Surf's Up!

Mack Mackenzie reminds us that today is King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. Party it up as you see fit.

A lot of topics are being argued over in PPMB. Some of the most popular threads include these, which you should patronize and enjoy. (PPMB is having a few technical issues itself, but it is mostly stable.)

• Why are nerds unpopular?
• Daria and Asperger syndrome
• Daria geek movie consensus
• Which writers specialize in certain characters?
• Ever have a teacher give you this advice about writing?
• Questions, questions, questions (for fanfic writers)
• Flinging Fourth the New Ideas Thread

And there is even more fanfiction on tap.

PPMB

• Finn Morgendorffer 49: Blessed Be This Meal, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 2): “Daria, when is your last class on Wednesday? Tell me now so I can make sure someone picks you up in time for Thanksgiving.” “About Thanksgiving, Mom. I don’t think I’m going to come down.” The news hit Helen very hard. “Why?”
• NEW! The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 35): Daria walked downstairs. "I suppose I shouldn't even ask," Daria said. "No ham?" "Daria!" Jake cried. "This is Thanksgiving! It's Turkey Day! We don't eat ham on Turkey Day!" "All right," Daria said. "Mom, did you stock the anti-diarrhea medicine again?" "Daria, I keep trying to tell you, over and over again, that Jake's turkey is fine. You're the only one that seems to have trouble with it. And I know that you eat turkey on other occasions, so you can stop trying to sell that you're allergic to turkey."
  
• Hang Time, by Lord Akiyama (Part 2): Jane and Trent Lane slouched as they stood on the curve in front of their home. Both wore sunglasses, primarily to prevent too much sunlight into their eyes. Both were extremely tired and, quite frankly, would rather be asleep at this moment. Instead, they were awake, or about as awake as they could be at this time of day, and waiting. Waiting for their nightmare to truly begin. "Hey, Janey," Trent managed to mumble. "Yeah?" Jane responded in a sleepy voice. "What time is it?"
• Springtime For Self-Esteem, by Ajar (continued): “We're just here to say we've chosen your proposal for the new self-esteem club.” “Good. Maybe now there won't be such a bias against women in self-esteem education.” “What bias?” “What bias?! How about the bias that a woman's self worth is how much approval they get from a man who will walk out on her after twenty-two years. What bias? When was the last time you saw a man desperately trying to make herself attracted to a man who doesn't appreciate all the sacrifices she made to him.”
• The Weed of Crime Bears Glitter Fruit, by Kristen Bealer (Part 2): "Welcome to It's a Nutty, Nutty, Nutty World. We're just nuts about nuts. Crunch nuts with your lunch. Buy them by the bunch. Send them to friends far away to munch," recited the teenager behind the counter. His bored tone of voice contrasted sharply with the fake smile plastered on his face. "We want to speak to the person in charge," Kevin demanded. "Is there a manager or whatever here?" The teenager's smile immediately vanished as he gestured toward the back room behind the counter. "In there." Kevin and 99 burst through the door to see a thin man with blond hair and an earnest expression, holding a clipboard as he inventoried the nuts. "Hey! No unauthorized personnel behind the counter!" As the agents pulled guns from their holsters, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Please!" he begged. "Take what you want, but please leave the pistachios; we're down to our last bag!" "Drop the act," Kevin ordered. "We know this place is a KAOS front, and we're here to shut it down!" (Daria/Get Smart)
• NEW! Unnamed story (Iron Chef: The Sincerest Form of Flattery), by Roentgen (fragment): In 2002, a film was uncovered from the Crotobaltislavonian State Archives. Called "Esteemed Too Dearly," it appeared to be some sort of teen comedy film financed by the Crotobaltislavonian Council for the Filmic Arts. However, due to the collapse of the Crotobaltislavonian unit of currency—the pem—sometime in 2002, the movie was never released...
  

Nerds and Towels Go Together Like Fish and Bicycles

Today is Nerd Pride Day, hooray! And in a closely related development it is also Towel Day. Let your inner nerd and its towel out for a stroll. Be proud of who you are. Then knock it off, it's embarrassing to see you like that. Jeez, what's wrong with you? Daria, below right, shows us the proper use of a towel on Towel Day. Artie at left is the nerd poster child for today.

A list is being prepared of all the fanfics released in the last few days. Check back for details and be patient. (Finally done with PPMB and FF.net!)

