(2025-11-26 20:02)FernFox Wrote:  (Clarification: when I say microlabels, I'm thinking of those that divide therianthropy or try to encompass a specific, sometimes contradictory, experience: such as cambitherian, otherpaw, holothere, faunalune, etc)

I actually used to be a physical therian/holothere defender when I used to be on theriantok. Someone explained the definition to me as ,,since I’m nonhuman and this body belongs to me, the body is also nonhuman” and it made sense to me. Though now when I think about it I could say the same about myself since it’s not another type of identity, it’s just a philosophical idea tied to therianthropy so the separate label is basically pointless. The term holothere creates an even greater division in the therian community than ,,physical therian” did and tbh I kinda feel like it was created just for the sake of being unique and ,,more animal” than the regular therians. I might be overthinking this though.
Also I recently saw a video on TikTok where someone said they are a physical therian and explained the term as ,,feeling their therianthropy in their body by getting phantom feelings and experiencing animalistic behaviors” and idek what they mean atp since that’s not even a philosophical idea anymore, it’s just 100% regular therianthropy

(2025-11-26 23:13)Thorn Wrote:  

(2025-11-26 20:02)FernFox Wrote:  (Clarification: when I say microlabels, I'm thinking of those that divide therianthropy or try to encompass a specific, sometimes contradictory, experience: such as cambitherian, otherpaw, holothere, faunalune, etc)

I don't care much for otherpaws, but I am just really glad people finally felt the need to make a distinct definition for liking to dress up as an animal and doing quadrobics, without labeling it "therian". And to make it clear it is NOT an alterhuman experience. Before the otherpaw term, it was all therian, and this was just really harmful for the representation of the community.

I feel the same. Otherpaws are specifically animal cosplayers and if I were one I’d also like a term that separates me from cosplayers that dress up as characters from games or movies instead.
I agree with Fern that the term sounds too similar to otherkin though and it still might create confusion.

(2025-11-26 20:02)FernFox Wrote:  I think microlabels just serve to divide the community and (ironically) set up barriers to understanding. More often, I see microlabels created because individuals want to 'coin' something to make them feel important, rather than because it's actually useful to the community.

Same. I feel like some people are just collecting those microlabels as some kind of collectible badges, the more you have the cooler you are.
In some communities I often see people asking for a label for their experience cause they couldn’t find one that describes it themselves. But like, if you couldn’t find the label yourself what is the point of using it after someone tells you it exists (and about 5 people know about it in total)?
I’ve also seen people for example asking for a label for identifying as I think two coat colors of the same species (domestic cat). But like that’s the same species, why would it have a separate label if that’s just how you view yourself and not like two separate theriotypes of yours? Idk I don’t get it.

I think this is one of the most believable theories around the internet. Most Therians certainly have some type of neurological or psychological flaw or struggle that cause them to feel out of place. As an Otherpaw and doubting Therian, I am pretty sure I have Autism, which somehow makes my social life much harder. Maybe because I suffer of such conditions, I don't feel comfortable with myself and I dislike myself for who I am. I believe that this is one of the main factors that affect how I experience Alterhumanity.

Lables have their uses and do help explain experances. Yet when someone names every tiny detail it does seem excessive.
What gets my ruff up is when people creat a lable out of thin air which they think only they can use. Its completely unnecessary and lacks the point of something being named.

(2025-11-26 23:13)Thorn Wrote:  I must say, I find that otherpaw isn't a microlabel. If anything, the term has cleared up and prevent a LOT of further miscommunication on social media about what therians are and aren't. I don't care much for otherpaws, but I am just really glad people finally felt the need to make a distinct definition for liking to dress up as an animal and doing quadrobics, without labeling it "therian". Before the otherpaw term, it was all therian, and this was just really harmful for the representation of the community.

And so with that it does exactly what a label should do: make someone's experience/hobby clear with one word. Instead of someone saying they're a therian and it still being vague because they could just refer to liking quads, it's instantly clear that they don't actually identify as an animalistic being. I generally also find it more respectful to the community and its history to have that difference recognized.

