#folcintera

[bardkin]

an important thing i've come to realize about my fictionkinity is that my source is my mythology; an embellished or abridged representation of me.

i know there's a post i reblogged ages ago that uses this line of thought (source = legend & fanon = folklore, or something similar), but i can't remember it & wanna put this in my own words.

plus, this is about my personal beef with "canon divergent" as a descriptor for myself, so finding & re-reblogging that post wouldn't satiate the bees in my brain lol

i think it ties into why i adopted folcintera as a term, because i do not see my source as fact. (my source in particular would've turned out very different, if not for the censors on Cartoon Network. all i need to say is "Rubphire wedding," and folks in the know will nod sagely and/or get angry as i still am about how Sugar & their story was treated by CN.)

i thought myself to be canon divergent for a long time, but that just... never totally felt right. it felt more like a label i thought i had to adopt because i'm not just like the Steven in the show/games/comics. i'm just... me; a version of the character that many, many people saw. nothing more & nothing less.

i am my own folklore, taken from my own myth, in the most mundane ways possible.

my source is only rigid because it has to be. that's how documented storytelling works; it is immutable in the final product, be that prose, picture, film, animation, or whathaveyou. new versions of it are made when the original story gets released into the hands of fans, who go on to create different immutable pieces of their own.

myth into folklore, and such and so on. i don't fully know if any of that makes any tangible sense, but like, bare with me-

i'm wholly psychological in my framework, in regards to being Steven. the origin of how it happened doesn't really matter, because i'm still Steven at the end of the day. i have what i label knowledge and memories of things that happened & people i met and love(d) in that story, because the information sits in roughly the same space as my other, physical, memories. sometimes i ache for that story and world, because i've always felt like i was supposed to be somewhere other than physically here. i'm Steven in my brain and in my heart.

so when i first started questioning being fictionkind, almost a full year ago at this point (thanks to @aestherians for encouraging me to dig deeper into this part of myself lol), it felt quietly disingenuous to label myself as "canon divergent."

and that feels like a seemingly small thing that shouldn't matter. but i'm still bothered by it; more than a little. hence why i'm tossing that term over my shoulder and never looking back :3c

viewing myself as just Me and knowing that a lot of things will and won't line up with my source is fine. source is a version of my and other Stevens' stories, told through the limitations it was allotted. for some, those limitations were true for them; others, not so much (to varying degrees).

[tempestgnostic]

The Werewolf: Archetype and Identity

Someday I’ll make a list of my alterhuman and otherhearted identities, but I’m not sure when that will be. For now, I’ll just talk about the the most prominent one: The Werewolf. I capitalize the name for both its significance and the fact that it’s an archetypal identity, so to speak. (I also use he/him throughout this essay, simply because I’m speaking of The Werewolf in relation to myself, and as myself.) I’m not a specific werewolf in any sense, and I’m not drawn from just one piece of folklore, or even one broad interpretation. It’s much bigger than that. Of course, explaining all the finer details would require an essay, and time is at a premium nowadays. Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Pay no attention to the appropriately-timed readmore.

Let’s look at an example of what I mean: the eponymous baron in Bisclavret is a specific werewolf, but he’s also one of many depictions of The Werewolf as a somewhat noble being who is wronged by others—in this case, his wife—as a consequence of his true nature. This “noble beast” interpretation can be contrasted with folk tales of feral werewolves who threaten villagers and fear neither torch nor blade. Werewolves aren’t solely monsters meant to inspire empathy or fear, however. They can also serve specific literary functions, often as symbols of broader concepts and experiences. The werewolf story can be used as a metaphor for a young person coming-of-age, a challenging tale of tangling with the darker aspects of human nature, or even as an exploration of queer identity and the liminal spaces we occupy. These are certainly not unique to werewolves, and the latter is especially common among other creatures embraced by the horror genre.

Each broad interpretation of The Werewolf feels to me like a part of my identity on some level. I’m the werewolf who feels guilty for the harm he’s done, who tries to resist his feral urges, but I’m also the one who embraces that side and indulges in it. I’m the werewolf who was born this way, the one who was blessed (or cursed) by some spirit or deity, but also the one who was bitten or scratched—forever changed out of cruelty, indifference, or even a dark perversion of love. The only bits of werewolf folklore I won’t engage with on some level are those from practices and cultures that are closed for me. They’re not mine to claim on any level—certainly not in any way that would be respectful.

Like so many in our community, my connection to The Werewolf is intricately intertwined with almost all other aspects of my identity. I’m genderqueer, yet I strictly use he/him pronouns. I have a beard—a thick one, at that—and a flat chest, yet I also identify myself as butch and sapphic. It’s been uniquely gender-affirming for me to have partners who identify as lesbians—to be fully seen and understood as butch. It would feel incredibly uncomfortable and even dysphoric for me to be with a straight woman. Even within queer spaces, at times I feel either gravely misunderstood or utterly invisible. I am, on some level, expected to conform, and my refusal to do so marks me at best as ‘confused,’ and at worst as a threat.

