Otherkin documentary: British wolf

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Hello all,

As I have read from your community I can tell your aware of a recentlyl documentary done by zigzag productions about otherkin. I participated in this documentary, though I have no actually seen it yet. I can only hope that from what questions I was asked and what things they were interested that my husband and I are not seen as complete idiots. I dont know anything about the other otherkins that were interviewed but I can speak for my husband and my self that while the whole process was a tad intrusive the reason why we choose to do it was for all the awakening kin out there that think they are alone. I had a feeling I would get a lot of flack from the otherkin community for doing this, which is fine as I didnt do it for them. I just wanted to say that my experience with the production team was that they asked very respectful and insightful questions, they were genuinely interested and never did anything my husband and I were not comfortable with. I hope I get a chance to watch it soon, though I can imagine watching my self on t.v will be a very odd experience.

Kimberly
aka Luna

Comments

[theplushfrog]

You didn't say what the documentary was called, who produced it, or where/when it will be airing.

I would like these (or a link to where to find it), if only to check out the documentary and see another take on presenting otherkin in public media.

[dreamwriteremmy]

Apologies for threadjacking, Kimberly/Luna.

She did mention the producer actually [ZigZag Productions is the UK-side co-producer of the LOGO documentary we've been discussing].

[theplushfrog]

Whoops. I'm a moron.

[dreamwriteremmy]

I'd like to thank you for participating, Kimberly/Luna.

To me it's a start for the community and honestly, that's important.

And thanks for being candid about you and your husband's motivations. I think it's really nice to see all the candid personal motivations for participating before and after production, even though the community has been a bit on guard about this documentary since the beginning.

Personally, I get that yeah, TV shows won't cover or fit all of us and there's only so much the producers can do in a typical TV spot. (And there's always something that's gonna have a flak quotient -- it's TV after all.)

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this message! Its one of the view from the O.K community that isn't yelling at me! x

[arethinn]

Do you know why they apparently found it relevant to interview everyone's parents? I felt that doing so gave the impression that you all were to be considered still children who refuse to stop playing pretend and not adults.

[thepolywere.livejournal.com]

I actually thought the parents' reactions were one of the most interesting parts of the documentary. They showed that 'outsiders' are more concerned with how the belief will affect the individual as opposed to simly thinking they are crazy and rejecting the identity outright. I felt that only interviewing people under 25 or so is what gave an impression that everyone in the otherkin community is a kid.

[arethinn]

Mmm, I suppose that does contribute, although they probably weren't able to find any older therians or otherkin who were willing to appear. But what I mean is that for many things, if someone's an adult then their parents' opinion about whatever thing they may be doing is irrelevant: if this had been a documentary about these people's art, or doing something in science, or just about anything else, I doubt if they would have interviewed the parents and asked similar "so what do you think about your son being an artist/scientist, when did he start doing that?" sorts of questions.

[crystal-waters.livejournal.com]

It's your life, your beliefs. If other people don't like, that's their problem. It's not like this is going to be the de facto source for Otherkin information.

[(Anonymous)]

I've seen this documentary and I am very concerned about a few things. In the segment where Luna is speaking out, it looked a lot like having a headmate or spirit guide rather than a theriotype. From my personal experience, my theriotype does not speak to me or come out and take over and say things the way I saw Luna take over Kim's body. To me, it looked very much like a separate being that is sharing Kim's body rather. There are a lot of other Therians in the online community that feel the same way and have similar concerns so I am not the only Therian that has noticed this. I am not saying that Kim/Luna is not a Therian, I just think the experience, from what I saw on the documentary, looked like a separate being that is sharing Kim's body. I do admire your courage to speak out and show your face on TV, as not very many Therians would chose to do so for various reasons (personal, career, etc.). I definitely do not feel the documentary did very much justice to the community, and I know of several Therians who feel the same as well. Some of which are currently working on creating a documentary that better represents the community and will hopefully add more diversity than what was shown in the show.

For those that want to know, the documentary is called "What?! I Think I'm an Animal" The official website of Logo with the full documentary can be found here: http://www.logotv.com/video/what-i-think-im-an-animal/1706138/playlist.jhtml

You can also find clips of the entire thing on Youtube.

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the delay, new job has kept me busy! Right let me try and answer these questions :)

The documentary is called What?! I am an animal. Which is a bit of a weird name, but I think its a series of different insights into different community, they didn't tell me what the name was going to be when they filmed me as it wasn't decided at that point. Its been aired in the U.S and a few other places, I live in the U.K and watched in on you tube the other night.

Not sure why they interviewed everyone's parents. My husband and I are 25 and we co-own a farm in rural England with my mother-in-law. I assumed they interviewed her because she is a very close to us and a large part of our lives. I was a bit miffed and amused how uninterested and stern she came off in the interview, as she isnt like that at all!!!

