The Illustrated Jake & Other Birthdays

I know, I know, the headline didn't make any sense. Whatever.

There are a lot of very relevant birthdays applying to Daria fandom today. Let's fix them up to show their importance.

Jake's Alter Ego: Today is the 89th birthday of master storyteller Ray Bradbury, whose books kept me entertained and informed throughout my childhood. Of particular interest is Jake's alter ego, that of a tattooed man from a circus, which perfectly sets off Bradbury's short-story collection, The Illustrated Man. (The book cover at left is the same as on the copy I owned.)

Daria's Literary Role Model: Writer and critic Dorothy Parker, she of the sharp pen and sharper wit, was born 116 years ago. Read some of her barbed remarks for a real education in wicked writing. She even has a New York City fan club.

Upchuck's Favorite Bond Girl: Honor Blackman celebrates her 84th birthday today. She appeared as a Bond Girl in Goldfinger, and I would bet this appearance (for obvious reasons) made her Charles the Third's favorite.

Summer Lane: Yes, according to one popular fandom mythology, Jane and Trent's oldest sister, Summer Love Lane, was born this day 42 years ago, which was also the same day Vincent and Amanda tied the knot.

Just Because: George Herriman, one of the immortals in the cartooning world, was born 129 years ago today. He was the creator of Krazy Kat, who was forever being hit on the head with a brick by the mouse that Krazy Kat loved. Do you see any application of this theme to any one Daria character in particular?


MOAR NUZ: The announcement that Daria is coming out on DVD in 2010 galvanized two of the message boards for our fandom. If you like posting on MBs other than PPMB or SFMB, try alt.tv.daria and Television Without Pity, the latter of which is going great guns. Sadly, all of the other MBs appear to have died for now. (The stub MB for Daria on The Onion's website has been taken offline for lack of interest, alas.)

Brother Grimace has published a teaser for his next fanfic on PPMB: Legion of Lawndale Heroes 13.7: Time for Me to Fly. Check it out.

A PPMB thread on student stereotypes and using them in fanfiction is moving along well.

MDetector5 has turned Quinn into a costumed furry. For some reason it makes me think of Honor Blackman again.

Hope your day is a good one.

Aloha from the Fashion Club!

Stacy Rowe shakes her fashionable grass skirt in celebration of Hawaii's 50th anniversary of statehood today.

Today is also the 36th birthday of computer wizard Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google (which operates Blogger.com, which makes this blog possible: thank you!).

It is a special day in animation history as well, being the 103rd birthday anniversary of Warner Brothers animator Friz Freleng, who invented so many WB cartoon characters I can't even list them all here. Daria probably knows most of them on a first-name basis. Would Daria be as sarcastic as she is without Bugs Bunny's snarky comments?

The American Bar Association, which maintains a code of ethics for lawyers in the United States, was formed today 131 years ago. This concept must make Jim Vitale laugh loud and long.

A news item from online, by way of the Jackson Free Press (Jackson, Miss.), is "Movie Review, Sort of" about IIFY? and MTV in general.

Richard Lobinske is trolling for Halloween costume ideas for a story he's writing in the John Lane series. Go help him out and make yourself famous.

Moar on the way.

The Fun Guy from Yuggoth

H.P. Lovecraft was born on this day 119 years ago. As a writer he is best known for his works of fantastic horror, particularly "Call of Quinnthulhu," "The Shadow over Lawndale," and "The Statement of Daria Morgendorffer" (sometimes entitled "The Journal of Daria Morgendorffer"). At right are some of his most terrible creations. All who have read his works never forget the ghastly cry: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!"

An article about Daria in French has appeared on the Internet: "Rendez-nous Daria!" (Télérama.fr) If you can translate it, let us know what it says. [Mr. Orange figured it out; see Comments. Merci!]

"Maid for Mind Control," a new fan artwork by MDetector5, makes a heralded appearance on PPMB. It made me smile.

Medea42 captured a special item with her camera: Daria's post secret. Really makes you think.

With the talk lately about finding free downloads, interested parties might wish to look at a Daria fan website in Italian which has some excellent stuff to download for free. You might be amazed, startled, stunned even.

NEW! MDetector5 has a new PPMB Iron Chef up: Revenge of Stacy Rowe!

I checked to see how many hits this blog has gotten, and it's up to 108,500+. Thank you!

