What type of beings are Angelics?

Incarnates: those angels who are born into the bodies of humans. this would be where instead of a human soul, you'd have an angel soul.

Manifest: Angels manifest as humans. Though technically not human, they appear human.

Daemon: A human with a spiritual/metaphysical connection to an angel. Though not technical an angel themselves, they get their abilities from the angel they are connected with. The term Daemon here is similar to the computer term, and was used during the middle ages to represent a connected spirit which lies dormant until something causes it to awaken.

Possession: You've heard of demonic possession? Angels can do it too. Unlike a demonic possession, the soul isn't tortured during inhabitation, but experiences a sense of euphoria.

Half-Angel: Those born to one angel parent, one human parent. In the case of the angel parent, this is USUALLY an incarnate angelic, as angels in general cannot copulate. You do get cases similar to the story of Jesus, where an angel appears and causes the human to become pregnant. In these cases the human parent is ALWAYS female, as angels do not have the ability to carry a child.

You can also have some combinations:
Incarnate Manifest: an angelic who manifests as an infant in the womb and stays in human form through life. Because the angel is not technically in a human body, as with a standard incarnate, it isn't considered one, but because it is born as a "human" it "incarnates" as one.

Daemon Possession: this is where the human for whatever reason has the inability to channel the power offered it by it's Daemon, so in times of need the Daemon takes possession of the mortal's body.

Sub Types
Angels all have specific purposes they were created for, as do Angelics. Angelic personalities tend towards what their purpose is, as well as their powers. Listed below are the sub types I know of.

Guardians: this is what I am. Angelics meant to defend humanity from forces of evil. Unlike Saviors, they don't defend anyone specifically, they just fight back the darkness.

Saviors: Angelics who make sure mortals meant to do something important that they haven't accomplished yet. Often referred to, unwittingly, as one's "guardian angel" they are the Angelics who pull you from a burning car inexplicably, and vanish into the night.

Destroyers: Angels meant to destroy the entropic, to make way for the new. What else can you say?

Watchers: Angelics meant to simply watch, but never interfere. the scouts and historians of the angelic host.

Slayers: Angels meant to end suffering by causing death. For the most part they just lead the souls to the land of the dead, this job fits under several other categories, but is also it's own subdivision.

Healers: Angels who heal. Not always just mortals, though this is the most commonly found kind. Some heal the land, for example.

Guides: Angels who help people emotionally and spiritually. They are the angels who inexplicably call you up when you're depressed and suicidal because they were worried about you and wanted to talk.

Muses: Angels meant to inspire humans

These types fit for Nephilim, except in the obvious cases when they'd be reversed. They are the fallen, after all, and still retain their abilities they had as angels, though often these are twisted by the time spent in the abyss.

Contrary to popular belief, Nephilim are NOT demons. Demons are the tortured souls of evil mortals. Nephilim are fallen angels, but angels none the less.

About Demons

Demons are not generally angry. If anything, they're generally apathetic. Demons are as versatile as humans, but like humans, common traits can be found. Raw demons are very apathetic, but natural demons, being physical, have emotions, personalities, and unique thought patterns.

Demons rarely possess people, and if they do, they do it for the same reason as anyone does anything else--they want to. Not all demons possess others; in fact, demons are more likely to influence a person rather than possess them. Influencing another's emotions, personality, motives, etc. is an abilities near anyone can pick up. I would suppose raw demons, being nonphysical, have a knack for it just as some ghosts do. A ghost is also more likely to possess a body than a raw demon, as ghosts do not have to risk being influenced or absorbed by their host.

A tip: demons, even if in human bodies, are not human because they do not act, live, or think like humans. This does not mean they are evil, merely different; although demons can sometimes be viewed as evil because their culture and thoughts are extremely different. As stated above, physical/natural demons, because they have souls, are as versatile individually as humans. Nonphysical/raw demons, lacking souls, tend to be less defined as individuals, but they still have some differentiating traits from one another.

There is balance of light and darkness in this universe, but dark and light are not to be confused with good and evil. Light and darkness simply oppose one another and hold different ideals of what is best for themselves and each other.

