"If you get thrown off a horse, you have to get back up and shoot it, right?"

Helen and Jake are celebrating the anniversary of the day Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973, but I think we all wish they'd have chosen an activity that wasn't quite so creepy. Daria and Quinn in particular are most likely fleeing the house, searching for brain bleach, or both.

Let's just hope Helen and Jake don't find out that today is also National Sex Day, although whenever they have the house to themselves they don't usually need much of an excuse. I just hope Daria doesn't get caught up in any more middle-of-the-night misunderstandings, because I don't think Jake could handle the trauma a second time.

Finally, the episode "Pinch Sitter" first aired on this day in 1997. The word of the day is "indemnification," and I hope everyone enjoys this brainworm: "I am cool and that is it, and everyone else is full of, full of, full of--"

Fanfic Update!

• Daria's Party Addition, by DrT9999 (parts 20 and 21): "It was a rather haggard-looking Daria who showed up for lunch Wednesday morning." (Part 21)

Whoa!

Helen and Jake are having their own celebration for Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown on this day in 1973. Or at least so I'd like to assume. Please don't offer any alternative theories.

This is also the anniversary of the episode "Pinch Sitter" in 1997. There were a lot of fun moments from that one, but I'll just leave you with this part: "I am cool and that is it, and everyone else is full of, full of, full of--"

Fandom News!

• Discuss the death of Steve Priest.


• What do you think about reports that Trump is ready to throw in the towel?

Whoa, There!

On this day in 1973, Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years after winning the Belmont Stakes. I see Helen and Jake are trying to recreate the moment...or at least I hope that's what they're doing.

Also on this day, the episode "Pinch Sitter" aired in 1997. Can you say "indemnification"? I knew you could.

Fanfic Update!

• Am I A Grownup Yet?, by jones2000 (part 10): "Daria was wearing black trousers, smart green tailored shirt, and a dark jacket. The idea of wearing a skirt had briefly flitted across her mind before she had nixed the idea."


• Beach Daze, by WildDogJJ (part 3): "Daria and Jane are seated at an outdoor cafe table having pizza and talking. Daria: 'Thanks for springing for lunch, Jane.' Jane: 'Any time, Amiga. So, you enjoying the beach so far?'"


• Danny Morgendorffer, by ST91 (prologue - part 2): "Jacob 'Jake' Morgendorffer had a difficult life. It was his father, Arthur Morgendorffer, a veteran of both the Second World War and the Korean War to make it so." (Part 1) (Part 2)


• Daria: In Another World?, by starwater09 (part 3): "'I don't think I'm ever going to get this.' Kevin says out loud with a sigh. 'It's like it's in an alien language or something!'"


• Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years, by Meester_Lee (part 69): "Jake finished his third therapy session with Doctor Shreve when Dr. Shreve told him about his summer plans. 'Jake, I want you to know that I'll be taking a two-week vacation in August,' he said. 'Maybe you ought to consider taking your family somewhere.'"


• Daria vs. Terfs, by Peridaniel (part 1): "It was a normal day at Lawndale High. Jane and Daria walked into the school together as they usually did."


• The Date, by elainefr (part 12): "'Here, let me.' Tom took the gold chain that held the delicate heart and placed it around Daria's neck. 'It's lovely Tom.' Daria touched the heart on the chain."


• November 1986: It all Just Keeps Falling Apart, by macrossfan89 (part 1): "'Use your Fucking turn signal you stupid bastard!' Jake Morgendorffer screamed out the window of his '79 Caprice station wagon."


• Revelations (Iron Chef: Psycho Thaw), by atiyatortilla (part 2): "Light tore her from an ocean of darkness and catapulted her back to the land of the living."


• Skin Deep, by Kristen Bealer (parts 6 and 7): "A few mornings later, Daria went downstairs looking for breakfast and heard odd noises as she came into the kitchen. She wasn't sure which was stranger: that Quinn was singing, or that her song seemed to be about science." (Part 7)


• Teaching is a work of heart, by Rémi (parts 13 and 14): "Lawndale High. Daria is talking with Ms. Li in her office. Ms. Li : Ms. Morgendorffer, raising funds for the coffeehouse is a crucial role for the good work of our project. That's why I hope your daughter will set an example for our other students." (Part 14)

Andrea as an Equestrian? Neigh!

