The new version of Otherkin.net is now in private beta. If you are a returning user of the Wordpress/Buddypress site, you may log in with your current password or click on the forgot password link to receive an email to your registered address. New users may join the Otherkin.net Discord Server to request an invite code to join the beta.
Platform FAQ
Platform FAQ
This page covers how things actually work on Otherkin.net, including a few terms you'll see around the site that aren't self-explanatory.
Glossary
A quick reference for site-specific terms. The sections further down go into more detail on several of these.
Orbit — Following someone. One-sided and silent; the other person isn't notified and there's no approval step.
Cluster — A private, named audience list only you can see (e.g. "close friends"). Clusters are also what power Orbit (following) and blocking behind the scenes.
Black Hole — Blocking. Makes you and another person mutually invisible to each other, silently.
The Nebula — The on-ramp period for brand-new accounts, with a few extra limits until you graduate.
Galaxy — Your personal home feed: posts from people you follow and groups you've joined.
Universe — The site-wide public feed of everyone's public posts.
Brightest — A feed of the most-engaged-with posts over a time range you choose.
Rising — A feed of top contributors over a time period you choose.
Kinship — The platform's reputation system: seven "virtues" earned through genuine participation.
Signal — Resharing someone else's post to your own followers (similar to a reblog).
The Outer Reach, Beacon, Approach, Conjunction — A deliberate, consent-based way to exchange contact info with someone: you set up a Beacon, others send you an Approach, and an accepted Approach becomes a Conjunction.
Kintype — The field where you list the being(s), species, or archetype(s) you identify as.
System / system member — Plural-system support: one account can represent multiple identities (system members), each with their own name, pronouns, and kintype.
Following and Connections
How do I follow someone? Visit their profile and click Follow. It's immediate and one-sided — there's no approval step, even for private profiles, and the person you follow isn't notified. It works like subscribing to a feed: their posts (whatever they've made visible to you) start appearing in yours, with no notice sent their way.
What is the Outer Reach? The Outer Reach is a deliberate, opt-in way to exchange contact information with someone, separate from following. You set up a Beacon (a connection profile listing what you're open to) so others can send you an Approach (a connection request). You can accept or decline any Approach you receive — only an accepted one becomes a Conjunction, and only then is contact info shared, and only with that one sender. Nothing about the Outer Reach is automatic or unilateral.
What's a Signal? A Signal is a reshare — putting someone else's post in front of your own followers, similar to a reblog or retweet. There's no added commentary, just visibility. You can't Signal a Signal, and you can't Signal your own post.
What does blocking do? Blocking makes you and the other person mutually invisible to each other: neither of you can see the other's posts anywhere on the site, no matter how the post is shared. It's silent — the person you block isn't notified, and there's no way to tell from their side why they can no longer see your content.
Groups and Community
How do groups work? Groups are community spaces organized around a shared identity, interest, or topic, with their own post feeds, member lists, and optional moderators. Membership comes in three modes: open groups can be joined instantly, closed groups require a join request that a group moderator or admin approves or declines, and secret groups can only be joined by invitation from an existing member.
What is the Nebula? New accounts start out in "the Nebula" — a brief on-ramp period with a few extra limits, most notably no links (not even plain text) in posts or comments. You graduate out automatically once your account meets a small set of activity thresholds (time as a member, posts, upvotes received, and followers, all set by site admins). It's a one-time check, not a score — once you've graduated, those early limits lift for good. Nebula posts are visible to everyone, including logged-out visitors, but are excluded from the Universe feed by default.
Can I use the platform without a kintype? Yes. Having a kintype listed is optional, and you can participate fully without identifying any kintype at all.
Can I change my kintype later? Yes, any time, from your profile settings. Kintype is a flat list with no hierarchy and no "primary" entry — just everything you identify as, in whatever order you like.
What is a plural system? If you're part of a plural system, your account can represent more than one identity. Each system member gets their own display name, pronouns, bio, kintype list, and avatar, and you can post as a specific member. System membership is always shown publicly — this is intentional, since hiding it would undercut the consent and trust that other members are relying on.
What is Kinship? Kinship is the platform's reputation system. There are seven "virtues" earned through genuine participation — publishing posts, getting upvoted, attending events, gaining followers, and so on — shown as lit points on a star on your profile. Your tier is simply how many virtues you've earned; they can be earned in any order. Reaching certain tiers also unlocks a few features, such as video uploads, creating groups, and raw HTML post editing. See the full list of virtues and exactly what each one requires at the Kinship page.
Feeds and Discovery
What's the difference between Galaxy and Universe? Galaxy is your personal feed — posts from the people you follow and the groups you've joined. Universe is the site-wide public feed of everyone's public posts. Universe excludes Nebula posts by default, with a toggle to include them.
What are Brightest and Rising? Brightest surfaces the most-engaged posts — by votes and comments — over a time range you choose (24 hours, week, month, year, or all-time). Rising highlights top contributors over a chosen period (week, 3 months, or all-time).
Account and Privacy
Who can see my posts? That depends on the visibility you set when posting. Posts can be Public (visible to everyone), Clustered (visible only to specific audiences you choose, such as a custom list of people), or Private (visible only to you).
Can I edit or delete my posts and comments? Posts can be edited at any time after publishing; readers will see an "edited" marker, though not a history of the changes. Comments can only be edited for a short window after posting (currently 30 minutes, with a few extra minutes of grace if you're actively editing when time runs out) — after that, they're locked. You can't permanently delete your own posts or comments; removing one marks it as deleted to keep surrounding threads intact. Permanent erasure is admin-only.
What happens if I delete my account? Your account and content are deactivated, not erased — your posts and comments will show as removed, which keeps threads readable for everyone else. If you change your mind, you can restore your account by verifying your email again. Permanent, irreversible erasure only happens at admin discretion.
How do I report a problem? Use the report button on the content in question. Our moderation team reviews all reports. For urgent concerns, you can also contact us directly.