Alison
Alison | |
First appearance | Is It Fall Yet? |
Last appearance | Is It Fall Yet? |
Voiced by | Bif Naked |
Episode count | 1 |
Information | |
Gender | Female |
Age | ? |
Occupation | Artist; College Student. |
Family | unknown |
Significant other(s) |
Alison is an artist and one of the residents of Ashfield when Jane Lane visits the Ashfield art colony in Is It Fall Yet?. With a bare midriff, tribal tattoos, bangs, and pink lipstick, Alison has an appearence similar to that of her voice actor, Canadian rock singer Bif Naked.
Alison's age is unclear, but she appears to be in her early 20s, roughly the same age as unrelated characters Trent Lane and Lindy.
Alison in IIFY?[edit]
Alison and Jane meet while listening to a lecture by visiting artist Daniel Dotson. Neither think much of Dotson's artistic talent, and the two form a common bond. Jane is glad to form a bond with Alison as she has little in common with the other Ashfield artists.
Alison is trying to make it as her own as an artist. She works in pastels. When Jane later gets a chance to look at Alison's work, she likes it, but Alison tells Jane that the galleries don't agree and that she wishes that she had had Jane's drive and focus when she was younger.
A bet is made where Alison bets that the artists at Ashfield will warm up to Jane if they get a chance to know her. When Alison loses the bet, Jane and Alison have dinner together, and when Jane returns to Alison's cabin, Alison makes a pass at Jane. Not only does Alison state that she's a bisexual, she states that she doesn't believe that Jane is straight, and that the source of Jane's immediate discomfort is that Jane is nervous about making love to a girl. She further states, "I never hit on straight chicks", implying that not only is she sure about her sexuality, but about Jane's as well.
After Jane turns down Alison, Alison later tells Jane that she wishes to remain friends with Jane and that she might have made a mistake about Jane's sexuality. However, Jane learns that Alison is "seeing" Daniel Dotson and Alison states "he's not so bad once you get to know him". Jane answers that Dotson couldn't possibly care about Alison, and Alison retorts that she just wants to have fun and belittles Jane for being a high school girl who takes things too seriously.
The possible friendship ends when Jane accuses Alison of sleeping with Dotson so that Dotson can introduce her to gallery owners, who might further Alison's career. Jane concludes that Alison lied to her about "giving off gay vibes" and that Alison lied to make Jane believe she was bisexual or gay for the purpose of getting her in bed.
Although never stated, it is implied that Alison made the bet with Jane knowing that Jane and the other artists at Ashfield had little in common. This would not only provide the pretext for a romantic (for Alison) dinner with Jane, but Alison knew that the wine served at the dinner might lower Jane's resistance to suggested physical intimacy.
"It Takes Two to Tangle" rules on the encounter: "A classic case of resistance [by Jane], here more than justified. There's nothing wrong with exploring your sexuality, but before exploring someone else's you should get a permission slip.";"
Sexuality[edit]
“ | And hanging out with bisexuals in their bedrooms after they buy you dinner. | „ |
—Alison, Is It Fall Yet?, |
Alison reveals that she is bisexual during a conversation with Jane in Is It Fall Yet?, making her the only canonical LGBT character in Daria.
A possible scenario shown during the credits of Is It College Yet? reveals that Alison goes on to settle down with Lindy and starts a family, assumingely of adopted/foster children.
Controversy[edit]
Since the airing of Is It Fall Yet?, Alison's portrayal has generated mixed reactions from Daria fans. Supporters of Alison have praised her inclusion for her open bisexuality and for being an openly LGBT character, whereas Alison's detractors point to her manipulation of Jane and casual affair with Dotson as an indication of her depraved qualities.
When Jane rejects Alison's advances, Alison continues to pursue Jane regardless of how she felt about it. Alison's use of alcohol as a means of lowering Jane's defenses (in an attempt to garner Jane's consent when she's not sober) is a common form of sexual coercion in real life. Another point of controversy centered around the age difference between Alison and Jane, as Alison is in her 20s, whereas Jane is a minor, around 16 or 17.
Trivia[edit]
Alison was voiced by rock singer Bif Naked.
Almost all of Alison's scenes were cut from the Noggin repeat if Is It Fall Yet?.
In fanfiction[edit]
Alison has frequently shown up, especially in alternate universe retellings of her sole story. Usually she is an antagonist but will sometimes get sympathetic takes (or be used for light smut).
Alison appears in "Daria feat. Tom", a round robin series of episode summaries for a fake Daria and Tom show. Here, WellTemperedClavier writes a deconstructive take where Alison is interested in Tom Sloane and so is predominantly seen in fandom as just an adult going after a teenager rather than a toxic trope about bisexuals - but, due to being written (in-universe) in 2000 and toxic tropes about teenage boys, this was ignored by the show as 'Tom getting some' and the entire plot has aged badly for that reason.
Alison – Ringbearer[edit]
This version of Alison was born on a world that suffered an Outbreak when she was only a child. Having been exposed to massive amounts of radiation she and many others in her generation developed metahuman abilities. This allowed them to combat the threat until the rise of MetaZacks, Zombies with superhuman abilities and near intact intellect. Ringbearers arrived and swiftly joined the fight. Her father was granted a First Ring by an injured Ringbearer. When he was mortally wounded, he passed the Ring to his daughter. She faced many questions and doubts about her worthiness to wear a Ring let alone a First Ring. One Ringbearer known only as "The Marine" stood up for her and then became her mentor. He was the reason she traveled to Trent Lane’s world. Unable to accept reports of his death, she followed a blast path across dozens of multiverses until finding the right one.
During her time with the Corps she has carried on a brief affair with a Master Ringbearer named Mitchell that ended badly.
First Ringbearer
Elemental Affinity – Metal
Ring symbol – A spear.
Ring inscription – None
She has the metahuman abilities of heightened strength and invulnerability.
Appearance – Last Man, Journey’s Debt
External Links[edit]
Outpost Daria character profile (archived by the Wayback Machine)