Surely, the term hasn't settled in/around all of the community, but I think it's worth endorsing it for that exact reason.

(You're right in that it's probably not a microlabel, so it's slightly off-topic, but I do want to address that since I did bring it up...)

I've actually shared that same opinion (mostly through discussions in discord), but with a caveat:
I like that they have created a label that separates it from therianthropy, thus lessening therianthropy/otherkin from being misappropriated. But what I don't like about it is how the word is formulated with the intention of making it 'fit in' to the alterhuman community.

The way it's presented makes it sound like an offshoot of the otherkin community (prefix other-, likening it to otherkin, and suffix -paw, random and non-descriptive). It goes along with my chief complaint that these labels aren't intelligible, and without googling it, it's entirely unclear what it's meant to represent.

I guess we can't be choosers since we didn't make it, but if creating a label for animal cosplay was a necessity, I wish that a different term had caught on. Quadrobist was already right there.
Maybe I'm also just picky with linguistics.

- Fern

(2025-11-26 20:02)FernFox Wrote:  (Clarification: when I say microlabels, I'm thinking of those that divide therianthropy or try to encompass a specific, sometimes contradictory, experience: such as cambitherian, otherpaw, holothere, faunalune, etc)

I must say, I find that otherpaw isn't a microlabel. If anything, the term has cleared up and prevent a LOT of further miscommunication on social media about what therians are and aren't. I don't care much for otherpaws, but I am just really glad people finally felt the need to make a distinct definition for liking to dress up as an animal and doing quadrobics, without labeling it "therian". And to make it clear it is NOT an alterhuman experience. Before the otherpaw term, it was all therian, and this was just really harmful for the representation of the community.

And so with that it does exactly what a label should do: make someone's experience/hobby clear with one word. Instead of someone saying they're a therian and it still being vague because they could just refer to liking quads, it's instantly clear that they don't actually identify as an animalistic being. I generally also find it more respectful to the community and its history to have that difference recognized.

Surely, the term hasn't settled in/around all of the community, but I think it's worth endorsing it for that exact reason.

Everyone has covered what I want to say in much better words than I could. x3 But in short-- I think microlabels just serve to divide the community and (ironically) set up barriers to understanding. More often, I see microlabels created because individuals want to 'coin' something to make them feel important, rather than because it's actually useful to the community.

(Clarification: when I say microlabels, I'm thinking of those that divide therianthropy or try to encompass a specific, sometimes contradictory, experience: such as cambitherian, otherpaw, holothere, faunalune, etc)

I understand that some find microlabels affirming, or that they assist in communicating an experience that is otherwise hard to describe concisely. I can relate to the latter reason. Especially in fast-moving conversations, it's hard to express myself without going into paragraphs of explanation, which isn't always possible or ideal. However, in these situations I think it's better to create a 'microlabel' that is self-explanatory, or just simplify your experience to a few words.

A good example is suntherian vs. vacillant therian. These terms are usually considered synonymous. But one of them is not understandable without googling the explanation, whereas the other is. (The sun- prefix isn't widely understood, whereas vacillant is a word used in other contexts, so the meaning can be inferred.)

This is also why I despise terms like those I described above... Holothere is not intelligible just by reading the word. Neither is otherpaw. Both make communicating your experiences more difficult than not using a specific label entirely. You'd get more mileage by using or combining existing words, like (for otherpaw) using quadrobist or cosplayer.
(Of course, some labels are also redundant or based on misinformation, such as holothere and cambitherian, so there is no good alternative-- but that's just another reason why they shouldn't be used, and why you should explain your experience instead.)

- Fern

(2025-11-26 16:59)gillman Wrote:  I have issues with MOGAI in regards to myself, but have multiple IRL friends who love the MOGAI community because the terms and labels act as ways for them to communicate how they feel. They're almost used like communication cards but for internal experiences and self expression. I know that isn't the case for everyone who partakes in microlabel communities, but I thought it might be an interesting addition in the conversation.

