your (hopefully) comprehensive guide to the kinternet. more specifically to the fictionkin corner of it ,,fictionkin being such a subjective identity, many of the listed terms intentionally lack detail. to offer specifics means to disregard the countless other unique experiences one might have as kin and to further confuse anyone who might use this carrd as a resource

• terminology
• labels
• common questions
• update log

• return

⑅⏔⑅ㆍfictionkin: one who identifies involuntarily as a fictional entity, most often characters or species. this identity is typically spiritual or psychological in nature.⑅⏔⑅ㆍkintype: the being one identifies as. you can have any number of kintypes⑅⏔⑅ㆍmediamates: multiple people who kin from the same media (example. if i kin wizard cookie and my friend kins gingerbrave, we are mediamates)⑅⏔⑅ㆍcanon: in the context of fictionkin, canon refers to the specific timeline or au someone kins a character from. despite the name, this may not always align with what is shown in the media's canon timeline⑅⏔⑅ㆍcanonmates: people who kin from the same au or timeline as one another (example. if i kin wizard cookie in an au where nothing changes but i am without a hat and my friend kins gingerbrave from that same au, we would be canonmates)⑅⏔⑅ㆍdoubles: multiple people who share the same kintype. comfort with doubles will vary by the personalternatively, some use the word twinkin to describe those of the same kin⑅⏔⑅ㆍkinshift: a state of mind in which someone feels particularly connected to a given kintype. it is possible to be shifted as any number of kins at once. not all kin have shifts and no one is less valid for not experiencing them⑅⏔⑅ㆍpermashift: a permanent kinshift. or one that has gone on so long that it can be reasonably labelled as such until its eventual endpermashifts may fluctuate in intensity, especially among those with several. this is not abnormal or an inherently different thing from your typical permashift⑅⏔⑅ㆍkin memories: memories as one's kin, which might come in any form; from vague feelings to full scenarios playing out in your head. you also need not have memories to still be kin⑅⏔⑅ㆍkinsider(ing): a play on the words kin and consider, meaning to question a certain being as a kintype⑅⏔⑅ㆍkinfirm: a play on the words kin and confirm, meaning to confirm that you kin someone or thing⑅⏔⑅ㆍselfhood / id: basically it is your highest kin. like. the you of all time if this makes sense at all. as with any other kin, you can have any number of selfhoods

⑅⏔⑅ㆍfictionflicker: a kin which seems to come and go with time, but is never permanently there⑅⏔⑅ㆍcopinglink: a voluntary identity taken on as a means of coping with something, whatever it may be⑅⏔⑅ㆍfunlink: similar to copinglink, this identity is taken on voluntarily; just for joy and merriment and fun rather than to cope with things⑅⏔⑅ㆍIRL: someone who experiences delusional attachment to a fictional character. as with any delusion, this is best not encouraged or reality checked unless they are putting themself or others in the way of harm.
- while this term did find its origin in kin communities to describe what some might now call an id or a selfhood, this is not the modern use of the term. some may still use it to describe kins; so it is best you simply ask should you find yourself unsure⑅⏔⑅ㆍsynpath: a character one can closely relate to, identifying with but not asmore labels do exist. but these are the most useful to know

• return

ㆍ?? how does one come to the realization of being fictionkinㆍ.. is a stupid question. with an identity as subjective as kin, how you might realize will differ drastically from person to person. instead of asking how you should know, i would advise doing proper research on the topic and looking at others' lived experiences to see if they resonate with your own in any way. if you must, play around with labels and see what fits and what doesn't. there is no correct way to figure out your identity nor is there any shame in that identity changing at a later point in timeㆍ?? is it necessary that one should relate to a character in order to also kin themㆍno; some people do relate heavily to their kins and in some cases it may play a major role in their identity, but this is by no means a universal rule. you need not even like your kins for them to still be youㆍ?? how am i to determine whether i kin a character or am just so hyperfixated on themㆍwhy not let it be both. otherkin identities often go hand in hand with neurodivergence, and it is only natural that hyperfixations also should come into play. if you are still reluctant to call it kin then there also is the term otherfix, which means to kin something as a direct result of hyperfixation. fixtypes might fade with the hyperfixation itself or they might not, all depending on the personㆍ?? can a person lose kins over timeㆍyes; and you realistically will. it is nothing to fret over, just the evolution of your identity as time passes. just because you might identify differently at a later point in time does not make your feelings of the present day any less true to you, and your experiences now only serve to shape that future identityㆍ?? is it possible to kin an OC
ㆍ are OCs no longer fiction ?? it is perfectly acceptable to kin an OC, and such an identity is called OCkin. all fictionkin are technically OCkin if you think about it, seeing as all fictional characters are the OCs of whoever produced themㆍ?? is being fictionkin alike to being a systemㆍno; systems form as a result of extensive trauma in early childhood leading to the development of DID or OSDD. while one may act or think differently in kinshifts /or/ kin as a result of trauma, behavioral changes or trauma do not automatically make someone a system.systems can still identify as fictionkin and some might misidentify their experience with systemhood as being kin, but whether or not this happens to be the case is not your call to make. please do not hand out armchair diagnoses of such complex disorders as DID or OSDD, and do not suggest that someone might be plural based on one or a few symptoms they have described to you. if their experience as kin seems more alike to symptoms of a disorder it is best you just tell them the symptom so they can do research on their own time and of their own volition. rather than you trying to label it for themㆍ?? must i label my experience as strictly spiritual or psychologicalㆍwhy should you label yourself if you hold no desire to do so? it is your identity to label as you so pleaseㆍ?? what differentiates fictionkin from IRLsㆍwhile it is true that some kin do identify as such due to mental illness, this is not always the case nor does mental illness always equate to delusion. some IRLS may mistake their delusion as being kin or continue to identify as kin even after acknowledging their delusion, but the labels describe two different things.ㆍ?? if one can kin anything, would this also include real world individualsㆍno; while many kin base their identity in spiritual belief, there is an inherently psychological aspect to any identity. the experience of „kinning” a real person is most always born of delusion or other forms of mental unwellness best not played into or encouraged, especially if that person is still alive today. those who claim to kin real people call themselves factkin (sometimes known as factualkin due to the term factkin originating in the mockery of alterhuman identities), and often explain these beliefs via the multiverse or other subjective concepts unprovable by scientific meansfactkin also inherently goes against the definition of otherkin, the „other” meaning other than human. some use the argument of human kins in fiction to debate this point, but fictional characters are just. objectively not human beings. they are ideas written and drawn into the shape of a human, but ultimately they are representations of concepts on a screen or a paper or whatever medium you might view them from.ㆍfollow up: if fictionkin and others of similar identities are valid in tying their identity to the multiverse, why not factkin ???ㆍagain, this brings into discussion the psychological aspect of any such identity. fiction is made to convey ideas and connect with its audience in hopes of shaping their perspective on the themes explored. it's only natural that people—especially who are neurodivergent or mentally ill and might experience their own humanity in an atypical manner—would connect to it in ways that help shape their identity. this logic cannot be applied to a real person. they are not ideas to be portrayed and attached to the identity of another, they are a person to be treated as such and to imply otherwise is gross and almost dehumanizing. factkin identities may not be voluntary, but that does not make them inherently good or okaymany people also use the argument of factual introjects in OSDDID systems as a means of validating factkin identities, but it's important to bear in mind that kins ≠ alters and factives ≠ factkin

• return