Falling Into College

Summary
An on-going series of stories written by Richard Lobinske. It is primarily about Daria during their college years, the continued lives of Helen & Jake back home, Quinn at Pepperhill, plus the Lane family, including Trent's relationship with Lindy, Quinn's friend from Governor's Park.

Besides Jane, who attends Boston Fine Arts College (and is currently dating Michael "Mack" MacKenzie), the people in Daria's life include Michael Fulton, her fiancee and her freshman dorm roommate, Karen Myerson, who has joined Daria and Jane in sharing an apartment.

The series has several long-term story arcs and current plans are for a total of 72 stories through Daria's college graduation.

Falling Into College is a direct continuation of the Last Summer stories and also draws upon First Summer as a prequel series.

Inspirations, Motivations and Analysis
The author has stated the his college experience and relationship with his wife has provided much of the inspiration for the stories, though specifically not autobiographical.

The series optimistic tone was conceived as a balance to the number of angst-based stories commonly written when the series was started. At the same time, the few post-canon fanfiction stories tended to either use a simple stereotype for Daria's collage roommate (such as loud party girl) or would use a contrivance to avoid Daria having to deal with a roommate. Karen was developed as a counter to that trend, a rounded character that would become a close friend.

While some readers have commented that the low-key, real life approach is one of appealing aspects of the series, other readers have suggested that there should be more drama or hardship inserted.

Characters
Original

Primary:
 * Michael Fulton
 * Karen Myerson
 * Derek Adler
 * Cecilia "CC" Czernicki
 * Fran Lawrence
 * Bump

Secondary:
 * Gina Fulton (Michael's sister)
 * Natalie (Gina's best friend)
 * Ron Fulton (Michael's father)
 * Samantha Fulton (Michael's mother)
 * Maddie Myerson (Karen's mother)
 * Geoff Myerson (Karen's father)
 * Terry Myerson (Karen's brother)
 * Jill Myerson (Karen's sister-in-law
 * David Stamford (Fran's uncle)
 * Beth Stamford (Fran's aunt)
 * Grace (Quinn's suitemate)
 * Tammy (Quinn's suitemate)
 * Anna Stevens (Raft student)
 * Carly Stanton (Raft student)
 * Jenn Cavendish (Raft student)
 * Robin Hollister (Raft student)
 * Wendy Anderson (Raft student and theater major)
 * Sandy Devers (Raft student and theater major
 * Janice Tolen (Raft student)
 * Isabelle (Raft student and theater costumer)
 * Toni (Raft student and theater makeup)
 * Al Jakobs (once dated Jane and CC)
 * Shelly Crause (Daria's coworker at the University Press)
 * Todd Baker (Michael's sophomore year roommate)
 * Ken (Michael's freshman year roommate)
 * Lewis Berkhart (Michael's current roommate)
 * Clarice (Raft student)
 * Jack (Raft student)
 * Sean (Raft student)
 * Samuel Morrison (Michael's boss)
 * Nguyen (Michael's coworker)
 * Marie (Michael's coworker)
 * Dr. Wilson (Raft biology professor)
 * Dr. Harrison F. Miller (Raft history professor)
 * Ms. Carolyn Poole (Daria's therapist)
 * Prof. Paine (Raft theater professor)
 * Dr. Findlay (Director of Raft University Press)
 * Dr. Killarny (Dean and former Director of University Press)
 * Mary Kelsey (BFAC student)
 * Nell Girard (BFAC student and Jane's friend)
 * Ariel Campbell (Nick's daughter)
 * Bruce Morgendorffer (Jake's older brother)
 * Colin MacKenzie (Mack's father)
 * Leesha MacKenzie (Mack's mother)
 * Debbie Cawthon-Schellski
 * Stan (patient at children's hospital that Jane saves)
 * Isabel 'Bel' Marquez (Jane's boss at the children's hospital)
 * Olivia Davis (patient at children's hospital that Daria helps find glasses)
 * Bea Davis (Olivia's mother)
 * Simon Barksdale (Helen's mother)

Alternate Canon
 * Tess Barksdale
 * Theresa Blaine
 * Nathan W. Morgendorffer "Mad Dog"
 * Lindy Weaver-Lane

Stories in Series
Year 1

Fall 1999

1: Boarding the Raft

Daria arrives at Raft University and meets her new roommate, Karen Myerson. Will Daria's family scare her off before her classes have a chance to do so?

