"It's the Soul Train. Beep beep. Get on board."

Jane looks pretty happy to celebrate International Dance Day, even though it's not her usual preferred art form. Perhaps she's thinking up a new school dance theme, after her success with Jackson Pollock.

Quinn might decide to observe World Wish Day by closing her eyes and imagining what she wants. She might even wish for something not completely shallow this time!

Going forward, this blog will be updating once a week rather than every other day. In part this is to lighten the load on my schedule, and in part because the pace of fandom news and fanfic have slowed enough that it isn't necessary to provide updates more often.

Fanfic Update!

• Spider Quinn 21 A View of Oakwood and Ruins, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 5): "Sandi wasn’t sure what Quinn had been up to, but she focused on the Oakwood map. The Story Oak was in the middle of town and Oscorp had no offices nearby."

"It's the Soul Train. Beep-beep. Get on board."

The Landons are having a pleasant International Dance Day, which is impressive because as far as I've seen they normally never have a pleasant anything together. I hope that Jane gets another chance to use her art skills to decorate a school dance so that everyone can join in, although she might want to skip the Jackson Pollack theme this time.

If Tom feels like getting his boogie on, he needs to make sure the Jane-Cam is on so he has a shot at Viral Video Day! I'm sure those inmates will really appreciate his enthusiasm.

However, once the fan mail starts arriving I think Tom will regret his decision. In fact, perhaps he should take advantage of World Wish Day to wish he'd never danced on camera. Quinn can give him some pointers on closing his eyes and imagining what he wants.

Fandom News!

• Vote in the Deadliest Warrior poll between Talky Tina and Zuni doll.

What Do You Mean by "International"?!

The Landons actually look kind of cute there, dancing cheek to cheek for International Dance Day. Of course, I'm sure Michele will find some way to take offense at my calling them "cute," so I'll just stop right there before I push too far. The rest of you can bust a move, or not, as you see fit.

Fandom News!

• The New York Times explains the Daria music issue.


• Join the discussion about nicknames.


• Charles RB shares an article, "Why Nerds Are Unpopular."


• R.I.P., Michael Collins.

Avast!

Upchuck needs to watch where he's swinging that cutlass on International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Even his parrot is giving him a dubious look. Everyone brush off their "Arrrr"s and "Ahoy there"s for a fun holiday!

If that's not enough excitement, you could also celebrate National Dance Day, but I think Upchuck should put down any sharp objects before trying to join in. Jane will spend today thinking back fondly on her tribute to Jackson Pollack and the week she forgot to sleep.

Fanfic Update!

• Another Night At Daria's, by WildDogJJ (part 1): "That's Amore Italian Restaurant is one of the most romantic restaurants in Lawndale. Inside, the decor includes murals of such romantic scenes as the canals of Venice, the streets of Rome, Cafe's in Naples and beaches in Sicily. The restaurant has an in-house band playing romantic music and a dance floor. Each table is decorated with a lit candle and a red rose in a jar. At one table Quinn and Jim were on a double-date with Daria and Link."


• Doctor Who: Changes in Time and Space, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 2): "The Doctor and her companions were still behind the trees in the park as they watched foot soldiers march out of the Drahvin starship. Felicia was worried. 'What are we going to do?'"

No Slow Dancing for Quinn; It's Only the Fourth Date!

Jane, always ready to try out a new form of artistic expression, is cutting a rug for International Dance Day. I'm sure other Lawndale residents are getting into the spirit, such as Jake doing that victory jig with a squirrel skin cap on his head or Robert dancing like a big geek or Daria...well, Daria prefers to dance on the inside.

Fandom News!

• Share your thoughts about the North/South Korea summit.


• WildDogJJ ponders if it's cheating when...?


• Wouter posted a new art Iron Chef: Daria cast in TMNT 2012 style.

Dances with Trees

Daria's reluctantly celebrating International Dance Day, although I give her about ten seconds before the lion gets a good, solid kick someplace unpleasant. I could never figure out why (spoiler alert) Mr. O'Neill kept singling Daria out, but maybe it's better not to think too much about it.

Today is also Arbor Day, so take the opportunity to plant a tree. Or a memorial crutch. Your choice.

Fanfic Update!

• Cynic and a Six-String, by fringeperson (part 11): "'Feeling bad about not feeling worse equals good,' Trent read from one of Daria's notebooks when they were giving their fingers a break."


• Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years, by Meester_Lee (part 4b): "His last interview with Miss Boudreaux cost him any confidence in her competence. He went to one of her supervisors and demanded and got a new senior investigator."


