Books, Bones McCoy, and Benefits

Happy International Literacy Day, everyone! Daria will of course be celebrating by reading a book or five, and I encourage the rest of you to do the same.

Today is also the 35th anniversary of the debut of Star Trek, a science fiction TV series you may have heard of. Apparently it has enjoyed a bit of popularity, particularly among "people in funny outfits who talk about peace and love and stuff." Live long and prosper!

Finally, September 8th was the day of the The Starry Night Ball that Kay Sloane planned as a benefit for the Lawndale Art Museum. Pity Helen couldn't make it.

Remember to observe International Literacy Day by reading the latest fanfic!

• Bump in the Night, by Smijey: "Daria shivered a few times as the night-time breeze brushed her exposed skin, sending goosebumps up and down it. Autumn was in the air, and she had another school year of being surrounded by morons to look forward to. An older van, brown, with a few dents and scratches, pulled up on the roadside next to her. 'Hey, little girl, you lost?' asked the man inside. He was overweight, balding, wore thick glasses, and looked completely unthreatening, yet everything about him screamed 'predator'. 'You want me to give you a lift somewhere?' he asked helpfully."


• Daria, or the Confession of a Single Lonely Male, by Arena del Sur: "I loved you. I was a monster, but I loved you. I was despicable and brutal, and turpid, and a devil damned in perversity, ¡pero te quería, te quería! And there were times when I knew how you felt, and it was a hell to know it, my little one. Little Da, turned into brave Daria Morgendorffer."


• A Different Look at 1111, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 3): "'What's so romantic about the Guest Room?' Tom asked as they entered the guest room. 'It's not the guest room itself, it's where it leads to,' Daria said enigmatically. Tom wasn't sure of what to say."


• Esteemster Series, by TheExcellentS (part 11): "(Suddenly Daria reaches up and grabs Sue by the throat, cutting her off mid-sentence) Daria: 'Up yours, Il Douche!' (Holding Sue's throat the entire time, Daria gets to her feet. She then knees Sue in the midsection, causing her to drop the mic, before throwing her back into the ring) Barch: 'Whoa! Where did this mean streak come from? This is almost Mad Dog-like!' O'Neill: 'Morgendorffer has simply had all she can stand, and she can stand no more! With the blood of her Hall Of Fame parents and her legendary grandfather running through her veins and down her face, she is destroying --- with these fists! --- can't defend herself at all here!'"


• General Semantics, Private Angst, by gwrtheyrn (part 41): "Changes on the wall display seemed glacially slow, almost undetectable, yet Enro had lived less than two metabolic days since the Monstrator’s death. The allied forces were actually coming together at staggering speed; so, perforce, Enro’s improvised response had to, as well. But, so far, in this theatre, the League’s Grand Committee was displaying more focused, purposeful strategy than the upstart military genius could match."


• Is It Ours Yet?, by RX-87 (part 6): "'Eeew...' Tiffany said once more. 'How...? How can something that big move like that?' Jodie wondered nervously. 'Maybe where they come from the square/cube law is more of a suggestion.' Daria pondered, her sarcasm a defense against her own growing apprehension. 'Gravity and inertia aren't nearly so daunting with the right knowhow.' Kokopelli said nonchalantly, 'But never mind that. It's our turn to strike...'"


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 6, by InvisibleDan (part 7): "The next few days were a blur for James. Later, when trying to remember that time, he found it hard to distinguish what happened when. There was a memorial service at Lawndale Community College which he attended. Hans was buried on a Sunday, and as much as James wanted to go he couldn't make himself. He spent that day alone in his bedroom, lying in bed and wishing Daria didn't have to work at the pool all afternoon."


• Rude Awakening Ep.8: Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust, by DIsaac (part 10): "DANI: No talkie today? You wanted me here. What happened? (no response from STACY) DANI: Hey, what's up? Talk to me. STACY: I think I did it with your brother."