2: Returning Nightmare

While she awaits her mid-year start at Boston Fine Arts College, Jane begins her new job as a temporary teaching assistant for Claire Defoe at Lawndale High.

3: Lindy and the Knight

Jane finds Quinn's friend Lindy (from "IICY?") asleep in the living room at Casa Lane. Will she and Quinn find common ground when Lindy and Trent get together?

4: Freshman Spread

A small weight gain leads to Daria facing the reason she hides her appearence so much, with Karen's help.

5: Quinn the Tutor

When Quinn lets slip the fact that she has been quietly tutoring Tiffany, Helen decides that Quinn should use those skills to build up more extracurricular activities, to make up for no longer being in the Fashion Club. Guess who she gets stuck tutoring?

6: Nineteen in Ninety-Nine

Aunt Amy takes Daria out for a night on the town for her nineteenth birthday, with Karen along for the ride. But who are these two goons following them?

7: Home for Thanksgiving

Karen's financial problems rise to the surface when she can't afford to go home for Thanksgiving. Daria invites her to spend the weekend with her family as she works on a way to keep her roommate in Boston.

8: Winter's Eve

Final exams, as well as her first few dates with a guy named Michael, bring Daria's first semester of college to a close, while Jane bids farewell to her Lawndale High colleagues as she finishes her semester as a teaching assistant.

9: Holiday Breaks

Daria's home for the winter break. She meets Lindy, survives Y2K, reunites with some old friends, and helps Jane move in to BFAC. Find out who Jane ends up with at "11 o'clock on move-in day"!

Spring 2000

10: Chosin Fate

Daria’s new job as a transcriptionist for a history professor brings her into audio contact with her grandfather, “Mad Dog” Morgendorffer, and new insights to what made him what he was.

11: Art Frieze

Jane adjusts to dorm life and enters the winter ice sculpture contest at BFAC. The Boston Ice Tea Party.

12: Days of Expression

Valentine’s Day gets a little complicated for Daria as she remembers her old feelings toward Trent and Tom, and her new feelings for Michael.

13: Flaming the Fans

Daria discovers fan reactions to her Melody Powers stories, with one an old acquaintance that goes too far.

14: Can this be Spring?

Jane accepts that a trip to Florida for Spring Break is not in the budget. But, that doesn't mean she can't have a beach party.

15: The Spirals Are Coming!

Mystik Spiral finally gets a gig in Boston. Will the Tank survive the trip?

16: A Daze at the Races

Quinn turns eighteen as Stacy prepares for a big race. Sandi wants to be friends again after loosing her job at the television station.

17: May Day

Spring finals at Raft as Daria completes her first year of college, and an unexpected opportunity that may radically change her future.

18: Prom Quinn

Quinn chooses a bad time to distract Jake by implying Daria and Michael are sleeping together, and faces a last choice for a prom date

19: Seeking Hearts

Spring term ends at Raft as Daria looks for a new apartment to share with Karen and Jane. Karen heads home to Georgia for the summer while Daria and Jane visit Lawndale. Through it all, Daria and Michael try to communicate after the breakup.

20: Shopping For Cars With Boys

Daria and Michael continue to patch things up, while Daria, Jane and Trent seek new cars from an unusual source.

Summer 2000

21: Keeping My Friends Close

Daria and Jane adjust to living together as summer semester begins at Raft and BFAC and Jane looks for a job.

22: Fashionable Graduation

Quinn, the former Fashion Club and Kevin prepare to graduate. Daria, Jane, Jodie and Mack reunite to pass on the Honor Society to the next class.

