Daria In Morrowind

Art by KatikaCreations

Daria in Morrowind by WellTemperedClavier is a series that re-imagines the show but takes it out of the comfortable suburbs of Lawndale and places it within the murky world of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Here, Daria's an Imperial girl who's just arrived in the dusty city of Balmora, trying to navigate a society that's a lot weirder than home but still reassuringly corrupt and hypocritical.

Please note that only Outlanders will get an individual entry on this Wiki, because it was a winner in the 2018 Daria Fanworks Awards.

In May 2021, Daria in Morrowind joined the ranks of other completed crossover Daria fanfic series.

This series includes the following stories:

Stories in the Series

1. Outlanders - Can Daria survive in a world where snarking to the wrong person might actually get you killed? And where bugs are considered haute cuisine? Read and find out! A re-imagining of Esteemsters.

2. On the Origins of the Fashion Guild (single-chapter) - About Quinn's social recovery after things fall apart with Sandi Griffin.

3. An Invitation - Daria is forced to attend a party, which is just as dreadful in Balmora as it would have been in Lawndale. A re-imagining of The Invitation (along with elements of other episodes).

4. The South Wall Cornerclub (single-chapter) - Introduces Trent Lane, and has the eponymous cornerclub standing in for The Zon.

5. The Guilded Age - A volunteer push sees Daria saddled with an unwanted position at the Mages Guild in spite of her not really knowing any actual magic. Draws elements from College Bored and Cafe Disaffecto.

6. The Artist's I (single-chapter) - A story examining how Jane approaches commissioned art in different ways for outlander and native clients.

7. The Pilgrim's Inertia - A close brush with death inspires Jane to choose the easiest possible religious pilgrimage she can take. Daria comes along, mostly to get out of the Morgendorffer house. This story takes inspiration from Groped by an Angel and Road Worrier.

8. Hate Actually - This story follows Quinn to an Imperial celebration where she has a run-in with this universe's version of Tommy Sherman. It's basically the events from The Misery Chick re-imagined from Quinn's perspective. Oh, and set in Morrowind.

9. The History Girls - In trying to avoid a noxious history (read: propaganda) assignment glorifying the Empire, Daria ends up even more deeply involved. Though not based on a specific episode, it does take elements from Partner's Complaint (specifically, Daria working with Jodie Landon and being confronted with some of the benefits she gets from being white/Imperial).

10. The Worst Years of Our Lives - A couple of Jake and Helen's friends from Jake's old Fighters Guild days come in for a visit, and turn out to be pretty obnoxious house guests. Daria tries to figure out a way to get them out of the house, and maybe out of the past. Based on That Was Then, This Is Dumb.

11. Heathers (single-chapter) - Explores the viewpoint of Sandi Griffin.

12. The Balmora Beat (single-chapter) - Follows the legionnaire Mack as he makes his rounds in Balmora.

13. All the News That's Fit to Primp - Quinn works on establishing The Fashion Club's reputation. After all, you can't go from club to guild unless people know about you! Not specifically based on any episode.

14. Raiders of the Lost Arkngthand - As fascinating as the ruined Dwemer city of Arkngthand is, the archeologists can't help bringing along the usual amount of corruption and stupidity. Not specifically based on any episode.

15. The Tell-Tale Art - After one of Jane's clients stiffs her on payment, she has to start looking for alternatives. And what seems too good to be true usually is. Takes inspiration from Art Burn and Life in the Past Lane.

16. Arena - Magistrate Lli decides to hold an arena event in Drenlyn Academy. Pushing students to engage in simulated violence is clearly a great way to raise funds--but, predictably, things go awry. Draws from Fair Enough and The Daria Hunter.

17. The Horn Identity (single-chapter) - A brief look at Jeval (and Treads-on-Ferns).

18. Balmora Confidential - Daria's attempt to figure out Synda's plans lead her into the city's darkest corners. Though it takes a plot point from Ill, this story doesn't draw heavily from any episode.

19. The Salt in Our Stars (Single Chapter) - Sandi's still reeling from the events of Balmora Confidential when she meets Tom.

20. School of Mock - Helen gets a lucrative job offer from her old classmate, Erarik, which necessitates taking the rest of the family to the neighboring Imperial town of Caldera. The story draws from Camp Fear by introducing Amelia and Skip, though the school in Caldera is more patterned off of Grove Hills in Gifted.

