#or travelling which btw took me an hour on a bus full of people

[guylet-456]

I made a calculation of how much time I spent per day studying or commuting or eating i.e. doing all of the essential things and found that on average I only really got 4 hours and a half per day of free time. Jesus fucking christ. Now wonder I'm so burnt out.

#so literally this is all me studying outside of class #attending classes #or travelling which btw took me an hour on a bus full of people #and the extensive walks from bus stop to bus stop #and me eating or spending time with my friends which btw was only like half an hr #this also includes me showering #overall its like almost 12 hoirs a day doing essential things

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

athenas or the new ign videos... hmmm

im gonna go for the ign videos (moze gameplay and sanctuary-iii, no guns yet, i have a reason for that) because athenas hasn’t gotten its sweet instagram video yet. once that’s released i’ll do a full post on it. by the time i got around to finishing this post, they had released the video. oh boy... gonna do the gun post then the athenas post, i think. alright, off we go.

tl;dr: we read the entire end user agreement DAHL thrusts upon us for using the ECHO device, talk about some stuff like how (spoilers) it seems like Lilith will be getting her powers back at the end of the game, and a voice line Lily says that sounds like “Tyreen took my powers. it’s like Tannis said: [inaudible] Siren” (altho im not 100% sure on the [inaudible] part because 1) it sounds weird and 2) there’s a drum beat and also the devs are talking over her, the Siren part seems fairly accurate because of the way her mouth moves). so you know. im gonna be agonizing over that until i can hear what she says. ive already spent an hour just repeating it over and over. i nearly fell asleep lol

we’re gonna start with the moze gameplay (the first 14 minutes of bl3) because chronologically it’s first in both timeline and release date

i love the license plates on the right there

also it looks like they added in claptrap’s old welcome sign from windshear waste! time to stand in front of it for 30 minutes to see if any messages pop up like bl2

fast travel station as well, definitely going to see if/where i can teleport and going there immediately. i imagine this is more for DLC stuff and grinding tho.

also! i do believe we saw Covenant Pass previously. good to know this is actually where it is!

Marcus saying “And Welcome to Pandora!” in the beginning confirms that, yes, they’re going to be on a bus!! i wonder if there will be a fight scene before that though. it’s interesting Clappy mentions that “those jerks who tried to murder you are the children of the vault!” so i mean... there’s gotta be... right?

im also convinced this intro is going to be a mirror of Borderlands 1. i stg if it starts out with the first few notes of Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked and then swaps songs I’m going to lose my mind

also also, the order is totally going to mimic the bl1 one. Fl4k = Mordecai, Amara = Lilith, Moze = Roland, Zane = Brick. We even have Lilith taking Angel’s spot as the mysterious voice in our heads, and probably Marcus driving, AND being dropped off at a bus stop.

bet the reason they changed it from ‘Moze as the Bot Jock’ to ‘Moze as the Gunner’ is because it fits under ‘Roland as the Soldier’ better. Also, ‘Zane Flynt as Himselfs’ would be a play off ‘Brick as Himself’. Amara as the Siren is obvious, and ‘Mordecai as the Hunter’ vs ‘Fl4k as the Beastmaster’ is pretty similar as well, given Fl4k has all those Hunter skills.

the 4 basic emotes im guessing. im so glad we have the option to boop our friends in the face with emotes.

also moze’s little bunny skin is adorable

the ECHOnet used to be called “Riftspace”, “the Spline”, and... “MercTel: A Cyber-Dahl Joint” lmfao

specifically calls out Pandora. also, “artificial megastructures”??? THAT’S SO COOL

AND FUCKING

SENTIENT MEGASTRUCTURES???? 

gearbox. please. i have never ever wanted anything more in my life. please. it’s probably my birthday. PLEASE GEARBOX

also interesting that the user agreement specifically notes ‘Respawns’. I assume this is a joke because New-U stations have been confirmed not canon

“Core law”. Core law? Core... daddy? ... ????

core as in like a core government somewhere that’s not the border worlds? that’s interesting...

“The Legion”, okay, acknowledging TPS, that’s dope

“Project Blackrakk” ... im interested

“Thresher Company” lmao

im curious if Axton was apart of any of the mentioned ones. i don’t think it’s been stated, but i could be wrong

“Chieftain Oort”. also ‘Recently Legless Gary’, lmfao poor dude.

oh yeah im sure this is fine. also holy shit did they google the synonyms for ‘change’ and just start listing them? lmfao

“implicit subscription to the Digby Vermouth ‘Dig’s Gigs’ secret concert subscription service” 

sorry, what?

if this doesn’t come up again in the future- if we don’t get a spam letter or 3 in our mailbox about this concert subscription thing i'm gonna be so disappointed

Dahl hates you if you’re not a fan of hyper-jazz, “you snob” lmfao

my brain hurts, they’re good at writing these 

damn phones exist? i thought everything was ECHO. aight, that’s good to know. i guess there just aren’t any phone networks around the border worlds

also “shared dreamspaces” sound really cool

hm. that’s no good lmfao. also i love that the buttons are ‘Agree’ and ‘OK’. there is no escape, once you agree, you can’t even leave because you’re agreeing that you’re trapped with these rules even if you cancel.

that’s fucked up, DAHL. can’t believe you treat your user base the same way you treat your employees. i guess i shouldn’t be surprised.

anyway, shoutout to literally the only TOA I’ve ever fully read in my life.

also, clicking through this TOA too fast WILL end claptrap’s voice line early. so be careful if you want to hear what he has to say!!

oh shit lmao I gotta go edit that Fl4k post

ok im back ~time magic of being able to save things in drafts and post them at a later date~

sliding preserves momentum, so you can actually slide (nearly) the entire way down! i love this.

small, but claptrap bends his antennae when trying to be stealthy. i thought that was a pretty cool detail

“and some guns include an alternate shooting mode~! try it out!”

player: `immediately shoots claptrap in the face`

i died lol

a very nice look at this sign.

good to know that the twins really are tempting people to join with promises of food. i mean it makes sense, i imagine most of the cultists are desperate for stability and a reasonable life on pandora.

also, Shiv calls himself “holy influencer of the children of the vault” lol. i love that. gearbox really is going for the internet’s throat, isn’t it?

i do like that hovering over an NPC will give you their name only and not name/healthbar.

a better look at one of the signs referencing the Mother!!! i was waiting for this, the only real look we got at one was in that one scene with Moze and IB

“Behold the Mother strength surrender to the truth” 

yeah that’s not ominous...

i assume the mother and father are intended to be tyreen and troy? but idk how i feel about that implication...

i like the new little gear/spring effect for the magnet lol

new lilith! i know a lot of people don’t like it, but i do. she looks better than the bl2 vers. altho i think it’s weird they swapped both bl1 and bl2′s ‘AI’ effect to those dots and then didn’t bring it to BL3. the dots effect felt cleaner. curious why they’re not applying it to bl3 when they went thru all that effort in 1 and 2.

... back up please.

i like that there is a changing icon for long pressing now

“time to check out our slay of the day!” sounds like Tyreen but tbh i legit thought this was moze’s reaction to opening the chest at first lol 

you can hear someone start screaming in agony while she’s walking up the stairs, so i know it’s not moze, but im so used to the VHs talking when they see a new piece of loot my brain just assumed.

also THE MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND IS A REMIX OF BANDIT SLAUGHTER!!! IM SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS I WAS FREAKING OUT THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT

also, claptrap when dropping health yells “this could save your life! then, you’ll owe me a life debt!” bullshit im pretty sure you already decided we owed you a life debt the moment we stepped off that bus

“i see it... the great vault” - a line from a cultist you kill

i know i mentioned in this post that the Great Vault may be already opened, but it could also just be a Vault they’re planning on opening and using the propaganda to convince the cultists to help them find it. 

“if you help us get this vault open, you’ll be handsomely rewarded! you’ll get superpowers! you’ll get regular meals! you’ll get money and guns and dates!” you know, the usual stuff. 

either way, elevating the Vault to a higher state (god/heaven/whatever) makes sense if you’re running a cult.

btw there is a hidden chest in the scaffolding to the left of the door, if you’re interested in grabbing some better guns before shiv. personally, i’ll be using the toy guns.

also the TVs are actually playing propaganda now!!

this one is asking questions that i cant understand due to the sound effects of the chest and claptrap talking, but it says something about “... the dust? ... join the Children of the Vault!”

“hey shiiiiiv all your dumb friends are dead!!”

shiv be like

“all my friends are dead”

some cool level-up art! I notice these are the same pictures as used on the japanese site. i wonder if they change depending on which VH you’ve picked (If you’re playing Amara/Fl4k, do you get pics of Amara and Fl4k? the player is playing moze, afterall).

also also “it’s a KIA on the knife wielding maniac. suuuper dead.” 

it’s cool that the VHs have specific lines for the deaths of bosses. i hope that continues and it’s not just a ‘15 min of intro gameplay’ thing. you know, where everything is super detailed in the beginning and then slowly gets less and less as the game progresses? anyway, moze’s little chuckle is fuckin adorable lol

ah. the door closes now so you can’t even explore Shiv’s room before Lilith shows up. gearbox plS you know me too well, i was looking for a g l i m p s e

claptrap’s voice line for getting released is SUPER off time, he hits the ground before going “you did it! i’m sa-ahhhhhhhh!” it’s weird, wondering if that’s just a glitch.

also also we get a nice listen to the revive ally sound. i could’ve sworn it wasn’t in the first look at this mission we got, because i heard it for the first time during the coop Zane/Amara gameplay on Promethea. i might be wrong, tho.

im very curious what these symbols are claptrap is beaming up

i mean you know what im gonna say

they look eridian

and they do

so wtf clappy why u beaming up eridian letters to Lilith

i assume maybe Tannis gave clappy some weird upgrade or something so he could communicate with the crimson raiders without the CoV listening in? it could be that Tannis or someone is decoding this message since Tannis does know how to translate Eridian (as shown in her bl1 ECHOs)

... or at the very least she gave Lilith a translator

the darkening makes it so that you can see the crackening. also this COULD just be a beam that lilith can see from wherever she is, but i want to believe there’s more eridian stuff. bc eridian stuff is fun.

this is so fu cking crisp im dying i love it

lilith’s tattoos spreading down her fingers

same symbol as her chest tattoo. maybe the symbol denotes new powers? like how lily has one on her chest for phasewalking, and a new one on her hand for teleportation

i love how her wings look like actual fire. i fucking love this

lilith is looking so fucking good in the new engine

im glad they got rid of her super red eyes, tbh it looked a bit weird

i think they are really pushing her fire affinity, im sure we’ll see Maya has an elemental affinity as well (im calling corrosive) and im sure Tyreen will too (slag). Amara looks to be Shock because that’s her ‘default’, but who knows until (if) bl4 comes out. but corrosive wings on maya would look SOOO fucking cool. please. please please please.

god she looks so good compared to bl2. i love how the tattoos softly glow in the dark, too. i gotta play this mission late in the day...

“you’re... the voice in my head, right?” i love this so much, i really hope my shitpost comes true.

lilith gives you a grenade mod for completing her mission! im really glad they are PUSHING through the tutorial/intro so you can get right into the game. bl2′s ‘intro’ of all these tutorials was brutal. especially waiting to unlock your action skill.

in 3 you get your action skill automatically at level 2!!! which is insane, i love it! they’re jumping right into it, it’s great. and they seem to be pushing for you to get all the stuff you need right away. 

it’s curious to note that in bl3 we get our class mods at the end of the Promethea demo (after Gigamind), since in bl2 you get your first (usually?) after the hunting the firehawk mission and both seem to take place immediately after we get to the ‘base of operations’ of the game (Sanctuary vs Sanctuary-III).

yep that quest is 100% in line with the quest marker. 

i imagine From the Ground Up may be discovering where the Vault Map/Key actually is? maybe bringing people to the Recruitment Center (notably Tannis)

for this scene. i hope this takes place after the HBC, because i seriously... can’t imagine the twins showing up, taking the Vault Map, bringing it to the HBC, and then NOT taking Lilith’s powers/trying to kill Lily and accidentally taking her powers. it just doesn’t make sense, Vault Hunters be damned, we are level 2 they could melt us easy peasy. 

If anything, it feels like we COULD find the Vault Map in the Recruitment Center, Tannis tries to activate it/fix it, we find out it’s mega broke, and then the Sun Smashers show up and take it. but i seriously can’t imagine Lilith nor the new VHs allowing that to happen while they’re still there. maybe if Tannis sends us to do something while Lilith is gathering other CR members? then it could make sense if they attack while Tannis is alone with the Key...

OR

we end up finding something in Shiv’s room that shows/helps us realize the Sun Smashers bringing the Vault Map to the Calypsos. tho this would mean the quest From the Ground Up is SUPER short and I imagine it’s not. Maybe we raid a camp of theirs like the one in front of Sanc-III with the bridge/ramp? We need to be about level 6 before we go and we start From the Ground Up at 2 so there’s obviously something DEEP we’re missing here. maybe this is a mission where we go gather the other Crimson Raiders? HMMMMMMMM...

.... oh.

nevermind lmfao

she opens her ECHO immediately after this LOL i feel kinda dumb now

raiding their camp it is! the Droughts sounds like a fun location. Very much like the dust. you guys think there’s a Shade situation going on there? i’m excited to see it. Still think we’re going to use Shiv’s room to get that lead, though. i just really wanna watch tv lmfao. i hope this means the bandits run from the camp to the HBC, or we find info that the bandit warchief sent a party to the HBC with the Vault Map. either way, i just don’t want the twins showing up until after the HBC or i will have so many questions. “why didn’t you kill lilith?” being the first. “the god queen wants her head!” ur goddamn right she does, so why doesn’t she (try to) kill lilith???

85% already?! hot damn

also

that’s one badass description there, Moze

also also

while having gun slots locked is pretty normal, im surprised they’re locking class mods and relics, too! i wonder when we’ll be able to equip relics. maybe when we first go to eden-6 or smth. or maybe after we meet up with Rhys. shit maybe he’s just handing us an artifact (im gonna interchange these a lot, sorry!) in that Promethea video lmfao

“ready to chuck some boom and frag some maniacs” lol moze i love you

if you’re playing Zane... `equips grenade mod for checkmark` `immediately equips second action skill and never actually uses grenade mod`

“it’s the firehawk! the god queen wants her head!” 

like i alluded to before, i would not be surprised if Tyreen doesn’t know she can absorb Siren powers... when she goes to succ lilith in front of Sanctuary-III, it’s totally possible she actually was trying to kill her. That could explain why she looks so intrigued at her hand like “oh shit okay lets see what this can do”

might be why she was okay with sending her cultists after her instead of showing up herself.

“alright, we got a foothold. maybe things are turning our way. come on killer, you’re with me” we are going to explore the SHIT out of shiv’s room.

alright alright alright

let’s move on to the Sanctuary-III stuff

yessss

i love the quest objective thing, it looks like we will be able to swap through our quests with the push of a button! also im curious why exactly we’re going to promethea right away. i wonder if the twins say something about moving there after getting the vault map/lilith’s powers, or if we hear from rhys. im expecting something about the vault map, since our vh will admit they don’t know rhys at all when talking to lorelei. but for some reason we need to be within the city limits? since lily says ellie got us within the city limits. 

hmmmmmm. okay, okay, maybe the map was trying to lead us to promethea for vault reasons during that short amount of time that we had it and it was working. maybe promethea is what we see when tannis is activating the key during that one cutscene? ohhh shit how dope would it be if we got that fucking easter egg message? omg “Children of the Vault. Come to Promethea. We are not on Pandora anymore. Tannis is not what she seems. Do not open the Vaults.” and everyone is like ‘uh did that thing just mention Tannis by name??’ and now it’s REALLY important to get the map back just so we can figure out wtf it’s trying to tell us. 

i will question how ‘Tannis is not what she seems’ would affect character relationships, especially if it’s said so early in the game. so perhaps we only hear the first part of the message. maybe it’s corrupted because it was recently broken. iunno. just playing around with ideas. the canon of this game is like flarp putty until sept. 13th

anyway moving on because this is literally the first f r a m e of the video

i like that you can see pandora’s eridian scar. if the destroyer is speaking through eridium to people, it’s gonna bust outta the side of this planet like you wouldn’t fucking believe lmao. eridium is a window to the soul and if you stare long enough into its glossy, shining sides, the destroyer stares back

that or it’s just like a beacon, slowly spreading its influence across the universe. but i like the idea that the destroyer can waltz out of a big enough hunk of eridium. so it will bust out of pandora’s eridium scar. F in chat for pandora but also lmfao the amount of tentacles and rage would be unparalleled.

reality is that the twins are probably farming this scar for eridium to turn into slag for multiple purposes. like brainwashing their cultists, giving them powers, and ensuring their guns have their manufacturer’s quirk (im getting to this in my next post bc im just gonna compile all the ign gun videos into one big post)

the floor art is different from the actual sanc-iii demo. i mention this first in my behind closed doors panel analysis, but im gonna mention it again because this is ~official~. the floor list on the first walkthru of sanc-iii we got had the names of all the crimson raiders and lines leading to their shops. so we had the infirmary/tannis, marcus, moxxi, etc listed on the floor. i imagine this new sanc-iii will change as we get more people on board or if we do a sort of re-decoration of the ship.

also also, it’s cool to see that we have 4 rooms on the minimap, likely one for each of the VHs (and your coop buddies). ive seen speculation that the other, non-played VHs will hang out in their rooms when you’re not playing them, and tbh i really hope this is the case.

we also know this version of sanctuary-iii is after pandora, so there are no promethea citizens aboard yet. which makes me double certain the first sanc-iii video we got takes place either after endgame (explaining why Lily has her tattoos back) or right after Athenas (explaining why Maya is there). which... i mean... spoilers, guys. 

that’s one good lookin fast travel station, holy shit

im in tears over here because “Caution: no steppy”. this is so fucking funny to me

no steppy on me

okay moving on because i will cry laugh over this for forever im allowed

moze’s room is so much different than amara’s

also i notice she’s on the left of the two on the top, which makes me hope the other 4 are reserved for the other VHs (or your coop buddy).

compared to the official sanc-iii demo video

and amara’s room

moze’s is so barren oh my god

someone get this girl like... a colorful throw pillow or something

baaank. also doubles as the secret stash. kinda upsetting, because that is infinitely less loot i can store when i make a lot of characters. also if i upgrade the bank once, is it upgraded across all my other characters too? or are the guns i put in storage slot 11 locked up until i buy the upgrade?

either way, i am saddened because no more mule characters. and way less space the more characters you make and more gear you find, because all gear you put in here is there across all characters. i hope this means our backpacks will be a lot bigger this time around!

supamax mfg shows up again

ppm/04-02 matches up with the number behind the fast travel station. i wonder if this will come into play. if the number changes later in-game im going to freak the fuck out bc that means wherever we are isn’t actually sanctuary-iii

ppm/04-02. remember that 👀

also, the wall behind the golden chest changed from red to steel/greenish. can’t tell the actual color. same as the floor

you know. that color.

