24-year-old intern writes romantic fanfiction about 19-year-old intern and their 43-year-old boss, threatens to blame the story on the 19-year-old if she goes to HR: 'She told me that I should take it as a compliment'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jan 9, 2025 6:00 PM EST

If you're a woman of a certain age, you've probably encountered fanfiction at some point in your life. I once read a Harry Potter fanfiction that totaled 500,000 words and 188 chapters over the course of about 3 days. I never went as far as writing my own fanfiction for any fandoms that I perused, but sometimes when you were in a pinch and wanted to read about a very specific arrangement between specific fictional characters, the AO3 archives filter could help you out with that. It's easy for people who have never read fanfiction to pathologize it as a bunch of fujoshi teenage girls who care more about Harry and Draco than they do about their own schoolwork, but that isn't the truth, Ellen.

Most of the teens who engage with fanfiction grow up to be perfectly functioning members of society who don't engage in antisocial behaviors related to said fanfiction. Unfortunately, there are always some outliers. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10452240128
    via Toa Heftiba (Unsplash+)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • A 19-year-old intern used the Internet to ask for advice on whether she should go to HR about a problem with her coworker. Said coworker, another intern, wrote a salacious fanfiction about the young intern and her 43-year-old boss, claiming that she thinks they'd be cute together. When the young intern told her that she would report her to HR for this, the fanfiction author threatened retaliation. 

  • 02

    Coworker wrote fanfic about me and manager, can I go to HR or is it career suicide?

    So. I am an intern. The girl who wrote the fanfic is also an intern. If ages matter, I am 19, other intern is 24 and manager is 43.
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 03
    Cheezburger Image 10452270336
    via Agustin Farias (Unsplash+)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 04
    She had commented a lot before that she thought me and my manager would be "cute" together and I thought it was weird but whatever. Today she showed me and a bunch of other coworkers fanfic she wrote about me and him.
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 05
    I am very uncomfortable with it, especially since the fanfic gets pretty graphic, is very weird about both of our ethnicities and in my opinion is a bit ableist about manager's wheelchair. Both of our partners also di horrible deaths in the fanfic which I know isn't that big of a deal but made me even more uncomfortable.
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 06
    OR sett od awe
    via CDC

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 07
    Later, I said to her that I felt that it was a very odd thing to do and asked that she please delete it. She told me that I needed to lighten up because it was a joke, that I should take it as a compliment and that she wanted to write a whole book about it to publish it. I said that I would go
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 08
    to HR about it and she said that I should be careful because she was here way longer than I was and it would be very easy for her to point out that the 19yo that actually featured in the fanfic was probably the one who wrote it. Two of my other coworkers saw and heard this whole thing.
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 09
    I guess, is it worth it to go to HR over this? I am very uncomfortable with her showing it to a lot of people and claiming that she wants to keep doing it. But at the same time, it's true that she has been here for longer and
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 10
    people seem to like her more than me. I kind of fear career repercutions if she actually manages to make it seem like I did it? And I am just an intern so I'm worried about causing trouble so early on my career?
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 11
    StopSignsAreRed I work in HR and this is one of those stories you think HAS to be made up because it's so absurd...but then you remember how absurd people can get. Yes, this is one to bring to HR.
    via u/StopSignsAreRed

  • The companies who make sexual harassment training videos could make a full-tilt short film out of this saga. They should buy the rights. 