21. The Summer of My Ashlander Nomad - Aware of how dangerous Morrowind can be, Daria makes an effort to teach herself magic. In so doing, she meets Ted. This story takes some inspiration from The New Kid.

22. Wizards Off the Coast - Still trying to learn magic, Daria takes up an offer made by an old acquaintance and goes to Sadrith Mora. Though not based on any episode, it does introduce Link from Is It Fall Yet?

23. Big Mer on Campus - Tom finally shows up in Daria's life. Readers familiar with the show start bracing for the worst. Not based on any specific episode, though has some similarities with Partner's Complaint.

24. The Wedding Wringer (Single Chapter) - A short fic dealing with Stacy's anxieties regarding her arranged marriage.

25. The Dark Arts - Tom finds a noble client for Jane, which creates a situation Daria isn't quite ready to handle. Not based on an episode.

26. Ashtrapped - A story involving a trip to Ald'ruhn that was started in 2018 and based off of Speedtrapped. The version finished in 2021 no longer has much in common with the source episode, and focuses on Daria, Mr. DeMartino, and their visit to the city of Ald'ruhn.

27. A Kiss to Build a Scream On - This continuity's version of the infamous Kiss--only it doesn't involve Jane at all!

28. A Comedy of Manors - Daria runs off with the Sloans to a luxurious manor in the Ascadian Isles in an attempt to escape the aftermath of the previous story. Needless to say, she fails. Not based on an episode, though it does take a few elements from Is It College Yet?

29. Gone Sister Gone - A brief look at how Quinn and her parents are faring in Daria's absence.

30. The Cantons of Vivec - Daria heads to Vivec to find Jane, and does--only to learn that Jane is struggling to set up her own life as an artist in the big city. The story has a few references to Is It Fall Yet?.

31. Bad Day in Balmora - Daria heads back home right in time for the Balmora Tax Revolt. The final regular episode.

32. A c0da to Live By - An epilogue that shows the fates of the various characters across the next 200 years of Tamrielic history.

Character Adjustments

Daria, Jane, and their families still keep the names they had on the show (though the Lane surname has been changed to Llayn). Others have been altered to better fit with the setting. It's generally pretty easy to figure out who is who. Some have roles rather different from their show counterparts. A partial list of divergences follows:

• Synda Grilvayn (Sandi Griffin) is a rival of Quinn's, and is not part of the Fashion Club.
• Jane's in an even more financially precarious situation and has to make a living with her art. Though not terribly pious, she is a believer in the native Dunmer religion, in contrast to the irreligious Jane of canon.
• Kavon Thanlen (Kevin Thompson) is a lowly security guard. He's still dating Briltasi Talori (Brittany Taylor), but Briltasi has to keep this a secret since it'd be a scandal for her to date someone so low on the social ladder.
• Maiko (Mack) is a promising young soldier in the Imperial Legion. He's still dating Jolda (Jodie Landon), though they're keeping it to themselves for the time being. Their reasons for keeping it secret have less to do with social differences and more to do with the difficulties of potentially marrying an active duty soldier.
• Jeval Whitethorn (Jamie White) actually develops a personality distinct from the other Js.
• Andra (Andrea) isn't a student. Instead, she's a Reachman who sells charms and baubles on the street.
• Armand al-Rihad (Andrew Landon) worked as an engineer for the Empire's military (a nod to his role as an inventor in the show). The Empire was impressed enough to let him work with Dwemer artifacts.
• Amelia (and Skip) have no prior history with Daria.
• Johanna (Mrs. Johannsen) is... well, best not to give it away here. Suffice to say, she's a much more formidable person here than she was on the show.
• Miss Defoe is mentioned a few times, but never actually appears. Miss Barch is also absent, and isn't even referred to.

Unique Characters

In addition to the cast from the show, a few recurring characters unique to the series have also been invented.

• J'dash: A Khajiit (cat person) junk dealer, and Jane's landlord.
• Treads-on-Ferns: An Argonian (lizard person) who joins the Fashion Club later on.

Trivia

The first story, Outlanders, was Winner of Best Crossover in the 2018 Daria Fandom Awards

The last two stories, Bad Day in Balmora and A c0da to Live By, received several nominations in the 2021 Daria Fandom Awards. The series as a whole was also nominated.

In February 2023, the accompanying artwork by KatikaCreations tied for first place in Favorite Comedy/Single or Multi-Panel Comic in the 2022 Daria Fanworks Awards.

Links

• Lawndale-High Message Board (links to individual stories can be found in the OP)
• FanFiction.net