Today Iād like to talk about two different -punk identities. While they have different definitions and donāt necessarily need to overlap, I consider myself both and would like to talk about both.
The first is voidpunk. Voidpunk is about reclaiming dehumanization. Several marginalized identities are dehumanized- not treated as people, called dehumanizing terms (like freaks, monsters, etc.) and/or excluded from claims of things that are āuniversally humanā or āwhat makes a person a personā (such as romance, sex, etc.). Voidpunk is taking that narrative and reclaiming it, going, āok then, so what if Iām not human on your terms?ā. It is not a kin identity, itās not about literally identifying as that thing, so much as a radical act in the face of social and cultural dehumanization.
Voidpunk is not something I access through my therianthropy. Voidpunk for me is the space to explore other things Iām dehumanized for- my body size, my disability, my sexuality, my gender. For me, my voidpunk essence is embodied and visualized through the werewolf archetype. Werewolves help me push back against internalized sexism and expectations that I should be small, dainty, quiet, take up as little space as possible. When I wanted to stop shaving out of a feminist body-ownership perspective, seeing it as my āwerewolf furā helped me relax and feel less self-conscious. Iām sure some trans people share that pull toward transformation and body alteration. From a disability perspective, the werewolf tropes of having regular pain, of fighting against a body that sometimes seems hostile to you, which (since I have spastic hemiplegia) moves and twitches in uncomfortable or uncontrollable waysā¦all of that feels relatable to me. Yes, the canine aspect does tap into my therianthropy and add to how much I relate to werewolves. But in a kin sense, Iām simply and only a dog. In a voidpunk sense, my identification with werewolves is more tied into axes of power and social expectations, and gives me the space I need to be Big, and Hairy and Present, grappling with a body I am trying to manage and accept.
Then thereās ontopunk (formerly kinpunk). Whereas voidpunk is about reclaiming societal dehumanization and isnāt necessarily about literal nonhumanity, ontopunk is.Ā Itās about embracing the various flavors of alterhumanity and not treating them as some hierarchy. Itās about unashamedly accepting rare identities, unusual behaviors, eccentric appearances. Itās something I definitely want to be a part of, and hope to increasingly include in my own life. If Iām totally honest with myself I could work a little on my own internalization of labels and divisions thereof, but thatās something I definitely see changing in myself as I engage in broader alterhuman spaces. I also donāt know how much I want to go in for in terms of my own expression and behaviors (increasingly more gear, not sure where my line is on body modification). But itās definitely a philosophy I agree with and want to practice and express more moving forward.Ā
baratheonpilled
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
andulkaphoto
areudirty
dededos
izzy806
