#otherkin led

[cadaver-callum]

Advertising my POT server

Run by a silly raptor thing!

This is about a 10~ active members server to play path of titans with! We play as raptors and community voted to be named The Pack TM

We play on officials and community servers

We do not tolerate griefing or exploits/ cheating

We are not sore losers :> (can't say the same about some of our victims though)

We swap between various activities and it seems like usually theres someone online at this point (which is neat!)

If this sounds like something for you you can join here:

[causticfanatic]

I’m shifting and rotting and watching and tearing, rending face from face a cacophony of identity and cruelty and eternity. I’m a monster and I’m not real. I am less than human, worse. I exist to hurt and to feed from pain and I have never felt bad about that fact. I am a leach never providing any use, any value and I am a beast hurting, breaking, scaring. i am the monster under the bed, the thing in the shadows, the tapping on the window, the creak in the attic. I am lies and rot and cruelty.

[antlerkitty]

Hi me too!

Tell-tails:

Thought I was a cat

Did rituals to try and be a “real cat”

Huge obsession always with the cosmos and even though I’m terrified of them, I feel like I belong up in the sky

Huge sense of guardianship over nature and the cosmos

Always imagined myself with facial markings, would make facial markings out of eyeliner when I was 10 or so

Feeling like a cat, but not an earthly cat… more like the mother of all cats, cat protector, but at the same time a cat, but at the same time a goddess

Always feeling like an ancient being

My suspected kintype always changing at first, but it was always things I viewed as godly (oh wow realization here)

Wanting to be respected and treated as an ancient sacred animal god specifically (also god in the eastern sense, I do not identify with the western view of gods and do not/have never wanted to be treated as such)

Pretending to be (you guessed it) an elusive protector god

Literally saw myself as a god in the eastern sense before I knew of anything other than western gods (age 4-5 maybe)

My kintype is a shapeshifting cosmic animal goddess (my profile pic is the cat form). Unsure if I have another theriotype or another kintype or if they’re all in one.

Guys we should start calling 'signs you were alterhuman before you knew you were one' tell-tails. Get it? Like tell-tales but tails?? Because alterhuman? Tell-tail sign I was a cat: i used to pray to every god i knew about (in my head, not out loud tho) to turn me into a cat. on a nightly basis -- plot twist I'M AN ATHEIST

Also feel free to talk about your tell-tails in rbs or comments im quite curious

[hermaphrodog]

It's really sad how my biggest exposure to the otherkin community was cringe compilations. I never really saw the beings being made fun of as 'cringe' but rather super cool, and I felt seen and not alone by learning that there is a whole community like me. I saw Naia (the 'on all levels except physical, I am a wolf' girl) and saw myself. Where everyone seemed to poke fun at such a concept, it actually led to a path of self-discovery for me. At least there's that.

[xenodelic]

Why We Left the Alterhuman Community

Hello, again. Some of you may have noticed our inactivity on this account. There is reason for this beyond our own personal life making us busy.

The main reason for our inactivity is that we no longer consider ourselves part of the alterhuman community. We are still nonhuman, but we can no longer involve ourselves in the alterhuman, otherkin, therian, or adjacent communities because of rampant racism, colonialism, ableism, and human-centrism.

Particularly in terms of the hatred and exclusion of physical nonhumans and those whose nonhumanity is intertwined with indigenous and/or traditional cultural practices.

The alterhuman community promotes and enforces western colonialist hegemonic ideology of the self, the individual, and social reality. It centers humans as the primary and only true intelligence of the Earth, it enforces strict, socially constructed definitions of human vs nonhuman, it erases traditional cultural practices and spirituality - especially that of indigenous cultures - and it enforces institutional ableism and sanism against those who experience different realities.

Much of the community, especially the "big name" popular accounts, are aggressively opposed to any claim of physical nonhumanity beyond a strictly  philosophical approach ("I am nonhuman, this is my body, therefore my body is nonhuman"). And if someone does claim to be physically nonhuman, they are required to admit that it is only within the confines of a personal subjective reality, and concede that their personal reality is lesser than the supposed "objective reality" -  in which all of us are demonstrably physically human and can only think we're nonhuman.

One is essentially required to admit that their experiences are not actually real and that they are solely constructs of the mind. You're required to either identify as a delusional individual of some kind, or state that it's only a philosophical viewpoint.

And even when one does state that they are experiencing nonhumanity through the lens of delusion or mental illness, they are still excluded from the community by means of constant reality checking and enforcement of hegemonic reality.

The concept of physically shifting to something nonhuman is possibly the most viciously attacked experience. They completely ignore the fact that physical shifting to other forms is extremely prevelant within indigenous and non-western cultures, and that the erasure of such beliefs and practices is a direct result of colonialist enforcement of hegemonic norms.

The promotion of hegemonic "objective reality" as the be-all-end-all of what is true, possible, and acceptable has led to the complete exclusion of people who cannot make their experiences compatible with it. And if one cannot make their experiences compatible, they are often labeled as dangerous, manipulative, or accused of grooming young nonhumans into certain belief systems.

The irony being, that these social values are the result of centuries of propaganda, indoctrination, and genocide. The ideology of what is and isn't human, especially regarding physical traits, is one of the core pillars of institutional racism. Wherin people of color as defined by their phenotypal traits as being subhuman, and those who actually identify as nonhuman in some manner have their autonomy removed and also treated as subhuman. Subhuman doesnt mean "nonhuman", but rather less than human.

When people encorce this ideology, they are actively contributing to the subhumanization of many groups, human and otherwise. We can no longer stand by this. As much as we have enjoyed participating and having discussions over the years, we've realized that unfortunately these ideologies have an absolute strangehold over the community. We've tried time and time again to break through it, but we've been shot down repeatedly and people just won't listen, despite our position of relative privilege and respect within the community.

We will be continuing to interact with other nonhumans and people with alternative experiences online. We won't publicly reveal our new account here but it should not be difficult to find us. We are far less active online in general, but when we are we will be discussing our genuine experiences without the limitations of these restrictive social norms.

If you wish to continue interacting with us, feel free to DM and we will give you some form of contact.

