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{{Short description|People who identify as not entirely human}}
The '''otherkin''' ] is made up of people who describe themselves as non-] in some way, usually as a ] or ]. {{ref|kinhost_faq_1_2}} Otherkin should not be confused with ] {{ref|hiddenlair_not_an_rpg}} {{ref|er_webring_not_an_rpg}}
{{about|the subculture|the band|Otherkin (band)}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|a large percentage of the article content is derived from ]|article|date=May 2024}}


'''Otherkin''' is a ] of people who ] as partially or entirely ]. Some otherkin believe their identity derives from non-physical ], such as having a nonhuman ]<ref name="fieldguide">{{cite book |author=Lupa | title=A Field Guide to Otherkin | publisher=Immanion Press | year=2007 | isbn=978-1-905713-07-3 }}</ref>{{rp|73–76}}{{Better source needed|date=September 2024}} or ].<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|57–58}} Some otherkin give non-spiritual explanations for themselves, such as unusual ] or ],<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|80–86}} or as part of ] or ].<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|76–79}} Many otherkin say they are physically human.<ref name="PVC">{{cite book |title=The Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work |year=2004 |publisher=] |isbn=1-57863-321-4 |author=Michelle Belanger |author-link=Michelle Belanger |author2=Father Sebastiaan |author2-link=Father Sebastiaan |page=274 |quote=/--/Some feel that their difference is purely spiritual, while others believe there is a genetic difference between themselves and humanity. /--/}}</ref><ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|66–72}}
The community grew out of the ] ] community of the early to mid-], with the earliest recorded use of the term "otherkin" appearing in early ]; however, from the context it appears clear that it was already well established. {{ref|usenet_otherkin_1996}}. It was coined when it became clear that those people within the emerging subculture were identifying themselves as a number of different ] creatures, such as ], ]s and ]s, and not just as elves. {{ref|okn_here_and_now}} The definition of the term is fluid, sometimes expanding to include ], ], and an assortment of other kinds, but the core definition of mythological creatures is agreed on within the community. {{ref|okn_wiki_defining_otherkin}}


The otherkin subculture developed primarily as an ] during the 1990s.<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|50}} It had partly grown out of some small groups of people who described themselves as ] during the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|49}} During the late 2000s, the word has come to be treated as an ] for some other nonhuman identity subcultures.<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|107–108}}
Despite this, the otherkin umbrella has expanded over time, and is often used nowadays to describe a number of communities with similar beliefs. {{ref|urbandict_otherkin}} Examples of these are the ] {{ref|tomorrowlands_draconity_faq}}, ] {{ref|acv_faq}} and ] {{ref|shifters_overview}} communities &mdash; all of which share similar core beliefs, but whose members may not consider themselves part of the mainstream otherkin community. {{ref|d3_what_are_otherkin}} There are also elements of the ] community, sometimes called ], that hold such "species dysphoric" beliefs about various animal species. {{ref|wiki_furry_lifestylers}}


==Etymology==
Otherkin describe their non-human aspects as being either ], ] or sometimes ] in nature. The spiritual and philosophical paradigms, especially, are seen as different and valid ways of being otherkin, rather than being in opposition to each other. {{ref|okn_what_are_otherkin}} There is more debate about the biological paradigm. {{ref|okn_here_and_now_2}}


The word ''otherkin'', in the context of a subculture, was created in July 1990 by participants of the mailing list Elfinkind Digest. It came along with the variant "otherkind," which appeared first in April 1990. It was a more widely inclusive derivative of the mailing list's name. Mailing list participants used both interchangeably for a while.<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|50}} Over the following decades, the word "otherkin" entered common usage enough to be later added to the principal historical dictionary of the English language. In 2017, the '']'' defined otherkin as "a person who identifies as non-human, typically as being wholly or partially an animal or mythical being."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2017-02-24 |title=Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Squad Goals,' 'Yas' and 'Drunk Text' |url=https://time.com/4682491/oxford-dictionary-2017/ |access-date=2023-07-20 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=2023-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720215758/https://time.com/4682491/oxford-dictionary-2017/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Otherkin - definition of otherkin in English Oxford Dictionaries|url = https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/otherkin| date = 2017-04-08 | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20170408121820/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/otherkin | archivedate = 2017-04-08 }}</ref>
Sometimes a combination of non-human natures is professed, such as being both elf and werewolf, or dragon and cat.


Coincidentally, the word "otherkin" happens to have also existed in the ] language. A dictionary of that language, the '']'' (1981), gave a definition of the adjective "otherkin" as "a different or an additional kind of, other kinds of".<ref>{{cite book |title=]: O.3, Volume 0 |year=1981 |publisher=] |isbn=0-472-01153-7 |author=Sherman M. Kuhn |page=344}}</ref> Middle English died out in the late 15th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fuster-Márquez |first1=Miguel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQLBqKjxuvAC |title=A Practical Introduction to the History of English |last2=Calvo García de Leonardo |first2=Juan José |publisher=Universitat de València |year=2011 |isbn=9788437083216 |location= |page=21 |access-date=19 December 2017}}</ref>
<!-- Stuff from here down mostly needs supporting sources, but shouldn't be removed -->


