Welcome to the DFB2! (a message for the new fans)

From the time MTV announced it was releasing the Daria DVD set, this blog's followers have more than doubled in number, and it has now collected over 165,000 hits. Lots of new fans and former fans were drawn in by the DVD set. You are always welcome here, and the fandom is glad to have you.

It might help to say a few general words about this blog and the Daria fandom's other party places on the Internet.

This blog was set up about 2.5 years ago, long before anyone know of the DVD release, as a multipurpose watering hole for this fandom. (Yes, there was a DFB before this one, but is is now inactive.) The giant links directory at left was put together to help people find the current hot spots as well as get nostalgic over the long-ago sites of glory. A lot of the Daria art here was recovered from long-extinct MTV and fan sites using the WayBack Machine, which is why it looks official (it was, at one time) but possibly unfamiliar. The sounds bites that play when you click on certain images came from the Daria's Sick, Sad Life Planner CD and various WAV collections online. And my colleagues and I add little notes about famous (or stupid) things that happened each day, usually related to Daria or just quirky enough that Daria would have liked them seeing them on Sick, Sad World. This blog thus imitates the SSLP, which also announced interesting anniversaries and holidays.

The main day-to-day function of the DFB2 is to list newly completed Daria fanfiction, as much of it as can be found. I might have missed a few recent stories, sorry, but am fixing that. If you know of a website where new Daria fanfiction is appearing, let me know.

EXTRA NOTE: I also frequently update and correct postings in the blog, so check back in every so often to see what's new, especially looking for NEW! tags.

And you can comment on anything Daria-ish here using the Comments section below each post. Try to stay current, because not many people will backtrack to read it.

The main message board for actual written conversation is at the PPMB (see links at left). Going off topic at least once in every thread is a requirement.

Any questions or comments are welcome. Glad to have more fans here! Now let's see if that Mystic Spiral TV series can get going...

FF.net

• Secret Plans and Clever Tricks, by Fringeperson (COMPLETE!): Every Saturday that Quinn had a date, Daria slipped into the overly pink and frilly room, tip-toed her way to the closet, and removed something. It didn't matter much what, but she carefully picked things that she was certain Quinn wouldn't miss – that is to say, things she had bought long enough ago she had probably forgotten about them. This item she then carefully photographed and folded, then put up for sale over the internet. As a small support for her father, she carefully divided the money from the sales and deposited a third into his bank account. Admittedly, Quinn would probably just spend it before their father even noticed the money had gone in, but Daria figured that if it spared her another trip into some national park where they would try to be one with nature, and just end up high on berries, then it was worth it.
• Technicolor Dream, by Miss Pennyfeather (Part 2): Trent sank his head under the pillow and stopped thinking. Soon he'd be in dream land and he'd forget everything about this unannounced interruption into his otherwise peaceful, uneventful life. He wasn't sure whether he had locked the front door, but he didn't care. He was going to fall asleep. But one eye remained open, one eye refused to close. He was staring at the darkness around him and he was thinking. Was it the music that was getting to him? Was it the gig? Was it the fact that he couldn't remember his mom's face? Was it the annoying mail box in front of their house? The name "Mystic Spiral" made him depressed too, but it had never caused personality deviations before.
• That's What You'll Take to the Grave, by Mediancat (COMPLETE!): After two rings, the person on the other end picked up. "Hello?" "G, it's Daria. I got a favor to ask." "Certainly. How can I be of assistance?" "Tell me what you know about todhunter demons." (Daria/Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [Story completes saga begun here and continued here.]
• While the Bat's Away: The Substitute, by Echopapa (continued): After Principal Li gave Ms. Dahl directions to her classroom, she closed the door behind her and went over to the picture window overlooking the Lawndale High campus. True, she could see more by studying the security monitors, but sometimes there was nothing like surveying things one's own eyes to give one a feeling of power. Another crisis averted, she thought. My efforts to keep Laaawndale High running smoothly never end... "Eh?" Her reverie was interrupted by the beeping of her phone. (Daria/DC Justice League)
  

