Group Hug!

Daria is reluctantly accepting a gesture of parental affection, but only because it's National Hugging Day. Mr. O'Neill, stay back and keep your arms where we can see them unless you want that lawsuit.

You could also hug some squirrels, because it's Squirrel Appreciation Day! Jake will be hugging them. Hugging them very tightly, right around their little rodent necks, gah dammit!

Last, but of course not least, today is the anniversary of the final chapter in the Daria story, Is It College Yet?, in 2002. The final movie had a surprisingly upbeat ending, even if Daria still regrets not bludgeoning Ms. Li with that trophy. Cheer up, Daria; there's always the reunion!

Fanfic Update!

• An Annoying Paradise - Daria, by Resop (part 4): "Daria walks into the music room expecting to see Sachiko-sensei but sees a different woman instead. 'Asamura Daria?' 'That's me.'"


• Creak, by Jim North (part 10): "More than gone. It hadn't been patched up. The rest of the floor hadn't disappeared, turning the entire kitchen into one giant vacancy with all of its contents spilled into the basement. The hole was simply gone as if it had never been there, the scratched and scuffed hardwood back in its original configuration as if the entire event had been a video rewound to its beginning."


• Dr. Sloane's Wonderful Androids, by Szcz (part 1): "Jodie Landon opened the front door and saw Daria, holding a Browning High Power. 'Jodie, you must know one important thing.', Daria said it and shot at Jodie's heart."


• God Save The Esteem: Punk is Dead, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Jake had asked for a Viking burial at sea but getting the corpse to the bay was impractical, so the mourners had rented a large paddling pool and set the burning coffin on that."


• Skeletons, by CaffeineAddict94 (parts 3 and 4): "Daria had driven past the house many times but actually entering it was a struggle." (Part 4)


• A Three Hour Tour, by Jim North (part 4): "'I have to say I was not expecting this at all,' he remarked ten seconds later. 'Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen,' came the loud, nasal voice from the docking stairs. 'It's everybody's favorite red-headed superstar!'"


• Unnamed story (Scenes that should be: Pacific Rimmers), by Szcz (part 1): "Lawndale was a heart of the middle coastal region, the place of the important trade routes to the internal countries. The cruel family of Sloanes held the control over the region from their stone manor near the Bay."

Perverted Squirrels!

"Road Worrier" appeared for the first time 12 years ago, and "It Happened One Nut" 10 years ago. Time flies, doesn't it?

The Roswell UFO incident took place in New Mexico 62 years ago today. Wonder if one of Artie's ancestors was kidnapped there. In a related event, SF writer Robert A. Heinlein was born 102 years ago today. A few Daria crossovers exist with Heinlein connections, particularly this masterpiece.

PPMB

• Cold Comfort, by Doggieboy (Part 11): In the hour and a half since Daria left the house, the skies had darkened slightly and the rain was spotty. She climbed up, then down, several hills on her hike to the northwest and finally came to a rusted chain link fence that blocked her from making any further progress. She saw a sign a few hundred feet to her west and moved towards it. (SFMB)
• Daylight: Fallen from Grace: I Should Have Been Home Yesterday, by Disco316 (Chapter 10): Mr. Secretary: As you are likely aware, on 1/1/2000, an ELE occurred that simultaneously destroyed every electronic device and electric wire in the Washington D.C. area. We have since determined that the area of effect includes, at the least, all of the northeastern states and several to the south. We have yet to find an unaffected region, and fear that this may have been a global event.
  
• Daylight: When Worlds Divide, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 3): Kyle Armalin kicked the door open and stomped his way to Daria’s desk. He was breathing hard and glaring daggers at her. Daria calmly stared at the boy in front of her. She waited for him to tell her what he was up to. When that didn’t happen, so she decided a raised eyebrow was in order. Kyle growled under his breath. “You’re one irritating woman, did anyone ever tell you that?”
  
