Such is my song for a young kin.

•The Otherkind of Color Alliance, A Safe Place for Alterhumans of Color•

•Greetings! The Otherkind of Color Alliance is a fluxer server meant for alterhumans of color to share their experiences with both humanity and nonhumanity in a safe, non-judgmental space! This is also the off season server for the Sacred Skies online convention. In a predominantly white community, it can be really difficult for alterhumans of color to make connections when we are so fragmented and underrepresented. The purpose of this server is to create a safe space for people of color to speak without fear of racism or discrimination. All people of color are welcome to join this server, regardless of whether they identify as alterhuman or not! We want to foster a safe and accepting environment here!

•FAQ's About This Space•

•Why choose fluxer?

•In light of discord's vile digital ID update and legalized spyware, we have chosen to move to fluxer, which is a privacy based platform that values your privacy. Discord now threatens to send information to ICE and governments that want to constantly watch you, fluxer does not. Discord is no longer a safe platform for anyone. <•>

•Can white people join this space?

•No. Even if you are a genuine ally, this space is only for people of color. It is very rare for us to have a space of our own, and we want to keep this space that way for the comfort of all our members. It is nothing against you by any means. If a bodily white person is caught in our space, they will be banned without question.

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•I am a genuine ally of people of color? Why am I barred from joining?

•There are multiple reasons. I and all the other folks in this community have nothing against genuine allies of people of color, though having our own space where there is not even a sliver of a chance of experiencing racism or white ignorance, unintentional or not, is the goal I aim for.

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•Are mixed race people of color allowed to join?

•Yes! I myself am a mixed race person of color, like I stated before, we welcome all people of color in this server and we do not wish to exclude anyone from this space and its positivity!

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•Can I join if I am non-white, though do not consider myself a person of color?

•Yes! We welcome all non white folks to join this server! You do not have to fall under the label of poc or identify yourself as such! We do not want to exclude any non white folks from joining because they don't feel they fall under the label of poc.

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•Can I join if I am white and 1/12th native?

•No. There are all manner of reasons why claiming yourself as a person of color when you have so little non-white heritage is racist and problematic. It is an attempt to deflect white privilege and take an identity from a distant family member who you would never have the lived experiences of. We do not encourage the ignorance of or attempts to deflect one's white privilege.

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•Can I join if I am a white passing person of color?

•Yes! Like I stated before, we welcome all people of color in this server! We do not want to exclude anyone from this server based on appearance. We just highly recommend that white passing individuals recognize that there is privilege that comes with being white passing. <•> I can't access fluxer in my region, what do I do? •Certain states and countries have blocked access to fluxer because of new laws attacking digital privacy and promoting digital ID (which leads to a police state). Using a VPN to bypass region blocks is the best way to go. ProtonVPN is a free VPN that you can use.

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•Feel free to join our community! We are a friendly bunch and are always looking forward to having new folks pop in to our community to share their views and have conversation! If you have any other questions about this space that were not answered above, feel free to DM my being! ^.=.^

"On Being a Mule of the World: Reflections on Race, Gender, and Species Transition" is the latest nonfiction essay from ANIMAL by @liondrakes ☀️ "'Mare' doesn't hold the same meaning to me as it does to most people. Usually, folks think of a female horse when they think of the term. That much is true from a technical standpoint, but sex isn't the reason why I consider myself as a mare. For me, it is the social implications of the term that make me feel comfortable with using it. I'm not an equestrian, but I know there's no shortage of horse owners, riders, trainers, etc. who treat fillies and mares as if they're from an entirely different planet than colts and stallions. Despite being a construct of human society, misogyny is capable of affecting any species one can think of. Oftentimes, mares are portrayed as bitchy, irritable, aggressive and harder to manage than stallions. Although I'm aggravated by this mindset, I also see myself in mares because of it." Read the full essay on our website:

Walking through alleyways, taking shortcuts into overgrown empty lots, strolling into a claustrophobic corner store for a small break from the summer heat by the drink fridge. Learning the best bus routes to avoid the tourist crowds, getting to know the subway schedule by heart.

