The Melted Thing She's Holding Is a Hobbit

A lot of birthday anniversaries are up for celebration today, all relevant to this fandom in various major and minor ways:

• Stephen King (who inspired a Stacy alter ego and the authors of these Daria tales: 1 2 3 4) (and fan art and more fan art) (and more in-joke references in Daria fanfics than I can possibly list here, just way too many)
  
• Chuck Jones (famed Warner Brothers animator, helped inspire this tale and this series)
• H. G. Wells (two of whose SF works are referenced in this Daria episode)
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (inspired a gift Jake once gave to Helen, per the image at right from "Sappy Anniversary")
  

It is also the International Day of Peace, for what that's worth.

More to come.... and here it is!

Superfan Pinhead turns out to be an amazing artist. He has posted some of his work to PPMB: a thread of Daria/Melody Powers art, and a special moment between Daria and Jane. This is fairly mind boggling stuff.

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• Finn Morgendorffer, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1 - COMPLETE): Ever since Finn starting going through puberty and started his seductive attitude, Helen had been trying to make sure he didn’t end up like Rita. Daria and Finn may not have fought as often, but they certainly were as bitter to each other, as Rita was to her. Despite all her desires not to, Finn was becoming the person she despised most in the world. The fact that Finn was her son was heartbreaking.
• Jacob Morgendorffer, Esq., by CAP (Part 3): “Hi, Dad,” Jake tentatively said stepping to his father‘s side. “What are you doing here?” Mad Dog wheezed. “Mom asked me to come,” Jake replied. “She said that you were... sick.”

Watch Me Pull a Rabbit Out of My Hat!

The creator of Rocky, Bullwinkle, Sherman and Mr. Peabody, Dudley Do-Right, and loads more was born today 89 years ago. Thank you, Jay Ward! Some Daria fanfics contain references to Mr. Ward and his cartoon legions. See if you can find them in the links below.

• She Was All That
• What If?
• Gone
  

Wanna help with DariaWiki? The following are the wiki pages MOST WANTED. In other words, these pages do not exist and need to be created to fill the listed number of dead links. If you know something about these pages, make 'em and bake 'em. (The "bake 'em" part doesn't mean anything but it sounded cool.) Thanks for any help you can give!

1. You Only Hurt the Ones You Love ‎(5 links)
2. A Day at the Races ‎(5 links)
3. Soul Crystal ‎(4 links)
4. Penny Lane LLH ‎(4 links)
5. Hellhound ‎(4 links)
6. Sam Lincoln ‎(3 links)
7. Daria: Demon Princess Quinn ‎(3 links)
8. Camping ‎(3 links)
9. Falling Into Unusual Circumstances ‎(3 links)
10. Tiger Cruise ‎(3 links)
11. Home Field Advantage ‎(3 links)
12. Training Cadre 3255 ‎(3 links)
13. Codex ‎(3 links)
14. Sapphire Dawn ‎(3 links)
15. Department of Magical Affairs ‎(3 links)
16. Visitation ‎(3 links)
17. Mr. Veggie ‎(3 links)
18. Lyle Wallister ‎(3 links)
19. AP McIntyre ‎(3 links)

Pinkminx has done a marvelous sketch of Jane Lane from "Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations" on PPMB.

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• Falling into College 70: Is It the Future Yet? by Richard Lobinske (Part 3): "Stripping brings in nice money, but I really don't want to do it full-time when I graduate." [Plus... ANGST!]
• Finn Morgendorffer, by HollyGrail2007 (Part 2): “I mean it. Seriously, she’s ugly, she’s not popular, she’s as pleasant as a rabid...” Finn started to trail off. “My poor self-esteem,” Daria noted sarcastically. “And you wonder why it’s low.”
• Size Does Matter, by BlackHole (Part 41): "We were just cleaning up and chatting a tiny little bit and suddenly the lasagna was all smoky. Now we have to clean up after school, that’s so not fair.” (SFMB) (FF.net)
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Hump Day), by Smijey (COMPLETE!): [Too good to spoil. Read it.]

Was trinken sie? Bier!

Oktoberfest begins today, the annual celebration of autumn for beer drinkers and people who hang out with beer drinkers. Brittany here recreates a little in-joke in Daria lore: her stepmother Ashley-Amber was once an advertising model for "St. Peter Girl beer" ("I'll cure what 'ales' you"), a parody of a real beer brand (St. Pauli Girl). The St. Pauli Girl model wears an outfit very much like Brittany's Oktoberfest waitress dress at right. Click the link to see the real St. Pauli Girl, who was just elected to her position. Like stepmother like stepdaughter, I suppose.

