it doesn't mean what you think it means

Just call me Luke! Please read the about and the FAQ.

[youredoingkinwrong]

Here’s a pinned post, for those primarily on mobile:

Click here to read the about page!

Click here to read the FAQ!

I’m always happy to answer questions from anyone, judgement-free. I only ask that you refrain from asking about Delusional Attachments or IRL’s - I am not a part of that community and won’t be able to give those questions the nuance they deserve.

[a-dragons-journal]

Hi, I'm kinda paranoid about this because I know kff are Bad, but I'm pretty sure my kintypes (Velociraptor and alien) are involuntary, but I'm terrified that they secretly aren't and I'm a kff without knowing and I'm harming the otherkin community without knowing. Is this possible, or have I misunderstood the issue?

Short answer: no. The literal meaning of KFF, "kin-for-fun," is calling something "kinning" when you explicitly do not identify as the thing and are just "doing it for fun" (whether "it" be roleplay or faceclaiming or whatever - as long as it's not identification). It's in the literal name of the thing - "kinning for (the purpose of having) fun." If you identify as the thing in question, it by definition cannot be KFF, no matter what else is going on.

Long answer: I want it to be clear that I mean all of this frustration in an "I am so sorry this is happening to you" way, not a "you are in any way at fault for this" way, but: this is perhaps the single worst side effect of the whole KFF debacle, and I hate it, because I genuinely don't know how to fix it when I and most people I see arguing about this are already making every effort to be as clear as possible that this is not what we're talking about and we are still chronically misunderstood, and I cannot figure out how to make it any clearer because it's literally in the name of the thing. It's why we stopped using the word "kinnie" and started using "kin-for-fun," and it's STILL misunderstood.

Being unclear on whether something is really an identity or not is not KFF (otherwise literally everyone who's questioning would be).

Not being sure how voluntary or involuntary a given identity is does not make it KFF.

Identifying as something voluntarily and calling it 'kin does not make you KFF (even if you want to argue that it's not proper to call it 'kin and it should only ever be called 'linking instead, which at this point I disagree with, it's still not KFF).

Having fun with being 'kin and not taking it super seriously a lot of the time does not make you KFF.

Identifying as something "weird" or in a "weird" way - whatever that means - does not make you KFF.

If you understand the meaning of the word, and you find that it fits you, it is none of my business to tell you not to use it. The only time it becomes remotely my business is when someone clearly is working off of misinformation to begin with - ie, "oh, it just means relating to something, I don't ACTUALLY think I'm a wolf lol," which is traceably misinformation stemming from misunderstandings.

[frameacloud]

A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes

“A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes,” by Orion Scribner.  Version 2.4.5, updated February 3, 2023.  (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

    This short piece of writing is for anyone to start learning about us therianthropes and otherkin.  The piece uses only common words and simple sentences.  Readers can put it into other languages more easily.^1  The statistics come from surveys that had a sample size greater than one hundred people.  The endnotes and references give the origins of all the information.

     Some real people are therianthropes and otherkin.  We say that we are something other than human.  For example, one of us who says, “I am a wolf.”  The most common sorts of creatures for us to be are wolves, elves, and dragons.  This is always an important part of who we are.^2  These are not characters we invented for play in a game.^3  It is not something we do simply for amusement.^4  It is a real part of us.  It is an experience that we have without trying.^5  It is also an identity, because it is what we are.^6

     Most of us sometimes have thoughts and feelings that are more similar to our animal side.^7  Some of us have thoughts and feelings that we are part animal all the time.^8  78% of us have instincts that most people do not have.^9  For example, the desire to use body language similar to what our sort of creature uses.  We choose what we do with our instincts.  We are responsible for what we do, the same as anyone else.  Instincts are not an excuse for doing bad things.^10  We know that our bodies never change form.  No one can change their body into an animal form.  No one has magic powers that go against the laws of physics.^11

