Fanfic / Daria in Morrowind

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Daria nodded. "So in Morrowind, corruption and favoritism are rampant, the nobles stack the deck against everyone else, and life is all around miserable?"
"Yup!"
"Nice to know some things are the same the world over."

— from Outlanders, the first story in Daria in Morrowind

The dusty frontier city of Balmora, in faraway Morrowind, is just about the last place that a bookish and flinty introvert like Daria Morgendorffer would ever want to visit. But her parents see opportunity in its narrow streets and adobe offices, so that's where Daria (and her superficial younger sister Quinn) must go.

Once in Balmora, Daria discovers it to be a viper's nest of crass superficiality, governmental corruption, and ruthless social networking. Kind of like home, really. And the place does have its plus sides, like a disaffected Dunmer artist named Jane who befriends Daria soon after her arrival.

But it does have downsides. While Daria's social position in her old home freed her up to snark at the stupidity around her, she has to tread much more carefully in Morrowind. Because here, the locals might not take kindly to Daria's trenchant observations, and violence is always an option...

Daria in Morrowind is Exactly What It Says on the Tin—an alternate universe fic (contextual reassignment) series that combines Daria with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Rather than taking the Trapped in Another World route of isekai, the story instead re-imagines the characters from Daria as being natives of Tamriel (though not necessarily Morrowind) in the late Third Era. The structure is episodic, though later stories build up on the earlier ones. Most are told from Daria's perspective, but Quinn, Jane, Sandi, and Mack all get a bit of time in the first-person spotlight.

Nearly all of the characters from the show make an appearance. Daria, Jane, and their respective family members have the same names they do on the show. Others have had their names altered to fit in Tamriel (the names from the show will be used for this entry). The version of Tamriel used is specifically the one described in The First Edition Pocket Guide to the Empire and seen in Tamriel Rebuilt, so central Cyrodiil is still a jungle. The series' emphasis is definitely NOT on epic adventure. Daria isn't the Nerevarine (or a Dragonborn). Instead, it's just a look at daily life of normal-ish people in Balmora that balances the sensibilities of two wildly different fandoms.

The stories can be read here on FanFiction.Net. It was completed in May, 2021.

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This series provides examples of:

• Adaptational Badass: Remember Mrs. Johannsen? She's back, as an agent for Great House Telvanni.
  • Might also apply to Jake Morgendorffer, who was a professional warrior for a while. He didn't much like it though.
  • Life in Tamriel is a lot tougher than life in '90s suburbia, so to some extent it applies to all of the characters. However, they'd only be badass in comparison to their canon selves; most are average by Tamrielic standards.
• Adaptational Job Change: A couple of examples.
  • Football isn't a thing in Morrowind, so there's no need for jocks or cheerleaders. While Brittany maintains her role as a popular attendee of Drenlyn, neither Kevin nor Mack are at the school. Kevin works full-time as a security guard while Mack is a promising young soldier in the Imperial Legion.
  • Andrea gets re-imagined as a Reachman selling "traditional" charms and trinkets in a bad part of town. "Balmora Confidential" reveals that she works with the Thieves Guild as well, though sells baubles as her day job.
  • In the show, Willow and Coyote were hippies who just couldn't let go. Here, they're aging Fighters Guild members who should have cashed out a long time ago.
  • Andrew Landon, Jodie's father, is now an engineer who earned the Empire's permission to work with Dwemer artifacts.
• Adaptational Villainy: Sandi. An unpleasant wannabe Alpha Bitch in the show, this version of Sandi is an embittered Dunmer supremacist who hires thugs to attack Daria after she offends her.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Sandi is neither Quinn's friend nor part of the Fashion Club in this story.
• Adventure Guild: The Fighters Guild operates a bit like one of these, offering commissions to sellswords that usually involve mundane private security jobs that are unlikely to result in actual violence. Daria suspects that the Empire contracts security work to the Fighters Guild out of cheapness.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: According to Jane, Great House Hlaalu is this compared to the other Great Houses (especially Telvanni).
• Archaeological Arms Race: Shown to be one of the reasons why the Empire is so keen on excavating Dwemer ruins (and by extension, one of the reasons they annexed Morrowind).
• Arranged Marriage: Stacy is set up in one. She accepts it, and even looks forward to it to some extent, but is afraid she'll be even lonelier with her husband (whom she hasn't met yet). The epilogue reveals that her marriage was a happy one, though her husband dies early.
• Badass Teacher: DeMartino, who is actually a former Redoran warrior.
• Bad Guy Bar: The Council Club.
• Bar Full of Aliens: Played with. The Lucky Lockup is a cornerclub that caters to travelers, and thus has a mostly non-Dunmer clientele. Thus, it becomes this trope in the perspective of Balmora's native population.
• Bittersweet Ending: As TES fans know, Tamriel's in for a world of hurt in the centuries following the events of Morrowind. While most of the characters do reasonably well for themselves, there's no denying that they spend their adult lives in a world much crueler and bleaker than the one in which they grew up.
• Blind Without 'Em: Much like in the show, Daria needs her glasses to see anything. Glasses are also a lot rarer, given that this is a fantasy setting. At certain points, Daria suffers from eye strain while using her glasses, suggesting that the lenses are not perfectly calibrated to her vision, which isn't surprising given the more limited understanding of such things.
• Boring, but Practical: In contrast to the show, this is Jane's approach to art. Artists in Tamriel are seen as professionals, and it'd be distinctly unprofessional for her to abandon the client's expectations in favor of her personal vision. While she does have some idiosyncratic works she does on her own time, these are only for her own use. Also, she really needs the money.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Daria can actually come off like this to her parents. The Morgendorffers' situation, being strangers in a strange land, is much less secure than it is in canon, and Daria's reluctance to get along with others might have serious repercussions for her future.
• Breakup Makeup Scenario: A major part of the plot arc in the later stories.
• Child of Two Worlds: Jane is a Dunmer, but by virtue of being born outside of Morrowind, she's still considered an outlander despite being the same race as the natives. This leads most native-born Dunmer to look down on her (much as how in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the natives will still scorn a Dunmer Nerevarine). She does find some acceptance in the Tribunal Temple, but even there the priestess is somewhat patronizing to her.
• Citadel City: Ald'ruhn is presented as this, same as in the game.
