Or Maybe DeMartino Should Just Pay His Electric Bill Already!

Today is the 306th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin, who was (among other things) a diplomat, inventor, politician, and--as DeMartino is figuring out--discoverer of various theories about electricity.

Today is also the anniversary of the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Sprout," which aired in 1996. In it, Daria tries to give the boys some advice about gardening. As you may expect, it doesn't work out very well for them.

Fanfic Update!

• Armored Cynic Daria, Episode 1: Esteem Rising, by RX-87 (part 1): "QUINN: I can't believe we're moving to the L4 cluster! Ugh. It's so... So dull. Everyone knows L5 is where it's at! The clubs, the parties, the designers! Everybody who's anybody is there! DARIA: Hopefully that includes the High Front. It's just not a party without explosions."


• At the Crossroads..., by oni (part 3b): "As soon as the front door opened, Sandi and Stacy bolted up from their spots on the couch. Fear crept into Sandi as soon as she saw Quinn. 'We’re hom-,' Quinn immediately stopped what she was going to say the instant she saw Stacy in the living room. 'Stacy,' she said with excitement, and then had a complete change in mood as soon as she saw Sandi behind Stacy. 'Sandi,' she questioned in a nervous voice."


• The Author as a Lesbian, Season 4, by DeacBlue (COMPLETE!): "Sandi wasn't really aware of anything until she had been in several cars, and people sat around her doing paperwork. Occasionally they would ask her questions about her mother or...no, that wasn't him. Daddy's alive. It couldn't have been him up there. He had to be there to take care of me, especially when mother was being a bitch. So that wasn't him. It was just someone else who had climbed into the window and laid down on the bed and... She didn't realize that she was sobbing again until someone gently grabbed her arms and looked into her eyes." (Part 12) (Part 13) (Is It Fall Yet?)


• Be Careful What You Wish For, by Doggieboy (part 6): "Before she could even raise her right hand to knock on the door, it opened and John Hobbs blocked the doorway. The young woman stopped, startled, and instantly knew that something was wrong. 'What?' she asked. 'What’s wrong, John?' He crossed his arms over his chest - slowly. 'If you want someone else,' he said, 'I’ll let you go and you can be with him instead. But do not play me for a fool.' Oh, Goddess, no! Not this! Please!" (SFMB)


• A Bookstore Discussion (IC: Why was Trent was banned from the Bookstore?), by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): "Daria looked at Jane as they walked home from school one day and asked, 'Why can't Trent go into the bookstore ever again, Jane?'"


• A Distant Lawndale, by Arena del Sur (part 3): "It's Dad... alive! Mom was there, and Quinn. Even the presence of Grandma Ruth moved me. I burst into tears. –Wow, she is very upset. –Quinn! –said Mom–. Daria, what's wrong? I didn't tried to talk, tears kept rolling down my chin and I could not stop, as I didn't in Dad's funeral."


• Ghost Girl Chapter 5, by Pumpkin Panic (part 2): "Daria smiled because Quinn in her own way had actually helped her feel a little bit better. 'Lets get to school and return to our normal hostilities as not to draw suspicion.' 'Yeah. I kinda really want to show whoever this guy is that he can't treat me like his object, and while I'm a pretty face I can also smash in his!' Quinn asserted with a raised fist."


• God Save The Esteem ep39: Epic F Word, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Daria looked away. 'You might be in a different school to me. And neither of us is popular at any school in the county for what we’ve done.' The unspoken threat hung in the air. 'So I have some damage control to do,' said Daria."


• Green Dragon Rising, by Grifter74: "Daria adjusted the butterfly clip holding her hair back in a ponytail as she looked in the mirror and checked her appearance. Wearing a green business suit, a different style of glasses, some make-up, and with her hair pulled back, almost nobody would connect Melody Powers the reporter, with Daria the high school student. Picking up her press badge and camera, Daria headed to Ernie's to look for her prey."


• Hugz (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Last Friday Night!), by Smijey (COMPLETE!): "'I kissed your boyfriend. I kissed Tom. I didn't mean to.' Jane began to run off. 'Jane, wait!'"


• Humpty Dumpty, by Smijey (part 2): "'Mn,' Daria replied noncommittally. 'Hey, are you okay?' Daria shot Jane a look. 'Right, of course not. But...what's on your mind?' Daria frowned, then spoke. 'Something Ms. Li said, about not getting any TV or radio broadcasts.'"


• It Could Be Worse Than Tom (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Last Friday Night!), by Pumpkin Panic (COMPLETE!): "Daria walked into Jane's bedroom a freindly greeting dying on her lips, 'Oh god. I have to-' she felt sick."


• John Lane 52: From the Last Step to the First, by RLobinske (part 4): "The thoughts that woke him up came back to his mind. Graduation. I made it. Wow. Now we have to move on to real life. At least we have the summer before then. Summer. What are we going to do until we leave for Boston? Helen isn't going to let us sit around on our asses, no matter how much we'd like to. We need a plan."


• The Lawndale Adventure, by LadieT and The Angst Guy (part 2): "When he walked into the bar, the owner was yelling at the Captain, who bumped into him as he was staggering out the door, clutching a bottle of rum tightly in his grip. Mr. DeMartino turned and watched the captain leave with concern etched on his face."


• Quinn's Code 05: Morgendorffers vs. Amazon, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 5): "'Yes, I believe that your younger daughter has potential. That is why I pressured the principal into making her attendance mandatory,' Romonica said. 'Pressured, how?' Romonica remained silent. Helen stared back."


• Rude Awakening Ep.9: Join The Club, by DIsaac (COMPLETE!): "DARIA: Speaking of Sandi....You owe me forty dollars! JANE: Why? DARIA: Didn't you said Tom and Sandi wouldn't last 6 months? JANE: I said a year. You said 6 months and that still means I'm still alive in the pool."


• Shadow of The Fade, by BrownEyedBagel (part 1): "The alarm buzzed as he lay there awake. Anthony had never dreamed about his former life, much less thought about it. In a violent display he grabbed the alarm clock and sent it at high velocity to the wall. He grumbled as he got out of bed, twenty five glorious years separated him from back then. A quarter of a century since he escaped with most of his sanity intact, since he left that baby with some beatnik woman who he would unfortunately end up sharing a town with years later."


• Unnamed story (IC: Why was Trent was banned from the Bookstore?), by Vukodlak (COMPLETE!): "Trent and Monique entered the bookstore to buy her a copy of Violin. They had just come from seeing the film Titanic which premired a month prior. A lot of women from the theater were there looking for romance novels."


• With An "Uh", And An "Um", by mmmdraco (parts 6 - 8): "'Daria, if you can't take me staying here, I understand. I'm sure I can find someplace else.' 'No,' she said firmly. 'Don't leave.' 'But if I'm going to make things too difficult for you,' Trent trailed off and glanced down at his thumb, nearly dry now, but lightly stained with the pomegranate's juice. 'I don't want to make you do anything that you don't absolutely want to do.'" (Part 7) (Part 8)