June 30, 2013

June 30th's Gothic and Dark Links

DARK AND GOTH BLOGS:

Bats and Bunnies

VelvetBat blogs from the Netherlands. She collects Asian ball-jointed dolls, has an interest in goth fashion and Gothic Lolita, and occasionally posts about goth music. She's currently challenging herself to buy less, sew more, a theme I can totally relate to (except I don't sew, I craft greeting cards.. or buy stuff and then forget to). She also shares personal things about her Asperger's, gender dysphoria and fibromyalgia. It takes a lot of courage to write so openly and honestly about that online where strangers can read it.

http://bats-and-bunnies.blogspot.com/

Madame Mari Mortem

25 year old Mari lives with her husband in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. She shares outfit posts; the spooky basket she got for her 25th birthday; pics of her creepy crafting; and shares reviews of the beauty products and cosmetics she's using lately.

http://marimortem.blogspot.com/

Dark Corners of Role Playing

Most of this blog is about dark RPGs and gaming, but there are also occasional posts about horror art, horror films and a post with an incredibly cool dark spooky Christmas Advent calendar Kickstarter plea.

http://darkcornersofrpging.blogspot.com/


DARK COMICS:

Life and Death

This webcomic has an astounding 1255 strips so far!

http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_and_Death/

Jeff Oliver on Deviantart


DARK SHOPS:

Actual Pain

This Seattle-based store sells occult-themed clothing. I'm not sure what "Psychic Death" is, but they seem a bit obsessed by it, selling multiple variations of shirts with that on it. There are really cool Lunatic leggings, shirts and sweaters with "Long Live Death" on them, and lots of occult symbols printed on the clothing.

http://store.actualpain.org/

Actual Pain on Facebook

Revelette

This Long Beach, California-based shop sells adorably spooky clothing and hair accessories. There are horror fabric prints, a campy bat skirt, skull skirts, a glow-in-the-dark osteology skirt, and tons of zombie and skeleton-themed hair clips. Really interesting and unusual fabrics are used in this clothing, I'm having a lot of fun browsing around here.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Revelette

Steampunk Couture

This extremely popular steampunk clothing shop is currently showcasing their Spring 2013 offerings. My favorite right now is their Alexandria Bib Dress.

http://www.steampunkcouture.com/

Steampunk Couture on Facebook


GOTH CLUBS:

Warlok

This darkwave/industrial/witch house event takes place every 1st and 3rd Tuesday, in Los Angeles.

Warlok on Facebook


HORROR GENRE:

HorrorTalk

This horror website has been going strong since 2002. Currently they're blogging about Frightfest, reviewing horror books and films, and sharing early shots from "The Curse of Chucky." The site includes a fairly active set of horror discussion boards, too.

http://www.horrortalk.com/

Machinations Into Madness

"We're all mad here." This blog specializes in the occult, madness, speculative fiction, dark fantasy and the macabre. This is a good blog for those interested in writing dark fantasy. Besides book reviews, there are fascinating articles, including Madness in Literature and Cinema; Fear of Clowns; The Dunwich Horror; and Cliches of Horror.

http://machinationsintomadness.com/


June 29, 2013

Six Dark/Goth Blogs I'm Reading Today

1. Ghost Prince

Chance is a young goth who blogs about his adventures; what he's reading; his love of The Cure; and goth fashion. You can tell this is quite a character with no shortage of personality, grin. Check out their haircut and style post.

http://littlegothcatadventures.blogspot.com/


2. Elisandre - L'Oeuvre au Noir

Elisandre Crowley's blog, in French, featuring lots of dark artwork finds. Essentially, this is a Tumblr but with a faster-loading set of images! You'll have plenty of dark visual treats to look at here.

http://elisandre-librairie-oeuvre-au-noir.blogspot.com/


3. Cruel Britannia's Brain Vent

DJ Cruel Britannia (who presents Fadeout on Phoenix Radio and creates "Cruel Britannia's Haunted Wardrobe" on Nightbreed Radio. This is his personal blog, where he writes about World Goth Fair in Second Life; e-cigarettes in the UK; and info on his shows.