==Terms and identities==
== Spiritual beliefs ==
The term ''otherkin'' includes a broad range of identities. Otherkin may identify as creatures of the ], ], or ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices |year=2007 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7387-1220-8 |author=Michelle Belanger |author-link=Michelle Belanger |page=25}}</ref> Examples include but are not limited to the following: ], ]s, ]s, ]s, ], ], ]s, ]es, ], ], ]s, and ]al characters.<ref name=reale>{{cite book |title=Real Energy: Systems, Spirits, And Substances to Heal, Change, And Grow |year=2007 |publisher=Career Press |isbn=978-1-56414-904-6 |author=Isaac Bonewits |author-link=Isaac Bonewits |author2=Phaedra Bonewits |pages=196–197}}</ref><ref name="villagevoice">{{cite news |title=Elven Like Me: Otherkin Come Out of the Closet |first=Nick |last=Mamatas |authorlink=Nick Mamatas |newspaper=] |location=New York |date=February 20, 2001 |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2001-02-13/news/elven-like-me/ |access-date=2021-06-27 |archive-date=2015-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516155609/http://www.villagevoice.com/2001-02-13/news/elven-like-me/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ascensionmagic">{{cite book |first=Christopher |last=Penczak |title=Ascension Magick: Ritual, Myth & Healing for the New Aeon | publisher=] |pages=416–417; 441 |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7387-1047-1}}</ref><ref name="questing" /> Rarer are those who identify as ]s, ]s, ]s, or ] such as ].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Beusman|first=Callie|date=August 3, 2016|title='I Look at a Cloud and I See It as Me': The People Who Identify As Objects|work=]|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmbeae/i-look-at-a-cloud-and-i-see-it-as-me-the-people-who-identify-as-objects|url-status=live|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=December 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222211542/https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmbeae/i-look-at-a-cloud-and-i-see-it-as-me-the-people-who-identify-as-objects}}</ref>


{{anchor|Therian}}The term "therian" refers to people who spiritually, physically, or psychologically identify as an animal. The species of animal a therian identifies as is called a theriotype.<ref name=":2" /> While therians mainly attribute their experiences of therianthropy to either spirituality or psychology, the way in which they consider their therian identity is not a defining characteristic of therianthropy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Laycock |first1=Joseph P. |date=2012 |title=We Are Spirits of Another Sort |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=65–90 | quote = There is a not a finite list of Otherkin "types," but some of the most common include faeries and elves, vampires, therianthropes (individuals who identify with animals and shapeshifters), angels and demons, and "mythologicals" (legendary creatures such as dragons and phoenixes).|doi=10.1525/nr.2012.15.3.65}}</ref> The identity "transspecies" is used by some.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grivell |first1=Timothy |last2=Clegg |first2=Helen |last3=Roxburgh |first3=Elizabeth C. |date=2014 |title=An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Identity in the Therian Community |journal=Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research |publisher=Routledge |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=113–135 |doi=10.1080/15283488.2014.891999 |s2cid=144047707}}</ref>
Otherkin most commonly believe themselves to be human in biology but "other" in spirit, often attributing this to ] or a "misplaced" ]. These otherkin most commonly claim to receive ] and ] from their past lives. The otherkin community also has a relatively high proportion of people who claim to have ]. These people may describe internal personalities with different otherkin types and sometimes include ] amongst their number. A parallel has also been drawn between otherkin and ], resulting in the ] ]: the conviction that one is in a body of the wrong ]. {{ref|drp_trans}}


==Community==
== Philosophical beliefs ==
Otherkin communities online largely function without formal authority structures and mostly focus on support and information gathering, often dividing into more specific groups based on kintype.<ref name=questing>{{cite book |title=Through a Glass Darkly: Collected Research |year=2006 |publisher=] |url=http://ojs-prod.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/SSR/article/view/259/238 |author=Kirby, Danielle |editor=Frances Di Lauro |chapter=Alternative Worlds: Metaphysical questing and virtual community amongst the Otherkin |isbn=1920898549 |access-date=2012-07-09 |archive-date=2014-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102195904/http://ojs-prod.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/SSR/article/view/259/238 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are occasional offline gatherings, but the otherkin network is mostly an online phenomenon.<ref name=questing />


The therian and ] subcultures are related to the otherkin community, and are considered part of it by most otherkin but are culturally and historically distinct movements of their own, despite some overlap in membership.<ref name=fieldguide /> The word ''alterhuman'' exists as an umbrella term which intends to encompass all of these subcultures, as well as others such as ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title=Otherkin are the internet's punchline. They're also our future|url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/otherkin/|access-date=2020-11-15|website=The Daily Dot|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120180302/https://www.dailydot.com/irl/otherkin/|url-status=live}}</ref>
As the community has grown more sophisticated, a number of people have begun explaining their association with non-human imagery as a way of understanding and exploring themselves. Another idea otherkin associate with is ]. Such an explanation for an otherkin's bond with another entity &mdash; with the ] guiding or temporarily taking possession of the human body &mdash; is especially popular among those involved with ] and the ] movement.


===Symbols===
== Physiological beliefs ==
] known as the ''Elven Star'' or ''Fairy Star'']]
A common symbol for otherkin is a seven-pointed star, specifically a regular {7/3} ], known as the ''Elven Star'' or ''Fairy Star''. Otherkin have used it for decades. For example, one early use of it was by the Silver Elves in an article they published in the summer 1986 issue of Circle Network News.<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|52–53}}


===Religious and spiritual beliefs===
Otherkin may describe themselves as ]ly non-human. They may consider themselves to have descended from a non-human of some kind; otherkin who hold this particular belief tend to be of the elven or fae type. They may claim, at least partially, to have the ] and ]s of their "other" nature. Some otherkin have expressed a desire to undergo genetic testing to see if they have any extremely unusual genetic traits.


