... well, better late than never, as they say. (I disagree — in some cases, it should be “better never.”)

Hopefully, we’ll get a real blog update tomorrow. It’s been a very busy week for me. Plumbers. Dentistry. A job interview tomorrow. All kinds of good and not so good things.

In the meantime, go over to the PPMB and vote for the 2006 Booties — Visual and Written Works. There is still time. I managed to slide my ballot in under the doors of Richard Lobinske and Mr. Orange in the nick of time, just before I got audited.

Labels: Awards, Blog

... new again? If this works, I’m back on the masthead of the DFB to help out, after a year away.

Just in time to not vote for any of the fan awards {rueful smile}

Labels: Blog

Recently, a friend of mine pointed me to a website called “Comics Should Be Good.” I was a comic book fan back in an earlier incarnation, and despite the fact that I’ve not bought any new comics in about 10 years, I can still spit out comic book trivia with the best of them.

In a recent article linked from the site, John Seavey introduced the concept of a “storytelling engine.” I’ll try to break down the idea as best as I can.

In short, the best comics (and, by extension, the best stories) have components which are so strong that they become “storytelling engines”: the concept of the comic/TV show/book series/movie franchise/fanfiction is so strong, that it acts as a perpetual motion machine. One can derive a theoretically infinite set of stories from the premises alone.

As an illustration, Seavey points to two of the longest running comics — Superman and Batman. (Insert Marvel titles if you feel slighted.) Each of these ideas can be encapsulated by a “status quo” — a one-sentence summing up of the character, so simple that a new reader can say “I get it!” For Superman, the “status quo” would be “last survivor of an alien planet fights crime with his amazing powers.” For Batman, it would be “obsessed avenger devotes his mind and body to eradicating all forms of evil.”

From the “status quo,” you basically say everything that’s important about the character. If someone living on a desert island had never seen Superman before, but you were about to give them a comic or show them Superman: The Movie, the status quo adequately prepares them for what they are about to see. If you understand the status quo, you understand the character.

From that point, you further illustrate the premise by giving the character’s motivations and backstory. This helps one better understand the behavior of the character beyond the initial premise.

The next step is to add the supporting cast. Who does the character know? Who knows the character? What people have the most interaction with the characters?

Next, you need the setting: the immediate world which influences the character, the environment, the surroundings. If Superman were using his powers in a post-apocalyptic world, it would be a major change from Metropolis and the Daily Planet.

Following that, one mentions the antagonists: the characters whose wants and desires are opposed to the wants and the desires of the character.

And last but not least: the tone of the stories. In what style will these tales be told? The style of the Batman TV series was “campy humor”; the style of the O’Neill/Aparo Batman of the 1970s was “gritty urban detective story.” The exact same character, background, and antagonists, but two completely different spins.

For an example, let’s examine our heroine. Suppose I wished to explain Daria to someone who had never seen it before, but I had a limited amount of time. This is what I would write:

Name of show: Daria

Status quo: “Cynical and sarcastic girl exposes the hypocrisies, major and minor, of the world about her.”

Main character: (motivations and backstory)
“High school girl.”
“Intellectual.”
“Unpopular.”
“Doesn’t follow fashion, good looking but plain in appearance.”
“Loner, keeps to herself.”
“Forms friendships rarely.”
“Suspicious of authority.”
“Not ‘into’ boys, but not gay.”

Supporting cast:
Jane, her artistic and quirky friend.
Quinn, her fashion-obsessed sister.
Helen, her workaholic mother.
Jake, her clueless father.
Ms. Li, the order-obsessed principal of Lawndale High.
Other characters embodying stereotypical teachers and students.

Setting:
Lawndale High School.
Well off, mostly white suburbia.

Antagonists:
Ms. Li
Quinn
Helen

Tone:
Sarcastic humor with occasional farcical humor and melodrama.

I make this claim: If you know the above information, you know everything important there is to know about Daria. No Daria episode should ever surprise you if you haven’t seen it, providing you know the above.

