#*were

[chao-lobby]

were(hog)

[genderqueerdykes]

call me a dumbass furry werewolf otherkin faggot but I genuinely don't think queer people having genders tied to their nonhumanity is a bad thing at all. it has no impact on whether or not we're actually. oppressed. or not, so why not let us talk about how our elf or dragon or wolf or cat or whatever nonhuman identities affect our genders, who cares lol

[madpunks]

i love and value all nonhumans deeply, but i just wanted to say that if you identify as nonhuman specifically due to psychosis & delusions: i love you so much. it doesn't make your nonhuman identity any less valid if it comes from delusions, psychotic episodes, or other features of your psychotic disorder. whether it comes and goes when symptoms flare and go into remission, or whether it's a constant, or somewhere in between or outside of that, you are loved. if your spirituality and religious beliefs also become involved, i love you.

psychosis will never make any part of your identity less valid. you are not incapable of knowing who you are because you are psychotic. delusional people are still allowed to define themselves in what terms make sense to them, and are allowed to be their own advocate and narrator. especially if that psychotic person identifies as nonhuman, that doesn't mean you should take that person any less serious. it is just a feature of some of our personalities due to our neurotypes, and it's alright. it's fine. it's normal.

whether you experience clinical lycanthropy or not, if your nonhuman identity is tied to your psychosis, i love you. take care of yourself, nonhumanity is a beautiful way to experience life. it's okay to be who you are

[wirsindkrieg]

Person ≠ Human = Person

(For clarity, that title should be read as "Person does not equal Human equals Person".)

I've seen a fair few posts over the years I've been involved in the community where someone gets upset by the use of "people" as an umbrella term, generally also claiming that "person" refers exclusively to humans, and therefore the term excludes non-humans.

That is wrong, and it shows that there is a very important conversation that should be happening but isn't.

First thing's first, [this] is the Wikipedia article on "Personhood". I'm going to recommend reading it in full, but if you don't have time or don't want to, the most relevant parts for this are the opening paragraphs (up to the "Philosophy" header) and the sub-headings "Non-human animals" and "Hypothetical beings", both under the "Debates" heading. Those sections should provide some insight into what I'm going to be talking about here, and give you an idea of that conversation that should be happening.

With that out of the way, let's talk about what it means to be a "person", and why it's wrong to claim that it's synonymous with "human". The state of being a "person" (that is, personhood) is less of a biological classification and more of a social one. A person is someone who is deserving of basic rights and decency, which I would hope we can all agree is not a category exclusive to humans. Exactly where the line between "person" and "non-person" lies has been debated extensively for a very, very long time, but there is at least one solid standard that everyone should be able to agree with:

A person is a sapient, thinking being capable of recognizing itself as being a person.

If you are reading this right now, I'm going to assume that you meet that definition, which makes you a person, and that is a good thing. It means you are a being which deserves basic rights like the ability to engage with society, own property, and exercise your free will. Saying you're not a "person" because you're non-human is saying that you shouldn't get to enjoy those basic rights, and that you should not be included in society and allowed to act as an independent being.

All humans are people, but that does not mean that all people are human. And it's worth noting that declaring categories of humans as not being people has been an important part of excusing the removal of basic rights from them. You see it in the way that slaves were talked about prior to the practice being outlawed, and in the way that fascists talk about the groups that they think should be killed en masse. Declaring those groups as not being "people" dehumanizes them, not because being a person means being human, but because being human means also being a person.

There very clearly needs to be an ongoing conversation in the community about non-human personhood, because it is a topic with a long history, with strong points made in favour of including all manner of non-humans under the umbrella of "person". This ongoing trend of declaring oneself to not be a person because of non-humanity is, put bluntly, foolish at best and actively dangerous at worst. Everyone has personhood. It came free with your being a sapient being, capable of thought and self-reflection.

And bonus conversation topic: The reason that anti-kin and related groups do the whole, "Oh, you're not human? Does that mean I can treat you like an animal?" bit is because they don't see non-humans as having personhood. Consider how it would affect how they approach our communities if they were open to the concept of non-human personhood, and how that could further benefit the community as a whole.

