#botanical pavilion

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The Moroccan Pavilion at botanical gardens in Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

[ogerponpropaganda]

[peachesandcreamplease]

[postcard-from-the-past]

Pavilion in the bOtanical Gardens of Saigon, modern-day Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

French vintage postcard, mailed to Nantes, France

[suetravelblog]

Green Horseshoe Zagreb Croatia

Green Horseshoe Zagreb Croatia

[ukrainian-moodboard-enthusiast]

cacti pavilion/ kyiv botanical gardens

[brian-in-finance]

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Peebles Hydropathic Hotel, 1920s

Where 1881 Gin Distillery Began

The idea for The 1881 Gin Distillery came on a summer day, standing in front of the steps to our tennis pavilion on the front lawn. In the 1920s Peebles Hydro had more tennis courts than Wimbledon, and we hosted many a tournament at that time. Gin and tonic was a popular tipple, served on the lawn to the crowds that gathered to watch. Would it be possible to turn water to gin and create our own gin to honour the history of the hotel?

Peebles Hydro has never settled for received wisdom or conventional thinking. A gin distilled with local botanicals, and made with water drawn from a private spring? It’s unheard of – well, almost unheard of

We quickly discovered that the pavilion did not have enough space to house all of our gin distilling equipment. Undeterred, we decided to move production into the main hotel and so The 1881 Distillery was born – named after the date Peebles Hydropathic Hotel was first opened.

1881 Distillery

Video 📹 clip from YouTube

Remember… Forget Me Not Botanical Gin is distilled over a Victorian era swimming pool in the heart of the Scottish Borders.

[lovedrunkheadcanons]

Chapter Contents

Read on AO3

Hannah would never forget the moment she first laid eyes on a ginkgo tree. 

It was shortly after she’d stepped off the plane from England. Amidst waiting with her entourage, she spotted the fan-leaved deciduous hiding within a rush of Japanese maple. Its green coloring stuck out like a sore thumb beside their purple foliage, then Hannah saw the unique leaf shape. At the time it was early April. When autumn arrived, the ginkgo’s matcha green would turn a vivid yellow not even the Temple of the Golden Pavilion could outshine.  

Charles Darwin once dubbed the ginko a “living fossil,” and indeed his description was appropriate. Ginkgos were one of the oldest surviving trees in existence, believed to date back some 200 million years, if not, longer. So much time and history passed down from seed to seed. Staring up at one was like staring at a cornerstone of creation; what came before us, what will be here after.

Hannah could list an encyclopedia of facts about ginkgos. For one, they were gymnosperms, which was a fancy-shmancy way of saying they were nonflowering and only reproduced via seeds exposed to pollen, rather than inside fruits. This placed them in the same division (clade) as cycads and conifers. However, because of their uniqueness and specificity, ginkgos belonged to their own nomenclature. You could also guess the age by its stem coloration; The greyer the branches, the older the tree.

A native species brought over from China, the ginkgo would become a popular symbol within Japanese culture, both in art and in politics. The first European to study the deciduous tree was a German naturalist and explorer by the name of Engelbert Kaempfer. Upon visiting a temple in Nagasaki around 1691, he enquired the name of the tree, having never seen one before. But the native dialect of his tour guide got lost in translation, and so, he wrote down “ginkgo,” much to the confusion of every modern day Chinese and Japanese, for the word did not exist. The true name of the ginkgo is the “maidenhair tree” (銀杏) pronounced “ee-tchō.” Kaempfer’s mistake has never since been corrected.   

Though for those not born in East Asia, ginkgos were a gateway to someplace more, a sign you had ventured outside the world as you knew it. For Hannah, this meant her impending marriage to Satoru, the clan leader of the noble Gojo family, one of the Three Sorcerer Families of Japan. It meant a different country. It meant change.

Maidenhair, she thought. Fitting that she’d spotted one so quickly, as she was set to be a maiden no more. 

In time, Hannah would grow fond of the fan-leaved tree. It would shed its foreignness into something reminiscent of home; The Gojo estate was flush with ginkgo, drenching the house in nature’s botanical gold come October.

Which so happened to be now.

Hannah inhaled a deep breath as she readjusted her blanket, fighting off the early autumn chill. She should really stop doing this. It wasn’t smart to keep shoji panels open when the weather was cold; lets out all the heat. But she couldn’t help herself.

When the morning sun hit the forest at just the right angle, the mountainscape was too beautiful to ignore. It had to be witnessed by one’s own eyes.

Ginkgos. Maples. Japanese larches and pines.

She could stare at them for forever if she wanted, forgetting her worries and her cares. There was no place on earth more magical than Mt. Takao. 

She heard a soft grunt immminating behind her and the rustling of bedsheets. Hannah turned around.

She saw the Berllini statue in the shape of her husband, sound asleep on her futon, a living artwork of sculpted abs and muscle. They had slept in her room again last night and had optioned the floor. He was butt naked underneath the covers, torso barely covered from alternating positions in his sleep. His exposed skin looked soft to the touch. She could hear his gentle snoring, snowy white hair strewn every which way atop the pillow. He’d be needing it cut soon.

Hannah smiled, thinking back to last night. If she closed her thighs together, real tight, she could still feel him there, pulsing and incessant. The love they made must’ve tuckered the poor man out. Not even the cold had awoken him. 

Perhaps she should put some clothes on and head down to breakfast. Today was sure to be a busy one.  

Satoru grunted once more and rolled over to his other side. His back was to her now, except the blanket hovering around his torso fell away, giving her a full profile of his arse.

Mind you, it was a pretty great looking arse. God must’ve taken His sweet time sculpting glutes like that, goodness.

Hannah suppressed a giggle from her naughty thoughts and rose from her perch along the opened shoji. Keeping quiet so as not to disturb him, she tiptoed toward the slumbering Adonis and draped one end of the blanket over to conceal his nakedness. There, bare arse no more.

As if sensing she was near, Satoru began to stir. “Mmm, Hannah,” he slurred loosely. 

“Shh,” she hushed, crouching down to plant a comforting kiss on his temple. “Go back to sleep, my darling.”

She had cast her spell, and the sorcerer drifted peacefully back to sleep.

And Hannah went back to staring at the golden ginkgos outside. 

She wouldn’t trade this life for anything.

This country. This beauty. Her darling.

Chapter Contents

[loggiepj]

FORBIDDEN

Part 5 | Part 6

Part 7

"We've scouted the places nearest to the attack, Master. Still, we couldn't locate any village that would accommodate an Avengers' camp in secret nor any small trace of them in the woods. It's like they disappeared like magic," one of the followers stated, bowing his head before the Master. The follower's stature trembled with fear, terrified that his bad news would only cause an outrage to the man before him.

The Master let out a tired impatient sigh then frowned. He stared at the blank space ahead of him, at the vast dry grounds he had outside the castle. The ground beneath him had sandlike texture, burying his heels as he stood. For a moment, it looked like the sand moved, reaching for him, clinging unto him for some unknown reason.

After a moment, he turned around and muttered in a low voice, as if still in deep thought.

"They have witches helping in their group, of course," he said, clicking his fingers. "How else would they be able to hide a massive camp like that out there?"

He smiled an evil sneer before he looked at the follower before him. "Take a village hostage once again. Make a noise. Make a scene, mmm, but not too much that would make them send everyone again. Make it enough until the Avengers arrive. Then accept defeat. Bring the best spy with you and put him amongst the rescued witches. The spy should follow the Avengers once they leave the area. One of my crows will locate him. Have him send a message about the camp's location. Now, hurry."

