Shipping IX: Wait, Nine? You Guys Work Fast...

[loopy]

I know, I am a meaniepants. :( I'm a sis; it's my job. Here's a little something to make you feel better - oh wait, you die horribly in the end. Never mind.


The Lullaby

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Eight

Sweet little girl, on soft mattress lie
Sleep till the morning
When daylight is nigh
Soft the bells tolling
On night is a-rolling
So sleep, my sweet child, and sing lull-a-by

Felix watches the child’s eyes drifting closed. Korli lies on her back, a smile touching her soft lips. He leans down and kisses her forehead, tenderness filling him. He took her in long ago when she was scarcely tall enough to carry little Cassie, scarcely big enough to protect Ree from the winds that battered them as they huddled on the street corner.

The two younger girls grew up, safe and warm, confident in the love of a father who held their hands when they wept and bandaged their hurts.

But Korli is different. Her thin face still holds a shadow. It is she to whom Felix sings his song, she and she alone, for he knows that her younger sisters remember nothing of abandonment.

She sleeps. Felix backs away and softly shuts her bedroom door, though he knows that she’ll wake in the night and creep to the room her sisters share to fight that loneliness that he knows threatens to overwhelm her. Even if he could fix it he wouldn’t, for it makes Korli who she is and it is not the only demon he knows she must battle.



Nine

Sweet little girl, on featherdown lie
Sleep till the morning
And hear no fell cry
Soft the bells tolling
On darkness a-rolling
So sleep, my sweet child, and sing lull-a-by

She thinks she is too old for the lullaby now, but still her father sings it to her. Korli lies awake, pretending that she has drifted away. His voice has grown deeper with the cares of another year alone with three small girls, and Korli knows it is only a matter of time before he, too, leaves them. They always left.

Despite herself, Korli feels her eyes closing. She must be on her guard . . . always . . . she must protect her sisters. Ree and Cassie are innocent. Korli must keep them so.

* * * *

Ree is awake. She doesn’t know what the matter is and though she is only a year younger than her sister—eight to Korli’s nine—Korli won’t share. Korli never shares. The lullaby now fills Ree with a quiet dread. She almost thinks it has changed . . . but no, that can’t be, it’s the same as it’s always been.

Lilting, haunting. Ree wonders why her father only sings it to Korli. Maybe he, too, knows that she won’t listen, that she’s stubborn and terrifying and wonderful all at once. Ree closes her eyes. She wants to be special, too. She wants Felix to sing to her . . . but he never does. Only to Korli.

Ree snuggles down in her bed, putting her arm around Cassie. She does not worry. She is safe here.



Ten

Sweet little girl, on goose feathers lie
Think of the morning
And hear no fell cry
Terror extolling
The darkness a-rolling
So lie, my sweet child, and sing lull-a-by

It is time. Korli sleeps deeply and her sisters lie in their own bed, little Cassie in a ball beside her sister—no fear in them.

Felix is still singing as he bends over Korli, shifting her nightdress so that the left side of her neck lies bare and exposed, soft and warm in the cast of the moonlight. Felix runs his fingers down her cheek and she stirs, a soft breath escaping her lips, but he knows she will not wake.

He leans forward, his lips brushing against her skin. So warm, so tender, so young . . . and he can taste the fear. She still fears him.

Then this will be all the sweeter.

Felix parts his lips, feels the fangs descend. They pierce her skin and hot, sweet blood gushes into his watering mouth, its tang playing across his tastebuds as he closes his eyes. Korli is slipping away. It has been a long, long wait, but her flesh is all the sweeter for the fear she has of him. She has known this, known no way to stop it.

Felix clasps her to him, wanting to suck every drop of the life-sustaining blood from her body. His hands are flat against her back, and he feels the shape of her. Pity . . . in a few more years she would have been beautiful. But it is not the blood of a maiden Felix craves, but that of a child.

He lifts his mouth from Korli’s lifeless form, wipes his lips on his sleeve. He feels power as he never has before and as he holds her still-warm body in his hands he feels a smile creep across his face.

Tomorrow he will begin to prepare Ree.


Sweet little girl, on goose feathers lie
I think of the morning
And laugh at your cry
Terror extolling
The darkness a-rolling
So bleed, my sweet child, so softly to die

DeeRee, that was creepy as all hell. I loved it! Keep writing!

And speaking of your writing, I never got a chance to write your NaNoWriMo story. Reckon you could link me it?

[Reinholdt]

@ DR - I cried. So sad even with the happy ending.
Impressive writing skills. Poignant.

@ Randman - Oooh. Naughty silverraptor. Rabbit is naughty as usual, but that's to be expected.
I look forward to further installments of this.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Deeree: This is what miscommunication gets people
Very sweet. I remember a time when Rand and I were fanon...
Rand: I r badass.
Yay.

[randman22222]

Deeree: This is what miscommunication gets people
Very sweet. I remember a time when Rand and I were fanon...
Rand: I r badass.
Yay.

Oh just you wait. You have no idea.

[Dragonrider]

And that leaves me wondering who Cristo really is...

The song and text fit together beautifully, I thought.

I'm also working on an instrumental, programmatic, solo guitar piece about a playground love triangle. That'll be posted after I finish my current shipfic. Speaking of which, here's the next chapter:

Other Means of Income
randman/Silverraptor, with cameo

Introduction

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*snipsnip*

a) Thanks. I've never been sure what the song actually meant, but I've always really liked it.
b) This is intriguing....

DeeRee, that was creepy as all hell. I loved it! Keep writing!

And speaking of your writing, I never got a chance to write your NaNoWriMo story. Reckon you could link me it?

