vitaanteacta | The Big List Of Fictionkind Experiences

Not all these experiences are exclusive to fictionfolk, and even fewer are exclusive to fictionkin. This list is meant as a guide to what fictionfolk, especially fictionkin, might experience before realizing their identities. I hope it helps someone who is questioning.

For the purpose of this list, "unusual" and "abnormal" are defined in contrast to YOUR usual or YOUR normal. Keep your typical experiences when interacting with media in mind when questioning and toss out the expectations society gave you.

This list is a collaborative project worked on by members of the OtherConnect Discord server, and is a work in progress. If you would like to add to this list, contact us via the comment section of this post.

Physical sensations

Phantom sensations themed around a character or species
Having somatic responses to engagement with a work of fiction, such as dizziness, nausea, or intense euphoria

Behaviors

Unintentionally adopting the body language or mannerisms of a character or species, discovering that yours were already similar to theirs, or finding that you feel better or more correct if you intentionally move in that way
Feeling as though you have instincts or habits that do not match up with your surroundings, but do match up better with a work of fiction

The Yearning^TM

Wanting to live as though you are a specific character, member of a fictional species, or from a fictional world in your everyday life
Unusual feelings when referred to by the name/identity of a specific character, especially yearning or conflict
Euphoria when participating in activities that are depicted in a work of fiction or that a specific character, or an unexplained desire to engage in said activities
A sense of euphoria or correctness when perceived by others as a character, a fictional species, or as deeply connected to a work of fiction, such as by using the character or species as a profile picture
A sense of wanting to be among characters from a work of fiction, or members of a fictional species
Feeling as if you should be living in a fictional world, that you would fit in better in a fictional world, feeling that world you live in is or has the wrong setting, genre, art style, or medium
Strongly preferring to cosplay or roleplay as a specific fictional character or fictional species due to an unquantifiable and inexplicable feeling of "rightness" that is absent when cosplaying or roleplaying as other characters or species
Feeling as though you should change your appearance, such as your clothing, hair, or body modifications, to more resemble a fictional character, fictional species, or an average resident of a fictional world
Having unusually strong positive or negative emotional reactions or feeling unusually drawn to fictionfolk, the experiences of fictionfolk, or media depicting fictionfollk, especially envy, judgement, or vicarious joy
Daydreaming about being a fictional character, a fictional species, or an average resident of a fictional world more often and more immersively than usual

Memories and noemata

Being able to vividly imagine sensory experiences from a work of fiction that are not actually present
Being able to vividly imagine sensory experiences, specific concepts, or narrative events from a work of fiction with unusually great ease, whether or not these things are actually present
Misremembering details about a work of fiction, believing certain events happened in a certain way or remembering nonexistent events, characters, or concepts
Remembering the events of a work of fiction as a participant rather than an observer
Precognitive experiences with a work of fiction, knowing events will happen before the source has been fully consumed or even completed

Sense of self

Instinctively recognizing a character’s name as your name
Feeling as if a character’s experiences are your own experiences
Feeling as if a character’s actions should be attributed to you
Feeling as if a work of fiction is an archetypal myth that is unusually similar to your experiences
A sense of body dysphoria or incongruence, which may or may not include species or gender
Feeling like depictions of a specific character or fictional species are depictions of oneself, reacting to these depictions as if they are photographs of oneself
Believing that mentions of a character, species, or work of fiction are referring to you
Feeling unusually uncomfortable, envious, anxious, angry, or as if your sense of self has been violated when others represent themselves as, identify with, or identify as a fictional character or species
Feeling like cultures, religious practices, philosophies, or metaphysical beliefs represented in a work of fiction make more intuitive sense than cultures, religious practices, philosophies, or metaphysical beliefs found in your day-to-day life

Emotional reactions to media

Feeling as if a character, fictional species, or work of fiction are inexplicably “cringey” or difficult to look at or hear about
Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable reading fiction with certain themes, tropes, ideas, character types, or any other type of story element
Disproportionately strong emotional reactions to events involving a specific character
Unexplained sense of familiarity with a work of fiction
Unexplained sense of unease or discomfort with a work of fiction
A work of fiction feels somehow real, or like it might become real
A specific fictional character feels somehow real, or like it might become real
Feeling as if a work of fiction is exposing some fact about yourself to the world, feeling as if a work of fiction contains a secret about you
Having oddly blunt, muted, or nonexistent emotional reactions to a work of fiction
Experiencing nightmares, anxiety, or paranoia after interacting with a work of fiction that neither is usually considered scary or contains any content that would usually provoke these responses in you
Feeling as if the “strange” parts of a work of fiction are completely mundane, or that they make intuitive sense
Having strong opinions or investment in in-universe content of a work of fiction, such as fictional brands, stories within stories, or fictional objects, especially from the point of view of a person directly engaging with the in-universe content
Spending an unusual amount of time engaging with a work of fiction, either thinking about it much more often than usual or avoiding it entirely
Upon first exposure to a work of fiction, feeling for some reason that you need to either engage with it or not engage with it, feeling as if it is or is not the right time to engage with it

Feelings about fanworks and fandom

Feeling frustrated, angry, or sad when engaging with a work of fiction or its fandom, but feeling unable to separate yourself or your creative works from the original work of fiction due to feeling as if you would lose yourself by doing so
Unusual amounts of immersion and bleed when roleplaying or cosplaying as a fictional character or member of a fictional species
Feeling as if engagement with a work of fiction must be kept private, as outside misinterpretation will cause unusual distress
Having unusually strong opinions on the canon of a work of fiction being correct or incorrect, especially if these opinions are not shared by others
Feeling as if insults, objectification, or misinterpretation directed at a fictional character, fictional species, or work of fiction are personal attacks and internalizing them as if they are
Feeling inexplicably drawn to specific fandom depictions of a fictional character, fictional species, or fictional world, such as fanart, fanfiction, or AUs, feeling the urge to engage with these depictions at an unusual rate
An unusual amount of engagement with supplemental materials for a work of fiction such as OSTs, developer/author/actor interviews, artbooks, or cut content, either avoiding these things entirely or engaging with them extremely often

Social

Other people tell you that you strongly remind them of a specific character, in personality or mannerisms
Having strong feelings about people who are fictionfolk from a specific work of fiction whom you would not otherwise feel strongly about, seeing them as long lost friends or rivals, or feeling indignant
Feeling like the normal or ideal relationship dynamic for you would be something from that work of fiction, or replicating that in your relationships