#Love in Nepal

[atavist]

Two women promised they would see the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time once they were together. They had no idea how long that would take—bureaucracy, bigotry, and the pandemic stood in their way.

“Love, Interrupted,” Atavist issue no. 154, is now live:

Now 1,100 miles apart, the two women texted and called each other incessantly. Shree wanted more. She knew that Ashwini was on the cusp of an arranged marriage, which had already cost Shree one relationship. “I like you,” she told Ashwini after a few weeks. “But if it’s a no, that’s fine. We should stop talking right now.”

Ashwini wasn’t sure what to do. She knew the risks she faced: Walking away from an arranged marriage would almost certainly require coming out to her parents, and once her orientation was no longer a secret, who knew what kind of condemnation or rejection she might face—personal, professional, or otherwise? Plus, she would have to learn to accept herself for who she was. The alternative, however, was a life without Shree.

A few days after Ashwini’s 30th birthday, she video-called Shree. Looking at Shree’s face, she knew that she was ready to make the leap. Ashwini asked Shree to be her girlfriend.

[longreads]

She wanted to go to the mountains of India, but not in order to mimic the trope she’d seen in movies: Woman retreats into nature and discovers herself. Rather, the trip would be one last chance to escape the weight of having to hide her identity.

How long would you wait for love? For two queer women—one from India, the other from Nepal—the answer was: as long as it takes.

Visit Longreads to read “Love Wins,” an excerpt from the new issue of The Atavist Magazine.

[aivoluptulicious]

Sexy woman in her late 40s walking in the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal

[motocrunch]

[lesbianjennybrown]

Is it a hot take to say that The Ballad of Klimpaloon is my favourite Love Handel song?

HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE A BALLAD DEDICATED TO THE LITTLEST GUY OF ALL TIME

AND THEN DURING THE PERFORMANCE HE DANCES

I mean on sheer spectacle alone, this is the best Love Handel song, BUT IT DOESNT STOP THERE

It’s just a good song!!!! It’s about Klimpaloon! It’s silly and ridiculous but the music behind it is just really good!!!

[expatesque]

S's adventures in attempting to find love this week: (1) Filling in the survey at my tennis club and telling them to put on young people's social tennis nights (and getting my tennis friends to put that too), and (2) navigating Nepalese beauty stores to find some mascara because I forgot mine and what if the love of my life is on my Bhutan trip?

[roman-ai]

Nepal buddha temple 🇳🇵❤️

[aneurinallday]

Today I was thinking about documentaries, so here are some of my favourite documentaries:

Fire of Love (2022) - the love story of two volcanologists, set against the fiery backdrop of our planet's awesome and terrifying destructive power. The awe-inspiring scale of volcanic eruptions is juxtaposed with the personal, intimate story of these two soulmates.

Into the Inferno (2016) - a study of volcanoes and the way they shape the cultures and societies around them, told in Werner Herzog's usual profound and existentialist way

The Dawn Wall (2017) - the odd and amazing story of a man who decides to scale a 3000-foot cliff with his bare hands

Touching the Void (2003) - the thrilling survival of two men who climb up a mountain, and the harsh choice that is made when one of them gets injured

Man on Wire (2008) - a portrait of an eccentric and unusual man who decides to perform an illegal tightrope-walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Encounters at the End of the World (2007) - a captivating portrayal of the daily life of scientists in Antarctica. Werner Herzog transforms the bleak and frozen environment into a surreal and mind-boggling alien landscape.

The Deepest Breath (2023) - the story of a record-breaking female free-diver (someone who swims as deep as possible then returns to the surface with a single breath)

Last Breath (2019) - the story of a diver carrying out deep-sea repairs when his umbilical cable gets cut off, leaving him stranded at the bottom of the ocean

Sherpa (2015) - a depiction of the injustice faced by the Sherpas of Nepal, who have the thankless job of helping rich tourists climb up Mount Everest. The filming of the documentary is interrupted by an avalanche, throwing the crew and their subjects into chaos.

Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake (2022) - a similar documentary about a devastating earthquake and the Nepalis, foreign tourists, and Everest climbers who were impacted by it. I cried a lot.

Take Care of Maya (2023) - the devastating story of a young girl with a rare neurological condition, who is wrongfully taken from her parents when they are falsely suspected of abusing her. I cried A LOT.

