Fictionkin are people who identify as anything fictional. This can be a specific fictional character or a fictional species. Being fictionkin is an inherent part of someone's identity and it's important to who someone is and how they see themselves.

The object of a fictionkin's identification is called their fictotype. Instead of "My fictotype is..." some prefer to say "I am, I identify as..." The way somebody chooses to communicate their identity is up to personal tastes. Some people only have one fictotype while others have multiple fictotypes.

The event or period of time where someone realizes they're fictionkin is typically called "awakening." The origins of someone's fictotype or fictional identity can be spiritual, psychological, both or something else. The reason depends on the person and not everybody falls into neat categories. If someone has multiple fictotypes, each can have different origins.

Some examples of spiritual origins are: reincarnation, past lives, parallel lives, alternate/multiple universes or a misplaced soul. While some examples of psychological origins are: neurodivergence, a form of coping or imprinting.

The media that someone's fictotype comes from is called their source. Some fictionkin align closely with the events of their source and how their fictotype is depicted in it and some don't. Some fictionkin also recall events and memories that don't align with what happened in their source. Again, some don't. If someone aligns closely to their source, they might call themselves canon-compliant. The opposite is -divergent.

An important aspect of the fictionkin experience is the personal canon. This is the timeline of events, memories and noemata (knowledge) about one's fictotype, other characters and their source media that a fictionkin has. This isn't to be confused with the fandom meaning of "canon." What's important about this personal canon is that these are the personal experiences of fictionkin, not just fun headcanons.

What is "kinning"?

Kinning for fun (usually shortened to "KFF" or "kinning") is about relating to and projecting onto something. Usually done in fandom spaces with fictional characters. People who do this are called "kinnies." Someone who "kins" characters identifies WITH them, not as them. People use this as a way to show off their personality, like identifying with online quiz results and memes. Being fictionkin is NOT the same thing as "kinning" a character.

Many kinnies see fictionkin as mentally unstable people with delusions who "take kinning too far" and don't want to associate with us. A weird identity that may be hard to understand isn't inherently a delusion. And it's definitely not supposed to be harmful to somebody's wellbeing. If anything, being fictionkin should be a source of introspection and strengthening someone's identity.

The terms that kinnies use were taken from the otherkin/fictionkin communities during the 2010s on Tumblr, a period of time full of discourse between fandom and fictionkin when the two were forced into the same spaces. This taking of terms was an attempt to push fictionkin out of their own community and to change 'kin into something fun for fandom.

The amount of damage the anti-kin era of Tumblr did to the fictionkin community is felt to this day. The majority of public spaces advertised to fictionkin are actually overflowing with KFF, where if the fictionkin goes they'll be ridiculed for one thing or another. A lot of fictionkin keep to themselves or try to find small, protected communities. Places where they're free to be themselves.

It's also difficult for newly awakened 'kin to explore their feelings. It's easy to fall into the common "kinning" resources, where almost everything uses stolen terms to over-complicate this concept of identifying with something. Fandom has always been a place fictionkin need to be careful in or stay away from, but this is definitely true now.

Identifying with characters you like isn't the problem. The real problem is taking language from a totally different subculture/identity to describe something it never meant. Then making fun of actual fictionkin or spreading misinformation about who we actually are.

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Term list and sources

• Fictionkin: people who identify as fictional characters
• Fictotype: who or what someone who is fictionkin identifies as
• Awakening: the event or period of time where someone realizes they are fictionkin
• Source: the media that someone's fictotype originates from, can be used similarly with how fandom uses "canon"
• Canon: shortened from "personal canon;" this is the timeline of events, memories, personal knowledge of one's fictotype, other characters and source material
• Canon-compliant: also "source-compliant," the state of being aligned with the source depiction of one's fictotype and timeline of events; the opposite is canon-divergent

1. Otherkin Wiki: Fictionkin
2. The Dragonheart Collective's Testimony on the KFF Phenomenon
3. Poppy Hapalopus: Noemata: Background, definition and use
4. Falconiforme's Otherkin page