• City Guards: Kevin is one of these. Feel safe yet? In general, the guards are lazy and corrupt, and mostly focus on protecting rich people.
• City of Adventure: Balmora probably qualifies. While Daria doesn't go on any epic quests, there's plenty of more down-to-earth (relatively) encounters that she finds within its sprawl.
• Les Collaborateurs: Great House Hlaalu, which works closely with the Empire and profits from trade with them, is seen as this by the other Dunmer great houses. The exact attitudes toward the Empire within Hlaalu seem to vary. Some, like Stacy's parents, seem to genuinely appreciate the Empire. Others, like Sandi and her family, deeply resent having to work with it but also acknowledge they have no choice but to do so.
• Commonality Connection: Most of these reflect those on the show. One new addition is the friendship between Jamie and Treads-on-Ferns, an OC. Both are a bit poorer than their peers, and are from marginalized groups. The epilogue reveals that they're still friends over a hundred years later.
• Corporal Punishment: Daria suffers a mild example of this for causing trouble when she visits the Cyrodiilic School in Morrowind:Caldera.
• Corrupt Bureaucrat:
  • The Empire, in a nutshell.
  • Hetheria, the low-ranking Mages Guild operative, is another example.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Great House Hlaalu, in a nutshell.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Daria ends up on the receiving end of one, courtesy of some thugs Sandi hires after Daria offends her.
• Darker and Edgier: Darker and edgier than Daria.
• A Day in the Limelight: Sandi, Mack, Stacy, and even Jamie get short stories told from their perspectives. Quinn and Jane each get to be the star of a few longer stories. Most major characters also get perspective chapters in the epilogue.
• Death of the Author: In-Universe, Daria seems to acknowledge this about her own book in the epilogue. In "History Girls", Daria also has a dream where Tiber Septim acknowledges it.
• Differing Priorities Breakup: Unlike the show, this is what drives a wedge between Daria and Jane. When Jane takes a new job in a different city (one that could be a career-making move for her), Daria's quite bitter about it which leads her to lash out. They eventually reconcile, however.
• Disappointing Older Sibling: Quinn sometimes views Daria as this, due to her reluctance (or downright inability) to network with the family's social peers.
• Divergent Character Evolution:
  • Jeval, the story's version of Jamie White, gets over his crush on Quinn in "Hate Actually". Though he later falls for her again, he nonetheless outgrows Joey and Jeffy.
  • Although not especially devout, Jane is definitely a believer in Morrowind's Tribunal, which causes conflict with Daria who's just as skeptical as her canon counterpart. She's also in much less financially stable position and must earn money through commissions.
• Dream Sequence: Daria gets one involving a surprisingly casual Tiber Septim in 'The History Girls'.
• Dropped Glasses: Happens a few times to Daria. This has more urgency since eyeglasses are quite expensive in Tamriel, and getting a new pair is neither cheap nor easy.
• The Exile: Link is one of these.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Daria in Morrowind is about Daria (and many of her peers) in Morrowind.
• Extraordinary World, Ordinary Problems: Though Daria lives in a world of strange magic and bizarre creatures, the focus is still on the trials and tribulations of daily life.
• Fantastic Caste System: Morrowind is ruled by the human-run Empire, but the local Dunmer still have a lot of power and autonomy. As a result, it sometimes feel like outlanders and Dunmer live parallel societies with relatively little interaction. Complex hierarchies also exist within these groups.
  • For instance, Daria is mixed Nord and Imperial, and is of a prosperous (though non-noble) background. This actually puts her higher on the hierarchy than she's comfortable admitting.
  • Jane, on the other hand, is a foreign-born Dunmer, which means most Dunmer see her as an outlander. All of her paying clients are fellow outlanders since most Dunmer won't want to hire her (and some of her outlander clients still express racism toward her for being Dunmer).
  • Among the Dunmer, family background and reputation count for a lot. Though Stacy's family is richer than Sandi's, Sandi's is seen as more respectable. Thus, Stacy shows deference to Sandi.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: This shows up in the dynamic between Daria and Quinn, but with the two of them periodically switching roles, making it a zigzagged example. Quinn is just as superficial and flighty as she is in the show. However, Quinn's incessant socializing is done with the goal of ensuring a future for herself and her family, which in some ways makes her more responsible than the aloof Daria. On the other hand, Quinn's still pretty naive about a lot of things, and sometimes needs the more thoughtful Daria to set her straight.
