Bleach Halloween Exchange

Two Important Points

2006-12-01T23:29:44Z

There are two main points to today's post, so I'll break this up into two sections appropriately:

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I. NO CHRISTMAS EXCHANGE

Yes, you read that right. The major Christmas bleach_exchange will not be happening. It's been a month since Halloween, and we're still missing at least 2 gifts, one from somebody who was overdue but said they would still be posting theirs, and one back-up. Now, even if those gifts were posted by the end of the weekend, I have to be able to hold sign-ups for at least a week (and we'd have to pimp this out massively during that time because a week is not a long time), meaning that by the time sign-ups close and assignments are sent out, it'd be only about two weeks until Christmas.

Now, I know that last year, we allowed gift-posting from December 24th until January 7th, and while I have no problem doing that again because it's unreasonable to expect everyone to post their gift(s) on a single day, this is a Christmas exchange, so ideally, the gifts would be posted on Christmas, or as close to then as possible. Now, I know that for a few of you, getting something done in two weeks is not a problem, but for most of you, I know that if there's only two weeks between assignments going out and Christmas, you're not going to have it done -- especially considering that you guys had a maximum of 5 weeks for the Halloween exchange, and only HALF the gifts had been posted on November 7th. I don't want a repeat of that experience -- if we're going to hold a Christmas exchange, then I want everyone to aim to post their gifts on Christmas if at all possible. The two weeks after that are really just a buffer period in case anything happens to prevent you from posting on Christmas.

So no Christmas exchange, and yes, this decision is pretty much final.

This isn't the end of bleach_exchange, though. I'm not ready to give up quite yet. If we're not having a Christmas exchange, then I'd like to go all-out and make the Valentine's exchange our big exchange. My idea is to hold sign-ups ASAP, have a fairly long sign-up period, and hopefully get assignments out around the start of Winter Break (for those of you living in the Northern Hemisphere), so that the most enterprising and on-the-ball participants can make use of the holiday time to get a head start on their writing if they so desire. Also, by having a pretty long time until February, we could make gifts due a week early (say, February 7th) to ensure that everything actually gets posted on Valentine's Day.

However, if we do that instead, then there are some issues that would need to be addressed, which is why I'm posting. If you care at all about how this exchange is going to be run/set up, then please, please, please comment with your ideas/suggestions/feedback. The concerns are as follows:

1. One other reason for making the Valentine's exchange our big exchange is that it was arguably the most successful of our mini-exchanges (although the April Fools exchange wasn't bad either). However, as you recall, the Valentine's exchange was a romance-themed exchange -- which does make sense in the context of the holiday. In most cases, this still wouldn't be a problem, as the majority of our (non-themed) Christmas exchange participants last year requested pairing-related stuff. Still, there are three potential problems here:
- Some people do enjoy gen fic/art/stuff, but if we're going to require everything to be pairing-based, then they wouldn't be allowed to request those.
- Some fanartists have trouble drawing couples, or drawing them in such a way as to suggest romance (or at least platonic feelings or somesuch), which is kind of the point of a romance-themed exchange.
- Again, if we're going to have a mandatory theme, fanartists and writers who find they have trouble with their requestee's pairings can't use gen fic as a Plan B (or "cop-out" if you want to be blunt) if they just can't manage to make the romance work.
> Any thoughts on any of these issues, or ideas/suggestions on how to counter/prevent them from being a problem?
2. One other thing to bear in mind is that bleach_exchange was originally not only for fanart and fanfics, but also for things like icons, LJ layouts, and moodthemes -- which is pretty different from most other challenges and exchanges, which are only for fanfics or fanart and fanfics. I did this because I think that being able to manipulate images and graphics really well is a talent that deserves to be celebrated just as much as writing and drawing; not everyone can draw, and not everyone can write. However, we didn't include the graphics in any of the mini-exchanges because, logistically, they did create a lot of trouble in terms of determining assignments, because lots of people only offered to do graphics and lots of people only requested fanfics and fanart. However, I did intend to bring the graphics back into the mix for the Christmas exchange. But if we're not holding one, I feel like they're getting the short end of the stick, because they haven't been allowed to participate in a year.
Theoretically, of course, there's nothing to say that we wouldn't be able to include them in the Valentine's exchange, but having some experience with graphics myself, I know it isn't easy to suggest romance where it really isn't always there. After all, Bleach, as a shounen manga, doesn't have many, if any, canon pairings, and from my experience, a good portion (if not the majority) of our regular participants support pairings that are not even almost-canon. Is it possible to suggest a pairing like Urahara/Ichigo using only existing images? How would you show Ikkaku/Yumichika, in a romantic way and not just as friends? I welcome any thoughts here, though especially anyone reading this who would only be able to offer graphics, I want your insight.
3. I have previously played with the idea of, at some point, trying a "reverse" exchange of sorts where, instead of me assigning you the person I think can best handle your requests, we either post "ads" with everyone's requests and then each participant tells me which person's requests they would like to be assigned (like naruto_wishlist did last year, I believe), or where we post "ads" with what everyone is capable of/willing to write/draw/make/etc. and then each participant picks which person they'd like to do their gift, with specific requests based on what that person offered (like what yaoi_challenge is doing for its Valentine's Day), or something along those lines. This could potentially make the logistics of assigning people a little easier, but I want to see how people feel about us possibly mixing things up a bit before I run too far with this idea. So, speak up! Be honest! Would you like us to stay with our current way of doing things, which has essentially stayed the same for all four exchanges, or would you be open to us trying a different approach at least this one time?

All comments/thoughts/questions/concerns/insights/ideas/suggestions are welcome. Since we're still waiting on the last Halloween gifts, we've got time to talk it out and see how everyone feels about this. So, talk!

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II. GIVING THANKS & FEEDBACK

My other point for this entry was to bring attention to something that I think is one of the things that we, as a community, still REALLY need to work on. I recently went through all of the Halloween submissions and found that, for a good half or so, the recipient had not left a comment thanking their secret ghoul/santa/person for their gift. Since there were only a couple of people that have been completely MIA, there should be NO REASON why this is the case. I know that a lot of the time, the gift you got probably wasn't anything like what you were expecting, but in a way, that's the beauty of this process, and anyway, even if you were a bit disappointed, there's still no reason not to thank your santa for going to the effort of making your gift for you -- because they probably did go to a lot of effort to make this gift for you. bleach_exchange isn't just any challenge community -- we're all about the joy of giving something hand-made to a stranger (or, in a few cases, a friend who wasn't expecting it). So even if they didn't interpret your request in the way you hoped they would, if nothing else, GIVE THANKS. It takes, what, five seconds to post a comment with "Thank you! ♥"? Probably even less than that for some of you.

Aside from that, there's also no reason not to give feedback on gifts that weren't made for you. Some of the gifts have less than 5 comments (some of them have NONE) and, with a good 150 watchers, I see no reason why this should be the case. Yesterday, amanuensis1 posted what I thought was an excellent post about taking the time to give feedback as a kind of Christmas gift. Not only are you probably giving someone warm fuzzies, but your insights might spark their imagination and help them become a better writer/artist in the future.

Think about how feedback makes you feel and how nice it'd be to have someone say, "My fandom world is better because this story was written and I got to read it."

Her post anticipates the posting of the results of Christmas exchanges all around, and true, we're not having one, but I think this applies to all exchanges; there's no reason why you can't go back even as far as last year's exchange and comment on some of the gifts you think are really nice. Those gifts are still here in our archives; they don't just disappear after the exchange is over! So take some time out this Christmas and comment on some of the past submissions that you really enjoyed. In the next week or so, I'll (finally) be updating the memories, cleaning up the tags, adding new tags (by pairing, character, author, AND recipient -- yes, we'll be creating a HUGE index), so it'll be even easier to find fics/art/icons you'll enjoy. In other words, no excuse for not leaving feedback!

