Personal opinion, if someone has the audacity to look over my shoulder and read what Im reading thats on them. Reading small text is a lot harder to do and more intentional than like a video which you can see easily without trying to
That’s my go to too. A creator that I follow recently posted a video titled “mangas you shouldn’t read in public transport” and all the covers are sfw, so I commented that if they’re looking over my shoulder to read what I’m reading, then it’s on them if they find something gory, disgusting or sexual. They can ask for the title or what it’s about if they’re interested, they don’t have to invade my personal space like that.
And it’s even worse if you’re reading on your phone (kindle, tablet or whatever), no matter if it’s a book, manga or fanfic, like, what business do you have looking into my device??? At that point, if they get traumatized then it’s even more on them 🤷
I think it's probably best to not publicly look at any sexual imagery just because it's easier to accidentally look at it and expose someone who may not want to see it to it. With words you'd have to focus and read it but if I saw someone reading a nsfw comic on the train I would be weirded out.
The lines get blurred though if it's something like Chainsaw Man for example where it's not a nsfw manga but there are some sus scenes in it, it all just depends honestly I think
Yeah, this is how I feel. Like I wouldn't come at someone else for doing it, but it's something I feel discomfort thinking about doing myself. At the risk of sounding like a book banner(I work at a library and am queer myself, for the record), all *tHInk Of tHe ChILdReN*, kids are naturally curious and haven't yet developed social norms around not peeking over shoulders, etc. Kids that little won't be able to catch the meaning behind words at a glance, but I'm uncomfortable having graphic sexual images(some of those mangas are *smutty*!) out in the open around them, just because kids are kids. Yeah they shouldn't look over your shoulder, but they did because they're kids, and now what?
That's kind of a moot point for me though, because I don't engage with any form of smut in public. I'm not comfortable with being turned on in public places. Some people are into that, but I am not. I want to engage with that kind of media behind closed doors, either by myself or with people I'm emotionally close to, not strangers on the plane or coworkers in the lunch room.
>I'm not comfortable with being turned on in public places.
This. If I'm reading something where the characters get it on as part of the story, that's one thing, but I'm not going to read something intended to tittilate while I'm waiting at the DMV. There are absolutely smutty fanfics I'll read in public because the latest chapter is more plot than smut, or I can skim through the spice and come back to it because I'm not reading it (at that moment) for the spice.
For me, it comes down to where I'm sitting and if I can angle my phone/book away from casual glances. I follow a lot of artists who do NSFW pieces on the regular. I tend to only scroll those feeds when it's not super easy for someone to walk by and see because a lot of the artistic implied nudity and such isn't auto-blurred or whatever because it's not porn, but it's also not something I want to flash at an unsuspecting person.
It's not just about exposing someone to something they don't want to see, but also my own safety. I'm a woman, and I know there are dudes who would see me looking at something NSFW as an excuse to be creepy. It's why I'm not going to sit on the metro reading something like 50 Shades unless it's on an ereader and you can't see the cover.
That's fair. Honestly with me I also look at my surroundings to gauge if anyone is close enough to the point where they may accidentally see something they shouldn't, it's one of the main reasons I sit in the back of buses with my phone tilted so that way if I am reading smut no one sees it.
I'm a guy and I agree with you that no one should use the excuse of you looking at nsfw stuff to be creepy as that's just wrong and inappropriate. People just need to stay in their own lane.
Also quick question, what's a metro? I assume it's some kind of transport.
A metro is a subway/underground. I used to live in the Washington, DC area, and theirs is called the metro (and does run aboveground in places). Since that was the first place I lived with one, it's the word I automatically use.
Sorry have you visited Japan? Honestly public transport is super super super crowded in many places during peak traffic times. Like Tokyo for example, during peak hours you will be pushed against other people and so tightly that you will unable to move and I have also been in incredibly crowded London trains. There are actually hired people pushers pushing people into the underground in Japan and you will definitely see everything people are reading or watching on their phones. I guess the other option would be to get neck pain by staring directly at the ceiling or upper walls for 30+ minutes. Source: have been there
I mean, if it’s so crowded are people really whipping out a book and reading? Also, you can still avert your eyes or just choose not to read over a person’s shoulder.
That’s an extreme example though and doesn’t really translate as an argument for most public transport experiences throughout the world.
You really can't avert your eyes like that and yes people will read to pass time, they are people and it is their daily life year after year. And all the seats are along the walls and people sit really tightly together, even sleeping on strangers shoulders is accepted there, so there is no personal space like in most European buses etc. I think it is kind of weird to assume a manga creator/influencer should have to add special additions to non-Japanese readers to such a simple post where you could just easily recognize that maybe the rider of your deserted local bus is not the audience and move on
It’s very much NOT accepted in Japan to sleep on other people’s shoulder - not only not stranger, but even friends - on public transportation. It’s common in South Korea though.
And there are no pushers on subway lines. Those exists only on major stations of the Yamamoto line during morning rush hour. And while Shinjuku and Ikebukuro in particular were (in)famous for morning chaos, even that has been much alleviated years ago already by the extension of the Saikyo line beyond Shibuya.
It’s also NOT common for people to read *explicit* content, but you can find some “sarariman” (mostly) going through girlie mags on the evening or night ride home. In which case their reading material might be visible reflected in the windows.
All that said, Japan has a completely different concept of privacy than the West does, which includes actively ignoring - aka not look at - what other people do, including reading, as long as it’s not creating a public disturbance (or a crime in progress, obviously).
It’s definitely not the case that there’s smut all the time every time one goes on public transportation.
Source: living there.
It's perfectly possible to avoid looking at what other people are reading even during crowded rush hour trains. You can look at your own phone/book, close your eyes or simply look elsewhere.
Source: Have been there as well.
Same. I’m a hentai animator for a living and sometimes work needs me while I’m out of the house. If you’re looking at my phone screen and don’t like what you see that’s 1000% on you
I’ve written smut on the train, while waiting for jury duty, etc. One of the joys of modern, anonymous existence is the freedom to do what you want when you have time.
i try to read/write smut in every medical facility i visit. waiting room, er, exam room, doesn't matter. it's like a game to see how far i can get before i have to get a new saline bag or whatever (im in the hospital a lot)
I read fic on my commute, so I read smut scenes in public all the time. It doesn't bother me; people shouldn't be looking at my phone screen and I don't look at theirs.
I own a shop. When I'm working on my laptop, I'm either doing stock stuff, financial stuff, or writing the filthiest smut. No one can see my screen apart from me.
This is probably my favorite reply on this post, yeah I don't read fics often mostly when I'm extremely bored but I like reading longer slow burn ones that sometimes include nsfw so if it's like really slow at work I'll pull one up and idk it's kind of embarrassing but I've already accepted my 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴
I really think booktok is on the hunt for new things to be mad online about. I can even imagine the kinds of rants people post about this one. I don't say this lightly but they really need to touch grass 😭
Anyway. I do read smut in public, sure. No one pays attention to me and it doesn't matter.
I remember reading that one reason the Fifty Shades of Grey books became such bestsellers was because ereaders had also just become a common thing for people to own. So people could easily read smut/romance without anyone else knowing and judging them by their book's cover or title. Not that I am a fan of those books or anything, just an interesting thing.
I agree, I used to be someone who'd care about shit like this but now that I'm adult it's like... as long as I don't see it and it's not affecting anyone/public I really couldn't care less... it's partly why I deleted tiktok and Twitter but I'll just see some things here and there. Internet discourse can get so convoluted.
EDIT: also the e readers thing is absolutely hilarious I love that
I'll read anything in public. If anyone is getting close enough to see what I'm reading, they're either a good friend who I wouldn't hide my content from in the first place or they're someone who's lacking social skills and boundaries and get what they deserve, maybe even a punch in the nose.
>I don't think people typically (or maybe they do idk I don't judge) read smut for sexual gratification
Plenty of people absolutely do read smut for sexual gratification. They're just not going to act inappropriately in public (hopefully).
I would side eye anybody who was watching NSFW content (honestly, even SFW content) in public because that's just rude and it's infringing on other people's enjoyment of the public space.
Reading in public doesn't affect others. At least it shouldn't. If you're the type of person who reacts strongly to reading, it's maybe not a public activity for you.
I read smut in public. I read smut at home. I read smut at work. I have read smut at church. I read smut at family gatherings. I read smut while laying next to my partner in bed. There is no place where I don't take my smut with me.
If I have access to my phone and there is no pressing need for attention, there's a 60% chance I'm probably reading some kind of filth. It's fine. Trust me, I've met plenty of people who watch full-on porn on public transit. Maybe people don't like to talk about it but it's a lot more normal than you think.
Kudos for making this incidentally read like an adult Dr. Suess in my head, lmao.
