Happy Birthday, Dead People!

Lots of famous birthdays today! First, Jonathan Swift was born on this day in 1667. Daria appears as the title character in Swift's Gulliver's Travels on the right, possibly about to eat one of the little people in an homage to another of Swift's works, A Modest Proposal. I can't tell which one she's holding, though. Tom? All I know is, I don't like the way O'Neill appears to be pointing up her skirt. If Swift were still alive today (with or without metal detectors), he would be 343. Get off'n his lawn, everyone!

A couple of relative youngsters were also born on November 30th. Another satirist, Mark Twain, also known as Samuel Clemens, was born in 1835 and would be 175 today. He was referenced briefly in "Lane Miserables," thanks to Daria's nightshirt. She and Trent shared a deep and meaningful conversation about Huckleberry Hound and joiners. I wonder if Mark Twain would have been a Daria/Trent shipper?


Finally, Winston Churchill was born on this day in 1874. He's the baby of the group, coming in at a sprightly 136. And speaking of babies, if all children tend to look like Winston Churchill when they're newborns, what did Winston Churchill look like when he was born? Anyone know? Jake is doing a passable impression of the former British prime minister (as an adult) on the left.

Of course plenty of other people, famous or not, were born on this day but either I was too lazy to track them down or I couldn't find any good Daria connections for them. Happy birthday, everyone who was born today!

Fanfic update coming soon. I think.

Oh, and could you get me a soda? In a crystal goblet?

Just got back in town last night after visiting family for Thanksgiving, so I don't have a big fancy blog post ready. Everyone just close your eyes and pretend there are fireworks and breathtaking insights and whatever else you'd like to see here. On the other hand, I do have a nice shiny...

Fanfic Update!

• Contrails, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "My name is Jamie White – and today, I have somewhere to go. Somewhere that matters. Today – I'm going to become a Legionnaire."


• Daria/Dorian 11: So This Is Bonding, by LadieT (part 2): "Dorian turned towards his father. Something is bothering him, but he's afraid to tell me what it is. Maybe I should tell him that I have gotten over my anger of him not telling me about the curse. Jane is right - he really is a good guy and I hate to say it, but our relationship has improved since the change. He really does need to hear that more from me than he does and I should thank him for how much he has helped me through this."


• Eye on the Ball, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 4 and 5): "Finn wanted Mommy to come. If Mommy was there, he could make Mommy really happy. And happy Mommy was the same as happy Daddy. No one was arguing, and screaming. No one was going away." (Part 5)


• Family Ties That Bind (Iron Chef: Younger Tom), by InvisibleDan (COMPLETE!): "He began to wait around for her to finish shelving books so they could go to their classes together. Every morning he would look forward to the five or ten minutes they would have as they slowly walked to their lockers. Cindy was the first girl he'd really gotten to talk to, the first one who was both interesting and not interested in his family or their wealth or power in Lawndale."


• The fiercest battles lie within, by VPrad (part 27): "Without saying a word, Buck Conroy walked to Jane and hit her hard with his gun. The impact made Jane fall to the floor. She quickly looked back to the man with a defiant look, as a warm trail of blood was coming down her face. The man pointed his gun at her, that girl had killed one of his men and he would return her the favor."



• Freak The Fur Out, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "The nightclub was packed with animals having a good time; dancing, listening to the music, and just enjoying the party atmosphere. This was where Sissy really felt alive - where she could just cut loose, and let everything she had off the chain for the party crowd..."


• A Great Halloween Party, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'Tonight, we will forgo several of the usual party activities, and welcome a special guest!' Amy called out, waving forward the girl in the bodysuit. 'I present to you – Judith!'"


• It's Eureka, Daria: Spiral Dynamics, by RLobinske (part 5): "Jane said, 'It looks like Mission Control.' Seated at a console, Henry said, 'At one time, they planned to launch an orbital test Orion from here. It was a fairly simple matter to convert a console over to run your brother's sound system.'"


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 4: Dedicated Follower of Fashion, by InvisibleDan (parts 1 and 2): "'I think maybe if you were a girl my parents would let me sleep over.' 'Me? A girl? Can you imagine me like that? I would probably be in the Fashion Club fighting over who should be in charge. Or I would be a cheerleader trying to steal Kevin away from Brittany.'" (Part 2)


• Lawndale and Sandi Griffin's Genie (Chapter 2), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 2): "Back at the Griffin's, Sam Griffin (the middle child) saw Sandi go into the bathroom. 'Time for some investigating,' he thought. He then tip-toed to Chris's door and looked inside. He saw that his brother was still asleep. 'Good, I can investigate without his annoying interference.'"


• Lawndale's Finest: Detective Stories #6, by LSauchelli (part 3): "She stayed in the cave, alone with a candle that shone bright. She looked at her reflection in the frozen mirror, and only saw herself. She was the same girl she had been the day before, and the day before that, and the day of her parents' murder. But she also used to be a sociopath; the only thing keeping her sane was the idea that someday she would find solace in the death of her tormentor. Now there was a spark of something different. Something grander."


• Legends Of The Metal, by TheExcellentS (part 7): "'Whoa. OK, you must be the Metal Queen. I would ask nicely for some of your giant bass strings...' He looked at the spider, with its glowing blue eyes and sharp bladed legs. 'But you don't strike me as the negotiating type, so out of personal respect I'll just get right to the ass kicking.'"


• Night Falls Upon The Line, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'Permission to come aboard, Commander.' The woman – like most of those on the command deck, dressed in what appeared to be a sturdier version of a flight suit, colored in the blue hue preferred by the Corps - came to a halt in front of Richard. 'Permission granted, Supervisor,' Rita replied. 'Welcome aboard the Sky Vault Avalon.'"