Thank you, and we wish best of luck to those in the community who will continue trying to break down these harmful ideologies.

[forests-creatures]

I feel like warrior cats was an awakening for a lot of therians/otherkin- or at least led towards it

[indornaga]

Hey, Lets Talk About Therian Gatekeeping.

If you've ever seen my work, you know that I'm a very inclusionist therian. People & creatures who have read my work or been to one of my presentations of Therian: Dispelling the Earthen Animal Myth have been very receptive of the information and have passed it on to others in the community that havent been so fortunate as to have experienced and learned along side me. There's still a lot of work to be done in this venture, and every person & creature who shares it is a crucial part of history.

So why does the "therian = earthen animal" belief exist and persist? My favorite theory is that there's a pervasive need to be seen as legitimate. Fictional and mythical animals arent seen as real, in their therian-worldview. Not real enough for exclusionists, and that theory is constantly reinforced by exclusionists who insist that inclusionists are the ones trying to rewrite the term's history.

Let me show you what I mean.

Here's a link to where I got this screenshot. Please note the date in the upper right hand corner of the screenshot. For context, this is from a thread on the community's originating website, Alt.Horror.WereWolves. This is the thread that originates our current usage of Therian/thrope/y. (The censored info is the members' real names. You can see them uncensored at the link, unfortunately. I've censored them here for privacy.)

As I see it, therianthropy applies to *any* human/animal form, regardless of history, powers, or other attributes.

The original defining discussion thread of therianthropy includes "any human/animal form". Gatekeepers are the ones in the wrong here.

There's an argument amongst exclusionists, "if therianthropy can extend to include non-earthen animals, what's the point of therianthropy as a concept?" For those who arent aware, although therianthropy and otherkinity significantly overlap in their experiences and the way those experiences are described, the two communities developed separately, with overlap in experience and terms used, depending on which of the two a member found first. It's so deeply ingrained in these exclusionists that therians can only be real animals, that they choose a narrow inclusion or non-existence.

On top of this, it's incredibly disturbing that these people & creatures are encouraging revisionist history by completely denying original, first hand sources that tell them they're wrong. They delete messages that inclusionists reply with, giving them these primary sources. So I'm here showing you the truth.

If you've been led to believe, threatened even, that you're "not a real therian" if you believe therians can be non-earthen animals, then I'm here holding your paw, telling you that your inclusion in a term/experience doesnt hinge on how well you uphold the standards of a few.

If you would like more reading about this, I have a whole essay, linked at the beginning of the post, with dozens of citations to primary sources about this issue. If you agree that "therian = earthen animal only", I challenge you to read the essay. Read and really analyze the sources linked there. Engage with your history in it's purest form, not from others telling you things. Learning and expanding your worldview is the most powerful way to grow as a person.

[scrubbinn]

Mimic Memoirs: Trip to the zoo

HRT month 17

Two weeks after meeting Aria the Lamia

Attempting to deliver a plush toy as promised

The late noon sun rolled high above the sky. Mid spring days of hyper city carry a lot of rain. It wasn't a big deal for a mimic. But Mayday wasn't fully a mimic yet, and slimes hated rain. Too much water leaves slimes diluted and in danger of melting completely. Thankfully umbrellas do the job just fine. Still it set the tone of today as dangerous.

A drop of water finds its way onto the slime mimic's ankle with her whole body going into a shiver. It's normal for slimes to start vibrating in response to danger. It's a way to alert others that one is at great risk.

“It's just the rain, it's just the rain, it's just the rain.” She chanted.

she pulled a bag of plush toys closer to her chest as she repeated herself a dozen more times.

Repetition soothes the soul. Mayday knew no less than 18 different mantras and methods to remain calm. Ever since she became a mimic, she always felt violent instincts crawlings and brushing against the back of her mind. Currently, they were telling her to leave.

It's not actually that unusual for a therian or otherkin to visit the Zoo. Be it morbid curiosity or genuine consideration for a home, it has become a foundational monument in Hyper city’s culture. An organization dedicated to containing and taking care of potentially dangerous therians that had already passed their crossroads and could no longer be trusted in society.

Arguments about its necessity in society have been ongoing since construction began. But the messy truth was that anyone passing their crossroads had to sign away their human rights to begin with. Humanitarian ethics had no say in the discussion, and no one can stop the animal cruelty that comes with any enclosure.

The near empty parking lot outside was covered in deep puddles, disguising every pothole that waited to shatter some poor sap’s suspension. Mayday couldn’t help but think anyone who had an accident here deserved it. She felt bad about that idea, but she couldn't help but believe it. When she first found out about this place, she began diving far deeper than she ever thought was possible for such an awful place. Each new article about it revealed horror after horror. Poor living conditions, mistreatment of staff, even worse treatment of therians… those blinding shock collars. Anyone who decided to visit here ignorantly deserved a bit of car damage.

The inside of the building was no better, wide doors meant to accommodate a dragon led to an antechamber with a human sized entrance. There wasn't even a sign that informed guests of another way in. The message was clear regardless. If you were something the staff wasn't sure they could handle. Then leave.

Mayday gripped her umbrella tightly, focusing on the sensation of the plastic handle, the smell of the trampled carpet, everything in the room that was now. Better here than whatever dangerous place her anxiety could think of. The mimic found her courage and walked towards the small ticket booth on the far end of the lobby. The smell of cheap gift shop toys and overly sugary candy overpowered everything else here, anyone with a nose would feel nauseated, stars above, what if a dog or really any mammal therian walked in here. Then she saw the stains in the carpet. Of course, they don't care. She began gripping her umbrella even tighter.

Shockingly, on the other side of the ticket booth, was another therian, a dolphin. Despite the small muzzle and completely different facial structure, you could not get a more bored disaffected teenage look out of anyone else. He spoke in a single monotone voice so bored that the sound effects coming from his gaming device were more interesting.

“Welcome to Hyper city Municipal Zoo. A place of magic and wonder as we explore the mysteries that lurk just behind the therian craze sweeping over our city.” The man looks up from his game. “Oh. You here for a protest or something?”

