Lady Looks Like a Dude

Sandi is doing a pretty good impression of Steven Tyler for the anniversary of the singer's birth on this day in 1948. The resemblance is uncanny, if only because they both have big mouths. I assume Steven Tyler is at least a little nicer, though. He's undoubtedly more popular, anyway.

Her hair still looks pretty nice, which is good because it's also Good Hair Day. Let's hope everyone out there in fandom has hair with the right amount of bouncity-bounce!

On this day in 2001, the episode "Lucky Strike" first aired. Quinn finally admitted Daria was her sister, Mr. DeMartino found a spine when dealing with Ms. Li, and Daria got Tom's hopes up by suggesting she might wear a fur bikini.

Fandom News!

• Please, please nominate Written Works and Visual Works for the 2025 Daria Fanworks Awards!

I DO Wanna Be All By Myself!

Daria is enjoying Solitude Day to the fullest, because nothing beats being alone in a room when you're an introvert. Of course, it's only a matter of time before Helen knocks on the door to ask her about some new social opportunity or Quinn bursts in to complain, but she can enjoy it while it lasts.

I hope Jodie and her family don't get too excited about National Landon Day, because the holiday is for people with the first name Landon. So close, yet so far away.

On this day in 2001, the episode "Lucky Strike" first aired. Although the most notable moment in the episode was Quinn finally acknowledging Daria as her sister, I think we should also take a moment to appreciate Daria's "angel vs. devil" exchange in Ms. Li's office. Classic.

Fanfic Update!

• Flaw of Attraction, by wilddogjj (COMPLETE!): "Quinn, Jim and Chris were tied up on the bed while Chris's psychotic girlfriend was threatening them at gunpoint."


• Spider Quinn 07: Ashes to Ashes, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (COMPLETE!): "Quinn heard a knock at the bedroom door. Just as well she wasn’t doing something SpiderGirl related."


• Stranger Without Time, by radiofox (part 11): "'Hey, Dad.' Quinn opened the door to her father's car. 'Hey kiddo, How'd it go?' Jake turned around to face his daughter.

Putting That High Pain Tolerance to the Test

Quinn isn't taking any chances on Good Hair Day, but I'm sure she'd never admit to ever having a bad hair day. It never happened and you can't prove anything!

If your hair is less than perfect, you could always celebrate Wear A Hat Day instead. Helen won't, though, as she's already on record as hating the way she looks in hats.

This is also the anniversary of the episode "Lucky Strike," which aired on this day in 2001. The big takeaway from this episode was Quinn finally admitting Daria was her sister (rather anticlimactically), but I think more attention needs to be paid to Daria's hypothetical fur bikini.

Fandom News!

• R.I.P., Gordon Moore.

Sandi REALLY Has a Big Mouth!

In a switcheroo, a lady looks like a dude because Sandi's impersonating Steven Tyler for the singer's birthday today! Just so you're all aware, that was Steven Tyler, not Steven Taylor. As far as I know, Steven Tyler doesn't decorate his home in early petting zoo.

Today is also the anniversary of the episode "Lucky Strike" in 2001. Not only did that episode give us a rare DeMartino Triumphant moment, but he also got a lot of good lines. I mean, "This is Goodwill polyester I've been sweating in all night. I want to picket naked!"? Hilarious.

Fanfic Update!

• America the Beautiful, by Lady Evil (part 4): "In the school auditorium, Ms. Li stood on stage at the podium during a school assembly."


• Analyze Jim (The Carbones), by WildDogJJ (part 1): "The Carbone family (Quinn, Jim, Tommy, Timmy and Teddy) , plus Daria, are sitting down at the kitchen table having dinner. Tommy was telling an animated story about his day."


• And So The American Experiment Begins, by Lady Evil (part 1): "In Ms. Barch's class, Ms, Barch was describing how positive reinforcement affected animal behavior."


• Ashtrapped (General "Daria in Morrowind" Thread), by welltemperedclavier (COMPLETE!): "The caravanner studied the silt strider's exposed brain with watchful eyes. She raised her right hand, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed her index and middle fingers into a whorl on the organ's gray and rubbery surface."


• Common Ground (Linn's short stories (or ficlets, drabbles...)), by Linnofthewoods (part 1): "It had been a long day of work and brainstorming for Daria Morgendorffer. She finally felt satisfied enough with her script for 'Late Night with Dennis Monahan.'"