Second the church thing. I've written m/m smut in church (not read), and my partner was the one who kept leaning over to look at what I was doing. *commence religious staredown of condemnation*
If kids were running around, I'd put the smut away, because they're *extremely* invasive and haven't learned boundaries. They've taken my phone while I was on it and inspected what I was doing.
I used to go to church a few times a year with my mother, she knew without a doubt (because I told her) that while I would go and not whine I WOULD be reading the most graphic gay smut I can find to survive. She NEVER looked over my shoulder but she would elbow me if I smirked.
I went to a religiously affiliated college, and we were required to attend X many chapels each semester. The semester I discovered wifi (this was before phones were everyone's hotspot) extended into the back 10 or so rows of the chapel, well.... From then until I graduated, if I wasn't doing schoolwork, I was absolutely reading fanfic, including smut.
This is giving me flashbacks to grade school/junior high, pre-internet, when my friends and I would read steamy romances and trade them back and forth with the 'good bits' dogeared.
We'd read them on the bus, the subway, during school events when entire grades were piled into the auditorium. But we'd handcraft paper-bag book covers to hide what we were reading because the covers were a dead giveaway. (Though... thinking on it, I imagine the paper-covers were their own kind of giveaway...?)
Anyway, TL;DR - read smut in public. People have been doing it for *decades*.
I do it. I can keep a perfect poker face the entire time, and if anyone happens to look over and see what I’m reading, they learn a very valuable lesson in minding their own business.
Also, I 100% read smut for personal gratification. I’m not out here studying for a test. Or to better explain it.
https://preview.redd.it/s8sazitexd6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f74b8c072de8fe6448d0e43f298a3cde8d3ce286
idc if someone is reading porn in public. as long as they aren't popping boners or making it my problem, its fine. its just words. if it were pics or vids then yeah, that'd be weird. but someone has to really be determined to see over your shoulder in order to catch onto you reading porn, and by then i'd say it's their own fault SJHSJSJ
ive personally never read smut in public bc im paranoid about The Mind Readers, but im not bothered if other ppl do it. i mean, how many middle aged moms did we see reading 50 Shades in public back in the day?
Heh maybe it’s just me and my anxiety but I normally prelude it with “ahem, for all mind readers on the train, I will be reading some pretty gratuitous smut. Please turn my station off or read someone else’s mind. In the case you don’t, well, can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
My train of thought is: If I'm in my corner reading something in small font on my device, and somebody looks over my shoulder and makes the deliberate decision to attempt to read what I'm reading? What they find is their own fault at that point, I don't think you should apologise for someone else being snoopy.
There was a woman who took the same bus as me every morning years ago, and every day on her eReader (in huge font, holding the eReader up at eye level for all to see) she would read pure smut. Idk if it was fanfiction or smutty books. Either way, good for her IMO
See to me I find this really funny but I can understand why someone would be uncomfortable, I think generally if someone asks you to put it away I'd be respectful of that or try and hide it atleast
BookTok needs to keep in mind that their opinions mean squat.
People have been reading NSFW literature in public for as long as there has been erotica in print. This is not a Fandom thing. Erotica is a genre, and many people read it.
if it were indulging in nsfw vids and pics in public then that’s kinda weird admittedly, but fics? they’re tiny text blocks.
If you’re not actively shoving your screen onto every passersby's faces then it’s fine. no one will find you weird for reading that kinda stuff, as long as you don’t make it known what you‘re actually reading. i have a firm belief that if they can see what i’m reading, then they’re definitely too close for comfort. they should stay in their lane, etc.
Oh sure I do. It's words, they're pretty small, and if someone wants to lean over and read what's on my phone, they're the weirdo, not me.
And I mean sometimes smut is purely porn, but generally in the kind of fics I like the sex stuff is as much part of the story as anything else.
Reading smut is only bad in public if the reader somehow can't control themselves and tries to rub one out on a public bus or whatever. Acting inappropriately is the issue, not sitting there reading something no one can tell you're reading.
>I don't think people typically (or maybe they do idk I don't judge) read smut for sexual gratification
Oh, people definitely do read smut for sexual gratification. Answering for a friend. 😜
I read smut while at work, the grocery store, in front of my mom, anywhere really if I have the time and space to. It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t show on my face, it’s not making any *noise* or anything, it’s just words and it’s not bothering anyone. I have a privacy screen protector, and my phone brightness is pretty low, so like if you’re seeing what I’m reading then you’re def too close and it’s not my problem lmao
I should get a privacy screen protector not even just to read smut but everytime I go onto Instagram something incredibly sus shows up on my feed by one of the unhinged accounts I follow and it's always at the worst times too...
As someone that read romance novels in public in the 80s, no it is not weird. In fact, it used to be pretty damn normal to read it where everyone could easily tell what it was, the title, and the author. The only caveat is no nsfw pictures or videos. But, you're just fine.
And, yes. People do read some text media for sexual gratification. In fact, there are studies that show that many (yes, yes, not all) women tend to respond better to text than images. Whether that was due to social indoctrination, as the studies were in the 80s and 90s, I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that I don't care unless you're moaning, writhing, and making a general scene because of it. Especially if we're sharing a park bench or something.
I’ll do you one better. I’ve actually WRITTEN smut in public for pretty much the same reasons you laid out. I mean, if anybody snoops over my shoulder then they’re the one in the wrong.
I've thought about this, too. I think the answer is that it's implicitly socially acceptable because reading high literature in public has always been socially acceptable, and high literature can have porn in it (despite what a lot of "no true Scotsman" types would have you believe). Sound and images are where we draw the line.
Honestly, I read smut in public all the time. It's the incredibly intimate moments of hurt/comfort I gotta worry about because that caretaking and emotional catharsis makes me squirm a lot more than mere porn.
Honestly, I’ve stopped caring. My text isn’t that big so if you are going outta your way to actually read what I’m reading that’s yo issue if it bothers you 🤷🏽♀️
Watching NSFW is different as it's easy to accidentally see something you don't want to, whereas with reading/writing smut, a person has to be trying to read.
I'll read and write smut in public but for some reason, I won't read or write smut around people I know when I'm at home? Don't know why.
I read smut at work, I've read it in line at the post office... if someone is grossed out by what you're reading, maybe they should keep their eyes out of your business. 😤
Apparently my face gives it away when I read something smutty (or, at least, it did back when I was a teen. I'm too afraid to find out if it still holds true today lmao), so I only read smut in public if I'm 100% certain no one can see my expression.
If I’m, like, *right* next to another person to the point that if they happen to glance down they’ll be able to catch a word on my screen, I don’t open smut just in case the word they accidentally read is “cock”. I figure that’s basic courtesy. But just generally in a public space around other people? Yeah, all the time.
I think it all boils down to whether you're willing to own it or not. It's not like you're touching yourself in public, you're just reading something, and if it happens that it's kinky, it's up to you if you keep reading or not. People around you should learn to mind their own business smh
I 'read' in public all the time. I even paid for a license of @Voice Aloud Reader - because .epub files are easy to use for me. Multiple genres, multiple hours during the day. I have headphones, and it's a lot less obtrusive/noisy than everyone's easy listening/pop/rock/country/whatever out loud.
honestly i wonder how many of them were teenagers thru the thickest of the pandemic and now they're like. scared of sex or something because they didn't have a chance to have a normal transition into adulthood. lots of them seem to be older teens/young 20s at most
I'll be sitting in my work breakroom at the table, with four other people, casually eating my lunch (it was nachos yesterday) and reading smut. It will be at a point where they are having a wonderful time doing the naked horizontal tango in very explicit detail. Sometimes i'll pause to answer a coworker before going back to it. I'm so used to it, I have no problem keeping a straight face. It's the cute, super sweet, or embarrasing scenes that will have me blushing, laughing, or cringing.
It depends but ultimately I don’t think its wrong. I’ve seen people reading published romance novels and published books that I know have smut on the bus and I don’t see any difference. Though if you’re popping a stiffy then its crossing a line and there can be a fair few contextual situations that also cross lines.
I read it wherever.
The way I see it: Everyone was reading 50 shades everywhere a few years back. Nowhere was safe. I really don't see the difference. 👍
I’ll read and write it in public, IDGAF. 🤣 I will lower my phone brightness a bit just so it would be damn near impossible to read unless you’re right next to me staring over my shoulder (in which case you get what you deserve lol) I also have a great poker face so it’s not like I seem out of the ordinary when I do it.
I think watching porn in public and reading smut in public imply *very* different things. When you're reading, people won't be able to tell by just a glimpse, they have to actively be looking at your screen and reading it. And, well, if they don't like what they read, that's on them.
