Overall Meaning?
I'm not sure if my definition of kin is actually consistent with the standard definition of kinning from what I've seen, but that's alright! I do see myself as these characters, but in the sense that I heavily relate to every aspect of them. This has been in the form of their personality, their actions and behavior, as well as the story and trauma that they have personally experienced. I feel a unique bond that is familiar when it comes down to them, and things that may portray them in a bad light or over sexualize them has frequently led to me feeling downright uncomfortable as if I'm being directly targeted by it (I understand that I'm not, dw! However, it still leaves me with a grossly negative feeling :( )
All of these characters are also pretty darn similar in terms of how their stories develop and unfolds, despite them being super distinctly different in terms of appearance and where they exist within their universes. And in turn, I feel like their stories are pretty similar to mine in regards to how I felt growing up over the years, along with the highs and lows I've experienced. Because of this similarity, I not only connect to them, but I also look to them in admiration in knowing that there's potential in my life improving for the better. And in a way, it's a relief to be able to see myself in their position, as it reminds me that my own story through life has a long way to go in terms of its progression.
Why them?
The characters listed in these boxes are characters that I have the closest connection to. There have been previous characters where I felt some sort of distinctive connection, but something doesn't necessarily fully click.
To give perspective, Shadow the Hedgehog was my first ever kin, but I hadn't realised that what I felt was basically kinning. When I "retired" him from my kinlist (I still feel a very close connection to him, hence why he's still present on my kin list), I went over ten lengthy years not kinning. Edelgard from Fire Emblem was the character who reignited the concept of me kinning, but after a couple of years I realized that the connection I had established with her wasn't perfect.
She's still a favorite character of mine, and while I do relate to her in some ways, there's a couple of things about her that I couldn't connect with and thus me realizing she wasn't a "true" kin for me. The distinction between liking, relating to, and kinning are all inherently different despite their shared similarities.
True Kin?
In order for a character to be a "true" kin to me rather than a fave or a character I admire, there has to be full connectivity in terms of their behavior and their story. It must be aligned with mine in some way, shape, or form. Some deviations are okay I have found, but it must be consistent with these following attributes:
1. I must despise them at the beginning.
I must think they look silly or ridiculous, or that their personality is weird. There must be a firm reason as to why I dislike them. If I think they're cool from the get-go, then they're simply a character that I'm fond of.
2. They must find difficulty in fitting in or establishing friendships.
Characters who were ostracized from their community or had difficulty finding a place where they fit in perfectly are often notable kins for me. Despite this sort of troubling endeavour, they may still have at least one other character that they can confide into and be their truest self with. However, as a whole, they are not the kind to typically make friends, no matter how desperately they would like to be capable of doing so.
3. They must have experienced tremendous loss that moves their life in a poor way.
They must choose the wrong path, and they must either sacrifice or feel obligated to sacrifice. They are thrusted into leadership type positions (or general positions where they can directly affect the outcome) due to their past. While in theory they would make solid leaders when in the correct mindset, their corruption unfortunately leads them down the wrong path in which they do things that don't follow their standard morality. They tend to push others away, locking them out, all while they ruminate and suffer alone, fearing that they will never recover.
4. They inevitably recognize their wrongdoings.
While they understand that they can never fix their past ills, they do their best to correct and move forwards. They stop pushing away people that actually truthfully care about them, typically the singular person that they found that they could actually confide in despite their inability to make friends, and instead are allowed to travel on the road to recovery. Despite their past errors, their motivation and passion for genuine justice rather than revenge always shines through.
Do's and Don'ts?
I enjoy:
- Talking about characters in-depth
- Reading SFW headcannons that fit with the character
- Though on occassion I like hearing crack headcannons as long as they're non-offensive and are done for fun
I'm OK with:
- Seeing and interacting with doubles (I've never really got the chance but I am incherested)
- Meeting those who kin other characters from the series (with some slight exceptions)
I'm not OK with:
- Being asked NSFW questions about my kins
- Being directly shown oversexualizations of the characters I kin
- Reading explicitly non-cannon takes that harm others (i.e. explicitly lesbiphobic takes regarding Judy and Cait)
- Policing terminology or gatekeeping the idea of kins or specific character kins
- Interacting with those who feel that kinning affects their racial identity and are inherently playing racist stereotypes because of it
Fun Facts
- My partner has a tendency to kin (or at least super closely relate to) characters that my kins are cannonically with! For Judy, they have a close connection to the V they created, and for Cait, they heavily relate to Vi! They don't even realize that I'm kinning with them until after :,)
- I view all of my kins as autistic. All of them are frequently seen as autistic coded by their fanbases due to their personality and behavior.
