Amanda McGinnis, known online as LadySnip3r, loves video games and fashion. The obvious thing to do was combine them, and the results are splendid. Console to Closet is a collection of outfits inspired by video game characters.

So she might take the dragon Alduin from Skyrim:

and put together an ensemble like this:

This outfit is inspired by Alduin of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I chose a black cocktail dress with tons of textures that imitate his scale-y exterior. I also chose dark grey accessories that compliment the dress’s texture. Lastly, I chose silver hoop earrings with a tooth on each which reminds me of dragon’s teeth.

Each ensemble is accompanied by a description of how the elements pay homage to the original, and also includes information on where to purchase the clothing and accessories.

Her inspiration is wonderfully far-ranging, covering everything from a World of Warcraft Night Elf to one of the Sunflowers in Plants vs. Zombies. (As a long-time Monkey Island aficionado, I also love her take on Guybrush Threepwood.)

Despite many items being inspired by male characters, the collections are currently female-only; her FAQ apologizes for gender lopsidedness, citing a lack of “guy clothes” on the sites she uses to assemble her outfits. Also, although she doesn’t accept submissions of the Polyvore-esque collections that she posts, she does welcome photos of people in their own game-inspired outfits.

Since the emphasis is on fashion rather than cosplay, this is a splendid, subtle way to incorporate an appreciation for gaming into one’s everyday wardrobe.

(via BoingBoing)

Baby rats are just ridiculously squee-worthy.

Bonus! Here, have a baby bat with hiccups.

Bonus bonus! And here’s a snail taking a shower.

Spiky Mug – Wonderful black spiked ceramic mug.

Dreadline – This upcoming video game sounds intriguing.

Zombie Attack Prank – Here is a man who is simply begging to be shot.

Stupid New Domain Names – ICANN is going to open up a large number of new TLDs. This amusing article discusses a few of them. Two of them are .boo and .rip, so start planning for your new domain now.

Oldest and Fatherless – A rather wonderful fan theory that Tolkien’s Tom Bombadil was actually evil.

Alien and Predator Get Married – Splendidly-detailed wedding cake. I think the li’l facehugger just hatching out is my favorite part.

Noel Cruz – Artist who does custom repaints of “celebrity” dolls, with astoundingly lifelike results.

A Boy and His God – Short story by Charlie Stross (who also writes the “Laundry” stuff). Now I want a pet god.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal – I’d watch this.

Eyeball Cupcakes – Effective and fairly easy cupcakes featuring gummi eyeballs, which I wasn’t aware were a thing. Neat. (via Maven)

Minico has a tutorial (which is almost too easy to deserve the name) for weaving paper strips into pixellated “Space Invaders.” They’re cute and certainly simple–and cheap!–to make.

Something else that translates well into pixels are cross-stitch patterns, with the single caveat being that this paper-weaving method only allows one color per line. Simple designs like skulls and spiders are readily adaptable, and you could either weave with a single color of paper or alternate colors on each line for an interesting striped effect.

These would add a decorative touch to all kinds of things; they’d be nice as a gift topper or homemade greeting card, or just frame a bunch for a quick and interesting accent. You could also use ribbon instead of paper strips, carefully iron the result onto a bit of fusible webbing, and use it for everything from decorating clothing to covering the lid on a jar of preserves. Varying the width of the strips will change the size of the finished piece, so you can make something as large or small as desired: You could, for example, use wide fabric strips to decorate the side of a tote bag and then do the same design with much narrower strips to make a matching wallet.

Making these would be a fun group activity, especially for kids, since the only real skill required is the ability to count.

(via Geek Crafts)

Dionysus is a fertility god most associated with wine and its cultivation, but really he is a manifestation of the untamed urge inside all living things to grow and reproduce. He is the god of mistakes you made in college.
— Burgeoning Lads of Science

I put suicide notes next to roadkill so their animal families have some closure
— ilovepie84

My famous last words will be words no one ever heard before, like “clarf” or “putesnix.”
— donni

My bet is that every painting has a metaphysical twin, a combination of Dorian Gray and Pickman’s Model, moldering in another place. With the artist gone, the linked pairs will start to turn… here people will slowly start to notice new tentacled figures emerge from odd shadows in their favorite works… and elsewhere ancient old ones will curse light stains seeping across their own loved paintings, as hip young sarcastic shoggoths smirk and roll their thousand eyes.
— Jim Saul, commenting on Thomas Kinkade’s death

Stupid people aren’t flammable enough.
— Schmoodles

apparently “finders keepers” doesn’t apply to corpses
— IamEnidColeslaw

Some times I eat stale bread just to prove to the rest of my groceries they should never stop fearing me.
— sween

So weird to know Santa Claus is hibernating in a coffin right now.
— badbanana

“Ic i stille þære worulde and mielte mid sīe” –Old English. “I wilt stoppe ye world & mealte with thee.” –Middle English.
— KenJennings

Such a beautiful day in London this morning. After so much wind and snow: sunshine, at last. They say Aslan is on the move.
— twhiddleston

(No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights.)

