I'm a day late (and always a lot of dollars short) but if you'll indulge me for a few moments, I have a lot of people I'd like to thank for their involvement in this year's summer_of_spike.

This community would not exist without that hard work of a lovely groups of ladies. When I opened the community for its second season, I was slightly overwhelmed by the response (by my count, we had about 20% more contributors this year than last.) I'm now ashamed to admit that I spazzed out a bit at handling the scheduling, and these dear friends all volunteered to jump in and not only lend a hand, but keep me sane. These are the people I went to when I needed advice, when I needed to freak, and when I wanted to squeal with joy. My undying gratitude and love goes out to marsterslady, who is the calm to my storm; sunbrae, who uses her powers for good, not evil and always has my back; ghoulchick, whose enthusiasm for lists and organizing made my life so much easier; dionneshea, who made me clean my condo (which really has nothing to do with SoS but it was a huge deal, trust me); abby20, who always enabled my rants; and mskakaako, who understands like only a teacher can the need for order and rules. These six women have been my rock this summer. Many times, they spent more time on moral support than they did actual SoS moderating, but they never complained and I don't know what I'd do without any of them.

I need to take one moment to mention adjrun. Adj started SoS with me last summer, but due to silly real life commitments she wasn't able to be involved this summer. However, she was so instrumental in making SoS what it is that I need to thank her. Her fingerprints are all over this community and it wouldn't be what it is without her founding input and support.

Of course, all of the contributors to the community have earned my undying gratitude. This fandom's capacity for selflessness astounds me sometimes, and every one of our contributors gave their time and energy and I want them to know how much that is valued. Each contribution was unique and I got a thrill every day seeing what new, delightful things had been posted (of course, I suck at giving feedback, but I do have plans to go back - there is no such thing as "too late" when it comes to feedback, right?) I was often in awe of the talent on display and I want each contributor to know that their efforts are truly appreciated. The heart of this community is your work. And I have to say, I got a little thrill every time someone said they tried something new -whether a medium, genre, or ship - because it demonstrated the varied interests of all our members as well as exemplified how this community, and the fandom as a whole, can encompass so much variety and be a driving force in stretching (and challenging) our own creative abilities. I honestly cannot express my thanks to our contributors enough. You have been too kind to us all.

Another thing that flummoxed me this year was the exponentially expanding number of "Watchers" - almost 600, pretty much doubled the number we had last year. I don't know where you all came from, but I thank you so, so much for supporting the community. You are the audience, the critics, the muses of this community. It would not be the same without your support and copious amount of comments. I thank you all for taking the time to read, view, and snag when applicable. I thank you for leaving feedback - it's the only thing our contributors receive from this, and it's as good as gold. You've all helped give this community it's spirit and it would not have been the same without any of you.

I'm going to attempt to tag all of the posts in the near future, to make browsing easier. And like last year, I am suspending all posting access to avoid any issues with spamming. As to the future of the community, I have to be honest. There most likely will not be a summer_of_spike Season 3. While I have adored both summers, time, commitments, and interests do change, and I'm not sure this will be feasible again next summer. Let's just say, we'll see what happens.

One more blanket thank you to everyone,
canadia bit

Current Mood: working

Getting this in under the wire, so I'll do my big thank you post tomorrow.

Title: Rosebud
Summary: Spike wants to do stuff to Buffy. Buffy's not so sure. They talk a lot. And do it.
Rating: R. Lots of talk, not much action.
Acknowledgements: To mrmonkeybottoms, who is the funniest person alive. I don't know what I'd do without her.
Note: I didn't have time to seriously beta this so any mistakes are mine and I'll fix it up later in the week. Oh, and there's no real timeline for this, it's just sort of whenever. Just go with it, okay? And the formatting is kinda screwed, I'll fix that too. Just bear with me, okay, it's been a long day.

( Rosebud )

Current Mood: exhausted

Hello everyone!

Well, today is the last day of summer_of_spike Season 2. I should have something to post for you all later in the day, along with a very, very, very long list of thank yous. For now, I bring you these icons, made by awmp. These are based upon the most popular panels from last week's "Two Tales of Eleven Pounds" (Part One and Part Two). Please credit awmp and marsterslady if you use them.

01 02 03
04 05 06
07 08 09

Current Mood: busy

I hope I'm not too late for my last post. I planned on posting more of these, but my server crashed and I couldn't upload more of the new ones.. So these will have to do...

These icons were made based on manipulations that were done by the wonderful artists/manipulators I mentioned below. I only made the icons..

Thank you jans_intentions for gathering all the beautiful artwork for me, darker_spike for all the amazing and breathtaking inspirations, and thank you to the artists for letting me play with their work. I really had a blast doing so.

( 13 sexy Spike icons )

If anyone's interested, I will be posting more of these type of icons in the next few days on my journal, and the community where all these artwork were originally from darker_spike.

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, I will try to reply to all your comments asap... but please know that I REALLY applreciate all your feedback and comments you all have left me on my previous posts today. THANK YOU for the lovely time here at SoS, I really hope you all have enjoyed what I shared today. =) Take care everyone, and stay creative!

xoxoxo
~Thia

Second and final part. Thanks for reading, all!


