A Perspective On Being Fictionkin

liongoatsnake:

(And almost/basically/unintentionally an “OC fictionkin” at that.)

Imagine
if you will, identifying as a feline at a young age. Early on you
discover that no extant species fits so an extinct species of feline is
assumed. You do some research from teenagehood on into adulthood with
little luck though as no species fits exactly. No species is known to be
social enough, no species looks cheetah-like enough,  but you assume it
once existed  and call yourself therian for over a decade.

Then
day, you come across a book series with a feline species as the
characters and it looks interesting enough and decide to read it for
run. However, as time goes on you come to notice a mounting number of
similarities…

Is it your fault? No. Is it the author’s? Also no.
It just… happened, and there is nothing that can be done, and you are
left either admitting the uncanny similarity and taking on the term
fictionkin to better describe your species with that fictional species
label (given no better one exists)… or you can act like the similarity
isn’t there and continue to call yourself a
“prehistoric-cheetah-like-feline-that-is-social therian-maybe.” However,
that similarity would still exist, whether you told any other therians
about it or not. It’s weird. It sucks. But such is life.

Now if
the author of the series where to find out you existed, what really
could you do? At most all that could do was not call yourself  
fictionkin… but you would still, identify as a feline that looks so much
like that fictional species that you decided to take it on as a species
label. You still would be what you are and how you are no matter what
terms you used and no matter how much it made someone feel awkward.

But what if it got more complicated? Weider.

A
few years later a fan of the relevant fiction that has a species so
much like your species identity created an OC. This OC had the same coat
color as you,  had a name only a few letters off from your own name, etc.

Now
imagine the fictionkin’s perspective if the fan of that OC discovered
the fictionkin and got offended that they existed. Yet, remember, you
were here first. You were already wandering around identifying as a
cheetah-like prehistoric feline with off-white fur and with the name you
do. It’s not your fault that person’s OC looks a heck of a lot like you
and has a similar name. Neither is it that fans. Even if it made that
fan uncomfortable or whatnot – you are not and should not be expected to
change the name you have had for years or hide any details of how you
look just because that fan created an OC. You could sympathize with the
fan for any weirdness because you would be sharing in that discomfort
and awkwardness (though because someone unintentionally creating a
character like you; whereas, their perspective would be flipped).
However, you can’t change who you are to make anyone (them or yourself) feel any less awkward.

That is basically my story as a fictionkin. From my perspective.

– Misushra