#Archetrope | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stillflight · 3 days

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Scrolling through the archetrope tag like hello to all the broken, the beaten, the damned, the soldiers, the civilians, the martyrs, the victims, the lovers, the dreamers, and me

#archetrope #alterhuman

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lycantooth · 1 month

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I don’t know who needs to hear this today but if you love having lots of kintypes you are valid. if hoarding alterhuman flags and terms is fun and euphoric for you then you are valid. if you don’t know why you identify with every kintype you are valid. if you have a long hoard of kintypes that just feel right you are valid.

you do not owe anyone an explanation of your alterhumanity. you are not inferior to those who are deeply introspective about their types just because you label hoard, or don’t have a complex reason as to why you id this way

I appreciate you 🫶🐾

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rabidbatboy · 1 month

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CANNIBAL ARCHETROPE: an alterhuman term for those who identify as the archetype or character trope of a cannibal

TAGGING: @kin-flags

🧼 ——— FLAG COINED BY ME

#— jacks smirking revenge #mogai #mogai flag #mogai term #flag coining #mogai coining #archetrope #archetropy #cannibal archetrope #kin #otherkin #kin flag #otherkin flag #otherkin term #otherkin label #alterhuman #alterhumanity #alterhuman term #alterhuman flag

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tempestgnostic · 8 months

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Cultivating Authenticity in the Community Garden

A whole world of possibility opened up for me years ago when I realized that alterhuman/nonhuman identity isn’t solely one experience. You don’t have to believe in past lives. You don’t need to go through shifts. If you don’t have a visual representation of your alt/non identity, that’s alright. Our experiences are broader than that, and we need to encourage others to understand and affirm this, so we can encourage authenticity and learn about different paths to this identity that still hold the core of what it means to be alt/non.

I believe conceptkin truly changed the game for our community in a profound way. Here we see folks who possess very strong and impactful connections to abstract concepts, to the extent that they are these concepts, just as I am the archetypal werewolf. I see little difference between our experiences in general. I don’t personally believe my identity comes from a past life, and I only have the fuzziest ideas about what I would look like if I could physically represent myself accurately. This isn’t uncommon in the broader alt/non community, but it seems to be an experience shared by many conceptkin in particular.

Archetropes are another excellent example. We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of what being alt/non is for us, in order to explain ourselves more accurately and hopefully pave the way for others to do the same. Our community thrives when we take the anthropological approach: we start from the assumption that others want to represent their beliefs and experiences honestly. We keep in mind the limitations of language, as well as the accepted norms of our community that often dissuade ‘fringe’ belief. The truth is that our experiences are fundamentally real and ultimately valuable to understanding who we are.

If we want to truly encourage authenticity in the alt/non community, we must cultivate a hungry curiosity. We must learn to parse out what is truth and what is trolling, but also to give that initial benefit of the doubt, however briefly. We must recognize that we don’t all speak the same language, nor do we all agree on which terms mean what, and many of us have only been exposed to bits and pieces of the whole. We all make mistakes that require prompt correction, but we should approach that correction with some level of grace. Community-wide understanding is not instantaneous—far from it. Our work must be painfully collaborative.

None of what I’m saying here is new or revolutionary, by any stretch. Our community has decades of history, kept alive and accessible by amazing community members who have dedicated an incredible amount of time and energy to doing so. I repeat these sentiments because they bear repeating. I’m a big fan of the “Holy shit! Two cakes!” philosophy, and if my perspective can offer something insightful, then I’m happy to share it. (Hell, I’ll share it anyways.)

I have been welcomed into this community with open arms (and open limbs and wings of all kinds). I’ve had the pleasure of meeting fellow community members offline, and discussing our alt/non identities in meatspace has been a joy that’s wholly indescribable. I’ve never felt so seen, so profoundly understood, and I consider it a fine blessing to have found my way here.

#alterhuman community #nonhuman community #alt/non community #otherkin #therian #conceptkin #archetrope #fictionkin #there are probably more i could list but these were the ones that came to mind and could be relevant #alt/non

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redacted-coiner · 13 days

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Note: Radqueers please do not interact with this post. The Transspecies one is for alterhumans! Please don’t invade my space.

Human-Non-Conforming(link), Humanish(link), Auxlian(link)

Eiment, Transspecies, Archetrope

Extranthrope, Humanmore(link), Nonhuman Alter

DNI is listed within my pinned post. Please go read it before interacting with any part of my content. Ask to tag!