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• Finn Morgandorffer, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 1): “That’s not what I meant, Daria.” Jake sighed. “Not exactly. I’m saying that your brother makes friends so easily because he’s friendly to everyone. Give it a shot, kiddo, and you’ll see it works for you.” “And next, he can teach me how to gel my hair, block an interception, and give girls eating disorders. I’ll contain my enthusiasm.”

ARRRRR!!! Another Internet Treasure Horde!

While it's doubtful that many Daria fans get into the collecting of computerized images and such for the fandom, those who do have a treat coming now. It was mentioned here a few days ago that I had found the remnants of an old Daria supersite in French, CyberDaria.com, using the WayBack Machine. The WayBack Machine breaks down almost everything ever published on the Intervet by each item's old web address and by various updates when new material was collected from websites.

I discovered a different way to reword my request for archived information and wound up with lists of stuff from CyberDaria totaling 3,000+ webpages, images, and more. The amount of material that CyberDaria's talented webmistress Karine had stashed away on that site is breathtaking. It is a tragedy that the site was discontinued in 2005. New arrivals to the fandom have no idea of the scope of some of these vanished supersites, and CyberDaria was one of the greatest. Karine had a lot of photos of friends on the site, most of which have been archived, too.

So, let's take a few minutes to see what can be recovered. I was barely able to scratch the surface. Huge numbers of screen captures are available, plus episode scripts, essays on characters, fan art, fanfiction, and a few big surprises. Remember, this is all in French, but don't let that stop you. It's pirate plunder, maties! (Sorry.)

• Splendora, the all-woman rock band that did the Daria theme
• Recipes for food eaten on Daria
• Transcrit chat Daria du 27 août 2000
• Quinn Morgendorffer's room
• NEW! Helen and Jake's Bedroom!
  
• NEW! Dress up Helen and Jake in different outfits from their episodes! This is great!
  
• A fascinating page that describes the unusual changes that Jane Lane's bedroom went through in the series. Some of the images are missing, but the text, if translated, would be extremely curious. Did Jane Lane's room change from season to season as much as the Morgendorffers' home did? Did Jane live in a tesseract, too? Or did she rebuild her room once a year?
• Jane Lane's art gallery. Click on a pic. Smaller version here.
• A webpage on Brittany, interactive style.
• Two cute flash animations of Daria, one having a tropical drink and one freezing her buns off in the snow. What's that? The images are too small? Try this one and this one, then. (Move your cursor over the latter and see what happens.)
• And here's an EXE file I think creates Daria characters for Sims. Not sure yet, I don't play the game. Experiment with this with caution, as the file might be corrupted.
• Pardon me, do you have the time? Here it is. Smaller version here. I must add this feature to the blog!
• The last item created a sensation years ago when it came out. It's a movie about Daria, but no one ever pulled this one off like Karine and CyberDaria did. Click and watch. This reduced some viewers to awe and tears.

Delve into this treasure trove yourself and see what you find. I was stunned. You will be, too.

Oh, and clicking on the images here gives you the BIG version of them. Enjoy.

ARRRRRRRRRR!

Ahoy and avast, me hearties! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! We be celebratin' it by drinkin' mugs o' grog, eatin' seafood pizza, and readin' pirate Daria fanfics! (Note: This does not mean pirated Daria fanfics or illegal pirated DVDs. This means Daria fanfics in which pirates appear.) And thar be plenty o' pirate fanfic plunder to go 'round!

Classic Talk-Like-A-Pirate Fanfiction!

• Esteemarrs!
• I Don't (Like Landlubbers)
• The Punderin' of Don Jake
• Iron Chef: Yo Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me!
  

Classic Fanfiction Containing Air Pirates!

• Expendable
• Prey as Wolves Must

Classic Fanfiction Containing Space Pirates!

• Daria Wars: The Barksdale Empire Strikes Back
• Keeping Up with the Benjamins

Classic Fanfiction Containing Erotic References to Pirates!

• The Mighty Quinn
• The Teachings of Dona Daria ("Cutlass, you scrofulous, flea-ridden murdering pirate! My father, the Duke of Barksdale, will have your guts for garters!") [eye bleach warning!]
• The Thong Remains the Same
  

Classic Fanfiction Containing Fake Pirates!

