Halfway Through the Year, We Answer an Old Question

July 1st, it is today, and we celebrate all sorts of holidays and anniversaries as a result, to include:

• Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
• The 31st birthday of the Sony Walkman, beloved of background character Dawn (at left)
• Canada Day in Canada
• Moving Day in Quebec
• Tartan Day in Australia and New Zealand
• The 7th birthday of Paperpusher's Message Board, ver. 2.0
• Financial Freedom Day (as celebrated by Daria and her Montana Cabin Fund at right)
  
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day in Hong Kong
• The 49st birthday anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales (beloved of Sandi Griffin, and here's proof)
• July Morning in Bulgaria
• The 141st birthday anniversary of William Strunk, Jr. (yes, that William Strunk, Jr.)
• The 67th birthday of Tokyo, which is technically not a city though you would never know it to look at it
  
• The 102nd birthday of the SOS signal
• and I forgot, something else, whatever.

What a day! And I haven't even written in the fanfiction yet. Speaking of which...

Remember the good old days almost exactly a year ago, when we used to argue over whether Daria fandom was dying? Remember how we would commiserate over the inevitable wasting away of our happy little suburb, one day soon to vanish in the great megacity sprawl that is Fandomland? Don't those days seem kind of... well... premature?

At the moment there seems to be a literal explosion of new fans and new fanfiction and new everything thanks to the DVD set. I mean, seriously, I can barely keep up with the surge of good reading that's hitting the Internet. The number of DFB2 followers leaped from 9 to 38 in one year, and 95,000 hits to 176,000 in about the same time period. Blammo.

So, to answer the old question if Daria fandom is on its last legs, the answer would appear to be...

Thank you.

FF.net

• College Wry, by LibertyxIsxLove (Part 3): Nick scratched his head, newly dyed blue, and for the tenth time took a look around Trent's basement. "Um, guys?" he finally sputtered. "Where're our instruments?" "Some other criminales prol'ly heard how hard we are!" Max began shouting. "And they wanted to stop us before our music could change the—" "Shouldn't we call Trent and tell him his house was robbed?" Jesse inquired anxiously. Nick rolled his eyes at this idea. "Nah, he's in Australia. It's not like he'd be able to hear us."
• The InDark, by Mediancat (Part 21): Amy Barksdale said, "I believe you." "You say that as though there were some doubt," Daria said. "No doubt," said Amy. "It's a legitimate explanation. It's just one I hadn't thought of."
• NEWER! Fresh TV—The Musical! by Mikata88 (Parts 2 and 3): Chef Hatchet: "Emma! What the Sam Hill are you still doin' here? There's a got-dang hurricane a-comin'! You know... I've never told you this... [sings] Emma, Oh, Emma, You're a gem... a... [looks at watch] Man, this is eatin' up a lot of time. [exits] Don't forget to lock up." (Daria/Total Drama/6teen)
  

PPMB

• NEW! Anti-Trope, by Minx (continued): Dean walked through the house but his search for Quinn had so far been unfruitful. As he came to a less crowded hallway he saw a long row of framed photos ranging from the year prior all the way back to the mid sixties. Each one depicted a similar scene: a young, good-looking woman being held up on a group of young men’s shoulders. Under each snapshot was a small gold plaque reading ‘Keg Queen’ with the name of the queen and year the photo was taken. As he walked along viewing each photo he stopped dead at 1975’s winner. His mouth dropped open as he read the inscription: Keg Queen – 1975 Helen Barksdale. (FF.net)
  
• NEW! Daria: Hunter 6—Infectious, by Jim North (continued): "I KNEW those rumors were true!" DeMartino crowed. "And you were HOLDING OUT on me this entire time! For SHAME, Miss Morgendorffer! For SHAME!" "Yes, yes," Daria said with sarcastic long-suffering, "I'm extremely sorry we didn't let you know we were secret agents. I'm a horrible person."
• NEW! Finn Morgendorffer 51: A Matter of Trust, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 3): And then, Jeffy remembered during sophomore year, near the end of the school year when Finn left for a weekend visit to some spa place. When he came back, the guy was a total wreck, barely able to function. When questioned about it, Finn just shrugged and said he hadn’t been sleeping well. He got a bit better, but he was a mess for the whole school year. How the hell did I fall for that? Jeffy wondered.
• NEW! Grove Hell on Earth, by Charles RB (Part 7): Things were going badly. They continued to go badly as the trio walked into the concert, right past the hordes of pierced rockers and alternative fans (alters?) who were having a blast, all love and laughter and life. Everything Daria was destroying was on display, a joke at her expense. She wondered, against her will, if she would soon view Grove Hills with nostalgia. There, she had Amelia to write to; there was an escape. Where was she supposed to go when she’d pissed on that escape? (Jane? Who was Jane? How long would it last before she drove Jane away to?)
  
