#i use them because i have a sort of connection to being nonhuman in a way. i see myself more as an android made of flesh than a human :]

[steakout-05]

happy pride month everyone and a big shoutout to people who use it/its pronouns!! using these does not make you less human (unless you jive with that, then hell yeah), less worthy of basic common decency, nor does it make you "delusional" or weird in a bad way for using them. it's a very underappreciated pronoun set and i think it needs a lot more love and awareness because it goes so hard and deserves to be respected just like any other pronoun!!

[knifedog-machina]

(Non)Humanity and Species Dysphoria: the Forced Transformation Trope

Written by Gavin on August 25, 2024.

As a nonhuman, do you ever think about why there's so many stories and myths and legends about humans being turned into animals? You ever wonder why it's usually a punishment or a curse, or why the characters try to do whatever it takes to become human again? You ever think, "I don't understand, I would love to be an animal and get rid of my human body, what's the problem?"

As a human myself, one whose system has been in the alterhuman community for years, I hope I can help bridge the gap of understanding here.

The way many humans see being turned into an animal as a curse, the way they'd be incredibly distressed about becoming nonhuman?

That is species dysphoria.

That is a human experiencing species dysphoria, because being perceived as nonhuman or other-than-human causes the exact same feelings of pain and wrongness and disconnection from their body that a nonhuman can experience when perceived as human.

(Particularly, this might be an orthohuman, someone who has a normative relationship with their human cultural and species identity, as opposed to an alterhuman, who experiences alternative/nonnormative humanity or a species identity separate from humanity. Human alterhumans can also experience this sort of species dysphoria - hi, I'm one of them.)

Imagine being your species your entire life, the way you know you're intended to be, living in a body you're comfortable in - and then having that body ripped away from you. Being forced to live in a form that doesn't match who you are, what you know you are, and desperately wanting to find a way to change back because you know you're not meant to be like this.

If this sounds familiar because it's what you experience as a nonhuman - that is how a lot of human beings feel about being transformed into something nonhuman. It's the feeling of being the wrong species! It's the desire to return to the form that you know as yourself!

The fact that orthohumans are born into the species they identify as does not mean that they could never comprehend your nonhuman experience. You can explain your nonhuman species dysphoria to an orthohuman. Given all the examples of unwanted transformation stories throughout human history, I think you're likely to find that they'll understand when you put it in that frame of reference.

"How would you feel about being turned into another species against your will, leaving behind everything that feels good and right and comfortable about your human body? That sounds horrible, right? That's how I feel, being nonhuman in a human body, and it's distressing in the same way you would hate being human and stuck in a nonhuman body."

I know that the gap between humanity and nonhumanity looks enormous. The horror of, say, werewolf mythology looks like a completely alien experience when you are a wolf, so you see being transformed into a wolf as nothing short of a wonderful experience, and you don't understand why anyone would see it as horrifying.

But if you understand that it's not about the species, but the experience of species dysphoria, of being trapped in a body that has never been yours and desperately trying to return to one that feels like you, well - that's a lot more understandable, isn't it?

Humanity and nonhumanity are not two opposite ends of a binary, destined to never understand each other. I know many alterhumans who are both human and nonhuman, and their humanity is an identity in much the same way as their nonhumanity. Humans are just another species on this planet, as bipedal tool-using social primates, and we have our species identities just like many nonhumans. You are not as alone in this world as you might think you are.

There is room for understanding and connection. Your experiences as nonhuman are not purely individual, not wholly unique, not utterly incomprehensible to human beings, and this is a good thing. The gap isn't actually as wide as it seems. You can reach out and cross it if you just remember - you have far more in common than you might think.

[indornaga]

The Animality of Humanity

i finally got a chance to sit down and listen to the new Nightwish album, and it hits the animal part of me just as hard as their other albums.

what is it about nightwish that makes me feral?

if you listen closely to their lyrics (especially these last three albums, but it applies to all of their albums) they talk a lot about the Human Experience(tm). but its not the human experience that we usually think of when we think of humans today--it's a lot of primal humanity, historic, from a simpler time and simpler way of life, from when humans struggled daily against the fickle whims of nature, against our fellow animals also trying to survive, and against their own instincts.

it took me a while to really listen to Human :|i: Nature because it sounds *so* human focused. every song is about human nature, as the title suggests, which put me off of it because it didnt feel like i could relate at all. but upon listening deeper, it tells the story of how humans are just as animal as any other. their music emphasizes the animality OF human nature, the capability of reverting to baser instincts in each human, of the human place in nature.

it took a few listens to really recognize it, but as a human with extra animal instincts, i was able to finally catch it: is it not animal nature to enjoy a good meal? for a social species to gather for a good cuddle and grooming? to come to the aid of a group member when in trouble? to scuffle with a threat, even if that threat is one's own species? to want progeny that carry on one's genes? it's certainly human nature to crave being in a natural environment, to see the trees and ground coverings, to see flowing water, the sky overhead. humans have a few extra instincts that dont seem it, but i also attribute to being animal; the love of music and song, and being storytellers. music and song is nearly universally loved. it awakens some sort of primal instinct in humans to move, clap, or sing along. storytelling has been used as a passtime for time immemorial, and again is nearly universally enjoyed. both of these are done with sounds; nonhuman animals use sound to communicate, and have been recorded to do sounds for fun as well. is that not what song and story telling are? communication?

early therian writings talk of doing totally human things to connect with their animality: taking hikes in nature, communing at gatherings, and most importantly, recognizing the animality in their human instincts.

we're lucky enough to be closer to the animal spectrum than most humans. but i think it gets forgotten about that humans are animals, and we tread a very fine line between the "sophistication" of humanity, and the ferality of animality. but that's the beauty of it; we're uniquely animal. we're something that our ancestors revered: how much of folklore is being in awe of or fearing nonhuman animals for their unique abilities?

i feel like that's what Nightwish's music really touches on, and why it's so good at awakening the ferality in me. also just the heavy guitar, drums, and the cadance of the songs hype up my primal predator brain lol i highly suggest giving them a listen. if only because the music is very feral.

[randompolykin]

recently realized I experience an attraction that's pretty hard to name/describe because the best I can get is "I creature you human" what im saying is, you know all the comics and movies where theres this human character and this nonhuman character (usually a monster or robot but can be anything) that are in some sort of relationship, usually friendship, sometimes romance, but it always feels different because its a monster (etc) and a human.

That feeling, that difference in attraction because I am not human. But you are. We are not the same. But somehow that binds us together. A connection from a disconnection that is hard to describe in words, but makes perfect sense in stories.