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Special: Tokusatsu Team Up! by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 11): “You mean, that crazy-ass bitch could pick up that weapon and open a hole to another dimension or something?”
• Rolling the Dice, by Ajar (Part 1): “What if the bet was about me accomplishing something that would be satisfying if I succeed?” “Such as?” “Perhaps I get someone at school to do something they'd never do. Something only a brain would do.”
• Tales of the Ringbearers: With New Responsibility, by Richard Lobinske (Part 7): The base commander paced back and forth in his office. "Pardon my skepticism, but the Corps of Ringbearers has explored the Multiverse for over nine hundred years and we've never heard the slightest thing about your agency."
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: The Great Flood), by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "And I can't go out with Corey and Cliff on the same night, so Sandi told me to get Stacy to sub on the date with Corey, but Stacy's got a date with Robert, and anyway, she doesn't like Corey, and I don't want to make her go out with someone she doesn't want to go out with, but then..."
• Unnamed story (Second Coming of the New Ideas Thread), by Trscroggs (Part 1): “At ease men,” The general began, “We have a live one this time. And it isn’t going to be a pretty one.” The general let the men shift uncomfortably for a moment before continuing. “This time we’re going after an actual Guardian, class unknown.”

One J at a Time, On Time?

A few days ago I somehow got the idea that the anniversary of "The Story of D" had just come and gone. Except that I was two months off. That happened on March 19th, not May 19th. Sorry.

"One J at a Time" (and I have checked this twice now) was broadcast eight years ago tonight. Must be the flu and the frustration of trying to post on PPMB getting me all screwed up.

More shortly. Interesting that Tom bought Daria a rare book from the Internet. Interesting if after Daria and Tom broke up, she got something else from him that he ordered off the Internet, either before or after the breakup. Very interesting.

PPMB

• Don't Bet on It, Episode V: The Final Chapter. Srsly. by Lawndale Lurker (COMPLETE!): “Jane, be reasonable. I know a little about your financial situation, remember. Your mortgage is due. Your cupboard is bare. The wolf is at the door. The owl is on the roof. You're about one heavy knock on the door away from sleeping under the railroad overpass with the winos. Or becoming your mortgageholder's kept woman. You can't afford to keep going double or nothing like this."

World of Crunch Lunch Nuts. Munch the nutty nutty?

Hey, everybody! It's February 26th, and you know what that means!

What do you mean, you have no idea? Come on, it's National Pistachio Day!

I'll bet Daria celebrates National Pistachio Day, because Quinn is allergic to pistachio dye and, hey, who could pass up that opportunity? However, the holiday was most likely created by Jake's nemeses, the squirrels. National Pistachio Day is an obvious ploy to increase their nut rations and allow them to stockpile for times of war against He Who Drives the Lexus of Doom.

But never mind that. Go celebrate by munching a bunch of your nutty friend's lunch. Be sure to share with Quinn, too!

Graduation and Goodbyes

Seven years ago, Is It College Yet? aired, and the series was over. Much commentary came out about The End: The CBS Early Show, TV Guide Online, Slate Magazine, etc. The fans even had their say.

Fanfiction did not stop, however. Some stories even picked up at the exact moment IICY? ended (e.g, "Brother, When You're Found"). And it has run merrily along to this day, with no sign of stopping.

No deep thoughts here. Just keep up the good work, people.

Curiously, today is also Squirrel Appreciation Day. The coincidence is almost too much. More squirrel stories, please. :)

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Sleepless is back! "Broken Connections" and "Yuki-Onna" will be continued! Rejoice!


PPMB

• Falling Into College 66: Christmas in White, by Richard Lobinske (Part 2): A little drama with your wedding? :)

Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame Are Up

Daria (left) does Andy Warhol for us, on this the 80th anniversary of his birth. Some fans might remember seeing Daria's painting of Jane as an earlier alter ego (right) from the TV show Daria. Clever, that. The idea is based on Warhol's colorful but disturbing portraits of Marilyn Monroe.

Speaking of birthdays, today is the (believe it or not) 17th birthday of the World Wide Web. Yes, it is. The Web came to life on the Internet this day in 1991, available to the public. Now, thanks to the WWW (and Al Gore), you can be anywhere on Earth and still be able to find a picture of a cat saying, "I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGR?" Amazing. We don't have flying cars or world peace, but lolcats are everywhere. Go figure.

Cataloger of the paranormal Charles Fort was born 134 years ago today. It is a certainty that Daria, by her known habits and interests, would know of Fort. He is mentioned in a nightmarish fanfic by Dervish ("An Ill Wind"), and one of his books on enigmas and unexplained events, The Book of the Damned, is mentioned in another fanfic. Anyone wishing to write a Daria fanfic involving the supernatural or the bizarre would do well to thumb through his works. He was not an occultist, but rather a researcher fascinated by reports of UFOs, ghosts, sea monsters, strange fossils, paranormal human powers, extraordinary weather (such as rains of frogs or fish), and so on.