Coyote loves sitting in a quiet shady corner of a busy park and eating a greasy sandwich from the local shop for lunch, and coyote kind of likes the smell of beer and sweat and other bodily fluids that wafts out of busy bars on summer nights. Coyote watches hungrily when the rabbits are out nibbling on people's gardens in the early mornings, and coyote quietly protests every rat not chased when they scurry along the sidewalk at night. Coyote wants ice cream for dinner even when its vegan and teriyaki for dessert even when its been in the fridge for a day (or two) too long, and coyote wishes he had just a little bit less impulse control at the farmers market when the fresh fish are out.

Maybe this is part of why I don't draw as strong a delineation between human and animal as some therians do, nor reject humanity as strongly as some do. The coyote in me is animal and yet delights in humanity, wants to sniff around and make a practical home in the margins beneath blackberry brambles and concrete rather than dream fruitlessly of an idealized life in human-untouched wilderness. The wilderness doesn't have teriyaki.

Of course, I love “the wilderness” too, but I recognize how much the idea of wilderness is a constructed concept that's, paradoxically, deeply wrapped up in human perception. So many “untouched” places have been stewarded by human hands for thousands of years. So many wilderness documentaries of far off lands are a camera behind which sits an extensive film crew and bustling roads and towns full of human life.

Daemonism is a practice. The concept of it can be used by anyone: alterhuman or not, plural or not. It can be pure playfulness. It can be imaginary, and that's okay! That's a beautiful experience in its own respect!

There's no universal daemian experience because we accept and embrace that our minds, and our experiences, are ours alone.

The community isn't built on a shared experience – just a shared idea which we all create unique versions of.

Some people stick closer to the basic idea we started with. Some just take what they like from it and throw out the rest. Some only take vague inspiration from it. Some people adapt it more than others, sometimes due to being neurodivergent, plural, and/or alterhuman.

It's still daemonism because daemonism isn't defined by us all "doing the same thing" or "having the same experience".

Daemonism is, for the most part, defined by a person deciding that they want to call what they are doing or experiencing daemonism.

And a large part of that is often in connection to the community, whether directly or in a peripheral way, by taking inspiration from the practice, making use of the community's writings, and so on.

This is why I think daemonism is often misunderstood in an alterhuman context. Daemonism is not an experience, it's not an identity – it's just an idea we each take and make our own. And that's what it should be. That's the beauty of it!

Anyone could be a daemian if they want to. There's no requirements. A lot of people get started with daemonism purely because it sounds fun! A lot of people start with only their imagination, and many people remain so.

For others, it might become something else in time, or they might discover there was something underlying their imaginings all along. It's no more or less a practice of daemonism, either way.

A lot of alterhuman concepts don't apply to daemonism because of this. Fact is, there's plenty of daemians who are orthohumans too, and plenty of people who specifically see their daemonism as an orthohuman practice.

I see it get included under the alterhuman umbrella a lot, and I feel like it gives the wrong first impression to come at it from that angle by default.

Really, it's more comparable with being a furry. For some people, it is a deep, impactful, life-altering experience, and the people who feel that way are a vital part of the community. But equally, for some it is an exercise in whimsy, playfulness, or creativity – and those people are no less members of the community for it.

We're not united by being plural, or having thoughtforms, or being alterhuman. We're united by being a bunch of people who were inspired by some books (or a film or TV show) to play around with the idea of daemons, and ended up sticking with it for one reason or another.

Something that is a constant point of talk in the Alterhuman community is "Where are the Elders at?" "Why don't Elders post as much anymore?"

And as someone who's been in the community for over 10 years now, I distinctly remember thinking "Hah, that'll never be me. I love posting about my alterhumanity" But low and behold, I've kinda fallen off from posting daily. Heck its a miracle if I make a post once a month! Sure I lurk around the tags and forums. I'm active in the comments at least. But I've definitely noticed my presence in the community falling to the back burner.