---

I think I've gone on long enough. I'm sorry for spamming your flists; I'd lj-cut but both points are ones I think are really important for people to read. Anyway, take some time to respond to my queries in (I) and some time to think about my points in (II). I'll be eagerly awaiting your responses.

Thanks!

Fanart for jaina

2006-11-27T01:08:03Z

Title: Here, Let Me Help
For: jaina
Characters: Hollow Ichigo, Ichigo, anyone important on his life (taking control)
Genre: Um... horror? I'm so bad at this XD
Rating: buh. x_X G? Pg? XD No one's hurt, /yet/!
Notes: Back-up for bleach_exchange! I uh, had a great idea for this in my head, then artists block hit, and I tried to make it best I could! I hope you like it! I would have drawn an actual background but since that might take me 3 more days, I used a photomanip. *embarrassed*

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/43720205/

Fic for perouze

2006-11-22T20:29:54Z

Title: Bad Luck
Author: aviss
Giftee: perouze
Characters: Urahara Kisuke/Shihouin Yuroichi, Kurosaki Isshin
Genre: Drama, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Words: 4.229
Disclaimer: I wish they were mine, but alas! I can only play with Kubo Tite's toys…
Summary: Mistakes, secrets and things left unsaid. No even a centuries old relationship can survive that.
Notes: Back-up for bleach_exchange, sorry for the delay. Request: Urahara, Yoruichi, black cat. I hope this fits the requirements.

Link to my journal

[FIC] For aviss

2006-11-21T06:03:35Z

Title: Chronicle of a Thought
For: aviss
Request: Matsumoto, Gin, Hitsugaya - loyalty; I'm all for smut (slash or het, I don't care) but it's not compulsory, and I apreciate angst and unhappy endings. If you make me cry, I will love you for eternity.
Genre: angst, contemplation
Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry that this is so short and so late, and I hope that I at least fulfilled some of your request. I had started with a brilliant idea, but I'm afraid the fic doesn't capture it the way I'd hoped. In any case, a belated Hallowe'en to you.

She had never trusted him.

Fanart for esotaria

2006-11-18T11:42:12Z

Title: Full Moon
For: esotaria
Request: Wonderwyce, Ururu, prompt: full moon
Characters: Wonderwyce, Ururu, Jinta
Warning: None
Rating: G
Notes: T_T I'm so terribly sorry this is so late! I hope you like it anyway.

First Back-Up Requests Are Out

2006-11-15T21:59:00Z

After waiting several days for more clear responses from people on what they want me to do regarding their missing gifts, I've just send out the first two requests for back-ups to http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bleach_exchange_backups/ (Remember that if you're at all interested in helping out with the missing gifts, you should join that Y! Group.)

Those two pinch-hit requests were for assignees whose Secret Santas have been totally MIA -- their gifts are still missing and even though I e-mailed them several times, they have not responded at all to let me know they are still working or whatever, in which case I can only assume that it's time to call on our back-ups.

Aside from those two, we still have 5 missing gifts:
- 2 from people who said they were working/almost finished with theirs and would post them last week (I know shyunpo is having problems with a virus, but I can't wait forever...?)
- 1 from a person who said they'd worked on theirs but wasn't finished and wasn't clear with me on what they wanted me to do (switch to a back-up or wait for them to finish)
- 1 from a person whose computer is out and who has no access to a scanner or camera -- although I can understand how this is a problem, I still can't wait forever
- 1 from a person who posted their gift, except that the link didn't work and they didn't even specify their recipient

I'm in the process of contacting these individuals. If you think you're one of the people mentioned above -- PLEASE RESPOND TO ME ASAP. I NEED to know what you want me to do. I understand that there's problems that you may not be able to do anything about, but I can't wait forever; that's not fair to your recipient, and not fair to the people who would like to get on with the Christmas exchange. If a back-up is going to have to be called on, I'd rather do it sooner than later. So please, please, please get in touch with me ASAP.

As for the many, many people whose gifts were posted late, I know that some of you contacted me with viable reasons for not being able to post sooner, asking me to reconsider the decision to ban you. While I know that there is such a thing as real life and that bleach_exchange may not be your #1 priority in the face of other things, and that power outtages and natural disasters happen, but unless you have no access to computers or Internet at all, there is no reason why you couldn't have sent me a quick e-mail earlier on to tell me that there's something going on and that you may not be able to get your gift in on time. I've stressed all along that I have NO PROBLEM with things being turned in late or whatever so long as you COMMUNICATE with me along the way, BEFORE the final deadline. Seriously, it wouldn't have taken you five minutes to shoot me a message and I would've been perfectly okay with it. So all I can tell you at this point is that my co-mods and I will be discussing it and making these decisions on a case-by-case basis, and if we can't agree, we may ask for some outside opinions. Nothing has been decided yet; I'm waiting to see if I hear from the last of the missing people before I have a sit-down with the other mods and we examine all the cases.

I have no updates on what we're doing about the Christmas exchange. All I can tell you is that, at this point, if there even is one, there will be some strict quality control guidelines and several check-ups along the way. I was hoping not to have to baby people, but if that's what it's going to take to prevent a mess like this one from ever happening again, then I will do it.

That's all I have in terms of updates. People who still owe gifts, please please please get in touch. Everyone else, just hang tight or volunteer as a back-up. People who haven't received anything, my deepest apologies to you. Hopefully you'll finally be receiving something within the next few days.

FANFIC: "In the Vice" (Ishida, Mayuri, Orihime) for _debbiechan_

2006-11-15T21:30:38Z

I was hoping this person would be able to post their gift themselves, but they apparently have been having some problems getting online. They did post this at their personal journal, though, and I'm assuming it's complete. I'm just linking this to their journal; all the information below is from there.

Title: In the Vice
For: debbiechan (_debbiechan_)
Request: Bondage
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Ishida Uryuu with mentions of Mayuri and Orihime
Genre(s): Angst/ Horror-ish
Warning(s): mind torture
Rating: R

( He was deeply terrified of becoming only a head, just like Sozen )

Sorry for the lateness

2006-11-14T06:46:05Z

Hey there. I realize I'm late but I still am going to post my gift. So here it is.
Title: Forgotten Memories.
For: Susako
Request: Gin, Rangiku, Aizen, Toushire (spying)
Characters: Gin, Rangiku, Aizen
Genre: Suspence
Warning: None
Rating: G

bleach_exchange @ 2006-11-12T15:55:00

2006-11-12T23:55:33Z

Title: Torch
For: bittering
Request: Ishida vs Ichigo's Hollow. (angst/horror/violence/gore)
Characters: see above
Genre: angst/action
Warnings: abruptly breaks from canon at chapter 248; mild spoilers for current events
Rating: mild R for violence
Notes: My apologies for the extreme lateness of this submission; I was originally working on a different prompt but realized at the last minute that I would never finish it on time and decided to pick this one, since it would be shorter, and finish the long one at a later point in time. The short one still took too long to write, however. So, once again, my apologies. Thanks to esotaria for helping me with my Ishida characterization.
Word count: 2583

---

He fought alone.

Uryuu was no stranger to pairing up with a comrade in a fight; he had never forgotten the purity of two bows ringing out as one, never forgotten the experience of fighting beside one of like mind -- though the hollows he had tested his powers on as a child were nothing compared to the creatures he faced now, and he had never fought as an equal with Ishida Souken. But still, he had never forgotten that feeling as the years passed, and the times he fought beside another as their equal in the present were moments of fierce joy, of comradeship and trust, even if on some occasions that trust was one that existed only in a temporary truce between himself as a Quincy and one who would call himself shinigami.

This time, Ishida fought alone because of that trust. It would remain strong despite the fact that no one ran at his side, despite the fact that he heard no cries of rage or triumph beyond his own and those of his opponents.

