Trying to define Therianthropy can be bad

(2018-09-05 15:18)WolfVanZandt Wrote:  A significant amount of what you read online is role playing and the very many people who have never been around other weres in real life have no way to distinguish between the reality and the garbage.

This is my argument for Howls and the like... why it's important to meet in person and for us as a group to have offline interaction. I may have trouble defining therianthropy, but I know it when I see it. Therians have a "vibe" that I have felt again and again in person.

(2018-09-05 15:45)BearX Wrote:  Therians have a "vibe" that I have felt again and again in person.

Never knowingly meeting another Therain, I have little frame of reference to that particular statement. There have been a few folks that I seriously wonder about now looking back on things with a fresh set of eyes.

Although I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment. You get a particular feeling from each individual you encounter, some stronger than others. I find myself thinking of sayings to express the feeling, like it "Takes one to know one" and so they say "The eyes are windows to the soul."

In another way, "Like strangers passing in the dark, that you know for some reason, although have never met."

Many times , I don't put much stock in individuals I haven't met in person(coyoteson?) xD

As a very recent addition into the therian online community I was somewhat overwhelmed by all the lingo. I came across information which made me go "ah-hah!" but also plenty of things I have absolutely no experience with.
I do believe that therianthropy is a very personalized experience with some common ground but I'm afraid most newcomers might feel the need to repeat things other say just to fit the mold (as WolfVanZandt pointed out). This happens in any community and especially online ones.

As for actual terms I don't care whether we'd call it something cool like shifting or purple-flop-gushing; I know what I do or do not experience and I use the common agreed up on name to make communication easier. That's it for me; pure communication and not trying to define what is IMHO still undefinable.

(2018-09-05 15:45)BearX Wrote:  Therians have a "vibe" that I have felt again and again in person.

I knew a therian once, long before I identified myself as such, and for some reason we clicked instantly. We weren't really best friends but there was this unspoken thing between us, like a beacon. It was very strange.

So it seems this problem had already been tackled long before I thought to post about it.

(2020-10-17 16:51)BearX Wrote:  In fact, you can read for yourself in the AHWW FAQ, in it, Windrunner brings up a good point, and it is one of the things we were certain about in the old days:

Quote:May no one EVER say that theirs is the "one true way". History has taught us otherwise, that there can never be only one way.

LP,
Dusty

For anyone else replying to this thread: Please read the post and don't just reply to the title.

kthxbai.

Great post, I certainly agree with this. My experiences vary even from those of close therian friends of mine. Some feel purely like a wild animal, while I feel like a blend of both human and wolf which leads me to feel more werewolf (or more specifically Wolfblood, for those who are familiar). These attempts to set forth a cut and dry definition have left me feeling hugely disconnected from therianthropy at times. It is just too diverse an experience to have black and white standards.