May Your Letters Be Useful and May Your Word Scores Be Triple!

Looks like Daria is on another winning streak for Scrabble Day, and if she plays her, uh, tiles right then she might be able to negotiate her way out of another grounding. Really, anyone who goes up against someone with Daria's vocabulary skills deserves what they get.

For less intense activities, you could celebrate International Plant Appreciation Day by, well, appreciating a plant. If you see a crutch sprout a flower, though, you'd better run away before the ghost of Tommy Sherman shows up. Yes, that's a sentence I just wrote.

On this day in 1997, the Sunday Examiner & Chronicle-Parade published an interview with Daria. Check it out to learn about some fun tidbits like Jane's New Kids on the Block T-shirt or Daria's college dorm decorating plans.

Fanfic Update!

• Spider Quinn 21 A View of Oakwood and Ruins, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 3): "SpiderGirl thought about what the administrator had said as she made her way towards the wing she and Joey had been in earlier. She hadn’t heard about an Oakwood vigilante, but then she was focused on Lawndale."

Back When Dystopias Were Found in the Fiction Section

Young Daria would clearly much rather read than attend camp, but in her defense today is the anniversary of Animal Farm's publication in 1945. Bad news for Daria; I think she's about to find out that all campers are equal, but some campers are more equal than others.

Helen and Jake should know that today is also Baby Boomers Recognition Day, and they should be, well, noticed. Helen referred to herself as a Boomer in Is It College Yet? but I really don't think Baby Boomers are in any danger of being ignored.

On this day in 1997, Daria appeared in The Chicago Tribune's TVWeek with an interview with Glenn Eichler, Susie Lewis, and Abby Terkuhle. The latter's "What separates 'Beavis and Butt-head' from 'Daria' is a lot of brain cells" quote still amuses me no end.

Fanfic Update!

• Run, Timmy, Run, by wilddogjj (part 2): "Quinn's Cadillac was going home. Inside, Quinn was driving while Jim rode shotgun. The triplets were in the back. Timmy was visibly nervous while Tommy, Jim and Quinn were all visibly upset."


• Spider Quinn 11 The Huntsmans, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 2): "While O’Neill was drawing names from a box, Ms. Li was looking up information on the competition in Middlebury."

Why Can't I Buy Fleas at the Flea Market?

Upchuck, Jane, and Daria are celebrating National Thrift Shop Day! Upchuck's still looking for a complete 1985 California Raisins posable eraser set in mint condition, Jane's hoping for some vintage art supplies, and Daria just wants to get out with her sanity intact.

On this day in 1997, The Chicago Tribune published an interview with Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis. I can't be the only one curious about a potential alternate version of Daria known as "Butt-Chick," can I?

Fandom News!

• Vote in the Deadliest Warrior poll between Tetsujin-28 (Gigantor) vs. Starscream.


• Share your thoughts on story length.

Triple Word Score on "Friggatriskaidekaphobia"!

Happy National Scrabble Day! Today's the day to pull out the old board and lay down some tiles--even if you haven't been grounded by the distinguished members of Family Court.

But be careful, as today is also Friday the 13th! The Angst Guy used Friday the 13th as a character from Holiday Island in his fanfic A Hard Days' Night. Don't walk under any ladders or break any mirrors! Seriously, on that last one--the Fashion Club would kill you.

Finally it was on this day in 1997 that San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle published an interview with Daria. Check it out to see Our Heroine in the early days, before the fame went to her head! Or something.

Fanfic Update!

• Andrea's Tears, by BrownEyedBagel (part 2): "I’m in a lot of pain right now, and that is an understatement. It’s been three months since I had a drink, and to be honest I’m sure as hell thinking about having one. I scream at no one in particular, the person I want to be yelling at isn’t here. To my credit, I’m not crying. Not this time."


• Armored Cynic Daria, Episode 1: Esteem Rising, by RX-87 (COMPLETE!): "PA: Attention! Attention! A state of emergency has been declared! All residents are to proceed to their nearest emergency shelter immediately in a calm and orderly fashion! Do not attempt to evacuate the colony! Repeat, a state of emergency... DARIA: Not that you seem like the type to listen to authority, but shouldn't we be looking for a shelter right now? JANE: Fuck that shit. We're blowing this joint."