Thank you. And the novel . . . it's not posted on the internet because I'm in the middle of my sixth draft and hoping to get it published. But I'll let you know . . . .

@ DR - I cried. So sad even with the happy ending.
Impressive writing skills. Poignant.

Thanks. Sad is one thing I acknowledge I'm good at...

Deeree: This is what miscommunication gets people
Very sweet. I remember a time when Rand and I were fanon...

Yeah, I remember that - sorta been upstaged by newer Rabbit fanons, so I thought maybe it was time for a resurrection. Um. Maybe not so much in the sense of Randman's fic.

[Cristo Meyers]

And that leaves me wondering who Cristo really is...

Don't you know? I'm a wise old man.

That was sweet, DR, something warm and fuzzy for the bloody cold and snow flying about outside.

[loopy]

Thank you. And the novel . . . it's not posted on the internet because I'm in the middle of my sixth draft and hoping to get it published. But I'll let you know . . . .

Out of curiosity, did I get my cameo?

[RabbitHoleLost]

Yeah, I remember that - sorta been upstaged by newer Rabbit fanons, so I thought maybe it was time for a resurrection. Um. Maybe not so much in the sense of Randman's fic.

Huh. I can't really think of any other...
Well, I mean, there was Rabbit/randman, and then for a while, Rabbit/Magtok (but that's more one-sided canon >>), annnd Rabbit/Raistlin, which was actually kinda almost canon itself.
And Rabbit/Reinholdt, I guess, but that's best-friend canon

[Destro_Yersul]

Huh. I can't really think of any other...
Well, I mean, there was Rabbit/randman, and then for a while, Rabbit/Magtok (but that's more one-sided canon >>), annnd Rabbit/Raistlin, which was actually kinda almost canon itself.
And Rabbit/Reinholdt, I guess, but that's best-friend canon

there was also Rabbit/Destro, which was canon for a while, but I think it should still count <.<

[Nameless]

What about Rabbit/Rabbit?

...

Wait...

[Destro_Yersul]

What about Rabbit/Rabbit?

...

Wait...

I need to write that now. And I'll do it when I wake up.

[RabbitHoleLost]

something warm and fuzzy for the bloody cold and snow flying about outside.

I'll see if I could possibly oblige you at a later point..
I'm waiting for a cake to cool so I can frost it >>

[Helgraf]

I'll see if I could possibly oblige you at a later point..
I'm waiting for a cake to cool so I can frost it >>

The cake is a pie, arr^2

[mangosta71]

I'll see if I could possibly oblige you at a later point..
I'm waiting for a cake to cool so I can frost it >>

I made you a songfic, but I eated it. Oh, wait...

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Rabbit raised her eyes as one of the samples that hadn't done so well sat up. This one was mostly intact - it had failed early enough that Destro wouldn't have much trouble getting it working again. The trunk was only slightly crushed, and it had even retained one of its limbs. “That went well.”

“Oh, absolutely. Couldn’t have hoped for better results.”

She looked out over the piles of broken equipment, fried electronics, and scattered body parts as Destro appropriated a nearby arm and began scrabbling in search of a pair of legs that were near enough the same length that he’d be able to walk. “Could have wished to get them sooner.”

“We made the deadline.” Destro toppled, as he’d mistaken the dimensions of the legs he’d attached to his hips. Understandable, as his eyes had been burnt out. He would need Rabbit's help to find, remove, and reinstall a suitable pair. She hoped she'd be able to find a matching pair this time. “And there’s no permanent damage. I’d say this calls for a celebration.”

“We'll need to retrieve the device. That tracking chip seems to be working well enough. In the meantime, I made a cake. Chocolate. It’s good, too. Nice and fluffy and moist. I was hoping to share it with our specimen, but...If you find a working tongue, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. So, what’s our next project going to be?”

[RabbitHoleLost]

Gaspeth!
Cake for the people, and stuff!

And it was white cake. I don't really like chocolate unless its actually chocolate.

But, yay, a Mango ship! And it wasn't creepy! THE WORLD IS GOING TO END IN FIREEE.

[TwoBitWriter]

I want you all to know. I do miss you guys. A lot.

[Dragonrider]

I want you all to know. I do miss you guys. A lot.

Come write, Dad!

Out of curiosity, did I get my cameo?

There may or may not be a fat, rich, slovenly dude named Lupi... >.>

[Helgraf]

Also, Hegraf, I've been working on a present for you for, like, a week. Its slow going, I'm afraid, but I thought that if I atleast let you know it exists, maybe I'll feel obligated to finish it eventually maybe.

:kitten-eyes: I can has ship?

[RabbitHoleLost]

:kitten-eyes: I can has ship?

I'm juggling ships now. I found two more I haven't finished, and I'm having a hard time trying to motivate myself >.<

[Helgraf]

I'm juggling ships now. I found two more I haven't finished, and I'm having a hard time trying to motivate myself >.<

Perhaps a little more Falling White would do the trick?

Just remember, when the muse falls silent, that's when you can hear Renfield quietly singing in the background, just at the threshold of hearing.

Listen, my dark inspiration. Listen and let flow...

[mangosta71]

THE WORLD IS GOING TO END IN FIREEE.

I've always liked that poem.

[Helgraf]

Falling White
Prologue & Part the First
Part First & a half
Featuring (so far): RHL, CKG, Vespe, Dirk Kris, Reinholdt

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Cold. It enveloped and flowed through her; defined her existance. Slid through her limbs in great cords; thinned as it flowed up long slender fingers and down again; swirled in her abdomen, pooled before splitting in twin streaming ice-falls down each perfect alabaster thigh until it pooled in her feet and then ... where?