Scholars such as Joseph P. Laycock, assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University, considers otherkin beliefs to have a ] dimension, but asserts that "the argument that Otherkin identity claims conform to a substantive definition of religion is problematic".<ref name=laycock /> Many otherkin themselves reject the notion that being otherkin is a religious belief.<ref name="laycock" />
Some otherkin claim to feel wings, tails, and other organs from past ]s that are not part of their human body. This sensation is described as similar to the "phantom limb" (]) condition.


Some otherkin claim to be especially empathic and attuned to nature.<ref name="villagevoice" /> Some claim to be able to ] mentally or ], meaning that they experience the sense of being in their particular form while not actually changing physically.<ref name=fieldguide /><ref>{{cite book |title=Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality |year=2008 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7387-1318-2 |author=Raven Digitalis |page=178}}</ref> Moreover, the claim to be able to physically shift is generally looked down on by the community. They may also describe being able to feel phantom limbs/wings/tails/horns, that coordinates with their kintype.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Baldwin |first1=Clive |last2=Ripley |first2=Lauren |date=2020-08-07 |title=Exploring Other-Than-Human Identity: A Narrative Approach to Otherkin, Therianthropes, and Vampires |url=https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/8147 |journal=Qualitative Sociology Review |language=en |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=8–26 |doi=10.18778/1733-8077.16.3.02 |s2cid=225433670 |issn=1733-8077 |hdl=11089/38377 |hdl-access=free |access-date=2023-06-04 |archive-date=2023-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604215034/https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/8147 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some otherkin claim to also go through an 'awakening' that alerts them to their kintype.<ref name=":1" />
Otherkin often describe unusual behaviour traits that would not fit in with the mainstream of their culture. Although none of these traits are common enough to be considered identifying traits, there are some which are repeatedly mentioned by different members of the same otherkin type.


Many otherkin believe in the existence of a multitude of ], and their belief in the existence of ] or ] non-human beings is grounded in that idea.<ref name=questing />
Therianthrope and vampiric otherkin, for example, may describe unusual cravings such as needing to eat raw meat {{ref|werewolf_raw_meat}} or to drink blood {{ref|sanguinarium_dealing}} Many draconic otherkin describe a strong tendency to ], although this is a common tendency across Western society.


==History==
== Awakening: identifying as otherkin ==
===1990s===
A student at the ] created the ''Elfinkind Digest'', a ] for "elves and interested observers."<ref name="fieldguide" />{{rp|50}} Also in the early 1990s, ] such as alt.horror.werewolves (AHWW)<ref name="cursewere">{{cite book |title= The Curse of the Werewolf: Fantasy, Horror and the Beast Within |author= Chantal Bourgault Du Coudray |publisher= ] |year= 2006 |isbn= 1-84511-158-3}}</ref> and alt.fan.dragons on ], which were initially created for fans of these creatures in the context of ] and ] literature and films, also developed followings of individuals who identified as ] beings.<ref name="fieldguide" /><ref name="Cohen">{{cite book |last=Cohen |first=D. |year=1996 |title=Werewolves |location=New York |publisher=] |isbn=0-525-65207-8 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/werewolves00cohe_0/page/104 }}</ref>


===2000s===
The otherkin subculture describes the process of beginning to identify oneself as otherkin as ''Awakening''. The process of awakening has much in common with that of ] ] or ]. Depending on the individual concerned, it can be very sudden or a gradual process. It may be validating or traumatizing. The individual may also believe he or she is recovering ].
On 15 December 2006, the ]-based ] '']'' published an article about dragons that included a section about the otherkin blog ''Draconic''.<ref>https://startribune.newspapers.com/image/250367410/</ref> The article took quotes from the mission statement of the blog, written by site founder Chris Dragon.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}


===2010s===
Otherkin themselves state very clearly that their perceived non-human traits are innate. In the awakening process, they generally consider that something is being revealed about themselves that had previously been hidden. Otherkin frequently attest to lifelong feelings of ] or ], or of ] for places they have never seen or cannot identify. They may claim higher levels of ], ] or ] awareness; equally, they may claim none of these things.
On 7 April 2010, the ] newspaper '']'' published an article titled ''"Ibland får jag lust att yla som en varg"'' (“Sometimes I get the urge to howl like a wolf”) in which Lanina, founder of the Swedish language otherkin and therian forum therian.forumer.com, described the basics of what it's like to be a therian.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lerner |first=Thomas |date=7 April 2010 |title="Ibland får jag lust att yla som en varg" |work=] |url=https://www.dn.se/insidan/insidan-hem/ibland-far-jag-lust-att-yla-som-en-varg |url-status=dead |access-date=19 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909073826/https://www.dn.se/insidan/insidan-hem/ibland-far-jag-lust-att-yla-som-en-varg |archive-date=9 September 2011}}</ref> The article is the first known article to offer a description of "therian" identity by a major European newspaper.


In 2011, the ] (IARP), a ]-] multidisciplinary research group, expanded the scope of its annual ''International Furry Survey'' to include otherkin and therians for the first time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Furry Survey: Summer 2011 |url=https://furscience.com/research-findings/appendix-1-previous-research/international-summer-2011/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Furscience |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524195004/https://furscience.com/research-findings/appendix-1-previous-research/international-summer-2011/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Awakening may be triggered by references in the ] or ] or by the company of local otherkin. However, it is not uncommon for people to state that they awakened independently of the community or before they had ever heard of the concept of otherkin.


