#Discontinued

[lady-hibiscus]

oh boy oh boy its the internet people making you take care of yourself trend! [DISCONTINUED]

if this gets __ notes, i will...

5 - drink an entire glass of water right here on the spot

10 - post my top 100 songs

25 - plot out the next chapter of till death do us part

50 - actually write said chapter

75 - make another youtube short for my channel

100 - post one of my belladonna sketches (oc and main character of fic linked above)

125 - take a look at my summer assignment

150 - plot another chapter of pride month in hellaverse

175 - actually write said chapter

200 - plot another chapter of my angel, whose name i just realized is the opposite of the k-drama my demon

225- actually write said chapter

275 - post one of my lady hibiscus sketches (oc, not publicly released anywhere yet)

400 - post my list of the best books i have ever read in my life

450 - start practicing putting on eyeliner

500 - fold my laundry

600 - post some lady hibiscus lore

800 - actually actually write the chapters

1,000 - start that new fic i've been putting on pause because i already have 5 wips

actually do my summer assignment school started

1,500 - organize an unreleased fic i've written like 50 pages of but they're all unrelated (it's about lady hibiscus)

2,000 - do whatever the first ask i get says to do (LEGAL)

[girlfromthecrypt]

Discontinuing work on Such Happy Campers for the foreseeable future

This is to inform you guys that I will drop SHC for the time being. I don't know if I'll pick it up again anytime soon; right now it seems unlikely. The reason is that another author (whom I do genuinely admire and look up to) has contacted me privately implying plagiarism. They were polite about it, so no hate there or anything.

Any resemblance between SHC and any other projects is unintentional, but I think knowing that Such Happy Campers is being perceived that way (and by an author whose IF I really like, no less), has and will continue to taint my own perception of it.

I just can't imagine going on with the story right now. I know that it might be early to make such a decision, especially since that just happened and I'm still kind of in shock about it, but continuing with the IF after this is kind of unthinkable to me. Plus, I don't want to invite drama or beef with anybody, so this is also a preventative measure. I'm admittedly fragile about my writing. Right now, I really want to forget Such Happy Campers ever existed.

To those who liked this project, I'm sorry <3 I really am. I'll still be working on my other project, so no worries there, and I hope you guys will understand.

ETA: the author in question didn't ask me to take down my writing or anything, that's my own decision. Don't wanna make false claims here.

[corruptedromi]

[90s-2000s-barbie]

Lollipop Paint Shop (1999 - 2009)

[retroness-is-fabulous]

[horijion]

[awyeahitssam]

“What’s with the lolly?”

“I was eating it when I died,” Harry said slowly. “I’d never had a lolly before. I suppose it just... came with?”

Harry frowned. “Magic? That’s what I could do?”

Voldemort inclined his head. “Yes, child. No muggle is strong enough to leave behind an imprint.” Especially such an odd one. 

“Huh,” Harry murmured thoughtfully. “So my family wasn’t just awful, then. They had a reason for calling me a freak.”

“What?” Voldemort said softly. His voice was cold. Dangerously so. But... if Harry was already dead, he really had nothing to fear, so there was no harm telling him. 

“The Dursleys,” he explains. “My aunt, uncle and cousin. They all hated me - treated me like a servant, more than family - called me a freak. I’m just saying, I suppose it makes sense now.”

The man hums thoughtfully. His eyes are a bright red, intent and gleaming, when they meet Harry’s. “You were a magical child,” he says softly. Then, “Where was it that you lived with this family of yours?”

Never tell strangers where you live was right up there with never tell strangers that we lock you in a cupboard. Harry hesitated, the rules ingrained. “Why?”

“You were magical,” the man repeated. “Every drop of magical blood is special. And they spilled it, didn’t they, child?”

“All kids bleed,” Harry says. Dudley had scraped his knees plenty. 

“Most kids are given bandages,” Voldemort said softly. “But you are no longer able to accept them. So consider this a kindness from your Lord, child. I will kill the filthy muggles who dared harm you.”

...

“I’m busy, Potter. Run along and play now.”

The boy squints at him in confusion. “Play?”

“Yes. Play. Or lounge, stare at the sky, whatever you please - just cease pestering me.”

When Voldemort looked up again the brat was gone. 

