Film Festivals and Hair Dye: A Lethal Mix

Federico Fellini was born on this day in 1920. Although Fellini is known to most of the world as an Italian film director whose distinctive style had a significant influence on filmmaking, in Daria fandom he is known as the homewrecker who planted the seeds of discord between Tom and Jane:

Jane: How about Screecher II? I heard those blood-sucking eyeballs look really cool when they burst.

Tom: Actually, I'm kind of in the mood for a movie with a plot. Hey...Daria left me a message about a Fellini film festival.

Jane: Oh, yeah? You gave Daria your number?

Tom: You did. So we could go rescue her from "mother/daughter bonding day"?

Jane: Right, right, right.

Tom: I guess she remembered the debate we got into on Fellini's symbolism.

Jane: I do, too--one of the best naps I ever had.

Tom: Hey, the cinema can be more than bursting eyeballs.

Jane: "The cinema?"

Tom: Look, do you want to see La Dolce Vita?

Jane: I think I'll pass.

Tom: Fine.

Oh, Fellini. Why? Why?

While we ponder Fellini's dastardly part in the infamous Jane-Tom-Daria triangle, allow me to present today's fanfic update:

• A blessing from God? (LLH Mini), by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "'I... I have a problem and just don't know who I can talk to.' Now finally he raised his head and dared to meet the soft, caring gaze of Reverend Muenster. 'Like I said, that's what I'm here for', the churchman assured him with a soft smile. 'I know that it can be hard to talk to someone who you don't know. So, say, what is it that led your feet to my office?' Again he bit his lips. 'Well... It's really complicated.' 'Then, perhaps you should start at the beginning.'"


• Daria/Dorian 12: Spring Breaks, by LadieT (part 4): "'Jean-Michelle hypnotized me and I had a past-life regression and guess what??!!' 'He hypnotized you?' It's a damn good thing I didn't get him for a counselor. Then we really would be put in the loony bin. Dorian shook his head, 'He told you that you were a pony in a previous life?' 'No silly,' Quinn punched his arm. 'He said that I was Cleopatra in a past life. See I knew that I shouldn't have made an F on that paper about Cleopatra's make-up tips. What are you about to do?'"


• Daria: Hunter - Infectious, by Jim North: "Mack frowned, even though he knew Daria couldn't see it. 'That's kind of vague, isn't it?' he asked testily. 'I thought you bounty hunters were trained to take in every single detail in a glance or something!' 'Yes, and we also never lose a fight, nor do we have to sit in front of a computer for hours on end doing searches on people. We just get out there, kick people in the face, and start bar fights for fun. Are we done romanticizing my profession now, Mr. Criminal Mastermind?'"


• Fallout: Journeys (Non-Daria), by Vukodlak (part 2): "William was then lost in thought, Wrench wasn't like the others, she didn't give the impression of taking joy in violence, she didn't have the drug shot eyes. He had to figure out a way to help her, but he couldn't do that if he was ransomed off, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep."


• For the Team (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Yogi (COMPLETE!): "'You gotta come back Mack Daddy! The team needs you!' Mack fought to suppress a sigh. On one hand, not having to talk to Kevin was one of the benefits for moving away form Lawndale. On the other hand, he had really let his team down by transferring away so suddenly, and with no immediate captain to replace him. After a brief moral struggle, his conscience persuaded him to help out his team one last time."


• Fugitive Chapter 3: Punk Rock, by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "There are a lot of things people are able to ignore easily. Like bad news on the TV, starving people somewhere in Africa or a bad movie when you're sitting right next to a beautiful date. A big, slobbering dog the size of a calf is not one of these things, especially if it is sitting right in front of your front door."


• Ghost Girl Chapter 3, by Pumpkin Panic (COMPLETE!): "Daria, Jane, Trent, and surprisingly Quinn who seemed desperate to get out of the house to go anywhere other than just school. The house had been cleaned recently. The thick layers of dust and and Trent's man trash were gone and a new tv and telephones were brought in along with a sound system and a computer. It seemed Trent was tapping into his money to fix up the Lane residence."


• Ghost Girl Chapter 4, by Pumpkin Panic (parts 1 - 3): "Jane lane was going back to Lawndale High school. Well Jane Lane II was going to Lawndale high for the first time today. The alma mater of her 'father'. She was glad she had some people who already knew her already planted in the school. She was already stressed out by the psychological exam and had done her best to answer how she thought Quinn would because she didn't feel like taking the self esteem class anymore. It was just something to do since she didn't have anyone to hang out with anymore. She had Daria now and Quinn didn't seem so bad when she wasn't being completely shallow which was any time when she wasn't talking but still." (Part 2) (Part 3)


• God Save The Esteem ep18: A Gran Day Out, by Charles RB (part 1): "She had to snark because the alternative was to try and sift between the conflicting calls to run, go in, freeze in place, what if this went wrong, what- What if it didn’t. Hell with it."


• Holding On (Iron Chief: If Daria had a daughter like Quinn), by Ravynstone (COMPLETE!): "'And then she had the audacity to ask if she could still go to the lake this weekend!' 'Really?' asked Helen. 'What did you say?' 'I told her she'd be lucky if she saw daylight again.' Daria sighed and removed her glasses, rubbed her eyes. 'Honestly! It’s like living with Quinn all over again!'"


• The House of Cards, by Doggieboy (part 1): "'I had a boyfriend until three months ago,' she said. 'He began to get very scary and very controlling. I broke up with him when he hit me.' There was an awkward silence for several seconds, then he said, 'That sucks.' She nodded. 'Since then, he always seems to show up wherever I am, most nights.'"


• I Was A Teenage Sex Kitten..., by Erin M. (part 3): "'And welcome to the Harvey Marks Chats! Iam, of course, Harvey Marks, and I'm pleased as punch to welcome my guest tonight. Our benevolent dictator from another world, the Grand Protectorate herself, Jane Lane!' 'Thank you, Harvey. And hello out there to all my soulless labor drones!'"


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 34): "During the ride to Amy's place, she pointed out several landmarks. On occasion, Penny would turn around to look at the girls' faces as they stared up at the skyscrapers. Part of her wished she could share their awe. When they arrived at Amy's, the girls were still talking about all of the buildings they had seen. Amy opened her door and the girls jumped onto the couch to continue their conversation."


• Just One Date, by Hyrin (part 1): "'Damn it, Upchuck! Fine, if it'll convince you to leave me alone, then yes!'
  Daria's voice echoed through the halls as Jane's jaw dropped to the floor. Upchuck, aka Charles Ruttheimer III, was leaning against a locker and, as passerby watched, the look on his face melted from his normal debonair leer into a visage more often seen on the face of a man who's foot had been run over by a car."


• Lawndale Rumble, by TheExcellentS (COMPLETE!): "BARCH: 'That sneaky little rat! I knew he'd pull a stunt like that eventually!' O'NEILL: 'And now he's being surrounded by both Morgendorffers, Lane and Taylor! I think DeWitt-Clinton is in quite a bit of trouble.' BARCH: 'I think I'm going to enjoy this.'" (Part 15) (Part 16)


• Life Beyond Highland (Iron Chef: Lawndale State), by LadieT (part 12): "Four thirty is not the time for any sane person to be up on a Sunday morning. Yet, there was Helen Morgendorffer, eyes wide open staring at the ceiling. Since Jake's death, she struglled with getting a good night's rest. She began to listen to the muffled sounds of classical music coming from Daria's room. The haunting sounds of the woodwind instruments seemed to soothe Helen's soul, until she began to think about Daria and what could have been."


• Making a Stand (Iron Chef: State by State), by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "Four men and one woman climbed down from their stools and began walking toward the booth where Mack and Jodie sat. The locals didn't look happy, but Mack simply looked for the leader and made eye contact. 'Hey...you,' the leader said in an Alabama drawl. 'You're not welcome here.'"


