#kalu rambles

[sulliedsorrow]

skk assembling ikea furniture and it’s chuuya getting increasingly frustrated bc he can’t find any of the materials bc dazai keeps stealing them

other thoughts:

chuuya always starts putting shit together intuitively and when he inevitably gets stuck is when he glances through the manual

he often has to dissemble everything and start again and no matter how many times dazai tells him to just follow the instructions he doesn’t listen

speaking of dazai chuuya forbids him from helping but allows him to hang around because he gets lonely it’s entertaining

it’s also always best to keep dazai in his sights

eventually chuuya gets pissed off with ikea as a concept and he starts buying the materials himself and building things from scratch

dazai comes up with the general blueprints but leaves all the heavy lifting to chuuya (because he ties his hair up and only wears a tanks and dazai is down bad but don’t tell chuuya) (chuuya knows) (he’s doing it on purpose)

#bungou stray dogs #soukoku #did someone say lumberjack chuuya #i mean what #i need a second #that meme of playing chess and your opponent is eating the pieces #same energy #kalu rambles #bsd #chuuya #dazai

[shepardsherd]

Hey guys

I just wanted this to be my full formal apology. I've been needing to write this for a few months and I think I was blocked from the right words to say, out of anger and my own struggles. Let me explain

I started this blog last year to get away from writeblr drama and like, some people I considered friends who we all turned on each other and now no longer speak to each other.

I admit I have a part to play in the blame, what I said and did was wrong and I pushed some very important people away when I didn't intend to. I'm learning to be a better person and learning from my mistakes because sometimes I don't understand things and they're not really explained well.

I thought what I was doing, was helping people but maybe I wasn't doing enough, or I was doing too much of the wrong thing. All I know is, looking back on it - I was wrong. And I was too hurt to see that.

I only want to make writeblr and my friends and everyone else, happy. I want writeblr to be a nice place for everyone to get along with, to get feedback and support and all that jazz.

That doesn't make things better. I know I can't go back and repair the bridges that have been burnt and I can't repair those relationships. But just know that I am very sorry if I ever came across as rude or weird. It was not my intention.

Looking back, I could have done things a lot better and through learning things about myself, I've learned that I need to do better. I want to understand. I want to help.

Words can't describe how sorry I am and I know that won't bring anything back. But hopefully we can look to the future now. I want this year onwards to be a good year for everyone I'm friends with, with those who want to get to know me. I don't want to fall out.

I've met so many wonderful people and I really owe everything to you guys. Ya'll are amazing.

Thank you

Ash Shepard, formerly Athena Anna Rose

@albatris @abalonetea @antique-symbolism @bardicbeetle @blackandwhitecircus @blackrosesandwhump @bard-coded @digital-chance-rb @dyrewrites @endlessburningdarkness @emery-silverton @foxy-lisard @galactic-mystics-writes @garthcelyn @hallowedfury @hippiewrites @icaruspendragon @irilenaps @insidedamienshead @illarian-rambling @isabellebissonrouthier @joshuaorrizonte @jezifster @kalu-chan @kosmic-kore @multi-lefaiye @midnight-blue-moon-princess @midnight-and-his-melodiverse @pheita @pluttskutt @philosophika @pen-of-roses @revenantlore @scribble-dee-vee @sergeantnarwhalwrites @thorlokibrother @that-chibi-writer @theprissythumbelina @uccelletto-di-kokuyo @violetcancerian @vacantgodling @waltzshouldbewriting @wait-a-minute-lassie

#ash shepard updates

[atsumwah]

i wanna run my fingers through tora's hair :(( and tell him how pretty he looks :(( and tell him how much i absolutely adore him :(((

#not me already drafting a tora fic #not me being hella self indulgent #yeah #kbye #rjjrjr #—lu rambles #kalu #or kazulu?? #help me pick a name #kalu is thanks to senn hihi #kazutora hanemiya #tokyorev

[thelastbraincellofthehive]

That moment you realize that there was a time in your childhood where you were so adamant about buying that specific game that you didn't knew anything about... And it was all because you had a huge gay crush on the female protagonist just for the cover picture....

#seriously I never before thought about this #The game was called Kameo: element of power #and like.. literally I saved every penny I could for weeks because I wanted it #and my family didn't understand why #and even I didn't knew why #and now it's so obvious #I've always been a gay mess aparently #just salem rambling around #also once I played the game I also developed a crush for kalus #because bad girls am I right?