• Save the Last Trance for Me, by jtranser: "Daria began to laugh hysterically as the introduction of Budoon's cigar smoking friends accompanied by Vegas trade show models who walked up/down/sideways on a red carpet to the six surfaced dais. 'Look, Jane, it's all so Titanic!' 'Well, yes, that part of the casino is. The architect was trained by M.C. Escher, so everything is either tesselated, or endlessly looped, or packed with asymmetrical congruent polygons plus all sorts of topological wack."


• Settling Into A New Life, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): "Aware that something was amiss, Cat said, 'Dean Xao said that he had declined the lecturer position that he had been offered with your hiring, stating that he had employment elsewhere.' 'That's news to me,' Daria said. Oops. I'm guessing it's a big surprise and he wanted to surprise you.' Daria said, 'It had better be a good surprise, because Michael knows how much I dislike surprises.'"


• Trix of the Trade, by Kristen Bealer (part 1): "Daria pointed accusingly at her. 'When you got your glass of milk last night, did you put the carton back in the fridge?' Quinn glanced nervously at the milk and then back at Daria. 'Um...yes?' Daria glared. 'Sure you did. Then who took it back out of the fridge, so it could sit out overnight and spoil?' Looking everywhere but at her sister, Quinn answered, 'The Trix Rabbit.'"


• Unnamed story (IC: What would Lawndale be like if...), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "Trent - Um... hello, Aunt Bernice. (lowers sunglasses) I like your hat. (Jane puts her hand to her head in an 'ah, jeez' gesture, then gets up to leave) Jane – I’ll be in the lounge."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria on the Oregon Trail), by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): "Along the old Oregon Trail, a lone gravemarker, the carved words on an oaken plank still readable after a century of harsh weather...."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria on the Oregon Trail), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "The rampant epidemic of dysentary has broken out among the fleet's population continues unchecked. Of ten thousand colonists, four thousand three hundred and sixty five have become infected. The death toll is now at one thousand fourteen."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria on the Oregon Trail), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "'Wow,' Stacy said, 'I lost five pounds! This is great!'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria's Trash freakout), by untra (COMPLETE!): "'Mom, can I talk to you?'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Quinn goes steady), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "Quinn - But I can't cancel all my other dates. I have to stick to my commitments. Besides, I wrote them down in pen. Skylar - Wednesday, Eric? But he's my best friend! And who's Bob?"

This Spud's for You

Sorry about reusing the Beavis and Butt-head "Mister Potato Head" image so soon, but I stand here before you to tell you, in complete seriousness, that today is National Potato Day. You are required by law, regardless of the country you live in or wished you lived in, to eat something that has to do in some way with potatoes: mashed potatoes, French fries, cheese fries, potato chips with or without ruffly ridges, whatever. I know you will your best.

Today is many other things as well: National Aviation Day, Gene Roddenberry's birthday (from whom we get Trekkies), Ogden Nash's birthday (from whom we get snarky poetry), World Humanitarian Day, and two years from now, Daria faces death on an alien planet. Yay! So much goodness, don't know where to begin.

Soooooooooooo... we'll start with fanfic.

PPMB

• The Cornfield, by Smileyfax (Part 2): "How was your first day at school, Daria?" "I almost killed the school counselor," she answered matter-of-factly, watching Quinn as she listlessly pushed her food around her plate. Jake forced a laugh. "Ha HAAA! What a sense of humor! What about you, Quinn? How was your first day?" Quinn met her father's eyes for a half-second, then resumed rearranging her food. Jake carried on like Quinn had replied to him. "That's great, honey!"
• Daria/Dorian 7: Motorcycles and Jocks Don't Mix, by LadieT (Part 1): "Hey, Dorian and Jane... doesn't Kevin look like a rebel in his new jacket? The one he got for Christmas wouldn't fit over his shoulder pads so we had to exchange it." "Where's the bike?" Jane asked. A confused look came over Kevin's face. "Huh?" "That's a motorcycle jacket," Dorian replied. "It's made out of leather to protect you from scrapes when your head's bouncing off the grill of a truck." Jane immediately added, "If you're just wearing it for style, then it's a waste of a perfectly good cow."

