Coursers, ridden into battle by knights in the Middle Ages. Pegasus, birthed from Medusa's blood and reared by Bellerophon in order to slay the Chimera. Agro, galloping across the Forbidden Lands as Wander pursues the colossi of fictitious legends.
What comes to mind when you think of a noble steed?
Typically, a noble steed is the mount of a heroic figure. Regardless if they have a name of their own or not, the purpose of this animal is straightforward: to aid their rider in their quests as a swift, hardy and trusty companion.
So how does one translate such a role into a personal lifestyle? How does one embody a noble steed?
I've been asking myself the same thing over and over as I find ways to express myself as an equine. If there's anything definitive about my equinehood, it's the intrinsicality of fulfilling a role. I see this in my role as a draft horse, belonging to two breeds each created with the purpose of assisting humans with their agricultural work. I also see this in my role as a pegasusmon, evolving with the purpose of warding off evil entities through the element of Hope and the attribute of Holiness. Then, we have the most archetypal of my experiences: my choice to be Epona. I won't get into the messy details of why I've chosen this experience over the one already have (as Zelda) in parallel to this life, ultimately forsaking the latter in favor of the former. Just know that starting out as a horse of humble beginnings and later becoming in service to a beloved hero is as noble as it gets for a steed like myself.
That said, simply having these experiences isn't enough in my opinion. I must emulate the drive of a noble steed in my daily life as well. At first glance, I thought it'd be difficult to fulfill this role when I'm perceived as entirely and exclusively human by those around me. However, I learned along the way that it's less about the literal perception that one receives from others and more about the personal perception one holds. It's something that slipped my mind as an archetroper, given the hustle and bustle of life.
"Noble" is subjective, I believe. If I only stuck to the fantastical and/or medieval-esque sense of "noble", then I'd find myself at a dead end. There's little to no outlets that I could publicly partake in to express the role I intend to embody. There's renaissance fairs, yes, but not only do I lack the means of attending one as of now, I'm not sure what the gauge is for nonhuman expression at these sorts of gatherings. That's why, for the sake of personal accessibility, I opt to expand the ways in which a steed can be "noble".
Ignoring the high-brow contexts of the term, noble also refers to something that exhibits honorable principles or qualities, usually in a selfless manner. This could apply to feats of historic or mythic renown, such as the examples I gave at the beginning. However, this concept of what is noble could apply to mundane actions as well. We live in a world full of opportunities where one can give back to those around them, and that’s where the makings of noble character lie.
Nowadays, I try to take more initiative with physically daunting tasks at my job. From lifting around fifty pounds worth of materials to carrying bulk orders to patrons, the tasks I perform come with their own sense of duty. I'm not fond of my job, but one can assume coursers weren't particularly fond of being charged into war by men-at-arms in heavy, ironclad suits either. To an extent, I get something out of my labor besides a hard-earned headache and a meager paycheck. In this position, I’m able to build upon the qualities that suit my tropetype: strength, reliability, and efficiency, all performed in close proximity to humankind.
Outside of work, I’ve made it a habit to give away things I no longer need. Usually, I do this with the clothes I once wore in high school as long as they’re in good condition. Other times, I give away old books of mine to used bookstores and donation bins within my area. Hopefully, someone will come to love those stories as I once had.
It's not the romantic image that most have in mind for a noble steed, but if there's anything I've learned as an alterhuman, it's that appearances aren't the deciding factor of who or what you are.
Appearances can influence, reflect, or even be used as outlets for one's sense of self; yet, appearances aren't the only means to shaping selfhood. Our actions as members of society affect that too. I'm not capable of embarking on grand adventures with a chosen one or witnessing epic battles unfold as a part of a cavalry, but I am capable of being a dependable member of my team and doing what I can to ensure folks make the most of their visit at my workplace. It's all but customary of a noble steed.
Hi! we’re curious if you have anything to share about how collective identities (kintypes, hearttypes etc) feel for your system? we’ve been experiencing some things lately that make us wonder if we also have more collective kintypes and a possible archetrope, but it feels different to our existing collective werewolf folcinteric identity, which is giving us some confusion. thanks in advance!
Sure thing!
So, for some context... Any of our collective identities feel like they're a "filter" the body puts over us--alterhuman related or not. This can be colours we like, things we enjoy, alterhuman identities, gender presentation, etc. The reason it's a filter and not, say, a blanket or something like that, is because you can still see through it. The filter of the body might make people more inclined to present masc or like the colour blue, but it's still a seethrough filter in the end, and you can see what's under it. You can go against the grain, it's just what the body tends to make you lean towards in your identity, moreso than you normally would.
Our collective hearttypes are almost inseparable from the experience of a collective special interest--that's the best way I can describe it. We have an intense special interest in birds, to the point that they're on our mind often enough that this integral part of our life is ingrained into the filter. If you're a member of this system, you like birds--honestly, I don't think we've ever met a system member who doesn't have an intense love and familiarity toward them. If anything, the bird part of the filter is the strongest because we've never seen anyone go against it. Plants on the other hand are at least an interest for everyone, but it's not as intense across the board--though it's prominent enough that we're happy labelling it as a hearttype. Space as a hearthome wavers depending on who's at front, but as with plants, it's constant enough that we count it.
As for kintypes, it's more of the same. If anything, it feels like these are the kintypes of our body as opposed to us individually. The body is Hunter and a dragon and Jonathan Sims and a member of the corvus genus. Not really physically (depending on fronter and what state of psychosis we're in), but as if it were its own person. We front, and when we do, we experience the phantom shifts, the mental shifts, the instincts, and the general vibes of being otherkin. Though it doesn't come from ourselves as individuals, it's tied to the body itself. Our kintypes are felt strongly across the board, with some people closer to certain ones than others, but I don't think we have anyone in our system for any of our collective kintypes who doesn't identify as them.
Our archetrope being The Villain is more... Complex? There's a filter there again, sure--but it's not the trope itself. It's the sort of personality and ideals filter of the drive to be ourselves even if it upsets others, the feeling of just how many villain fictives we have in this brain, the relatability of us to a lot of villains stories and concepts (especially because of how queer and disabled rep tends to be so common in villain types)--but that's not quite enough to describe the whole identity. That's just the filter part. Our archetropal identity is something we partially choose ourselves both to be and pursue as a collective because of the filter, in a terrorpunk way. We WILL be ourselves, we WILL do it without remorse, and we WILL display traits that are often (wrongfully) associated with villainy like queerness, punk fashion, alterhumanity and disability. And sometimes, we absolutely will be treated as if we're horrible, evil or trying to cause harm by doing these things--so it kind of gets wrapped up in a little bundle of reclaiming all of that under a "fuck yeah, if you're gonna treat me as the villain, I'll be one" label. And we aim to be more and more radically open and proud and to be more and more "villainous" from the perspective of exclusionists. We'll be their antagonist if that's what they think we're doing.
I'm not sure how much any of this helps, or even makes sense--but hopefully it does something. As with the last ask, sorry we got to this late--low spoons + wanting to give detailed responses = it takes a while for us to get back to you. Anyway--good luck with the questioning!
a multitude of perspectives from the Archetroper's Guild discord
After realizing there's not really any public discussion of what it's like to be an archetroper, we at the Archetroper's Guild discord came together and one of us gathered some of our experiences together to share for others to see and learn about, and maybe see themselves in!
