Fanfic notes: Daria & romantic partners

Having already read about a dozen stories in the various "Daria" databases, I've begun thinking about the elements that go into fanfic for this show.

One thing I think is missing from fanfic discussing Daria's romantic relationships (though it was present in the TV show) is an element that must be present in everyone set up as a Daria partner. A long time ago, I knew someone who was as close to being a real-life Daria as you could ever imagine meeting, so the following comments are derived in part from knowing this person.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Daria is a handful. She's brilliant, but she's also extremely intellectualized, and her dating experience is limited. In addition to all the qualities you assume that are necessary to make the relationship work, Daria's partner needs the unlimited ability to put up with her. Reread all the blow-ups that went on between her and Tom in the series, and her spontaneous dumping of him on multiple occasions (particularly her final dump, before high school ended). She thinks through her relationships instead of feeling her way through, so if logic dictates significant trouble ahead, she bails. Her partner needs a massive basic dose of self-confidence and confidence in the relationship, even if Daria dumps him/her/it/them multiple times. Reliability, being there even when there's no apparent reason left to be there, counts for everything in the long run. (Even if she dumps, she might come back later and see if the relationship can be restarted, once she's reconsidered.)

This isn't very romantic, but it's all that will make a long-term relationship with her work. Deeds speak louder to Daria than words.

But her breakups with Tom weren't very logical. In "Sappy Anniversary" she got mad over an anniversary made up by Quinn on the spur of the moment. In IIFY she picked a fight over a side issue. In "My Night at Daria's" there was a little more logic; many boys *would* have dumped her for not showing up for a sex date; but it wasn't a foregone conclusion either - Tom's obviously not a "put out or get out" type of guy, as Daria should have known (especially since she knew Tom and Jane had never had sex, and that wasn't the issue that led to their breakup.)

All of which raises the question "is a relationship with Daria worth it?" The sad answer is: not unless she changes.

Despite the fact that it's not hard to see how someone would be attracted to her in the first place. Sigh.

M Man

Daria, I think, was originally intended to be a somewhat two-dimensional (albeit extremely intelligent) character, with a show intended to showcase her intelligence and wit. Turning her into a real three dimensional character happened slowly. Little things. How close she was to Jane despite how distanced she felt from the world, her crush on Trent, her rocky (yet somehow sustained) relationship with her parents and sister... I think Daria becoming the show that it did wasn't something that got pitched to MTV, it just sorta happened. There was difficulty in Daria's transition from cynicism poster child to real-life-girl-with-issues-just-like-the-rest-of-us and that difficulty is reflected in her relationships with other characters. Tom is of course the perfect example of this and Jane is too, to some degree.

If Daria can be said to have an overall message, I don't think it has much to do with disaffection, cynicism, loneliness, or the relentless cruelty of the world, but more to do with what true friendship really is. Even if Daria can't always recognize her friends, and even if sometimes they're pushed away by her exterior, they know that in her heart she's a good and kind person, and they'd never leave her permanently.

So is Daria worth it?

I guess that depends on what kind of friend you are.

-Glyn

But I think most of that was really there from the beginning. The crush on Trent was apparent in "The Invitation". Her relationships with Quinn and her parents were shown in "Esteemsters". I don't think she was *ever* two-dimensional.

Well, the problem is: what kind of a friend is Daria? As a romantic partner, not too good. A one-sided relationship cannot last and should not last.

M Man

[email] (MMan37x) wrote in message news:...

I think that in the long run Daria will learn to trust and be reliable in love, but I also think that it's likely that she'll hurt both herself and others badly at least once more before she does.

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

[email] (Roger70129) wrote in message news:...

Oh, worse -- she _rationalizes_. There really was no reason for dumping Tom ANY of those times, and I get the impression that the last time, he simply gave up on her. I mean, being Tom throughout that love affair can't have been very much fun.

In a way, this was considerably worse than Jane's temper tantrums. Jane got mad at Tom, but she also cooled down really fast. Daria, by contrast, convinced herself time and time again that it couldn't work between them.

Of course, Daria was hardly being "reliable" treating Tom the way she did. IMO, she _wanted_ to break off with him because she lacked the self-confidence to believe that she could keep him, and wanted to be the first to make the break.

... and note, there's no particular reason to _assume_ that Tom and Daria _won't_ get back together, though given Tom's desirability (he's rich, handsome, smart, and _extremely_ nice) I think it's more likely that Tom is going to meet a new girlfriend at college (at college one generally meets smarter and more interesting girls than in high school). Daria will find it harder finding someone who both comes up to her standards and puts up with her.

Yep.

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

I now have this image in my head of Daria running into Tom at the mall during the Christmas of her junior year and finding out that for the past year or so he's been dating someone she knew from Lawndale and always dismissed as her intellectual inferior, only to find that not only was she secretly a genius, but is also a perfect match for Tom personality wise.

I'm just not sure who it works best with -- Angie, Andrea, Stacy or Tiffany.

Although for some odd reason, Jodie and Tom strike me as a potentially cute couple.

"...there are evil men in the world, truly evil men. Sometimes we hear of them, but more often they work in absolute darkness." Stephen King, _'Salem's Lot_

<Tiffany> I'm not ... really ... stupid. . . . I just ... like to ... burn one ... now and then. </Tiffany> <Trent> This is some great stuff, Tiff. Roll us another one. </Trent>

Now you know the rest of the story. Tiffany likes to get stoned, off camera, with Mystik Spyral!

Steve Cross

[email] (BA) wrote in message news:...

That would be damned funny, actually. Cruel, but funny.

Personalities match well, and Tom would appreciate Jodie's wicked sarcasm, which is actually more pointed than Daria's when Jodie dares to let it out. Jodie would also be attracted to someone intelligent, funny, and _rich_ (though Jodie would deny it).

Sincerely Yours, Jordan