a-minke-whales-tale

[a-minke-whales-tale]

I relate to this some as well. The sea is rarely so clear, the ground always close that prevents you from really getting to a depth that is comfortable and natural to swim at, walls trap you on the sides instead of infinite blue, your body doesnt hold its breath well enough (yet) that by the time you do get to the bottom where it is comfortable to swim you very soon have to come back up for air, and as you do you must contort your body as your blowholes are not at the top of your head shielded by a little ridge but low on your face, pointing downwards into the water, your form is inefficient, full of friction against the water.

not a lot of merfolk on here talk abt how unfulfilling it is to swim in pools, to me at least, its never deep enough, the waters too clear, the chlorine stings my eyes too much.

Of course I don't live near a beach, (i.e, dont live in a walking/short drive distance from the beach. I live about 3 hours away from one.) But its always so unfulfilling to swim in pools to me, a part of it being just in a human body, the other part is that i feel trapped where i should belong.

(also to me, i love swimming in lakes, so thats much better. But i dont live near too many lakes, either.)

#alterhuman #therian #therianthropy #whale therian #aquatic therian #otherkin #nonhuman

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Bad feet and whale tails

I ordered a larger monofin from mermaid lucia, and it is longer but not wider, so it manages to be both too long and too narrow at the same time. It might be worse even than the previous fin. I will go to the shop or something to try to get something wider I can force into the pocket to attempt to stretch it. Unfortunately though, I think commercial fins may simply not be an option. I guess this should not have been a surprise given the struggle I have in getting properly fitting shoes my whole life because no one believes people with wide feet exist. Still it is extremely frustrating especially I have now put around 600 euro into this nonsense and honestly still cannot swim.

I did plan to make my own whale flukes through the whole process, though admittedly I figured it would be another year before I tried to make my own flukes. So now I guess I have to try to figure out how to do that sooner than I was hoping.

Ugh

#therian #therianthropy #otherkin #nonhuman #whale suit #monofin #whale therian

[a-minke-whales-tale]

I have schizophrenia, and among the symptoms I had was clinical zooanthropy, the more generalized form of clinical lycanthropy. I would turn into an asian water monitor lizard. From my view it was extremely real, the way your body can change in such a moment. The shifts I have now really cannot compare to the intensity, and fear, in such a moment.

It took me a long time, even while in the therian community, to accept the label therian, or feel I was allowed to call myself a therian. In my mind I lacked that spiritual or psychological connection and really was simply mad, a lunatic who believed she was an animal.

I do call myself therian now, and thanks to the gift from a spirit I can even really shift again since the medicine stole that from me and locked my body human, but often when talking about those experiences, and even I have done it here, I feel compelled to put things in context or in reference to that schizophrenia. The experience being a lizard I feel the need to endlessly preface that I "understand it was not physical", that with spirits I used to see that I "know" they were hallucinations, and I have difficulty even discussing more recent encounters with spirits because I have to acknowledge them as not real, because to do so otherwise would only invite the ire of the humans as I would be "delusional".

There are many many ways to experience therianthropy, it is a deeply personal experience, and there is no true correct way to experience therianthropy. Given some theories regarding the evolutionary development of schizophrenia as important in early human spirituality and the prevalence of therianthropic beliefs and transformation in "primitive" belief systems. It is possible that "psychotic" people have been therians possibly before even the existence of homo sapiens sapiens (schizophrenia 60.000-200.000YA, homo sapiens sapiens 90.000-160.000YA). We should not view psychosis or clinical lycanthropy/zooanthropy as an incorrect way of experiencing therianthropy, but simply one of many ways of experiencing this wonderful phenomenon.

This is a bit of an unhappy post regarding our communtiy & tiktok.

Whilst scrolling on my FYP, I came across a video in which a therian was talking about 'lycanthropy', as they worded it. It essentially was something like "Is your therianthropy showing too many signs of lycanthropy?" and then the next slide said "Get help as fast as you can!"

While misinformed and just downright odd, that's not what got me.

The caption said "Therianthropy should NEVER show signs of lycanthropy." There weren't many comments, but the few that were there were clearly young members of our communtiy being TERRIFIED of the idea. "I get prey drive sometimes, but it's not bad.. (that's lycanthropy..)"

Obviously I won't post screenshots because they're identifying and this user is potentially just misinformed.

Not only is this kind of thing incorrect and scaring newly awakened beings, it's also erasing an ENTIRE part if our community and placing further stigma on, for example, endels and psychotic beings who identify with the therian label. It's 'othering' those who experience strong instincts and animalistic urges. It's downright seperating an already small community.

