#Dual BC Entry

[brodorokihousuke]

definitely not a shitty doodle, but @athenacykesfact here you go. I guess consider the extra effort a bonus for being the first person to commission me, ever 😅

I suppose this is what i get for not setting any standards for myself, haha. aside from her slightly melty arm (i didn't know what to do with it) i think it turned out alright.

but yeah... ig comms are open. I don't have a sheet yet so you'll need to ask me directly for details (I'd say something like this'll run you ten-fifteen bucks depending on character)

[melissa-titanium]

sits down very politely last time i checked youre the only moot i have that is into monster hunter and i wanna learn a bit more on behalf of my fp!! mainly if the game is worth playing and what game to start with, alongside anything else youve got to offer :33 he wants to get into it and i trust your opinion on the subject bc youre very cool hehe

OH FUCKING BOY DO I LOVE 2 HEAR THIS. SMIRK.

ok ok ok ok so.

mainly if the game is worth playing

is the game worth playing.. you ask...HA.... HAA!!!!!! SMILES!!!!!! LAUGHS . CHUCKLES EVEN. Yes. AGAIN it isn't for everyone, the mainline games follow a pretty simple structure.

you are a hunter. there are monsters. you hunt them.

the game progresses with new monsters to hunt, new locales to explore, and as the world around you gets more difficult to traverse, you are able to upgrade your gear with the parts of the monsters you have hunted. each fight is very unique to itself, monsters often utilizing the area around them or certain abilities they possess (usually given biological, mostly down to earth explanations,) and overall you'll find yourself discovering little interesting tidbits to each fight the more you fight a specific monster.

there are 14 different weapon types to choose from (18, if you include frontier.) some are slashing, some are piercing, some are bludgeoning. heres the weapon list;

greatsword, longsword, sword and shield, charge blade, switch axe, hammer, insect glaive, hunting horn, heavy bowgun, light bowgun, bow, dual blades, lance, & gunlance.

i personally main greatsword, sword and shield, charge blade, hammer, hunting horn, and gunlance.

i recommend sword and shield as a beginner's weapon because it's versatile, not too fast but not too slow, allows you to dip into both defense and offense depending on how you use the weapon, and also. fun to use :)

i don't know how to segue into this efficiently but mh has some of the most spectacular armor, weapon, & creature designs i have ever seen in media. here are some of my favorites

and what game to start with

HONESTLY. it all depends on your taste in games & what platforms you can play on. the series goes suuuuuper super far back, i believe 2004 was the very first entry in the series ? AND I PERSONALLY DONT RECCOMEND THE FIRST GAME UNLESS YOURE ALL FOR THAT BUGGY SHIT <333

A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PREFER LIKE. NEWER GAMES R INTO MH WORLD.. IT HAS A LOT OF QOL CHANGES & IS A BIT OF A CHANGE OF PACE FROM THE REST OF THE SERIES BUUUUT. MY PERSONAL FAVE IS 4U :) older games r slower paced but. like. not in a bad way!!!!! i like it :cblush emoji:

you can play on like. literally any console i think. theres so many fucking games. switch has mhsunrise, mhgenu, mhstories2 ... pc you can play sunrise, worldborne, mhstories 1 and 2 and emulate anything LOL... 3ds has ?? tri and 4u.. uhhh. wii has tri. umm. fuck. theres more. i forgor.xbox ps4 etc can play world & rise... and wilds is coming out soon which is crossplay.. grinsssssss......

OK IM DONE. AUTISM OVER. SMILES. EVEYROEN SAY. WE LOJKVE U CIELERRRRRRRRRRRRR <3333333333333333333

[almond-tofu-chan]

nobody asked but heres my ranking of every ace attorney game bc im feeling silly 🤪 ((this is soso biased lmao take w/all the salt))

TGAA Resolve

Trials & Tribulations

TGAA

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney

Apollo Justice

Investigations Prosecutors Gambit

Spirit of Justice

PW Ace Attorney

Justice For All

Investigations

Dual Destinies

i yap so so much under cut if you wanna know my thought process

(this is all mainly for me to see how/if my opinions change at all after i replay all of em, not to spark conflict at all. no hate at all i genuinely love all of these games!!)

TGAA2: I genuinely believe that the chronicles should be counted as one game, and they’re the best game, but if I had to choose the stronger of the two, I’d have to say Resolve. I genuinely believe that it may be Shu Takumi’s best work- it takes all the best aspects of each Ace Attorney game that the series has spent the past 23 years refining and showcases all of them at their best. the cases all seamlessly add to one large story, while still each being unique on their own, the setting is beautiful, and nearly every character has their own gorgeous arc which comes to a head in this game. literally I genuinely think this might be a perfect game

T&T: what can I say about this game that hasn’t already been said? it acts as a perfect conclusion to every plot thread the games have spent building up, and a beautiful conclusion to so many characters’ arcs. not only does it have some of the most satisfying and heartwrenching plot twists and characters, it also features some of the most memorable cases of the entire series, with only one (debatably two) real let downs, but even those have something to love. genuinely all around great game.

TGAA: the only reason TGAA1 is lower is because it has a much less satisfying conclusion that feels forced. TGAA spends all its time setting up character arcs for TGAA2 to finish, which is why I really think they should be counted as one game. however, TGAA1 is still an amazing game, with some of the best cases in the entire series by far, and really pushes the setting to its limits in ways I wish the series did more. Speckled Band and Runaway Room really feel like they take ideas previous games toyed with and explore them to their fullest and i love them

PLVSPW: okay this is definitely a controversial one, but plvspw, I genuinely believe, is just a perfect little game! its a little goofy, but it takes the best aspects of both series and uses them beautifully. while the plot ends a little... crazily, every step of the way there is fun. and since there were so few restraints, they had the freedom to use the characters however they want, so its little surprise that this game has some of the characters at their best, with truly heartbreakingly emotional moments. even if youre not a fan of either series, this game acts as a perfect standalone game that can act as an entry into either, but also is an amazing game on no merits but its own

AJ: this game is basically tied with PLVSPW. the only reason this game isn’t as well liked is because the series did such a retcon to act like it never happened (thanks takeshi yamezaki /s). the changes to the setting, the plots it sets up, and all the characters are amazing and have so much potential, only to end up wasted on future games. the darker, more serious plot doesn’t clash at all with the goofy vibes ace attorney is used to, and the plot itself uses the characters wonderfully, and the gameplay is fresh and new. I genuinely think that if DD never happened this would have been an amazing introduction to a new era of games, but alas. yamazaki 😔

AAI2: probably yamazaki’s best work by a long shot. the new gameplay is an amazing change I wish the series kept, and the plot, while a little contrived, is interesting, and not as moonlogicy as future games would get. the spritework is maybe the best in the series, the new characters are all amazing, and it has some truly amazing arcs. it uses the characters to their fullest, better than even the original trilogy sometimes imo

SOJ: I know having this game so high is definitely controversial, but I think this game has so many more redeeming qualities than people want to remember- namely, it’s treatment of past characters. personally I hate 90% of the newly introduced plot and characters in this game, but the way it attempts to make up for DD’s mistakes with AJ characters is so good. 6-2 and 6-4 are maybe some of the most slept-on cases which really flesh out Trucy and Apollo’s characters how they never got to in the last game, and Athena and Blackquill weirdly get an extremely compelling case which showcases their wonderfully entertaining sibling dynamic we rarely get to see. I hate khura’in with a passion, I hate how Maya gets characterized, and I think 6-5.1 is genuinely the worst case in the entire franchise, but 2 and 4 are so good I genuinely think it redeems this game slightly, at least in my eyes. it makes an attempt to make up for DD’s mistakes, which does not go unnoticed.

