recently, use language around "experience" more than language around "belief".

this come from conversation that @astral-actias on tumblr start.

he describe consensus and specific reality: consensus is what "everyone share", sort of, and specific is each person experience.
consensus reality come from general average with things like religion, location and culture, thoughts and feelings... so on.
each specific reality can, but not need, match this. specific realities can and often do also contradict each other.

take video game for example.
everyone play same game, but with different clients and mods. one person see faery here, another one see kami, and another still see nothing at all. no one wrong about game: game do contain all these contradict experiences, with everyone tap into different client, different version.
there is as much game without supernatural creatures as any game with. no experience more whole and complete than others.

in this way... that means "believe" language little silly. this not believe as in "no proof" or "only one client really show truth."
to people in each client, experiences fully real, not just belief or feeling.
even if not line up with others.
even if others have different experiences, experiences without.
even if experiences similar, but not all same.
no one universally right, but no one wrong about personal experience either.

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and this means...?

to paraphrase, this not same as "faery exist for sure, but this person not able see."
and also not same as, "faery do not exist at all, but this person believe they see."

someone in rural mountains who spend days farm have different reality from someone who live in city with everything just quick drive away.
but farmer can not say cars do not exist for others, just because personally never drive.
and person in city can not say that mountains do not exist for others, just because personally live so far away.
neither fair to say that farmer "believe" in mountains, or person in city "believe" in cars. that silly, these things undoubt parts in their realities. whether or not in shared reality not most important part here.

important thing take away here is that stop try explain anyone else's reality, even just to self.
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the faery way

in world that shadow experience, faery exist - and can find anywhere, as faery born from and often protect aspects in nature. no matter what humans might think, nature everywhere. wind, water, rot, death.
but other faery themselves not have this experience. not meant protect, or not even come from earth.

not mean either secretly right about other. they not have purpose. most in our court do. nothing wrong with either.
slight tangent: think in large part not have much encounter with faery like these because both know not line up, that would not understand each other. so for most part, do only encounter those that "match." this different from experience that outright not exist, but think still worth mention.

we also not all follow same rules. these shape as much by individual realities as by whole faerykind. some rules common, but always at least one out there "break."
for example. our court can lie - but prefer not unless come down to life or death safety. lie feel like cheapen impact and talent behind our tricks.
but. some can not lie at all. not make anyone wrong.

so on. so forth. faerykind have many contradict things that true for some, false for others, and somewhere in between for others still. none wrong. daffodil divider

the same-different

some people will say, "maybe we look at same entity and just give different name and rules" - with everything from "minor" spirits to gods.
not think that totally impossible, but hate how for some people that default way deal with conflicts in experience.

shadow not in tune with kami plane or others, but faery plane. they go with faery rules - again of course, not all equally and not all even same rules - and if use anything at all, use faery names.
would not take so kindly if start refer and treat as kami while ignore their faery realities.

do also feel strange how that group together somewhat similar things from all over world and say "basically same," and start overstep boundary in tell others "truth" about their reality - which again include those entities themselves.
not doubt there entities that do take on different names and rules with different people - for good or for bad - but this just not true for every single one. daffodil divider

in short:

each person define and live in reality that might, or might not, match others.
each specific reality can contradict this "consensus," as well as each other. even if seem similar on surface.

for respect each other should not think about try explain other people's reality with ours. people not just believe in being faery, dragon, object or otherwise: these all part in reality they experience.
just as much, should respect if someone say they not experience faery, dragon, objects with souls or otherwise.
not experience is as much part in each reality as experience is.

dislike when people say "we see same entity but use different name," as this gloss over just how different each person understand and experience world, and try mix together many differences under one "universal truth." this also ignore those entities themselves and their realities.

and above all. be kind with each other.

one person's experience and reality can say nothing to invalidate anyone else's, simple as that.
not need understand or experience same to give respect.