What defines a demon? Their definition originates from their souls. Humans hold the most basic kinds of souls: souls which are unaffected by damage or ascension. Physical demons, or natural demons, have souls so damaged that they are sealed off, whereas raw demons have no souls. Humans, in an odd sense, are beings who represent light because light embodies all natural things, such as nature, air, gravity, etc., and all the laws of physics our world abides by. Likewise, darkness spawned beings of its own; it representation is demons, unnatural creatures who do not think, live, or feel the same way humans do. In some ways, they are the complete opposite of humans.

The history of demons and how they were created is something I personally don’t feel comfortable with sharing as a demon, but a general overview I can provide is that demons were created by the god of unnatural things, Chaos. Keep in mind, the gods I refer to are much like the early gods before the Titans in Greek mythology—gods who literally are what they represent but can also be anthropomorphic. Chaos created the first demon, which was a raw demon, also called a pure demon. A raw demon is a metaphysical demon and acts as the true form of a natural demon. Raw demons are non-living, whereas natural demons are obviously alive, though not in completely the same way humans are. Raw demons also lack souls, so their black shapeless masses mesh together in a large form with little to distinguish one from the other. Only a demon’s willpower can individualize it.

In every way, raw demons are unnatural, and therefore they do not abide by our laws of psychics; they are outside of life and common understanding. Raw demons are omnipresent, and when they glide their willpower through the universe, they are in several different places experiencing various things at once. Their willpower, that is their force and desires, reaches out in a similar manner people use to sense and scan others. When you astral project, you’re sending your thoughts and feelings somewhere else to experience something. Raw demons use the same method, only on a greater scale and with more power. However because they are unnatural, non-demons cannot see them though some non-demons can sense their presence; for most, this passing is rarely within one’s consciousness.
As stated, only a raw demon’s willpower can pass through and interact with our reality. A raw demon’s true form cannot exist in our universe, as it’s speculated to made of exotic matter, which is essentially no-matter. (For those of you that are unaware, a clump of matter different than our own does not simply float around space without some kind of reaction.) It’s possible a layer of exotic matter surrounds the boundaries of our universe that embodies a collective mass of raw demons that separates our universe from others.

It’s still possible for them to interact with us on some level and vice versa because they are present in the universe. Contrary to popular belief, raw demons rarely possess individuals, but they can influence other beings. A raw demon is likely to extend its thoughts and aspects into a person or group of people and use that to influence them, but it’s never complete control. Demons do not stalk or hunt down people unless that person holds some kind of purpose to the demon. Even this is rare, as demons do not like to meddle in the affairs of other beings, especially the affairs of the living.

Raw demons exist more as a collective mass because of their lack of souls and common willpower. Although it is difficult to differentiate between them, there is definitely a higher population of raw demons than of natural demons. The only basic way to distinguish demons is by using two different classes: demons still under Chaos (White demons) and independent demons. More than half of the raw demon population and most physical demons are independent.

Since there is little that defines a raw demon as an individual, they can easily replicate themselves, or reproduce. A raw demon can create another raw demon, which usually reflects the creator or, at the very least, an aspect of him/her, merely by focusing his/her willpower. Raw demons can spring up as easily as cells divide, but they do not make it a note to do so. Demons believe highly in purpose, i.e. a demon is created when it wills its own creation. In other words, there is meaning behind their creation.

It should be noted that raw demons can become living, physical demons. They can focus their willpower and form a physical body. Because this occurrence is difficult to come across, I am unaware of how often this occurs. I have met only one raw demon who formed a physical body in this life. Obviously, he did not have a birth in a human sense. Surprisingly though, how they are born is only difference between formed raw demons and natural demons. Otherwise, formed raw demons acquire souls with physicality (much in the same way a baby acquires its soul when it is born) and their original raw demon self becomes their Persona.

As I study demons, I have come to change my mind about a few things. For one, I no longer believe in the separation of part demons (previously known as devils) and natural demons. By technicality, all physical/natural demons aren’t full demons because they are not raw demons. Allow me to further explain this: I consider myself a demon as well as some friends of mine who consider themselves demons. Obviously I exist, eat, and have flesh and bones. Because I am a demon, I am able to live as long as I wish, but I still live out my life in a human body; therefore, I am human to a degree, but my Persona is a demon. However, unlike normal Personas, my demon Persona is not one of my past lives; rather it is an extension of myself, as I am of it. A natural demon is the physical embodiment of willpower of a raw demon reflected into this reality, but the willpower is so strong that it can actually attach to or create a physical body. This is not in the sense that a raw demon simply attaches to a random body and possesses it. A natural demon is either born connected to a raw demon, or the raw demon can be generated when a person locks away their soul. A raw demon does not have a soul so it is simple to create, but neither does the demon possess the body nor does the human create the demon. They are reflections of each other that are eternally united in some way. The body and the demon are both the same person and yet separate individuals. Therefore, a physical demon is never fully demon merely because his body limits him from some raw demon capabilities. Demons recognize other demons, no matter how small the demon part of them is.