• Birthday Surprise (Iron Chef: Daria character wins lottery prize), by DeacBlue (part 9): "Paul looked at his girlfriend as she set the handset down. 'Rita, why are you doing this?' She glared at him. 'Because they're family, goddammit.' She set her hands on the table. 'I deserve a bigger piece of that pie then the measly ten thousand that that little bitch gave me. If they don't want to give it to me nicely, I guess I'll have to act like a Barksdale and work my way into it.'"


• Disconnect the Dots, by InvisibleDan (part 11): "The bar was not that full, maybe because it was still relatively early, maybe because the weather had made everyone stay home. In the back I saw Susan sitting at a small table with three other men. She was flashing plenty of cleavage and had put on plenty of makeup, which I could see even from a distance. She spotted me and I waved hello and walked back towards her."


• A Distant Lawndale (Part Two), by Arena del Sur (part 2): "I took my backpack and walked to the door. That morning we have a magnificent sun. I had enough time to pick up Jane, I left that my legs carried me on the path of every day. What pain did my father have kept deep down in his heart?"


• Educator DeMartino in: DARIA DEATH LIVES (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: The Morning After), by Charles RB (part 2): "NIKKI: Ewwwww! NERDS! And they SMELL funny! TORI: They're not popular at ALL, I don't know what they're- Panel 2. The crowd get a better look at the Judges and start freaking - Daria has grabbed someone and is shoving them into the chip bowl. BRITTANY: AAAAA! They're not NORMAL NERDS!"


• The Fight (Otherwise known as One J at a Time) (Iron Chef: Daria and Quinn, Best Friends), by Reven384 (COMPLETE!): "'I'm a failure,' Quinn said. 'No your not. I may have given you unrealistic expectations on what being in a relationship intails,' Daria said. 'Wait a second that can't be right. I went to you for serious advice and you lied to me,' Quinn said looking confused."


• God Save The Esteem ep41: Is It Fun Yet?, by Charles RB (part 7): "'Hmmm. I’m not sure where to start with this one. Wait, no, got it: security guards do go and tell people where they can and can’t stand. It’s a way of guarding a place in a secure manner. That’s why we’re called security guards.' 'I thought we just sat around doing nothing.' 'Ideally, but if someone tells us to do our jobs we have to actually go and do them,' explained Steve. 'Otherwise we get fired and then have to work in a harder job. This is where I’ve seen guards get it wrong.'"


• Lawndale School of Magic Part One: The New Kids, by Reven384 (part 3): "'I wonder what we’re having today,' Jane said. 'How about a serving of Charles,' said a sleazy voice. Daria’s head turned and saw a guy with red hair and a fancy suit. She could feel the power radiating off of him, and could tell he was a skilled magic user. She turned to Jane to ask who this guy was when she saw that Jane had a look of pure lust in her eyes. Suddenly Daria’s body was hit by a sharp shock."


• Life After Highland Ch. 2: 3 of Swords, by LadieT (part 2): "The drive to school was very quiet. After they parked, Quinn watched her older sister walk away and sighed. She was torn - she genuinely liked her aunt, but knew that both her mother and Amy had valid points. What concerned her the most though was Daria's reaction to the conversation."


• The Mageborn Cynic (IC : Daria and the School of Magic), by peetz5050 (parts 2 and 3): "'May I offer a warm welcome to all of you on this fine Autumn day. As I'm sure you know through diligence and effort this college has achieved a reputation as the premier educational center for the Mageborn on this continent. I expect nothing less than a like application of diligence and effort from each of you as you progress through your courses. Proper education is an opportunity to be seized and built upon. There are books of rules governing conduct in this establishment but I have two rules you must remember: Work hard and don't die'." (Part 3)


• A Resentful Cynic ch. 2 No Party . No Problem, by ST91 (part 5): "'Come on Daria, don’t be like that. You'll see, you will enjoy yourself.” Said Jane. 'Or at least you’ll have a pleasant evening.' Andrea said with a wink. 'I don’t think I will.' Daria said. 'Why?' Andrea and Jane asked in chorus. 'Quinn is coming.' Daria said, pointing out with her finger the red head girl who approached them very quickly."


