The original fiction project is the first of its kind for Teen Vogue and a “natural next step” according to Chan, given the publication’s past coverage of fanbases within youth culture. Fan fiction also provides a “world building” opportunity and a chance to invite audiences to find their niche. This is part of Wattpad’s draw for young creatives, too—its self-publishing and community format encourages judgment-free expression and imagination. “You can explore a lot of different themes through a familiar world and familiar stories. It’s the way that writers develop their voice, in the way that they explore things through different universes,” Chan explained.
Much like the self-published fan fiction on the platform, the Teen Vogue stories will be published as serialized drops, to give readers a chance to digest and collectively speculate about what will happen next—which Wattpad knows is half the fun of reading. “Fan fiction, in particular, is a participatory culture. It’s where we get to connect with each other and with things that we really love, and participate in it in a real way,” Wattpad’s head of content Alessandra Ferreri told Vogue.
At the launch party, astrological details were sprinkled throughout the evening. A dress code asked guests to nod to their individual zodiac sign, which inspired no shortage of unique interpretations. A Taurus guest was spotted in cow print mules, while a Pisces attendee wore a crochet fishnet top. Everyone also listed their sun, moon, and rising signs on their name tags, prompting animated conversations about each other’s charts.
As a special treat for the more horoscopically minded in the room, Teen Vogue’s resident astrologer Lisa Stardust was there to offer personal readings and planetary forecasts, cautioning the crowd against hasty decisions and impulsivity during the current Venus retrograde. “Be wild, have fun, have a great Halloween, but do not text your ex,” Stardust advised. “That’s evergreen advice,” one guest joked in response.