What about those of us who physically identify as animals? What about those of us who feel nonphysically, but still wish to call themselves that animal? Tearing apart an already small and othered community just because YOU don't feel that way and then spreading misinformation is downright wrong and harmful.

This rhetoric needs to stop. It's not helping anyone. We all belong here. We all have our rightful place in this community, whether it's more aligned with the human side or the animal side. We all belong, no matter how you experience your otherkinity or therianthropy.

We're a community. Act like it. Don't cast out your physically identifying or otherwise nonhuman siblings like this.

All of us, physically identifying or not, see what you're doing. We see the erasure and we will not stand for that.

if i got something wrong in this post, please feel free to correct me. reblogs and additions to this are more than welcome

#therian #therianthropy #actually schizophrenic #schizophrenia #otherkin #nonhuman #whale therian #schizophrenic therian

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Hydrodynamic Stability

One thing I am particularly interested in is this idea of hydrodynamic stability. That is as a cetacean swims, is the center of pressure, the point through which all hydrodynamic forces can be said to act, behind our center of mass. This would make us inherently stable. It is likely that this is the case as without it anytime we were not actively steering we would become upset, turn sideways, and effectively stop. This would be very inefficient especially migrating, but it would allow for significantly increased maneuverability. Delphinidae in particular tend to have large dorsal fins which are further up on the body compared to minke, fin, and brydes whales, the only mysticetes with proper dorsal fins. This would make sense as rorquals, which the three above belong to, tend to lunge feed and so do not require the speed or accuracy of the dolphins and porpoises.

I was curious about the ability to model this simply. There are a number of programs which can calculate the center of pressure, among them open rocket. However when simulated the center of pressure is always forward of the center of mass, making the system unstable.

There are a couple parts to this though. This program does not well allow differentiation between center of pressure points on the horizontal axis versus the vertical. If the number of fins on the aft is increased to four, thus allowing equal stability in both horizontal and vertical direction, the center of pressure is comfortably aft of the center of gravity.

There are of course limitations to this program, the most basic of which is whales do not have a circular cross section, this is especially true in the peduncle of the whale. Our bodies are instead taller than they are thin which cannot really effectively be simulated here.

However, just looking at the shape of the flukes then, how do minke whales help balance this? One thing to note is when actively traveling, the flippers are normally held at 45 degrees or even lower. This helps provide additional control on that horizontal axis.

(Both are dwarf minke whales but it remains the same either way)

I find it unlikely that whales would not be stable in both axis, or at least at a marginal level of stability. However what this does mean, is that understanding stability of whales, will require a higher level of detail than circular approximations. Since my long term goal is to build a minke suit which would allow me to swim as one, it also means that understanding the stability is quite important and how to approach it for sizing my own flukes and dorsal fin.

#cetacean #therian #therianthropy #fursuit #minke whale #otherkin #whale suit #nonhuman #hydrodynamics #fluid dynamics

[a-minke-whales-tale]

It isn't, or at least I do not think it is. I got it through a company called Mermaid Lucia. Overall it is pretty nice though not ideal for my poorly shaped feet. At some point I wish to make my own, ones that look like minke flukes.

It has been a two weeks now since I was finally able to swim with my monofin. It was an incredible experience. The fin is extremely easy to use and becomes essentially one with your body as you swim hardly different than if I actually had flukes. When in the water my arms disappear away into flippers and I do become just whale. It is wonderful.

Downside is that my feet are very wide and my right foot especially is very thick and this means that wearing the monofin for long is actually very painful. I have tried to stretch it but to little success. I can probably wear it for 20 minutes before the pain gets too much. But I have ordered a larger monofin I can swim with so I can be whale and swim free. I also have a wetsuit yet coming so I can swim in the sea here!

#minke whale #whale therian #therian #therianthropy

[a-minke-whales-tale]

#cetacean #therian #therianthropy #minke whale #otherkin #nonhuman #whale therian

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Intro Post

Ahoj! I am a minke-whale and water-monitor therian residing in the Netherlands. I have schizophrenia among other things. I will mostly talk about whale things here. I like whales.

I am friendly if you want to say hi! *trills*

She/her I guess. I always forget about pronouns. Though they or it is fine. And if you are referring to me as a whale even he would be alright. Not like 99% of humans could tell the difference.

[a-minke-whales-tale]

It has been a two weeks now since I was finally able to swim with my monofin. It was an incredible experience. The fin is extremely easy to use and becomes essentially one with your body as you swim hardly different than if I actually had flukes. When in the water my arms disappear away into flippers and I do become just whale. It is wonderful.

