Have a bloody cookie

A noema is not ‘a ‘kin memory, but psychological’. Noemata are not ‘‘kin memories, but psychological’.

Noema is just knowledge about your kintype that’s in one way or another inherent. It can be psychological, spiritual, a mix, neither, or of unkown origins. The origin of your knowledge has nothing to do with whether you can call it a noema.

Noemata can take many shapes. It can be something as simple as the knowledge that your kintype has fur or hands, and it can be something as complicated as your kintype’s life history. It can be something you know is a fabricated memory, and it can be something you believe really happened to you at one point.

‘Noema’ was coined as a handy word for me and other psych ‘kin to describe knowledge about our ‘kin selves that we won’t describe as memories, but that is not the definition of the word. ‘Noema’ deliberately has a very very broad definition. Even ‘kin memories can be classified as noemata.

The shortest definition of noemata (outside the context of the alterhuman community) is “the perceived as it is perceived”. In the context of the ‘kin community this can include almost anything. It includes things you experience as memories, but you rationally know aren’t. It includes actual memories. It includes the most basic knowledge, like that you have hands. It includes things you’ve learned along the way, like the smell of flowers.

i’ll start doing something and realize later what’s going on, and sometimes i can recognize that i’m coping but i don’t know what for. i look back on fiction i used to like and can see where my brain was dealing with things i didn’t understand at the time, and occasionally it feels like some of the content i currently like to consume is more of a compulsion than a hobby. coping mechanisms can and, in my experience, usually are involuntary.

Snorlax stimboard !

x x x

x x x

French Surrealist painter Jean-Claude Desplanques was born in Normandy in 1936, became interested in painting with 8 years of age. Fully dedicated to the art of painting in 1960. He graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts. His mythical creatures, strange and sublime characters take us into his fantasy, and sometimes spectacular theatrical world in which reigns beauty, grace and harmony.

Many years ago, before I entered the otherkin and therian communities the general consensus was that if you couldn’t take grilling and answer with essays on why your kintype is the one, then you weren’t legit. While on some sites nowadays there’s a growing trend of accepting everything and anything, no matter how farfetched (50 anime characters at once), residues of the old mindset are still around on facebok groups, older members of tumblr and forums. The question “why do you think you are x species in particular and not y species?” often crops up, like a maths test asking for your working. 

Some explanations or parts of the explanation for why you are otherkin are often disregarded or not deemed intelligent enough to count. This can include dreams, meditation, or the general vague feeling that you’ve always felt this way. It pays to come with pre-prepared explanations quantifying your claims, listing in-depth your shifts, behavioural urges, any possible spiritual beliefs, and you must question yourself at any given opportunity. I mean why not, it weeds out the posers and fluff right? If they feel uncomfortable with the questioning they’re obviously just in it for the lulz, we don’t need our waters muddying, to make us less legitimate. 

I used to think a little like this, or atleast, I presented myself in such a way when I entered the community to be accepted by the serious-therians. Being a slut for social acceptance I looked up as much terminology as I could, parroted the embellished language of those I looked up to. I had the whole nonsense script ready and it worked, I was accepted, and I feel I’ve been active long enough to admit something. I “just know”. My reasons behind identifying as a bonobo therian and mermaidkin simply boil down to the simple notion of feels. Sure I have shifts and whatnot, but any kind of introspection I force upon myself leads me to the same conclusion. I’m a bonobo at heart, fuck knows why but I shan’t sweat the small stuff.   

The correct definition for otherkin is “identifying as a nonhuman either wholly or partially” and a therian is the same but specifically animals or animalistic mythical beasts. Tumblrkin misinformation make my eyes roll to the back of my skull until they fall into my brain, of course. Assuming you still adhere to that same definition, who cares how you got here? You’re one of us. I really don’t see the point in grilling, of only accepting “intellectual” explanations that don’t mention dreams etc, you don’t owe us anything and we certainly can’t claim to know you better than you do. Your emotions and gut instincts can tell you just as much as any number of hours spent researching and compiling lists of qualifiers. It’s very telling when a subculture intimidates people into speaking a certain way to fit in, I’m not the only one who used a script either as others have confessed. I no longer look up to those who gate-keep, instead feeling utterly relieved that I didn’t find the community in the mid-2000s. I for one hope to cultivate a warm, welcoming atmosphere that also educates and offers resources for newcomers.

tl;dr You just know? That’s okay, so do I.