     We each make our own discovery of how and why we are therianthropes or otherkin.  Nobody is able to do that for someone else.  Only you can know who you are.^12  Many of us knew that we were other than human before we had heard of anybody else who did.^13

     Here is how our communities started.  In 1990, a group made the word “otherkin” for themselves.  It comes from the words “other kinds.”^14  In 1994, another community took up the word “therianthrope” for themselves.  It means “animal person.”^15  The two communities came to have knowledge of each other later, in about 1996.^16  The oldest similar groups have put out writings since 1973.^17

     Usually, therianthropes are animals, whereas otherkin are creatures from mythology.  This is not a rule.  Many therianthropes are creatures from mythology.^18  33.4% of otherkin say they are beings from fiction.^19

     What do we look like?  Other people only know that we are otherkin or therianthropes if we say that we are.  We are women, men, and others.^20  We are young and old.^21  We come from many nations and ethnic groups.^22  We know that we look human.  All living people in the world who look human are members of the only living species of human.^23  We have complicated opinions about using the words “human” or “not human” for ourselves.^24  Fewer than 4% of us have unusual sorts of body modifications.^25  What we own or wear does not make us therianthropes and otherkin.  We enjoy getting things that look like our sort of creature, though.^26

     Many of us see our experiences as therianthropes and otherkin as spiritual.  Many of us say our spirits are of a different sort of creature.^27  However, some of us believe that our spirits are the same as anyone’s.^28  Some of us do not believe in spirits.^29  44% of us say we were a different sort of creature in a past life.^30  However, some of us have no memories of past lives, or do not believe in past lives.^31  Some of us prefer explanations that come from psychology instead of spirituality.^32

     Therianthropes and otherkin are not a religion.^33  We have whichever religion we each desire. Many of us are members of Christianity, Judaism, Paganism, Buddhism, or other religions.^34  Some of us have no religion.^35  There are no leaders of the therianthrope or otherkin communities.^36

     We go about our lives in the same ways as other people do.^37  Our experiences as otherkin and therianthropes give us ideas for important choices we make in our lives.  For example, in our education and the work we do for a living.^38  We find people who love us for who we are.^39  Therianthropes and otherkin are neither better nor worse than other people.^40

     Mental health professionals say that being a therianthrope or otherkin is not a mental illness.^41  Many of us have normal mental health.^42  The same as in any group of people, some of us have mental illnesses or disabilities.^43  Neither good nor bad health is necessary for us to be otherkin or therianthropes.

     In short, otherkin and therianthropes are real people for whom being other than human is always a part of who they are.  Our communities have been in existence for tens of years.  Many sorts of people are therianthropes and otherkin.  Each of us has our own ideas of how and why we are this way.  Some of our explanations for this come from spirituality or psychology.  We are not a religion, an illness, a look, or a game.

     About the writer: I am Orion Scribner, a dragon otherkin.  More than ten years ago, I wrote a history book about the otherkin and therianthrope communities, the Otherkin Timeline.

Endnotes

1.  This piece of writing is in Simple English.  It is not obedient to all the rules of Basic English.  All the words in here are common enough to be in a small dictionary.  Other than the words “therianthropes” and “otherkin,” anyway.

2.  These are simpler words for part of the best definition of “therianthropes.”  Sonne wrote it in “Terms and definitions.”  It is also true about otherkin.

3.  These say it is not an invented character: Baker-Whitelaw, Golden Spirit, Jakkal (“Therianthropy…”), Lupa (pp. 27, 108-109).

4.  See Katmandu and Tiernan.

5.  Mokele first gave a definition of “therianthropes” saying it is an experience.  This is also true of otherkin.

6.  See Citrakayah and Baxil.

7.  See Baker-Whitelaw and Jakkal (“Therianthropy…”).

8.  See Sonne.

9.  These statistics come from a survey by Shepard (“Abnormal instincts”).  Therianthropes, otherkin, and similar sorts of people took the survey.

