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Title: North Star (Nightmares/Chosen) 2014 - 2015

Artist:

Characters: Buffy Summers

Size: 507square

This is one of my favorite banners that I've made, and I have no idea why I've kept it hidden away for so long. As anyone whose known me for five minutes knows, "the Buffyverse across the seasons" and one Buffy Anne Summers in particular are two of my favorite subjects to play with in fanart.

Alt versions of banner (full-size images all 507square):

Click for full-size versions:

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The bokeh effect is from ipiccy ; the cloudscapes are views of a brilliant New England sunset my sweetheart took a couple of years ago. I layered the same shot twice at slightly different angles to one another to fill the space.

Icon versions:

You may recognize 4 - 7 from such ~~televison show~~ icontests comms as

slayerstillness Challenge 37 and

btvsats20in20 Round 5.

(No, I have no idea why I submitted #4 to SS when it's softer and blurrier than 1 - 3, either.)

1 - 5

6 - 7

Resources:

Screencaptures: Bloodqueen, Pretty as a Picture, Leave Me the White

Text: Quote from BtVS episode 4.22, "Restless", written by Joss Whedon

A Vague Disclaimer is No One's Friend:

~ DO NOT RE-POST TO OTHER SITES (INCL. FANPOP) OR LJ COMMUNITIES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!

~ Take what icons you like for personal use but please credit if used :)

~ No hotlinking!

~ Comments however are appreciated :)

~ All artwork by yours truly except where otherwise indicated.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's absolutely beautiful!

Thank you dear!

And oh, I don't know what happened to my manners because I haven't wished you happy birthday yet!

Wow, this is some great work. I love the overlay of younger and older Buffy. I also have always loved that quote from the show, I really love the use of it here!

Thank you sweetheart! I just love the contrasts of the older and younger characters; it's interesting to me that BtVS is a show where the characters truly do grow and change to the point that it's sometimes painful to contemplate but that's true of RL as well oftentimes.

I also have always loved that quote from the show, I really love the use of it here!

I once read that Angel was supposed to appear in Restless in the role Tara plays in Buffy's dream and that would have been so incredibly wrong. In any case, this line is so wonderfully applicable to all the characters but Buffy and Willow most especially.

BTW I forgot to add in my post that I copied your format re: title, artist, etc because I liked the way you had it. Do you mind if I adopt that?

I don't like the idea of Angel taking Tara's place in Restless. Tara was perfect in that role in my opinion. And I don't mind at all if you use that format! :) Again, great work!

Tara was perfect in that role in my opinion.

Yes it had to be someone who had a connection to earth magic - and it had to be a woman connecting the two slayers, taking Faith's place as the harbinger of Dawn, etc. (Somehow a male vampire who was known for killing countless girls and women, who had tortured Dru and driven her mad and would have done the same to Buffy as Angelus would NOT have been the proper spirit guide, not at all. And I don't hate the Big Doofus either.)

And Tara had already recognized that Faith was not Buffy back in Who are You.

BTW the icons you're showing off lately are amazing - when did you make that Wishverse buffy icon? I love everything about it.

Tara is really good at reading people and their emotions. She's very observant and caring, and just an all around good person.

I made the wishverse Buffy icon a few weeks ago when I made those icons for myself. I really love how it turned out, I was all giddy when it happened lol

Tara is really good at reading people and their emotions

Which makes her failure to realize the Buffybot isn't Buffy in Intervention ('the bot wouldn't even have an aura) or to really notice that something is "up" with Buffy in S6 until Buffy tells her so in Dead Things really strange. I file those under "writerly convenience" rather than being true to the character.

Poor Tara was pretty much just a plot device - and sadly still is in the S10 comics. (mild spoilers : Andrew angsts about his part in killing Tara - again - and tries to resurrect her; Willow angsts about her loss - again - and tries to stop him. It's all about Andrew and Willow's pain and their arcs and not about Tara herself at all. It never was, sadly.)

I really love how it turned out, I was all giddy when it happened lol

As well you should be! And the other Wish icon you're using right now is a stunner too.

Edited 2015-10-06 17:50 (UTC)

It's gorgeous!

Thank you hon!

Oh my stars! Warn someone before you unleash anything this awe-inspiring, would you? Wow!

Gabrielle

Oh, sorry! I was going to show you first Gabrielle and then I thought I'd surprise you. (and everybody) I don't know why it's taken me so long to show these off.

(Would you like a private showing of Xander/nightmares banner I'm working on right now?)

I would love the private showing!

(And hey, I was being playfully complimentary, so no worries.)

Gabrielle

I know, I was teasing back sweetie! But I do have a really nifty banner to show you (watch your email right now)

Wait until you see the tara/buffy banners I made for written; they're knockouts if I do say so myself.

Wow, gorgeous! Love #5 especially!

Thank you so much! And thanks muchly for linking to this post on su_herald. I meant to say thanks earlier but I got caught up in all the yummy links!

User

feliciacraft referenced to your post from The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, September 30th (http://su-herald.livejournal.com/825454.html) saying: [...] [Images, Audio & Video] Artwork:North Star (Nightmares/Chosen) 2014 - 2015 [...]

Very nice! I think I like the 3rd alternate the best. Love the textures!!

Thank you! I have them lined in the wrong order - alt 2 should be switched with 1. 2 has one cloudscape layer, 1 has two cloudscape layers and 3 is #1 with bokeh added twice at different angles. sometimes bokeh can be kind of cliche and a crutch - but I love it anywa y. You know me and light effects and when it works it WORKS.

Gorgeous work!

Thank you so much m'lady!

I love it!

Thank you very much!