Hi, we're members of a system running a kin blog! You can call us Soda, Godwit, or Wisteria collectively, and if you don't know who's fronting, use it/he/faer/lullaby pronouns. We are bodily an adult and collectively aromantic. We like/follow from @iridescent-iubere.
Subsystem composed of fictionkin (or fictives), collectively identifies as a Sigma kin (it's complicated). Hosts the system, members will likely be posting the most. The members who will be posting here are:
Enderman (Minecraft), Lucy Maud Montgomery (BSD), and Red (Everhood) fictionkin. Doesn't post much.
χrona/Leitmotif/Arcadia • he/star/prince ⟩⟩
signoff tag: #🦌⟩ deerclaring.msg ★ full kinlist
Hanako (TBHK) fictionkin, and demon, peryton, and ghost kin. Rarely posts, mostly reblogs.
Before you interact:
We do not have a DNI, as we feel they open us up to more scrutiny than we're comfortable with. All we ask is that you don't involve us in syscourse or shipping discourse. We block as we see fit.
If your blog heavily features disturbing sexual content, please do not interact with our posts??? I fear this should be obvious, but evidently to some it isn't.
We alternate between using 'kin as a verb and a noun, and frequently refer to ourselves as kinnie(s). Please don't police our language, just block and move on.
We would prefer if people under the age of 15 did not interact directly. Liking/reblogging our posts is fine.
Btw you don't have to stick around with people who don't accept your alterhumanity. You don't have to stick around people who make you feel gross or weird about it. You can be yourself and you can find people, even orthohumans, who will accept you.
i get what theyre saying but i feel like the posts about how people have unhealthy attachments to charatcers or see the characters as extensions of themselves which makes them unable to handle different interpretations of them or critical analysis of their characters (ie. posts like this) are very hostile to fictionkins (and others under that spectrum) as well as fictives in systems.
i will start by saying that the posts are RIGHT and I UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BENG SAID and I AGREE and it is TRUE. I am just saying that the portrayal of HOW theyre saying it can be harmful, dismissive of, or confusing to some people, as they really do see themselves as an extension of that character, or as a person from that world.
The problem is that people can’t handle critical analysis of characters that they relate to or see themselves in. - So.
You have to remember that your source is, indeed, a different, fictional universe. Maybe you are that person (or creature), but you have to have a healthy mindset towards that and remember that you came from a story. You, at some point, served a narrative. It can be confusing to understand and come to terms with for some, but its what helps.
-And so, when people engage with your character, and do analysis, it is not an attack on you; if anything, it’s a compliment. They found you interesting. Yes, you could have been a bad person, but it was for the narrative. You arent under that anymore, your branches can grow out. They aren’t attacking you; theyre studying your sprout in the lab, and youre a tree now. they thought you were an interesting and cool plant!!
Even when people point out flaws in the writing it is still not an attack on you. theyre pointing out the growing conditions for the sprout, saying what might have stunted growth, what might have caused deficiencies or other problems. this is not an attack; it is an investigation. youre in new soil now, and you have everything you need to grow. And so you did. Theyre simply looking back on your old conditions.
When you see someone interpret your character in a different way, that is not an attack, nor are they wrong. (Well, maybe they are, but it doesnt really affect you if so.) That is scientists making predictions about what the sprout might have grown into. you were put into new soil, which allowed you to be who you are now; the scientists (the fans) are making predictions (character interpretations) about what you might have been like depending on the soil (writing, story events, etc.) . maybe in another world, you would have had differently shaped leaves, or a genetic mutation that made you grow different fruits, or maybe you would have had a different amount of sunlight, or whatever. these are just people having fun, and thinking, and using their brain. It doesnt affect you!!!
So. Remember to engage with media well.
Sincerely,
A system full of fictives who love seeing different interpretations of their characters
like yeah when kids ate just being kids leave them alone but some of us have been species dysphoric our entire lives, will always be this way, will not "grow out of it", and arent kids anymore. and i know im saying this as a 20 yr old but ive seen people way older than me still considering themselves unhuman and treating us like it's a phase or its just roleplay doesnt actually help us
like i can tell uou dont take any of us seriously or respect our identities at all and its really disappointing. nonhumanity is a beautiful and wide reaching experience that i think a lot of people should really open up to but a lot of people, even those who aren't immediately opposed to it, just entirely dismiss it
Hi! Are you an alterhuman and want to be part of a single-episode educational advocate podcast episode? I need your help in providing survey data!
