OtherCon
OtherCon is a 3-day virtual convention for otherkin, therians, and other alterhumans. According to the convention's website, the intended purpose of OtherCon is to, "provide a space where people within (and outside) of the community can come together to socialize, educate, and entertain for a fun-filled weekend!"[1] It was the first virtual gathering of its kind, and has been in operation since 2020 under the organization of Dinocanid and volunteer moderators.
Background and History[edit | edit source]
The idea of an otherkin or therian convention was first pitched on the Tumblr blog kincafe on June 4th, 2020.[2] The earliest reference to the word OtherCon appears in a Google Docs interest check survey that was posted and advertised by kincafe shortly after, titled "Othercon interest survey".[3] The first iteration of the convention was held just over two months later, on August 14-16, 2020.
The name "Othercon" is a portmanteau of "otherkin" and "convention."
Features[edit | edit source]
Features of the convention include a pre-convention Thursday Theater watch party, opening and closing ceremonies, a lounge, a con radio station, an Artist Alley, a Dealers Den, charity events and fundraisers, a con book, a group artwork piece, and a post-closing ceremonies "Mega Howl." OtherCon has a variety of events each year hosted by attendees, such as lectures, interactive streams, book readings, and more. These events, if authorized by the individuals who ran them, can be found in recorded form on the convention's YouTube.[4] The convention's yearly icon is also voted on through OtherCon's various social media platforms.[5]
Information[edit | edit source]
| # | Dates of Convention | Theme | Attendance | Charity Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 14-16, 2020 | Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Don't worry, happiness is not far away, with a saiga as the convention's server icon of the year | 369 | $272 for the Brave Space Alliance, $34.26 for The Bail Project, $55 for Planned Parenthood, $10 for Arts Businesses Collaborative, $11.87 for IGLYO, $11.87 for ILGA-Europe, and $44 for Trans Liberation Collective for a combined total of $439 | |
| 2 | August 13-15, 2021 | Family & Friends, with a sea bunny as the convention's server icon of the year | 389 | $242.84 for the Petco Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, RedRover, Blue Cross, and PDSA | |
| 3 | August 12-14, 2022 | Our Oceans, with the leafy sea dragon as the convention's server icon of the year | 346 | $280 for Ocean Conservancy, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Surfrider Foundation | |
| 4 | August 12-14, 2023 | Prehistoric - Gone but not forgotten, with the lykoi cat as the convention's server icon of the year | 426[6] | $210 for St George Dinosaur Discovery site, $66.25 for Archangel Ancient Tree Archive[6] |
Reception[edit | edit source]
Therian YouTuber Pink Dolphin feels that OtherCon has been uniquely able to unite alterhuman communities which were previously scattered across different social media platforms. They described the first convention as "a milestone in the alterhuman community".[7]
External links[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Dinocanid. "OtherCon"
- ↑ kincafe. (June 4, 2020) "Virtual otherkin/therian convention, would you attend?"
- ↑ kincafe. (June 5, 2020) "To better collect data with planning, I created this survey! ..."
- ↑ "Othercon - YouTube"
- ↑ Dinocanid. (September 29th, 2022) "2023 Mascot Voting" (Archived version)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 dinocanid. "Othercon 2023 is now over!"
- ↑ Pink Dolphin. (August 28th, 2020) "I WAS AT OTHERCON! what did you miss?"