The Background Blues

The Background Blues is a 2021 story by WellTemperedClavier. As the title implies, it features backgrounders. The story opens with Shane and Mason foolishly attempting to smoke a joint in the school auditorium, and promptly end up setting the place on fire. This leads Principal Li to declare that anything beyond the cafeteria is off-limits to students during lunch period, meaning that the entire student body is now crammed into its decidedly limited space.

This is especially obnoxious for students who'd preferred to spend lunch outside the cafeteria, like nerdy Victor and pious Priscilla, who'd both found sanctuary in the library. Not willing to put up with the obnoxiously (and probably illegally) crowded cafeteria, the two set about trying to push back against Li's new rule. When their initial petition fails, they search for more devious solutions...

Though Victor and Priscilla are the main characters, numerous other backgrounders are also featured. Kelly, Dawn, Josh, Bob, Spike, and Kia all get time in the spotlight. So too do some backgrounders who aren't typically named, like Happy Girl (now named Rebecca) and the nerds (now named Gary, Nate, and Paul). Some of the main cast also make appearances.

The Background Blues won Favorite School-Centered Story and Favorite Use of a Background/Supporting Character for the 2021 Daria Fanworks Awards. It was also nominated for Favorite Overall, Favorite Drama, and Favorite Character Development/Redevelopment/Growth. Victor was certainly quiet for a long time, but much like in the story, he knew how to make an appearance.

Trivia
To the best of this writer's knowledge, The Background Blues is the first story to feature V-Neck in any notable capacity.