Shifter Northeast

Opening Gates -

Sep 10th, 1 PM EST, welcoming in guests "Pre-Show".

Panels -

Self-Discovery by Sokyl. Sep 10th, 4 PM EST.

To Be Here Again by xenvaei/clowncaraz. Sep 10th, 6 PM EST.

Shifting as a Fictional Character by degradingdata. Sep 11th, 5 PM EST.

Therian Coping Skills by Ursa. Sep 11th, 6 PM EST.

QNA: Soul and Substance by Ursa. Sep 11th, 6:43 PM EST.

Movies -

How to Train Your Dragon (2025). Sep 10th, 8 PM EST.

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. Sep 11th, 9 PM EST.

Closing Calls -

To many, a vampire is someone who lives in the shadows, who brings about death and misfortune, and who feeds on the innocent and unwilling. To me, a vampire is someone who yearns deeply for lifeblood, but is denied by social-political factors and societal standards.

In a world where the superstitions never existed, where blood, energy, and eros were all allowed to be fed on freely with consenting parties, would it not be common to see a vampire? I think so.. I think the average, real-life vampire is subjugated not by race, species, gender, or sexuality but by mere act of existing as a vampire despite how hard the humans want us gone. They get garlic, they get stakes, and then blind us with the Sun, telling the media that we die like that - that we are sick like that - that we do not exist if you kill us first.

That vampires are monsters.

When a vampire, truthfully, yearns for the thing that keeps them from withdrawal and physical weakness. I am an eros vampire, I need eros - the literal chemical reaction to being aroused or in love - and I need to feed on it. Eros, to me, is a chemical that is then sensed by an eros vampire, which triggers their need to feed. Eros are the flight of stairs to the next floor, the building block that has to exist in some place or time in order to fulfill an action.

Aroused? Those feelings release eros throughout the body that then fuels someone to masturbate. And an eros vampire can feel how warm eros is, they can see it wafting off you, they can smell it and can sense it in your body and tone. It is a literal pheromone to us.

But we are not always allowed eros.

We are denied eros on a daily basis. We are denied being in love, some societies require marriage before sex. We are denied sexual gratification, these kinks and sexualities are deemed blasphemy by the Church. We are denied our lifeblood because we must now prove we are adults online to data collectors. the eros vampire is starving in a world where sexuality, expression, adult businesses, and our freedom of love is being taken away across the world. Blocking sites where a vamp can enjoy themselves, getting rid of spaces like gay bars and queer meets where eros vamps can stay and find donors and lovers.

We are starving, getting lovesick, and are falling into limerance because we are all so unsure of our place here.

The only place I can run to now, is a place in the arms of my queerplatonic partner. Me and him do not date, we are not romantically involved - but we physically attract. When I listen to him speak, and he stammers when he realizes that I can hear his heartbeat, feel his warmth, taste the eros off the back of his neck from across the table - realizing I am a vampire - knowing that I am feeding in public just by looking deeply into his brown eyes.. he feels at ease. He knows he is safe with me.

To me, the existence of eros is to produce one thing: an action. Whether that action be sex, feeding, masturbation, hypnosis, or something just like comfort in the moment.. eros exists as not just a sexual energy but as a psychoactive symptom to experiencing bliss and tranquility in the presence of passion and the need to feel love. You are no longer in your right mind when eros drips off your chin, you are lost emotionally by the stun of your own instinct - which is to feel love. There is no exclusion for aromantic folk either, as I am a/autoromantic. I do not feel romantic or sexual attraction to anyone but myself, but I engage in it as an eros vampire in order to feed from others so that I may fulfill their desires on my own accord - so that I may bring about that psychoactive symptom from my very eyes.

Feeding from an aromantic donor does not mean there is no eros, it means that eros cannot be naturally produced and is not in abundance. Eros does not flow because there is no interest for eros to flow and for an aromantic donor to allow an eros vampire to feed, it must mean that there is an agreement that the donor wants it drained from their body entirely. They do not wish to have it flow, nor have it inside them, instead.. it's used non-sexually as a treat to the one they are donating to.

It is the most intimate of gifts. Trading a part of you to satisfy another through consent and acknowledgment. "I give you this if you agree to get rid of it all from me. I do not experience it, I do not need it, but you do." A contract written between two, hunger and its belly.

