Saturday, July 10, 2010

Telstar Tales

A very curious and historic day this is, indeed. Just 48 years ago today, a satellite was launched into Earth orbit from Florida. Its name was Telstar. It was not only the first communications satellite to transmit live television and high-speed data (telephone calls and faxes) across the Atlantic, it also the first privately sponsored space launch.

It created a great stir, uniting in one stroke the people of North America and Europe through their TV sets. Telstar I became the forerunner of a great family of communications spacecraft still used today. (We're up to Telstar 18.)

So, up went Telstar, and then... people went a little crazy. You have to understand how amazing Telstar was to the world of 1962. It was SO amazing, a mad blizzard of completely unrelated things were all named Telstar in honor of the original one, because everyone thought it was such a cool thing. This naming trend has continued to this very day. Things are STILL being named Telstar because of that one long-ago satellite.

Did you know that Telstar revolutionized soccer? (That's football to everyone but the USA.) This happened when Adidas came out with a soccer ball painted to look like the satellite. It is now the standard soccer ball the world over. No kidding.

And there's more. Telstar also happens to be the name of...
I wonder if anyone has named a child Telstar. (Oh, the horror.) The original Telstar satellite was destroyed by radiation from hydrogen bombs set off in outer space, which sounds like I am making that up, but I am not. Burned the satellite's power right out. Very sad. It's still up there, the original Telstar, still orbiting the Earth even in electronic death. Not likely it will ever be forgotten, at least not by anyone who plays soccer.

Today is also the 154th birthday anniversary of super-genius Nikola Tesla, whose name sounds like Telstar but is unrelated. Tesla is mentioned in only three Daria fanfics. A pity. Telstar has never been mentioned at all. (The above was corrected, thanks to readers more alert than I am.)

Time for something completely different. Or not.

NeuZ!
PPMB
  • Daria/Dorian, by LadieT (continued): As school ended, Jodie and Mack approached Dorian. Dorian was staring at the tiny slip of paper from Mrs. Bennett's class. Jodie shook her head as she pointed at the Dorian's hand. "Congratulations on getting the one project that none of us wanted." Jodie smirked. "Gee thanks. Good luck with your projects. Mack, twenty bucks says Kevin actually ends up buying a car." Dorian replied. "I would say you're on but we are talking about Kevin." (FF.net)
  • Finn Morgendorffer 52: With Extra Bitters, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 5): “Look, I didn’t want to snap at you. I’m just not used to having other people criticize my writing. Or other people for that matter. Ask my first boyfriend what happened when I showed him a story I wrote. And, well...I read yours. The one you said wasn’t any good because you divided your time like you did. Well...I liked it. It was good, better than mine.” Daria admitted, and every word was painful. “So what’s the problem with that? Course mine’s gonna be better, I’d been writing these things my whole life, and I’m older than you. It’s as obvious as don’t run with scissors or don’t put your dangly bits in the mouth of an alligator.” “I wrote my whole life too!” Daria returned, ignoring his randomness. “That was me, every day I wrote. And I watched my writing get better and better, and the off-chance that I shared it with someone, they loved it. Not that my English teacher would ever say something that could damage my poor self-esteem, but it was enjoyed, and thought to be great.” “So I come along and ruin everything by, what, being good at the same thing? Jeez, ego trip much?”
  • First Born, by RLobinske (Part 4): Seated at the dining table while Derek prepared breakfast, Karen said, "Jane Lane. What are you doing up so early?" Hair as rumpled as her t-shirt and shorts, Jane said, "Having to get to school at 7:30 has made me a morning person, dammit." "But not a very cheerful one," Karen said. "You can bet your sweet ass I'm not cheerful about it. Coffee?"
  • NEW! Full Metal Pragmatist, by Dark Kuno (COMPLETE!): "OK, this might hurt a bit..." came Trent's voice as it roused her from her nostalgia. "Don't sugar coat it for the girl, boy," grumped Bernice Lane-Rockbell from her place near the girl's lower body. "OK, it will hurt a bit..." he continued. "Hell with a bit, it's going to hurt a lot," stated Trent's aunt and guardian as her nephew carefully and expertly slid the ends of the wiring into the exposed flesh around the girl's clavicle. (FF.net)
  • The Graduation Gift, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): I glanced at the clock. It was six thirty. I showered and got dressed. I stared at myself in the mirror. My short black bangs had been replaced by longer ones that curved around the contour of my face. I covered my lips in their signature red. My face appeared drawn and tired. My last set of finals had been brutal. I looked down at my hands. My fingers were calloused from years of artistic abuse. Today though will prove it was all worth it. I left the bathroom and headed back to my room. (FF.net)
  • Regifted, by Ajar (Part 8): Quinn took a deep sip from her diet soda like a stereotypical cop with a cup of coffee in a particularly difficult interrogation. “Okay, let's go through this again. What skirt do you want to go with your top?” “What's wrong with jeans?” Daria asked. Quinn sighed dramatically. “I told you already. My jeans don't fit you. You have an apple body-type, everyone will see your belly. A couple weeks away from Pizza King and we'll discuss that.” “Quinn, this is really just a one-time thing.” “I can help you out. But ultimately you have to figure things out for yourself. Me doing this all for you isn't going to help you in the real world.” “I don't even watch The Real World.”
  • NEWER! The Theme from Mack Dynamite, by Dark Kuno (COMPLETE!): [Songfic lyrics for everyone to sing!]
  • Three-Edged Sword, by NightGoblyn (Part 3): "Jane... I... there's something I need to tell you." Jane leaned over, poking just enough of her head around the large canvas that Tom could see her from the nose up. She gestured with her paint brush for him to speak. "It's... it's important." Tom waited a moment, and when Jane didn't respond his brow creased with irritation. "Could you come out from behind the damn painting a minute?" Jane sighed, and Tom heard the clatter of her palette on the table followed by the gentle splash of her brush being dropped into a jar of water. She walked around the side of the easel and stretched, moaning slightly as her neck and shoulders popped. Tom's eyes flicked away, trying not to notice that Jane's figure had returned to what it was before her pregnancy, only now enhanced with a gentle swell of hips and a prouder set of breasts. Doing a good job not noticing, Tommy Boy, he thought sourly. (Continues from this once-unnamed story)
  • Unnamed ficlet (Did you ever notice...), by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!] (Daria/The Matrix)
  • NEW! Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by rglovejoy (COMPLETE!): The mob of peasants surged forward and threw the bespectacled girl at Bedevere's feet. "A witch, a witch! We've got a witch! Might we burn her?" "How do you KNOW she is a witch?" Bedevere demanded, his right eye periodically popping out of its socket. A particularly dim peasant, with outsized shoulders, spoke up. "She looks like one, y'know?" "I'm not a witch," the girl said flatly. "But you are DRESSED as one," Bedevere told her. "These morons dressed me up like this," the girl countered. "This isn't my nose. It's a false one." "Well, we did do the nose," the peasant conceded. (Daria/Monty Python's Flying Circus)
  • NEW! Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Staticblast (COMPLETE!): "Good morning, Minister." "Gfd mfrng... Sorry, good morning. Scone's a bit dry." "Yes, well, I'd like to obtain a Government grant to help me develop my silly walk." "I see. May I see your silly walk?" (Daria/Monty Python's Flying Circus)
  • Unnamed story (More Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Minx (COMPLETE!): Sandi stood in front of her locker discussing the new school dress code, "...And under no circumstances shall either of you wear neon. It wasn't cute last year and I'll make damned sure it won’t be this year. I don't care what Valentino says," she turned to her trench-(wo)men for confirmation but was cut off but the chirp of three message cell phone tones sounding out simultaneously. Stacy was the first to check, she flipped open her phone and looked at Sandi gravely. "What, what is it?" Sandi barked. Stacy shook her head timidly and muttered a few words that resembled, 'Nothing, don't worry,' before flipping the phone shut and shoving it into the depths of her bag. "Nothing my ass," Sandi retorted as she drew her own cell-phone from her locker and checked her messages.
  • Unnamed ficlet (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Roxanne M (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!]
  • Unnamed ficlet (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by rglovejoy (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!]
  • Unnamed ficlet (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Roxanne M (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!] (Daria/Fawlty Towers)
  • Unnamed ficlet (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by rglovejoy (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!]
  • Unnamed ficlet (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!] (Daria/Monty Python's Flying Circus)
  • Unnamed ficlet (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Wormbait (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!] (Daria/Monty Python's Flying Circus)
  • The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser (continued): "Daria, I called because I wanted to find out if you could do something to help Stacy. She's been having these horrible nightmares about high school." "Quinn, there's nothing wrong about that. Almost everyone has horrible nightmares about high school. Even you. Remember that dream you had where you were surrounded by fanboys and nerds and couldn't get away from them, as they tried to get your autograph, cut off pieces of clothing and cop feels?" "Yeah, I sure do. And who would've thought it would turn into reality after I went to work in television..."
  • NEWER! The White Fox, by Lord Akiyama (prologue): The figure went over the words again to make sure what he was reading was the material he was looking for. He looked up and around to make sure the teenage girl was still asleep in her bed. Satisfied, the figure silently slipped out of the padded bedroom through the window, careful to not make a sound as he went. He quietly moved, jumping from one rooftop to the next. Much of the moon was covered by clouds on this night, offering him more darkness to cover him from unsuspecting eyes that might get lucky and catch him about. The figure did not stop until thirty minutes later when he reached his destination.

