#spiritual kin

[words-of-wolf]

Content warning: this post contains mentions of wolves hunting other animals, and some thoughts on the subject. Nothing I'd consider graphic, but I know it can be sensitive for some folks so I thought I'd warn beforehand!

Hhh, it's a bit hard to know where to start with getting back into writing about my experiences.

It's not that I don't have anything to say - it's the opposite! There's so much I'd like to share. I've always loved talking about my experiences... maybe a bit self-indulgent, but I like to think it can help other folks too, and I've gotten many interesting conversations out of it in the past, so no regrets!

Can't imagine I'll be posting big things like this frequently, but I'll happily answer questions and chat too. ^u^

So... right now, what I've decided I'd like to write about is some of the, I guess kinda fundamental aspects of my identity as a wolf therian.

It's interesting in a way, because there are so many wolves around - there's a lot of people to compare experiences against! I guess, if you have a rare kintype, or a kintype that's varied enough that your individual variation of it is rare (like dragons) - it might be hard to imagine that a wolf would struggle to find other people they relate to. But then, well: there's me.

I don't think anyone's nonhuman experiences are wrong. I don't think anyones' are "superior" either; it's just about who you are as an individual, what feels right and comfortable to you. I just wanted to get that across! Cause what I'd like to talk about does involve some comparison between my feelings and the things I've seen expressed by other wolf therians, and I wouldn't want it to be read as me saying my way of being as any better than anyone elses' (it's not).

During my time in the kin and therian communities (which, I first encountered over ten years ago now, but my activity has been very on-and-off since I reached adulthood) I've met so, so many wolf therians. It's... hmm, complicated for me, in a way? Because I felt very isolated, especially when I was younger, and I felt like wolf therians were supposed to be "my people". But really, I could count on both hands how many wolves I've met that I really related to on any level.

And the reason for that is the same now as it's always been: for a lot of wolf therians, being a wolf seems to be a kind of violent, bloodthirsty identity. The "predator" feeling is strong; there's some affinity for the thrill of the kill, the violence of it all.

That's not a bad thing. It's not wrong! But my experience has been... very different from that.

My perception of wolfhood isn't really "red in tooth and claw" like that. It's more... simple. Not peaceful really - life as a wolf is full of trials and strife - but the violence never felt defining for me. In terms of personal importance, the feelings of wanting to hunt, to fight, to bite and maim... I'd be lying if I said they were entirely absent, but they were always tertiary to things that seemed far more present and central.

I think a big part of that is... well, for context, I believe my wolf identity is linked to a past life. Yeah, stereotypical, I know! But it's genuinely what I experience; I do remember that life, or at least aspects of it. And those memories influence a lot of my experiences in my current life as a wolf-person.

The thing that strikes me most when I compare my own perspective on wolfhood to the ideas often expressed by other wolf therians, is that to me, hunting wasn't violence. It couldn't be violence.

Why? Because I just plain didn't realise that the deer and other animals we killed were living things.

There was no... room to even consider that idea. I didn't know that the deer I drove to exhaustion felt pain and terror, same as I did. I just knew I was hungry and it was food.

It's a strange thing to consider, isn't it? People talk a lot about "what makes us human". I don't think there's any one thing that does. But if I were to point to one of the most jarring, and one of the most utterly sacred parts of being human to me, it would be the ability to connect emotionally with other species.

Humans are not unique for doing that. And maybe there's some animals a wolf could come to see as an individual, in the way I would've seen another wolf. But a deer would never be that. Which contrasts strangely with me, now, as a human: where I can love pigs, and care about their welfare and treatment, but still enjoy some bacon or a porkchop. That can conflict, sometimes, yeah - but from a wolf perspective, that would be incomprehensible. At least, from my experiences it would be.

And if you remove the idea of violence from hunting, suddenly a wolf's life doesn't seem very violent at all. The act of hunting and killing prey animals felt no more violent to me, than when I cook up a steak for myself now. To someone, that would be violent, but to me it's just a steak - y'know? I know the steak comes from a cow, but that fact brings me neither grief nor pleasure. It's just kinda how the world is and I'm mostly okay with that.

