We know that you come to Wattpad to do a lot more than just read. Building community and connecting over your shared love for storytelling, specific worlds, fictional romances, and more are all part of your Wattpad experience. Meet Wattpad Group Cha...
Since you're a Wattpadder, we're guessing you harbor a rich inner fantasy life (welcome to the club). We find ourselves day dreaming and creating fictional lives inside our minds, in which we, or our characters and stories, have different endings, plots, and resolutions. These new narratives provide great escapes; a relief from the real world. That's the beauty of alternate universes and multiverses—endless possibilities, endless potential.
Whether you're a reader or writer (or both) on Wattpad, you've probably found yourself exploring alternate universes, hypothetical worlds and infinite realms with unlimited possibilities and potential. And they don't have to be out-of-this-world unbelievable. These stories can have a strong base in some version of reality, like The Infinite Worlds of Ella Jane by Wattpadder Loridee de Villa, in which EJ enters another dimension after falling into a swimming pool. Not unlike dreams, these stories offer new ways of working through and seeing real-life problems.
Sometimes stories can be too close to home, and require some distance and a new perspective in order to work things out and imagine something new. Alternate universes provide just that, and here's why Wattpadders love them.
1. They satisfy our curiosity
Ever wondered how your favorite character would fare in a completely new world or dimension? Do you find yourself often asking "what if" about, well, everything? Stories containing multiverses and alternate universes deeply satisfying our curiosity and cravings for more. We all spend time in our own multiverses, even if we don't realize it. If you've ever replayed a scenario in your mind and altered the ending or imagined what you could have said, then you've imagined one.
These possibilities exist infinitely in our imaginations and come to life in these kinds of stories, satisfying our human condition of wondering "what could have been" and imagining a world in which there are no limits.
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2. They allow us to learn safely
Remember when we said some stories are too close to home? If you often find yourself thinking a story feels too real, an alternative universe can be the antidote. If you're feeling heartbroken, you might turn to a coming-of-age romance in which the protagonist is getting over their ex. But if the story is too close to your own personal experience, and the protagonist is meeting milestones that feel impossible for you, it could leave you feeling worse than when you began reading the first page.
Seeing a similar story play out in another universe or dimension offers a safe distance from the actual problem. In The Infinite Worlds of Ella Jane, EJ is feeling lost and unsure of herself in her real life. After falling into a swimming pool and waking up on a train in a new dimension, she finds she's tasked to find the real General Luna, whose actual disappearance is causing political uproar in the kingdom. This alternate dimension parallels her real life. For a reader feeling lost themselves, this imaginative universe might help splice together issues they're having with their own identity.
3. They offer the ultimate escape
There's a reason why certain magical franchises have done so well—because they allow for a complete escape from the real world where imagination can run wild. Multiverses and alternate universes make way for unrestricted, engaging storytelling that invites readers to truly get lost in a whole new world. They're welcome escapes from what can feel like monotony in everyday life, and they encourage creativity and a newfound wonder of the world around us. While we know that most of these stories aren't exactly what could happen in real life, they do offer a sense of unlimited possibility and personal agency.
TLDR: Even if we can't be wizards casting spells and fighting bad guys, perhaps there's other areas of our lives where we can have more agency.
Wattpadders, what Wattpad stories would you like to write an alternative universe for?