“golden keys are popular. you can get some in-game and also get them online”

in-game you say??? im interested! i wonder if there will be some sort of arena (like moxxi’s) where if you complete it you get a key as a reward. i saw people speculating about some sort of randomized boss rush, that could definitely be a way to get gold keys, as well.

oooo engine room! im excited to explore here.

original size is 16. so, we have 40 backpack slots! still... you know... only 1 above the max of bl2, but hey. at least that’s an upgrade. as small as it may be

on the bright side: bank upgrades increase capacity by 5. with a base of 10, and 8 upgrades, we have 50 slots to fill. which is a big leap from the original 24. it is still a shame we have to share these across characters, tho

offline cultist stream? makes me think the CoV really was trying to steal/take over sanc-iii from the crimson raiders and we went to go take it (back?) in Taking Flight. either the CoV found/ordered Sanc-III, or the crimson raiders were building it/fixing it up, their stronghold got taken over, and the CoV were prepping it for takeover.

the shooting range. and if you notice that little CoV symbol in the bottom left there? yeah pretty much backs up my previous theory

all those red bits are tied to ellie’s crew challenge. so we’ll be collecting things for her!

an altar for scooter 😢

“we’re gonna get those cultism sumbitches, believe you me”

where you get yeeted out of Sanc-III. im definitely going to try jumping in it to see if it kills me. doesn’t look like the drop pods are available yet

that’s not clappy, pretty sure he’s hanging out on the bridge right now

schematics for veronica

the thing i was most excited about in this video!

loooots of customizations! which excites me because i know eridium used to get useless late game when you’ve grinded all the raid bosses. it looks like eridum is going to be in ultra high demand. but u can bet ur ass im gonna be unlocking all those fucking customizations asap.

veteran rewards is also super super interesting

hgggggg i wanna know what the shields do!!! 

i like the vault symbol at the top of the item card as well, shows you its a special type of weapon/item. im honestly surprised we’re able to buy ‘veteran rewards’ so early in the game? i mean obvi we won’t have enough eridium (look at the costs!) but it’s wild it’s even accessible. im personally a fan of the first bonus ‘anointed: gain life steal on action skill end’

looks like these guns have been chosen

to give them those special bonuses

i do see that just anointed is not class specific, but the ones that say anointed gunner or maybe anointed siren will be (confirmed by the devs in video).

you pay with eridium, so maybe the vending machine has some way to confer the power of eridium to the guns. or some shit. iunno. it’s possible this won’t be available until the end of the game, hence veteran rewards, and is only being shown to us right now since this is a showcasing video.

pandoran civilian. no promethea civilians today folks! i am CONVINCED that the old sanc-iii demo takes place after the end of the game. at least after athenas.

it’s weird seeing moxxi hanging outside her bar.

is also cool to know that the 4 slot machines are actually available. seems like npcs can play them, but we can use all 4 if we want to. which is really nice

the one on the far left is called the ‘loot boxxer’ and it gives mostly guns lol. i see they are taking jabs. good for them

better pic of the leftmost machines

Zer0 seems to have a bounty board? not sure if this is like a physical bounty board or if they will contact you when they want something dead, but it is cool to note. this isn’t shown in video, just the devs speaking about it.

similarly hammerlock has ‘big game hunts’ where you find “rare, challenging creatures” and kill them for him

apparently we’ll be killing something known as a manvark

this book

i fucking recognize this book

HAMMERLOCK NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

in all seriousness tho

hammerlock probably isn’t in his room because we haven’t rescued him from eden-6 yet.

a cool thing about the crew challenges: as you progress through the game and do these challenges, sanc-iii will ‘grow and change to reflect the things you’ve accomplished’. altho another dev says “sometimes these are optional things, like challenges” 

so now im like oh shit we’re gonna change sanc-iii as we play the game. i wonder if that means we’ll be changing the hull, too. because you know. the blue paint job. we gotta go STEALTH. sneaky beaky into the calypsos fleety

tannis doesn’t have the saurian on her table. also, interesting note, she DOES have the eridian log in the corner. meaning she must have had that before eden-6. interesting... maybe we’ll find more on Pandora.

she is still covered in blood tho. idk i don’t have an explanation for that. don’t think i want to think of one, to be quite honest.

oh no. (those are skulls next to all the gurneys)

“tannis plays a much bigger role in bl3 than she has in past games”. bigger than borderlands 1? that is... impressive. she’ll be running the health vending machines (which is weird bc i could’ve sworn in the promethea demo, zed was still running them... hm.)

another angle of sanc-iii

clappy? you good there?

the devs said they’re using him to plug a hole. i assume the calypsos shot at the ship as we’re leaving or smth.

lily with no tattoos, who also looks significantly more pissed than her other sanc-iii demo counterpart

you know. because she got her tattoos.

also

fucking

lilith says something right here. all i can make out is “Tyreen took my powers. it’s like tannis said. ..... [inaudible] Siren.” maybe some weird word i haven’t heard before? i swear she’s saying ‘like tannis said: a ‘m...’ Siren” but i am not 100% sure. if someone could help me out, that’d be rad.

so its sounding like lilith rushed in with explicit warning from tannis about tyreen stealing her powers, and tannis knew tyreen was some sort of Siren and warned lily, but lily didn’t listen. it could also be that lily is saying something like “im not a siren” but i can’t really hear it if she is. it sounds like she saying a word that starts with m to me. if someone could help me with this i’d owe you my life

whew. i am. fucking TIRED.

im gonna sleep for like 3 hours and then wake up and make food before the fl4k streams start.

#borderlands #bl3 #borderlands 3

[austennerdita2533]

A/N: Okay, so. I couldn't stop thinking about time and how it could affect how Klaus and Caroline would relate to both themselves and each other prior to/after his near-death in 5x13. (Near-death because I reject canon in all forms. Self-care at its finest!) And this is what came out. (Post-TO Finale AU + Light angst + Fluff)

**Disclaimer: The first half of this is literary in nature. It’s written in a more removed POV, and while I usually save that kind of experimentation for my original writing, that's what wanted to come out. I also couldn’t seem to shut OFF the poeticism. So I went with it.**

GOD HELP US ALL BECAUSE THIS IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN I WANTED IT TO BE BUT I’M OVER IT. 

Kudos to anyone who can guess which famous work/author I punned for my title, btw! Happy reading!

(A03) (FF.net)

xx Ashlee Bree

For When The Clock Chimes

The hands of time continued to turn because they could, because they brokered no resistance from anything in physics or grimoire magic. At least not to anyone’s knowledge.

It’s how they functioned. They existed to move, to tock away in subsequence. Their only purpose was to track the moments that the rest of the world took for granted or disregarded completely.

And so many people did: squandering each one with the flutter of an eyelash, or an exhale of the lungs that wouldn’t keep, couldn’t stay, their voices rubbing against the edge of a thought before they let the words fade into letters the mouth couldn’t spell or name out loud because it was too soon, too late, not right or so wrong. The look on someone’s face making a person swallow them all back down where they didn’t belong, and never could since the stomach refused to digest omissive lies in any shape, any form. They’d spurn back up to the surface with a rough lurch so it hurt. Scraping at silence until it stung. They’d burn the esophagus into disrepair the whole way like a warning that wouldn’t ground down or away. “Admit it or else, admit it or else.” Screaming bile into blisters because the truth shouldn’t cower in corners forever, and it wouldn’t. It’d always crawl back out because time waited for nothing. And no one.

Time wouldn’t wait for decisions to be made or listen to a voice as it begged “slow down, slow down; please, please, please won’t you slow down.” Wonderful things fluttered past in the same cadence as the awful, the sad, the loving, the wrenching, or as the missed opportunities which were impossible to reel backwards for someone who’d let them skip past like rocks already.

People probably always would overlook these moments. Waste them, too. So few of them wanted to hear how many more ticks they had left before the quality of everything in their lives diminished, or worse, ended altogether. Killing the future in ways that couldn’t be resurrected.

After all, who could bear to tally all the seconds as they fell? As they died?

Why would anyone want to capture the Before? Catching it, wrestling it into trapped silence with thumbs, knees blackening and blueing from too much squirming on top of it merely to preserve the faint sputters of oxygen it expended. As if such a thing could be rewound or duplicated so that Before’s clockwork stores were always full of hours one could revisit with a blank slate, a new page, yet would never need to be scribbled through with chipping chalk or passed by with a feeling of what could’ve been instead.

Only, that’s not how it worked. The past could not be rewritten. It could not be recalculated for a redo, either.

Why would anyone try to cling to this dream when the dust from the After was bound to choke a person with its grittiness again and again regardless of the promises it’d made to keep the throat clear and dry? Free of regret. Unspoiled by grief. Untainted by all those nasty ‘if’s’ that tasted like tarred feathers on the tongue.

Who would care to listen to each beautifully fleeting moment as it gusted away like a dandelion wish on the end of a swollen green stem? Who wanted the pleasure, the pain of cataloguing them?

How long before each second started to sound less like a soprano note in the fabric of infinity and more like static burnt deep into eardrums? Krshhhing with the noise that all middles made as they neared their endings.

When was it wrong to count the stones of time like precious particles no one wanted to throw away? When was it right to grasp them tight, not letting go? Not giving up. Never, never surrendering to bruises or the fight for more un-lived life.

What happened if someone didn’t? Wouldn’t. If one refused to pay out time in elapsing dividends because it was unfair, because the future currency one was already contracted was about to be stolen from out of pockets before it could be spent.

What happened, for instance, to a girl with a woefully devoted, often under appreciated heart which had been taken, broken, or disappointed one too many times to be able to forget how it felt to be denied - what ruin it wrought inside of her when something or someone left her alone again or far behind in a place where she couldn’t follow so that she was the only one who was missing out on everything she wanted? Everything she almost got, almost loved, but might not receive.

What did it mean when she clung to each peal over her head because a part of her was terrified this was the last bell of extraordinary she was meant to hear? To want. To almost reach out and touch. To nearly have it in the palm of her hands, obscured, but lost in a way that was about to be found. Making her feel strong and certain in herself at last - in them, too - her heart open, adrenalized, embracive of the teethy edges which were to chomp through one of her deepest chambers soon, not long from now. Marking her with a brand of unapologetic readiness, of confidence she owed to the creature she was today.

This girl didn’t need extraordinary on her own - not all on her own - but she desired it with this man here before her. She knew that without a doubt now. Just as he was set to disappear.

The only problem was this: she wanted him out there somewhere still living. Still existing like the constant he was, or came to be over these uncountable years. She needed him to stay a fragment of light that’d never fade, that’d never fall from its spot in the sky so she could see it always - with her eyes closed, soul stretched through every shadow or curve of darkness - so she could chase it with feet one day knowing he’d be there waiting for her on the other side.

It was imperative that his coming seconds continued to stretch. Bend. Twist. Multiply. Endure.

But what happened if the hands of time stopped revolving because they intended to sweep the constant of him away for good? How did she feel to know it was nearly over between them? The end? Their last moment? This goodbye becoming the most rotten she’d ever tasted on dry lips since they still thirsted for the hope of another kiss.

It might be the end of every possibility…

The dropping curtain….

The final eclipse…

The threads of a vanishing eternity plunging into a hole that would fray its edges like the snap of a coffin lid…

So what became of her? Of him? Of them and this nearly-something which never came fully to fruition?

What next? What happened after the clock froze with a loud ding to assault their ears, catching their hearts off guard when it resounded out loud into the night with one last chime? Because if they couldn’t reverse the ding above their heads at midnight, if this fate was impossible to prevent, then how come those clock hands halted like lungs holding in a breath before a sigh?

Pssst, let me let you in on a little secret:

Out of time is not where their story ended.

It’s where it stopped—

then started all over again.

Caroline loved to cycle through the city. Preferred it, really. Given the option, she always chose a spontaneous ride over an aimless or idle stroll through the streets when a wandering mood struck her, as one often did. Restlessness dug into her as deeply as fangs anymore; or had, more specifically, for the past three decades or so.

“You’ll hear no complaints from me over it. Wanderlust leads where it wants, where it must,” her companion often said before they kicked off from the curb near their home. “I’ve embraced it myself many times over the years, to be sure, so I have no qualms about following wherever it is it drives you next.”

“Good,” she’d nod, releasing the kickstand. “It’s comforting to know you intend to try and keep up for once, Lance Armstrong. Instead of, you know, tailgating my backside a few tire revolutions away. Like a creep.”

“What can I say? I’m fond of a good chase, especially one with as lovely a view as you.”

“You always were, weren’t you? Fond of chasing me, I mean,” she’d reply with an arched smile, the words soon blurring into an echoed look-back over her shoulder.

“And I will continue to be,” would come the un-ironic answer from somewhere close behind, “thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me, Bonnie, and a few Japanese grimoire spells, you mean,” Caroline would correct in that chirpy, heart-of-the-matter way of hers.

“Certainly. Whatever you say.”

Then off they’d jet together without another word: no particular direction or destination in mind.

As it was, kinetic motion made Caroline more comfortable with her place in the world seeing as how she could travel anywhere inside of it. And she longed to see everything now -  every town, city, country, continent; each day or night; the kinds of things nobody could dare to forget when one fought to remain aware. Alive.

She yearned to be everywhere and nowhere all at once these days, and cycling, she was. It’s why she loved it so much.

There was something about the feel of pedals flat against her soles, the bikey breeze cooling her skin before it blew tendrils loose onto the nape of her neck, the wheels beneath her spinning, screeching smoothly with speed as they weaved along windy, bus-trafficked roads or twiggy park pathways to gain that rush of adrenaline that clattered her teeth with joy. With freedom. Or maybe it was the way in which her butt bumped up and down on the triangular seat while a midsummer dusk descended with a multilingual hush over boats, which were docked bow-to-stern in the stilled green canals to her left, the day’s end cresting beyond the architectural diadem of the Tower Bridge as she continued her odyssey, then later, peaking atop the hedged copses and lush treetops in St. James’s Park to illuminate a family of ducklings as they paddled through the golden ripples. Or maybe it was how the moonlight reflected off rows of bricked homes in the borough of Bermondsey as her tires crunched gravel and debris to dust without slowing. It was in how everything whizzed by her in an indecipherable rush of buildings, cathedrals, faces, vibrated conversation, smogged tedium and bustle. Alerting her to the blended chaos of it all. Her ears buzzing with the familiar novelty of progression, of diversified populace and soon-to-be-digitized antiquity.

Caroline was hastened forward through the city, through a still-untapped eternity, by wonder. Diversion. Exploration. Temptation. Love. Each second tickling the hair in her nostrils as it passed before, then behind her.

The moving world around her became an anomalous combination of fast and slow, and the dichotomy thrilled her. It was something she could race alongside or immerse herself in by grasping the handlebar breaks - hopping off her bike with a swing of her leg to trot into a shop, a pub, an outdoor theater; dawdling along the choppy waves of the Thames with this man’s arm wrapped around her waist like it belonged there (and who’s to say it didn’t?) - but also something which she’d never be able to catch fully no matter how hard she tried. And Caroline was okay with that. She didn’t mind.

The truth was she relished a camaraderie with the world no one else besides the man next to her sensed, or understood, so it gave her the luxury to simply be. Feel. To open herself up to the unvaried rhythm of time as it carried them around every bend in this labryinth’d metropolis. Allowing her to bask in London’s steady changeability wherever she rode.

Caroline adored the taste of life rolling by her as her legs rounded harder, faster. Muscles burning with exertion. Slickened with sweat beneath her jeans, taut against her hamstrings.

She inhaled with eyes closed, breathing it all in without stopping: all the honking cars and laughter, the alcohol mixed with blood many tourists smelled of as they paused by some monument to snap a few Instagram photos, the clink of the Tube rails, applause within the Globe Theater, multicultural cuisine, fresh cheeses huddled within market stalls for selling, couples of all ages, pints of beer drunk in crowded avenues, the lift of a cyclist’s arm as she signaled to turn right, a full moon tacked to a twilight sky, music, tea and crumpets, a gentleman’s eye lingering on her legs too long to be accidental, the pruned sidewalk trees. Most of all, though, she reveled in Klaus’s easy proximity. His pride and contentment to be here, to be with her still (even if that meant flanking her rear sometimes), was more tangible than the kiss he left on her mouth at the last stoplight in Parliament Sqaure.

“How do you do that?” she said as they waited at the intersection with their foreheads still pressed together.

“Do what, love?” he asked.

“Make me want each new moment we share together to last forever.”

“My kisses are that potent? How lovely. I didn’t realize,” Klaus smirked.

Caroline shoved against his chest playfully, “Cut it out, I’m serious!”

“Say it again then.”

“No.”

“Come on, say it. Say it…please?”

Shaking her head, “You’re such a glutton for flattery, you know that? It’s exhausting. Seriously,” Caroline teased.

“Ah, but only when it comes from you, sweetheart. No one else. And just so we’re clear—” Reaching out with his hand to stroke her cheek then, his expression liquified, his irises gleaming with an affectionate blue blaze she’d come to recognize as hers, and hers alone. Klaus’s voice was deep, so much barer in emotion than he ordinarily liked to betray, “I’d gladly surrender it all to live in one such a moment of forever with you. I could pick but one, were it required. However, I‘m greedy so only if forced,” he added with a languid stroke down her spine.

“As could I, no doubt,” she smiled softly in answer, her lips poised near his ear and her fingers tangled in the necklaces at his throat. “Still, I’m glad we don’t need to choose.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Limitations suck, o’hybrid of mine. They leave us feeling stunted and starving to surpass them.”

“True, too true…”

“Plus, I’d rather have all of time ahead and behind us like we do now,” she said just as the cycle light changed to GO. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Truth be told, love, I just want us. This. You.” With a thumb hooked through one of her belt loops, Klaus shrugged while Caroline listened, “To hell with all the rest,” he said.

“And you’ll have me, okay? You absolutely will. I know it.”

“How?”

“Because we happen to have forever, you and I. We won back time, we got a second chance to sample everything the world still has to offer,” Caroline said with meaning before she leaned in to kiss him. “And there’s nobody dead or alive I’d rather spend it with…than you.”

After drawing away from his mouth then and settling herself onto her bike once more with a turn of the pedals, Caroline giggled because Big Ben cut in with its midnight song from Elizabeth Tower right as they disappeared back into the London night in unison, the clock hands illuminated almost in omen, or like a reminder gilded in moments that rang out with the words don’t waste me, don’t waste me. Which they didn’t, and never could again.

In fact, if the chimes of the near-death past had taught these two lovers anything, it was that they needed to chase and cherish every year, day, hour, minute, and second of eternity they were gifted because it wasn’t a given in this life no matter how “unkillable” or White-Oak-stake-prone one pertained to be. So chase and cherish is what Klaus and Caroline did. It’s how they chose to spend their passionate, nomadic existence for however long it coiled forward into the future. They loved it minute-by-minute, chime-after-chime…

Together.

#klaroline #klaroline drabbles #klaroline fanfiction #half agony half hope #ashlee bree's writing endeavors #i've been stewing in-hate with this #for a week-and-a-half #because there should be more to this #more places; more dialogue #more examination of where they are or where they've been in the interim #how they've grown together and when #but the ambiguity isn't necessarily a bad thing #plus i couldn't bear to edit it any longer #so i *sings: let it go; let it goooo*

[katzenflocken]

LA Times

I went to a Halloween party in October and I wrote down my experience in my phone.

A month or so ago I had made the decision that I wanted to attend a Halloween event and ultimately I decided on scream in Edmonton. I had bought the pre-sale ticket without actually knowing who was playing since there was no lineup details but this didn't concern me because I just wanted to go have fun and listen to some jams with cool people. I had calculated the cost of bus and hotel and came up to roughly 700 for a comfortable trip with all the best food/mixed drinks at the show. I had already had my own party favors so this was one of the reasons why I wanted to keep it local in Alberta. But then the lineup got released and I only seen one artist that was potentially going to be "okay" after listening to their SoundCloud. I was feeling very on the fence and on top of that, the party only went until 2am which was making it real hard to justify a long boring ass bus ride for a short night of mostly lame edm music. (No offense to the edm enthusiasts out there)

After some Olympic tier mental gymnastics of being so sure I wanted to go to Scream, I got curious and went to the handy dandy Resident Advisor and looked at shows in Alberta then Vancouver, even Toronto. I didn't see any events I was interested in and I left it at that. Then I got the brilliant and brave idea to possibly venture outside our borders, and a few clicks later I stumbled upon louisahhh's upcoming events and noticed she was playing a show along with boys noize and tbh, it was a no brainer. I had to make this happen. After a few calculations, it was literally going to cost the same as going to Edmonton (600 cdn) but with more spending money required in American. So naturally it was 💯 percent the logical choice. The event was called Minimal Effort which was an all techno show with 4 stages. Like holy shit! This event was most definitely calling my name.

