Can He Jump Over the Big Strawberry?

Mack's preparing to do an extra-dangerous stunt in honor of the anniversary of Evel Knievel's birth on this day in 1938. Of all of the guys at Lawndale High, Mack is the one I would least expect to pull this kind of thing, but I guess he'd do just about anything to get Jodie's attention.

Someone should tell Jake that it's National Pasta Day, because pasta seems like the one thing he seemed to be able to cook well--penne a la pesto, fettuccini Bolognese, and so forth. Of course, technically speaking frozen lasagna would also qualify, but the Morgendorffers have got to be sick of that by now.

Someone should not tell Quinn that it's Wear Something Gaudy Day, though, because the very idea of wearing something unattractive would probably give her nightmares for a week. I suppose it might be a good excuse to throw another Fashion Don'ts Costume Gala!

Fandom News!

• Talk about your experiences with AI.

And For His Next Stunt....

It looks like Mack is going all-in for Dare Day, and I'm a little curious about who dared him to do this stunt. Kevin seems like a likely candidate, but since when does Mack listen to anything Kevin says? No, my money is on Jodie. If he accepts her dare, she'll accept his dare to...ask her parents for an hour of free time.

For those who aren't so daring, today is also World Milk Day! Jake's probably going to celebrate, because of milk's calming properties. Calming right up until he remembers that milk has cholesterol, that is.

Fandom News!

• Discuss the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch.

Mack Daddy...To the Extreme!!!

Mack's shedding his down-to-earth persona to take a spin as Evel Knievel, who was born on this day in 1938. I thought Kevin was the one who liked to try motorcycle stunts, but Mack must have hidden depths no one has ever discovered.

Today is also Wear Something Gaudy Day, so this would be a good day to attend the Fashion Don'ts Costume Gala! Or not. Depends on how much of a tolerance you have for Fashion Club babble.

Fandom News!

• Talk about remedies for a potential U.S. recession.


• Rest in peace, Sam Bobrick.

Go, Mack Daddy, Go!

Mack is getting in touch with his inner daredevil because today is the anniversary of Evel Knievel's birth in 1938. I wonder if Mack got the idea from Kevin's motorcycle stunt. If so, he'd better watch out for the Tommy Sherman Memorial Tree--I mean, Crutch.

This is also Wear Something Gaudy Day, which is probably near the top of the list of the Fashion Club's least favorite holidays. What if someone wears...gasp...stretch pants?!

Finally, happy birthday to Mike Judge! The man who created Beavis and Butt-head turns 52 today.

Fandom News!

• Discuss "realistic" levels of angst and other aspects of writing quality.


• Have you ever wanted to see Daria snap? Talk about it in The Daria Forum.


• Which Star Wars EU characters are you going to miss? Share your opinion in a new thread.


• A Wonder Woman movie has finally been announced, and fans are talking about it.


• Ask RLobinske your questions in the new Ask The Author thread.

The Daredevil, the Playwright, and the Animator

We've got a trio of birthdays today! First we have Mack doing his Evel Knievel impression in honor of the anniversary of the daredevil's birth in 1938. Mack, it appears, has a lot more skill with motorcycles than Kevin could ever hope to have.

Next up is Arthur Miller, born in this day in 1915. His play "Death of a Salesman" was featured twice on the show--first in "Quinn the Brain," in which Daria writes an essay about the play entitled "He Had it Coming." Then, in "A Tree Grows in Lawndale," she quotes it in response to Helen's remark to Rita that she's rehearsing for a play. "A salesman's got to dream, boy."

Last, but certainly not least, happy birthday to Mike Judge, born 51 years ago today. Judge, who created the show Beavis and Butt-head, is at least partly responsible for the creation of Daria as well. So whatever your opinion of the original, you've got to give credit to the man for the spin-off we all love. In fact, you might even say "attention must finally be paid to such a person."

Fanfic Update!