Downside is that my feet are very wide and my right foot especially is very thick and this means that wearing the monofin for long is actually very painful. I have tried to stretch it but to little success. I can probably wear it for 20 minutes before the pain gets too much. But I have ordered a larger monofin I can swim with so I can be whale and swim free. I also have a wetsuit yet coming so I can swim in the sea here!

#cetacean #therian #therianthropy #minke whale #otherkin #nonhuman #monofin #mermaid tail

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Dorsal Fin

It occurs to me that dorsal fins in mysticetes being further back and smaller than delphinidae in particular would lead to pulling the center of pressure further back. This would in turn increase the stability, and thus reduce energy expenditure. However this comes at the cost of maneuverability.

But in regards to making a suit capable of swimming, the size of the flukes and to a lesser extent the dorsal fin, can be determined by the want to move the center of pressure behind the center of mass to increase stability. This would be particularly important because as my body is human, my arms are particularly long relative to my body (in comparison to cetaceans). In minke whales the ratio of flipper to body length is roughly 1:8. By comparison my arms are roughly 65 cm in length, when compared to an estimated 2,9m length this would create a ratio of 1:4,5. It is also likely my limbs will be proportionally thicker when compared to a minke whale's flipper. These factors then would significantly pull the centre of pressure forward, decreasing stability during swimming. This means that flukes and dorsal fin would likely need to be increased in size in order to maintain stability.

This also explains something I experienced when swimming with the monofin and putting my arms out like a whale would. Beyond greatly increasing my drag, I found it significantly harder to control myself and quickly would put my arms back to my side.

#actually schizophrenic #cetacean #minke whale #schizophrenia #therian #therianthropy #fursuit #costume making #whale suit

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Suit Thoughts

A couple thoughts I have had involve questions of dynamics within the suit. In particular being able to rest, slow swim, or in whale terms "logging". But being able to rest and reducing the amount of effort needed in control it would be desirable to have the collective arrangement have a density slightly below that of water. This would not be accurate to minke whales, more to right whales but would ensure the system would float if not actively moving. Similarly when not moving it would be desirable to ensure that the suit is dynamically stable. The suit would essentially be a miniature submarine so this would be achieved through lowering the center of gravity in the system below the center of buoyancy through denser inserts on the bottom and lighter on the top. Further it would also be desirable to position the center of mass aft of the center of buoyancy as this would lift the blowholes above waterline when in a resting or "logged" position. As this would be flexible by its inherent nature as a swimming whale suit, the head itself could have a lower density which would lead it to being more buoyant and it would them simply lift itself partly out of the water but it would be a careful balancing act as most time swimming it would be under water.

#actually schizophrenic #cetacean #minke whale #schizophrenia #therian #therianthropy #whale suit #fursuit

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Suit Thoughts

Two thoughts came up today relating to the whale suit and how to make it hopefully safer.

The first is that for the flippers, given the shape would be an airfoil, my arm which would naturally be the thickest part would be near the leading edge. With a sufficiently flexible silicone and a relatively thin layer beneath my fingers could allow when necessary some amount of articulation through the flipper being able to bend my elbows and maneuver my hands in a somewhat similar way I can in my pajamas. This would allow some level of dexterity if critically needed though generally my arms would prefer to stay is a straight low drag configuration like flippers.

The second is with the head a number of things are likely to be needed, including some method to breathe and sensing. Should the sensors fail or break, or the head shift in such a way I cannot breathe through the blowholes, or the head became flooded, having some method to quickly remove the head in an emergency would be good to have. Though how to do this well I am honestly not certain, having the dexterity in the flippers would at least allow me to potentially grab the head to yank it away, though what sort of break away system would be best which maintains the look of the whale, is strong enough to take relatively strong swimming (and hopefully being able to perform some level of breach, though to fully breach the water would require a speed of 20-30kph which even with a fully hydrodynamic body would be extremely unlikely to achieve (beyond the fact a significant amount will be dead weight and not active muscle)), but still be quickly removed in an emergency.

#actually schizophrenic #schizophrenia #minke whale #cetacean #therian #therianthropy #otherkin #nonhuman

[a-minke-whales-tale]

To Become Whale

If I am to swim free, to escape the human world for even a short bit, the question is then how? I am a whale by the gift I was given, and I wish to embrace this as much as possible, that when free, I am free not in this twisted primate body, but that of a whale. I wish to make a suit which will allow me to swim as a whale.