I had told family and a few friends and some them ask me why? I've already vacationed once or twice this year so why a third time? I really don't know why, there is no reason. I just like doing these things. It is true that given the current situation, I better to avoid these such things. but the idea of letting someone's words prevent me from doing something so fun and exciting yet so doable drives me mad. In fact this very idea is what makes it so evident that I am in control of my life. I create the reality I live in and why should I let others shape it for me with manipulating opinions. I would argue I am not living to die, I am dying to live. Personally I don't think it's very odd or strange to do exactly what you put your mind to, so it is in such a context that I wanted to make this trip. I hope people see what I do and feel encouraged or empowered. If I can do it you can too. But everyone isnt me and is open to their own opinion.

So my passport is lightly damaged, a few months after I got it I washed it lol whoops. I've been using it since without incident and it expires pretty quick in early 2019 so I felt confident I will make it on the plane and I did! I flew air Canada btw and their service was very meh. There was also some meean turbulence, other than that it was boring. Planes suck ass and I can't sleep on them. I had bought a roaming plan so I can text and use Google maps like a real Traveller. This was the best decision of the whole trip actually, so get ur phones working guys!

Upon landing I was very nervous because I literally didn't want to pay a lot of money to get downtown where my hostel was. But I asked this Tony hawk looking guy he gave me the rundown and to take the skyaway bus which was like 9 dollars. Hella life saver! I got downtown and got Subway spicy chicken wrap at Union station. Now I taxi'd to my hostel... It was near or in the ghetto. When the man dropped me off it was dark and these yuuuge dogs were jumping at me from the other side of the fence, confirming my suspicion that this is in fact the ghetto. I find the property next door and these dudes are smoking outside, I got their attention and they said to go upstairs and talk to "Champaign". In my head I instantly thought a black drug dealer... But then I was greeted by a slim easy going japanese dude with a samurai ponytail who spoke poor English but still had a friendly vibe. Turns out he is the cook/caretaker. I came on the night they had a dinner party that they hold once a month. Pay 10 dollars and you can eat the food that he was cooking. Champaign cooked for a army and I felt like an asshole because I literally came with a belly full of Subway. I had a few snacks and met the other Traveller's/Tennant's that were residing here. In that exact moment I felt like this is exactly where I needed to be. I was not alone and I was amongst other human beings like myself and we were all brought together by an unknown force all so Champaign can go to bed we knowing no one went to bed hungry. I actually passed out after midnight. Kinda lame but tbh I was wiped out from that hectic almost frantic trip to this hostel. The toppest compliment I give to any hotel/hostel is that this place had the best mattress, apparently they were italian (I asked lol).

Saturday (party day). My goal in the afternoon was to adventure and have a decent meal but it was getting off to a slow start due to me not figuring out where I wanted to go. I was recommended business district and looked up reviews but it was all meh. I want that yummy and probably unhealthy local food locations. The guy also said to take an Uber. Which I was like uhhhhhh iduno man... Maybe. Then as I was just getting ready to leave, this korean guy named Sam asked where I was going and he said "you should check out Korea Town, it's dope!!" And I looked up places and he said "no go here!" And I was like okay. Then he said he'll come with me and show me around after he finishes the laundry. Like a good lad I waited and in between he looked at me and whispered "hey do you do... Stuff" and there are a lot of implications there lol so I had to ask like what? And he pulled a little baggie and my reply was "yeah I like stuff" then did it and the kid lit up like a Christmas tree. He was mad hype folding the towels and then him and Champaign blazed downstairs.

One of the most fascinating yet mundane happenings was that I installed Uber on my phone. While those guys were blasting off I went ahead and gave the Uber a good historic first whirl. Little did I know my life was about to change in that exact moment. In 2 minutes after selecting where I wanted to go the driver was there. Holy shit! The cool part was that I only paid 8 dollars to go to the opposite side of the downtown. I wish I can expand on what I did, but tbh all we did was just walk and talk. It was great because it made me feel more immersed in to the city. Kind of like you had to be there type of experience. Then it was food time, he pointed out a Korean joint and I got a meal and he didn't order anything and then like 10 sides came and then 6 more little plates for the main dish. I told Sam he can have some because this is absurd. As we were eating, I slowly gazed around the place and everyone was just a little bit chubby. Sam told me Koreans don't waste their shit and eat as much as possible... Plus it's America lol. After eating like an animal and totally ruining my white shirt we went to get smokes and the line at 711 was almost way too long. Sam pointed out that everyone was powerballin' it... Then upon paying for the smokes and soda I said "one Powerball please". I had caved in and joined the race. We took an Uber back and the driver was a Mexican mom. She was cute in a grandma kind of way and we talked about there should be a "good news" radio because it's so scary listening to the radio. We laughed and laughed some more while Sam had fell into a Korean BBQ coma.

We get back to the hostel, Sam goes back to work and I have about an hour to get ready/nap before the party. Sam asked if I needed party favors and I took him up on his offer, because I hate asking at parties because it's so sketchy. At this point of the trip I realized everything is going 110% right. Sometimes I feel like I am just lucky because I always find myself in surprising situations and that now it's almost normal to me. My body and mind was totes ready to party, then I almost forget... I have stickers!!! I always have some in my bag and I grabbed at least 50 of them. People always love that shit, plus it makes everything more fun by adding another layer to the party... Lol get it? Layer?!? Aaanyways the one girl showed me how to work the door lock, basically it's an app that registers my phone to the deadbolt... What a game changer! Technology huh?! What a cool place! Then the Uber came and took like 4 dollars to get there, I think I can get used to this LA lifestyle if I ever had the chance. The dude dropped me off and I was proper nervous, made sure to hide my shit good and have my ID, ticket and game face ready because there was like 8 security in front... Also I am a pretty nervous person in general, I may seem cool and collected on the outside but on the inside I am a scared little shaking Chihuahua barking internally.

So I finally made it! All my hard work payed off! The weird thing was the guy didn't even look at my ticket, just my ID. Any Yahoo off the street could have walked in. Butt fuck it, I am here and that's all that matters. Imediately I get a beer... 8 dollars. The shit I put up with tbh, the price I pay for fun is worth it but my goodness is it painful. I wander around the theatre and it is nicely large and open. Not hot!! Can you believe that? The other stages weren't bad, too much to take it all in tbh. I settled at the main stage which was the first one you sent me when you walk in. The first artist playing was a chick, she played some good jam actually so I quite enjoyed her set. The only thing that led me to believe she doesn't actually make music and only is a DJ, was that every track she played I knew. Which is expected from shows like this but she didn't play anything "original", it's not a bad thing but if I was to critique her I'd be disappointed because I am the type of person to be wowed and I like to seek new material. I went for a smoke and met this couple dressed and Vegeta and Bulma, hella rad. They were cool, totally forget their names tho. Met this Mexican dude too who was a little short had crazy contact lenses and had a friendly chat. he was rolling which was cool because I wish I was, I even asked him but he was fresh out. The party started picking up too and louisahhh's set was about to play and I am 3 beers deep so I gotta step up my game. And guess what!? It's Modelo time homie!! Met a dude in a headdress and took a pic with him to piss off other people who are against that bullshit, as long as they are respectful about it I think it's awesome... so @ those who are trying to be offended on purpose, fuck you. Went to the bathroom and dropped my Modelo and the worker watched me do it and didn't say anything and swept it up. I went back to get another normal beer because the Modelo was 9 dollars. They mind as well get the lube ready because they are already fucking me dry. I had run out of party favors at this point because I only had a little but that's not why I am here so I accept that fact and I am just glad to be here. The dancefloor was sticky but as more spills happened it was less annoying and more people came, it made it more bearable lol if that makes sense. The sound was definitely worse at the front of the stage so I found that sweet spot 15 feet back in the zone where the speakers were pointed. 7/10 audio, it's no pk system but hey I don't mind too much! Louisahhh was stepping in and she had a super neat outfit going kind of future/madmax like. Her hair was excellent if I might add. I've always wanted to catch her set but never had the chance until now. I could say it was what I expected, which was basically the same set I've heard her play on other sets I heard from her. It's not a negative but mental gymnastics aside she could have spiced it up some more by playing new shit, like I said. I am just glad to be there.

After louisahhh played her set Boys Noize had stepped in and he opened up with that one song he always does lately lol I forget the name but let me tell you, my body was ready! The "wares" I had bought off Sam at the hostel were already used up but I didn't need any, my body was tingling from the energy in the room. I met the maddest group of lads in the crowd and I gave them a handful of stickers to help me distribute. They loved it! I was also doing "rogue" work by slapping stickers on people without them knowing. The funniest ones were the Dealer and Wasted stickers. The lazers and lights in this place were magnificent. Production was nearly top notch 7.8/10. it's a theatre but they used it as well as they could. I want to describe this experience more but going to a party is the purest chaos you can experience. It almost can't be explained, only witnessed. I honestly love being social at these events. In real life I can be very shy or unwilling to exchange or talk with others. It pains me really, I just love people and I want to make genuine friends but I feel so reluctant to meet new faces because I don't really click that well with others. I know that I am unique and sometimes strange, I am sometimes don't give a fuck but I tend to be antisocial because of paranoia that other people won't like me when they get to know the real me. When I attend rave parties, I tend to feel more free and open because I know the people in attendance are also there for the same reason I am. Obviously this may or may not be a healthy life style but it is very fulfilling in a very emotional way. I may not have that many real life friends but when on the dancefloor everyone is my friends lol that sounds like the gayest shit ever but it's true. Anyways party is still bumping and it's 6 am and I am wiped out, boys Noize played some of the best tracks I heard at awakenings I noticed. Kind of the same shit really. But it was LA so more mainstream crowd. I leave the club and it was so fucking foggy outside, like a horror movie. 2spooky4me. I hit up Uber like 4 blocks away because it was just too crazy in the front of the theatre. I got this younger driver about my age and we talked about McDonald's lol she was fun then I get back to the hostel hungry as fuck. Eated bread and smonked some herb and hit the hay.

Next morning I hung out in the common area. Watched friends and watched Champagne die from smoking weed lol he was my favorite. Cool hostel tbh very home like. I had few hours to myself before my flight so I decided I wanted to go to little Tokyo. I had to say goodbye to the hostel, the guys downstairs gave me a donut lol and I got into the Uber. The guy talked about the dodgers game like I actually give a heck about sports. He dropped me off at the entrance of Little Tokyo. This was actually the most wholesome part of my trip. The first sight of the Japanese style outside mall was kind of exhilarating because LA is mostly just the same everywhere. The buildings and decorations were very refreshing and it was a feast for the eyes. Such beauty. As I continue to explore the small but busy space I feel this feeling of wonder and excitement, it made me feel less hungover if I am being honest. The world I was seeing in that moment was powerfully moving and rich with happiness. I wanted to stay forever. In the centre there was an open space where an older Asian man in a scooter and an array of instrument s in front of him. He had a little sampler Casio and hi hats and maracas. It was like a scene out of the movies where you see those cute moments because he was playing to this couple from China that were standing in front of him and you can hear them talking to the Man in between singing lol, they gave him money to play that song from toy story "skies of blue" or whatever it's called and then at the end he pulled out the maracas and hit them on the cymbals with style. I filmed a little bit of it actually. I ended up eating sushi and chicken katsu outside on the deck and just enjoyed the experience. Alone. Fucking sad actually that I couldn't share my emotion with someone else but I really enjoyed the place. I shop in the anime store and gift shop, got a few things for friends and family then had to rush to the airport. I got to Union station and shuttle to the airport right on time. Slightly early since the flight changed to a later time. I walked around and had some beer and wings then got on the plane. Nice cozy airport experience. My dad picked me up and he was working in siksika that week so I slept in his trailer. It was cold as shit and I was late for work the next day like nothing ever happened lol. Just a quick weekend trip, no big deal. Travelling is so so so much fun, I want others to read or see my adventures and feel somewhat inspired to take more risks and go on their own adventures. Its good to open your eyes and free yourself of your surroundings, especially on the reserve. There's a world out there and there's more to life than the bullshit drama that happens here. I look at the world in wonder and amazement, I know it's a sick and sometimes dangerous place but I make it my world by appreciating it for what it is. Everything is kind of all right. Sometimes I wish I didn't exist but I don't want to die either, doing these things remind me that life can be great so I hope I don't come off braggy or I am acting "too good". I make minimum wage yet I still do all this cool stuff. It's not hard to do, just literally set your mind go and do it . I chase my dreams while others think "what if" lol but yeah do more fun shit guys!!!!

#travel #los angeles #america #little tokyo #boys noize #louisah #airport #journal #adventures #rave #party #friends #strangers #bread

[goatessb]

Farewell Trip #4. Iksan, Jeolla Bukdo/익산, 전라북도. May 7-9, 2021. Part 1 (out of 3)

A city steeped in ancient Baekje Kingdom history.

For the video diary of the trip, click here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMQLWpdVHgQ

It seems I’ve started covering Jeolla cities even if it hadn’t been my intention. After the Jeonju and Gunsan trips, I spent two days in Iksan, May 7th -9th. I’ll cover all the basics and then some more: how I got there, where I stayed, what I visited, what I ate and drank, what I liked and possibly disliked. But before all of that, a brief introduction of Iksan…

Iksan’s history dates back to the kingdom of Baekje, one of the three ancient Korean kingdoms, the other two being Kogoryo and Silla. The two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Mireuksaji Temple Site and Pagoda and Wangnungri Temple site and the Five-story pagoda are from this period. The city is rich in many historical sites that are, sadly, not well-preserved and one has to rely on imagination and digital representations of what it all may have looked like. Still… we enjoyed roaming these atmospheric places, in spite of the suffocating air pollution and yellow dust.

History that'd rather be forgotten...

Iksan is not only famous for its glorious Baekje past but also quite infamous for the misfortunes that fell on the city and the area. One of them was the explosion of a freight train carrying 40 tons of dynamite, in 1977. It was of such magnitude that it created a crater 10m deep and 30m wide, 59 people died, 185 seriously injured, over 1300 suffered some degree of injury, 9500 buildings were damaged leaving 10,000 people homeless. The government officials’ heads were rolling… The really odd thing is that there exists not a single commemorative sign of this ever happening. Should only ‘good’ history be recorded, then? Another horrible thing that happened here is the culling of over 400,000 chickens, ducks and geese in 2006 due to the rampant bird flu in the region.

Now that you're properly covered in goose bumps, let me tell you about the trip itself.

The entrance to the Headquarters of Korean Won Buddhism, an offshoot of Zen Buddhism. 

I took the KTX and arrived at Iksan station at around 10:00 a.m. (Btw, on the way back, it being the parents’ day weekend, all the trains had been fully booked so I resorted to a bus that was very comfy but the ride was very long. The usual 2,5 hours turned into 5,5. Urgh!)

I travel mostly alone, and I must admit I like it that way, but every once in a while it’s a treat to travel with someone and be able to share impressions and, more than that, meals, a cuppa or a drink. This time I travelled with a Saffer friend I had met in Sokcho last year. What’s with me and South Africans? Most of my closest friends are from there! She had booked two rooms for us at a motel called Sopung, an okay place for the price excepting the yellowish not-too-fresh smelling bedsheets and extra thin walls that one night allowed me to hear the sounds of a very brief yet very loud copulating exercise  next door followed by very loud AND very long-lasting snoring.

WHAT'S RECOMMENDED TO BE SEEN IN IKSAN...

The more I travel, the more I wonder how on earth people had travelled before the dawn of the Internet and more recently, online maps. Having done a lot of reading about the area and using Katalk maps while there, I felt almost like a local. In most cases I knew exactly what I wanted to see and how to get there. Maybe not everyone’s preferred way of travelling, but I usually like to be well informed allowing myself to swerve off the planned path and get lost in the new and unexplored. There are many attractions in Iksan but they are so spread out that having a car to drive around would have been wonderful.

 The lack of time is to blame for not having made it to the old Catholic church, Nabawi Seongdang/ 나바위 성당  with its uncharacteristic mix of western and eastern architecture and an equally interesting protestant Church, Dudong Kyohwae/ 두동교회, interesting because even today it seats men and women separately following the old Confucian rule of gender separation. Perhaps a reason to visit Iksan again…

Still, there were plenty of places that I got to see: the headquarters and the research center of Korean Won Buddhism / 원불교중앙총부 and the Wonkwang University campus /원광대��교, the Mireuksaji Temple Site and the Mireuksaji Pagoda / 미륵사지 석탑 and the adjoining National Museum/국림익산 박물관, the Wangnugri Ruins with the Five-story pagoda / 왕궁리유적 과 왕궁리 오층석탑, The Jewelry Museum / 보석발묵관, Gosrak / 고스락 with its thousands of kimchi and soy bean paste pots, and the Prison Filming site /교도소 세트장. I also had planned to visit a charming looking Instagram darling  왕궁리다원 / Wangnungri Dawon, a teahouse situated in a 150yr old hanok. I made it there walking for 30 minutes in sweltering heat, humidity and bad air along a very busy road only to find it closed in spite of Google stating that it was open. Urgh! Never trust anything you read on the Internet - exept my blog, of course. So, let’s go to... 

...THE HEADQUARTERS OF WON BUDDHISM /  원불교중앙총부

A very North Korean, socialist look... no? 

Above:  a Won Buddhist surrounded by a Confucian scholar, an imam, a cardinal, and a zen buddhist. Religions of the world unite! A good message that usually falls on deaf ears. Notice the circle on the robe in the middle - well, that was a symbol seen everywhere. We had lots of fun spotting them everywhere even they they had nothing to do with Won Buddhism. 

The grounds had a variety of building in different architecturalr styles. This one: a typical Japanese house. It was very quiet and beautiful, only leaves rustling and birds chirping. 

Because we had some confusion with finding our motel, we were running a bit late with the sightseeing on the first day, so we decided to stay in the city and just visit the headquarters and the campus, which suited me perfectly well because the night before I had hardly slept and felt quite tired. According to Wikipedia, “Iksan is the center of Won-buddhism, an offshoot of Korean Zen Buddhism established by Park Chung-bin who mixed Buddhist teachings with those of Confucianism.” Well, his teachings are not vey original, from what I gathered, but they are still of the gentle and inclusive kind, so fine by me.   Won means circle, and, boy, did we see many circles on the grounds of the headquarters and the campus of Wonkwang University, also founded by the fathers of Won Buddhism. The headquarters grounds are relatively extensive and they feature a mishmash of buildings in a variety of styles, from grand halls with curved blue roofs reminiscent of North Korean architecture to lovely, quaint hanoks and Japanese-style houses. I loved that we were there on a breezy day when a variety of trees and blooming shrubs rustled pleasantly as we explored. After roaming the manicured grounds and taking dozens of photos, we felt quite hungry and were happy to discover a café door partially covered in ivy  on the grounds. It didn’t only have a very pleasant interior, but also served the best rye bread, bacon and egg sandwiches. I also had a delicious kale / green grapes smoothie.Our server told us that the university grounds were well worth a visit, so with bellies full, we headed there.

WONKWANG UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

The server was right: wow! A beautiful campus. 

Phoenix statues were everywhere. Sorry, that we called you ‘cock’, ‘chicken’, ‘rooster’ in our touristy ignorance. 

The campus, indeed, was lovely and quite big. What impressed me the most was a pond and a walking path around it lined in sculptures of famous thinkers, from Socrates to Jesus. A bunch of extra large, loud and energetic male ducks floated then swam vigorously on the surface of the pond and a footbridge led to an unusually shaped coffee shop in the middle with a phoenix on the rooftop.  A little further we stumbled upon a much larger Phoenix sculpture overlooking another, smaller pond prettily framed in beautiful irises and crossed by a tiny arched wooden footbridge. We also saw a performance arena, its dome painted rainbow colors where a bunch of students were practicing some ‘moves.’ 

