do i have to be mentally ill to be fictionkin ? i was abused and iam kin w/a character to cope. is that okay ?

You do not need to be mentally ill to be fictionkin. While there are many fictionkin who are mentally ill or autistic, most are neurotypical/allistic. There is nothing wrong with being mentally ill and kin, however mental illness is not the cause of kin feelings.

As one abuse survivor to another, you have my sympathy. Any methods you use to cope, provided they are not self-destructive or harmful to others are okay! Being attached to a character to cope is called ‘coping kin’ or ‘fiction-hearted’. Please feel free to use either term to describe yourself.