• Finn Morgendorffer 56: A Journey to Eternity, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 4): Lindy laughed. “Are you free this weekend?” “I am,” Finn replied. “What’s up?” “A party. The 80's. Can you fashion disaster it?” Finn laughed. Theme parties were kinda fun if done right. And the 80's had music as great as the fashion was ugly. That would be a fun night.
  
• First Loss, by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): Jackie watched the blonde storm off with a small smile. It had been cruel of her, true, but if anything was true about Jackie it was that she always spoke the truth. Kevin beamed his dopey grin and Jackie blew him a kiss for good measure. He hadn't remembered her at first, but it was hard to hold it against him. Soon the assembly was over and as the students began filing out, Jackie tossed her feathered hair and caught one of the military-looking guys' eye. A wink and a smile and the deal was done.
• NEWER! God Save the Esteem 2: Fight for Your Invite to Party, by Charles RB (Parts 1 and 2): Quinn was going through her leather gear and trying to find the skimpiest ones she could. “Hmmm... one inch after bra or half inch? One inch or half inch, one inch or half inch...” “Is this a bad time to mention there’s a cold front coming in?” Daria stood in the doorway, the cloud behind the silver lining. “Go away, I’m concentrating. There’s some big party in Crewe Neck on Saturday and we’re gonna be crashing it.” “Countdown: T minus 72 hours. Might this be Brittany’s party?” “Yes, and might you... how do you know about a party?” “I’m invited. Not sure if I’ll go yet.” “You’re invi... MUM! DAD! DARIA’S SELLING OUT!” (NEWER! Part 2)
  

• Grove Hell 2: All the Lawndale People, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): The nearer she got to Tuesday night, the worse Daria felt. Her stomach was full of acid and she was sweating, and she’d have to go through the notes every so often to avoid outbursts. She’d managed to blank out for the entirety of Maths but, luckily, Mr Ewing was used to people doing that and hadn’t picked up on it. The one bright spot: Jane muttering “everything’s set up, and I’ve ensured Trent will be awake. Well, I will ensure. I have heavy boots.” T minus six hours and counting.

• NEW! Import/Export, by Brian Taylor (Part 1): "Hey, kid," said a voice that shouldn't have been talking, two hours after it shouldn't have been saying anything. Daria Morgendorffer had heard a lot of voices since she'd been thrown into Cook Country for using grabby fingers to fill a hungry belly. Such were the ways of the world.; such was the spirit of the times. None of those voices ever said anything worth hearing. Usually, they just wanted something. Usually that something wasn't something any sensible somebody in a skirt wanted to hear.
  

• In Any Other World, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): “Girls, I realize it’s not easy moving to a whole new town... especially not for you, Daria.” She didn’t respond. She’d been staring sullenly out the window for the whole journey. “I know it was hard losing your room and Mr Van Driessen and everything, but—” “Can you drop me off here?” interrupted Quinn. “I want to make a good impression on the first day, that really helps with your rep—I mean, blow it and everyone’s gonna remember you for that, it’s like that big bird thing 'round your neck, and it’ll just look better if I arrive at school on my own and not with—” She paused just for a second. “—my dad. It’s kinda lame.”
  

