#More self lore? My mom found out she was pregnant with me the same day she finds out her husband dies (obviously I never met him)

[minty364]

DPXDC Prompt #51

Danny had reservations about this collage friend his parents were talking up, his training in the league made him feel like something wasn’t right with the billionaire. They were headed to Wisconsin for a class reunion and Danny didn’t want to be here, but at least he could protect his family if things got out of hand and they would knowing the Fentons. Little did he know they had another friend they met in their college days and Danny wanted to avoid at all costs. His real father and his twin along with 2 of his siblings along as well. (You can pick anyone but I feel Tim and Dick would make the most sense)

Can he discover what Vlad is playing at and stay under the radar from his twin and father? He knows he isn’t that lucky, but at least his twin thinks he’s dead.

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

The kids pt 2

BB: we're back all you weirdos that enjoy senpai's blog! Here again to show you the kiddos with this convoluted lore dump of post Chaldea life for senpai and his family!

Mari: please, stop talking in such a stupid way...

BB, ignoring her: a lots happen since the last time we did this! We even learned where lovely lil Maria's name came from. And daaaaww, wasn't that a sweet story?

Ed: BB, can we please get started? Sis is eyeing that water bottle and I'm afraid of what she'll do with it and our computer if you don't hurry.

BB: fine fine! Dang Mari you are just no fun huh? Anyways, just like before we're discussing the others who got a second chance at life and how they're viewed through the eyes of these two! So who first? How about, my lil darlings! The first 3 members of the Sakura 5!

Mari: why only the first 3?

BB: spoilers!

Mari: stupid. Well we've seen that Melt became a famous ice skating performer. We don't see her much but the few times we do it's pretty nice.

Ed: sometimes she acts like a big shot celebrity out in the open, but she seems more humble around us.

BB: yeah, that's melty for ya. I gave her a good amount of tsun! Have you seen the picture of her before this tho?

Mari: yeah... pretty weird. Why did you give her huge blades for legs and no hands?

BB: I guess it's just a part of my twisted lil personality!

Ed: and you wonder why Mom wants you gone from our computers.

Mari: and Lip seems happy, she's found love with someone, and her partner seems to truly love her. So that's nice.

Ed: and she's changed even more from before. No huge metal claws and a slimmer body.

Mari: again, wtf BB?

BB: pls stop asking me questions.

Ed: and Protea is also happily in a more normal body then before. But for her it was just too big.

Mari: she still acts like a Kaiju sometimes.

BB: yes, those three are in such happy lives. As their mother I'm so happy for them.

Mari: stop lying or I'm pouring root beer all over the computer.

BB: do not! Moving devices is a pain in the ass!

BB: *sigh* anyways, whose next? Hmmm... what about lil miss Gorgon?

Mari: we don't see her much, the only times we do she's forcefully dragged by mom and her friends.

Ed: and she's always hiding her face and such. She has self esteem issues for some reason.

BB: yeah, and those reasons are called "Stheno" and "Euryale"

Mari: such shitty sisters. Where do they get off messing with 'Dusa about her height?

BB: who knows?

Ed: she isn't even that tall... mom's taller and she's never self conscious.

BB: have you not heard the heaps of praise your father gives her about that?! It's so much I get sick hearing it!

Mari: oh be quiet! What I wouldn't give to have such a beautiful relationship!

Ed: woah! This is the first time hearing you say something like that!

Mari: ...well yeah... when I was young I kinda did that silly kid thing of being grossed out by their affection. It was so much I honestly thought they overdid it in front of us just to mess with us. But growing up... and seeing them still like that and the old videos from Chaldea and how everyone else talks about them... that's real genuine love! I hope one day to find a partner like that.

Ed: yeah, I'm so happy we were born into a genuinely loving family! Sometimes I hear stories of kids born because their parents thought it'd save their relatives, when they should've gone to therapy or something instead!

BB: this conversations nice and all but can we get back on topic? It's almost time for you to walk the lil mutts.

Mari: right... now who?

BB: well speaking of mutts, what about that lil dog Lobo?

