Your Average Qilin

I had the thought - but comment and add to it if you have other ideas and opinions! - that maybe, some of the “fluffers” in the otherkin communities, are linkers who do not know how to say it, or feel like it’s “bad” to “only be a linker”. So they fluff it, to look more “real”, as if being a lnker was not real.

Or maybe because their link-type “called” to them, and they do not recognize this can happen and be valid.

So maybe, just maybe, we could use more glamorous ways of saying a person is a linker? So that fluffer-linkers stop being ashamed, and stop fluffing up, and feel like they are valid.

Paraphrases such as “I walk in the path/steps of…” or “I am a heir to…” or “I adopted … as my metaphysical parent” and other similar, glamorous ways of saying “I look up to … as a role-model, thrive to be like … and want to be like …”

Ways of saying it, that sould very real, very valid, very poetic, and that people could be proud of saying.

I was thinking about something that the french communities seem to be full of lately, i.e. people who never explain how they experience being “other”, but only write walls of text on having impossible powers contradictory with how the physical world works (such as, physical shape-shifting) and whose only, central experiences seem to be dreams they have of being gods and fighting epic battles.

They have no way of explaining why they feel they are a dragon, or are related to dragons, or identify with dragons - they only write walls and walls of texts of how they are the most powerful golden divine dragon who physically shape-shifts and almost lit their bed on fire, and who suffers so so much to be in a human shape - not because of dysphoria, but because they cannot use their magic to make their teacher’s head explode. Or because they have to go to school. Or because their parents ask them to clean their room.

Please do not misunderstand me. I know that sometimes, it can be a drag to be a teenager, struggling to find one’s place in this world. But these are teenager issues, not otherkin issues.

And none of them seem to be able to describe the feeling of wings moving, the shape of their teeth, the oddness of having such a short human neck compared to a dragon’s, or the difference between human nails and dragon claws. They want their claws, yes - to murder their teachers and parents and do as they please. As instruments of power. Not as “my body should be this way”.

I completely understand the need of looking up to an ideal. It is a powerful tool to move forwards. But I see it as being a bit different than, rubbing one’s fingertips all day long because it’s so odd to touch things with the fingertips when one should have dragon claws and not fingertips.

I do not think linkers should be pushed away from otherkin and other-hearted communities. On the contrary, I think we can all learn from eachother. We are all “other”, just in different ways. And writing walls of texts trying to fit in the wrong place, hurts on the long run. I mean, from experience, I learnt more about myself and how to do introspection, talking with animalistic, psychological therians, rather than listening to spiritual people describing their latest vision of fairies and pushing me into trying to have fairy visions too. Both are interesting, but one was not what I needed at that time.

I also think that a link-type tells much more about a person, than their kintype or theriotype. A kintype or theriotype talks about who the person is - and that is easy to see and deduce by talking with the person. A link-type tells of who the person needs to be, wants to be, the path they want to walk in order to evolve and become themself a little more.There is a dynamic to it.

YO!

Can yall “Spiritual” Otherkin stop with the past lives only shit? Other forms of spirituality and PSYCHOLOGICAL otherkin exist too, yall literally attack everyone who isn’t a past-life otherkin and that shit isnt cool. And for the ones that uses this to attack others just by not being your version, you’re disgusting and very one-sided about this concept as a whole.

You don’t have to agree with it, but don’t claim they’re not otherkin, I don’t understand this community hate on tumblr, we’re in the same boat! Can we atleast enjoy the ride? Also, just because some kintypes are more popularized or rare as a stone doesn’t mean anything. This is not a contest, it’s an experience we all face.

A) Fictionkin and psychological vs spiritual otherkin are two different issues. Don’t confuse them. If you have an issue with fictionkin, that’s a totally different ball game than if you have an issue with psychological explanations for otherkinity. (Not that I agree with you on that subject either, but let’s try to stay on-topic, yes?)

B) Psychological ‘kin have existed for pretty much as long as the community has. All the way back in the 70s, the Silver Elves have records of elves whose explanations for their nonhuman nature are psychological.

C) Psychological ‘kin don’t choose their kintypes, because that wouldn’t be otherkinity and they understand that. It’s just another way of explaining the same range of experiences spiritual ‘kin have - theorizing that one’s experiences are caused by a neurological fluke or a psychological phenomenon or unconscious imprinting or any number of other explanations instead of theorizing that they’re caused by a past life or a misplaced soul or another spiritual explanation. The experiences don’t differ. The explanation does.

D) If the person is aware terms like kith and otherhearted exist, I can basically promise that they’ve thought about whether those terms apply to them instead of otherkin and decided that they don’t.

E) I would love to see your support for the argument that psychological ‘kin don’t take their kintypes as seriously as spiritual ‘kin. If the argument is along the lines of “if it’s not a spiritual thing it clearly can’t mean as much,” I call bull. There are plenty of non-spiritual things outside of otherkinity people take seriously; there’s no reason that shouldn’t apply to otherkinity.

