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#1 2009-03-22 18:15:54

SherlawkDragon
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Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Ok, so, we have that wonderful FAQ Topic.  Unfortunately, it has become quickly apparent that there are so many questions asked so frequently, that it quickly becomes a jumbled mess.  SO: Here is a thread from which we will add new Q&A to the FAQ thread.  I don't think we should try asking new questions in here, that gets too big too fast.  Instead, lets pick out Questions which we see alot and write the most informative answer we can from them.
Anyway, here's what's been said:

SherlawkDragon wrote:

What is "Therianthropy"?
That's extremely hard to answer, especially when Therians themselves can't agree on that.  In simple terms, a Therian is when you have a deep, inner connection to an animal which cannot be broken or denied.  An "Inner Beast" as some put it an "Animal Identity" as others put it.  This differs from Totemism, because the animal connection is to something within, and it differers from Daemianism, because the animal is not a separate being, but the therian's own self, and it differs from Furry, because unlike Furries, Therians cannot stop being therians whenever they please, it is not a choice.
Where did the word "Therianthropy" come from?
Therianthropy is also referred to as "Wereism".  This is because the community started on a Usenet group called Alt.Horror.Werewolves (AHWW), where some of the members realized that they themselves identified with Werewolves because they themselves felt like they had an "animal inside of them".  They created the term "therianthropy" off of "lycanthropy": Therian - Animal, Thrope - Person.  "Animal Person" is also a new, more "politically corrrect" way of saying it.
How do I know if I'm a Therian?
By looking at how you feel inside.  Therianthropy is not a Physical thing and it is not in how you act.  It is what is in your mind.  When you look at the mental-mirror in your own mind, what do you see?  A person?  A Fictional Character?  Or yourself as an animal?  A Therian can't help but look at themselves as an animal, it is simply what they are on the inside.

LycanJayBoy wrote:

I'm wondering if you can answer two for me

"Is 'awakening' the same for everyone?"

"How long does the doubting stage last?"

GhostDog wrote:

Interesting idea Sherlawk! Also interesting that you involved daemonism in there, although I'm slightly confused about this part: "it differs from Daemianism [...] because the animal is not a separate being". Easily confusable - daemonism = / = daemianism. Daemianism isn't a term used in the daemian community. Also I'd change up the phrasing, because 'the animal' (the person's daemon) is them, so to speak.

   Other than that, I'd say well done smile I can sticky this a little later when we have a few more FAQ listed, if you'd like.

   (I don't have enough time to answer anything at the moment, Lycan, I'll see if I can get back to it later)

SherlawkDragon wrote:

GhostDog> Sure, I asked that it be Stickied in the "to be moved" thread.  As for changes, I guess we should make a compilation of what we think, and when a FAQ thing is good enough to call "official", a moderator or I can stick it in the first post.
Now, Lycan:
Is 'awakening' the same for everyone?
Nothing in Therianthropy is the same for everyone: everyone's personal experience is different, as well as how they view it.  That's why we have so many abstract terms and no specific ones to describe things.  Some therians (like me) have gradual and quiet awakenings where they start to realize what's there, where a part of them that was an unidentifiable smudge begins to take shape.  Other therians have sudden, explosive awakenings, where one day they're just like anyone else, and the next night they're howling at the moon on all fours.  There are some Therians (Like WVZ, I think) who never really had a significant awakening, they just woke up one morning and said "oh my, I'm a therian!", and moved on, perhaps joining the community, perhaps saying hi and shrugging it off.  Awakenings can also be more difficult to go through depending on how accepting and how self-restrictive the person is.  Occasionally, there are those who "reawaken": a therian denies their Therianthropy after they've awakened and forces it out, and then one day, after years of depression, they suddenly break down and let it all out.

How long does the doubting stage last?
It depends on what you mean.  Usually, people take a few days to finally accept it.  As for doubt?  That's constant, it never goes away.  This is a good thing though, it's the reason you see people realizing that they aren't therians no matter how long they thought they were.  It keeps us honest with ourselves, keeps us from delusion.  It's important not to deny it.

LycanJayBoy wrote:

I'm torn between accepting it and denying it, been for a bit now. It gets annoying, I wake up one day accepting, but the next can be different.

