#copingkin experience

[saiphthepolykin]

What it means to be a Fenrir copingkin to me is that my strength is something I take a lot of pride in. I deal with very negative and self destructive shifts in mood that feel otherworldly and not on the level of human rage. I bite at my right hand as hard as I can, I feel like screaming but understandable to. The phantom shifts of the sword in my jaws and gagged into silence. Constantly suspicious of authority/authority-like figures. A feeling like someone will betray you at any moment that you might not ever know.

It’s knowing I hurt the one person I thought I’d never hurt severely. Someone who was loyal to me even if their betrayal was for my own good. They were loyal to me and I, figuratively, ripped off their hand that treated me so well. It’s feeling my guilt and anger trapping me in the same chains that the Æsir tied Fenrir down with.

Though, the more positive side is that I don’t feel weak and helpless all the time. As stated I take great pride in my strength. I am gentle when needed, but I am also cruel and unforgiving to those who are deserving of such monstrous punishment.

This identity is something I didn’t ask for. It’s very much rooted in very negative shifts. I get very angry, very sad, and some of my thoughts change to those similar to the story of Fenrir during Ragnarök. I become self destructive due to trauma outside of my kin identities.

While yes there’s some positive things that come from this identity, the negatives remind me that nothing is always sunshine and rainbows.

Maybe someone can relate to this as well. Maybe it’ll be helpful to others

[kitotherianposting]

what's the word for copinglink except it's involuntary (copingkin??). i was a physical nonhuman/holothere back a couple/few years ago and i want to talk about it but i forgot the word and im scared of offending people

[cringeandproudx3]

Shoutout to the "weird" alterhumans.

Shout-out to alterhumans who's types are commonly hated.

Shout-out to alterhumans who are delusional.

Shout-out to physical alterhumans.

Shout-out to alterhumans who are disabled.

Shout-out to alterhumans who love being a human.

Shout-out to alterhumans who have negative experiences with the alterhuman community.

Shout-out to the alterhumans who prefer the labels transspecies, transcharacter and transbeing. (RADQUEERS NOT FOR YOU.)

Shout-out to alterhumans who don't directly identify as their 'type. (Otherhearted, animalhearted etc)

Shout-out to divinekins who aren't religious, have religious trauma, or have a religion that doesn't match with their 'type.

Shout-out to clinical lycanthropes and zoanthropes who choose to be in the alterhuman community.

Shout-out to alterhumans whose genders and pronouns are affected by and/or reflect their alterhumanity.

Shout-out to alterhumans who take heavy risks, like coming out to someone who they're unsure about or doing public quads/gear. (I don't recommend you do this, but the ppl who do impress me!)

Shout-out to alterhumans who DONT take risks and don't express themselves publicly.

Shout-out to alterhumans who are nonhuman to cope. (Copingkin, copinglink, others)

Shout-out to alterhumans who are nonhuman by choice. (Otherlink etc)

Shout-out to alterhuman headmates in general.

Shout-out to alterhuman introjects who aren't alterhuman in source.

Shout-out to alterhuman headmates that aren't supported by their system.

Shout-out to alterhuman head mates with stigmatized roles. (Alterhuman persecutors n such)

And a special shout-out to anyone who's label or experience I missed, because I do see you. I just don't know what we're called.

We all see you.

You are loved here.

Pyrite and Bug 🎇🎇🎇🩹🩹🩹

[alpimerealmsystem]

Different Branches of Therianthropy/ Otherkinity

So I just spent an hour researching different branches of otherkinity/therianthropy, here's what I learned and how I can describe it best (please don't get mad if I fucked something up, just tell me and I'll fix it)

Cladotherian: May identity as one type of animal but doesn't identity with one species of that animal, and instead identifies with all or none at all. Example: Identifies as a wolf but not a specific type, but rather all of them.

Contherian: Someone who doesn't experience mental shifts but is in a constant state of balance of their kintype and humanity and it doesn't fluctuate. They are constantly around half human and half animal and that's integrated into them.

Suntherian/Syntherian: Very similar to a contherian, however it's not always an exact balance and instead at one point they can be more animal than human and vice versa they also may experience mental shifts.

Copingkin: Identifying as something, involuntarily, to cope with something.

Copinglink: Identifying as a fictional character knowingly and willingly to cope with something.

Otherhearted: Feeling an insanely strong connection with an animal to the point where you fully understand and relate to it but you do not identify as it but rather identify with it.

Kinfluid: By itself (polykinity not being involved) fluid feelings of humanity and your alterhumanity coming in waves almost

Polytherian: someone who identifies with more than one species of animal Example: Identifying as a domestic cat, leopard gecko, and arctic fox. (Although two is enough to identify as polytherian)

Shapeshifterkin: someone who has a kintype that's constantly shifting but also prominent and can identify as it

Polymorphkin: someone who doesn't fully identity as any one kintype and they may have a kintype that is more prominent but for them it can change at anytime and for anything they may connect with it can be in completely different ways

[unetherian]

some alterhuman terms and their definition✨:

(some of these terms can be considered under the nonhumans or alterbeing umbrella, it depends on the experiences of the individual)

otherkin: an otherkin unwittingly identifies as a creature psychologically, spiritually, or/and physically. It is an identity based on non-human experiences.

therian: a therian unwittingly identifies itself as an animal that exists or has existed on Earth. (aliens are in the otherkin category)This identity can be psychological, spiritual and/or physical, and it is based on animal experiences.

theriomythic: A theriomythic unintentionally identifies itself as a fantasy creature that exhibits very animalistic behavior. It is a psychological, spiritual and/or physical identity based on animal experiences.

fictionkin: a fictionkin unintentionally identifies as a character or species from a fiction. It is an identity based on experiences specific to its fictiotype.

