watcherwingedcat

[watcherwingedcat]

Physical Therians exist and are a part of our community.

Therians who are unaware of their humanity exist and are part of our community

Therians with disabilities exist and are a part of our community

Therianthropy is not voluntary, it is not about gear, it is not something you choose to participate in or leave (although you do not have to interact with the community)

There is a wide spectrum of Therians out there; discrediting any of them is extremely rude. Therians are Therians as long as they understand what that label is and identify with it.

Stop saying therianthropy is strictly spiritual/past lives, that it is strictly non-physical, or that all therians are aware of their humanity (esp. if you say it's at all times)

[watcherwingedcat]

acquired rocks have been washed

[watcherwingedcat]

therian/alterhuman/otherkin/nonhuman hate is awful on its own but then there’s the shit people say to kids.

they will say that therians should die and that they’re weird and gross and disgusting and all that is unacceptable already but that is a child.

that is someone who has come into this world with an incomplete worldview. that is someone who is very susceptible to criticism. that is someone who is extremely vulnerable. why are you not being kind to a literal kid.

[watcherwingedcat]

i don’t like and do despise a lot of shit humans do and their impact on literally everything. but in the perspective of a nonhuman, they can be very cute at times. when they say “i’m sorry.” when they smile. when they laugh. when they coo at something cute. when they get excited. when the pack mentality sets in for them and they sing and chant together. like i said, i don’t like humans most of the time, but they do make me feel something complicated

[watcherwingedcat]

idk who needs to hear this but having a super negative reaction to someone coming out as therian/otherkin/alterbeing/etc isn't normal, yes, even if they are uninformed.

i saw a post that was like "parents don't accept therians. my dad is super nice and accepting but if i told him i was a therian he'd (literal child abuse)" just so we are clear that isn't normal

my mom wasn't super informed about therianthopy and when i told them they were like "oh. cool! :)" because even when you aren't informed, you can still choose to approach the unknown with compassion.

if your friends and family don't approach your unknowns with compassion, they are not treating you how you deserve to be treated.

[watcherwingedcat]

My friend got me doggie candy molds!! Time for Illegal Dog Treats

(they're full of Skippy peanut butter ofc)

[watcherwingedcat]

lycanthropy is usually depicted in a maner that a werewolf is suffering from a condition and is still human, but is taken over by this wolf side that is bad and murderous. but for me its kinda the opposite? im not a human suffering from becoming a wolf, im a wolf suffering from becoming a human

[watcherwingedcat]

EVERYONE GO SEE MY SIBLINGS WEBSITE talonswarpedforest.neocities.org, IT'S SO COOL VOIDS SO TALENTED!!!

ive been trying to set up a neocities website all day but im so fucking lost? on everything?? what do you mean i have to come up with a website idea myself? what do you MEAN i have to learn to code??? ive been working all day and all that i have to show is a single white page with Talons website :) written in Times New Roman on it. what kind of medieval torture is this

[watcherwingedcat]

Niche kin appreciation 25! Start a silly rumor about this kin!

Silly rumor? Uh... I heard Watchers hide from humans because they are scared to be stared at. If anyone asks, you didn't hear this from me! /silly

[watcherwingedcat]

I have my own website now! It still needs a few tweaks and it's basically empty, but if tumblr dies this is where I'll be posting!

[watcherwingedcat]

The Chordata Guide to Otherlinking

Hello! This is a guide written from my own experiences, and a tiny bit of consulting with other ‘linkers. If you can think of ways to improve this, let me know, and I’ll update the original post. This is Version 1.1.

What is otherlinking? What is a linktype?

Otherlinking is the active choice of identifying as something. This sounds very vague, so let’s have an example: Imagining yourself as a lion makes you more confident, so you like doing that frequently. Identifying as a lion becomes a part of your identity.

For many of us, otherlinking includes consciously taking on traits of out linktype (imitating/“fake it ‘til you make it” OR strengthening already existing traits by focusing on them through a linktype). This is a form of mindfulness training. For example: I would like to be as calm and collected as insert-fictional-character. In stressful situations, I think “How would they react?” and try to act that way by imagining myself as them. If this revolves around already existing traits, a linktype can help amplify those traits.

Let's get some vocabulary out of the way first, for everyone who comes across this and isn’t familiar with otherlinking.

● Linktype / Otherlink / 'link- A voluntary identity a person takes on. I.e. I identify as a woodpecker because I want to. This identity can be of a real existing or extinct animal or plant, a mythological being, a fictional being or person, an object, a concept, et cetera.

● Otherlinker - A person with a linktype.

● Otherlinking - The act of having a linktype.

● Copinglink / C'link - A subcategory of linktype. A copinglink is a linktype created for coping with trauma, stress, et cetera.

● Copinglinker - A person with a copinglink.

● Copinglinking - The act of having a copinglink.

Requirements

You might ask yourself: "I want a linktype. What're the requirements to get one?" Well, you already got all the requirements down. To take on a linktype, you need to want one. Whether you feel compelled to take one on, or you feel it could help you in some way, or you decide you want to try this just for the heck of it, it's all valid. You want, you can.

How?

This is the trickier part, and it varies from person to person. I will give a basic rundown. Adjust this for your personal needs where you see fit.

1. Find your being/thing/concept.

2. Examine your reasons for why you want to call this yourself.

3.a. Your reasons for wanting the linktype might already be enough to make the identity feel right.

3.b. If you don't feel yourself clicking with the potential 'link, and struggle with identifying as it, analyze it to find the traits that don't resonate with you. You can change parts of the 'link, or view it through a different lens to make it feel closer to home. I.e. For fictional characters, it can help to disengage from fandom interpretation, or canon characterization, and instead put your own spin on them.