1. What actor played Daniel “Oz” Osbourne, guitar-player and werewolf, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
2. What was the very first mainstream Hollywood werewolf movie?
   A) The Wolf Man
   B) London After Midnight
   C) The Mad Monster
   D) I Was a Teenage Werewolf
   E) Werewolf of London
3. The word “lycanthropy” is said to derive from the name of this mythical Greek king who was turned into a wolf as punishment for serving Zeus human flesh in an attempt to disprove his omniscience.
4. This late-70s cartoon was essentially “Scooby-Doo with Werewolves.” It detailed the adventures of a group of teenagers, one of whom turned into a wolf whenever he saw anything resembling the moon, who drove around in their “Wolf-Buggy” and solved crimes.
   A) Fangface
   B) Wolf Patrol
   C) My Favorite Monster
   D) Jabberjaws
   E) Turbo Teens
5. In the 2000 movie Ginger Snaps, what is the first thing that Ginger and Brigitte use to try and cure Ginger’s lycanthropy?
6. This Slavic cross between a vampire and a werewolf returns from the grave specifically to have sex with its widow. Its name translates as “wolf’s hair.”
   A) Votyak
   B) Kashub
   C) Libahunt
   D) Vukodlak
   E) Borzoi
7. In 1985’s Teen Wolf, Michael J. Fox plays an average high school student whose newfound lycanthropy allows him to become the star player on his team. What sport does he play?
8. In the DC comic series Fables, the Big Bad Wolf is now Bigby Wolf, a shapeshifter who holds what occupation in Fabletown?
   A) Mayor
   B) Chef
   C) Preacher
   D) Farmer
   E) Sheriff
9. Who sang the 1978 hit “Werewolves of London”?
10. “Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and…” what?

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »

Fiber artist Jennifer Strunge makes unique monsters, heavy on the eyeballs, out of recycled clothing and linens. They’re made without a pattern, so each one is unique.

Her monster “breeds” include Watchful Eyes (which can be hung on the wall to stare at you), Bottom Feeders, and Space Bugs; many designs include a hidden pocket in their mouths for storing…whatever one would store in a plush monster’s mouth. According the the FAQ, although they may pretend to eat your arm, they prefer broccoli.

Her site lists a couple of brick-and-mortar places in the U.S. that sell her designs, but it’s probably easier to find them in her Etsy shop. She also has a blog where she writes about her monsters and lots of other crafty stuff.

Kteis – Etsy shop full of amazing, ethereal hand-painted silk scarves and clothing. (Hat tip to Pensive Pumpkin)

Thomas Kuntz – Artist who creates spectacular and creepy automata.

The 7 Most Terrifying Archaeological Discoveries – An interesting roundup, although I don’t think any of these would even slow this blog’s readers down.

The Necronomicon-Thin Crust Edition – Pizza. Eeeeevil pizza. Includes instructions.

Offbeat Historical Photos – Yes, yes they are.

JAYFK – The Journal of Are You Fucking Kidding explores a variety of “dodgy” science claims in an almost lyrically-profane fashion.

Skull Cutout Tights – These likely wouldn’t hold up for an extended period, but as a one-off they’re attractive.

Gifts for the Macabre – Amazon Listmania! list. Some good ideas for the hard-to-buy-for goth on your list. (Hat tip to Kitten Herder)

27 Essential Texts About Paganism For Your Bookshelf – There are surely items that should have been added and/or omitted, but this might be a good place to get started.

Witches Dinner Party – Some attractive place-setting ideas. I love the stripey plates.

You know what you don’t have? Enough things to give you the creeps. Here’s a brand-new one for you.

When I was writing the Unspooky Saturday edition of the Mujina story (a Mujina, if you don’t feel like clicking the link, is a magical badger that particularly likes to prank people by appearing as a faceless human), I happened upon this tidbit from the Wikipedia article about the Mujina:

On May 19, 1959, Honolulu Advertiser reporter Bob Krauss reported a sighting of a mujina at the Waialae Drive-In Theatre in Kahala. Krauss reported that the witness watched a woman combing her hair in the women’s restroom, and when the witness came close enough, the mujina turned, revealing her featureless face. The witness was reported to have been admitted to the hospital for a nervous breakdown.

Ever since running across that anecdote, if I enter a public restroom and find another woman at the sink I wonder briefly if she might whip around and be all faceless.

Good luck getting that out of your head.

If you have similar silly and unreasonable fears, share ’em in the comments!

Just look at this gorgeous thing.

Working from a series of scans, graphic designer Jon Heilman has created a replica of the “time portal” map from the movie.

The newest DVD of Time Bandits contains a small foldout of an actual screen-used map. It’s very beat up, has lots of weathering and seems to have been poorly assembled from multiple scans (probably made by simply placing the map on a flatbed scanner) so that some details are lost or misaligned. Also, the clock panels are completely cut off. However, this scan combined with a couple images from books I have plus every screen capture I could make served as enough reference material to create a very accurate replica.

The maps are printed on canvas and measure 40″ x 24.25″. The artist is selling them for $100 on Etsy, where he also peddles some other interesting “fake” documents.