#otherkinnity
Hello therians, otherkin, curious humans, and everything inbetween! I wish you all the best 2021 and if you celebrate a holiday, I hope it is great! I got a lot of gear for Christmas and I’m happy! Shirts, paws, tails, masks, even stuffed animals! Stay safe and have fun with your December too!
Beings use the word “kinning” a lot and it kind of bothers me, and a lot of other otherkin and therians. Kin isn’t something you do, it’s what you are, you can’t choose it. In my opinion, “kinning” should be dropped and you should use these terms instead, as these have been accepted more widely and make much more sense than “kinnie” and other childish, unnecessarily quirky terms. There are three other words that sound much better!
|| SYNPATH || A being that an individual can relate to, but not identify AS. The relation can be for several reasons, such as sharing characteristics with a being or a concept that resonates with you. “My synpath is a wolf” is an example.
|| KITH || ANIMAL - HEARTED || OTHER - HEARTED || A being who has a strong connection with another being, but not quite identifying as it. They may experience shifts with their kithtype. “I am wolf-hearted” is an example.
|| COPINGLINK || A being who CHOOSES to identify AS a non-human being for fun or for a coping mechanism. This can be seen as a hobby or simply liking a different identity. Note it is still different than otherkin and therians as you CHOOSE to have a copinglink. “I have a wolf copinglink” is an example.
Some red flags I’ve seen when reading posts here on Tumblr have been really common. Some posts are rather suspicious. I’m not saying all of these beings are bad or fake, but there’s a higher chance for these types of beings to be kinnies and not actual otherkin. I don’t know someone elses identity and I don’t claim to either. These are just some common misrepresentations I’ve seen flying around everywhere…
1. Kinning, kins, and being a kinnie for fun. Otherkin and therian isn’t a choice. It is not a trend, a fashion style, a fetish, or any of that nonsense. Not petplay, not pet regression… oh hunny no. It’s an identity, not a hobby. It is not a coping mechanism either, same thing as having fun or escaping reality. Otherkin is reality. You might want to look into the “furry fandom” or other fandoms if you think it is for fun.
2. Choosing a kintype / theriotype. This is simply not possible. Just because you think lions are badass or raccoons are cute and quirky, doesn’t mean you get to pick it yourself and pretend to be one. It is an identity, not a choice.
3. Kintype / theriotype appearance and separate beings. There is a difference between “this is my theriotype” and “Oh this pic looks like me.” You don’t get to customize what your theriotype looks like. Sorry, but no, you aren’t a pure white wolf fox cat hybrid with four wings and neon blue eyes with magical powers named Luna. Kintype don’t have names. It is you! You can have a nickname like anyone else, but not your kintype. Your kintype is a general species, not an individual who’s separate from yourself!!
Oh goodness, I’ve gotten carried away ranting but these are some of the biggest things that bother me. There’s many more things that are misrepresentitive, like “kin is just quadrobics” or “I’m an angry animal who wants to kill every human ever” or “kin is just extreme furries” which is all false for many reasons… but that’s for another day. Let me rest before I handle those ones next.
Image by https://unsplash.com/@danny_lincoln