She'd occasionally wondered where it went afterward, and why she never seemed to diminish into nothing. Stretching her perfectly sculpted frame, she rose upward balancing against the ice in the air, twirling lazily for a moment in a half-circle before deigning to lift up her torso; frost rimed in the air, settling about her body in an approximation of a shift and undergarment that sparkled in the pale witchlight that existed everywhere here; no shadows cast to obscure even the slightest detail, nor the slightest whim of the creator.

She walked through her sculpture garden, every blade of grass perfectly crafted and shaped, tinkling in the soft but constant breeze that sluiced through the chamber, to the far wall and then back again.

Here and there animals stood silently where she'd bound them as she turned the strange redness inside them to ice to observe where it came from and where it went in order to understand in the simpler some theory that might explain how it worked in the complex - how it worked in herself.

They made beautiful statues, but had revealed nothing of use; indeed, they were both too soft and too fragile; their insides did not melt and reform; but just ... stopped.

She stepped from the sculpture garden and through an archway small enough to necessitate her inclining her head forward to avoid scraping against the lintel and damaging it - an unthinkable crime given how long she'd spent ensuring it - ensuring everything, in fact, was pristine and perfectly in accordance with her vision.

Even the black powder upon the floor, scattered in a seemingly random pattern, was meticulously placed, fleck by fleck; for here was her anim regia. She closed her eyes, focusing all of herself into a single moment, a single expression of being, and when she heard the faint crackling sound, her eyes fluttered open once more to observe the leaping yellow-orange-reds dance and sway and stir the ashes on the floor. In time, its mysteries would be hers as well.

She reached out, watching as her arms softened, glistened and shone; as she was multiplied and made more, until at the last her majestic image began to waver and warp; she pulled her arm away, watched her flawed self crystallize and shift until she was perfect and invisible again, only her arm, her duplicates gone.

And she reached out again, feeling ever so briefly what she'd felt on those rare occasions she'd touched one of her sculptures as it was setting. She didn't have a word for it, only knew that it when it happened, it started in her fingers and spread back down her arms; crept through her chest - and then she drew back; always her infinite dopplegangers deformed and warped, turned against her before she could know what would happen next.

And something far back in her mind sparkled, but she could never catch it...

[CurlyKitGirl]

Falling White
Prologue & Part the First
Featuring (so far): RHL, CKG, Vespe, Dirk Kris, Reinholdt

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*snippage*

Wow. That is something like scenery porn, except winter-y and slightly crazy. I will not be alone to demand more.
It's already freezing cold where I am, yet just reading that made me want to turn the heater up higher.

[Thufir]

I have caught up! Apparently I haven't posted in the shipping thread since... November.
Stand by for extensive multiquote:

the Ship of the Rings: the ridiculously long epic continues.
Part 9
Starring: The King's Party -3 (With zombies)

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The battle raged on. The were making good progress keeping the zombies from climbing up a ramp of zombie corpses to get over the wall, but the ones with flamethrowers were gleefully torching the door by the time Nil arrived at the gate. The Saint drew his sword and prepared to engage, then stopped.

A nearby soldier looked at him oddly. Why aren't you fighting them?

I can't. The dwarf isn't down here yet.Nil turned towards the battlements, ignoring the soldier's next question. FRED! GET YOUR DIMINUTIVE ARSE DOWN HERE!

His call from above was returned a second later. WHY SHOULD I!?

SCRIPT SAYS SO! JUST DO IT, ALRIGHT!?

Fred sighed and lowered the crossbow he'd been using to peg zombies. He wasn't anywhere near as accurate as the elf standing next to him, but that hardly mattered when there were so many targets. I'll be back. Save some for me.

You better be! I need you around so I can gloat when I win. Artemis grinned to show it for the joke it was, and put an arrow through another zombie's eye.

FRED!!

Grumbling, the dwarf turned and ran for the stairs. I'm coming! Remember, my legs are shorter than yours, you tall git.

Nil waited just long enough to make sure he was following, then went around through a side door towards the main ramp. The door was made of the same stone as the wall, though it was a slightly different colour and lit up when he he brushed it with a hand. Moments later, it slid open, and the two stepped outside.

You'd think that would be a security hazard. Fred muttered.

Apparently not. Now, on three, we jump over there and kill zombies. Then, once we've beaten them back, we can go back to the door and sneak back in and nobody will be the wiser.

What if they overwhelm us?

Then.. umm... Nil scratched his head. Then I guess we'll have no choice but to have someone toss a rope and be pulled up in the middle of a battle and probably torched by flamethrowers so badly that our own mothers wouldn't recognize us and fall to the earth only to be trampled into the mud by thousands of undead feet.

I don't much like that plan.

Neither do I. Therefore, I suggest we avoid being overwhelmed.

Without another word, Nil jumped the gap, sword drawn, and cut down one of the flamethrower zombies. Fred muttered a short prayer to whatever benevolent gods might be watching and followed a second later.

Twang. Seventy one. Twang. Seventy two. Twang. Seventy- Twang twang. Stay dead, this time! Where was I? Art looked up from the dead zombie. Rain had done an effective job of putting out some of the torches, but enough remained that she was able to catch a glimpse of something metallic halfway down the valley. There was a brief flash and a loud bang, like a small explosion, and comprehension dawned. Her eyes widened and the Elf threw herself to one side as the wall exploded beneath her.

What the hell was that? Fred looked over at the source of the noise just in time to see the wall turn into a large number of newly airborne wall fragments. Another flash beside the source of the first lit up the scene for a split second, and in that time he was able to make out a boxlike frame attached to a set of caterpillar treads, with a long thin tube attached to the front.

