Ginger / Gin

Seal | Rodentkith | She/Her | 24 | PNW

[daemonbunny]

kin collage i made on pinterest

[vagabond-beast]

Am I a Therian? [A Greymuzzle's Insight]

"Am I a Therian?" you ask with a quizzical expression.

"I like bathing in the sun. I hate taking baths. I'm highly active at 3am," you explain, and so you conclude, "I must be a cat therian!"

Why?

Don't humans also like sitting in warm sunlight? Don't some humans hate the sensation of baths? Aren't some humans more active at night than at day?

Aren't those normal human behaviors?

"I like to howl, bark, and growl! I like to dig in the dirt and play tug-a-war!" you shout excitedly, and so you conclude, "I must be a dog therian!"

Why?

Don't humans also like to be vocal; shouting, hollering, and yelping? Don't some humans love digging in the dirt to see what's beneath? Do you not see the kids playing tug-a-war? Aren't those normal human behaviors?

"But..." you pause and you think. You finally state, "I feel a call to Nature. I feel at home among the trees, when my bare feet touch the Earth. I feel a pain in my heart when looking at my body, like it doesn't feel right. Surely that means I'm a Therian."

Why?

Aren't there humans who feel a call to Nature? Who live by themselves in the woods? Aren't there humans who also feel like something is missing with themselves?

Aren't those normal human behaviors?

"Then how do I know if I'm a Therian?"

Why... are you asking me?

You clearly know yourself better than I do. You have already given so many reasons as to why you must be a Therian, right? So why ask me what you are?

"Cause you're a Therian, too, aren't you?" you ask.

"I am," comes the answer.

"So then tell me," you urge with impatience. "Am I a Therian?"

"I can not tell you," comes another answer. "Because I do not know. I do not know your identity. I do not know what bristles beneath your skin or echoes in your heart."

There are no set rules to define someone who is a Therian. There is no checklist to go through to determine who is a Therian. There are no guidelines to follow under to know who is a Therian.

"Are you an animal?" comes the question. "Are you, in any sense or form, an animal?"

You pause. And you think.

You already know the answer.

"I am an animal."

Then congratulations.

You're a Therian.

[sealfaring]

I just stumbled upon your blog and im so happy i did <3

This is so sweet, thank you!!

[sealfaring]

Working an office job and the loss of my animality

Soft CW: Slightly venty

Around this time last year, I got a promotion that I had been working really hard to earn in order to make a bit more money and make use of the Bachelor's in Finance that I earned in college. When I finally had the interview and was told I got the job, I noticed that my happiness pretty quickly went down the drain with my "success" which isn't uncommon with office jobs, but it dragged my therianthropy down with it.

I've felt like an animal since I was just a little girl, running around on 4 legs and carrying animal plushies by the scruffs as I called them my babies. I loved raw meat, spending all day in a cardboard box outside, playing games where I was an animal, and soaking my scent with petrichor and pine needles. I longed to live in tune with the seasons, moving with the cycle of spring to summer, summer to fall, fall to winter. I held, and still hold, deep empathy for every animal and all of the roles within an ecosystem, but I no longer understand my place in it, what I'm supposed to be, or where I'm meant to fit in. Honestly, that brings me a lot of shame since I'm always a perfectionist and feel like I can't make mistakes, so it feels like an insane burden to always be questioning myself and wondering what happened. Wondering why I can't just... Understand myself, and why it's so hard.

I went to Yellowstone for a week just this past week to get away from work since I was burning out. I was nervous that I wouldn't have the energy to do much or be able to relax either, but for the first time in a long time, I felt at least some connection to the wild again. Sitting in the windy fields of Lamar Valley with no signal, watching as the bison licked their new babies clean and observing this black wolf wearing a flashy radio collar resting in the shade of a cluster of pines, I felt the stir of an animal deep down in my soul. Some coyote came close to me too, darting through the grass towards the remnants of a bison kill while it watched me, and I felt observed in a way that humans don't observe me. There was a curiosity about what I am, what I would do, and where I fit in among them within the predator-prey web. I could sniff the air and take in everything, recognizing the smell of humidity in the clouds and the stink of musk. I could analyze the sounds and sights around me in deeper detail. I could feel the grasses and sharp thorns scratching at my legs and the cold of a snowstorm soon to come.