• Did I Really Just Do That? (Creative Writing - My class submissions), by neonhomer (COMPLETE!): "'So? What do you think?' Matt said to his father as they sat at the kitchen table during dinner."


• Twenty Years Later, by WildDogJJ (part 1): "Daria Morgendorffer sat alone in her apartment in Hells Kitchen. She just stared at the blank computer screen and wondered what the hell was wrong with her."

That's TYLER, not TAYLOR!

Sandi's using her big mouth to good effect as Steven Tyler, who turns 70 today. I can only imagine what the rest of the Fashion Club will say about those striped bell-bottoms, but I suspect it will end with an involuntary sabtical--sabbactical--vacation from her duties.

This is also the anniversary of the first airing of the episode "Lucky Strike" on this day in 2001. Quinn admitted Daria was her sister, Mr. DeMartino finally scored a victory over Ms. Li, and Trent discovered Mr. O'Neill's hidden musical talents. It was a groundbreaking episode all around!

Fanfic Update!

• Are We There Yet?, by WildDogJJ (part 14 - 16): "Daria, Jane, Quinn, Helen, Sandi and Lindy were engaging in small talk and laughter. Lindy: So you were stuck on a ferris wheel listening to one of Stacy's crying fits? Jane: Yep. Most annoying carnival ride ever. Daria: At least we were spared the riot in the auditorium." (Part 15) (Part 16)


• Brand New Day, by fringeperson (COMPLETE!): "Trent was surprised when, in response to Mr DeMartino asking if any of them could summarise the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, someone in the class actually raised their hand."


• Daria/Power Rangers: Watching the Watchmen, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "When Daria woke up, it was sixteen hours later and she was in a hospital guarded by a faceless grey suit with a machine gun. 'This may be a terrible time to mention I have no insurance.'" (Part 18)


• Jane Moves In (IC: Random Pairing Challenge 2018), by EntrancedCat (COMPLETE!): "'Duck!' Jane heard the command, cringed and turned an instant before the spinning red disc sliced off her left ear."

Do You Have to Make Up Your Own Greeting Card, Too?

Daria's thinking hard to come up with a good idea for Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, and I suspect she'll come up with something along the lines of "National Leave Me the Hell Alone Day." A wise choice, if you ask me.

This is also the fifteenth anniversary of the episode "Lucky Strike," which aired on this day in 2001. Maybe Daria should make up a holiday about hiring qualified teachers instead of students to cover during teacher strikes.

Fandom News!

• Discuss the Ted Cruz sex scandal and keep up with new developments in the thread.


• Meester_Lee has a Daria/Game Of Thrones crossover question.

Dude Looks Like a Fashionista

Sandi's wishing a rocking happy birthday to Steven Tyler, who turns 67 today. Quinn would be the first to tell you what a big mouth Sandi has, but the huge belt and striped bell bottoms are a new addition.

Speaking of Sandi's downfalls, this also happens to be the anniversary of "Lucky Strike," which aired on this day in 2001. Quinn finally, finally admitted that Daria was actually her sister, and everyone but Sandi failed to give a crap.

Fanfic Update!

• Is it Curtain Yet?, by Zetor (part 1): "Daria sighed and sat up. She glanced at her clock and saw that it was three thirty-four. Cursing the fact that her very important lounging was being cut short so that Quinn could get a ride to her friend's house, she grabbed the remote and turned off the TV."


• Jane Scores (Iron Chef - Jane plays Football), by Smijey (COMPLETE!): "Daria walked with Jane as they travelled to their favorite pizza place after another day at Lawndale High. 'So.' Daria began. 'So?' Jane asked. 'How was football practice?' Daria finally asked."


• Lies of Life, by Princess_Pasta (part 3): "'So, you have everything in your notes, right?' Quinn asked as her and Jane exited the school, 'And you can bring them in tomorrow?' Jane nodded, 'Yeah, you'll be out of there in no time.'"


• Loves Me This Much (Iron Chef: Quinn's Trashfreak out), by macross (COMPLETE!): "She looked down at her hands; they were starting to turn white from the constant nervous wringing. 'Any minute now,' she thought. 'Any minute now she'll walk through the front door and I'll finally tell her that I know'."


• QB-Wave Feminism, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "The team thought this over and agreed, in gutteral noises, that this random girl was indeed a slut. That was when Kevin coughed. 'Dude, that's not cool.'"


