Less Than Punctilious
Sep. 26th, 2025 01:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
cakewrecks_feedContinuing my mini series on the wonders of punctuation, let's take a look at what happens when grammar goofs go horribly, seriously funny.
Drat. They're on to me.
Because no matter what your efforts, there will be times when you ask for a symbol and get a whole lotta trouble instead.
When a simple slash turns into a case of indecent exposure.
For clarity's sake, you might want to mention when a word should be plural.
Don't.
In fact, you should never spell anything out. Period.
Especially the actual period. Period.
And you know what they say about bad commas, don't you?
That's right: they always come back to bite you.
"Good night, good luck, must dash!"
- Edward R. Murrow with a full bladder
Thanks to Kristin D., Kristin S., Stephanie A., Doreen L., Kate A. for what I'm calling our "literal" period.
*****
P.S. Here's a giggle for my coffee-loving friends:
:D
It comes in both Men's & Women's cuts, plus a bunch more colors.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Don't MAKE Me Count To Threeth
Sep. 25th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feed
Remember the old saying?
"Twice is a coincidence...
"Three times is a pattern...
"And four times means there's some kind of voodoo curse involved."
Jennifer N., Amber D., Tara A., & Brynna R., you guys get the rooster tears, and I'll fetch a bucket of sprinkles. Meet back here at oh threeth hundred.
*****
I found a baking book just for us, minions:
Procrasti-Baking:100 Recipes for Getting Nothing Done in the Most Delicious Way Possible
I FEEL SEEN
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
congratulations and celebrations
Sep. 25th, 2025 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pensnest*
Mad busy this week as Beast and I are in charge of the celebration dinner for the barbershop club this Friday evening, and I have tasked myself with making decorations, menu flags and certificates to be awarded during the evening. Nearly done....
*
My Bun is now officially engaged! She and her man—I shall have to figure out a better DW name for him—came round on Sunday and showed off their rings, which are inlaid with a sliver of oak, as his parents planted an oak when he was born. Also, wood is nice.
The Gift Of Encouragement
Sep. 24th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedI remember the first time I told my Mom the publisher wanted me to go on a book tour for Cake Wrecks. She responded by telling me about an author she'd seen at a big warehouse store the previous weekend, sitting alone behind a card table and looking desperate.
"I just don't want that for you," she said.
...
Motherly concern aside, you could say my mom has a real gift for encouragement.
Kind of like these people:
"Oh, and happy engagement. I guess."
This is your moment. Enjoy it.
Q: What do you get the birthday girl who's allergic to birthday cake?
A: A birthday cake with an apology. ("More cake for us! Woot!")
As we get older, we look for signs from our loved ones that age is really just a number, it's about staying young at heart, etc, etc.
"Well, sure, NOW I am."
And there's nothing quite so encouraging as ill-concealed shock at your personal accomplishments:
"We had you guys pegged at two years, tops. Wow!"
And finally:
"Note that we haven't expressed any sadness over this fact, or stated whether Kyle is happy regarding his imminent departure. However, the fact that we're having cake would seem to indicate a celebration of Kyle's coming absence."
"Wow, you got all that from four words?!"
"No, I'm reading the card."
Thanks to Edmund H., Rachael G., Kim K., Sarah C., G.D., & Kyle C. for the encouraging words.
*****
Oh hey, this seems like a good time to remind you this exists:
Cake Wrecks, THE BOOK
It's totes hilarz, and I don't say things like "totes hilarz" in it even once.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
"Perfectly" Punctual
Sep. 23rd, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedYesterday we covered parentheses and quotation marks. Today, THE WORLD.
Or maybe just some extra apostrophes:
This Beth belongs to Congratutation.
The booties are anyone's guess.
I see lots of apostrophes where quotation marks should be, but I have to admit, this is the first time I've seen it the other way around:
I blame whatever madness drove the baker to add that L.
You might think periods would be easy to deal with, but if so, you're obviously a man with a death wish.
Or this baker:
I don't really know who St. David is, but I'm hoping against hope he's the patron saint of punctuation.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the three period run, or if you want to get all technical about it, the ellipsis:
Because nothing conveys sincerity quite like trailing off mid...
With all these confusing options, you might be tempted to skip punctuation entirely, bakers. But that path has its own perils:
Yeah, way to go, Bob. I mean, that was soooo great, that thing you did. Scha.
