#cork city library

[hybrid-vigour]

Read To Meet You

The story I wrote and illustrated for @corkcitylibraries' Summer Reading Challenge 2018.

It begins with a strange new arrival at Cork City Library, and follows Children's Library mascot Red and his friends on their quest to uncover the origins of this "most singular beast".

[queen-mabs-revenge]

defend your local library ✊🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🚩

[corkcitylibraries]

Sow...Let's Grow

September is the perfect time for harvesting seeds and in this blog, I’ll show you four different seeds I’ve harvested since the start of the month. This year I’ve managed to produce more seed than flowers it seems, and all my cuttings have done really well too. My sweet peas are still flowering after almost three months, and they are a proud success story. I would highly recommend growing this plant to even the most nervous of novice gardeners as they are so easy to grow and produce such a wonderful visual and olfactory display for months at a time. As if that wasn’t enough, they produce prominent seed pods that don’t explode when you touch them (like poppies or the touch-me-not plant!) and are amazingly easy to harvest.

Sweet pea seeds

Sweet peas bloom all summer long and well into autumn. This means they are also producing seeds. When the flower petals wither and die the seed pod is left, the seed pod in this case is banana-shaped and covered in white hairs. Once the seed pod turns brown, is it ready to be harvested. Simply remove them from the plant and squeeze the seeds out of the casing. You can either store them somewhere cool, dry, and dark for next year or you can drop them down to Hollyhill Library to share with the community.

Poppy seeds

Poppy seeds are ready to harvest during late summer and early autumn. These are slightly trickier to harvest than sweet peas as the seed pods can sometimes explode! This is their method of ensuring that as many of the seeds germinate as possible, but it does make it more difficult for us. Once the leaves have fallen away from the seed pod it will slowly turn from a pale green orb to a brown. You can tell it is ready to be harvested if the seed pod rattles when you shake it. After this I usually cut the stalks and carefully place them upside down in an envelope to catch the seeds, but you can also put them on a tray to dry out or bag each seed head individually when they are still on the plant to ensure the seeds have reached maturity. Let the seeds dry for a couple of weeks before storing them in a cool, dry, and dark place.

Love-in-a-mist seeds

These seeds too are ready to harvest late summer/early autumn. They are similar to the poppy in that the seed pod is spherical in shape and turns from a green to a brown. This makes the harvesting process similar too. They are less likely to explode but the outer casing is as thin as paper and will tear easily so do be careful. Once the seed head has turned brown, I cut the stalks and place them upside down in an envelope so they can dry out fully. You do not need to keep the seed head; we just want the lovely little black seeds inside. Store them somewhere cool, dry, and dark.

Martock beans

With beans and peas, you must leave some pods on the plant so that they can dry out and turn to seeds. The dried pods are usually ready to pick around August/September time. Once you have picked them remove the beans from the pod and store them in a cool, dry, and dark place. They really are one of the easiest plants to save seeds from!

[dvitalam]

Fue una semana con letargos, con emociones encontradas y con un delicioso burrito. Escribí la semana en mi diario y me di cuenta que el lenguaje de programación Python, es menos enredoso que lo que escribí sobre el martes pasado. No me culpo, hay guías y cursos online para escribir Python, pero no sobre frustración y emociones encontradas.

Por ahí, en una serie de HBO, un personaje dice: "love is a downfall".

El viernes rescaté mi semana visitando un par de lugares; primero fuí con E a Mardyke Entertainment bar, hay bolos y arcades, tiene una atmósfera vibrante. Ahí descubrí (o decidí) que la Guinnes es mi cerveza favorita: fuerte pero no amarga, tiene un toque dulce, pero no empalaga.

Después del bar fuimos a cenar a Burritos and Blues, ahí preparan burritos que uno apenas puede sostener con las manos, es un lugar que podría funcionar fácilmente en México sin necesidad de hacer ningún cambio.

El sábado mejoró mucho más el fin de semana cuando fui con E al café Alchemy, un lugar que definitivamente tiene una atmósfera mística: la decoración, la música, la gente, y por supuesto el servicio fueron agradables; todo ahí es acogedor. Cuando estábamos por irnos, un señor se sentó en la mesa de al lado y saco un cuaderno igual al que uso como diario, también reconocí que usó una pluma punto siete para escribir y sacó un libro de poesía <<seguro hacia anotaciones de lectura>>. Quería preguntarle que estaba leyendo y qué escribía, pero fue mejor no interrumpirlo, la lectura y la escritura son actos de soledad, aún cuando se hacen en lugares públicos. Me reconocí en él, leyendo y escribiendo en el futuro, a mis sesenta años.

[sexyirish7]

James Connolly Collection

This cc set is dedicated to James Connolly.

James Connolly (1868-1916) was the working class hero of the 1916 Easter Uprising. The only member of the Provisional Government of Ireland with actual military experience, as Commandant General of the Dublin Brigade of the Army of the Irish Republic continued to issue commands from the GPO while seriously wounded. James Connolly also led the Irish Citizens Army which was formed to protect workers during the 1913 lock-out. Connolly was invited to join forces with the Irish Brotherhood for the Easter Rising and he was named one of the Vice-Presidents of the Provisional Government of Ireland.

James Connolly came from extreme poverty and spent his life passionately fighting for the rights of workers and the poor against capitalists. James Connolly was active in the Socialist movements in Ireland and the United States.