Furthermore, change the above, and you change Daria into something entirely different. You’re not going to see Daria run for class president, unless it’s to pull off some cynical scam. Daria is never going to worry about who her date to the prom will be. And if Daria is given a gift horse, she’s going to look down its throat with a laryngoscope.

So what was the point of this pedantic exercise? Just the following: Some shows/concepts make great storytelling engines, and others don’t. The flaws in a premise can be examined by looking at each individual element, and asking, “Do these elements help me tell stories, or keep me from telling stories?”

Seavey’s point was that the reason Superman and Batman have lasted for so long is that the premises and backgrounds and characters provide for a virtually infinite amount of stories to tell. No matter how pressed Mort Weisinger might have been in coming up with a story for Superman, he could always follow Ayn Rand’s advice and “check [his] premises” — there would be something in the premise, background, or tone that would cause a story to coalesce out of the ether and help Weisinger meet his deadline.

Let’s do an exercise with Daria. Which elements help tell stories and which elements hinder the telling of stories?

The premise is strong. It’s almost as if the character is Groucho Marx in the form of a 1990s high school girl. The stories of authority vs. cynicism are almost limitless.

High school girl? Okay, a bit limiting in stories, but there’s a wealth of stories that can be told with an underaged protagonist.

“Intellectual” helps. The main character can be involved in very complex situations. “Suspicious of authority”? Provides some conflict, maybe some melodrama.

The supporting cast looks good. Characters rich in variety, and much potential for conflicting wants and desires. And if you’re a comedy writer, you should have no problem unless you don’t like sarcasm or sharp humor.

Indeed, most of the Season One and Season Two stories were “clash with authority” stories. Daria and her friend Jane would clash with authorities of various types: Quinn, the “popularity authority”; Ms. Li, the “school authority”; and Helen, the “parental authority.” Those authorities would try to put Daria in some kind of social straitjacket, but Daria’s sharp wit would help her even the odds and leave the schemes of the authorities in ruins.

However, some of these premises are a bit limiting. “Unpopular.” “Loner.” “Keeps to herself.” Those ideas are story-killers. This means that Daria doesn’t seek out conflict, but she also doesn’t seek the spotlight. Thus, some sort of contrivance has to be used to get Daria to be involved into a situation she’d naturally avoid.

This resulted in a set of “fish in barrel” episodes. Daria was less Groucho and more Bugs Bunny — wanting to be left alone to read, but Yosemite Sam/Quinn/Helen/Mr. O’Neill comes along and forces her into an unhappy situation. “You know, this means war,” mutters Daria, and after Daria works her sarcastic magic everything is in ruins.

The problem for the show, however, is that Bugs Bunny isn’t supposed to be believable, and cartoons can just “reset” reality for the next episode. With Daria, this ended up with a set of wonderful, very funny episodes, but by the start of the third season, monotony had set in.

The series couldn’t survive unless some of the premises were challenged, particularly the part about being a “loner” who is “unpopular with boys.” Eichler and company decided, therefore, to give Daria a boyfriend — Jane’s boyfriend, Tom. This set up one of the best kinds of conflict — noble character vs. noble character — but at the end of it, Daria and Tom were now paired up.

The Season One and Season Two gold mine had been tapped out. With Season Five, Daria became a relationship comedy to some small degree, and Season Five might have been the least satisfying of seasons. A Daria unsure of herself and unsure of what she wanted in a relationship was in direct opposition to the Status Quo of the character: a cynic who knew, at least, the price of everything, if not the value. And face it: high school romances are worth about 25 cents in cynical currency.

For Daria to dither and dather about her relationship with Tom was very un-Daria-like, and the series never resolved the contradiction between its former Status Quo and the new motivations of its main character. No wonder she ended up in a cardboard box on the front lawn, staring out at the world. When she got rid of Tom, there was a sigh of relief among some fans, if only that the contradiction had been resolved.

Unfortunately, there were no new ideas: Daria was, in essence, out of stories and ended at just the right time. I suspect a Season Six would have been a disaster.