If you aren’t an alterhuman, please fill out the survey still if you have the time!
I’m trying to give a voice to others in my community and promote acceptance of alterhumanity. Filling out the survey helps me a lot!
Just a warning, this survey will ask about discrimination. If you do not want to answer any of the questions, please do not take the survey. The discrimination section is an extremely important part of the survey. All responses will be anonymous!
While I’m glad people are offering to guest speak, this podcast will be put in a contest that would need a name to credit an individual with. If you don’t have a problem with that and still want to guest speak, reach out to me in DMs! I may not invite a guest speaker, but the option still remains open.
There are no exclusionary limits to the survey, I want it to be as inclusive as possible.
Please reblog the post, share with friends, etc. I would like this to reach as many people as possible.
my main fictotype's media (Dead Apple, to be specific) is so complicated to figure out and there's so many things that don't make sense going on inside of it... the movie dub AND sub are difficult to parse sometimes due to the complex language, metaphorical scenes, plot holes and lack of explanation; and, the manga isn't much helpful either, suffering nearly the same fate, if it's even any better at all.
genuinely, the complexity of the material is probably at least part of the reason why i struggle so hard with denial— because i constantly feel like i don't understand the story itself, much less myself within it. plus, my backstory is not really elaborated on within the plot, mostly only ever hinted at or revealed as a side thing, either being hand in hand with other characters' lore, or having their POV take priority.
or maybe all of this is just me whining bc i can't remember it that well </3 i tend to understand it more while watching or reading for myself, but afterwards fail to piece together anything of merit. i should give the movie a rewatch soon, maybe.
In the wake of recent conversations in the community, I recall a section from my first public essay. This essay, Alterhumanity in Color, discussed my relationship with race as a black alterhuman.
I was reminded of the following excerpts in particular:
“It’s not lost on me why some folks may separate themselves from race as a construct as they may feel it is too close to the human experience. Although that personal decision is not so much a problem to me on the matter of species, it is of my belief that the ability to do so is an act of privilege. This is not a privilege of any direct benefit within greater society; however, it is a privilege on account of social perception. Like a snake shedding its skin, some folks are able to slip out of this perception of themselves by deeming their race as another human trait that doesn’t need to be associated with their being. Separating oneself from race may come easier to those who are visibly white, given that the existence of racial marginalization and oppression is not present within their personal experience. That is, of course, unless they are white and a part of specific ethnic groups as well, such as individuals who may be both white and latine, white and indigenous, etc. Even so, those who are visibly people of color do not have this kind of leeway in my honest opinion. Many of us live within conditions in which we must be mindful of how we may be viewed, and at worst targeted, because of our race.”
“I reference the concept of privilege, or lack thereof in my case, because I want my peers to understand that not every perspective on species and its relation to how we are perceived outside of our community is universal. It is not possible for this to be an innate advantage within the societies around us, at least not in the way that white privilege is for example. Yet, it is a matter of privilege on a personal and communal level when the threat of racial discrimination is not applicable to oneself and the mindset one carries. If said institutions of oppression are not experienced by oneself, nor are they something that one must stay conscious of out of their own safety, then it is worth recognizing as a mindset that not many can afford to have. I understand that the concept of privilege has come to be a point of contention for some, often assuming that the mere mention of it implies that another group doesn’t have circumstances of their own that make them disadvantaged. In the same sense that one can have societal disadvantages in one way and have privileges in another, a visibly white alterhuman or nonhuman can still feel wrongfully perceived by orthohumans while having the privilege of not needing to take their perceived race into account when engaging with orthohumans and the societies they’ve built.”
There’s a handful of people who still have this mindset, that their alterhumanity is completely separated from any political scope. Though this context is specifically about community members who see race as completely irrelevant to or separate from their alterhumanity, the takes I’ve seen lately felt similar to that sort of apolitical approach.
Nowadays, folks tend to avoid analyzing their identities beyond the bridge of their nose. Unless it’s alternormal things like one’s presentation or shifting habits, finding anything more than that depends on the individual. I think these past couple of days have put something into perspective: an aversion that some folks have towards viewing their alterhumanity under social or political contexts.
