Mutant Standard Is "The New Emoji Standard For Freaks"

Source: Dzuk on Mastodon

Graphic designer and orc Dzuk is the creator of Mutant Standard, an alternative emoji set. It contains pride flags and standard emoji reworked to be gender neutral, but of particular interest to us are the fantasy race icons and skin colors to match.

Dzuk started making them for zirself because ze didn't feel like zir experiences or personality could be conveyed accurately with the existing Unicode set. Regarding publicly representing zirself as an orc online, ze says on the site, "I've generally always wished there were some green skin variants of emoji to feel more emotionally connected to what I was posting online."

When ze showed them off publicly around the middle of 2017, there was interest enough that ze found the drive to create an entire set. Now,the project intends to make itself as compatible with the existing Unicode set as possible along with adding more fantasy items, nonhuman body parts and miscellaneous fun stuff. It's still in its early stages, but you can keep up with its progress at mutant.noct.zone.

Emoji have become so ubiquitous that it can be difficult to critically think about what they represent. They set standards, Newspeak-like, for what it's 'normal' to talk about. Of course emoji don't completely dictate what a person is capable of thinking or talking about, but something being accessible as an emoji makes it more accessible as an idea.

Or, to put it in Dzuk's words: "...emoji feels very much like this dumbass white anglophone corporatist idea of 'universal language', and by extension, 'universal experience'".

This is why the inclusion of skin color options and a pride flag in 2015-16 were so important. It's why the upcoming addition of a saltire in Emoji 5.0 is of emotional significance to the Scottish. And it's why the idea of alternative emoji sets for nonhumans is so exciting.

The prospect of a decentralized emoji system is pretty exciting too. Mutant Standard is already demonstrating the good that putting a communication tool in the hands of the people who actually need and use it can do. Whether or not it revolutionizes everyone's communication concerning nonhuman identities, it's still ultimately helping to make a lot of alterhuman people feel much more comfortable in their online skin.

Do you feel represented by the current emoji selection? What would you add? Let us know in the comments, and maybe pass your thoughts along to Dzuk as well! As well as on its website you can follow and comment on the progress of Mutant Standard on Mastodon, Ello, Discord, and Telegram.

Monsters vs Metaphors: A Complicated Case of Fantastical Identity

I've been plagued by a specific issue for a while. I run into much more frequently than I ever expected. I find it in my talks with copinglinkers, in essays about the confrontation of transgender with 'transspecies', in panels about monstrosity as a vehicle for queer expression. The thing is, I am a metaphor by nobody's admission but my own. And when I see people applying the word 'monstrous' to movements, identities, concepts, in an analogous sense, I feel betrayed. Used, even. Am I right to feel like this?

Not many people seem to react as strongly as me, but the people I spoke to about this did voice some related frustrations. Literature about nonhuman creatures abounds, but how many stories have you seen about nonhuman-identifying people? The almost-but-not-quite representation is almost as bad as none at all - especially since, as many people described, there's a feeling of guilt in stretching an analogy to fit yourself when it was written about someone else.

Or, in some situations, the exact opposite - "that was my real, actual life," said several people about fictional narratives that are popularly believed to be 'about' something else. It can feel invasive and patronising to have your identity scrutinized and picked apart to "find out" what it "really means".

Source: Amy Phillips

So we end up feeling coerced into specific ways of being or expressing ourselves. I mean this both in the sense of, say, an elf feeling compelled to live up to the stereotype of 'elfness', and in a much more general way. "We know we're human really" and "otherkin are just people who take roleplaying too far" and similar go-to lines for both besmirching and 'defending' the community, they're all products of the idea that monsters only exist in the fictional, allegorical sense. We fall prey to it ourselves, too, and we internalize it. But we do not end with the closing of a book. We can't choose to disengage from what we are.

That being said, there are alterhumans for whom their identity is symbolic. It's perfectly legitimate to call yourself a demon because what 'demon' represents resonates with you on an analogous level. I recognize this, because I have similar feelings myself. I revel in my draconity being a symbol for change as much as I delight in the feeling of simply being a dragon. The power of monsters as symbols should not be devalued, and I think that we'd all be worse off if they were.

