aurora-borealis-the-dragon

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

growing up intrinsically linked to these characters identity-wise and being completely unable to take any interest in a media with no animals or animalistic beings should have been a much clearer sign than it was to me that i have species dysphoria

#species dysphoria #therian #therianthropy #otherkin #alterhuman #dragonkin

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

breaking news: local dragon curls up in nest and goes to sleep (not in a human body) and does not have to go to high school tomorrow (dragons don't have to go to school) nor does he have responsibilities (that's human propaganda) outside of hoarding shiny things and terrorizing local villages (totally not just collecting rocks and (grudgingly) talking to classmates)

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

I deserve to have a snout. Maybe also a tail

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

i wish i had my dragon body and tail so i could hold all my precious items close to me at the same time :(

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

Otherkinity and misogyny

Read time 10-15 min

I have taken some time to sit and think about this topic for quite some time. Let's look at some sterotypes i'm sure you've seen this meme:

Meme can be found here

Credit @pupvi

I think it posses a good question about why this is so prevalent. Why are there so many either edgy or very cutesy otherkin blogs with seemingly no inbetween? How come there seems to be a prevalence for popular blogs to be darker in canine circles? Is this true for other spheres?

This is a result I see most in canine circles and less in others like paleotherians or dragons. Which i think is fascinating. I think it's because dogs and all canines have very strong roles in several different cultures which in turn makes them have a sociological pressure to fill these roles. I think this is a result of being a human bodied animal where we interact with human based concepts all the time and in turn intertwine them with our own beliefs even if they aren't 'technically' how an animal may act.

Interestingly in a paper i was reading, it suggested that the post modernity life style humans live currently is pretty divorced from animals. Humans dont see animals as in the same group as them. With otherkinity being an exception. This wasn't always the case either. In far earlier civilizations animals could be tried for crimes and considered in law. I think the current view humans have of animals is a result of this divorce from them. We have romanticized them and see them as a mythical or archetypical figure rather than one of us.

For example dogs in western culture we have a few concepts: The dog is a protector, the dog is friend and loyal companion, the dog is a mother or caregiver. This results in a pressure for those ideals to be intertwined with who we are. It's difficult to be a dog and grow up with these ideas all around you and not latch onto them. I don't think it's a surprise. Ironically i think this makes a sort of weird mimicry for otherkin experiences we want to be animals as closely as possible but a lot of people in the community are not in a place where they can access wilderness freely. Let alone understand it free from human allegories or symbology.

I don't think were failing as animals either for playing into these human made roles. They are unique to the human bodied experience and I think that should be cherished. I think otherkin may be some of the few human bodied individuals still looking for true connection with nature. I think interestingly we can be advocates and be a gateway for other humans to understand nature more.

We circle back to misogyny which is a result of human made roles. Misogyny plays a role into how we identify based on what humans consider to be masculine and feminine. This is dependent on culture. Some cultures share similar ideals about animals while others may differ. Which means animals can be assigned masculine or feminine based on innate traits about them. This in turn effects how we perceive each other due to our background and culture.

Misogyny is silent at times and the oppression of femininty is present still. As an undertone to otherkinity masculine kintypes may be taken more seriously. Wolves, dragons, predators, ect while feminine animals may be suppressed or seen less often. Cats, bunnies, prey animals. This isn't always true in every case just as a general trend.

I dont think this is on purpose. Rather an unconscious leaning towards masucline things to be more "real" and "realness" used to be very important within otherkin and (mainly) therian communities. Which is ironically also a trait of toxic masculinity. I think some aspects of how we perceive and want to be perceived makes impacts on our blogs.

Tumblr specifically relies a lot on aesthetic typically blogs that have a strong aesthetic may be seen as more appealing compared to something that's more barebones. With masculine leaning blogs about darker tones, gore, trauma, they tend to do very well in receiving attention. Both from a strong aesthetic and that subliminal leaning. I think there is an audience for softcore and plushcore blogs but mixing it with otherkinity seems to be uncommon unlike darker blogs.

I think it comes down to we see those gritty blogs as what aligns with masculinity and what is more credible and real. With a previous and slowly dying down culture of what is considered "real" otherkinity and what isn't this leaves a leaning on gritty darker blogs seeming to have a better reach. I think this lean is a ghost of what was almost a decade ago in the otherkin community.

This leads into my experience. I've had my blog for about 3 years now and started it by writing dark, gritty poems. Sometimes almost everyday. I know of other blogs that started roughly the same time as me but didn't result in the same amount of reach. I partly wonder if the daily activity and the combinations of cryptid/ dark aesthetic being more popular back then contributed to the attention I got in the beginning. All i did was write poems (for the most part) and still received a decent amount of attention / followers.

What I was expecting less was seeing my identity shift from my original 'design' or appearance into the red woods threatening wolf. The first thing I noticed in that transition was that I couldn't heavily identify with wolves anymore. After learning about my species more and actually fully accepting that it was matriarchal over patriarchal it left me feeling more lost compared to the typical otherkin experience. (Wolf dominated in most spaces i was in) My experience didn't feel as validating and I was left looking for something more from the community.

I was not aware at the time this would be a more major shift in how I would be treated to. Threatening wolves have ranks and learning I am cogmol which is the smallest, meekest and most disposable. I was sitting in a place that was equated with feminity suddenly. I wasn't sure how to process it so I just didn't. I accepted that was my role and moved on.

