Trent Should Write Him a Jingle to Cheer Him Up!

Although I hate to ruin Happy Herb's happy mood, I should point out that while today is Herb Day, the herbs in question are of the planted variety, not the shady car salesman type. Sorry, Herb!

Today is also Free Comic Book Day, and I'm sure Kevin will be lining up to get his copy of Ratboy! I know we have a handful of comic book enthusiasts in our fandom, so enjoy!

Fanfic Update!

• Call Of The Mild (The Carbones), by WildDogJJ (part 1): "Quinn, Daria, Jim, Tommy and Teddy are seated in the audience. Timmy is notably absent. Quinn has a proud smile on her face."


• The Cantons of Vivec ( General "Daria in Morrowind" Thread), by welltemperedclavier (COMPLETE!): "Contiminus Merro, first Imperial to visit Vivec City and come back to write about it, described the place as '... a city of shrines and saints that lies within hollow mountains rising from the churning sea, built by the living god Vivec as a home for his followers.'"


• Daria on the Trail (Daria Landing In Another Fanfiction: An Experiment), by Meester_Lee (part 4): "The Orricks laughed. 'You know, you’re the first Yankee we’ve met on the Trail who knows about such things. Yes, we will grant you Guest Right.'"


• Flames, by atiyatortilla (part 4): "There was no greater feeling than breaking in a new pair of shoes and Tom was taking full advantage of the first official week of his summer break."


• The Past in the Present (Linn's short stories), by Linnofthewoods (part 4): "Amanda, Trent, and Jane settled into a booth at Saffron, a favorite Indian restaurant of theirs. It smelled wonderfully fragrant in there, and the lighting was warm and comforting."


• Sleeping With The Frenemy (The Carbones), by WildDogJJ (COMPLETE!): "Jim's angry because Daria's new boyfriend, Rocco, is a longtime enemy of his. Not helping matters is the fact that Rocco's so manipulative as to actually have Daria thinking he's a great guy."


• Young Americans, by Lady Evil (part 5): "'I’m telling you, sweetie.' Silvia said to Daria. 'You have got to try an authentic Sicilian pizza one of these days. A true sfincione has a fluffy crust and is covered in fresh tomato sauce and both toma and caciocavallo cheeses. When you have had a slice of sfincione, then you can say you’ve had pizza.'"

Fahrenheit For...get it

I've gotta admit, firefighter is nowhere near the top of my list of potential jobs for Trent, even on International Firefighters' Day. As in, somewhere below Olympic athlete. I mean, if he didn't sleep through the fire alarm then he'd at least get distracted on the way to the fire because he came up with some new song lyrics.

Today is also Free Comic Book Day, so head over to your local comic book store and pick up the latest issue of Ratboy! I'm not sure why, but I could easily see Jake as a secret comic book fan. Stacy, too, come to think of it.

Fanfic Update!

• American Idiot, by Lady Evil (part 1): "'Alright, Albert.' said Ms Manson. 'Just tell me...' 'Let me stop you right there lady.' said the new student in Ms Manson's office."


• Am I A Grownup Yet?, by jones2000 (part 2): "There were more people on the Lane lawn than Daria had ever seen before. Most seemed to be bearded, flannel-wearing hipsters, even the women."


• The Artist Formerly Known As Jane (Iron Chef: Fictional Reaction), by atiyatortilla (COMPLETE!): "Jane Lane woke with a start in a bed that wasn't her own, in a room she'd never seen before."


• Circle of Stryfe (Life After Thirty), by WildDogJJ (part 2): "Quinn, Jim and the boys are in the kitchen having a very tense dinner. Tommy is talking about his day. '...but then Kevin Jr. decided to have a belching contest so I decided it was better to let Timmy solve his own problems.'"


• Cortex Schmortex (Daria and the Gang Thread II), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "Daria made sure to arrive early at school. She set up her table and folding chair and put up her poster board. Jane put her bookbag down and worked on some late algebra homework while Daria stood sentry."


• Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years, by Meester_Lee (part 64): "That evening Jake lay in bed with his eyes still wide open. 'Can't sleep, Jakey?' said Helen."


• Daria the Vampire Slayer: Hell Comes To Texas, by Charles RB (part 7): "After the fight, such as it was, Daria was hyped with adrenaline and looking to learn how to more effectively hit people. Then Rick asked her to wax his car."


