intro and a question about nonhuman multiples

[anhedonicjester.livejournal.com]

Hi, my name is sarah. ill be 21 in July, im a recovering drug addict, self injurer and anorexic. (yeah, great resume, i know) uhm im not really sure whats relevant.
im not a multiple but im fascinated by it. (i hope im not making this sound like youre all a science project) ive had times in my life where i wondered if there were others, but as far as i can tell it was just times of extreme duress or "bizarre thinking" i dfunno the official term. anyway, id just like to get to know you all, and hopefully understand multiplicity better. i like to think that i do to a certain extent, as well as i can anyway without being a multiple myself. but theres alot of things that i dont understand that i would like to.

anyway, i have a queswtion, ive been watching the community for a bit (haha, how creepy does that sound) and ive seen mention of non human residents of some systems. and i wondered what is that like? i mean, do they/you front? and if so is it strange to be in a human body? is it different to control than your... real (?) body mind body... i dont know what to call it. (i apologize for my ignorance) or is it natural since its how youve lived

i have alot of questions but ill try not to overwhelm with my curiosity, i hope i dont offend anyone... but curiosity is my nature, i tend to want to know everything

Comments

[othergalaxy.livejournal.com]

My take on it is that every body mind spends prolonged period of time "in" can be considered "their" body. Ownership issues aside.

IMO every body that is not the one I was born into 's going to "feel strange". It's the mental image of a body that matters.

[raavah.livejournal.com]

I'm not human :) Though my.. "original" body( or whatever you'd call it) is close enough to pass. Anyway, it's weird sometimes, things are dimmer and the body is weaker, but in general I can't complain. My body in the mind is still the same, so it's not really an issue. I'll go back to it, you know? And I wouldn't make Red change her body to accommodate me.

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

Some of the others in the group I'm a part of are not human. Some look human but aren't and some don't look human at all or only have a couple of traits different. Myself, I don't know what I am. Isn't that weird? I don't have any sense of what my true form is like, but I do know that this body I am using to type with isn't mine. But I'm hoping that one day I'll figure it all out. :)

-Butterfly

[etcetera-minis.livejournal.com]

Storm isn't human, but her body looks like one, it's just her insides that are different. Aidan's the same. Cassie's similar, but not the same race. Éoryna looks human enough, apart from the ears (very elven-looking).

Ranna, Eoin, Mayenna, Araya and Wolfgang all look human, although Araya and Wolfgang have a tendency to change forms into wild animals, which isn't always convenient.

They can all front, although Storm, Ranna and Eoin are most likely to. They cope by acting human (although Storm does have her habits...).

Katie

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

Pretty names. :)

-Butterfly

[ricktboy.livejournal.com]

I too am a Wolfgang. :)

Wolf Geoffery Radcliffe, nice to meet you. *waves*

Wolf
Pack Collective

[sightless-light.livejournal.com]

i'm not human. and really, asides from the fact that the shell feels a little small, its not so bad. i can still do everything i can when i'm not in front.

-shardae of the sightlesslight system

[lamialiliane.livejournal.com]

This body is shorter and less in shape than mine would be, but it's suitable enough for my purposes that I don't particularly care. I front rarely, and when I do, it doesn't really matter what the body is like, as long as it's pleasing enough to who I'm with. And by the point I come out, it obviously would be. ;)

It's no more difficult to control than my own would be, in fact I might even say it's easier to control. I am not human, but my body was humanoid in form, aside from my wings, which I do miss. So it's really not terribly different. :)

[shiro-hayabusa.livejournal.com]

One of my systemmates is completely nonhuman. She has had issues with balance when fronting (she's used to having a tail and standing digitigrade) but she's much better about those things now.

Honestly, she has more problems with communication than locomotion. She's not used to verbal communication (or typed communication); naturally, she speaks in a mix of body language with some other things. We usually need to help her write journal entries or talk to other people. Sometimes she thinks the basic gist at us and we try to translate, and other times she insists on finding the words for herself.

