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Otherkin?

I have a couple of (online) friends who are otherkin. One considers herself to be an Ice Dragon - Ice Dragons are like normal ones, but breathe ice instead of fire. The other is an invented creature, vaguely reptilian.

They don't think they are these things physically. As they describe it, it's more like they have the souls of these creatures. They are dragons in human bodies in their minds, much as a transsexual is a man in a woman's body.

Do I take it seriously? Yes and no. I've had some odd friends. I had a friend who believed that she was a vampire and asked if I would donate some psychic energy and some blood - just a spoonful, that was all she needed, she said. I told her she could have all the psychic energy she could take and the blood on condition that it was done hygenically. And then shocked the hell out of her, literally jaw on the floor, by telling her that I wouldn't want sexual favours of any kind in return.

Personally, I regard it as not really much different from my friends who are christians or jews or whatever. Of course my otherkin friends are not really dragons, just as my vampire friend wasn't really a vampire, and just as my christian friend won't really go to heaven after he dies.

But if my christian friend wanted me to go to their church wedding I'd be as supportive as I knew how, because they are my friend and my opinion of their superstition is irrelevant - I'm there for them, not for the thing they believe in. I like my otherkin friends, and I like my vampire friends. The fact they their beliefs are nutty really isn't here nor there.

And hey, having interesting friends makes up for how boring I am. :)
 
Checkmite said:
As long as people aren't going around thinking that deep inside they're really cartoon ponies.
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That may be more in the category of Otakukin, although that usually refers to people who believe that they are specific anime characters reborn in human bodies.
No, I don't know how there can be multiple Vash the Stampedes or Spike Spiegels walking around in human bodies.
 
Seismosaurus said:
Do I take it seriously? Yes and no. I've had some odd friends. I had a friend who believed that she was a vampire and asked if I would donate some psychic energy and some blood - just a spoonful, that was all she needed, she said. I told her she could have all the psychic energy she could take and the blood on condition that it was done hygenically. And then shocked the hell out of her, literally jaw on the floor, by telling her that I wouldn't want sexual favours of any kind in return.
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That sounds more zombie than vampire to me.
 
Armitage72 said:
That may be more in the category of Otakukin, although that usually refers to people who believe that they are specific anime characters reborn in human bodies.
No, I don't know how there can be multiple Vash the Stampedes or Spike Spiegels walking around in human bodies.
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It's actually a good question. Believing one is the spirit of an Ice Dragon is pretty easy, because there can exist as many Ice Dragons as there are people who want to be Ice Dragons. But what happens when two people who believe themselves to be Tetsuo incarnate run into each other? Do they fight? That would be entertaining.
 
Seismosaurus said:
I have a couple of (online) friends who are otherkin. One considers herself to be an Ice Dragon - Ice Dragons are like normal ones, but breathe ice instead of fire. The other is an invented creature, vaguely reptilian.

They don't think they are these things physically. As they describe it, it's more like they have the souls of these creatures. They are dragons in human bodies in their minds, much as a transsexual is a man in a woman's body.

Do I take it seriously? Yes and no. I've had some odd friends. I had a friend who believed that she was a vampire and asked if I would donate some psychic energy and some blood - just a spoonful, that was all she needed, she said. I told her she could have all the psychic energy she could take and the blood on condition that it was done hygenically. And then shocked the hell out of her, literally jaw on the floor, by telling her that I wouldn't want sexual favours of any kind in return.

Personally, I regard it as not really much different from my friends who are christians or jews or whatever. Of course my otherkin friends are not really dragons, just as my vampire friend wasn't really a vampire, and just as my christian friend won't really go to heaven after he dies.

But if my christian friend wanted me to go to their church wedding I'd be as supportive as I knew how, because they are my friend and my opinion of their superstition is irrelevant - I'm there for them, not for the thing they believe in. I like my otherkin friends, and I like my vampire friends. The fact they their beliefs are nutty really isn't here nor there.

And hey, having interesting friends makes up for how boring I am. :)
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I'm not aware of anyone I know personally who claims to be an otherkin.