The act of hunting was, I'd say, something I enjoyed as a wolf. I loved the chase. It was fun. Taking down prey could be scary; even a deer is dangerous when cornered and desperate. But the thing with nature is that it makes what you have to do to survive feel desirable: so risking my life for a meal felt thrilling, in a way, and a full belly afterwards was satisfying, and comforting, and a relief from the usual gnaw of hunger.

Hunting's only a small part of being a wolf, though. Even setting aside all the attempted hunts that fall through before you even get into a full sprint.

A lot of wolf life focuses on territory. In some places, it's a very intense, almost war-like conflict; constant, bloody, often fatal. Not always, though. It depends a lot on the intensity of the ecosystem you live in: a place with lots of prey attracts lots of wolves, who then compete for access. If the prey's more spread out, the wolves are more spread out too... and an area of land feels less worth dying for when you've got so many others to search.

Me and my pack were one of the latter varieties. Territorial conflicts were rare, for us; I don't recall any specifically. We patrolled, we marked our space. Territorial disputes were something I was aware of, I think - if I saw a trespasser I certainly would've acted with aggression - but it just wasn't a common occurrence.

So my experience of being a wolf didn't feel like it was defined by violence much. It didn't feel bloody and raw. I could see myself in the image of a wolf that snarls, maybe, but moreso I see myself in the image of the wolf that sleeps, or - perhaps most of all - the wolf that wanders.

And that's what existence as a wolf was, and is for me! It's wandering. It is the neverending search. Even when you find what you need, the relief can't last long - you need to move on soon, you need to seek again soon, because it won't be long before your empty belly's gnawing at your insides again. It wasn't ever a life of violence, it was a life of travel, for the good and the bad of it: for the new sights and new smells and new opportunities; for the exhaustion, the uncertainty, the sore paws and aching muscles.

And the restlessness. The need to keep moving. Keep going. Keep searching, always searching.

But, of course, that's still not the centre piece of the puzzle. Because that could only ever, of course, be the pack.

This is something I'll probably dedicate time to writing about all on its own, because I have such deep feelings about "the pack" as a concept, and also about my pack, who I lived for in my last life.

But I will say that all of my deepest, most vivid, and most impactful memories... they're not of the hunt, they're not about territory or conflict or hunger. What I remember most richly is the love I felt for my pack. It's a feeling I can't quite find it in me to explain; sometimes I wonder if the reason I identify as loveless in this life, is simply because no love I've ever felt as a human could compare to what I felt as a wolf.

I think there's a kind of synergy between the simple mind of a wolf, and the feelings a wolf experiences: in the quiet of an animal's mind, emotions seem so much stronger, so much more vivid somehow. I feel that even now, when I have a mental shift, and the logic and reason falls away - all that's left is emotion and physical senses, and they paint a picture so, so bright.

And those past life memories that I hold dearest, they have a similar quality to them... to curl up with my family after a long day of travel. Or listen to their happy snores as we all sleep off a full belly. And playing with the pups... I was a very fun wolf-uncle. And those pups were my joy, light of my whole life! <3

So... yeah. That's what being a wolf is to me.

It's not the only way to be a wolf. It's not the "right" was vs anyone else's "wrong". This is just what wolfhood is to me personally. Maybe other wolves will see something of themselves in this, maybe not! Either way, I appreciate the time you took to read my rambling. It feels nice to carve out a place in my life again where I can really talk about this stuff. c:

[spotted-yeen]

Decided to do my own take on this trend!

[sillyscenekinblog]

HIHI!!! I really don't wanna be rude but I'm an idiot so please ignore this if I come off as rude but how does someone identify as fictionkin? How does someone identify as a fictional character? /gen

I think it's interesting and I'd like to learn more about it!

Oh! It's typically the belief that you were that character in a previous life! Or that you have similar souls! Or something similar! Typically there are a lot of memories, and a similar feeling of *that's me* that matches up! There are also psychological 'kins, like for instance, we're psychological and spiritual kin! We personally believe most of our fictionkins were caused by autism/trauma, but it also feels quite spiritual! We're bad at explaining things, so we highly encourage you to explore and research on your own! :D

[anotherkinnity]

⛅ you're invited to another kinnity ⛅

☀️ a welcoming and active 18+ community for spiritual otherkin, fictionkin, therians, and other alterhumans since 2018 ☀️

we feature:

🍂 an active and friendly user base

☁️ a resource catalog of alterhuman terms

🍂 ticket verification for server access

☁️ pluralkit for systems

🍂 a large role menu [including 16 color roles]

☁️ a server-wide blacklist and blacklist chats

🍂 two types of memory jams - one of which was invented here!