23: Through Lenses Most Bright

An important change in prescription means Daria must face her evolving eyesight. It also means finding a new pair of glasses, with help from a little girl Jane works with at the children’s hospital.

24: Silver Lining

Helen and Jake’s 25th wedding anniversary, and they’ve invited Rita, Amy, Grandma Ruth, Grandma Barksdale and Jake’s brother, Bruce. When will the family detonation occur?

25: Freedom Of Speech

Daria visits Michael for the July 4 holiday to meet his family, and hopefully build up the courage to tell him how she feels.

26: Boston Baked Band

Daria prepares to perform in her theater class play, and Mystik Spiral has been hired to provide music for the cast party.

27: Lost Eagles Found

Summer semester ends. Daria hunts for Michael’s birthday present and returns to Lawndale to help Quinn to prepare for Pepperhill.

Year 2

Fall 2000

28: The Parents Are At Rest

As summer ends, Quinn says her goodbyes to Lawndale before leaving for Pepperhill, Sandi asks Daria for a favor. Jake and Helen prepare for an empty nest.

29: Back Aboard

A first look at Karen’s family and background as she prepares for the fall term at Raft and living with Daria and Jane. At Jane’s instigation, they head out for a beach weekend before classes start.

30: A Part That’s Gained

Jane has to meet one of the realities of working in a children's hospital, and finds something unexpected.

31: Esteeming Lysistrata

While Daria and Jane celebrate four years since Self-Esteem class, they get an unexpected guest and Quinn asks for help.

32: Bump in the Night

BFAC is holding a Halloween Party fundraiser for a trip Jane wants to go on, and wins a bet with Daria on who chooses costumes. At Pepperhill, Quinn discovers the effect her renewed dating schedule has on her grades.

33: The Last Piece Falls

Daria gets a subpoena to testify to a grand jury about her involvement in the Ultra Cola situation during her senior year at Lawndale High. That the case involves Angela Li and Leonard Lamm is no surprise, but how is Linda Griffin involved?

34: For This, We’re Thankful

Concerned about being stalked in Lawndale, Daria invites Jake and Helen to Boston for Thanksgiving, along with Jane, Karen, Michael and Derek. Meanwhile, Quinn visits Fran’s family for the holiday. However, a simple dinner isn’t the only thing Daria has planned.

35: A Few Important Details

After the one year anniversary of Daria and Michael’s first date, they consider adding a new dimension to their relationship. Daria recalls some of the same doubts she had before on the subject, and also contemplates how things are different.

36: Christmas Melody

Quinn takes a detour to Boston before going home after her first semester at Pepperhill and isn’t looking forward to Jake and Helen seeing her grades. Meanwhile, Daria and Jane catch up with their family and friends in Lawndale.

Spring 2001

37: ReFrieze

To once again enter BFAC’s “Boston Ice Tea Party” ice sculpture contest, Jane needs to work around complications from her job at the children’s hospital.

38: Lane Closure

s Lindy starts preparing for the wedding, she learns that the mortgage to Casa Lane has been paid off. This leads to her learning about Amanda and Vincent’s early years and how they bought a commune in 1973.

39: And the Bubble Burst

As Daria and company prepare for spring break, Erin announces her plans to divorce Brian and takes shelter in Boston. However, Daria soon learns this is only the beginning of problems for the Barksdale family. Between day-trading and the recent collapse of tech stocks, Grandma Tess Barksdale has lost almost all of the family fortune. Things come to a head when Grandma Tess, Rita and Helen converge on Daria’s apartment to deal with Erin’s move and the financial crisis.

40: I Hope You Don’t Have Plans

After spring break, Daria and Karen plan for Jane’s birthday. However, things get complicated when the director where Daria works at the Raft University Press is promoted and a new director arrives, along with his attitude and work schedule.

41: Run Jane, Run

Jane gets ready to compete in the Boston Marathon, with a little help from her friends. Meanwhile, Daria is notified that Upchuck has accepted a plea bargain in the stalking case against him.