There was no sound except for the whistling of the wind storm, the rushing of water, the grunts of buffalo, and the chirps of rodents. There was no road noise, city noise, or a bombardment of unnatural noises. I even heard the chuffing of a grizzly bear hidden in the trees on the trail I followed and felt the need to make a decision and assess the situation just like a wild animal might since I understand that the grizzly bears there aren't unwilling to eat a person. There's something about being in a place so undeveloped, where the animals don't know much about mankind or what we can do in these bodies, that makes anyone feel like a primal being. All this is to say, I got on the plane and just cried quietly a few times when I knew it was over, seeing the mountains fading into the distance. I felt stupid, but I really did have an overwhelming moment of despair where I couldn't handle the thought of leaving that connection behind and that feeling just becoming another memory of a time I felt animalistic.

I hate that I spend so much of my life working a desk job where I spend more time under fluorescent lights than under the sun, where social pressure is extremely consuming and impacting my job stability, and where my perfectionism rips me to shreds even worse. The smells are artificial like pen ink and dust. The lights hurt my eyes. Performative conversations make me want to go mute by the afternoon. The "wind" is just coming from a vent above my desk. The sounds are just the whirring of computers and the clicking of keyboard. It's all of this all day everyday that I'm in that damn office. To be honest, I often don't know what the hell I am and I fear being wrong more than anything. I go home and I'm too tired to act like myself. I need to cook and clean and run errands, and can't sit there sniffing the air or ripping some raw, fresh dead thing apart as a snack while I shop. I know the instincts are in there, deep within me, but they're lost to me right now.

I feel like a horrible fraud, a human wearing an animal mask and lying to everyone online that I'm a therian because I just can't feel it much anymore. Everything that makes me who I am is hibernating in my very spirit, inaccessible and unattainable without the right conditions and dampened by the expectations adults have. It was trained out of me like a dog, and not performing could make me lose my home, my food, everything I need in the event that I ever got fired. The threat of AI isn't helping that as I try to outpace it and prove my worth constantly, but we're being asked to use and help train our damn replacements. Antidepressants are life-saving to me, but even that's not enough to really make me feel 100% like myself again because I'm always acting for others.

I really long to know what I am again, and to experience shifts and to feel the outside world and sniff the ground and dig my hands into the Earth and to imagine a life where I'm an animal mother, but it's "unproductive" and "unacceptable", or even "childish". I get told that all kids pretended to be animals and that all adults wish they could live a more wild life or even be animals so I'm not "different". I know I'm a therian still even if I struggle to label it lately or feel it as strongly, but I still have days where I doubt everything. I feel shame, embarrassment, and frustration all of the time and want to run away into the wilderness then never come back, but I can't. I'm always scared that something is wrong with me because others make it seem like there is, but I can't help what I am. I can't help but feel like something not meant to be in this human world, and coping with that is next to impossible since it's incredibly distressing.

I don't know what I am, but I know it's not human. It can't be human, and yet, where is the proof that I can't even give myself anymore? I can't explain it any better than species dysphoria, but what would even be the right animal to change into anymore? How could I even know when the animal side within me is borderline hibernating to keep me looking human? When all I feel is shame because I'm too "old" for this?

[ecotherian]

“At least I don’t make it my whole personality like you”

I am much more than my Therianthropy but at the same time it is in every aspect of me.

I AM an animal, suck it up Stephanie.

[wilderbas]

selkie studies for a warmdown

PRINTS

[sealfaring]

Alsooo been screaming this from the rooftops but @coastalcorvid sent me this shirt recently and I've been actually in love with it lol. It's such a nice piece of gear and I wear it almost everywhere lately. :') I appreciate it a ton, having other genuine nonhuman friends is incredibly meaningful.

Seller's Etsy is here, they have lots of neat similar shirts!

[sealfaring]

Hunting and Fishing as a Therian

Recently, I've been making an honest effort to start supplying myself and my household with meat that I catch and kill myself. It's been a slow process because the startup is expensive and there's a learning curve to it as well, but I'm dedicating myself to doing better and better until it can hopefully be the majority of my meat source. Next week, I'm taking a 2 hour long introduction to hunting class ran by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and besides that, I've invested in a Dungeness crab trap this year and got my shellfishing license again.

