Alternate Universe: Difference between revisions
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==Types of AU==
[[Image:JohnLane.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[John Lane]] by [[RLobinske]] - a male version of Jane.]]▼
One can make a distinction between two types of ''Daria'' AUs.
===Canon-based changes===
[[Image:Flip69.gif|right|thumb|240px|Axis victory in World War II is one of the more common alternate histories.]]▼
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.
Three particular points in the series are often used as the diverging point in this AU. The first episode of the series in which Daria arrives in Lawndale and meets Jane, "[[Esteemsters]]," has received enormous attention and has been re-written many times. (See [[Esteemsters and Daria Fanfic|"Esteemsters" and ''Daria'' Fanfic]] - examples are "[[Victory Lane]]" by [[Brother Grimace]], [http://thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29897&start=0 Iron Chef: Real Esteem].) The circumstances and fallout of [[The Kiss]] have also had great attention, being a significant (and divisive) moment in canon (see [[Dye! Dye! My Darling#Dye! Dye! My Darling and Fanfic|Dye! Dye! My Darling and Fanfic]]). Daria/Trent [[shipper]] tales that strengthen the crush into mature love and the entire Daria-Tom-Jane triangle have also been revisited on a regular basis, though the former less often of late - examples of this include "[[Vengeance]]" and "[[Out of the Slushpile]]" by [[Nemo Blank]].
An alteration to the family dynamic of a character can also cause an AU: a family member may be absent entirely ("[[Malice of Absence]]" by [[Renfield]]), have a different job or social circumstance ("[http://thepaperpusher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=367528#p367528 Jacob Morgendorffer, Esq]" by [[CAP]]), or simply have turned out different due to a small change.
A popular subdivision of this AU 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]], [[Finn Morgendorffer]] 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. It's most common to see a male version of Jane - there've been John, Jake, James and Zane Lanes - in order to see how the Daria/Jane dynamic would be with Jane as a male (and thus a potential love interest). Notably, when Daria or Quinn's gender is switched, the siblings are usually shown to have a ''better'' relationship than in canon, under the assumption that they'd be less 'in competition'; the Finn Morgendorffer series is a notable exception, with the relationship being far ''more'' vicious and ugly. ▼
▲A popular subdivision of this AU are
===Changed universe===
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In the second type of AU, a change to world history has taken place—the Confederacy wins the American Civil War, Nazi Germany wins World War II, etc.—and the story describes the possible consequences of such a change. "[[Gone]]" by [[The Angst Guy]] (Cuban Missile Crisis turns nuclear) and "[[The Other Side of Time]]" by [[The Sidhe]] (Confederacy wins) are two such examples. This kind of story is called '''alternate history''' or '''counterfactual history''' in mainstream science fiction. For details, see [[Science Fiction#Alternate History SF|alternate history SF]].
[[Image:astro_jane.jpg|right|thumb|210px|Jane as a superhero]]
A subdivision of the second type is for the ''Daria'' characters to live in a clearly fantasy-based universe, either a crossover with another fiction or an original story. A key example would be the crossover "[[Esteeminator: The Daria Morgendorffer Chronicles]]", where Daria lives in the universe from the ''Terminator'' franchise. There are many stories in this second subdivision about ''Daria'' characters as [[superheroes]]. Various canon characters are assigned roles as heroes or villains, depending on their behavior in the series. "[[Legion of Lawndale Heroes]]" is the longest running of these, though "[[Lawndale's Finest]]" (an explicit DC Comics crossover0 also has notable length.
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==Attitudes towards AUs==
▲[[Image:Flip69.gif|right|thumb|240px|Axis victory in World War II is one of the more common alternate histories.]]
▲[[Image:JohnLane.jpg|thumb|right|John Lane by RLobinske.]]
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.
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Due to a widespread interest in sci-fi & fantasy among Daria fans, fanfic writers have created a number of organisations that look out for and patrol the various universes: often, they will be staffed by alternate versions of known characters. Several of these groups have become [[shared universe]] concepts, open to all writers: they include [[DELPHI]] (a covert intelligence organization within the U.S. Government on various worlds with inter-dimensional travel capabilities), the [[Ringbearers|Corps of Ringbearers]] (a pan-dimensional group similar to the Green Lantern Corps and the Lensmen, but with a focus on threats of supernatural origin, humanitarian relief efforts and covert intelligence-gathering operations), [[The Agency]] (another pan-dimensional organization that acts to maintain temporal/universal integrity, in the same vein as the ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyagers! Voyagers]'' and ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Quantum_Leap Project Quantum Leap]''), and [[The Foundation]] (mystical group trying to keep the omniverse intact).
A ''vast'' amount of original characters exist in these fics (for a DariaWiki list of original AU ''Daria'' characters, go to [http://www.dariawiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Alternate_Universe_Characters Alternate Universe Characters]) and a number of them are either specific, highly divergent AU versions of canon characters, or a family member that only exists due to the divergent universe. Examples of the former include [[Judith]], a sociopathic supervillain Daria who crosses over into other universes; [[Lynn Quinn Michaelis]], a Quinn distorted to ludicrous effect "Joel Schumacher's" [[Daria the Movie]]. Examples of the latter include [[Veronica Morgendorffer]], a
Several of the original characters have appeared in fanfics set in different AUs and some have been used by several different writers, becoming shared universe characters.
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