Summer 2001

42: Registering Annoyance

With spring term over, Karen heads back to Georgia while Daria and Jane prepare to host Mystic Spiral for another Boston gig. At the same time, Daria’s summer registration has vanished somewhere in the Registrar’s computer system and she embarks on a quest to retrieve it.

43: Four Friends, Four Winds

Quinn says goodbye to Fran for the summer. She returns to Lawndale and catches up with the members of the former Fashion Club, whose lives have gone in very different directions.

44: Apartment for Rent

Michael temporarily moves in with Daria when his apartment hunt takes longer than anticipated and he has to move out of the Raft dormitory.

45: Lindy Lane

Trent and Lindy get ready for their wedding as the Wandering Lanes gather for the first time since Lane Miserables. Quinn and Jane team up for a bachelorette party and Mystic Spiral puts on a bachelor party for the lucky(?) couple. At the wedding, Daria and Quinn wonder if they'll face a repeat of Erin's when Lindy's alcoholic mom meets the Lanes. And finally, what is Sandi doing sneaking into the Griffin house?

46: Family Collision

During their July Fourth vacation, Ron, Samantha and Gina Fulton drive to Boston visit Michael and Daria. After that, they travel to Lawndale to meet Jake, Helen and Quinn. After hearing about it, Tess Barksdale decides to join in.

47: Melody of Life

Daria learns that her planned "final" Melody Powers story has been accepted. While making editorial revisions to her story, she deals with the mystery of a missing manuscript at work that she needs to find if she wants to keep her job.

48: Dividing Spiral

Quinn's departure from Lawndale to return to Pepperhill confirms to her that the old Fashion Club is drifting apart. Meanwhile, with his daughter Ariel about to start first grade, Nick decides its time to quit Mystik Spiral.

Year 3

Fall 2001

49: Past Influences

Summer draws to a close as Daria, Jane and Karen get ready to start their junior year of college. Daria and Jane are surprised when Elsie Sloane stops by to visit on her way to college, but not to Bromwell.

50: A Matter of Priorities

The Monday after Amy’s wedding, Helen suffers a stroke at work. Daria, with Michael, Tess and Rita join Jake with at the hospital, while Quinn must wait for a flight back from Pepperhill.

51: Mirrors

Home from the hospital, Helen begins her recovery while the effects of her stroke continue to be felt by those around her. Jake begins to work from home to be with her. Worried, Daria has a physical checkup and learns that she could be at risk, necessitating some changes in her life. Quinn worries about being unable to see her mother, and Amy arrives with her new husband and stepdaughters.

52: Girl, Lost and Found

A former staff member of Val magazine tracks down Daria to tell the “real story of D”. Will Val be far behind, and what will she do to prevent the story from appearing?

53: Daria Went Down To Georgia

Daria and Michael, along with Derek, go to Georgia for Thanksgiving with Karen’s family, while Jake and Helen go to California to visit Quinn and Jane spends the weekend with the MacKenzies and her family.

54: Another Day in Paradise

After returning from the Thanksgiving trip, a look at Michael's daily life as he prepares for the second anniversary of Daria first agreeing to go out with him and a second try at asking her to marry him.

Associated Stories

 * Prequels:
 * First Summer
 * Last Summer


 * In Regular Continuity:
 * A Path of Roses and Thorns by Brother Grimace
 * A Night at the the Soccer Game by Ipswichfan
 * I Meant to Do That by Richard Lobinske


 * Ouside of Regular Continuity:
 * Band of Bothers by Richard Lobinske
 * With a Little Help From Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske
 * Claim Check by Richard Lobinske
 * Three by Richard Lobinske

Links
Falling Into College can be found: Note: Websites are updated at owner's convenience; some of these sites might not contain the latest installments of the series
 * here at Outpost Daria
 * here at The Contrarian's Corner
 * here at Glitter Berries
 * here at The Sh33p's Fluff
 * here at Sick, Sad World
 * Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 at FanFiction.net

An interview with Richard Lobinske about the series, consisting of fan-submitted questions and conducted by E. A. Smith, can be found:
 * here at The Contrarian's Corner
 * here at Glitter Berries