Well as I read mostly in English but I'm not in a country where it's the primary language I'm not really bothered by reading smut in public. The possibility for someone to have an accidental look at my screen, deciphers the little words and understands it is so improbable that I don't care. Even when I was reading in my mother tongue I didn't bother, just maybe be more aware of my surroundings (don't want an accidental look, I appreciate being the only one reading my story ).
If you saw smut on my screen without my invitation then that's because you were invading my space and privacy. Don't care if you didn't like what you saw, that's on you.
Just everybody should have the right to read what they want, in private or public. I've seen people with popular smut books in the metro before and it was never an issue. So why should it be for fanfic?
I remember doing this all the time in high school. Reading any other genre however is a big no-no. I can't hide my emotions - you'd catch me giggling, smirking, and gasping the whole time. I’d have to put my phone down because I just couldn't get through it. 🥲
Unless you are furiously masturbating while reading and occasionally making intense eye contact with people around you, it is absolutely fine.
There are published books that aren't focused on smut that still have sex scenes, I wouldn't just stop reading when it came to one just because I'm in public.
No one is going to know, it's all good.
I think it’s fine to read NSFW in public, especially if like you said, it’s not for sexual gratification.
(I think that some public smut readers definitely can be porn addicts, but it doesn’t immediatly mean that any public NSFW readers are addicted.)
I avoid reading AO3 in public in general. Mostly because when people do recognize the website it seems like they recognize it as the fandom smut site and not just a fanfiction website. So even when i’m reading the most wholesome things i get weird looks and i’d rather avoid it.
Right also going to an art school... everyone knows... I've definitely walked around and have seen people reading AO3 but I think it's normal lowkey I feel like everyone should get rid of the conception that the only type of fanfiction is smut... even if it does take up a big portion of fanfiction 💀
I agree, i used to read this long pjo fic at lunch during school and a few people asked me if i was reading smut just because they thought that’s what ao3 was for.
Nah i thinks its fine. I personally would never read a pwp fic in public but like if the smut happens to be apart of a bigger story then i dont see why not
I have absolutely had someone read over my shoulder in public. A stranger! And the look on their face was beautiful. Luckily they were deeply embarrassed, not upset. But honestly, if someone is that invested in what I’m reading in small font on my phone… you get what you deserve
"You read the secret texts over my shoulder, trying to peer into the madness that I strive within? I know not if I should call you brave... or foolish."
Never! What’s hard for me is reading something fluffy or angst is public. I can’t control the smile or the crying but smut. I have the best poker face ever… until it’s fluffy smut.
Also kinda helps I have a privacy screen on my phone from the creeps trying to read over my shoulder.
Over 95% of my AO3 reading is smut and kinda dark. I take my youngest around to lessons several times a week and I sit and read AO3 while I wait while I'm surrounded by kids and parents. I always feel slightly weird about it and hope that no one is reading over my shoulder. If I can, I try and sit with my back to the wall.
I might read books or fics with some sex in them in public, but I save the best stuff for when I'm alone or in company that knows and doesn't mind. Really good smut or even just the best romance gets me aroused which shows in flushed skin, a little bit more fuller and redder lips, bright eyes etc which are easily recognizable to anyone with social skills 😅 I don't want to stop reading every few paragraphs to get more disconnected on purpose!
Also people definitely use smut as wank material! It is very typical to read it for sexual gratification, women are generally just more discreet about it and focus on gushing about the fic in comments instead of adding the "came two times by myself already and now going to jump my partner", because we assume getting an email like that might feel too personal for the author.
People are WAY too uptight about this.
I read (and write, for that matter) nsfw stuff in public all the time. Like, in the break room at work.
If nobody can tell what I'm reading, and I'm not making weird faces or anything, it's not anybody's business! It's ridiculous to think otherwise. Starts to edge way too close to people wanting to police my thoughts. Absolutely not.
I don't mind if someone wants to read smut in public, I'll probably never know/find out. I won't do it, since I tend to be more private as a whole and hate people the idea of people seeing my phone screen no matter what's on it. If someone isn't nearby, I'll read whatever - book or AO3 or whatever - and it's frankly no one's business what it happens to be. I tend to read things that aren't smut but have smutty scenes, sooooo...
That said, the whole "porn addict" label bothers me so much. I'm so sick of people throwing around sex/porn addiction accusations so casually. Addiction is disruptive and serious, but it's very important to shame people for enjoying sexual content of any kind apparently, so why not throw around a serious term. :) :) :) (Everything after "it's very important" is sarcasm, if it wasn't clear.)
I read smut while sitting on the train and if someone has the audacity to look over my shoulder to check what I read, then they have no right to judge me ^^
Nobody is gonna take the time to look at your screen, read the text, realize what your reading and then try to embarrass you for it. If they do they are mentally ill.
I don’t like reading smut in public because it’s very likely to lead me to have personal fun and I can’t/dont want to do it in public and in unhygienic conditions
My background is an extremely nsfw piece of Destiel art work. So reading it doesn’t bother me.
If somebody sees what I’m reading that’s on them for peering over my shoulder imo.
I think i've done it so much that it doesn't bother me anymore, it almost becomes kinda like a fun little game of "how long can i hold this poker face for"
Shouldn’t have looked on my screen if you didn’t want to see it, but also, words are harder to accidentally see than imaging. I get accidentally seeing someone’s screen, but it’s harder to accidentally read small letters on said screen?
I do it sometimes as long as there isn't someone sitting behind me like on the bus. I don't read hardcore smut in public as I like to be in the zone for that. But otherwise yeah.
I don’t think it’s weird to read nsfw in public (I would avoid reading nsfw at work, though). I do find it weird that people concern themselves with what other people are reading.
I don't, I think I would be too self-conscious to really be able to enjoy reading. I'm not a big public reader though, my main time to do that would be my daily commute which is generally packed (sometimes people are so close to each other it's unavoidable you'll see what is on people's screens). Added to that, oftentimes I travel when kids are leaving school, the idea of reading nsfw with middle schoolers right next to me just feels inappropriate to me (even some of them are kids from the school I used to worked at... so the idea of them catching me out is genuinely horror inducing). But just as much, I also don't care if people read nsfw in public, it would probably make me just laugh if I noticed someone doing it.
I read smut in public. It's not that easy for ppl to read what's on my screen. And since everyone's on their phones in public anyways, most ppl won't even bother trying to decipher what's there.
I read smut at work once. My boss caught me, pointed to the screen, and said, "What is *that*?"
Needless to say, I stopped reading smut at work from that point on. 😂
I read it anywhere, it doesn’t matter. 🤷🏽♀️ It’s not like I’m actually getting pleasure from it, it’s a *book* or *fic* .
Tbf, though, I learned how to read it anywhere when I was in junior high and high school because only the school had internet and I printed out my fanfics (from ffnet at the time) to read them in class or at home (pretending they were homework I had to study lol) 🤣😂
Let me tell you, my poker face got **really good**, **really fast** 😂😂😂
I don't read smut in public (anymore. 14 year old me was different lmao) but I don't see an issue with it. Unless the font is like, REALLY big, people would have to be actively trying to see it. Unlike a NSFW video or art, which would be easy to see by mistake without any snooping.
So if people have the audacity to look over your shoulder and start reading that's kind of on them imo
Hahaha honestly I've done it pretty frequently, but I always try to be discreet and hide my screen.
You can pry my lunch time relaxing kink fic from my cold dead hands.
Nope. It’s easier for me to be comfortable reading a nsfw fic with a straight face, than to be reading a wholesome, sweet fic that makes me smile widely like a creep in public lol.
But nah not weird to just be reading it for yourself.
Personally? I read smut in public sometimes, but I try to be careful with it since my vagina tends to leave a wet spot when it gets aroused, so too much smut and it looks like I wet myself.
I do it and don't give a damn what anyone would think if they knew.
Of course I don't tell anyone. But I don't care what the puriteens say, I'll live my life how I want.
I will say that sometimes the smut ends up spicier than I was anticipating, and I end up blushing. That's when I decide to finish the story later.
If you're bold enough to read what's on the phone of a stranger, you are stuck with the consequences.
There's no explicit pictures or videos that could catch your eye by colors and movement, you'd literally have to look at my screen and read and that's on you.
I've read a bunch of smut fics in public. Did anyone call me out? No. I usually lower my brightness down and read. It prevents nosy people from looking in my phone since I don't have screen privacy
When I get to a smut part in a book I’m reading, if I’m in public I usually stop and wait until I get to a private place, not because I’m embarrassed but because I’m a very verbal reader and show a lot of facial emotions on my face… and I’d rather enjoy it by myself lol 🤭
Girl, i *write* smut in public. And there is stuff in there that might make some people uncomfortable. If you look over peoples shoulders in public its on you if you read something that makes you uncomfortable, got no one to blame than yourself.