  • 12
    BrandynBlaze I am firmly in the camp of "only bring things to HR when your interests align with the company's" and this is a no brainer. Pretty easy to claim a hostile workplace or sexual harassment when someone publishes graphic fanfic that is easy to identify who the subjects are, and HR would be very interested in getting ahead of this one.
    via u/BrandynBlaze
  • 13
    JonathanL73 I also think most people should try to problem- resolve things on their own before going to HR. A lot of problems stem from misunderstanding that can be easily solved with basic conversation before escalating.
    via u/JonathanL73
  • 14
    However in OP's case she did try to resolve this on her own, and the other intern is not willing to accommodate. And yes OP's issue alligns with the interest of the company. This is a no-brainer to report to HR in this situation.
    via u/JonathanL73
  • 15
    Halospite Career suicide yes, but on her part, not yours. Go to HR, this is creepy as h I. And definitely make note of witnesses.
    via u/Halospite
  • 16
    owlpellet This is textbook sexual harassment. If you have a copy of the fanfic, take that to HR. If you don't maybe discretely try to get a photo of it, and take that to HR. If not, still go to HR today. Do not talk to anyone, do not investigate. You can get fired for NOT reporting this.
    via u/owlpellet
  • 17
    HR is cops. They exist to win lawsuits. Say very little except what you directly observed. Do not use them as therapists. They will ask you "what do you want" like ten times. They are asking if you will sue them. Your answer is "I'm very confident that you'll handle this appropriately" and maybe "I expect this behavior to stop." Any other answer -- like "you know what It's fine" can put you down as a participant and you'll -- get fired too.
    via u/owlpellet
  • 18
    MilesBeforeSmiles Go to HR, immediately. Not only about the Fanfic, but her threat to pin it on you. Ask your co-workers to provide corroborating stories about this situation and document, in detail, every interaction you have with this indivdual moving forward.
    via u/MilesBeforeSmiles
  • 19
    It doesn't matter that she was there longer, that's not how stuff like this works. It's not career suicide to report stuff like this, but there will be further issues if you do nothing about this.
    via u/MilesBeforeSmiles
  • 20
    FragrantPoet5229 I support going to HR but do not solicit statements on your own. Those statements collected will be problematic.
    via u/FragrantPoet5229
  • 21
    throwawayforeverx2 I agree I wouldn't collect statements they can always go back on what you collected unless it's some sort of recording. Instead I would let HR do its jobs and not say a word to anyone. HR will collect the statement from them if you provide names of who else was there during the incident. If you collect the statement then they could go and tell her before HR even gets involved and it could make the situation worse. I would only collect the statement if know they well like a clo
    via u/throwawayforeverx2
  • 22
    This is the weirdest thing I've ever heard of. Tbh she sounds off and like this won't be last time something happens, it might not be this exact type of thing but it will be something else esp since she seems to think she do what she wants and pin it on you because she has seniority. So I wouldn't let it slide and go to HR.
    via u/throwawayforeverx2
  • 23
    Vast-Influence24 this is so weird....
    via u/Vast-Influence24
  • 24
    XXXXXBooo OP It really is omg, not that that would make it better but it's not even a sweet story, it's full-on those dark romances from wattpad
    via u/xxxxxBooo
  • 25
    Ms_Jane_Lennon I've been in the workforce more than 30 years, and I've never even heard of someone doing this ever, anywhere. This lady is a serious weirdo. The fact that she is not embarrassed to show people that she wrote fanfic about random coworkers she's fixated on indicates to me she's actually wildly unhinged. Stay far away from her. Imagine how bad her bizarre behavior could get if this is how she acts when she hardly knows you.
    via u/Ms_Jane_Lennon
  • 26
    TheBirminghamBear Right? Every weirder and weirder. sentence gets At first I was like, "that's a weird thing to do." Then it got ricist, and abelist, and then violent?! I mean that intern is a sounds like a h I of a read. ☐ psycopath but that
    via u/TheBirminghamBear
  • 27
    SlerbMcJenkins that's not even fanfiction, you aren't a fictional character, or even a public figure for her to be a "fan" of, that's just absolute creepiness.
    via u/SlerbMcJenkins

  • I've heard so many arguments for and against real-person fanfiction over the years. If it leads to antisocial behavior like this, then I don't think I can defend it. It's one thing for 14-year-olds to write a Y/N x Kit Conner fanfiction, but to still be doing it at 24 with people you know is lowkey diabolical. 

  • 28
    OldmanJenkins02 Jesus Christ, that's so incredibly inappropriate and unprofessional of your co worker. Also, you are a 19 year old intern, this isn't even close to career ending. Go to HR and provide them with evidence and back up from coworkers. HR is never fun to go to, but they are there for these specific reasons.
    via u/OldmanJenkins02
  • 29
    JonathanL73 24 yr old intern writes a creepy fanfic that is r cist, ageist, sexually harrasses her coworkers and involves horrific deaths of real living people. She is going to get fired so fast if OP reports this.
    via u/JonathanL73

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