I embrace the androgyny in my voice and mannerisms, and I easily—often unintentionally—slip into different social presentations depending on who’s around me. (I’m also autistic, to no one’s surprise.) Code-switching comes naturally to me, likely as a result of having to cobble together adequate social skills over the course of a decade, but also as a matter of safety as a queer person who’s only ever lived in red states. The Werewolf is a liminal creature, existing in several different worlds at once and moving through them with varying levels of ability. I am no different—charming and quick to make friends when I know the social landscape, and terribly awkward and clumsy when I don’t.

In the interest of keeping this even remotely readable in one sitting, I’ll wrap this up here. The Werewolf can be a charismatic yet dangerous lover, a pitiful and wretched thing, a creature just beyond the veil of understanding, or even a kindred spirit. I am and have been all of these things, both in my external life and my mind’s inner world. I experience phantom and mental shifts, and I see myself in so many depictions of werewolves in media. This part of my identity plays a vital role for me in kink—though I’ll save the details for a properly 18+ post—in my relationship dynamics, in my pagan spirituality, and many other parts of my life. It fits neatly over my gender expression like a second skin and provides a backdrop for my social presence. I am The Werewolf As Archetype: a being representing liminality, transformation, and embracing authenticity—at any cost. It is a vital part of me, without which I would cease to be.

[that-dreaming-dragon]

The Dream Dragon Myth

Cross-posted from my dreamwidth, link in the title.

When others talk about resonating with films and media, there's often a divide between wilderness/nature vs city/industrial. Often nature is where the hearts lie for more feral inclined or beast-aligned folks. Dragons are usually among this group that are drawn to nature.

Through the breadcrumbs I've left myself, I can confidently say where my resonance lies in the media genre--folklore and fairytales. This also circles me back to my initial hesitance with the term folcintera. At first glance, I was unsure if it applied to me, merely seeing myself as a generic mythkind, simply a dragon.

However, after having terms to define my experience of having a kardiatype that is divinity-made-by-human and an archetype which is Mew that is a being that is mythical, little-l legendary, whimsical, mysterious, a bit mischievous and chaotic, as well as fluid, abstract both as a concept and as a creature--it all coincidentally aligns with me being a creature of dreams, chaos, vacillant in my shape, but definite in my draconity.

This realization of the self, myself, that is defined by my very own personal myth and folklore did not come from a singular instance of learning of the term folcintera, or interacting with media that are tied to fairytales or mythologies. This took time, and a certain level of self-acceptance, along with the unintended nudges from the communities around me via the discussion of alterhumanity.

I have contemplated that my otherkinity has some degree of voluntarity within. I as a species never quite make sense, even as a dragon, which tends to be from a conglomeration of other creatures. When I first had an idea of my appearance, it happened while I was within a draconic (and furry) community. I'd mentioned before that orange is as much a part of me as my draconity is. But what of all the other features that define me? From the bits I could recall of that community, the dragons are more typical of the scaled lizards with webbed wings, many have breath weapons of some sort. I remember a blue anthro dragon with military and firearm tied to the lore of their dragonsona.

Was it my desire to be different than the mainstream?

But looking back at my old drawings, most, if not all are decidedly random in their features. They'd either be some sort of snake with lots of extra, or hexapod being with claws for limbs and a pair of wings of various sorts, sometimes more, or avians with wings and legs combination, or they'd be piscine. Perhaps because of the media I grew up with, the draconic creatures are varied in their features, or perhaps due to my cultural upbringing.

I came from a background that has Buddhism, Taoism, some local folklore, and maybe Shinto or Shinto-influenced beliefs, and others that I cannot define. I grew up with my nonhumanity. I experience my life from my teens onward with the knowledge of my past life of being a dragon. I learn from a culture that acknowledges dragons as mythical and reality, and stories of dragons capable of shapeshifting, of controlling wind and rain. I read mythologies about dragons from many cultures of this world and their diversity.

When I had a complete image of myself, I was round, circular in shape, bright in colors, and dominated by orange so vibrant, you'd only possibly find it in birds, the fur of beasts, and wings of fowl. I also had a pet-like quadrupedal form, a form that is typically seen as an "eastern" dragon, and a form that is typically seen as a "western" dragon. There's not quite a point in mentioning the anthro shape, as I still do not think that is a form in itself.

There was not much separation between human vs nonhuman. I am nonhuman through and through.

As a whole, what is made up of me, my sense of self, the essence of my identity, is an amalgamation of all my experiences and knowledge, both intrinsic and potentially influenced by my surroundings. I am a dragon, it is the simple, unshakable truth. The how I am as a dragon is far more complex, it speaks of my story, my personal mythology.