I’m not even a main character or a human. The things I see when I meditate manages to overlap with the artwork/cinematics in game despite this being before I’ve ever seen it. I also see behind the scenes stuff that isn’t even shown. Good god, some fictionkin actually question and contemplate their experiences. Maybe talk to a fictionkin before jumping to conclusions like you are.

YO!

Can yall “Spiritual” Otherkin stop with the past lives only shit? Other forms of spirituality and PSYCHOLOGICAL otherkin exist too, yall literally attack everyone who isn’t a past-life otherkin and that shit isnt cool. And for the ones that uses this to attack others just by not being your version, you’re disgusting and very one-sided about this concept as a whole.

You don’t have to agree with it, but don’t claim they’re not otherkin, I don’t understand this community hate on tumblr, we’re in the same boat! Can we atleast enjoy the ride? Also, just because some kintypes are more popularized or rare as a stone doesn’t mean anything. This is not a contest, it’s an experience we all face.

Before I post it I want to thank anyone who submitted anything and especially @alonewarden for formulating the replies, our editors, and anyone else who may have somehow contributed to this post.

Ask: Otherkin isn’t real. Answer: For this to have meaning, first you have to define real. If you are saying that it isn’t experienced, you will have to prove that not only do I not experience it, but that nobody else does either. Until you can do these things, your claim can be dismissed as easily as you make it.

Ask: You’re delusional/Otherkin is a delusion. Answer: So first of all, you don’t define delusion, but I am going to give you the following; “An idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder.” Yes, otherkin is an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite what is generally accepted. There are a lot of people who do not accept my identity, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a thing I experience and will likely continue to experience. Your experiences and those of a bunch of others may differ from mine, but if we could only have mainstream experiences, feeling and living would become rather dull, now wouldn’t it. (Also, as for the mental disorder bit, prove that this hurts me more than it is a part of me that I care for and would not want to live without.) Ask: Otherkin is a mental illness. Answer: Otherkin is not a recognized mental disorder as of last time I checked the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), but I am open to hearing of a legitimate scientific or psychological source that lists it as such. Ask: If Otherkin want to identify as animals, we should have the right to treat them like animals (IE: hunting, euthanizing, forcing Otherkin to live outside or in a forest, etc.) Answer: Amusingly enough, human beings are animals too. Treat us like you would other humans, because we are, even if our identity is slightly more complex than just that. (Sidenote: Your lack of compassion and encouraging harm to animals is something that really should be reported to the authorities, as that is a good indicator of a future serial killer.) Ask: If my child ever came out to me as Otherkin, I would disown/abuse them/treat them like a biological animal. Answer: Saying this so flippantly makes me hope you are never a parent whether or not your kid is otherkin. A proper parent loves their child unconditionally and encourages them to explore the world. I also hope you don’t come to own any animals, which are also, as fellow living beings, creatures whom you really should respect. I get that your point here is to grandstand, but I personally prefer not to brag about my failings as a human being and inability to perform essential human functions like reproducing and raising the product of that. Ask: Species dysphoria isn’t real. Answer: I would like to see your sources that prove that what many in the otherkin community claim to experience, isn’t a thing they experience. I expect that you will invent a device that can be proven to read minds or you can just track down everybody who has ever identified as otherkin and everybody who secretly thinks they are otherkin and claims or believes they experience this.. I expect that… but really, it’s up to you how you will prove this claim. Ask: Species dysphoria mocks trans people/gender-identity related issues. Answer: Dysphoria, amusingly enough, refers to something that is hard to bear. This may be shocking, but difficult experiences when it comes to living have actually existed for as far back as recorded human history. This is to say that dysphoria is something that any number of people have experienced all throughout human history in all sorts of ways and fashions. If we are really offending transgender individuals with this term, so is everybody else who has ever had it rough. Ask: You are human (Implying that Otherkin don’t know we’re physically human). Answer: Yes I am. Ask: Otherkin [exist to] mock gender identities. Answer: intentionalism aside (prove that we are all actually doing this), If your depth of exploration into these two subjects is so shallow that you think that, please, by all means, be offended. Ask: Otherkin is a bad religion to follow (/somehow implies Otherkin is a religion.) Answer: Otherkin would make a terrible religion. The beliefs are so ridiculously different from person to person that I don’t think you could actually form a cohesive structure around it. It also doesn’t really have any core tenants or beliefs. I think that if you are searching for a religion, you could certainly do better than ‘otherkin’ Ask: You’re just a bunch of teenagers (implying that there are no “adult” otherkin, or that the otherkin community is maintained by only teenagers/young people.) Answer: Even if all otherkin were hypothetically teenagers… so what? This really doesn’t seem like a point that means anything unless you are trying to say that teenagers can’t have beliefs, feelings or identities.

Ask: Get help! Answer: There are people posting vague asks on my blog and I don’t know why, help!

