#realsupernaturalcommunity

[harloqui]

Shifting Safety Tips

I now have enough experience with shifting to make a list on the dangers of the outdoors! This isn't everything you could encounter, but this is a pretty good basics list for anybody wondering about the dangers of being out in nature as a shifter (or even as a human!)

This list isn't supposed to make you anxious or paranoid by any means, but is supposed to warn you about the potential dangers outside and how to handle them. The chances that you'll get lost or stuck out in the wild are small, but it's good to know what to do if something like that were to happen.

▪︎Tell people where you'll be.

Don't go out in secret. You don't have to tell people not in the know, but you shouldn't be sneaking out without telling anybody where you'll be. If something were to happen to you you'd want someone to alert the authorities early and fast, and sneaking out without telling anybody works against you. Tell a shifter friend, tell a human friend you'll be exploring X area, but regardless of who you tell let someone know where you'll be.

▪︎Take note of your surroundings.

When outdoors and in an isolated area, try to make a mental note of where you are and who's around you. Don't tune everything out, especially when you're exploring a new area for the first time. Pay special attention to odd parts of the landscape that stick out - if you get lost you can use these things to help you get back to where you started.

It can help to learn about the native plants and wildlife in your area. You don't need to become an expert (unless you want to) but knowing about what is growing all around you can help you navigate your surroundings with ease. This information can be useful even on quick journeys, and help you identify when you're near dangerous animals, plants or landscapes.

Avoid suspicious individuals. Some people have bad intentions in isolated areas. If someone appears to be acting a little too interested in you for no apparent reason, appears to be coyly following you or seems to be trying to herd or lure you someplace, head back to an area with people and get out of there.

▪︎Carry backup.

It can be dangerous in heavily forested, isolated or wooded areas, especially if you're a visible minority. When traversing these areas you should always have some sort of backup defense or weapon, just in case. This may seem silly, because if you're a shifter shifting should be enough to stop someone... but you don't want to only rely on shifting to protect you. After all, a human can still overtake most animals provided they have the right weapons.

This also goes for tools and necessities. Bring a backup charger for your phone if you're going to be out most of the day. Bring food and snacks if you're trekking somewhere new. Keep a swiss army knife on hand. You don't need to pack like you're going to climb mountains, but you should have the appropriate backup supplies should something go wrong that day.

▪︎When in the forests as a human, wear orange.

Animal hunters (such as trophy and food hunters) often camouflage themselves within the surroundings, which can put you at risk if you're also sneaking around the area. When shifting in a hunter-filled area, wear something orange (whether a collar, bandana, or a vest) so hunters can see you and avoid you. Even if you look like an animal, an orange piece of clothing surrounding you will let them know that you're associated with humans in some way and shouldn't be killed.

You can follow this rule as an animal, but note that it may look odd depending on what you are and where you live - a wolf with orange on won't attract much attention in Canada, but a cheetah might, and may get reported as a possibly escaped exotic pet. Be careful with how you go about this while physically shifted.

▪︎When stuck, call for help.

Got stuck in a trap? Lost and need assistance? If you can, call for help. If you have your phone on hand, use it. If not, call out for someone or wait for someone to come and find you.

When lost you should try to stick to a particular area until help arrives. Don't go wandering off when people could be searching for you- you could be delaying your chances of being found. Make a shelter out of whatever is available to you, and be particular about what you eat, if you eat anything wild. Meat should be properly cleaned and cooked well to reduce the chances of food poisoning or parasites, and you should only eat plants you know for sure won't poison you.

If shifting to catch food, be very careful about how you do it. Remember, animals often get hurt or injured when hunting, so if you must hunt choose weak prey. Try to avoid carrion unless necessary, as that also caries a risk of disease. If you must scavenge, look for something recently killed. If you're grazing, make sure to pick flora that seems healthy - many places that seem clean can be teeming with all sorts of pathogens or human chemicals, and some plants may be toxic to shifters.

If you're not too lost or must wander off, use your animal senses to help you find civilization. Odd, out of place smells or sounds may be indicative of industries or people being nearby. Don't disregard human pollution - if you see more bottles, trash, or discolored water near one place than another, that is a good sign that humans frequent that area, and by following the trash trail you can get back to society.

