red_satin_doll | btvsats20in20 ROUND 8: "Wiffy" (Buffy Summers & Willow Rosenberg)

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btvsats20in20 ROUND 8: "Wiffy" (Buffy Summers & Willow Rosenberg)

ETA: My entries for Round 8 of

btvsats20in20. I forgot to link back to the comm when I posted this last night/this morning, sorry!

I had initially meant to stick to a "Buffyverse in Wonderland" theme but my guiding inspiration this round turned out to be the Pop Art theme and the Category theme "movie genres". My Category icons were inspired more by movie posters than by the films themselves.

MANY kudos, kisses and roses to my wonderous Muse,

velvetwhip for all her help, ideas, support and inspiration. I can't begin to thank her adequately.

TEASERS:

10 Themes
Pop Art	Family	Food	Grey*	Duplicate

Name	Stolen Claim	Wild	Monochrome+Text	Evil

5 Category \|MOVIES
Cat 1 Sci-Fi Thriller	Cat 2 Romantic Comedy	Cat 3 Bergman Drama	Cat 4 Slapstick Comedy	Cat 5 Indie Prestige Drama

5 Artist's Choice
AC 1	AC 2	AC 3	AC 4	AC 5

One of my goals this round was to include images from all seven seasons of the series. I don't ship "Wiffy" (or "Billow", take your pick) sexually / romantically - but if it's a choice between that and hatin' on the ladies, I'll chose the love. (It's astonishing to me how often fans of one character hate on the other.) I certainly "ship" their friendship - the most important friendship in the Buffyverse - something fierce.

* The look of my "Grey" icon was inspired by

spikesredqueen's gorgeous entry in her Lorne set.

"Stolen Claim" can be considered "Chosen" or "Bangel", works either way.

Some alts, not including banner versions:

1 - 4
4 was almost my Stolen Claim entry; I went back and forth on that one a lot. I don't do many romantically het shippy icons so I'm pleased with how it turned out.

5 - 9

10 - 14
I loved making these "movie posters". For the "prestige drama" I wanted to include text from the movie "The Hours" (Always the years, always the love, always the hours) but couldn't get it as I wanted. I like #5 just as much as my Cat 1 icon for the clarity of Buffy's face, but the entry version is more "atmospheric".

15 -18
My Evil icon could have fit very nicely into the movie genre set as "Horror film" (think schlocky 1980's slasher flick VHS graphic art.) "Dark Willow" seemed too obvious a direction to go for the Evil theme.

19 -24

25 -29
I couldn't resist making a personalized icon for

beer_good_foamy, who wrote the best-evah meta essay in praise of Beer Bad.

30 - 36

37 - 43

No, you don't need this many alts of this image, but that's ok - I do.

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I love your alts so much!

I must say, I kinda love more the alts for monochrome + text (Although I do believe that you probably chose the most original and pretty one for the contest) still I really like 30, 32, 34 a lot. I also like 22 a lot and 23 (very original, I'd like to see more of this) and while I think that 21 is very intersting conceptually - parallels are my kink! - I think that a complex image like that should work better in a large artwork.

I also really like the Bangel alts 3 and 4 and 5 because Buffy's face is too pretty.

Talking about the actual icons in the contest my most favorite is grey and, you know me, I don't like black and white icons generally, but this one is so pretty and soft. Most beautiful.

I also like pop art, stolen claim is cute because Angel gets the pink (yay!) monochrome + text, indie prestige drama and AC4.

I love your alts so much!

THANK YOU sweetheart! And do do forgive me for the delay in reply to your lovely, detailed comments, because I always appreciate them so very much.

I kinda love more the alts for monochrome + text

No worries, I love every single version of that image - including the alts I didn't post AND the banner versions. (Oh yes, there are banner versions and they are awesome, if I do say so myself.) Putting together two of my favorite images of season 1 buffy and willow was a "why didn't I think of that sooner?" moment. Choosing the entry version was perhaps the single hardest decision this round.

while I think that 21 is very intersting conceptually - parallels are my kink! - I think that a complex image like that should work better in a large artwork.

Like this? :D
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/red_satin_doll/51574655/260253/260253_900.png

I also really like the Bangel alts 3 and 4 and 5 because Buffy's face is too pretty.

Isn't she though?

