SEPTEMBER UPDATES - ETSY SHOP OPENING + NEW WORDPRESS HOME COMING SOON

Well, hello there! What have I been up to since my last update? A LOT. Too much, maybe. But fun stuff! 2016 has definitely been the year of 'making things happen', as it were, and I've finally reached some goals that I've had for a long time.

Whimsy and Noir is now on Etsy

First up, my Etsy shop is now open for business! Click the "shop" link in the top menu bar, or here! For now, it's simply art prints I had made of last year's Drawlloween challenge on Instagram, and I recently added some one of a kind Supernatural inspired sketch cards. Buy something, dammit! ;)
The dream is to have it full of my original art and handmade "Whimsy and Noir" goodness. Something that will come to fruition over time...

Upcoming Webcomic

What else is there? Oh yes. I've been furiously planning for releasing an original webcomic since 2016 started.. I've been aiming for a Fall/October release since it has to do with SPOOKY elements! I'm setting it up as you read this, with a coup le of beta readers who have previewed the first 9 page introduction and given me some pointers.

Which brings me to my next (and biggest) update:

WhimsyAndNoir.com is moving to Wordpress 

Nothing against Blogger - I'm very thankful for what it's given me since I started this blog, but ultimately, it doesn't give me exactly what I'm looking for, 'tech' wise..?? Obviously, blogging itself has not been a priority for me for a while now. My new focus is currently my art (and webcomic), so I have to move my home on the internet to somewhere that can help me with getting that all out into the universe in an easier, more intentional way. (If that makes sense?)  I will still have a blog section and update it just like I do/did here, (and I'm even migrating all of these old blog posts and comments over there!) but the focus will be the webcomic.

With all that said, I hope the few followers I've amassed over these past couple months/years(?) of my being here on Blogger will still follow me?? Please do! Bloglovin updates should stay the same, I'm sure.. so follow me there ;)

And, of course, I can always always ALWAYS be reached on Twitter and Instagram. Seriously, if anyone currently reading this, who has been keeping up with my shenanigans for some time, ever needs a digital friend to chat with I am here. I know I tend to go into 'hermit' mode a lot these days, and I do have tons going on, but I never forget the wonderful people I've met through having this blog. I think about all of you often, and just please keep in touch!


Oh gosh, what else? 

• GISHWHES came and went in August. I participated for the second time this year, and even wrote a blog post about it for GeekGirlPenPals.com! Read it here

• I can't stop listening to Julien-K's "Nightlife in Neon/California Noir - Chapter 2". Like, holy Chuck, that is some good music. Also: Aesthetic Perfection.
• Stranger Things and Penny Dreadful have become my new/latest "tv" obsessions
• Supernatural returns October 13th - it's moving back to Thursday nights, which I'm actually extremely bummed about, since my day job requires me those evenings.. so no more live watching/tweeting for me. Yikes :(

And I guess that does it, for now!
I hope the official migration to wordpress goes smoothly, but in case whimsyandnoir.com experiences hiccups between now and then, you will know why. Just stay tuned, please!

Love and HUGS to everyone

<3
Gaby

A tale of two books that made me cry...

Well. That's quite the title for a post! But I just read two different books and they both brought on the extreme FEELS. And, yes, I especially got literally teary eyed towards the end of one of them...

But how to talk about these two stories without massively spoiling them for the people who haven't read them?! I don't quite know how I will achieve this, but here goes.


"Nimona" - Noelle Stevenson

I've had this little graphic novel on my 'to read' list for a while. From the first page, all I could think was of how CUTE it was. Not just the artwork, but the character of Nimona, herself. She is hilarious and every word that comes out of her mouth was so entertaining...

And then the story got dark.. And I got anxious!

But at the heart of it all, it was such a beautiful story about love and friendship and coming to terms with things beyond your control and oh gosh, the FEELS!!!!