• Jane Lane Tries to Do Some Begging, or, Writer's Block Comix 2, by Gwrtheyrn (Part 2): At this dramatic juncture in the narrative, there came a brisk, masculine knock at the front door. Such knocks were not always good news at stately Lane manor, especially when the parents were away. Sometimes there were truant officers behind them; since it was still summer, that seemed unlikely. But, sometimes there were process servers upon the moors; was that a possibility? Jane didn't know of any bills in the red zone, but it was so easy to miss something!
• NEWER! Kolchak: The Lawndale File, by Chris Tucker (Parts 3 and 4 and 5): "Ladies, I'm almost finished, please, sit and I'll be out of your hair in a minute." "Thanks, that's very kind of you." Her voice seemed to be sincere, but there was something maybe a little sarcastic... I don't know. She took the bench opposite me and her friend, a taller girl with stunning blue eyes and three rings in her ear joined her. The first girl spoke again, something about me being new here. "In town or in here? Yes, to both." I introduced myself, and the two girls were suitably unimpressed. Can't say as I blame them. (Part 4) (NEW! Part 5) (Daria/Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
• NEW! The Lane That Wasn't, by LadieT (Part 20): Jane knew the moment of decision was fast approaching. Reaching down once again, a smile came over her face. Feeling the warmth, Jane thought about her life as she knew it. There were very few occasions when she felt the sense of familial love. Everyone of them involved Trent. This new life was surrounded by it. If this road is encircled by it, then Trent's road should be, too. More importantly, if she chose this other path..she wouldn't lose Trent. The one person who mattered most to her in this life was still going to be her older brother.
  

• Legacy, by Getrealordie187 (Interlude 5): Sandi sits up straight in her chair, furious at the other girl's audacity. "Where do you get off talking to me like that in my own house while you call my mother by her first name and tell me about how I talk to my friends? Who do you think you are?" The brunette sits on the grass and stretches her legs out. "We're not in your house are we? This is your mother's house and she encouraged me to call her Linda when I met her earlier this week. I just think its hilarious the way you talked to that little pig-tailed girl, because you need all the friends you can get right now and you don't appear to have any.
• Moving Pictures IV (formerly The Camera IV), by Brian Taylor (COMPLETE!): "And here I always thought the only reason you'd ever show school spirit is if..." One of the floodlights sputters out. The auditorium lights come up. A tall, scrawny kid with glasses ducks on stage from behind the curtain. Kelly emits a sudden, loud laugh. "Now I get it!" "Get what? You can't get anything," says Amy a touch too quickly. "There's nothing to get." "You're not doing this for money. You're doing this because Joey Caswell's working tech and you just want an excuse to skulk in the shadows and stare at him." There's a pause. "Shut up," Amy hisses through what sound like clenched teeth.
• Unnamed story (Commune-ists), by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): "OF COURSE we ran away! They were going to make us eat GOAT CHEESE! HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE!"
  

• Unnamed story (Crossovers Still Crossing Over), by Erin M. (COMPLETE!): "And so," Daria Morgendorffer said, hands clasped behind her back as she paced in front of the suspects in the Great Lawndale High Bake Sale Caper. "The crumpled pay stub found in the basket where the cheerleading squad had their chocolate-covered bundt cake, along with the bottle of eye drops found under the Fashion Club's table when their Eyeshadow Cookies were stolen started pointing to a member of the Lawndale High faculty..." "Ms. Morgendorffer," Ms. Li said. "You can't seriously be accusing a teacher at Laaaaaawndale High to be a low-down pastry-pilfering thief!" (Daria/Captain Caveman)

• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Gangster School?), by Smileyfax (COMPLETE!): "Alright, youse mugs, simmer down!" he called out. "My name's 'Tommy' O'Neill. You know why the call me Tommy?" He opened the violin case, seized out the Thompson submachine gun inside, and emptied a clip into the ceiling. Bits of plaster rained down upon the students, all of whom seemingly unaffected by the insane act. Daria herself flinched and slumped down lower in the seat. "I wanna talk to youse all about realizing your actuality, and you all better stand up afterward and proudly proclaim 'I am', capische?"
• NEW! Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Gangster School?), by Wraith (COMPLETE!): [Won't spoil it for you!]
  

• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: In Search of "Donor"), by Wormbait (COMPLETE!): "Wow, you actually had an affair with that?" Jack asked his friend while watching the auburn-haired woman in the pantsuit rail at her family from by the door to the restaurant where they were supposed to meet. "You must have been a lot braver when you were younger, Danny boy. Not hard to guess which one's yours."
  

• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: The Misery Chip), by smk (COMPLETE!): "Are you sure you want to try the scenario again? After what happened last time?" "Well it's completely ridiculous! Women of the day were expected to have careers and fulfill traditional female roles in the home, it's no wonder the pressure got to them. Although that woman you had me play was simply absurd! Constantly railing at everyone because a relationship ended? And besides, what do you think holodeck safety features are for?" "Very well. We'll be starting in a couple hours. But this time, please remember that it's a science class, not a combat scenario." (Daria/Star Trek: The Next Generation)
  
• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser (continued): "'No, Jane, this one I'll have to do alone. I can't risk anyone else being trapped in his web and eaten." "Why not, Daria? What about the limitless hordes of fanatical simuloid followers you picked up in that mystic's dream, what's his name, Doobie Baba?" "Ashlune Bubanabaar. I checked. They're busy." "That, or scared shitless." "Can you blame them?"
  

The Final Frontier! Sort of.

Many years ago on this date, Uranus was discovered. (Huh huh huh huh huh huh...) And Pluto's discovery was announced this day too, though much later. Beavis and Butt-head have a Very Special Educational Episode related to the above. Enjoy.

Over 150,000 hits on this site! Yay!

FF.net

• NEW! Alison vs Mr T, by Smileyfax (COMPLETE!): Mr. T poked around inside the robo-remains of the robo-Jane robot. Inside, he found a robo-note written on robo-paper. "Mr. T!" the note read. "I have kidnapped Jane, and spirited her away to my fortress of evil and seduction! I intend to seduce Jane to the ways of evil... and sexiness! We will have sexy, evil times, mark my words!" "Does her boldness know no ends?" Daria questioned aloud. (Daria/The A Team) [Smileyfax is BACK!!!]
  
• NEW! Freaks of Lawndale, by Skraeling (COMPLETE!): Scarlet stood by the front of her new school, too nervous to walk closer, ignored by the students already there, and by those arriving. In front of her a sign proclaimed Lawndale High School and an American flag fluttered slowly in the wind. Clutching the silver ankh around her neck, she stepped closer....
• [Other stories that were published elsewhere have FF.net links placed with their mention here.]
  

PPMB

• Dark Date, by Ajar (COMPLETE!): "Tonight, on Dark Date, a Home-Ec teacher from Lawndale, Maryland meets an entrepreneur from Santa Clara, California, and when the lights come on, there's a revelation you have to see to believe. Coming right up, on Dark Date."
• End over End, by Shull Bitter (continued): "Is this the part where the ax murderer gets us?" Daria finally asked. "Nah, this road is so dead that he's probably still sleeping," Jane said.
• Finn Morgendorffer 36: Brain of the Family, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): Once Daria got started, she realized now how much she could understand O’Neill’s frustrated sobs. Most of these tests were pathetic. She asked them the easiest question she could think of, in a play that was not very complicated, and they couldn’t answer it. No one tried to think for themselves on what the play was about. It wasn’t until she reached the essay written by Jeffy Mercer that she thought there was some light in the darkness. He had the overarching belief that Romeo and Mercutio were lovers. And he even cited a few of the lines in the play to back it up.
• Finn Morgendorffer 37: Mature Relationships, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): Stacy or Jane? [NEW! Part 2 is here: "Eeew, Daria’s pregnant, isn’t she?”]
  
• The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 15): "You ass!" She practically shouted it. "What the hell?" Tom asked. "Now what are you pissed off about?" "I let you dance with Daria but I didn't think you were going to slow dance. Now the girl's infatuated with you. And just after you applied your inexplicable charm, she notices you chatting up some greasy band groupie." "Excuse me, but that 'groupie' is the sister of the lead singer." [Uh-oh!] [See the story in Sweet Valley High format, too!]
• NEW! High Stakes, by Project Pegasus (COMPLETE!): "To this Godly community I say, I have seen too many frightful proofs in court — the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!" "Poopy."
  
