Watch Out for Paper Cuts!

Jane is giving Jake some free lessons on World Origami Day, and I think they're well-stocked on duckies. Perhaps a nice flower or a boat?

If paper is too flimsy for you, you could celebrate National Metal Day instead. Technically the holiday is about the music genre, but I'd like to think Metalmouth is out there living his best life today.

Finally today is both National Timothy Day and National Education Day, and I must emphasize that Mr. O'Neill and education are linked in the vaguest possible way.

Fanfic Update!

• Avatar: The Drama Of Daria, by psychotol (part 7): "Daria entered the school when the PE teacher walked up to her saying 'DARIA MORGENDORFFER.'"


• Crushing Timmy, by wilddogjj (part 1): "Quinn, her husband Jim and their triplet sons Tommy, Timmy and Teddy were in the living room. Quinn and Jim were dressed up for a night on the town."


• This is Not America, by ladyevil (part 1): "'You brought enough for the whole class, Michael?' Ms. Barch asked in study hall."

Another Look at Mr. O'Neill's Seating Charts

Pinhead and UU have kindly forwarded several screen captures from "Cafe Disaffecto" in which the resolution is much improved over previous images. The subject of these screen captures is Mr. O'Neill's seating charts for his second and third period English and/or literature classes. We're going to look at the second-period charts for Daria and Jane's class. These are presented without further ado.

The charts were uploaded to this blog as thumbnails, but you can click on them to pop them up to full size. Most of the names are as we thought, but a few things stand out with these improved views.

1. The girl who sits in the far back, to Mr. O'Neill's right, is named Tania, as previously suspected.
   
2. Shaggy, whose name we long thought was actually Dewey, might still be Dewey but also might be something slightly different. The lettering is more than a bit ambiguous. Dewan? Devan? WTF?
   
3. The girl in the brown sweater who sits behind Kevin is not Jessica or Jennica, but Jenna.
4. The occupant of the front-row seat to Mr. O'Neill's extreme right is known from the show to be Andrea, but the seating chart lists her as Haley. This oddity, too, has been commented on before.
   

In the Backgrounders website, Tania is the girl known as "Three Buttons" (but she's about to get her real name).
The best resolution I can get for "Dewey" is this image: Hmmm.

Comments? Previous digressions on this subject may be found by clicking on "seating chart" in Labels, below.

Caption Contest!

Give this deserving image a caption we will never forget!

(Many thanks to Pinhead for the excellent image!)

Those Who Can, Teach

This is World Teachers' Day, and having once been a substitute teacher myself I hereby pay tribute to those who struggle to bring light into the minds of our youth. And resist the urge to strangle some of them. Don't get me started. Thanks to Mr. O'Neill and Ms. Barch.

SFMB celebrates its sixth birthday today. Thank you, Thea Zara, for all your hard work!

Not a lot going on at the moment. Has anyone noticed if MTV has made an announcement about the Daria DVD anywhere on MTV.com? Kinda odd. Hope they put up more specific information before long.

Mutant and atomic-wasteland lovers: check out the discussion at PPMB on TMI+20: Lawndale after Three Mile Island goes BOOM!

"I pity the fool who touches my gradebook!"

Yes, today is the 57th birthday of that great American legend, Mr. T, represented here on the right by Mr. O'Neill (dressed in something vaguely like Mr. T's A-Team outfit). Irony, oh, the irony.

Question: Did anyone ever do a Daria/Mr. T (B.A. Baracus) crossover? 'Cause that would rule.

More later, still getting over the flu.

MORE NOTES: Plans for a late summer Midwest USA Dariacon are in the works. I pity the fool who doesn't make it there.

MOAR NUZ! A new website has been created to host the five author/artist interviews conducted last year (the "alt.lawndale.creators" batch). So far, only the interviews with MMan and Christ Oliver are up, but the rest are following in short order. Got any comments? Want to see the interviews continued? Let me know. There seems to be a lot of interest on this topic.

The Games of Luuuv

Ooo, hawt! Looks like Timothy's about to get his Twister twisted. Time to polish the plastic!

But the hell with that, we have fanfic to announce.

PPMB

• Accidents Will Happen, by Undefinedlust (Part 3): "Daria, come back to bed," Jane called.
• Daylight: Reporting from Echo Base, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "As you can see, we built a fort."
• A Mess in Lawndale, by Aloysius (Part 1): A smirk appeared on Daria’s face. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
• Once Upon a Time in Lawndale, by Disco316 (Part 5): Ryan crept down the stairs at his laundry as quietly as possible (though far from silently) to try to keep from waking the migrants and other workers who lived in the basement. However, as he peaked around the door with his lantern, he was startled to see a hand grab for the lantern. He was even more surprised to see the woman to whom the hand was attached.
• Unnamed story, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): Roentgen seems to be putting his fanfics in the wrong category again. This one is great!