James Connolly was executed at Kilmainham Jail on 12 May 1916, tied to a chair because his wounds did not allow for him to stand in front of the firing squad.

Song "James Connolly" by The Wolfe Tones https://youtu.be/iYH5h-5Dz40?si=pNuIwnJT7mMSFtEW

Lyrics: lyrics.lyricfind.com/lyrics/wolfe-tones-james-connolly

The cc is listed individually to allow you to pick and choose which items you would like. The flags in the post's primary screenshot can be found here. More cc related to the Easter Rising can be found here.

DOWNLOAD for FREE: SFS

OR at Patreon*

*You must be over 18 to access my Patreon page.

Creations by SexyIrish7

These cc objects were produced as selective clones using Sims 4 Studio.

1916 Leaders: 

Framed picture of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Polygon Count: 50

Autographed James Connolly: 

Framed display of "Labour in Irish Society" by James Connolly, signed by author in March 1910.

Polygon Count: 50

Framed James Connolly Mural: 

Pictured is James Connolly and "Big" Jim Larkin with Connolly's quote “Governments in capitalist society are but committees of the rich to manage the affairs of the capitalist class” from August 1914.Mural by Nik Purdy of BlowDesigns located on the Mall in Sligo City, County Sligo, Ireland

Polygon Count: 50

GPO Last Stand 1916:

Scene depicting 'The Last Stand' at the General Post Office, Dublin during the Easter Rising in 1916. The man with arms folded is Michael Nugent. He was one of the stretcher bearers for James Connolly. He was later jailed in Wales for nearly 2 years for his part in the Easter Rising. Bottom left is Doctor George Henry Mahony, from Cork City. He was a captured member of the British Army Medical Service. Photographer: Unknown Date: Circa 28 April 1916

Polygon Count: 494

James Connolly Memorial: 

Framed picture of the James Connolly Memorial located on Beresford Place in Dublin, Ireland. The statue is cast in bronze. The statue was unveiled in 1996 on the 80th anniversary of his execution. Sculptor: Eamon O'Doherty

Polygon Count: 50

James Connolly Portrait:

Pictures of James Connolly from around 1900 and 1889

Polygon Count: 46

James Connolly Portrait Large:

Picture of James Connolly taken some time before 1916

Polygon Count: 94

Reconquest Ireland: 

Display of original book cover of James Connolly's book "The Re-Conquest of Ireland"

Polygon Count: 50

All CC have:

*Ability to search catalog using search terms: sexyirish7 and si7

*Customized thumbnail

*******

CREDITS:

Software credits:

Sims 4 Studio v. 3.2.4.1 (Star): https://sims4studio.com

GIMP v. 2.10.34: https://www.gimp.org/

Inkscape v. 1.2: https://inkscape.org/

Thank you to the creators and moderators producing tutorials and answering questions!

*******

Image Credits:

1916 Leaders: Photo: National Library of Ireland, EPH F339 https://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/articles/how-the-rising-was-planned

Autographed James Connolly: https://www.whytes.ie/art/james-connolly-signed-and-inscribed-copy-of-his-book-labour-in-irish-history-1910/171294/

Framed James Connolly Mural: Photo: © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle via https://extramuralactivity.com/category/events-people/james-connolly/

GPO Last Stand 1916: Photographer: Unknown Date: Circa 28 April 1916 https://www.waterfordmuseum.ie/exhibit/web/DisplayPrintableImage/K039Sforwardslashki0g6MU/

James Connolly Memorial: https://www.rte.ie/archives/2018/0512/961209-james-connolly-commemoration/

James Connolly Portrait:

Swatches 1-3: Picture taken around 1900 https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Connolly.james.jpg

Swatches 4-6: Picture taken around 1889 https://avocagallery.ie/1916-rebel-back-story-james-connolly/

James Connolly Portrait Large: National Library of Ireland, EPH F339 https://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/articles/james-connolly

Reconquest Ireland:

Picture of James Connolly: https://www.1916rising.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/James-Connolly.jpg

Original book cover: https://www.whytes.ie/art/connolly-james-the-re-conquest-of-ireland/149292/

*******

TOU:

Do not re-upload and claim as your own

Do not re-upload and hide behind a paywall

[hold-fast-and-rise]

17 facts you may not know about Portugal:

Portugal is home to the westernmost point of Europe, Cabo da Roca, located near Lisbon. It’s not only a picturesque location but also holds historical significance as it marks the edge of the European continent.

The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290, is one of the oldest universities still in continuous operation in the world. Its Joanina Library, built in the 18th century, is renowned for its exquisite baroque style and houses thousands of ancient books.

Portuguese is the official language not only of Portugal but also of Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe, making it one of the most spoken languages worldwide.

Porto, the second-largest city in Portugal, is famous for producing port wine. The wine is made exclusively in the Douro Valley and aged in cellars along the Douro River before being shipped from Porto.

Portugal is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cork, with most of it harvested from cork oak trees that cover the country’s landscape.

The Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon is one of the longest bridges in Europe, stretching over the Tagus River for more than 17 kilometers (around 11 miles). It is named after the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.

The Algarve region in Portugal boasts some of the most stunning beaches in Europe, attracting millions of tourists each year. However, beyond its beaches, the region also offers picturesque fishing villages, dramatic cliffs, and a rich cultural heritage.

The Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, is made up of nine volcanic islands. It’s a paradise for nature lovers, offering unique landscapes, hot springs, and opportunities to watch whales.

Portugal is home to one of the oldest bookstores in the world, Livraria Bertrand, which opened its doors in 1732 in Lisbon. It holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest operating bookstore.

The Portuguese love their seafood, and one of their traditional dishes is "Bacalhau à Brás," a delicious combination of salted cod, onions, potatoes, and eggs.

The country has a rich tradition of fado music, characterized by sentimental melodies and melancholic lyrics. It is often performed in intimate settings known as "fado houses," particularly in the historic neighborhoods of Lisbon.

The Alentejo region in southern Portugal is known for its vast cork oak forests, rolling plains, and medieval hilltop towns. It’s a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, offering visitors a glimpse of traditional Portuguese culture.

Portugal has a long history of maritime exploration, with renowned explorers such as Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and Bartolomeu Dias. Their voyages played a significant role in shaping world history during the Age of Discovery.

The Portuguese city of Óbidos is famous for its well-preserved medieval walls and picturesque streets. It is also known for its annual chocolate festival, where visitors can indulge in a variety of chocolate treats.

Portugal has a rich tradition of ceramic tiles known as "azulejos," which decorate buildings, churches, and palaces throughout the country. These intricately designed tiles often depict historical scenes, religious motifs, and geometric patterns.

The Belém Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Lisbon, was built in the early 16th century as a fortress to defend the city’s harbor. It is an impressive example of Manueline architecture, adorned with intricate carvings and maritime symbols.

Portugal is one of the sunniest countries in Europe, with an average of over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Its mild climate, combined with its diverse landscapes, makes it an ideal destination for outdoor activities year-round.

Credits: mundo extraordinário

[52stations]

i really randomly miss being 14 today. i listened to some 3rd gen kpop and the black parade and it conjured up the exact feeling of when i used to lie on my stomach on my parents’ scratchy carpet and watch osomatsu san with the bad subtitles that came out a couple hours after transmission. i rock climbed and i hung out in the library and i contacted the girl i had a crush on through the wattpad direct messaging system. i can still smell watercolour paints in the art room at school and the sea air at this one shitty small city comic con i went to where i bought a bunch of plastic love live phone charms and hung them off my cork board at home. i remember programming a music player into my blog so i could copy someone else and have it blare madeon pay no mind as well, and i remember the warmth that would course through me listening to the fma:b closing song. i watched crack and cosplay series on youtube and made my dad drive me to the comic book store so i could order in killjoys comics and walked down my cul de sac with my nose in a kerrang magazine……. and all that was 10 years ago!!! >_<

[theformulaforsuccess]

What would happen if Jesus walked through Coral Springs, Florida—TODAY? On April 1st, 2025, He shows up. No stage. No spotlight. Just love, hope, and divine encounters in real places with real people.

Watch as Jesus visits Panera Bread to comfort a lonely widower, encourages a hurting teen at Coral Glades High School, lifts weary nurses at Broward Health, shares grace at The Cook and The Cork, and ends His day in prayer at Betti Stradling Park. This is a modern-day imagining of how Jesus would live, love, and lead in our world right now.

👇 COMMENT below where you think He should go next!

✝️ Be part of the journey as we walk with Jesus through modern-day America—every single day this year. Don’t miss tomorrow’s city. Subscribe, share, and be transformed.

📍Real Locations Featured:

Tall Cypress Natural Area

Panera Bread, University Dr

Coral Glades High School

Broward Health Coral Springs

Northwest Regional Library

The Cook and The Cork

Betti Stradling Park

📌 Watch, Reflect, Share.

👣 Follow Jesus—day by day, city by city.

🙏 Where should Jesus go next? Drop your city below and let’s walk with Him together.

👍 Like this video if it moved you.

📲 Share it with someone who needs a little hope today.

✝️ Subscribe and join us every single day as we walk with Jesus through America in 2025!

#JesusIn2025 #WhatWouldJesusDoToday #ModernDayJesus #JesusWalksWithUs #CoralSpringsFlorida #DailyFaith #FaithInRealLife #HopeForToday #Inspiration2025 #JesusInMyCity #ChristianYouTube

[donnetellotheturtle]

Chapter 2

The fire kingdom

Elio was about a weeks ride away on donkey. The one thing Varian hadn’t expected was that it was so lonely. There were travelers and merchants on the road sure but no conversation lasted more than a couple minutes and being from Corona, he was unused to not being able to speak to the nearest person for at least an hour or two. It made him feel more isolated than he expected.

On the evening before he made it to Elio, he sat by a small fire, eating. Ruddinger munched on a piece of bread besides him as he fingered through his moms journal. Her research was enticing and it felt as if he was getting to know her through it. She had a way of describing things that made it sound so exciting.

“so apparently the first totem is in a volcano! But Elio has a bunch of them….which one would it be...”

He pulled out his own journal, making his own notes and theories on the totems.

~

“Hes going to look for the library.” Hugo reported as soon as he got into the tent.

“Hm…that means he’ll be heading to Elio first. Follow him, and get the relic first.”

Hugo nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

~

Varian woke up early to get to the kingdoms gates as soon as possible. It was very hot here. He guessed that was because of the volcanoes decorating the mountain peaks.

