I’m by no means an authority on alterhuman vocabulary, but I use them interchangably. The short version is that therian applies only to animal-people, while otherkin applies to anyone. The two communities developed seperately from each other, so a lot of therians today like to keep the distinction and not refer to themselves as otherkin. If you’d like a more in-depth explanation, you can look here: http://aestherians.tumblr.com/post/154342026829/

Hope this helps!

I’m having a hard time properly explaining this, so I’ll have to do it in a list format. I hope you don’t mind:

1. Trolls exist. I’ve only really seen trolls proudly proclaim that otherkin should be part of the LGBT+ community. They do this for various reasons, including wanting to giver the otherkin community a bad name and trying to trick people into believing them.

2. Nounself pronouns give off a wrong idea. Pronouns, like it or not, denote information about your gender. If you use ‘he,’ people will assume you’re male, if you use ‘she,’ they’ll assume female. ‘They,’ and the won’t be able to assume your gender. If you, however, use a nounself pronouns like elkself, pupself, squidself, bugself, etc. (yes, these are all proposed pronouns that I’ve seen people genuinely using), people will assume that you think your gender is elk, puppy, squid, bug, and so on. Yet another reason why I don’t entertain the idea of nounself pronouns.

3. Misinformed people exist. While I can’t remember ever having seen someone who genuinely believed that otherkin should be LGBT+, I don’t doubt that they exist. Whether they’ve listened to trolls or just drawn the wrong conclusions because of the nounself-thing, I don’t know.

4. Some otherkin experiences are similary to LGBT+ experiences. As much as we hate drawing this comparison (because of the danger of transphobes using the slippery slope argument), it is close to unavoidable. Gender dysphoria isn’t the only kind of dysphoria. Dysphoria is a “profound state of unease or dissatisfaction” that can arise due to various reasons, ranging from stress and depressive disorder to premenstrual syndrome and body dysmorphic disorder. One variation of dysphoria is species dysphoria (which, yes, is an actual concept in modern psychiatry and isn’t reserved for clinical lycanthropy). Otherkin can also experience supernumerary phantom limbs, which could be compared to trans men feeling a phantom penis. The feeling of ‘coming out of the metaphysical closet,’ i.e. telling people that you’re otherkin, is also very similar to actually coming out of the closet (I can personally attest to that).

5. Most otherkin happen to also be LGBT+. I can only think of one cisgender straight otherkin off the top of my head, and I doubt I’ve met many more than that. I myself am pan and some-kind-of-bigender-I-guess. There seems to be an extremely high number of transgender and genderqueer otherkin compared to the general public, as well as an entirely unrealistic number of LGB and aro/ace people. I don’t know why this is, and I sadly don’t have any study to back it up at the moment, so you’ll just have to take my anecdotal evidence. :/

So basically, people think otherkin should be part of the LGBT+ movement because they’re misinformed or confused.

To properly explain this, we’re gonna have to look into the history of the otherkin and the therian communities. Basically, the elven, draconic, therian, and unicorn communities all developed seperately, and thus, different terms were created.

Short answer: The otherkin community and the therian community developed seperately from each other. Otherkin is a term to describe any non-human-identifying individual, while therian is for animal-identifying people only. There’s a grey area with so-called ‘theriomythics’ which are people who identify as mythical or cryptozoological animals, as well as people who are technically theriomythic but prefer the term therian for various reasons. So ‘otherkin’ is kind of an umbrella term.

Longer answer: The elven community was the first of its kind to develop (somewhere around 1972, though the exact year is unknown).

In 1990, a mailing list for “elves and others of the ‘otherkind,” called The Elfenkind Digest, was established. This was likely the first use of the word ‘otherkin,’ as well, to denote anyone who didn’t feel 100% human. There was talk of renaming the mailing list ‘The Otherkind Digest’ but that never happened.

So at this point in history there was a thriving elven community. The elven community was closely linked to the broader otherkin community since The Elfenkind Digest was the only online ‘kin community at all (that we know of) at that time, despite being elf-centered.