• Falling into College 61: Latitudes (Chapter 16)

Classic Holiday Island Fanfiction Containing International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

• Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Ever Have

Classic Unnamed Pirate Ficlets!

• Ficlet #1
• Ficlet #2
• Ficlet #3
• Ficlet #4

Aye, ye scurvy dogs, it be a great day to be a Daria fan! ARRRRRRRR!!!
(This offer void where prohibited.)

The Non-Piratical Section

• Superfan Pinhead has found an online game in which you try to dress Daria in various outfits.
• A PPMB thread on tomboys and Daria fanfiction is moving along well.

Stay tooned!

Daria's Role Model

Two fandom related events happened ten years ago today. Kara Wild posted a critical essay on one of the Daria fandom icons: "Amy: Savior or Chimera?" And Daniel Suni sent his very first fanfic to Outpost Daria: "End Weekend, End." In addition, Tiffany & Co. (for whom Tiffany Blum-Deckler was probably named) was founded in NYC 172 years ago.

A very weird and potentially useful fanfic plot idea was brought up by Malakite on PPMB. Won't spoil it here, but it might involve time travel....

And I discovered a fan movie for Daria made by the immortal S.C., and perhaps you might like to see it and share the awe. And turn up the volume.

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• Basic Training: A Daria the Green Lantern story, by Echopapa (Part 4): Daria and Trent’s conversation was interrupted by the form of the bartender flying across the room and landing in a heap against the far wall.
• Left for Dead, by TAG (COMPLETE!): The blonde girl in the bomber jacket tuned the old Gibson at the microphone before the lights came up, half listening to the cat calls from the audience as she waited for the rest of the band to signal readiness....
• Reusably Complex, by Ajar (Part 4): "Mr. Edwards?" "Call me Ken." "How did you get to sub here again? I mean last time my Mom threatened to sue the school for endangering the students."
• Scarlett the Fairy Goes on a Picnic, by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): On one fine summer day, Scarlett the Fairy flew over Lawndale City Park and basically enjoyed herself. Families were out and about; children played, pets scampered and even imaginary creatures were having fun here.
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): "Each and every one of you has an unspoken desire to become a woman who emphasizes a life of passion expressed through her personal style," said Sandi Griffin. "Each one of you wishes to cultivate all life’s pleasures and have a fulfilling career. And you have failed. Every time. Only one person can help you achieve all that. And that person is me."
  
• Two Halves, by Dark Kuno (Part 4): “Hola amigos,” mumbled Jane around a large oatmeal raisin cookie as she approached the twins table. “Hola Juanita. ¿Cómo están esta noche?” returned Daria flatly. “¿Qué haces, chica?” prompted Alex. [FF.net]
  

Lots of Reasons to Celebrate!

The Holiday Island High teen known as Constitution Day turns 222 today (see at left for Daria's representation of same). Boston, Daria and Jane's college town, turns 379 today. It was founded by Puritans (see at right for Quinn's representation of same). Someone reprinted Daria's graduation speech in their blog three years ago today, and my life companion Tux wants to remind everyone that some computer program with his picture on it, or whatever, was invented 18 years ago today.

And, saving the best for last, the grandfather of astronautics and space travel was born 152 years ago today. You rule, dude! Thanks!

Shakin' Jake's Makin' Quakes! ¡Ole!

Why is Jake shaking his maracas? This is the 199th anniversary of the declaration of Mexican Independence (next year is the big 200), and we wish you a happy and peaceful Independence Day. And if anyone can tell me what sort of costume Jake is wearing, drop a note here, please. It looks like a dance band thing, but I just can't find the right name for it. Probably Spanish or Cuban or something, but it was the best I could do. A good example of real maracas music is here. Nice. Man, those are some darn tight pants Jake's wearing. ("Is that a maracas," asks Helen when he comes home, "or are you just happy to see me?" I think we all know the answer to that. Damn right.)

As if that wasn't enough, the U.N. has sent its black helicopters around to announce that today is also the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, or Ozone Day for short. I just feel sorry for this kid at Holiday Island High, don't you? What a heck of a thing to carry around with you all your life. "Hey, Ozone Warrior!" his classmates cry. "Back to reality! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Maybe he calls himself Oz for short. I sure would. THANKS A LOT FOR THE STUPID NAME, OLD MAN! ROT IN HELL! Sorry, channeling Jake there for a sec.

N0oZ: Kara Wild sez them DVD-thingers are a-comin'! YEEEEE-HAAAAW!