• MiSTed: Pause in the Air, by Jim North (part 1): "> 'I'm sorry,' Daria said. > 'I'm sorrier,' Jane said in a choked voice. TOM: Well I'm sorriest! Ha! I win! MIKE: The important question is, is the author sorry?"


• Oh, By The Way, by RLobinske (part 2): "Moving carefully down the stairs using her walker and assisted by her daughter Rita, Tess Barksdale was showing her age. Her once vibrant red hair was now thin and white while her arms and legs were thin and frail. But despite her physical aging, her eyes were bright and she was still mentally sharp. Rounding the corner at the bottom of the stairs, she spied Jake on one of the sofas, hand-feeding bits of salmon to the pair of cats."


• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (part 40): "Daria stood on the sidewalk and watched Heidi's taxi drive away. That wasn't so bad. A free meal and a possible mention in the Times. And she didn't even have to reveal anything all that intimate. As long as someone like Walter or Prof. Horwitz is around to chaperone, there shouldn't be a problem."


• Remebering Amy Barksdale (Ghost Girl Minis), by Pumpkin Panic (COMPLETE!): "She came out west to find the sun. At least that's what she would tell me. She missed her sister but she had to get out of that cold marriage from hell. She had spent three long years with that ass hole her parents pushed her to get with because he was one of those born rich republican good ol' boys. He ended up getting her hooked on coke and I don't mean the soda pop."


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (part 11): "Maybe Nadine had a point, maybe she was getting a little soft. She had a soft spot for American men. It was why she thought she could get close to this guy easy: A touch of real feeling made faking a feeling all the more believable. But this was not a touch, she enjoyed Tom's company. Hurting him would be awful, and it made Bianca feel sick to her stomach."


• Words & Pictures, by VPrad (part 2): "Daria smiled as she sent the email to her favorite aunt, the only adult she considered 'cool'. She was the kind of person she wanted to grow up to be, conserving the same acid, biting sense of humor, not having to put up with anyone's BS, working on her dream job. She was too cynical to admit it, but she wanted to be like her Aunt Amy."


• Worldburner: The Fixer's Finest Hour, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "He tapped his cufflinks, sending the radio signal to his faithful bike, and flew down to the decaying funfair, praying Judith would restrict her fire in a place she'd marked out as her own. He landed bad, too in pain to focus, and his left ankle cracked in protest; he fell over, looking up at the carousel, wooden horses with big smiles and decaying corpses tied to them. A lot of the corpses had green jackets. 'Well, she did... did say it was her Happy Place, and... and who really likes the ferris wheel, honestly?'"


• Worldburner: They Were Nine, by Erin M. (part 2): "'Now, Brittany,' O'Neill began, 'You know that kind of thing only happens in science fiction--' 'We've been attacked by evil superpowered lookalikes of Daria and Jane, as well as an army of living fire monsters, and a bunch of yellow caped goons,' said Stacy, back to her normal tone of voice. 'I think we passed the point where science fiction became science fact a LONG time ago.' 'Well, I, um...' O'Neill stammered before closing his mouth."

Nevermore!

On this day in 1937, Howard Hughes beat his own airspeed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. Tom may never have flown an airplane, but he has apparently found his own way to emulate the eccentric billionaire.

Also on this day, writer/poet Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809. Happy birthday, you delightfully creepy man! Daria is seen reading The Telltale Heart in the episode "Gifted," in which she responds to Brittany's assumption that the story is a romance with, "Yeah, nothing says 'be mine' like a pounding heart beneath a floorboard."

Two fanfics have put a Daria spin on one of Poe's most famous works, "The Raven": The Cynic by Steve Mitchell and A Raven, Nothing More by Lew Richardson. Enjoy!

Fandom News!

• BlackHole has been made a moderator in the Other Languages forum! Also, Kara Wild is looking for fluent French speakers who are interested in becoming moderators as well.


• Watermelon Man asks if the DVD release of Daria has created a resurgence in popularity?


• Deref and his wife will be taking a trip to various parts of Europe and the United States. Can you make it for a Dariacon?


• Dork wants to know, how old is the Daria fanbase? Vote in the poll!


• ticknart now has a spotlight thread! Time to think up some tough questions.


• J-D is looking for information about the U.S. college application process.


• What do you consider to be the signature styles of Daria writers? Discuss it in Brother Grimace's thread.


• Gjork is looking for Beavis & Butthead/Daria crossovers. Can you help?


• Four more Iron Chefs in the Creative Writing forum: Kael Seoras offers Asteroid Apocalypse, Roentgen gives us State by State, Vukodlak suggests If Daria had a daughter like Quinn, and Wassersauefer brings up Lawndale Horror High.

He Had a Dream....

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is one of my favorite quotes from the great civil rights leader, and decided that today being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day meant this was the perfect time to share it.

Whether you spend today as a day off from work/school, spend it doing some form of service, or going up to the gate and ringing the big bell (thank you, Andrew Landon), I hope it's an inspiring day for us all.

"I have none, so I said nothing."

Today is National Nothing Day! Daria and Quinn had this to say about the subject in "Lane Miserables":


Daria: Well, I was just pondering the idea that the negative, which is the nothingness of being and the annihilating power both together, is nothingness.

Quinn: Oh, Daria! That whole "less is more" thing is so over! Accessories are back.


This exchange is followed shortly by the "what's that in the fridge" conversation, in which multiple Lanes peer into said fridge and mutter, "Nothing." It was a very zen episode, I suppose. It really makes you think.


New Fanfic!

• Fugitive Chapter 3: Punk Rock, by Wassersauefer (part 1): "He knew what the Legion was, what the young people in there really did, or at least he had his suspicions. Military training, top secret activities, state of the art equipment and crazy incidents all around the whole group and everything they had to do with. Put all of it together and you don't have to think long about it…att least not if you have a working brain, which is not nearly as frequently as you would think with most people."


• Ghost Girl Chapter 2, by Pumpkin Panic (COMPLETE!): "Jane pointed to the object sitting on a rusted out bedframe. A large black leather bound book with an embossed golden cross peeling off and on the bottom of the cover it was inscribed 'O. Jones' 'Ah, the hypocrasy of the world. Charming isn't it?' She picked up he old crumbling bible about to put it in the center of the rune circle when the familiar sound of Odell's voice rang out 'If you put that down and get away from your little black magic circle maybe I'll kill you fast and painless.'"


• Ghost Girl Chapter 3, by Pumpkin Panic (parts 1 - 8): "Daria sat in her dark quiet room, prescribed bed rest thanks to Dr. Lawrence. She had been grounded since she got ome for sneaking out and doing something dangerous that got her that hurt even though she caimed she couldn't remember what it was. She tried to explain how dumb it was to punish someone for something they couldn't even remember doing. Helen then said this punishment covered anything dangerous. Quinn had come ome late two and with the accident had thought that she'd get out of it but she to became incarcerated in schloss Morgendorffer." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8)


• Her Hero (Iron Chief: Daria cries...), by OverlordMikey (COMPLETE!): "Daria glanced over at the neurotic man near her who clung desperately to the hope that he hadn’t ruined his daughters lives. The man who had survived an abusive father, military school, being married to her mother, a heart attack, having Quinn as a daughter, and many other oddities and tragedies."


• I Don't Side Stories: Erin, by OverlordMikey (part 1): "'You know - speaking of Luhrman.' 'We weren't.' Erin said, only showing some irritation. 'Do you see any long term plans with him?' 'Mom, I'm not sure I wanna talk about this.' 'Have you two had-' 'Mom!' Erin said embarrassed. 'I don't like talking about that kind of stuff.'"


• John Lane 48: A Boston We Will Go, by RLobinske (part 4): "Daria stopped and shifted forward. 'I'm not good at giving pat answers. Boston has a lot more of interest to me that the boring suburb where I live now or the desolate backwater I lived before that.' 'I can appreciate honesty. I don't hear it that often in this line of work. Please, continue.' Daria relaxed. 'I can do honest.'"