He wouldn’t see him again for weeks. 

“You know, when I said stop pestering me, I didn’t mean I didn’t want to ever see you again. I just didn’t wish to be distracted by you.”

Harry shrugged, legs swinging back and forth. “It’s all right, I’m used to being alone.” 

“As am I,” Voldemort said. “Hence my annoyance at your continued presence.”

“So you do want me to leave,” Harry concludes, pushing himself off the couch. He lands on the hardwood soundlessly.

“Is that what I said?”

“Sometimes the answer is in what people don’t say,” the seven-year-old said wisely. 

“Harry,” he snaps, before the boy can vanish again to Merlin-knew-where. “You can stay.”

Harry blinks at him dubiously, but then shrugs and settles back on the sofa. “Alright. Should I be quiet and pretend I don’t exist?”

“No,” Voldemort says definitively. “You will listen to me. You wish to know about magic, do you not?”

Harry visibly perks up. “I’m allowed to learn?”

The more of these seemingly innocuous questions the boy asks, the more Voldemort wants to murder his relatives. One day, he thinks, he will convince the boy to slip. To give him the address. 

“You are expected to,” he says shortly. “I will ask questions at the end.”

Teaching was different than he expected. The boy raised his hand often, and once Voldemort finished his thought and nodded his permission, he asked a question—sometimes several at once. What did a word mean, or why did wizards use Latin for spells, or why did people need wands.

“Your wand is an extension of yourself,” Voldemort lectures. “It is a tool used to channel magic. People can learn to use magic without a wand, but it is never so powerful.”

Harry’s lolly was hanging loosely in his hand. He stared down at it thoughtfully. “I’ll never have a wand,” he says thoughtfully. “I have this, though.” 

He meets Voldemort’s eyes briefly before pointing his lolly at the cushion and mimicking Voldemort’s wand motions perfectly. “Wingardium Leviosa,” he says firmly.

Before Voldemort can tell him that such a thing would hardly work, the cushions shot into the air. Harry watches them with open delight, moving his lolly to and fro like a conductor. The cushions follow his antics smoothly, before slowly sinking back into place on the couch. Harry turns to Voldemort, expectant.

The man is watching him cooly, eyes analytical. “Just what are you, Harry Potter?”

What. Not who.

Harry shrinks, but then puffs himself up and glares back. “Just the same old freak,” he snaps, and then vanishes.

When he comes back a month later his hair is longer.

He’s incorporeal, but he’s growing. Ageing. Able to do magic.

Voldemort is fascinated by the phenomenon.

[sconkitty]

"I Ask You To Be Mine."

The Town Crier watched as distracted figure blindly crossed the old stone bridge, passing the village's Church, heading toward the dark woods beyond.

You plung into the forest, spindly birches giving way to dark foreboding trees, making your head spiral as you muttered desperately to yourself.

"With this hand, I will... I will..."

How could I have messed this up !

"With this hand, I empty your cup- No !"

That's not it !

You search your words with frenesy as you advanced more and more into the woods, crushing the snow beneath you. "Your cup will never empty, for I will light your way !"

No !

"With this candle, I lift your sorrow." No, no !

"Oh, it's no use..."

Crows flapped from tree to tree, as if following you as you wandered through the dark forest, a haunted feeling gripping your mind, like someone or something was watching you.

That is until you reached the other edge of the woods, falling face to face with what could be apparent to a makeshift graveyard. Gravestones weighted by time sitting next to eachothers right and left, forming a sort of path filled with roots. Indeed, the graveyard itself seemed to be rounded by some old and gigantic trees with only few leaves, letting the moonlight streaming in through the gap in the forest canopy.

More crows roosted in the surrounding trees, cawing noisily. Out of options, you made your way to one of the gravestones, only one word on it, "Beneviento".

You sat in the snow, mumbling the vows. The cawing became even more insistent, almost cathartic. Surprised by so much noise, you look up, and realized that you were having an audience to your pathetic act. Ashamed but now determined, you decide to try one last time, standing with a theatrical flourish.

You take the ring firmly between you thumb and your index, and breathe in.

"With this hand, I lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, I will be your wine..."

The squawking grew louder from the branches overhead. Deciding to take this as a compliment, you swiftly bow the crows.

"Thank you."