After we had our fill of all the campus wonders, we took a bus back to town, walked around a bit passing through streets that offered many ‘oneroom’ rental options for students. We really wanted to have a drink, but failing to find a suitable drinking establishment, we settled for a couple of bottles of makkolli on the terrace of a local 7-Eleven, totally glamming it up! Sadly, this fine place didn’t have any type of local makkolli, frurstrating my mission to taste the local brew on my farewell travels. But fret not, this was remedied at dinner consisting of kamja tang a.k.a. “pig spine soup,” which was delicious in spite of the name that may make you expect otherwise. Back at Sopung, we relaxed a bit with TV and some more makkoli and then it was off to Bedsky. Stay tuned for part 2 and more adventures in Iksan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMQLWpdVHgQ

#koreatravel #iksan #익산 #전라도 #미륵사지 #원불교

[k0o0be]

Bikepacking trip

full send

My bike trip:

so i and my bro made a plan to cycle from ooty to banglore.i was super excited for the triip.but the sad part was that i and my bro had a fight he day prior to leavingg.it was beacause he changed the plan without my conset and now we were headed to a hillstation with no prospects of ccycling.you know it felt really weird fighting with him because we were in this together.. Ive read many travel joouornals where this seemed to have happend.anywayonce we got on the train with our bikes packed i decided to let it go.i didnt want that to spoil the mood of the trip.anyway so we went to kodaikanal whch is a beautiful hill station towerin above the clouds.we did take our cycles there  but it wasnt a cyclable terrain,with all its ups and downs(infact my bro did try cycling there but his derailer broke and that brought an end to his cycling ),so we figured since we were already there we’d do some hiking and hiking we did.there were lots of places to go by walk and i enjoyed it alot.btw all along the trip i was listening to music by Queen and i had freddie mercury to keep me company,and im so thankful for hm.it was super fun too,we also came across some waterfalls where the water was super chill.the weather up there was really good.we lived upthere in a hostel where we made real nice friends.they were good company.all of them were an artistic bunch.they were either writers or musicians .anyway ,so we spent like three days in kodaikanal.but i was starting to feel bad  about my cycle.we had carried them all the wayupthere but we werent using them at all.so we decided to part ways. I would be doing a smaller version of my orginal plan.and i would meet him at banglore.(hed be taking a direct bus all the to banglore) even he wanted to join but his cycle now was unrepairable,the only problem for him was that he had to carry it all the way to banglore.

So i took a bus from kodaikanal to tiruppur with my cycle disassembled and from tirupur id cycle to banglore which is  approx 350 km.i had taken the bus at evening so i reached tirrupur at midnght.also i was doing a super low budget trip so no hotels for me.i had my tent.so as i reached at midnight i didnt know what to do .the bus stopped outside tirupur on the highway.i got down with all my cycle disassembled.i had no clue where i was and had to assemble my cycle up.for a minute or so i just froze not knwing what exactly to do. I was just realising how different everything was.btw tthis in  place is tamil nadu where they speak tamil and i didnt know tamil.i wasnt sure what i was gonna do for the night.i was hungry and tired and knowhere to sleep. Also no enrgy to set up the tent. So if figured ill just fix up the cycle and just start ridin.i needed some time to process what exacty was happening.so i rode in the dark slowly thinking about what would be next step.i decided ill just  sleep on the road infront of a shop,and ill j wakeup super early and leave before dawn.i used the rain cover of the tent as mat and slept on it .it was the worst sleep i ever had,so many mosquitoes and constant fear of being attacked by the street dogs.that morning i started off super early(well,since i barely slept) and i was FINALLY getting into that cyclng mood.also another local cyclist joined me .we rode togethr and chayyed away while at it.he was the owner of a small clothing line and had a very tedious job.he said he had to work everyday including sundays that too from morning right up until midnight.he barely had any time for anything .he said he had diabetes and therefore recenty had started cycling.that was his only way to relax and unwind.he was really impressed to see me cycling such a distance.he said he also wanted to do something like that but there was no way  he could.he said he came from a really poor family and had worked really hard to get where he was right now and had to work hard hours to keep up with his business.we spoke for a long time ,and i was happy to have company.he was surprised i was doing the trip with such little money.so despite me refusing ,he gave me money and a ton of fruits.like lot of fruits.i didnt want thaat much ,i couldnt carry stuff on my cycle,but he was adamant and i couldnt refuse.so i in return gave him a  box of chocalates i had bought up in kodaikanal.i had so many bananas i decided to have that as both my breakfat and lucnh.which turned out to be a horrible decision because by evning i had  zero enrgy to cycle.also it suddenly started raining .i was soo upset because i was not close to completing my daily qouta of kms.and i had no more energy and it was RAINING.i stopped under some shade and just lying down on the floor on the verge of tears. Spent maybe an half hour there,waiting for the rain to stop .once it stopped i got myself some real food. I ate until i was full.and im so thankful that i did. Then i was back on my bike ready to finsh them miles.the rest of the trip was great .i had met many people and all of them were really nice to me.many offered me food and bananas.(tamil nadu is famous for its bananas).i was goingthrough many villages and i used to stop at a village and ask a local if i could use their bathroom and id take a wonderful bath.btw all i had was a single pair of dress.so id taken bath.wash my clothes and and wear the washed clothes and conitnue driving. theyed dry up in a matter of thirty mintues and it ws actually nice wearing wet clothes it cools  down your body and hhelps against the heat.also had some great food along the way they were really inexpensive and therefore i got to try various different kinds of foods.btw i hadnt used my tent atall.my night time i didnt have energy to set up a tent so id just sleep wherever i felt safe and started off early in the morning before anyone could spot me.and during day time id take long naps during noon time when it was the hottest .id find nice trees with a good scenery and spend noon out there.on the third day i had cycled alot in the morning so during noon i found a nice flower plantation and decided to stay ther for a nap.but the place was so beautiful so i decided to stay there until evening.the farm had lots of trees.and i started climbing them. it was really peaceful out there. I was having the time of my liife

it took me 4 nights and three days to reach banglore. And by the end i was super proud of myself .i had been waiting to do a trip like this since a very long time and i finally did.

I met back upwith mybro in banglore,Btw i had another two days stay at banglore before we caught a train back home.so we stayed with one of my sisters collegemate.he is a really nice guy and took us all around banglore.banglore is a much bigger city than hyderabad(my home).so its  got better rock climbin gyms.i went there for indoor cliimbng and it was really fun.im quite enjoying climbin though im no good at it,it seems really fun.mybro is more into it than i am.i.

I cant wait to get back on the road like that again.i feel the best part about the trip was meeting all the people,everyone were really nice to me.

[laurenborrelli]

Allora, va bene

Ever since studying abroad in rome 4.5 years ago, I have been anxious about my next trip to Italy.  Could it possibly live up to the experiences I had while living there?  But it was not a matter of competition.  I have graduated university, moved to Boston, worked in Architecture for 3 years, and traveled to 6 countries since.  I am a different person now - so I tried to be excited to experience the same environment in a different way!

My roommate (Stephanie) for my first two years in Boston had moved to Rome to live with her boyfriend.  Since Kate has never been to Italy and knows Stephanie, we decided to venture together to visit her!  And while Stephanie sporadically moved home just 10 days before our flight...we made the most of quickly booking two new hostels in Rome and forgetting the money we suddenly had to spend.  Everything happens for a reason.  And that reason made our trip even better.

Itinerary:

Thursday, April 19th 2018:  My flight departed Boston at 9:30pm. Kate’s left Chicago at the same time.  As I boarded the plan I got a voicemail of her panting “Lauren - I just made my flight - I ran through security - they held the door for me - see you in Dublin”.  So now that I wasn’t going to end up doing this trip alone, the journey began LOL.  We met in Dublin and shared a pints of Guinness and Magners in an airport with the best amenities I have experienced. 6 hrs later we flew to Rome.  It’s 8pm and we plan to take the train from the airport to Termini Station.  I validate my ticket in the machine - all good.  Kate goes to validate her ticket - rotates the ticket the other way - and pushes her ticket all the way into the machine and gets it stuck.  The train is to depart in 3 minutes and our Italian consists of “scusa me” and “mis dispiace” uhhh ticket-a-stuck? Luckily the snail speed of the ticket attendant to walk over, open the machine, get us our ticket didn’t deter us from running to barely make it on the train. WHEW giggles and sweat overwhelmed us.  We capped on the night by checking-in to our hostel and headed to a spot up the street for food.  The dinner consisted of with bread + nduja spread and two personal pizzas.  Safe to say we went to bed with full bellies and tired minds. 

Saturday:  Kate survived her first night in a hostel!  She talked in her sleep the whole night...which I’m sure the 3 french, 2 british, and one not sure guys were pretty thrilled about!  We were the two girls in an 8 person room...bachelor pad!  LOL JK they were all under 20 y/o but very polite and easy to stay in a room with!  The morning walking tour began with a cornetti and cappuccini at a small cafe where  I used to frequent when I had meetings for a design competition Premio Piranesi.  Moving on to Santa Maria Maggiore, through Monti, around the forum before the crowds, and checked-out my old lunch nook at the Campidoglio.  Then down the stairs along Via Maior Arenula to see where my Cartography classes used to take place and crossed the Ponte Vittorio to check out the Vatican all before noon!  There was a choir singing and thousands of people with matching hats...then suddenly the pope comes strolling out in his glass-less mercedes!  He goes zipping around and suddenly comes within 10 feet of us!!! Kate and I look at each other in awe...ok we saw the pope in our first 24 hours in Rome we can die happy now.  We later found out this weekend was Rome’s birthday, so there was a plethora of activities going on this weekend!  After all of this excitement we FINALLY realized how hungry we were!!  Pizza al taglia at La Boccaccia in Trastevere and found my old apartment! Then around the Pantheon and the journey back uphill to rest our legs at the hostel.  With sunburned noses and hungry bellies we headed in Monti to Pasta Chef.  Its a casual pop-in restaurant with a 4.9 rating on trip advisor - the paper plates and plastic cups makes it not seem like a roman restaurant.  But the food was SO FREAKING GOOD!  Grabbed wine and a tiramisu to go and wandered to check out the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps at night.  Ahhh what a perfect night cap to an amazing first day in Rome!

Sunday:  Early morning at the Coliseum.  My first time here since it was under renovation before!  We beat (some) of the crowds and scheduled a 12am tour.  We went inside anyways just to compare what it would look like during the day.  As we left the crowds were in full form. Walked around circus maximus and say more bday celebrations kicking off.  A huge parade of gladiators took off and we caught them at the campidoglio.  Porchetta sandwich for lunch at my all-time fave Baccanale in Campo de Fiori. Espresso granita at Tazza D’oro, to Piazza Navona, then up to the Borghese Gardens.  An earth day festival was happening.  75% of the sustainable crafts consisted of spray paint.  Aerosols...earth day...jersey show...it all seemed too ironic.  Spritz and pastries in the gardens and home for a quick nap / packing before the midnight tour!  Made it all the way there despite all of the sketchy guys and cat calls and there was not one entrance point open.  Of course the police barely spoke english and made inappropriate comments so we snapped a quick photo of the colosseum light up and quickly jumped in an uber. So did the ticket booth mean 12pm not midnight?...

Monday:  Delicious breakfast at a cafe before our 8am train to Como!  At our connection in Milan, the second Kate stepped foot on the train it started to depart.  Whew barely made it.  After struggling at the grocery store in Como with our luggage / weighing every produce item (what does the check-out counter do then?) and touching produce without a glove.  We made it on the bus with all of the middle school kids getting out of school...lucky us!  Our airbnb was about 30 mins from Como in a tiny waterfront town called Careno.  The hosts met us at the house, showed us everything, and could not have been more helpful!  We basked in the sun on the beautiful balcony with some snacks and rose.  Ahhh now this is the relaxing part of the vacation.  It was a beautiful ten minute walk down to the rocky beach basically through people’s kitchens.  The water was cold and clear with a couple friendly “buon giorno” heard as we wandered down.  Finished the day with some carbonara on the balcony and Italian dancing with the stars.

Tuesday:  An early bus ride to Bellagio to go kayaking!  Kate’s all-time favorite kayaking tour because it was 20% paddling and 80% chilling.  Just us two on a tour with the guide, Mich.  We asked him any questions we could think of about Italy - even how old kids are when they start smoking.  The answer was 13 btw...  We then had lunch of pizza at a hidden gem he recommended called La Grotta.  Wandered through the shops to buy beautiful ceramics at Magda Guaitamacchi.  The owner was an older woman who spent most of her adult life practicing art in London.  She was the sweetest and really made our afternoon.  We then spent a couple hours hanging at the park at the point.  I did a bit of watercoloring and mostly enjoying the turquoise water against the snowcapped alps.  We then hopped on a ferry home and enjoyed a spritz while on board.  Our airbnb hosts graciously got us a reservation for the only restaurant in the tiny town of Careno.  We had the corner table as the server had grown up with our host.  The meal consisted of multiple courses, each with a particular backstory.  All of the fish was caught in the lake and it was a wonderful way for us to learn about the history of the area.  As we ended with the best limoncello I’ve ever had and bill way too discounted, our server grabbed keys and let us into the church next store.  At first it seemed a bit like a horror scene but actually turned out to be magical and show how selfless his actions were.  We went to bed absolutely stunned how we could meet three incredibly kind and giving people all in one day.

Wednesday: We checked out of our airbnb and trekked down the steep walk to the ferry launch with our suitcases.  After running, sweating, and some last-minute help from our server the previous night (we stumbled upon him opening the restaurant) we made it on the ferry!  A leisurely but packed ride to the town of Menaggio on the Switzerland side.  It was the holiday for Italy’s independence after the collapse of WWII, so transportation and store times were a bit skewed.  Luckily the visitor’s center was open and held on to our luggage free of charge!  We strolled through town and had a beautiful waterfront lunch with sammies and spritz.  After espresso and gelato we grabbed our stuff to take the ferry all the way to the train station in Como.  The town of Como was absolutely packed!  Happy we didn’t spend much time there as we grabbed snacks and took the train to our next destination - Modena!  We arrived and checked into our next airbnb just in time to catch sunset on the rooftop.  People were out drinking and celebrating.  We could hear their cheering and signing resonating form the roof it was hilarious. 

Thursday: We took the train in to Parma for our day filled with food tours!  For my bday, my dad had found a guide who would take us to all local producers in region.  It was just Kate and I on our personal tour with her!  First stop: Parmigiano Reggiano!  The name comes from the rural area of Parma and Reggio Emilia (clever).  We got to see every step of the process and enjoy some delicious samples too.  Next stop:  Lambrusco winery! A refreshing wine with vines that are very young - completely different then my experience in Tuscany. Then to the Proscuitto and Culatello! Delicious meats but the parts hanging in the butcher’s stations were a bit much.  How huge these pigs must be is also quite disturbing... Then to lunch at a small restaurant along a horse race track.  Pretty heavy local cuisine which actually put me to sleep on our car ride back into town...oops!  Finished off the tour with balsamic vinegar.  Very interesting of every age is a blend of the old with the new - different then the rigidity of some aged foods.  With bellies full of very rich indulgences, we headed back to Modena and grabbed aperitivo at this awesome spot in town.  Great vibes, super friendly staff, gorgeous men drinking rose and on bikes, well behaved dogs, a bit of house music, and chips with our spritz...ahhh perfect end to a day once again.

Friday: A full day in Modena and my 26th bday!  Morning at cafe with beautiful, innovative interiors.  Walked around town and stopped in several stores for fun shopping.  Walked through the food market where the Chef Massimo Bottura shops everyday.  I made reservations for us to have lunch at his more casual restaurant Francescetta 58.  Once we arrived, boy oh boy was I treating myself on my bday!  We had a wonderful bottle of white wine with our tasting menus.  Kate got the typical 3 course option and I treated myself to the regional 4 course upgrade.  The dishes were the best I have certainly ever had and we left with the largest smiles on our face.  Best meal ever on my actual bday?...this seemed like a dream.  We then walked off a bit of the food and noodled up to the Ferrari museum.  Pretty cool space with very modern architecture and the cars were pretty sick to see.  The design of each car is so immaculate and just like with any museum, its awesome to see people appreciated the design of something.  Being in the design industry this is something I admire and hope I can implement more in my type of work (even if it isn’t something common in the U.S.).  Ended the day with apperitivo and a late sunset on the rooftop.  And gelato cake in my favorite italian flavor of Amarena. Ah what an awesome day!

Saturday: Took the train back to Rome and arrived at a different hostel for the final leg of the trip.  We grabbed a late lunch at Pasta Imperiale - a casual spot similar to Pasta Chef and then headed to my favorite museum Museo dei Fori Imperiali.  It is Trajan’s market which was accidentally found below ground in a street repair!  I have never been in a building that is an artifact in itself!  Great how interactive it is and puts the extensive Roman history into perspective.  An evening then of apperitivo and walking around Monti with a reasonable bed time.

Sunday: Early morning visit to the Trevi and the Spanish steps before the crowds then hopped on a train to see family an hour south!  It was Kate’s time visiting our extended family and seeing the town our great-grandmother (106 this year!) is from.  Carlo and Paula picked us up from the train station and gave us a beautiful tour of their lush garden.  It was filled with vines for wine, fig trees, strawberry planters, and a beautiful brick oven.  After a delicious lunch we headed up to Ventosa where my great-grandfather is from.  We saw the house my nana gave birth to our grandpa.  We saw her old home that is still abandoned and looks like it was bombed just yesterday.  Then went down the hill to Santi Cosma e Damiano and walked through the church that my nana got married in.  She also left her diamond earrings in the palms of the saints the night before she moved to the U. S....The piazza outside is where my great-grandfather apparently saw my nana coming out of church and realized he wanted to date her.  He had come back from the U.S. to find a nice Italian wife that would move with him... and then there were facebook icons graffitied in the wall next door.  Oh how times have changed!  LOL The views from these tall towns are stunning and the younger family members speak much better english then last time!  So it was fun to converse with time about their recent European travels and what life is like form them living in the larger town of Latina.  Took the train back into Rome in the late evening and grabbed dinner at a fancy food court in Termini Station that our hostel host had recommended.

Monday: Last day in Italy!  We walked all through the city up the Giancolo to see the cannon launched at noon.  We walked around the tempietto and hung in the Villa Doria Pamphilj park.  Then down the hill to the Vatican, to find out that it was completely mobbed and would take us forever to even get inside the chapel.  Next time, Kate!  We grabbed lunch at the most modern restaurant I have seen in Rome called Bar del Fico.  It was great and I hope more like these start to pop up!  Similar type of restaurant that Modena is filled with! Then spent the afternoon bopping into a couple art stores, checking out Ara Pacis and back up to grab spritz in our fave little garden bar at Borghese Gardens.  We even stumbled upon a gelato festival!!!  This was an awesome surprise and while I didn’t have the appetite for it, Kate certainly did!  The flavors were incredibly diverse and unique and she had the largest smile on her face the entire time!  We ended the night grabbing pizza at Alle Carrette.

Changes since my last visit:

Security: This was my first experience going through a metal detector before entering a church!  Man things have changed in Rome since I lived here...but for the better!  Better for this precaution then to have a scary situation inside the church.  To get into St. Peter’s square we even went through many check points - one including the guard making me drink my water in front of them. Ah yes just water no acid ;) 

Spring flowers: This time of year there were flowers growing everywhere!  The wisteria around the wedding cake building made it look a bit less...intimidating.  The pink and white flowers along teh spanish steps were beautiful too.

Old apartment: It’s converted into a beautiful restaurant/hotel.  Which is a relief because the place was falling apart and felt like a lost opportunity when we lived there.  Pretty surreal walking around but not a sappy feeling, just happy that I got to have my time there.  

What will never change:

Coffee:  UGH it’s inevitable to not go a morning without a cappuccino or an afternoon without an espresso. Even kate was having a cappuccino every morning by the end of our trip!  They just prepare it so perfectly well that how could anyone not resist.

