#Like as a dog therian i don’t identify in the same way that a lot of other dog therians identify

[16-puppies]

OH MY GOD I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WITH THE SAME OPINION ABOUT ME ON THIS

The animal stereotypes and general animal misinformation in the therian community are SOOO present. I do see what you mean with the coyote thing in the tags but honestly the one I see most is with dog therians. I feel like a majority of the dog therians I see play into this idea of the reactive stray that’s been wronged by society over and over, that bites because they are, specifically, angry. And it’s not WRONG to identify with that, but so many therian’s interpretations of their theriotypes is quite anthropomorphic or viewed from a “human” social lens (note: im not saying all therians are humans but rather we are socialized as such), and I honestly think it’s important to recognize this to some extent. Especially because, for some animals like wolfdogs, this can very easily spread misinformation! I’ve seen quite a few wolfdog therians in particular who identify as such because they’re relating their experiences to wolfdog misinformation, like the notion that wolfdogs are guard dogs (something they are NOTORIOUSLY bad at, especially with more content) or this idea of the wild “coming out” or being separate, rather than integrated, or the idea that they are “unpredictable”.

I think this also kindof relates to how there seems to be subtle oversimplification of animals and their lives , and I think we as a community kind of forget just how complex and difficult the lives of animals can be because often times we are limiting them to these tropes..!

But again, I’m not saying it’s Wrong or Bad to identify as an animal in this way. You aren’t less of a therian or nonhuman for relating with these stereotypes and tropes. I just think it’s… interesting lol. Like it’s a fascinating subject within the community and I kinda wish there was more effort to understand it… like I genuinely wonder where this comes from. Imprinting from media??? Since animals are often in media to represent an idea or metaphor rather than be 100% accurate??? Maybe.

not take but I think nearly 90% of therian identities are at least somewhat subconsciously (or consciously) affected by emotional states and how the heart feels through the logical filter of the mind (like.. wanting unconditional love is clearly a canine thing, wanting respect and space is a feline thing, wanting to be feared and yet soft is like some big cat thing.. etc.. no? The stereotypes still are ever so present)

but idk man

[softservecanine]

So How Do I Know if I’m Nonhuman?

Disclaimer: This post is largely targeted toward those who experience or are questioning nonhumanity in a non-physical way, such as therian, otherkin, and some nonhuman alter experiences, as that is the realm I have the most knowledge on. Please keep this in mind going forward.

I’ve been in the alterhuman/therian/nonhuman communities for *checks watch* eight years now, give or take. I’m very confident in my identity as a dog, and I live my life as a dog in a human body every day. I’m very open about it with people in my life. I’m just always like this.

I get asked a lot— in my DMs, in my asks, personally by people I know— how to know if you’re nonhuman.

Unfortunately I do not have an easy answer for that. Finding out you’re nonhuman, and being comfortable with that identity, is a long, confusing process for most. There are so many ways to experience nonhumanity, and a lot of people will tell you narrow definitions based on what their experience looks like.

My experience with finding out I was nonhuman is messy and long, and it took me several years to get as comfortable and as confident in my identity as I am. I know that’s not an answer people like to hear. I know how hard it is to just think “This will take time” and be cool with that.

So I think my biggest piece of advice would be: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t be afraid to get it wrong.

There have been times where I’ve thought I was a wolf, a rabbit, a fox, a dragon, a husky, a bear, all kinds of things, before I finally figured out the right answer for me. I only have one theriotype. My theriotype is psychological and trauma-induced in nature. Yours might not be. You will very likely not experience nonhumanity in the exact same way as anyone else. That’s why it’s so confusing. That’s why it takes so long to understand your own journey.

Look dude. Get the gear you like. Do what makes you feel species euphoric. If you’re so worried about “faking” your nonhuman identity, chances are you’re not. Also? I personally wouldn’t care if someone who identified as nonhuman later retracted that identity, and I don’t know anyone who would care either.

If labeling yourself as some kind of nonhuman feels right to you right now, that’s okay. Your ‘types may change and grow overtime, you may feel more or less connected with them, that is all okay. Experience nonhumanity in a way that works for you right now. There’s not one way to know if you’re nonhuman. But I’d say if the community and the label is right for you, you’ll stay with it, and you’ll be more confident in it over time. And if it isn’t, that’s okay too.

[aspd-culture]

Hi, a bit of a weird question, but I noticed that a lot of people I follow, who have aspd have a strong connection (not really sure how to explain it) to wolfs/dogs and canines in general, and I just wanted to ask whether this is a general thing or is it just my circle lol

Yeah I mean that tracks. My abuser was super into wolves, so I don’t relate to those *anymore*, but I previously identified as a wolf and therian and still follow dog therian tags as a shape-shifting alter including dogs.

I think it’s sort of like how autistic people sometimes like cats: cats behave in a way that makes a lot of sense to autistic people and they can relate to.

The same kinda goes with dogs/wolves and pwASPD. Some breeds of dogs and all wolves are seen as aggressive, dangerous, uncontrollable, and are avoided and some people even think should not be bred or be put down - all for things that have nothing to do with the animal themselves and in fact are about how they were treated. If you mistreat a dog through its formative years, you’ll get a very *defensive* (not aggressive idc what people say) dog. They’ll be quick to attack and maybe not warn first the way other dogs will because they learned that’s what keeps them safe - me fuckin too dude - and they risk getting literally put down in a legal and community supported way for that behavior they never asked to be taught.

And this is just a personal thing, but I kind of romanticize the idea of being a dog - because there’s a large community of people who understand that it’s not the dog’s fault and will fight for them to be accepted and understood; who’ll meet that dog where they’re at and work with them with complete understanding and forgiveness for anything the dog does wrong. People who will *get bitten* and apologize for scaring the dog. And what really makes me envy dogs is that dogs are able to turn it around no matter how old they are - even senior dogs who were extremely reactive can usually be turned around and act like a normal dog or even be particularly caring and docile because dogs can be taught at any age that they are safe now and they don’t need to behave that way anymore. I wish my brain was capable of learning that and undoing all the neurological damage people did to me, and I wish people would look at me and see and understand the stress and anxiety in my eyes when I act out because I felt unsafe.

So uh yeah, anyways, I’d say it’s not uncommon.

Plain text below the cut:

Yeah I mean that tracks. My abuser was super into wolves, so I don’t relate to those *anymore*, but I previously identified as a wolf and therian and still follow dog therian tags as a shape-shifting alter including dogs.

I think it’s sort of like how autistic people sometimes like cats: cats behave in a way that makes a lot of sense to autistic people and they can relate to.

The same kinda goes with dogs/wolves and pwASPD. Some breeds of dogs and all wolves are seen as aggressive, dangerous, uncontrollable, and are avoided and some people even think should not be bred or be put down - all for things that have nothing to do with the animal themselves and in fact are about how they were treated. If you mistreat a dog through its formative years, you’ll get a very *defensive* (not aggressive idc what people say) dog. They’ll be quick to attack and maybe not warn first the way other dogs will because they learned that’s what keeps them safe - me fuckin too dude - and they risk getting literally put down in a legal and community supported way for that behavior they never asked to be taught.

And this is just a personal thing, but I kind of romanticize the idea of being a dog - because there’s a large community of people who understand that it’s not the dog’s fault and will fight for them to be accepted and understood; who’ll meet that dog where they’re at and work with them with complete understanding and forgiveness for anything the dog does wrong. People who will *get bitten* and apologize for scaring the dog. And what really makes me envy dogs is that dogs are able to turn it around no matter how old they are - even senior dogs who were extremely reactive can usually be turned around and act like a normal dog or even be particularly caring and docile because dogs can be taught at any age that they are safe now and they don’t need to behave that way anymore. I wish my brain was capable of learning that and undoing all the neurological damage people did to me, and I wish people would look at me and see and understand the stress and anxiety in my eyes when I act out because I felt unsafe.

So uh yeah, anyways, I’d say it’s not uncommon.

[circlet-and-sarissa]

Welcome!!!

It’s a lot to process, yeah, but honestly I don’t think the right question is “am I right”. It’s not like you can take a DNA test and come out as a dog, you know? What you’re looking for is a net positive. Are you more comfortable identifying as a werewolf? Can you see it hurting you in some way? Is it a feeling that comes back even when you ignore it?

You’ll tend to find us more on older style forum pages (I like Nonhuman National Park), and there’s definitely a lot of people talking about species dysphoria. Alterhumans is the big umbrella term, otherkin is both singular and plural for people identifying as non-terrestrial creatures like dragons, and therians are your wolves and dinosaurs and such.

There are different kinds of shifts, more than I really want to list in a short post, but I need to include the obligatory warning that p-shifting, physical shifting, does not exist. Nobody’s actually turning into dragons or wolves or even making their eyes change color. People will try to sell you that as a grifter line, though. For the same reason, nobody’s being hunted by anyone. Unless you count weird transphobic politicians I guess.

