(2026-02-05 23:45)blackfurclaws Wrote:  I would love to know more about peoples expernceses with there therianthropy and how they feel about it.Either is something strong in pride and having supreme level thoughts about it,or might be as simple as just identifying as one.

For me it's neither. I was actually gonna write a little essay about this.

Therianthropy isn't an identity for me. I could identify as an animal all day long, if I didn't have the experiences to back it up then I simply wouldn't be a therian, it would be wishful thinking. Therefore my experiences are the only important thing to me in determining my therianthropy. The "identity" bit is just a byproduct of this experience, a result of it, not the other way around. I could stop identifying anyhow this instant yet it wouldn't erase my nature.

So in short, my therianthropy is defined by my animalistic nature and nothing else. There's nothing more to it really, I'm not proud of it nor do I think it's fun or interesting. It's just there, and I'm a person who's much more than just this aspect of me, it isn't my defining feature either. At the same time though, it's extremely prominent in my life involuntarily. I wouldn't be a therian if I had a choice.

(2026-02-05 22:46)Observer Wrote:  I'll probably spend my whole life wondering why I am the way I am somewhere in the back of my mind.

Realistically, I'll probably never know. If there were any actual scientific studies I'd definitely sign up as a guinea pig but the probability of me ever getting this chance is close to zero. Most people will just assume therianthropy is a fashion statement and running on all fours because of all the damage TikTok and Tumblr have caused, or at least nothing more than a niche internet subculture. For a real study to take place, it either has to be one of us or one of us has to somehow make it relevant in the scientific community... though I believe there are things way more important to research than why I'm a were, like cures for various horrible diseases that exist.

I personally think it's just a mix of genetics and my own unique life shaping me into who and what I am. I'm actually going to do a little bit of researching myself soon... I'll force everyone I know to do a survey, most notably my dad. I don't know other therians in real life, but he's a very real candidate from what he's told me and what I observed and compared between the two of us.

However, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps the real answer isn't going to be nearly as interesting as anyone would like.

Even though there is some things more important to reserch in our lives,Its a somewhat interesting theory to think about,since we don't know what happens inside an animal mind,that might be some case why most therians feel trapped,unwanted in such body.What I'm trying to say is even though Therianthropy might not seem like a big deal for some,it is quite the opposite for others.I would love to know more about peoples expernceses with there therianthropy and how they feel about it.Either is something strong in pride and having supreme level thoughts about it,or might be as simple as just identifying as one.

I'll probably spend my whole life wondering why I am the way I am somewhere in the back of my mind.

Realistically, I'll probably never know. If there were any actual scientific studies I'd definitely sign up as a guinea pig but the probability of me ever getting this chance is close to zero. Most people will just assume therianthropy is a fashion statement and running on all fours because of all the damage TikTok and Tumblr have caused, or at least nothing more than a niche internet subculture. For a real study to take place, it either has to be one of us or one of us has to somehow make it relevant in the scientific community... though I believe there are things way more important to research than why I'm a were, like cures for various horrible diseases that exist.

I personally think it's just a mix of genetics and my own unique life shaping me into who and what I am. I'm actually going to do a little bit of researching myself soon... I'll force everyone I know to do a survey, most notably my dad. I don't know other therians in real life, but he's a very real candidate from what he's told me and what I observed and compared between the two of us.

However, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps the real answer isn't going to be nearly as interesting as anyone would like.

(2026-02-05 17:40)Hemlock Wrote:  Honestly, I feel like an identity can be pretty damn strong. But also there are definitely therianthrope who feel less intensely about their therianthropy than this, who just... are animals.

Most identity affect who you are, it's kind of the point of the word, and it is logical that being a therian would influence what animal you are, since again, strict definition. So I am not sure if I understand your point on this specific paragraph?

I personally don't think that in the grand scheme of things, therianthropy is that special of a thing to happen. Brains can be weird in many, many ways, and I simply think therianthropy is one of the ways that can happen, just like some people feel objects are alive and develop bonds to them, or some other can see colors in music. I relish in this capacity of the human mind to just do odd things.

