Multiple Verses

To me, the Daria Multiverse is an incredible indicator of the creativity of Daria Fandom. Over one hundred different fictional universes are already recorded in the DariaWiki entry and more are added on a regular basis, covering everything from ficlets to long series.

Closely associated with the multiverse idea are the shared-universe stories, such as the Ringbearers and Daylight. Less formally, guest authorships in long-running series, such as Brother Grimace's "A Path of Roses and Thorns" or the shared use of fan-developed characters, like Doggieboy's Robert Nelson point to more of the shared creativity within the fan community.

Seven years beyond the broadcast of the final television movie, it is reasonable to wonder about how long fans will remain interested. In my opinion, the creativity expressed in these stories has gone a long way to sustain interest in Our Heroine and will continue to do so for some time to come. Even though the stories and background may diverge greatly from canon, the ones that fans will read over and over are those that still capture the core feeling and character of Daria and company. The scenery may change, but it is Daria, Jane and all the others that continue to hold our attention.