• Star Trek: Daria - Resurrection, by echopapa (part 2): "'She's coming out of the coma, Doctor.' Hm. Bright lights. I guess there is a Heaven, after all...wait. Why would Heaven need a doctor?"


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: The Morning After), by BrownEyedBagel (COMPLETE!): "(Daria and Jane are minding their own buisness when Brittany slowly edges up to them sobbing silently) Daria:'...Brittany...(sighs) is everything OK?' Brittany:' NO! Everything's NOT OK! I'm pregnant!'"

An Interview with the Cynic

The "Insider" column "Daria on Fame, Fortune and Film" appeared on this day in 2000, shortly before the premiere of Is It Fall Yet? In it, Daria discussed her life, her goals, and her love of yo-yo tricks. Check out the transcript of the article on the Outpost Daria page, although the link to the article itself is broken.

Fanfic Update!

• The Author as a Lesbian, by DeacBlue (parts 2 - 4): "'Daria Morgendorffer,' Daria said, suddenly very aware that Jane had wrapped their arms together. 'Okay, and you? What's your name?' The guard asked Jane. 'I'm Tiffany, but I don't know if I'll be on there. I'm Daria's date!' Jane said brightly, laying her head on Daria's shoulder. 'She didn't ask me until this afternoon. Isn't that right, sugarplum?'" (Part 3) (Part 4)


• Big Brother (Scenes That Should Be: Breakfast of Zombie Champions), by breitasparrow (COMPLETE!): "'Still the Tom thing, huh?' He reached down and wiped her cheek dry with the back of his hand. Jane sat up in her bed and crossed her legs, then grabbed the pillow and held it against her before looking her brother in the eye. 'He said we should have just broken up, as if I felt the same way... I-I didn't want to, though. But it's too late... I already know how he feels. It doesn't matter what I say.' She dropped her head back into the pillow in her lap and began to cry again. Trent placed a hand on her shoulder and waited patiently for her to lift her head and speak again."


• Chatting with God on the Bus (Iron Chef: Radio Music), by Pumpkin Panic (part 1): "'Do I know you?' the green jacketed girl asked lowering her book slightly. 'I'd like to think you know me a bit, though you've been trying awfully hard not to for the past few years.' She tucked one of her wild curls behind her ear and continued, 'My name is El, Or Yaweh, Ishvah, Akal Purahk, Akambe, Basoga, Shiva, Manitou, Alpha and Omega-' 'Ah so you're insane.'"


• Daria is Raven's Apprentice, by project pegasus: "Cyborg: I'm sorry, but I'm out. I'll take you to Rome, but I won't be a party to the mission. You can call me if things get hairy, if the Darkwater goons come after you, or if Robin is the killer and he fights back, but you'll have to present me with more evidence before I act as though the captain of our team is a murderer. Raven: Fair enough."


• Daria, or the Confession of a Single Lonely Male, by Arena del Sur: "I would be a liar to say that the shock of losing Daria cured me of deviation. My accursed nature could not change, no matter how my love for her did. On playgrounds and beaches, my sad and stealthy eyes, against my will, still sought out the flash of a wolphet's limbs, the sly tokens of Daria's handmaids and rosegirls. But one essential vision in me had withered: never did I dwell now on possibilities of bliss with a little maiden, specific or synthetic, in some out-of-the-way place; never did my fancy sink its fangs into Daria's sisters, far far away, in the coves of evoked islands."


• Dawn of a New Day (Iron Chef: TAKE OUT TRENT LANE!), by DeacBlue (COMPLETE!): "'Y-you aren't going to hurt me, are you?' she stuttered, falling to her knees. He walked up to her and caressed her cheek. 'Not if you're a good girl...' He was going to reach into her dress when his hand was slapped away, hard. He took a moment to shake his hand and look at it, and by then, the girl was standing up and in his face. 'Not hardly.'"