• Lawndale Rumble, by TheExcellentS (parts 11 - 13): "O'NEILL: 'And we have one of the big guns in Lawndale Fighting making their way into the match, one half of the reigning Lawndale Women's Tag Team Champions The Freakin' Friends, Jane Lane.' BARCH: 'An artist in and out of the ring, Jane has a huge opportunity to cement her legacy by being the winner of the first Lawndale Rumble.'" (Part 12) (Part 13)


• Quinn's Code - Story 1: The Esteemsters Code, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 5): "'The Bank!' Jane said, forebodingly. Jennifer and Daria looked outside, two tall well built men had pulled up near the letter box and were walking up the path. 'They're foreclosing?' Daria asked. 'Not if I can help it!' Jane said."


• Save the Last Trance for Me, by jtranser: "'Martina, I sense you have some subconscious issues involved, you seem distracted.... Is there something wrong?' 'You think so, Doctor Morgendorffer? I mean, I hear train whistles during my orgasms. But there's nothing wrong with that, is there?'"


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 9 and 10): "'This is not a scheme, Nadine. It is fact-finding. Research. Tom is a target that is near-impossible to get good data on. By all accounts he is normal, he doesn't do anything illicit aside from not be around everything else. I don't blame him, I’ve been to the salons, and I'd rather be a number of places.'" (Part 10)


• Unnamed story (Iron Chief: Daria cries...), by rglovejoy (COMPLETE!): "The last box had been packed and loaded onto the truck. Daria stood in the front yard, watching her father negotiating with the movers. She felt an immense sense of relief to be leaving Highland."


• Words & Pictures, by VPrad (part 1): "She enjoyed seeing those two together. Both girls shared the same sense of humor and were such original thinkers. The girl with big round glasses, even though she obviously wasn’t as talented as her best friend, was relatively good at the subject she taught and she had even made some interesting pieces filled with a wicked, dark sense of humor. Even though she was known amongst the other teachers for her ruthless, sarcastic comments, she had always been nice to her, something she appreciated."


• Worldburner: The Fixer's Finest Hour, by Charles RB (part 5): "There'd only be one chance at this. He tapped his cufflinks together, sending a radio signal to his shoes. And the spring-loaded tear gas pellet inside them. Caught off guard, the enemy recoiled – Ruttheimer was going for the machine-pistol at his side in the instant of deployment, but Daybreaker Jane was moving faster than even that, on Judith in an instant and burnt to ash from the inside by a 'fire Judith' in the next instant. By then, Ruttheimer was firing."

"Guys yelling and jumping up and down and banging into stuff and dip, Stacy, dip!"

Today is most likely a sacred holiday to Kevin Thompson. The first was played on this day in 1967, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers won, which is probably good news to Kevin, who seems to be a fan of Vince Lombardi according to "The Lawndale File":

Mack: Remember that game when you fell on your head? Remember how you thought Vince Lombardi was sending you plays from hell?

Kevin: Heaven, bro! Vince Lombardi did not go to hell.

As for the first Super Bowl, I don't know if any school review meetings regarding soda advertising in schools took place on the same day, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Fandom news!

• Nominations are up for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards for Written Works and Visual Works. Congratulations to all the nominees!


• How will you celebrate Daria Day: 2/16?


• Roentgen started two new Deep Thoughts threads: Ph. D. Exam in Philosophy and Daria and the Nazis.


• Vukodlak started a new Iron Chef: Daria cries...


• TheExcellentS is looking for suggestions for his Daria Pixel Art Collection.

Caption Contest!

Why are Daria and Jane so nervous?

"It's only a matter of time."

Happy Make Your Dream Come True Day! Daria would like her whole family to do something together. Something that'll really make them suffer. I suppose dinners at Pizza Forest and hours at UFO conventions are a pretty darn good start to that dream.

Any ideas on what Daria's actual goals in life might include? Becoming a writer is a popular one, and her future story from "Write Where It Hurts" gave us some touching insights into what she wants her family to be like, but what else might Daria wish for? Aside from pizza, that is.

In the meantime, here's the latest fanfic update:

• The Best Laid Plans (Iron Chef: The Big Three-Zero), by Yogi (COMPLETE!): "'Well, I turned 30 today and what do I get for my birthday? ANOTHER bunch of CIA assassins that I had to dispose of. Yay me. Not that this was unexpected, since the doomsday weapon is only weeks away from completion. I really hope they don’t call my bluff since I want to RULE the world, and after that thing goes off there wouldn’t be much left to rule. I think I can angle it so that at least half of Hawaii remains untouched so in the worst case scenario I at least get to retire in a nice place....'"


• Between The Boards (Write-off Challenge 7, Round 3), by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "'My name is Quinn Morgendorffer. Does this school have a hockey team? I played on the jay-vee team in Lawndale despite being in eighth grade.' 'Yes we do - but nobody goes to their games because they never win.' The black-haired boy replied. 'That's because I haven't joined the team yet.'"


• By any Means Necessary (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Yogi (COMPLETE!): "It had only been two days, and Jodie was already close to snapping. She had barely bit back several profane comments towards the congressman she was volunteering for, had almost slapped her sister for taking the fresh pancake at breakfast where there was already one on the table, and had made a rather undiplomatic comment about the quality of a yearbook page." (Extra scene by NightGoblyn here)


• Daria/Dorian 12: Spring Breaks, by LadieT (part 3): "Drinking milk straight from the carton, Jake took his own sweet time driving causing Helen to become enraged. With about an hour left to go, Helen forced her husband to pull over so she could drive the rest of the way. In the backseat, Dorian and Quinn looked at each other and shook their heads. They knew they were going to be in for a long weekend."


• Free (Iron Chief: Daria cries...), by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): "Daria and Jane stood down the block, faces painted vivid orange from the light of the blaze. Gas cans and rags sat in the decaying back seat of Trent's car, and though the remains of the wine bottles that crashed through nearly every window on the ground floor of the main building would eventually be found, there would be no fingerprints to incriminate them."


• Fugitive Chapter 2: The Blues, by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "Before, she had thought of him as a killer robot -- a rather cute and nice killer robot, but a robot nonetheless. But in that instant he wasn't like that anymore, not in her eyes. She saw something different, something completely different. This sad, lonely guy, sitting in a rusted car on a junk yard, this was neither a killer nor a robot. He was a survivor. A fugitive. A guy fucked over by destiny." (Part 2)


• Ghost Girl: Chapter One, by Pumpkin Panic (COMPLETE!): "You see, Daria was no ordinary jaded sarcastic teenager. She had a gift... or more accurately to how she felt about it a curse. She could see, talk to, and even touch ghosts. So in a place such as historical Lawndale she might be a bit uncomfortable." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8)


• Ghost Girl Chapter 2, by Pumpkin Panic (parts 1 - 6): "Jane was the second ghost she hadn't sent off to the great beyond. She didn't seem to want to go. She was content where she was. She didn't annoy Daria or haunt anyone and Daria reasoned that's why she hadn't done it yet. The truth was though it was because this was the first person that she had really connected with ever and Daria didn't want to lose her best friend over some silly technicality like she was dead." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6)


• God Save The Esteem ep17: Bits and Pierces, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'You... you haven't been to a funeral, have you?' pleaded Helen. Willow laughed. 'Oh no, no, we just had to come straight from work.' '...work.' 'InterVestMint Bank up in Baltimore,' said Dingo. '...bank.'" (Part 3)


• I Don't Side Stories: Luhrman, by OverlordMikey (part 1): "He sighed and opened his desk. Inside was a tiny box, like the kind one would keep a ring in. Inside a small diamond he had planned to give Erin. 'I wouldn't want to miss the wedding of the century.' I can only hope something catches fire, like the groom."


