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TERRO.
ON MY FORUM THE MAXIMUM ACCEPTABLE RANGE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR AS SHOWN IN THIS POST IS ZERO METERS.

IF YOU EVER QUESTION THE INTEGRITY OF ANY OF MY MEMBERS AGAIN YOU WILL BE BANNED.

Kindred is actually a very good word. I had always thought of it as meaning a relative or member of ones actual family, but the more I read the description in your link Whisper the more right it started to feel.
Otherkin limits us to having a relationship with only those others who also believe themselves on some level to be different to humans. Kindred however gives us the possibility of a connection with not only Kin, but also every living and non-living thing that exists. Which when you consider that we are all made of the same elemental energy is exactly how it should be.

Thanks Whisper for opening my eyes to this possibility.

Darkness.

I am a Phoenix and everything else is Kindred to me, I am Kindred to everything else, I am a Phoenix and kindred.

Works for me
See I knew there was something better.
thanksyou

Zygo

Well to be honest I have never called myself Otherkin. I always use Draconic or Dragon if I am going to describe myself in a group sort of way.
The thing is that most dragons don't really seem to group themselves together and alot seem to think in a sort of individual way. One of the things that has got me into trouble before was that I didn't feel like there are only dragon kin, but a portion of the draconic community think that if you say you are not a dragon but you are an elf or Vampire you must be a roleplayer which never made sense to me and when I said I disliked that idea I got into trouble.

I like the meaning of kindred it gives me a group to be in that doesn't leave anyone out like being Draconic sometimes means.
Now I know I am saying things that would get me in trouble some other place but I hope it makes sense to any of you that have spent time on a board with Draconics on it.
And i dont want to get into trouble here, but I do want you to see how important this word could be to me.
Is that okay?
wings and things
LannTor

Thankyou Solitarymoonlight
and Zygopterix for the edit.

Lanntor

I will attempt to post this in a way that is unassuming as possible in order to express my opinion and belief regarding the validity of the term Otherkin in describing individuals who go over the step from "believing" they are Inhuman to those who state that they "are" Inhuman. I am not in any way telling anyone that they are wrong, or asserting my opinion on others, I am offering my explanation and logical process so as to formalize my approach to the topic at hand.

Otherkin is a term that is accepted to state that a person believes that they in some way, partially or even wholly carry a familial relationship (are kindred with or bear kinship to) something that is not Human. This can include anything and everything that is not Homo Sapient. It includes Neanderthal, animals, species for which their is no accepted physical evidence for (such as Dragon, Sphynx, Chimera, Elf, Fae and more). It also includes noncorporeal, spiritual or energy based believed beings (such as Angels, Demons, Celestials, deities and Shadows).

There are words that are more specific, one of the most common being Therianthrope or Therianthropy. This is the same as Otherkin in general however relates to the specific "Other" that kinship is shared with to be naturally occurring animals of the "real" world we all were born onto.

"Dragonkin," "Elfkin" and "Angelkin" are words that are also more specific forms of the word Otherkin as the group related to is more defined. Instead of "other" it is "Angel" or something similar.

The word Otherkin relies on belief, by its very definition, and so it accurately describes me, who is an individual who believes that I do not have a Human soul, I believe that I am an Angel who is Incarnated into a Human body.

The word Otherkin accurately describes a person who is "fluffy" that actually believes themselves to be Inhuman. If John Doe believes that he is the Vampire Blood Dragon General of the 3rd Army, then he is Otherkin.

The word Otherkin accurately describes a person who rejects the label of Human and says that they "are" something else. If John Doe says that he is the Vampire Blood Dragon General of the 3rd Army, then he is Otherkin. In this case, John Doe believes he is, as well as (arguably) *is* other than Human.

The word Otherkin does not describe an individual who does not believe themselves to be inhuman. John tells his sister Jane Doe about his belief, and Jane thinks this is funny and trolls a forum saying that she is John's younger sister who is a Vampire Blood Dragon Admiral of the 9th fleet, then she is not Otherkin because she does not "believe" herself to be, despite her claims.

