Fangirl Friday: Blogs!

So, I follow a few blogs. And I just need to share them, because they're wonderful!

The first blog I started following is Cakewrecks. It's exactly what it sounds like- a blog that makes fun of cakes gone wrong, professional cakes that turned out hilariously awful. It's SO FUNNY. It includes gems like these:
 

This cake is the cake that started it all. It's a classic.

 

Still not sure what the story on "Falker Satherhood" is. But it's FUNNY.

 

Yes, this creepy baby cake is REAL. And yes, someone paid for it. 0.o

However, to restore your faith in cake makers, every Sunday, the lovely folks at Cakewrecks post Sunday Sweets, which are AMAZING.
Like this:

Also, posts tend to be full of geeky references and jokes. SO MANY JOKES.
So, that's Cakewrecks.

Then, a few years ago, the primary author of Cakewrecks, Jen, started another blog: Epbot. Her tagline for the blog is "Geekery, Girliness, & Goofing Off," and that's exactly what it is. Jen posts amazing tutorials for crafts that she and her husband John have done, ranging from Halloween eyeball wreaths...

to steampunk goggles...
to Harry Potter Death Eater Masks...
 
and a whole lot more!
Jen also posts a lot of geek stuff, and Jen and John go to a lot of conventions, so she posts cosplay pictures and con survival guides. She posts about books she's read, and movies she loves. And she also is real about her life, including her struggles with anxiety, and their cat who overgrooms. Epbot is a lovely corner of the internet full of happy things.

Then, there's It Just Gets Stranger. I will be honest, I'm not sure how I found this blog. But it's wonderful! Eli blogs about everything from his job as a lawyer to his Iron Man training to his neighbours "The Perfects" and his friends. He also travels a lot, and posts amazing pictures. But the cool thing about this blog is that it ranges from incredibly silly (The Lost Journal Series), to very deep (A Kentucky Clerk), and everywhere in between (Pictures and Distractions). The Stranger community is a good one. :)

And the last one is one I just check up on every once in a while, but it's HILARIOUS. Obvious Plant is full of shenanigans. Basically, this guy makes signs and ads and posts them places. Like this:



 He goes to a lot of effort to make pamphlets and posters and store labels, and it's all good fun.

So that's the effort for today. Enjoy my blogs!
 

Compare and Contrast

So, y'all know about Tak. (a quick summary: my high school best friend, and crush, dated him sophomore year, he went to college, we broke up, and aren't really friends anymore) But you don't know about Baw. (a quick summary: my older brother's best friend in Podunk, I had a crush on him in middle school that faded after we moved to Myneton) So, this week, Baw returned from his mission to the Chile Osborno Mission, and of course, big brother (oh my gosh I'm bad at this blogging stuff. big brother got home from the Mexcio City East mission on October 17, and we've basically been hanging out nonstop since then, because we have no obligations.) and I had to go to the airport when he flew in, because big brother was STOKED to see him again! And then we went to his homecoming talk this Sunday... And I just got thinking.

First off, it was so fun to see Baw and my big brother together again. Going on nine years of friendship, and they're hilarious. And they get each other- they really just go together.

But I couldn't help comparing Baw and Tak. They're really similar, and I had crushes on the two of them for a lot of the same reasons- musician, funny, kind, a strong testimony of the Gospel... But looking at them now, it's like...
Well, Baw is still all of those things that I liked. And Tak isn't anymore. I mean, Tak and I haven't even talked in over a year (because he thinks it'd be awkward or something? not really sure...), but from Rle's friendship with him, we know that he's sort of fallen away from the Church (sad, sad, sad!). And he's just... changed a lot since high school. I mean, he's still cute and musical, but he seems to be less considerate, less kind, and he's lost that light. It's like he's become a worse version of himself, I guess. It's sad.
But Baw is shining with this Gospel light, and he's so excited about his testimony, and the chance he had to go to Chile. And he's still cute and musical, and funny and kind, and all the things I liked.