Lastly, if you are lost don't stress out. Stress can weaken your immune system and ruin your motivation to escape your situation. Don't focus on the negatives, keep a positive attitude and take things one step at a time.

I hope these tips can help any shifters nervous about exploring the outdoors, or wondering how to survive if they need to. Stay safe out there!

[mountain-lion-gremlin]

on one of your posts, you mentioned a "process" pshifters have made as a guide to pshifting. what is that process? could you share it?

thanks!

Of course I'll be glad to share! Obviously it's just a guide to follow to help you p-shift, most people move on to do their own thing and p-shift without it. Also please do note that this isn't the exact replica of like a process within the community, this is an elaborated version that is inspired and mostly drawn also from my own experiences and extra reading I have done thar has worked for me.

(Whole thing under cut, it's long)

So the most basic process you will find is PhMP, which was a method initially developed and named by Phenexus Weyr (as far as I know). It means mental, phantom, and then physical (all out of order which is ANNOYING.)

Obviously you need to find out what the hell you are before you can even think about p-shifting. Figuring out your identity is so much more important in the long run then p-shifting. Your identity will last forever, and p-shifting can consist of less than 1% of a shifters whole life.

Search, research, attempt to mental shift, and repeat until you find out what works for you. The most important part out of this is to remember that you can do whatever you want forever. Figure out you might be something else but have already mental shifted? Just start over! It's okay it's not like it's a race.

First, once you understand your identity, you will then mental shift, like fully.

There is indeed a difference between mental shifting itself, and doing it fully. Sometimes, others animal selves are extremely repressed / is very weak, and mental shifting helps strengthen that bond and eventually fully m-shift. When you ffully do so, this is usually from years of work to a point where you no longer can recognize your past and future self being the same people mentally.

Some people do though, fully mental shift at a young age (very rarely as far as I know) and don't need to do this step at all.

Next, there's phantom shifting, which can be done at the same time as mental shifting. The main goal here is to get incredibly good at completely feel your animal phantom over your body (from what I remember) with ease. It has been argued though that phantom shifting is unneeded, so do it if you feel like you do need to.

And finally physically shifting is the last step, and it takes years for your average shifter to even think about being close enough to reach this goal. The most common signs I have ever seen for when someone is successfully ready to p-shift is when they begin to get long, animal-like hairs on their body that are just like their animal. Usually. I've only seen it 3, 4 times with successful p-shifters. I've also had it, but haven't p-shifted just yet. Other things may include more dream shifts and even shifting in your dreams (I had a partial p-shift irl that was also in my dream and I could feel it. It woke me up though and stopped the shift)

P-shifting at the end of the day, to me, is something that not everyone can accomplish and isn't even that big of a role in being nonhuman, a shifter, a shapeshifter, a supernatural, a werewolf, whatever. It's euphoric, it's amazing, but it also can become obsessive and toxic to people.

I'm not going to deny or try to hide it - p-shifting can easily lead into a rabbit hole of obsession, apathy, disconnection, misanthropy, and escapism. You must watch yourself while following this journey, because it's just too easy to slip into toxic territory with shifting. Anything that allows escapism, can be abused. (Drugs, alcohol, reality shifting, overeating, overconsumption of social media, etc.)

A life lesson to everyone here - check yourself to make sure you aren't trying to escape or cope by using things that allow escape from your life, even if it's a part of your identity. Anything can fall away and become sour if you don't establish healthy boundaries with yourself.

Take breaks, check yourself, breathe, and reroute yourself back to healthy ways of coping. I promise you can both p-shift and be healthy about it, like I am! (At least, I'm trying my best here)

Thank you for asking anon! I hope this answered your question accurately ♡

As always, you can also do your own research if you know where to look. I'll be happy to share some resources if enough people ask!!

And finally if any other p-shifters remember something different / would like to add on, please do. It's incredibly helpful to have a second word and opinion ♡♡♡

[tsukitasogare]

If we took the second dragon code, and tweaked it a little, we could have a mythie code...

[harloqui]

First poll from me! I'm curious how many shifters and supernaturals are on tumblr. Feel free to reblog this for a wider sample size!

