#kennel thoughts

[skyhounds]

The whole “be yourself, whenever and wherever!” mindset works until you no longer look like a child,

until you aren’t following the mainstream media’s beauty standards,

until being yourself means not following human norms,

until you aren’t physically capable of expressing your identity.

Not all of the community has the privilege of age and/or a safe environment to be themselves ‘whenever and wherever’.

It’s unfortunate that social media latches onto representations of alterhumanity that appear as ‘harmless kids activities’. And if you are an adult, there needs to be a specific way of expressing your therianthropy that aligns with the harmless, docile, aesthetic nature of expression that is so common amongst younger therians.

If there is one solution I would offer is that short form content shouldn’t be your main form of alterhuman / nonhuman media, nor should it be the only place you post from.

[skyhounds]

Experiencing therianthropy offline is key for when you talk about your experiences online.

Part of what makes identifying as a non-human creature so wonderful is the diversity of experiences that others bring into the community.

Being a cat doesn’t look the same for every cat, for example. It’s easy to get swept up in trending songs that a popular cat therian is doing, but you aren’t required to participate as a cat yourself. Some cats don’t like fish, some cats work grueling full-time jobs, some cats identify as a cat and leave it as that.

The most powerful someone can be is at their most authentic self, and social media is a harsh landscape for being authentic. Success in numbers is a give and take - to be widely liked is to be a figure that can do no wrong, that can make everyone smile.

So don’t become taxidermy! Become alive, frothing at the mouth, let your fur be matted, let your eyes shine. Become imperfect, for the land only asks of you to live.

[skyhounds]

I see posts all the time on r/therian that go something like:

“Why haven’t I seen a bug therian?”

…and the comments section is flooded with dozens of accounts talking about their bug theriotypes they’ve had for half their life.

It’s strange how there’s this lack of object permanence that occurs with theriotypes / kintypes when it’s not being blasted online. Just because a bug therians isn’t active 100% of the time in the community / in online spaces doesn’t mean they are suddenly “rare” or “uncommon”.

And the implications of this are quite unsettling, as it’s suggesting that in order to be seen / validated you need to willingly put yourself out on display, and showcase your theriotype in a manner that everyone can notice.

Otherwise the only attention your theriotype gets is others treating you like a presumed extinct species. And if said theriotype is found, it’s treated like a “rare species” and placed on an online pedestal, appreciated only because it’s assumed to be the few of its kind.

[skyhounds]

I couldn’t become a misanthrope. Humans are far too complex to be shoved in one side of the “good-or-evil” box. In my eyes it confuses me to place so much distain for a species, as they are neither “good” or “bad” as a whole. Like any animal, humanity is raw. Hungry and thirsty. Stumbling around like any mammal trying to survive.

But that’s just from my experience living amongst humans, and I’m fortunate to have bumped into many that are some of the kindest souls out there.

[skyhounds]

From what I can describe… the body I inhabit is more of a vessel. I take care of it, dress it, sometimes I take photos of a nice outfit.

But it never felt like me.

Me is somewhere, or something, else. The eyes that look at me in the mirror are windows, and I can’t seem to make out what’s behind the glass.

Not only do I feel alien socially, but I feel alienated from myself.

I’ve labeled the xenomorph as a copinglink in the past, but recently I’ve been reconsidering if the xenomorph is ingrained itself deeper into my identity. Buuut it’s also summer, and I am quite sensitive to humidity (at this point it impacts my capacity to handle stimuli and my social battery). So I tend to always act a bit more reclusive and reactive during this time.

[skyhounds]

There’s a reason why I’m very grumble grumbly towards the popular representation of therianthropy in masks and clothing. It all involves displaying the human body, which is something I don’t wish to include with my identity.

In short, I feel left out when all the focus for alterhuman representation goes to what your human body can wear and physically do. Because in order for me to accurately represent myself I would have to transplant my brain into a canine body or unload my consciousness into a machine. Or… uh… become the void. Launch me into space. That is my identity.

Look up at the stars,

that’s me.

Forums, writing, art, video making, it all gives me permission to properly express myself, to let my identity run around and be clumsy. The focus is not on the body, but on what’s going on inside.

Plus, I don’t want to appeal to some broad, looming human audience that doesn’t care to research behind my identity. I’m not as comfortable with being so bold and open about this part of myself, which is why I stick to smaller circles and corners of the in the internet. Let me run around in my ecosystem with those who understand me!

[skyhounds]

I dreamt there was a world where I could walk into a room, bark, have people nod in understanding, and I walk out.

[skyhounds]