For a really long time in my life and especially once I realized I was a therian, I've always felt deeply sympathetic for animals in factory farmed settings. Since moving to Oregon, I've made it a priority to soon get a large freezer and I'm working with a farmer in the rural area close to me to purchase half a cow that they process themselves. While this has been a step up for me, I still feel this sense of disconnect with my food and knew I could do better than that. I wanted to know exactly how the animal died because I'd do it myself, and if I can't do it, that's something I feel I need to sit with and reflect on if I want to continue eating meat like I want to. I know hunting is controversial, but I truly couldn't keep driving beside the factory farm chicken truck on my way to work daily with their feathers flying on the road as the wind and rain hit them and not have some sort of reflection on my own impact and role in that. Even if I make very little impact, I like thinking that I still helped fight the issue by saving even a few animals from an industrialized, unempathetic death.

Hunting with a gun is obviously not natural and seals aren't out in the woods hunting deer, but for me, it still feels more right as long as I'm in this body. The deer for example will be in the wilderness, and it would reflect more of a natural selection type of process. The deer, rabbits, pheasants, or whatever else that avoid the human populated areas, hide better, or run faster will never be seen by me. The crabs who avoid traps and avoid the piers or the clams who dig deeper and stay further out won't be able to be grabbed by me either. It will be up to me to be stealthy, efficient, and simply gain experience as I plan to follow fair chase principles and give the animals a reasonable chance to escape. If I catch them, I can manage exactly how they die, use the whole animal, and have more care and honor in the process. I'm even expecting that for the first animal I kill, I might cry if I'm being very honest.

Last weekend, I went shellfishing for razor clams at the Oregon coast with a lot of excitement to finally go and bring home my own dinner, but it was a complete bust. The air was colder, the rain was pouring, the waves were acting rougher, and a bunch of by-the-wind sailors washed up all over the beach. All the clams buried deep down in the sand and any holes they did make were immediately covered by the jellyfish and water. Even the experienced clammers found maybe one in the entire time they were out there, but despite my lack of a successful catch, I really deeply felt in my bones and heart and body the adrenaline of a hunt. The thought that if I was a seal here in the water doing the same thing, this would have been a day I would not have succeeded all because of the environment and the good survival skills of the clams. That's nature.

My husband is vegetarian, but even he's been deeply supportive of me and even proud that I'm going this extra mile to be more "wild" and pick the most ethical way of getting meat that I can, on top of the fact that this will help save us money in the long run compared to me buying pasture raised meat constantly which is getting real pricey. Personally, I'm spiritually a therian and view all animals as having their own souls and conscience, so this is probably the most important thing I've done for myself in all of my years of being a therian. I didn't grow up with a family that ever hunted or fished so I'm starting from absolute scratch, but I feel deeply nonhuman, even in this human lifestyle. I feel like a seal who was given land, sea, and civilization for one lifetime.

[seawaterdreams]

Tonight was the first time i have ever truly and completely felt connected to my selkie side.

For the first time in years, my country was directly in the path of a total lunar eclipse, which isn’t particularly rare, but what does make it rare is the fact that the sky was actually clear, and we were able to see the whole thing.

i went down to the beach with my family and fiddled around with my phone trying to take an image (did not work unfortunately) before eventually giving up and just watching the eclipse right before totality. Because the moon was full, the tide nearby was at its peak and i could hear it crashing onto the rocks. I then had the sudden urge to go down and stand in the water, so naturally i ran across the grass and carefully climbed down the wet rocks and slipped a couple times before making it to the water and looking up at the moon.

because i’m part human and was raised in a human environment, i was never taught any real selkie songs. no melodies or words come to me naturally, but i knew that it didn’t really matter to the moon and sea what i sung, and so i sang some of my favourite songs that i hold a lot of sentiment towards. I started off quiet at first because it wasn’t something i did often, but then as the waves surged harder and the moon glowed orange i think it urged me to sing properly, and then i looked down and i saw bioluminescence.

i ran to get my family and brought them down to the water, and as the full moon shone red-orange above and the wind blew against my wet skin and my clothes became soaked and the cold water settled in my bones and the stars of the sea twinkled on my skin, i sang to the sea and i sang to the moon and i danced and danced until i felt sick and couldn’t dance anymore, and then i played with my siblings in the water and showed my mother how the washed up seagrass glowed when you shook it hard enough and for the first time ever, i think this is what it truly truly means to be a selkie. I’ve always wanted to perform in the full moon rites that my kind traditionally partake in to celebrate their existence and their creator, but i’d never really had the chance to until now.

