A/N: I took reflexology classes this past week. The massages fiddled with my writer's block and made me hunt for my Devil's 30-30-- the self-imposed prompts challenge, where the prompts are asked of from random friends. First hit is from the Skywalker, a title a friend holds, for Bleach, for AiGin (GinBya fans need not fear-- I'm just a Gin-all rounder). Dedicated to... uhm... well... the Skywalker... and... AiGin lovers everywhere. Idk if my Master supports AiGin, come to think of it...
Warnings: The AU cannibal-rituals. XD Shounen-ai/yaoi-- though I do think of Fem!Gin sometimes... Non-linearity, and if you've read my other hit lists, you'll know what I'm talking about. Head-canon and its craziness. References to other works of fiction, because I am so easily inspired. Sometimes. Morbid(love)ity--sue me for the . And mindbending-- in different forms.
Title Tracks: (XD New thingy!) Sacred (Tokio Hotel); Automatic (Tokio Hotel); Party in the U.S.A. (Miley Cyrus); See You Again (Miley Cyrus); Misis Fely Nimfa Ang Pangalan (Mrs. Fely Nimfa Is The Name) (Itchyworms); Bottle It Up (Sara Bareilles); When It Was Me (Paula DeAnda); That's What You Get (Paramore); Wir Sterben Niemals Aus (Tokio Hotel); Rescue Me (Tokio Hotel); Through the Monsoon (Tokio Hotel); Ready, Set, Go (Tokio Hotel)
Randomnity: Nudity gets old very quickly during massage-lessons. And yaoi only prevails if you're not concentrating. Other than that, who killed Charles Bravo? roarImustknowroar.
Enjoy... and don't forget to chew!
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The Devil's 30-30: Foul & Fair
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Hunger
When Aizen feels the sharp angles of Gin's bones, he thinks to himself that it wouldn't be a surprise if he once died from starvation. He mentions this to him, and Gin laughs.
"Might 'ave. Unwillingly or not."
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Bed
It has occured to the young shinigami that maybe not all captains invited their lieutenants to their beds.
But he dismisses this thought, as not all lieutenants have captains like Sousuke Aizen.
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System
All they had to do was push one cog out of place, and the inner workings of Seireitei would collapse. The downfall of the shinigami would be brought about by a man in search for power and the snake he hid in his sleeve for all to see.
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Net
He watches his jittery lieutenant's hands as they go through the repetitive and deceptively simple movements of knitting, and indulges in a bit of impromptu thought-diving.
The truth makes for useless connections, as it is seen and heard in so many different ways. While it is able to set others free, it might also be that which would bind them. Take oaths of allegiance or the much more common sentiment of 'I'll be there'-- with these, relationships are ruined, bonds are broken and tears and blood are shed all because two people misunderstood each other's perspectives.
Unlike lies, which can only be strengthened by each passing moment it is not revealed for what it is. When exposed, they have the power to break the same things the truth can. Only that, the surface intensity is marginally lesser. Lies cannot be dissolved. Lies can never return to the nothingness they were conjured from. Lies were forever, no matter if they existed in darkness or in light.
He gets up and leaves without a word, his feet moving left-right-left continuously, even as their destination remained unknown.
Lies, Ichimaru Gin concludes, make for better nets than truths.
So he thinks, until he arrives at the Fifth Squad's doors, and Sousuke Aizen emerges with an impossibly happy Hinamori Momo in tow.
That is when he feels as if he had fallen.
(where's the net?)
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Fire
The patient in Cell #365 was easily his favorite. He was (in)sane enough to hold long and interesting conversations with him, and he always played a good game of tri-level chess. Not even his assistants, young and (supposedly)brilliant as they were, could beat that.
Today, they were speaking about one such assistant, and her 'situation'.
"And Hinamori-chan's friend, Toushirou-san, what did he say?" Ichimaru Gin asks, peering carefully into all three levels of the field.
Sousuke Aizen laughs, and moves a pawn up one level. "He finally reached his impressive wit's end, or what passed for it, at least. He started yelling euphemisms that confused Abarai-san even more."
"Like?"
"Hmm... he said she was 'up the duff', 'eating for two'... and there was something about an oven..."
He didn't notice the glint in his patient's eyes, and half an hour later, the only oddity he could pin point was that Gin had lost more pieces than usual.