==Research==
Despite the conviction in the community that otherkin are born, not made, there is no clear definition on what constitutes "otherness." One effect of this is that anyone who asserts mainstream otherkin status is very unlikely to be contradicted by the community itself.
Daniell Kirby wrote the first academic paper on otherkin in 2008, which served to introduce the community to other academics.<ref name="questing" /> Kirby described otherkin as sharing ideas with the ], however she called this an "interim classification", and warned that "to construe this group as specifically neo-pagan or techno-pagan obscures the focus of the participants".<ref name="questing" /> Subsequent research has treated the otherkin community as having an essentially religious character.<ref name="laycock" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Robertson |first=Venetia Laura Delano |date=2014-01-13 |title=The Law of the Jungle: Self and Community in the Online Therianthropy Movement |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/pome.v14i2.256 |journal=Pomegranate|volume=14 |issue=2 |doi=10.1558/pome.v14i2.256 |doi-broken-date=2024-11-13 |issn=1743-1735}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Bador |first=Damien |title=J. R. R. Tolkien et Ferdinand de Saussure : un héritage en fiction |date=2019 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4000/books.editionsulm.4020 |work=Tolkien et la Terre du Milieu |pages=55–74 |access-date=2023-07-15 |publisher=Éditions Rue d’Ulm|doi=10.4000/books.editionsulm.4020 |isbn=9782728806799 |s2cid=246344364 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Spirituality and self-realisation as 'other-than-human': the Otherkin and Therianthropy communities |date=2016-11-18 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315582283-11 |work=Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality |pages=54–71 |access-date=2023-07-15 |place=New York |series=Inform series |publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9781315582283-11 |isbn=9781315582283 }}</ref>


From 2016 onwards, otherkin research has taken more of a ] approach, investigating how otherkin come to understand their experiences.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Bricker |first=Natalie |title=Life Stories of Therianthropes: An Analysis of Nonhuman Identity in a Narrative Identity Model |date=April 25, 2016 |publisher=Lake Forest College Publications |url=https://core.ac.uk/works/27587688 |access-date=July 15, 2023 |archive-date=July 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715145116/https://core.ac.uk/works/27587688 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Baldwin |first1=Clive |last2=Ripley |first2=Lauren |date=2020-08-07 |title=Exploring Other-Than-Human Identity: A Narrative Approach to Otherkin, Therianthropes, and Vampires |url=https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/8147 |journal=Qualitative Sociology Review |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=8–26 |doi=10.18778/1733-8077.16.3.02 |s2cid=225433670 |issn=1733-8077 |hdl=11089/38377 |hdl-access=free |access-date=2023-06-04 |archive-date=2023-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604215034/https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/qualit/article/view/8147 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shea |first=Stephanie C. |date=July 2020 |title=Exploring Other-Than-Human Identity: Religious Experiences in the Life-Story of a Machinekin |journal=Religions |language=en |volume=11 |issue=7 |pages=354 |doi=10.3390/rel11070354 |issn=2077-1444 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Reviewing prior research, Stephanie C. Shea criticizes the prevailing conception of the otherkin subculture as being, or being alike to, either a religion or a spirituality.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Shea |first=Stephanie |title=IDENTITY AND BELIEF: An Analysis of the Otherkin Subculture |date=June 2019 |degree=MA |publisher=University of Amsterdam |url=https://www.academia.edu/43287628 |access-date=2023-07-15 |archive-date=2023-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820200610/https://www.academia.edu/43287628 |url-status=live }}</ref>
However, those who profess more unusual beliefs are likely to meet with controversy. One example of this is the '']'' (or ''otakin'') community, who associate with ] ] such as ] or ]. {{ref|otakin}} Some otakukin state that the media they have associated with remind them of past lives. There is a tendency for people to be accused of ] if their claims are considered implausible; this has been referred to as "subculture intolerance." {{ref|okn_otherkin_behaviour}}

In four surveys of ] (n&nbsp;= 4338/1761/951/1065), depending on the sample, between 25% and 44% responded that they consider themselves to be "less than 100% human", compared to 7% of a sample (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;802) of non-furries surveyed at furry conventions.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Plante |first1=Courtney N. |url=https://furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fur-Science-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf |title=FurScience! A Summary of Five Years of Research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project |last2=Reysen |first2=Stephen |last3=Roberts |first3=Sharon E. |last4=Gerbasi |first4=Kathleen C. |date=2016 |publisher=FurScience |isbn=978-0-9976288-0-7 |location=Waterloo, Ontario |access-date=2023-12-04 |archive-date=2022-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421044257/https://furscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fur-Science-Final-pdf-for-Website_2017_10_18.pdf |url-status=live |page=78}}</ref>

==Public perception and media coverage==
Outside viewers may have varying opinions about people who identify as otherkin, such as considering them psychologically dysfunctional.<ref name=reale /> Reactions often range from disbelief to aggressive antagonism, especially online.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Vampyre Almanac 2006 |year=2006 |publisher=] |isbn=1-4116-6084-6 |author=Th'Elf |editor=Sebastiaan van Houten |editor-link=Sebastiaan van Houten |chapter=Otherkin}}</ref>

Otherkin have been called one of the world's most bizarre ]s,<ref>{{cite book |title=Essentials of Marketing Management |page=48 |publisher=] |year=2010 |author=Geoffrey Lancaster |author2=Lester Massingham |isbn=978-0-415-55346-9}}</ref> and a ] (or a "quasi-religion"<ref name="kirby">{{cite book |author=Kirby, Danielle |url=https://archive.org/details/exploringreligio0000unse_q7d1 |title=Exploring Religion And The Sacred in A Media Age |publisher=] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7546-6527-4 |editor1=Christopher Deacy |chapter=From Pulp Fiction to Revealed Text: A Study of the Role of the Text in the Otherkin Community |editor2=Elisabeth Arweck |url-access=registration}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2024}}) that "in some of its forms, largely only exists on the ]".<ref>Dawson, Lorne L.; Hennebry, Jenna. "New Religions and The Internet: Recruiting in A New Public Space". Essay published in several books:

* ]. ''Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations''. ], 2006. {{ISBN|1-55130-306-X}}
* Lorne L. Dawson; Douglas E. Cowan. ''Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet''. ], 2004. {{ISBN|0-415-97021-0}}
* Lorne L. Dawson. ''Cults and New Religious Movements: A Reader''. ], 2003. {{ISBN|1-4051-0181-4}}</ref> Although otherkin beliefs deviate from the definition of "religion", they share the primary interest in the paranormal.<ref name=kirby />{{Page needed|date=August 2024}} Joseph P. Laycock argues that the otherkin community serves existential and social functions commonly associated with religion, and regards it as an alternative '']'' that sustains alternate ]. He feels that the negative public reaction to the subculture may be because of how these beliefs challenge the predominant social worldview.<ref name=laycock>Joseph P. Laycock. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613125527/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2012.15.3.65 |date=2020-06-13 }}. ''Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions''. Vol. 15, No. 3 (February 2012), pp. 65–90. ]</ref> Professor Jay Johnston similarly feels that nonhuman identity "is perhaps not so much pathological as political".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnston |first=Jay |title=Animal Death |chapter=On having a furry soul: transpecies identity and ontological indeterminacy in Otherkin subcultures |date=2013 |chapter-url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1gxxpvf.23 |pages=293–306 |editor-last=Johnston |editor-first=Jay |access-date=2023-08-17 |publisher=Sydney University Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctt1gxxpvf.23 |jstor=j.ctt1gxxpvf.23 |isbn=978-1-74332-023-5 |editor2-last=Probyn-Rapsey |editor2-first=Fiona |archive-date=2023-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817120553/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1gxxpvf.23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to ], they represent a dissatisfaction with the modern world, and they have taken fairy lore out of its original context.<ref name="villagevoice" />{{Update inline|date=September 2022|?=yes|reason=Reaction is from February 2001, and the source treats otherkin as a monolith. I found no source claiming Mamatas believes his reaction still applies broadly to otherkin today. Is it still relevant after so many years, or should the reaction be removed?}}


==See also== ==See also==
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* '']''
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]


==External links== ==References==
{{Reflist}}
*
*
*
*
*


== References == ==Further reading==
* {{cite book |title=Reinventing Ourselves: Contemporary Concepts of Identity in Virtual Worlds |year=2011 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-85729-360-2 |author=Anna Peachey |author2=Mark Childs |chapter=Ch. 4: Liminal Phases of Avatar Identity}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Baker-Whitelaw |first1=Gavia |title=Meet the people who don't identify as human |url=http://theweek.com/articles/552648/meet-peoplewho-dont-identify-human |magazine=] |date=July 21, 2015}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Proctor |first1=Devin |title=Policing the Fluff: The Social Construction of Scientistic Selves in Otherkin Facebook Groups |journal=Engaging Science, Technology, and Society | date=April 2018 |volume=4 |pages=485–514|doi=10.17351/ests2018.252 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite thesis |last=Proctor |first=Devin |date=2019 |title=On being non-human: Otherkin identification and virtual space |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2211490902 |degree=PhD |publisher=George Washington University|id={{ProQuest|2211490902}} }}
*
* . ], article published September 26, 2020


