Met my ex through fanfiction after I reviewed one of her friend's stories. She eventually moved from Florida to New Mexico and still lives here with a few children. Just cause I reviewed some awful Inuyasha fanfiction 16 years ago. Jesus.

My best friend knows, but it's not really in his interest and it doesn't come up much. We first bonded over Pokemon, though, so every once in a while we brainstorm stories in that area.

Mother knows, but doesn't have any comprehension of what it all entails. Actually when it comes up it's mostly in the form up me talking up you bastards as a weird internet home that we all grew up in.

 

This is definitely my experience. I think if your friends are nerds/geeks (like most of us on here) then at worst they're going to never have read fanfiction but not judge you for it, most likely they'll have at least had some cross their screen at some point in their lives.

 

My work mates know since, back before my team got screwed over with an increased workload just over a year ago, I was reading fanfics (and webnovels and e-books) at my desk in between support calls. I got bored doing nothing between calls and we used to have a fairly laid back environment so I almost exclusively did my reading during the work day while I'd engage my other interests at home.

Man, those were the days.

My family... probably know? I live with my immediate family (mother and 2 siblings) but none of them are interested in what I'm doing on my laptop and I generally don't share what I'm up to, but I think it's come up in conversation before and I'd expect they've seen what I'm reading at one time or another. Hell, my old internet home was a site that had the words "The Fanfiction Forum" plastered at the top.

 

I told my parents once when they asked what I was reading at the time, but I'm fairly certain they just consider "fanfiction" to be some extremely obscure niche of literature like, I dunno, biographies of 70s Asian liberal politicians.

My sister knows and understands what fanfiction is, but it pretty much never comes up in conversation. We talk about shows/movies/current affairs.

 

You're all more open than I'm willing to be. I don't teach any more, but one of my closest friends is an English Professor at a major university. If I told her that I read Harry Potter fanfiction, she'd think I'd gone insane. I love this fandom and the people who embrace it, but I think we're underestimating how strange it seems from the outside. Fanfiction is way beyond niche for the average person.

I'm almost scared to ask, but how did this conversation actually go? 'I loved how tight you made Draco's leather pants! Next time he should rip off Harry's uniform and bend him over Snape's desk!' I would be speechless.

 

Within the last ten years, fanfiction has grown immensely in popularity. I think Harry Potter and ASOIAF has helped in this regard. Most people I know have at least heard of fanfiction in some way or another. I wouldn't say it's accepted, but it's less judged.

Like most others here, I don't keep it a secret, but I don't actively share it either. I play off my fanfiction as original fiction as its easier to explain. However, my SO knows of it, as well as a good friend of mine (who also writes fanfiction). Sometimes we do writing sessions together.

 

Well, she and a couple of others made fun of me for a bit, although I think only this one friend actually read what I'd written. I later got a text from her boyfriend telling me my writing is dogshit, but then when I met up with both of them just before covid hit again I was told by him that I write a great milf (first time for that compliment) and that I should get into writing naruto (which I unfortunately know nothing of). My friend also told me that she now considers that we have had a threesome, which (S if you're reading) still haunts me

It's not great to have your fanfic username known, though, although I'm fully considering writing something truly fucked up and then making fun of my friend for reading weird shit. Feels like that might backfire more on me than on her, though.

 

You taught english?
Hell, I handed in a piece of fanfiction as part of a writing portfolio, and I doubt that even rates as the wierdest thing that has ever crossed my teachers desk as part of a writing portfolio. Then again, I'm still a student and don't need to worry too much about being professional...

 

I would have loved to be able to do that in High School, but my brother got accused of plagiarism because he wrote starcraft fanfiction in an exam. Nearly failed English because of it, my mum ended up fighting it all the way up to the Head Teacher to get the accusation dropped.

 

My girlfriend and family know, and I'm pretty sure at some point years ago I proudly declared in school to show how much of an HP fan I was.

Nowadays though it doesn't really come up in conversation with most of my friends who aren't into reading, let alone fanfiction.

 

Nope, none of my family or friends know about my fanfiction reading, and I'm happy to keep it that way.

 

this is so weird to me. Fanfiction actually helped me solidify what I like / dislike in my stories, since I can compare things like “weak/powerful protag”, how much angst or whatever, and what to look for in new books (even non hp ones). Additionally, it’s basically free books, and who doesn’t like those?

 

Only The Wife and my brothers knew, until last week. One of my coworkers took up creative writing as a Covid hobby, and is on track to finish a fucking novel in January. We got to talking because I'm know to have a 'gift for words' at work and have doje a few creative exercises there. She asked if I had anything on the go, and I asked her, and we mentioned how we rarely let anyone know what we are writing, and I added, "unless it's fanfiction." I don't know why Indid that, but she asked about it, and long story short, she's going to try reading some Dresden Files books.

 

My family know. They know because I said I write, and I told them it's fanfic to get them off my back about reading it.

I've got a friend who knows I read and (try) to write SG1 fics and he also knows I read other stuff because I recc'ed him To The Stars when we were talking about post-human governance one day. He's actually a published scifi writer though so it feels less weird.

 

I'm happy to talk about it with people! What's there to be ashamed of? There's a treasure trove of brilliant stories out there that can put even the original authors to shame, and my friends were the ones who wrote them.

I don't tell people about how much I read or whether or not my favourite internet hangout spot is a Harry Potter fanfiction forum, on the other hand...

I've met a surprising amount of people IRL who read fanfiction by being willing to talk about it if it's on my mind. Relatives, co-workers, friends. I'm always happy when I can recommend a story they'll love. (Mind you, I pretty much only know nerds)

 

Yep, everyone knows.

 

I'm surprised you all have friends or family who actually read as a hobby.

I have friends who'll watch subbed anime, but won't pick up the manga because they refuse to read words on a page, but will read words on a TV screen or monitor.

I have other friends who think reading is for nerds, can't properly read a sentence out loud without stumbling, but on the other hand can tell you LeBron's three point percentage and what locations he likes to shoot from the most and explain in clear detail why.

I have even more friends who run D and D campaigns, with actual pen and paper with "lucky" dice and all, who look at me funny for asking if they read fanfiction.

All this to say, they know, but don't care enough to comment and end up stearing the conversation back to what they are comfortable talking about lol.

 

I was never very subtle about it when I was younger, so I still occasionally get slagged by my schoolmates, though no one actually cares anymore.

 

Fuck no.

 

Most of my closest friends do. It's kind of a hard thing to keep completely under wraps unless you go WAY out of your way to do so when you indulge in it as much as I used to lol.

I generally keep it to myself in most social contexts though. Like with my new dnd group it came up and I was open about it, but that's a non-standard social interaction for sure.