In 1992 the newsgroup alt.horror.werewolves was created. It was originally intended as a place to discuss werewolf related news, such as books, movies, comics, etc.

In 1993 one of the AHWW’s users came out of ‘the metaphysical closet,’ stating that he felt spiritually like a werewolf. Many users chimed in, claiming to feel the same way.

In 1994 an AHWW user called James H. III proposed the term ‘therianthrope.’ Prior to that, the animal-identifying people had called themselves weres or lycanthropes, which was fairly inaccurate and even a bit misleading.

At this point, other therian and otherkin forums were starting to pop up as well, and the term ‘therian’ just caught on. There has been a lot of discussion over the years on whether therians should adopt the term otherkin or keep the integrity of the therian community by refusing it.

I skipped over a lot of details, including various happenings in the elf community and the birth of the draconic and unicorn communities, but if you want to read further, you can check out my source for all of this: http://orion.kitsunet.net/time.pdf

I’d advice someone who believes they might be shapeshifterkin to first consider whether they’re a ‘flicker’ (i.e., adopting and shedding kintypes very frequently) before deciding wholeheartedly that they are, on a nonphysical level, a shapeshifter. Other than that, though, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a possible kintype. Werewolves are very common ‘types and they’re shapeshifters. It’s not that big of a stretch to imagine one’s kintype being a polymorph, metamorphmagus, or any other kind of shapeshifter.

Let me start off by saying that I’m not qualified to answer this question. For starters, I’ve only been active in the otherkin community since spring this year. Prior to that I was a silent lurker. Secondly, I am not a doctor/psychologist/psychiatrist/mental health professional. Thirdly, your ask seems rather manipulative (why would you even ask if you’re evil, I don’t get it), which I’m not on board with. I will, however, try. Take this answer with a grain of salt. To anyone else reading it, please, correct me if I’m wrong on some points!

Physical shifting has no place in the otherkin community. Simple as that. Otherkin identify as nonhuman on a nonphysical level. As soon as it enters the physical level, it’s something… else. Most likely clinical lycanthropy or a similar delusion.

I’m sorry if it feels like we’re hating on you as a person. We’re (or at least I’m) not. We’re stating that physical shifting (and by extension physical shifters, unless they have an actual, nonphysical kintype) doesn’t belong in the community. We’re hating on the concept of physical shifting. I understand how that could feel like a personal attack, when it’s something you believe in.

You’re probably tired of hearing explanations of why it’s not possibly to actually shapeshift for any terrestrial animal. The closest thing we have to shapeshifting on this planet are insects’ metamorphoses and octopuses’ chromatophores. Humans don’t possess any of these. But if you’re willing to listen, this is a very comprehensive explanation. Furthermore, if you go to http://biologyweeps.tumblr.com/ and search ‘p-shifting’ you will find a lot of discussions of it. These can be rather passive-aggressive, though, so be warned.

For me, realizing that physical shapeshifting was impossible was an uncomfortable and fairly long, but ultimately sobering journey. It was a necessary step on my journey into maturity, as odd as that may sound. I’ve always wanted to shapeshift, as long as I can remember, but just like humans can’t fly on our own, we can’t change our shape either. As J. K. Rowling puts it: “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Reality is harsh. As wonderful as it is to imagine the impossible, at some point we all have to realize the harsh reality of our lives.

Again, I’m in no way qualified to comment on your mental health, and I hope you weren’t expecting me to. If you aren’t already seeing a professional (which I suppose you are, since you have been diagnosed), I’d suggest you do. Perhaps even, and this may sound discomforting, take a break from Tumblr and similar social media. It doesn’t sound like it’s helping your mental state at the moment.

I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Well, for starters therians and otherkin are at their core the same thing in that they both identify as something other than human. Therians identify as real life animals (both extinct and extant) whereas otherkin identify as something not of this world. ‘Otherkin’ is often used as an umbrella-term too, though, and I will use it as such in this post.

