My Essays
Shortly before tackling "Outvoted," I decided to pen this short essay expressing my concern about a trend in fanfiction...
Little did I suspect that this essay would popularize the word "unflappable" with regards to Jane. Probably the most well-known of all my essays. In it, I try to figure out why a character as central to the show as Jane could be such a stranger.
Here, I question why everyone remains so mesmerized by Aunt Amy, given that she's made only two appearances on the show thus far. This essay helped inspire the Abruptly Amy fanfics.
I take a look at how and why the three characters closest to Daria (Quinn excepted) are so similar...
Fed up with people claiming that the best fanfics were the ones most like the show, I decided to prove them wrong.
Back when I was sole moderator of the Outpost Daria Message Board, I laid out my position on various issues so that people would know my intention wasn't to be a message board nazi.
This essay was written in response to those people who declared that the Daria writers had "betrayed them" with the Season Four episodes.
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."
Explanations for why many fans never warmed to Tom Sloane.
The Angst Guy
It is possible with a little math work and careful study of Daria show scripts to work out the approximate ages of Jane Lane's many siblings and the circumstances of their birth, feeding interesting speculation about the Lane family's history and the sources of their interpersonal problems. More fanfic about the Lane family is called for. This is the fifth update of this essay and includes new material.
Is Jane Lane the offbeat artist soon to become Jane Lane, Hero for Hire? Her genetic code might hold the answer, thanks to a potential stockpile of famous Lane ancestors, courtesy of science fiction's Wold Newton family!
Rita Barksdale deserves better press than she's gotten in Daria fanfic This essay attempts to rectify the situation using material from the episodes themselves as proof of her basic goodness. Fanfic plot ideas are appended for everyone's use.
An essay on how music influences fanfic writing, with particulars on "Daria" fanfiction by the author.
C.E. Forman
In November of 1999, C.E. 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.
C.E. wrote this satirical essay to show the Season Oners how many of them come across to the other Daria fans.
Peter Guerin
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.
This essay picks up where the previous one left off: Peter examines the momentous changes that our favorite characters underwent in the movie "Is It Fall Yet?"
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 Quinn
Mike examines where Daria and Quinn would stand on the Ladder of Beauty and Intelligence.
Mike takes a critical look at the running gags in episodes like "The Daria Hunter" and "I Don't," and tries to determine whether they're effective.
Mike examines the disturbing tradition of the rehashed "ensemble" episode.
Mike looks at evidence in various episodes to determine whether Brittany really is secretly intelligent.
Mike looks at the Fashion Club and tries to predict possible outcomes for its members' power struggle.
Mike refutes the idea that MTV is trying to cancel Daria by moving it to Friday nights [where the first half of Season 4 aired].
Mike delivers his final detailed review of the final Daria movie.
Daniel Suni
Daniel, 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.
Daniel attempts to go into greater detail with the points he made in "Cynics Complaint."
John Takis
John tries to erase the stigma attached to crossovers by listing the do's and don'ts for this form of writing.
John takes on the Tom-haters in the Daria community and describes how their rage should be channeled in fanfiction, if at all.
Brian Taylor
Brian laments over the poorly-executed character development in Season Four, which he believes accounts for several unmemorable episodes.
In some ways, this takes off where "The Unflappable Jane Lane" ended. Brian takes a critical look at Daria's Partner in Crime's behavior throughout the series and tries to assess what it says about her character.
Guy explains which qualities drew him to Daria in the first place.
Guy speculates over why Glenn Eichler chose to veer away from the tradition of most teen shows and not make sex a focus on Daria. Written during the "mini-drought" period between the first and second half of Season Four.
Guy gives a detailed analysis of what drew Daria to Jane as a friend over all of the other candidates on Daria, and highlights Daria and Jane's different personality traits. Written before "Fire!", "Dye! Dye! My Darling," and "Is It Fall Yet?"
Guy adds his voice to the cacaphony of opinions that followed the Season Four finale, "Dye! Dye! My Darling." Here, he takes a hard look at Seasons Three and Four and declares that Season Three was not the lukewarm season everyone thinks it to be.