"Yes, Master," the follower said, bowing once again before leaving.

"Oh, Y/n . . . where are you hiding?" The Master said with a sneer on his face, turning around to look at the overlooking, where not afar, one can see a massive magical prison where thousands of witches scream for help. A few of them, crying and in chains, were aggressively pushed inside wide silos where a chimney of some sort on top bellowed smoke to the sky.

It was a nightmarish sight to see.

STILL NOT allowed to do anything strenous, heading to rescue missions or even just normal errands like replenishing stocks from the wet market nor delivering messages to neighboring temporary camps, Y/n was bored to death.

She even tried to overtake one of Clint's classes, but she was only pushed out of the place, advising her to help Bruce instead in the kitchen. She only grunted. She couldn't stay near the pavilion and listen to Bruce's amazing tales when Layla and her friends were also there, waiting for her.

Pietro went with Yelena for another rescue mission, much to Y/n's dismay when she couldn't convince her own bestfriend to force the group in allowing her to go with them. And when Y/n thought about going to see Wanda, she was either cooped up with the guy she learned was named Vision or in her tent wanting to be alone.

The normie was at least glad that the witch had somehow softened around her, finally trusting humans and not wanting to escape the camp every now and then. Although, there were times when she couldn't help but doubt whether it was all an act, times when she could feel Wanda's eyes on her, either suspecting or wary of what the human could do next.

Come nighttime, Y/n went to the place just beyond Pepper's botanical garden, her hiding spot, just like old times. It had been too long since she had done these kinds of things, realizing how much she had missed looking at the moon and the constellations above her. She wondered about the bright object glowing near the moon, brighter than most stars in the sky, filling her thoughts about the conversations she'd had with her father.

"That's Venus, also known as the morning star, one of the planets in our world," Y/n's father said to her one time. They were standing in their backyard, looking at the sky above them.

Y/n just turned seventeen that day. Wanting to be alone and away from the celebration her parents had hosted, she decided to go around their backyard and look at the massive sky above her, away from the crowd gathered around the campfire. Unfortunately, her father saw her skip the celebration.

"How can you tell?"

"I have a map about this left in my study. Venus takes about 225 Earth days to orbit around the sun. I have more about these planets written in some scrolls," he chuckles, "The scrolls I tried so hard forcing you to read a few years ago."

"Fascinating," Y/n muttered in awe as she stared at the bright planet near the moon. The sight created a smiling face in the dark sky with one eye missing. She promised to remember reading those scrolls some time tomorrow. That time, she had more pressing matters to discuss.

"Father."

"Mm?"

"When are you letting me on these missions?"

She thought she could convince him, now that she's a year older. But she only heard her father sigh, breaking her trance from the planet Venus.

"You're not yet ready, Y/n-"

"But I did well in one of my trainings last week, and yesterday as well," she argued. "I want to be in real combat."

"Y/n, your mother and I feel you're not equipped yet with skills to help you in battle-"

"That's preposterous-"

"Y/n," he warned.

"Sorry, but father, I am well equipped."

"Y/n, I-"

"Excuse me, sir," someone interrupted, making them stop talking. "We've got urgent news from the rescue mission."

Y/n's father turned back to her and squeezed her shoulder, forcing a soft smile her way. He greeted her again, before leaving her alone. Y/n only groaned in annoyance.

"I haven't got the chance to greet you a happy birthday." The sudden sound made Y/n tense. When she saw it was only Nat, her mentor, she calmed down.

"It's okay, I kind of gotten sick hearing those words all day."

Nat only chuckled as she walked closer to Y/n. When they were within close proximity, Y/n's chest began constricting her own breathing and her heart started to race.

"How was the mission?" Y/n decided to ask instead. She was still bitter how she wasn't allowed to go with the others.

When she saw Nat's face with a fresh wound on the left cheek just below her eye, Y/n immediately closed the distance between them. "You got hurt."

Her hand instinctively went to check the damage but Nat flinched from the pain, stepping back. "Sorry."

"It's just a minor gash. Nothing to worry about."

Y/n let out a frustrating sigh.

"I'm kinda disappointed father is not sending me yet to the front lines like my brother. I mean, I can help you. But it seems like he doesn't see how a bow and arrow can be as good as swords."

Nat grew silent.

Y/n's thoughts strayed away from her father's orders. Suddenly, the silence between them made her see the tension. "About what happened last week-"

"We don't need to talk about it," Nat interjected.

Y/n scoffed. "I think we should really talk about it."

"Why?"

"Why?" Y/n asked incredulously. "You kissed me."

Nat avoided her gaze. "It was a spur of the moment."

"Right." Y/n nodded, turning away from the woman. Her annoyance towards her own father shifted to Nat, wanting to forget about what happened last week in her bedroom before the knight was sent out to a mission, that time when Nat knocked on her door and bid her goodbye, that time when Nat grabbed Y/n and kissed her, the kiss that knocked the breath away from her.

She wasn't able to sleep for days after that, worrying about the knight.

Y/n could hear Nat's retreating footsteps behind her. And when she thought the knight had already left, she was pulled by her arm to face her.

Lips captured Y/n's in a hungry searing kiss, bodies pressed against each other as her back collided against the nearest wall of the barn they had. Y/n's arms snaked around Nat's neck as the kiss only deepened.

The sound of glass breaking followed by boisterous laughter from the celebration filled the night air, making the two of them jump apart. Hesitation and bewilderment filled the knight's eyes.

"Nat-"

"We should stop this." Nat pulled away.

"Stop what?"

"This isn't right-"

"What isn't? Falling in love?"

"This isn't what you think it is."

"Is it? With the stolen glances, the lingering touches, why do you deny this? Why do you deny us?"

Natasha looked lost, before she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Y/n. This won't happen again."

"YOU HAVEN'T had your dinner yet." Wanda's voice brought Y/n back to the present. She'd always recognize that sweet angelic voice anywhere. Y/n didn't turn to look, for the tears brimming in her eyes might give her away that she did spend her entire night reminiscing the past and almost crying.

Discreetly wiping the tears by the back of her hand, she chuckled. "I'm not hungry."

"Mm, Layla has saved you your food, you know." Wanda took a seat on the grass beside Y/n, bending her knees to her front as she leaned her elbows on them. "Bruce made deer stew. Layla said it was your favorite."

Y/n straightened up, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I didn't ask her to."

"Come on, Y/n, the woman was just being sweet."

Y/n chuckled, making the witch giggle. Y/n thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. She turned to look at Wanda. There was a small pause when the witch and the human's eyes met, gazes focused on each other's face, making everything else around them blurred out.

All Y/n could see at the moment was how beautiful Wanda's green eyes shone against the moonlight. And all Wanda could wonder about was how soft must Y/n's lips feel against hers, gaze drifting to her eyes and lips each millisecond.

Wanda mentally shook herself as she turned to look at the sky. She shouldn't get distracted by the normie's appearance, much less on the thought that she'd never been this close to the human before since the first time they met.

"What are we looking at?" Wanda nervously asked, as she stretched to lay herself on the grass. The moment she did, she then realized how vast the night sky above them was, even more massive than what the sky looked like in the morning. It was times like this when Wanda forgot how beautiful the world was. Her old self would argue that it would be far more beautiful without humans in it. But now she knew, that there were good ones too. And worse, she might be falling in love with one.