[alloverthegaf]

sar-kalu

  I care about like. 3 Disney movies. They are all...

I can’t believe you’ve not see the terror that is Kangaroo Jack. You call yourself an Australian. :P *lol*

hahaha right? I count myself lucky I get the feeling I would not enjoy that fucking movie

#sar-kalu #non fandom #ramblings #straya

[pocketsizedquasar]

spent the morning chatting with @minipliny​ and looking up stuff about queer history (especially pre-colonial queer history) in hawaii/the pacific islands (it started with her talking about Richard Henry Dana and his time at sea) and here’s some cool stuff i found this morning and/or have collected over the scattered months of researching queer history + my rambling commentary (also disclaimer: i am not an expert or even remotely well-versed in any of this, this is just the ramblings of a queer brown kid, looking up queer history in other cultures that aren’t my own, and getting excited about it)

anyway, the bit that started the whole thing started with a bit pliny shared from from Dana’s book Two Years Before the Mast (which... i  would like to get my hands on) talking about his aikāne here:

...but the other, who was my friend, and Aikane—Hope, was the most dreadful object I had ever seen in my life: his eyes sunken and dead, his cheeks fallen in against his teeth, his hands looking like claws; a dreadful cough, which seemed to rack his whole shattered system, a hollow whispering voice, and an entire inability to move himself. There he lay, upon a mat, on the ground, which was the only floor of the oven, with no medicine, no comforts, and no one to care for, or help him, but a few Kanakas, who were willing enough, but could do nothing. The sight of him made me sick, and faint. Poor fellow! During the four months that I lived upon the beach, we were continually together, both in work, and in our excursions in the woods, and upon the water. I really felt a strong affection for him, and preferred him to any of my own countrymen there; and I believe there was nothing which he would not have done for me. When I came into the oven he looked at me, held out his hand, and said, in a low voice, but with a delightful smile, "Aloha, Aikane! Aloha nui!" I comforted him as well as I could, and promised to ask the captain to help him from the medicine-chest, and told him I had no doubt the captain would do what he could for him, as he had worked in our employ for several years, both on shore and aboard our vessels on the coast. I went aboard and turned into my hammock, but I could not sleep. 

(hope had fallen gravely ill at the time) and here:

Every Kanaka has one particular friend, whom he considers himself bound to do everything for, and with whom he has a sort of contract,—an alliance offensive and defensive,—and for whom he will often make the greatest sacrifices. This friend they call aikane; and for such did Hope adopt me. I do not believe I could have wanted anything which he had, that he would not have given me.

the wikipedia article on Hawaiian aikāne (“Moe aikāne relationships were sexual relationships in pre-colonial Hawai'i between aliʻi nui and the male and female kaukaualiʻi performing a hana lawelawe or expected service with no stigma attached.”) - plus some of my favorite bits from it:

“author Kanalu G. Terry Young states in his book; "Rethinking the Native Hawaiian Past" that these relationships were not bisexual in a social sense. These were relationships from the ʻōiwi wale times that held no stigmatism to the persons ʻano (one's nature or character). To call it a bisexual relationship is liking saying the children of multiple husbands from one Hawaiian mother were out of wedlock. For the time, the comparison is impossible.[1] These relationships are accepted as part of the history of ancient Hawaiian culture.”

anyway i do love that they talk about how like. When we talk about queer history esp nonwestern/precolonial queer history it’s really impossible to apply westernized ideas of sexuality on them because they just didn’t think of sexuality in the same way. there’s a (white, gay) tendency especially to lay some nebulous claim to all of “gay history” like it is all theirs for the taking, when so much of that history is... very explicitly not “gay” history, but something else, something pre-westernized conceptions of sex and sexuality, and trying to force our ways of thinking about those subjects onto precolonial society is in itself an act of colonialism. 

