An introduction to phantom limbs

[frameacloud]

Page number 6 of Theri There, originally posted on October 3, 2005.

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Image description: One page of a comic.
Narration: "A 'phantom limb' is the sensation that a limb is physically present when it's not.
"Neurological explanation: the relevant portion of the brain is still there, so it feels as if the limb is still there, too.
"Spiritual explanation: the spirit also stays intact, even if the body doesn't. This has to do with chakras and the astral plane."
The illustration shows a person with no left arm, but a phantom left arm.
"Phantom limbs are also experienced by therianthropes and otherkin. The difference is that these don't follow a human-shaped template. We may feel wings, tail, or any such thing."
The illustration shows a therianthrope with a human physical body, and a gryphon-shaped phantom outline. "We know there's no physical counterpart to these limbs. They're not visible to plain sight, and they pass right through everything, like a ghost."
The same therianthrope goes on a walk, their wing passing through the wall of a nearby building. "However, there are odd exceptions where a phantom limb responds to a physical object as if both were equally tangible." The therianthrope's wing hits a lamppost, making them stumble, saying, "Ow!?"
"There are also instances where people respond to the limbs as if they could see them."
The therianthrope stretches out a wing, and other passerby walk around it.
"Rarest of all, sometimes physical objects respond to the limb's presence."
A dragon therianthrope steps into an elevator, their phantom tail trailing behind them. The door closes on their tail. Someone else says, "Hey, what's jamming the elevator door open?"
End description.

Note from 2005: This is a short introduction to phantom limbs of therianthropes. There is much more to say about them, whether the best known kind (felt by people who have had amputations) as shown in panel 1, or the kind experienced by therianthropes. Panel 4 was suggested by a phoenix who wishes to remain anonymous. Panel 6 was suggested by a friend who had it happen as shown, and I’ve heard very few anecdotes about a paranormal phenomenon of that kind.

Note from 2015: Several folks have asked me about the phrase “phantom limbs,” which I used in my old Theri There comics. In 2005, that was the only name therians gave to that experience of theirs. Now, readers were concerned that it might be wrong to use that name for that experience. It’s a sensitive issue, but it’s also important to address, so I wrote a long blog entry about it: https://frameacloud.tumblr.com/post/731842421775859712/regarding-phantom-limbs

Note from 2023: I updated the link to that blog entry with some new commentary that I wrote today. For another thing, back when I drew this page, I thought of phantom limbs as a paranormal phenomenon. That fit with how my worldview used to embrace the paranormal. My personal worldview has changed and become generally more skeptical as I've continued to ask questions and learn. I still acknowledge that part of the range of these experiences are ones that are strange and difficult to explain.

[Edit October 21, 2023: Added local images, links, and transcript.]

Comments

[frameacloud]

"I've been known to feel people with my tail(s) behind me when I did not even realise them to be there to begin with."


Watch out for kitsune, their butts have extrasensory perception!

...Hey, maybe I should use that for a comic. Shall I? :)

[arethinn]

Well, I've done the inverse, and felt your tail(s?)... at Thresholds this year I was rather startled, actually, when we were standing around for the mead-making workshop, and I was like whoa hang on, there's a tail there! ("felt" as a rough estimate of "knew was present", although I neither actually felt in the sense discussed here, nor saw, etc.)

...

[meirya.livejournal.com]

*dies laughing*

That'd work awesomely for a comic!

(And I'm now curious as to who this phoenix is. There aren't a lot of 'em out there, and I used to identify as phoenix and still feel a strong connection to the mythos.)

Re: ...

[frameacloud]

The phoenix in consideration knows who xe is, and has been very helpful in the development of Theri There, but xe doesn't feel like being open about xir therianthropy yet. So, no public explanation of who xe is.

I could put you two in touch privately if so desired, though. Uncommon theriotypes, unite!

Re: ...

[meirya.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've done plenty of research on the phoenix myths, as evidenced by one of my many websites (http://www.snowspine.com/phoenix). The problem was that when I first started looking into therianthropy and going "I know I'm a bird, but what...?", I immediately latched onto phoenix due to such prior interest and such a strong connection to the mythos. After a while I went "Hey, I think I jumped to conclusions; phoenikoi aren't real, I can't be a phoenix" and did a more careful overview before settling on raptors in general.

And now I'm going "crap, I may have been hasty in saying it's impossible to be a mythic creature, or at least unlikely for me to be such," and having to figure things out again... but until I can write out solid reasoning and a solid argument in favor of mythic theriotypes, I'm going to stick with my identification of "falconiformes cladotherian with a connection to the phoenix myths". *nods*

...yeah. Pointless rambling. I'll shut up.

*cough* Anyway. Yeah. Experiential descriptors of your phoenix-relating-friend and how sie perceives phoenix and being/relating to such would be wonderful. I'm always up for reading experiences, and anything phoenix related always gets my attention. ^_~

My email is meirya AT snowspine DOT com, if you'd prefer email.

Re: ...

[meirya.livejournal.com]

If the phoenixkin in question is amenable to such, I'd love to talk to him/her. Thanks!

[cloakable.livejournal.com]

There was also one incident at a Korean-run dollar store where I was followed around and driven out by an elderly Korean woman who kept pointing at my butt and speaking in Korean. Needless to say I bid a hasty retreat.
I've only just read this. Haha. I wonder what she was saying.