Mike Driver
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@thisisnotkin
Hi! I recently learned someone i know is a kin but I'm not too sure what that even is. I'm asking you bc you seem like a reliable source who is okay with calling people out. (Also if you could tag me if you reply thatd be great)
@morphameigus-almightyI’m not sure why you’d need me to “call someone out” if you’re simply asking me what kin is. The answers you’re looking for are found on my FAQ page. I hope this helps.
-Fae
I see so many people identify as Canon fictional characters and claim that they were "past lives". Why is this? Is this a real thing? I personally believe that this is just their brain Imprinting on that character, not an identity in itself.
Yes, there are people who identify as fictional characters, many claiming this as part of a spiritual belief in reincarnation and the multiverse-- myself included. Whether or not it is a “real thing” is subjective and frankly irrelevant, as the vast majority of the people who do this legitimately view it as spiritual, which isn’t exactly quantifiable in terms of reality, but rather in belief. It’s okay that you don’t believe in it, so long as you respect those who do.
Of course, it’s no secret that the identity and definition of fictionkin has become rather muddied and unclear in recent years and that many young, confused, and misinformed people have begun to take the identity as something it isn’t. I find it far easier and less confusing to regard the community that defines it as “relating to a fictional character that you like” as a separate group entirely. Fictionkin as they were known prior to the existence of this group are people who identify as a fictional character or species. I’ve made and reblogged several posts on the history of this community and how this drastic split occurred, if you’d care to take a trip through my blog in order to find them.
-Fae
Otherkin Criteria
There’s a lot of confusion in some parts of the Tumblr community as to what counts as otherkin and what doesn’t.
We have plenty of definitions, but I haven’t seen anyone lay it out quite like this, so I thought I’d make a sort of checklist to help clarify.
Definitions haven’t always been this clearly expressed, but they’ve pretty much always been this way.
Non-human identity. Otherkin are people who believe themselves to be partially or wholly non-human on a spiritual and/or psychological level. Explanations for why their identity is non-human vary, and this identity may be as anything non-human. Most otherkin either consider their identity spiritual/religious in nature, often correlating to past lives, or cite mundane psychological explanations. Only explicitly non-human identities count as otherkin. Some fictionkin may identify as human fictional characters, and while equally valid identities, these are not otherkin and are functionally little different from traditional beliefs in reincarnation. Feelings of similarity and affinity for non-human beings are excluded from the otherkin label. We identify as, not with.
Non-physical identity. Otherkin identities are spiritual and/or psychological only. Otherkin consider their physical bodies to be entirely human. Identities with any physically non-human component are excluded from the otherkin label. Beliefs in physical shapeshifting are not a part of the otherkin community.
Involuntary identity. There is no component of choice in being otherkin. This is part of why the explanations for why and how otherkin exist vary so widely; because there is no inherent connection between belief system and being otherkin. Not only is it not possible to choose to be otherkin, but it is not possible to choose not to be otherkin. Which means each of us must find a way to reconcile this involuntary identity with our existing beliefs about the world around us, leading to a variety of conflicting explanations.
If you answer yes to all of these criteria (and only if all of them apply), you may be considered otherkin.
I am bothered by “kinning”
Let me explain before you get upset.
Otherkin, fictionkin, therian… these are things you are, not things you do.
“Kinning” as a word indicates that it’s something you do.
You don’t kin as something, you are kin because you identify AS something.
This rephrasing makes me profoundly uncomfortable because the core of being kin of any kind has always been, “it’s not something you do, it’s something you are”.
And I worry this phrasing will undermine that.
i haven't participated in any type of kin community or even really talked about kin with anyone in like. 2 years. i've kinda grown to hate the entire community, especially the one on tumblr, based off my own experiences. however, i stumbled across this blog today and i just wanted to say i really like it. hope you (or y'all? i don't know if there are multiple mods) have a great day! :D
Thank you so much! I understand feeling really jaded and dissuaded about the kin community, especially in... whatever its current state is, but I'm glad that this blog managed to be a bright spot for you! Hopefully I can overcome some of my own personal disenchantments in order to keep this blog more active.