Posted by at 7/10/2010 12:01:00 AM 5 comments
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Friday, July 9, 2010

Love Story

Rock star Courtney Love, beloved of MTV's animation staff so much that someone drew Quinn Morgendorffer in Ms. Love's attire, turns 46 today. Odd how some people cringe when I mention that I collect her CDs. Really like her music. Some people have no taste, I suppose. Click on the label "quinn as courtney love" to see previous Love birthdays, including an image that might have been the model for the alter ego at right.

Outpost Amy, beloved of Daria fans from way, way back, was last updated nine years ago today. Such a fun website with such wonderful stories! It was the first shared world in this fandom.

Stay tooned, moar on the wai.

NoooZ!
  • Re-viewing Daria: a PPMB thread about watching the show all over again, and how it looks the second time around.
  • Lord Akiyama presents us with another view of Quinn and one of her fanfiction beaus.
  • Erin M. offers up an Iron Chef: First Impressions. "Your mission, should you decide to accept: Chronicle the first meeting between Helen Morgendorffer and Amanda Lane. Other members of either family can be involved in this meeting."
  • Not to be outdone, we have Charles RB's Iron Chef: The Great Age Reversal. "Your challenge: do a fic where all the adult characters are students at Laaaaawndale High, and the teens are the adults. And Kevin is a teacher of the most inappropriate class he could possibly be given."
  • And there is Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond, by MJPollard. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it: show one or more characters from Daria (your choice) interacting with the characters from any popular British television series (including, but not limited to, Coronation Street, Blake's 7, Red Dwarf, Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, Prime Suspect, and, of course, Doctor Who)."
FF.net
  • The InDark, by Mediancat (Part 25): Here they were. Once again, hanging around an airport again in the middle of the night, which was rapidly becoming early Tuesday morning. At least everyone else could sleep, Daria thought, seeing Jane and Oz sacked out a couple of seats apart. Aunt Amy was awake again and getting the two of them coffee. The third time she'd slept, for about an hour and a half, the First had apparently left her alone. She'd dreamed about Camp Grizzly, but nothing had reminded her of April 10, 1997, either the day or the book. (Daria/Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel/Dick Tracy)
PPMB
  • Dammit, by Ajar (COMPLETE!): "Dammit, Peter! I've got a meeting with Buzzdome in twenty minutes and I need to explain to them why their market awareness penetration is below projections." "Dammit, John! Don't look at me. The new boy spearheaded that one." "Dammit, Peter! Get him down here." (Daria/A Bit of Fry and Laurie)
  • Daria: Hunter 6—Infectious, by Jim North (continued): Axl scrabbled at the controls for the elevator doors with digital fingers, but they were locked down tight without even the slightest crack into which he could apply leverage. Boiling with frustration, he left a part of himself there to try a brute force approach as he turned his attention back to the exits. If he could get the survivors out of the building quickly enough, it wouldn't matter if they were all together or not. His brain buzzed with the intensity of keeping several parts of himself working all across the DENA network. The implants and surgery that the Engineer had put him through enabled him to split his consciousness across several parts of that system, but one of the downsides was the infernal itching that it caused in his head.
  • The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 42): Unless one had read the back pages of the Sport section of the Fielding newspaper, Daria knew that one might never have guessed that such a thing as a Fielding Swim Meet existed. When the four of them—Helen, Jake, Daria and Jill—arrived at the Fielding Natatorium, the only clue of such an event was a simple sign near the entrance, a sign supported with two stiff wires shoved in the dirt. The sign read "SWIM MEET HERE." Not even the dignity of the school name. "Cool," said Daria, "I didn't know we were having a swim meet. I would have been completely unprepared."
  • Judith Strikes! Mack Dynamite vs. the Crimson Phantom, by Erin M. (Part 2): As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw a slender female figure bent over in front of the upstairs door. She was wearing a short denim jacket and what looked like a white halter top. Mack Dynamite took a brief moment to appreciate the tight, muscular buttocks encased in the ass kissing red vinyl bell bottoms, before walking up and giving the woman a playful slap on the ass. The woman bolted upright, spun on one foot and lashed out with a fist. Mack Dynamite's forearm shot up and blocked the attack effortlessly. He smiled and looked into crystal blue eyes under shaggy black bangs. "Relax, Baby Jane," he said. "Didn't mean nothin' by it. Just saying hello." The expression of anger faded, and Jane Lane, Madame Daria's bodyguard and Gal Friday, smiled. Red lips parting to show perfect teeth.
  • Life, But Not As You Know It, by Phoenix (Part 2): “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Elsie said as she removed her black over-sized sunglasses and looked up at the building in front of her. “This is a joke right?” she turned to her mother and waited for Kay to respond. “Do you see me laughing?” Kay said stiffly, and then began to walk across the small parking lot to the staircase that clung to the outside of the apartment block. Elsie gave a disapproving grunt and followed her mother. When Kay had first told her that they would be moving into an apartment, Elsie had envisioned the new high-rise that had recently been built near the shopping district. Not this. The building in question was a two-story structure that looked like it had been erected in the mid-to-late sixties; a place of residence that, in its heyday, would have been quite acceptable to live in. Now, however, it was in a great state of disrepair.
  • The Light of the Charge Brigade, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): By the time the four arrived at the Khaki Barn, they were exhausted but all very happy, carrying multi-colored paper bags and shoe boxes. Stacy noticed a wool sweater featured on one of the displays at Khaki Barn. "Hmmm...." Stacy thought to herself. "Good choice, Sta-cee," Sandi said. "British hand-knit will be so in this winter. Way to think ahead." "Yeahhhh," Stacy said, "but I'm almost up to four figures on my parents' charge card. The last time I spent this much they yelled at me. I don't know." "But if you don't get it now it will be marked up in two months!" Quinn said.
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Lord Akiyama (COMPLETE!): "So... you're an artist." "You can say that." "So am I. What kind of thing do you do?" (Daria/Spaced)
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!]
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Crossover the Pond), by Quiverwing (COMPLETE!): [Too short to sample!]
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria and Jane pregnant at the same time), by NightGoblyn (Part 2 of this unnamed story): The door slammed thunderously, making the dishes in the cupboard rattle and causing LJ to start crying. Daria winced, and then walked over to the playpen, sweeping her little girl up and cooing at her. The brunette glanced up as her best friend stomped into the room and threw her book bag onto the worn love seat. "Rough day at the office?" Daria asked quietly. "Shut up," Jane snapped, glaring at the other girl. A little down the hall, a door swung open and Tom stuck his head out. He peered around with a sleepy, confused expression, and then asked, "What's with all the racket?" "Go to hell!" Jane shouted. "I'm a goddamn pariah, and it's all your fault!"