Now a thought exercise for fan-fiction writers. Suppose you had been asked to write a series with the Status Quo and premises above. You can flesh out the rest of the Daria universe any way you like. My question is, how many stories can you get with the premises above? Infinitely many? Or just 24 good ones? (Remember, you’re not allowed to change or alter the premises.)

Labels: Writing

The nominees are:

Favorite Overall
A Little Knowledge by S.C.
Back to Back by Christ Oliver
Dominion by SRA
Glamour Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
Le gâteau Daria by Daria81
Sleeping Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
On the Set of “Good Mornings with Daria and Jane” by S.C.
Portrait of Daria by S.C.
Smile Daria by Christ Oliver
WTA Quinn by Quiverwing

Favorite Original
A Little Knowledge by S.C.
Burger World by S.C.
Daria by 2dlover
Daria + Jane by PeteM
Dominion by SRA
Fantanas by Kemical Reaxion
Glamour Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
Goth Chicks by S.C.
Sleeping Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
WTA Quinn by Quiverwing

Favorite Comedy
A Little Knowledge by S.C.
Burger World by S.C.
Daria as Bucky Cat by Kemical Reaxion
Daria Superman by Christ Oliver
dPod generation : Tiffany by S.C.
Fantanas by Kemical Reaxion
Sandi with an I by Kemical Reaxion
Strange Bedfellows by S.C.
Quinn’s Mug Shot by S.C.
The Real Reason Daria Botched Jane’s Dye-Job by Kemical Reaxion

Favorite Alter Ego/Crossover
Daria as Bucky Cat by Kemical Reaxion
Daria Superman by Christ Oliver
Dominion by SRA
Fantanas by Kemical Reaxion
Goth Chicks by S.C.
Hoochie Quinn by S.C.
Paris by Kemical Reaxion
Quinn as a Pin-Up by S.C.
WTA Quinn by Quiverwing
WTA Quinn Serving by Quiverwing

Favorite Single or Multi-Panel Comic
Daria @ Raft: The Not-So-Great Escape by S.C.
Daria as Bucky Cat by Kemical Reaxion
DVDaria Campaign by Kemical Reaxion
Flirty D by MDetector5
Growing Pains by Wouter
Quinn’s Valentine by MDetector5
Party at Lindy’s by Wouter
Sandi with an I by Kemical Reaxion
The Real Reason Daria Botched Jane’s Dye-Job by Kemical Reaxion

Favorite Erotic
Growing Pains by Wouter
Party at Lindy’s by Wouter
Suprised II by Christ Oliver

Favorite Visual Inspired by the TV Series or Official Books
Daria’s Dungeon by S.C.
Daria in a Bridesmaid Dress by Richard Lobinske
Good Mornings with Daria and Jane by Christ Oliver
He’s Mine by S.C.
Jane’s Yearbook Picture by Kemical Reaxion
On the Set of “Good Mornings with Daria and Jane” by S.C.
Portrait of Daria by S.C.
Sleeping Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
The Real Reason Daria Botched Jane’s Dye-Job by Kemical Reaxion
WTA Quinn by Quiverwing

Favorite Visual Inspired by a Fan Written Work
Daria and Quinn Fighting by SRA
Daria in a Bridesmaid Dress by Richard Lobinske
Daria Ready for the Theater by Richard Lobinske
Jane’s New Car by S.C.
Kadhimiya by HelpfulSkittlesExplosion

Favorite Holiday Visual
No nominations. Category removed.

Favorite Image Manipulation
Asylum by vlademir1
Daria’s Inferno for GBA by Christ Oliver
Daria’s Wall, alt version by HelpfulSkittlesExplosion
Mock Atari Box Game by Chris Smith
Mock Super Nintendo Game Box by Chris Smith
President Li by vlademir1

Favorite Digital (completely computer generated)
3D Brittany by S.C.
3D Daria by S.C.
Daria’s Dungeon by S.C.
My Dream Dariacon by S.C.

