Therian facebook groups, tumblr, and why you might want to stay away from them

Hello friends. I've decided to write a little article about facebook therian groups, as well as the kin community on tumblr, and why you might want to stay away from them. I'm not going to mention any names of any particular people in this thread, but I am going to talk about what you might expect when coming in contact with people who's got a negative attitude. I hope you might find it at least a little bit informative.

I've experienced a lot of things, in my nine years in the otherkin and therian communities, as well as people of different walks of life. There are good communities and then there are bad communities, and they come and go. Some stay for years, others fade away quite fast. However, they all tend to share one universal rule; They keep their members protected, safe. Things are moderated, and the staff will step in if things turn into a fuss.

This is why communities such as forums are good, because people are often treated with respect, no matter what their belief system is, as long as it isn't a harmful one. Keep your belief, don't shove it on others, and you'll be fine.
People are most likely not going to point fingers at you, bully you, or act as if they were better than you, simply because such an attitude wouldn't be allowed on most forums.

However... In all my nine years, I've never experienced anything quite like sites such as tumblr or therian facebook groups. Being poorly moderated, it is a place where people with an elitist attitude will gather. They will mock. They will point fingers. Because they have the option to do so. I've seen therians judge otherkin, otherkin judge fictionkin, trolls judging all of the communities, and vice versa. It's online abuse, plain and simple. It has never happened to myself, but I see it happening to others on a daily basis.

Thus it creates drama. And even when you're not a part of it, just being in the group where it happens, and seeing people being mocked for just little things is somethig that will get to you, after a while. It is tiredsome, it is annoying, and it makes you feel so old and mature compared to these people who are supposed to be ten years older than you. And as you continue watching their behaviour, you get the feeling that these people believe they have the privilege to act this way simply because they have been in the community longer than you.

Yes, therianthropy has its basic definition and guidelines. But at the same time, it might be experienced differently between all of us. And if someone experiences therianthropy differently from the norm, let them be, do not surround them like hungry wolves. Do not make a fuss out of it.

Relax, breath, inform. Move on. Do not chase people away, simply because they experience therianthropy a bit differently. I personally do not like seeing where the kin/therian community is headed. People are becoming so full of themselves these days that it's easy not to feel safe anywhere.

Sites such as tumblr is a great site for social networking. However, being poorly moderated, it is often used for internet bullying. This happens a lot in the otherkin tag. If you are young, sensetive, or get hurt easily, I wouldn't join tumblr if you want to come into contact with the otherkin community. Besides, there really isn't such a thing as a "community" on tumblr.

Same can be said for many therian/kin groups of facebook... There's a lot of favoritism and elitism on many of those groups. A lot of drama debates usually happens, and people are hurt or chased away, and it might just be for little, harmless reasons. To some people, therianthropy seems to be a religion, and mercy be upon those who's therianthropy might be a bit different from the norm. ... It's ridiculous.

You shouldn't waste your time on people like that, but it's hard when they are found in almost every kin community online. This is why it is important to find a community where this kind of behaviour is not tolerated, a community that suits peoples needs.

Unity is important.

I agree with what's posted here completely.

And there's something I think ALL of you need to know about the Therian community online, though specifically on Facebook. It's something that doesn't come up here at all (and is actually against the rules), and it's that if you say the wrong thing, other people will never, ever let you forget it. I mean, if you did something really, really bad (like harm someone), then I can understand, but they will use the term "fluffy" against you for anything they think you've said to be wrong. And it doesn't matter when you said it either. They will always bring it up. They will bring up things you did waaaay in the past, things you've long forgotten about but somehow someone still holds against you. They expect people to learn things from them, but regardless they'll still refer to you as "fluffy," defining it as anyone who disagrees with them.

There are several of them who are just extremely toxic people who look for people who they can attack. If you're a jerk at all about something dumb, they will find you in every Therian group you're in to watch you and capture anything bad you say and then laugh about it in a private group.