The next day, his daily visit was postponed due to the chaos created by Hinamori's sudden miscarriage. The rest of the staff had to work in re-arranged shifts, and he had to supervise almost half of them for the entire day. So when he was called to Block III, the only thought about Gin that crossed his mind was that he might not be able to visit him that day.
The psychologist who met up with him looked pale. "There's been quite a break-down in Block III," he began, "One of the patients tried to attack the nurse on duty with a fairly sharp bit of broken plastic that came from a window nearby."
"The patient's number?" There were over seventy patients in Block III. He knew most of them by face and number, as no one really had much use for their real names in this block.
"The number... ah, it's 365."
Aizen quickened his pace, reaching the familiar room in seconds. Sitting on his bed, like always, was Ichimaru Gin, his perpetual smile tinged with the insanity he was sent here for.
"Sousuke!" his smile widened in recognition, unmindful of the straight jacket pulled tight around him, and he laughed. "It's a bun! That word you missed yesterday, it was 'bun'! Hinamori-chan had a bun in the oven..." his eyes opened. They were the color of blood.
"...and I guess the fire was too much."
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Acrophobia
There is an unspoken bond between them, and it is different from all the others that they share in that it was born out of silence rather than words or feelings.
Every step towards their goal is taken with the knowledge that, when they reach the summit, they will fall.
Both were afraid-- not of falling, but of reaching a height greater than their minds could take.
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Bored
Once, as Gin and Aizen were leaving a captain's meeting, the former remarked to the latter, "The old man looks bored." Aizen asked him, "Do you want me to do something about it?". He knew Gin liked the old First Squad captain, and insisted frequently that he be entertained (whether he wanted to be or not). Gin smiled, "Would you?". Aizen said 'yes'. Gin laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Then do it!".
A few months later, entertainment came in the form of a (fake)dead captain, Kuchiki Rukia's (not)execution and the arrival of a (surprisingly powerful)substitute shinigami.
As they fled to Hueco Mundo, Gin mused about how Yamamoto-taichou didn't look so bored anymore. "I'm glad, he's got something to do now!", he'd said to Aizen, and Aizen smiled.
Needless to say, Gin's comment proved to be the understatement of the year.
Several months later, as he and Aizen strolled through the halls of Las Noches, some arrancars overheard the silver haired ex-shinigami saying, "You know, Ulquiorra looks bored..."
And Aizen, ruler of Hueco Mundo, master of Las Noches and the one all arrancars obeyed, asked him, "Do you want me to do anything about it?"
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Annoying
Contrary to popular belief, Aizen found a certain level of pleasure from irking his queen. There was always some vaguely obscene thrill when that murderous gaze was upon him.
Of course, it was common knowledge that Gin liked playing fair.
And that his definition of fair usually involved some form of mental scarring.
Ah, it was a good thing Aizen was thought of as a genius...!
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Pride
The time had come, as he knew it would, so he bent his head and bared his neck for the blade of the executioner's sword. His only thought was his only regret: he'd failed his captain, Sousuke Aizen, and now judgement would be passed.
He heard the silence of the crowd, the sound the sword made as it was unsheathed, and then the whistling of immortal steel as it moved swiftly through the air--
And suddenly, there was the sound of steel piercing the ground. A cry was torn from his would-be executioner's throat, as he realized that his hand had been cut off, as it still grasped the sword that stood hundreds of feet away.
Gin dared to look up, and his eyes widened at what he saw.
"You bow your head only to me."
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Trypanophobia
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Sleep
The fox-demon was strange, Sousuke was forced to admit. It -he- slept with its tail flung out, unlike all the foxes (and fox-demons) he'd seen in his grandfather's old paintings.
And Sousuke was a terribly curious boy, his relatives were forced to admit.
So, when he found the fox-demon asleep in front of his room (it seemed to favor him, for some reason), he submitted himself to his genetic destiny, and stroked the fox' tail.
The fox-demon opened one brilliant red eye, and stared at him. Both were frozen for what seemed like an eternity, and then--
"Old habits die hard, huh?"
The boy let out a confused 'eh', and the fox-demon laughed. And then, he reached out and pulled the boy down with him, turning him into a make-shift cuddle-pillow.
Well, Sousuke thought as he stared at the fox-demon's face from an impossibly short distance, this beats getting eaten by an angry fox-demon by a long-shot.