FF.net

• Daria Morgendorffer Sat in the Room, by Pinkminx (COMPLETE!): "I don't know why I wasted so much time on those pathetic self esteem classes; this is a much more effective treatment." [A Clockwork Orange crossover seen earlier here on PPMB]

PPMB

• Downbelow, by Smijey, a.k.a. Smileyfax (Part 1): Daria's head was spinning the deeper she read through the stack. The ludicrous things Mr. DeMartino had told her last night... they couldn't be true. They couldn't POSSIBLY be true. At the bottom of the stack was a note, with a Post-It attached to it. The Post-It was a note from Mr. DeMartino: "My dog fished a bottle from a sewer drain two weeks ago. This note was in that bottle." The note read: Tell Daria Jane says hi from down below. [FF.net]

Wallpapers, Get Your Free MTV Wallpapers!

I spent way too long playing with Archive.org's WayBack Machine last night, and lo! here are a bunch of computer wallpapers and webpage backgrounds. I skipped some of the little tiled ones but will add them later. If you want to see what an image will look like as wallpaper, click on the link and right-click the mouse, then select "Set as desktop background." Finally, click on "Tile."

Remember that any computerized image can be set as wallpaper, but a subdued/pastel tone is best if you plan to put writing over it as the background to a web page you're creating. Dark backgrounds should have light, bright lettering, and pale backgrounds dark lettering. A very light screen (background shade) actually improves legibility, which is why I use very light gray tones on some of my fanfic.

The Not Quite Complete List of
All MTV Computer Wallpapers for
Animated Shows and Other Stuff
(1997-2001)

AEON FLUX
Aeon Flux, 1
Aeon Flux, 2

BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD
Beavis and Butt-head, 1
Beavis and Butt-head, 2
Beavis and Butt-head (on couch)
Beavis and Butt-head (Christmas wreath)
Beavis and Butt-head (doctors)
Beavis and Butt-head (Huh-huh, small)
Beavis and Butt-head (Beavis with frog in mouth, small)
Mr. Van Driessen

CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH
Deathmatch
Deathmatch Ring

DOWNTOWN
Downtown (blue)

SPYGROOVE
Spygroove




DARIA

BRITTANY
Brittany (name)
Brittany
Bubbles (Brittany)
Pom-poms (Brittany)
Space Brittany

QUINN
Quinn (name)
Space Quinn Page
Quinn
Fashion Club Page
Cute (Quinn)

DARIA
Daria (name)
Daria Main Page (2000)
Space Daria Character Page
Daria Character Page
Daria Data (computer theme)
Daria Character Page (2001)
Daria Screensaver Background (2001)
Daria (face oblique)
Daria (face front, purple)
Daria (face front, blue)
The World According to Daria (space theme)

HELEN AND JAKE
Helen & Jake (names)
Helen Character Page (2000)
Jake Character Page (2000)
Jake

KEVIN
Kevin (name)
Gridiron (Kevin)

JANE
Jane (name)
Jane Character Page
Lane-Bay, 1 (space theme)
Lane-Bay, 2 (space theme)

TRENT AND MYSTIK SPIRAL
Trent (name)
Trent (space theme)
Mystik Spiral
Trent and Spiral

JOMA (Jodie and Mack)
Jodie & Mack (names)

UPCHUCK
Upchuck (name)
Upchuck Character Page (red curtains)

OTHER DARIA
Virtual Lawndale (space theme)
Lawndale Lions
Ask the Cast (space theme)
Downloadables (space theme)
Exclusive Clips (space theme)
Daria Store (space theme)

"Why, someone ought to sue!" And then... someone did.

Remember the good old days of the Internet, when everyone got involved in flame wars and you could say anything about anyone and no one could do anything about it?

Those days are over.

If you operate a blog, log into chat rooms, post in message boards, or send e-mail, you are strongly advised to read this news item about a legal case in New York in which a blogger (using Blogger.com, by the way, the same megasite this blog is on) insulted a fashion model, and the judge ordered Google to turn over the blogger's IP address and e-mail address to the model's attorney, who plans to sue the blogger for defamation.

When you finish that, see some of these other views on the issue: ZDNET, CBS, Guardian. This is big. Think about this. Very, very carefully. People have been insulting each other on the Internet for well over a decade.

And now the gateway to hell has been opened. The lawyers are coming out.

What do you think will happen next, now that a legal precedent has been established for defamation on the 'net? I think I missed my calling, that's what. Internet law. I could have been a billionaire by now. Good thing I made up my mind early on to be nice here.

Will this have any effect on Daria fandom? That depends. Do you engage in flame wars on any Daria-related message board? This might be a good time to call it quits and keep disagreements to private mail and e-mail, or just ignore everyone you think is an idiot.

Wishing you the best in court,
TAG


P.S.I was only kidding about the connection between lawyers and hell. You do understand that, right? It was meant to be humorous and not real or an insult or anything. I like lawyers. Some of my best friends were eaten by lawyers.