Memories aren’t necessary for being a therian. You would only get memories if you had led a previous life as said creature. Less than half of the broader community seems to believe that reincarnation is what causes therianthropy. Even when it is believed to be caused by past life, memories aren’t strictly necessary. If you want to look at some other theories as to what causes otherkinity, check this link out.

The biggest difference between being ‘kin and enjoying pet play is that in otherkinity you’re being yourself and in pet play you’re assuming a temporary identity. There’s no opting out of ‘kinity after you’ve had your awakening. You’re stuck with either living as an animal-person or repressing part of your true self. With pet play you can take off the ears and tail and return to a regular human state when you need to. ‘Kinity is involuntary, pet play is voluntary. Not to say that otherkin constantly feel animalistic/other, but rather, animality/otherness is an integral part of who they are.

I can’t tell you whether or not you’re otherkin, of course. I can’t give you a facit or conclusion, which is probably pretty irritating! It’s only something you can find out by questioning and examining your own experiences. Some questions that may help you are: Do you feel like your pet-persona is an assumed identity or your true self? What makes you feel other than human? Could your feelings of nonhumanness have another cause (such as copinglink, otherhearted, or excessive roleplaying/experience taking)? These aren’t questions that need an immediate answer. You may take days, weeks or even months to reach a conclusion that you’re datisfied with.

Keep in mind that many ‘otherkin symptoms’ can be experienced by ‘kin and non-kin alike. Anything from supernumerary phantom limbs and mental shifts to visions and demonic urges. In fact, most people seem to have experienced one of these at some point. It’s not the presence of these symptoms but rather the consistency and strength of them that determine whether you’re otherkin or not. There’s no way to measure this, no way to calculate that ‘I’ve experienced x number of phantom shifts and y number of mental shifts so I must be ‘kin’. It’s an entirely personal journey, which is why it’s so important to keep questioning yourself for the first few years (sometimes even longer!). The best I can say is: You will know if you’re otherkin when you’ve asked yourself the right questions.

And remember: Just as there’s nothing wrong with being otherkin, there’s nothing wrong with not being otherkin either! I wish you the best of luck on your self-discovery!

Sure, it’s possible to identify as an extinct animal, even a Cambrian one. I just looked them up to be sure we were thinking og the same animal (I was thinking of Hallucigenia). Prehistoric animals were my passion when I was a kid and my love for them has had a revival these last couple of months. Anomalocaris is insanely cool aaaa!! Buut back to topic!

The fact that your theriotype is rare shouldn’t deter you. I’ve seen therians who identified as anything from pig tapeworm and tarantula to fossa and frilled shark. I’m either a very scrawny bison or a very bison-like beefalo (and I’ll probably never find out for sure which of the two I am). So trust me, you’re not alone in having a strange ‘type. c:

The most important thing is not what your ‘type is. It’s what makes you feel like you are that creature. At least in my opinion. Ask yourself what leads you towards that animal. Visions, phantom sensations, ‘memories’, mental shifts, dreams, and a non-human body image are all otherkin symptoms. Only you, yourself, can know for sure whether you really are otherkin or therian.

I also urge you to keep your mind open to the possibility that you might not even be otherkin. I don’t know you, of course, but perhaps you’ve been influenced by documentaries and are experiencing cameo shifts (false shifts). Maybe you want to be otherkin and are subconsciously tricking yourself into believing you are. These things happen, and they’re why it’s so important to question yourself. It’s never a bad thing to realize that you’re really otherhearted or not even alterhuman at all.

But back to the actual question (I’m very good at going off topic ^^’): Yes, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible. Wether you believe in a spiritual or neurological explanation for otherkinity, identifying as a +500 million year old crustacean is by no means the weirdest thing I’ve seen in this community.

It’s generally accepted as possible to have multiple theriotypes og kintypes. If you only have a few and you take your time to carefully examine why you feel like a creature is your ‘type, there’s no reason to worry. The only point at which you should start worrying is if you are very rapidly ‘collecting’ ‘types and suddenly have more than, say, five or ten. If this happens, I’d suggest you examine what you define as a kintype/theriotype and look into otherheartedness or synpathy.