PWAA: this game suffers the same problem as TGAA, in that it sets up a lot of plots which later games flesh out, but all fall somewhat flat in this game. 1-4 is such a good case that people seem to forget how lackluster the rest of the cases are, namely 1-1 and 1-3, which are pretty boring. 1-2 suffers from the game’s short run and lack of care put into the characters, and, again, serves better to set up plots than resolve them meaningfully. i think, had we better known the characters before the case, it would have had much more of an emotional impact. however the game is overall a good time, and isn’t bad by any means, just uses its run to set up plots for the future

JFA: I genuinely wanted to put this game lower, but like physically could not. 2-4 might be the best case in ace attorney imo, like genuinely S tier case, but that alone can’t save the fact that every other case in this game is so bad. 2-2 is by far the second best in the game but, again, suffers from existing moreso to set up plots than resolve them. it does have an extremely satisfying conclusion that could only benefit from Lotta’s absence PLEASE. 2-1 and 2-3 are so bad though, they singlehandedly drag this game down with them.

AAI: another case of a game with a lot of good aspects being dragged down by so so much trash. all the stuff thats good about this game is done better in the second. the cases are convoluted, the plots are simultaneously so big and yet so boring, and the characters are not at their best. seriously, aai2 does everything so much better than this game. it does do a lot of fun stuff with trilogy characters and for that i love it, but the gameplay is also not working in its favor. + no eustace so :/

DD: im sorry, i really want to love this game, but all its good stuff is just fine, and all its bad stuff is abysmal. the new characters and ideas it introduces are all so good!! in theory- but then they cast them all aside in favor of callbacks and characters from past games. but then they do those past characters so horribly dirty that its not even enjoyable. DD takes a list of all of ace attorney’s worst traits and treats it like a checklist- and by god does it tick every box. what makes me hate this game so much is that it has so many good ideas that i genuinely love!!! but it uses none of them to their full potential in favor of doing so much stupid shit. SOJ at least tried to do something new- it failed, but an effort was at least made. DD wears the soulless, flayed skin of previous ace attorney games with no understanding of what made them good and does nothing new or interesting. be good, be bad, but for the love of god, dont be boring. i love athena though shes bbg <3

[goldensunset]

hastily thrown together Baldr team. Arboliva is there bc it looks like mistletoe. Aegislash is there bc it looks like that heartless Baldr had with him when he killed the V trio + Vor. Rest can be figured out I think.

ok i’m LOVING what you’re cooking

•oooo i was thinking he deserves spiritomb privileges too…. i guess you could say he collects the souls of his victims to add to his power or whatever lol. tbh i was thinking that just for funsies

•the mistletoe thing is really clever

•yeah he deserves a sword

•hisuian zoroark being called an embodiment of death, being so desperate to hurt other people in its vicious malice that it doesn’t even care if it hurts itself too… plus the fluffy white mane. lol but also the bloodstains heck yeah. you could also say something about the trickery aspect of zoroark too

•hydreigon’s violet entry being about having been attacked and feared by others unjustly and retaliating because of it… yeeeaahhhh.. also being at war with itself to a degree

•i had to look up the absol lore but yeah i think similarly to hydreigon with being feared unjustly and being considered a symbol of bad luck even though it was actually just trying to help…also the name thing about like absolution from guilt. this would be a really interesting one for him. plus again it’s Fluffy White Beast

@thetwilightroadtonightfall once again: SWORDS!!! YEEEAAHH!!! so true with the dual blade vibes…

@autumn-may ok i like giving people teams based on their lore but in terms of what they would actually realistically have? this is GOLDEN. the first five are all really weak bc as hard as he tries as a trainer they don’t wanna listen to him. they just don’t vibe as a team on a spiritual level. then he takes off the mask and busts out the being of nightmares with incomprehensibly strong stats and moves and you’re like whAT. like where did this come from how have you been harboring so much secret strength derived from quiet resentment in your heart all this time etc. the fight goes from 0 to 100 real fast you know?

[routeraven]

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[ancestral-steppe]

i kinda regret not picking up any of the yokai watch games; i was always intrigued by them but i really didnt have money at the time. now they are beyond expensive for a physical copy TT_TT

yeah it is :(

only physical copy i have is the first game for $10. it was a random find and i didn’t wanna pass it up. might only really be that inexpensive due to the moderate success it was in the west. comparatively, yw2 sold poorly and 3 was a flop. i’m assuming same goes for its spin-offs. a shame since all main games are consistently great. (i didn’t get too into 2 for some reason (i plan on actually finishing it after 3) but for how much i did play it’s really fucking great too.)

best way to experience them is through a hacked 3ds, which goes for almost all ds/3ds games in my opinion since it has some touch screen mechanics that TRUST ME are better during battle than using buttons or anything. (don’t think you can even due soultimates and purification without touch screen stuff.) yeah emulators exist but for something like the 3ds which is pretty gimmicky using a mouse can hinder the experience. these games were made with the dual screen in mind.

idk if nintendo will give localization of future entries a chance after how 3’s western flop affected level 5 and considering how pretty much every big game company has no interest in game archiving (unless it’s some really popular game they will never stop rereleasing) your best bet’s gonna be hacking. trust me though i regret not giving the series a chance as a kid since it does a lot of things super well and has fantastic comedic writing. there’s a ton of monster collecting games that have been looked over bc they’re not pokemon when some are straight up some of the most fun and unique experiences you’ll have. *cough* if you have a 3ds use this guide to hack it it’s incredibly easy *cough*

[arttani]

Time

220427

[spider-xan]

I just posted a re-writing with notes of Van Helsing's long speech about why he needs to wait for Arthur before staking Lucy if anyone needs it, but as there's also confusion about his explanation of how vampire!Lucy works, I'm going to try and do a simplified version of that part of the entry too.

This is the original version in the text:

Here, there is one thing which is different from all recorded; here is some dual life that is not as the common. She was bitten by the vampire when she was in a trance, sleep-walking—oh, you start; you do not know that, friend John, but you shall know it all later—and in trance could he best come to take more blood. In trance she died, and in trance she is Un-Dead, too. So it is that she differ from all other. Usually when the Un-Dead sleep at home"—as he spoke he made a comprehensive sweep of his arm to designate what to a vampire was "home"—"their face show what they are, but this so sweet that was when she not Un-Dead she go back to the nothings of the common dead. There is no malign there, see, and so it make hard that I must kill her in her sleep.

