This is a collection of many people's games, zines, and other materials are about therianthropes, otherkin, and other alterhuman nonhumans.
These communities are several decades old. The following definitions of them are excerpts from "A list of some alterhuman identities and groups," an article that I helped co-author:
"Otherkin are elves, dragons, or other beings, usually from mythology. It’s always an important part of who they are throughout their lives, not role-play for fun. The community started in the Elfinkind Digest mailing list in 1990, when they started calling themselves otherkind or otherkin. Their reasons for being otherkin are often spiritual, for example, from reincarnation. However, otherkin is not a religion. [...]
"Therianthropes are people who have a lifelong identification as a certain species of animal on an integral, personal level. Some are other species than animals from Earth. The therian community started in 1993 in an online group, alt.horror.werewolves. They developed jargon about shapeshifting to describe feeling more animal-like at some times. These changes are mental or spiritual, not physical. Some have sensations of phantom limbs. Some feel consistently animal-like at all times. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, therians started mingling with the otherkin community. [...]
"[Nonhuman is] An umbrella term for those of us who identify as partly or wholly not human: therianthropes, otherkin, and more. Many nonhumans opt to include themselves under the alterhuman umbrella."
This collection is part of a series of curated collections of itch.io creations for alterhumans.
Content: Rated G.
Medium: This short essay is a two minute read. The six page long PDF is for reading on screen and printing in letter size format. Screen-reader friendly.
About: This is for anyone to start learning about us therianthropes and otherkin. It gives reliable sources for every piece of information. The statistics come from surveys that had a sample size greater than one hundred people. All of this is to make sure that this essay is the most accurate representation of us possible. It is in simple English: it uses only common words and simple sentences. This project also has it in other languages, translated by volunteers.
Content: Rated X. For adults only. This is focused on an explicit sex scene between two consenting adults. Some specific content warnings are on its project page, though they don't cover every detail.
Medium: Book. Zine. A comic book.
Length: 20 pages, with covers.
Genre: A realistic sex scene in a real world setting.
About: After work, a trans masc enby makes love with his partner, who is a cisgender man. The enby is described as a therianthrope, and this is shown by his phantom dog tail and more. His partner helps him de-stress from work and feel grounded again by guiding him in puppy play-- which means a person role-playing as a dog, one feature of which is wearing a collar-- and then aftercare.
Vibe: Even though it shows a variety of kinks, some of which aren't for everyone, the story and art comes off as wholesome, loving, and supportive.
Content: Rated G.
Medium: Book. Zine. Full color. There is a version for reading on screen, and a version for printing, with instructions for how to print it.
Length: Eight pages. About a ten minute read.
Genre: Nonfiction.
About: As described by the author, "Trans Dog is an eight page zine that was created at a trans themed zine making workshop using supplies and images provided by the Library of Virginia. It relates trans experiences to therianthropy, and encourages the reader to consider if they, too, would be happier identifying as non-human."
Content: Rated PG-13.
Medium: Book. Anthology of fiction and poetry.
Length: 81 pages.
About: "a collaborative fiction anthology written by nonhumans and alterhumans on nonhumanity, alterhumanity, and similar, related themes. It contains 20 different stories, poems, songs, and comics by various alterhuman authors, with genres ranging from fantasy, to sci-fi, to horror."
Medium: Zine.
About: "a collaborative zine ... about otherkin, alterhuman, nonhuman and therian identity and contains over 60 different submissions by all kinds of beings."
Relevance: This gives definitions for the words alterhuman, nonhuman, physically nonhuman, therian, otherkin, otherlink, fictionkin, and fictionflicker. It has submissions from many people who use one or more of these words for themselves.
Content: Rated PG for swear words.
Medium: Perzine. Comic book. There is a version for reading on screen and another for printing. 8 pages.
About one of the zinester's personal experiences.
Relevance: The zinester tagged this zine as therian.
Content: Rated PG.
Medium: Book.
About: "Spanning from 1972 to 2011, this 109-page nonfiction book traces the recent history of therianthropes and otherkin: real people who identify as animals and mythological beings. This information comes from primary sources, such as contemporary print and electronic media, and interviews with people who were active then. Learn about mailing lists and blogs that came and went during the 2000s, and about foundational groups from the 1990s, such as the Elfinkind Digest, alt.horror.werewolves, and alt.fan.dragons, and from outside the Internet, such as the Elf Queen's Daughters and the Silver Elves. Find the dates for the coining of words, the publication of books, the rise and fall of various ideas and parts of the community."
Content: Unrated.
Medium: An anthology zine. 53 pages long. Color. Essays, artwork, comics, and more.
About: Xenogender means "A gender that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things." People who are xenogender are not necessarily alterhuman, and alterhumans are not necessarily xenogender, and some people are both. This zine is about how our genders intersect with our species. The contributors to this anthology are:
Daski, the Dragonheart Collective, the House of Chimeras, Laika Wallace, N. Noel Sol, Nova, Professional_jaywalker, Raphyel Snyder, Sarabi, Sonne Spiritwind, Sunny (sssunshinebreeze), Toby Rivok, Vexxervee, telo Telo, and anonymous.