Y/n wasn't faring much better as she looked at the witch getting comfortable beside her.

"Oh." Y/n's heartbeat started to race. She laid beside the witch, their elbows bumping against each other. She took a deep breath, pretending that this was normal, that she wasn't just losing it that Wanda, the witch who hated her, the witch she had developed inexplicable feelings to these past few days, wanted to spend time with her.

Y/n pointed towards the bright planet situated above the glowing crescent moon. "You see that tiny bright dot above the moon. That's a planet."

"A planet?"

"Yep, like this Earth we live in. It's named Venus, the morning star, since it's the last star to disappear before the Sun rises. And it's also called the evening star since it is the first star to appear in the sky after the Sun sets."

"Are you sure you're just not making these things up? And Venus, come on, can't you think of a better name? Sounds like a woman's name to me."

Y/n laughed before adding. "I'm not making these up. You know, Venus is also the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

"There was a story I used to read about Venus once, about her falling in love with a handsome hunter, who was arrogant and a bit of a snob. He ended up dying when he didn't believe Venus' dreams of him getting hurt. It was tragic."

"Goddess of love and beauty? Really?"

Y/n turned to look at Wanda, wondering if she was interested or had bored the witch to death. She realized then it was a mistake because the witch was already looking at her and the minimal distance between them or lack of it was making her stomach squirm with uneasiness. Maybe, she was hungry after all. "Y-Yeah, h-haven't you heard about Aphrodite? In Greek, Venus was known as Aphrodite."

A smile spread on Wanda's face. "Maybe. I don't know. Maybe you tell these to all of your girls before. Maybe I heard it from them."

Y/n rolled her eyes and softly chuckled, before looking back at the sky. "I . . . I haven't had a girl up here with me before. Until you, of course."

Wanda's cheeks reddened, grateful the night sky was at her favor tonight.

She tried to change the topic instead, suddenly not wanting the night to end. "Who taught you these things?"

"My father. He was keen on Astronomy and Geography. We used to have these nightly routines where it's just us in the backyard, studying the skies. Mother would grow hysterical because we would sometimes stay for hours until dawn. He basically taught me almost everything I knew now."

Wanda then looked at Y/n, a smile on her face. If anyone could only see Wanda as she listened to Y/n narrate about her past, anyone could tell she was smitten with the way she stared at the human. Y/n felt more comfortable sharing about herself to the witch.

"What about you?"

"Mm?" Wanda turned to look back at the sky before them.

"What's your father like?"

Wanda didn't expect the human would be interested in her, in a witch's life. But, Y/n wasn't any other human. She was different, making the witch's heart flutter in all sorts.

"He was a strict person," Wanda answered, chuckling softly. "He gave us these tight curfews, which really was for our benefit. Pietro always got the most beating though."

"I bet you were goody two shoes, always have a stick up your ass."

Wanda playfully slapped Y/n's arm, making the latter defend herself. "I'm just a big follower of rules. You and Pietro, on the other hand, would have no problem getting along. You two are far more alike than you think, always the menace."

Y/n laughed. Her face hurt due to the wide grin on her face. "I beg to differ, milady. I'm far more better than him, you know."

Wanda only shook her head, laughing, trying to keep her heartbeat at a normal rate. For sure, Y/n had called every woman in the camp milady.

They went on talking about random things that came into mind. About Y/n's past. About Wanda's past. About the Avengers. About the witches in the camp. About Bruce's secret deer stew recipe that Y/n found out one time when he was drunk. Almost about everything.

And Wanda suddenly thought about how Y/n look so much more beautiful under the moonlight.

She hadn't felt feelings this intense before in her life. Yet again, she rarely went out. It was even kind of ironic that she'd get to feel this for none other than a human, someone she used to hate most of her life. The sky would have been laughing at her now.

Wanda quickly shook her silly thoughts aside, unaware that Y/n too had difficulty taking her mind off how breathtakingly gorgeous the witch was at the moment.

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Author's Note:

Sorry for the slow updates. You know the reason why hahahaha.

Thank you so much for reading my stories. I love you guys. ❤

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[snicketstrange]

Untie My Silence Knot -Chapter 10 - Lemony, you are so finished.

From too much love of living, From hope and fear set free, We thank with brief thanksgiving Whatever gods may be That no life lives for ever; That dead men rise up never; That even the weariest river Winds somewhere safe to sea.

Algernon Charles Swinburne.

If you are interested in reading a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry for you. I also apologize to you for just alerting you in the last chapter. This was not a story that had a happy beginning, nor did it have a happy ending, let alone have happy things during the middle of it. However, nothing is so bad that it can't be made worse, so I would say this is a story about how I can prevent something worse from happening.

I could begin with an unfortunate recording made by a device hidden in a fireproof tea utensil. Or I could put in this chapter just one document I found inside a top hat that was stored in a secret submerged library. Or I could describe the report of a certain specialist who is a friend of Lemony Snicket. Instead, I'm going to start this chapter by describing my meeting with a certain person at the Cafe where I work.

The person in question was draped in a crimson shawl, its edges adorned with long, delicate feathers that seemed to flutter with each subtle movement. The person had ordered a black and bitter coffee. I realized that the person had a large female handbag that should fit a lot of mysterious things. The person was sitting in the most private part of the Cafe, exactly where I had attended the meeting where I got Lemony Snicket's unauthorized autobiography. A few minutes passed, and a man with an overcoat and a hat entered the Cafe. He looked concerned. He sat on the counter, next to the barista. I went to take his order quickly. He ordered a root beer float. Meanwhile, the person with the long shawl called for a waiter. I saw the person delivering something to him. I handed the man the root beer float in his overcoat and quickly intercepted the waiter.

"I don’t know why I had to disguise myself as a waiter", Lisa murmured with a hint of frustration, "when I could have been a waitress instead."

I smiled at her.

Do you think it has already taken effect? - I asked Lisa.

You read the book … Are you controlling the time?

Yes, I am.

So I went to the table where the person with the shawl was sitting. The person looked at me with make-up eyes and a mouth with bright red lipstick.

Who are you? - The person asked me.

My name is Beatrice Baudelaire. - I replied looking into the person's eyes.

It's a pleasure to meet someone who has the same name as me. It's quite a coincidence.

I don't think it's a coincidence. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny gave me these names in honor of their mother. - I saw a flicker of surprise cross the person's face, their lips twitching slightly.

I would love to understand how this happened, miss, but I need to meet that gentleman who is sitting right there.

Was your coffee bitter enough? - I asked.

The person stared at the cup, eyes widening in dawning horror.

Today you will only meet with me. And tomorrow, when the effect of the tea I added to your coffee is over, you'll meet the police.

What are you talking about? - The person tried to get up and move his arms and failed.

"Botanical Poisons and Their Applications." I found a copy of this book in the last library I was in. Also, when I first arrived in the City, I was at Mr. Snicket's apartment. From there I spotted a lot in which there were several unusual plants. I realized that there had been a fire in that place at some point in the past. Only when I spent more time in the city I realized that the Royal Gardens were there. And by the force of fate, the plants that rose from the ashes were the ones that stayed in the Poisonous Pavilion. I was there, and I collected some of the plants that I made the tea you drank mixed with your coffee. One of the plants causes progressive paralysis, and the other makes you more susceptible to just telling the truth.