But it's kinda hypocritical, isn't it? Monster as metaphor being hailed as empowering while nonhuman-identifying people are ridiculed. I could call myself a monster with regard to my queerness (in a personally reclamatory sense, of course) and be called brave and subversive but gods forbid I take it any further than that. Gods forbid I actually, literally consider myself inhuman.

Source: David Malkoff

I think the most prominent example of this in current culture is the resurgence of tabletop RPGs. I saw a tumblr post claiming "D&D is part of gay culture now" and while I absolutely agree with and support that (gods know I've never made a cishet NPC in my life) I feel like I'm forced to pretend that's the real reason I love to DM and not because elves and dragons and monsters feel like home.
I have a blessed opportunity to create and enact completely nonhuman ways of thinking, acting and believing on a grand cultural scale and just have that be accepted as normal. Of course the orc said that, he's an orc! But he's also a person, unique and multifaceted like every member of his tribe, and best of all, he can be a person without being human.

Is it simply a matter of a lack of nonhuman representation, then? Because if the whole thing weren't so hypocritical, if nonhumans, real nonhumans, were as well regarded as our fictional counterparts, would I still be so bothered? I don't think I can know the answer to that as it stands, because I literally can't fathom what it's like to be widely represented like that - but I have a feeling it would help.

The issues surrounding nonhuman representation, awareness and acceptance are highly contentious even within the community currently, so I think it's safe to say the normalization of nonhuman identities isn't coming any time soon. But in the meantime, what do we do?

I don't think anyone can stop us seeing ourselves in these things, and feeling very strongly about them at that - nor can we really prevent the opposite scenario. I think it's very much possible to uplift and support people who are empowered through monstrous metaphors while advocating that we're equally respected for literally being monsters. And if, in the face of a lack of representation, I can decide the Babadook's gay and that's that, then I want to be able to do the same for my nonhumanity. Sometimes, I just want my monsters to be relatable without being metaphors, and to be people without being human.

What do you think? What media have you encountered that you can relate to your alterhumanity, and what was it 'supposed' to be interpreted as? How do you feel when nonhumans are used a poetic vehicle for other ideas? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Vinny Ohh Is The Genderless Alien We All Wish We Could Be

Source: Vinny Ohh, Instagram

Makeup artist Vinny Ohh has been getting a lot of media attention after a series of interviews where they detailed their extensive plans for surgery to become sexless. "The overall image I want to do is an alien ... I do kind of look like a Martian. I have a really big head, no eyebrows and I've just been connecting with that," they told the Daily Mail. Reactions have been mixed, but we here at Alt+H are in love.

Vinny has already undergone surgery to shape their face into something much more extraterrestrial. They also frequently wear sclera contacts, fake talons and vibrant makeup to further accentuate their alien look. It's a sign of hope for many alterhumans who feel that their outsides don't match their insides - there are things you can do to look less human, and there are people who will help and support you in doing it.

The revolution won't be coming any time soon. The subject of species dysphoria is still a controversial one within the alterhuman community, to say nothing of its reputation outside of it. But people like Vinny Ohh are making it their mission to normalize all kinds of expression of self.

"I do it to inspire the world in a certain way," they said, "I want people to stop labelling others or putting them in boxes."

Marcela Anglesias, producer of Plastics of Hollywood added, "We have all these people, the freaks, the weirdos, and we want to make society understand them."

While it's certainly not a small step for Vinny, it could also end up being a giant leap for alterhuman kind.

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You can learn more about Vinny Ohh in this Elite Daily report, this ITV interview, or their Instagram.

Source: Puzzler4879 on Flickr

Spring has sprung, and so has another monthly question! This March, the community wants to know:

How does your alterhumanity interact with other parts of your identity?

How does it intersect with (for example) your gender, your spirituality, your nationality?

And if you're, say, both therian and fictionkin - how do those relate to each other?

(Alright, that might be paraphrasing the actual voted-on question a little, but we wanted to make sure that people who don't have multiple different types of alterhuman identity were able to answer too.)

