The Day After the Fireworks... More Fireworks

The fourth-season episode "Mart of Darkness" premiered on MTV nine years ago today. Lots of amusing bits in this one, like Tom making the typical guy mistake of eating food when his gf meant to use it as art supplies, Quinn doing the sibling thing and stealing Daria's bootlace, the Immaculate Confection, etc., but the funniest part of all was Quinn trying to hang up on Stacy: "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! [Stacy begins to cry] Bye!" I love that part! We also saw that Daria wears white tube socks, which of course is critical to know.

A few other fandom events of importance took place on this date. Kara Wild's Contrarian's Corner, beloved of fandom as one of the great supersites tirelessly supporting Daria interests, was last updated two years ago today. A subdirectory of this site, DVDaria, continues to be active, thankfully.

An AU version of a minor canon character had her wedding dress completed 73 years ago today. See if you can guess who it is. An original fan-created character died on this day 146 years ago, too. Good luck guessing that one. If you click the links, perform a search for "july 5" to get the answers.

A startling thread appeared on PPMB about two Suicide Girls, Tragique and Viking, cosplaying Daria and Jane. The images run into the R-rated category so no direct link is offered, but you can get there from the PPMB thread. I have no idea why some people didn't like the pictures; they were amazing. The resemblance is not the only startling aspect the pictures have, but that is all we will say about that.

Napalm Kracken has a new work of art for us to enjoy: Daria and Jane Trek On! It might become the start of a series! YES!

Richard Lobinske found an amusing webpage that might be of interest to those writing about the perennial UFO-kidnapee, Artie. Enjoy.

PPMB

• All in the Family... Guy, by Peapotmaster (COMPLETE!): "WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH A GIANT CHICKEN WITH GENE SIMMONS’ GUITAR?!" (OD)
  
• Caught, by Legendeld (Part 3): Helen Morgendorffer came down the stairs trying to keep herself calm. The chorus of crying grew louder and louder as she neared the living room. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she saw Quinn holding the twin dolls, pacing as he tried to quiet their almost constant crying.
  
• Dreams and Reality, by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): Daria Morgendorffer sat atop the building and looked down at the Lawndale streets through the binoculars. The dead were everywhere, shambling around, aimless, without a thought or care in the world. A pity the same couldn’t be said for the living. [Excellent!]
• Gimme Skelter, by TAG and Brother Grimace (Part 14): Mackenzie woke up chilled and aching in every part of his body. Shivering uncontrollably, he felt around for a blanket—then realized he was lying stretched out on a blanket on a hard floor. It was too dark to see. He was inside a room, he could tell that from the faint echoes of his movements and breathing—but where was this place?
  
• John Lane 41: Friends and Rediscovery, by Richard Lobinske (Part 3): Daria said, "I had to wonder what it would take for them to notice that I was missing, me being trapped in a hidden cave by an earthquake?"
  
• Lawndale's Finest, Detective Stories 2: Daughters of the Demon, by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): Jim Vitale finished reading over the contract, rotated it on his desk to face his client, and pushed it over to her. He removed a gold-inlayed marble fountain pen from its holder and placed it on the contract. “My advice is to sign the contract,” he said.
• A Mess in Lawndale, by Aloysius (preview of Part 2): Daria stood still and felt her face heat up as it turned red. Nobody could see that, however, because of the yellow paint that coated her face and the front of her clothing. She took off her coated glasses and worked to wipe the paint away from her eyes. Brian Taylor stood nearby and pointed at her as he laughed at the results of his handiwork. "You look so stupid."
• Mystik Spiral Has Left the Building; or, How Daria Got Her Groove Back, by Project Pegasus (COMPLETE!): “That was so great Quinn,” Stacey said fawningly, “You were so sharp, like Perry Mason. I bet if I tried prosecuting someone, I’d end up looking disoriented like Matlock.”
• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Psychotol (COMPLETE!): Looking at the cadaver pressed into the tarmac behind the steamroller, Daria said, "Gee, I wonder what the cause of death will turn out to be?"
• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Thecoffeeguru (COMPLETE!): "Stacy, do you KNOW what that unicorn is going to do to your sensitive skin?" Stacy ignored Sandi's dig and continued peeling strips of unicorn flesh from the spit Quinn was turning slowly over the fire, the sizzle of dripping grease a prelude to the intoxicating aroma. Placing the meat in her mouth, Stacy closed her eyes and enjoyed the flavor.
  
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Shemale Westerns with Space Porn Girls!), by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Daria raises one eyebrow and lowers the new script. "I thought that they were scraping the bottom of the barrel with the gender swap stories."