She Shoots, She Scores!

Jodie's sporting a new look and a new hobby for National Basketball Day, but I don't think it will go over well with her parents. They probably won't care too much about the hair dye and tattoos, but they'll be very concerned that basketball playing might take time away from the hundreds of other activities she's supposed to be doing right now.

It might be some comfort to Jodie's mother that today is National Michele Day, although I suspect that she'll find something to be offended about. It's one of her biggest strengths, after all.

Maybe Andrew Landon can help soothe her ruffled feathers by fixing her a nice meal, especially because it's Men Make Dinner Day. We can only hope that Jake decides not to celebrate this one, because I don't think Helen, Daria, or Quinn want blackened tongues tonight.

Fandom News!

• Please alert the Daria Refuge Facebook page mods/admins if your post was sent to spam.

Let's See That Jump Shot, Lane!

I have to say, if Jane ever wanted to participate in Play Basketball Day (not that she would, since she isn't a joiner and hates manufactured holidays), then playing as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters is absolutely the way she'd do it. I suspect Mack will sit this one out, lest anyone tease him about his middle name.

This is also World Computer Literacy Day, so ask "one of the cuter technical types" to teach you how to set up a website or go viral on social media or even just get logged into your e-mail. All depends on your current level of expertise.

Fanfic Update!

• And Sandi Makes Three, by WildDogJJ (COMPLETE!): "Tom Sloane was seated at his ornately decorated desk going over his paperwork. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Tom looked up." (Part 2) (Part 3)


• Are We Crazy Yet?, by Lexarius (part 2): "'Uncle Fester, you have to stay!' Gomez Addams exclaimed, 'The whole family must welcome our new guest. We must make a good first impression!'"


• Hair Dye, by ah_shit (COMPLETE!): "Quinn walked into Daria's room holding a phone. 'It's your weird friend,' was all she said as she dropped the phone on her sisters bed."


• Her Last Words, by Sheila Wisz Ellayn (part 48): "Anna just blinked as the awful Dark Star dungeon vanished in her flash of white light, for a timeless instant there was nothing and then reality came back all around her in the form of a wild, vast and dazzling landscape of unspeakable beauty."

She Shoots, She Scores!

Happy birthday to Michael Jordan, retired (maybe) basketball player and name change inspiration for Mack's father. I'm a little surprised that, as far as I know, Mack never got a basketball-related alter ego. Then again, maybe he threatened pain and suffering on any artist who dared attempt it.

This is also the anniversary of the first airing of the musical episode "Daria!" in 1999. Love it or hate it, there's no denying that those songs can get stuck in your head for hours.

Fandom News!

• Deref and others commemorate the bombing of Darwin 70 years ago.


• Erin M. posted a new Fugitive from the Thought Police video: America, Shut the F**k Up.


• Discuss an essay posted in Deep Thoughts: "How to Tell if You're an American."


• Which Daria characters do you think have tattoos? And how many of them got their tattoos out of a magazine?


• Daria writes for Huffington Post! See the article and join the discussion in the thread.


• aqualeap wants to know, what the hell is the "land of the Muffys"?


• Dervish wonders if she should recommend Persepolis.


• Three new Iron Chefs posted in the Creative Writing forum: BF110C4's To kill a Mockingbird, JPAGC's Helen is made Partner, and Fhujeth_x's There can only be ONE......

Happy Birthday, Air Andrea--I Mean, Jordan!

Today is retired (multiple times) basketball player Michael Jordan's 48th birthday! He is not to be confused with Michael Jordan Mackenzie, who as far as I know has neither played basketball nor retired from anything. Also, I doubt anyone regularly refers to Michael Jordan as "Mack Daddy."

Today is also the day the musical episode "Daria!" aired in 1999, as well as the 10th anniversary of the airing of "Sarcastathon 3000." Both have provided fandom with a ton of hilarious images, many of which have appeared in this very blog.

Now, how about a fanfic update?