I would not be writing this if I was not well-fed either. My partner takes care of my feeding, weekly mostly. If not, I am in limerance, I grow physically and mentally weak, and my body starts to react to the energy of others around me in jealousy or through annoyance. I'd hate it when couples show PDA if I am not fed properly. I'd hate it when I see joy in another over their lover when my priorities are not met. Our entire relationship is based on the transaction, the growth, and the experience of donating to an eros vampire while also wanting to be fulfilled by hir love. Luckily, he does his donating frequently and thanks me for it. On days where I am skipping a meal, I might even cheat and autoerosify myself and feed through my own pent up eros. And while not hard to fix behavior wise, it is extremely difficult to fall out of the loop of doing it when you are just.. "this close" to being full. You will never be full feeding on your own eros, and the only way you can feed properly is by the eros of another and the eros of your own combined to fill you. All vampires are half-filled cups of water, they need water from another source to complete them, and while autofeeding is not an evil practice - it is not enough to suffice - saying this as an erosiyan who autoerosifies out of need and self-love.

The misconceptions of vampires living in shadows and sticking to night life is one of the bigger truths, as while we are not afraid or killed by the Sun, our very need for these lifebloods make it hard for us to stay in places where light shows our true nature. I am not a morning person, and I am not happy when others watch me from corners and think I bring trouble, and I am not someone who goes out the clubs unless its nerdy - I still make time to mind my own and exist in the human-centric world as a functioning adult vampire. There is no escape from it unless we free the idea that vampires are monsters from their heads. They believe that since we are vampires, and erosiyans at that, that we want to be preyed upon and harassed. That we want to be plucked like vixens and sexed up into dolls and bots - that our bodies are theirs to touch because of what nature we bring. We bring out the eros in others to feed, not to engage with strangers who would shout slurs at us if we were anything but pretty, skinny, white people.

I understand now. Instead of fangs and Victorian dresses, erosiyans have black-starry eyes and a sense of modern fashion for a reason. Leeching with our midnight eyes and finding it in us to fit into a world where it's dress to impress. One thing I have learned from my awakening is that we are, down to the bone, morphing ourselves to find eros in the air. But we must not feed from strangers who are not aware, we must hold and appear to them as our true selves through a color - a sigil.

Crimson as our color, A bundle of arrows as the sigil, and our blackened eyes as a physical statment: you cannot rid of us.

1. are there any groups not known to be harmful? how are people collaborating to better understand this stuff?

2. if one does unknowingly end up in one of these harmful groups, what should they do?

The two types of groups I've found to not be harmful are a) groups that don't impose one way of shifting, meaning that different views and beliefs are allowed, and b) groups that are very reality focused and place little focus on the supernatural. Neither should be packs or "family-focused", they should be more like online forums for shifters to talk in, and physically shifting (or escaping one's humanity) should not be the goal of the group in question. The mod team should be able to deal with the standard issues that might arise moderating a forum such as people looking to cause confusion, kicking out trolls and creeps, discouraging dangerous ideas, etc. Skeptics should be allowed to enter and talk, provided they're following the rules and not harassing members. (Note: by non-harmful I mean not encouraging unhealthy practices, forcing rituals or "making people shifters" or generally being cultish.)

It also shouldn't need to be said, but the groups should also be free of racism, sexism, ableism, queerphobia, suicide-baiting, etc. It should also be free of dodgy behavior - nobody should be asking for say, nude pictures of you or wanting you to do inappropriate things to others. These aren't shifter-specific issues, but if a group has these problems it's just unhealthy irregardless of shifting being there.

A good example of A would be a site like Kin-Walkers, or WerewolfsWebsite. Both sites were open to a variety of views and members (preventing an echo chamber), and although shifting was a focus of both sites, the physical world was just as important. You had members talking about finding time for the supernatural in-between school and work, or how to navigate adult life as a were, and becoming balanced with one's animal side. Kin-Walkers was just as focused on spirituality and shamanism, so for some that was something that preoccupied them more than shifting physically.

This group style might be undesirable for people who are less interested in the wider supernatural though, or who want a purely rational, scientific explanation for shifting. They also might let in individuals who are a little bit "out there" from time to time, so if you have a low tolerance for what might be termed "fluffy" behavior, that might not be a group for you.