[dogmandotcom]

Being a Folklore Dog

I’ve been meaning to write about my nonhumanity for a while now so hi, I’m dogbeast~! I’m a human-ish weredog shapeshifting fae dog monster ;-)

My system’s best guess right now is that I’m a fusion of two previous alters, but I would’ve fused before we realised we were a system so we don’t really remember how that process went down. I’m fairly sure I’m a fusion of a human lad and a black monster dog which is why I’m both human and a dog cryptid~ ♡

I’m specifically a black monster dog from British folklore like a barghest, shuck, gytrash or padfoot (I’m not a church grim even though they can appear as black dogs, that’s a slightly different kind of beast to me 😌). I have more of a connection to the area of the UK we grew up in than a lot of my other headmates and being a British folklore dog is really important to me and my connection to my home. I’m a pretty sociable and chill guy but I’m also super queer and it’s hard sometimes to grow up in a conservative rural area and feel like an outcast in a place that means so much to you. Black shuck is a monster but it’s a monster that belongs in East Anglia. I’m a medieval european historian too and it feels so right that I have this connection to the history of my home. I’m an old monster and I’ve always been here and always will be here.

✨Dehumanisation✨ reasons aside though being a black dog doesn’t feel like a negative thing for me at all. I’m a lot more stable and happier as a fused alter than either of my component parts were and I love being a big scary monster weredog~ Black dogs are also considered ghost dogs and fairy dogs and I think I can definitely see myself as a fae human weredog thing 👀

Literally in the middle of writing this lol I remembered that @who-is-page coined the word folcintera and I think that might fit what I am - a weredog who’s nonhumanity is intrinsically tied to British folklore 😌 Theriomythic works for me too I think! Honestly I haven’t existed in my current form for more than a few months so I’m still figuring out the details of what exactly I am haha but folcintera and theriomythic feel right for now

[who-is-page]

Not to be nonhuman on main, but I just had something cooked blue rare for the first time and OHHHH MY GOD. The sheer satisfaction, it was awesome. Guys, I totally recommend it if you feel comfortable with raw meat and have reputable meat sellers near you.

I can also now say I've completed the alterhuman stereotype of "eat a non-fish meat almost completely raw," hell yeah!

[aestherians]

Identifying "With"

The following essay is best understood if you have read these posts beforehand: - https://aestherians.tumblr.com/post/657145929223307264/ - https://aestherians.tumblr.com/post/672387556530405377/

Word count: ~1800 Estimated reading time: 6-7 minutes

There are some characters that are "literally me" in the sense that their journeys, their personalities, their trials and blessings, and their fears and comforts match my own to an often-uncomfortable degree. We are like twins separated at birth, like doppelgängers in everything but appearance, or like soulmates that were never supposed to meet. They are not kintypes. I don’t feel like I am these characters on any level. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that it feels as if these characters are me. But identifying as something is not the be-all end-all of identity and there is a lot of room for different relationships and identity facets outside the scope of kintypes.

Part I: Defining Otherheartedness

I won’t appoint myself as the arbiter of what is and is not a hearttype. I don’t think any one person can define “otherhearted” in a way that accurately represents every person who uses the term. Otherheartedness was originally coined with only real-life animals in mind, and as having an element of voluntarity, but these traits don’t describe most of the otherhearted folks I’ve talked to. To some users in the original coining thread, otherheartedness was also used as a psychological alternative to the (at the time) more spiritually minded therianthropy.

I can see some benefits to this vagueness. It would be helpful to have a term that functions as a catch-all for any identity that doesn’t fit into other categories, and which can be interpreted in many different ways. But I don’t think ‘otherhearted’ is the best candidate for this.

We’re in a bit of a hey-day of new identity terms being coined. Both widely useful terms like endel, othervague, and constelic, and more individual terms like folcintera and fictanthrope, have all been coined within the last year. Many more terms have been proposed, most of which have fallen to the wayside. The community thankfully self-regulates like this: If a term isn’t useful, no one will use it. If people use a term, there must have been a need for it.

I don’t think ‘otherhearted’ was intended to have a prescriptive definition like all these new terms do. That is, the definition given by its coiner was intentionally left up to interpretation, and its coiner didn’t correct people when they used the word in a way that strayed from the definition. Which contrasts with the very prescriptive nature of most of the terms being proposed these days.

I’m usually more of a descriptivist, i.e., I believe language is defined more by its usage, than its dictionary definitions. But in a community like this, which concerns itself with defining identities and ontological phenomena, I don’t think language descriptivism is very useful. After all, descriptivism is what led to the redefining of ‘kin’ that has happened on TikTok, as described in my previous essay.

It’s too late to prescribe a definition to otherheartedness. It was coined more than a decade ago and is so widely used nowadays, there’s no way a new definition would gain a foothold. But we can observe how people use the term to describe themselves and try to narrow it down to its essentials. To do so accurately and in-depth would require an essay of its own, but, in short, the only part of the original definition that I see people use today is “identify with.” The original definition included four other qualifiers: Identifying as fully human, specifically identifying with an animal, the identification being similar to a totem, and the otherhearted experiencing shifts as a way to become closer to the animal in question. Aside from the ability to experience shifts (though not necessarily as a way to connect with a hearttype, usually just as a side effect of being otherhearted), I don’t see the other qualifiers being used at all today.