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 33): "As the rest of the Morgendorffers approached, Jake saught sight of Rita and had the urge to run to the airport bar. Helen grabbed his hand and led him towards the bench her two siblings were sitting at. Rita and Helen gave each other a short hug. Rita looked at her at her newest niece and only nephew. She studied Daria then moved to Trent, but her eyes kept going back to Daria. Making a face of some digust, Rita backed away from the Lane siblings."


• John Lane 48: A Boston We Will Go, by RLobinske (part 3): "'I don't think I'll need to worry too much about the fraternity and sorority houses, but they're on the other side of the matching dorms, following a nice, early twentieth century sensibility of not allowing boys and girls to live too close together.' 'And it gives more opportunities for streaking across the quad,' Amy said. When John and Daria looked at her, she said, 'Hey, I started college in the seventies. We did things like that. And before you give me any more looks, your generation will find something just as stupid to do.'"


• Lawndale Rumble, by TheExcellentS (parts 6 - 10): "O'NEILL: 'Thompson is unloading with those trademark shoulder tackles on Ruttheimer!' BARCH: 'You know, it's taking every fibre of my being to stop myself from getting up and giving both of them the business.' O'NEILL: 'I've seen you give the business. I don't think my scars have fully healed yet.'" (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10)


• Life Beyond Highland (Iron Chef: Lawndale State), by LadieT (part 10): "Seeing the redhead, Stacy signaled for Quinn to join her and her friends. In her mind, Quinn began to try to feel out the two people standing with Stacy. The taller Asian woman seemed very uninterested and focused more on her nails than on Quinn. The brunette on the other hand, stared intently at Quinn and scowled. Great, she sees me as competition. This isn't high school anymore bitch, get over yourself." (Part 11)


• Lingering Hours, by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): "As the melancholy notes sang through the still air of that Wednesday night, Daria thought of a boy with dark hair and a gap-toothed smile, eyes which seemed to shine liquid green under the summer sun. She thought of long games of tag, scavenger hunts, trading books on rainy afternoons. A smile touched her heart at the memory of the fourth grade talent show, the vision of him in that single spotlight, playing his favorite song."


• Mise-en-Sandi, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "'I got permission to use Pepperhill High School for a $10,000 fee. I can shoot there whenever I want to. I have the run of the place and the limited assistance of the faculty.' Jack stood back, framing an imaginary scene. 'We're at high school. We have the jocks, the brains, the nerds, the mean girls.' 'Did you know that Sandi was in one of those girl cliques?' Roy said, trying to derail Jack's moment of triumph. 'She was in something called the Fashion Club.' 'No shit?' Jack said. 'Roy, why are you holding back? I knew that Sandi was fashionable but didn't know anything about a "Fashion Club"?'"


• My years with Daria, by CR85747 (COMPLETE!): "Whatever the case, the day-- sometime in February, I think-- when I found out during a particularly unnotable rerun of B&B that Daria – that's her name!-- was leaving Highland (apparently after particularly a profound session of plastic surgery) to star in her own show seemed to make sense to me."


• Oh, By The Way, by RLobinske (part 1): "Daria smiled at her father and then asked her mother, 'What about Quinn?' 'Their flight was delayed and they'll call when they land. Quinn said something about having an announcement to make. Do you have any idea of what she's talking about?' Helen said. Daria shook her head. 'Not a clue, Mom.'"


• Quinn's Code - Story 1: The Esteemsters Code, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 4): "'I mean that new girl has, like, turned everything upside down. She is popular despite her being a geek! We need to, like, put her in her place, before previously unpopular people become popular as a result of her example,' Sandi said. 'Ok,' Stacy said, not sure what Sandi had in mind. She watched Sandi eat up her food at a high speed. When she had finished eating Sandi got up. 'Come on, We're going to put that geek in her place.'"


• Raft College: The First Year, by rglovejoy (part 39): "At the moment, however, she had her friend Stacy over to spend the night. She was kneeling at the other end of the bed, holding a mirror to her face and trying different varieties of lip gloss. It was Halloween night, but neither of them had dates. The funny thing was, neither of them cared. They were content to hang out together."


• Running High, by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!): "Quinn was only dimly aware of pain in her bare feet as they slapped against the gravel-strewn sidewalk, focused as she was on following Jake's car. It was pulling away from the house, but as it slowed to turn down another street something in Quinn clicked and she forced her legs to move a little more...a little closer...a little faster...and she made it."


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 7 and 8): "'Oh, that's wonderful dear. It's so nice that she's making friends her first time in this country.' His mother was all smiles as the food was brought out. 'She seems a very nice girl.' Tom neglected to mention where the two of them went on their night out. 'A night out' to Kay Sloane meant dressing up, the opera, and such. While Tom never discounted the importance of culture in a society, such things were not for him. 'I'm sure a night of pizza and bowling was worth the fun.' But leave it to Elsie to rain on someone else's parade." (Part 8)


• Super Daria Bros. (Iron Chef: Super Daria Sisters), by project pegasus (COMPLETE!): "DeMartino: AAARGH! You call THAT shooting a fire flower?! I was in Vietnam! My piss burned more after visiting the red light district of Saigon! Kevin: Oh yeah? (Kevin get right up into Mr. DeMartino's face with his fire flower). This will teach you to make inappropriate jokes about aggressive Western imperialism. (Kevin unleashes his fire flower full blast)"


• Unnamed story, by Kael Seoras: "All those people...they're cheering so loud...she's...popular? Gay and popular? And look at her smiling, glowing with happiness! Maybe if I would come out, I could still be popular...and happy..."


• Unnamed story (Crossovers Still Crossing Over), by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "'FOR LAWNDALE!!!' With an epic warcry Kevin Thompson, Champion of said town, charged forward, axe held high above his head and his scale mail darkened by the massive amounts of gore and blood that had splattered onto it."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Quinn's Pat-a-Cake), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'Well?!' bellowed Grand Lord Sponge, glaring down from the throne in his flagship. 'What is the status of Agent Chocolor? I want to know if this blue world is something to capture for the empire!'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Quinn's Pat-a-Cake), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "'WHO DARES SUMMON M- oh hey, Quinn. What's up?' 'Hi, Annidax the Dark Unholy! Sorry to bug you or whatever, but I'm really really needing, like, something to get Kevin Thompson to pay attention to me, right?'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Quinn's Pat-a-Cake), by Jim North: "Quinn was thinking hard as she walked. Very hard. As hard as she could think. How was she going to get Kevin Thompson to notice her?" (Continued by Pumpkin Panic)


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Quinn's Pat-a-Cake), by Pumpkin Panic (COMPLETE!): "'I Really like chocolate cake, Johnny.' Quinn purred into the phone. 'It's Jamie. I meant thats awesome. I love chocolate.' This was a lie. He was really allergic to chocolate but Jamie was already looking theough the cabinet for cake mix but couldn't find any. 'It's my favorite.' Quinn continued. 'I wish I could have some.' 'I'll have one ready in an hour!' Jamie said pulling out the ingredients to make a cake by scratch."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Quinn's Pat-a-Cake), by Vukodlak (COMPLETE!): "For over a year that small cake sat in the pack of the fridge, hidden in its little box completely unnoticed. Then one day Jake while rummaging through the fridge came upon the package."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: The Big Three-Zero), by Vukodlak (COMPLETE!): "'I swear this is the last damn time I'm doing this' a five month pregnant Daria grumbled as she waddled into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of orange juice. Her husband came up behind her and gave her a warm hug cradling her body against his. 'You said that last time' he smiled kissing her neck, 'and the time before that'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chief: Daria cries...), by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "'I still don't know how Quinn won that year-long vacation. She claimed she never entered that contest.' Helen says as she wraps her arms around Jake. 'I'm sure she must have forgotten that she did it. Besides, she'll have a great time in Antartica watching the breeding habits of penguins.' Jake responds with a smile on his face."