There won’t be another blood moon like this until in two years time, and even then i doubt it’ll be the same, because tonight was so special and so incredibly meaningful to me that i doubt i’ll ever experience something like it again. These are the kinds of things that make me really believe that magic exists, and you just have to know how to find it.

tomorrow i will most likely be even sicker and i will be utterly and completely miserable, but it was all worth it for that half hour in the glittering water with the red moon above. I’ve finally started to truly connect with my selkie side, and i hope that i can do my own little rites every full moon.

tonight i hope to dream of the sea and the moon.

[sealfaring]

Just posting a small little update! I'm not active here very much because I'm mostly on Instagram and plus life is draining when you work full time in a corporate office, but I make it a point to swing by here every blue moon.

I got married and moved last year in November and with that all off of my plate, I've been feeling more like myself again. I lost touch with my therianthropy as a whole for quite a while because of financial stress, my calendar being overwhelmingly booked full. I felt really human between all my responsibilities and bills and expectations.

Once everything settled down though and I was familiarizing myself with my new home area, I went swimming again for the first time in a long time and felt really whole and happy in my body. I'm paying quite a bit for a gym membership that has a really solid aquatics center, but I think it's worth it! The more I swim and even exercise on the stairmaster and weightlift, the more "animal" I feel. I like feeling stronger in my body, faster in the water, and like I could genuinely survive outside. Even my bathtub has become sort of a second home for me as I spend a lot of time in there when I can't go to the gym.

I also found a favorite place to get sushi. I have a bad finned fish allergy, but I've made it a goal to get a crab filled roll once a week or so and I've really loved it! Especially the spider rolls since they have those whole soft shell crab and I enjoy feeling the legs crack in my mouth, the meat protruding from the shell as my teeth break through, and the taste of ocean meat. It sounds weird to people to savor it that much I think, but it's important to me that I have one meal a week that feels "right" to my soul so to speak lol. I even made a lobster tail recently that was on sale for $7 and it was kind of... thrilling?

It's been really nice to be feeling like myself again and the seal label I switched to a few months ago has felt warm and cozy. I identified as an otter for a while, specifically picturing myself as one living along the coast, but it wasn't in the ocean enough for me. I wanted to label myself correctly to capture the diet I feel I'd have, the place I'd spend most of my time, and the sort of "selkie" nature my therianthropy really feels like. Otters unfortunately can be too aggressive to match my behaviors, and I realized my "webbed hands and feet" feelings could be from the fact that I'd have flippers. It also explains why I've never really felt tail shifts or ear shifts, yet have consistent webbing shifts and sharp teeth shifts with a diet for shellfish and fish. I'm feeling happy where I am right now, and very confident with my identity and self.

[selkiecoreaesthetic]

★ Exploring Freshwater Seals: A Therian’s Guide to Behavioral Traits & Self-Discovery

Hey therian community! 🌊🦭

If aquatic mammals call to you, freshwater seals offer some unique vibes solitary hunters adapted to isolated waters, with fascinating seasonal social shifts and hunting styles.

Here's a breakdown of the main species, highlighting their key “behaviors” (hunting tactics, social relationships in breeding vs. non-breeding seasons, pup-rearing, diving/foraging patterns, etc.). I'll suggest how these might show up in therian experiences - phantom urges to hunt in certain ways, seasonal social pulls, or instinctual shifts to help you reflect if one resonates as a potential theriotype.

✦ Important Disclaimer:

Everyone's therian experience is deeply personal and unique. Not everyone feels the traits listed here, these are just illustrative examples inspired by real seal behaviors to help with exploration and education. Some therians connect strongly to specific instincts, while others experience little to none. This post isn't a quiz or definitive guide. It’s meant to introduce these rare species, spark curiosity, and encourage your own research and introspection. Therian identity is about your authentic inner experience, always approach it kindly toward yourself and these amazing animals.

