What? in fandom slang, the term has two meanings.
1. a fictional or non-fictional being whom one spiritually connects to.
2. someone who identifies with a certain fictional character.
i identify with the first definition.

When? kinning is something i've done for years now! i'd officially started using the term kin in late 2019, but have been doing it since before i knew of the term and the online community.

Why? i tend to think of it as being tied to the multiverse. like these characters are 'AUs' of me. i used to believe i was these characters so passionately that it was troubling, delusional, but now it's more of a spiritual belief than a delusion, i guess. they are part of me, and i am part of them, and we are linked through the multiverse!!

How? well, it isn't exactly something i can really help. it just happens. the characters i end up kinning most often share a lot of personality traits with me or even just with each other.