Work hours:  We would be in a park in the middle of the day and it would be littered with people!  It was awesome to see how lively and happy everyone was, but why aren’t these people at school or work?... Our Parma tour guide had said full-time jobs aren’t prevalent in Italy now, but is it really THAT bad?

Men:  SO. MANY LOOKERS!  Very few people acted on it but definitely intimidating for walking around in the evening as two girls.  However I did realize if you want to feel good about yourself - go to Italy.  If you want to feel bad - come back to the U.S.!

I feel very blessed that the universe brought Kate and I together for this trip.  The trip never felt overshadowed by my previous experiences and I could not have been happier to spend it with someone I care so deeply about.

[gontagokuhara]

a lil birdie told me u like talking bout ur trip pls I wanna hear what France n Spain r like :ooo (I love ur writing btw :>)

HI!!!!!

so. like ive said, i went to france and spain a few months back and it was an Amazing Time. theres so much to talk about and i dont want to flood dashboards so ill put this under a read more :0

france:

-our group spent 2 hours in customs in charles de gaulle airport. it was hot, the middle of the night my regular time, about 9 am france time, and by the time we got out of customs it was nearly 11:30-that was like…..the only low point? th organization we travelled through groups up smaller groups into large groups (like 40-50 people?) and we were waiting on the other groups from ohio, oregon, and new jersey (remember those groups, they become important later) for another like 3ish hours? -the airport was rly interesting though! it was all of the kids in our groups first exposure to an environment that wasnt all in english, so it gave us time to practice our french listening to announcements/buying stuff/etc! there was also. a lot of green berets with assault rifles all over the place (and they were really all over france. im not sure what theyre about but theyre Everywhere)-around 2-3 we get on a bus with the new jersey + ohio groups and go to notre dame cathedral! the first thing we noticed leaving the airport was that it is hot as balls in france. its humid and the sun is oppressive as hell but the Big Plus was that there are. literally 0 bugs. i didnt see a single bug my whole trip it was fucking amazing-our first day was pretty lowkey; we basically just went to notre dame, broke for lunch, and then hung out in that general area until dinner!-our second day in france was Very Jam Packed with shit and was simultaneously my favorite and least favorite day? our plan was to ascend the eiffel tower in the morning and visit versailles in the afternoon, but the eiffel tower was closed bc of a security issue so we flipped our schedule!-we toured all around versailles palace and while it was very interesting and beautiful i lowkey had an anxiety attack bc people kept holding onto me and grabbing me and it was very hot and overwhelming. things really looked up when we looked around the gardens!-after that + lunch we went back to the eiffel tower and got to go up at night!!! which was beautiful. also, it doesnt get dark in france Or spain until like 10 pm? its very odd but really really cool! and it makes you feel less tired. our curfew was a little earlier than we thought so we couldnt make the line to go to the very top, but we went to the middle section and i have some Iconique selfies up there. when we went down again we bought some stuff at the little gift shops and i got the best slushie ive ever had and it was super fun:0-third day was a pretty long bus tour and then the louvre! the bus tour yielded like 300 pictures and the only thing me nd my mom rly cared about was seeing the mona lisa, so we hung out the rest of the time in shops and stuff!-fourth day we took a bullet train from paris to avignon and honestly the most iconic bit of that day was running around the train stop stores and buying all the french candy we could find. after that we went to pont du gard and toured the area around there, which was really beautiful! also? the toilets in pont du gard? Do Not Have Toilet Paper. dont even have paper towels. not even because theyre out, but like. theres no toilet paper holders or anything. -after that (same day!) was provence! we toured an old structure the first part of provence, and then shopped the rest! unfortunately i got really sick at the end of that day (but not before i bought Ten Bars Of Soap)-the fifth day i was nearly fuckin dead with sickness lol so i stayed behind in the hotel ;( i got to reconnect with friends on the shitty wifi that day though! (blows smooches at the jump discord)-sixth day we had like. a 5 hour bus ride from th south of france to barcelona. i listened to a Lot Of Muic. 

spain:

-we didnt have time for really anything by the time we got to barcelona, but that was okay because i think we all really needed the day to recharge!-first full day in barcelona we toured the area around la sagrada familia ! we didnt get to get that close but i have really beautiful pictures! we also went to the picasso museum that day which was…..really boring. me and my friends were dying in there. we got separated from the ohio group (aka the cool group) and we got stuck with the new jersey group which succed but whateevr! after that we hung around in the city for a while before going back-the second day in barcelona was probably my favorite of the whole trip, which is kind of weird to say because i loved paris so much? but i think my kinda sour experience at versailles ust barely edges out that day as my favorite, so! we toured park guell (which is GOREGOUS) and it was great because the heat wasnt that bad And our tour leader got to see his wife!!! me and my mom got fuckin lost lol and we had to navigate through with shitty spanish to find our group. after that we went to this giant mall (seriously, its like 5 stories) that used to be a giant arena but they converted! most of the group went to a flamenco show, but me, my friend kiya, my french teacher and his daughter passed so we could explore the mall. me nd kiya fucked off and i showed her around lush for like a half hour, she bought a bunch of comics in spanish and we bought a whole lot of other shit!!! it was super super fun and it was probably my favorite day-our last full day we went to the beach! and christ this post is long enough already but someone remind me to tell the wild fucking story that is the beach in barcelona girls in relation to the oregon girls, lack of card checking, and the yelling match between a blanket salesman and an ohio chaperone. it’s fucking nuts.-and then we flew home at like 2 am! theres a whole other layer to the light home that i wont go into detail on here becasue God This Is So Long, but if any1 is interested on some of the more minor details of the trip please shoot me an ask i love talking abt my trip:0

#ask #i #this got so long im sorry? but tbh this is just bare bones our itinerary. theres so much missing #but i will actually make tumblr poop itself if i try to cram it all into one post #blease if u are interested in the little details of the trip please lmk I Want An Excuse To Talk About It #also answering this ask made me rly happy. thank u anon

[wildlyplanted]

Part 3 of 3: “Leaving Prague, Berlin, I love you and Final Reflections & Tips” – Budapest | Prague | Berlin Travels

The next day as we were leaving Prague we saw a RegioJet bus parked inside the bus terminal and a sign above it that said tickets can be bought at “blah blah” window. That sign would have been useful inside the bus station ticket area because we would have loved to travel with RegioJet again. Flickbus got us to Berlin safely, but I would never ride with that company again. The outlets didn’t work, and the seats were not comfortable.

Moving on to our accommodation. Once again, we did not make reservations beforehand. Once we arrived in Berlin, we took the subway to Hauptbahnof station (Central Station), where we sat for coffee and browsed on Hostelworld for options. We knew we wanted to be within close distance to Hauptbahnof station because that’s where we needed to catch the airport bus (btw, we both ended up getting an uber to the airport) and we each had morning flights -- side note: My travel buddy had to leave Berlin the day before me. I was so sad, even though it was just a day without her. After traveling solo in Ecuador two years ago, it was nice to have someone to share in all the various experiences of travel.

We settled on Heart of Gold hostel, which is centrally located in Berlin Mitte. I loved that we ended up in a completely different part of Berlin than where we stayed before. This hostel is located in walking distance to a number of sites and attractions including Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building, Museum Island and TV Tower.

Heart of Gold is a 10-minute walk from S+U Bahn Friedrichstraße station and around the corner from S Bahn Oranienburger Straße station. Although this hostel didn’t necessarily feel like the atmosphere was that social, I feel like if we stayed longer, we may have had a different experience. We stopped in the kitchen a couple of times during our first evening and we found people cooking and enjoying themselves. They were friendly, but we didn’t have time to stay and socialize, as we wanted to go have dinner on our last night traveling together. Also, it was cold, so the lovely courtyard/beer garden just outside the main lobby wasn’t really being used by guests. The hostel sells beer and wine (I’m not sure if cocktails were available) in the lobby, and complimentary coffee and tea is available all day, so there’s a café type of vibe that was nice. I imagine that in the warmer months, the courtyard/beer garden is buzzing.

*I failed to mention in the first blog that there are vending machines with beer for purchase in the lobby of PLUS Berlin hostel. Comes in handy after the hostel’s restaurant has closed.  

Coming back to Heart of Gold, we arrived there in the early evening. Check-in was fairly easy; I had to use my phone to go online and fill out a reservation form that took all of five minutes (they have wifi of course). Once that was done, they were able to check us in and send us on our way. One thing I noticed is how secure the hostel is. There are multiple floors and your key will only allow you through the lobby security door, onto your floor and into the kitchen. You can’t access other floors (we tried). Another side note -- You must leave £5 per key at the front desk, which they keep if you lose your key.

We were in a 6-bed mixed dorm that was spacious with a view into the courtyard/beer garden. This hostel is comfortable and clean with full private bathrooms (toilet, sink and showers were nicely spaced out within one room, and the shower was very roomy with good water pressure).

We had dinner at Peter Pane (my food was ok, nothing special – I had a vegan burger). The atmosphere was lively, and I liked the vibe, so I would visit again and order something completely different next time.

The next morning, my travel buddy left me and I was on my own for my last full day in Berlin.

I had the best lunch at Cappuccino Grand Café which was a five-minute walk from the hostel. The ambiance was beautiful, and I sat facing the large front window, which was great for people watching. I had a delicious cappuccino, a lovely tuna salad and fresh pressed cucumber juice to finish off.

I spent the rest of the day exploring Museum Island, I passed by Brandenburg Gate, Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower) and Alexanderplatz, and finished my day at Checkpoint Charlie.

In the evening, I was hoping to have dinner at this small cozy restaurant I spotted near the hostel, but they were booked with reservations, so I ended up at the lackluster Grand Bar Café Restaurant.

With all that said, I’ll be back in Berlin very soon to explore more of the city and to see some of the sights, like East Side Gallery, that I didn’t have a chance to visit this time around.

That’s the saddest part about traveling, not always being able to see it all. I continue to pray for opportunities to travel slowly and for longer periods of time so I can have a more authentic experience and feel like a local.

Final Thoughts:

For this trip (all three cities) I had no concrete plans. Although I looked up the main attractions and skimmed through recommendations from some great blogs, I was not tied to things I needed to absolutely do. The only thing I wanted, was to walk a lot and see as much of the cities, and their architectures, as possible, which I did.

Before leaving New York, I set positive intentions and I knew in my heart I was going to love all three cities. I was very much going with the flow, and that attitude really helped because right at the beginning of our trip, the unexpected occurred – our flight NYC to Berlin was delayed 6 hours so we missed our connecting flight to Budapest the next morning and we ended up staying in Berlin overnight (do not regret). Getting through security and check-in for our flight to Budapest was a bit of a disaster, but despite that, I was determined to navigate through it and guide my experience and choose my reaction rather than allowing the experience to guide me. I would not have been able to do that if this was several or a few years ago. My life experiences over the last several years have had an impact on how I perceive and receive life (more about that in another blog). That morning was a calamity, but our first night in Budapest was epic and made up for the non-sense we experienced.

Travel can bring out the worst in people, because there are so many factors that can alter plans and there is the potential for unwanted experiences and outcomes, and I know it’s easier said than done, but your attitude and thoughts really does play a factor in your experiences; in how you observe the experience, and how you move through the event.

Hostel Tips:

*The kitchens in three out of four hostels, we stayed in, were stocked with cooking supplies and utensils so you can purchase groceries and cook your own meals. I think this is fairly standard, but it’s something you can ask before booking if this is important to you.

My Personal Tips:

Pack flip flops for the shower and to walk around in while inside. I would never go barefoot at any point. Some people have no problem with walking barefoot or not using shower shoes, but I’m not one of them. I do the same for hotels, since they are not any cleaner than a hostel would be. If anything, some hostels are probably cleaner than hotels.

I pack 2 non-cloth reusable bags. One for my toiletries and everything I’ll need to shower, which I hang next the shower or in some instances, I had to hang it inside the shower stall with me (wrap one handle in the top corner of the shower door, close the door and let the bag hang inside. I do this to easily access everything I need while keeping them all inside my bag and off any surfaces. If water gets inside the bag, I drain it out at the end of my shower. When I get back to the room, I remove my things and hang the bag to dry.

I use the second bag for my clothes and everything I need (moisturizer, deodorant, etc.) once I’m done in the shower.  

*It may be a good idea to stop at the front desk and let the person on duty know you’re going out for the evening. Having an emergency contact on file is also a good idea. In Prague, our hostel’s office closed in the evening so sometimes this isn’t possible. If you feel comfortable, let a hostel mate know that you’re going out and where. In our all-female dorm in Budapest, we shared where we were going with each other, so we kind of all had an idea about where someone could be. I remember our first night when one of our roommates who also arrive that same evening didn’t reappear, we kept it in mind to ask about her if we didn’t see her the next day. She did return and turned out that a friend of hers was also in the city and she was with them.

*Travel is meant to be fun. Just remember that being smart and safe is also a part of travel. Never do anything questionable just for the heck of it, or just because you’re on vacation.

*Respect the culture and people around you (I hope this goes without saying).

Where you can find me/how to contact me:

IG: wildlyplanted (check out photos)

YouTube: Wildly Planted ( I uploaded short video and photo reels)

Email: [email protected]

[againstthegrainphoto]

ok. I’m going to write this novel. it’s going to be so long that I’m actually using the website....not my phone. because keyboard. Here we go:

Ghost. Oakland, CA. 7/5/17.

So my friend Sarah and I went to see ghost and iron maiden in Oakland. If you don’t give two shits about my san francisco adventures and just want to read about ghost....skip down. It was a bit of a hot mess of a trip. I had to work monday, So I worked my 8 hours and then left to pick her up. Because both of us are night people and night driving is WAY better than day driving. traffic in seattle was a complete nightmare starting out. there was a huge accident at the west seattle bridge exit. So I finally get to tacoma and pick her up. 

(nice unintentional product placement for the best nameless ghoul tote bags ever)...we stop at fred meyer and get car supplies and gas. Then we are on our way. We make a stop in portland for dinner and an awesome visit with @lucifersbrightstar....we had such a good time!! (seriously, it was really great to hang out!!! <3 )eventually we head for cali. We made such great time. Sarah ptfo around medford. And as I’m flying down I5 the sun is beginning to come up and as I make it to the cali border and the ipod (on shuffle) is playing ghost’s cover of “here comes the sun”......I almost started crying it was such a beautiful moment.....like you can’t make this shit up.....

We made such good time we made it to the hotel hours before check in....we even went and scoped out the venue and everything....but by that time I was like “I need sleep now” So we check with the hotel and they were like Sure! check in now! your room is ready! and thank satan for that....because I went and ptfo. We rested and slept a couple hours before heading into San Francisco. We took the BART.

...which I’ve never been on a subway....we don’t have these things in seattle....That shit is scary as fuck. I mean it starts out above ground..much like the monorail here....SUPER easy and fun..... and then all of the sudden the thing is SHRIEKING like a fucking demon going 80million miles an hour and going down to the pits of hell so fast that your ears are popping. and then you end up in san francisco. we then went to chinatown..

its such a fun area...by this time though it’s been over 13 hours since I’d eaten and I fell into Eskimo Hungry™ mode. Like....if you don’t know what that is...you don’t WANT to know what that is....but if you don’t keep your Eskimo fed....it’s not pretty. So Sarah leads me into the snow garden restaurant and we order so much food. And she’s like “....are you mad at me?!?!?”.....and I then had to explain what Eskimo Hungry™ is. I then consumed some chicken chow mein and half a dozen pot stickers AND TWO!!! shrimps. I hate shrimp. They taste good....but I just can’t do the texture. But I got TWO down. I was so proud. I’ve never eaten more than one in a sitting. Then the world was right again and we went and looked at all the things!! She bought herself a black pearl (she’s a pirate....btw....like “this is not a hobby” type of pirate)(...actually her hobby is burlesque dancing....).....(....did  I mention she’s one of my coolest friends?)...so she bought herself a black pearl necklace and comes up and also buys me this blue pearl necklace that matches my hair color...IT WAS THE SWEETEST THING EVER.

So then we just wander around all these random shops.....and we go in this knife shop....because she’s in the market for a pirate sword....and I saw this knife. I don’t like knives. or weapons. or guns. or anything like that. But I was like......I.must.have.that....i don’t know why I must have that. but I must. And then I’m like...noooo. I don’t need it. But then I was like...well if it’s under $20. I”ll do it. So I ask how much and the lady is like $17. And I was like naaaahh. this isn’t my jam. I don’t need it. and so I walk over to sarah and she’s like are you going to get it? I’m like....it’s $17.....and she said I should get it. So I did. So now how I have  beautiful oil slick looking knife which I’m not sure is legal or not. but I love it? So then we travel down to the shopping area....and walk through this crazy tunnel:

and end up in the shopping area. I found a huge chewbacca. he was like 6′5.

I found a pineapple shirt (and knew @yourinfernalmajesty1 would approve) in no other place than fucking H&M.....because of course:

Then I saw the awesomest fountain thing....I saw it and IMMEDIATELY was like murder castle......MURDER CASTLE!!!!!!! H.H.HOLMES. YOU GUYS.

of course Sarah was just like “ok heather...?!?!.”.....and I”m just like “what? am I the only fucked up one here? it’s cool.....I get it....murder isn’t everyone’s cup of tea”....I then found palm trees......I had never touched a palm tree. Or really even seen one up close in real life. Those fuckers are HUGE. Day=Made. So excite.

Then we went to sephora because it was like 4x the size of ANY sephora we have up here. I got the new Urban Decay Veletizer. (10/10 would recommend.) We then were going to take the trolly, but it wasn’t running because it was the 4th of july. But they had a free shuttle down to the place for fireworks. We were waiting by the stop and this scandinavian couple started chatting with us.....it took EVERYTHING in me to not say “kommer ni från Sverige?”....because they were so swedish it was painful. The shuttle was fun:

but terrifying......the bus driver was INSANE. I was shocked we didn’t crash and die. 

our houses here look so different. Like it feels more like a different country down there than it does in Vancouver....which is actually a different country.

We went by Lombard St....which was really cool and kinda unreal to actually see in person. It has such a different vibe than seattle.

So alien. So then we are down by the water. And friggin Alcatraz. I saw friggin Alcatraz!!!! What the fuck. SO AWESOME. I had to take a selfie with Alcatraz.

then I had to take a photo of Sarah with Alcatraz. I was so stoked to see it.

We then went and got Ghirardelli sundaes and coffee at Ghirardelli Square.....I was double fisting like a fuckin champ. 

We we watched the not so impressive fireworks show that was hidden in the clouds for the most part....being from seattle.....it wasn’t that disappointing. just more normal. hahaha. We then walked 80 miles back to the BART.

We stopped and got some adult beverages on the way....And FINALLY at like midnight made it back to the hotel......where I looked in my bag:

....carries everything. full bottle of wine, blue pearls, BART card. shank. UD makeup. ice cream sundae....you know....the essentials. We then started are daily ritual of in and out burger......I ate more burgers this week than I have in the past year.

At this point I finally sleep for more than a few hours. We woke up the next day and I’m like a HUGE ball of energy....because ghost. We eat breakfast at the diner across the street from the hotel and discuss game plan. We then went to walgreens because Sarah was having bad sinus allergies and also had wore new boots all around the day before and needed a blister cover. 

Now...for the GHOST part of the trip:

We then go back to the hotel and get ready to go. I finally put on the beautiful dress I made. 