Ask: Do Otherkin know what reality is/how reality works? Have any Otherkin really been outside/got off Tumblr? Answer: I would be deeply shocked if otherkin don’t have any concept of reality. That said, I would be shocked if any of us actually understood exactly how reality works, or you, or even the brightest minds humanity has to offer. I am confused at the second half of this though, are you implying that we were born, as infants, on Tumblr? That one cannot use Tumblr while outside? That “outside” is the “cure” to otherkin?

Ask: How could you identify as a fictional character, they aren’t real. Answer: Contextually, you seem to be using real to mean physically of this world. Though they may not be of this world, they may be of another and they certainly have an impact on the hearts and minds of others. My identity may not meet your standards of reality, but that just means your cognition is limited to what is physical, not that I’m fake.

Ask: Why are all fictionkin always main characters? Why isn’t anyone a background character? Answer: Character specific fictionkin is not only main or major characters, but it is easier to notice an identity that stands out than one that blends into the background. Since you wouldn’t inherently know what others would call your canon, you are more likely to recognize yourself from a place in the spotlight than one mired in shadow.

Ask: Why are all fictionkin from anime, the Hamilton musical, from Undertale, or another big part of pop/internet-culture? Answer: As this is a positive claim, I would like to see proof, especially since I am aware of people who don’t seem to fit that particular mold.

Ask: Get another coping mechanism! Answer: I am unsure of what you are claiming that I need help coping with that I don’t have other, actual, coping mechanisms for. Ask: Wow, you guys must be closet zoophiles (/be sexually interested in biological animals!) Answer: Why must we? Ask: There’s no scientific proof of Otherkin existing. Answer: Things exist before they are proven to exist, not the other way around. Ask: Mythical creatures don’t exist, how could you identify as one? Answer: To exist is to be objectively real or observable. Mythical creatures, by definition, exist in that they are observed in and through folklore. While they may not have an observable physical presence, they can still exist in the hearts and minds and tales passed down through the ages. Ask: Godkin/Dietykin/Celestialkin are narcissists. Answer: Aren’t we all to some extent? Ask: Nounself pronouns are stupid. Answer: Pronouns relate to gender identity, not otherkinity. Ask: Factkin is stupid. Answer: Yes, it is. Ask: You can’t physically shapeshift into your kintype! Answer: It’s a good thing I don’t believe I can then. Ask: Astral limbs are fake. Answer: Then you should have no trouble proving that I don’t experience them. Ask: Otherkin is ableist. Answer: Citation needed. I am going to assume that you are referring to us experiencing phantom limbs however, to which I will A thusly. Phantom limbs is shorthand for a phenomena called “Supernumerary phantom limbs” in which case one experiences limbs and appendages that are not typically a part of a normal human body as opposed to regular phantom limbs which are what a person should but does not have. If you are a disabled person who is complaining that the terms are so similar and are genuinely hurt by this, invent a new term to distance yourself from us. If you aren’t, stop using the plight of the actually disabled to push your agenda you manipulative shitlord.

Ask: Otherkin is just made up for a false sense of security! Answer: I don’t feel any more secure in the world because I identify as an animal and sometimes, people like you make us feel less so. Even granting your premise though, there is nothing wrong with wanting a sense of security in this world which is such a dangerous place. There is nothing wrong with believing in an afterlife as a means of coping with ones anxiety over death.

Ask: Otherkinity goes against common sense. Answer: Common sense is a bunch of prejudices and the like that people use to understand and interact with the world. It’s a poor tool for understanding the world around us, however, as evidenced in how science shuns common sense (which might tell us things like that the earth is flat or vaccines cause autism or various forms of racism). Thank you for disassociating me from such a potentially toxic concept as common sense.

Ask: Otherkin are just furries/furries who took things too far. Being a furry doesn’t actually mean you are that animal. Answer: If what you were saying were true, all otherkin would identify as furries which doesn’t seem to be the case. Unless you can prove that all otherkin are furries, or that all furries are otherkin, there is no real link between the two except humans with some connection to animals.

Ask: You’re mentally ill, I care about your general well-being and I want you to get help. Answer: Mental illness means to not be at full mental health. Are you at 99% mental health? Are you functioning on a day to day basis but for a second every week or so you get the sads? You are mentally ill. I know this is an exaggeration, but you really need to explain how this is a thing that so adversely affects my life that it needs to be cured.

Ask: Why don’t you bark or growl at people? Why don’t you walk on all fours? Why don’t you live in the woods? Answer: Because I don’t feel like it.

Ask: Why are all Otherkin only “cool”  (aesthetically pleasing, romanticized, popular, or well-known) animals? Answer: Aesthetically pleasing is fairly subjective and most animals aren’t grotesque last I checked. People will romanticize almost any animal. An unknown animal wouldn’t get much recognition and might be hard to find.