And this is my attempt at a simplified paraphrasing, with a few notes for context:

What's going on with Lucy the vampire is unusual for vampires, based on my research. She was bitten while she was in a sleep-walking trance, and her being in this trance was the easiest way for Dracula to feed on her. Since she died and was bitten while in a trance while alive, her undead vampire form also behaves as if she was sleep-walking in a trance, which is different from other vampires. Usually, when vampires are asleep in their tombs, the looks on their faces show their true, evil nature as vampires. (Note: Remember Jonathan's reaction to seeing Dracula in his coffin?) But Lucy was so sweet in life that when she is undead-sleeping in her coffin and not running around as a vampire, she looks as normal and harmless as a regular dead person. She looks so kind and sweet instead of evil when she's just lying in her coffin that it makes it very difficult to kill her while she's just resting.

The short version is that Van Helsing finds it difficult to do violence against Lucy's vampire body while she is resting peacefully in her tomb during the day bc she looks just like her sweet and kind self while she was alive and sleeping, just as a corpse now, so it feels less like destroying an undead monster and more like harming and desecrating the real Lucy from before she was turned, and whom he still cares about. And Lucy the vampire also operates as if she is still sleep-walking in a trance, compared to how the usual vampire moves and acts with purpose and agency, like Dracula himself.

At this point, it's also very important to note and remember Lucy's lack of agency as a vampire, in contrast to how her last moment of agency while alive and herself was to tell Van Helsing not only to protect Arthur, but to, quote, 'Give me peace', and what that means in the context of what she has become and may do if she continues to wander the earth as a vampire, along with her soul being unable to enter heaven right now.

[rylie-studies]

june 14, 2021 ♡

Hey everyone!! Here’s a glimpse of the reading journal entry I wrote after reading The Song of Achilles for the first time and my new favorite corner in my room! Honestly, it feels surreal that it’s been over a month since I first read it; this book has wrecked me and it’s etched in my soul now and forever. Also, this poster is so incredibly beautiful. I get chills at the mere glance of it. I love Patrochilles with my entire heart and, in another universe, I���d like to think that I was a part of their story like their adopted child or third-wheel best friend, haha. 

In the past days, I’ve been busy with various tasks; I’ve been on an odyssey to look for a new desk bcs my current one cannot accommodate everything I have, I watched the first episode of Loki (super confused, but nonetheless, love to see Tom Hiddleston), been watching the second season of HSMTMTS with my little sister, got halfway through my The Song of Achilles reread and feeling emotional, and helping my mother with some household projects. I also ordered a monitor for a dual screen experience and I’m so excited! By the way, I think I’m gonna watch the second season of Love Victor today? I’m ambivalent though bcs I know that I’m gonna end up binge-watching it then long for a third season which probably won’t come out until next year, ugh. It’s alright! I hope y’all have a fantastic week ahead!!  🤍✨

🎧: not ur friend - jeremy zucker

[inquisimer]

Hey! I just read one of your DWC entries about Sari Mahariel and her timelines. I liked it! Can I ask for any facts/nuggets about the story(ies?) in this 'verse? 😍😍😍

hi!! yes!! i would LOVE to tell you about my beloved Sari<3

below the cut, because i have a tendency to ramble

for a more eloquently written explanation ((and a picture)), you can check out Sari’s page here or the post here for mobile users

the dalish origin was my first da:o playthrough and I loved it, but I had this story idea recently and decided that Sari was the right oc for it and reworked her canon (in my head lol) to suit it

hers is one of two long fics I’m actively working on, but it isn’t posted (yet). hopefully it will be soon, once i’ve got enough raw content and really felt out the world state and vibes

the core of Sari’s story is that she really hecked up in the Fifth Blight (read: I had no clue how the origins interface worked lmao). She was naive and standoffish and that meant she offended a lot of people and lost a lot of opportunities. She romanced Alistair, but he died killing the archdemon and she basically said ‘fuck you’ to the Wardens and the world and left to wallow in her grief. 

Hawke in Sari’s worldstate is Léan (page here or mobile here), who is a mage, and unabashedly vocal about mage rights, in a romance with Anders. The Inquisitor is Irosyl Lavellan, Dalish First and rift mage who romanced Solas to the bitter, bitter end. She doesn’t really have a page because she mainly exists in relation to Sari’s story, but there is a picture here, no mobile version, sorry!

basically, Sari’s story starts when she’s found a cure for her Calling and returned to Ferelden; Leliana and the Inquisitor call her to be part of their ‘stop Fen’harel’ effort and she goes. The fallback plan, when they obviously can’t stop Solas, is to send Irosyl back to the Breach as a re-do. Unfortunately, the ritual goes wrong wrong wrong and Sari ends up back in Ostagar. RIP her. 

Various tidbits about Sari and her first timeline: 

she was absolutely crushing on Tamlen and buddies with Merrill

Sari stops considering herself Dalish after Nature of the Beast

When she first comes to Skyhold, the only interaction she’s had for years is with Avernus

she went after a cure for the Calling less for herself and more for others’ benefit, but she also wants to sever all ties to the Wardens

she is a rogue who started out with a bow, but now prefers dual wielding bc it’s less tied to her Dalish heritage

in the events of da2, clan Sabrae is annihilated; after the events of dai, Merrill becomes an agent of Fen’harel 

her full name, Nada’sariel, is taken from the words nadas (inevitable) and sar (yours, possessive), and means ‘your inevitable one’

so that’s Sari’s verse as it stands now! like i said, i’m actively working on this one and it is undergoing some heavy development as i write out the first draft

thank you so much for the ask!!! i’m glad you liked Sari and the drabbles for DWC, i imagine she will feature in those often for me

i appreciate you<3

[klapollo]

now i saw a discussion happening today abt how people started the series with dual destinies and i was thinking about the way the no spoiler rule was likely implemented bc of that precise likelihood and this whole thing is probably bc of capcom leaving a five year gap btwn AJAA and DD and it’s led me to realize that this exact same thing will likely happen again if they end up making a new entry in the main series. what awaits us.

[cantankerouscatfish]

sometimes work involves, compiled from the last couple days bc brain melty:

- reading part of the wikipedia entry for ‘babka’ aloud bc the florists were talking about it and wanted to know the etymology. “they’re EATING GRANDMA??” no it is named bc it looks like floofy old lady skirts. knowledge! also florists are weird!

- florists singing: 🎵 on the bonnie bonnie banks of glaucoma~

- a topic that day was Scottish songs and besides that gem of a misheard lyric, one florist explained to another that one song about a ribbon and that “I see you won first prize” line. they play that on the radio sometimes which is wild.

- there was a boxwood tree in the cooler with a name on it but no order. an order is, like, the little folded stack of customer & recipient info &c that goes with each delivery item. florist remembered that there is a handwritten card that is supposed to go with this tree. we can reprint an order, but we need! to find! this card!!!  so we dropped everything to search for the order. we rifled through the holiday order boxes for next week in case it ended up in the wrong day. we checked the wrapped arrangements in case the order got stuck on a different tree. we checked the next-next week orders in case someone REALLY messed up. nothing.    then the other florist was like, “is it this order hanging on the board marked ‘tagged in cooler’? with a card on it?”  “why is it on the BOARD we’re not USING THE BOARD NOW it’s the HOLIDAYS!!!!!”   so everything’s fine now. 🎉

- one delivery driver loudly praising me for “dual-fisting staplers!” to make boxes. dual-wielding, man. wielding.