Note: if a fictionkin identifies as a very animalistic creature from a fiction they can choose to call themselves theriomythic or fictionkin or even both at the same time

plantkin: a plantkin unintentionally identifies as a plant or as partially plant psychologically and/or spiritually (and/or maybe physicaly ?)It is an identity based on plant experiences.

naturesoul (new term): a naturesoul identifies as the primordial soul, that which is found in all living beings. This is a fairly complex term, so you can ask the creator of this term, @tamashii--0--naturanimae.

otherlink: an otherlink voluntarily choosing to identify as an animal(animallink)/creature(otherlink)/object(objectlink)/ect for any reason.

funlink: a funlink voluntarily chooses to identify as an animal/creature/plant/etc for fun, to test new things.

copinglink: a copinglink voluntarily choosing to identify itself as an animal/creature/plant/concept/ect to face difficult life situations.

copingkin: a copingkin unintentionally identifies as an animal/creature/ect to cope with difficult life situations.

otherhearted/otherkith/synpath: an otherkith has a huge connection with an animal (animalkith) or/and a creature (otherkith), a fictional character/species (fictionkith), ect.

cambikin/cambiheart: individual whose identity fluctuates between a kin identity and a kith identity. The cambitype does not change (there may be exceptions ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

Obviously there are even more terms, but I can't define them all in one post (sorry to all the conceptkin, kinmyth, songkin, constelics, objectkin and to all those I haven't mentioned)

Hope this answered some questions :3

[a-wildkinventure]

Hey there!!

@a-wildkinventure here! you can call me Venture!

[I know this post is long, but please read till the end!]

I use he/they pronouns.

In addition, I also use it/its [I use neos but don't list here]

I am part of a questioning [not currently diagnosed] sys, in addition to being polykin and therian so... chaos will ensue.

Although this blog is dedicated specifically to kin chaos.

[in specific I am a c-linker/c-kin in addition to non-linking kin with fictionflicker and exotrauma experiences as well as having a very strong connection to kinmems]

please try to understand that this is my only safe place to talk about kin stuff... so I really, REALLY just want to exist... and even here I'm not sure how 'safe' I feel...

What I'm cool with doing:

[On a scale from 1 to 10]

Chatting with other fictionkin [or kin in general, other, fiction, etc.] - 10/10, definitely! talk with me peeps!

[especially if you are from my sources!!! Fallout 4, Kong Skull Island or Kaiju in general, Murder Drones, Sally Face, Metal Family, Coraline, Chikn Nuggit, Tangled the Series, Carrion, UTMV, Dumbo, etc!!!]

[Trying] to make moodboards - 7/10, I am kind of shit at these but will still try!

[Trying] to make stimboards - 2/10, I am total shit at these and probably won't try, but I'd love to learn!

Talking with doubles - 9/10, might weird me out a bit at first, but hell yeah, dude!

Offering kin help - 5/10, I can try! I'm actually pretty new to understanding that I am kin, so I might not be good.

Anything NSFW in asks - 2/10, depends on context... I'm usually VERY sex and sexual/sexuality repulsed, but within REASON I can handle NSFW stuff. Just don't go out of your way to be a horny freak ig? [Not meant to be negative, but I've dealt with too much sexual shit in my life...]

All The Kin-formation!

High Kin(s):

HABIT

Evan Myers

Alex Kralie (Canon Compliant)

Alex Kralie (Vampire AU)

Alex Kralie (different AU, unsure as to which)

The Observer

Josh

Tim Wright

Slenderman

Jack Nyras

Hansel

Medium Kin(s):

Lordy / Lordi

Swampy

Harold Biddle

Gustav Shvagenbagen

Bezel

Carrion

Sal Fisher

Jane Doe

Low Kin(s):

Heavy

Hvitur

BEN DROWNED

Alice Liddel

Chesnok

Catnap & Catfeine

Dormant Kin(s):

[Label used for kintypes that I have not had shifts for in a long time, to the point where I am unsure what happened to them. Something I attribute to fictionflickering]

Template

Toby Rogers

Casey Junior

Wyborne Lovat

Varian

Zombie Drone

Disassembly Drone

Skullcrawler

Glowing Deathclaw

My Kintypes [all]:

Glowing Deathclaw, Skullcrawler, Zombie Drone, Disassembly Drone, Sal Fisher, Chesnok, Lordy / Lordi, Wyborne Lovat, Bezel, Carrion, Varian, Template, Casey Junior, Heavy Shvagenbagen, Catnap & Catfeine, Gustav Shvagenbagen, Tobias "Ticci Toby" Rogers, Jack "Eyeless Jack" Nyras, BEN DROWNED, Hansel, Alice Liddel, Slenderman, Tim Wright, Hvitur, Harold Biddle, Jane Doe, Josh, Swampy, HABIT, Evan Myers, Alex Kralie (Vamp AU), Alex Kralie (Canon Compliant), Alex Kralie (some other AU), Indigo Chinese Pangolin, The Observer

(Copingkin types: Heavy Shvagenbagen, HABIT/Evan)

(Copinglink types: BEN DROWNED)

Kinsidering Kintypes:

Lif (Metal Family)

You can see me on the fictionkinfessions blog, I use 2 emoji combos for my confession signings. Here are some of them!