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local-yurei · 4 months

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Pretty Boy Archetrope - a archetrope identity for when one is or is like the archetype/trope 'Pretty boy', or otherwise heavily identifies with or experiences this character model in a way that is central to their identity.

etymology: pretty boy, archetrope (link)

[ID: 4 rectangular flags, the 2nd and 4th being identical to the 1st and 3rd respectively, but without the symbols. the 11 stripes of the 1st go up diagonally, forming into a triangle in the centre, and are of varying sizes; thick, medium, thick, thin, thick, thickest, & mirrors. the 13 stripes of the 3rd flag are horizontal and of varying sizes; very thin, medium x5, thickest, & mirrors. the colours of the 1st flag go as such from top to bottom & mirrors: pastel purple, pastel blue, pastel teal, pastel red, pastel orange, pastel yellow. the 3rd flag is the same, but with warm purple on the first and last stripes. the symbol on the 1st flag is in the bottom centre while the 3rd flag has it in the centre, and the symbol is a circle with two water droplets, one filled and the one behind it an outline, with cracks near the bottom. the symbol is coloured off-white yellow. End ID]

#━🌙+.✧┊ coining #cw: possible eyestrain #otherkin #therian #alterhuman #nonhuman #mogai #liom #archetrope #pretty boy archetrope

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actuallyfallen · 5 months

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Archetropy and Personal Choice

I had heard the word "archetrope" around the alterhuman community before the OtherCon (the biggest convention for alterhumans) 2023. Although in vague terms, I had heard of it. I sort of got the vibe from the word, so I never felt the need to look into it. A vague sort of, "Identifying with an archetype, or a trope from media," vibe. What came to mind for me was tropes like the knight, the prince, the rogue. Classic roles. The stuff you'd see on tarot cards or such. The alterhuman community is known to look down on "newer" sources of identity, after all (see the long-standing hesitancy to accept fictionkin).

So, when I joined the panel being hosted by someone named Vyt (who can be found on tumblr, as @thelightfluxtastic) all about archetropy, I thought I knew what to expect.

Vyt described their archetype as "the right-hand man".

Well, Vyt mostly talked about "the paladin" as their main tropetype. But that was the sort of archetype I expected. "The right-hand man" may not be considered a "modern" archetype, but the specific phrase of "right-hand man" for it feels rather new in comparison to how I viewed archetropy before.

My mom was a pastor.

She was in charge of a very large building, which acted as a place for church services on Sundays, and as a kindergarten during the day. I remember watching my mom being up on the church's stage. I didn't learn until I was an adult that she actually had stage fright. I remember stalling whenever I went to the principal's office, because, of course I went to my mom's school for kindergarten. And going to the principal's office when your mom is the principal is certainly… a time, of sorts.

I was a good little Christian kid, though. I was a trouble child due to my undiagnosed autism making me seem "rude" to everyone around me, but I followed what my parents taught me to believe. One could hardly say I was doing so on purpose, though. I didn't even know there was any other option, after all.

Vyt went on to define archetropy as looking at an archetype or trope or such, and saying either, "I am that," "That's want I want to be," or both. Though Vyt also makes a point to say that "archetropy", as a term, was coined specifically to be both linguistically flexible and very broad in definition. It can be involuntary, voluntary, intrinsic, extrinsic, 'identify-as', 'identify-with'…

Vyt also discussed connections to kintypes for archetropal reasons. For example, being dragonkin because one identifies with how the trope of dragons are shown in media.

I can trace multiple kintypes of mine straight down to the same root. This Christian upbringing of mine. Surrounded by it. Suffocated by it.

My mom would often work late, so, as she locked herself in her office, I would be left alone in this huge building. I often stayed in the auditorium during those times. I didn't like the big, open area, so I'd often hunker down in one of the two more closed-off areas. Those two areas were surrounded by walls, but were very small and had no doors, thus, considered a part of the auditorium. One was decorated in green and black. It had beanbags, a step to sit on, and a chalkboard that covered the entirety of one of the walls. The other was pink. It had two chairs and a whiteboard. Covered with sparkly materials, it was hard to leave without some of it sticking to you.

I hated the pink room. Specifically, I hated the texture of everything. Almost everything had this god-awful fuzzy texture that was almost feather-like. The chairs, the rug, the walls. Even the pens there had a grip made of this texture. I couldn't stand it.