- another driver coming over to get coffee and asking if my silver hat was picking up radio stations. no. he was hearing my phone playing music lmao guys......

- oh but today was a skeleton crew just to sort of catch up on a few things, so I was able to hang out in the delivery bay to wrap stuff and blare my trash music and sing and dance along in peace yeehaw

- the floral shop manager brought in an absolutely massive flatscreen TV for to watch The Sportsball Game. she is the type to yell “go go GOOO” at the screen. can hear her from anywhere. endless amusement.

[primortravel]

New Post has been published on https://primortravel.com/the-best-british-columbia-road-trip/

The Best British Columbia Road Trip

We’ve taken our fair share of BC road trips from driving the famous Sea to Sky Highway to exploring the glorious Sunshine Coast. Our latest journey took us east to the interior of British Columbia from Vancouver through Kelowna and Revelstoke and what a beautiful drive it was.

If you live in Canada (or getting ready to cross the border) and are looking to explore your own backyard, a road trip to the BC interior is a must. Why? Well, read on to find out.

Best BC Road Trip

View of Mountains of Revelstoke BC

Big Giveaway with Sandman Hotels

As we made our way through the Okanagan Valley towards the Columbia Mountain range in British Columbia, we enjoyed stays at Sandman and Sutton Place Hotel along the way, all of which are owned and operated by Northland Properties. They made for the perfect base as we explored the wine region of Kelowna, had zany adventures in Revelstoke and relaxed at the waterfront of Kamloops.

2 Nights at a Sandman Hotel of your choice!

We have some good news for you! We’re giving away two nights at any Sandman Hotel in Canada including restaurant gifts cards at one of the Moxies, Denny’s, or the Shark Club depending on the hotel you choose.

It’s easy to enter, just head over to our Instagram post, and follow us @theplanetd and @sandmanhotels. Then tag someone you would like to bring with you! If you tag more than one person, you’ll get an extra bonus entry! (up to 3 extra tags for 3 extra chances). With the borders opening up, it’s a great time to visit Canada.

The BC Road Trip Begins

Watch our video from Vancouver to Kelowna, Revelstoke, and Kamloops here

We landed at Vancouver International Airport on a sunny day where we picked up our rental car. When driving through British Columbia, we usually recommend renting an SUV, but with sunny weather, we didn’t have to worry about snow so we drove in a humble sedan. It may not have been the greatest for back roads, but it was good on gas which is a must with the high cost of fuel in Western Canada.

Vancouver

Our balcony view from Sandman Suites Vancouver – Davie Street

No BC road trip would be complete without spending time in Vancouver. We made our way to Davie Street to stay at the Sandman Suites. With a room on the top floor, we had one of the best views in the entire city. Davie Street is our old haunts from when we lived in Vancouver. Our old apartment was located at Beach and Denman and when standing on our balcony at the Sandman, we were thrilled to see the building still overlooking English Bay.

Our suite at the Sandman Suites Vancouver on Davie Street

With a central location, it was easy to walk around the city exploring all of its top attractions from Stanley Park to False Creek. We took a stroll along the waterfront revisiting all our favourite places in Vancouver for a day before our road trip began. Check out The Sandman Suites Vancouver – Davie Street for rates and availability.

The Grouse Mountain Gondola

After checking out to move on to the BC interior, we hit the road with a half-day stop at Grouse Mountain. It had been years since we’ve been up the Grouse Mountain Gondola. With limited time, we didn’t tackle the Grouse Grind but instead joined a zipline adventure with Mountain Ziplines. This 5 dual-line circuit takes you over old-growth forests, lakes, and valleys and is an adrenaline-pumping good time! Visit Grouse Mountain Zipline to book your own adventure.

Zip Lining into the Abyss

When you are up at Grouse Mountain, make sure to stop to see the resident grizzly bears, Coola and Grinder who were rescued as cubs in 2001. They were found near death and starving on the side of a road (in separate incidents) in the interior BC. After being nursed back to health, Grouse Mountain decided to donate a portion of land to the bears to live out their days in a sanctuary. It is truly an uplifting experience to see them enjoying a swim in the pond. Visit the Grouse Mountain Peak of Vancouver Website for details.

Vancouver to Kelowna

Our balcony view from Sandman Hotel & Suites Kelowna

We finished up early afternoon and had a big drive ahead as we made our way to Kelowna, British Columbia. The four-hour drive is a scenic drive through rolling mountains and valleys. The weather turned a bit during our drive, so we bee-lined it to our hotel in Kelowna.

Full suite with kitchen at Sandman Hotel & Suites Kelowna

The Sandman Hotel & Suites is located a bit out of downtown but has all the amenities you could want with an indoor swimming pool, gym, and two restaurants connected to the hotel. There is a shopping mall and Moxies within walking distance as well. With free parking, it was a great base for exploring the top attractions in Kelowna. Visit their website for rates and availability.

Wine Tours

Kelowna is wine region

Kelowna is in the heart of wine country and one of the top things to do is to hop on the wine trail and explore the many vineyards. This is a superb place to stock up on wine for evening nightcaps at the hotels. 

We also spent an afternoon downtown strolling along its picturesque waterfront and enjoyed finding little gems like the Chinese Garden which is a quiet oasis in the centre of downtown.

Myra Canyon Trestles

Hiking the Trestles of Kelowna

The top attraction in Kelowna though is the Trestles cycling trail. Located about 40 minutes drive from Kelowna, the 24 km trail takes you along the old Kettle Valley Railway. This is an incredibly scenic trail that can be cycled or hiked. We hiked a portion of it and it was worth the drive. With 18 historic trestle bridges and two massive tunnels blasted through the rock, it is really an amazing sight to see. Worth noting is that the drive up to the trailhead is along a gravel road so take care with that car rental.

Kelowna to Revelstoke

Welcome to Revelstoke Mountain Resort – Sutton Place Hotel

After two nights in Kelowna, it was time to move on to the star attraction of our BC road trip, Revelstoke. A popular winter ski destination, Revelstoke has a ton of things to do in the summertime too! We stayed right at the resort at The Sutton Place which is located slopeside. Overlooking the gondola, we set out for three days of adventure.

Sutton Place Hotel Revelstoke Mountain Resort

All rooms have a kitchen regardless of size at Sutton Place Hotel Revelstoke .

The Sutton Place Hotel Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a one-stop destination and you barely need to leave the resort. There is the Rockford Bar and Grill and La Baguette on sight for dining and there are plenty of shops including a liquor store. Plus, with all rooms having full kitchens, you can pack all you need to maximize times on North America’s longest vertical ascent. See their website for rates and availability.

Mountain Biking

Deb Downhill Mountain Biking in Revelstoke

Revelstoke has some awesome downhill mountain biking and you can rent mountain bikes and e-bikes on-site. Right now there are only intermediate and black diamond trails for mountain biking, but by next year they will have the green run open for beginners. Downhill mountain biking is a hoot and with very few uphill climbs, we were left to enjoy the feeling of letting gravity do its work. After learning how to ride the berms we settled into one great ride.