(aka ones I've used for submissions)

🎀💔 (Lordy confessions), 🍻🌟 (now for Chesnok confessions), 📼🎸(Sal Fisher confessions), 🐈‍⬛🌫 (Wybie confessions), ⏱️🌌 (Bezel confessions), 🥩🪱 (Carrion confessions), 🧪⚡️(Varian confessions), ✒️🔄 (Template confessions), 🚂🎪 (Casey Junior confessions), 🐾🗺 (Pokémon??? confessions), 🤘🐱 (Heavy confessions), 📏🎼 (Gustav confessions), ☀️🌘 (Catnap/Catfeine confessions), 🩹🌲(Toby Rogers confessions), 👁🔪 (Jack Nyras confessions), 💾🎮 (BEN DROWNED confessions), 👗🎠 (Alice confessions), 🍜🤳 (Ennui confessions), ⚫️🫀 (Venom confessions), 🌲👔 (Slenderman confessions), 🚬🍂 (Masky / Tim Wright confessions), ❄️💎 (Hvitur confessions), 🚺🎢(Jane Doe confessions), 📹🛤 (Josh confessions), 🐊🛀 (Swampy confessions)🐇👾 (HABIT confessions), 👽🗡 (Evan confessions), 🩸👓 - (Alex Kralie Vampire AU confessions), 👓📼 (Alex Kralie no AU confessions), 👓🎧 (Alex Kralie *unknown AU* confessions), 🎀🦔 (Indigo Chinese Pangolin Google Doodles, Pangolin Love confessions), 👓👁 (The Observer confessions)

( ps. I use I/me on this blog instead of we/ours because kin related things are ONLY associated with me [the core], I seem to be the only kinner *I think I'm wording that right?* as well as the only therian. hence the I/me. also, fakeclaiming syscource people... fuck all the way off, please. I just want to EXIST and BE MYSELF. Like, I'll stay off your posts, respect your DNIs but if you come to ME, I WILL block you... I just want a space to feel free to have my identity, because apparently I can't just "Be Myself" as people always told me anymore. Like... I'm not claiming to be endo, I'm not claiming to be tulpa or willo, or traumatically formed.. I don't I'm know WHY this happened.. just saying I have experiences, even though they won't really be talked about here, my shitty anxiety wants me to try to safeguard myself against fakeclaiming and hatred because I just want to go through a day feeling a bit okay about who I am for once... like... feeling okay about ALL of me, not just some cherry-picked "socially acceptable" aspects... )

more ps. PFP does not belong to me that is someone else's art... I belive I found it on Pinterest, but I do not remember the poster.

In addition, my banner is an edited / compiled version of two moodboards that soldier-requests made for me. So again... not mine, technically.

[alterhumansafespace]

A fenrir kin! Nice to meet you. How did you discover that?

Asking because you are primarily a dragon (?) and it's quite hard for me to understand individuals who have more than 1 kintype unless they're related somewhat. To be honest it used to be I didn't understand at all but now I discovered I was a kelpie so...

It's directly related to being an incarnation of Loki for me. If it's not related I definitely have a hard time understanding so if you want to share I'd love to hear.

It’s a pleasure to meet you as well! Glad to talk to someone who’s an incarnation of Loki.

Being Fenrirkin is specifically a Copingkin I never really asked to have. Yes, I do love Norse mythology, but being a copingkin of Fenrir can be… well- a bit self destructive for me.

I had been reading a lot into the binding of Fenrir and other information on him. Parts of the story correlate uncannily. When I experience Fenrir shifts, the room felt too small and the intense desire to bite at my right hand was always prominent. I get a constant feeling of being suspicious of authority, sometimes this includes questioning and thinking I know better. But the hardest thing is the intense feeling of betrayal that comes during Fenrir shifts, especially of the ones who were treating you right.

The betrayal part comes from traumas I dealt with. The multitude of gods equating to my family always saying that each other are liars, and others who constantly betrayed my trust. Tyr can be substituted for three different people. My mother, my father or my ex. I tend to associate Tyr more with my ex due to closer similarities.

I wasn’t the best after the breakup and I did lash out viciously. The sword that is stated to hold Fenrir’s jaws open correlate to my need to scream or a need to explain to my ex how his betrayal hurt me, for how sorry I am for hurting him. The bindings are a creation of anger/rage and extreme guilt.

I have always felt a very close tie and extremely empathize with Fenrir’s story. It’s almost like a deeply rooted spiritual connection that isn’t easy to describe. My mental/perception shifts do not feel like that of a normal human. No, they’re intensified by a different sort of emotion that felt very nonhuman in nature.

As for explaining being a polykin with pretty different kintypes, it’s a bit confusing, but not impossible. My dragonself is much less destructive and almost guide like in how I behave. The pride I get when talking about strength are different levels. For my dragonself strength is something I take pride in, but I don’t feel like it’ll crumble at any moment. For my Fenrir self, if I have it questioned, I want to prove myself. This does end up that if someone I consider close to tells me that I am weak, I will break and will either shut down or lash out. Thankfully the lashing out is only internally, but it is destructive by nature.

There are specific behaviors that happen that do not correlate between my dragonself and Fenrir self. As my Fenrir self is much less shifty and is an involuntary identity that allows me to cope with betrayals.

Being a dragon comes with its own difficulties, but I tend to mentally know the difference between my Fenrir tendencies and my dragon tendencies. It all depends on how high, and how self destructive, my emotions get.

I do apologize if it’s a little incoherent. I tried my best to explain the best I could how I separated shifts and behaviors of my two animalistic kintypes. As well as explaining how I came to the conclusion.

I don’t consider myself as Fenrir Otherkin. Involuntarily identifying as and with Fenrir is purely a way of coping that I never asked for as stated above.

Hopefully this explains it enough for a general understanding

>Saiph 🐉

Edit: if you’d like further explanation or clarification, feel free to DM me or send another ask. I’m a very open person and I get good vibes from you

[fictionkinfessions]

@ the vanillamayhem anon from /post/736438326155001856

You might've meant this rhetorically, or just as a vent, but if you were genuinely asking I can offer up my understanding of it at least.