• Discovery of the Verdean Portal (Interstellar Portals - A worldbuilding scenario), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 1): "The Portuguese ship stood off near the strange formation in the ocean, that they had just discovered. The captain of the ship was wondering whether to take the ship into the strange formation, that contained similarities to a whirlpool miles across. Except that part of the island nearby also extended down into the formation. 'What do you think Captain? Should we take the ship in?' the first mate asked."


• The Firing of Upchuck (Iron Chef: Kevin or Upchuck is shot out of a cannon), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (COMPLETE!): "Aragorn and Gimli carried the squirming Upchuck to the cannon. 'You can't do this to me!' he said. 'You deserve it!' the Dwarf said."


• God Save The Esteem Ep34: Tom's Addition, by Charles RB (parts 1 and 2): "As the music vomited on, Tom made a surprise appearance, waving at the girls. Following him was a blond girl with piercing ice-coloured eyes and the clothes of a rich person who's trying to look not-rich but has only seen such people in books. 'Hey! Astrid, this is my girlfriend Daria and my friend Jane; Daria, this is the Honourable Astrid Magnus, from Fielding. I don't have to say "Honourable" each time I introduce her but it makes me feel all important and connected.'" (Part 2)


• God Save the S Team, by Smijey (COMPLETE!): "Jake 'Hannibal' Morgendorffer floored the accelerator on the van as he drove towards Lawndale High. 'Girls, I just want you to know your mother and I realize it's not easy moving to a whole new town -- especially for you, D.A., right?' Daria Anne 'D.A.' Morgendorffer shifted uncomfortably under the weight of her many gold chains. 'Did we move...sucka?' she asked in a hesitantly gravelly voice."


• Is It Ours Yet?, by RX-87 (part 4): "Back on the ground, Daria and company barely noticed the fighter jets soaring overhead, engrossed as they were by the sight of the black monster. Stacy looked up, her mouth gaping in horror. 'W-what? What the...?' 'Is that the giant robot he was talking about?' Mack wondered aloud, his face showing steely determination, 'Or one of the monsters?'"


• Lawndale and Sandi Griffin's Genie (Chapter 5), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 3): "Jake Morgendorffer was bored, he had finished his latest proposal for one of his clients an hour before, and was playing two deck Solitaire. Then the news about the tornado came onto the radio. 'Gaaggghh, Tornado! Here? But Lawndale is nowhere near Tornado Alley!' He ran to the window and looked out. He saw the funnel in the distance. He then went to the phone and dialled his wife's cell number."


• A New World, by breitasparrow (part 1): "'Are you alright?' Tom asked, snapping Jane back into reality. 'Uh... you wanna go with me to my dorm and help with my stuff?' As soon as the words left her mouth, she almost regretted saying them. Her face heated up - could he see her blushing? She couldn't remember the last time she felt so stupid and nervous."


• Quinn's Code 03: Cafe Geekdale, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 8): "At the Lane house, Daria was playing the song for Jane in the basement. She had plugged her guitar into Mystik Spiral's equipment. Trent came down the stairs, curious about the unfamiliar song which was coming up from the basement. Daria suddenly noticed that Trent was there and fumbled with the guitar, dropping it into a nearby pile of clothes."


• Rude Awakening Ep.8: Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust, by DIsaac (part 7): "DANI: We aren't doing anything that could be construed as destructive or dangerous. STACY: You mean we AREN'T doing anything at a station party? DANI: Yep. STACY: We must be losing our game."


• Save the Last Trance for Me, by jtranser: "'I remember the thing about whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad.' 'No, Daria, not quite. You see, the Gods are perfectly comfortable with madness and are very protective of those Gods and mortals who practice it on a regular basis. It's the self-hating mad people that are the problem, especially those that are aware of their lunacy and don't want to be lunatics.'"


• Settling Into A New Life, by RLobinske (part 9): "Daria felt more at ease than she had for a long time. I have what you could almost calla dream job. I like my new home. I have good friends and good family. The only thing keeping things from being perfect is that I have a good husband – who is too far away. I can't wait for him to be done and finally get to join me down here."