More additions have recently been made to Things Students Still Are Not Allowed To Do At Lawndale High. A great thread.

If you want to join the Judith Strikes! shared world proposed by the great Erin Mills (one of two Daria fans who appeared on "Camp Fear" as cartoon characters), he provides more background info on two items all writers need to know: the Locket and the Cloak. Erin has also provided the opening scene for the shared world stories. Go to it!

Recent Iron Chefs

• Iron Chef by CR85747: Daria meets Daria. Have Daria Morgendorffer meet a fictional or real-world person who also has the same first name of Daria.
• Iron Chef by OverlordMikey: Genderbent wha!? "I was thinking, there have been a lot of gender bending with Daria characters, but I don't remember ever seeing one where Daria (or another) wakes up as the other gender, much to the shock of those around her/him and themselves. (Normally it seems to be either a dream or a retelling.) How will people cope!? How will they themselves cope!? Will they return to their original gender? Write it and tell me!"
• Iron Chef by Wouter: Daria's children, your view. How would Daria be as a mother, what would her kids be like?

FF.net (COMPLETE!)

• The InDark, by Mediancat (Parts 1 and 2): Here I am and am no I. Not quite, thought Daria Faith Morgendorffer, but Delany put it better than she could. 'Course, when he wrote it, he had more experience than Daria did—actual and age-wise. In her case, it's: here I am and am two I's.

PPMB (COMPLETE!)

• Delivery Day Deferred, by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "The gas station burst into flames!" Quinn said, waving her arms emphatically. "Gas stations are not supposed to burst into flames!" (Ringbearer/Daylight/Judith Dariaverse crossover)
• The Dream of the White Darkness, by jtranser (continued): In her office, seated at her desk, Daria read her lecture notes again. It was a moonless night, the wind was out of the North and the Chancellor's dog, tied up in the Quad, was rasping out its weird bark signifying the presence of strangers.
  
• Eye of the Beholder, by Yogi, Glittershrooms, OverlordMikey, et al. (Part 3): Angela Li sat over a model of Lawndale. No one knew of her evil plans. "I already have everything complete except for those few in my way. Well, there is one more—" She looked at a model of the Sloane’s. "I need to get control of the Sloane family if my plans are to come together." Of course, that shall be easy.
• Falling into College: The Clip Show, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Holding a copy of Val between finger and thumb as if it were a dead rat, Daria tossed it in the garbage and said, "I guess we couldn't get away without a final set of annoyances. You know, I still wonder if we didn't get some unexpected help. As much as I appreciate it, the idea is still..."
• Finn Morgendorffer 47: Hell is Homecoming, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 1 to 4): "If I’m Homecoming King, someone’s going to have to take the quarterback’s spot on the float. And I sure as hell am not going to let it be Kevin.”
• John Lane 46: Substitute Plans, by RLobinske (Part 2): Mack said, "What are we going to do about teaching? How do we handle the students?" "In your case," John said, "I'd recommend a cattle prod. Watching Boys P.E. is more a matter of making sure that they don't wreck the building than it is of actually trying to teach them anything."
  
• Old Kid, New Man, by JPAGC (COMPLETE!): I meet Ted in a nice and quiet vegetarian cafe/restaurant located in San Jose, California, his current living place. He smiles and stands when I approach and I am momentarily taken aback by his changed appearance from the teenager who had appeared in the Daria show to the man before me: Ted is taller and rougher, has grown a disheveled beard and his hair is longer and seems slightly unkempt. He is also wearing a formal business suit. But his handshake is strong and frank, and his smile open and carefree, just like the teenager one can see in the episodes. We sit, me for a coffee and him to have lunch, the only time is has available for this interview.
• Siblings, by LOTR_Dan (COMPLETE!): "It's my fault they're dead, you know. It's my fault they went out into that storm." [What happened after things went wrong in "Antisocial Climbers."]
  
• Tales of the Ringbearers: Bad Apple—The Second Raid, by Doggieboy (Part 1): Electro-Shock looked away, his expression pensive. "If this is a Ringbearer's house," he muttered, "then God help you all when he comes back." He moved towards the front door. "God help me when he comes back." (preview here)
  
• Unnamed story (Falling into College: The Clip Show), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Reading the PPMB thread off his laptop computer in the office of the Psych Detective Agency, Gus Burton looked across the room at the sound of Shawn Spencer and the attractive Latina's argument getting louder and louder. "It blew up the Floating Continent in one shot the very first time they used it!" the woman almost shouted, the blueberry cake donut in her tightening fist falling to pieces. "The Argo was built from the remains of a World War II battleship, while that THING is the size of a small moon!"