• Beautiful Freak and Goodbye Highland (LongSnakeMoan's Fluff Thread), by LongSnakeMoan (COMPLETE!): "Sandi knew that she and Beavis attracted a lot of attention, and not the good sort of attention either. She could see the looks on people's faces and hear the snide remarks as they passed by, though luckily they sailed right over his head otherwise he could snap."


• Bloody Stacy (It is October, after all), by SacredDust (COMPLETE!): "'Come ON San-deeeee!' Quinn pleaded, pointing to a page in Waif Magazine. 'We HAVE to try it!'"


• The Convert (IC: Daria characters joining religions and others react), by Shiva (COMPLETE!): "'Yeah,' Mack drawled, 'I felt like I was losing my mind, but then my roommate gave me something that really helped.'"


• Daria and the Doo Dads (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: Why, oh God WHY?!), by LongSnakeMoan (COMPLETE!): "'I'm here,' Daria said, her voice drifted from upstairs. 'Be quiet though, I have something special to show you.'"


• Daughters of The Crimson Queen, by macross (part 3): "'Here at Lawndale High we strive for excellence through discipline and encouraging every student's unique talents,' said the woman with a commanding voice, as she surveyed the new arrivals, taking an extra probing look at Daria and Quinn."


• The Difference a Year Makes, by Shiva (part 2): "Jane had just enough time to do a double take before a familiar figure approached them, he leaned on a nearby locker nonchalantly and said, 'Hey, what's going on?'"


• Father and Son (AUs, Brain Farts and other stuff), by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "He was dumb. He knew that quite well, but that was okay. Because no matter how dumb he was, he had other qualities, qualities which were more important than that."


• Great Professor Dario Ch. 1 A fresh start, by ST91 (part 5): "Helen had a strange feeling about her daughter's behaviour, however she decided to believe that, as Dario said, Quinn had matured a lot in a very short period of time and she still had to get used to it."


• Jane, by PrecambrianStudios (parts 1 and 2): "She turned and started walking up the steps. Hopefully, this time around it's going to better, she thought. No catastrophes or major disasters, a normal year, she hoped. It'd been her desire for the past three months to start anew, leave her disastrous freshman year behind." (Part 2)


• A New Direction, by peetz5050 (part 13b): "She finally got close enough to see what was going on. Her jaw dropped but she still had the presence of mind to whip out her phone and start recording video. 'Sandi will have to see this!'"


• Quinn the Psychopath, by SacredDust (part 12): "She spun around to see four figures standing ominously between her and the door. Her sister, her sister's best friend, her own best friend, and that guy who told her she was psychopathic--all standing in the same place, at the same time. What was going on?"


• Shot From a Canon (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: Why, oh God WHY?!), by SacredDust (COMPLETE!): "'Hi, Todd.' She was always sitting on the front steps of the apartment when he walked to the gas station. That creepy little girl. Not that he'd ever admit to being scared."


• This Is For Lovers (LongSnakeMoan's Fluff Thread: OTP Fluff), by LongSnakeMoan (COMPLETE!): "There were a lot of reasons why Todd Ianuzzi loved Jane Lane."


• Unintended Providence (Iron Chef: only one parent comes to Lawndale), by deneich (part 3): "Daria noticed that Helen's smile became predatory at the mention of the word 'Tutor'. The smile left an unsettling feeling in Daria's stomach that grew quickly to one of pure horror as she grasped the implication of Helen's idea. 'No! Absolutely not!' Daria barked."


• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: Why, oh God WHY?!), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "Daria stepped from the bathroom into her own room, her face white."

That's One Way to Get Jodie to Pay Attention to Him!

Happy birthday to Evel Knievel, the late daredevil, who was born on this day in 1938. Mack's letting out his inner adrenaline junkie over there on the left, and let's all hope he has better luck on that motorcycle than Kevin did on his.

This is also Mike Judge's birthday. This is an important one for fandom, because without Mike Judge there would be no Beavis and Butt-head, and with no Beavis and Butt-head, there would be no Daria! And with no Daria, there would be no fandom and we would all be let loose upon the world. Scary thought, that.