Of course, why else would someone like her be in this place? She took a deep breath and slowly showed the bag to the dolphin.

She stated calmly and clearly, “I'm here to bring some toys to the lamia exhibit for their enrichment. I spoke with one of the staff over the phone and was told to bring them to the lobby.”

She did her best to hide her wincing as her voice automatically went into a customer service tone she hadn't used in years. She tried not to ever remember those times.

The young adult stood very still for a while, looking back down to his game for most of it, only glancing back on occasion to see if Mayday took the hint to leave. After a minute of silence, Mayday began to speak only to be cut off.

“I'll need to contact my supervisor. Stay there and wait I guess.” He said.

Mayday could only sigh as she thought to herself, “just remember that this one is going through problems just like you. Just stay calm. There is no need to lash out.”

Her thoughts carried with her feet towards the massive glass window overlooking the tiger exhibit. The only exhibit set up for free viewing. Its drainage system had backed up a while ago, turning what was supposed to be a savannah into a dank swamp. From the other side sat two tigers looking at Mayday from a shallow cave made of plaster. They barely had enough protection from the rain, but they simply stared at her. She stared at the shock collars locked around their necks.

“I'm sorry,” she mouthed

For what, not even she knew. Being powerless to help, not having anything to give to them, or maybe it was simply the guilt she felt for lowering her dosage, for not walking the same crossroad they did. For being a coward.

“Excuse me?”

Mayday jumped, multiple eyes flinging themselves open, desperate to find the voice that pulled her out of her own head. They all landed upon a human in a zoo keeping attire. A large built man with a beard so curly that it grew more wide than long. He looked like he could be grandfather with the amount of wrinkles under his eyes. There were probably more under the graying hairs. His vest held a name tag reading, Kaylen Deemer.

The man spoke again. “You're the one who called about the donations? Mayday was it?”

He spoke in a strange manner. Emphasizing you're like it was a stone that smashed through his window. Mayday wanted to smash the window next to her.

“Oh, yes that's me. So if it's no trouble then, you can take these and-” She was cut off.

“I think whoever you spoke to wasn’t clear enough.” He said. “There will need to be some paperwork you will have to complete before we can accept these items. Why don't you step into my office.”

Mayday was certain the phone call she had before coming here had the phrase “You can just hand the items over when you arrive” in it. The smart play would have been to ask for any paperwork to be brought out to her. Unfortunately this was something that would only come to her in hindsight.

Kylan's office was cramped, not from the lack of space, but from how stuffed it was. Eugh, stuffed was a poor choice of words. Mounted trophy animals covered the walls, with their killer's weapon of choice hanging directly above him. She did her best not to look up at the nightmares. To an outsider, she would have looked as if she were bowing her head to a superior. All she could do is read the plaque on his desk, “Security chief Deemer,” over and over. Silence covered the rest of the room. Mayday hoped anyone but her would break the silence. Eventually, she had to.

“So, that paperwork?” She said; proud in keeping her voice from shaking.

He looked surprised for a second before talking. “Yes, here it is. Just needed Miller to fax it over. Now then, why don't you show me what you brought here today.”

Mayday reached into her bag and set out multiple plush animals of various sea creatures. Several fish, a spider crab, a rainbow collection of some other dimensional sea creature, and a sea snake that she placed gently on top of all the others.

“These are for the snake exhibit. I met- no, I saw the Lamias at the aquarium and they seemed to want a few of these things from the gift shop. I had to buy a few for them. They all seemed like a nice group.” She said.

“Quite charming of you. But I doubt they were looking at anything in particular. They're just animals after all. They were probably just drooling over a mouse running along the gift shop floor. They'd be pleased as punch if we gave them a stick or a toy full of cotton.” He retorted.

“I don't think-” Mayday made the mistake of raising her head. Every taxidermied head was looking down directly on her. Blank unmoving expressions with the glint of a gun painted across their eyes as the last thing they ever saw. Mayday closed all her eyes and gripped her umbrella even tighter. The handle began to crack.

His tone held that of unmoving authority. “Tell me… Mayday was it? What do you think is the difference between us, and the things out in the exhibits?”

She knew the answer he wanted. She didn't want to say it. Yet she started to open her mouth anyways. Like he had reached down to her core to pull out the words stuck in her throat.

“That we're smarter.”

She didn't believe it. Not for a second did she ever think that was true. But she had to say those words. Anything to make this go by quicker. She scribbled in every signature, every date, everything she could on the paperwork. Only afterwards double checking to make sure she hadn't signed her life away.

“That's right,” he said. “If I pointed a gun at you, you'd try to stop me. It's our minds that make us different from them. We’re not feral animals. Now, I understand you got sympathy for them, but you really have to know these aren't the kind of toys they'll like. They might think we're handing them food and choke. But I'll be sure to check with our lead therian keeper, and you can come back tomorrow when we have an answer.”

The paperwork falls to the floor. Mayday just stared at the desk in front of her. She did her best to swallow the anger, no matter how much she wanted to show this man how feral she could be.

“What do you mean tomorrow? I was told I could drop them off today.” She spoke in a raspy tone.

Kaylen sighed, as if he had finished giving the most simple explanation to a child, only to have them just as confused as before.

He spoke his words like laws chiseled into stone. “Well you can’t expect us to just hand them over. They could be filled with dangerous substances or any number of hidden objects. We don’t have the equipment to check. So you have to be the one to get them checked at an appropriate station. Then they’ll send us the donation. Really now, what did you expect? For us to rip them open and sew them back up. It might be a slow day for guests, but that doesn’t mean we can fulfill every little whim you have, simply because you thought you were special enough to bypass the rules.”

“I'm just trying to send gifts to a friend.” She started to choke on her words. “Please, just take them.”

He spoke with the joy of a hunter catching prey in a trap and said, “A friend? I thought this was all for our lamia exhibit? That's so strange. It reminds me of something. You know, we had an escape attempt at that aquarium, a lamia who said she made a friend. Miller really wasn't happy about it. I mean an accomplice running off with a dangerous animal. Can you believe it? Tell you what, though. Maybe we can come to an agreement here. You should go to your doctor and get your dosage upped. Come be a part of the family here. You'll get to actually befriend the others that live here, and best of all, you won't be fined for kidnapping zoo property.”

