Fictherian
Fictherian is a term which refers to someone who identifies as a non-human animal from a work of fiction or otherwise not from this Earth.[1] In Orion Scribner's "Alterhuman and Nonhuman Body Part Sensations Survey" from 2024, 6.6% of participants self-identified as fictherians.[2]
Experiences[edit | edit source]
Fictherians, like therians, may experience animalistic instincts such as territoriality and hunting urges.[3][4] Not all fictherians identify as sapient creatures, with some finding their kintype's non-sapience to be an important part of their fictherianthropy.[5][4] A fictherian's identity may also differ from their source's official canon.[6] Although fictherians can be creatures with uniquely magical or fantastical abilities, some fictherians may see themselves as notably mundane, such as in the case of one absol fictherian viewing their kintype as "just another type of canine."[7]
History & Etymology[edit | edit source]
Fictherian was first coined on February 18th, 2021 by Daski on Tumblr.[1] The coining followed a group discussion on the off-season OtherCon Discord server, OtherConnect, about how many nonhuman fictionkin members felt kinship with the term theriomythic due to their own personal animality. It is a combination of "fiction" and "therian."[1]
Fictionkin who identify as nonhuman fictional species have historically been discouraged from participating in therian community spaces. Earthly therians often unfairly scrutinize fictherians and theriomythics, focusing more on the latter's non-Earthly origin than on the groups' shared experiences.[8][9] Gatekeeping practices and the resulting culture of separation between fictionkin and therians were a part of the motivation for officially coining the term fictherian, as a way to reject the idea that fictionkin don't experience animality in a way comparable or similar to therians.[10] In posts talking about the term fictherian in deir own use, coiner Daski has stated, "[Fictherian is] about bringing both together, giving me one small word to describe both my fiction source and my therian experiences. It’s about not chopping the fiction part of my kintype off when I go into a therian space, or the therian part off when I go into a fictionkin space. It’s about describing myself as a whole."[11]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Daski (indornaga). (February 18, 2021) "Fictherian"
- ↑ Orion Scribner. (August 12th, 2024) "Phantom Limbs and Phantom Sensations, Human and Otherwise"
- ↑ Jasper. (April 2021) "The Fire Burns Bright"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tanix (tanix-dragon). (March 13th, 2023) "One With the Hive: Being a Silithid Wasp"
- ↑ Elliott (draconicdog). (August 22nd, 2022) "Fictotherian"
- ↑ Daski (indornaga). (May 2021) "Swamp Indoraptor – A Variation"
- ↑ Absol. (February 28th, 2023) "Experiences"
- ↑ Miushra. (April 2021) "A Problem in the Therian Community"
- ↑ Emi. (June 22, 2021) "Machine Animality"
- ↑ Daski (indornaga). (February 20th, 2021) ""correct. and in line with wanting to make terms more open ended and about experience...""
- ↑ Daski (indornaga). (May 21st, 2021) "As with all community terms, they should be opt-in..."