Finn Morgendorffer

Finn Morgendorffer is a alternate universe series of Daria fanfiction by HolyGrail2007, spanning the whole series and the year after Daria graduated.

Synopsis

In this series, Quinn Morgendorffer is reimagined as Finn Morgendorffer, a younger brother to Daria. Like Quinn, Finn is very popular and image-concious. However, Finn is much more athletic, and keeps a regular workout regimen to maintain his physique. He excels at boxing, and also proves to be a valuable asset on the football field. While he gets along well with his father, Jake, as well as his Aunt Rita, he dislikes both his mother, Helen, and sister, Daria, greatly. He befriends Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie, and starts out trying to date as many popular girls as he can at Lawndale High.

Chapters

The individual chapters are:

Chapter 1: Lawndale's Apollo: Explore the life of Daria Morgandorffer as she battles through high school, with one major change. Her chief nemesis: her younger sister Quinn, is now her younger brother, Finn.

Chapter 2: Let's Get Physicals!: To participate on the team, Finn needs a physical. Due to Jake's trypanophobia, however, Helen has to make the trip, and mother-son bonding are quite impeded thanks to Janet Barch. Also, Finn's softer side comes out when a present from Aunt Rita arrives on the doorstep.

Chapter 3: Party Hardy: Brittany Taylor's throwing a party, and Finn is the guest of honor. Brittany seems excited to have him around, perhaps a little too excited. But when Daria is also invited, will the feuding siblings destroy a perfectly good evening?

Chapter 4: The Mall Has it All: The Mall of the Millennium has it all, and Finn's eager to shop there, no matter what Helen says. The Fashion Club is eager to bring him alone when they skip school and go. Will Finn's growing concern for the innocent Stacy blossom at the boutiques, or will Sandi grind the poor girl under her heel? And when Daria discovers him, will she exact her own torture upon him? Could it be any worse than shopping with Tiffany?

Chapter 5: What Kind of Model?: When the Amazon Modeling Agency comes to recruit some new talent, Finn thinks a show of support for the girls in the class is a quick way to an easy payoff. But when he's invited to participate with the women, and the coaches want to see some sexy fun poses, will the big man on campus put up, or shut up? Meanwhile, Helen eavesdrops on a phone conversation with her son, but will his honest opinion fill her with hope, or break her heart?

Chapter 6: Beautiful: Finn's less-than-enthusiastic reaction to Brooke's nose job pegs him as a shallow man among the Lawndale students. Feeling like crap, and determined to rectify that, he drags Daria with him to Dr. Shar's office to tell off the predatory opportunist. Dr. Shar thinks Finn might be an easy mark for several G's of surgery, but making Finn insecure doesn't make him want a nose job. Instead, it creates something far more tragic. Can Daria put aside sibling rivalry and help her brother in his hour of need?

Chapter 7: History on Skates: Finn's low history grade prompts him to seek out extra credit from Anthony DeMartino, who is not inclined to give an inch to the dedicated slacker. But, through effort and a hefty bribe, Finn manages to convince the history teacher and train him for the upcoming roller hockey game against DJ Randy in exchange for a bonus assignment. Will the unlikeliest of friendships bloom, particularly when Finn notices his teacher's infatuation with Claire DeFoe? Or will spending so much time around Finn finally push DeMartino over the edge? Betting pool's open.

Chapter 8: Family Ties: While Daria heads off to Alternapalooza, Finn is looking forward to a father-son bonding day with Jake. Helen plans on finishing a court case, but an unexpected settlement causes her to have a free day to herself. Realizing just how wide the chasm is between herself and her son, she decides to tail Jake and Finn to figure out just exactly how Jake is so successful with Finn while she always falters. Is it just good old boys having fun together, or is their relationship deeper? Does Jake recognize how much mother and son have drifted apart too?

Chapter 9: Legends and Losers: Legendary football quarterback, and jerk, Tommy Sherman returns to Lawndale High. Finn's somewhat enthusiastic to meet him, at least until the jerk insults him at every opportunity. When the football hero dies in an accident, Finn finds that the jerk's death doesn't bring him solace. Instead, it makes him feel even worse. Is this the wake-up call Finn finally needs? Can two siblings find peace among this tragedy?