(also i’m definitely going to see if any indie bookstores near me have that book bc i want to read more)

“During the late 19th and early 20th century, the word aikāne was "purified" of its sexual meaning by colonialism, and in print meant simply "friend", although in Hawaiian language publications its metaphorical meaning could mean either "friend" or "lover" without stigmatization.[7] ”

ah yes gotta love that. good good historical erasure.

the article also mentions Māhū:

“Although their roles are often conflated with aikāne in contemporary LGBT culture, the Māhū are in a social category of liminal gender. Māhū (in the middle) live in a space between the genders, and many live in the opposite gender to their birth.”

here’s an article from, i believe, actual native hawaiians on the subject as well, including these very tender lines (bolding is my own):

In the story of the great chief Lonoikamakahiki, a commoner from Kaua'i, Kapa'ihiahilina, became his aikane, after telling him "Aloha au ia 'oe, ukali mai nei."  I love you, so I followed you here.  Some of the best women's stories are found in the legend of Pele and her sister, Hi'iaka.

The saying was, He aikane, he punana na ke onaona.  An aikane is haven made of loveliness.

And!! and this wonderful tumblr page (cw for use of the medicalized/outdated term for intersex) and their own documentary told from the story of “Hina Wong-Kalu, a transgender native Hawaiian teacher.” I haven’t yet watched the documentary since I just found it but I’m going to!

another post from their page

Indeed, the ship journals of Captain Cook, the first European to arrive in Hawai'i, recorded that all the kings of the islands had aikāne, or same-sex partners, and that chief Kalanikoa of Kaua'i even asked if one of the European sailors would become his lover – an honor for which he offered to pay six pigs. And when the great King Kamehameha, uniter of all Hawai'i, boarded Cookʻs ship, he brought aboard his aikāne, leaving his wives at home.

(cw in that link inside the quote for some cissexist and heterosexist language) i also just really love the implication of “hey i think you’re pretty have six whole pigs”

also just been reading a lot about similar concepts in other cultures (polynesian and otherwise -- here’s a few things i found) and it makes me happy to know about so much queer history that existed pre-colonization (and that still exists!!)  

#queer history #lgbtq history #queer #lgbtq #history #long post #quasartalks #there's not a coherent point or anything that i'm trying to make #i just think this is cool #and wanted to share stuff i found #queer history is lovely and it makes me happy to read about #so #hope you enjoy #also definitely like... if you actually wanna know about this read the stuff linked/esp the stuff made by and for the actual groups in quest #in question* #not like #my incoherent and very much non-polynesian ramblings

[opal-owl-flight]

What are your favorite Elliott headcannons? Of any variety 👀

Oh god. I have so many... both for vanilla SV and for Ascended/The Valley!! Ill. Do my best to remember... heres some from off the top of my head!!

Regular vanilla SV:

- sometimes. When hes hit by a strong wave of inspiration while on his nature walks. He just starts speaking some poetry under his breath...escalating louder as the inspiration swells. I think the villagers think hes gone crazy whenever theyre around to witness it

- his laugh!! Its deep and rumbly...he kind of vibrates when he does, and his shoulders shake... if he laughs hard enough he starts to snort. Hes embarrassed about that tho

- hes so easilly flustered. He gives compliments to his s/o a lot, but the moment they say anything back, hes a stuttering red mess

- he goes beach combing sometimes! Or a lot when he has his writers block. Nature truly inspires✨if not at the beach, hes in the forest doing quite the same... (I think this is where he meets Leah too!)

- he has a hoard of shells hidden somewhere. (I literally wooed him with pretty shells before I started using the wiki akdnkd) he gets VERY excited about ocean life!! And I think hes gotten some good knowledge about what you can find on the beach. Hes done his research on whats edible and whats not

- he gets creeped out by Too Many Crabs In One Place though. They haunt him in his sleep with their constant clicking

- he hums softly when hes in a good mood. If hes happy enough he bursts into song! And boy does he have a good voice!! Hes a theater kid dont @ me

- when he feels incredibly affectionate, hed give his s/o a squeezing hug while rambling happily about them. He gives a lot of physical affection in general bec ffs this man’s been living alone for a long ass time and he craves it

- after reading some of his dialogue, I have come to the conclusion that at least, in the beginning of the player’s interactions with him, hes actually not quite confident with his skill (at least when speaking about it with other people). Got this from the way he constantly apologizes whenever he says something poetic (“sorry if thats not very interesting to you.”)