I get phantom shifts and mental shifts. So with phantom shifts for example, I can feel my fangs extending or retracting despite the fact that humans don’t have fangs. Sometimes I feel too big for my body, over correcting for door sizes and such that I can definitely fit through, but my brain says I have Massive Dragon Shoulders. Sometimes it’s hard to walk because my body structure feels all wrong. With mental shifts, it’s an attitude/instinct change. The way I approach situations, whether I’m nonverbal or not. I tend to make more purring and growling noises, get more territorial of my space. It varies depending on the person and the kintype.

I’m not sure what a usual experience is, I think that’s like asking what a normal human experience is, but hey. That’s why we write essays on it!

An awakening is pretty much what it says on the tin. The prelude to it could be dreams, more obvious shifts (though not everyone does that!), etc. You realize there’s something nonhuman about you. Mine was kind of dramatic, I had dreams about hunting people in the woods.

I hope this was helpful!!!

I'm rather new to the whole "recognizing I'm not human" thing (let alone the community terms), so I'm curious what's everyone's experiences of being generally non-human is?

To me it feels a bit overwhelming having to process a lot of years and coming to terms with being non-human, especially when my inner critic always asks - am I right, or am I delusional? I am sure I am not human (be it by nature or nurture), and I always felt innate connection to werewolves so I'm rolling with it, but there are still many questions.

Is "species dysphoria" common among different kinds of otherkin... folk? I don't know the communal term. What is a "shift" and how could you identify it? What is a usual were- experience? What's an "awakening", or what could be characterized as one? I bet there are even more questions I'm not aware of. If you could answer some of the questions, I'd be grateful forever :)

[nova-dracomon]

A few thoughts on being a hydra:

20. Tell us a few thoughts about what it’s like being your species

For those who don’t know, three of the members in our system identify collectively as a hydra. Each of us have individual forms outside of the hydra one (all dragons in some fashion). Also, our hydra form is not permanent and does flux between separated and not depending on our emotions. We label it a linktype because we want to emphasize the "we choose to be this together." aspect. It is a representation of how we feel about one another + how we want to present in the headspace.

On how it feels: The closest comparison we can think of is of a bunch of dogs all curled up in a dog bed together. It might look squished, but it’s comfortable. It’s hard to tell where one dragon ends, and another begins. But none of us really care as long as we’re collectively enjoying ourselves which isn’t hard since we all tend to be easygoing.

There’s a lot of thoughtleak (the sharing of thoughts/emotions, whether intentional or not) and we’ll hear each other much easier than other headmates. It's near impossible to hide anything from one another. Communication tends to be: rush of associated emotion and then the actual words. The words from the others will be as clear and crisp as our own thoughts, but with different vibes/energy signatures to them.

Some individual thoughts on the question:

(Following from Larka was re-purposed from a journal entry)

"My plural 'awakening' happened parallel to picking up the hydra linktype. We don't spend any time in the plural communities nor want to so we don't know all the terms. Not sure if awakening is the word to use, but it gets the point across. We all collectively choose to identity as a hydra despite having individual forms because we feel drawn to one another and don't want to be separated. Presenting this way in the headspace lets our speech and thoughts flow more easily and just feels good to be honest.

It was easier initially to see the hydra (I was really into Godzilla at the time and watching the new king of monsters dvd) and realize there was something there I wanted even if I couldn't articulate it at the time. So I started with the linktype. I can be kind of...bossy? for lack of a better word, so before this I was trying to control the others instead of listening at all. The turning point to even considering attempting to talk to the others was when I played the "I am (Dog)s" visual story online (if you want to see it, here's the link) that follows a therian finding out they're plural." – Larka

"We have a strong bond that has grown stronger over time. There's a quote saved on our phone that I want to paraphrase: 'Right now, they feel like they're in a box--like the menial distance between them is some forced, unnatural barrier that shouldn't be there. Right now, they want to tear that barrier down.' Being a dragon inherently comes with a feeling of power and pride, but being a hydra is about love and connection. We often joke that the only thing we love more than ourselves is each other. We're close with our other headmates, but there's something about becoming the same being as one another. A unique level of synchronicity and trust is needed for it. I love them." – Thorn

“We’re like brothers, only closer.” – Stryker

[ordinarydream]

Another Perspective on Daemonism and Alterhumanity

So there’s been some discussion recently on daemonism and alterhumanity, most of it dealing with daemonism’s relation to plurality. For me, I’ve found there’s another way daemonism can be alterhuman, and I wonder if anyone else feels the same. I’m thinking of daemon form as a type of animal identity.

When I first discovered TDF and got into form-finding (gosh, in 2007 I think) I remember one’s form having an incredible prominence, not only to oneself, but also to the community. I remember the discussions on form possessiveness, of wanting to be the only panda/buffalo/iguana/etc on the forum, because anything else felt like an infringement on one’s identity and place in the community. Similarly, I remember the concept of form pride, in which people took particular pride in having say, a parrot daemon and being a parrot person. Indeed, the language around identifying one’s form was different then too: if your form was a parrot, it was common to call yourself a “parrot-soul” (and of course, the same applies to lions, dogs, and any other animal).

What I’m trying to get at here is that there was a strong culture of daemon-form-as-identity. And this was the culture that I came into when I started form-finding. When I finally did settle on a fitting form (smooth coated otter), I adopted otter into my self-concept. I felt I was an otter, in a symbolic and metaphorical sense. Otter was more than just symbol in a personality typing system, otter was an identity in itself. And based off what I read from so many other daemians back in the day, I don’t think that experience was uncommon.

Nowadays I can’t fully vouch for what daemon-form-as-identity is like in the community. I don’t keep up with TDF nearly as much as I used to. But from what I have seen, it seems like things have changed some? It seems like a lot of the passions towards the phenomenon have cooled.

Anyway, I’d love to see more discussion on daemon-form-as-identity because I find it’s a really interesting example of animal identity. Both a daemian and a therian can identify as a fox and have it be central to their identity, but it means something completely different. I’m not sure how many daemians still identify strongly with/as their form/s. But do I think that kind of identification can be an alterhuman experience.

[thelightfluxtastic]

30DayTheri 12: Humans

“Wait, seriously?” You might be thinking. “You’re doing a whole 30-day blog challenge about being nonhuman, and you’re going to talk about humanity?” Yes. Absolutely. Because how can I conceptualize my nonhumanity without talking about humanity?

I, for one, am very much in the “both other-and-human” camp. I still identify as a human, and calling myself a dog-person with both halves is important to me. There are a few reasons for this: 1.I’m a psychological therian, and for me part of that means knowing that everything I think and feel and know about dogs is filtered through a human brain. Ironic as it sounds, I think identifying as nonhuman is an incredibly human thing to do.

2. I don’t know how much domesticity plays into my still feeling connected to humanity, but it’s worth considering. I know there are non-domestic kin folk that still identify as human; I suspect I’d be the same if i was a wolf instead of a dog, but I can’t be 100% sure. I don’t have the alienation some other therians and otherkin do, and maybe that makes it easier to still feel human and feel ok with that.

Frankly it was a common motif that I just didn’t vibe with on therian/otherkin forums: the “uuuugh humans” mentality, whether as a complaint for struggling to understand them or the vagaries of external society or species dysphoria, or what. And to be clear I don’t begrudge anyone having that attitude! People have vastly different experiences and it’s valid for someone to feel more disconnected or frustrated or 100% nonhuman. It’s just not me.

Because I love humanity. Not just in my own identification as still-human, but observing the human species from a quasi-external perspective. Humanity is great! It gets into politics and philosophy a little, but I genuinely have a lot of faith and celebration in humanity. Some people (especially the grr arg apocalupse prep types) seem to think civilization is a thin veneer over humanity’s feral nature. But the fact is human societies have been through a few cataclysms, and we keep rebuilding. Over and over and over again. Society isn’t keeping humans from what they “really” want, society is what humans do. The mutual aid communities that popped up after hurricane Katrina are a good example, but there are more. I won’t get into it but see The Good Place as a good shorthand for my moral perspective. Humans are social beings, and, given the space and opportunity, try to connect. It’s one of the things I love about the domestication of dogs- two pack-bonding top-level predators encountered one another and went Friend?!?

I have a whole humans tag to capture the sort of things that make me love humanity. The big things like philosophy, sure, but also the little things. The way people will spontaneously sing. The way Ancient Rome had tacky souvenir pencils and there is viking graffiti saying stuff like “X was here”. It delights me every time I see something like that- this fundamental continuity that, across vast differences in culture and circumstance, people have always been...people. 

I also like learning physical stuff about humans as a species. The way humans are especially enduring as pursuit predators, or how we can throw better than any other species, or those video montages of people doing neat athletic stunts. I can’t mimic the vast majority of it, but it’s fascinating to see what’s possible. Honestly it always makes me think of some distant or alternate-universe alien that is the equivalent of humankin. That poor individual might be accused of only going for a cool, romanticized species. Or a mary sue, if they’re the roleplaying type. (OMG humans totally can have green and purple hair, and live to be a hundred, and do backflips!!!) Something about that mental image is fun and endearing to me. Humans are treated as “default” and “boring” so much I think people forget to consider how fascinating the species would be from an external, sentient perspective.