Chapter 10: Finn the Brain: Finn gets an A on an essay in Mr. O'Neill's class, and the football player couldn't be any more miserable, and his abjectly hostile reaction to the praise he receives invites the curiosity of both Helen and the Three J's. Even more strange is Daria's reaction to the essay, who, after reading it, is forced to admit to herself that Finn isn't as dumb as she thought, and experiences her own identity crisis when she realizes that she might not be the only brain in the family.

Chapter 11: Man of Honor: Rita's daughter Erin Chambers has accepted the proposal of Brian Danielson, and the entire family Morgendorffer is invited to the wedding. Finn is excited at the prospect of seeing his beloved Aunt Rita, but is extremely scared because he knows how his mother and aunt fight, and who they fight about: him. Will those two warring sisters, and the boy they fight over, find peace on such a happy day?

Chapter 12: Carnivore: Daria's assigned a video project, and the first thought in her mind is showing to the school the true face of her brother. Coercing Finn to do the project is easy, but Daria soon encounters resistance in an unlikely source: Jane, who thinks Daria's forcing her own interpretation of her brother too much. And when Daria sees Finn try to cheer up a crying Stacy, fail miserably, and watches him break down, Daria wonders if Jane might be right.

Chapter 13: Desperate Teenage Boys: With Daria and the family off at Grove Hills for the weekend, Finn is excited to spend the weekend with his friends. But Finn soon quickly learns that his friends have a home life as bad as his is, and Finn soon finds himself at Jane's. Will this give the artist insight into the other half of the feud, or will Jane just think of cheap attempts to get Finn out of his clothes?

Chapter 14: Going Medieval: Finn decides to accept Mr. O'Neill's idea of teaching the self-esteem course, but that will have to wait until after the Renaissance Faire, and after Bret Strand turns Stacy into a wreck by not calling after their date. Finn responds with violence, but Stacy doesn't approve of such barbarism. Meanwhile, Helen attempts to assist her son with the lecture, but her own deeply held feminist beliefs only lead Finn to believe his mother hates him more he thought.

Chapter 15: Believers: When Jane joins the track team, she gains an unexpected ally in Finn. The two start a professional relationship where he coaches her, a relationship they attempt to keep a secret from Daria, who starts acting strangely. Added to the mix is Helen, who bribes Finn to spend some quality time with Daria. Even more surprising is Jane's reaction to her time with Finn, when she feels something she never thought possible.

Chapter 16: Ambrosia Vinaigrette: Daria is writing a fictional story using non-fictional characters, but finds destroying Finn doesn't bring her any solace. Meanwhile, Finn is trying to break Stacy away from Sandi before his fifteenth birthday, a task that is much more daunting then he thinks. Helen tries to bond with her morose children. While helping Daria proves to be fruitful, her own competitive nature only serves the opposite effect with Finn. Will Stacy ever become free?

Chapter 17: Through Your Eyes: It's a new year in Lawndale, and Daria's starting things off with a major change: She's considering contacts. Finn can't help but taunt her after he realizes she's acting on her own personal vanity, something she's called him out on since time immemorial. But when Jane helps him realize this bothers her a lot, he tries to give her the advice no one else will ever give her.

Chapter 18: Dance Fever: Finn and Stacy go on a disastrous double date. But while Stacy lets down her date with a swift break-up and a kind word, the cash prizes from Finn's date are too good to ignore. Stacy uses her newfound confidence to call Finn out on his cruelty. Can Stacy's friendship guide Finn down a gentler path, or will Finn mercilessly destroy his own creation?

Chapter 19: It's Edgy, Dammit: When Daria's essay is submitted to Val magazine against her will, she wins a day to spend with the editor, who is every bit a teenager as her magazine markets to, aside from the fact that she is close to thirty. Desperate to find any way to get rid of her, Daria allows Finn to tag along in the hopes she can foist Val onto him. The plan works, but when Daria witnesses Finn tell off the editor for not being a role model, she's forced to do the unthinkable and respect him.