Just, looking at the two of them now... Well, if I were looking to date right now (which I'm not because I'M GOING ON A MISSION IN 42 DAYS!!!! :) Germany here I come!), Baw is exactly the sort of guy I'd go on a date with, someone I'd love to have in my friend group. And Tak is not even on that radar.

It's interesting to see the contrast in them in the two years since they've graduated.

There Are Moments

There are moments when I'm so angry that it's a good thing the object of my anger is not around, because I'd probably do something rash.

There are moments when I want to grab a person's shoulders and shake them silly because of the damage they are throwing around with their careless words.

There are moments when I can't find the words to reassure the people I love the most, and that hurts.

There are moments when I'm trying to be a good friend, a good listener, to reassure and soothe hurts, and it's hard because I want to go scream at the person who caused the pain.

There are moments when I wish people could see what their words have done, when I wish they could see the damage inflicted by the daggers they throw, meticulously sharpened and carefully aimed.

There are moments when I can't help.

There are moments when I sit, useless, while someone I love cries, and there is nothing that I can do to help them.

There are moments when I'm so angry I could scream, but I have to be the better person, and so I hold it in, because someone I love is hurting.

There are just... moments that stand out to me, when I've been upset on behalf of those I love, and there's nothing I can do to fix it, when I feel useless, and angry at the people who made my dear ones feel this way, and I just don't know what to do.

And I hate those moments.

Fangirl Friday: Webcomics II

I intended to make this Fangirl Friday a weekly post. Then crazy happened. But here's another one, again on webcomics- because I've found a few more I really enjoy.

Riven Seal is lovely. I'm just gonna give you the official synopsis, because I'm not sure how to sum up: "Riven Seal is a Victorian fantasy webcomic set in a world where magic has replaced technology and the advent of demon summoning has caused massive social and economic changes. While the story hosts a large cast of characters, a young man named Janus lies at the center of web of fate that connects them all. His encounter with a unbound demon will bring about a series of trials, dangers and magic that has not been seen in centuries." Janus has some very interesting friends (and he's 16. Just so you know. The cast page has SPOILERS but it's nice to know his age). It's obvious early on that Janus is magically gifted, but his guardian is keeping him back. We don't know why yet... RivenSeal is fairly young, but I think it's worth getting into. The art is so lovely, and the story is intriguing!
Updates: Mondays    start date unavailable; as of this post has 148 pages

Lighter Than Heir is not like the other webcomics I'd recommend. It's set in a sort of alternate steampunky reality, in a Germany(ish) place that had previously been at war with a Spain(ish) place. Zeppelin Von Schultheiss is our hero, the 19 year old daughter of a deceased war hero who joins the Steinbech army as soon as she can. Also, she's a volant- naturally gifted with the ability to fly. She has high hopes to be a hero, but boot camp... Is rough. I don't really like Zeppelin (although I think she's getting more likeable as the comic wears on), but I fell in love with the characters around her, her fellow army recruits, who you meet in boot camp:
Emmerich Hertz, mechanically gifted and determined to do well. He also hates Zeppelin... For reasons we see later.
Fritz Roth, who starts out as a jerk, but he grew up on the streets. We see his soft side later, and you really start to like him. Also the resident tough guy.
Ria Klein started out as a fashion model, and IS THE NICEST PERSON. Seriously. She's so cute. And actually does really well at the soldier business.
Mathis Schultz who was an actor, and joined the army to support himself and his actress girlfriend. He tries to smooth edges... He's the little brother of the group, sort of.
Ada Fleischer fangirls hard about things... Joins the army because ZEPPELIN VON SCHULTHEISS but is quickly disenchanted. BUT. She falls in love with the mechs and the guns and mostly the mechs, and she's AWESOME.
For me, the other characters made it worth it, even with kind of hating the protagonist. BUT. The reason this comic is really not like the others is, well, there's a lot of violence. All is not well between Steinbrech and Zamora, and conflict is a-brewin'. And also, there's a bit of a language problem. But it's a neat comic, with a compelling, and believable story.
Updates: M/W/F     running since May 2011

