Shipping V: The Squick and The Dead

[Reinholdt]

@ Curly- Yay for the unbendable and the dependable!
You're going to have to start spoilering those links. They're getting longer than the stories.

[TwoBitWriter]

@DS7: Perfect! Just perfect!
Now Dirky is my father?

@Curly: I still enjoy this series, and it's progressing so well!

[CurlyKitGirl]

And allow me to offer up this fable, set in the IStLY series. It's a prequel set roughly eight years after Baba Gravf was born. No character as such, but I think this fable could be used as possible inspiration for all.

The Shaping
Baba Gravf

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Back in the before times, before Christianity came to our countries and the old gods and traditions were held powerful beyond measure this tale was told.
Of a time earlier than the creation of the world and all we see, feel and believe. Of the Shaping:

All there was, was nothingness. A sucking void that sought to devour; and in this void lay a sleeper. And dreamt. And in Her dreams She reached out to the power that drained the nothingness and twisted it to Her dreams.
She took the swirling centre of the blankness and shaped it into the universe, cradled in Her hands so softly, and her dreams of waiting were laid to rest and the hungry darkness rested knowing peace and able to wait.
Reaching Her thoughts to the firmament She felt the crystals of the cold of the waiting. It is colder than the persistent North winter winds that freeze fresh solid, but refracts. And Her gaze reflected back and forth through the prism of the universe and Her steady eyes became the eternal stars above.
The rest of the gaping emptiness where She slept alone she formed into the planets and the sun and the moon to give warmth, solace and comfort to what She planned to Shape next.
In Her Dream She saw life walking the world She had made. The world was made for the life She dreamt. First she fashioned the seas and the lands green and wild. Her Dream whispered to Her and she wove her hair into the clouds that graced the sky. But something was missing. So She took the dying whirlpools of the formless outside Her creation and moulded it into clays and sands to Shape to Her will and called it the Soft Places where the Dream and the universe merged and silked together, making it easier to complete Her craft.
She made the plants of the earth and seas first, for they required less Dreaming and simply were.
Then She turned Her attention to the handful of grains and let it weave through her fingers. One thousand thousand dreams falling from She who birthed them all, and each grain became an animal of the land or sea or sky and they filled the new born world with noise and a silent hum of life and vigour audible only to the Shaper.
And still it was not yet complete; a tug nagged at Her sleeping form, curled around her universe and She half woke from Her slumber. Wisps of sentient energy pleaded to be given form and entrance into Her fledgling creation. Never having known Despair, Betrayal, Anger, War or the roiling emotions and actions we know now; and still having complete Innocence of the kind only young babes and gentle hearts now possess she let the energy in. But She was canny enough to reduce their powers to the minimum they needed to sustain themselves for She is no killer. The energy entered and divided into fragments. These fragments became all the gods there ever was, are or will be. And those who died became the draining zza
Now the stage was set for the Dream of the Shaper to be created.
The Princess of All Stories knelt Her Dream self down at the Soft Places and whispered Her words to form and fix this creature. She spoke to the unnamed creature and told it all the stories, the songs, the rhymes and the tales.
Used her own hands to perfectly fashion this creature. Fashioned the form, thought and the Being. Then She leant down to the Beings’ ears and whispered Her Secret to the Thought and pressed Her finger to the Thoughts’ brow and gave it an impression.
She took the gems of the earth and gave it eyes of clear seeing.
You, the Dreamer said, are the Watcher, Guider and are the Guardian.
That is well, said the Thought given flesh
You, the Princess of All Stories, Will be Protector and Warrior.
That is well, said the Guardian Warrior
You, said the Shaper are stronger than death which even now takes life
It is well, said the one who was stronger than death.
She gave him a name and the Being became Coeura. And it was well.
Shaper gave Coeura beauty, grace, strength and legend and history. She opened Her arms and showed him the plains and mountains of the world he would walk, She showed him all.
And then the Crafter Queen stepped back and looked at him and asked, Are you pleased Coeura? He stared into the expanse of the Dreaming and told Her it was well. This caused the first anger with the Crafter Queen. She stared at Her creation and found it unmoved by Her gifts. One does not disregard the boons of Her Dreaming. She watched Her thought gaze into the vastness.
You seek the others She demanded, Do you desire more?
I have nothing to desire, but if You wish, You may make me desire.
You will desire she said in fury. You will desire for many things in your life.
Coeura said it was well.
Does it not make you despair?
If You wish, make me despair.
You will despair! shouted the Shaper You will despair for what will never be yours. It seems you will be driven to madness by your despair and will touch the realm of the one who creates delerium. You will obsess and mourn and lose sight of all the gifts I have given you!
The creation said, It is well.
And you will destroy! She cursed her Dream. You will carry death forever in your trail! Your path will never be at peace because of hunger for what you desire! You will destroy. You will bring death. You will be feared as death – bringer.
Now, said the Lady Shaper, as she dragged her Thought down the path of the Soft Lands to the looms where she wove destiny, Now it is in your destiny. Now does it move you? Now are you content?
It is well came the cursed ones reply.
She stared at Coeura for time immeasurable as the Dream grew and waved between them. She had given him grace, and grace was ungrateful. She had given in legend, and legend was dissatisfied. She had given him history and arts, and history and arts were resentful. She had given him destiny and showed him the secret weavings of time and fate themselves, gave him knowledge none should possess and he was unmoved.
The Dreamer knelt down on a gentle slope of the Soft Places and looked at the grains of what would and could be, their voices crying out to be Dreamt and She paid them no heed.
Does nothing move you? she asked her Thought Does nothing stir your heart?
And Coeura kneeled down by his Lady Dreamer and slid his hand across the silken sands. You gave me no heart. He told Her simply. And the heart of the Dreamer froze as She understood Her folly and closed Her eyes. The Dream darkened with Her, and in the furthest reaches of the creation that was Her Dream made real a galaxy of her despairing eyes collapsed. Coeura reached over and touched Her hand, Would you give me this my Lady? he asked.
What has been formed cannot be unformed and reshaped. You are sealed and destined and I cannot give or take to what has been decreed. He looked away and there was silence. Quietly he asked of the Dreamer of Dreams, Then, Lady, you have no dream to give me? The Princess of Stories turned back to the sand and felt the Dream of her imperfect Being as the sand swirled together. And She gave Coeura the dream of his heart.
People.
Ugly when set besides the outward perfection of Coeura. She gave them despair and sorrows; and dreams. But took inbuilt destruction from them. She gave them hopes. And She whispered in their ears the name of their Protector without a heart. Said that they would forget and this would all one day be a dream of a dream of a Dream of a Memory; but if one remembered the name of their Guardian they would be blessed.
And the dream race blinked, smiled and said they would. She took them in Her arms and gave them to the world She had made.
Then she took Coeura into her arms, and gave him a dream.
He awoke on the world and walked, unknowing of himself. Waiting for the people who were his heart to grow and realise everything they could be.
And the Lady Dreamer smiled as the unknown dream began to realise itself.