10.  See Jakkal (“Introduction…”), Katmandu, and Lupa (p. 234, 249-250).  A survey by Shepard has proof (“Abnormal instincts,” pp. 24-25).

11.  See Clegg (p. 404) and Golden Spirit.

12.  Most introductions to otherkin and therianthropes say this.  About otherkin, see the Crisses, Golden Spirit, and Tiernan.  About therianthropes, see Jakkal (“Introduction…​​”) and Katmandu.  See also Lupa (pp. 243-245).

13.  For more information about this part of self discovery, see Baker-Whitelaw, Katmandu, Kusani, and Tiernan.

14.  For more, read my history book, the Otherkin Timeline.  For information about the origin of this word, see Arethinn.

15.  See the book by House of Chimeras.

16.  From House of Chimeras (pp. 14, 27).

17.  For more information about earlier groups, see my Otherkin Timeline.

18.  For proof from community history that therianthropes are not only animals, see Daski.

19.  The statistic comes from a survey by Shepard (“2021 Nonhumanity…”, raw data).

20.  Some surveys find that more of us are women than men.  All surveys find some others who are not simply men or women.

21.  Usually, surveys find most of us in our teens and twenties.  For one example, we see this in survey results by Clegg (p. 407-408).  Year after year, this happens in our surveys.  Older people have been in our communities for many years.  Younger people have a greater tendency to take the surveys.

22.  As Proctor says, surveys find that we live “on all continents … except Antarctica’’ (pp. 72-73).  For statistics on which ethnic groups are common among us, see Dinocanid.

23.  For an explanation of how scientists know this, see Gould (pp. 322-322).  Understanding this fact is important for stopping racism and false science.  See Gould (pp. 24-25, 113-145).

24.  About those complicated feelings, see the writings by Ilrak, Kin Speak, and Proctor (pp. 8, 108, 361).

25.  The statistic come from a survey by Shepard (“2021 Nonhumanity…,” p. 12).

26.  See Baker-Whitelaw.

27.  Nearly all introductions to therianthropes and otherkin talk about how we have the belief that our spirits are not human.  For example, see the Crisses, Jakkal (“Therianthropy…”), and Lupa (p. 27).

28.  See the writings about this by a therianthrope named Kusani, and an otherkin named Tiernan.

29.  See Citrakayah.

30.  The statistic comes from Lupa’s survey of otherkin, therianthropes, and similar people (p. 287).  Nearly all introductions to therianthropes or otherkin say that many have the belief that they were other than human in a past life.  See Akhila, Baxil, the Crisses, Golden Spirit, and Lupa (pp. 57-66).

31.  See the Crisses and Kefira.

32.  See Akhila and Lupa (pp. 80-86).

33.  One of the few things that our communities are in agreement about is that we are not a religion.  See Golden Spirit, Lupa (p. 30), and Proctor (pp. 94-95).

34.  About how we each have religions as we desire, see Lupa (pp. 30-31, 211-214).  About otherkin who say this, see Baxil and Golden Spirit.  About therianthropes who say this, see Citrakayah.

35.  See Kefira.

36. See Baxil and Proctor (p. 94).

37.  See Akhila, Baker-Whitelaw, Golden Spirit, Ilrak, and Lupa (p. 37).

38.  See Lupa (p. 240).

39.  See the Polyrhythms.

40.  Therianthropes say this.  For example, see the writings by Akhila and Katmandu. Otherkin say this, too.  See Baker-Whitelaw, Baxil, and Golden Spirit.

