"Stupid five-sided building."

Jake had better put on some steel-toed shoes, because it was on this day in 1967 that demonstrators attempted to levitate the Pentagon, an incident that would eventually be referenced in the episode "That Was Then, This is Dumb."

Oddly, it seems that Jake's positive energy was somehow insufficient and the building never left the ground.

Fanfic Update!

• Babysitting with Stacy and Dani (Rude Awakening Quickies), by DIsaac (part 1): "SANDI: Stacy, Dani, I need your help. Is it possible that you two could babysit Ronnie Saturday? STACY: One question? SANDI: Sure? STACY: HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND! We DON'T do kids."


• The Difference a Year Makes (IC: Early Meeting), by Shiva (COMPLETE!): "Even though Jane knew that Brittany's party was bound to get busted by the cops, she and Tom found themselves at an utter lack of anything else better to do."


• Dylan, by J-D (part 31): "'Did you write an essay for school called "Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Video Games"?' 'Yeah', Dylan said, 'for Ms FitzPatrick.' 'Well, your teacher submitted it for consideration by the publishers who are looking for writers for a new magazine called Bro.'"


• The Great And The Good, by ognawk (part 23): "Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the unwelcome sight of a familiar red headed girl approaching her table. Elsie closed her notebook and put it away as the redhead sat down opposite her."


• In Our House and New Perspectives (LongSnakeMoan's Fluff Thread: Sugar Rush), by LongSnakeMoan (COMPLETE!): "'Honey, I'm home.' Of all the greetings in all the world this was the only one that seemed to alert Trent to the fact he has returned."


• Loss of Heart, by RLobinske (part 3): "Jane said, 'Hey, Daria,' as her friend opened the front door. 'More fun and exciting homework for you and Quinn.'"


• Misconception, by ashk09 (part 1): "With the expert motions of someone who habitually awoke before the others in the family, Daria gathered up her clothes and made her way to the bathroom; the contented snores from her parents' and sister's rooms amused her, and secretly, she felt a pang of jealousy that she couldn't stay in bed for longer herself."


• My Legendary Girlfriend and Goodbye Lawndale (LongSnakeMoan's Fluff Thread: Sugar Rush), by LongSnakeMoan (COMPLETE!): "He never actually imagined that she would agree to leave with him, the nicest thing she'd ever said to him before was 'get away from me, you howdy doody looking freak.'"


• A New Direction, by peetz5050 (part 15): "'Dad!' 'Hi Kiddo, good to see you.' Daria ran forward and grabbed her father into a hug. Jake caught her and held her tight and kissed the crown of her head."


• Night Witches, by Panzerfaust 150 (part 5): "1st Lieutenant, Jane Lane, USAF, was not having a good sleep, she'd woken up at least three times that night, of course, sleeping in their flight gear on a cot in a damp, concrete aircraft shelter, one room away from their aircraft didn't help matters."


• Northbank Diaries #1: A Tale Of Three Suburbs, by ognawk (part 2): "It was a relatively cool day in Highland, and Daria Morgendorffer had decided to take advantage of it to go for a long walk, mainly to get out of the house while her mother was glued to the phone on a work related call, as per usual."


• Silent Partnership (IC: Disabled Daria), by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): "Daria walked into the self esteem class and sighed. She took a desk at the front of the class, pulled some materials and waited for the torture to begin."


• We Are One, by PrecambrianStudios (part 19): "'Wait, I think I got something!' she whispered her idea into Daria's ear. Daria looked her sister, actually impressed. 'Well,' she said. 'Eureka.'"

That Was Then, This Is Later

The second-season Daria episode "That Was Then, This Is Dumb" premiered 12 years ago today. Ah, those wild and crazy hippie days of yore. We learn that Jane and Jessie are NOT going to make it as a couple, that Jake and Helen haven't changed a bit since their college days, and if Jake really had managed to levitate the Pentagon, he would be that world's version of Doctor Manhattan, only not so blue and not so naked. More on this episode can be found here.

And, hey! Who is that bulldog chasing the yellow Volkswagen named JANICE? Darn right! It's the bulldog Daria almost runs over a few episodes from now, in "Through a Lens Darkly"! It's J.B. himself, or "Pugsly," his stage name. Good boy! Just seeing him almost makes me want to get a dog again. [sigh]

NEW N00Z!!!

• Medea42 shares with us her "personal rules for writing fanfic" on her blog.
• Join the discussion on The Best Of Daria Fan Fiction Community on FF.net! Is YOUR favorite story in the list?
  