PPMB

• The Dream of the White Darkness, by jtranser (continued): The magazine was one of Daria's guilty little secrets, one she indulged in only when at conferences out of town, away from anyone she knew. She'd go to the local book/magazine store, pick up a copy, pay for it, have it sacked and then take it directly to her car. Later, in her hotel room, she'd fix a mojito, turn on her mp3 player loaded with Martin Denny tracks, stretch out and read the latest issue of Modern Popular Culture Magazine. Within were such articles as: "Desperate Suburban Homemakers and Desensitized Robots equal Disappointed Love!", "Astral Freakout", "Repressed Hostility and Guilt: Your House Plants Know!"
• NEWER! The Ephemeral Ties that Bind, by Thecoffeeguru (continued): "Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Manson and I am the student psychologist at Lawndale High. It is my job to..." "What kind of school employs a psychologist? Shouldn't you be an ex-hippie with a made-up certificate in motivational counseling?"
• LAST NEWEST! Eye of the Beholder, by GlitterShrooms (Part 2): After a brief phone call, Helen stood up in her office. She looked around with a smile. It was that time of week. Walking around, Helen closed her office’s blinds, and dimmed the lights. It wouldn’t be too long before she heard that sacred knock. Knock. Knock. “You can come in,” Helen said. Sandi Griffin entered the room wearing her French maid costume.
  
• MOAR NEWEST! Falling into College: The Clip Show, by RLobinske (Part 10): Seated at her computer desk, Daria looked over her shoulder and sighed. "You know, after all this time, I should be used to the weird feeling that someone is about to do something very strange to me. Alien adoptions, supernovas, long-term amnesia. You name it, someone's done it to me. That's why I subscribe to Angst Guard. So that no matter what is done to me, I can bounce back in the next story as good as new."
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 46: Shields Up, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): It did not take long for rumors to spread at the school. After all, Barch was unexpectedly gone. While the males of the school may have been grateful for it, they were also curious. After all, if something could be done to get rid of Barch just like that, anyone would want that sort of power. Finn wasn’t sure if he should tell the truth. Stories got distorted very easily...
  
• The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 30): The students in Goodlet's class still segregated themselves. There were the "brains," who were a small group to themselves. There were the "average" and there were the "low" —Quinn's natural group, consisting of herself, Patty Clark, and a girl named Madeline de la Rosa. Each group approached the material at a different level; Quinn, Patty and Madeline approached at "survival." Even so, Quinn found herself listening in to the other two groups. And, amazingly, Quinn could actually understand what they were talking about. The really smart kids were riffing on the material, their questions half-reinforcement and half "can you top this?" as if they were trying to give each other an impossible exam that would be even worse than Goodlett's. (FF.net)
• Into the Fray, by Minx (Part 10): "From what we’ve been told, they use the women and children as bait and bargaining chips to get the men that are fit enough to fight to cooperate.” Trent paused and looked at the three girls. “Which is why we need to be careful. For all we know this guy is using you three as bait and fooling you into thinking he is a good guy, to lure us out of hiding.” “Why would they go to all of that trouble? It sounds like a waste of time; this isn’t one of those cop drama movies or whatever,” Quinn said. “Really? ‘Cause last I checked we were running around in a would-be war zone. Didn’t it cross your minds that this Sam guy is playing the good cop role, promising to bring back news on your folks so that we would welcome him back, only to realize that it was an ambush?”
• LAST NEWEST! John Lane 46: Substitute Plans, by RLobinske (Part 1): Ms. Ruiz paced back in forth in Principal Li's office beside Ms. Barch and Mr. DeMartino. "Might I remind you that was part of what made me agree to hire on to your school?" Ms. Barch cut to the subject at hand. "Do we get our raise or not?!" Ms. Li calmly said, "Better! A new coffee maker in the teachers' lounge."
  
• NEWEST! Judith Strikes! Opening Gambit, by Erin M. (Part 1): It was a dead world, and had been for some time. Civilization had its time and had moved on, quietly and with little fanfare. There were still some traces though. A few buildings still stood relatively undamaged and were still structurally sound. One of these was a large, red brick, two story house on a quiet suburban street. While a majority of the windows were shattered and blown out, the rest of the house was still intact. The lawn was yellowed and dead. If anyone was still around to look in the garage, they would have found an old red SUV sitting in there, also long dead form disuse. The interior of the house wasn't much better. The elements had taken over in the years since the end and the furniture was rotted and unusable in most of the house. In the living room were the remains of six human skeletons, all jumbled together in a pile in the center of the room. They, too, hadn't been disturbed in years.
  