You're safer not in Therian FB groups. Trust me. As someone who got very involved and then was kicked out by the people I thought were my friends, I am bitter about it and do not recommend them. I know what sorts of tight-knit "behind the scenes" stuff they do. They are vicious, vicious people.

I'd like to say that I agree with all of this and I'll think I'll add this. There are some okay Facebook groups but you just have to look for the really large ones and avoid certain administrators who are really toxic and corrupt. But even then, when you find and stay in a larger kinmunity group, they often times tend to be dead compared to these toxic groups. But I am going to warn you do not be drawn into these toxic groups because of their activity levels. After time, it all comes down to the same thing happens whether you were someone who was completely innocent the whole time, neutral but hiding darker secrets in these private groups, and/or a completely toxic, you leave the community because of the drama and in-fighting. It's not necessarily this fluff that gets you it's the people you surround yourself with. I think I am going to speak out about a few groups in particular that I will suggest to avoid, anything that dubs it's self to be Fluff Free like Fluff free Therian/ Otherkin Social group. Also avoid anything with fluff busting, such as Therian and Otherkin Vent & Discussion Group and The trench group. Almost any group that goes under those title or similar names is toxic and lacks moderation such as having no rules or bad administration period.

Seeing therian posts on Tumblr has made me a lot more skeptic, to be honest. People make all sorts of claims, calling people "kinphobic" for not using pronouns like "bunself". I've also seen posts where people talk about some creepy stuff they do and blaming it on therianthropy (I saw a moth therian posting about how they couldn't help running around someone's window, because the light was attracting them). Therians on Tumblr make me feel very uncomfortable.

I don't have a Facebook, but i am on tumblr and community there is just bad. I've only seen probably only a handful of serious people there, the rest being trolls.

This is really important. The therian/otherkin place on tumblr is a bad place. There are many trolls and its gross. That's really why I created my therian/otherkin blog on tumblr. It's a safe place for those getting bullied to come & talk. Experiences can be shared, and it's a a place to learn. I still ask questions (mainly fictionkin related because it's a topic that confuses me and I know there are many fictionkin willing to answer). While on tumblr, I've recommended TG to my followers to give then a safe & more reliable place.

It's important to understand how weak these websites can be. Forums are better moderated and I like that about TG. It's more protected/safe here and such.

Gonna play devils advocate here but, if you stay out of the main tags and pick the right groups tumblr isn't that bad. But you need to understand others first, and be careful of who you trust. I have a few friends on tumblr who share similar beliefs to me and we relate very well, however I know it is abundant with trolls as well, you just need to learn how to shift your way through them.

(2015-10-12 19:12)Czechdog Wrote:  Gonna play devils advocate here but, if you stay out of the main tags and pick the right groups tumblr isn't that bad. But you need to understand others first, and be careful of who you trust. I have a few friends on tumblr who share similar beliefs to me and we relate very well, however I know it is abundant with trolls as well, you just need to learn how to shift your way through them.

Basically this too.

I tried my paw at joining the tumblr community but all there is that I can find are trolls and bullies, and of course the several 12 year olds thinking you can choose 50 different pokemon and anime character kintypes. I was active for a while but slowly faded out because of them, now my kin blog is just a nature blog with info on otherkin contained in it here and there.

The facebook community is definitely filled with older community members, some of which are very nice and understanding, others not so much. It's a 50/50 thing there, but I still like it better than tumblr. Though they both stress me out and I'm just slowly going back to only going on kin forums like I first did when I joined the community years ago.

So yeah, pretty much everything already stated. Basics are if you want to go on the Tumblr otherkin community, do so with a grain of salt. It's filled to the brim with BS. And if you're gonna go on the Facebook community, be sure you know every tiny little thing about your identity or you WILL get cornered and then booted from the group as quickly as you joined.

These things are basically all toxic pools of hate where nearly everyone is out to get you.
This stuff really boils my blood.
It's safer to stay on TG to be honest. Even other forums are extremely judgemental and love to moderate your opinions to fit theirs. Some tumblr places and such are ok... but it's safer to not encounter all those trolls.