◇ spirit 🪵

"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.

With the new Harry Potter series she will be making a reported $20 million per-season renewal + other performance dependent royalties. She has been open across multiple interviews regarding her intentions to use said funds to push forth even more trans targeted legislation in the years to come.

This isn’t a “she gets paid no matter what” situation. The more eyeballs on this show the more money she has to actively harm vulnerable communities. By engaging with it you are directly supporting this and otherwise making a conscious choice to consume HP over doing the literal very least possible to not destroy the lives of trans people across the world.

If my stating the objective facts above upsets you then feel free to unfriend and move along. Your nostalgia-goggles feelings for a tired, problematic franchise mean nothing to me compared to the welfare of my trans friends and loved ones."

If you care more about badly written children's books and imaginary wizards more than you do about real people in the real world do it far the fuck away from me.

Don't try to be in my life.

"Wildform"

A depiction of what it feels to be in-between shapes, and where I like to imagine myself in this awkward form.

Most days I feel like a weird amalgamation of body parts that don't fit into the body I have. An ever changing mass of limbs, shifting and distorting, trying to shape itself into something it physically cannot. I overcompensate for my movements, lowering my posture as if ready to drop on all fours, I duck my head an extra depth to fit my ears below an obstacle, adjust the way I sit to make space for my tail or walk on my toes to acclimate to the feeling of paws.

Some days my phantom sensations are so strong that I feel it in my entire body. It is so physically distressing to viewing a body does not match the sensation or move in the way that it should. It can be emotionally difficult to move my body and sometimes | feel stuck, unable to move at all. It is an uncomfortable disconnection between mind and body.

Put the phone down and listen to your mind and body.

Be with yourself for a little bit.

I made a Uquiz! What mustelid are you?

one of my absolute favorite things about being a hellenic polytheist is that the gods love you no matter how you identify.

like you're trans? cool, we have a god of people who fall outside of gender norms and people questioning gender (not that trans people are confused!).

you're gay? amazing, they accept all kinds of love.

oh, you're disabled? one of our gods is disabled too!

you're a therian? the goddess of wild animals would love you!

and there's no debate about it either. it's just truth that they love everyone.

Recently, a critter commented on one of my posts asking for advice on how to start wearing your gear outside of the safety and comfort of your house, while being a whole adult. I get it, it can feel silly, like it's only made for children, as that's what most people tend to believe. Sometimes, it can even be dangerous.

So i compiled a few tips for critters who want to start wearing gear outside, but maybe don't have the confidence/don't know were to start, from my own personal experience:

𖦹 Start small: carry your gear on your backpack so you can take it out and put it away as needed. Start by using it only at safe spaces like therian/furry/alterhuman conventions or meetings, or only in secluded natural areas. Work your way up. Build your confidence slowly.

𖦹 Subtle gear: starting small also means wearing subtle gear first, and bigger gear such as masks, tails, paws and ears later. Examples of subtle gear could include: the theta delta symbol somewhere, animal collars or tags, clothes that resemble the color of your fur/feathers. Be creative! anything that reminds you of yourself can be subtle gear.

𖦹 We are stronger together: wear your gear along like minded people. If you have a pack, go out with them! if you don't, go out with someone you are close with, someone who supports you. This could be family, friends or your significant other.

𖦹 Stay safe: specially if you live in Spanish speaking countries, like i do. Consider tools or skills that help you feel safer (like self-defense basics or personal safety items such as pepper spay, depending on your local laws. Go out with someone who can protect you if you can't protect yourself.Do what you must but please stay safe.

𖦹 Situational awareness: Read the room to evaluate if the situation you are in is safe or not. Avoid crowded, chaotic places where you can’t move freely. Be aware of who is paying attention to you and how. Trust your gut early on, don’t wait until something escalates.

𖦹 Mask visibility: Make sure you can see clearly and breathe well. Avoid wearing full masks in streets with traffic, public transport or while crossing the road.Practice moving, turning, and reacting while wearing it before hand. A mask changes your awareness and reaction time more than people expect.

𖦹 Exit strategy: Always know how you’re getting home. Keep your phone charged. Have money / transport ready. Identify a “safe spot” nearby (store, café, etc.) Confidence comes from knowing you can leave at any moment.

𖦹 Reality check: most people might stare too much or even take pictures/videos of you. You need to be okay with that. Here's what i do: i used certain clothes to go out and certain clothes to be with people who don't know I'm a therian. That way, if a picture of me goes viral, people close to me won't fully recognize me.

Remind your local rodent that they're not a pest to you

Remind your local insect that they're not a pest to you

Remind your local bug that they're not a pest to you

Remind your local arachnid that they're not a pest to you

i need a bit of help with a phantom shift i keep getting recently, note phantom shifts are something i experience near constantly and i am very fluid in my identity so those sorts of factors don't hold much meaning

i keep feeling two things on the lower back of my head (image attached for reference), i'm not sure how much i can describe them but i can feel the base of them and i keep having the temptation to reach behind and grab them. they feel like they stick out a decent amount because i brace for impact if there's something behind my head but other than that it's pretty fuzzy

they're not completely moveable i don't think? but that could also be down to not knowing, like it's easier to move my wings when i know they're wings

this has been near constant for days and is bugging me, does anyone know any animals or creatures or insects or mythical beings or anything with inhuman features on the lower backs of their head???

Basically a shift that doesn't belong to any of your known types but you still experience it. It's also usually used if you just can't place it yet or there are no other experiences that you can sort this shift with.

i need a bit of help with a phantom shift i keep getting recently, note phantom shifts are something i experience near constantly and i am very fluid in my identity so those sorts of factors don't hold much meaning

i keep feeling two things on the lower back of my head (image attached for reference), i'm not sure how much i can describe them but i can feel the base of them and i keep having the temptation to reach behind and grab them. they feel like they stick out a decent amount because i brace for impact if there's something behind my head but other than that it's pretty fuzzy

they're not completely moveable i don't think? but that could also be down to not knowing, like it's easier to move my wings when i know they're wings

this has been near constant for days and is bugging me, does anyone know any animals or creatures or insects or mythical beings or anything with inhuman features on the lower backs of their head???