Richard Lobinske gives us even moar Colorized Early Concept Trent to admire.

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• Basic Training: A Daria the Green Lantern Story, by Echopapa (Part 3): “Uhh... yeah. Supergirl, is it?” Daria said, trying to think of something to say as they both hovered high in the air above Smallville. “I, uh, take it you’re from around here... Any connection to the Big Blue Guy?”
  
• Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations, by Undefinedlust (Part 12): In the kitchen sat a large Norse commercial series double refrigerator-freezer. It was easily twice the size of the old unit. That must have sat them back a pretty penny, she thought to herself as she noticed the huge packing box in the backyard. Something inside Daria stirred at the sight and she walked to the window and quietly looked at the box. Fuzzy mental pictures of her as a small child playing in a refrigerator box rose from her memory, but she couldn't seem to place them in context. She started to try to dig for the memory when she was interrupted by Quinn.
• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 7): [All I can say is, if ya gotta go, go out in style!] (FF.net)
  
• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fanfic Should Have: Hump Day), by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): "I'm not going to ask again!" the man yelled. "Your money—now! Empty your purses in the bag!"

Whatever Happened to Fay Wray?

This is the birthday anniversary of Fay Wray, the Canadian-born actress who became immortal as the Beauty of the Beast in the 1933 movie, King Kong. (The title for this post is part of a song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which Brittany and Kevin were fond of watching at the late-night movie theater while wearing each other's underwear, per "Monster.") Speaking of King Kong and Fay Wray, there was this priceless exchange over a history assignment in the fanfic, "Historical Inevitability," by Megaleus:

• Brittany: Oh! Let's do a video! I'll be the beautiful heroine, and Kevin can rescue me from the King Kong.
• Kevin: Sounds great, babe!
• Daria: Um, Brittany, that's the Viet Cong.
• Brittany: Oh—whatever.

I could go on, but... I won't.

STOP THE PRESSES! Oh, right, there aren't... forget it. Anyway:

THE DARIA SHRINE IS BACK! Yes, one of the Great Ones has returned! (UU just told me about this.) See these two updates: Tenth Anniversary, and A Look Back in Appreciation. Write to Robin and tell her THANK YOU! And then send her everyone one of your fanfics. All of them. And your fan art, too. And say THANK YOU again. THANK YOU, ROBIN!!!

Here are the guidelines for submissions (at the bottom of the page). GO AND DO!

A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and...

Clayton Moore (no relation) was born this day 95 years ago. I watched his TV show, The Lone Ranger, when I was very small and I loved it. The only decent male character on Daria, Mack, gets to play the Lone Ranger here. That's appropriate. I wonder if the remake of Wild, Wild West with Will Smith also had something to do with this alter ego. Go get 'em, kemo sabe.

The Gregorian Calendar was adopted on this day in 1752 by Great Britain. This was the first day of the new calendar, and it involved skipping a number of days abruptly. This point is of relevance to one Daria fanfic.

ALMOST FORGOT! Today is the fifth anniversary of Be Strong Stacy Day! Hooray! Thank you, Angelihel!

Remember to put your name on the Amazon.com sign-up list to get your DVD copy of Daria!

In the realm of Neat Stuff, Richard Lobinske has colorized one of MTV's early concept drawings of Trent Lane to show what he might have looked like. This would be a great alternate-universe Trent.

JPAGC has put out a detailed call for help with DariaWiki. Got some time? Know a lot about Daria? Go for it.

MDetector5 has prepared dessert for us: a slice of Quinn cheesecake.

Moar l8r.

Okay, it's l8r.

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• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 6): The sputtering protests of a car engine as it ground to a halt on the opposite side of the road diverted Daria’s attention from the cracks in the pavement to the aging blue ‘73 Plymouth Satellite. She saw the driver’s fist connect with the steering wheel as she cursed out loud. “Stupid piece of crap,” Jane cried as she turned the key.
• Reunions and Introductions, by Trscroggs (continued): “I was a little too mad to think about where I was hitting him and I did break his nose. The point is that he wasn’t entirely wrong.” “He wasn’t?” “No, he wasn’t,” Daria sighed, “Jane... three years ago, I was a stripper.”
  

And it's Uncle Sam's birthday, too!

Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker during the War of 1812 who unintentionally gave us the iconic Uncle Sam, was born 243 years ago today. Beavis appeared as Uncle Sam in ads for Beavis and Butt-head Do America in 1997. Tastefully done, as you can see.