Over the year or two since I shifted my identity I do feel as though i'm not quite on the same level as others at times. I read about some experiences about other interactions in the community and feel at times I get different reactions just cause I either can't relate to the power exchange socially or because people see me differently after they learn about me.

This gets more emphasized when deer alters front who will (were planning at least) for them to front more frequently. Which means more deer content and deer identity. However that also means giving up being a threatening wolf as the main identity. The shift may take awhile but already they comment a bit that it's going to take some effort to find a community.

There isn't a very big deer community in otherkin tumblr circles. It was a bit of a struggle finding the paleokin community but it does exist at least. Deer feel like they fell off the face of the earth. It might be more beneficial to look at furry communities for deer fursonas first and then find people through that instead.

When my deer alters front they note a sense of being seen as weak or easily killable, prey, ect. Lots of predator prey interactions that do not favor the prey. While there are some blogs like poppy whose a bison. They don't feel like they quite fit in the same category as most of our alters are deer esc with typical attributes related to beauty and femininity. Thin, skinny, and 'dainty' seeming.

While most are male some are female and do not even want to exist around the community in fear of having to deal with some less tasteful people. It's no surprise deer are associated with meekness and gentle attributes which leads to some rough experiences. In the beginning of my therian journey I identified as both a wolf and a female deer. I was quickly tossed around verbally for being a deer so bad that within a day or two at best i completely dropped that aspect of myself.

I wonder if this is still an issue today. I'd love to hear other peoples experiences on it since i'm just starting to explore the deerkin community and only on and off make posts about it. I'm hoping eventually i'll learn more but for now i'm far and away from other deerkin I think.

The best way I think to curb this behavior is to participate in other communities and create more diverse cultures. Lots of otherkin are punk, anarchists, goth, pagan and the list goes on. Making more diverse aesthetics may give people the space to feel more comfortable showing more vulnerable aspects of themselves.

Sometimes newbies are driven off from intimidation from the community I think keeping on track and being more chill with what's acceptable and how to express yourself helps a lot.

Overall, I think this is something that's kinda there. It has just enough impact to kind of make other more feminine identities skirt away. It's annoying but I think if people (me included) do a some tonal shifting if they feel inclinded to do so will help make the community feel more diverse and safe.

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

Catgirl this, dogboy that...

Sorry, I'm a dragondragon

Dragon species, dragon gender.

If you have issues with that, my tail will feel free to listen to your criticisms before swiftly whacking you with everything I have.

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

messing around today with dragons and stars

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

IT'S SLEEPYTIME!!!

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

it's so funny being a closeted autistic queer otherkin with neopronouns and a funky identity bc like. you see me as a regular ass human, with a normal career and boring life. but secretly, im one of those "cringe tiktok kids". im not even on tiktok! or a kid! but i know if people knew what i was they would probably label me as one.

idk its funny to me. your friend is a dragon and you dont even know. how cool is that? but you wouldn't even appreciate that, if i told you. you would just call me weird and treat me differently.

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

going to a doctor as a nonhuman like hello I’m the inhabitant and operator of this machinery, it has a problem, do something about it please.

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

Shout out to the dragons out there that aren't conventionally "badass". The ones with small bodies, the scavengers, the herbivores. The ones more prone to flight than fight. "Dragon" is an extremely diverse label and there are far more ecological niches to fill than apex predator.

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

guidelines for minors in the therian/otherkin community:

predators are everywhere, including within this subculture. block. report. tell an adult you trust if you feel unsafe.

p-shifters are individuals who claim they can physically transform into their kintype. they're lying. they want attention. power. control. block them and spread the word.

it's okay to change your kintype. we're just glad you're figuring yourself out. we don't think you're faking.

"kin" is a noun, not a verb. you are kin. you are not "kinning."

it's okay to have fun in this community. it's okay to take yourself seriously, too. if someone doesn't like your self-expression? block them.

don't feed the trolls. they want to suck you in. laugh at you. hurt you. don't take the bait and remember: the block button is your friend.

some people believe their identity to be spiritual. sometimes it's psychological. respect both.

if your identity is causing serious distress, to the point that it's affecting your daily life, seek professional help. and if you ever feel like hurting yourself, help is just a phone call away.

Feel free to add more ⚡⚡⚡

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

More Species Dysphoria posters! The dog is a comm for @lycaotic

I'm still taking requests if anyone wants to suggest species! I'll tag the people who suggested the species here : @tanukipaws @kaidagreenscale @iridescent-moon

For specific colorations or shapes i take comms!

Other posters: 1 x 3 4 5 6

#two of my three kintypes.. #dragon and raccoon

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

I think it's a tragedy that there's not many games where you can play as a dragon. Sure there's Spyro, and some other games where you can transform into a dragon, but it's still not enough. Maybe dragons are hard to build a game around, but it would make me so happy if there were more out there! If anyone has any recommendations for dragon games, feel free to leave it in the notes.

#me on roblox dragons life #such a poorly done game so glitchy with nothing to do #and a wcu ripoff #but #i can be DRAGON

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

Me!! Fauxbiadragon!

Finally made a ref so I can be a little more consistent when drawing the mecreature!

Design originally by @mothcrumbs, my dragon friend who drew me as one of their species! I instantaneously imprinted on the design and it is genuinely the most accurate representation of myself I've seen so far. You must understand that I am just a silly creature... a little guy, even

[aurora-borealis-the-dragon]

pet the dragon