Archetrope

Archetrope is an identity under the alterhuman umbrella in which one heavily identifies with or otherwise experiences an archetype, trope, or otherwise pre-established 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.

Flags and Symbols
The teardrop shape in the symbol represents both a seed, which represents the capacity to grow and develop in infinitely many ways, and fire, which represents the torch of storytelling and the many character models carried on over time across so many mediums and in so many ways. The seed’s shadow, which is an outline of the seed itself, represents archetropes themselves, which are “cast from the original mold” of a trope, archetype, etc. so to speak. It represents the way that archetropes are just as diverse and complex as anyone else, yet fall into or follow a certain character model in some capacity, and how that identity coexists with the great nuance and diversity of their identity as a whole. The shadow is its own distinct shape with an entirely different center, but it follows the outline and general shape of a preexisting model, as do archetropes with their archetropal identities. The roots shooting down from the seed represent both the growth and disseminating of archetropes and their community as well as the development of character models themselves. The many roots also represent the many different aspects of archetropal identity and the many ways it may manifest in an archetrope’s life. All of these many individual aspects of identity, from morals to aesthetic tastes, come together to create a greater picture of a character model of some kind. Though not pictured, the symbol can also be drawn without a circle surrounding it, simply as the shadowed teardrop shape with roots branching off from beneath it. Both the simplified and more detailed versions can be used in this way.

Flag color meanings:

cyan: tropes, archetypes, and other established character models that are consistent or pervasive enough throughout media as a whole over time to be considered a distinct identity one could have blue: the significant relationship between archetropy and other parts of identity, and the impact of archetropy on many aspects of identity, from moral philosophy to personality to clothing style and much more magenta: the depth of and intensity with which archetropes express their sense of self, the inherent desire for self expression and autonomy associated with being an archetrope red: archetropy as its own unique experience which is distinct but still falls under the alterhuman umbrella, the potential relationship archetropy has with other alterhuman experiences yellow: the creativity and diversity archetropes have in their expressions of identity and how they interpret their experiences, the many different perspectives and experiences of archetropes and how diverse and varying they are (psychologically, spiritually, regarding identifying “as” or “with” or somewhere in between, and in every other way) green: the development and transformation of tropes and archetypes over time, the vast diversity and variation in interpretations of tropes, archetypes, and other established character models black: the shadow/imprint of an archetype, trope, or other established character model, which is what an archetrope is in essence