• Screams of Silence, by Jim North (parts 1 - 3): "A dark shape loomed ahead, taking the form of a tree as I approached. The green of the leaves and dull silver of the bark could be discerned a few steps later, and I could spot a few squirrels moving through the branches. It was at that point that I froze in my tracks and felt all the blood drain from my face." (Part 2) (Part 3)


• Sibling Rivalry (1,001 Deaths of Tom Sloane - Part II), by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): "Tom lay unmoving in an alley, face down in a pool of spreading blood. The sounds of a parade could be heard in the background."


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser: "As Daria casually squeezed the trigger of the Hello Kitty Taser, she became aware of a strange melding of a powerful alien intelligence with her own thought processes. 'Jumpin' Monkeys!!', she thought."


• Worldburner: NegaJane, by Erin M. (COMPLETE!): "Daria and Elsie blinked and turned to face the newcomer. Both stared at the sight of NegaJane standing in the doorway to the Fosdex chamber. Her lips were pulled back, revealingher black teeth set in an evil grin. She had one arm around Jane's throat, her free hand held close to Jane's cheek. Tendrils of static electricity sparked off NegaJane's fingers, making the Aviatrix wince." (Part 6)


• Worldburner: Skip and Amelia Save The World (...Maybe), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "The undead, the supervillainous, the demonic – a Ringbearer must be prepared to face any of them, but all paled before the ungodly terror that was Skip Stevens talking." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)


• Worldburner: When It Rains, by RLobinske (part 3): "A door on the side opened and an armored woman wearing a green cloak stepped out. A droll, mature voice said, 'I appear to have arrived early.'"

Black Friday? But I thought eggplant was the current neutral!

It's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the official start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States. Of course, pretty much every store in the country started playing holiday music and stocking Christmas stuff sometime in September, so I don't know who they think they're kidding at this point.

You know, I don't think anyone has written a fanfic in which Quinn and the rest of the Fashion Club go shopping on Black Friday. On the one hand, it's shopping at its most extreme form, which is right in their line. On the other hand, they'd have to get up early and be jostled by unfashionable types.

Also, what would the Holiday Island version of Black Friday be like? Materialistic? Aggressive? Broke?

Okay, enough random musing. On to fandom newsing! (Sorry.)

• The PPMB will be moving to a new server on or near December 20th.


• breitasparrow wonders who loves vinyl? Share your collection! I'm telling you, it's a richer tone.


• Giant Bomb Rats! Will anyone be safe? And who's going to be willing to change the bedding at the bottom of that cage?


• Good luck to VPrad, who's starting an internship. Hang in there, man!

Who Wants Some Turkey?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who live in the United States, and Happy Fourth Thursday of November to all of you who do not! Whether you're hanging out alone with a TV dinner, getting depressed by the end of the day over your screwed-up family problems, or wondering what's up with our fascination with eating canned cranberry sauce once a year, I thought you might enjoy this list of Thanksgiving-related Daria fanfics.

Gobble, gobble!

• Be Careful What You Wish For, by Angelinhel


• Bitter Harvest, by NightGoblyn


• Daria Went Down to Georgia, by RLobinske


• For This, We're Thankful, by RLobinske


• Home for Thanksgiving, by RLobinske


• Meanwhile In..., by Wyvern337


• Over the River and Through the Mood Swings, by Kristen Bealer


• Pause in the Air and Thanks Giving, by The Angst Guy


• Thanks, but no Thanks-giving, by Matt


• Turkey Days, by Patrick Moore

Anniversaries and Time Lords

Three years ago today, The Angst Guy posted the first entry in this very blog. Happy birthday, DFB2! And if you're reading this, thank you, TAG!

November 23rd was also the day the BBC aired the first episode of Doctor Who, in 1963. Both Yui Daoren's Doctor Who Gives A Damn and Ranger Thorne's Lane Change series have crossed Daria with Doctor Who, so have at 'em!

New Fanfic!

• Appearance of the Morning Star, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "The scream that flowed from Daria as her breakfast tray went flying hurt the ears of the three dogs that lived in the house two doors down, and nearly deafened Jake for several seconds. 'It's Lynn!' Daria shrieked, losing total control of her body functions; frozen with terror, her fingers began tearing through the fabric and stuffing of the armrests as her began to shake uncontrollably."


• Eye on the Ball, by HolyGrail2007 (part 3): "Jake looked around and wondered if Helen had arrived yet. It was really too bad she had to miss this. But he didn’t see her anywhere. She worked so hard, and Jake was really glad to have her as a wife. Aside from being a ravenous tiger in the bedroom, she was intelligent and capable, and she got a lot of things done when she set her mind to it. It was a great role model for the kids to have. Not like bungling him."


• The fiercest battles lie within, by VPrad (part 26): "The teenagers’ faces reflected the pure terror of somebody facing a premature death. They all were thinking about all the things from life they would miss, every single moment spent with their loved ones, all those things they would never be able to say."


• God Save The Esteem Ep12: Misery, Clicked, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'You’re admitting that the school fails to teach literacy? That seems a strange thing to do if you think I’m a whistleblower.'" (Part 3)


• Halloween Treats, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "Jake took a step back as he saw his wife step out of the shadows and into the light from the bathroom; his stomach felt as though it would violently empty itself at any moment as he looked at Helen..."


• Hope (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "Over the past couple of weeks, the anger has subsided some, but it was soon joined by pain and sadness. Now, like Pandora's Box once it was opened and the evils released, all that is left is hope."


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 25): "Helen cringed for a moment and asked Jake to have the kids join them. When everyone was in the living room, Helen drew a long breath. The happiness of the day had been momentarily halted by one sentence."


• Legends Of The Metal, by TheExcellentS (part 6): "Eventually, the mosh pit offensive brought them to the Killmasters lair at the top of the mountain. The retreat was littered with candles and stones, while more metallic webs were strewn all around. Several young women in matching leather jackets sat on stone thrones arranged in a semi circle."