Fanfic Update!

• The Author as a Lesbian, by DeacBlue (part 11): "Daria put her hands on her knees. 'Hold it, you didn't hear my excuse. I'm someone who doesn't want to get injured doing exercises that I'm not used to while you spend your time coaching cheerleaders. Now you can have us make up this class after school, but remember, that'll take up your time as well, and if you do that, I'm going to my mom, the lawyer, and we will go through meeting after hearing after discussion, all of which will take your time away from you, and at the end of, you will still lose. Now, how much time do you want to invest, Ms. Morris?'"


• The Beginning of Our History , by ST91 (part 5): "'Exactly, we can take the exam tomorrow and take away the thought of spending another minute in there' 'Perfect, where do you keep the answers?' 'At my house' 'Good then let's go , what are we waiting for?'"


• Daria is Raven's Apprentice, by project pegasus: "Beast Boy: (to himself) The coast is clear except for these Romans zebras. Seems legit. (Beast Boy opens the exit and peers outside cautiously. From behind, one of the zebras suddenly rears up on its hind legs and plunges a hunting knife into one of Beast Boy’s kidneys.) Zebra #1: (as she is shanking Beast Boy) Talk’s cheap, motherf***er!"


• A Few Years Difference, by Vlora (part 10): "As the Holy Harpies announced they were taking a break, the crowd slowly split off into teens trying to score alcohol, and other teens sneaking out to smoke. Monique practically bounced towards them, her hair not moving an inch. 'Daria! It's so awesome to see you!' 'Yeah, because we're totally not here.' Nick laughed, ducking a little. Monique had lunged across to hug Daria, who was entirely surprised by how eager the other girl was. 'Hi Monique.'"


• A Fistful of Scarletts, by Aloysius (part 3): "Just then, two smaller flashes lit up the room and the three people (plus the mouse) turned to see two redheaded fairies suddenly flying above the buffet table. One was dressed in clothing similar to the first two Scarletts, and even wore an ankh necklace, but the other was dressed in white and revealing clothing and wore an anarchy symbol on a necklace. Both held smaller versions of the invitation card. 'Oh, crap,' the pregnant Scarlett said."


• God Save The Esteem ep36: Occupational Hazard, by Charles RB (part 1): "There was a pointed cough; Michelle Landon, noted executive and humourless being composed of pure annoyed, had overheard the conversation. 'I could not help overhearing. And I wanted to join in. One of the local flower shops has gone punk these days, for god’s sake! Is it too much to ask that we have somewhere to get away from the riff-raff?!' A waitress chose that moment to walk past, and all three rich people glared at her suspiciously."


• Her Farewell (IC : Jane's Wrath ...... and also Trent), by OverlordMikey (COMPLETE!): "Amanda was still attached to the machines; her family knew there wasn’t much time. The aging Vincent; hair almost completely grey, sat by his wife’s bedside talking to her about all the places they had visited; apart and separate, and all the places they wanted to visit that they wouldn’t get to. Hoping that his words might sooth her before they pulled the plug and officially allowed her to drift away. He did his best to hold back his tears, but they where still flowing."


• The Lane That Would Never Return (IC : Jane's Wrath ...... and also Trent), by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "The next morning while Jane was in the shower, she heard the sound of the front door opening and closing several times. Much to her shock, her parents were home and looking for her. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. 'We finally finished etching several Mayan temple carvings how is school going, Jane?' Amanda asked. Vincent followed, 'Yeah, any idea of where you want to go to college? You know we have a fund set up for you so you can take your pick.'"


• Rude Awakening Ep.9: Join The Club by DIsaac (part 6): "QUINN: I think you are trying to start something, Sandi. SANDI: Not of the sort. I can read you well. I spent a lot time with you in High school to know your tendencies especially with pink and trying to keep things simple. I know you well enough to know there is something wrong. What is wrong? QUINN: What I'm about to say is going to shock you. I'm not proud about it - in fact I'm rightfully embarrassed by this. SANDI: It be can't something bad? I mean it's OK to wear UGG boots even though they been out of style for two years."