[harloqui]

Shifter pride flag. You're welcome lol

I got the idea for it after wishing there was a way to find other shifters like other communities have. Then I remembered pride flags exist, and they're so ubiquitous (I've seen them for communities that aren't LGBT+) that nobody would bat an eye if a shapeshifter used them in their profiles. So here, a shifter pride flag.

Any shifter can use it! For flag usage, I define a (shape)shifter as: a person who can alter their physical body and/or reality so that they resemble another creature or entity not of their original form. This change may be partial or full, may involve slight physiological changes all the way up to actual genetic alteration, and may include changes to one's surrounding environment as well as their physical body. It sounds convoluted but I defined it this way in order to be inclusive of supernatural shifters like the faoladh and benadanti, who did not physically transform their human bodies but still took on another form and/or shifted in another realm. I am also being inclusive of shifters who claim other origins for their shifting abilities, or who feel that shifting may or may not involve the genetics of other species. I am also being inclusive of any and all forms of shifters, as shifters historically came in a variety of forms and had different ways of acquiring said forms.

Color meanings below!

Black: The cover of darkness is when most shifters choose to change. Black here represents the secrecy associated with shifting and being a shifter. Soft White: The moon has long been associated with werewolves and other supernaturals, and this stripe touches upon the mythology surrounding werewolves, supernaturals and the moon. Magenta: A typical color used to represent the unknown, magenta shows the penchant for the supernatural many shifters have. Dark Red: Known for its association with blood, dark red here represents the human body, and the mortal nature of most shifters. Green: Nature and natural colors. This represents a shifter's connection to the outside and animal world, and their baser instincts.

You're more than welcome to throw your species or any other symbols on this flag and use it for personal use. You don't have to credit me, though it would be appreciated! Link back to this post if someone wants the full background behind how this came about!

[harloqui]

I'm going to be intersectional for a moment

Non-shifters often imply (if not outright state) that if people could shift scientists and doctors would have found out about it by now. Sometimes they go further and start talking about mutations and how if a shifter was a shifter they'd have all sorts of things wrong with them, besides simply shifting. And while that sounds plausible at a glance, it really doesn't mesh well with how the rest of the world works.

For starters, many doctors are incompetent. The popular idea of a perceptive doctor looking to discover a new disorder and get their name in the text books is more of a fantasy than a reality, I'm afraid. When it comes to disabilities I've heard plenty of horror stories (and I even have my own!) about doctors who won't take even mundane complaints (such as back pain or severe headaches) seriously. There are doctors who have seen people malnourished, anxious and paranoid and felt they were on drugs, instead of dealing with an immune disorder. I've heard of people left to suffer or die because their doctor didn't believe in their symptoms, only for their symptoms to be proof of a rare disorder later diagnosed. I've heard of patients disbelieved because they didn't show enough emotional distress or didn't look outwardly unwell, despite their internal physiology being in shambles. Sometimes you have to phrase things in certain ways and act like a pitiful puppy to get doctors to take you seriously.

And this is from people seeking help for known medical disorders. Do you think doctors are really going to suss out physical shifters, when they have such a bad track record with known conditions people seek help for?

And everyone acts as if shifting would neccesarily come with other health complications that would be noticed, or as if it has to come with serious side effects, when that's not even the case for regular disorders. Some physical conditions are tame and don't affect anything outside of one domain (like the eyes or nose, for example). As an example, alopecia causes hair loss, but outside of that a person is usually healthy. Hypertrichosis causes abnormal hair growth, but outside of that people with this condition don't seem to have any other issues. A condition doesn't need to come with additional side effects, sometimes it is a solitary thing.

And different people present with different severity even when dealing with the same disorder. Some people function well with their disorders or health conditions, while others are struggling to survive. I've seen some people made suicidal by conditions like eczema or psoriasis, while others take it in stride and have little issue with the condition. There are people who wrestle with intolerances and allergies, while others are pretty fine and only need an antihistamine every once in a while. Assuming any condition presenting in a person needs to be severe to be serious/real is misunderstanding how conditions like these (and shifting) work.

(Side realization: the difference in severity and "symptoms" could be why some shifters report very mild experiences, and others seem to be almost suffering till they find the community or get a hold on their shifting.)

Shifting isn't invalidated by shifters not being chronically disabled by their abilities. It isn't neccesarily the case that a shifter would be impaired by shifting, or that even a doctor would find us out. If it doesn't apply to other physical disorders, disabilities or conditions why would it magically apply to shifting?