• Letting Go, by Raskolnikov (COMPLETE!): "For a moment, so brief it made him wodner that perhaps it was just his imagination, he saw a silent plea behind those walls of glass. It was barely a whisper, but he was used to a relationship where the most important things wasn't adressed directly. For a tenth of second, she was begging for him to agree with her, to confirm her that she was not mistaken, and that he wanted that as badly as she did."


• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (part 36): "Right now, she had a job to do. Her books were laid out on the small table by the window overlooking Crestmore Yard. She had a clear view of Crestmore House, the university's main administration building. It was about nine o'clock on a Thursday night, and she was on a stakeout."


• Scarlett the Fairy Goes out for a Pizza, by Aloysius (part 1): "One fine day, Scarlett the Fairy decided that she wanted to have a pizza. Not just any pizza, either, but a Chicago-style stuffed crust pizza, filled with pepperoni, mushrooms and fresh spinach. The main problem with that, however, is that the further away you get from Chicago, the less likely you are to actually find such a pizza."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Younger Tom), by Quiverwing (COMPLETE!): "Within seconds, an excited five-year-old emerged through the door of the lounge. 'Brrrrrrrom! Which one’s mine, mummy?! Which one’s mine?!,' Tom asked with a smile across his face."


• Whatever Happened to Sandi Griffin (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 1): "'Attitude! You don’t know what is like to be brought up by a control freak, with two brats for siblings! And to top that off, to be cast out of your own Club because you yourself had set the standards too high!' Sandi shouted. She turned back from the principal again and this time left the office."


• Y-Me?, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): "Lawndale seemed so dead to her now, when compared to Pepper Hill. Given that it was in a city, that wasn’t surprising, but, even more than the lack of many things to do, everything reminded Quinn of who she was: The boys she exploited, the utter lack of basic humanity she showed them. She may have been a bit better to the girls, but not by much: Fashion Club hopefuls were as easy to exploit as boys, only they could pick out makeup without seeming strange."

Hello! Howdy! Wazzup?

Today is World Hello Day. The holiday was created as a way to promote world peace, and those who want to participate are encouraged to greet ten people. This is about eleven more people than Daria would be interested in talking to, but I'm sure she'd be very interested in peace. Particularly the kind she can achieve in the quiet of her own room.

Since I hope at least ten people keep up with this blog, I'm just going to greet everyone reading right now.

Hi!

There, that's done. Now for some fandom news!

• Congratulations to Kara Wild, who recently passed the California Bar! Let the Helen Morgendorffer jokes begin!


• The PPMB will be doing regular backups every night. Find out what time you may be affected by them.


• breitasparrow wants to know, what's your favorite soundtrack?


• Want to talk about the latest Harry Potter movie? Brother Grimace has started the discussion rolling.


• Two more Iron Chefs in the Creative Writing forum: Charles RB's GI Joe, A Real Lawndale Hero and midnightstorm's Younger Tom.

Big, fat, smug, damn, stupid, crappy piece of crappy crap!

On this day, 25 years ago, Microsoft Windows 1.0 launched. Whether the world is better or worse because of it is for the PC vs. Mac fanatics to argue about. And I'm sure they will until the end of time, if not longer.

Jake, on the other hand, just wants that damn hourglass to spin, dammit!

Fanfic Update:

• 20 Minutes from Now..., by Erin M.: "Rail...hit the rail...garage...office building...files...Orwell files...Is this what they want? Maybe they'll tell me."


• Daria/Dorian 11: So This Is Bonding, by LadieT (part 1): "After school, Dorian and Jane arrived at his house to find both of his parents already home. Walking inside, Dorian and Jane saw Jake reading a book written by the guy who invented the Pizza Forest chain; Terry Barry Barlowe, while Helen was on the phone with her law firm. Waving to his parents as they walked upstairs, Dorian and Jane were stopped when Helen motioned for them to join them."


• General Semantics, Private Angst, by gwrtheyrn (part 31): "'Great,' she snarled, then. 'Just freaking great. So, my enemies want me to live forever, and my lovely new "friends" want me to die.' So that's what the Machine had been tiptoeing around, in its message to her!"


• God Save The Esteem Ep12: Misery, Clicked, by Charles RB (part 1): "On the school lawn, after Tom and Jane had looked at her expectantly for a full minute, Daria finally asked: 'What's the big deal about this football guy, anyway?' 'I knew you’d break,' said Tom."


• Helping/Hoping hand (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by Chris Tucker: "It was her first full day home from the hospital."


• In Silence Sarcastic, by Trscroggs: "That evening found the beginning of the Morgendorffer siblings' grounding. Much to both their surprise, Helen had come home 'early' from work to supervise their punishment. What’s more, Helen had declared a ‘family game night’ to keep the children busy. Instead of the traditional games of Monopoly, however, which Daria almost always won anyway, Helen had borrowed another game from her secretary. That hadn’t worked out quite as Helen hoped."


• It's Eureka, Daria: Spiral Dynamics, by RLobinske (part 4): "Joining up with Daria at lunch, Jane held up a small Mystik Spiral poster and said, 'What do you think?' 'It has a tune and you can dance to it?'"


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 3, by InvisibleDan (COMPLETE!): "They turned the corner and were stopped by two security guards. One of them was the one from the night before. The other was bigger -- well over six feet tall, pushing 300 pounds, and his chest seemed to be a yard wide. 'Okay, Daria, you get the big one and I'll get the little one.'"