• Ingratitude (Iron Chef: Fictional Reaction), by Youth of Oz (COMPLETE!): "The soup kitchen matched his mood. It was grim, grey, full of people but empty of life. He knew he wasn't being fair; the poor souls who ended up here had endured far worse than he ever had."


• On Another Planet (Iron Chef: Fictional Reaction), by atiyatortilla (part 1): "A bitter wind tore at Tom's face and his ratty sweater as he stood a top the Golden Gate Bridge, staring down at the darkened water below."


• On the Origins of the Fashion Guild (Outlander Vignettes), by welltemperedclavier (COMPLETE!): "Quinn started planning for battle from the very moment she awoke. That's what Imperials did, right? It's not like you could just snap your fingers and get a continent-spanning empire."


• A.R.C Chapter 10 Imprisoned, by ST91 (part 9): "Well, apparently there is a first time for everything. Daria thought when she saw her sister walk in the kitchen."


• Quinn Got in the Car, by Lady Evil (part 1): "'Why don't you get in the car?' Tom invited. 'Why don't you drive that scrapheap to the junkyard where it belongs?' Daria retorted."


• Quinn, the talking Dog, by OzFerret (part 4): "The day had passed surprising normally. Daria grudgingly paid ten dollars to Jane as the school emptied its living contents into awaiting cars and busses."


• Scenes, by JPAGC (part 3): "Daria left the room quietly. The smell of disinfectant was stronger on the corridor of the hospital than in the room. She made a face, wondering why an antiseptic without odor could not be invented."


• Teaching is a work of heart, by Rémi (parts 1 - 3): "Daria is driving an old, battered SUV in the streets of Lawndale. She's wearing a long checked skirt, a sober green jacket, town footwear and reasonnably big glasses. Although she just appears to be in her late tweenties, some wrinkles of worry are already showing on her face." (Part 2) (Part 3)


• Today is a Good Day to Die, My Darling, by Lady Evil (part 1): "It was difficult for Dara, Daughter of JeQ of the House of Mor'Dorf to walk through the Academy with her usual confident step and her head high."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: The Daria Gene), by welltemperedclavier (COMPLETE!): "Not much happened in Lawndale anymore."


• Wait For It, by Lady Evil (part 1): "Jane answered the door, expecting it to be Daria, ready to go hair dye shopping like they planned. She was surprised to see Jesse Moreno with a few spiral bound books. 'Hey.' he said. 'Trent home?'"

Comic Books and Cocktails

Here we see a rare image of Kevin reading something, but only because today is Free Comic Book Day. Knowing Kevin, though, he probably paid for that comic book.

Today is also Cinco de Mayo, which--like St. Patrick's Day--is apparently only a big deal in the United States because it's an excuse to drink heavily. So today is really just another typical day for Kevin all around, I guess.

Fanfic Update!

• Beyond The Pain, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'I have a question for you - Esper Prime,' Hector said. 'If you're still so benevolently handing out life advice.'" (Part 2)


• The Coming Of The Cynic (Quinn, Season 4), by WildDogJJ (part 1): "We see that there are more cars than just Jake's Lincoln and Helen's Prius. In front of the house are also Quinn's red Impala, a silver Camaro SS that belongs to Stacy, and other cars that we don't recognize."


• Cuckoos On Infinite Earths, by Smijey and Brother Grimace (parts 6 and 7): "'You know, it's funny.' Janice opened one eye, looked at the clock -- two in the morning -- and turned her head just enough to look over at Daria, on the other side of the bed. 'What's funny?'" (Part 7 by Brother Grimace)


• Daria at USAES, by Roentgen (part 4): "Daria could not believe that she had been at USAES for three weeks. The days had been routine, but at least they offered some comfort."


• Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years, by Meester_Lee (parts 38 and 39): "The Morgendorffers pulled away from the curb, turned left, then right, then turned left again and onto the main highway leading out of town. There was a sort of finality to this visit, and Daria wondered if she'd ever see Coalton again." (Part 39)


• Depth Takes A Sale (Scenes No Daria fanfic should have: The Saga Goes On), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'The problem? Ever since Christmas and Halloween left, the social order has gone totally haywire.'"