Apocalypse Ciao

"The Daria Hunter" premiered twelve years ago today on MTV, early in the second season. It was revealed in a flipbook on the MTV Daria website that this episode contained parodies of famous scenes from movies about the Vietnam War. (Click the link to see.)

Curiously, the next three days after this one are each the anniversary of the showing of an early episode in a new season of Daria, and all are in chronological order with today, too (second season, third, fourth, and fifth). This should be a fandom holiday week or something.

The humor thread of False Facts About the TV Show "Daria" just gets better and better.

LATE NOTE: I just noticed that Daria's Sick, Sad Life Planner says today is the anniversary of the announcement of the cloning of Dolly the Sheep, but it was actually on February 22, 1997. The CD-Rom does contain an amusing comment on the event from Daria.

PPMB

• NEW! After Daria, by Ravynstone (COMPLETE!): It didn’t take her long to find the urn. Jake had taken it upstairs, to the bedroom he once shared with Helen. The urn sat on right side of the dresser. Amy touched it with one hand, and sighed. The urn was cool and slick, made of some kind of plastic that looked like china. Amy tapped her fingers against it. Hell, she thought. If you’re going to do it, girl, just do it.
  
• NEW! Daria: Hunter—Strictly Business, by Jim North (continued): The second round of laser blasts started, breaking the bounty hunters out of their shock and sending them in an all-out run toward the outer door. The empty corridors to either side of the area blurred as they propelled themselves forward, Daria somehow managing to almost keep pace with the much faster Jane. [And now even more!]
  
• A Descent, by Silver (COMPLETE!): Pretty. Annoying. Dead. The words echoed through her mind as she twirled. It had started well enough, with wine, ruby red. Flowing, first from bottle, then jug, then box. She giggled. It had been so pretty, so beautiful to watch, a ruby waterfall cascading into glasses, into mouths.
• NEW! The Dream of the White Darkness, by jtranser (continued): "My God! Daria, what the hell happened to you?! You look like you saw a ghost!" "Close. I ran right into the Wigley Phenomenon. You know, the alien consciousness that's present in the most intense dreams of the criminally insane."
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 33: Independence, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): “But it’s okay,” Finn soothed. “I’m not angry, and I’m not sorry. I do like you, Jane, I do. It’s... it’s just...” “Daria will castrate you with a pair of rusty gardening shears,” Jane finished.
• General Semantics, Private Angst, by Gwrtheyrn (Part 13): Daria anxiously awaited some sort of response to her ring. She was beginning to feel the increasing chill in the breeze against her rain-dampened clothing. I can’t even get myself captured by villains on cue. My sister would never have had this problem. She’d have them bringing her sodas. Not too much crushed ice. Maybe a wedge of lemon.
• Regifted 2: I Put Away Joyless Things, by Ajar (Part 5): This better not be another telemarketer, Graham thought as he anxiously picked up the phone. “Is this who I think it is?” he asked. “I'm the one whose butt you have to kiss.” “You say kiss, I say how much tongue.”
• Unnamed story, by Minx (Part 1): My name is Quinn Morgendorffer. If you find this it means one of three things: we’ve been forced to flee and abandon all non-essential items, we too have been captured, or we’re all dead...

Hearts and Roses

It's that time of the month again when love wets us with its golden showers, and we guys get the wrong things for our Significant Others. Brittany has a few thoughts about that. Brittany also wants to share a romantic thought for those who have undergone a bit of stress in their relationships. And who could forget this unforgettable moment, so appropriate for St. Valentine's Day?

Kevin has a romantic thought to share, too. But apparently not with Brittany.

Great New PPMB Threads to Read and Expound Thereon

• The Fashion Club's Secret Fashion Checklist
• Top 10 most popular characters according to Dariawiki
• Story idea
• False Facts About the TV Show "Daria"

Stick around for moar.

The Mighty Jane brings you... Inventors' Day!

