honestly, I think it’s extremely depressing that like 80% of the fics in the hudcon tag on ao3 are unlocked. I just read one of the locked ones and it was really cute, and then I went to that person’s twitter that they linked at the bottom and they were tweeting rpf shit about the guys openly, with like 4k likes on a recent tweet. ???
rpfing very publicly on twitter or posting unlocked fics seems to be the new norm now for rpf and I hate it. when I’ve called people out on Twitter they often have some bullshit excuse, like that it’s not a big deal, or even worse, that probably the guys like it! (so you’re completely disconnected from the real world, that’s what I hear)
but overall I keep getting the impression that these guys are not real to these people. they’re like characters, but it’s a bridge too far to put themselves in their shoes and wonder what it might be like to have someone write fics about them that incorporate so many aspects of their personal lives.
and yes, overall with rpf in the aggregate, i’m sure there are a range of ways the people on the receiving end react to these fics and the shipping, if they ever find out. but it’s basic empathy to ASSUME that they might find it uncomfortable, and to try to hide it from them for that reason.
in the end, rpf doesn’t work for me if it’s not going to be private and if people aren’t going to respect the fourth wall. i’m getting more and more disillusioned with each fandom that does this, i think specifically because these are real people and part of the parasocial process of learning stuff about them means that it actually hurts me WORSE when people act like they’re not actual humans with feelings and emotions. I’m like that’s my fellow queer person and blorbo, but now you’re tweeting with glee that he must be helping his costar cheat on his girlfriend? then i’m like EXTRA mad because for right now at least, i think these guys are pretty cool and they actually haven’t done shit to all the people acting like those tweets will be really cool for them to see.
and that’s why I want to rpf them in part, because I parasocially care about them as humans! and it’s so weird to me that people are obsessed enough to learn about two actors, their personalities, why they might like each other, and then have an attitude like oh I don’t give a fuck if this bothers them. it truly doesn’t make sense and something there doesn’t line up for me psychologically.
idk, I’m just mad that rpf fandoms are getting ruined and that people are acting like they have no empathy at all. it feels cold and depressing and makes the whole conceit of rpf actually feel kind of messed up.