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by VPrad (COMPLETE!): "The woman turned around to face the figure lying beside her. She brushed away a lock of her beautiful auburn hair that was covering her face. She looked peaceful while she was sleeping. Her lover couldn’t stop thinking how beautiful she was, even when she didn’t intend to. Her big round glasses were lying in the nightstand. The artist loved how they looked on her, even though her significant other wasn’t so convinced about that. She would to say that she was talking more as a girlfriend than as an artist."


• Unnamed story (Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman), by Greystar (COMPLETE!): "Tommy Sherman: I'm not dead! Morty the Mortician: Here -- he says he's not dead! Principal Li: Yes, he is."


• Worldburner: The Fixer's Finest Hour, by Charles RB (parts 2 - 4): "He'd been browsing the media and again found no signs of Judith, though he was now curious to know whether President Bradley was a commie destroying the economy & weak on terrorism or a great figure sorting out Afghanistan & fighting poverty. Oh well, next- The sky caught fire. No... something in the sky was on fire. Lots of somethings. 'Ah, that'd be the lovely Judith then...'" (Part 3)(Part 4)


• Worldburner: They Were Nine, by Erin M. (part 1): "It had been three months since Judith and her army from hell had come to Lawndale, burning everything in sight and killing anyone they found. Once the police and sheriff's departments had been wiped out, the survivors had gone to the one truly secure place in the town. Lawndale High. For once, all the security precautions Angela had installed in the school were actually useful. The school, plus the surprising contents of Mr. DeMartino's gun collection, enabled the survivors to hold out for almost a week."


• Worldburner: This is My BOOMSTICK!, by Brother Grimace (part 1): "'Ladies and gentlemen - this is the Armalite PFT-JK-11 concussive-force energy weapon - our own personal design,' the man said, holding up a rifle-style weapon with a non-reflective, black-matte finish that screamed "military issue" to those present in uniform. 'She’s designed for one thing – to kill every unholy bastard that’s fool enough to put itself in your sights.'"

A Different Kind of Fly Girl

On this day in 1935, Amelia Earhart flew solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California--the first person to do so successfully. A notable woman not only in aviation but also politics and feminism, Earhart achieved many such firsts and set many records before disappearing in 1937. Whether you died or just went to hang out with Elvis and Bigfoot, we join Quinn in saluting you, Amelia!

Fandom News Update!

• UKDariaer asks who uses an Android phone?


• Best wishes to the Daria fans (and their loved ones) in lower Brisbane, which has received a flood warning.


• Roentgen started a Deep Thoughts Iron Chef: Daria isn't "real."


• The Star Wars films will be released on Blu-ray in September. Discuss, complain, or geek out here!


• A new Iron Chef from Roentgen in the Creative Writing forum: Quinn's Pat-a-Cake.


• What will happen in God Save The Esteem? Vote in the poll and make your predictions!

Nominate and Captionate!

First, this is your last reminder to nominate for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards. The polls close tonight at 11:59 PM (23:59) UTC! (Check the time here.)

Second, caption this picture:

What did Quinn just hear in the next room?

There's Still Time to Nominate for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards!

Time is running out to send in your nominations for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards.


Full rules and instructions are here.

You don't want to vote on just my nominations, do you?

I didn't think so.

The King and the Goblin King

Today's the day for musical birthdays--both Elvis Presley and David Bowie were born on this day in 1935 and 1947, respectively. Aside from the alter egos shown here, there isn't much in the way of canon references for either. One of the canaries in "It Happened One Nut" is named Elvis and St. Patrick's Day criticizes Valentine's Day's voice because "it doesn't even sound like Elvis." However, breitasparrow has provided fanart of Trent as the Goblin King, the role played by Bowie in the movie Labyrinth.

Want a fanfic update? Well, too bad, 'cause you're getting one anyway!

• And Then There Was One (Iron Chef: Dieselpunk Daria), by Ravynstone (COMPLETE!): "Quinn pulled off her mask and goggles - the new, lightweight style guaranteed not to give the wearer 'racoon eyes' - and undid the scarf covering her reddish hair. Her mother was doing likewise, shoving mask and goggles into an oversized handbag and unbuttoning her long overcoat. Beneath it, Helen wore a knee-length black skirt and a lace blouse. Her widow's pin glittered against her pale breast, an eagle with bowed head and spread wings. She never took it off in public."


• The Cards You Are Dealt, rejected ending (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): "The redhead stood there, an angry glare on her face and her eyes narrowed. She no longer wore her normal clothes, but instead wore a dark red and gold body suit with a gold bird decorating the chest. Her ankh still hung around her neck and she still had the stubborn lock of hair that hung over her left eye."


• Falling Into Daria: An Interesting Start to the New Year, by Gouka Ryuu (part 3): "'As far as I believe, the omniverse, all of existence, has a universe for every possibility imaginable. From every choice every person in every universe makes to other scenarios. It's impossible for a unicorn to come barging in here, but I can guarantee you there are an infinite number of universes where one will appear right...now.' Nothing of course happened. However, in a universe both relatively close and an infinite distance away a unicorn did barge into the Morgendorffer domicile Kool Aid mascot style and started chewing on Quinn's hair, much to her delight."


• First Briefing ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by RLobinske (COMPLETE): "She looked around and spotted Richard at his workstation, concentrating on a display. She walked over and near the room divider, said, 'Excuse, me. Are you Richard?' He swived the chair around and looked up. 'Yes. I'm a little busy.' 'Me, too, and I don't need your friends recruiting from my hypersphere. Do you have any idea of how hard it is to keep track of the Dalek timeline as it is?'"


• The Fixer (Iron Chef: Dieselpunk Daria), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Ruttheimer sat in a small bistro in the corner of the station, eating and drinking the finest. It didn't have as many customers as it would at its height, but recession or no recession, they were alright, Johann (and you had to keep appearances up, wot?). But every time the serving staff could be heard saying something to each other in Belarusian, one of the customers would glance for a bit. They could be saying anything. They could be partisans."


• Fugitive Chapter 1: Russian Heavy Metal, by Wassersauefer (COMPLETE!): "Perhaps I should get myself a Russian dictionary, she admitted to herself. A Russian killer-robot is living in my house. Okay, a nice killer-robot who likes to watch Sesame Street and hasn't killed anyone, but a killer-robot none the less. And I don't understand a word he is saying."


• God Save The Esteem ep17: Bits and Pierces, by Charles RB (part 1): "'That offer of staying round my house is still there,' said Jane, as the girls waited in the security line for school. 'I didn’t want to impose. I've changed my mind though. Get ready to be posed.' Daria shut her eyes. “It's been a whole week since Weddignarok and those god corpses just lie there festering. Erin has only talked to anyone once, and that was only because Dad asked if she wanted some of his penne a la pesto. She said no.' 'That's just common sense.'"


• Holiday Roadtrip, by Chris Tucker: "'OK, that's seen to. Get the clothes out of the washer and into the dryer tonight. Tomorrow after breakfast, check the weather and roads, pack, tearful farewells from the family, a no doubt embarrassing goodbye with Trent (if he's awake. Jane will make sure of that, knowing her.) hit someplace for food and drinks for the trip back, as well as money for tolls, and then off to New England. What unforeseen interference by reality will occur that'll make a mess of this best laid plan?'"


• John Lane 48: A Boston We Will Go, by RLobinske (part 2): "'You're a pretty easy chaperone,' John said. 'Realistic. My job is to make sure you stay out of jail. Otherwise, you're adults who are responsible for your personal actions. Just don't wake me up with them.' 'Okay,' John said. 'I think we can do that.' Amy smiled. 'Besides, compared to your mother, you two are almost saints.'"


• Lawndale and Sandi Griffin's Genie (Chapter 2), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 5): "'I'm not hiding anything!' Torii said. 'Neither am I,' Andrea said. 'It is clear that you are hiding something. I'm hooking you up to the polygraph machine!' Ms Li said."