My personal favorite, though, is the wild card mish-mosh of punctuation patter:
I dare you to do a dramatic reading of this cake.
And finally, the colon cake you've been waiting for:
Come back after we slice it for the semi-colons.
Thanks to Elizabeth C., Miriam A., Doreen L., Ariel F., Sarah C., Gernez, & Kim T. for the excuse to link to Victor Borge's phonetic punctuation.
Can I Quote You On That?
Sep. 22nd, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedWoohoo!! National Punctuation Day is coming!
You know what to do!
I stand corrected.
Bakers, contrary to popular belief, those curved thingies are not sideways "happy hugs" for your text; they're parentheses. But I'll make this easy for you: YOU WILL NEVER NEED PARENTHESES ON YOUR CAKES. So don't use them. Ever.
No, not even for a name in all caps.
And not for anniversaries, either.
Gosh. I bet "Mom" is really feeling like part of the family right now.
Which brings me to my next point:
STOP IT WITH THE QUOTATION MARKS ALREADY.
Why are these numbers in quotes? Are they euphemisms or something? Are these people not really 13 and 59? And why does this keep happening, anyway?
Oh.
Thanks to Monica, Debb D., Tamara M., Alyssa V., Amy C., Rachel C., and Aurora C. for helping me cover parentheses and quotation marks. Tomorrow: COLONS! (You'll have to check back to see which kind.)
*****
P.S. And here's the official t-shirt of National Punctuation Day:
Punctuation Saves Lives
Proof that educating can also be entertaining!
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
2025 Holiday Exchange and Community Gifts Announcement
Sep. 21st, 2025 07:50 pmcap_ironman_fe posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
cap_ironmanWelcome to Cap-IM's 2025 Holiday Exchange and Community Gifts!
💙💌💛
The Holiday Exchange is Cap-IM's end-of-the-year fanwork exchange for SteveTony works. Everyone who joins will be matched, to secretly create a Steve/Tony fanwork for another participant. At the end of December, the gifts will be posted anonymously. Then in January, the creators will be revealed! All types of content and fanworks are allowed. All things SteveTony are celebrated.
💖 Join now to get a gift of your deepest Steve/Tony heart's desires! 💖
Or read the AO3 RULES section below for other relevant information.
Community Gifts is the annual gift giving event run in tandem with the Holiday Exchange. It is a way for participants to give gifts to the community without the pressure or commitment of the Holiday Exchange. Prompts are collected anonymously from anyone who wants to submit one, and after they’re published, everyone is welcome to fill them.
💝 Inspire a fellow SteveTony and submit your community prompts now! 💝
Or read more info on Community Gifts in the AO3 RULES section below.
⚡ SCHEDULE ⚡
- September 18: Exchange sign-ups and Community Gifts prompt submissions open
- October 9: Exchange sign-ups close at 10:00 PM EDT (what time is it for me?)
- October 10-13: Matching period
- October 14: Assignments sent out at the latest
- October 24: Community Gifts prompt submissions close at 10:00 PM EDT (what time is it for me?)
- October 25: Community Gifts prompts list is posted
- December 17: Finished exchange assignments are due at 10:00 PM EDT (what time is it for me?)
- December 25: Start of gift reveals
- January 3: Community Gifts are due at 10:00 PM EDT (what time is it for me?)
- January 7: Creator reveals
🎉 PARTICIPATION RULES 🎉
- YOU MUST BE 18 OR OLDER
- You must have an AO3 account. You can request one here. If you need help getting an account, reach out to Cap-IM mods
- You will create a fanwork gift that focuses on Steve and Tony's relationship in one of the exchange's eligible universes
- Gifts must:
- be previously unpublished
- completed specifically for this exchange
- meet minimum fanwork type requirements
- fulfill at least one of your giftee’s prompts
- This is a secret exchange. All gifts will be a surprise. Do not reveal who you are creating for or discuss the specifics of your work publicly until after creator reveals
🎨 MINIMUM FANWORK TYPE REQUIREMENTS 🎨
- Artwork (traditional or digital mediums, including fancomics): One polished work on an unlined surface.
- Fanfiction: One fanfic of at least 1000 words, proofread by another person.
- Fanmix: One fanmix of at least 5 songs, with cover art (which can be digital, traditional, an edit, etc.)