✦ Quick Intro to Freshwater Seals:

These pinnipeds live in landlocked lakes/rivers, descended from marine ancestors. They're often solitary outside key seasons but show seasonal groupings for molting, breeding, or feeding. Hunting is opportunistic and dive-based, targeting fish/crustaceans with impressive breath-holds.

1. Baikal Seal (Pusa sibirica)

Solitary for most of the year, but gathers around breathing holes or favorable spots in winter/spring. Polygynous mating: males mate with multiple females in spring (mid-April–early June), with geographic segregation (juveniles south, adults north). Females birth/nurse pups alone in ice dens for 2–3.5 months; males offer no care. Hunts at night/dusk, diving deep (up to 400m, breath-holds ~40 min) for sculpins, oilfish, whitefish; switches to amphipods when fish scarce. Diel vertical migrations for prey.

✦ Therian Traits to Explore:

You might feel strong solitary instincts year-round and craving alone time for "hunting" (intense focus on tasks/food) but occasional urges to share space or breathing holes with a loose few during "winter" shifts. Phantom deep-diving urges or breath-holding during focused activities; predatory nighttime prowls or twilight foraging instincts. Breeding-season pulls could manifest as competitive or polygynous social vibes (wanting multiple close connections temporarily), while pup-rearing might bring protective, nurturing solo phases. Reflect: Does deep, patient solitary hunting with rare seasonal mingling feel like "you"?

2. Caspian Seal (Pusa caspica)

Solitary outside mating/breeding seasons, but forms large groups on ice or shores during winter breeding and summer. Ice-breeding: pups born late Jan–Feb on pack ice; nursing ~4–5 weeks; mating in water around weaning or post-lactation (monogamous tendencies noted in some sources, little male-male fighting). Dives to ~50m for ray-finned fish, crustaceans; estuary subpopulations target freshwater fish/crabs/shrimp. Apex predator with opportunistic hunting.

✦ Therian Traits to Explore:

A pull toward solitude most of the time, but strong seasonal urges to join bigger "herds" for breeding/molting vibes, perhaps craving group hangs or ice-based social spikes in certain life phases. Instincts for water-based mating (fluid, underwater connections?) or minimal aggression in partnerships. Hunting shifts might involve quick, opportunistic dives for varied prey, or estuary-style adaptability (switching targets fluidly). Phantom group-haul urges in "cold" seasons vs. lone prowls otherwise. Ask: Do you shift between deep independence and temporary large-group comfort, with tactical, adaptable predation?

3. Iliamna Lake Seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi – harbor seal subspecies)

Behaviors similar to coastal harbor seals but adapted to lake life. Likely solitary hunters, relying on seasonal sockeye salmon runs for bulk feeding, intense, timed gorging during abundance. Social structure probably loose; harbor seals often haul out in small groups but forage alone. Limited data, but presumed opportunistic fish hunting with dives.

✦ Therian Traits to Explore:

Urges for cyclical "feast" modes, intense hunger/drives during "salmon run" equivalents (abundant phases in life), gorging then retreating to solitary recovery. Phantom sensations of bulkier body from seasonal fattening; opportunistic hunting instincts (quick switches to whatever prey is plentiful). Loose social pulls for haul-outs/resting in small groups but strong solo foraging independence. Consider: Does timed, explosive feeding followed by reclusive digestion resonate, or seasonal abundance-driven shifts?

4. Ladoga Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida ladogensis)

Solitary most of the year but forms summer haul-out herds up to 50 on northern rocky shores/islands; larger aggregations possible. Ice-breeding in late winter/early spring: pups in snow lairs (hummocks/ridges), nursing 1.5–2 months; mating during early lactation. Feeds on smelt, vendace, ruffe, burbot, opportunistic fish hunting. Vocal communication in groups; aggressive toward others in some ringed seal contexts.

✦ Therian Traits to Explore:

Mostly solitary hunter vibes, but strong seasonal pulls to congregate in medium groups for "summer" haul-outs, comfort in rocky, communal resting spots. Breeding instincts might include lair-building/protective pup-rearing phases, with mating during nursing (overlapping care and connection). Phantom group vocalizations or sound-based interactions in social shifts; balanced predation to "maintain equilibrium." Ponder: Do you crave independent hunting but seasonal herd comfort, with protective family overlaps?