Play All Day Pass

One of the best things you can do at Revelstoke Resort is to purchase the play-all-day pass. This includes two rides on the Pipe Mountain Coaster, access to the Aerial Adventure Park, Axe Throwing, Disc Golf and hiking at the top of the gondola. We had a great time running from one adventure to another. Play All Day Passes start at $69. Check their website for more details.

Apres Adventures

The outdoor spa at The Sutton Place and its year-round heated swimming pool was the perfect ending to a day of adventure and we soaked in the tub soothing our tired muscles.

ATV Tour Revelstoke

I know we said that you never have to leave the resort in Revelstoke, but that’s not to say we recommend staying put the entire time! One of the best adventures we’ve ever had in British Columbia was the ATV adventure with Great Canadian tours. Since we were on a road trip, we had the freedom to drive to their office at the foot of Frisby Ridge at Glacier House Resort.

This ATV Tour was hours of pure adrenaline as we drove up technical trails to high mountain views. This tour seriously offers the best views in all of Revelstoke. What makes it more special is that barely anyone else gets to see these vistas. Since the roads are rugged, the only way to get to the top is by ATV and our guide Josh told us that nobody else really gets out here except for those taking their tour.

It’s a tour that is not for the faint of heart as you go up and down steep inclines and cling to mountain ridges, but it is worth every heart-pounding moment and by the time it ends, you’ll be wanting more. See their website for more adventures.

Before leaving Revelstoke, make sure to check out downtown. We enjoyed a delicious noodle bowl at Craft Beirhause and loved perusing its historic buildings. We then made our way to Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. to pick up some beer for the latter half of our road trip nightcaps at the hotel and were ready to move on to the final leg of our British Columbia Road Trip.

Revelstoke to Kamloops

Slowly making our way back to Kamloops, we had more time to stop at roadside attractions from Revelstoke.

Ghost Town 3 Valley Gap

The first being the old Ghost Town at the 3 Valley Gap. Even if you don’t go inside, this is a lovely stop to take in the views. Stroll through the 25 historic buildings dating back to the gold rush of the 1800s and make sure to stop at the lookouts to view the scene of 3 Valley Lake.

The Last Spike

Another must-stop on this drive is the Last Spike historic site. This was the location of the final spike in the CP rail line in 1885. Located at  Craigellachie near Eagle Pass, this was the ceremonial spike signifying the completion of this trans Canada railway that spanned from coast to coast.

Kamloops

The night was spent in Kamloops British Columbia. Checking into The Sandman Signature Suites located across from the beautiful Kamloops waterfront, we were within walking distance to downtown and the waterfront park. Our room overlooked the river and we had a full kitchen and living room to relax after a long road trip.

There is also a lovely indoor pool and outdoor terrace to bask in the sun. The Sandman Signature Kamloops has a Moxies and Shark Club restaurant onsite and they offer a boxed breakfast to take with you on your road trip. Rates, availability and more information here

We had stopped here in Kamloops once before on our Rocky Mountaineer train journey to take in its beautiful scenery. It is a good town to break up a BC road trip to the interior. One place to note is to get off the highway when approaching Kamloops and take the side road to view the nearby hoodoos. Not quite the hoodoos of Alberta, but it is a scenic drive.

Hope Tunnels

We checked out early from Kamloops because we really wanted to hit the Othello Tunnels in Hope, British Columbia. We never really made it to Hope when we lived in Vancouver, but always wanted to see it as First Blood, the first installment of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo series, was shot here.

The Othello Tunnels reminded me of the Trestles of Kelowna. It is a series of tunnels and trestle bridges cutting through the mountains following a deep gorge. This was a feat of engineering as the 5 tunnels were blasted and built in 1914. It is just a 3.5 km round trip, but completely worth stopping to see.

Vancouver

And that completes our British Columbia road trip. If you want more time in Vancouver, now is the time to make your way back downtown. If you are ready to fly home, stay at the Sandman Signature Suites airport location where you can enjoy a fantastic steak dinner at Chop Steakhouse. This cool eatery has a chic urban vibe and it’s located on-site with an urban outdoor patio. We had our last meal in BC here and the service was excellent. See the location and menu here

So these are four amazing stops on a road trip to the interior of British Columbia. From the coast of Vancouver to the mountains of Revelstoke, there is so much to do in BC that an 8-day road trip barely scratches the surface, but it sure is a great time! Have you gone on a BC road trip? Where to next?

RSVP Rewards

As you know we love rewards programs and wanted to share some RSVP Rewards information with you. Two of Northland Properties’ most well-known brands, Sandman Hotel Group and The Sutton Place Hotels have joined forces to create a new loyalty program called RSVP Rewards. The program is free to join and members instantly unlock exclusive perks at over 60 Sandman and Sutton Place Hotels across Canada, The U.S., England and Scotland.

From complimentary upgrades and free breakfast to racking up points to pay for your whole trip, there are so many reasons to become an RSVP Rewards member. Not to mention that members save an extra 5% off select rates! Join today to get an instant 1,000 points added to your account – that’s the equivalent of $10 towards a future stay!

Northland Properties is a Canadian-owned and operated company with 57 properties across the country including Sandman Hotels and Sutton Place Hotels plus Grouse Mountain, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, and restaurants like Moxies, Denny’s, and Shark Clubs. Nice!

Don’t forget to enter for our chance to win a two-night stay at any Sandman Hotel of your choice. Just head over to our Instagram post, and follow us @theplanetd and @sandmanhotels. Then tag someone you would like to bring with you! If you tag more than one person, you’ll get an extra bonus entry!(up to 3 extra tags for 3 extra chances). With the borders opening up, it’s a great time to visit Canada.

If you enjoyed this journey through British Columbia from Vancouver to Revelstoke, save it to Pinterest to help you plan your future Canada Travels.

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[parkers-bitchass-world]

Okay so I made a spin-off idea for supernatural.

But it’s not great. Here’s the 3 seasons I have kinda storyboarded, and as you’ll notice they get worse each season. This is just for fun but if you have any ideas, hmu

Also I’m not great at explaining myself so if you need me to clarify anything just tell me

Season 1

Three teens come across the entry to the bunker. They’ve heard rumors about that place, and they dare each other to go inside. The lights are off and it’s clearly been abandoned for years.

They find the lights and look around the dusty bookshelves and see an open book, a journal about like wendigos or something, and they scoff and say this place is an abandoned madhouse or something. One of the teenagers secretly takes a book home, and that night they get attacked by a monster, but the book tells them how to get rid of it. They go back to their friends and explain how hunting is real; how everything in the books is real.

From that point on, they learn how to hunt, using notes and books they find all around the bunker. They find a bunch of notes from Sam and Dean, and they start using Sam and Dean as their guides, even tho they’ve never met them.

There’s an overarching plot to the season, but I haven’t quite thought that through yet. All I know is that in the season finale, the teens are chilling in the bunker when they hear the door open. Someone comes around the corner, armed and ready to fight. He asks who the kids are and the kids explain how they found the place, then they ask who he is, and he says “my name is Sam Winchester” and that’s the end of the season.

Season 2

Sam tries everything me can do to stop the kids from hunting, by telling them about Dean and how dangerous the life is, and how they could be dead after next hunt and whatnot. The kids refuse to yield, and Sam gives in and agrees to be their mentor. His son, Dean Jr. wants to learn about hunting too.