Natural demons are fairly common although seldom known or realized. They do possess souls this is what gives them their physical body but their souls are completely closed off from interaction with other souls. Natural demons are bound by the laws of psychics, obviously because their body is of a natural origin, but natural demons can still exhibit extraordinary powers. I’ve witnessed a natural demon chew and digest metal, such as utensils, pop cans, and bike chains, without any digestive problems. Some natural demons can lift cars while being no taller that 5’6 and weighing no more than 140 lbs. Natural demons usually have very good mental abilities as well. Common mental abilities include reading minds and exchanging thoughts, sensing others, and seeing visions of the future or past. However, some natural demons seem more human and may not possess any apparent abilities. For example, I know a pair of natural demons in love with one another, and they have been together through many lives. Although they exhibit no destructive or obvious abilities, they can relish in one another, giving them a very strong connection. One could not live without the other, and both are fully aware of where the other is, if the other is in danger, and of the other’s feelings and emotions. Demons, both physical and metaphysical, are gifted with a great sense of honor and willpower, and each demon’s uniqueness depends on what he/she applies their will and honor to. These natural demons merely applied their willpower to each other.
 

About Dragons

As a note, no dragon clans are evil in and of themselves, though occasionally an individual dragon will be drawn to the dark paths. Certain clans are more sadistic and unfriendly towards humans than others, but this does not make them evil. Also, all dragons will have an affinity for the elements, fire especially.

First up we have Red Chasm, which is the clan of Fire. They are extremely solitary and often violent in nature. Red Chasm dragons are easily angered and can hold a grudge for an incredible length of time. They do not like other intelligent species, and would rather eat a sentient than make conversation with it. They are also extremely unfriendly to their own species, with a few exceptions. (Note - not ALL Red Chasm dragons are like this, but it is a tendency that they have.) Red Chasm dragons tend to be sadistic, and have been known to practice cannibalism on occasion. They are very solitary and live, usually alone, in the bowels of the earth. There is one intelligent species that they do communicate with, and that is Fire Salamanders who share territory with them.

Red Chasm dragons who have been re-incarnated as humans tend to be loners, usually have very short fuses and stay angry for a very long time. They are fiercely loyal to causes they believe in, and they are stubborn as mules. They have a fascination with fire to the point of pyromania, and some will find that flames around them, whether they are candles, or fireplaces, or otherwise, will react with their emotions and mental states. Red Chasm dragons preferred raw elemental magicks to PSI-magicks and more conventional magicks. They were usually red or other fire tones, rarely they had ash highlights and sometimes they had metal highlights (though they were never wholly metallic).

Ocean Deeps was the dragon clan of water. These dragons are very social with members of their own clan, but often reclusive and hard to find for other sentient, other clans included. These dragons are mellow and easy-going, and will always prefer negotiation and compromise to battle. When encountered they are friendly, if a little shy. These dragons are extremely gentle, always trying to avoid confrontation and pain on anyone's part. They live quite comfortably in the earth's oceans, breathing easily both in air and water. The magicks of these dragons are mainly PSI-magicks, though they dabble in the other magicks. Compromising and adaptable, these dragons change with the seasons, though they will remain constant to their morals and their high standards. They are very true friends and very emotional in nature.

Humans re-incarnated from this clan are often very fond of the water and will choose to live in places with a good view of a water source. They are usually very gifted, telepathically and empathically. They love animals and animals will do anything for them. They are usually quite easy-going but have a tendency to become wildly emotional at the drop of a hat. They can be quite shy, but once befriended, a truer friend could not be found anywhere. Ocean Deeps dragons were usually blue, green, purple, or variants of these colors. They were often highlighted with grey, yellow, or white, and sometimes had metal highlights, of gold, silver, or platinum, though they were never wholly metallic. They were the smallest of the dragons.

