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“Kin for fun” is not copinglinking/otherlinking either. Otherlinking is also serious and is also identify-as - it’s just voluntarily formed.

If what someone’s doing is roleplay, it’s not otherlinking. If what they’re doing is comfort characters, it’s not otherlinking. If what they’re doing is relating to a character without actually identifying as that character, it’s not otherlinking.

I know we’re all really, really tired of people misusing ‘kin language to mean those things, but that’s not an excuse to tell them to misuse someone else’s language instead - when we do that, we’re throwing ‘linkers under the bus in exactly the way we’re asking non-’kin not to do to us.

The only difference between ‘kin and ‘linking is that one is involuntary and the other is consciously, voluntarily formed - they’re both serious, they’re both identify-as, and neither of them should be conflated with roleplay or relating to/projecting onto or comfort characters.

That being said - apparently there’s a term I wasn’t familiar with before someone told me about it while writing this post, funlink, which is in fact “choosing a nonhuman identity for fun” and may fit - I don’t know how popular the term is, but it exists if you want to use it. (That being said… it’s still identify-as. If you don’t identify as the thing, you probably don’t fit under that either, I would assume.)

In addition to that, otherheartedness/kith/synpaths are… generally more important and serious than people make them out to be when they’re giving KFF (kin-for-fun) people alternative words to use. The point of the ‘hearted, kith, and synpath labels are to say “this isn’t me, but it is important to my sense of self nonetheless”. Again, if it’s just something you’re doing for fun and can drop at any given moment with no consequences, it’s… probably not ‘heartdness/kith/synpath either. Those aren’t things that you do for fun.

And yes, I understand that there are cases in which these fit. Usually that’s when people are saying they’re “kin to cope” or “kinning” but not “kin for fun” - if the experiences someone is describing do fit the definitions of ‘linker or ‘hearted or whatever else, then please point them that direction! My point is not that it never applies and we should never suggest it - just that when we do, we need to clearly state that these are still identify-as (for ‘linking) and serious, genuinely important things (both), not treat them like they’re “for fun” and less important or real than otherkinity.

If the words that apply are roleplay, comfort characters, and relating to/projecting onto characters, and it goes no deeper than that and isn’t genuinely important to your sense of self, then those are the words that should be used. Not otherlinker/copinglinker if it’s not identify-as, not ‘hearted/kith/synpath if it’s not genuinely important to who you are. Don’t encourage people to misuse another group’s language because you want them to stop misusing ours.

“No Place for Golf in the Desert” collage by me

I think we should normalize talking about these kinds of experiences that felt undeniably right to us, no matter how “odd” they may seem. Especially within the therian community, sharing these memories helps us understand ourselves and each other better.

I was also a Warriors-obsessed kit for this reason. Lots of the usual, religious reader of the books, joined a clan with my classmates(Cloudclan, I was Firewing and changed my name to Lightstream later. The leaders were Ravenstar and Kestrelstar if memory serves, the latter of whom ‘died’ so she could be reborn as a kit and eventually become apprentice and warrior. Graytail was the medicine cat. Other members included Enowing(later Lavenderwing), Sunvine, Fuzzball, and Echofeather. We had a territory and gathered herbs(mostly moss and dandelions), and fresh-kill(sticks).), eventually watched MAPs(first one I saw was Roxanne), etc. I started incorporating clan turns of phrase into my regular vocabulary, too, but I was teased out of it. I read tons of other books, too, and if the characters weren’t cats in canon, I made them all cats. I imagined nearly every single character I ever read about as a cat. Anyways, I always get surprised whenever I hear Warriors described as a “normal” series to be obsessed with, I’m even disoriented because it takes me a moment to remember that most people probably didn’t love it because they were a cat and gained an opportunity to escape to a world where everyone was one.

And not really something I DID, but I certainly remember realizing in fourth grade or earlier that other people didn’t have 24/7 phantom cat ears and a tail, because if they did someone would have mentioned it by now.

I refuse to reblog this post as I do not want to give this being the attention they do not deserve, but I feel the need to speak on this

STOP PUSHING RELIGION ON OTHERS

STOP SAYING IDENTITIES ARE WRONG

Nobody should feel pressured into converting into a religion that makes them abandon key parts of their identity. God would not want that.

I hope this person finds through their faith that all beings are a part of God’s creation.