• Bad Times, by Hyrin (COMPLETE!): "Ah-ha! There, in the underbrush, was a hedge that had been trampled underfoot. Proceeding into the small woods, he only made it a few dozen feet before he tripped and landed hard on something that gave way beneath him. With a scream of terror, he ran back to the street to flag down the next passing cop car." (Part 5) (Part 6)


• Bound to Highland, by RLobinske (part 1): "'Mom?' Daria Morgendorffer said, seeing her mother at the table with her head cradled on her arms. 'What's wrong?' Tired, Helen looked up at her oldest daughter. She pushed a letter aside and said, 'I'm sorry, sweetie, but that job in Maryland fell through.'"


• Da Boss King of Impze (A Legion of Lawndale Heroes Mini), by Wassersauefer (part 1): "His head hurt. His temples felt like someone had used a rusty knife to drill holes into them. His mouth was dry and his eyes were sore. And his upper lip was coated with dry blood pouring from his nose. The ground beneath him was hard and cold, like a sidewalk or a drunk tank. '... oh... damn...', he mumbled and slowly he sat up. The movement let his stomach rebel in his body and he felt a wave of nausea hit him. Puke was all around him and it seemed to be a wonder that he was not lying in his own barf."


• Daria/Dorian Ch. 13 Paper Towels and Open Flames Don't Mix, by LadieT (part 2): "Dorian woke up confused and in a daze. Then his mind filled with images from the night before. The fire, Daria waking him up to get him out of the house, Jane running down his street in a panic when she saw the fire truck ran through his mind over and over again. He looked around his surroundings. Jane was asleep on the bed he was leaning against while Quinn was curled in a sleeping bag a few feet from him."


• Daria is Raven's Apprentice, by project pegasus: "(Raven, Staci, Daria, Starfire, Hilary Dorff and Cyborg [yes, Cyborg finally gets to make an appearance] wait outside of Nidey HQ waiting for the public tour to begin. Around them are tween girls wearing officially licensed Miley Cyprus brand clothing: tube tops, short shorts and midriff-less T-shirts advertising Miley's “Swallow the World” concert tour.) Raven: (pulling down her short shorts as they ride up her fanny) Damn short shorts. How can these parents allow their girls to wear such things? I'd feel a lot more comfortable if Chris Hanson were around, that's for sure." (Also here)


• General Semantics, Private Angst, by gwrtheyrn (part 35): "'But I called these guys "low-tech!"' Daria subvocalised, shaking her head. She felt her confidence, which so recently threatened to swell too overweeningly, take a palpable hit. How could she fight the operations of a Galaxy-spanning power that could build warships like this? You might as well set one beaver against the Grand Coulee Dam!"


• God Save The Esteem ep22: Anarchy in the Lawn-D, by Charles RB (parts 1 and 2): "'But since nobody has said that everyone in power was involved-' He noticed Morris looking down, and carried on without missing a beat: 'But since nobody has ever explicitly said the grades will be changed on a student's behalf-' He noticed all three people looking down, and carried on with: 'But, hey at least you didn't actively threaten grade-fixing on students you didn't like OH COME ON!!!!'" (Part 2)


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 39): "Knocking on the door, Daria waited for a moment before Mr. Keller let her in. He replayed the tune and watched as Daria began to mouth the lyrics silently. Asking him to play it one more time, she began to sing along with the music. That was when he asked her if she would sing the song at the upcoming competition. His flashback ended right as she sang the last lyric of the song. Daria stopped and quickly left the stage. As long as she sang, Daria was okay on stage. Once the music stopped, Daria felt the urge to run."


• The Latest Fashion, by Jim North: "'Well, erm, be that as it may,' O'Neill told them, trying to inject his tone with a hint of authority, 'I'm afraid you, uh, you just . . . can't!' Sandi fought to keep a predatory grin from spreading across her face, instead affecting indignant anger. It was time to go in for the kill. 'And why not?' she demanded. 'Is not the female form a wonderful thing? Should we not be allowed to share it as such? Are we not to be allowed, like, our freedom of expression or whatever? Do you wish to keep us from our right to be seen as we want to be seen? Would you deny us our femininity? Our progressing fashion? Our freedom of self?'" (New part) (Newer part) (Even newer part)


• No Armour Bar Her Coat (Writeoff Challenge 8), by Charles RB (part 2): "You only fight when you were sure to win. Her sister got that. And that preyed on Quinn's mind as the clock ground on towards eleven and she was alone in her room: Daria wasn't doing this as a challenge, it wasn't in her. She wasn't a fighter. So this had to be... this had to be her giving up. And that could mean-"


• Oh, By The Way, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): "With the family and guests once again gathered in the living room, Helen said, 'I'm looking forward to hosting an Easter egg hunt next year.' 'Mom, Quinn's baby will only be about five months old then,' Daria said. 'You might want to wait a year or so.' 'It's the symbolism that's important.' Daria smirked at her mother. 'Don't use the baby as an excuse. Buy the Cadbury eggs for yourself.'"