Having a copinglink (what people mean when they say they're copingkin) is something you choose to do. You consciously decide to take on a copinglink as an identity and could consciously decide to give it up at any time. The copinglink refers to the character or entity in question; the individual choosing to identify as them is usually called a copinglinker. This terminology was first coined and defined this way within existing otherkin and alterhuman communities in 2015, and is related to otherlink terminology.

Being fictionkin is something involuntary that you have no control over. You cannot consciously choose to stop having a fictionkin identity, you can only choose whether you accept it or try to ignore or repress it. The individual with the identity is usually called fictionkin as an adjective in this case; the character or entity they identify as is referred to as their kintype or sometimes fictotype. This terminology and was first coined and defined this way within existing otherkin and alterhuman communities in 2007, and had roots spanning from the earlier 2000's going back as far as the 80's and 90's.

Spiritual fictionkin are defined by having spiritual or metaphysical beliefs about the sense of identity they are experiencing. But there are also psychological fictionkin who are defined by believing their experiences aren't spiritual in nature but a product of their own psychology instead. It's not uncommon for psychological fictionkin to believe their kintypes are something their brain is doing to cope with the circumstances in their life. The difference between a psychological fictionkin experience and a copinglinker experience is simply whether it was voluntary or not.

If someone did not consciously choose their fiction-sourced identity as a coping strategy, and have the belief that what they're experiencing is due to spiritual or metaphysical reasons, then they would fall under the definition of spiritual/metaphysical fictionkin.

If someone did not consciously choose their fiction-sourced identity as a coping strategy, and have the belief that what they're experiencing is due to psychological or neurological reasons, then they would fall under the definition of psychological fictionkin.

If someone did consciously choose to take on their fiction-sourced identity as a coping strategy then then they would fall under the definition of a copinglinker.

Most importantly, all of these experiences are equally valid and respectable fiction-based identities! Just slightly different from eachother. The reason why they're considered distinct is mostly to preserve the definition of fictionkin and, by extension, otherkin as an involuntary experience; something which has historically been an important aspect of the definition of the term.

That's the community history I'm familiar with at least. Sorry if it's way more info than you really wanted, but I hope it helps anyway. And if anyone notices I'm mistaken about any of this please feel free to correct me!

box

[daughterofnoridoorman]

intro post :3 hiiii im an uzi doorman copingkin (i involuntarily kin uzi to cope with my experiences), and copinglink v (i voluntarily kin v to cope with my experiences)!

names? uzi, sage, purple freak (/hj but half srs) pronouns? literally anything you like! void/sun/dusk/it/xe preferably alt accs? @starrinymph @celestiallyslimy

why'd i make this acc instead of using my main alterhumanity acc? because i wanted an account just for murder drones and fictionkin shitposting, duh interests? tarot, wicca, pagan beliefs, magical girls, and punk music tags? #sage has a railgun! - shitposting #purple angsty teen core - talking about kinning uzi #murderous murder machine not murdering - talking about kinning v #sage's art corner - art

[tyr-the-fenrir]

Introduction

Hello! I'm Tyr, the runner of this blog! In person I don't go by that name, but it is the name of one of my fursonas, and this is my furry blog with some other things thrown in. Some things being something like my identity as an alterhuman, my queer identities/experiences, my hyperfixations, art of mine, and possibly me posting my commissioned art here.

Some things to know about me are...

Furry Fandom Things

I have two main 'sonas that are based off of my alterhuman identities. Comet, and Tyr. And I created a character today (the day I post this) named Ody, whose just a normal character based on a major hyperfixation of mine

While Comet isn't a fully correct interpretation of my identity, he was actually my first 'sona. He is representative of who I want to become. (The chibi piece was made as a vent piece). Comet is a sweetheart with a lot of love to give. He's very social and a little bit of a party animal, within reason.

Tyr, on the otherhand, is representative of me now. Tyr is a wolf, though art wise he is a Fenrir. He is a seclusive creature, unless it's with others he knows. He doesn't trust others easily and keeps to himself. When he does feel confident, he is a bit more sociable than normal.

Ody is still very new so I haven't figured out everything about him just yet. I plan on updating him as I work on his species, the Greepics.

Alterhuman Things

So I am alterhuman, I do not see myself as human in the sense of spiritually or mentally. That is how I experience the world and my identity in this community. I consider myself as Otherkin due to most of my identities falling under that umbrella.

My identities include:

Dragonkin (Otherkin)

Fenrir (Copingkin)

Julian Devorak (Fictionkin)

Anatolian Shepherd/Saint Bernard Mix (Copinglink)

Lucifer/Fallen Angel (Otherkith/Otherhearted)

Telemachus [Musical version primarily] (Otherlink/Copinglink/Otherheart/Otherkith)

All of these are different to me and how I experience the world around me. I do tend to have shifts, but that's only my experience.

Queer Things

Ok- so this may get lengthy as I find it very complicated to explain my identity as a queer person. I'll break it down by category.

Gender:

I am a transgender demiboy. Now, I have been feeling more fluid recently, but I still feel connected to these terms. I am AFAB/ftm trans. I identify as masculine, but not fully. I do want to transition to a more masculine presenting form.

Romantic attraction:

I am Omniromantic and Demiromantic. I have to have a connection to a person before I start feeling romantic feelings towards someone. Though, I do not mind dating anyone. Personality is most important to me, but I do see gender.

Sexual Attraction:

I identify as Demisexual and Androsexual. Much like Demiromantic, except for sexual attraction, I need a connection before I start thinking in that way. As for Androsexual, I am attracted to Masculine peoples.

Relationship Style:

I'm ambiamorous, that little in between area of being monogamous and polyamorous. I do not mind either way.

Art

I am more inclined to draw more cartoony than realistic. I enjoy more animalistic characters than humans as they're just easier for me. Though I have been slowly teaching myself more and more with humans. I do enjoy drawing fan art so I may be getting into that more and more. So I will be posting my art on here as time goes on.

