i don't know how to feel about otherkin

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Well, I came across the term "otherkin" a while back, and I just wasn't really ready to wrap my head around the concept.

Really, I don't think I am still, but my boyfriend brought it up today and how he thinks it's stupid.

I don't know that I have a specific opinion on it just yet, and I probably won't have one until I meet someone who identifies as another species, but I'd like to know some more about it.

I know that I am not otherkin, but I know what it's like to identify as something other than what you are seen as. That is with gender, however, and I'm not sure that that is the same as identifying as a different species because I don't think that species is a social construct like gender is (as opposed to one's sex.)

I just.. don't quite know how to feel about this. I don't think I believe in it being... legit(?), but I'm not sure that I want to be against it or anything.. I like to be as understanding as I can.

It kind of brings up in my mind that whole situation with that lady who identified as black but she was white. I don't think there's any way to do that without being racist by enforcing stereotypes. Race isn't a social construct; your personality is a social construct. People don't "act black" or "act white." They act like what many people tend to associate with one's race, but your race doesn't make you act the way you're acting. Your mind does.

Getting back on topic, I just can't seem to get in my head an actual opinion on otherkin. I mean, maybe someone can feel like they belong with wolves because of the way they act, and maybe someone wishes they were a wolf, so maybe they can feel as if their soul(?) is wolf.. I don't know. I just don't see species as a social construct. I don't disagree or agree with otherkin at this time. I think I want to accept them, but I just don't know what to think.

To me, this is a complex topic.

If I could hear some opinions and information about it, that'd be great!

I used to follow an otherkin community on LiveJournal because I had a couple of friends who thought they were elves. It turned out that they were just garden variety Aspies who used the otherkin experience to explain to themselves why they always felt "different"; after diagnosis they quit going on about the elf thing.

Since many otherkin believe they are dragons and other magical creatures who aren't objectively "real" (rather than animals or whatever) it's hard to believe that the phenomenon is real, either. However, as an openminded person I don't think it's my place to tell other people what their truth is; it doesn't harm me for people to go around saying they are really dragons inside, even if I personally think they are delusional.

Assuming otherkin exists I am a demon.
At least thats how I used to identify myself as a teenager, way before my diagnosis.

I knew I am different and I couldn't understand humans. I had "demonic" nature - I could never figure out that people can be hurt by what I am doing (I supposed I am doing the right thing but people were calling me selfish and arrogant) and I could easily lose control over my behavior. And for some reason I considered other people inferior to me despite being bullied by them. So I ended up believing I must be a demon incarnated in human body.

But I was raised as a human so I learned some rules. I wanted to control my nature because I didn't want to hurt those close to me. I wanted to live among humans. I was sure I must have had a very good reason to decide on being incarnated as human so I wanted to do my best.

Another demon was "visiting" my dreams at that time and teaching me how to control my demonic powers in the controlled world of my dreams. He was often playing with other characters in my dreams and he was using his demonic nature to the fullest - showing no empathy to the poor humans and being overly confident. I was preventing him from hurting them too much. I knew how it is like to be human so I could understand how the humans were feeling.

We actually first met when he was teasing my in-dream mother and I stood up to him. None of us had any idea I am a demon too (I "discovered" it later) but my reaction impressed him so he got interested in teasing me instead. He started to appear in almost each of my dreams just to use his powers against me. Soon I learned I am like him - I could feel his "energy"/"aura" in the dreams and I realized it is exactly like my own, we seemed to use the same kind of power source. So tried mimicking his attacks and it worked.

Now I recall those times with nostalgia. It was really fun to think that way. The dreams. And the thoughts of "I am a demon but I can't use my powers because I decided to live as a human".

BTW: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 3880844376 seems to be exactly what I was thinking like.
If I were to choose what kind of demon I am would be the Purposeful Observer although I might become Guardian Demon if I find the right person.
The demon I was seeing in my dreams was however a definite Fear Eater. Causing them feeling fear was his sole reason for picking on all the humans.

My opinion about it is, "If that's how you feel, then that's great." No negativity, no judgment. I don't believe that it's real in a literal sense; it's probably a way of avoiding stuff or dealing with stuff, but it's ok to be that way. I have no problems with it. I'd like to know about it.

I actually know somebody who says she is an elf, and she's obsessed with lotr. She has Asperger's, but I think that she is aware that she is actually human because she says that since she's an elf, she can make her ears go pointy, and when I asked her how she actually did it, she said she used special glue.

I think it's just made up stuff. It's fun to pretend and so people took it a little farther and started believing it themselves. Thats all. Don't worry about it, and it's ok to play around with the idea, just don't actually buy into it.

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

Well I think its quite likely there could be other humanoid beings that aren't homo sapiens...like the concept in itself does not seem that far fetched to me. Though I doubt most people who claim to be of some other humanoid race really are...more likely they are just really into whatever it is so its more of a role playing thing, like people I know who will call themselves jedi...they don't actually think they are living in Star Wars or anything but are just that much into it.

But I think it may be a wee bit arrogant to think humans are the only upright standing creatures with complex language in the whole entire universe for instance.