The Mighty Jane shows off her latest suit of powered armor as we bring you Inventors' Day, which celebrates all inventors on this, the 163rd birthday anniversary of Thomas Edison. You go, girl. This is also the 72nd anniversary of the showing of the first science-fiction program on television, which was accomplished by the British, not the Americans.

Speaking of art, has Enigmawing created the Daria of Today?

Entertaining Message Threads

• Ruminations on Daria getting married
• Things you'd love to see on the DVDaria
• 11th May, 2010!
• So how many of these people are regulars here? (refers to this)
• Quality of the DVDs
• Ruminating on our years-long quest for DVDs
• Daria World on Facebook

What's Hawt

HOT TOPICS ON PPMB

• Midwest Dariacon 2010
• If there could be another B&B spinoff, who would it be?
• Looking Back at 2009 in Fanart: What Happened?
• Daria Cosplay (see also American Cosplay Paradise: Brittany Taylor)
• Help please, need screenshots of Amy for reference (lots of great shots)
• NEW! Why Mack/Daria Doesn't Work
• NEW! Didn't Daria have at least one friend in Highland?
• NEWER! What if MTV made Daria a different show that we know
• NEWERER! Quinn in Highland
• NEWEREST! Does Daria being X invalidate Y ? and some other stuff
  

Thanks to DBR70, Kristen Bealer, Roentgen, MidnightStorm, Vlora, and Malakite for their ideas. More soon.

Know a Poem, or Never Know 'em

Today is the U.N.-mandated World Poetry Day. You must read at least one poem today or risk the ire of the United Nations. We wouldn't want that to happen.

GNUZ U KAN YOOZ

• "Lawndale Gladiators," by Kemical Reaxion, is brand-new fan art on SFMB. Think of a Daria/American Gladiators crossover....
• Very funny scenes that should not be (with some scenes that should be) are appearing on PPMB. Great stuff, continued on a new thread.
• Looking for new Daria fanfic ideas? Look no further than this new thread, a continuation of the "old" one.

That was the gnuz. Now we have the fanfic report.


FF.net

• Just Friends, by Pinkminx (Parts 2 and 3): "You okay?" asked Trent. "Need a ride anywhere?" Daria sighed in defeat and nodded. Without the aid of her glasses, finding her way home would be near impossible. She walked around to the passenger side of Trent's car and slid into shotgun as Trent pulled away from the kerb.
• Two Halves, by Dark Kuno (Part 4): “Alexander! Daria! Stop teasing your sister,” commanded Helen.
  

PPMB

• Amazing Cynical Fantasy #1, by Patrick Moore, a.k.a. Peapotmaster (Part 1):“Is that freak still behind us?” Todd asked Joey, as Todd fired his gun at something behind them. “Dude, it’s the misery chick from the wrestling show,” said Joey. “How can she follow us?”
• Apocalyptic Daria: Brave New World, by Doggieboy (Part 7): “I thought that Aunt Amy was an art appraiser,” Daria said. “So did I,” Helen said and sighed. “It appears that there’s more to Amy than meets the eye.” (SFMB)
• Knockin on Heaven's Gate, by HeirOfNorton (Part 3): I can't believe my parents made me go to that freakshow. First my geeky sister has a thing, which could totally ruin my reputation before I even get started if anyone knows she's related to me, and then she has to go and announce it of front of the whole school, when she's just trying to get get me stigmatamized or whatever, anyone can see it.
  
• Lawndale's Finest: The Dark Knight, by NightGoblyn (continued): “Mouthy bitch,” the man snarled, drawing a knife from under his coat. “We’ll see how much you talk when your throat’s cut.”
• Quinn Angel, by Lawndale Lurker (continued): Charles Ruttheimer, approaching from the opposite direction, turned to watch her go. “R-r-r-r-r-r-r, feisty!” he gurgled, followed instantly by “Ow!”
• Rings and Things That Cannot Go Together, by Ranger Thorne (continued): Jane was holding a cup of coffee when Daria landed in her back yard. “That the real stuff or that super-duper coffee you can make?” her friend asked. “Real,” Jane replied. “For some reason this ring only makes decaf. You ready to go trolling for lanterns?”
• Study Break, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Mack makes a simple observation about adult eating habits.
• Turnabout Confusion, Part II: All the King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): "Go ahead," Mack said. "Take a swing, and I'll take you apart. Then Evan, Taylor, and Joey will each take a turn."
  

More to come.

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!