Nil had seen it too. A tank? You dirty cheating zombie bastards. I call Shenanigans! I CALL HAX!

It continues! Also, I'm with Nil. Tanks are cheating.

I...I have this idea...it's not entirely sane or wise, but it's far too late to stop me now...

I...I hope this is allowed for by the rules...and well...here I go.

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"Thrice be damned this rain!" The young woman cursed as a downpour soaked her expensive jacket and discount-retail blouse. If she had known this morning that it was going to pour like this, she would never have taken the bus to work.

Now, standing on the street corner, tapping her foot against a shallow puddle, she waited for the next bus to come by and take her back to a warm, dry apartment with warm, dry clothes.

But it wasn't a bus that pulled up to the curb.

In fact, she had never seen this car before. It had pulled out from the employee parking, so they must be co-workers, but as the power window rolled down, she was sure she had never seen this car before, because she was certain she'd remember someone like THAT if they'd met in the office.

She had curly red hair that fell down her back, and she wore a slinky red dress that was certainly not office code, but then she probably didn't get called out on it very often either. Besides, she had a black jacket wrapped around her shoulders tastefully, so it wasn't as bad as it sounds...and she had makeup on, just a faint touch of blush and eye shadow, something the poor rain-soaked girl was glad she hadn't used today, for it would certainly have ran and looked terrible in this rain.

"Hop in" The stranger grinned playfully as she patted the passenger seat. Now as we all know, it's not wise to take a ride from strangers...but when you're soaked to the knees and the next bus isn't going to come for another half an hour, you don't think about those things. And before she knew it, the rain-soaked girl was sitting in the soft, heated, leather seat of an expensive car with a total stranger, sharing with her the location of her apartment.

"Oh, I live on that block. Fancy that." The stranger grinned, her eyes flashing a little in the rain, showing off a set of contact lenses. The rain-soaked girl, with her halfmoon spectacles, shrugged off the coincidence. "Well, you know what they say. Small world, right?

"Oh yes, very small indeed." The woman in red slid the words off her tongue, as if they had a double-meaning. And the girl with glasses found herself blushing for no particular reason as they drove off.

"You know...I don't think I've seen you around the office before. Are you new?"

"Oh, not really...I've been around for quite some time. We're probably just in different departments."

"Well, I'm in the arts department. Er...I'm a writer."

"I'm an artist too." Now the girl in glasses shrunk inwardly a bit. "Oh don't feel bad. Most of the employees aren't allowed in my office."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Hmm...well maybe you've heard of me. I'm The Fanservice Thread.

"...Oh." Her cheeks suddenly flushed. She had heard about Miss Fanservice, but everything she'd heard had been very...naughty. And now she was alone with her, in a very nice car, covered in wet clothes...

"I do hope that's not a problem."

"Oh no no...not at all..."

"Good...you wouldn't believe the rumors that circulate..."

"Oh..." she tried to disappear into the leather seat. "Really?"

"Yeah...it's hard for a girl like me...but it's good to know that not everybody just thinks of me as the "dirty girl" of the office. That, y'know, people can trust me."

"Oh, that's me, the trusting sort..."

"Yeah...of all the people there, I'm glad that you trust me...Ah, we're here."

She looked outside her window. Just beyond the sheet of rain was the entrance to her house. Something was holding her back though...she turned around...

And she saw a different sort of smile...it was the kind of smile you could notice, when you wrote about it every other day. Not the kind of sassy or fun-loving smile that some people wear all the time, but an almost...lonely smile. The kind that shows up after being alone for so long, and finally, finding someone you can really trust...

"Er...I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name..."

"Oh, I'm...The Shipping thread.

"Hmm...well thanks for listening to me ramble on. I'll see you around the office."

"Yeah..." It occurred to her that they were awfully close, when a moment ago it seemed like a canyon kept them apart. She could practically feel the breath of this strange woman against her lips...

Neither one of them was sure what happened next, but a few seconds later, they had wet lips, and a creeping blush across their cheeks.

"...You could...come up with me."

"Gladly."

~Fin

The Shipping Thread
The Fanservice Thread

... Erm...yeah.

You totally mischaracterised the Shipping thread. I mean, really. Nervous? Embarassed? Never.

It’s in the form of a journal, written month-by-month. And it’s made possible by the theory of relativity.

