SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT, Pt 1: Slayerstillness, Secret Santa, & a pretty prize from starry_night

[red_satin_doll]

But first a word from our newest sponsor: I've joined the fray of whedon_elite for the first time with Challenge 107, "Cool Colors" and voting is up NOW for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Best Crop and Best Color. Thank you rua1412 for encouraging me to overcome my doubts and fears and enter this one. Membership to the comm is now open to anyone, as entrants or voters. Vote for the best entries and then check out Challenge 108 "Shield Pass it on".

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THANK YOU to all the voters who honored my icons in Challenge 37 of slayerstillness with 2nd Place (my first at SS!), 3rd Place (tied with rua1412), Best Crop and Most Creative; and THANK YOU starry_night for one of two Mod's Choice Awards to one of my favorite entries this round. WOW - just WOW.  What a wonderful gift and way to wrap up my year (as an artist) on a high note.  Congratulations to rua1412 and comlodge for your awards, your wonderful entries and for keeping me guessing (unsuccessfully) who the other entrants were! Check out comlodge's meta-ish post with her Buffy icons and thoughtful write-up.

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THANK YOU to the thoughtful anonymous donor who gifted me with spaces for 70 more userpics for the next two months! I have no idea who gave the gift; this fandom is full of generous people like I've never experienced anywhere else. I'm a little reluctant to fill up those spaces (and become too accustomed to them) for two months but gosh it is tempting - I could certainly fill them in no time. There are plenty of other artists whose work I've yet to add to my "personal gallery". Speaking of other artists and adding to my collection:

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Awards banner by starry_night. Click for full-size:

THANK YOU starry_night for the wonderful btvsats20in20 Round 5 awards banners for the folks who requested them: myself, tempertemper (here), 0ncer (here); and very special memorial banner for our friend Megan (pickamix) of her entire set as well as her top three icons, as thoughtfully requested by her friend Lenore.

I love when banner-makers personalize banners for each winner as Starry has done here, with different backgrounds and color schemes - a wonderful, thoughtful touch. I always get a little thrill over receiving banners - not just a frame but another work of art thoughtfully created to make my icons look better than they did originally. Seeing the top-vote getters of my Round 5 set together really emphasizes what they have in common and how strong they are together. And in this instance, the winter blue snowflake pattern not only coordinates with the background of my Dead Things icon, it brings out the "coldness" of the other two as well; each icon captures a "frozen moment" for Buffy and Willow, the calm that precedes storms of fear, sadness, anger and passion awash in hot tears.

But it's the banners for Megan, especially her top three icons, that really got to me, not just because I've avoided looking at this set for a few weeks. It's been too difficult to see them again and think about the last time we worked together, how hard she worked on these; about the hope for more such collaborations and the conversations left unfinished. (And...here comes the tears once again; not quite a "storm"  perhaps but a solid cleansing cry nonetheless.)

I think she would have loved the rich, royal purple background and the very mysterious patterns on it that suggest all sorts of things that might be erotic, pleasurable and/or somewhat dangerous - not a bit unlike the lady herself.

She's not here to enjoy them and express appreciation but we can do so on her behalf. Brava.

Comments

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

The banners for Megan are wonderful.


Gabrielle

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

They are indeed, starry didn an incredible job! and now I know the work that goes into these and can appreciate the effort to make individiualized banners for each person and each award.

[rua1412.livejournal.com]

HUGS you tightly!

Love the banner!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

starry_night did a fine job on these didn't she?

[snogged.livejournal.com]

*hugs you tight*

I voted in Whedon Elite. Good luck to you!!

Also, thanks for sharing the link to Megan's memorial banner. It's beautiful!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome, hon and thanks for voting! There are some lovely icons at that comm.

I checked with Lenore and she's ok with sharing Megan's banners so I'll probably add them here and certainly to ficamix tomorrow.

[kikimay]

I voted in Whedon Elite but, damn, it was really hard. And you know that I tend to prefer warm colored icons, but the entries were all amazing. Really, really beautiful. Good luck!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Thank you for voting and yay! It's a lovely thing for visual artists to have people looking, the same as authors wanting their stories read. (or videos watched in your case)

And yes it was hard to vote - very hard. The artists who have been members of that site are very accomplished and I can only gaze in wonder at some of the lovely things they create.

BTW - I was about to moan and complain that #3 - someone else's, NOT mine - hadn't gotten any votes except from me - and then I saw you voted it on it! But of course you have excellent taste.

ETA: Do you mind if I borrow back the "there once was a girl" icon? Someone gifted me with more space for a couple of months so I thought I'd tuck it back into my gallery. Again, just until end of February.

[kikimay]

Of course you can borrow back that icon. It's yours! XD You can do as you please and congrats on the new icon space! Totally deserved. I'm curious to see which icons you'll choose to fill it.

