you have no option but to transgress

Approximate read time: 7 minutes.

By now I'm sure most of us have noticed the uptick in wolf therians identifying themselves using tracking collar IDs rather than names, alongside a few members of other species doing their equivalent. While tracking collar numbers do not resonate with me (as a werewolf, I would just take it off the next time I changed to human shape if that were to happen to me), they are a part of a general topic that interests me very much - wordless names.

A wordless name is, well, pretty much what it says on the tin. A name which contains no words. This is a concept that I think many alterhumans may find interesting, because it is a way to refer to yourself that is closer to the way that animals likely think of each other in some cases, or may simply be "dehumanizing" in others.

To talk about wordless names, we first have to think about what makes a name in the first place. Most naming conventions dictate that a name should be pronounceable, and be able to be written, usually using the standard alphabet of the name's language origin. However, that is not always the case, even in the human world. Lets look at some examples of human names outside of this framework, before we get into ideas for nonhuman ones.

A name does not have to be pronounceable:

Names spoken in sign language may never be verbally spoken, and yet these are very much names.

Names used online often include emojis and unpronounceable letter combinations, but we still understand them as names.

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol which also cannot be written in the standard alphabet.

A name does not have to be written:

Throughout history, there have been many oral cultures which had no written language, and yet members of these cultures certainly had names.

Even in cultures with written language, for most of history the majority of the population has been illiterate, meaning many people's names were never written, or may have been written with no standardized spelling at all.

If a name does not have to be spoken, pronounced, or written, then we are left with the idea that a name is any signifier that can be used to refer to you specifically. This includes aforementioned radio collar IDs, but it also includes one of my favorite kind of wordless names - tuponyms.

A tuponym is a pattern-name. A name which is formed by patterns unwritten, unpronounceable, and non-linguistic. Tuponyms were first conceptualized by Bluesky user GoopyPanther, in her zine "Tuponyms", which I highly recommend reading. Some examples of a tuponym included in the zine are:

The individual gait of an animal's stride. If you can recognize which of your family members is approaching your door based on the sound of their footsteps, you may already be familiar with this type of name.

The individual frequency emitted by a radio collar.

The pattern of light and color left by a flashing night-walking dog collar.

I myself have thought of a few more, such as the shape of the border of an animal's territory, the pattern of their markings, or the unique shape of their tracks. The possibilities are almost endless.

One unique example of this in the wild that we can confirm is used by animals is the pitch of a wolf's howl. Each individual wolf in a pack howls in a specific pitch which the pack can use to identify them, as well as to harmonize together. This association is so strong, that if a new wolf joins the pack who howls in a pitch that is already taken, they will have to change their howl to an unoccupied one.

Neither of the types of wordless name discussed so far touches on the most common animal name of all. though. This is, of course, scent. It belongs in a category of its own. Each individual creature carries its own unique scent, which not only names who they are, but also communicates how well they are doing, what they have been up to lately, and who they have been hanging out with. Scent is the most common method of naming and knowing in the animal kingdom, and, in some ways, is most similar to human writing. A scent message can be scrawled into the landscape, explicitly intended for use by others, and can also be a passive trace of a presence on the breeze. I will admit that I may be biased here as a canine, but scent speaks in volumes, and because of its powerful tie with memory, I think it makes a wonderfully rich name woven from memories of the creature bearing the scent.

The concept of a "signature scent" is nothing new, and with the rise in popularity of the miscecanis community, the concept of a personal scent is something that gets talked about in the alterhuman community fairly often, but I believe that scent as a name is taking things a step further. The difference between natural scent, like is being used by animals, and artificial scent, like is being chosen in the form of scent products to represent yourself, becomes a bit of a divide here. Though both are useful.

Even without your theriotype's nose, by paying attention to the natural scent of yourself and your loved ones, you can pretty quickly pick up on its identifying features, and even some of the other info I mentioned, like where they may have been, what they have been doing, and even some information about their health. I have gotten pretty good at noticing the changes in my mate's scent when he is having a bad mental health day, vs when he is feeling fine, for example. Much like a written letter from a loved one, natural scent can also be used to comfort you in their absence, cuddling with their blanket becomes a comforting name spoken sweetly.

Chosen scents like cologne and perfume also communicate a lot. Imagine you have no spoken name, and no chance to communicate verbally, yet you are trying to communicate to someone who you are and what you're about. What scents would you chose, and what would you hope that they say about you? This is something of a chosen name. One of the most unique ways that I have heard of chosen scents being used as a naming, was by a kinkster who spoke about how whenever he enters a new dynamic with a sub, he takes them to pick out a "scent collar" which they would wear during all scenes so that the scent of it would instantly put them into the right headspace for their dynamic. Eventually, this scent would be worn at all times as a completely invisible day collar.