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Twentieth year of the Space War, April
I knew this day would come. It comes into every young man’s life on their eighteenth birthday. My girlfriend, Elly, stood over my shoulder as I opened the fated letter.
I slowly opened the plain white letter. I was enlisted. I reread the letter, over and over, hoping it was sent to the wrong person, wrong address. It wasn’t. No matter how many times I read it over, it wouldn’t say anything different; it always said 'Recaiden, Congradulations. You've been enlisted. Pack your bags by next month.' Elly was the first one to speak.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” she said, tears dripping down her face. “I hate this war. I’ve hated it my whole life.” She hugged me. I just stared at the open letter. I was enlisted. I would fight in space, most likely die. The average soldier lives half a month. I would never see her again. “Make sure you win the war, and come back safely,” she said, her voice faltering. “Or run away. I won’t let them take you. Please stay.”
I replied, “There’s nowhere to run to. They always come. I have to go.”
May
They came. Two men in black suits and sunglasses. Elly and I kissed goodbye, it would be the last time we could see each other. “Goodbye. I’ll write!” The letters would never make it. All letters always get confiscated. I went with the men, emotionless. They told me to keep a journal, for posterity.
June
There would be no training. I would go straight into the war. People I had only met hours earlier died in my arms. I had the lingering suspicion that I was next. Somehow I survived.
July
Since the captain died and I was the senior member of my squad, I was promoted. I never did get a letter from my dear Elly. I wondered how she was doing, back on Earth. Space is so cold, so lifeless.
Early August
My entire ship has been destroyed, except for one small pod. All my crew died in the last mission. The pod was blasted from the battle at near-light speed. If I don’t die of starvation, I’ll probably crash into a planet or a star. It’s cold and dark in here, the only light is from this computer screen, and the battery’s running low. Elly, if you somehow read this, I love you.
Late August
I got a signal. I’m trying to figure out how that happened. The signal appears to have come from Earth. I must be near the Solar System, somehow. Running through the formulae in my mind, I must have wrapped around a large star, like a comet, circling back the way I came.
September
I don’t know how it happened, but I did get back to Earth. They even re-built a new space station. How they slowed my pod down, I don’t know. This happened just in time, too, for the storage is nearly depleted. I would only have survived a month or two more.
The sun is so bright. Everything is bright. I can’t wait to see Elly again. The station let me leave, apparently the war was over.
October
Wow. This is so mindblowing, what happened this month. I can’t summarize it, so let me start from the beginning:
I was nearing her cute little house. Everything looked slightly different, but I didn’t notice. How could I? I was going back to my beloved. I knocked on the door, there was no reply. I knocked again, because maybe she didn’t hear the door.
A young man, around my age, opened the door, dressed up in a suit and tie. I later found out he was my grandson. I asked what had happened, where Elly was, and so on. He told me she still lived there. I figured she married him, since I was MIA. I started to leave, and he said, “Wait. You don’t have to leave yet. Come in, I’m sure she’d be glad to meet somebody besides my mother and me.”
Consenting, I walked into her house. She was in the kitchen, where we opened the letter that fateful day. There she was. Except…she was old. Eighty years old, in fact. I don’t know how it happened, but she still somehow recognized me. Now that I think of it, it’s probably because I look nearly exactly the same as I did when I left her. We talked for a while, we laughed a bit. It was strange seeing her older than my grandmother, but, in my mind, she was still my girlfriend. “Remember that kiss, all those years ago?” I had asked. I had gotten used to her being old.
She nodded, smiling. “I never kissed anybody again after that, Reccy.”
We kissed again. We would be happy for the rest of her life.

Woo! Relativity!

''No, Rabbit, we're not going to stalk David Bowie again.''

I lol'd.

Lollipop
Starring : Nameless and a lollipop

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Soothe, lollipop
admire the candied orb
It's papered stick
kept cold.

'lo, truth my lollipop
I savour you so
unwrapping the waxy grip
of old

Long, I do
to run my tongue
across you

To chew on a gummy center
and break the rod hither
as to finish your
so sugary soul

My lollipop
I mourn
For the reaper
has no tongue.

And again.

The Case of the Missing Shoes

Starring- Jacklu as Jackie U
EleventhHour as Elly Haire
Jokasti as Jake Sketch

Viera Champion as Vinny Champ
SilverRaptor as Steve Raptor
Jesse Drake as The DrakeMobile

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"Man, what is that smell," asked the strange man with the yellow helmet on. It was none other than Steven Raptor, the- well, a detective, who Jake Sketch's secretary happened to call. He showed up with a skinny blonde haired man, wearing a rabbit hoody, named Vinny.

Miss Elly, the platinum haired lady standing before the two detectives, shook her head. "It's why we called you here, detectives." Her voice was cold and sharp. "It's Jackie U, an art student who came here to try and intern Mr. Sketch for a semester. Mr. Sketch came in here this morning and discovered her body."

Vinny looks at the body- it was horrific. Somehow, the entire lady had made it through the paper shredder about 90%- before it stopped. The ladies bare feet were sticking out. Vinny ran for a trash can to throw up.

"So, where'd her shoes go?" asked Raptor. Elly glared at him.

"Why would I kn-" she glanced over to the vomitting Champ. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Steve assures her. "Now, can we meet this boss of yours?"

"Yes, I'll page Mr. Sketch now." She reaches for a small device, and pushes a button. "He's on his way."

Vinny finished throwing up, then noticed a shiny object on the ground. It was a button. He picked it up with a pair of tweesers and put it in his pocket. "Another one to add to my button collection," he comments quietly.

"What's that?" asked Steve.

"Nothing," comments Champ, pulling out a small bag and putting it away.

Jake Sketch came in, his green hair a mess, wearing big green sunglasses. "Hello, hi, how are you!?" he asks in a braggarts tone. "What's the buzz... are these the guys you hired?"

"Yes, meet Agent Raptor, and his partner, Champ." Elly pointed at them. Steve was staring at Elly's chest. Vinny was wiping the throw up off his face.

"Hello, agent- Raptor, is it?" He extended his hand to shake.

"Oh, yeah, right." Raptor smiled and shook hands. "So, would you mind telling me what you saw-"

"Not a problem. I was came in early this morning, and when I did, I smelled something terrible. I opened the door to find that there was a paper jam in the shredder, and it was smoking and creating an awful smell. Then when I checked, it was Jackie."

"Uh- huh, and describe your relationship with Jackie."

"I'm not gonna lie to you- I kinda have been seeing her occasionally behind my wife's back." He smiled. "But since when is having a mistress a crime?"

"Actually-" Began Vinny.

"Exactly!" Agreed Raptor. "But still, we gotta ask a few more questions..."

The two left the room, and Elly grabbed them. "Um... the other day, it seems that Mrs. Sketch came to the office quite angry and had a few words with Jackie... here's her number."

Raptor pulled down his shades and looked at Elly. "Thank you for the information." He tucked it away and then walked to his car.

And a more bitchin ride could not exist. It was a sleek black car with several spikes on it, two demonic looking wings, and it almost resembled a dragon. It was the Drakemobile.