PPMB

• 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!]
  

Take a Walk on the Weird Side

Eight years ago today, Daria fan/writer/artist Admonisher wrote a critical essay called "A Rant About 'Evil' Tom." He claimed this Evil Tom thing was blown all out of proportion. Is his the voice of calm and reason, or is he another tragic victim of Tom Sloane's hideous mind-control powers? Read it and see.

The MTV alter ego at right: does anyone know what it was based on? Is Sandi supposed to be a famous icon, or is this a totally random thinger? Inquiring minds want to know.

Why did Tom break up with Jane? See "Facial Fixation" for the answer! Thanks, breitasparrow! (Eww!)

Some great threads are playing on the PPMB big screen:

• Things Students Still Are Not Allowed To Do At Lawndale High: Lots of fun one-liners here.
• Scenes that Should Be: Brains for Rent: See the addition by Greystar. Nice.
• Iron Chef: My Secret Musical Talent: A good challenge from WacoKid.
• Who's up for a Dariacon in Maryland? DJPotatoe the artist is looking for visitors. All details to be worked out.
• Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Dawn of a New Nightmare: See the recent posts by WacoKid!

FF.net

• Schismatic, by Smileyfax (Part 1): "How are you feeling, Daria?" No reply.

PPMB

• Avenging, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 19): She slashed with the other sword, expecting it to be blocked and then, with her fist, she punched the other Daria in the face.
• Sometimes It Rains, by legendeld (Part 3): "Does Dad have a bad habit of going around the country knocking up sixteen-year-olds?” “Beats me.”
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser: That was certainly the most unusual way to die I've ever heard of. I'm still afraid Kevin will come back as a zombie, though. *

SFMB

• Dinner Is Absurd, by Gum Wars (COMPLETE!): "Dinner is served!" jake said proudly as he layed down a 4 course meal in front of his family. "Pasta ala rogue! It means the spagetti of the black and yellow thief! I got the recipe on google!" [sic]
• Yordundal II, by Gum Wars (COMPLETE!): "Hello blane i'm calling about my weird sister...er cousin. She is soooo wierd. she reads books and stuff!" [sic]

* Contains adult content. Seriously. Hang on.

Surfin' the Net

Wish I could find a larger version of this summertime image. It came from a TV Guide cover some years ago. Daria was enjoying the ocean with Hank from King of the Hill and some other cartoon person.

In the realm of weird threads, more bits were added to Things Students Are No Longer Allowed To Do At Lawndale High. Goodness, I don't remember my high school having these issues. Shame, really.

S.C. is taking requests for fan art. You know what to do. Any other artists taking requests?


FF.net

• Daria: The Door to Safety Is Shut, by MrPowerpuff (up to Part 12): "Sandi grunts in pain…as the blood bleeds from her wounds slowly…"
• Daria vs Abraham Lincoln, by Smileyfax (Part 1): Daria's in Lawndale, at a party alone . . . until she meets her first friend. (Hang on for this weird AU.)

PPMB

• The Cynic and The Defender, by Doggieboy (Part 1): Taking up where "A Little Vacation" leaves off: Daria and her super-boyfriend.
• Long Trek Home, by Ranger Thorne (Part 1 complete!): “However, even that would only give us an extra two days before this universe collapses in upon itself.”
• Red Centre, by TheSecretSharer (continued): This story cannot be described. It must be experienced. OMG.
  
• Reign of the Darias: Life as a Corpse, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 5): The best ally Daria could ask for in Chicago was the one person she'd rather never knew that she had turned into an undead.
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continue): "Daria, I have to tell you that some of the alternate realities I've been to are just wack." PLUS: Kitchen utensils that can destroy the Earth!
  

More soon.

All the News That's (un)Fit to Print

Lots of recent news to catch up on. Here goes:

Martin Pollard wants to know: Where are all of the Outpost Daria submissions? If you've written anything at all lately that has the faintest mention of Daria in it, send your stuff in to OD right now! (Read the rules first, though, plus this update from MJP.)

Lawndale Online is looking a little thin on submissions lately, too, so read the rules there and get on the stick!

Want to know what Daria fanfic writers think? Oh. Well, some people do, so go read the very first alt.lawndale.creators interview, with Kristen Bealer!

Notorious Daria raconteur Quiverwing has started her own blog. Check it out, and demand more Daria news. Or not.