Favorite Traditional (pencil, ink, paint,
no computer manipulation)
Glamour Jane by Beatnik Shaggy
Glamour Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
Jane’s Yearbook Picture by Kemical Reaxion
It’s Not Easy Being Queen by Kemical Reaxion
Sleeping Daria by Beatnik Shaggy
The Real Reason Daria Botched Jane’s Dye-Job by Kemical Reaxion
WTA Quinn by Quiverwing
WTA Quinn Serving by Quiverwing

Favorite Mixed Media (multiple artistic media used,
includes computer-manipulated traditional)
3D Brittany by S.C.
3D Daria by S.C.
A Little Knowledge by S.C.
Daria + Jane by PeteM
Daria’s Dungeon by S.C.
Dominion by SRA
Fashion Faux Pas by Vladmir1
Kadhimiya by HelpfulSkittlesExplosion
On the Set of “Good Mornings with Daria and Jane” by S.C.
President Li by vlademir1

Favorite New Artist
S.C.
2dlover
Daria81
MDetector5

Note 1: Some of these works are adult-themed and you will have to sign in as a member of the Sheep’s Fluff Message Board to view them.

Note 2: One might ask, “Why did you bother formatting all of this into HTML when you could have just linked to the appropriate PPMB post?”

Why? ’Cause
a) I wanted people to be able to link without recourse to the PPMB, and
b) I’m a bit of a perfectionist (euphemism for “OCD”)

Labels: Awards

This long post is to highlight the written-works nominees for the 2006 Daria Fanworks Awards. There will be more information about how to vote later. It’s taken a while to convert the list from messageboard code to HTML code, but, eh, what can you do?

The nominees are:

Favorite Overall
Card Games by Kristen Bealer
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope by The Angst Guy
Darkness by The Angst Guy
Falling Into College #50: A Matter of Priorities by Richard Lobinske
Goodnight, Morgendorffer by Angelinhel
The Life and Death of Stacy III by Kristen Bealer
The Longest Year #8: The Facts of Life by Greystar
Promise in Green by Richard Lobinske
Something to Shoot For, Part II by Dervish

Favorite Comedy
Breakfast with Dad by Lawndale Stalker
Card Games by Kristen Bealer
A Chunk of a Conversation by Brother Grimace
Citizen Jane by The Ranting Klown
The Dammitall Run! by DJW
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
The First Summer #7: Cruising by Richard Lobinske
I Meant to Do That by Richard Lobinske
The Life and Death of Stacy III by Kristen Bealer
The Original Underground Government-Suppressed Version of Brother Grimace’s Classic Daria Fanfic, “The Sun Will Come Out, Tomorrow” by The Angst Guy

Favorite Drama
Accidental Future by Richard Lobinske
Darkness by The Angst Guy
Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope by The Angst Guy
Falling Into College #50: A Matter of Priorities by Richard Lobinske
Goodnight, Morgendorffer by Angelinhel
The Longest Year #8: The Facts of Life by Greystar
The Meaning of Life by Angelinhel
Promise in Green by Richard Lobinske
Something to Shoot For, Part II by Dervish
Something to Shoot For, Part III by Dervish

Favorite Dramatic Comedy
Card Games by Kristen Bealer
Falling Into College #47: Melody of Life by Richard Lobinske
A Little Help from Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske

Favorite Melodrama
Accidental Future by Richard Lobinske
Call of Quinnthulhu by Dervish
Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope by The Angst Guy
Darkness by The Angst Guy
Inauguration by Nick Gaston
The Meaning of Life by Angelinhel
The Pact by Richard Lobinske
Something to Shoot For, Part II by Dervish
Something to Shoot For, Part III by Dervish

Favorite Romance – Straight
Accidental Future by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #3: Succession Crisis by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #16: Left to the Heart by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #21: Apocalypse Dance by Richard Lobinske
The New View by Richard Lobinske
North and South by The Ranting Klown
A Path of Roses and Thorns, Part 1 by Brother Grimace
Promise in Green by Richard Lobinske
Trent’s Girl by Minkychan

Favorite Romance – Gay/Lesbian
Winner to be announced (only one multiple nominee)