Speaking of old people, the first Sunday after Labor Day is Old Peop—no, wait, it's Grandparents Day. Isn't it interesting how neither Daria nor Jane get along with their grandmothers? Wonder why that is. (Heh.)

Moar l8r.


L8R: I've gotten all the 2009 stories listed, but the list is full of errors and needs fixing. I hope to have it up by Monday evening at worst.

And let me take this moment to commend those of you with such good taste as to give your stories and ficlets actual names. It helps a lot. Wait until you see the listing....


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• Shadows of a Timeless Song, by Dennis (Part 5): “So let me get this straight,” Jane said. “You're looking for legendary artifacts—things that probably don't exist—at the request of an seven-foot tall man who glows and says he's an immortal elf.”
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): Magda stretched out on the great sacrificial altar like a lithe Brooklyn cat, favored her minions with a reptilian smile...
• Vigilante, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (continued): A lone girl stared at the easel in front of her while her friend rested on the bed. "I'm drawing a blank here. Those two were painfully easy to deal with, but... the others are probably going to watch over their shoulders 24/7. They're also probably sticking in groups of at least two."
  

Take a Bite

One hundred fifty-two years ago today, Milton S. Hershey was born, the guy for whom Hershey's Chocolate and Hershey, Pennsylvania, were named. Go forth, ye lovers of goodness, and celebrate in the manner we know and love: eat some chocolate. Speaking of chocolate, today is also the birthday anniversary of Roald Dahl, creator of Willy Wonka and the you-know-what. Bet Daria loved his books when she was younger.

Wonder if there is a way to work Daria Chocolate bedding and shoes into this post, too. Oh, guess I did.

Poking around with Google, trying to find a connection between September 13th and Daria, produced one oddball result, that being a fanfic called "What Is Memory?" I cannot figure out what is going on in it, but maybe you can. Pretty bizarre alternate universe there.

In animation history, Don Bluth has a birthday today. His Titan A.E. was crossed over with Daria in a cool fanfic by Greystar.

Wanna help DariaWiki? Got a few minutes to spare? Click here and see if you can link these dead-end pages to something else in the 'Wiki. If nothing else exists, maybe add an External Links section to fanfic writers' works online, or create a page about something related to the dead-end page. Just something fun to do. I've been adding artwork for a while.

Finally, I have begun creating the new list of 2009 Daria Fanfiction, but it will not be ready until late today at best. Stay tooned.

"You guys are never going to get any."

Fourteen years ago today, Daria made a guest appearance on Beavis and Butt-head in the episode, "Spare Me." She walks up as the two lamebrains are trying unsuccessfully to fix a flat tire for two young women who have promised to "give them a ride" when they are done. Daria changes the tire herself, with no help from anyone (the jack dent in the car was created by Butt-head, using the jack improperly), then puts all the tools away. Beavis and Butt-head tell her to go away now (thinking they are about to score), but the two young women drive away laughing. Daria looks at the stunned B&B and utters the title quote.

Now, this means that Daria, at age 15 and in ninth grade, not only knows how to perform auto maintenance by herself, but also knows enough about sex and human relationships to make the title quote and know exactly what she's talking about. Hell of a kid, that Daria. This incident is repeated in a different way in a recent fanfic ("It Slipped Through My Hands, Like a Shadow, Like a Dream").

PROBLEM? Speaking of that, I seem to be unable to get into PPMB or my stories at www.theangstguy.com. If you are having the same problem, click here and make a report. Maybe we can get someone to help out. (HELP!) Problem has been resolved. Thank you!

Once the problem is fixed, check out "Daria's Parents: Good or Bad?", new thread sliced away from an older one by Kara Wild. The title explains everything you need to know about the controversy. Weigh in and make your thoughts known.

Today also happens to be the starting day of a very peculiar and amusing crackfic, Bacner's "Diary of a Lawndale Student," from 2002. It is well worth a look. I love it.

N00Z: The original Jane Lane, Anne D. Bernstein, has begun blogging with some of her art and photos again. This pretty well answers the question of what would Jane be doing right now.

Does anyone know of any other active blogs about Daria?

While reading through a post on PPMB, I came across this fan term: FanDumb. Do you think this blog is in any danger of this? I have nothing else to worry about and so thought I might worry about something new for a change. Thank you for your cooperation.