But every time the church children my age were there, the boys would go to the green area, and the girls to the pink. The teachers and other officials would call them "the girl room" and "the boy room". The boys and girls would often have one person standing guard near, or in, the door, just to make sure nobody of the opposite gender even got close to their room.

Even when I was alone, in that huge auditorium, I couldn't bear to enter the boy's room. It was wrong. But the first time I did, and I layed down on the beanbag, I exclaimed to my little brother, "It's no fair that you guys get these!" I was so much more comfortable there.

But, still, I rarely came in, even after the barrier was breached. I stayed away on purpose. I made my brother promise to not tell anyone I was there.

I was supposed to be a good girl. Never mind my intersex condition – a good GIRL. One who likes pink, who likes my church dress, and who likes the fuzzy, feathery textures with a smile, for the sake of how others see her. For the sake of fulfilling my God-given role.

As Vyt talked more and more about archetropy, it became clearer to me that modern tropes and archetypes were absolutely included. "The mad scientist" was named as an example. TV Tropes was named as a place to find a list of tropes and archetypes in media.

The TV Tropes page for "The Pastor's Queer Kid", describes the trope like this: "[The pastor's] kids seem to be every bit as perfect as they are, and have the perfect relationship with them. Well, except for one. You see, this one has a secret they're not sure about admitting to their parent. The secret being… Well, this kid isn't heterosexual (and/or cisgender, etc., as the case may be)."

I remember finding the page for this trope and lighting up. Scrolling right down to the "media" section, to see if there were any pieces of media with this trope that I would be interested in. Seeing one of my already-present kintypes there and giggling a little bit to myself. Oh, I'm so predictable! Of course I'd already have a character like this as a kintype.

I realized I was queer very young. Too naive to think better of it, I came out to my parents too soon. Not even a teenager yet, I had to comfort my mother as she cried over me being queer. One of the biggest God-fearers around, I was struck silent when my mom expressed that she feared me going to Hell, and her going to Heaven.

She phrased it as, "What will I do without my child in Heaven? You have scared me so much. I have given you a role to fulfill, and you have failed. Now, I must watch the one I love be punished."

She told her child that they would go to Hell, and be separated from everyone they love for eternity. Poor her.

(Pay no attention to the child, parentified and afraid. Do not look at the way its breath hitches when she says this. The look of disbelief on its face. She really thinks I'm going to Hell…?)

(Look at her, now. She is the victim. This is her spotlight.)

It took me years of purposeful work to undo the toxic mentality that I was taught. About purity, about martyrdom, about the flames of Hell licking every queer's feet. And I still get nightmares sometimes, but I'm proud of how far I've come. When I feel a surge of queer joy, when I see a queer person's smile, when I experience gender euphoria, I know this is it. This is what I've been fighting for. And I know that it's worth it.

I searched TV Tropes for other tropes that fit me, halfheartedly picking up a few more. I wanted an excuse to list "my tropes" on my website's 'about' page, just to add "The Pastor's Queer Kid" on it. I didn't care about the other ones I listed – I just wanted them to be there so I could feel like I had a reason to put that one in particular.

When the archetrope panel was coming to a close, and taking questions, I typed into the chat, "If people are certain archetypes or tropes in real life, would someone like that be able to identify as an archetype? Even if they technically just are it?"

I am my mom's child. I am queer. I struggled against the religion I was suffocated by, and came out the other side damaged, but alive. I try to let people know the sort of harm this upbringing can cause. I am purposefully open about this aspect of myself.

Vyt answered my question. "My default answer is gonna be, ‘Sure.' Like… I think there's something powerful in embracing something, on purpose."

On purpose, I am The Pastor's Queer Kid.

#apologies for the tag vyt! just wanted to make sure folks could know where to find you.#archetrope #archetropy #fictionkind #alterhuman #alterhumanity #alterhuman essay #essay #📋 i'd show you my halo if only i knew where i had put it #homophobia tw #religious trauma tw #transphobia tw

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thelightfluxtastic · 6 months

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Pararchetrope -> Exemplar

So in my archetropy essays I've been using "patatrope" (from paratype) to mean "similar trope/archetype/motif" and "pararchetrope" to mean "character that feels like a paratype due to fitting an archetype".

But I'll be the first to admit "pararchetrope" is an awkward mouthful to pronounce, and I was hoping I or someone else might stumble onto something better.

How about the word "exemplar"? Even in it's completely mundane current meaning, it fits the bill. Something serving as an example or model of a particular concept.

