Otherkin

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Otherkin

The inclusion of otherkin on the Wiki serves to document the connection that this group has with aesthetic communities, and to explain terminology.

Otherkin is a subculture (not an aesthetic) involving personal identity. The people in the subculture typically identify as being something partially or entirely nonhuman, whether this means they are a mythical creature, animal, fictional character or species, or something else entirely . There are a few notable connected communities for various otherkin identities, including but not limited to therians, fictionkin, or polymorphs. These groups, as well as others, are included in the glossary at the bottom.

Activities

The otherkin community has notably contributed to aesthetic communities, especially on sites like Tumblr and Pinterest (though they can be found nearly anywhere). These contributions often include moodboards based on kintypes. Not all otherkin engage with aesthetic communities and their own identities in this way, but many do.

The reason that some otherkin engage in aesthetics in this way is to induce a shift, or a temporary increase in some aspect of their identity. This can include experiencing phantom limbs or their species' body, called a phantom shift, or getting into a mindset of their kintype, called a mental shift . Spiritual otherkin in particular sometimes do so to cope with homesickness.

Distinction

There is an important distinction to be made between involuntary otherkin (e.g. psychological and spiritual) and voluntary otherkin (e.g. kin for fun"/otherlinkers). The distinction between the two is that involuntary otherkin do not consciously choose who or what they are and/or were (though they choose the label(s) they use), while voluntary otherkin do. The latter is not usually considered otherkin by those within the subculture.

This means people who solely otherlink have different experiences from those who are kin involuntarily, and individuals from differing groups, while holding similar experiences, may not be able to understand one another fully. This is not to say that one group is entirely separate and unrelated to the other, simply that it is important to be aware of this distinction and the possible confusion of terms and spread of misinformation that could occur due to similarities.

There are many different ways in which otherkin related identities can develop. This can be through imprinting, such as being due to trauma or some mental quirk that makes them feel nonhuman, spirituality such as through reincarnation or having the soul of that thing, or archetypal identification . Many people recall experiences relating to their kin identity from childhood that were unrealized until later. Others may develop it over time without notice.

Being otherkin is an identity that can deeply affect an individual's daily life through experiences such as kinshifts, kin memories, instincts, behaviours, and even possibly trauma, which can sometimes be carried over from past lives. It is important to be respectful and remember the impact it has on an individual, regardless of your personal stance on the validity of the identity.

Controversy

Otherkin has been taken out of context by some, using it to describe things they simply relate to, or for roleplay purposes. While neither of these things are bad on their own, the misuse of otherkin terms has harmed the community through misunderstanding, and has been used as a tool to devalue otherkin experiences.

Glossary

Classification

• Alterhuman
  • An umbrella term for these communities, referring to being alternatively human in some way.
    • This is an opt-in label, and not everyone who fits under it uses it.
• Otherkin
  • Refers to being kin to things such as elves, dragons, angels/demons, and other groups.
    • Otherkin was originally an offshoot of elvenkind or the Elf Queen's Daughters, a group which originated from mailing lists in the late 60s. The term was created in the 90s (originally as "otherkind") to create an umbrella term for the community instead of needing to specify elfkind, dragonkind, faekind, etc.
• Therianthropy
  • Therianthropes (or therians) are those who identify as an animal. One of the most well-known theriotypes by far is wolves.
  • Not all therians consider themselves to be "otherkin"; the community can be seen as another subculture which has notable overlap.
    • The therian community originated from alt.horror.werewolves in the 90s, completely independent from otherkin, originally called weres. This is one of the reasons that therianthropy may be different from otherkin.
  • There is a persistent definition that therian is exclusive to earthly animals. This came from the forum Therian Wilderness in 2011, and not every therian follows this definition, and early groups included dragons, unicorns, and more.
    • Sometimes therians who identify as mythical animals are called theriomythics.
• Fictionkin
  • Those who identify as things found in fiction, such as characters (Ralsei from Deltarune, Nagito Komaeda from Danganronpa, Spiderman, Han Solo from Star Wars, etc.) or species (ewok, dragon, protogen, hobbit, cryptid, etc.).
    • The term fictionkin originated in the early 2000s originally as otakukin, then mediakin, and then fictionkin. However fictionkin have been known to exist long before them, with the original Elfkind Digest including Tolkien elves and Pernese dragons being in dragonkind spaces since the 90s .
• Factkin
  • Those who kin real people (whether they are currently alive or not).
  • This group is often a center of debate in the community. Many claim it is harmful (due to identity theft, concerns of dehumanization, and the origin being to mock both fictionkin and factives in systems), but others claim this is hypocritical (due to spiritual/psych. identities being involuntary, and many who are otherkin believe in reincarnation and/or the multiverse). All this being said, it should not be treated as a means to unfairly judge or harass an individual.
• There are also other, smaller classifications of otherkin, such as conceptkin, objectkin, and others. Their names are self-explanatory.

