Through a Beer Darkly

Upchuck is serving up a round of drinks that absolutely no one will take him up on, even if it is World Bartender Day. Not even free booze is worth putting up with that level of smarminess.

Today is also the anniversary of the episode "Through a Lens Darkly," which aired on this day in 1999. Fortunately, Daria had not been drinking before she went on her driving lesson. If she had, then that poor dog wouldn't have stood a chance, peripheral vision or not.

Fanfic Update!

• #JimToo, by WildDogJJ (part 1): "Quinn, Nicole, Stacy and Sandi were walking around the zoo enjoying a lady's afternoon out."


• Daria Enrolls at Nevermore, by Meester_Lee (part 5): "Daria got up from lunch and started walking back to her dorm to pick up her books. Not quite Hogwarts quality, she thought, but then again she could get meals better-suited to keeping her figure."


• Daria on the Trail, by meesterlee (part 6): "Our 'Nooner' by the Ninth Crossing of the Sweetwater lasted much longer than usual."


• The F Files, by jones2000 (part 7): "Unbeknown to Chuck, Jodie Landon, not used to being one sitting back and letting others do the jobs for her, was also chasing answers."


• It’s Just Rock And Roll. It’s Not That Serious, by translayton (part 1): "'Now introducing.... THEEE BUNGHOLLESSS!' A disconnected voice boomed over the packed stadium. Despite the lack of music playing, four hearts pounded in anxious unison."


• Vendible, by FictionAuthorofFiction (COMPLETE!): "How was it that people could be so materialistic, yet so extraordinarily dull at the same time, she wondered silently staring at the display in front of her."

Care for a Feisty Beer?

Upchuck is taking the opportunity of World Bartender Day to offer everyone a few cold ones. Of course, there is no amount of beer goggles that would make Upchuck attractive, so I fear he's wasting his time.

Speaking of eyewear, today is also the anniversary of the episode "Through a Lens Darkly" on this day in 1999. Turns out the world is just as lame viewed through contact lenses as it is through glasses. Sorry, Daria!

Fandom News!

• ToddDC shares Smoking The Filter, a Daria-inspired VN game.

Bet You "Cocktail" is One of His Favorite Movies

It's World Bartender Day, but I think Upchuck is severely underestimating the amount of beer needed for people to want to spend time around him. The correct amount is "approaching deadly levels of alcohol poisoning."

Poor eyesight would also help, which is why it's fitting that today is the anniversary of the episode "Through a Lens Darkly" in 1999. Of course, even without her glasses Daria knows better than to trust Upchuck. The question is, does Eunice?

Fanfic Update!

• Burned Out, by Wrabbit7 (part 17): "Jennifer laid on her bed, her socked feet planted on the wall behind her headboard. She had been in that position for the better part of the last two hours, bouncing a small rubber ball at the wall between her feet, and catching it on the rebound."


• Danny Morgendorffer, by ST91 (part 33): "Quinn did everything she could to distract her grandmother ... and things worked for a while."


• Everything to Fear But Camp Itself, by Lady Evil (COMPLETE!): "Back at Camp Grizzly, the paramedics were waiting. Tiffany, still sleeping, was whisked off to the nearest hospital. The police took Mr. Pott’s statement and asked about the missing boys. Allen and Link were presented."

But Where's the Salsa?

Brittany and Kevin are all set for National Tortilla Chip Day, and you have your choice between flat or ridgy ones! Just don't get them all mixed up, okay?

Today is also the anniversary of the episode "Through a Lens Darkly," which aired on this day in 1999. There weren't any tortilla chips in that one, but judging from her reaction Daria's contact lenses probably felt more ridgy than flat when she first tried putting them in.

Fandom News!

• tafka is offering Pal Daria VHS for sale.


• Discuss or joke about the case of the chicken-free KFC.


• What do you think of the news that Murphy Brown is returning?


• Vote in the Deadliest Warrior poll between MoJo JoJo and Simon Bar Sinister.

Time to Discover the Eunice Inside!

