The River System's Alterhuman Dictionary
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The practice of walking, running, or jumping while on all fours. Brought into popularity by TikTok, it's currently a point of contension within the community. Many therians who use it, do so to engage with species euphoria, while to many who dont, see the sole fixation on it as ignoring the other aspects of one's alterhumanity, and thus marketing the experience (and thus the community) as one-dimensional. There is legitimate concern about the musculoskeletal health of these individuals as they grow older, as the human body was never meant to move in these ways.
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Going by many names, the seven-pointed star, or septagram is a symbol for several individual communities under the alterhuman umbrella.
A moment or period of time in which an alterhuman feels more like their kintypes. Shifting is not required to have kintypes, but its very common.
- Cameo Shift
A temporary shift (of any kind) that is characterized by features that arent from an already established kintype. Cameos are typically shortlived, like flickers, but have been known to last rather long. Eg; a bird therian having a phantom horn shift.
- Mental (m-)Shift
A shift where one's mentality becomes more like their kintype's. Eg; a wolf therian may lose verbal human language and revert to canid body language
- Phantom (ph-)Shift
A shift where one's internal body map may change to include features their current body does not. Similar to Super Numerary Phantom Limbs, but temporary. Common phantom shifts include claws, ears, and snouts.
- Physical (p-)Shift
A hypothetical shift where one becomes their kintype. Currently, scientifically impossible. Regardless, pshifting cults do exist, and are especially dangerous to newer alterhumans of whom they prey on the despair and longing to be, physically nonhuman. No pshifter has been able to produce credible evidence of their claims to be able to pshift. 🚩🚩🚩
A plural term, denoting the existence of one consciousness or individual in one body.
An external entity in which one has a connection to. These individuals commonly become members of systems/collectives, whether that be a permanent member or a Day Tripper--one that comes and goes between their home plane and this one.
The bodily dysphoria many alterhumans experience of their current body not matching that of their identity.
Conversely, the mental euphoria of celebrating one's identity, whether that be from doing something that reminds them of an identity, wearing items that make them look more like their identity, or behaving in ways that align with their species identity.
An entity in which one feels a strong connection to, but doesnt identify as. Synonymous with 'hearted, but the syntax is "[entity] is my synpath". Purposefully vague, this term allows for a wide variety of experiences to be under it's label.
Conglomerate of "system" and "medicalist", also known as a System Gatekeeper. Sysmeds are (typically) traumagenic systems which push the medicalization of plurality. In their view, a plural is only legitimate if they have been diagnosed, are traumagenic in nature, among other moving goalposts of arbitrary classification. Typically, sysmeds identify as "anti-endos", and harass endogenic systems/collectives for the simple fact of existing. They loudly teach singlets and new, confused plurals that endogenics are faking for attention, in turn isolating, echo-chambering, and lock away resources that are beneficial to all systems, all in the name of forsaking scapegoats.
A plural term, refers to the entities that inhabit one body. Typically, the terminology specifically refers to the individuals who make up a team which work together to live their collective life as smoothly as possible. Headmates or other members of the headspace do not have to be involved in the core system.
In juxtaposition, a Collective means similar, but does not require a "systematic" team to be a core function. Overall, collective is seen as more inclusive to different plurality situations, but system is more commonly used. However, sysmeds have attempted to push endogenic systems out of "system" and into collective, so the distinction can be a bit of a sore spot for some plurals.
