#I have a bookshelf

[clonerightsagenda]

I was rambling on the issue of museums and human remains and how certain populations are more likely to have their bodies put on display to be gawked at and then went "well I guess the Pompeii casts were of Europeans. there are bones in there right?" and Googled it to make sure, at which point I confirmed that yes there are bones in there, but more interestingly DNA testing revealed that a cast of an adult holding a child everyone assumed was a mother and child were, in fact, a man and a kid entirely unrelated to him. Honestly that's more moving to me. Maybe they were connected in a way other than blood, but maybe a stranger saw a child when the world was ending and thought the one thing he could do was hold them.

[pangur-and-grim]

Grim went off her food today. vomited up breakfast, and then refused to touch anything further. I thought the vomit was Pangur’s at first, so I spent the whole day babying her and hand feeding, until dinner when it became clear Grim was the one with nausea.

I’ve been doing my best to keep Grim from the kitten food, because the high fat content can give adult cats pancreatitis, but there’s been a couple times where I’ve put the food somewhere I thought was inaccessible only to find Grim up there accessing it. I didn’t think she’d stolen more than a couple mouthfuls, but her symptoms today seem very pancreatitis-y.

I’m so angry at myself for not having done a better job keeping the kitten food out of reach. I took her to an emergency vet (my regular one was closed) and they’ve decided to keep her overnight. the bloodwork tomorrow should show whether it’s pancreatitis.

[sunnypsychopath-blog]

The chair metaphor

It's not mine, I've just heard it, but I wanted to share, because it's splendid.

So, imagine that the goal of your life in society is to build a chair. Everyone's building one.

Some get parts for ye ol' standard IKEA chairs with full instructions. Some have some luxury chairs passed down from generations. Some get nothing and have to scrape for stools and bits and pieces. Some get non-standard chairs, like a car chair or an armchair, and they are looked at weirdly, but a chair's a chair, right?

So imagine you're getting parts, you're building that chair that everyone expects of you... when you start to realise that the parts you have are not parts of a chair at all.

Faced with that, you have some choices. You can bend and break those parts, like a horrible display of DIWhy worthy of 5minutescrafts, making it a chair against what it is. You'll be unhappy, trapped in that rigid contraption you've made a chair, sitting in a throne of bleeding wood, but at least it'll be a chair. Sitting there might kill you, like a death by a thousand cuts, and you might find that whatever appliance it was supposed to be, now it can't do its job. You have a chair, yes. It's killing you with every second, but at least you have one. You're just like everybody else.

Others don't - or can't - adhere to these rules and instead, sneakily, slowly build whatever they have. Maybe they don't know how to cut wood, or they've missed some of the instructions on how a chair is supposed to look, but they're stubbornly building whatever they got, hoping that in the end it'll turn out to be a chair.

Imagine you're working on this "chair", but with each part it's more and more clear it's not a chair at all. You're putting final touches on it, and get comments at how weird your chair is. Everyone's supposed to have a chair, so you can't have anything else, right?

So you're faced with a choice again. You look at your table, or bookshelf, or computer, or treasure chest, or whatever that is, and you can either pretend it's a chair or come clean.

And it's hard, since there's the pressure. Everyone expects a chair from you. So you grit your teeth, and you smile, and you say "Look at my chair! Isn't it awesome?" while sitting on an aquarium. "Can't you see I'm a person just like you, I have my chair here, everything's fine!" as you bounce on an inflatable ball. "Sure, my chair is kinda weird, but you can accept me, right?" you're trying to hide the desperation in your voice, because they might realise at any moment that it's not a chair at all. But they don't. They're so used to their chairs that they never thought that anyone could have anything else.

And there's the well-meaning people, who nod and say "that looks uncomfortable... Maybe you should change your armrests to better ones?" and they think they understand - after all their armrests were uncomfortable also before they switched theirs. But what they cannot comprehend is that you can't switch armrests on a bookshelf. "If you don't like it, maybe you can add a couple pillows?" "thanks," you say, "I'll get to it." you say, while knowing that no pillows will work on a bouncy ball.