Ed: lil!? He's huge! Biggest wolf I've ever seen!

Mari: and they said he was bigger back in chaldea too! Like holy crap!

BB: yeah, he got huge.

Mari: now he's at this wolf sanctuary and seems to be fine with humans now.

Ed: yeah, and he's found a nice mate again. White just like La Blanca!

Mari: you think he used his grail wish to be reunited with her? And she's the same wolf?

BB: why wouldn't that be cute? Anyways, let's do one last servant. Hmmm... actually! Why don't you talk about your dear 'ol mother?

Mari: mom? OK, I guess technically that'd fit.

Ed: well after she reincarnated she became a famous luchadora! She was an unstoppable force in the ring!

Mari: yeah, she was unbeatable! Never suffering a single defeat for her whole career!

BB: buuuuut! She retired! Care to say why?

Ed: well... after she became pregnant with us... she had to leave the ring.

Mari: and... the responsibility of taking care of us didn't allow for time to return to fighting... so she hasn't come back since.

BB: yeah, that's the thing about childcare, it can get in the way of other things.

???: BB, you better not be messing with the children!

Mari: oh hey mom!

Ed: what's going on?

Quetz: it's time to walk the dogs, come on your father's already outside!

Mari: crap! Sorry!

Ed: we're going now!

After the kids went out, Quetz had more words for the ai.

Quetz: you just can't help but try to mess around huh?!

BB: all I did was tell the truth! Can't control their reactions!

Quetz: do this again and I'm burning every device you've been in! I don't care if we lose some data, you're gone if you go too far!

BB: fine! Don't need to take it that far!

Quetz: this is you were dealing with here

Rex, from outside: mi corazon! Come on!

Quetz: coming!

Quetz then goes outside to join the family

A/N: more of the kiddos. Along with what Quetz got up to in between this and Chaldea. BB can get a bit too Mischievous at times.

Tags

@hasereshdoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @haskamadoneanythingwrong @hasbbdoneanythingwrong @hasnightingaledoneanythingwrong @hasabbydoneanythingwrong @hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @nureenarts @kierakaz @valiantstrawberrymilk

[mal-likes-biscuits]

So, what first attracted you to the Diablo universe, and what inspired you to write within it?

There’s a fun story behind this, and I’m glad someone asked me. It’s a story I will casually mention, but I didn’t want to go into the whole thing needlessly because it felt a bit self-serving. Also, this is LONG. But it’s a long story to tell.

Diablo Universe

I tried to play Diablo years ago when I was in a really stressed out, bad head-space, and I didn’t like it. I’d also just finished playing Torchlight, which is a much more vibrant, happy game design. I got partway through the Tristram Cathedral and just couldn’t do the gothic horror.

Then, a couple years ago, I was stuck at home on bed rest while pregnant. All I could do was lie on the couch and play video games. Which probably seems great, and it was, until weeks went by, and I ran. out. of. games. I mean, I played through ME: Andromeda to 100% completion, I put like 100+hours into Darkest Dungeon, you get the idea. This was conveniently about the time I actually had my kid, because (spoilers!) they are extremely time-consuming.

Anyway, we were too busy parenting to play video games, as we usually did, until a couple months after she was born. And at that point, she also spontaneously developed colic. Badly. If you haven’t had the experience of having a colicky child – I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The doctor gives you a handout that essentially says “your child is fine, they will scream, we recommend seeking psychological support”.

At this point, I was already in a pretty bad mental head space from post-partum depression and the non-stop baby screaming. BUT. We discovered that if we swaddle wrapped our kid tightly, and held her, she would calm down. Less screaming: good. Having to constantly, physically hold your baby from 3 PM until 10 PM: boring. 

Enter Diablo. My husband suggested we try it again, because it wasn’t hard to play, and we could play it together while one of us held our kid. Did you know you can play Diablo 3 with one hand by key binding your mouse and only using some of the abilities? Yes you can! And thankfully, I was kind of immune to the gothic-horror-motif that had irrationally bugged me the first time I tried. 

