So, much like the antagonising protagonist of Something Positive, i was unaware of what 'otherkin' were. Now I know. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otherkin People who believe they are mythical creatures. Lord, and I thought 'neopaganism' was pushing credibility.
Reads like the creepy intersection of adolescent identitiy crisis*, neurosis, escapism, esotericism, a slight superiority complex and live RPG (which I don't mind as such). *That's not at all reserved for adolescents these days! Edit to add: It just occured to me that in the DW universe, this would be a reason to feel ashamed, or at least slightly worried. Something like, "Oh dear, I am pale, I giggle a lot, I get easily sunburnt and react allergic to iron... Tell no one I am otherkin! Oh me!"
hmmm. It includes "people identifying themselves as ... unicorns"- I could be otherkin! I actually told my kindergarten teacher that I couldn't possibly do any writing because I was a unicorn and therefore had hooves, not hands. When she wanted to call my mom I explained that we lived in a castle, and everyone knows castles don't have telephones. Did I mention that I told other children that my grandma's dog was a wolf? My mom decided that I really needed the time to play and kept me out of kindergarten till the following year.
Funny you should mention the live RPG in resposne to this because I was at a larp event this weekend and in the system I play they have creatures called "beast"kin so the "other"kin rang a bell with me... And yes some of the people who Larp are the kind of people who might find comfort in believing they are something more than human. Of course the majority of us are normal in most senses of the word...honest.
Um, I don't mind people acting in character when playing games and such, but real-life? Bless me for being a tad ignorant, but I suppose it's not too hot on the visual side.
Heh, otherkin, sounds like something from a Terry Brooks novel. Some of those neopagans dont sound too bad though, hell, more ecologically friendly groups in the world couldnt be all bad surely?
There are a lot of worrying people in the world... And you have wonder why they feel better for being a unicorn, its just a horse with a boner problem.
I used to work with a guy who was convinced he was actually a dragon. When I first started and the other coworkers told me about it I thought it was a joke, but the guy seriously believed it. He would explain it to anyone who asked (or anyone who didn't really) Apparently the dragons were peaceful creatures who were killed by the dinosaurs and he's a reborn silver one. He realized it when he was a child and now all his memories and abilities are coming back. Needless to say he was kept in the back room unloading boxes. Everyone's favorite game was to walk back there and say, "Hey, I'm going for a cigarette. Could you just blow on this and light it for me?" He'd angrily inform us that he hasn't remembered how to breathe fire yet.
[quote:645ce5c507="spiky"]There are a lot of worrying people in the world... And you have wonder why they feel better for being a unicorn, its just a horse with a boner problem.[/quote:645ce5c507] This sentance made me laugh.
[quote:5c3df9002e="Nester"]Everyone's favorite game was to walk back there and say, "Hey, I'm going for a cigarette. Could you just blow on this and light it for me?" He'd angrily inform us that he hasn't remembered how to breathe fire yet.[/quote:5c3df9002e] Hahaha priceless! :-D
i might just be being a bit cynical here, but i'm inclined to lump 'otherkin' into two catagories: 'nutters' and 'attention seekers'
I couldnt agree with you more Garner. I cant say I know anyone who consider themleves one of these otherkin but I do know a couple of "Witches" who are otherwise inteligent and pleasant girls and dont really fall into the nutter category but do happen to be "High maintenance" ladies who requre lots of attention in the relationships they have. This for me is corroborating evidence along with the belief in witchcraft that they are in fact attention seekers.
[quote:1681192db4="Nester"]I used to work with a guy who was convinced he was actually a dragon. When I first started and the other coworkers told me about it I thought it was a joke, but the guy seriously believed it. He would explain it to anyone who asked (or anyone who didn't really) Apparently the dragons were peaceful creatures who were killed by the dinosaurs and he's a reborn silver one. He realized it when he was a child and now all his memories and abilities are coming back. Needless to say he was kept in the back room unloading boxes. Everyone's favorite game was to walk back there and say, "Hey, I'm going for a cigarette. Could you just blow on this and light it for me?" He'd angrily inform us that he hasn't remembered how to breathe fire yet.[/quote:1681192db4] I like the "yet" part in his answer.