• Legends Of The Metal, by TheExcellentS (parts 4 and 5): "Tom drove for a few more minutes, until he saw a large tusk formation. This served as the gates to the Bladehenge settlement. Out the front of the gate, stood a young woman. Her medium length black hair almost covered one eye, while her ensemble of black shorts, shirt, tights and boots and red sleeveless jacket made her look every bit of a fighter. Not to mention the piercings, tattoos, spiky bracelets and extremely large blade she was carrying." (Part 5.1) (Part 5.2)


• Lurking in His Smile (Iron Chef: No Bromwell For Tom), by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): "'Dear Mr. Sloane' the note had read. 'We thank you for your interest in Bromwell University. Due to a record number of qualified applicants, you have been placed on the waiting list.' Was the meat of the message. But Tom knew better. 'Waiting List' was just the fancy term of saying 'You'll maybe get in as a junior.'"


• Means Of Escape, by breitasparrow: "'You're... what?' Jane asked. To say she was stunned after hearing the news would be an understatement. The unthinkable had happened: Tom decided to leave the country. 'When?' Aside from questions, she was at a loss for words."


• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (part 35): "A soft sigh fluttered out of Daria's lips. 'It's something that's been building up for a while, ever since I came to this town. I haven't told anyone this, but this is the first time in my entire life that I'm surrounded by smart people and a lot of the time, I don't think I measure up.'"


• [series name redacted], Book 1, by vlademir1 (part 3): "None of the security guards at all ten major exits nor in the parking lot, Principal Timothy O'Neill and the police had closely questioned every one of them, had seen the girl leave the school. She had simply vanished like she had never even been there, and no one had found a single trace to determine what may have happened to her in the intervening two weeks. Even their parents had begun giving up hope as she'd been missing so long."


• Unnamed story (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by VPrad: "'I never expected that guy to punch me, I never expected to spend almost a month in a coma, I never expected my sister to help me the way she did, I never expected people to genuinely care about me, I never expected to have more than one friend, I never expected to be happy. Surprises will come along the way, some of them good, some of them bad. Some of them will change your perception of the world, so don’t close yourself from accepting other points of view.'"


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser: "As she walked towards the terminal, Daria could actually see Dream Waveform generation in operation as multiple realities exfoliated from her body, then asymmetrically propagated into alternate universes at multiples of the speed of light in a dream."


• Worldburner: When It Rains, by RLobinske (part 2): "A few minutes later, a handsome man entered the laboratory. Slowly and carefully, he inspected the facility while more troops entered and took up guard positions. Rolling the Vengeance Ring on his finger, Ian Llywd said, 'So the chase continues. Excellent.'"


• Y-Me?, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 37 and 38): "To Quinn’s surprise, everyone, including Mitch, decided to attend. He seemed a little nervous around all these people, unsure what to expect. No concerts either? What did he do for fun. All that plant stuff couldn’t have been fun all the time: Quinn’s mother said she might have taken pleasure from her work, but Quinn knew she did other things for fun." (Part 38)

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Today happens to be Occult Day. This, I assume, is a holiday intended to celebrate mysteries and other secrets unknown to most of the world. If you've been meaning to have your palm read or pull out the old Ouija board, today's the day to do it!

These posts about arcane holidays, which are a TAG tradition I'm trying to maintain as much as possible, make me wonder what some of the more interesting students at Holiday Island High School might be like. Would Occult Day hang out with Halloween and Devil's Night or would he/she be more of a loner, smirking at everyone because he/she knows something they don't? There have been a few fanfics about lesser-known holidays, most notably TAG's A Hard Days' Night, but what do you guys think?

Post any thoughts in the comments if you like.

Whenever you feel like it!!!

November 17th is Take a Hike Day, so why not join Uncle Anthony for a nice, relaxing stroll in the woods? Just remember to be careful as you run higgledy-piggledy through the poison ivy and ticks.

I wonder if Mr. DeMartino kept up the hikes after that summer. If he did, the exercise doesn't seem to have done anything for his stress levels, but at the very least he could have saved money on gas. The increased stamina might have been an advantage for the next faculty vs. DJ roller hockey game, too.

Today is also Homemade Bread Day, and Helen invites you to try some of her famous oatmeal pumpkin seed loaf. Entirely hand-kneaded, of course. Really.


Come to think of it, if machine-kneaded dough has no soul, wouldn't that be a good thing? I mean, why would you specifically want to eat something that does have a soul? Maybe there's more going on with Willow than any of us quite realized.

So what's new in fandom?

Liz Ruiz has some thoughts about online social networks. What do you think?

tafka performed at a bellydance festival last weekend and has shared pictures as well as anecdotes about her dancing in this thread.

LSauchelli wants to know what year you think was the best year for TV?

The Write-Off Challenge is still looking for judges and contestants for the current challenges as well as future ones. Sign up here!

Two interested Iron Chef/Shared Story threads have started up in the Creative Writing forum: No Bromwell for Tom and Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman.

Strawberry syrup? Cranberry juice? Cherry soda?

Today is National Clean out Your Fridge Day, so it's time to throw out the Mold Formerly Known as Cheese and whatever that stuff in the foil used to be before it gained sentience. Also, what's that red stuff?

Anyway, this seems like an appropriate place to share this song. Enjoy it as you browse this list of new fanfic!

• The Cards You Are Dealt, by Doggieboy (part 4): "'Freeze!' The command from the young policeman made both Scarlett and John stand still and keep their hands where they were. Both of them stared at the pistol he aimed at them, and she shivered from the memory of a pistol being aimed at her before..."


• Daria/Dorian Ch. 10: Parades Stink!, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "Looking over in her direction, he felt his anger rise when he saw Tom only to have it subside when he realized that Tom was there with someone. Smiling, he gave a thumbs up to his girlfriend as they rounded the corner and headed to where the floats would be parked once they reached the end of the parade route. That's when all Hell broke loose behind him."