THAT

that is what I'm talking about. That is what I've been feeling all my life. This curiosity towards people because of this humanity they have that I don't. Wanting to protect them, stalk them, study them, wondering if I can stand beside them, or if they'll slowly leave me in the dust when they realize I'm Different. Seeing if maybe they can teach me how to be more like them, so I don't end up alone, but more importantly, complexly confused by their society and unable to survive in it.

This feeling is weaved inside my every being, it's in romantic attraction/crush feelings, and more importantly, my platonic feelings, which I feel aren't as strong as this, and I have realized this creature feeling might be is what I've mestacing for platonic attraction. This of course is my personal experience and feeling, but I would love to hear from you! Creature/being/thing reading this about your experience(s) and/or feelings. As I know I'm not the only one who experiences nonhuman feelings of this sort

[candieduranium]

I have a question that I really hope isn’t disrespectful. I thought Therians were different from furries? Can you please explain to me? I mean no disrespect I just am curious and want to learn I apologize if this was rude.

this post has been edited for accuracy

this isn’t a disrespectful question at all! many folks are confused about the definitions and differences between furries and therians. asking questions and knowing these differences greatly reduces the hatred and violence against both of these communities.

a therian is someone who literally identifies as an animal(s). it usually stems from things like neurodivergency and/or trauma. the type(s) of animal a therian identifies as is called a “theriotype”. therians are under the alterhuman umbrella, meaning that there are more folks that don’t identify as strictly human and identify themselves as things like vampires, angels, plants, etc. the vast majority of alterhumanity is involuntary, but there are types like otherlinks who voluntarily identify as nonhuman things. copinglinks kin in order to cope mentally, and funlinks kin for fun. alterhumans are NOT inherently related zoophiles.

a furry is someone who enjoys and interacts with content about fictional anthropomorphic characters and often has a “fursona”, which is an anthropomorphic animal or object character. being a furry is 100% voluntary. anyone can be a furry! some furries make their characters as a sort of extension of themself and use it to express themself, but they do not identify AS their character. some furries own a “fursuit”. a fursuit is a costume worn by furries that has the design of their fursona, but they are rare since they are expensive and difficult to make. this is just for fun and isn’t to connect with a theriotype, since someone who is a furry and not a therian does not have a theriotype. furries are NOT inherently related to zoophiles.

while there are many folks who are both furries and therians, they are two different groups.

then there are more groups that are also confused with furries and therians. two of the most prominent ones are quadrobists and otherhearteds.

a quadrobist is someone who practices the sport of moving around on all fours the way a quadruped would. this is can be done for exercise and fun, to connect with a theriotype, or all of these. you dont have to be a furry or therian to practice quadrobics, and furries and therians do not have an exclusive right to practice quadrobics. everyone is allowed to practice quadrobics.

otherhearteds are folks who who are different from therians because they identify more WITH an animal as opposed to AS an animal. the animal(s) an otherhearted identifies with is called a “hearttype” or “kithtype”. (i myself am still not sure about all of the facts of otherhearteds, so if i got anything wrong it was probably about them)

you can be both otherhearted and a therian. it is not an either/or situation.

nobody gets to dictate your identity if your identity is not inherently harmful.

again, thank you for asking a very important question. anyone please tell me if i got something wrong of if you have any more questions.

[that-dreaming-dragon]

Beyond Identify-As

It is a known, observable fact how much the alterhuman community focuses on identify-as identities. Even more so, largely nonhumanity gets the spotlight. It is a frustrating thing for human adjacent or humanoids folks, and even more frustrating for those with non-identify-as identities. Even heartedness is talk about as an afterthought.

The circles I frequent in doesn't have as big of an issue. Or perhaps I myself don't see it right away due to me constantly hopping between spaces. I think partly is due to that very need to have more than nonhuman identify-as focus.

On a personal level, all of my alterhumanity are in some way intertwined. Even if one of them may or may not standalone, it isn't long before it all link together for one factor or the other.

At some point, I didn't understand how anyone can have distance from their kinself.

And for the ease of wording, I'm going to use otherkin as a sort of collective referral to therian and fictionkin identities. Apologies therian and fictionkind folks. They are, after all, the same on technicality, just with different area focus.

Now, with so many new discovery about myself and me learning alongside my fellow community members, I can grasp how there can be the distance some may have with their kinity. But beyond that is also this realization just how much there is this emphasis of identify-as nonhuman within the scope of alterhumanity. As someone who's come to learn about the many layer and personal connection with my various adjacent identities, these are treasured. I cannot talk about my draconity without bringing up about myself (kinity), my headmates (daemonism and median plurality), my past life (kardiatype), our mess of not quite something vagueness with Aurelion Sol (vaguetype), and this weird relation with Flammie (flicker). But oh wait, from there is even more connection towards my other identities, from the Mew paratrope, to the enfield heartlink, which is also tied to the Naruto hearttype, that may or may not have something going on with the ninja archetrope. I basically tied all these up with my nature of being a Bond Weaver archetroper!

My point is, I can no longer talk about my otherkinity only, without bringing in a whole bunch of other area of alterhumanity.

It boggles my mind just a bit sometimes how some people stick to just the identify-as aspect of their identity.

I theorize that it is due to identify-as identity being the most straight forward, and in some way, the simplest to think and talk about compare to other alterhuman concept. Take for example, otherhearted identity is largely a concept that on some level, understandable, but the feeling of it is very hard to comprehend or articulate at times. Ten different people have eleven different answers. There is a level of irony with me saying this, because usually folks will tell you if you ask what otherkinity is, there will be more answer than there would be answerer.

Perhaps it's the concreteness. It's easy to say "I am this, this is me, I identify as this" because you know what that means. To exist, to live, is being, is identifying. Well, I'm stretching a bit at the last part. But existences is a constant contemplation of "what and who I am". Maybe even before alterhumanity, we learned to focus on the core self identity. The "I". It may not be easier, but it can be more direct to feel what you are feeling, versus trying to figure out if you are even feeling anything about a character that you identify-with (as a example).

Or maybe because it is the starting point. A lot of the times, folks get introduce to alterhumanity via otherkinity. Sometimes they stick to just otherkinity and never move beyond. I don't think that's final. Self discovery and journey is like that, eventually you will encounter things on your path that veers off, or random happenstance that made you pause and contemplate. Maybe someone find new kin identity, or maybe they find new ways their identity works that is beyond identify-as.

But tying back to the first two theories, I speculate that it is more likely for people to gain more kintype, than it is for them to gain more other alterhuman identities. There's only so much spoon for so much things. And maybe choosing to spend those effort thinking about what's already there and seen more prolifically around the community is just easier than say, trying to figure out if one is performing a role based around a literary trope, or if a past life is not in fact a identity at all but something foundational.

