An Apple a Day....

It is hoped the fandom won't mind if I clip some items from last year's posts, as they are exactly what I was going to say today. Today is the 235th anniversary of the birth of John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed. He used to be just a wandering religious apple-planter, and now he's an environmentalist. Kevin does a good imitation of him at left.

Exactly 40 years ago this day, the Beatles' last studio album, Abbey Road, was released in the UK. Fanfic writer Jill Friedman (LeopardLady) wrote a tale about Penny Lane's best friend, who happened to be named Abby Rhode. Ms. Friedman got Penny Lane's age exactly right, too, and even did a sequel. Penny Lane herself was named for a song on the Magical Mystery Tour album from two years earlier.

The Daria/Abbey Road connection doesn't end there. View Kemical Reaxion's artwork (featuring Mystik Spiral) for a story by jak981125 called "Shabby Road," or read Canadibrit's "Rue Brittania," from TLAS, in which Mystik Spiral re-enacts the scene on the cover of Abbey Road, in the same manner in which Kem drew it. (This story was novelized by Austin Loomis.) That's a lot of Daria mileage to get out of one album!

Only 142 years ago, famed cartoonist Windsor McCay was born. See if you can remember his most famous creation, part of whose name is also part of the name of a famed Daria fanfic writer.

T. S. Eliot, whom I am overly fond of quoting in my Daria fanfics, was born 121 years ago today, too. His words appear in "After the End," "Always Beside You," "April Is the Cruelest Month," "Die! Die! You Bastard!" "Deus Jane," "Drive," and "One More River to Cross," at least. Gregor Samsa outdid me, however, when he wrote two excellent parodies of Eliot's work: "The Love Song of Jake Alfred Morgendorffer" and "The Waste La(w)nd." I was properly humbled.

At Holiday Island High School, today is European Day of Languages. He's the Eurotrash kid who never speaks English because it is beneath him.

In fanficland, today is the 12th anniversary of the day 12-year-old Daria Morgendorffer was found alive after she disappeared at Camp Grizzly, per "Who Once Was Lost."

Most importantly, this is the 26th anniversary of the moment when a minor Soviet military officer saved the Earth. His story is worth reading, though you probably haven't heard it before. If you see him, remember to tell him, "Thank you."

Finally, of least importance, today is Bureflux. Celebrate it as you see fit. Fnord.

Phandom NoOz Nohtz

• Pinkminx has completed her version of Jane Lane from "Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations" (with the glue gun that started the whole mess). Excellent!
• Pinhead did a remarkable illo for E. A. Smith's "The Tempest," showing the funeral scene. More excellence!
• Roentgen offers artistic support for Daria/Brittany 'shippers, taken from episodes in the series.

PPMB

• Falling into College 70: Is It the Future Yet? by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): "Lt. Col. Wyatt. Our investigation found no official records of other coalition aircraft in the area. You've been exonerated." "Then whose aircraft did I shoot down?" "I'm sure you understand that we don't need any unnecessary international incidents."
• Finn Morgendorffer, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 2 COMPLETE!): Finn idolized his aunt Rita, and that relationship mystified Helen to no end. Rita, her older sister, was her mother’s favored child, and Rita often got special favors from her, like having her first wedding paid, and fancy vacations for Rita’s daughter Erin. What Helen’s mother, and Finn, saw in Rita could not be explained. Rita was vacuous, trite, dilettantish, and a whole slew of other names Helen wouldn’t utter in public. She never held a job, and flitted from boyfriend to boyfriend, all men with money.
  
• Finn Morgendorffer, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 3 COMPLETE!): Brittany Taylor’s party was going to be the first one of the season, and, just like at the first day of school, Finn wanted to aim high. There would probably be many other cheerleaders at the party, many other cheerleaders. Brittany seemed to be a very bubbly, energetic person, maybe cheer captain. It would make sense that this would be a rather big party. This only gave him more reason to make an entrance there.
• M4: (Don't Turn Your Back on) The City, by Silver (interlude): "Look, I understand you'd like something greater than Lawndale, Quinn. But I was born here. So were Tiffany and Sandi. We grew up here. Yeah, we'd like to go somewhere better with our lives, but even so, we're still here in Lawndale as far as our spirits go." Stacy took a deep breath, getting herself back under control.
• Reusably Complex, by Ajar (Part 5): “Well, I couldn't help but notice that you have Jane over and the last time you elected to have her over here as opposed to you going over there she was having family issues.” “Actually, I was considering telling you. I'm kind of scared. Jane seems to be having delusions.” “What kind of delusions?” “Well, that for the past year or so that I've had a boyfriend that I stole from her.”
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): Flanking Stacy on the right and the left were specially trained mutant emperor penguins who escorted her up the steps to the awaiting dignitaries, and a giant panda mime which worked the crowd till she raised her hand for silence. Above her head hovered a giant pink and white polyhedron which gave the appearance of breathing. Stacy raised her hand and all fell silent.
• Tales of the Ringbearers: A New Ringbearer, by Aloysius (Part 1): “May I join you?” Tony looked up into the face of Gerald W. Wright - the senior Ringbearer known as Archangel—and jumped to his feet quickly. “Relax, Tony!” Archangel said and held up his left hand. “This isn’t the Marine Corps.”
  
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Single Parent Jake), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "Daria?" "Quinn." "Mom's... m-mom's dead, Daria. There was a car wreck, and...."