Why is Daria putting contacts in again? Why, all the better to watch "Through a Lens Darkly" with! The episode originally aired on this day in 1999, and I'm sure Daria is really thrilled about reliving that pleasant first encounter with contact lenses. At least the dogs of Lawndale will rest a little easier knowing her peripheral vision is improved now.

Fanfic Update!

• Black Cloaks of Lawndale, by Waylander (part 20): "Herb was getting frustrated at the lack of progress made by his latest pupil. Jane couldn't get past the candle exercise, no matter how hard she tried."


• Daria: College Pains The Sophomore Year, by James the Lesser (part 4): "Daria pulls in to the driveway early in the morning. She is worried when she doesn't see Jane's car."


• Mack of All Trades, by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!): "'We did it! Woooo!' Kevin cheered, slapping Mack a high-five as they walked off the football field a few days later. 'We're gonna be Glenfield Gladiators!'"


• Unnamed story (World's Shortest Crossover XIII - Crossovers are Magic!), by Kuriamo22 (COMPLETE!): "Jon Stewart sat at his desk on The Daily Show trying to put forth his usual jovial attitude, 'Today marks the 112th day since Empress Morgendorffer... "ascended" to the "Presidency".'"

Eye See You!

Daria's taking a good look at us to make sure we remember that today is the fifteenth anniversary of the episode "Through a Lens Darkly." Daria got contacts, discovered her inner vanity, and almost ran over a dog. Good times.

Fandom News!

• Kem has a question about replying to an announcement thread.


• Is Mr. DeMartino the kind of teacher all the girls liked? Throw in your two cents in the thread.


• See the recently announced cast of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie and join the debate!


• Share your opinion on the coming reboot of the TV series Heroes.


• Shiva posted a new Iron Chef in Creative Writing: Write Where It's Hurts For Everyone!


• drocem is looking for model sheets for Mack, Helen, and Tiffany.

"Who's Eunice and why doesn't she get her own body?"

On this day in 1999, the episode "Through a Lens Darkly" aired for the first time. In it, we got to see Daria without her glasses, a freaky dream sequence, a rare appearance from Amy Barksdale, and an almost-but-not-quite vehicular dogslaughter. Oh, and a recurrence of the "talking toilet" joke first seen in "Pierce Me."

Richard Lobinske wrote "Lessons," one alternate universe version of the events in the episode. Ajar wrote another version in Regifted 2: I Put Away Joyless Things. I'm not sure if there have been any other retellings, though. If not, there should be. What if Daria had decided to keep the contacts? Would it have changed anything later in the show? For example, would Tom have approached Daria first instead of Jane? Interesting food for thought, anyway.

Fandom news!

• Best wishes and condolences go out to those affected by the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.


• Congratulations to Ranger Thorne, who started a new job recently!


• Watermelon Man poses an interesting philosophical question: is morality relative?


• What do you think of the phrase "Everything happens for a reason"? Post your opinion in the thread.


• J-D has a question about "Boxing Daria" and continuity.


• arenadelsur wonders about Frank Zappa in "That Was Then, This is Dumb."


• Liz Ruiz's rewarding the classics thread is still going strong. Discuss your favorite older fics there!

When We Partied Like It Was 1999

Today is the 52nd birthday (I can hardly believe it) of rock legend Prince, who was once formerly known as Prince, who was before that again named Prince. When he changed his name it became very hard to pronounce (his name looked like the symbol at left), so it was good when he went back to the original name. Do not confuse him with the book called The Prince, which is not the same thing as the rock star. Prince sold about 1,000,000,000,000 bajillion gazillion record albums and tapes and CDs in his lifetime, which I guess is pretty good. He also made the year 1999 famous.

Here is a very curious thing. In the CD game/utility Daria's Sick, Sad Life Planner, Prince's birth year is wrong. It is listed as 1941 when it was really 1958. We would have celebrated 1999 in 1982. Or something. You know what I mean.

In the first third-season episode of Daria, "Through a Lens Darkly," we discover the following dialog:

• Mr. O'Neill: Now, when he shed his regal vestments and began dressing as if he had no money, a very funny thing happened to the prince. What was that? Kevin?

• Kevin: He became the poor guy formerly known as the prince?