[wolfofchaos]

WORDS!!! LOTS OF WORDS!!!! Idk if any of it makes sense. This post isn’t specifically about otherkin/therian stuff, it’s just about me. Like a little vent post ig. Since this isnt my main blog. I think I have like 3 followers? So sorry to yall, u dont have to read this, u guys are probably nice ppl, But i don’t actually know any of u (except one) so I’m honestly not concerned with how yall see me (if u do read this u will most likely think im a bad person, and thats okay, thats why i say that)Tw: verbal abuse, s/h

I’ve been dissociating a ton lately. Most of the time it isn’t harmful, it will just be me walking around my kitchen for a bit in my socks and then feeling cold on the soles of my feet bc i walked so much that my socks wore out/thinned out/got holes, and realizing that it’s been over 3 hours and ive been walking in circles the entire time. In those kinds of dissociation I’m like stuck in my head, in a different world (I say that quite literally). It’s unnerving when I do snap out of it, but it doesn’t really hurt anyone (except my beautiful socks that I keep tearing from walking on them too much, ive gone through 3 pairs in the past 2 days and im sad bc they had really cool designs and were kinda expensive, for socks that is). I’m used to that kind of dissociation, I’ve been doing that since I was around 9 (that’s my earliest memory of it anyway).

But then there’s this new(?)/ uncommon-for-me kind of dissociation where I’m doing something I wouldn’t do and I don’t feel in control. It’s different from being so angry that I lose control, I’ve dealt with that before. It’s like I get triggered and then somebody’s just going off and saying all these messed up things and I’m just watching it all happen in horror and I keep telling myself(?) to stop but they don’t. Today my brother triggered me and suddenly it’s like I was watching a movie of myself yelling at him, saying exact same abusive stuff my parents would yell/scream at me. As soon as I could take control again I started stomping on my foot bc I can’t have anyone hurting my brother like that. It’s very confusing and scary and I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe subconsciously I don’t want to admit to myself that I can be abusive. Maybe it’s like my brain’s way of separating me from abusive me. I’ve gone to therapy for several years and I’ve learned how to deal with anger and recently I’ve definitely had to use those skills bc my mental health has been dipping a bit. But this feels totally different. I kind of just shut down and its like someone goes “dont worry ill handle this *proceeds to handle it very badly while im banging on the glass telling them to stop*”. Idk what’s going on but I do know that I am very disappointed in myself and feel very bad about it (I apologized to my brother and explained that I never want to hurt him like our parents do and that i am going to try very hard to not let it happen again. But I don’t really know what happened. I don’t really know how to stop it. So I’m just isolating.

I am notoriously bad at identifying what/who I am. My brain doesn’t use words most of the time. There’s a lot going on in there but I don’t communicate with myself using words. Usually when I dissociate I’m different people in different worlds but my body is just on stand-by/stuck doing the same action over and over again. Only recently have I felt that someone else has taken over my body. A similar thing happened last year where I thought my dogs and I were possessed but I don’t remember much of that. So idk if it really is someone else doing this against my will, like I think there is, or if I’m just too ashamed to face my toxic behaviors and accept them as my own.

End of rant!

[an-orca-on]

Therian Q’s ... 2!!!

I did this questionnaire several years ago, and thought it might be fun to do again! I know some of my answers are gonna be different, and it’s a neat way for any new followers to learn a bit about me. Let’s go!

What animal do you identify as?

Orcinus orca, the "killer whale".

Where does it live?

Orcas live all over the world! There are several types, but the most well known are probably the Southern Resident Killer Whales of the Puget Sound area. I think that I was a Northern Resident Killer Whale, but I’m not entirely sure. The icy stark landscape of the Antarctic still feels really familiar too.

Are you social or more of a lone wolf?

Orcas live in pods, and are social. I am so social. Please talk to me. Aaaa.

Are you in a pack,herd,pride,clan,etc? If not, did you consider joining one?

I’ve wanted this for awhile, but getting out is hard for me. I’m in a couple Discord servers for kin stuff, but nothing specifically orca related.

Is your kintype also your favourite animal?

One of them, yes!

Is your kintype being hunted? If yes, how does it affect you emotionally?

Currently, no. They have been in the past, and there are still orcas in captivity, which I hate. Cetaceans are extremely intelligent and keeping them in captivity is torture. Literally.

Do you have anything from your kintype? Like, fur, teeth, etc?

That’s SUPER ILLEGAL, so no. I do have a Free Willy pendant, though.

Do you have astral limbs?

Sometimes! They’re not as strong as with some other kintypes, and I suspect that it’s because the astral limbs don’t translate very well to a human body plan. A whale’s tail is not from the legs, it’s an extension of the spine. So instead of tacking that feeling onto the human shape, my brain sort of shuffles the feeling off to the side.

Do you experience shifts?

Not as much for this kintype. I think the strongest “shifty” feelings I get are actually emotional - relating to love of places, my pod, the water, the feeling of being “me” in that form.

What triggers your ‘wild side’ the most?

Being in water. Water and whale sounds. The feel of cold air on my skin. The smell of salty ocean air.

What is your opinion on the buttloads of wolves and big cats out here?

They’re easy and accessible. Most of us know what a wolf and a cat are. We can imagine what they look like, and feel like, and what their life is like. There’s tons of media out there of both, they’re popular in spiritual work, people can identify common archetypal traits with them that they have themselves. I think it’s silly to look down on someone for having a “common” kintype like wolf or lynx or whatever. Even if they find out later that they’re not that kintype, it gave them a jumping off point to explore themselves and dig deeper into what otherkinity means for them. tldr; it’s none of my beeswax and y’all should chill about this.

How does your kintype affect your day-to-day-life?

I’m staunchly anti-cetacean-captivity. I would love to get more involved in local action to protect the ocean, I try to be environmentally conscious. I care deeply about my chosen people.

Do you share any traits generally associated with your theriotype?

I adore swimming and being in the water. I’m very sensitive to sounds. I have sort of a restrictive diet for health reasons. I’m very social.

Worst example of fluff you ever encountered, either in IRL or Online?

Sttoooopp asking this quesstiiiooonnnnnn seriously, seriously, get over yourselves if “fluff” bothers you I promise you will be a happier person if you just let other people lives their own lives when it doesn’t affect you at ALL.

Is therianthropy important in your life?

Yes and no. Is it important enough to affect (some) of my life goals and dreams? Yes. Is it important enough that I have to tell absolutely everyone I meet? No.

Imagine you could shift into your theriotype. There’s just one downside; the shift is forever. Would you still do it and abandon your human life?

I would need some time to think about it, but it sure is tempting.

Is there anything you consider a treat? Like, fruits, dog treats, etc.

For the whale? S a l m o n.

Do you have contacts with therians IRL?

Y...es? I think so. But the line between IRL and Online friends is a lot more blurry than it used to be, I think.

Do you think someone of your family is a therian?

Probably Not.

What is your opinion on those otherkin documentaries? Do you think they’re accurate?

I think that even if they are accurate to the people that are in the show, you’re never going to get the whole picture of what being otherkin is like. I’ve always heard, and said myself, that if you ask 10 people what otherkin is you’re going to get 15 answers because everyone’s internal concept of the phenomenon is different. Plus, positivity and joy doesn’t sell the same way cringe and angst does. [shrug emoji]

Do you actively work to preserve or otherwise care for your species?

Hard to do, living in a really landlocked area and being poor - but I would love to be more active this way.

What do you think your purpose is here? Do you think you have one?

I hate this question. Is it not enough to just Be?

Do you think having an animal soul is an advantage or a disadvantage?

Neither. I think it’s just an interesting experience on the enormously varied spectrum of being an incarnated being.

Any physical activity that reminds you of your theriotype?

Being in the water and swimming. But this can be frustrating more than a fun and joyful experience. As I mentioned earlier, a whales tail is not formed from legs - it’s the spine. So trying to swim “mermaid style” is NOT the same motion as a whale swimming, and it’s a really awkward and uncomfortable movement when my body feels like it should be a smooth and graceful one.

Does weather influence you in your non-human perception?

Cold feels very familiar. Cold and dark, driving rain.

Day or Night?

Still night.

Summer or Winter?

Winter.

If you had kids, would you tell them you’re a therian or would you keep it a secret?

I don’t think I’d keep it a secret, but I don’t know if I’d approach it as “moddy is a therian.” I struggled for a good couple minutes searching to come up with a gender neutral parent term and I still don’t know if I like that one, sheesh.

Would you make a presentation in your school/work/office about therianthropy?

Sure! I think it’s a lot less “taboo” now than it used to be, and there’s likely more kin out there than you’re aware of.