To me, Pearl, Gawain and both Sir Carrots are exemplars of the paladin archetype, and thus activate archetrope feelings.

#archetrope #archetropy #pararchetrope #exemplar #terminology

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that-dreaming-dragon · 1 month

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The Dream Dragon Myth

Cross-posted from my dreamwidth, link in the title.

When others talk about resonating with films and media, there's often a divide between wilderness/nature vs city/industrial. Often nature is where the hearts lie for more feral inclined or beast-aligned folks. Dragons are usually among this group that are drawn to nature.

Through the breadcrumbs I've left myself, I can confidently say where my resonance lies in the media genre--folklore and fairytales. This also circles me back to my initial hesitance with the term folcintera. At first glance, I was unsure if it applied to me, merely seeing myself as a generic mythkind, simply a dragon.

However, after having terms to define my experience of having a kardiatype that is divinity-made-by-human and an archetype which is Mew that is a being that is mythical, little-l legendary, whimsical, mysterious, a bit mischievous and chaotic, as well as fluid, abstract both as a concept and as a creature--it all coincidentally aligns with me being a creature of dreams, chaos, vacillant in my shape, but definite in my draconity.

This realization of the self, myself, that is defined by my very own personal myth and folklore did not come from a singular instance of learning of the term folcintera, or interacting with media that are tied to fairytales or mythologies. This took time, and a certain level of self-acceptance, along with the unintended nudges from the communities around me via the discussion of alterhumanity.

I have contemplated that my otherkinity has some degree of voluntarity within. I as a species never quite make sense, even as a dragon, which tends to be from a conglomeration of other creatures. When I first had an idea of my appearance, it happened while I was within a draconic (and furry) community. I'd mentioned before that orange is as much a part of me as my draconity is. But what of all the other features that define me? From the bits I could recall of that community, the dragons are more typical of the scaled lizards with webbed wings, many have breath weapons of some sort. I remember a blue anthro dragon with military and firearm tied to the lore of their dragonsona.

Was it my desire to be different than the mainstream?

But looking back at my old drawings, most, if not all are decidedly random in their features. They'd either be some sort of snake with lots of extra, or hexapod being with claws for limbs and a pair of wings of various sorts, sometimes more, or avians with wings and legs combination, or they'd be piscine. Perhaps because of the media I grew up with, the draconic creatures are varied in their features, or perhaps due to my cultural upbringing.

I came from a background that has Buddhism, Taoism, some local folklore, and maybe Shinto or Shinto-influenced beliefs, and others that I cannot define. I grew up with my nonhumanity. I experience my life from my teens onward with the knowledge of my past life of being a dragon. I learn from a culture that acknowledges dragons as mythical and reality, and stories of dragons capable of shapeshifting, of controlling wind and rain. I read mythologies about dragons from many cultures of this world and their diversity.

When I had a complete image of myself, I was round, circular in shape, bright in colors, and dominated by orange so vibrant, you'd only possibly find it in birds, the fur of beasts, and wings of fowl. I also had a pet-like quadrupedal form, a form that is typically seen as an "eastern" dragon, and a form that is typically seen as a "western" dragon. There's not quite a point in mentioning the anthro shape, as I still do not think that is a form in itself.

There was not much separation between human vs nonhuman. I am nonhuman through and through.

As a whole, what is made up of me, my sense of self, the essence of my identity, is an amalgamation of all my experiences and knowledge, both intrinsic and potentially influenced by my surroundings. I am a dragon, it is the simple, unshakable truth. The how I am as a dragon is far more complex, it speaks of my story, my personal mythology.

#alterhuman #otherkin #nonhuman #dragonkin #folcintera #Dream Dragon Posting #personal essay #long post #essay writing #kardiatype #archetrope

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cyber-therian · 22 days

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i think i want to talk about being fictionkin more but its such a vastly different thing for me than therianthropy which im used to … im very intimidated & nervous ill say the wrong thing

not only because im new to labeling the identity as fictionkin, but also that my source isn’t completely accurate to what actual medieval times were like; as i created it

#fictionkin #ockin #archetrope #otherkin #alterhuman

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mechanical-sunchild · 3 months

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'Archetropes aren't alterhuman, that's normal human experience '.

No. It's normal human experience to feel that you fit an archetype or trope. It's normal human experience to have a favourite archetype or trope and gravitate towards characters who display it or even try to display it in yourself or your OCs.