Buuut since that doesn’t seem to be the case here, I’ll move on. Depending on whether you believe that therianthropy has a psychological or spiritual explanation, it’s possibly for two ‘types to sorta mix up. Some beliefs state that your theriotype is the soul of another animal and that souls cannot be mixed species, while others (*couch*mine*cough*) state that it’s very possible for souls to mix.

I’m not the best person to ask about dream interpretations. I’ve never had any therian-related dreams and only one ‘animal guide’ dream. But it might be interesting for you to look into either animal guides/spirit animals or lucid dreaming.

I’ll leave you with these lovely links for further reading:

http://werelibrary.com/category/the-entire-collection/
https://projectshift.therianthropy.info/
http://therian-guide.com/
http://frameacloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Scribner_DirectoryOfWritings_0-6b.pdf
http://houseofchimeras.weebly.com/informative-articles.html

Hope this helps! :D

I’m just gonna go ahead and be lazy here by copy-pasting my Therian-Guide introduction:

When I first discovered therianthropy, I was 13 or 14 and an avid user of various adoptables forums. However, I’ve always felt ~different~, as cliché as that sounds. When I was little, I’d always be a dog or a horse when we played house. I feel rather embarassed, looking back, as I didn’t really stop walking on all fours until I was in 5th grade. When I was 13 I was incredibly embarassing, growling and what not.

Luckily, I’m over that. For a while I thought my theriotype was a maned wolf, mainly because I was surrounded by wolfaboos, but also largely because I ‘recognized’ their digitigrade front legs and hunched over stance. I always knew it wasn’t right, but because I didn’t introspect at all or even really examine my phantom feelings or ‘memories’, I assumed it to be right.

Fast forward to this year. I’d acknowledged that I was not a maned wolf, but nevertheless I felt therian. During springtime, in the middle of class, I got a very sudden vision of wading through a field with big, heavy front hooves, feeling my tail wave from side to side and the soft grass give way as I stepped forward. It was very clear, almost scarily so, and I hav to take a second to sit back and try and understand this intrusive thought.

During the next days I came to the conclusion that I must’ve been a wisent/European bison at some point, since I love forests a lot and I live in Europe. More introspection led to me realizing that this was most likely a false conclusion based on my current interests, and that I was in reality an American bison therian. Even more self-examination followed, and I’m now 90% sure that my theriotype is a beefalo similar to those in Rocky Mountain National Park (so like an American bison but more lithe and with slightly bigger horns).

So there hasn’t really been one definitive moment where I went ‘oh shit I’m a bovine’. Everything has been a sort of gradual process with the animalistic feelings always lurking at the back of my mind.

Hope this answered your question! c:

Well, I personally know of a deer mouse, a fruit fly, and a bonobo on here. Sorta similar? I’m questioning wasp larva, myself.

I think the ‘cool’ theriotypes are more common for several reasons:

1. Their features are easily mistaken. If you only have phantom paws and minor mental shifts, how would you know whether you’re a wolf, dog, epicyon, fox, dingo, or literally anything similar? A lot of new therians will likely assume the coolest or most obvious answer (most likely wolf) to be true.

2. They’re cognitively advanced. This means that they’re relatable and a) if we assume that every single therian ever (that is, thousands of people in the last 30 years) is delusional, people will more readily mimic their behavior and thus dupe themselves into thinking they’re therians b) if we assume that reincarnation is the cause, the lives as complex animals will likely leave a greater impact on one’s soul and as such be remembered or c) if we assume the cause is psychological, it’s much more plausible to feel like an advanced animal with defined, relatable behavior than, say, a starfish.

3. Fakers exist. Therianthropy seems cool from the outside, at least to young teens. If you’re pretending to be a therian, you’d probably claim to be a tiger rather than a moth.