☁️ an experienced, knowledgeable and active staff team

advertisement aside, this server has been my online home for years now, and we would love it if you joined! we just updated our whole server - layout, aesthetic, and all. if you've seen us floating around online before and haven't joined, or perhaps joined in the past and left, now is a great time to check us out. we hope to see you soon!

-mayor warren

[thekincircus]

WELCOME TO THE CIRCUS

₊˚ʚ ᗢ⋆˙⟡˚₊✧ ﾟ⋆˚₊‧ᗢ ɞ˚₊

The Circus is a casual community for kinnies of all kinds! All sources allowed including "problematic" sources. Doubles friendly. This server is strictly 18+, please do not join if you're a minor.

The Circus Features: ✧ Neopronoun Friendly ✧ System Channels ✧ Self Assignable Roles ✧ Ranked and special roles ✧ QOTD's ✧ Kin Specific Channels ✧ Eventual Events ( Game & Movie Nights, Monthly Art Prompts, Book Club, Kinnie Hunger Games, and more ) ✧ Optional Spiritual Channels ✧ Optional Vent / NSFW channels ✧ Staff Open To Any And All Suggestions

General Rules: ✧ Must be 18+ ✧ Follow Discord TOS ✧ No Proshippers ✧ No DAs / IRLs / factkins

Invite: https://discord.gg/88847QheT2

[bluebellcloud]

no one :

me : *minding my own business*

kin gods :

me :

me : *stares at the kin gods* well , shit- what have you done-

[sourcecallsbeyond]

Welcome!

🌟 This is a blog dedicated to canon calls / source calls, for those who have spiritual and metaphysical fictotypes.

🌙 This blog is open to all fictionfolk, including fictionkin(d), fictives, fictionhearted, fictionflickers, etc.

Call format:

Age: (Your body / legal age. Can be an exact age, age range, or just adult / minor. Include your own and the age range you're open to interacting with). ID: (Your fictotype(s) / identity. List as many as you like, but please include only one source per call. Feel free to also include here whether you're kin, fictive, etc). Source: (The full, unabbreviated name of your source. Please only include one source per call). Contact: (Include a way to contact you. If you wish to remain anonymous, put something along the lines of, "Interact with this post and I'll contact you). Looking for: (Include anyone specific that you're looking for, or just say anyone). Relationship type: (Optional. Include whether you're seeking platonic / familial / romantic / etc). Canon / timeline: (Optional. Include any info about your canon / timeline that you want to share. Can put specific memories here or elaborate on the relationships you had).

Blank Call Format:

Age:

ID:

Source:

Contact:

Looking for:

Relationship Type:

Canon / Timeline:

🪐 (Note: You don't have to use this exact format, but please at least include age, ID, and source. Calls that don't include these will be deleted. If you're uncertain about ID/source or don't want to disclose, please say so.)

More blog info under the cut!

🌟 This blog is welcoming to those whose fictotypes have mixed origins, or are questioning or unlabeled. Calls are accepted so long as you are primarily seeking to connect with others who have spiritual / metaphysical connections to their fictotype!

🌙 This blog is welcoming of all sources, "problematic" or otherwise. There will be no source shaming tolerated here. Same goes for those who are villains / antagonists / etc.

🪐 While this blog is primarily for fictotypes, fact-types are welcome, particularly if they fall into a grey area of fictional / factual (i.e. youtuber personas, historical fiction, etc).

🛸 We are inclusive of endogenic systems. We are inclusive of atypical / "contradicting" identities, neolabels/pronouns, etc.

🌠 We do not tolerate any harassment over what people enjoy in fiction / ships. If you don't like it, block, blacklist, and move on.

🌌 This blog is run by @xenodelic . Other mods made be added in the future.

[moxx-n-angel]

The DSMP kin community is a flat circle and baby I've gone around it like 10 times

[yonah010]

Kotoko Yuzuriha here,

I've been thinking of making a group chat for people from Milgram. It doesn't necessarily matter how you are from it. I don't intend for it to be a serious memory talk sort of place, but rather just a lighthearted casual thing, but for everyone's comfort I'd rather you only interact if you take it at least semi-seriously, in the sense that this isn't for roleplayers or kff.