• Fates Entwined, by Deep Metal (part 15): "'Well, what do we got so far?' asked Jane. The two were in the public library researching the kind of mythology that was appropriate to the situation they were in."


• Heather's Club (Scenes No Daria fanfic should have: The Saga Goes On), by Shiva (COMPLETE!): "It had been about a month or so since she had forged that note for Sandi and her little circle of friends, a month or so since she had found herself being drafted to be part of Sandi's cult of shallowness."


• Plans For Senior Prom, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "Both Julia and Karen groaned as a smoothie cup was sat on the lunch table before them."


• Second Chance for Love, by David Falkayn (parts 10 and 11): "'Another day at Lawndale High.' Angie gasped as she gave her girlfriend seated next to her in the car a kiss." (Part 11)


• That Summer, by Princess_Pasta (parts 1 and 2): "A nasty tumble from her bike leads to her being rescued by an angel. She's not a real angel, of course; it's Quinn's older sister, Daria." (Part 2)

Cinco de Feisty!

Hey everyone! It's Cinco de Mayo! Also known as the Fifth of May! It's a holiday that, in Mexico, commemorates The Battle of Puebla. In the U.S., it's mostly an excuse to drink a lot. Like most holidays, really.

Still, any holiday that offers us the opportunity to beat the stuffing (literally) out of Upchuck is okay by me.

Today is also Free Comic Book Day, so those of you who are still sober today can go get your geek on! Kevin's already called dibs on the Ratboy books, so hands off.

Fandom News!

• Remember the Battle of the Coral Sea in The Sidhe's new thread.


• Roentgen discusses whether cancellation can be a good thing.


• Talk about Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged/Cancelled Series in the Weapons of Mass Distraction.


• Lord Yellowtail has a Quick "Questions Asked" Question.


• Two new Iron Chefs have been posted in Creative Writing: Fhujeth_x's You write it, I voice it and Smijey's Football Banned.

It's Kind of Complicated

Welcome to May Day, the spring festival day that celebrates pretty much everything. In the U.S. this is also Law Day (with a nod to Helen Morgendorffer), Loyalty Day (with a nod to Ms. Angela Li), Join Hands Day (fraternal groups helping society), Lei Day (Hawaii only, not in Bermuda as Sandi Griffin thinks), and In the Heart of the Beast (Minneapolis giant puppet show).

Worldwide it is also Beltane (or Samhain across the uninhabited southern zones of the planet), International Workers' Day (what it sounds like), EuroMayDay (like May Day, except not), the founding day of the Illuminati, the optional feast day of St. Joseph (patron saint of workers and fathers), the 203rd anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire, the 170th anniversary of the first adhesive postal stamp (YES!), and the 158th birthday anniversary of Calamity Jane (who is mentioned here only because her name was Jane, like Jane Lane, who was far more interesting).

It is also the day when, 18 years ago, Rodney King made his famous appeal for calm during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Whatever other faults he may have, Mr. King did a great thing at that moment, and it is worth reflecting on that. Thank you, Mr. King.

AND... because it is the first Saturday in May, it is Derby Day (what is likely to be a very muddy Run for the Roses) and more importantly Free Comic Book Day! Get yer butt down to your local comic book store and get one while supplies last!

Whew. Go thou and party.

FF.net

• NEW! The Fate of the Duels, by A440 (Part 2): Once safe in room 403 on the fourth level of the motel, Brittany looked over the interior, which was white and pink plaster with a clean white deep carpet, a decent bed with red sheets, a high-def TV on the wall, and a equally clean red-tiled bathroom with a pull-up window shade over the toilet. From there, the blonde turned on the TV and tuned to ABC Nightline, then unwrapped her bundle, revealing two five-foot-long katana-type samurai swords in their sheaths, gold armor on the swords, and a black pearl finish on the scabbards; those she carefully placed in the closet.
• NEW! Flight, by Bear-Bell (Parts 1 and 2): Trent wondered what had happened. He wasn't exactly content with his lot in life, and he'd always had a generally negative outlook of the world, but this feeling of dissatisfaction had never been so acutely understood before. Janie's gone, he immediately thought. What was he supposed to do without her?
• NEW! Kid Sister, by Cacophonysundae (COMPLETE!): "Sorry, Janie," he tells her. "Monique and I broke up again." "I heard." Janie doesn't bother to hide the scorn in her voice. She's pretty cool for a kid sister, but sometimes she gets into these moods where she thinks she has to be the mom and he hates it because she's good at it, and she always makes him feel like he's some unruly kid that needs to be scolded.
• NEW! One Night, by Charliefox2012 (COMPLETE!): I sigh inwardly, still drinking my soda. Really, it's just to be doing something. I know I should let it go, just move on. I mean, she has. It's like nothing ever happened, and that bothers the hell out of me. Nevertheless, I can't complain if I want to keep her by my side. I was stupid. I am stupid. I should have refused her. So she kissed me; I should have stopped her there. I didn't want to though. I wanted it. [Revised from original version on PPMB from 2009.]
  