"A Gathering of Shadows" (Book 2 - "A Darker Shade of Magic") - V.E. Schwab

TRUE STORY: I tweeted this to V.E. (Victoria) Schwab just last night upon finishing this book and she replied within SECONDS:

 A few other tweets later, I literally FANGIRLED like a dork and thanked her for the books and the characters of Kell and Lila. Honestly, I felt kind of bad because my tweet got a lot of reactions and she seems so stressed over the fact that she is working on so many upcoming books. She told me I was the SEVENTH person to ask just that day.. yikes!! But she's so cool! She was flattered, truly ;)

ahhhhh.. But I can't help losing it. "A Gathering of Shadows" is the sequel to "A Darker Shade of Magic", which I read back in April. I even dubbed it my new favorite.

It's about a magical, (and red headed!), boy named Kell who has special abilities of traveling between parallel worlds, and more specifically, parallel LONDONS. The London, (England, people), we are familiar with on this planet is deemed "Gray London". Kell himself is from "Red" London, and there are also "White" London and the not-quite-existing-anymore "Black" London.

Kell was adopted by the royal family of Red London and raised to be a sort of protector of Prince Rhy, and official royal messenger between the worlds. Long story shot: shenanigans occur. Lots of shenanigans.

Too many shenanigans. Also: Kell wears a fabulous sounding transforming coat. (I want it).

A lot of disobeying/rebelling/rule breaking that, naturally, results in getting into serious trouble. I mentioned in my Goodreads 'review' that I love Kell so much because I feel like I can relate to him: and it's something that only just dawned on me with this second book. I won't get into the details, but basically, his desperation and resentment about the cards he was dealt in life, and wanting to RUN are something that hit kind of close to home. And there's a part towards the end of "A Gathering of Shadows" where it all came bubbling to the surface for him and he more or less erupted, and THAT is what brought tears to my eyes.

I could feel his agony..

Bravo, Victoria Schwab, for your creation of such an emotionally complex character that I've come to care a lot about.

And now to play the waiting-fangirl-game ;)



What's the last book you read that you loved so much it made you cry and/or harass the author on Twitter?!

IGGPPC: Inside the Theme: Woodland Fantasy

elven princess - from my instagram: @whimsyandnoir

Every month, the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club chooses a theme to concentrate on, with blogs to discuss certain creations within the theme, or cosplays, and all sorts of fun stuff. For May, the theme is "Woodland Fantasy", which I am 1,000% most definitely into!




What is your favorite fantasy story, and what’s so great about it?

Are you kidding? I don't think I can choose just one. I love all the big ones like LOTR and the Hobbit, but I'm also currently SUPER into Sarah J Maas' novels, the "Throne of Glass" series and the more recent "Court of Thorns and Roses". And yes, those are more "YA" and maybe not "true" fantasy, but they do have amazing world building and ELVES with magic powers. I'm kind of all about the elves... but then theres' also Storm Constantine's "Wraeththu" series, which is all sorts of magical and amazing! And, of course, Alice in Wonderland is completely a fantasy story: talking animals, made up creatures, and evil queens in the forest!

What was your first experience with fantasy?

I can remember reading "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian" in the fifth grade, and I was so amazed. Up until then, I don't think I had ever read anything that I had been able to immerse and lose myself so fully in - it started a love affair with books, for sure! A couple of years later, (when I started my vampire novel 'phase' - back when "Twilight" was a mere twinkle in Stephenie Meyer's eye, by the way..), I was obsessed with the author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' novels. Aside from the vampire ones, she started a fantasy series about a world filled with 'hawk' and 'snake' - like clans of people who fought and warred with each other, she even came up with an entire language, much like Tolkien, and there was a whole website with lessons where you could go to try and learn it, but I could never quite grasp it!

Modern technology allows fantasy stories to be told in a variety of different mediums now; do you prefer diving into a good old fashioned book, reading a colorful comic, yelling at your videogames while bathing in the blood of your virtual enemies, or snacking on all the popcorns in front of your TV or at the movies? (Listening to troubadours performing the ballad of Beowulf is also a totally valid choice.)

All of this! But I definitely gravitate the most towards good old fashioned books. There's just something to be said for being able to imagine these fantasy worlds and characters completely inside your own head, just by reading the author's words. You can go as deep as you want!