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• Another Normal Day in Lawndale, by JPAGC (Part 1): As she made her way to the bathroom, she could hear the usual sounds in the house. Her mother was downstairs, already busy with breakfast for the family. She could hear the water running, so her father should be in the shower in her parent's bathroom, preparing for another busy day. No sound emerged from her sister's room, which was just as well.
• Falling Into College 70: Is It The Future, Yet? by Richard Lobinske (Part 2): Hearing the voices, Michael came in from the library, "Hi, Amy. What brings you here?" "Prurient curiosity," she said. "But not about our trip," Daria said. "Come on, give. You're here alone."
• Pigskin Caduceus, by HolyGrail2007 (COMPLETE!): Sentinel University was a pretty fantastic place when I took my trip to see it. Although the skeletal trees didn’t make it look appealing, the fresh snow on the ground with the mountains in the background actually made it look like a nice winter paradise. (FF.net)
  
• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): "Jane, I don't think I'll ever get used to all the variations of alternate universes. It's one thing to talk about them as abstract possibilities over breakfast and quite another to actually experience them.' 'You just have to hang on for the ride, Daria. As long as you have a firm grip on what's in your universe, you can glide through whatever comes your way." [Continued here with devious future plans afoot!]
  

Early Morning Jane

With this colorized edition of an early Jane concept, you have to wonder how the character would've been different if the creators had gone with this concept.

I can see a somewhat wilder Jane that was more likely to do physically involved activities just to see what would happen. Perhaps she would show some of her atristic talent through her earrings by making new creations all the time. Shock ideas like a corpse hanging from a noose might be in order.

Her interaction with Daria would be different (though I can still see this version trapped in Esteem Class for months on end). Being less inhibited, this Jane might have drawn Daria out of her shell sooner.

So many possiblities. What else do you think this Jane would do?

Where the Word "Blog" Came From

Last year at this time was posted a short editorial about 9/11 and how Daria fanfic writers have dealt with it. Nothing new has occurred to me to add to that, so we will remember the moment and move on.

I was intrigued to learn, upon reading A Key to the Terminology of Science-Fiction Fandom, by Donald Franson (1962), that "blog" was originally an SF fan term for the "[m]ythical drink of fans; any potable consisting of an incredible mismatch of ingredients." That sounds about right, doesn't it? That's pretty much what this blog is. Thanks for your help, Graham.

BRKNG NUZ: Medea42 discovered a great article about designer perfumes with great relevance to our fandom. Thank you!

Ranger Thorne has new art out: Quinn the Mage Queen, on PPMB.

OverlordMikey wants to try out a fanfic idea on everyone. See what you think of it. It's got promise!

MOAR AULDE IMAGES: Using the WayBack Machine, I've uncorked another motherload of ancient images and other things. This one is for the French site CyberDaria, so there's a lot of French in it. Plus great images, like a very clear one of Daria's driver's license! Have fun with it, there's a ton of stuff here like screen captures and things taken from the old MTV sites. Cool.

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• Cheap Babysitter, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): The babysitter smiled. "The older girl likes TV. I just bring a bunch of movies and pop 'em in the VCR... girl will watch anything... yeah, her parents won't let her watch this stuff but I stick a tape in and it shuts her up... no, no problem, she just sits and watches... oh yeah, I don't care. Like I said, she'll watch anything... Violent? Maybe.... Oh, the other girl? The redhead? Lend me your purse and I'll tell you how to solve that problem.... Benadryl! She's been out like a light since 7 pm!"
  
• Phoenix, by Glittershrooms (Parts 1 and 2): As its rays crept into the bedroom of Daria Morgendorffer, the sun was pleased to announce the start of another normal day in the city of Lawndale… or as normal that was physically possibly in this town. Still, the sun was left unacknowledged as Daria peacefully slept. Without notice, Daria’s alarm started to scream the lyrics of a Beatles song. "Penny Lane is in my ears and in my ears...."
• Reaped Out 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 5): "Quinn..." Helen began cautiously. "What?" Quinn said insolently as she folded her arms protectively across her chest. “Honey I know this has been tough on you, but your father and I...” “Is there something you wanted? I’m not in the mood for any heart to hearts right at this moment.”
• Regifted, by Ajar (Chapter 16): Jodie stirred out of her slumber after just ten hours that morning. She groggily stretched and rolled over to find herself face to face with Marina. “Morning. I got tired and decided to lie down here for a second.” Jodie felt the breath of every word Marina said tickle her face. “I guess I must've fallen asleep. Hope you don't mind.”
• What Happens in Lawndale..., by thatLONERchick (COMPLETE!): It was going on two a.m., and he was tired. The coffee in his cup was bitter and over-brewed, and a migraine thumped away at his temples. Once again he reviewed the file, particularly the Polaroids of the murder weapons marked EVIDENCE in red sharpie.