Heh. Heheheh. HehehehehahahahaHAHAHA! HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHA! Unicorns. Hee. There is a distinct kids animé feel to this. A Pokemon/Card Captors/Sailor Moonness. This disturbs me.
I remember stumbling across this a while ago. When I was a child, I had a friend who insisted she was actually adopted and that she was really a princess from another planet. This seems to me like a slightly different form of the same psychological issue.
I think there's a nice psycological phrase for people like that. I don't mind spending a weekend or two pretending I'm an elf or vampire or half-ogre or whatever and going on great quests. I'm well aware of the fact that I'm not, really, however much I want to. Since humanity is clearly insane. I think these people hate themselves so much they've created an alter-ego just to be able to stand living. A pity really.
I disagree, I think it'll catch on. All these scene-kids'll be unicorns and dragons in a couple of years, either that or they'll all be dead... stupid scene-kids. but seriously it does sound like fun, sounds like the type of psychosis that you could really enjoy. [quote:56156b3b2b]According to otherkin.net, some claim that they are human in a physical sense, but non-human ("other") in a mental or spiritual one[/quote:56156b3b2b] when i read this i could only think that there were a bunch of "otherkin" running around thinking that they're wolves or something of that nature, violently attacking and eating wild animals because they have the [i:56156b3b2b]spirit[/i:56156b3b2b] of a wolf...
[quote:4c3641022a="Dane"]I disagree, I think it'll catch on. All these scene-kids'll be unicorns and dragons in a couple of years, either that or they'll all be dead... stupid scene-kids. but seriously it does sound like fun, sounds like the type of psychosis that you could really enjoy. [quote:4c3641022a]According to otherkin.net, some claim that they are human in a physical sense, but non-human ("other") in a mental or spiritual one[/quote:4c3641022a] when i read this i could only think that there were a bunch of "otherkin" running around thinking that they're wolves or something of that nature, violently attacking and eating wild animals because they have the [i:4c3641022a]spirit[/i:4c3641022a] of a wolf...[/quote:4c3641022a] But only if their mum cooked it for them first... because the spirit of the wolf prefers their meat medium rare...
re: anime... there's a sub-culture within otherkin that's begun emerging as anime's become more and more popular with western kids. yes, your darkest fears are correct... some of them think they're tentacle monsters. but as for what myn said... there's an awful lot of escapism in role playing, and i don't think that its possible to completely divorce the entertaining hobby from those people who genuinely would rather be Thistleboob Slenderslyph the Elven Princess because being plain Bob Stanks is so dull and unpleasant. even so, i think there's a clear dividing line between the self loathing that engenders that kind of escapism and actually trying to convince other people that you're a weremonkey.
[quote:a521f673fe="Garner"]re: anime... there's a sub-culture within otherkin that's begun emerging as anime's become more and more popular with western kids. yes, your darkest fears are correct... some of them think they're tentacle monsters. [/quote:a521f673fe] :shock: That does beg the question what they consider as their tentacles? :roll:
[quote:9b07ead718="spiky"][quote:9b07ead718="Dane"]when i read this i could only think that there were a bunch of "otherkin" running around thinking that they're wolves or something of that nature, violently attacking and eating wild animals because they have the [i:9b07ead718]spirit[/i:9b07ead718] of a wolf...[/quote:9b07ead718] But only if their mum cooked it for them first... because the spirit of the wolf prefers their meat medium rare...[/quote:9b07ead718] LOL! Also, Garner - Thistleboob...?
[quote:953c677993="spiky"]There are a lot of worrying people in the world... And you have wonder why they feel better for being a unicorn, its just a horse with a boner problem.[/quote:953c677993] Hee hee hee. Can I put "A unicorn is just a horse with a boner problem" in my sig?
[quote:c02a26ca82="Angua_rox"][quote:c02a26ca82="spiky"]There are a lot of worrying people in the world... And you have wonder why they feel better for being a unicorn, its just a horse with a boner problem.[/quote:c02a26ca82] Hee hee hee. Can I put "A unicorn is just a horse with a boner problem" in my sig?[/quote:c02a26ca82] Yes you may... but I better get my royelty cheque in the mail...
actually, my last D&D character was a homosexual strong-and-silent type. i quit playing elves back before third edition came out.