Big Name Birthday Boys

Today is the anniversary of the birthdays of Gene Roddenberry (who created Star Trek) and former President Bill Clinton. Just thought you should know. Tom (left) is disguised as Captain Christopher Pike (right), after his near-fatal banana-peel injury. Tom's life-support model is spiffier than the original one, as you can see. That's because Tom has more money. ("This oxygenation dial goes all the way up to eleven!")

Looking for Daria-themed wallpaper for your computer? See this PPMB thread for ideas. I will list more when I get time. I've found a bunch on old MTV Daria sites.

Going back to a topic mentioned earlier, I would rather not link directly to NC-17 rated fanfiction here, but a blog on adult Daria material probably isn't warranted. SFMB can handle the whole issue quite well in its message board.

Bill Clinton, by the way, is shown in the act of answering Daria Morgendorffer's question about funding for education at Highland High School (Beavis and Butt-head episode "Citizen Butt-head"). Very few fanfics even mention this event in her life. Strange.

Why is Daria so disliked? Perhaps her hatred of lying, liars, duplicity, and so forth is the reason. Interesting article.

Stay tooned.

You Won't Believe This, But...

Today is POTATO DAY! YAY!

And one other website on that issue, and we're done with Mr. O'Neill.

Today is also National Aviation Day in the U.S. I think we are supposed to fly or something.

Also, three years from this day, Daria will face death on an alien planet! Yay! Oh, wait, sorry. I meant, um, oh no!

New/revised Backgrounders: Dawn, Winner, Cindy, Green Cap Dude.

FF.net has some adult-rated Daria fanfic, so if you are interested, go and check it out. Not sure if I should list it, you tell me.

What's on PPMB is below....

PPMB

• JUST IN! Bleeding Minds, by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): Daria walked in on a horrifying scene. Jane knelt on the carpet in the center of her room, a kitchen knife held in her left hand. A steady stream of red dripped from her elbow to soak into the thick nap of the rug. Jane glanced up at her friend's entry and her eyes lit in a mad, heartbreaking smile.
  
• Bromwell Bound: That One Fateful Summer, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): [Repost of excellent story from FF.net. Welcome, HolyGrail2007, to PPMB!]
• Daria the Hoosier, by Doggieboy (Part 7): “You can talk to me, Daria,” she said. “I may be an adult, but I can listen well and not be judgmental. After all, I do remember what it’s like being a teenager.” She waited a few seconds, then added, “I know that you and Jim are friends, but I also understand that there are some things girls just can’t talk to guys about.”
• Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations, by Undefinedlust (Part 11, continued): "So you'll be able to make it tonight?" Daria asked Jane as she opened her locker. "Of course, how could I miss my best friend's eighteenth birthday party?" Jane replied as she noticed an envelope fall from Daria's locker. "You dropped something." She said as she picked up an envelope with Daria's written name on it.
• Once More, With Sitting, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): "What's that smell?" Lauren said as she opened the door. Lester followed and said, "It smells like something from college. I know, it's pizza." "Pizza?" Lauren said. Raising her voice, she called out, "Daria!" (FF.net)
  
• JUST IN! The Other Side of Time: Unfinished Business, by The Sidhe (continued): “It was considered advisable to have the Sloanes, as well as the people who were putting them up, under police protection on the off-chance that this was a vendetta of some kind against the Sloane family,” the police officer said. “Or that this was the work of some people who had an unknown grudge against the Sloanes.”
  
• Regifted, by Ajar (Part 13): Monday began similar to any of the last few days for Jodie. She awoke from her two-and-a-half-hour sleep and took the final pill in Marina's bottle so that she could get enough energy to stumble through her school day. At first, classes seemed to proceed as normal, giving no hint at the fact that this day was to become the worst day of Jodie's life.
• JUST IN! Sis Boob Bah, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "It's like a nose job, only lower."
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser: She could not remember how far she'd run. Her biocongruence with the ship was broken. All the electronics, devices and machines at her command were unable to detect the Maugher and therefore she was unable to destroy him.
• Transcript, by Raskolnikov (Paret 1): Laura, hon, I know you collect… let’s put it this way… “interesting” interrogation transcripts. I’m pretty sure this one will have a high place in your particular Top Ten. Enjoy the read.
• True Crud, by Pinkminx (Part 2): Sheriff Timothy O'Neil and Detective Anthony DeMartino's flashlights lit up the dank, dark corner of the alley behind McGrundy's, as they studied Brittney's body. Detective DeMartino crouched down and poked the implement that had been driven through her chest; originally thought to have been a tire iron, the object in question, was in fact, a curling iron.
• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Dennis (COMPLETE!): "See me! Feel me! Touch me! Heal me!"
• Unnamed story (Scenes That Should Be: Brains for Rent), by Roentgen (plot bunny): The game was called "Enemies List". Each of the participants had a list of 16 players and a list of 16 positions designed as "friend" or "enemy." The purpose of the game was simple: don't kill your friends, but kill your enemies.