Also, I think attending Renaissance Festivals is a fantastic way to get your 'fantasy fix' - there's magical music, food, things to buy, and you're surrounded by buildings that look like castles, and people who aren't only cosplaying lords/ladies/elves/royals/knights, but vikings, and fairies, and pirates, and whatever else they can think of! And the people who work there, especially, stay 'in character' the whole day. It's quite fun..

my first Ren Fest in 2013!!

Pets are a very popular choice in fantasy. Because pets are awesome. Which magical pet would you most like to adopt? (You can either go with a kind of creature, or a specific pet from a specific story you wouldn’t mind moving in with you – because let’s face it, we all want Toothless as a bestie.)

Something cute and furry! Talking cat, maybe? Cheshire cat? Or a cute little fairy that follows me around!

Your RPG play style: alignment, faction, race, and class. Do you play tabletop style or in a digital medium?

I've only recently started trying my hand at Magic: the Gathering. I'm quite fond of the version with the dark angels ;)
I would love to try an online game, though, like World of Warcraft! One of these days!

from my instagram: @whimsyandnoir

Updates - April 2016

Doesn't time just FLY on by?! It seems like only yesterday we were all sitting around contemplating what we would be doing for 2016. And now it's already April. Almost May. Crazyness.

In case you haven't noticed, yes - I know I've been ignoring my blog. And the weekly "casual cosplay" sets have been fun, but I never meant for them to become ALL that my blog is about! So it was time for a little break, and here are some updates on life thus far. Honestly, I've been kind of down in the dumps, lately, but here are the happy things about the past few months:

• I bought a WACOM tablet!! I named it Jensen. It is the love of my life. (The stylus/pen is named Misha, and yes, I realize I am missing a Jared, so I guess my new drawing software program will just have to be called Jared! Together it's Team Free Will!!!)

• Because of said tablet and software, I have started publishing a mini webcomic! You can read it here on Tapastic, or..

•  WhimsyAndNoir.com officially has a 'sister' site on Tumblr! It's meant for strictly my comics/digital art that I will be creating. If you're on Tumblr, please follow! http://www.whimsyandnoircomics.tumblr.com

• I've been reading SO many good books lately. Reviews/ratings are posted on my Goodreads account. Add me as a friend, if you like!

•  Umm.. I think I meant to say more, but I've forgotten. 

Stay tuned - lots of stuff in the works.. I hope ;)

Month of Gender Swap: Captain Jack Harkness

jack by whimsyandnoir featuring brown booties

Everyone and their mom knows that Captain Jack is fabulous enough as it is.

But I think he'd be even more fabulous as a female.  She'd be the sassiest thing ever!!!

The Captain's style is a bit minimalist, so I think it lends itself to an easy, casual, and everyday cosplay that you can wear to work. The bracelet probably won't teleport you anywhere, (but a girl can dream)! Use the mini backpack to stash some travel essentials, just in case you DO find yourself suddenly in another time stream, or planet.

And above all, remember that you are the greatest thing to ever grace the Earth. Because yeah.



Missed last week?

Check out:

1) Month of Gender Swap: Alice + Quentin (The Magicians)

Month of Gender Swap: The Magicians

themagicians by whimsyandnoir featuring a mens outerwear

Because, why not?!

New month. New theme. A great number of the characters I admire the most throughout my fandoms are male, and since I'm a female who loves wearing dresses and all manner of "girly" clothes, I've always enjoyed coming up with outfits that seem like my favorite boys would wear if they were girly girls like me!

So let's have some fun and switch some genders around!

I was inspired by my friend Dez for this first installment - she is the biggest fangirl of the SyFy series, The Magicians, (that I first blogged about here), and she recently got her hair cut in a style that made her look an awful lot like one of the lead dudes, Quentin Coldwater! And it even got a virtual approval by Lev Grossman, (author of the Magicians book series), himself! It was fantastic!

So what would Quentin dress like if he indeed WERE a girl?

