One of the most controversial subjects in therianthropy is whether it is involuntary or not.
In simple words, you can choose to be a Therian. You can't choose to have experiences or feelings. Now what does this mean? How can we explain this better?
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Firstly, I was hoping you could separate the Therian identity from the experiences of a Therian. Great, now let's identify the differences.
Therian Identity: voluntary, under the umbrella term otherkin
Experiences of a Therian: involuntary, shifting, species dysphoria, possible memories of past lives, animalistic urges or impulses, theriotypes, etc. (Remember, experiences differ from person to person)
The Therian identity is based on involuntary feelings and experiences that a person may have and would be considered as the experiences of an otherkin*. So, while the experiences and feelings are involuntary and cannot be "chosen", the identity itself is/can be (as long as you have the experiences of a Therian). This also means that you can have the experiences and choose not to identify as a Therian (animal)!
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Update!
Another way of explaining it!
A therian is someone who (non-physically) identifies as an animal for some reason, may it be psychological, spiritual, etc reasons. The Therian identity was originally stereotyping a group of people that had experienced (mentally) that were related, linked, or compared to non-human animals. So, while someone or persons may have non-human animal experiences, they may choose to not identify as (that/an) animal/therian. The same for the other way around. Therefore, the Therian identity is technically a choice.
Last Updated: September 5, 2023
Word Count: 265
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A Guide: Therianthropy
AdventureIntroduction: I've always been left out. Different from others. I knew it, and so did they. But the question that mattered most was, what exactly made me different? So, you found this book. Probably after seeing a TikTok of a therian and you didn't...