Ask: Seriously though, you’re having an identity crisis and you should get some help. Answer: I guess you could technically say that sometimes finding out our identities can be a source of stress, and we often get help in those instances. If we are doing it right, we seek out the help of people who are critical, yet supportive. Maybe, if you are concerned, you can be there for me, encouraging me as I explore. Unless you are just using this as an excuse to denigrate us…

Ask: What if someone’s kintype(/identity) is inherently harmful? Do they get an excuse to be harmful? Answer: Someone is free to use their kintype as an excuse for why they think they do harmful things, but you are not obligated to accept that excuse and if they claim that their harmful actions are out of their control, you are free to just ignore and disassociate with them. This is not a uniquely otherkin thing, people use all sorts of excuses for their actions like being drunk or high.

Ask: Otherkin ISN’T LGBT. Answer: Correct.

and the more mundanes blame us for transphobia 

and the more mundanes think being otherkind and being trans are somehow almost the same thing, or how we’re somehow comparing trans issues to otherkind issues

and the more mundanes think our entire existence is dedicated to being totally out-to-get trans folk

and the more mundanes think we trivialize trans issues, or [try to] make them seem lesser than they actually are

Yes, there are some cross overs. But trans folk and Otherkind folk live in completely separate worlds. Most mundanes don’t understand that. So when we talk about our gender identities and our Otherkind identities in the same post, or somewhere that’s otherwise public/mundanes can reach, they often think it’s the same thing, or we’re somehow relating them to each other/comparing.

To any mundanes that may be reading this post: 

We know we’re not oppressed. We are not out-to-get trans folk. The pride flags some make are not trying to completely mix together gender identity (or sexuality) and Otherkinity. We are not trying to make trans issues seem lesser than they are. We are not trying to mock trans people. We are certainly not responsible for transphobia, wholly or even partly. We know gender identity has absolutely nothing to do with Otherkinity. 

It is not my job to cater to transphobic morons. I don’t care if you think it is. You’re wrong. I do not owe anyone anything, including shifting my artwork and writings so as to appease transphobes and people who attempt to scapegoat the otherkin community so as to protect the aforementioned transphobes.

I don’t care if non-kin blame us for the existence of transphobia. Because at the end of the day, that is NOT the truth of the situation and their opinions–their entirely uncorrect opinions–do not matter when compared to the truth of the situation. 

Am I these transphobes’ parent? Am I their babysitter? If not, then why am I being charged with their behavior? It’s not because people genuinely believe otherkin are the source of all transphobia, I can tell you that. It’s because people are cowards, too afraid to accept that those transphobic ideas they quote us for being responsible for may very well come form the people around them–from people they’re close to or themselves, even. It’s terrifying to them to have to accept that transphobic language can be so familiar, so they attempt to categorize it as other and pin someone else as responsible. 

The fact that you’re trying to stifle transgender otherkin from speaking about their personal experiences is wrong. Period. For some people, their gender identity is influenced by their experiences as otherkin and they have a right to freely talk about that without being baselessly accused of perpetuating the transphobic and illogical idea that otherkin are responsible for transphobia. It’s not their fault people are fucking stupid, and they should not be expected take responsibility for strangers’ actions. You shouldn’t reasonably expect that of anyone. 

im not trying to appease or silence anybody… im just really tired of being blamed for transphobia when i have nothing to do with it. being blamed for transphobia seems to be the new anti-kin thing. im not the originator of the idea that otherkind are transphobic, i think its gross to say that. i thought i said this in my original post but it seems like i worded it fucky. i’ve been seeing us be blamed for transphobia more and more recently and it bugs the shit out of me

this isnt so much about appeasing the masses as it is clearing our name. its kind of like being accused of murder when you’re innocent… im not pleading innocence to try and look good. im pleading innocence because i am innocent and i dont want to get a life sentence. being called transphobic or accused of transphobia really grosses me out when I know full well I have absolutely nothing to do with it and my existance does not fuel these ideas

i have kin friends who are trans and would love to pour their heart out into writing about how their gender identity effects their otherkinity/vise versa (and I encourage this, but I’m not really all for posting it in a space where [many] mundanes have access to it) but because mundanes often think it’s the same thing; my kin friends dont want to contribute to this idea because they know it can be harmful to us

im not trying to justify what mundanes do. im trying to more give an example of a cause-effect situation and hope that anyone reading this takes it as a warning that this is the kind of behavior we can expect when we talk about these issues, even to eachother, in a public space

i also want to clear that making pride flags for our kintypes =/= using a pre-existing pride flag (for sexuality or gender identity) and pasting a pic of ur kintype on it arent the same thing. pride flags have been around and are not a sexuality/gender exclusive idea, and I dont have a problem in making them. but using pre existing pride flags which present sexuality or gender identity can perpetrate the idea that otherkinity is related to those things to someone with an untrained eye

and yeah, antis will still be antis and thats fine if thats their thing. but mundanes who are more neutral or open about otherkin are more of the target demographic (for lack of a better term)… we dont want to create more people who dislike otherkind… it’s okay if you or other individuals don’t care about our image, in fact, I envy you. But I do. And there are others who care as well, and that is who this post is for. I dont want our community to be mass-hated for something we don’t do or remotely contribute to

im pleading innocence because i am innocent and i dont want to get a life sentence. being called transphobic or accused of transphobia really grosses me out when I know full well I have absolutely nothing to do with it and my existance does not fuel these ideas 