The kids ask one day who Castiel is, and Sam begins to explain and tell stories about Cas, and at the end of that episode, cas appears suddenly like “thank you for the sentiments, Sam.” And Sam is like “what, I thought you were dead,” to which cas is like “I was. Briefly.”

Cas then goes back to heaven and we see Dean for the first time. We then get backstory on Dean and cas meeting in heaven after Dean died, and destiel, obviously, after Dean works through personal issues.

This is where dual plot lines begin, and things get complicated. While the teens are hunting, they learn about heaven and how, after Cas and Jack rebuilt it, it only had so long until its new foundations started to crumble. So Cas and Dean and Jack take care of that while Sam and the teens hunt more. I need to work on more plot for the teenagers

One day, Dean Jr is just vibing and Dean appears to him as kind of an apparition Bc he was named in honor of Dean so they’re like,,, spiritually tied together. Dean tells Jr not to tell Sam yet Bc he knows what Sam is like

Dean, Cas and Jack finally fix what was going on in heaven, and Sam, Jr and the teens have noticed that things aren’t quite right, and in the season finale, everything falls to shit, and Sam sees Dean for the first time Bc Dean appears to Jr

Season 3

Season 3 is them fixing the shit they thought they’d fixed, and Sam and Dean catch up, Sam tells Dean about destiel, and in the end of the season, Dean disconnects himself from Jr, so he and Sam say goodbye and Dean tells Sam he’ll be waiting upstairs

The teenagers are still there I guess, I really didn’t think this through enough

So there I guess

I know it’s not super fantastic but humor me lmao

[cafeinthemoon]

Purple Dragon - Chapter 1

Title: Purple Dragon

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: none yet

Rating: teen and up

Word count: 2405

Chapter: 1/?

Symbols: ⭕ | ➕ | 💛 | ▶️ | ▶️

Warnings: canon divergence, past trauma and other stuff in the next chapters, but the appropriate warnings will be included 👍

N. A.: God I'm so happy and nervous at the same time bc this is my first bnha fic! 🥺 Just binge watched 3 seasons in less than a week and now I'm reluctant to finish season 4 and face bnha hangover so I'm probably don't know exactly what I'm doing here, but here we go! Yay!

Chapter 1 - American Girl

The morning outside the U.A.’s building was so quiet that Midoriya Izuku would never believe that all the disturbance he heard once he walked into it was possible. A confusion of whispered words, exclamations of surprise and excitement and muffled laughs came from his classroom, at some point of the corridor through which he was walking now, and seemed to meet him as a morning greeting.

Well, soon he noticed that some of his friends were actually coming to greet him besides the noise, their faces showing the exact expression he would expect from what he heard. Uraraka Ochacho reached him first, her big eyes shinning as if she was proud of herself for being the first one to speak to the newcomer.

- Good morning, Deku-kun! – she showed the boy her best smile – I think you’re going to regret not coming earlier today!

Midoriya was not regretting anything at the moment. In fact, meeting Uraraka before anyone else at school was not something about which he would complain: the warmth that always came up to his cheeks when he put his eyes on her was both embarrassing and comforting, if such thing was possible. The only problem was that he used to struggle to pay attention to anything around him or to control his actions every time this happened, and that was his precise situation at that time.

- G-good morning, Uraraka-san – he heard his own voice as if it belonged to someone else, the words coming out by themselves – What are you talking about?

The girl took a breath and was about to spread the news, but another voice was heard behind her.

- Oh, Midoriya! Good morning! I suppose you already know by now... we are going to meet a new classmate today!

Iida Tenya, with his composed manners, joined them with that discreet smile he believed to be appropriate for a class representative to express how excited he was with the arrival of another student at the heroes’ course, but both Midoriya and Uraraka knew that more than any of their friends he was urging to meet the new aspiring hero.

Uraraka’s face was now red and her lips were closed so tight that she could suffocate. Maybe she was irritated by Iida’s interruption or something, but whatever the case that was how he saw things, and he started to apologize in his well known way.

- I am so sorry for my rude behavior, Uraraka-san! – he bent down at her, his arms glued to the sides of his body, his head almost touching the floor – Please, tell Midoriya the whole story and I will not open my mouth until you are finished! This is a promise!

While the girl was doing her best to convince Iida that she wasn’t offended at all, Midoriya was still a bit lost with all that information coming to him at once. He started to walk toward the class as the others followed him.

So we are going to have a new classmate soon, right?

- Yes! – Uraraka have completely forgotten all the irritation with the urge to speak – According to what I’ve heard, her name is Ryu and she just came from the United States. Well, actually she was born in Japan but her family moved to the United States when she was little, so this makes her almost a foreigner – she clenched her fists – It’s unbelievable! She can communicate in both Japanese and English, if what I’ve heard is correct. She must be a very smart person. At least we will be able to talk to her, and she might help us during English lessons! Isn’t it fantastic, Deku-kun?

Midoriya smiled, for the first time contemplating the idea of having a new classmate, and one who came from such a distant place as the United States.

- Yes, that’s amazing. But where is she?

This time, Iida, back to his composed attitude, didn’t see any problem in taking the floor:

- She’s talking to Aizawa sensei right now, but nobody can enter the room. Apart from what Uraraka said, we don’t have much more information about her. We don’t even know what type of quirk she has. We will have to wait until she is officially introduced to us.

They stopped at the classroom’s entry when Midoriya questioned how they got the little information they just spread. The answer to this came from the first person who greeted them at the door.

- We got a little help in this! – the pink, round face of Mina Ashido popped out in front of the trio with a smile that could be both of joy and embarrassment; she pointed her thumb to someone behind her back – Shouji kind of refused to collaborate, so fortunately we had Jirou by our side – and lowering her tone – She was dying to gather as much information as she could, but if you say that to her, she will deny, of course.

Midoriya pointed his finger to Jirou.

- So you asked her to listen behind the door?

Mina’s cheeks passed from pink to red in an instant. Jirou was not so close from the group to hear what was being said, but she looked away as to avoid additional questions. Midoriya looked at Iida and Uraraka seeking for a confirmation; it came in the form of clenched fists and lips bitten.

At the bottom of the class, there were more people who weren’t willing to discuss the bad habit of listening private conversations when such important events were about to take place: Kaminari was wondering if the new student’s quirk was similar to his; Kirishima, with his sharp smile at sight, agreed that it would be quite an experience if it happened; Sero was arguing that her quirk would be more impressive if it resembled his own; Mineta, lost in his own thoughts, didn’t say a word, but it would be no surprise if he was questioning himself about the girl’s physical attributes.

Though he could understand his classmates’ feelings, Midoriya couldn’t say he relate to the way in which they express their interest in the new girl. On his side, it was better not to create great expectations and let the facts surprise him by themselves. Maybe that was the opinion of some of the students who kept quiet in the middle of that noise, like Tsuyu Asui and Momo Yaoyorozu, engaged in a private and calm talking.

The only ones who seemed to have no particular interest in meeting the mysterious girl were Todoroki and Kacchan, the first one, with a book open in front of him, too concentrated in his own things to give his surroundings any attention, the second too irritated with all the mess to say anything.

