For me and many others, Wattpad was an escape during our teen years. A lot of the time in fanfic, we would write about what we wished we had, and for me, that was a real friendship.
But I never expected to find a friend through an author’s note.
Christmas 2019. Just like the previous year, I once again got the worst secret Santa gift in class. I don’t want to sound tragic, but this was to be expected when I had nobody to defend me. Instead, they just laughed about my gift.
I sat on a row of tables on my own and opened a smashed Halloween bath bomb with last year’s packaging. Alongside was a tiny old written notebook that was dated 2013. The budget was £20, and the girl didn’t even bother to rip out the pages with her name.
So, like any chronically online teen would do, I published a very depressing author’s note on my Stranger Things fanfic. It was a great release for me to talk anonymously. Of course, I was scared somebody would find it, but I wanted to be heard.
And somebody did hear me.
“I remember that author’s note actually. I had a similar experience with these chocolates being handed out in class. I don’t know why I reached out, but I think I related in some way,” Sasha told me.
@ilovechocolate64 on Wattpad, or Sasha for this article, had a very popular Wattpad fanfic called ‘The Malfoys’ which amassed over 196,000 views.
“We must have just kept talking, and neither of us were in a great place with our mental health at school. We were talking about our experience, and the Wattpad friendship just went from there.”
I related a lot to Sasha. We were both in Year 11, both lived in North London, and both of us are Taurus (I was really into astrology).
I’ve tried to go back into our wattpad accounts and look at the DM’s, but sadly, the messaging feature in the app was taken away in May 2024. The next generation of writers may never know what it is to have this experience.
“Lowkey, don’t meet strangers…” said Sasha.
“But we got Snapchat first, so we were able to verify neither of us was an old man. I actually had no social media, I really just lived on Wattpad, but I downloaded them before we met.”
I faintly remember thinking it’s weird Sasha had no social media, so thank the Lord she wasn’t a creep, and we were able to enjoy our shopping trip without having to run to the police station.
“Oddly enough, it [stranger danger] didn’t even occur to me,” she explained.
“I don’t remember it being a fear of mine. I remember being like, this is a teenage girl I really get along with. And when we found out we’re the same age, I thought, “Oh my days.”
I really want to emphasise here that we should not be meeting strangers without telling somebody.
“It’s so funny because I forget about Wattpad when we talk. It got to the point where I couldn’t even remember we actually met through fanfic.” Sasha said.
What’s different about having a Wattpad friendship is that you automatically have a common interest with shows and movies.
Sasha and I were equally obsessed with fandom culture and spent our time imagining scenarios. As our friendship developed, we found it easy to talk about our personal lives because it couldn’t get back to anyone that knows us.
We did eventually tell our parents, and we both visited each other’s house. But we had to get creative with how we met.
“I lied and told my mum that I met you at a college tour. I’m keeping my name anonymous because I would still get murdered for this!” Sasha said.
“But thank you for backing me up and doing your research on that college.”
Our friendship is just further proof of how tightknit the fanfic community is. It’s supposed to be a safe place and an escape from our mundane lives.
“I do think everyone is so lovely in the fanfic community. Some people are really supportive with the comments and checking up on you when there’s not an update. There’s a nice community there, people are always open to making friends.” Sasha continued.
It’s true. I’m still getting concerned comments years later about when the next update is and how they hope I’m okay. I should probably get back to those readers.
Sasha really did shape my teenage years. She even got me into football, which is crazy because I ended up working in that space for a while. I owe her a lot of credit, even if she insists it’s all my hard work. Sasha was the first friend that believed in me and, despite us talking less these days, I always know we have time for each other.
I suppose my love for Wattpad goes beyond reading. It’s a place where I found a community during a time when I felt really alone.
The Wattpad DM’s might have disappeared, but our friendship never will.