If anyone mentions the word fanfic, the first thought that pops to mind is the seemingly endless supply of Stories written on Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. who, Harry Potter and other cult TV shows and films.

The k-pop fanfic world is slightly different to the Western variations on fanfics, that there is no real set environment like you would find in Star Trek or Star Wars. There are some linguistic and cultural rules that can be followed, but other than that the K-pop culture of fanfic is pretty much open to every possibility and interpretation. There are several main types of fic written, that can be found on the forums.

1. Pure FanFic

This type of fic features the celebrity as themselves. Relationships are celebrity/celebrity or celebrity/fan. Common perceptions of the star are often followed, the image presented to the public adhered to until ‘behind-the scenes’ where the fan’s perception and ideas are expressed. Story types are normally romance/drama.

2.   Original Fan Fic

This type of fic uses the image and name of the celebrity, much like the casting in the drama. Here the story types are only limited by cliché and the writer’s imagination. Horror, romance, comedy, drama, action are just a few of the genres that can be found.

3. The Spin-Off

This is the closest to Western FanFic writing as it takes an environment and characters that have already been established and either continues the events or writes smaller side stories based on events that have happened within the Film or Drama. Music Videos too can fall under this spin-off heading.

4.     Lime/Lemon Fics

This type of fic is either pure or original but will contain scenes of a sexual nature ranging from mild ‘lime’ to extremely graphic ‘lemon’.

4. Yaoi Fic

These fics feature male celebrities in same sex relationships, either as themselves or within an original story. Ranging from ‘implied’ to ‘graphic’ the can be very popular and are often fuelled by the ‘fan-service’ that many of the boy bands and groups partake in. Popular pairings are usually in-group, and feelings about them run high in both fic and real life.

5. Yuri Fic

These fics feature female celebrities in same sex relationships, but due to the high proportion of female writers who are heart of the boy band fandom – they are not as common.

6. Original Fiction

Whilst not strictly fanfiction, the characters and events are often Korean based and can be regarded as fandom of the Korean lifestyle as portrayed by popular media.