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How do you express your non/alterhumanity in everyday life?

aepaex - 2019-12-04 17:15:17

Because alterhuman identities are so diverse, there are many ways in which we may choose to (or not to) express this part of ourselves to others. This could be in the way we dress, look, or act (to go along with the Body Expression topic) but could also include professions, hobbies, and other aspects of life.

Do you choose to express your alterhuman identity outwardly in any way?

Do you use any specific symbols, such as the otherkin star or xenic flag?

Do you do anything because you want others to read you as nonhuman?

Do you co-opt any "generic" things into an expression of alterhumanity?

For me, I tend to express my alterhumanity through a few things:

So, I'm more of a "co-opt generic things" person. I don't try to be read as nonhuman, but I wear these things because they make me feel more in touch with that side of myself. They help me read myself as nonhuman. In the future I would also like to wear symbols, like on buttons and shirts and such (Alt+H merch when? :stuck_out_tongue:

Most of these things are centered around my face, so I tend to relate them to my alien 'type (which has a very nonhuman face, including the lack of a mouth.) Lowkey I wish it was socially acceptable to just wear a full face mask around all the time.

cryptonomica - 2019-12-04 17:27:15

I don't tend to express it in everyday life, because I live with my grandparents right now and don't tend to have much energy for visual expression, but!!

I do have a septagram necklace and a few necklaces relating to the one I'm a god shard of! I'd super love to have some sort of thing with the Xenic flag on it, as the one who coined the term I'm very proud of it and how it relates to my alterhumanity.

I collect a lot of… scraps? Dragon needs its hoard, and I do have a small amount of gems and a Large amount of random things. I found a pacifier clip yesterday buried under some dirt and I'm still proud of that catch.

The biggest thing I've ever done to express myself is going on a podcast interview to talk about homestuck quadrants, and admitting on there I myself have a kismesis.

I tend to co-op generic small things too, but one day I'd love to be as visibly nonhuman as possible. I plan on doing a whole vampiric lifestyle, as many piercings and tattoos as my body can hold, and openly getting to tell people what I actually am.

I used to decorate my face a lot too, tho! I used cute bandaids and the occasional legit sticker

marron - 2019-12-04 19:50:05

From a visual perspective, I find dull colors and loose clothes help me feel more like that me (or, oddly enough, bright blue - I don't know if that's a cultural thing or what.) I like the feeling of metal on my skin, but I don't typically wear jewelry because rings are too visible, my wrists are sensitive, and I have a fear of wearing anything around my neck, so that's more theoretical…

I like having my nonhumanity recognized in spaces where it's safe and possible, but that isn't most of where I spend my life, so it's not a major concern. I do have a fondness for septagrams, though, although the symbology of them doesn't match my types much.

As for other ways, though - my machine identity has lead to a lifelong interest in machinery. That's how I became a computer programmer and an electronics hobbyist! So it's impacted me immensely and been a huge part of my life, even if I can't be completely open about it at all times.

And, of course, I love books and games about my kintypes. :slight_smile:

When it comes to my transient identities, it really depends on the one, but it's involved a variety of things - I have claw gloves I wear at home sometime, a nostalgic purple sweater, and other items to help me be more me.

aepaex - 2019-12-04 20:35:07

Oh, I definitely agree about the energy part. The only thing I wear every day is my glasses, because I need them and they take less than a second to put on :P

[archive note: post redacted]

The_Flock - 2019-12-05 00:47:44

I present and express my alterhumanity in a lot of different ways, since there's a lotta alterhuman in one 'me.' :stuck_out_tongue:

The first, most obvious thing that comes to mind is wanting to present as nonhumanly as possible. Not even in any specific kind of way, as my nonhumanity is varied and myriad, but in general. I've gotten piercings, I got tattoos of wolf paws on the tops of our feet to help relieve significant species dysphoria I feel around them, I wear ears and tails of different types, I like to do wild makeup, and I guess most significantly I got top surgery in order to express a neutral and alien chest. I want to be read as nonhuman, ideally, before anyone can clock a gender. That's #goals for me.

Outside of body mods, though, there's plenty of other things. My legal name is expressive of muir alterhumanity, and linguistics-wise I use pronouns and demonyms that acknowledge my nonhumanity such as going by it/its or fae/faer and preferring "creature" to ever being called "human." Wei also collect trinkets and jewelry reminding muis of muirselves, and wei blog about muir alterhumanity and work with Alt+H to help work toward creating more safe environments in the world for folks like us.

And as for co-opting 'generic' things, I think collecting pinback buttons and wearing a billion of those is something that feels nonhumany to me on a goblin/kobold/crow level. Wei, as a median collective, also just make it a point to do little things like change profile images and display names as wei change facets, along with dressing differently and having different clothes that 'belong' to different facets.

I wish there were more ways to express plurality, whether its muir own medianhood or the whole system's existence. There's the multiplicity symbol, and there was a median symbol i can't find for the life of me now, but not much else yet! The multiplicity symbol, the alterhuman ⎇ alt key symbol, and while it's not explicitly alterhuman I enjoy this symbol ↭ representing psychosis that was recently popularized in the psychosis-/schizo-spec community on Tumblr since my psychosis is kinda part of my alterhumanity.

cryptonomica - 2019-12-05 00:51:04

The_Flock:

I think collecting pinback buttons and wearing a billion of those is something that feels nonhumany to me on a goblin/kobold/crow level.

I think eventually there needs to be something written on alterhumanity and "Hoardish" collecting (I wish i knew a better term for that, but like a dragon hoard and not the other kind)

dragon - 2020-02-25 20:49:30

I made a Lienid armband tattoo design for myself, but I'm still waiting to get body markers to be able to draw them on (sharpies didn't go well, and I share the body so can't get actual tattoos). I'd also like to get more gold jewelry, especially earrings, but even earrings of other metals help connect me to my Lienid identity.

We also have a they/them pronoun pin that says "they are one cool person", and I sharpied over it to say "they are some cool people" instead.

Sapphire (ey/em)

marron - 2020-03-11 16:23:44

I like the idea of the modified pin! Even little stuff like that can be a great way of asserting one's identity in a world that doesn't really have a good support system for it.

Although I do like to imagine a future where there's plural and kin and linker and etc merch at Hot Topic right next to the emo gear :p (and other stores too… but I have fond memories of buying my cat ears there!)