The Sap of "Sappy Anniversary"?

Noak Barkman, a figure who rarely appears in Daria fanfiction, the whiz kid of Buzzdome-dot-com in "Sappy Anniversary." A smart entrepreneur or another washout when the dot-com bubble burst? More fanfiction would help decide the issue. "Sappy Anniversary" debuted nine years ago today on MTV.

Famous, relevant birthdays today: Tex Avery, who lifted the animated medium to new heights, was born 102 years ago; and Levi Strauss, who gave us blue jeans (so Daria had something to wear in "Road Worrier") appeared 181 years ago. Well done.

Kemical Reaxion is back! And she's unveiled a great new version of Quinn, drawn in the style of a famous 20th-century pop artist. See if the image looks vaguely familiar...

PPMB

• Falling into College 72: Valley of Love and Delight, by RLobinske (Part 9): While Quinn and Jake were looking around the store, Jane was pleasantly surprised to hear the door open for another customer. She was more surprised to see who was there. "Tom Sloane?" "Jane Lane," he said, walking in and letting the door close. I heard through the grapevine that you were back in town."
  
• Folie à deux, by Charliefox2012 (Part 3): “Darla!” Quinn snapped. “Evie!” Evie corrected sharply. Daria sighed, irritated. “Both of you quit it. Or, I’m going to make sure you both have accidents concerning the stairs.” “Whoa, death threats. What did we do to you?” Evie said surprised.
  
• The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 8): "Quinn - that is, if I might call you Quinn? Got to move quickly in this world you know, fast friends and all that? Anyways, Mater and Pater were thinking of taking the old wooden scow out to sea in Crabtown. With fall break coming up, let me say that you would be definitely invited—hee hee— 'on board' as they say, nautically. The sea salt is good for your skin, or so they say. Not that you'd need it of course, but you know, 'every little bit'. And there are definitely places to eat and things to see along the meandering path."
• Into the Fray, by Minx (Chapter 3): Quinn lay still for a moment before saying, “Don’t you think it’s a little weird?” “What?” Daria replied. “The way everyone is carrying on as if nothing happened. Do you think that maybe they don’t know?” [More here!] (FF.net)
  

Forever Upchuck

Today is the birthday of the Voice of Upchuck: Geoffrey Arend. Rrrowrrr! He also voiced a number of minor characters, some of whom might surprise you. (Check the link.)

Two days ago on Thursday, it was the eighth sappy anniversary of the premiere of "Sappy Anniversary," from the fifth and last season of Daria. I wonder how else that episode could have turned out. Jake could have been kept on by Buzzdome Dot Com, Daria could have continued waiting for Tom to remember their six-month anniversary until she snapped and ran over him with her mother's SUV, UFOs could have landed, anything could have happened.

This is about the time of year that a story by Dennis takes place. Try to guess it before you click this link.

More soon. Gotta get stuff done here.

BACK! Undefinedlust posted two questions for Daria fandom: Which unfinished fanfic do you most want to see finished? & In whose world do you most want to play (i.e., write more stories about)? Read and respond!

Latest additions to DariaWiki: Cradle, by Brother Grimace, and Fife in the Fast Lane, by Disco316. Both Brother Grimace and Disco316, plus Dennis, DocForbin, Ranchoth, Doggieboy, and Drmike have given DariaWiki a good going-over. Thank you! More help is needed, if anyone else has time.


FF.net

• Liquid Diet, by Smileyfax (Part 6): They were at the PayDay, picking up a few items in bulk. Daria held a jumbo can of lighter fluid in one hand already, while Jane had a five-pound can of coffee. (The Lane household was running low on the stuff—she had no intention of battling vampires with it.)

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• Acts of Cupidity, by Disco316 (Part 4): “She drank his wine, he drank in her beauty, and then they drank each other’s blood! Love, Transylvanian Style, next on Sick Sad World!”
• All in the Family...Guy, by peapotmaster (Part 2): "Life’s a bitch, and so am I."
• Hearts, by UU (Part 1): "Sorry for waking you up and dragging you out of the house, but I needed company today," said Jane, mystery in her voice. (Story has been CONTINUED!)
• John Lane 39: Leaving Summer (Part 1): "Good one, Morgendorffer," she said, sounding very much like her mother. "You're the dating expert; why didn't you see that coming?"
• A New Set of Rules, by Dennis (Part 6): Dangerously close to a Daria/Kevin 'shipper, here. Wait! Look out! AAAAAAAAHHH!!!! You mentioned Brittany and Kentucky in the same sentence! AAAAAAAAHH!!
  
• Turnabout Confusion Part II: All The King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): "What do you think we should do?" Ted said, not needing to elaborate. They both knew what he was talking about.
  

Meet Samir. Or Sameer. Or Zamir. Or . . .

Remember this guy from "Sappy Anniversary"?

Given the uncertainty over the exact spelling of this gentleman's name, we'll just call him Samir. He could have family origins in India, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, or anywhere else across the Arabic world and South Asia, including Israel. He could be Muslim, Hindu, Christian, or even Jewish.

In any event, he is an affable fellow, one of the nouveau riche of Buzzdome.com, and his boss describes him as "kind of a one-man, pinch-hitting brain trust." Samir later privately admits to Jake Morgendorffer that he gets paid "big money to sit around and daydream," and he is "not about to rock the boat." He could easily be a millionaire, but remember that this was before the popping of the dot-com bubble. If he and the other Buzzdome.com staff had most of their money tied up in stock options or the like, the crash could have wiped them out. Did it? What did he do after the bubble burst? And what the heck did Samir really do at Buzzdome?

All I can say is, any guy who has a giant inflatable palm tree by his desk has to have a cool side.