I just wonder how people come to the conclusion that their soul is really that of a mythical creature. It's rather confusing, at least to me.
 
rustypouch said:
I'm not aware of anyone I know personally who claims to be an otherkin.

I just wonder how people come to the conclusion that their soul is really that of a mythical creature. It's rather confusing, at least to me.
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I think it's a wish fulfillment thing. People who yearn to be more powerful than they are, more awe inspiring, etc. They feel powerless and confused about themselves, so they create another self who can be all the things they aren't. And in the internet age there is an element of group reinforcement about it, because you can hang out with people that will not only not mock you but will tell you that yes, you really ARE that dragon on the inside and isn't that just great?

They've let the fantasy take over... somewhat. I tend to think that deep down they know it's not real, but then I tend to think that about christians and muslims too.
 
Just to clarify, I can hunt these people, right?

Or is it going to be one of those, "fur is murder" deals again?
 
I met one otherkin. She claims to be a wolf in human body. She also will go on and on about (real) wolves, if you let her.
 
shemp said:
Sorry, it's strictly catch-and-release.
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On this week's episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Marlin Perkins directs Jim in the fine art of stalking Otherkin. While Marlin enjoys a nice Merlot in studio, Jim will be donning faux beaver garb and tromping through the wilds of suburban Cleveland, in the hopes of enticing a half-wolf orc into a committed relationship, while avoiding the predations of local drug gangs.
 
catsmate1 said:
No don't. Like CSI's take on any group that deviates moderately from the norm it's rubbish.
Not unlike their science.
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I have sold and published furry material and been at conventions. It was exagerrated/up-level owing to be in Las Vegas, but still it was furry!!
 
rustypouch said:
I'm not aware of anyone I know personally who claims to be an otherkin.

I just wonder how people come to the conclusion that their soul is really that of a mythical creature. It's rather confusing, at least to me.
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Seismosaurus said:
I think it's a wish fulfillment thing. People who yearn to be more powerful than they are, more awe inspiring, etc. They feel powerless and confused about themselves, so they create another self who can be all the things they aren't. And in the internet age there is an element of group reinforcement about it, because you can hang out with people that will not only not mock you but will tell you that yes, you really ARE that dragon on the inside and isn't that just great?

They've let the fantasy take over... somewhat. I tend to think that deep down they know it's not real, but then I tend to think that about christians and muslims too.
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But this seems to draw a marked distinction between those who feel they are the "spirit" of an actual animal like a wolf or whatnot, and those who feel they're the spirit of a fictional character. I can agree with your argument about people who think themselves vampires or fairies or dragons liking to imagine themselves having these things that make them super-human - magic powers, immortality, and so forth. But people who think themselves animals? Surely when these people go out and roleplay foxes in the woods or what have you, they do more giving up - of speech, human communication, in some cases moral inhibition, and suchlike - than taking up new powers and attributes.
 
Seismosaurus said:
I think it's a wish fulfillment thing. People who yearn to be more powerful than they are, more awe inspiring, etc. They feel powerless and confused about themselves, so they create another self who can be all the things they aren't. And in the internet age there is an element of group reinforcement about it, because you can hang out with people that will not only not mock you but will tell you that yes, you really ARE that dragon on the inside and isn't that just great?

They've let the fantasy take over... somewhat. I tend to think that deep down they know it's not real, but then I tend to think that about christians and muslims too.
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Some are exactly that, but a number are just there for fun and have quite normal real lives. Same with many of the Trekkers and Warties and SCAers.
 
catsmate1 said:
No don't. Like CSI's take on any group that deviates moderately from the norm it's rubbish.
Not unlike their science.
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I really wish their centrifuge that will purify DNA from a forensics sample, run the PCR for you then load, run and analyze the gel all in under 5 minutes was real.
 
On the other hand, the people doing Vampire LARP never took to my suggestion of Ingrams modified to fire wooden bullets tipped with silver in a cross cut and shotguns with shells filled with silver, oak and ash shot.
 
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