"And the ironic thing is, I am as free as a bird."

It's National Bird Day! Celebrate by rescuing Travis the canary from the air filtration system at the mall or keeping a safe distance from Chiquito the Parrot (he's very possessive). You could also get crushed by a penguin float during a homecoming parade, but I wouldn't recommend it.

If you're in the mood for bird-related fan-fiction, there's Howard by The Angst Guy, Duck Day Afternoon by Shane Greentree, or A Raven, Nothing More by Lew Richardson, just to start. There are probably more, so please feel free to post any others in the comments.

Also, remember that there are only five days left to nominate works for the Daria Fanworks Awards! Find the rules here.

And now, on to the fanfic update!

• Another normal day in Lawndale, by JPAGC (part 8): "As Daria talked, she was aware that her own cheeks were turning pink as Charles was looked directly at her eyes. Even after the two years she had known him, it still surprised her that Charles was unique among every male teenager in school in looking at her eyes instead of letting them waver around her body (and especially her chest) for ninety per cent of the time they were speaking."


• At the Going Down of the Sun ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "In the great dimensional Bleed between the Holiday Islands lies a garden, lit up as if in permanent twilight. It seems small at first because mortal eyes cannot fathom the sheer scale of the place. Countless gravestones, uniform in their curved shape and made unique by the name and universe of origin - all creeds and species rest side by side as one - stretch into the distance."


• Auld Leg Syne, by Roentgen (COMPLETE!): "It was early in the morning. New Year's Day. With the doorbell ringing, with Jake and Helen dead to the world after their late night revelings and with Quinn's whereabouts unknown (and Daria unconcerned), Daria stumbled down to the door to give whoever was ringing the damned doorbell the first swearing-off of the New Year."


• Bi Bi My Darling!, by OverlordMikey (part 1): "After what I did last night I have to confess. Even if it could ruin all of our friendships but- The two met outside of the Pizza King. After some awkward chit-chat and some sarcastic jokes the truth was blurted out. 'I, I kissed your boyfriend-' the person said, the words riddled with regret hidden under a monotone voice."


• Daria/Dorian 12: Spring Breaks, by LadieT (part 2): "'I know that as your own personality continues to grow, Daria will want to fight you more and more. By including her in our conversations, it might help both of you settle into being the best person you can be. I love the both of you, so please get along long enough to come back home after this weekend without being on medication. What do you say Daria - truce?'"


• Falling Into Daria: An Interesting Start to the New Year, by Gouka Ryuu (part 1): "I spent my last waking hours of 2010 online visiting various message boards, including Paperpusher’s, and Facebook to check on things and wish everyone a safe and happy New Year’s Eve. I then shut off my computer and went to bed around 10:30 PM, the last thing I remember doing. I slept through the end of 2010, and by my nearest guess never made it to 2011. But, I’m getting ahead of myself." (Part 2)


• First Dance ('Flashpoints': A Worldburner Mini-Fics Thread), by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'A stink-bomb?' Judith actually rolled her eyes. 'What are you, twelve? This is what they taught you in those Special Warfare classes - annoy people with bad scents?' 'Rock music and rap, too - at very loud volumes,' Archangel shot back. 'Oh, and don't bother to try and wash it off, extract the nanites, or counteract them... the nanites inside are specifically designed to consume and reproduce like rabbits on Quaaludes in the presence of bio- and supernatural energies. Your bio- and supernatural energies, to be precise.'"


• Fugitive: The Blues, by Wassersauefer (part 1): "The first thing he saw was darkness. Total and utter darkness. After a second his sight got better, a lot better, and he discovered that he was in a forest. A thick forest with trees he didn't recognize and a dark night sky overhead. Which was strange, because he could have sworn that the last thing he remembered was running down a bombed street, his comrade besides him, his rifle in hand and then... nothingness."


• God Save The Esteem ep16: Wedding Hell, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Jodie and Brittany headed off to another part of the shop, and Daria was finally pinned into her dress. This was a bad thing, as she now had to look at it in the mirror. She had enough time to think thank god Tom can’t see it before she saw Tom in the reflection." (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)


• The James Lane Chronicles Chapter 5, by InvisibleDan (part 1): "He envied Daria at that moment. Tired of staring at the same thing he saw every night before bed, he turned and looked at her. She looked so calm. Her eyelids were closed behind her glasses but they were not shut tight. Her mouth was slightly open, and he could feel her breath leaving through her pale lips. It was as though all her defenses were down and he could finally see who Daria really was when no one else was around."