A good example of B would be Werewolf-Shifters amino, or the old I am a Real Werewolf group of Experience Project. Although shifters were there, shifting was considered an undesirable trait, and most dissuaded people from even romanticizing it. Most shifters saw themselves as human, shifting was a rare event (if it ever happened at all) and most lived as humans and emphasized human lives. When shifting was talked about, it was talked about in almost purely scientific terms - you can't be turned or changed, it's likely genetic, it coincides with the end of puberty, you can't decide when to shift, etc. Because of this, many of the conversations in these groups trend towards ordinary life matters instead of strictly focusing on the supernatural.

This group style might be good for those who like a more scientific approach to shifting, though a lot in these groups tend to be older and prone to being a bit skeptical of newer concepts as a result. (Ex. many are skeptical of therians/otherkin, plurals, pop-culture pagans, etc.) If you're not fond of being grilled or queried on these things, that might not be a group for you.

Generally, if you can find a shifting forum or group that isn't a pack, you're onto a great start.

If you do unknowingly end up in an unhealthy, harmful, or toxic group... first, you should try to leave as soon as possible. If it's a discord server or forum, find the best way to leave and do it all at once. Delete all your posts if you can, and get screenshots of any offending behavior if necessary. If you know the times the mods tend to come on, find the time when they're not on, and do what you can to erase your identity. Block all the members if you have to, if you're afraid they might try to contact you or harass you.

If people are pressuring you to do dangerous substances or rituals, or recommending them, bring it up on the forum or tell the mods. In a healthy group this is usually swiftly dealt with, in harmful groups they aren't.

If they have information on you that might be compromising (such as addresses, photos, or other ID) and they intend to use it against you, get their info, block them and report them to the authorities - what they're doing may be illegal at that point. It might also be good to inform anybody that you know and trust, since they might be able to help you through it. If the group plans to contact others with the photos to humiliate you, get to those people first and tell them what's going on - that way if that group tries contacting them, it has no effect.

If you know the group in person, my advice is much the same, but with a stronger focus on contacting the police, since they're more likely to be useful here.

Remember, being a shifter doesn't excuse any harmful or bad behavior. Even if someone proves their claims 100% and seems sincere, that doesn't give them the right to manipulate you or abuse you.

--- anyone who is physically or mentally born a way that they consider shapeshifter-like or attribute to their shifter identity. can be a disability, a disorder, a disease, or a genetic variation.

Shifter by Belief ("Physical by belief") flag

--- anyone who has personal beliefs and spiritual paths connected to shifting or attributed to their shifter identity. can be a religion, a set of beliefs, out of body experiences, or a set of mannerisms.

originally from azzylist

someone had asked if there was documentation of shapeshifting and if it was ever released/the fact that some shifters in the early 2000s had excuses to not provide this proof. I wanted to touch on that more here…

i didn’t mention it there but the idea of “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” has been used for ages and still is used against shifters no matter what type they are – which is why its so common to see people dismiss shifters and their experiences because that phrase means to say that it is mandatory to prove or reject your subjective claims about your own body and wellbeing with an objective reality’s outlook (which is often called reality checking – but in my words “not minding your own business”.)

I responded with this;

“I think, as of right now, the “documentation” is varied in appearance. Usually, when people ask for proof, they specifically ask for proof about shifters who physically shift, who shift their entire bodies, and those who find themselves in an animal mindset/organs. Unfortunately, these types of shifters are either unspoken for or nonexistent. The way I shift is intrasomal, so I shift internally. My brain wiring and my organs psychosomatically and physically change what it accepts in and what it [doesnt] when I shapeshift. On the outside, I don’t become nonhuman. But functionally, I do. I think the fear of not showing proof is because its like asking a disabled person where their disability is when they aren’t required to tell you, or asking an intersex person what genitals they have. To many, it’s easy to just not give an answer, but to a small minority – it’s really personal to them and it’s asking for someone’s body – a body that may or may not be naked during the shift. Shifting is so varied, there is no specific way someone shifts as long as it’s physically affecting them.”

I couldn’t pour everything into a comment but I want to talk about it more..