"Hey guys," it called in a strangely human voice. "What's the clues so far?"

"Well, we have a hot secretary who clearly wants a piece of me," Raptor comments. "And we have the boss, who was having an affair with her, and the wife of the boss who found out."

Vinny chimed in "We also have this button-"

"I thought that was for your button collection."

"I thought you didn't hear me." Champ smiles. "But anyways, I have this button as a clue. It has been torn off it's article of clothing, and there is a splatter of blood on it too."

Raptor grabbed it. "A button eh? Well, what does it mean?"

"It means you touched the evidence- and that whoever killed Jackie took off this button."

"And?"

"Well, let's get back to the studio. I have an idea- let's check the garbage."

The two make it back to the studio and Drakemobile pulls up to the dumpster. "So, Raptor, finally tired of all your stuff becoming garbage, so ya decided to beat them to the punch?"

Steve kicked the car's side. "Hey, that's gonna dent!"

Vinny threw on some gloves and hopped into the can. "Ah ha!"

The two ran into the studio and grabbed Elly by the wrist. "You tried to throw us off the trail," barked Raptor. "But you didn't count on us digging in the garbage."

"Oh boy," She moans. "The idiots caught me."

"That's right. We found Jackie's belt. We found her buttons. We found her earrings, and her necklace, all thrown out in a tiny trash can bag. You missed one button though."

"When I noticed the button had blood on it, and that it had not been aten by the machine, I knew that someone had to have ripped it off. And who else would take care to do that other than a secretary-" He points to a little tray on her desk with several torn out staples, the tray is near the shredder.

"But what we don't know is why?"

"Cause she was cheating on her." Answered Raptor. Vinny looked at her. "When she didn't respond to my amazing body language, I knew right away she was a lesbian. Even so, she had a deep desire to jump me." Vinny rolled his eyes, but Elly shouted out at that.

"I did not know it was her!" She cried out. "I thought it was that beast-" she points to Jake. "I thought it was him!"

"Well then..." Vinny looks at Raptor, who's clearly trying to imagine the two together.

Though he can only picture Jackie as a pile of blood and flesh. "Ugh."

"Wow, so you guys solved the case." Commented Jake. "I guess I should pay you."

"Yeah, cash please." responded Raptor.

The ridiculous, it is good.

Waiting in Line
Starring: Eleventhhour, Nameless

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Ding!

The line moved forward painfully slowly. Elly and Nameless gazed down the long row of people and sighed in unison. The looked at each other, then giggled.

Long wait, huh?

Yeah. Sometimes it goes super fast, sometimes it seems to stand still for days.

Ding!

The line jumped forward by a good dozen paces.

Ooh, bet that was one of Destro's.

I never get to be in any of his.

Probably a good thing. Most of his end with people dead.

The giggled and chatted for a while as the line moved forward and new people fell in behind them. A lot of them were people that had been in line many times. More than a few got called to the front of the line after a very short wait.

It's not fair. Some people get to go dozens of times in a row while we haven't had a chance at all, barely.

Yeah. There goes Rabbit again. Sheesh. That's, what, ten times this week? ... She is pretty though.

Ding!

The line didn't progress.

Ding!

Still no movement. Elly leaned out of the line and let out a squee.

Nameless! It's us! We're up!

The two of them bounced excitedly and hugged before stepping out of line and heading forward together. At the front of the line was a small booth where they were handed their scripts. The two flipped them open as they walked through the doorway.

Wait... It says here all we get to do is wait in line again...

Who cares? We finally get shipped! And look, last page. Says here I kiss you at the very end.

What?

Nameless flipped to the last page.

Wait... this makes no sense. There is no lead up at all... You just cut me off mid-sentence and-

Elly leaned in and kissed him as the door slide closed behind them.

I do like it when we get meta-. I may have to incorporate this idea into Shipping Inc when I get back to it... and when it gets back to more normality...

Oh, Reinholdt. I'll write you a better one.

Starring...Reinholdt!

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Once upon a time

Once upon a time, there was this heroic kitten named Reinholdt. Suddenly, he recieved a letter from the king saying that all the princesses have been captured by the evil bad guy! "Oh, save my daughters! All four of them have been captured by different people, all within one hour of each other! You must save them all before sunset!"

Reinholdt, being the hero that he is, accepted this challenge. He found out that one was captured, and brought to the North. One was brought to the South. One was brought to the East. The last one was brought to...you guessed it, Humphenshire.

First, he went to Humphenshire, since it was only three blocks away. He battled the ferocious and evil dinosaur, and saved the princess. She was ugly, though. He sent her back to the castle.

Then, he went to the North, to save the princess who was taken there. He traversed blistering cold, snow, and crazy snowmen, and battled the Ice Queen. He beat her so bad that her grandmother's dog was crying. He saved the princess too. She was obese, but not as ugly as her sister.

After that, he went South. The day was half-finished, and he found half of the princesses. Lucky him. In the South, there were no monsters. He found the princess sipping coconut milk and eating pineapples, watching the surfer boys crash. He put her in a box, and shipped her back to the castle.

Then, he went to the terrifying Eastern Kingdom. The Kingdom of Destruction. He single-handedly fought everyone there, with one hand tied behind his back. His hand was tied behind his back so everyone would laugh themselves silly while fighting him.
Then, he found out that the princes was in a 'nother castle, the Other Eastern Kingdom. He went there, too, and walked in on her making out with a Chinese guy. He sent them both back to the castle.

When he finally got back, right before sunset, the king said "Congradulations! You've rescued my daugters, and an oriental man! I'll give you anything you want! Oh, what is that? You want to marry my daughters? Of course!" Reinholdt was shaking his head, he didn't want to marry the king's daughters. So he ran away from them as fast as he could.