Posted by at 7/09/2010 12:01:00 AM 2 comments
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Thursday, July 8, 2010

All I Know Is What I Read in the Papers

Humorist Will Rogers is the source of the title quote for this day. (The full quote, actually, is: All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.) The Wall Street Journal came into being exactly 121 years ago today. In addition, Daria's Sick, Sad Life Planner marks today as important in another newsy way (see at upper right). I bet her tushie was sore when she was done. There seems to be some disagreement on whether she ended her ride on the 8th or the 13th.

N0oOZ!
  • Speaking of news, if you are a fan of LOGO TV, some episodes of Daria are being run there today. Check the link for the schedule.
  • Lord Akiyama has presented the fandom with a new artwork: Mustang Ridin'!
Stay tooned.... for fanfic. (Not yet done with the whole list. There were too many new ones!)

LATER: Okay, now I'm done... for a while.

FF.net
  • The InDark, by Mediancat (Parts 23 and 24): "Stop the car as soon as you can," Daria said to Jane while gritting her teeth. "What?" Jane asked. "Next exit. Pull off. Park as soon as you can." "Dream?" "Dream." "Pulling off," Jane said. She was in the lead, so Oz, driving the van behind them, would follow them off. They'd planned for this to happen. "You going to be okay, amiga?" (Daria/ Buffy the Vampire Slayer/ Angel/ Dick Tracy)
PPMB
  • The Continuing Adventures of an ANGRY!!! Young Man, by Charles RB (Parts 1 and 2): There was a war on. They called it a game but that was hippie bullcrap. This was a war. Years at that damn military school had taught him about war and the importance of overwhelming force, pre-emptive strikes, saturation assaults. There was an enemy. They had to be destroyed. DESTROY THEM AAAALL! With a roar akin to Godzilla hearing someone insult his mum, Anthony roared down the pitch and hit the Oakwood quarterback with bone-shattering force. I was not exaggerating about “bone-shattering force.” The quarterback was replaced with a terrified, second-rate substitute, and Anthony DeMartino was cheered once more as the greatest linebacker Lawndale High had ever had. (Part 2)
  • Daria and Trent Forever, by Malakite (Parts 1 and 2): Daria rolled over to look at Trent's peaceful sleeping face. She could easily stare at that heavenly visage for hours on end, and what's more Trent could sleep through those hours without inconveniently waking up to catch her. Not that she'd really mind if he did. She decided that just now she'd like to be caught, so she reached over to the appropriate part of her lover's anatomy and began gently tickling. Her lips twisted into an eager little smile as Trent slowly began to stir. Across town, at the Boston Fine Arts College, Tom Sloane, a student from good old Bromwell University,heir to a fabulous fortune, and all round nice guy found himself once again helping Jane Lane move into a dormitory. On the last occasion he'd had to do this, he was quite surprised, even shocked by Jane's behavior, although the experience hadn't been at all unpleasant.
  • Daria/Dorian, by LadieT (continued): Dorian's first few days back were a stressful nightmare but as the week ended, he seemed to be settling back into a normal routine. His mood was greatly improved over that weekend by his parents and Jane. On Saturday, Jake took him computer and television shopping. This was followed by a bad movie marathon at Jane's house all day Sunday. Even with Helen calling every couple of hours, it was the first time since the change that Dorian felt relaxed. The two exchanged witty banter while watching some of the worst films ever put on video. Trent even joined them for one movie before heading to the basement for practice. Dorian left around ten thirty, shortly after Jane had fallen asleep leaning against him.
  • Finn Morgendorffer 52: With Extra Bitters, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 2 to 4): “Are you sure I can’t have just an eensy...” Jake started as he pulled up to Winged Tree. “No!” Helen insisted from the passenger side as she looked in the mirror to check her makeup. “We are going to be gracious, engaging guests.” “But I can do that better if I’ve had...” “No!” Helen stated firmly. The gate guard gave them no hassle once he learned their names, and Jake steered the Lexus into a great parking space. “I’m glad Finn helped you with your suit. The last thing we need is to have your collar crooked.” “Dammit, Helen, I can dress myself!” Jake insisted. “Be on your best behavior, Jakey. If we impress the Sloanes, they’ll ask us back for another gala. And it can turn into the business you want.” (Part 3) (Part 4)
  • First Born, by RLobinske (Part 3): Jane pulled into the spot and saw a small sign that read, Reserved for Dr. Karen Adler, DVM. "Now we know why you went to school all those years," Jane said. "Reserved parking." Sitting behind Karen, Derek said, "And she doesn't even have to pay for it. Unlike me." "Sucks being undereducated, doesn't it?" said Jane. Derek patted his chest, puffed it out and said, "With three Doctors in the car, someone has to be the Master."
  • Into the Fray, by Minx (Part 13): Me and my big fat stupid mouth… I wish I could go back and tell myself not to mention the roadhouse to the rest of the group. Unfortunately I can’t and that is why we found ourselves crouched in the bushes staring out at a huge truck stop that was planted on the main highway. We spent most of the day there, watching a stream of trucks going in and out and trying to find ways to attack. Daria had realized that as it got later and the sun began to lose its heat, the troop carriers began to stop longer. The soldiers seemed to be less alert, less jumpy and they spent more time inside the diner. As night fell we decided to stay, I should have known right then that there was no backing out. I knew the boys had something planned and I now had no choice but to agree with it. I had the feeling that both Daria and Jane were starting to agree with the boys, I could tell by the way their eyes lit up when Trent and Jesse would come up with different ways to attack. (FF.net)
  • Judith Strikes! Community Service, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "All I did was meet a girl I thought was cool and I went out with her for a while. We started to get bored with each other. It happens all the time. It's nobody's fault." "Oh yeah? Would you still be bored with her if I weren't around?" "Probably. And more to the point, she'd be bored with me. It's got nothing to do with you." "Good. Because I'm not interested in you, and I'd be stabbing my friend in the back if I even considered it." "Exactly. And what kind of a jerk would that make me?" "Exactly." "All right then." "Okay." "Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!" "I liked it, too." "That was definitely not funny." "I gotta go!" "You got that right."
  • Judith Strikes! The Light of a Burning Darkness, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): Lawndale was full of raw-throated, frightened screaming, and the streets and gardens were clogged with crashed cars and corpses; in the distance, the neighbouring city glowed with a thousand fires; somewhere, an air-raid was sounding and dull explosions could be heard. Judith didn’t notice that for a minute. She noticed that the sun was black.