http://cruelbrit.blogspot.com/


4. Reflections of a Fairly Goth Mother

I am surprised how quickly I was drawn into this blog, by the excellent writing and how willing the author (Ayngel) is to share her personal thoughts. Her "Little Girls Need Their Daddies" post is heartbreaking. She shares her Most Embarrassing Parenting Moment as well as her thoughts on Turning a Boy Into a Man which resonates a lot with me as I have a pre-teen boy. Come to find out, there's not a lot of goth content here, but if you're currently raising children, I'll bet you'll read and enjoy the posts here.

http://www.fairlygothmother.com/


5. Enchantment of Satin

Lady Satin blogs from Finland. While her posts are in Finnish so most of us can't read them, they're still peppered with beautiful pictures I think you'll enjoy seeing. For example, here's her Marie Antoinette photo shoot; lots of historical fashion cosplay pics; fashion art exhibits; and glimpses of her life in Finland.

http://enchantmentofsatin.blogspot.com/


Dead is the New Alive

Fin is an 18 year old blogger from.. you guessed it.. Finland. Her posts are in both Finnish and English. You can check out her fashion finds, see where she goes for fun on weekends, and answer her questions about synthetic dreads.

http://takemewithyoutoneverland.blogspot.com/


--Copyright 2013 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

June 27, 2013

New Dark and Gothic Links for June 27, 2013

DARK ART:

Edith Lebeau

This artist lives in Quebec, near Montreal. Her paintings exhibited here are acrylic on wood or on canvas. Dark and spooky, no, but her somber women are adorned with intriguing hairdos and intricate hairpieces, knowing smiles or angry eyes. They're often goddesses, mythological figures or villains. I thought you might enjoy a quick look.

My favorite work here is "The Evil Queen."

http://www.edithlebeau.com/

Edith Lebeau on Facebook

Edith Lebeau on Tumblr

Edith Lebeau on Twitter

http://www.etsy.com/shop/edithlebeau


DARK BLOGS:

Digging Dracula

This week Velvet Midnight left for her eagerly anticipated (and most likely life-changing) trip to Transylvania. She will be digging, as an archaeologist, at Odorheiu Secuiesc near Vlad the Impaler's birthplace. Here on her blog, we'll be able to follow her progress and hear her thoughts as she works on the Medieval Funerary Excavation. I'm fascinated to see what the next weeks and months hold for her!

http://velvet--midnight.blogspot.com/


DARK SHOPS:

Clan Luna

Underground dark fantasy and gothic fashions. This clothing store has an unusual backstory/mythology they've created for the line: "Clan Luna is a secret sisterhood, united by the superior virtue of evil sorcery." The shop is based in Montreal, Canada. They espouse the "slow fashion" movement and use ecologically sustainable materials.

The shop itself is quite extensive. They carry Alice in Wonderland goats milk soaps, blood-themed lipsticks, smartphone skins and jewelry. In the clothing area, they carry dresses, skirts, tops, sleepwear, and jumpsuits. Don't miss their One of a Kind section!

http://www.clanluna.com/

Clan Luna on Facebook

DAS

This San Francisco-based shop sells exquisite steampunk style clothing for gents and ladies. Whenever possible, the fabrics are made from salvaged or reclaimed silks, tapestry cloths and leather materials. I'm glad I took a closer look - upon seeing the shop's colorful and cheery logo, I assumed they were a hippie shop and almost moved on. I'm glad I stayed to check out their beautiful Victorian skirts, hats, jackets, and coats.

My favorite thing here is their black tapestry cloth and velvet wedding jacket.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dashandbag

Forlorn Dolls

"Tragic Victorian dolls." Samantha Meyers' art doll creations. There are also some apothecary bottle home decor pieces, too.