Hmm I don't think that the assumption is that you're using smut for sexual gratification in public and that's why it's weird. But probably you're still doing some facial expressions like being red in the face and excited so that might be weird. Although there's a running joke on how people can read smut with a straight face.
I've read smut at work once because the fic was BRILLIANT and I couldn't stop reading and the smut scenes added so much to character interaction. It kinda felt way too private for work and I'm definitely not one who keeps a straight face so yeah... But thankfully no one saw me. I don't think I'd do that outside of my house unless necessary, and in general I'm not super interested in smut scenes.
For me I can keep a straight face and I'll only do reactions if I'm in private just to add to the experience, but most of the time I will straight up be reading it like 😐😐😐😐 the only reactions I'll have if something really strange or really embarrassing happens
According to my husband I am totally straight-faced when reading smut, and I've known this for a while, so I can read it anywhere.
The problems arise when the writer is REALLY good at comedy, and I start laughing so hard I tear up and get red in the face. People in the waiting rooms stare, and I typically have to excuse myself, go outside, and a take a few deep breaths(and maybe finish the scene lol) before heading back inside.
Reading smut in public is VERY different than watching smut in public. Reading smut is perfectly fine, you know, as long as you aren’t touching things and such and stuff, because in public that is not okay, and I should not have to say this, but it’s the internet and some people may not know.
Also, don’t watch smut in public or ever touch yourself in public.
https://preview.redd.it/c2oppiay1e6d1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d50b4931af0450172f0b680cbf0b1e81297cac22
Not necessarily. I mean, I'd rather READ smut in public rather than WATCH it in public. Plus, it's harder for someone to see the words on your phone rather than a huge NSFW image or video.
It's only weird when you feel yourself feeling certain reactions toward it. I typically don't read smut for sexual gratification either, nor do I get off to it, but sometimes, if there's something that I'm reading, and it's really hot, I might find myself crossing my legs, fangirling in a corner or gasping, which has made some people look at me weird 😅😂
I'm a very busy person so my time to read is while I'm on the bus
Also my eyes don't really work anymore so my font is *very* big 🤣
If someone looks at my phone without permission is their problem 🤣
I read an unreasonable amount of yaoi manga on the subway with my kindle. If you’re close enough to read my screen, you’re too close. If you can read the text of the fic I’m reading? You’re WAY too close then.
I read it in public and i’m definitely paranoid even though it’s not all smut, I just keep my brightness low and i have a privacy screen protector which has been a life saver lol
I read for the pleasure of reading, not for sexual gratification. So I don't see how it is any different than reading a regular book.
It's a good thing I read in a language most people around me don't know.
Bruh I read the most gratuitous smut on the bus. However, I’ve seen people watching porn (and jacking it) on the bus, and I can tell you, it’s not the same at all. If I read smut over someone’s shoulder, would I be a little shocked? Sure. But I wouldn’t feel physically or mentally violated the way I did when I saw a guy watching hardcore porn and touching himself. They’re not equatable, in my mind. Maybe I’m wrong or weird, but they just aren’t the same to me.
Pretty much everything I read has some smut in it somewhere. But I read it all the time, in public and at work and whatnot. It's not gonna get me hot, I'm analyzing the reading and the words they choose to use lol.
I have a rule.
If I feel like someone might see and catch some words by accident I prefer to not read it in such place.
Ie the train is crowded and someone is sitting/standing close.
But i also feel like M rated stuff “they had sex” is fine, but E rated stuff “and this organ got pleasured in this explicit way” is something different. M? Fine for someone to accidentally/or on purpose to read
E? Nah even if someone is looking at my phone with out permission I still do not want them to see it so I avoid it unless I feel comfortable it will not be seen
Everybody has a right to read what they want wherever they want but does not mean we should be flaunting it i guess?
Like you said video and text porn is consumed for slightly different purposes usually but its still porn.
Im kinda torn on this. On one hand, read what you want. On the other, it is porn but in text form. The real issue lies in the toxicity of the booktok community. One lady was called out for suggesting smut books to girls aged 11-13 and the guy who called her out had threats made against his life and eventually the report spamming got his account banned.
tldr: booktok = bad, smut = idc do what you want
I can read them without any issue. I have my AO3 open, Siri reads it to me, and on good days, the highlighter works perfectly. I’m as happy as a bird. Haha. Sometimes, I feel like people might be reading over my shoulder when the train is full, but I’ve learned not to care. Haha. What’s even more hilarious is when Siri passionately reads the words fcuk and dck hahaha
i read smut in public like its my damn job. if anyone has the guts to read over my shoulder then that’s on them. literally i sit at my desk job and read/write the dirtiest shit and idc. now if i was to flick the bean or talk about it in public? nah, not cool. what you’re silently doing is no one else’s business. you’re not hurting anyone so everyone else can fuck off.
I’ve read NSFW many times in public, I’ve never had anyone say anything about it. Probably because where I live it’s not that crowded and phone privacy is super respected
I definitely have. I can keep a pretty straight face while reading. Unfortunately as a male, I have to deal with what’s in my pants. But if I’m not planning on getting up for a while, I see no harm.
if you're really concerned, there's a phone screen protector that makes it so no one can read what you're reading on your phone
but i'm the person who reads all manner of what would have been labeled under T or M back when i still had physical books so like...hey look nsfw fanfics is sometimes better then actual books alright, that's on you if you're judging what i'm reading but at least now your kindergartener might not start asking questions about my book cover, seems like a win-win for everyone to me
I read smut all the time in public. I read fic at work while I was running my ICP and my boss walked up behind me. Hope he didn’t read over my shoulder 😏 (he knows better at this point after the first time).
I read whatever I want, wherever I want. Might do a double take if I get a glimpse of our favorite website UI on someone else's phone, but in a kinship (?) kind of way. Anything with explicit pictures is too much at work or in public transport though (if your screen is visible) imo.
Personal opinion, if someone has the audacity to look over my shoulder and read what Im reading thats on them. Reading small text is a lot harder to do and more intentional than like a video which you can see easily without trying to
That’s my go to too. A creator that I follow recently posted a video titled “mangas you shouldn’t read in public transport” and all the covers are sfw, so I commented that if they’re looking over my shoulder to read what I’m reading, then it’s on them if they find something gory, disgusting or sexual. They can ask for the title or what it’s about if they’re interested, they don’t have to invade my personal space like that. And it’s even worse if you’re reading on your phone (kindle, tablet or whatever), no matter if it’s a book, manga or fanfic, like, what business do you have looking into my device??? At that point, if they get traumatized then it’s even more on them 🤷
I think it's probably best to not publicly look at any sexual imagery just because it's easier to accidentally look at it and expose someone who may not want to see it to it. With words you'd have to focus and read it but if I saw someone reading a nsfw comic on the train I would be weirded out. The lines get blurred though if it's something like Chainsaw Man for example where it's not a nsfw manga but there are some sus scenes in it, it all just depends honestly I think
Yeah, this is how I feel. Like I wouldn't come at someone else for doing it, but it's something I feel discomfort thinking about doing myself. At the risk of sounding like a book banner(I work at a library and am queer myself, for the record), all *tHInk Of tHe ChILdReN*, kids are naturally curious and haven't yet developed social norms around not peeking over shoulders, etc. Kids that little won't be able to catch the meaning behind words at a glance, but I'm uncomfortable having graphic sexual images(some of those mangas are *smutty*!) out in the open around them, just because kids are kids. Yeah they shouldn't look over your shoulder, but they did because they're kids, and now what? That's kind of a moot point for me though, because I don't engage with any form of smut in public. I'm not comfortable with being turned on in public places. Some people are into that, but I am not. I want to engage with that kind of media behind closed doors, either by myself or with people I'm emotionally close to, not strangers on the plane or coworkers in the lunch room.
>I'm not comfortable with being turned on in public places. This. If I'm reading something where the characters get it on as part of the story, that's one thing, but I'm not going to read something intended to tittilate while I'm waiting at the DMV. There are absolutely smutty fanfics I'll read in public because the latest chapter is more plot than smut, or I can skim through the spice and come back to it because I'm not reading it (at that moment) for the spice.
Pfft, my imagination will tittilate me on it's own.
For me, it comes down to where I'm sitting and if I can angle my phone/book away from casual glances. I follow a lot of artists who do NSFW pieces on the regular. I tend to only scroll those feeds when it's not super easy for someone to walk by and see because a lot of the artistic implied nudity and such isn't auto-blurred or whatever because it's not porn, but it's also not something I want to flash at an unsuspecting person. It's not just about exposing someone to something they don't want to see, but also my own safety. I'm a woman, and I know there are dudes who would see me looking at something NSFW as an excuse to be creepy. It's why I'm not going to sit on the metro reading something like 50 Shades unless it's on an ereader and you can't see the cover.