Of course, for folks who are interacting in larger community spaces, the likelihood of encountering those that are more "advanced" in the alterhuman journey means they are more likely to get introduced to concepts beyond the identify-as. It gets the thinking process started. Even if you don't end up with new identity, you gain knowledge, comprehension, and new perspectives to look at things. Before you know it, your world view is expanded, and maybe the next time you encounter a different concept, you can connect with that more than the last one.

Not to say that those that stick to a single place cannot expand their alterhuman identity "roster", identity is a ever shifting thing, sometimes new understanding are created, invented within a small community.

Though that can also easily lead to echo chamber or group thinking, and may potentially create ideas that has been long established in larger communities, or create without enough consideration of the possibility of more than identify-as. Which may or may not also perpetuate the whole focus of otherkinity and nonhumanity when colliding with the larger community, or vice versa where newcomer come into contact with these smaller, closed off community yet settled and never step foot outside ever.

Extra end note: I know I put more attention on just identifying-as instead of identifying as nonhuman. But I figure it still gets the point across, and sort of touches upon the issue between all three major types of alterhuman area (the nonhuman, the animalistic, the fictional).

[nova-dracomon]

What Vaguetypes Mean to Me: Ga'Hoole Owl Edition

Source

I've been thinking more and more about how there's not nearly enough othervague content. So! Here's my contribution on why I personally love othervague and call my Ga'Hoole owl 'type a vaguetype vs a fictotype.

Why Othervague?

The easiest answer is a dislike for labels. Having the freedom to exist in-between gives me more breathing room to explore my identity. There's no pressure to "conform" if the label is inherently, well, vague. Ha ha. I don't have to worry I'm pushing myself into feeling a certain way to fit--or stress about having to change labels or whatever if my experiences change. Hell, even created knowledge would be fair game here. But we'll talk more about that later.

To clarify, this is not a temporary label for me to use until I sort everything out later. Vaguetype is the final stop. No matter where my self-discovery takes me, the label is reliable and works.

Below I'll pick-apart my various feelings and connections to these owls and how I experience the in-between.

Intrinsic and Integral

I'm avianheated and I don't think it's a mistake that I identify as one too. Which came first is kinda a chicken or the egg scenario. I've heard it spun both ways before and it really comes down to the individual's interpretation of their experiences. Would I feel so drawn to these owls if I wasn't so attached to birds? Or, did I attach to birds because I innately knew they were similar to myself?

I don't know and I don't really mind either way.

I am an owl, but my owl-ness competes internally with dracomon (another vaguetype I'll discuss in a part 2) and human. Even if my feelings wane, I know they'll eventually begin to wax again like the moon. It's like they're tied in with my default settings. I could probably take actions to suppress them and test how true that is, but wtf that sounds awful. Existing this way makes me happy, I feel like myself and I'm certainly not hurting anyone else.

Archetype of the Guardian

What separates archetrope from otherkin?

Sometimes it's easy to see. Like someone identifying with a role totally detached from being explicitly nonhuman. However, when I think about this, archetropes come off as more action-focused to me. They're more concerned with doing things, what actions they're going to take next or at the least concerned with living in alignment to a set of values/role/code. At least, that's the vibe I get.

A big part of my identity is the role of being a guardian, upholding their oath and extending a helping talon to others. For example, few things make me feel more like an owl than working on archival duties (besides maybe being out in a storm!) It's a way to live one of the core values of the tree which is to grow our collective knowledge and share it with all.

The act of continuing the legacy and upholding the tree's standards is a very present ideal for me.

Created Knowledge

Straddling the line between noemata and otherlink, knowledge we acquire and stitch together is probably one of the more contentious areas.

How can you tell noemata from headcanon?

I don't feel it matters to my personal experience. Stories and legends are true in their own way. They're feelings we get in our gizzards that over time become true in our hearts. Thinking about how I was a hireclaw before coming to the Great Tree emboldens me to try harder to be patient and compassionate to others. To be a better owl.

I don't want to concern myself rigorously picking apart what is voluntary or involuntary--100% true kin memory or a fabrication of my mind. I rather spend my time living and being an owl. These feelings are true in my reality, they affect my behavior and drive me to new heights. Even the bits of knowledge about my vaguetype that border more on the headcanon side have important messages about my life and journey. I don't choose things at random, there's something resonating with me that draws me there.

As another piece of this is my kinsona representation. I don't have strong feelings towards a certain owl species, but I feel drawn to long-earred owls at the moment so I represent myself as one. (That's me on the right in the top photo!) The colors and markings are just stylized natural looking ones.

I am an owl of the Great Tree, I long for flight and freedom, knowledge and understanding -- my species is secondary to my actions and words.

The Heart of the Matter

Could I call myself something different and be taken seriously in the community? Of course! But at the end of the day, after all this talking, it comes down to what I want. My desire is to have a nebulous label. If I was forced to pick something else, I think I would simply call myself "unlabelled" or perhaps only "fictionfolk."

-Hortense

[fallingsatellive]

Part Two: Alterhuman Community Intro…?

This post will continue to be edited as necessary. This post is no longer our active bio and I've removed it from our pinned post because I don't update it anymore; we now have a full page on our blog for it rather than a post

So I just posted my writeblr intro and since I’m definitely more active in the alterhuman community than the writeblr community I thought it might be fun to have a nonhuman/plural intro? Might be fun and it also occurred to me/us that most of our followers really only know me since I’m the only occupant of the body itself, and don’t know anything about the rest of the system. I will probably delete this someday if I decide once again I don’t like having my ‘types public depending on if the brainmates want to keep their own bios up. It will also probably change a lot because we tend to do that.

Context. We are a non-dissociative system, we do not switch, we were dæmonic originally meaning that I am the body and communicate with them through faux-visual projection and mental speech (which is why I talk like we're a total found family when they never seem to even say anything -- trust me they do, they just don't have access to the keyboard). We/they consider them all to have separate external bodies. We are quoigenic, not traumagenic or endogenic or mixed origins, only refer to us as the former.

