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!

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.

Shakin' Jake's Makin' Quakes! ¡Ole!

Why is Jake shaking his maracas? This is the 199th anniversary of the declaration of Mexican Independence (next year is the big 200), and we wish you a happy and peaceful Independence Day. And if anyone can tell me what sort of costume Jake is wearing, drop a note here, please. It looks like a dance band thing, but I just can't find the right name for it. Probably Spanish or Cuban or something, but it was the best I could do. A good example of real maracas music is here. Nice. Man, those are some darn tight pants Jake's wearing. ("Is that a maracas," asks Helen when he comes home, "or are you just happy to see me?" I think we all know the answer to that. Damn right.)

As if that wasn't enough, the U.N. has sent its black helicopters around to announce that today is also the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, or Ozone Day for short. I just feel sorry for this kid at Holiday Island High, don't you? What a heck of a thing to carry around with you all your life. "Hey, Ozone Warrior!" his classmates cry. "Back to reality! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Maybe he calls himself Oz for short. I sure would. THANKS A LOT FOR THE STUPID NAME, OLD MAN! ROT IN HELL! Sorry, channeling Jake there for a sec.

N0oZ: Kara Wild sez them DVD-thingers are a-comin'! YEEEEE-HAAAAW!

Richard Lobinske gives us even moar Colorized Early Concept Trent to admire.

PPMB

• Basic Training: A Daria the Green Lantern Story, by Echopapa (Part 3): “Uhh... yeah. Supergirl, is it?” Daria said, trying to think of something to say as they both hovered high in the air above Smallville. “I, uh, take it you’re from around here... Any connection to the Big Blue Guy?”
  
• Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations, by Undefinedlust (Part 12): In the kitchen sat a large Norse commercial series double refrigerator-freezer. It was easily twice the size of the old unit. That must have sat them back a pretty penny, she thought to herself as she noticed the huge packing box in the backyard. Something inside Daria stirred at the sight and she walked to the window and quietly looked at the box. Fuzzy mental pictures of her as a small child playing in a refrigerator box rose from her memory, but she couldn't seem to place them in context. She started to try to dig for the memory when she was interrupted by Quinn.
• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 7): [All I can say is, if ya gotta go, go out in style!] (FF.net)
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Hump Day), by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): "I'm not going to ask again!" the man yelled. "Your money—now! Empty your purses in the bag!"

Burning Down the House

Nine years ago today, one of the best episodes in the Daria series was aired for the first time: "Fire!" (At right, Quinn tries to find something fashionable to wear before she escapes the blaze, complaining to Sandi about it all the while.) "Fire!" was the first element in a three-part arc of closely related stories about the development of the relationship between Daria and Tom Sloane. The best webpage on this episode (IMHO) is on DariaWiki, which contains many links to commentary on the episode and some interesting trivia bits. More episode pages should be like this one.

It seems to me that "Fire!" is one of those points from which quite interesting "what if" worlds could be created.

• What if Tom Sloane showed no interest at all in Daria, being faithful to Jane to the end? This would require some modification of "I Loathe a Parade," of course, but it's interesting.
• What if the fire in the Morgendorffers' home had spread and become worse, leading to serious injuries or fatalities, or the complete loss of the home?
• What if Tom and Daria were run over by the floats while... oh, right, not so much angst. Sorry.
• You get the idea. Last chance to turn away from disaster in the next episode. Also, there was that stalker Bobbie, Sandi's interesting interest in dumping bodies, Stacy in a bikini and cowboy hat, etc.
• What if Trent was a superhero whose superpower was ethereal transference? I don't know either, but it sounds interesting.
  

NEWZ PHLASH! The announcement of Daria's 2010 release on DVD has gotten around. The following are some interesting news items about this. It's worth giving them a look because some have whistles and bells with them, like pictures and even short animated segments. Enjoy.

• Daria Headed to DVD in 2010 (Animation World Network)
• Role Models: The Return of Daria (SignOn SanDiego)
• La La La La La: Daria's Coming to DVD! (Paste Magazine)
• A High Schooler Has Hard Times on MTV's New Show [brief mention of Daria in article about a VERY weird planned show, OMG] (BuzzSugar)
• Excuse Me? Daria Finally Coming to DVD (TV Squad) [see also these posts]
• Daria - 'Coming to DVD'? Yes (TVShowsOnDVD)

Stay tuned!