Other Terms

• Spiritual kin
  • Those who incorporate spiritual beliefs into their otherkin identity, whether through belief in reincarnation, multiverse, or something else.
    • There is also a distinction between spiritual kintypes and past lives. Kintypes do not have to be past lives, and vice versa - an important facet of otherkin is that the identities are relevant and important to the individual in their current life.
• Psychological kin
  • Those whose minds latch or imprint onto something to the point where it becomes a kin identity.
    • Most often, those who have psychological kintypes are neurodivergent.
• Hearted (usually a suffix, like otherhearted or fictionhearted) or kith (like kithtype)
  • When someone identifies with, not as something. Commonly described as a feeling of familial connection, or something one feels they "should" have been. Not equivalent to simply relating to something.
  • A similar, broader term also exists for a closely related concept; being the term synpath. The term was made for anyone to use and was made without knowledge of the term otherhearted.
• Copinglink / c-link / otherlink
  • Taking on an identity voluntarily (in most cases), usually to help cope with trauma and/or everyday life, or to help relax.
    • Copinglink's purpose serves to help the c-linker emotionally. It is similar to otherlinking in that it is voluntary, and while c-link shifting exists, people tend not to have otherkin-related experiences with their c-links. Unlike kin for fun, c-linking is widely accepted, as it makes a clear distinction between voluntary and involuntary identities.
    • Otherlink was created to be a broader term for a voluntary identity that doesn't include implications of being for coping.
• "Kin for fun" / kin(s)-for-fun
  • Taking on an identity voluntarily usually just for recreation; closer in proximity to roleplaying and pretend.
    • Otherkin may dislike those who "kin for fun", since its prevalence has warped the way many view otherkin due to the shared usage of the term "kin", and the way some "kin for fun" individuals tend to act and treat involuntary otherkin experiences. To many otherkin is feels like their terms were stolen.
      • This is also because of the prevalence of trolls and anti-kin in changing the definitions.
    • Some are fine with otherlinkers as they are, while others may accept only if they always specifically use "otherlink" to differentiate between other groups because it doesn't involve the misuse of terminology. Some involuntary kin (especially older members of the community), however, are opposed to otherlinkers.
• -type (like kintype, theriantype, or fictotype)
  • A kintype is something that someone is kin with. Kintypes can be entire species, a fictional character, etc.
    • One can have a single kintype (sometimes called monokin), OR two or more kintypes (called polykin). There is no limit to the amount of kintypes one can have.
    • The term originated with therianthropy, originally as phenotype before being changed to theriotype.
• Shift / Kinshift
  • A shift is an instance when an individual feels more close to an otherkin identity. This can be expressed through changes emotionally, mentally, or even through experiencing phantom body parts, sharper senses, increase in instincts, and others. Shifts can be triggered unexpectedly or through interacting with or consuming specific media such as music or books, or going through certain in-person life experiences.
    • The term shift also originated from therianthropy, based on shapeshifting.
• Memories / mems
  • Kin memories are memories that one has as their kintype(s). They can be remembered through similar methods as kinshifts can be triggered. Memories may also bring or contain trauma related to a kintype, but this is not true for everyone.
    • These are also called exomemories or noemata.

Gallery

an example of an Angelkin moodboard