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (parts 31 and 32): "The first couple of months of school went well. All four of the Morgendorffer kids were off to a good start. Then in early November, Jane came home complaining of a really bad stomachache. The next day, Jake took her to their family doctor. Suspecting appendicitis, their doctor had Jake bring Jane to the hospital. Jake called Helen who told the rest of the kids what was going on when she picked them up from school. When they arrived at the hospital, Daria didn't want to leave Jane's side." (Part 32)


• Lawndale Rumble (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by TheExcellentS (parts 1 and 2): "O'NEILL: 'With both Lawndale World Championships still vacant, 30 of our best and brightest Lawndale Fighters will participate in this over-the-top-rope battle royal. The winner will be recieving a mystery prize yet to be announced by General Manager Angela Li.' BARCH: '15 brainless men and 15 fantastic women will enter that very ring, and I just know that a woman will rise up and win it all!' O'NEILL: 'Hm... Anyway, on that note, let's take it to our backstage interviewer Claire Defoe, who has two of our match participants standing by!'" (Part 2)


• Life Beyond Highland (Iron Chef: Lawndale State), by LadieT (part 8): "Twenty minutes later, Quinn and her entourage walked into the Zon. Andrea saw the four as they sat down and elbowed her table companions. Jane looked over at the girl for a moment, then over to Daria. Seeing her friend's face contort, Jane realized who the girl at the table was. Scanning the bar, Quinn saw Daria staring at her and froze, but quickly played it off. Her attention went back to her three new boy toys."


• A loss in the family, by VPrad (part 1): "Coincidentally, just as they were talking, Sandi Griffin walked through the main entrance of Lawndale High. Quinn could immediately see something was wrong, her hair wasn’t as perfectly combed as always, she didn’t have as much make up on as she would have any other day, and what disturbed Quinn the most, her usual confident stare was now replaced by a lost gaze to the floor."


• Spirit of the Game, Nature of the Beast, by HolyGrail2007 (parts 4 and 5): "She knew the type of girl Nadine was when it came to intrigue. Someone who thought she could do anything, not realizing what an novice she truly was at this. Intrigue was tricky work, and people like her thought a solid plan and a level tone could make another believe anything. Those types of girls didn’t last long at this, but they could get lucky. No matter, it was best to utterly crush her before she could get that luck. That way, she’d never play the game again, repair her reputation, and stay out of Elsie’s hair." (Part 5)


• Stuck Inside Of Lawndale With The Metafic Blues Again, by Gregor Samsa (part 5): "Critic #3: [excited] So, you're going to junk what you already have and start with my guaranteed winner? I won't even request more than 85% of royalties! Me: Actually, no. I've already got this other material down and need to show it."


• T&J, by Ravynstone (COMPLETE!): "'Who's the new girl?' Jane glanced up from the second coat of red she was applying to her nails. Her brother, Tom, was watching a girl across the quad. 'Don't know,' said Jane. She tilted her head, peering through her fringe at the object of Tom's interest. 'She looks like a brain.'"


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: 10 Things I Hate About You), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "'You've dragged it out of me. I . . . I kissed Tom. And then I told Jane about it today. So now she hates me and probably hates Tom and they're gonna break up and I liked kissing Tom so I think I wanna see where that might go but if I do it'll ruin things between me and Jane even more than it already has and I'm not sure what to do about any of this and it's got me just inches away from shutting down completely.' 'Mm-hm, mm-hm,' Quinn hummed thoughtfully as she chewed slowly on a mouthful of skim milk-doused flakes. 'Sounds rough,' she said after swallowing. 'But on the up-side, my plan finally worked.'"


• Unnamed story (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "'Let the lady go, good sir!' bellowed a suddenly appearing figure. 'This is your last warning!' 'Oh yeah?! What are you gonna do about iOH GOD I'VE BEEN BLINDED AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!'"


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser (COMPLETE!): "Daria shook her head and said: 'I'm still not convinced about all this. Surely there's other ways of bailing out of this without factoring a prime number.' 'Well, yes. And if you really press me about it, I'll tell you how to do it. Be advised it's like carrying a 50 carton case of eggs across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope." (Conclusion)


• Worldburner: A Very Judith Christmas, by Erin Mills, Brother Grimace, Charles RB, and Overlord Mikey (COMPLETE!): "As soon as the squad portaled into the studio, Reiko knew something was wrong. The squad of Ringbearers moved out, Rings at the ready. Reiko unholstered her pistol and glanced around, old police instincts taking in the scene. The set was still there, but the studio was dark. The audience seats were empty. The only source of light came from the huge Christmas tree next to the mammoth fireplace. The portal leading to the hell-dimension had apparently closed. The fireplace was cold and dead."


• Worldburner - 'Forever Cold', by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "Judith turned around to face me, eagerness for battle glistening in her eyes. 'Have you come to fight? I hope so.' I stood my ground. 'I came to talk.' She let venom pepper her tone as she spat out 'I won’t listen!' I looked her directly in the eye. 'Then kill me.'"