It was really hard to choose among these icons because I really liked almost everything, so I hope I voted for almost every artist involved because the appreciation is deserved and icon number 3 is beautiful!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

If you want to look at what I've added: http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=red_satin_doll

I just added some of my own on the spur so I may trade some out, and will definitely add more by other icon makers. The ones by zoicite were made prior to 2005 aren't they gorgeous? She has a photo bucket album full of icons like these:
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/6969/186895
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/6969/187362

I need more badass Buffy icons, I think. More Joyce of course.

[kikimay]

The ones by zoicite were made prior to 2005 aren't they gorgeous? She has a photo bucket album full of icons like these:

They are really pretty and very meaningful. I especially like the Spiral icon and the Fuffy one (The "not what you think" one) and "Are you ready to be strong?" BUFFY I NEED YOU IN MY LIFE SO MUCH RIGHT NOW.

Also love the Willow/Giles hug, your Dawn icon and cave!Buffy art and generally ALL THE LADIES IN THE ICONS. I really like how you prioritize them.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

They are really pretty and very meaningful.

She also has an entire series of icons dedicated to all the episodes of S1-2 and I think going into S3. Her icons pack so much into such a small space and are so meta, yet beautiful at the same time.

BUFFY I NEED YOU IN MY LIFE SO MUCH RIGHT NOW.

Are you ok, sweetie? Do you need a hug or a scythe, or both?

The Willow/Giles icon by undrheavenskies is just exceptionally lovely - and it sort of reminds me of some of tempertemper's icons. And of course the Beer bad icons are just fun. (Cave Buffy, badass Willow and underrated episodes FTW!)

ALL THE LADIES IN THE ICONS. I really like how you prioritize them.

But of course - I have my priorities straight. ;-)

I still need to pick up a few - probably a Spikesredqueen Cordy icon, a temper temper Illyria icon, something from oh_cheezit, and chic_c. This is so much fun, I'll have to not get too attached to them.

[kikimay]

Are you ok, sweetie? Do you need a hug or a scythe, or both?

I wish I could have her super bravery :D Oh nothing, life stuff I've already ranted about.

The Willow/Giles icon by undrheavenskies is just exceptionally lovely - and it sort of reminds me of some of tempertemper's icons. And of course the Beer bad icons are just fun. (Cave Buffy, badass Willow and underrated episodes FTW!)

TBH I don't understand why many people hate Beer Bad I think it's hilarious and I love it so much XD

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I just glanced at your latest post sweetie and I'll reply over there about the personal stuff. Because - I have thoughts.

I don't understand why many people hate Beer Bad I think it's hilarious and I love it so much XD

Right?

Of course I'm that way with a lot of "supposedly worst episodes" and maybe it helps that I was watching them with no preconceptions, by myself and in a marathon viewing but I do NOT understand the hate for Beer Bad, (or for I Robot, You Jane, and Doublemeat Palace) I've said it before but:

parody of the US government's anti-drug and alcohol campaigns, and "very special after-school specials" in which Teenager makes a life-aftering mistake and Learns a Lesson;

Parker receiving a verbal smack down from Willow - one of the best moments of Willow awesomeness in the series
and getting the physical smack down from Cave Buffy (who has to be in a spell, poor girl, to allow herself to express her justified anger at him)

The very creepy reveal of Cave Buffy - followed by the funny and Sarah's physical comedy

the callbacks to Beer Bad in the First Slayer, and newly-resurrected Buffy in Bargaining.

Xander figuring out who the guilty party is - but unable to do anything but shake his finger as the culprit walks away. "You're a bad, bad man!"

Cave Buffy sniffing Willow on the bench after the fire.

Where's the bad in all this?

Have you read beer_good_foamy's classic and most excellent meta in appreciation of Beer Bad, btw?

[kikimay]

Have you read beer_good_foamy's classic and most excellent meta in appreciation of Beer Bad, btw?

I didn't! I totally have too. I adore Beer Bad for all the reasons you mentioned and also because I really loved everything and I loved Xander in it (and obliviously Buffy and Willow, but you know me) and that bit when Giles tries to describe cave!Buffy to a student always cracks me up. But also I think I love some unloved comedic episodes because they make me smile and sometimes smiling is all you need. Plus I love the first daydreaming sequence. I so relate to college Buffy!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

http://beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com/140359.html

Be sure to click the cut tag to read the meta and read both pages of the fantastic reply thread - the first in 2010, the last in 2012 (I actually sound really really smart. WTH?) People really discuss the meta aspects of that episode and and the season overall and it's importance to the story. Also much love for Season 6 expressed.

But also I think I love some unloved comedic episodes because they make me smile and sometimes smiling is all you need

Right - and the great thing about beer bad (one of the great things) is that it's funny AND it's incredibly smart.