The man who is Coeura still walks and guards. Humanity is still his heart, although the old, dead gods and the new ones twist their purpose and he waits. And the zza still seeks to fill itself.
Ilema gazed up at the young storyteller and vowed to remember the story forever and always. It was beautiful and would come in useful later on for her stories. She wished he didn’t have to leave, but no traveller ever remained in such a small, boring village. Then again, perhaps he’d return and tell more stories.

Sort of note:

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Yeah, nothing to do with the actual story or the setup. But I had an idea after a friend showed me a comic and it made me think of Baba Gravfs' flesh shaping thing. So a little fable from whole cloth about the culture of the world of IStLY and possible insight to little Ilema.
Hope you don't mind a little back story about your character Helgraf.

[Destro_Yersul]

Well, for a while now I've wanted to start a series. But I needed an idea. Then I got an idea, but I needed a plot. And having thought about that for a very long time, and only come up with the start of the suggestion of a plot, I figured I way as well go ahead and start writing. So this is sort of a prequel to a series. Not very long, but hopefully worth chasing to its completion. And of course, it's just my luck to post it right after Curly does something awesome.

Beginnings
Destro (TwoBit mentioned)

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This is not a story of what has happened. That story has been told already, and hardly needs to be told again. This is a story of a failed possibility. A chance that was never taken, and something that never picked up. No, this story is not about what is, has been, or will be. This story is about what might have been.

[hr]

Destro stepped back onto the streets of the city for the first time in a month. He had been to visit his family, and while it was nice to see everyone again, he was happy to be back. Back where he truly belonged. He could never have been a woodcutter, like his father. No, Destro's place was here, in the city, learning magic from the wizard's college.