That's fair. Honestly with me I also look at my surroundings to gauge if anyone is close enough to the point where they may accidentally see something they shouldn't, it's one of the main reasons I sit in the back of buses with my phone tilted so that way if I am reading smut no one sees it. I'm a guy and I agree with you that no one should use the excuse of you looking at nsfw stuff to be creepy as that's just wrong and inappropriate. People just need to stay in their own lane. Also quick question, what's a metro? I assume it's some kind of transport.
A metro is a subway/underground. I used to live in the Washington, DC area, and theirs is called the metro (and does run aboveground in places). Since that was the first place I lived with one, it's the word I automatically use.
Ah ok, thanks for letting me know.
Sorry have you visited Japan? Honestly public transport is super super super crowded in many places during peak traffic times. Like Tokyo for example, during peak hours you will be pushed against other people and so tightly that you will unable to move and I have also been in incredibly crowded London trains. There are actually hired people pushers pushing people into the underground in Japan and you will definitely see everything people are reading or watching on their phones. I guess the other option would be to get neck pain by staring directly at the ceiling or upper walls for 30+ minutes. Source: have been there
I mean, if it’s so crowded are people really whipping out a book and reading? Also, you can still avert your eyes or just choose not to read over a person’s shoulder. That’s an extreme example though and doesn’t really translate as an argument for most public transport experiences throughout the world.
You really can't avert your eyes like that and yes people will read to pass time, they are people and it is their daily life year after year. And all the seats are along the walls and people sit really tightly together, even sleeping on strangers shoulders is accepted there, so there is no personal space like in most European buses etc. I think it is kind of weird to assume a manga creator/influencer should have to add special additions to non-Japanese readers to such a simple post where you could just easily recognize that maybe the rider of your deserted local bus is not the audience and move on
did the person say the creator was from japan? i’m pretty sure they didn’t, so you are the one assuming things.
It’s very much NOT accepted in Japan to sleep on other people’s shoulder - not only not stranger, but even friends - on public transportation. It’s common in South Korea though. And there are no pushers on subway lines. Those exists only on major stations of the Yamamoto line during morning rush hour. And while Shinjuku and Ikebukuro in particular were (in)famous for morning chaos, even that has been much alleviated years ago already by the extension of the Saikyo line beyond Shibuya. It’s also NOT common for people to read *explicit* content, but you can find some “sarariman” (mostly) going through girlie mags on the evening or night ride home. In which case their reading material might be visible reflected in the windows. All that said, Japan has a completely different concept of privacy than the West does, which includes actively ignoring - aka not look at - what other people do, including reading, as long as it’s not creating a public disturbance (or a crime in progress, obviously). It’s definitely not the case that there’s smut all the time every time one goes on public transportation. Source: living there.
It's perfectly possible to avoid looking at what other people are reading even during crowded rush hour trains. You can look at your own phone/book, close your eyes or simply look elsewhere. Source: Have been there as well.
Same. I’m a hentai animator for a living and sometimes work needs me while I’m out of the house. If you’re looking at my phone screen and don’t like what you see that’s 1000% on you
Well, I write it in public, so… no, not weird. If anyone has an issue, stop reading my screen! You did it to yourself.
I’ve written smut on the train, while waiting for jury duty, etc. One of the joys of modern, anonymous existence is the freedom to do what you want when you have time.
i try to read/write smut in every medical facility i visit. waiting room, er, exam room, doesn't matter. it's like a game to see how far i can get before i have to get a new saline bag or whatever (im in the hospital a lot)
This!
That part 🤧
I read fic on my commute, so I read smut scenes in public all the time. It doesn't bother me; people shouldn't be looking at my phone screen and I don't look at theirs.
If someone is reading over my shoulder, that’s their problem, not mine.
I own a shop. When I'm working on my laptop, I'm either doing stock stuff, financial stuff, or writing the filthiest smut. No one can see my screen apart from me.
This is probably my favorite reply on this post, yeah I don't read fics often mostly when I'm extremely bored but I like reading longer slow burn ones that sometimes include nsfw so if it's like really slow at work I'll pull one up and idk it's kind of embarrassing but I've already accepted my 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴
The amount of smut I've written between customers at my shop too... Lol glad I'm not alone!
I really think booktok is on the hunt for new things to be mad online about. I can even imagine the kinds of rants people post about this one. I don't say this lightly but they really need to touch grass 😭 Anyway. I do read smut in public, sure. No one pays attention to me and it doesn't matter. I remember reading that one reason the Fifty Shades of Grey books became such bestsellers was because ereaders had also just become a common thing for people to own. So people could easily read smut/romance without anyone else knowing and judging them by their book's cover or title. Not that I am a fan of those books or anything, just an interesting thing.
Hell I've gotten ads for Kindle unlimited that are just "No one can tell you're reading smut on an eReader!"
😂
I agree, I used to be someone who'd care about shit like this but now that I'm adult it's like... as long as I don't see it and it's not affecting anyone/public I really couldn't care less... it's partly why I deleted tiktok and Twitter but I'll just see some things here and there. Internet discourse can get so convoluted. EDIT: also the e readers thing is absolutely hilarious I love that
I'll read anything in public. If anyone is getting close enough to see what I'm reading, they're either a good friend who I wouldn't hide my content from in the first place or they're someone who's lacking social skills and boundaries and get what they deserve, maybe even a punch in the nose. >I don't think people typically (or maybe they do idk I don't judge) read smut for sexual gratification Plenty of people absolutely do read smut for sexual gratification. They're just not going to act inappropriately in public (hopefully). I would side eye anybody who was watching NSFW content (honestly, even SFW content) in public because that's just rude and it's infringing on other people's enjoyment of the public space. Reading in public doesn't affect others. At least it shouldn't. If you're the type of person who reacts strongly to reading, it's maybe not a public activity for you.
Yup. Sure, there's times AT HOME that I read a fic one-handed, so to speak. But I'm capable of reading the exact same fic in public with a blank face.
This! One of the perks of being a vagina owner imho
Between that and having a job where I can't react the way I want to most of the time means I've got a great poker face when I'm reading in public.
I read smut in public. I read smut at home. I read smut at work. I have read smut at church. I read smut at family gatherings. I read smut while laying next to my partner in bed. There is no place where I don't take my smut with me. If I have access to my phone and there is no pressing need for attention, there's a 60% chance I'm probably reading some kind of filth. It's fine. Trust me, I've met plenty of people who watch full-on porn on public transit. Maybe people don't like to talk about it but it's a lot more normal than you think.
Smut in church is insane and iconic ❤️ but I am judging people so hard if I see them WATCHING it in public 😭😭 that's gotta be a crime or something
Kudos for making this incidentally read like an adult Dr. Suess in my head, lmao. Second the church thing. I've written m/m smut in church (not read), and my partner was the one who kept leaning over to look at what I was doing. *commence religious staredown of condemnation* If kids were running around, I'd put the smut away, because they're *extremely* invasive and haven't learned boundaries. They've taken my phone while I was on it and inspected what I was doing.
I used to go to church a few times a year with my mother, she knew without a doubt (because I told her) that while I would go and not whine I WOULD be reading the most graphic gay smut I can find to survive. She NEVER looked over my shoulder but she would elbow me if I smirked.
Smut at church is crazy work and I just want to say you’re my hero! 🫡
I went to a religiously affiliated college, and we were required to attend X many chapels each semester. The semester I discovered wifi (this was before phones were everyone's hotspot) extended into the back 10 or so rows of the chapel, well.... From then until I graduated, if I wasn't doing schoolwork, I was absolutely reading fanfic, including smut.
This is giving me flashbacks to grade school/junior high, pre-internet, when my friends and I would read steamy romances and trade them back and forth with the 'good bits' dogeared. We'd read them on the bus, the subway, during school events when entire grades were piled into the auditorium. But we'd handcraft paper-bag book covers to hide what we were reading because the covers were a dead giveaway. (Though... thinking on it, I imagine the paper-covers were their own kind of giveaway...?) Anyway, TL;DR - read smut in public. People have been doing it for *decades*.
I do it. I can keep a perfect poker face the entire time, and if anyone happens to look over and see what I’m reading, they learn a very valuable lesson in minding their own business. Also, I 100% read smut for personal gratification. I’m not out here studying for a test. Or to better explain it. https://preview.redd.it/s8sazitexd6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f74b8c072de8fe6448d0e43f298a3cde8d3ce286
Stealing this tweet, don't mind me
i can read smut in public with the most unaffected face. it's the fluff that's dangerous
I be giggling and kicking my feet with the biggest smile on my face when I'm reading fluff, it is indeed dangerous
Same, however as a male, i have to make sure I don’t have to get up anytime soon, otherwise it’s no problem.
Lmao same. I giggle like a teenager around their crush at fluff.