Andrea's ready to race, but I'm not sure she'll be able to beat the record of Secretariat, who won the Belmont Stakes on this day in 1973 and became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. And because I like you guys, I'm breaking with tradition and not using the Helen and Jake horse picture. You know the one I mean. You're welcome, by the way.

Today is also the anniversary of the episode "Pinch Sitter," which aired on this day in 1997. Do you remember what the vocabulary word for the night is? Ha! I made you say it!

Fandom News!

• Wouter had a question about the Beatles that's morphed into a discussion about accents.


• Erin M. shares "Rules of Rules," a commentary about fandoms.


• How would you fix the episode "Groped by an Angel"?


• Donate to Erin M.'s Patreon page to help support his projects.

A Day at the Races

Forty years ago today, Secretariat won the Triple Crown--the first horse to do so in twenty years. The real winners, however, are the readers of this blog: I could have chosen that very, very disturbing alter ego of Helen and Jake to go with this post, but I didn't. Consider it my gift to you.

Also on this day in 1997, Pinch Sitter aired for the first time. Did you know Hitler ate sugar? Tad Gupty knows.

Fanfic Update!

• ASPS, by PrecambrianStudios (part 17.75): "Before they knocked, the red-head asked, 'Hey, why did he get expelled from the Albuquerque academy anyways? I heard he bit off someone's cheek' The door opened. 'I'd rather not go into it,' Ethan said. He looked irritated. 'So, what can I do for you? Make it fast, I'm working with Edgar.'"


• Crossed Paths, by welltemperedclavier (COMPLETE!): "All the sins in the world condensed into one night, and Jason didn't know what to say. There he stood, a slight and solitary figure in the middle of the trashed living room, an open can of Sprite warm in his pale hand." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)


• Daria and Co. (Are Forced To) Read 'My Immortal', by Shiva (part 12): "After indulging in some well-earned R&R, the Company that was trapped in a room of seeming infinite powers were forced once more to deal with the task at hand."


• Daria and Phineas: Big Ideas in Lawndale, by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 2): "Perry approached the downtown area of the Wisconsin town. He had rarely been in Lawndale before. Most of Doof's schemes focused on Danville. He located the building that Doof was using for the Lawndale branch of his business."


• Daria Kombat (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: MY EYES THEY BURN!!), by Shiva (COMPLETE!): "All of a sudden Daria found herself in an extremely hot, extremely lava filled volcanic chamber, yet somehow she wasn't being burnt to a crisp."


• Don't Mess With Skyrim! (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: MY EYES THEY BURN!!), by Shiva (COMPLETE!): "'Dar-ea!' Quinn whined as she entered the Morgendorffer's living room, 'it's six in the morning, are you still playing that video game?!'"


• First Day of Summer (Quinn's Day), by cfardell_Brenorenz29 (part 4): "'What do you have there?' Theresa asked. 'Application forms,' Quinn answered. 'Do you have one for here?' 'You want a job in Cashmans for the summer?' 'Yes,' Quinn answered."


• Kelly Thompson: Party Time Sibling Style, by LadieTAG (part 1): "Kelly woke up to the sounds of Orgy's Blue Monday playing on the radio alarm. She exhaled a long sigh before getting up and heading to the bathroom. She liked to get up early so that she wouldn't have to deal with her bonehead brother or worse, her sports obsessed father."


• I Loathe a Pay-Per-View, by SacredDust (part 6): "Jodie: 'Talking didn't win this title for me. And it won't help me keep it, either. I'm sick of talking about something that goes without saying. I'm the champion, I earned it fair and square, and this title is a part of me. It doesn't matter who the challenger is—they can't match the effort I will put in. I defend this belt not just with my body, but with my life. And that's what someone else will have to give to take it away. Now leave me alone.'"


• The Mageborn Cynic Chapter 4, by peetz5050 (part 4): "The bell rang and Jane sighed with relief. She could finally get up off her knees and put away the prayer beads. She was almost out the door when... 'Lady Jane Hammond-Lane? A moment, if you please.' Father Tim was standing by the door wearing an expression that could curdle new milk."


• Mine, by Vukodlak (part 5): "It was nearing the end of Daria's senior year and Daria was heading home from school and there was so much to think about and to do college being at the top of that list."


• Quinn was Dumped (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: MY EYES THEY BURN!!), by Shiva (COMPLETE!): "Jaws dropped as Quinn Morgendorffer walked into Casa Morgendorffer much earlier than usual, and covered from head to toe in what looked like (and certainty smelled like), well..."