And there comes a moment in your life when you've got enough pretending. When you start to understand that others don't understand you. Maybe you've met some people who unapologetically have their picture frames on display on their shelves. Maybe you've met people who ride around wildly on a skateboard or you can see someone just like you - a person with an aquarium, feeding the fish with a smile while your tank stands empty, and you start to understand that the "chair" is not the only thing that exists. There's more out there.

At this point you climb down that uncomfortable perch, look at your furniture and start using it the way it was supposed to be. You start to understand what it means.

You start to understand yourself.

And when a person with an actual chair comes along, takes a good, long look at your bookshelf that has filled with your favourite novels or your bed with freshly washed sheets, or your aquarium full of fish and asks "are you sure you're doing this right?"

You just smile, and say: "Of course. Just look at my chair."

It's perfect.

I got a bookshelf. What do you guys have?

[nativegirltapes]

getting dumped by your long term boyfriend at one of his own parties was definitely not on your summer bucket list. but neither was befriending a pogue. especially the pogue that your now ex-boyfriend was sworn enemies with, pope heyward.

when pope seen you sobbing into your own hands at the party while sitting on the dock, he couldn't leave you there alone, he was too much of a gentleman, and you were way too pretty of a girl to be crying. even if you were his enemies girlfriend, he didn't care, he was determined to put a smile on your face. 

"are you okay?" pope sat next to you, but keeping his distance. not sure of your boundaries and because he didn't need rafe having another reason to want to kill him. 

not realizing anyone was there, you jumped. "yeah, i'm okay." you wiped your red puffy eyes. "pope?" your voice was filled with confusion. he was the last person you'd expect to be comforting you. 

"that's me." he chuckled, but got embarrassed when you didn't laugh with him. 

"why are you here?" singular tears still falling down you cheeks, you literally couldn't help it. 

"i seen you were crying and ii couldn't just leave you here." pope stared at you, it was off-putting but also sweet? 

"don't you like ....... hate me?" you sniffled your nose.

"no. that's your boyfriend i hate. not you." he pointed his finger, making sure to add emphasis on the 'no'. 

"he's not my boyfriend anymore." you look off into the distance, the sunset looked so pretty. almost as pretty as you looked to pope in this moment. the sun still hitting your eyes just right, even when they were red and puffy. 

"oh." pope sighed. "sorry." he wasn’t sorry at all. he’d be jumping for joy if it were appropriate.

you giggled at pope's awkwardness. "it's okay." 

"yeah, he's kind of a dick anyways." pope flashes his eyes towards you, to see if you'll get the joke. you were literally talking about his enemy. 

"kind of?" you laugh. 

maybe pope was the perfect person to be talking to after getting broken up with by rafe cameron. 

[modmad]

if you ever got the chance to make a TPoH viddy game would it have a fishing minigame

what do you think I am, an idiot? of COURSE it would have a fishing minigame

[foldingfittedsheets]

Last night I got woken up by some mysterious erratic thumping outside on the building. It instantly shot me into the nighttime Fear. I tried to calm myself down but couldn’t sleep. I kept imagining I was about to hear the sliding glass door shatter or hear a malevolent creak on the stairs.

I eventually slunk my way into my wife’s room to whimper about it. They grabbed a wooden sword and patrolled the perimeter, returning to report all was okay.

Today we’re both super tired but I’m grateful I have a partner who doesn’t get grumpy about my irrational stuff.

