2XMammal Wrote:Well for one thing I'm a fairly solitary person. I can play nice and even be sociable when I have to, but I'm mostly a loner (not in that fake, loser-y sort of way,) save for a few people. I have very little (or not) pack mentality; though this will probably change when I have children. I enjoy being outdoors (not in the woods though) and swimming (in clean/clear water). I'm not really territorial, but I do like my personal space and will lash out if that's being invaded; especially as far as food is concerned. You want to try my steak? You better ask first, or you'll lose a finger. I'm also not always conscious of what's going on around me. I'm not dense, I just don't always pay attention. As far as my research indicates these are bear characteristics (for the most part).
They're also human characteristics, too - everything you've listed there is well within the bounds of normal human behaviour.
It almost looks, from that list, like you've examined your personality/behaviour and then tried to find out what animal it most resembles . . . in other words making an assumption, whether consciously or not, that you're otherkin and then trying to fit a type around yourself. I notice you have "hoping to find out" listed as your kin type . . . but why do you think you have any kin type at all?
Quote:On top of that, I keep dreaming that I'm running on all fours; but it isn't a swift run like a wolf or fox might have...more of a lumber. And in those dreams I spend a decent amount of time standing up like a person too. The funny thing is I've always been good at moving on all fours; back when I played football I could bear crawl 100 yards in under 35 seconds; but I never thought anything of it back then.
In my experience, dreams are generally metaphorical and dream "characters" tend to represent a part of yourself. If you dreamed you were flying, would you think you were a bird or would you just think it was a dream in which you could fly?
Quote:I don't know, what do y'all think?
From your other thread, it seems that you only started to notice things you associated with therians after your girlfriend explained the idea, and after you had read up on it a lot. Have you ever looked through a medical dictionary and then spent ages convinced you had the symptoms of every serious illness in the book? The same thing can happen with any subject - get interested in it, read up on it in detail, look for the signs, and see them . . . whether they exist or not.
I can't tell you whether you're otherkin or not, and anyone who says they can is probably lying. Here's what I can suggest, though. Rather than thinking "Hmm, something than runs on all fours and is big but doesn't have a tail, what could that be?" start in the other direction. "I'm otherkin" is an answer, not a question. The question is usually something along the lines of "Why have I had these various strange experiences?" - those experiences ranging from past life memories, to visions, to inherent knowledge, to phantom limbs, etc etc etc.
So, what are your strange experiences? What are the things you've felt that need to be explained? It could be that "I'm a therian" is a good explanation, or it could be that "my gf identifies as therian and I've read a lot about it, and can empathise with her" is a better one. But until you actually know what those experiences are, there's no way to know which explanation fits best.
In other words: collect evidence first, then find a theory to fit it. Don't find a theory, then look for evidence that supports it.