Headless Bliss is LOVELY. It started out as a concept- what happens to the stories we make up and never use? and the author decided to take all her partially fleshed-out stories and put them into one comic. It's an absolutely stunning visual art style, and starts out with an adorable protagonist- Annun, the princess of the demon realms. It's a lovely little world to get lost in.
Updates: T/Th     running since October 2014

So, that's all for today folks! Happy webcomic readin'!

(update 14 October 2015)
I found two new comics today and I don't want to lose them.

The Lonely Vincent Bellingham is one I've found before, but refound, and I adore it. To sum up: "This is a story about Vincent.  (But not really.) Vincent's been on sabbatical recently, and promised his professor to visit his old friend. Because of this, some say Vincent's a nice fellow. But he's not, honestly. (Nice people don't try to run away from their families, homes and responsibilities.) Lucky for him, Vincent finds all the excuses he needs when the "old friend" turns out to be Victoria, a mysterious woman with two interesting children."
That's the official about(with two small edits for spoilers). And that's everything you need to know. It's a charming art style, and an intriguing story. It makes me grin.
Updates W/F    running since December 2014

Clockwork is interesting. It's been recommended by the writers of Girl Genius, which I love, so that's a big point in its favour. Again, stealing the official story: "Cog Kleinschmidt works happily as an artisan within the stronghold of the world’s leading empire, Mercia Fortress. He finds his life taking a screeching turn upon the arrival of a diplomat from the Kingdom of Arcadia, who needs something from Cog - whether he agrees or not!" Cog is best friends with Boris, the prince of Mercia, and they often spend time with Christian, an Arcadian scientist who's lived in Mercia for years.
The interesting thing about this story is that we are dropped in at a time of peril- magic users, in the name of Arcadia, are launching terrorist attacks on Mercia, and Arcadian nobles are dying. Nobody knows why... DRAMA. It's a fun story, with interesting characters. Definitely worth a look!
Updates Wednesdays    running since June 2015

Making Words Matter

Right, I'm finally posting this. Because it's still important.

So, I was asked to speak back in June (on the 14th, actually), along with my friend Kys, who also just graduated. Our topic was broad- "How did seminary and high school change your life/what did you learn from them?" Yeah. HUGE. And we both thought a lot about it... But neither of us wrote anything down.

I get up on the stand that morning, and Kys says, "I have it all in my head."
"Oh, me too. I'm just writing down my five main points, just in case." Because I'd pulled out a pen and a paper, and that's what I was doing.
"Ooo, that's a good idea!" So Kys pulled out her cell phone and made a note with her five main points. (Yes, we both had five. FACT.)

So, I walked up to speak with my five points, two of which were these:

It's okay to not know the answer.
God knows you and loves you individually.

Everything I talked about was significant to me, but those two especially. Here's why:

It's okay to not know the answer! Sometimes, you run across questions in the Gospel, doctrines you're not sure on, and sometimes things won't seem to make sense, even if you pray and ponder and do everything else. And that's ALRIGHT. It doesn't mean God isn't answering you... Sometimes it means you aren't ready for the answer yet, and sometimes it means that you'll never get the answer. And that's okay. Even Christ doesn't know everything! And if there are some things that we won't know in this life, that is alright.
And this is something I struggled with, all through high school. It was frustrating to me to not get answers, or to feel like I wasn't being heard. It made me wonder if I was doing something wrong, and sometimes it was a huge test of my faith. But I realised this year that it's ok to not know EVERYTHING. It's ok to just say, "I don't know," and lean on my faith in God. That was HUGE for me.