- and as the days go on he becomes more confident bec he reads the player’s interactions with him as them believing in him!! Hes always been put down for following his passion, this means a whole lot for him...and if the farmer has any other creative passions, he fully supports them back!! They get inspired off of each other,,💜

- did I mention that he leaves little poems for his s/o to find around the house? And the way he smiles and chuckles whenever he hears them react to them,,, hes such a sappy, loving man

- gives the softest kisses and the biggest, warmest hugs,,, and he does it frequently. If his s/o is busy, he usually resorts to just gazing at them lovingly,,

- hes such. A sweet dad. Thinking about it makes me melt. Always telling them stories (lots of legends in Ascended) and/or roleplayijg with the kids,,, he also takes part in most of their games! He pretends not to see them when they hide in an obvious spot when playing hide-and-seek

- he also likes to watch the rain with them. Doesnt matter if hes in the middle of a household chore. If he sees his kids watching the rain, He Will Stop To Watch The Rain

OKAY SO THATS A LOT ALREADY BUT I HAVE SOME THATS SPECIFIC TO ASCENDED/THE VALLEY TOO HUZZAH:

- youd think he has water powers bec he lives near the ocean and all that. Nah son. He has the same creator power as Kalu has (I mean hes a writer ffs he creates all the time. He just doesnt bring them to existence bec of additional background story reasons)

- he doesnt have the gremlin tendencies but his wife does. By pure association he has learned to Love The Shinies

- he helps Kalu take care of herself bec she has a bit of a struggle with thinking for herself. She takes care of him back with his bad eating habits and all that (taken from “Ive been taking better care of myself now that were together...” line)

- Kalu makes a lot of soft chirring/purring noises when shes happy...Eli adores this and found himself imitating the noise whenever they cuddle!!💜

- he sees Kalu create a cute soul and he immediately wants to adopt them

- Ho Boy Does He Love To Fly. Everywhere. Even if its a short distance away. Kalu always tells him to not overuse his wing cloak but hes so happy with finally getting one again that he just. Doesnt listen

- Kalu’s basically the “mother of all” the souls she created. Eli has taken it upon himself to be a good dad to them too!! And most of her created kids absolutely love him back!!

- especially the sun god Cas. Hes the one who actually kept pushing the two together until they realized their feelings for each other!

- he adores the bards! I mean obviously, since hes a poet himself. But he had wanted to be one before! He eventually decided against it because he realized that he wanted to settle down and that it was kind of a lonely life...

- the first time he saw Ember (first kid) breathe fire he panicked bec “do babies work like that??” Help him

- hes so happy that Ember followed in his footsteps in being a poet!! He supports her passions greatly and p much cried when she recited her first poem to him (dont worry he loves the second kid too. I just dont have that much going for them yet)

#stardew valley #stardew #sdv #stardew valley asks #stardew valley headcanons #stardew valley elliott #stardew elliott #sdv elliott #LMAO FIRST TIME WRITING STUFF LIKE THIS DONT KILL ME

[keykidpilipili]

Caught up on Star wars Rebels, SO much good content PEOPLE!

Also Hera called Kanan ‘LOVE’ I nearly shit at 1:30 am with my mother sleeping next door.

#swr spoilers #star wars rebels #pili rambles #surprised that Kalus was the new Fulcrum but not that surprising when I think about it #star wars

[silversh4dows]

Hey guys! So, you might’ve seen a post about me and my friend @kalu-chan​ playing the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but actually we’re also recording a Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Let’s Play! (Because I really wanted to xD) So, if you wanna watch me fangirling over Star Wars (and rambling about Star Wars stuff I watched and/or read somewhere from time to time), but also just us having loads of fun, here’s part 1! Hope you’ll like it! :3

#Cal Kestis #Let's Play #Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order #Fallen Order #Star Wars #jfo #swjfo #Let's Play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order #Jedi: Fallen Order

[blindspot-fanatic]

Good doctor season finale

Okay, the season finale just finished and here are my first thoughts:

- SHAUN MURPHY IS THE PUREST, SWEETEST AND MOST DELICATE PERSON EVER!!

- Dr. Glassman is going to survive this, I'm repeating: DR. GLASSMAN IS GOING TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE!!!

- WE GOT A HUG AND AN 'I LOVE YOU' AND 'I LOVE YOU MORE' 😭 😭 😭 😭 my poor heart is shattered

- they better NOT FIRE SHAUN AND/OR GLASSMAN!! I will not tolerate that kind of behavior!

- Have I told you guys that my heart has shattered into a million pieces?!

- Melendez, when you are not arrogant, you're actually a nice guy

- Kalu..... What to say about you man!! You're the bestest and I cherish you and I'm so proud of you! Also you willing to take the blame made me cry, you perfect hooman being!