If you have any questions about my answers here or just questions in general about me, therianthropy, orcas, etc...send me an ask! <3

[princecharmingtobe]

Rai tries to explain the furry fandom for non-furries for the 24963569356586th time because I have no life~

I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir posting this here, I just still often see people in the general internet being confused about or flat out wrong about what furries are and why we like the things we like. So here I go again, taking my frustrations out by making a long-winded tumblr post about it. But hey, if you’re confused by furries or know someone who is, maybe this will help idfk

Just be warned I am an ADHD motherfucker and there will be about 10x more words than necessary.

To start, What Are Furries?

Furries are simply self-identified fans of anthropomorphic animal characters.That is, a character that is an animal, but with many human characteristics. This can include speaking human language, human-like facial expressions, walking upright in a human-like way, wearing clothes, etc. Examples of anthropomorphic (or anthro for short) characters include Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Sonic the Hedgehog, Disney’s animated Robin Hood, Zootopia, and Beastars. All things in which the “animal” characters behave and express themselves like humans. Even movies like The Lion King and Balto have what would be considered “antho” characters, due to their capacity for human thought, speech, and facial expressions, though they would be in a subcategory often referred to as “feral” or sometimes “non-morphic” in which the character still moves and behaves largely like an animal.

So to reiterate, a furry is simply a self-proclaimed fan of anthro animal characters. 

Why Anthro Animals?

I mean the obvious answer is, because it’s fun. It can be really fun and get one’s creative juices flowing trying to figure out how to blend human and animal characteristics. It’s an animal that moves and acts like a human. In what ways is it like a person, and what ways is it still an animal? Popular media like Zootopia and Beastars address that question as major plot points and worldbuilding elements. But it can also be fun to think about just when creating your own characters. And aside from just figuring out how to blend characteristics, the animal aspects of a character can offer more options of expression. Ears can perk up, droop, or fold back, tails can wag, lash, or tuck between legs, growling, hissing, etc. People often use expressions comparing human behavior and emotions to animals. You ever find yourself so happy or exited you think “If I was a dog my tail would be wagging!”

And aside from being an interesting concept to think about, sometimes it’s just aesthetically pleasing.

What is a “fursona”?

Fursona is short for “furry persona”. A BIG BIG part of the fandom is original characters. If you look at a furry art website you might see some art of Judy Hops, Legoshi, Sonic, etc. But mostly you’ll see original characters. They tend to be the main focus of the fandom. Because all the things mentioned above are fun to play with, and the fandom is big on creativity and self-expression. And what good is self-expression if you don’t use it to express... yourself?  A fursona is an anthro animal representation of oneself. Basically “Me, but an [animal].” These can be an accurate representation of oneself (example: someone who is short and meek and skittish might make a mouse fursona) or a more idealized version of who you want to be (example: same short meek skittish person might instead make a lion fursona because they wish they could be more confident, strong, and outgoing). Some people even make multiple fursonas to represent different aspects of themselves (Think Thomas Sanders’ “Sanders Sides” but with fur). In the fandom, your fursona is also often how you represent yourself to others. In real life there are aspects of your appearance you can’t control, or that can be very hard to control. Your height, weight, bone structure, etc. But online as a furry, you can look like anything you want. This is also a very attractive concept to trans folk and queer people in general, which may explain why there’s such a high percentage of queer furries compared to the general population.

What is a Fursuit and Why do People Wear Them?

A fursuit is simply a costume made to look like a furry character. it is pretty much no different from cosplaying comic, anime, or video game characters, except that most of the time fursuits are of original characters instead of pre-existing ones. People wear them for fun and self-expression, just like any other costume. They differ from mascot suits in that they tend to be of higher quality, and more form-fitting and expressive. Fake furries are usually pretty easy to spot on TV because they usually end up in cheap Easter bunny costumes. 

While “fursuiters” are often the “face” of the fandom to outsiders, most furries don’t actually own a fursuit. They are expensive, cumbersome, take work to maintain, and don’t always play nice with certain health conditions and phobias. I personally am apprehensive about getting one because I worry I’ll have difficulty breathing, and I easily overheat. Others simply don’t see the appeal of dressing up. 

Do Furries Think They Are Animals?

Generally speaking: No. People often mix up furries with a subset of otherkin known as Therians. Otherkin are people who believe themselves to be in some way non-human, usually spiritually or mentally a non-human creature. Therians in particular believe themselves to be in some way a non-human animal.  Furries are on the other hand, as I said, just fans of anthro characters. While there are likely furries who are also therians, most are not. 

People who approach furry conventions to yell “You know you’re not really an animal!” at the fursuiters is about the equivalent of going to an anime convention and shouting “You know you’re not really Naruto!” at the cosplayers. 

Is Being a Furry a Big Part of a Person’s Life?

It varies, just like any other fandom. Take anime for example. Some people just watch it and maybe talk to their friends about it and that’s it. Others might go online to view fanart and read fanfic, even go to conventions. And some people fill every aspect of their life that they can with it, filling their home with merch, getting tattoos, even building careers like being a youtuber around it. The same goes for furries. For some people it never goes beyond consuming media and art, while for others it plays a big part in their day to day life.

Is it a Sex Thing? (VERY ADULT AND SENSITIVE CONTENT BELOW THIS POINT)

I won’t beat around the bush here. There IS a sexual side to the fandom, just like any other fandom. Any anime, comic, video game, TV show, book, there is a sexual side to its fandom. Furries are no different. Just like it’s easy to find anime porn, it’s easy to find furry porn. People be making porn, idk what to tell you.

“Isn’t that zoophilia?”

Some people seem to feel that way about it, but no, not really. The thing that differentiates furry porn from watching two dogs hump at the park is that the characters are anthro. They think and express themselves like people, and fans relate to them as they would with human characters.

This

is in no way the same as this

“Do people have sex in fursuits?”

Generally, no, for various reasons. 1. They are expensive and take work to maintain and keep clean, and you don’t want to get various fluids on them. 2. They can be cumbersome and get really hot and stuffy, not ideal. 3. They just aren’t made for it. They don’t usually offer access to ones’ genitals, and thus having sex in them would be rather difficult.

There ARE some people who will get suits specially made for having sex in, with holes in all the necessary places, but you’re not likely to see those out in public. Generally if you see someone walking around in public in a fursuit, you can rest assured it’s probably not been used for sex. 

“Ugh but that’s weird!”

I mean, people dress up and roleplay characters during sex all the time. Is dressing up as Krystal the Fox all that different from dressing up as Harley Quinn? And anyway, what does it matter to you what consenting adults get up to in the privacy of their own bedroom? Maybe don’t think too hard about other peoples’ sex lives.

And despite the availability of furry porn, it is not all there is to the fandom, and not everyone participates in that part of it. Heck, there are a lot of minors in the fandom, I was a tween when I was introduced to it, and the only times I was exposed to porn was when haters would “raid” our forums and spam it at us while calling US perverts, all the while being told “Hey, there are kids here!” But no we’re totally the sex-crazed perverts here right?

“I’ve Heard About Furries Who Are Bad People”

Yeah, you probably have. It’s a big fandom and inevitably some of the people in it will do bad things. Again, it’s the same for every fandom. You take any percentage of the human population, you’re going to get a few bad ones. Actual zoophiles, pedophiles, rapists, abusers. If they exist in the general population they’re going to exist in the fandom. But generally when their actions are brought to light they are driven out of our spaces, as with most fandom spaces. No group is perfect and without its bad eggs, but most of us work to keep our spaces safe.

In the end, people looking at a group from the outside tend to only see the loudest, weirdest, most outrageous members, and assume that’s what the whole group is.

[mysoulisablackwolf-blog]

Otherkin Challenge Post

I saw this and thought it would be fun. It also looks like a great way to vent, since no one I love knows about my kin identity..

1. What name do you go by? What is the significance of it to you?

My name is Briana, but I got by Breanne, a name from Englund during the time range of which werewolves/beasts were prevalent.

2. How old are you? (If you don’t mind sharing.) What is the gender you identify as?

I'm 21 years old, and female.

3. What is your Otherkin/Therian species?

I'm still trying to find a "label", but I would say Werewolve/Beastkin. Some sort of large monstrous canine creature.

4. How long have you known that you are Otherkin? How old were you when you Awakened?

I've been otherkin since I was 4, but I didn't find the term until highschool, so I guess I was awakened when I was 16. I was literally forced as a child to start "acting human." No more outside playtime, crawling on all fours, howling and barking and growling at people. I was a little heathen as a child, but I'm glad I got to express myself.

5. How did you find the Otherkin community?

A friend of mine who is a Kitsune (apologies if I butchered that), she showed me otherkin and Tumblr and Kinmunity, hoping that if I went back to therapy with this information it would help ease my depression.

6. How does being Otherkin affect your life?

It's mostly the depression. Not knowing who or what I am fully but still having these memories and flashes/glimpses of myself. It's like a constant dizzy spiral and I can't make it stop.

