Factkin

Factkin (sometimes called factualkin or diaunthros) are individuals who identify as real people, such as celebrities or historical figures. The term is similar to fictionkin, and there can be overlap between the experiences of the two labels. Factkinity is controversial in otherkin and alterhuman communities, with some believing that factkin are trolls, have ill intent, or have otherwise invalid identities. However, many factkin reject this, asserting that there are individuals who engage with the label in good faith.

The object of a factkin's identification is called their facttype.

Experiences

Factkin often identify as celebrities, historical figures, or other famous people, but this is not always the case. Tumblr user ama-factkin supports that this prevalence is because it is easier for one to realize their identity if their facttype is in the public consciousness, comparing identifying as an unknown figure to identifying as an undiscovered animal. That said, some factkin do not have famous facttypes, sometimes identifying as someone from their personal lives when this is the case.

Factkin generally do not assert that they have full knowledge of their facttype's life. Since factkin only have their facttype's public presentation as a point of reference for their identity, they may fill in the gaps with information that isn't true to their facttype's experiences. The factualkin carrd states that a factkin identity, despite being based on a real person, will never be completely factual.

Factkin may have similar experiences as fictionkin, as both identities center around identifying as a specific individual.

Etymology & History

Experiences similar to those of factkin have been reported throughout history, particularly in the context of reincarnation. Although the modern factkin community has a history with being associated with trolls, there is debate on to what extent it originated from them; some believe that the term factkin itself was invented by trolls, while others believe it was only popularized by them. Trolls have historically taken on factkin identities with the purpose of mocking otherkin, which Yukon believes was done to cause infighting.

Originating out of a dislike the reputation that trolls gave factkin, the term factualkin was coined by created by genuine members of the community to describe their experiences. Additionally, the term diaunthro was created in 2021, describing those who identify as, with, or as a copy of another real, human individual. Diaunthros do not consider themselves to be a part of the otherkin community and use the term to separate themselves from inaccurate nonhumanity that might be implied from the use of the "-kin" suffix. Neither of these terms have become as well known as the original factkin.

ama-factkin states that before 2019 or 2020, most people in otherkin and alterhuman communities were hostile towards factkin, with this attitude overwhelming most discussion around the identity. More recently, sentiment towards factkin has gradually became less negative, with explicitly pro-factkin individuals appearing on multiple social media sites.

Reception

Factkin are generally associated with trolls and anti-otherkin sentiment. However, many factkin wish for their identities to become more legitimized. ama-factkin believes that misinformation is a major cause of this negative perception and urges people to talk to factkin themselves rather than make false assumptions about their experiences.

Factkin have been criticized for ethical issues, particularly identity theft. However, factkin state that identity theft is a serious and complex crime, and is usually done for personal gain, while factkinity is an integral identity that does not necessitate any harmful actions be taken. They believe genuine factkin do not intend to take credit for their facttype’s accomplishments, and do not attempt to pose as the “real” version of their facttype to the general public. Other concerns consider the agency of living facttypes; Alabaster of the Corvidae Collective believes that one could harm their facttype's mental health by expressing their factkin identity nonconsensually and publicly.

Some consider factkin to be less legitimate than factives, or members of plural systems who experience their primary identity as another real person. Silhouette of Fact-Anonymous believes that this is a false dichotomy rooted in respectability politics and false logic. They state that many people who support this dichotomy regard plurality as always disabling and rooted in trauma, concluding that bias against factives is ableist. Meanwhile, these same individuals oftentimes deny that the experiences of factkin carry the same seriousness as those of factives. According to Silhouette, this perspective falls apart when one acknowledges that many systems are non-disordered and that many factkin have trauma themselves. Additionally, they assert that bias against factkin also hurts factives, as many outside the community do not differentiate between the two.

Some do not believe that the label is accurate to factkin experiences, as the "-kin" suffix is oftentimes used to denote nonhumanity. Some also do not consider factkin to be alterhuman, seeing it as comparable to a traditional belief in reincarnation. However, ama-factkin defines facttypes as identities which one still retains, which is not true of all past life experiences. Additionally, they defend the label's use of the "-kin" suffix, stating that their experiences with factkinity and nonhumanity are more comparable than many assume.