Daria for Dictator!

Evidently I picked the wrong day to give up crack, because TODAY (not yesterday) is the 10th anniversary of the premiere of "Jane's Addition." This is all Tom's fault.

Today is also the 89th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States and eventually led to Daria Morgendorffer becoming Dictator-for-Life of North Am.

Pinkminx has re-edited "Just Friends" on FF.net and would appreciate some feedback. Give her a hand, please.

Hidden Symbolism

Notice anything unusual about this image?

The deeper that UU and I go into identifying the various characters in Daria, the more interesting certain iconic images become. This is of course Daria and Jane at their graduation in Is It College Yet? However, there is a little more to this picture than immediately meets the eye. Daria and Jane are literally surrounded by three women who were important to the show. The long-haired girl to the left of Jane is (as can best be told) the last winner of any of MTV's contests to have yourself drawn into an episode. She is the last one of us, the fans, to make it into the show, and is thus symbolic of the show's fandom.

The glasses-wearing girl immediately behind Jane, partially hidden by Jane's hair, is a character based upon the Daria show's producer, Cindy Brolsma. Click the link on her name to see proof of this.

And the character to the immediate right of Daria, Burnout Girl, is one based upon the supervising director of the show, Karen Disher.

Get it? Daria and Jane are being shown here within a trinity of women who made the show what it was: the producer, the director, and the fans. There is no possible way this was an accident.

You could even argue that the character known as Dawn, almost hidden by Daria's head, is symbolic of all those on the MTV animation staff who were not around when the show finally ended. The first three iconic individuals, however, count the most.

How do you like THEM apples?

Monday, again?

Don't you hate it when that happens? You're having a perfectly good weekend with a tropical storm passing by and then...bang. Monday hits you and spoils everything.

To help ease into another Monday back at whatever consumes your life, how about a little light reading from Crusading Saint that takes a look at one of the shows unsung background characters.

Assistant Living

Back to School! The Horror!

Principal Li has a special message for you about the start of the school year.
And this subsequent reminder.
And this added note.
And this.
Enjoy!

Aftershocks

It is today the 101st anniversary of the moment when Émile Cohl released the first-ever animated movie: Fantasmagorie, which debuted in Paris. (More of the Daria-French Connection!) To this little silent cartoon does Daria and all other animation we know and love today owe their very existence. Merci!

This is also the 10th (MINUS ONE DAY!) anniversary of the release of "Jane's Addition," the episode in which we first meet Tom Sloane. The shockwaves are still being felt to this day. The amusing "outtake" image of the participants in The Triangle, goofing off between filming, comes to us from Is It Fall Yet? Yes, it's just a cartoon, but you know how cranky fans get.

Stay tooned.

P.S. Late Add: Sorry, but Tuesday is the 10th anniversary of "Jane's Addition." I blame drugs for the error.

Medical care and the Morgendorffers...

Medical problems (more and less) are actually an ongoing theme in Daria. There's 'Through A Lens Darkly' and 'Ill' (Daria has dealings with the medical profession that aren't exactly satisfactory), 'Jake of Hearts' and 'The Big House' (Jake and Mr. DeMartino have both had heart attacks), 'Too Cute' (a quack plastic surgeon tries to ply her wares upon the Sisters Morgendorffer), and even 'Psycho Therapy' (what certainly seems like a low-level psych evaluation of the entire family).

There has always been a healthy (pardon the pun) interest in medicine and Daria fanfic. I won't even try to start naming the stories that deal with medical issues and the characters (although I would suggest that Falling Into College #50: A Matter Of Priorities and Nemo Blank's 'Blast From The Past are excellent starting points. With the recent interest in the health-care debate here in the U.S., this might be a good time to write a fic on the problems that some of the characters have in that area - for example, what would happen if Trent or Jane were in some sort of awful accident? Would they get the best available care? Could they afford it - or even better, how about Trent develops some of ailment, and medical marijuana actually would be beneficial to his condition? Could he get it legally - and if he got it from the usual sources, what would happen if here were busted with it? What if Daria needed it? What if it were Helen, or Ms. Li?