[cerisesparadise]

this one's for you — lee heeseung

pairing - basketball captain!heeseung x supportive girlfriend!reader

genre - fluff, established relationship, university au, sports au

warnings - rivalry (it's just friendly competition between enhadream though lol), mentions of kisses - lmk if there's more!

wc - 1.7k

sypnosis - In the midst of a fierce rivalry between two universities, Decelis Academy of Excellion faces off against NCIT - Neo Culture Insititute of Technology - in a championship game. As tension builds on the court, his girlfriend’s unwavering support becomes his secret weapon

mentions - nct dream as the opposing basketball team (my engene czennie heart <3)

a/n - hi!! i'm cerise!! i wrote this because i was scrolling through tiktok and saw clips of movies like "she's dating the gangster" and "high school musical", so ofc, the first person to come into mind was heeseung. though this isn't the first time i've written something, it is the first post on this blog (i'm so rusty- i apologise :') ). so here's to my first post - hope you enjoy reading!

also- i know heeseung's jersey in the header pic says 11 but for the sake of the story pls pretend it's 01 </3 | bookshelf

The atmosphere in the arena is electric, buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Tonight, Decelis Academy of Excellion is facing off against their long-time rivals, NCT Dream from the Neo Culture Institute of Technology. This isn’t just any game; it’s the championship finals, a battle that both teams have been gearing up for all season. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the entire university has turned out to show their support.

You sit among the packed bleachers, the air thick with school spirit as students wave banners and shout team chants. It’s a sea of blue and white, the colours of Decelis Academy, and you can feel the pride radiating from every corner of the gym. As the clock ticks down to game time, the anticipation grows, every heartbeat syncing with the excited chatter around you.

Down on the court, Heeseung, the captain of your university's basketball team, Enhypen, is warming up. He’s the embodiment of focus and determination, his eyes scanning the court while he practises his shots. You can’t help but admire him — the way he commands the game, the way he leads his teammates with both skill and charisma. But tonight is different; it’s not just a regular match. This is a culmination of years of rivalry, and the pressure is palpable.

As the lights dim and the spotlight shines down, the announcer’s voice booms through the gym, introducing the teams. The crowd erupts in cheers as Heeseung and his teammates take the court, and you can see the camaraderie among them, the bond forged through countless hours of practice and shared goals.

You pull Heeseung's oversized varsity jacket tighter around yourself, the warmth and scent of his cologne comforting. It’s your way of feeling connected to him, even as he prepares to lead his team into battle against NCT Dream. You watch him with pride, knowing that this game is more than just a championship; it’s a chance to establish Decelis Academy as the reigning champion over their rivals.

As the game unfolds, the tension builds with every point scored. Heeseung’s skill is undeniable; he moves fluidly, orchestrating plays and rallying his teammates. The score is neck and neck, and with each possession, you can feel your heart racing alongside the crowd.

With only two minutes left in the game, the score is tied, and the tension is at its peak. You can’t help but bite your lip, every second feeling like an eternity. Suddenly, Heeseung catches your eye. You can tell he’s feeling the pressure, but then, as he glances your way again, he does something unexpected.

He taps his chest twice, subtly, then points at you. You don’t realise what he’s doing at first, but then he mouths something, clear even from across the court: “This one’s for you.” 

Your breath catches. Before you can process it, Heeseung is back in motion, his body moving like it’s running on pure instinct. Flashes of memories flood his mind, reminding him why he fights so hard for this victory.

He remembers those late night practices, standing alone on the court as the gym echoed with the sound of his dribbling. Suddenly, he hears a familiar voice. “Come on, Hee! Just one more shot!” It’s you, sitting on the bleachers with a smile that lights up the dark gym. You’ve been there every night, keeping him company and offering encouragement even when he’s exhausted.

“Okay, okay,” he laughs, shaking his head, and with renewed determination, he sinks the next shot effortlessly. Your applause echoes in his mind, pushing him forward.

The day before the championship, Heeseung had been a bundle of nerves, pacing in his room. You sat next to him, holding his hands and looking him in the eye. “You’ve worked so hard for this. Just remember, win or lose, I’m proud of you, Heeseung.” you said softly.