SherlawkDragon wrote:

Maybe your skepticism is good, maybe it's trying to tell you that you have real reason to doubt whether or not you're a therian.  Statistically, it's not likely.  You should make a list of the reasons you think you are one and the reasons you don't think so.  Remember though: don't try to be something you're not, it will only end up hurting you in the end.

LycanJayBoy wrote:

I know it's there, I know there's something else there, but I don't know if it's an animal and I sharing a body, or an animal and I sharing a mind.

SherlawkDragon wrote:

That's a good idea.  How about I just make that topic this topic and make a new one for the Official FAQ to be out into.  Let's see... I guess there's a couple of the one's I wrote that could be in there to start... I'll grab them and make the new one over the next few minutes...

Edit: ok... nevermind, looks like I can't rename a topic once I start it... so I'll just split this one with quoting, and you can delete the posts after the first.


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#2 2009-03-22 18:21:29

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Ok, so, I think the Q&As that are ready right now are:
"Where did the word "Therianthropy" come from?" and "Is 'awakening' the same for everyone?"
Anyone else have a thought?


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#3 2009-03-23 08:09:08

Daninsky
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

What does P-shift mean and how does it work/feel?


Call no man happy 'til he dies

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#4 2009-03-23 15:46:23

WolfVanZandt
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

it usually stands for Physical Shift and refers to when a Werewolf changes physically into a wolf or some partial state. Most Werewolves will tell you that it doesn't happen so that it doesn't work/feel like anything. as for the others, I'm afraid you'll have to find one and then you have to figure out whether you're going to want to believe them or not.

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#5 2009-03-23 23:22:51

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Hey, guys, like I said: if we're asking and answering all these questions in here, it's going to become massively bloated.  I think this should be like the Supreme Court of threads: it doesn't decide on every single question, it waits to see where the discussions of lower courts lead the issues.  Then the most popular Questions get to be answered with citations and foreknowledge to the best of our abilities.  P-Shifting has actually not been discussed at all to my knowledge.  I'm going to start a topic on that.

Now, the question I would bring here is: "How can you tell when you're a therian?"
New people come in asking this all the time, there are 3 massive compilation threads which are solely about this.  What do we talk about when we say someone is a therian or not one?  How can someone tell if they are a therian?  How can someone tell if they are not?  What are some important things to consider when asking yourself this question?


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#6 2009-05-10 09:20:27

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Ok, that question that I asked in that last post was asked once again, so we should really get to answering it. (that means please give input)

"How do you know if you're a therian?"
Being a therian is a deeply internal thing.  To find if you are or aren't one, you need to look deep within yourself, beyond words or images, to abstract thoughts and feelings.  Being a therian isn't about phantom tails or animal dreams, it's about the thing that causes them, which, in the case of a therian, is a sort of "inner animal", which has influence over every aspect of their lives.
Now, someone make a better version of that terrible explaination.... >!>;;


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#7 2009-05-10 14:44:06

WolfVanZandt
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

I didn't have to look deep within myself and I see no evidence that the Therians I know offline had to do such deep soul searching to come to the conclusions that the are what they are - no more than a Mainstreamer has to look deep within themselves to know that they're human. We simply know what we are because we've lived every day of our lives as what we are. Now, I am speaking from my own experience and from observation of Therians that I have actually been able to observe. It may be that Therians outside my own experience may be under different social pressures that may make it harder for them to accept what they are.

But to answer some of the difficult scientific questions such as "What makes us Therians?" or the difficult philosophical questions such as, "Why ware we Therians?" may well require some deep study.

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#8 2009-05-11 00:34:29

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

That's a good point...  Really, I'm trying to point away from the physical stuff like "oh, I feel stronger and I'm growing hair all over!  By the way, I'm 14, the usual age of awakening" and closer to the real stuff like "When I look into my internal mirror and I don't see a human, I see my animal.", as that seems to be the thing we need to focus on when trying to explain how you would know.  Of course, we also need to say what kind of stuff you would find, but I think we need to concentrate on preventing the mistake first...


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#9 2009-05-11 00:43:29

WolfVanZandt
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Aye, maybe "remedy the mistakes" would be better, though. The mistakes are already there.

The thing about it is that it's always been so obvious to me that I can't easily answer how I know I'm a Therian. I've always taken the difference and then the Werewolf nature for granted.

