The Audience

The people experiencing a creator's work, let it be reading, watching, or listening. The audience can be considered the most vital part of fiction as without it, a work would not mean anything as no one is aware of its existence except its creator.

Role
The audience's role goes beyond just being aware of something. It also builds communities, online or in real life, in the name of a work of fiction. These communities are referred to as fanbases. In a fanbase, fans may discuss their (least) favorite aspects of their media, such as their favorite episode of a TV show or the characters they wish were removed, as well as many other things. When the canonical stories of the franchise aren't enough for the audience, it might write some of its own stories that is called fan fiction (fanfic for short). These types of fans are part of a fandom, a faction of a fanbase with like-minded fans.