Swift

He/it (they/them only under certain circumstances), bisexual, binary male* but only humans are ever men. I use quoi- ahead of all labels (both queer and alterhuman) in addition. POSIC, mildly objectum/conceptum. I have special interests in: biology, the arts, and the change of technology/art/language/media over time and throughout history (example: history of computer graphics 1950s-1990s <3). Psychospiritual, philosophical and narrative alterhuman. Species-wise: I am a common raven (Corvus corax ssp. principalis), an osprey (Pandion haliaetus ssp. carolinensis), a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamiacensis (ssp. fuertesi?)), common spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus), sea slater (Ligia exotica), mosasaur (Mosasaurus sp.), and lastly, Musteloidea sub-superfamily cladotherian (procyonids, ailurids, and mustelids). I’m a Novakid, a species from the game Starbound, which I consider more of a fictional kintype than a fictotype (I prefer alienkin or just otherkin over fictionkin for this ‘type). I am also a computer, specifically an IBM 7090. I also consider myself a kind of entity or manifestation of autumn, I’d just call it “conceptkin with extra steps,” the extra steps being conceptual embodiment in a sort of cryptidlike sleep paralysis shadow-man monster. I am questioning: a stomiiforme (viperfish, bristlemouth or dragonfish) theriotype, a house centipede theriotype, a Nectocaris pteryx theriotype, and my relationship to solar eclipses (conceptkin, symbolism stemming from interacts between other kintypes, both, or something else?) I was a ghost. Now I’m not. It was not a kintype and I did not “deconfirm” it. This affects some things. I am a flickerer with two fictotypes (Link from The Legend of Zelda, every canon game, and the Knight from Hollow Knight). I have three heartedtypes (domestic cats, cephalopods, and ghost type Pokemon) and two hearthomes (the ocean and O’Neill cylinders). I consider dragons, wolves and foxes to be paratypes. I have a profound quasi-religious connection to stars & the night sky that I consider at least marginally alterhuman in nature. I am an archetrope; wanderer, and secondarily a "shapeshifter" and "generalist" which I need better words for both of -- as they say language is like trying to nail down the ocean, and I guess it would be more accurate but less concise to describe them as "one who changes, embodies or becomes" and "one who adapts, branches out, survives or opportunizes." If I ever explain these somewhere I’ll link to it here. I have a lot of playlists including my main 9,000 song one but this is my “Swift vibes” playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/40rzRF67ocIDF2L7mLzNVC?si=20945cccc57942c0

Tetri

I’m Tetri, Swift’s dæmon. I CIE on November 11th, 2020. Pronouns are he/him. I’m comfortably settled as of February 21st, 2021, as an Asian palm civet. We believe this represents Swift’s personality well, even if it was coincidental and we didn’t consciously choose it. I’m a pretty traditional dæmon but I’m not 100% by-the-books and definitely more autonomous than most, just because of the general plurality. I’m ‘hearted with cats and I love going to coffee shops and library cafés and getting a pastry. I also like transport like trains and ferries. Please feel free to initiate a conversation with me. I like to offer advice even if I don’t know you very well. Here’s my playlist of music I like https://open.spotify.com/playlist/73IEcIlekV70adyrkLjeY4 Check out these MyNoise custom generators. I think they’re rather nice .https://mynoise.net/Community/user.php?submission=691c051129d33047b53b0e3d1664468885 https://mynoise.net/Community/user.php?submission=691c051129d33047b53b0e3d1654028735 CIE Day: November 11 2020

Ziv

I’m Ziv. I’m a wolf. Specifically a Himalayan wolf, as well as a Spanish imperial eagle. An adult, not a juvenile, even though juveniles for some reason are the image of our species. Pronouns -- zhe/hir. I’m agender and aroace. I’m autistic and I like weaponry as a special interest, especially medieval blades from all over the world. Also wilderness survival. Jewish philosophy, art and history interest me. I am not spiritual and do not put stock in spiritual beliefs whatsoever. I like heavy music, metal, metalcore, rock, especially punk, but also some folk. This is my playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4cL88XYitlbWeb7wnvkT9W Swift wrote the descriptions for all of our playlists but I like mine so I’m not changing it. CIE Day: November 14 2020

Lumi

Hi! My name is Lumi. I use any and all pronounce and I’m big xenogender pansexual hours. Get zany with it. I love snails, video games, and Greek mythology. I have a special interest in Nintendo. Surprisingly, my favorite game is actually not Kid Icarus. It’s Pokemon. I would love to chat with anyone!!! Send an ask for me. I’m a shapeshifter otherkin. I have no base form so I like to be a lot of different things. Animals, bugs, birds, crabs, mish-mash monsters, dinosaurs, Pokemon, all kinds of crazy stuff. It’s like choosing a jacket for the day to me. I associate with clown, bard etc. archetypes, but I don’t know if I’m exactly an archetrope. Still working on it. And I’m fictionkin, I’m a) Pit from Kid Icarus b) Sky from Wings of Fire and c) a Jester from Lethal Company! Swift wants us all to share our playlists because it’s obsessed with music. So now you have context for the last three intros. Look at my playlist boy https://open.spotify.com/playlist/01Xgx5BnmzVXxv2sIoTScZ CIE Day: December 26 2020

Maz

Hi, I’m Mazel, Maz for short. Resident human. She/her. I originated as a male, I’m a woman now, not sure if that makes me trans or something else, the question is not worth my time. I’m a lesbian. I like sci fi movies, NASA and performance art. I guess that’s it. Am I allowed to go now Swift {She's having a blast, guys} Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0acN0u6kJrYFEFWycCM3gm CIE Day: April 22 2021

Axel

I’m Axel! I’m Maz’s dæmon. I’m not settled but I like to appear as a rat or a rattlesnake or a king cheetah. Probably some more forms in the future. He/him. Technically I am just a thoughtform but I’m a thoughtform with big transmasc energy, I like to think. I’m obsessed with kaiju and other big monsters and superheroes as well as alt scenes. So my playlist should be obvious https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Ma2bNC0FlnTsb6DtDFhXc  CIE Day: June 27 2023

Foxglove

I’m Foxglove, otherwise known as Europa. She/her, if you must refer to me. I am a dragon of silver lineage. I have special interests in psychology, botany and mineralogy. I suppose I am autistic in the context of a physically human brain, but it is difficult to recontextualize that to the culture of a draconic biological worldview. I have a great appreciation for baroque and art nouveau architecture and for the aesthetic of vintage fantasy artwork. I would also say I do not believe in anything spiritual and I do believe that everything can be explained scientifically. If we are sharing playlists, here is mine. It is majority progressive and psychedelic rock. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7vNU0chHir6XWfpt90jjxu CIE Day: September 21 2021

Anser

Swift here again. Anser is a tricky one. She could and probably would write her own intro, but she’s complicated much like V’vohu and I’d rather explain it in my own words, because I’m not sure hers would be… not too vague. Anser is not fae, nor a kitsune, nor a Huli Jing or any other kind of specific fox myth, rather a fae-like fox spirit who seems to embody multiple fox and faerie mythologies. He originated as a spirit. Sort of. When he first appeared, he may well have been a literal spirit visitor, like V’vohu. But he left, possibly of his own accord, possibly something to do with V’vohu. This Anser is a different entity while being the same individual psychologically, fully formed by whatever mental process formed the other headmates excluding V’vohu, but still also fully psychologically a spirit. Literally the exact same individual in every way except not a literal outside spiritual visitor. He still fully believes in magic and is the most spiritual of all of us. It's complicated. Anyways, she usually appears as a red fox with or without various fantastical attributes, and sometimes as a statue. She/her and he/him only, not they/them. I believe she identifies as bigender or genderfluid, not sure which or if gender means the same thing to her at all that it does to earthly people. Here’s her playlist, like V’vohu’s it’s pretty unique. She’s obsessed with different cultures, religions and folklores around the world, so her music taste is mostly comprised of regional folk, devotional and traditional music and nature noises. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4XIssSbiAwI1e1G3AuiqIX CIE Day: June 13 2022

[mountain-lion-gremlin]

sometimes I feel like the old community that built up the alterhuman / nonhuman community has been forgotten.

