Also called "OOC," "out of character" refers to any depiction in Daria fanfic that shows one or more series characters acting in a manner inconsistent with canon—e.g., showing Daria Morgendorffer as either stupid or obsessively fashion conscious. The "out of character" accusation is usually based on decisions made by a character during a story. The appropriate phrase is "Daria/Quinn/Jane/Jodie would never do that!"
The show itself has even being argued to be OOC at times, the most glaring example being the moment when Daria kissed Tom Sloane in "Dye! Dye! My Darling".
This is different to alternate universe depictions, where the characterisation will be changed by the different events of that timeline.
Characterisation and certain actions can usually be seen as in-character or OOC - Kevin isn't going to be a fan of Math classes, Daria isn't going to willingly do a school function, etc. Whether some choices made by a character are OOC can be a matter of contention, based on fan's readings of specific characters, possible fanon assumptions, and which episodes they like more than others, and some fans will argue that circumstances and momentary irrationality can affect even the most consistent characters to make decisions one would not normally expect them to make. (This is indeed the show's stance on Daria kissing Tom)
External Links[]
- Out of Character at Wikipedia
- "It Slipped Through My Hands, Like a Shadow, Like a Dream" (see "Author's Notes II" at the end)