Deref the Barbarian has crossed the Channel and invaded France in his epic quest for the longest-distance Dariacon ever. The damage to the Louvre alone is beyond calculation. He was last reported in the sewers of Paris.

A quickie report has come in (with pix) of the Portland Dariacon (in Oregon, not Maine) a week ago. And, yes, our fandom is small enough that a meeting between any two fans counts as a full-fledged convention.

798 fans registered on the Daria Fan Club, plus a new poll. This site definitely needs more activity. Someone please add a few more images or chat threads or new (funny) polls.

1,848 articles on DariaWiki, with excellent recent efforts by Nighthawk, Dr. Mike, Brother Grimace, and Quiverwing. Thank you!

SFMB is showing very little activity lately. What up? I need a sad smiley here.

A beta request has been posted on PPMB by Dennis, looking for readers for the fourth GTS story: "Closets Are For Hang-ups." If you've got the time, he's got the story.

To everyone's great surprise, the Thread of Dread has been continued anew! Go to Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Dawn of a New Nightmare.

Mike Xeno's PPMB thread, Irredeemable Daria Characters, keeps on going. The debate continues, and the evil (?) Dr. Shar enters the fray.

Which Daria story was the darkest one you ever read? Check out the Darkest Fanfic thread on PPMB and vote.

And the hits just keep on comin' in The 1,001 Deaths of Tom Sloane. Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'! Plus, yet even more Things Students Are No Longer Allowed To Do At Lawndale High, and extra Scenes That Should Be: Brains for Rent.

Iron Chefs currently at large (thanks to Prince Charon and Greystar for some of these):

• Unusual(ly Gross) Superpowers!
• There are no laws, but there are rules!
• Everyone over a certain age suddenly dies. What happens next?
• Pranksters: What if Daria and Jane had liked to play practical jokes on people?

Wanna play around? More Daria Alphabetics is for you, then.

LATE NOTE: I just posted my 10,00th post to PPMB! I are a Darian!

And now for . . .


FAN ART!

• Wouter offers some Daria sketches in the PPMB thread, From the vault...
• Horas de Ocio (Leisure Hours), a marvelous color work by acidgirl. YES!
• Don't Mess with Them, a dual portrait by Lorenzo Sauchelli of Daria and Jane from his Dresden Files crossover tales.
• S.C.'s magnificent Cast Portrait (WIP) continues to progress as the Fashion Pu-uh, Pretties get a makeover.
  

More shortly, or not shortly, depending. Still trying to catch up.

Mental Flotsam

Vincent van Gogh is 155 years old today, as Jake reminds us. The picture appears wrong at first because: 1) he's holding paintbrushes in his left hand; 2) his left ear is bandaged, not his right, per VvG's self-portraits; and, 3) his coat is buttoned the wrong way, again per his self-portraits. However, he did his self-portraits while looking in a mirror, and he was (so far as I can tell) left-handed. Thus, the picture is generally correct if you were to look at him in real life. Which of course you can't, as he is dead.

Almost 1,700 articles in DariaWiki! (LATE ADD: Now 1,707. Richard made "Latitudes" #1,700. You da man!)

Some activity has been noted on the minor message boards. On Television Without Pity, a talk progresses about the likelihood of Daria DVDs.

A poster on Daria's Rubber Board asks if anyone agrees that Jane Lane and Natarle Badgiruel of Gundam Seed look strikingly alike. (They do. Cloned? Not the same personalities, for sure.)

And, on the dreaded IUFMB (Infamous Unserious Five's Message Board), Ranger Thorne has been elected Most Significant Poster of 2008, in part because until just recently he was the ONLY poster in 2008. One of the IUF has returned, however. What does this portend? Could it be a sign of the Apocalypse? One can only hope.

First part of a broad update:

FF.net

• Basic Training: a Daria the Green Lantern story, by echopapa (continued): Daria and Kara get together. No, not that Kara. The comic-book one.
• Extracurricular Activities, by Smileyfax (up to Part 6): Down to R from NC-17, but still an eye-opener. *
  
• Fashion Zombies, by Smileyfax (Part 1): The Fashion club decides to visit Brooke, who is in the hospital after seeing Dr. Shar. There's only one teensy problem. . . .
• I've Waited Here for You, by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!)
• John Lane 33: Tiptoe Through the Ivy, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!)
• A Legend of Rebirth, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!)
• A Little Vacation, by Doggieboy80 (up to Part 13)
• Turnabout Confusion Part II: All The King's Horses, by Dennis (continued)

* Contains mature content. Brace yourself.

