Something Quick For Therianthropy Day :3

shameless self promo time im attempting to post therian content on tiktok more yall should like, totally go check me out ngl 👀👀

[ID: A set of four symbols, two black and two white. It depicts a small circle with a dot in the middle and two small lines coming off of it. It is surrounded by a diamond. In the top images, a circle surrounds the diamond at the end, while on the bottom, the circle is smaller and links together with the diamond from behind. End ID]

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Nonhuman Symbol

This is my proposal for a nonhuman symbol; for people who identify as nonhuman in any sense. I couldn't personally decide which version I preferred, with the outer circle on the end or linked with the diamond, so I went with both.

The symbol is meant to represent many varieties of nonhumanity, and include different experiences and communities within it:

The outermost circle represents nonhumanity as a whole- the broad nonhuman community in which anyone can be included, and one's personal experiences with nonhumanity.

The inner circle with a dot represents those with psychological experiences of some kind, as it resembles the disability sun. Not just those with psychological origins- it is for anyone with psychological experiences, or something similar.

The two lines protruding out represent external experiences, such as spiritual, metaphysical, or otherwise outside experiences. This, too, represents anyone with these experiences, not just someone's origins.

The diamond represents multiple things: It can represent one's body, whether it be their physical one or otherwise, it can represent one's personhood and sense of nonhuman identity, and it can represent those who feel a desire to have a nonhuman body / nonhuman body parts, those who already have them (such as in headspace), those who have phantom limbs or otherwise, and so on. It is also a vague homage to the term aldernic.

Anybody who considers themself nonhuman, regardless of why they are nonhuman or in what way, may use this symbol for what they'd like. This includes subterms, such as ahuman.

Do not put discourse on this post.

EDIT: I merged the two symbols together, and I got these:

[ID: A set of two symbols, one black and one white. It depicts a small circle with a dot in the middle and two small lines coming off of it. It is surrounded by a diamond. There is a ring behind the diamond, and then another ring at the very edges of the diamond. End ID]

And I really love them. So I'm going to add these as yet another version of the symbol.

So How Do I Know if I’m Nonhuman?

Disclaimer: This post is largely targeted toward those who experience or are questioning nonhumanity in a non-physical way, such as therian, otherkin, and some nonhuman alter experiences, as that is the realm I have the most knowledge on. Please keep this in mind going forward.

I’ve been in the alterhuman/therian/nonhuman communities for *checks watch* eight years now, give or take. I’m very confident in my identity as a dog, and I live my life as a dog in a human body every day. I’m very open about it with people in my life. I’m just always like this.

I get asked a lot— in my DMs, in my asks, personally by people I know— how to know if you’re nonhuman.

Unfortunately I do not have an easy answer for that. Finding out you’re nonhuman, and being comfortable with that identity, is a long, confusing process for most. There are so many ways to experience nonhumanity, and a lot of people will tell you narrow definitions based on what their experience looks like.

My experience with finding out I was nonhuman is messy and long, and it took me several years to get as comfortable and as confident in my identity as I am. I know that’s not an answer people like to hear. I know how hard it is to just think “This will take time” and be cool with that.

So I think my biggest piece of advice would be: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t be afraid to get it wrong.

There have been times where I’ve thought I was a wolf, a rabbit, a fox, a dragon, a husky, a bear, all kinds of things, before I finally figured out the right answer for me. I only have one theriotype. My theriotype is psychological and trauma-induced in nature. Yours might not be. You will very likely not experience nonhumanity in the exact same way as anyone else. That’s why it’s so confusing. That’s why it takes so long to understand your own journey.

Look dude. Get the gear you like. Do what makes you feel species euphoric. If you’re so worried about “faking” your nonhuman identity, chances are you’re not. Also? I personally wouldn’t care if someone who identified as nonhuman later retracted that identity, and I don’t know anyone who would care either.

If labeling yourself as some kind of nonhuman feels right to you right now, that’s okay. Your ‘types may change and grow overtime, you may feel more or less connected with them, that is all okay. Experience nonhumanity in a way that works for you right now. There’s not one way to know if you’re nonhuman. But I’d say if the community and the label is right for you, you’ll stay with it, and you’ll be more confident in it over time. And if it isn’t, that’s okay too.

being fictionkin and proship at the same time gotta be the single biggest contradiction ever

Wolfblood

Augusti~

Otherlink is valid, "chosen therians" are not.

The definition of therianthropy is that it must be involuntary on some level. That's literally like, the basic principle the identity is founded upon. I am absolutely not one for label policing, but that is main core experience of therianthropy. Saying you're "chosen therian" is the equivalent of saying you're "chosen transgender" or "chosen neurodivergent", and what exactly does that start to sound an awful lot like?

cough cough transid cough

"Chosen therians" are super not welcome here lol, please stop misusing our terminology to make yourself feel like part of a community you have no experience truly being part of. I promise you being otherlink is just as awesome.

Sincerely, a therian and otherlinker <3

( p.s. I would also just like to throw it out there that the inventor of the term "chosen therian" ((cwaligo / dxq.therian)) is a 22 year old who owns a discord server full of predominantly 11-15 year olds who frequently romanticize and give each other tips on how to self harm and develop eating disorders, I wish I was kidding, I was briefly in it and reported a solid ten accounts for being under 13 and/or promoting dangerous behaviors before I got banned. So uh yeah.)

Physical therians are valid,

Chosen therians are valid,

Mentally ill therians are valid,

Delusional therians are valid,

Traumatized therians are valid,

And all of you need to SHUT THE FUCK UP about them before I start making blocklists of your pathetic asses.

You know what? I’m not physically or psychologically nonhuman. I’m paradoxically nonhuman— both and neither. I am Schrödinger’s cat if the box could never be opened and the cat could not die to anything but the poison. Fuck you. Fuck your binary.

born to howl at the full moon every month, forced to not get animal control called on me by the neighbors

A little poster we whipped up, based on some banter with friends