What Did Stacy Rowe See?

Put your answer in "Comments."
Points awarded for rudeness and tackiness as usual.

"I Can Tell You're Really Upset About This, Dave..."

Hard to believe, but it was only 64 years ago that the world's first computer bug was discovered. And it was a real bug, found inside a computer. From that incident came the phrases "computer bug" and "software bug" and HAL 9000.

Today is also Chrysanthemum Day in Japan, with the Chrysanthemum Festival of course. We wish you a happy Chrysanthemum Day wherever you are. Nice name for a holiday. She must be an exchange student at Holiday Island High.

Stay tooned.

A Holiday to Get Carrie'd Away Over

The first day after Labor Day is always Dead Stacy Rowe Day, thanks to this legendary fanfic by Angelinhel. Hooray for Dead Stacy Rowe Day! Please write a fanfic on this topic to celebrate.

Stacy is on the left in her traditional "Carrie" costume (with obligatory pig's blood), after the climactic scene from the 1976 movie (at right) based on the 1974 Stephen King novel. Makes you wonder what happened a few seconds after Stacy got splashed....

A Guilty Aside: I admit that I really like tracking down the origins of the alter egos that appeared on Daria. Hope you don't mind, but it's terrific fun. Mind game thing.

Today is also the 43rd anniversary of the premiere of the first Star Trek TV episode ever. This allowed Daria to have someone to make fun of (i.e., Trekkies). If you are a Trekkie, don't worry, there's always help available somewhere.

And it is also International Literacy Day, which Daria would always find a way to celebrate by reading a book. Splendid idea. Read a book, why don't you (Carrie is good!), but write your Dead Stacy Rowe Day story first.

Richard Lobinske has once again updated his 2009 Daria Visual Fanworks List! And I have not yet done the same for 2009 fanfic, but it is on my calendar for very soon. Moar 2 com.

BREAKING ART NOOZ: Pinkminx's latest update on "Jane - My Style" is available by link on PPMB. And Her Awesomeness Hershey-chan is back with more 'shipper artwork! Her latest is... real good! (I won't spoil it.)

FF.net

• Pigskin Caduceus, by HolyGrail2007 (Parts 11 and 12): “What the hell were you doing on the bridge, dude?” Joey asked. Good question, I thought. I couldn’t look at the two of them. I still felt deeply ashamed of what Daria had revealed to me, that I thought they had abandoned me. I thought little of them, and here they were, saving my life. After all they had done for me, they deserved to know the truth. (PPMB)
  

PPMB

• Falling Into College 70: Is It The Future, Yet? by Richard Lobinske (Part 1): "Don't give me any crap about not being patriotic, you whiny-assed, testicularly challenged pile of road-kill opossum that a starving pig wouldn't touch! You feeling threatened by a woman speaking the truth on stage doesn't make her wrong. It shows how much of a useless excuse of a Y chromosome you are!"

Labor Day, with a hi-di-hi-di-hi, and a ho-di-ho-di-ho!

It is supposed to be a major fashion "don't" to wear white after Labor Day, the reasons being unclear. As a Fashion Club reminder to the less fashionably aware, we give you Ms. Li, the principal of Lawndale High, in a white tuxedo. She will be today's Labor Day icon. (No representative student from Holiday Island High was available.)

Notice that Ms. Li is on a stage in front of a curtain, singing into an old-time microphone. Ms. Li actually appears here as Cab Calloway, the world famous jazz singer, dancer, orchestra conductor, and guest star in the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers, where he sang one of the songs for which he is best remembered: "Minnie the Moocher." (Click the link and the white tuxedo-and-tails thing will become immediately obvious). He was also famous for "Hi Di Ho Man," which he sang with the Muppets (again in his white tux).

This is one of the older alter egos used on Daria for which no description was given, so it is up to extremely aged people like me to figure out what the secret cultural reference is. Those MTV animators were clever little devils, weren't they?

Speaking of Labor Day, Kara Wild noted in the introduction to one of her DWU fanfics that "All But Forgotten" and "Memory Road" take place during the Labor Day weekend. In another fanfic, Quinn Morgendorffer offers the following quote: "IF I were Jesus, I'd wouldn't wearing ANYTHING florescent this soon after Labor Day, that's just as blasphemous as wearing white shoes." Love that.

