Me-OW!

Mr. O'Neill has chosen an odd way to celebrate International Cat Day, but far be it from me to judge anyone's personal hobbies. Seriously, between this and his antics as the Lawndale Lions mascot, I'm starting to wonder about some of his extracurricular activities....

Setting aside Ms. Barch's current boyfriend, I think it's very likely that her ex-husband is celebrating International Beer Day, perhaps by adding to his pyramid made of "Beers of the World" empties. I'm sure it's an engineering marvel by this point!

On this day in 2011, Racked published "Daria Morgendorffer's Greatest Retail Regret," an interview with Daria about her experience with buyer's remorse. Click the link to hear all about the baggy fleece jumpsuit that Daria regrets buying.

Fanfic Update!

• But You Always Knew the Truth, by riotsquirrrl (part 8): "'I hate writing artist statements,' Jane said, half hanging off her bed with the phone to her ear. It was already turning dark, even though it was only mid-afternoon."

There's No Way This Will End Well

Jake's getting a little too enthusiastic about National Cat Day, and I think Mr. Whiskers is about to teach him the error of his ways. To all the cat lovers out there, please enjoy this day responsibly!

Today is also the anniversary of a major milestone for the internet in 1969, which is very appropriate. What goes together better than cats and the internet? Nothing, that's what.

Fandom News!

• somitomi posted a new artwork thread.


• Szcz posted a new Iron Chef: Uncovered Links.

Here Kitty, Kitty--GAH!!!

Jake's opening up the floor to Mr. Whiskers for National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day, but I'm not sure Mr. Whiskers feels like having a conversation. He strikes me as a "claw your eyes out first, ask questions later" type. Good luck, Jake!

Fandom News!

• The deadline to nominate for The 2016 Daria Fanworks Awards is tonight! Be sure to send in yoru choices for written and visual works.


• Read and discuss Two-Eyed Charlie's essay "Daria: The Humour and the Humanity."


• RLobinske is thinking about some sci-fi standards. What are your thoughts?


• See the trailer for the upcoming movie Colossal.


• Can you help Rémi, who's having trouble completing a fanfic?

A Day for People Who Like/Don't Like Cats

As reported/not reported last year at this time, cat fancier/hater Erwin Schrödinger might/might not have been born 123 years ago today. He might/might not be famous for devising a means of getting rid of cats using quantum physics, a feat for which he won/did not win the Nobel Prize. Despite Schrödinger's cat experiment (see at left), cats still exist (or not).

This is International Youth Day, which still does Daria and Jane no good, and is also the birthday anniversary of Madame Blavatsky, the Theosophist who was parodied on Beavis and Butt-head (see image at right).

More soon, just remembered to update this thing. Okay, time to go.


GnEwZ!!!

• Another popular thread on PPMB: Shocking News for Daria and Quinn!
• Mystik Goldmine, by Breitasparrow, is new art: a Trent/Jesse image inspired by the rock movie Velvet Goldmine. Be advised there is mature content present, but implied only.
• Ms. Buzzdome herself has been at the sketchpad again, with amusing results.
• Hazazel's thread called Who is she? has now become Iron Chef: Slutty Girl.
• NEWER! Ken T has made a gracious offer to draw fan art by request. Get your requests in early!
• NEWEST! Ken T has located a bunch of his old fanfics! Hooray!
• NEWEST! LSauchelli has a new Iron Chef: Twins ("What if Daria and Quinn were identical twins?") Get goin'!
  

