Most otherkin believe that their soul is something other than human, hence the term otherkin. Otherkin often feel that they were born in the "wrong" species, just as a transsexual believes they are born in the wrong gender. Though I don't believe I've ever come across a plant-kin (such as a tree kin or rose kin), I believe that it is entirely possible to possess a plant soul in a human body. The majority of the otherkin community are animal-souled, whether it be traditionally mythological (dragon, elf, mermaid, etc) or biological (wolf, cat, bird, etc). However, there are distinctly separate kinds of otherkin that are not animal, such as Celestials or (as I will call them) Visitors. Celestials can be thought of, in a vague sense, as angels while Visitors can be thought of as non-terrestrials or non-Earthlings. The point is, otherkin come in as many varieties as ice-cream, and they are tied together only in that they are non-humans.
I suppose it need not be demonstrated that yes, in fact, there are those who foolishly claim to be what they are not. Though these persons seem to be young and the majority of the online otherkin community, do not allow their foolishness to taint your perception of the otherkin community as a whole. Frankly, otherkin-ness and the proofs or arguments for or against are more or less subjective. It must be remembered that no two humans are alike and therefore it can be concluded that no two cat-kin or fae-kin will be alike. To attempt to compress the variety of personalities within any species down to a readable, comprehensible list of universally applicable traits is impossible; the sheer amount of variability in life makes stereotypes at the least incomplete and at the most infuriating and insulting. In short, no two kin, even within the same species, will be identical and therefore generalizations are ludicrous. There can be no set of traits that you must have to be, say, dragon-kin or even spotted leopard-kin. Every one is an individual, so an attempt to say "you're not a dragon-kin, I am" will inevitably fall flat.
Yet, this statement in itself draws a response - "what sort of proof is there for the existence of otherkin?" To that I must say "what proof is there for the existence of the soul?" For indeed, the theory of otherkin is immediately tied to the theory of the soul. The fact is that a person who feels that they are other than human has no real proof of their claim, they have faith. Faith is belief without proof, proof is only needed when one claims to be something that interacts with another being. For example, I had a run-in with someone who claimed to be a Phoenix, and as part of his claim maintained that he was the only Phoenix-kin in existence. Now, of course, the other Phoenix-kin will indeed fight against this claim. Yet, given the nature of kin-ness, there is no way to prove or disprove the claims of either persons involved. It all comes down to faith, though many otherkin will argue this point. It seems to me that a belief such as this simply should not be argued, as both defendant and attacker can use nothing more than personal experience as evidence for their position. This is not so much a logical debate as it is the egos of those involved getting bruised.
One last point, before I leave you to come to your own conclusions. It is unfair, and downright cruel, to assume that simply because someone believes in something that you do not the person is "insane" or even stupid. Though there are legitimately crazy individuals who believe they are powerful dragons or wolves or what have you, there are also individuals who believe they are speaking to Jesus and that the Queen of England is trying to kill them. The point is, differences in belief should be tolerated at least. It is the differences that make us who we are. To be afraid of an idea is to write it off or ridicule it.
I suppose all of that was said to say this... Here are the facts (as I understand them). Believe or do not, that is your choice. But at least now you have a better understanding of the way things are in the otherkin community. Please feel free to add a comment to this post with any suggestions, subtractions, additions or other information you feel is relevant. Also, if you have questions that haven't been covered, feel free to ask them here.
