Draft:Fictionfolk

Fictionfolk is an umbrella term used to refer to anyone with an alterhuman identity based in fiction, such as fictionkin, fictives, people with fictional hearttypes, and people who experience fictionflickers. The term is also used by some individuals as their primary identity label as opposed to a different term fictionfolk encompasses.

Experiences[edit | edit source]

experiences that don't apply strictly to fictionkin or any other fictional identity

History and etymology[edit | edit source]

The term fictionfolk was independently coined by separate groups. It was first used in the Alt+H Discord server in 2018, gradually gaining popularity and being more widely understood in the server in 2022.^[1] The term fictionfolk was also being used on the Fictionkind Dreamwidth community after its creation in 2021.^[2] Since then, the term has gained more recognition in alterhuman communities, which mordecai midas believes could have been caused by the Fictionkind Dreamwidth.^[1]

Fictionkind Dreamwidth user sun_dragon coined the word fictomere to refer to the object of any fictional identification. It comes from the ancient Greek méros, or part, as the term refers to the fictional part of a person. It is used similarly to terms such as fictotype, but can also be used to describe hearttypes, fictionflickers, hearthomes, headmates, or any other aspects of one's experience that are based in fiction.^[3] The term fictomere is sometimes used in conjunction with fictionfolk.

is 'factfolk' used often enough to mention?

As a primary label[edit | edit source]

Some choose to use the label of fictionfolk over other alterfictional labels such as fictionkin. One reason they may do this because of an implication of separation with words like "fictotype", which can imply that the character in question is something one has rather than something one is. They may also have a desire to connect with other fictional people, such as fictives or fictionhearted people.^[4] Fictionkin as a label has also been tainted for some by the community's treatment at the hands of the broader otherkin community, and by its misuse by those who "kin for fun."^[5]