A Comforting Thought

hey, hey alterhuman community. just created this page so would love to find new friends and connections around ya'all.

angelkins, godkins, starkins, spasekins, faerykins and others, let's get to know each other and exchange experiences. let's have some fun!

As a star, I adhere to the following principles established by our community:

1. Never disclose anyone else's secrets, no matter the circumstances.

2. Listen to and appreciate all stories shared with me.

3. Support others in realizing their dreams.

4. Refrain from directly influencing human affairs; avoid involvement in wars and revolutions unless they align with star philosophy.

5. Do not worship any deities, bow to rulers or kings, or pledge allegiance to nations.

6. Avoid giving direct advice to people and refrain from sharing star secrets.

7. Do not call yourself a deity, though offering symbolic assistance to a chosen individual is acceptable.

8. Maintain neutrality towards all nations and folks; treat everyone equally and avoid favoritism.

9. Preserve the memory of all cultures and ensure that no one is forgotten.

10. Respect diverse ideas, even those that challenge your own beliefs.

I have broken some of these rules, which is why I find myself on Earth!

Hello Wolf!

we would like to request a moodboard if you’d be so kind as to make us one

we would like coyote, gray cat and falcon as the theriotypes with a forest and dark brown and cream theme.

thank you and we deeply appreciate you, take as much time as you might need

-🕊

💚💚💚

hey, its been a while! how are y'all doing? let's chat a bit.

btw I'm thankful for all your likes and reposts. you are the best. 🖤

(Non)Humanity and Species Dysphoria: the Forced Transformation Trope

Written by Gavin on August 25, 2024.

As a nonhuman, do you ever think about why there's so many stories and myths and legends about humans being turned into animals? You ever wonder why it's usually a punishment or a curse, or why the characters try to do whatever it takes to become human again? You ever think, "I don't understand, I would love to be an animal and get rid of my human body, what's the problem?"

As a human myself, one whose system has been in the alterhuman community for years, I hope I can help bridge the gap of understanding here.

The way many humans see being turned into an animal as a curse, the way they'd be incredibly distressed about becoming nonhuman?

That is species dysphoria.

That is a human experiencing species dysphoria, because being perceived as nonhuman or other-than-human causes the exact same feelings of pain and wrongness and disconnection from their body that a nonhuman can experience when perceived as human.

(Particularly, this might be an orthohuman, someone who has a normative relationship with their human cultural and species identity, as opposed to an alterhuman, who experiences alternative/nonnormative humanity or a species identity separate from humanity. Human alterhumans can also experience this sort of species dysphoria - hi, I'm one of them.)

Imagine being your species your entire life, the way you know you're intended to be, living in a body you're comfortable in - and then having that body ripped away from you. Being forced to live in a form that doesn't match who you are, what you know you are, and desperately wanting to find a way to change back because you know you're not meant to be like this.

If this sounds familiar because it's what you experience as a nonhuman - that is how a lot of human beings feel about being transformed into something nonhuman. It's the feeling of being the wrong species! It's the desire to return to the form that you know as yourself!

The fact that orthohumans are born into the species they identify as does not mean that they could never comprehend your nonhuman experience. You can explain your nonhuman species dysphoria to an orthohuman. Given all the examples of unwanted transformation stories throughout human history, I think you're likely to find that they'll understand when you put it in that frame of reference.

"How would you feel about being turned into another species against your will, leaving behind everything that feels good and right and comfortable about your human body? That sounds horrible, right? That's how I feel, being nonhuman in a human body, and it's distressing in the same way you would hate being human and stuck in a nonhuman body."

I know that the gap between humanity and nonhumanity looks enormous. The horror of, say, werewolf mythology looks like a completely alien experience when you are a wolf, so you see being transformed into a wolf as nothing short of a wonderful experience, and you don't understand why anyone would see it as horrifying.

But if you understand that it's not about the species, but the experience of species dysphoria, of being trapped in a body that has never been yours and desperately trying to return to one that feels like you, well - that's a lot more understandable, isn't it?

Humanity and nonhumanity are not two opposite ends of a binary, destined to never understand each other. I know many alterhumans who are both human and nonhuman, and their humanity is an identity in much the same way as their nonhumanity. Humans are just another species on this planet, as bipedal tool-using social primates, and we have our species identities just like many nonhumans. You are not as alone in this world as you might think you are.

There is room for understanding and connection. Your experiences as nonhuman are not purely individual, not wholly unique, not utterly incomprehensible to human beings, and this is a good thing. The gap isn't actually as wide as it seems. You can reach out and cross it if you just remember - you have far more in common than you might think.

I make moodboards in order of the queue, thank you for your orders and politeness. I do not write anything under moodboards just to preserve the aesthetics of the work. I can also add facts about your kin(if it's an animal, for example) or quotes, just tell me if you would like to.

Space Window, Washington National Cathedral

Howdy and welcome from one stary wolf to another. Out of curiosity when visualizing your homestead/mind scape (if you do) what do you see? What is your sky like? Mine is usually full of galaxies and nebulas and this raging lightning storm.

Oh, thank you! I'm so happy to know that I'm not alone! I feel connected to everyone who has anything to do with space. Especially, you are also a wolf! I'm very curious to know more about you. Was you a constellation? Or are you a type of space creature?

To answer your question, I must say that my home was unique and beautiful. I can definitely say that I could see several uninhabited planets, one of which also had rings! Relatively close to me there was a supergiant star, it's light eclipsed the light of other stars, but nevertheless I was surrounded by them. I could see asteroids, intergalactic stars and dust clouds. of course, I could see other galaxies. Many people believe that space is incredibly dull and uneventful. However, the space around me was constantly changing, and I found it fascinating to observe.

If you are a pagan devoted to a deity, please live.

Continue writing about them, please keep saying their names. Please keep worshiping them. If you can’t find the strength within yourself to live for yourself, please try to live for them.

I know it’s getting scary. I think it’s going to get scarier. But please, if nothing else. Live.

Thousands of years, hundreds of genocides and crusades and decimation of culture, and yet somehow my Lords still have followers. Somehow I’ve found them. Somehow these names still have meaning. Through all of us they still remain.

Despite the efforts of centuries of suppression and control, My Lord is still alive, because I am alive.

In our fringe little cults, even when we must whisper because we cannot scream.

and maybe one day we’ll be free to frolic in fields or dance in forests while we chant without fear.

but for now, just live. Please.