I do agree that I believe therianthropy can be a powerful motivator however, it is the main drive in my case toward studying biology ! And I've seen that be the case for many people, I know a falcon who is training to be a pilot to gain back his speed, or raven who sparked a desire to study the occult due to the symbolism of their theriotype. But I've also met many therianthrope who felt crippled by their animality, unfitting in a human world, so while it can sometimes be beneficial, it can also sometimes be painful without really having a meaning to why.

Yeah,I do agree on the most part of what you said but it made me think about why it may even happen.Therianthropy is something intense on both sides and its very diverse too.The reason why I think therianthropy must be something bigger then us is the fact that most therians (but not all) experience past lives or visions of how they lived there life and its the idea of reincarnation too,the main thing that I think makes therianthropy so confusing and feeling a lot bigger is becuase of the fact the the animal mind is so remarkably confusing.We still don't know what level of mental state animals have to experience things and if they are aware of themselves or others.I like to think about it as the ToM (Theory of mind in Animals) siince it explores if non-humans can atribute mental states,I think that somehow connects to therianthropes who really believe they had a past life before,making it very much confusing for them and even a bit of sadness to why they cant have their body back.Although this is just an example,I feel like there is more to this (or not) but regardless this is something really cool to check on and think about.And yes some alterhumans can also want to do things in similar as there theriotypes,its a pretty awesome thing how we might even couquer that in simple means.Sorry If I sound really confusing though,its a really interesting topic I like talking about and I love what you think about it on your side.

Honestly, I feel like an identity can be pretty damn strong. But also there are definitely therianthrope who feel less intensely about their therianthropy than this, who just... are animals.

Most identity affect who you are, it's kind of the point of the word, and it is logical that being a therian would influence what animal you are, since again, strict definition. So I am not sure if I understand your point on this specific paragraph?

I personally don't think that in the grand scheme of things, therianthropy is that special of a thing to happen. Brains can be weird in many, many ways, and I simply think therianthropy is one of the ways that can happen, just like some people feel objects are alive and develop bonds to them, or some other can see colors in music. I relish in this capacity of the human mind to just do odd things.

I do agree that I believe therianthropy can be a powerful motivator however, it is the main drive in my case toward studying biology ! And I've seen that be the case for many people, I know a falcon who is training to be a pilot to gain back his speed, or raven who sparked a desire to study the occult due to the symbolism of their theriotype. But I've also met many therianthrope who felt crippled by their animality, unfitting in a human world, so while it can sometimes be beneficial, it can also sometimes be painful without really having a meaning to why.

I feel like Therianthropy is something much more then believing your a non-human animal.I know ,its also an identity but I believe that there is something more then that.For me and how I experince Therianthropy is that it affects who I am and what kind of non-human animal I align with and for me there's SO many explanations for therianthropy that I really don't have the right words to say this all.But I think that Therianthropy and being a Therian is like a guide,guiding where your soul should be.Its finding what makes your therianthropy even happen in the first place and,I since there are so many unique experiences and perspective on therianthropy,I think that this is just only the tip of the iceberg to uncover since we really haven't put a label on why therianthropy even happens or why it affects us so much.Why it Means to us.Since I'm still a young pup,I may have not have all the information about therianthropy but I would like to share my thoughts about it and how I think so.

I was curious as to what this forum would be about. I was sure I was going to find some smoke and mirrors type explanation on “how to make it work.” I was not expecting an amazingly detailed science lesson on the physical impossibility that comes with p-shifting, or the psychological degradation that could come from the obsession. This is awesome on so many levels, and I appreciate that there are those out there willing to put in the time and effort to help others understand what is delusion and what is reality.

(2026-01-27 17:41)Hemlock Wrote:  The point about furry artist is interesting, I wonder if there's an equivalent in the alterhuman community ? A specific subtype that would be composed of mostly male-at-birth folk ?
I have to admit I'm less categorical on this because i've also met a ton of nooks in alterhuman communities that are dominated by AMAB folk, but I acknowledge it might be luck of the draw. Specifically, draconic communities have a ton of transfem and cis male folks, but I do wonder if it's caused by the kind of mixed origin of dragon communities with dragon furries. (draconity.org was pretty equal furry and dragonkin, and this repeats in a lot of draconic spaces)

(2026-01-27 19:43)Lopori Wrote:  Re: subcommunities that lean amab, I was just about to answer that with dragons and then you already noted that yourself a few lines in. So yeah, seconding you on dragons. No idea why that is, I guess dragons are a bit masculine coded? RAWR FIRE BREATHING DRAGONS AND KNIGHTS AND SWORDS. Toy dragons tend to be sold as "boys' toys" more often.