Maybe your existence itself doesn’t fuel transphobia, but your actions right now by telling trans nonhumans that we shouldn’t and can’t share our stories in public because it’ll impact the “image” of otherkin sure does. Instead of telling an entire group of trans people to sit down and shut up so you can look nice and innocent of transphobia, you could stand up for the trans people who do experience intersections between our gender and species identities so we don’t have to hide and worry that our authentic existence makes other people look bad. That would be helping trans people and combating transphobia, which is more important than being worried about misinformed people falsely calling you transphobic – which wouldn’t happen if trans nonhumans were allowed to talk about ourselves and be respected.

This is from Magic Moon Week on insta last week!

What does synpath mean? Synpath is a tidy name for something you identify with on several levels, which could be a concept that resonates really strongly with you, an animal or mythological creature you feel you act like, or a person or character you share a lot of common behaviors with, among other things.

Things that are not synpaths: Kintypes - those are things you feel that you actually are. This definition was made specifically by the otherkin community. No I am not “gatekeeping”. You - unless someone identifies with you and considers you their synpath, you are not a synpath.

Why isn’t it sympath instead of synpath? Because the syn- comes from both sympathy and from synchronization, and the former was obvious so I left the n for the latter. It has had the unexpected benefit of being easily-searchable, as “sympath” gets results for “sympathy” but “synpath” can be found on its own.

Why did you make the word synpath? Simply, because I was asked to. Someone close to me had expressed feelings similar to kin but it wasn’t an identity, and wanted a word to use for that feeling.

Do only otherkin have synpaths? No. The word was actually intended for non-kin, as expressed above, though kin may use it. It’s not a word meant for one community alone.

Isn’t having a synpath the same as being animal/other-hearted? Sort of. I created synpath before I was made aware animal-hearted and other-hearted were terms. As synpath refers to something you resonate with and animal/other-hearted is a personal identity, there is no conflict between them and one or both may be used at the same time if desired.

Further, one can have a synpath without having to id as animal/other-hearted, making it much more versatile. (also prevents identity issues with people who are using kin as coping mechanisms, since they don’t have to fully id with certain things and call themselves both kin and animal/other-hearted)

I’ve seen people saying synpath is a racist term. Why? Because some buttheads thought that having a fickin list and taking all the Japanese anime characters off it and calling them synpaths, then behaving exactly the same as they were when they were claiming to be fickin with them, would somehow let them dodge being called racist. That’s not how it works, and quite frankly they disgust me.

I want to clarify that I think it’s generally okay to have characters of differing ethnicities to your own; after all, most creators of fictional media strive for universally-relatable characters. A connection with them is probably inevitable for many, and you’re still maintaining your own identity apart from theirs.

Also, synpath is not intended to erase any part of a person/character’s identity. It is also not intended to demean, devalue, or harm any race. Therefore, no, it is not a racist term by any current definition or interpretation.

However, as stated before, some people who use the term may, in fact, be racist. There is no single perfect racism litmus test, unfortunately, so I encourage people to just use the best judgment they can.

Why don’t you stop them? Isn’t this your responsibility because you made the word? I am not responsible for racists and creeps using a term I made that’s meant for everyone to use, any more than the people behind Facebook are responsible for internet stalkers or the makers of crowbars are responsible for assholes whacking people with them. That’s not to say I condone their actions; quite the opposite. There’s just not much I can actually do to stop them.

Isn’t a synpath like a weaker version of a kintype? Synpath is not kin-lite, nor was it ever meant to be. It is characterized by a very strong feeling of resonance with whatever the synpath is and there’s nothing lesser about it; it’s just a different feeling.

I’ve been told I shouldn’t use synpath because you’re a pedophile/pedo apologist. You were misinformed. That was a wild case of mistaken identity, and the user concerned has been identified by divinegender in the original post that claimed it was me. I’m actually a csa victim myself and this rumor hurts me deeply, so I’d appreciate not having to deal with it further.

Depends on who you are, why you’re making an otherlink, and what you’re trying to make an otherlink of. Here’s a sort of in general guide though. As a quick word, this might not apply to everyone completely, and don’t worry about doing things differently. 

Determine why you’re making an otherlink. Are you doing this to help you with your identity? Is it to give yourself peace of mind?If you’re making a copinglink, what are you trying to cope with? There’s a lot of different reasons why someone might want to create a ‘link. Knowing why can really help you determine what you want to do and give yourself more of a solid foundation. 

Pick what you want an otherlink of. You might already have an idea or you might not. This goes with the previous step of determining why you want to make an otherlink, it makes the whole process easier. If you have a broad list of what you want (characters with certain traits, characters from a certain show/medium, certain themes, etc), you can narrow that down. There’s also no shame in trying something out, realizing it doesn’t work, and then changing it or dropping it. 