We called a cab and went down to stand in line for pit entry....because if I’m going to see ghost....I WILL be at the front. We looked fucking awesome btw....if I do say so myself:

That venue’s ticketing system is a fucking nightmare. I had purchased my two pit tickets back on presale in January. They allowed you NO (0,none,ziltch) tickets. but put the tickets attached to the number of the credit/debit card you purchased them with. Also you HAD to enter ALL at once AT the EXACT same time. And literally no one at the venue knew what to do with me and Sarah, because I was VIP/meet&greet and she was not. So I had paid (dearly) for early entry, but if I went in she would not be allowed in. Because VIP was plaza entrance and pit was south tunnel entrance. So I asked the lady running the iron maiden vip (ghost vip wasn’t even there yet)...and she was just like you have to ask nik. So by then the ghost vip crowd had gotten about as big as it was going to get (SUPER SMALL. like 20) and I was chatting with a couple people....some of which already follow me!! it was so cool! lol. So finally nik comes out and I tell him my situation with the tickets and he’s like well I”ll just check you in for vip right now and you can go stand with her in the pit line, because honestly ghost vip only get in 5 minutes before everyone else.....and ALL of the vip iron maiden fans are already in there. So he checks me in...and I find out I get to carry around a ouija board ALL night. for the entire show......like.....did they think this through? And I didn’t drive there.....soooo I had no where to put it and was forced to just carry it. And the little itty bitty sack they give you doesn’t even fit it:

So what I ended up doing....is threading my purse strap through each side string and then putting each loop around each arm and it fashioned a sort of backpack(which were 120% illegal, not allowed at this show, leave now, type of venue)....SO STUPID. But really a different and imaginative VIP incentive really. So much better than the shirt from last year. So I was ok with it. So then we go in and go to the front of the currently empty venue. And Sarah holds a spot (and my ouija board) for me up  front while I go to the place to meet for the photos. I went and saw the people who I chatted with outside and akwardly joined them. It was actually really cool to hang out with other Ghost fans, not alot of them up here in seattle, I feel like. So we got talking and we decided that we wanted a tumblr photo with papa....so me, @jennwearsblack , @burnthewitchiii , and her friend (katie?) all figured we would ask if we could do one big group photo. So watch out for that!! :D I feel like it’s going to be fucking awesome!! So then nik came and herded us all down to this small room with this weird curtained off section with black fabric.....total step up from last year. but a little odd imo. you couldn’t watch the other people photos like you could last year....like it was private. so we wait in line and nervously chat. Finally it’s our turn and we all go in and take the group photo.....then we all exit back through the entrance to take individuals. I feel like we didn’t really ask if that was ok, or give them an option about it, or a chance to tell us “no, that’s not ok.” hahaha. So finally it’s my turn.....and I go in and hand him the envelope with the doll from @lucifersbrightstar and a couple of my own photos I had printed out for him.....but I put them in such a way he couldn’t see them?....because I don’t think I could handle papa looking at my photo in front of me again. When he did that last year I basically was like “OH THANKS” and turned and ran away from him while he’s holding a small pile of photos. hahah. oh dear. So he went over and gave the packet to.....the manager dude who I totally recognize, but who’s name I don’t know. The one whom I shoved ALL my shit (purse, merch, vip bag, laminent, etc) in his arms last year while I did my photo. (bless him)....And so then papa comes back and I go “I want to do an akward prom pose! and then one with our nails!” and him and nik both kinda tried to hold in laughs. Because that’s gotta be one of the best requests ever....if I do say so myself. And then I start thinking how this is going to work out and where and how to stand and while mid thought papa goes “OKEJ. lik dis?” in his papa voice....and in one swift movement grabs me by the waist, flips me around, so all of the sudden I”m in front of him, facing the camera, and then pulls me back so my back completely pressed up against his front, and his hands are on my stomach holding me there.....I froze and didn’t know what to do. because that’s NOT at ALL what I meant or expected....I wanted like 4 feet apart hand on shoulder akward.....but his super confident un-gentle movements and his hands on my stomach freaked me out to the point where it took me a moment to realize that I am standing there holding both of my own hands in the air while papas are around me and nik is standing there with the camera staring at me waiting for me to put my hands down....so finally my brain kicks in and is like “PUT YOUR ARMS DOWN BITCH. JESUSFUCKINGCHRIST. GET IT TOGETHER”....so I lowered my hands to papas with an akward unintentional pat pat and nik took the photo. then I was like....”nails”...and I made a stupid face and papa made a stupid face and we held our hands up...and he took the second shot and I gtfo. asap. run away. i was SHOOK fam....my groove was thrown off. I am sure I look like jabba the hut in the photo from the way papa was holding my top half back at an angle and how nik was looking up at us. I probably have like 80 chins despite my on point contouring. I booked it back to Sarah and was like “WWWWHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. *SOB* IT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. *UGLY TEARLESS SOBBING*=‘(” (..............what?.....I wasn’t about to fuckup my close to flawless make up.....or cry out the contact....)....I was shaking.....that’s not something I ever do....I generally own up to everything that happens....and I rarely get nervous around people.....I’ve photoed and met so many idiot bands....like it’s just not nerve wracking at all to deal with idiot band people......but I was like....*holds shakey hand up* “WHAT IS THIS. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME. AM I DYING. I THINK I’M DYING. *TEARLESS SOB*”......she then left me to go find beverages($9 for a fucking bottle of water if you were wondering)(she was going to get adult beverage....but at $17 a shot....she wisely passed on that)(ps--fuuck you arena shows)....that’s when I panic posted that little blurb that’s got over 60 notes(why tho)....*cries*....of course then I over analyzed and remembered what I had said about my meet and greet last year:

....then I was like...”...uuhhh.....I sure as fuck hope he didn’t read that”.....because the demeanor and vibe from him this time was like so exact opposite....and we all know he’s a fuckin lurker......*has minor breakdown* ....because honestly this is more what I was going for this year....was the akward prom pose:

...i liked that...ugh. this years photo is going to be horrible and I’m going to cry....

.....then I’m going to get my shit together...open up photoshop.....and make it work...... 

So then the show started and it was SO AWESOME. Fire really made it for me....totally sold me on the new ghouls. That dude is a fucking treasure. 

I had so many special moments with that little ghoul......Everyone’s like “PAPA POSES FOR YOU ALL THE TIME”.....and I’m just like.....nah. he’s just doin things that papas do. goin about his papa business. per usual. it’s not my fault papa business is photogenic........fire, however. That dude would hold a pose for hours for me if I asked, I think. hahahaha. He’s so fantastic and fun and he gives so much energy.....and also takes so much energy. more so than anyone I’ve ever photoed. it was really fun to photo and watch. one time I somehow felt like he was giving me shit for photoing another ghoul...my camera was pointed somewhere else, satan forbid. and I saw him gesturing out of the corner of my eye. So I looked straight at him and made a face and stuck out my tongue while still photoing someone else and he just shook his head and then shook his finger at me. I adore him. hahahaha. There was one time where papa did his “stare into your soul” thing.....so I just stopped photoing and stared back....like “two can play that game, bitch”......I could not see new new new earth at all. what so ever. was kinda sad about that. he seemed? to do well? I mean sounded good. I still hate chAir. Still petitioning for a new Air ghoul. dude is a terrible nameless ghoul. like.....no. gå hem. vi vill inte dig. du får inte sitta med oss......no matter how good at sitting you are......ha. only new ghoul I’m not sold on. New new new water is absolutely precious. New new aether is quite a character. His poppunk/glam jumps off boxes are life. It was over way too soon. Fire tried to toss me a pick but didn’t quite get it to me. we both just shrugged at each other. lol. Then during set changes the entire crowd shifted....in a bad way. the dude next to us got fucking head butted hard and went down. security came in and removed the headbutter. but people were still being horrible....WITH NO BAND EVEN PLAYING.....Sarah got hit hard too.....and she’s recovering from a shoulder injury and so we only lasted one song up front before we gtfo. and retreated to a safer spot:

It was a sold out show. 4000 people were behind us for ghost:

....Iron Maiden fans....as far as the eye could see.....

We went and got merch during iron maiden. I asked the merch girl for the “ghost tesla shirt” and she was like “I don’t know which one that is”.......I was just like....you’re fucking kidding me right?....then once she figured out which she’s like we only have it in large and up.....so someday I’ll make a dress out of it. lol. until then I”ll just swim in it.....it already goes like half way down my thigh. lol. So then we watched the rest of iron maiden from further back.....it was a really awesome show. Their stage set up is phenomenal. So then it ends and we contemplate trying to meet ghost....and find a lost older man with a dead phone(hi richard!) who was desperately trying to find his people...lol...I ended up calling his friend...and leaving a message..”HI....I’m here with your friend richard at the north entrance....please come get him”....haha...eventually they came found him and scolded him and thanked us for keeping him safe?? hahahahah. good times.....then it was good we didn’t try to meet the ghouls....cause I guess they left before it was even over. So I was fairly heartbroken about it....because I don’t know when/if I’ll ever get to meet the new ghouls. I really do like them(aside from chAir)....I really hope papa keeps them around.(aside from chAir).....So then we call a cab to get us back to our hotel......and they’re like....we just sent our last two cabs for the night. sorry....and people were saying uber was a 2 hour wait......so we ended up WALKING back to our hotel....... Luckily it wasn’t too far....but it was far enough....and I was in huge strappy platforms and a floor length dress. good times.....maybe not so much. But we made it. And then we went and got our ritualistic in and out burgers. That shit is so fucking good. and I don’t know why. Then I posted all the photos and mourned the fact that it was over....I was still buzzing with crazy energy and Sarah fell asleep...lol. Eventually I crashed too. we woke up the next morning, packed and headed home. It was THE WORST DRIVE EVER.....what took us like 11ish hours to get there.....it took us SEVENTEEN to get back. we stopped for coffee. and we stopped for in and out one last time.......the rest was spent stuck in traffic and road work for miles and miles. it took us HOURS and HOURS and HOURS just to get out of the god forsaken hell that is northern california.

we flew through southern oregon.....until just north of salem....where we sat....like chAir.....in traffic. and roadwork. for fucking hours and hours. not. happy.

...we figured I would get home around midnight....including a stop in oregon for a smidge of tax free shopping....not only did we not make it in time for oregon stores to be open......I GOT HOME AT 4:30AM......and that concludes the epic, crazy, wouldn’t trade it for anything, hot, fucking mess, of a trip that me and a friend took to see ghost. Because I’m pretty sure that will be the last time I ever see papa III.....and I would have regretted it my entire life if I hadn’t seen him one last time.

[mihatrochael]

Very late Copenhagen Meetup recap

A lot of time passed since the Fannibal Meetup in Copenhagen - on the occasion of Doctor Strange premiere. I didn't write my part to that awesome event before, but I still have a feeling that I should do so 😊 It was so awesome experience - with great Fannibals and (of course) with Mads. Could be said that it was full of Fannibal miracles! Strong Fannibal magic... And I simply want to share it with other Fannibals, so...

I decided to go just a week or two before the premiere, so it was kinda impulsive decision. But I don't regret it. Thanks to Twitter DM group I found two other Fannibals - awesome Nienke & Momo - as roomies, bought Flixbus tickets and really soon my journey begun.

It was long way from Brno to Prague, from Prague to Berlin and from Berlin to Copenhagen. Although I had expected I'd be alone in buses, the opposite became true! Right on the first stop (Prague) I met Karis - a Bulgarian fan of Mads who was going the same way! Let's call it a Miracle no. 1: I was waiting for the bus and there were a few people around as usually at bus stops... Then two young women (who didn't know each other before) started talking about where they are from (the second one was from US btw) and where they were traveling... And then I heard the Bulgarian one saying that she's a big fan of Mads and is going to Copenhagen due the premiere! I was like: "What, you too???" 😄 And we started talking, she recognized my flower crown and antler jewelry as Fannibal symbols and we basically spent the rest of our way together, talking about Mads, watching Hannibal pics etc.

Later in Copenhagen we walked around the city and took some photos till the Imperial Cinema opened. There we picked up our tickets and waited inside for Nienke - one of my roomies (the one who booked our flat and put us together). And soon we found out is a nice person (as Fannibals use to be)... We brought our luggage to the flat and spent another part of the day walking around the city - till Momo (who's flight was a bit late) arrived. We all were happy to meet each other and after a few hours we finally went to the cinema to meet others from the DM group.

We arrived there a bit earlier so we got quite a good place in the queue. While waiting for them the Miracle no. 2 happened. A woman (Jessica) in the queue who had no idea about our Fannibal group saw my flower crown and her eyes lighted up by recognition. She came to me and asked me if we're Fannibals as she is - and yeah, we were! Since then she stayed with our group and met us again before the Mads’ talk next day.

Then, others finally found us. What happened next could be called a miracle as well but I would prefer another term now. It was definitely some Fannibal Magic because we were the only ones who: 1) did a cosplay - absolutely awesome Kaecilius created by Vivi 2) made the "first action figure" of Kaecilius - beautiful thing created by Sanni 3) had a letter for Mads with the Hannigram Star Certification Deed - yes, that was my work 😃. And of course, flower crowns! There is an official streaming video from the premiere and you can see our flowered heads all around in background!

So, we took a group photo and went inside. There we got some delicious catering, talked with each other... And then Mads arrived! Of course we talked to him! He promised us a group photo after the movie, took my letter, adored Vivi's cosplay and got the Kaecilius doll - with shining face he told and showed to all the "press people" around who made that beautiful "first action figure" for him (+ told them we're Fannibals). On all other pictures taken before the movie he has my letter and Sanni's tiny Kaecilius in his hands.

Besides Mads I met Karis again and also a one of Mads Japan fans group. And she recognized me as a Fannibal - again, thanks to the flower crown (we met again at RDC3, YAY!).

Okay, so we saw the movie. (Btw - before the film screening began, Mads - who sat in the highest row - went down to the stage and he chose stairs which led next to my seat! I swear he looked at me how I was looking at him 😆 And he smiled. There was a really limited choice of seats when I had made the reservation so let's call it the Miracle no. 3) A huge applause happened when Kaecilius appeared on the screen for the first time and we all agreed on that there are some suspicious scenes which remind us one unnamed cannibal  story. You know, scenes like this:

Or when almost the last Kaecilius' words were put into a question: "Isn't it beautiful?"

Oh, well... Fannibals know “It’s beautiful” :)

Later, after the movie, we were really excited about the promised photo. We were so excited that we had to go to pee before and meanwhile - unfortunately - Mads left the cinema... Only Karis was lucky enough to met him after the movie (and his brother and son... earlier that day). And btw, the Miracle no. 4, she told me that she has seen my letter in his bag! (now I only need to know if he read it 😊).

We waited for him outside (just to be sure) even when cinema staff locked all doors except one. Although we didn't get that photo, we saved some lost viewers who felt like in a trap when they found out that main doors are locked. We literally showed the way out to about 5-10 people. So no group photo with Mads that day but meh - we were looking forward to get it before/after the talk next day. And we got a big edification: No toilet next time 😆

We slept, had a breakfast and then went to see Mads again. Meanwhile, I shouldn't forget to mention a small Fannibal Miracle no. 5. On the way to / from our flat there was a strange art thing reminding the mirror dimension from Dr. Strange movie and - which I'm more excited about - a clothing store called Rude! *Winks at @weartherude*

That day we met others in front of the Grand Teatret where Mads’ movie talk took a place and which is also a filming location for another Mads’ movie. We took some photos outside and put some "Fannibals love Strange" bookmarks on a table inside. Japanese fans were there as well and together we waited for our beloved star... ...who arrived soon! Actually, the Japanese group saw him first but then we drag him inside and had a quick photo session in "our corner of the room" 😊

When he left us to prepare himself for the talk, we went inside the talk room and - although we didn't buy our tickets together - I got a place right next to Momo! (Was it a small miracle no. 6? 😉 Also, there were small hearts on tickets.). From the other side of me, two women who weren't Fannibals took places... But again, they noticed our flower crowns! Vivi had a lighting one (wow, what a modification! I'll probably try to create something like that, too 😊) - so they asked me if I have lights in mine as well 😄. We also talked about how they would love to meet Mads so I told them we already did and showed them my photos. They were so excited to meet him after the talk - but what a poor chance they had, right? 😉 (will continue)

Meanwhile, Mads went into the room and took his place on a stage. We were a bit sad that he was going to talk in Danish - but you know, Danish actor in Denmark... that's kinda understandable 😃 BUT! The big Miracle no. 7 happened (well, we could call it fate in this point but...)!

Suddenly, Mads started talking in English and was like: "Do you see all these people with flower crowns? They are traveling from around the whole world and they call themselves Fannibals, fans of Hannibal. I see them everywhere I'm going and I’m so greatful!" (or so, just listen to the video). That was nothing but WOW! And it really showed clearly the power and importance of flower crowns as our symbol (I'm so sad there were none when Mads arrived to Warsaw later that year). The rest of his talk continued in Danish - except some questions from audience (one or two were asked by another Fannibal out of our group). Whole talk video with subtitles is here: 1st, 2nd, 3rd part.

Then Mads said goodbye and went to the side exit. And what a surprise! Do you remember the two girls who were excited about our flower crowns and wished to meet Mads? The two who sat next to me and also at the end of the seats row? The row which has the side exit right aside? Yes! The Miracle no. 8 - Mads again walked very close to my seat and even more, these two women got their photo! Sounds good enough? Never enough! 😃 When Mads left, we Fannibals went out, too (after a while). We saw him walking away, not sure if follow him is a good idea. We didn't want to bother him but you know... Mads! 😄 And my friend (& RDC3 roomie - Gabi) asked me to bring her an autograph... So when Nienke said: "He's over there, let's go!" and everyone hesitantly moved forward, I just forget everything and ran to catch him for the last time. And I did it! I asked him if he could give me autographs for me and my friend...  Firstly he was like: "Sorry my friend, just one... I have some interviews and no time..." But then the Miracle no. 9 happened and I got both for me and for Gabi!

After that it seemed as a goodbye Mads and goodbye Fannibals as we all had to start our ways to home, soon or later that day. Yet, we stood at the corner where Mads disappeared, some of us bought a postcard with “Kaecilius origin” location (the Nyhavn Canal) and we thought about taking a last photo together. But even before some of us left the shop, Daniela noticed the official festival photographer walking around... She just asked him where we could find all his photos. And then, the Miracle no. 10 - the photographer was like: "Hey, you are the fans of Hannibal, right? Do you want a photo?" So hella yeah, we got an official photo on the festival FB page!

Later I got an unexpected compliment to my flower crown by waitress when I, Nienke and Jessica had lunch in a restaurant (location? “Kaecilius' Canal“).

After that they both had to go to catch their buses to home. Because my bus were leaving around midnight, I had the rest of the day to explore Copenhagen. I wanted to see the Little mermaid sculpture so I went there... On the way, there is a palace where a part of the Royal Affair movie had been filmed. So I went there, too, and surprise - I walked right into the Changing of the guard ceremony. We'll slightly go back to this...

During the walk, Copenhagen gave me a little plush heart (I found it on grass next to sidewalk). I think it's kinda cute and the heart went to my tiny Hannigram star plushie which was in Copenhagen with me 😊 Close enough to the mermaid I stopped on a bridge, wasn't sure were to go... And well, how far is Denmark from my little home country? Yet right next to me stood two women with a young child. They talked to each other - one of them in Czech, the second in Slovak (which is a very similar language).

I asked them and they showed me the right direction. So yay, I found the Little mermaid! But there was no miracle quite a long time, wasn't? Okay! While I was taking some photos the Miracle 11 happened - two unicorns appeared like from nowhere! Yeah, that's exactly what happened! Even more, these unicorns spoke Czech and I even spotted them before, during the guard ceremony. What coincidences all the day! So I asked them for permission and took some very rare photos of unicorns hugging the mermaid.

After this unexpected experience I slowly went back to the Central train station. But even in the end of the day there was a time for more awesome experiences. I saw the Roya Affair palace and the ceremony again, in “night lights”. And a few streets later I found this absolutely beautiful window of some antique store. Skulls basically dragged my eyes but sadly, it was already closed.

And as I was looking at a locked door the 12th Miracle came to me. There were three (or so) doorsteps and in the middle of them… tum tum tum - Dante’s Divine Comedy. A complete hardcover book. Even more, the book I found on stairs in Denmark is written in Italian, released in Rome, Italy. If you still aren’t sure then yes, it’s that author whom Hannibal recites in the beggining of Season 3 and also the book he has an lecture about a bit later. I’m sure there is no need to explain how really low chance for this to happen I had - yet here I’m, with the Divina Commedia in my hands. It still amazes myself. Just WOW.

