Otherkin

Welcome to the world of Otherkin, a particularly odd subculture that has recently gained some attention online. (Though said attention tends to come from people who are bored of mocking the Furry Fandom.)

There are several variations on the Otherkin phenomenon. The most common one goes something like this: the idea is that, long long ago, long before recorded history, people shared the world with a far stranger population than what we have today. There were dragons and elves and angels and demons and vampires and lycanthropes and basically every fantastic being under the sun you've ever heard of and a considerable number that you haven't.

As several of these beings were able to pass for human through Voluntary Shapeshifting, they often would fall in love and pair off with actual humans. The fantastical beings had to leave Earth for some reason or other, passing into legend, folklore, and the occasional bestselling book, popular television series, or Role-Playing Game monster manual.

However, their descendants survive to this very day! Or these beings may be normal humans, but they are reincarnations of these amazing nonhumans! Or they have the spirit of a wolf, a fox, a bird, or a dragon existing alongside their human side! Or all of this happened in another, alternate universe! Or another planet! Or something else entirely!

Either way, they may learn of their fantastic heritage through an "Awakening" (which is to say, suddenly the Otherkin realizes they are not just some kid editing a Wiki but are, in fact, the soul of a fabulous legendary being trapped in the body of a lousy human). In some cases, the otherkin claim that their experience is similar to that of Transsexuals in that they are born in a body that doesn't match with the way they feel spiritually/intellectually.... but the more aware are always quick to point out that having people think you're weird is always better than having people beat you up or kill you.

Contrary to popular belief, Otherkin is not directly tied to the Furry Fandom. There are Otherkin furries, and vice-versa, but it is not a requirement. Many in the Otherkin community tend to dislike furries for "fooling around", and many furries tend to dislike Otherkin for "taking things too seriously."

A subgroup of Otherkin is therianthropy. This belief is similar, but limits itself to real animals (though that doesn't stop some Dragon-kin from considering themselves Therians because there totally could be a real animal that is just like their particular dragon on some other planet or alternate universe or whatever. We should point out at this point that there is a notable lack of fruitfly therians.) Some therians prefer to be disassociated with Otherkin because of the "fluff" the latter group has (not always unjustifiably) associated with it. However, most at least agree that the two groups are very similar, and many simply use Otherkin as a blanket term.

Some people suggest that Otherkin have undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome, given how many people with this condition describe feeling like they are different from other people. Others hypothesize that the Otherkin are simply annoying douchebags who think they're better than everyone else. However, some Otherkin assert that different does not automatically equate to better. Then of course there are people who believe in reincarnation and believe that an otherkin might legitimately have spent past lives as a different creature. For the more scientifically inclined, there have been attempts to study the phenomenon documented in various Otherkin and Therian communities. Advocacy groups to spread awareness of otherkin issues are small but they exist and have comprehensive FAQs for those who are unfamiliar with or skeptical of the concept.

Compare with Daydream Believer.