Like everything has been so humanized, our identities are no longer deep because we don't teach the newer ones to try and understand it.

Sort of now feels like a game of "what feels like you the best?" And obviously, that isnt bad nor has it even been a problem. I've just been having this gut feeling that the whole community is becoming more and more human and forgetting what brought us here in the first place. Why we even feel these sorts of things. Like being a part of yourself is just a side blog, just something that is an add on and not something that is apart of you if that makes sense...

I feel lonely a lot, because I can rarely find anyone who connects with their nonhumanity as deeply as I do.

Rven though I'm currently not practicing being nonhuman and focusing on my shifts - no, not practicing, releasing. I haven't been releasing recently due to life and existing really lol. But either way, I just feel like this emptiness from being human is leaking very deeply into these places that once went to these places to hide from that.

Maybe others understand what im getting at and feel the same lol. I know others can't tell the difference, but I certainly can. And of course being human for some is an important part of their identity! I mean like I love being human - there's so many neat cool things and it's so great that I can even write this out so other creatures and decipher my thoughts and gain meaning out of them.

I just feel like the older, deeper, and more core primal part of the nonhuman community has been shunned and forgotten because of the bad reputation it has. And it's dying, and it's just mournful to see people wander onto these alterhuman places that don't connect with them, and talking about something that this other group completely understands, but has been completely lost and forgotten about.

Its scary to think that the p-shifting community is dying. But people don't want to believe in things that challenge the rational world now, and that's okay. Perhaps it needs to die. I'll always be a p-shifter through and through though. I'll always be a shapeshifter, even if nobody knows or understands what that is anymore.

Perhaps, a new community will grow over these old roots and find new meaning to shapeshifting. Perhaps our flawed ways will be seen and avoided. I want to see a community that isn't dying or dead because someone is a dictator with no actual experience in shapeshifting. I want to see a community where being a hybrid is okay, being unrealistic in your form is fine, that discovering werewolves and shapeshifting through a TV show doesn't make you a faker.

The p-shifting community is flawed. I do hope the old dumpsterfire dies. And I hope to god that we come out on the other side healthier and more alive then ever. I will say though, I have a feeling that no matter what happens the meaning of physically shifting will be lost no matter what we do. It's too taboo, too strange to most, and defies all logic in tiny human brains. That's okay though.

The practice has never been bad, but the people have been. I believe that p-shifting has never been bad (Of course if you apply it correctly. Anything done incorrectly can cause issues, including p-shifting) but the people who claim it, the people who attempt to dictate it, are. We don't need to destroy and harm and ban people because they aren't what you want, because they don't fit your standard of okay cuz there isn't any "science".

ill probably cover that anothertime, I'm incredibly passionate about the issues in the shapeshifting/ werewolf / p-shifter whatever you want to call it community.

But anyways, this is a tiny post about just expressing how I feel about this lack of depth that I feel about alterhumanity as a whole. I feel like they are moving in a direction that has lost the core meaning of being something other than human .

I will say though, it depends on how you view yourself and your relationship with your humanity. Perhaps all along there has been a large majority of people who sort of identify with being not human, but are mostly human. Perhaps the shapeshifter community is just an extreme version of this, that's why there's a lack of depth to it (personally to me)

regardless. Most likely no one will read this lolll

[raventhewolf9]

A list of all my nonhuman (and related) identities

I thought it would be good to have a list of this somewhere!! So here you go!!

General Nonhumanity

- Shapeshifting feline Description: a domestic cat that can transform into a jaguar-sized wildcat-like creature with a lynxlike face, fluffy gray and white rosetted fur, a long tail, slit pupils, feathered wings, long fangs, and a pair of small forehead horns (can also hybridize these forms; for example, can turn into a normal domestic cat but with wings) Origin: partially past life (see "Simon Tally OCkin" section), partially psychological

- Werecat Description: semi-bipedal (can stand and walk on two legs, but can go faster and has better balance on all fours), mostly feline in appearance, but with opposable thumbs; transforms on full moons; can infect others by biting them Origin: psychological

Fictionkin and Fictionkin-Adjacent

("adjacent" bc not all of these are fictionkin, some are just fictionkin-related)

- Simon Tally OCkin Description: One of the major characters of Hall of Miracles, a series based on Tally Hall and Miracle Musical. (More info- https://toyhou.se/25363960.simon) Origin: Past life (Partially responsible for my identity as a feline, as Simon is a cat)

- Sydney Sargent Fictionkin Description: The main character of Mayfield and Belov's podcast Camp Here & There. (NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!) Doubles and sourcemates are free to interact!! Just like, don't be weird about it. Elijah Volkov fictionkins please interact with caution-- The character himself kind of creeps me out, but I won't hold that against you for being a fictionkin of him, just please be gentle and don't be weird or anything when interacting. Also, this next part goes for everyone-- If Sydney is a character you like, or if you have/had a positive relationship with him in source, that does NOT mean I am automatically your friend. If we are meeting for the first time please treat me as any other person you don't know. Origin: Unsure

- Dipper Pines Sympath Description: One of the main characters of Alex Hirsch's television show Gravity Falls. Again, I'm not him (I used to identify as him, but only very briefly; I don't anymore) but I relate to him. Origin: N/A

Other / Misc

- Feline, snake, and rodent otherhearted Notes: Kind of funny that both felines and snakes eat rodents... But that doesn't change the fact that I feel a connection to all of them at once! It's probably a bit odd that a cat would feel a connection to rodents and not see them as prey, but I never said I was a normal cat.

- Cryptidkin Notes: I identify as a cryptid. I consider my winged-wildcat form and werecat form to be sort of urban legends. I also have a connection to Gef the Talking Mongoose (aka the Dalby Spook) but do not identify as him.