So, we’re left with the very vague “to be otherhearted is to identify with something.” In and of itself, I don’t think this concept is worthy of its own term. Every individual on Earth identifies with something: Family members, job titles, personality types, fashion movements, colors, songs, stories, traditions, and so on. We want ‘otherhearted’ to be a useful descriptor of an identity facet, not a vague word to cover the breadth of the entire (non)human experience.

The real questions then become: How can we understand the phrase “identify with,” through the lens of defining identities/self-perceptions? And how can it be understood in a specifically alterhuman way?

The most straight-forward answer is that your identification with something has to be strong enough to impact your sense of self. In fact, I would say whatever you define as a hearttype has to be inseparable from the way you conceptualize your identity (of course without being something you actually identify as, as that would instead make it a kintype). For example, your hearttype could be something that has affected your development as a person, affects your personality, has altered your course in life, and/or influences your actions. To count as an alterhuman phenomenon, the identification would have to be somehow outside of the scope of what’s considered a “normal” human experience, but that I will leave up to interpretation!

Part II: Synpaths, vaguetypes, and paratypes, oh my!

Delving into the background, meaning, and use of otherheartedness might have felt like a bit of a digression but it was, unfortunately, necessary. Most of the following identity words were created prescriptively, so examining them will be quicker.

Synpath was created in 2015 to describe “something you identify with on several levels.” It’s the broad and vague term that ‘otherhearted’ could have been, encompassing everything from concepts to animals to characters. It’s meant to cover things that resonate with you, things you relate to but which aren’t necessarily a strong part of your identity, things you share a lot of traits with, and more. In this sense ‘synpath’ is a bit of an umbrella term. It can cover a multitude of experiences, the same way ‘otherkind’ can include anything from archetypal therians to original character fictionkind. In practice, it’s mostly used as an alternative to the -hearted suffix, usually just because “[name] is my synpath” rolls off the tongue a bit better than “I am [name]-hearted.”

Othervague is, similarly, an umbrella term, though in this case it was created to encompass every single identity facet/relationship that doesn’t fit neatly into any previously established categories. The term is inclusive of those who simply don't wish to bother with specific labels and definitions.

Paratype is a monster of my own making. I came up with it in 2018 and have yet to write a coining essay, but it basically includes every connection and relationship you have with something, that only exists because of your pre-established identity. For example, I have hearted-like feelings for bulls, but these feelings only exist because I am a bison. If I weren't a bison, I would not feel connected to bulls. Ergo, my bull connection is an off-shoot of my bison theriotype - bulls are a paratype to my theriotype. This also includes hearted identities; I am unicornhearted and feel connected to okapis because of it.

Comfort characters are just what it says on the tin - characters that bring you comfort. Beyond that, it's very vague. A synpath can also be a comfort character, as can a kintype or hearttype or any other type of identification.

Kardiatype is a word for a past life that had a profound impact on your personality and/or core identity, and which still affects you to this day, but which is no longer something you identify as.

Experience-taking is the process of taking on traits of a character as you read/watch/play through their story. It's often the cause of cameo-shifts and tends to fade away after a while, though it can cement itself into a more permanent type of identity, such as a fictotype or hearttype.

Constelic refers to people who adopt (and may discard) identities throughout their life with relative frequency Constels (the identities that are adopted) can be of varying intensity and presentation, from something as personal as a kintype to as separate as a comfort character.

Clicking is when you strongly relate to something, which is a purposefully vague definition. It was coined as a potential replacement for kin-as-a-verb.

Part III: Umbrellas are the mothers of invention

As I mentioned in the introduction, I experience another type of identification-with, which I feel is distinct enough that I don’t want to just lump it under an umbrella term. You thought you were reading an analysis essay? Ha! This was a coining essay all along >:)

As with all words, you can choose to use this or not. It's an opt-in label. If you'd rather refer to these types of relationships as synpaths, hearttypes, or any other previously mentioned word, you're more than welcome. But I feel like the identity deserves its own word, and not just be lumped in under the synpath umbrella.

I've decided to call this type of identity a "simile", which is typically defined as "a figure of speech comparing two unlike things" and its synonyms include metaphor, analogy, and likeness. In the context of alterhuman identity, similes are all about self-recognition through the other. They are characters, animals, themes, objects, and concepts that cause you to recognize traits that already existed within yourself. Rather than affecting your sense of self, as kintypes and hearttypes do, similes merely reflect what was already there. Looking at your simile feels less like looking in a mirror and more like looking at a portrait - a representation - of yourself. The character (if the simile is a character) can be used as a representation or a metaphor for yourself.

