Speed Racer Lives!

Birthdays aplenty today. NASCAR, where Stacy Rowe finally hits it big (per IICY?), turns 62. The peace symbol (on Jake's belt buckle, below right) is 52. They've aged well.

Today also is an interesting U.N. mandated holiday: International Mother Language Day. I really suck at languages, even English, so anyone who can speak two or more languages or even geekspeak has my admiration. (I've had two years each of Spanish, Russian, and Latin, plus lived three years in Mannheim immersed in German, and I can't speak more than two brain-dead phrases of each. At least I can order lunch at McDonald's in German, so that helps.) Having once been an editor, looking up the roots of old words is rather fun for me, and it is amazing just how many thousands of years old some of our words and concepts are.

NeWz!

• A stunning discovery is reported by E.A. Smith, who says Daria episodes are being uploaded by MTV to the official Daria Facebook site. Srsly. Also, the site has almost 280,000 fans now. Holy cow.
• Got art? See the quick pencil sketches by Pinhead on PPMB.

FF.net

• The Prodigal Daughter, by a440 (COMPLETE!): "AIDS," said Brittany. "Now my dad and stepmom will truly hate me for sure."
• You're Standing on Our Necks, by Gojirob/Rob Morris (COMPLETE!): "Helen, it’s terrible! My—my father is coming over in a few days." "Jakey, I know how he makes you feel. I don't like him much, either. But we have to be fair. In fact, I can't remember the last time he came over. Or—that I saw him. But he is family." "He's the devil! What we need is a devil-killer person." "Maybe one will happen along, dear." (Daria/Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

PPMB

• NEWER! After Daria, by Ravynstone (Part 1 plus): Daria picked up the syringe. It was lightweight, made of Space Age plastics, the kind of thing that would have appealed to her dad. he turned her back on the mirror and pressed the needle against her arm. She slid it into the vein with practiced ease, injecting the cocktail.
  
• Daria: Hunter—Strictly Business, by Jim North (continued): "Don't even fink about trying any fancy logic nonsense to mess wiv the robot brain, because it ain't got one!"
• Falling into College 72: Valley of Love and Delight, by RLobinske (Part 8): "Now that I've shared my news, how are you doing?" "I've actually working my All-American novel." "How many communists have you killed so far?"
• Finn Morgendorffer 33: Independence, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 3 to 5): Daria lay in her room, staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t stop thinking about Tom. Okay, I’ve never really had a boyfriend before, so I guess I really can’t compare it to anything. But I’m pretty sure this isn’t how it works.
• Fire! The Facebook Edition, by Betting on Delusions (COMPLETE!): Tom Sloane and Jane Lane are attending the event Awkward Silence Following A Disagreement In A Relationship That Wasn't Even That Solid To Begin With.
• The Hallowed Halls of Fielding (ex-First Day of School), by Roentgen (Part 4): "Patty, let me ask you something. Everybody's taking about 'The Knowledge.' What's that supposed to—?" "Oh! Quinn! Excuse me for a moment! I totally forgot about this appointment with one of the profs!"
• NEW! It's All About the Intention, by Psychotol (continued): "Daria, he was, like, crazy into you, you two could have been so good together, why did you send him running like that?” “I wasn’t interested in a threesome with him and Monique,” said Daria.
  
• Kamen Rider D, by Silver (continued): "So, let me get this straight. I've become a Kamen Rider." "Yes, amiga, you have. You're now part of a group of characters dating back to 1971." "Way to make me feel old, Jane."
• Sixteen Days of Sorry, by Dosco316 (COMPLETE!): "Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and, sadly, a nadir in US Olympic history. As many of you are aware, the epidemic of Penguin Flu decimated the US Olympic team and the US borders were closed to quarantine the sickness. For the United States Olympic Committee, the only options left were to forfeit their Olympic positions or allow the substitution of a team mostly comprised of high schoolers from Lawndale, Maryland, who had been stuck in Toronto on a radio station-sponsored trip, to take their place."
• Teen Something, by Drachen (prologue and Part 1): Daria awoke to dawn in a dingy room in a filthy bed. She groaned as she felt her pounding head and protesting stomachache. Where was she? Slowly memories of the previous afternoon came to her. Van Driessen's wake for Beavis and Butt-head. The punch had made her feel so strange, so quick. Daria remembered leaving, walking unsteadily towards home. Staggering more with each step. Vague memories of meeting the ghosts of Beavis and Butt-head; them offering something and then helping her walk.
  
• Unnamed story (More Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by NightGoblyn (appetizers): "I love transvestite porn. It's the only kind I can watch without feeling conflicted!"