5. Saimaa Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida saimensis)

Highly solitary overall, adapted to fragmented lake with low densities; individuals spaced out. Breeds annually once; ice-associated pupping in subnivean snow lairs on shorelines/islets (no pressure ridges like marine ringed seals). Excellent divers hunting small schooling fish (vendace, roach, smelt, perch) in low-visibility water; foraging influenced by diel fish movements. Moulting season may bring small congregations.

✦ Therian Traits to Explore:

Deep solitary instincts, strong preference for alone time, navigating "maze-like" personal spaces independently. Phantom urges for lair-building or hidden, protected birthing/nursing phases (annual intense nurturing cycles). Diving/foraging in murky conditions, patient, sensory-reliant hunting (feeling for prey). Rare small-group moulting urges (temporary loose social comfort). Reflect: Does extreme independence with careful, hidden reproductive cycles feel core, or low-visibility persistent hunting?

6. Ungava Seal (Phoca vitulina mellonae)

Extremely elusive; very little known, but as a harbor seal subspecies, likely solitary hunter/forager in lake networks. Carnivorous, opportunistic fish pursuit; historically harvested but shy/behavior poorly documented. Small population suggests low social density.

✦ Therian Traits to Explore:

Phantom elusiveness and shadow-like solitude and strong urges to stay hidden or avoid notice while hunting/foraging. Instincts for networked lake exploration (moving between connected waters stealthily). Subtle carnivorous pursuits without much social component. Mystery aspect might mirror enigmatic, low-profile therian experiences. Consider: Do quiet, reclusive independence and elusive hunting in remote waters pull at you?

Wrapping Up, Freshwater seals show how solitude dominates, punctuated by seasonal social or feeding bursts - perfect for therians who feel "mostly lone wolf but with cycles."

If any behaviors spark recognition (solitary deep dives, seasonal groupings, protective pup vibes), journal your shifts or explore more!

Your path is yours! Stay curious, kind, and wild 🦭💙

[deerestdear]

i need to go out into the woods.

i need to be slathered in mud, sprinting, panting, wide-eyed as i track the motion of everything around me. even leaves moving in the wind.

i need to be drinking from a fresh spring, calling to something that’ll bugle back, rolling in flowers, scratching my itches against tree bark.

i need to be sniffing, smelling, learning queues by scent alone. i need my ears turning and pricking to sounds i know the meaning of but not the language for.

i need to return to my home, where there is nothing manmade and words fail. where the concept of “concept” itself is foreign and incomprehensible.

please, meet me there when i go out into the woods.

[wi1d-c0y0tee]

Deer diet

[seawaterdreams]

💭Dreaming of the sea🌊

[sealfaring]

[beastlybardou]

My mate is out of town all week, so I've been going out on walks after work during the time we're usually doing stuff together. I was doing that a couple nights ago, and decided to walk this long trail connecting all the river parks in a nearby town. Since it's along the river, it goes under a bunch of bridges, and as I was coming up on one I could hear a bunch of bats chattering from underneath, so I ducked under to look for them.

At first I couldn't see any even though I could hear them all around, until I realized they were up in these tight cracks in the concrete of the bridge. I shined my flashlight up into the cracks and could see hundreds of tiny fuzzy faces staring back at me maybe a foot away. They were all packed in, cuddled up between the stone. When my flashlight hit them they all got quiet and started backing further into the crack, my light was scaring them. I turned it off and quietly sat down on a rock under the bridge and closed my eyes. Almost immediately they started coming out again, their chirps and squeaks all around me. Soon I could hear them flying so close that my ears were filled the leaf-like flutter of their wings passing by my head.

The way they flew was so precarious, I admired their confidence and skill. Opening my eyes and allowing them to adjust to the dark, I could see how they transitioned from flying to landing in the cracks of the rocks. Diving underneath the bridge and then pulling up with everything they've got, tiny bodies smacking into the stone and latching on, wings tucked just in time to not snap them. I realized as I watched that they were flying out over the dark waters and then diving back into the cracks momentarily to deliver food to loved ones who didn't make the flight out that day.