- Also I think I've run out of tears by now....

Nope they're still coming!

I JUST LOVE THIS SHOW 😍 😍 😍

SOMEONE PLEASE HUG ME

I will stop my ramble... Thanks for listening! Bye 👋

#The good doctor #Shaun Murphy #Dr. Glassman #The good doctor season finale #The good doctor spoilers

[newsflashuk]

Obasanjo knelt down for Ghadaffi, used me against Atiku, Makarfi – Fayose

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has made some of the most far-reaching revelations yet about the years in office of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mr. Fayose said in the current edition of ‘The Interview’ that Obasanjo used him to wreck the presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the chance of former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi, becoming the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate in 2007.

He said in his naivety, Obasanjo also used him to attack former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu, among other political foes.

In a statement, the MD/Editor-In-Chief, Azu Ishiekwene, described the edition as “a window on a dark and troubling past and a must read for any important political figure who has crossed Fayose’s path in the last 18 years.”

Mr. Fayose told The Interview that the scale fell off his eyes when on a trip with former President Obasanjo to Tripoli, Libya, where Obasanjo had gone to ask Moummar Ghaddafi to support his Third Term bid, the former Libyan president treated Obasanjo like a serf.

Recalling the encounter, he said, “It was such a pathetic scenario, so shameful. Obasanjo was speaking rapidly like a parrot. I was shocked beyond words. I never knew Obasanjo would be that humble.

“He was on one knee till the end of the conversation. Ghadaffi kept quiet and was just watching Obasanjo. When Obasanjo stopped rambling, Ghadaffi said, ‘Have you finished? Just know that I will not attend that meeting. I have other engagements.”

He also revealed how on two major occasions when he went to visit then Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the height of Mr. Obasanjo’s Third Term bid, security details promptly reported him to the former president, even before he left the venue, leaving him feeling spooky and vulnerable.

On the Obasanjo-Atiku saga, Mr. Fayose said, “Obasanjo told me that when you capture a general and you don’t kill him, he’ll come back and kill you; that since Atiku tried to stop him and failed, he must pay for it. And he (Atiku) is still paying for it.”

In a statement that could reverberate beyond Nigeria’s shores, Mr. Fayose said he knew, as an insider at the time, that Mr. Obasanjo betrayed former Liberian President, Charles Taylor to induce U.S. support for this Third Term bid, after promising Mr. Taylor safe haven in Nigeria.

He revealed how the current chairman of the PDP, Ahmed Makarfi, was sidelined in favour of a sick and stubbornly reluctant Umaru Yar’Adua and his role in it as chairman of the Presidential Selection Committee.

Mr. Fayose warned Orji Kalu against “selling” the Igbo down the river “for cheap politics” and blamed President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for making IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu popular.

He also spoke on his attempts to reach President Muhammadu Buhari directly; former governor Kayode Fayemi’s relationship with APC leader Bola Tinubu; and futile attempt to discourage former governor Peter Odili from accepting Mr. Obasanjo’s dummy that he was heir apparent.

Also in this edition, the Executive Director of Neem Foundation, a not-for-profit NGO, Fatima Akilu, said she foresaw problems even after the shooting war with Boko Haram.

Ms. Akilu, a psychologist, warned that except there is a plan to deal with post-war stress and build inclusive communities, the gains of the military campaign could unravel.

The edition also contains interviews with the first Nigerian in the Belgian parliament, Collins Nweke; conversations with poet, Dike Chukwumerije, and inside information in the corridors of power in Interview Confidential, among others.

The post Obasanjo knelt down for Ghadaffi, used me against Atiku, Makarfi – Fayose appeared first on Newsflash247.

from WordPress http://ift.tt/2eQ2XnQ

#News #Fayose #Obasanjo

[sulliedsorrow]

i like the idea of soukoku being married in everything but name. they live together (have for years) they’ve raised children together (sskk) they plan their lives around one another and truly don’t exist without the other. and yet if you ask them if they’re married they’d give you twin looks of such disgust.