Cute play on words there. Oh, speaking of Prince, he did a song called "The Chocolate Invasion," and today also happens to be National Chocolate Ice Cream Day in the USA. You know what to do.

NUZ!!!

• Richard Lobinske updated the 2010 Fan Art Listing a few days ago. Hooray!
• Lord Akiyama produced two new works of art: Danielle Todds (a fanfiction character) and Quinn and Danny.

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• Backyard Foray, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): "What is that bright point in the sky?" she asked. "The sun," her lover said, a smirk on his face. "It is, after all, daylight." "Not that, silly," she said and smacked his upper right arm. "To the right of the sun." He blinked and then looked briefly over the tops of his sunglasses. "It looks like a shining star to me, honey." (Daylight/Shining Star)
• Cannot Unsee, by Silver (COMPLETE!): Silence reigned. The four girls stared in horror at the monitor. Tried another link. Continued to stare in horror. "Quinn? What is this?" Sandi asked after a moment. "I... don't know. Someone's redirected all my favorites!" Quinn said, her voice gone monotone.
• Daria/Dorian, by LadieT (Parts 1 to 3): March 26th, 1535, in a village outside of Hamburg, Germany: As Klaus Von Morgendorffen arrived back at his estate, he was greeted by his daughters. His oldest, Katherine, was set to marry the oldest son of business partner. The marriage had been arranged shortly after the birth of both. Katherine, however, was not happy with who her father had chosen to be her husband. Frederick was a cold and bitter young man. Frederick had been given the option of leaving the arrangement but refused. She begged her father to cancel the arrangement but he would have no part of it. Their wedding was to be on her seventeenth birthday, which was just weeks away. As the time approached, Katherine tried in vain to find a way to escape her fate.
• The Dream of the White Darkness, by jtranser (continued): Daria and Harry were quickly hustled into another Crown Vic and driven to a decrepit hunting lodge in a remote location of the Dos Tortas mountains, where they were met by Tony Tsung, former coordinator of topological nuclear weapons development. In addition, he had previously worked with Daria on The Demon Core Project. As the cars sped away to waiting scrap yards, Tony turned to the two refugees and escorted them inside. He signaled them to be quiet, so as not to disturb the peculiar religious ceremony taking place in the old dining room of the lodge.
• Eye of the Beholder, by LadieT et al. (Part 4): "Miss Lane, it has been brought to my attention that you and Miss Morgendorffer seemed to be at odds today." "No, she just wasn't in a talkative mood. No big deal. Why are you so concerned about it?" "I would just hate to see something happen to your friendship... especially if she was to accidentally see these." Ms. Sylvester came from behind Jane and handed her the photos. The color instantly drained from Jane's face as the shock set in.
• Finn Morgendorffer 48: Filling Sacks of Failure, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 5 and 6): On Friday morning, Finn loaded up the car for a three-day trip for him and his father. “Are you all set, sport?” Jake asked eagerly. “For a five hour trip? Yes. Did you go before we left, Dad?” Finn asked. “Yeah.” “And no coffee? You'd just have to go.” “Yeah.” “Alright, Dad. Let’s get going.” [Best line: “And get me that cameraman who didn’t get her boobs in the shot!”] (Part 6)
• The Future Is Unwritten, by Brian Taylor (preview): [Ten years after graduation...] "Hi, Kevin. What do you do?" "I'm a pre-petrollinium dispensayshunist guy." "He means he pumps gas." "There's still a full-service station in town?" "No." "Tough luck."
• The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 33): "GET OUT OF HERE!" "I'm not scared of you anymore," Quinn said, turning to leave. "Oh? And Professor Goodlett? If you really want to flunk me... try HARDER!" With that, Quinn slammed the door behind her so loud that the transom fell open like a dragon's mouth.
• Hang Time, by Lord Akiyama (Part 1): Jane raised a confused brow. "Your mother is paying me forty to babysit a seventeen-year-old?" she asked. "Quinn isn't going to be alone," Daria noted.
• NEW! Her Last Opportunity, by Coonassblondie (COMPLETE!): Today is the day. The first cognizant thought of the morning, and the butterflies in her stomach had already erupted. This was her deadline, her last chance. She would be leaving for Boston in the morning, hopefully never to permanently return. Oh, sure, she would return for short trips to visit her family, but ultimately, after tonight this would no longer be her room. She glanced around at the bare furniture, finally coming to rest on the stack of boxes stacked neatly by the door, waiting patiently to be hauled to her dorm. Today was her last chance, and she was determined to take it.
  