To me, this aversion is supported by these three things:
1. The overall tone of the alterhuman community on Tumblr.
Nobody’s obligated to write mountains of things or approach their identity with lots of introspection. That would exclude a lot of people if so, which is why it’s good to have a mix of different approaches to alterhumanity like any other community.
That said, I think the favoritism towards low-effort posts and “I’m just a puppy!”-esque perspectives on alterhumanity contributes to this aversion people have with discussing alterhumanity under political and generally complex contexts. It’s treated less like an experience shared by a diverse array of people and more like an outlet for escapism. It’s fine if that’s what your alterhumanity entails, but it should never blindside you from having serious conversations, especially in regards to your peers’ experiences.
2. The fact that the majority of the community is bodily within the default (whiteness).
This bounces off of what I talked about in my essay. Whether it’s separating oneself from racial/ethnic identity, or not considering the harm in romanticizing police work and the institutions therein, these circumstances tend to root back to the same reality.
Since a lot of members in our community were raised in the default of their society (typically whiteness, regardless of where your upbringing politically stood), the issues that are cause for concern for a lot of alterhumans of color aren’t considered by our peers. Outside of alterhumanity, this is the way things tend to go in a lot of online communities for people of color. There’s always this song-and-dance of prioritizing feelings and sweeping statements (ex: “(X) is valid! If you think otherwise, you’re the worst and aren’t welcome here!”, “(X) isn’t valid! If you think otherwise, you’re the worst and aren’t welcome here!”) over having these discussions with us, even if all that comes at the cost of pushing down our voices in these communities.
That brings me to my next point, which is what frustrates me the most about all of this.
3. “Validity” is the height of people’s politics in the alterhuman community. Not much else is put into consideration.
That’s why a lot of people chopped up this past week’s issue to “Police dogs are valid!” and “Police dogs aren’t valid!”. Though we aren’t the first to do it, alterhumans tend to hold validity, an entirely online concept of social relevance, in higher regard or concern over the tangibility of an issue. It dilutes these conversations, and more importantly, ignores how said issue(s) affect people in and outside of our community. In this case, the reality that a lot of alterhumans of color face regarding police forces and their supporters. Additionally, there’s the reality of one’s experiences (in relation to the police or military) affecting your perception of them as you currently live— be it for better or for worse.
When given focus, “validity” overshadows more present realities in our communities, and that’s exactly why it shouldn’t be the end all, be all to our discussions. It’s been treated as the first step of progress by some and the height of discrimination by others in marginalized, if not non-normative communities online— especially by those who’re bodily white. There’s no shortage of posts that support and emphasize on one’s validity, but they lack substance in times like these.
Reassuring that something is “valid” shouldn’t be the pinnacle of one’s thoughts on a topic, yet it clearly was for a lot of people after this particular discourse. It adds nothing to these conversations. Ultimately, it’s an empty promise of acceptance that can only be made if you avoid diving deeper into experiences you aren’t familiar with, don’t relate to or find hard to navigate. Is it really an act of good faith or is it an act to placate people when things get serious?
Acknowledging how your alterhumanity affects your views of other people and society at large matters. If you only take things at face value, you’re not only denying yourself the opportunity to learn but you’re choosing to ignore the perspectives of those around you out of your own comfort. We face that day in and day out from white orthohumans. I really hope that the alterhuman community collectively pulls more out of this than just thoughtlessly slapping “Valid!” over everything and calling it a day. That’s not how a community grows.
[I am writing this first sentence simply to acknowledge the majority of English speakers here: this post is about wondering whether—or how many of—us within the community speak Spanish/Don’t speak English as their mother tongue. This post is about highlighting the lack of language diversity in the alterhuman community and inviting Spanish-speaking members to speak in our own language].
Bueno ¡Hola, heyyy!
La verdad es que me llama mucho la atención la poca diversidad de idiomas que se muestra dentro de nuestra comunidad. No veo a nadie que hable español; en realidad, no veo a muchos de nosotros usando otro idioma que no sea inglés, incluso cuando sí lo manejamos. Siento que es un tema de visibilidad, de esta idea extendida de que el inglés es “el idioma del mundo”, cuando en verdad no lo es.