My favorite is "Embeth, the widow of Lord Edgar Hampshire Hawthorne."

http://www.forlorndolls.com/


HORROR GENRE:

The Theatre of Terror

This horror comics blog features horror comic covers, comic scans, horror comic news and reviews (as you'd expect), horror art, and links to interesting horror webcomics. There's a lot of resources here, and you can tell the webmaster puts a ton of time into this site.

http://www.backfromthedepths.co.uk/thetheatreofterror/

Under the Morgue

Here's a huge horror discussion forum with tons of subforums and active posts. There are boards for upcoming DVD releases, upcoming theatrical films, polls, classic and modern horror, horror memorabilia, horror games, and a whole subsection for writing related topics. There's a lot going on here, you won't be bored! But this place is desperately in need of a vanity domain name - I would never remember the URL to type it in if I suddenly wanted to visit it and didn't have my bookmarks handy.

Under the Morgue


--Copyright 2013 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

The Darklinks goth social network

June 20, 2013

13 Dark Etsy Shops I'm Enthralled With Today

1. Ms. Formaldehyde

This San Diego-based shop sells couture bridal hair accessories, wedding jewelry and a few vintage accessories. There are gorgeous hair flowers, some skull jewelry, Day of the Dead sugar skull earrings, goth cameo jewelry, feather hair fascinators, and off-topic stuff like Tiki and totem items.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/msformaldehyde


2. Wirewrapped

Ula Kapala's shop is based in Ireland. She creates lovely handmade wire wrapped jewelry. The styles include Cthulhu/Lovecraft, steampunk, and gothic. There's a bit of mystical fantasy feel to some of these pieces too, in my opinion.

My favorite thing here is this steampunk fused glass pendant.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ukapala


3. Doll Arms, Big Veins

This shop sells handmade "creepy cute" dolls and plush toys. (They're intended for collectors, not for children). There are Beetlejuice and Lydia dolls here; El Dia de Los Muertos dolls; creepy Siamese twins dolls; a Zombie Girl doll; and even a doll based on Melora from Rasputina.

My favorite thing here is the Sleepy Hollow doll inspired by Christina Ricci's character.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DollArmsBigVeins

Doll Arms, Big Veins on Facebook


4. Geeky and Cheeky

Jessica's Connecticut-based store sells handmade dolls and puppets. The dolls are inspired by geek pop culture, including Dr. Who, zombies, The Avengers, video games, and fairy tales. Not a lot of super-dark themed things here, but the dolls were so cute I wanted to show you anyway.

From this store, my favorite items is this Fairy Gothmother puppet.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekyandcheeky


5. Mab Graves

This shop is full of all sorts of interesting curiosities, including art prints, paintings, cameos, notecards, stickers and pins, and spooky paper dolls.

My favorite item here is the Addams Twins notecards.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mabgraves


6. HysteriaMode

"Fashion for the inmates." Cassie's shop sells steampunk and Victorian themed jewelry. Right now there are only a few pieces left, including this Alice in Wonderland inspired chandelier necklace.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HysteriaMode


7. Metamorph

This Denmark-based shop sells corsets, collars, belts, chokers, fingerless gloves, spats and headpieces.

Check out this lacy shoulder shrug!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MetamorphDK


8. Polkadotty Dolls

Lynda Black's shop in Calgary, Alberta sells only black-and-white soft dolls. They're unusual and adorable, it's hard to pick a favorite.

I love the crazy hair on this striped doll.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/polkadottydolls


9. Southern Gothica

Another shop full of Amber's adorable spooky handmade felt and plush dolls. There's a Wednesday Addams; a darling Severus Snape; Eddie Munster; a goth Christmas elf; and a cute Little Red Riding Hood.

My favorite doll here is this Eric Draven "The Crow" doll.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SouthernGothica


10. Moody Voodies

Handmade voodoo dolls, made by C.W. in Augustine, Florida. Some of the voodoo dolls are made from plush and cotton; others are from paper clay. There are also a few gothic dolls, such as Annabelle. I'm not sure how, but the voodoo dolls manage to be cute and also a wee bit frightening at the same time! There are also a couple paintings based on the dolls.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoodyVoodies


11. WhiteFox Hats

Ash's Seattle-based shop sells miniature top hats, plush toys, hair clips and eye patches. The dolls sport button eyes and lots of stripes.