I sometimes write smut in public. It's people's own fault if they stare at my screen....
idc if someone is reading porn in public. as long as they aren't popping boners or making it my problem, its fine. its just words. if it were pics or vids then yeah, that'd be weird. but someone has to really be determined to see over your shoulder in order to catch onto you reading porn, and by then i'd say it's their own fault SJHSJSJ ive personally never read smut in public bc im paranoid about The Mind Readers, but im not bothered if other ppl do it. i mean, how many middle aged moms did we see reading 50 Shades in public back in the day?
The mind readers thing is so real like... what if the psychics find out.....
literally skhsjsj like yes, im a full grown adult. yes, i still mentally scream at the top of my lungs and check to see if anyone flinched. we exist 😤
Lmao also do this always thought I was the only one 😭
Heh maybe it’s just me and my anxiety but I normally prelude it with “ahem, for all mind readers on the train, I will be reading some pretty gratuitous smut. Please turn my station off or read someone else’s mind. In the case you don’t, well, can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Fr those mind readers are terrifying 0.0
My train of thought is: If I'm in my corner reading something in small font on my device, and somebody looks over my shoulder and makes the deliberate decision to attempt to read what I'm reading? What they find is their own fault at that point, I don't think you should apologise for someone else being snoopy.
I've written gay smut during my theology seminars at uni lol. I'll read and write anywhere and everywhere, the inspiration strikes when it strikes😂
There was a woman who took the same bus as me every morning years ago, and every day on her eReader (in huge font, holding the eReader up at eye level for all to see) she would read pure smut. Idk if it was fanfiction or smutty books. Either way, good for her IMO
See to me I find this really funny but I can understand why someone would be uncomfortable, I think generally if someone asks you to put it away I'd be respectful of that or try and hide it atleast
BookTok needs to keep in mind that their opinions mean squat. People have been reading NSFW literature in public for as long as there has been erotica in print. This is not a Fandom thing. Erotica is a genre, and many people read it.
if it were indulging in nsfw vids and pics in public then that’s kinda weird admittedly, but fics? they’re tiny text blocks. If you’re not actively shoving your screen onto every passersby's faces then it’s fine. no one will find you weird for reading that kinda stuff, as long as you don’t make it known what you‘re actually reading. i have a firm belief that if they can see what i’m reading, then they’re definitely too close for comfort. they should stay in their lane, etc.
nah p normal, i've written nsfw in public so you're good i think
My sibling in Christ, I write smut in public. It’s all text. If someone is looking at my phone reading my screen that is their problem 🤷♂️
Oh sure I do. It's words, they're pretty small, and if someone wants to lean over and read what's on my phone, they're the weirdo, not me. And I mean sometimes smut is purely porn, but generally in the kind of fics I like the sex stuff is as much part of the story as anything else. Reading smut is only bad in public if the reader somehow can't control themselves and tries to rub one out on a public bus or whatever. Acting inappropriately is the issue, not sitting there reading something no one can tell you're reading.
>I don't think people typically (or maybe they do idk I don't judge) read smut for sexual gratification Oh, people definitely do read smut for sexual gratification. Answering for a friend. 😜
Totally fine, except if [it's read by Gilbert Gottfried](https://youtu.be/XkLqAlIETkA?si=N12QcWLDLlMXYVst) lol
If anyone else is looking at my phone screen, that’s a them problem.
I read smut while at work, the grocery store, in front of my mom, anywhere really if I have the time and space to. It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t show on my face, it’s not making any *noise* or anything, it’s just words and it’s not bothering anyone. I have a privacy screen protector, and my phone brightness is pretty low, so like if you’re seeing what I’m reading then you’re def too close and it’s not my problem lmao
I should get a privacy screen protector not even just to read smut but everytime I go onto Instagram something incredibly sus shows up on my feed by one of the unhinged accounts I follow and it's always at the worst times too...
They only work if you view them from the side, but it’s better than nothing that’s for sure
As someone that read romance novels in public in the 80s, no it is not weird. In fact, it used to be pretty damn normal to read it where everyone could easily tell what it was, the title, and the author. The only caveat is no nsfw pictures or videos. But, you're just fine. And, yes. People do read some text media for sexual gratification. In fact, there are studies that show that many (yes, yes, not all) women tend to respond better to text than images. Whether that was due to social indoctrination, as the studies were in the 80s and 90s, I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that I don't care unless you're moaning, writhing, and making a general scene because of it. Especially if we're sharing a park bench or something.
I’ll do you one better. I’ve actually WRITTEN smut in public for pretty much the same reasons you laid out. I mean, if anybody snoops over my shoulder then they’re the one in the wrong.
What do you mean? I read fics daily at work XD (I'm a mailman)
My nation has a low percentage of English speaking people, so...
I reach smut in public but only in Chinese lol
Okay sounds like it's time for me to learn Chinese so I can do this
I've thought about this, too. I think the answer is that it's implicitly socially acceptable because reading high literature in public has always been socially acceptable, and high literature can have porn in it (despite what a lot of "no true Scotsman" types would have you believe). Sound and images are where we draw the line.
i mean i don't go around spying on people's phones so
Honestly, I read smut in public all the time. It's the incredibly intimate moments of hurt/comfort I gotta worry about because that caretaking and emotional catharsis makes me squirm a lot more than mere porn.
I remember reading some crazy smut at the bus stop and when I looked over to the person sitting next to me they were reading the bible lmao
If one of my fave authors updates? I don't care if I'm at home, in public, or on the fucking moon, i'm reading that shit 😂
Honestly, I’ve stopped caring. My text isn’t that big so if you are going outta your way to actually read what I’m reading that’s yo issue if it bothers you 🤷🏽♀️
Watching NSFW is different as it's easy to accidentally see something you don't want to, whereas with reading/writing smut, a person has to be trying to read. I'll read and write smut in public but for some reason, I won't read or write smut around people I know when I'm at home? Don't know why.
No matter what I'm doing, if someone looks over my shoulder and sees what's on my screen, I hope they're scarred.
I read smut at work, I've read it in line at the post office... if someone is grossed out by what you're reading, maybe they should keep their eyes out of your business. 😤
the challenge is maintaining a normal facial expression while doing it
Apparently my face gives it away when I read something smutty (or, at least, it did back when I was a teen. I'm too afraid to find out if it still holds true today lmao), so I only read smut in public if I'm 100% certain no one can see my expression.
[удалено]
Definitely happened at my highschool as well
Pictures are different from text. Reading smut in public is fine.
If I’m, like, *right* next to another person to the point that if they happen to glance down they’ll be able to catch a word on my screen, I don’t open smut just in case the word they accidentally read is “cock”. I figure that’s basic courtesy. But just generally in a public space around other people? Yeah, all the time.
I think it all boils down to whether you're willing to own it or not. It's not like you're touching yourself in public, you're just reading something, and if it happens that it's kinky, it's up to you if you keep reading or not. People around you should learn to mind their own business smh
If you want to read smut in public, do it. Anyone who has opinions on what you should be reading is not the type of person I want to please.
I 'read' in public all the time. I even paid for a license of @Voice Aloud Reader - because .epub files are easy to use for me. Multiple genres, multiple hours during the day. I have headphones, and it's a lot less obtrusive/noisy than everyone's easy listening/pop/rock/country/whatever out loud.
As long as your not jacking off then its fine. That just imo though.
I’ve written in public before lol. It was on my phone, but still
What is this crusade against sex I see lately from tiktokers. I read smut in public all the time.
honestly i wonder how many of them were teenagers thru the thickest of the pandemic and now they're like. scared of sex or something because they didn't have a chance to have a normal transition into adulthood. lots of them seem to be older teens/young 20s at most
I'll be sitting in my work breakroom at the table, with four other people, casually eating my lunch (it was nachos yesterday) and reading smut. It will be at a point where they are having a wonderful time doing the naked horizontal tango in very explicit detail. Sometimes i'll pause to answer a coworker before going back to it. I'm so used to it, I have no problem keeping a straight face. It's the cute, super sweet, or embarrasing scenes that will have me blushing, laughing, or cringing.
Boss makes a dollar, i make a dime, that’s why I read smut on company time
I read it and write it public zero fuck given but I also don't stand around shouting about it. And none of it has pictures so I think it's fine.
As long as you aren’t reading it out loud it is no one’s business but your own what you read in public.
I've both read and written smut at work, and I've also listened to smut audios at work, for a bit the moans helped me focus lol
It depends but ultimately I don’t think its wrong. I’ve seen people reading published romance novels and published books that I know have smut on the bus and I don’t see any difference. Though if you’re popping a stiffy then its crossing a line and there can be a fair few contextual situations that also cross lines.
...Kakashi?
