My Alterhumanity
Alterhumanity and kin culture is, and has been, a large part of both my life and identity. I have identified as a therian for a while now, and have since added on several otherkin microlabels.
I identify as non-human physically and psychologically- though the strengths can depend on the day and the kintype. Not all of them are physical but they all are psychological. My physical alterhumanity ebbs and flows, some days I feel more human, and others less so. It's quite similar to my trans identity. Gender dysphoria is worse for me some days. My species dysphoria is like that as well. But, in general, I feel non-human more days than not.
I am aware that I am biologically, human. My blood is as human as yours is, and the next guy, and the next. But I myself am not physically human. I am a bird, I have feathers lining my skin, my claws are there, and I have a beak. Even if the DNA coded into my skin and bone say I'm human, I am not. I apologize if this doesn't make sense; it's not meant to for anyone other than myself.
My experiences may be seen as transspecies, but I don't use the label on myself personally.
I, admittedly, have quite a few kintypes. I blame my absolutely awful sense of self. It's hard to see myself as just one thing. All of my kintypes are me, all at once, forever. My body does feel too small for myself, though. I'm not entirely sure if this is because of my multiple kintypes or because of the larger nature of some of my types.
My alterhumanity also ties into my plurality. For example, one of us is a stoat therian, seperate from the others. Another one of us formed from a kintype into their own person. It is occasionally difficult to tell the difference between a headmate and a kintype, but I do my best :')
I do not list everything because my types are very fluid.
FYI, I am not good at explaining things. Some of my written experiences may be seen as "fake" because some types I just see as myself, and I identify fully as them. Some of them sometimes fade- or I might be wrong about them. It happens. A disappearance of a type does not flag me as a "faker". Change is normal and okay. Being wrong about a type, is okay!
Remember, fakeclaiming hurts not just the fakeclaimee, but the community as a whole.
Shapeshifting
I identify as a shapeshifter, due to the fluidity of my types. I identify specifically as a shapeshifter because I have types that persist, which are explained below. It also matches my experiences because being plural affects my identity, and no type that sticks will ever stick forever. Each individual shift feels like a cameo shift - but more personal, more real, and last longer than one. I've experienced shorter shifts as specific animals my entire existence as a therian.
Sometimes, knowing that my identity will never stay the same makes me a bit sad. However, viewing myself as a being that can truly be anything- it does feel freeing, in a way. Despite knowing that I never will be a physical shapeshifter due to real life limitations, knowing myself as a flexible being such as that has made me understand my alterhumanity better.
This identity mostly affects my therianthropy and phytanthropy. Rarely does it affect me being a fictionkin and never does it affect my objectype.
I also believe that being a shapeshifter ties into my gender identity; as I am genderflux. I have not seen patterns within my kintypes and gender identity outside of headmates fronting, but it makes sense that it would be fluid- like a lot of other aspects of myself.
(Omni, Clado, and Poly)Therianthropy
I use the terms omnitherian, cladotherian, and polytherian on myself.
As for omnitherianthropy, I feel like I can identify easily as or with any animal here on Earth. I feel an innate connection to Mother Nature's cycles, rather than being outside of it like many humans do. I feel a connection to some more than others- and that connection can depend on which headmate is fronting- but overall I use the label because it fits my experiences well. This includes extinct animals and sometimes extends to fictional species, but rarely.
I specifically use the term cladotherian to describe my bird cladotheriotype, but sometimes I also use it to describe any group of species that are stronger than my more general omnitheriotype. Occasionally it's mammals, reptiles, or others.
I use polytherian on myself as well because I- and our system- have multiple theriotypes, to put it simply.
Therianthropy is an important part of myself, and who I am, and is the most important alterhuman identity to me. I plan on making various types of gear- but when you never have the same theriotype as you did yesterday, it becomes difficult to know what species to make, haha. I know you don't need gear to be a therian but it helps with species dysphoria.
Birds
Birds are the one theriotype that encompass everyone in our system; some of us feel closer to certain ones, but overall, we are a bird cladotherian system. Hence, our system name: The Birdhouse Collective, as well as our collective name Birdhouse. The following experiences are attributed to the host only, Cody.
