kin “”guide””

by crumb ^.^

WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY!! everyone has their own ideas of what kinning is! everyone will have varying views but these are just the opinions and information which i have collected. additionally, this is all a collection of research/information taken from others info posts in the kin community. so this is not me blindly speaking out of my own mind.

---

---

keywords

dictionary kin definition ones family & relatives / related (to a person) kin will be used as an umbrella term for all types of kinning (otherkin, fictionkin, ect.)

spiritual related to religion, religious belief/ general belief.

psychological the mind. related to the mental and/or emotional state of a person.

multiverse a group of multiple universes, such as our universe.

kin/kintype a character,creature,etc that you identify as. this depends on the person!

fictionkin someone who identifies as a fictional character or creature.

otherkin typically someone who identifies as non-human. can be an animal, fictional creature, object, etc.

factkin someone who identifies as a real life person who does/has existed. this is vastly looked down upon (for obvious reasons)

therian while therian is (i think) considered separate from kin, im including it here. someone who identifies as an animal. can be mythical creature or real animal.

shifts/kin shifts shifts are basically connecting more to a certain kin. this can involve acting more like said kin, seeing yourself as that kin more and many other ways.

selfhood your identity, basically.

doubles this term is used throughout many communities and is not a strictly kin term! this refers to two or more people with the same kin.

---

---

I. kin history

kinning has origins dating back to (latest seen) 1960s in pagan spirituality (from groups which identified as elves) Most otherkin believe they are nonhuman in a spiritual way, or otherwise somehow non-physical, such as from reincarnation, psychology, trans-species dysphoria, or metaphor. source:wikipedia

the term "otherkin" was created by a group of elves in 1990 to include others that werent just elves. the otherkin community also grew out of elven online communities during 1990s. i suggest reading into it yourself! this is just the basic stuff about otherkin origins.

---

---

II. ways people kin

sources used:
https://whatiskinning.carrd.co/#types
https://fictkinhelp.tumblr.com/faq

spiritual kin "Spiritual 'Kin usually believe in reincarnation and sometimes the multiverse theory. There are many different types of spiritual 'kin. They believe they are their kintype on a spiritual level.
Spiritual kin do not choose their kins."

psychological kin while kinning is typically spiritual, it can also be caused by psychological reasons! these reasons may be because of trauma, neurodivergency and other reasons! psychological kin do not choose their kins, but some do.

coping kin/copinglink "Coping 'Kin are those who kin as a coping mechanism. People who kin to cope may do so for different reasons.
Those who are Coping 'Kin choose their kins."

for fun kin/synpaths "For Fun" 'Kin are those who kin simply for fun.
Those who are 'Kin for fun choose their kins."

synpaths,copinglinks and spiritual kin were all taken from the carrd listed above. i suggest giving it a read.

---

---

III. memories

sources used:
what are memories? fictkinhelp tumblr
how to get memories? fictkinhelp tumblr

---

self explanatory, they are memories from your kintype! you do not need memories to be a kin. they are nice to have, but not something you are required to have. kin memories are different from memories that people who are IRLs may get.

"kin memories are basically something from your senses that originated from the life of your kintype. it might sound confusing, but it really isn’t. it could mean something.."

•visual,like images or scenarios you remember experiencing or seeing
•auditory, like the voice of a loved one or something they said, or a conversation you had at some point
•tactile, the way something felt, like the clothes you wore or holding someones hand, or the pain from a fight you had
•olfactory, like the smell of a place you’d been
•you tasted, the flavor of your favorite food or something that no longer or never existed here
•emotional, like how something that happened in your canon made you feel, the feelings you held towards loved ones, anger at your nemisis, etc
•you just know is a fact, something you know happened and although you can’t exactly hold any memories you can see or sense to it as evidence, you just know.

and that most likely isnt all of the types of memories! memories are different for everyone. also, not all memories are/have to be connected. someone from a universe may have different memories then someone from the same universe! both are just as valid!

(fictionkin)memories also do not have to be the same as canon, they can be entirely different or very little difference!

---

all ways taken from the second link listed in the sources! they were just made easier to read ^.^ these directly refer to fictionkin memories! however, i believe otherkin memories may be obtained in similar/same ways!!

•surround yourself in your canon
•get into character
•try to feel as close to your kintype as you can
•do things you liked to do, eat the foods you liked, listen to the music you liked
•roleplay as yourself (if that’s something you’re interested in)
•watch/read/play/listen to your canon often
•think about what you remember, if anything
(any facts, any memories at all, including emotions that you have towards other characters or events in canon)
•focus on what you do know
(write about it, draw it, talk about it.)
•talking to other people from your canon
(meeting someone again can bring back all kinds of things– and if it doesn’t work at first, keep trying! sometimes it takes time for someone to remind you of events of the past, it won’t all be immediate.)

memories wont always be full on movie flashback kinda things, sometimes it just what you think happened! sometimes gut feelings, dreams, blurry images, etc!

---

sometimes this takes a while. you might have to work hard to keep yourself in character, or in that kin shift, for long enough to get memories. sometimes it just doesn’t work for some kintypes. some people don’t get memories at all! but remember that any emotions you have towards things in your canon, like affection for your friends or anger from a moment , those are memories too! they come in all sorts of ways."

---