• NEWER! A New Set of Rules, by Dennis (Part 12): The next two days were only slightly more productive than her library foray, so Daria was in what could charitably be called a foul mood when the wall buzzer heralded Kevin's arrival for his study session. She expressed her irritation by greeting him over the intercom with a hearty, “What the hell are you bothering me for?” His puzzled response, “Uh, to meet your for our tutoring session?” did nothing to reduce her annoyance, but rather than unleash a blistering string of profanities, she turned around and stalked from her room without further speech. On her arrival at the check-in desk, Kevin gave her an attempt at a mollifying smile, but she chose not to accept it. Without even looking at him, she signed him in and turned back to the hallway with a grumbled, “Come on, dumbass.”
  
• Shining Star: Temporal Conundrum, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): Ringbearer Jane led the others to the Gateway Café just off the main plaza of Terra Beacon One. "Now everybody, just have a seat and order what you want, on me." Daria said, "Where are you going?" "I've got to go explain to the Ringmasters why I've brought four unauthorized persons and a car here. I'm sure that they've noticed by now and… they'll have questions." "Blame it on me," Daria said. "Oh, I will," Jane said. (FF.net)
  
• NEW! A Sick Sad Interview, by Abe (COMPLETE!): How did I get myself into this situation, anyway? Oh yes, of course: Jane. "Hey, they've got positions available for a junior reporter/interviewer and an assistant animator/graphics artist! With any luck, we can work there together!" and "Come on, it's Sick, Sad World!" So we get hired, and they stick Jane in a cubicle in an office building, doing stuff only very distantly related to her art, and send me all the way out to this one-horse town to interview some nut-case.
• LAST NEWEST! Tracksuits, by Malakite (Part 7): Quinn made her way back to the STET's main hallways, then stepped past the dozens of people who had received the glorious gift of early Renewal. Most of the recoverable wounded had already been removed for processing, along with the obsolete. After a few minutes of growing irritation at getting yet more blood on her boots, she found the man she was looking for, "supervising" a clean-up crew. With her friendliest voice she called to him. "Hello, Preacher." "Ah, good day Agent." He paused, then with his gaze sweeping over the bloodied piles, added, "or perhaps not so good."
  
• NEW! Unnamed alternate ending (Finn Morgendorffer 46: Shields Up), by Brother Grimace and TAG, continuing a story by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): Twenty years later, Finn woke up in his bed to find a frazzle-haired figure beside him, holding a two-handed axe high over her head, The mad figure looked down in triumph. "Never make an enemy you can't kill," hissed Angela Li.
  

Y chromosomes? Y not?

Hey! I still post on this blog, too! Where have I been, you ask? Well, I could tell you a story of international intrigue and mortal danger, but then I'd have to kill you. Plus I'd totally be lying.

Anyway, if you've spent any time in the Creative Writing forum at the PPMB lately, you've probably noticed a recent explosion in gender-bender fan-fiction. John Lane has been around for awhile, but now we've got Finn, Dean, and Duncan Morgendorffer joining the party. Honestly, you can hardly breathe in there for the testosterone!

What's the reason for this trend, you ask? (You're just full of questions today, aren't you?) One explanation may be the shortage of decent male characters on the show. Creating a male character from a female one gives authors more options not only in terms of plot development and character traits, but also relationships, be they romantic, platonic, or antagonistic. For example, Daria doesn't have to worry about failing Ms. Barch's science class, but Dean and Duncan might. Quinn has to fend off veiled insults and passive-aggressive jabs from Sandi, but Finn may have to fend off her romantic overtures.

Another reason may be that there are simply more male fanfic writers than female at the moment. After awhile, I would imagine guys get tired of writing from a female perspective and want to try writing from a male point of view. In the wise words of Jake Morgendorffer, "This place could do with a little scratching and sweating now and then."

Of course, HolyGrail2007 has already written excellent first-person fanfics about Tom Sloane and Jeffy, but as mentioned previously, options are more limited for canon males than for canon females. Sometimes, to get a good story, you've just gotta play God with people's DNA.

So, who's next? Joe Landon? Alexander Griffin? Or how about that goth dude, Andrew what's-his-name?

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.

Woof Woof

Ten years ago today, believe it or not, "That Was Then, This Is Dumb" first aired. At right is the great dog hero Leary (the Third), bane of squirrels everywhere.

This episode spawned a lot of fanfiction. Some examples, in no special order:

• "Visitors," by Melissa
  
• "A Time for Every Purpose," by Richard Lobinske
• "Fireworks," by C.E. Forman
  
• "Potential," by TAG
• "Vengeance," by Bacner
• "The Road Home," by CAP
• "This Is Now," by Richard Lobinske
• "Will Power," by Thea Zara and Deref
• "Past Understanding," by Ennon
• "New Drum, Same Tune," by Roentgen
• "You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows," by TAG
• "Redemption," by Atimnie
  

Interesting to imagine what else could be written. Where might it be taken?

