#polymorph kin

[pipfitzam0bi]

It's honestly kinda hard for me to understand if I have a theriotype or anything similar because I literally wanna be any cool creature/character I see, so I have trouble understanding myself. Maybe I'm actually a shapeshifter kin or something, does anyone else have the same problem?

[spaceventrilo]

Why are my hands paws and feet hooves

[sirenium]

Growing up alterhuman is isolating, even when you have friends who pretend to be animals with you. Because that's all it is to them: pretending.

I'm someone who has felt some level of nonhuman for a huge chunk of their life; much like other kids, I would 'pretend' to be an animal or mythical creature. However, there was always an underlying sense of reality when I would 'pretend' to be a wolf, a leopard, a tiger, a mermaid, or even an ordinary housecat. As I grew, the feeling lingered, and at around 12 or 13 I discovered the otherkin community through cringe compilations.

I immediately felt a kinship to the community and couldn't understand what was so cringe about them. I found myself looking into the community, and I 'came out' as a vampire at 13. It was treated simultaneously as just a phase and something worrying. I started wearing tails at 14 everywhere I went, as I had developed two wolf forms. I stopped doing anything like this around the time when quarantine started.

I am now an adult, 19 years of age, and still nonhuman. I came into understanding of my polymorph identity at 17, and have stuck with it while gathering forms that I also consider to be kintypes; I consider myself to be canine therian despite not identifying as a dog all the time, for example. I still identify as a vampire. It is still isolating.

It is isolating because I know there are people who will see me and say, 'aren't you too old to play pretend like that?' as if I chose to have a lingering sense of nonhumanity from childhood. As if I chose this unshakable disconnect from humanity. As if I am playing pretend. I wish it were that simple, a game of play pretend. But no, this is a part of my identity, and I feel so othered sometimes because ""normal"" adults don't do this. I am a freak adult just as I was a freak child. But I also feel at peace, because I have this part of me and I have community. I know there are adults out there like me. 'Normalcy' isn't some superior state of being and being a 'freak' ain't all that bad.

So yeah, I guess where I'm trying to go with this is that otherkin adults aren't immature for their identities. We deserve to be taken as seriously as the adults who identify as human. We deserve to exist without ridicule, much like otherkin kids deserve the same.

[cotton-stuffed-clown]

I see a lot of people struggle to figure out whether their experience as an alterhuman is valid. I've seen so many ask pre - existing otherkin if it's ok to do this, or feel this, or if they can still be an otherkin even if they don't have physical gear.

There aren't any rules on what you can or can't feel. Physical objects don't make you an otherkin. Everyone's experiences are different.

I know I'm an otherkin because of the feeling my body isn't mine, that something is missing, or wrong. I get dysphoria for features I don't have, like sharp teeth or long ears or a tail. I long for the things I miss and despise what I have. I mourn the actions I'm unable to perform, such as flying. I spent years trying to connect myself to specific creatures in hopes of figuring out what I am, such as cats or rabbits or dragons, even sirens at one point. It wasn't til a year ago I found out what polymorphs are, and I've been identifying as one ever since. I don't have gear, or memories, but that doesn't make my experience any less valid.

When it comes to my identity as an objectkin, it's sort of similar. I have a strong connection to the idea of being plush, of having springs and stuffing instead of bones and blood. I sometimes sit on my bed absolutely disgusted in the idea I have organs, that I'm bound by an organic body which I must maintain. Again, I don't have memories, I don't believe I was a doll in a past life, it's just a strong connection which I identify with and long for; I think I should be one, even though I'm not and know I never will be.

Whatever you choose to identify as, whatever you choose to believe in, it's YOUR choice, and you aren't any less valid just because your experience doesn't line up with others.

[mallo-person]

Humans are too limiting

I want to be able to form my hands into big sharp claws again

To be able to bend my limbs in ways that bones would usually break, to bend them in similar ways to a jellyfish or octopus

To be able to sit out in the winter for hours to watch the sparkling snow with just my normal clothes without freezing

To be able to explore the world for months and not to have worry about anything that needs to be taken cared of for this body

Human bodies are way too limiting.

[littlebluegator]

I wish shapeshifters/polymorphs were more prevalent on social media or we formed more of a community. Most alterhumans, even those with multiple types, seem to have this core identity that I can only partly understand and empathize with. The plight of not having any 'common' kintypes, I guess ...

[hermaphrodog]

I don't really know how to ask this, but could you just try to educate a poor lad about alterhumanity?:)

I've tried to look things up but it feels like it's just better to ask someone with actual experience. (Hope i didnt sound rude or anyting)

I can try to do that.

for me, it's a general disconnect from humanity. the community is far too broad to be described with one sentence, though, lest one exclude a certain identity. there are plenty of ways to fall under the umbrella, which include being a fictional character, so if I were to describe 'alterhuman' as 'another word for nonhuman' it wouldn't be entirely accurate. no two alterhumans are the same, and not everyone who technically falls under the umbrella identifies with the label. personally, I prefer 'otherkin' and 'nonhuman' for myself.