Lawndale Online

• I've Waited Here for You, by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!)
• John Lane 33: Tiptoe Through the Ivy, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!)
• A Legend of Rebirth, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!)
• Nervous Dreams, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!)
• Sandi and the Dropbears, by smk (COMPLETE!)
• Walls? What Walls? by smk (COMPLETE!)

SFMB

• The Other Side of Time 2: And All That We've Won, by The Sidhe (continued)
• Size Does Matter, by BlackHole (Part 18): Daria called it right: how kinky.
  

Janet Barch's Favorite TV Actress

Today is the birthday of Lucy Lawless, Janet Barch's favorite TV actress (or maybe Xena is her favorite character, whichever), and it is also the day for Earth Hour, when you turn off the lights in your house. I think that's to save energy, I'm a little unclear on the concept as I wasn't on the committee setting up that holiday. Does Holiday Island have an Earth Hour character? Is he/she considered "dark"? (That was an Earth Hour joke.) More later once I think of something else to say.

LATE ADD: This post was looking thin, so I'll flesh it out.

Old news for some, but Doggieboy has previewed an upcoming fanfic on PPMB: The End of the World.

The Sidhe has thrown down the gauntlet in the form of an Iron Chef called The Sloane Family History. Detail Tom's hideous ancestry! Tell the world of his family's vile crimes! Make something up, it's okay! Thomas, scion of generations of hamster abusers! Oh, the humanity! More later.

A Cold Frosty Sundae with Nuts

It's snowing outside. I thought we were done with that crap. Rats. Let's see, what's new online. . . . billions and billions of webpages and nothing's—oh, here we go:

Richard Lobinske presses on his mysterious journey into the outer limits of the twilight zone of DariaWiki, adding new pages everywhere. Thanks, man!

The Current PPMB Debate: The importance of the cartoon format to Daria, put forth by Operculum. Add your opinions on how it would have been different if it had used live actors.

From the depths of Fortress CINCGREEN comes an examination of Quinn and Sandi's roles in Daria, and which one is truly more popular.

An all-female (as far as I can tell) message board/blog page/whatever devoted to Daria has turned up, on a site called, um, Team Sugar. Okay, sure, why not. Enjoy.

Richard Lobinske updated the 2008 Visual FanWorks Listing today. Thank you again! Enjoy the fruits of the artists' harvest.

Two significant honors that the Daria show won in its time: In TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time, Daria is #41, just above Wonder Woman. Not bad! And Daria was chosen as one of the "Top 10 Cartoon Nerds Ever" in a poll conducted by G4 TV, which of course is geekness cubed to the nerd power.

And the PPMB updates!

PPMB

• Avalon, by legendeld (Parts 4 and 5): Heading into X-Men territory, crossed over with King Arthur. A wild ride in progress.
• Daria d'Arc, by LSauchelli (Parts 2 and 3): God continues to micromanage Daria's reality, with unexpected results.
• Falling Into College 61: Latitudes, by Richard Lobinske (Part 22): Jake, Michael, Mike, and Q form a karaoke singing group right after Quinn gets laid. These events are not related.
• John Lane 33: Tiptoe Through the Ivy, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Daria reveals her deepest secrets, but Quinn remains dirt-free. Then, family role-playing: “Helen? Jake? Hello? You’re upsetting the other guests.”
• A Little Vacation, by Doggieboy (Part 16): Daria tells her mother the truth. And her mother believes her. What miracles lie ahead?
• The Misery Chicks, by NightGoblyn (Part 15): Great spot to leave us hanging at the end, NG!
• My Sons, by legendeld (Part 6): “I can’t believe my parents think I could be pregnant,” Daria said as she tore through another slice of pizza.
• The Other Side Of Time: And All That We've Won, by The Sidhe (Part 4): Southern Comfort time with the generals.
• Size Does Matter, by BlackHole (Part 17): The Teen Titans remain suspicious, and the student body remains amazed.
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): The assassination of Grand Duchess Daria Yakovlevna, formerly Morgendorffer, as written by parties yet unknown and performed by snipers, animal murderers, bikers and inmates to be named later, only the bikers turn out to be the good guys, I think.
• Turnabout Confusion Part II: All the King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): Some people like to twist the knife. Some people deserve the extra twist.