7. Are you "out of the metaphysical closet"? If so, to whom?

Barely. A few friends who I've grown apart from. I think if the man who raised me knew the term, he'd just know that I am. Nothing gets by him.

8. How did/would your family react to you being Otherkin?

I think they would shut me down. They've done it once before when I came out as nonbinary, and now that I've had a child, they think they won that argument. It's very disheartening.

9. What does being Otherkin mean to you?

It's a way to express myself/feel normal again. I've never felt human and I thought I was the only one. Now I see others with the same feelings and I feel at home in my own body.

10. How do you believe you came to be Otherkin? Is it a psychological connection? Were you reincarnated? Explain.

I very much believe I was reincarnated. I've always had a huge fixation on Englund during what I think was the 1700s. When werewolves and vampires and monsters ran rampant. I even have memories of men I've slayed in the types of clothes and homes you would of seen back then. I just can't pin point was exactly I was...

11. What do you hope the Otherkin community will be like in ten years? Are you for public awareness or against it? Why or why not?

I think it'll be stronger, hopefully with less misconceptions. I am for public awareness in the sense where if I go to a friend, they dont shun me. Or if I go to therapy, they know exactly what I'm talking about and can tell me, "Hey it's normal and this is why." I want all of us to be seen as normal.

12. Do you have phantom/astral limbs? What are they and how often do you feel them?

I do, I have a tail, a huge, kinda whippish, dog tail with fur. I can feel fur all over my body, excluding my stomach, at the weirdest times. I've grown out my nails and filed them so they now match as close as possible to the claws I feel. And lastly, if I focus hard enough, and there's wind outside, I can feel ears on my head that kinda sway or flop in the wind, depending on its strength.

13. Do you mental-shift? Have you ever harmed yourself or someone else during one?

I've had a few that just happened, and I didn't really know/register what was going on. I was alone for the majority of them so I've mostly just calmly idled, but there's always the urge to hunt something down, so I might end up hurt/hurting.

14. Have you ever mental-shifted at a time when it could be considered inappropriate?

I think so. We were in the car and the windows had to be rolled down because there's no AC. I closed my eyes and instantly felt a snout, fur, ears, the whole nine. I felt like the world melted away and I just enjoyed the wind in my fur. Then my friend snapped me out of it and said I looked like I had completely zoned out.

15. Do you Astral Project or practice any occult crafts?

No. Not quite talented enough.

16. Do you feel you are any sort of danger to society?

Probably more towards myself or animals than society. I do have an insane urge to hunt but nothing more.

17. Does your nonhuman identity complicate every day life for you? If so, how?

Not so much complicate, just makes me exhausted and depressed when I have to go out in the world and do things. I'm a very solitary creature, much rather be alone and talk on the phone versus be out with people or at a party. It makes me a twinge angry/irritable and anxious.

18. Why do you believe you are here as a human?

I didn't understand why until I had my son. Now I'm here to be a mother and raise my child as my father raised me. But before that, I was nothing...

19. Are you active among the Otherkin community?

I am, but I tend to be active while everyone else is asleep. I'm nocturnal.

20. Are you religious? What faith do you follow? Does it contradict your Otherkin identity or do you feel that the two are synonymous somehow?

I believe in a God or even the possibility of multiple Gods, but that is the extent of my religious beliefs. So, I just live my life and sometimes pray as a way to get answers on why my life is so..weird.

21. Have you ever been emotionally, verbally, or physically harassed simply for being Otherkin?

Not yet. I've been very selective on who I tell. The only person I want to tell is my husband, but he refuses to listen. He thinks it's a Furry thing. I guess I'll let him be blissfully ignorant.

22. Do you feel you are oppressed because you are Otherkin?

Not oppressed by society like a person of color or a trans person, just kinda oppressed by my husband. I dont understand why he would question something I do then not let me explain it. I know he still loves me or else I wouldn't have the life I do, it's just confusing.

23. What is your take on fictionkin/mediakin? What about machinekin and appliancekin?

I don't quite feel comfortable with "Factkin", but anything else, that is their identity. I shouldn't have and possibly will never have the ability to judge or say anything about someone else's identity. If that is you, it's you.

24. Did the awakening process seem relatively easy, or difficult to you? Why?

Very easy, in a sense that I already knew I wasn't human and I just needed some help realizing I wasn't alone and that it was ok to feel that way. Difficult because I still can't tell exactly what I am, so I go by werewolve.

25. What do you think of the information provided online about Otherkin, is it relevant or not?

I believe its relevant. It definitely helped me come to terms with myself, and talking to veterans (as we call them) helped me a lot too. It just depends on the articles and people you talk to.

26. How has your Otherkinity/Therianthropy defined you as a person? Do you feel as if it has given you morals that you didn't have before?

It's given me an identity, but it's only taught me to be more open minded and tolerant of other people's identities and ideas and questions,etc.

27. Have you learned any life-long lessons due to your Otherkinity? 

To be more tolerant and open minded.

28. What do you want to do with your life?

That's a tough one. Firstly, raise my son to be an amazing, tolerant person in society, and secondly, be who I am. Even if it means living out in the woods for eternity, so be it.

29. Do you have any tips or advice for young and newly-Awakened Otherkin?

Seek help. Seek out a veteran. Let people question you. It may annoy you to no end, but it helps in the long run. Most importantly, remember, you are you. You are valid.

30. Anything else you'd like to share with us?

Respect others and their identities.

Be kind.

Remember, you are you.

Awwooooo.

Original is by @justanotherkin

[kitchi-the-canine-blog]

How did you decipher your kin through all of the different types???

Great question! While I’m still mildly questioning, I’m pretty certain I’m a canid cladotherian (including foxes and canines.) If you’re looking to find your theriotype or kintype, I would suggest recording all your nonhuman-related experiences in a journal or somewhere, shifts and anything else you deem an important part of your animality. From there you can narrow it down by researching animals and/or mythical creatures and find what fits you best. Don’t forget to listen to your feelings, however! If all the signs point to a Jackal, but it doesn’t feel right, chances are, you’re not a jackal.

Meditation and dreams are used by some to find their type, however take dreams with a grain of salt as these are not always accurate. Meditation is used incorrectly by many. Rather than trying to get dreams and visions, use it to observe how you truly feel.

I found my theriotype by a lot of thinking and pondering what was already present. I knew I had these habits and instincts, and some I “discovered” by simply observing myself, I just had to figure out why. So then I researched animals, which led me on the right track but for awhile I became even more confused. I was skeptical of the concept of being a “cladotherian” and it took talking to a few others who identified that way to accept that I might be one.

That said, here is a list of things that for me personally, point to being a canine-human. Some of these I already knew initially while others it took some research to discover that this trait very well may be related to a theriotype. The combination of these experiences as what I felt was “right” narrowed it down a lot for me. Everyone is different, so don’t think you have to have experiences just like mine.

(Warning: This turned out longer than I expected. It’s quite long!!)

🐺 Phantom Shifts 🐺

Ears: I have always had phantom ear shifts, but the problem lay in deciphering what kind. I soon realized that my phantom shifts would differ each time. Sometimes I would get the feeling on my head of large pointy ears like a coyote, while other times they would be smaller and furrier, more akin to the wolf. I have even gotten partially floppy ears before! The same with tails. Sometimes my tail feels like a fox’s, sometimes a wolf. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, look up pictures of these things, that’s what it feels like, though I could be wrong.) I’ve even gotten a short tail I couldn’t figure out at the time, but assuming it wasn’t a cameo I think it could’ve been an African Wild Dog! I also get the occasional other kind of shift, such as muzzle shifts (sometimes it feels long and thin, other times more stocky but it definitely protrudes from my face.)

🐾 Sniffing things 🐾

I have a habit of sniffing things, things I’m not sure of, new things, things I’m about to eat etc… I gotta know what it smells like.

🐺 Growling and Snarling 🐺

When I was mad at someone when I was younger I would express this by growling and showing my teeth in a threatening gesture. There are obvious reasons I have learned to control this behaviour but the urge is still there.

🌲 Quad Running🌲

Running on all fours. It’s not easy, but for some reason I just kept trying it. It felt like it should feel more natural, the way I’m supposed to move but really it kinda just hurts my wrists. I still get the urges to do it though.

🐺 Behaviour Around Food 🐺

Have you ever heard the term “wolf it down?” I’ve never understood why people feel the need to talk while eating, I would never waste time getting the food to my stomach, besides maybe sniffing it first if I don’t know what it is/am not sure about it. I’m a pretty darn fast eater, and I have a habit (that I’m currently trying to kick) to eat and eat and not stop till I’m stuffed. Sometimes (not a lot, I’ve learned my lesson) I’ll eat so much during a meal that my stomach hurts after. I’ve never had any problems getting food or not having enough food, so I don’t think it’s related to that. I feel this is because when wolves and other canids (re: African Wild Dogs) get a meal, they have to eat it quickly to prevent their kill from being stolen, and eat as much as they can because they don’t know when their next meal will be. Believe it or not, a wolf can eat up to 20lbs of meat in one sitting!! On that note I am also uncomfortable leaving my meal alone, even when I know nobody will take it. As well, I have a very scavenger-ish mindset that is heightened when I’m hungry. I can feel my phantom ears perked and listening, my eyes scanning the landscape, searching for my prey whether it be the form of a vending machine or a 5 star restaurant. As a child I would walk around “scavenging” for the sole purpose of finding something edible— berries, nuts, even plants. Once again, I never really had any food security issues or anything like that. It just felt like something I should do.