Envision yourself as your otherlink. Start to try to view yourself as your otherlink. Going through your daily life consider what your otherlink would do. You could also change your icon on websites to your otherlink and that’s something that helped me. This is a little easier if you’re a fictional character but it can be done with different species. You can also try to do activities you think your otherlink would like or try to do activities you like to do as your otherlink. Roleplaying or writing is another thing that’s incredibly helpful. 

Looking at your otherlink. If yours is fictional, watch/read/listen to scenes where your character is in the spotlight or fanart/fanfiction. If yours is an animal/creature/concept, then look up images or video of that thing. 

I hope this was helpful. 

NOTE: I am not a professional and my words may not apply to everyone. If your linktype is causing you harm and won’t go away even when you try to drop it, please try to talk to a professional if you can. Therapists are understanding people who can help you, be honest with them and they can help you to do what you need to move on.

Linking can be very helpful most of the time, and even fun! But sometimes a linktype might become a problem, they might cause you to think or act in a negative way and have adverse effects on your life. In this case it is best to drop the linktype.

Linktypes that do more harm than good should not be kept!

For some it may be as simple as saying “okay X is no longer my linktype.” and to walk away and leave it at that. If that is the case, that is wonderful, please do so! If you cannot simply do this, for any reason, you will need to examine you, your linktype and your relationship to your linktype. I have outlined a method of examining your linktype and a few methods which you may try in order to drop the link. 

Please exercise caution when attempting to drop a link. Make sure you have some way to continue forward, whether it’s a new coping mechanism, a support group, or a new linktype, or something else entirely. Again, if you are having difficulty, please talk to a professional therapist about these difficulties, be honest with them so that they can help you be the best person you can be for yourself!

Please think about how these actions may affect you and take caution. If you feel that you are at any point in danger of physical harm, please talk to a professional!

Examining the linktype:

Moving on from a linktype may mean you will need to take a good look at what made the linktype useful to you as well as what has caused the harm. Take some time to do this before attempting any further methods of dropping your link.

Take a piece of paper and draw three columns, one for positive things about your linktype, one for neutral things, and one for things you might consider to be bad or harmful. Take a good read through this.

If you see a common thread of negative traits, events, backstory, etc, are they things you can cast aside? Are they things you can safely ignore or rewrite out of the linktype and have them be more positive than negative?

Rewriting a character:

If dropping is not an option or is proving difficult for one reason or another, try taking your list and rewriting the character to be something you aspire to. Try to focus on keeping more positive traits.

If your character had a traumatic past or event happen to them, try to rewrite them in a way that either helps them to cope with this trauma in a healthy way and make positive changes to them, OR to rewrite the past or event to either disappear or change it to a positive thing instead.

If your character has a negative outlook on life, why is that? What caused them to think and act this way? What can you change that might give them a more positive attitude and change them to be more of a role model for you to look up to? You might even create an event that changes them for the better.

You can take anything of a character that may have been causing an issue for you and rewrite it into being a positive change. This may or may not work, depending on your personal attachment or ways of linking. 

Side note, if you do rewrite a character please do not go into fandom spaces and claim it is canon. It is more than okay to write stories or make art that shows these rewritten things (see villain redemption fanfiction especially), but be aware that some people may point out that it is a bit out of character or not canon (depending on the changes you made). Don’t let fandom ruin things for you, but also do not try to make fandom cater to you.

Replacing the link:

If you cannot drop the link or rewrite the link, perhaps you can replace the link.

What are some characters or things that have similar traits but does not have the specific negative traits that are causing problems for you? Try and find some characters or things with enough similarities that it does not feel too strange to you to swap the two as links.

You may also want to see if you can find a character or thing that has similar positive traits AND more (or specific) traits to help with erasing or coping with any harm a previous link may have caused.

You might try linking something of the same species, from the same fandom, or something with similar powers or backstory. Whatever works the best for you!

Linking an OC:

It might be best to replace a harmful link with an OC that encompasses all the traits you want or need in order to cope with whatever you need. Linking with an OC is extremely valid and also a great way to fully control what you’re linking with.

Create an OC that is much like you, but can do the things you want or need it to do. That might be anything form being able to fight off bad thoughts, to loving and knowing how to cook really tasty healthy foods. The best part of linking an OC is that they can be completely anything you want or need them to be! That makes them a great way to replace or drop a linktype that might be causing you harm!

Because something I’ve seen more and more recently is people asking if it’s okay to be otherkin without having past life memories, or otherwise freaking out over trying to retrieve past life memories, and I’ve had an unnerving number of people outright say that they didn’t know this, I feel like it needs to be said:

Not all otherkin believe in past lives or believe their kintype(s) came from a past life.