This is quite different from a hearttype - in a way, kinda the opposite of a hearttype. My hearttypes are just as integral to who I am as my kintypes are. I wouldn't be the person that I am if I weren't unicornhearted or spiderhearted or Tarzan-hearted. These other character relationships, my similes, don't affect who I am as a person. Instead I feel an identification with them because of who I was prior to knowing about them, and I wouldn't be a different person if they weren't in my life. Basically: Hearttype: "Feeling this relationship has led to the person I am today" Simile: "Being the person I am today has led to feeling this relationship"

In other words, this is what a simile is:

Lastly, a quick copy-pasteable definition: A simile (in the context of alterhuman identity) is a character, animal, concept, or object, which reflects or otherwise represents who you are, without actually being a part of your identity. A simile may be described as a metaphor for who you are.

[chiaroscuro-daemons]

Black & White Sunrise

We are a multidæ subsystem within a larger plural system. Zohar is the dæmian, Praxis & Syntyche are the dæmons. Below is some information about us!

Zohar Arcturus Morgenstern

System outernaut of the Sidereal Prismatic Reverie Symphony

CIEday: September 12, 2022

Chalkydri angel extranth, bear folcintera, Paladin & Morningstar archetrope

He/hymn/it/e/dei/sol

Bodily 21; Mentally ~6000

Prospective Jewish convert

Interested in philosophy, folklore, religion, alterhumanity, dæmonism, learning, writing, reading, music, poetry

tag: #knightlight 🕯️

Praxis

CIEday: May 31st 2023 (the day when Zo formally recognized his existence, but he's existed in many forms before then)

Settled form: Common blackbird

He/him

Tag: #practical poet 🐦‍⬛

Syntyche Lynet Arete

CIEday: August 22nd 2023 (when Zo & Praxis formally acknowledged her existence, has existed for a long time in many forms)

She/they

Tag: #wild rose whispers 🕊️

[ilraksroost]

Made myself a little "personal taxonomic ranking" card because I am a nerd and wanted to make something fun related to my identity.

It's also a handy little visual for the way this particular set of identities nest within each other.

Image ID and more description below the read more!

Basically:

Domain is standing in for the broadest sense, the "Who I Am" rather than "What I Am".

Kingdom would be Alterhuman in this case. Of course there are other "Kingdoms" that make me what I am, but we're focusing on this one and narrowing down the exact identity from there.

Phylum narrows down to an important determining factor of this alterhumanity. I identify as, not identify with, which puts me into a different category (and if I identified with instead of as, that would open up other categories as well!).

For Class, the question is, do I identify as some sort of alterhuman human (such as some fictionkin) or do I identify as something non-human? Since I identify as something non-human, that would be my personal taxonomic class.

Order is where we get more detail. I don't identify as humanoid so non-humanoid is the order I am in!

Now for Family, this is where we get into some of the labels where you would find Otherkin, Therianthrope/Therian, Folcintera, Stelliferoforme, Fictherian, and other more narrow identity terms. Once upon a time, you'd have found me in otherkin or therian, but I feel the term I have in this essay, stelliferoforme, is a better fit to describe my identity.

From there we get what type of stelliferoforme I am and that's where my "Ceratocorvus" (also the name of the innerworld and system) comes in, since I am equally a ceratosaurus and a raven in this identity. And then the species name because, again, I'm a nerd.

[Image ID: An infographic on a starry background. The stars in the back look like a nebula.

Centered in the infographic, in large, bold font, reads the following:

Ilrak

Domain: Who I am

Kingdom: Alterhuman

Phyllum: Identify-As

Class: Non-human identifying

Order: Non-humanoid identifying

Family: Stelliferoforme

Genus: Ceratocorvus

Species: Ceratocorvus nasicornis

/.End ID]

[nimdreams]

Otherlink

"otherlink(er) - an individual who has voluntarily chosen a nonhuman or fictional character identity. Similar to copinglinks, but created and used for reasons other than coping. Otherlinks generally may be dropped voluntarily." - From Beyond Humanity Alterhuman Dictionary

I've decided to try out a linktype, the mountain hare. I have questioned being a hare before and tried on hare folcintera multiple times before settling on hare-hearted for a time, but I realized even when I am not a hare therian, I can just *be* a hare if I want to! I can have a mountain hare linktype.

I don't know how this will go for me, because only having one 'type is what I am used to. It might not be for me, but it seems like a fun thing to try so I am going to. I chose mountain hares specifically as they are what I feel most connected to, even though brown hares fit me a bit better (I regularly shapeshift into brown hares as a fox spirit). I am excited to experience molting into my winter fur this fall.

I have no experience with otherlinking, so if anyone has any advice or wants to share their experiences please do!

[irritatedandroid]

Been thinking a lot on my feelings about wolves, and about how Page talks about folcinteric identity. I’m not sure if I am a wolf, personally. I definitely wouldn’t be in the most known therianthropic way. I can acknowledge the fictional and mythological takes on wolves are often highly inaccurate, and yet they still ring special bells in me as do real facts about wolves.