You can answer via tumblr or twitter; you can link us to your writing on your own site; and you can join us for the round-table discussion on our Discord server on March 10th, 5pm Eastern Time (see it in your local time here).


And just like last time, at the end of the month, we'll round up our favourite thoughts and show them off here. If your answer is particularly thoughtful, entertaining, or inspiring, that could be you!

We're looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table this month!

Pssst, if you already have an idea for next month's question, let us hear it!

It’s Official: Otherkin DO Real

According to an Otherkin News tweet on February 25th, the word ‘otherkin’ was added to the Oxford Dictionary, possibly earlier this month. The definition can be read here: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/otherkin

What does this development mean for otherkin and alterhuman communities? On the one hand, it is a powerful sort of validation that knowledge of one’s identity has become widespread enough to warrant inclusion in a dictionary, one of our society’s official arbiters of language. It makes a statement: This is not just some ‘made-up word,’ it has a dictionary definition. Pedantic naysayers can be redirected to highly-regarded source: Read ‘em and weep.

On the other hand, I don’t need the Oxford Dictionary’s approval to know that I exist, and that my feelings are real and meaningful. Otherkin have defined themselves as such since the 1990s, and were just as solidly extant then as we are now that we are officially defined. Further, definitions can be limiting, especially socially official ones such as dictionaries dole out: Do we have to conform exactly to this definition to be ‘valid,’ or is there still room for flux and change?

What you think? Share your opinions with us about ‘otherkin’ being added to the Oxford Dictionary!

Heart is Where the Home is

Among alterhumans, a common feeling seems to be that certain places, imagery, objects, and music evoke a sensation not unlike heartedness. As with heartedness, these places and items feel familiar and integral, but are not things one identifies as. They may not even feel like places that one is from.
 
Nevertheless, such imagery resonates with such familiarity that it can be considered an aspect of one’s identity. @vagabondwyrm suggested the term ‘hearthome’ for this phenomenon in the Alt + H Discord server; the term was broadly agreed upon as a good descriptor.

The feeling of hearthome can vary widely. For some, it is a fictional universe that reminds one of home, but which one has never lived in. For others, real places may evoke a similar feeling; something about them resonates with one’s sense of self.

For a personal example, I feel a strong connection with Skyrim of the Elder Scrolls series. It feels like somewhere I could be from, but to my knowledge I have no kin- or hearttypes from that universe. Nevertheless, it is somewhere that feels like home. I therefore consider it a hearthome.

As we learn more about others’ experiences with feelings of hearthomes, our understanding will likely evolve, and a more solid definition be given. If you have any questions, clarifications, or experiences of your own that you’d like to share, please reach out to us!

The Philosophy of Panpsychism

Where do we draw the line between what is conscious and what is not? While many people no longer assume that only humans have minds, how far are we willing to push out that line in the sand between the conscious and the inanimate? Many believe that plants have consciousness, a mind that can exist without a brain. Some believe that the Earth could be considered alive, as well as stars and galaxies.

But what about rocks? Could anything be considered to have its own consciousness, its own mind? The idea is not as wild as it may first sound. Panpsychism, the idea that all matter is endowed with consciousness, suggests that having a brain is not the only way to have a mind.

With the controversy that surrounds identities such as conceptkin and objectkin, perhaps it time we asked ourselves: What do we define as having consciousness, a soul, or a mind? And, perhaps more importantly, why?

Follow the link below for a brief philosophy article on panpsychism and the secret lives of rocks.

The Private Lives of Rocks by Jon David

I Don't Know A Single Thing My Guy: Philosophy For Alterhumans

Self-examination has always been a part of being alterhuman. It has always been part of being alterhuman because it’s important. It’s important because it’s always been part of being alterhuman.

I see a lot of this kind of circular logic.

And while that’s a very extreme example, it’s symptomatic of something I’ve noticed for a while now: nobody has a really satisfactory answer for why we should introspect. The integrity of the community! So people understand themselves! Fluff prevention! Well, why are those important? I’ve yet to find something that makes sense to me.

