One None for the Road, Please

Today, strange as it may seem, is International Beer Day, celebrated in the most obvious way possible: drink a beer. Root beer is permissible, which is good because that's all I'm going to drink. Maybe with ice cream, however. Mmmm. If you drink real beer, please be considerate of others and drink responsibly. And have fun.

The object as left is a drawing of a flask, ostensibly for alcoholic beverages such as beer. It came from an MTV Animation archive somewhere and appeared on Daria, but I can't recall where. Maybe it belonged to Mr. DeMartino in "The Daria Hunter."

I was sure I had some other beer-related images in my picture file. Gimme a minute...

There we go! McGrundy's Pub.

Neil Armstrong turns 80 today. The first long-distance journey by car was performed 122 years ago about now by a woman and her two sons. The woman who did it was the wife of a car maker: Bertha Benz. Thanks to her, everyone realized what automobiles were capable of, and the rest is history.

NuZ!

• Crossovers Still Crossing Over is the new crossover thread (thank you, Richard!)
• "Pulp Fiction" background notes on the Doc Savage universe are being offered by Chris Tucker.
• NEW! Upchuck—Threat or Menace? is still bringing in comments. So are Daria's Attempted Murder and Possible story idea: Jane doesn't get into BFAC.
  

PPMB

• At the Fics with Daria and Jane: Intermission I, by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): Jane's left eye was swollen shut, although the sunglasses and makeup hid most of the bruising. As did the fashionable scarf around her neck for the bruises on her throat. Daria fared much better, as the element of surprise was in her favor. Although the knee to her abdomen was painful, it was the burns on her butt from the Taser that caused the most discomfort. The show producer mentioned the tranquilizer gun and the absolute lack of reluctance to use it if need be.
• At the Fics with Daria and Jane: Part II, by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): "Hey there! Welcome back to 'At the Fics' with Daria and Jane.' Daria got a bit frisky with her faux outrage there and we had some set malfunctions." "You can barely see the swelling from here, Jane. A little ice and you'll be JUST fine..."
• NEW! Dimwits & Dragons, by Ken T. (Part 2): The townsfolk had been nice enough until they had noticed Daria's hat. After that, they became guarded, many looking into the sky constantly as if expecting to be bombed any minute. It was Mack who suggested that they move on. The morning had started mundane enough. Brittany complained for the first fifteen minutes of their journey about her need to wear something that wasn't icky animal covering her skin. Upchuck stayed within constant eyesight of Jane and Brittany's rears with a constant leer on his face, and Kevin kept smashing trees and rocks with his club until Mack send both of them to the front of the group to keep an eye out for trouble.
• NEWESTER! Finn Morgendorffer 55: Dreamer Without a Cause, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 3): “Didn’t your sister get waitlisted to Crestmoore?” Jeffy asked. “Bromwell,” Finn corrected. “But that’s another school I got accepted to. Heh, I guess that showed her who’s the greatest.” “What are you gonna do, Finn?” “Who knows,” Finn replied. “With all the stuff that’s been going on, I haven’t decided. Made a few choices though. Though maybe I’ll skip it and become the on-again, off-again lover of a European princess. And her sister.” The guys shared a laugh with that one.
  
• NEW! Jane Lane: Ace Attorney: Turnabout Teacher's Pet (Parts 5 and 6): “So,” said Jane, looking at the police tape surrounding a corner of the gym and a door, “this is the scene of the crime.” “Yes, apparently,” said Upchuck, a bit distracted. “I wonder what the hell was he doing here,” she said, trying to take a peek inside. “Yeah, me too...” “Hey, I’m not the gumshoe here, care to focus?” (Part 6)
• NEWEST! Judge Daria, by Brian Taylor (Part 1): "Can these loamy ladies predict the outcome of the presidential election? Political prognostication from the mud pit, as Sick Sad World returns!" He glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes. He leaned back in his swiveling chair, put his feet up on the desk, and proceeded to lose himself in the mud-wrestling routines playing out on the dirty screen. If all went according to plan, he'd be set until PFC Stanners came in at oh six-hundred to relieve him. Things were not, however, going according to plan. On the monitors, had Wolodarsky been watching them, was something unusual for that time of the night -- or any other. A spindly black tangle of limbs, topped by a head sleek as a beetle's shell, was soundlessly advancing down a bright hallway towards a group of guards clustered in front of a service elevator. (Daria/Judge Dredd)
  
• Legacy, by Getrealordie187 (Part 2): Sometimes, he thinks he's taken a prank too far but then he mentally slaps himself because there's no such thing. "Did we measure it right?" He checks the length of the rope again and it's the perfect length with the right amount of give. "It's perfect." Morgendorffer laughs, suspended 10 feet in the air high above him. "I love it when a plan comes together." This wasn't happening. "No, just no. We're not the A-Team because that would make you Hannibal and me B.A. Baracus. I can't be B.A. Baracus, Morgendorffer. I'm not built for the care and consideration a Mohawk of that magnitude requires." "Yeah, plus you're not cool enough to be Mr. T."
• NEW! Legacy, by Getrealordie187 (Interlude 2): There are days when she can't contain her satisfaction. Once a week she gets her mom to drive her into Dallas for "bonding time" and leaves with shoes and clothes that she wears once before shoving them in the back of her closet; repeat outfits were for the less fortunate. Her dad's wrapped around her finger (just like every other male in Highland) and she barely has to beg before he gives her money to go to the movies and get snacks. She always promises to bring him change from the $50 he gives her each time but she never does and he always forgets to ask. School was a breeze; she squeaks by with C's and high D's and when her mom gets on her case, she has some loser do an extra credit assignment for her just so she can parade an A in front of her parents and bask in the praise that she's smart and clever. But she's never forgotten how things used to be.
  
