Personally I call it the veil or glamour, but I like visage/aspect as well!
Little off topic but glamour has special significance to me since it describes the magic of the fae. Fairies are often described as “wearing” a glamour to hide their true form. For me this means I am charmed to look like a human being even though I am not one.
Offering a term to fellow physical nonhumans* for more natural sounding language/ease of explanation:
The/a visage OR aspect.
What you might see or others see of you even if it isn't actually what's really there.
These are preexisting words that are practically synonymous - visage is defined as being synonymous to aspect which literally means the "appearance to the eye or mind."
So I can say I am physically nonhuman, but my aspect or visage is human - humans see me as a fellow human because they simply are not calibrated to perceive otherwise. My aspect/visage isn't actually me.
*I guess you could use this as a non-physical nonhuman but if you acknowledge your physical humanity I'm not sure where it would fit? Oh well, I don't gatekeep the English language, LOL.
If I created a discord server for alterhumans, one that is very inclusive of transspecies identities, IRLs, clinical zoanthropes, physical identifying nonhumans, etc etc; would anyone be interested? I've noticed a severe lack of alterhuman/nonhuman spaces on discord that tends to exclude the aforementioned beings - they tend to only focus on therianopathy (which isnt a bad thing) it'd also be 15+
Neurodivergent mood ™:
Practising facial expressions in a mirror
schizophrenia is not just experiencing positive symptoms (hallucinations and delusions). a lot of schizophrenics are neurodivergent in other ways. this focus on the positive symptoms is a villainious way to gatekeep us from neurodivergent spaces because our positive symptoms are typically portrayed as "scary".
our negative symptoms (flat effect, being withdrawn, avolition and anhedonia) are skewed to portray us as "evil" because we're not "emotive" or "caring" enough. schizospec disorders make everyday activities so hard. basic hygiene isn't a habit, we have little to no motivation to do basic things, the lack of happiness and pleasure can turn into severe depression for some of us and that's why depressive and bipolar schizoaffectives exist. people don't grasp the fact that schizophrenia is a disability.
i've personally experienced a lot of cruelty from other neurodivergent people because there is little to no education on schizospec disorders even within neurodivergent spaces. we're seen as inherently morally reprehensible for our disorder and people are so casually ableist to us. i'm not able to speak up for myself in these spaces because i feel like there is no where else i can go. neurotypicals are cruel to schizophrenics but so are other neurodivergent people. people need to have more care and love for schizophrenics.
yes that includes schizophrenics with little to no empathy, schizophrenics of color, trans schizophrenics, gay schizophrenics, schizophrenic systems, autistic schizophrenics, schizophrenics with adhd, fat schizophrenics, poor schizophrenics, homeless schizophrenics, schizophrenic sex workers, schizophrenics who've experienced abuse, schizophrenics with ocd, schizophrenics with ptsd/cptsd, schizophrenic children and teens, elderly schizophrenics, schizophrenics who are also physically disabled, all schizophrenics.
all schizophrenics deserve love.
I think this is so interesting and now I really wanna hear more about the ways different people interact with animals. I have many pets and have always been a very animal-obsessed person so I wanted to add some thoughts.
Personally, I’ve have found that the neurodivergent people I know (myself included) tend to personify animals much more than is usual. For example, when I get a new animal it takes me a while to “become friends” with them. (Which is basically just us getting to know each other/getting into a routine.) But everyone I’ve met has always been very confused by that.
Another weird thing is I’m not super empathetic towards people, but with animals I’m hyperempathetic. And I’ve seen tons of other neurodivergent people express this online! It’s such a strange thing I love it!
the cool thing about working with animals is that I have one singular neurotypical colleague (as far as I know). and it’s become super obvious to me that the way autistic people relate to animals is fundamentally different to how allistics relate to animals. and the way people with ADHD relate to animals is fundamentally different to those without.
(only one of my colleagues has Tourette’s and only two of us have OCD, so I don’t think that’s enough to make any grand sweeping statements).
anyway. a real interaction between two of my colleagues today.
ADHD: Maggie won’t stop barking at me. I think she’s upset.
autistic: let me go talk to her. I can fix this.
and that’s not uncommon? my autistic colleagues and I seem to talk to the animals to a much greater extent than anyone else. my ADHD colleagues and I seem to be the best at associating the correct name and breed and dietary requirements to the correct dog, which is weird, because I can’t do the same when it comes to humans.
I know that most people communicate with their animals but… it’s different in a way I can’t quite explain. the communication and connection seems so much deeper… I don’t know, it’s just wonderful. also, the fact that so many ND people work with me… that alone… indicates something.
I hope I give off the vibe to all animals that I am their ally and friend
Humans are so scared of realising they're animals like all the rest of us, that they have to make up some excuse as to why they're different. Those excuses basically boil down to experiences that are universal to most life and assuming it's exclusive to them. Like no, love and compassion are not uniquely human. Most social animals share those traits. Art and beauty aren't either. Nor is language. Humans are animals like the rest of us. And that's okay. Nature is a beautiful thing, and you are part of it