And thank you again for your detailed comments, I always love the feedback. I like all the ones you mentioned except I'm not happy with Pop Art and AC4 was a last-minute "I need another image" thing-y after midnight. I did what I usually do - neglect the AC set until the very last minute and it shows I think.

BTW I was looking on your tumblr and there's some awesome meta there.

No worries, I love every single version of that image - including the alts I didn't post AND the banner versions. (Oh yes, there are banner versions and they are awesome, if I do say so myself.) Putting together two of my favorite images of season 1 buffy and willow was a "why didn't I think of that sooner?" moment. Choosing the entry version was perhaps the single hardest decision this round.

But ultimately I think you really used the better version. I just love the white in chosen icon.

http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/red_satin_doll/51574655/260253/260253_900.png

YAAASS! *__* More! This is amazing! I never thought about the parallels of Buffy and Willow standing in front of each others and plus you PUT THERE THE QUOTE FROM THE HOURS. FAVORITE MOVIE! MY FEELINGS!!

And thanks! I linked some really insightful metas in my tumblr. I wanted to keep it cool and just reblog cool graphics and artworks but I kinda ranted a bit especially today XD

I just love the white in chosen icon.

Thank you hon. I'm trying to use textures in new ways (new to me anyhow) and I loved the facets that one gave. But I love the smoother simpler versions too. My beloved Muse liked the version you did, maybe I should have gone with that?

I keep thinking I need to be more interesting, more layered but then I think, maybe I should have gone simpler? IDK I just love that image a ton.

plus you PUT THERE THE QUOTE FROM THE HOURS. FAVORITE MOVIE! MY FEELINGS!!

I had you in mind especially when I did that because I remembered our conversations. :) My Cat 5 icon, the "indie drama one" was inspired partly by the hours so I thought of your when I made it. I tried to put the quote in it but couldn't make it legible in icon size; I plan to fix that in the larger version.

And yes, there are more pretties coming up, ma'am.

And re: your tumblr I haven't seen the episode Billy and yet I had no problem following the conversation between you and drusillathekiller. (those are the sort of conversations that make me think about getting tumblr but I can barely handle what I've got as it is. *lol*) And also demandingbillydolls comments about S6 that you reflagged (YES thank you) - and the Leslie/Ben love. CANNOT get enough. They are my functional happy canon ship and Spuffy are my fucked up canon ship and I love them both in different ways.

I wanted to keep it cool and just reblog cool graphics and artworks but I kinda ranted a bit

YOUR RANT IS A RIGHTEOUS RANT DON'T STOP.

Thank you hon. I'm trying to use textures in new ways (new to me anyhow) and I loved the facets that one gave. But I love the smoother simpler versions too. My beloved Muse liked the version you did, maybe I should have gone with that?

Ultimately I think you made the right choice. I really like the version you picked and I think it's one of the best icons in the round (It's really, really hard to choose! I hope I did good. I always try to be fair but also appreciate something from every artist? Because you all have great styles) Plus I really like that shade of pink XDD

I think that - generally - simpler is better. Or, at least, that's how I feel even in RL (I'm a big fan of modern houses or ancient Sicilian ones but very simple) But I love how you keep your work so layered and complex and personally I especially loved the comparisons with Buffy and Willow standing right in front of each other. I think you should do more large artwork also because complex images need their space, but I'm so fond of icons. Miniature pretties. <3

Also maybe you should join Tumblr? I don't know, I just think that the fans would love your art and more artworks and Tumblr is all about pretty graphics. Maybe it's the right place for you more than me! XD But it does take a lot of time because when you get there you want to see everything and there's so much prettiness around.

Leslie and Ben are adorable, honestly! I just love the fact that Ben is smart, good looking, super-funny and a real nerd (Not those nerd jokes we often see on tv) and he doesn't feel "less mainly" because he has an amazing and powerful wife, but he actually admires her strenght. But I also like the other couples like Andy and April and ... wait, did you see S6? I won't add anything. Still, great characters. I also saw that Amy Pohler wrote a book and actually I would like to read that. Parks and Rec is beautiful! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

(And yes, Angel fucks up so much when it comes to women)

I think you should do more large artwork also because complex images need their space,

http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/75690.html :D

Love ur style, girl!
Any chance u can do Willow/angel and Willow/Angelus

Thank you!

I am so glad that you tackled the Buffy/Willow friendship for this round. I think that's very awesome of you and I'm glad you shared your alts with us as well.