(Nor did playing it make my depression worse. For anyone wanting the conclusion for that part of the story, I saw a good psychiatrist specializing in PPD. That helped a lot. If you know anyone who is depressed while pregnant/after pregnancy, or you are that yourself, seek help. It is the hardest thing to do, and will be the best thing you do. Depression is not rational. //soapbox)

Anyway, we played through all of Diablo 3 while holding a happily snoozing, colicky baby. And because we wanted to make the game last as long as possible, we were absolute LORE FIENDS. I had to find all the books, all the journals, etc. In this slightly superficial looking game, holy crap, there was backstory! You just had to go digging for it.

The lore that really grabbed me was a set of tomes from Act 5, called The Path of Wisdom. They were buggerishly hard to find because they were buried around Pandemonium fortress. 

And so ….

Writing Diablo

I’ve always been a writer. I write for my day job. I write and publish short-fiction (genre, usually SF) on the side. And I’ve written fanfic for years. Only, I hadn’t touched fanfic for awhile because I was working on original work. And then when I became pregnant, I completely lost my ability to write, because hormones are stupid, and mom-brain is worse.

Writing droughts aren’t unusual for me. But I hadn’t written anything for almost two years. There was a call out for a fantasy anthology that I really wanted to do something for, and I managed to turn that out (I’m still pleased with the story, and still trying to place it). I don’t usually write fantasy, nor do I usually read it. I’m a SF gal through and through. 

Except, this fantasy story I’d written really got me in the mood for writing MORE. It was a one-shot story, nothing I could build on. That was a problem.

At the same time, hubby and I were doing what we usually did after finishing a game, which was having “long talks at the pub” (which, after kid, were more “let’s have tea while she’s passed out and talk”) about all the nerdy, intellectual parts of the game. Diablo 3 doesn’t have the strong Act 1-4 story. But I LOVED Act 5. It had a great villain who was intense and engaging, Westmarch was honestly terrifying, and then. THEN. THERE WERE THOSE BOOKS.

Buried in this superficial hack and slash game were lore books that explained the Angel of Death wasn’t just the Angel of Death. That he had been the Angel of Wisdom, once. And there were all these reasons for what he had done, and they made a horrible, logical SENSE.

Whoa, my brain said. Wait a moment. That isn’t the sort of transformation that happens by accident. I found the Diablo wikia at that point and read all the rest of the lore I could get my hands on. I learned about the Worldstone, and Chald’ar, and the madness that took hold of Malthael.

And the first words out of my mouth to my husband after all of this were “WHY DID THEY WASTE SUCH A GREAT VILLAIN IN A SINGLE ACT 5.” Unless something changes in D4, Malthael is very dead. And that bothered me. Because the whole theme, at least I feel, of Diablo is that Light triumphs, and the path of Balance (or mortality) is the right way to go. You see this with Tyrael. 

And I honestly felt they should have done something similar at the end with Malthael. Because he does terrible things and makes terrible decisions, but where he starts isn’t as a bad person. He falls incredibly far because the angels in Diablo are not built to withstand that kind of change to their life or their function. To me, it seemed so much more legit and in line with the theme to bring him back, have him account for what he’s done, and then throw in with the winning team.

This all stewed around in my brain for several weeks, until an idea came to me. Usually writing ideas pop out of nowhere. It’s a bit annoying, because I have no ability to intentionally come up with stuff. I’m at the mercy of my subconscious.

My subconscious dreamed the chapter from “In All Things Light & Dark” where Malthael, now mortal, fights the shade of his former self in the forest. Complete with the “Sound of Silence” soundtrack. Dreaming something coherent, let alone writable, is really unusual for me. But it was a profoundly vivid image. 

And I thought … what the hell. Let’s do it. I write. I’ve written fanfic before. I haven’t written barely anything in a couple years, but let’s give it a try. If Blizzard isn’t going to give me this story and do right by the character, then I will.

110,000+ words later, I can say: writing Diablo fanfic was the best thing I could have done for my writing muse. It’s back in shape. It knocked all the mom-brain cobwebs out. And it’s been helllllishly fun to do. :)

Side-note addendum: my kid is totally fine after sleeping to the (quiet) sounds of demon slaying for several months. She is, however, also completely fearless, and thinks Malthael’s voice acting is absolutely hilarious. For what it’s worth – she laughs in the face of Death.