• Eye on the Ball, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 1 and 2): "Finn was fine, the school counselors had said there wasn’t a problem with him. Helen had Daria to deal with right now, and the problems that came with having a brilliant girl." (Part 2)


• The fiercest battles lie within, by VPrad (parts 24 and 25): "Hello, my name is Anthony DeMartino, and if you’re hearing this it means that probably I’m dead and Sloane’s people haven’t found yet the suitcase. Time is a valuable asset, so I’ll go straight to the point." (Part 25)


• The First Week: Day One, by Chris Tucker: "Jane flies down the stairway. She NEEDS to be there when her friend walks through the doors. To be there if her friend can't make it through the doors."


• God Save The Esteem 11: Ridin' Slowly, by Charles RB (parts 3 - 5): "'Why doesn’t the Tank have a toolkit in it?' 'What, you want us to live safe lives, like... like common rat-racer conventionalists?!' 'Yes.' Max had no comeback to this." (Part 4) (Part 5)


• How Patriotic (LLH mini), by psychotol (COMPLETE!): "Jason Stevens retrieved the clipboard from the cab of the truck and walked over to the bomb range’s manager to get his signature. A Foreign dude with a flower pinned to his high visibility jacket. A flower, like a damn hippy, on today of all days."


• In Silence Sarcastic, by Trscroggs (Updated!): "As Daria explained what she wanted, Jodie’s expression changed from curiosity to one that witnesses would almost call evil."


• It's Eureka, Daria: Spiral Dynamics, by RLobinske (part 3): "'Atomic rockets?' Jake said, excited. 'You mean like Buck Rogers? When are we going to see them? Think of the marketing possibilities!'"


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 3, by InvisibleDan (parts 4 and 5): "James looked at the card again and read the poem to himself. He chuckled again, knowing the trouble they were about to start. He turned to Daria and said, 'I knew there was a reason why I like you.'" Part 5)


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 24): "After Christmas vacation, the rest of the school year seemed to fly by. As her fourth grade year was coming to an end, Jane was called to Principal Brown's office. Walking into the room, she saw Helen and Jake waiting for her. Sitting down next to her parents, Jane began to wonder why she was there."


• The Law Club (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by cfardell_Brenorenz29: "'Sandi, I am quitting my position as Vice President and my membership of the Fashion Club!' Quinn said, from her position outside Sandi's bedroom door."


• Lawndale and Sandi Griffin’s Genie (Chapter 2), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 1): "Stacy awoke trembling as she remembered the events of the day before. 'It was just a dream,' she said. She then realised, 'or was it?' she grabbed her diary and read the most recent entry. 'So, it did happen!' She fainted back into her bed."


• Lawndale's Finest: Detective Stories #6, by LSauchelli (part 2): "Daria shook her head. 'The only thing I was interested in right now is the portable crime lab anyway,' she pressed a button and then a QWERTY keyboard expanded from under the steering wheel. She started typing like a maniac on Prozac. 'Someone, or more precisely, something, was here tonight.'"



• Legends Of The Metal, by TheExcellentS (parts 1 - 3): "Then out of nowhere, the stage broke open, almost as if a volcano was about to erupt, and out came a demonic, metallic creature. Its head looked exactly like that of the stage, while its body glowed a bright orange, as if hot magma ran through its veins. Its eyes and its horns bore mighty flames as it gave a thunderous roar." (Part 2) (Part 3)


• A New Set of Rules, by Dennis (part 17): "There was something in his voice that for a moment, just a moment, nearly reached through the ice in Daria's chest, but she remembered her mistakes, the faces of guys who had hurt her, all the way back to Trent telling her, 'If you were a little older maybe I could take you out.' The moment died, and the cold reasserted itself. 'I think you should go, Bryce.'"


• On The Night Shift (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'I'd like two packs of Silvermint gum, a bottle of Sparkle Zero, and, oh, to spend a few minutes laughing at you.'"


• Pigs In Space: The Purple Menace (Non-Daria), by peapotmaster (COMPLETE!): "It time for Pigs In Space! In our last episode, the crew of the Swinetrek just escaped from a great threat...low ratings!"


• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (part 34): "Soon it would be seven, and she wondered if she should go to this Bible thing. Flip a coin? She shrugged. Daria was caught up with her schoolwork, so she did have the time. Oh, what the hell."


• Round Robin: The Esteem Loop, by Charles RB: "That left only two options: either some unexplained phenomena really had sent her back in time, or she was going insane. There was a clear and rational response to this. 'OH ****ING HELL'" (Brother Grimace's entry)



• Trust, by Kael Seoras (part 1): "She entered the café wearing the same sardonic smile she always wore, and nearly had the wind knocked out of her by a petite auburn-haired girl who was throwing her arms around her in a vice-like grip. Jane lost her cool facade as it registered that for the first time ever she was feeling what it was like to be hugged by Daria Morgendorffer. She didn't know whether to be touched or very worried."


• Unfinished Sympathy, by medusaspath (parts 5 - 8): "Jane had a sort of aloof, sardonic coolness that made Quinn feel jittery at times. She found herself comparing the sullen artist demeanor that Jane possessed to the look of brooding, 'rebel' heartthrobs that girls would go hysterical over. It was something in her slouch, her half-lidded eyes, and her uninviting smirk. Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same. Jane was more genuine, and her distance and wit seemed more organic."


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by DrNoGood09 (COMPLETE!): "Daria: Now then, who's our navigator? Kevin: I am. Daria: (panic) Man the boatssssss! Daria and children first."



• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "Lunch was turning out to be as dull as ever. Quinn and the rest of the Fashion Club were holding up the serving line with an intense discussion over which fat free dressing was the more fat free than the other one. With them so occupied they didn't see Joey, Jeffy and Jamie walk into the lunch room wearing the exact same clothing, a cardnil sin that would have caused Sandi Griffin to go into an apoplectic fit."