Closing my eyes again, my perspective started to shift and I could almost feel what it was like to be packed in against my roostmates in the cracks of the bridge looking down at my human body, soft fur and leathery wings all around. I felt a phantom shift of large paper thin ears on top of my head, and a mouth full of razor sharp needle teeth. The strongest feeling though, was closeness, the feeling of a thousand other warm bodies inside the rocks, hidden from the rest of the world.

The longer I sat, the more I felt I could almost understand their echolocation. I kept sensing, not seeing, impressions of the bridge and river made of sound. A vibrating collage made by not just one bat, but the whole swarm. There was a distinct difference between the communication calls and the echolocation pings too. Layered over the constant ring of echolocation, there were indignant squeals of having a wing stepped on, loud chirps of calling for a friend, contented trills, and more.

I've been feeling very bat-like since then.

[selkiecoreaesthetic]

🦭 It took me 17 years to figure out I was a Selkie 🦭

✦ Why did it take so long?

I didn’t know seals were anything other than a sea lion until I got access to the internet when I was 15 - as I was raised & homeschooled in a small town with limited to no internet access. It wasn’t until a friend of mine became an internet provider and enabled households in small towns like mine to have high speed satellite internet access that I was able to educate myself about the real world.

Even then, since I was a total noob to the outside world, I had no clue about otherkin, therians, and other non humans. Didn’t even know they were even a thing, and also my knowledge of mythical creatures was limited to what I’d seen on TV and in movies.

Throughout my childhood, for as long as I can remember, being “human” wasn’t me, and I’ve never seen myself as merely human. And you can imagine this frustrated the hell out of my parents, and I went through a lot of emotional abuse from their lack of understanding of what I was, and that any time they wanted me to be human, I was forced to wear a mask and pretend to be something I wasn’t.

I went through phases of identity with fictional characters, and animals, but none of them stuck, because as much as I thought I felt like the character or animal, they just didn’t feel like my true self, and I think maybe I was trying to “fit in” somewhere, to be able to identify with something, because everywhere I turned, I was out of place.

✦ What was the big hint?

For as long as I could remember, I’ve always felt at home when visiting the beach, being in water, and have always enjoyed fish - for food and as pets (I’ve been an aquarium hobbyist for over a decade now). Also I was a natural born swimmer, and have always had such clear instincts and knowledge about the water to the point it’s more like I’m just remembering knowledge I thought I’d forgotten.

Even then, it didn’t dawn on me I was a selkie until I was in college - online because it was during the pandemic (bless my friend for creating the high speed internet service that enabled my education). I was taking a class on Oceanography that contributed towards my AAS Degree in energy management, and it was there I learned that “seals” meant more than just sea lions (and navy seals of course lol).

✦ How did I find out?

It wasn’t until I watched “The Secret of Roan Inish” in 2020 that I discovered what a selkie was, and piqued my interest in learning about them. And the more I learned, the more I felt like: “this is me.” That’s around the same time I discovered the existence of nonhumans - thanks to the internet, and began to wonder if I was a therian, otherkin, even fictionkin. But I wasn’t a wolf, fox, or mountain lion, turns out those were just my power animals who have been communicating with and guiding me through all these years. Helping me unveil the truths about my life and teaching me how to navigate it all no matter how hard things get.

The more I continued to learn about Selkies and nonhumans, the more I realized what I was, but I didn’t accept being a selkie as true identity until this year, 2025, because I had been falsely recommended by users in the non human community to keep questioning, not just accepting my identity despite how “right” it feels.

✦ Who am I?

In the end, I’m purely JUST a selkie - a harbor seal to be exact, trapped in my human form until I find my pelt. And I won’t feel whole again until I find my pelt, and can change from human form seal at will.

The sense of longing, the longing I’ve felt my whole life but didn’t understand what it was has finally become clear to me. I want to go home to the sea, I want to find my pelt.

Yet there must be a reason I’m here - perpetually trapped in my human form, and I believe that’s because I have a mission, a purpose that goes beyond my selkie being. And maybe until that mission is fulfilled, I’m supposed to remain on land, to educate people about Selkies, the sea and all its mysteries, and help humanity work with nature while not going backwards technologically, yet move forward to create a better world for all that will enable all species to experience sustainable abundance - Selkies included.