His heart swelled at your words, grounding him in the moment. “Thanks, babe. I’ll make you proud,” he promised, and in that instant, he believed he could conquer anything.

He remembers a time when he had been feeling down after a particularly tough loss. You surprised him with his favourite snacks, setting up a little picnic on the bleachers. “You know what? You’re still my number 1, no matter what. That’s your jersey number for a reason, Hee.” you said, your eyes sparkling with warmth.

“Really?” he asked, his heart lifting at your words.

“Absolutely! And besides, I’m always here to support you,” you assured him, and he couldn’t help but smile at how lucky he was.

Then there was that one practice where he felt like he just couldn’t hit a shot. Frustrated, he threw the ball down, running a hand through his hair. You stepped in close, your expression sympathetic. “Hey, even the best have off days. Remember when you taught me to shoot? I thought I’d never get it!” You demonstrated a dramatic air ball, making him burst into laughter.

“You’re right,” he admitted, a smile creeping back, “But you eventually got it, didn’t you?”

“Exactly! And you’ll find your rhythm again. Just give it time,” you encouraged, and he felt the weight lift off his shoulders, renewed with confidence.

During practice, you had always cheered from the sidelines, celebrating even the smallest victories. “Yes! That’s it, Hee! You’re on fire!” The way you looked at him, full of pride ignited something else inside him. He wants to replicate that joy on the court tonight, not just for himself but for you.

The memory fades, and he focuses back on the court. The countdown begins, and he recalls your unwavering support, how you’ve always been his anchor.

On the court, players from both teams are moving in a flurry of motion. Heeseung calls out to his teammates, his voice cutting through the noise. “Jake, move to the left! Sunghoon, set the pick!”

“Got it!” Jake replies, darting into position while Sunghoon takes his place, ready to block an incoming defender.

The crowd roars as Heeseung manoeuvres through the opposing players, sweat beading on his forehead. He catches a glimpse of you in the stands, your eyes locked on him, radiating support. That glance fuels his determination even more.

“Stay focused!” Jungwon shouts from the perimeter, eyes scanning the court. “We need to take control of this game! Make every second count!”

“Let’s go, Decelis!” the crowd chants, the rhythmic clapping reverberating through the arena.

As the game continues, Dream counters aggressively. A tall defender lunges at Heeseung, trying to steal the ball. “You think you can get past me, Captain?” Jisung taunts, grinning.

Heeseung smirks back. “You’re going to have to try harder than that, Park!”

He swiftly dribbles around him, passing the ball to Jay, who quickly takes a shot from the three-point line. The ball sails through the air, but the tension rises as it bounces off the rim.

“Get the rebound!” Heeseung yells, sprinting toward the basket.

Riki is there, leaping high to grab the ball before it falls. “I got it!” he shouts, landing solidly and passing it back to Heeseung, who is now at the three-point arc.

“Take it, Hee!” Sunoo calls, eyes wide with anticipation.

With the clock ticking down, Heeseung feels the pressure mounting. He glances at the scoreboard, then back at you. He taps his chest twice and points at you, mouthing the words “This one’s for you.”, dedicating the victory shot to you. He breathes deeply and launches the ball just as the buzzer sounds, the world around him fading to silence.

The ball arcs through the air, time slowing as it nears the hoop. Heeseung holds his breath, and for a moment, the entire gym is silent, every eye glued to the ball.

“C’mon, c’mon!” Jake whispers, his hands clenched.

Suddenly, the ball swishes through the net, and the arena erupts into a symphony of cheers. Heeseung pumps his fist in the air, a triumphant smile breaking across his face as his teammates rush to celebrate with him.

“Let’s go! We did it!” Jungwon shouts, engulfing Heeseung in a hug.

“That was the cleanest shot ever!” Riki exclaims, high fiving him.

“I told you he’d make it!” Sunghoon laughs, slapping Heeseung on the back.