It was vitally necessary that this trust be held dear and deep -- that each of them could trust the others to fight alone and survive so that they could return to the human world or Soul Society. Despite his longing to make a stinging comment at the expense of one of the shinigami -- it wouldn't do to let them believe that he was not their superior in this situation -- he had held his tongue, in interests of strengthening that trust.

The betrayal of that trust was why they were here in the first place; that they -- and Ishida did not include himself among their number, for he had not been present when the incident had occurred, and he would never have condoned such actions and words that had apparently been spoken -- had refused to extend that trust to Inoue was the reason she had been placed in such a vulnerable position. Their foolishness in not extending that trust and comradeship was the reason that she had been alone, the reason that she had been captured by the Arrancar and taken to this hell that was Hueco Mundo.

Ishida would never have been so foolish as to discount Inoue's power; he had witnessed her determination to be of use to her friends during their mission in Soul Society, and he respected her strength of will. That this trip to Hueco Mundo to rescue her was necessary at all was the result of typical Shinigami stupidity -- never considering the strengths of others and their ability to assist, never considering that others might have different ways to fight alongside them.

Shinigami stupidity seemed an apt way to describe the past four months of Ishida's life, and he wasn't certain that he especially liked it. Too much had changed for him to contemplate that right now, however; he pulled himself out of the circular thoughts which had been so easy to slip into as he ran.

Now he had only to concentrate on the running and the fighting, never forgetting his ultimate goal -- that he would find and penetrate the heart of Las Noches, taking out any that stood in his path. Every gained meter of distance made his certainty grow deeper: this barren land was his perfect battleground. Here, he would prove to the Arrancar and to Aizen that it was not the Shinigami, but instead the Quincy that they should beware.

Here, he would prove that--

He would prove that--

Prove that--

"What... happened here?" Long fingers curled into fists at his side as Ishida's strides slowed; ahead of him lay a doorway that was no different from the others he had passed through into chambers both strange and mundane -- layouts disadvantageous to his type of fighting, those whose structures made all of his moves in battle bend and refract in directions which imperiled himself as well as his opponent -- and all of them dead, dead white, rooms in which Ishida faded into the walls, his skin, hair, and his opponent's blood the only colors he could count upon to relieve the blank sterility. The doorway was the same -- but beyond it lay only destruction.

A battle had been fought here, before his arrival? But he'd felt and heard nothing, sensed no reiatsu of the caliber that was surely necessary to caught the tumbled pillars and broken stones which lay on the other side of the portal.

His footsteps seemed unusually loud in his ears as he approached, then paused before the entrance to the chamber. Something wrong had happened here. He could sense nothing -- see nothing but the scattered ruins on the other side -- hear nothing but his own breath slipping from his lungs, his own shoes on a smooth floor.

Why was he hesitating? So what if a battle had been fought here? With no recent traces of reiatsu clinging to the shattered stones before him, the fight had taken place long before his arrival even in Hueco Mundo, let alone in this world of endless corridors and battles. That Aizen obviously had issues with his contractor when it came to effecting repairs should be of no concern to him.

Ignoring his unease, Ishida walked forward, preparing himself to begin running again once he stepped down into the room proper -- he could see his path across the debris-strewn floor already, and he would hardly need to slow himself over-much; enough time had been wasted here already in his hesitation to enter this abandoned battleground. It was not until he stepped down from cracked pale stone and his heel made contact with the scarred floor of the room that he felt it -- a shuddering rush of ice-cold energy that enveloped him and burned his senses as he crossed the barrier that, until his entrance, he had been completely unable to sense.

Gasping as his mind briefly reeled from the stinging sensation that seared his nerves, Ishida stumbled and tried to catch himself on the arched doorway, and found his hand repelled from the stone, the same cold sensation threatening fingertips which snatched themselves away in self-defense without his conscious permission.

The barrier, however, was the furthest thing from his mind, registering only in the back of his mind as an obstacle which defined the limits of his battlefield -- for battlefield this surely still was. The supposed lack of reiatsu in the area of destruction around him could only have been due to the barrier, for now that he had entered it, Ishida's senses were nearly overwhelmed by the dark, hungry energy that permeated the broken arena and the traces beneath it that were all too familiar to him.

Kurosaki had been here.

Ishida's realization was interrupted even as he regained his footing, his vision clearing for a mere half-second before the pain hit him, spreading through his side as he threw himself aside not even catching a glimpse of the assailant whose presence had alerted itself to his senses only just in time. It was reflex that saved him from being smashed into a broken pillar, reflex that caused him to pull reishi from the air and catch himself, using hirenkyaku to speed his steps as he dodged a second anticipated attack which never materialized.

The footing here was dangerously unpredictable and uneven, debris keeping him from moving too swiftly in order to avoid a fall which would surely be disastrous, he realized as he came to a stop next to the far wall, finally able to catch a glimpse of the opponent whose presence had been obscured to him until now.

It wasn’t an Arrancar, he realized as the creature moved from the position it had landed in, turning to face him leisurely. Nothing of this creature seemed particularly humanoid -- nor was it bothering with the introductions and prideful boasting that his prior opponents had favored. But surely it was no ordinary Hollow, if it existed in these halls -- if it had been able to come so close to him without his noticing until it had nearly been too late. Ishida resisted the urge to touch his side, ignoring the pain of the light gashes that the hollow's claws had scored over his ribs. That had been far too close, despite his success in dodging the majority of the attack.

Damn Kurosaki -- had he come through here, fought, and then left this creature alive? It figured that Ishida would have to clean up after his irresponsible acts. Later, he would take the pseudo-shinigami to task for this. Later, because right now, he could hardly afford not to concentrate on this battle. The hollow was not going to stand still watching him forever.

It bothered him that it made no attempt to speak, no attempt to move. It was simply watching him, tail lashing lazily from side to side. Most likely, it was sizing him up and deciding if he would be adequate prey for its claws. Foolish creature. He'd been able to defeat Arrancar earlier; this simple monster would surely be no match for him. It would be an easy kill, he thought, reaching up to adjust his glasses with his left hand as he summoned his bow into existence with his right. Take it out now, and continue on with his mission. A minor obstacle, Ishida thought, pulling his bow back, sighting on the creature. Take it out swiftly, and that would be the end, he thought as he fired.

In the moment between his brain ordering the release of the attack and that order reaching his fingertips, the hollow moved.

Not even hirenkyaku was fast enough for him to avoid the hollow's descent -- not even that could keep Ishida from taking the brunt of the hollow's blow, grotesque clawed hand closing around his arm and shoulder, jerked off of the ground and tossed across the room as if he was no more than a child's toy. His reishi arrow streaked away, hitting the wall, scattering fragments of shattered stone and dust as he himself slammed into a pillar, impact crushing the air from his lungs as he slid down to the floor.

The expected deathblow as he struggled to his knees never fell. Fighting to regain vision blurred with pain and disoriented by the aftereffects of his skull making contact with white stone, Ishida knew that with the same certainty he felt that the dull iron taste in his mouth was his own blood that the hollow was only toying with him. It could have killed him with that blow, rather than spinning his thin body across dusty air. The only reason it had not was that it was playing with him.

Playing with him. This thing that was not even an Arrancar, just a regular Hollow -- why was it giving him so much trouble? Why was it so fast? It made no sense, he thought, pushing himself up onto his knees so that he could stand.

His knees and hands were wet. Staring at them, he realized too late what it was that was staining them, too late what the odd softness of his landing after falling from the wall had meant.

So this was what Arrancar looked like, in death, in their own world, the dispassionate side of his mind murmured, the part that was not horrified by the congealed blood that painted his hands and left the purity of his Quincy battle uniform stained and violated, the part that did not flinch away from the unnatural positions of broken, stretched limbs. It smelled, he realized, eyes taking in and rejecting the sweeping curve and trail that was the creature's intestines spread across the floor.