Chapter 20: Pet Store Peril: Helen's enthusiastic response to Finn's career aptitude test prompts Finn to seek out a job. However, a job at a pet store turns out to be a bust, and Finn quickly learns the American Dream of hating your job. At least Daria is also suffering the working world at a nut stand. Finn tries to stick it out for his mother's sake, but how much of the uncute side of animals can the football player endure?

Chapter 21: Jane Errs: When the wandering Lanes return home from their adventures in the world, Jane puts up with the hell as long as she can before staying over at Daria's, a move that Trent soon emulates. Her brief respite is cut short when Daria discovers the truth behind Jane and Finn's relationship, giving Jane first hand insight into just how deep the Morgendorffer sibling rivalry goes. Can Jane, and Trent, patch up this eternal feud?

Chapter 22: Daddy: When Jake suffers a mild heart attack, Finn is sent into a panic attack, and has to admit for the first time how his father is neither invincible nor eternal. Finn grows angrier and more depressed, and despising Grandma Ruth, whose traditional values clash with Finn's, is the only thing keeping him sane. Meanwhile, Jake himself becomes self-reflective following the bout with death, and begins to wonder if he was all the father he wanted to be. How many other hearts will break in the Morgendorffer household, and can Jake, with Daria's encouragement, help his son when he needs him most?

Chapter 23: Down the Road: A boring football game prompts Finn to seek excitement by accompanying Daria on her trip to Fremont to bail Jane and the boys of Spiral out of jail. Finn's aggressive personality conflicts with Daria's when his carelessness causes him to lose the bail money. Can his same aggression win back the money, and his sister's grudging respect?

Chapter 24: A Fish Called Tom: Daria's none too pleased that Jane's met a new guy, Tom Sloane, at a Mystik Spiral gig. Finn wastes no time chewing her out for being rude to him, particularly after Finn meets him, and the two becomes fast friends. But soon, Finn combats a jealousy he didn't know he had, and tries to come to terms regarding his own feelings about Jane. Also, Helen begins to realize just how wide the chasm is between Finn and herself.

Chapter 25: Captain, My Captain: When Kevin injures his knee in a motorcycle accident, the team must press on without him. After Mack fails to perform to expectations, Finn becomes the quarterback, where he excels. Finn starts to worry that this will affect his friendship with Mack, particularly when rumors abound that he might be made the new captain.

Chapter 26: The Mark of Failure: Mr. O'Neill's made perhaps his crappiest assignment yet when he asks the students to fail at a task they set out to accomplish. Daria's assignment is a simple throwaway, but Jane decides to dress and act conventionally, something she thinks will be easy. But when it ends up being easy, Jane experiences a loss in confidence in herself. How will Tom react to this new Jane? How will Finn react?

Chapter 27: Helen and the Boys: With Jake and Helen going to a weekend-long conference, Finn is allowed to invite over a friend. He invites Tom, but quickly invites the Three J's when he thinks he can get away with it. However, a last-minute change of plans prompts Daria to go to the conference, and Helen is at home, thinking she can bond with her son. Finn's cavalier attitude towards his mother does not go unnoticed. How will the guys, who have worse family situations, react to Finn's?

Chapter 28: About My Mother: To prove she's partner material at the firm, Helen must take the family to a weekend retreat, where the doctors there diagnose the lawyer's true battle against her son. With the issue of his lack of relationship with their mother forced on him, Finn retaliates with both barrels, leading mother and son into a clash of legendary proportions. Who will win in this righteous crusade? Is winner even an accurate word?

Chapter 29: Burn Out: A house-fire puts the family Morgendorffer in a hotel for two weeks. Helen uses her vacation time, eager to spend it reconnecting with her son. Finn, however, couldn't be less receptive to the idea. Meanwhile, Jane's empty cupboards prompt her to visit when she learns about the free meals, and drags Tom with her, where Finn sees the cracks in their relationship. And they notice the cracks in his.