Discuss.

[can1s-lupus-lupus]

dont think this post is worded great, im pretty tired but i wanted to get my thoughts out here anyway

okay here i go:

i think in a lot of cases where folk think therians and alterhumans are faking or not being 100% genuine about their experiences or linking things that are unrelated together, they generalise quite a lot and don't take things like instincts and even just psychological therians/alterhumans into consideration

lets take the example of (were)wolves and 'edgy' aesthetics, those things may not be directly correlated, but if a big reason for you being kin of a were(wolf) is that you used it as a survival/coping mechanism, you may also relate to 'edgy' aesthetics, or more specifically, feel like it fits your were(wolf) instincts because of a strong drive to bite, attack and defend etc

so many times i see folk saying "but that's unrelated" and like, yes, sort of, but its not up to you whether folk enjoy those themes and relate them to their kintypes

i really wish folk in this community (especially younger therians/alterhumans) would realise and keep in mind the effect imprinting, neurodivergence, and other psychological causes has on the community

not everyone has a past life, or memories, and sometimes folk will use arbitrary things to relate to their kintypes

that doesn't make their experience less real, it doesn't make them less of a therian or alterhuman, it just is.

[wxlfbites]

June 21, 2022

Werewolf Playlist...

Doing something a bit different by making a playlist post of some songs that make me shifty.

x | x

The Animal In Me - Solence // Dirty Paws - Of Monsters and Men // Howl - Florence + The Machine // Running With The Wolves - AURORA // The Resistance - Skillet // Full Moon - The Black Ghosts // Roslyn - Bon Iver, St. Vincent // I'm Born To Run - American Authors // For The Glory - All Good Things // Legends Are Made - Sam Tinnesz // Shooting The Moon - OK Go // Hearing Damage - Thom Yorke

[gateway-2000]

Are you otherkin, therian, fictionkin, alterhuman, or otherwise nonhuman and interested in finding an online community?

Otherkin Phenomena is a forum-based nonhuman community that welcomes all nonhumans and encourages people of all experiences to speak up. I personally admin for the site and can vouch that it is a safe environment. The site has been around for a very long time, but received a refresh in 2021. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

There are many subforums to explore, a chat box, informational pages, and more! You can fully customize your profile as well.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

[red-izak]

Children of the Night

Art featuring :Wilczek-bakusIcon: (middle):Wofik:(left) :DirkeIcon: (tower) :Wolfspirit1Icon: (Roof on right) Get big verions and WIPs on Subscribestar or Patreon

Posted using PostyBirb

[manob]

Smol doodle of how I imagine Misery showing her lovely mark to Alex lmaooo

READ BRIDE BY ALI HAZELWOOD (and please ma'm ... if you could.... do more fantasy stories👉🏻👈🏻)

[dahocoffeelover]

he so sweet..

[sexymonsterotd]

sexy monster of the day: lawrence talbot from alvin and the chipmunks meet the wolfman

[every-grelle-sutcliff]

[xenodelic]

Self portrait

[wxlfbites]

A Werewolfs Guide to Terminology - an update

Authors Note: Below is an ever developing glossary which will be used by a new, yet familiar, branch of the nonhuman community known as the were community. For all those who wish to distance or no longer associate themselves with the current alterhuman, otherkin and therian communities, respectively, this glossary provides ways of describing one's experiences and identities that are more reminiscent of the "old days". While terms used within all of these communities will be listed here, you'll notice they're written a bit differently, to distinguish between "new" and "old" variations. Any and all questions about terminology are welcome. Any terms coined by individual Were's may not appear in any official Were community glossary unless it proves to be a useful, popular term; we want to avoid as much micro-labeling, excessive coining and term hoarding as possible.

A

Animality - the experience or state of being an animal.

Awereness - when one comes to understand their nonhumanity/animality; they become "awere".

Alt.Horror.Werewolves (AHWW) - a usenet group created in 1992 to discuss werewolves and the werewolf genre, it became the birthplace of The Were Community when others began discussing their experiences with nonhuman identity.