Commissions

I do commissions on the side primarily, but I do not have a reliable source of income so I do have them open to people I'm close with. They're not open to others right now as I am still needing to make a terms of service for people to look at so they know my rule when they commission me.

Hyperfixations

EPIC: The Musical is one of my biggest hyperfixations right now, and I plan on finishing The Odyssey. I love the songs and have been listening to it the entire time I've been typing this.

I also know a decent amount about Dungeons and Dragons. I absolutely love the game and have been playing for about 3 years now.

I did have a major The Arcana: A Mystic Romance hyperfixation. It's died down, but I do enjoy the media and the original game. Not too happy with Dorian, but I am not gonna hate to be completely honest. As long as people understand boundaries.

Dragons, and I enjoy consuming any sort of media about them. Wings of Fire being a big part of my childhood.

I'll probably add more as I either gain or remember my hyperfixations. It's midnight as I'm typing this

DNI (Do Not Interact)

I would like if these people stayed off my page as I'm just wanting to exist peacefully. This isn't in any order, they're all bad in my opinion and I don't want to interact

Anti-furry

Anti-alterhumans

Homophobes

Transphobes

Terfs

Transmeds

People with harmful ideologies

Proshippers

Those into any harmful paraphernalia

Rules:

1- I will not respond to, or interact with, anyone who is in my DNI. I have that for a reason.

2- This page will be SFW. I will not post anything with NSFW/NSFT content. I don't want those topics in my inbox.

3- Please try to keep things positive. I really don't want to have someone randomly venting to me and I don't know how to help.

I will add to the rules if need be, but for now, that should be it.

[who-is-page]

In Defense of Roleplay as a Vehicle for Self-Discovery

Roleplay in the alterhuman communities isn’t a topic I often see touched on—I think that due to its controversial history in the otherkin and therian communities specifically, many people feel hesitant to talk about it. For those who were around during the days where grilling was more common, it may be an ingrained self-defense mechanism to simply avoid the topic; for those who entered closer to the “copingkin” and “kin-for-fun” era, it may just raise hackles and unfortunate reminders of the intentional misinformation individuals spread about “kinning” and specifically otherkin and fictionkin identities.

But I think roleplay is perhaps more important than we give it credit for, both in identity discovery and identity play, and especially in this pandemic-oriented time. Roleplay allows us to expose ourselves to realities, scenarios, and selves in safe, controlled environments that we can control, record, and reflect upon. It lets individuals experiment in ways that do not reflect the same moral heaviness or formality that one might attach to the public claiming of labels, both because of the more lighthearted association many typically have in regards to roleplay and because of its tendency to be more private or personal: playing a Dragonborn in a D&D game with friends is much different than announcing on your public Tumblr blog that you will be trying out the dragonhearted label to see how it fits, and someone may feel that the latter is a much ‘heavier’ choice than the former. And, of course, roleplay allows us to bypass our lived realities at least somewhat in a pandemic-wracked world, where outside stimuli of certain varieties may be much harder to come by now than it was three or four years ago.

The idea that roleplay can be connected to alterhuman identities in a serious, noteworthy way isn’t new, either. Orion Scribner’s well-loved Their Thereseries references roleplay as a way a therian or otherkin may identify with their kintype in Their There #9: In what way are you a wolf?, a comic from 2005 with extensive Dreamwidth discussion. In the comments, several individuals comment on the roleplay panel, stating things such as “There are probably a couple therianthropes out there that started the road to realizing what they were by role-playing. I think I know at least one. I’m also a ‘sort-of’ example of this,” (zuki-san.livejournal.com) and “I know of lots of ‘kin who started their journey out by RPing. I think RPing opens your mind and gives way for new findings and new identities,” (valkyriur.livejournal.com).

And for more recent anecdotes of experience, I can use my own process of questioning with Tobi-Kadachi as an example. I play a Wyvaran Skald in my weekly Pathfinder 1st Edition campaign, who is functionally just an anthropomorphic Tobi-Kadachi. Getting the chance to describe exactly how my character moves and utilizes their ability—their flight, their screech, their tail, and other notables—allows me to gain a sense of what feels “right” in a euphoric way. It’s comparable to when I played character in high school D&D that specifically used he/him pronouns to softly experiment with what “fit.”

It lets me come face-to-face with this potential part of myself in a way that doesn’t have to be anything more than what I make it. There’s no necessity to define it as “psychological” or “spiritual,” there’s no responsibility to separate “identify with” from “identify as,” and there’s no label anxiety or cycling. I take it at my own pace, however slow or fast I decide, without any real or imagined pressures surrounding it.

This idea also extends to more than just interactions with tabletop roleplay games as well—it also applies to video games, books, and self-expression through avenues such as fursonas and similar self-inserts. The alterhuman communities sometimes talk about important, invested interests potentially being useful jumping-off points for avenues of self-discovery, and I think that these ideas are perhaps closer to self-discovery through roleplay than many individuals might first consider. Another thing to consider is also the notion of what’s colloquially referred to as “kinfeels” in the otherkin community, where individuals reference something sparking particularly strong feelings relating directly to their kintype and/or their experience as their kintype. Oftentimes games get heavily recommended to induce kinfeels, especially those of first-person varieties; is this not just an example of roleplay’s already-existing place within a particularly well-known alterhuman community as a way of euphorically expressing and experiencing oneself?

Roleplay as a vehicle for self-discovery is something that we should give more credence to than we currently do, given its benefits and both historical and modern below-the-surface prevalence in the alterhuman communities. The advantages to doing so don’t just stop at an individual level; I am a firm believer in the idea that self-discovery without outside pressure or anxiety inevitably results in a healthier expectations and relations on intrapersonal community levels as well. The tendency to snap at others for their personal perceptions of their alterhumanity is not innate but is instead a learned habit. Remove it from the environment and replace it with the reinforced idea that personal understanding is something to be fearlessly engaged with, and watch community interactions drastically shift.

