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!
 

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

Fangirl Friday: Webcomics

That's right, I'm committing to a weekly post! Every Friday, I'm going to post about something that I love, or am currently obsessed with or something of the like. :D

Today, I just feel the need to share one of my geeky obsessions- webcomics. Most of these are online graphic novels, and they're BRILLIANT and LOVELY and I want to share.
***Because I can't pick favourites, these are roughly in order of how I found them***

Looking For Group is a fantasy type epic adventure story; it starts out as a joke about all sorts of fantasy-genre tropes and things, but along the way, developed into much more than that. Cale'Anon, the hero, meets Benny, an interesting priestess/healer, and Richard, a warlock whose titles include Chief Warlock of the Brothers of Darkness, Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Master of the Bones, Emperor of the Black, Lord of the Undead, Lord of the Dance, Mistress of Magma, and Mayor of a little village up the coast. It's a rollicking good time!
PLUS, they've recently(ish) started running a comic called Non-Player Character that provides backgrounds and histories for other characters that meet Cale, Richard, Benny, and their crew. AND, they run a weekly silly strip about Richard. It's AWESOME.
Updates: LFG----M/Th     start date unavailable, as of this posting has 882 pages
              NPC----T/F     start date unavailable, as of this posting has 147 pages, in 15 stories
              TDA----W     start date unavailable, as of this posting has 67 pages

Girl Genius is a sci-fi steampunk mad-science romance adventure featuring a girl named Agatha, who is incredible. All sorts of crazy shenanigans and adventures occur, and Girl Genius features an incredible cast, including a talking cat, the handsome genius son of a tyrant baron, a warrior princess from a lost nation, and many more. ALSO- the Jagers. Once human, now something else, they serve the Heterodyne family... And speak with German accents provide fantastic comic relief along with intense backstory.
It's AWESOME.
Updates M/W/F     running since Nov 2002

Namesake is a fantasy story that cleverly weaves together many of your favourite classic stories, including Alice in Wonderland, the Wizard of Oz, and more. Starring a girl named Emma, who is a Namesake (the next person to live through the storyline of a famous story and help save that world), and her younger sister Elaine, a writer (the people who chronicle Namesake stories and help link the different worlds together), and full of deception, intrigue, secret societies and an epic battle for good and evil, Namesake is AMAZING. Also, the artwork is absolutely GORGEOUS!
Updates T/Th/Sa     running since Sep 2010

Retail is a syndicated comic that runs in newspapers. I actually remember when it debuted in my paper, and when I found it online, I was pretty stoked! It follows the employee's of Grumbel's, a big chain retail store, especially Marla, Cooper, and Val. The cast of characters is amusing, the customers they deal with are often hilariously horrifying, and their manager, Stuart, is (of course) the stereotypical corporate drone. It's a lot of fun. Also WAY different from everything else I'm sharing... but oh well!
Updates daily!     running since January 2006

Blindsprings is lovely. It's an interesting fantasy-type comic that investigates a world where magic and science don't coexist very well, and centers on Tamaura, a princess lost in time, and Harris, an academic who tries to fix everything. She goes on adventures... And he blunders. So far, that's what's up. That's actually an atrocious description, but TRUST me, you'll love it!
Updates T/Th/Sa     Running since Oct 2013

The Forgotten Order is an interesting magic adventure story. However, it only updates once a week... So progress is slow! But, it focuses on Trystan, the magical runt of a very talented family, and Kay, her possessed/cursed servant doll... Who has a mysterious past and many mysteries of her own. It is thoroughly enchanting.
Updates Mondays     Running since Dec 2011

Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo is a ridiculous adventure story about a self aware skeleton who decides he wants more out of life than serving a lich forever, and who sets off as a wandering bard. His best friend/sidekick is a Gelatinous Goo- a large jello-like being, who only Rickety can understand. Honestly, this comic is hilarious! Also, it has the really cool bonus feature that the author posts Lore three times a week- little tidbits about the world that add to the storyline and help explain concepts. It's really a charming comic.
Updates: Comic   M/W     start date unavailable, as of this posting has 109 pages
                Lore     T/Th/F     start date unavailable, as of this posting has 141 pages

So, there's that. Just a few of the things I love, and that I hope you'll love too! :]