Otherkin

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softfang
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Otherkin

Post by softfang »

Seriously, what do you think of it? I've tried to understand it. I've tried to believe it, accept it. I just can't.

Believing that either:

a) you are literally a creature or even a fictional character trapped inside a human body,
b) you posess the "spirit" of a creature or even a fictional character,
c) you were a creature or even a fictional character in a past life (often using the "multiverse theory" to justify it being real)

According to a generic Google search:
Otherkin are people who identify as partially or entirely non-human. Some say that they are, in spirit if not in body, not human. This is explained by some members of the otherkin community as possible through reincarnation, having a nonhuman soul, ancestry, or symbolic metaphor.
But I don't buy into this stuff. It seems, to me, like some kind of internet-based craze born from the cesspool of stupidity and drama that is Tumblr. A bunch of mentally unstable, lonely, depressed people looking for attention is all I can see in this community. I would normally feel like crap not being able to accept something so many people "honestly believe in" but seriously, it makes me feel sick just hearing about it. It's blown up ALL over the internet. Everyone's saying they're otherkin now. Fictionkin especially. How the heck can one be "kin" with a fictional character? How can they honestly claim to have been or ARE a fictional character? I just... I don't get it. It screams insanity-plea to me. An excuse to escape reality.

And I'm sick of trying to step on eggshells around people who truly think they're otherkin because they get so worked up and easily offended. I'm tired of being so afraid to offend people on the internet.

What do you think?
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Crimson_Camelia
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Re: Otherkin

Post by Crimson_Camelia »

People in general want to be recognised as individuals with special traits, hardly ever someone really feels better melting into crowd of people. Most of people, even those who don't like spotlight on them, just want to become someone special to and recognised by certain group/person/entity.
Personally I don't entirely understand "otherkin" term (as for definition you provided, I earlier saw other, pretty different from this one, so I'm even more confused), so I don't want to state any hard opinion as I may be wrong, but I think this is effect of people's desire to have traits that would make them different from others, so they could become individuals, recognised by people, yet being somehow "above" them with their individuality.

Regarding the case when you believe you are/were fictional character... I think most of people say it just to catch others attention and to show off, while hardly anyone believes that. And if someone really does... It means they have problems with setting boundary between reality and fiction, which unfortunately sounds like mental illness... Poor people... In that case, I think that ignoring this problem and calling that with term "otherkin" can really just severe weakened psyche of those people completely, which makes it possibly dangerous.
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Tensa
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Re: Otherkin

Post by Tensa »

What was this mental condition named again? Can't remember but it's similar to body dysmorphia. Basically denying that you are what you are. In any case, I knew a couple of people with mental disorders, I went logic on them and it didn't end well. I don't believe science and spirituality make good friends. Reincarnation is pretty 'hoaxy'. Different theories of how one actually 'lives' and such things as well as the human consciousness being a quantum thing. Then there comes religion, which I wont dwell into. I rather stay away from such people unless they are important to me.

TL;DR: People with mental issues believing such things. That or they are extremely spiritual. Which, with their beliefs in this, led them into some state of mental disorder.
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Fawn
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Re: Otherkin

Post by Fawn »

omg someone tagged my art as this today and i was so confused! is this extreme roleplaying or is this for real?? :?
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Aizawa
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Re: Otherkin

Post by Aizawa »

They're people who think they're a fictional, canon character. They get the bad rep that they do for many reasons, at least from what I've seen on Tumblr. It isn't really roleplaying per say at this point because it's supposed to be a spiritual thing... or something. I'm not really familiar with this turf tbh. I think it's strange; I have plenty of characters I can identify with in the sense I can relate to their actions that I simply adore [SOA/Alice, BRS, Silver, ect.] but I'm just fine being myself. I have a lot of faults as a person, but I wouldn't want to be anyone else, either. Or identify as characters. On the contrary, they aren't really harming me so I'm just indifferent to it. *shrugs* So that's how I feel about it. Even if something is strange to me, I do my best to understand it. Thinking you're literally a fictional character is really something, though.. Some of the ones I've seen on Tumblr do it to cope with things, some are just that spiritual. I try not to judge even if I'm ??? at a concept like this. Character claiming in general has always bothered me, though. Accept people have the same tastes as you and vibe, mayne.
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