Along those lines - why hasn't DeMartino or (most certainly) Barch been railroaded into a stress- or anger-management course, or prescribed medications to deal with the stress? I mean, the game in 'The Big House' was annoying and all that - but isn't it more likely that DeMartino would have had that heart attack during a class session, yelling at Brittany or 'Kevvie'? (Along those lines, imagine the mindfrakking that could occur if DeMartino were to suffer a severe attack in class, and his last words were (as he grasped Kevin's jersey) 'I curse you. No more wins...'? Would Kevin be so screwed up (as some eps have shown) that DeMartino's death that he couldn't play football again? (Galen Hardesty might say 'yes' to this, from what he did with Kevin and 'Ratboy' in his 'Blood Oath of Patriots' franchise. ) In anyevent - why do some of the teachers go around like they're in need of a lithium cocktail an hour before school? Maybe Li's security expenditures are such that she's been cutting corners with the teachers' employment pachage, and their health coverage. (I can see her saddling them with a program that has a deductible in the thousands of dollars. The wench.)
Just something to think on.

Another Good Reason to Go to France

Today marks a little-known holiday celebrated in the town of Palau-de-Cerdagne, France, on the border with Spain in the Pyrenees. Xicolatada (from an Aztec/Spanish word) is a festival in which the townspeople do nothing but drink hot chocolate all day, starting at 11 a.m. I know it sounds like I am lying (I'm not this time, I swear, honest!), but here is an article in French about it, and here is a picture. (I suppose if you are going to celebrate this day from now on, you should do it in style.) This kid is an exchange student worth getting to know at Holiday Island High!

Seventy-nine years ago today, the first-ever animated cartoon done with sound and shot in Technicolor was released: "Fiddlesticks." It can be seen in its entirety on YouTube. This of course led to Daria, today, and for that we honor it.

Singer/actress Madonna turns 51 today. Kemical Reaxion did a special series of Daria fan art based on Madonna's many incarnations. "The Ten Faces of Madonna" is a marvel to behold. We also have an official MTV alter ego of Brittany as Madonna, one of Helen as Madonna, one of Ms. Li as Madonna (as someone else), etc., so you see how important Madonna is to Daria fandom.

MOAR No0OZ!

• Updated versions of The Head and IIFY? Guy are ready for your inspection at Backgrounders.
  

FF.net

• The Request, by Quinnley1 (Parts 1 through 8): “Dar-ia! I hope you’re not planning on sleeping until noon every day during summer break. Time to get up and at least pretend that you are in training to be a productive member of society!”
• True Crud, by Pinkminx (Part 1): [The intriguing Daria/True Blood crossover found here on PPMB.]
  

PPMB

• Rolling the Dice, by Ajar (Part 3): “Hello again,” said Jane with false enthusiasm. “It's so nice for you to include me in all these Fashion Club meetings. But, at this point, you might want to change the name to the D20 Club.”
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (COMPLETE!): According to the Maya, the tree Chacchokal has always existed and was there when the Maya first entered the forest of Chakur. In their belief system, this unique Ceiba tree connects the Heavens, Earth and the Underworld and binds them all together as the Universe of the Fifth Sun. [Now waiting for Part III!]
  
• Unnamed story (Crossovers Not Yet Crossed Over), by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): "Hi! You're cool. What's your name?" "Daria. Daria Morgendorffer." "Cool name." "Will you go out with me?"
  
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria Kills Jane, or Vice Versa...), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Jane felt the ringing in her ears clearing up, well enough for her to hear the chanting of the Lawndale residents...

As the French would say, Je ne sais quoi

Famed TV French chef Julia Child was born on this day, as was Napoleon Bonaparte, making this a very French sort of day in history. Helen Morgendorffer and Janet Barch will assist with the alter egos. Also on the French theme for the day, it is National Acadian Day in Canada, there is a French movie called 15 August (15 Août), and Nobel Prize-winner French guy Louis de Broglie was also born this day (though many years ago). If you are writing a Daria fanfic that makes use of quantum mechanics, throw in de Broglie's name and the story will sound super extra cool. Trust me on this. De Broglie invented the science of wave mechanics, which I won't pretend to understand, but his name is really all you need for your story especially if the story makes use of (get ready for this) Schrödinger's cat (handy illustration here).

The reason this has to do with Daria because in "College Bored" we learn that Daria wants to go to college in Paris.

As the French Chef would say, c'est la fin des haricots ("How the heck am I going to make chili now?").

N00Z: JPAGC has a PPMB question about the quantum existence or nonexistence of certain moms in Daria, if anyone can help him out.

Several characters at Backgrounders have been extensively updated: Tananda, Bib Overalls, V-neck, and Tank Top. Story ideas, anyone? Toss out a few in Comments. More characters to come this weekend.

PPMB

• Once More, With Sitting, by Richard Lobinske (Part 2): "I'll throw it in my car," Daria said. "That should hide the evidence." "You think of everything," Tad said.
  