Rolling Thunder was the dragon clan of air. Dragons from this clan are extremely social and gregarious. They have very strong and well developed senses of humor, and are rarely found alone. These dragons tended to travel in packs, or mobs, and often acted like roving pranksters. Mercurical in temperament, these dragons could go from zero to raging to giggly and back again in a few seconds. These dragons would either talk an enemy to death or outright battle them, depending on their mood. Some have a sadistic streak, but they are sadistic for laughs, instead of rage. Usually even those unfortunates who bear the butt of their jokes will laugh about them in the end. These dragons can be stubborn as mules at times, but be prepared for split-second about-faces and sudden decisions. They tend to have two groups of friends, the mobs they travel with in public, and small groups of true friends with whom they are actually serious.

Humans re-incarnated from these dragons are great manipulators of others, often jokers, lawyers, or politicians. They enjoy storms, especially thunderstorms, and revel in the power of the wind. Often they are very talented with clairvoyance or telepathy, sometimes empathy as well. The dragons of this clan were usually very dark in color, being black, dark blue, purple, or green, rarely dark red, or hematite. Some dragons were wholly metallic, but usually this was a dark metal like hematite. (( I would just like to note here that hematite is not a metal, but a stone. - Morg)) Sometimes they had silver or platinum highlights, and were often mottlings of many dark colors in one. They were the second largest in size. They had an active hatred for Red Chasm Dragons, and would usually fight when confronted by these enemies. They had an alliance with White Mountain.

White Mountain dragons were the dragons of Earth. They were quite gregarious and often gathered in small groups to discuss philosophy, theology, science, art, magic, etc. They were very great intellectuals. Peace-loving and gentle, these dragons enjoyed being able to sit back and watch the world go by. They could sometimes be quite lazy, almost taciturn. Possessed of dry senses of humor and a flair for facts, when presented with something they knew as misinformation, they would be quick to correct the source. These dragons acknowledged and utilized all types of magick: PSI, elemental, and more conventional magick, which they referred to as 'High Magick'. They were pacifistic in nature, but would fight when pressed to it.

Humans re-incarnated from these dragons are usually very intellectual and are great thinkers. They will often teach their fellow humans, even if they are not professional teachers. They enjoy nature and the outdoors, and 'roughing it' can be a fun concept to them. They usually have minor talents in most or all of the PSI-skills, occasionally they have major talents, but usually in a few selected abilities, like empathy, or clairvoyance. They are often very heavily into spirituality and religion. Dragons of this clan were usually very light in color, very often metallic, or pearled. Sometimes they are crystalline, but this is rare. These dragons were quite often mottles of metallics or wholly metallic. They were the second smallest of the dragons, and had an alliance with Rolling Thunder.

Taken from http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/dragonclan.htm
 

Meaning of the word Elf

What is spiritual therianthropy?

Spiritual therianthropy is beyond a short trite description, it's far to complex an issue to really be summed up in a few sentences, so to find out you will have to read this entire article, and even then don't expect to have done much more than scratch the surface.

Before you turn away in disgust wondering why you even started reading this, I'll throw you a bone: spiritual therianthropy (or just therianthropy as I'll refer to it from now on in this article), is an attempt to explain something that effects a lot of people, all of whom are connected by an intricate web of similar feelings and thoughts.

So what are these common thoughts and feelings? Well that's where this starts to get complicated, because everyone who identifies themselves as being a therian (were) experiences things differently. Certainly there are similarities in experiences, in fact some things are almost universal - but the import thing to remember is that it's an open ended thing, not surrounded by a fence, just roughly marked by the transition from lawn into concrete.

So this is some kind of new age religion?
Therianthropy is not a religion, it's a collection of beliefs and understandings, but not an entire worldview or moral guide. There is no ‘Bible of Therianthropy', and even if there were, it would be more of a ‘Hitchhikers guide to being a werewolf' than a religious text.

Therianthropy could be described as the sum of all those who believe in it - the collective knowledge of all those people, which has over time - and largely thanks to the Internet, formed into collections of accepted ideas and beliefs.

What are these collected ideas then?
There are several key areas to therianthropy, the first is probably the only universal one and is the only one I personally would feel comfortable as calling the keystone: An animal, or several animals which an individual identifies with. We tend to call this animal (or animals) our phenotypes). This identifies us as being connected with a particular species, for example my phenotype is wolf.

