#self indulgent because I’m an MT major

[isabellovelaces]

Kepler nearly played the wizard in wicked bway but Cutter sent him to Argentina for some undercover mission and long story short that’s how he nearly made his Broadway debut

[kacchanrawr]

Things I want to see in the future of MHA

(not just post-war stuff, but also the entire series. Some of these are kinda self-indulgent)

1. Endeavor and Hawks’ judgment

I honestly don’t know if I want to see them punished or pardoned. I’m interested in both of those so I’ll just trust Horikoshi on that one. But anyways, there’s no way they aren’t getting shit for this.

2. Whatever the ‘fake heroes’ are gonna do after this

Going back to Stain’s ideology about fake heroes. I agree with parts of it, there are a lot of people that become heroes without the conviction. They get into it by treating it the same way as any other office job, not as a mission to be well, heroes. But I don’t agree that they should be killed or eliminated. Being a hero for money isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s when you let greed take over you to the point that you forget what it means to be a hero. Some of those ‘fake heroes’ like Mt. Lady who was originally in it for the fame and money have grown to become real heroes. Others who really have zero conviction, will probably quit after facing this amount of despair, like the guy in chapter 296.

3. The Todoroki family’s image

How will everyone else see the victims of the situation, Natsuo, Fuyumi, Rei and Shoto after this? Especially Shoto. Now that his past is out in the public, that will probably affect his future as a pro. Would his classmates and peers see him or treat him differently after this? Like out of pity or sympathy?

4. The public’s backlash in general

How will the public start viewing not just Endeavor, Hawks, and the Todoroki family, but all heroes? Will they lose faith in heroes? We know they kinda already are when UA had a lot of backlash when Bakugo was kidnapped. UA as well, will it get shut down?

5. Bakudeku’s talk

I don’t think their relationship is actually gonna stay the same after this whole ‘my body moved on its own because I care for you and wanted to save you so I just got stabbed and risked my life for you and even told you to stop trying to be so selfless and do everything by yourself’ thing. All Might also did foreshadow that they were gonna talk soon. Maybe we could get the long awaited Bakugo apology scene ? Though it feels way too soon. And if Hori feeds us Bakudekus even more I think we’re just gonna combust.

5. Deku’s character development

His mindset and view of the world will probably be way darker and even more serious after this. I also want to see how Bakugo getting hurt for his sake and saying “don’t play hero all by yourself” will affect him. We know that he has decided to become a hero that wouldn’t make anyone worry about him when he had a flashback of his mom crying and being worried for him. He decided that the solution to that is to be stronger, but now maybe he can learn that selflessness doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to carry all the weight by himself. But then there’s the 4th user’s quirk that will probably push him to be even more selfless.

6. Ochako’s development

Please please PLEASE let this girl have more development. The way her fight against Toga ended, and her seeing the grievous side of being a hero? Probably a set up for her development.

7. Basically the rest of the kids’ development?

Obviously it’s not just the people involved in the fight against Shigaraki, or Ochako that are gonna view the world differently after this. I wanna see how they will deal with this. Kirishima and Mina will probably be some of the highlights. Also Momo, since Midnight meant a lot to her when she was the one that trusted Momo to lead their classes in the battle against Gigantomachia.

8. Aizawa and Present Mic dealing with Midnight’s death

Those two are especially highlighted amongst all of the other UA staff members because they have a past with her, as shown in vigilantes. We saw their anger and sadness about Shirakumo, what more when it comes to Midnight?

9. The villains dealing with their losses

Yes, know Toga went on a rampage after Twice’s death, but how will she and deal with it in the long run? How about losing Mr. Compress? How will Shigaraki react to both of those, and having the other Paranormal Liberation Front members like Geten captured? Not just emotionally, but how about the loss in terms of strength and power?