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser: "'Listen, Daria, when I dream, I'm like a god! In fact, you can pray to me!' 'O.K., how's this: Our Kevin, who art in Lawndale, hollow be thy brain.'"


• Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman, by Chris Tucker: "The right fist came out of nowhere, breaking her nose and glasses as one. The force of the blow lifted the petite girl off her feet, sending her crashing into the lockers across the hall."


• Worldburner: NegaJane, by Erin Mills (part 4): "Suddenly, there was a rush of wind as air was displaced, sparks flew from the brass gauges and switches on the control panels, and the scent of ozone filled the room. Ruttheimer spun around, his opera cloak swirling dramatically behind him. His expression of unbridled evil turned to one of astonishment as the faintly glowing electric apparition that had appeared in the room looked around and smirked."


• Worldburner: When It Rains, by RLobinske (part 1): "Six closely set lines were flashing red and oddly, faint lines connected them to each other. Richard noticed and sat down at the station, quickly entering commands to analyze the deviations. 'Please, don't let it be that.'"


• Y-Me?, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 35 and 36): "Carrie left in a huff, her girl squad following. Giggling the whole way. At first, Quinn wondered if she pushed the envelope too far. But then she remembered Carrie’s treatment of Mitch, how it mirrored her own. There was nothing worth saving for that part of Quinn, and it wasn’t worth sparing Carrie either." (Part 36)

Snow! Dress for survival...or perishing. Your choice, I guess.

The area in which I live saw its first snow of the season last night, which inspired me to wonder how the characters in Daria react to the fluffy white menace. Snow isn't seen often on the show, aside from a few flakes at the end of "Daria Dance Party" and the snowstorm from "Antisocial Climbers" (see left), but I expect Quinn would have visions of snow days free of school dancing in her head while Jake swore at his snow blower when it failed to start.

Anyone else have any thoughts? Could be some fanfic fodder here, but I figured it might be fun just to speculate.

Anyway, here's your fandom newsflash:

• Post your thoughts about those who serve (or served) in the military in Brother Grimace's 2010 Veterans' Day thread.



• What do you think of this list of 100 Greatest Hair Metal Songs?



• JonathanDP81 found a webcomic that mentions Daria. Do you agree or disagree with the sentiments expressed?



• Charles RB now has a Spotlight thread! Time to flood him with awkward and embarrassing questions!



• Wouter has started a new Daria game: Guess the episode from the music.



• One of Ranger Thorne's stories won an award! W00t!

The Eleventh...

The Eleventh Hour,
of the Eleventh Day,
of the Eleventh Month.

Around the world, we remember.

Veterans' Day
Armistice Day
Remembrance Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

HOO-yah! Happy Birthday, Marines!

For those of you out there of the extreme civilian persuasion, listen up! On this glorious day in history back in 1775, the Second Continental Congress (who says that the bums in Washington can't do anything right?) passed a resolution that resulted in the founding of Heaven's personal guard detail - the United States Marine Corps. Today, every U.S. Marine celebrates (as phrased by one young Marine) 'two hundred and thirty-five years of Congressionally-mandated ass-kicking all around the world!'

In Daria fandom, the Marine Corps is represented by such notables as 'Mad Dog' Morgendorffer (usually seen in fan fic as serving in the Corps during the Korean War), Jaime White (who serves in uniform as a character in the Daylight shared-world setting, and the ever hard-core Colonel Kyle Armalin. There's even a Legion of Lawndale Heroes fic dedicated to the Corps' birthday -'A Special Day For The Colonel'

For all those men and women of the Corps - past, present and future - enjoy your special day of cake, ice cream and weapons effective out to 600 meters!

Talk amongst yourselves!

Okay, so I was going to preface this fanfic update with some kind of "this day in history" or Daria-relevant factoid or something like that, but it turns out I'm completely out of ideas at the moment. So you guys go ahead and discuss whatever you like in the comments. We'll call it recess.

Also, here's a random picture of Tiffany as a Pokemon. Or something.

Fanfic!

• God Save The Esteem 11: Ridin' Slowly, by Charles RB (parts 1 and 2): "Erin headbutted him, guzzled half a bottle of vodka, belched, and turned the other into a Molotov cocktail that burnt the office down. 'NO FUTURE!' she declared. 'SMASH THE STATE!'" (Part 2)


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 3, by InvisibleDan (part 3): "James went back to his painting. He suddenly decided he didn't want to work on it anymore. It was as good as it was going to get. He put down his paintbrush and stood back to look at his work. After a few seconds of admiring the finished product, he decided that going to the store could wait a bit longer. He picked up his phone and dialed Daria's number. She answered. 'Hello?' 'It's ready.' 'I'll be right over.'"


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 23): "Stopping every so often to look at her sister, Jane was still amazed at the voice that came from the small girl. Daria was so quiet, her voice usually soft and monotoned, but when she sang - the power showed."


• Kolchak: The Lawndale File, by Chris Tucker: "I had been searching for the relationship that Jake had with each of the murder victims, except for the Lane boy, and not what was the relationship all the victims had with each other, as well as Jake. Now, with both the revelations as to how Trent Lane had been really murdered, and the murder of Landon, maybe I needed to look at the relationships between ALL the murder victims, and their relationship to Jake."



• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (parts 32 and 33): "Daria sat on the chair, wearing only a bathrobe. Outside the window, she could see the dorm residents enjoying a cookout in the courtyard below. It was the final day of the Columbus Day weekend; it was also likely to be the last day it will be sunny and warm enough to wear shorts and play volleyball or just lie in the Sun." (Part 33)


• [series name redacted], Book 1, by vlademir1 (part 2): "Amy Barksdale looked up at the building in front of her craning her neck slightly trying to take it all in. Glancing down at her watch she scolded herself for dillydallying. Her meeting with her editor on the was on the 77th floor in half an hour and she didn't want to be late again, this was a make or break on her career especially after that recent incident."