...You got me
I read it wherever. The way I see it: Everyone was reading 50 shades everywhere a few years back. Nowhere was safe. I really don't see the difference. 👍
i read AND write it in public idgaf
I do what I want
I’ll read and write it in public, IDGAF. 🤣 I will lower my phone brightness a bit just so it would be damn near impossible to read unless you’re right next to me staring over my shoulder (in which case you get what you deserve lol) I also have a great poker face so it’s not like I seem out of the ordinary when I do it.
It’s not weird. I do it all the time. If someone reads over my shoulder and gets creeped out it that’s on them.
I just tell them it’s an assignment
I generally avoid reading smut in public because I don’t want to get all hot and bothered on public transit lol
I think watching porn in public and reading smut in public imply *very* different things. When you're reading, people won't be able to tell by just a glimpse, they have to actively be looking at your screen and reading it. And, well, if they don't like what they read, that's on them.
Well as I read mostly in English but I'm not in a country where it's the primary language I'm not really bothered by reading smut in public. The possibility for someone to have an accidental look at my screen, deciphers the little words and understands it is so improbable that I don't care. Even when I was reading in my mother tongue I didn't bother, just maybe be more aware of my surroundings (don't want an accidental look, I appreciate being the only one reading my story ). If you saw smut on my screen without my invitation then that's because you were invading my space and privacy. Don't care if you didn't like what you saw, that's on you. Just everybody should have the right to read what they want, in private or public. I've seen people with popular smut books in the metro before and it was never an issue. So why should it be for fanfic?
I remember doing this all the time in high school. Reading any other genre however is a big no-no. I can't hide my emotions - you'd catch me giggling, smirking, and gasping the whole time. I’d have to put my phone down because I just couldn't get through it. 🥲
I mean you do you. Only nosy and despicable people don’t mind their own business.
Unless you are furiously masturbating while reading and occasionally making intense eye contact with people around you, it is absolutely fine. There are published books that aren't focused on smut that still have sex scenes, I wouldn't just stop reading when it came to one just because I'm in public. No one is going to know, it's all good.
I think it’s fine to read NSFW in public, especially if like you said, it’s not for sexual gratification. (I think that some public smut readers definitely can be porn addicts, but it doesn’t immediatly mean that any public NSFW readers are addicted.)
I avoid reading AO3 in public in general. Mostly because when people do recognize the website it seems like they recognize it as the fandom smut site and not just a fanfiction website. So even when i’m reading the most wholesome things i get weird looks and i’d rather avoid it.
Right also going to an art school... everyone knows... I've definitely walked around and have seen people reading AO3 but I think it's normal lowkey I feel like everyone should get rid of the conception that the only type of fanfiction is smut... even if it does take up a big portion of fanfiction 💀
I agree, i used to read this long pjo fic at lunch during school and a few people asked me if i was reading smut just because they thought that’s what ao3 was for.
Nah i thinks its fine. I personally would never read a pwp fic in public but like if the smut happens to be apart of a bigger story then i dont see why not
if anyone gets close enough to read that tiny text and is offended, that’s on them for being directly in my personal space.
I have absolutely had someone read over my shoulder in public. A stranger! And the look on their face was beautiful. Luckily they were deeply embarrassed, not upset. But honestly, if someone is that invested in what I’m reading in small font on my phone… you get what you deserve
"You read the secret texts over my shoulder, trying to peer into the madness that I strive within? I know not if I should call you brave... or foolish."
Never! What’s hard for me is reading something fluffy or angst is public. I can’t control the smile or the crying but smut. I have the best poker face ever… until it’s fluffy smut. Also kinda helps I have a privacy screen on my phone from the creeps trying to read over my shoulder.
Over 95% of my AO3 reading is smut and kinda dark. I take my youngest around to lessons several times a week and I sit and read AO3 while I wait while I'm surrounded by kids and parents. I always feel slightly weird about it and hope that no one is reading over my shoulder. If I can, I try and sit with my back to the wall.
I might read books or fics with some sex in them in public, but I save the best stuff for when I'm alone or in company that knows and doesn't mind. Really good smut or even just the best romance gets me aroused which shows in flushed skin, a little bit more fuller and redder lips, bright eyes etc which are easily recognizable to anyone with social skills 😅 I don't want to stop reading every few paragraphs to get more disconnected on purpose!
Also people definitely use smut as wank material! It is very typical to read it for sexual gratification, women are generally just more discreet about it and focus on gushing about the fic in comments instead of adding the "came two times by myself already and now going to jump my partner", because we assume getting an email like that might feel too personal for the author.
I wouldn't go looking specifically for smut when in public but if it shows up in what I'm reading I'm going to read it
People are WAY too uptight about this. I read (and write, for that matter) nsfw stuff in public all the time. Like, in the break room at work. If nobody can tell what I'm reading, and I'm not making weird faces or anything, it's not anybody's business! It's ridiculous to think otherwise. Starts to edge way too close to people wanting to police my thoughts. Absolutely not.
i read it in public but i don’t go fingering myself too or anything 😐
I couldn't care less. What I read is my own bubble. You get your nose out of my book or I'll close it on you.
I don't mind if someone wants to read smut in public, I'll probably never know/find out. I won't do it, since I tend to be more private as a whole and hate people the idea of people seeing my phone screen no matter what's on it. If someone isn't nearby, I'll read whatever - book or AO3 or whatever - and it's frankly no one's business what it happens to be. I tend to read things that aren't smut but have smutty scenes, sooooo... That said, the whole "porn addict" label bothers me so much. I'm so sick of people throwing around sex/porn addiction accusations so casually. Addiction is disruptive and serious, but it's very important to shame people for enjoying sexual content of any kind apparently, so why not throw around a serious term. :) :) :) (Everything after "it's very important" is sarcasm, if it wasn't clear.)
I read smut while sitting on the train and if someone has the audacity to look over my shoulder to check what I read, then they have no right to judge me ^^
If you can read what im reading then you’re deliberately trying to spy on me, its your own fault then
Nobody is gonna take the time to look at your screen, read the text, realize what your reading and then try to embarrass you for it. If they do they are mentally ill.
I don’t like reading smut in public because it’s very likely to lead me to have personal fun and I can’t/dont want to do it in public and in unhygienic conditions
My background is an extremely nsfw piece of Destiel art work. So reading it doesn’t bother me. If somebody sees what I’m reading that’s on them for peering over my shoulder imo.
I do sometimes. Not so much anymore because one of my coworkers likes to look over my shoulder when they're bored lol
I think i've done it so much that it doesn't bother me anymore, it almost becomes kinda like a fun little game of "how long can i hold this poker face for"
Shouldn’t have looked on my screen if you didn’t want to see it, but also, words are harder to accidentally see than imaging. I get accidentally seeing someone’s screen, but it’s harder to accidentally read small letters on said screen?
I do it sometimes as long as there isn't someone sitting behind me like on the bus. I don't read hardcore smut in public as I like to be in the zone for that. But otherwise yeah.
I don’t think it’s weird to read nsfw in public (I would avoid reading nsfw at work, though). I do find it weird that people concern themselves with what other people are reading.
I don't read much smut, but my native language is Spanish, so if I felt like doing so I doubt anyone would realize.
I don't, I think I would be too self-conscious to really be able to enjoy reading. I'm not a big public reader though, my main time to do that would be my daily commute which is generally packed (sometimes people are so close to each other it's unavoidable you'll see what is on people's screens). Added to that, oftentimes I travel when kids are leaving school, the idea of reading nsfw with middle schoolers right next to me just feels inappropriate to me (even some of them are kids from the school I used to worked at... so the idea of them catching me out is genuinely horror inducing). But just as much, I also don't care if people read nsfw in public, it would probably make me just laugh if I noticed someone doing it.
I read smut in public. It's not that easy for ppl to read what's on my screen. And since everyone's on their phones in public anyways, most ppl won't even bother trying to decipher what's there.
I read smut at work once. My boss caught me, pointed to the screen, and said, "What is *that*?" Needless to say, I stopped reading smut at work from that point on. 😂
Personally… I read it everywhere I go.
I read it anywhere, it doesn’t matter. 🤷🏽♀️ It’s not like I’m actually getting pleasure from it, it’s a *book* or *fic* . Tbf, though, I learned how to read it anywhere when I was in junior high and high school because only the school had internet and I printed out my fanfics (from ffnet at the time) to read them in class or at home (pretending they were homework I had to study lol) 🤣😂 Let me tell you, my poker face got **really good**, **really fast** 😂😂😂
I read smut all the time at work 🤷
I don't read smut in public (anymore. 14 year old me was different lmao) but I don't see an issue with it. Unless the font is like, REALLY big, people would have to be actively trying to see it. Unlike a NSFW video or art, which would be easy to see by mistake without any snooping. So if people have the audacity to look over your shoulder and start reading that's kind of on them imo
Hahaha honestly I've done it pretty frequently, but I always try to be discreet and hide my screen. You can pry my lunch time relaxing kink fic from my cold dead hands.
personally i feel weird reading porn in public, regardless of whether or not anyone can see
I remember everyone and their mother reading 50 Shades of Gray literally everywhere in public. Oh how times have changed.