I, personally, had a hard time navigating my aromanticism before I discovered aspec microlabels. I don't feel the need to define myself as demiquoiromantic anymore, aromantic will do, but without the demiquoiromantic label, I'd have had no clue that there was space for my strange experience in the aro community. So I am thankful to microlabels for helping me with that.

When it comes to my nonhumanity, I have a few personal microlabels that I made and use specifically for myself. They're shorthand for these complex interactions that I have between 'types. They're very useful and let me talk about my experiences without having to rehash what and how I feel every time I bring a topic up. I can just link to a post that defines it and carry on with what I'd like to say. I have no desire to make others use them, even though a few folks have by now. I just wanted to be able to talk about myself.

I think that the nature of introspective communities breeds microlabels naturally. We're all familiar with the broad strokes of the therian experience, but I do think there is a natural desire in a lot of us to identify and name important aspects and specifics of that experience. Paratype comes to mind. It was, at one point, a term created to help someone talk about a specific experience they had. The only difference between it and some others is that paratype resonated with enough folks for it to become well-known. I have little to say about redundant or reductive microlabels, as I believe they'll just fade out of use.

Anyway, that's long but I have a lot of thoughts on it all. Introspection breeds more specific labels, which in turn breeds a community built upon coining hyperspecific microlabels. Any community can cause harm in large doses, but this specific one has lent itself some use to me and others. It's largely neutral in my mind.

I actually agree so much with this. Finding microlabels that fit me has helped me figure myself out a lot on the past. My brain doesn’t always understand that I can have an experience that’s not already labeled (rigid thinking yada yada), or even what my experience is, and microlabels have helped a lot with that, even though I personally don’t identify with any of them.

I don't find most of them intuitive or helpful in general conversation. Everyone already covered the points I was going to write, so I'll just emphasize that it's better to just explain your experiences..that's the only way to really communicate (you'll end up having to do this anyway when nobody knows what your niche label means), and I don't think anyone should be looking for shortcuts.

The community needs to foster an ethic of better communication if any of us are to understand anything.

I have issues with MOGAI in regards to myself, but have multiple IRL friends who love the MOGAI community because the terms and labels act as ways for them to communicate how they feel. They're almost used like communication cards but for internal experiences and self expression. I know that isn't the case for everyone who partakes in microlabel communities, but I thought it might be an interesting addition in the conversation.

I, personally, had a hard time navigating my aromanticism before I discovered aspec microlabels. I don't feel the need to define myself as demiquoiromantic anymore, aromantic will do, but without the demiquoiromantic label, I'd have had no clue that there was space for my strange experience in the aro community. So I am thankful to microlabels for helping me with that.

When it comes to my nonhumanity, I have a few personal microlabels that I made and use specifically for myself. They're shorthand for these complex interactions that I have between 'types. They're very useful and let me talk about my experiences without having to rehash what and how I feel every time I bring a topic up. I can just link to a post that defines it and carry on with what I'd like to say. I have no desire to make others use them, even though a few folks have by now. I just wanted to be able to talk about myself.

I think that the nature of introspective communities breeds microlabels naturally. We're all familiar with the broad strokes of the therian experience, but I do think there is a natural desire in a lot of us to identify and name important aspects and specifics of that experience. Paratype comes to mind. It was, at one point, a term created to help someone talk about a specific experience they had. The only difference between it and some others is that paratype resonated with enough folks for it to become well-known. I have little to say about redundant or reductive microlabels, as I believe they'll just fade out of use.

Anyway, that's long but I have a lot of thoughts on it all. Introspection breeds more specific labels, which in turn breeds a community built upon coining hyperspecific microlabels. Any community can cause harm in large doses, but this specific one has lent itself some use to me and others. It's largely neutral in my mind.