Can you explain shifting to me? (Hope I’m not rude, just like learning) —————————————- Assuming that these came from the same anon. The feeling of being otherkin, fictionkin, and/or therian will vary from person to person. Some people never experience astral limbs or forms. Some people never really experience shifts. Not everyone feels trapped in their human form. Do some? Probably. Not all. Some have past life memories. Others don’t. Some of us attribute our identity to a spiritual source. Others attribute it to neurological cause. All of this can differ between individuals in the community.

Personally, I find human society more confining than a human form. It’s not as natural to my brain to do certain things. Wanting to hiss and snarl when angry aren’t seen as normal. Neither is running on all fours. But these are preferable to me if left to my own devices. It’s nice being with friends who know about my therian identity so I can act more “normal” for me. Having another therian around to play with in the snow was a blast.

Shifting is… Interesting. Astral shifts that come out of nowhere can be confusing. One of my theriotypes is a bat. My astral wings emerge from my arms and hands/fingers. Imagine trying to hold something or type when suddenly -bam- you feel membranous wings between your fingers. For a moment, my brain is confused by “how can I do this thing when I have no hands???” After a few seconds I can re-orient my brain to not feeling quite so befuddled and continue on my way, but for those few seconds it can be distressing. Other astral shifts that don’t interfere with tasks are a lot easier to deal with. Ears and snout? No big deal. Big badger claws? Can be a bit cumbersome. Mental shifts are, to me at least, what I liken to putting a filter on an image. The original image is still there but distorted to some degree, be it slight or great, by the filter you apply. In this case, the original image is the human mind’s reaction to the situation. A shift is the filter. Shifts can come in various strengths. Sometimes a shift is so strong i may accidentally act on it a bit. Like the time I accidentally hissed at two girls who shot me judging looks in the stairwell. Human is there but the animalistic mindset is overlaying it.

These are the two shift types I experience. Another shift-type I’ve seen a few people discuss is called “bi-location shifting”. Basically, it’s akin to having an entire astral form. But unlike just having an astral form, the individual observes the world from the altered point of view. Like, a wolf therian going under a bi-location shift would feel like they’re experiencing the world from only a few feet off the ground. Or like they should be because their astral form is down there. canine-alienesque has discussed it before as has liongoatsnake.

Again, most of this is my personal experience. Others probably experience it differently. f you ask politely, I am sure folks will be more than happy to share.

-Mod Badger