• Invader Dar, by Wraith (Part 1): "Galactic conquest is near! Galactic conquest is near!" Dar sighed and looked up from her hand-held view-screen. The robot sign on the building had been going on for quite some time and the repetition was getting on her nerves. She still wasn't quite sure why she had even received an invitation to the Great Assigning. Or why she actually showed up. There was probably a mistake somewhere, but the invitation had come from the Almighty Tallest, or at least their robo-secretary. (Daria/Invader Zim)
• NEW! Jacob Morgendorffer, Esq., by CAP (Part 5): “Rafe thought that we might want to give the Army JAG corps a look,” Jake said. “JAG,” Helen disdainfully exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?” (FF.net)
  
• John Lane 45: Haunted by the Past, by RLobinske (Part 1): "Don't insult canines by comparing them to that movie." "Okay, what can I insult?" "Slugs. But only the real ugly ones." "There are fashionable slugs?"
• Pluck'd a White Rose, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): Just sixteen, with dark auburn hair uncharacteristic in her family of redheads, Daria Anne had been a pawn in the Wars of the Roses all her life, a fact of which she had been acutely aware since long before her tenth birthday. She was just 5 when King Edward had taken the throne from Mad King Henry with her father's help. She spent the early days of the new King's reign at Middleham Castle, the only happy days of her life. Her mother, Helen Anne, had made much of her, though more of her sister, and the Queen Mother Cecily, had been a frequent guest bidding the girls to be her friend and call her Kay. She'd even had a playmate in Kay's youngest son, Tom. Tom was actually the Prince Richard Plantagenet, but as the third son and undersized at that, he'd insisted she treat him as just another child, and call him by his second name.
• NEW! Shining Star: Temporal Conundrum, by RLobinske (Part 1): "So, Gerald, what brings you here?" "We found a problem on Earth D-793." "I'm not familiar with that one," Richard said, going over to his computer and typing in the designation. On a display of a bundle of green threads, one was separated and labeled. A brief synopsis appeared to one side, which he read. "Hmm, most significant event was van Maanen's star going supernova in the year 1,000 CE. Everything looks in order. What's the problem?" (SHINING STAR shared Dariaverse)
  
• Two Halves 6: Role Models, by Dark Kuno (Part 1): "Hey I thought... oof... big brothers were... ack... supposed to protect... their sweet... ugh... innocent... oof... little sisters," said Daria, interrupted by pillows to the face. "That might be true," stated Alex as he halted his attack and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But since I don't have a sister like that..."
• NEW! Zero G, by SigDiff (Part 3): “Anyone want to help me to a wall or something?” Mike asked as he floated almost dead center in the room, out of reach of any hand holds. “Apparently I have the highest coefficient of restitution of anyone on this flight.”
  

A Holiday to Get Carrie'd Away Over

The first day after Labor Day is always Dead Stacy Rowe Day, thanks to this legendary fanfic by Angelinhel. Hooray for Dead Stacy Rowe Day! Please write a fanfic on this topic to celebrate.

Stacy is on the left in her traditional "Carrie" costume (with obligatory pig's blood), after the climactic scene from the 1976 movie (at right) based on the 1974 Stephen King novel. Makes you wonder what happened a few seconds after Stacy got splashed....

A Guilty Aside: I admit that I really like tracking down the origins of the alter egos that appeared on Daria. Hope you don't mind, but it's terrific fun. Mind game thing.

Today is also the 43rd anniversary of the premiere of the first Star Trek TV episode ever. This allowed Daria to have someone to make fun of (i.e., Trekkies). If you are a Trekkie, don't worry, there's always help available somewhere.

And it is also International Literacy Day, which Daria would always find a way to celebrate by reading a book. Splendid idea. Read a book, why don't you (Carrie is good!), but write your Dead Stacy Rowe Day story first.