The room was silent for the next five minutes. Mayday could only desperately grasp at words that sped across her mind. Blackmail. Property. Friend. Zoo. Help… Attack.

Kaylen could have sworn the room grew darker. He blinked just for a moment, and Mayday was gone. No, not gone, changed. The mimic now dwarfed Kaylen. He stood up but still found himself a few feet short of the thing now in his office. 28 of its eyes all zeroed in on him as threads of sinew carrying rows of fangs rolled across its body. The security chief glanced over to his rifle on the wall. It had already been snapped in half without so much as a decibel alerting him. As if grabbing a shield to defend a dragon's fury. Kaylen took the bag of plushies and placed them to his chest.

Knock knock knock!

The sound of the door behind Mayday made her jump. To Kaylen, it was another blink and his nightmares had turned back into the soap bubble slime he thought he was dealing with. Mayday looked over at the door. Then to Kaylen, the bag he was holding, and the gun on the wall. She wondered why the last ten seconds of her life felt so fuzzy in her mind. And then the door opened.

What stood before Mayday was another man. A maroon military haircut and mustache would make anyone stand out, but then there was the deep scar on his cheek. Something about him immediately made Mayday uncomfortable, even Kaylen seemed surprised. His nametag just read: Miller.

“You must be Mayday. We talked over the phone.” His voice felt plastic. Nothing about his smile or tone was real. “I see Deemer here was just taking the donation off you now.”

Mayday felt off about this man more than with Kaylen. She pushed herself out of the office and back into the lobby. The smell of it invaded her senses once again. She was just about ready to leave but something stopped her. She turned to walk back into the room but the new figure was already directly behind her. She made a mental note to leave her eyes open around him.

She spoke before he could have the chance. “You better make sure these go to Aria and the others.”

The man's plastic smile faded for a brief moment. He spoke in confusion. “Aria? I don't think I… oh, the poor thing is getting confused again. Her name is Saphir. It was changed to help her move onto her better life here. We'd appreciate it if you used the correct name.”

Changing your name after fully transitioning was pretty normal for most, but something about the way he said it. Like he was proud of the name. In that horrid office with that horrid man. Mayday had kept her composure for the most part, but in this moment, her body could not stop shivering. Nothing about this man felt right.

“You're pretty unusual for a slime.” He spoke.

Mayday couldn't help but retort, “I'm a mimic.” She regretted saying it.

She gripped her umbrella with a mouth that had wandered onto her hand. Teeth dug their way into the handle. The pole started to bend.

“A mimic. Well isn't that… unique.” He spoke with a hunger that nearly broke through his fake tone, unable to stop himself from eyeing Mayday up and down

“Erian’s never mentioned he had a client turning into something like you. I assume Erian is your doctor. He usually ends up making the weirder ones. I've never seen a mimic so good at disguising itself. Not even a plank of wood for a chest to hide in. I hope you have a good plan when you decide to become feral.”

She felt like she had a grip on the conversation. She nearly shouted, “I’m not planning to-”

“They always do. Even if they try to pretend they're still human.” He removed her hold.

Mayday didn't know anything about this man, except that every part of her was telling her to attack. It wouldn't work. Somehow she knew that even with all her tricks. He had something to stop her. She looked down at the shock collar clasped around his belt. She looked up at the ticket seller for help. Solidarity with another. He was hiding in the booth trying not to be seen.

“I bet mimics have a pretty tough time suppressing their urges to eat. We're always happy to take care of you if it gets too hard. We'd need to change your name then. Oh you'd look perfect for a Malachite. We'll shorten it to Mala, we haven't used that name in a while.”

For the first time she met this man, the tone in his voice was completely genuine. Something about that made her so much more afraid. She thought of her friends and family, she wondered if they'd ever be able to find her. She held her umbrella as tightly as possible. The pressure made it worse. Slimes aren't able to throw up. It's biologically impossible and a waste of body mass. But mimics are very good at making the body do things that it thinks will help survive. A black puddle of poison rested at her feet. Mayday felt dizzy.

Miller, in that same plastic tone, spoke again “Oh no, you seem sick. We have an infirmary you can rest in.”

Mayday broke her umbrella. Bits of the handle flew off and metal bent under her fanged grip. She threw it like a weapon at Miller and fled for the entrance. She never turned to look back, if he said anything, she didn't want to hear it.

The scared mimic ran through the rain as fast as she possibly could until arriving at a bus stop, one she was certain that no one from that awful place would check. She knew Aria, or Saphir, or whatever her name is… she knew her friend wouldn’t receive those gifts. She didn’t care anymore, she couldn’t go back. Better to live as a coward than die a hero. She told herself those words over and over, but it didn’t make them feel any more true. Most of her face and hair had been diluted from the rain. She didn't care. She couldn't stop shivering.

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Hey thanks for reading, So a quick explanation since this isn't Mimic HRT. This is something new we've been thinking about for a while now. Mimic HRT generally has a lot of chapters that get scrapped due to running off into tangents about world building or stories that couldn't fit in the normal recording format. So while we spend our time agonizing about the final chapter of Mimic HRT, we thought it might be fun to write a few stories expanding on chapters that could use more. Hope you enjoy.

Thank you to @ariathelamia for letting me use the character, Miller

Thank you to @ariathelamia, @tigergirltail, @ashen-vulture, and @josphitia for the setting of The Zoo

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Mention list: @a-shramp, @calliecwrites, @be702, @respectfulevil, @hyacinthdoll1315

@aster-is-confused, @bloodandbrandywyne, @glitchgloop, @nyxthewary, @lunadook,

@celestemysterios, @i-am-trans-gwender, @reliablegal

[wxlfbites]

December 1, 2024

Grilling...