As the crowd continues to roar, Heeseung looks over to the stands, where you're beaming with pride. The moment feels surreal; he knows this victory is as much yours as it is his. You leap from your seat, your heart racing as you push through the flood of fans and teammates, your eyes locked on Heeseung.

“HEESEUNG!!” you shout, your voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Adrenaline fueled your every step as you sprinted towards him.

In an instant, you’re in his arms, jumping into him as he catches you effortlessly. The world around you fades as you both laugh, your heart soaring with pride and love. He spins you around, and as blue and white confetti begins to rain down from above, it feels like a scene from a fairytale.

“I can’t believe you did it!” you exclaim, breathless and beaming.

“Thank you for believing in me,” Heeseung replies, his voice warm and sincere. “I couldn’t have done it without you, babe.”

With a quick glance around, he pulls you in closer, leaning down to capture your lips in a victorious kiss. The moment is electric, the soft flutter of confetti swirling around you adding to the magic. It drifts through the air like tiny stars, each flake catching the light and highlighting the joy of the moment.

“Get a room, you two!” Jake shouts playfully, laughing as he joins the cheering crowd.

“Captain’s got a new strategy – distract the opponent with romance!” Sunghoon jokes, earning a chorus of laughter from the team.

As the teasing continues, Heeseung pulls back slightly, still holding you tight, his forehead resting against yours. The blue and white confetti dances around you, settling on your hair and shoulders, but all you can focus on is the warmth in his eyes.

“Let’s celebrate together,” he says, eyes sparkling with happiness. The energy of the crowd only amplifies the warmth between you, solidifying this victory as one you’ll both cherish forever. 

© cerisesheaven — please do not plagiarize, repost, translate, copy, or alter any of my works. thank you angel!

[meamiki]

mira !!! :]

[sankta-lucia]

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson // illustrated by Annie Hoffmeister // Folio Society 2023

[bibliosims]

michaela addison

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Good Rich Earth: A Science Fiction Retelling of "The Secret Garden"

Ever since Mary had become an orphan, all adults did was tell each other about her story.

"Raised practically by robots, the poor thing. On one of those military space stations. She's never stepped foot on a planet!"

They talked over her just as if she wasn't there. Mary hated it. But then, she'd gotten used to hating things. Earth had so many things to hate.

She hated the outside air that got too hot or too cold or too humid and couldn't be changed by flipping a switch. She hated the sky with its constantly-changing light levels. She hated the gray clouds that always seemed to hang low over the big stone house where she was supposed to live with her uncle. She hated the vast, barren lands with the short scrubby plants that were all that had managed to grow since the Disasters.

But she hated the echoing darkness of that big house most of all, and so she spent most of her days in the hateful outdoors, looking for something to do. Ben let her tag along sometimes as he tended to the grounds. He called himself a gardener, so naturally Mary asked what a garden was.

"Its where we grow plants on purpose," Ben said.

"Like hydroponics?"

Ben sneered. "Hydroponics!" He lifted a handful of dirt from the ground. "In good rich earth! None of those weak, wispy water-plants with no more nutrition in them than a wet rag!"

Mary couldn't get another word out of him after that--he was too busy muttering to himself about space stations and their unholy, unnatural ways.

But she kept wondering about gardens. She liked the word, liked the idea--having seen nothing similar in any space station.

"If only you'd been here when the mistress was alive," Martha said. "You'd have seen gardens enough then. Always tending to her plants, she was. Trying to bring back flowers what was lost in the Disasters."

But when the mistress was lost, so were her gardens--locked away and left to decay by the husband who couldn't bear to see the site of his wife's death. It seemed unfair to Mary--the one interesting thing on this planet had been abandoned, and now there was nothing left for her.

Or was there? The gardens weren't destroyed--just locked. And locks always had keys.

