Spring With Xan Redux (day II): 6 Walls, 63 Icons and 6 Picspams

[katekat]

So I had this crazy "idea" for my spring_with_xan day - I thought I'd make wallpapers (and virtual book covers) of my favorite Xander stories.  Of course, I have a list of a dozen stories I intended to include and I only managed to make six, but hey, I think I'm doing well.  So these wallpapers all come with links to the fic they're inspired by.  


+ please let me know what you think
+ please don't modify (talk with me, I'm happy to modify for you!)
+ please don't link directly
+ icon/graphics website HERE, resources HERE.

So, the first three walls are part of an open love letter to tabaqui and eliade and reremouse  (all writers who make the Spike/Xander love burn so bright, so rich, and so beautiful).   And the second three are in honor of  rakshathewolf and soft_princess and the writing duo tesla321 and dessert_first. 

Letters
by tabaqui
Spike/Xander, NC17

1280x1024 l 1024x768 l book cover
(2nd version:  1280x1024 l 1024x768)

Out of all the fics that Tabaqui has written (and every one is both memorable and worth returning to), this is the one I love the best.  Although this fic is structured around letters, it’s really what doesn’t get said that’s most important sometimes. Tabaqui is a phenomenal writer who adores S/X, and it shows. Both Spike and Xander are hurt on some level, both looking to heal. What’s it all about? Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, when Spike comes back on AtS, he’s a bit at odd ends. Kind of like Xander might be after the end of Btvs.  This fic explores what could have happened, what I'd almost like to think have happened, if the Scoobies had descended on Ats at the right time, and Spike and Xander were the ones who decided to head off, see a bit of the world, and then find each other while they were doing it.

Subtleties
by Anna S. (eliade )
Spike/Xander, NC17

1280x1024 l 1280x800 l 1024x768 l book cover

Anna S (eliade ) is another one of those authors who is practically cannon in my universe.  When I read the first paragraph of this fic, I wondered what the heck I'd gotten into.  I was confused.  I was intrigued.  I felt a little like a perv.  At the same time, I read further and found that it is this wonderful, beautiful and often lyrical story.  This particular work is entirely self-indulgent, entirely bizarre, yet at the same time it really works at the end. When I was done I was amazed that something so resonant came from such an inauspicious beginning.  The premise?  Spike is a professional escort in New York and Xander is sent to fetch him and bring him back to a Sunnydale that never fell into the hellmouth.  Xander's ridiculously wealthy, and they mess around, and mess around, and mess around some more and it turns into something truly beautiful.

Incident on the Bay of the Descending Dragon
by reremouse
Spike/Xander, NC17

1280x1024 l 1280x800 l 1024x768 l book cover

Ok, just like Eliade and Tabaqui, I'm heartily and deeply in love with everything Reremouse has ever written. This fic isn't her longest. Nor is it her most complicated. Nor is it her most serious or her most avant-guard.   Incident on the Bay of the Descending Dragon is, however, one of the sweetest fics. Sweet in a horny, beautiful, uncomplicatedly complicated kind of way. It's post series, and Xander arrives in Vietnam to collect a slayer and finds... Spike.  Reremouse can create beautiful pictures with an economy of words that I not only envy, I find myself falling into.  Sights, sounds, smells, and smiles.

Lessons In Cool: That Music Thing & Being John Wayne
by tesla321 and dessert_first
Xander/Oz, R

1280x1024 l 1280x800 l 1024x768 l book cover

I tried this fic way back in the day when I wasn't the fanfic wench I am now.  It was one of those rainy days where I'd stumbled on a recs list and decided why not.  And, here you are, a fic that's a little different and entirely sweet tale. Something about young boys, something about the wonder in this story, just touched me.  The first is a story about Oz teaching Xander a little guitar.  The second is after the cannon events from S3 with the Xander/Willowness, but is an entirely different take on the Xander/Oz reconciliation. This is the story that made me understand how very adorable these two could be with each other.

Nexus
by rakshathewolf
Xander/Angel(us), NC17

1280x1024 l 1024x768 l book cover

This fic crosses a lot of timelines, but the bulk of the story is set in Season 2, after Angelus makes his lovely return.  He decides he'd rather hunt Xander than Buffy, and yes, it's *that* kind of a hunt.  It's also a hurt-comfort fic of epic proportions (and actually, the only fic I feel I should include warnings about as there is rape, non-con, and some very painful material).  At the same time, the pain is also what makes the pleasure of the story so wonderful to read, and what makes the ending so happy.