I think, as of right now, the “documentation” is varied in appearance. Usually, when people ask for proof, they specifically ask for proof about shifters who physically shift, who shift their entire bodies, and those who find themselves in an animal mindset/organs. Unfortunately, these types of shifters are either unspoken for or nonexistent.

The documentation they may have been asking for does extend beyond simply visual. We have multiple accounts of physical shiters discussing what it means to be a shifter, their shifting experiences, and the identity around being nonhuman. None of it has to be visual or pictures and videos, not at all. I did not have enough mental space while writing it in the comment to clarify that. I speak out verbally about being a shifter and being nonhuman all the time, and I’m completely happy with myself and my identity. I have met my best friends there and will never not be grateful for those experiences.

On the “not everyone” part, I am being truthful when I say this but if you are those people who assume all shifters shift a certain way or that all shifters are animals when they shift, you are failing to realize how big the physical shifting community is.

When we say physical shifting, we include;

physical, external shifters

psychosomatically, internal shifters

sensorial, reality shifters

all of those categories (physical, somatic, etc.) are directly tied to the body and its surroundings. reality shifters who sense their DR physically and have long lasting experiences from it are considered physical shifters for this, even if they are not entirely nonhuman.

Many shifters have learned to use reality shifting techniques and theories when discussing shapeshifting, as reality shifting is shapeshifting, and can change the results of a physical shift. The communities have different origins in belief but it’s hill (shapeshifting) still meets with the pshifter hill. They’re the same hill.

I think the fear of not showing proof is because its like asking a disabled person where their disability is when they aren’t required to tell you, or asking an intersex person what genitals they have. To many, it’s easy to just not give an answer, but to a small minority – it’s really personal to them and it’s asking for someone’s body – a body that may or may not be naked during the shift.

There is no requirement written by law where a shifter who makes an extraordinary claim needs to showcase their body or tell you their experiences just because they made that claim. This subjective and personal claim to them that isn’t yours to question unless they are actively causing trouble and making it harder for others to navigate their own experiences.

I have asked many shifters and we have discussed this – the fear (or discomfort) in sharing these images and our essays is because of external feedback, not our internal processing. We know who we are, but will you respect that if you don’t get it? We don’t know. Its entirely why our identity is so strange and so why would we willing put ourselves out there?

When I posted myself going through a physical shift on another account, an anon said like, “its just you standing in front of a mirror with water lol”.

Its external feedback like this that causes shifters to simply not want to post it nor do all of them feel safe to do so. There was an absolute risk in me showing myself on camera amd doing that given that I wasn’t comfortable showing my face or background. I made it hard to tell what was what in the video for a reason. It was uncomfortable to record something so private online just because someone said that shifters never post proof. What’s funny is that I simply shapeshifted like that. I didn’t howl on the ground, I was conjuring energy and forcing myself into a mental shift. Because I didn’t follow human tradition and shift immediately means I couldn’t try hard enough to look like I “reslly was shifting”.

Hello! I am one of the hosts for Shifter Northeast, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has already signed up for this year's convention. We still have time and space for more to join - want to conversate with other shifters, talk about shifting, and gain a more nuanced opinion of it? Join us for 2025s Shifter Northeast convention!

Your hosts, @xenvaei, @justsayelias and many others, bring to you the first online shifter and supernatural convention! This convention takes place in September, where our panelists host, share, and bring fun to the various species of attendees!

We will howl to the Nonhuman Music Festival, watch shifting related Movies, chat amongst ourselves and have art showcases! Be there and experience the beauty of the shifting community!

This convention is 15+, which means it's also mainly SFW save for the NSFW channels for adults.

All of our important information can be found on our official website!

from "el ferino" meaning "the ferine."

Elaferi is a culture that upholds the beliefs and practices of metamorphosis, nonhuman mythology, and ferine transition.

It is not an alterhuman term by default so that it includes anyone and all who believe in such practices, which are not exclusively spiritual or metaphorical. This culture is established to engage in conversation around specific forms of shapeshifting, specifically the literal, physical kind, without prefacing such experiences with "i swear it's not a delusion" or another term, as elaferi hopes to bridge all of them together. Elaferi culture is made to be straightforward and plain about what someone shapeshifts into and if they plan to fully become such.

Elaferi also does not equal animal or nonhuman but "lacking human characteristics", which can include humans.

