hello dear. let me start with a simple assumption that what you mean by people like you is people who create or engage with rpf(real person fiction). if i'm wrong about that, please correct me so i can give you another essay long answer lmao

anyway. i usually don't respond to messages that come across with a hostile tone, but the reason i wanted to address this one is because i've been thinking about it all day long. so here goes...

in short: while i disagree with you that rpf is the reason for the poll result, i do think it takes some part of the responsibility.

now, not so in short:

it's very easy to see that the line people like to morally draw in their arguments against rpf isn't exactly a clear one. some are okay with fan art, some are okay with fanworks in general as long as it's not explicit, while some, of course, think all shipping is bad.

i...won't go into the "shipping is bad" part of things because a) that will take too long and b) i'm assuming you at least like minsung since you're worried about rpf ruining their image (according to your interpretation of the poll results at least)

obviously, i'm not against rpf, but i do think it's a little more tricky to navigate than it might appear. ultimately, i think rpf is a way of creation that makes fans feel a sort of connection to the people included in the stories. it's literally taking someone you like or relate to, and weaving a story around them that you want to tell. i know not everyone writes fics for this reason (which imo is also perfectly okay) but it could be a great way to navigate situations through fictionalizing them, past trauma or anxieties or kinks or...etc. and even when it's not any of that, it's also just...really fun lol. and the best thing about it imo, and why i ultimately don't think it's solely at fault for a misinterpretation of minsung, is because i think it offers a great lens to study certain people/characters and the dynamics between them, it requires a good understanding of these people so you can give a good representation of them. creating a fictional scenario involving real life people will make you think how would this person think/act? and that makes try to understand that person more deeply. and the same applies to a ship/any dynamic between multiple people. now, i know that in the end, we don't know these people, and we can't clearly distinguish their 'persona' from their real personalities and dynamics, that's...part of the whole idol thing lol. nobody has a clear and objective and honest image, and i think this could (and honestly should) in fact make you more critical of what you consume and what you consider to be the person or the ship. so ultimately, i think shipping an rpf could be a great analytical way of looking into these people and the dynamics between them.

now this is where it gets tricky.

it's unfortunately... not as easy as it sounds. and the thing about creating these fanworks, is that you're not creating them in a void. interactions and mutual influence between real life and fiction is inevitable, even if people like to pretend that's not the case and it's all fun and games lol. and, yeah, this is where i think rpf is partly to blame.

like i said, we don't create into a void. i have my opinions about why certain fanon ideas are so relavant, and i won't pretend i'm unbiased of course lol. but some of the reasons i've come to think about are: 1) a lot of people (to some extent, myself included) follow the method of "writing what you know". and while of course this in a way helps writers to create stories that feel more authentic and natural to them, it also creates this sort of echo chamber effect on the works created. it's very hard to miss certain tropes/tags/ideas being popular and loved and hyped by majority of fans and readers and writers. and as a writer, especially if you're new, it's very expected that you feel more drawn to these ideas yourself. not only out of the desire to be included and be liked, but also simply because you happen to see something cool and it's natural that you want to recreate it in a way. ultimately this leads to many variations of similar things. and i'm not trying point fingers or pass blame. like i said, i'm guilty of doing this myself (though i cringe every time i try to read these fics of mine that i wrote under the influence of others lol but anywayy). this is, in the end, why the 'canon vs fanon' thing occurs. people just keep building up upon works of others, and it piles up and shapes itself to be this new thing that's entirely fictional but somehow very much present in people's minds.

this is where it goes wrong imo. because even if people say fics are fics and i separate them from real minsung, i don't think that's entirely possible. and it's obvious in the case of tweets that go around saying 'this your daddy dom?' 'this your alpha/omega?' etc.. (to clarify i absolutely hate every variation of such tweets, because in fiction, the answer can be whatever the hell you want, and in real life, you should never claim to know the answer in the first place)

and yeah. in the end, this is i think how "fics rots your brain" as rpf antis say lmao. and to some extent, it's true unless you remain critical of yourself and of the media you consume. i am not at all a believer of the "it's all fun and games" (but that's just a me thing) but like i said, this has been on my mind for a while and it's part of the reason i've been finding it hard to engage with content and with others on twitter. i don't want to feed into the cycle. i do want to be critical of my representation of the people i choose to write and read about. i know this isn't the case for anyone, but that's just my personal opinion.

woaow this got long. idk if you actually read all of this but anyway thanks for giving me a chance to voice out (some of) the thoughts i've been so pissed about all day long lol. cheers to you and to minsung<3