Some timely advice from Mr. O'Neill

The alter ego at left is what I felt like after taking the Graduate Record Examination this evening. Jeffy is of course Quasimodo from the 1996 Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (at right), complete with red hair, green tunic, and sock-like cloth shoes. I like Jeffy's nailed walking stick, however. Wicked. And he has a better haircut than the Disney guy.

Anyway, I finished the GRE and felt quite the abused soul, more to the point like a pinheaded Neanderthal moron, so I skulked back to my lair to lick my wounds (eww) and mourn my shattered dreams of world domination. And the words of the immortal Timothy O'Neill from Is It Fall Yet? rang in my mind:

"And for those with less, uh, robust scores,
there are still wonderful opportunities in
the food services sector."

Isn't it funny how something from Daria will come to you like that in those moments when you need comfort most? I love it.

More stuff to come. Hope to get all the fanfic listed and posted this weekend. See you at the Burger World drive-through window!

P.S. Queen Jossie finished "Y 2 Day?" nine years ago today.

The Man Who Gave Condoms His Name

Only 3,287 years ago today, Ramses II (a.k.a. Ramses the Great to his closest friends) became the pharaoh of Egypt. I read this on Wikipedia and thought, how the heck did they know it was this date? Nice work there. This has to do with Daria because of "My Night at Daria's."

Also, Clint Eastwood was born 78 years ago. This has to do with Daria because the Gorillaz song, "Clint Eastwood," is played twice on "My Night at Daria's."

DariaPhantom has noted an announcement on TVShowsonDVD.com that may mean hope for Daria. Others are skeptical. We shall see.

Medea42 asks, "Has anyone ever tried to fit a fanfic to the song 'Daria' by Cake? It seems like it would be good inspiration for 'adult Daria.'" A link to the lyrics is here. (Speaking of Medea42, see her page on DariaWiki. Well done.)

In the realm of wacky fanfic, Paisleygal and NightGoblyn address an Iron Chef: "There are no laws, but there are rules!"

In Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Dawn of a New Nightmare, we read this blood-chilling passage: "I'm baaaaaaaaaack," Thom Sloane said with an evil smile.


FF.net

• What I needed after all, by MotocrossHottie089 (Parts 1 and 2): A tale about Jayde, Daria's daughter.

PPMB

• Avenging, by LSauchelli (Part 1): Jake Morgendorffer gets an unexpected visit from an old acquaintance, but Daria gets the biggest surprise of all in this crossover tale.
  
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes, by Brother Grimace (Chapter 13.1 - Teaser): "Where do we go from here?"
• A Little Vacation, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): The story ends with Epilogue 4, but in a way this tale is only beginning. (SFMB version)
• Long Trek Home, by Ranger Thorne (Part 1): "Antisocial Climbers" crosses over into the land where "no man has gone before." Read it to believe it.
• New Life, by legendeld (Part 1): A much changed Quinn Morgendorffer heads for home.
• Reign of the Darias: Life as a Corpse, by LSauchelli (Part 4): One word says all: doppelgänger.
• Size Does Matter, by BlackHole (Part 24): Jamie White has a new love interest: the local version of She-Hulk. (SFMB version) (author's website version) (Ben Breeck's discussion of the story on SFMB)
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): "I found myself in an incredibly creepy room decorated with pictures of dead people in Hello Kitty picture frames hanging on the walls." This is getting really really bizarre. A great read. PLUS: wild gangs of math students beat up the frat boys at Miskatonic U!
  

SFMB

• The Other Side of Time: Witness to the Monkey Show, by The Sidhe (COMPLETE!)

More to come.

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

Given Daria's appreciation for a clever turn of phrase, it is appropriate to celebrate the 83rd birthday today of Baseball Hall of Fame great Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees, whose Yogiisms have entered the English language and immortality. You've almost certainly heard some of Mr. Berra's malapropisms, but it's great to go down the list and find some new ones.

You might not know, however, that the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear was named for him, bringing us full circle to animation fandom again. Furthermore, Daria quotes Yogi Berra in Peter W. Guerin's "The Misery Senshi Neo-Zero Double Blitzkrieg Debacle," and Yogi Bear is mentioned in Patrick Moore's "Beavis, Daria, and Butt-head" and CAP's "Daria in Pink." Thank you, Yogi Berra!

There are a few other important historical notes for the day, but we'll get to them later when fanfic updates are done. Peace out, yo!

Some Call It . . . . . . . Art

Alas, alackaday, I am woefully behind on updating all the new and continued fanfics on PPMB, but I will get around to it one of these months.