-Fae (and yes, i am the only mod)
Hi. I'm very new to kin and very confused. Maybe you're not the right person to ask and it's okay if you don't have an answer - but how do I know if I'm otherkin or just having strange delusions? Having a reference for a clear difference would help me a lot and if it is a delusion I will seek professional help with my therapist. Thank you in advance if you do reply-
A delusion is something that you believe firmly despite rational evidence proving otherwise. Conversely, Otherkin beliefs tend to sway on the side of spiritual or psychological-- something that *cannot* be explained rationally. If you believe yourself to be able to physically change into your kintype, then that is a delusion as it is impossible, but if you believe that your kintype was a past life, an incarnation of your soul, or simply something you have a spiritual or deep connection with, that is not a delusion. As long as being 'kin is not detrimental to your mental health in any way, there is no need to seek help over it.
This is it. This is the worst take ever. Everyone else go home. This is the worst take!
Just.... imagine being that unaware of the history and, y'know, vast majority of the group you claim to be part of. I cannot stop laughing. I might actually die. This is the worst thing I've ever seen. Gods.
Canadaesoul on Instagram is great! Very logical and informative, also kind. So is alterterrestrial and oceanboundpaws
Thank you! Noted!
-Fae
I feel kind of awful for being foxkin because it seems to be one of the go-to types to make fun of. (Ex: someone saying “I’m a foxkin stargender snowflake uwu” to the same tone of the old attack helicopter “joke”). I really dislike that kintype, though every time I’m in a forest the overwhelming feeling I experience can’t be ignored. It’s one of my most vivid shifts. Any tips on how to get over the stigma a kin type may have? Or at least the stigma you may feel towards it.
A lot of kintypes have a “stigma” I suppose for being “popular”. I feel as though the easiest way to “get over it” per se would be to remember that no matter what other people may say, you know your experience is real and that its a part of you. Take those flames and let them fuel your pride. The only person that can stop you from being yourself is you, but you are also the only person that can change that. Let the things others say roll off like water on your back, and you’ll soon learn to make peace with yourself and your soul. I wish you luck.
-Fae
Do you know of any good kinstagrams? Therian or kin?
I've been trying to navigate that community and so far have come up pretty much dry as far as a "good" kin community on Instagram goes.
-Fae
Okay yeah I'm trying to navigate, uh... "kinstagram" to find better content for y'all and I think my brain is short-circuiting.
Hi, so ever since I was young I felt like something about me wasn't 'purely' human or that there was just more to me than this. Recently, I've been reading about Otherkin, but I'm not really sure what my kintype is. I just know that I feel... otherwordly (if that's how i can put it?) Am I valid in this community and is there any help you could give me? Thank you
Of course. When I was first reading about Otherkin, I had no idea what my kintype was. It took me some time to research and meditate and introspect. My advice is to do the same, and have patience. Don't be afraid to try things out and possibly be wrong. It's a process, and to this day I'm discovering new things about even my earliest awakened kintypes. I wish you luck on your journey!
-Fae
How the fuck can you identify as a fictional character? Literally, why do people call themselves Kin if they share a couple personality traits with a fictional person??
My personal theory is a combination of reincarnation and the multiverse theory. If infinite universes exist, then perhaps infinite possibilities of places our souls may have occupied exist as well. A person creating a work of fiction essentially creates a new universe, and the souls of that universe have a chance to reincarnate into our own world. It sounds far-fetched, I will admit, but for me and many like me it is a belief rooted in our spirituality. If reincarnation is not too absurd to hear in a religious context, and the multiverse not too absurd in a scientific one, then I see no problem combining the two ideas into something for one's own beliefs.
There are also those who have a psychological belief rather than a spiritual one, but I couldn't tell you much about them as I have no reference point for what that experience feels like. My beliefs are exclusively spiritual. Find a blog run by psychological kinfolk to ask about that.
People claiming reasons other than these are likely not kinfolk at all, but rather copinglinkers or something similar. This identity is neither a choice nor a coping mechanism. It is simply a small part of our lives. It is not merely a matter of "sharing a few traits", though many jest or misunderstand the real meaning of the community. We are a long-standing, mostly spiritual subculture with a 40 or so year history.