If you've been looking into alterhumanity, you may have heard about 'species dysphoria', 'shifts', and 'phantom limbs'. I have experience with species dysphoria and phantom limbs, but not shifts. species dysphoria is a feeling of distress toward being in a seemingly human body, yearning for the body of another species. it's having a bone structure where your limbs don't bend correctly (I tend to feel this toward my legs), it's not having the senses you should (having hypersensitivities that place me at least slightly above the average human being helps with this). phantom limbs, on the other hand, for me, are strange sensations where wings would sprout from my back, where a tail would come out of my body, or where a pair of ears would be on my head. I also get phantom fangs, and these are more... fleshed out I guess, in the sense where it feels like I have full on fangs.

as for how this kind of identity can come about, it can be for any reason, including trauma, neurodivergence (I'm including delusions here), fun, spirituality, or even a mix of these. I'm sure there are more reasons. for me, it's a mixture of neurodivergence and trauma, and I'll spare you the sob story. additionally, I've always felt more connected to animals and creatures and would 'play-pretend' more intensely than the kids my age, etc. etc.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I want to finish this response as I've already taken a comedically long time trying to figure out how to write this.

[shape-shiifter]

Personal moodboard for my shapeshifter revelations

[Credit to Clockbirds for top right image]

[randompolykin]

a silly art thing post

Because "Barbie you can be anything" and polymorphs are shapeshifting beings that can be anything.

[theros]

when i'm a coyote, it's just me. feels natural, feels very much like myself.

coyote isn't quite a theriotype, i think. i may change my opinion on this in the coming years but in the last couple i've been fairly sure it's not a theriotype. but the feeling is incredibly similar in shifts, and was part of the driving force behind me mostly abandoning 'type differentiations (kintype vs. paratype, etc) and adopting more shapeshifter/polymorph-centric labels for myself.

the point is, in that form i am a coyote. the same way i am a kestrel or a bobcat whether shifted or not.

but i also have a wolf form. and that shift feels... i don't want to say unnatural, but certainly not typical to me. i know a lot of wolves. a lot of wolves. i've grown up with and around them, was raised by one, my partner is one, and many of my best friends are wolves. many of the people i follow or am mutuals with here in the tumblr alterhuman community are wolves. a lot of the people i know are or have been wolves at some point.

my best friend has made jokes about me being the sole fox/coyote in a big pack of wolves before, and he's right.

in fact, it feels like wolf was a form i adopted specifically to blend in with my wolf friends and family. it's a form i can take, and with practice it's become second nature to me. but in the beginning, it felt very much like i was trying to fit into a coat (or bodysuit?) that was entirely too big for me. it was a similar form to what i knew, sure, but it wasn't quite the same and the difference was hard to put a paw on.

in time it got easier and now wolf is as natural a form as coyote or kestrel. but even though i am whatever form i take, wolf still feels slightly different, in a much greater way than the coyote is slightly different. wolf feels more like a mask i sometimes put on to better fit in with the people around me. sure, i'm a wolf when wearing it, but only on the outside. as soon as the mask is off, the wolf is gone.

[hermaphrodog]

me when I'm feeling like a cat that day but still have to tend to my guard dog duties:

[spaceventrilo]

This is the second time I've gotten a long kin shift however this time I'm in and out of it and I feel miserable. My muscles (mainly my arms and legs) feel tense and almost painful?? I'm listening to words but I'm barely processing them enough to understand. I can barely process what's around me. It was all worse when I was going to sleep... I couldn't speak it felt physically straining if I tried and it still kinda does. Also extreme need to hunt and chew on something. Chat this isn't fun rn :'(

[sirenium]

Imagine a massive dog approaches you and just fucking goes 'miaw :3'

[bloodsucker-666]

Only a few. Don't have enough room.

Calling all therians 🗣!

Regardless of skill level, rb this with a self portrait doodled by YOU! Here's mine:

[hermaphrodog]

being a polymorph is so weird because I'll really be out here becoming a concept or an entire area

[sheepish-blog-baaa]

☆ expression tips for polymorph, polytherians, shapeshifters, and any individuals with numerous forms ☆

it’s an obvious one, but if you like to change your appearance based on your form, then collect various wearable gear. this can be anything like clothes, jewelry, accessories, tails, masks, or even makeshift things that reflect your forms. you can mix and match as much as you’d like — if you’re feeling particularly goatlike and fishlike, you can opt for a fishing shirt with a pair of horns!

of course, gear doesn’t just include wearable things. you can collect plushies, decor, figurines, pieces of art, or any objects that remind you of your kins or forms :)

try experimenting with sounds! you could perhaps learn how to recreate birdsong, copy different kinds of growls and howls, or even invent your own or personal lexicon of words and phrases! another option is finding a playlist of songs or noises that reflect your habitat or home, like rainforest sounds or thematic music

it’s a weirder one, but you can also experiment with your scent with perfume or cologne. this is a subtle yet effective way to convey a different vibe without looking any different

if your diet allows, try branching out to different foods or snacks that may fit your form. for example, on days you feel more rodentlike, you could opt for more leafy and nut based snacks like salad or trail mix. on other days you feel more carnivorous, try a hearty burger or chicken wings instead!

watch documentaries, movies, or even do research based on your current form. learn about hibernation patterns if you’re a bear, watch a documentary on the behaviors of cats if you’re a domestic feline, or watch the how to train your dragon movies if you’re a nightfury

as a shapeshifter myself, i like to keep these things in mind whenever i shift to find ways to express my identity :3 hopefully this helps anyone that may need it !!