The gates were lavish and gigantic, the middle decorated with the symbol of Elio. As he came upon it his eyes drifted to the blown glass and obvious blacksmithery in the gate and in the walls.

“woah…”

“State your business.” On of the guards said.

Varian smiled. “Just here to see the city!”

The guard looked at him, then nodded at the other guard. “You from Corona?”

“Yes sirs. How could you tell?”

“Your bag…can we take a look at your caravan? Have to make sure you’re not smuggling anything.”

Varian nodded, and the process ended fairly quickly. He was let into the city. It was beautiful. The ground was covered with red rocks, there were houses with sliding doors, most of them were open and he saw kids some running around with ribbons and playing with toys that looked like dragons, foxes, tigers, qs well as kites. He saw a person playing a Huluqin. He listened to the music and heard people yelling out from stalls about the fresh food that was there.

“First things first guys…find a place to stay…”

He hopped off Prometheus and led him to a stable, paying the keeper a few coins for the night. He grabbed his bag from the caravan and walked out into the street. He looked through his moms journal, trying to figure out where to start.

Then there was a yell, screaming, and something whizzed behind him. He yelled out in surprise, turning quickly to where he heard the crash.

Sitting in the wreckage of what used to be a cabbage stand, was a small boy, around the age of 14, with almond eyes, black hair, and he was a bit chubby. But the most important thing he noticed was the fact that part of the kids shirt was still on fire.

“Holy…” He ran and started patting out the fire. “kid, you okay?”

He gave a weak thumbs up, clearly dazed by the impact.

He looked to the side where he saw what looked like a dragon puppet. Only it had pyrotechnics and a seat inside.

“What were you doing?”

The kid shook his head and stood up. “I was trying to make a flying dragon!”

Varian blinked. “uh huh”

“But instead of blasting off, it just blasted me…off of it.”

Varian sighed softly, rubbing his forehead. “kid you could have killed yourself!”

“you sound like my mom!”

“Well maybe shes….right.” Varian was having serious Daja Vu from this. “Huh…”

The kid was already over the dragon again. “Hm what went wrong…”

Varian then saw that there was still a fire. And it was going to hit the kid straight in the face.

“Hey get away from there!” Varian opened a corked bottle from his belt and threw it just as the explosion was about to go off. He pulled the kid out of the way as a bubble quickly encased it. A small crowd gathered to see the commotion.

The kid looked at him with wonder. “Wow…that was cool.”

Varian chuckled.

“MY CABBAGES!”

The kid chuckled nervously.

After everything was sorted out, Varian and him walked along the street.

“So, that was Alchemy?” He asked.

“Uh yeah. Look kid-“

“that’s awesome. I can’t make stuff, I’m usually just the kid who blows everything up…litteraly.”

“I don’t-“

“where did you learn to do that?”

“I taught myself. Now ki-“

“Wow! You’re so good at it I also taught myself.”

Varian sighed, looking at him.

“I’m Yong.” He said cheerfully, holding out a hand.

“….Varian.” He shook the boys hand. “You can’t be so reckless. Somebody could get hurt.”

“But you were here!” Yong said. “So maybe you could teach me not to make things blow up?”

Varian looked at Yong, then sighed. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here. I just have to find what I’m looking for and get going.”

“Ooh! What are you looking for?”

“None of your business, kid.”

“But I can help! No one knows Elio better than me.”

Varian paused, then sighed. “Alright. On one condition.”

“anything.”

“No explosives.”

Yong looked at the pack of fireworks on his hip, and sighed sadly.

A couple minutes later, the two sat on Yongs porch. Explosives carefully put away under the boys bed. Varian opened his moms book.

“So the place I’m looking for is in a volcano…but there’s three around here. Where to start?”

Yong looked at the book. “that’s the northern one. Id recognize it anywhere…it’s been dormant for years though.”

“Dormant?”

“All the lava is so far below the surface that no one’s concerned that it’s going to erupt any time soon. We learn about them in school. We even take field trips up to the top sometimes.”

Varian thought to himself. “hm. Can you take me there?”

“Yeah! I’ll pack some lunch!”

Varian chuckled. As Yong ran off, he couldn’t help but think of how much the kid reminded him of himself. For better or worse. He followed Yong inside.

He stood in the kitchen as Yong packed some food for them both.

“Hey where’s your parents?”

“Oh they’re at work! They wont be home until waaay after we get back.”

Varian nodded. “Okay…would they be okay with you being gone?”

“they won’t even know!”

“that doesn’t feel great.”

Yong shrugged and wrapped up the food, putting them into bags and putting them in his backpack. “Come on let’s go!”

Varian sighed, hoping he wouldn’t regret bringing Yong along.

It was 3 when they finally reached the volcano. They were loosing daylight faster that Varian would have liked.

“So, how do we get in?”

“Oh that’s easy! There’s a man made entrance!”

He followed Yong to the entrance where there was a person at a stand, fast asleep on their hand. There was a gate that he could easily leap over, but he figured the easiest way was paying the way in. Even with his few coin.

“Uh…excuse me?”

The person snored awake, nearly falling over. Then they looked at Varian, and sighed. “What?”

“Um…me and my friend would like to enter?”

The person nodded, pulling out two rather large paper tickets. “Two silver.”