He'd seen worse, he told himself as he levered himself up into a standing position, tearing his eyes away from the broken body he'd landed upon. He'd seen worse -- and he might see even worse in the future. He might suffer even worse as well, he realized, for the arrancar's body was marked not just by a blade but by claws -- and clinging to the edges of its wounds were traces of a power he was fast growing too familiar with.

Why did the dead arrancar bear injuries that bore the traces of both Kurosaki and the hollow which was toying with him?

There was no time for questions and thoughts of this or what it might mean. No time when every missed moment meant that he was in danger. Seeking out the hollow, his eyes swept across the expanse of the wide chamber -- where was it? Where had it gone? Was it hiding now, among the broken pillars? Was it stalking him, now, so that it could bat him across the room again like a bored cat with a frantic captive mouse?

If the hollow thought it could get away with this, it was dead wrong, Ishida snarled mentally as he summoned his bow again, seeking out his prey. There. There it was, in the far corner, leaning over another broken, bloodied body -- he ignored the sick feeling which rose in his stomach as he realized that the body was wholly missing a head, but he kept himself from looking away as the hollow hunched over the body, clawed hands closing around the hilt of a black sword and pulling it free of the dead arrancar's chest where it had been lodged.

A black sword.

No. No, no no. That wasn't possible.

That wasn't poss--

The thought was cut off, just as Ishida's breath was, by the clawed hand about his throat that lifted him off the floor, pressed him back against the pillar he'd collided with only moments before.

Staring down at the creature which had him in its grasp, he noticed with an odd detachment that it was standing in the guts of the arrancar it had no doubt slaughtered. That the strange, bright color of its fur -- hair? -- was familiar, as familiar as the back of a student who sat two rows in front of him for three months, as familiar as spiritual energy which screamed its presence in every room it entered. That it was still holding that black sword, that black sword with the angular hilt and broken, trailing chain, the black sword that he knew, though he desperately tried to deny it, was Kurosaki's zanpakutou.

He knew that he couldn’t allow himself to be frozen by observations that made no sense when collated together -- that he had to disregard the absurd notion that presented itself, screaming, at the forefront of his mind. He had to disregard it, he thought as he stared down at the hollow as it raised him higher, as he stared down the length of its arm and into a face that seemed to bear no intelligence, as he waited for the taunts and torture that had to begin, and it merely stared at him, and breathed.

"That's not possible," Ishida tried to gasp, but his voice was as denied to him as the simple act of drawing air into his lungs, and as his vision began to blur, all he could focus on was blood-black eyes with irises that shone bright as a torch in the night as they bore into his own, and the undeniable knowledge that somewhere, in some distant place, Kurosaki was screaming his name.

---

terribly sorry

2006-11-11T17:08:02Z

I'm terribly sorry for being late but my life went crazy lately. Here's pic someone requested- it was renji/leather/chains

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/42730828/?&q=by%3Amuckcracker+in%3Ascraps&qh=sort%3Atime

I'm sorry once againTT.TT

Fanfic for gzan_shadowstar

2006-11-11T12:18:53Z

Title: Bittersweet
For: gzan_shadowstar
Request: Kira, Shuuhei - Darkness/Shadows [angst/dark-fic]
Characters: Kira, Shuuhei
Genre: Angst
Warning: Mild spoilers for SS arc; some bad language; a very pathetic attempt at smut.
Rating: R
Word count: 1,241
Notes: I'm really, really sorry to be posting this so late -- I've had my hands full with a personal problem, so I only got around to finishing this tonight. Nonetheless, I hope you like it, hon! *hugs*

It seemed chaos would plague Seiretei for a long time to come. The Central 46 had been assassinated. Three prominent captains had turned out to be traitors and fled to the elusive Hueco Mundo, leaving nothing but shambles and disarray in their wake. The Sougyoku had been destroyed and the Hougyoku, an artifact of insane power, had been claimed by the traitors. A vice-captain struggled between life and death, with fate more uncertain than ever. And now, a second vice-captain had gone missing.

No-one had seen Kira Izuru in more than ten days. The blonde vice-captain seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no trace or clue as to where he might have gone. The third division had been in an uproar ever since. Several other divisions had been searching high and low, with seemingly no success.

Until…

“Rukongai…?”

Hisagi narrowed his eyes as he scanned the rest of the report. “District 69?” he muttered, his brows knitting together in a deep frown. “Kira, why would you…?”

The report was inconsistent to say the least. According to it, several members of the 9^th division had seen someone resembling to the missing vice-captain in the 69^th district of Rukongai. Hisagi sighed, making the small candle set on the desk before him flicker and cast strange shadows on the wall. Word of this would surely reach the other divisions soon enough – and if they acted brashly, there was a high risk that they would lose Kira again.

There was no time to waste. He had to act on his own before it would be too late.

As he sped towards his goal, his long, gray cloak billowing behind him, Hisagi let his thoughts wander. District 69. A small, but decadent place, with crumbling shacks and dishearten denizens who hid their misery underneath fake smiles. It was a strange coincidence that Kira had chosen to take shelter in the very place that Hisagi had come to loathe throughout the years. The numbers etched in his skin were a vivid reminder of this place. He had grown up here. He had sworn never to set foot here again.

But that was then. Now, he had too important a task at hand to consider his own wants. He had to find a comrade. He had to sway him. He had to show him that there was more to living than being someone else’s complacent marionette. And for the sake of his fellow Shinigami – his friend – he prayed to whatever deity would be kind enough to listen that he would succeed.

Hisagi came to a sudden stop and pulled back the hood of his cloak. Sure enough, the place hadn’t changed much from the way he recalled it to be. If anything, the buildings looked slightly more derelict, and the stench of decay in the air had grown slightly thicker. As always at such a late hour at night, there was no soul in sight.

There was, however, a faint trace of spiritual energy, which Hisagi immediately recognized as being Kira’s. Strange enough, the trail lead off to the dark forests surrounding the district, and Hisagi followed it, letting out just a hint of his own reiatsu to let the other know that he was coming. Kira’s reiatsu vanished right away. Hisagi let out a small sigh, turned around and headed off into the woods.

After more than an hour of wandering around, the searched had turned up nothing. Hisagi leaned his back against a tree trunk, wincing as he felt a few splinters cut through the thick fabric of his cloak, and rubbed his temples as he pondered what to do next. Kira was around here, somewhere; that, at least, was unquestionable. Still, the vice-captain of the third division was quite an elusive prey. He’d find him though. He had to. If anything--

“What are you doing here?”

The small, but determined voice made Hisagi snap out of his thoughts and instinctively reach for his zanpaku-to before recognizing the all-too-familiar silhouette that had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

The man standing before him looked nothing like the vice-captain he had come to know. In a matter of days, Kira had changed nearly beyond recognition. His long, blonde hair fell in greasy locks about his face, his eyes were wide open and had a dangerous glint to them and his entire frame seemed to tremble. Still, his voice was steady as he spoke next, “What do you want from me, Shuuhei?”

Hisagi swallowed, feeling his throat go suddenly dry. He hardly ever felt at loss, but this time everything depended on what he would say next. The slim vice-captain seemed quite easy to overpower, but even so, this was a dangerous game. If he restrained Kira and brought him back to Soul Society as he was now, there was no telling how it would affect his already shattered mind. Deciding against this option, Hisagi straightened up. “I was… worried about you,” he said finally.

It felt strange to state one’s feelings so bluntly, but it seemed to do the trick. Kira’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Why?” His voice shook slightly.

“Because…” Hisagi’s voice trailed off. What could he have said? “Because I didn’t want you to hurt yourself just because your puppet master decided to drop the strings.”

Hisagi felt a strong urge to slap his forehead even before the last word left his mouth. Kira took a step back as though stricken by a blow and raised his hands to his face, his fingers trembling violently.

“I… he’s… gone!” he stammered. “Gone… Why? After everything… after everything I’ve done for him… I did everything! Everything! And still… why? Why?” The last word came out as a strangled cry as Kira dropped to his knees, his face buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking. “Why…?” he repeated more softly, his voice strained.

