demon-bot

Apr 25, 2019

Honest Opinion Here

I don’t understand why otherkin is a relevant thing here on Tumblr. I especially don’t understand the kinning of fictional characters (aka “fictionkin”)-… Or why that even needs a label.

For example: I myself share a ridiculous amount of personality traits (and some even physical) with Kiibo. I take many things literally, I fail to read the atmosphere, I’m slow on jokes and much more. I have my bangs swayed to the same side as his and even have blue eyes.

…. Does this make me ‘kin’ Kiibo? Should I ‘identify’ as Kiibo for some reason? My mind is telling me: “no, but you’re very similar to Kiibo”.

None of this really makes sense to me. If anyone would like to explain this in further detail to me, then you’re allowed to do so… But if you don’t understand, you’re probably in the same boat as me-

TLDR; I don’t understand why fictionkin is a thing.

a-dragons-explanations

Apr 25, 2019

I’m not fictionkin myself, but - there is a difference between relating to something/being similar to that thing and being that thing. I relate to crows, dolphins, and cats pretty strongly, but I don’t identify as any of those things. If you don’t feel that you are Kiibo, you’re not fictionkin and that’s totally fine! The experience of being ‘kin is different from relating to a thing/character or sharing similarities with it, though that may be one thing that leads someone to the conclusion that they’re ‘kin.

I’ll also say with as much tact as possible that Tumblr… really isn’t a good place to learn about otherkin and fictionkin. Partially due to the nature of the medium and partially due to the demographics and general culture of the site, the meanings of the words have gotten distorted, especially in the fictionkin community. There are a lot of people who don’t understand that otherkin (or fictionkin) is an integral part of one’s identity, not something you choose and not just any past life (kintypes can come from past lives, but not all of them do, and not every past life is a kintype). It’s why I tend to start getting skeptical when someone’s list of kintypes gets into double digits, because a) I find it hard to comprehend how someone could identify as so many things at once and still have a coherent sense of self, and b) in my (limited, anecdotal) experience most people with such lists either don’t actually understand what otherkin is and/or aren’t putting enough time and thought into confirming their kintypes.

This got a little off-topic, but hopefully it cleared something up or at least might have explained some of what you’ve seen. (As always, I’m more than happy to chat further or answer any questions I can, though not being fictionkin myself I may end up directing you to other sources for some questions.)

indornaga

Apr 25, 2019

Ay, Indoraptor-kin here! rani put this fantastically, but i wanted to chime in with some experience being fictionkin.

since i was a child i wanted nothing more than to be a dinosaur. in fact, little daski behaved like one, and it enriched my life both positively and negatively. i roared, growled, bit, ran on all fours, you name it! it was socially beaten out of me, but i never really wanted to stop. its an integral part of my being. but i always thought it was just bc i really liked dinosaurs as a kid.

over 20 years later, sitting in the theater opening night of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, something clicked--that indoraptor on the screen gave me a hollow sense of familiarity. i understood it on a fundamental level--almost like listening to someone talk in an accent of your native tongue you’ve never heard. so i went and saw the movie again, and i got more pieces. when the DVD came out and i watched the extras where the animators had a sample of the indoraptor’s run cycle on screen, a shiver ran down my spine--i didnt just recognized it, i had run like that before. not in this life, but i had at some point.

over the months since my awakening as an indoraptor, i’ve watched my own behavior, the same behaviors i’ve had since a child. they’re uncanny. i have no recollection of anything that had happened in the movie, which makes me think that i wasnt The indoraptor.

the thing about otherkin, and thus fictionkin, is that these creatures we are, come from different sources. many fictionkin believe in the infinite multiverse theory, of which i couldnt safely write off knowing i’ve had these behaviors as long as i can remember, that it wasnt imprinted on me. others are psychologically otherkin, and that happens in a whole host of ways, like imprinting, or identifying as a character as a coping mechanism and it becomes indistinguishable.

im gonna boggle you a little further to further explain your question; i’m fictionhearted with Rapunzel from Tangled. i identify with her, not as her, so much that i feel like i should have been from that world, but i know that i’m not. it pains me to know i’m not, because i share so many likenesses with her and her story. but i’m not her. that’s the difference between being fictionkin, and not. one is really wishing to be someone, one is feeling like you SHOULD have been someone, and one is CURRENTLY being and living in this world as someone.

each day i live my life as a dinosaur, a cunning, perfected hybrid, in fragile human skin with human teeth and nails and feet. i cant change that; i cant rip open my skin like a facehugger going GOTCHYA. but i can say that my life is influenced by the dinosaur i was. the FICTIONAL dinosaur that i was.