• Shifting Gears (Write-off Challenge 6, Round 3), by Shull Bitter (COMPLETE!): "He caressed the car, leaving a trail of grime across the hood. 'Eeek!' Daria held back laugher as he stripped off his shirt and frantically wiped it in circles. The sight of a scrawny boy with bright red patches of scraggly chest hair apologizing to a hunk of metal while inadvertently grinding dirt deeper into its hood? It was almost too much for her."


• Unnamed story (Flinging Fourth the New Ideas Thread), by Trscroggs (COMPLETE!): "The year is 2020 and the world is running on empty."


• Y-Me?, by HolyGrail2007 (part 34): "Keeping her identity a secret at this point might not have even meant that much. It wasn’t as if Mitch could walk back to college. What mattered now was the fun part, the part where he had a great time. It worked at the party Quinn took him to for the bet the two had, but this one was more important. There was more on the line than simple bio lab help."

Frankly, my dear, Daria doesn't give a damn, either.

Today is the 110th anniversary of the birth of Margaret Mitchell, author of the novel Gone with the Wind. The movie adaptation was referenced several times during the Daria series, from Jane's "Oh, Scarlet, you grow lovelier by the day!" line in "I Don't" to Ms. Barch swearing "As God is my witness," in "Antisocial Climbers" to Daria and Quinn watching the movie itself in "Aunt Nauseam."

I guess someone on staff was a fan!

And now, in fandom news:

• The PPMB will be moving to a new host sometime in the future.


• Happy 100th birthday to johndotcalm's mother and happy 12th posting anniversary to MartinUK!


• TheExcellentS and Erin M. each have spotlight threads. Got a question? Ask away!


• Chris Tucker wonders if anyone is interested in doing a 2011 Daria Fan Art calendar.


• MartinUK has posted photos from his Vancouver trip.


• Cynigal has been accepted to med school. Congratulations!


• Daria is now featured as a voice on GPS devices. Also mentioned here.


• You can celebrate or commiserate in the U.S. midterm election thread.


• New poster amphitritie started an interesting discussion about Mr. O'Neill and fanfic.

Fall Back!

For those who live in areas that follow Daylight Saving Time, remember to set your clocks back one hour tonight. This is probably Trent's favorite day of the entire year--he gets a full hour of extra sleep!

Daylight Saving Time is not to be confused with the Daylight shared world setting, which is really more about Daylight Destroying than Daylight Saving. Also, probably a bit less sleep.

And now it's time (get it?) for your fanfic update, as promised.

After Ragnarok, by Ravynstone: "Lawndale was abandoned. Uninhabitable. Too much psychic fallout lingering from that last, awful, battle. Even now, two years later, Charles still had nightmares about it. He made his way down the cracked streets, toward the school. Lawndale High had not survived that last battle unscathed. It had been ripped open, exposed to the elements and left to die."

Another normal day in Lawndale, by JPAGC (part 7): "Jodie straighten up on her chair, her eyes throwing daggers at Li. 'Why? Do you think there’s anything wrong?' Li opened her mouth but nothing came out of it. 'Are you perhaps suggesting my private life should be examined by others?' Again, silence. 'Or, perhaps, that I am incapable and lack the self-confidence to handle my personal challenges?' She now presented a steel smile to the principal."

Board Meeting (Write-off Challenge 6, Round 3), by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "Quinn Morgendorffer was in trouble, and she knew it. Beset on all sides, mind frantically searching for a way out, she met the eyes of her opponent and found only cold calculation there. She needed some ploy, some stratagem, to get her out of the mess she was in."


Daria/Dorian Ch. 10: Parades Stink!, by LadieT (parts 4 and 5): "Jane broke into a light jog in order to get ahead of the Fashion Club float. Her attention was so focused on trying to catch back up with the first few floats, she failed to notice that a piece of one of the floats had broken off and was heading straight for her." (Part 5)

Depth Takes a Holiday - Facebook Edition, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (COMPLETE!): "Chris Mass, Holly Hallows and Gunny Night have joined the Lawndale network."

"Expectavi"--Daria: Agent of Cobra, by Ranchoth (part 5): "'You made some mistakes. Old bean.' There was a note of sympathy in the voice, overlaid by a digital burr. 'You're a smart man, and you were performing something important for us. But you thought you were too smart for us. Thought we couldn't we couldn't find better. Do better. And you thought you were important enough to be irreplaceable. Untouchable.' He shook his head, exaggeratedly slow, resting his faceplate on his knuckles."

The fiercest battles lie within, by VPrad (part 23): "Wherever she looked, Quinn would only see faces that reflected fear, desperation, worry and despair. The bullet that Upchuck had been shot with had had a devastating effect on the spirit of the students. After having searched with her eyes around the people sitting on that room, Quinn finally realized neither Daria nor Jane were there, and that worried her. Where were they? Had those people done something to them?"

The French (Canadian) Teacher (Iron Chef: Scenes from French Class), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "Every girl in the French class - Brittany, Jodie, even Daria - felt her self-esteem sink slightly as the substitute French teacher walked in... all five-foot-ten of her."

In Silence Sarcastic, by Trscroggs (updated!): "Daria laughed, but suddenly turned intensely pink and hid her face with her hands as her shoulders shook rapidly. Worried that her friend had suddenly gotten worse, Jodie quickly rose to get help, but Daria put a finger in a 'wait' gesture. A few seconds later, Daria’s face returned to normal. 'Sorry,' Daria wrote, 'A picture of Brittany as a bobble head popped into my brain and free association got away from me.'"

Inversion Layer (Flinging Fourth the New Ideas Thread), by Wraith: "Jake looked in the rear-view mirror as they pulled out of the driveway of the new home. He had been a bit worried about how the girls would take the move. Leaving friends was never easy, and doing it in the middle of the school year was worse."