#kalu rambles #bungou stray dogs #soukoku #sskk are the opposite they get married as soon as possible #bsd #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu

[shepardsherd]

Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays everyone

I love you all

@antique-symbolism @athensoddcollections @amandacanwrite @bardicbeetle @blackandwhitecircus @blackrosesandwhump @bardic-tales @cometkov @chickensarentcheap @cheadarchesse @digital-chance @dyrewrites @enchantedlandcoffee @garthcelyn @hauntedluminarybbq @helathorloki @hxad-ovxr-hxart @icaruspendragon @irilenaps @insidedamienshead @joshuaorrizonte @kalu-chan @kaiusvnoir @kashas-stuff @ladywithalamp @lordkingsmith @multi-lefaiye @midnight-blue-moon-princess @midnight-and-his-melodiverse @moremysteriesthantragedies @n1ghtcrwler @olivescales3 @owlsandwich @pheita @pluttskutt @perasperaadastrawriting @rhikasa @ryns-ramblings @sleepyowlwrites @sergeantnarwhalwrites @sparrow-orion-writes @thorlokibrother @theprissythumbelina @uccelletto-di-kokuyo @ussrootcanal @violetcancerian @vacantgodling @wait-a-minute-lassie @waltzshouldbewriting

[swapnagangadharan]

I remember that early morning as we waited for our pick up at Rishikesh, a couple more would join us from there. The rest of the group were being picked up at Haridwar.

We were given prior instructions about the pick up points and we would be going to Sari and stay overnight and start the trek  the next day. The drive to Sari would take  8-9 hours.

We met a father son duo. They were residents of Rishikesh.

Kishore moved to Rishikesh 5 years ago and was running his own business while his son Rudra had completed his Masters. An accomplished athlete, he competed professionally in swimming and an injury made him give it up some years ago.

We were quite an interesting mix in that trip.

The fact is I was travelling with friends who are much older than me, the kind that few could even understand that one could become close friends regardless of age or anything else.

I had met Pankaj at a workshop couple of years ago and we bonded so well that our friendship strengthened over time and his friend Jogen also in that process became my friend when we met at Mundgod, Hubli in December last year attending a Buddhist Seminar.

So here we were 5 of us with the driver  on a long road trip to Sari where we would meet the rest of them there.

Exchanging snippets of each other’s lives becomes interesting then. Initially it starts with smiles, formalities, everybody putting in their best foot forward, not treading on any sensitive issues. Yup, that’s how it usually happens, doesn’t it?

And this was 8-9 hours and after some time, all of us relaxed and started chatting, asking each other about what we do, did anybody else have experience in treks, the usual stuff. Very congenial and nice.

As I think about it now, I ask this, we all have different masks for different situations and people, don’t we?

It’s all fine as long as we are in pleasant and easy situations, but put all of us in an interesting tough situation and aspects of who we truly are comes out and trekking does that to you which I would realize much later.

Spending time with what looks like strangers first, formalities , being polite, maintaining distances, not crossing any boundaries and all becomes an about turn in a few days.

You come to know whom you gel with, whom you disagree with, whom you like and whose company you truly enjoy. Sometimes you don’t even need to talk, you can just sit with someone in silence and feel connected.

This is something I thought about in hindsight, the entire dynamics of relationships between people when they come together.

Meeting Rudra and Kishore was something else as we all spoke about almost everything under the sun during that drive. I shared something common with both. Love towards animals with Rudra, a spiritual side with Kishore.

I must say this though, they are a formidable force together, their energy though completely different from each other had it’s own uniqueness to it. There was so much love and yet contrasting thoughts, beliefs, mindset at the same time between them.

During the drive, I came to know they were Telugus and being from Hyderabad and fluent in that language,we would just ramble a teeny weeny bit in it.

The drive was fantastic as we stopped at Devaprayag and took a short break.  We could see the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda that becomes Ganga. Those brief breaks were awesome.

Stopping at a Chai Point where we met Kalu – the mountain dog and Rudra and I pampered and petted him till we left the place. We all were in a state of bliss.

Green pastures, rolling hills, flowing blue green waters… It was all beginning to set in my head that I was actually here!

We stopped for lunch and we saw the others slowly coming in to eat. They were in different vehicles and this was the common stopover before reaching Sari.

I clearly remember four of us sitting together even though we knew the rest of them had come for the same trek.

Curious glances, nothing in common at first sight, a look here and there, perplexed, sitting at the tables, in their own comfort zones. All of us..

At one point, Pankaj got up and spoke to a couple and came back with a big smile and said, Ha you found your Telugus, I found my Gujjus to talk to finally in this trip.