I will eat anything—whoops, I just dropped my food on the floor. Did anybody see? Nope, guess I’m eating it anyway.

I can very easily become motivated by food. My English teacher gave out little assignments every once in awhile that we could either exchange for marks or candy. When candy was an option, I wanted the food! I would finish that assignment like my life depended on it I was so excited for the possibility of earning that candy.

🐕 Barking 🐕

I love practicing my bark. I used to have a bark so good in fact, it would fool people and other dogs! Alas those days are over, but what actually ruled out being just a wolf (what I used to believe about myself) was barking and the urge to bark. Wolves can bark, but do so very rarely.

🐾 Mental Shifts🐾

Mental shifts are like phantom shifts for me. I get them a lot but they may differ each time and sometimes depending on environment. Generally when I am safe in my “den” house, I become very playful and will often play wrestling games with my dog, (attempting to) use canine posturing, barking and play growling. It’s hard to resist the urge to just let loose and play and be a dog, so I have taught my dog to play fairly while wrestling with humans so no one gets hurt. Still, I’ve noticed that while I’m more shifty it feels natural and normal to play those sort of games, and when feeling less canine I am a bit scared to engage in play like that. I also have to remember to use my hands instead of my mouth otherwise I’ll get a mouth full of fur yucckkkkk. (Again, none of us hurt each other or actually bite eachother, that’s a no no.)

Other times I don’t particularly feel like playing with others, but I will toss around a toy and pounce on it.

Other times when I am in the house I don’t feel playful at all, but rather trapped. I feel hyper and full of energy and I just want to go outside and run and run and run and maybe howl.

A more “Wild” form of mental shift I get is when I’m in a place of nature. I feel canine but my phantom ears are swiveling all over and my senses feel heightened, alert to every sound. I feel like I’m always at least semi-alert for “predators,” more akin to a watchful coyote or fox than a top predator such as the wolf.

🐺 Love of singing 🐺

Maybe this doesn’t directly relate to being a canine, however since canines are very vocal creatures I thought I’d add it here. I absolutely adore singing and music (howling.) as a matter of fact, add howling to that list too, because I consider that singing and music as well. I am in absolute heaven when I can just let loose and howl/sing. I feel like it’s a social thing as well since I feel more inclined to sing when there’s others I know and love around (though less likely to do it 😂😂😂) I do feel this incorporates into my personal Therianthropy to an extent, however liking to sing doesn’t have to do with therianthropy in general, and many non-therians also love to sing.

🐶Chewing🐶

I feel the urge to chew things a lot and I would (and do) chew up pencils, water bottles, bones, anything that I can get my teeth on. (I also love gum for that reason and will often chew it way past the time the flavour is gone, just because I feel the need to chew something 😝)

🌲Longing for “home”🌲

From a very young age I was fascinated with nature, and felt strongly connected to it. I would build “dens” learn all the edible plants, pick berries and generally just spend the majority of my time outside. I absolutely loved camping. I’m sure this is common with some non-therians, but it went a little deeper than that. I saw the nature as my home, and have always, including now had a deep and intense longing or “homesickness” to return. I used to make secret plans as I was a kid, that the next time we went camping I would run away to live in the woods, maybe find a pack of wolves and live with them, which is the way I felt I was meant to live. Even now, the “human” way of life makes no sense to me and I’m baffled a lot by it.

🐾 Discomfort as a Human 🐾

Sometimes I just don’t feel comfortable as a human. I look at myself and I think this is not me.” When I think about how I should look, I know I have four paws and a tail and a muzzle. There’s a lot I would give to be able to physically shift (though it’s sadly impossible.)

🐾 My “Pack” 🐾

I am extremely suspicious of “outsiders” and generally it takes me a lot to warm up to people I don’t know, like a wolf that finds a strange canine on their territory. They either choose to avoid confrontation or will attack if deem necessary. Obviously I won’t attack people but I do feel like sending them away. Once I warm up to someone though and begin to actually trust them they become my “pack,” and that bond is not easily severed.

🌲Connection With Canines🌲

I’ve always been a lover of animals, but I feel particularly drawn to canines. If you’d ask what my biggest dream was, the right answer would be to live in a pack of wolves, to be a wolf or coyote or i can’t decide but something like that as crazy as it sounds. I feel like I understand them more than people sometimes. Canines are my family and they feel like home.

🐾 Walking on my toes 🐾

I have a habit of walking around “tiptoeing” like many digitigrade animals some of the time. It just feels normal even though humans are plantigrade. (That feels normal too, I do both.)

🐕 Startle response 🐕

My unusual reaction to being startled or hurt is to bark or yelp. Rather embarrasing if it’s in public.

🐩Awkward Socially🐩

I’ve always been a bit socially awkward, and while I’m not saying it’s all caused by being “a canine in a human body,” at least some of it I believe is for me. For example, I have always seen eye contact as a threatening or intimidating gesture, and used to deliberately look away from people when talking. While I saw myself as being “polite,” (it is, in the canine world,) I am perceived as rude by humans, and therefore have to “relearn” how to act socially because the canine social rules I use are not appropriate.

🐕 Play 🐕

As a child I felt most comfortable pretending to be a dog or a wolf. It was play, but it was also an expression of my natural behaviour.

🐾 Sleeping curled up🐾I find it oddly comfortable to sleep curled up into a little ball like an animal, though eventually I will stretch out, considering the human body was meant to sleep a little differently.

?? Den ??

I’m not too sure about this one, so I put it last, but when I feel scared or hurt, it’s most comforting to hide somewhere warm dark and cramped like a little den. I have heard of some kinds of foxes and smaller canids using dens for safety and living, though most canines simply use it as a place to birth their pups.

[sorryforthephilosophy]

Phoenix Jones Fights Wolfie Blackheart

To mangle a quote from 1984: “If you want a vision of the future, imagine Phoenix Jones fighting Wolfie Blackheart - forever.”

In 2010, San Antonio police searched the house of Wolfie Blackheart.  Wolfie believed that he* was a wolf, spiritually if not biologically.  He was a member of a growing subculture (therians or otherkin) of animal-identified people. Wolfie was the alpha of the Crimson Blood Wolf Pack and an amateur taxidermist.  It has also been reported that Wolfie was a high school dropout and had Tourette’s.  Members of Anonymous had alerted the police after seeing a photo of a severed dog’s head that has been posted to MySpace and feared that Wolfie may have killed and decapitated a missing dog from the neighborhood.  Wolfie proclaimed innocence, saying that he would never kill a dog, that he found the dog dead in the woods and wanted to preserve its skull.  News stories about the issue abounded, and Wolfie was subject to harassment, threats and doxing (personal information being revealed online, such as phone number and address).  Even today, cultural conservatives use Wolfie as an example of the slippery slope of allowing people to identify as categories that don’t match their biology.

In 2011, Phoenix Jones, a real life superhero and the leader of the “Rain City Superhero Movement” was arrested under investigation of assault for using pepper spray to break up a fight.  In court, Phoenix was forced to remove his mask and reveal his true identity.  Phoenix is an accomplished mixed martial artist who wore a super-suit that included bullet-proof material.  Phoenix has stopped several crimes, prevented criminals from fleeing the scenes of multiple crimes and has been shot and stabbed (or so it has been reported by Phoenix and others).

Wolfie and Phoenix have never, to my knowledge, met nor come into conflict.  However, their stories are emblematic of the effects that the internet is having on our society and are instructive on what we can expect the future to be like.

The internet makes new subcultures and new identities possible.  Cases in point: the real-life superhero movement, where people put on superhero outfits and patrol the streets of their cities trying to stop crime, and the otherkin/therian movement, where people identify as being (non-human) animals or as being spiritually or psychologically connected with animals.

Our cultures tell us the choices that we have for our identities.  Modern western culture had, until very recently, only two gender choices: male and female.  Other cultures have had more than two concepts of gender, and thus more than two choices.

Before the internet, people in western culture had a relatively small number of things they could identify as: gay or straight, nerd or jock, criminal or law-abiding, republican or democrat, urban or country, Catholic or Protestant, etc.  There were some minority choices (rather than Democrat or Republican, you could be a socialist or a fascist, rather than Catholic or Protestant you could be an Atheist or a Buddhist or Wiccan), but most of these minority choices made a person subject to ridicule and prejudice.  If you identified as a wolf in a human body, or wanted to fight crime as a costumed superhero, or thought lizard people secretly rule the Earth or were a heterosexual male who wanted to give up on women and go-your-own-way, it was unlikely you could ever meet another person who felt the same way as you, and attempts to do so would most likely result in ridicule and shunning.  Today, anyone with any of these beliefs or desires can go on the internet and find a community and a culture.  You might even find people in your city who share your beliefs who you can hang out with in person.