[mysticeden.livejournal.com]

Well I front. And I'm not human, so I guess that counts. It's normal except well... the body is fatter and I don't have my wings or speed. So it feels like everything is in slow motion. The same thing happens to my girlfriend when shes out (shes in another body). I'm not sure what else to say.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Most of us (myself included) are nonhuman, but we are humanoid in every respect -- there is nothing different about us as far as outward appearance. Cultural differences are another matter though. There's no war or violence on Laura, so watching the news, just for an example, can get pretty weird. I'd say what feels strangest physically is that most of the current frontrunners are male and the body is female and has some ailments none of us do.

It isn't "creepy" to watch the community. There are lots of lurkers and shy people here.

see also

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=multiplicity&keyword=subjective+body&filter=all

http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=multiplicity&keyword=nonhumans&filter=all

much more there

[rhymer-713.livejournal.com]

Hello. I am a dragon so I suppose I can answer. :-D Hmmm. It doesn't feel all that different for me. Obbviously I cannot fly while at front but other than that... Questions are appreciated.
E.S. Amberflame of Rhymershouse

[ventrue-prince.livejournal.com]

and i wondered what is that like? It's strange to be vested in a body that I wasn't born with. Particularly one of a different gender. I do front, but I try to stay somewhat detached from it as well. I control the actions of it and the voice and the brain... but I try to avoid noticing the differences. The difference of the female voice is probably what strikes me the most and is hardest to ignore. This body is also four inches shorter than mine, which can make perspective a bit odd at times.

and if so is it strange to be in a human body? Somewhat. I was human at one point before my embrace, however, that was over a hundred years before walking into this one. I had forgotten quite a bit what it meant to be human and what it meant to feel. I'm still not sure that I like being reminded of it. It's very odd being affected by this brain and its perceptions.

is it different to control than your... real (?) body mind body In some ways yes, in some ways no. My body was human at one point and always retained a human shape. But all human bodies are different. I also don't have access to certain abilities I once had access to. At times this makes things difficult for me and makes me feel rather inept at things I'm used to excelling at. I also feel something like a dinosaur. Figuratively speaking, of course.

[ricktboy.livejournal.com]

several of us are non-human.

Wolf is vampiric, and immortal, though human...

Rick is half-wolf, as is cubbie, and Faith is half-panther, half vampire.

Tara is elven, as is Kali.

Griaan is a spirit-type being, difficult to explain.

Feel free to ask us questions, and check out our FAQ (http://rickmacleod.bravehost.com/packcollective.html)


to answer your question, we don't really find the body to be "odd" because of being non-human, and if one of us were to appear in our animalistic forms, it would simply appear as if we were 'acting' that 'role'. We don't tend to shift forms in front of people who aren't in the know, however...

controling the body is a slightly different experience to some than to others...Liz finds it much like controlling a mech(if you get that reference)(although she is human), sitting in a seat, controlling the body with computerish commands...Rick finds it like wearing an exo-skeleton, and Faith says to her it's sort of like wearing a comfortable jacket, except it's your big brother's or something(in other words, not yours, but close...)

hope that helps a bit.

Pack Collective

[anhedonicjester.livejournal.com]

thank you everyone for your replies. be warned, i may be bombarding you guys with questions periodically. i really appreciate how many people answered

[teh-kerry.livejournal.com]

I could swear I've posted this before, but never mind. We have an angel, Ataelis, a vampire, me, and my kid, Sabrina, and another vampire, Pete.

It isn't that different for us to front, because we're all mostly humanoid in form. I miss my fangs when I'm out, but that's about it. I've found that most of my oddities carry over - I'm a pretty traditional vampire, I have issues with sunlight (I'm nocturnal, and up wayyyyy too early today), with religious symbols, which tend to give me allergic symptoms, and I don't tend to have a reflection. I do have a reflection when I'm out, but if I look in a mirror, I can't see it. Others have told me it's there though.

Ataelis, our angel, has a few issues, most notably the loss of her wings.