Then you take pose again, looking at the ring still between your fingers.

"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness..." Confidence was starting to flow it's way back to you.

Hastily looking around you, you spot a small twisted root that extended from the ground and stared at it for a moment, before gathering strength for the grand finale. With a dramatic step to the root, you kneel.

"With this ring..."You slowly slip the ring on the root, "I ask you to be mine !"

Your last words echoed around you as the crows suddenly fall silent. A faint wind rustling through the trees.

You look up into the branches, where the crows silently stare down at you. Surprised but the sudden lack of cawing, you blindly reach for the ring still on the root,

When you suddenly feel it circling around your wrist.

Horrified, you immeditaly try to pull free as the crows once again grow loud with and cacophonous, wings flapping as they all flew in circle. You desperately pull, ripping a mass of roots and dirt from the ground.

Sprawling backwards, you can only watch as a putrified, almost skeletal arm clamped around you wrist.

You scream and shoot it away as the ground splits open in front of your shaking the ground, making way for a root and dirt-covered figure, clad in a dark dress, masked by a mourning gown. The feminine figure rises from the frozen earth, the ring still on her finger sparkling in the moonlight.

A voice, booming and sultry follows.

"You may kiss the bride !"

You scramble backwards, turning and running to where you came from frantically, stumbling through thickets and branches.

Only to trip and fall on one of the gravestones. The figure now approaches you.

Getting up quickly, you run again, dodging branches and rocks, crashing blindly through the branches of the bare, brittle trees that now seem to block your escape.

You stumble across a small creek as the figure still pursues. Dashing for your life, you don't notice the crows following you as well as you reach the edge of the woods and sprint towards the footbridge, only stopping to catch your breath.

You turn back, peering at the dark forest. Only now do you notice the odd silence.

That is, before the crows burst from the trees, flying straight at you. You freeze in horror as they encircle you, blocking the view of the forest and you can't do anything but cover your face with your arms.

Unwittingly to you, the strangely-alluring figure approaches from the other side of the bridge, moving towards you as the crows continue, swirling, but despite it, you can still see her form moving closer. Overcome by fear, you stand motionless.

She slowly enters the circle, as if suddenly spectral and bodyless. On her hand, the wedding ring is glinding in the moonlight.

The only unclothed part of her body are the arms.

She leans towards you, her bony hand placing itself on your chest as the crows blend all together, now only a mush of black around you.

And then this mush of black explodes away in a gust. Looking around you, you notice with fear that you and the now unmoving figure stand back in the graveyard you flew. Standing one in front of the other.

The same voice as before, now sounding more shy, or at least restrained, cuts the silence.

"You were wonderful... The gist, the passion... It was a lovely proposal."

The words take you back to reality, and you try to take a couple of steps back, looking fearfully at the figure's face.

When suddenly, a pair of hard and tiny hands are on your lower back, and manage, despite the size, to reel you back in place.

You're about to scream again when a doll appears in front of you, seemingly now craddled in the figure's arms.

"Now, silly, where do you think you're going ?"

[pokemerchandise]

in October 1996, Bandai released the first set of Pokemon Kids, a series of soft vinyl finger puppet figures that were mostly released in Japan [although there were some special releases in Europe and Australia]. each toy comes packaged in a box with a collectible card as well as a piece of candy. there were special clear figures that could be found as secret variants up until the release of the B/W figures.

depicted above are the 8 figures that were in the first set, which, unlike the Pokemon Kids figures manufactured today, were released in a blind box.

source: Pokemon Kids on Bulbapedia

Pokemon Kids photos courtesy of Bulbapedia

[shopwitchvamp]

I know there's a lot of new people who weren't around to see all of this, so for fun here's an incomplete list of stuff I used to sell but don't anymore! 😁

Lanyards:

Enamel pins:

These shirts:

Eyeglass cloths:

Art prints:

Washi tape:

Face masks:

Scrunchies (these might make a comeback tbh):

Which is your favorite from the merch graveyard??

[joyousgeekeryart]

Finally decided to upload this unfinished Steven Universe AU comic I sketched out in 2020 that went along with the animatic I made.