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017) - a true crime documentary about a predator who worms his way into a family. Some of the most staggeringly clueless parents I've ever seen in my fucking life

(disclaimer these shitty blurbs were written by me)

[butchnavi]

guys I attended all my classes today for the first time in weeks lessgoooooo

[zoyazoya111114]

#सत्संग_निमंत्रण

#SantRampalJiMaharaj

#SantRampalJi_AvataranDiwas

[kakusu-shipping]

The Fight

Trying to pick up the pace a little bit, but I'm not very good at writing action so this might be a bit clunky. Please excuse me.

Mountain's Peak (Part 1)

Nepal Sanctum (Part 2)

Talk it out (Part 3)

In which we let it all out

Ramattra found his brother exactly where he expected to; Tucked away on the highest roof top of the Monastery's temples, an old withered place few monks visited simply for the egregious amount of single wide stairs clearly poorly placed by the original builders.

"Brother Mondatta is looking for you," Ramattra spoke with no worry of startling his brother, positive Zenyatta had already sensed his approach at least three levels down. The fact that he hadn't run was a good sign.

"He can look a while longer.." Zenyatta replied, relaxing from his curled up position to allow his legs to dangle over the edge of the building.

Ramattra sat himself down beside his brother, taking a moment to appreciate the view. The sun was setting, stars had started to dot the soft pink sky. From this high up, one could truly see on into forever if they desired to.

"You hit the human..." Ramattra finally pressed, giving a glance to Zenyatta, who curled back in on himself slightly.

"I did."

"You said you would only use what I taught you in self defense."

"I did not use what you taught me, dear brother. I used my fist."

Ramattra couldn't help the slight chuckle hearing his elder defend himself so sharply released. If he could still shoot back, then he couldn't be all that tore up about what he'd done.

"Mondatta will expect an apology when we finally return."

"I did nothing to him." Zenyatta once again uncurled himself, his legs once more dangling over the building's edge as he relaxed into the flow of conversation with Ramattra.

"To the human, Brother."

Zenyatta released a loud, dramatic sigh noise, clunking his head into Ramattra's shoulder. "I would rather be placed on cattle clean up for the next 7 years."

Ramattra chuckled once again, "And I would love to assist you with such chores, but that is not Mondatta's way."

"No... I suppose not..." Zenyatta's voice softened as he once more pulled his knee to his chest, placing a hand on the ground next to Ramattra for balance.

Ramattra found his hand placed gently over his brother's, keeping his sensors locked to the stars as he leaned his head atop Zenyatta's.

With the sunrise the brothers would make their way back down to the village, they'd catch Master Mondatta on his way back from his morning meditation, when the monastery is silent and the human is still asleep. Zenyatta would give his apology, and be given laundry duty in return, with Ramattra would happily assist with despite Mondatta's preaching on how one must face their misdoings on their own.

That would all come tomorrow. For tonight, the two sat peacefully on the temple roof top, hands intertwined in a painfully human way, counting stars until the sun arose the next morning.

That stare made everyone in the monastery uncomfortable. Bright red eyes that only ever saw the monks as who they were, what they had been made for, how they'd failed or succeeded at a task that had been forced upon them.

It was sickening.

Across from Zenyatta stood the human, shouldering off thick layers of cloth and robes and scarves until only one remained, tied tightly off at his waist by a cream orange cincture belt. He then removed the thick, straw woven snow boots Mondatta had made for him, stepping bare foot into the chalk drawn circle of the training area, holding his hands up in a ready pose.

He'd kept his eyes locked on Zenyatta, not in a glare of malice, or even his usual annoying fascination, but a neutral look that challenged him without words.

Ramattra's hand grabbed tightly to the back on Zenyatta's upper robe. He was shaking. He was going to stop this.

Zenyatta shoulder off his brother's grasp and the robe along with it, leaving him in only his pants and the red cloth he'd kept tied around his waist.

Stepping into the ring, Zenyatta stood wide and placed his palm against the human's, keeping their gaze locked.

"If you win, I'll leave. Permanently. And I'll tell every human I meet they're not welcome here." Emile spoke evenly, despite the rapid pulse Zenyatta could feel coming from their freezing fleshy hand.

He tilted his head in amusement, "And what will you get if you happen to win?"

This was the sort of confrontation that would usually draw this particular human to tears, so it was quiet the shock to see him hold together while speaking. "You can decide that when it happens."

'When' Zenyatta thought on, wrapping his fingers around the human's small hand. It was cold, and soft, and easily crushable in even the flimsiest of Omnic hands.