This is perhaps a rather ludicrous idea. I wish to create essentially a second skin over my own in the shape of a whale. Something in which my human body can as much as possible vanish into, and to an onlooker, I would be just a whale. An admittedly small whale, I reckon by my estimations to hide my body sufficiently, I would be roughly 2,9 meters long, slightly larger than a new born minke.

This does present a number of problems which will be addressed over time. But they range from weight/buoyancy, thermoregulation, control, sensing, and of course how the heck do I breathe?

Regardless, there are a number of steps that will have to be taken through this process. It would be quite frankly suicidal to immediately try to create this. I wish to live and swim free as much as possible, not immediately drown myself.

I have actually already begun the first step, which is to get a monofin and swim with it. I will write on this later, possibly tomorrow. However this body is currently not in great shape, I am not particularly strong and my stamina is quite poor. I will need to get much stronger swimming with the monofin to swim further and longer, and be able to hold my breath much longer.

Presumably in a final version I would not use some sort of counter lung with scrubbers, that I will need to get much better with a snorkel as I do of course lack a blowhole and lifting my head fully outside of the water outside of the spyhop would induce a lot of drag.

While I am improving with the monofin I think one step I can do relatively early is to make a mermaid tail cover over my legs and monofin in the shape of a whale with a dorsal fin. This is probably more than anything aesthetic that my lower end would appear as a whale, as well as to understand some of how a dorsal fin would really affect things. Minke whale have much smaller dorsal fins proportionally than dolphin and orca that lies further back on our bodies.

Once I am quite confident with the monofin the next goal would be to begin the process to become whale. I think the first step would be to create a properly proportioned minke tail and flukes, both for propulsion and increased streamlining.

After this I expect would come the eventual integration of flippers, and I think this is the step that poses the most risk. Humans when swimming use our hands for many things and have a lot more dexterity than flippers do, they also serve different porpoises like being used to change ones orientation under water. Whale flippers are much the same but work by airfoil action. But also hands do a lot to manipulate our environment.

#schizophrenia #actually schizophrenic #therian #otherkin #therianthropy #fursuit #whale suit #cetacean

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Captivity

I often think myself in human captivity, an animal trapped by them or more born into captivity rather than another human living among them. I do not well relate to the experiences of humans nor relate to and understand them well despite having lived among them. The humans I am certain have their explanations for this, since for them I look as they do, though I do not so much care what they think.

This most recent chain of events becoming whale began around five months ago now realizing my own experience with hospitals in a number of ways mirrors the experience of cetaceans in captivity. Taken from our homes and put in a box where we stay until the humans decide otherwise. Sometimes the box is a little nicer, but you cannot leave. Sometimes the box is nearly bare and there is little to do except pick paint flecks, except until your nails bleed rather than your teeth being worn down. Regardless in this box sometimes there are others, sometimes you are alone, in either case the humans are in charge and they control the food and how you will be treated. You do not understand the rules and must learn fast, the faster you learn and do the tricks the humans demand the better it will be for you.

I am fortunate in a number of ways that I do look like the humans. I was eventually let free from the hospital back to my family, and now many years later I can even have my own life. I can live on my own, I have my own job, and even have friends. Had I been fully a cetacean, or a lizard before, I would not be able to have those things. But I also understand clearly that the relative freedom I enjoy I can only have so long as I am good and obedient to the humans, and so long as they find me useful. In a moment they can, and someday inevitably will, put me back in the box for things like me ultimately belong locked in a box. It is a source of constant anxiety and fear knowing someday I will be put away again. I do not want to go back. My current captivity among the humans is a much nicer one, but I am still a cetacean in captivity, still the humans are in charge, creatures I do not fully understand the rules how to interact, and still I perform tricks for them, except now they give me numbers which I can use to buy food and fish. Still at their whims they can take it and put me back again into the box.

Normal cetaceans in captivity, which really is mostly dolphin, beluga, and orca, baleen whales have only been kept a few times, cannot escape the confines of their pools in the same way I was allowed to leave my box, but should the humans release them they are equipped for life in the sea free of the humans. Unfortunately, I am not, I will never be suitable for wild release for I could not survive out in the sea. Many cetaceans find themselves in this situation, no real hope of life outside human captivity.

I dream to swim free. I know I cannot ever truly live beyond human captivity, but perhaps for a few hours at a time, perhaps more if I am really creative, I can escape captivity and swim free.

#schizophrenia #actually schizophrenic #mental health #mental hospital #cetacean #therian #otherkin #nonhuman