The word Otherkin does not describe an individual who really and truly is Inhuman and believes they are Inhuman. If Lucky the Leprechaun has crossed over from a mystical realm unknown to the world of science or geography and is hunting down his pot of gold, then Otherkin does not describe him, as he genuinely is Inhuman, he bears a different genetic code, was not born of a Human woman, and any other trace you would find out of an anatomy book marks him to be not Human. This same example applies to el Chupacabera, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, or any other creature that is not Human.

Otherkin does not describe an individual who is factually inhuman but believes they are Human. Let us suppose that Lucky the Leprechaun, after having crossed over and begun his search, tripped and hit his head on a tree. He suffers memory loss and a peculiar hysteria resulting in him believing he is Max Power, an American Business advertiser and public relations specialist from San Antonio Texas. Sense he is not actually Human by all the points listed in the previous paragraph, and he does not believe himself to be Other than Human, Otherkin does not describe him.

Thusly, in my belief, Otherkin describes any individual who believes themselves to be partially or wholly Inhuman. I find that people (I'll use Zygopterix in this example) like Zygopterix who has in the past made it clear that he *is* a Phoenix, not a Human, comes under the definition (by my interpretation) of Otherkin because he falls under the category of wholly Inhuman.

I will reiterate that this post, entirely and clearly is meant to say specifically my belief in the validity of the word Otherkin to describe both myself and to describe the other members of this forum. I am in no way passing judgment on any member, insinuating any alleged fault of any member, nor am I attempting to push this belief onto any member. If it appears that I am, I humbly apologize for my miss-communication and ask that the example be pointed out to me so that I may understand what was misunderstood so that I might correct it in the future.

I purposely used in my generic examples, neutral names and bizarre claims so as to illustrate as accurately as I could, my interpretation of the possible applications of the word Otherkin. Any connection to any claim anyone has seen, heard of or made themselves is purely coincidental and not intended (with the exception of my opinion specifically on the application of the word Otherkin to my perception of the expressed beliefs of the member Zygopterix).

I can see why I should apply the word Otherkin in order to describe what whoever thought of the word believes I am.
But the question to vote on was
"Do you like the word Otherkin to describe you and what you are?"
I don't like it. I never have.
I do not consider myself Otherkin mainly because I have never wanted to be swallowed up by a group description in which my individuality is lost in order to become a member of a greater whole.
If anyone asks me on a forum what I am I will always say I am a Vampire simply because I know that inside this body there is a Vampire.
I am not asking anyone to agree with me, or even believe me, if you don't believe me and think I am deluded, all I am asking is that you leave me alone. Just walk away and leave me to my delusion. What you think has no interest for me.
I am harmless and wish no ill to anyone. I have never attacked anyone or bitten anyone on the neck. I have never been arrested or put in jail. I have never needed to be psychologically assessed and am taking no medication. I have no registered mental illness and am not a danger to society.
I merely want to be left with my knowledge that inside me, where no-one will ever see and no scientist could ever analyse, lives the essence of a very peaceful, happy and contented Vampire. A Vampire who really doesn't want to be a member of a society who uses it's name and it's membership like a heavy club to beat individuals until they are the correct shape to fit in.
Just as it is my right not to join the Otherkin movement it is my right not to have membership thrust upon me without my consent.
People may call me Otherkin because it fits their perception of who and what I am, but then people have called me English because of my accent, and been wrong, white because of the colour of my skin when in actual fact I am not that either. Perception can be flawed, especially when viewed by people with preconceived notions of what should be.
I am a Vampire, as for being Otherkin I choose not to participate.
I voted no.

On the other hand however, many Vampires and even large organizations of Vampires reject the term Otherkin and feel that it does not apply to them.

If I'm not mistaken, Both the Sanguinarium and House Kheperu are aversive to the term when describing Vampires, about as aversive as many Otherkin are to being described as "Furries."

I personally do not consider Vampires to be Otherkin, as I see it as a condition of Vampirism (and I believe it to be an affliction of energy deficiency) rather than the species of Vampire.

There you have mentioned the only thing I am more allergic to than the word Otherkin. lol

And the Furry community often times is angry about being roped in with Fur Fetishists, who are the ones who ruin the reputation for Furries and are the first things people think of.