I relate to it like the facade I put up about me vs how I actually feel inside. Chirin’s Bell/Ringing Bell still hits way too closely in that sense, especially related to trauma feelings.

Walking the border lines of things like wolf-hearted. But I mean, in dealing with my hellhound identity and feelings, I seem to be walking a lot of border lines. Copinglink feelings turned into something I cannot let go of, and that may be revealing things more innate.

[bardkin]

being a ridden dragon & not yet knowing what that entails

inspired by @who-is-page's post here! i decided fuck it !! i wanna write (more) about the draconic aspects of myself, timidness be damned.

as a quick preface, i am a psychological 'kin! i hold loose beliefs in multiverse & a form of reincarnation, but i don't know for sure if / don't think those things apply to me specifically.

o()xxx[{:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>

i've known i'm a dragon for a while, now. i go somewhat in-depth about it here in this entry about adopting/trying out the term folcintera for myself, but i didn't really touch on one of the newer revelations i had about it:

i'm the dragon in a rider-dragon pair.

as for how i know this, it just feels Correct. (far as i'm aware,) i don't have any past or concurrent life memories, or know who/what my rider is or was. this is a noema that i cannot explain further, as of yet. I Just Know this aspect is fact.

i mentioned [in my linked entry] that my first up close exposure to dragons was the Eragon series, which is what cemented my idea of what "dragon" was to me. ever since that series, i've been aggressively hyperfixated on dragon-rider stories; the kind of hyperfixation that waxes and wanes, but when it hits, it Hits like a Truck.

i don't think i'm from any one specific source, such as How to Train Your Dragon, Dragonriders of Pern, or Eragon. none of those really feel like places i've lived or belonged in. my specific brand of dragonity is wildly different from any dragons you'd see in the listed settings/stories, so i am not any dragon you'll see in those stories — but i also am.

moreso, i feel a connection to the dynamic between rider and dragon; the trappings don't truly matter, in the end. i am the archetypal dragon-with-a-rider, and see myself in almost any dragon-rider setting. i am a Ridden Dragon, and that will mean something different to everyone who interacts with dragon-rider lore — including myself. i am both folcinteric and an archetrope, in this regard.

before i awakened, and thought about dragon-rider stories, i thought i was simply wanting to live in a world where i could share a bond like that & go on adventures... and while that's still true, since i'm an escapist storyteller, there's a key difference between then and now.

i thought i had to relate to and imagine myself as the rider — and that never felt completely right.

now that i'm aware of and better exploring my draconic side, this aspect has come to light. and i have No idea what it could mean for me.

as stated, i don't know who my rider was/is or could be. i don't know what our dynamic was like, if our bond is of magical origin or through mutual trust. though, that might have something to do with me being archetypal, here. my rider could be anyone; our bond origin could be of any type, so long as it serves the purpose of the archetype.

dragon riding means different things to different people. sometimes it's about taming a wild beast, akin to horseback riding. other times it's a magical bond. and other times still, it's about trust and friendship.

i still don't know what my personal mythos is, or if i have one at all. maybe it is just that dynamic, nebulous and without a tether. or maybe it's just not uncovered quite yet.

i don't know how common being a ridden dragon is, be it in fictherian/fictionkin dragon spaces, or more general dragonkind spaces, because i haven't seen it talked about much. possibly because i'm just not looking in the right places, but, *shrug*!

i have no idea if this post will inspire any other dragons with riders (or maybe even dragon riders!) to write about their experiences. but, never know unless i post, so ;]

thanks for reading!

[dogmandotcom]

I love whatever’s going on with Dogbeast’s alterhumanity. He’s primarily fair folk and a black dog folcintera but he also sees himself in a lot of British hobbyhorses?? and we think he might be slightly based on Starscream because he formed when we were fixating on transformers but he might have fused with a balloon dog alter at some point too bc he really vibes with balloon dogs! Idk maybe it’s because he’s a fusion of 2+ different alters or maybe his identity is still settling because he’s our newest alter. Either way he’s our favourite shapeshifting weredog <3

[who-is-page]

(if any of y'all write stuff about being folcinteric plz plz plz PLZ PLZ PLZ tag me or send me a link because I want to see it, I promise I want to read whatever you write about it SO MUCH it is SO VERY COOL to see people with similar experiences to meeeee)

[bardkin]

taking on @who-is-page's Folcintera Week Challenge! do note that entries most likely won't be daily, because i have Various Things wrong with me (such as Work and Chronic Sleepy) <3

🐾 What is your species? How do you experience aspects of your nonhumanity?

I’m a fisher marten, human-gem-hybrid, coyote, animal familiar, artificial mobian hedgehog, and a demon-weapon. I’m also a Storyteller archetrope, though that doesn’t totally apply here (until it does, sometimes).