Content: Rated G.
Medium: Icons.
About: Alterhumans who create things can mark them with these paw-print icons to "let your audience know your project was made with love by you, and not an AI generative program." These icons were inspired by hand-print icons that say "human made" or "made by humans" to express this same idea. This variation is for people who don't like being called human.
Content: Rated PG-13. Content warnings for artistic nudity, transphobia, and description of feelings about various body parts and functions, both dysphoric and euphoric. Menstrual cycles. Breast milk. Facial hair. Cannabis. Dissociation. Toxic masculinity. Religious intolerance and shame.
Medium: Non-fiction book. A zine available in several formats: for printing in full color and folding, for reading on the computer, and audio read aloud by the author.
Length: The audio version is almost 20 minutes long. The print version is 22 pages long, not counting covers or end papers.
About/relevance: The author is a plural trans girl and doe therianthrope. In this zine, she describes her experiences as she began gender-affirming hormone therapy, and her perspective on this as a doe.
Vibe: Sincere, vulnerable, tender, wistful, hopeful, joyful.
Content: Rated PG.
Medium: Zine.
About/relevance: "A visual zine about rebelling against human supremacy from the inside and out." On animal rights and dehumanization, from a therianthropic point of view.
Vibe: Punk outrage against injustice.
Content: Rated PG-13. Some pieces in this anthology give specific content warnings at their beginnings, if they need them. The content varies by piece. Some pieces would be rated G, but generally the book should be considered PG-13.
Medium, about, and relevance: This 151 page zine is the second volume of an anthology of 30 different pieces of fiction, poems, comics, and songs by nonhumans and alterhumans. The layout resembles a gorgeous antique book, lavishly illustrated with old engravings, as well as original art. The subject matter ranges the full gamut from realistic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, romance, and horror.
The beings who contributed their creations to this anthology are: Challenger, DreamDragon, Elkhound, EXPmachine, Fudge, Gaast, GrubDog, LB Lee, Luna Wowk, Metzger, N. Noel Sol, Nova, obstructed birdsong, Pale L. M. Greenwood of the Skyrose Garden, Razza Zigzag, Reese Pender, Sya, the Dragonheart Collective, Xenodelic, Uru F. Starsailor, Wolfie, FelidaeMelody, Dinocanid, and anonymous.
Content: Rated PG just because of swear words. Photosensitivity warning: rapidly shaking text.
Medium: An interactive text created in Twine.
Length: A few minutes long.
About/relevance: A story about a walk-in angel.
Rated G.
In this Bitsy game, two friends hike through the woods, holding hands as they chat about being autistic transspecies werewolves. Cozy and charming.
Rated NC-17, 18+. It's a consensual sex scene; specific content warnings about it are available in the first screen of the game.
In this sequel to the story about a transspecies werewolf, she and her lesbian partner make love.
Rated G.
A short linear Twine story about a transspecies werewolf when her lesbian partner gives her the transformation potion that she's always yearned for.
Rated G.
Four sticker designs about nonhuman and alterhuman identities.
Content: Rated G.
Medium: A solo tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG).
Story: You play a dragon trying to attend a human festival unnoticed.
Relevance: Inspired by draconic alterhuman experiences.
Vibe: Comedy mischief.
Content: Rated PG.
Medium: A solo journaling tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) based on the format of Wretched & Alone, in which random elements are introduced by drawing cards to get a prompt to journal about, and using a tumbling block tower (Jenga) to determine when the end arrives.
Story: Horror fantasy. You find yourself in a mysterious place and unfamiliar body. Wondering how this happened and what you can do, you begin to explore, but it's dangerous.
Relevance: Inspired by alterhuman experiences.
Vibe: Dark, pensive, and lonely.
Gorgeously presented anthology of fiction and poetry by alterhumans and nonhumans.
Content: Rated NC-17, 18+, transformation fetish, though it's presented as a hidden, non-sexual, or work-safe fetish.
Medium: Audio. A guided meditation podcast.
Relevance: The creator tagged this as for otherkin. The logo has the therianthrope theta delta symbol hidden in it.
Content: Rated R, 18+. Sex and violence in nature. Specific content warnings are on its listing page.
About: A short story inspired by the authors' experiences of being therian, trans, and plural. Plural Stories review.
Rated G.
In the form of a magazine from a speculative world, an anthology by alterhumans and nonhumans.
Rated G.
A zine full of self care tips for folks who identify as earthly animal species.
Content: Rated PG for swear words. Specific content warnings at the beginning of each chapter.
Medium: An illustrated interactive text created in Twine.
About/relevance: A semi-autobiographical story of a trans woman discovering that she is a plural system of dog therianthropes, and learning about that from her friends. Plural Stories review.
Content: Rated G.
Medium: Book, a 1990s style zine.
About/relevance: Very therian, very anarchy, very zine. Interesting ideas about what these mean together.