XTRA GNUZ! Richard Lobinske has updated the list of 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks! Hooray!

And now for the fanfiction. Jeepers, people sure write enough of it around here.

PPMB

• Iron Chef: Daria Is Raven's Apprentice, by Project Pegasus & company (continued): [The rudeness never ends. ]
• Daria the Hoosier, by Doggieboy (Part 4.5): She saw a cardboard box just under the bed near a small table with a lamp and a clock radio. Seeing an analog clock on a radio blew her mind, though she did see a digital clock radio in the kitchen earlier. Apparently, they’re still new on the market, she thought.
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Gold Team 1:5: Fish or Fry, by Roentgen (continued): It was Lance that suggested that the five of them go to see what Thomas "had been working on" as a diversion. This involved the five of them getting in the Maybach and driving out to God Knows Where in El Paso. "What about Daria?" said Tom. "I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll be coming back!" Villacana acted to reassure Tom. "Oh Pope, not even of age you're already shackled to the old ball-and-chain! Let's have a "'boy's day out!'"

Rash Reaction

"Ill" premiered 11 years ago today, and Daria starred in the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Sign Here" 16 years ago. Kinda of funny that the two events supposedly took place one year apart, yet were five years apart in real time.

I feel kind of bad that I didn't run around screaming my head off when it was discovered that Daria is finally coming out on DVD. Part of the problem was that we've had so many rumors floating around for years that it was going to happen, but didn't. Plus, the announcement from MTV itself came in the form of an advert on an unrelated DVD set. It leaked out instead of being shouted from MTV's rooftops.

This worries me because it seems to imply that MTV (or someone) has the idea that a boxed set of Daria DVDs won't automatically leap of the shelves. I've clicked over to the Daria section of MTV online, and there's no announcement there about DVDs. In fact (are you sitting down? ready for this?), when I put "daria dvd" into the MTV website search engine, I get this. Notice that THE TOP TWO SPONSORED LINKS ARE FOR UNOFFICIAL COLLECTIONS OF DARIA ON DVD! THEY'RE EVEN DOING A LIQUIDATION SALE! A THIRD UNOFFICIAL SELLER OF DARIA DVDS IS ON THE RIGHT! AND MTV IS PROMOTING THIS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE! Click here for the screen capture I saved of this.

Is MTV's Legal Department aware of this competition against their own products? Is there some loophole we're not aware of involving ripping off corporations so they either don't know about it or approve of it? Is MTV getting a cut of the profits from the bootleggers? Beats me. This website doesn't earn me a penny. Have I had the wrong idea about copyrights and trademarks all these years?

All I want to say is that I will be thrilled to pieces to have my own official Daria DVD set, which is bound to be high quality and have all sorts of fun things on it. It will be wonderful. I'm only sorry it took so long, and sorry the news was delivered in such a low-key way. Thank you, MTV people. I am still curious how bootleggers can make money off your own products ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE. I once worked for a creative company that would have whipped me with razor wire if I had let something like that appear in the magazine I was editing, but perhaps I am being narrow-minded.

Cheers to you. Oh, last notes: today is comic-book graphic-novel artist John Byrne's 59th birthday, thank you for all those marvelous She-Hulk images stamped into my brain that inspired this story, and it is the 102nd anniversary of the birth of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, memorialized by Spanish-speaker Jane Lane in an alter ego at right. The 2002 movie Frida is well worth watching. And the painting that Jane stands beside is Kahlo's surrealist self-portrait, The Little Deer.

Interesting that this is one of several MTV images that show Jane Lane smoking.

LATE NOTE: Pinkminx has something special for all Trentophiles out there. Check it out.

Time for the Dog Days... But Not for DVDaria!

The poodle that appeared on Sick, Sad World in the episode "I Loathe a Parade" now appears here to celebrate the beginning of the forty Dog Days of summer. Gave her a peppermint look to go with her shoes.

BREAKING NEWS!

Are all episodes of Daria coming out on DVD at last? It looks that way! It'll be in late 2010, however, and without the music, but we can't afford to be picky. Click on the following links for details. The screen capture at the bottom of this post is lookin' good!