Chapter 30: Parental Discretion Advised: An upcoming mother-child fashion show prompts Helen to ask Finn to participate with her. Finn's inner conflict, both with his mother's genuine motives, and his self-consciousness being seen as her son, threatens to ruin him in front of the entire school. When Jane learns about this, she blows off Tom multiple times, causing him to spend time with Daria instead.

Chapter 31: The Artist, The Boyfriend, The Bitch, and Her Brother: Finn offers to help Jane with her project to reinvent herself via hair dye. After the procedure, the two hit the town in celebration, where Tom, blown off yet again, heads over to visit Daria. When a kiss shatters everyone's preconceptions, Finn is forced to question deeply held beliefs about all four major players in this game.

Chapter 32: It Happened One Summer: Summertime has rolled around, and Finn's decided on a tutor. Helen recruits the beautiful Sierra Riordan, the niece of a firm's senior partner, to perform the task. Finn's scholarly laziness prove to be the least of his problems, as his own anger and shame prevent Finn from attempting to patch things up with Tom, who enters into an uneasy relationship with Daria. When Finn accepts an invitation to visit Jane at an art colony, feelings and frustrations are put out into the open for the first time? Does Jane blame Finn for the breakup? Can she forgive him?

Chapter 33: Independence: Finn attempts to woo Sierra by applying himself at his studies. When the Three J's discover that Finn is seeing the tutor, they hire her themselves, and Sierra is able to witness just what sort of impact Finn has on another's lives. When Finn makes his move on the tutor, how will she react, and what more will he learn from her? Meanwhile, Daria breaks up with Tom, and both of their doubts lead them to likely and unlikely sources.

Chapter 34: A Few Cans of Soda: With Super Bowl Sunday on the way, Finn couldn't care about some lousy school review meeting, until a plethora of advertising and Ultra-Cola machines appear everywhere in the school. The perks are interesting, but when Ms. Li's promotions become heavy-handed, Finn feels a moral conflict and gets in touch with the idea of the greater good for the first time.

Chapter 35: The Fat Chick: Sandi's leg is injured in an accident, and the resultant sedentary lifestyle causes her to put on a fair amount of weight. Feeling sorry and guilty for wishing the event on her, Stacy offers to help her get back in shape. She pulls every string and favor she can in order to get Finn to coach her, but Sandi's sole desire is to make Stacy, who destroyed her position of power at Lawndale, as miserable as she is.

(PPMB links beyond this point require the "Rosetta Stone")

Chapter 36: Brain of the Family: The teachers of Lawndale go on strike. After Finn's initial teacher gets fired, his class is taught by none other than Daria. Daria considers the idea of revealing Finn's own academic brightness to his class so that he can be ostracized like all brains, but her own jealousy takes root and she considers flunking him so that he would never take being the brain away from her. Meanwhile, Finn gets the impression that Daria will flunk him and his friends no matter what, threatening all the progress they made in their relationship.

Chapter 37: Mature Relationships: A comment by Helen prompts Finn to wonder whether or not it would be mature to pursue an exclusive relationship. The only people whom Finn would care enough about to do so would be Stacy or Jane. Is maturity truly worth the price of breaking the heart of a woman of whom Finn has committed the sin of actually caring about?

Chapter 38: Fractures: With Erin and Brian on the verge of divorce, the entire family Morgendorffer is surprised to see a recently dumped Rita arrive while the wedded couple works out their differences. When Amy arrives to settle differences, the close proximity of all three Barksdale sisters threatens yet another family war. Will Amy's prediction about Finn being the end of the feud come true? And what role will Daria play in such madness?

Chapter 39: That S-E-X Word: After Tom falls asleep accidentally in Daria's room, a massive misunderstanding causes Finn to believe he and Daria have slept together. Finn then starts to wonder if he should take his relationship with Jane to the next level, a line Finn's never crossed before. Finn feels an abnormal amount of pressure from both sides as he tries to sort out the matter. Will one choice cause him to lose his dream girl?

