Parody, they say, is the best kind of flattery.
A Twitter feed sending up E.L. James runaway bestseller, Fifty Shades of Grey, and celebrating geeks across the world has amassed more than 220,000 followers in eight months.
The comedian-author who started @50NerdsofGrey in September seems to be a mystery.
But its avatar is Maurice Moss from the British sitcom, The IT Crowd, the put-upon technician whose stock response to every enquiry is, "Have you tried turning the computer on and off again?"
50 Nerds of Grey describes itself as a Twitter feed that re-imagines the smutty exchanges between the book's loved-up couple, Ana Steele and Christian Grey - if Christian Grey was a "self-professed nerd whose playroom contained plenty of Lego and Dr Who DVDs".
The feed also mentions of World Book Day - big promotional event in the UK publishing calendar - Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, suggesting the comedian might be British.
Melbourne writer and performance poet Maxine Beneba Clarke is a fan.
"I think the parody works because nerdiness is still so universally under-celebrated, and the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon is so ridiculously popular," she says.
"There's ludicrousness about trying making Microsoft 10 errors and Doctor Who obsessions sexy that also highlights the improbable sexual innuendos and scenarios in the Shades of Gray books.
"The fact that the parody is a twitter account, and cyberspace is seen as the domain of the nerds also adds to the humour."
Among the feed's most popular tweets are:
'I'm all yours tonight!' she cried, 'Do something to me you'd never normally dare do to a woman!'
'All right' he said, and made eye contact.— 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) March 30, 2016
'Harder!' she screamed, 'Harder!'
'All right,' he said. 'What's the square root of nine times twelve divided by six point three recurring?'— 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) March 24, 2016
They tried it standing up, sitting down and bent over the kitchen table but it was no good - they just couldn't get a decent wi-fi signal.— 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) April 8, 2016
'I've been a very bad girl,' she said, biting her lip. 'I need to be punished.'
'Very well,' he said and installed Windows 10 on her laptop.— 50 Nerds of Grey (@50NerdsofGrey) September 7, 2015
There have been three parody book spin offs from Fifty Shades of Grey - 50 Sheds of Grey, Fifty Shades of Chicken and Fifty Shames of Grey.
John Purcell, chief buyer at Booktopia, believes there has to be a book in Fifty Nerds of Grey.
"I haven't had one sold into me yet, but I'm sure I will soon," he says.
"I think the success comes from the quality of the tweets. They are very, very well done. And very funny. The writer gets erotic tropes, is a complete nerd and gets comedy. Who do I think it is? I haven't got a clue. Hopefully a new talent about to be discovered.
"It is interesting that Fifty Shades of Grey can still be fodder for fun, but I think it is an indication of just how many people read it.
"Something like that leaves a lasting mark on society. I think some people are a little ashamed at having bought into to the whole thing and I suppose it relieves the shame to laugh."
Linda Morris is on Facebook and Twitter @LindaMorrissmh