This is frustrating, because I actually agree with the sentiment! I do in fact think introspection is good for you. So I’ve been thinking really hard lately about an answer that will satisfy me, and you, when we ask:

Why should I bother thinking critically about my alterhuman identity?

How I learned to stop worrying and love ontological ambiguity

I didn’t create the word alterhuman.

I won’t be so vain as to say I perfected it either, even though I really really want to. But like any diehard fan of anything, I saw that this thing I loved had flaws and I sought to rectify them. To honor the anniversary of the word’s coining, I’ve done the semantic equivalent of writing fanfic about it. This is what alterhumanity means to me.

It means a conscious rejection of definitions. Let’s face it: a lot of identity-based communities get so caught up in the precise labelling of their experiences that the experiences themselves become secondary. This is a big problem in any context but I think it’s an even bigger one in ours. Most identities, most people, even, exhibit some degree of fluidity, or vacillation, or growth. But it’s in the very nature of the monstrous, the alien, the inhuman, to defy categorization.

The original post defining alterhumanity certainly did an admirable job! It detailed exactly what it meant by the ‘typical human experience’. It laid the groundwork for a logic statement which sussed out which groups were and were not alterhuman. But me, I’m alterhuman when no human mouth or mind could ever produce the right words or concepts to pin me down. Think of what might happen as the community grows, flips and flows into new ideas about alterhumanity. We could tack on another hundred exceptions with every new experience... But maybe what we need is a definition as ambiguous as the thing it defines.

Therefore, alterhumanity means embracing the unknown. We believe ourselves to be other than, or alternately human. That’s pretty weird! And I think accepting the absurdity of it is pretty integral to building an identity off of it. I think accepting that we don’t objectively know how or why we’re like this is key too. See, I’m using ‘absurd’ in the philosophical sense. Absurdism says nothing has inherent meaning, but we should do our darndest to explore and search for it anyway. Really, I’m just a person with an obscure identity, but I’m alterhuman when I’m trying to make something of it.

There’s another kind of unknown I’d like us to embrace. It’s other people. More specifically, it’s the fact that we don’t know what’s going on with other people. I want to cultivate a sense of trust. Trust that they’re experiencing what they say they are. Trust that the decision to label themselves as alterhuman is a good one. Yeah, ‘good’ is ambiguous. But I refrain from saying ‘accurate’ or ‘well informed’ because I don’t think that alterhumanity must be either of those things.

To that end I’d really like for the definition of alterhuman to be as open-ended and simplistic as possible. Just enough to define a group of relevant people and things, and no more. I have a suggestion, actually, very contrastive to the 600+ word might of the original definition. Here it is:

You are alterhuman if you decide to call yourself alterhuman.

You may decide to call yourself alterhuman if you experience an internal identity that is beyond the scope of what is traditionally considered ‘being human’.

That’s may in the sense of ‘might’, not ‘are permitted to’! Asides from that, everything else is up for interpretation. Yes, that means we’re casting a very wide net - that’s kinda the point! There are so many ways to be alterhuman, so many experiences that aren't a typical human experience. No amount of writing could ever fully capture the whole concept. That's why this definition isn't so ambitious. It allows the individual to find their concept of alterhumanity, and decide for themselves whether it fits.

Because while the role of choice in identity is ambiguous, our choice in the words we use to describe ourselves is a bit more clear-cut. A person choosing to put themselves under a specific label is doing so because they feel they have something to gain from it. Maybe that something is purely superficial, or shallow, or something they'll grow out of. Who cares? Is that somehow a problem? Even if it was, I'd find it a small price to pay for a community whose interest and passion is what we have in common, rather than a reductive and involuntary classification.

So alterhumanity means choice, most of all. There’s the principal choice of do I find it beneficial to identify as alterhuman? But there are others too, and they bear thinking about. Do I reject absolute definition? Do I embrace my lack of certainty? Do I seek out meaning in spite of this? Do I respect others who are doing the same? I'm just a person who doesn't identify as human, but I'm alterhuman when I am all of these. That’s what it means to me.