4. Once you've established a connection, you can reinforce it if you want to. A linktype can feel very faint at the start, so here are some examples for what you can do to make it feel more 'You':

● Wear clothing you can associate with the 'link.

● Inform yourself about new hobbies that you can associate with your linktype. I.e. If your linktype is an archer and you've never tried archery before, see if you can find an archery range open to newbies nearby.

● If you are a visual artist, create drawings of your linktype in a way that relates to your irl person. I.e. Draw the linktype in your clothes, or in irl places you've been in person.

● If you're a writer, write something including your linktype in a way that relates to you. I.e. Include them in a story inspired by real life events that have happened to you.

● Make the linktype your social media profile picture.

● Let people know they can use the linktype's name as a nickname for you.

● Change your social media alias/username to be related to the linktype’s name.

● Talk to people who will treat you as your linktype (and not just view it as roleplaying).

Don't be ashamed of expressing yourself in fear of other people’s opinions. Unless you're dependent on them (for money, safety, or other physical and mental health needs), it doesn't matter what they think.

Caution

If at any point in your journey you notice that a linktype makes you feel worse about yourself than you do without the linktype (i.e. feeding into anger, self-hatred), stop it. These dangers can already crop up during the ‘link creation process. Here are ways to go about this, and possible causes:

● Stop engaging with it. This sounds very 'It'll go away if I ignore it long enough', but that's exactly it. A linktype should fade when you don't engage with it anymore. Don't approach this by thinking "I'm not allowed to think about this anymore", but instead, every time when your linktype comes up, acknowledge it, and replace that thought with something else. If you struggle with this, examine what 'triggers' you to think of your linktype. Mindfulness is a powerful thing that often goes underestimated.

● Replace it with a different linktype that doesn't bring these problems.

● If your linktype started off without these issues, try to find out what caused it to change to become negative. Maybe there are other factors in your life that're putting stress on you and it shows through your linktype.

● Maybe you’ve outgrown your linktype. People can change over time, and your linktype could be preventing you from taking the next steps for personal growth, and this can negatively influence your well-being. Try letting go of the linktype. It might turn out the be a freeing experience.

● Talk to a therapist (, or, if you can’t access therapy, an understanding friend). Yes, tell them specifically about the linktype and the problems you have with it. A second person can shine a light on aspects you didn’t notice.

Good to know

A linktype can become an integral part to yourself, and at some point you might find it hard to separate it from yourself. Is this still a linktype? Is it a kintype (otherkin)? That is for you to know and decide. The lines can be blurry, and at the end of the day you are the only person who can decide what labels you want to use and what community has the most in common with you (if you even want to label yourself and interact with ppl w similar experiences). Unless it is harming you (or others), a linktype turned integral is nothing bad. Our environments shape us as people constantly, and a linktype over time can contribute similarly.

🐟

That’s it! If you have questions or need help, feel free to contact me through Asks or DMs. If I’m unavailable, search around a bit to find other otherlinkers who might be able to help you. ♡

[watcherwingedcat]

playing around with my watcher grian design

shoutout to @praxieserver for letting me use their tablet, thx king !

[watcherwingedcat]

i am a WOLF i will NOT CRINGE when i say i am a WOLF THERIAN i identify as a WOLF and i am NOT EMBARRASSED by that !!!!!!!!!!!

daily affirmation i need very much

being embarrassed about who i am is NOT acceptable WOLFLIKE behaviour !!!

[watcherwingedcat]

Okay, in reference to an anon I am not publishing, no, it is not okay to just hate children.

Sometimes it's okay to hate people but you cannot hate marginalized groups (especially not ones you have power over) and claim it's something neutral.

That's actually explicitly bigoted, I don't care what your reasoning is. It's not okay.

[watcherwingedcat]

Niche kin appreciation 24! Share memories, shifts, quirks or feelings this kin may bring

Some of the memories I have of being watcherkin are mostly about feelings. I feel some kind of familiarity with towers, ruins, and especially libraries that remind me of the Watchers Archives. I have memories of walking through very large halls in some kind of tower, going from class to class. Memories of a room that was not made for me, of putting on a mask. Of not sleeping, or eating, or drinking, because I didn't need to. Of being scared, so very scared, of something or someone that had welcomed me.

Feelings of fear, of what I was becoming. Watchers are made, not born. I remember pain, for weeks for months, because my wings hadn't grown in. Fear because my senses were very sensible, and very easily triggered.

My memories are not all that bad. I also have flashes of studying and learning a lot, of Watching, that was genuinely fun to do. The worst part was mostly adapting myself to a body with wings and eyes, senses very sharp that I hadn't trained yet. The training wasn't that bad either. It was constant, but that was it.

Some of the shifts I have are mostly phantom, when my wings that are hidden under my skin want to come out, but I'm around humans so I can't. I also have psychological shifts, when my mind goes ballistic and my thoughts are mostly very deep and meaningful rhymes and poems.

Some of the quirks I have from being a Watchers are staring at people, forgetting that I'm in a weaker human-like body so I have to take care of it (because I look like a human, but that is just the shape that it takes and how others perceive it, not my own doing. Looking like a human means acting like a human, sadly), not talking much, etc.

[watcherwingedcat]

my reels r too accurate

[watcherwingedcat]

Whoever or whatever made me a deer therian with horrid astigmatism has a sick sense of humor

Without my glasses every pair of headlights legit looks like God themselves came down from the heavens to peer at me through the fog and she is beautiful