• TV Shows on DVD
• DVDaria
• PPMB
• SFMB
  
• More breaking news here, from Kara Wild
  

Kafkaesque author Franz Kafka, beloved of Daria so much that she has his picture hanging in her room above her work desk, was born this day 126 years ago. Read The Metamorphosis!

An interesting digression on writing for money vs. writing fanfiction for free appears at Fortress CINCGREEN. It's worth your time to read.

A new Iron Chef is up at PPMB: Shemale Westerns with Space Porn Girls! Get your story started right away!

FF.net

• Commitment Issues, by Fringeperson (Part 5): Jane pulled Daria up short as they left school for the day. Trent’s car was parked out front, and Trent was standing beside it, arms crossed and probably looking cooler than he had for quite some time. Considering the number of teeny-boppers standing fifteen feet away, whispering and giggling and giving him furtive glances.
  

PPMB

• Apocalyptic Daria: Scarlett's Tale, by Doggieboy (Part 11): Scarlett lay in the darkened alcove and held the still warm light bulb to her chest. She struggled to control her breathing as her pursuers entered the house and began their search for her. (SFMB)
• Daylight: Falling from Grace: I Should Have Been Home Yesterday, by Disco316 (Part 9): As they made their way down Lakeview Drive, Quinn, Sandi, and Stacy kept their voices down, but they couldn’t help but talk amongst themselves. “Finally, one more corner and we’ll be there,” said Sandi. Stacy frowned at Sandi. “Keep on the lookout," she said. "My bad feeling about all this hasn’t gotten any better.”
• Hard Riders & Raw Hides, by TAG (COMPLETE!): Tedi and Tomi were working tables that dark, stormy night in the Slippery Saddlehorn Saloon, waiting for customers who never came... [a shemale Western with space porn girls!]
  
• Just Friends, by Pinkminx (Part 12 or 13 or something): Daria's face fell slightly and she mentally chastised herself for it. "Are you and Monique still together?" she asked, thankful that her tone had remained indifferent. Trent shot a crooked smile toward her. "Why, you want seconds?" He let out a soft laugh and coupled it with a stifled cough. (FF.net)
  
• Lawndale's Finest, Detective Stories 2: Daughters of the Demon, by NightGoblyn (Part 3): Elsie stood in the dorm hallway, the door to her room open in front of her, and stared in shock at what she was seeing. Her keys slipped through her numb fingers and thumped on the carpet, and Nat glanced up from the book she was reading. “Come in, close the door,” Nat said quietly. She closed the heavy, leather-bound volume she’d been reading and set it aside.
• One Shot, by Pinkminx (COMPLETE!): The lights of the emergency vehicles lit up the darkened street casting streams of blue and red into the night. The noise from the idling engines drifted through the open window and mixed itself with the hushed voices of the strangers that filled the cramped apartment. "Was the door open or locked?" the soothing masculine voice asked. (FF.net)
  
• Regifted, by Ajar (Part 7): “Look,” Marina said in as stern a voice as she could muster. “If you don't do this, nobody will know who you are. You have to have enough name recognition that people will pick you.” At this point she was flustered and sweating but still maintained her smile. “If go this alone and let things stay on the back burner Graham will win, and that's something that neither of us wants to happen.”
• See Me After Class, by Disco316 (Part 1): Ryan Mickelson stood at his locker putting his books into his backpack. From behind him, Michael “Mack” Mackenzie and Kevin “QB” Thompson approached. “Hey Ry-Guy!” said Kevin. “You ready to watch us cream Oakwood?”
  
• Tales of the Ringbearers: With New Responsibility, by Richard Lobinske (Part 5): The longer it will take to reach your goal, when impatience is the path you follow. The words of his old master reminded Richard of one of his oldest weaknesses as he ignited his light saber and the orange blade emerged. Just in time, he let go of direct conscious control and rolled his wrist in an arc to deflect a burst of ice crystals fired at him by Audrey. He extended the motion into a long, sideways jump to evade a telekinetic punch from Niles. Richard landed and dropped low, gesturing with his left hand to stop Don Javier's telekinetic grasp.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Worse Possible Breakup Scenario), by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "I'm sorry. I just don't think the two of us should stick together anymore."
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes That Should Be: Brains for Rent), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "When I was a little girl, I used to think there were monsters in my closet. I'd cry, and my Mom and Dad would come in and tell me that everything was okay, that there were no such things as monsters."