  • Judith Strikes! Mack Dynamite vs. the Crimson Phantom, by Erin M. (Part 1): Mack Dynamite pulled his silver Cadillac El Dorado up to the curb in front of the 23rd Precinct, made sure his Afro was still in place, then leaped out of the drivers seat, gold lame bellbottoms flashing in the afternoon sun. He straightened the lapels of his brown courderoy jacket, smoothed his mustache and strutted his way into the station. Captain DeMartino was downing his customary handful of antacid tablets when Mack Dynamite strolled into his office, threw himself into a chair, and put his custom Italian Beatle boots up on the desk. "What it is, Chief!" Mack Dynamite said by way of greeting, flashing the million dollar smile that had charmed many a man into being his friend, and had also charmed many a fine foxy lady out of her unmentionables. Too bad DeMartino was too much of a crusty bastard for it to work on him.
  • Life, But Not As You Know It, by Phoenix (Part 1): Elsie felt her body quake from the amount of fury that Madison had conjured with-in her. She left the group and made a bee-line for the powder room, but not before making a detour to the coat-room to retrieve her purse. As she entered the strangely unattended room, she heard moans of lust coming from the back corner. Curious, she walked toward the sounds and she found her father with a woman who was barely out of puberty in a hot and heavy make out session. Upon her discovery she merely raised an eyebrow, “Trading up I see?” she said in a flat, monotonous tone. Her father froze and began a series of stuttered throaty sounds before Elsie cut him off with a limp flick of her wrist, “Hey, I understand. There’s only so much Dr. Shar can do before Mom looks like a wax reject from Tussaud's, it makes sense to trade her in for a newer model."
  • The Other Side of Time: Unfinished Business, by The Sidhe (continued): The Morgendorffer residence was a hive of activity this morning. Helen, Jake and Quinn were making final preparations for the drive down to Mount Folly, as were Tom and Elsie Sloane. They had finally accepted Richard’s invitation to spend some time in the old Georgian-era plantation house, with Elsie even having come out of her fugue state enough to help Tom pack his silver Aston-Martin. As Richard had suspected, the act of being able to finally say farewell to their dead parents had managed to kick-start the long, slow process of healing, and he believed that some time away from Lawndale on the James-York peninsular, with an occasional side-trip into Richmond, would be of great benefit to the two younger Sloanes.
  • Politricks are Not for Kids, by Brian Taylor (continued): "'In our culture, we have the expectation that we'll find familiar patterns in our leaders' decisions. We expect our male mandarins to place a premium on action over discussion, and our women rajas to sit around and talk through all the available options before making a move. What sort of leader is our Tom Sloane? With his every effeminate word, he slows himself to be a leaky vessel who can't stop running his mouth off in public about his policies although he never actually acts upon them.' How am I supposed to respond to shit like that?" (moar story)
  • Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (Part 14): "He's not exactly antisocial. Sam's really very nice, but he doesn't understand people too well, so he avoids them as much as possible. He doesn't have a lot of friends, but he is very close to a few people. I think that I'm one of the few people over the years that he's reached out to. There's nothing mean or sarcastic about him, so sometimes I wonder why he likes me. We talked about some of that stuff a little bit before we went out for breakfast, and-" "Wait, you two went out for dinner last night, and then this morning you went out for breakfast..." Jane paused in mid-sentence, then let out a delighted squeal. "Daria!" A low groan came out of Daria's mouth. "Jane, get your mind out of the gutter. Look, I spent the night here in his room, but I didn't sleep with him. I fell asleep while we were watching a movie and he put me in his bed and then he spent the night on the floor. He was a complete gentleman." "Oh." Jane sounded disappointed.
  • Sleepwalker, by Jim North (continued): Sleep eluded Stacy once more as she was brought fully awake by the sound of a girl screaming. At first she thought it had just been part of a half-dream that had been forming as she had been drifting off, but the scream came again with the full clarity of reality behind it. It was somewhere outside and somewhat distant, but unmistakable. None of the other girls in the room stirred at the noise, so Stacy quietly slipped out of bed and padded over to the window in her stocking feet. Once there, she slowly parted the curtains and peered out into the night to see nothing but the empty parking lot. The screams continued and Stacy was about to dismiss them as the sounds of a TV in one of the other rooms turned up too loud when she suddenly recognized the squeaky voice strained by fear and pain as Brittany's.
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria and Jane pregnant at the same time), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "So... um... you wanna go out some time?" Jane looked at the young man a moment, then glanced around the mostly empty campus. It was early evening and there were very few students milling around, but she didn't want to be overheard by the few that were. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve and tugged him off the concrete path and across the grass to a big oak tree. She turned and looked up at him, moistening her lips nervously. "Is there a... should I have not... I didn't make you mad, did I?" "No, no," Jane said, trying to smile encouragingly. "I'd love to go out with you, but there's a couple of things you need to know first. I don't want you to find out by surprise and be freaked out." "Um... okay." "I've got a kid."

Posted by at 7/08/2010 12:01:00 AM 2 comments
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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

On the Road Again

Today marks the 13th anniversary of the premiere of a great Daria episode, "Road Worrier." Yesterday was the 12th anniversary of the appearance of "Ill," and the 17th anniversary of the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Sign Here" (a.k.a. "Petitions Suck"), which featured Daria as well. So much win...

Sorry for having to post and run. Moar on the wai todai.

BREAKING NUDES! (Huh huh huh, I said nudes, huh huh huh.) Are 30 more NEW episodes of Beavis and Butt-head on the way to us? It's just a rumor, but what a rumor! If Daria isn't featured in them, perhaps Cassandra will be.

MOAR BREAKING NUDES! (Huh huh huh huh.) Quiverwing has posted the new rules for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards. Read 'em and start making out your lists! (I need to update the fanfiction list, sorry.)