While it may be a kneejerk reaction to instantly deny the idea that it can help someone realize that they’re an otherkin, a copinglinker, an otherhearted, or any other number of potentialities, perhaps it’s time to give roleplay a chance.

[plush-cakes]

What is Kinning?

I've complied a few descriptions of how I define each type of kinning! And my experiences with them! Hope this helps anybody who's confused !!

Another good source for this, with a more vague and non-personalized explanation of kinning (aswell as some terms) is here!

Otherkin:

Otherkin are people who identify as not entirely human. Some otherkin believe their identity derives from reincarnation, species dysphoria, ancestry, or as some kinda metaphor for something. Others think it's just weird brain stuff n don't think it's spiritual

(Where the term "Kin" came from, as people believed they were "kin"(related to) a type of animal/plant/mythical creature, for a better timeline you can check out this link!)

Therian:

A therian is anybody who believes or feels that they are non-human, animals in a spiritual sense. There are also others who think they have a physiological or physical connection, instead of a spiritual one. They're always a REAL animal, otherwise they'd just count as otherkin (so like, no dragons or unicorns, etc) They can either believe they are currently nonhuman, or were in a past life. This is a more specific type of being otherkin!

(This is how I am with cats, otters, skunks, and pillbugs! I have a connection to these animals that is really hard to explain outside of just 'I feel like I am/was one!')

Many people prefer to not use "kin" as a verb, as it can imply that kinning is a choice, or something they do, rather than something they are, so instead of saying they "kin [kintype]" they would prefer saying they are "kin with [kintype]" or just "[kintype]kin" So like. Instead of me saying I "kin otters" I could say "I'm kin with otters" or "I'm otterkin", this personally doesn't bother me and I will often use 'kin' as a verb

Fictionkin:

Fictionkin is a subset of otherkin. It's a connection, to a fictional character or species, they often believe that they are/were a fictional character/species now or in a past life. People tend to use the Multiverse Theory and Reincarnation to explain that!

Other times it's just described as well, kinning something fictional

Everything following will be subsets of Fictionkin!

Synpath / Fictionhearted:

You don't identify as the character, but you do see yourself in them or relate to them. Also used for when you have a strong connection to a character and treat them as a part of your identity, but you don't identify as them

Comfort Kin:

Kinning a character for comfort reasons, hard to explain but, viewing yourself as said character makes you feel comfortable in your own body, or helps you explore your own presentation.

Copingkin / Copinglink:

Basically you kin this character to cope with ur own trauma/illness. You relate to the trauma/illness the character went through/deals with and you see yourself in them so. You kin to help understand yourself better.

(I kin Mae NITW because of this, she makes it easier to explain my fears / worries, and the shit I'm going through :3c)

Past Life Kinning:

Past life Kinning is a semi-religious thing. It goes along with the idea of reincarnation + the multiverse. Bc you can past life kin over universes that are fictional. It is when you believe you are currently a character, or were a character in a past life.

Many Past Life kinnies have their own 'canon' that's different to the game/show/book/source's canon. They learn this through "memories"! Memories are hard to explain, because they kind of just,, happen! You can attempt to trigger them with stuff like tarot readings, going through the source again, pendulumns, etc.. but memories mostly jus. Happen.

I personally believe I was a few characters in a past life, but for the sake of this I'll only mention Wadanohara, as that's my strongest kin. My memories tend to be somewhat 'canon complient' (meaning they follow the source's canon) but.. there's also plenty of differences. Through a lot of divination and exploring more of my source, I was able to figure out most of my canon. It's really just a guessing game of "does this feel right?" I feel wrong talking about Wadanohara as a character, and not as myself, because her and her source are so heavily ingrained into how I understand myself, and I do believe that in a past life I was her.

TLDR; Past life kinning and getting memories is such a spiritual and personal thing that it can be extremely hard to explain.

The best I can tell you is that if you think you might be a character, start talking about them as if they were you, start trying to find what pieces of 'canon' feel off, or strange. Try some divination! (Like tarot readings, pendulums, etc) Just, explore around. Good luck ^^

Misc:

You might also see "Joke Kinning" or "Kinning for fun" and those are literally just "hahah look at this silly guys that's me /j" (but u still relate to them / use them 2 identify) and "I'm this character but I don't care ab spirituality I just am this character", some in the community are against this, but personally I don't mind (I do it lol) unless you're being a dick to people who take kinning seriously

I'm happy to answer any questions anyone might have !!!

Edit logs;

Added line ab kinning being used at a verb

Edited the intro to further emphasize these are MY experiences

Added a readmore bc this was long LOL idk why I didn't do that first

Added link to a timeline on the term "kin"

Not attaching a DNI banner to this but please for the love of god don't be weird, and read my DNI if you plan to interact further on my blog.

[teladen-cryptid]

Copingkin

Copingkin is a combination of the terms copinglink and otherkin. A copinglink is often formed voluntarily, but someone who is copingkin did not choose their kintype, but rather identifies as their kintype as an involuntary consequence of certain traumas, life experiences, or neurodivergencies.

[disclaimer: please only use this term if you have had serious life experiences that could lead to identifying as this, such as trauma and/or being neurodivergent]

Trauma Copingkin

Someone who is trauma copingkin is someone who is copingkin due to trauma. Their trauma may be physical, s*xual, emotional, medical, religious, etc. Since individual experiences vary, what constitutes ‘trauma’ in this case is up to the individual.