[harloqui]

Lol please don't mistake me for being part of First Family Pack or as someone looking to "turn" or convert others. I have no affiliations (past or present) with the pack, and I strongly condemn (and call out) most people who try to claim they can turn others.

...

Much of the shifter community holds to genetic ideas of shifters because we know genes and heredity exist. Magic and spirituality are not scientifically verified, and we know it's not a virus because everyone would be able to shift if that were the case. It is also extremely dangerous to imply someone can become a shifter, because then we have people getting into dangerous cult situations similar to the ones everyone worries about.

However, I 100% agree with the message towards delusional alterhumans. If you experience clinical delusions or mental illness of the lycanthropic kind, please avoid seeking out companionship in the shifter community. What shifters can do you cannot, and you're likely to get yourselves hurt.

[harloqui]

Just venting out some thoughts about an incident I saw regarding a shifter and some otherkin, as well as previous incidents I’ve seen in the past.

I really wish people would stop equating “genetics” regarding physical shifting to “eugenics” and “being special”. There’s no way to become a shifter other than being born one, and if spells or turning worked we’d have known about it by now. If everyone could shift, again we’d know about it by now. It’s not eugenics to acknowledge that genetics would play a part in shifting (unless you think it’s bad to acknowledge how genetics play a part in other physical conditions?) and it’s not “specialness” to be who you are.

If you’re human you’re human, if you’re a shifter you’re a shifter. It’s not “bad” to be a human, nor is it “good” to be a shifter; it’s just how one is born. If you see being human as being lesser, and being a shifter as being “special” or better than being human you really need a reality check, because even shifters are human and even we live a human life. We’re not better than you.

Besides, you shouldn’t be encouraging turning and spells and similar things when it’s possible for kids to get their hopes up and look for ways to be turned, leading to a messy and potentially dangerous situation. 

Also I know a lot of otherkin like to assume the worst, but it’s sometimes hypocritical of them to assume we’re all mentally ill and at the same time treat us like shit. If we’re “mentally ill” as you say or “delusional” then we’re being as genuine as we can be and we’re acting exactly as mentally ill people do. Now, I’m not delusional nor am I a mentally ill shifter (though I have no issue with those who are) but if we’re all just mentally ill as otherkin like to paint us as, then we’re literally just getting support and advice from others like us, who have the same symptoms as us. That’s not wrong, and not everyone needs the harsh spotlight of the psychological world shone upon them.

Just my two or so cents.

[harloqui]

Hard Truths

You don’t have to do anything special to shift if you’re a shifter. No amount of magic spells, potions, or wishing will push a shift closer. If you’re not a shifter, no amount of hypnosis, mental shifting, or subliminals will make it possible for you to shift. No amount of wishing and wanting will change who you are genetically.

But more importantly, you don’t (and shouldn’t) change your diet or lifestyle because you’re a supernatural. You don’t have to eat meat if you don’t want to. You don’t have to wear a tail, or watch videos of animals or birds. You don’t have to change your religion or beliefs if it makes you uncomfortable. If you’re supernatural, you’re supernatural, and you’re one regardless of what you do.

Additionally, nobody says it enough but it’s completely okay to be human. If you realize one day you’re not a shifter or supernatural, that’s okay. Humans are not lesser than others in the supernatural community. Humans are not lesser than others at all, generally. Humans can still practice magic and through that still be a part of the supernatural community. You’re welcome even if you’re not supernatural, either.

[harloqui]

Good Sources of Supernatural Information

Hello everyone! I know many people in the community may be wondering where they can find supernatural information that is unbiased or logical in nature, and how to discern claims made in the community. It’s not too hard, once you know where to look.

Books! Not any books, mind you, but books focused on the supernatural from a non-fiction perspective. Books about different spiritual beings, books about different religious and cultural practices, and books about the supernatural and different mythical beings. You can analyze them and learn more about the supernatural world (or at least part of it) that way. In lieu of physical books you can use websites and online articles, but you need to take some of them with a grain of salt, and sometimes track down the original sources to confirm what they say. 