41.  For examples of mental health professionals giving us this advice, see Baker-Whitelaw and Lupa (pp. 86, 261-262).

42.  See Akhila, Baxil, and Lupa (pp. 85-86).

43.  See Akhila and Lupa (p. 259).

References

Akhila. “‘Different’ isn’t ‘insane.’” Thébaïde. September 2005. Accessed September 9, 2022. https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2005/different-isnt-insane/ Archived October 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211016202558/https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2005/different-isnt-insane/

Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia. “Understanding the otherkin.” The Kernel. February 22, 2015. Archived March 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150318110839/http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/11866/otherkin-tumblr-definition-pronouns/

Baxil. “The Draconity FAQ.” Tomorrowlands. 1998. Accessed November 14, 2022. http://www.tomorrowlands.org/draconity/faq/index.html

Citrakāyaḥ. “A skeptic’s guide to therianthropy.” Spirit of the Wind. No date, before February 20, 2015. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://citrakayah.ucoz.org/index/a_skeptic_39_s_guide_to_therianthropy/0-40 Archived February 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150220005108/https://citrakayah.ucoz.org/index/a_skeptic_39_s_guide_to_therianthropy/0-40

Clegg, H., Collings, R., and Roxburgh, E. C.. “Therianthropy: Wellbeing, Schizotypy, and Autism in Individuals Who Self-Identify as Non-Human.” Society and Animals, 27(4), 2019, pp. 403-426. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341540

Crisses, the, ed., “Otherkin FAQ v 4.0.1.” February 8, 2001. Accessed September 5, 2022. http://kinhost.org/res/Otherfaq.php Archived September 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927165832/https://kinhost.org/res/Otherfaq.php

Daski. “Therian: Dispelling the Earthen Animal Myth.” The River System. August 17, 2022. Accessed September 5, 2022. https://theriversystem.neocities.org/essays/EarthenMyth.html Archived August 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220817021646/https://theriversystem.neocities.org/essays/EarthenMyth.html

Dinocanid. “POC survey results!” Dino’s Corner. August 24, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://dinocanid.tumblr.com/post/660444385413087232/

Golden Spirit and MistWolf. “FAQ Otherkin Hispano & Noctalium.” Otherkin Hispano. No date. Accessed September 5, 2022. https://otherkin-hispano.foroactivo.com/t108-faq-otherkin-hispano-noctalium Archived September 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220905022917/https://otherkin-hispano.foroactivo.com/t108-faq-otherkin-hispano-noctalium

Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1981. https://www.worldcat.org/title/964237978

House of Chimeras. A Timeline of the Therianthrope Community. November 19, 2021. Accessed February 2, 2023. https://houseofchimeras.neocities.org/Nonfiction-Articles 

Ilrak. “Triple consciousness.” Radiant Obscurities. April 2021. Accessed November 13, 2022. https://obscurities.sonverrid.org/2021/05/06/triple-consciousness/

Jakkal. “Introduction to the Newbie’s Guide.” Shifters.org. October 6, 2001. Archived October 28, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021028114201/http://www.shifters.org/newbies/introduction.asp

Jakkal. “Therianthropy- an overview.“ Shifters.org. October 6, 2001. Archived November 10, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021101165313/http://www.shifters.org/overview/therianthropy.asp

Katmandu. “Insta-weres, Part I & II.” Shifters. No date, about 1999. Archived March 5, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010305233827/http://www.shifters.org:80/newbies/katmandu1.shtml

Kefira. “Life and religion.” Thébaïde. December 2004. Accessed September 7, 2022. https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2004/life-and-religion/ Archived September 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210918064554/https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2004/life-and-religion/

Kin Speak. “Non-human.” Kin Speak. October 30, 2011. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://kinspeak.tumblr.com/post/12122639053/non-human Archived December 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181214163147/https://kinspeak.tumblr.com/post/12122639053/non-human

Kusani. “Soulskins.” Thébaïde. January 2007. https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2007/soulskins/ Archived February 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150220035229/https://akhila.feralscribes.org/2007/soulskins/

Lupa. A Field Guide to Otherkin. Stafford, England: Immanion Press, 2007. https://www.worldcat.org/title/137242792

Mokele. “The Experiential Nature of Therianthropy.” The Jungle. No date, about 2004. Archived February 19, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050219234157/http://www.therianthropy.org/mokele/essays/exp.htm

