Anonymous asked: Possibly silly terminology question (sorry for any offense--I'm horribly ignorant): Is it okay to refer to someone who identifies as otherkin with the word "person"? I've always used it to refer to any thinking being, but lately I've realized just how engrained the assumption that "person" means "human-shaped and human-identified" is to most people, and... I'm not sure where I'm going here, except that I want to make sure to address otherkin respectfully (as is deserved!). Thank you!
Well, it really depends on the person… or not person! Hehe.
I, personally (haha, this is going to be hard) like the word “person”. I think of non-humans as people and, I feel it is a little insulting if someone does not want to call me person, because it is like saying, you’re not human so you’re not a person, you’re not worth as much as a human, you don’t think or feel. And, that is wrong. I might not be human but I definitely do think and feel, I believe I am worth as much as a human and I am an equal person in society. I think that reclaiming “person” as a word that is not just for humans, is a good thing.
But, some otherkin/therians don’t like “person”. Some of them prefer “being”, or words like that. In the end, you just have to ask them! It’s different for everyone.
Anonymous asked: What do you think of the thought that therianism is related to reincarnation/past lives?
Hmm, well, I don’t really have a strong opinion? A lot of people believe that, and, I think it’s a perfectly valid way of thinking… I just don’t know if it’s true about me or not, I don’t have strong feelings in one direction or another!
Personally, I think if I focused too much on the past life idea, it would take focus away from the more important fact: I experience being therian here and now. And, even if I did have past lives and remembered them, to me, it would not prove anything because I could have those past lives as a swan, but, the reason I had them is because I’m a swan in some deep and core way… But, it also could be true. Who knows?
So, for me, it’s all a philosophical question, that has no answer. If you believe in past lives, I support that! If you believe in another theory, I support that! For me, it’s just the way I am. （´-ω-｀）
extoria asked: Would you live with swans, if you could (if you had the technology to swim at the same speed, fly, and hold your breath as long as they can)? Do you think you'd be accepted into a floc - do swans accept outsiders in, or are they family only?
If I could, I definitely would!
Swans are generally very uncomfortable with outsiders. On migration, they do move as a flock, and some of those flocks are even mixed species (different species of swans). So, at that time, they accept outsiders. And, even swans will mate between different species. But, also, when they actually are starting their family groups, then it is just them, and the swan that they choose as a mate, and their children. So, even swans that they were in the flock with during that time, are not welcome in their territory. They prefer to just raise a small family group.
So, I would still be able to fly with them, but, unless I was swan shaped, and able to find a mate, I would not really have a family group.
The exception is black swans, they are more social. They do form pairs but they also don’t keep a strong territory, like other swans.
chiptortellini asked: Hi, do you know any good songs that might relate to being or just um otherkin identities in general? Birds would be nice, but you don't have to even answer this if you don't want, haha, um.
You can find a few here: http://birdsofafeather.feralscribes.org/media/music/ Or see my Feralheart mixtape: http://8tracks.com/swanblood/feralheart
I also like “Human” by Oh Land (“You’re thinking I’m too weak to fight/You don’t see I’m the villain/Trigger happy point at me/Just pathetic weaponry/Are you never gonna change?/I don’t like you human/You remind me of the things I hate in me…”) and anything by Elvendrums (an otherkin band)…
Hope that helps! ^v^
soilrockslove asked: Would you mind looking up the link to your otherkin book list?
There’s a good full version here: http://thelemniscate.forumotion.com/t81-books-and-other-media-for-transspecies
pariahdog asked: hey tsu!! im looking for that post you made about exploring your identity/exploring being otherkin, did you have it tagged or anything? uwu
Was it this one? http://swanblood.tumblr.com/post/15113802094/a-therian-story-tw-childhood-history-does-not-talk Or do you mean, the posts about how to explore your identity? http://swanblood.tumblr.com/post/13796746702/how-to-find-your-species http://swanblood.tumblr.com/post/14253365044/more-advices-on-finding-your-species
Anonymous asked: i saw someone say that you have a really cool/nice nest, would you happen to have any pictures of it? so far i dont think i'm otherkin (about 75-80% sure, i guess) but i still like the idea of a nestbed because it seems more comfortable! on that note, do you have any tips for someone who's not sure if they identify as nonhuman? like, are there any specifics they can look for, or is it just something that has to happen on its own, without looking for anything in particular?
Hmm, well, you can use the tips for figuring out your species that I posted a few posts ago, that might give you some more help! “Figuring out your species” includes human, too, so they should still be useful~
And yes, I do have nest pictures! Here’s one~
And here’s the inside, hehe~
Anonymous asked: how do you know what you are? I've known my whole life that I'm not quite human, but I haven't made any connection to any creature yet; it seriously makes me depressed. I feel like I can't figure out who I am until I know... any tips?
I have a couple of advice posts here, I hope they help!
More advices on finding your species
I’m really sorry you’re struggling with these feelings, anon ;w; It takes time, often you will start out finding a group that feels right, then over some months or years you will find the exact creature. First, use these tips, look for a group that feels right and the details will follow as you do more research about that group~
Anonymous asked: what sort of bird things do you do? :3
Hehe, well, this is an interesting question, a little strange for me to answer though, because all the things I do are “bird things” in a way!
Well, there are things that are “like the things that birds do”: I sleep in a bed that’s designed like a nest, I like to eat fruits and seeds, I have a skylight in my roof so I can see the open sky and so that I can climb to the roof and sit on it, and I like to spend time with other swans.
And then, there are things that just help me feel connected to my bird nature, but, are not things that most birds would do, like: birding, reading books about birds, writing and drawing birds, watching nature documentaries, etc.~ ^v^
I do a lot of bird things of different kinds! ^v^
Anonymous asked: Hi there! I just wanted to say firstly, how much I admire you! Your arguments are wonderful to read through, and you have so many strong and clear opinions about things. How do you know so much?! Forget it that's not what I came to ask! Did you always know you were a swan? I think I might be a bird-type therian but.. THERE ARE SO MANY BIRDS! How do you even start to break it down. *sighs*
Ahh, thank you, I’m very flattered~! (︶▽︶*) I guess, I just try to be thoughtful about stuffs and read a lot about other people’s experiences, and when I experience something I just write what happens? I don’t know, haha~~
About your actual question, I agree, breaking it down is hard! I knew I was a bird for a long time before I knew that I was, particularly, a swan. It’s not an easy thing, so, I wish you luck!
What I did as a child, I read a lot of books about birds, particularly encyclopedia type books that try to list every bird, or, at least most birds that exist. I read through those books and tried to see what birds caught my attention. But, I don’t think this always works straight away. Even when I did this, the first birds that I thought I was, were not anything like a swan. It took some time, years really… to understand the difference between “what sounded interesting or fun to be”, and “what I was”. (Of course, at the beginning, I was only a young child.)
So, I can say, I started by reading books, but then, after that, it took me a number of years to sort through those informations in my head, and have experiences, etc. that made me slowly discover that “swan” was right for me. I recommend to read the books first, so that when the right moment does come, where you find something inside your self that might reveal your species, you have the informations to be aware of what you are feeling. And remember that it doesn’t come immediately. But over time, studying birds, you will slowly start to find out in your mind, what birds feel like “kin”, and what birds feel like “I admire them/they’re beautiful, but they are not my core and soul”.
Again, I wish you the best luck! ^v^