The standouts for me are Food, Grey, Name, your movie poster set, and your AC set. Willow's facial expression in "Wild" is so adorably scrunched up. I had forgotten that she'd even made that face. :)

Well done, sweetie!

Well done, sweetie!

Thank you dear! And I am SOOOOO sorry it's taken me forever to reply, I thought I had already done so!

I'm thrilled you like the icons, I hoped that you would. someone can read these as friendship or shippy-ship or however, it works any which way. But it was a lot of fun and really interesting to look back at the episodes and see that there's a lot of "there there" when it comes to Buffy and Willow (which really gets overlooked somehow in fandom as far as I can see, and that's a shame.)

Hey, maybe we can ignite a fire and get fandom to appreciate their friendship again?

Thanks so much for the feedback on the icons - Food started out as a larger version and I worked soooo hard to get it to look ok in icon-size. Grey is the best of a series of Becoming/Persona icons that I did (there are more alts but I held back a few). I'm not as pleased with my AC set overall as I was round 6, but I love the Category set and had a blast making those.

I had forgotten that she'd even made that face. :)

So had I! There's a couple of other great screencaps from that scene, which I have always loved. A moment of pure Willow badassery.

Hey, maybe we can ignite a fire and get fandom to appreciate their friendship again?
What would you suggest that we do? :P

What would you suggest that we do? :P
*ponders*
The same way you made me think "Gunn/Willow? Thewishverse Buffy/Williow? Cool pairings!" That kwritten made me appreciate Dawn and velvetwhip made me appreciate Joyce/Angel:

Post more art, write more fics/metas etc focusing on Buffy and Willow. I'm creating an album in my scrapbook of Wiffy art that I want to post (and there's more than I've added to the scrapbook yet, oh my is there more):
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/photo/album/7732?page=1

I'd be totally jazzed if one of my banners inspired someone to write a story btw; I seem to create a lot of banners for stories that don't exist yet (or I haven't discovered them.)

These are extraordinary! I know you already knew that I felt that way, but it never hurts to say it again!!!!

Gabrielle

I never mind hearing (reading) it again, hon!

You're an incomparable Muse.

These are neat, as always - and wow, one of my own too, thanks! :)

I especially like 30-43 - they both have such expressive faces, and you really bring that out.

Thank you, and you're very welcome, I'm glad you got the notification!

I especially like 30-43 - they both have such expressive faces, and you really bring that out.

*blushes* This image started out as a banner (or a series thereof) that I just adore. Putting these two images together was one of those "two great tastes that taste great together" moments (aka, two of my favorite Buffyverse images, they're perfect together, why didn't I think to pair them sooner?)

User

phoenixfalls referenced to your post from 23-29 March 2015 (http://femslash-today.livejournal.com/612297.html) saying: [...] by - Mal/Ariadne {Jossverse} {art} - Wiffy (icons) [...]

Terrific icons!
(Unrelated note - I wonder how did Buffy/Willow became so obscure ship nowdays, given all Wiffy material that canon offers.)

Thank you!

(Unrelated note - I wonder how did Buffy/Willow became so obscure ship nowdays, given all Wiffy material that canon offers.)

It's a totally related note! I found an essay on Near Her Always (thanks to

velvetwhip's link on her journal) by "Bear", "Love Forged on the Fires of the Hellmouth" about Wiffy shipping and how to write the pairing, and the author observed
Willow and Buffy is a large and active ship on the net. It is not (yet) a ship in canon,
http://nha.magical-worlds.us/wbuffybear.php

Obviously written a number of years ago (either when the show was on, or else the "yet" is a reference to the comics). I ADORE the title of the essay and it actually served as a touchstone for me when I was making this set - I should have mentioned it as an influence. Because I want people to pay attention to their relationship in all it's complexities but to not forget the very real and deep love that's there.

But i had NO idea Wiffy was a large and active ship - either romantically or even as a friendship 'ship. Either I'm in the wrong part of fandom or the ardor has cooled quite a bit. What I see is more the opposite: fans of one who dislike the other, or ignore the other; a lot of energy going into the het canon and non-canon ships (Spuffy, Bangel, Spillow, W/A or whatever the heck they call that pairing. "Wangel"?) where the one female character interacts with the guy and the other girl is either excluded or spoken of in a derogatory fashion.

