Where does fanfiction wander when the show ends?

A blog is always a good place to put personal observations that, with luck, cannot be used against you later in court. Here are a few observations about the directions taken in Daria fanfiction since January 2002. You are as always free to argue at length in the Comments section. You are even encouraged to do so.

The fanfiction I've read that was written while the show was going on (which I almost completely missed) generally stuck to the setting and plot styles presented in the show. Teenager Daria Morgendorffer would face her daily trials at home and school with trusty Jane Lane at her side. There was a notable tendency to slide into wishful-thinking alternate universes, particularly where Daria/Trent shippers were concerned, even these remained close to canon in many respects. There was also a tendency to create original characters who would appear in stories as "partners in crime" with Daria and Jane, despite muttered comments about Mary Sues and so forth. We are all aware of these trends.

One thing that stands out about the AUs and original characters, however, is that they were almost always restricted to the use of the persons who created them. A strong proprietary sense was felt toward characters such as Lynn Cullen, with requests posted for no one else to use them. Few thought about writing within someone else's personal Dariaverse. Exceptions appeared but were rare (the Abruptly Amy shared universe, and at least one effort to string fanfics together as unofficial fanon).

Instead of sharing original characters, one saw fanon appear to fill in the spaces canon did not cover, to expand the selections in characters, plots, and settings offered by main Dariaverse. We got the name Tori Jericho for Popular Girl, and it stuck. Everyone used it. We got oddball stories that spun off from the wormhole behind that Chinese restaurant. The envelope was pushed outward by degrees in all directions by fanfic writers eager to tell new tales and new kinds of tales.

Then the show ended.

It has been noted by many (with either joy or sorrow) that since Is It College Yet? aired, Daria fanfiction has increasingly strayed from the old formulas of school and family situations. Science-fiction and superhero themes are more often seen, as are stories featuring situations unusual for Daria and Jane in the series (college, marriage, parenthood, nudist camps, etc.). Even the technique of writing fanfiction has changed, with serial stories now commonplace and beta-reading less often used (sometimes for the worst).

More importantly, the sharing of things has increased, gaining speed as time moves along. To my recollection, it was Veronica Morgendorffer that broke the barrier. Introduced in 2004, she is now seen in stories by many writers. She paved the way for Kyle Armalin and others: original characters who are freely used in common by all. The creator could, I assume, copyright the character for later non-Daria stories (it's been done; Lynn Cullen may have appeared in an RPG product by Canadibrit, and I recall a Star Wars fanfic that was successfully transformed into original science fiction), but more often the creator means for the created character to become universal within the fandom.

New characters have also been added by developing the wealth of background characters from the show, such as Jennifer and Scarlett. This "character mining" has even extended into the Beavis and Butt-head show, dragging out classmates Daria knew at Highland High (B&B, in particular) as well as individuals like Dallas Grimes (seen in Dervish's "Something to Shoot For").

The sharing of characters has led at last to the sharing of whole universes. The Legion of Lawndale Heroes series and the Ringbearers universe have numerous contributors and opened the doors to even more shared universes with their own internal logic and rules, all derived from the Daria series.

What the fandom is doing is creating its own reality or, rather, realities (apologies for using a phrase that originated during the W administration). The extensive use of alternate universes, I believe, was reinforced by the use of alter ego pictures with the end credits of the show, depicting characters in amusing and unusual set-ups. It was also reinforced by Daria's own daydreaming about her future, with or without Trent, and by the nature teenage ideal of trying on many roles to see which one fits best for later life. ("Daria!" and "Depth Takes a Holiday" probably pushed the AU idea further when some fans rejected them as canon, putting them off to the side, while other fans embraced them.)

The extensive use of AU set-ups and sharing of worlds and characters strengthens the fandom community and does not weaken it. It binds us together in new creative endeavors even as the days of new Daria episodes fade into the past. It even protects the fandom's many works from being "Jossed" and discarded as illegitimate should a new Daria-related series appear. As happens in many other fandoms in similar straits, Daria fans are taking charge of things. Unwilling to waste time crying about the show's end or why it hasn't appeared on DVD (okay, it really does need to be on DVD, uncut, but we aren't hamstrung without it), the fans carry Daria and company off in all directions at once.

Nothing stops the production of close-to-canon fanfiction, and some writers still go at it on a regular basis. Time moves on, though, and we move with it. Sharing creations and developing alternate worlds are two of the most durable glues holding our fandom together. I'm not inclined to see them disappear.

Anyone know how other fandoms cope with no new shows? Drop a note here about it. Maybe we could learn something.