In the beginning, the therian and otherkin communities had a process to help determine who was and was not a therian or otherkin. Called "grilling", it was a form of introspection that involved other members questioning someone about their nonhuman experiences and guiding them to the right words that fit them. This was helpful for some because it gave them an outside perspective and introduced them to new information that they wouldn't have found otherwise because they wouldn't have even thought to look for it. Grilling encouraged people to really look into themselves and understand their experiences better, there were very deep discussions, whole websites dedicated to members of the community writing in intricate detail about their identities, and the sense of comradery was at an all time.

However, it quickly became a demonized practice due to the way some forums started to go about grilling. Around the mid 2010's, an atmosphere of "wrong = fake" grew around certain online sites and answers like "I don't know" were made to feel dumb and immature. This led to those who were being grilled, specifically younger children between the ages of 13 and 15 years old, feeling like they had to lie or were otherwise offended when told the terms they were using were not correct for them. They did not want to admit they were initially wrong out of fear of rejection or bullying by the older adults. Now, grilling is deemed the evil in the communities, and anyone who dares question others or insinuates that one may be using the wrong terms is a "gatekeeper" who must be silenced.

But there is no shame in being wrong. There is no shame in making a mistake. It is good and healthy to ask yourself the hard questions and admit the hard things to ourselves. If you are not honest with yourself, you will forever feel the burden of the lie. The truth is, we are not "policing" you when we say the word you're using to describe yourself is not the right one for you. We are helping you be your authentic self. We are guiding you to the freedom that the right word for you will give you. When you have the right word for who you are and what you experience, it opens up the box you put yourself in trying to fit into a word that isn't for you, allowing you to spread your wings.

Meeting the basic criteria of something is not a bad thing. Fitting the definition of the labels you use is important because it does not force you to be anything other than yourself. Grilling was and should still be a common practice in any community, because it helps the community and the individuals who think they might be a part of them know if it really is the right place for them without having to compromise any fundamental personal parts of oneself in order to "fit in". Please consider that when we're telling you that trying to change the definition of a label to fit your own desires to be included in that community it is damaging not only to the community you're trying to change but also to yourself because you are trying to be something you're not, we're not "gatekeeping" you. We are not hating you. We are not making fun of you. We are helping you. We are encouraging you. We are teaching you. We are looking out for you.

[ashleyrowanthewriter]

First Swim - Ashley Wants to Be a Mermaid (Mermaid HRT 1)

Next

*************

I remember writing a poem years ago.

I dream of being a mermaid.

It would be so much pleasure.

I dream of going through upgrade.

Into the ocean unmeasured.

Of making brassieres from seashells.

And from seagrass sewing skirts.

Of wearing earrings from pearls.

And a starfish in hair.

Of having a beautiful tail.

As if made of mirrors.

On which every single scale

In the Sun shines and shimmers.

Of singing beautiful songs

Written on kelp with ink of squid.

Of answering my inner call.

Of growing algae to eat.

Of sleeping on gulfweed bed

After swimming with the congridae.

Of letting curiosity led

To a sunken treasure.

Of watching the Full Moon

Through a layer of seafoam

While surrounded by coral in bloom

And blissed with my underwater home.

Of meeting other merfolk

And learning their way of life.

Of seeing old friends to talk

And hug on a secret night.

Of telling others about land

With an energetic voice.

Of helping those who on coast hang

Make the satisfying choice.

And as the Sun tells me with its crew

To wake up from my dream

I ask myself if I want to.

And do I really need?

That was the moment I realised it was more than a fantasy.

*

As I looked through my old writing with Arja we couldn't help, but laugh. Younger me had a simple obsession. It was impossible not to notice how I loved stories where the protagonist became a mermaid. It started with Hydrogen Monoxide Girlz and escalated from there.

Soon I began writing my own stories. And from time to time I couldn't help but go in that direction. Over the time I accumulated a lot of stories about mermaids. They brought good memories.

"You seem like somebody who would like that to happen to them," said Arja.

"Yeah, maybe. But I guess it has to stay a fantasy," I said.

"You know with today knowledge you could without any problem? I mean, look at me."

One look at Arja was enough to understand. Arja was an otherkin. Out of all the bodies she could have been born into she felt a body of a dragon to fit her perfectly. Once species replacement therapy came to be she felt so happy that she could take it. She loved her scales and she couldn't wait to achieve her perfect hybrid state.

"Of course I know species replacement therapy exists," I said. "But you know that with how my heart is I can go through it?"

It was an unfortunate truth about my body. I had a serious heart defect. It was not threatening, but only after I had several surgeries. Ever since I got interested in species replacement therapy I knew one thing. It is because of these surgeries that I could not transition. Only fully mammalian species were safe for me and mermaids don't count as such.

"Yeah, sorry," said Arja. "But at least you have those." She pointed at a stack of paper covered in Calibri telling stories of underwater creatures.

"And that no part of my body can take away from me."

However deep down I felt something. Something that was hiding, but wanted to get out.

*

That evening I could not sleep. I just rolled in bed from side to side. I couldn't stop thinking about all the stories I read and saw and wrote. About how I really wished to live in them.

Another night of overanalysing. I wanted to prevent it.

I searched for a movie on my phone. I saw something I wanted to watch on one platform. I Saw It in the Pool. It was said this movie was the greatest horror for otherkins. I wanted to see it, but it skipped cinemas in my home town.

I watched the movie.

It haunted me.

*

Next day I walked to the river. I stepped in and sat leaning on the riverbank. It felt calming. It let me finally focus my thoughts. It felt like a moment of peace.

I realised what my thoughts were pointing towards. The stories, the creations, the emotions. I realised who I wanted to be. I realised who I was.

I walked back to the land and called Arja.

"Hello. I think you might have been more right then we realised at first."

*************

So here's my first entry to Our MerMay Story and also Mermaid HRT. It's not the best, but it is something.

Also, I did not write this poem for the story. That's an actual poem I really written about three years ago. Take of that what you will.

[multiplicity-positivity]

To the Aves, Birds, and Feathery Headmates!

Whether you are therian, alterhuman, otherkin, otherhearted, copinglink, or nonhuman in some way, if you’re a bird or avian headmate, this post is for you! Avian headmates have always been and will always be cherished and valued members of the system community, and we are so happy to be able to share this space with you! So here’s to all the aves and ave-adjacents out there!