OTHER BREAKING NUDES! (Uh-huh, uh-huh.... forget it.) What's the difference between drama and melodrama, and why should we care? Read the thread and see.

Charliefox2012 needs help finding a fanfic. See if you know which story he's talking about, I don't believe I've seen it before.

Posted by at 7/07/2010 08:37:00 AM 2 comments
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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Oops

Hey, there. Lost my Internet connection for a while, but am back online again. Moar Daria stuff later. Ciao.
Posted by at 7/06/2010 04:50:00 PM 0 comments
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Monday, July 5, 2010

Bad Tom! Bad Tom!

Exactly ten years have gone by since "Mart of Darkness" premiered on MTV. We remember poor Tom eating Jane's art supplies and poor Jane was forced to strangle him. He deserved it.

My Favorite "Mart of Darkness" Quotes
  • "Oops." (Tom)
  • "Oh no! Oh, my God! Oh no, accessory emergency. Stacy, I have to go. No, Stacy, it's not you. It's not. It's not! Okay, fine! It is you! Bye!" (Quinn)
  • "A vision of Christ in a half-eaten candy bar? Talk about 'My Sweet Lord!' The Immaculate Confection, next on Sick, Sad World."
  • "I see where Kevin gets his charm." "Yeah, Mr. Thompson's funny." "Oh, shut up." "Okay." (Mrs. Barch and Jamie)
  • "I just love laundry detergent boxes. They're so... happy!" (Brittany)
  • "What do you think I am? Stupid?" (Brittany) (sorry)
  • "Look, Tom's reasonable enough. Maybe if you just talked it out." "Hmm. Sounds sort of drastic." "Then, how about this? Serve him some frozen lasagna and tell him you're sorry you haven't been around much lately, but as soon as you get some time off, you're gonna do something fun together and really catch up on each other's lives." "You know, Helen ought to write a book." (Daria and Jane)
  • "Well, you found me. Now you can make fun of the pathetic goth chick whose parents make her work at a crappy job in a stupid warehouse store. Go on, cut me up like you do everyone else." (Andrea)
  • "Will whoever has their hand on my butt please remove it, this instant." (Sandi, to...?)
Today in Fanfiction Land...
  • A strange post-apocalypse tale begins this day 11 years ago. Recall the title?
  • An original character in Daria fanfiction died 147 years ago today, but not in every alternate Dariaverse. Who was he?
  • A minor Daria who appeared only once had her wedding gown made this day 74 years ago. Who was she?
  • Finally, a popular Daria website was last updated three years ago today. Which one is that?
Stay tooned. Oh, here's the fanfic list.

PPMB
  • Daria & Son, by Brian Taylor and Erin Mills (COMPLETE!): "Mr. O'Neill?" "Please, Daria, you can call me "Timothy" or even "Tim" if you like. After all, we're going to be colleagues now." It's official. Lawndale High is the tenth ring of Hell.
  • Finn Morgendorffer 52: With Extra Bitters, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): “Jake, you will be on your best behavior when we go to that mixer. No drinking. You know how you get when you’re drinking.” “It’s a mixer, Helen!” “And I recall when you drank during the paintball trip.” Helen countered. “In fact, make sure you only discuss business and pleasantries. Nothing else, be good.” “Aww, dammit Helen. I can behave if I want to!” Jake shouted. Helen sighed. Perhaps, the morning of this mixer, she’d need to spike his coffee with ipecac.
  • Kabti-Ilani-Marduk, by Malakite (Part 4): Daria tried to shake the sensation that she'd become trapped in some lame TV soap opera as she held onto the sobbing form of Sandi Griffin. Sandi had shown up unannounced less than five minutes earlier,made some small chitchat about the WNBA (Daria herself didn't quite see the appeal), then broke down in tears and incoherence. Comforting people wasn't exactly her area of expertise, but she did her best, making what she hoped were comforting sounds as she hugged Sandi and patted her gently on the back.

Posted by at 7/05/2010 12:45:00 AM 2 comments
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Sunday, July 4, 2010

The Fandom's Fourth

A mere 148 years ago today, a peculiar English reverend told a fantastic story to three little girls, all sisters, while they were on a boat trip. Ten-year-old Alice, the middle sister, asked him to write it down, and three years later, he did and published it, and that is where we get all of our Alice stories. No kidding. (Thanks to Pinhead for the very relevant alter ego at right.)

As noted in an earlier blog post, number of Daria fanfics take place July 4th. It was of course the day of the Landons' party in Is It Fall Yet? (scene 20). It has also appeared in the following fanfics, arranged in alphabetical order by story.
Do you recall any other Fourth of July Daria stories? If so, post them below in Comments.

There's a songfic that references this day, too.
July 4th also marks some important fanfiction events, such as:
Quite a day, wouldn't you say?

Posted by at 7/04/2010 02:25:00 PM 1 comments
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As Always, Jane Does It Best

And a very happy 4th to one and all here. I should return to fill out the rest of this post later (went to baseball game and fireworks on evening of the 3rd). Cheers!

