Curse of Sthrad shipping talk: Ismark x Doru
So, let's talk CoS ships.
I want to talk about all kind of Curse of Strahd ships between NPCs. When it comes to DnD campaigns, of course, the main ships are Character x NPC, Character x Character, Character x OC or OC x OC. And this is good, have fun, kiss your blorbos, but I want to go a step further and think: what if the party characters are not an option? What do I think the best ships between two Canon NPCs are?
For now I will do it with campaign I'm currently DMing, Curse of Strahd, but in the future I could do it also for other campaigns as well.
If you want, you can suggest me any ship between two canon NPCs character (no party characters or OCs) and I will do a basic ranking of them. You can join me as well and tell me what you think of them, I would love to hear your opinion ^.^
For now I will mainly focus on Ismark ships, since he is my favorite NPC, but I can do others as well.
DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion, please be respectful and remember that we are all different and that we all have different opinions, thank you so much <3
Why they are shipped: There are quiet a few reasons as to why I think this two are shipped. One: they are both from the village of Barovia, which makes so they are geographically close, so that's a good starting ground; two: their families, it is implied that Kolyan and father Donavich are close, even just for their roles in the community of the village, which also gives good reason to believe Ismark and Doru had known each other when they were kids; three: they are close in age, this one is more debatable then the other two because it all comes down on the age you give the characters, but, in my campaign, Ismark is his late twenties and Doru in his early twenties, which means that they could have been playmates when they were little;
What kind of dynamic they can have: Childhood friends turned unwilling enemies. I can see the two of them and Ireena having grown together and play together when they were little, maybe even be best friends because of their dads, which can make so Doru started admiring Ismark, since he was the older of the three and acted as a guardian and leader of sort, maybe even comparing him to an older brother figure of sorts. And once Doru gets turned into a vampire spawn, of course the problem starts, because of the Doru's new nature and because of Ismark's hate for vampires. It's a classic tale of two people who were close together when they were little but that fate turned them into enemies;
What kind of story suit them more: Angst. This two are perfect for angst, having Ismark cry the loss of Doru, or having him destroyed once he discovers that he has been turned into a spawn, something more akin to an animal than an actual human being, having them remember the time when things were easier when they were kids, or maybe, if we go for the "they got together before Doru got turned" route, then we can see them trying to navigate this new complicated relationship, be it with good or bad results;
My ranking of them as a ship: 3.5/5. I do see it and I think there is a lot of potential... but I don't romantically ship them. I think there is a much more compelling narrative if we go for 'older brother Ismark' and 'younger brother Doru', especially for Ismark, having him mourn the loss of one younger sibling in Doru which makes so his desire to protect Ireena is now even stronger. They can be a romantic ship, 100%, there is a lot of material shippers can work with when it comes to this two, but for me personally I don't see them as such.
Suggest me CoS pair and tell me why you ship them, I would love to hear your stories and your headcanons <3