I already know Yuno. We both are spiritual kin.

18+ only since we both are adults.

This is first come first serve for the sake of simplicity. We have no one other than the two of us so far, though I'll try to update this post if anyone joins.

Reach out to me and I'll add you.

Ignore the tags below.

[moonpool-system]

You can do a lot in the name of "protecting the world". Hundreds of years of solitude was only bound to make things worse, all it did was push me farther gone. I wonder if that foolish king was ever haunted by the fact he slept atop a time bomb of trauma and pain that he buried beneath the ground.

I hope so.

[darkplanets]

So, pointless discussion topic primarily for the reincarnationists left in the audience if they're interested... Under your belief system, are there likely humankin on other planets/dimensions/etc. that had a past life here on Earth? Why or why not?

[thunder1408]

bunny cottage is a 16+ server and safe space for system/kinnies (but not exclusive to either!)

why you should join:

- cute mlp theme

- fun emojis

- color roles

- non-toxic community

- pluralkit, carl-bot, and confessions + other useful bots

https://discord.com/invite/sGYZZGKGU2

[spotted-yeen]

I know I'm therian because today I got a hoodie from the thrift store and when I brought it home I was like "washing it, dousing it with my perfume, and smoking a bowl in it Is Not Enough™️, I need to infuse it with my sweat and blood if not my very soul so that it smells like me"

[ama-factkin]

I can get why people would be uncomfortable with factkin of ppl who are still alive in this universe although being uncomfortable doesn't mean you get to call something fake, but I digress...but I'll never understand the issue with ppl being kin with dead ppl from this universe when past life beliefs are so common in the kin community?

Aside from that, if someone feels like they are still in some way another person/known animal who is alive here because of parallel lives/past lives/metaphysics/psychological factors etc like... that's not all too dissimilar to fictionkin or any other kintype. - Junji Ito (from Parallel Earth #105) /srs

P.s. I've never seen a factkin even like try and actually properly impersonate their kintype and take over this version of their life anyway so...the issue is just a silly moral one, again not dissimilar to 'fictionkin aren't real because that's a fictional character/creature that a real person made up so it's basically intellectual theft'.

My thoughts exactly!

The whole "factkin cause identity theft" business is misguided to say the least. The people who honestly believe that either A) have the assumption that all factkin behave like stalkers or B) have no idea what actually constitutes identity theft.

I agree that people being uncomfortable with the idea of factkin is understandable. I also agree that it's unfair to call something fake just because it makes you uncomfortable. Discomfort is not completely a negative feeling. It is natural when you don't understand something. Just because you're uncomfortable with an idea at first does not mean it is morally wrong or bad. If more people would make more of an effort to understand the community I believe they'd be a lot less uncomfortable with it!

The issue of dead VS alive facttypes is another thing altogether. I've seen people say they're only against factkin whose kintypes are currently alive. The dead ones are fine. What sense does that make? How can one type of factkin be acceptable, and another be bad or false?

I've been accused of stealing the identities of my facttypes both dead and alive and I would like to respectfully ask: Who honestly believes that Peter III of Aragon, who died in the early 14th century, cares whether or not I spiritually identify as him? Who honestly believes that I stand to gain anything, monetary or otherwise, from claiming this identity? Why, if I'm "actively choosing" to "steal an identity" did I pick a long-deceased obscure medieval king about whom only fragments of knowledge exist?

All of this to say: anon, I'm with you. You've got the right idea.

[anotherkinnity]

⛅ you're invited to another kinnity ⛅

☀️ a welcoming and active 18+ community for spiritual otherkin, fictionkin, therians, and other alterhumans since 2018 ☀️

we feature:

🍂 an active and friendly user base

☁️ a resource catalog of alterhuman terms

🍂 ticket verification for server access

☁️ pluralkit for systems

🍂 a large role menu [including 16 color roles]

☁️ a server-wide blacklist and blacklist chats

🍂 two types of memory jams - one of which was invented here!

[angelunpaved]

Hi! Someone in a kincord server im in made this survey directed at kin folk from Genshin Impact!! If this applies to you she would appreciate you filling it out :3