Honestamente, este post es más un pedido que una encuesta. Quiero leer a otros como yo usando el idioma con el que crecí. Ya existe una brecha cultural enorme entre contextos, en política, en visibilidad social; también hay problemáticas de racismo bastante presentes dentro de la comunidad. Y, por experiencia propia, sé que hablar inglés hace que te escuchen más rápido y que tu voz llegue más lejos. Sin embargo, creo que vale la pena hacer el esfuerzo y reforzar nuestra identidad y nuestra voz desde nuestros propios idiomas.
Amaría poder conocer o hablar con otras personas de Latinoamerica dentro de la comunidad, siento que hablar de donde venimos es muy importante.
¿Hablas español? / Do you speak Spanish?
Sí, es mi lengua materna
Sí, pero no es mi lengua materna / he aprendido
Não, mas eu falo português (do Brasil) (sorry if this is badly written)
No, but I speak a non-english language from birth
No, I speak english from birth, and I know another language as well
if you say slurs without giving an indication that you can reclaim them anywhere on your blog, im gonna end up assuming that you're an asshole who says slurs. crazy, right? insane, even. what a concept!
hey quick thing here: if you're not intersex maybe don't identify with or defend identifying with slurs that primarily degrade intersex people. i just had to block someone for identifying as a "transsexual [h slur]". what even the hell.
if you are perisex (aka not intersex) you are not an "h slur", you do not have the right to reclaim that slur, you are a weirdo and you make intersex people feel uncomfortable to exist around you. putting this on my kin blog bc this is the SECOND FUCKING TIME I've seen someone in this community being intersexist as hell. I'm not even intersex myself and y'all make me nauseous.
being intersex does not mean bigenital (although some intersex variations do have ambigious genitalia, it is not the same), the word you're looking for is BIGENITAL, or varsex, or altersex.
theriform animals are not "h slurs" either, i don't care if it's "a scientific term", there are thousands of other words to use instead of that word, like cosexual. intersex people have said over and over again NOT TO USE A LITERAL SLUR and either some of y'all don't know or you're being disrespectful on purpose.
the person i blocked had no indication of being intersex on his blog, and literally admitted that using the h slur was his "less politically correct" identity, so he knew it was wrong and he STILL decided it'd be fine to call himself a slur. if he was intersex then i apologize, but ive already seen someone else in the alterhuman community trying to defend perisex alterhumans using the h slur, so forgive me for beginning to wonder if this is a genuine problem here.
please be respectful to intersex people. it's not that hard. the bar is literally in hell.
Largely, a lot of my issue with finding motivation to post on this blog, is that I just don't really have anything to say half of the time. I don't have any real memories to talk about; both due to the fact my fictotypes all have some form of memory problem going on, and because I haven't exactly wanted to do any further digging due to personal shame </3
Most of the memories I have gained are small little snippets, more like passing thoughts or realizations, or moments I don't ultimately have much to say about. (Falling down the stairs, the tower's red stained glass, my white scales, et cetera.)
I also am rather different from most that I've seen speaking on their fictotypes here, considering I don't particularly miss anyone from my fictotype's origin media.
(Not that it's a bad thing to miss someone from your source; of course. I'm just weird.)
Most of the individuals I'd have known within my origin media are ones I've met again in my system, or in my& partner system. Plus, there's a lingering sense of apathy that coats almost everything to do with the fictotype I align strongest with (Shibusawa). I feel curiosity about mediamates, and generally do look through the BSD kin tag out of interest, but the urge to actually speak with anyone or interact is locked behind several panes of thick, fogged-over glass.
Also. I don't think anyone would want to speak with me anyways. My main fictotype is not exactly the most popular of individuals, (and for good reason). I don't believe I've had a single entirely positive relationship with anyone in my origin media. /lh
All of this, along with my fluctuating aversion to social interaction, and my struggles with motivation due to day-to-day struggles in the offline world, tends to lead to my not often having the desire to post frequently.
As it is, I think this blog, and exploring my fictional identity, are both good coping mechanisms for myself. I know my sysmates enjoy it, and I used to, too, before taking a bit of a break. I'll probably end up trying to post more, or at least reblog some stuff occasionally so this blog isn't entirely dead.