God knows you and loves you individually. This is SO. IMPORTANT. There will be times in your life when you may feel like you don't have any friends, or no one understands you, or maybe you're not getting along with your family. It will be hard. BUT. The most powerful person in this universe is on your side, in your corner, and He will never let you down.
And I told this story that had a huge effect on my testimony of this (which actually occurred over a year ago, from when I'm posting this. any comments I didn't originally share will be in green, everything else will be verbatim just as I said it then).
"This fall (2014), I had the opportunity to be one of the drum majors for the high school marching band, something that I've wanted to do for a long time. While it was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot, it was also one of the most challenging things I have ever done. We had a new band director this year (2014-15), because our other director retired at the end of last year (2013-14), and that added to the challenges. The band, as a whole, was getting used to a new director, and pushing limits, and it was frustrating to deal with.
"There was one particular football game (Sep 19, 2014) that was incredibly difficult. It was a pile up of a lot of things, but I basically felt like I wasn't fulfilling my obligations, and that I could do a better job, and I was so frustrated with the way the whole band was acting, and I just didn't know what to do about. The other drum major (Rle!) and I ended up in tears for the whole second half of the game, and cried for a long while after it. We felt awful.
"But the next day (Sep 20), we had a youth temple trip to do baptisms at the Salt Lake Temple. We had a ward devotional in the baptistry chapel, BishopB talked about how it doesn't matter where you were yesterday, or what other people think, or what challenges you're having- and I just started to cry- because we're in the temple now, and none of it matters here.
"And I just kept crying, waiting to do baptisms, getting confirmed. I think I scared a couple of our Beehives, because it was their first time doing baptisms, and I just bawled the whole time. But I was crying because I just felt this overwhelming sense of peace and love. I could feel the Spirit confirming that I am a daughter of God, that He knows me, and that if I kept doing my best to fulfill my obligations and to keep His commandments, that I was going to be okay. That feeling of peace and love stayed with me that whole day.
"The next day, Sunday (Sep 21), I asked my dad for a father's blessing. Despite the fact that I felt much better after being in the temple, I was still dreading going to band the next day. So my dad, without knowing what I had felt in the temple, gave me a blessing- in which he said all the same things. Again, I felt that feeling of love and peace.
"And, that night, my mom gave me a letter, saying she had felt impressed to write me a note. She had been out of town that weekend, and didn't know that I had been upset, or why I wanted the father's blessing when I asked for it, but this letter talked about what a valuable daughter of God I am, and how she's so proud of me, and other things.
"Although that football game was an awful experience, the witness of God's love for me that I received because of it is incredible. Maybe, in the eternal scheme of things, being the drum major of the marching band doesn't matter that much. But it was important to me, and because (and here I started to cry while giving the talk) I matter to God, it was important to Him."
And I know that it is true that God knows each of us individually, and that he will support us.

This point was my closing point, and I kept crying while I bore my testimony of the Gospel and Christ and the Book of Mormon. But I felt really good about my talk.

Then, later that day, one of my friends texted me- a kid in my ward who's been in band and choir with me, and who'll be a junior this year. This is how that conversation went:

Him: [My name] your talk today was so awesome! It was so inspiring and amazing. Thank you for always being such a good example to me and helping me to remember who I am. I'm so happy we got to know each other of the course of the past couple of years. It really has been awesome. I'm so excited to watch you continue to grow and become a better and more amazing person.

I cried. I was so worried about my talk, and knowing that it had impacted someone, especially one of the other youth, really meant the world to me.

Me: Thank you so much, [his name]! That really means a lot to me, cuz I was really nervous about this talk and it I'd be able to say everything I needed to. And I'm glad I know you too. You're a great kid! ^_^

Him: You didn't even seem nervous at all it was so great and made my day! Thank you.

Me: Haha thanks! But seriously that means so much to me.

Him: You are welcome!

And it seriously was the hugest thing to me, knowing that my words mattered. It was amazing. I was so worry about the talk, and if I'd be able to say something that would matter, and that I'd be guided by the Spirit. And something mattered to my friend. And that means so much to me.