Lemony …

Lemony is right there, I know … He's not going anywhere. Soon he will feel a strange sleep and will take a nap right there where he is sitting. When he wakes up, he and I will have a long conversation. But now, it's our turn to talk. And you're going to clear him of the charge of being an arsonist.

I took out my electronic recording device, which was in my pocket. I pressed the REC key.

I'll tell you a story. And you're just going to confirm or deny what I'm saying. The person's eyes glazed over, their voice flat and emotionless, as if trapped in a hypnotic trance. I now understood how Dr. Orwell must feel.

Your real name is Bertrand Baudelaire,’ I said, watching his eyes for a flicker of recognition. ‘You killed a woman named Violetta. Am I right?’ His gaze faltered.

Yes. "You set fire to the Baudelaire mansion and made the authorities think it was Lemony Snicket." Am I right?

Yes.

You pretended to be Beatrice Baudelaire and Kit Snicket to lure Lemony Snicket into a trap, am I right?

I continued to ask Bertrand several questions. He confirmed them all. I could have handed Lemony the original recording showing what exactly happened that day. But I know it would be too sad for him.

Now that time has passed, and I know that Lemony will no longer be able to read this, I can explain it to you, dear reader.

I found page 9 of the Snicket File, which you must have read before getting here. (Unless you have a bad habit of reading the final chapters of a book before reading the opening chapters).

The time I spent in the submerged library was well used by me. What I read from Beatrice's words made me certain: she certainly died on the day when her house was set on fire. After all, she loved her children very much, and she would never have left them in such a difficult situation if she were alive.

Then I realized something very important … One of the reasons that Beatrice sought Violetta was because she wanted a doctor capable of lying. The question was, "Lying to whom?" The answer was more bitter than I could have imagined, and I only discovered it when I found the book Botanical Poisons and Their Applications. According to the book, Conium maculatum is a poison with no known antidotes.

Beatrice wanted Violetta to lie to Beatrice herself. She was trying to kill herself but started acting like she was trying to fake her death.

It should be easier for her to engage her subconscious.

Everything was going on like a play. After searching a lot, I found a recording of what happened in the last few minutes before the fire. The recording was not complete, unfortunately. But two voices were perfectly heard. A male voice and a female voice.

She's dead, Bertrand … She told me what she was going to do and that's why I came here.

It can not be! We just sent the kids to the beach, because Lemony was due to get here today! How am I going to face the kids?

Bertrand, she wanted me to take care of you.

You what?

She wanted it, Bertrand!

Why did not you tell me? I could have stopped her! I loved her!

She loved you too, Bertrand! And so she didn't want children to be without a mother. I can be an excellent mother to them. Because I love you, and I will love them.

Violetta, go away. Before I do anything very wrong.

The recording sound was bad and I didn't hear the next few minutes. But then the recording went back to work. Violetta seemed to be screaming.

You forced me to do that Bertrand! I was going to leave you in happy ignorance!

What is it?

Do you remember when you wanted to have a third child? But the years passed and Beatrice did not get pregnant again at all. You started to believe that there was something wrong with either of you or both. And you two did medical tests.

Yes, I remember that. But what does this have to do with …

I forged your exams, Bertrand! Because Beatrice was already pregnant at that time, you no longer needed to know the truth.

What are you talking about?

Here is the real result … Do you see here, what is written? "Congenital" is a word that here means that she has betrayed you and none of those children are yours!

Again the recording was bad. When it returned I heard only male screams and the sound of things falling and breaking. Bertrand confirmed to me that he started the fire after hitting Violetta with the fireplace poker. Bertrand hid in the secret tunnel during the fire, taking some supplies, Beatrice's clothes and his clothes, his favorite books, the pot of the poisonous plant that had killed Beatrice, and some documents. Violleta had spoken before she died about how Beatrice intended to get the poisonous plant. So, after a few days, Bertrand also set fire to the Royal Gardens.

He made Lemony's letter, stating that he was about to arrive, end up in the hands of law enforcement officials. The poisonous plant was left in the secret tunnel, and Jacques Snicket found it. When Bertrand finally fell asleep, Lisa and I tied his hands and feet and took him to the basement.

I returned in time to sit down at the table and analyze the handbag. Bertrand was carrying a dart thrower. He would probably kill Lemony Snicket right thereafter confronting him. He carried several letters. These were the letters he had taken from Beatrice's brother. Of course, he already knew how to disguise himself as his wife, being able to deceive his brother-in-law and take the letters into his hands. When Bertrand realized that he had not managed to get Lemony killed at the hands of the judicial authorities, Bertrand tried to kill Lemony with his bare hands. He made Lemony believe that Beatrice was still alive and lured him to the Duchess of Winnipeg's mansion. The poor Duchess must have been murdered after she wrote that letter in Lemony's unauthorized autobiography. She knew too much. Or maybe it was Bertrand who wrote that letter … I never ended up asking him that. In any case, Lemony stayed out of the country for many years, but when he returned Bertrand initiated his plan to attract and kill Lemony. He wrote letters pretending to be my mother and pretending to be Beatrice Baudelaire, just like I decided to do. But he thought about it before I did, and in fact, now I realize that I unconsciously saw his plan in progress and ended up finding a good plan and copying it. (Of course, I wanted to attract Lemony by pretending to be people he loved who were dead, not to kill him, but to talk to him.) I cannot say that I fully understand Bertrand's attitude. I don't think he dressed like Beatrice just so he could get back at Lemony. I think he was trying to keep her alive somehow. And now I understand that my research is somewhat similar to his attitude.

Finally Lemony woke up. Lisa handed him the card Bertrand had written. Lemony came to the table. And then we had a long and pleasant conversation.

So you are my niece? This is a difficult story to believe.

Well, I brought some books and some writings that were found with me on a beach. Here are Sunny, Klaus, and Violet's commonplace books. They guided me for many years. Lemony took the books and turned each page carefully. I didn't tell him about Bertrand Baudelaire. The recording I made was forwarded to the police, and the following afternoon Bertrand Baudelaire was arrested. Lemony never knew these details, but he did know he was cleared. He believed me that night. And I could see that he felt happy and sad at the same time when he met me.

So you wrote all those letters?

Yes, it was me.

But some letters don't make sense … Some letters seem to have references to letters I had written for Violet's mother many years ago. How could you know? I reached out and handed him the package of letters that Bertrand had brought.

I ended up finding this on some of my trips. I'm sorry for cheating you. Lemony took the letters, and I saw a nostalgic expression on his face.

Why didn't you sign some of the letters but others did you?

I'm sorry for that. Are my letters there with you? Lemony took several letters out of his overcoat. Bertrand did not sign the letters he sent to Lemony. Unlike Beatrice, he did not learn to forge signatures. I signed in front of him.

Okay, now you have letters from Beatrice and letters to Beatrice.

Lemony took a letter from the middle of the set. It was a huge letter, with a large ring-shaped mark, from someone who placed a container of drinks on the letter sheet without using a coaster.

Something doesn't make sense, Beatrice. This letter contains the answers to 12 of 13 questions that Beatrice once asked me. But I know that this letter never reached her hands because she let me write it. How did that letter reach your hands? And if you had that letter, why did you write it in one of the letters that still had 12 questions for me to answer?

Does everything have to make sense for you? If you tell me where my foster parents are, I will tell you the secret of that letter.

