would be to replace the word "mammal" with "character" in the paws definition. Do I need some sort of approval to do something like that, or can I just make the change? I'm nervous messing with a tag as large as paws.

As clarification, some hindpaws (which also means some paws) do not have claws or nails, nor do they belong to mammals, nor are they soft. It's primarily used by the site's population to describe the presence of a character's feet but can also be used to describe paw-like hands. The paws tag is just a bit ill defined and I don't know if there is anything I should do about it.

Edited the wiki. Paws has always been a bit loose in tagging, so as long as it mostly fits the bill it's fine.

Talons, on the other hand... Somebody tagged talons as hindpaw, which just does not fit at all.

Ah jeez! talons now too! When doe's a character have talons and when do they have claws? Are toe_claws talons or can characters have talons on their hands? Do dragons have talons? Ah jeez!

Also, as a nice example your user image:
post #670481
in case you change it ever.

...has two characters with adorable hindpaws. The kind of image I would like to find if I was doing a search with paws in it. However, despite being very well tagged, it has neither paws nor hindpaws. Nor claws, talons, or toes while we are at it. How would I tag this image?

CyricV said:
Ah jeez! talons now too! When doe's a character have talons and when do they have claws? Are toe_claws talons or can characters have talons on their hands? Do dragons have talons? Ah jeez!

Also, as a nice example your user image:
post #670481
in case you change it ever.

...has two characters with adorable hindpaws. The kind of image I would like to find if I was doing a search with paws in it. However, despite being very well tagged, it has neither paws nor hindpaws. Nor claws, talons, or toes while we are at it. How would I tag this image?

Glad I'm not the only one posting archive-sake images!
Talons are a much more bone-like structure to them, not very much flesh on them, instead extending immediately out to the toes. Claws, on the other hand, are not mutually exclusive from paws, and claws are even often found on paws.
In the particular case of my avatar's image, the characters have feet, not paws. An important characteristic of feet is the presence of the large heel and the ball: Paws usually either have no heel or a very small one, and instead of a ball (The joint connecting the Big Toe to the foot), they have a uniform series of joints for all of their toes.
Take a look at your image again and notice how there's neither a noticeable heel nor a ball--the bit before the toes looks instead like a bit of fat stretching over the bottom of all of the joints together.

I'm worried we may be dipping into digitigrade/plantigrade now. For more context, my avatar:
post #486624
Are they feet or hindpaws, and are they talons or claws?

CyricV said:
I'm worried we may be dipping into digitigrade/plantigrade now. For more context, my avatar:
post #486624
Are they feet or hindpaws, and are they talons or claws?

I don't see a ball, and what looks like a heel on one foot is shown to be a thumb-toe on the other. It feels kind of wrong to say this, but I believe that qualifies as a paw.

What I say here are just my own thoughts, and not any official suggestion: I only tag it on stereotypical paws:
post #420737 post #597908
And probably only pawpads on:
post #674942 post #668522

The first two would get digitigrade as well as hindpaw, the two other would get plantigrade. I would definitely not use humanoid_feet if pawpads (or even claws) are present. I.e. your typical digitigrade non-hoofed mammalian feet would get hindpaw (or things looking like it).

I don't tag a forelimb with opposable thumbs on an anthro as a paw (otherwise it might be a paw_hand), even if pawpads (or claws) are present. However I imagine this would be debatable.

CyricV said:
As clarification, some hindpaws (which also means some paws) do not have claws or nails, nor do they belong to mammals.

I would say that claws area a distinct but not required feature of paws in my book. E.g. many felines have retractable_claws but would qualify for paws.

However looking at paws there's clearly a wide variety of posts in that, e.g. a crude search for paw humanoid_feet reveals 1300 posts, even paw humanoid_feet solo has 500 posts, something I would personally never tag in such a way.

CyricV said:
I think what you are saying is correct, so the appropriate course of action would be to replace the word "mammal" with "character" in the paws definition. Do I need some sort of approval to do something like that, or can I just make the change? I'm nervous messing with a tag as large as paws.

It's often good to wait at least a little while before editing wikis, mainly so that other people are able to join the discussion. After that it's fair game as long as you don't use it to enforce your own personal opinions.

CyricV said:
Ah jeez! talons now too! When doe's a character have talons and when do they have claws? Are toe_claws talons or can characters have talons on their hands? Do dragons have talons? Ah jeez!

In my book talons are pretty much only feet, also require a more prehensile foot, especially a backwards pointing digit makes it an obvious candidate for talon, having claws is pretty much expected but often not tagged on talons, e.g.:
post #168404
This might also be interesting to look at:
post #944186

• 1. plantigrade humanoid_feet nails/toenails
• 2. plantigrade claws (sometimes big_claws)
• 3. digitigrade claws (sometimes big_claws padpawds)
• 4. digitigrade hindpaw/paw pawpads claws
• 5. digitigrade talons (possibly claws)
• 6. digitigrade (despite being unguligrade) hooves (cloven_hooves if applicable)

I would only tag paws on scalies or marine if they have more mammalian looking limbs, i.e. more stocky and less "digit-like".

claws is an umbrella term for all claws, toe_claws are just claws attached to feet. It is not directly related to paws.

CyricV said:
post #670481
[...]
How would I tag this image?

plantigrade possibly humanoid_feet.

CyricV said:
I'm worried we may be dipping into digitigrade/plantigrade now. For more context, my avatar:
post #486624
Are they feet or hindpaws, and are they talons or claws?

digitigrade claws dewclaw (possibly big_claws) I would not object much for paw.

feet can't be considered more than a wide umbrella term, i.e. digitigrade, plantigrade, unguligrade, hindpaw, humanoid_feet, etc. are all feet. feet would be impossible to separate from any other foot-related tag due to its general use outside of e621.

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As an ending note:

• Posted in proper forum category
• Linked to various relevant wiki pages and gave examples
• Posting example thumbs
• Asking well formulated questions

Yeah, I think you're doing alright.

Chessax said:
...an awesome and clarifying post...

That was an awesome and clarifying post.