- Physically nonhuman / Nonhuman on all levels Notes: I've never been fully human, but after some stuff that happened in my past, what little humanity I had got flushed down the drain! So now I'm just a cat, through and through. Not human in any way. My physical nonhumanity is complicated; I recognize that I live in a human body (I don't think I'm delusional?), but I don't accept it or incorporate it into my identity, if that makes sense? Like yeah, I'm in this body, but it's not mine. I'm just stuck in it right now and can't access any of my true forms. Also, me being a werecat is actually the only part of my identity that's dependent on this body, weirdly enough. I only consider myself a werecat because I'm stuck in this body. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have a human form at all. But I am affected by the full moon, and I have a human form whether I like it or not, so I guess that makes me a werecat. Idk if the way I phrased this makes sense, but it makes sense in my head...

Anyway I think that's all o' them :3

[multiplicity-positivity]

not sure if this is the right place for this, but. i’m a questioning traumagenic system and have been doing plenty of research since october 2022. at first i had weak, but fairly clear communication with the two alters i knew of, they were able to front, and i could feel their presence in headspace, but the discovery sparked a huge spiral and basically shut down communication entirely. i don’t feel anyone, and the communication i do get is nonsensical, distorted, or just plain gives me a headache to think about. it’s been like that for the majority of the time now. the whole thing has sparked a massive amount of self doubt, wondering if it was just some sort of weird episode or whether i actually am plural.

my plural friends have repeatedly reassured me that they are pretty certain i’m a system. i’ve had people tell me they thought i was a system before i even mentioned it to them. i feel gross, like i’ve somehow misled my friends, even strangers into thinking i’m something i’m not. i’m unmotivated to pursue strengthening communication, even though i want to, because it feels like a waste of time if i really am misinterpreting myself. this is kind of a lot, but do you have any kind of advice or positivity to give in this sort of situation? ;;

hey. so coming to the realization that you could be plural is huge, and it makes sense that learning about something like that could disrupt previous communication, cause self doubt, and make you question things that you had perhaps at first taken for granted.

if it’s any consolation, our system also had a bit of a downward spiral after our “syscovery.” our host was incredibly overwhelmed at the concept, and spent a lot of time denying/dismissing the rest of us, and our previous “background communication” got muddled and hazy for a while. i’m not sure how normal this is for newly discovered systems, but it certainly happened to us.

in our system, we’ve been able to more or less stabilize through a combination of things, like regular therapy, learning new coping skills, practicing self compassion, and building internal communication. our host can no longer deny the rest of us since we are quite vocal, and our support team continues to remind those of us who doubt that we are indeed a system.

sometimes taking a step back is necessary. if you’re spending too much time worrying and focusing on whether or not you’re a system, you may exhaust yourself, get burnt out, or strain yourself and your potential system. if you find that you can’t communicate no matter how hard you try, maybe it’s best to just stop trying for a while. take a break and try to focus on things that help you relax and feel better. maybe after a while an alter will reach out to you. or maybe after a rest you’ll be feeling more refreshed and ready to try again. taking care of yourself is a very important part of taking care of your system!

we ourselves cannot confirm or deny that you’re a system or part of one. but attempting internal communication is not a waste of time, even if it turns out you’re not a system! even singlets can benefit from connecting with different aspects of themselves, shifting the tone of their inner voice to be more positive and compassionate, or otherwise focusing on improving their internal monologue as a means of growth and self-discovery. so even if it turns out that you’re not a system, you wouldn’t have been wasting your time or misleading anyone. it’s okay to question, and it’s okay to be wrong or mistaken! these things are all part of being human - or nonhuman if you’re therian, like me ;)

last thing, we probably wouldn’t rely too much on what our friends think if we were you. as systems, we may get excited at the possibility of our friend also being plural and (perhaps without meaning to) push them to come to one conclusion or another before they’re ready. your friends telling you that you’re a system should not be a clear indicator that you are one. only you can determine at the end of the day whether or not you’re plural. we’re not saying this to disuade you from learning about plurality, or to convince you that your friends don’t have your best interests at heart! we’re just saying that sometimes people can get excited and caught up in things, which can lead others to the wrong conclusions.

so trust yourself, go slow, and try not to stress too much about it! hopefully you’ll be able to learn more about yourself with time. and we’re always here and happy to help if you have any more questions in the future!

🐢 kip

[yandere-fics]

Here’s just a long ass rant of me rating how easy it would be for me to take down the yanderes.

First of all, these are all no no characters, meaning that I will never even be seen in close proximity to them: Sawyer, Veronia, Kassien. Y’know, most of the nonhumans. Nora is here too cuz I’m scared of her. And Ainsley cuz no, I don’t want to fight a crazed wizard obsessed with blood. I get very faintish from how blood smells and I just know that she'd use that against me. These guys can smite me the moment I even open my mouth… scary.

-First one I think I can defeat is my bby girl Miriel. Unless I’ve wrongly perceived her as weak and a damsel than she is beating my ass instead 😔. Also, her village will be coming for my bum if I harm their elf princess so I wouldn’t even try to fight her in the first place. 3.5/10

-I thought I could defeat Runa until I remembered that she’s a literal serial killer so 0/10, she’d kill me instead.

-Now, Theanna, Abigail, and Elisha are all humans so I can fight them, I think. If I fight Theanna, that means I have to go against Abigail first and I think that’s just tiresome. Even if I somehow managed to beat Abigail(which is near impossible unfortunately), I would be too exhausted to fight Theanna. Also, like with Miriel, the whole kingdom's army will come after me for trying to harm their ruler. I could just throw bombs at them though, they’re humans, they can’t survive that. 7/10 with bombs, 0/10 without bombs :(

-I kinda forgot about Elisha but that’s actually because I already mentally noted that I cannot fight against the literal chosen one. 0.0/10

-The Anderson sisters are easy peasy, they don’t have magic to help them. I can take down Skylar and Darla but Sophie and Ellie would be tricky to fight since they are better at fighting/killing. Honestly, it would have been easy if they all didn’t like each other. If I beat one up, the other will kill me, so like... 2/10 or I could bomb them like the others.

Here's the weird thing about Miriel, it all depends on where this fight is happening, if it's anywhere near nature she has an advantage even if there's just a small patch of grass, she rolls advantage just purely being near it, it's sort of an elf thing.

When I first saw this I thought it was just like trying to escape them if they were your yanderes but then I realized you're actually fighting to the death lol.

Runa is a city elf which means she rolls no advantage based solely on never ever being near nature to refresh so even if the fight were outside, she wouldn't have a boost cause she doesn't know how to connect with nature. You still probably loose though on the basis of elves and their nature ability to dodge shit.

