The fabric of me snags against this reality.

If the community was anything like it was maybe twenty-ish years ago, I would’ve left. There’s far too many aspects of my alterhumanity that would’ve had me grilled, disrespected and harassed to hell and back. I’ve heard enough accounts from fictionkind who either saw this firsthand or shortly thereafter. Honestly, you don’t even need to go as far as twenty years ago when cases like Tirea Na’vi’s happened in 2010. Don’t even get me started on the community’s history with linking and the concept of choice-based experiences in general.

You can do the things that you see from our communities’ past. The current state of your community has never impeded you from doing that. I may not post my essays on Tumblr as much as I used to, but I still write them and post them to Dreamwidth!

You want forums? Join the Nonhuman National Park! You want to see more discussion and commentary on people’s experiences? Participate in conventions! Be it as staff, as a panelist or an attendee— make connections! Look into ways to safely organize in-person meet-ups and clubs! You want to see more art or other creative works from alterhumans? Boost artists in our community! Download our peers’ zines and games on Itch.io! Read our peers’ writings, whether it’s poetry, essays, short stories or ramblings! I know it feels nonexistent, but our community IS thriving and full of culture!

The schedule for Othercon 2026 is now available! While it is currently considered complete, some time slots may change as presenters make adjustments ahead of the con: https://othercon.zohobackstage.com/Othercon2026#/agenda

By default the timezone may be in UTC -05:00 (America/New York). On desktop/large screens this can be changed near the top of the schedule, right above where the days are selected. On mobile/small screens it can be changed by opening the side menu (the 3 bars in the top-left corner).

Aaaaannnd... The Queue!

It is now possible to enter the join queue for the con from our website here: https://othercon.org/

Being alterhuman does not mean you have some ~special ability~ to interact with wild animals.

DO NOT go touching/chasing/ generally messing with wildlife. You aren't special and you could harm those animals, or be harmed by them. Even small things like bugs can kill you. You aren't immune to rabies.

If you scare wild animals by chasing them for species euphoria or whatever, you can genuinly kill them. Birders have a term for when it happens to birds, its called a Dread Flight. When you unnecessarily scare a wild animal, you are causing it to waste energy it needs to survive. Wildlife can't afford to waste energy. You're enjoyment is NEVER worth disturbing wildlife.

You do not have the training to rescue wild animals just because you're alterhuman. If you don't have the actual training to resue wildlife and you genuinely find an animal in need of help, CALL A FUCKING WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER!!!! It isn't that hard to find the number for your local center and they'll tell you what to do, if anything, and help you if necessary.

I am a horse. I’ve ridden other horses before, albeit as a guest at a ranch within my area. For the times I’ve visited my kind and interacted with them, I’ve done so under clear instruction from those who regularly take care of them, train them and work with them.

At no point have I ever gone out of my way to interact with my kind under the assumption that I’m engaging with them from one species member to another. Nor have I engaged with them under the assumption that— because I too am a horse— I know what I’m doing. This is because I understand mindfulness is of utmost importance. Riding is a privilege, not a right. So is engaging with your local wildlife. Your behavior makes all the difference, and those consequences are often irreversible. Besides, OP already listed some pretty good reasons on why this matters.

I know folks like to get up close and personal with animals. Usually, it’s to pet them, take pictures or act out to get a reaction out of them if they feel emboldened enough. In my case, they won’t hesitate to do so without the animals, the trail boss or any other staff who work with these animals in mind, knowing damn well they don’t know these animals or their behaviors. Sometimes, these folks turn out okay but get a scolding. Sometimes, they go into full Karen Mode because the staff did their job by addressing their guests’ behavior. I’ve seen group members get kicked out because they had the bright idea of trying to sneak inside in the stables nearby. These are individual cases from the ranch near me and the trail rides I’ve been on.

Back when I went on trail rides, I didn’t make any sudden or overly touchy movements while being paired up with a horse. I’d also watch my volume once I was in proximity with my riding companion. Yes, I’m an animal like them but I’m still responsible for my own behavior. Inappropriate behavior could bring immense distress or harm the horse and even myself. The chances of an accident happening is never a guaranteed zero. Moreover, other horses aren’t going to assume I’m socializing with them as another horse. They’re going to assume I’m posing some kind of a threat to them or refusing to back off and act accordingly, which is something that many folks— in AND outside of this community— need to keep in mind. Entitlement to an animal’s space or existence is an issue that a lot of folks have, even if that’s not your intention! To you, it may not come off as entitlement because you’re doing something that brings you some kind of euphoria. Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re using another animal’s existence as an excuse to gratify yourself. That’s not okay.

I understand wanting to express your animality. I understand wanting to be recognized among your kind or among other animals in general. I get it, but you cannot jeopardize the wellbeing of your local wildlife and any other animals for your validation.

Being alterhuman does not mean you have some ~special ability~ to interact with wild animals.

DO NOT go touching/chasing/ generally messing with wildlife. You aren't special and you could harm those animals, or be harmed by them. Even small things like bugs can kill you. You aren't immune to rabies.

If you scare wild animals by chasing them for species euphoria or whatever, you can genuinly kill them. Birders have a term for when it happens to birds, its called a Dread Flight. When you unnecessarily scare a wild animal, you are causing it to waste energy it needs to survive. Wildlife can't afford to waste energy. You're enjoyment is NEVER worth disturbing wildlife.

You do not have the training to rescue wild animals just because you're alterhuman. If you don't have the actual training to resue wildlife and you genuinely find an animal in need of help, CALL A FUCKING WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER!!!! It isn't that hard to find the number for your local center and they'll tell you what to do, if anything, and help you if necessary.

It is something that is quite often repeated in therian spaces is the abundance of wolves in particular. Rather than doing the methode where a bunch of species are listed I am curious how close the community on average is to wolf.

Please select the closest common clade. If you do not have a nonhuman identity, please select the bottom result if you wish to see the results to avoid skewing the information. If you have multiple types select the closest (or most significant depending on your desire). If your type is not classified such as theriomythics, please select the Other option. If the type classification is unclear (i.e. certain ediacaran or similar ancient life) select which you think best fits.

Addendum: Please put domestic dogs until Canis for C. Familiaris even if modern taxonomy sets domestic dogs as subspecies of C. Lupus. Additionally if you are a cross species animal (i.e. Mule or Wolfdog) use the parent species closest to wolves. If additional edgecases are found, ping me in the replies.

Examples: Minke Whale (balaenoptera acutorostrata) - Mammalia, African Wild Dog (lycaon pictus) - Canidae, Common Tern (sterna hirundo) - Chordata, Pegasus - Mythical: Other, Silver Elf - Non-Terran: Other

Older alterhumans have just as much (if not sometimes more) capacity to be as biased and misinformed as any alterhuman younger than them. Age does not make wisdom, age does not dictate how worthwhile someone is to listen to.

It is worthwhile to approach someone who has more knowledge in a specific field, discipline, or craft than you and ask them for advice on that specific topic, but that's circumstantially based on what someone has actually done, not age. In this same way, age also does not make knowledge.

me: ah yes I love myself

me: *looks in mirror*