He smiled sadly. I didn't know what the secret of that letter was. But Bertrand was the one who intercepted that letter and had never discussed it with Beatrice. Was that why he had been so jealous and insecure about the proof that Lemony was alive?

I never knew Beatrice, where your adoptive parents are right now. But, if you're here and they never found you …

Do not say that.

They would never leave you alone, would they? Not for so long… I found something in my research on the Baudelaire case. Something very sad and I took a picture. It was a picture of a vessel that belonged to the Baudelaires, called Beatrice. And Beatrice sank.

I asked to see the photograph, and he also took that photograph from inside the overcoat.

I smiled through tears. It represented something that I remembered.

They must have made an improvised vessel with the few books that were on the vessel. And then they decided to save you, Beatrice.

He started to cry and so did I. And he was right. I think I always knew, after all. But now I had a photograph. And looking at the picture, in my heart, I could say "thanks" and "goodbye".

But you said in one of the letters that they had recently separated from you, didn't you?

I could not say that this was a big lie by an impostor who wanted to make Lemony believe that the Baudelaires were also alive and that they had met with their mother to attract and kill him.

Yes it's true.

Maybe they are out there looking for you, and they never found you because you were always traveling from place to place. If you stay here, they may find you someday.

Yes - I said through tears.

And if you stay here, I can always find you too.

Lisa approached the table. She was listening to everything.

It's true, Beatrice. Just because you're an orphan doesn't mean you have no family. I am your family now. And now you've met three uncles.

One of them is an arsonist …

Lemony said:

Even Ernest values the family. He would never hurt Dewey's daughter. And who knows, you can help him find his way back to nobility.

I was grateful for that. Now it was my turn to give back to Lemony.

Would you like to say goodbye to her? - I asked.

To say goodbye to whom?

Beatrice Baudelaire. Not me, the other one.

What are you talking about?

I know where she must be. But to prove it, I need some samples of her hair or nails.

The only "hair sample" I had I returned to her, along with this letter that you don't want to explain to me how you owned it. When I heard that, I opened Bertrand's handbag and found that. Lemony refused to ask me any more questions about how strange it was and realized that some things were better left in the great unknown.

After a few days, Lemony and I arrived at the laboratory of a skeleton specialist who was Lemony's friend. I had read about that woman in TSS. In Beatrice's will, she asked to be buried in one of Mount Fraught's caves without a headstone. It was a cave especially full of bats. I had been there, and I knew where it was. Lemony wrote that she had found many bones in that region, and I deduced that some of the bones were from Beatrice. He and I held hands when the doctor confirmed that the bones belonged to the owner of that hair. We cry and hug.

Finally Lemony had found Beatrice.

I asked him to send me a photo of the cave where he would ensure that it was buried again. Violetta's bones were also buried there, mistaken for Bertrand's bones. Mr. Poe made sure that no one else knew where the alleged couple had been buried, according to the instructions in the will.

Soon I will also need to climb those mountains to fulfill a promise I made to my uncle. I will take a sugar bowl with me and stick it on that cave with a small inscription: "B and L - Love Conquers Nearly Everything."

[aimeedaisies]

STATE VISIT BY THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS OF JAPAN

Tuesday 25th - Thursday 27th June 2024

Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan will pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of His Majesty The King from Tuesday 25th to Thursday 27th June 2024.

SATURDAY 22nd JUNE

The Emperor and Empress of Japan will arrive privately in the United Kingdom on the afternoon of Saturday 22nd June at Stansted Airport.

Their Majesties will be greeted by His Excellency Mr Hajime Hayashi, Ambassador of Japan. The Viscount Brookeborough KG, Lord-in-Waiting, will greet Their Majesties on behalf of The King.

SUNDAY 23rd JUNE AND MONDAY 24th JUNE

Before the State Visit formally commences, the Emperor will conduct a private programme of engagements, including a visit to Japan House and the Thames Barrier.

TUESDAY 25th JUNE

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will greet the Emperor and Empress of Japan, at their hotel, on behalf of The King on Tuesday morning.

His Royal Highness will travel with the Emperor and Empress to Horse Guards Parade, where Their Majesties will receive a Ceremonial Welcome.

The King and Queen will formally welcome the Emperor and Empress at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade. Presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Japanese National Anthem will be played.

The Emperor, accompanied by The King, will then inspect the Guard of Honour, formed of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards with the Band of the Welsh Guards. Afterwards, the Emperor and Empress will join The King and Queen, and The Prince of Wales, in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they will be met by a second Guard of Honour formed of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

Following a lunch at Buckingham Palace, given by The King, His Majesty will invite the Emperor and Empress to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to Japan.

In the afternoon, the Emperor and Empress will visit Westminster Abbey, where the Emperor will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Their Majesties will take a tour of the Abbey, accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.

In the evening, The King, accompanied by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family, will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The Emperor and Empress of Japan. Speeches will be made by The King and the Emperor at the beginning of the banquet.

WEDNESDAY 26th JUNE

The Emperor will visit The Francis Crick Institute, the UK's flagship biomedical research centre.

The Institute supports an innovative UK-Japan research partnership which covers a range of public health issues, including cancer, vaccines, and the role of genetics in infectious diseases.

That evening, The Emperor of Japan, joined by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, will attend a Banquet at the Guildhall given by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor and The Emperor will both make speeches at the end of the banquet.

THURSDAY 27th JUNE

The Emperor and Empress of Japan will formally bid farewell to The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace on the morning of the final day of the official State Visit programme.

The Emperor and Empress will travel to Young V&A, part of the V&A family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity around the world, where the museum's Japan: Myths to Manga exhibition is currently on display.

The Emperor will privately visit St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth Il, in the King George VI Chapel. The Garter Banners of the current members of the Order of the Garter, including the banner belonging to His Majesty's father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, are displayed in the Quire of St. George's Chapel.

Later that afternoon, His Majesty the Emperor will tour the historic Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The Millennium Seed Bank, coordinated by Kew is the world's largest collection of over 2.4 billion wild plant seeds spanning 97 countries, preserving Japanese and international biodiversity. Bronze Bonsai sculptures by artist Marc Quinn are currently displayed in the Temperate House, surrounded by a display of Bonsai trees from Kew's collection.

FRIDAY 28th JUNE

On their final day in the UK, The Emperor and Empress of Japan will visit Oxford for a private programme of engagements including a visit to the colleges where Their Majesties studied.

At the conclusion of the visit, The Lord Chamberlain will bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress on behalf of The King, before they depart from RAF Brize Norton.

[weemsfreak]

Botany…Of Course, Pt 2

Summary: Peyton is the new botany teacher at Nevermore. They are a telepath. They find themselves on a trip with Principal Weems. They discover what happened the year before they came to Nevermore, amongst other things. Tw: alcohol consumption, description of Larissa's poisoning?

