Concept/product Art: Cryptid Footies

Concept/product art: Cryptid footies

My greatest piece of advice to anyone who’s newly awakened to being otherkin, therian, alterhuman, nonhuman, etc. is to research.

I’m not talking about looking up definitions on fandom wikis or whatever. You need to really get to know your community before even considering conversations about who “can” and “cannot” be something.

Learn about the histories of our kind.

Read essays on your peers’ experiences.

Familiarize yourself with different labels and identities outside of your own.

Open your mind to experiences not only similar to yours, but also aren’t like your experiences at all.

I’m saying this in the kindest way possible, especially to younger members of our community. I get it. I know what it’s like to come up in a space and see how discourse is given a lot of focus. There’s pressure to take a hard stance on something.

But, you just realized this part of yourself.

Please understand that zeroing in on discourse, let alone becoming a gatekeeper, isn’t the way to engage with community.

Most of all, it’s not good to dive headfirst into it without educating yourself.

Edit: Check out this thread for websites and other resources added by @monsterqueers and I, if you want places to start!

tips and fashion for a robotic wolf?

Tips and fashion for a robotic wolf

pt: Tips and fashion for a robotic wolf

practice quadrobics! make them look a little bit more stiff or robotic than a typical wolf!

use wolf or machine/tech/robot themed neopronouns

practice vocals! whether that be wolfish howls yips and growls, or recreating clicks and beeps and creaks!

Try drawing your kintype! there's lots of cool ways a wolf/robot can look, be specific with how you look!

make a wolf therian mask, and add on little cog/gear charms, or glow in the dark paint for a more cyberpunk robot look, or something else entirely! whatever best reflects you!

decorate your living space with a mix of wolf decor, and cool cyberpunk lighting or other robotic decor!

Look around sort of stiffly, like you're scanning things!

Use robotic language to talk about yourself, like saying you're "low on battery", "need to recharge", youre "buffering" or "blue screening", etc!

[ID in alt]

image creds:

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i tried to mix some steampunk and cyberpunk type robots, as i wasn't sure what vibe you'd prefer! Enjoy the tips and board!! - 👾

[ID in alt]

Songs for your nonhuman playlist

(that aren't the same 5 artists you see everywhere)

A lot of therian playlists have the same vibe (fish in a birdcage, running with the wolves, dirty paws and life is strange adjacent music) and while I don't necessarily mind, I usually listen to heavier music. plus some of them have been tiktokified and that's a quick way to make me sick of something.

Fortunately, you can find music that either explores animality directly or uses it as a metaphor that feels all too real when you're nonhuman. My favorite example of this is metal, which offers a lot of stuff because for some reason there is a significant interest in exploring a more animalistic side. This is great if you're actually a therian/nonhuman because you can read it straight without caring about the details or whether it's played straight or not.

so, if you want a different sound for your nonhuman playlist...

here's some palate cleansers

Lycanthropy by Patrick Wolf. I heavily recommend checking out the album as a whole

Therianthropy by Septicflesh. Despite the name, I'm not sure if this song is about the modern concept of therianthropy, or if it's related to the earlier, historical meaning of the term, which brings to mind totem animals or animal spirits that serve as protectors. The band is too niche for me to figure that out. Either way, I would describe this as "wolf metal"

Lycanthrope (Howling at the Moon) by Bloodsucking Zombies from outer space

Suden Uni by Moonsorrow. Concept album about turning into a wolf. I love this specific sound to death.

Before I Forget by Slipknot. The nonhuman interpretation of this song is the only valid interpretation, and it's the exact kind of melodic yell/singing that I absolutely love.

Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace. Yeah, that's right, I am going to listen to the same stuff I was into when I was younger.

You Are The Wilderness by Voxhaul Broadcast. This is a personal favorite of mine as a long-time fan of The Walking Dead and because I'm wolfhearted and a zombie. So not everyone's gonna be into it.

Animal by Miike Snow. This one is pop, but it's really good. I can't read the meaning as anything other than being nonhuman. I recommend the album as further listening too. It's enough that the band did some interesting stuff. You might vaguely remember Genghis Khan from these guys from the early 2010s. Sweet, sweet nostalgia.

Horseshoe Crab by Slothrust. I'm honestly surprised by how nonhuman this song is. I genuinely can't think of what this would be a metaphor for. This is literally about being a horseshoe crab, and experiencing shifts.

could u do a moodboard with themes of werewolves, night, and nature? :3 for @drshrimpesquire

A werewolf moodboard, with themes of nature and night! And werewolves too ofc

Requested by: @drshrimpesquire

Hope you like it!! Let me know if you'd like anything changed :>

being a canine is a spectrum

edit: the post this was inspired by