There are a ton of explanations for why someone might be otherkin. Generally those fall into the categories of “spiritual” or “psychological,” but within each of those broad categories are dozens of more specific explanations. Some believe they were a misplaced soul, meant for the body of their kintype but mistakenly placed into a human body instead by some error. Others believe they are walk-ins, souls that weren’t the original inhabitants of the body but who essentially took over after the original soul vacated the premises somehow. Others don’t feel they ever were or were even supposed to live a life as their kintype in a literal sense, but instead identify as the archetype of that being. Still others believe they unconsciously imprinted on their kintype at a young age, to the point of it becoming an integral part of their identity. Still others believe their otherkinity is caused by psychological activity in their brains causing them to identify as nonhuman.

The point is, your kintype may not come from a past life, and you don’t even have to believe in past lives to be otherkin. There is no one “right” way to be otherkin. So don’t freak out too much if you don’t seem to have any of these “memories” that the ‘kin community on Tumblr loves to chat about.

For that matter, even if your kintype does stem from a past life, past life memories are really hard to access for most people. Don’t stress too much about it. If you worry about it too much, odds are you’ll just end up manufacturing “memories” because the human brain is remarkably good at that if you’re not careful. It’ll be all right. You don’t need to remember anything to be otherkin.

Furthermore, not all past lives are kintypes.

One can have a past life as something, and remember living as that thing, without that thing being a kintype. For something to be a kintype, the criteria is that you still identify as that thing currently, in this life. Say you do a past life regression and remember being a sheep, but you don’t still feel connected to that in any relevant or important way in this life. If that’s the case, you’re probably not a sheep therian. If you believe in past lives, then all of us have lived as many different things - but if we still identified as all those things on an integral level, our identities would be chaos, and odds are it would be almost impossible for most of us to function. Otherkinity is a function of current identity, not just a way of saying “I used to be this in a past life” with no impact on today’s life.

ive been having very strong pulls to cervidae lately, and on occassion i feel antlers as astral limbs. the antlers i feel… feel kind of different every time?? like different shapes of antlers. but heres the catch

they have little leaves on them

they have little leaves on them.

Back when we were in high school and into our first year of college we attempted a small personal writing project. It was an attempt at writing a series of therianthropic focused short stories with various kinds of therianthropes having various shifting or otherwise kinds of therianthropic related experiences. The “finale” was going to be a short story of them all meeting up for a howl. We never finished the project as we moved on to writing mostly nonfiction but we still kept them along with our notes on characters and what their story was supposed to be about encase we were wanted to pick it up again. Just for a few giggles here are a few experts: From “Driving White Shifted,” featuring a cougar therianthrope -

The traffic on the road was fairly clear and few cars seemed to be out as far as I could see in either direct which wasn‘t surprising consider this was the slower part of town and it was during the week. After a few blocks, I came to a stop by the command of a red light. As I sat there waiting for cars that were not there, I felt the sensation of phantom paws overtake my actual hands. The feeling of large feline paws as big as my real hands even though the digit part of my paws were shorter then my fingers. Soft fur and thick pawpads. I momentarily gripped the steering wheel tightly and felt the short digits of my phantom paws grasp at the wheel as the sharp imaginary claws from their sheaths to grip and dig into the wheel. When I relaxed my grip, my claws released their tight hold and retracted back on to my paws.

My phantom tail flicked once as the light ahead of me finally turned green without a single car having driven past me. Even with the sensation of phantom paws on my hands, turning and streaming the wheel was not actually difficult thought it did feel strange. I felt the hard vinyl of the wheel scrap along the hard paw pads of my phantom paws as I let the wheel slide back to center after the turn.  I quickly squeezed the steering wheel again, feeling all four of my phantom digits grip into the vinyl as picked up speed again.

From “Phantom Lupine,” featuring a wolf therianthrope -

I felt the numb and disembodied presence of a phantom sensation come around me, but it was not just ears, tail, or muzzle; it was everything. My whole physical human body was suddenly shadowed by a phantom wolf body.

I felt my muzzle in front of my face and the fur that covered my phantom body. I still felt my tail curled beside me and my ears on my head. I slowly glanced about the room calmly, feeling my phantom wolf head turn along with my physical human head.

My phantom wolf body sat on its – my – haunches in my seat. My right arm lay in my lap and my left one lay on the desk beside my book and folder. Similarly, my phantom wolf body appeared to be trying to mimic and match my physical body as best could be done. My right foreleg set upright on the seat of the desk supporting my weight while my left foreleg lay on my desk table. My phantom body was trying to do what my physical body was doing to the best of what my brain thought wolf anatomy would allow. My phantom wolf body was sitting fully like a wolf in a school desk that was uncomfortable for a human body any day of the year and even more so for a wolf. Despite that, I liked it. I liked the feel of my phantom wolf body being there over me.

With acute questioning interest I lifted my arm off the table slightly only to feel my front leg mimic it. My phantom ears twitched forward and the lips of my phantom muzzle part slightly as I felt both bodies relax. I laid my arm down then and set my other arm on the desk beside it, my phantom limbs acting accordingly.