It's not really going to be considered normal if you say you are the embodiment of that archetype or trope, partially or completely. Or if you identify with it in such an intense way that it completely shapes the entirety of your being including possibly your therio/kin/fictotypes.

It's not generally regarded as average to see yourself not exactly as a person but as an archetype of a person, a trope of a person. To the side of being human because you are a concept and apply to humans but you are still basically just a concept with a body. That's alterhuman.

#honestly a lot of negatively towards the term alterhuman I've been seeing lately it's just about being bitter that it encompasses/accepts #types of identities the OP doesn't agree with sharing a community with so either wants them gone or the term #'the term is too broad we're letting too many people in its becoming meaningless ' To You maybe the rest of us however don't feel the need #to judge alternative to human/human experiences as being only if you're an animal #imagine thinking having a wide community and helping others acknowledge that actually alterhumanity is vast and natural is bad #alterhuman #archetrope

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lycantooth · 1 month

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something something about being an archetrope or several archetropes and being autistic. I don’t know what it is about placing myself into a box or a category but it’s stirring the right chemicals in my brain

#🦷 ; text #archetrope #archetropy

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rabidbatboy · 3 months

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LOSER PROTAGONiST ARCHETROPE ; an alterhuman term for those who identify as the archetype or character trope of a loser protagonist

🦇 ——— COINED BY ME

[ PT / loser protagonist archetrope ; an alterhuman term for those who identify as the archetype or character trope of a loser protagonist

coined by me / END PT ]

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losergendered · 1 month

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going into the archetrope tag to see so many people complaining about people making archetrope flags kinda sucks lol... like i get wanting to see more community and experiences in the tags but like. the lack of that is largely due to a lack of knowledge of the label? and not tumblr users making flags?

like i see most of the complaints being "why are people making so many flags that no one is even gonna use" most of the time people making flags are making them a) for themselves, so *they* will be using them, or b) based off of a request, meaning the *requester* will be using them. who's going to use them? me!!! i am going to use them!!! i identify with tons of archetropes!!!

the other complaint i see is the "you're not coining anything, you're just describing an experience" which. i mean yeah. they're just coining the *flag* most of the time. no one's claiming to be *inventing* alterhumanity. this just feels like semantics to me.

honestly i just feel like it is truly not that serious. who's being harmed by archetrope flags? if you don't like to use flags and labels and stuff that's totally fair and awesome! but i feel like a lot of people think that there is zero demand or purpose to them, and it's really sucky to see as a guy who finds use and purpose in them.

im the guy that you don't think exists. i'm the guy who is a Slasher and a Loser and a Nerd and a Villain and wants flags for all of them. i get that it sucks that the ONLY stuff in the archetrope tag is flags, but please don't act like they're stupid or for nobody. at the very least, they're for me.

#sorry if the tone of this post sounds angry or mean. im bad at not sounding mean lol #im not actually mad im just kinda :/#i get it. i understand where people are coming from. this is just my 2 cents #archetrope

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anomalymon · 3 months

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I stumbled on archetrope term coinings, and how do other archetropes feel about that?

For us at least, the thing with archetropes is you can be any archetype. There's people in my system with archetropes that are otherwise undescribed literary patterns. Several of us have tarot or fairy tales as archetropes. There's a level of identity freedom, creativity, and exploration.

With term coining, it feels like it's the antithesis of that to me. Like it's turning the focus onto the label or label hoarding aspects instead of that introspection, and making it so it needs to be a "thing".

I guess it also feels like if there were coining posts for "cloudkin" or "wyrmkin" or something like that. Like just because you were the first to make a flag for a label and post it on Tumblr doesn't make you the coiner of it inherently.

#i might add more to this later #archetrope #alterhuman #i think we had a similar ramble about now neo agabs are treated but this is an alterhuman term #its like in this case i wouldn't be against people making flags and hell I've seen archetropes make crests #but this specifically targets 'coining' archetrope identities

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a-dragons-journal · 9 months

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On Questioning An Archetrope

So I'm turning over the concept of a potential paladin (or something similar) archetrope in my brain now.

I have... kind of always viewed myself as a guardian. I've been the Mom-friend, the one people go to for advice, for practically as long as I can remember. I have a protective streak a mile wide, partly due to my territorial instincts from my dragonself. I don't really want to talk about it publicly, but suffice to say that growing up I had what I would now, for lack of better words, call a rich imagined reality wherein I (and my few closest friends, though I hung onto it the longest) was a capital-G Guardian, a hero of blade and armor, a protector of the world.