If you wish to say "I am elaferi," you would say "I am a (your species)⚚✶(verbally: ferilan.)" An example, "I am a human⚚✶." This is to be straightforward about your species and your identity.

Ferilan believe this about shapeshifting:

it is mystic and meta/physical

its properties are made of aura/energy that is converted into physical sensations

can be gifted, cursed, or given by illness - or simply a ferilan is born with it

it's structure begins as psychosomatic that becomes literal, physical with practice and embodiment

embodiment is recommended to begin after aligning the 6 senses over time to confirm that permanent transition is what you want

Ferilan believe they have one or more auris that are sensed physically either as an veil or internally, that is expressed through practicing shapeshifting and through literal embodiment. When those bodies are conjoined or mutated into one, it is the result of embodiment.

Ferilan terminology:

energy is a balanced force that is physically sensed.

ferilan means "people, those of elaferi" in elaferian. it is verbally pronounced as ferilan but always visually shown as ⚚✶ at all times.

auris is an energy based body that is physically expressed.

embodiment is the act of using tech and practices that express the auris through material means permanently.

elaferian is the ferilana language.

dormancy is when the auris is not felt for some time, which can cause depressive symptoms.

feeding is the act of funnelling or transferring energy into the physical senses.

evaluations are systems used for self reflection, usually right after a shift.

shapeshifts are literal, physical happenings that change the body, but not permanently, and are used to prepare for embodiment or to flicker.

flickering is the act of putting your 6 senses into an(other) auris, usually between multiple of them.

Elaferi cultural structures surround:

long-term pressure based body modification

aural healing and shadow work

witchcraft, literal magick and natural medicinals

diy or die, repurposed parts, goods and items

biohacking and transhumanism

animality and feral lifestyle without sacrifice to needed mobility aides

gender, sex, and species is abolished in society, exists only personally and for titles/honorifics

solarpunk, oceanpunk

anarchy and anti-consumerism

anti-psych

legal recognition

bodily autonomy and freedom of informed choice

I made this video back when the FURRIES Act was still being deliberated on, but was too scared to post it until now due to the way my past attempts at talking about these issues and bringing attention to otherkin politically have gone. Especially on Tumblr. But if not now, when?

When I posted as @flock-of-changes I ended up burning out and leaving alterhuman community out of trauma, because when I tried to speak out against depictions of therian conversion abuse, I was told I was "fearmongering" and "not to draw attention" to otherkin. But the reality is that I've already been a victim of conversion abuse much like in the movie, and other kin/therians have been through juvenile detention, psychiatric institutionalization, ABA, and more for similar reasons. We are the people who already exist that this is actually about, and we need to build community supports NOW to prevent any more of us becoming further victimized without any support. Because they will come for you, too. No amount of respectability, academia, whiteness, sanity, or avoidance of this issue will save us.

But rather than just lecturing people, I want to tell my story as much as I can manage. I want to tell you all what my reality of being a therian in a proto-Alt-Right Christofascist household was like, and what these people who say "if you're an animal, i'll treat you like one" really mean when they say that. They were never "just trolls." It was always a promise.

Here's the Bluesky thread where I posted this video and other comments as well, if folks feel inclined to re-doot and like it there as well: https://bsky.app/profile/lovequeer.bsky.social/post/3lu2373sets2h

This isn't about being right, anymore. It's about protecting the most vulnerable of us NOW. No more hiding. No more denial. No more "this isn't really about us."

(and I'm not trying to fearmonger, but yes if someone hates alterhumans, especially if that someone is Christian, they will not be afraid to mistreat you as such. It's not always an empty threat, it's not because they really hate some other group, but because they hate you, the alterhuman.)

And the community keeps on shying away from the light, keeps on letting other people take the narrative. I get it made sense when the community wasn't well-known, but that time has passed. It's time for us to take control, to enforce ourselves and prove we're real. Many religious and conservative people are already finding out about us through conservative news outlets and YouTube videos - does anyone really want them to dictate what we are to others?

But first we need support. I wish the community had resources - real resources - to help one another and anyone who's going through this. Right now members comfort each other and that's great, but we need more than that. Resources for otherkin, therians and other nonhumans to find help, resources for otherkin and therians to find safety, shelter, etc. Something, because eventually conservatives are going to come for us.