Driven Wild Universe: Difference between revisions

The Driven Wild Universe (or DWU) is meant to play out several "what ifs?" regarding the <i>Daria</i> series, consequences occuring if just one thing were changed. In the case of the DWU, this change involved [[Quinn]] getting glasses in the first episode, "[[Rose-Colored Lenses]]." While the early episodes of the Driven Wild Universe could have taken place within the series proper, once Quinn chooses to wear her glasses permanently (from "[[Cheered Down]]" onward) the fanfiction series breaks from <i>Daria</i> and runs along a parallel path. Kara Wild has stated the the true break occurs after <i>Daria</i> episode 307, "[[Daria! the Musical|Daria!]]"; from that point onward, while certain series developments remain (such as the introduction of [[Tom Sloane]] as [[Jane Lane]]'s boyfriend), others such as "[[Psycho Therapy]]" never occur because they have already played out in the Driven Wild Universe.

An intriguing AU series, the Driven Wild Universe's main focus is on Quinn's evolution from popular person allergic to school to a glasses-wearing math prodigy who sees a new world opening up before her. (The series proper would later provide its own perspective in <i>[[Is It Fall Yet?]]</i> and "[[Lucky Strike]].") At the same time, Wild felt compelled to tweak other dynamics that she felt were stagnant in the series, such as [[Helen]]'s relationship with [[Jake]]. In time, she would give nearly equal coverage to Helen and her sister, [[Amy Barksdale]]. Some critics charged that Wild did so at the expense of [[Daria]], who, as the title characer, should have been the star. Wild pointed out that she was already being well explored on the series proper; however, during the final episodes of the series, Wild would beef up Daria's role, having her come face to face with the dark side of Quinn's success in math. Jane makes fewer appearances in the DWU than in the series proper, mainly providing much-needed common sense and support.

Her dissatisfaction with the first half of Season Three, including "Through a Lens Darkly" (which, she felt, should have shown Quinn's reaction to Daria in contacts), fueled numerous "what if" scenarios that she was itching to write down. Finally she did, and "Rose-Colored Lenses," the first Driven Wild Universe installment, was posted on Outpost Daria in April 1999. It was accompanied by the ficlet, "[[A Desperately Needed Ending (to "Depth Takes a Holiday")]]." Both stories marked the first time Wild had written scripted dialogue.

Encouraging feedback spurred her to continue writing scripted fics. Wild considered making her next endeavor a lighter story, such as a two-parter called "English Impatient," in which Mr. O'Neill's classes took a trip to England, or an untitled story in which Helen and Quinn both get sick with the flu, but ultimately wrote a darker story, "The Tie That Chokes," in May 1999. The events of "The Tie That Chokes" inspired Wild to write "That Thing You Say," which caused a profound reaction from <i>Daria</i> fans. "That Thing You Say" was one of the few fanfics at the time to have Daria struggling with showing love for a member of her family in a realistic manner.

Quinn getting glasses launches the Driven Wild Universe, leading to some of its brightest and darkest moments. At first Quinn wants nothing to do with her glasses, believing correctly that they will hurt her popularity, but finally the lure of being able to see the blackboard proves too great. Quinn wears her glasses continuously from "[[None in the Family]]" to "[[Into the Fire]]," much to the pleasure of her math teacher, [[Alfred Phelps]]. Believing that Quinn possesses great talent in math, Phelps presses her to focus on her studies, first enlisting Jake to watch over her at home ("[[Of Absolute Value]]") before taking over the job himself. As with her glasses, Quinn at first resents Phelps's extra attention. However, as she grows to enjoy math, even going so far as to remain on Lawndale High's mathletics squad ("[[Charge of the Math Brigade]]") in the face of ridicule, she sees Phelps as more of an ally. With her family troubles picking up in the final episodes of the DWU, Quinn views Phelps as a surrogate father, someone upon whom she is dependent for her math success. Quinn's final challenge comes with demonstrating to <i>herself</i> that the talent for solving problems comes from her, not her math teacher.

Daria has mixed feelings about Quinn's glasses and math fixation. When Quinn first gets glasses, Daria hopes that it will compel her to look beyond looks and popularity. She encourages Quinn to focus on her studies and even dares to hope that a shared vision problem will bring them closer together. However, Quinn's utter denial of her glasses discourages Daria, as does her uninterrupted popularity once she starts wearing them all the time. Yet it is Quinn's demonstrated talent in math that really gets under Daria's skin. Daria tells Jane in "[[Memory Road]]" that while she may not resent the actual talent, she <i>does</i> resent that people treat Quinn as though she is an intellect just for being bright in one subject for a short while, without suffering the lumps that Daria has suffered for being a brain. Daria questions whether this undercurrent of resentment is what drives her growing suspicion of Phelps's behavior, before deciding that concern for Quinn is the real motivator. Quinn, however, thinks that everything Daria does to question or expose Phelps is motivated by pure spite. A wall forms between the two sisters, before Daria learns to accept Quinn's math prowess and Quinn learns that Daria really does care about her.

