Alternate History Wank: Difference between revisions

There is disagreement on what constitutes a Wank. Is a Greater [[Romania]] timeline where Romania controls all the regions it claimed in the early 20th century a Wank, or would Romania have to dominate the whole of the Balkans? But if Romania controls ''all Europe,'' the timeline ''probably'' is an [[Alternate History Wank]].

 

 

Wanks tend to be characterised not solely by the success of a nation or other cause, but the fact that it is treated as [[Born Lucky]]: everything always goes its way, when an issue turning against it just once would have disastrous consequences. Using [[The Draka]] as an example, no-one seems to notice this vast evil empire growing in Africa and react to it until after it has already overrun the Ottoman Empire. The United States in particular is sometimes said to embody the closest thing to this in [[Real Life]]: Bismarck famously is believed to have said "there is a special providence that protects fools, drunkards, and the United States of America." Basically it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether the work in question is a wank or not, especially in light of the historical achievements of certain nations or individuals. If Alexander the Great had been a fictional character in an alternate history work then his rapid conquest and creation of a gigantic empire in a very short period of time would likely have been labeled a wank, however Alexander the Great ''did'' exist and ''did'' create a gigantic empire in a short period of time so wanks, unless they are clear-cut cases like the Drakaverse, are not always very easy to spot.