hi! the most important thing about fics is that they’re completely made-up and it’s really easy to tell. you just use the ‘characters’ from the real life and move them like puppets, which is harmless for the people used and doesn’t damage their image! with deepfakes, it’s totally a different case. you create a real video of people doing things with each other; it exists now. it’s still not fully real, but i believe you crossed that border between fiction and reality, and when you create a video like that, people can spread it and some of them could believe it’s a real footage what is damaging to their public persona!
i like to compare writing/reading fics to making up scenarios in your head! it’s a harmless practice as long as you’re able to differentiate where does the made-up scenario end and real life begins. after all, they’re all posted on a specific site, so to find them you have to look for them! on the other hand, i got jumpscared with deepfakes multiple times so. yeah.
i’m no expert, hope that what i said is clear and that i convinced you there’s nothing to be guilty about as long as you’re doing it mindfully!