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#10 2009-05-12 01:11:32

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

I know, same with me, it's hard to say what that is deep down, but it's just something in there like "oh, you're an animal, here's the proof *bombards you with totally abstract ideas and knowledge which cannot be expressed through words*".  You just have to figure out how to make it make sense, that's not easy, but I'm sure it can be done.  Isn't it interesting though?  That our language has so many words for frivilous things, and so many synonyms that most people don't even know, but we lack a vocabulary to describe our innermost feelings and emotions?  That says something interesting about our cultural heritage....

Last edited by SherlawkDragon (2009-05-12 01:13:44)


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#11 2009-05-12 23:16:22

WolfVanZandt
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Well, but that's what art and empathy are for.

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#12 2009-06-01 20:06:31

Ace
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

As for Therian's, I've got a question. What are your personal experiences with the way you are? I find certain acts and thoughts simply don't seem right unless they're done in a certain way. I don't really feel like giving the gruesome details... but, for example, my girl and I have several strange tendencies.

For her, she hates the water, and always has been afraid of it; in addition, she cannot stand to have things rub her the wrong way (e.g. brushing her arm upwards, rather than downwards). There are a few other things, that I won't mention, but you get the picture.

As for myself, I've always loved to be scratched in a certain way, always preferred to sleep outside, hate heavy clothing, and am much more energetic in the evening-->morning time, than the other way around. Again, I won't go further because of language, but you get the idea.

More or less a comparison question; I want to know how other Therians interact.


Alpha, bipolar, great lover- in that order.

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#13 2009-06-01 23:11:14

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

Ace, that seems like something that would be better off in its own thread, as it will get into a long discussion.  This topic (though no one seems to use it) is mainly to reach a consensus on questions that people often ask so we can post them where people can read them before they ask questions that have already been answered.


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#14 2009-06-02 00:15:32

Ace
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Posts: 120

Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

I suppose you're right. I'll post the new topic.


Alpha, bipolar, great lover- in that order.

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#15 2009-08-06 03:21:27

SherlawkDragon
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

OK!
This keeps coming up:
Where can I get more information on therianthropy, or network with therians in my area?
This is what I say:
There are many sites that will do exactly this and more.  Therian.Wikia is a database of community knowledge covering a broad range of things from affiliated communities (like the vampire one), to forums that are out there, to common community terns.  There are also small, personal sites all over with similar information and articles.  The Were Library is also a good resource, as it has a ton of essays and links.  If you want to network, try Werelist and Weresource, and join a forum or two.

Last edited by SherlawkDragon (2009-08-06 03:21:51)


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#16 2009-10-20 03:41:10

SherlawkDragon
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From: South Florida
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Posts: 1308
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Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

I'm just going to pop this in if no one has suggestions:
Am I a Therian/Were?
We don't know.  Statistically, it is very unlikely, as a tiny amount of the population are Therians (or anything like that for that matter).  If you think you might be, you should try looking through the threads here to find some sort of clarification on what exactly Therianthropy is, then ask questions about it to clarify what you don't understand.  It's best to avoid asking right out if you are one, as, once again, we do not know enough about your daily experience to know if you are one.  A better way is to thoroughly examine yourself and decide if you really have the traits that we describe when talking about it.  Remember though: Therianthropy is not a physical characteristic or a way that you act, but a deeply rooted state of mind.  To know if you are one requires you to look beyond the physical into the underlying feelings you have.  You should also be ready for whatever answer you get, even if that answer is no, which, as I said, it most likely is.


"GIVE ME NUDITY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!"  -me, here, just now.
My Kewl Story about Unicorns

Hey, if anyone wants to IM me, go ahead, I'd love to chat...  Oh, by the way: ANWERS!

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#17 2017-07-13 20:50:10

NekoMoon
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Registered: 2017-07-13
Posts: 6

Re: Therian QAF (For the construction of the FAQ)

WolfVanZandt wrote:

it usually stands for Physical Shift and refers to when a Werewolf changes physically into a wolf or some partial state. Most Werewolves will tell you that it doesn't happen so that it doesn't work/feel like anything. as for the others, I'm afraid you'll have to find one and then you have to figure out whether you're going to want to believe them or not.

AWTOK Survival Wiki wrote:

(About Therians)Shifting comes in many forms: mental shifting, aura shifting, instinct shifting, sense shifting, etc. Part of them becomes animalistic temporarily, and eventually returns to normal. They rarely physically shift, as it is incredibly hard.

Meow.


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The Purr-fect one! I am Moon!
And I am the Cat's Meow! The Catkith!
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