Fanfiction has always been one of the purest forms of fandom expression, yet for decades it lived in the shadows, dismissed as something fringe or even ridiculed as “not real writing.” Today, fanfiction has transformed into a cultural force that shapes how stories are consumed, shared, and even created in mainstream entertainment. The journey of fanfiction—from underground zines traded at conventions to massive online archives read by millions—tells us as much about the evolution of fandom as it does about storytelling itself.