I agree mostly. But honestly I am a little tired of having to tell everyone that I don't care if it's a phase (had to do this with non-related stuff a lot). If it is, it is. If it's not, it's not. I'm not harming anyone by putting a name to the experiences I've had my whole life, and I wouldn't be harming anyone if I grew out of it. A phase isn't less real than or inferior to a non-phase.

I think being comfortable with questioning is great, but I think many jump to the conclusion that you must be faking if you're uncomfortable with questioning. For me, certain types of questioning can be extremely triggering (due to trauma around being interrogated about other aspects of my identity) and then my brain kind of stops working because it can't handle the stress, which makes it near impossible to give a coherent or sensical answer (which in turn leads to more questioning and stress). I've found that people on here have been pretty nice about it once they realized, but I'm still scared that people may think I'm faking due to my difficulty with answering questions.

(2024-03-08 19:24)Tdae Wrote:  How is it possible to know what a "real therian" is?

I think there is no real way to know if somebody is a real therian, unless we strap them to a lie detector, which will obviously not happen. All we can really do is question them ALOT. here is a list you could start with.

1. How long have you identified as a therian?
2. Can you describe your theriotype in detail? (this one is ok to not know)
3. Have you had any experiences of shifting or feeling non-human?
4. Do you participate in any therian communities or events?
5. Have you done any research on therianthropy?
6. How do you feel when people question your therian identity?
7. What is your opinion on otherkin and fictionkin?
8. Have you had any negative experiences related to being a therian?
9. Do you feel a strong connection to nature or animals? (Note: being a therian is not just a connection to animals)
10. How do you cope with the challenges of being a therian in a human world?

(2024-03-08 20:08)DustWolf Wrote:  Hi,

I'm usually skeptical about these types of posts, but what you say sounds legit. Moved it to a more appropriate forum, where it'll get more attention.

Perhaps it will do some good for people to hear it coming from someone closer to their age.

Thankfully TG is easy enough to find just using Google these days, one can hope we are one of the young therians' first experiences with a therian community (I've also advocated for a "TG kindergarten" for therians younger than 13, but it's not currently feasible).

LP,
Dusty

I love the idea of a TG "Kindergarten," maybe it'd lead to less misinfo spreading around... it'd also be nice to give pups and kits under the age of 13 their own space

Hi,

I'm usually skeptical about these types of posts, but what you say sounds legit. Moved it to a more appropriate forum, where it'll get more attention.

Perhaps it will do some good for people to hear it coming from someone closer to their age.

Thankfully TG is easy enough to find just using Google these days, one can hope we are one of the young therians' first experiences with a therian community (I've also advocated for a "TG kindergarten" for therians younger than 13, but it's not currently feasible).

LP,
Dusty

(2024-03-08 20:02)★NewsPaperTiger★ Wrote:  It seems like there are more and more people claiming to be therians, but they don't seem to understand what it really means. They've been misinformed and are spreading false information without even realizing it.

As someone who values the therian community and what it stands for, it's disheartening to see this happening. I think it's important for us to educate others about what it truly means to be a therian and to dispel any misconceptions that may be circulating.

I think it's important for us to have a clear understanding of what it means to be a therian and to respect the experiences of those who truly identify as such. It's not something that should be taken lightly or used as a trend or a way to fit in.

Agreed! Far too many critters simply brush it off and do not try to educate. I think we all need to play our part in doing what we can to help lessen the spread of misinformation.

It seems like there are more and more people claiming to be therians, but they don't seem to understand what it really means. They've been misinformed and are spreading false information without even realizing it.

As someone who values the therian community and what it stands for, it's disheartening to see this happening. I think it's important for us to educate others about what it truly means to be a therian and to dispel any misconceptions that may be circulating.

I think it's important for us to have a clear understanding of what it means to be a therian and to respect the experiences of those who truly identify as such. It's not something that should be taken lightly or used as a trend or a way to fit in.

This...really not much I can add right now that really needs more than a phone to type on right now.

I know this post is going to anger some because it isn't a popular opinion among youngsters. This is my experience from being in this community for well over a decade, and coming from a different time where to enter this community, questioning and introspection was a must.

In the past, to join a space, many people questioned you (sometimes ruthlessly) to make sure you understood what therianthropy was and was not, to understand you, and to see if you understood yourself. If you were questioning, that was ok, but you were still expected to put in hard work and be ready to defend any claims about yourself that you made.

So on to the actual meat of my post.

Many kids seem to latch on to types and change them on a whim. They collect them due to any experience they have, from simply relating to an animal, to feeling they have a shift a couple of times. The worst of it I've seen are people who collect fictional types, or systems, which back in the day were exceptionally rare to non existent.

I don't wholly blame children to latching onto things they relate to strongly, as that's what kids do in this period of their lives. And yes, you can relate to something so strongly that you feel like it's you. This is common in children and people who have issues of identity/not knowing who they are. It's especially telling if someone changes types frequently. But that doesn't mean that it's -you-. Characters are meant to be highly relatable, you do yourself a disservice to throw away who you are to take on the persona of someone else.

This is why questioning and introspection are necessary skills to be taught. Most of you will grow out of this (therianthropy/otherkin as a whole) by the time you reach adulthood because, and I know this may be upsetting to hear, it is a phase for most children. And again, there's nothing wrong with kids trying on different things to see what fits. That's part of growing up.

I think what really spurred me to post this though is that there's such a huge influx of people that fall into this that it becomes kind of nonsensical, and becomes difficult to exist in therian spaces anymore because any attempt at trying to question is met with hostility and fear. It's as if people are afraid to face themselves. I have seen many young members outright say that it makes them uncomfortable to question themselves/be questioned by others in this way. This isn't right, it's not healthy. The point of this community is education and growth, and you can't grow if you do not attempt to know yourselves truly.

(2024-03-08 19:24)Tdae Wrote:  How is it possible to know what a "real therian" is?

A therian is someone who identifies as a non-human creature on a non-physical level.

How is it possible to know what a "real therian" is?