• The Tiger or the Kitten, by SacredDust (COMPLETE!): "'Take...her...NOW.' Jane said wearily. 'Gaaaah!' Daria cried, pointing wildly at Quinn. 'What did you DO to me?'"


• Tom Sloane, Lax Bro, by Shiva (part 8): "I want to get to the fun stuff, but I have to explain how we got there."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Boo Hoo), by PrecambrianStudios (COMPLETE!): "As 'Old Yeller' ended, Daria yawned and said to Jane, 'Well, that's it, you want to go see your brother puke on some more people now?'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Monster), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "'Stop zooming, I mean it! If you can see any of my pores on camrea, I swear I'll kill you! Stop the tape! I do not have pores! My pores are cute! My pores are tiny! I said STOP FILMING GAHDAMMIT STOP FILMING STOP FILMING AAAAAAARGH!' And with that final outburst, Quinn turned into something else."


• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: MY EYES THEY BURN!!), by SacredDust (COMPLETE!): "Daria locked the front door quietly so no one would hear. She quickly turned and followed Jane into the living room with Tom and Trent, her eyes glittering with unforeseen possibilities. Her steps felt lighter, her mood less cloudy, her desire for company curiously strong. Now that she was out of the hotel, this wasn't such a bad day, was it? It might even be...highly tolerable."


• Unnamed story (Scenes No Daria Fan-Fic Should Have: MY EYES THEY BURN!!), by Silver (COMPLETE!): "'So, I found this in my locker today, Daria.' Jane held out the note, which Daria calmly took and read."


• Zero Blue, by Erin M. (COMPLETE!): "The beam shot out, illuminating the bushes at the side of the road. The near flourescent light making them look like cheap fakes from a movie set. Karl swept the beam along the bushes first at the tops, then down near the dirt shoulder of the road. It was during this pass that he saw the boots."

Whoa, There!

On this day in 1973, Secretariat won the Triple Crown. Helen and Jake are celebrating the win...we hope. If not, I don't want to hear about it.

Also on this day in 1997, the episode "Pinch Sitter" first aired on MTV. Not only were there a lot of funny moments ("We're supposed to be discussing current events." "I have a headache. Is that current enough for you?"), but we also got to meet Skylar Feldman. Poor Skylar was harmless enough--if a bit full of himself--in canon, but he would go on to earn all kinds of infamy in fanon. I guess that's what you get when you call Quinn Morgendorffer on her crap.

Fandom News!

• Erin M., ticknart, and OverlordMikey are all in need of career-related advice. Can you help?


• Post your votes for the dumbest cartoon characters' names.


• LadieT found a Huffington Post poll about women TV duos, and asks for help getting Daria and Jane bumped up!


• Discuss the movie Prometheus in a new thread.


• Lord Yellowtail has a "Questions Asked" Question for BUffy fans.


• Two new Iron Chefs have been posted in the Creative Writing forum: Ms. Kinnikufan's Daria and Quinn really are cousins and cfardell_Brenorenz29's Transit of Venus.

Yay, Secretariat!

Thirty-six years ago today, Secretariat won the Triple Crown at Belmont by the most incredible margin imaginable: 31 lengths! Hooray!

Hmmm. Perhaps some of you feel it is more important to celebrate instead the 12th anniversary of the first showing of "Pinch Sitter," which broke the mini-drought for the show's first season, but to each his/her/its own. It did mark the first time that zombies were mentioned in the show, I believe:

Tad: But too much TV is bad for you.
Tricia: It can turn you into a zombie, Daria.
Daria : Well, that'll make three of us.

It is worth mentioning one great line Daria gets in the episode. Love it.

Off to the Races

Secretariat, the greatest racehorse that ever lived, was born on this date in 1970. I just knew I was going to find a use for that picture! I knew it!

More to come. Stay tuned. Back.

Ever wonder what Outpost Daria looked like almost a decade ago? Check it out.

Here is an artistic take on Daria I haven't seen before, though maybe it came up elsewhere and I wasn't paying attention. Nice work.

A writer for afterellen.com, an interesting website in its own right, reminisces about a crush she had on a Daria character in an article on TV show spin-offs. Scroll down for the spot, then click on that character's name for more "crushness." More soon.