• The Return of Mike Mavinsky, by PerkyGoth14 (part 1): "In the year 2020. It was for the 20th anniversary of Cartoon Cartoon Fridays and many people came back for the reunion."


• The Spoilsport Agenda: Multiversal Breakdown Tsunami, by Erin M. (part 1): "Judith opened her eyes again, now back to their normal brown. She leaned over the table, her face bathed in the blue light. A grin crossed her face. If I lose, they are absolutely going to shit themselves over this."

Lady Looks Like a Dude!

Happy birthday to Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, who was born on this day in 1948. Sandi certainly does resemble the singer in her alter ego, although I'm not sure that's an entirely flattering comparison. I'm sure Quinn would agree on the size of the mouth, though.

It was also on this day in 2001 that the episode "Lucky Strike" first aired on MTV. Lots of great moments in that episode--O'Neill collaborating with Trent, DeMartino's creative negotiating tactics, and Quinn making a great leap forward both in academics and her relationship with her sister. That's right, I said sister!

Fandom News!

• Post your baby photos in a new thread, and prepare from some serious "awwww!"


• Are you going to participate in Script Frenzy? Post about it or wish others luck!


• Check out some strangely accurate 100-year-old predictions from Ladies' Home Journal.


• Dervish has a YouTube debugging question.


• See the list of political catch phrases from various countries and share your thoughts.


• Walter Kovacs posted a new Iron Chef in the Creative Writing forum: New names for genderbender characters.


• Kem has a question about pseudonyms vs. real names on artwork.

Lucky Strikes Out

Nine years ago this very day, "Lucky Strike" premiered, closing in on the end of season five. A previous post offered some interesting information about this episode, see what you think of it. Wish we knew who the two black teachers were. They sort of magically appeared in this episode, then were never seen again. And the coach never got a speaking part. Alas.

Marianne, the legal assistant in Helen Morgendorffer's office, has a special day today (but no benefits thereof): it's Legal Assistants Day! Now she can shut up and get back to work, there's a deadline.

Today is also Purple Day (commemorating those with epilepsy), Prince Kuhio Day in Hawaii, and the birthday anniversary of poet Robert Frost and Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy. By some accounts it is also Opposite Day, but you figure out what to do for that one. It might not be Opposite Day. Or maybe it is.

The Awesome Kem has drawn Kevin as Inspector Gadget, Brittany as his sidekick, and their dog as their dog. Dig it!

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• NEW! Apocalyptic Daria: Timeline, by Doggieboy (Part 3): In Kentucky, Major General Bartholomew J. Simpson and his wife are driving south on Interstate 65 after leaving Standford Louisville International Airport. That is when they hear the first reports of Washington and Pittsburgh being bombed.
• NEW! Cynic and Violence, by Peapotmaster (Part 2): "The planet is called Lawndale." "What kind of idiot names their planet Lawndale?" "Nerdy fan fiction writers who have nothing to do."
  
• Finn Morgendorffer 39: That S-E-X Word, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): Finn smiled. “You know I never asked, how did your date go last Saturday with Kelly?” “Fan-tastic,” Jeffy cheered. “How fantastic?” Joey, who was already starting to dress, joined in. “We went to the movie, then to the café. She was enjoying herself the whole way, and I was piling on that Mercer charm. Then we got back to her place, she invited me in, and, well...I scored! Woo!” Jeffy thrust his hips in celebration. Please point that in another direction, Finn thought to himself. [NEW! Part 2 here: Finn hung up the phone. Now he was even more depressed about the whole sex issue. Here was Daria, antisocial and a total misfit, now getting chewed out for having sex. With Tom. Finn’s best friend. Finn wasn’t sure whether to be angry or ashamed. Now even his own sister was having sex before he was. What did that make him? Nervous? Timid? Not interested in girls?]
  