( Read more... )

Hi, folks. I'd hoped to have a few wallpapers to post today, but it was not to be, so I'm afraid all you get from me is fic.


Mightier Than the Sword
By Barb C.

Disclaimers: The usual. All belongs to Joss and Mutant Enemy, and naught to me.
Rating: PG-13
Setting: Post-Gift /AU Season 8
Pairing: B/S, Spike & Xander
Distribution: Ask and you shall receive, I'd just like to know where it ends up.
Synopsis: Spike decides to get Buffy the perfect present to celebrate a momentous occasion. Unfortunately, the current owner of the item in question isn't very cooperative...
Author’s notes: This story takes place in the same universe as "Raising In the Sun," "Necessary Evils," and "A Parliament of Monsters." It's set approximately a year and a half after POM, and contains spoilers for POM.


( Read more... )

Eeee sorry for spamming!! Promise I'll stop soon! ...

I have 4 headers and the matching icons to share. Please feel free to use these for your journals, all I ask is that you don't hotlink them from your journals.. please? I hope you'll enjoy them.

All credits for my icons/graphics:
All caps used are my own. All brushes/textures also are my own or the defaults in Photoshop. You can visit my journal for my textures/brushes. More of my extensive resources can be found on my website for downloads, Hybrid Genesis.

( 1 Spike header, 3 Spuffy headers + matching icons. )

Sick of me yet? I have one more post but it'll be a bit later because I'm still working on it.. *g* and it IS way past my bedtime, dude! Good that I'm looking at many nekid Spike artwork right now.. they're keeping me wide awake. ;)

xoxoxo
~Thia

Hi! I'm back with the second batch of my icons. =)

Being a die hard spuffy fan, I couldn't help but make a few spuffy icons too. I hope you'll like them.

( Spike icons 51-100 )

*phew*

Headers coming.. and more icons later. Need to rest for a bit. LOL.
Hope you've enjoyed what I've posted so far!

xoxoxo
~Thia

*nervous waves*

It's my day today to post my contribution here at SoS. First I want to thank the lovely mods for giving me a chance to participate in this lovely community for anything that is Spike. =)

First post here I'm going to share some of my brand new Spike icons. I hope you all will enjoy them! Take and use them, credit is lovely but not necessary.. I only ask that you don't hotlink to these icons.. Save them onto your own HD/server if you want to use them. Comments are always lovely and highly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!

( 1-50 Spike Icons )

Next posts
- Spike - Spike/Buffy icons Batch#2
- A few headers
- Artwork base (dark) icons by other artists/manipulators

Be back later!! ;)

xoxoxo
~Thia

Here it is, my contribution to the community. A little later in the day then I hoped, but still on time.
If someone would like a smaller version, or another format, just ask in comments. I'll make either available. But this worked the best for me, and I was told to do it this way, so I went with it. Thanks.

Vid Title: When I Think About Love
Vidder: _sharvie_
Song: Rough Sex
Artist: Lords of Acid
Pairing: Spike and Angel
Genre: Drama, Slash, Porn
File Size: 17.9 MB
Format: WMV
Running Time: 2:35
Ratings and warnings: NC-17! This vid is not suitable for anyone under 18! I'm serious about this. This has images of real men, having real sex, with other men. If any of this bothers or offends you, please don't click the link. And before anyone asks, I did ask the mods for permission. Thank you.
Summary: What's a poor vamp to do when he misses his Sire and can't stop thinking about him? Watch porn, of course. Too bad the reception sucks.
( Acknowledgments and Graphic Link to Vid )

Current Mood: ecstatic

Okay, this is it--I haven't got thirty drabbles, a five-part fic, or a series of amazing photo manips. I've got one fic, and here it is.

Thanks to the mods for hosting such a nifty community.

TITLE: Our Little Secret

AUTHOR: Shadowlass

CONTACT: shadowlass2000@yahoo.com

SUMMARY: Spike handles his discovery of Riley's nasty little habit differently than in "Into the Woods." No, it's not slash. Implied B/R, S/B.

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them or make any money off them.

( Our Little Secret )

Yes! I did it! I beat the deadline! ::snoopy dances:: And I still have over two hours left in my day. Yay!

Here is my third post, and my last one for my day. I hope that you've all enjoyed it as much as I have - last-minute-story-writing aside - and that you all join me in a round of virtual applause for canadia_bit and our awesome team of moderators for providing us with this incredible experience. Again. The quality of work that everyone has shown here has been incredible, and proves yet again that the Spike-love never dies.


After all the melodrama and angst of my previous two posts, I'm pleased to report that this one is just all fluffy bunnies and kitties and beer and 1100 words. Thanks for fic-midwifery must go to hurry_sundown on this one, who helped me thrash it out one humid summer day in her kitchen. *smooch*

Both Spike and Hellboy in their printed image incarnations belong to Dark Horse. It's a wonder no one has done this one before. Ah, they probably have; I'm just woefully underinformed.

( Love is Hell, Boy )

I'm now off to reply to the many kind and generous comments that have been left for me. And I might even get to have 7 hours of sleep tonight. How 'bout that?