Finally, we have Scenes That Should Be: Brains for Rent (more strangeness), and the ever-popular...

• Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Dawn of a New Horror (continued): Come on, get up, get down with the sickness!!!

More tomorrow. Party on, ppl!

News You Can Use

Being a fandom reporter is fun, but Real Life has a way of getting in the way of being timely. With that in mind, here is the first of a series of updates on Your Favorite Fandom, with profuse apologies for being a wee bit late. To lead off, here's Mrs. Bennett with a slightly late tribute to Mardi Gras or bellydancing, whichever.


Back from the Dead!

• I clicked on an old link and discovered that the Dariacon Wiki at ElWiki.com is back online. The website includes a link explaining why the site went down earlier. More chances to meet other fans, hooray! If you're into that kind of thing, I mean.
• Oh, and all the convention information there needs to be updated. If you are running a Dariacon, go thou there and see what needs to be fixed.
• Oh, and the wiki lets you add your own Dariacon stories to the "Current Events" section. Hmm, I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. You can upload pictures, too. Definitely a bad thing in the wrong hands. Uh-oh.

Submit to the Lawndale Online SMOFs!

• The secret masters of fandom at LO! have revised their submission guidelines. If you have stories and artwork to send in (and don't we all), check out the new information and start sending it in.

Dariacon 2008 Wants YOU!

• Get the latest information on who's coming to Orlando the weekend of March 1-2.

More Cool Artwork!

• Daria and Jane at the Altar, a nice clean recreation of a famous segue spot from a Daria marathon on MTV, re-done by Christ Oliver (who also very nicely re-drew Ranchoth's alternate kiss scene from "Dye! Dye! My Darling!"). Direct links to these scenes are offered here for the wedding art and here for the smooching.
• Whoa! Just added: Gothic Daria and Jane in a graveyard! Thanks, Christ Oliver!
  
• Iron Chef: Calling All Artists (Part 2): This challenge drew an amusing response from JennaUsername, who presents "the new girls in town" (direct link here).
• Andrea, in the sharp, angular style of Ranger Thorne. Looks like she could punch someone out at any moment. Very nice.

Weird PPMB Threads!

• I believe Daria was deliberately anti-fashion
• I believe Daria was deliberately non-conformist
• Remembering that it's NOT 'Serious Business'... (WRONG!)
• New Emoticons Thread: This one is quite fun to watch. No penguins, though, dammit.
• The Completely Random Post Thread, Part IV - Sorry, Nat! The insanity continues. Random post threads fill a special need in our community. Please contribute.
• LATE ADD: Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Dawn of a New Horror: In a constant search for new depths of bad taste.
  
  

DariaWiki Runs Wild!

• Lots of fresh activity on our fandom wiki of late, including new pictures. Check it out, and please join in the fun by adding your own entries and information.

More news and updates soon. I would promise to be more timely in the future, but I'm trying to cut back on my lying.

LATE NOTE: Was just informed that the original Daria Fandom Blog has been un-updated. It's still a great reference and would be great to see active again, but it just won't happen now.

Need a Quick Escape from Your Angst?

Problems with both PPMB and SFMB are being reported today. While we wait for relief, here are some amusing and interesting recent threads from PPMB (if it's up):

Daria cosplayer (We need to have a board contest for fans to dress up like a Daria character.)

Glenn Eichler on NPR right now!! (Well, not right now, but he was on NPR earlier this week.)

The Completely Random Post Thread, Part III - With YOU?

and...

DJW won a character commission from an artist on e-Bay, and now we have a picture of our favorite maniac, Clovis R. Lee-Daniels!

LATE NOTES: Lots of new material has recently been added to the DariaWiki, courtesy of Roentgen, Floopyboo, Brother Grimace, and others. Thank you!

Kara Wild made a brief update to DVDaria, noting that updates would be infrequent as she is back in law school. Good luck with everything!

More Weird Threads on PPMB

Things Students Are No Longer Allowed To Do At Lawndale High

Fix This Picture

SSW: Toad Smoking

Jane Enters Paragon City

As long as I'm up late with a head cold, I may as well do something here.

Previous Batch of Weird Threads on PPMB (still guaranteed weird!)