next »

[Flaw]

I know how you feel, I really do... It is true you're probably more of a therian than a furry, though, since your quest was to find an animal the felt more like you and fit you. I remember doing that myself... I tried almost every kind of feline and canine before I finally settled on fox, where everything just seemed to click.

As for Asperger's, I've noticed a lot of otherkin seem to be diagnosed with things like that. In fact, I tested in the high functioning Autism/Asperger's range on a test we took in an English class in college, and I've also been diagnosed with Behavioral and Emotional Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder... and I know how it feels to have something horrible happen in your past that sort of... fuels you to search for comfort... I... I've lost a lot of things in this life, and it hasn't been easy. It's hard stuff to get past, and I only act okay about it; it changed me, the way I see myself and others, the way I feel... <.< Also, I was despised all through school, even my teachers hated me. My special BED class teacher lied to me daily and one time locked me in the closet all day without lunch...

Anyway, the point is: you have people who understand you here and who've been through similar. We're here for you. ^_^

I really find myself at a loss to find a reply to this. My school experience isn't exactly something I like talking about, myself. The traumatic event happened there, in 4th grade. I'd prefer not to go into detail, but I'll say it was anything but pleasant. It really messed with me for years afterward, driving me into a serious depression in which I became a self-hating, bitter, dark person. I did awful things to myself. My only outlets to relieve that pain were poetry, and my deceptions. The latter of which I now feel extremely shameful for years later.

I guess the best I can say is 'thank you'. <3

[Seeker]

Have you ever been in one of those classes? They lump in all the kids, no matter the age, and teach them all the same material at about a 2nd grade level. When I got into regular 5th grade classes, I had no idea how to do division... Also, they're allowed to punish you however they want, and most of the time the other kids spend the class hurling insults and curses.

I'm sad to say I know exactly what you're talking about. I was forced to waste a good deal of my childhood in situations like this. "special education" isn't even for disabled kids anymore. It's the fast track to graduating kids that are hard to teach. They threw us all in one room, druggies("at risk"), kids with cerebral palsy or severe autism that couldn't function at all, and everyone else in a little room and reminded all of us every day that we weren't a welcome part of this society. Nothing about that part of my life made sense.

[Hakuzo NightFox]

Luckily, I've never been diagnosed with anything of that kind of nature. Though, in high-school, I did get stuck in one of those classes because there was no 'electives' that year I could take. The pricipal wanted me to work on my other homework and such during the time I was in that class, but the teacher had me doing the same things that everyone else in the class did.

I was way above the level in the class, (at the time, I had college level reading in the 10th grade.). luckily things were not that bad in my school.

but... that's derailing the topic at hand >>.


As for what it is to be a therian. You can't have others just tell you what you are, you must discover it on your own.

[Flaw]

Luckily, I've never been diagnosed with anything of that kind of nature. Though, in high-school, I did get stuck in one of those classes because there was no 'electives' that year I could take. The pricipal wanted me to work on my other homework and such during the time I was in that class, but the teacher had me doing the same things that everyone else in the class did.

I was way above the level in the class, (at the time, I had college level reading in the 10th grade.). luckily things were not that bad in my school.

but... that's derailing the topic at hand >>.


As for what it is to be a therian. You can't have others just tell you what you are, you must discover it on your own.

Nobody is telling me what I am, a few made suggestions, and based on the research I've done myself in the days since, I've come to my own conclusion.

Basically, others pointed me in a direction, I explored it.

[Gingitsune]

It sounds like you're starting to find some answers for yourself, as I'm coming in a bit late. XD   But, there's a few things about your story that I can identify with too. 

For instance, much like you, I felt very much drawn to the furry community for similar reasons.  I always like to say that I didn't become a fox to be a furry, I became furry because it let me be a fox. XD   It did kinda give me some confusion though in the sense of role playing and therian/Otherkin though. There was a time when I thought I couldn't be therian because I liked to role play, and I would see these "NO ROLEPLAYERS!" things in these communities.  But, later on I realized that it was mainly to focus the discussion on the real life experiences of those involved rather than made up ones.  As much as I liked to roleplay a character, there was also a spiritual side that was very real to me and that I kept very separate.

And that, I think, is the key to teasing out whether one is therian/otherkin or not, is that whether or not this animal side is really the core of you.  I know I'm biased in that I see it as a spiritual thing - some therians see it as strictly a mental thing that they do. (Which I find to be a very interesting difference - therian based communities tend to focus more on the mental aspects, while Otherkin tend to focus on a more spiritual/past life explanations... topic for another post though!)