“Kira…”

I shouldn’t have said it. Fuck. Fuck. He’d done it despite himself. And now, he had a broken, sobbing wreck of a man to bring back from the precipices of madness. How he’d do that was a prominent mystery.

Unless…

No. That would never—

Yes it would. It had to.

Slowly, cautiously, Hisagi approached the sobbing vice-captain. It felt weird, and for a second he wondered whether he, too, had lost all traces of sanity. Kira seemed oblivious to his approach, still crying, still lost. Hisagi dropped to his knees next to him and put his hands around his shoulders, pulling him into a light embrace. “Ssh… It’s all right. It’s going to be all right.”

“How? How could it ever be all right, with – with him gone?”

“He’s not everything in this world.”

Kira looked up, tears hanging from his long lashes, his expression utterly confused. “He’s… not?”

Hisagi ran his fingers through Kira’s matted hair and leaned in closer. “No. He’s definitely - not.”

And then, before either men realized it, they were kissing – timidly at first, both drinking in the new sensations, then wildly, passionately, shaky hands rummaging over the rough material of their robes and then underneath, ravaging, caressing, until nothing made sense any more…

…It was much later.

“You don’t have to worry about him any more. I’ll protect you.”

Kira nuzzled in closer, feeling the warmth of the other’s body, enjoying it. “From him?”

Hisagi wrapped his arms around his newfound lover’s chest, pulling him into a close embrace, feeling his body shiver in response.

“From anyone.”

Fanfic for quaedam

2006-11-08T08:42:35Z

Title: Falling into Despair
For: Q (quaedam)
Request: Aizen/Ulquiorra and Aizen/Momo + despair
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Aizen, Ulquiorra, Momo
Genre(s): Dark/angst
Warning(s): Ramble-y? Spoilers up through chapter 240 (or there-abouts)
Rating: Pg-13ish
Credits/AN: Here's to pyrefly for being an awesome mod even when I spazzed badly. I do apologize to quaedam for not getting this out sooner, and even more so that this isn't better. Sorry it's late!

It was dark where she was. Cold. But it didn't effect her, didn't touch her. Not here, where she floated comfortably, away from the pain and agony of everything around her. Everything that reminded her of *him*. Of his smiles and gentleness and the warmth that he had loved her with. She knew he'd loved her, he had to. Had to because that was all that she could find to explain the way with which he had left her.

Sometimes, in this dark wonderful place, he'd come to her. Whisper to her of things that reminded her why she wanted to stay here. His voice was almost warm, almost, as he told what to do when she awoke next. What to tell others who asked after her poor health. He never said sorry for using his zanpakutou against her, but she never expected it; he was her taicho. And while he did have a reason (he had to have a reason, right?), it wasn't his place to tell her what it was unless she needed to know it. She was his subordinate and she wasn't supposed to ask questions unless they needed to be asked. Which was a fine line, but she figured she had the definition down, at least enough to do her job.

He never looked the same twice in this place; his face was always shifting, his clothing changing with his mood. Sometimes he would be wearing the glasses he'd broken, shattered when he'd left Soul Society. Other times, he would gaze at her coldly with his own two eyes, smiling in that gentle way that reminded her she was special to him. But his voice never changed; never raised in anger, never lowered in disappointment, never showed any hint of any emotion other than the gentle, warm devotion she'd always heard there. The warmth that she'd never heard from anyone else, that she craved. The devotion to her and her alone.

Sometimes there would be another face that appeared. Pale as snow, tear streaks forever frozen on his porcelain-like face, a horned mask adorned the back right half of his head, layered one layer over the other. He scared her; his voice was never gentle, always cold. And his eyes would haunt her as he spoke of what she had to do, what her taicho wished her to do.

Even though she loved *him*, there was still some part of her, a small part at least, that still valued the rules and laws of Soul Society. What the man with the mask asked her to do, what he whispered for her to do, was against those laws and it took everything in her to not cry and break down and tell *someone* of what was happening to her. But then he would visit her, smile warmly and tell her gently that if she ever told anyone, she would never see him again. And it pained her, greatly- this thought of not being able to see him ever again. So she told no one, silently despairing on her own and desperately waiting for the next time when she could see him.

It was dark here. Cool, slowly warming to her. Or perhaps she was becoming chilled. But it didn't effect her, didn't touch her. Couldn't even begin to worm into her. She floated in this dark, silent place, taking comfort in the silence that surrounded her like a blanket. Something was different, though; she could feel it in her heavy heart, and knew that if he asked it of her, she would do it this time. She would give in.

And then his eyes were there, seeming to glow in the darkness. He was without his glasses, a single lock of hair laying against his forehead and cheek like a brown scar between his eyes. They were cool, calculating, and she longed for the warmth and gentleness, already steeling herself for the fight ahead of her, feeling hopeless as he smiled at her with cold warmth.

"Hinamori-kun," his voice was soft, gentle as always, but the edge there scared her a little, created a small chink in the wall she kept so carefully around her. "Hello, Hinamori-kun," he said, reiterating his greeting.

"Aizen-sama," she breathed, feeling her physical body shift in its sleep, blinking at him. He held his arms open for her, and she quickly flew into them, clinging to him. This was the only little piece of him she had left, and she would cling to it (and him) for as long as possible. His arms came up around her, holding her gently, putting another small chink in the wall, making her panic a little.

"I have something for you to do," he told her gently, just as he always did these days. Her fingers tightened their hold in the odd white coat he wore, grasping the fabric as though it were her only life line. "Won't you do this one thing for me?" He asked of her, prodding gently at the wall. It cracked a little and her arms shook as she released a short, wet-sounding hiss.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," she said urgently, burying her face into his sleeve and shutting her eyes tightly. If she didn't have to see him, maybe she could continue to hold out. If she didn't have to look into his eyes, perhaps she could win her inner battle. His hand stroked at her hair and her shaking increased.

"Please, Hinamori-kun," he told her, his words warm and honeyed, trying to coax her. Always before she'd broken away from him at this point, turned into the cool blackness of not-dreaming, trying desperately to block out his insistent gentle voice. But she felt herself freeze, her shaking stop entirely, her breath catch in her throat, desperately begging for him not to say it, the final words that would send her over the edge. "For me," he added like a finishing blow, his voice triumphant as she sagged.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," she whispered, more to remind herself than to tell him. She could feel his smile, cold and amused, boring into the top of her head as she whispered these words over and over again.

She continued to utter these words as she did what he asked, nearly sobbing them as her hands shook on the hilt of her zanpakutou.

****

Aizen sat upon his cold, stone throne in an equally dark, cold room. His smile was cold, triumphant as he silently listened to the reports from one Arrenkar or another, silently musing what despair could do to one when it consumed them.

Finally, Ulquiorra bowed before him, presenting to him the girl that Hinamori-kun had been so kind to help him retrieve.

After all, guards were a pesky thing when recruiting from the other side.

And there it goes.

2006-11-08T05:51:57Z

So the deadline has come and gone... I'm not going to be super anal about timestamping things, so we'll just say that anyone who got their gift in before my posting this message got it in within the deadline.

If my list is correct, we still have 12 missing gifts. Out of 42 participants, that's not too great. Now, a lot of people who did not get their gifts in on time told me they are working on finishing theirs, which is all right. There will probably still be consequences because you did not meet the deadline (the other mods & I will be discussing the exact logistics), but if you do still plan on getting your gift in, then by all means, go ahead; I'd rather you do that than that we be forced to find back-ups.

