Of all the television shows past and present, Daria is one of the greatest sources of fanfiction writing. In prose or script, comedy or drama, dozens of writers have tried to portray Daria in various stages of her life. But it hasn't been all fun and games. Animosity, competition, insecurity, and creative burnout lurk in the shadows. These authors each give their own take on a rather weighty form of expression.
John Takis tries to erase the stigma attached to crossovers by listing the do's and don'ts for this form of writing.
In November of 1999, C.E. Forman created quite a stir in Dariadom when he announced his sudden retirement from writing the popular "Lost Seasons." Here he gives his reasons, which amount to a rough guideline for how a fic writer ought to be treated by fellow fic authors and readers.
Fed up with the naysayers who claimed that fanfics resembling the show were the only ones worthwhile, I decided to fight back...
Paperpusher makes a bold push for those who write fanfiction to think about why they write, and whether it's giving them the satisfaction that it ought to.
John Takis takes on the Tom-haters in the Daria community and describes how their rage should be channeled in fanfiction, if at all.
Robert Nowall describes what led him to fanfiction writing, and his plans for the future.
Mike gives a list of tips...
If Season Two was the one that swelled the Daria fanbase, Season Four was the one that divided it. Everything from Daria's berating by Jodie in "Partner's Complaint" to the love triangle that sprang up after "Dye! Dye! My Darling," has been intensely debated in the fan community. A few of the more disillusioned fans have even left for good. What lies at the heart of these debates is the fact that Season Four brought about incredible change to both the structure of the Daria season and the tone. It shook every fan's belief that the patterns on Daria had grown "predictable" and caused us all to wonder: what happens now?
Daniel Suni, arguably the Daria community's most devout "Season Oner," was deeply disturbed by the events that took place in #401, "Partner's Complaint." In this essay, he gives an explanation for his feelings, and darkly speculates the direction in which Daria is headed.
I wrote this as a reaction to some fans' near-hysteria about the first half of Season Four, in particular to their cries of "betrayal" by Glenn Eichler and the other writers. My criticisms included a jab at fanfic authors who had grown so disgusted with the show, they declared that they, not Glenn Eichler, were the true preservers of Daria the character, and that they were prepared to ignore the real show for the rest of its duration.
Daniel attempts to go into greater detail with the points he made in "Cynics Complaint," which stirred up quite a lot of controversy. Parts of his essay include allusions to "It Happened to Jane" and the discussion it stirred.
C.E. Forman wrote this satirical essay to show the Season Oners how many of them come across to the other Daria fans. While not directly aimed at Daniel, it employs many of his stylistic tendencies. Needless to say, it stirred up some controversy.
Rancour's essay was one of an explosion of essays following the Season Four Finale, "Dye! Dye! My Darling." Here, he criticizes the use of a major television cliche to achieve character development on Daria.
In this essay, Peter Guerin proudly declares that the dramatic moments on "Fire!" and "Dye! Dye! My Darling" are unlike any other on American cartoons, signalling that Daria has raised the maturity level on an artform once reserved for kids.
Austin Covello, self-proclaimed Season Oner, explains how it is possible for one to be a Season Oner and a supporter of the major Season Four development: Daria's relationship with Tom.
Guy Wheatley, with his usual in-depth analysis, attacks the claims by many Daria fans that Season Three was a "filler" season, lesser in quality and in importance than Season Four.
John Takis takes on the Daria fans who resent Tom and remind them that it's only a show....
Brian Taylor laments over the poorly-executed character development in Season Four, which he believes accounts for several unmemorable episodes.
This essay picks up where "American Animation's Finest Hour" left off: Peter examines the momentous changes that our favorite characters underwent in the movie "Is It Fall Yet?"
I wrote this, even though Season Four is a memory, because I could not get past my uneasiness over the Daria/Tom kiss and the events that led up to it. This essay examines the actions from "I Loathe a Parade" through "Dye! Dye! My Darling."
MTV is a Daria fan's favorite punching bag, due to its shabby treatment of the animated show and its embrace of more vulgar programming like Jackass and The Tom Green Show. And don't get me started on their so-called "reality" programming...