Related to the "Life is Never Easy" theme is the idea that life is a continuous struggle that you have to be willing to engage in so as to get the best out of it. Even "redeemed" characters are neither perfect nor permanently redeemed. One obvious example is the coupling of Amy and Joel; although they appear to be closer by the end of "Memory Road," it would be a mistake to assume that they are headed for an untroubled life. In the unfinished novella, <i>The Winter Chill</i> (a sequel to the Driven Wild Universe), stong hints are left that Amy is feeling overwhelmed by her new life with Joel and their child. Another example within the Driven Wild Universe is Helen's new self discovery. While one would think that after separating from Jake, she might revel in her newfound freedom and independence, she is instead fearful and sad, and more focused on keeping things normal than on sculpting or dating. That is not to say that Helen will never find happiness, and there are signs that she is adapting to single life toward the end of "Tomorrow Never Knows." Wild finds "happily ever afters" to be boring and unrealistic, and is bothered by the number of episodes in <i>Daria</i> Seasons Four and Five that suggest a character has achieved a permanent state of happiness or maturity (such as suddenly newly mature Quinn of "Lucky Strike").

===It's Not <i>That</i> Bad===

Just as Wild finds happy endings to be unrealistic, she is also not fond of excessive angst and, with a few exceptions, avoided applying it too thickly in the Driven Wild Universe. Wild holds what might be considered a "pragmatist's" or "realist's" view of the world that when even in the darkest situation, it was possible to take the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus Sisyphus] approach and make the best of it, or at least try to find a way out of it. That does not mean that a character cannot express his or her anger, but Wild believes that characters who <i>wallow</i> in angst are choosing to adopt a mindset of passiveness, passive aggression, and perpetual victimhood. In "Memory Road," Helen calls Amy on this behavior, telling her, "And <i>you</i>, Amy Barksdale, are so convinced you're the martyr -- well I don't buy it! Martyrs are victims, and whether you like it or not, you <i>have</i> some control over your life."

Initially, Wild's premise that Quinn was an intelligent person proved controversial. At the time, <i>Daria</i> had only aired three seasons, and while Quinn showed signs of mellowing, there was little substantial evidence that she could excel at school. Wild defended her interpretation of Quinn on a number of occasions from people who thought that Quinn succeeding at math was as likely as her sprouting pink wings and flying to Holiday Island. Once <i>Is It Fall Yet?</i> aired, Wild's vision was vindicated.

Kara Wild was also vocal about her dislike of Jake, at a time when many fans viewed him as a sympathetic figure, a broken man who would be a better father to Daria and Quinn if only Helen gave him a chance. Wild pointed out that Jake had several chances throughout the series to prove his worth, yet time after time, he either quit too soon or avoided getting involved altogether. Her view of Jake (especially his behavior in <i>Daria</i> Season Four) colored her portrayal of him in the Driven Wild Universe. Jake's whininess was portrayed as willful blindness and self absorption. For instance, in "An Uneasy Marriage," Jake's complaints and paranoid conclusions stand in sharp contrast to Greg Valmont's patience and willingness to listen.

In addition to influencing her stories' structure, Wild credits C.E. Forman and John Berry with helping the Driven Wild Universe stick to a lighter tone, at least in the beginning, with their emphasis on mining a situation for humor. The events of the Driven Wild Universe were strongly influenced by episodes in <i>Daria</i> Seasons Two through Four.

In turn, the Driven Wild Universe is credited with creating perhaps the first nuanced portrayal of Amy, which influenced how future writers such as [[The Angst Guy]] would portray her in their fanfics. The DWU's complex portrayal of Quinn and Helen also influenced other authors (such as [[Crusading Saint]], in the case of Helen) to write them in a less one-dimensional manner, although the series proper's softer portrayal of both characters had an obvious effect as well. Before <i>Is It Fall Yet?</i>, several fanfic writers made teasing references to Quinn being a brain or wearing glasses. For instance, [[Milo Minderbinder]] portrayed "smart Quinn" in an alternate universe in "[[Back to the Future, Again! Part 3!]]," which was originally supposed to be the Driven Wild Universe Quinn herself before Minderbinder decided to keep the reference more general. In "[[Daria the Movie]]," [[Lynn Quinn Michaelis]] is an A-student who wears prescription "sunglasses" in an effort to hide her vision problem, the Adelmans' nod to the DWU.