What would the HIH student known as Labor Day be like? Hmmm...

On another topic, while checking some of the links at left (in "The Daria Directory"), I found a few that were extinct. I've managed to recover them using the WayBack Machine and relocate them in the Blasts from the Past section. Version Daria, one of the great old supersites, has finally vanished. Few of the AOL ones that disappeared can be recovered, however. The Web is ephemeral. All things come and go. Alas! Anyway, if you notice a broken link, just let me know.

New PPMB Iron Chef: Sick, Sad Worldisms!

Whistling "Sweet Georgia Brown" Once Again

With one important exception, I did not like sports when I was a kid. The exception was watching the Harlem Globetrotters on TV, which was the only sports event that made you laugh. A number of websites state that today is the 82nd anniversary of the birth of the Globetrotters, though the actual situation is more complicated than that. Nevertheless, here is Jane Lane wearing an outfit very similar to the "away" uniform of the Globetrotters. Thank you, Meadowlark Lemon, wherever you are, for all the joy you gave me.

FF.net

• Pigskin Caduceus, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 9): I drifted in and out of consciousness for the next couple of hours, I couldn’t remember things too well. When I was coherent enough to think again, I was lying on the floor in my room. My head was lying next to a puddle of vomit, the carpet had quite a number of bloodstains.
• Reaped Out, Act 2: Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (up to Part 3).

PPMB

• Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part III), by jtranser (continued): "Let me see if I have this right. You've gone to all the trouble of kidnapping me, bringing me to some godforsaken jungle, and now you tell me you're going to destroy the world!! And I'm going to help you!? And I thought I was nuts!!!"

Unearthed from the Internet Archives IV

Clothing. Guess which images are of: Jake's underwear, Jane's socks, Quinn's scarf from "Antisocial Climbers."

Unearthed from the Internet Archives III

And see if you can remember who these guys are. They just beg for angst-filled fanfic, don't they?

Unearthed from the Internet Archives II

Let's have some marching band music. Or just the marching band members. See if you can figure out who these characters are.

Unearthed from the Internet Archives I

Here are a few odds and ends that came up from digging through Wildgoose's old website, Hell Is Other People (now included in the Blasts from the Past section near the bottom of the left column). Most of these appear small here, but if you click on them will pop up to full size.

We'll start with "postcards" from one missing flipbook, the cards being in the spirit of those found near the end of The Daria Diaries. Enjoy.



Hmmm, they aren't lining up like I thought they would. I see, it's because my monitor has a wide screen. Narrower screens should make it look right. Oh, well.

IT'S NATIONAL CHEESE PIZZA DAY, HOORAY!

Yes, it is National Cheese Pizza Day, and as a Daria trufan you must go forth (put down the chocolate first, you know who you are) and consume mass quantities of cheese pizza. I hope to do this myself as a tribute to my role model: Jane Lane.

Okay, she's not really my role model, but she is cool. Daria did have an important thing to say about pizza, if you recall.

This is the 1,300th post to the Daria Fandom Blog II. I can't believe it. This is what happens when you have no life.

This interesting bit of news about Marvel Comics (soon an outlying province of Mickey's Empire) coming out with a comic book about a superhero fashion designer reminded me that even the Fashion Club needs a superhero, and Tim Gunn is obviously going to be that superhero. As Quinn someday will say....

Aren't these quotes great?

How odd: Wildgoose's Daria site was last updated almost exactly seven years ago. Talk about timing.

PPMB

• Love Is a Series of Burning Sensations, by Undefinedlust (Part 12, teaser): Quinn nodded in relief then slowly began to speak again. "Look, I know you don't need the stress, but I have to warn you about something..."
• Reaped Out: Act 2—Sickle Sad World, by Pinkminx (Part 4): Helen eyed her youngest daughter. "Your father has arranged for us to meet with a psychologist that deals with families that have experienced loss... Quinn, why are you drinking coffee? Isn't it against the Fashion Club's bylaws?" Quinn sat and took a large mouthful. "It doesn't matter," she replied quietly as she reached for a copy of Waif.
• The Runaway, by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): “Sometime, you need to get on the Internet and look up a man named Todd Ianuzzi. He was from Highland, and was a local thug and criminal. That is, until he passed out drunk one night...."
• StaCee TV, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): It was mid-August. Daria's time at Camp It's Okay to Cry was over. Jane was back home, having given her blessing to the Daria/Tom relationship. Tom was at his aunt's house. All is well. [Ha!]