NuUuZ!
  • Roentgen drew a marvelous map of the Fielding campus for his series (see below).
  • The thread for "Is It Over Yet?" is not over yet. Much discussion there.
FF.net
  • My Night with Trent Lane, by Apple Glass (COMPLETE!): Daria shut the door before her cheeks became a darker shade of red. The overwhelming feeling of embarrassment made her lower her gaze as she made her way to her bedroom, brushing aside the opportunity to inject a sardonic comment to something her sister Quinn was saying at the moment. It was imperative to reach her room unscathed, undetected, unquestioned. "Daria?" Damn, almost there. Her mother advanced towards her with that look that could only mean "there's something we need to talk about." Oh, how she hated that look. "Yes?" The girl replied. Keep it cool and this will be over before the next millennium, she thought.
PPMB
  • NEWER! Another Normal Day in Lawndale, by JPAGC (Part 4): “Mr. Thompson!” warned DeMartino. “Yes, Mr. D.” Kevin's voice became serious. “World War I started because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which caused Austria-Hungary to issue an ultimatum to Serbia and eventually to war. Germany sided with Austria and Russia, Britain and France united to defend Serbia.” “Yes, that is correct. And when did this happen?” “It was... September 1914?” “No, I'm afraid that's wrong.” DeMartino's eyes surveyed the class. “Miss Taylor, since you're smiling so much, I'm sure you can tell us the exact dates.” “Yes, Sir!” Brittany Taylor sprung to her feet, almost standing at attention. “The assassination took place on the 28th June 1914, sir!”
  • Anti-Trope, by Minx (continued): "What the hell were you thinking?" Helen seethed as she eyed her eldest child. "What on earth possessed you to make such a stupid decision?" Dean met his mothers gaze and winced. She was mad—no, slash that, she was irate. He watched her pace the length of the breakfast bar as she waited for him to answer. "I met him at Middleton the other day when I was hanging out with Heather, he mentioned he was having some trouble writing his term paper and I agreed to give him a few pointers," Dean replied calmly. That was the cover story he, Heather, and Troy had arranged. "A few pointers?" Helen scoffed, "A few pointers?” she repeated in a higher tone, “Dean you wrote the entire essay, then to top things off you sent him all of your handwritten notes!" (FF.net)
  • Christmas Snow, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): Trent stared out the window into an ever-greying sky. He would have to leave for work early to walk to work. His car was in the shop getting new brakes. He turned his face to Daria, who was sleeping peacefully in his bed. Christmas was just a couple of days away. She needed a break between her classes, work and counseling sessions. Trent watched her chest rise and fall with each breath and smiled. Daria had decided to stay with them rather than go home for Christmas. Her parents were disappointed but understood. She had told them of her and Trent's relationship over the summer. Trent left the bedroom, showered and made himself a cup of coffee. He went back in his room, gently kissed Daria's cheek before he headed out for work. [Sequel to "April Is the Cruelest Month"]
  • Finn Morgendorffer 51: A Matter of Trust, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): “Are you ready for this, Daria?” Jane was teasing her as she sat in Daria’s bedroom. “You have to make this harder than it is.” Daria lowered her voice. “Aww, I think it’s great!” “If you want to help, you can shove me out the window.” “Daria, there’s a safety mesh to prevent kids who get too drunk from falling out,” Jane reminded. “And you’re looking at this all the wrong way. It’s good that you’re going on a date.” “This isn’t a date,” Daria delivered flatly. “This is just an incredible mistake I got talked into, by a guy who said a glowing fairy told him my middle name is Jeanne.” “Your middle name isn’t Jeanne. You sure he wasn’t stoned?”
  • NEW! General Semantics, Private Angst, by Gwrtheyrn (continued): Through the silent corridors she ran, the headset rendering the Stygian darkness permeable to her gaze. The laboratory Jane sought was one level below the guard station whence she came. Even the slight air conditioner motion usually perceptible was missing. Except for the pervasive but almost subliminal fizzy feeling, artifact of powerful Distorters energised somewhere nearby, she might have been racing through catacombs beneath some city of the dead. But there was every reason not to linger. Even some of those with no conditioned resistance to Drae must be nearing the verge of consciousness by this point.
  • Grove Hell on Earth, by (COMPLETE!): “I’ve got Jane’s address and number on there, too. She’d give it to you in person, but she says there’s a real danger Jesse will walk to another state without supervision.” Amelia blushed darker than she ever had before. “I, I, I’m sure Jane’s just being polite, she’s bound to have other people to talk to...” Wheels turned in Daria’s head. “You can plead the fifth here, but... are you nervous of talking to Jane for the same reason I’m nervous about talking to Trent?” Amelia went from blushing to pale. “Ah, crap.” (FF.net)
  • The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 41): Italy was very, very loud. No one would have raised their voice at Fielding if they could have avoided it, but Rome was a boisterous city where opinions were delivered fortissimo. It was almost too much for Quinn at first, and she almost thought she had descended into a bedlam of louts. But it was so much more than that! When Quinn was about to throw up her hands in disgust, a young woman—or even an older one—would walk down the sidewalk wearing something as smart as the sharpness of a straight razor, something that almost made Quinn gasp. And the food! It was as if her tongue had been slapped out of a somnolent state. The language was beautiful, even when wielded by taxi drivers. Quinn knew that it took not only courage to live here, but a certain willingness to let one's self be surrounded by paradise and not reject it out of hand. (FF.net)
  • Jesse Moreno and Tiffany Blum-Deckler Moreno: A Couple of Few Words, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "So... Jesse, Tiffany... how has life been since Daria finished?" Jesse responded first: "Cool." "It's... been... good." I nodded. "You caused quite a stir when you got married not even two months after the show ended. How did the members of the Fashion Club and Mystik Spiral react?" "They... said... my... wedding... dress... made... me... look... fat," Tiffany sighed.
  • NEWER! Judith Strikes! Scavenger Hunt, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): As the smoked cleared from the .10 gauge shotgun, Jane Lane blinked and said, “I don’t get it. Where’s the squirrel?” Daria Morgendorffer looked at the spot where the squirrel had been, now a smoking chunk of torn-up dirt. She looked at Jane and asked, “‘You think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?’” Jane sighed and said, “Shut up.”
  • Revenge of the Attack, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "So, what's going on?" Stacy asked, cluelessly. "Pardon Stacy," Brooke said, "but was I paying attention to you? Did I ask you to speak to me?" "What's with the asshole act, Brooke?" Quinn said. "Or is it an act?" Gina looked down her nose at Quinn. "Quinn, pink is so last year's color." "Pink is last year's color," Quinn said, "because I decided what last year's color was... last year." "Not any more you don't," Heidi muttered. "You're last year's news." "Who... made... you... boss?" Tiffany said, her vacant look narrowing slightly into a potential for violence.
  • Stolen, by Malakite (continued): Jane Lane looked around her living room with the unshakeable sensation that something important had changed. Even so, it still looked like a pile of art pieces, hippie-chic furniture, and a broken television piled under a mile-high layer of neglect... and that's how it had always looked, hadn't it? Nothing was missing. She repeated that to herself a few more times as she made for her room and tried to ignore the nagging sensation that something was wrong.
  • A Very Blue Test, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): Mr. DeMartino looked over his classroom and frowned. Something is wrong here, he thought. Most of the girls in the classroom seemed different. Daria Morgendorffer and Scarlett Hawkins were the most obvious. Both wore pastel-colored dresses, the first time he had ever seen either one in something like that. Not only that, but Jane Lane and Andrea Hecuba had on pantsuits. He blinked and noticed that all the girls in class seemed to be slightly under the weather... or acted like it. They’re trying to play with my mind, he thought. I’ll just ignore this and see what they do next. [Story related to this thread]
  • NEWER! The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser (continued): The dream began innocuously enough. Daria was walking down a country village street which led out of town to a huge raspberry field. The very air was charged with the promise of their sweetness. Suddenly, the raspberries began detaching themselves from their stems and rising into the sky in great clouds of juicy bumped redness. She spread her arms wide and ran toward them, laughing. Then a spark rent the skies and ignited them like so many crimson Hindenburgs, setting the very air itself on fire.
Posted by at 7/04/2010 12:01:00 AM 0 comments
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Saturday, July 3, 2010

Hooray.

The poster hanging above Daria's bedroom desk depicts author Franz Kafka, who would be 127 years old today if he hadn't died first. He is famous for his unique existential works that place human protagonists into bizarre and often unresolvable circumstances, such as in The Metamorphosis, in which Daria turns into a bug. And there was great rejoicing.

It was a year ago today that the future release of the Daria DVD set was finally announced. And there was great rejoicing.