As for the tiktok stuff, the first thing that comes to mind is how it caught on that might explain the afab lean? Teenage girls are the arbiters of what's cool, they're trendsetters, ideas spread like wildfire via them. Maybe it's partly that? Despite the similarity to furry. And interestingly, animal media like warrior cats appeals to girls for some reason.

I can also envision the gap closing somewhat over time because of exchange with furries.

Edit: the dragon thing got me really curious now about the gender distribution of soecific kintypes

Greetings... Draconity.org staff member and general dragon representative here....

I have met many, -many- dragonkin enough to confidently say what their common characteristics are. They are indeed some of the poster children of otherkin-ity, but they are also overwhelmingly AMAB. There are indeed trans female dragonkin (and I know more than a few) but not as much as you would expect from that high of a population (there's wayyyyy more for mammal/furry species). I also know some trans male dragonkin despite the tiny afab dragon population so... I would say it is also unique in that it is highly gender-dependent as well.

Older, more mature dragonkin tend towards traits most would associate with dragons... that being confidence, intelligence, isolation, self-reliance, and almost always a deep understanding of the world, including from a metaphysical standpoint. Elder dragons are almost always what would be considered "spritual" otherkin (and the most potent practitioners of such I've found to be dragons). This collective group of traits, this -power-, are extremely masculine from most human standpoints. What is interesting, though, is that such dragons are -not- performative and the thing that will get their attention the most and earn the most respect is to have deep discussions on the nature of things, including huge amounts of introspection. Don't get me wrong, they tend to not show emotions much at all as per the masculine norm, but introspection and love for deepness over activities is a common trait.

What largely unites both of the young and elder dragons, though, is an affinity for science. Younger dragons tend to have scientific backgrounds/jobs, with engineering and formal sciences being extraordinarily common. The "usual" dragonkin life path starting out as an intelligent individual who is good at math or science, pursuing that as a career path along with picking up many other interdisciplinary subjects along the way, and then eventually ending up pushing hard into metaphysics (especially things like philosophy, but also deep spirituality and more "solid" magical practices such as hermeticism as opposed to things like shamanism).

Oh, another thing, dragon artists tend to be overwhelmingly male as well. It does not have the largely AFAB art tendencies that both the furry and therian communities have.

This is a very interesting perspective, and I do enjoy discussions of such things! Your evolution theory does admittedly remind me a lot of many explanations I've heard from those who describe themselves as physically alterhuman, or more specifically capable of physically shifting. I do not personally have any opinion on either, though it is curious to me how this sentiment seems to be shared, or at least considered at some greater scope. As you said yourself there is no true evidence for this though, albeit it is an interesting thought.
Although I agree that some degree of alterhumanity can psychologically come from trauma and mental disorders ( speaking myself as someone with audhd, p-did and psychotic depression ), but I do have to agree with what everyone else is saying in mostly that ultimately, I'm not sure this is something you truly precisely pinpoint because we're so diverse as a community, and also because everybody experiences everything super differently lol. It'd be nice if it was easier. I love discussions like this tho

@ouch

I’d like to point out that not all neurodivergence and not all mental illness is rooted in trauma.

While this theory isn’t without merit, I think it’s a bit reductive. Not all therianthropy is rooted in trauma either, and while I’m sure that therianthropy as a defense or coping mechanism certainly exists, I think there’s also a lot of therians for whom that isn’t the case. Take me as an example: I have ASD and ADHD, both of which are biological in origin. My mental health issues, mainly compulsive behavior, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and depression, are all primarily rooted in my AuDHD. Not to say there aren’t other contributing factors, but that’s the primary cause. While my lynx-self could absolutely have developed as a response or coping mechanism to that, there are several other equally plausible explanations, and in any case there’s not really any trauma for it to be caused by.

And, as @Thorn pointed out, the sheer variety of animal instincts experienced by therians is a bit of a roadblock for the theory. Many of the instincts and instinctive behaviors that therians experience are from different evolutionary lines and would have no biological mechanism for existing in a human brain.

I’m really not trying to crap on your theory, I just think it needs some more work. Hopefully you can think of a way to reconcile these issues