How did you realize you were fictionfolk?

I'm currently questioning whether I may be fictionkin or not, but since my only 'types at this point in time are both extant animals of this earth(from what I know), I'm finding it a bit difficult in figuring out my internal feelings on the idea of being fictionkin. As in I'm at a standstill on how it might feel to realize one is of a fictional character, species, source, etc.

I logically know it probably is not all that different from the process of figuring out an animal 'type as a therian, but new experiences always give way to doubt and hesitance. Which is also not helped by me being a nonhuman who does not experience things like strong shifts, something that can be seen as, at least, a starting point as to realizing that one may be a certain thing. I also don't have memories of past lives or am spiritual in any way like some in the community whose connection to these things could lead to realization.
I am much more of a subtle one in my identity in that I am because I am. I identify because it is an inherent feeling that that is me in some way. But the process of getting to that acceptance is not always an easy road.

So I wanted to make a thread for those of any kind of fictional based identity to share their realizations and awakenings of being something from a fictional source if they so wish to.

So throwing some starting questions, optional jumping off points, for those who wish to use them:

• Was it as simple as you saw the character/species/place/etc and knew that was who you were or where you were from?
• Was it because of noemata, where you simply had inherent knowledge of that character/species/thing from fiction?
• Was it a more difficult journey of having to figure out specifics because of something like your canon did not match what is shown in this world's version of the story?
• Was your 'type even canon to the story in general, — like a main character or part of the main cast, — or did they simply exist in the world where they came from?
• Were there behaviors, mindsets, etc that you realized you did or had because of you being your 'type?
• Does your fictional 'type mix with other identities you share? Like being a fictotherian, or being from a certain mythology, if you see these things as inherently different to fiction?
• What are some things you do that help you feel more like your 'type, or that give you euphoria for your identity?
  

I hope this makes sense, and thank you to those who read it and reply. I just want to get some kind of idea for myself and sometimes seeing other's experiences can help a lot.

In my case, the fictive aspects of my identity stemmed from having fictive introject alters when I was DID-level-dissociated.

The process was as follows.

I watched movies or read books that gave me FEELS and THOUGHTS that were very much similar to the ones that I had already experienced in the past or in the moment, in my everyday life. So much so that I could very, very well empathize with the characters, to the point of identifying strongly with them. With time, the identification "with" became and identification "as", with full-on identity shifts (well, switches, because it was DID back then).

The identity switches were very recognizable and unmistakable.

With therapy, the wounds these parts of me carried were healed, and their identities became facets of me (instead of the identity of other "me's") and these facets became more integrated, less separate from each-others and the rest of me. Instead of representing the pain, they now represent the healing I've gone through as well as the ressources I developed to heal the pain.

I can still shift into these fictotypes, but I no longer list them as fictotypes, I experience them more like heart-types now. But not in the "this is not me" way. More in a "this is a small aspect of me, not the whole of me".

Of course, the way I experienced these identities was not exactly the same as in the canon. They were how I perceived the characters and understood the characters and empathized with the characters based on my own personal experience of the world, through my own personal lens. I do not think there is a "wrong" way of resonating with a canon. There is what the author meant, what they wrote, and the many ways of interacting with the material. Even a translation is already a slightly different version from what the author originally wrote.

IMO there is no Ultimate Truth when we talk about fiction. There is a kaleidoscope of versions, and each carries a different meaning for the ones reading them.

(2025-01-28 17:01)creatureheart Wrote:  I'm currently questioning whether I may be fictionkin or not, but since my only 'types at this point in time are both extant animals of this earth(from what I know), I'm finding it a bit difficult in figuring out my internal feelings on the idea of being fictionkin. As in I'm at a standstill on how it might feel to realize one is of a fictional character, species, source, etc.

I logically know it probably is not all that different from the process of figuring out an animal 'type as a therian, but new experiences always give way to doubt and hesitance. Which is also not helped by me being a nonhuman who does not experience things like strong shifts, something that can be seen as, at least, a starting point as to realizing that one may be a certain thing. I also don't have memories of past lives or am spiritual in any way like some in the community whose connection to these things could lead to realization.
I am much more of a subtle one in my identity in that I am because I am. I identify because it is an inherent feeling that that is me in some way. But the process of getting to that acceptance is not always an easy road.

So I wanted to make a thread for those of any kind of fictional based identity to share their realizations and awakenings of being something from a fictional source if they so wish to.

So throwing some starting questions, optional jumping off points, for those who wish to use them:

• Was it as simple as you saw the character/species/place/etc and knew that was who you were or where you were from?
• Was it because of noemata, where you simply had inherent knowledge of that character/species/thing from fiction?
• Was it a more difficult journey of having to figure out specifics because of something like your canon did not match what is shown in this world's version of the story?
• Was your 'type even canon to the story in general, — like a main character or part of the main cast, — or did they simply exist in the world where they came from?
• Were there behaviors, mindsets, etc that you realized you did or had because of you being your 'type?
• Does your fictional 'type mix with other identities you share? Like being a fictotherian, or being from a certain mythology, if you see these things as inherently different to fiction?
• What are some things you do that help you feel more like your 'type, or that give you euphoria for your identity?
  

I hope this makes sense, and thank you to those who read it and reply. I just want to get some kind of idea for myself and sometimes seeing other's experiences can help a lot.

Hiii!!!! I'm Slushi from Chikn Nuggit. <3

Y'know actually I discovered Chikn Nuggit last year and at first, Slushi was just another character that I like. There are a lot of characters like that, but the longer I watched, I grew more and more attached. I started rewatching shorts with her in it over and over, I've never done that even for other characters I really like. And then looked for everything about her, all the random animation memes, fanart, edits everything!! Well, not everything y'know, since I'm ace but unfortuantely I did see a lot by accident.

And I grew really obsessed, it's probably a bit creepy to be honest. I took screenshots of every expression she makes, I even memorised a lot of her lines and scenes with her in them.

I really wanted her to be real, like physically real, I want to talk to her everyday all the time and do everything together, I wanted to be hugged and conforted by her whenever I have bad thoughts.

I don't know why I felt this way, I've never felt this way for any other character in fiction y'know so at first I really had no idea how to handle it.

And then one day, something just activated in my brain randomly, I got my first shift of her, I felt her tail and ears.

I think I wanted her to be real so bad that I made her real. I became her.

But for some reason, I guess that's not enough hhh, I can't really comfort myself in the way I comfort my friends. I am Slushi now, but I can never be my own Slushi.

aaaaaaaa whoops got a bit depressing there i guess, uhh

I do feel euphroric when I talk more like her or do things that she would do in her situation, y'know. Stuff like that yeah, and also especially when people call me my name, Ginkgo is for the bird therian part of me which has a whole different story, so yeah they aren't related.

And my brain now registers anything I do in canon as something I have done, even though I do not have any actual memories. It's like watching me from a third-person point of view without my control but I still register it as something I am doing, it is a bit weird now that I've typed it out like that but yeahhh, there are things I wished I didn't do, like advertise for Amazon twice, because I hate Amazon and I know my canon self would hate them too so it felt like spectating myself being mind controlled, I really hate that feeling. And I would absolutely never ever own a yaoi paddle.

I'm sorry but yeah thats the things I don't really aligb with canon I guess y'know.