ATTENTION OTHERKIN AND NON-KIN ALIKE
Oh boy here I go, I’ve been debating on wether or not I should post this here. But I think it’s an important topic and I would like to help stop this war. So otherkin or not please take some time to read this, I’ll try to keep it short.
There is a conflict between the current three main branches of otherkin: Therian(terrestrial animals) Traditional Otherkin(mythical creatures) and Fictionkin(fictional characters). There are other branches like inanimate objects and abstract concepts but I won’t talk about those here.
So Are fictionkin otherkin? YES they are, wether old-timers like it or not “otherkin” has become an umbrella term used to describe someone that identifies as something else, it used to be for non-humans only, however since some of this characters, fictional or not, are definitely human this is no longer true.
I believe this three otherkin types belong in the same tree but are very different branches, with their own unique characteristics. Why? Well, from what I have seen and experienced, fictionkin believes and practices are different from the believes of their otherkin and therian cousins. And that is NOT a bad thing. Fictionkin are relatively new, not only that but their lines are mainly formed by very young kin, it is very difficult to find old-timer fictionkin, they are still figuring stuff out, creating their identity, constructing their believes, building their community. I believe we all still are. The REAL problem is that fictionkin blogs are very popular and attract a lot of attention, eventually newcomers and non-kin are going to ask this blogs the big question: what is otherkin? And if they do not specify that what they are saying only applies to fictionkin or to themselves it means they are talking for the otherkin community as a whole. And that is when traditional otherkin and therians start to get pissed off. They are saying that they believe in things that don’t, that they experience kin in a way they don’t. And this people will take what you say and run with it without doing any more research, and will take for granted that all otherkin live their kin in the same way, when they don’t.
Being asked this question is a big responsibility, if you are not sure yourself talk only about YOUR personal experience and SPECIFY it, or redirect the question to a more experienced kin. This is not the first time this happens, I remember a while ago there was a battle between otherkin and therians because some of their beliefs collided, it went on and on to the point that “therian only” forums and chat rooms where created and if you were not a terrestrial animal you were not welcomed. With time the issue calmed down but still today you can find Therians who dislike been called otherkin.
I think it is important to clarify that this can happen the other way around, therian and traditional otherkin also sometimes speak in the name of fictionkin and that is equally wrong.
We are all otherkin, we all have a common ancestor but we have evolved, and we still are, into different branches. And that is not a bad thing, diversity makes everything more fun and interesting.
Be kind to fellow kin and help us clean our name teaching those outside and inside our community how diverse we are.
Thank you
I love you all-Greece the centaur.
This is a good post with a lot of good thoughts in it. However, there’s some points that, if not exactly wrong, still need a little more information to be completely accurate. Specifically, about Fictionkin.
The fictionkin community is not as new as it may appear to some. It certainly did not start on Tumblr. Fictionkin have existed as a group online for at least 10 years, probably close to fourteen. Back in the day fictionkin were often called ‘otakukin until the consensus n the community came to be that the name was offensive as well as a misnomer. Fictionkin was eventually settled on instead.
Also, while many people who use the label fictionkin are teenagers, there are actually a fair number of us who are in our 20s and even 30s. I am personally 30 years old, and have been active in the community since 2006.
While some otherkin have always had a problem with the fictionkin community, a lot of the current problem stems with people and beliefs the core of the fictionkin community has a problem with too. The fictionkin community is currently going through a period where uninformed people are applying the label where it doesn’t belong, and these people are confusing outsiders as to fictionkin beliefs.
Mainly fictionkin ‘beliefs and practices’ are not that different from mainline Otherkin beliefs and practices. Many of the supposed beliefs that differ are things that were made up by trolls and anti-kin and then adopted by new and ignorant newcomers to the community.
Unfortunately, the fictionkin community’s biggest problem right now is the spread of misinfortation and confusion.
