"Revelations" interview

with Steven Galloway

1. Tell us how the idea for the story developed--your inspirations, the plot lines you considered but dropped, and so on.

Well, at the time, I didn't think there were too many stories that focused on Daria and Quinn having long-lost siblings, unless one counted half-ones via Jake or Helen fooling around with someone else, either before their marriage, or early during their marriage. I decided to aim for a sibling who was full-blooded, and was previously thought of as dead, before Daria and Quinn were born. The stillborn idea suddenly hit me, and of Helen and Jake wanting to put it behind them--mostly, that is. They didn't want to completely forget Darren, just not think of what they thought happened that night.

I was also inspired by Kara Wild and C. E. Forman's canon-type Daria stories. I got in contact with both, particularly Kara, and decided to give it a whirl myself. Kara, when she could, helped to beta my novel fic, each chapter. Thanks again, Kara!

I wanted a fic that had a little of everything: action, tragedy, romance, comedy, and drama. Few others, I think, tried to do all of these at one time.

I considered having Darren die at the end, by the way, but quite frankly, I was too wussy to do it, and I'm a sucker for happy endings.

And here's the big shocker: I basically made the story up as I went along, save for what I wanted to happen in the end, which is where I started the story in my head. One could say that I actually went backwards.

2. How did you get the idea for Darren? Did you model him on any particular character from fiction or real life? Did you see him as a male Daria? To what, if any, extent is he a Mary Sue?

Darren's actually an amalgamation of the Morgendorffers and Jane, not on anyone else (especially Bruce Wayne). In Daria, he has smarts; in Quinn, looks (and attraction from the opposite sex); in Helen, determination and toughness; and in Jake, a temper. (It's been on display throughout. Trust me, it's there.) He also jogs and paints like Jane (though more on the jogging, and less on the painting), and he can have a sneaky streak of mischievousness similar to hers as well.

I don't see Darren as a Darius-type (No offense, TAG!), not a male version of Daria. He's his own man, with his own emotions.

Now the big question: Is he a Marty-Stu (as opposed to the feminine Mary Sue)? Well, someone wrote once that, in a way, we all insert ourselves into the stories we write. I'm generally a nice guy, and try to do the right thing. So does Darren. However, I'm not rich financially (though I wish I were), but Darren is, very much so. Darren knows martial arts. I don't (though I've thought about it, I've decided not to pursue this). I like Jane, and so does Darren. Maybe I'm merely acting out my fantasies, but then again, can we really be that detached from having some while we write any stories? I honestly don't think too many of us can.

Oh yes, lest I forget: Darren's white. I'm Black. In that regard, I can't be like Darren. If anything, it would be his friend Curtis that I would relate to better. Darren would be the type of friend I'd like to have--who happens to be of a different skin color, and nothing else. We need more of genuine friendships like that, I'd think.

3. At what point in the televised Daria series did you begin writing this story? How did the various episodes as they were aired affect the writing of the story?

Hmm. I believe it was somewhere between the second season and the third season. I had to add Tom to the story, I remember, after I had written a few chapters, from the show. I also remember that I assumed Jane and Tom would break up, and I wrote that Jane and Darren would hook up. I also decided to hook Daria and Tom up, based on the current direction of the show. I'm glad I was somewhat right on several things.

4. Have you considered any (non-Daria) crossover stories in this series?

Not really. Got any ideas?

5. Any hints about the future direction this story is taking?

Somewhat. I am working on Chapter Four of "Return Engagement", with ultimately six chapters as my target. From there, I'm wanting to delve more into Darren's past, a sea adventure, and a few other things. The DF Continuum, for the moment, is open-ended, though I'll concede I have an ending in mind.

6. Given the lack of low-income characters in the Dariaverse, did you ever consider making Darren poor?

Now, that sounds like a Kara Wild-type of question because I recall her asking me that once herself!

Crazy as it sounds, I think Darren having money actually makes the story more interesting. To me, if he were poor, it would be more boring. Darren's money caused Daria to question whether or not she should've accepted her writing job for that teen magazine. For Helen and Jake, Darren's money presents problems to them of accepting what they perceive as receiving charity, and of them getting ahead in their respective occupations because of their son (and this is basically true), which causes them to question their own abilities.

In Jane's case, it's the same thing about her art. Her having a billionaire boyfriend has done wonders for her work, but is it by her own merits, or because of Darren?

Quinn's case might be the most interesting. On the surface, one could easily assume that she'd think she was in the lap of luxury, her dream. However, I wanted a maturing Quinn (like on the show) to see her brother as more than a mere Brother Warbucks. He's good to her, and tries to be a brother to her, encouraging her to make something of her life. This alone has affected her to push his wealth aside, and to be a better person, though it's quite a struggle for her.

Besides, she already has the wealth, but Quinn's not supposed to know that yet!

7. "Revelations" and its sister fic are, collectively, the largest Daria fic ever written. Was it your intention to write such a large work, or did it just snowball?

Snowballed, baby! I also wanted to write The Great American Daria Novel! I aimed to put a little of everything into this fic, and I hoped I did. I generally had an idea for a plot, and more often than not, yet another idea latched on to that one, and I took both. Thing is, this could've been MUCH larger . . .

8. What is the single change that you would make in the DF Continuum - and by the way, what does that stand for, anyway?

Create more time to write it. My real life gets in the way more often than not. As for "DF", I figured it would be pretty obvious: "Daria Fanfic" Hey, nobody says "Kentucky Fried Chicken" anymore, right? They say, "KFC". The same for "ESPN", which used to be the "Entertainment and Sportscasting Network", and so on. I thought it could be catchy...