• Foreign Queasine: And how! Remember how in the game most of what the Dunmer ate seemed to be mushrooms, bugs, or some combination thereof? Well that's what Daria has to deal with as well. Her eventually getting used to it is a big part of the first story, "Outlanders".
• Fundraiser Carnival: Happens twice. First in "Arena", which also has a (strictly non-lethal) arena for student competitors. The second time is the fashion show in "A Kiss to Build A Scream On".
• Fungus Humongous: Much as in the source material. Daria gets a firsthand example in "Wizards Off the Coast", when she visits Sadrith Mora, and even stays inside a mushroom house for a while.
• Girl Posse: Sandi's Haute Society, a Dunmer-exclusive rival to the Fashion Club, qualifies.
• God Guise: Daria thinks that the gods of the Tribunal Temple, Morrowind's native religion, are this. Jane rather strenuously disagrees...
• Going Native: Jamie's dad did this in Cyrodiil. Interestingly, he seems to have abandoned this and gone back to his Bosmer roots once in Morrowind, despite it being farther away from Valenwood than Cyrodiil was. Jamie has mixed feelings about this.
• Gold Digger: Tom thinks Sandi is this. The truth is more complicated.
• Hegemonic Empire: The Empire, obviously. While it's corrupt and has a brutally violent past, it does permit religious freedom, safe travel, and offers some legal protections.
• Hidden Depths: Link's a mage apprentice, but he also seems to be a pretty good cook.
• High School: It wouldn't be Daria without it! Except this is Morrowind. Drenlyn Academy, the equivalent to Lawndale High, is more like a professional/finishing school for upwardly mobile outlanders (and for some of the natives who plan to go into business with those foreigners).
• Historical Hero Upgrade: In-universe examples with Pelinal Whitestrake and Tiber Septim.
• Idle Rich: Averted with Tom. Daria notes that Dunmer nobles actually have to work pretty hard.
• Inept Mage: Arguably, Daria herself. Much like in the game, spells are not guaranteed to work, and most of her efforts fizzle out. Her spellcasting only improves incrementally through many months of practice. By the epilogue she's a competent enough mage to have a secure position in the College of Whispers, though her job seems to require little in the way of actual spellcasting.
• Inherent in the System: Present here, as in both source fandoms. The Empire is a corrupt, ruthless, and colonialist regime. The Dunmer are ruled by xenophobic slave-owners. Worse, these two systems largely feed off each other. But most of the people within are just trying to get by.
• Interclass Friendship: Between Daria and Jane. Though both are lowborn, the Morgendorffers are prosperous and upwardly mobile, while Jane is living on the edge of poverty.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Celegorn, Jane's love interest in Vivec, can be kind of abrasive, but isn't a bad guy. Arguably, Daria herself also qualifies.
• The Joy of First Flight: Daria gets to experience this with Tedannupal on his tamed beetle, Zadurannabit.
• Lighter and Softer: Lighter and softer than The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
• Local Hangout: Daria and Jane often hang out at the Lucky Lockup, in part for its interesting clientele from all over Tamriel.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Stacy is an example. Her Dunmer family is pretty wealthy, but are seen as suspect due to how closely they work with outlanders.
• Maiden Aunt: Daria becomes one, though she's perfectly comfortable with this status. Partially averted in that she had at least one boyfriend, Tom, though they never did more than kiss.
• Mayfly–December Friendship: Daria and Jane. Dunmer like Jane can live for 300 years, so there's no doubt that she'll outlive her friend. Also true with other friendships between Mer and non-Mer.
• Merchant City: Balmora, an entrepot shared almost equally by the native Dunmer and the newly arrived outlanders, probably qualifies. The Dunmer of ruling Great House Hlaalu also use it as the "face" of their regime.
• Merlin and Nimue: Johannsen and Link qualify. No betrayal happens, but Link states that Johannsen wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice him to get ahead. Link doesn't feel any particularly deep loyalty to Johannsen, either, so a betrayal of some sort is likely in their future.
• Murder, Inc.: The Morag Tong, a guild of assassins. As in the game, however, they are legally sanctioned and even have an clearly labeled office in the city.
• Neighborhood-Friendly Gangsters: Both the Camonna Tong and the Thieves Guild see themselves as this for their communities (Dunmer natives and outlanders, respectively). Played more straight with the Thieves Guild. They do make some effort to protect outlander civilians, but it's clear that they ultimately look out for themselves, first.