Scientific journals. Sometimes you’re not sure if a claim made in a historical source is truly supernatural or not. Sometimes you’re not really sure if what a person claims now is physically possible. Scientific journals are a great way to figure this out and discern different conditions from other supernatural experiences. Is someone in a history book suffering from clinical lycanthropy or are they actually a werewolf? Is someone claiming to shift into animals that seem to defy physics? Check some scientific journals and see what matches up and what doesn’t.

Experience! Not to say you should run into difficult situations or try and put yourself in harms way, but sometimes you can only understand certain things through real-world experience, or the experiences of others. It’s easier to figure out the differences between demon possession and other conditions when you’ve seen different cases over time. It’s easier to distinguish between roleplayers and genuine supernaturals when you’ve seen them several times. Experience can help and add to the information you have, though it shouldn’t be the sole substitute for other sources of information.

Using these you can get a good idea of how things work regarding the supernatural, and what does or doesn’t make sense. 

Similarly, there are poor sources of supernatural info, things that you really cannot count on to tell you too much about the supernatural or spiritual world.

Fictional books or newer forms of media. Not to say that one or two things in a fictional book cannot be right, but generally fiction and fantasy do not have anything to do with reality. You may find that a spiritual concept or species noted in a fictional book or show has a real-life counterpart (ex. Yo-Kai with their yokai being inspired by the actual spirits) but the fictional book will generally not be a source of real-world supernatural info. 

Spiritual realm. The spiritual realm can be good for discerning information about the spiritual, but take anything from there with a grain of salt, especially if it refers to the physical world and/or what supernaturals do or don’t exist.

Past life memories. Like the above, they can be good for discerning information on the past, but they shouldn’t be relied on too much. Past life memories can be confabulations, stand-ins for trauma, or be real but just not apply to this world, and are best taken as Unverified Personal Gnosis.

This is not to say using any of those methods make you an awful person, but they cannot be used as good sources for the supernatural or what does or doesn’t exist here. Be careful when using them to understand the supernatural.

Remember to question everything you encounter! Just because something is supernatural does not mean it doesn’t abide by real-world scientific laws, and just because someone is claiming to be supernatural doesn’t mean they’re automatically real, good or a trustworthy person. Use discretion when interacting with others in the supernatural community, and try to think rationally about things in the supernatural.

[harloqui]

Otherkin vs. Shifters

I know there’s some debate and confusion over whether otherkin or the like can transform into their kintypes. I know if you believe in shifting involving the internal form or personal identity you might feel it’s possible to shift into a kintype, but I disagree and I feel that otherkin cannot shift into what they identify as.

(When I say otherkin, therian, etc. I’m referring to most who identify as non-physically nonhuman or “other”, including fictionkin and the like. It’s just easier to speak of one or two communities than every community that exists out there for these things. )

I don’t feel that this is the case because shifters are “the lucky ones” or anything like that, but because otherkin and shifters exist along different lines. I don’t think otherkin can shift into their kintypes, for several reasons:

It’s a nonphysical identification, meaning that if you’re otherkin you identify nonphysically as nonhuman. However, identity is nor physical reality, and it has no bearing on what you should be able to physically accomplish. Basically, if you’re otherkin and are not also a shifter, you are a human genetically and are not going to be able to shift. 

Not all kintypes are physically plausible. Shifting into a wolf is possible, yeah, but what about demons and angels? Dragons? Mice and bugs? Aliens, cryptids and fictional creatures? Shifting is a particular process that occurs in particular ways, and the way shifting works rules out many modern-day kin forms. If it didn’t work this way then everyone who identified as nonhuman or kin would be able to shift, and we know that’s not how this works.

Otherkin are not physical shapeshifters. Otherkin is an identity, not a physical condition that involves shapeshifting. Many otherkin feel species dysphoria and want to transform, but can’t, and physical transformation shouldn’t be expected from them. 

Shifters can transform, but many shifters aren’t the physical equivalent of otherkin:

Shifting is genetic, meaning that if you’re a shifter it’s been passed down from your ancestors. You shift into the form you’re genetically capable of, not necessarily what you non-physically identify as. This isn’t to say you can’t identify as it as well, but it’s not going to be like how otherkin identify as themselves, at least not inherently. 

