#concealed

i'm not here to define or diagnose therians as a group of delulu people who think they're animals for whatever reasons, but i did want to address the idea that being a therian is a tad... questionable, isn't it?

by no means is this to shut down or discourage those who identify as therian, if this is something you find personally valuable, by all means continue to do so

however, in an era where nobody feels like they really belong, is therian another symptom of that? is it a self made illusion built upon the grounds of wanting to justify our differences in order to then justify our existence?

it's possible. in fact it may be probable. however, i more so want to touch upon the distinctions that make someone a therian in the eyes of a general community

i don't know if everyone's seen the same thing, but there are art pieces that describe the therian experience that i find questionable. many depicting ideas that aren't even uniquely therian like preferring to be in nature or having animalistic traits

broad and vague as that is, it's true, in fact we as humans or beings inhabiting a human shell are not really in our natural world and we haven't been for a while. there's a reason nature calms us, and a reason we may prefer being around animals

we live in a society of flawed languages, imperfect communication, difficult with lives in a way we weren't designed to live and a lack of inner peace that requires we step outside of that life

in that respect, therian, at least from an outside perspective, seems like it's there to justify flaws we don't actually have for the purpose of finding our inner peace or community

the idea of phantom limbs also isn't an abstract concept, considering many transgender people also fall under this. however this begs the question... would that make therianism a realisation of self, or a desire?

that's not to say that's the same for trans people, make no mistake, only you can define who you are. however, the desire for alterations and a different body is a desire

so it begs the question if a phantom sensation of body is what is missing or what is desired

thinking about what animals do. one behaviour animals partake in commonly is called somatic shaking, this is something humans can do, however due to our modern day world, self perception and self awareness... we do not have the luxury of simply behaving ferally in public or nature

it would be cringe, embarrassing, worrisome, strange, and attract unwanted attention that suggests you conform or face consequences

in essence... perhaps there's a desire for functional freedom

freedom, and inner peace

and so what is my point with this?

well, in essence, i do think therians should take a long hard look in the mirror and also consider the falsehoods that are associated with therianism but are perfectly normal

but secondly, i believe that therianism could be a reflection of our modern day world and desire not to simply condition ourselves to behave according to a specific set of rules and societal norms that suggest what it means to be a human

because although therians may see themselves as animals, the truth is, that could be because many of us forget that humans are also animals and yet we're ashamed to act in our own unique ways with acceptance and open-mindedness

a return to nature and desire for a lack of binding rules and more freedoms like the value of a tail or enhanced sensory values may be a result moreso of our flawed system and society

It's been a while since I last wrote a I Like Other Things post, and this time I'd like to do something a bit different. I'd like to talk about a broader topic in relation to a game I recently played through. So, this is my brief Power of Friendship slash Concealed essay.

“We don't need Power of Friendship stories. They're so childish and cliché.” Is such a weird take to me, because, like, why do people think stories about friendship are for kids?

In the typical “cliché” Power of Friendship story, like many battle shounen series, the power of friendship is an actual, quantifiable thing. The characters’ emotions turn into power. Friendship becomes a part of that show’s magic system. But that's the “immature” part of it, isn't it? The fact that it's a superpower, more magic than how we experience it. I think that's what makes horror the perfect vehicle to tackle friendship. You can't magic your way out of one of the deepest human sensations. You can rely on hope that it will pass and something better will take its place, to endure, or you can gather reliable support and fight.

‘Concealed’, released by Cascha Games, is a horror visual novel, that’s also about friendship from a very “adult” perspective. The story’s protagonist, Meng Jiangnan, had recently started attending the same high school as her childhood friend, Zhou Li. However, during the game, the two’s friendship is put under a lot of stress and, eventually fractures. Everyone around Jiangnan is telling her the same thing; you’re just too different, you’re from different worlds.

During the game, Jiangnan also makes new friends with various classmates, and finds a lot of depth even to ones she doesn’t befriend. She grows especially close with Yuan Min and Huang Mingxuan, who help her solve the mystery of the disappearances around their school, along with the ghost of Zhou Li, who doesn’t want Jiangnan to end up like her.

‘Concealed’ is a horror story, so the separation between Jiangnan and Li is finalized by death rather than them growing apart, but, the theme of “growing apart” is apparent in their relationship. They find less things to relate to each other, and all of their classmates find them an odd pair. A similar situation is also going on between Huang Mingxuan and his childhood friend, the first classmate who goes missing.

This theming is also present in the resolution to the horror story of the visual novel. Zhou Li comes to Jiangnan’s aid even from beyond the grave, because, just because they grew apart doesn’t mean they don’t still care about each other. And, even as that childhood friendship comes to an end, that doesn’t mean Jiangnan can’t make new friends, as those are the very people who come to her rescue in the true ending to the game.

Any adult reading this, I want you to think. When was the last time you asked a friend for help? When was the last time you offered? Do you ever stop yourself because you think you're being a bother?