A song that mourns Daria's cancellation after five years on MTV.
Those who thought Daria would fade away after it ended its run on MTV were mistaken. Daria found its way both onto DVD (see DVDaria) and a new channel, Viacom-owned Noggin. However, fan jubilation was tempered by the fact that the DVDs were of dubious quality (the "Is It College Yet?" DVD contains the edited for commericals version) and by the heavy censorship at Noggin, a channel aimed at 9-14 year olds. Controversy has emerged, and several calls to action have been made.
Alan Benard (aka "Um"), in charge of the DVDaria effort, fumes over the empty promises of Viacom executives regarding the "Is It College Yet?" DVD.
Cincgreen's issues with fandom are well-documented, and that extends to his feelings about fans' reactions to syndicated Daria. In this essay, he gives his take, as well as some possible remedies to the problems that have emerged.
Peter laments the way Noggin's censorship policies have butchered Daria episodes and kept several from airing. He calls for people to sign his petition to have the show aired on a channel that will show it uncensored.
Mike expresses his frustrations with the "Is It College Yet" DVD and Viacom.
Mike examines the similarities between the raunchy movie and the Daria cast.
An examination of short and long term time references in the series episodes, movies and books to help fanfiction writers. Includes event timelines based on different assumed years for the series run.
If you've ever felt confused about the meaning of certain words or phrases used in the Daria community, these explanations ought to clarify things for you.
Anti-'Shipper: See 'Shipper
Anti-Tommer: A term that first popped up on the message boards in Fall 1999, and is easily misused. It means to literally be against the character Tom Sloane, who first appeared in "Jane's Addition" and quickly became Jane's boyfriend. So against him, in fact, that you want him off of the show. Anti-Tommerism sprang up almost as quickly as Tom did himself. Before Season Four, there was much concern that Tom would break the tight bond between Daria and Jane... a concern that turned out to be partially justified. At the same time, only a small contingent of people truly hated Tom; others who were concerned were also quick to admit that he was (and is) one of the few respectable male characters on the show. Yet after "Fire!", "Dye! Dye! My Darling," and "Is It Fall Yet?", fans attitudes toward Tom became murkier. Some fans who had loathed Tom continued to loathe him; others thought that Tom was/is just a decent, caring guy who made some mistakes, like any normal human being. Others (like myself) fell more in the middle range, believing that Tom is a decent guy, but that he shouldn't be so easily forgiven for his sins against Jane, and that it might represent troubling aspects of his character in Season Five. A lot of this sentiment had to do with their discomfort over the way the Season Four "love triangle" was handled; many believed that it yanked Daria and Jane -- especially Jane -- out of character. These middle-grounders were occasionally slapped with the "anti-Tommer" label, which is rather misleading. A better term would be "Tom Cautioners," as their primary aim was to maintain a healthy suspicion of Tom and a protective arm around Daria. Even after Tom proved to be a harmless, even supportive boyfriend, the criticisms continued. It shifted to 1) Tom's lack of depth as a character, since the only time we saw his family or a glimmer of "what makes him tick" was in "Is It Fall Yet?"; 2) the way he was never the wrong one in the relationship, and that all of his arguments with Daria ended with her apologizing for her childish behavior; and 3) the way their relationship seemed too fraternal, being scarcely different than Daria's with Jane -- only Jane had more wit. Many fans resented the way Tom tore Daria away from Jane. For more Anti-Tommer sentiments, click here.
Beta-read: A term common to fanfiction writing. To beta-read something is to proofread it and provide comments before the author creates the final version. A beta-reader is never the author him or herself -- hence the word "beta."