These internet-generated sub-cultures normalize identity choices that would have previously not seemed like choices.  There have been superhero and werewolf stories around for quite a while, and doubtless many people fantasized about being a superhero or a wolf, but before the internet the number of people who chose being a superhero or a wolf as a lifestyle were small or non-existent.  The lifestyle choices you believe you have change radically when you find find a community of people who are patrolling the streets in superhero costumes or who go to the mall in a pack wearing wolf tails.

Some people who have written about Wolfie Blackheart have described him as non-neurotypical.  I do not know if that’s true, but let’s say for a moment that it is.  It might mean that wolfie was born with a brain that would never have let him do any of mainstream culture’s standard identity choices very well.  Maybe being a therian is closer to what his brain does well.  Maybe all the different subcultures cater to certain psychological and neurological types (just as mainstream culture does).  If clothes all came in medium but no small or large, and someone who could never find clothes that fit them found a weird subculture that had small or large clothes, they might feel they finally found a place they belonged.

However, the internet puts these various subcultures on view for people from the outside to view.  And thus we see culture clashes, because what seems to be a valid choice within the subculture doesn’t always seem like a valid choice outside.  To Wolfie, it may have seemed normal to take the body of a neighborhood dog who was a friend of his and who had been run over, and cut its head off so as to preserve its skull as a memorial to the creature.  To Phoenix, it may have seemed normal to pepper spray a group of people engaging in a fight.  To the people who saw the dog’s head on MySpace, it was evidence of animal cruelty and occult animal sacrifice.  To Seattle law enforcement, trying to break up a fight with pepper spray is evidence of being what a Seattle City Attorney called a “deeply misguided individual.”

In China, Human Flesh Search Engine is when people use the internet to find criminals and people who break societal norms, stripping these offenders of their anonymity so they can face legal action or social sanctions.  When a video was posted to the internet showing the feet of a woman in high heels stomping on a kitten, the Human Flesh Search Engine tracked down the woman and revealed her name, causing her to lose her job.  When a woman posted on Chinese internet forums about her husband’s infidelity and then committed suicide, the Search Engine made the husband famous around the Chinese internet, forcing him to quit his job and subjecting him to harassment on the street.  In the West, groups like Anonymous use similar tactics and for similar reasons. It was Anonymous members that first got involved in the Wolfie Blackheart case when a picture of the dog’s severed head was posted to 4chan.

Yet it’s not just members of our nation’s default culture who take vigilante action against others on the internet. When feminists tried to post their opinions on video games to the internet, and proved they had an audience willing to view and even pay for these opinions, anti-feminist gamers (a cultural minority, no matter how much their constant loud whining on the internet makes them appear to be a majority) resorted to the same tactics: campaigns of harassment and doxing.

So what will the future look like?  The internet will continue to create new subcultures, and these subcultures will grow larger, older, deeper, will grow even more different from the mainstream culture.  People who were raised in these cultures will come of age.  There will be second-generation real life superheroes and therians. There will be splintering of existing sub-cultures into sub-sub-cultures. Therians and otherkin and furries will all think of each other as weird and wrong.  

More of us will be in one or more of these subcultures.  The mainstream culture, to the extent that it exists at all, will be a sort of lingua-franca, like the pidgin languages that allow people to communicate and trade in areas of dense lingual diversity.  Mainstream culture will mean that while you are in the office you won’t wear your tail or your mask, and you won’t say your theories about lizard people or the earth being flat, but this is just a shallow code of conduct you adopt only until you can leave work and be around your own people again.

On the whole, this may make the human race happier.  Perhaps we are almost all neurodiverse, some of us are just better at hiding it than others, and when given a choice most of us will abandon mainstream culture for something that suits us better.

Yet for all the potential joys of fitting in, culture clashes are going to increase dramatically.  Actions that seem normal and sane from within the confines of subcultures will be viewed from outside by people who don’t understand the cultural context. Many subcultures will seem, to outsiders, to be strange and sinister and possibly dangerous.  We will fear that therians will kill our pets, that real-life superheroes will pepper spray us for no reason, that feminists will ruin our video games.  The same internet communities that help people connect with each other also make concerted vigilante action not only possible but easy.  Subcultures will fight subcultures, each attempting to wield social systems (e.g. the police, the school system, the mainstream news media) as weapons against each other.  It won’t be a war, it will be a lot of little skirmishes, weirdos versus weirdos.  It will be Wolfie Blackheart with a set of surgically implanted fangs fighting Phoenix Jones with a kevlar super-suit, forever.

Sources: Mostly Wikipedia.  Also: https://encyclopediadramatica.rs/Shadow https://www.forbes.com/2008/11/21/human-flesh-search-tech-identity08-cx_cb_1121obrien.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN7lBDxWhvs http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1792621/?ref_=nv_sr_8 http://horrorfanzine.com/wolfie-blackheart-and-the-severed-dog-head/

*In 2011, reports listed Wolfie’s gender as female. Wolfie, to my understanding, currently identifies as male.

A note on quote marks: In this article I resisted the urge to use quote marks around the terms people use to describe themselves.  Quote marks, like the terms “so called” or “self-proclaimed,” carry with them the implication that someone uses that term, but I as the author normally wouldn’t.  There’s a huge difference between saying “Sam, who is a trans-man….” and “Sam, who is a ‘trans-man’...”  No quotes implies that this is a real or legitimate category.  And since this post is about that tension between what one person considers a legit category and what another doesn’t, I thought it would be hypocritical for me to include those quote marks.

[pumastuffs]

The 30 Day Non-Human Challenge (but all at once and slightly modified)

1. What is your species? I am a puma!

2. Have you told anyone?  Who? I've briefly brought it up with my younger sister, and I've also told my husband.

3. How old were you when you realized you were not human?  What made you realize it? My "official" awakening was a couple years back, sometime around 2012 or 2013.  I've always felt like a cat, and that was when I finally learned a word to briefly summarize my identity.

4. Do you identify as a part of the otherkin or therian community?  What communities do you identify with? When I first discovered the communities, I lurked mainly in the otherkin tags and used 'kin terminology.  With the recent influx of fictionkin in the otherkin community and tags, I've shifted more towards therian spaces.  Nothing against 'em, I just feel more comfortable with the therian crowd.

5. Tell the story of the first person you told. I think the first person I told was my little sister.  I don't remember it all that well, but I think it started as me talking about the concept and then admitting that yeah, I am one.  We're close and she's cool, so it went well.  Basically a "yeah, that makes sense," kind of thing.

6. Have you faced any abuse because of identifying as nonhuman? Nope!  I'm not very vocal about it irl or on my main blog, and I don't tag my personal posts here with the relevant tags, so I have no audience that could turn on me, haha.

7. Do you have a favorite nonhuman character? Judy Hopps!  When the movie came out, I was the same age as her, and I just really loved her personality.  She's a very relatable character and I love her.  I have a lot of "favorite" characters, but she's the first one who came to mind, and also the most recent.

8. Do you believe there should be nonhuman pride?  What do you imagine it being like? It'd be nice to be able to be a bit more open about it in public without fear of being made fun of, but I don't think "pride" is appropriate.  More just general acceptance.

9. What does being nonhuman mean to you? It means experiencing the world as an animal and a human.  It's kind of a best of both worlds situation.  I'm a feline at my core, but I get to do all these fun things that are inherently human experiences.

10. What have other people said about your nonhuman nature? Nothing, really.  The two people I've told have been supportive, but it's not a thing that we actively talk about because it doesn't *need* to be talked about.

11. Nope.

12. Your favorite nonhuman Tumblr site. Kinfood is probably still my favorite, even if they are inactive.  Lots of good recipes, and it was one of the first kin blogs I followed.

13. Your favorite nonhuman website. Buddy, I have no idea.  I know it's a faux pas, but 99% of my online consumption of therian stuff is tumblr.

14. Tell us about a time you met another nonhuman, whether in real life or online. I don't really actively socialize with other people in the community aside from the occasional reply, and I've not met anyone irl, so I don't think I can really say I've met someone.  Encountered, yes; met, no.

15. Your favorite nonhuman celebrity/person. I've forgotten how to spell it, but I did enjoy watching Kaniishta Njaiuk's videos.  Doggrin was also a favorite.  I loved those little rambling videos while they cooked.  Genuineferalswagger was another blog that I enjoyed going through, although they've since deactivated.  I hope all of 'em are doing well.

16. Your favorite nonhuman book (as in, nonhuman characters are the main focus). Anything with cats as the lead, haha.  Redwall is a classic series.  Watership Down is a good one.  I recently remembered The Grand Escape, but I haven't read that since elementary school.