I personally find that while I term myself Otherkin, when someone hears of Otherkin, the first thing they usually find are the poorest examples of Otherkin. They find fluff claims and people who are more likely "wishkin" than anything else. The find people with no knowledge of science or physics who overlook the very likely mundane explanations in favor of the fantastic.

The first introduction I got into Otherkin was on myspace, I encountered people who argued over who was the higher ranked legionnaire in the army of Satan, to people hoping to get us together to build a fortress commune in the empty lands of Australia to prepare for the Armageddon by training in psionic combat and small weapon tactics.

Similarly, I'm sure that when you tell people you are a Vampire, there are those that instantly think of dumb kids who watched the Underworld or Blade movies too much.

Some have become disenchanted with the word Otherkin, or even the word Vampire for such reasons. I am obviously not one of those, I believe in it for the definition of the word, not so much the group. The Hispanic population in the United States has gone many times in history from being considered "white" as much as an Irishmen, an Italian or a Russian is, to being considered a separate group, all based on the word being used as a group rather than a description.

I do not view Otherkin as a group, I do not feel I am roped in by the term, I feel that the term is an accurate description of what I am.

I was actually thinking of Michelle Belanger. lol

Of course everyone views everything from their personal point of view, no-one could do otherwise really, and if you are happy that the term Otherkin accurately describes you, then I am truly happy for you.
It would seem though that every branch of Otherkin has another group to look down on, feel annoyed about, refuse to associate themselves with or generally bad mouth.
Therians and Weres, Therians and Otherkin in general, Otherkin and Fluffies, Fluffies and Fur fetishists.
I mean everyone knows that Vampires and Weres have been at war with each other for the last few hundred years right?
Total and complete garbage.
This is yet another example of the group dynamic in which I refuse to participate.
I prefer to be Vampire, just me and who I am. I have no animosity toward those who find they fit comfortably within Otherkin, I have no animosity toward anyone. I just don't understand why so many other people can't just leave people to live their lives the way they want. As long as they are not doing any harm what business is it of anyone else what they do? People who argue just for the sake of arguing bore me senseless. I find that I simply cannot be bothered to give them the attention they so sadly crave.
I don't care who ranks highest in the legions of someone I don't believe in, and I don't want to join a commune anywhere, that would be my idea of Hades on Earth. I just want to live quietly, talking to others who believe similar things, sharing memories and experiences of being who and what we are, and becoming more than I was through the sharing. I seek growth and development, not one upmanship. I have no desire to play 'my dad's bigger than your dad', 'my power is stronger than yours', or 'I am more important than you', with anyone. And I feel sorry for those who do.

Whether vampirism means otherkin or just energy deficiency, I think this is for the individual to interpret.

Bearing that in mind, however, I'm going to state that I don't think that being a vampire makes you otherkin. I do believe that vampirism is an energy problem. Of course, this is for the individual to decide, because with such matters, no one can really say for sure. We do not have any "proof".



-FireSpark

I don't really mind being defined as "Otherkin", because I see it as a broad category, sort of like the whole phylum-genus-species-whatever thing I studied in grade 10 biology back in high school.

But if a better term comes along, then hey, I'll use that one.

In a very loose, broad, general manner of speaking, yes, I'm "Otherkin", that is, I believe my soul is not of the human variety, but is something else. Narrowing it down, I am an angel. If you REALLY want to get into specifics, I am a cherub.

To me, it is like saying that I have a human body. Specifically, I am female, and 20 years old. Narrowing it further, I'd state my precise physical appearance (which I won't do because I'm rather short and ugly, in my opinion).

Just another category.




EDIT
Wow, I just went to that Urban Dictionary link provided earlier. *rolls her eyes in disgust* And the people posting there are HOW OLD???? Ugh, and here I thought YahooAnswers was immature and childish........I've just met it's evil stepmother.
The immaturity of the ignorant masses truly astounds me, sometimes.

Hmm, yes.
I read some of the Urban Dictionary's ideas on Otherkin with a similar reaction Sachael.
It is not advisable to read any of them on a full stomach.

I steer as far clear of the urban dictionary as I can get, that place is scary

Wild