• NEW! General Semantics, Private Angst, by Gwrtheyrn (Part 20): She reconstructed it in this way: Mackenzie's orders were to kill Amanda Lane, and 'X,' and maybe Jane as well, but to leave "Enro's favourite cousin" strictly alone. She'd prevented him from carrying those instructions out. But, had Mackenzie deliberately been complicit in his wife's murder? Had that whole gruesome tableau been served up just to convince Daria of his bona fides?
• NEW! Last Man Standing, by Project Pegasus (COMPLETE!): "So, ummm... I'm reading a book and... it's about John Milton and..." "Woah woah woah. This is your first self-insert, and you chose to blow it like this? You could have at least done something halfway interesting with your first self-insert like go to the Adult Entertainment Expo or something." "But... I thought we could... I dunno, have a fun adventure together. Like, we could do so many Jägermeister shots together that you become too drunk to make it back to your place so you have to stay at my place. When we get there, you come on to me in your drunken stupor but I gently rebuff your advances, informing you that I want you, but not like this and..." "Yeah, that's not happening."
  
• Nobody Puts Quinn in a Corner! by Shull Bitter (Part 1): "I don't really think you'd fit in at Hampshire College. It's Shaggy." Quinn wrinkled her forehead, not ugly though, but cute like a puppy. "What's Shaggy?" "You know, from Scooby Doo? There's a legend about the characters on that show being based on Hampshire College and the schools around it. And Hampshire is Shaggy." "Ooooooh." A pause. "What school is Daphne?"

Saints Preserve Us!

Saint Daria? Yes, indeed. Today is the Roman Catholic feast day for St. Daria, though the Orthodox feast day for her is on March 19. Saint Daria was said to be "supremely modest." Hmmm, is that our Daria? Pagans were supposed to have proclaimed of the saint, "Daria is a goddess!" Like, duh, we knew that. Interesting that St. Daria started off as a priestess of Athena, goddess of wisdom. Double hmmm.

Twelve years ago, curiosity got the best of one fanfic Daria. The rest was history. Bizarre history. Still thinking about a sequel to that.

The awesome supersite Glitter Berries was last updated two years ago today. *sigh* Still metric tons of good stuff to see there, especially art. Thank you, Kem!

Stay tooned.

Brittany, Stoned

By the way, today is the 111th anniversary of the birth of famed sculptor Henry Moore (no relation), and Brittany is here as an alter ego of a Moore work of art. She resembles one or two of the "Seated Woman" sculptures Moore worked on in the late 1950s (this one or that one), but a lot of his works looked like this.

Today is also the 34th anniversary of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Just wanted to mention that because we've talked about so many disappeared people, but I think this one is not such a mystery. (And, honestly, I don't want to know what happened to him.) His name comes up in "Lucky Strike."

Baltimore, one of the cities suggested as the general location of Lawndale, celebrates its 280th birthday today. Cheers to you!

Daria and the Bard

While The Bug Guy looks up the fanfics which have been influenced by Shakespeare, this post will briefly name some of the episodes that owe one or more elements to the Bard. "Cafe Disaffecto," "Lucky Strike," "The Lost Girls," "Ill," and "Quinn the Brain" all mention or describe the works of Shakespeare. Brittany at left reenacts the role of Juliet in "Cafe Disaffecto."

I have been lax about updating the fanfiction list but will attend to it later this evening. Some great stuff is out. Back to The Bug Guy.


"I can't take anymore of this Shakespeare dude, bro. He's, like, a total chick writer!"

—Kevin Thompson, Cafe Disaffecto

Sssssmokin'!

The tiny picture at left balloons up wonderfully when you click on it. This is how Quinn's class viewed having Daria as their teacher in "Lucky Strike," which premiered eight years ago today. This is the episode most famous for Daria's fur bikini. Or lack thereof.

Were you aware that the name of this episode came from a brand of cigarettes? Even cartoon characters smoke Lucky Strikes. They're less likely to get cancer than we are. Maybe.

I had an idea once about Jane drawing a comic strip for the school paper featuring a puffin (kind of like a penguin, only less erotic) named Puffy, who smokes cigarettes and does television ads promoting a given cigarette brand.... until he discovers he has cancer, which the cigarette company had assured him he would not get. The comic goes into angst overdrive, with Puffy coughing up blackened parts of his lungs & cursing his fate, yet completely unable to stop smoking, until the students who smoke get riled up and begin protesting. (Burnout Girl, by the way, is a smoker. See picture #13 at that link. Mr. DeMartino smokes too, per "The Big House.")

An Iron Chef about a drunken Daria is gathering some ficlets. Contribute yours!

Daria fan Dulcinea has a PPMB thread about Sandi Griffin, and how we view her. Why are people fascinated with her? Also a good thread for contributions.