• Two Halves, by Dark Kuno (Part 3): Daria sat at the head of her bed and read through the poetic endeavors committed to the paper within. Alex sat Indian-style in the center of the bed and perused a notebook of his own. The only sounds in the room were the turning of pages, synthesized gunfire and the occasional grunt-splat that marked another undead dispatched as Jane played Cannibal Fragfest on her friend’s computer.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria Kills Jane, or Vice Versa...), by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE! plus extended story by others!): BANG!
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Hump Day), by JPAGC (COMPLETE!): "Class, we have a new STUDENT! Daria Morgendorffer, please raise your hand."
• Unnamed story (Scenes That Should Be: Brains for Rent), by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): Quinn Morgendorffer was shoved to the warehouse floor and cried out in pain from the impact. She cowered as the six men gathered around her. “Where’d you find her?” one man asked. “She was with some idiot who came to buy dope,” another man said.

Where Are the Remaining Members of Foam Party Now?

Twelve years ago today, Alternapalooza took place in Swedesville. However, Daria Morgendorffer could not have attended it (per "Road Worrier"), as that was in 1997, the year before the Morgendorffers arrived in Lawndale. She would have had to go to the concert in 1998 (or 1999), after her sophomore year was done.

But where is Foam Party? And what of Ciggie Butt?

Speaking of big outdoor rock concerts, the original Woodstock took place 40 years ago today, and we almost contacted aliens 32 years ago today. Daria has some words of advice about Woodstock, and some words of advice for any aliens we meet as well.

Father MartinUK offers a very interesting snapshot for your edification. I hope this is the real thing!

Who's Who in the Dariaverse Today

We start with an alter ego of Tiffany Blum-Deckler as Lina Wertmüller, a famed Italian film director I had never heard of until a year and a half ago when I looked her up because I wanted to publish this image on the blog. I still have not seen any of Ms. Wertmüller's movies. Ms. Wertmüller was born on this day 83 years ago. I cannot find the original image from which this one was drawn, but perhaps there wasn't one. Still an excellent outfit for the Tiff.

Also born today: Gary Larson, beloved cartoonist (The Far Side) and Old West gunfighter Doc Holliday, who appeared in a Daria fanfic. My favorite Far Side panel was (of course) "Roger Screws Up."

Moar l8r. Back again.

UU and I are working on the Backgrounders website again. You are invited to look in and see which characters are in the process of getting makeovers.

Silver has collected the continuing M4 story series into one thread on PPMB.

PPMB

• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): Under normal circumstances, her dates back on Earth had their brains fried by orgasmic recoil from her biocongruency with the ship. It was nice to know that her date wasn't just like most guys.

Do I Shoot with My Leftie or My Rightie?

Space Brittany (at left) reminds us that sharpshooter Annie Oakley was born 149 years ago today. Reverse Space Brittany (at right) reminds us that today is International Lefthanders Day. Wasn't that a cool image trick? I amaze even myself sometimes.

Let's see if I remember to add anything else to this post before it appears tonight. Hmmm.... oh!


FF.net

• Omega Omega, by Smileyfax (Part 7): "The last time I opened that door, I had to kill my sister and myself. Call me superstitious, but I'd say that's bad luck."

PPMB

• Rainbow Disconnection, by Disco316 (Part 2): “I’m going to regret this,” said Jane as she opened the door for Quinn. “Never mind, I already do.”
  
• Regifted, by Ajar (Part 12): Jodie was in a sort of delirium as she approached the room where the debate was about to begin. The lack of sleep was definitely taking its toll. The previous night was another all-nighter. The “caffeine pill” she had taken recently did not completely negate the effects of the sleep deprivation.

The Medium Who Was Below Average

Today is the 178th anniversary of the birth of Madame Blavatsky, a spiritualist who founded theosophy, which is hard to explain so I won't. A medium named Madame Blavatsky (at right) appeared in a 1994 Beavis and Butt-head episode named for her. She turns out to be a fraud, of course, but the episode is quite funny. I wonder if Daria knew about this lady when she lived in Highland.

Cat fancier/hater Erwin Schrödinger might or might not have been born 122 years ago today, yesterday, or tomorrow. He is or is not famous or infamous for devising a means of getting rid of cats using quantum physics, a feat for which he won or did not win the Nobel Prize. To my amazement, no one known has ever written a Daria fanfic that makes use of the Schrödinger's cat experiment. Why not? What's wrong with you people?

Today is also International Youth Day, though I have no idea what good it would do Daria and Jane.

MDetector5 offers new sketches of the Fashion Club on PPMB. Enjoy.

PPMB

• Daddy's Home, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): Trent smiled as he stood in the doorway of the nursery, watching as his wife held up a crying infant from the crib, waving the child's tiny hand at him. "Look, it's Daddy," the woman said, smiling as the child saw Trent and stopped crying, holding out her hands for Trent to come and hold her. "Oh... you want Daddy to hold you?"
  