All this to say, there are numerous ways that animals communicate identity and recognize each other, which are not traditional names. There are also lots of non-traditional name ways that humans recognize and refer to animals. If you are a wild animal, it may be fun to think about what sort of wordless names others may give you. If you are a predator that protects a certain range of territory, others of your species may name you by the shape of the territory you defend, and the scent hovering at your marking places. At the same time, prey may name you by the pattern your paws leave in the mud, and know to steer clear. If you are a deer, your kin may name you by the impressive antler rubs you leave, while humans might recognize you by the estimated score of your antlers. A bird may be named by the hue of his dazzling feathers by a mate, and by the scratches his dance leaves in the dirt by the snake. An angler fish may be known the the wavelength of light her lure gives off, or the texture of her skin in the dark.

These names are fluid, descriptive, and immediate. They prevent you from easily being spoken about in your absence, a fact suited to the flow state inhabited by most animals. Each moment is faced for exactly what it is, with complete mindfulness. It is an interesting thought experiment, to think about the ways that different modes of language change the very way you think.

What do you think of wordless names? Are there any you identify with? If you would like to make some of your own, here are a few ideas:

The shape of the path you take most often when you walk through your neighborhood

The mixture of your natural scent and the scent left behind by your favorite hobbies (eg, the smell of warm bread if you like baking, dirt and leaves if you hike, salt water if you fish in the sea, etc)

A specific signature scent you chose to represent yourself

The sound + rhythm made by your key-chains or collar tags jangling when you walk

The pattern made by an LED night collar, should you chose to adopt wearing one

The pitch of your howl

Your preferred silhouette in clothing

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Inky Paws #4

Inky Paws is a nonhuman anthology zine for original fiction writings by nonhumans and alterhumans about nonhumanity, alterhumanity, and similar, related themes. This zine is primarily literature focused, but will also be open to more illustrative methods of story-telling such as comics. The zine’s focus is on fictional pieces that are centered around nonhumanity, alterhumanity, therianthropy, and similar (see Submission Guidelines section for more details).

You are welcome to submit:

Short stories

Microfiction

Satire

Poetry

Song lyrics

Experimental fiction (fake newspapers, fake recipes, fake blogs, fake posters, etc.)

Mixed media

Comics

Minizine pages

And more! If you're unsure, just ask! Seriously, please just ask. I promise I would 10000% love to hear about your idea even if you're unsure about submitting it, there is no such thing as a bad idea and I cannot stress this enough.

How to participate:

You can submit your pieces in this Google Form!

OR

Email invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com with your submission, and please title the email "Inky Paws Zine #4 Submission". With your submission, please include:

The piece's title or name,

A name or pen name to attribute the piece to,

Any content warnings that you feel are necessary for the piece,

Any social media handle or personal website you’d like to be published alongside your name with the piece (optional), and

Any relevant author notes or author biographical information (optional).

Anonymous pieces are also welcome.

Once submissions have been collected and the deadline has passed, these submissions will be put into the zine and it will be posted online as a free PDF. Submissions are due by November 30th, 2026.

Please see the Submission Guidelines, and Submission FAQ, below cut.

CRITTERLIKE

Critterlike (like a critter) is a community and identity that encompasses the lifestyle of acting like an animal in a SFW way, be it dressing kemonomimi, using dog bowls, playing fetch, going for walks, collecting pet toys etc

New term new term! Critterlike is for anyone and everyone, so long as animal activities or dress are a part of how you present yourself! You don’t have to be alterhuman, it can even just be a hobby! Treat this as an umbrella term for furries, therians, otherpaw, kemonomimi etc

The term is specifically SFW! A lot of minors find themselves in petplay spaces when doing activities they deem innocent, because they overlap with those spaces. This term allows them to find people their own age, as well as other people doing things in a sfw way!

The softer, more pastel flag is for earthly critters! The stripes mean: warm blooded critters, sky critters, land critters, sea critters, and cold blooded critters.

The second flag is for unearthly critters, and the stripes stand for: warm blooded critters, fantasy critters, fictional critters, space critters, and cold blooded critters!

"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:

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

Introducing Wild States, a new speculative fiction serial by the Sparrow System, set 30 years in our future where Species Affirming Therapy has been normalized but comes under threat of a very familiar-sounding reactionary administration.

*** Wild States will be published every Friday on ANIMAL's website. Check out the very first issue for yourself now, and support the Sparrow System's creative endeavours by sharing Wild States with others.

Hello everyone!! i just wanted to remind that

My commissions are open all summer :)

i really like drawing slug cats, furries with a less human anatomy and kinsonas!!!

here are some extra examples

i want poems and songs and short stories about alterhumanity! i want to see more characters headcanoned as therian! i want books where the main character is otherkin!

therianthropy centered ms paint piece