Alternate Universe: Difference between revisions

 

==Types of AU==

 

One can make a distinction between two types of ''Daria'' AUs. In the first, the alteration to events is made only to events internal to the series—i.e., not to the larger historical setting of the United States or the world. An AU in which Daria does not come to [[Lawndale High]] but instead attends [[Grove Hills]] ("[[Regifted]]" and "[[Grove Hell on Earth]]"), for instance, is not assumed to be a consequence of a historical event outside of Daria's family; her parents had a choice of which school to send her to, and they chose Grove Hills.

Another subcategory are those stories in which the sex of a major character is reversed (assuming the usual 50/50 chance of having a boy or girl with each birth); the [[John Lane series]] and "[[Darius]]" are examples, but earlier tales along this line have been told, such as [[MMan]]'s "[[Brother, I Asked for It]]," in which Daria [[dream world|dreams]] Quinn had turned out as Quint.

 

 

==Attitudes towards AUs==

 

In the broader science-fiction field, alternate-history stories have tended to support the idea that the present world represents the best of all possible outcomes in history. This view has been used in ''Daria'' fandom, too, though less stridently; [[Brother Grimace]]'s "[[Victory Lane]]" is representative of this approach. The [[John Lane Series|John Lane]] stories by [[Richard Lobinske]], however, reveal a [[Daria Fandom Lexicon|Dariaverse]] ''better'' overall than canon, as does [[Mystik Slacker]]'s "[[The Butterfly Storm]]." Worlds in which events change but the overall pro-and-con outcome is almost like canon can be seen in [[The Alchemist]]'s "[[Jane on the Side]]" and [[The Angst Guy]]'s "[[Click, Click, Boom]]". Some of these, like "[[The Hallowed Halls of Fielding]]" by [[Roentgen]], have the alternate universe drastically different to canon but with a 'normal' pro-and-con outcome, just with different pro's and cons to the mainstream universe.