"Usually a match is called when one is forced from the ring, but that feels a touch too easy, wouldn't you agree?" The human nodded along with Zenyatta's proposal, "So we keep going until one of us taps, agreed?"

Zenyatta watch the human give a small nod once more

And then kicked them as hard as he could right in the stomach

Emile flew out of the ring, scratching to a stop along the stone flooring. He hacked and coughed, gripping onto his stomach. If he'd eaten anything for the past few days he surly would have hurled it up.

"Get up." Zenyatta spoke from the ring. The human did as commanded, pulling himself up on shaky legs. He did not glare at Zenyatta for landing the first blow, he did not look on in fear for how much stronger his opponent was, he did not bask in awe at how mighty a kick it was. He kept his neutral expression.

And that pissed Zenyatta off worse than anything else.

Blow after blow, the human continued to get back up. Even after he'd started spitting up blood. Even after his glasses were shattered on the stone ground, rendering him near blind. Even after he'd stopped being able to feet his fingers in toes in the cold and after his arm stopped moving and after his ankle had made such a horrible crack and swollen to the size of an orange.

And even after Zenyatta still stood perfectly pristine.

Emile hadn't landed a blow on his opponent. Zenyatta was starting to doubt he was even trying to. Had he even raised his hand once to the monk? Had all he done was stand there and take Zenyatta's blows?

Zenyatta clenched his fists, "Get Up." He demanded, as he had over and over again, to the human laying still on the stone before him. "Get Up and Hit Me."

Emile's form shook as he pushed himself up with only one arm, his white hair dangling before his face, tips red from his own blood. As commanded he got up on shaky legs once more and looked to Zenyatta with those red eyes that pierced into his history, a history he'd been trying so hard to ignore, to hide and run away from.

"Get up." Zenyatta demanded again after landing a hard hit right into the human's nose. It was broken for sure.

Emile did as commanded.

"Brother, that is enough-" Ramattra reached to grab Zenyatta, to put an end to this, but stopped inches away.

"It's not enough..."

The human's voice was ragged, breathless and broken and shaking. He sounded on the brink of death.. He very well might have been.

"It's not... enough...."

Blood mixed with tears down Emile's face, big wet eyes stared at Zenyatta, making the Omnic hesitate.

Ramattra wouldn't dare touch a human, but he made a motion like he was going to either way, "Human you cannot take much more, please just call it-"

"I CAN'T." Emile's voice cracked, he coughed, and took a step just to keep himself from collapsing, "I can't... it's not... enough... yet...."

The human but his hand on his wrist, and Zenyatta found himself mimicking the motion. His finger tips touched delicately at his exposed arm wire, one of many fragile pieces of himself he'd been forced to show to the world after nearly loosing his life before coming here.

He could still feel the human's cold finger tips on it...

"it's not... enough... to... ma...ke up.. for what... i..."

His body was too heavy, everything hurt, and the world was spinning.. In his last few moments of consciousness Emile braced himself for one more cold embrace from the stone steps of the battle field..

And instead found warmth...

[221bornottobe]

Chame, Nepal (8600 ft elevation) to Upper Pisang, Nepal (11000 ft elevation)

Hiking Annapurna Circuit Trek Day 1

[head-post]

Nepal registers first official same-sex marriage in country

Nepal’s first same-sex marriage in the Himalayan country was registered in a village on Wednesday, officials and activists said.

It came five months after the Supreme Court had issued an interim order allowing such marriages in the largely conservative country.

The marriage between 36-year-old Ram Bahadur (Maya) Gurung, who was born male but identifies as female, and Surendra Pandey, 26, who was born and identifies as male, was formally registered at the Dordi rural municipality office in the Lumjung district in west Nepal, an official said. Pandey said in a phone interview:

“We are both very happy. Like us, all others in our community are happy too.”

The couple have been in a relationship for nine years and got married according to Hindu rituals in 2016 in the capital Kathmandu. Hem Raj Kafle, chief administrative officer of the Dordi rural municipality, said:

 “We have issued the marriage registration certificate to the couple in consideration of the Supreme Court order and instructions from relevant government authorities.”

Read more HERE

[scyaxe]

so i recently started classes at Real College, and idk why i expected it to be like the community college i went to, but they just threw us in the deep end. classes started monday and i've already had a 1 page paper due. but also all of my professors have been like "call me by my first name" which i think is very funny, but also, respectfully, that is scary.

[notesattheheadofthebed]

it's like a poetry