Never to Be

"Partner's Complaint" first aired ten years ago today, kicking off the fourth season of Daria. In retrospect this episode was a sad one. It became clear that things between Daria and Jane would never be the same, but that was unavoidable, too. They had to grow up and find other people sometime. It was sad for me, too, that Daria and Jodie were clearly never going to connect as real friends. Jodie was a hard-core go-getter, the distillation of type-A Helen Morgendorffer, and Daria was a depressed slacker with brains but no drive, and no desire to get any drive. Daria did not come off looking well at all. I'm not sure anyone came out looking good. Life is like that, I guess.

Funny, I was thinking that seeing Daria and Jodie try to work together reminded me a lot of Daria interacting with her mother. A lot of the same dynamics, the Irresistable Force and the Immovable Object.

Your opinions? What are your thoughts about "Partner's Complaint"? Ignoring Tom, that is.

Two for Tuesday

"The Misery Chick" premiered on MTV an even dozen years ago today, and "Jake of Hearts" did the same a decade ago. Both were well received and have enjoyed long-term fan appreciation. Both, interestingly, were closely concerned with death and how the deaths of others affects those around them.

Pinkminx would like feedback on her full-length portrait of Jane Lane. Thank you!

For fanfiction, we have superb stuff all over the place. Go to it.

FF.net

• Bromwell Bound: That One Fateful Summer, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 6 and 7): Although the extended family came together for the weekend as planned, and I had brief associations with all of them, my immediate family and I avoided each other like the plague. Not that Elsie would have ever spoken to me unless she wanted to taunt me or she wanted something. [Part 7 here!]
• Commitment Issues, by Fringeperson (Part 8): Daria sat on her bed with the closet open and was staring at the dress. She had said that she wouldn’t wear it tonight, and she wasn’t going to, but the damn thing just seemed to not leave her alone. Maybe she should bury it deep within the bowels of her sock drawer for a while… or something.
  
• How to Change Your Cover, by The Writer Formerly Known as LM (Part 1): Tom sighed, and, lifting his head slowly, inspected the students in the surrounding seats. All of them were bent over their desks, like he'd just been, scribbling furiously. They all seemed so intent on answering the question, and answering it thoroughly. In brief essay form, describe the cons of 'fair NOT free' trade. Be sure to give specific examples.
• Reality Is What We Make It, by Lord of Fluff (Part 2): It was late one Monday morning during English class. The students were tired as usual since it was the first day of the week and almost no one wanted to deal with their nutty teacher Mr. Timothy O’Neill, an Irish-American who had the emotional backbone of a slug.
  

PPMB

• Don't Sweat the Mall Stuff, by Kristen Bealer (Part 1): "This is a very important shopping trip. I need time to prepare myself both physically and emotionally for the struggles I'm going to face today." [All you have to do is look at the title, and you know we have a winner. And how!]
• Gimme Skelter, by TAG and Brother Grimace (Part 18): Mackenzie stared at Jodie Landon for a long moment, assuring himself that it was really her and not someone else. She had no firearms, so he felt he could afford a few extra seconds to be certain. The submachine gun then came up with the muzzle centered on her face. “Give it a try,” said Jodie. Her smile broadened. “See if you can kill a god.”
  
• Iron Chef: Daria is Raven's Apprentice, by Project Pegasus (continued): "Good friends, we are gathered here to celebrate the life of Raven. I would like to recite a poem that expresses how much I will miss her." [The next part is here! Awesome!]
  
• Lawndale's Finest, Detective Stories 3: The Line of Duty, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Parts 3 and 4): The ADA was just about to open the door to his car when his phone rang, he looked at the caller ID and wondered why Gordon would call him less than a minute after his departure. “You forgot something?” “Quinn Morgendorffer is awake. I'm going to Cedars of Lawndale to speak with her.” [Part 4 is here!]
  
• Rolling the Dice, by Ajar (interlude): To the untrained eye, the Fashion Club appeared to roam the halls as they usually would just before school would begin. However, if one were paying close attention, the ten-foot separation they generally allowed for the unpopular kids was greatly increased for two specific individuals.
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: TGIF), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "I had no idea that trampolines came with wrist- and ankle-restraints," Jane said, looking straight ahead as two shadowy figures quickly dressing were visible in the shades drawn against the front windows.
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: TGIF), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): [How "Murder, she Snored" should have gone. Perfection itself. I shall not spoil it.] [Also featured here.]
• Unnamed story (Scenes that Should Be: Brains for Rent), by DariaPhantom (COMPLETE!): "I never signed up for an exchange program, yet, here I am," Daria said, concluding her explanation.
• Unnamed story (Scenes that Should Be: Brains for Rent), by Disco316 (COMPLETE!): "I never signed up for an exchange program, yet, here I am," Daria said, concluding her explanation.

Roll Over, Shakespeare

William Shakespeare passed away 393 years ago today.

Something tells me that he would find this very amusing.

There's more Daria/Shakespeare crossover stuff out there, I'll track it down after dinner.
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Okay, I've been fed.

To start with, there's KB's The Life and Death of Stacy III. There's also a bunch of stuff someone instigated here (I wouldn't know who). How about Midsummer Night's Dream? What kind of Shakespeare collection would it be without some version of Romeo and Juliet? Another light romantic comedy based on Much Ado About Nothing.

That should keep everyone reading for a while.