Generally speaking, I experience various shifts — most commonly in the form of phantom limbs / parts (ears, tail, fur, fangs, gem, etc), envision or "self-image" shifts (tho I hesitate to call them "shifts" since I don't usually internally "see" my human-body-self, when I think about my self-image anyway), and mental / instinctual shifts — and have sort-of-memories, as well as noemata. All of this is physiological & neurologically based (though, my Shadow fictotype was just kind of... dropped into my lap, uninvited, and I've simply been Shadow The Goddamn Hedgehog ever since), with a very "narrative" framework to a lot of it.

When it comes to my animality specifically, I experience it in possibly a very niche way. I do have very “usual” experiences of beastly shifts, instincts, etc, but I’m not just restricted to four legs. I’m kind of like those queer little animals in Beatrix Potter’s books, Little Bear, or RedWall — I’m a creature straight out of a beast fable. Kind of furry adjacent, but also Pretty Much A Furry in a very nonhuman way. It kind of melds into very human activities. Unnoticeable unless I become aware of it, because it’s become almost background-noise levels of normalized to me. I almost always have some phantom animal part, be it ears, a tail, quills, fangs, pawpads, claws. It's more noticeable to not have these shifts.

My animal familiar-ness is still something I have yet to delve deeper into, as this is a concept that requires connection to another; lending one’s self to help someone you’re bonded to. Admittedly, I haven’t had the chance to explore it yet, but I do know that it’s affected by all manner of its depiction and origins. Be that daemons from His Dark Materials, or palismen from the Owl House, each iteration of the “magical animal companion” feels like me. It also bleeds into dragon-rider bonds, and heavily affects how I experience that genre, or stories that have this as a trope or character. Rather than relating to the (usually always human/humanoid) rider, I find myself in the shoes (or, more aptly, the scales) of the ridden dragon.

Being Steven Universe is an experience I’m not sure I can articulate properly in a few sentences, other than... that is who I am. I am Steven in the most mundane, everyday ways possible. Being Steven is also the closest to being internally human that I'm ever going to get, and even that never feels like "human from this earth." I am Steven in the way I have endless optimism, in the way I always want to help and fix others’ problems (even if I can’t, and even if it’s detrimental to my own mental health), and in the way that I have Goddamn Mommy Issues. Again (which is only partially a joke). I may not be Steven-From-The-Show or Steven-From-The-Light-Games, but that's also me. Even some fanfiction iterations are me, which is something of an entirely separate essay in itself.

The demon-weapon thing is... well, saying it (simply) “feels good to identify as something that can turn into a weapon” seems... kind of surface level, but, it’s what I experience. There are days where it feels like I should be able to flex some unseen muscle, something under the surface, and have my arm become a blade, or to be able to morph completely into a scythe or sword. That I should be able to resonate my very soul with the one(s) closest to me, so that they could literally wield me as the weapon I was meant to be. It’s something I know will never be a reality, but that it should.

And... being Shadow the Hedgehog means experiencing a gut wrenchingly regretful nostalgia for a sister I never had & couldn’t save. It means having quill shifts out of nowhere, sometimes over top other phantom shifts, and having something to attribute my memory gaps to (even though I know they’re because of the auDHD, & not caused by this fictotype. Sometimes to get mentally well you have to be a little mentally unwell). It means embracing not knowing who I am, and forging ahead anyway.

[bardkin]

while my dracionity turned out different in the end, this was still an important post for me to write!

<:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::{[xxx()o

when I see my draconic self in my mind’s eye, or become more aware of my phantom parts (because they're always present to a degree), there’s a consistent, distinct shape.

o()xxx[{:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>

- a long-ish mammalian muzzle, full of sharp teeth & fangs. also has a feline- or mustelidae-like nose-pad. (“padded nose”? idk the exact term for these types of critter snoots.) - brown fur of short-to-medium length. - unsure if i have scales or protective plating anywhere? might have some on the lower sections of my legs. - body is pine-marten-y in shape & length. - tail is also quite long. sleek, thick-ish, and is capable of corkscrewing around itself at least once. tapers off into a (albeit large) lion-like “tuft” at the end; like a traditional unicorn’s tail. (may be longer, and i’m just experiencing a length that’s relative to my human body???) - paws with five digits, paw-pads, & claws. unsure if said claws are retractable at all. overall very marten-esk. - ears are always in a “back facing” position, which seems to be their natural/neutral positioning. ears are large, almost fennec-like, and fuzzy inside & out like a donkey’s. - set of small nub-horns, teal in color, positioned like a goat’s or deer’s. - one of the closest placement matches i’ve seen are Trico’s (beast from The Last Guardian), but mine grow the opposite direction (i.e, toward my back).

- i do not have wings, and notably feel like i’d be incapable of (natural/non-magical) flight.

