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The purpose of this survey is to collect data about the experiences of people who feel sensations of nonhuman body parts, for example, wings or a tail. Some call these supernumerary phantom limbs, otherlimbs, or astral limbs, though you may have other preferences for the words you use for your own experiences. If you haven't had those experiences, you can participate in this survey too. This survey was made for people who call themselves otherkin, therianthrope, furry, or any other potentially alterhuman or nonhuman identity. If you don't describe yourself with any of those words, you can participate in this survey too.

Everyone age 18 and up is welcome to fill out the survey at the below link, until it closes on July 6, 2024:

Survey Link

Who is running this survey and why: The person running this survey is Orion Scribner (they/them), an otherkin/therianthrope who has been making projects about these communities since 2005. I will use the results in my panel at an Internet-based convention later this year (OtherCon 2024), and in other future research projects.

#survey

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Hearing baby birds cheeping in that one spot every spring?

Wrong, it's frogs! Spring peepers!

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PSA to make sure that you're always feeding your bird an appropriate and nutritious diet, even if that means rethinking their current one!

#highest quality bird food

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sometimes all u need is to play nature sounds and lay down on the floor in a ball

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Mostly I need this reminder for myself, so here goes!

When questioning a new kintype, the most important thing is to remove as much influential stuff as possible. If you think you’re a dragon, and you keep researching what’s Normal for dragonkin, or immersing yourself in Flight Rising, you’re not learning about yourself as much as you are impressing an external idea into yourself. Asking yourself what feels right is more important than seeing how you compare, in the early stages and frankly in general.

Especially considering how startlingly easy it is to give yourself false memories based on external influence or internal expectation, as hard as it is I recommend leaving it alone for awhile as opposed to trying to label and box and define and display Right Now. It’s harder to unlearn something than it is to learn it, and if you’re convinced that you must be A Thing and then you talk about it with all of your friends, multiple layers of perceived pressure can prevent you from considering the idea that you might be wrong.

Let it percolate a little and come back to it before you start poking it with a stick. If it’s a kintype at all, it’ll come back louder and more defined when you can’t ignore it anymore, in my experience.

#save tag #therianthropy

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I think a cool thing therians should start promoting is donating to conservation centers related to their theriotype. I think it would be a really good way to feel a connection to your theirotype, knowing that you contributed to the safety and nurturing of your species.

#therian

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any other birdkin/aviankin/harpykin mfs get phantom wing shifts on their arms instead of their back??

#bird therian #shifts

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listen. im not a parrot but the way that they puff their cheeks up.

that is all.

#bird therian #parrot therian #fluffenchops

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I propose a fun nonhuman centered post prompt schedule:

Sleepy Critter Sundays

- Photo of your kin/type takin’ a snooze!

Monster Mondays

- For all the monsters, cryptids, and abnormal kin/types out there!

Tiny Creature Tuesdays

- Image of your teeny tiny kin/type!

Wet Beast Wednesdays

- You know the drill, image of you kin/type wet!

Theme Thursdays

- Aesthetics, moodboards, and drawings of your kin/type!

Fellow Friend Fridays

- Image of your kin/type hanging out with other kin/types! (Whether that be of you and your friends/mutuals or you and your others kin/types!)

Snacking Saturdays

- Nom nom nom, image of your kin/type having something to eat!

What y’all think?? :)

Reblog to show others! I know I’ll be participating in this schedule

#save tag

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actually eating what i want to eat today!!!! aaaaaa ive been really stressed out yesterday so i really needed this aaaa

(picture is of a white plate against a beige background(wooden table), there are chinese styled depictions of pink and orange flowers on the sides of the plate interior as well as bluish gray leaves, inside the plate is a pile of almonds, raisins, sunflower seeds, goji berries(slightly smaller than raisins but still raisin shaped maroon red berries), pumpkin seeds and black melon seeds all mixed together and roughly spread out)

#bird dinner #food

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wings

#wings

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In the easter section of the store looking at all the fake chicks.

I already have a (plush) baby bird I do not need another one.

#tiel talks #bird therian #bird kin

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Hi bird therians! I'd like to present the following list of definitions of avian terminology; instincts and anatomy. Specifically, terms for things that many birdkin may already be aware of due to their own shifts, but not know the word for or even that it's a real and normal thing. Why do I make that assumption? Because my own mind was blown every time I discovered one of these words, the way things I would do or phantom parts I would feel suddenly made sense. So I hope to induce the same reaction in at least someone.

Behaviors

Mantling is mostly a bird of prey thing, the action of leaning over a kill and shielding the spoils with your wings so as to defend it from thieves. I can do no better of a description than a photo, included at the bottom of this post and for raptors it will probably spark recognition.

Rousing is the word for that "slowly fluff up the feathers and then shake the whole body" thing that birds do. Yes, it does have a name! Birds do it when relaxed or just chilly. It is not a threat display. I experience this as like an near-involuntary action -- like scratching an itch or sneezing -- and because I'm not actually raising physical feathers it feels kind of like shivering. But it sort of feels frustrating that I can't seem to achieve it. Like when a sneeze goes away.

Feather-plucking (pterotillomania) is a maladaptive habit birds in captivity develop when they are stressed. You see it most often with parrots, because they're kept as pets more than other birds and are also extremely intelligent so more easily understimulated. Sometimes this does feel like being a bird in captivity and a lot of you might experience this instinct without knowing what it is your brain's asking to do because you have no feathers. Calling it pterotillomania is helpful to me because I have actual dermotillomania and if my body had feathers I'd be plucking them.

Anatomy

Nictitating membrane. Starting with this because you may already know it by now. The third eyelid of birds, translucent, drawn sideways across the eye so that you can keep it moist while still being able to see. Also, as you may know, relevant to cat therians!

Crop. Part of the digestive tract of a bird in the throat where food is temporarily stored before being digested. If you had these shifts it would feel like, according to Wikipedia, basically an enlarged portion of the esophagus.

Keel. An extension of the sternum, the structure to which flight muscles are attached. If you had these shifts it would feel like a thin bone going beneath (or I guess on a humanoid body plan, in front of) your ribcage.

Cloaca. In the interest of not having to mark this post mature, I will not define or describe this one. I encourage you to look it up. Mammals are already working to reduce the stigma surrounding these types of shifts and instincts; we can do the same. There is no shame in it. You're a bird and birds have these. Accept it.

Birds do have sensation in our beaks. There are nerve endings in the beak. Not as much as, say, human skin, but yes, birds can feel touch on their beaks. If you can feel your beak, great! That is anatomically correct, and it certainly does not make you fake!

And now for your enjoyment, a mantling eagle:

#bird therian

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Peeking

#birds #parrots

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Bird are so perfect for cool epic battle scenes and would make such cool characters and ocs (wink wink)

#birds

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Raven getting wrapped up

(via)

#birds

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Blackbird

#art