Tired of fictionkin misinfo

Hi!

It’s so tiring to see people reduce fictionkin down to “kinning”. I see it online *so* much, and people don’t really get the extent of my identity because of it. People also seem to often only be aware of one origin of fictionkin, and if they understand the identity they assume it’s a past life and memories. I’ve seen people explain fictionkin by saying it is when you have a past life. Well, I don’t! I convinced myself I had memories to fit in a while back just to fit in. I hate how the fictionkin community is so focused on that specific origin on being ‘kin. It almost makes me feel invalid sometimes because I am a psychological kin.

Does anyone else relate to this or feel this way? I feel like the only one sometimes. It’s sometimes hard for me to find creatures in the fictionkin community that don’t see it as a fun game or only past lives. I’d expect more understanding people to be here, though, based off of my experience on TG.

I can understand what you mean and agree, even though for me with my type it's related to a past life. My suggestion? Remember that, like with other kintypes, fictionkin identity can be very personal and how one person experiences their kintype can be different from others. Either way, people should respect that. Doesn't matter what the source is (psychological or spiritual) as long as you feel it defines part of you. Regardless, I can understand where you're coming from with this and don't want you to think that I am making light of things at all. I feel the same way about my theriotypes sometimes since I don't get memories from those and wanted them for the longest time, but had to accept that maybe I just wasn't going to get them.

Hopefully this helps!

(2025-09-18 13:21)shipaxe Wrote:  I convinced myself I had memories to fit in a while back just to fit in. I hate how the fictionkin community is so focused on that specific origin on being ‘kin. It almost makes me feel invalid sometimes because I am a psychological kin.

Are you saying that you chose to be fictionkin? Because that's not how being otherkin, fictionkin included, works. We don't "choose" to be this way, we simply are.

That said, fictionkin in general has always been met with more skepticism vs. angels or therians or dragons. And that's because everyone, humans included, is supposed to be able to relate and see themselves in fictional characters. It's why we enjoy things like books and movies. If you don't empathize with a character, you're not going to care about them or what happens to them and so then what's the point of reading or watching them.

Seeing yourself in a fictional character or feeling like you are them doesn't always mean you are them in a fictionkin sense. Sometimes it just means you feel connected to them, which is the point.

(2025-09-18 22:28)elinox Wrote:  

(2025-09-18 13:21)shipaxe Wrote:  I convinced myself I had memories to fit in a while back just to fit in. I hate how the fictionkin community is so focused on that specific origin on being ‘kin. It almost makes me feel invalid sometimes because I am a psychological kin.

Are you saying that you chose to be fictionkin? Because that's not how being otherkin, fictionkin included, works. We don't "choose" to be this way, we simply are.

i don't see how youre coming to this conclusion, but being psychological kin isnt inherently a choice if that was what lead you there. and if it was due to someone convincing themselves they have something they do not (such as past life memories) to fit in, couldnt that happen with any community?

but i have another question. why would someone choose to be kin if they werent kin in the first place? why would someone choose to identify as nonhuman if they didnt feel nonhuman? same for a fictional character. if you say feeling like you are something doesnt mean you are that thing, how does one define a non-physical identity like otherkin at all? if being otherkin is a term for people who do not identify as human, as this very site describes it, what else should they call themselves?

(2025-09-18 22:28)elinox Wrote:  Are you saying that you chose to be fictionkin? Because that's not how being otherkin, fictionkin included, works. We don't "choose" to be this way, we simply are.

That said, fictionkin in general has always been met with more skepticism vs. angels or therians or dragons. And that's because everyone, humans included, is supposed to be able to relate and see themselves in fictional characters. It's why we enjoy things like books and movies. If you don't empathize with a character, you're not going to care about them or what happens to them and so then what's the point of reading or watching them.

Seeing yourself in a fictional character or feeling like you are them doesn't always mean you are them in a fictionkin sense. Sometimes it just means you feel connected to them, which is the point.

I did not say that, no. I was always ‘kin, but when I was younger I (unintentionally) exaggerated it and thought I had memories and a past life before I realized I was not spiritual ‘kin at all. I did not choose this, no. I know how being otherkin works and I am aware it’s an identity and not just a connection- I think about this a lot and am often questioning things. Thank you for telling me this, though. I will keep it in mind.

