Kffies. Kin for fun folk. More appropriately named as “a majority appropriating terminology from a marginalized subculture and the identity experience connected to it and spreading misinformation faster than we can dream to keep up all while speaking over and trying to silence us”.
Kffers are becoming mainstream while we are left behind and in some cases erased.
Anti-kin were annoying for spreading misinformation and horrible for being abusive dicks who helped spread misinformation like wildfire but they were never the powerhouse that these people have unexpectedly become. Being an abuser (anti-kin) who wants a certain kind of person (otherkind/ fictionkind) to stop existing and/ or shut up and be unseen isn’t trendy. Cringe was trendy but abuse generally isn’t.
But doing something that’s fun, like pretending to be an animal or a cartoon character, roleplay basically, is something that can be picked up and spread easily because on the whole it is an attractive idea. Really it’s just a rebranding of self-inserts and roleplay, two wildly popular things. Except I guess people feel better about themselves when they call it kinning and kinnies instead of self-inserting and roleplay? Who knows. But they’ve become a loud majority rather than a loud minority.
Combating a majority and correcting people is exhausting. It’s exhausting to read, it’s exhausting to write, it’s exhausting to think about. And I don’t believe it’s the answer.
It’s not toxic in a “we are now the toxic abusers”, it’s toxic in a “this is bad for our mental health” kind of way. As in, always correcting kffers and non-kin on what otherkinity and fictionkinity are is detrimental to our well being because rarely does it come connected to positive emotions (expect perhaps for a few people who are especially keen on educating the world).
So once again I’m talking about spreading positive information and fostering accessibility.
I try to look for a solution and am frustrated one doesn’t exist, when in some ways the solution is right there, every moment, waiting for us if we have the energy.
It’s just for us to talk in the open. To have our own voices in our own hands and not be afraid to share them.
Even if you think your writing isn’t good. Even if you think your art isn’t good.
It doesn’t need to be good, it just needs to be something you enjoy, something that brings light and goodness in your life. Whether it’s sharing your experiences in a small way, or doodling about being an animal, or describing the history of your kintype’s people, or three sentences, or more introductory works and dictionaries.
So many times a post in the tags has said, “I wish I could contribute something wonderful how others do but I’m not good at it.” Comparing your work, your efforts, your voice to someone else’s isn’t necessary. You’re not them and you don’t need to be. You’re yourself. And your voice is wonderful.
I know that is almost more to ask, because it isn’t a canned bit of writing the way correcting non-kin and kffers can be.
And I do think we need more libraries and more archives to organize some of this writing and our websites. In that way, we foster the accessibility of this content, content that most of us enjoy reading and engaging with to begin with.
Truly I believe that is healthier, and in some ways will go further.
It will never silence the mainstream. Kffers may fade as anti-kin have over the course of a few years, especially with how quickly even their language use has changed. They’re not people who are spending a huge volume of time creating content with longevity. Tik tok is as ephemeral as instagram. Even tumblr, with its endless reblog chains, is less ephemeral.
We’re the people with longevity.
We’re the people who can help lift each other up, can help struggling newbies find a home, and can carry our voices forward.
No one else can do this but us.
And that may be the real solution.
And this is a hill I need to die on more, to repeat more, to remember more. I repeat it so much.
I truly believe we can do this, and we lose nothing in doing it. Every bit of content creation, every whisper, that is something wonderful.