PPMB

• NEW! Apocalyptic Daria: Timeline, by Doggieboy (Part 2): Hello. It’s me, again, the Chronicler. What I showed you of the events from what people now call “Twilight Friday” shows a pretty much normal Friday night for a lot of people. Such is the way of the world. Until some cataclysmic event occurs, the world goes ticking along at it’s own normal pace....
• NEW! Big Brother, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): Jane picked up the phone, tears streaming down her face. She and Jesse's discussion about wanting children had turned into a heated argument. It ended with Jesse walking out of their house, slamming the door. The last words out of his mouth chilled Jane to the bone. "Jane, I want a divorce."
• NEW! Cheery, Cheery Night, by CAP (COMPLETE!): The post-award reception was in full swing. The massive gold-colored drapes and thick crimson carpeting did absorbed but little of the loud laughter and noisy hum of hundreds of conversations. The moving mass of people made it difficult for Brittany Taylor to spot the people she was seeking. Every other person stopping her to pass on his or her congratulations for her Drama Desk win as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play slowed her even more.
  
• The Dream of the White Darkness, by jtranser (continued): "Then he will fire the admissions director and replace him with someone who has a clear understanding of what sort of person a new student should be. Such a student is usually intelligent, excited about attending such an intellectually rigorous school and will, in the final analysis, do and believe what he or she is told...."
• NEW! Finn Morgendorffer 37: Mature Relationships, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 4): “So, back to the original question. Who's the lucky lady coming as your date?” “Don’t know if I’ll choose anyone. I’d love to bring you Jane. Y’know, backup and all, but, between Mom and Daria, I just see blood being spilled. Mine.” “Oh.” Jane was pretty disappointed. To be Finn’s date was not a thought that was completely unpleasant.
  
• If Ever I Fall, by TheSharpie (COMPLETE!): As Phil drove down the old highway Quinn held his hand as the song from earlier played on the radio. “Tonight was perfect, sweetie.” “Anything for you, love,” he replied. The radio played on. As they approached an intersection they heard the screeching of brakes as an SUV ran the light....
• NEW! In the Cold Summer Sun, by Malakite (Part 1): Doctor Fisk looked up from the file he was reading with a certain amount of disbelief. The man looked nervous, almost sheepish in his blue business suit. The woman tapped her foot impatiently. It was obvious she was in a hurry, the way she kept glancing down at the cell phone in her purse. Fisk still couldn't quite believe what he was going to say to these people, but then he couldn't quite believe what that plant had done to the county's water, either. It was getting harder. This was the fifth set of parents he would have this conversation with this week.
• NEW! John Lane 45: Haunted by the Past, by RLobinske (Part 2): "I might consider the proposal," Sandi said, "if your sister had a fraction of your fashion knowledge." "She knows fashion," Quinn said. "She just doesn't use it." "I bet." Quinn opened a folder and pulled out her secret weapon. An old copy of the Highland Herald. She opened it to the fashion column and said, "Look at who wrote it." Sandi read out loud, "Daria Morgendorffer." Shocked, she sat down. "Your sister wrote a fashion column?"
  
• They, by OverlordMikey (COMPLETE!): The morning sun through the motel window woke the young man from his slumber. He remembered the night before, how she had insisted they meet at the Rondayview Motel off Route Six for a night he would never forget. He had not noticed that she was crying when he got there, nor had he considered why she wanted to meet him there instead of them going together. That night had indeed been the best they had ever shared he thought as he opened his eyes to greet the new day. He looked to his side and saw no one next to him. (FF.net)
  
• NEW! Zero G, by SigDiff (COMPLETE!): “They can go EVA. They pull up beside us and just drift over. We'll need to have someone in the airlock with the outer door open so they can get in. Maybe a rope tied down that we can throw over. And no worries about them breathing our atmosphere, because they've got suits.” [Ending is here!]
  

It's a Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Singer-songwriter-activist Bob Dylan was born 68 years ago today. Wow. One of his songs was the backbone of this story. I confess I've not been as fond of his later stuff as I was of early albums like Desire, which was awesome. I once had a copy of the stream-of-consciousness novel he wrote, Tarantula, but lost it.

By the way, I used Trent because there are no Bob Dylan alter egos. He could pass for Dylan if you squint a lot in a dark room. Until he plays.

Not many fanfics have much to do with Bob Dylan. Here is an exception.

By the way, I added a bunch of new stories to the last post. Have a look. Great stuff. I love this fandom!

The interviews done last year with some authors and artists have been posted. Enjoy. We'll see what comes up next.

BREAKING NEWS! Richard Lobinske has updated the 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks listing! Hooray!

And now for the fanfic.

