therians and otherkin?

[midnight]

Sorry for the double posting my phone went a little kookoo and tarted flashing then froze on a white screen. Guess its cuz I wrote that long a reply

[Sev]

Must have hit submit again after nothing seemed to happen.

Happens to me fairly often.

[jacojerb]

And my question... How can you be sure?

I honestly don't mean to sound like it's insulting, but the mind is a powerful thing, and sometimes it's really hard to distinguish between what we believe and what we want to believe. I'm really not saying that this is the case, but... I mean, if this is what you believe, you obviously must have considered this yourself as well. It's only fair. And if you have considered this yourself, you must have an answer as to why you're sure you're not just confused, or whatever...

[Randall]

I have every right to voice an opinion.

Hey, hey now, I'm not trying to be nasty Sev. I'm just trying to be a community rep and explain to some furs why other furs are like they are without starting a fight....

With all due respect, you're not doing a very good job at it.

[Sev]

Nah, Helios is doing a very good job of being Helios.

Midnight, how do you distinguish desire from perceived reality?

As I said early, growing up, I would have given nearly anything to have been Jake Long, but by no stretch of the imagination could I ever have claimed to have been the real life version of him.

[midnight]

Contrary to popular belief most therians and otherkin are not mean crazy evil people who want to change into animals or do rituals. Like any community there are those who label themselves as therians and otherkin but act so obnoxious and inappropriate that people get the wrong idea and all therians and otherkin are considered similar to these people, people who pretend to be kin and ruin the reputation of kin and ultimately spoil the atmosphere are known as fluff and unfortunately this is the view that the general public accepts as how all kin are and as a result therians and otherkin don't expose themselves for fear of being stereotyped a whack job and this results in them not knowing any other kin and so they feel alone and depressed. This view of therians and otherkin all being like the few fluff trolls out there. We (that is me and my "team") aim to clarify the misconceptions about the kin community and create a safe haven to unite the nations kin provide support for those who need it and a general place to just hang out and discuss kinnity with other kin in our country who know and understand you. Its not a cult or an extremist group (that would be the fluffs) its simply an identity. Just like any other sort of identity such as the SAVC or someone who is gender dysphoric. It is simply who we are and to be ostracized for being different to "normal" people is completely unnecessary and against human rights. We just want to empower and unite therians and otherkin across SA and promote proper understanding of our widely misunderstood community.

[Leeward]

I hear you, wanting to feel like you belong and are part of a community is a pretty normal thing.

I'm still struggling to understand how it's an identity though. I'm not entirely convinced that you've considered that this might be a delusion. And I say this with the best of intentions, there's nothing wrong with being delusional.

[jacojerb]

You aren't answering the question. I really don't mean to call you crazy at all. Just want to know how you made sure you really are kin. Does it just really feel that way?

[Leeward]

What's SAVC? Google is giving me a whole lot of (I assume) unrelated acronyms.

Just sharing a little anecdote on the topic... When I was a kid I wanted to be a dragon so badly that I made wings and a tail out of paper and stuck them on myself with sticky tape and then pretended/imagined that I could fly and breathe fire. I didn't get out of that phase for literal years, it only started dwindling when I was in high school. And yet I never once thought that I might have the soul/spirit/whatever of a dragon; I was 100% aware of the fact that I was just a human who just really really really wanted to be a dragon. It sucked, but pretending was close enough, and I eventually grew out of it. I still like to imagine and pretend though, but it's not a core part of my identity.

[Helios_phi]

It's the SOUTH AFRICAN VAMPYRE COMMUNITY

[Sev]

You mentioned that you were forced to go to therapy?

That almost never has a positive outcome.

If you go there willingly, with a desire to figure yourself out, therapy can be very beneficial.