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Sun
Aizen wasn't surprised by the pink blush that had spread all over Gin's normally pale skin--they had spent most of yesterday lounging under the tropical sun--but he was surprised by how much it suited him.
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Necklace
When Aizen had created the Arrancars, he had another reason aside from the obvious need for obedient soldiers with higher intelligence levels.
"When they betray me," he tells Tousen, "I'll gouge their eyes out and make a necklace for Gin. Do you think he'd like it?"
Tousen didn't know whether to feel thankful for his blindness or start looking for something to replace them with.
When Aizen mentioned this conversation to Gin, Gin laughed and replied, "Thank you for the sentiments, Sousuke... but I'd much prefer their hearts, instead."
Grimmjow had accidentally overheard this exchange, and he peered down at the hole in his chest with something akin to doubt.
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Violence
They led violent lives, so they supposed that they would die as violently as well.
They didn't mind this, their only concern was whether they would die together, or by each other's hands.
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Life
Life was hard, lovers were liars, and losing either could cause a heart to break.
For Ichimaru Gin, some changes were necessary:
Life without Sousuke Aizen was hard, lovers were liars but soulmates were not, and losing either would merit many broken heads, but only willingly letting go of Sousuke Aizen could cause his heart to break.
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Young
Gin stared at the twelve-year-old in front of him, from his familiar mop of curlishly-wavy brown hair, to his intelligent (and still naive) hazel eyes, and his gangly (but promising) frame, and smiled (his tail and ears twitched happily as well).
He'd always wanted to see what his Master looked like when he was young...!
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Blue
In his final moments, Aizen could only summon one coherent train of thought, which centered around the shining orb he held in his hand: For someone with such a tainted past, Gin had a remarkably pure soul.
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Animals
The inevitable had happened. Some way or another, Gin had been injured in the battle, and Aizen hadn't gotten to him in time.
The end result was simple in its cruelty: Gin was blind.
In the days that passed, Aizen took no chances and rarely left his side. When Gin was feeling better, he'd asked Aizen if he could go outside for a while. He agreed, and called for a wheel chair.
Gin waved it off, saying, "You're enough."
As they walked through the garden, with Aizen mindful of his companion's every move, Gin asked, "What do I look like, now?"
He gently took his arm from Aizen's grip, and took a few steps forward. He turned, slowly, and stretched his arms wide.
"Do I still look like a cunning fox? Or a venomous snake? Or a malevolent monster with jagged teeth for a smile?"
Aizen was about to reply that he hadn't changed-- but he saw the lie a moment later. He stood, considering, and after a few moments, he spoke.
"You neither look like a cunning fox, nor a venomous snake, nor a malevolent monster." he paused, gauging Gin's reaction. The younger man stayed still, a sign for him to continue.
He walked towards him, and cupped his cheek.
"No... now, you are a bird of prey. With black wings and piercing talons. You may be blind, but you are no less dangerous.... no less valuable... no less beautiful than you have always been to me."
A smile made its way onto Gin's lips, and Aizen felt their world slowly mending.
It would take a while, but birds didn't learn to fly in just a day.
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Sloth
Aizen thought about it, and concluded: Gin was the symbol of the sin of sloth, all languid movements without malicious intentions...
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Wrath
...but he was also wrath, with his sharp wit and equally sharp tongue, his hidden cruelty and his perpetual smile...
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Gluttony
... while Aizen himself was both sin and sinner: his desire for power almost at par with his desire for Gin.
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Counter
They sparred with no reservation, as if it were a battle to the death, to the finish, to the grande finale.
Gin disappears to his left, and the Fifth Squad captain slashes the air to his right. As predicted, a silver blur stumbled backwards-- but then Shinsou's tip touched his neck. He smirks, with a poisoned dagger mirroring Gin's move. They faced off silently, and Aizen thought he would admit defeat, when suddenly Shinsou is sheathed and a pair of lips close over his own.
The moment is ephemeral, and soon he is on his back, a grinning Third Squad captain sitting on his chest.
"Point." Gin says, and hops off, leaving a very displeased Aizen in the dust.
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Dawn
Gin loved Hueco Mundo for a number reasons, but one of the foremost was the fact that it was a land of eternal night. There were no sunrises in Hueco Mundo.
He would be able to dream as much as he wished, and he would never have to wake up.
He doesn't notice the man watching him from a distance, and the thought that this world was created just for that reason does not cross his mind.