Varian fished it out of his pockets and handed them over. They gave the tickets to the both of them and settled back down, seemingly ready to get back to their nap.

The two of them went through the gate and looked around at the main volcano. There was no body here. Which meant, they had no one that would disturb them. Varian turned to the journal as they walked deeper.

“So, the trial is towards the bottom of the volcano, but I can’t read this…it’s not in coronan.”

Yong gently pulled down Varians arm to see, then cocked his head to the side. “Oh! Elian!” He grinned. “give it here?”

“wait you can speak this?”

“Duh. Its my first language.”

“But everyone uses Coronan here?”

“Better to talk to tourists but all of us know Elian. It would be stupid if we didn’t.” He grinned as if he didn’t just say the thing that made Varian reexamine his biases.

Yong took the book and started reading. “So it says to find the first piece of the puzzle.”

“First piece?”

Yong shrugged. “Then it says, Down the swirling embers and jagged rocks, you’ll find your prize just awaiting a spark.”

“That doesn’t even rhyme!” Varian pouted. He loved a good rhyme. Yong chuckled.

“I’m not sure where that is…we don’t go that deep during the field trips.”

“Well, we’ve got time, I guess.”

“And lunch!”

Varian chuckled, and followed Yong deeper into the cave systems.

~

It took hours.

And Varian was very sure they were very lost.

He wasn’t even sure this was a path that people were allowed to take.

“Wanna take a break?” Yong asked.

Varian stopped walking, and sighed, sitting down. “Yeah…yeah that lunch sounds good right about now.”

Yong sat and pulled off his bag, grabbing out the two lunches, giving one to Varian. “I hope you don’t mind. It’s some leftovers from a big party my family had the other night.”

Varian opened the small box that the food was contained in. It was still steaming. Inside he saw food unlike the kind in corona.

Dumplings, chicken drenched in orange sauce, and some lo mein. He had heard about them of course, read about this food even. But he has never actually tasted it. All the Elian food in Corona burned his nostrils so bad he never actually had the want to try.

This didn’t seem spicy though.

Varian took a careful bite. His mouth exploded with flavor. He couldn’t help the happy noises that came out of his mouth, despite Yong giggling.

“This is delicious.”

Yong grinned. “my moms specialty. Im glad you like it!”

Varian ate his food with that same happy grin. He swore he’d be a little bit happier for the rest of his life.

“So, ive been meaning to ask you…” Yong started. Varian gave him his attention through a mouthful of noodles.

“Whats with the teal streak?”

Varian swallowed his food. “oh that? I don’t know. Something I’ve had since I was born…Maybe it’s cause I was close to the moonstone when I was a baby? Before my dad brought me to Corona, I mean. It’s just a theory though…not that it really matters anymore.”

Yong shrugged. “It still looks cool.”

Varian smiled. No one had really mentioned his streak before, much less think it was cool.

The two finished their food and Yong packed it back up. The two got back on their feet.

“So swirling embers. What do you think it means?” Yong asked.

Varian thought for a second. “could be a tunnel of fire?”

“Howd we get through?”

Varian just shrugged.

They traveled for a bit before passing by a glowing tunnel. Bright with glowing jewels. Varian paused, then backtracked. That had to be what they were looking for.

Slowly the two went down the tunnel. It was getting hotter as they went, which was not the greatest sign.

“Yong you said this place was dormant right?”

“Yeah…”

Varian winced at the boys tone but they couldn’t stop now. They were so close. “…Stay close to me.”

Yong did as he was told and they made it to the bottom. It was sweltering. All around were veins. Looking to carry gold. Varian bent down to look at them. They seemed to be in a rod shape , though they varied in sizes.

“huh…Volcanoes don’t usually make this stuff…it’s almost like someone put them here…maybe this is the prize the book was talking about.”

“First piece of the puzzle…what does that mean? What’s with these symbols? Give me a hint mom…”

Varian started messing with the veins, and saw as the pages shifted, as if someone were turning it. The staff of clarity.

He sat and read, seeing that with the formulas his mom had written, the staff of clarity could be formed from the gold. He smiled and started working.

It took a couple minutes, but in the test tube Varian had brought along, he had created them very formula he needed. All that was left to do was put it on the vein.

He took a deep breath, hoped the calculations were right, and poured it on.

Part of the vein fell open, dropping pieces of a large staff. Varian started putting them together as Yong looked at Varian strangely.

“So we got a staff?”

“The staff of clarity. I think it’ll help us with finding the fire totem.”

He finished, grinning. “all…” He stood. No one was there. “Done? Yong?”

The world had suddenly turned red. It reminded him all too much of the red rocks. “Yong where-“

“Varian!” His dad’s voice was loud in his ears.

“Dad!?”

He turned and he saw his father, being in amber again, reaching for him. “Dad!” He didn’t think about how his father could be there, much less encased in amber. He ran and nearly got to him, only to be just too late. Quirin was once again encased in amber. “No…no not again! Not again no!” The tears in his eyes sprung and he felt like he was 14 again.

Then he turned around, and he saw something almost worse. All of his loved ones choked in amber. He stepped back. “no…no, no.”

“This Is all your fault.”

He turned, seeing no one but himself, hands behind his back, dressed like he was when he teamed up with the saporians. He had this red glint in his eye.

“I…how did…”

“If you had just been a little more careful.”