- i believe my species lived in, or at least frequented, a temperate forest environment of sorts. and/or potentially somewhere that feels like a mix of Alaska & California's wilderness? it's a jumble of fuzzy noemata that i'm still sorting through.

all this got me wondering; is there any example of this sort of dragon in wider media? in any known mythos or folklore? thus far, the closest examples i've found in these sources are Chinese & Japanese Dragons, such as the character of Haku from Spirited Away; but these aren't exacts. when i look up images & read about them in mythology texts (historical & fictional alike), i always think to myself "Kind of close, but... not it."

one fictional type i've found that sort of matches me is Imperial dragons, from Flight Rising.

however, many details just don't ring as "me." i lack wings, those prominent whiskers, full scales, or any kind of beard, my horns are much, much shorter, i could go on. bottom line, i'm not an Imperial dragon. so, i'm left with the same feeling: "Close, but nowhere near exact."

the absolute closest body-type/shape i’ve found (outside of drawing something myself) is from various original characters. there's a consistent handful of design tropes that make these characters distinctly this type of "fuzzy noodle dragon" — like a mosh-pit mix of almost "off-brand" depictions of eastern dragons. if you're in character/adoptable design circles, you may know what i'm talking about. you may even own a character like this, or be in the same boat as me.

i did briefly consider the idea i might be OC-kin, but... similarly to historical depictions & Imperial dragons, these designs feel like they’re just that; designs. not part of my identity.

"Close. Nothing more."

even this fursona/character concept i whipped up a few years ago, which has pretty much every visual aspect i described, doesn’t feel like me. that character still feels like just a for-fun-mascot or character; not a self-portrait, idealized or true-to-form.

which brings me to a label i've been ruminating over: Folcinteric (Nonhumanity).

i feel @who-is-page’s label of folcintera might really fit me, especially with the specific type of dragon i’ve described here. problem is, (and this is most likely just the imposter syndrome talking) i'm not even sure i have any mythos to begin with.

well. maybe i do. in a slightly more abstract sense.

as i said, this kind of design is not that uncommon; i'd even dare to say it's popular. popular enough that a lot of people will understand and have a fairly distinct image in their mind when you say “furry noodle dragon.” (i'm extremely curious about the origins of this design trend, and who might've kicked it off, or if this concept is a conclusion that multiple artists came to when making a lung dragon inspired design.)

so, perhaps my larger “mythology” — to potentially stretch the definition a bit — is from a subset of the dragon art & character design communities. something in me says that could count as a "lived mythology" of sorts.

and, i am still a type of dragon, one that varies in imagery/details and person-to-person lore, at the end of the day. one that is also very tied to my own personal understanding of "dragon."

dragons, in the larger scope of folklore, are typically an allegory for the wealthy, or the concept of "evil," or are simply more "neutral" symbols of power, wisdom, strength, and/or magic.

dragons were never something i feared / saw as universally "villainous," or even as strictly symbolic of any of the previously listed symbolism. my first exposure to dragons was within the Eragon/Inheritance Cycle series. due to the dragon and rider bond i saw there, "dragon" was cemented in my brain as a companion; protector, friend, but also animal. a fearsome one, yes, but not cruel or "evil by nature." not greedy, just naturally curious and drawn to "shiny" objects in the way any corvid is. sapient as any human or humanoid folk, but still as much of a beast as any wolf or bear.

publicly, i'll most likely just say "I'm a [species of] dragon," and leave it at that. the details of my identity are for me alone, and thus any further explanations or descriptions will be given voluntarily.

but even the things i keep private, i like to put names to. this is one such thing!

"theriomythic" felt somewhat like a hasty choice, though i don't mean that as a bad thing, at least for me. a bit of "my experiences fit here [within the therian label], but the species and my understanding of it doesn't [fit the definition of "only" earthen/nonfictional animals]... so i'll go with something that's close enough."

i do quite like the terms "draconity" & "dragonkind," since they're both very all-encompassing; but... i'm not sure how to articulate how that also feels like the problem (though i use the term loosely) that my brain has with them. "dragonkind," from my understanding, is more-so a label for the community itself rather than the individual. (it can be for personal use, i.e "I am dragonkind," but i don't know if it's widely used as such.) and "draconity" doesn't... quite ring the way i feel it should. it feels more like a general descriptor to preface my experiences and identity.

i could come up with my own term(s), and who knows, i might end up doing so. but at the same time, i don't want to reinvent where i don't need to. to me, the idea currently feels like calling that particular shade of lavender purple by another name, just because i can.

so maybe my flavor of dragon does fit the definitions for being folcintera. the term is supposed to be pretty much limitless within "lived mythos."

all that to say, i'm going to be trying out folcintera for myself. worst that happens is it doesn't end up fitting lol if that becomes the case, i'll find or make something new~

[who-is-page]

I love the fact that I am folcintera! I love my niche label that I crafted around my own nonhumanity! I love getting to write my little essays and do my little writing challenges! I love getting to be my own funky nonhuman self in a way that no one can ever take away from me! I love other people using it the same way! I love being shamelessly myself!