The premise was that the Diamonds found out about Steven’s existence earlier than canon and stole him away as a small child. The Diamonds retrieve Spinel for Steven to have a playmate, though she initially doesn’t believe Steven isn’t just Pink playing another cruel trick on her. It takes some sort of small but scary accident to prove to Spinel that this is a human (because gems don’t bleed), and she slowly warms up to him after that. (More notes if you’re interested under the cut.)

I had the plot laid out roughly as Steven seeking answers to his cryptic repetitive dreams, then hearing the Diamonds converse about Earth. The planet name sounds familiar so he winds up chasing Peridot to Earth and to the warp hub, warping from there and finding a half built beach house (which the Crystal Gems and Greg couldn’t bring themselves to finish after Steven’s kidnapping) and knowing it seems familiar but not knowing WHY. Steven meets and befriends Connie, there’s some almost-encounters with the Crystal Gems, but ultimately Peridot catches Steven and Spinel and says she won’t report a Diamond but they know they’d all be in trouble if they get caught so everyone keeps their mouth shut and go back to Homeworld.

Steven returns in secret to see Connie, but this time the Crystal Gems warp back in time to see him, attempting to stop his escape. Steven believes himself to be in danger and Spinel warps in at the wrong time, also assuming the same. Garnet says something that sparks a memory in Steven, but before he gets answers, Spinel springs into action to get him out of the perceived harm’s way and they return to Homeworld. Pearl and Amethyst make to follow through the warp, but Garnet stops them, saying if they follow, they would be shattered, and that Steven would return.

(That’s the tldr of it but here’s my chapter plans up to where I stopped working on it. I never officially typed it up but hopefully it’s legible.)

[lavareview]

x - x - x

MODEL: THE WIZARD

Brand: Lava Lite

Introduced: 1998

Discontinued: 2003

Base and cap colors: black, blue, red, silver

Wax colors: blue, pink, purple, red, yellow

Glitter colors: blue, purple, red, silver

Fluid colors: blue, clear, purple

Size: height 16 1/2", diameter 4 1/2"

The Wizard is a rework of Lava Lite’s earlier 1974 Carlisle model. Like the Carlisle, it has a conical shape and small cutouts around its base allowing light from the bulb to shine through. It is however distinguished from the Carlisle by some notable features: where the Carlisle’s cap had a flat top, similarly to more classic lava lamp models, the Wizard’s cap is pointed, giving it a shape reminiscent of a wizard’s hat. The cutouts in its base are moon and star-shaped, as opposed to the Carlisle’s pinholes, and there is a row of matching cutouts circling the cap.

The Wizard also offered very different colorways from its predecessor: notably, while the Carlisle’s base and cap only came in a brass color, the Wizard offers four different base/cap colors, none of them brass, and it came with many more wax and fluid options, as well as glitter options.

Pictured: every wax color combination offered for the Wizard.

When examining pictures of the Carlisle and the Wizard, it also seems that the Wizard’s globe protrudes over the sides of the base slightly less, giving it a less pronounced “muffin top” effect, though this may be due to perspective. The Wizard is also two and a half inches taller than its predecessor (perhaps owing to the added height on its pointed cap).

Like some other Lava Lite models, the Wizard has a dimmer “for quick start”: the user would initially set the light bulb to 100%, making the wax heat up and flow faster, then dim the light as desired.

Though discontinued, the Wizard remains popular with collectors. It originally retailed for $44.99. Second-hand, Wizard lava lamps are usually sold for $80 to $200. While many Wizards are sold second-hand and it isn’t hard to find one, it may be more difficult to find a specific colorway, and glitter Wizards are more commonly found than wax ones.

MY REVIEW:

The Wizard is my second-most desired lava lamp, but I’ve yet to find one sold in the specific colorway I want (blue base, blue liquid, purple wax) for a price within my means.

In this review, I won't be considering the glitter options of the Wizard, though they're numerous and appear more popular than wax versions. This is because I personally dislike glitter lamps, so including them would negatively impact the review.

SILHOUETTE: 10/10

The 1999-2000 Lava Lite catalogue describes the Wizard as having a “magical draw to its mystical shape”, and I’m tempted to agree. Whereas I find the very similar silhouette of the Carlisle to not be particularly appealing, the Wizard makes a tremendous improvement if only by changing the shape of the cap; and by recontextualizing its conical figure as a wizard’s hat, what could have been an awkward-looking lamp becomes evocative and magical.