[midnight]

Also no therian ever claimed to be able to turn into animals or to be part animal in any way other then spiritually. I am not saying I can turn into a wolf I am saying I have the soul of a wolf. As you can see there is a vast difference between believing you can turn into an animal which is termed clinical lycantropy (this is a mental condition) and spiritually identifying as an animal. If a person says they are a therian and claim to "know the secrets of physical transformation/shifting" then you know they are fluff. You get some therians who experience mental shifts though these are usually self induced via meditation. Also phantom shifts is just a feeling of a limb or extremity that isn't there for example feeling like you might feel a tingly sensation on your lower back where a tail would be if you were to have a tail. This is usually not voluntary its just something that happens and no1 can explain it. Point is therians and otherkin aren't a bunch of moonloony weirdos who perform all sorts of horrible rituals. We are actually pretty decent and understanding people who in spite of being widely misunderstood still do not resent the general public. The problem is many people confuse theriantropy for clinical lycantropy and label us whackos

[jacojerb]

Often, when I get excited... I can feel my tail wagging. It's weird. Ghost limbs

I've suspected that I may be otherkin (Or therian, I guess... Seeing as that's a word I learnt today ). But it just doesn't bother me enough. And besides, it's really hard to know if I am or not. Feelings of want get confused with other feelings, and so I try to not want it, eliminating feelings of want, but then I feel like I might be overcompensating, eliminating too many feelings... It's hard, knowing what is placebo and what not.

In any case, I've given up. I just know that I am what I am. No point in putting labels on it. I'm not here to impress anyone...

And those days where I feel like I have a tail that's wagging... It's nice, and I enjoy it. But I know it's silly, that I don't really have a tail. So, screw it

Midnight... How do you know you have the soul of a wolf?

[Leeward]

You're still not answering the question though.

[midnight]

You mentioned that you were forced to go to therapy?

That almost never has a positive outcome.

If you go there willingly, with a desire to figure yourself out, therapy can be very beneficial.

Not me, my friend who is a cat therian. H was sent so many people it really screwed him up tried to hang himself luckily the rope snapped before he was completely dead. Was unconscious for about a week in hospital. Anyhow after that his parents did proper research into therians and realized he wasn't possessed or crazy just not what the general public view as normal. They are now actually really supportive of our cause

[Sev]

Our cause? Phrases like that won't do you guys any favors.

[Randall]

Cause? This is a community, not a cause.

[Helios_phi]

I think he means the cause of combating the negative stereotype associated with therians?

[Leeward]

Semantics. Who cares.

I still haven't heard a single word on the question that JJ and I asked.

[midnight]

Often, when I get excited... I can feel my tail wagging. It's weird. Ghost limbs

I've suspected that I may be otherkin (Or therian, I guess... Seeing as that's a word I learnt today ). But it just doesn't bother me enough. And besides, it's really hard to know if I am or not. Feelings of want get confused with other feelings, and so I try to not want it, eliminating feelings of want, but then I feel like I might be overcompensating, eliminating too many feelings... It's hard, knowing what is placebo and what not.

In any case, I've given up. I just know that I am what I am. No point in putting labels on it. I'm not here to impress anyone...

And those days where I feel like I have a tail that's wagging... It's nice, and I enjoy it. But I know it's silly, that I don't really have a tail. So, screw it

Midnight... How do you know you have the soul of a wolf?

Well at first I thought I might have been a hyena but as I said 2 years of meditation, research, soul searching, self analyzing and even some hypnosis I discovered my real theriotype is a canadian wolf. To put it quite bluntly. There is no definitive way to pinpoint what your theriatype is. Many people go for years thinking they are one species only to realize they are actually another species or sub species, also some people know from the very beginning what their theriotype is and others self analyze for years before they figure out exactly what they really are during this period they may change theriotypes frequently until they find theirs we just call this kinhopping lol. Also the age at which you awaken (the term used for the time when you realise you are therian or otherkin) varies widely from as young as 5 to as old as in your 40s. A friend of mine, the one I made the tail for is 43 and was only awakened about 5 months ago. You see where I'm getting at here? There is no one way to diagnose a person as a therian. It is a deeper basic understanding of the buildup of your soul. Who you are. We are all just normal people none claim to magically shapeshift into whatever being our kintype is. We are humans just like you and him and her we are just in touch with our inner animal and embrace it rather than ignore it. We are what we hold inside. Many therians think it might be a past life or that they were born into the wrong body. Some say they just have the soul of their animal or part of a soul. It all depends on the individual. Again we know we are humans we aren't delusional and we don't believe we can turn into or talk to animals we are just humans with a strong spiritual connection to a non-human being weather it be mammal fish reptile insect arachnid mythical creature extinct creatures plants and yes even objects. Now I am not a therian and otherkin based walking encyclopedia but I have done as much research into all the different kin as possible so as to accompany all difirent otherkin that might join the fledgling community we are starting to establish

[midnight]

I think he means the cause of combating the negative stereotype associated with therians?