They never caught him, and he lived happily ever after.

Someone was nice to Reinholdt? I didn't notice a blue moon...

*flails*
Oh that's it. I am going to hurt you all now.
*goes to get the explosives*

Now now Reinholdt. You know that can only end in you crossdressing in Rabbit's clothes.

Hai, I'm kinda new here, thought I'd try my hand at writing a fic. I hope you don't mind my attempts.

Har Har.
Now, never leave again.

The Lullaby

Starring:
Felixaar (Felix)
CurlyKitGirl (Korli)

With:
Dragonrider (Ree)
Castaras (Cassie)

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Eight

Sweet little girl, on soft mattress lie
Sleep till the morning
When daylight is nigh
Soft the bells tolling
On night is a-rolling
So sleep, my sweet child, and sing lull-a-by

Felix watches the child’s eyes drifting closed. Korli lies on her back, a smile touching her soft lips. He leans down and kisses her forehead, tenderness filling him. He took her in long ago when she was scarcely tall enough to carry little Cassie, scarcely big enough to protect Ree from the winds that battered them as they huddled on the street corner.

The two younger girls grew up, safe and warm, confident in the love of a father who held their hands when they wept and bandaged their hurts.

But Korli is different. Her thin face still holds a shadow. It is she to whom Felix sings his song, she and she alone, for he knows that her younger sisters remember nothing of abandonment.

She sleeps. Felix backs away and softly shuts her bedroom door, though he knows that she’ll wake in the night and creep to the room her sisters share to fight that loneliness that he knows threatens to overwhelm her. Even if he could fix it he wouldn’t, for it makes Korli who she is and it is not the only demon he knows she must battle.



Nine

Sweet little girl, on featherdown lie
Sleep till the morning
And hear no fell cry
Soft the bells tolling
On darkness a-rolling
So sleep, my sweet child, and sing lull-a-by

She thinks she is too old for the lullaby now, but still her father sings it to her. Korli lies awake, pretending that she has drifted away. His voice has grown deeper with the cares of another year alone with three small girls, and Korli knows it is only a matter of time before he, too, leaves them. They always left.

Despite herself, Korli feels her eyes closing. She must be on her guard . . . always . . . she must protect her sisters. Ree and Cassie are innocent. Korli must keep them so.

* * * *

Ree is awake. She doesn’t know what the matter is and though she is only a year younger than her sister—eight to Korli’s nine—Korli won’t share. Korli never shares. The lullaby now fills Ree with a quiet dread. She almost thinks it has changed . . . but no, that can’t be, it’s the same as it’s always been.

Lilting, haunting. Ree wonders why her father only sings it to Korli. Maybe he, too, knows that she won’t listen, that she’s stubborn and terrifying and wonderful all at once. Ree closes her eyes. She wants to be special, too. She wants Felix to sing to her . . . but he never does. Only to Korli.

Ree snuggles down in her bed, putting her arm around Cassie. She does not worry. She is safe here.



Ten

Sweet little girl, on goose feathers lie
Think of the morning
And hear no fell cry
Terror extolling
The darkness a-rolling
So lie, my sweet child, and sing lull-a-by

It is time. Korli sleeps deeply and her sisters lie in their own bed, little Cassie in a ball beside her sister—no fear in them.

Felix is still singing as he bends over Korli, shifting her nightdress so that the left side of her neck lies bare and exposed, soft and warm in the cast of the moonlight. Felix runs his fingers down her cheek and she stirs, a soft breath escaping her lips, but he knows she will not wake.

He leans forward, his lips brushing against her skin. So warm, so tender, so young . . . and he can taste the fear. She still fears him.

Then this will be all the sweeter.

Felix parts his lips, feels the fangs descend. They pierce her skin and hot, sweet blood gushes into his watering mouth, its tang playing across his tastebuds as he closes his eyes. Korli is slipping away. It has been a long, long wait, but her flesh is all the sweeter for the fear she has of him. She has known this, known no way to stop it.

Felix clasps her to him, wanting to suck every drop of the life-sustaining blood from her body. His hands are flat against her back, and he feels the shape of her. Pity . . . in a few more years she would have been beautiful. But it is not the blood of a maiden Felix craves, but that of a child.

He lifts his mouth from Korli’s lifeless form, wipes his lips on his sleeve. He feels power as he never has before and as he holds her still-warm body in his hands he feels a smile creep across his face.

Tomorrow he will begin to prepare Ree.


Sweet little girl, on goose feathers lie
I think of the morning
And laugh at your cry
Terror extolling
The darkness a-rolling
So bleed, my sweet child, so softly to die

This is the first thing I've ever written present tense. I don't like present tense stories much as a rule. But it seemed appropriate.

It's beautifully creepy. If those two adjectives seem mismatched with each other, well, that's fitting.

Those fics I haven't mentioned were good too, but the ones quoted stood out more. Also, I'm trying not to make this post too long.

Finally, sans quotes:
Helgraf: So much... you spoil us. Dead Air is mostly engendering curiosity in me - it seems clear that there's a lot more we don't know about what's happening.
Mad Season remains the classic Helgraf piece. The insanity works so well...
Satyrnalia - pretty much what everyone else said. Fascinatingly sensual, etc.
Falling White... now I come to think of it I can't remember the words particularly. But the feel of it - the cold, the mystery and wonder - that comes across so well.