• Politricks Are Not for Kids, by Brian Taylor (Part 2): The bedroom is almost pitch black with the curtains drawn, but for the little blue glow of a bedside alarm clock. The phone continues to ring. Daria turns on a light and fumbles for her glasses on the nightstand. The phone keeps right on ringing. Securing her glasses, she settles them on her face—crooked—and glowers at the clock, which reads 3:30. Finally, she grabs the phone and holds it to her ear. A long pause follows during which we can hear a muffled voice talking animatedly on the other end....
• A Reality Parent Looks Back, by CR85747 (COMPLETE!): “The Daria years were a mixed blessing,” recounts Amanda Lane from her home in Lawndale, the famous “Casa Lane” that served as the base of the family as seen on the MTV reality show and is now the residence of the retired parents. “People kept calling me: 'Why weren't you there all the time?' There was too much to do. Besides, they took care of themselves fairly well—perhaps surprisingly to people who didn't know them firsthand.”
• NEW! Sleepwalker, by Jim North (continued): The overhead light flickered off, breaking Quinn out of her reverie. All of the girls jumped in surprise, and Quinn was fairly certain that she heard one of them—Tori, she hoped—squeal a bit. Beside that, everything was eerily silent. The light came back on a few seconds later, and the tension left the air as everyone relaxed. "I do believe that has proven my idea of a fashion lockdown was an excellent one," Sandi said as she went back to applying rouge on Tori's cheeks. "None of us would want to be caught outside if all the lights went out. No one would be able to see how cute we are." Quinn ruefully resumed her braiding. "When you're right, you're right, Sandi," she said with a sigh.
  
• NEWER! Unnamed story (The Hallowed Halls of Fielding), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "God, the Strawberries and Creme flavor is rank!" Quinn cried. "Sorry, 'Kiki'. You're not getting any of my Maple and Brown Sugar flavor," Daria said. "Elsie, how are you doing with your oatmeal?"

Tricks and Treats!

Trick or treat time is here (and time for Daria to add a snarky comment). Hard to imagine Daria, even as a kid, going trick-or-treating. Look at her feet: no boots. Poor kid. You can't kick without good boots. Wonder what she said to greeters when she rang the doorbell.

Quinn at left is dressed for Halloween like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, who might be unfamiliar to some of you. She was the syndicated hostess for many a late-night fright movie on TV when I was younger. She was (and still is) awesome. Love her accent!

And Dawn is back as her traditional Dawn-o-lantern self, with Walkman attached. Thanks to Pinhead for both images. You rule, dude!

Pinhead has a new Daria image at PPMB: "Just One Kiss?"

Did you ever wonder what Beavis and Butt-head do for Halloween? Watch "Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest" on MTV, for free, right now! (You will have to wait through two other episodes, but that's cool.) If you can't wait, go here and see the whole thing straight out. A rude classic.

Enjoy your candy!

Weighing Your Options

Today, yesterday actually when the equinox occurred, is/was the beginning of the Libra part of the astrological pseudoscience thingamajig, and Dawn is here to give us the Libra look. Libras tend to wear white togas and carry gold cups around with them. Talking with them is useless because of their Walkman sets.

Also today, in astronomical news, Neptune was discovered 163 years ago by three guys at once (Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie). Neptune is generally considered the outermost boundary of the planetary part of the solar system by socialists, infidels, and heretics who obstinately refuse to acknowledge the God-given supremacy of Pluto as a planet. Thank heavens I am not bitter about it.

Ms. Kinnikufan, who single-handedly has created some of the best-ever Iron Chefs ever seen on PPMB over the last decade, has done it again: Iron Chef: Single Parent Jake. Go for it.

In the Art for Art's Sake Department, Pinhead once again reduces fans to shock and awe with "Through a Pane Darkly." Not to be outdone, Lorenzo Sauchelli has begun a pen-and-ink freestyle portrait of Daria that has the look of an Al Hirschfeld caricature. Wonders will never cease! LATE ADD: More art from Pinhead! More art from Pinkminx! More art from Acidgirl! YEEE-HAAAW!!!

PPMB

• Falling Into College 70: Is It The Future, Yet? by Richard Lobinske (Part 4): "It's really weird for Pentagon brass like Gen. Trainor to get individual information on one guy in combat. Even weirder for said brass to contact a family member with the information." "Amy and Paula are good friends." "True, but that doesn't explain Paula getting a special briefing on Reese. I have to wonder if something really classified got buggered-up and Reese was sucked in."
• Long for the Flowers, by Charliefox2012 (Part 1): Jake Morgendorffer sat at the little table in his motel room. On the table sat a half-empty gin bottle--no shot glass--and the final version of his divorce papers, the declaration of the end of his twenty-three year marriage. He picked up the gin bottle and took a long drink. He grimaced slightly and put the bottle down. [FF.net]
  
• Regifted, by Ajar (Part 17): ...I will be satisfied by those around me. I will be satisfied by those around me...
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): I enter the dark road from the darkness. Far off shines the moon on the edge of the mountain.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Single Parent Jake), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "What is it? I'm got a customer who's a real grinder here and if I can't close this I'm going to have to turn this one over! I can't be interrupted! I TELL YOU I CAN'T BE INTERRUPTED!"