In reply to the Anon comment: "I've seen this documentary and I am very concerned about a few things. In the segment where Luna is speaking out, it looked a lot like having a headmate or spirit guide rather than a theriotype. From my personal experience, my theriotype does not speak to me or come out and take over and say things the way I saw Luna take over Kim's body. To me, it looked very much like a separate being that is sharing Kim's body rather. There are a lot of other Therians in the online community that feel the same way and have similar concerns so I am not the only Therian that has noticed this. I am not saying that Kim/Luna is not a Therian, I just think the experience, from what I saw on the documentary, looked like a separate being that is sharing Kim's body. I do admire your courage to speak out and show your face on TV, as not very many Therians would chose to do so for various reasons (personal, career, etc.). I definitely do not feel the documentary did very much justice to the community, and I know of several Therians who feel the same as well. Some of which are currently working on creating a documentary that better represents the community and will hopefully add more diversity than what was shown in the show."

Well ok I can see your concern but the way I am otherkin, has never been an issues for me or any otherkin I know. The part were I let Luna speak as it were was a weird bit to film. I see my self spiritually to have two souls that are one soul, like ying and yang if you will. We are different personality's but we make ONE person, ONE whole being. Though I can converse with her. Before I awakened I felt like half a person, there was this huge part of me missing. Once I began my awakening it was like someone had taken down this veil and I was the whole person I was meant to be.

I am happy to answer any more questions if anyone has any :)

[crystal-waters.livejournal.com]

Oh my gods, I am SO glad you warned me about one of the participants having their supposed theriotype act as a separate being. That stuff drives me beyond crazy.

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Didn't realise you where the authority on how people's "supposed" theriotypes are meant to act! That must be a massive responsibility to go around policing every otherkin in the whole world. Please tell me how my "supposed" theriotypes is meant to act. I hate that I have spent the last 10 years being my self wrong! Wonder why no one let me know before........

............

[crystal-waters.livejournal.com]

Did I say I know everything about Otherkin? No? Cut the overreacting.

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

I'm not over reacting Dear, I'm being sarcastic. No one has any right to tell anyone how there otherkin side should or shouldn't be.

[crystal-waters.livejournal.com]

Regardless, I said nothing of the sort; only voicing my displeasure in dealing with such things. I say 'supposed' in the same sense as, it could be a guide, a totem, a headmate, a psychological thing.

[luwana.livejournal.com]

If you are the same person, why do you both use "I" statements to refer to something/someone else? When "she" fronted, she was not using "I" statements to refer to you, she was using them to refer to a different individual with a different daily life.

It sounded a lot more like being multiple than being therian. Even a median system is still multiple.

To be therian is to identify oneself, not another individual, not one's other half, not someone with a different personality, as an animal. Seeing one's theriotype as a seperate thing with a seperate personality is not at all usual in the therian community.

I think that including it in the documentary confused the issue unnecessarily.

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Fair enough thats your opinion that I disagree with. I am Otherkin, I have been aware of this fact for 10 years and I will happily continue the rest of my life just being my self. I didnt choose to be this way but I embrace and live with it

[luwana.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your clear and in-depth answer. I now understand your reasoning and beliefs much better. That was very helpful :)

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Why does it drive you so crazy? How and why does it affect you so? Why would someone's spiritual/physiological/mental theriontype and how it is expressed by an individual irritate you so? Honestly it makes no sense to me. Its not like it was my or others like my selves choice on how our spiritual self is composed inside of us.

[crystal-waters.livejournal.com]

It's a complicated story that can best be summed up with "spending too many years talking to werewolf wannabes."

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. I hope you don't let that experience tar your opinion and judgement of genuine otherkin that are I guess different then what you normally come across (though to be fair I never found the whole two halves of a whole thing I have with my kin side to be weird or that out of the ordinary)

[luwana.livejournal.com]

"Why would someone's spiritual/physiological/mental theriontype and how it is expressed by an individual irritate you so?"

It was aired on a television show to the general public under the generic label of "therianthropy", and you need to ask this question? :P

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

The general public can also go on youtube, ,or the internet, or read books. I don't think the medium matters to be honest.

[(Anonymous)]

No dear, they made everyone look like complete idiots. Including you and your husband.

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

What a surprise your anonymous. Thank you for your opinion which you are of course entitled to :)

[lost-shadowwolf.livejournal.com]

Update: I have actually managed to find the documentary on youtube as its not been shown in England. It was interesting to see the other people they spoke to, I did notice they were a bit younger then me and my husband, it would be nice to speak to older otherkin I agree. I also wish they would have spoken to some other types of kin, a lot of wolves which I suppose are pretty common so maybe thats why? They made my husband and I seem WAY more cuddly then we are, it was kinda funny watching it as I was like......... ok im sure we dont cuddle that much! But other wise despite a few weird choices of what information they used from our interview (they filmed over 3 days!) I wasnt un happy with the documentary. I just wish they made the line between otherkin and furies abit clearer really.