-

Yong was panicking. As soon as Varian put together that staff, he’d gone catatonic, staring at the wall with this scary red glow in his eyes, sobbing and mumbling incoherently. He’d tried everything. Shaking him, smacking him, even asking him nicely to come out of his trance. But Varian didn’t budge.

Then he saw the book. He picked it up and the wind whipped it to the next page. There was another piece. And then it said to review the fire trials.

Yong processed this information. “your prize just awaiting a spark…” He looked around and saw something glittering. Running over he saw it was the final piece. A golden orb encased in stone. Yong had an idea how to get it out. Varian would kill him if he knew he’d stowed away a stick of fireworks in his sock just in case of emergencies.

He pulled it out, then swiped it against the ground to create the spark. “Hope this works!”

He threw it at the orb.

-

“You were the one who joined up with dangerous criminals.”

“Stop it.” Varian was on his hands and knees now, begging for his red tinted self to stop talking.

“Oh and erased the royals memories. Who’s to say you’re not just as bad. As stupid. As dangerous as you were back then.”

“Shut up.” Varian looked up at himself. His head cleared a bit as he took a deep breath. The illusion wavered for just a moment, not that he really noticed.

“Don’t like hearing the truth?”

Varian looked to the side, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. For once, the other him stopped talking.

“I was a grieving kid.” Varians voice shook as he spoke. “I was hurting. I’m still hurting. I didn’t make good choices.”

“understatement.”

“I’m not done.” Varian glared, slowly coming to his feet. “But I will never stop trying. So hit me with all you got. Nothings going to stop me from getting to that library.”

The other him looked to the side, seeing something Varian didn’t. Then, it turned blue and smiled. His genuine smile. “Good job kid.” The visage of himself disappeared.

Varian took a deep breath, blinking. He was back in reality, and Yong had just finished putting a piece of the staff in. He looked at Yong, taking a shaky breath.

“how did you…?”

“there was a final piece!” Yong said. “the clarity jade. It needed a spark to get out of the stone and lucky for us, I brought an extra firework.”

Varian paused, then grinned. “Yong you’re a genius!” he ruffled the kids hair. “Ill never tell you to leave your fireworks at home again!”

Yong laughed.

Varian looked down to the staff. “Was it…testing me?”

“Maybe that was the trial!” Yong said, then the two looked over at the sound of rocks moving, scratching against each other. The totem, the relic, was revealed. The two looked at each other.

Varian moved forward to grab it. He walked under the glowing stones and reached for it.

Another hand settled on his as he wrapped his hand around it.

In front of him was a boy with green eyes, an undercut and big round glasses. The two stared at each other.

“let go!” The boy started, tugging.

Varian didn’t, of course. “No you let go!”

The tug of war went back and forth and Yong watched confused.

“Finders keepers!” The blonde said sticking out his tongue before finally using his other hand to push Varian off. He moved quickly.

“Hey! We did the trial! Its ours!” Varian said as the boy was already making his exit up another tunnel.

He just laughed. “Thanks for doing the dirty work!”

He threw a smoke bomb, and both the boy and the relic were gone.

~

It must have been midnight when the two finally found their way out of the dormant volcano. Varian had thought about searching for the boy but Yong had a point about getting lost. They’d have to hunt that guy down for the relic after a good night’s rest.

“I’m sorry about the relic, Varian.” Yong said.

Varian sighed. “Its okay…we’ll find him again. I’m exhausted though, and I need to find a place to sleep tonight.”

“you can stay at my house!”

Varian raised an eyebrow. “wouldn’t your parents be concerned about a strange boy in your house?”

“Nah. I have a lot of siblings. They wouldn’t notice another kid!”

With boundless energy, Yong led Varian back to town.

~

Hugo grinned at his success as he walked back into camp. “Dooooonnnnnnniiieee!” he crowed.

Donella herself was sitting by a campfire next to her right hand Cyrus, eating dinner. She grinned. “You actually did it.”

Hugo thought about tossing it, but decided its a bad idea, moving and handing it off instead. “yeah. Thanks to that varian guy.”

“What?”

Hugo nodded. “Yeah, he was already there. But not quick enough to get the relic before me.”

Donella frowned, thinking. “so he is searching.”

A long pause and Donella had a plan cooked up. She handed the relic back to him. “Taje this back, join his party. Help him find the relics.”

“…okay? Why?”

She sighed, all but rolling her eyes. “Makes the work easier on us, plus, easier to keep track of what he does and doesn’t know. You’ll report to me anything you find out. Understood?”

Hugo paused, looking at the totem, then nodded. “Yeah. I won’t let you down.”

~

Yong wasn’t lying when he said his parents wouldn’t notice another kid. There were at least 7 younger kids running around Yongs small house when they got back, both the parents trying to put them to sleep.

“Who’s this?” his mother asked after she and his father fretted over him for being gone so long with no warning or anything. “he looks like a panda with those eye bags.”

“This is my new friend Varian! We went to the volcano together today!”

She looked Varian up and down, examining him. It made varian feel self conscious.

“You hungry?” she finally asked.

Varian nodded shyly. She smiled and pulled him into the kitchen as her husband finally succeeded on putting yongs younger siblings to sleep.

Yong himself, fell asleep at the table while his mother was cooking. Varian smiled as he took the small boy to bed, being reminded of his own dad carrying him when he was little.