PPMB

• Finn Morgendorffer 44: My Three Young Women, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 4): “Dammit, Jane, sometimes I think you want me to cheat on you.” “Excuse me?” “All this talk about being around other girls, who, by the way, I haven’t even kissed them. I’m just around them. How would you feel if I came to all those gigs you take Trent to and point a shotgun in the face of every guy who flirts with you?” “They don’t flirt with me. Which is more than I can say for you.” [NOW COMPLETE! Last part here: “Finn, I’m a perfect lady. Nothing happened. Besides, I know you have a girlfriend.” “Well, that does make me feel a little better. At least I didn’t cheat on Jane.” “Well, not a perfect lady. I did manage to sneak a few peeks.” “Eep!” “You don’t need to get so mad. For what it’s worth, I was impressed.” “You’re not helping.”]
  
• NEW! The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 26): "I cannot believe this!" said Helen. It was six o'clock in the morning. Helen, Jake and Quinn were holding an impromptu discipline session. Quinn thought that she would be able to sneak in unnoticed, but when her room was checked at 5:30 am, she was immediately woken up and called down stairs to face her punishment. The smell of Quinn's breath would guarantee a contentious session. "So I'm going to ask you again, Quinn: where did you get the alcohol?" (FF.net)
• NEWESTER! A Health Unto Our Heroine! by Gwrtheyrn (COMPLETE!): [A songfic you simply have to sing!]
  
• NEW! It Ends Tonight, by GlitterShrooms (COMPLETE!): It was on one of the western cliffs that the crowd decided to have its final parties. In particular, Miss Jennifer Burns sat on the cliff’s edge and watched the sun burn. “Yo! Burnout!” yelled her friend Angel, “You know what they say about staring at the sun. Don’t wanna go blind, do you?” “Like it matters,” yelled Jennifer back, “It’ll all be over soon enough. Besides, I’m wearing sunglasses. Hey Scarlett! Any word from Andrea?”
  
• NEW! True Art Is Angsty, by Yogi (COMPLETE!): Daria scowled at the words on the page: “Once upon a time.” ALL Fairy Tales began with that. It was so obvious, so overused, it was almost like the words lost meaning and were just what people began fairy tales with. Sure SOME people would be satisfied with that, but Daria was EIGHT. Her first story could begin with something more highbrow than THAT. (Daria/Princess Tutu)
  

SFMB

• Daria Race War, by Bliss Ticks (continued): Kevin took his dad’s truck to what he thought was the seediest section of Lawndale. Although it was closely monitored by the police, there was a liquor store here and several of the homes were for sale or had weeds growing semi-unchecked on their lawns. He had it all figured out: he would go down to the slums, buy some drugs, plant them on Mag, then report him to Ms. Li. It was foolproof. All he had to do was find a dealer.

Hurry, While Supplies Last!

Believe it or not, today is Free Comic Book Day, probably because of the new Iron Man movie, and you can get a free comic book at participating dealers. You know Kevin will get Ratboy and share it with his new friends at the retirement home. (Not the movie called Ratboy.)

A pity Daria never got her own comic book, though Beavis and Butt-head did. Still, fans have given her some comic-book time of her own.

Ratboy appeared in a couple of stories by Galen "Lawndale Stalker" Hardesty: "Blood Oath of Patriots" and "Blood Oath of Patriots II: By Any Other Name." Ratboy got to meet Melody Powers. That meeting didn't go well at first.

What if Ratboy was a real superhero in Lawndale's universe? He's never appeared for real. He could also crawl through the wormhole in the back of Good Time Chinese. Could be fun.