Favorite School-Centered (Lawndale High)
Change the World by The Angst Guy
Citizen Jane by The Ranting Klown
Goodnight, Morgendorffer by Angelinhel
John Lane #14: Fairly Illuminated by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #15: Ring of Champions by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #21: Apocalypse Dance by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #22: Valuable Experiences by Richard Lobinske
Promise in Green by Richard Lobinske
Spelling It Out by Richard Lobinske
Something to Shoot For, Part II by Dervish

Favorite Jane Story
Accidental Future by Richard Lobinske
Citizen Jane by The Ranting Klown
The Dammitall Run! by DJW
Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope by The Angst Guy
Falling Into College #41: Run Jane, Run by Richard Lobinske
Writes of Passage - Forest Primeval, Part 2 by Deref

Favorite Helen Story
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
Falling Into College #46: Family Collision by Richard Lobinske
Falling Into College #50: A Matter of Priorities by Richard Lobinske
The First Summer #7: Cruising by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #16: Left to the Heart by Richard Lobinske
Writes of Passage - Forest Primeval, Part 2 by Deref

Favorite Jake Story
Breakfast with Dad by Lawndale Stalker
The Dammitall Run! by DJW
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
The First Summer #7: Cruising by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #13: Movie Majik by Richard Lobinske
John Lane #16: Left to the Heart by Richard Lobinske

Favorite Quinn Story
Call of Quinnthulhu by Dervish
A Chunk of a Conversation by Brother Grimace
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #3: Succession Crisis by Richard Lobinske
Falling Into College #43: Four Friends, Four Winds by Richard Lobinske
Falling Into College #48: Dividing Spiral by Richard Lobinske
The New View by Richard Lobinske
Something to Shoot For, Part II by Dervish
Writes of Passage - Forest Primeval, Part 2 by Deref

Favorite Use of a Background Character from the TV Series
The Dammitall Run! by DJW – for Jennifer, Nathan
Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope by The Angst Guy – for the Ruttheimer cousins
Falling Into College #48: Dividing Spiral by Richard Lobinske – for Mystik Spiral
John Lane #19: Retouched Parents by Richard Lobinske -
for Vince, Amanda, and Summer Lane
A Little Help from Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske – for Alison
The Meaning of Life by Angelinhel - for Stacy
Misery’s End by Richard Lobinske - for Amy Barksdale
My Parade Adventure by Richard Lobinske - for Tad Gupty and family
A Path of Roses and Thorns, Part 1 by Brother Grimace - for Amy Barksdale
Trent’s Girl by Minkychan – for Monique

Favorite Pre-“Esteemsters”
Card Games by Kristen Bealer
A Crossover Too Far Back? by Lawndale Stalker

Favorite Post-“Is It College Yet?”
Accidental Future by Richard Lobinske
Crusts of Pizza by Brother Grimace
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #3: Succession Crisis by Richard Lobinske
Falling Into College #43: Four Friends, Four Winds by Richard Lobinske
Falling Into College #47: Melody of Life by Richard Lobinske
Inauguration by Nick Gaston
A Little Help from Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske
No One Lives Forever by The Angst Guy
A Path of Roses and Thorns, Part 1 by Brother Grimace

Favorite Character Development/Redevelopment/Growth
Call of Quinnthulhu by Dervish – for Quinn
Card Games by Kristen Bealer – for Daria
Crusts of Pizza by Brother Grimace - for Kevin and Brittany
The Life and Death of Stacy III by Kristen Bealer - for Stacy
A Little Help from Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske – for Upchuck
The Longest Year #8: The Facts of Life by Greystar - for Daria, Jane, and Tom
The Meaning of Life by Angelinhel - for Stacy
Promise in Green by Richard Lobinske - for Daria and Tom
Trent’s Girl by Minkychan – for Daria
Writes of Passage - Forest Primeval, Part 2 by Deref - for Jane and Quinn

Favorite Alternate History
Accidental Future by Richard Lobinske
Daria 2007: The Girl from Hope by The Angst Guy
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Darkness by The Angst Guy
John Lane #19: Retouched Parents by Richard Lobinske
A Little Help from Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske
Misery’s End by Richard Lobinske
North and South by The Ranting Klown
Something to Shoot For, Part II by Dervish
Writes of Passage - Forest Primeval, Part 2 by Deref