PPMB
  • Delete the Press, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "Representative Landon, is there any truth to the rumor that you're considering a run for Senate in the near future?" "I can safely say I'm not considering a run this year. As far as the future, it would be irresponsible of me to speculate. Right now, I'm focusing on doing the best job I can for my constituents." "So you're not ruling out a Senate run in 2012?" "As I said, it's far too early to rule anything in or out for 2012. I'm not thinking about the Senate at all. I'm thinking about the job I was elected to do in the House of Representatives." "But wouldn't it be a good time for you to run? After all, your profile has never been higher." "Are you talking about the DVDs from that stupid reality show I was forced to take part in as a teenager?"
  • Daria/Dorian, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): A couple of minutes later, Kevin and Brittany walked in along with Jodie and Mack. Brittany looked over at him and waved. Jodie and Mack grinned as they sat down in front of Jane and Dorian. A few moments later, the bell rang. Mr. DeMartino closed the door and made his way to the front of his desk. "Class, we have a NEW STUDENT here today. Dorian Morgendorffer. Dorian, raise your right hand." Great... welcome to Lawndale Hell all over again. Dorian reluctantly raised his right hand. "Well, Dorian, as long as you have your hand raised. Before our break last week, we were discussing the Amendments of the US Constitution. Perhaps you think its UNFAIR to be asked a question on your first day of class." "Excuse me?" Deja vu. Dorian waited for the question. (FF.net)
  • First Born, by RLobinske (Part 2): Hearing the warning, Jane slowed her minivan down to just below the speed limit to avoid unwanted attention. Not that the brightly colored van didn't attract attention with the large "Three Art Chicks" logo painted on each side. Except for her hair worn longer and in a single ponytail, she was little different from her college days. Even the mischievous glint remained in her blue eyes. "Just the radar detector," she said into the miniature headset fitted to her right ear. "Karen warned me about the small towns around here and I'm taking her at her word."
  • Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (Part 13): "Hey," she said softly as she approached him. Sam merely smiled back—at least now he could recognize her. "So, where are we going?" "We are meeting at a Chinese restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue, near the campus. It is called Mary Chung's. I have eaten there before, the food there is very good. Do you like Chinese food?" "Yeah, I guess so." Daria sort of liked the stuff, but after that weird dream she had of meeting holidays and traveling to Holiday Island via the Good Times Chinese Restaurant, she had a few misgivings. "You'll have to tell me what to order, though."
  • Sleepwalker, by Jim North (continued): As soon as she was sure all of her roommates were asleep, Brittany poked her head out the door and scanned the area with the eyes of a hawk. A nighthawk. That could see well at night. Confident that her movements would be unobserved, she slid out and locked the door behind her. With careful tip-toe steps and a continued alertness, she made her way to the corner of the building. Only a few doors separated her room and that corner, but her insistence on a high level of stealthiness made the journey stretch out over several minutes. She made not a sound, not a whisper, not a—
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria and Jane pregnant at the same time), by Minx (COMPLETE!): Daria set a weary gaze upon her family, the time had come. It was now or never. Oh how she wished never was a possibility. Unfortunately, time had run out she only had another three, maybe four weeks and it would be obvious. Daria inhaled deeply and turned to her bemused parents, "Mom, Dad..." her gaze dropped to the ground, unable to look them in the eyes, "I'm pregnant."
Posted by at 7/03/2010 12:01:00 AM 0 comments
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Friday, July 2, 2010

Wearing Only Her Legal Briefs

Legal eagle Helen Morgendorffer celebrates the arrival of the 2010 Godiva Festival in Coventry, which promises to be the best party place on Earth for the whole family. A minimum of 85,000 people are expected. No, seriously. And they won't even have a naked lady on a horse! Everyone's there for the food and music and parade. Well, we believe in traditional values here at the Daria Fandom Blog II, so we do have a naked lady on a horse. No Godiva chocolates, though. We're on a diet.

Eight years ago today, Daria began airing on The N, but in a severely censored form that caused legions of Daria fans to rend their garments and cast ashes on their heads. Is It Fall Yet? was so chopped up the plot made no sense. (Click the link to Outpost Daria to see how the movie was edited.) The butchered episodes ceased to appear in 2006.

The Roswell UFO event is alleged to have occurred 63 years ago today, though accounts have changed over the years and different dates have been offered. Thanks to Roswell, we have soap operas about troubled alien-human-robot love triangles. Or we should have.

Daria said three little important words to her future husband on this day ten years ago. Do you know the fanfic in which she did this?

N0OoZ!!
FF.net
  • The InDark, by Mediancat (Part 22): The screams had come from beefy guy and his wife. 'Course, Daria could hardly blame them, with the eyeless robed guy with a long knife walking around waving it at people. He'd been headed for Amy's car, but on seeing Daria and Oz had turned towards them. It was as if his orders were: "Go after Daria, slash tires, and scare people," in that order of importance. It was a good thing no one had tossed in "Go after her friends." (Daria/Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
PPMB
  • Anti-Trope, by Minx (continued): "I demand you do something about this!" Ms. Li looked at the irate woman that stood before her and sighed. "Mrs. Rowe, I'm afraid there just isn't enough evidence to support your claims," she said calmly. "What more evidence do you need?" Mrs. Rowe exclaimed as she threw her hands above her head. "My son has e-mails to that boy discussing the paper, he even has handwritten notes! Look!" Mrs. Rowe retrieved a manila folder from her briefcase and dropped it on the desk in front of Ms. Li. "if that isn’t enough evidence I don't know what is." Mrs. Rowe smiled victoriously as she waited for the principal to respond.
  • Daria: Hunter 6—Infectious, by Jim North (continued): Burnout moved to follow her, but Jane put her hand out and shook her head. The blonde frowned but stayed at the doorway, slingshot at the ready. Jane turned to the rest of the group and noticed a high keening noise. It took her a few seconds to trace the sound to Brittany, who was staring down at Mack and screaming as quietly as she could. DeMartino and Kevin had picked themselves up off the ground, but Mack sat against the wall, cradling his dead wife's arm. His eyes were wide, his dark skin had gone ashen, and his breathing had turned ragged. Even at a distance and in the poor lighting, Jane could see the perspiration standing out on his forehead. She knelt down next to him, making sure her blade arm was as far back as she could get it.
  • Finn Morgendorffer 51: A Matter of Trust, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 4): Daria was still wrestling on what to do with Henry, and she decided the only person she could talk to about it was Jane. She headed over to BFAC unannounced, hoping that Jane was there. Sometimes it could be hard to find her. Jane had been spending a lot of time with Miranda and Mark, and, while Daria knew better than to lash out at them, particularly since Jane was so happy, it bothered her. She was spending more and more time alone. She was disappointed when she knocked on the door and found that the other two wheels, Miranda and Mark, were the only two people in the room.
  • Is It Over Yet? by S.C. and Kara Wild (COMPLETE!): "You have ONE last chance to make your WOEFUL study habits moot during the final exam! Which is why I ENCOURAGE you to sign up for the new school TUTORING program. The smart ones to teach, the IDIOTS get to ruin someone ELSE'S life for a change!" "Well, when you make it sound so rewarding..." (PPMB discussion thread)
  • Judith Strikes! The Taking of Lawndale High, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): If you were out in Lawndale after curfew, you were either desperate—for food, for shelter, for an escape—or hard as nails. Either way, you wouldn’t go to the Zon. It was too big a wreck, too condemned, too much a reminder of how Li had massacred organized resistance in her rise to power. So twenty-one people sneaking into it over the space of an hour? Twenty-one people who were clearly armed? If you’d seen that you’d immediately know something was up, just before they slotted you before you blabbed it.
  • Politricks Are Not for Kids, by Brian Taylor (Part 3): "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes... she'll be coming 'round the the mountain when she comes..." "Oh, Jesus God, why won't you leave me alone?"
  • Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria and Jane pregnant at the same time), by Vukodlak (COMPLETE!): Tom was sitting at home watching TV eating some popcorn. In a couple of weeks he'd be off to Bromwell, for now he was enjoying Sick Sad World. Well, "enjoying" wasn't exactly true—there simply wasn't anything else on. It had been over a month since the incident in which a moment of weakness after their breakup Tom went to Jane's and they ended up sleeping together. And the following day Daria, filled with regret over the breakup, went to see him and they made up all night long. Needless to say it had been a very awkward couple of days, but they had managed to talk things out and clear the air... though he hadn't spoken to either of them since. "Millionaire playboy knocks up both his ex-girl friends who used to be best friends, when Sick, Sad World returns." "What an idiot," Tom said to himself. At that moment there was a knock at the door.