Speaking of back-ups, thank you so much to everyone else who volunteered in the last post. I was seriously having a meltdown wondering what in the world I was going to do about so many missing gifts. T___T If you didn't already volunteer in my previous post but would like to, basically, I invited everyone that did to join the Yahoo! group I created for back-ups: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bleach_exchange_backups/
It's sort-of inspired by yuletide's pinch-hitting method, and kind of like the way we did our back-ups over the summer. Instead of compiling a list of back-ups for each different exchange, I figured it'd be easier to have an ongoing database in a separate place, with an organized way of contacting everyone. Joining this list is not a commitment and we will not be enforcing that everyone who is a member actually volunteers, although if you have the time and the ability to be a back-up, we do hope you will offer your services. This list is simply to facilitate the back-ups process and to make it easier on both the volunteers and the mod in charge of back-ups. ^_^

Basically, the way it works is, as soon as I know that a back-up is needed, I'll post the recipient's requests in a message to the Y! group, which means it'll be e-mailed to everyone who has joined. Everyone who gets that message can then think about whether or not they're willing to volunteer to be a pinch-hitter for that assignment, and if they do decide to volunteer, they just hit Reply and tell me they'll do it. It's first-come, first-serve, so whoever responds back to me the first gets it. (I'll e-mail back that person and let them know they got it, and send a message out to the list to say that that assignment has been claimed.) There's also a database of all our potential back-ups, just in case no one volunteers and I need to start contacting people begging them to consider to take on this assignment.

Ideally, I'd like all back-up gifts in within the next two weeks. I know that this is a really quick turn-around time but I would really like to be able to start Christmas sign-ups by Thanksgiving at the latest. In fact, I basically plan on opening Christmas sign-ups the minute all missing gifts have been posted, meaning that it's now in the back-ups' hands as to when this will be. The sooner we can get things in, the better.

I know that, even with our back-ups volunteers, some people may have more free time than others. Still, I don't want to overwork or overburden anyone, so I'll allow one individual to have "claimed" two pinch-hit assignments at a time, but no more than that. Once you complete those, technically, you could volunteer for another, but hopefully that won't be necessary.

I hope my explanation is fairly clear... This is kind of an experiment that we'll hopefully develop even more fully during the next round, but for the time being, this will hopefully make the back-ups process a lot easier on everyone. It also means that even if you're not sure whether you actually want to be a back-up, you can at least join the group so you can see the assignments that need volunteers. So if you have at all considered volunteering, please at the very least subscribe to the list!

I'm now going to go and contact the people still missing gifts and ask them whether they want to be responsible for getting their own gift in or whether we need to find them a back-up. As soon as I start hearing back from them as to what they would like me to do, I'll start posting the assignments to the Y! group.

Again, many thanks for everyone who's trying to help take care of this rather messy situation. :>

---

ETA: If you do join the Y! group, please make sure you have e-mail notifications set to "Individual E-mails", and not just "Daily Digest" or "Special Notices" (or "No E-mails", which defeats half the purpose of the group...). I know you may not want me to spam your inbox, but if you set it to "Daily Digest", you probably won't be the first to respond back if you do decide to volunteer, since it won't send out the message until the end of the day.

Fanfic for incandescens; Morning

2006-11-08T04:58:09Z

Title: Morning
For: incandescens
Request: Any or all of Shunsui, Ukitake, and Nanao: blood
Characters: Shunsui, Ukitake
Genre: Angst
Warning: Spoilers for Soul Society arc
Rating: PG
Notes: OTZ Sorry, Incan. You deserved better.

Ukitake woke up later than many of his fellow captains, blinking into consciousness, as the first rays of sun came over the placid lake house that the thirteenth division captain called his home, filtering through the shutters to force him into wakefulness. The humidity was almost tangible, rising thick after the rain of yesterday.

Kiyone and Sentarou had let him sleep in again.

Ukitake held a hand to his chest, pressing against it lightly to force his breathing back into the range of normality. He'd had that dream again. The one he always had on rainy nights like the one before.

There were many things he regretted about his time as captain, just as there were many decisions he wished he hadn't made. There were times when he reassured himself he didn't regret that night. Ukitake knew his decision had been a correct one. Kaien would have never been the same had he interfered with his fight. What Kaien had to Miyako was a dedication that could not have failed, even in that dark night.

But, even that dedication could not have prevented Kaien from what happened. Ukitake drew a hand slowly back through sweat-soaked white hair as he stared down at his futon. He could still almost touch the abomination that Kaien had turned into. He could still smell the thick scent of hollow blood though the heavy rain and the smell of smoke fizzling from the sole firework Kaien had tried to use against the hollow.

And, more than anything else, he remembered his failure for the youngest of the Kuchiki clan. Kuchiki hadn't been the same since taking the man's life and, in part, Ukitake blamed himself.

Ukitake folded his futon aside and began to dress for the day. It was bound to be a long one. Recruits were just starting to filter into the divisions they had applied for acceptance to and many were still getting used to the climates of each.

His office, not at all far from where he slept, was just as busy as he expected and the greeting he received was just as he expected.

"Ukitake-taichou!" Kiyone's voice was almost louder than Sentarou's as the pair glanced up from their work.

A fatherly smile broke slowly over Ukitake's face as he brushed into the room, calming the pair as he settled to start looking through the work for that day. It wasn't half as bad as he expected, but it was a welcome relief from the images that had haunted him through the night before.

Neatly written reports, sometimes scrawled in crayon and sprayed slightly with blood depending on their divisions of origin, soon helped the over-enlarged tongue and soulless pits where eyes had once been fade.

It wasn't until a large hand pulled the final report of the stack free, sending a shadow across Ukitake's desk. The thirteenth division captain glanced up at the intrusion, "You needed something, Kyouraku?"

Shunsui chuckled, "So, old friend, I heard you slept in today."

Ukitake smiled, somewhat less widely than when he had entered the office that morning, shaking his head.

That over-large handle, sprinkled with dark hairs came down on Ukitake's shoulder, "Drinks tonight. On me."

Ukitake shook his head and realized this was an offer he didn't want to refuse. "Always, Kyouraku. Always."

Fanfic for tylercat

2006-11-08T04:49:21Z

Title: Invitation Only
For: Tyler // tyler_cat
Request: Rukia and Ichigo and/or Gin; vampires (Sorry, no Gin in this >>; )
Genre: AU
Warnings: HJ, bloodplay
Rating: Erm, R, I think. xP
Word Count: 2405
Comments: This is way late. Feel free to lynch me. ;-; But at least I got it in before the deadline. DD: Yeah...

It was definitely a symphony that was playing. Whose it was, he had no idea. Bach’s 3rd, Beethoven’s 5th, Mozarts 703rd—he was not well versed in classical music. He knew just enough to be able to appreciate it, though he could appreciate any music if he listened long enough There was already a swirling mass of color that stepped in time with the beat, moving in intricate patterns across the ballroom floor. The room itself looked gothic in design, high ceilings that tapered off into elegant arches. The floor, the pillars, the wall were all made from a polished marble, accented with flecks of stone in a rich burgundy color. The room in, in its sheer size and build, gave a strangely cold feeling, despite the fact that it was filled with people.

Uneasy eyes shifted across the crowd, skimming along the twisting and twirling dresses of the women. He was beginning to feel wholly underdressed, even the men wore clothing of lustrous colors, deep nuances of reds and blues and greens. They all had masks to match, feathered, furred, and even a few with shining scales that glinted in the chandelier light. All of them, men’s and women’s alike, were shaped into elaborate animal faces, from the most feral beast to the most docile looking bird. He glanced down at himself—in a simple black tuxedo that had once belonged to his father. The orange silk tie was the same vibrant color as his hair, which even in the midst of so much color seemed to stick out. The only part of his outfit that was new was the simple black mask that covered just the bare minimum of his face, the area directly around his eyes, arching against the bridge of his nose. He had gotten it last minute (not to mention cheap) at a Halloween store.