Later on, in high school, those same friends and I took on a more realistic protective streak, primarily in the form of a habit of adopting girls who a) had just been through bad breakups and/or b) were being harassed/stalked by creepy boys and literally bodyguarding them throughout the day. I still fantasize about scenarios where I get to protect people, often strangers, on a regular basis, for no real reason other than it makes me feel good. I want to be that. I want to be a protector, a shield and sword for those who need it.

My first D&D character was a paladin, and a fairly stereotypical one (although not fully Lawful Stupid). Shail is a tiefling who was abandoned at a temple doorstep as a baby after they were born, raised by one of the priests as their father, and later took up arms after being inspired by a visiting paladin and took the Oath of Devotion. They were my first experiment with they/them pronouns. I am realizing their choice of class may also have been a bit of projection.

I don't know how much of this is inherent to me and how much is something I chose and how much is something I want to choose.

A brief tangent: it so happens that I very recently saw the musical Man of La Mancha, which is based on Don Quixote. While I was vaguely familiar with the story of Don Quixote, I'd never actually read or seen it in full in any form until now. I did not expect to be as touched by it as I was. Don Quixote is... for all we often make fun of him for the windmill incident, ultimately I think Don Quixote is someone we could all stand to learn from, and perhaps even to aspire to. To stubbornly, doggedly, adamantly adhere to honor and justice and a view of the world where good prevails in the end, to fight for what's right no matter the odds, to swear yourself to these things despite the way the rest of the world laughs at you - perhaps the world would be a better place if more of us were Don Quixote in this.

"A quest?" "How you must fight? And it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, if only you follow the quest."

"To dream the impossible dream. To fight the unbeatable foe. To bear with unbearable sorrow. To run where the brave dare not go. To right the unrightable wrong. To love pure and chaste from afar. To try when your arms are too weary. To reach the unreachable star."

Perhaps the recency of this exposure to Don Quixote, and my thoughts and feelings about it and about him as a character, is influencing how I'm reacting to the exposure to archetropy. Or perhaps my reaction to Man of La Mancha is indicative of my resonance with Don Quixote as someone I would argue has an archetropal identity (if of the Knight Errant rather than of the Paladin, though the two really aren't that different) himself. Perhaps both.

Either way, I think it's an admirable thing to take up such a mantle in the face of the world's cruelties - to take up the Guardian's armor and sword again, illogical as it may be, and to aspire to such a lofty ideal as this despite the way the world may consider it foolish or daft.

(And there I go getting poetic prose-y again. Perhaps that's also part of why the paladin archetype appeals to me, ha. I have been known to monologue.)

Even my job can be argued to fall into the paladin - a healer, a helper, a servant who at least tries to value The Good Of The Patient above all else. it's not quite a guardian role - but then, a paladin is often a healer as well.

On top of all of that, there's the fact that when I, out of curiosity and experimentation, put a major problem of indecision I've been facing regarding my current job hunt through the lens of "what would a paladin do," it immediately answered the question with "wouldn't let the difficulty of the task scare them off." Which didn't completely solve my problem, but solves a good solid chunk of it.

So it appears that this may be a helpful tool for me. Even if the thought of "what would Xenk Yendar do" is a slightly silly one. (And yes, Xenk Yendar is an extremely good representation of what paladin looks like to me - and perhaps it's telling that I really latched onto him as a character almost instantly upon watching Honor Among Thieves.)

Perhaps my one big hesitance to latch onto the paladin archetype is the religious connotation of a paladin - while I suppose my relationship with Asclepius could qualify, under the "paladins are also often healers" thought, Asclepius does not cover most of what draws me to the paladin archetype. But a paladin doesn't always have to be religious; in D&D paladins technically draw their power from their oath, Xenk Yendar comes up as an example of a paladin who doesn't obviously seem to have a particular god, and besides none of the alternative archetypes I'm finding or coming up with fit quite as well. The Knight Errant is close, but requires wandering in a way I am thoroughly uncomfortable with (I am still a territorial beast at heart) and also implies seeking evil rather than defending from it.

So... perhaps that's not as big a block as one might think. I'm going to chew on this a while longer, and I'm certainly open to suggestions on similar archetypes for my consideration, but... I might have tripped into a new alterhuman identity. Oops.

#archetrope #paladin archetrope #rani talks #alterhuman #journaling #community writings

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