What are some common
subtypes of otherkin?

FictionkinA large subterm under the Otherkin Umbrella, dating back to the early 2000s when they were known as "otakukin".
They are kins of fictional characters, human or otherwise.Despite facing controversy in the otherkin community in the 2010s, fictionkin now have established spaces and are widely accepted throughout the community.ConceptkinA term used by otherkin who more specifically identify as abstract concepts. Common examples
include songkins and aesthetic-kins.ObjectkinThis sublabel refers to those that identify as (usually specific) objects such as plushies, computers, or similar.FactkinA largely controversial term referring to those that kin this-worldly existing people (dead or alive).
Although technically not under the otherkin umbrella due to being entirely human, it is included here due to them not being included or really discussed in most other spaces.Most otherkin frown upon the practice and renounce it, as it is technically identity theft and viewed as disrespectful to the people being kinned.

Why do people kin?

These are not mutually exclusive and everyone kins for their own reasons which may or may not fit cleanly in either box.SpiritualkinThose that kin for any sort of spiritual reasons fall in this category.
Most common is the belief in reincarnation and the multiverse.
If one believes there are infinite alternate universes and that you as an individual can be reincarnated into any of them, being kin is a matter of figuring out who you were in a past life.
Another common spiritual reason is that there was a "mix up" and that ones soul is actually their kin, falsely in a human body.PsychologicalkinLess represented than Spiritualkin but undeniably present nonetheless, these individuals kin for psychological reasons.
The most common reasons include
Copingkins which kin as a means of dealing with trauma or stress, others may believe its due to their kin having heavily imprinted on them when they were young.
The experience of being a 'link (these are explained in detail further on) and that then becoming unreversible, involuntary and therefore kin is also common.
There are many varied reasons people may kin for psychological reasons that simply aren't frequently discussed.

Kin terminology

Kin / kintypeWho or what one identifies as.
There is not limit to how many you can have.
Verb: to kin, to be kin withShiftA state in which one becomes more like their kintype in some way.
These can be further divided into the following and more not listed here.
Especially the fictionkin community tends not to specify what type of shift and typically assumes shifts are primarily mental with occasional elements of the remaining.
It is perfectly possible to shift to several different kins and there is no limit set (often called multishifts).
Verb: to shiftPhantom shifts (feeling sensations of a kintypes limbs despite not actually having them such as tails or wings)Mental shifts (taking on the mental characteristics of one's kintype such as personality or habits)Sensory shifts (where ones senses adjust to be more similar to how your kintypes senses function)Astral shifts (when ones astral projection turns into your kintype, only applicable to those that astral project)Aura shifts (when ones aura shifts to that of their kintype)Dream shifts (becoming ones kintype in a dream)Kin rankingOtherkinners with multiple kintypes often take to ranking their kins.
This is sometimes based on frequency of shifts, how intensely one identifies as them / how essential they are to ones identity, etc.The well known rankings go as followed, listed from lowest to highest: low kins, mid kins, high kins, IDs (identities), selfhoods.The term "core" is sometimes meant to be a ranking even higher than selfhood, but is controversial and not widely used due to sharing a name with the DID term "core" (DID is explained in detail further on).Also widely used is the term permashift, which describes a kin that is (near to) permanently shifted. Where these rank depends on the person and their usage of the ranking system.MemsShort for "memories", referring to memories one has of being their kin. This originated from spiritualkin communities that believe they are uncovering memories of their past lives, but have since also become an experience shared with psychologicalkin who sometimes experience them as a way to deepen the identity and further characterise the kintype similar to a backstory.Memories do not have to be canon-compliant (if they aren't this is referred to as canon-divergence) and arent required to be kin.MediaThe media that ones kin stemmed from (if applicable).CanonAlthough usually referring to things confirmed within media's by the creators to be true, within the otherkin community this refers to the specific universe the kintype is from / the version of one's media with added or removed memories.MediamateA different otherkin individual than oneself that kins from the same media.CanonmateRefers to a different individual who kins not only from the same media but also the same canon. For some spiritualkin, this would mean being reincarnated from the same alternate universe, otherwise it's simply an (oftentimes uncanny) lining up of memories.Mediacall / canoncallThe act of looking for people from the same media (often ideally the same canon) as oneself.
This is commonly done through social media posts or discord channels.DoublesAlso known as duplicates, dupes, twins and more, doubles are two or more individuals that identify as the same kintype. This usually refers to fictional characters.Many may be uncomfortable with interacting with doubles for personal reasons while others enjoy it.To kinsiderThe act of considering whether you are kin with someone / something.To kinfirmThe act of confirming you're kin with someone / something, usually after having kinsidered it.F/oShort for fictional other and referring to a character you dated in your kintypes media, memories or you self-ship with.
Not exclusive to the kin community.