In comparission this is nothing big, but look what I found on a bridge (I’m not sure but it could be the Kaecilius’ canal again):

Later, back under the Central station roof, I bought a newspaper with Mads interview and the Euroman magazine with Mads on its cover, you know. As I was sitting there and waiting for my bus it felt too long… So, the Miracle no. 13 - someone called me by name, I raised my eyes aaand… Momo (we met again at RDC3 <3 ). My roomie who decided to leave Copenhagen a day later so she had found another room for the last night. And just like that, by the way, she walked around me... why not, right? 😃 We talked a while, then I somehow spent the rest of time and went to the bus stop.

And because this post is already long enough, let's finish it with a Miracle no. 14. On the bus stop I met two Fannibals of our group - Daniela and Jo. And a bit later, Karis found me as well. We traveled together to Berlin and that's it - my Copenhagen story ends here.

In the very end I would like to point out this:

Miracles are happening and Fannibal Magic is real & mighty 😊 And flower crowns are really a necessary part of it! (believe me, I wore my one all the time during these awesome days 😃)

#doctor strange #kaecilius #hannibal #mads mikkelsen #fannibal family #fannibals #flower crown #fannibal meetup

[reficule]

A story of a bus ride

Recently I have been finding it a little hard to battle the overbearing suicidal feelings I tend to keep away for the most part.  Also no need for alarm, the feelings are there, but still not to the point of acting upon them (Especially as I am basically the one safety net for about 7 kids if any of them should not conform to the standards of the fams...). But yeah shits not been great, and fuel for the mental trash fire that is my brain so to speak.

Regardless, those shitty feelings are there, and so I try and think back to some moments in my life which I could consider defining as in a way armor to help withstand the assault of the mind (ass is a real good way to describe my mind btw).

One such moment takes place back when I was in college. I think it was my second year (was like early 2000s). I had to take a bus back to my mom’s place, which was pretty much half the length of NC, well prolly closer to 2/3s the length. Raleigh is in a weird non centery kind of place. I had no other way back, dorms were closing, and I had to get back to handle fam stuff. So a Greyhound ride it was.

It was going to be bad enough cuz small space, packed with people,  small spaces I can handle, but people...ha (though I think a bus is roomier then a plane... not by much.). Fortune would have it the bus wasn’t packed packed, but a fair amount of peeps in it.

I had a whole row to myself really, it was nice, no one wanted to sit with the creepy goth girl with her biology text book open that had some gnarly looking pictures (science is awesome for saving the introvert in small spaces sometimes, add in some spiked collars, and black clothes, it worked better then camouflage in the south east there ;) )

Usually I try to make myself small (HA, as if, I am like built like an amazon, perhaps a tad short, but I got the mass and bone structure) and keep my nose in the book. However at this one stop I happened to look up. The bus was getting a bit more to full, and I guess my resting bitch face served as the final deterrent for those eyeing the empty seats next to me. Thats right, keep on moving. Though one of the last ones on, was this small build of a thing, and they walked pass the rows of people with this look. i could tell what it was, I have seen it alot in my time. That hint of fear, nervousness, and oh god don’t let anyone start shit.

Finally they got to my row and asked if they could take a seat. I said no probs, and let them scoot in. Let them get settled and then took up my seat again and got back to what I was doing.

Now usually, I don’t like talking to people (I don’t often have anything worth saying, and its exhausting. Even more so as often its not a conversation, but more akin to people forcing me to defend a thesis cuz they desire to be ignorant pucks). However my new seat mate inquired what I was reading. I explained I was just trying to get ahead for finals and stuff while on the ride, what I was studying, degree stuff, blah blah blah. The usual small talk on travel stuff really.

A bit in, my seat mate starts to look a bit alarmed. I asked what was wrong and they was like, I can’t find my medication. I was like oh, damn, what kind of bottle, labeled, etc, as I hopped out of my seat and got to knees on the floor. After a good rummage through the bags they found it! And there was much rejoicing. Though I did catch the label. At the time it was a fairly new drug mix for AIDS.

I will never forget that look on my seat mate’s face - it was like you caught them cheating on a lover or something. They apologized for not mentioning it, and started explaining their fear and such. I let them go on, until there was a long enough paused and I asked how they were fairing with the side effects, and what were they pairing it with. With a small apology for the curiosity, they didn’t have to answer, but I had remembered reading the article describing the trials they used the medication in.

I don’t think they knew how to respond at first, after all even now people like get all weird around AIDS and such. But it was kind of like, you ain’t mad or scared? Me being me, I start babbling on everything I have ever read on the AIDS virus. I knew for a fact I was safe, unless we suddenly decided to do a bit of a blood swap (other fluid swap wasn’t/isn’t an option with me ;p), nothing was going to happen. However I knew full damn well their fear was justified and did my best to assure them, in our row, it was a safe row.

I count myself fortunate to have made the impression that I was someone they could talk to, as for the next couple of hours they got rant about something that in high odds they didn’t get much of a chance to. Though I remember the part that broke my heart the most. They were thankful for the doctors and nurses they were getting to see, their treatment plan had been going rather well. They confessed people out in the public, they kind of expect the reactions, still bothersome, but it stung more when they caught the medical personal acting the same. Nothing like them going in to get blood drawn, and someone that hasn’t worked with them before sees their chart and catches them trying to not touch them, or getting all freaked out during a visit. They said they did have some personnel apologize after catching themselves doing it.

They looked so sad as they spoke. You could just see all that emotional weight bearing down on them. Sure some extra safety precautions is expected, but to be even treated as such by those that are suppose to know about it. It is that kind of look as if one had no escape from a prison.

I listened to their words, just letting them speak. I am not much of a talker, but I can listen for years. Once they seemed done, I told them I was sorry they were experiencing such things and hoped that maybe one day the stigma will be worked out. It was then I also took the time to ‘properly’ introduced myself offering up a hand to shake with my name. With a smile they took my hand and returned in kind. A small gesture, but they seemed a lot less gloomy after it.

Afterwards we moved on to other topics, turns out we had similar tastes in sci-fi shows and books.

I don’t know what happened to them after that, but at least I know for a few hours, on a trip they had no idea how it was going to go (there was a very real risk they coulda been kicked off the bus, or worse), it was made better. All because we were kind to each other.

And really one of my better times riding a bus thanks to that person. I count myself lucky to have met them.

[garkgatiss]

Kernel of Truth: The Car and The Driver

John is driving. John is in the driver’s seat. 

John is on his heart-phone. John is driving erratically.

And then John is injured or dies.

Intro Post: Four episodes, three false narratives, two potential outcomes, no loose ends. Summary:

These three episodes are a set. They’re all retellings of the same events, pieced together from the limited information that John is willing to divulge, supplemented by imagination and colored by the author’s own feelings and motivations. Fresh paint to disguise another smell. Throughout all three episodes, we see wildly diverging narratives inspired by the same core kernels of truth. The fourth episode, the final ending of Clue, will tell us what really happened.

T6T vs. TLD: Two Potential Outcomes

So even before TFP aired, we had several car-centric events popping up in the first two false narratives:

John drives the car to the hospital

Charlie calls his dad from the driver’s seat of his car, sitting in his parents’ driveway, but dies silently of a seizure, probably

Drunk driver crashing into Charlie’s car

Mrs. Hudson’s wild ride, while on the phone

John asking to drive Mrs. Hudson’s car sometimes, which she refuses 

John later driving Mrs. Hudson’s car, while on the phone, to the hospital to save Sherlock (which all started as a Mary-inspired plan for Sherlock to save John)

Key here for me is that Mary’s trip to the hospital at the start of T6T and John’s mad dash to the hospital to save Sherlock in TLD puts John in the driver’s seat in both episodes. We could be metaphorically talking about John being in the driver’s seat of his own life for fucking finally, but we’ll explore a more literal interpretation first.

The two potential outcomes, the comparative differences between T6T and TLD come up here again. In T6T, John doesn’t make it to the hospital in time for Mary to give birth. In TLD, John arrives in the nick of time to save Sherlock, just like Mrs. Hudson did earlier that day. The repeated question here is, apparently: will John make it in time?

John the Driver

The other "wild ride” we have, to parallel Mrs. Hudson’s in TLD, is the drunk driver who crashes into Charlie’s car in T6T. Both people are sitting in the driver’s seat, both people are John mirrors: a gay boy with conservative, homophobic parents who travels halfway round the world to escape them as soon as he’s old enough, and an alcoholic. Since TLD is John writing a story while projecting himself onto every character all at once, it makes sense. One John mirror is pulled from the wreckage, one John mirror is already dead from a seizure.

John wants to name this case, “The Ghost Driver,” btw.

The message I’m getting loud and clear so far is: John is driving, John is in the driver’s seat, John is on his heart-phone, John is driving erratically. And then John is injured or dies.

I’ve talked already about how the indicators of John’s alcoholism have gone through the roof this season. I’m trying to read my way around the thought that a Garridebs moment may be the outcome of a literal drunk driving suicide accident, but it’s a serious possibility right now. It’s really messing me up now that we have a Garrideb in TFP with DTs, i.e. alcohol withdrawal, symptoms of which include: seizures.

Alternatively, it’s alcohol that lets John metaphorically take the wheel in his own life, ending in situations like the Stag Night Knee Grope. Good thing we have death compared with sex all over TLD. Good thing we have a different Garridebs suspect already in mind.

Metaphorically speaking, it looks like people don’t want John to be the driver. Throughout her birth scene, Mary screams “Please, God, just drive! God, drive!” asking subtextually of course for Sherlock to take control. Sherlock dismissively tells John to take the bus in T6T, and Mrs. Hudson won’t let John driver her car at all, until changing her mind in the final hour so that John can rush to save Sherlock. Again, TLD does that fun thing where it at first echoes an aspect of T6T and then later rectifies it. Two potential outcomes.

(Bless you, Mrs. Hudson, for finally handing John the keys, assuming the drunk driving is entirely metaphorical.)  

TFP

So! Onto TFP. Boats, planes, but no cars, really. Right?

WRONG. 

There’s this (bless you Ariane Devere and ctrl+f, for I would never have found this one on my own):

GOVERNOR (into phone): I need to speak to Mycroft. 

(In London, Sir Edwin, now sporting a full beard, is in the back seat of a car.) 

SIR EDWIN (into his phone): He’s in hospital. There was an explosion. 

GOVERNOR (into phone): Put me through to the hospital. 

SIR EDWIN: He’s not conscious. He’s severely injured. No-one is even confident he’s going to pull through. 

So in this entirely forgettable and nonsense scene in TFP that's apparently there to explain how John and Sherlock ended up exploded onto a boat in the middle of the ocean with no injuries while Mycroft took a detour through a hospital and nearly died before meeting back up with them on Terrordome Island, we have someone 

in a car, 

having a phone conversation, trying to get through to 

the hospital, where someone is 

being treated for life-threatening injuries.

Can you smell a kernel of truth through the coat of fresh paint yet? 

There’s one more thing in TFP, but it’s pretty nuts: the little girl on the plane keeps calling the pilot, “The Driver.” 

John The Driver, redux

GIRL: Even the driver’s asleep. 

John, is that you? Are you asleep at the wheel? The emphasis in T6T and TLD on how you haven’t been sleeping at all is starting to worry me.

SHERLOCK: That’s right; the front. 

GIRL: You mean where the driver is? 

SHERLOCK (continuing to walk around the room, shining the lantern on the many photos): Yes, that’s it. 

GIRL: Okay. (She starts to get up from the floor.) I’m going. (She starts to walk down the aisle, pausing and looking down at the unconscious flight attendant lying in her way. Sherlock continues looking at the photos. Some of them are of Sherlock at older ages than his young pirate self and a few pictures are of other members of the Holmes family.) 

SHERLOCK: Are you there yet? (It’s not the girl who replies but John, who jerks awake somewhere dark. The wall behind him is bare rock.) 

JOHN: Yeah, I’m here. (He stands up abruptly when he realizes that he’s sitting in water up to his waist.) 

SHERLOCK: John! 

JOHN (his voice coming from Sherlock’s earpiece): Yeah. 

SHERLOCK: Where are you? 

JOHN: I don’t know. I’ve just woken up. Where are you?

Ok, John’s the Driver. Who was just sleeping. This is... pretty obvious at this point. :(

SHERLOCK: Oh, hello. Are you at the front of the plane now? 

GIRL (in the flight deck, shaking the arm of the unconscious pilot): Yeah. I still can’t wake the driver up.

Again. :(

And then there’s Sherlock, on the phone this entire time, talking the little girl through the landing of the plane on her own:

SHERLOCK: Well, you and I are going to have to drive this plane together. Just you and me.

:’)

ETA: Actually, turns out there’s one more clue from TFP that I want to cover:

Golf Whiskey X-Ray

TECHNICIAN: Golf Whiskey X-ray, this is a restricted area, repeat, restricted area. You are off course. 

TECHNICIAN (into radio): Are you receiving? (There’s no immediate reply and he activates his radio again.) 

TECHNICIAN: Golf Whiskey X-ray, you are off course. Are you receiving? (The radio from the other end activates.) 

JOHN’s VOICE: Yeah, receiving you. This is a distress call, repeat, distress call. We’re in trouble here. 

(A radar image on the screen in front of the technician shows a bright red dot close to the centre of the screen.) 

TECHNICIAN: Golf Whiskey X-ray, what is your situation? (There’s no response.) 

TECHNICIAN: Golf Whiskey X-ray? Where are you now? 

JOHN’s VOICE (over radio): We’re headed for the rocks. We’re going to hit.

Not sure what significance G-W-X might have on its own, but if you just take the words literally, as in...

[an economy 4-door hatchback, such as Volkswagen’s] Golf,

Whiskey, and

X-Ray,

... they paint another bleak picture of how we ended up in John’s deathbed dream episode. Add in the distress call, and it’s hard not to read this very literally right alongside all the other drinking John mirrors, erratic drivers on phones, and distress calls picked up at the last second we’ve seen in S4.

ETA: After combing through and recapping the #SherlockLive twitter case, the man who kills himself to frame his wife and her lover has a prior conviction for a drunk driving accident, in which the wife was also injured.

My final prediction of the real event is some combination of:

John drinking

John driving

John on the phone

John reaching out to Sherlock, the Distress Call

The will-he/won’t-he survive business surrounding The Driver points very clearly to John’s injury in a Garridebs moment, imo. The evidence seems to point heavily toward a literal drunk driving suicide accident as I read it, but that simultaneously feels a little too dark and a little too ordinary for this show. Then again, this season is apparently much darker than any they’ve done before. 

Bonus points: Pairs well with the parallels Nattie @loudest-subtext-in-tv picked up on in her What Dreams May Come meta. I’ve never seen the movie and I don’t at all subscribe to EMP, but any tie to a movie where a depressed guy a) crashes his car after b) calling his wife on the phone to tell her he loves her one last, fateful time before c) sustaining life-threatening injuries and having a movie-length afterlife adventure seems pretty relevant here.

All transcripts from the incredible Ariane Devere.

#s4 meta #s4 speculation #lakdgjlakf this would NOT stop growing #i think i covered it though

[xertasadventures]

Orlando Weekend Trip

I know I haven’t posted in a while. It’s been very busy for me as of late and I haven’t had a chance to finish the blogs for my Cebu trip. I will hopefully get back to that vacation soon, but while I have this moment at the Orlando Airport I figured I’d take the time to write out my trip here since it’s probably one of the best, yet short, vacations I’ve ever taken.

Before I detail out what happened, let me first explain how this trip came about. Initially, I wasn’t supposed to go to Orlando at all at this time. Having done a trip in the Philippines for two and a half weeks and also wanting to save up for other “planned” trips throughout the year I figured I’d wait until I’d have a “major” trip (major implying it would cost me more than the usual). Jaymie on the other hand was planning to come down to Orlando with her family with their primary purpose for coming at this time was for the Star Wars Celebration, which is concluding as I write this post. Her brother and parents were going to spend the Saturday (aka yesterday) at the convention while she was going to go spend the day by herself at a theme park.

Not wanting her to go around a theme park by herself (#paranoidboyfriend) and also getting a decent bonus this year, I figured I would go fly down to Orlando to spend that day with her, especially since some of our previous plans had to be pushed back due to her pursuing her master’s degree.

So here I am... or rather, here I was flying down to Orlando. I used some of my IHG rewards points to help keep the costs of the room down at the Holiday Inn in Disney Springs, ten minutes away walking distance from the Disney Springs area. I booked a flight with delta since I have skymiles with them and to also help earn miles for any future trips (especially trips to the Philippines since they are partnered with Korean Air). Initially I was just going to use uber and take mass transit while here in Orlando, but at the last minute my Dad convinced me to rent a car, especially since I turned 25 so rates for me shouldn’t be that bad. I booked a car with Alamo and was ready for my trip to Orlando.

On Friday I woke up a little late seeing as the night before was a raid night (which, sidenote, was a piece of crap because I didn’t get squat from the two bosses I really needed items from > . >). But i managed to get ready and get all that I needed for my trip. I didn’t want to check in any bags considering that I’d have to pay for any checked bags (don’t have the credit card to bypass that, yet...) so I had to keep it to mostly clothes - I figured I could buy the travel sized toiletries at a Walgreens here anyway.

Once I was ready to go, I met my Dad downstairs and drove him and myself to the airport. Since I wasn’t going to drive Xerah (yes, that’s the name of my civic, don’t judge me = 3 =) this weekend I figured I’d take her to the airport and just have my Dad drive her back home. Traffic to JFK wasn’t terrible. It was actually better than I anticipated, so I got there at a reasonable time. After saying goodbye to my Dad I headed to the kiosk to reprint my boarding pass just in case and then headed through security with no issues. Once I found my gate I pretty much just chilled there until my flight was ready to board, catching up on 13 Reasons Why (a good series, would highly recommend btw).

The flight itself was full. I was kinda worried I’d be forced to volunteer my seat but lo and behold, this wasn’t United, so I was pretty safe. Weather was spectacular at both NYC and Orlando so no delays due to weather either. I had an aisle seat and sat next to a woman who kept to herself. While on the airplane, I continued watching 13 Reasons Why and before I knew it, I landed in Orlando!

Pretty sure this is the first time I’ve been in the Orlando airport. If I have been here earlier, I was probably a wee little chlid because I don’t remember being here at all. The airport looks and feels a little smaller than JFK and also looks a little less... modern I guess? Still, at least they had the AC going. After leaving the secure area I made my way to the rental car area and waited on line before getting my car. Initially they told me I was going to drive a Chevy Cruze, which would be cool since that was one of the other cars I was considering instead of the civic. But I ended up renting out a Ford Focus, which was still cool because that car was also another one I was considering XD. It was a hatchback model (eh) but it was still pretty cool, though up til I left it here I still don’t know what half of the buttons on that car did LOL.

After getting my car I used Google maps on my phone to drive to the Holiday Inn in Disney Springs. There was a lot of traffic on the way so it took me about 45 minutes to reach my hotel, but once I arrived, check in was a breeze - they even offered to “upgrade” my room since I was early, giving me the same setup but with a -view of the fireworks... which would’ve been cool if I wasn’t going to be out during the fireworks XD Still, it was nice of them to do this for me, and the room itself wasn’t bad. Pretty spacious non-smoking king bed room with a couch and a nice bathroom. The locking latch was a little weird but other than that no complaints.

Not wanting to waste time just staying in the room and anxious to explore, I changed out of my jeans and into some shorts and walked to Disney Springs. It really was only a ten minute walk and once I got there I wanted to see if I could find a place that sold a lobster roll or a crab roll. The sandwich, not the sushi = 3 = It was Good Friday after all, so no meat. However, after walking the length of Disney Springs and not finding anything like that, I ended up just eating a pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s Express. Yes, I am/was carb backloading, but it was also a vacation - LET ME LIVE = 3 =.