And i JUST DON'T GET IT. Yes, I LOVE Buffy. But Willlow was my original point of entry, the first character I identified with. The shift happened mid-series but I never hated Willow. And I don't hate Buffy. What gives? I understand they are two girls from very dysfunctional families; the dynamics are familiar because I was raised in a dysfunctional home. And even kids from the best homes and in the best circumstances make mistakes. They're having to grow up basically on their own and, oh yeah, save the world a lot.

Meanwhile there's a huge amount of Fuffy shipping with only a fraction of the interaction and shared screen time, comparatively.

I'd be fascinated to know when the "schism" happened. (I call it the HBiC wars)

I never thought about "Buffy fans vs Willow fans" issue before... But now that you mention it, I realize that I have actually seen it too many times.

About "whay there is Fuffy, but no Wiffy" - probably because Buffy/Faith offers relationsip dynamics very different from Willow/Tara (IMO, in a way, fuffy is a f/f version of spuffy - dysfunctional love/hate relationship at the beginning and redemtion/forgiveness at the end).
Buffy/Willow probably just too much resembles Willow/Tara, so people don't consider the non-canon pairing when there already is the canon one.

I realize that I have actually seen it too many times.

And the dynamics are super-similar to the ship war factions, where each "side" thinks they are so very different to the other , and their beloved favorite is so very different to the other, and they really aren't.

fuffy is a f/f version of spuffy - dysfunctional love/hate relationship at the beginning and redemtion/forgiveness at the end)

Total agreement there, you've summed it up perfectly.

Buffy/Willow probably just too much resembles Willow/Tara, so people don't consider the non-canon pairing when there already is the canon one.

That's an interesting point. But doesn't that contradict your statements about Spuffy/Fuffy ? Or really, any non-canon relationship shouldn't even exist if that were the case - why Spangel, Spander, Bander, and dear god WHY Buffy/Giles?

Never mind that the Buffy-Willow friendship IS canon, and central to the series.

Non-canon ships seem to fill a need (with me, Bara fills a need to see Buffy loved and cared for tenderly and give Tara a bigger role in the story than she got in canon). So what need does Wiffy NOT fill? People love friendship fics, but when I hear people talk about "the Scoobie gang" they mean specifically Xander and Willow.

Is it lack of at least one male character + lack of romantic / sexual chemistry = no interest? So even the friendship is neglected? *ponders*

But doesn't that contradict your statements about Spuffy/Fuffy?
IMO, f/m ship can't be a real substitute for f/f ship (or m/m ship), as many people tend to read almost exclusively het or femslash or male slash (epsecially when it comes to porn). Personally, I find it weird (ok, apart from the porn part, which I get), but it seems to be the case.

About Buffy/Willow friendship - yes, it's extremely weird. But there seems to be also a lack of any other female friendfip fics for Willow.
If we disregard PWPs, fics where Willow is allowed to have close relationship with other female except Tara are pretty rare. Het Willow ships/friendships are much more common. Do people feel that Willow getting close with other girl somehow betrays memory of Tara? (Or is it just my very non-representative reading circle?)

About Buffy/Giles - I don't ship it, but I get why it exists. Incest is a thing. (Also I don't get why Buffy/Giles and not Willow/Giles, which at least could be written more or less in-character.)

Do people feel that Willow getting close with other girl somehow betrays memory of Tara? (Or is it just my very non-representative reading circle?)

Well Kennedy still gets lots of hate for the sin of not being Tara (and I don't love Kennedy but I don't hate her either. I didn't love Tara at first sight either; another season or two I might have grown to really like her.) I don't understand why Willow's love for Tara precludes friendships; that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Incest is a thing.

ICK.

Also? I swear that the majority of B/G shippers I've seen are all about woobifying their guy, glossing over his fuck-ups (you know, like every other shipping group does), portraying him as absolutely perfect AND putting Buffy down for not appreciating their beloved guy in canon. (Again, like every other shipping group.)

That said:

I don't get why Buffy/Giles and not Willow/Giles, which at least could be written more or less in-character

RIGHT??? I thought there'd be tons of it out there. Or why not more Giles/Anya (I wish they had gone their with the two of them.) Or Giles/Joyce. Or heck, how about Giles/Jenny or Giles/Olivia. There is canon support for all of these but...no, Giles/Buffy is the big thing.

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btvsats20in20 ROUND 8: "Wiffy" (Buffy Summers & Willow Rosenberg)

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23-29 March 2015

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