I think even if you don't have to fight Abigail beforehand, Theanna is basically untouchable due to the weird thing that she does monthly underneath the garden meaning she's got some hidden skills.

And yeah when it comes to the Anderson sisters there's no element of surprise, it's not like you can go from one to another ambushing them because they all keep tabs on eachother even if they refuse to communicate properly for some reason. The best bet is to start with Sophie, then sneak up and get Skye in the house and hope you can make it to the other two before they realize the tracker on their phone has not moved which means their sisters are not following their normal daily routine. The hardest part is getting into Ellie's apartment because she's got good security systems in place.

0/10 I would not win in any fight. My best bet is to surrender and hope they aren't angry enough to kill me.

[buffintruder]

man I feel like we don't consume the same media as much anymore tbh so. that character ask game you reblogged + the first character that comes to mind from Kamen rider + #1, 11, 12, 13, 27?

Thank you for sending an ask! You can definitely always send things about stuff we used to be in but are not as much anymore. I'm definitely not going to back down from an excuse to talk about Kamen Rider though haha

I'm going to do Hajime from Kamen Rider Blade just because I was working on a fic about him earlier, and I love him

My first impression of them

This is a bit weird because I did see the last episode of the show before anything else, and he's a lot more emotionally connected to people (specifically Kenzaki), and mostly I remember him looking like he's about to cry when asking Kenzaki not to leave. From watching the show in order though, he's just a gruff guy who loves two (2) people in the world (the single mom and daughter that he lives with and are basically his family now)

11. What’s the first thing you think about when thinking about the character?

I think I mostly just feel kind of sad? To this day I think my first thought is the really sad and desperate expression he makes in the last episode. Honestly I think my entire thought process is "Hajime!!! Hajime :((" when I think about him. His whole existence is a bit tragic (guy created to destroy the world but unfortunately happens to really like some of the people and things in it)

12. Sexuality hc!

Uhhh aroace-spec gay. He doesn't use those labels, but that roughly corresponds to what he is. I think he's in love with Kenzaki and that's about it (is there a sexual attraction element? idk, up to you). He doesn't know what he is doing or what is going on regarding his feelings for the most part. Maybe he could be attracted to other people, but honestly I don't think he cares enough about other people for it to go anywhere even if he was (yes he will fight monsters to save their lives, no he does not have any interest in talking to them). Plus I think there's an element of like, after everything Kenzaki did for him, is it even worth being into someone if they didn't swear to fight fate for him and then give up their life for him? (Honestly, I don't understand how romance or sexuality works, and I project this onto every single nonhuman character I encounter)

13. Your favorite friendship they have

I feel like the obvious choice here is Hajime and Amane. He may have killed her dad? Now he lives with this 9-10 year old and she draws pictures of them that he hangs up on his wall, and he would die for her and she would tear the world apart to find him if he left. He's not quite a father figure to her, but he's also not not one. She helped inspire a love of humanity and of being alive in him. But shout out to Haruka (widower who let this random guy live with her, and he clearly has Something up with him, but she won't press him about it. Absolutely 0 romantic tension between them despite him sort of parenting her daughter, what a dynamic) because I think there's a lot of potential there that people don't tap into much.

27. If they could meet a character from another show/movie/etc, who would be the most fun for them to meet?

I decided to challenge myself by not picking another Kamen Rider character. I honestly think maybe the Doctor from Doctor Who? It's been a while since I've seen that show, but they both have kind of a vibe of "immortal lonely men, the last of their kind but invested in humanity." They'd probably have a somewhat philosophical conversation and the Doctor might give him a bit of hope and encouragement, but they'd both be able to commiserate

[soulsxng]

Rhezar's Bar and Club

Technically located in the Pythius' domain of Hell, Ephlyt, it has entry points all over across multiple realms, courtesy of Io, when he decided to add on the club area.

These entry points each have magical systems in place that connect them to one of the three entrances into Rhezar's-- two on the club side, and one on the bar side. They subsequently "stamp" a person with the signature of whatever entry point they came through, so the door sends them back out through the place they entered from.

Another thing it does, is cast a sort of glamour on beings entering from "mortal world" entry points. Though it's weak enough for most nonhumans to naturally dispel it, it would for a human to be unable to see any of the more...Hellish influences inside. Whether that be use of magic, features of workers and patrons alike, or catching glimpses out the doors of places not where they entered from, those under the effect of this glamour either will have these things replaced with things their mind sees as more "normal", or would be unable to see them at all.

Of course, this presented a fairly obvious issue. Throw a bunch of humans in with demons, and some other non-human species, and there's a large potential for trouble to arise. Some of the largest being demonic contracts, vampires/incubi/succubi going too far in their feeding and killing someone, and humans being abducted or unknowingly spirited away somewhere.

Because of this, Io has his staff trained specifically to watch out for any humans that may be getting themselves into a bad situation. Demonic contracts are unable to be made anywhere on the premises, and humans are only able to leave out the entry point they originally came from, and only with anybody that entered at the same time as they did.

Going into the actual establishment, though! The bar side is actually relatively small-- can probably fit 75 people comfortably? A lot of the booths are very private, though there are also chairs and tables, as well as the bar counter itself that people can sit at. Things there are quieter, and more lowkey, sort of like a speakeasy, or old style pub type of feel. The music is kept pretty quiet, there's a room off to the side with a couple pool tables and some dart boards. Somehow, visitors there can hardly hear the thrumming beats of music and the rowdiness of the people in the club side next door.

The bar side is generally where Io can be found, in a big booth in the back. It's where he conducts his other business, for the most part-- gathering and handing out work contracts for anything people may need help with, from helping to find a lost relative, to stealing, to murder, or protection services, he'll take just about anything if he thinks one of his people will be interested. Obviously, he gets a predetermined cut of the profit, but most of it goes to whoever actually fulfills the contract.

He also deals in information and connections, as well as being the middle man for clients that want him to procure specific items for them.

Because of this, a lot of people that go to the bar are in similar lines of work, and it's pretty obvious that most of them view Io rather highly. Probably best not to start too much trouble there, because people will get pushy really quick over the "disrespect" to Io, and "to the Old Man, may he be resting well."

The club side, on the other hand, is pretty much the exact opposite. Little of Io's other work is conducted there, unless it's for a meeting place that's a little harder to eavesdrop or watch. It's huge, as well as being loud, boisterous, and colorful; with many of the bar tenders being trained in flair, courtesy of the club's manager, Orin.

There's a little bit of gambling for those who are interested, DJs, sometimes live music and performances, different "game" and competition sorts of things, and plenty of space for dancing!