- Fanvid: One vid of at least 1 minute with no gaps or missing footage
- Gifsets and Edits/Manips: Two gifsets or manips, of a quality that you would be happy to receive as a gift. Do not use existing fanworks as the basis of your work, unless the creator has given permission/transformative blanket statement.
- Podfic: One podfic of at least 500 words if you are also writing the text for it. One podfic of at least 1000 words if you are recording a pre-existing work. Do not podfic someone else's work, unless the creator has given permission/transformative blanket statement.
- Multi-media gifts must meet the minimum for at least one requested medium.
🎭 MINIMUM FANWORK CONTENT REQUIREMENTS 🎭
- Completely fulfill ONE (or more) of your recipient’s prompts
- Cannot include any listed "Do Not Wants"
- Be posted and complete at the exchange deadline
- Be newly created for this exchange.
- Cannot be sequels to existing fic or part of a previously posted series. Art and fanvids cannot be based on other existing fanworks unless the recipient has specified otherwise in their request.
- Fics must be proofread/beta’d. If you want to find a beta reader, there is a list of beta readers available here.
If you have any questions about signing up or need assistance with registration, please don't hesitate to contact the mods at cap.im.events@gmail.com. We'll be more than happy to provide any clarification and help you through the process!
Sunday Sweets: Flights of Fancy
Sep. 21st, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedToday, we're going to talk about the birds...
(By Viva la Tarta)
...and the bees.
(By Dlishcupcakes)
That's right! We're talking about Things that Fly!
(You look relieved. Why? What else would we talk about?)
There are kites:
...balloons in bunches:
(By Mutlu Dukkan)
...or filled with hot air:
(By K Noelle Cakes)
...and airplanes!
(by Gateau Delice)
Sometimes all at the same time:
(By That Baking Girl)
I'd make a kite/balloon/airplane joke here, but I think it'd go over your head.
:D
Let's see, what else?
There are dragonflies:
(By Joylicious Cakes)
...and dragons that fly:
(By La Torta Perfetta)
...which means they have to land somewhere.
Don't ever believe pigs can't fly.
(By Carlos Lischetti Sugar Art)
Heck, with enough thrust (or pixie dust) anything can fly.
All the way out of this world!
(By Cakey Cake)
In fact, if I could fly...
(By Alchemists of Cake)
...I think I'd Never Land.
Wouldn't that be Sweet?
Happy Sunday, everyone!
*****
P.S. Hang on, I can't believe we forgot butterflies!
I used this 84-pc butterfly set to make a gorgeous wreath for John's room, I know you crafters are gonna love them:
(3D Butterfly Wall Magnet Set)
They're double-sided and come with both magnets and stickers. Definitely browse the projects in the reviews, there are so many pretty ideas!
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Hooray For Online Piracy!
Sep. 19th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedARRRRRR, me mateys! Today be Talk Like a Pirate Day! So let's get starrrrted by going over arrr vocabularrrry with a quick pop quiz:
Q: Where are we going tonight?
A: To a BARRRRR.
Q: And what will we drink?
A. StARRRRla's Sangria!
Q. How will we get to the bar?
A. In a cARRRRR!
Q. What will we play during Karaoke?
A. Air guitARRRRR.
Q. What do we call this ugly golf ball cake?
A. SubpARRRRR
Q. What do dinosaurs say?
A. RARRRRRR!
Q. And finally, who's on our pirate flag?
A. The Jolly RogARRRRR - but this scalawag looks like an impostARRRRR!
Thanks to Suzanne S., Beth C., Rock, John M., Kelly H., Adrienne D., and Paul & Storm, who I blatantly ripped off honored with today's post.
Ow.
Sep. 18th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedPresenting the world's most painful landing:
Or perhaps the world's most unfortunately shaped, colored, and placed mat logo.
Either way, I'm sure it made a real splash on the audience.
Beth C., would you care to join me in a casual crossing-of-the-legs?
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
You Might Be A Wreckerator If...
Sep. 17th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedBakers, do you worry that you, too, might be a wreckerator?
Well, have no fear, pastry pros! There are plenty of warning signs to look for:
You Might Be A Wreckerator If....
- ...you consider "happy" a four-letter word.
- ...your cakes have more plastic on them than frosting.
- ...when you say, "I could just eat you up!" to a baby, you really mean it.
"It's...looking at me."
"Ugly little spud, isn't it?"
"I think it can hear you, Ray."