17. Your favorite nonhuman movie. The Lion King is up there.  Zootopia and Brother Bear are also candidates.  I'm really bad at picking favorites.

18. Tell us a funny joke about being nonhuman. Otherkin don’t real.  A classic joke.

19. Is being nonhuman spiritual for you? A complicated question!  I believe that I'm a purposefully misplaced soul that was nurtured by my close relationship with my childhood cat and dogs.  So basically a mix of spiritual and psychological stuff (the latter being some kind of imprinting).  However you spin it, I believe my nonhuman identity was intentional on behalf of a higher power to help me get through life.  It sounds super cheesy, but it's the easiest way to describe it.

20. Tell us a few thoughts about what it's like being your species. Being feline is so innate that it's sometimes hard to pick out feline behavior from normal human traits.  It's comfy, though.  The worst part is being weirdly territorial  on some things; I don't like people touching my things, and I get this weird, uncomfortable feeling when people come over for the first little bit, like they shouldn't be there.

21. Your favorite nonhuman quote. I can't think of any off the top of my head, sorry!

22. What do you believe causes nonhuman identity? It depends on the person, honestly.  For some it's spiritual, for others it's psychological, and it can even be a mixture of both!  All I know is my vague, wishy-washy views based on my own experience.

23. What is your favorite nonhuman pride image? Uh, the theta-delta?  It's a nice little symbol, and it's a little more subtle than shouting "HEY I'M A CAT" from the rooftops, lol.

24. Write something or post a picture about nonhumans that upsets you. I'm a little bothered by the Tumblrkin(tm) taking over and warping the terms and everything.  I'm also weirded out by how fast it went from a small community on this site to literally everyone on tumblr is fictionkin.  I'm not losing sleep over anything, but like, how did this happen?

25. What is the worst argument you've heard against being nonhuman? They're all a little tired at this point, but the "your body is human" is an obvious one.  Like, yeah, of course.  You sure showed me, buddy.

26. Who is your biggest ally? I'm gonna be cheesy and say my husband.  He's not a spiritual person at all, but he accepts my views and gives me scritches and pets and calls me a cat sometimes.  It's nice.

27. What is your favorite type(s) of cake? Ice cream cake is my jam.  Red Velvet is good, too, followed by confetti cake.

28. What is your favorite type of pie? (Alternately, is pie an acceptable replacement for cake?) Pumpkin pie and buttermilk pie are both so good.  I used to think French silk was amazing back in the day, but it's probably a little too rich for me now.  Pie is definitely an acceptable replacement for cake.

29. Where did you first learn about being nonhuman? Here on good ol' tumblr.  I first saw the word on a post someone made about otherkin going into their ask box to complain about their interpretation of a character.  That lead me to looking in the tags to see what it was about, delving into the blogs (of which Tsu's was one of the first), and deciding "hey, this fits."  All of this was shortly before Tsu went off the deep end.

30. Tell us anything about being nonhuman that you want to end with. I did this all in one go so my mind is pretty tapped for comments or good advice or whatever.

[thelightfluxtastic]

30DayTheri 15: Psychological Therianthropy

Halfway through the challenge! I identify as a psychological therian. Today, I’d like to talk about why and what I mean when I say that/what it means to me. Right of the bat- my degree is in Psychology, and I’m currently in a Master’s program being trained as a counselor. That definitely has an influence on my perspective. In a lot of ways I’m just...too aware of what the brain is capable of to tend towards external (other lives, other universes) explanations. Brains do weird things! Constantly! So much of what we consider reality (including basic perception, like vision) is more projection and construction. It’s predicting and adjusting and making stuff up constantly, in ways that don’t get noticed because it’s all...normal functioning. So it doesn’t seem all that out there to me that people could have a different internal body map, or sensory experiences, or identification and attachment, etc. There’s also all the overlap between the alterhuman community and the neurodivergent one, such that I think the cause of therianthropy (at least mine) is neurodivergence. But I think that might be it’s own essay.

I experience my therianthropy through mental shifts, phantom shifts, habits, preferences, ways of thinking. In other words, I experience it as psychological phenomena: urges, behaviors, thoughts, desires, sensations. I imagine for someone whose experiences were wrapped up in dreams, memories, and astral experiences, a spiritual explanation would seem closer and more fitting. 

I’m also very aware of how subjective and somewhat arbitrary my labels and dividing lines are. I attribute some preferences to my therianthropy but not others. I am incredibly sensitive to audio/sound but consider that a sign of general neurodivergence rather than a “sensory shift”. Who’s to say where the line is between extroversion and canine traits? I vocalize regularly, but not in ways that are particularly doglike. As I mentioned in the Day 10 post, I fully believe someone else could take all my traits and sort them into different categories, draw different lines. And as I said Day 12, I see identifying as nonhuman as a pretty dang human thing to do.

To be clear, in being a psychological therian, I am not saying therianthropy is a choice. I never chose these experiences. I never decided “I’m going to be a dog therian”. But “I am a dog” is an interpretation I made. On a meta level, I’m very aware interpretation is a subjective matter. And again, it’s the explanation/interpretation that made most sense to me and was useful, not one where I thought “well, I’ll use this label because it’s more fun” or something like that. There isn’t the same deliberateness as me choosing what to eat or what book to read, but there is a level of input. I’m just self-aware that there is always an element of myself I put into what I take out of something. (Even me seeing psychological explanations for therianthropy as most fitting or making the most sense tells you something about me). Therianthropy is something my brain does the same way perceiving color is a thing my brain does, that’s based on external facts but also my own neurology and experiences and perceptions.

[thelightfluxtastic]

30DayTheri 6: Gear

I have a mixed relationship with gear. When I first discovered the otherkin tag on tumblr back around 2012, it was almost exclusively gear and aesthetics/mood boards, lots of products. Some of which seemed geared toward helping one feel more like one’s kintype (foods, wearable tails, claw gloves) and some of which was just themed (paw print soap, socks with cats on them, a pencil case with dog art).

As someone just discovering the label, the sheer amount of aesthetic and shopping posts confused me on exactly how serious/integral the identity was. And I found the product focus alienating and unrelatable. I could understand wanting to have claws/wings/etc that reflect a body type, but what good would dog-themed chapstick do me? What did that have to do with being a dog at all?

What helped me accept the label was finding communities where people actually talked about their experiences (which, hey, is part of what I’m trying to do with this 30 day challenge). Now, I’m not against aesthetics and gear entirely, they are fun and there’s nothing wring with having fun with one’s identity. I also get how having themed stuff (like the aforementioned soap or pencil cases or chapstick) can still be fun and an expression of an interest. Heck, I have a messenger bag with a dog on it, and wear t-shirts from dog festivals, because I like expressing my attachment to dogs! I’m not hear saying these things are bad, I’m expressing a history in which they contributed to some confusion for me, and turned me emotionally away from gear as shallow or unrelatable. I’ve avoided getting ears or a tail for a while, though I’ve considered it. These are my common phantom shifts, but the shifts are specifically brought on as a way of expressing emotions. So an immobile tail/ears that I can’t control just doesn’t seem like it would do much for me. The gear that I do have is:

-A border-collie pattered ear hat. It’s from this etsy store. A friend got it for me as a gift when I came out to my friends as a therian. Frankly, the friendship, support, and validation in the gesture of “you trusted me with this identity so I got you something that matches it” is far and above more significant to me than the literal gift itself. The ears are floppy-ish and not controllable, obviously. But it still gives me a lot of joy to see that particular color pattern (red and white) and to catch my shadow having dog-ears.

-A custom border collie kigurumi from the same shop. This one was something I saved up for and was very excited for.  It didn’t give me some transcendent “I’m finally in the right body” feeling when I first wore it, it was still just a cozy animal onesie with a tail I couldn’t control. But it was cute and fun and made me happy. Then, the first time I laid down with it, the tail fell/smacked against my legs (just out of momentum) and that was something. It honestly caught me off guard how utterly right and amazing it felt to feel a tail with weight and motion. It still wasn’t perfect, but I wore the onesie more often and kept trying to move in ways that would make the tail “feelable” just to chase that spike of euphoric joy.

-A collar. Someone in an exchange group on FB was making leather collars and harnesses to make money and I decided to go for it. I liked how it looked when I first wore it, though I don’t wear it that often. Honestly my partner gave me a necklace when we first started dating and I wear that loose chain constantly. That seems to fit more the emotional point of a collar so I don’t get much extra out of the leather one except as a purely sensory thing more than a therian thing.

My experiences with the hat and kigurumi have made me curious to re-assess my position on ears and tails, since they might still push euphoria buttons even without physical control. I know I’ve saved a post somewhere for “tail you can actually feel” how-to. I’ve considered getting a small-pet collar with tags and wearing it as a charm bracelet. Frankly I sometimes wonder if my enjoyment of pins/buttons is just a reshaped dog-tag urge- I don’t necessarily care whether it’s around my neck or not, but I really like having wearable identifiers.