So what does it mean to identify with an animal?
I used deliberately vague language there because ‘identify' can mean a lot of different things. For most therians it means a spiritual connection. This is quite commonly something long felt but not understood until realizing there are others out there feeling the same way. I've often heard stories from people who say they have felt connected to a certain animal ever since they were a child, but never really knew exactly what this meant until they found out about therianthropy.

This connection is sometimes not realized until another person points it out, for example therians often subconsciously (or not) copy the mannerisms of their phenotype. Be it the way they yawn right down to making animalistic noises.

Others might find they dream of being a certain animal, sometimes even transforming into the animal then perhaps hunting (if a predator), flying (in the case of avians) and so on. This brings us on to the next topic nicely, a controversial area...

Therianthropy and shapeshifting
Shapeshifting (or just shifting as we refer to it) is something you may have heard of from a fantasy novel or sci-fi TV show. It basically means to transform from one thing into another. In this context it means to transform from being a human into being an animal. But, and this is a really big but, it doesn't mean physically transforming. While I'd say the jury is out on whether physical shifting (p-shifting) is even possible, there are other less tangible kinds of transformations that many therians experience.

Probably the most common of these are sense and mental shifting. Sense shifting is a sudden apparent increase or focus of one's senses - for example hearing and seeing. A mental shift is where the normally dominant human persona of a therian takes a back seat allowing the animal part to take control, either partially or completely. This can result in a person acting like an animal, following instinctual urges, changes in mood, increased confidence and so on.

Yes, shifting could be used as a catch all term to describe any mood change a therian experiences, but generally people are smart enough to know what's the real deal and what is just the human body ticking over.

Not all therianthropy shift however, at least not while awake. Others shift in their dreams or enter their dreams already in animal form. So what about those who don't shift at all, awake or asleep? One theory of mine is that as time goes on the animal ‘parts' of us become more and more assimilated into our general being and as a result of this there is not the profound change experienced by those going from one extreme to another.

Community
The on-line community that has built up since the early 1990s, from a single newsgroup (alt.horror.werewolves) has blossomed into countless websites, IRC servers, web forums and real life groups of friends who meet up, or in some cases live together.

Because of the nature of therianthropy, the community is vital - we share resources and information with each other (like I'm doing here), in the hope of keeping everything running. It's a dynamic organization of people, always changing always moving - but so far at least, always there too. As one site shuts down another pops up in its place and so the community continues to life and thrive. There is also quite a high rate of drift in the community, many of the early therians (who probably wouldn't recognize that term), have long since moved on, but still there are those that remain because they enjoy being part of the community. The continual flow of new people into the community keeps things fresh, and their are enough resources like this one to make sure that our knowledge and experience is passed on to each new generation as it stumbles on-line.

We are not without our problems though, what I lovingly refer to as ‘were politics' is forever raging in the background. Whether it's feuds over who controls what server or fears over being swamped with wannabe's who think it's cool to be a ‘werewolf'. But still we survive, and people can normally find a place where they can be happy.

Unlike many communities, and human organizations in general - there is no hierarchy. The only things that really gain one a higher status are respect and by what you put into the community. The names we remember today are of the people that have had the greatest impact on shaping the community, and as a result therianthropy. Be it's Sabrelion who has been running Were.net for many years, BearX who used to run Lycanthrope.org, Jakkal/Pinky for her work on Were.net and later Crossroads etc, Utah's WEREweb and WEREmail, or perhaps even me with Were Radio.

Final Thoughts
Anyway, I hope this has given you a little bit of an insight into what therianthropy is about. If you think you're maybe a therianthrope too then I encourage you to read as many sites like this as you can find, talk to other therians and see if perhaps this can help you understand a part of your life - a part of you that perhaps you never really understood - or even knew existed until now.
 

The Care and feeding of Werewolves by Rob

I know what you thinking, no I’m not a little vamp sitting in front of a computer screen typing this to poke fun at shape shifters, I am one I just have a twisted sense of humor. And besides, you clicked on the link didn’t you? So sit back, read and learn a little.

I don’t know how it will be for you all I know is how it went for me. In middle school in the midst of puberty I started noticing some extra changes. I noticed I was stronger and faster that I looked, even than I knew, years have gone by since then and my strength remains the same without a bit of working out. No I can’t lift cars over my head, but I’m certainly stronger than I look. But at puberty you expect to get stronger so I didn’t think any of it, but other things were different. I could see small details easier from farther away, smell things that others couldn’t and hear things long before anyone else and so I started wondering. Wondering was I really different?