Neurodivergent Copingkin

Someone who is neurodivergent copingkin is someone who is copingkin due to neurodivergence (click the link to learn more). Any sort of experience with neurodivergency could potentially lead to someone identifying as neurodivergent copingkin.

Trauma + Neurodivergent Copingkin

The terms can be used together. Someone who is both might have trauma that resulted in neurodivergency, experiences from being neurodivergent that resulted in trauma, or any other sort of experience that combines both trauma and neurodivergency. Someone might also identify as both separately. For example, someone could identify as neurodivergent wolfkin and trauma robotkin. Alternatively, someone who sees the two things as connected (maybe due to them being neurodivergent because of trauma itself, becasuse they see their trauma and neurodivergence as one condition, or any other related reason) may identify as trauma neurodivergent catkin, for example.

Copingkin can also be combined with other terms such as therian and fictionkin to form terms such as ficticopingkin, coping therian, coping theriomythic, etc.

Coined by me and @iam-zan !!

Someone approached us with this link. We were not aware of this! It’s an archived link and you can’t find it when you search for “copingkin” on Google (hence why we ‘coined’ it ourselves). We will be leaving the post up so more people know this term exists, however consider it UPDATED, not coined!

[otherlinking-bye]

Otherkin/Otherkind: Identifting As an entity that is nonhuman Involuntarily

For Fictionkin[d], replace 'Nonhuman' with 'a fictional character (that can be human)'.

I thought I'd make a little post countering some claims about Otherkin I've seen it is rampant unfortunately.

I mean to inform, but ofc, feel free to correct me if I've gotten anything wrong as a non-kin, I wouldn't want to spread misinformation either so Otherkin feel free to correct me!

• “ Otherkin is a term that is new / Otherkin originated from Tumblr ”

It has existed as a term since 1990(though some even say earlier).

It did not originate from Tumblr, which launched in 2007.

It were written for the first time in the Elfenkind digest, in 1990: the '' Other '' in Otherkind referring to Other than Elves, as people needed a word that would define a Kin experience similar to Elfkin's, but who weren't kin with an elf (Elvenkind existed before Otherkind as a word, the latter was based off it).

• “ 'Kin equals identifying as something nonhuman/fictional ”

I've seen it's been common to exclude the fact that being 'Kin is to Identify involuntarily As something nonhuman/fictional.

If it weren't involuntary, that would make Otherlink a synonym for it: which it isn't, Otherlink being Voluntary unlike Otherkin + the word Otherlink had been based on, Copinglink, had been coined by tumblr user Who-Is-Page in order to cease the use of '' Copingkin '', if you do not believe me tumblr posts are still up), so saying Otherlink and Otherkin are the same isn't fact.

• “ Being Kin is a spiritual thing / Otherkin are either Psychological or Spiritual ”

Otherkin have an endless list of possible explanations for how they interpret their own Otherkinity with their kintype(s). Spiritual and Psychological are common ones, but others such as Energetic Resonance or Magic operating exist as well. Could be a mix of those. Or could be none of those, if the Kin person doesn't wish to find an explanation for it or anything similar.

• “ Words change ”

Otherkin have had their community for so long. They are not gatekeeping, they're just saying you can't misuse their terms, it's a term that defines a specific experience that matters. The Otherkin community IS against it: taking into account a few Fictionkin —the ones that had been only shown misuse and presented Kin as an umbrella term before they discovered the Otherkin community— validating the misuse of Kin, meanwhile ignoring the rest of the Otherkin community (plantkin, therians, etc.) doesn't add up.

The community's space have been invaded: if you go in the Fictionkin tags, a lot of wishkins have taken place of actual Fictionkin's safe space. That's why it matters, because people literally do not care about Otherkin and twist their terms to no end both in meaning, and in phrasing.

A lot of the time, the misinformed people that insist on misusing Kin terms only utilize it as some kind of meme / catchy post thing (for example, Judging you on your '' Kins '') and act as a self deprecating meme community. The Otherkin community may make jokes about their Otherkinity in the same fashion, but their safe space is utilized to discuss their Otherkin experiences as well, this is an entirely different type of community which bonds over the actual Kin experience.

• “ Otherkin aren't oppressed ”

They aren't, but it doesn't mean they shouldn't be given respect for their identity. The community has been bullied and such, with people making light of Kin beliefs such as making fun of people who believe they were the reincarnation of any nonhuman entity.

• “ Kins are what I relate to! / I don't Kin seriously though it's for fun / I kin to cope ”

Otherkinity is based on a person identifying as-involuntarily.

Kin do not choose their kintype, hence why they may dislike their kintype / not relate to their kintype if it is a fictional character / they may have very graphic/troubling memories in case they get any of those, —for example— their death in a past life.

Non-kins puts on Fictionkin the weird non-kin standard of having to be similar to their kintype to be valid Fictionkins, and a lot of wishkins invalidate Kins with basic Fictionkin needs like “ No Doubles rule! ” etc. and may make fun of people who identify As anything nonhuman and/or fictional while saying they '' kin '' everything themself.

Misusing Otherkin also makes other identities such as being a Synpathizer or being (Otherlink but I'm gonna assume)Fictionlink for example demeaned to label everything that isn't a kintype your '' Kin ''. I have seen Synpath as a word used in the rank of ''''' Low Kins ''''', when Synpath, coined by tumblr user stirdrawsandreblaws, was meant to describe a very deep connection to something/someone, as you can see in their Synpath FAQ that is still up (+ it says Synpaths aren't Kintypes in there). Seeing Linktypes put under the name of '' Kins / I kin for fun / I kin to cope '' also is demeaning to it, to estimate being a [insert any non-kin other- Alterhuman identity] is inferior to being 'Kin and that's pretty much the imagery people got.

