Delicious and Draconic

If you have a kinlist with a lot of kintypes that you relate to or you connect to rather than those things being you, then you may want to look into otherhearted/fictionhearted or synpaths. 

Since learning about the therian community a few years back, I’ve noticed there are TONS of younger/newer therians who are all wolf ‘kin. I’m not calling out anyone, just trying to encourage y’all to do more research on your ‘kintype(s).

Here are some reasons you’re (probably) not a wolf therian:

1. Variety

Even looking at JUST canines, there are so many different species and subspecies. There are 4* different species/subspecies of wolves. 37* different species of foxes. 19* different species/subspecies of coyote. 36* different types of wild dogs. And 360* officially recognized dog breeds (this number does NOT include mixed breeds and mutts). There is no way that HALF of the community (specifically therians) are all gray wolves.

* = These numbers are as of current taxonomy information and do not include extinct species/subspecies of canines

2. Coloration

I often see (mostly younger/newer) therians say that they are either a solid black wolf with red eyes or a solid white wolf with blue eyes. Both of these colorations are not biologically possible in wolves*. It’s rare to find a wolf with a solid coat color in the wild, they are often marbled with two or three colors. Although wolves CAN have blue eyes as pups, the color changes as they age. The only natural found eye colors for wolves are gold, orange and green- green is very rare, but it is possible. The only way a wolf could have “red” eyes, is if it were albino- meaning a complete lack of any pigmentation (their eyes lack color, but appear red because of the blood vessels in their eyes). So, no, you’re not a black wolf with red eyes- they’re more likely to be gold or orange. And if you’re a white “wolf” with blue eyes, it’s more likely that you are a “wolf looking” dog breed or wolfdog, rather than a pure wolf.

* = Although these traits are not found in wolves, they can be found in other types of canines.

3. Behavior

Anyone who has done any research on dogs and wolves know that they behave in different ways. Wolves CAN bark, but they aren’t very good at it- they don’t really need to. A wolf’s bark sounds more like a growl than a traditional dog bark. Dogs literally depend on humans and will often seek them out, where as wolves will actively avoid people.

**Also, everything about pack theory was proven incorrect, please stop. “Alphas” are literally the parents, with the rest of the pack literally being their children.

4. Collars

One thing that ALWAYS confused me about wolf (or any other wild ‘kintype) therians, is their “need” to wear a collar. Wild animals don’t wear/need them, unless it’s a GPS tracker collar for science. Collars are common in domesticated animals as a proof of ownership; wild creatures aren’t owned by anyone. If you believe that you “have to” wear any gear (collar, tail, ears, whatever) to be a therian/otherkin, i promise you don’t.

** If you’re a therian/otherkin who wears a collar because you’re owned by your partner(s), just like the style or any other reason, that is completely acceptable. I’m not going after you, fam 💜

~

Again, I’m not trying to “attack” anyone. I’m just asking y’all to do more research on your ‘kintypes (literal research and meditation). It took me years to finally figure out mine. Please don’t just pick the first thing you think of.

EDIT: If you’re a mythical wolf (i.e. werewolf, hellhound, cerberus) please don’t @ me. I love you and you’re valid. I’m specifically addressing biological wolves. Thanks fur coming to my TED talk.

Your post seems to assume, for some reason, that more people should logically have different theriotypes because there’s a lot of different animals, which… why? The world is mostly made up of invertebrates, both in terms of diversity and sheer numbers, yet most therians and otherkin are mammals. When you argue that wolf therians aren’t really wolf therians because “there are so many different species and subspecies” shouldn’t you also make the argument that most mammal therians should probably be bug therians? By all observations, this isn’t how kintypes work.

And how, in a community where people regularly identify as dragons and unicorns, is it strange for someone to be a wolf with blue eyes? If someone is claiming to be a real life wild wolf on some level, by all means tell them that wolves in our world don’t look like that. But if you can accept all manner of mythical creatures (including the ones who call themselves therians because their nonhuman experiences better fit that community), I see no reason why a barking, black, blue-eyed wolf should be where the line is drawn.

And how one dresses has nothing to do with one’s ‘types. I’m a bison-gnoll in a sundress. A wolf with a collar is not weird. Besides, collars are more of a subculture thing than a species thing, and while I 100% agree that gear is not necessary, the fact that some people (usually middle-/high-schoolers, mind you) want them for subcultural reasons makes perfect sense. It’s no different than a goth who desperately wants black lipstick or somesuch.

I’m sorry to say this, but the post is condescending. You don’t seem to trust that people can figre out their own theriotypes and kintypes for themselves. It’s genuinely great to suggest that people new to the community (especially younger people) thoroughly look into their kintypes, but there’s no reason to say that they aren’t wolves - they very well might be.

To get a little personal, I thought I was a wolf for a while, but this post wouldn’t have helped me because the confusion stemmed from my two kintypes being so intertwined that I couldn’t separate them and the mixed anatomy ended up being wolf-like. Posts encouraging introspection instead of discouraging me to identify a certain way are what helped.

Burn all the rest.