He wound his way through the magical quarter, amidst brightly coloured stalls stocked with potions and scrolls and trinkets of all kinds. Blue torches illuminated the path. It was never dark here, because the magical quarter never slept. Destro considered dropping by to see if TwoBit's Emporium had gotten anything new in, but decided against it. The Emporium's stock was random, and the last time he'd been in there one of the books had nearly eaten his hand. So instead he continued, up to the steps of the great college of magic.

The college was a huge building, all white stone and brass arches. It had once been the home of an elf noble, but the elves had left this city a long time ago. Hardly anyone saw elves anymore, though the other races were common enough. In the college though, it was almost all humans. The dwarves had no use for traditional magic, preferring to work with carved runes and stone, and the halflings usually didn't get admitted.

Destro reached the college door, pushed it open, and stepped inside. It's good to be back... he said to himself as he headed for the library.

Notes:

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In Destro's original backstory, way back when I first created him as a character, his hometown had been burnt to the ground by orcs right before his visit home, and he never went back to the college. In this story, the orc tribe never got to the town, due to the assassination of their chief.

Like I said, short, but I don't have time for much more right now. Sorry.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Not a bad little story Destro, Hope to see how your plot develops.

[TwoBitWriter]

Ahh, if college taught me anything, it's that the best way to make money is to set up a shop for the things that students require for their classes.

And now, speaking of college, a little self-deprecation...

Bro's

Starring: Twobitwriter and Dirk Kris
RabbitHoleLost mentioned

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“Rough day?” Twobit asked, throwing his backpack down on his bed and taking a seat next to it. He looked over at Dirk, his roommate.

Dirk nodded glumly. “Yeah, I got a D on Gade’s midterm. If I don’t get at least a B in his class, I’m gonna lose my scholarship.”
Twobit winced. “Ouch man, it almost makes me glad that I’m here on loan money…” He picked up a small nerf basketball and tossed it toward the basket that the two had installed at the other end of the dorm room. The ball bounced off the backboard and rolled toward Dirk.

Dirk casually picked the ball up and tossed it back to Twobit, “Try again.”

Twobit obliged, making the basket this time. He grinned. “At least you got that girl’s number last night. You know, the brunette at the party?”

Dirk smiled for the first time, “Yeah, called her this morning.”

“And?”

Dirk nodded, his smile turning to a grin. It was a simple gesture of male understanding, and was not lost on Twobit, who leaned over to give Dirk a high-five.

“Well, when you and her are done, meet me at Crossroads for a burger?” Twobit asked.

“Yeah, we were gonna be at the library anyhow… that’s right next door. If things work out, I might bring her over to meet you,” Dirk said.

“If she’s not too exhausted, right?” Twobit smiled.

“Heck yeah!” Dirk said, giving Twobit a fist-bump.

“What’s her name, anyhow?” Twobit asked, pulling away.

“Oh… umm… something to do with… RabbitHoleLost. That’s right…” Dirk said.

Twobit nodded and stood up, taking a seat at his computer desk. He loaded up Giantitp.com and logged in. “Got some more shipping to do today.”

Dirk shook his head. “Dude, you’re such a nerd!”

Twobit grinned, “My girlfriend in Canada doesn’t think so!”

[Helgraf]

Sort of note:

Spoiler

Show

Yeah, nothing to do with the actual story or the setup. But I had an idea after a friend showed me a comic and it made me think of Baba Gravfs' flesh shaping thing. So a little fable from whole cloth about the culture of the world of IStLY and possible insight to little Ilema.
Hope you don't mind a little back story about your character Helgraf.

When the story is that beautifully crafted, I could not possibly mind.

[wolflord]

I read what people post on here and I can't help but think how good you all are at this. I'm trying to think of something to write for this thread, but I'm currently suffering from writers block.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Hey Shippers-
We have a problem.
You see, I went and finished the Index.
Only problem is that its getting far too long. It'll need atleast five posts.
So, after speaking with Raistlin, I thought, hey, what if we started a thread JUST for the Index?
Yay, nay?

[Raistlin1040]

Note, the Index thread, aside from Rabbit's archiving, could also host compilation posts (For example, a post with all the Redemption stories, all of Ship Wars, all of ISTLY, ect.)

[wolflord]

I say yay. I think it's better than creating one for every new thread.