9. One of the biggest character quirks in Daria is the "bad parenting" issues Jake has due to his upbringing. To what extent has it been your intention to address that in "Revelations", and the whole issue of what a male heir for Jake would have to endure - even one who has reached adulthood away from Jake's influence?

Darren has wondered about this briefly, and it'll come up in "Return Engagement"--with TAG's help, by the way. He just doesn't know it, yet.

10. Darren Appleton is perhaps the single wealthiest character created in Daria fan fiction (perhaps worth more than even the Tom Sloane in "Ring Toss", where he is referenced as having a worth of thirteen billion dollars). What was the rationale for making Darren not only wealthy, but wealthy to the point of omnipotence? How does having made Darren so powerful impact on the way you've developed his character, and especially his sisters and father (who would have psychological issues of one form or another with being in close proximity with power of that magnitude)?

Kindasorta answered earlier, but I'll try to expound upon this a little more. Power=Money, Money=Power in this present world. Darren has plenty of it, and he knows it. Daria and her family knows it, so does Jane, and everybody else on this planet. Quite frankly, I think aiming for a Richie Rich/Remington Steele angle is fun. As I wrote earlier, I think Darren being poor is more boring. Having plenty of moolah can be interesting, I think. I'm sure the vast majority of you will agree, if you had the chance. The money thing with Darren's addressed in almost every fic I've done, save for "Sty Lark", and it'll continue to be there.

Tom Sloane's family has old wealth. Darren's family's wealth is ancient. I want to try and address that some day with Darren's past. (I hope)

11. A personal question. The "Revelations" character of Darren, along with Lynn Cullen of TLAS are considered among the biggest "Mary Sue" characters ever created in Daria fan fiction, and there's been some criticism that has been, well, harsh. How do you feel about that criticism, and has there ever been something that you took personally?

Heh. Whoever you are, you've asked me a "personal" question that'll be on a public forum. An interesting contradiction. ;D I've mostly answered the "Marty Stu" (Darren's a guy after all) question earlier, but as for personal feelings, I'll admit that it's grated a little bit at me concerning this question. Now that I've had more time to think about it, one could say that Darren's niceness could be a flaw. He doesn't know the extent of the "Sty Lark" situation, and is pretty trusting of Krystal. He's also afraid of really using his wealth in the way his uncle William did in influencing people (see above), and when he did, it hurt him some with Daria ("Sister Pact"). Darren's niceness to Daria generally throws Daria off course a little. While she's still her sarcastic, cynical self with him, she's more open to him because he treats her well. I think while a nastier Darren would've made Daria probably more cynical and sarcastic (and probably to some people more interesting), it's something I didn't really want to pursue, because it's been done to death. Daria's nicer when she's treated nicely, and is more open. See her and Jodie in "Gifted". Daria told Jodie she wanted sometimes to be more like her! I wanted a nicer Daria, and Darren brings that out.

And do you know what else? If Glenn Eichler can create a rich, Marty Stu-type of character in (what many people now say) Tom Sloane, then why can't I do the same in Darren Appleton? Heck, I had him going before Tom appeared on the show.

12. If you could step back in time and become the creator of any other Daria fiction, which ones would you choose, and why? Also, which fics and which authors in the Daria community have influenced you the most?

To many to go into, though Kara Wild's there at the top, definitely, along with C. E. Forman, Jon Kilnor, Diane Long, John Berry, Nemo Blank, Canadibrit (yes, her) Kem, Mike Q., The Alchemist, Martin Pollard, and John Takis. There were a few others of course, but they've slipped my mind at the moment . . . ;D Now as for today, the late Roger Moore and that Mike Xeno guy actually did, even though I started writing in this genre before they did! ;D As for going back in time to create other Daria fics, I wouldn't know where to start! There are too many classics out there to choose, plus what I could write couldn't possibly match what these people did!

13. Looking back, tell us the one single moment, (one good and one bad) that resonates the most for you in terms of your Darren fics, and likewise, the one single moment (one good, one bad) from your fics that you've gotten the most feedback from your readers.

The one bad moment that resonates for me, or rather moments to me: Misspelling "hungry" as "Hungary" repeatedly, and too much of the italics, definitely. When I look back on "Revelations", I could see everyone trying to speak like Mr. DeMartino! ;D

The one good moment that resonates for me: The final chapter with the warehouse scenes. I used the time element to go back and forth repeatedly to keep the story going to reach the climatic moment. I wanted to not allow everything to get out of hand, and keep it together.

The bad feedback moment: The "Marty Sue" criticism.

The good feedback moment: Darren getting along with his sisters, and vice-versa.

14. You once defended the fact that Darren has so few flaws by saying that you didn't want a character who wasn't nice or good. Why would you associate an imperfect character with one that is bad?

"Imperfect" is something I don't think we should accept as being "natural". We obviously aren't perfect, but I believe that we should strive for perfection. We have little quirks, and some can't be helped, but some CAN be, and we don't have to have them in our lives. Darren, as I've written, is NOT perfect. In fact, as I've also written, his niceness is a flaw. I think I was aiming more for a real life angle, here, as opposed to this fic, which is fantasy. We should try to be good in real life, not necessarily bad for the sake of being "bad". Sometimes, circumstances out of our control could cause us to be a certain way, such as growing up in a bad environment, but even still, the best people can come out of said environment a better person. What would YOU call "imperfect", by the way?