***

Moments before

There were enough seats for at least ten people to occupy in that room, as well as a good space between each of them, but waiting in one of them somehow was not possible for Ryu Murasaki. There was something in the silence of those four walls that would not let her nerves relax. Was it the fact that she haven’t enough rest before attending to the U.A.’s call or was it the lack of time to process the fact that she was back in the country from where she moved at three? It wasn’t possible to tell, and neither she wanted to think about it. Not now.

The only thing Ryu could wish for now was the noise of her own thoughts to diminish. In normal circumstances, this could be reached while she would stand beside a window and just stare at the things outside, but now it didn’t seem to work though she has been in front of the room’s large windows for about ten minutes.

That was the funny thing about all of this: nothing under her sight – the morning sky out there, the trees, the school’s gates – was out of place. Yet not everything felt right. Ryu sighed; it was not so easy to stop projecting one’s impressions in lifeless things.

The door was opened at the opposite side of the room and she turned her neck toward it. A man entered the place without making a sound. He closed it behind his back and came to the center of the room, still in silence. Ryu has no great familiarity with the habits of the people there, but it was easy to suppose that she had to leave her spot and approach to greet him.

The man, tall and all dressed in black, carried a white fabric stripe wrapped around his neck, too thin and too long to be called a scarf. Was it an eccentricity of him or something else? There was no way to find out. This dress code was not the only unusual thing noticed by her: his hair, black and falling in waves around his shoulder and over his forehead, almost hiding his eyes, seemed to have grown for a long time without the interruption of a regular cut, and the same situation applied to his beard, all dark dots growing out the pale skin of his face. Everything in his appearance and presence reminded of tiredness and silence. Ryu didn’t try to guess what type of quirk he had, but she was convinced that it had something to do with put people to sleep.

The man’s greeting was simple.

- Good morning. You must be Ryu Murasaki, the girl who we are supposed to receive as our new student in the heroes course. According to what was sent to us, you were born in japan, but your parents moved to the United States with you when you were younger than five. So you manifested your quirk while you lived there.

The girl nodded.

- And thanks to your dual nationality, you are also fluent in English and Japanese.

- Yes.

His tone, low and slow, fitted him: it was not what she would call encouraging, so no question was made and he just kept speaking.

- I apologize for not giving enough time to rest after your long travel to Japan. My name is Shouta Aizawa and I am the teacher of 1 A Class, of which you are going to be part of. I’ve received some information about your quirk and your history, and what I can say is that it is something different from what I’ve seen in my years of experience as a hero and a teacher. So I’d like to hear an explanation from you. Can you give me details about your quirk?

Ryu felt warm sweat gathering in her palms and between her fingers. Speaking about her quirk always brought her the same sensation she thought she would have if someone asked her to take her clothes off in front of a crowd. Among the replies she had for that type of question was running away or hiding part of the answer.

This latter was what she tried to do at that time.

- I can… do things with my mind. I think of something I want to do and materialize my thought thanks to the energy I’m able to gather in my hands.

The next question came as no surprise after a short explanation like that.

- Can you show me how you do it?

Ryu swallowed. She looked around and found a small vase upon a table. When she raised her hand toward it, a purple, moving shade surrounded her fingers at the same time it manifested in the object’s surface; one movement from Ryu’s hand and the vase floated above the table. After a moment, she used the same delicacy to put it back in its place, and the purple shade finally disappeared from it and from her hand.

That was enough for now. It had to be enough…

- Is this everything you can do today?

The question hit her like a slap on her face.

- What do you mean, Aizawa-sensei?

- According to your history, you are currently able to modify, hide or destroy things with your quirk. However, instead of using your skills to change the object’s configuration , you just choose to make it float.

- And what’s the problem with it? – she interrupted.

Though his tone didn’t alter, something in his eyes intensified when Aizawa replied this time. Ryu didn’t like that.

- I hope you understand that I need to know exactly what you can do. It seemed that the best way to get an answer from you was by talking, but apparently I was deceived.

And what if I have my reasons to not talk to a stranger? was the first thing that came as an answer. But the words never came to her tongue. What she was supposed to say to that? Didn’t that man have no consideration at all?

Well, maybe not.

- Ryu Murasaki, activate your quirk and try to attack me now.

The girl took a step back without realizing it.

- You… You cannot be serious!

The silence Aizawa gave her as reply showed that yes, he was serious. Ryu had no choice. The purple energy appeared on her hand for the second time, more intense, faster in its swirling. She raised her hand and tried not to think of the results when she blasted the shade at his direction… and nothing happened.

She looked at the teacher and saw his hair floating above his head, while a reddish glimmer covered his pupils. She dropped her hand at the same time his hair and eyes went back to normal. The air in the room, suddenly disturbed with the conflict, was calm again. Ryu opened her mouth and closed it again, unable to speak, but the latent question was in her eyes. What did you just do?

- I forgot to mention, but I am also known as my hero name, Eraserhead. You must know what it means.

So, Aizawa’s quirk is to erase other people’s power. The fact that he was a teacher to aspiring heroes was suggesting, then. When she looked at him again, something assuring was perceived in his monotone traits.

- Overthinking your situation won’t help you at all. I know it seems too much to ask this from you now, but trust the U.A.’s program and you new teacher. As long as you are here, there’s nothing to worry about.

[dillydedalus]

january reading

why does january always feel like it’s 3 months long. anyway here’s what i read in january, feat. poison experts with ocd, ants in your brain, old bolsheviks getting purged, and mountweazels. 

city of lies, sam hawke (poison wars #1) this is a perfectly nice fantasy novel about jovan, who serves as essentially a secret guard against poisoning for his city state’s heir and is forced to step up when his uncle (also a secret poison guard) and the ruler are both killed by an unknown poison AND also the city is suddenly under a very creepy siege (are these events related? who knows!) this is all very fine & entertaining & there are some fun ideas, but also... the main character has ocd and SAME HAT SAME HAT. also like the idea of having a very important, secret and potentially fatal job that requires you to painstakingly test everything the ruler/heir is consuming WHILE HAVING OCD is like... such a deliciously sadistic concept. amazing. 3/5

my heart hemmed in, marie ndiaye (translated from french by jordan stump) a strange horror-ish tale in which two married teachers, bastions of upper-middle-class respectability and taste, suddenly find themselves utterly despised by everyone around them, escalating until the husband is seriously injured. through several very unexpected twists, it becomes clear that the couple’s own contempt for anyone not fitting into their world and especially nadia’s hostility and shame about her (implied to be northern african) ancestry is the reason for their pariah status. disturbing, surprising, FUCKED UP IF TRUE (looking back, i no longer really know what i mean by that). 4/5