At that moment, the bell let out its sudden shrill ring at that moment signaling the end of the hour causing my ears to perk-up in attention. There was a rush of sound: books closing, shoes pushing against the floor, books sliding off the desks, people beginning to talk to one another, and all of that noise headed for the door.

Automatically, I physically stood up from my desk, my folder and math book held propped up at my chest. However my phantom body landed on all fours to the ground in my place. I felt my wolf body standing straight where I was along with feeling my physical body. I felt all four paws against cold, hard, smooth concrete besides just the feel of my real two feet surrounded by the warm confinement of my own shoes and the pressure of gravity against the soles of my feet. Without missing a beat I began to walk for the door, wolf paws silently tapping on the floor as I went.

A small informative guide for community terms recognized by Otherkin.  Non-human Terms Otherkin - Someone who identifies on an integral level as non-human. This identity is commonly spiritual or psychological in nature.  Therian - Someone who identifies as an earth animal on a non physical level. This can range from any animal, including those that are extinct.  Theriomythic - Someone who identifies as a mythical creature that is feral or uncivilized in nature. The identity is animalisitc and generally explained by spiritual or psychological reason.  Phytanthrope/Plantkin - Someone who identifies as a plant on a non-physical level. A phytanthrope spiritually or psychologically identifies as a plant. Cladotherian - A therian who identifies not as a single distinct species , but as an entire family or genus. Fictionkin - (Not technically non-human specific) Someone who identifies as a character or species from a source of media.  Polykin/Polytherian - Someone who has more than one kintype/theriotype. Anyone who identifies as more than 1 being is referred to as polykin or a polytherian.  Greymuzzle - A term recognizing those who have participated or actively done things in the community for a long period of time or has garnered widespread respect from the community. It is a term that is earned by the community and not given to oneself.  Identity Terms Kintype - Otherkin refer to their identity as a kintype. Someone who identifies as a dragon has a dragon kintype or refers to themselves as dragonkin. This wording works for any otherkin identity.  Theriotype - Therians refer to their identity as a theriotype. Someone who identifies as a horse has a horse theriotype or refers to themselves as a horse therian.  This wording works for any therian identity. Fictotype - Fictionkin refer to their identity as a ficotype. Someone who identifies as a fictional character refers to the character as their fictotype.  Shifting Terms Phantom Shift - A shift that involves a ghostly feeling of a limb that is not present. Ex. feeling wings, muzzles, or tails.  Mental Shift - A shift that involves feeling a shift in mental state to the instincts and urges of ones kin/theriotype.  Aura Shift - A shift in one’s aura field from what would usually be their human aura to something other. This is a spiritual type of shift that would require the belief in such.  Astral Shift - A shift whereas the astral body separates from the physical body and changes form while on the astral plane. An out of body experience.  Bilocation Shift - A shift where one self replicates as the being they identify as alongside their human self. The double can appear ghostly or solid but is not actually physically there. It is similar to an OBE, only this happens while awake.  Sensory Shift - A shift where one feels their senses are more heightened and more aware of their body and surroundings. No physical change actually comes of the body.  Cameo Shift - A temporary shift that lasts for only a certain period of time, but is not associated with ones kintype, theriotype, or fictotype.  Shifting Experience Terms Contherian - A therian who experiences no shifting and is in a constant state between human and their theriotype. Their are no fluctuations or changes in state from human to animal.  Suntherian - A therian whose therioside is integrated with their baseline personality with minor fluctuations from more to less animal.  Vacillant Therian - A therian whose animalside and humanside are interlaced. The animalside can become noticeably stronger in the mind as needed or desired.   Other Terms   Awakening - The moment one realizes they identify as something other than human or their present human self. One awakens to their kintype/theriotype/fictotype. Phantom Limbs - Ghostly limbs that do not exist on the current physical body. Astral Limbs - Limbs that exist on the astral plane during astral projection. Terms Unrecognized by the Greater Community Kinfirmed - You can not confirm a kintype. Kintypes are an identity phenomenon that has no valid basis in being proven.  Kinning - Being otherkin is not a verb. You are not kinning, you are otherkin. The word demeans our experience and how we feel about our identities.  Kinnie - A term largely used by trolls and anti-kin. It is often used in a derogatory manner by such to insult otherkin or get a quick laugh. Using this term has a negative impact on those who have been bullied by this. Kins - A term found used in the place of kintype. Otherkin do not refer to their kintypes as “kins”. The plural of kin is kin. Kin = family or blood. The term otherkin means being “kin to the other”.  ID - ID is not an otherkin communty term. It can be used to speak of ones identity, but does not replace nor mean a stronger relation than a kintype. Otherkin do not use it when speaking of their kintype. - - - Being otherkin is not a game or a choice. This community has been in existence and grown and developed over the past 50 or so years. Read and research! Join some groups and learn with those around you!  If you believe you are otherkin, you should be interested in using the correct terms and not making the community look bad!  :)