Chapter 40: Higher Learning: At Stacy's birthday party, Finn makes friends with Lindy, an energetic college-aged girl. Finn begins to grow concerned when he worries that Lindy might have a drinking problem. Jane, meanwhile, is attempting to apply to Boston Fine Arts College, but her muse is dry and shriveled, and not even Finn can help her find it. Daria and Tom are both applying to Bromwell, and tensions between that couple rise as Daria comes into contact with Tom's elitist world, and Tom witnesses Daria's extreme arrogance firsthand.

Chapter 41: It's Called Boston: Trying to convince Jane of the merits of BFAC, Finn finds his only recourse is to take her there himself. His intention of a serious, quiet trip turns frightening when Daria and Tom tag along, the couple in argument over Tom's acceptance and Daria's rejection from Bromwell University. The couple's argument turns serious and Finn gets involved and must decide between his best friend or his sister.

Chapter 42: The Suburban Symphony: Returning home from Boston, Finn wastes no time helping Jane finalize her portfolio and ship it off to BFAC, dealing with the last vestiges of resistance along the way. Meanwhile, Daria and Tom's relationship is stretched to the breaking point when the final decision regarding the wait-list comes to Daria's doorstep, causing both players a great deal of grief. Finn and Helen both soon get dragged into the conflict, causing conflicts thought resolved to come resurfacing. Which Morgendorffers have learned from their mistakes, and who has yet to understand?

Chapter 43: A Tale of Three Schrecters: For a summer job, Helen decides on the idea to have Finn help out at the law firm of Vitale, Riordan, Schrecter, Schrecter, Schrecter, and Morgendorffer, granting Finn the opportunity to see the professional working world in all of it's glory. In addition to dealing with the crazies at the office, Finn begins to wonder what the future holds for himself and Jane.

Chapter 44: My Three Young Women: With summer winding down, Finn begins to wonder if he and Jane are just drifting apart. He accepts an invitation for lunch from Sierra, who begins to grow attracted to the football player in ways she never thought, causing Finn to wonder if perhaps the relationship he denied was the one truly meant for him. Finn's life becomes even more turbulent when a supposedly-reformed Lindy returns, eager to start their friendship up again. With all three disappearing at summer's end, which one will Finn decide is the right girl for him?

Chapter 45: Quarter Past Midnight: The school year is just about to start, which means all the previous seniors are headed off to colleges. Finn finds himself missing Jane, Tom, and, to his surprise, Daria. Meanwhile, Helen and Jake both start feeling empty nest now that Daria has left, and devote their attentions onto Finn. And Daria, once she becomes acclimated enough to her college surroundings to despise them, finds herself answering the phone when family calls...

Chapter 46: Shields Up: With the football season underway, Finn soon runs into a pair of college recruiters for Shields University, one of the biggest, and most prestigious, football schools. When a chance comment by Timothy O'Neill lets Janet Barch in on the plan, she'll stop at nothing to let such a man be given such ill-gotten prizes. With Helen eagerly joining into the fray, Finn is left uncertain as to what his own future holds, and what he plans to do with it.

Chapter 47: Hell is Homecoming: Homecoming is coming up, and Finn's a shoo-in to become its King. But a King needs a Queen, and Finn finds he has little desire to find himself a date. All Finn's friends notice, and they are eager to snap him out of his funk by setting up a date for him. Meanwhile, Helen begins her lawsuit against the school district, but Eric is eager to finish the case quickly and tackle more prestigious ones. Can Helen convince him to fight the good fight, rather than the wealthy one? And what happens when Jane returns to town?

Chapter 48: Filling Sacks of Failure: Helen's lawsuit takes an unexpected turn when Congressman Sacks looks to crush it to win favor by supporting public schools. Helen's gearing up for the long haul, but Eric, who's heading up the case, never had her stomach, and Helen worries he'll seek a quick way out once it's shown to him. Meanwhile, Finn and Jake are visiting colleges, among them Bromwell University, and a college very close to Daria. How have the months fared for this sibling feud?