[dannifielding]

Dunno if I shared this or not, but here's a little bit from the start of Season 7 I wrote a little bit ago

It didn’t matter how old she was, whether she was five of thirty, Bobby really didn’t know how to handle the more emotional side of being a father. With Sam and Dean it was actually rather simple. He could offer to let them talk, but then send them out to hunt something with the knowledge that they’d eventually work it out.

Amelia was different. She would normally be vocal about her feelings, telling him how she felt and what she needed from him. But, occasionally, she would shut down and those were the times he really floundered. The most notable time had been when Dean had died. She had come home from college straight away, and he had been on ice cream and booze duty for three days before she had, very abruptly, left to go back. He hadn’t asked what had caused her to leave, and she hadn’t offered the information.

She had always been open about her sexuality, and he had only cared that she was happy. He just didn’t need the gritty details and he never went looking.

Still, all she had done since Sam and Dean had left was help him search lore books and watch soap operas. It didn’t feel right and he knew that he had to do something.

He walked over and set next to her on the beat-up couch Rufus had furnished the cabin with. “What’s happening?” he asked. “I thought he was…”

She shook her head, eyes glued to the screen. “Nope, that was his brother.”

He pulled a face. “Are they really doing the identical twin schtick again?”

“Triplets,” she corrected. “She doesn’t know which is the father of her baby. Apparently they’d been switching places for years.”

“I thought the pregnancy was fake to get her mom to sign over the inheritance?”

She shot him a look. “You’re really falling behind,” she chided. “She found out she was actually pregnant at the funeral.”

“Knew I shouldn’t have skipped episodes,” he muttered.

“Very easy to lose track,” she agreed before going back to focus on the over-dramatic scenes playing out in front of them.

He left her to it for a few moments before steeling himself. “How’re doing, Princess?”

“Are we really doing this now?” she replied. She sounded just like her teenage self, complaining loudly when he asked her to do something she didn’t want to do. The whine in her voice even sounded the same and it triggered him to grab the remote and turn the television of. “Hey!”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me,” he warned her as she pouted. “And, yeah, we’re doing this now.”

“Why?” she moaned. “What’s it going to change?”

“Nothin’, I should guess,” he retorted. “But we’re doing it, so stop ya complaining and answer the damn question.”

She sighed heavily. “Shit, I’m doing shit,” she snapped, hoping that it would be enough for him, but all he did was stare expectantly at her. “What do you want me to say, Uncle Bobby? Life’s pretty awful for all of us right now, ain’t it?”

It was a start; he gave her that. “And instead of fighting the good fight, you’re moping around here.”

She snorted. “The good fight?” she repeated. “What good fight? You-You mean against the unkillable, shape-shifting, people eating monsters that God himself couldn’t control?” She shifted in her seat. “There is no fight, it’s just suicide.”

“It’s not like you to just give up like that…”

“Like hell it isn’t,” she interrupted. “What’s the point of fighting? What’s it got me? The lying? The betrayal? When our houseburnt down?”

He knew the anger was good, so he just sat back as she sat up straighter. “Or the fact that I was used a human puppet to massacre hundreds of humans and thousands of angels? Or the fact that Cas hid everything for me, went behind my back and then up and-and exploded in a puddle of black goo?” Her hands started shaking. “After-After everything we went though. After he promised he would let me help, or-or that he was fighting to keep me safe and-and then hurt me anyway? Or-Or that by the time he came for help it was too late? And he-he…”

She broke down in tears and Bobby reached over, pulling her close. “And he left me, Dad. He left me!”

She clung to her father tightly, sobbing hard. “I know, Princess,” he replied gruffly, his own chest tightening at the pain she was feeling.

“How could he do that to me? I love him so much, and he just-just turned on me!” she continued. “And now he’s dead! He’s dead and all I want is for him to try and fix it, and he never will. He’ll never fix it.”