Merotype — A word describing the sort of person you are as a headmate*, inclusive of both physical and nonphysical traits. This term is an explicit alternative to the roles system of language, which some plurals find detrimental. The definition is left intentionally vague, and covers a wide spectrum of experiences. You could boil it down to "words that I am" and/or "type of headmate". This term is exclusive to plurals.
Flag Meaning: The background colors are neutral, as this is a flag that covers an unbelievably broad range of experiences. Purple, for us, is a color that feels tied to both plurality and identity. The symbol is a person with many individual, yet interconnected, nodes emerging from their mind, which is also representative of both plurality and identity.
Etymology: Derived from Ancient Greek "méros", meaning "group inside a larger group or fraction of a whole", and English "type", meaning "a particular kind, class, or group".
Pronunciation: meh-roe-type | ˈmɛɹoʊˈtaɪp
Subsets:
Aemerotype — A subset of merotype. Identical to "merotype", except for the fact it is inherently permanent. This is an aspect of yourself you're certain will never fully change or disappear. Flag Meaning: The same as merotype, with two key differences. The blue is representative of eternity, drawn from both the sea and the sky. The infinity symbol within the mind represents... infinity. Etymology: identical to merotype, but with the prefix "ae", derived from Ancient Greek "aeí", meaning "for all time, for eternity; for an infinite amount of time". Pronunciation: ay-meh-roe-type ("ay" as in "bay") | ˈeɪˈmɛɹoʊˈtaɪp
Apomerotype — A subset of merotype. Identical to "merotype", except for the fact it is inherently temporary. This is an aspect of yourself you're certain will eventually change or disappear. Flag Meaning: The same as merotype, with two key differences. The green is representative of life, which is temporary and cyclical. The hourglass within the mind represents time before an inevitable end. Etymology: identical to merotype, but with the prefix "apo", derived from Ancient Greek "apótomos", meaning "concise, brief". Pronunciation: ah-poe-meh-roe-type | ˈæpoʊˈmɛɹoʊˈtaɪp
What a merotype can be:
An adjective describing you, like a color or personality trait — synonymous with… adjectives.
An occupational noun, like a job title or system role — synonymous with "occuden" and/or "role".
Something commonly associated with you, like an animal or aesthetic — synonymous with "assocID".
Other identities, like gender or age — synonymous with whatever identity system you're using.
Almost anything you'd like it to be, and nothing you don't want it to be.
What a merotype cannot be:
An excuse to use labels with connections to systemic oppression that are not applicable to the body. For example, you cannot be mer'intersex in a perisex body, or mer'Black in a white body.
Usage in Language:
Specific merotypes can be communicated by using a prefix followed by the associated word. For merotypes: "mer". For aemerotypes and apomerotypes: Add "ae" or "apo" before "mer". When writing them out, you'd separate the prefix from the word with an apostrophe, like so: apomer'ant, mer'indigo. Of course, you can always disregard all of that and simply say "my merotypes are ant and indigo". Or you can do both. It's up to you. Do what you want forever.
Usage examples:
"Fragments in our system tend to only have a couple merotypes." "I'm a mer'cat and mer'asocial" "My only aemerotype is aemer'celestial, but I have a lot of merotypes and apomerotypes as well."
(* This post uses "headmate" and "plural" for clarity's sake, but this term is inclusive of alters, facets, fragments, and anyone else who may or may not identify as a "headmate", as well as "medians", "systems", "collectives", and anyone else who may not identify as "plural")
Never Asked Questions:
Can I coin merotypes?
Absolutely! We're unlikely to coin many ourselves, as we mostly just wanted to get this term out there.
Please use the PSD provided here [link], which contains the layers necessary for every variant. If you're unable to use PSDs, please reach out to us and we'll provide PNGs. Your coined merotype should be open for anyone to use, regardless of your personal opinions. Please tag us in anything you decide to post!!
Is this term okay for [stance] to use?
It's none of our business what your stances are or whether or not you use our term(s), but please know that we consider merotypes to be inherently inclusive of all plurals/systems/et cetera.
Do I have to know if something is an apomerotype or an aemerotype?
No! Those subsets are entirely optional, and made for those who like to get a bit more specific. We personally don't use the subsets, as we dislike feeling boxed into an identity. It's also okay to be wrong about your merotype(s) and change which subset you use.
Will there ever be more subsets? Can I coin them?
I can't promise we'll make more subsets, but you can absolutely coin them yourself. We'd appreciate being tagged if you post them!
What about merotypes exclusive to certain cultures?
Merotypes exclusive to certain cultures and suchlike are perfectly acceptable, and encouraged!
What are your rules on reposts?
You can repost, archive, and/or add our terms to wikis at your own discretion. Do not change or reword definitions, and please link either this blog or this post (archived or otherwise).
Tagging: @radiomogai
Image IDs: In the alt text.