• Jacob Morgendorffer, Esq., by CAP (Part 10): Only Daria was with Jake. Supper out of the way and Daria’s piano practice done, they shared the living room in a comfortable, companionable silence. Daria curled up on the sofa with a book while her father seated in a recliner scanned paperwork that he pulled from his briefcase. Unknowingly he sighed, just loud enough for Daria to notice. “What’s wrong, Daddy?” she asked. Jake glanced up perplexed by his eldest daughter’s seemingly out of the blue question. “What was that, Kiddo?” he asked. “What’s wrong?” Daria repeated.
• John Lane 46: Substitute Plans, RLobinske (COMPLETE!): When she got to Sandi, Daria said, "I don't think that they had a Cashman's in medieval Verona, but overall, you found a, let's say, unique, way to critique Shakespeare." Sandi accepted the grade and said, "Just because you're stuck in the Middle Ages, it doesn't mean that you can't look good."
• NEWER! Of Wants and Looks, by Ticknart (COMPLETE!): Quinn Morgendorffer stood at the upstairs window, looking out over her family’s front yard. She watched as her older sister, Daria, crossed the lawn and climbed into a beat-up black van. She tugged on a braid as she watched the van pull away and drive down the block. She left the window and wandered into Daria's room. As she looked around, she wondered how much longer it would be before her parents let her go out all day with just her friends and no grown-ups. Would she have to be sixteen, like her sister? That wouldn't be for she just had a birthday it another eight years. Unfair.
  
• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (Parts 3 and 4): Daria stared at the e-mail. They're pleased to tell me that I have to live in Atkinson? Are they kidding me? She looked up at the bare walls, painted in a light booger green. This really sucks, she thought. At least for now, I have the room to myself. (Part 4)
• Tales of the Ringbearers: Learning a New Trick, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): "You've got plenty of vacation time built up. Go take some, she told me," Agency Hypersphere Supervisor Richard said while thinking about the last conversation with his director. "Get used to things." (FF.net)
  

Hello, and Woof Woof

Today is the eleventh anniversary of the premiere of "Through a Lens Darkly," a quest for personal identity involving manstopper glasses that helped lead off Daria's third season.

Two memorable characters appeared in this episode: Amy Barksdale and J.B., the bulldog. Yes, I know, J.B. was called "Pugsly" on the official site, but you and I know he's J.B. because he was in a story. 'Nuff said.

And Amy is Amy, no sense in going on about her. We need more pet stories, I believe. Lots more.

NEW! Pinhead is once again tearing up the art room. Click and enjoy. And check out Daria-2010.

Amusing Note: Looking for wallpaper for your 'pooter? Try the new wallpaper from the new MTV website. Kinda cute for the little bits on it. Also, I noticed there are 1,200,000+ fans registered on the main MTV Facebook site, so Daria fans account for over 20% of that total. Wow, that's a lot.

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• NEW! Daria: Hunter 5—Strictly Business, by Jim North (COMPLETE!): With a snarl of frustration Axl snapped his holo-heads back on so he could have at least one ranged sense running again. Just as his nightvision kicked in, he saw the bounty hunters descend on two of his selves. Or rather, he saw one, Janey, as she bowled into the chest of a Vexxer. The other woman landed on the back of another machine and started clawing at it with her armblades. [Ending here!] (FF.net)
• NEW! Finn Morgendorffer 34: A Few Cans of Soda, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): Nothing happened immediately after the football practice ended, but according to the school gossip, there had been a strange man coming in and out of Ms. Li’s office. Heh, a secret lover? Finn chuckled to himself. Wouldn’t know who in their right minds would hit that, but some guys are desperate.
  