Curly: *Abases self before his Goddess.*
*Performs the ritual of honest praise and critique.*
Flick of the Wrist is... interesting. It's unfortunate that the fic takes much longer to read than the song does to listen to, because listening to the song definitely enhanced the reading experience for me. I had to play it several times.
It didn't grab me quite as much as I expected, but that's partly I think because it's clearly unfinished. Also because the writing is rather matter-of-fact about the whole thing, which fits the subject matter but is different to what I'm used to. I'll probably appreciate it more on a second reading.

DeeRee pointed out the 'okay', but surely 'hit it off' is also an anachronism?
Otherwise, at times I felt some of the dialogue was perhaps too direct, as in, you needed something to be said to a certain effect, and it went more or less straight in unaltered (Understandable since you've been having difficulty with this fic). And some of the directness might perhaps have been more marked - clearly Rabbit has fairly delicate sensibilities in this story, but there was less indication of her being shocked by some of Curly and Helgraf's comments and attitudes than I would have expected for such.
All in all, it's very good. I just think it could be even better.
I eagerly await the next instalment.


Hopefully after my january exams I'll be able to get something written myself.

[Reinholdt]

Someone was nice to Reinholdt? I didn't notice a blue moon...

*hmphs!*

Now now Reinholdt. You know that can only end in you crossdressing in Rabbit's clothes.

...
I know.
v.v

[Je dit Viola]

Oh, there was a blue moon in December. Just so you know.


Also, I got a new idea for a Ship, but I don't know if I want to write it down.

[Nameless]

Also, I got a new idea for a Ship, but I don't know if I want to write it down.

How comes?

[Je dit Viola]

I don't know why. I'll figure it out later. And I'll probably forget it by then, too.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Unfortunately, this isn't one of the ships I've promised, but, ah, well.
Harrison Series
If Not For You- Reinholdt/Rabbit
All Things Must Pass- Thanatos/Rabbit
All Those Years Ago, Pt 1- Raistlin/George Harrison

I promised this shortly after Part One, as a birthday gift to DeeRee, and I'm just now getting it done.
DON'T JUDGE ME!

Also, having searched all over my laptop for this, I found a handful of other ships I started and never finished, like one epic I was planning which dealt with a Deific-Phoe.
I should maybe get to writing that one eventually, too.

All Those Years Ago, Pt 2
George Harrison/Raistlin/Olivia Harrison, DeeRee/?

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Rain, rain, rain. It fell everywhere outside, and everywhere in this country. Dee could hardly stand it.
She wanted the setting sun, reflections of purples and blazing oranges and reds breaking across an ocean, not this darkly dim sky with its dull grays.
"Raist owes me so much..." He certainly did, as her mutter was hardly heard to her own ears in the din of the release party. How many more would he drag her to?
Of course, Dee understood why it was necessary she came along with him and the Harrison party.
Since Raistlin had been adopted into the family, rumors had begun to fly, spread around like garbage between swine. It escaped noone's notice that suddenly, this young, blond teenaged boy was everywhere George Harrison was. Photos snapped small touches between the two, articles questioned the morality of the boy's room being located right next to the master bedroom, shared between George and his second wife, Olivia.
Whispers of homosexual affairs became murmurs became outraged cries, and suddenly, DeeRee was asked frequently to accompany her childhood friend around as he trotted alongside his musical hero.
It was all for appearance, George had said. If Raistlin looked like he had a girlfriend, well, maybe the talk would stop...
Even if it was half-true.
A small smirk formed over Dee's uncomfortably painted lips (Olivia had insisted on doing her make-up, though she protested to anything too heavy). While the media had been clamoring on and on about affairs and cheating, the truth was even better.
There was no fighting, but, indeed, quite a bit of sharing.
"I might ask what's quite so amusing, considering you're staring rather intently at a blank expanse of wall, but I've got the feeling I'm better off not knowing."
Her eyes drifted off, away, up a long expanse of slender legs and over a definite male form, finished with an exquisite face fuzzed over with a well trimmed beard and shoulder-length loose curls.
"Um, excuse me?"
This man, he laughed. At her.
Dee tinged pink.
"I'm Cat. You must be Dee Reece."
"DeeRee." She nodded, her own dark curls flopping across her shoulders, though it was all she could manage as he leaned closer, extending his hand.
"Why don't you come outside with me? Its too loud in here."
Dee threw a glance out the window at the bleak sky and its frigid raindrops, a slow smile crossing her lips.
She took his hand in hers, noting its warmth.
Certainly, if she kept hold of that heat, it would all be okay in this country, with all its damned rain.

Explanation/ Disclaimer:

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Technically, since this occurs after John Lennon's death in December of 1980, Cat Stevens would have converted over to Islam already...and that would interfere greatly with the ship, so, um, consider this an alternate timeline for Cat, who decided not to convert religions.

[RabbitHoleLost]

And a second, though I don't know if I would really call it a ship.
I'unno.
I imagine it coming from a character of mine. I bet some of you can guess

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, A Letter

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'I wandered lonely as a cloud'. I had never really understood that line. Why was a cloud lonely?
There were other clouds, weren't there?
But, now, I know.
Now, I understand.
Clouds (or immortals, for that matter) do not find solace in the company of other clouds. In fact, bad things happen when clouds are together. They rub, and we have lightening storms. Clouds figure out real quick that being around other clouds isn't grand, so they start looking elsewhere for companionship.
People, lets say.
A cloud becomes fond of a certain person, maybe a group of people, and follow them around. Fancies themself one of the group.
Everything is fine and dandy.
But clouds don't die. Yeah, they rain and "go away", but its really just evaporation, and they always take the form of a cloud again.
People die.
They don't come back.
The cloud is left with nothing and eventually learns that humans as companions are useless, more painful than not. Clouds are alone.
I wandered lonely as a cloud...