By: Nehi, Akhila, prander, Wordwolf, and many others.
Contherianthrope n. - 1. A (mostly) shiftless were whose wereside is fully integrated and balanced. 2. A were who acheived a balance between their human side and their wereside.
A contherian is a perpetually consistent integration of (a) non-human creature(s) and human 'sides'. The ordinary 'nature' (perceptions, mentality, overall psychology and any expressions thereof), are due to an ever present mixing of human and (a)nother creature(s) 'sides'.
The perpetuity and the consistency of integration of any other creature(s) with that of humanity is the determining experience of a contherianthrope.
A contherian will most likely not be aware of any separate creature(s), but will see each creature(s) as much a part of his/herself as is his/her humanity. Instead of experiencing (a)nother creature(s) as a separate entity, s/he will most likely experience his/herself as human and the other creature(s).
A person who claims to be a contherianthrope will usually place less emphasis on 'shifting' and it is usually deemed less important. Further, 'shifting' is often not considered necessary to call oneself a contherianthrope.
'Shifting' most likely has a different meaning when it comes to contherianthropes. Any 'shifting' that may occur will probably be seen from a perspective not as a person with a connection with another creature(s), but as a person who is the other creature(s) and human, as one. Because the contherian comes from the perspective of an integrated person, 'shifting' may necessarily imply that any noticable changes are like, and can be likened to, 'mood' alterations. Any noticable changes in regards to being more or less another creature(s) may be experienced and likened to the person fluctuating or swinging, within a range, from one end to another in which any and all experiences are of the integrated person. It probably will usually not be thought of as solely originating from, nor being definitely influenced by either the other creature(s) or any humanity.
Because of the perpetually consistent integration as a single entity, a contherian may agree that s/he is always partially 'shifted' and/or the 'were side(s)' is (are) fully integrated.
A contherian sees it as perfectly natural to draw on human logic and animal instinct together simultaneously, sometimes seen in different percentages.
By Liesk
A contherian is a therian whose animal and human sides are one in the same, resulting in a single, shiftless mindset. The various behaviors, moods, and expressions of a contherian are those of a humananimal, not of human and animal individually.
A commonly confused distinction is whether contherianthropy is about having a singular mindset (naturally leading to a lack of shifts from human to animal mindsets) or the myth that contherianthropy is simply a lack of shifts. Rather, the lack of shifts does not define the contherian, it is simply a trait of contherianthropy that logically must arise from its nature.
The necessary comparison to draw is that a contherian is like a non-therian. A non-therian has a singular perspective in the same way as a contherian does. (This is not to say that contherians are "less therian" than shifting therians, it simply is a different way of experiencing therianthropy.) For a non-therian, this mindset can be labeled "human", and for a contherian, "humananimal." A contherian cannot shift for the same reason as a non-therian cannot: it is impossible to go from one mindset to a second mindset that is not there.
Another prevalent myth is that contherians shift in percentages, also known as "eclipsing." This is incorrect, because it is simply another way of describing becoming more or less animal than at a previous time.
There has been some confusion over whether or not contherians are able to cameo-shift. A cameo-shift, by definition, is shifting into something that is not yourself, and non-therians are as able to do this as anyone else. It opens up what the contherian would be shifting into, and so just like non-therians, contherians can indeed cameo-shift.
Among both shifting therians and contherians, there has arisen a confusing term, that being "contherianthropic moods." It is described as that a contherian may feel more "animalish" or more "humanish" within their normal range of feelings, such as a non-therian might feel more excited or calm.
The reality of the situation is not so clear. Contherianthropy simply does not allow for feelings of being more or less animal or human, as that is against the nature of therianthropy. The idea of contherian moods stems from the thought that if a contherian is, for example, feeling more predatory, he or she is feeling more "wolf."
Species, however, are not moods, as should be made clear. Being playful is one of the many behaviors humans can express. If they experience playfulness, they are not becoming more human from it. Likewise, a wolf contherian who is feeling predatory is not becoming more wolf, as "wolf" is indistinguishable from "human", and he or she certainly cannot be becoming more "humanwolf," since humanwolf already makes up his or her whole.
By Ghost_Song?
The term contherianthrope was created about 1996 or 97, if my memory serves right I know I was still in high school, by Lion Templin. He created it by taking the latin word contras, meaning unchanging, shortening it to con and putting it together with the word therianthrope,therefore unchanging-therianthrope. I was there on the boards when he posted it, abeit a young member, he created it to describe himself at the time, no one else. If one finds that his decription fits them as well great, but if one shifts in any degrees the term contherian is incorrectly used.
There are currently two ways of expression around:
- The older: Contherianthropes do not experience shifts in the true meaning of the word, they do however experience what I have found to be called Eclipses.
- The newer: Contherianthropes do not experience the slightest mood fluctuations of any kind towards or away from their theriotype. Those that are otherwise fully integrated with their animal side and still experience those kinds of fluctuations are Suntherian.
The dilema faced is that on one hand we cannot each redefine all of the words we use in our own way every time we feel like it and on the other hand that times change, ideas evolve and defenitions must follow. I am completely against there being "big leaders" who will dictate what words are best for all the others to use, which is one of the reasons I built this encyclopedia. So have both defenitions and decide for whichever works better for you.
See also: