Share the Yum

Today is National Chocolates Day, and it is your patriotic duty to consume as many chocolates as humanly possible, then have some more. You may share them if you like, but don't try to take them from someone unless they are offered, if you value your fingers and your life.

MidnightStorm has some Daria projects in mind but needs advice about them. Anyone have some advice?

Jim North reveals Kevin and Brittany in their "supah-suits."

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• Finn Morgendorffer 17: Through Your Eyes, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 1 and 2): “I... uhhh... I need your advice on something,” said Daria. “Advice?” Finn immediately became suspicious. “Wait a minute...where’s the wire? This isn’t going to be one of those sting things is it? Well, nothing doing, I haven’t done anything bad this week. We just had that rum party last week and, oh my God, it’s on tape now!”
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes 13.9: Candle in the Wind, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Daria, supported by Jane, approached the cat’s holding cell. “Oh, God,” she said, moving closer. “The cat... it’s crying.” “That’s impossible,” Jodie said through the link. “Cats do not shed tears as an emotional response!” “This one does,” Mack said.
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Mini: Election Day, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): Jane Lane stood up. “Merely a confirmation from the previous meeting that the age requirements for Legion membership have been waived in the case of my cool brother, Trent Lane.” She smiled. “There was much discussion about whether we should let you in, but we managed to swing a 3-0 vote.” “Cool brother? Is that a pun?” asked Daria, referring to Trent’s temperature-controlling powers.
• Reflections, by MightnightStorm (Part 2): I wake up in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I'm wearing nothing more than my shorts and a shirt, still on.... from yesterday. All the familiar objects that make up my room surround me. The easel, my pile of dirty laundry, and an unfinished sculpture made out of red and black wiring at least a foot from my bed. I continue to stare up at the ceiling.
• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Special Agent Jethro Gibbs lowered a large cup of Caff-Cow in front of the raven-haired forensic technician. "Ducky said that the wounds on our dead marine were from a very sharp blade. Do you have a match for me, Abby?" Abby Sciuto grabbed the cup and took a long drink through the straw. "I made a casting of the wound and you're not going to like it, Gibbs."
  

Beavis and Butt-head Were Not Really Dead

Twelve years ago today, Daria made her final, seriously, no kidding, Beavis and Butt-head Do America-doesn't-count, VERY last appearance with Beavis and Butt-head, in the episode Beavis and Butt-head Are Dead. Beavis answers a phone call from Highland High, asking why they haven't been to school for three weeks, and he tells the shocked office worker that Beavis and Butt-head are dead. Thus freed from the noise of the phone ringing, the two go back to watching weekday morning sitcoms and game shows.

Mr. Van Driessen grieves, but the principal is overjoyed. In the image at right, we see Daria and her classmates as they hear the joyful announcement from the principal. None of the students care if the two are dead, not even Daria. ("Well, I guess it's kinda sad that they're dead and all, but it's not like they had bright futures ahead of them.")

This is also supposed to be National French Toast Day, and wouldn't you know it, we have artwork to go with this event: The French Toast Club. Thank you, S.C.!

The Wind Cries Jimi

Jimi Hendrix, the greatest electric guitar player who ever lived in real history or any dimension or alternate universe, was born this day 67 years ago. The MTV staff must have been fans of his, because they created not one but two alter egos for him, one with Jodie (a post-episode a.e.) and one with Jake (from the computer game Daria's Inferno). Long live THE MAN!

Minor Note: Jimi Hendrix was left-handed. Jake's image should be flopped to be correct.

Trent Lane is a fan of The Man, and the date is even celebrated in the CD-ROM accessory, Daria's Sick, Sad Life Planner (below). Thanks to Pinhead for the alter ego at left!

Is it true that Hendrix once set his guitar on fire? You be the judge. Could he really play guitar with his teeth? Again, you decide. Was he the greatest guitar player ever? No question. Sit back and dig it.

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• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 11): “Of course I’m dead, I’m not an idiot and I’m not blind. You think I didn’t notice all the chaos?” Sandi waved an arm at the crowd that had gathered around her body. “Then why are you yelling and shouting?” Daria asked. “Like duh, I’m trying to find my guardian angel.”
  

Here's Lookin' at You, Kiddo

It's Thanksgiving, and there's more news to come.

Casablanca was released on this day 67 years ago. Bogart and Bergman (Trent and Daria, at left) reenact the airport scene at the end. Hankies all around for the tearfully inclined.

Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz was born this day 87 years ago. Can you believe there have been Daria/Peanuts crossovers? Indeed, there are. (And I don't mean this one.) However, for some reason I cannot find them. Dang. Oh! Here's one, and here's the other! Excellent!

This exact day in the year 2001 (in another Dariaverse) was described in this fanfic. Another day in Paradise, how true....

Want to go to a Dariacon in Geneva, Switzerland? Want a chance to create havoc with the Large Hadron Collider while discussing Daria's bra size? Click the link! But read some fanfiction before you go.

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• Balletdictorian, by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!): I might be an ugly witch, Jodie thought with satisfaction, but at least I can have pretty shoes.
• The Bellgirl, by Liz Ruiz (COMPLETE!): "I spent the summer tutoring some of the guys at my school. Not that it didn’t totally backfire. I mean, who knew that after reading The Iliad they would come the next day dressed in a three-part donkey costume? They completely missed the freaking point!"
• Bringing the Angst, by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "Everything I touch turns to angst," Daria Morgendorffer said quietly to herself as she walked down the halls of Lawndale High School. "Everything becomes ash. Everything." (FF.net)
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 16: Ambrosia Vinaigrette, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): “Eric, I really have to get going, it’s time for supper. What are we having? Well, lasagna of course. That ricotta is just so... what was that? Oh, Eric, I didn’t know about that. Well, there are plenty of other things besides cheese to eat. Damn those doctors, right? Bye!” (FF.net)
• Get Sloan, by Ranger Thorne (COMPLETE!): "Now, Tom, I called you in here for a very important assignment. From this point on, everything I say is Top Secret, Class A security clearance." "Class A?" "That’s right." "Then shouldn’t we use the Cone of Silence?"
  
• In Silence Sarcastic, by Trscroggs (continued): “You flashed Beavis and Butt-head!”
• In the Fine Morning, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): The phone rang. Jane looked at the stereo clock. 9:54 am. The phone continued to ring. Six times. Eight times. Somewhere from the basement, the sound of a duck quack klaxoned through the Lane house. Great, thought Jane, Trent ain't home. The person next to Jane stirred and groaned. "Who's calling... goddamn it..." [Based on this comic]
• Iron Chef: Daria is Raven's Apprentice, by Project Pegasus (continued): Oh my, I hope that friend Raven comes back soon. Without her the Tower is somewhat... "Starfire, what is a nocturnal emission?!" ...chaotic.
• John Lane 44: Fizzy Logic, by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): As Ms. Ruiz passed out papers to her senior English class, she said, "Try to read chapters one to five of Frankenstein in the handout. You can thank the not-so-generous voters for the lack of real copies."
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes 13:7—Express Yourself, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): “I had never envisioned any sort of code names for Legionnaires,” Daria Morgendorffer said, leaning forward in her chair as she spoke to the other Legionnaires in the conference room. “I don't think there’s much of a point. Why would anyone call me Mnemosyne when you can just say, ‘Hey, Daria?’ Why Polaris when you can call her Jane?”
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes 13:8—Shadows of the Night, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Mack didn’t understand why Sandi suddenly turned to look at him with a scowl, and the other girls began to titter. “What did I say?” he asked, actually taking a step back from Sandi. “What?”
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Mini: Bull Session, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): “Okay, my turn,” Mack Mackenzie said, taking a Cluster Burger and an order of fries out of the large bag before passing it on. “You’re going to a family reunion, and they all think that you’re married, so you need to show up with someone who they think is your wife. Who’s the girl you take along with you?”
• Mind Over Plasma, by Jim North (Part 1): The song played out to an uninspired finish, but Jane had to admit that the overall piece showed a little bit of promise. "It was okay," she said, "but I think it coulda used the sound of two cars in a mid-air collision falling five hundred meters to the ground." Trent's eyebrow arched ever so slightly. "You're right," he said. "I shouldn't have taken that part out."
• Reflections, by Midnightstorm (COMPLETE!): I never knew I'd live to see seventeen. Some days you wake up in the morning feeling like crap and just want to end it right there. You probably never felt the way I did. Those days, I'd go to the bathroom, look in the mirror and say to myself, "What? You're still here!"
• The True Story of How Stacy Rowe Destroyed the Fashion Club, by Ticknart (COMPLETE!): "Stacy," her mother called from downstairs, "come to the dining room, your father and I need to talk to you about something."
• Unnamed story (Three-peat! New Ideas Thread Wins Again!), by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Still confused by her surroundings, Daria followed the written directions to "The Green Dome". Inside, she found a middle-aged man with gray hair wearing a black blazer with white piping. "Where am I?" she demanded. He had a friendly smile as he said, "The Village." [Now with a sequel by Ranger Thorne!]
  

TURKEY TIME!

The Wisdom of Sandi Griffin

Thanksgiving might be a stressed-out teen with family issues on Holiday Island, but here in the USA it is a time for being with your family even when they drive you totally insane. A lot of Daria fanfic has been written with a Thanksgiving theme, and here it is. Enjoy your drumstick!

• "Home for Thanksgiving"
• "Over the River and Through the Mood Swings"
  
• "Meanwhile, In..." (a story inspired by a passing comment by Jane Lane, about which Jane Lane later expressed satisfaction)
  
• "Pause in the Air"
• "Thanks Giving"
• "Turkey Days"
• "Thanks, But No Thanksgiving"
• "Bitter Harvest"
• "Be Careful What You Wish For (Part 2: Jane)" (a bit of horror for the holiday)
• "For This, We're Thankful"
• "Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!"
• "Daria Went Down to Georgia"
• "There Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies"
• "Southern Thanksgiving"
• "Thanksgiving Lesson"
• "Death from Above"
• "A New Set of Rules"

And a visual bonus: the Daria cast at the original Thanksgiving party, by Robin Sena.

If you insist on a fashionable turkey for your dinner, the one at right should be perfect.

We give Daria the last word.

Have fun!

Food for Thought: Bad-Ass Brittany

A lot of fans remember Brittany Taylor's stunning display of military acumen at the paintball field in "The Daria Hunter," but a more direct example of her combat prowess appears in "Monster."

When boyfriend Kevin gets whaled on by grocery store employees for crossing a picket line, Brittany, wearing a pink gown, jumps on the back of an assailant and opens up a 55-gallon drum of grade-A high-octane WWE-certified whupass. She becomes the original pit bull with lipstick, captured in all her savage glory on videotape.

Discuss.

(Thanks to UU and Pinhead for the images!)

Caption Contest Time!

This image needs a really good caption. Go for it.
(Responses go in Comments.)

To Evolve, or Not to Evolve... Is That the Question?

It's Evolution Day, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Obviously, the Three J's still have a long way to go up the human family tree. (Thanks to Pinhead and UU for the images!) If y0u ever want to peek at this groundbreaking work, look no further.

By chance, today is also the 35th anniversary of the discovery in Africa of Lucy, the female australopithecine (at left, shown with husband Ricky) who redefined human evolution. Here's lookin' at ya, kid.

Dale Carnegie, who wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People (a favorite book of Jodie Landon, per "Gifted") , was born 121 years ago today.

And this is the 38th anniversary of the strangest unsolved robbery in history. Wither didst thou goest, D.B. Cooper? And can anyone make a Daria fanfic out of this?

The DFB2 Turns Two!

It's PARTY TIME!

The Daria Fandom Blog II is now two years old. It had 51,000 hits last year at this point, and now has over 128,000. Thanks go to CINCGREEN for inspiring me with the DFB1, thanks go to all DFB2 followers and readers for your support, and thanks especially go to Viacom-Paramount-MTV-etc., for giving us Daria on DVD next year as our long-hoped-for and long-awaited treat.

Outpost Daria has updated! Go thither and rejoice!

Other Important Historical Date-things Today

• Harpo Marx was born this day 121 years ago. Jane Lane offers a snarky comment about a lesser known Marx Brother.
• The very first episode of Doctor Who premiered 46 years ago today on the BBC. Daria fanfic crossovers with this wonderful SF show include Yui Daoren's "Doctor Who-Gives-a-Damn," Ranger Thorne's "Lane Change," and Lawndale Stalker's work-in-progress "The House on Space-Time Lane" —epic stories all!
  
• An eloquent defense of the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, the Areopagitica, was published 364 years ago by John "Paradise Lost" Milton. I hadn't heard of it either, but quotations from it are astounding and very applicable to this fandom. Some of my favorites:
  

Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye.

A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.

Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.

FF.net

• Another Pie, by Yami White Rain (COMPLETE!): "All I'm saying," Tom said, "I'm just not sure what king of self respecting dictator would take over Lawndale of all the places in the entire world." Daria paused from taking a bite from her slice of pizza. "He has a point. It's kind of insultingly easy to get them riled up."
  

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• Finn Morgendorffer 16: Ambrosia Vinaigrette, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 2): “Instead of reading a story for its moral dimensions, why don’t you write one with moral dimensions?” “Excuse me?” “Daria, you are one of this school’s most talented writers, and your writing style is, well, it’s a little unpleasant, but it’s very well written.”
  
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Mini: Part of the Solution, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): The intercom on the desk sounded. “The representatives from the Society are here,” the voice spoke up. “Shall I take them to the conference room?” A woman’s voice responded. “Yes—and make sure that they are comfortable.”
  

Moar l8r. Stay tooned.

T-t-t-twenty Minutes into the F-f-future

This day is of course known for the JFK assassination in 1963, which I remember as a third grader, but it is also known for a peculiar event called the Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion incident. That was 22 years ago, when someone wearing a Max Headroom mask (at left) used powerful transmission equipment to interrupt normal TV transmissions in Chicago, Illinois. Max Headroom (a "real" photo of which is at right) appeared in a Daria fanfic by Ruthless Bunny, the title of which is borrowed from the original movie in which Max appeared.

Interesting: Here is a webpage detailing efforts to get various TV shows on DVD, and both Daria and the Max Headroom TV show from the late 1980s are on it!

More Interesting: The BBC's Channel 4 created a series of ads two years ago using Max Headroom to promote the switch to digital TV. The result was one of the most hysterically funny ads ever shown on TV. You have to see this. Also, Max Headroom's music video and Max Headroom's advice for macho guys.

NEWZ

• Richard Lobinske has updated the 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks list! Hooray!
• NEW! The earliest Daria story on FanFiction.net was posted 11 years ago today: Paperpusher's "Her, Uh, Cane." It was also 11 years ago at this time that one of the earliest and most extensive Daria supersites, Planet Daria, was taken offline.
• NEW! Tommy Sherman, by some esoteric mathematical figuring, won the state championship in football for Lawndale High about 15 years ago.
  
• NEW! The last story in Kara Wild's Driven Wild Universe was completed about this time four years ago: "Tomorrow Never Knows."
  

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• Finn Morgendorffer 16: Ambrosia Vinaigrette, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): "Daria, did anything interesting happen at school today?” “I wasn’t invited to anything, no one asked me on a date, I’m getting a cold sore, and I think someone threw a Life Saver at me.” “Oh, that’s horrible! Finn, what about you?” “I blew off my date with Ashley Beaker tonight to do this work, I’ve got two parties and four dates come the weekend, and I need to master these...tactics before my birthday next week. And today, someone actually gave me Life Savers.”

Stay tooned.

Moar Gud Gnuz!

Kara Wild continues to update the DVDaria situation for this lucky fandom, and it looks like we are about to receive an extraordinary treat next year. Now we've really got something to smile about! (More updates here.)

Good thing, too, because I was running out of acorns to sacrifice to the Great Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed One.

The quarter million fans at the Facebook site are talking. Reactions are coming in from the Television Without Pity message board, too.

Think maybe we can drop some hints about repairing the broken links to flipbooks on the official MTV Daria website? We would dearly love to see them!

XTER GUD GNUZ

• Jim North has opened up a new shared Dariaverse for fanfic writers! Go to it!

It's World Television Day. Hooray.

Today is World Television Day, a pseudo-holiday every bit as stupid as it sounds. Are we supposed to watch it to celebrate? Imagine what this kid is like at Holiday Island High.

Speaking of television, this is also the 72st birthday of actress Marlo Thomas, who starred in the TV series That Girl 40 years ago. At right is Andrea as Ms. Thomas's That Girl character (Anne Marie) in an early MTV alter ego.

Many of the events detailed in part two of "Nine-Eleven and Counting" took place eight years ago, starting today. It was also about this date that Daria received a unique present from her sister Quinn in another tale. Daria's birthday is today according to yet still another fandom mythology, and still yet another. This is the last day this year that Daria's birthday can possibly occur, if she is a Scorpio.

Speaking of lame pseudo-holidays, this is also World Hello Day, Daria Morgendorffer is of course ready to welcome one and all. On the good nerdy side of the holiday spectrum, this is artist René Magritte's 111th birthday anniversary (he is mentioned in only one Daria fanfic), Voltaire's 315th birthday anniversary (he's mentioned in four Daria fanfics), and the 29th year since the infamous Lake Peigneur eco-disaster in Louisiana, which was actually pretty weird and almost funny. In the U.S.A., it's National Adoption Day. Did you ever wonder if Daria was... you know... adopted by space aliens disguised as humans?

An interesting essay by CINCGREEN, "Daria, Batman, Darth Vader and the Braves," is at the author's Fortress.

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• Balletdictorian, by Kristen Bealer (part 2): "...and we didn't do any fancy stuff or anything! We just stood in front of the mirror barefoot and did a bunch of dumb stretches!" It was dinnertime, and Jodie had had all day to build up a long list of complaints. Unfortunately, she was reciting them to herself. Her mother, Michelle, was reading the Wall Street Journal in between bites of dinner. Andrew was feeding Rachel. Neither had heard a word she'd said.
• Falling into College 71: Merging Goals, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): "Remember how you wanted to get in on the IPO at that dot-com company?" "Yeah," Jake grumbled. "I was a month too late for the stock options." "Look at what those stocks are worth, now." "Buzzdome went belly-up two years ago." "Exactly, the stocks are worthless. What Jodie is offering is payment up front, not empty promises."
• Living Legends, by Trscroggs (EVEN MORE COMPLETE!): “Recently my cover identity had the chance to read a piece of spy-thriller parody by one of the other students.” Blue locked eyes with Pointman as she continued. “The actions of the main character were almost a one-to-one match with the events of the Morocco mission.”
• Shield Maiden, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): “Three for evac, Roger.” Andrea scanned the dusty Iraqi town for the telltale green smoke. Soon, she spotted it rising from a small square. “Visual on green smoke. Landing in thirty seconds. Over.” “Thirty seconds, Roger. We’ll try to keep their heads down, but expect small arms fire. Over.”

BREAKING NEWS!

Kara Wild has been in touch with The Powers That Be about the DVD Daria set....

AND IT'S COMING FOR REAL!

Click the link and read the story, with information on what the set might include! Most EXCELLENT! Thank you, Kara! and thank you, Viacom/MTV!

You may go outside and scream for joy now. Thank you.

A Whale of a Tale of a Whale with a Tail that Whaled

This blogger has fallen way behind in listing new fanfiction, but hopes to remedy the problem very soon. Like now. And it's a hell of a great list. But first...

Just 189 years ago today, a great whale turned the tables on a shipload of whalers, an event that led Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. Daria read the novel during her incarceration in "The Big House." She even reads the novel in alternate universes. Quinn tried to read it once, but you can imagine how that went. Even Jane has read it. Kevin... never mind. I read most of it myself in high school and liked it, but all I remember now is the chapter about how sailors tie knots in ropes. We will give Jane the last words here.

In Canada, today is Universal Children's Day. Every day, of course, is Children's Day, though most of us have only our inner child with which to celebrate. Good enough.

Today is also another of Daria's birthday, according to yet other mythologies. Oddly, this is also the day, 74 years into the future, that Daria dies at the age of 100, per Wildgoose's "Season's End."

Thanks to UU and Pinhead for the image here. Go see Pinhead's new image of Daria and Jane!

FF.net

• Does a Gender Really Matter? by Fireflowsthroughthesevains (Part 1): Groaning, Darian moved down the stairs of their old house and into the moving van, carrying a box filled to the brim with his sister Quinn's clothes. Apparently the box was too heavy for her, and she didn't want to wait for the guys they had hired to move their stuff.
• The Girl with Golden Eyes, by Michellesdaughter (Part 1): “And that’s why it would be simpler if they just gave me the degree and saved the professors their humiliation.” “But Daria, think of all of the things your peers will miss about you in your classes: your sparkling personality...” “Not to mention the guys that cheat off your paper during tests.”

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• Balletdictorian, by Kristen Bealer (Part 1): Jodie Landon tugged nervously on her t-shirt as she followed her father into the ballet studio. Sneakers thumping softly on the wooden floor, she stared with wide eyes at the unfamiliar room. A piano sat in a corner near a small box full of some kind of powder. One of the walls was a big mirror, where several girls about Jodie's age stood in front of a railing, playing and making faces.
• Daria: Hunter—The Love Triangle, by Jim North (COMPLETE!): Chest heaving in frustration and lip curled in fury, Jeffy stomped onto the factory floor and started searching for his lost love. Getting angrier and more frustrated as he marched along the aisles, he started to slam his fists into random machinery, transforming to heal up the resulting broken fingers. "Quiiiiiinn!" (FF.net)
  
• Daria: The Untold Story, by Ajar (Part 1): Hello. Now, from the fact that I started this piece of writing with a "hello" not inside of quotation marks, you may have guessed that this is not in fact a fanfic in the classical sense. With that hello I am in fact introducing myself. Now, you may ask why are you introducing yourself? Haven't you already done that? The answer to that is yes and no.
• Everybody Loves Mack, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): Mack was pretty bummed out when he walked into Mrs. Bennett's economics class. Jodie had just broken up with him - vocally and rudely, to boot. Everyone stared at him, which irritated him. What's wrong with you idiots? Are your lives that pathetic?
• Everybody Loves Mack, Written by NightGoblyn and Doggieboy, stitched together by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "Love spells are dangerous." Scarlett frowned darkly a moment, and then she smiled brightly. "Awesome, let's do it.” The next day, Mack was feeling confident about getting Jodie back with Scarlett’s assistance. Students still looked his way as he walked down the hall, but his sources in the rumor mill said it was more about who he was going to go after as a replacement girlfriend for Jodie. Little did they know that he had no plans to replace Jodie with anybody else but Jodie.
• Falling Into College 71: Merging Goals, by Richard Lobinske (Part 4): "We'd better get used to it, if we're going to pull this off," Jane said, crossing out something on a page and writing a correction. "I never saw my parents do anything like this and they've been self-employed my whole life." "And you never saw them do what led to five kids, either," CC said. Jane grumbled, "I will not visualize… I will not visualize… I will not visualize…"
• Finn Morgendorffer 15: Believers, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): This is so weird, Finn thought. Was Jane actually talking to him? Daria’s friend? She was plenty nice to him when he stayed over at her house, and actually seemed like a decent human being. What a decent human being was doing hanging out with Daria was another matter all together. But this was intriguing, and Finn didn’t know why. He wanted to know why.
• In Silence Sarcastic, by Trscroggs (continued): “Well, that wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be,” Quinn Morgendorffer told her companions. The young women sitting with Quinn for rides looked incredulously at the youngest Morgendorffer. “Not bad?” Jodie exclaimed. “There was a free-for-all starting when we left!”
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes 13:7/13:8, by Brother Grimace (teasers): “I’m not sure that’s a good choice for a code-name, Daria,” Tom managed to cough out without laughing—although she had clearly heard the mental ten-count he made as he held his breath before he spoke. “After all, isn’t she most famous for sleeping with Zeus for over a week, and each day giving birth to one of the Muses? I don’t think that you want to have the same name as the head concubine to the King of the Gods!”
• Living Legends, by Trscroggs (Part 1): The three months afterward were the most intensive of Joanne’s life. But afterward she could consider herself part of the elites and had earned the codename, Blue. While a lot of her training was in ways to best utilize the many facets of her Legend, a lot more had been bent on infiltration, blending in, and unarmed defense. That time was many years past.
  
• Regifted, by Ajar (Part 23): "I'm Ryan.” Ryan stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Quinn.” “A handshake? What are you, forty?”
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): "America has changed. It has metamorphosed from a country into a movie. And, like a movie, its production cost is considerably over its budget. Furthermore, with this metamorphosis, all its people have ceased to be citizens and are now film extras."
• Unnamed story, by Trscroggs (Part 2): The Open Eye Café was considered by most to be one of Lawndale’s top student hangouts. College, high, and middle schoolers equally attended the open and airy cafe. What only a handful of people realized, however, was that in a backroom, concealed from the public eye, the Open Eye Café was also a hang-out and meeting place for Lawndale’s Magical Girl Protection League.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Tooth and Nail), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Kevin found himself in a huge white space. "Where the heck am I?" he asked.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Tooth and Nail), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "Hey," Mack said, grabbing the girl's shoulder and turning her around before she could leave the otherwise empty classroom. She looked up at him with surprise, and then reached up to brush her dark red hair out of her eyes. One stubborn lock fell back down, hanging right in the middle of her forehead. "What?" "You do witchy stuff, I saw it," Mack said. "You gave Mr. O'Neill a blank piece of paper and he thought it was your homework."
• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Hump Day), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): The new transfer from Gotham High was sitting by himself at a table. It was his first day at Lawndale High School. He was eating an apple and a healthy energy bar rested near his glass of milk. Daria and Jane sat on each side of the new student. The young man had a quick memory and knew their names from class. "Daria! Jane! I'm glad to see you!" "Hello, Dick," said Daria. "Or should I say... Robin?"
• What Happens in Vegas..., by Martin Pollard (sneak preview): Finally, she turned to regard her fiance, Michael, who was staring rapturously out of the window, hoping for a glimpse of the famous Las Vegas Strip as they approached. "Looking for a gremlin on the wing?" she teased. He turned to look at Daria, a goofy grin on his face. "Hey, this is my first time in Vegas. I want to savor the experience." "Just don't drool on the window," she teased, giving him one of her private smiles as she thought back to how this entire trip happened in the first place...

At Least He Wasn't Named After Marmaduke

James A. Garfield, who overcame the handicap of being named after a fat orange comic-strip cat to become President of the U.S.A. in the late 1800s, was born a long time ago today in the early 1800s. We mention him here only because the Sick, Sad Life Planner had a comment from Jane Lane about President Garfield, and we are proud to bring you Jane's comment in its entirety. Quinn Morgendorffer, on the other hand, prefers to offer her thoughts about Calvin Klein, who was also born on this day but not such a long time ago.

Oh, and the Gettysburg Address is now 146 years old.

And even more importantly, this is Daria Morgendorffer's birthday according to some mythologies. Let's see, if she was 19 in 1999, she's 29 today. Party on!

Aaaaand this is International Men's Day. Who thought that up? Heck, every day is International Men's Day! I mean, seriously.

Vlora has posted a link to her Daria art. Wow! Thanks! And Pinkminx needs your vote to decide which story she should finish first. What are the other writers doing? Click and see.

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Today is the 56th birthday of Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and many other graphic novel and comics lines that have been crossed over with Daria by inventive fanfic writers. Thanks, dude! And thanks especially for Jane Lane's grandmother (or, you know, great aunt), Silhouette.

Oh, and Mickey Mouse is 61 years old today. Can you feel Daria's excitement?

Oh, well. Moar l8r.

We Were All Students Once

Today is International Students Day, which has its roots in the Second World War. (Rather shocking story, really.) It would be interesting to see if any cynics we know at Lawndale High ever celebrated this day in unusual ways. Maybe Mr. O'Neill could give out homework assignments for this special day, and shocking things happen as a result. Fanfic, fanfic, fanfic... (Thanks to UU for the image!)

The Elizabethan Era began this day a mere 451 years ago, when Elizabeth I took the throne of England and Ireland. Daria appears as Elizabeth I in the alter ego below, with the Bard of All Bards who flourished in this period: Shakespeare. (Thanks to Pinhead for the images!)

Daria was born this day in 1983, according to one writer's tale: Wildgoose's "Season's End." She lives to be 100 years old.

Modified Julian Day Zero was 151 years ago today. Ah, those crazy Julian Days. I don't understand the concept at all, but it's all over the Internet, so here it is. Do with it as you will.

Time for fanfic!

PPMB

• Daria: Hunter—The Love Triangle, by Jim North (continued): "Daria!" Quinn called out. "Save us!" "Yes, thank you, Quinn," Daria returned, her eyes never leaving Jamie. "That's exactly what I'm trying to do."
• Finn Morgendorffer 15: Believers, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): “You’re just like your sister,” Mrs. Morris commented. Finn stopped on a dime. “I beg your pardon?” “Your sister, Daria Morgendorffer. She doesn’t participate, sits out in protest. And now she has to make up gym class after school. No wonder you two are related.”
  

Faster Food Day!

Today is National Fast Food Day, though you could say that every day is National Fast Food Day. Daria's close personal friend, Butt-head, offers advice regarding this event from his job at Burger World in Highland, Texas.

Today is also the UN's International Day for Tolerance, when we put aside our differences with the bigoted morons of the world and try not to hit them with crowbars. I wouldn't want to be this teen at Holiday Island High. Jodie Landon has an important thought for the cynical among us at this special time.

PPMB

• Unforgettable, by Raskolnikov (COMPLETE!): Once upon a time… there was a kid who didn’t believe in love. Well, not exactly. He didn’t believe in true love. He saw around him, and all he saw was men and women getting tired of their couples after two, five, ten years of living together, and he thought, what’s the point of bonding?
  

When Recycling Fashions Isn't Enough

Sandi Griffin is oh-so-not pleased to present us with America Recycles Day. We must view her at a distance for she will smash us with that garbage can lid if we get too close. And can you believe it, I found not one, not two, but three Daria fanfics in which recycling is a major topic! Miracles never cease.

The magnificent Guy "Decelaraptor" Payne was born this day 54 years ago. He passed away last March, but he will long be remembered in our fandom for his touching and hilarious stories, and his humor and warmth on the message boards. The link above goes to his DariaWiki page, which further links to his online story collections. He was a master of the reinvention fanfic, of emotional realism, and of the unexpected twist.

What are your favorite Decelaraptor stories? Mine would be "Home Is the Sailor," "Beneath a Copper Sun," "Kadhimiya," and "A Star in the East Window." And "Daria: 1830," the one where the Morgendorffers have a Donner Party of their own in the Old West. That one is beyond priceless. It always gives me a smile.

Thank you for everything, Guy. You were and still are The Man. Perhaps November 15th should hereafter be Decelaraptor Day in your memory. You gave us such wonderful memories of our own.

Kn00Z

• Alter Egos That Should Have Been: a thread to spark your artistic streak!
• Since the start of November, the New Ideas thread in PPMB's Creative Writing has really moved along. See if anything appeals to the writing monster inside you.
  

PPMB

• NEW! Daria: Hunter—The Love Triangle, by Jim North (continued): "Oh, oh no, baby!" Jeffy said, putting his hand on Quinn's face just below her bruise. "No, no, I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry about punching you, I swear I didn't mean to, I just got a little carried away. It won't happen again, I promise. I don't want to hurt you..."
• NEW! Finn Morgendorffer 14: Going Medieval, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): “Now, this class lecture is going to be about issues that come up for sensitive, struggling teenage boys,” said Mr. O’Neill. “Because these issues can often be... well... a little yucky, we’ve separated the girls so that you can speak openly without being judged.”
  
• Hell on Wheels, by Roxanne M (Part 6): Angier spoke up. "Son, your mother and I were discussing this. We like Daria, and don’t get us wrong, but are you sure she is the girl for you? A proper young lady would not be crawling around bars in the worse part of town, let alone getting shot." Tom was pulled out his exhaustion by a spike of anger. He glared at them and said, “What are you getting at?” It was his mothers turn to speak. “If the media finds out that she is connected to us, it would cast a bad light upon you, this family and your father's firm. His clients do not like that kind of notoriety.”
  

American Venus

This is quite the party day for film buffs. We start with showgirl, dancer, writer, fashion model, and movie actress Louise Brooks (at left), born 103 years ago. She was at one time amazingly famous and still has fan clubs. The MTV artists did an alter ego of Ms. Li as Ms. Brooks, in black and white like her many movies. (American Venus was one such film.)

The choice of model for the alter ego confounds me, as one alert superfan (Scissors) has pointed out that Jane Lane looks a heck of a lot more like Ms. Brooks than does Ms. Li. Well, whatever. The image of Ms. Li at right (thanks, Pinhead!) can be blown up to almost pin-up size by clicking on it, if you think you won't be visually or emotionally damaged by doing so.

Ms. Brooks, by the way, gave us the bobbed hairstyle. She made it popular, anyway, so Ms. Li and Jane Lane both owe her a debt. A quote from Ms. Brooks: Most beautiful dumb girls think they are smart and get away with it, because other people, on the whole, aren't much smarter.

We also honor the birthday anniversary of actress Veronica Lake, whose peekaboo hairstyle is so well and so often used by Sandi Griffin.

The dwarf planet Sedna was discovered six years ago today. It was mentioned only once in Daria fanfic, and then only in passing. A shame.

Last, but not at all least, Mrs. Johanssen probably knows that today is World Diabetes Day, which is something for us all to think about. Watch the sugar.

Looking for something to do while the MBs are offline? See what's new at DariaWiki. Maybe add a new page of your own. Couldn't hurt.

Nuuz Plash! PPMB & SFMB ARE BACK! HOORAY!

And now for the fanfics.

PPMB

• Daria: Hunter--The Love Triangle, Jim North (continued): "Ready?" Quinn asked once they'd taken a few moments to soak in the ambiance. "Almost!" Stacy said cheerfully as she slipped on a pair of wide-lens glasses.
• Finn Morgendorffer 14: Going Medieval, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 1 and 2): “So the school is throwing a Renaissance Faire?” Finn wondered to his friends at the lunch table. The news had been delivered just before lunch. “Yeah. Doesn’t it sound stupid?” Jamie stated. Finn agreed. He had never been to one of those before, but it involved wearing those dreadful outfits in a time where people didn’t bathe very often. What could be so fascinating about that, aside from the primal, visceral pleasure of eating meat on a bone?
• Reusably Complex, by Ajar (Part 7): "Consider if you will one Quinn Morgendorffer. A girl whose concern doesn't go far beyond the neatness of her hair, the painting of her face and the style of her clothing. This is a girl who has lived a charmed but empty life of popularity, boys, and diet soda. However, she's going to have to relive the memory of when her almost sister ruined it all in... The Twilight Zone."
• Unnamed story, by Trscroggs (Part 1): If our hypothetical observer was capable of seeing more clearly through the fog, the would have been able to see that the shape was not running to something, but rather running from a much smaller shape. A hypothetical male observer might have stuck around long enough to try to see the pursuing figure before retreating. Anyone from outside of Lawndale would have described the pursuing figure as a teenage girl wearing a stylized Chinese-style dress far too skimpy and short to be decent. Anyone from Lawndale would have called the pursuing girl a magical girl.
  

Oh, the Horror, the Horror!

PPMB and SFMB are both down, so if you want to chat about anything, you may do so here in Comments. Have at it. I'll ramble on about nothing, after I get back from going out, and maybe the other guys who can post here will do so too, if they know what's good for them.

That Awesome Awful Day Is Back!

It's Friday the 13th, as per a certain Holiday Island story, and this blogger has picked two pictures off the Internet to show what his conception of the ultra-dangerous Holiday Island teen known as Friday the 13th looks like (when she doesn't have her skull face on, that is). I had thought she looked like Neil Gaiman's Death, but Death smiles too much and doesn't look evil, cold, and frightening. See if these two images do it for you. (They've been slightly modified with the author's limited computer-art artistic skills.) Ignore the crosses and so forth, and instead replace them with a gold necklace with a small 13 dangling from it. These two look most like my mind's eye image of Friday the 13th. Not perfect (thicker hair with no highlights, just sheer featureless black), but close enough. Enjoy.

BTW, can you think of a song that would be Daria's theme song?

PPMB

• Anti-Trope 2, by Pinkminx (Part 2): “I don’t care if you’re trying your best; we need to start winning games.” Ms. Li's eyes narrowed on the school’s football coach, Mr. Gibson. “The P.T.A. is getting suspicious of the distribution of school funds; some are even questioning why the football team is getting new uniforms and equipment.” “Well, the uniforms from last year—” “Are you questioning my distribution of the schools monies?”
• Daria: Hunter—The Love Triangle, by Jim North (Part 1): "Yes, Daria," Quinn said into her commlink, "I swear I read it! I know you still think of me as an illiterate bubblehead, but come on. I write for a living now.... There's no need to get all snippy, Daria. I'll have you know that some of the articles I write are very long."
• The New Girl, by JPAGC (COMPLETE!): Daria walked in the corridors of Stanford University, her boots making a resonant sound down the almost empty corridor, while she enjoyed the calm of the early morning hours and thrived on the ambiance of science that seemed to emanate everywhere....
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): Dirty grey clouds of cottony smoke erupted from the rusty grimy steam locomotive as it shuddered to an arthritic stop. Stepping out from the triple canopy forest facing the station were a number of K'eckchi and K'iche Maya who converged on the passenger car and rapidly loaded the baggage on their backs and heads. All were dressed in identical black felt jackets, embroidered with the symbolic red keys and dragon of the modern Avignon Papacy and fringed with blue and white strips of yarn....
  
• Two Halves 5: Mall Rat Blues, by Dark Kuno (continued): “So my mom was, like, ‘No more shopping until you bring your grades up young lady’,” complained Quinn as she and the other Fashion Club members strolled down the halls of Lawndale High. “That’s… sooooo unfair,” drawled Tiffany. “I know,” Quinn agreed. “It’s like she expects me to be a brain like Daria and Lex.”
  
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Tooth and Nail), by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): "Hey, Mack, can I carry your books?" "Hey, Mack, can I carry your... pencil?" "Hey, Mack, can I carry your, uh, um... got anything else?"