I noticed when I awoke in the morning I was usually tired, as if I had been up all night. I found long scratches on my arms and legs that looked like animal claw marks. I of course checked my own fingers but there was never any blood on them. Clothes that I had left lying on the floor the previous night would suddenly have giant tears in them. So not being versed in the odd I told a friend who told his sister who being more versed in such things was an excellent resource and thus it was discovered that I was a shape shifter, a Ulfwerener, a beast man.

As far as I know there aren’t any obvious signs that you are a werewolf. I have no uni-brow, no pentagram birthmark, on the full moon I don’t sprout fangs and claws and eat villagers and while my body is covered in short fuzz, my palms aren’t hairy. So how can you know for sure, I honestly don’t know. If you are here reading this it’s a start, it’s people like this that helped me as much as they could.

I have been told by others on this site that I am the sanest shifter they know, and that makes sense to me somehow, I don’t think of myself as sane, but I try for sanity. I think it might be a left over racial memory of how we used to run in packs but now when we awaken we are alone. I don’t think any shifter is really all together in the head. I hold on to what I have on sheer willpower to not give in, so that’s some advice. Don’t give up, hold yourself together, even if the only reason you have to hold it together is just to show people that you aren’t going to fail and lose it. I struggle with constant loneliness and feelings of not fitting in anywhere even among people who have been my friends for years. I think is because shifters are supposed to run in packs and our brains know it, so when we are alone we are scared and frightened of the world around us. Find people who you feel comfortable with, find your pack, we are after all a social animal. I am dreadfully shy and couldn’t pick a girl up in a bar if I tried, but I feel better being in social environments like clubs because I know I am there with people who think somewhat along the same lines as I do. For that night they are my pack and I feel like I belong. Now I’m not saying that you will only ever feel accepted among a large group of strangers, that’s just me. I have found individuals with which I feel a bond, a kinship with and I treasure these people, you need to find your pack.

More myths to debunk, as far as I know there is no great war between vampires and werewolves, so please don’t try and start one. We might have warred once but not now. I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned silver yet. Me, I love silver jewelry I think it looks pretty, I don’t have any sort of negative reaction to silver so don’t worry about it, same goes for wolfsbane. Will a silver bullet kill you? YES! You are not an unstoppable killing machine, in fact you shouldn’t be killing at all. I don’t eat uncooked animal flesh, I like mine medium rare, eat safe don’t model yourself off of the movies.

Boy sounds like winning the lottery to be a shifter eh? Crippling mental illnesses, and consent loneliness, makes you wonder what you did to get this. Well it’s not all horrible I just make it sound a bit worse then it is, because it’s my life. Use me as a rough guide not as scripture. Maybe you’re wondering if I got anything out if this other than the crappy things, of course I did. I have; heightened senses, speed, dexterity, endurance, my pelt keeps me warm when it’s cold. Which means for me T-shirts and jeans year round and maybe a coat. I have discovered other powers, I don’t use them that often because they have the potential to be very powerful and I like to at least think I’m responsible enough to not abuse them.

Some resources I have seen tell you that shifters are intricately tied with the earth and should always seek to defend it. I would be lying if I said I had never felt the power of the earth course thru me, but as for defending it, well everyone should do their part just don’t go nuts. I have always been drawn to wooded areas and always feel peaceful when encased in them, walking among them seeing their sights, smelling and hearing all that nature has to offer. But I feel just as home among a city in it’s alleyways with buildings on each side of me smelling and hearing humans.

How does one come to grips with whom and what they are, when they are something that no one they know understands, is a difficult question to answer. In some respects I have never come to grips with myself, and yet I wouldn’t change a single thing about me. When I am asked to describe myself, my interests, my wants, desires, the only thing I can ever think of to say is “I am Rob.” My friends eventually understood what I meant by that, it means I am me, I don’t define myself by my wants, or desires I define my self by myself. It’s hard to explain but, if at the core of your being you can say “Hey you know what, I might not always like me, but I’d rather be me than anyone else” I think you will do just fine. At the very least if you can just accept that fact that you are different if will help tremendously. It won’t always be easy it never is.