Canon: Again a term familiar mainly to fanfiction writers, whose definition is not easy to pin down. At one time it meant fanfics that most closely resembled the show, scarcely deviating from its structure, themes, and character portrayal. The information in the Daria Diaries and Database often served (and still does) as sources of supplementary information. Until as recently as "Jane's Addition"'s first airing, it was much easier for a writer to stay "on-canon." That was because certain patterns on "Daria" seemed fixed: Daria's stoicness, Jane's unconventionality, Quinn's shallowness, et cetera. But Season Four has helped shake up those patterns, giving "canon" fics a slightly antiquated feel. Even in Season Three, the Daria writers aimed to shake up the "canon" by creating several fantasy and parody episodes, like the infamous "Depth Takes a Holiday." In many respects, "canon" is a controversial term, because the "canon" so often referred to is mainly Season One and Two -- relatively early in Daria's lifetime, all things considered. Furthermore, few people can agree on what criteria embodies the "canon." All in all, only a minority of writers have ever widely been considered "canon writers," including C.E. Forman, who wrote most of his fanfics after the second season ended.
Character Developmenters: Constituting the majority of Daria fans, they support Daria's development from uncompromising cynic to a multi-faceted character who realizes that she is not always in the right. "Character Developmenters" generally forgive, and even delight in, Daria's displays of vulnerability, such as when she wears contact lenses to school in "Through a Lens Darkly." However, they do not form a uniform group. Only some of the CDers are unabashed 'shippers (see below). Others vary in their forgiveness towards Daria's mistakes. For instance, some CDers were quick to criticize Daria's behavior in "Dye! Dye! My Darling"; others merely regarded it as proof that "Daria is a teenager, plain and simple." Many CDers have shown that they would like to see characters besides Daria and Jane developed -- and some argue at length over which characters should be developed and why. And finally, some fans have even managed to successfully weave together CDer and Season Oner (see below) ideology.
Eap: An alternate spelling for Eep, most commonly found in my fanfics (though I'd like to think it's spread a little). Eap is a squeak attributed to Brittany, though other characters (Daria, Jake, Stacy) have said it.
Fence Sitter: A term that originated on the message boards over the past year. A Fence Sitter is someone who is neither ardently for, nor vehemently opposed, to Daria having a relationship (see 'Shipper).
OH: The initials have confused many, but they stand for Our Heroine, or Daria. Although their origins are unknown, they can be found in many fanfics dating back to Season Two, as well as message board posts.
Season Oner: Pretty self-explanatory. The "Season Oner" (or S1er, for short) became a fan of Daria during its first season, when Daria was at her most cynical and episodes typically involved her mocking, and often beating, a corrupt social system. Examples can be found in "Pinch Sitter" (Daria deprograms two children who were weaned on P.C. ideology), "This Year's Model" (Daria gets rid of the modeling school by inviting mercinary recruiters to speak at Lawndale High), or "Too Cute" (Daria criticizes cosmetic enhancement, then the show goes on to validate her viewpoint). Many Season Oners grew disillusioned from Season Two onward, as Daria became more open-minded to other characters' points of view. They felt, and some still feel, as though that which made Daria unique in the first place (her moral, uncompromising, cynical world view) was being neglected by the writers. A nadir point for many Season Oners was Season Four. To this day, Season Oners constitute a minority in the Daria fan community, yet their perspective, set against the Character Developmenters have made for lively message board discussion.
'Shipper: Short for "Relationshipper," this is a much broader nickname than one might expect. Originally it applied to people who wished to see Daria paired with Trent, or Jane with Jesse. A group of Anti-'Shippers quickly formed to oppose such matches. From there, the definition spread to include other character pairings, such as Ms. Barch with Mr. O'Neill, or Helen and Eric. However, fans often find themselves having to distinguish this type of 'shipping from the usual Daria/Trent variety by placing the characters' names before the word 'Shipper (ex: Barch/O'Neill 'Shipper). Even so, the broadened definition allowed for one to be a 'Shipper and an Anti-'shipper at the same time. Things were complicated even further by the developments in Season Four. Many ardent Daria/Trent 'shippers eagerly switched their alligiance to Daria/Tom, proving that they were mostly concerned with Daria being with someone right for her (unless, ironically, that someone was too "geeky"). By contrast, some Anti-'Shippers proved that they were antis period where Daria is concerned: they don't want to see her paired with anyone.
Thom: An alternate spelling for Tom, most commonly found in Diane Long's fanfiction. Later it became a joke name on the message board, referring to "Evil Thom," the T(h)om who was truly guilty of all the crimes people accused him of.