The Savage Sword of Upchuck

One of the greatest fantasy writers ever was born this day 104 years ago: Robert E. Howard, who created the immortal Upchuck the Barbarian! (at left). Way to go, Bob-man! This giant-size alter ego (click on it) was available only on the Daria's Inferno CD-Rom game. We all know what Charles thinks of it.

The most famous television commercial in the history of the entire cosmos was aired this day 26 years ago. I actually saw it during the Super Bowl. I was in shock for hours. Check it out.

Two years ago this day, the awesome Slobbergoat created the Daria version of a popular Internet meme. See what you think of it.

Moar when I figure out what to post. How are you doing?

Holiday Shopping Madness Season Is Here

It's that time of year again, when we get talked into going broke buying stupid things (like encyclopedias) for people who didn't want them in the first place. I'm doing all my shopping online. Not gonna see me stuck in traffic in a mall parking lot, no way.

If Daria was remade today, what would it be like? Go here and express yourself.

Pinhead has created Tiffany art.

OverlordMikey needs assistance with a fanfic idea.

A new Iron Chef: Legionnaires on the Air! Brother Grimace seems to have struck gold with this one.

Some excellent fanfic here. Dive in!

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• Daria: The Untold Story, by Ajar (preview): Why terrorism prevented the release of Daria on DVD: The launch of the DVD of a show as popular as Daria would lead to an event with so much publicity and so many people would be just too tempting of a target. Besides, a teenage girl who questions everything isn't exactly the united front we want to show to our enemies. Remember, a sassy mouth means the terrorists win.
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 17: Through Your Eyes, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): At school, Finn’s suspicions were quickly confirmed by catching a glimpse of Daria walking to her second period without her glasses. Jane was serving as a guide, but he thought he caught Jane say something about Daria simply being blurry. Jane thinks she still has the contacts in, Finn concluded. That could be the only reasonable conclusion to draw.
• John Lane 44: Fizzy Logic, by Richard Lobinske (Part 2): "You're planning to make soda companies bid against each other for the right to market their products in Lawndale High?" "That's right. All you kids have to do is what you'd do anyway: drink soda." "Does that mean that everywhere I turn I'll run into a vending machine?"
• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 12): Daria watched as Rube handed out the Post-Its containing the days reaps. She counted them silently as he stacked hers in front of her. "One… two… three, looks like a busy day," She mused to herself and let out a tired sigh.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Legionnaires on the Air!), by Night Goblyn (COMPLETE!): “Alright, and welcome back.” Jon Stewart smiled at the camera as the show came back from the commercial break. “So, we've got a real treat lined up for tonight, like I was saying earlier, so let's have a legion of applause for Miss Daria Morgendorffer!”
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Legionnaires on the Air!), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "And now... the guest host of Saturday Night Live... Charles Ruttheimer the Third!"
  

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.