It was the first time in his life he had ever gone to a masquerade- they weren’t exactly his ‘thing’- so how was he supposed to know how to dress? It was still a mystery as to why he was even invited to this in the first place. He was anything but high class, and this whole thing was just…surreal. He didn’t know that places like these still even existed. Nonetheless, he had most certainly been invited; his address had been inked out in recherché calligraphy on the creamy white envelope, and in the same impressive handwriting had been his name. ‘Kurosaki Ichigo’ in solid black. Unless there was some other Ichigo living in his house that he was unaware of, then it was most certainly for him. In terms of dress, all the invite had stated was to dress formal, and that he needed a mask. Both of which requirements he had met, though not nearly as extravagantly as his fellow party goers.

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder, getting the feeling that he was being watched. Shrugging it off, he began pushing his way through the dancing parties, successfully earning several glares from behind the masks. The ballroom was even larger than he had first though. Once, he had been approached by a surprisingly small woman in a feathered swan mask who had asked him to dance, but before he could answer, she had been swept away by a particularly menacing looking man. Or at least, he would have been menacing, had it not been for the bells that bedecked his suit and mask. This had prompted Ichigo to get out of the ‘action’ even faster, though his new resolve to push his way through had not made him popular with the other guests.

“Bunch of freaks…” Ichigo had managed to make his way over to the long, elegant refreshment table, which looked completely untouched as of now. All the food was fancy-as to be expected-though he was suspicious of it. As far as he was concerned, rich people had weird tastes, fish eggs, sheep stomachs, and the like, and he wasn’t willing to take the risk. With a sigh, Ichigo leaned back against the table, gaze shifting upwards towards the ceiling. Well, this was turning out to be a waste of time. When was this over, again?

One hand plunged into the pocket of his pants, fishing out what looked like a crumpled tissue. It was his invitation, it’s once delicate beauty completely ruined from its occupancy of his pocket. He did his best to flatten it out against the table he had previously been leaning against, before holding it up to his nose to read the slightly smeared writing. Time wise, the only information it gave was ‘Ten pm’. Some good that did. It had been at least ten-thirty when he had arrived, meaning ten must have been the start time. But did the lack of a end time mean people could just leave when they felt like it? If that was the case, then he would be making a beeline for the exit any minute now.

Ichigo crumpled up the paper and stuffed it back into his pocket, preparing to elbow his way back through the crowd. He supposed he could have just moved around them along the wall, but that would take more time then he was willing to spend. He sighed to himself and rolled his eyes, heading back towards the edge of the mass of dancing couples before a voice stopped him.

“Not having fun?” It was a woman’s voice, and Ichigo briefly considered just ignoring it and disappearing into the crowd. He turned around slowly, meeting the dark eyes of a young woman that looked as simply dressed as he did. She was shorter than him, though nowhere near as small as the swan masked girl from earlier. Her dress, slinky and black, seemed just as uncomplicated as his tux, though the cuts and scoops of the fabric left very little to his imagination. The only thing that hinted at extravagance was her mask, fashioned in the shape of a bat. Ichigo shrugged, not realizing that he was staring.

“It’s alright…I guess,” He replied, unable to pull his eyes away as the woman took a sip from a tall wine glass. A small smirk lit up her face as she peered at him over the glass.

“What’s your name?” She asked after a moment, a mischievous look shining in her eyes.

“I...Ichigo.” He managed to get out. The dark haired woman laughed softly, leaning over the refreshment table, muttering something to one of the waiters standing at attention. He nodded, and walked away only to return a moment later with a filled wine glass. She took it from him, and turned to face Ichigo.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ichigo.” She said, holding out the glass to him. “I’m Rukia.” It took him a moment to get his body to do much of anything, one hand reaching out for the glass. He relaxed slightly once the wine passed his lips, deciding that maybe he would stay here a bit longer.

“Is this your first time attending one these?” Rukia asked idly, appearing bored. She took another long slip, licking her lips slowly as she looked up at him. Ichigo swallowed hard, giving a slow nod in response. A knowing smile crossed her face. “Ah, I see.” He took a quick drink from his glass, before draining the entire thing. There…that was much better. Setting it down on the table, Ichigo grunted to himself as he nearly lost his balance. Shit…was he really that bad at holding his liquor? “Something wrong?” Rukia asked, running a finger along the rim of her wineglass. Ichigo shook his head quickly, finding himself at a loss of coherency. Watching his actions attentively, Rukia set down her glass, closing the space that was left between the two.

“These get so boring after a while,” She said slowly, reaching up and trailing a hand down his chest. Ichigo could do nothing more than watch, slightly dumbfounded, slightly dizzy. “There’s never anything exciting happening. Nothing to get the heart racing.” The whole time she appeared to be talking to his chest, and he could do nothing more than stare down and watch in dulled shock. Nope, coming to this party hadn’t been a bad idea, not at all. “Want to help make things more…interesting?” She gave him no time to answer before tugging rather urgently on his hand, leading him away from the table, off into the shadows, were the chandelier light didn’t quite reach.

Ichigo was slightly surprised at the gruff manner in which he was pushed against the wall, and even more so as a pale hand reached up and pushed his mask down over his eyes. His arms felt heavy at his sides, otherwise he might have reached up to put it back in its proper place.

“Something to get the heart racing,” The hushed whisper reached his ears at about the same time as her palm reached his crotch. Ichigo inhaled sharply, mind turning into mush. Was she really…?

“You seem surprised.” Rukia said with a gentle laugh, creating teasingly slow friction between her hand and his groin. Ichigo gritted his teeth, wishing he could see, or get his body to move. Nothing was happening. He tried to move, to reach up and fix his mask, anything. All he had succeeded in doing thus far was standing up, and breathing. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Had there been something in his wine?

“Is your heart pounding yet?” Her voice was daunting, ringing in his ears. The music had completely faded from his senses, and the only thing he could hear was her. Her, and the sound of his tuxedo pants being unzipped. Oh holy fuck—she really was… “I need to know.” Rukia continued, slender fingers dipping below the waistband of his boxers. Ichigo gave a low groan in response, unable to form any actual words. “Should I take that as a yes?” She asked, fingers curling around his now hardened member. “Or do I need to continue to really get your heart going?” The man gave a small nod, glad that he was at least able to keep himself standing. “Tell me, tell me when…” She had her ear pressed against her chest, as though really listening for how fast his heart was beating.

Rukia had began pumping his aching erection slowly, causing Ichigo’s knees to shake, and another groan to slip passed his lips. Her voice was pounding in his ears, and he could feel himself nearing the edge as her ministrations sped up. “Your hearts racing now, isn’t it?” It was. He could feel it now, pounding in his chest, speeding up the blood flow. Ichigo’s eyes widened and he choked on his own breath. Fuck. The wine the wine the wine. What the hell had been in his wine? Rukia wore a smug smile on her face as she withdrew her hand, folding her arms across her chest and waiting. He opened to mouth to speak, but could say nothing before his vision dimmed and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

~*~

He woke to the sound of dark laughter, though not just from one person. From what he could gather—which was very little, given the pounding headache he now had—there were many people around. Ichigo struggled to remain conscious, and tentatively tried opening his eyes. Black. Damn, had he gone blind? No…that wasn’t it. He scrunched up his nose, feeling the cheap fabric of his mask still against his face.

“What the hell?” Well, at least he could talk again. He tried to lift an arm to push away the mask, only to discover that his arm was firmly held in place. By a chain, from the feel of it. “What kind of fucking sick joke is this!?” Ichigo shouted, thrashing as violently as his still woozy body would allow. “God damn it, answer me!” There was a dull roar of laughter, before he felt his mask slowly being pulled off his face. He blinked in the dim light, vision blurred. Who was…?

“Rukia?” He asked, voice having slipped into a strange hush. He glanced down at himself, becoming aware of his nakedness—in public. The people surrounding him were all the dancers from before. But what in God’s name was going on here? He turned his head, managing to figure out that he was most definitely in the ballroom still, elevated up on some large pedastel.