• NEW! Folie à deux, by Charliefox2012 (Part 2): “I don’t have it. Leave my closet alone,” Daria said, grumpily. “You have to have it,” Evie said. “Quinn doesn’t have it.” Daria sighed. “What are you looking for this time?” “My red turtleneck,” Evie answered. “I don’t have it,” Daria said.
• NEW! General Semantics, Private Angst, by Gwrtheyrn (Part 14): As far as Daria could tell, there were no hidden switches, no panels, no signs or directions of any kind. She was getting interested, now. These tunnels seemed effectively endless, but their very elaboration indicated that something stupendous was down here to be found; perhaps a connection to the very galactic base of which Hrafn was commander. She'd need food and water to investigate this more thoroughly. Too bad she had to retrace two hours of walking, but better two hours than five.
• NEW! The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 7): "Besides," said Tom, "I hear that Quinn Morgendorffer is as dumb as a box of hammers." "Oh Pope." It was Terry, sighing. "You'll never find a soulmate. Not until you master parthenogenesis."
  
• Into the Fray, by Minx (Part 2): “What is going on? I was asleep one minute then BANG the next thing I know I’m being pushed into the car and being told to drive.” Max's veil of machismo was gone. It was now replaced with unbridled fear that shone in his eyes.
• NEW! Invisible Love, by Charliefox2012 (Part 11): “And Ramona. Goodness, only three and already preparing for college,” Helen said, astonished. “Yeah. Poor girl,” Duncan said flippantly. “Which reminds me. Duncan, what are your plans for college?” NEWER! [More here!] (FF.net)
  
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Mini: Debut, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): “We’ll be meeting someone important in the family,” Kay Sloane said. When Elsie dug deeper for details—who the hell is it?—both of her parents clammed up. I suppose that this is where they break the big secret. The Sloane millions were founded with Nazi gold. I’ll meet my dear Aunt Eva and my Uncle Adolf. Because after all, if the Sloanes were Germans, it would make perfect sense that they would hide in Italy. Or maybe I meet my Uncle Benito. Whatever.
• NEW! Turn, Turn, Turn, by Ajar (COMPLETE!): "Damn abacus. Can't calculate the damned science rate with these damn jammed beads. God damn it!"
  
• Unnamed story ("A.U. Ficlet"), by GlitterShrooms (Part 1): “I know it’s hard to move to a new town, but I hope you both realize that we’re here for you. Mom, Dad, and I would do anything to make you two happy. You both understand that, don’t you?” “Did we move?” asked Daria Morgendorffer as she and her sister Quinn rode in the back. “Daria,” the driver continued, “I know it’s been awhile since we’ve been together like this, but I want you both to know how much I’ve missed you.” Without hesitation, Daria climbed over to turn up the radio.
• Unnamed story (More Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by DigiSim (Part 1): "Welcome to The George Underwood Edwards Institute of Technology!"
  

NEWZ FLASH! Torn Between Two Sisters!

In the grand tradition of the worst supermarket gossip tabloids, mega-actor Ralph Fiennes (born 47 years ago today) once found himself torn between the steamy lusts of two oppositional sisters: the brainy and cynical Amy Barksdale (left) and the blonde Rita Barksdale (right). As you recall, Amy confessed her undying devotion to Ralph (pronounced like Rafe, rhymes with safe) in "Through a Lens Darkly," but tragically lost him to the scheming Rita before the airing of "Aunt Nauseam" (Rita: "... I promised Ralph—you know, the actor I've been dating—I promised to take him to New York for his birthday, maybe catch a play or two.") Thus, we know "Aunt Nauseam" takes place near this day, in December about 1999-2000.

Why would two animated sisters find themselves catfighting over this man? A close look at Mr. Fiennes in his best known work outfits, shown below, reveals all. No wonder these hot-blooded women cast aside all sororal affection and civilized decency to have him for their very own!

Another cold case solved by the unstoppable Detective TAG. (Thanks once again to the awesome UU and Pinhead for the great images above!)

Movie Quiz: Name the three roles that Ralph Fiennes played in the three movies represented in the above images. Then say what it was about each role that got the Barksdale sisters so hot and bothered. On the other hand, maybe we'd best skip that. And skip the part about how Helen Morgendorffer fits in there, too.