Also, here's a few therian type resources that might help:
http://therianthoughts.livejournal.com/profile  - Really good LJ community.  You have to be invited in by the mods to post though, but it's worth it.

http://therioshamanism.com/  - I really like Lupa's writings a lot about not just therianthropy, but other spiritual-typey stuff.

Hope this helps!

[Flaw]

It sounds like you're starting to find some answers for yourself, as I'm coming in a bit late. XD   But, there's a few things about your story that I can identify with too.  

For instance, much like you, I felt very much drawn to the furry community for similar reasons.  I always like to say that I didn't become a fox to be a furry, I became furry because it let me be a fox. XD   It did kinda give me some confusion though in the sense of role playing and therian/Otherkin though. There was a time when I thought I couldn't be therian because I liked to role play, and I would see these "NO ROLEPLAYERS!" things in these communities.  But, later on I realized that it was mainly to focus the discussion on the real life experiences of those involved rather than made up ones.  As much as I liked to roleplay a character, there was also a spiritual side that was very real to me and that I kept very separate.

And that, I think, is the key to teasing out whether one is therian/otherkin or not, is that whether or not this animal side is really the core of you.  I know I'm biased in that I see it as a spiritual thing - some therians see it as strictly a mental thing that they do. (Which I find to be a very interesting difference - therian based communities tend to focus more on the mental aspects, while Otherkin tend to focus on a more spiritual/past life explanations... topic for another post though!)

Also, here's a few therian type resources that might help:
http://therianthoughts.livejournal.com/profile  - Really good LJ community.  You have to be invited in by the mods to post though, but it's worth it.

http://therioshamanism.com/  - I really like Lupa's writings a lot about not just therianthropy, but other spiritual-typey stuff.

Hope this helps!

I never really have been into roleplaying much, if at all. For me, getting into being a furry meant being an animal, which is something I had wanted and felt like ever since I had the intelligence to coherently think and want things. By all means, I should have run across therianthropy much sooner, but when you're around furries, all you hear about therians is that they're weird creeps who think they have animal souls. Back then it all sounded so silly, but age brings wisdom, I guess.

At this point, I'm already pretty much confirmed as being therian. Ever since the revelation, and with every new scrap of information, I feel more assured in that this is me, and that it explains *so* much. I won't take a ton of time to write it all out here, but I'll be writing up a new introduction thread that goes over all of it sooner or later.

Also, thank you for the links! The second one you posted sounds like an interesting read.

(P.S. - I don't really know how to feel on the whole mental v. spiritual thing yet, myself. Both seem at least somewhat logical to me. I would guess my stance is something along the lines of "why explain the unexplainable?". I don't necessarily care if it's for mental or spiritual reasons that I am the way I am - I just am.)

[Kijt]

Sorry I was of no help... I don't like trying to tell people what they might be...? I have a small fear of saying the wrong thing.

[Seff]

Honestly, I'm a little confused by your post - but I'd like to help if I can. The topic of your post was "looking for some insight..." but I'm not really sure what it is you're doubting, or rather, what you need clarified. Are there some specific thoughts or suspicions you've been having? We all have them, and I know a good deal of the time they don't pant out, but there's no harm in sharing. Or, were you looking for personal recounts of similar feelings and situations, in order to solidify your own experiences? If the prior, I hope you'll share - and if the latter, it'd be my pleasure.

The only thing I've picked up for certain in your post was the desire in the past, as well as the present, to belong. Not to be unique or special, or even just fit in, but to simply have a place in the world. I may not be an otherkin, but that's something I get. I really do. Actually, it may be because I don't consider myself an otherkin that I should be able to give you some unique insight. First, I'd like to tell you that I have close friends in this community - one of whom is a kitsune. And, when she was first going though her self discovery, I had an overwhelming desire to want to be a part of it. Even later on, that desire didn't leave me, and I found myself trying to fit into this community. But I didn't fit, at least - not like that. A lot of time went by before I realized what was actually happening, and became comfortable with the situation. I am not an otherkin, but I can and do empathize with them. We have far more in common than not, and that's how I fit in this community now. I'm not saying it's the same for you, heck it's probably not, but I thought you might like to hear a different perspective. So, good luck to you in your self discovery.

Powered by SMF 1.1.15 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines
Blueace design by Crip | XHTML | CSS

Page created in 0.061 seconds with 20 queries.