• Once More, With Sitting, by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): "Are you going over to Jane's tonight?" "No, she heard that there was a traveling Andy Warhol exhibit in Swedesville, so she hijacked Tom and his rusty steed to take her there." "So, where are you going?" "I'm babysitting for the Guptys."
• Partnership, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): Partnerships, I mused, are necessary in this business, but usually end badly. What's that, boss? Not planning on kicking Rocza and me out, are you? The mental voice of my familiar, Loiosh, was quizzical.
• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 2): Daria's mind remained with her sister. She not only recalled their brief encounter, but replayed the sisterly moments they had once shared, the good and the bad. She was guilt stricken as she realized the bad moments far surpassed the good. (FF.net)
  
• Tiffalicious, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "We can't find Tiffany! She's on another one of her diets again... and when she goes on a diet for too long, she goes crazy."
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Daria Kills Jane, Or Vice Versa...), by Gouka Ryuu (COMPLETE!): "She had disappeared about ten years ago, right after graduating college. Her friend had been distraught about the whole thing, even though she was the most viable suspect...."

There's Got to Be a Morning After...

I still don't know why they didn't play the theme song from The Poseidon Adventure when the Princess Fairy sank. Someone should rewrite "Just Add Water" (which premiered 10 years ago today) so it capsized from a rogue wave and everyone tries to escape the floating hull before it sinks.... BUT NO ONE DOES, HA HA HA HA HA!!!

Anyway, that episode borrowed a lot from the movie Titanic and the Exxon Valdez disaster. Some people think it borrowed more than that. The DariaWiki page needs some work, if anyone could help out with that.

Today is also the 14th anniversary of the completion of the Daria pilot, "Sealed with a Kick," and fanfic character Michael Fulton (of the Falling into College series) is 28 years old today.

How do you think "Just Add Water" could have been improved, or at least made more interesting? Using the Comments section, write down your suggestions for plot changes that would have helped. A giant squid might have helped.

Chocolate Lovers, Start Your Engines!

Yes, today is a big day in Chocolate History, as we are reminded by Mrs. Johanssen (this is the correct spelling of her name, by the way). Today is the 195th anniversary of the birth of Henri Nestlé, one of the co-inventors of milk chocolate and the first head of the company that makes so much chocolate. You know what to do to celebrate: eat 195 chocolate anythings. Get going.

Once you are done with that, it is also National S'mores Day. Celebration is mandatory. Do it to it.

Daria-ish stuff to come, eventually.

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• Iron Chef: Daria Is Raven's Apprentice, by Project Pegasus (COMPLETE!): "President Obama would administer a much more humane program designed to cater to the needs of the elderly. He would build specially designed senior facilities, and when those facilities lure the unwary seniors into its clutches, he would launch them all into the sun."
  
• Unnamed story, by Pinkminx (Part 1): A restart of an earlier story, from July 1st.
  
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: School of Rock), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): Daria bought a cheap electric guitar from a pawn shop and Jane brought a dulcimer. Trent had shown Daria how to play three chords and Jane provided the noise. The proof of Daria's dedication was that all of her fingertips were wrapped with band-aids.
• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: School of Rock), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "Arigh. I da thinyu na tha muccab't rck'n'r, so'm 'ere t'telyebotit. I'ain'ese. Looketmi. Thizizwha y'get frmth ronrol lifstil. Ronrol kingrebya, taikyabyththroat, taikyabyth'art. 'S'imporennd. 'tisbluudielife 'tsef."
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Hump Day), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): Scene: A wasteland in the middle of an unnamed city, In the background are abandoned skyscrapers and piles of compressed trash that dwarf the skyscrapers. In the immediate foreground, a hovering green and black egg-shaped robot and a more primitive looking robot, looking like a rusted cube with treads, look at each other in a manner that denotes curiosity....

A Musical Interlude for Summertime

Just for you, Trent will try out a new song about summer.

Enjoy. Stay tuned for further instructions.

NEWS: Richard Lobinske is offering a peek at a future fanfic.

Wanna see my new tattoo? The Cheshire Cat has some interesting ones.

A new Iron Chef is up at PPMB, courtesy of Lorenzo Sauchelli: School of Rock.

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• Daria the Hoosier, by Doggieboy (Part 6): "Now, you know how you suggested that we go see Heinlein?” “Yeah.” “I just realized that there is a much better person out there to see and talk to. Isaac Asimov.”
• M4: Tomorrow Is a Better Day, by Silver (COMPLETE!): Chris leaned on his locker and rubbed his face, trying to wake up. Damn DeMartino and his tests. Damn the brilliant idea of pulling an all-night study marathon. He stopped cursing reality at the feeling of a finger on his nose. He peered over the tops of his fingers, down a slender finger and into the gray-green eyes of Stacy Rowe.
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Hump Day), by JPAGC (Part 1): "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep..."