• Promises, by LadieT (part 5): "'Quinn's in ICU and Cleo has a broken arm and leg. Cleo knows her dad died and that her mom isn't doing very well. I want to take all of her pain away, but I know I can't,' Jane said as the tears that she had been fighting off for so long started flowing. Trent put his arms around his little sister. 'Janey - I watched you and Cleo when you kept her last summer. She loved it when you told her jokes or drew funny pictures. So, my best advice for you is to do what you do best ... make her laugh.'"


• Someone Call a Doctor (Scenes That Should Be: Breakfast of Zombie Champions), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "Daria never got the chance to finish her sentence. They were both involved in their own mutual society and didn't notice the out-of-control car behind them. The drunkard who was driving it swerved into the other lane, brought his Lincoln Continental over the curb and managed to clip Jane in the back with the left front fender. The impact - the car was going at 60 miles per hour - picked up Jane and knocked her body into a utility pole."


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): "And deal, he needed to do. Cocaine didn't sell itself, the cravings and addictions of his clients meant little if he couldn't be accessible, but discrete. Not just to his regulars, but to new customers, as well. And it looked like a fresh new customer was nearby. Young girl, underage, but dressed impeccably, with nice clothes. Nice clothes meant money to burn, money to burn on something, something he might have had." (Part 25)


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Modern Day Daria), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "'Well, what do you think?' she asked. Tim O'Neill, seated across the desk from the principal, shrugged. 'There's no reason they can't pass the written test,' he said simply. 'Any idiot could, and Lane has been in the class six times. I assume she took notes at some point, if only in self-defense.'"


• Worldburner: Amelia Goes To Hell (Near Enough) ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "A sudden, terrifying noise split the air; Amelia jumped, until she identified the sound as the opening to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. Which, in fact, was more terrifying than she thought it was. 'Huh huh. Gag. Huhhuhuh.' Amelia frowned. That sounded like... wait, Daria?"


• Worldburner: Vipande Chu Uharibifu, by Erin M. (part 3): "As she filled out the form, she heard a loud clattering coming from inside the main building. Jodie looked up sharply, then down at her watch. Six PM. Way too late for anyone to be at the school, even the custodial staff. She put the clipboard back in the cab of the truck and walked to the doors. She yanked on the handle and blinked as the door practically flew open."

Whistling "Sweet Georgia Brown" Once Again

With one important exception, I did not like sports when I was a kid. The exception was watching the Harlem Globetrotters on TV, which was the only sports event that made you laugh. A number of websites state that today is the 82nd anniversary of the birth of the Globetrotters, though the actual situation is more complicated than that. Nevertheless, here is Jane Lane wearing an outfit very similar to the "away" uniform of the Globetrotters. Thank you, Meadowlark Lemon, wherever you are, for all the joy you gave me.

FF.net

• Pigskin Caduceus, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 9): I drifted in and out of consciousness for the next couple of hours, I couldn’t remember things too well. When I was coherent enough to think again, I was lying on the floor in my room. My head was lying next to a puddle of vomit, the carpet had quite a number of bloodstains.
• Reaped Out, Act 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (up to Part 3).

PPMB

• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): "Let me see if I have this right. You've gone to all the trouble of kidnapping me, bringing me to some godforsaken jungle, and now you tell me you're going to destroy the world!! And I'm going to help you!? And I thought I was nuts!!!"

March Madness (in Fanfiction)

March Madness is upon us, and while Louisville kicks everyone's behind we will look over the new fanfics that have appeared in just the last 24 hours. I can't even get my own stories restarted because I'm typing here all evening long trying to catch up. Jeez, people, c'mon. But first, some Newz.