Latest DariaWiki page: U.S. Marshals Service, by Brother Grimace. Lots of new pages in addition!

PPMB

• John Lane 39: Leaving Summer, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Alison said, "I'm not going to forget your offer…when you turn 18." Daria's cheeks reddened at the comment, but she maintained her composure. "A promise is a promise."
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Special—Tokusatsu Team Up! by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 3): The Planeswalker grimaced when her counterpart teleported back to Japan. “I was hoping it would take you longer to get back from Alpha Centauri.”

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.

Forsooth & Five-sooth! Get Thee Hence & Get Thyself Published!

Time for some good news.

I've been corresponding with some of the webmasters/webmistresses of Daria sites that have gone dormant for a while, and some of them could be coming back. That being the case, there is ample opportunity to get your fanfiction and fan art out and about on the Internet. Redundant postings are best, as we have already discovered, so if one website goes down, your work is still immortalized for future generations of ner--um, fans.

Here is a rundown on which sites are now or will be accepting submissions, with links or information on their guidelines. I will avoid publishing e-mail addresses for anti-spam reasons, but you can find their e-mails on the relevant pages.

The Daria Shrine
Robin said she may be able to reopen the site after the end of the year. Get your stories in beforehand, if possible. Click on the "Fanfic & Fan Art" button in the frames version or go to this page (to the bottom) for details on sending stuff in.

Dariaverse.com
Now accepting stories, art is possible. Format: HTM or HTML, so they are easy to upload. This means you can tinker with colors and stuff, which is fun. Address is at the website, front page. Because the DAYLIGHT page is hosted here, definitely consider sending all stories set in this shared universe!

Fanfiction.net
Now accepting stories only. You need to have an account and log in. I believe this site still takes only text files, nothing fancy, no links or scripts allowed. I haven't posted there in a while, so someone else can correct me. Site is here.

Lawndale Sun-Herald
Eccles is considering reopening the site. If you have art or stories to send in, go to this page for information on how to do it.

Lawndale Online
Always open for self-submitted fanfiction and art. Read the submission guidelines, then go to the fanfiction submissions page or the fan art submissions page.

Outpost Daria
Open for fanfics and fan art. Read the fanfiction submissions rules and, if needed, the page about Converting MS Word Documents to Plain Text or HTML. Also read the artwork submissions rules.

Sick, Sad World
Wraith is also thinking about reopening this site for submissions. See the fanfiction submissions rules and/or the fan art submissions rules.

If you have your stories already posted in your own website, fixed up the way you like them, you can still send the links to your stories (each with a title and synopsis, please) to many of the above sites, which will happily link to them in order to save bandwidth. Plus, if you're like me and constantly re-edit and fiddle with your stories, you won't drive the webmasters insane. Also, if you can track the number of hits your stories get, you can see which ones are most popular, which websites garner the most attention for your work, etc. Big fun for your ego!

Let's get this mother off the ground! Go, go, GO!

This Is Only a Test

To the right is the crowd scene in the Lawndale High gymnasium in "Daria!" Name as many students as you can.

When you get done with that, you might take a look at this blog entry and see what you think of it. It's in a blog called Networked Public Culture: Art and Life in the Age of Social Networking (ahem!) and discusses Fan & Slash Fiction. Daria is not mentioned, but a wide range of other fandoms is noted. Any thoughts on this? Kinda interesting.

(Frodo/Sam slash fic, eww.)

LATE ADD: Alert fan NomadX has pointed out on SFMB that e-Bay has an interesting new t-shirt for sale. See this link right here for more.

Addendum to "A Matter of Terminology"

Actually, something else that would be a lot of fun would be to add some of these other fanfiction terms to the DariaWiki in the sections about fan fiction and fanwork conventions. If anyone decides to create a new wiki page describing such terms (and offering a few examples of the same from Daria ficfic archives), that would be great. Just add the tag for "Fanwork Conventions" to the bottom of the page so it gets properly shelved.

Even better would be to identify some of the oddball tropes, memes, or whateverthehecktheyare that are unique to Daria fanfiction, like squirrel stories. Highlighting the different nature of our fandom is always good.

Note: I was going to say that we are unique in having Alice stories, but now I recall that even Star Trek had Alice stories, so it's not so unique. Still, it's worth pointing out.