🦚 Shoutout to aves with phantom wings, beaks, feathers, talons, webbed feet, gizzards, vents, crops, cloacas, crests, or other bird parts!

🪺 Shoutout to aves with nesting, flocking, flying, migrating, hunting, hiding, or brooding instincts due to their avian natures!

🦜 Shoutout to those who are hybrids, have some bird-like qualities, or who are only part ave in some way!

🐥 Shoutout to aves who vocalize in birdsong, whistles, trills, squawks, cries, chirps, caws, and other sounds that birds might make!

🦢 Shoutout to those who are questioning if they are birds or avians!

🦉 Shoutout to those who are aves without having a specific idea of what species they are!

🐦 Shoutout to aves who craft wings, tails, beaks, or talons, make nests, collect shiny objects, ruffle and preen their feathers, and do other things to help live their best avian lives!

🦅 Shoutout to aves who are comfortable acting and presenting as a human despite actually being a bird!

🕊 Shoutout to introjects whose source is fully or partially avian, which has led them to identify as an ave as well!

🦃 Shoutout to aves who have always known about their bird identities, and to those who discovered this aspect of themselves later in life!

To any bird or avian headmate who reads this, we hope your future will be filled with peace, happiness, and species euphoria! Know that your identities are real, you are valid, and you belong in your system and the plural community just the way you are. We believe that your future is bright, and will be filled with things that bring joy to you and your system!

Whether or not you follow your instincts, experience shifts, or have noticeable bird-like qualities, your life experience as an ave will always be special, unique, and valued. We truly are wishing the very best for you in all that you do! Keep soaring high, our feathered friends, and have a wonderful day!

[louisirl]

A Testament to the Vampyre: Addressing Cult Behavior in the Vampire Community

I have reached a point where I can no longer align myself with the current state of the Vampyre community. While I will always support and stand with my fellow Vampires, I cannot remain a silent bystander to the blatant issues continuously showcased within the community—whether directly or indirectly—while still wearing the label of ‘Vampyre’ with pride. The elitism and the unhealthy, inflated sense of self that I’ve witnessed do not excuse harmful behavior, even under the banner of identifying as a Vampire.

Too often, I’ve observed members of this community exhibiting shaky, insecure senses of self, as shown by their attempts to control or diminish others. A person who is truly grounded in mind and self would never behave in such a way. Yet, these are the individuals who are representing the community and providing guidance—a troubling reality I can no longer overlook.

I will be introducing a new term for those who resonate with it—one grounded in historical context rather than my personal biases about how the vampiric experience “should” be or “should” appear.

The Vampire identity is vast and deeply rooted in a multitude of beautiful cultures and perspectives, a diversity that our community could embody if it weren’t so often overshadowed by the pursuit of fantasy, money, power, and control.

The cult-like behavior within the Vampire Community is striking. It’s ironic how the community considers itself superior to Otherkin and Therian spaces, yet it remains stuck in a state reminiscent of the “Physical Shifter” Werewolf Community Era—a community with a starkly similar structure and approach that had to evolve for the safety and wellbeing of others.

The current mindset has led to the alienation of Vampires who are genuinely seeking understanding and connection. By prioritizing hierarchies and fostering a cult mentality, the community has diminished its own presence and impact—not because there is a lack of Vampires seeking community, but because of how the community is structured and how it treats its own members.

At the end of the day, how you choose to identify is your own matter. However, identifying as a Vampire does not absolve immoral or predatory behavior. If you condone or enable such actions, you are contributing to the problem.

I will always identify as a Vampire; I am certain of who and what I am. However, I will no longer be using the Vampyre label.

If you’re interested in joining this effort, I plead to you—don’t hesitate to reach out. This can be the beginning of a new chapter for all of us.

All Affinities.

Louis de Pointe du Lac

[inuette]

Wtf even *is* a 'radqueer'?! My attempts to research this all led to bizarre shit like people thinking they're actually dinosaurs (or were in a past life) or that fetishes are a legitimate sexuality, or insisting that white supremacy is actually okay as long as you feel guilty about it??? Does radqueer just mean 'any random bizarre shit is my identity/sexuality and if you find that odd you're some form of phobic'?? Because that's how it reads from the outside.

You can find the original 'coining' post of radqueers in our archival post. However, the group is essentially made up of people who use terms like 'transracial,' 'transage,' 'transspecies' which belonged to other groups (transracial to adoptees, transage to systems, age regressors, those who are agestuck due to trauma, etc. and transspecies belonging to otherkin, alterhumans and nonhumans) with no regard for their original purpose nor usage.

The community is also pro-para, which wouldn't be a problem in and of itself if it weren't for the fact the community does have beings who are pro-contact (meaning they support acting on one's paraphilias, whether harmful or not.) Paraphilias do not inherently make one immoral, seeing as not everyone wants to act on their paraphilias, but there are large groups in the radqueer community who encourage acting on it.

They also 'coin medical disorders' (known as MUDs, medically unrecognized disorders) which I hope you can see the issue of.

The issue with their usage of TransIDs isn't that they support transitioning (transdisabled is typically used by those with BIID, if other treatments do not work and amputations or other things are the only option left to deal with your dysphoria, then it's the only option left. Or with transspecies, wearing fursuits, paw gloves, etc. to help deal with your dysphoria doesn't hurt anyone. Our support of transitioning does not extend to transage, transracial, or other 'coined' Radqueer terms). It's that they've stolen terms that belonged to other groups of people.

It's that they trivialize these identities by labelling them as 'trans,' causing outsiders to view them a as an 'equivalent' to what transgender means. On top of that, there are most definitely beings who use transIDs and transX terms for the 'aesthetic' due to its broad definition. The original terms were meant to help those who are mentally ill (i.e. have psychosis and suffer delusions in some way), experience atypical dysphoria, or a disconnect from their physical body for other reasonings.

There's most definitely more, but I believe this covers the basis of it.

[wolfthelittlefang]

Non-humans, what led you to realizing you weren't human? What labels do you currently use to express your non-humanity (if any), and what exactly do you currently identify as?

I'll go first!

