The Chimeras Library
The Chimeras Library
We are the House of Chimeras. We are a large mixed-origin multiple
system of nonhumans who were born in 1989 in western Arkansas. We’re very queer. We label our
body as, and thus ourselves as a whole, both transgender and nonbinary. We’re also very pagan though practices and adherence varies among us. We're autistic, and have dyslexia and dyscalculia. We’re
massive bookworms and have a bachlor's degree in history.
Overview - While we know our body is physically
human, we [take your pick of words such as: identify as, experience ourselves
as, perceive ourselves as being, or believe ourselves to be] nonhuman. It is
something intrinsic, integral, and personal about us. All of the members who
are part of our multiple system are, to some extent or another, nonhuman (or at
the very least, not entirely human) personally even if the body we physically
live in is human. A majority of our system are nonhuman animals known to exist
or had once existed on Earth. A smaller portion of our nonhuman members are
mythical beasts or fictional creatures. Finally, there are a few people in our
system who are plants.
Mental Health – We have talked about our nonhumanity to several mental
health professionals over the years. None of those we have seen have taken
issue with us viewing ourselves as being non-physically nonhuman. In fact,
several of them have actively tried to help find ways of dealing with our
species dysphoria. The first time a therapist brought up the term “species
dysphoria” on their own was in 2015. While not an official diagnosis, our
therapists over the years have helped us as best they can to deal with our
species dysphoria. The only thing that has held them back is the lack of
resources in the field of psychology on how to treat species dysphoria.
Community History – We learned of the existence of the therian community
in August 2003 after the documentary, Animal Imitators premiered. We
discovered the online community in March 2006 when we managed to find several
therian and otherkin websites. We became active in the online community in
November 2007. We are active across the therian otherkin, and fictionkin community
as well as general alterhuman spaces.
Overview - Being multiple means we are a group of
individuals sharing a body together. While we do share a physical body, we each
have our own name, gender, and so on. Being mixed-origin means that our
multiplicity has formed due to different factors. Our existence is attributed
to a combination of neurological factors connected to our atypical brain
chemistry, psychological factors born out of life experiences, spiritual
factors brought on by a natural inclination toward several animistic practices,
and a few other odds and ends.
Mental Health - In the beginning, our system had issues with blackouts between us, among other issues. In 2009,
we began trying to learn how to function together. In November 2010, we
received a diagnosis of Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS)
from our first therapist with her stating she would have diagnosed us with
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) if we hadn’t already overcome our
blackouts on our own (and she could only go by our current symptoms). In March
2015 we were reassessed under the DSM-5 and we were found to not meet criteria
for DID or OSDD because our symptoms no longer met all the criteria for either.
(Both now required symptoms to cause distress, which we didn't experience
anymore.) This has not stopped the several mental health professionals we have seen
over the years from acknowledging our multiplicity regardless. Over the years,
with a lot of work, we have achieved a level of cooperation we are very proud
of.
Community History - We learned of the plural community in 2006
thanks to references to it in the several therian and otherkin resource
websites. After a long winding fight of denial, we accepted our plurality,
openly admitted our multiplicity, and began being active in the plural
community in 2009.
Button made with Sadgrl Button Maker.