Note: I'm so glad you all liked the first part of this fic! I can start a tag list if anyone wishes to be on it :) @alder-saan ~3700 words

Link to Pt 1

Friday

You were in your hotel room getting ready to explore the scene. Last night when you arrived Larissa went to bed and you stayed up and watched a movie. Larissa was at her conference bright and early this morning, and she would be finished around 5pm. You put on your maxi skirt and crop top. It was warm but not too hot, you loved the weather here. You took your notebook and set out to the conservatory. The whole hotel was nothing but botanical gardens and restaurants. There were beautiful waterfalls, huge rocks, ponds with fish and lily pads, and an abundance of different trees and plants. It was gorgeous and calming. Although it felt like you were outside, everything was covered by a skylight. It smelled so good, fresh almost. You got to the coffee shop and ordered an iced chai tea latte and a soft pretzel. You walked around until you settled by a waterfall underneath a large rock. It was a bit hidden, like a cave, which you loved. As you ate, you wondered how the conference was going. You wanted to surprise Larissa with something, or plan something fun to do. You knew this was a work trip, but that didn't mean she couldn't also have fun. She deserved it. Walking around the conservatory, you figured you would go through one garden a day and scope out some interesting plants that might be good additions to Nevermore. You loved the palm trees and banana trees, some were 60 feet tall, reaching to the second level. Unfortunately, those would never fit in the conservatory at Nevermore. There were rare international blooms and southern species, many that you hadn't heard of before. You sketched a banana tree from Madagascar, a huge Bird of Paradise from South Africa, some succulents, and Physostigma venenosum from tropical Africa. For a good part of the day you sketched plants and researched them, taking notes in your book. At 2pm, you figured you would go for a walk outside. It was a beautiful day, you wished Larissa could walk with you. You found some thrift shops and headed into one. They had antique houseware, clothing, jewellery, everything you could think of. You ended up buying a ring and pants for yourself, and a vintage scarf from the 60s for Larissa. There were so many things you thought she would love, but you couldn't choose what she would like most. You set out again and ended up in a liquor store. You bought some red wine, you knew Larissa's favorite, and some rum then headed back to the hotel.

You had a few drinks and walked around the conservatory again, admiring the fountains and the lights that covered the ceiling and trees. The rooms all had balcony's overlooking the conservatories, it reminded you of a painting. You settled down at a table under a pavilion next to a large fountain. You got out your notebook and started sketching the scene in front of you. A beautiful building to your left, a pond and fountain to the right, pretty sky lights and a pathway littered with plants on both sides. Walking down the pathway was Larissa. She was adorning her matching cream colored outfit with her lip brooch and kitten heels, admiring the plants as you were admiring her. She wasn't really there of course, you were imagining her, drawing her. You looked to the time, she would be done in 30 minutes. You ran back to the room, cleaning yourself up and cracking open some wine. You had in mind some fun things you and her could do around the hotel if she was up for it, you hoped she was. You were flipping through your notebook and you felt giddy about her return. You liked being alone most of the time, but you really liked being in her presence.

She returned to the room after what felt like forever, looking pretty tired. "Long day?" you said trying not to be too obvious that you were happy to see her. She put her things down then turned to you and smiled, she looked adorable. "Yes, it was very eventful, but it was a lot" she let out a huff and plopped down on her bed across from you. You sat on the edge of your bed and looked at her. She was wearing the cream coloured outfit you had thought of earlier. You took a minute to admire her as you knew her eyes were closed. You started smiling big, ear to ear. You couldn't help yourself, you were a bit drunk. She heard you giggle and opened her eyes, catching you staring at her. She sat up and kicked at your foot with hers, "What are you giggling at?" she laughed, knowing you were admiring her. You pretended you weren't just looking at her, you turned your head and quicky said "nothing" in a joking manner. Larissa looked to her feet and huffed and you realized she wanted to rid her heels. You knelt to the floor and took them off of her feet, placing them away. This surprised and flustered Larissa, like you knew what she was thinking. She was taken back by you doing this, nobody cared for her in such small but meaningful ways before. You knelt back down by her feet, you knew this could look weird, like you were worshiping her. You didn't want her to think that's what you were trying to do, although in reality you would. You took a chance, "Do you want a foot rub? Not in a weird way" you laughed. She blushed and looked down at you, "Well, if you're offering" she said shyly. You did so, coming to learn that her toe nails were the same color as her fingernails. You got up and poured her a glass of wine, "Wine for you my dear" you said while handing it to her. She looked up at you, eyebrows raising questioningly. "Yes, I bought your favorite wine, and yes, I may have had a few drinks while you were gone" you laughed, grabbing your wine and sitting on the bed next to her. You opened your notebook "But, I also did some work. I sketched some plants, I think a couple of these would be good additions back home." She viewed all of your sketches and notes from the day as you explained what you had learned. "These are amazing Peyton, I wish I could have come with you." You looked up at her, eyes lit up. "Well, we can walk around tonight, it will probably be even more beautiful." She smiled and placed her hand on your back, it felt nice. You quickly got up, remembering the scarf that you got her. It was a cream color with some neutral brown tones and small blue flowers. You held it out to her grinning, proud of yourself for finding something you thought she would like. "I went to an antique shop across the street, they have so much stuff that I think you would love. We should go if you have time." She took it from you and admired it, "Is this for me?" "Of course, the blue matches your eyes perfectly." You were shy now, nervous that she would think that you thought of her too much, or that you were being too interested in her. "I mean, I think your eyes are blue, right?" you said while tucking your hair behind your ear in an obviously sarcastic manner. Larissa let out a loud laugh, and your heart filled with joy. "Thank you so much darling, I love it." Larissa would never let on, but her eyes were watering at the thought of you buying this for her. She didn’t get gifts often, and she cherished that you thought of her when she wasn't with you. You saw her eyes glisten, but you didn't say anything. You were happy that she appreciated it. Sitting back on your own bed, you fell down onto your back and stared at the ceiling. Larissa watched you, she knew you had something on your mind. "What are you thinking about love?" You absolutely loved when she called you cute names, you blushed and rolled away from her so she couldn't see your face. "Are you hungry? Maybe we can get dinner and go for a walk?" you said as you sat up to face her again. "Sounds like a plan."

You went to a restaurant in the middle of the hotel. It was surrounded by a pond with fish, lily pads and a waterfall, and trees of course. It did look more beautiful in the night, it was all lit up and you could see the stars through the skylight. Larissa started, wanting to get to know you better. You seemed to know a few things about her, but she felt like she didn't know you. "So Peyton, I saw you with a handsome man the other day at the Weathervane. Boyfriend perhaps?" You looked at Larissa, mouth full of pasta, and almost started laughing. Keep it together Peyton, don't spit your food out. The only man you could remember being with was…OH Cal, your cousin. For some reason you decided to mess with her, "Oh Cal? Yea me and him were together, but he cheated on me with a man, so we broke up." Larissa's eyes went wide, her hand covering her mouth in total shock. Her expression made you laugh, you could only be serious for so long. "LARISSA I'm joking! He's my cousin, he's having trouble with his boyfriend, we were just talking." She let out a breath you saw her holding in, and hung her head in relief. "Oh my god, you had me for a minute there." You both laughed, you were so geeky sometimes. "Yea, I don't have a boyfriend. I like-" you stopped yourself, you didn't really know if you wanted to tell her that you liked women. "You like what?" "Nothing, um, so do you have a boyfriend?" you said looking down and picking at your pasta. She looked down at her food as well, "No, I'm not really interested in that sort of thing." That sort of thing? Like a relationship? "I get it, relationships can be hard, and tiring" you tried to be reassuring. "Very true, the most serious I've gotten was with this girl once, but that was so long ago." Sorry, did she just say girl? Larissa Weems, the Larissa Weems likes girls? A huge smile crept on to your face, and you looked up at her, she was still looking at her food, thank god. "Did you say a girl?" you stuttered by accident, voice low and raspy. She looked to you, worry now written on her face. "Yes, I- I did" she said in an unsure tone. You didn't mean to sound like that was a bad thing, you were just really surprised. Maybe that joke about Cal wasn't the best idea, you weren't trying to make fun. "Well Larissa, maybe we should find a new girl for you" you said with a smile looking at her pretty face. She smiled back, and nodded slightly. You wanted to scream, you weren't the only one at Nevermore who liked girls! You still didn't want to tell her though, not right now. Changing the subject, she started, "What do you like to do for fun?" "Well, lately I like to mess with my powers honestly. I keep finding out I can do things that I didn't know about." Larissa was intrigued, but you didn't know why you told her this. You had hobbies and liked to do things, but you found them rather embarrassing. "Oh, like what?" she prodded. You knew she wouldn't let this go now, so you told her. "Um, well I can give someone a piece of knowledge, or I can erase knowledge or a memory from someone's brain. I can see other peoples memories if they have strong emotion, but only if they allow me to. I also recently obtained the ability to know if someone is lying, but it just comes on at random." She was in awe of your abilities, these things could be a lot of responsibility. "So, if I allow you, you can see my memories?" "Yep, if it's very joyous, traumatizing, or emotionally strong enough." She thought for a second, "Can I see it too? When you look at it?" This was the upside, you thought, to seeing peoples memories. They didn't know what you were seeing, just that they allowed you to see it. "No, you can't see it in time that I do. I don’t do it a lot though, there's no point." She looked like she wanted to say something, had something on her mind. There was silence for a minute, then she just looked away. "Do you want to show me the plants now?" she said excitedly.