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

How did Ataelis lose her wings? That sounds painful. :(

-Butterfly

[cactus-guys.livejournal.com]

Just when she's out, she doesn't have wings. She has them inside.

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

Okay. :)

-Butterfly

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

I have three nonhuman members out of a system of 8. Four nonhuman, if you count Tristan (the original, so closely aligned with Fayanora that the line between the two blurs copiously).

Fayanora is an Ah'Koi Bahnis, and as such, her species look like human women. Some of their internal organs are different, and they are hermaphrodites with all their reproductive organs inside their body. AKB are plant eaters.

Negarahn is from the same planet as Fayanora, but is a Duenicallo. They're carniverous, with four legs. THey can walk on two, but can only run on four. He doesn't front fully often because of the differences.

Py is a shape-shifter and doesn't front often because he's scared of the world.

I can feel the difference when they all front. More later, I gotta go.

[hydra-system.livejournal.com]

We have many non-human members who front, one of which is a wolf. He has been with the body possibly since a very early age, so he is relatively used to the body, but he will at times cause phantom body parts (like a muzzle, tail, and ears). Also, he often dislikes having to act human. And he wants to be able to move on all fours, which is difficult in a human body.
The body is strange for everyone except myself, as I am the "birth person".

[sightless-light.livejournal.com]

I have that same problem, though I don't consider it a problem. :) Shardae gets on my all the time about it when I front, I just tell her I'm a wolf and I'm gonna act like one. I don't crawl around on all fours when I front, or anything, but others have that the body has 'wolfish mannerisms' when I'm there. Eh. Despite that, the girls let me front because I'm good at handling the males Heather works with.

-Nikolai of the SightlessLight System

[tahaton.livejournal.com]

Most of us here are animal linked or animal totemed some how. For us it's fine, it's just a difference in how we see ourselves.

[phen0type.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the community, Sarah. I hope that you learn something from it, and that you find your experience here valuable. There are many non-multiple/plural people who come here who are curious, so you're certainly not the only one.

To answer your question we have one non-human in our fronting group who generally doesn't enjoy using the body.

Richard of Fen Group

[20splinters.livejournal.com]

We do have non-humans, but for the most part they are still humanoid, so they don't have trouble with the body shape and range of movement. However, a couple still have trouble staying at the front for long, but that seems to have more to do with them spending large amounts of time in the "otherrealm" when they're not near the front. When they do front, they sometimes mention that they aren't at their full capacity (magic abilities and such). An interesting thing is that when one who has wings fronts or is near front, there's a sensation of wings rippling in any breeze.

Joey

[20splinters.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot. We do also have a member who is a computer; she/it only fronts with some one else co-present.

[timothymcdonald.livejournal.com]

I find it fasciating that people have non-human or semi-human residents in their multiple system. I have no experience of this so I'm afraid I cannot help. Ray is totally human. more like an annoying brother than anything. :)

[linacrow.livejournal.com]

I'm a kistune, so yeah, it's kinda weird. My body is more athletic than the host body so when I front I tend to mis calculate movements and such. Not much fun. I still feel my tail even though its not really there so...yeah.
-Samara

Inhuman beings fronting.

[katullus.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly convinced that Kacharkau is some form of big cat, probably a cougar. He's not fronting right now, but he tends to get frustrated when he does because he instinctively tries to do things that this body muddles up, i.e., jumping from one place to another, running on all fours (which often results in a strange and lopsided somersault that leaves him dazed and confused), growling (which sounds pitiful compared to the way it sounds in his mind) and the like. I often end up laughing, which makes him very angry...

As to myself, I hate considering myself human just because of how stupid and incompetent the human race is on a whole, but then, if I'm not, I'm not quite sure what I am.

Katullus Lexus of The Legion K

[weirdiguess.livejournal.com]

The people here are humanoid for the most part, so it's not that different. I get weirded out more by the gender and build differences than I do the species change.

The first person here is the most 'inhuman'. She does alright. Says sometimes she'll get mixed up and think her limbs work different to how they actually do, which can be pretty weird to deal with I guess.