Looking for a good debate? Try Deconstructing Mack, a critical discussion of "Saint Mack" Mackenzie and how the show depicted him.


UPDATED FANFICTION LIST

FF.net

• A Tale of Two Bungholes, by Evanilla (Part 1): Here is a very special shipper about two young boys and the girl who moved away... and then moved back. ("If only Mom knew I was spending the night at the house of the two horniest guys in Highland!”) I promise that this story will not cause permanent brain damage. I swear to God it won't. (Boinnnnng!)
  
• Unnamed Crossover Fanfic, by Pinkminx (Part 2): "Look, I'm gunna drop the act. Lawndale High is a cookie-cutter replica of every other school in America, complete with your various stereotypes. No one cares about anything, the teachers are oblivious, and the principal's sole interest is to protect the *valued* name of the school. Just don't do anything to compromise the school's reputation and you'll coast through the next few years."

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• Falling into College #67: How Did We Get All This Stuff? by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): "Daria really has him whipped now," Gina said before popping a candy into her mouth.
• Film Critic Mass, by Patrick Moore, a.k.a. Peapotmaster (Part 1): "Welcome to a special edition of Coming Attractions. Tonight, my special guest is former MTV star, Daria Morgendorffer, to co-host the show with me. Hello, Daria."
• Lambda, by SigDiff (Part 1, restarted by popular demand!): Daria Morgendorffer didn't particularly believe in the story of Gordon Freeman. She viewed him much in the same way she viewed Santa Claus. A man fitting his general description did exist at some point, and probably did some things that were seen as amazing, but he wasn't going to be the savior of humanity. Just like how Santa Claus never brought her that damned replica human skull. [A Daria/Half-Life 2 crossover. HE'S GONNA DO IT! YESSS!]
• Mike and the Spiral (with Jodie Landon) present: “Firecracker," by Ranger Thorne (COMPLETE!): When it comes to love she ain't no slacker / My little darlin' is a Firecracker!
  
• Once Upon a Time in Lawndale, by Disco316 (Parts 6 and 7): “Didn't sleep a wink last night. A group of the most unfashionable losers in black rode herd on me all night. I didn’t think you could make black look ugly until I saw them. Well, maybe leaving them out in the desert will improve their common sense as well as their fashion sense." ALSO: "Once you've killed four, it's easy to make it five."
• Rings and Things That Cannot Go Together, by Ranger Thorne (continued): “I am the Green Lantern of this sector of space,” Daria told him, trying to sound official. “You have been found worthy by my ring to become one of us.”
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): "I've gone from attending Lawndale High to being a reporter for one of the lesser New York City newspapers and winding up as Imperial Grand Duchess of the Russian Empire. And I still find myself dealing with idiots, scoundrels, and assorted hostile maladjusted types."
• Straight, Not Narrow, by Angelboy et al. (continued): "Seems like such a waste," said Daria. "The royal men are all quite handsome men." ["The Invitation" is next!]
  
• Things Fall Apart, by Doggieboy (Parts 1 and 2): Bradley Buzzcut looked over the gymnasium of Highland High as the refugees settled into family groups. Blankets and sleeping bags were arranged, while the custodians pushed back the bleachers to make more floor space. He took mental stock as he looked around, but there was so many people it was hard to be sure that everyone was there. [Part 2 takes place in Ohio. Guess which city.]
  
• Turnabout Confusion Part II: All The King's Horses, by Dennis (continued): "Dad said you wanted to talk to me, Mack. What about?" Now that it was upon him, he couldn't summon the anger he'd felt earlier in the day. Only sadness. "You know what about."
• A Twisted Little Corkscrew, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): Thugs, liars, and bootlickers, she thought as she tossed the wine back. Should've brought my flask.
• Unnamed story, by Scissors MacGillicutty (COMPLETE!): "Those who are one thirty-second awake are expecting me to announce that my old show will soon be available, and those one sixteenth awake are salivating at the prospect of me declaring I'm an alien and then ripping off these clothes to show a...oh, I don't know, a much more revealing outfit and nipples on my elbows."
  
• Unnamed story, by SigDiff (Part 1): See if you can guess the crossover. The towel is a clue.

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• Once Bitten, Twice Shy, by Bliss Ticks: The (in)complete story, so far: "I see the snow bunnies have taken possession of your faculties again." *

* Contains adult content. Hang on.