So I'm calling all "Elders" and "Greymuzzles"

Go ahead and pick a couple of questions from the following and answer them (or answer them all, I'm not a cop) vvvvvv

What are some ways that you still struggle with Alterhumanity?

What are some Alterhuman Success stories you have? (Whether it be finding a neat hack for dealing with species dysphoria or a fun affirming encounter you had such as coming out to a friend)

What are some lessons that you've learned after all these years?

What are some writings that you've done that you think are still relevant now? (feel free to link to them!)

What are some major differences in what the community was like when you discovered it vs how it is now?

How did you deal with the "Hype" of discovering your Alterhumanity wearing off?

1. I still struggle a lot with my alterhumanity namely in that I feel like I'm acting too human a lot of times! While I believe myself to be nonhuman down to a physical level, the fact that I still have to walk around mimicking a human routine and doing human actions can be pretty distressing. I catch myself feeling and thinking "I'm not even a human I shouldn't have to do this I could just run away right now." quite often, but less so than I did when I was in my teens. Especially early teens.

There is also an ever present worry that I've made it all up even though I've been reminded again and again by everything about my life that I absolutely am not. I don't know if it will go away, but it's gotten much easier to ignore.

2. This is more of an Adult Money Can Be Used For Goods And Services type deal but I got a human sized dog bed and set myself up a den with a nest inside of it beneath my bed so that I have a comfortable, dark, and cozy place to relax and hide away when I'm feeling stressed out and unable to function around others. My roommate very much so understands as he is a dog in some way, and so he's very supportive overall of my lack of human behavior and need for space.

3. Don't worry about it. It's very basic advice but it's the one I stick to the most closely. Constant worry and examination of your own identity will only lead to more doubt and distress in the long run. While I do participate in a bit of discourse from time to time and generally encourage people to use the correct definitions and terminology, I am not the identity and microlabel police. If that's what works for you, good on you, but please don't feel pressured to attempt to label and explain away every aspect of your identity. Also, Write. Please write. I already have a whole post detailing this but please write about your experiences. We lose out on hearing the voices of our whole community if they refuse to speak.

4. My neocities holds all my essays I think are relevant and some that are outdated but I keep up for posterity and archival reasons. I actively encourage anyone who may read this to keep a Neocities, Dreamwidth, Strawpage, Carrd.co, etc. About themselves.

5. In a way I feel the community now is both more open and less policed/harshly restrictive towards new members. I remember the 2000-2010s Period in which every new member was holding up Thorn of Therian Territory as their primary source of advice and the older community had reactively closed off in response to the very unflattering and rude portrayal of Naia Ōkami in the documentary she featured in as well as the rise of "therian" documentaries that depicted our community as being weird and cringe which in turn encouraged folks on tumblr to begin making otherkin and therian cringe posts. (Take this with a grain of salt. I was born in the early 2000s. I mostly experienced the 2010s aspect of this which had a huge uptick in bullying over youtube.)

We were policing the community out of a need to protect our own. And while there is certainly less now, I think we may fall back into a level of gatekeeping with the uptick of bullying on tiktok and us being present in the news now. I don't think we'll ever be allowed the same level of privacy and secrecy that we once had again, but I fear we may repeat ourselves out of perceived necessity.

I enjoy, genuinely, how open this community is. But between the misuse of terminology that's been around for ages, the attempted re-coining of some terms by certain individuals or the coining of new terms for experiences we already have words for (ie. The whole "Faunaluna" situation that went down on Tiktok late last year/earlier this year.) or the rise in folks claiming others are "larping" their alterhumanity, I think we may backslide into restrictive attitudes again if we cannot handle these with grace.