PPMB

• The Camera II, by Brian Taylor (COMPLETE!): The tape begins with footage of a tony neighborhood in Halloween dress. Carved pumpkins decorate porches. Spiderwebs dangle from overhangs and twine between columns. Bales of hay in yards. Haunts hanging from streetlights and bare tree branches. A teenage girl in a dark, professional-looking jacket stands by a tree. She still wears round glasses, still has wavy brown hair to her shoulders. It’s held back from her face with a black headband. She holds a dented microphone in her hand. "Chevy Chase, Maryland." Amy's voice is a little lower now, that of a teenager rather than a little girl.
• NEWEST! Finn Morgendorffer 55: Dreamer Without a Cause, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): “What about you, Finn? Bromwell or Crestmoore, not bad choices either way.” “I know.” Finn chuckled. “But still, I gotta choose. I don’t wanna transfer, I hated being the new kid when I first came to Lawndale.” “You had the entire freshman class eating out of your hand in two weeks.” “Still, long move, haul all that crap. I’m only doing that as much as necessary. So, I think one college will be enough for me.” “Which one are you thinking about?” “Reasons for both. Jane’s here, Tom’s at Bromwell.” Finn answered. The three of them were certainly close. Finn and Jane were a cute couple, and the girl he was with now, Sierra Riordan, who was older, wasn’t the same as Jane. And Tom Sloane? The two were best friends, and, according to the gossip, their dads did as well. He wouldn’t be far apart from his friends. Jodie noticed Finn didn’t mention Daria, but she decided against it. Plenty of history between brother and sister.
  
• Grove Hell 2: All the Lawndale People, by Charles RB (Part 8): Outside, the night was calm and cool and you couldn’t hear the screaming. It had taken Daria a few minutes to stop crying, and then to shift slightly away from Amelia so she wouldn’t be involved in physical contact, and now she just sat in silence. They could have sat like that for a while, Daria not wanting to talk and Amelia unable to break the silence, if not for the police cars arriving, sirens whining into the night. The Resort staff must not have taken kindly to the near-riot breaking out. “Um... unless you want to talk to the cops, we should probably—” “Okay.” (NEW! FF.net)
  
• Helen Wheels, by Smileyfax (Part 2): Daria and her new friend Jane were walking home, discussing their after-school self-esteem 'class'. Daria still marveled at the discovery of a person with both an intact brain and intact sanity, and was even more awed that Jane wanted to be friends with her. "So then, after the role-playing, next class they put the girls and the guys in separate rooms and a female counselor talks to us about body image," Jane said. "What do they talk to the boys about?" Daria asked. "A classroom full of guys and a male teacher?" Jane asked, as if it were self-evident. And, to Daria, it was a moment later. "Daria!" "Eep!"
• NEWER! Homecoming, by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): The telephone was ringing as she walked in the door. "Hello... Yes, speaking. What? No! Oh, my God...What about the children? Do they know? Poor dears! Of course, certainly we'll take them in! Thank you for calling. Yes, I appreciate that. Thank you, goodbye." She dialed a number. "Jake, I just got a call. Liz and Bobby are dead. Apparently a car crash almost a month ago. Of course Mom didn't call. She probably hasn't told anyone."
  
• It's Her Party, by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): "Hey, Daria." (I've just seen a face, I can't forget the time or place) "Oh. Hi, Tom." (That we'd just met, he's just the boy for me And I want all the world to see we've met...)
  
• Jane Lane: Ace Attorney—Turnabout Teacher's Pet, by LSauchelli (Part 13): Jane glared at O’Neill, who had just been incarcerated under suspicion of being an accomplice to the murder of Cartwright. For a second she felt sorry for the man, but that feeling was quickly replaced by contempt when she remembered that he used to be her very worst teacher back at High School. “Well?” she simply said, when she decided he was calm enough to actually speak a few comprehensible words.
• NEWEST! John Lane 47: Another Look in the Mirror, by RLobinske (Part 3): "Why didn't you mention a pre-nup before now?" Helen suddenly yelled, causing everyone to jump. Daria stood and grabbed John and Quinn's hands. "Time to go." "Where?" Quinn asked. "Anywhere," John said as Daria pulled them toward the front door. "What about Dad?" "I'm sorry, Quinn. But he's on his own."
  