“Now I want you to eat and go to bed young man. You look like you smudged your makeup.”

Varian chuckled. “yes ma’am.”

It wasn’t long until Varian had happy taste buds and a full stomach. He was led to the only available sleeping area which was a couch. It was better then a floor.

He was asleep within minutes.

<

Find this on A03!

[radiant-flutterbun]

Because @actualmanedrasa requested it - Here’s a brief overview of Corkscrew’s lore:

He used to work in the Flamecaller’s forges and hated it. He then got hurt and nearly died, and it was believed he WAS dead until a ridgeback by the name of Fireworks discovered signs of life in him. She got him help and he healed, but was paralyzed from the neck down, and had bad memory problems.

Fireworks met another spiral named Alaria who claimed she could rebuild Corkscrew’s spine. And she did, so he’s no longer paralyzed, but his mechanic spine does require a lot of maintenance and frequently malfunctions.

He later befriends a mirror within the clan named Clytius and together Clytius, Fireworks and Corkscrew form a little found family. Sadly for Corkscrew, Fireworks left to study the Hewn City and he lost contact with her for over a year. And Clytius was killed during a conflict within the clan. So he was left alone.

Thankfully Cork met another mirror named Firespitter. Firespitter is an oracle and cannot control when he sees his prophecies. He’s also a professional chef and makes a killer soup. The two fell in love. Fireworks also returned from the Hewn City, and Cork’s life has been relatively peaceful since.

Currently he’s pissed off at the young teenage coatl, Muerto because Muerto lets his cats roam the clan freely and Cork has had to save his pet rat from said cats more than once. Cork is also constantly annoyed by the Stormseeker left in his care by actualmanedrasa’s dragon Weatherby.

And here’s a brief overview of my main clan’s lore:

The clan was originally called Seeking Clan and was founded by a mirror named Nightbane and a tundra named Icetip. Nightbane was rewarded the land by the Lightweaver, for her excellent academics. Nightbane accepted any dragon into her clan, no questions asked.

Unfortunately she allowed a particularly violent skydancer within her clan named Sapphiremoon. This dragon planned to kill and overthrow Nightbane. Another dragon, a mirror named Shiningscourage had plans to attack the clan because she knew of a treasure hidden within the clan. Both Sapphire and Shining convinced dragons within the clan to join them, and a three way fight broke out.

Sapphire attempted to kill Nightbane, but Shining interfered and killed Sapphire. Nightbane and Shining were at a stand still, when a mirror named Nike saved Nightbane and beat up Shining.

A fire accidentally started by a fae named Flare is what ended the fight. Several dragons died (such as Clytius who was a brother to Corkscrew), including Nightbane’s daughter, Nightlight. Nightbane and the dragons loyal to her fled, while most of those who were loyal to Sapphire and Shining stayed to the ruined clan.

The group of dragons that followed Nightbane found a new home near the Beacon of the Radiant Eye. They now lived in an old library by the sea. Nightbane decided to retire and made Nike leader, and the clan was renamed to Clan Ton Theon.

The dragons that stayed with Shining became Clan Lampsi, and they rebuilt from the ruins.

Both clans had skirmishes with each other, Clan Ton Theon accidentally upset a flock of harpies, and Clan Lampsi had been attacked by an Emperor. So things haven't exactly been peaceful, but these dragons are trying to live their best lives.

[hybrid-vigour]

The Queen

Character design created for Cork City Libraries' 2021 Summer Reading Challenge for kids.

This righteous royal appeared as a side character in a story about the adventures of Children's Library mascot Red in a magical land called Toy Towne. At story's end, the Queen knighted our plucky hero as Sir Redginald before he made his way home to @corkcitylibraries.

[queen-mabs-revenge]

socialist councillor brian mccarthy re-elected in cork city council eliminating far right candidate ross lahive — a person who has physically threatened library workers over queer books available in libraries.

as socialist td mick barry is chanting in the vid — this is why we organise! we can't let these violent bigots get close to power.

capitalism is in crisis. as it pushes more working class people to the margins, the space will open up for fascist opportunists to seize on the despair left in its wake.

the only way we win is if we aren't lead into that despair, but if we get ready, radicalise and organise.

[corkcitylibraries]

Sow…Let’s Grow: June 2024

The garden flourishes in June. With bold displays of colour from fox gloves and lupins, to freshly grown produce like garlic and courgette and even the little seedlings planted earlier in the year are finding a place to call home. In my garden the sweet peas I planted back in February are flowering beautifully and releasing the most gorgeous fragrance into the garden. The flowers are pale pink and white and I borrowed the seeds from our very own seed library here in Hollyhill. I have attached a photo of these wonderful flowers and a photo of the Martock beans I also planted back in February, as they have just begun to flower in the loveliest shade of lilac. It’s wonderful when your fruits or vegetables can be grown in amongst your flowers as they can make your display a little more eye catching and encourage you to get in amongst the flowers when you are harvesting, unlocking a new way of interacting with your garden.

