Science Fiction

Science fiction is imaginative writing about the consequences of advancements in science and technology. Science fiction differs from fantasy in that whatever happens in science fiction is expected to be possible within the laws of nature, as understood today or as might be understood in the future. What happens in fantasy is assumed to be impossible under any circumstances (Clarke's Third Law aside). Speculations about exotic discoveries like teleportation, faster-than-light spacecraft, and time travel are included, as many elements of the modern world (e.g., computers, spacecraft, vaccines, nuclear power) were also once thought impossible.

Science fiction was only lightly touched on in the Daria series, through Artie's fantastic tales of being kidnapped by aliens and the unfortunate appearance of Daria and Jane as alien sex goddesses on TV. "The Lawndale File" parodied The X-Files series and other SF stories, but presented nothing of a true SF nature. The UFO convention in "Esteemsters" used its SF elements to humorous effect.

Controversial episodes that many fans consider to be fanciful, such as "Depth Takes a Holiday" and "Daria!," are here considered to be fantasy. Some fanfics spun off from those episodes, however, qualify as science fiction.

Science Fiction in Daria Fanfiction
Like fantasy writing, science-fiction works are usually sorted into broad subgenres like cyberpunk and alternate history. Daria SF has certain subgenres that appear frequently, while some subgenres of mainstream SF are almost never seen (e.g., steampunk, space opera). The better-known types of Daria SF are named below, with examples of each. Crossovers are included under the appropriate heading. Note that a story can fall into multiple subgenres, depending on its content.

Alien Contact SF
The core of the tale is the interaction between humans (one or more of the Daria cast) and creatures or intelligent beings from other worlds. Alien invasion stories fall under this group.

Examples
 * "And I on the Opposite Shore Will Be," by TAG
 * "Behind Enemy Lines," by Brother Grimace
 * "Bump, the System Lord," by Brother Grimace (Daria/Stargate)
 * "Daria vs. Predator," by Bob Marley (Daria/Predator)
 * "Doctor Who Gives a Damn," by Yui Daoren
 * "Hard Contacts," by Ranchoth
 * "Like Angels' Visits, Short and Bright," by TAG
 * Mother's Love series, by Richard Lobinske
 * "The Outers," by TAG
 * "They Came from Planet Xulfanex," by Kara Wild

Alternate History SF
It is explained in the section on alternate universes that most AU Daria tales revolve around twists in the personal histories of the series cast, not the larger history of the world itself. Fanfics covering greater historical change are included here as SF.

Examples
 * "The Alternate History Teacher," by TAG: Daria's earlier-than-canon birth causes political change in the U.S.
 * "Been Here Before," by The Sidhe: The Confederacy wins independence during the Civil War in an alternate universe.
 * "Das Elendskücken," by TAG: Nazi Germany wins World War II.
 * "Gone," by TAG: World War III breaks out during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
 * "Indivisible," by Dennis: Nazi Germany wins World War II.

Apocalyptic SF
Disaster on an epic scale strikes the world, and civilization crumbles before it.

Examples
 * "Apocalyptic Daria," by Doggieboy
 * "Daria AE," by Greystar
 * "Darkness," by TAG
 * "Fimbul," by NightGoblyn
 * "Gone, by TAG
 * "Lambda," by SigDiff (Daria/Half-Life)
 * "Last Night in Lawndale," by Erin Mills (Daria/Last Night on Earth)
 * "Of Metal and Men," by legendeld
 * "The Omega Jane," by TAG (Daria/The Omega Man)
 * "The Road Worrier, Part 2," by Milo Minderbinder

Comedy SF
SF cliches have been effectively parodied in Daria fanfic.

Examples
 * "Abruptly Amy in 'Silly Sci-Fi Crossover'," by PBC (Daria/Red Dwarf)
 * "Attack of the 50 Foot Butt," by Bobby Birks (Daria/Beavis and Butt-head/The X-Files)
 * "Cornholio, Emperor of Outer Space!," by Cyde (Daria/Beavis and Butt-head)
 * "A Cynical Guide to the Galaxy," by Jill Palmer
 * "Hard Contacts," by Ranchoth
 * "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to Sarcasm," by TAFKA
 * "Silly Rabbit, Matrix Are For Kids!" by John Berry
 * "Warped Speed Captain," by Thea Zara

Cyberpunk SF
Cyberpunk is very rarely seen in this fandom, which is odd since the Internet and cutting-edge technology are behind-the-scenes features of Daria.

