Otherkin For Non-Kin
Hello! If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the otherkin tag or on an otherkin blog. Assuming you are otherkin, please feel free to skip reading this, because, well, you probably already know it.
So, for those of you still reading, you’re probably here for one of a few reasons. You’re genuinely curious about otherkin, you think you may be otherkin, or you are hoping to be able to mock this post. For the first two readers, you’re in the right place! As for the third, we’re gonna ignore you for now.
Let’s start with the most common questions, concerns, and misunderstandings.
● I heard people think that they’re animals and I’m a little concerned?
Understandable. However, most otherkin don’t actually think they are physically an animal. Many otherkin are what we call spiritual otherkin! This means their otherkinity ties into their spiritual beliefs, and is usually explained by reincarnation, parallel worlds, souls meant to be animals mixed up in human bodies, etc. However, no small number of otherkin are mentally ill! They may use it as a coping mechanism, or have delusions leading them to believe they are physically non-human. Many, if not all, of these kin already see a psychologist on a regular basis, and many of them have been told by their doctors that it is not a problem!
● Okay, but dragons don’t exist, and neither do mermaids, elves, or hellhounds?
Very true! On this planet, none of these creatures have been proven to exist. (To the best of my knowledge.) However, according to the multiverse theory, creatures like them most definitely could! Essentially, many people who are kin with these creatures believe that a similar creature exists in another universe. Alternatively, some kin do have religious or spiritual beliefs that state these creatures can exist.
● Alright, makes sense. But what about fictionkin? Are you saying they make sense?
I most definitely am! The reason being that the same things apply to fictionkin. According to the multiverse theory, there could most definitely be a world in which Naruto is real, or at least something very close to it. Thus, having the soul of an anime character isn’t too far-fetched. Same goes for book characters, video game characters, TV show characters, etc. Multiples of characters can be explained through parallel universes, multiples of characters existing in the canon of the show, etc.
● Okay, what about divinekin, planetkin, voidkin, spacekin, etc?
As far as my personal beliefs are concerned, gods die constantly. Many gods have been lost altogether when their believers died out. Could be the god died with them, we’d never know. Should you worship them if they ask you to? Probably not, but up to you. (And not all of them do this.) Your reasoning is your own, but I’d say they aren’t doing any harm, so leave them be. Planets, the void, space, maybe they have souls. Who the heck knows? Live and let live.
● So are otherkin a religion?
No. I’ve addressed this issue at length in another post tagged as religion on my blog. Feel free to check it out if you’re interested!
● I’ve gone through the otherkin tag and seen otherkin treat non-kin rather poorly in response to asks?
First and foremost: this is a terrible thing all kin should strive to avoid. But if you’re wondering why this happens, let me explain. I started this blog about 6 weeks ago. In that span of those 6 weeks, I’ve been told to kill myself no less than four times, been told I’m an imbecile, a child, need to get some friends, need to go outside, and generally mocked and jeered at more times than I care to count. Unfortunately, I’m not an exception to the rule, but someone who experiences the average amount of hate for a member of the community. I’ve got a thick skin, but sometimes it does make me angry or sad. Generally I get off my blog and calm down before I continue, but with experiences like these it doesn’t surprise me that members of our community sometimes lash out without regard for who they’re lashing out at. I am in no way condoning this, simply explaining it.
● Are otherkin trying to be part of the LGBTQA+ community?
Otherkin are not part of the LGBTQA+ community simply for being otherkin, but many of us are a part of the community because we are trans, nb, pan, ace, etc.
● Do otherkin just want to mock trans and nb people?
No! We are in no way a hate group. Many of us are trans or nb, as stated above.
● Do otherkin use their kintype (kintype refers to the type of being that the kin in question was, ex a wolfkin’s kintype would be wolf) as a gender identification?
This is a lie spread solely by trolls. No, we do not believe our gender is cat, or dragon, or werewolf. Some of us use what are called neopronouns, meaning quite literally new pronouns. These are solely for the use of people whose gender identity falls outside the range of female or male. You may have seen them before, such as bun/buns/bunself. I don’t see a lot of real kin using these, but occasionally we do. Again, these aren’t for cisgendered otherkin. Being otherkin does not grant you new pronouns. Using myself as an example, since I am cis, I do feel comfortable using she/hers/herself, despite being dragonkin.
● Isn’t being kin with a disabled character inherently ableist, and being kin with someone of a different race inherently racist?
According to two people, one of whom is POC and the other of whom is a disabled woman, not inherently. Claiming to understand the difficulties faced by either of these groups while not belonging to the group in this life, however, would be. I have an excellent post on this if you feel like continuing research.
● Are otherkin oppressed?
No, no, and no again. Bullied? Yes. Oppressed? No. Anyone claiming to be oppressed is a troll or incredibly misinformed.
● Why are there so many kin positivity based blogs, informational blogs, and blogs dedicated solely to otherkin?
Well, a few reasons. As discussed above, we are regularly bullied. Trolls and anti-kin also love to spread false information, leading to informative blogs. Finally, we’re a relatively small and misunderstood group, so we like to stick together. This isn’t to say that you aren’t free to follow an otherkin blog, however. If you like the aesthetic and don’t send mean spirited messages, most of us don’t care in the slightest whether or not you’re otherkin.
I hope you found this helpful, and if you have any questions feel free to drop them in my ask box, whether anonymously or not!
