Cut part of this trope because a ''lot'' of it was just whining about a character and not focusing on the trope. Also, "very few fanworks portray him in a positive light?" Really?

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** It might be both; by the GrandFinale, she seems to be the latter, but for alot of the series she was the former, with this slipping out. 
** And Tom. This character '''is''' from this trope. Tom's potentially ending the relationship between Daria and Jane, and effectively sealing the fate of the flirtation between Daria and Trent Lane, caused Tom to be a very controversial character. The infamous kiss with Daria generated enormous antipathy for both Tom and Daria, therefore, there are very few fanworks that portray them in a positive light. The Tom/Daria pairing has come in for stick for Tom being too much in the right, with some saying the relationship comes off as parternalistic and unequal as a result; others criticise it for being too unromantic, viewing this as unrealistic. Others defend the latter as making sense for Daria, a normally closed-off person.
*** Outside of his relationship with Daria, Tom's portrayal still varies. A number of writers show him being a good person and/or an ally of Daria's. Others have criticised Tom for being dull and not having much to him beyond being "the boyfriend", claiming he wasn't fleshed out enough. The Angst Guy has usually shown Tom as being weak, attempting to do the right thing but backing out or getting it wrong; on the Daria Fandom Blog, he also once remarked Tom had been punished for The Kiss by having to date Daria, which he viewed as being a source of pain and frustration for Tom.

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** It might be both; by the GrandFinale, she seems to be the latter, but for a lot of the series she was the former, with this slipping out. 
** Tom's potentially ending the relationship between Daria and Jane, and effectively sealing the fate of the flirtation between Daria and Trent Lane, caused Tom to be a very controversial character and his portrayls are all over the map. The fact that what Tom represented shifted during the course of the ''show'' leads to him coming off as very different in works written before the show ended, and his status as hero, villain, or neither are entirely based on where the author fell during the show's run.  And that's just regarding his relationship to Daria, which was largely his only storyline in the entire show.
*** Outside of his relationship with Daria, Tom's portrayal still varies. A number of writers show him being a good person and/or an ally of Daria's. One notable writer, The Angst Guy, has usually shown Tom as being weak, attempting to do the right thing but backing out or getting it wrong; on the Daria Fandom Blog, he also once remarked Tom had been punished for The Kiss by having to date Daria, which he viewed as being a source of pain and frustration for Tom.

6th Apr '13 4:12:30 PM RookEncounte

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2nd Apr '13 7:47:22 AM blueflame724

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I think it's a broken ace situation; if you find Daria to be an alright role model, that's alright but the series does try to point out why life is difficult

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1st Apr '13 2:35:31 PM RookEncounte

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31st Mar '13 9:55:51 AM LLCJ

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31st Mar '13 9:51:50 AM LLCJ

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