Shifting is generally limited to physical, real-world Earth-plane species of a reasonable human size. I know there’s controversy over whether mythical creatures can be shifted into, but even including them then there’s a limit on what can be transformed into. In short, even if you’re a therian who happens to also be a shifter there’s no guarantee you shift into your theriotype, and for most otherkin it will be impossible.

Shifters would be similar to vampires in that they’re the modern, real version of the mythological, historical creatures found in myth. It’s not a nonphysical identity or delusion for many shifters, instead it’s a literal physical shift from a humanoid form to an animal form. 

Now, this doesn’t prevent you from being both. Yes, you could identify non-physically as nonhuman and also be a shifter (ex. wolf shifter and lion therian, pokemon fictionkin and cat shifter, etc.) but it’s very unlikely that you’d be both kin and shifter of the same species, and in that case it would be hard to untangle the kinity from the physical shifter aspect of yourself. It’s very unlikely that you’d shift into your theriotype, and it’d be impossible if you were trying to shift into something fantastical or otherworldly.

In short, there are differences between kin and shifters. One is non-physical and can involve any creature in nature, mythology and fiction, and the other is genetic and physical, while limited to a certain amount of real-world animal forms.

[tsukitasogare]

Idea: A sub to get like, all the statuses from World Of Griffia... Mayhaps manifest a Lucky and a Duo (the two best magic familars) and both Ether Beasts and their bracelets...

(also mayhaps being able to change what colors all your forms unlocked by all those statuses have, like you had an infinite supply of Uber Dye Fruits...)

(wonder what a Lucky suited to this world will give you... Money, for sure.)

[harloqui]

Gonna be honest, it’s a little funny when a troll pops into a mature shifter community and immediately tries to scare everyone with “AWTOK” and “government officials capturing supernaturals” because usually most people in the community aren’t spooked, and won’t trust them. They just look foolish trying to convince everyone AWTOK is a thing lol

[harloqui]

Dragon Egg Trick

Since I know at least two people have attempted to scam others with this (in fact, someone tried to fool me with this very trick) I’m going to warn others, and provide a bit of knowledge for those who may otherwise not know about this “scam”. Usually it begins by a user claiming to have ties to a dragon in some way, and through these “magical” ties, they acquired an egg. But it’s not just any egg, it’s a dragon’s egg! And this isn’t the usual, “Oh, I have it, but I cannot show it to you,” they’ll show you a picture of this amazing dragon egg that they possess, held in their hands, and completely physical. Does it look mystical and out of this world, with shiny glittery pieces here and there inside of it? Is it slightly translucent in nature? Does it perhaps, by chance, look like this?

If so, congrats, someone has just tried to one up you. Those are not “dragon eggs”, nor will they ever hatch in any conceivable way if you give them time. They’re polished gemstones shaped like an egg that anyone can buy if they have enough money.  Even without knowing if it’s a gemstone or not, there are questions that should be brewing in your mind upon seeing these kinds of “eggs”. If they were real dragon eggs, then why would they look out of the ordinary, when compared to any other animal’s eggs? Snake eggs and chicken eggs, from a distance, look very similar. So do platypus eggs and chicken eggs. The point I’m trying to make is, if someone had a dragon egg, a tangible physical dragon egg, why would anyone expect to see “magic and mystical designs” all outside and inside the egg? The point of an egg is to protect young, not draw attention to it, and even if the egg did have some sort of coloration, wouldn’t you expect to see more natural colors, such as brown and green and maybe some speckled spots here and there, instead of “sparkly glimmery red blue and orange”, that will be sure to attract predators of some type? Plus, where is the embryo? When you shine a light underneath a chicken or reptile egg, of any sort, you can catch a faint glimpse of the embryo inside. Some of these eggs, and ones I’ve seen, have a faint transparency to them, but you don’t see an embryo inside. Even if we’re going by “dragons are mystical mythical creatures”, they still should develop the same way other living creatures on this planet do, and if they’re not forming with blood and a yolk and similar things, inside of an egg, then again, what’s the purpose of the egg? There’s no point then, in having an “egg” at all, from a natural standpoint.  That being said, if someone can still muster up fantastical excuses for why and how a “dragon egg” that anyone can purchase off of the internet came to be in their hands, and you’re still talking to them, then ask them when it should hatch, and hold them to their word.