• Lawndale Z, by Kuriamo22 (part 7): "The last thing Jake remembered was excrutiating pain in his chest, and then the ground coming up to hit him. Then blackness, and then here he was standing on a stone path surrounded by clouds."


• Stones Have a Way, by EntrancedCat (part 6): "'Oh no, Berit, too bad,' Quinn said as Berit opened the little Mystery Date door. 'You drew the dud dude. You lose.'"

He's a Maniac, Maniac on the Floor!

Jake's cutting a rug for International Dance Day, although I think Helen and Quinn really wish he wouldn't. I mean, never mind the effect the vigorous activity might have on his still-recovering heart. What if the neighbors saw him dancing like that?

Fandom News!

• The species is doomed, and The Sidhe has proof.


• Talk about the Baltimore riots and related issues.


• ST91 shares a reflection on drawings and their sharing.

But Remember: Quinn Doesn't Slow Dance Until After the Fifth Date!

Happy International Dance Day! Daria and the Lawndale Lion are getting into the spirit--okay, one of them is, anyway--so why don't you? Ms. Li might be celebrating as well, as she reminisces about her brief career as a dancer. And let's not think too much about that one, okay?

Fandom News!

• Check out Brother Grimace's photo caption contest and post your own entry!


• NapalmKracken is visiting Japan and is sharing lots of photos.


• Share your thoughts on an essay about The Green Modernist.


• Sabertooth wants to know if there is any way to get the Daria novels online.


• Join the discussion about godparents and the Morgendorffers started by Ranger Thorne.


• Greystar posted a new Iron Chef in the Creative Writing forum: What did you do during the War of The Worlds?

Dancing Cheek to Cheek

Today is World Dance Day (also International Dance Day, Dance Day, etc.). It's another of those UNESCO-type holidays when our International Overlords force us to do things for cultural diversity, like eating healthy foods and appreciating badgers. Today you must dance. I have a note from my doctor saying I'm excused, but you have no excuse. Get goin', shake a leg.

By the way, the Landons at right are doing their dancing bit as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Hope someone here remembers who those two were. They appear to be doing that famous "Dancing Cheek to Cheek" bit from the 1935 movie Top Hat.

OUTPOST DARIA has updated again! Yay!

The Great and Powerful Kara Wild reports on her DVD Daria set: contents, cool stuff, and everything! DVDaria has updated! See also this PPMB thread about the set.

Superfan CR85747 informs me that MTV2 will air Daria starting on Monday, May 10, 5-6 AM EDT/PST, and Tuesday, May 11, 1:30-2:30 AM EDT/PST. Be there!

PPMB

• The Dream of the White Darkness, by jtranser (continued): "Once you slice open a bag of potato chips, there's no going back." —Stacy Rowe [NEW! Extra chapter here! "Emergency meeting in the Director's conference room! Round up your staff and be there in 10 minutes, before they close the security doors! And use Quiet Passage Protocol!"]
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 44: My Three Young Women, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 2): Jane had been getting increasingly distant lately, and it was getting more and more difficult to enjoy spending time with her. And, oddly enough, it wasn’t as if they weren’t doing anything different. They hung out, Finn watched her paint. Sometimes they went to a movie, exchanged bodily fluids, and all the normal teenage stuff. Nothing about their relationship was different. Except Jane, Finn thought to himself.
• Shining Star: Temporal Conundrum, by RLobinske (Part 8): "I'm a little miffed at seeing versions of myself in relationships with what look like good guys," said Daria. "I'm pushing thirty and haven't even had a good date in the last two years." Archangel said, "I could set you up with Pam Anderson in a heartbeat." [Yowsa! See the alter ego at left for Daria as Pamela Anderson on Baywatch!]
• NEW! Transgender Bender, by Minx (Parts 1 and 2): Hmm, so Quinn isn’t little miss perfect after all. This fugly chick is her sister. Sandi smirked. He had found Quinn’s Achilles’ heel. [Originally posted here.]

Get Down and DANCE!

Today is . . .

World Dance Day!

Another of those UNESCO-type holidays when you do things for cultural diversity. Today you get to dance. Go for it.

Annnnnnd I'll add something later that's more exciting, if I can find it.

You know, I always thought that alter ego of Jane was kind of risqué. Someone should draw some underwear on her. Yeah, I know, it's Jane doing Isadora Duncan, but still... eh, whatever.

Oh, by the way, that illustration appears to be a reversal of this photo, with a scarf added. (Ms. Duncan loved scarves, perhaps a little too much.) I think she's supposed to be a wood nymph.

How would things have turned out between Daria and Jane if Jane had been into dance instead of painting? She knew how to dance, as "Life in the Fast Lane" proved. Huh.