Therian blog

The moon decided to steal the show during blue hour

Spilling Over: Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

the incredible things i’ve seen while following a moose and her calf for a year // jasper national park.

https://houseofchimeras.weebly.com/our-lack-of-an-awakening–our-discovery-journey.html

An essay we just completed (or maybe not still glancing over it again and again for mistakes or whatnot). Its is basically a listing ramble of some of our remembered experiences during our childhood that seem connected to our therianthropy or are early signs of our therianthropy. Some things talked about include: - a general obsession with animals

- a preference for anthro animal characters 

- we made statements of being animals 

- we drew ourselves as nonhuman 

- we pointed put photos of animals as “me” - we had a feelings of being different or “other" 

- we had strong desire to live as animals 

- we had desires to transform into an animal 

- we had phantom limbs

- we had delayed speech and instead tried to communicate in non-word sounds - we had animalistic body language  

- we were alienated by having hands and fingers 

- we had a tendency to use our mouth as an extra hand

- we had a tendency to walk on all fours 

- our way of posing our body tended to have an animalistic quality 

- we walked digitigrade

- we would make little “den” like hideaways 

- we would wear things as a “tail”

 - we had issues with excessive amounts of daydreaming of being animals 

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. 

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”

poppy field sunset

Leaf Sheep Sea Slugs (Costasiella kuroshimae)

Fun fact: Leaf sheep retain the chloroplasts from the food they eat and use them to manufacture their own energy - just like plants.

Ok, just hear me out… 

they are these wonderful tiny predatory birds

With great camouflage for multiple environments

And lovely plumage dependent on their species

BUT BEST OF ALL IS THEIR MOUTHS, which look small then their beaks are closed (they’ve even got cute lil’ whiskers!)

BUT ARE ACTUALLY HUUUUGE

Dog snaps

dusky desert

death valley national park

backtracking

sequoia national park, california