==External links==
<!-- Instructions for adding a footnote:
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# {{note|kinhost_faq_1_2}} {{Web reference | title=Defining otherkin | work=Kinhost.org : Otherkin FAQ v 4.0.1 (2/8/01) | URL=http://kinhost.org/res/Otherfaq.php#1_2 | date=8 February | year=2001}}
# {{note|hiddenlair_not_an_rpg}} {{Web reference | title=Board rules and Information | work=hiddenlair.org | URL=http://hiddenlair.org/boardrules.htm | date=20 May | year=2005}}
# {{note|er_webring_not_an_rpg}} {{Web reference | title=elvenrealities | work=WebRing: hub | URL=http://m.webring.com/hub?ring=elvenrealities | date=10 August | year=2002}}
# {{note|usenet_otherkin_1996}} {{Web reference | title=Vampyr and elves | work=Google Groups : alt.vampyres | URL=http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.vampyres/msg/681ad3a9381644fe?dmode=source&hl=en | date=10 February | year=1996}}
# {{note|okn_here_and_now}} {{Web reference | title=Here and Now | work=Otherkin.net : Rants and Rambles | URL=http://www.otherkin.net/articles/hereNow.html | date=9 February | year=2002}}
# {{note|okn_wiki_defining_otherkin}} {{Web reference | title=Defining otherkin | work=Otherkin.net : Wiki : Manual | URL=http://www.otherkin.net/Manual/DefiningOtherkin | date=19 May | year=2005}}
# {{note|urbandict_otherkin}} {{Web reference | title=Otherkin (Spritedust's definition) | work=Urban Dictionary | URL=http://otherkin.urbanup.com/671131 | date=15 May | year=2004}}
# {{note|tomorrowlands_draconity_faq}} {{Web reference | title=The Draconity FAQ | work=tomorrowlands.org | URL=http://www.tomorrowlands.org/draconity/faq/ | date=December | year=1999}}
# {{note|acv_faq}} {{Web reference | title=alt.culture.vampires FAQ | work=alt.culture.vampyres website | URL=http://earthops.org/a-c-v/faq.html | date=19 May | year=2005}}
# {{note|shifters_overview}} {{Web reference | title=Therianthropy: an overview | work=shifters.org | URL=http://www.therianthropy.org/so/overview/therianthropy.asp | date=30 December | year=2002}}
# {{note|d3_what_are_otherkin}} {{Web reference | title=What are Otherkin? | work=Drink Deeply & Dream : Vampiric Forum | URL=http://p074.ezboard.com/fdrinkdeeplyanddreamfrm21.showMessageRange?topicID=2.topic&start=21&stop=40 | date=6 October | year=2003}}
# {{note|wiki_furry_lifestylers}} {{Web reference | title=Furry lifestylers | work=Misplaced Pages | URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/Furry_lifestyler | date=19 May | year=2005}}
# {{note|okn_what_are_otherkin}} {{Web reference | title=What are otherkin? | work=Otherkin.net : Articles | URL=http://www.otherkin.net/articles/what.html | date=6 April | year=2003}}
# {{note|okn_here_and_now_2}} {{Web reference | title=Here and Now | work=Otherkin.net : Rants and Rambles | URL=http://www.otherkin.net/articles/hereNow.html | date=9 February | year=2002}}
# {{note|werewolf_raw_meat}} {{Web reference | title=looking for someone who understainds.. | work=Werewolf.com Discussion Boards : Therianthropy and Spirituality | URL=http://www.werewolf.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3427 | date=2 June | year=2004}}
# {{note|sanguinarium_dealing}} {{Web reference | title=Dealing with the Bloodthirst | work=Sanguinarius: Vampire Guide | URL=http://www.sanguinarius.org/guide/blood/bloodthirst.shtml | date=21 November | year=2004}}
# {{note|drp_trans}} {{Web reference | title=Trans-speciesism | work=Draconity Resource Project | URL=http://www.weyr.org/~raki/drp/trans.html | date=2 February | year=2004}}
# {{note|otakin}} {{Web reference | title=Kinjou Ten's Temple of the Ota-'kin | work=Otherkin.net | URL=http://otakukin.otherkin.net/ | date=22 May | year=2005}}
# {{note|okn_otherkin_behaviour}} {{Web reference | title=Otherkin behaviour patterns | work=Otherkin.net | URL=http://www.otherkin.net/articles/patterns.html | date=5 February | year=2004}}


{{Furry fandom|state=collapsed}}
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Latest revision as of 11:28, 23 December 2024

People who identify as not entirely human This article is about the subculture. For the band, see Otherkin (band).
This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Misplaced Pages's quality standards, as a large percentage of the article content is derived from low quality sources. You can help. The talk page may contain suggestions. (May 2024)

Otherkin is a subculture of people who identify as partially or entirely nonhuman. Some otherkin believe their identity derives from non-physical spiritual phenomena, such as having a nonhuman soul or reincarnation. Some otherkin give non-spiritual explanations for themselves, such as unusual psychology or neurodivergence, or as part of dissociative identity disorder or multiplicity. Many otherkin say they are physically human.

The otherkin subculture developed primarily as an online community during the 1990s. It had partly grown out of some small groups of people who described themselves as elves during the 1970s and 1980s. During the late 2000s, the word has come to be treated as an umbrella term for some other nonhuman identity subcultures.

Etymology

The word otherkin, in the context of a subculture, was created in July 1990 by participants of the mailing list Elfinkind Digest. It came along with the variant "otherkind," which appeared first in April 1990. It was a more widely inclusive derivative of the mailing list's name. Mailing list participants used both interchangeably for a while. Over the following decades, the word "otherkin" entered common usage enough to be later added to the principal historical dictionary of the English language. In 2017, the Oxford English Dictionary defined otherkin as "a person who identifies as non-human, typically as being wholly or partially an animal or mythical being."

Coincidentally, the word "otherkin" happens to have also existed in the Middle English language. A dictionary of that language, the Middle English Dictionary (1981), gave a definition of the adjective "otherkin" as "a different or an additional kind of, other kinds of". Middle English died out in the late 15th century.

Terms and identities

The term otherkin includes a broad range of identities. Otherkin may identify as creatures of the natural world, mythology, or popular culture. Examples include but are not limited to the following: aliens, angels, demons, dragons, elves, fairies, horses, foxes, wolves, sprites, unicorns, and fictional characters. Rarer are those who identify as plants, machines, concepts, or natural phenomena such as weather systems.

The term "therian" refers to people who spiritually, physically, or psychologically identify as an animal. The species of animal a therian identifies as is called a theriotype. While therians mainly attribute their experiences of therianthropy to either spirituality or psychology, the way in which they consider their therian identity is not a defining characteristic of therianthropy. The identity "transspecies" is used by some.

Community

Otherkin communities online largely function without formal authority structures and mostly focus on support and information gathering, often dividing into more specific groups based on kintype. There are occasional offline gatherings, but the otherkin network is mostly an online phenomenon.

The therian and vampire subcultures are related to the otherkin community, and are considered part of it by most otherkin but are culturally and historically distinct movements of their own, despite some overlap in membership. The word alterhuman exists as an umbrella term which intends to encompass all of these subcultures, as well as others such as plurality.

Symbols

A regular {7/3} heptagram known as the Elven Star or Fairy Star

A common symbol for otherkin is a seven-pointed star, specifically a regular {7/3} heptagram, known as the Elven Star or Fairy Star. Otherkin have used it for decades. For example, one early use of it was by the Silver Elves in an article they published in the summer 1986 issue of Circle Network News.