Polyrhythms, the. “Loving someone with all your soul: Having an otherkin significant other.” Otherkin Alliance. No date, about 2012. Archived November 29, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121129104209/http://main.otherkinalliance.org/articles/general-otherkin/loving-someone-with-all-your-soul-having-an-otherkin-significant-other/

Proctor, Devin. On Being Non-Human: Otherkin Identification and Virtual Space. The George Washington University. May 2019. https://search.proquest.com/openview/e156c24bf65c4efb0918a8db37433cce/

Scribner, Orion. Otherkin Timeline. Updated September 8, 2012. https://frameacloud.com/nonfiction/

Shepard, Page. “The 2021 Nonhumanity and Body Modification/Decoration Survey Results Breakdown.” Three Dragons and a Dog. August 28, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://invisibleotherkin.neocities.org/files/BodyModification-DecorationSurveyResults.pdf

Shepard, Page. “Abnormal Instincts: Statistics and Solutions (18+ Panel).” Three Dragons and a Dog. August 9, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://invisibleotherkin.neocities.org/Lectures.html

Sonne. “Terms and definitions.” Project Shift. Written 2008. Updated 2021. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://projectshift.therianthropy.info/terms-definitions-by-sonne/

Tiernan. “From the heart out.” Otherkin.net: Harmony and Discord. October 8, 2002. Archived November 2, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041102205227/http://www.otherkin.net/articles/heartOut.html

[the-mind-den-deactivated2023083]

❗IMPORTANT SURVEY❗

I have put together a survey regarding gatekeeping and exclusionism in the Otherkin community. This survey is entirely anonymous, and will ask you to evaluate whether or not a variety of kintypes are valid or not. It may look long, but these questions are all yes-or-no.

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS SURVEY IF YOU ARE NOT OTHERKIN. AN ALTERED VERSION OF THIS SURVEY WILL BE OUT SOON FOR NON-OTHERKIN.

Gatekeeping and Exclusionism In The Otherkin Community

Which of these kintypes would you consider "valid" otherkin identities?

@who-is-page @liongoatsnake @aestherians can you please reblog this to get a boost in viewership? I would like as large of a sample size as possible, and you're some of the biggest Otherkin blogs on Tumblr.

[who-is-page]

Sure!

[youredoingkinwrong]

can a delusional attachment turn into a fictionkin?

Hi anon,

I have requested multiple times for people to stop asking me questions about delusional attachments. It is even in my pinned post, the first thing you see when you visit my blog.

I am not any kind of authority on that matter and I do not feel comfortable talking about them.

[youredoingkinwrong]

Is it normal to "sometimes" feel as though I *am* my kintype? There are days where I feel very strongly as though I *am* my kintype and days where I feel sort of disconnected.

Hi anon,

Um, yes, as far as I'm aware, that's normal. That just sounds like a type of shift you may be experiencing. I know when I'm not shifted as one of my kintypes I may feel a certain kind of distance or disconnect from them, and that usually goes away if i watch the source or play the game or read the book or whatever and end up triggering a shift.

[hewhothrivesintheshadows-deacti]

friendly reminder to all that being okay with or connected to your humanity isn’t wrong. for some, like myself, it’s an essential part of your identity. a werewolf without humanity is just a wolf, and i know i’m not just a wolf. but whether you’re a were creature or not, enjoying being a human isn’t bad. you can enjoy school, and cafes, and house parties. you don’t have to always been in the woods, or fantasizing about the meadows, or daydreaming of being domesticated. you’re allowed to enjoy human things and be non human at the same time.

[youredoingkinwrong]

is it normal to have a feeling in the back of your head that you're " going home " one day ? going home as in returning to your source and finally becoming who you really are . i know this is impossible , but my brain seems to think that it'll happen and is waiting for the moment

Hi anon,

Honestly...I don't know. I know I feel that way sometimes - many of my lives feel over and done with, of course. Most of them, actually. I lived them, and they're now over, and while I will always carry a piece of that time with me, it's not something I can return to.