Staff: Io Orin A lot of side muses can be found working here as well from time to time, most notably Io's younger brother, Eluvias, as well as some of the other former Elyki members like Blackwood, Duva'li, Efina, and Zakarye

A lot of other main muses can be found here fairly often, too!

[that-dreaming-dragon]

In Dealing with Exomemories, Especially Exotrauma

Cross-posted from my dreamwidth entry. Link directly in the title.

In the time spent in the alterhuman community, in particular to the therian/kin that dealt with exomemories from other lives, I've come to observe something critical--many carried various exotrauma.

My belief is that a part of the reason reincarnation happens is to provide us a chance to seek closure in our other lives or heal the wounds we carry. Perhaps we are tied to this cycle due to unfinished business, whether positive or negative.

I don’t identify as the eastern ocean dragon of my past; thus, it is my kardiatype. However, I have memories, instincts, likes, and dislikes based on that dragon. There are pains I've felt that I'm still trying to determine if they might be connected to that dragon's own loss, but they don’t hurt me as much, as I am able to observe from a distance. However, this comes down to the identification and separation of the part of the self. From the beginning of my realization of being nonhuman, I already identified as who I am: the dream dragon.

Perhaps this can help others as well, in finding that separation and distance. This is also considering that we have people within the community who can interact with their other lives as separate beings. This couples with the Chinese belief in spirits and souls (hun and po)[1] and how transmigration works with each incarnation: you only move on with a part of it, leaving the rest behind. Essentially, one is different from their past or other selves (as time can be seen as non-linear to some).

Another key thing is finding closure. Perhaps the various memories are vying for attention because of unresolved loose ends.

Writing down stories, or making any sort of creation work for each and every one of those lives might help. I believe there is truth and fact in fiction. Many alterhuman that I've observed use writing as a form of interaction with their selves. I do it too, finding temporary joy in worlds where I can be myself, and it serves as an outlet to work through some inner conflicts or other dissent. Memories become somewhat easier to handle once I put them down as something concrete that I can work with. If emotions are causing suffering, mindfulness is a good practice to counter that—acknowledge and accept the emotions, and then learn to lessen their impact on one's being. This deals with more psychological territory, but the same techniques and methods are not restricted to a single subject area. There are numerous resources available, but here's a small excerpt:

Ride out Waves of Emotions--Be Mindful Normalize Emotions Observe Anticipate Emotions will get bigger/intensify Visualize Ride/surf the emotion wave/tide. Ride it out instead of blocking it. Let it flow. Gently let go; it's okay to release the grasp. Shift focus; practice mindfulness; notice the physical surroundings. Be attentive and curious. Be Nonjudgemental Acceptance

Additionally, having something grounding or anchoring is good. Anything, even a stuffed toy, a pet, a place, another sapient being, or even things beyond—that's a bit like speaking of faith, ironic considering I'm discussing grounding in the unseen and forces beyond.

All of these can to be utilized together. Comfort allows room to break down, grounding offers a point to return to should the mind becomes lost in the memories and emotions. While all the other exercises allow confronting the memories, they help in working through emotions by offering a new perspective.

There is also something many East Asians do—they pay homage to their ancestor, a common practice is setting up ancestral tablets or spirit tablets. Offerings and prayers are made to these tablets as a way to connect with and show respect to one's ancestors. For me personally, I have seen this practice extend to one's own other lives.

In the end, the mind is what matter. Manifestation--your will to see your other lives' chapters be closed. I wish everyone all the best in finding that inner peace.

[1]Reninger, Elizabeth. "Hun & Po Ethereal & Corporeal Soul In Taoism." Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021, learnreligions.com/hun-and-po-in-taoism-and-chinese-medicine-3182553.

[thewolfisawake]

I don't think I ever officially put it out here with the various vamps on this blog so I guess I'm doing a small thing about them. Generally, there are two broad categories: Betrayers and Empyreans.

Betrayers are the technical vampires. They suck human blood in order to sustain themselves. They have sensitivities to light and sound because of how enhanced their senses are. They are sturdy for sure but can be killed by anyone basically willing enough. So like decapitation and a thorough staking technically can kill them. The problem is that they'd be fighting you the entire time and that is probably what takes one out before hand.

Their vampirism was a curse from the gods for their insubordination and hubris. And they were faced with the threat of mortality for the first time in their lives. And like any other being that grapples with it, they tried to ward it off as best they could. Or in their case, attempt to murder death. This very successful but not complete attempt is why they are called Betrayers. They turned their back on the gods completely for their own whims and tried to kill their counter parts the Empyreans. They were aided by an Empyrean that was called Anastasiya, who is hailed as someone akin to a saint.

The original Betrayers made several families after the massacre of Empyreans. These four families are the Kazatiyev, the Sokhrykov, the Nemanikhin, and the Svikhushin. They are separated by the specialty of their powers: 'almighty,' clairvoyance/temporal, mind, and 'physical' respectively. And most vampires are likely descended from one of these but they're so many (relatively) that there's the main families and all other vampires. They have a lot of influence because they have been around alongside a lot of humanity but they are mainly centered in Eastern Europe as that's simply where they have been the longest. They are cordial but not usually involved with other non human races.

Empyreans are more akin to sentient divine constructs. The closest 'approximations' to what they are are either angels or any number of races not quite gods but also not human such as the Asura, the Tuatha Dé Danann, or the kupua (as a note they are not those beings but the closest to explain). They do not have a divine aura or sense about them though. They are closest to their original designation of sentinels to humanity, the magnum opus to their gods. However it has been a long time since their gods have gone silent and a long time to drift.

Their vampirism was more of 'incentive' to carry out the punishment of the Betrayers, which upholding their mortality. Empyreans were those that did NOT fall to their hubris but the gods no longer trusted that they couldn't fall victim to it. Thus the curse of their vampirism. Because of it, Empyreans can only be sustained by the blood of other vampire types. Many were on the fence about this shift since they and the Betrayers had been equals to this point and many did not want to turn a blade on, essentially, family. The Empyrean that sought to rouse them to their duty--to allow themselves to survive--was one that went by Aleksandra.

A lot of Empyreans were murdered by the Betrayers, whom used their natural weakness: humanity. They aren't to harm humanity and it by faith of humanity that they can be slain. Essentially if a human believes that something CAN kill an Empyrean, it WILL harm them (Luckily the knowledge of this is mostly lost). This massacre left the survivors to scatter and while there were more families, to this day only three survived: the Mechnikov, the Mochalin, and the Voznesensky. All Empyreans have a natural connection to the world in some way, usually considered an 'elemental affinity.' And all have a power that reflects their 'true nature.' They do have more influence in the 'underground' or with other nonhumans due to them being less able to directly deal with humanity. They have no central seat of power but are of a sort of 'pact' to help each other out.