>_>

[flyboy_fox]

Arg, I'm sick ;_; I finally caught a cold, right before Christmas no less. Never mind, eh? I just wish this cough would leave me alone because it huuuurts. But it's almost the weekend, so that's good, plenty of rest ahoy.

Maybe I'm not thinking straight because of being deathly ill having a nasty cold, but I'm gonna ask my friendslist a question that I've kinda wanted to ask for a while. I'll quite possibly regret it, but here goes anyway.

What do you think about "otakin"? (Also known as otakukin/fictionkin/mediakin/fic'kin...)

I'm just... wondering ^^; I already know a couple of friends' views, ranging from total acceptance to "... yeah, they're crazy". So I'm curious!

I'm also about to hack up my lungs, so I guess I'll get to bed XD;; 'Night all!

Comments

[twitchytwitch.livejournal.com]

Illogical and frightening when taken to extremes, but for the most part, harmless. To each their own. -shrug-

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Lamees! I haven't had a comment from you in a while o.o (That or I totally missed it ^^;)

[twitchytwitch.livejournal.com]

-pats- ^^; Maybe ya missed!

Ah, I thought you were avoiding me! Sorry.

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Aww, never! Even if we don't talk much, you're still one of my best friends here. And yeah, that was cheesy, but oh well :P

[twitchytwitch.livejournal.com]

Cheesy is good, though! Especially cheese of the edible kind.

Y'know, so long as we don't hold hands and cry at the sunset or somethin'.

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Aww, that was the part I was looking forward to ;_; *Goes to eat a croissant instead... WITH CHEESE*

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

"Otakin"? That's a new one... is it another term for "otaku" or something? :o

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Mm, no. XD Otakin are people who believe they are a fictional character (or were one in a previous life.) But yeah, the term comes from the word 'otaku'.

[djtifabal.livejournal.com]

o.O

That is indeed strange. People actually believe that they were a fictional character? XD

I'm the one to talk though. I once believed that if I tried hard enough, I would be Will see icon from Illusion of Gaia. In my defense I was ten or so. :p

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Never too old to believe :P But yeah, it's a pretty 'strange' concept by most peoples' standards.

[djtifabal.livejournal.com]

Well... then, I do believe that bits of Tails, Sora and Zidane exist in me. :P And Conan, gah that little detective is my snoopy side, I swear.

Colds suck. Feel better, Jai.

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Fandom is awesome like that :) The only thing that sets otakin apart from that is the actual belief that you physically WERE that character in a previous/other life and that, therefore, that character physically exists/existed. Like, rather than taking that character and integrating it into you, you already ARE that character and always have been, even before you knew of the fandom. Yet I'd say it's just as valid to integrate characters into yourself as part of who you are if those characters reflect parts of you ^^

Also, thanks, I'm sure I'll feel better soon! ^_^

[insanepurin.livejournal.com]

Hmm. :o I can't say I'm one to talk, since close friends refer to me as a "real-life Toadette" and such. XDDD! Basically I think it's normal to relate to a character somehow and find yourself like them. Only if it's absolutely blown out of proportion do we have problems. Otherwise I'm a-okay.

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it could be problematic if it got out of hand, but as a belief-system by itself, it's harmless. I think what sets otakin apart from simply relating to a character is the actual solid identification of BEING that character. Like for example, the difference between me simply saying "I can relate to Tails, and I think I'm a lot like him" and me saying "I AM Tails. I have memories of that lifetime and I was physically there during certain events from the games/cartoons".

[the-terrible.livejournal.com]

Oh crap, you caught a cold too? :( Get well soon!

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Haha, yes, I finally got one. I was doing so well, too! Ah well... thanks! :)

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

I've not yet caught a cold but...*touches wood*

sorry to hear you you caught one though :(

and I've never even heard of "otakin"? What is it?

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

nevermind, saw previous comments

and by me, that isn't too weird, even if I wouldn't write fanfiction around it (I don't BELEIVE I am a fictional character at times, but I escape sometimes as if I was)

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

*Nods* Whether it's reality or fantasy, I think it's all fine as long as it doesn't take over a person's life.