And what would his GF Alice dress like if she were a HE?


Stay tuned for more gender swapping casual cosplay sets for April!

;)

Month of Girl Power: Zoe Washburne

zoe by whimsyandnoir featuring a brown suede vest

Bringing the Month of Girl Power to an end with a huge bang!  I've been re watching Firefly and I love it! And while I think all the female characters on that show are awesome in their own way, Zoe most definitely takes the 'kick ass cake'!!! There was NO telling that girl what to do, and I love how she managed to keep cool and collected in high tension situations.

Khakis and brown/earth tones aren't the most exciting, (unfortunately), but the way she accessorizes makes them work!

Don't forget your boots, badass Browncoat space cowgirl!

And that brings March to an end. I enjoyed this month's theme the most so far!

No clue yet what April will bring, but I hope you'll stick around <3


Missed a previous Month of Girl Power post? Check out:


1)Aelin and Manon (Throne of Glass)
2)Xena Warrior Princess
3)Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4)Jessica Jones

Month of Girl Power: Jessica Jones

JessicaJones by whimsyandnoir featuring DENY Designs

Are you good at facing your fears? It's okay if you're not.. Most people struggle with things that make you freeze in terror, including the tough-as-nails Jessica Jones. But you know what? She faces them head on and kicks so much ass doing it!

As far as her wardrobe goes, not much imagination goes into it, but it doesn't need to! That's kind of the whole idea, I think. No fussy outfits, so that she can focus on getting the job done!

And I absolutely love the fact that she lives in New York City. While most of us don't have that luxury, we can bring in a taste of the Big Apple into our homes to get us into that "NYC SPEED" mindset! Hence why I included home decor items to go around with you lounging around in torn jeans and combat boots. Because why the hell not.

I am eagerly awaiting season two of this awesome Netflix series. Go Jessica, go!!


Remember you can click through the photo to see where to purchase every item.


Missed a "Month of Girl Power" post? Check out:


1)Aelin and Manon (Throne of Glass)
2)Xena Warrior Princess
3)Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Month of Girl Power: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

buffy by whimsyandnoir featuring an a-line skirt

How hard is it to believe that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" aired 19 years ago?! Insane! I have such fond memories of watching this show when I was in the fifth grade.. And I loved everything about it, right down to the rocking opening music!

Even re-watching it, now, especially the first few seasons, a sense of nostalgia sets in. And it makes me happy. For as much ridicule as the '90's get, I still think it was a pretty cool decade, and sometimes I want to experience it again, as a teenager. (I don't even mind the fashion, to be honest!)

 But anyways, Buffy Summers! The ultimate female bad ass. Nobody but Sarah Michelle Gellar could have played this character so perfectly. Don't you think?!

As always, click through the photo to see where to buy everything. DON'T FORGET YOUR WOODEN STAKE!!!


 Missed a "Month of Girl Power" post? Check out:

1)Aelin and Manon (Throne of Glass)
2)Xena Warrior Princess

Month of Girl Power: Xena Warrior Princess

xena by whimsyandnoir featuring lace-up booties

I'm actually having a hard time deciding which ladies to feature! There are so many female badasses out there that I want to do them all justice!

I decided to go with Xena for this week.. but I do have a confession to make. I've never actually watched this show! I may have caught glimpses of it here and there when I was way younger, but honestly, even then I thought it was kind of cheesy! HOWEVER - I realize that a lot of my girl friends are actually huge fans, and that Xena has been inspiring to them in some way, so after doing some research, (and having started watching the show on Netflix), I do understand this! She is indeed one bad ass tough cookie of a woman who fights and does things for herself, and THAT is the point.

Her costume, though.. hmm.. it was a bit of a challenge trying to think how to make it work for everyday, but what I ended up going with has been officially approved by a Xena fangirl, so I'm confident in it!

My favorite piece is the cuff that says "Fight Like a Girl" - damn right!

As always, click through the photo to see where you can buy everything! See ya'll next week!



Missed last week? Check out:

1. Aelin and Manon (Throne of Glass series)