I got into kpop in 2008 with 2ne1's debut, but the concept of rpf as a fandom didn't even occur to me then (despite how much I shipped GD/CL). I had been reading and writing fanfiction for around 4(?) years by then, but only ever for fictional fandoms. The thing that got me into rpf was getting into 1D around 2013/14 and watching a ship video... my eyes were truly opened to the wonders of rpf. I didn't actually write for 1D but I read a lot of fic. When the band fell apart I then bounced around fandoms casually until finally falling back into BTS around 2017/18 - once again it was a ship video that got me into rpf! I started writing fic, slipping from one kpop fandom to the next, and now here I am.
One thing about me is that I find it hard to stick with one fandom for a long time as I get bored and want new content and characters to gnaw on - and kpop rpf is so ideal for that because there are so many interlocking circles of groups and idol dynamics, it's like a never ending feast! There's so much content that tbh even within one group there are a lot of potential ships to explore, because you can definitely find interactions for almost any combination of people you want, unlike in fictional fandoms where the source material is limited so you typically only have a few viable ships and that's it.
My platonic ideal of a kpop fic involves an umbrella trope that I have distilled after careful examination of my reading and writing preferences: intimacy but not the kind of intimacy we want. I love fics where characters are forced into a form of really intense closeness, but there's still something lacking or a final distance that can't be bridged. Canon fics in general are really good for this because of the inherent intimacy of having your life paths tied to each other, as well as all the fanservice / shipping - but at the same time it's a ripe space for pining because none of that is inherently romantic. But this umbrella trope also covers most of my other favourite tropes: fake relationship, arranged marriage, friends with benefits, soulbond, pacrim/drift partners, etc. My favourite AUs are also the ones that employ this sort of dynamic - heist AUs or space AUs or bandom AUs where the characters are on some sort of a team/crew together come to mind. Or zombie/apocalypse AUs where the characters are desperately reliant on each other to survive and yet still can't cross that line in the sand... so delicious.
I also love it when fics blend canon with one of these AU elements - it just takes everything I love about canon fics and dials it up to 100! I think the blending of canon and AU also involves a lot of creativity and skill, and it's just such a fun reading experience to see how different authors take that and run with it.
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One thing about me is that I find it hard to stick with one fandom for a long time as I get bored and want new content and characters to gnaw on - and kpop rpf is so ideal for that because there are so many interlocking circles of groups and idol dynamics, it's like a never ending feast! There's so much content that tbh even within one group there are a lot of potential ships to explore, because you can definitely find interactions for almost any combination of people you want, unlike in fictional fandoms where the source material is limited so you typically only have a few viable ships and that's it.
My platonic ideal of a kpop fic involves an umbrella trope that I have distilled after careful examination of my reading and writing preferences: intimacy but not the kind of intimacy we want. I love fics where characters are forced into a form of really intense closeness, but there's still something lacking or a final distance that can't be bridged. Canon fics in general are really good for this because of the inherent intimacy of having your life paths tied to each other, as well as all the fanservice / shipping - but at the same time it's a ripe space for pining because none of that is inherently romantic. But this umbrella trope also covers most of my other favourite tropes: fake relationship, arranged marriage, friends with benefits, soulbond, pacrim/drift partners, etc. My favourite AUs are also the ones that employ this sort of dynamic - heist AUs or space AUs or bandom AUs where the characters are on some sort of a team/crew together come to mind. Or zombie/apocalypse AUs where the characters are desperately reliant on each other to survive and yet still can't cross that line in the sand... so delicious.
I also love it when fics blend canon with one of these AU elements - it just takes everything I love about canon fics and dials it up to 100! I think the blending of canon and AU also involves a lot of creativity and skill, and it's just such a fun reading experience to see how different authors take that and run with it.