Work Text:
Mid-October, 2001
Daria woke up to the buzzing hum of her cell phone. Helen had insisted when Daria went off to college. Thankfully, it was usually Jane reaching out to touch someone rather than the parentals, but now it was 10am on a Sunday, and Daria had been out late in Harvard Square, and the bus back to campus had been late besides. She’d already asked her folks not to call so early on weekends, so with a groan, she glanced at the screen of her Nokia.
It was Jane.
What the hell was Jane up so early on a Sunday for? The situation being rare enough, Daria sighed and answered.
“Hello?”
“Daria! Did you see my email? Did you hear the news?”
Daria flinched, still reeling from the current events of the past few weeks. Jane’s panicked voice woke her up, that was for sure.
“No, what’s going on? Did Bush do something stupid and unconstitutional?”
“What? No, Sick Sad World is going off the air in January!”
Sitting up and rubbing her face, Daria felt seriously conflicted. On the one hand, given that the US had just experienced a jarring blow to its collective unconscious, losing one’s cool over a TV show’s cancellation was way out of proportion.
On the other hand, it was Sick Sad World.
“Jane. You need perspective, and I need coffee. Meet at noon for caffeine and summit?”
“Yeah.”
Jane took the “summit” thing seriously. She showed up with three of her BFAC cronies Daria detested the least.
By 3pm that day, they had plans for a grand send off to the show that had gotten pretty much all of them through high school.
January 31, 2002
Jane had outdone herself. She’d gotten access to one of the BFAC film screening facilities, and built out a party that was the talk of several area colleges and universities. By using a contact at a local pizzeria, Jane had gotten the whole thing catered for barely any money. Apparently the owner was a huge Sick Sad World fan himself, and was also greatly upset by the news.
“I’ve gotta hand it to you, Jane, you’ve really thrown one great event.”
“Thanks, Daria. I’m dying to see what the final episode covers.”
“Well, it’s starting in an hour, so we’ll know soon enough.”
An hour later…
“And that’s how we’re sure Osama Bin Laden is hiding in the woods of Maine!
The team here at Sick Sad World would like to thank everyone for their support over the years! Be sure to continue supporting us as we live on at SickSadWorld.com!”
Jane boggled.
“Wait, they didn’t have a website already?”
“Guess not. I wonder what kind of vetting process they’ll have for submissions?”
“Come on, Daria, like they ever had a vetting process?”
“Good point.”
May 2004
“Congratulations, Kiddo! You did it!” Jake enveloped Daria in a crushing hug, knocking her graduation cap askew. Given the occasion, Daria returned the hug gingerly.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“We’re just so proud of you, Daria,” Helen added, going in for a more appreciated side hug. “Magna Cum Laude! Dual degrees in journalism and creative writing! It almost makes me want to bust out a card deck…”
“Mom, stop! Come on, I’ve got to head over to BFAC for Jane’s graduation.”
“Are Amanda and Vincent here?”
“Who knows?”
“Is Trent here?” Helen wasn’t teasing Daria with this question: After Daria, Jane, and Quinn had gone off to college, Trent had found himself a bit adrift. Helen and Jake had taken him under their wing. With their guidance, he’d started teaching music lessons and taking classes at Lawndale Community College. He was busy enough these days that getting to see him in Boston would actually be a treat for the Morgendorffers.
“I think so. Did...did you want to come to the BFAC graduation, too?”
“Of course! We love Jane very much, and she absolutely should have people cheering when her name gets called!”
As it turned out, because Jane was technically the first Lane in their side of the family to finish college, all of them were there. Amanda, Vincent, Summer, Wind, and Trent. Even Penny had come up from Nicaragua. Daria had to shepherd Jane off to a bar by themselves at the end of the day, she was so overwhelmed from her family’s appearance.
As they sipped bourbon, Daria and Jane made plans for what they’d do after. Staying in Boston seemed like an all right plan for the immediate future, but Jane wanted to go to New York at some point. As much as New York intimidated her, Daria thought it wouldn’t be the worst idea for her career, either.
August 2007
Like so many creative 20-somethings, Daria and Jane ended up in Brooklyn. Jane hated feeling like such a cliche, but really, it was where the action was. She found herself immersed in the arts and performance culture, going to art and theatre openings constantly. Events like the Idiotarod and unicorn parties kept her whimsy intact, while Daria got small writing gigs in The New York Press, The Village Voice, and the occasional Gothamist piece. While they were good for her portfolio, she found herself frustrated. She knew she was looking for something different, she just didn’t know what.
Daria was mulling this over one day as she printed out another set of clips for an interview. Gathering up her papers, she went to the desk to pay. The fellow behind the counter was tall and gangly, with Buddy Holly glasses and a t-shirt with a familiar logo. It threw Daria for a loop.
“Oh wow, neat Sick Sad World shirt,” she said. Such a comment was a bit out of character for her, but she was stunned by seeing the logo after so much time.
“Thanks! Yeah, I don’t know if you’ve been to their website lately, but they’ve really changed it up.”
“Really? What are they doing with it these days? The last time I went, it hadn’t been updated in a while.”
“Oh, you should definitely go look. It’s much more journalistic these days.”
“Oh yeah? Hmm...”
When Daria got home, she checked out the website, and it was even more awesome than the clerk at the net cafe said! Scrolling down, she saw something even better:
In-House Staff Wanted In New York
Writers and designers needed.
“Hey Jane! C’mere, you’re going to want to see this…”
December 2014, from an article on Wired.com
These days, when you go to SickSadWorld.com, you are inundated with content. Years and years of articles ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the absurd to the deeply informative.
But it all came together in 2007 when the now Editors-in-Chief, Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane took the helm. The two, best friends since high school,and avid viewers of the original television show, bring unique perspective to what’s evolved into one of the best sites on the internet….
“5 Things You Learn When You’re The Youngest Of Five”
“‘THAT’S What We’ll Be Saying For The Rest Of Our Lives’ - How Patterns From High School Play Out Well Into Adulthood”
“‘My Day With D’ - I Was A Teenage Blog Post”
“The 4 Lies Bridesmaids Tell Themselves To Get Through The Big Day”
“The Other Holiday Personifications No One Talks About”
“It Really Makes You Think - What Not To Say During Times Of Public Grieving”
“Inside The Dark World Of Art Replication”