LET'S PLAY A GAME! Derek has suggested a fresh new take on the Daria Fandom Drinking Game. Click the link and get ready to play! At least add more rules. (SFMB version)

JennaUsername has created a very interesting portrait entitled, "If Tim Burton Created Daria." Darned if she didn't nail it.

In our art department, we also have assorted Fashion Club sketches by MDetector5. Inspiring, I'd say.

The Daria Fan Club now has 1,204 members. Outrageous.

João Paulo Costa, Richard Lobinske, Brother Grimace, Disco316, Doggieboy, Dennis, and Ajar have been hard at work on DariaWiki, raising the number of pages to 2,274 with lots of new material. Thank you! Anyone else with information to add is welcome to join in.

Brother Grimace has thrown down the iron gauntlet for an Iron Chef: Mack Mackenzie Has His Day. This one is too good to resist, but requires thought.

NEW! Roentgen has introduced Iron Chef: No Tom. How would the series have ended if Tom Sloane had not appeared? Add your $.02.


FF.net

• Harry Butthead, by Deep Metal (Part 3): NEW! “How did you manage to survive so long with a bunch of blood-sucking undead who could’ve taken your life?” asked Daria. “Oh, that,” Mr. Manners chuckled, revealing a wreath of garlic hung around his neck. “Well, it’s simple, you see. I brought protection.” “Huh huh huh! He brought protection!” “Heh heh heh heh heh!”
  
• Omega Omega, by Smileyfax (Part 3): "I overreacted," Daria greeted. Her voice was hoarse and her eyes were puffy. "I couldn't accept that you weren't... my Jane. I'm sorry."

PPMB

• Apocalyptic Daria: Scarlett's Tale, by Doggieboy (Part 7): As Scarlett and John walked outside the storage units to the one he used as his own motel, she looked up at the skies. Looks like snow, she thought and shuddered. (SFMB)
• Lambda, by SigDiff (Parts 1 to 5): NEW! Corporal Alan Watts was having a very bad day. It began just after sunrise when a fellow Resistance member burst through the door of his barracks and yelled; “WE'VE BEEN COMPROMISED, EVAC NOW!” As if to prove the speaker was not playing a practical joke, the outburst was punctuated with the wall beside his bed caving in from a guided missile. (FF.net)
• Lawndale's Finest: The Dark Knight, by NightGoblyn (continued): Jane sighed quietly to herself and tried not to roll her eyes. For once, she was putting some effort into making the school psychologist happy. She actually had a vested interest in not getting stuck in the self-esteem class again.
• More Apocalyptic Daria, by NightGoblyn (continued): The next morning is completely uneventful, which just goes to show that the universe is out to get me and I never get what I want. I spend the time looking for my niece and nephew, they’re old enough now to start learning the finer points of meeting and greeting all the bizarre people that show up at our gate without offending them or getting themselves shot. [NOTE: Story formerly known as "Fimbul," which was formerly known as "More Apocalyptic Daria."]
• On the Clock, by Legendeld (Part 2): NEW! It’s been two weeks and everything has been going exactly how Daria wants it too. Between catching some of the bad guys and registering some of the rogue heroes, we’ve been busy. I almost walked when I found out about that but she swears that only we have access to the records now. One of the powers that the authorities handed over to us. Personally I don’t believe it for a second.
  
• Quinn Angel, by Lawndale Lurker (COMPLETE!): “Quinn, you are looking at six counts of assault, three against police, not to mention destruction of private property and possibly inciting a riot. You could be incarcerated until you reach legal adulthood, and it could cost your father and me a huge amount of money in fines, damages, and court costs. We could lose the house. And woe be unto you if that happens." AND THEN: “Can you hear me? Quinn Angel...” sang the three Js. “Ooo...” went Quinn.
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): "All right, by now all of you should be thoroughly acquainted with thermodynamics and Milton's Paradise Lost. O.K., if heaven's light and hell is not, explain why no work can be got out of the devil. Show your understanding of entropy. You have two hours."
• Things Fall Apart, by Doggieboy (Part 3): “Dammit, Beavis!” Butt-Head said as the two walked down the street. The blond-haired boy carried the TV set in his hands and their progress was slow. “You aren’t moving fast enough, fartknocker!” Then the zombies showed up.
  
