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Daria & Christian

She says: Let's go. He says: Hold on.

Daria has a new idea every hour and wants to start on it right away. Christian does the math first. They live next door to each other and share four guinea pigs and a deal sealed with a handshake. They're not a couple. They're best friends.

The friendship

Two neighbors, one backyard, four guinea pigs.

And the question of whether a boy and a girl can just be friends. They can. To keep it that way, they have three rules:

What we start together, we finish together.

If one of us pushes, the other one gets to say stop.

Feeding the guinea pigs always comes first, even when we're fighting.

Daria and Christian standing side by side, hands in their pockets, smiling at each other
Who they are

Different enough to fight. Close enough to make up.

Daria in an olive jacket, striped shirt and denim skirt, hands in her jacket pockets

Daria

"Why wait? Let's just start!"

Daria gets going while everyone else is still talking. She walks up to people without thinking twice, sells lemonade to joggers and negotiates with grown-ups, politely and stubbornly.

She does math in her head faster than anyone in her class. She still doesn't read the fine print. That's what Christian is for.

  • does mental math at lightning speed
  • always carries a yellow idea notebook
  • writes the chalkboard on Wednesdays at Nonna Lucia's café, the Limonaia
  • says "Come on" and is already out the door
Christian in a teal polo and cargo shorts, hands in his pockets

Christian

"Before I say yes, I do the math twice."

Christian thinks things through. He takes alarm clocks apart to see how they work, keeps the notebook and notices when the numbers don't add up.

And he dances, ballroom and Latin, with his dance partner Marie. For a long time nobody at school knew except Daria.

  • dances ballroom and Latin
  • fixes bikes for the neighbors
  • builds the winter cage for the guinea pigs
  • says "Hold on" before he says anything
Moments

Backyard, hedge, dance studio. Small scenes, no likes.

Daria is already on her way
Daria is already on her way
Christian would rather look twice
Christian would rather look twice
A new plan is taking shape
A new plan is taking shape
He's still doing the math
He's still doing the math
Signs for the next stand
Signs for the next stand
When Christian can't help laughing
When Christian can't help laughing
What Daria and Christian run into

Six questions from their time of life

School & Pressure

The new school

Soon it's middle school: same school, but different classes. After a week Daria will know everyone, Christian one kid. Who's actually lonelier?

Explore more →Money & Independence

Your first own money

Mowing lawns, selling cake, fixing bikes. And then a deal that's "today only."

Explore more →Friendship & Love

"Are you two in love?"

A boy and a girl walk home together, and the whole class laughs. What do you say to that?

Explore more →Online & Offline

The first phone

Phone rules at home, the new class chat and messages you can't take back.

Explore more →Choices & Future

A hobby against the cliché

A boy who dances. A girl who's great at math. And the comments when it gets out.

Explore more →Respect & Values

Saying stop in time

The one who pushes isn't always wrong. Neither is the one who stays quiet. When do you say it out loud?

Explore more →
Their stories

The first stories with Daria and Christian are coming soon to the magazine.

Known from the WirtschaftsschweinchenDaria and Christian have started a lemonade stand, caught a lazy supplier and bought a share of stock. The Wirtschaftsschweinchen books tell how it went.→

FAQ

Are Daria and Christian a couple?

No. Daria and Christian are best friends, and that's how it stays. At ELSEWISE each pair shows a different time of life; for these two it's friendship.

Are Daria and Christian brother and sister?

No. They live next door to each other and have known each other for as long as they can remember. Neither of them has siblings, so sometimes the other one comes pretty close.

Where do I know Daria and Christian from?

From the Wirtschaftsschweinchen books. There, the two of them and their four guinea pigs start a lemonade stand and learn how money, contracts and prices work.

Do the guinea pigs talk at ELSEWISE?

No. In the Wirtschaftsschweinchen books, Rocky, Mr. Grey, Toffy and Mojito get to talk. At ELSEWISE they're regular guinea pigs living in Daria's backyard. Rocky still always looks like he's about to give a speech.

What are Daria and Christian especially good at?

Daria does mental math at lightning speed, has ideas nonstop and isn't afraid to talk to grown-ups. Christian is precise with numbers, can fix almost anything and dances ballroom and Latin.

What are their stories about?

Friendship between a boy and a girl, a new school, earning your own money, your first phone, hobbies that break clichés and the courage to say stop in time.

Are Daria and Christian real people?

No, they're fictional characters. They're named after FLITCH's founders, Daria and Christian, but their stories are made up. There are no real accounts, no likes and no comments.

When do the first stories come out?

Soon, in the magazine. Until then, you can find out who they are here, and what they've already been through in the Wirtschaftsschweinchen books.