I hope this helped to clear things up for you.
-Fae
Oh my god, I am so glad you and your blog exist, thank you. Btw, if you haven't already, you should definitely check out @/kinniefessing on Instagram. It's a bloody goldmine of this new generation "kinnie" bullshit. I tangoed with them a few times, and good lord are they a dense bunch. I literally had one "kinnie" laugh at me for "actually identifying as a faerie" and I just... T-that's what being kin IS...
Oh dear. I'll have to check that out, I suppose. It's unbelievable how these people are so ignorant to the thing they claim to be...
-Fae
I don't understand how factkin and objectkin can get away with it. If you're factkin, that's reincarnation (and if it's with someone still alive, then what the heck?) - if you're objectkin...how do you even come to identify AS something nonliving? Sad thing is that both are still around to this day...heck, I just saw a confession post about being 'kin to GOOGLE of all things.
"Factkin" isn't a real thing, I agree with that. I'm somewhat torn on what I believe or not regarding objectkin. Some things are a bit farfetched for me, but others make a degree of sense.
-Fae
how do you feel about people identifying as something "nonliving" ??? i've seen a lot of discourse on it over the years, but the belief that things like rivers have souls isn't exactly new, and it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility for manmade things such as robots to have souls as well if you believe that sort of thing. so idk, people making fun of that just rub me the wrong way :/
I think it’s certainly possible for people to have nonliving kintypes, within reason. There’s some that I’m not too sure about but it’s not really for me to decide, since I know very little about their community.
-Fae
Being an incarnated spirit of place (genius loci) or of a natural feature like a river is not very strange. The idea that such things have spirits is animism and is very old, as OP notes.
As for manmade things, I am less sure. I have certainly encountered things like cars that appeared to have a spirit of their own, an emergent phenomenon if you will. Japanese folklore has the idea of tsukumogami (“tools that have acquired a kami or spirit”) which sounds like it could be similar.
Whether whatever-that-is is of the same “stuff” as the spirits of biologial entities or of natives of the spiritual realms and could somehow incarnate into a human body, I don’t know. And a psychological explanation for such things doesn’t make a lot of sense to me; if you (perhaps) don’t believe in souls or reincarnation at all, then how can you acquire the “mindset” or “experiences” of something which is mindless and cannot experience anything?
That being said, some years ago there was someone around the community who said they were a combine harvester. They didn’t seem to actually be a troll (or at least they were not a malignant one) but I don’t know how serious they actually were. I vaguely recall someone else who was … the spirit of a bridge somewhere, or something? For sure I also used to know of someone who was a sound mixing board. Do not ask me how that even works, but as far as I know they were serious. They asked about coming to Mythicalia one time, but naturally (?) were put off by the lack of available electric sockets at the campsite. :P
Anyway, the idea is deeply weird to me in most cases. I do wonder sometimes what outsiders must think, who already find the idea of elves and faeries (i.e. usually-humanoid things with human-like sapience) risible enough. But so long as someone is not actually trying to do harm by trolling, or generally being a jerk which applies regardless of kintype, I mainly just gotta shrug.
Those are extremely valid concerns to have, I more or less agree. Some things I feel like people perhaps misinterpret. I'm a pretty firm believer in the supernatural, so I wouldn't find it too farfetched if someone who said they'd been a doll or some other manmade object had been a spirit or fae creature of some sort possessing or living in that object, or perhaps had a very strong connection with the object in another life. Or perhaps they could be normal feelings being misread as kin-related ones. But again, I cannot judge any one person's personal feelings or experiences, only my own.
how do you feel about people identifying as something "nonliving" ??? i've seen a lot of discourse on it over the years, but the belief that things like rivers have souls isn't exactly new, and it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility for manmade things such as robots to have souls as well if you believe that sort of thing. so idk, people making fun of that just rub me the wrong way :/
I think it’s certainly possible for people to have nonliving kintypes, within reason. There’s some that I’m not too sure about but it’s not really for me to decide, since I know very little about their community.
-Fae