Religious and spiritual beliefs

Scholars such as Joseph P. Laycock, assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University, considers otherkin beliefs to have a religious dimension, but asserts that "the argument that Otherkin identity claims conform to a substantive definition of religion is problematic". Many otherkin themselves reject the notion that being otherkin is a religious belief.

Some otherkin claim to be especially empathic and attuned to nature. Some claim to be able to shapeshift or "shift" mentally or astrally, meaning that they experience the sense of being in their particular form while not actually changing physically. Moreover, the claim to be able to physically shift is generally looked down on by the community. They may also describe being able to feel phantom limbs/wings/tails/horns, that coordinates with their kintype. Some otherkin claim to also go through an 'awakening' that alerts them to their kintype.

Many otherkin believe in the existence of a multitude of parallel universes, and their belief in the existence of supernatural or sapient non-human beings is grounded in that idea.

History

1990s

A student at the University of Kentucky created the Elfinkind Digest, a mailing list for "elves and interested observers." Also in the early 1990s, newsgroups such as alt.horror.werewolves (AHWW) and alt.fan.dragons on Usenet, which were initially created for fans of these creatures in the context of fantasy and horror literature and films, also developed followings of individuals who identified as mythological beings.

2000s

On 15 December 2006, the Minneapolis-based newspaper Star Tribune published an article about dragons that included a section about the otherkin blog Draconic. The article took quotes from the mission statement of the blog, written by site founder Chris Dragon.

2010s

On 7 April 2010, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published an article titled "Ibland får jag lust att yla som en varg" (“Sometimes I get the urge to howl like a wolf”) in which Lanina, founder of the Swedish language otherkin and therian forum therian.forumer.com, described the basics of what it's like to be a therian. The article is the first known article to offer a description of "therian" identity by a major European newspaper.

In 2011, the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (IARP), a Canadian-American multidisciplinary research group, expanded the scope of its annual International Furry Survey to include otherkin and therians for the first time.

Research

Daniell Kirby wrote the first academic paper on otherkin in 2008, which served to introduce the community to other academics. Kirby described otherkin as sharing ideas with the neopagan movement, however she called this an "interim classification", and warned that "to construe this group as specifically neo-pagan or techno-pagan obscures the focus of the participants". Subsequent research has treated the otherkin community as having an essentially religious character.

From 2016 onwards, otherkin research has taken more of a narrative identity approach, investigating how otherkin come to understand their experiences. Reviewing prior research, Stephanie C. Shea criticizes the prevailing conception of the otherkin subculture as being, or being alike to, either a religion or a spirituality.

In four surveys of furries (n = 4338/1761/951/1065), depending on the sample, between 25% and 44% responded that they consider themselves to be "less than 100% human", compared to 7% of a sample (n = 802) of non-furries surveyed at furry conventions.

Public perception and media coverage

Outside viewers may have varying opinions about people who identify as otherkin, such as considering them psychologically dysfunctional. Reactions often range from disbelief to aggressive antagonism, especially online.

Otherkin have been called one of the world's most bizarre subcultures, and a religious movement (or a "quasi-religion") that "in some of its forms, largely only exists on the Internet". Although otherkin beliefs deviate from the definition of "religion", they share the primary interest in the paranormal. Joseph P. Laycock argues that the otherkin community serves existential and social functions commonly associated with religion, and regards it as an alternative nomos that sustains alternate ontologies. He feels that the negative public reaction to the subculture may be because of how these beliefs challenge the predominant social worldview. Professor Jay Johnston similarly feels that nonhuman identity "is perhaps not so much pathological as political".

According to Nick Mamatas, they represent a dissatisfaction with the modern world, and they have taken fairy lore out of its original context.