Making Kin to be this identity term people want to use so badly it is somehow above and more worthy of use than Otherlink, Fiction-Hearted, person who has Synpath/ Synpathizer... Alterhuman is the umbrella term people seem to be looking for.

It is still strange people want to use Kin for everything and make like every Alterhuman term lose meaning / twist those ones too.

'' Kinning '' makes it look like an activity/hobby, but Otherkin is an identity. Also this weird idea of '' Kinning '' people have gotten originated from a tumblr group called the Yandere B*tch Club, around 2008, who were really awful individuals. Among other things, they pretended to have DID and to be Japanese while they weren't. Also are the ones who spread misinfo about Otherkin's meaning and who began all this.

Btw the term ''Kinnie'' was used for bullying Otherkin for their beliefs way back and though it is not a slur, it still isn't to be used on Otherkin without their consent as it may make some uncomfy / some use it for themselves but it doesn't mean you can call a whole group of people '' ___ Kinnies '' randomly / also non-kins such as me should avoid the use that word in the first place because of its nature though not a slur

~

Please respect Otherkin is the conclusion, hope this could help with some claims I've seen

[unetherian]

hello, hope you are well. i dont know if this is the correct place to ask this however, i am questioning whether i am some form of alterhuman and i was wondering if you could help me (though its totally ok if not). i feel a really strong connection with birds and often express similar behaviours/ feel the need to, such as nesting and calls. i do occasionally feel like i am trapped in a human body but i dont know if this is due to gender identity or neurodivergence.

thank you for your time

Hello !

I can't really say if you're alterhuman or not (I'm not in your head), but I'll try to get you on the right track about finding your identity! :3

You may be a therian. A therian unintentionally identifies an nonhumans animal that has lived or currently lives on earth. This identity can be spiritual, psychological or even physical. A therian experiences non-human experiences, such as not feeling completely human (or just non-human), for some experience non-human phantom limbs, have non-human instincts, etc !

If you identify as a species of bird that doesn't exist in reality, you may be otherkin, kinmyth or fictionkin.

An otherkin involuntarily identifies as a non-human creature, psychologically, spiritually, or even physically. An otherkin also has non-human experiences.

A kinmyth involuntarily identifies as a specific deity, specific non-human creature present in mythology (Greek, Nordic, Japanese, Celtic, etc.) You may be a sacred bird?

A fictionkin unintentionally identifies as a character or an individual of a species present in a book, a film,...psychologically, spiritually or physicaly.

If you intentionally chose to identify as a non human bieng to get out of shock due to trauma, you are probably copinglink. You chose this identity for your well-being, and you are no less valid than others!

If you unintentionally chose to identify as a non human to get out of shock due to trauma, you are probably copingkin. This identity is as valid as the others!

If you voluntarily chose to identify as a non human being for a other raison than trauma, you are probably animallink! (No need to specify each time that all alterhuman identities are valid)

If you don't identify as a bird but just have a strong connection with them, you may be animalkith or animalhearted.

An animalhearted person identifies with (and not as) an animal species. Some animalhearted may have shifts more or less frequently (they are considered cameo shift because the individual does not identify as his hearttype). An animalhearted person has a strong connection with his or her hearttype.

An animalkith has a strong connection with an animal species. They may also have cameo shifts.

And There you go ! I hope I helped you! I prefer to point out that I may have forgotten a few other categories of alterhumans (I'm not a specialist) but I did my best!I strongly advise you to do a lot of research before concluding that you are really therian, or animalkith, or copingkin, etc. (for this I recommend "otherkin wiki" it is a very good site)

Have a nice day/night !

[shadowfae]

hi , sorry if this seems strange as its unrelated to current drama but i know you have a particularly strong stance on this so i guess i had a question ? im sympathetic to otherkin folk getting sort of pushed out of their broader label(kin in general) by fictionkin but cant they just coexist with us as a cousin experience/with equal validity ? my fictionkin friends introduced me to what being otherkin is as a whole and helped me find therian terms that fit me comfortably and i love them dearly !

Oh, this is an excellent question, and tbh I was wondering when someone would ask, because you’re wrong, and you’re right, and you hit on a point I wanted to make.

Fictionkin aren’t pushing otherkin out of the label: we definitely share it. Kinnies and wishkin are.

I don’t have issues with the experiences kinnies have - faceclaims, roleplaying, experimenting with your identity without actually doing the introspection. If they took on the label copinglink, which was made for their precursor copingkin, then we’d be all fine and dandy. The experiences are similar in the way multiplicity is kinda similar to otherkin. You can mistake one for the other if you’re not sure, but they’re very very different.

I have no issues with them existing. I have issues with them saying they’re otherkin when they’re not. I have issues with kinnies telling real fictionkin like myself that our experiences are crazy and stupid and not real, while talking over us and claiming all the words we made for ourself.

If they respected us, made their own space beside us, and came at us that way, I’d happily make friends with them and interrogate them on exactly how far you can push a voluntarily psychological identity before it’s a permanent kintype that you can no longer drop voluntarily. I’d love to know where the exact difference is between maladaptive daydreaming and soulbonding and tulpamancy and roleplay and very loud writer’s muses. I want to know how faceclaims can alter your sense of your own appearance, if their existence helps dysphoria and dysmorphia and to what extent.

There is a place for them, if they stop being rude. There is a place in this conversation that they can fill, and fill well, and fit in, and not be questioned by us for being what they are. But they won’t do that. They take our terms and our experiences and mock us and make it all about them.

We didn’t start the fight here, they did. If they made their own thing and stopped taking ours, we’d be happy with that. But they won’t.

Let them be copinglinkers, that’s what the word is designed for. Or faceclaimers, or roleplayers, or whathaveyou. The words exist, and if they don’t, make their own like we did.

Do that, stop hurting us, and we’ll forgive them.