• Lawndale Rumble (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by TheExcellentS (parts 3 and 4): "O'NEILL: 'Here's an unknown entity for you. This is Guy Crawford, and he's making his PPV debut tonight having defeated Spike Rose in the last chance qualifier last week.' BARCH: 'Bony little guy, isn't he? Looks like the heaviest lifting he's ever done is picking up the phone.'" (Part 4) (Part 5)


• Life Beyond Highland, by LadieT (part 9): "Listening to Daria and Jane talking with each other made her thank the higher powers the site existed. Throughout that night, every time she received a text from Daria, she smiled. When Quinn arrived home with a bunch of phone numbers and email addresses, Helen knew that her daughters were going to be alright and hoped that someday she would be able to join them."


• A loss in the family, by VPrad (COMPLETE!): "Quinn walked home alone, she couldn't stop thinking about the events that had taken place during the day. Right until that morning, she felt she had everything under control: she was popular, cute, the boys were literally fighting each other to date her... But the sudden death of a popular guy and the fact that she couldn't help her friend when she was going through a rough time was a reminder that she couldn't control everything." (Part 3)


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (part 6): "'Thank you, Tom. This is part of the reason why I came over to America, to experience new things and have a little fun.' 'That's not the only reason?' Tom joked. 'No. Another is to find someone to enjoy it with. Good night.' Bianca smiled for a moment, and then kissed Tom on both of his cheeks. It shocked him, a little. Even on the cheek, a kiss wasn’t something most girls threw freely."


• Stay Curious, PBS (Crossovers Still Crossing Over), by Wraith (COMPLETE!): "'Hey, is that Ms. Li?' 'I like the new look.' 'Great. She's finally snapped.' Ms. Li was watching the construction workers with a smile on her face. And a shiny foil hat on her head. The girls were just close enough to hear her mutter, 'The damn PBS won't be able to get me now!'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Dieselpunk Daria), by Chris Tucker (COMPLETE!): "Jane reached for the bucket of tennis balls by the door of the hanger cum workshop, grabbed one of the felt covered spheres, and with a deadly aim born from years of experience, whizzed a sidearm fastball at the back of the steel and leather armored figure, leaning into the rivet gun on the scaffold 20 feet in the air. The ball walloped the back of the auburn-haired head. The reaction was as expected, the riveting stopped and a stream of sulfurous blasphemies filled the air."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Dieselpunk Daria), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "A feeling of exultant joy raced through her chest as she propelled herself out into the sky. Brilliant blue marbled with streaks of white filled every degree of her view, and her aural world became naught but the sound of rumbling wind as she cut through the air. She wanted to live in that world forever, a world of falling through infinite sky, but the pressures of reality had to be let back in eventually."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Dieselpunk Daria), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "'Captain Lane,' the office said, transferring his glare from one woman to the other.'Frankly I find you to be just as distasteful as this . . . kraut. A woman's place is in the home, not flying fighter planes for the Army. I don't know why you get to be the exception, and . . . .' He stopped speaking when the door slammed open, admitting a tall black man in the full dress uniform of a United States Marine. His chest fairly dripped with ribbons and medals, and the look on his face said he'd earned every single one and didn't like remembering any of it. He quietly closed the door behind him."


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'Not that ol' Jakey should depend on anyone!' roared Jake. 'NO TRUSTING PEOPLE IS FOR GIRLS ISN'T IT OLD MAN!!!' A harsh, disembodied voice spake: 'Quit your whining, boy! Boys don't whine! MAN UP!' Jake's jaw dropped open."


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by InvisibleDan (COMPLETE!): "Venkman: Okay, and for capture and storage of the beast I'm gonna have to charge five big ones. That's five thousand dollars. Jake: I can't afford that! Dammit, I should have gone to the other guys. They have a gorilla in a trench coat with a fedora."


• Use Your Head ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by Raskolnikov (COMPLETE!): "They sure had cut the electricity of the house again. Always with their fees, and bills, and, and taxes, and... headed letters! Like they were playing their game! Damn it! She felt so outraged at the unfair situation in which the asskissing lackeys of The Man had put them (it’s always like that, they can’t stand free people), that she didn’t realize there were someone sitting in the couch, and even when she saw... her? It was a her?...the thought that a stranger sitting in the darkness in the middle of a house that should be locked can had something to do with the mysterious lack of electric fluid didn’t cross her mind."


• Worldburner: The Fixer's Finest Hour, by Charles RB (part 1): "'Charles Ruttheimer the Third, Extradimensional Handyman!' He gave a salute as he hopped into his strange transport. 'And since I know exactly what you’ve done as a Provincial Party Leader, can I ask you to keep staring in this direction as I turn on the Jumpship engines?' Manfried actually did. To be fair to him, he didn’t know then that the light of a nuclear-powered craft tearing a small hole in dimensional space would blind you."


• Worldhopper (Chapter 3), by Erin M. (part 1): "She crossed a street and stopped in front of a storefront display which held several TV sets, all tuned to KSBC. External speakers had been mounted form the aluminum awning over the sidewalk. A few people had gathered around to watch the broadcast. Daria hunched her shoulders and lowered her head, joining the crowd. Hopefully, whatever was coming on next could clarify things. It didn't. If anything, it made her more confused......and frightened."

At Least No One Set Nancy on Fire!

According to legend, Joan of Arc was born on this day in 1412. Joan achieved feats of teenage rebellion that Daria could only dream of, and was mentioned in "Arts and Crass":

Jane: You're a real Joan of Arc, you know that?

Daria: Yeah, and I think I just ordered a stake.

Also on this date, ice skating champion Nancy Kerrigan was attacked in 1994. Quinn, on the right, isn't likely to let a serious knee injury keep her from kicking the competition's ass. Just look at that game face!

Hey, a post about both stakes and skates! That's really neat if you're as easily amused as I am!

Fandom News:

• The countdown continues for nominating works for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards.


• Wouter has started a random post YouTube clips thread. Share your favorite videos there!


• Three new Iron Chefs in the Creative Writing forum: 10 Things I Hate About You, Dieselpunk Daria, and The Blanket Scenario.


• ticknart reminds everyone to vote in the current Write-off Challenge!

"And the ironic thing is, I am as free as a bird."

It's National Bird Day! Celebrate by rescuing Travis the canary from the air filtration system at the mall or keeping a safe distance from Chiquito the Parrot (he's very possessive). You could also get crushed by a penguin float during a homecoming parade, but I wouldn't recommend it.

If you're in the mood for bird-related fan-fiction, there's Howard by The Angst Guy, Duck Day Afternoon by Shane Greentree, or A Raven, Nothing More by Lew Richardson, just to start. There are probably more, so please feel free to post any others in the comments.

Also, remember that there are only five days left to nominate works for the Daria Fanworks Awards! Find the rules here.

And now, on to the fanfic update!

• Another normal day in Lawndale, by JPAGC (part 8): "As Daria talked, she was aware that her own cheeks were turning pink as Charles was looked directly at her eyes. Even after the two years she had known him, it still surprised her that Charles was unique among every male teenager in school in looking at her eyes instead of letting them waver around her body (and especially her chest) for ninety per cent of the time they were speaking."


• At the Going Down of the Sun ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "In the great dimensional Bleed between the Holiday Islands lies a garden, lit up as if in permanent twilight. It seems small at first because mortal eyes cannot fathom the sheer scale of the place. Countless gravestones, uniform in their curved shape and made unique by the name and universe of origin - all creeds and species rest side by side as one - stretch into the distance."


• Auld Leg Syne, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "It was early in the morning. New Year's Day. With the doorbell ringing, with Jake and Helen dead to the world after their late night revelings and with Quinn's whereabouts unknown (and Daria unconcerned), Daria stumbled down to the door to give whoever was ringing the damned doorbell the first swearing-off of the New Year."