That's exactly what I mean. Something must be done about this negative perception of an otherwise noble community

[Sev]

This all sounds like pseudoscience; it might as well be astrology.

[Helios_phi]

Some furries feel the same way. They are very in tune with their fursona and consider it a deep part of themselves.
Please don't be so dismissive of ideas that aren't your own Sev. Although I don't believe in the concept of a soul. we all treated you well and supported you when you first joined here too.

[midnight]

This all sounds like pseudoscience; it might as well be astrology.

I suppose there are those who think of it in that way but overall its an identity and a community that is more spiritual then scientific but yes I have heard it talked of as a pseudo science but this is just the view of a select few and yes they are most welcome. There are literally dozens of different theories explanations an diagnosis for as to why a person is a therian but the plain blunt truth is that its so diverse that there will never be just one explanation

[Randall]

I am quite in tune with mine, that is a fact. I still do not understand what the fuss is about here. But let's leave it at that. I am not meant to know everything.

[Sev]

Look, you might as well be telling me about the time that you were once abducted by aliens.

Honestly, thinking that you are an animal trapped in a human body is no different than the people who think that their brains are being scanned by aliens. How would you even know what it is like?

It's like a human trying to understand what UV would look like if we could see it.

[Raven Song]

I think your views of the SA Fur community are a little distorted... we are most definitely not accepted in the community as a whole. while we can go to things like Rage etc. in suit, we still get very much judged by the remainder of society for what we do. Most furs here on the forum have not come out as furry to their families or non fur friends, because of the judgement that comes with it.

While non of us have been referred to as satanic (well not in context to furry I think) we aren't exactly the shining knights of the country.

I think what Sev said is true (about muslim but he said it... badly) The reason why people, specifically furries, are so weird towards Therians/Otherkin is because of the one or two nutjobs that exist who run around telling us that the time will come when the great dragon is gonna blow up the planet and they, the dragon otherkins can all return to their time and universe...
In a community of probably about 40 people, it only takes 2 to 5 wacko's to ruin your perception of them.

ALL THAT BEING SAID

I commend you for coming here and arguing your point. While I think a lot of furs still find it "silly" etc. you are, as a human being/whatever you believe, entitled to your own personal beliefs. No on on the forum is hurt by it, and if they are they should get a serious reality check.
Have you guys considered opening a forum like this for yourselves?

I'd like to add, for a long time I would have considered myself an otherkin. I was convinced that I was actually some sort of dark wolf/dragon mix inside, and to this day I still sometimes have visions of it bursting from me and overthrowing a London bus...

[midnight]

Me an one of my friends actually did build a forum on the same platform ZAfurs is. Its not exactly the same but it has the same basic bone structure as this forum. It went online yesterday (or early this morning, not sure since I was working on the finalising it till about 4:25 am. Anyway that wasn't why I posted this I actually asked permision to do this post a few days ago before I even thought of creating a forum. I'm not looking to make people join my forum either if they wish to they can as long as they stay respectful of others and do not exhibit fluff behavior they are more than welcome to join. The reason I posted this is for the simple and plain reason that I am pretty lonely only knowing 3 other therians and no otherkin does get pretty depressing. I'm looking for therians and otherkin to chat with and hopefully we can learn from each other swap experiences and so on. If you're therian or otherkin and don't want it on this board (seeing as how its public) just do like the few others I just met and send me a private message. Not all therians are as open and outspoken as me. My one friend, the one with whom I created the forum won't even tell me his real name. All I know is his alias and that he is one awesome wolf.

[Raven Song]

I wonder if I would still consider myself an otherkin...

Either way it would be interesting to get to know you guys

[Sev]

Damn you, you random forumite for piquing my interest!