Otherkind

Otherkind, or Otherkin, refers to someone who identifies partially or fully as something nonhuman, or deviant from the norms of humanity. This may include identifying as an animal, creature, fictional character, object, or concept. Those who are otherkind may have spiritual beliefs, such as believing in reincarnation, souls, and animism, while others may have psychological, genetic, or various other origins.

Otherkind identities are inherent, and may be discovered at any time in a person's life. Typically, one's otherkind identity will last their entire lifetime, as it is an intrinsic part of their being.

Terminology
An otherkind identity is often referred to as a kintype. One may have just one, or multiple, kintypes; if a person has multiple they may refer to themselves as polykind or multikind. When one moves closer to their kintype in intensity, this is called a shift, or kin-shift.

Many subsets of otherkind exist, including:


 * Fictionkin: Identifying as a fictional character or species.
 * Objectkin: Identifying as some kind of object, such as a book, planet, or computer.
 * Conceptkin: Identifying as a concept, such as space, rain, or glitches.

The terms therian and nerorian are also used within the otherkind community, however not everyone with these identities considers themselves to be otherkind and may oftentimes be entirely separate from otherkinnity.

History
The concept of otherkind has existed since 1990, with the community growing within online elven communities. One of the most prominent examples of this was the mailing list Elfinkind Digest.

Within this first wave of the otherkin community, most identified as mythological creatures, namely elves. The Silver Elves, a neo-pagan group, are one of the first groups cited with their contributions to the otherkin community.

WIP, this is a big one