Chapter 49: Blessed Be This Meal: In the conclusion and aftermath of the lawsuit, Helen's gets caught up in a whir of interviews, follow-up work, and new cases from clients eager to retain her, causing Helen to wonder if she's reverting back to old habits. With his family seemingly too busy to celebrate Thanksgiving, Finn wonders if he should seek celebration elsewhere. Meanwhile, Daria wonders whether or not she should come home to Thanksgiving.

Chapter 50: Matters of State: The State Championship game is coming up fast, and Finn's determined to win the big title. However, personal matters on the team threaten to ruin everyone's focus and cost them the big game. Meanwhile, friends and family filter down from near and far to attend this one massive event of Finn's life, and he finds himself intrigued by the people who decide to attend...or not to.

Chapter 51: A Matter of Trust: Finn's off to visit Sierra at Pacific University, leaving the Three J's home in Lawndale. Chances meetings with Tom and Aunt Rita cause them to wonder what sort of friends Finn considers them. Meanwhile, Daria ponders joining a film-making club when she notices screenwriters are needed, which draws her standards about other people into question, particularly when she meets the two heads of the club.

Chapter 52: With Extra Bitters: Helen, Jake, and Finn are invited to a few gatherings by the Sloanes at Winged Tree Country Club. While the Morgendorffers impress the board, Andrew Landon is none-too-pleased that the inferior Jake Morgendorffer is on the shortlist for membership, and that Finn has caught the eye of Crestmoore. Meanwhile, Daria becomes disillusioned with her own future as a writer when she notices that Henry is a better writer than she is.

Chapter 53: Purely Magnetic: While working together with Henry on the film, Daria begins to, against her better judgment, grow attracted to the wacky writer. Meanwhile, Sierra is unable to attend the prom, so Finn eagerly looks for someone to fill the void. But when girl after girl falls short, Finn begins to wonder if he's falling victim to the same impossible standards he accused Daria of.

Chapter 54: On The Outside Of Love: While waiting for his college letters to come, Finn spends time with Sierra, who is on her Spring Break. While Finn looks forward to spending time with her, Stacy wonders whether or not Sierra is cheating on him. Also, Jane, Miranda, and Mark head to France for their Spring Break, but the City of Lights quickly turns frosty when Jane runs into Amanda Lane there.

Chapter 55: Dreamer Without a Cause: Now that Finn's been accepted to the colleges he wanted, he finally begins to realize he has no idea which to pick, and, for that matter, what to do when he's there. While Finn struggles to find himself, Jodie finds herself in a similar dilemma, of deciding to transfer or not. And how will Daria react when Henry wants to submit their film to a film festival?

Chapter 56: A Journey To Eternity: College is now over, and high school is winding down to its last month. With the school year winding down, Finn has to get all of his Lawndale affairs in order, and prepare to say goodbye to all who changed his life.

Prequel

Some months after the series finished, HolyGrail2007 wrote a prequel story set during Finn and Daria's childhood in Highland, "Eye on the Ball", detailing the further deterioration of Helen and Finn's relationship and Daria's growing troubles at school.

Daria Fanworks Awards

Finn Morgendorffer won Favorite New Series at the 2009 Daria Fanworks Awards. In addition:

• Chapter 6: Beautiful was nominated for Favorite School-Centered (Lawndale High) at the 2009 Daria Fanworks Awards.
• Chapter 18: Dance Fever was nominated for Favorite School-Centered (Lawndale High) at the 2009 Daria Fanworks Awards.
• Chapter 21: Jane Errs was nominated for Favorite Jane Story at the 2009 Daria Fanworks Awards.

It was nominated in the 2010 Daria Fanworks Awards for:

• Favourite Ongoing
• Chapter 38 - Fractures, for Favourite Dramatic Comedy
• Chapter 29 - Burn Out; Chapter 37 - Mature Relationships; and Chapter 42 - The Suburban Symphony, for Favourite Helen
• Chapter 37 - Mature Relationships and Chapter 52 - With Extra Bitters, for Favourite Jake
• Chapter 49 - Blessed Be This Meal, for Favourite Holiday Story