oh deer !!

in light of the recent influx of otherpaw hate, i have some Things To Say.

truly, there is no real difference between otherpaws and furries, except the materials they use to roleplay as animals. we should not be gatekeeping materials, guys. you cannot seriously call yourself furry-friendly if you are anti-otherpaw. but that is not my main reason for disliking the anti-otherpaw stance.

i find a laaaaarge issue i have with these “but otherpaws are copying therians!!!!” folks is that the term otherpaw was created specifically to distance otherpaws from alterhumanity; to create a clear distinction that masks and quadrobics ≠ alterhuman (therian included). which is a factually correct distinction. and folks whining about copying are (maybe unintentionally, maybe not) obscuring that distinction.

no, someone wearing a mask or doing quads is not inherently copying or mocking therians, because masks and quads aren’t exclusive to therians, and they never have been. wearing a mask does not a therian make. wearing a mask does not necessarily have anything to do with therians. claiming that anyone who wears masks or does quads is copying therians is trying to claim exclusive rights of therians over masks and quads. it’s gatekeeping, yes, but worse than gatekeeping, it’s trying to cement masks and quads as inherently ‘therian’. which they aren’t. which we have tried all this time to teach folks that no, not all therians wear masks/do quads, and just because someone does those things doesn’t make them alterhuman.

but now these anti-otherpaw folks are regressing again to “mask = therian, therefore they must be copying and mocking therians”. which is factually inaccurate and damaging to what being alterhuman and being therian truly means. it’s what leads to the misinformation about the true depth of alterhuman identity on places like tiktok. and i’m so sick of it.

i know it’s not a widespread issue (yet). but given that i’ve seen a handful of posts and comments about it, this is why i hope it doesn’t become one.

Part of what makes identifying as a non-human creature so wonderful is the diversity of experiences that others bring into the community.

Being a cat doesn’t look the same for every cat, for example. It’s easy to get swept up in trending songs that a popular cat therian is doing, but you aren’t required to participate as a cat yourself. Some cats don’t like fish, some cats work grueling full-time jobs, some cats identify as a cat and leave it as that.

The most powerful someone can be is at their most authentic self, and social media is a harsh landscape for being authentic. Success in numbers is a give and take - to be widely liked is to be a figure that can do no wrong, that can make everyone smile.

empathy

love

intelligence

romance

friendship

art

things that do make you human:

belonging to the species Homo sapiens

defining humanity by the things we do or feel rather than what we are is always going to exclude someone. maybe someone you care about. not all humans love, not all humans have or want partners or friends, not all humans are nice, not all humans feel empathy or remorse, not all humans make art, not all humans will make sense to you. they're still human. they're still human. they're still human.

do otherkin have fursonas that arent their kin

Get up and stretch your paws, talons, claws etc

Drink some water! All creatures gotta drink

Eat some yummy food and fill your stomach!

Rest when you need, all creatures need to rest

It’s okay to have bad days!

Take your meds if needed!

You are your kin/theriotype!

If you need a break, Take it!!!

good question, and one I will answer with a resounding I’m Not Really Sure? I always tend to feel a little apprehensive about claiming labels that I’m not 100% sure I fit into, just in case itd be Stolen Valor or something. I don’t know if I necessarily “qualify” as therian, I just know that I Am A Big Fucking Lizard (and jellyfish/mop dog sometimes too). As of right now I’m pretty satisfied with the way I identify and where I stand, so I haven’t really done much introspection into labeling myself beyond that lol

You can still be alterhuman even if you acknowledge parts or all of your humanity.

You can still be alterhuman even if you find comfort in human rituals, culture, etc.

You can still be alterhuman even if you display human behaviors and characteristics.

You can still be alterhuman if you look or act nothing like your 'type.

You can still be alterhuman without dysphoria, euphoria, or both.

You can still be alterhuman even if you never plan to transition or present physically or socially as alterhuman.

You can still be alterhuman without blowing hundreds of thousands of dollars on gear.

You can still be alterhuman even if you aren't queer (surprisingly common misconception by the way!)

You can still be alterhuman even if you don't find the furry community appealing.

You can still be alterhuman even if there weren't 'signs' of alterhumanity in your childhood.

You can still be alterhuman even if you find aspects of alter/nonhumanity uncomfortable or scary (and this may change as you discover yourself!)

You can still be 100% alterhuman and 100% human at the same time.

You can still be alterhuman without misanthropy.

You can still be alterhuman without a spiritual connection to nature or a religion pertaining to nature.

Even if you aren't alterhuman, it's okay to be human.

Even if you aren't alterhuman forever, it's okay to recognize your humanity afterwards.

No seriously, it's okay to be human in some aspects or all aspects.

You don't have to constantly strive to be the 'most nonhuman thing possible' and you don't have to try and reinvent the wheel coming up with a new term thats 'more nonhuman' or 'further than humanity' than the last.

There are infinite ways to be alterhuman and you may never find a term to define yourself. You might not even find a species to label yourself as.

On the same coin you may find that your experience is painfully common, or not 'original' enough to warrant a 'true' experience. You have to remember that it's okay to be one of the gazillion black wolf psychological therians out there and that it is functionally the same (and has the same moral weight) as having brown eyes.

It's okay to be unlabeled.

It's okay if you wouldn't be considered alterhuman by the old standards from the days when alterhumanity was mostly on independent forum boards.

Grills and grilling aren't relevant anymore and it's better to block people that try to bring that back.