Richard Lobinske has once again updated his 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks List! And I have not yet done the same for 2009 fanfic, but it is on my calendar for very soon. Moar 2 com.

BREAKING ART NOOZ: Pinkminx's latest update on "Jane - My Style" is available by link on PPMB. And Her Awesomeness Hershey-chan is back with more 'shipper artwork! Her latest is... real good! (I won't spoil it.)

FF.net

• Pigskin Caduceus, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 11 and 12): “What the hell were you doing on the bridge, dude?” Joey asked. Good question, I thought. I couldn’t look at the two of them. I still felt deeply ashamed of what Daria had revealed to me, that I thought they had abandoned me. I thought little of them, and here they were, saving my life. After all they had done for me, they deserved to know the truth. (PPMB)
  

PPMB

• Falling Into College 70: Is It The Future, Yet? by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): "Don't give me any crap about not being patriotic, you whiny-assed, testicularly challenged pile of road-kill opossum that a starving pig wouldn't touch! You feeling threatened by a woman speaking the truth on stage doesn't make her wrong. It shows how much of a useless excuse of a Y chromosome you are!"

Big Name Birthday Boys

Today is the anniversary of the birthdays of Gene Roddenberry (who created Star Trek) and former President Bill Clinton. Just thought you should know. Tom (left) is disguised as Captain Christopher Pike (right), after his near-fatal banana-peel injury. Tom's life-support model is spiffier than the original one, as you can see. That's because Tom has more money. ("This oxygenation dial goes all the way up to eleven!")

Looking for Daria-themed wallpaper for your computer? See this PPMB thread for ideas. I will list more when I get time. I've found a bunch on old MTV Daria sites.

Going back to a topic mentioned earlier, I would rather not link directly to NC-17 rated fanfiction here, but a blog on adult Daria material probably isn't warranted. SFMB can handle the whole issue quite well in its message board.

Bill Clinton, by the way, is shown in the act of answering Daria Morgendorffer's question about funding for education at Highland High School (Beavis and Butt-head episode "Citizen Butt-head"). Very few fanfics even mention this event in her life. Strange.

Why is Daria so disliked? Perhaps her hatred of lying, liars, duplicity, and so forth is the reason. Interesting article.

Stay tooned.

News about Uranus (huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh)

Twenty-three years ago today, Voyager 2 came within 50,680 miles of Uranus.

Huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh!

To commemorate this event, Beavis and Butt-head offer a science article at right (from Reading Sucks) all about Uranus—

huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh!

—that has actual science information from Daria herself. Click on the article to read it.

Nothing else happened today.


Uranus. Huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh!

Latest non-Butt-head news: Dad Draws Daria Art on Kids' Lunchbags, from Roentgen. Cool! Thanks!

PPMB

• The Fall of the Angst Lords, Part 1: Rebels Without a Clue, by Gouka Ryuu (Part 1): With a mandolin in one hand, he awoke late... I guess that counts as practice, per Trent. A bit of faanfiction (spelling is correct) for all.
  
• Long Trek Home, by Ranger Thorne (continued): Jane and Jennifer had practiced the biofilter regimen several times, but it didn't keep the two from being nervous. "That's one," Jennifer said finally.
• Order and Chaos, by Legendeld (COMPLETE!): Maria looked down at the wooden plate in front of her and tried to keep an open mind. Seconds later she turned to Daria and begged in a desperate voice: “Please tell me this isn’t frog!”
  
• Snuffed Animals, by Disco316 (Part 11): Quinn shuddered. “Eeeeew! Vampirism is so gross! Well, except for that 'Interview with Brad Pitt' movie; he’s good in anything.”
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): "We have many different enemies, Great Lady, so we must make haste. The stars and planets are approaching the required conjunctions, and there are those who would use those alignments for their own purposes."