(2025-09-19 13:24)shipaxe Wrote:  

(2025-09-18 22:28)elinox Wrote:  Are you saying that you chose to be fictionkin? Because that's not how being otherkin, fictionkin included, works. We don't "choose" to be this way, we simply are.

That said, fictionkin in general has always been met with more skepticism vs. angels or therians or dragons. And that's because everyone, humans included, is supposed to be able to relate and see themselves in fictional characters. It's why we enjoy things like books and movies. If you don't empathize with a character, you're not going to care about them or what happens to them and so then what's the point of reading or watching them.

Seeing yourself in a fictional character or feeling like you are them doesn't always mean you are them in a fictionkin sense. Sometimes it just means you feel connected to them, which is the point.

I did not say that, no. I was always ‘kin, but when I was younger I (unintentionally) exaggerated it and thought I had memories and a past life before I realized I was not spiritual ‘kin at all. I did not choose this, no. I know how being otherkin works and I am aware it’s an identity and not just a connection- I think about this a lot and am often questioning things. Thank you for telling me this, though. I will keep it in mind.

Okay, I understand now. Thanks for clarifying.

I relate to that in some ways (I do have memories though). I have been avoiding some spaces because they don't seem to understand that when I say I am fictionkin, I mean that I am said character and not someone who relates to the character.

I also prefer having deeper and longer discussions in forum format instead of chatrooms, but that's just a personal preference.

May I jump in here briefly?
I am beginning to suspect that because,on this planet, we do not have any contact with any other beings beyond this planet we use terminology to describe ones kin-type.

For myself I use the term 'demon' because it best describes my type-at least in general form and I just do not have the adequate vocabulary to describe it as my 'type' does not exist on this planet.
I had first thought my type was dragon but as time went by and with much introspection it seems that my type bore some resemblance to a certain degree with dragons/gargoyles and because I am on this world now with humans as the dominant race and as such the vocabulary used in this world assigns a different meaning to words depending on what it relates to in this world because there are no species on this planet that even comes close to what I was in a previous life.

'Demon' suits me far better because, I suppose, it still adequately infers that my 'kind' were different in some ways from humans but that difference was not that huge...maybe the term more described general appearance just as at one time when explorers seen a rhino they called it lots of things including leviathan or even 'unicorn' simply because it had one horn.

Anyways I am digressing and my brain just derailed itself but maybe 'fictionkin' is. perhaps the best definition one might have to describe a type that does not exist on this planet; now keep in mind I did NOT say they don't exist only that they are not on this particular planet/dimension/universe/etc.

Ok..Coffee time for me..

Fictionkin is referring to specific characters from books, shows etc. Otherkin is generally not, and the Otherkin term doesn't exclude species from other planets. If Fictionkin was extended to everything that isn't here today on earth then that would defeat the point of Otherkin. Fictionkin should be some sort of subset as mentioned at the start of my post.

I think part of bad optics for Fictionkin are all the people with huge lists of kintypes who change them often and are loud about it. "Bad apple spoils the bunch" and all that. I know I've seen plenty people over the years complaining about people with large numbers of kintypes, and I've met someone who had a website listing over a hundred fictotypes of theirs who basically told me I wasn't real.

(2026-09-30 15:46)Aarden Wrote:  Fictionkin is referring to specific characters from books, shows etc. Otherkin is generally not, and the Otherkin term doesn't exclude species from other planets. If Fictionkin was extended to everything that isn't here today on earth then that would defeat the point of Otherkin. Fictionkin should be some sort of subset as mentioned at the start of my post.

I think part of bad optics for Fictionkin are all the people with huge lists of kintypes who change them often and are loud about it. "Bad apple spoils the bunch" and all that. I know I've seen plenty people over the years complaining about people with large numbers of kintypes, and I've met someone who had a website listing over a hundred fictotypes of theirs who basically told me I wasn't real.

Sometimes the term fictionkin refers to nonhuman beings that are depicted in fiction too. Meaning, someone who happens to be a Pokemon could fit both the definitions of otherkin and fictionkin. These are mutually exclusive. I have more than one fictotype and that also affects my nonhumanity in some ways.

I wouldn't limit this issue to those with a bunch of kintypes, honestly. I have been friends with someone who used to consider themselves fictionkin and a few months later would be bothered whenever I brought up my own experiences with it because they expected me to "get over it". I know for a fact they had very few fictotypes, but turned out it was just a phase for them. A trend.