• Maria Smirks at Us, by Wraith (COMPLETE!): From a distance, there was nothing to make her stand out from the rest of the students. She was of average height, and her brown shoulder-length hair was typical enough to attract no special attention. Glasses, although not common, were certainly not unusual. But a closer look revealed that she was, unlike nearly every other girl on campus, clearly not Japanese. She stopped in front of the statue, and put her hands together. Although it was customary to pray in silence, she muttered under her breath. Her prayer, while short, was quite possibly the most fervent of all. "God, why did I agree to this?" (Daria/Maria-sama ga Miteru)
• The Melody Plays On, by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): The phones on a matched set of oak desks rang; several lights flashed for a moment, then stopped and the intercom light remained steady. A young woman with shoulder length black hair pressed a button before lifting the handset to her ear. After a murmured hello, a slow smile curled scarlet lips and she replaced the receiver on its base. “I’ve just received a reliable tip from the front desk. It seems that a certain someone has a handsome visitor– whose name starts with an ‘M,’ ends with a ‘K’ and has an ‘A’ and a ‘C’ in between.” Jet eyebrows bounced and the woman seated at the other desk sighed, though a light blush stained her cheeks.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Real Esteem): by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "Hmm. It's been fifteen minutes, and still no sign of Mr. O'Neill," Jane said as she tossed the wadded paper ball over to Daria. Daria caught the ball and held on to it, rolling it around in her hand a few times before tossing it back. "How much longer do you think we should wait before we give up and leave?" she asked. "Fifteen minutes ago, preferably, but—" The sound of a heavy engine rumbling up outside followed by a massive blast from an air horn caused Jane to jump in surprise and drop the paper ball. (Daria/Transformers)
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Real Esteem), by Ranger Thorne (COMPLETE!): Daria struggled to resist the urge to twiddle her thumbs as she waited for the class to start. Finally, a tall man with dark hair and dark-framed glasses came into the room. “Hi, everybody,” he said before turning to close the door. “I’m, you - oops!” He stopped when the sleeve of his dark blue suit, that was hung in the door, kept him from walking to the desk. Setting his briefcase down, he scowled at the door for a moment before having trouble opening it. “Ah,” he said as the door opened. Carefully, he closed the door, then turned and stumbled over the briefcase. When some of the class laughed, he smiled and shrugged. “I guess that is kind of funny,” he admitted. (Daria/Superman)
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Real Esteem): by Ranger Thorne (COMPLETE!): Daria struggled to resist the urge to twiddle her thumbs as she waited for the class to start. Finally, a tall man with dark hair and dark-framed glasses came into the room. “Hi, everybody,” he said before turning to close the door. “I’m you—oops!” He stopped when the sleeve of his dark blue suit, that was hung in the door, kept him from walking to the desk. “It can’t be,” Daria heard the girl behind her whisper. (Daria/Superman)
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Real Esteem): by rglovejoy (COMPLETE!): Daria didn't want to be here. Self-esteem class, what a load of rubbish. Still, there might be some amusement to be had here. After the class had settled in, the door opened, as if on its own. A man glided in, dressed in a long, brown hooded robe. He removed the hood, and showed himself to be a distinguished-looking older gentleman, with a thin white beard. Something about his presence made the class fall silent. "Good afternoon, younglings. My name is Mr. Kenobi. I will be your instructor in self-esteem for the next several weeks." (Daria/Star Wars)
• NEW! Unnamed story (The Writer (One Shot)), by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): The two women had removed their costumes before leaving the house, and were in their car, speaking to their unknown benefactor by phone. "Well done, ladies! The balance of your fee will be sent when you email the photographs. Good bye!" The cellphone went silent. "So, just who is this guy?"
  
• The Writer, by Roxanne M (COMPLETE!): As he slept, a woman’s voice calling his name weaved its way into the nooks and crannies of his brain. He awoke and lay still in the darkness, remarking to himself how real and lifelike it was to hear her, the one object of his fan devotion, say his name. Then he heard it again: “Wake Up.” This time it was no dream. It was loud and in his face. He fumbled for the bedside lamp. As his eyes adjusted to the light, there she was, beside his bed. He would recognize the oversized glasses, green jacket, and Doc Marten boots anywhere. He blurted out, “You are not real!” then heard another voice: “Sure we are real.” He turned his head and to his surprise saw her partner in crime on the other side of the bed.