The first shift that I truly remember is a dream shift. I was a red tailed hawk, flying through large city, sort of like liminal space. I didn't know what a therian was at the time but I rarely dream, so it stuck out to me a lot. I don't know the exact timeline but I later started identifying as a red tailed hawk therian (as well as a cat and a deer, but I was young, and was a bit too confident about it. they've faded by now).
Even before this shift, I had frequently watched birds and feel jealous. I was supposed to feel up there in the sky with them. This is likely a thing that a lot of people feel, but when paired with my therianthropy, it feels significant. Another significant shift was a very strong beak shift while I was watching Stranger Things. It was scarily real. I don't get shifts like that often.
I had identified as solely a red tailed hawk for a couple years, but started identifying as a bird cladotherian when my bird identity started to feel more general. Occasionally I still ID as a hawk specifically due to its continued strength and presence as myself.
Sometimes I get bird shifts were I walk around and move my head like how you'd imagine a bird moving its head. I don't do bird quads because they hurt my ankles but I do like wearing flannels without buttoning them up and letting them flow in the wind, as it reminds me of a bird's tail and wings.
Our Rocket fictive is a harpy eagle, specifically.
Border Collie
Border collies are a type only pertaining to the system host, Cody; and outside of birds, it is the only one of his that feel seperate from the shapeshifting identity. The following is written by him and are soley his experiences.
My border collie type has also been here awhile, but not as long as my bird one. It was a sort of... denial, I'm not sure. But I viewed myself as a dog and called myself a dog kemonimimi, but eventually I realized it was a theriotype. It was a quick kinfirm for me because of that.
I've had dog like shifts for awhile, but I never really saw them as that because it took me awhile to actually consider it a theriotype. I vividly remember being allowed outside during school and I would pace in place and beg my friends to go play with me and run with me. I still have those shifts but they were stronger during that period because 1. I was younger and less tired all the time, 2. friends make me a bit more hyper, and 3. I haven't been on a field that big in years.
I also have the tendency to shake my left foot, and it was always registered in my mind as "tail wagging". It was quite obvious (to me at least) that I was a dog therian.
I don't know why it's the border collie I identify as, but of all dog breeds, it's the most "me". I also sometimes get herding instincts. Typically I represent myself as a black and white collie other than other colors, but I'm not completely sure if that is correct. I can only assume it is until I get something that says otherwise.
I had picked out my name Cody before I identified as colliekin, and I remember being very species euphoric when I realized that Cody is a relatively popular name for border collies.
My main fursona is based off of my colliekin.
Phytanthropy
I have not identified as a phytanthrope (or plantkin) nearly as long as I have identified as a therian, but it is easily the second most important identity to me, a close second to my therianthropy. I individually identify as a hairy lip fern, but I feel like all other plants, similar to my omnitherianthropy. I am unsure if there is a plantkin version of the term.
Overall I could also consider myself a cladokin of all ferns, but the hairy lip fern is specifically me. However I can easily go outside, find a fern bush, and easily look at it and imagine myself as it, as ferns are me.
Someday I hope to have my house absolutely full of house plants, as to me, I would be surrounding myself with my kin, my family. I am on the same level as my plants. Not in a dehumanizing way, necessarily, but because I see myself on equal playing ground to all living things as I identify with all of them, both plant and animal.
I have a philodendron named Macaroni who I view as my brother, and a tree in my yard that I call Mother.
Objectkin
I feel my objectkin considerately less often than my other types, and I blame it on my plane autism. I specifically identify was the Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the Boeing T-7 Red Hawk. I don't know why. But those planes are me.
The types themselves are far less strong than my phytanthrope and therianthrope kins, and I don't get shifts the same way, but occasionally I view my skin as metal and I get extremely jealous when I see planes flying through the air, because I should be that vessel. I belong up there.
This type could also be related to my bird cladotheriotype because they both have to do with flying.
Fictionkin
My fictiontypes are strong, and usually coincide with my hyperfixations, but less "serious" than my other types. Cody (the system host) identifies as a Stan Marsh, Fan II, and Silver the Hedgehog fictionkin. The others in the system that use the term are fictives that also see themselves as fictionkins because they do, indeed, identify as the characters, as canon-divergent as they may be.
I identified as a Rocket (Phighting!) fictionkin before I knew I was plural, and it turns out he was a fictive, not one of my kins. The same went for Fern from Adventure Time except that was after we knew we were plural.