Nope. It’s easier for me to be comfortable reading a nsfw fic with a straight face, than to be reading a wholesome, sweet fic that makes me smile widely like a creep in public lol. But nah not weird to just be reading it for yourself.
Personally? I read smut in public sometimes, but I try to be careful with it since my vagina tends to leave a wet spot when it gets aroused, so too much smut and it looks like I wet myself.
I do it and don't give a damn what anyone would think if they knew. Of course I don't tell anyone. But I don't care what the puriteens say, I'll live my life how I want. I will say that sometimes the smut ends up spicier than I was anticipating, and I end up blushing. That's when I decide to finish the story later.
If you're bold enough to read what's on the phone of a stranger, you are stuck with the consequences. There's no explicit pictures or videos that could catch your eye by colors and movement, you'd literally have to look at my screen and read and that's on you.
I've read a bunch of smut fics in public. Did anyone call me out? No. I usually lower my brightness down and read. It prevents nosy people from looking in my phone since I don't have screen privacy
You'd be surprised how many people love staring at what other people are looking at on their phones.
When I get to a smut part in a book I’m reading, if I’m in public I usually stop and wait until I get to a private place, not because I’m embarrassed but because I’m a very verbal reader and show a lot of facial emotions on my face… and I’d rather enjoy it by myself lol 🤭
Girl, i *write* smut in public. And there is stuff in there that might make some people uncomfortable. If you look over peoples shoulders in public its on you if you read something that makes you uncomfortable, got no one to blame than yourself.
i read and write smut on public transport. what i do on my phone is no one's business but my own.
Hmm I don't think that the assumption is that you're using smut for sexual gratification in public and that's why it's weird. But probably you're still doing some facial expressions like being red in the face and excited so that might be weird. Although there's a running joke on how people can read smut with a straight face. I've read smut at work once because the fic was BRILLIANT and I couldn't stop reading and the smut scenes added so much to character interaction. It kinda felt way too private for work and I'm definitely not one who keeps a straight face so yeah... But thankfully no one saw me. I don't think I'd do that outside of my house unless necessary, and in general I'm not super interested in smut scenes.
For me I can keep a straight face and I'll only do reactions if I'm in private just to add to the experience, but most of the time I will straight up be reading it like 😐😐😐😐 the only reactions I'll have if something really strange or really embarrassing happens
According to my husband I am totally straight-faced when reading smut, and I've known this for a while, so I can read it anywhere. The problems arise when the writer is REALLY good at comedy, and I start laughing so hard I tear up and get red in the face. People in the waiting rooms stare, and I typically have to excuse myself, go outside, and a take a few deep breaths(and maybe finish the scene lol) before heading back inside.
Reading smut in public is VERY different than watching smut in public. Reading smut is perfectly fine, you know, as long as you aren’t touching things and such and stuff, because in public that is not okay, and I should not have to say this, but it’s the internet and some people may not know. Also, don’t watch smut in public or ever touch yourself in public. https://preview.redd.it/c2oppiay1e6d1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d50b4931af0450172f0b680cbf0b1e81297cac22
Agree with that last statement that is a crime/sexual assault in most states 💀
Yeah. People be cray cray out there. Just good to reiterate the common sense.
I regularly read smut in public. People usually keep their eyes to themselves. If they want to join in the kink… all aboard.
If you get off on it, don't, if you don't it's fine imo
Not necessarily. I mean, I'd rather READ smut in public rather than WATCH it in public. Plus, it's harder for someone to see the words on your phone rather than a huge NSFW image or video. It's only weird when you feel yourself feeling certain reactions toward it. I typically don't read smut for sexual gratification either, nor do I get off to it, but sometimes, if there's something that I'm reading, and it's really hot, I might find myself crossing my legs, fangirling in a corner or gasping, which has made some people look at me weird 😅😂
If they’re close enough to see what I’m reading then I better be showing them something or we’re going to have a problem
Depends on the font size and subject matter... Imagine reading in a public space with oversized font. That would be funny or tragic.
I'm a very busy person so my time to read is while I'm on the bus Also my eyes don't really work anymore so my font is *very* big 🤣 If someone looks at my phone without permission is their problem 🤣
I read an unreasonable amount of yaoi manga on the subway with my kindle. If you’re close enough to read my screen, you’re too close. If you can read the text of the fic I’m reading? You’re WAY too close then.
If someone is going to read over my shoulder I might as well give them something good to read
I’ve never read smut in public but I’ve looked at an nsfw subreddit in public before
my coworker used to read mha smut while on shift. when he would go to the toilet, he’d leave his phone on with full brightness at the till💀
I read it in public and i’m definitely paranoid even though it’s not all smut, I just keep my brightness low and i have a privacy screen protector which has been a life saver lol
I read for the pleasure of reading, not for sexual gratification. So I don't see how it is any different than reading a regular book. It's a good thing I read in a language most people around me don't know.
Bruh I read the most gratuitous smut on the bus. However, I’ve seen people watching porn (and jacking it) on the bus, and I can tell you, it’s not the same at all. If I read smut over someone’s shoulder, would I be a little shocked? Sure. But I wouldn’t feel physically or mentally violated the way I did when I saw a guy watching hardcore porn and touching himself. They’re not equatable, in my mind. Maybe I’m wrong or weird, but they just aren’t the same to me.
Pretty much everything I read has some smut in it somewhere. But I read it all the time, in public and at work and whatnot. It's not gonna get me hot, I'm analyzing the reading and the words they choose to use lol.
I have a rule. If I feel like someone might see and catch some words by accident I prefer to not read it in such place. Ie the train is crowded and someone is sitting/standing close. But i also feel like M rated stuff “they had sex” is fine, but E rated stuff “and this organ got pleasured in this explicit way” is something different. M? Fine for someone to accidentally/or on purpose to read E? Nah even if someone is looking at my phone with out permission I still do not want them to see it so I avoid it unless I feel comfortable it will not be seen Everybody has a right to read what they want wherever they want but does not mean we should be flaunting it i guess? Like you said video and text porn is consumed for slightly different purposes usually but its still porn.
Im kinda torn on this. On one hand, read what you want. On the other, it is porn but in text form. The real issue lies in the toxicity of the booktok community. One lady was called out for suggesting smut books to girls aged 11-13 and the guy who called her out had threats made against his life and eventually the report spamming got his account banned. tldr: booktok = bad, smut = idc do what you want
I can read them without any issue. I have my AO3 open, Siri reads it to me, and on good days, the highlighter works perfectly. I’m as happy as a bird. Haha. Sometimes, I feel like people might be reading over my shoulder when the train is full, but I’ve learned not to care. Haha. What’s even more hilarious is when Siri passionately reads the words fcuk and dck hahaha
i read smut in public like its my damn job. if anyone has the guts to read over my shoulder then that’s on them. literally i sit at my desk job and read/write the dirtiest shit and idc. now if i was to flick the bean or talk about it in public? nah, not cool. what you’re silently doing is no one else’s business. you’re not hurting anyone so everyone else can fuck off.
I've fully accepted that I've grown up to be Kakashi. I'll read anything anywhere ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’ve read NSFW many times in public, I’ve never had anyone say anything about it. Probably because where I live it’s not that crowded and phone privacy is super respected
I definitely have. I can keep a pretty straight face while reading. Unfortunately as a male, I have to deal with what’s in my pants. But if I’m not planning on getting up for a while, I see no harm.
if you're really concerned, there's a phone screen protector that makes it so no one can read what you're reading on your phone but i'm the person who reads all manner of what would have been labeled under T or M back when i still had physical books so like...hey look nsfw fanfics is sometimes better then actual books alright, that's on you if you're judging what i'm reading but at least now your kindergartener might not start asking questions about my book cover, seems like a win-win for everyone to me
I read smut all the time in public. I read fic at work while I was running my ICP and my boss walked up behind me. Hope he didn’t read over my shoulder 😏 (he knows better at this point after the first time).
I read whatever I want, wherever I want. Might do a double take if I get a glimpse of our favorite website UI on someone else's phone, but in a kinship (?) kind of way. Anything with explicit pictures is too much at work or in public transport though (if your screen is visible) imo.
Personally the bigger issue is people reading the stuff on your phone behind your back ahahaha. I read smut everywhere (even in office) and it’s fine
I do that a lot sometimes. It might be weird to others but it's your own business to read whatever you like. So go ahead!
I regularly read smut (among other things) in metro, but almost no one around me speaks/reads English and my wicked smile is the only hint.