• Nostalgia Filter: People in the epilogue tend to view the Third Era through this. Daria writes "Outlanders" specifically to critique this, since she wants people to realize that many of the Fourth Empire's problems stem from issues the Third Empire never satisfactorily dealt with. But as Jane points out, a lot of people will focus on the higher quality of life. It's left ambiguous as to how much the novel really helps change people's minds, though it probably didn't do a whole lot judging by the Fourth Empire's state.
• Offerings to the Gods: Jane goes on a pilgrimage to do this.
• Original Character: Only a few, and they play minor roles. J'dash, Jane's Khajiit landlord, is one. Another is Treads-on-Ferns, an Argonian who joins the Fashion Club later on.
• Politically Motivated Teacher: DeMartino, what with his opinions on the Empire and Great House Hlaalu. No one takes him very seriously, though.
• Post-Historical Trauma: Daria explains this concept to Quinn.
• Powder Keg Crowd: Begin appearing in the later stories. This culminates in the Balmora Tax Revolt, which serves as a backdrop for the final regular story.
• Professional Killers: Much like in the game, the Morag Tong are the epitome of polite professionalism, with office hours and everything.
• Race Lift: Jane, Trent, Tom, Principal Li, Mr. O'Neill, Mr. DeMartino, Brittany, Kevin, Ted, Sandi, and Stacy are all re-imagined as Dunmer. Jamie gets the Bosmer treatment while Link is an Altmer. Everyone else is the Tamrielic version of the race they were in the show.
• The Resenter: Daria has shades of this.
• Ruthless Foreign Gangsters: Averted. Unlike the native Camonna Tong gangsters, the outlander Thieves Guild avoids violence.
• Secular Hero: Daria, just like in canon. This is a bigger deal in a more overtly religious world, however.
• Social Climber: Quinn, mostly the Idealist version. But it might be more how she views herself than what she actually is.
• Spoiled Sweet: Brittany doesn't even insist on a noble honorific despite being (very minor) nobility.
• Starving Student: Jane is sometimes shown to be on the verge of this.
• Sucky School: Drenlyn Academy's just for networking, so academics are a secondary concern.
• Title Drop: In the epilogue, Daria writes a fictionalized account of her years in Balmora. The name of the book is "Outlanders", same as the first story in the series.
• Trauma Button: Isolated streets act as a minor one for Daria. She copes with it pretty well but still feels pretty intense anxiety with such things after getting beaten up by Sandi's hired thugs. Seeing Sandi also makes her nervous.
• Underground Railroad: As in the game, the Twin Lamps covertly frees Morrowind's slaves. Stacy's parents are strongly implied to be members, though she never realizes the significance of this. In the epilogue, it's revealed that Jamie and Treads-on-Ferns are smuggling Aldmeris and An-Xileel dissidents to the Empire's comparative safety.
• Urban Segregation: Same as in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind but with more detail. Balmora is divided into wealthy High Town, the busy Commercial District, and the poorer Labor Town. Each of those has a number of neighborhoods, such as Silk-hawker's Street and Shellbreakers Court. Most of the action takes place in the Commercial District (where most of the characters live) and Labor Town.
• Vast Bureaucracy: The Mages Guild comes across as this. Yes, magic spells are all very interesting, but they'd really rather have Daria fill out forms, preferably in triplicate.
• Villainous Gentrification: Turns out to be a big part of Balmora's recent history, as revealed in "Big Mer on Campus".
• Welcome to the Big City: Daria gets this treatment when she first arrives in Vivec.
• "Where Are They Now?"Epilogue: "A c0da to Live By", consists of short vignettes showing the characters' adult lives. Given that some characters are long-lived Mer, some of these vignettes take place centuries after the finale.
• White-Collar Crime:
  • Some of Helen's clients seem to be guilty of this. Technically, so is Daria, since she forges a guild report.
  • Sandi is aware that the father of one of her lackeys, Nedrana, is engaged in this, and uses it as leverage to ensure Nedrana's loyalty.
• Wild Teen Party: Averted. The parties seen so far are typically stuffy networking affairs for entire families, especially parental units. Fortunately, parties can still go humorously awry despite adult supervision.
• Wrong Side of the Tracks: Labor Town doesn't quite qualify as The City Narrows, but with the crime, crowding, and infestation of large and vicious rats, it can come pretty close.

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