Burnout Girl's real name was . . . Burnout Girl

Yes, true, she's called Jennifer on Mr. O'Neill's seating chart in that first-season episode we all remember but whose name I have forgotten in one of my senior moments. She's also called Burnout Chick and a bunch of other stuff, too. However, the MTV staff just called her Burnout Girl.

The following is from the missing flipbook "Oh, the Obscurity!" (It was supposed to go here.) Some of these characters were detailed on a webpage in Sick, Sad World (the website), which Wraith lovingly saved for us all. The images he used are probably the ones used in the missing flipbook. (See here and here.)

I did minor editing on the text, which misspells "shoulder" and does a few other irksome things.

1. COREY—Quinn found him somewhat amusing in "Esteemsters." But after showing up at her door in "Quinn the Brain" and fetching punch in "Daria Dance Party," he lost favor and was demoted to background character. (First appeared in "Esteemsters")
2. BOY TEEN 8—The Daria artists like this mellow dude so much that he acquired the nickname "Shaggy." At Brittany's party in "The Invitation," he pops up in two places at once, defying physics. (First appeared in "Esteemsters")
3. BURNOUT GIRL—Daria supervising director Karen Disher designed this character and based it upon her very own self. "Burnout Girl" appeared in the original Daria pilot and is often seen roaming the halls of Lawndale High, lost in thought, much like Karen. (First appeared in the pilot)
4. DAWN—Officially known as "Girl Teen 6," this self-contained cutie is said to resemble a former office production assistant who quit to join the police force. Dawn was her name and so... (First appeared in "Esteemsters")
5. BRIAN TAYLOR—You know how children of divorce often erroneously blame themselves for the breakup? In the case of Brittany's little brother, it's the rest of the family pointing the finger at him. (First appeared in "The Lab Brat")
6. POPULAR GIRL—She can be seen standing with Tiffany and Stacy at Brittany's party in "The Invitation," holding forth on the nuances of popularity. She dropped out of sight shortly thereafter. (Sandi probably had something to do with it.) Note: She also plays volleyball in the show open. (First appeared in "The Invitation")
7. BLIND MAN—He originally appeared as a blind man, but a miracle occurred and he later re-appeared as a sighted person in "I Don't." (First appeared in "Esteemsters")
8. ADULT MALE 48—The rare Daria male brave enough to expose his chest hair, this disreputable character stole Trent's records in "That Was Then, This Is Dumb." (First appeared in "Monster")
9. TED DEWITT-CLINTON—Daria's photo-happy "like interest" from "The New Kid" had corn in his yard…and rocks in his head, since he let our darling Daria get away. (First appeared in "The New Kid")
10. GIRL TEEN 35—This frizzy-haired femme fatale was seen enthusiastically rubbing Kevin's chest (his shoulder pads, actually) in "This Year's Model." (First appeared in "This Year's Model")
11. SAM AND CHRIS GRIFFIN—Sandi's bratty brothers are named after Daria scribes Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson, who went on to Hollywood to write for "real" shows. (First appeared in "Gifted")

Now, this is interesting. We get the dope on Shaggy, Burnout Girl, Dawn, Girl Teen 35, and Adult Male 48, who I've never heard of before. But I still think that the blind guy from "Esteemsters" is not the same person as was later shown in "I Don't" and wandering the store aisles in "Mart of Darkness." Click on "blind man" in the Labels section below for more.

Hmmm, I notice that there are even more flipbooks I have to track down. So be it, then.

Dawn of the Dead (Get It? Wasn't That Clever? I Love Myself)

Dawn does the Pumpkinhead routine at right. The earphones are a nice touch.

Someone once wrote a Daria fanfic about a pumpkin and dedicated it to me. You shouldn't have. But you did, so here it is!

Want other fanfics to read today? Go to Outpost Daria's brand-new Halloween story page! Most excellent! Then go here in Sh33p's Fluff and turn on the music. Lots of goodness (and badness) there, too.

You go, ghoul!

Is Your Life in Balance?

Dawn is our astrological Daria person for today, because if you are a Libra (and you should not necessarily be ashamed of that, despite what everyone else says), then this is your zodiac moment. Just remember, you too can be special, even if you are wearing nothing but a sheet. Speaking of which, how can Dawn keep her Walkman attached when she's, well, you know, under that sheet?

More later today after I get home from work.

Dawn's Only Speaking Role in Daria

Well, "speaking" is perhaps too liberal a word. She's on the far left, singing "Oooh, oooh!" along with Bob (next to her in the back row), one of the Jennifers (far right, front row), and four other backgrounders in the musical Daria! Still, she's making some kind of noise, like Jennifer the Burnout Girl shrieking briefly when she fell off that trampoline.

Daria! violated the fourth wall, everyone acted like actors and not "real people," and Daria and Jane sang (Jane, who could not even warble "Old MacDonald" properly in "Jane's Addition"). Still, a few useful things came from it, like Daria and Jane getting to the high school roof for the first time, where they showed up in later episodes.

It's still too weird for me, but I dig out anything useful from it that I can. So it goes.