fanfic
/ˈfæn.fɪk/
Very CommonFiction written by fans using characters, worlds, or scenarios from existing media.
Carries creative legitimacy in fan spaces. Dismissing it as lesser writing is a cultural misstep. Quality ranges enormously.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I stayed up until 4am reading fanfic and I regret nothing. | The speaker got absorbed reading fan fiction late into the night. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | The way this season is going it feels like bad fanfic. | The official show's writing quality feels like amateur fan work. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | Some fanfic is genuinely better written than the source material. | Fan authors sometimes produce higher quality work than the original creators. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | Their real life love story sounds like it was pulled straight from a fanfic. | A real relationship is so romantic it seems like fiction. | tiktok, 2024 |
Use it when
- Referring to fan-created fiction based on existing media.
- Describing your own creative writing in a fandom context.
- Joking that real life events are 'like a fanfic.'
Do not use it when
- You mean original fiction with no connection to existing media.
- You are using it dismissively to insult someone's writing.
Variations and related forms
Fanfic vs AU
fanfic
Fanfic is the broad category of all fan-written fiction.
VS
AU
AU is a specific type of fanfic that changes the setting or premise.
Origin and context
Fan fiction has existed since at least the 1960s (Star Trek zines). The abbreviated 'fanfic' emerged with internet communities in the 1990s. AO3, Wattpad, and FanFiction.net became the major platforms.
- First seen
- 1990s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/fanficUpdated: 2026-08-25License: CC BY 4.0