• Bi Bi My Darling!, by OverlordMikey (part 1): "After what I did last night I have to confess. Even if it could ruin all of our friendships but- The two met outside of the Pizza King. After some awkward chit-chat and some sarcastic jokes the truth was blurted out. 'I, I kissed your boyfriend-' the person said, the words riddled with regret hidden under a monotone voice."


• Daria/Dorian 12: Spring Breaks, by LadieT (part 2): "'I know that as your own personality continues to grow, Daria will want to fight you more and more. By including her in our conversations, it might help both of you settle into being the best person you can be. I love the both of you, so please get along long enough to come back home after this weekend without being on medication. What do you say Daria - truce?'"


• Falling Into Daria: An Interesting Start to the New Year, by Gouka Ryuu (part 1): "I spent my last waking hours of 2010 online visiting various message boards, including Paperpusher’s, and Facebook to check on things and wish everyone a safe and happy New Year’s Eve. I then shut off my computer and went to bed around 10:30 PM, the last thing I remember doing. I slept through the end of 2010, and by my nearest guess never made it to 2011. But, I’m getting ahead of myself." (Part 2)


• First Dance ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'A stink-bomb?' Judith actually rolled her eyes. 'What are you, twelve? This is what they taught you in those Special Warfare classes - annoy people with bad scents?' 'Rock music and rap, too - at very loud volumes,' Archangel shot back. 'Oh, and don't bother to try and wash it off, extract the nanites, or counteract them... the nanites inside are specifically designed to consume and reproduce like rabbits on Quaaludes in the presence of bio- and supernatural energies. Your bio- and supernatural energies, to be precise.'"


• Fugitive: The Blues, by Wassersauefer (part 1): "The first thing he saw was darkness. Total and utter darkness. After a second his sight got better, a lot better, and he discovered that he was in a forest. A thick forest with trees he didn't recognize and a dark night sky overhead. Which was strange, because he could have sworn that the last thing he remembered was running down a bombed street, his comrade besides him, his rifle in hand and then... nothingness."


• God Save The Esteem ep16: Wedding Hell, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Jodie and Brittany headed off to another part of the shop, and Daria was finally pinned into her dress. This was a bad thing, as she now had to look at it in the mirror. She had enough time to think thank god Tom can’t see it before she saw Tom in the reflection." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 5, by InvisibleDan (part 1): "He envied Daria at that moment. Tired of staring at the same thing he saw every night before bed, he turned and looked at her. She looked so calm. Her eyelids were closed behind her glasses but they were not shut tight. Her mouth was slightly open, and he could feel her breath leaving through her pale lips. It was as though all her defenses were down and he could finally see who Daria really was when no one else was around."


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (parts 31 and 32): "The first couple of months of school went well. All four of the Morgendorffer kids were off to a good start. Then in early November, Jane came home complaining of a really bad stomachache. The next day, Jake took her to their family doctor. Suspecting appendicitis, their doctor had Jake bring Jane to the hospital. Jake called Helen who told the rest of the kids what was going on when she picked them up from school. When they arrived at the hospital, Daria didn't want to leave Jane's side." (Part 32)


• Lawndale Rumble (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by TheExcellentS (parts 1 and 2): "O'NEILL: 'With both Lawndale World Championships still vacant, 30 of our best and brightest Lawndale Fighters will participate in this over-the-top-rope battle royal. The winner will be recieving a mystery prize yet to be announced by General Manager Angela Li.' BARCH: '15 brainless men and 15 fantastic women will enter that very ring, and I just know that a woman will rise up and win it all!' O'NEILL: 'Hm... Anyway, on that note, let's take it to our backstage interviewer Claire Defoe, who has two of our match participants standing by!'" (Part 2)


• Life Beyond Highland (Iron Chef: Lawndale State), by LadieT (part 8): "Twenty minutes later, Quinn and her entourage walked into the Zon. Andrea saw the four as they sat down and elbowed her table companions. Jane looked over at the girl for a moment, then over to Daria. Seeing her friend's face contort, Jane realized who the girl at the table was. Scanning the bar, Quinn saw Daria staring at her and froze, but quickly played it off. Her attention went back to her three new boy toys."


• A loss in the family, by VPrad (part 1): "Coincidentally, just as they were talking, Sandi Griffin walked through the main entrance of Lawndale High. Quinn could immediately see something was wrong, her hair wasn’t as perfectly combed as always, she didn’t have as much make up on as she would have any other day, and what disturbed Quinn the most, her usual confident stare was now replaced by a lost gaze to the floor."


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 4 and 5): "She knew the type of girl Nadine was when it came to intrigue. Someone who thought she could do anything, not realizing what an novice she truly was at this. Intrigue was tricky work, and people like her thought a solid plan and a level tone could make another believe anything. Those types of girls didn’t last long at this, but they could get lucky. No matter, it was best to utterly crush her before she could get that luck. That way, she’d never play the game again, repair her reputation, and stay out of Elsie’s hair." (Part 5)


• Stuck Inside Of Lawndale With The Metafic Blues Again, by Gregor Samsa (part 5): "Critic #3: [excited] So, you're going to junk what you already have and start with my guaranteed winner? I won't even request more than 85% of royalties! Me: Actually, no. I've already got this other material down and need to show it."


• T&J, by Ravynstone (COMPLETE!): "'Who's the new girl?' Jane glanced up from the second coat of red she was applying to her nails. Her brother, Tom, was watching a girl across the quad. 'Don't know,' said Jane. She tilted her head, peering through her fringe at the object of Tom's interest. 'She looks like a brain.'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: 10 Things I Hate About You), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "'You've dragged it out of me. I . . . I kissed Tom. And then I told Jane about it today. So now she hates me and probably hates Tom and they're gonna break up and I liked kissing Tom so I think I wanna see where that might go but if I do it'll ruin things between me and Jane even more than it already has and I'm not sure what to do about any of this and it's got me just inches away from shutting down completely.' 'Mm-hm, mm-hm,' Quinn hummed thoughtfully as she chewed slowly on a mouthful of skim milk-doused flakes. 'Sounds rough,' she said after swallowing. 'But on the up-side, my plan finally worked.'"


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'Let the lady go, good sir!' bellowed a suddenly appearing figure. 'This is your last warning!' 'Oh yeah?! What are you gonna do about iOH GOD I'VE BEEN BLINDED AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!'"


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser (COMPLETE!): "Daria shook her head and said: 'I'm still not convinced about all this. Surely there's other ways of bailing out of this without factoring a prime number.' 'Well, yes. And if you really press me about it, I'll tell you how to do it. Be advised it's like carrying a 50 carton case of eggs across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope." (Conclusion)


• Worldburner: A Very Judith Christmas, by Erin Mills, Brother Grimace, Charles RB, and Overlord Mikey (COMPLETE!): "As soon as the squad portaled into the studio, Reiko knew something was wrong. The squad of Ringbearers moved out, Rings at the ready. Reiko unholstered her pistol and glanced around, old police instincts taking in the scene. The set was still there, but the studio was dark. The audience seats were empty. The only source of light came from the huge Christmas tree next to the mammoth fireplace. The portal leading to the hell-dimension had apparently closed. The fireplace was cold and dead."


• Worldburner - 'Forever Cold', by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "Judith turned around to face me, eagerness for battle glistening in her eyes. 'Have you come to fight? I hope so.' I stood my ground. 'I came to talk.' She let venom pepper her tone as she spat out 'I won’t listen!' I looked her directly in the eye. 'Then kill me.'"

"Brown is so...soothing."

On this day in 1892, J. R. R. Tolkien was born. Bikini-clad Helen invites you to join in the celebration as she displays this handmade Hobbit candle. Although I'm willing to bet that at least a few blog readers have only just noticed the candle she's holding....

Dennis has started (but not finished) a Daria/Lord of the Rings crossover called Shadows of a Timeless Song. Is it pitchforking time? But of course! First, though, some fandom news:

• There's only one week left to nominate works for the Daria Fanworks Awards! Were there any fanfics or fanart that you really enjoyed? Now's your chance to make sure they get recognized!


