IRL
IRL is a very open label, which anyone who identifies as literally someone or something in real life can use.
It is most commonly found in alterhuman circles, but not exclusive to them.
"IRL" can be used by otherkin, fictives, otherlinkers, and more, or used as a stand-alone term.The definition of "IRL" is rather simple:
"I am ... IRL."
The person literally is what they say to be in real life.
"How is this valid?"
"How is this possible? How can someone be a falcon in real life? Obviously they are a human."The explanation as to how this is the case is up to the person calling themselves an IRL.Examples I can think of:
》"I am what a falcon would be if I was reborn as a human. I know this and am literally still a falcon because of it."
》"Psychologically I am a falcon with a human body. I am literally a falcon because of this."
》"I am a falcon stuck with an involuntary glamour that gives me the body of a human. I am in truth literally a falcon."
》"I'm a human falcon. Fuck you."
Etc etc.If someone is not hurting anyone with their identity, mind your own business. None of us know the full truth of the world, so forcing your personal truth onto others is incredibly rude and toxic.
Sensitivities and history
""IRL" is and always has been only used by delusional people."
Unless you can give me solid proof that this term has been in use by people with delusions before it popped up on Tumblr in rather anarchistic use circa 2018, then this is untrue. There are various people who remember non-delusional people using the term. Sadly, as the Tumblr search function is shit for finding posts from years ago, I cannot find posts directly proving or disproving this.As I remember it and as has been stated here and here, one origin of the term was an attempt to show that somebody was more serious about their identity than others who called themselves "kin". Typically this was also to communicate that they did not tolerate doubles (in the chase of fiction based identities, people who shared the identity of the same character), because "there can only be one existing irl".
The desire to express "I really am this" was caused by many people taking a shallow approach to being otherkin, and treating the whole subject as something for fun and not something they actually believe, without acknowledging that this experience isn't true for everyone (people can be more or less serious about being otherkin, but only claiming that one experience is real and okay, and even bullying each other, is wrong). Many felt that this watered down the meaning of the otherkin and fictionkin labels. Non serious otherkin are often called Kin For Fun - KFF. Unfortunately, there were also KFF who used the term "IRL", so it couldn't reliably be used to show you're serious."IRL" was also sometimes what people called the "top tier" of their "identity tier lists". Some people wrote lists of their kintypes/identities to show their importance to them. This could look as follows: "literally me, ID, me IRL", "primary tier", "secondary tier", "tertiary tier".Sometimes people had never heard of the word otherkin, so they used the term "IRL".Sometimes it was just a label preference.This is what I mean by anarchistic use.
There were people with delusions, people without delusions, people who did not seriously identify as what they said they were irl, people who identified as otherkin, people who did not identify as otherkin, etc, all using this label.The association of "IRL" with delusions might also have origins in people bullying those who used it by calling them delusional, as bullies like to call anyone who doesn't believe they're a regular human. Being delusional and identifying as an IRL because of it is obviously fine. Claiming that someone who doesn't call themselves delusional is delusional obviously ISN'T okay.Additionally, the meaning of words can change and expand over time. Go wild. Don't be a bully towards anyone you see using the label. Don't push other labels onto them when they didn't ask. Chances are, they're using it for a good reason, and it being the label they are most comfortable with is enough reason.
"Does being an IRL mean you are [insert identity] more than someone who is otherkin / a fictive / an otherlinker etc?"
Short answer: No.Long answer: All alterhuman identities can be very diverse. Somebody who identifies as otherkin may identify as their kintype in the way that it is literally them, even if they don't use the "IRL" label. Or, they may not. A kintype can be literally you, something that is only literally you occasionally, something that is you in a different sense but not you rn, a past life, etc. The same is true for many other alterhuman labels. Do NOT go around automatically assuming that alterhumans who do not call themselves "... IRL" are not serious about their identity. Making assumptions is shit. Politely ask them about how important their identity is to them and how strongly they feel to be it in daily life, but don't "grill" them. ("Grilling" is a term for when you test and prod someone to find out if they're serious about their identity, in a usually unwarratedly intrusive manner.)A side note on this matter: Many alterhumans get triggered by vocabulary that has historically been used in association with watering down the seriousness of otherkinity.
Using the verb "kinning" suggests to many that you think people choose to be otherkin in a non-serious way, like KFF did/do. You might not mean this by using the word, but it's what many will assume you mean.
"Kinnie" used to be what many KFF called themselves. This term has been reclaimed by some for a long while. But, many still react negatively to it, like they react to "kinning".More eloquent and serious language to use, which shows that you acknowledge otherkin being serious about their identity:
"you are otherkin", "you are an otherkin", "you are kin"
"their kintype is ...", "they have a kintype", "they have multiple kintypes", "they are their kintype", "they are kin of ..." (Again, NOT "they kin ..."! People get grumpy seeing it as a verb!)
Writing kin as 'kin will make you look even more acknowledging of the seriousness of it, because the apostrophe shows that you know 'kin is the shorthand of otherkin/ fictionkin/etc.
Saying otherkind or fictionkind will make you look even more sophisticated. It will immediately beam sophisticated clothing onto your body (if you have a body).