You listen to TWICE? I do, too.

 You like to party? Me too. 

You play Valorant? 

You’re not going to believe this, but so. do. I. 

Sometimes we meet someone so similar to us that it seems too good to be true. Someone who is somehow just slightly more well-versed in everything we like, with all the same opinions and mannerisms. 

Maybe your first thought is that you aren’t as unique as you once thought. I mean, the years you have spent memorizing discographies by heart must not be that impressive if some random just came up to you and was able to sprinkle five of Nettspend’s unreleased songs into casual conversation. 

But wait, isn’t that the exact order of songs as the “least popular Nettspend songs” Reddit post you just saw? Isn’t Nettspend one of the most popular underground rappers, anyway? On second thought, maybe they’re a fake fan; it’s too good to be true. 

You know what? Chances are they’re LARPing. 

And no, not Live Action Role Playing in the literal sense with fantasy storylines and make-believe far-away lands. Instead, LARPing is a recent term used to describe someone who’s pretending to be someone they’re not. Originating in online spaces as a joke for those frustrated with “fake fans” leeching off their interests, the new use for the term has given “role play” an entirely different meaning.

LARPers are found all around us, all the time. 

After driving home from a first date, I catch myself thinking “wow, that went so well; we have so much in common. I can’t wait to see them again.” But something feels a little off, and the conversation felt a little hollow. That’s something I’m definitely going to avoid thinking about harder…  Maybe they don’t know anything about Drake Twitch stream compilations and maybe they don’t actually agree that Fortnite gets worse with every season. Come to think of it, they actually didn’t talk about themselves at all. A tell-tale sign of a LARPer…

Unlike the actual LARP community, which is united through a love for the genre’s diversity and elaborate storylines, the new LARPers are those who have an inherent lack of identity. In fact, they have no identity at all, because LARPing isn’t just doing a quick Google search of the setlist to impress your friend who invited you to a concert. It’s changing one’s personality as a means of forming connections. 

Essentially, it’s a more extreme version of “mirroring,” which is the tendency to mimic the expressions and gestures of others. It’s largely regarded as a subconscious and healthy behavior which can build trust between friends. 

Smiling and other facial expressions are things that many people naturally mimic when getting to know someone new, as our brains are wired to believe that when we fit in, we’re more likely to succeed in social situations. 

LARPing, however, takes mirroring to another level, with people mimicking things like interests, passions and even core values in hopes of impressing the person they’re talking to. It doesn’t sound that bad on paper, but LARPing’s implications about a person’s sense of self are worse than they seem. 

Primarily, it implies that the person LARPing believes that a fake or altered personality will get them more social acceptance than their genuine self would. Secondly, it implies that they think that people choose their friends based on who impresses them the most. 

Obviously, people don’t like being friends with someone who has nothing going for them. But that being said, anybody who chooses friends based solely on how impressive they are is more focused on appearances and their own ego than genuine human connection.

This sounds sad until you realize that most of us on campus are on our way to young adulthood. Some of us can vote. Many have jobs. People are at the age where they start thinking about their futures and preparing themselves for what’s next. Playing pretend has no place in such a crucial time in our lives. 

When you think about it that way, LARPing seems more embarrassing than sad. Because instead of doing the difficult thing and facing the fear of rejection by showing your genuine personality… You’re putting time and effort into an illusion. It’s not like connections built from smoke and mirrors last long anyway. 

What happens when there really is something only a true fan would know? Do you know why Jihyo from TWICE changed her first name at age 18? I didn’t think so. Now we’re both embarrassed: Because I caught you LARPing and revealed my own screen time within the same interaction. 

Lose-lose situation. 

So, spend your time building a personality to be proud of instead of seeking approval of the people who don’t even know you. Go to that concert for a good time. It’s okay if you can only name three songs. The world will keep spinning.