I Hope Yule Enjoy the Winter Solstice!

Today is Yule and the Winter Solstice, as Mother Nature Barch is happy to tell us. I'm not sure Ms. Barch is really the most nurturing, maternal figure in the world, but maybe she just represents the less pleasant aspects of nature like the hurricanes and thunderstorms and violent misandry.

Also on this day, in 2002, Karen and Derek had a vow renewal/wedding reception in Richard Lobinske's Falling Into College fanfic "Christmas in White."

And while we're on the subject of fan-fiction, allow me to introduce today's fanfic update!

• 86 Bottles of Beer 3: All Creatures Great and Maul, by Kristen Bealer (COMPLETE!): "'Now's our best chance,' Kevin told 99 as quietly as possible. 'If we don't act soon, there's no way we'll get out of here.' Although 99 nodded slightly in reply, she looked worried. 'Don't worry; I have a brilliant escape plan.' Now she looked even more worried. Kevin turned to Matthews. 'What on earth is that?!' he cried. Matthews turned to look, and Kevin hit him in the jaw with a solid right hook."


• Daria/Dorian 11: So This Is Bonding, by LadieT (COMPLETE!): "Jake called Helen from the hotel room. Dorian heard the words giant sleepover followed by the sound of laughter coming from his father's mouth. After hanging up the phone, Jake and Dorian loaded their luggage onto a cart and headed out the door. Jake filled Dorian in on the events at Schloss Morgendorffers the night before. I can't wait to hear about this one from Jane."


• Fallout: Journeys (Non-Daria), by Vukodlak (parts 1 and 2): "Our story begins in 2294, with a young William Almodovar. He was born in Vault 101 and has spent everyday of his sixteen year old life there. He never knew his father, which is why today he is leaving the vault. Before he was born his father was exiled from the vault. William looked back to the cave containing the massive door to Vault 101, was he doing the right thing he wondered, Should I go back? No I've got to keep moving forward my father is out there somewhere and I'm going to find him." (Part 2)


• The fiercest battles lie within, by VPrad (COMPLETE!): "It was then that Tom understood. He had won a battle, but there was a fiercer battle within him. His father's shadow would still be there to haunt him, and he would have to fight against it to feel free. But that didn't worry him, he felt peace inside, he knew that he wouldn't fight alone. Next to him he had the best ally he could hope for."


• Genesis, by VPrad (part 3): "'I've done some research of my own. The Morgendorffer sisters were two of the best extractors, of course with the help of their faithful team. Your reputation was getting bigger and bigger as were your jobs. And then, one day you just quit. You went from stealing ideas to teaching other people's minds to avoid being manipulated, just like that. Something had to happen to make you change your mind about breaking into the subconscious overnight. My guess is that you tried an inception and it failed. Am I wrong?' 'It didn't fail.' Quinn said looking down. 'It worked. It worked too well.'"


• God Save The Esteem Ep14: Splatoon, by Charles RB (COMPLETE!): "Mack had agreed to walk his girlfriend Angie home, which was normal. His silence... well, that wasn't normal. It wasn't the right kind of silence, where he wasn't entirely sure what to say that she'd ‘get'. This was the silence when someone was wondering whether to press that red button." (Part 4)


• Holiday Roadtrip, by Chris Tucker: "At the Mall, Daria pointed out the Megamultiplex, and the scam that she and Quinn pulled almost weekly for months, using Daria's sickly appearance and wheelchair to get moved to the head of the ticket line, sometimes even scoring a free ticket for Quinn and free popcorn, too. 'When I started to lose the whole "recovering cancer patient" look, we had to knock it off. Ah, good times...'" (Updated here)


• It's the King!? WTF? (Scenes no Daria fanfic should have: Damn The Torpedoes!), by OverlordMikey (COMPLETE!): "Helen and Jake had called their daughter's downstairs. 'Girls we have something to tell you.' Helen said, trying her best to smile."


• Jane Morgendorffer, by LadieT (part 29): "Seeing her mother upset when she returned from the airport angered Jane. Now Jane was sitting in their room, writing in her notebook with a scowl on her face. After several minutes of watching her sister writing furiously, Daria tapped Jane on the shoulder. Jane looked up from her desk and over at a pair of concerned hazel eyes."


• Legends Of The Metal, by TheExcellentS (part 12): "Tom grabbed his axe and slowly got out of the car, ready to strike. Suddenly, the robed figure flipped back its hood and turned around. To his surprise it wasn't a druid, but a normal-looking woman with wavy auburn hair and glasses. She looks like an older version of Daria. 'Well it's about time someone got here!' she yelled."