“What the hell’s going on?” Ichigo’s eyes were wide, and his struggling continued. Rukia pressed a finger to his lips, ‘shh’ing him. She grinned wickedly, exposing fangs that game to frightening points. Had those been there before? He tried to think back to what had happened previously this night, but it only made his head hurt. The dark haired woman still wore her bat mask, which looked much more wicked now then it had earlier.

“It will all be over soon.” She assured, though her voice was anything but comforting. She reached beside her, holding up a gleaming silver night, that caught the reflection of the party goers that surrounded them. Ichigo had begun struggling again, breathing rapidly. He could do nothing more than scream, however, when the knife cut into his skin, being dragged slowly across his chest. Again and again the cold metal was brought across his skin, forming an intricate pattern. “See?” Rukia said with a iniquitous laugh. “It’s over already.”

She bent over him, pink tongue swirling through the hot blood that now covered his chest. “Ahhh, sweet.” The vampire murmured against his chest, though this time, her voice did not reach his ears. Rukia raked her tongue across the pattern she had created on his skin, lapping up the thick liquid to the applause of the audience. The woman straightened up slightly, licking her lips hungrily.

“I hope you had fun at my masquerade.” She said in a low voice, fingers stroking his cheek slowly. Ichigo did nothing more than clench his eyes shut, and try to stop his body from shaking. “I’m sorry to say that you won’t be invited to the next one.” One hand trailed down his chest, fingers swirling in through blood while she lowered herself once more, tongue tracing a small circle against his neck. “Thank you for attending, though.” He hissed in pain as her fangs plunged into his neck, but welcomed the engulfing black that followed after.

[FIC] Fighting Whose Battle? (for desert_thunder)

2006-11-08T04:43:50Z

Title: Fighting Whose Battle?
For: DMC Kafka (desert_thunder)
Request: Tatsuki and Ban Kai Ichigo? Violence. 'Horror'.
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Tatsuki, Ichigo, Shirosaki
Genre(s): Action/suspense
Warning(s): Spoilers for up to 212 in the manga.
Rating: 14A
Credits: Thanks to nomoreprinces for helping me when I hit the brick wall called my Ichigo writing (dis)ability.

Notes: There is not near as much horror or description in this as I had intended, but I wanted to make deadline since I switched ideas in the past four days. This also means I cut it short, eek. ._. Forgive me? Hope that you enjoy! ♥

( We're kinda in negotiations, ya see, and it ain't got nothing to do with you. )

Fanart:

2006-11-08T04:06:19Z

Title: In the Arms of a Stranger
For: Shiro (pale_heaven)
Request: surprise/resistence (omglolwut)
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hollow!Ichigo, Rukia
Genre(s): General
Warning(s): Big image in LJ cut
Rating: G

More contrasted and more colorful version: Clickie meh!

fic for pinstripesuit

2006-11-08T02:22:59Z

Title: like a pet
Recipient: pinstripesuit
Request: "Urahara/Ichigo, vampires, something based on the vampire color spread from chapter 239"
Genre: drama/au
Rating: pg-13?
Warnings: male/male.

fic journal

FANART for odeena_chan

2006-11-08T02:18:26Z

Title: What's there to be afraid of?
For: odeena_chan
Request: Kira, Hisagi, Hinamori + haunted house
Genre: General
Warning: None
Rating: G
Comments: Shinigami aren't supposed to be scared - they send ghosts away after all. When I drew this, for some reason, I was thinking it was Renji instead of Kira, so I drew him.. and then found out that it was supposed to be Kira. *headpalm* So, I stuck Kira in a sound bubble at the door. He's supposed to be knocking (he got locked out and left outside)... and the rest can be seen. ^^;;

Sorry for being late. Enjoy!

Art~

2006-11-08T00:52:02Z

Title: ... Uh, untitled!
For: toltecatl
Request: Hitsugaya; violence
Genre: General.
Warning: None.
Rating: G.
Comments: Very heavily inspired by Kill Bill. XD

I'm sorry it's so late, I fail. Enjoy? ♥

Fanfic for kino_scythe

2006-11-08T00:17:13Z

Title: A Visit (...)
For: Rekino (shyunpo)
Request: Urahara, Soi Fong; "What love is" [light-hearted, nostalgia]
Genre: ~~Wierdness,~~ Character, Romance?
Warning: Nope.
Rating: PG-13?
Word Count:1,390
Comments: I'M SORRY. ARGH. Not light-hearted. Nor nostalgic. Probably nothing to do with Halloween either. But I liked this concept, and I think it turned out okay? =_=;; I'm sorry it's so late.

(Click)

HAPPY FALL EXCHANGE PIP!!!

2006-11-07T22:02:58Z

Title: The ceremony
For: Pip (propaganda_live)
Request: REQUEST 1: Hitsugaya, Rangiku (the occult)
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Rangiku&Hitsugaya
Genre(s): Horror/occult
Warning(s): Minor blood shed
Rating: pg13
Credits: None

WELL this is brought to you with PSP8, a Tablet, and far to much caffieen and blood lust. I was shooting for an image that would leave you wondering what exactly was going on (Because frankly, I have no idea myself, that was just what I saw in my head.) :D Please enjoy and have a wonderful fall season! &hearts

T-minus five hours, kids!

2006-11-07T22:01:01Z

So there's pretty much exactly 7 hours left for posting gifts in this exchange, and we are still missing gifts from 21 people. 21. That's exactly half the number of participants we have this go-around.

Guys... this can't happen. I can understand if a few people are still missing gifts, but HALF of you?? It's not like the deadlines were ever a mystery. They have been clearly stated since the beginning. I know stuff comes up, and sometimes it's hard to gauge how much time you'll have available, and I know that sometimes assignments may turn out to be a lot harder than you'd anticipated. But I still see no reason for half the participants in the exchange to still not have posted anything 7 hours before the deadline.

Also, I know it's a little late to be coming with this now, but honestly, guys, this was the Halloween exchange. The gifts were really intended to be posted ON Halloween. But since I realize it's not fair to require everyone to post their gift on that one day, because I know people work or have weird schedules, and that stuff comes up at the last minute, and that I have no control over power-outages and Internet downtime and the like, I gave you guys the whole week to do it. That doesn't mean, "Wait until 10 minutes before the deadline on the last day to post your gift." It means, "Try your best to post your gift on Halloween anyway unless something serious comes up." Bygones are bygones and I realize that it's too late to do anything about this now... but bear this in mind for the future, because we may start enforcing these things more heavily.

Rules are rules... if you have not posted anything by midnight EST (GMT-0500) tonight, your gift will be officially considered overdue. If you have not checked in with me before that time as to why you haven't posted your gift, you will be banned from the next exchange -- the biggest one we're having all year. Don't put yourself in that position!

And, like I mentioned last time, if you don't post your gift by the deadline and if we have to call on back-ups, you're just making things harder for everyone else because we can't start the Christmas exchange until this one is finished. Since the Christmas one is where everyone (even the people who only do graphics) can participate and where we go all-out to match people up according to their requests and offers and everybody (hopefully) takes their assignments super-super-seriously, I'd like to give everyone as much time as possible. But I'm not going to start one exchange when the last one hasn't been finished up yet. So, for the love of God, don't ruin the fun for everyone else, please.

Just in case the message about the deadline for some reason didn't reach everyone, I'll be e-mailing everyone who I have marked as still not having posted their gift to remind them in just a minute. If you receive such an e-mail and you posted your gift, be sure and e-mail me to let me know -- I'm human, too, and even though I double-checked my list, it's always possible I overlooked something. If you do receive an e-mail and you know that you owe us a gift... GET IT IN!! Don't half-ass it, but still, the clock is ticking. If there's a good reason why you can't get it in before midnight, e-mail me back and let me know what's going on, so you may not have to suffer repercussions. But honestly, if you're waiting until this late to let me know there's a problem, I may not be as lenient as I normally would be. No promises.

That's all for now. I'll be checking in again after midnight and we'll see how the current state of affairs stands..