Favorite Crossover
Call of Quinnthulhu by Dervish
A Crossover Too Far Back? by Lawndale Stalker
The Dammitall Run! by DJW
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #3: Succession Crisis by Richard Lobinske
Outcasts from Beyond by The Angst Guy
The Gem and the Sword by Ranger Thorne
The Life and Death of Stacy III by Kristen Bealer
The Pact by Richard Lobinske

Favorite Movie Parody
The Dammitall Run! by DJW
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
The Pact by Richard Lobinske

Favorite Science Fiction
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #3: Succession Crisis by Richard Lobinske
Darkness by The Angst Guy
The Gem and the Sword by Ranger Thorne
Inauguration by Nick Gaston
The Pact by Richard Lobinske

Favorite Supernatural or Fantasy Horror
Call of Quinnthulhu by Dervish
The Pact by Richard Lobinske
Pet Food by Brother Grimace
Pristine by The Angst Guy

Favorite Supernatural or Fantasy Non-Horror
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
Daria Von Doom #2: Daria R by Richard Lobinske
Daria Von Doom #3: Succession Crisis by Richard Lobinske
The Gem and the Sword by Ranger Thorne
Outcasts from Beyond by The Angst Guy
The Pact by Richard Lobinske
Uranium in the Drinking Water by The Angst Guy

Favorite Erotica – Straight
No nominations. Category removed.

Favorite Erotica – Gay/Lesbian
No nominations. Category removed.

Favorite Weird Idea
Anything for Jane by The Angst Guy
Call of Quinnthulhu by Dervish
Daria: The Mona Lisa Smile of Fate by CDM
Dear Stacy by Angelinhel
I Meant to Do That by Richard Lobinske
It Slipped Through My Hands, Like a Shadow, Like a Dream by The Angst Guy
Landon Massacre by Derek
A Little Help from Your Fiends by DJW and Richard Lobinske
The Meaning of Life by Angelinhel
Outcasts from Beyond by The Angst Guy

Favorite Ongoing Series (must have at least one new story during 2006)
Daria Von Doom by Richard Lobinske
Et Jane? by Yerno (French)
The DF Continuum - Return Engagement by Steven Galloway
Falling Into College by Richard Lobinske
The First Summer by Richard Lobinske
John Lane by Richard Lobinske
The Longest Year by Greystar
Writes of Passage by Deref

Favorite New Series
Celebrity Jeopardy: Daria Edition by Derek and guests
Open Windows by DJW
The Rest of My Damn Life by The Ranting Klown

Favorite Holiday Story
No nominations. Category removed.

Favorite Non-Fiction Essay
No nominations. Category removed.

Favorite New Author
CDM
Hey
Minkychan
The Ranting Klown
TippedOver

Labels: Awards

Until I update (I’ve been procrastinating), I’ll just add these comments about Daria episodes that I grabbed off YouTube. Enjoy!

“Brittany’s voice isn’t as annoying in this episode. It seems so wrong.” (“Esteemsters”)

“Daria escaped from the Beavis and Butt-head universe after she killed them and disposed of their bodies.” (“Esteemsters”)

“Brittany’s a cool dumb blonde!” (“The Invitation”)

“‘Hi. I’m Daria. Go to hell.’ When Daria says that to me ... it makes me want to touch myself.” (“The Invitation”)

“‘I heard it from a girl!’ Lovely, I honestly laughed a good moment, or two, over it. I love homosexuality.” (“The Invitation”)

“Quinn’s clothes are really ugly, considering that she’s VP of the Fashion Club.”
“You have to consider when this was made. It was fashionable then.” (“The Invitation”)

“Daria is cool and like ‘unemo.’ I wish to be like her one day, but not as smart.” (“The Invitation”)

“Upchuck has fucking wit, man. Compliments Daria pretty well. Too bad she just isn’t interested.”
“Then you obviously do not understand Daria. We regret to inform you that your membership to the Daria Club has been cancelled. Turn in your key to security at the end of the day.” (“The Invitation”)

Labels: Writing

Will work on getting the left-handed links updated.