Iron Chef: In Their Own Words, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "Allow me to correct a few misconceptions...." (rglovejoy's entry) (Erin Mills's entry)

The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 3, by InvisibleDan (part 2): "She thought that moving to Lawndale she would find another version of what she had in Highland. At best she would get by, the days passing with a few words to teachers or other students, but she would otherwise be alone. Meeting James was the luckiest thing that had happened to her, but something about that also frightened her. Part of her was worried about getting too close to anyone, let alone someone she cared about. Someone who could find out everything about her and possibly reject her for what he discovered."

Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 22): "Penny was a little disappointed that Daria didn't want to ride with her. Trent had invited his older sister back into his life with open arms, but Daria was hesitant. Staring out the window, Penny thought about what it would take to get Daria to trust her again."


Mean Green (Scenes That Should Be: Breakfast of Zombie Champions), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "To the horror of his class, O'Neill flexed his mighty chest, and ripped the tattered remains of his shirt away, his pants miraculously remaining intact. He growled as if fighting with some remnant of his dignity, and the last of the milquetoast intructor disappeared with a mighty ROAR as the monster before them screamed -- 'O'NEILL SMAAAAASSSHHH!!!'"

Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (part 31): "Quinn's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. They came from a young man of medium height, carrying a bag from the Crestmore Cooperative Society. There was little to distinguish him, other than a crop of curly black hair and an intense look in his eyes."

Raft University & BFAC: The First Day of Classes, by Chris Tucker: "In the week she'd been using the communal facilities on the floor, her surgical scars had been a minor item of interest for a day. By now, no one noticed them. Daria was simply Daria. She'd been sick, she got better. End of story."

Remembering an Anniversary, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): "Michael Fulton watched his wife carrying the serving tray and said, 'I know it's fish day and all, but a full sampler platter?'"

Spiral Dynamics, by RLobinske (part 2): "Jake got out of the car and hurried around it, 'Hey there, young man. Jake Morgendorffer. Genius Consultant.' Jane whispered, 'He's a genius?' 'No,' Daria whispered. 'He thought it sounded better than "Consultant to Geniuses."'"

Ten Years, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "Daria's eyes widened as Jane's words repeated in her brain over and over again. Thousands of questions flowed through her mind at once. Seeing the inner chaos going on in Daria's mind, Jane decided to take control of the situation."

There Will Be Brawl: Battle Scars (non-Daria), by Erin Mills: "LAKITU: Welcome back. It has been six months since the violent fall of the Mushroom Kingdom's mafia dons, the final rampage of the so-called Butchers, and the massive slaughter on the streets which has become known as "the Brawl." As many know, it was discovered that among the victims claimed by the violence was Princess Peach, who was killed shortly after her latest kidnapping by the mastermind behind the Butcher, the now-deceased mafia kingpin Ganondorf."

Unfinished Sympathy, by medusaspath (parts 1 - 4): "Jane couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. It was just weird having a total stranger come to your house and sit in your room, naked, just so you could explore your artistic terrain. And she hadn't put any sort of preference regarding gender or body type in her ad, so it could literally be anyone. In hindsight, she was worried she should have specified female. Perhaps depending on Trent for safety wasn't the wisest choice." (Parts 3 and 4)

Unnamed story (Iron Chief: Jake's Trash Freakout), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "Jake sat at the kitchen table, his face obscured by a copy of the Lawndale Sun-Herald. He had to pretend that everything was normal after he found that pregnancy test in the garbage can. Using the newspaper as a blind, he figured he'd remain silent, figuring that sooner or later someone would give away the truth."

The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser: "Hurriedly passing through The Gate of Horn, accompanied by the sprightly, yet eerie notes of the first Movement of Poulenc's Sonata for Piano and Clarinet, Daria entered the abandoned aquarium, now maintained as a sacrificial temple where lost dreamers are fed to the night sharks, especially Noctilucentadon, the great six finned shark that glows in the darkness..." (Also here)


Way Too Cute, by Smijey (part 2): 'My two best "friends" used to be these two idiots who were at least amusing to watch, but once my breasts came in, they did nothing but look at my "thingies", as they called them. Ever since then, every boy I've talked to has wanted to paw me, and every girl I've talked to has either been a catty bitch, or also wanted to paw me. This is the first real conversation I've had with somebody outside my family in three years.'"

Y-Me?, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 30-32): "Quinn supposed there was no reason to dwell on it. Lawndale Quinn made her miserable, and now was the time for Pepperhill Quinn. Her interaction with Tanya was already better than most of the time she had here already. There wasn’t any more time to waste on Sandi." (Part 31) (Part 32) (Part 33)

Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November....

Today is Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night. The holiday, celebrated mostly in Great Britain, centers around the failed attempt to blow up the House of Lords. As far as I can tell, it now serves as an excuse to set off explosions. Kind of like Independence Day in the U.S., only classier.

More importantly, though, the holiday gave us the character of Guy Fawkes Day from "Depth Takes a Holiday." I think I speak for us all when I quote his immortal words--okay, word--of wisdom: "Bollocks!"

Today is also the birthday of Lynn Cullen, the controversial main character of Canadibrit's "The Look-Alike Series."

So, whether you enjoy the day by starting a bonfire, setting off fireworks, or watching "Depth Takes a Holiday," please remember to be careful and try not to blow up any government buildings.

Fanfic update coming soon, pinky swear!

Nothing lately, so here's something

I found a demotivator site that does a lot more, including movie posters. Naturally, I made one for the Daria fanfic shared-world series Daylight, greated by the uber-talented TAG (that's The Angst Guy, for the non-Daria folks).


In the meanwhile - nothing in life going on of notice.


More later. Someday.