After eating my late lunch (ate around 3pm) I decided to look around to see if there was anything else I wanted. I found a gelato shop and got a scoop of pistachio gelato and a scoop of cookie gelato and finished that up while walking around Disney Springs. It was in that moment that I realized that I really liked Orlando and already started making retirement plans in my heard for this place, but we’ll see how that turns out lol

However, my time at Disney Springs would be cut short as I really had to use the bathroom. So I rushed back to my hotel room and after relieving myself I chilled in my room waiting for Jaymie and her family to arrive. I also had to go to get my toiletries so I took the car to a nearby walgreens to get said toiletries and also ended up getting three cases of purified water for Jaymie’s family, since they said it was cheaper to get that and they would just pay me back later. They then offered to let me go to their resort and eat a “pre-dinner” with them, so I drove to Disney’s Pop Century Resort and chilled with Jaymie and her family in the resort’s cafeteria. It’s a pretty cool place because they had a lot of selections and you could buy this cup that’s free refills for the duration of your stay.

After having a pre-dinner, we brought up the water bottles to their room and then I drove us to Disney Springs where we would eat dinner at Paddlefish. It was pretty packed and since Jaymie’s brother, Michael, has an allergy to fish and shellfish, we had to eat outside so that he wouldn’t be choking on the smells. I ordered scallops, which is kinda funny because it came with brussel sprouts and I actually enjoyed eating the brussel sprouts more than the scallops because the scallops were so freaking salty! But it was a good dinner regardless and after we ate we walked around Disney Springs before I drove them back to their resort to drop them off then headed back to my hotel to rest up for the following day.

Oh boy. Saturday. Saturday was busy AF but at least it didn’t start as early/bad as it did for Jaymie’s family. I woke up, got ready, then went to meet Jaymie at her resort to eat breakfast. After eating breakfast, she and I headed to epcot and because she was staying in a resort she had free parking so I parked in the Epcot lot which was awesome - no relying on shitty bus schedules or shady uber drivers :D We then headed to Epcot but we were running late for our first activity - the Test Track. So we fast walked to that and once we got to the gate in time we took our sweet-ass time walking down the line.

Test Track is probably one of my favorite attractions in all of Disney World. The idea is that you design a car and then you ride a “simulation” of it. No, it’s not a vr thing, though that would be cool. It’s a pre determined track with a bunch of pre-determined events before getting to the main part, which is the power test. For this part, the ride goes as fast as it cans on a pseudo track, reaching a speed above 60 miles per hour (I have a theory that the speed is the average of all the cars created by the people in the actual car). I ended up designing the fastest car so when the scores were tallied up, I had the highest power of all the cars :D

After the Test Track, we decided to go to get some pictures with Baymax. When we got to the Baymax photo spot, we also saw they had one for Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, which we would go to later. After waiting for about thirty minutes and then getting our pics with Baymax, we went to Spaceship Earth since that was our next fast pass. For the uninformed, it’s a slow ride that takes you through a brief history of humanity on Earth. The theme of Epcot is human innovation so that was also a part of this ride.

We still had some time before our lunch reservation at the Coral Reef Restaurant so we figured we’d wait in line to take pictures with Joy and Sadness. They were more interactive than Baymax, but all three of them reacted to the shirt Jaymie was wearing - it was a Teeturtle shirt that showed Batman, Ironman, and Thor jealous of Baymax because Baymax was a bigger hero than the three of them XD. It was cool that they were pointing out Jaymie’s shirt, and it made me wish I wore something more exciting than a plain old blue Uniqlo shirt = 3 =.

After the photo op we headed to the Coral Reef Restaurant where we had lunch. It’s situated next to Epcot’s big aquarium, and I remember Jaymie telling me that she reserved this place because of it. It was pretty cool, I just wish There were dolphins or mamals in general in the aquarium, but I’m not gonna complain lol I ended up having some lobster bisque and a NY strip steak which was pretty good - and pretty filling.

After lunch, we decided to walk around the world showcase area of Epcot. It’s basically a big circle where each segment of the circle is supposed to represent a country. I have no clue how they chose the countries that they had, but it was pretty cool and each country had a restaurant and a few shops with stuff from their respective culture.We decided to go through the countries in clockwise order. I’m not going to outline every single place we went to but I will mention a few highlights. Norway had a new ride based on Frozen, but there weren’t any fast passes available and we didn’t want to wait for 105 minutes to ride it, so we passed by (next time we’ll go hopefully). In China we ended up resting because we were both so tired considering our busy schedules and all the walking and standing on line that we already did. It was cool because they had a few previews of the Disneyland theme park in Shanghai, which is one of the places we wanted to visit at a later time. I was a little disappointed with Italy because they didn’t have a gelato shop. They did have a small stand selling spumoni gelato but I passed since I had that the last time I was in Epcot. When we got to Japan, I had a rainbow shaved ice which was perfect since I was craving something cold and sweet but not creamy. It was strawberry, tangerine, and watermelon flavored and it was really good. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat some shaved ice in Parkchester when I get back home. In France, Jaymie got a chocolate gelato macaroon and a chocolate eclair while I got a “Croosiant Jambon Fromage” or in lay man’s terms, a ham and cheese croissant sandwich = 3 =. Was I overeating? Yes, and I’ll explain that later on, but at the time it was soo good x.x

When we were done with the showcase, I went to a shop to grab a gift for my cousin’s twins since their birthday was last week. I got the boy, my Godson Alex a Mickey Tsumtsum while I got his sister, Isa, a Minnie Tsumtsum. At this point, we pretty much did all that we wanted to do at Epcot, so we headed back to the car, taking a picture at the front of Epcot first, then drove to Magic Kingdom.

I’m pretty sure the last time I went to Magic Kingdom was with my Dad in my trip after I graduated from college. Getting to Magic Kingdom was coomplex AF since we wanted to park in the parking complex in Disney Springs to spare our car from the heat. We ended up walking from Disney Springs to a nearby resort where we took a ferry to another resort to a bus that would take us to the park. This time around? Still a little complex, but instead of parking at Disney Springs, we parked at Magic Kingdom’s parking lot... This time we took a tram to take a ferry that would take us to Magic Kingdom = 3 =

Originally, we were just going to spend the whole day at Epcot, but Jaymie found out about this event they were testing out where you could take a picture with a Tangled theme lantern. So Jaymie ended up buying the parkhopper for us just so we could take part in that event. When we got to Magic Kingdom, I wanted to see if I could get some of the pistachio creme brulee from Tony Roma’s but they don’t do take out so I was a little sad. We then scouted out the place where the tangled event happened, but it was too early so we decided to get some snacks at the Starlight cafe. We got fries and I ended up getting a strawberry lemonade slushy because they had a BB-8 souvenir cup that I wanted to get = 3 =

After chilling at the cafe for a bit, we went to the tangled area again, and waited until it got dark. Then we saw that they were setting up and realized we weren’t on the line so we got on the line, waited about an hour, then got our pictures of the tangled lantern, which turned out pretty great. Mission accomplished! :D

Achieving our goal at Magic Kingdom, we headed back to the car, this time taking the monorail instead of the ferry to get to the parking lot and drove back to Disney Springs where we met up with Jaymie’s family for dinner at Morimoto, an Asian cuisine place. Michael and their parents and family friend told stories of their adventures at the Star Wars celebration while Jaymie and I told them about our trip to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. After dinner, we were all so tired so I took them back to their resort, said my good byes since I was leaving the following day, and went back to my hotel, where I passed out, woke up in the middle of the night to throw up, then went back to sleep = 3 =.

Today, I really didn’t do much. I just went to church at Mary Queen of the Universe to celebrate Easter, then chilled with my cousin Rachel and her twins for a bit, giving them their belated birthday gifts. After that I went to eat lunch at Wendy’s then headed to the airport so I would not be late in bringing the rental car back, made it past security and sitting where I am write now writing this blog post.

Overall, this was probably one of the best trips I’ve ever done recently. One of the things I really liked about it was the amount of independence and responsibility I had for this trip. In the past, I didn’t really pay for anything. Not the plane trip, not the rental car, not the hotel room, not even gas or food! But this time around was different. And though my wallet is crying a little, it does feel a little cool to be able to get these things on my own.

But the best thing about this trip was the time I spent with Jaymie. Just being in disney world together was enough for me to be happy and I can’t wait for our future trips not only to here in Orlando but all throughout the world. Jaymie, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for making this trip so memorable ^_^

I don’t really have much else planned today, just plan on eating dinner with my folks when I get back home, then maybe catch up on WoW since I didn’t even log on since Thursday night. You know a trip is good if it gets you to stop playing WoW, let me just say that haha. I’m probably going to catch up on 13 Reasons Why now so there’s that too.

Until next time!

[ejruler]

i recently watched this video about someone’s worst travel experience and even tho theirs was a million times worse than mine, i thought i’d share mine because it was also pretty bad

so i was doing a short hop flight from toronto to new york, and the flight was just about an hour or so and so this experience rlly shouldn’t have been that bad.

so i was with my family and we arrived to check in, and we received our tickets and annoyingly we realised we were not seated together. we were on 4 completely separate seats - and we’d paid extra to pre book seats so that we actually were sat together. what the hell?? now because i have never sat away from my parents on a flight before (for the record i’m perfectly capable of it but it’s just something i’ve never done and wasn’t expecting to today) i started having an internal panic. i was freaking the hell out.

so we go to the desk lady and we’re like ‘can u help us’ and she starts to help us then we see her face drop. what’s happened now? you ask, well guess what? our flights been cancelled. yup. and now i’m panicking for a whole different reason. because what if we have to sleep overnight? that ruins all our new york holiday plans and we won’t get everything done..

LUCKILY we arrived about 2 hours before the recommended time and so we were booked onto an earlier flight that wasn’t full. and - bonus - we were sitting together! all was well, or at least it seemed.

our plane took off late and we ended up taking off at the same time our old flight would have, so our plans weren’t really affected too bad but we were on a 1 hour flight for about an 1hr 45min. but the drama didn’t start until we ended up at laguardia airport.

so to get to the subway station, we had to get on a bus. we had no clue how often these buses came and there was chock-a-block traffic all the way down. it was barely moving. a few buses came, but we waited outside in the cold for an hour until the bus we needed came. but because new yorkers are RUDE AS HELL people who’d only been waiting ten mins or so managed to get on before us. mainly because they were travelling alone and we were a family of 4. and then the bus was full and it drove off without us. great.

another half an hour. so we’ve been waiting for a bus for longer than we were in the air now. FINALLY another bus comes. me, my dad and my sister get on successfully but my mum is pushed back and further back and further back until she’s so far behind us we’re not sure she’s going to get on this bus. people are so slow getting on that i’m freaking out AGAIN that we’re going to be split up and jesus christ do i not want that. luckily luckily luckily my mum makes it onto the bus (she was like the 3rd to last person to get on so it was so close) and we’re off.

the bus journey isn’t very comfortable. we’ve been standing for ages at the bus stop and then it’s 40 mins of sitting in traffic and standing on a cramped bus where it’s almost impossible not to touch the person next to you, especially when driving over a bump or round a corner. one guy accused another of ‘sexually harassing’ him because he kept touching his ass. he said if it happened one more time he’d call the police. (i mean he was a typical new yorker and the guy that he threatened was clearly not and he looked shocked and scared at this thought) . the new yorker guy didn’t say anything like that again but i was so conscious of accidentally brushing my hand against him that i basically spent the whole 40 mins of that bus journey routed in my spot.

finally we made it to the train station. we had to get on a monorail to get to the subway, which was actually quite easy. the monorail was busy but not too busy and i could sit down this time. then we arrived at the subway station. it took a while for us to find the right platform (probably longer than it should have because we were all tired and stressed) but somehow the subway was the easiest part of the journey. it was quite late by this point and (i think) it was like a sunday evening so the train was actually rlly quiet. we got a seat easily and we could easily track where we were going to get off.

we faced one last hurdle when we got out of the wrong exit and couldn’t find our way to the hotel (which was one street over from times square so with all the bustling people and cars it was not fun going the wrong way). we got a bit stressed going back and forth but the moment i laid down in my bed and thought ‘oh my gosh i’m in new york’ it was (almost) worth the horrible journey.

and btw i had an amazing time and our flight back to london was absolutely fine.

#story #story time #new york #bad flight #bad journey #worst travel experience

[swapnagangadharan]

I woke up at 7 am to see Adit up and awake and getting ready to go. He was taking an earlier train to Bombay and then get back to Powai. We got ready to drop him at the railway station.

After a big hug and goodbye to Adit, I noticed Pankaj having that melancholic look and saying ‘And he’s gone’..

We went to the Jain temple complex for breakfast and chai. This time there were people in the canteen. Let me tell you I have eaten Upma in different variations but what I had that day was unbelievable. Small masala puris, Upma with coconut chutney, khakhras( which am addicted to now btw!) and that Chai.

We kept on hogging. We had a long day, evening and night ahead as Bhim and I were taking an evening train to Pune. He had an early morning flight back to Bangalore and Srini and his nieces would join me later in the night. When I look back I realise how I was moving from one transformative trip to another.

After breakfast we went up to the Jain temple. It was quiet and peaceful and there was no one around except one Jain family dressed in traditional robes from the youngest who was maybe 3 years to the oldest,the grandfather offering prayers. It was a sight to see. We three sat in silence and closed our eyes. The birds, the sunshine, the tranquility of the temple, it was beautiful.

I have noticed in every holy place I visited whether it’s a temple, monastery, gurudwara, Dargah or church there is a sense of calm and serenity. There is no explanation why. Not everything can be explained with logic.

After some time we got up. Bhim wanted to catch up on sleep as he slept really late last night so we dropped him at the guesthouse and we made our way to Waki School for one last time.

Pankaj showed around the school in detail, the old buildings versus the new ones. He had come here for the first time in the 70s when he was in college and the school was just one big house.

He was very passionate about this place. Being the logical and practical guy that he is, it was challenging for him to convince the donors why certain things wouldn’t work here.

We spent our time seeing the space, the new dining hall that was getting expanded, the residential quarters. Just then one of the kitchen staff guy came to greet him. A sharp straightforward man, Pankaj told me that his daughter was very bright and had finished her 10th standard exams.

We sat down and were chatting away enjoying the fresh breeze and right then the guy got us Jamun – the dark fruit freshly plucked from the tree. It was such a delight sitting under the shade and eating it! He also brought freshly plucked mangoes for Pankaj to take it home.

Pankaj packed some Jamun for his wife and the staff guy in his own way complained about the work. He looked straight at me and told Aapko patha hai roz kitna roti banate hai?? 300 subah 300 raat ko!( Do you know how many rotis I have to make every day? 300 in the morning and 300 in the evening!) His back was aching and he didn’t get many days off. Pankaj was patiently listening. These were realities and actual challenges and getting the staff here to work was a challenge.

After some time Pankaj said goodbye to them saying he will be back in June 1st week. We drove back to the guesthouse and we had some time. Bhim was blissfully sleeping inside.

Pankaj and I took our own space on the verandah and lied down on the floor. I remember playing an album from Karunesh, closing my eyes, arms wide open and getting into a trance. We seek and crave for such moments, to be free, to be still and to be present.. Pankaj too zoned out lying down.

After an hour and half it was time to go. We packed in silence, closed the windows and got into the car. That familiar ache started inside. Yes I was moving onto another leg of my journey and I was happy I would meet Srini and his nieces but after this I wouldn’t see Pankaj and Bhim would leave tonight. Change is inevitable but how do you explain it to your heart?

Bhim took over and since we had plenty of time he drove slowly. I played old Hindi songs of the 50s and 60s and we were all humming to it. The sun was so bright that Bhim had to put a cover( which was Pankaj’s lungi!)over his side of the window. And this was the funny part, every time he had to change lanes, he would peep from the covers as if it was a purdah! I would giggle like crazy and Bhim would join in 😁

We reached an eating point on the highway where we had really tasty Vada Pav. And right when you think nothing can go wrong it does.

As we were reaching the parking space, Pankaj couldn’t find his wallet. We started searching the car,Pankaj went twice to the joint, to the bathroom nothing! It went on for another half an hour until I decided I would search his small backpack again and there I saw, his wallet in the side pocket. I showed it to him rolling my eyes and this man cheekily says Hey I kept it at a very secure place 😊 Pankaj was as forgetful as my buddy Bhim!

Having lost an hour Pankaj told Bhim to speed up because there were chances of us reaching nick in time or maybe even miss the train. It all went well until we reached Thane. BOOM! It hit us like that! From the quietness we were now in the district of Thane with its buildings, constructions and full on traffic jams on a Sunday.

I used GPS and we made our way towards Railway station. Bhim and I were ok to even missing the train thinking we can take a bus no sweat but Pankaj was more worried than us. I could see him egging us on and to concentrate on driving and less talking 😊

Finally we reached the overcrowded traffic jammed station, we said our goodbyes to Pankaj and made a dash. Since there were local trains and outbound trains it took us time to figure out which platform it was and boy was it super hot and humid!

The crowds were overwhelming us totally and as we stood in the platform with the sun hitting us, Bhim and I realised how privileged our lives were living in South Indian cities.

The serenity of Dahanu was wiped out by standing there in that heat and getting jostled by crowds.The train was late by 25 minutes and when it came it halted only for a minute.

I remember sweating profusely because there were at least 40 people in front of us getting into the compartment and they were not moving and the green signal came on. Then we became pakka locals by shouting at them to get inside as the train started moving.

We found our way to our seats and finally sat down and looked at each other in bewilderment. What a contrast it was now to what we experienced in the morning. Reality bites I tell you!

And then hunger pangs started or let’s say stress eating started. This was an express and there were few stops. We waited for something to come by and finally some roasted peanuts came by. The moment I saw Bhim eating peanuts I started laughing loud again especially the look he would give when he saw me laughing. We also packed khakhras so we were munching on them.

Srini and his nieces, Aanchal and Kajal took the afternoon train from Hyderabad and they would reach Pune at 11 pm.

After some time Bhim and I shared my earphones and listened to Queen and of course our favourite, The Doors. I remember how we were jamming, moving and doing our head banging to the music, we didn’t care a damn!

Around 8.15 pm we reached Pune and right when we came out we felt the cool air hitting us. Aaaaah! This was nothing like Bombay!

After some unfortunate failed Uber bookings we finally reached the hotel. Srini had already booked it so we had time to relax and the first thing on both our minds was BEER! All we wanted to have was chilled beer with our all time favourite Chilli Paneer! Yup that’s our poison people.

Bhim took a long shower while I watched some TV and was messaging Srini. He didn’t have a proper vacation since we started the cafe, yup am the nomad not him and this was the first vacation in years with no work stress. He was dying to jump out of the train and run towards Pune!

After Bhim got ready, I got ready and taking his backpack we walked towards ‘Kanak.’ This place was introduced to us two years ago thanks to Aanchal, Srini’s niece who was studying then in Symbiosis. A nondescript place, it was one of the few places open till 5 am.

We settled into one of the low seated tables and mattress and immediately ordered Beer and that Paneer. You look at our pic taken in semi darkness, you will see how dazed we were. As Bhim put it, we look stoned!

Around 11.30 pm we finally saw Srini, Aanchal and a beaming excited Kajal holding Bhim’s linen shirt and pant like it was some crown jewel. Seeing that linen shirt and pant we burst out laughing!

Bhim related his date night as Srini asked him what happened. And so my friends, let me tell you the story of his date night really travelled far and wide!

It was time for Bhim to leave and I gave him a big hug and goodbye. I knew I would see him again in July but I would miss him.. He was my crazy companion in travel, treks and thoughts.

As I walked back into Kanak, the final leg of my journey was about to start..

      Dahanu series – the last time… Part X I woke up at 7 am to see Adit up and awake and getting ready to go.