The Devil's Garden III is my favorite mini top hat here.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WhitefoxHats


12. BonnieMade Designs

Bonnie's mini top hats, made in Texas. There are black-and-white and steampunk themed tophats. (Ignore the Texas and sports related ones!)

The contender for my favorite here is this black satin with purple mini top hat.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BonnieMadeDesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BonnieMadeDesigns


13. Somnia Romantica

Marjolein Turin's romantic clothing store, based in the Netherlands. She creates beautiful Victorian gothic and mourning skirts, bustles, dresses and blouses.

What do you think of this Victorian mourning blouse?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SomniaRomantica


--Copyright 2013 Carrie Carolin

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June 15, 2013

10 Delectable Hannibal TV Show Links

1. Hannibal Official Site

The official NBC show page offers an episode guide, "Dine with Dr. Lecter" Facebook app, a sneak peek gallery and cast gallery, photos, clips and full videos, and behind-the-scenes interviews.

http://www.nbc.com/hannibal/

NBC's Official Hannibal Facebook Page

NBC's Official Hannibal Google+

NBC's Official Hannibal Pinterest Boards

NBC's Official Hannibal Twitter

"Setting the Table" Tumblr Blog


2. Feeding Hannibal

An incredibly fascinating blog by the official food stylist for the show. Currently she's blogging about the black chicken soup she made for Hannibal to serve Will Graham in the "Releves" episode. (You'll never believe what she used to make the soup steamy for the shot!) She also shares some recipes based on concepts from the show. (I don't think I'll be making Tandoori Liver any time soon, if ever). Anyway, it's really fascinating to hear such detailed info about how she researches for, preps and prepares the intriguing foods served on the show.

http://janicepoonart.blogspot.com/


3. Hannibal Fan

Extensive fan site with cast/character bios, an image gallery, screen captures, episode guide, and videos (including interviews). Sort of expected to see a forum here and disappointed that I can't find one. Anyway, this is a really nicely designed site and a great place to get your Hannibal image fix taken care of.

http://hannibal-fan.com/


4. Hannibal Cafe

A blog that's updated a couple times a day, with news on the show, a few spoilers, and of course an episode guide. This is a very new blog, off to a good start.

http://hannibalcafe.com/


5. Eat the Rude

This Hannibal fansite offers a FAQ on the show; interviews and reviews; an episode guide; and a really cool section of annotations on the episodes. There are, of course, useful links to interviews and news from other sites as well. A great place to stop in to catch up with what's new with the show.

http://eattherude.blogspot.com/


6. Fuck Yeah Hannibal

Exactly what you'd expect from a "Fuck yeah" Tumblr site: Hannibal fan art, altered images, animated gifs, and some amusing graphics. I'm waiting for the Hannibal demotivational posters, myself.

http://fuckyeahannibal.tumblr.com/


7. Hannibal HQ

A fan effort to help the show get nominated for an Emmy. Lots of energy is being expended by "Fannibals" to Tweet about the show.

http://hannibalhq.com/

Hannibal HQ on Facebook


8. Hannibal on Hulu

If for some reason you prefer to watch the last 5 episodes of Hannibal on Hulu instead of NBC.com, here's your opportunity.

http://www.hulu.com/hannibal


9. Abigail Hobbs

A Livejournal fan community for the character Abigail Hobbs. Not a lot of comments or participation here, but this has potential. I'm just glad to see someone still utilizing Livejournal!

http://abigail-hobbs.livejournal.com/


10. Lecter Slash

Another Livejournal community, this one dedicated to Hannibal Lecter slash fandom and fanfiction. A little bit active, but needs more participants.

http://lecter-slash.livejournal.com/


Also see:

NBC Hannibal Fans, on Facebook

We Are Fannibal, on Tumblr

Hannibal French Fansite

Hannibal NBC Italia


--Copyright 2013 Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net

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