- ...cupcake cakes are your "specialty."
- ...your family crest says, "Spell check is for loosers."
- ...you not only know what this is, you think it's well done:
- ...you're frequently asked what time the earthquake hit.
- ...you pride yourself on following customer requests to the letter:
And finally, you might be a wreckerator if...
...you have to ban photography in your bakery to stop your cakes from showing up on Cake Wrecks.
(I get the e-mails, folks; I know you're out there!)
Thanks to Kimber, Amy S., Lori M., Carrie M., Whitney, Mary Rose, Liz, Stephanie B., Lisa R., & JR, who think it'd make more sense to just hire better bakers, but that's why they're not "good" management material.
*****
P.S. In case this post wasn't painful enough:
Exceptionally Bad Dad Jokes
There are a lot of "dad joke" books out there, but this one has awesome ratings AND the word "spiffing" on the cover, so it's a clear winner.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Fee Fi Fo Fana!
Sep. 16th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedYesterday we learned that writing names on cake can result in some pretty unfortunate nicknames.
But what if you already have an adorable nickname? Like "Briana Banana?" How do you wreck that up?
Well, in that case, I suppose the baker could always misspell it.
But that's kind of boring, right? So, let's see... what if - hypothetically - the baker misspelled "banana", but then also, instead of drawing a banana on the cake, she tossed a real, unpeeled banana on top?
No, wait - first she should shrink-wrap the banana and draw a smiley face on it with a Sharpie. Eh? And then tie a bunch of curly ribbon around the banana stem. Totally.
And then - THEN - just because all of that makes way too much sense, the baker could sprinkle something really ridiculous all around the shrink wrapped smiley-face banana with curly ribbon tied on its stem. Something like...I dunno...little tiny dog bones.
Yeah. That would be one AWESOME wreck. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Right, April A.?
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Marvel Trumps Hate 2025 Sign-ups are Open!
Sep. 15th, 2025 09:20 pmnostalgicatsea posting in cap_ironman
Marvel Trumps Hate is back for another year! We're a fandom charity auction open to any and all Marvel universes, characters, and ships. Creators sign up to auction off fannish Marvel creations and services, with 100% of the proceeds going to nonprofit organizations working towards a more equitable and healthy planet. MTH successfully raised $47,000 last year and an incredible grand total of $262,652.53 since 2018. Please join us again—or for the first time—this year to raise funds for some amazing causes!
2025 Dates (ET times):
SEPT. 14–SEPT. 27: Creator sign-ups
OCT. 12–OCT. 18: Preview week
OCT. 19–OCT. 25: Auction week
NOV. 1: Donation receipts deadline
SEPT. 14–SEPT. 27: Creator sign-ups
OCT. 12–OCT. 18: Preview week
OCT. 19–OCT. 25: Auction week
NOV. 1: Donation receipts deadline
★ CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP AS A CREATOR ★
About | FAQ | Full Schedule | How to Participate | Supported Organizations | Contact
9 Accidental Nicknames
Sep. 15th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedNames are tough - there are just so many weird ones out there - so I tend to cut bakers a lot of slack when it comes to misspelling them.
But I'm pretty sure these birthday kids weren't so understanding:
"...and that's how Bobby got his nickname! Now, you two kids get going, and have a nice prom!"
I'm guessing something about this cake is going to rub little Chase the wrong way:
Ooh. BURN.
Clap your hands if you believe Tink's gonna be ticked.
This remains one of my all-time favorite name wrecks:
"Look, Stetson! It's almost like you're part of the family!"
Of all the times to mix up your "u"s and "a"s...
And this is what we call a Freudian piping slip:
It was a bittersweet parting.
Of course, not every name goof results in an insult. Some people even come out ahead:
Way, WAY ahead.
It's doubly unfortunate that these polka dots look a lot more "Turdi" than "Trudi":
What a way to go.
Let's hope Violet doesn't live up to her new nick name.
This "cookie bouquet" was for a baby shower. I'll let you spot the problem:
"Well, I SHOULD HOPE SO."
Thanks to Brian C., Elizabeth B., Beth, Natalie B., Melissa R., Lacey C., Jennifer S., Kirsten H., Addy L., & Jennie C. for not naming any names.
*****
P.S. If you're bad with names, why not plaster their faces all over a pair of socks?
Though I have to admit it's way cuter with pets.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