DETAILS: 9/10

If any lava lamp model expresses boundless personality through simple and effective detailing, it has to be the Wizard. It avoids being gaudy or insisting upon itself; the wizardly appeal is apparent without the need for tacky visuals. When lit in darkness, the cutouts around its base create a constellation of light pinpricks, further increasing its visual appeal. The only thing I would change about it is the thick black circlet at the very bottom of its base, which isn’t very pleasing to the eye. (In 2013-2014, Lava Lite offered their "Heritage Collection", a throwback to some of their earlier models. The collection included three of the Wizard's colorways, and this time the black circlet was not included - the red Wizard pictured above is a Heritage model.)

COLORWAYS: 7/10

Several of the available colorways are particularly well-chosen: the black base and cap, the purple and pink waxes, and the blue and purple fluids particularly appeal to me. The red base/red wax/clear fluid variation, while not my personal favorite, is also striking. These colors definitely fit my mental image of “wizardry” and add to a magical atmosphere.

Unfortunately, I can’t in good conscience give it full points, as I feel some of the other color options just don’t quite size up. The green wax/blue fluid colorways evoke some sort of alien goo more than any wizard’s spell. The yellow wax/purple fluid and blue wax/blue fluid options are forgettable and don’t do the lamp’s unique design justice. I also generally feel that the silver base just doesn’t look that good with any of the wax and fluid colors.

If I had it my way, the green, purple and yellow wax options and the silver base would be replaced with a variety of new colorways using mainly purple, blue and black in different combinations (such as: a black base/black wax/purple fluid version; a black base/purple wax/clear fluid version; or a purple base/pink wax/purple fluid version, among other potential variations).

My take on alternative Wizard colorways I would have preferred to see.

A number of custom Wizards in various colors do exist and pictures can be found online from collectors - these may have been DIYed (painting bases, switching fluid or wax...) or achieved using alternative globes, such as globes purchased through Lava Lite's Custom Program. While browsing, I even found one matching my imagined "black base/purple wax/clear fluid" version!

POWER: 10/10

Though there are many lamps far more imposing in size, the Wizard dominates through sheer force of personality. The Wizard has no need for unnecessary frills and does not cross the line from “thematic” into “gimmicky”. It is disarmingly pleasant, yet not so whimsical as to become meek or juvenile. Where, had its styling been more heavy-handed, it could have been an inelegant children’s toy, its restrained and confident design instead makes it both esoteric and tasteful. In short, the Wizard is an extremely powerful lava lamp.

MY FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Is my information wrong? Did I miss a detail? Do you have a better picture of this model? Is there another model you’d like me to look into? Please send me an ask or submit relevant pictures!

[goatmace]

1-17-19

Hux curls his fingers in your hair, gently brushing the nape of your neck. “What do you like about me?”

“What do you like about me?” You evade, burying your face into his soft shoulder. No doubt this whole thing’ll crumble if he sees the disinterest glaring in your eyes when responding to his sweet nothings.

A rare grin splits his face. “I asked first.”

I have no idea. I kind of hate you, to be honest. That would get you kicked out of bed, and probably demoted. What a fine fucking mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Now you really are sleeping with your superiors, and lover boy holds your tit with one hand and the strings of your career on the other.

What does he really see in you? Apparently, he thinks you’re pretty. Like it means anything. Everyone thinks you’re pretty, but everyone hates you and you have no friends. Never even had sex before this pervert. Has he found some redeeming quality in you that you have yet to discover?

You want to ask, but too much time has gone by and the conversation has ended. You don’t want to seem desperate for validation. Even if you are.

Instead, you squirm to find a more suitable position so your bare tits don’t touch him as much. But he’s insistent on having as much of your skin touch his as possible, and pulls you flat against him, sighing contentedly.

“I’ve dreamed about this for so long.” He murmurs, caressing your ear, your spine, the small of your back. He plays with you, and you let him, trying not to go too stiff.

[alanaartdream]

Some fanart sketches attempts at drawing some cat doll lines that have been discontinued but I find them interesting

The cat dolls I was trying to draw (don’t own any but I’d like too

[90s-2000s-barbie]

Swoops by Hershey’s (2003 - 2006)

[retroness-is-fabulous]