For those of us real garden enthusiasts, the highlight of the gardening year is Chelsea Flower Show. I watch this every year and the gardens just keep getting better and better. Recently they have introduced the small garden category and the houseplant category meaning even more people can watch and come away with meaningful planting techniques for their space – no matter how small. Several of the gardens this year really encouraged the mixing of vegetables and flowers in your garden as opposed to the more traditional option of having your vegetable garden separate from your flowers and I love it. Plants like fennel, lavender, parsley, and lemon balm add such colour and fragrance to the garden that it seems a shame to relegate them to the vegetable patch. My garden this year is sort of a mix by accident as I’ve sorted everything by when it will flower as opposed to flowers in one section and veg in the other. I have my Martock beans next to my sweet peas and lilies, my marigolds in amongst my garlic and onions, and my strawberries are close to my fuchsia bushes.

Here are all the flowers and fruits/vegetables that you can plant in June that we have in stock in Hollyhill:

I am going to grow radishes again this year as these worked really well last year and I’m also going to try coriander because I use a lot of coriander in my cooking. Radishes are great as they can be grown from March all the way through until August. They love warm soil with lots of moisture so I ‘ve put mine in the same container as my peas which is by a south facing wall. They grow very quickly too and are ready to eat 3 to 6 weeks after you plant them and in fact are better the sooner you eat them as they can become woody if left in the ground too long.

Coriander can be sown from June until early September, and it too likes damp soil. Coriander has a long tap root so it is best to plant them where you want them in the garden instead of in seed trays as you may damage the roots when planting out. It also helps to crush the seeds a little before you plant them as this speeds up the germination process, which can take from 7 to 20 days. After that you’ll have bunches of fresh coriander in no time!

[finnlongman]

Hallo! Current third year PhD student at Cambridge here, with a hopefully reassuring message, it really is very different to undergrad. I've been renting privately the whole time, have barely been inside college in the last couple of years, and don't even own a gown any more. I have as much of a social network outside the uni bubble as inside it now. I feel like as a PhD student you have a chance to renegotiate your relationship with the university and the city a lot, and I have appreciated that. I hope it works out the same for you!

Yeah, I have seen a lot of friends go through PhD there in recent years, and a lot of them seem to have avoided the Cambridge Experience™ elements (others haven't, but haven't been trying).

I do think renting privately makes a massive difference: living in college means you're far more beholden to college rules and paternalism, and it's just so much harder to feel like an independent adult. Having returned to academia after having jobs makes a huge difference as well, rather than going straight through from undergrad. I took two years out before my MA, and two years between MA and PhD, so I've had a lot more time to... I guess consolidate myself as a person, figure out my priorities, etc.

I've also been working for the university for the past year, as a library assistant, which is interesting because it gives you a pretty different experience of university bureaucracy. As staff, there is some relief in being able to go, "Right, well, that's outside my work hours and therefore Not My Problem," and it's a lot harder to do that as a student -- I've already become frustrated with college scheduling compulsory events for weekends, since that disrupts my life significantly. But I think as term gets underway and stuff, it'll be useful to be able to go, "Okay, I know that's important because when I was staff we had to deal with X, but this other thing can wait," in a way that someone who hasn't got that experience might not be able to.

I previously worked in one of the colleges, too, before my MA, so I've got two years of working for the university of the five years since graduating from undergrad. So I've had a chance to experience Cambridge as a non-undergrad (I have not yet spent any time living in Cambridge with zero university connection, though; my other years were spent in London and Cork). But I think that's also why I'm a bit like, "Oh, god, really, you're gonna make me go back to doing this again?" 😅 I'm sure once the induction stuff is out of the way it'll be a different kettle of fish.

(The vibes right now very much seem geared towards people living on site -- lotta last-minute events and timetable changes, lotta induction talks that are 90% irrelevant to me -- and since I live four miles away, this is a bit of a pain, as I don't really want to make an eight-mile round trip if I don't absolutely need to, especially at short notice. But I imagine that will pass after the first week or so.)

[bluenightfyre]

Rosethorn Launch Party - 26th August 2023 @ Bishopstown Library, Cork City, Ireland

It’s here – almost! Rosethorn, my debut novel and first in the Raining Thorns Series, is due for release on the 26th August, and to celebrate I’ll be throwing a book launch in the Bishopstown Library from 2.30-5pm. There will be free swag, free copies of Rosethorn, free refreshments and hopefully a few laughs. Rosethorn Front Cover (copyright Donna Shannon 2023) A fantasy comedy… most of the…

[ladyjmontilyet]

Great turnout for Cork Trans Pride (Instagram). The "Mammies for Trans Rights" came down from Limerick to support everyone - a reminder that while middle-aged women are pushing the TERF ideology, there are still good women out there who look out for their childrens' safety and mental health. (note for Americans: "mammy" just means "mother" in Ireland and doesn't carry the same racial connotations here).

This is the second Trans Pride in Cork - last year was a demonstration. This year we marched down our city's main street.

At the end of last year it was discovered that the Republic of Ireland has the worst access to trans healthcare in the entire country (source). They had to add a special extra colour on the chart to show just how bad access is here - even worse than in notoriously homophobic and transphobic countries like Hungary and Poland.

The march started and ended outside Cork City Library where staff are threatening to take industrial action if the City Council and Gardaí don't work harder to prevent them from being subject to homophobic abuse. Over the past few months staff have been abused by right-wing activists who object to young adults and teenagers having access to books with gay or trans themes, or sexual education (source).

Luckily we weren't harassed by any right-wing fools today :)

It was a lovely event marching through the city and ending with speeches and songs from Cork's trans and ally (mostly queer) community.