Current Mood: giggly
Current Music: Some thumpy piano thing on CBC2

Title: Of All The Supermarkets In all The World...

Rating: PG13, because it does include a curse word!

Pairing: Spike/Buffy

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Summary: It's five years after NFA. Spike goes shopping, and finds something that wasn't on his list.

Thanks to Melanie for the beta - I didn't give her enough time, really, and so any mistakes are my own.

 

( Of All The Supermarkets In All The World... )

 

 

And there we have it - my contribution! Hope you all enjoy it, and thanks to everyone who organised this, and contributed - you really helped make my Summer more entertaining!

Current Mood: nervous

A story in twenty one drabbles. With pictures.

Post the second.

Inspired by Roger Zelazny’s Hugo-award-winning Twenty Four Views of Mount Fuji, by Hokusai, which was in turn inspired by Hokusai’s thirty four woodcuts of Mount Fuji from different perspectives. Gee, I don’t aspire to much, do I? :D It’s like a big ol’ game of creativity telephone…

In the future I may add more sections, in which case I’ll post updated versions at my own LJ. But in the interest of actually posting today, I thought I had better leave well enough alone.

Hail Joss, from whom these characters flow.

Warning: gratuitous hyphenation and apostrophization (well, it is now) were employed in the interest of achieving word counts…
( Twenty Two Views of Spike, by magista )

ETA: These icons are all shareable, but not customizable. Comment (please!), credit, no hotlink, etc, etc. I'll get back to reply to your generous comments on both posts after my last post or when my time runs out, whatever comes first.

Current Mood: accomplished

Let's just think of this as a teaser, shall we? I hope to make two more posts today, both somewhat more substantive than this first one. The second post's pretty much a given, just needs a little more tweaking. The third one... well, let's pretend I didn't mention it, and that way it will be a surprise all around, won't it?

Thank you to all the moderators for their hard work making this come true the second time around, and thanks also to everyone who has already contributed or is lined up for the final days. This is some august company, you betcha.

( Working outside my comfort zone here. I expected to do fics instead. )

I'd be more than willing to personalize the banner or change the wording on icons, if anyone wants. Just leave me your e-mail and let me know.

I shall close this post with the traditional invocation: "Please comment and credit. No hotlinking."

Thanks! See you again soon, I hope.

Current Mood: drained

download vid (high quality divx, zipped .avi)
You'll need the divx codec, which you can get here or here

alternate formats:
smaller, lower quality zipped .rm
smaller, lower quality zipped .wmv


I hope you guys like it. And now that I'm done, I'm looking forward to checking out the contributions I missed while working on this. Everything looks really great so far! Thanks to canadia_bit & all the mods for organizing another awesome Summer of Spike :-)

So tired!

Beta'd by the recalcitrant and unwilling pixelleate. If there are spelling or grammatical errors, they're all her fault. No, really.

Also, I stole a line from John Crichton (Farscape).

( Chapter 4 )

Current Mood: accomplished

I love you.

The rating on this is definitely YMMV (your mileage may vary). I thought it might be episodic, but as I wrote it today, I realized it might be not so much for the under 13 crowd, or even the under 17 crowd. I'm going to say it's a hard R. Again, I stress that if you don't read this "sex" chapter of the baby fic, the rest of it will read just fine. I promise. You're just missing the boom-boom. Honestly, it's tasteful boom-boom. I'm still me! I swear. (And why would you want to miss the boom-boom, anyway?)

As I procrastinated for weeks, writing and rewriting, and finally finalized it too late for pnksaph to beta, speedracerx5, the poor fella who happens to live in the house with me, had to do it in her stead, and pixelleate, my fantastic friend who happened to be online (unfortunately for her) helped tons. Pity them all. None of them even remotely like Spike/Buffy. They are such sad souls who deserve worlds of pity (for all reasons pertaining to me).

( Your Turn, part 3, skip if desired )

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Pachelbel's Canon in D on guitar

Well, kiddies, it's been brief but fun. I'd love to have offered you more, Ms. Bit, but sadly, it was all I could do to get this together. I'd like to thank my beta angstchic one more time who has gone so far above and beyond the call of duty that I can't even begin to cover it. Any and all errors you find, I assure you are my sloppiness because she rules.

And another thanks to eyesthatslay for my totally hot banner and totally hot icon that I want to run away and have babies with.

And of course, thanks to marsterslady who let me share her day and really showered all of you with a much better selection, more fic, a cartoon....she's got it all folks. And it's all fabulous! Last of all, thanks to all of the mods and contributers of this amazing community. This has been a complete blast a great way to enjoy the summer.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

So, here it is. I hope you all had fun with it! :o)

( Smoke and Mirrors - Chapter 4 of 4 )

Current Mood: accomplished

Part three comes with a couple of disclaimers. Huge shout outs of gratitude to kallysten and syderia who helped me with some translating and a shout out to Bon Jovi, who could care less, but did "Bad Medicine" which I totally stole.

( Smoke and Mirrors - Chapter 3 of 4 )

Current Mood: busy