Save Your Boxes for Boxing Day!

Today is Boxing Day (nothing to do with "Boxing Daria") and also the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the first Daria Fandom Blog. The DFB was founded by CINCGREEN with the slogan: "We read the Daria message boards, so YOU don't have to!" To James Bowman's great work is this blog dedicated.

LATE NOTE: Still trying to think of more stuff to add here. Need to go out shopping. How are you doing today?

FAN ART!

• Jim North presents Tammy Sloane and Finn Morgendorffer
• Pinhead offers up Daria in Daria: Hunter
• MDetector5 gives us a Ginger for Christmas

The DFB2 Turns Two!

It's PARTY TIME!

The Daria Fandom Blog II is now two years old. It had 51,000 hits last year at this point, and now has over 128,000. Thanks go to CINCGREEN for inspiring me with the DFB1, thanks go to all DFB2 followers and readers for your support, and thanks especially go to Viacom-Paramount-MTV-etc., for giving us Daria on DVD next year as our long-hoped-for and long-awaited treat.

Outpost Daria has updated! Go thither and rejoice!

Other Important Historical Date-things Today

• Harpo Marx was born this day 121 years ago. Jane Lane offers a snarky comment about a lesser known Marx Brother.
• The very first episode of Doctor Who premiered 46 years ago today on the BBC. Daria fanfic crossovers with this wonderful SF show include Yui Daoren's "Doctor Who-Gives-a-Damn," Ranger Thorne's "Lane Change," and Lawndale Stalker's work-in-progress "The House on Space-Time Lane" —epic stories all!
  
• An eloquent defense of the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, the Areopagitica, was published 364 years ago by John "Paradise Lost" Milton. I hadn't heard of it either, but quotations from it are astounding and very applicable to this fandom. Some of my favorites:
  

Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye.

A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.

Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.

FF.net

• Another Pie, by Yami White Rain (COMPLETE!): "All I'm saying," Tom said, "I'm just not sure what king of self respecting dictator would take over Lawndale of all the places in the entire world." Daria paused from taking a bite from her slice of pizza. "He has a point. It's kind of insultingly easy to get them riled up."
  

PPMB

• Finn Morgendorffer 16: Ambrosia Vinaigrette, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 2): “Instead of reading a story for its moral dimensions, why don’t you write one with moral dimensions?” “Excuse me?” “Daria, you are one of this school’s most talented writers, and your writing style is, well, it’s a little unpleasant, but it’s very well written.”
  
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Mini: Part of the Solution, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): The intercom on the desk sounded. “The representatives from the Society are here,” the voice spoke up. “Shall I take them to the conference room?” A woman’s voice responded. “Yes—and make sure that they are comfortable.”
  

Moar l8r. Stay tooned.

Happy Birthday, DFB2

Today is the first anniversary of the start of this blog. Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” The same is true here. My hat is off to the original Daria Fandom Blog and its creator, James "CINCGREEN" Bowman, and all who posted there, for their work. Thank you.

Over 51,000 hits have been recorded here over the last year. The fandom is producing a flood of material in written and visual works, albeit of the alternate-universe variety for the most part but still with significant canon or near-canon creations. Bless us all.

It was about this time of year, some years ago, that fandom character Kyle Armalin experienced a major change in life as a teenager. For details, read Brother Grimace's "It's All About Respect."

Some news to note on Legendeld's blog. Latest entry to DariaWiki: Wagon Train to the Stars, from Brother Grimace.

It was also about this season that the events detailed in "The Daria Horror Picture Show" took place. Read and enjoy.

Preserving a National Treasure

A special message arrived from Greybird with a link everyone will enjoy seeing. The original (and much more interesting than this blog) Daria Fandom Blog, operated by CINCGREEN with contributions by Greybird and Frank Sinisterra, is still online but not at its old location. You may click on it here; the link is also at left in the big column under the Daria Fandom Blog [I].

Greybird wrote, "Despite its preserved-in-amber last entry, none of the contents have been deleted (though the comments function is now closed), and we anticipate its staying on line indefinitely."

Huzzah! Three cheers! Time for a pizza party!

Here We Go Again, Again

I know I am going to regret this, but that never stopped me before, so . . .

Having hit a creative brick wall of late, but wanting to stay active in both writing and in Daria fandom, I've decided to start a fandom blog modeled after a much better and more interesting predecessor, The Daria Fandom Blog (now extinct, or at least extremely dormant). I respectfully take off my hat to CINCGREEN for the great work he did on that earlier blog and to everyone else who helped him.

[respectful pause]

Okay. This is a blog about Daria fandom, fanfiction, fan art, fans, etc. I have no idea what will be in it, as I am making this up as I go along. I am not even sure how to do all the neat things the previous blog did, like adding pictures and stuff, but I will try to figure it out as we go. (Yes, I see the "add image" icon, but I don't know what it does. I will experiment with it later.)

This is a chance for me to try something new and creative in the fandom and avoid burnout, plus kill time and goof off when I should be cutting up the leftover turkey and storing it away in small Tupperware boxes. Whatever. Wish me luck, and I hope you enjoy having another place to look at Daria-related stuff online. Party on.