• Shadows of a Timeless Song, by Dennis (part 8): "Before Daria could answer, the subject of their conversation burst into the room, bushy hair flying. 'Daria,' she said, 'take a look at this. I told you I'm right about Badon Hill and this proves it!' 'I think that's my cue to do a magic trick of my own,' Jane said, and slipped out of the room. Sighing, Daria took the book. Bound in leather with ornate gilding, it was another of the hefty tomes, Hermione seemed to favor. 'What am I supposed to be looking it?' 'Last page,' Hermione said, breathless."


• Trennt and Odell's Excellent Adventure (Iron Chef: TAKE OUT TRENT LANE!), by Smijey (COMPLETE!): "Odell smirked. 'Trennt, you fool. Don't you know the rules about Evil Parallel Universes?'"


• Unexpected Packages, by J-D (COMPLETE!): He was walking past the park, on the way to where he'd parked his car, and he could see somebody seated on one of the benches, but obviously not looking at him. The figure on the bench was too preoccupied with his drinking to pay any attention to anybody else's misery. Chuck looked again. It wasn't just 'somebody' on the bench.""


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria and Quinn, Best Friends), by Ardneh (COMPLETE!): "Just as they reached the exit, Daria jumped when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. 'Daria, don't leave me here,' Quinn pleaded. 'I know you and Aunt Amy are bailing. Please, let me come with you. I can't take any more of this.' Daria looked Amy, who shrugged her shoulders. 'Sure, sis. This place isn't for the faint of heart,' Daria said as she watched the mayhem spread across the room."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria Dating Service), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "'Hello! My name is Brittany, and I'm looking for a guy....'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Daria ... Man), by Grifter74: "A synthesized voice answered almost immediately, 'Hello, Ms. Morgendorffer. How may I help you?' 'Hi, Jarvis. Please connected me to Mr. Stark.' Daria said."


• Unnamed story (Scenes That Should Be: Breakfast of Zombie Champions), by Silver (COMPLETE!): "'I can't be certain, but my math was off.' Jodie sighed, turning around. Even with the rumble of the Better-Than-Light Drive, this were almost eerily silent. 'It would seem we've accidentally destroyed the universe.'"

Meet the Met

This is post #1600, or #40² for you math geeks. Woo-hoo! Top o' the world!

New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met") was founded this day only 140 short years ago. Those who live in Lawndale must make do with the County Museum of Modern Art (COMMA), of which Jane Lane has a most definite opinion.

Just 13 years ago today an interview with Daria appeared in the San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle (in the Parade magazine). "Who do you discuss your problems with?" the interviewer asks. "I talk to my friend Jane," says Daria. "She doesn't judge me. That's because she's not listening."

PPMB

• NEW! Enchanted April, by Project Pegasus (COMPLETE!): "Not funny. Plus, you're around two weeks late for April Fool's."
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 42: The Suburban Symphony, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 4):
  Jane knew that Finn was going to be out tonight, something about dealing with Lindy, that drunk girl from the café. Figures. He sees someone in trouble, he’s gotta go charging ahead and save the day. Hero complex, totally called it. Knew it from the first day.
• NEWERER! The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 23): Daria held her breath. Not now. She picked up the phone. "Hey, Elsie. Yeah... yeah... okay. Listen... I just wanted to tell you that there might be a delay on Saturday... I decided to sign up for that Lend-a-Hand thing and... hello... hello?"
  
• Into the Fray, by Minx (Part 7): “What are you doing?” Trent asked. “We need to sort out our stuff, see what we have left since we had to leave your car behind. There’s not enough room for everyone to fit comfortably in the Tank, so we have to get rid of all non-essential items.” Daria continued to remove the bags and drop them on the ground. Jane silently walked over and began to help. As Daria put a box of the bands leads on the ground Max jumped up, “Hey! Not the gig equipment,” he said sternly.
• NEW! Unnamed story (More Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "Like, strange things are totally afoot at the Circle K!"
• NEWERER! Unnamed story (Scenes That Should Be: Breakfast of Zombie Champions), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "We ran out of milk."
  

EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

Kara Wild has been notified that MTV is going to interview the voice actors for Daria on the DVD set for Daria.

MTV is looking for questions to ask them.

Kara will forward ours.

If we have any.

GET TO WORK!!!! HURRY!!!!!!

It's a Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Singer-songwriter-activist Bob Dylan was born 68 years ago today. Wow. One of his songs was the backbone of this story. I confess I've not been as fond of his later stuff as I was of early albums like Desire, which was awesome. I once had a copy of the stream-of-consciousness novel he wrote, Tarantula, but lost it.

By the way, I used Trent because there are no Bob Dylan alter egos. He could pass for Dylan if you squint a lot in a dark room. Until he plays.

Not many fanfics have much to do with Bob Dylan. Here is an exception.

By the way, I added a bunch of new stories to the last post. Have a look. Great stuff. I love this fandom!

The interviews done last year with some authors and artists have been posted. Enjoy. We'll see what comes up next.

BREAKING NEWS! Richard Lobinske has updated the 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks listing! Hooray!

And now for the fanfic.

FF.net

• Our Time Now, by Charliefox2012 (Part 4): Daria was startled when her door burst open. “Daria! What are you doing in bed when the house is on fire?!” Jake yelled. The sentence didn’t really process for Daria. She sat up and put on her glasses. “Um, trying to find out if these blankets are flame-retardant?” she said. [Author would like some feedback, please help!]
• Sinspiration, by Vlora (up to Part 11!): As Trent arrived home he was met with Jane on the couch eating some kind of instant meal. ‘You’re up early,’ she pointed out, her eyes drifting between her food and the TV periodically, enjoying the laziness of a Saturday more than she could remember. It was probably because she had spent most of the previous night reliving the same feelings she had gotten from Tom when they had broken up – all through Daria. She shouldn’t have let them date, but it seemed as if nothing good would have come out of the situation either way.
• Tales of the Ringbearers: Temporary Duty, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): Sharon lifted a pair of electronic binoculars and observed the target area 500 meters away. Only her long experience with The Agency prevented her from flinching at the series of loud reports that erupted beside her. Looking down range at the fluttering remains of the target, she said, "Very effective Gunny, though a Ma Deuce isn't exactly what I'd call subtle."

PPMB

• Jane Lane: Spider-man, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 2): Jane hurried after the redheaded boy but instead bumped into an African-American girl who was carrying a box full of photographic equipment. Jane tried in vain to catch the box before it hit the floor but couldn't get there in time and instead got the other girl to fall too. “Uh, sorry. Did you see a guy go by here?
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): "Whose idea was this? I try to stay under the radar, run a profitable investigation agency and avoid fools and incompetents whenever possible. But, lately, somehow, I've become a magnet attracting deranged and idiotic creatures of great wealth."
  
• Things Fall Apart, by Doggieboy (Part 14): After the Ringbearers restored a semblance of order to the chaos at Highland High School, Beavis found himself alone and thinking of Butt-Head. They saved everyone here, but what about Butt-Head? he thought and sniffled.
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: TGIF), by Greystar: "Daria, how can you have anything bad to say about a school trip to Europe of all places?" Jane asked her best friend as they walked to school. "We're going on a zeppelin, Jane." Daria scowled. "The last one of those that ran for passenger service crashed in 1937, in case you don't remember. I've got a picture of it in my locker."
  

Pay Attention!

Some news bits for those in Daria fandom-land....

An open invitation has been extended by Kristen Bealer for a Midwest Dariacon, to be held in the indefinite near future. Check and link and report in if you think you can make it.

Roentgen has posted a very funny Daria Fan Fiction Classification Test on PPMB. Enjoy it.

I am working on the author/artist interviews I did a year ago and hope to post them soon. Thanks to everyone who participated.

PPMB

• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Respite (COMPLETE!): "Look here, Princess. We're going to need to set up some ground rules if you're going to intern for me, or whatever they said. First, in the fashion biz, mouths on girls your age aren't for talking, so if you're not going to use it for the reason it's there, just shut it. Second, belly-tees went out about three years ago. Burn it. Third, Ginger was never in. Dye it. Fourth: Did I mention shutting the hell up?"
  
• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Ajar (COMPLETE!): "Now it might look tempting to chose any old people you find to socialize with, but many of them can in fact be toxic for your mental state. These people here are poor candidates. First, they're just walking around, not worrying about anything. This likely means that they are either stuck up, unintelligent, or vapid, all of which are not good for your mental state."
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: TGIF), by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "Your lack of interest in personal interaction makes you an ideal candidate for working with the dead." The words of the career evaluation from high school floated through her mind, and she smiled, appreciating the irony. The quiz had almost nailed it. She worked with the dead and loved every minute of it, but not as a mortician, as a historian. And today her career may have reached its pinnacle.

All the News Unfit to Print

Let's see, 12 years ago today an interview with Daria appeared in the San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle (in the Parade magazine). Of Jane, Daria says: "When I met her, she was wearing a 'New Kids on the Block' tour jacket. She's lucky she found me." Lots of attitude for those who like that.

PPMB

• Complications, by Legendeld (Part 8): Quinn winced at the shout coming from her sister’s bedroom. Daria was tearing into David ruthlessly over some kind of discussion on global politics. She didn’t hear her mother coming up behind her. “They’re still at it I see, or rather I can hear,” Helen said. Quinn couldn’t believe how calm her mother sounded.
• Expecting Trouble, by Legendeld (Part 3): Helen pulled up to the school, then turned to Quinn. “The school knows, I felt it best to get it out of the way as soon as possible because of the doctor appointments. If they so much as mention it, I want you to call me right away.”
• Legion of Lawndale Heroes Special: Tokusatsu Team Up! by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 6): A lone figure of Jane Lane of D-RG1993, materialized itself on the outskirts of an artificial planet. Gruesome dragon-like ‘engines’ surrounded the Planeswalker. She smirked with contempt and released a powerful omnidirectional blast that destroying each of the guards. The man that had been leading the engines was the only one that remained, although all the artificial parts of his body had been removed. He looked rather pitiful with only one arm and no legs.
• On the Clock, by Legendeld (Part 4): I can’t believe I haven’t killed someone here yet. If I have to listen to any more of Shadow and HellCat arguing over portable power supplies one more time, I’m going to just murder both of them.
  

Mooning

Full moon tonight. I was going to post a Beavis and Butt-head picture to celebrate (heh heh heh heh), then thought better of it.

Plundering England like a Viking from Oz, Deref claims to have burnt down Nottingham Castle and taken pictures of the ruins on his rampage across the countryside. He also reports the weather is bad, but that's normal. Damn, I wish I was back in London again.

Richard Lobinske has updated the 2008 Daria Visual Fanworks list. Go to either PPMB or SFMB and marvel at the wonders therein!

Just a reminder to get your questions in for the first alt.lawndale.creators interviews. The two in the spotlight are:

Kristen Bealer (fanfic author): See PPMB or SFMB for details

and

Christ Oliver (fan artist): See PPMB or SFMB for details

One week left to send in questions for them to answer!

Flagged

One hundred ninety years ago today, Congress finally decided what the American flag should look like (red and white stripes, stars added with new states, etc.). This is sort of typical when you think of it, that it took only FORTY-TWO YEARS for Congress to figure out the flag thing after 1776. Tiffany recreates the Betsy Ross legend in the alter ego at left, and that seems appropriate, doesn't it? ("You... made... me... lose... my... place. Now... I... have... to... start... over.")

Today is also National Walk-to-Work Day, but it's a little late in the day to celebrate that.

I am thinking about restarting the interview-a-fanfic-author thing on my own, though filling the shoes of E. A. Smith will be a tall order. I don't think I'm very interesting, but other people are, and we'll see how this goes. More later after I think this over. I would like to include artists, essayists, website operators, and so forth as well as authors, taking questions sent in by fans on PPMB and SFMB. Comments and criticism of this idea are all too welcome; I could use all the advice I can get. More soon, with updates on fanfics and fan art this weekend, and more on Mystik Spiral for UU.