New News That Doesn't Suck!

Wonderful, the kind of stuff you can dig up on the Internet.

On PPMB, Kara Wild just announced that an article about Daria on DVD appeared in the French magazine Télérama (July 15, 2009 issue). The French have christened Daria as l’antipom-pom girl, which I think is French for "outcast."

Not to be outdone, Kara has also posted a notice that PPMB can now be accessed using the thepaperpusher.com address, which she managed to acquire. HOORAY!

TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Martin Pollard invented the term "anti-'shipper" in an essay for this fandom.

The guidelines for Daria chat using IRC have been revised. Click the link for more.

LAWNDALE ONLINE is lookin' pretty snazzy nowadays. Check it out.

The Daria Fan Club now has 1,349 members. Do it to it.

ART! ART! ART! Richard Lobinske has updated the 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks list.

Toonopedia's webpage for Daria has a yukky, out-of-focus picture from "Esteemsters." We should direct the webmaster to a nicer looking image.

I'm still updating fanfiction for today a few posts below this one. Discovered a previously unknown Daria crossover on FF.net. Gotta be more careful, hate to miss stuff.

TO DO LIST: I need to update the Big List o' Fanfic before the end of this month. I've missed updates for the last 10-12 weeks. Sorry, real life and all that.

Stay tuned.

A Little Animation

I had to fudge a little to get things to line up properly, but here goes:



You'll need to click on the image to see the animation. Why? I don't know, but that's how it's working.

Probably can play around with sizing, too. Maybe more later

ETA: Thanks, TAG. It's working now.

Alter Egos Are Not Just for Daria Folks...

The artwork at left (I use the term "artwork" quite loosely) might puzzle some people. It's obviously Daria's close personal friend, Butt-head, in a woman's black wig, black gloves, and black stockings, sitting naked in a martini glass. Why would anyone draw that? Who would ever drink out of that glass again? And why would I put that image on my blog and gross out the entire readership? (Because I can.) As you futilely try to scrub the offending image out of your brain, you should learn a new thing about it: this is a Beavis and Butt-head alter ego, which works exactly the same as a Daria one.

In this WayBack Machine image from an old MTV B&B site, Butt-head is imitating a femlin. A femlin is a female gremlin character found on the "Party Jokes" pages of Playboy (see book cover at right). This particular pose is one of the most famous ones (among people who drool over Playboy), so much so that it has been sold as a tiny collector's statuette. The femlin even has its own pretentious coffee-table art book. Upchuck would know all about this character, of course. And now, so do you. No, no, don't bother to thank me. It's all a part of educating the Daria fandom, which Lord knows could use it.

Let's see what else we can drag out of the WayBack Machine from MTV websites past.... Have an idea for a new MTV cartoon show? TOO LATE!!! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! Man, that was funny!

FF.net

• Teenage Wasteland, by Yorsh Passangero (Parts 1 and 2): (Daria/Total Drama Island) Camp Wawanakwa, formerly an amazing summer camp that should bring fond good memories to generations past, now, an almost collapsing joint that should be declared no man’s land. This was now one of North America’s most recognizable places because of three simple words: Total Drama Island.
  
• To Me You Are a Work of Art, by Mrs. Abject and Solace Layfield (Part 1): “Hey , you have just failed to communicate with the artist Jane Lane. Either I'm asleep, I've lost my phone, or I'm blowing you off. Anyways, leave me a nice message and we'll get in touch, alright?”
  

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• Apocalyptic Daria: Brave New World, by Doggieboy (Part 9): Odell walked off then and tried to ignore the girl. He turned his back on her as he walked. But he could feel her stare as he moved towards the old man, and sweat appeared on his forehead. (SFMB)
• Iron Chef: Daria Is Raven's Apprentice, by Project Pegasus (COMPLETE!): "You’re really childish, you know that?" "Are you coming on to me, Ms. Lafave?"
  
• The Misery Chick, by thatLONERchick (Part 2): Jane recollected Daria’s memorial with little emotion. It had been held on the field at Lawndale High, one week after the grisly event had taken place. A podium was set up on the grass, the bleachers underneath which Daria’s life had ended easily visible behind a somber Ms. Li, cordoned off with black ribbon.
• Rainbow Disconnection, by Disco316 (Part 1): “Seriously," said Quinn, "why do you surround yourself with such depressing stuff?” “For the same reason I’m going to college: to prepare myself for the real world,” deadpanned Daria.
• Reaped Out: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 2): "Are you okay?" Georgia asked warily. She had realized very quickly that Daria had a hair-trigger temper; although it usually manifested in a passive-aggressive silence, now wasn’t the time to set off "the beast."