As you walked around the conservatory, you showed her every plant that you knew something about, and jokingly told her that she was as tall as one of the trees. Larissa smiled at how cute you were when so caught up in something you loved. She used to love hearing Marilyn talk about the conservatory plants, but unfortunately, who she thought was a real friend turned out to be an enemy. She didn't know if she would ever get over that. "This one is Alsophila latebrosa from Singapore, and this one is Physostigma venenosum from tropical Africa. It has Physostigmine, which is a highly toxic parasympathomimetic alkaloid, it can cure deadly nightshade if taken in the correct dose. I thought that might be good to have in the conservatory.." you cut yourself off as you looked up at Larissa. She was staring into space, not listening to you anymore. "Larissa, are you okay?" you said, really worried about her blank expression and even more pale than usual skin. A minute later she snapped out of it, looking down at you, who was holding her hand staring up at her. "Oh, sorry love. What were you saying?" You were confused, but you continued. "I was saying that I think we should have this in the conservatory at school. It’s the antidote to deadly nightshade." "We don't need it, we don't have Atropa belladonna anymore" she quipped quickly and seriously. This made you more confused, "Yes we do, it's just a small plant. I found it in a locked cabinet behind the desk." Larissa's mouth dropped open, they must have missed it when they searched through the conservatory last year. "Oh, um, Peyton, can you do me a favour?" "Sure Larissa" you were worried about what the favour was going to be. "When we get back to Nevermore, can you bring that plant to me, and if you ever find more in the conservatory, get rid of it immediately." Her tone was strict and demanding, you felt like a student who did something wrong. "Oh, sure Larissa, I can do that" you said quietly but sure. She then realized that you were new to the school and had no clue what this was about, or why you couldn't have this plant. She drug you back to your room, not saying a word.

You were sitting on your bed. Larissa had instructed you to sit and stay as she went to the bathroom. You were wondering if she was mad at you, or if you did something wrong. Searching in your notebook for Physostigma venenosum, you thought of something. She said to get rid of the deadly nightshade, like we weren’t allowed to have it anymore. Something must have happened when Marilyn, or Laurel, went crazy. Why would it be locked up otherwise? Larissa came out of the bathroom in her satin pajamas and sat on her bed. She just sat there, looking down at her lap. When you noticed her staring at nothing again, you sat up to face her. "Peyton, I want you to consider doing me a favour." "Sure Larissa, I'll do you a favour" you said with a hopeful smile. She looked at you, sadness written on her face. "Will you consider erasing a memory for me?" You went wide eyed, you had only done that once before. "I, um, I've only done it once before Larissa, I don't know if it's a good idea" you said in a nervous and sad tone, you felt sorry for her. If she wanted you to erase a memory, it must have been a bad one. "If you consider erasing it, I'll show it to you first, if you want." You pondered for a minute, was it the memory you think it was? "Larissa, is the memory from last year? You know, Marilyn?" Her eyes met yours and she nodded her head. You got up and sat beside her, taking her hands in yours. "I'll see it if you want me to Larissa, but maybe it's better that we don't dig it out any further." In reality she wanted you to see it, she wanted someone else to see it, to feel it. She wanted Marilyn to feel what it was like. She wanted someone, you, to tell her she wasn't crazy for being scared. "I want you to see it" she said in the lowest whisper you had ever heard. You moved closer to her and with an "Okay," you were in her mind. This was the only memory available for you to see, she really did want you to see it.

*The Nevermore Conservatory, last year*

You were in the conservatory, a red head a couple feet in front of you and Wednesday by the desk. You looked down at yourself, you weren't Larissa. You looked like a, boy? "I never made it to the station, heard enough?" Wednesday said, eyes switching from the read head to you. The read head, who you suspected to be Marilyn, turned around to look at you as well. Her face dropped as you felt yourself getting taller. You looked down at your body, jacket and jeans turning to a matching dress and coat set. You were, shifting? You weren't a boy anymore, now you were sure you were Larissa. "Your slave is probably still at the station" Wednesday chirped. "Please don't make this more difficult than it already is, Marilyn" your voice, well Larissa's, sounded with regret. You felt sad, betrayed, like you just lost a friend. Like you failed at bringing the outcasts and normies together, you were stupid for letting a normie in the school, an idiot for not seeing the danger. "My name is LAUREL" the red head belted before bringing a needle to your neck. You had no time to run, you felt a sting, and then you couldn't move. You fell to the floor, you couldn't breathe very good all of the sudden. You could feel your heart beat fast, vision going blurry, and you were gasping for air. Your mouth started foaming, and the last thing you saw was Wednesday over you, calling your name. When you looked up at Wednesday, all you could think about was her mother. How you two had drifted apart, how you two fought, how you loved. You spent most of your life with no partner, no friends, just taking care of the school, and recently taking care of Wednesday. You didn’t regret it, of course, but you still had so much more to do. You were scared, then everything went black.