The search for that locked door became the sole pursuit that filled Mary's days. She searched every corner of the house, looked for cellars, searched among the outbuildings for anything that looked like the wall of a garden. As she searched, she found she noticed the wind and cold less--grew even to like it, as exercise kept her warm. She even found other things that, though they were not the door, proved to be worth finding. A stubby little plant with purple flowers that opened overnight. A stream of clear water from snowmelt. And--best of all--the robin.

He became a companion on her hunt, the little bird--a cheerful voice that flitted about and checked on her progress before returning to his little labors.

It was while following him one day that Mary found the garden. The robin, in his daily fluttering, perched atop a building that she'd passed by a thousand times, sitting on the very edge of the eaves. Then the robin twittered, stepped back--and disappeared, seeming to fall straight through the solid roof.

"Hologram," Ben explained later. "A protective field. Keeps the temperature beneath a bit more stable, lets in rain and birds for water and pest control, and keeps prying eyes from seeing what's inside. Mistress used it to protect her work--plenty of folks who'd steal a cutting and give it to the corporations."

At last! The lost garden!

But still no door. Mary spent days prowling around the walls, searching for an opening, and found nothing but solid brick.

Until one sunny day, when the robin landed on the ground at the base of the wall. As he folded his wings, one of them brushed the bricks, and Mary saw the faintest shimmer of light ripple across a section of the wall.

This, Mary recognized--EtherDoors were a fact of space station life. With the right key, the wall could become permeable enough to let a person through--no need for the extra space or machinery a door required.

The robin fluttered toward a short shrub and sang a cheerful song. As Mary's eyes followed him, she saw a patch of dirt beneath the branches--and suddenly realized that the rock she had seen there a thousand times was no rock at all.

Mary lifted the shining, convex piece of black metal--a simple piece hiding complicated electronics. She pressed it to the center of where the EtherDoor stood--and her hand went through the wall. With two more steps, the rest of Mary followed.

She found herself in paradise.

She had never seen so much green. It covered the ground, climbed the walls, twisted around posts. There were trees with flowers on their branches. Bushes with tiny lacy leaves. Rubbery green stems with silky red and yellow cup-shaped blossoms on top. Thousands of plants, tangled, matted and twisted together, but all alive, drawing food from the earth and reaching up, up, up toward the sun.

For the first time, Mary was truly on Earth, as it was supposed to be.

And she saw that it was magical.

[alicenpai]

started reading emma by kaoru mori today and by golly. i am not a binger by any means (far from it) but i zoomed through half of the story in a day. it's literally That Good................

[notbecauseofvictories]

I'm not sure whether KJ Parker is a good writer. However, he writes about divinity in a way that I---the bane of Catholic high school Theology teachers, someone who read Aquinas and Augustine specifically to prove said teachers wrong and then became a lawyer for mysterious reasons definitely unrelated to this---recognize intimately. So he gets a pass.

[suntails]

collab artwork i did for my beloved friend @llondonfog's fic in the horror zine!!! it was such an honor to work on a collab together and i couldn't have asked for a more fun experience!!! <3 go read her fic and leave comments/kudos, it's a treat!

LINK TO FIC

[thedungeonbat]

books, books and more books📚

My morning was rather awful as I was so tired I considered skipping first lesson. Got up anyways and attend every single class of that day. Yay :) I’m a bit sceptical of my english teachers approach regarding ‚The Circle‘ by Dave Eggers but to be honest, it can’t get worse than his Shakespeare lessons…

My library shift was unusually quiet today. Did inventory and put all the returned books back into their spot. My old ap english teacher came in to get dictionaries (I’m glad I got rid of a few-) and I had a surprisingly polite fifth grade come in with their teacher to pick up their copies of ‚Tom Sawyer‘, which reminded me of the time I played Huckleberry Finn (yes, Finn played Finn lol) in 8th grade English class. Time flies by…

Now I’m off to dinner and picking someone up from the train station :)

Highlight of the day: small amount of snow that survived the night!!❄️

[ikrutt]

I don't have a cool gaming rig, so I took Loona out foraging instead.