[RabbitHoleLost]

I'm also thinking of pulling an Ego, in that, at the end of every new thread, you people send me a PM with your ships you've done during that thread, and then I add them to the index.

[Helgraf]

I'm also thinking of pulling an Ego, in that, at the end of every new thread, you people send me a PM with your ships you've done during that thread, and then I add them to the index.

Murk. I know me, I'd end up haemmoraging ships.

[Reinholdt]

I vote Yay.

Not sure there's anything I can do, except maybe add Redemption to the thread, but let me know if I can help.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah. I support the creation of a Shipping Index thread, and will help in whatever way I can. Assuming there are ways for me to help. I'll certainly keep a running index of my own ships for PMing at the end of each thread.

[Dallas-Dakota]

I'm supportive of this...But I'm afraid it would die....

[RabbitHoleLost]

I'm supportive of this...But I'm afraid it would die....

How would it die?
We post a new index everytime we get a new thread. I don't see how it could die

[ghost_warlock]

Busy/crazy night at work...just got the chance to check the thread. I'll do ship comments when I get a chance (i.e., after I'd had a break from work and I've actually read the new fics).

For now, I just want to say that the idea for the index thread sounds good to me, too. If you want any help with it at all, I'll be happy to assist. Heck, if you want, I'll even create the threads and maintain the index. Organization is my only super-power. All I ask is that the starting index is current up to the end of the last thread.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Busy/crazy night at work...just got the chance to check the thread. I'll do ship comments when I get a chance.

For now, I just want to say that the idea for the index thread sounds good to me, too. If you want any help with it at all, I'll be happy to assist. Heck, if you want, I'll even create the threads and maintain the index. Organization is my only super-power. All I ask is that the starting index is current up to the end of the last thread.

It totally is. The only problem is that I couldn't PM it to you, since PM's ALSO have a character limit >.<

[ghost_warlock]

It totally is. The only problem is that I couldn't PM it to you, since PM's ALSO have a character limit >.<

You're free to e-mail it to me, although I can't access my hotmail account here at work so I wouldn't be able to post it until tomorrow morning.

I can access G-mail, if I could remember what my address there is...something about...spiders?

Ah-HA! I remembered it...

[Reinholdt]

Considering the rate shipping grows, an index should probably be separated into 26 posts at first anyways.

1 for each letter. Considering the long term, anyways.

Of course some letters will receive very little love.

^ Spiders. I hate spiders. *shivers*

[Mordokai]

You can try making smaller chunks? As in A to C, D to F and so on. It would work rather nicely.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Considering the rate shipping grows, an index should probably be separated into 26 posts at first anyways.

1 for each letter. Considering the long term, anyways.

Of course some letters will receive very little love.

Reinholdt, I could kiss you.
GW, how 'bout I send you the first thirteen letters, and you can post and update those, and I'll do the last thirteen?
That way, it'll be less taxing on both of us.

[ghost_warlock]

Reinholdt, I could kiss you.
GW, how 'bout I send you the first thirteen letters, and you can post and update those, and I'll do the last thirteen?
That way, it'll be less taxing on both of us.

Whatever's easiest for you is cool with me. PM w/ mah gmail addy sent.

[Reinholdt]

Reinholdt, I could kiss you.

Offer accepted.
>>
<<

[Dallas-Dakota]

*keeps up with thread*
*pulls out list : Kinky things that Rabbit is into :
And gets read to put a Nay or Yay next to Beastiality.

(Reinholdt will always be a sniper kitty in my mind...)

[RabbitHoleLost]

*keeps up with thread*
*pulls out list : Kinky things that Rabbit is into :
And gets read to put a Nay or Yay next to Beastiality.

(Reinholdt will always be a sniper kitty in my mind...)

Only if its Reinholdt-kitty

[Reinholdt]

Ayep. That pretty much says it all.

[ghost_warlock]

Hm...all of this lycanthrope love is reminding me of a story I read years ago...might have to turn it into a ship if I can remember it well enough.

[Boo]

Should I make a character that's actually RP-able just to see if he can be shipped? Because the only possible characters I have that can be shipped well are Paddington and Topsy. They aren't exactly Ship material either.

Plus, I already had two characters planned. One is rather anti-social in every way imaginable. Well, any horrible, disgusting, and mutilating way. The other is... generic. I guess.