FF.net

• Our Time Now, by Charliefox2012 (Part 4): Daria was startled when her door burst open. “Daria! What are you doing in bed when the house is on fire?!” Jake yelled. The sentence didn’t really process for Daria. She sat up and put on her glasses. “Um, trying to find out if these blankets are flame-retardant?” she said. [Author would like some feedback, please help!]
• Sinspiration, by Vlora (up to Part 11!): As Trent arrived home he was met with Jane on the couch eating some kind of instant meal. ‘You’re up early,’ she pointed out, her eyes drifting between her food and the TV periodically, enjoying the laziness of a Saturday more than she could remember. It was probably because she had spent most of the previous night reliving the same feelings she had gotten from Tom when they had broken up – all through Daria. She shouldn’t have let them date, but it seemed as if nothing good would have come out of the situation either way.
• Tales of the Ringbearers: Temporary Duty, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Sharon lifted a pair of electronic binoculars and observed the target area 500 meters away. Only her long experience with The Agency prevented her from flinching at the series of loud reports that erupted beside her. Looking down range at the fluttering remains of the target, she said, "Very effective Gunny, though a Ma Deuce isn't exactly what I'd call subtle."

PPMB

• Jane Lane: Spider-man, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 2): Jane hurried after the redheaded boy but instead bumped into an African-American girl who was carrying a box full of photographic equipment. Jane tried in vain to catch the box before it hit the floor but couldn't get there in time and instead got the other girl to fall too. “Uh, sorry. Did you see a guy go by here?
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): "Whose idea was this? I try to stay under the radar, run a profitable investigation agency and avoid fools and incompetents whenever possible. But, lately, somehow, I've become a magnet attracting deranged and idiotic creatures of great wealth."
  
• Things Fall Apart, by Doggieboy (Part 14): After the Ringbearers restored a semblance of order to the chaos at Highland High School, Beavis found himself alone and thinking of Butt-Head. They saved everyone here, but what about Butt-Head? he thought and sniffled.
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: TGIF), by Greystar: "Daria, how can you have anything bad to say about a school trip to Europe of all places?" Jane asked her best friend as they walked to school. "We're going on a zeppelin, Jane." Daria scowled. "The last one of those that ran for passenger service crashed in 1937, in case you don't remember. I've got a picture of it in my locker."
  

Hippie Days Are Here Again

Over in the Creative Writing forum on PPMB has appeared the newest segment in a great old tale: Roentgen's "New Drum, Same Tune," begun in 2005. (Profuse thanks to Scissors MacGillicutty for posting the new material.) This intriguing alternate universe assumes that Jake and Helen stayed hippies from the late 1960s into the late 1990s. As a result, the older Morgendorffers are burned out from drug use, hiding from the law (they sell the drugs they don't use), and barely have two nickels to rub together. That last bit is the pivot on which the AU turns: a severe change in socioeconomic status. These Morgendorffers have survived at the poverty level for years, are at the poverty level now, and will likely remain at the poverty level for years to come.

What makes this especially interesting is that in canon both Helen and Jake held left-wing political views in their hippie days, believing a great class struggle exists between capitalist haves and repressed proletarian have-nots (per the numerous references and flashbacks to their college days presented in "College Bored," "The Teachings of Don Jake," "That Was Then, This Was Dumb," and "Sappy Anniversary"). Helen once even gave Jake a copy of Marx's Das Kapital. The story brings the Morgendorffers full circle in their politico-economic philosophy: They are now the underclass, paranoid about "The Man" and refusing to engage with the greater society.

In a sense, "New Drum, Same Tune" spins off from the meeting between the Morgendorffers and the Yeagers in "That Was Then, This Was Dumb." The leftover-hippie Yeagers were finally won over to the Morgendorffers' modern views on Darwinian capitalism. Here, the enormous consequences of Jake and Helen keeping their old lifestyle are made plain . . . and Daria and Quinn must pay the price.

In the TV series, Daria proved that some of her parents' leftist class-vs.-class philosophy had rubbed off on her when she began to criticize Tom Sloane essentially for being rich. I had some trouble imagining anyone but Daria even thinking of doing such a thing. Isn't hunting for rich guys what most stereotypical girls want to do? The Daria in Roentgen's story might of sheer necessity have a different view, as the threats to her own health and well-being (not to mention her dreams of college) have clearly made her less interested than in canon in the welfare of others, who must fend for themselves in a dog-eat-dog world just as she does.

I look forward to more of this story, with its twisted AU twist. It'll be interesting too to see how Quinn claws her way out of poverty. Wonder where Rita and Amy are. Hmmm.