You opened your eyes gasping for air, heart pounding. You realized you were in your hotel room, Larissa was beside you holding your shoulders steady, staring at you in concern. She didn't want you to be burdened by her memory, she just wanted to get rid of it. The thing about taking memories or knowledge from a person is that by taking it from them, you got it. The memory  had to go somewhere, right? Of course, they aren't your memories, so it wasn't as traumatizing for you to see them. You looked at her, your eyes watering, you tried to blink the tears away. You didn’t believe she lived through that. Marilyn had stabbed her in the neck with nightshade?! What the hell! You were glad she was dead, you would've killed her yourself. Larissa noticed you were crying and pulled you into her arms. You cried into her shoulder for a minute, then took her face in your hands when you cooled off. You were so shaken that you spoke unevenly, you couldn't even talk loud. "I'm so sorry Larissa, I didn't know. I'll consider erasing it for you." She pulled you against her again as a tear fell down her face. "I'm sorry too little one, I didn't know how much that would hurt you." In truth, it hurt you so much because you cared about Larissa. Some peoples memories weren't that bad because you knew they weren't yours, but hers, hers felt real. You connected with her so easily, and you wanted to help her. You pulled away, "Wait, you're a shapeshifter?" She let out a quiet breathy laugh. "Yes, I suppose you learned two things about me tonight, please don't say anything though, not many people know." You nodded, you wouldn't tell her secret. "Can we lay together?" you muttered, praying that she would say yes. "Of course love." You both laid in her bed, you felt way better being in her arms. You were so glad that she didn't die, but how did she survive? You wanted to ask her more questions and say that you were glad she was alive, but you didn't. "That's so cool" you mumbled, turning to face her. "What is?" she questioned, eyes meeting yours. "Being a shapeshifter. What can you shift into? People? Animals? Does it feel like anything when you really do it?" She smiled, stroking your hair, "I can shift into people. And no, it doesn't feel like much." You looked in her eyes, she was still adorning her makeup, and her lips were still painted red. Her eyes were so bright and daunting, her lips looked so soft, her skin so smooth, the little creases in her mouth and eyebrows were so cute. Uh oh, you thought. Turning back over, you took her hand and put it to your chest, then you closed your eyes. You felt her pull you closer, a soft "Goodnight Peyton" was the last thing you heard.

Link to Pt 3

[mixtapemag]

boygenius at idaho botanical garden.

photos by christopher hall.

boygenius brought their tour to Idaho last night - their increasingly spectacular live show echoing deep into the orange boise sunset. boygenius is the best band in the universe at this moment. They are one body moving together - eyes, lungs and heart. An astounding combination of friendship and art. Their microphones voltroning together to form a hurricane gust of love for 100 minutes.

Last night was the band's first show in Idaho which made the crescendo of Ketchum, ID hit harder than usual. Phoebe sat on the lip of the stage during "Letter To An Old Poet" to speak about returning to Idaho for the first time since the death of her father. Lucy and Julien wrapped her in a hug as the crowd swelled with warmth. This show continues to be an astounding embrace of friendship, of art, of sadness and happiness. Julien, Lucy and Phoebe are my three favorite artists and I feel lucky to be able to watch them make art.

Previously on Mixtape:

Photos of boygenius at the forest hills stadium.

Photos of boygenius at the fox theater.

Photos of boygenius at the premiere of "the film".

Photos of Lucy Dacus at All Things Go.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Red Rocks.

Photos of Phoebe Bridgers at Roskilde.

Photos of Phoebe Bridgers with Special Guest Lucy Dacus at Forest Hills Stadium.

Photos of Phoebe Bridgers at Kilby Block Party 3.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at The Stone Pony.

Photos of Julien Baker at Fox Theater.

Photos of Phoebe Bridgers at Leaders Bank Pavilion.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Brooklyn Steel - Night Two.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Brooklyn Steel - Night One.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Variety Playhouse.

Photos of Julien Baker at 9:30 Club.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Forest Hills Stadium.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Webster Hall.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Moroccan Lounge.

Photos of Better Oblivion Community Center at Outside Lands.

Photos of Julien Baker at Amplify Decatur.

Photos of Lucy Dacus at Newport Folk Festival.

Photos of Boygenius at Brooklyn Steel.

Photos of Phoebe Bridgers at Newport Folk Festival.

Photos of Julien Baker at Shadow of the City.

Photos of Julien Baker in Prospect Park.

Photos of Julien Baker at White Eagle Hall.

Photos of Julien Baker at Union Transfer.

Photos of Julien Baker at Outside Lands.

Photos of Julien Baker at Newport Folk Festival.

Christopher Hall posts over here. Ketchum.

[theminecraftbee]

Wait if you’re willing, I’m now curious how your husband proposed to you

okay so. when we met it was in december, for his sister's birthday (because he and his sister both knew my brother). we went to the local botanical garden, which does fancy christmas lights in december, and we wandered off to talk about pokemon instead of hanging out with everyone else for like, two hours. and that's how we met!

so, when he proposed, it was while we were at home again my senior year of college for christmas. and our two families went to the botanical gardens again to look at lights, but the secret was, of course, that he'd also planned to propose. so we looked at the lights for a while and we went down to one of the pavilions and he said my name and he got on one knee and proposed to me and it was amazing i was so excited.

then my siblings revealed themselves - my brother is an amateur photographer (actually i think i can claim she's a professional sort of it's not her job but she DOES get paid for it sometimes). and both of our families wanted pictures. so my brother, my sister, and his sister were tasked with following us from a distance i could not see them from so that when my husband proposed, they could get nice pictures. however they apparently had a REALLY HARD TIME DOING THIS because like, i didn't know, so my husband and i just wandered off and lost them and they had to chase us down through the botanical garden. luckily they got there in time, haha.

anyway, i was so excited, i couldn't stop playing with my ring. i'd never liked rings before but i literally never take off my engagement ring and wedding ring they stay on even when i sleep. afterwards we went to get donuts because we wanted food but basically nowhere was open (because it was, you know, late, given that we were there to see christmas lights after dark) and we ended up at krispy kream, which was open. and i was like, telling literally anyone who talked to us for more than a few moments about it. i was so excited.

so that's how my husband proposed it was WONDERFUL and i somehow like. okay we knew we wanted to be married and had discussed everything about that already. he had also made me get my ring size earlier that semester. somehow i still didn't see the actual proposal coming.

...i am feeling very happy. :D

[mybeingthere]

Every time I read about Czech artist Anna Zemankova (1908-1986), I select a few pictures to post. 

"I grow flower which grow nowhere else," used to say Anna Zemankova. Under the Cold War in Prague, housewife Anna Zemankova started drawing from over the age of fifty. It was her son, a sculptor, who suggested his mother suffering from melancholia to take up drawing. 

Every morning from 4am to 7am - while the rest of the family was still fast asleep - she drew guided by her favorite classical music. Her botanical drawings drawn in pastel are adorned with handicraft-like decoration such as metal fragments producing a bumpy effect, glued fabric and embroidery.Anna Zemánková was born in Olomouc, Moravia, then a province of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. While still a child she showed a great fondness for drawing; her father, however, had no sympathy for her predisposition and she became a dental technician.

In 1933, she married an army officer and stopped working to devote herself to her family. The couple had three sons, the older of whom died at the age of four, and later, a daughter. A loving mother, she spent all her time taking care of her family. After World War Two, the family moved to Prague. 

In 1950 she began to suffer from depression, and because of diabetes, had to have both legs amputated.She was over 50 when – perhaps in a return to her childhood dreams – she began painting daily, working every day from four to seven in the morning to sketch spontaneous drawings inspired by plants. It was in these early hours that she felt she could capture magnetic forces. When she set about drawing, she had no idea of the final shape the work would take, saying, “It all works by itself … there is no need to think.

”Her strikingly detailed works with a compelling rhythm of spirals, arabesques and geometric shapes make Zemánková a major figure in art brut. They are to be found in the most prestigious art brut collections and Zemánková is to be duly honoured at the international pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2013.

https://christianberst.com/en/artists/anna-zemankova

https://www.frieze.com/.../incandescent-botany-overlooked...

[vlkphoto]

One Leaf .. [2 / 2]

Japanese maple bonsai at the Japanese Pavilion at Montreal Botanical Garden, Montreal, QC.