Example
 * "Cybercity Lawndale," by JJXB

Mecha SF
So far, all military-oriented SF Daria stories featuring giant battle robots (mecha, in Japanese anime lingo) are crossovers, some also being complete reinventions.

Examples
 * "Daria 3059," by Greystar (Daria/BattleTech)
 * "Earthfall," by legendeld (Daria/Robotech)
 * "Stacy Rowe, Evangelion Pilot," by Austin Covello

Social SF
The "soft" sciences of psychology, sociology, and political theory seem like they would be reasonably appropriate to Daria, and a few stories in this vein have appeared.

Examples
 * "A Bouquet for the Brain," by Milo Minderbinder (Daria/Flowers for Algernon)
 * "Civil War," by legendeld
 * "Inauguration," by Ranchoth
 * "Next in Line," by TAG
 * "Sarcasm at 1600," by Mike Xeno
 * "Stacy Rowe, Seeker," by jtranser
 * "Three Ways of Looking at a Tiffany Blum-Deckler," by TAG

Space Exploration
Daria was not an SF series, and space exploration is a hard-core SF theme, so it stands to reason that there won't be many fanfics about going to the moon. There are a few, however.

Examples
 * "Daria and Jane Go to the Moon," by echopapa
 * "Drive," by TAG
 * "Every Hour Saved from That Eternal Silence," by TAG

Space Opera
The collision of fleets of war spacecraft, the rise and fall of space empires, the epic tales of derring-do that span the universe, these are the elements of space opera. Daria, predictably, has very little of it except in crossovers. A number of Star Wars parodies and spinoffs have been done here.

Examples
 * Cynic Wars series, by Matt
 * "Daria/Star Wars," by Ranger Thorne (Daria/Star Wars)

Superhero SF
Caped crimefighters and criminals are well covered elsewhere in DariaWiki. Nearly all superhero fanfics in Daria fandom are crossovers, no two remotely alike.

Examples
 * "Back in Fifteen Minutes," by Brother Grimace
 * "A Cynical Shade of Green, by echopapa (Daria/Green Lantern)
 * Daria’s Web series, by Fezenclop (a.k.a. Ranger Thorne) (Daria/Spider-Man)
 * Daria Von Doom series, by Richard Lobinske (Daria/Doctor Doom)
 * "Eldritch Evolution, by LSauchelli (Daria/Heroes)
 * "The Gem and the Sword," by Ranger Thorne (Daria/Teen Titans)
 * "Lawndale’s Finest: The Last Daughter of Krypton (Daria/Superman), by NightGoblyn
 * Legion of Lawndale Heroes series (Daria/DC Comics Legion of Superheroes), by Roentgen and Brother Grimace
 * "Outcasts From Beyond," by TAG (Daria/Marvel Universe/DC Universe)
 * "Power Rangers: Lawndale Force," by Cyke (Daria/Power Rangers)
 * "Three Ways of Looking at a Tiffany Blum-Deckler," by TAG

Time Travel SF
Whether into the past or into the future, time travel presents special opportunities and dangers. Doctor Who crossovers are not uncommon, though not all deal with time travel alone.

Examples
 * "All You Outcasts," by Robert Nowall
 * "Back to the Future, Again!" by Milo Minderbinder (Daria/Back to the Future)
 * "Doctor Who Gives a Damn," by Yui Daoren
 * "The House on Space-Time Lane," by Lawndale Stalker (Daria/Doctor Who)
 * "Lane Change," by Ranger Thorne (Daria/Doctor Who)
 * "Lawndale 2500," by Atomius
 * "Temporal Friends," by Crusading Saint
 * "A Time for Us," by aeverett