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Post by glowwyrm on Dec 18, 2018 20:11:30 GMT
If some one could talk to me I need some advice on choosing what my kintype is. I'm not sure but I know all my life I have not felt human. I've felt detatched from most people and very out of place in this world. And when I discovered there are others like me I was excited and a little scared but I don't know what my kintype is....I don't know what I am. I know how I feel and I just feel like me. Not human just me. I've adopted quit a few personality traits and behavior from animals but there isn't a specific animal that comes to mind so if someone with a lot of info on this topic could contact me and try to help that would be fantastic.
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vyt
- Therian - Standard Animal
Border Collie
Posts: 42
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Post by vyt on Dec 19, 2018 2:48:59 GMT
Well, first things first, there is no choosing your kintype. A theriotype, by definition, is not a choice. Second, how sure are you that these feelings of separation or being non human are specifically therianthropy? For example, I have a lot of autistic friends who would say they feel different from most people, or that they are bad at "humaning", etc. This is not to dismiss you or say you are "crazy", but to point out that there are a lot of various reasons someone might feel different, detached, or out of place. (And that those reasons may intersect and overlap! One of said autistic friends is also a therian).
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G.D.
- Otherkin - Extraterrestrial or Metaphysical
Vampiric Black Shuck
Posts: 2,243
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Post by G.D. on Dec 19, 2018 19:45:12 GMT
Hello, glowwyrm. As Vyt was kind enough to point out, identity is not a choice. Therianthropy/Otherkinity is the identification as a non-human animal or creature to your core. We identify as this animal or creature, not with. We don't have these identities because we relate to different things that are non-human, but because we feel and experience our beings as if we are these animals or creatures. There are a wide variety of reasons one may not feel entirely in sync with humanity. Again, already stated. On top of that, humans are also animals and often mistake perfectly normal behaviors and instincts for being 'non-human' simply because they fall out of predefined societal norms. Which does not inherently make them wrong, it just makes them 'unfavorable' for others who want to pretend they are separated from the natural world. The first step would be to hone in on why you do not feel entirely human. Is it an environmental factor? A political or societal factor? Something to do with your living situation or other biological and chemical circumstances? While we are often viewed as maladjusted by the outside world, many of use are quite content in life and our non-humanity is separated from whatever disagreements we may have with our very normal, human lives. And the world around us. As for adopting personality traits, that's not exactly how it works either. As humans beings tend to do, we anthropomorphize other life and force our perceptions on them when, in reality, the life of non-human animals are inherently much different than we expect. Because we are human we are unaware of what it actually means to be and 'act like' a wide majority of the life around us. Even if we can make good guesses, we are not objective observers. On top of this, sometimes people will begin to act in ways they 'think' they should act based on presumptions they've made of non-human life when it comes to first exploring one's non-humanity. Our modern cultures don't help this process, as it's incredibly common that animals are used as symbols for particular traits or philosophies when they either aren't in the least bit like this, or the traits are so obscure that they're shared by a wide variety of other types of life instead of just that one animal. We don't pretend to act a particular way because we are 'x' animal. That is a very human behavior. Humanity has thrived because it has been able to learn from the natural world and use these traits as a means of survival. And regardless of what we identify as, we are still physically, mentally, and biologically human. No matter what we identify as, we will have to conduct ourselves as human. Discovering one's identity takes a lot of time and hard work. All of what's been said also applies to me, and others in our community. We must be critical of our experiences and seek to analyze them thoroughly enough that we can be confident in the assertions we make. And it's never a perfect science. Almost all of us have been wrong about some aspect of ourselves and had to start over before. As long as you go at this with the intent to remain as objective as possible and honest, you'll do just fine .
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