• Legacy, by Getrealordie187 (Interlude 4): "Why on Earth would I want to step into that thing just so I can get the crap beat out of me? I'm already afraid of getting shot in this place; the last thing I need is to get brain damage before it happens." "Boxing is a sport of strategy Cadet. You're not even allowed to step in my ring before you get the technique down. And that's not going to happen if you just stand there and bitch. I'll start with teaching you how to wrap your hands and get you started on the speed bag. I'm not asking."
• Morning Ritual, by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "See ya after school, Mom, Dad!" Quinn waved at her parents as she headed across the living room, grabbed her backpack, and headed out the front door. Her dopey sister was still half-dressed and eating a bowl of cold cereal, but Quinn liked having an early start on her day. She walked to school with a bounce in her step and a lilting whistle on her lips, stopping in at the little coffee shop that was about halfway between home and school. "Hi, Barry!" she said, waving at the guy behind the counter as she made a bee-line for the bathroom. "The usual?" "No, make it a triple shot today," Quinn replied. "I've got a Fashion Club meeting before school and I need to be extra perky."
• NEWER! Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (Part 22): It was dark when Daria woke up. She rested on her side, very warm and comfortable. Something wrapped around her torso, strong and immovable. Her back was also warm: it felt as though she were leaning into a firm, cloth-covered cushion. She sensed something else, large and strong, cupped over her right breast. Though there was very little light, Daria knew where she was: she was in bed with her Sam.
  
• NEW! She Can, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): Julia reclined on her seat, letting the school assembly wash in one ear and out the other. (Something about modeling, or was it about being a model student? Something something "model"-something, anyway.) "Blah blah blah I am the Principal who is boring ignore me ignore me." Did I remember to record Scooby-Doo? Damn, that's gonna bug me all day now...
• NEWER! Summer, by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): The girls were settled in the new home. It was near the end of June, so their new "Mom and Dad" would get them into school in September. They had the whole summer to get to know each other. The nice family next door looked after the girls while Mom and Dad worked. Sometimes they stayed next door, sometimes the oldest girl would stay with them in their house. The girls were never alone. Unlike back in the old house.
  
• NEW! Unnamed story (Who is she?/Iron Chef: Slutty Girl), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): The blonde girl with little clothes briefly gazed over the room and then jumped when she saw Daria. "Where did you come from?!" God, this again, Daria thought. "I'm Daria."
  

A Day to Worship Our Masters

Isn't it appropriate that during Halloween Week, we have National Cat Day?
A day to recognize and further pamper our owners and make them feel like the superior beings that they are.
Pardon me, I need to go cut up the tuna to feed our cats for breakfast.

The Howl of the Cats Anniversary!

Remember that weird poem Daria tried to read to luckless seniors in "The Old and the Beautiful"? That was Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," and the first public reading of it was performed by the author 54 years ago today. Daria reenacts this fateful moment at left. A recording of Allen Ginsberg himself reading part of Howl can be found here. Quite possibly NSFW, but very interesting. I was born the year he wrote it.

Also in our Arts section, the musical "Cats" came to Broadway for the first time 27 years ago. It didn't leave for another 18 years, setting a record for stage performances. Mr. O'Neill reenacts the play at right, dressed as one of the "cats." Can you guess which "cat" he is? I'm not that familiar with the characters, though I did read the T. S. Eliot poem.

A famed Dariaverse villain was born this day in 1944 in Witney, Oxfordshire, UK. Who was that person? Guess before you peek.

DariaWiki has greatly benefited from the most excellent talents of Brother Grimace, Richard Lobinske, Roentgen, Quiverwing, JPAGC, Disco316, Gouka Ryuu, Saiyaman, Kchishol1970, and Ludraman. Thank you all! New pages have been flooding in as well: The Bug Guy, Electronic Alchemy, Memories, Meowlody Powers, The Missing Link, Pinhead, Quinn at College, A Small Stumble for Stacy, and Zachary Butler. Check it out!

Speaking of "Cats" costumes, Doc Forbin has a suggestion for Halloween. See what you think.

The Daria Fan Club is up to 1,436 members. Nice! You new guys, stick around for the DVD release, okay?

Stay tooned.

Bump Day

The televised Daria really only mentioned two pets, Sandi's cat Fluffy and Leary, the Yeager's dog. The Daria Database mentions two cats living in the Lane home, Zachary and Taylor. In contrast, fanfiction authors have added many animal companions, such as Opie the Armadillo created by Galen Hardesty or Roger the Mouse by The Angst Guy, or Bump, our featured feline.

What is also fun is how these characters haven't stayed in their home stories, but have been used by other fanfiction authors. Sometimes even combining several, like Brother Grimace's "Paws Force Power Rangers".

More pet characters can be found at the DariaWiki entry.

So give your pet(s) an extra treat today. They deserve it.

ETA: Missed one, Penny Lane's parrot Chiquito.