Posted by at 7/02/2010 12:01:00 AM 1 comments
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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Halfway Through the Year, We Answer an Old Question

July 1st, it is today, and we celebrate all sorts of holidays and anniversaries as a result, to include:
What a day! And I haven't even written in the fanfiction yet. Speaking of which...

Remember the good old days almost exactly a year ago, when we used to argue over whether Daria fandom was dying? Remember how we would commiserate over the inevitable wasting away of our happy little suburb, one day soon to vanish in the great megacity sprawl that is Fandomland? Don't those days seem kind of... well... premature?

At the moment there seems to be a literal explosion of new fans and new fanfiction and new everything thanks to the DVD set. I mean, seriously, I can barely keep up with the surge of good reading that's hitting the Internet. The number of DFB2 followers leaped from 9 to 38 in one year, and 95,000 hits to 176,000 in about the same time period. Blammo.

So, to answer the old question if Daria fandom is on its last legs, the answer would appear to be...


Thank you.

FF.net
  • College Wry, by LibertyxIsxLove (Part 3): Nick scratched his head, newly dyed blue, and for the tenth time took a look around Trent's basement. "Um, guys?" he finally sputtered. "Where're our instruments?" "Some other criminales prol'ly heard how hard we are!" Max began shouting. "And they wanted to stop us before our music could change the—" "Shouldn't we call Trent and tell him his house was robbed?" Jesse inquired anxiously. Nick rolled his eyes at this idea. "Nah, he's in Australia. It's not like he'd be able to hear us."
  • The InDark, by Mediancat (Part 21): Amy Barksdale said, "I believe you." "You say that as though there were some doubt," Daria said. "No doubt," said Amy. "It's a legitimate explanation. It's just one I hadn't thought of."
  • NEWER! Fresh TV—The Musical! by Mikata88 (Parts 2 and 3): Chef Hatchet: "Emma! What the Sam Hill are you still doin' here? There's a got-dang hurricane a-comin'! You know... I've never told you this... [sings] Emma, Oh, Emma, You're a gem... a... [looks at watch] Man, this is eatin' up a lot of time. [exits] Don't forget to lock up." (Daria/Total Drama/6teen)
PPMB
  • NEW! Anti-Trope, by Minx (continued): Dean walked through the house but his search for Quinn had so far been unfruitful. As he came to a less crowded hallway he saw a long row of framed photos ranging from the year prior all the way back to the mid sixties. Each one depicted a similar scene: a young, good-looking woman being held up on a group of young men’s shoulders. Under each snapshot was a small gold plaque reading ‘Keg Queen’ with the name of the queen and year the photo was taken. As he walked along viewing each photo he stopped dead at 1975’s winner. His mouth dropped open as he read the inscription: Keg Queen – 1975 Helen Barksdale. (FF.net)
  • NEW! Daria: Hunter 6—Infectious, by Jim North (continued): "I KNEW those rumors were true!" DeMartino crowed. "And you were HOLDING OUT on me this entire time! For SHAME, Miss Morgendorffer! For SHAME!" "Yes, yes," Daria said with sarcastic long-suffering, "I'm extremely sorry we didn't let you know we were secret agents. I'm a horrible person."
  • NEW! Finn Morgendorffer 51: A Matter of Trust, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 3): And then, Jeffy remembered during sophomore year, near the end of the school year when Finn left for a weekend visit to some spa place. When he came back, the guy was a total wreck, barely able to function. When questioned about it, Finn just shrugged and said he hadn’t been sleeping well. He got a bit better, but he was a mess for the whole school year. How the hell did I fall for that? Jeffy wondered.
  • NEW! Grove Hell on Earth, by Charles RB (Part 7): Things were going badly. They continued to go badly as the trio walked into the concert, right past the hordes of pierced rockers and alternative fans (alters?) who were having a blast, all love and laughter and life. Everything Daria was destroying was on display, a joke at her expense. She wondered, against her will, if she would soon view Grove Hills with nostalgia. There, she had Amelia to write to; there was an escape. Where was she supposed to go when she’d pissed on that escape? (Jane? Who was Jane? How long would it last before she drove Jane away to?)
  • Politricks Are Not for Kids, by Brian Taylor (Part 2): The bedroom is almost pitch black with the curtains drawn, but for the little blue glow of a bedside alarm clock. The phone continues to ring. Daria turns on a light and fumbles for her glasses on the nightstand. The phone keeps right on ringing. Securing her glasses, she settles them on her face—crooked—and glowers at the clock, which reads 3:30. Finally, she grabs the phone and holds it to her ear. A long pause follows during which we can hear a muffled voice talking animatedly on the other end....
  • A Reality Parent Looks Back, by CR85747 (COMPLETE!): “The Daria years were a mixed blessing,” recounts Amanda Lane from her home in Lawndale, the famous “Casa Lane” that served as the base of the family as seen on the MTV reality show and is now the residence of the retired parents. “People kept calling me: 'Why weren't you there all the time?' There was too much to do. Besides, they took care of themselves fairly well—perhaps surprisingly to people who didn't know them firsthand.”
  • NEW! Sleepwalker, by Jim North (continued): The overhead light flickered off, breaking Quinn out of her reverie. All of the girls jumped in surprise, and Quinn was fairly certain that she heard one of them—Tori, she hoped—squeal a bit. Beside that, everything was eerily silent. The light came back on a few seconds later, and the tension left the air as everyone relaxed. "I do believe that has proven my idea of a fashion lockdown was an excellent one," Sandi said as she went back to applying rouge on Tori's cheeks. "None of us would want to be caught outside if all the lights went out. No one would be able to see how cute we are." Quinn ruefully resumed her braiding. "When you're right, you're right, Sandi," she said with a sigh.
  • NEWER! Unnamed story (The Hallowed Halls of Fielding), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "God, the Strawberries and Creme flavor is rank!" Quinn cried. "Sorry, 'Kiki'. You're not getting any of my Maple and Brown Sugar flavor," Daria said. "Elsie, how are you doing with your oatmeal?"Link

Posted by at 7/01/2010 12:01:00 AM 0 comments
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