Otherheartedness, Synpaths and Hearthomes β A Quick Rundown
We've seen some posts around like this for other subsections of the community, so we figured we'd make a 'heartedness one. This isnβt extensive, nor does it cover the entirety of the hearted experienceβbut it should serve as a general rundown of the community. This post has a PDF version that's going to be archived on our Neocities.
Otherhearted:Β β Synonyms: βOtherkithβA person with a strong connection to a species, character or other entity, usually defined by identifying "with", but not "as". More on what exactly this means later.
Concepthearted:
A person whose otherhearted identity relates to concepts. (Emotionhearted, songhearted, timehearted, etc).
Facthearted:
A person whose otherhearted identity relates to real, this-world people, places or individual animals. (Hearttypes including specific oceans, public figures/celebrities, specific animals, etc).
Fictionhearted:
A person whose otherhearted identity relates to fictional characters, species or places. (Nightfuryhearted, Mariohearted, etc).
Planthearted:
A person whose otherhearted identity relates to plants. (Treehearted, sunflowerhearted, etc).
Theriohearted: β Synonyms: βAnimalheartedβ
A person whose otherhearted identity relates to animals. (Wolfhearted, bearhearted, etc).
Hearttype: β Synonyms: βKithtypeβ, debatably βSynpathβThe entity that an otherhearted individual identifies with.
βhearted:
A suffix used to denote your specific hearttype. For example, a person whose hearttype is wolves would be wolfhearted.
Hearthome:
A hearthome is a placeβbe it real or fictionalβthat a person has a deep connection with, often to the point of considering it a βhomeβ regardless of if theyβve never been there in their current life/body.
Synpath:
A thing someone identifies with and not as, used similarly to "hearttype", though there's nuances separating the two terms depending on who you ask.
The otherhearted symbol or diamond heart was proposed by tumblr user aestherians in 2017, chosen by the community using a poll. The design features a ring interlocking with a heart, which converges into a diamond shape in the middle.
What Does It Really Mean?
βIdentifying withβ is a broad category thatβs understandably, quite confusing. This explanation aims to make it a little more understandable, but this absolutely doesnβt cover the entirety of what βidentifying withβ can mean. βItβ in the following points refers to a hearttype or potential hearttype, whatever that may be.
You feel like you βshould haveβ been it, but you arenβt.
You feel like you βcould haveβ been it, but you arenβt.
It is a part of you even if itβs not entirely βyouβ.
You feel like you will be it in a future life.
You believe that in another life, you are/have been it, but right now youβre not.
Your sense of self wouldnβt be the same without it as a part of your life.
Itβs your ideal self, or a representation of it.
You feel at home around it or imagining being around it.
Itβs the form of your daemon.
You believe itβs a parallel life of yours, but youβre not it right now.
It influences your identity in some way.
Itβs a special interest or hyperfixation that feels tied to your sense of self.
You feel like it is a part of the same family as you.
You feel like it is, in a way, kind of almost you, but a little βto the leftβ--too distinct to be you in a literal sense.
You feel like you belong with it, but youβre not literally one of them.
It is a part of your identity in some way other than you being literally them.
A lot of the above points relate in similar ways to hearthome identities, but reworded to incorporate βitβ as a place instead. Additional points for hearthomes include:
Feeling like you should be there.
Feeling like you were there once, and itβs left a mark on your identity.
That place holding a special place within your identity.
Feeling a βpullβ toward that place.
How is this different from otherkin/therians?
A therian/otherkin identifies as their kintype, whereas an otherhearted person doesnβt, and will have a different type of connection to them. Think of the difference as βI am [kintype]β vs β[hearttype] is a part of my identityβ. However, thereβs plenty of nuance, grey areas between them, and these identities can even shift and become each other over time, so this is a general statement not accounting for those nuances.
Both things are still alterhuman, and no identity is βlesserβ than the otherβhearttypes can have just as much influence over a personβs identity as kintypes can.
Can hearttypes be chosen/voluntary?
Yes! Thereβs a divide between otherkin and otherlinkers in this way, but this hasnβt ever really been a need for the βhearted community to define or draw a line between.
What things can be a hearttype?
Anything! Generally, if you are currently experiencing it, the rule is that it can happen. Youβre experiencing it, after all!
Hearttypes can be (but arenβt limited to):Β
Animals, mythical creatures, plants, fungi
Oceans, forests, off-planet locations, buildings, fictional locations, other natural formations like rivers and mountains
People, real or fictional
Emotions, colours, aesthetics, sounds, seasons, songs
Objects, robots, machines, artworks
Book series, tv shows, movies, games
Do otherhearted people shift?
Otherhearted people absolutely can experience shifts, as can any other alterhuman and even non-alterhumans. Shifting isnβt a thing exclusive to otherkin/therians.
Is this different from a special interest or hyperfixation?
For some people, yes! Weβve seen many people (including ourselves) who experience these things with a lot of overlap. For others, noβtheyβre distinct things even if there might be some similarities.
Hearttypes can be the same thing as your special interest/hyperfixation, or they might not be. Sometimes hearttypes form spins/hyperfixes and sometimes itβs the other way around! Itβs really up to the individual to decide whether these things are hearttypes or notβthereβs no set default for this.
Alterhuman Archiveβs Otherhearted Section:
https://www.zotero.org/groups/4956615/altarchive/collections/R9URWR67
A compilation of heartedness related writings from across the community.
Otherhearted-Culture-Is:
https://otherhearted-culture-is.tumblr.com/
A culture-is blog for otherhearteds thatβs turned into more of a general purpose otherheartedness blog.
A Short Guide for Questioning a Hearttype:
https://otherhearted-culture-is.tumblr.com/post/717226958368489473/further-fields-a-short-guide-for-questioning-a
A questioning guide to otherhearted identity.
kianamaiart
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dailybridgerton
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