• Turnabout Confusion, Part II: All the King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): Morning found the Morgendorffer sisters sitting across from each other at the kitchen table. Had Helen been there, she would have said they both looked emotionally drained. Had Jake been there, he would have been shoveling cereal into his face while reading the paper. As it was, both sat in silence for awhile, before Daria spoke. "You okay?" (continued here) (FF.net)
  
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Mack Mackenzie Has His Day), by Brandon League (COMPLETE!): NEW! Mayor Jodie Landon-Grimace smiled benevolently out at the crowd, some 250 strong, that had gathered in the parking lot of the home offices of Bro And QB Ice Cream.
  
• Unnamed story, by Roentgen (Part 1): A crossover, and an intriguing one. Can you guess what the secret added ingredient is?

SFMB

• Apocalyptic Daria: Brave New World, by Doggieboy (Part 7): Catching up with the other editions of this story.

Mad Marchness Munches Muchly

1,400+ views, whee!

Right, enough of that.

Below are some more "adoptable" webpages about Daria, as discussed in an earlier blog post. All are in English. Take your time, look them over, then maybe pick one out and make yourself the resident expert there on Daria. Post pictures, comments, essays, chat, fresh links, messages, anything. Have fun with it. None of these are exclusively fanfic sites; most are informational and allow for reviews and opinions.

• DMOZ Open Directory Project (might be difficult to get)
• Episode World
• Everything2
• Experience Project
• Fan History (an interesting wiki, someone already posting heavily there but more is better)
• Google Directory (might be difficult to get)
• Hot or Not

A side note: Looking for good Daria screen captures? Try this page in StarPulse. More soon, mebbe.

March Madness Madly Marches

I think I wrote something about basketball a few days ago, but I can't be bothered to go back and look. I mean, who cares, it's just a game. We have Daria to talk about.

One of the nice things about the Internet (which is spelled with a capital I by all literate, sophisticated, civilized adults who can properly spell) is the appearance of encyclopedia websites like Wikipedia that anyone can edit, even complete doofuses who spell Internet with a lower-case i. Daria fan sites and informational entries are no exception. Anyone can adopt a webpage about a favored topic and wax eloquent about it to the exclusion of all else, and if there was ever a topic worth waxing about, it is Daria.

We have the beloved DariaWiki, of course, but it never hurts to have more, more, MORE. Below are some adoptable webpages concerning Our Heroine (Jane Lane) and her sidekick Daria Morgendorffer. I have no idea exactly how adoptable (and adaptable) these are, but some note that you can add links, pictures, essays, message-board posts, and whatnot to them, even correcting descriptive information and adding your own. It's worth a try, and if you have some free time over lunch or after work to fix things the way you like them to be fixed, give it a shot.

But why do this, you ask? Because these links keep coming up on search engines, that's why. Any person researching Daria will always find one or more of them. And the more people we co-opt into supporting the DVDaria campaign, the better. True? Be an activist and go for it.

Note: This is the first installment of adoptable pages. There are quite a few of them out there.

• Animated Lust
• Cassiopedia
• Classic TV Hits
• Daria Fan Club (I've added some things to this already, but please join in)
• DooYoo (mostly reviews, maybe other stuff possible)
• SideReel

Take your pick. As I said, more to come.

P.S. If you want to use some of the Daria pictures from this blog, feel free. I messed with a few of them to improve quality when possible, or to make a point (Quinn with pi on her shirt, for instance). Use 'em if you like 'em.

March Madness Marches Madly

Jodie scores from the free-throw line as we look at new and interesting developments in fanfic writing and other non-sports.

PPMB

• Avalon, by legendeld (Part 2): As Quinn's power develops, she makes a few shocking discoveries.
• Falling Into College 61: Latitudes, by Richard Lobinske (Part 20): Quinn learns of Q's disturbing obsession, and Karen offers to get medieval on her waiter's butt.
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): Why Brittany has a perfectly reasonable and understandable urge to get medieval on Kevin's butt the moment she finds him. *

* Contains mature content. Brace yourself.