Post by Hakumei on Jan 21, 2008 12:25:07 GMT -5
Therianthropy Explained!
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Never worry about Therianthropy ever again with my handy, dandy guide!
Table of Contents:
- pt. 1: To be a Therian
- pt. 2: What is Therianthropy?
- pt. 3: Shifting Explained
- pt. 4: Finding your Theriotype
- pt. 5: The options!
- pt. 6: What not to do
- pt. 7: Conclusion.
pt 1: Many therians may be viewed as 'weird'. Should I really be getting myself into it?
pt. 1: Getting yourself into it? Nice choice of words. I don't believe you "get into" Therianthropy. It's not a sport. There are no "star" therians, there are no "losers" (except for very arrogant people, and such, and of course flamers. But that's besides the point). Therianthropy, to me, was like, "This is exactly what I'm like! Now I have a name and official status for this, whoohoo~"
Is that what it's like for you? Great! =D Otherwise, I'll clear a bit up.
pt. 2: No seriously, What is Therianthropy?[/b]
Well, ever pretended to be an animal when you were little? Maybe you charged around, feeling a tail "waving" behind you, ears pricked forwards as you closed in on a gazelle? That's part of it.
Ever said, "Gee, I have such an odd connection to ______. I think I might have been one in a past life, or somehow it's part of me. That's Therianthropy too.
Therianthropy is also, "hey wassup i am a lion and ur a gazel now get of my thred or i eet u. u suck an r a stoopd animl." Sadly, this is Therianthropy too. It encompasses a great many different topics.
pt. 3: What's Shifting? No where will tell me!
Well, young Therian, Shifting can be many things, depending on your preferences, beliefs and general likes and dislikes.
Regular Shifting is when one is pretending to be the animal, but that is a rather juvenile term. I Regularly shift in where I'm prowling around as the Jaguar. I am the Jaguar, in my mind. I feel my tail, my paws, my size, and everything. That's shifting, to me. May also be called a Mental Shift.
Physical Shifting is when one takes on the physical form of their therian form. D'oh! This is impossible. But we can hope, can't we? This is the dream of me, the dream of my fellow Therians, and could quite possibly be yours too.
Dream Shifting is when in a dream, you shift into your therian form. I have dream shifted, though never into the Jaguar form. So far, I've flown, glided, and even walked down the street in a cat-like, possible spitz dog form. it's a pleasure when it happens, though it's not exactly something you can bring on yourself. When something appears in my dreams, it's because it's a big part of my life, and finally acknowledge by my inner brain, or so I like to call it. I didn't dream about any dæmians or dæmons until three months of being on the Dæmon Forum, and talking to Azi for almost a year. I had a dream shift first when I was in fourth grade, three years after I pretended to be an animal with my friends in school. So you see, the time varies. For you, who knows! It could be two weeks! :3
"Furry" Shifting, to me, is when one does not "become an animal", per say, but is still shifted. Perhaps they still are bipedal, have hands, human body parts, along with the ears of a serval, tail of a lion.... other Therian parts.. maybe your skin is suddenly the scales and pattern on your Therian species of snake, or you suddenly have the pairs of wings, long legs and beak of a heron, yet still maintaing a human-esque form. This is being a "Furry" or so it is to me. Furries have been drawn with and without clothes, and some people do not like Furries. I liek them, but when people draw nude furries there's something grotesque about them; this isn't a confirmation saying "We accept furries; post your nude artwork on the forum."; There are young people )including myself) who probably shouldn't see these pictures. And I'm not the youngest one here!
pt. 4:I know I'm Therian, for ___ and ___ reasons. But what Therian am I?
Well, this is sometimes a problem, but to others a rhetorical question! In the Dæmon world, many people post "RAs" or "reverse Analyses" in hopes someone could help them find their dæmon form. Of course, you can only say so much of your personality, only put so much in words.
Therianthropy is even harder! You list down tendencies, experiences, connections with animals, colors..... anything. it's harder to borderline what consents to a Theriotype than what consents to a dæmon form. Mostly, you have to give it a shot on your own; there's only so much other people can help you with.
Try meditating, imagining yourself in some environment you like, looking at pictures and videos of different animals... anything to gather information and form connections. You should be finding some candidates in no time! Don't be afraid to go after animals that are endangered, hard-to-find, you haven't ever seen before, or even extinct! Any existing animal can be a Theriotype. The important pat is that it fits you, you really believe this animal is you, and that's that.
pt. 5: Dude, that means I can be a Dragon-therian! WOO! AWESOME! Dragons are the l337 of all animals! I'll be a Dragon therian with iridescent rainbow scales, and laser eyes and breath fire, ice and acidic breath.
um... that's not exactly what I meant. xD Think about it. Dragons are fantasy; they only exist through myths, and stories. Anything can be classified a dragon. A real animal appeals me because, not only being set in stone, I can say, "For all these real reasons, I'm like the Jaguar." But with a dragon? If you said they hoarded jewels, there's no fact. Sure, it's widely believed, but it's also widely believed that cats can't and won't walk on leashes. You bet they will! :3 My cat walks fine on a leash. She loves it. And no, she's not a dog-like cat. She likes to go outside and be with me, her human.
There is another term for people who believe they are mythical and fantasy creatures; Otherkin. They have a community all their own; this includes the fantasy creatures, such as gryphons, dragons and unicorns/pegasi, but also Elves, Dwarves, and Vampires. There may be others; I myself are not too familiar with these people.
pt. 6: What shouldn't I do? I don't want to make a fool of myself!
Oh man, I was waiting for someone to ask this question! ; D -lame- Well anyways.
DON'T act as if you ARE the animal online. If you see a prey animal, DON'T say you're going to eat them! How'd you like someone above you in the Therian food-chain to say their gonna eat you? I mean, in joking it's funny, but seriously? No, just no.
"Also, another thing many hate to see; we are all human here. We just all share a common belief in therianthropy. People saying, "I hate to look at the general public. Being human is awful." Is exactly the thing I(and I can't be alone on this) don't like to see. I love being a human. I love to dance, I love to draw, I love to have friends. But my Therian side I love too. There can be both, and we accept that.
pt. 7: As all meetings must have a parting...
size=1]In conclusion, I hope this has helped you on your way to joining the Therian community! But alas, this is but a beginning to your knowledge. It's all a highly individual basis; almost more than religion. There's no real guideline except what community figures itself out to be.. and of course, the obvious stuff, like courtesy and respect. =) I wish you luck in your endeavors! Any questions can be directed to me, or another Therian who knows their stuff, but remember; there's not much here that is "law"(though I didn't say nothing); if it works for you, great! And on this note, I'll end. =3 Again, I hope this helps![/size]
These are mostly my opinions, and this is subject to change if need be. Teigra, Torahan, what do you think? : D
I wanted one of these, so I made one for other people. Save them the trouble. xP [/center]
what of the Manx cats? 