Meanwhile, check out the new artwork by Acidgirl: "Bosquejos," which means "sketches of Daria," and "Apocalyptic Daria," featuring Daria and Martin with happy faces because they haven't yet been blown up or irradiated, though we can always hope.

More news, or at least something, soon.

LATE-BREAKING NEWS: Sleepy Lotus has begun a new serial story on ff.net called "Night Owl." Daria/Trent shippers, you know where to go and what to do.

Blah blah blah blah

Kelly and Tania(?) sit together in "Cafe Disaffecto," as we roll with some announcements. (Quick self quiz: Can you name all the background characters who went time-traveling in this picture from "The Misery Chick"?)

Fanfic writer BlackHole is looking for beta-reader(s) on PPMB, drop a note if you are interested.

Not to toot my own horn in public, but I contributed the 1,200th page to DariaWiki. Thankew, thankyewverymuch. If you know of some Daria stories that could be considered "nextgen," feel free to name them on that page. I know of a few, but more would help.

The big fanfic list from PPMB is in progress, as is the new list of 2008 fanfic. I hope to get both up tomorrow.

Remember to VOTE!

The Facial Hair Thing at Lawndale High

Here's an interesting little something I've been noticing. This is a Lawndale High group from "The Lawndale File" with, of course, Kelly and Josh, and there's this guy on the far left I call Number Twelve for obvious reasons. Twelve here has a goatee. Facial hair was forbidden at my high school 35 years ago. Did they relax the ban on beards recently, or what?

Twelve can be seen in another picture posted here from Is It Fall Yet? with Corey also in the background. He looks like he's growing a full beard there, or at the very least forgot to shave that morning.

In fact, several male students at LHS have beards and other facial hair. Maybe it's just because I'm like really old and stuff, you know, but it just looks weird. What do you think? About the facial hair thing, I mean, not about me being old.

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 10) + Meet Ronnie (Part 2)

In this scene from "Jake of Hearts," we see Ronnie at far left (wearing different clothes), with Josh and Kelly behind Jodie to either side.

This is probably driving some blog readers crazy, looking at all these pictures of students, but on the other hand you probably recognize the background kids more quickly than you once did and can even think of their names before I say them. Incidental learning is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

As a side note, this blog is now getting over 100 hits a day, over 80 of which are unique visitors. Someone in Estonia is reading this blog, too. Cool. We're almost up to 4,000 hits, gotta keep it moving!

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 9)

Here is the audience at Daria's open-mike reading, near the end of "Cafe Disaffecto." From left to right: Les, Dewey (Shaggy), Kelly, Jennifer (Burnout Girl), Andrea, Asian girl who was walking with Joey, a friend of Les wearing blue, and Jenna(?). Andrea sits alone.

The Asian girl and Les's friend are not in Mr. O'Neill's class.

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 8)

In the background of this scene from "Fair Enough," we see Jennifer and Josh—and Josh is a sk8boarder! Are these two dating? The rumor mill churns away.

In the foreground is Linda Griffin, about whom more later. As cartoon women go, she's a babe.

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 7)

This scene from "Jake of Hearts," showing a crowd's reaction to Daria's speech about her father, offers (left to right): Jenna(?), Rob ("Pink shorts"), the unnamed Asian girl once seen walking with Joey, the blonde girl (Tara? Tania?) from the back right section of the class, an unnamed black girl often seen in the background, one of the Jennifers, and Dewey (Shaggy).

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 6)

From "The Misery Chick," a curious photo showing (left to right): blonde girl in right rear of room (from teacher's perspective), Jodie, Daria, and Andrea (sitting where "Haley" should be). Did Haley drop out and Andrea replace her? We never do get to see Haley in any shot. Josh, behind Daria, is completely covered by Jodie; Jane is off to the left.

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 5)

A very rare view from "Monster," showing the area to Jane's right rear in O'Neill's class, including (left to right): Dewey (Shaggy), Jane in foreground, Kelly (almost covered by Jane's head), and a rare shot of Les.

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 4)

First picture is from "Fair Enough," with (left to right): blonde girl in far back right (T-name), Jane, Josh, Daria.

Second picture is from "Monster," a rare view looking to Daria's rear right, showing (left to right): Rob (the Asian kid I usually call "Pink Shorts"), Daria, a mostly hidden Josh, and the blonde girl in the far back of Daria's row.

Mr. O'Neill's Class (Part 3)

The first picture is a street scene from "I Loathe a Parade," showing (left to right): Jenna(?) and Adam. Adam is one of the few black students named in the series.

The second picture is a classroom scene from an unknown episode, showing (left to right): Adam, unknown girl in far right rear (looks like "Popular Girl," a.k.a. Tori Jericho, but she is in Quinn's classes; this is a different girl here), Josh, and Daria.