• The SFMB is having technical difficulties. Deref and Gamer are working on it, though!


• brnleague99 invites you to play a game for the paranormally inclined. How many people are in the picture?


• What did you think was the worst music of 2010? Share your thoughts in Wouter's thread.

Time for Daria Fanwork Awards Nominations.

An new year has started and that means it's time to send in your nominations for the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards.


Full rules and instructions are here.

Nominate early and nominate often.

Have a Great 2011!

It's New Year's Day, which means a brand new start for some and a brand new hangover for others.

Anyone have any thoughts about what 2011 will bring? What do you think will happen in fandom? In your own life? In the world in general? In the underground kingdom only I know about where the invisible gnomes dwell? Post your predictions in the comments!


New Fanfic!

• The Application, by Doggieboy: "They walked quietly side by side through the deathly quiet city once known as Lawndale. The only sounds were those of their feet as they moved through the freshly fallen snow. Large militry-style duffel bags rested on their shoulders, and the bags were stuffed full. Every ten or so seconds, the taller of the two, the male, turned and looked behind them. Just in case they were being trailed."


• The Cards You Are Dealt, by Doggieboy (COMPLETE!): "The redheaded teen walked to a maple tree about 15 yards from the cliff edge and she looked around. 'John?' she asked. 'I know that you’re here. I can sense your presence. Come out and face me.' She heard a noise behind a large evergreen bush, moved her right hand to the pistol grip and waited as the werewolf walked out into the open. He growled quietly as he faced her." (Epilogue)


• A Day On the Sick Sad Job, by abe (part 2): "It was shaping up to be a really bad day, Jane realized, as she stared at the unappetizing meal spread across her lunch tray. The cafeteria two floors below her cubicle was usually a source of fairly good -- and occasionally excellent -- food, but it had failed her today. Maybe the usual cook's off sick, Jane thought. Or maybe... 'Next on Sick, Sad World: crazed assistant cooks who serve up their boss for lunch.' She inspected the mystery meat again. If so, that assistant cook is as incompetent as he is crazy. And the lunch was just one more blow from fate, which seemed to have it in for her today."


• Holiday Roadtrip (guest installment), by VPrad: "She could understand the reasons behind that smile. She had been one step away from losing everything. She had looked into the eyes of death and had survived to tell it. It didn’t matter if you believe in a god or not, life had given her a second chance and Daria was a wise enough person to make the most out of that opportunity. Despite all the blows life had thrown right at her, she had managed to rise stronger, and not drown in self pity. If Daria could do it, so could she."


• Janet Barch in My Life as a Tween Queen (Write-off Challenge 7, Round 2!), by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "Then it happened - her mother came home one day from work holding up two slips of paper in her hands. Not just any kind of paper - tickets. Two tickets for her and Janet to go see the Monkees in concert. Staring at the ticket speechless, Janet began to jump up and down in excitement. She was going to get to see him in person. Davy Jones - the object of her pre-teen fantasies."


• John Lane 48: A Boston We Will Go, by RLobinske (part 1): "Hearing Daria's voice on the phone, Amy Barksdale leaned back on her sofa and said, 'My favorite niece. I hope this is a social call and not to inform me that Helen has blown a head gasket and needs to be sent back to the factory for repairs.' 'Actually, John and I kind of need a favor.' 'Sure, I can be a witness. Fifty bucks if I meet you at the Justice of the Peace and a hundred if you drag me to a chapel.'"


• Lane Nauseum, by OverlordMikey: "'If you cry I'll throw up and I just changed my boots.' Wind remained silent for awhile. 'Well you said you had good news.' Jane said not really asking since Wind's great news is either we've patched things up or I found someone new. 'I met the women of my dreams!' Bingo"


• Life Beyond Highland (Iron Chef: Lawndale State), by LadieT (part 7): "Daria watched the other woman start to walk away. After a moment, she looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe that such a harmless conversation had brought up such a flood of memories about her father. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice that another person had joined her. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to see her friend's brother standing beside her. He lifted his thumb and wiped off a fresh tear that had fallen."


• Quinn's Code - Story 1: The Esteemsters Code, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 3): "Quinn completed the form and handed it to Andrea. Andrea read it and signed it. 'You are now a probationary member of the Programming Club,' she said. 'Probationary?' Quinn asked. 'I will test you on your proficiency in the languages that you listed, prior to giving you full membership,' Andrea said."


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 2 and 3): "She’d have to keep an eye out, of course, but there was no way that Elsie would dream of insisting Nadine or her 'cousin' not attend. The intrigue of the game and the chaos it unleashed was only a part of it’s overall excitement. There was another, more private, excitement that gave Elsie her fun. And that was outwitting another player’s schemes." (Part 3)


• Threshold, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "'It's five minutes 'til midnight. I thought that I would be ringing in the New Year alone. Did you expect me to kiss your sister when the ball dropped?' Giving a slight laugh, Daria shook her head. A moment later both people were looking up into the sky. By now, the clouds looked like a brick wall trying to encase the heavens into darkness. The moonlight bounced off of them causing it's light to radiate that much more. Daria leaned back and placed her head on the other person's shoulder."


• The Tween Queen of the Camp (Write-off Challenge 7, Round 2!), by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!): "The girl tilted her head and gave Quinn a nasty look. 'Hmm. I can see where the untrained eye would think so. It's quite a skillful imitation.' That stopped Quinn's enthusiasm dead. At school, kids usually smiled and said nice things when she talked to them. This was new. She thought hard to come up with something that wouldn't make the girl say more mean things. 'Um, I like your hair.'"


• Unnamed story (Crossovers Still Crossing Over), by NightGoblyn (COMPLETE!): "BLACK SCREEN fades into a still shot: The room looks like the living room of a basement apartment that's being used as a science lab - a badly underfunded science lab, with all sorts of precarious and jerry-rigged equipment. In front of the camera is a battered kitchen chair. The camera shakes slightly, and centers on the chair. FEMALE VOICE: (off-screen) There, that'll do."


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): "The Morgendorffer New Years Eve party was in full swing. Family and friends from all over Lawndale, and some from beyond, frolicked and boogied through the first story of 1111 Glen Oaks in inebriated contentment. Most of the guests wore costumes, but Daria was dressed in her usual ensemble, plus a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers (for comfort)."


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser: "'Daria, If you take this job, one of the first things you might want to do is choose groups of people to protect.' 'Are you serious? I get my own Chosen People?' 'You don't have to be so formal. When I emerged, I settled on protecting madmen, small children and the United States of America. Of course, in return, you have to set some special goals for them...'"


• Worldburner: A Very Judith Christmas, by Erin Mills, Brother Grimace, Charles RB, and Overlord Mikey (part 4): "(As we return to the special, Jane Casalane stands by the large fire place cheerfully sipping hot cocoa; she‘s dressed in a large red and green ball gown. NegaJane can be seen in the corner near by sitting; also sipping cocoa. JANE CASALANE: Hello everyone; I’m Jane Casalane. If your just tuning in I’m one of many of Judith’s many – um... (She pauses to consider the words.) JANE CASALANE: Eh, what the hell, she hasn’t killed me yet so I‘ll risk it; prisoners. "


• Worldburner: Amelia and the Planet of the Hippies, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Behind Amelia, Laguerta and Morg were banging their hands on the table. It was a tempting offer. This was an embarrassing conversation that could not get worse- Then it got worse as her Defender Ring told her that portals to a netherworld were starting to open around Lawndale." (Part 3) (Part 4)


• Worldburner: When It Rains, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): "The hate and anger flowing from Ian was greater than anything Richard had ever encountered. Even some of the most evil can love and when that love is taken away – horrible things can happen. Knowing how such anguish fueled Ian's will and thus, the power of his Vengeance Ring, Richard still didn't hesitate to lift his light saber to block the attack that he knew would power through Victoria's force field."