A Novel Idea

This is International Literacy Day, which Daria of course would support by reading a book. You still have time to get in a short story if you hurry.

This is also the 42nd anniversary of the airing of the very first Star Trek episode on TV. The effect this show has had on the modern world is incalculable. At the very least, it gave us Trekkies for Daria to make fun of.

Richard Lobinske has again updated the 2008 Visual FanWorks Listing, so go there to the link and see what new wonders have appeared.

More gnuz soon. // Okay, back again. Read these:


PPMB

• Avenging, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (COMPLETE!): All the Brians smiled at this. "Silly rabbit—" They started to say . . . and Brittany joined them: "—Trix are for kids."
• A Tale of the Ringbearers: Majesty and the Servant, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): “It is real? Lucifer is real?”
  

Bubba's Big Beavis-n-Butt-head Birthday

You guessed it! Today is the 62nd birthday of former President Slick Willie "Bill" Clinton, seen here with two of his most ardent supporters. For more about "Bill" and Daria Morgendorffer, click here.

Today is also the 87th anniversary of the birthday of Star Trek-creator Gene Roddenberry, but I've already used the Tom-Sloane-as-Captain-Pike alter ego. The Star Trek fandom helped our own fandom in many ways, very indirectly, so cheers to you, Mr. Roddenberry, and thanks.

More news soon, need to do some housework first.

LATE ADD: Found the Clinton-as-Cornholio image on a conservative blog. Loved it. If you click on the picture, it moves. Cool. Heh heh heh heh heh heh...

Charles Ruttheimer III, King of England?

Only 383 years ago today, Charles I became King of England. What if, thanks to a time machine . . . no, let's not go there. Sorry. Today is also the 214th birthday of the U.S. Navy and the 45th birthday of Quentin Tarantino. One of Tarantino's movies had a significant impact on a recent Daria fanfic.

Oh, and the supersonic Concorde, beloved of Sandi Griffin, would have been 38 today if they hadn't stopped flying it.

Let's see what the Internet-with-a-capital-I has to show us today. . . .

MOAR SERIUS BIZNIS FRUM TEH INERNETZ!!! *

* With a capital I.

Daria Morgendorffer, Starfleet Captain? Wow, the things you learn online. She sure looks different without her glasses.

Unbeknownst to most of us, the San Francisco Chronicle once named Daria one of TV's best "teen smarty cynics." That was nice. Amazing how popular she became despite her best efforts to avoid it.

A few days ago I made a snide comment about using the Internet to date Daria nerds. Well, it appears you can really do that after all. What will they think of next?

Yearning for some Daria/Thundercats crossover fanfic? Yearn no more! Click here.

Whatever became of the guy who voiced Jake Morgendorffer? Perhaps this webpage will solve the mystery. More power to you, dude, and good luck with that.

Finally, thanks to students in Marshfield, Wisconsin, Daria Morgendorffer and family are able to explain the U.S. Constitution to you. That's a report to which I would have given extra credit, for sure, or rather I would have if they hadn't spelled "Constitution" as "consfghsfdgsdtitution." That's supposed to be a capital C there: "Consfghsfdgsdtitution." Kids these days.

Dar Trek?

On my random poking around on the Internet, I discovered an old website with lots of alter-ego pictures showing Daria cast members wearing Star Trek outfits. It's called "Dar Trek" and is worth a look. (Tom as Captain Pike at right is from the MTV site, not the "Dar Trek" one.)

Roentgen, Vlademir1, and Brother Grimace have been hard at work adding new pages to the DariaWiki and updating older ones. All are welcome to join in the fun and broaden the information base for us all.

A fan from France, Pok, has translated "Jane Unchained" into French and posted it online. Have a look. (I can't read it. I have enough trouble just with English.) Important Note: Kemical Reaxion's fan art of Jane Lane as a pixie has moved to a new location; it is not at the URL shown in the story. I'll have to fix that, sorry.

More news later. Have a great Friday night.

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.