There is still time to get your nominations in for the 2006 Daria Fanworks Awards (the “Booties”), in both the visual and written categories. You snooze, you lose.

At the PPMB:

• The Angst Guy completed “Scarlett” Chapter 14, “The Mark of the Beast”.
• RLobinske completed “John Lane” 24, “Heart Flush” Part 1.

Labels: Blog, Fanworks

The PPMB and SFMB are jumpy today. We’ll just have to wait and be patient.

Which leads me to a thought. Most of the alternate message boards on the PPMB Outages Website are pretty much either dead or unknown. However, since PPMB and SFMB are being handled by the same people, it means that when one board is down, both are down.

Maybe we need the Daria Back-Up Message Board, for messages and the like when both boards go down.

Also: When are those Bootie nominations coming out?

Labels: Fandom

I received a letter on Tuesday. I don't know if it was to me personally, or regarding the blog, but here goes:

Hello —

I'm a big time fan. Have been for a long time. Like everyone else who probably writes you, I am looking to somehow get copies of this stuff on video. I was wondering if you had a resource?

I’m looking for the following (believe it or not, I haven’t seen these particular episodes): #s 109-111, 204, 302, 305, 307-308, 310, 312, 404, 405

I will pay whatever it costs as I think we will be waiting a LOOOONG time for MTV to finally get its act together.

Thanks. I hope to hear from you.

My answer:

I’m glad you’re interested in Daria. My answer will be somewhat laborious, but it will eventually get to the point.

If you haven’t seen certain episodes of Daria, your best bet is YouTube. It has a lot of ... uh ... copyrighted material available, and generally, if you put in a combination of the show and the episode name and number in the search function, you can find pretty much every episode you want.

(How do you think I got those neat framegrabs? Thank “The Gimp,” a freeware program ...)

Now, here’s the hard part. I don’t think the blog has ever had a policy on how to obtain Daria on VHS/DVD/palimpsest. Myself, if I knew of a free way for you to download episodes off the computer, I’d tell you, but everyone would probably know about it anyway, so you wouldn’t need to ask me.

The problem is the copyrights. I can understand your honorable offer to pay for the episodes. The problem is that if any fan were to accept payment beyond the cost of mailing the episodes, this would turn fans into illegal distributors of copyrighted material.

Now as for me, MTV/Viacom can burn to the ground and people can loot its content to their heart’s content. The problem is that in the past, MTV tried to “fox” the biggest fansite at the time, Outpost Daria. By “foxing,” I mean they mailed, if I recall correctly, some legal boilerplate to the site owner telling him that their lawyers said it was a very, very good idea to take down the copyrighted material.

Later, the miscommunication was resolved — it was just some legal beagle jumping the gun — but the older fans keep a wary eye over their shoulders. (Or, as they say in the drug culture, “How do I know you’re not ‘the Man’?”)

Since then, the policy has been, “We don’t bother MTV/Viacom, and, hopefully, they don’t bother us.” For my own personal, devious, evil reasons I’d like to see Outpost Daria live a long, healthy life, and I don’t want to get into the business of providing episodes.

The best hope is to:

a) Let your request be known here at the blog. Maybe one of our readers will have mercy on you and hook you up with a source of eps.

b) Go to one of the major message boards (see the links on the left-hand side of the blog) and ask, politely, if anyone can help.

c) Go to DVDaria and sign those petitions.

Sorry I couldn’t be of help. If someone in the comments section is willing to help, I’ll make the French Connection. — CG

Labels: Downloads

... well, that little entry into grad school was fun. As fun as having hot sealing wax poured into my urethra.

So, we will close that little chapter of my life, effective immediately. The blog might possibly probably definitely maybe be back on line. Expect a real, honest-to-goodness update at some date in the future. And expect more frequent updates as well.

Labels: Blog

... when are we going to see the list of nominations for the 2006 Booties, written and visual awards?

I’ll post them to the Blog as soon as they come in. Honest Native American.

Labels: Awards