Dreamland
by soft_princess
Xander/Giles/Wesley, NC17

1280x1024 l 1280x800 l 1024x768 l book cover

This is the only fic I've presented today that's an AU - quoting from Sofy's summary:  Giles is an English Literature teacher specialized in mythology and folklore; Wesley is a book shop owner who used to be Giles' teacher assistant; Xander is a carpenter working for his own account who used to be in Giles and Wesley's class.  BUT, that tells you nothing about how magnificent this fic is.  The episodes can be taken as stand alone and complete (although Sofy may add something to them if the muse inspires her).  Now, as for the fic itself, it is hot.  Burning, sizzling hot.  Eye-crossingly hot.  And sweet, and gentle, and truly beautiful to read.  Sofy has such a gentle heart, and it shows in every line how much she loves these three gentlemen characters.

now, for icon teasers:
    



1  2  3
        

4  5  6
        

7  8  9
        

10  11  12
        

13  14  15
        

16  17  18
        

19  20  21
        

22  23  24
        

25  26  27
        

28  29  30
        

31  32  33
        

34  35  36
        

37  38  39
        

40  41  42
     

43  44  45
       

46  47  48
       

49  50  51
       

52  53  54
       

55  56  57
       

58  59  60
       

61  62  63
     

Comments

[indigostevens.livejournal.com]

Breathtaking!!! Especially the Subtleties wall! :))

[katekat]

Thank you so much! That's the one I keep coming back to myself - so pleased you liked it!!

[watchersgoddess.livejournal.com]

Wow, these are really awesome! I like especially the Nexus wall. What font did you use for the white text at the bottom? It's gorgeous!

[katekat]

Thank you so much! They were great fun to do! And the font for the text "my akushla" is Elven Common Speak (it's a free font so you could probably find it out there somewhere to download)

[watchersgoddess.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I found it and I love it. :D

[dreamincolor.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. :D I love the icons, and the moments for The Zeppo were perfect. You picked great caps!

[katekat]

Thank you sweetest one!! I'm so glad you liked - the Zeppo was *so* much fun to go back through!

and also, I know I've been crap about responding to comments - I want to thank you SO MUCH for all your sweet comments on my older artwork! You reminded me about some of the earliest stuff I'd ever made and it makes me so happy to know even those aren't too bad and that you liked them.

[dreamincolor.livejournal.com]

I actually just watched the Zeppo about 20 minutes before I ran into this post - so it made it extra fun to see all this. I love that episode, such classic Xandery goodness.


Oh! You're so welcome. :D Your graphics, even your earliest ones, have a really distinct style that I'm crazy about.

[visualthinker11.livejournal.com]

wow... your wallpapers are absolutely AMAZING... and i am impressed by your xander devotion in general!

(also icon 40 is the cleverest picture meshing ever... ever.)

[katekat]

heee! Thank you! You are too sweet! And it's funny, it took me ages to get into Xander as a character, and so now it's super fun to look at the show from his perspective.

And thank you about icon 40! manips are totally my crack :D

[visualthinker11.livejournal.com]

so if xander's a sort of recent obsession, who else have you been obsessed with? ; )

they're amazing... but i can't imagine trying and ever getting them right!

[katekat]

Previous obsession? Giles. Hands down (I even run a summer comm for him). Actually, I'm still pretty fascinated by him too. Luckily it's a great show with wonderful characters/actors, so it's just like spreading more love around. ;)

[visualthinker11.livejournal.com]

this is true... i'm a big character person, actually, so that's probably one of the top reasons i watch btvs.
(speaking of character development, and i think this is probably the most shameless plug i've ever given it, but i cowrite a btvs fanfic at hellmouth_vsds that is made of diary entries for each of the characters... so very character centered...i told you it was shameless!)

anyway, fyi, i friended you, because i was looking at some of your other manips and graphics and i am properly in awe. ; )

[katekat]

what a great idea for a comm!

and welcome aboard - i hope you enjoy my randomness!

[visualthinker11.livejournal.com]

thanks!
and hah, i'm sure i will. ; )

[thrace-adams.livejournal.com]

Oh these were lovely. Snagged some, will credit.

[katekat]

Thank you! Enjoy!!

[shadadukal]

Amazing job! I haven't snurched anything but I just wanted to say I love you for making wallies available in 1200x800. I never find that size and it's the one I need.

[katekat]

Thank you! And I always make my walls either w/ a 1280x800 or the 1280x1024 size that can actually be used w/out missing anything (cuz it's my screen size too!)

[shehasathree]

oh, the icons are beautiful! :)

[katekat]

Thank you love!

[lostgirlslair.livejournal.com]

Wow, sweetie, you have really outdone yourself this time! I love all of them, but the graphics for Subtleties and Incident on the Bay of the Descending Dragon are tied for my favorite!! They're both just gorgeous, sweetie!

Lovely job on all of them!

[katekat]

I think i went a little crazy! but it was all for a good cause. Thank you so much darling woman!

[silentflux]

These are so awesome :) I love how you captured Xander in all of these, especially some of the shots and cropping in the icons! Snagging a few and will credit, of course ;)

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm hunting for new icons to add to my collection... so I might be popping up on your LJ for a bit :D

[katekat]

hey no problem - pop, and enjoy! and thanks so much for the encouragement - i love xander and he's so much fun to icon!