xenogenesis trilogy (dawn/adulthood rites/imago), octavia e. butler octavia butler is incapable of writing anything uninteresting and while i don’t always completely vibe with her stuff, it’s always fascinating & thought-provoking. this series combines some of her favourite topics (genetic manipulation, alien/human reproduction, what is humanity) into a tale of an alien species, the oankali, saving some human survivors from the apocalypse and beginning a gene-trading project with them, integrating them into their reproductive system and creating mixed/’construct’ generations with traits from both species. and like, to me, this was uncomfortably into the biology = destiny thing & didn’t really question the oankali assertion that humans were genetically doomed to hierarchical behaviour & aggression (& also weirdly straight for a book about an alien species with 3 genders that engages in 5-partner-reproduction with humans), so that angle fell flat for me for the most part, altho i suppose i do agree that embracing change, even change that comes at a cost, is better than clinging to an unsustainable (& potentially destructive) purity. where i think the series is most interesting is in its exploration of consent and in how far consent is possible in extremely one-sided power dynamics (curiously, while the oankali condemn and seem to lack the human drive for hierarchy, they find it very easy to abuse their position of power & violate boundaries & never question the morality of this. in this, the first book, focusing on a human survivor first encountering the oankali and learning of their project, is the most interesting, as lilith as a human most explicitly struggles with her position - would her consent be meaningful? can she even consent when there is a kind of biochemical dependence between humans and their alien mates? the other two books, told from the perspectives of lilith’s constructed/mixed children, continue discussing themes of consent, autonomy and power dynamics, but i found them less interesting the further they moved from human perspectives. on the whole: 2.5/5

love & other thought experiments, sophie ward man, we love a pierre menard reference. anyway. this is a novel in stories, each based (loosely) on a thought experiment, about (loosely) a lesbian couple and their son arthur, illness and grief, parenthood, love, consciousness and perception, alternative universes, and having an ant in your brain. it is thoroughly delightful & clever, but goes for warmth and humanity (or ant-ity) over intellectual games (surprising given that it is all about thought experiments - but while they are a nice structuring device i don’t think they add all that much). i haven’t entirely worked out my feelings about the ending and it’s hard to discuss anyway given the twists and turns this takes, but it's a whole lot of fun. 4/5

a general theory of oblivion, josé eduardo agualusa (tr. from portuguese by daniel hahn) interesting little novel(la) set in angola during and after the struggle for independence, in which a portuguese woman, ludo, with extreme agoraphobia walls herself into her apartment to avoid the violence and chaos (but also just... bc she has agoraphobia) with a involving a bunch of much more active characters and how they are connected to her to various degrees. i didn’t like the sideplot quite as much as ludo’s isolation in her walled-in flat with her dog, catching pigeons on the balcony and writing on the walls. 3/5

cassandra at the wedding, dorothy baker phd student cassandra returns home attend (sabotage) her twin sister judith’s wedding to a young doctor whose name she refuses to remember, believing that her sister secretly wants out. cass is a mess, and as a shift to judith’s perspective reveals, definitely wrong about what judith wants and maybe a little delusional, but also a ridiculously compelling narrator, the brilliant but troubled contrast to judith’s safer conventionality. on the whole, cassandra’s narrative voice is the strongest feature of a book i otherwise found a bit slow & a bit heavy on the quirky family. fav line is when cass, post-character-development, plans to “take a quick look at [her] dumb thesis and see if it might lead to something less smooth and more revolting, or at least satisfying more than the requirements of the University”. 3/5

the office of historical corrections, danielle evans a very solid collection of realist short stories (+ the titular novella), mainly dealing with racism, (black) womanhood, relationships between women, and anticolonial/antiracist historiography. while i thought all the stories were well-done and none stood out as weak or an unnecessary inclusion, there also weren’t any that really stood out to me. 3/5

sonnenfinsternis, arthur koestler (english title: darkness at noon) (audio) you know what’s cool about this book? when i added it to my goodreads tbr in 2012, i would have had to read it in translation as the german original was lost during koestler’s escape from the nazis, but since then, the original has been rediscovered and republished. yet another proof that leaving books on your tbr for ages is a good thing actually. anyway. this is a story about the stalinist purges, told thru old bolshevik rubashov, who, after serving the Party loyally for years & doing his fair share of selling people out for the Party, is arrested for ~oppositional activities. in jail and during his interrogations, rubashov reflects on the course the Party has taken and his own part (and guilt) in that, and the way totalitarianism has eaten up and poisoned even the most commendable ideals the Party once held (and still holds?), the course of history and at what point the end no longer justifies the means. it’s brilliant, rubashov is brilliant and despicable, i’m very happy it was rediscovered. 5/5

heads of the colored people, nafissa thompson-spires another really solid short story collection, also focused on the experiences of black people in america (particularly the black upper-middle class), black womanhood and black relationships, altho with a somewhat more satirical tone than danielle evans’s collection. standouts for me were the story in letters between the mothers of the only black girls at a private school, a story about a family of fruitarians, and a story about a girl who fetishises her disabled boyfriend(s). 3.5/5

pedro páramo, juan rulfo (gernan transl. by dagmar ploetz) mexican classic about a rich and abusive landowner (the titular pedro paramo) and the ghost town he leaves behind - quite literally, as, when his son tries to find his father, the town is full of people, quite ready to talk shit about pedro, but they are all dead. it’s an interesting setting with occasionally vivid writing, but the skips in time and character were kind of confusing and i lost my place a lot. i’d be interested in reading rulfo’s other major work, el llano en llamas. 2.5/5

verse für zeitgenossen, mascha kaléko short collection of the poems kaléko, a jewish german poet, wrote while in exile in the united states in the 30-40s, as well as some poems written after the end of ww2. kaléko’s voice is witty, but at turns also melancholy or satirical. as expected i preferred the pieces that directly addressed the experience of exile (”sozusagen ein mailied” is one of my favourite exillyrik pieces). 3/5

the harpy, megan hunter yeah this was boooooooring. the cover is really cool & the premise sounded intriguing (women gets cheated on, makes deal with husband that she is allowed to hurt him three times in revenge, women is also obsessed with harpies: female revenge & female monsters is my jam) but it’s literally so dull & trying so hard to be deep. 1.5/5

the liar’s dictionary, eley williams this is such a delightful book, from the design (those marbled endpapers? yes) to the preface (all about what a dictionary is/could be), to the chapter headings (A-Z words, mostly relating to lies, dishonesty, etc in some way or another, containing at least one fictitious entry), to the dual plots (intern at new edition of a dictionary in contemporary england checking the incomplete old dictionary for mountweazels vs 1899 london with the guy putting the mountweazels in), to williams’s clear joy about words and playing with them. there were so many lines that made me think about how to translate them, which is always a fun exercise. 3.5/5

catherine the great & the small, olja knežević (tr. from montenegrin by ellen elias-bursać, paula gordon) coming-of-age-ish novel about katarina from montenegro, who grows up in  titograd/podgorica and belgrad in the 70s/80s, eventually moving to london as an adult. to be honest while there are some interesting aspects in how this portrays yugoslavia and conflicts between the different parts of yugoslavia, i mostly found this a pretty sloggy slog of misery without much to emotionally connect to, which is sad bc i was p excited for it :(. 2/5

the decameron project: 29 new stories from the pandemic, anthology a collection of short stories written during covid lockdown (and mostly about covid/lockdown in some way). they got a bunch of cool authors, including margaret atwood, edwidge danticat, rachel kushner ... it’s an interesting project and the stories are mostly pretty good, but there wasn’t one that really stood out to me as amazing. i also kinda wish more of the stories had diverged more from covid/lockdown thematically bc it got a lil repetitive tbh. 2/5