I gently reminded him that the last time we were traveling to Ladakh, there was a van  load of Gujaratis barring one Maharashtrian couple in that trip, all speaking in their native language and I didn’t feel the need to be associated with someone from the so called my ‘kind’ , so why now this comfort feeling and telling it out loud? Just because I met a couple of them who knew the same language?

Interesting isn’t it, the whole dynamics of it ? 🙂

Finally we reached Sari and as we got out of our vehicle we saw a fit guy with a big smile greeting us. Devang ! Yup one of the trek leaders who led us into the guest house at Sari. Full of energy, enthusiasm and tad bit nervous too 🙂 It was his first trek as a Leader.

The other guy was Venkat who was mentoring Devang. If Devang was full of zest, Venkat looked quite the opposite. Very quiet and stern at first sight. I remember when we had to stand in line and show our medical records, somehow I thought he will admonish me for something or the other!

Pankaj was very excited to see another guy, Dushyant. He was a trek leader with Indiahikes and he had done the Great Lakes with him a couple of years ago. Right now he would be at the Sari base camp as a co-ordinator for this trek. A pleasant and a very charming guy and very affable as I got talking to him during dinner time.

And there was us all…

What goes through your mind when you get bunched up with an eclectic group?

Seriously that day I had not much of a recollection of most of them. You look around, you try to see if you can get a vibe, a smile, some warmth, an energy and all this happens sub consciously.

You tread carefully because for the next 6 days you have no idea how it’s going to be, so what do you do? You stay with the same group you usually came with at least initially.

If you are coming solo, maybe you will talk more to the trek leaders, or maybe find another solo traveler and start a conversation.

We were all still strangers to each other.

I was initially placed with two girls in the room and before we could even get to talk more and go beyond the usual Hi’s, I was shifted to the same room with Pankaj and Jogen for comfort sake.

Now when I look back, I distinctly remember 3 people that caught my attention that day.

I remember a quiet woman making her presence felt softly even though she was usually in a corner by herself while eating, that was Seema.

And there was this big guy cracking jokes with his friends and the trek leaders. When all were keeping to themselves, this group would be having fun. He was Bunny.

The last one I remember clearly because I heard a response from him to someone in an affirmative voice. I remember looking back and wondering as to who was this person, who was so frank and could express his views without being diplomatic at all. This was Bhim.

So there you go, a bunch of us coming together for a common purpose.

As Devang and his team led us through a long list of DO’s and DON’Ts with lots of enthusiasm and preparing us for the trek, I was truly getting nervous.

Why? I don’t know, maybe it was the fear of the unknown, of doing something I had no idea with a bunch a people I didn’t know.  Granted I was with a couple of friends but in the end it’s only me that has to deal with this whole journey.

That night post dinner, we went for a short walk along the road and Rudra and Kishore joined us. We had a hot cup of Chai before we said Good Night.

It was going to be a big day as we would start our first day trekking towards Deorital where we would camp that night.

I could barely sleep that night and I noticed that people were awake in other rooms and chatting.

It had been a long day and I guess we were trying to make sense of what we were about to do..

A new trek and a new beginning…

            Here comes the Group! Part III I remember that early morning as we waited for our pick up at Rishikesh, a couple more would join us from there.

[sulliedsorrow]

dazai would try to “i’m just a girl” himself out of situations and chuuya, not knowing the reference, taking him 100% seriously, would go “we been knew but can you focus?? we’re about to die???” and dazai doesn’t even correct him because he’s too startled

#kalu rambles #bungou stray dogs #soukoku #it’s funnier in my head #dazai: i’m just a girl #chuuya: what does that have to do with anything #skk bend the gender binary in whatever way i want its all fake anyway #dazai does NOT have tgirl swag that’s a cringe fail loser #chuuya on the other hand #bsd #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu

[sulliedsorrow]

all i’m hearing is that dazai is gonna have to kill that bastard with his bare hands 👏

i do like that asagiri is playing with the concept of fault and causation

the vampires are seen as one - they are considered a single entity. so when a vampire kills a person, the guilty party is bram stoker, because he has control over them all. liability lies with him, because vampires do not have control over their actions. i think that’s pretty neat

#kalu rambles #bungou stray dogs #bsd 114.5 #dazai #bsd fyodor #bsd #kalu reads bsd