6. All that was exciting will eventually become mundane. I did feel disappointment and disconnect after the "wow" of discovering my alterhumanity wore off, but through keeping up with myself(selves) and engaging with my nonhumanity in little ways each day I've been able to keep that connection. Through how I dress, speak, act, eat, make art, etc. This is how I stay connected.

I also remind myself (and others) that it is well ant truly ok to feel disconnected some days. It will happen. Be gentle and kind to yourself.

7. I think from our newest generation I've rediscovered a bit of the spark I used to have back around when I was a similar age. Which again, not very long ago, but so much has changed. The emphasis on gear and masks and quads especially, and I do love the crafty part of our community.

Created by Paradox on the Shifters Hideout Amino Community. 2019.

“Phantom limbs are limbs or parts of a person’s body that are not physically there. A person with phantom limb syndrome is usually aware that their limb is not physically there anymore and that they lack it, yet they may still feel sensations arising from it. Some feel discomfort from having them, while others feel outright pain and distress from having them. Different groups claim to experience them, including and sometimes most notably otherkin and therians, where their limbs are an expression of a nonhuman form. How can someone feel a limb they’ve never had before?

Their phantoms limbs are part of a wider phenomenon called supernumerary phantom limbs (as opposed to regular phantom limbs, which appear after someone loses a physical limb). Supernumerary phantom limbs are phantom limbs that appear on a body that has never had them before. The cause varies with no clear answer as of yet, but it is generally believed to be caused by abnormal brain activity.

Transgender people of all kinds also experience phantom limbs, usually in the form of the parts they lack (this can be a part of gender dysphoria, or contribute to it.) The limbs may often attempt to sync up with the physical body, and act and move as if they were physically there. They are quite common, with more than half of all transgender people reporting the experience at some point in their lives.

In the non-human community supernumary phantom limbs are a common experience. There is probably a difference between those who claim to be able to experience limbs easily and temporarily, and those who claim to have permanent phantom limbs that can cause issues or distress. Most phantom limbs appear naturally without prompting, however there are a select few that seek to induce these limbs. Like other phantom limbs, they can be moved, felt, experience pain and discomfort, and feel physically present.

It is possible to induce some phantom limbs, which usually come about by way of mindset shifting, spiritual shapeshifting, and other practices. Those who experience these sorts of limbs in this manner often do so temporarily, as a part of a practice, simple interest or to “experience” the world as another being.This is sometimes caused by an outside or internal entity with their own self-identity, such as a spirit guide or totem, and may be part of a shapeshifting ritual.These induced limbs can become uncomfortable though if they’re not in accordance with how a person identifies, in some cases.

Which leads to people who don't believe in magic, who are just minding their own business talking about how they believe things to work, not going after any individual and saying their spirtual beleif is wrong, being told they are a bad person and pathologizing and medicalizing and invalidating other peoples beleifs, just because they dont couch everything with "and also a spiritual origin is possible!" when they literally *dont* believe it is possible.

People with spiritual beleifs can sit on a high horse that they never disagree with anyone about their origins because other peoples origin beleifs do not conflict with their world view, while those who beleive in psychological origins and do not beleive in magic do not have this luxary and we get harassed for this. I have seen people say the community no longer has a psychological and spiritual divide and that is just not true for those of us who are strictly psychological and dont beleive in magic as well. There is a divide, we just dont feel safe talking about our experiences because we will get fucking yelled at.

Link: The Ethical Circus

The Ethical Circus is an 18＋ safe space for weirdos to be open about their identities․ Alterhumans‚ Otherkin‚ Fictionfolk‚ Plural Systems‚ Therians‚ Age Regressors‚ Queer and Kinky people are all protected․ Come play games and chat with usǃ

This is the discord server for The Ethical Circus VRChat group!

Here is a place where we can socialize with the circus troupe between instances.

Even if you only play VRChat a little bit or are just curious about it, feel free to join! It is mainly a place to find people to VRChat with who are welcoming, but it is also a community and you are welcome to join still if the primary place you want to talk is the discord.