But with others, I can't conceive of their lives ending. I feel as if some way they are almost frozen in time, waiting for me to return. Luke himself is a prime example of this, actually. Ever since I awakened as him I have felt as if I'm not quite done with that life.

Is that true? I won't know for a long, long time. My current theory is that for at least a couple of these kintypes, I'm living concurrently with them, or I'm just pieces of them that will one day reunite with the whole. It's not something I dwell on too often, as there is a longing there that I can't do anything about. I have a life to live right now. I'd like to make it mean something.

I don't know if it's particularly normal, but I know at least you're not the only person who feels that way. I do, too.

[youredoingkinwrong]

is it normal to be able to disconnect from my canon and have opinions towards characters in my canon different to how my kintype canonically views them? for example, i am very interested in learning the story behind quite a few characters that my kintype seems to dislike, yet for the most part i'm pretty neutral on them or have a positive opinion

Hi anon,

Yeah, definitely. There are characters I used to absolutely despise that I now have a very "omg you are such a babygirl" relationship with now. You do not have to be beholden to what you felt in the past. You have new experiences and new opportunities to explore yourself and how you feel about these people in a world removed from them. Go ahead and run with it.

[youredoingkinwrong]

is it ok for me to not have the same triggers and fears as my kintype? for example, in canon my kintype is claustrophobic, but i'm not claustrophobic at all. in addition, while it's not entirely canon, my kintype has trauma related to worms but, while worms make me uncomfortable, i'm not really triggered by them.

Hi anon,

Yes, that's fine. I have plenty of kintypes who have triggers or fears that I don't share. It's a different life with different traumas, luckily they aren't all piling up on top of each other or I would be a mess of a person. I may be oddly wary or squicked out by something that was once a trigger or a source of deep pain, but it doesn't bring me those exact same feelings anymore.

I think that's fairly normal. It would be very hard to function if we kept every single wound with us. However, it is also possible to still have those triggers, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. We don't control how we heal, or even when.

[youredoingkinwrong]

so, i'm really confused. as a fictionkin, is it okay for me to refer to my kintype as "me"? like- it sort of feels wrong referring to my kintype as anything other than *myself*, but i have heard it is offensive to IRLs and i really don't want to offend them ^^

Hi anon,

Um, I do feel the need to gently remind everyone that I can not and will not speak on the subject of IRLs.

However, yes, it is fine if you refer to your kintype as "you" (well, you know what I mean). I don't know why that would be wrong in the first place. Your kintype is you.

[youredoingkinwrong]

What’s your opinion on reality shifting?

Hi anon,

If I'm being completely 100% honest with you, my opinion is: absolutely nothing.

I'm not interested in it. I don't believe it has anything to do with fictionkin or otherkin, or really any other kind of alterhuman experience. I don't care if you think it's real, I don't care if you think it's fake, I really just...don't care. More power to you if you do, I guess.

[youredoingkinwrong]

i think what the anon talking about their friend who's an irl means is that their friend cannot separate himself from his irl (idk if that's how you would word that) whereas they can separate themselves from their kintype. by "be okay with reality" they mean the reality that they are not exactly the same person as their kintype rn which their friend is not okay with because irls are rooted in delusions? that's how i'm interpreting it at least

Hi anon,

Yes, that's...generally the gist of what I understood, but I will be honest, I'm mostly confused because I feel like that anon answered it for themselves in the ask they sent me. Yes, it's fine to be in reality. That is where we all are.

To my knowledge, being fictionkin and being an irl are two different things. Why compare them? There is no need to do that. They are separate experiences, and they are not interchangeable. Their friend questioning their validity is, frankly, his problem, not theirs. Your identity as fictionkin is your own business, not anybody else's.

[youredoingkinwrong]

Hello!