(Due to the fact that we as a system share memories due to the lack of blackouts/complete amnesia and are for the most part collectively non-human I, Wolf, will be speaking for us all collectively.)

As a child, from the moment we were able to form a sense of self, we knew we weren't human. We always had that feeling that there was something different about us, something nobody around us would ever understand. So we stayed quiet about it. Why would we ever talk about something that nobody would ever truly understand. Well, that's what we thought for the next 13-ish years of our life. When we first discovered alter-humanity it was through Therianthropy tiktok in 2021 (yes, I know, not the best source of information.) and we started identifying by tiktok's definition of a therian because we thought that's all we needed to know at the time. Just having a "special connection" to animals felt good enough at the time. It wasn't exactly how we felt, but it was "good enough" we thought. Something that we could tell people and they might actually understand. Around a month passed of this situation before we decided to actually do our own research (finally!). And we discovered that Therianthropy actually meant identifying as some non-human animal to some level. We felt like we'd been heard, like we could finally be accepted by a community of others just like us. And that's how it was for about a year. After a year had passed since my discovery of the true definition of Therianthropy, I decided to make my first Therian pack (which was open to all sorts of Therians). This is actually where I met my current best friend, Calix. I'm not gonna go through every detail of what happened during the era of this pack but what I will say is there was some drama and we had to do the right thing which resulted in the loss of my "pack" entirely. But in the end, I realized who my pack truly was (Calix). Sure, maybe it was a small pack but it felt like home to me. An amount of time had passed since then and I became more knowledgeable of the Non-Human community through my Wolf friend, Calix. A lot of things happened but so far along my journey I have discovered more and more about non-humanity then when I started out. Most of my knowledge is accredited to Calix. At some point, he discovered the term "Transspecies" and eventually "Holothere" A.K.A. physical non human, which are two terms we now use as a part of our identity (most of us anyways).

All of the labels we currently use include Therian, otherkin, Holothere, Transspecies, and Non-Human canine (specifically a dog/wolf/werewolf).

At the moment, most of us identify as some type of canine.

What about you? Tell me your story, friend :)

[spiderqueenpc]

I survived my own execution and all I got was this atypical narrative identity || A vivisection of Kozuki Oden / Yamato's otherkinity

Yamato! Everyone's favorite pseudo-Straw Hat himbo. He's a popular character, and one of the best known outside of the One Piece fanbase due to what I like to call the Bridget Effect (aka being a trans character in a popular series from Japan). There's a lot of discussion about him, and there have been many analysies written on him from a queer perspective- as there should be!

But there is something distinctly lacking in discussions of Yamato, which is any meaningful alterhuman perspective on this character who is just as alterhuman as he is queer. At most, you might see someone jokingly calling him "Yamato Odenkin" or something like that, and that's about where the willingness to engage with his identity begins and ends.

So, I would like to give Yamato a long-overdue look from this angle. But first, a couple disclaimers:

1. I am fictionkin, which is a very similar experience, but I am not factkin myself. I apologize if I have missed anything because of that.

2. I'm not gonna be getting into Factkin Discourse™ here, and I kindly ask that you follow my lead in this regard. I will be approaching Yamato's identity with the same good faith I would approach any other otherkin identity.

Take a shot every time I say "freedom" in this essay if you want to get alcohol poisoning or something lmao

0. A note on the word "kin"

Our vocabulary has been widely stolen, bastardized, and watered-down, so there's a good chance you have a huge misconception about what the word "kin" actually means. So, as a brief clarification:

To be otherkin is to be your kintype. It is to identify as it, not with it. It is a part of who we are at our core, not a game we play or a little hat we wear for fun. It isn't roleplaying, or faceclaiming, or merely "relating". In the same way queerness is broadly not a choice, the same is true of otherkinity.

Alright, back to One Piece.

1. What is the point of Yamato?

Throughout One Piece, pretty much every important character explores some distinct idea related to the core theme of freedom- what it means, what pursuing it looks like, what it's worth, etc. Yamato is no exception. His character and story are about the ways in which self-actualization and freedom are intrinsically linked, and I can hardly think of a more poignant way to deliver that message than through a character like Yamato, for whom the two are truly one and the same.

Kozuki Oden led a life of freedom, being a free spirit who did as he pleased from childhood and eventually sailing the seas as a pirate alongside the freest man in the world. Oden embodied freedom as a symbol and as a person. Yamato seeks to do the same in order to embody himself, and seeks to embody himself in order to achieve freedom.

Yamato himself stresses this connection between his identity and his conception of freedom, even lamenting that Luffy is "more Oden" than him due to Luffy living a life of both material and inner freedom. Putting a pin in this interaction, by the way.

Another core One Piece theme that Yamato has his own spin on is that of inhereted will. When Yamato's identity forms, he is inhereting Oden's will to the extent that it is truly his own will. He is an extention of Oden past death; perhaps the purest distillation of this concept that is so crucial to One Piece as a whole. More on that later.

Yamato's identity is frankly a stroke of writing genius, tailor-made for the exact point that One Piece is communicating with him. If he was only a trans man, or if his kintype was something else, his story wouldn't have the same flawless cohesion and immense impact.

Additionally, the use of an identity that is on the periphery of the periphery in real life is in and of itself is a bold and good writing choice for this. While it can (and absolutely does) lose some readers, it's worth it for the poignance it lends the message. Freedom of self-determination is for everyone, One Piece says through Yamato, not only for those who are deemed "normal" and easy to understand. (Him being non-passing also contributes to this, but that's tangential to my focus here.)

2. It's all us

There's a common misconception that otherkin of all stripes- but especially fictionkin & factkin- don't truly consider ourselves to be our kintypes. We do. It's important to understand that. But there's also, somehow, another common misconception that we completely reject our current selves, or that we "should" if we want to be "valid".

The truth is that we don't, because it's all us. The lives we lived then and the lives we live now both shape us, are both part of our person. Some things are different, some things are the same, and that's okay. It doesn't make either us less us.

