Free forum : Chasing Memories: Elven Outreach

About Otherkin:

1. What are Otherkin?
2. What types of Otherkin are there?
3 How do I know if I am Otherkin?
4. How do I tell if someone else is Otherkin? How can I tell if they are really telling the truth or is they are simply role-playing?
5. What is a Purple Dragon?
6. Aren't you all just a little crazy? Watched one too many movies I think...
7. Why are people Otherkin? What causes it? How do I become one?
8. What does it mean to Awaken?
9. How long does an Awakening last?
10. Have you told anyone else about being Otherkin? How do I go about 'coming out' to someone?
11. What are Otaku-Kin?
12. How about people calling themselves Noldor/Quendi/Sindarin etc?

About Chasing Memories:

1. Why is this site here? What is its purpose?
2. Who runs this site?
3. How do I contact someone if I am having a technical issue with the site?
4. What do I do if I am having a personal issue with the site or one of its members?
5. I have an essay/article/image etc that I would love to share with your community. Can I do it, and how do I go about it?
6. How do I become a Mod/Admin? I would love to help you out with running the site.
7. There are many other Otherkin related sites around. What is so special about yours?

Welcome visitor, to the Chasing Memories forums. As you can see, the group is in its very early formation stage, and I need your help and participation to make it grow. The forums are online and functional, and I may in the future integrate a community chat room here as membership numbers grow. Additionally, more boards will be added to the forum as the community increases to facilitate discussions in a wide variety or member chosen subject areas.

However, as things stand at the moment, there are only two main discussions halls - General and Creative, and three boards where members may showcase their creative works - poetry, prose, painting, sketching, sculpture, music and more.

The aim of Chasing Memories is to create a small but friendly community for people who identify themselves as Elvish Otherkin. The intention is to write and collect a small library of information that will be of use to newly awakened 'Kin and those who are curious about us as well as to provide a forum in which people can feel comfortable, and safe and where they can freely be themselves without having to deal with the harrassment of those who do not understand who they are.

Within our ranks we hope to encourage those who identify themselves as or with:

- The Elenarian races: Listari, Daestari, Kalthilas etc
- The Eldar races and those linked to Tolkien's Legendarium
- The Tuatha De Dannan
- The Fae and those similar to them
- The Sidhe races
- Other elfin or fae related races not already listed.

As a new community we should also intend to be an openminded one. We will not tolerate members pouncing on others for their views and opinions because 'its not what they believe' or 'that can't possibly be right because they have never seen it'. This kind of attitude and behaviour tends to scare away a lot of newly awakened 'Kin who find such attacks frightening and cause them only to doubt themselves even more. It is difficult enough going through an Awakening and considering the possibility of being something other than a human soul (or the alternative of being insane), without having to deal with those extra doubts thrust upon one by other members of the community who refuse to tolerate ideas other than their own. I intend this to be a community where the ideas and views of members are thought through and considered carefully and opinions and discussions put forward respectfully and gently. We should endeavour to question ourselves as much as others when faced with new possibilities, and take our time in making judgements.

That having been said, I am not willing to tolerate role-players within this community. There is a distinction between a member putting forward an unheard of idea that is within the realms of physical or spiritual possibility, and those who put forward ideas that are simply wishful thinking, or outlandish claims. Such claims include the ideas of physical shape-shifting, flight, or other non-possible feats of the human body, and other claims which may be viewed in a slightly dubious light are those of royalty or nobility, savior-hood, or claims of being a personage from a fictional work (Arwen, or Elrond for example). Such claims are very likely to be ignored, at least without some form of very strong backup.

I would like to note however, that there are Elfkin groups who associate strongly with Tolkien's world of Middle Earth and the Eldar races therein - but there is a difference between associating with the world, considering the idea that the tales hold some level of truth, and claiming to actually be a specific character from a potentially fictional novel. If I had a dollar for every Elf I have heard claim to be Elrond, I would be very rich indeed by now. I am not saying that we will automatically dismiss the claim as ridiculous, but that we may take a good level of convincing in order to believe it true. I myself associate with the Eldar races, specifically the Noldor and believe that there is some connection there, but I would not go so far as to claim knowledge of any of the characters portrayed in the fictional story.

Now, having said all of the above, I feel that it is time for me to step away for a while and let you made your own minds up. I would dearly like to build Chasing Memories into a strong, friendly community for Elvish Otherkin but I need your help to do it. If you wish to become a part of a new, growing venture, please do not hesitate to step into our halls and join me there.

Thank you all for your time and patience.