| WERES |
| A were is a human being who has a deep, spiritual connection to a specific animal, or, in some cases, two or more animals. This goes deeper than simple admiration, definitely deeper than "hey, that's kinda nifty, I'm like that." It goes in a slightly different direction than totemism; you can call it deeper if you want. |
To an extent, weres believe they are the animal; to what extent varies with the individual. Quite often weres will act like their animal, but it would be a mistake to call this "acting"... it ends up feeling closer to just "being yourself" than anything else. Weres have (usually inherent) personality traits that reflect their animal. |
| Weres usually have a strong sense of belonging in wild places; outdoors is home, and being outdoors is very satisfying. By the same token, being in places that are crowded, or overbuilt, or that have had their natural ecosystem destroyed, usually make weres feel out of place, at the least. |
| To contrast: Furries do not usually claim to have a spiritual affinity for their animal. Totemists do not usually claim to be their animal. Humans do not normally see anything wrong with comingling in large groups or working, sleeping, and living their entire lives in a megalapolis such as Chicago or Los Angeles without ever leaving it. |
| Finally, weres are generally tolerant of other viewpoints; to be intolerant risks being hypocritical. Weres realize that the "were community" includes a very diverse set of beliefs, and are usually open to at least listening to what someone else has to say. However, weres do not usually flaunt their beliefs for all to see; nor do they trumpet their lifestyles as being superior in any way. They generally keep to themselves in such matters unless they are brought up by someone for a reason. Weres usually emphasize, with much vigor, that one of us never speaks for all of us; we have one community, but we all have a different voice, and some of us say things that others do not agree with at all. When someone says something that does appear to speak for the community (despite words to the contrary), we kindly ask them to either keep their opinions to themselves or move on. text from Trikster.L |
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