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Moth
It was foolish to keep on seeing him, Aizen has been told, but he knew it was even more foolish to leave him altogether.
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Theory
If he ruled the world, he would be able to protect Gin.
But if he tried to conquer the world, he would lose Gin in the process.
The question then arises, does he want to have Gin, or does he want Gin?
If he had Gin, did he need to rule the world?
If he lost Gin, would he even try?
Fundamentally, it would all come down to the eternal question:
Does he love him enough to leave him?
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Picture
Gin can never truly paint the man's expression, it was an endeavor as difficult as painting his own. Because, as they said, a picture was worth a thousand words, and their faces were made of much more than that.
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Comfort
The Arrancars never found it odd that their Master trusted no one as much as he trusted the man who could kill him in his sleep.
After all, a lesser man would try-- Ichimaru Gin would think of something better.
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Shelter
He held him in his arms, and he felt safe.
He held him in his eyes, and he felt wanted.
He held him in his heart, and he felt loved.
This man was his cage.
This man was his home.
And he was his shelter.
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Scream
His throat was sore, but as soon as he heard the foot steps, he knew his effort wouldn't be wasted.
Aizen would get there in time for the demon to calm down... after it had feasted on his blood.
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Masks
This poem upon a grave was written, and when the grave was dug up, the people discovered that there were two sets of bones within the coffin.
One was Fair,
and the other was Foul,
but
what was Fair
was actually Foul,
and
what was Foul
was actually Fair,
but then the Fairness
and the Foulness
were actually
only
Masks.
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[NOTES]
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[Hunger] - Leave it to Gin to think that death by starvation is a fun way to go. And leave it to Aizen to not be surprised. I'm not sure if they're sadistic or masochistic or both.
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[Bed] - The idea of captains bedding/being bedded by their lieutenants is prevalent in shows with said relations. Does this support the argument, 'Rules are meant to be broken'? XD But Gin is right: no one in Seireitei has a captain like Aizen. The question of anyone even wanting a captain like Aizen will not be raised.
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[System] - It's like Uno-Stacko. Or Hisoka's house of cards. Or L's sugar stack. Or the WORLD. The whole may be greater than the part, but the parts make up the whole. And there will always be people who want to beat the system. :D The more you beat it, the tougher it will be! ("A dog, a woman and a tree-- the more you beat them, the tougher they'll be." - American proverb, or so I'm told)
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[Net] - I love writing/playing Gin. There are certain levels of freedom and limitations given when one writes a character, but Gin is so much more than the outside of that box. Oh, and a couple of days ago, I couldn't sleep, so I wrote some lines-- the first of them reads 'Names have powers, and perhaps powers must have names-- I'm just not sure if we gave them the right ones'. Yeah, I go thought-diving when insomnia strikes.
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[Fire] - Inspired by the KHR XS-fic I was reading while writing this fic ('Family' by Yami Dragonness of Dark). The main image of this shot was Gin waving to Hinamori as she lay in a pool of her own blood. XD I'm biased, and I hate Hinamori Momo to bits and pieces. And somehow my love for AiGin got incorporated into it, along with the idea of an asylum with Gin in it.
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[Acrophobia] - Of course, the traitors are more afraid of doing more than what they intended than they are afraid of falling. Fittingly, acrophobia is the fear of HEIGHTS. Thank you, Skywalker.
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[Bored] - Because I just had to stake my claim on the 'What Really Spurred Aizen to Take Over the World'-debate XD. And I harbor the belief that Aizen would do most anything for Gin. Could also be taken in the luffy-dovey way. And also, my head-canon says Gin likes Yamajii (he likes anyone parental... and if you like Pre-betrayal Aizen, who is somehow fatherly, I guess this counts as an Elektra-complex???).
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[Annoying] - Aizen sometimes gets off on 'vaguely obscene thrills'. XD But Gin isn't the type to take anything lying down! Cut to the sexual-innuendo theme song, Careless Whisper. *tenenen-ten-teeenenen-ten* And Aizen is smart-----enough to withstand Gin's assault.
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[Pride] - Head-canon also dictates that Gin is more likely to submit to justice than Aizen. And that Aizen is possessive bastard who likes to be dramatic.
