Eldritch of the Infinite

"Am I a Therian?" you ask with a quizzical expression.

"I like bathing in the sun. I hate taking baths. I'm highly active at 3am," you explain, and so you conclude, "I must be a cat therian!"

Why?

Don't humans also like sitting in warm sunlight? Don't some humans hate the sensation of baths? Aren't some humans more active at night than at day?

Aren't those normal human behaviors?

"I like to howl, bark, and growl! I like to dig in the dirt and play tug-a-war!" you shout excitedly, and so you conclude, "I must be a dog therian!"

Why?

Don't humans also like to be vocal; shouting, hollering, and yelping? Don't some humans love digging in the dirt to see what's beneath? Do you not see the kids playing tug-a-war? Aren't those normal human behaviors?

"But..." you pause and you think. You finally state, "I feel a call to Nature. I feel at home among the trees, when my bare feet touch the Earth. I feel a pain in my heart when looking at my body, like it doesn't feel right. Surely that means I'm a Therian."

Why?

Aren't there humans who feel a call to Nature? Who live by themselves in the woods? Aren't there humans who also feel like something is missing with themselves?

Aren't those normal human behaviors?

"Then how do I know if I'm a Therian?"

Why... are you asking me?

You clearly know yourself better than I do. You have already given so many reasons as to why you must be a Therian, right? So why ask me what you are?

"Cause you're a Therian, too, aren't you?" you ask.

"I am," comes the answer.

"So then tell me," you urge with impatience. "Am I a Therian?"

"I can not tell you," comes another answer. "Because I do not know. I do not know your identity. I do not know what bristles beneath your skin or echoes in your heart."

There are no set rules to define someone who is a Therian. There is no checklist to go through to determine who is a Therian. There are no guidelines to follow under to know who is a Therian.

"Are you an animal?" comes the question. "Are you, in any sense or form, an animal?"

You pause. And you think.

You already know the answer.

"I am an animal."

Then congratulations.

In some cases you can find concentrated pheromone oils/sprays for game animals. These are meant for hunters but nothing is stopping you from using it as a casual outing scent, other than some people being irritated by the smell. I wouldn't recommend putting them directly on the skin, I've gotten some on my hand and had mild irritation afterwards, but you can do roughly the same act by spraying it on clothing and rubbing the clothing against objects.

I also would recommend sticking to cheaper sprays for this since you'll have to spray *more than average* for anything to transfer, unless you're doing it seconds after applying which could feel unnatural. Theres also always the alternative of just spraying it directly on the object which takes less sprays for any scent to stay, I think thats what most people already do, but again it'll feel less natural doing it that way.

You can still be alterhuman even if you acknowledge parts or all of your humanity.

You can still be alterhuman even if you find comfort in human rituals, culture, etc.

You can still be alterhuman even if you display human behaviors and characteristics.

You can still be alterhuman if you look or act nothing like your 'type.

You can still be alterhuman without dysphoria, euphoria, or both.

You can still be alterhuman even if you never plan to transition or present physically or socially as alterhuman.

You can still be alterhuman without blowing hundreds of thousands of dollars on gear.

You can still be alterhuman even if you aren't queer (surprisingly common misconception by the way!)

You can still be alterhuman even if you don't find the furry community appealing.

You can still be alterhuman even if there weren't 'signs' of alterhumanity in your childhood.

You can still be alterhuman even if you find aspects of alter/nonhumanity uncomfortable or scary (and this may change as you discover yourself!)

You can still be 100% alterhuman and 100% human at the same time.

You can still be alterhuman without misanthropy.

You can still be alterhuman without a spiritual connection to nature or a religion pertaining to nature.

Even if you aren't alterhuman, it's okay to be human.

Even if you aren't alterhuman forever, it's okay to recognize your humanity afterwards.

No seriously, it's okay to be human in some aspects or all aspects.

You don't have to constantly strive to be the 'most nonhuman thing possible' and you don't have to try and reinvent the wheel coming up with a new term thats 'more nonhuman' or 'further than humanity' than the last.

There are infinite ways to be alterhuman and you may never find a term to define yourself. You might not even find a species to label yourself as.

On the same coin you may find that your experience is painfully common, or not 'original' enough to warrant a 'true' experience. You have to remember that it's okay to be one of the gazillion black wolf psychological therians out there and that it is functionally the same (and has the same moral weight) as having brown eyes.

It's okay to be unlabeled.

It's okay if you wouldn't be considered alterhuman by the old standards from the days when alterhumanity was mostly on independent forum boards.

Grills and grilling aren't relevant anymore and it's better to block people that try to bring that back.