See also

References

  1. ^ Lupa (2007). A Field Guide to Otherkin. Immanion Press. ISBN 978-1-905713-07-3.
  2. Michelle Belanger; Father Sebastiaan (2004). The Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work. Weiser Books. p. 274. ISBN 1-57863-321-4. /--/Some feel that their difference is purely spiritual, while others believe there is a genetic difference between themselves and humanity. /--/
  3. "Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Squad Goals,' 'Yas' and 'Drunk Text'". Time. 2017-02-24. Archived from the original on 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  4. "Otherkin - definition of otherkin in English Oxford Dictionaries". 2017-04-08. Archived from the original on 2017-04-08.
  5. Sherman M. Kuhn (1981). Middle English Dictionary: O.3, Volume 0. University of Michigan Press. p. 344. ISBN 0-472-01153-7.
  6. Fuster-Márquez, Miguel; Calvo García de Leonardo, Juan José (2011). A Practical Introduction to the History of English. : Universitat de València. p. 21. ISBN 9788437083216. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  7. Michelle Belanger (2007). Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7387-1220-8.
  8. ^ Isaac Bonewits; Phaedra Bonewits (2007). Real Energy: Systems, Spirits, And Substances to Heal, Change, And Grow. Career Press. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-1-56414-904-6.
  9. ^ Mamatas, Nick (February 20, 2001). "Elven Like Me: Otherkin Come Out of the Closet". The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on 2015-05-16. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  10. Penczak, Christopher (2007). Ascension Magick: Ritual, Myth & Healing for the New Aeon. Llewellyn Worldwide. pp. 416–417, 441. ISBN 978-0-7387-1047-1.
  11. ^ Kirby, Danielle (2006). "Alternative Worlds: Metaphysical questing and virtual community amongst the Otherkin". In Frances Di Lauro (ed.). Through a Glass Darkly: Collected Research. Sydney University Press. ISBN 1920898549. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  12. Beusman, Callie (August 3, 2016). "'I Look at a Cloud and I See It as Me': The People Who Identify As Objects". Vice Media. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Robertson, Venetia Laura Delano (2014-01-13). "The Law of the Jungle: Self and Community in the Online Therianthropy Movement". Pomegranate. 14 (2). doi:10.1558/pome.v14i2.256 (inactive 2024-11-13). ISSN 1743-1735.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  14. Laycock, Joseph P. (2012). "We Are Spirits of Another Sort". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 15 (3): 65–90. doi:10.1525/nr.2012.15.3.65. There is a not a finite list of Otherkin "types," but some of the most common include faeries and elves, vampires, therianthropes (individuals who identify with animals and shapeshifters), angels and demons, and "mythologicals" (legendary creatures such as dragons and phoenixes).
  15. Grivell, Timothy; Clegg, Helen; Roxburgh, Elizabeth C. (2014). "An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Identity in the Therian Community". Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research. 14 (2). Routledge: 113–135. doi:10.1080/15283488.2014.891999. S2CID 144047707.
  16. "Otherkin are the internet's punchline. They're also our future". The Daily Dot. 2020-09-25. Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  17. ^ Joseph P. Laycock. “We Are Spirits of Another Sort”: Ontological Rebellion and Religious Dimensions of the Otherkin Community Archived 2020-06-13 at the Wayback Machine. Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. Vol. 15, No. 3 (February 2012), pp. 65–90. University of California Press
  18. Raven Digitalis (2008). Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-7387-1318-2.
  19. ^ Baldwin, Clive; Ripley, Lauren (2020-08-07). "Exploring Other-Than-Human Identity: A Narrative Approach to Otherkin, Therianthropes, and Vampires". Qualitative Sociology Review. 16 (3): 8–26. doi:10.18778/1733-8077.16.3.02. hdl:11089/38377. ISSN 1733-8077. S2CID 225433670. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  20. Chantal Bourgault Du Coudray (2006). The Curse of the Werewolf: Fantasy, Horror and the Beast Within. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-84511-158-3.
  21. Cohen, D. (1996). Werewolves. New York: Penguin Books. p. 104. ISBN 0-525-65207-8.
  22. https://startribune.newspapers.com/image/250367410/
  23. Lerner, Thomas (7 April 2010). ""Ibland får jag lust att yla som en varg"". Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  24. "International Furry Survey: Summer 2011". Furscience. Archived from the original on 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  25. Bador, Damien (2019), "J. R. R. Tolkien et Ferdinand de Saussure : un héritage en fiction", Tolkien et la Terre du Milieu, Éditions Rue d’Ulm, pp. 55–74, doi:10.4000/books.editionsulm.4020, ISBN 9782728806799, S2CID 246344364, retrieved 2023-07-15
  26. "Spirituality and self-realisation as 'other-than-human': the Otherkin and Therianthropy communities", Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality, Inform series, New York: Routledge, pp. 54–71, 2016-11-18, doi:10.4324/9781315582283-11, ISBN 9781315582283, retrieved 2023-07-15
  27. Bricker, Natalie (April 25, 2016). Life Stories of Therianthropes: An Analysis of Nonhuman Identity in a Narrative Identity Model (Thesis). Lake Forest College Publications. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  28. Baldwin, Clive; Ripley, Lauren (2020-08-07). "Exploring Other-Than-Human Identity: A Narrative Approach to Otherkin, Therianthropes, and Vampires". Qualitative Sociology Review. 16 (3): 8–26. doi:10.18778/1733-8077.16.3.02. hdl:11089/38377. ISSN 1733-8077. S2CID 225433670. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  29. Shea, Stephanie C. (July 2020). "Exploring Other-Than-Human Identity: Religious Experiences in the Life-Story of a Machinekin". Religions. 11 (7): 354. doi:10.3390/rel11070354. ISSN 2077-1444.
  30. Shea, Stephanie (June 2019). IDENTITY AND BELIEF: An Analysis of the Otherkin Subculture (MA thesis). University of Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 2023-08-20. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  31. Plante, Courtney N.; Reysen, Stephen; Roberts, Sharon E.; Gerbasi, Kathleen C. (2016). FurScience! A Summary of Five Years of Research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (PDF). Waterloo, Ontario: FurScience. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-9976288-0-7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  32. Th'Elf (2006). "Otherkin". In Sebastiaan van Houten (ed.). The Vampyre Almanac 2006. Lulu. ISBN 1-4116-6084-6.
  33. Geoffrey Lancaster; Lester Massingham (2010). Essentials of Marketing Management. Taylor & Francis. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-415-55346-9.
  34. ^ Kirby, Danielle (2009). "From Pulp Fiction to Revealed Text: A Study of the Role of the Text in the Otherkin Community". In Christopher Deacy; Elisabeth Arweck (eds.). Exploring Religion And The Sacred in A Media Age. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-6527-4.
  35. Dawson, Lorne L.; Hennebry, Jenna. "New Religions and The Internet: Recruiting in A New Public Space". Essay published in several books:
  36. Johnston, Jay (2013). "On having a furry soul: transpecies identity and ontological indeterminacy in Otherkin subcultures". In Johnston, Jay; Probyn-Rapsey, Fiona (eds.). Animal Death. Sydney University Press. pp. 293–306. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1gxxpvf.23. ISBN 978-1-74332-023-5. JSTOR j.ctt1gxxpvf.23. Archived from the original on 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2023-08-17.

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