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[Trypanophobia]
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[Sleep] - ALERT!!THIS IS CONNECTED TO [YOUNG] & [BLUE]!!ALERT *the not-beginning* Actually...? This is part of a short (definitely not explainable--LOL) trilogy of shots. Gin's a fox demon (props to Toui Hasumi's 'Because of Family Circumstances I Became A Fox' - in 'Gyoukusenbou Yawa'), Sousuke is Aizen's reincarnation, and hugs beat eating. :D But what about biting??? D:
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[Sun] - Sadism, thy name is Aizen Sousuke. But, a blushing Gin is a sight to see...
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[Necklace] - I like to traumatize people in my fics, isn't it obvious? And I'd always wondered about that hole in Grimm's chest... (has Tite Kubo given any canon-word of god here? If he has, my apologies-- as with VK, I only receive Bleach related news through my friend... and usually, I only ask if Gin/Aizen/Uryuu had died) Inspiration alert in the form of that funny pic with Gin and Aizen playing EXTREME!Rock-Papers-Scissors, with Aizen playing through said object of wonder.
Also, AiGin is heavily twisted in and by my noggen. Ain't it a cryin' shame? (grins)
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[Violence] - Cue quote resurfacing: "He who lives by the gun will die by the vodka martini (sic)." I guess this answers the question, but I still don't get it. :P
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[Life] - Hmmm. I romanticized Gin. Hmmmmm. L-words.
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[Young] - ALERT!!HAPPENS PRIOR TO [SLEEP]!!ALERT *and the madness continues* Aizen as a kid is just too cute. And Gin admiring this fact is also too cute. LET THEM BE CUTE. LOL.
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[Blue] - ALERT!!HAPPENS PRIOR TO [YOUNG]!!ALERT *you guys ready to kill me yet?* I do so love my non-linear narratives. And yes, GIN HAS A PURE SOUL. Though, not in the 'good' sense. XP And Aizen is about to transfer Gin's soul to another vessel... which just happened to be a fox. This is probably the very *to the nth power* beginning of the fox-demon chronicles.
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[Animals] - 'Tuesday at Caritas' inspired the blinding. And if you think about it, foxes, snakes and 'malevolent monsters' do rely on 'sight' to convey their existence. But Gin is not made of 'sight' alone. Kudos to Sanzo of Saiyuki for the inspiration with regards to the birds.
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[Sloth] - Skywalker kills me here. See my death petering out through the ellipses? But yeah... as snake-like as Gin is, his movements are mostly seen as 'lazy'.
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[Wrath] - ...and his everything else just screams 'bloodtorturepain'.
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[Gluttony] - But only Aizen can bake his cake and eat it, too. :D
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[Counter] - Because our boys deserve to play nice once in a while. And because every military-oriented pair needs to have a spar-fic/facsimile of such.
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[Dawn] - Is this within Bleach-canon? I have this nagging feeling that it isn't, and that I'm leeching off Beauty and the Beast. Inspiration alert in the form of Gin in Hueco Mundo-fanarts.
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[Moth] - Drawn like a moth to a flame, damned if you do and damned if you don't. The underlying notions ruled this shot.
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[Theory] - Final lines based off my VK-oriented thoughts of the KanZe relationship, wherein Kaname loves Zero enough to leave him, but not enough to stay. And really, Aizen needs to make a choice. Not between power and Gin, but between now and the future. As much as I would love for them to stay together, I much prefer 'the certainty of a year' over 'the promises of the [uncertain] future'. Props to 'Nee, Sensei' by Sakuragi Yaya.
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[Picture] - There is something to be said about lovers who know everything about each other, and those who do not. Problem is, words are never enough to convey certain meanings.
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[Comfort] - I half-hate the way this one came out. It's supposed to say that Aizen trusts Gin ultimately, because he can't. Urgh. Yet another failure. :
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[Shelter] - I veered away from houses and similes and opted for abstracts. Geezuz. Gotta get me some more AiGin.
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[Scream] - Somehow, SpyKids2: Island of Dreams (???sic???) needs to be credited here, because that's where I got the idea of sacrifices (mainly, Juni's 'my precious'-Golum imitation). But yeah, Gin sacrifices himself for Aizen. Someone out there will roll their eyes and say 'Doesn't he always?', and I will cringe.
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[Masks] - I typed this shot too many times, because the prompt is so general it attacked me from different dimensions. XD So I settled for some wordplay. And mindbending. :D
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A/N: My naming sense still sucks the big one. XP But do my AiGin-writing skills do the same? Review and tell me how you feel. Oh, and swallow! XD