Oh, and two long-running serial friends are still in the running!


PPMB

• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): Ja-a-a--ake, Jaa---aaa-aaaa-ake, come, come chaa-aaa-aase us, Jaa--aaa--ake.
• Turnabout Confusion, Part II: All the King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): "We certainly didn't expect this to happen," Daria finished. Of course not, Helen thought. You just hoped it would.

The Teenager Who Changed the World

Being a fan of history, I've been especially fascinated by the few times that individuals have had a disproportionate impact on world events. One of those people was a 19-year-old teen who managed to make things a lot worse for us all, born just 114 years ago today. His story forms the basis for a Daria fanfic.

Today is also the anniversary day when a passenger liner with an unusual name collided with another ship and sank. The ship's name became part of the title of Part Four in this story.

Thirty years ago today, a happier event took place: the birth of the first "test-tube" baby. She (and recent genetic research involving Dolly the Sheep) inspired a fanfic, too: this one.

DariaWiki's newest page is about a squirrel, but not a normal squirrel. Thanks, BG. NO! WAIT! The latest article is about another squirrel, also abby-normal. Still BG's fault, however. The latter article is also the 1,900th one on DariaWiki!

Just a reminder: If you lack exciting in-canon villains to go with your next Daria fanfic, look no further than this thread, from here on.

And a quick note: Jim Vitale is BACK!


FF.net

• Duck and Cover, by Smileyfax (Part 2): "I'd like to see those zombie bastards try to get us now!"
• The Young Switcheroo, by Smileyfax (Part 3): The story is better than excellent, but what I want to know is, how can this guy write so much good stuff all at the same time? Check it out.
  

PPMB

• The Other Side of Time: The Nightmare Never Really Leaves, by The Sidhe (continued): “I’m given to understand that you’ve been having nightmares again.”
  
• A Simple Makeup Kit, by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): The real, true story about how Daria learned to put on makeup. And the secret has to do with The X-Files.
  
• Tales of the Ringbearers: Morning Mission, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): “What are you doing here?” Daria asked. “You can’t take Robert!”

A Sad Thing

You might have to click on the above pic to be able to read it. I see this image a lot lately. Me, the only one who is on SFMB.

Is there a way to resurrect this forum? It has been moribund for some time. It was once the alternative to PPMB, but lately few have been interested in seeking a new online water cooler to shoot the breeze about Daria or anything else. Few authors cross-post stories on both PPMB and SFMB, and no one at present posts stories exclusively on SFMB, except maybe in the adult areas. Every other Daria MB that I can find is similarly comatose.

Time goes on and things change. Here's hoping SFMB sees new life before too long.

LATE ADD: And now for a happy thing.


PPMB

• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!! !!!!! *

* Best line ever: "YOU SEE THAT, DARIA? THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DECENT PEOPLE GET INVOLVED WITH SQUIRRELS!!!"

THE TREES HAVE EYES.

This is how trees see us.

This is also how squirrels see us.

Coincidence? Or a terrifying threat we cannot afford to ignore?

Write to your congressman this Arbor Day and demand action—before it's too late!

This Arbor Day message was brought to you by Jake Morgendorffer Consulting, Lawndale. Mention this ad and receive a 10% discount on your next consult, with a free doughnut. Run over a squirrel on your way over, and the consult is free. Remember: they know where you live.

Addendum to "A Matter of Terminology"

Actually, something else that would be a lot of fun would be to add some of these other fanfiction terms to the DariaWiki in the sections about fan fiction and fanwork conventions. If anyone decides to create a new wiki page describing such terms (and offering a few examples of the same from Daria ficfic archives), that would be great. Just add the tag for "Fanwork Conventions" to the bottom of the page so it gets properly shelved.

Even better would be to identify some of the oddball tropes, memes, or whateverthehecktheyare that are unique to Daria fanfiction, like squirrel stories. Highlighting the different nature of our fandom is always good.

Note: I was going to say that we are unique in having Alice stories, but now I recall that even Star Trek had Alice stories, so it's not so unique. Still, it's worth pointing out.