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

yeah, then that would be a problem

As much as I'd rather be Ratchet and be a galatic hero, it's not going to happen but hey, I can escape from time to time can't I :)

Escape and taking over one's life are two different things, really.

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Yep, absolutely! There's no harm in using fandom as an escape. The only real difference with otakin is the actual belief of actually BEING that character in a past life or alternate reality. But really, crazy as that sounds, again it's only an issue if it gets in the way of life :)

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

I don't think it sounds crazy but then again, I've done it pretty much all my life, so I wouldn't.

In a way, this can sort of relate to video gaming, since a reason alot of people play video games is to escape, so maybe it can SORT OF head towards otakin when you are playing them, as I can beleive I am the character I'm playing as and can be hard to get to come back to

But on the other hand, it doesn't effect day to day life, so is it really relevant?

Just a thought I had...

[eclective.livejournal.com]

I'd say I have some definitely fictional parts to my identity. I don't treat it as "believing I was a fictional character in a previous life", or anything like that. (And I think "otakukin"/"otakin" is a really silly name. What about all the people from non-Japanese fictional media?) I think with me it's more "I consider this character 'me'; no matter where that comes from, whether it's psychology or spirituality or both, I feel like I am them, and it's useful for me to frame things this way". Hmm, that's not a great way of putting it either; I wish I had a better way to word it. I usually only express it when I'm around people who've known my particular expression of it for a long time, these days, because it's a simple concept if you can grasp it but a difficult one to explain. Suffice to say, in all areas of "'kinness" (Otherkin, fictionkin, what-have-you), I've been gradually moving away from the I-was-this-in-a-past-life-and-have-its-soul beliefs to the belief that all things are interconnected, there are parts of everything in everything else, and we can meaningfully "be" anything we want because we are all things; there's no separation. We are each part of a seamless whole, metaphysically. Ultimately, I think it boils down to "what works for you". I care much less about where it comes from than what it does for a person.

That said, I'm more likely to have separate characters in my head than to identify as one myself, but that's a whole other tangent.

(And, for the record, the whole "but it takes over people's lives and makes them unable to function healthily!" tangent really frustrates me, because I've never seen a single example of that atcually happening to anyone. It seems to be an utter straw-man argument based on people's ideas about what it "must" be like.)

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Ahh, it's you! I had a feeling you might comment XD

Yeah, I agree totally that 'otakin' is a silly name. That's why I bought a rename token for the otakin LJ comm and it's now called "from_fiction" :)

I think people relate to media in many different ways, and everybody has their own personal homebrew of what works for them. I don't think it matters whether it's complete belief, suspended belief, a mixture of both, or even something that the person accepts isn't quantifiably 'real' and is born simply from their own creativity and crafted within their own mind.

Also, yes, the whole "unable to function healthily" thing is a load of bull. It's scaremongering and shows a complete lack of any aility to differenciate between what a person believes and how they present themselves within society (and their impact on society and their own wellbeing). As long as a person is able to take care of their own basic needs and those of any dependant family, and is happy (or at least content) and not burdening anyone, then they're fine, really, no matter whether they believe they're Rei or Sephiroth (or Tails) or not.

That's my view on it, and I'm happy to see you posting yours here also :)

[eclective.livejournal.com]

Couldn't not, really. ^^ Some of my best friends are fictional characters in physical bodies, and they're the honest-to-goodness nicest, sweetest, most mature, most reasonable, most moral individuals I know. And partly they're that way because they embraced that about themselves and explored what it had to teach them, rather than rejecting it.

Ooh, you did? Good call. I always thought "otakin" was, amongst other things, far too limiting... but really, also, it sets itself up for a neverending slew of "but in Japan otaku really means fat, sweaty fanboy!" comments before people even get the chance to appreciate the idea behind it.

complete lack of any aility to differenciate between what a person believes and how they present themselves within society

As an engineer friend of mine once said, paraphrased because I can't remember the exact situation or context, believing in magic doesn't affect your ability to do math. Said person is the breadwinner and head of their household.