So I have a friend who’s a irl and I’m a fictionkin and he’s very confused on how fictionkins can “experience reality”

What I mean is, since he’s a irl, he IS that character and experiences life as that character but with me I notice reality and am comfortable with reality but I’m also my kintype. He’s confused with this bc he thinks it’s just “kinning” no hate to him bc hes just generally confused and it’s a bit confusing to me bc I don’t wanna be faking being a fictionkin because I’m content with reality.

For example I’m very much aware I’m not my kintype and don’t really care. But I also AM my kintype when I see my kin types fanart photos, cosplays, seeing myself as my kintype etc. I’m very okay with reality

Ig the question Leads to, can fictionkins be okay with reality but also still be their kintype

Hi anon,

I...am very, very confused by this question. I'm sorry.

The only requirement to being fictionkin is just to involuntarily identify on a non-physical level as a fictional character. The reasoning behind this may be different for everyone, but at the heart of it what matters is that you identify as that fictional character. It may be due to a past life, it may be due to a split soul, it may be due to the way your brain works to process trauma, it may be any number of reasons, but you are that character. Physically, maybe not. And of course, literally, we are living in a world where we are not always able to live those exact lives as the characters we identify as.

I am just really kind of, confused, about what you mean by reality? Like, I am Luke Skywalker. I have a job, I have a dog, I drive a car, and although I live my life kind of "outside" my kintype, I am still him. Of course when a customer gets mad at me I don't try to use the Force on them (though when I do walk past the automatic doors I sometimes wave my hand a little and pretend I'm opening them with my mind, lol), I know the world I live in and the life I'm living is different from the one I had before. But what makes me Luke Skywalker isn't the powers or the body or anything like that. I'm just him, living a different life now. That's my reality.

So? Yes? We live in reality. You have to be okay with reality, because there's not really any other option. I don't really understand what your friend is trying to tell you, but if he's trying to tell you that you have to lose sight of reality (whatever that means) to validate your kintype, I don't think he's a very good friend to have.

[youredoingkinwrong]

Hai! I've been reading your blog for a bit now, and I have a random question so uh is it weird that I never really, rejected this part of my identity? I'm a Woody fictkin (BFDI 😭 not Toy Story) and I just, didn't push it away, I just accepted it I guess? It's weird and hard to explain haha

Hi anon,

I don't know why it would be weird to not reject your identity? Sure there's usually a period of questioning but that doesn't necessarily mean you're denying it or pushing it away. I know with my friends it's usually a joke to be like "omg noo I feel a connection with this character I better not find a new kintype" but it's just that, a little joke we have. Plus, I've found that the longer you kind of exist with this identity and grow comfortable with it, the easier it is to identify characters or creatures that speak to you.

[youredoingkinwrong]

HI ! i'm a fictionkin and when shifting i feel like 2 people at the same time sometimes and i was wondering if that has a name?? so for example i would be shifted to idk like Bonnie from FNAF but i also feel like Pinkie pie also

Hi anon,

Honestly I think you can call it whatever you want? I experience that pretty often, a blend so to speak of shifts. I call it dual shifts, so for example I'm most often dual shifted as both Luke Skywalker and Wei Wuxian. I'm not sure if there's an official term for it, but that's just what I use.

[youredoingkinwrong]

Hi! I kin a Jewish character but I'm not Jewish, if I have a fursona/oc that represents myself inspired by that character I kin, would it be offensive to make him not Jewish and closer align him with myself? Or would it be more offensive to make him Jewish knowing I'm not?

Hi anon,

I'm sorry, this is a...very delicate question, and I guess my first instinct is to ask "In what way would you 'make him Jewish' in the first place," or, and this one isn't a question but more of a "For the love of the Force, you really have to make sure you aren't relying on any antisemitic stereotypes in order to portray this character as Jewish," and maybe even "How do you plan to use this character in a way where his ethnicity or faith is brought up," just like, a lot of questions, and also comments, and very much just a...general sense of worry, I think.