Medical care and the Morgendorffers...

Medical problems (more and less) are actually an ongoing theme in Daria. There's 'Through A Lens Darkly' and 'Ill' (Daria has dealings with the medical profession that aren't exactly satisfactory), 'Jake of Hearts' and 'The Big House' (Jake and Mr. DeMartino have both had heart attacks), 'Too Cute' (a quack plastic surgeon tries to ply her wares upon the Sisters Morgendorffer), and even 'Psycho Therapy' (what certainly seems like a low-level psych evaluation of the entire family).

There has always been a healthy (pardon the pun) interest in medicine and Daria fanfic. I won't even try to start naming the stories that deal with medical issues and the characters (although I would suggest that Falling Into College #50: A Matter Of Priorities and Nemo Blank's 'Blast From The Past are excellent starting points. With the recent interest in the health-care debate here in the U.S., this might be a good time to write a fic on the problems that some of the characters have in that area - for example, what would happen if Trent or Jane were in some sort of awful accident? Would they get the best available care? Could they afford it - or even better, how about Trent develops some of ailment, and medical marijuana actually would be beneficial to his condition? Could he get it legally - and if he got it from the usual sources, what would happen if here were busted with it? What if Daria needed it? What if it were Helen, or Ms. Li?

Along those lines - why hasn't DeMartino or (most certainly) Barch been railroaded into a stress- or anger-management course, or prescribed medications to deal with the stress? I mean, the game in 'The Big House' was annoying and all that - but isn't it more likely that DeMartino would have had that heart attack during a class session, yelling at Brittany or 'Kevvie'? (Along those lines, imagine the mindfrakking that could occur if DeMartino were to suffer a severe attack in class, and his last words were (as he grasped Kevin's jersey) 'I curse you. No more wins...'? Would Kevin be so screwed up (as some eps have shown) that DeMartino's death that he couldn't play football again? (Galen Hardesty might say 'yes' to this, from what he did with Kevin and 'Ratboy' in his 'Blood Oath of Patriots' franchise. ) In anyevent - why do some of the teachers go around like they're in need of a lithium cocktail an hour before school? Maybe Li's security expenditures are such that she's been cutting corners with the teachers' employment pachage, and their health coverage. (I can see her saddling them with a program that has a deductible in the thousands of dollars. The wench.)
Just something to think on.

Ruff

Oops, late again. It was a ruff day. More shortly (or longly, but more).

FF.net

• Lambda, by SigDiff (Parts 17 and 18): Daria could feel herself shaking from nervousness. When she was younger, it had been a habit born out of her fear of dying. When she'd learned not to fear death anymore, it had become the fear of losing her best friend. As she had been promoted, it was compounded with the possibility that her mistakes might be the reason for that loss.

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• Antiestablishmentarian Hikers, by Lawndale Lurker (continued): “Do you have Tony DeMartino's cell phone number?” Linda asked him. “He doesn't have one,” Jake replied. “How about Ms. DeFoe?” “If she has a cell phone I don't have the number for it. What are you trying to find out?”
• Lawndale's Finest: The Dark Knight, by NightGoblyn (Chapter 3, Part 1): The figure moved across the gymnasium floor, carefully avoiding the crumpled bodies of the unconscious or hallucinating students. It seemed to almost hover forward, since all body movement was hidden by a dark, flowing cloak. Few details could be made out from the grainy, black-and-white video being shown, but the subject of the film seemed to radiate a deep sense of purpose. It slipped out the door, following the insane psychiatrist who had attacked the high school dance, and the video immediately froze.
• Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations, by Undefinedlust (Part 6): Daria paced her room nervously. Looking at the clock she saw that there was still half an hour before Tom was to pick her up. "I should really take another Valium", she thought, and deciding against using what was in her purse went to her parents bathroom and took one from one of her father's bottles.
• Once Upon a Time in Lawndale, by Disco316 (Part 9): Tom rifled through the drawer in which the models had been kept. It's got to be in here somewhere. I've found the bank, the stable, the blacksmith, the saloon, the nail salon; they're all here except for the... He looked up, and that thought process ceased as he saw the station model he'd been looking for suspended in front of his face. Holding the model in place was a hand, and attached to that hand was the arm that led to the body of...
  