• ST: A V-mail of Significance (Non Daria), by cfardell_Brenorenz29: "'Any other time, you would be welcome. However I received a message from an old school friend, just before I went on shift. I would like to view it alone. That is, if you don’t mind?' Samuel said. He was fidgeting. He would normally be happy to have Yolanda in his quarters for a chat, as the friends they were. But he really wanted to watch the v-mail he had received by himself."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: A Roll of the Die), by Roentgen (parts 3 and 4): "Bret Strand smiled. 'Hey...aren't you...Jane Lane?' 'Hmm. Let me think about it. I have answered to that name to the authorities.' 'Cool. You were in track!' 'Wow. You remember that'" Jane smiled, wishing that she had her lipstick on." (Part 4)


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Occupy Lawndale), by Dervish: "There was a knock at the door. Both froze and fear flashed across both their faces. Sighing, Helen smoothed her clothes down as she went to the door while Quinn suddenly regained an intense interest in her homework. She opened it with a false smile, though couldn't keep the look of fear from her eyes as she saw a half dozen well-armed grim faced deputies in helmets and body armor. 'Hi! How may I help you?' The lead deputy handed her a paper. 'I'm sorry, Mrs. Morgendorffer, but we're here for Daria.'"

Suh-weet!

It's Sweetest Day! Tell your sweetest how much you love him/her/it, but please be sure not to do it while your sweetest's Significant Other is in the vicinity. I'm just sayin'.

Evel Knievel's 71st birthday anniversary is today. The Mighty Mack is wearing a costume very similar to one that Evel often used in his motorcycle stunt shows.

At Holiday Island High, the kid asking for spare change all the time is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, whose day is today.

Remember in "A Tree Grows in Lawndale" when Daria said, "A salesman's got to dream, boy"? That was from Arthur Miller's play, The Death of a Salesman, and today is the 94th anniversary of Arthur Miller's birth.

The immortal Mike Judge, who created MTV's Beavis and Butt-head and thus opened the door for Daria to have a show, too, turns 47 today.

Daria got a bit of media attention twelve years ago, when she offered some advice on gaining classroom attention. I can just imagine someone doing that while I was working as a substitute teacher some years ago. Oh, boy.

Daredevil Mack

Mack is here to remind us that today is the 70th anniversary of Evel Knievel's birthday. (He's wearing a costume very similar to one that EK often used.)

As Mack and Evel are both superstars, it is appropriate to also commemorate the last known supernova in our galaxy, SN 1604, better known as Kepler's Star, which exploded (in relative Earth time) 404 years ago today. (This has nothing to do with any future shared-world disaster scenario I might craft, heh heh heh heh heh heh.)

At Holiday Island High, the broke kid who is always going around asking for spare change is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, whose day is today.

Lastly, remember in "A Tree Grows in Lawndale" when Daria said, "A salesman's got to dream, boy"? That was from Arthur Miller's play, The Death of a Salesman, and today is the 93rd anniversary of Arthur Miller's birth.

Interested in Daria/House crossovers? Read this thread and contribute.

That about rounds up the calendar for today. More soon. Lots of fanfic roaring out of the computers lately from everyone.

A Man and His Hawg

I know I brought this up on PPMB some time ago, but what is it with Mack and motorcycles? There are three shots of Mack on two-wheelers in the alter-egos on the MTV website, with Evel Knievel Mack and Easy Rider Mack shown here. (Not shown is Shriner Mack on a minibike.)

As Mack is commonly perceived as the masculine ideal for the Dariaverse (as he is almost without flaw and every other man is a mentally challenged dork), it makes sense for him to have a studly ride. This begs for both fanfic and more art, but mostly for more fanfic. A great postcanon story is buried here. Let it be free.

Get your motor runnin' . . . Head out on the highway . . .