C

Calling - feeling drawn to something, someone or someplace as part of ones nonhumanity, this could be used for a nebulous experience that one might not be able to label otherwise, a placeholder while one is discovering what an experience means to them, or a standalone label : "I feel the call of x" or "I'm having a strong calling toward x".

Clinical Zoanthropy - a psychological condition wherein one experiences delusions of being, transforming into or having previously transformed into a nonhuman animal.

D

Daemon - a thoughtform representation of someone's subconscious, inner thoughts, or soul which is given a name, animal form, gender and, in most cases, sentience.

Daemian - one who has a daemon.

Drop - to no longer identify as or with a specific identity for whatever reason; typically seen in the context of voluntary identities.

F

Flicker - one who experiences a nebulous or temporary identity which is often brought on by the consumption of some source material; the thing one identifies as : "my x-flicker" or "I'm flickering as x".

G

Gear - accessories, including jewelry, clothing, taxidermy, etc. worn to express and connect to ones nonhumanity and/or relieve species dysphoria.

Greymuzzle - an older, well respected member of the were community who has been active for several years; equivalent to an elder.

H

Hearted - the strong connection one feels to something nonhuman which may include an affinity for, relation to, resonance or familiarity with; the thing one feels a connection with : "I am x-hearted".

Howl - an organized gathering of Were's, typically in a physical location.

L

Link - a nonhuman identity that is voluntarily chosen or created; the thing one voluntarily identifies as or with : "my x-link" or "I link to/as/with x".

M

Mundane -  indicating those who are not part of any nonhuman community and do not consider themselves to be nonhuman in anyway, particularly those who do not know of these communities or who do not believe in them.

N

Nonhuman - someone who identifies as something other than human.

Nonhumanity - the experience or state of being nonhuman.

P

Pack - a tightly knit group of Were's who communicate regularly and function as a chosen family; may or may not have ranks.

Polywere - a Were whose identity is that of multiple separate species at once.

S

Shifting - when one feels more like their nonhuman identity at any given moment; refer to part two of this glossary.

Species Dysphoria - a type of bodily dysphoria (i.e. anxiety, distress, dissatisfaction) arising from the perception that ones body is of the wrong species.

T

Transspecies - one who identifies as a species that is different from the one they are assigned at birth; typically used only by those who are also transgender, experience species dysphoria and desire body modifications which may resemble medical transitioning to resemble their species more on a physical level.

The Were Community - the overall population who identify themselves as Were's.

W

Were - one who identifies as nonhuman, specifically as some creature or animal; this can be a physical, spiritual, psychological or mixed-belief identity : "I am a Were" or "I am a Were-x".

Werefeels - the feeling of being closer to or reminded of one's nonhumanity; sometimes triggered by an image, item or sensation.

Weresona - a character created by a Were member of the furry fandom, based on their nonhuman characteristics; for use in furry circles.

Part Two - Shifting

Astral Shift - a shift where one takes on the form of a nonhuman creature within the astral plane

Aura Shift - when one's aura changes to reflect their nonhumanity.

Berserker Shift - when one's animality takes over, characterized by loss of control or an altered state of consciousness.

Bilocation Shift - a shift where one's spirit leaves their body and takes on the form of a nonhuman creature.

Cameo Shift - a shift of any kind that is not representative of one's established nonhuman identity.

Dream Shift - a shift experienced in an unconscious state or dream, where one takes on the form and/or mentality of a nonhuman creature.

Mental Shift - when one experiences what they believe to resemble the mentality and cognitive processes of a specific nonhuman creature.

Phantom Shift - when one experiences non-corporeal body parts associated with a nonhuman creature.

Sensory Shift - when one experiences heightened or altered senses that they feel resembles that of a nonhuman creature.

Transformation - a physical shift which is acknowledged by the one experiencing it to be a hallucination.

[dogs-have-fallen]

thinking thoughts about my kintype. i think i’m dogkin AND werewolf? in the sense of they’re separate but also connected.

i live life as a dog, but on occasion (not rare but not frequent) i’m much more wild and larger(?) than myself as i am normally. i think its:

dog->were-dog-wolf-thing->dog again

dog that’s a werewolf?