• Life Beyond Highland (Iron Chef: Lawndale State), by LadieT (part 5): "Daria closed her eyes and stood speechless as she tried to wrap her mind around the sentence that Jane had just uttered. For her part, Jane was trying to scope her new friend's reaction. She was half expecting Daria to bolt out of the room never to be seen again. Instead, she could see a hint of anger come over the shorter girl's face. Jane wasn't sure what was going on in the shorter woman's mind, so she braced herself for a potential onslaught."


• LLH Alternative Future 05 - Pre-emptive Counerattack, by psychotol (COMPLETE!): "'Tiffany?' Tiffany looked over to the Commander. She had to figure out a way to get through this situation. Tiffany was a SEAL, she supposedly lived for difficult, but some difficulties are more equal than others. She formulated a response and, hope in her heart, deployed it. 'It's not any one thing, you know, it's a whole bunch of things, and sometimes it all just boils over.'"


• Manifest Destiny (IC: What would Lawndale be like if...), by Cap (COMPLETE!): "There were few choices but Jane was happy to see that Daria took the desk next to hers. The new girl was something to divert her attention from class. Despite its proximity to the country's capital, few foreigners passed though Lawndale even Germans who excepting perhaps the British were America's closest ally."


• The New Tiffany (Iron Chef: Freaky Friday "VA Version"), by GlitterShrooms (COMPLETE!): "Pity thought the real Ms Barch. It's such a shame to see that happen to my body, but at least I won't have to worry about switching back. Now, I finally get the chance to live a real life with all the resources and oppurtunities that the old me never had before!"


• Scarlett the Fairy goes out for Pizza, by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): "When the plane landed, and she left, the skies were dark and foggy. As a result, she had absolutely no idea where she was. So she flew towards the nearest building and nearly cried when she read the sign. Welcome to Chicago"


• Searching For a New Hope, by thatLONERchick (part 4): "Daria's eyes snapped up just in time for her to dodge away from the crazy artist, who laughed maniacally as she chased the shorter girl around, swinging the map like a sword. She managed to corner Daria near a guitar case in the back left corner, the auburn-haired girl standing with arms held out in a placating gesture as her six-legged friend buzzed on her shoulder. 'Okay, Jane.' She made to take another step back, but her boot bumped the guitar case and stopped. 'Drop the map and back away from the bee.'"


• The Two Americas (IC: What would Lawndale be like if...), by Charles RB (parts 4 - 6 plus interlude): "'Ah'm the only white student called into this office, when Ah didn't do nothing except not pick on someone. And before Ah came in, you had that negro who hit when provoked but none a' the guys who hit him. Why, it almost looks like yer not targetin' the troublemakers but their victims cos that's easier." "Yes." That remark killed the conversation stone dead. It took a while for Daria to get her mouth to work again." (Part 5) (Interlude: Notes from Hawaii) (Part 6)


• Unnamed story (IC: What would Lawndale be like if...), by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "'Now get out there and have a gosh-darn-terrific day, kids!' 'Sure thing, Dad!' the girls said in unison as they stepped out of the car and waved as it slid away on its hoverplates. After the gravcar angled up and took off into the clear blue smog-free sky, they turned and made their way up the steps of Lawndale High School to where two cheerful brunettes greeted them."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Do Your Eyes Hypnotize?), by Smijey (COMPLETE!): "'You are safe and calm, feeling a warm, gentle breeze. Every bone in your body is relaxing. Easy...easy...At the count of ten, you will tell me everything you are feeling with no resistance...' As he counted down, Daria felt a growing sense of dread, like a viewer of a horror film felt when the buxom actress walked through the dark cabin wearing only a towel. 'Three...two...one. Daria, tell me what you are feeling.' 'Daria? That's not right. My name is Melody.' Daria's voice wasn't in her usual sullen, laid-back tone. It was harder...it had an edge to it."


• Unnamed story (Iron Chef: Super Daria Sisters), by project pegasus (part 1): "Toad: Dario, Luijane, stop it you two! You must rescue the Princess! Luijane: (Staring at the squat toadstool man) Oh-ah great! In Soviet Russia, the mushrooms hallucinate you!"


• The Vision of the Burning Cities, by jtranser: "At that moment, Daria reached the last step as all the light in the universe curved tightly around her, injecting energy as her body transformed into a cold fire that burned intensely without consuming anything. Looking through all directions, she became aware of the great presence that brought her there. Prodigious currents of pure randomness flickered through Her aura as She moved to greet Her possible replacement: 'And so we meet again, Daria.'"