I also think that for those who aren't so successful, the whole "if you just gave up your fantasies you'd be able to live a Normal Life!" tack is a fallacy, too. In practice, forcing these people to give up these aspects of themselves only harms them and defeats the abilities they do have to be happy. It's easy for mockers to say "you can just put aside these thoughts! People can do anything they put their minds to!", but really, people are a lot more inflexible in that regard than most people think. Individuals have certain deep needs that are not easy to brush off, and in some cases this includes embracing a fictional side, and they can either accept that, or be unhappy. It's not something they can push aside; it's part of them.

[way-past-cool.livejournal.com]

Nuu be sick, shmoo!! Here, have some figgy pussing. XDDDDD;;;

...sorry. n.n; Anyway you know what I think about 'kin. And I'll never call it "otakin" ever EVER. XD But yeah.

[teamrodent.livejournal.com]

Get well soon!

Er, When I was five, I thought I was Woodstock. I guess it has similaries to those who think they were/are RL characters or people.

McGee: I wonder what Mr. Astley thinks about this. :P

hmm

[brianisapickle.livejournal.com]

Well, you know me, I don’t judge. Everything is cool with me. I do have a question though. I not sure I understand how people think that fictional characters actually existed. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I just want to understand better.

Re: hmm

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

I guess if you believe yourself to be that character, the 'proof' is in that sense of feeling that you are them. Sure, it's not logical, but then very few feelings and intuitions are logic-based.

thats interesting

[brianisapickle.livejournal.com]

Thats interesting. Well, if thats what makes them happy, then I really don't see a problem in it.

[flamingly-fey.livejournal.com]

Heh, well... I used to be one of the people who'd point and laugh.

And then I saw then-me. And then I spent a while in denial, freaking out. And then... well. Here I am, a believer. Still closeted, though.

It's not as unhealthy as I used to jeer that it was. Remembering back then, remembering what my goals were, is helping me get through the here-and-now. I'm going to get through university, I'm going to get a pilot's license, and I'm going to fly again. Not sure what I'll be doing, but that dream will happen, dammit!

And I prefer the term fictionkin, as otakin is tied to otaku, which is a term I really don't like....

Sorry if this seems random!

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Oh, I much prefer "fictionkin" (or "mediakin") too. I just used "otakin" in this LJ post because it's the most well-known term for us peeps.

I'm not really closeted, per se, I just don't talk about it much. I've never hidden it though.

Good luck with the pilots' licence! I'm working on mine, too. So far I've only been able to fly a Tiger Moth, but it was awesome and I'll get my biplane licence as soon as I can afford more lessons! Then I intend to actually OWN a biplane. Perhaps less easy to achieve...

Also, random is good! :) Thanks for commenting!

[flamingly-fey.livejournal.com]

That's true, it is... and that kind of saddens me. I mean, not everybody's from a J-source....

I know I'd lose friends if I didn't hide it. Though I'm pretty sure my girlfriend suspects something... So, I'm staying so far back I'm practically in Narnia for a while yet. XD

Thank you! I haven't started lessons yet, I'm still saving up (and god knows it'll take a while, the dollar falling as it is...) but I can't wait to start. You've flown a Tiger Moth?! Oh my god, the jealousy... Beryl Markham flew one of those!!! (She was an aviatrix in Africa, in the 1930s, and also was the first person to fly transatlantic east-to-west; her memoir West With The Night is one of my favorite books ever....) Perhaps less easy to achieve, but it'd be wonderful, wouldn't it?

You're welcome! Hey, mind if I friend you?

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

You're quite right. Not everyone is from a J-source at all. I'm not sure if I even really identify as being one, as the stuff I relate to is mostly from the American parts of the fandom rather than the Japanese. Also, there's a book by an Irish novelist that I have a connection with, too, although I don't talk about it as much. So yeah, it's kinda annoying that people tend to assume we're all from animé/manga/etc, even if it's true that a lot are.

Heh, yeah, I flew a Tiger Moth for my birthday a couple years ago! It was pretty cool. I really hope I can schedule some proper lessons soon. I hope you get to do the same!

And sure, I'd be very happy to have you friend me :) I'll friend you right back!