• Spirit Stick, by Brother Grimace (Part 2): Five minutes later, the soldier and the blonde woman stood in the back yard of the Pi Rho Omega sorority house, looking up at the impressive, three-story building. “Yeah. This is not going to be pleasant,” the woman said, holding up her right hand as the simple silver band on her ring finger began to pulse with a series of slow, steady blue flashes.
• Tales of the Ringbearers: Temporary Duty, by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): Sharon Reeve pointed to a faintly visible, man-sized shape and said, "There's your target, Gunny." As she spoke, it started to move among the buildings. "Anything else?" the man asked. "You have to make that determination yourself."
• Turnabout Confusion Part II: All The King's Horses, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): Daria sat alone on the roof, her back to one of the air conditioner vents. It was lunch hour, and the Li-stapo was gone, so she felt confident her alone time would not be interrupted, and she felt she badly needed some alone time.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Love in the Postmodern World), by Scissors MacGillicutty (COMPLETE!): Daria flopped on the bed, exhausted and exhilarated from the events of the past forty-eight hours. Quinn had said that she would like college, that people were interesting and nice, but the reception she had received surpassed—no surpassed was not the right word because it implied there had been some set level of expectation that had been exceeded....

Focus, People, Focus!

The blurry image at left is how Daria sees herself without glasses. It reminds us that "Through a Lens Darkly," the first episode of Daria's third season, aired ten years ago tonight.

It was probably about this time of year that the episode "Lane Miserables" took place, because Jake Morgendorffer mentions that the comic strip "B.C." is about Ash Wednesday (which today is). Thanks to Malevolent Turtle for pointing that out.

More to come. Must sleep first.

LATER: Awake now. Father Martin wants suggestions for a new song list for Daria episodes. Go and help him out. Interesting ideas there.

FF.net is giving some users fits. This also seems to be true for Lawndale Online. What up?

Want some weird reading? Check out Scenes that Should Be: Brains for Rent, or Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have-Who's Holding Daria Now? or Iron Chef: Daria is Raven's Apprentice (a Daria/Teen Titans crossover thread). Great stuff!


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• Turnabout Confusion Part II: All The King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): Dawn knew that something was up. Zoe's loyalty had been in doubt from the day she took over, and now Lisa's was too. She was fairly sure she'd seen Lisa talking to Sandi Griffin and Stacy Rowe at points during the last couple of days. And if my so-called right hand is talking to the Clubbies, that can only mean trouble. [Now continued in a new thread, with backstory!]
  

"The Glasses Are You"

Was there anything to what Jane said in "Through a Lens Darkly" about Daria's glasses having symbolic meaning? Perhaps there was. An interesting online essay looks at what a simple pair of spectacles can stand for, both in the Daria series and in real life.

This is not the only time that eyeglasses have been said to have symbolic value. Lord of the Flies is frequently cited as turning the glasses of one of the characters (Piggy) into a powerful symbol, particularly when those glasses are broken in the course of the story.

Remember when Daria takes off her glasses at the end of "Quinn the Brain," and what she is trying to accomplish? It brings to mind Dorothy Parker's comment about men seldom making passes at girls who wear glasses. Is that true? Obviously not in Daria's case. Furthermore, there are loads of commentary on the Internet about this very issue. See the following websites for wall-to-wall coverage of the looking-glasses issue. (Note: Some sites have adult commentary on the issue, so be warned.)

• Dr. Blogstein
• Mocha Momma
• The Fashioniste
• Suburban Kamikaze

This topic has even came up on PPMB, time after time after time after time after time after time after . . . well, you get the idea. If anyone ever has to write a term paper about glasses and self-image, your work is completely done.

Me? I would never get rid of my glasses. My glasses are me, too. They say NERD, that's exactly what I am, and I like it that way.

Food for thought.

LATE ADD: Speaking of food for thought, peek at the latest offering from Fortress CINCGREEN on Stacy and Upchuck, warts and all.