Archetrope

Archetropy is an identity under the alterhuman umbrella in which one heavily identifies with or otherwise experiences an archetype, trope, or otherwise preestablished character model in a way that is central to their identity. It may not necessarily be inherently nonhuman, but has a significant enough impact on one’s identity to be experienced in similar ways as other alterhuman labels. Archetropy may specifically or especially inform one’s identity in deeply influential ways in regards to aspects such as personality, occupation/profession/field of study, gender expression or identity, philosophy, spiritual beliefs, or political alignment. It is a nuanced and complex identity which can fall anywhere on the voluntary-involuntary and “identify with”-“identify as” spectrums. This identity can also have spiritual, psychological, or other origins. It could present as an intrinsic identity one is born with, an identity one takes on for the purpose or self-expression and enjoyment, a coping mechanism, or in a myriad of other ways. It is a flexible term that describes a broad range of experiences of identity and alterhumanity.

This term was coined on the blog @Mogai-Corvidae on Tumblr but was cited as a group effort. Other contributors include those in this thread on the Nonhuman National Park forum, as well as @monsterqueers and @thelightfluxtastic on Tumblr.

Terminology
Examples of archetropal identities include pirate, clown, ranger, royalty, etc.

This term can be used as a noun or an adjective. You use it in ways such as "I am an archetrope," "My archetropy affects my identity," or "My archetropal identity makes me happy."

To refer to specific archetrope “types” (as one would specific kintypes or kithtypes) use the prefix “arche-” followed by the identity itself. (For example, “I am an archepirate,” “They are archeroyal,” etc.) The term can also be hyphenated if the identity label starts with a letter that would make the term difficult to read such as in “arche-explorer,” if the term is multiple words long such as “arche-raised by wolves” or “arche-mountain man,” or if one simply prefers to use that syntax.