I recently figured out that I was otherhearted, does that still make me part of the therian or alterhuman community if I'm not a therian?
Hey!
As a refresher, therian means to identify as a nonhuman animal. Such as being able to say "I am a cat", and feeling as if in some aspect, you are literally a cat--even if not wholly.
Otherhearted means to identify with something. Such as saying "I feel as if cats are my family", or "I should have been a cat but I'm not", along with other things that don't mean you're literally a cat.
Alterhuman, on the other hand, can mean a lot of things. It is a big umbrella term that just means you don't fall within the societal definition of "normal humanity", which can absolutely include otherhearteds, as well as therians and many, many other things. Alterhumans can be completely human, they can be nonhuman, both at once, or even aspecies too.
You'd be included under the alterhuman umbrella and a welcome part of the community, but you wouldn't be a therian. That being said, otherhearted experiences can still be very adjacent to therian experiences and a lot of the time you won't be actively removed from therian communities if you're "only" otherhearted. You can still talk to therians and share similar experiences, and you're still absolutely welcome in the alterhuman community as a whole.
A lot of the time, otherhearted tags are crossposted into by therian blogs, which does make it pretty confusing when they're talking about therian/otherkin experiences in a tag meant for a different identity. It can be difficult, but if you're looking for more 'hearted blogs to follow, @otherhearted-culture-is is one we can personally vouch for, and they might have tips for finding community if you need them!
Merlin (Xe/He/They)