Yamato reflects this wonderfully. He introduces himself as both Oden and Yamato- a kind of polyonomy you'll see in a lot of real life otherkin. He wears the exact same kind of shimenawa belt as a visual tie (pun intended) to his identity, but the rest of his style is different. He says he's Oden and that he's Kaido's son, and he's caught off-gaurd when Kaido acts like there's any contradiction between the two, because the fact that there isn't is completely self-apparent to Yamato's eyes.

I would like to circle back around to that pin now. Luffy doesn't really get it, but it's a very real feeling that Yamato's expressing there. Despite knowing that we don't need to be exactly like we were before, it can still, sometimes, cause feelings of self-consciousness or even jealousy to see someone who is more similar to your other self than you currently are. This can cause problems when handled immaturely, but there's nothing wrong about the feeling itself. It's just a feeling, and Yamato handles it pretty gracefully. It's just a sad little relatable moment that really cements Yamato's conceptualization of his kintype.

3. Language

Yamato is fully disconnected from others like himself and largely disconnected from other people in general. He's had to navigate his identity on his own. The results of this are interesting and, in my opinion, pretty realistically written.

Most notably, the language Yamato uses to refer to himself is pretty wishy-washy. Some have used this as evidence that he doesn't actually see himself as Oden, and I can definitely see why it might appear that way if you aren't all that familiar with otherkin. I don't really blame anyone, but the truth is more complicated.

This kind of fluctuation between "am" and "want to be" language is actually not terribly uncommon among otherkin. Why the imprecise language? Well, honestly, it boils down to the fact that it's a whole lot easier to say, ex., "I want to be a cat" than it is to articulate the nuances of incongruence and dysphoria, or to even fully understand those nuances within yourself to begin with.

It's not universal, and certainly as you get into the academic side of the community, you're not going to see that kind of imprecision amongst them. But for many, and particularly for those who are isolated from the community, that kind of language can be the best they have.

When we look at Yamato- a man who is without guidance and without pre-existing language to lean on- it only makes sense that the way he talks about and conceptualizes himself ends up being wildly inconsistent.

4. Present day Yamato

(Note: At time of writing, the most recent chapter is 1135, i.e. part 21 of Yamato's 'surrogate pilgramage' cover story.)

In the current cover story, Yamato is using his newfound freedom to travel the Land of Wano, and in doing so is growing into himself by following in his own old footsteps. Small note, but I like that this is reflected even in little background details, such as the crowd of women we see swooning over him, much like the Oden before. (Also, same. I would be in that crowd.)

He's also healing as Oden- honoring the will he carries in a very real way. When the original Oden left to sail the seas, Wano suffered in his absence. When Yamato saw the threat that faces Wano now, he knew he couldn't repeat that mistake. I, like many others, was very disappointed that Yamato didn't join the Straw Hats on the Thousand Sunny (and I knew it was coming! I can't imagine what it must have been like at the time.) But now, I've formed an appreciation for that decision. There's a special kind of hindsight that comes with getting to see yourself from the outside as fict/factkind do, and it's incredibly healing to be able to take that and do better. I'm happy for him, because I myself know what that feels like.

5. So... is he good representation?

Overall, I would say yes. Most depictions of otherkin are either mean-spirited or undercut by themselves or both. Yamato isn't either. He is presented as weird, but in the wonderful "yes, and?" way that so many weird characters in One Piece are. This is a story that thoroughly believes that weird is good, so there's no need for it to portray Yamato as normal in order for it to treat him with respect. And best of all, in the cover stories, we see that he is thriving as he grows into that identity further, with the choices he makes to do so also making a positive impact in general as they lead to him helping others.

He's not flawless, though- his identity is played as a little bit of a joke sometimes. But not too often- certainly not enough for me to not love him to bits.

I don't know how much Oda knows about otherkin. It could genuinely be nothing; wouldn't be the first time someone "invented" us out of thin air without knowing we do actually exist. But I will say that if that is the case, then his sheer intuition for how an identity like this manifests is crazy because everything about Yamato makes sense.

Anyway, I hope you found this interesting. Thank you very much for reading.

[spiritus-sonne]

Honestly, I'm frustrated artistically. I'm actually recently improving my art some and getting out of my imposter syndrome about my art, but I'm frustrated with the fact I have a 'style' (when I spent most of my life being able to do at least a few different styles) and it's not even one I particularly like; that and it frustrates me that I'm basically invisible as an artist. I put hours and hours into my work and it either goes unseen or for the most part ignored. I don't want like hundreds of followers on here or DevArt necessarily, plus I've got social anxiety (though it's less nowadays than it used to be for my art) but I hate for my art to be largely missed or ignored. It reminds me of when I considered going to art college in high school and some college reps just outright rejected my art because it was mostly fantasy-based. It wasn't good enough back then when it came to being around other artists of similar age and that's always left something inherently broken in me that I'm just now, 20 years later, working to resolve because I never could figure out what was wrong with me artistically let alone how to fix it. Becoming aware of imposter syndrome enlightened me though.

Back in school I was known for my art since early elementary school--it was something that defined me socially, but after I left high school I lost that and it's sort of left a hole in my life ever since. I also have struggled since late high school with my art just not being "good enough"--it's part of that imposter syndrome I mentioned and for years it's left me feeling like I'm an artistic fraud. So because of that, I felt deserving of my art going unnoticed. But with me now trying to go through a renaissance of sorts with my art and learning to see that, no, I'm not a fraud and here's proof, I'm just showing that proof to the void it feels like which triggers the back of my mind to be like "are you sure you aren't a fraud?" and it just takes me in circles.

I'm just so sick of being invisible for my art, for my writing, for my otherkinity/therianthropy and what I've done for those communities. I guess I dug this grave years ago and now I'm stuck lying in it & hating it. My social anxiety has always led me to make myself relatively invisible socially, but I've fought against that online since I joined the therian/'kin communities back in 2005 but with the loss of forums and journaling I lost those platforms that connected me to more people. And now on Tumblr I'm noticed by about 5 people or less and that's mainly in the form of simple, occasional likes on some of my posts. Supposedly I have nearly 200 followers but most of those are either gone or bots. I'm just stuck in a funk and don't know what I can viably do about it.