10. Prison break arc

People have been talking about this for years, maybe ever since we knew All for One was only imprisoned and not killed. We’ll probably see it happen next chapter. Will it cause the public to lose even more faith in the hero system? How will it affect the villains? Will AFO be their boss now, or will they resist him and stay loyal to Shigaraki?

11. All for One vs Shigaraki

Related to the previous point. We know Shigaraki really doesn’t want AFO bossing him around. They’ll probably have a fight. Maybe Deku and Shigaraki vs AFO? Then they’ll go back to fighting each other once the common threat is gone. This doesn’t feel very likely, but it could be a way of interpreting Deku’s “you looked like you needed saving” at the end of chapter 295.

11. Deku’s arms?

I don’t know if I want him to lose them and get prosthetics, or get healed by Eri. It would be great to see him experience a major loss, but ability-wise and emotionally? Not so good for him, though that’s kinda the point. Also he might not be able to use OFA in his arms anymore and I kinda don’t wanna see that. Even if he can, will he be able to use it at 100%? So far, we’ve seen that the level of technology in MHA aren’t enough to withstand 100%

12. Deku mastering One for All

I wanna see him consistently use 100% without injuring himself. I want to see him do more with black whip, float and the fourth user’s quirk. I’m also curious about the other three quirks left.

13. Power buff for everyone else

I kinda don’t wanna see the MC getting so ahead of everyone else, to the point that they leave everyone else in the dust. But I know that it’s been established way earlier on that Deku will surpass everyone in terms of strength. Even now, Bakugo, one of the strongest in Class 1-A could barely catch up with 30% OFA. But from his internal dialogue in chapter 293, I’m guessing he already had a quirk evolution when he saw Deku at the verge of death. I want to see more details on that though.

14. Everyone else’s reaction to Bakugo’s sacrifice

It’s gonna be a big thing for his character and all, but I don’t think this is gonna happen because of well, everything else being a mess. But maybe at least All Might’s?

15. Deku’s father

I don’t want him to be a really big famous, important figure, or someone involved in this whole AFO vs OFA stuff. It will kinda ruin Deku’s character of like, ‘just an ordinary boy that was lucky and so his character arc is to be worthy of that blessing’. If Deku’s father was someone like that, that would mean he was the fated or chosen one in the first place anyways? But what else can Deku’s dad be? I honestly don’t know.

16. All Might’s death

I see so many people complain that he should’ve died in Kamino, but I disagree because saving that big moment for later was actually a good decision. We know he’s gonna die, he has death flags everywhere. But I wonder how exactly he will die, when he will die, and how big of an impact his death will have.

17. The final battle

As in, the last battle of the entire series. Deku vs Shigaraki rematch, Ochako vs Toga, Shoto vs Dabi. And for Bakugo, well...... he doesn’t really have a villain nemesis? (Huh maybe I’ll talk about that some other time) But the best I could think of right now is Bakugo and Deku vs Shigaraki, like in Heroes Rising. If the Heroes Rising ending was the original series ending, maybe Hori was hinting that Bakugo and Deku will be fighting the final boss together?

18. Bakugo and Deku as a hero duo

Related to the previous point. Shipping lenses aside, I think there’s plenty of foreshadowing for that? Even if they wouldn’t officially be hero partners, I’m guessing they’re both gonna be important pillars. “Win to save, save to win”

19. The ending

I want to see how they will fix the broken hero society. I want to see Class 1-A as wonderful heroes. I want satisfying closure for the villains as well. What I don’t want to see is everyone getting married and having kids like Naruto, and those kids being the characters for a sequel series. I’m sorry but as much as I like a lot of the ships, I think that’s probably one of the worst endings possible. But a next generation sequel actually wouldn’t be that bad if the main characters were the established kid characters we already know and love, Eri, Kota, Katsuma and Mahoro. We can see through them how the new hero system/society works, and maybe all the smaller subtle stuff that they still need to patch up. Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything else good about it.

20. Deku becoming the greatest hero

Also very much related to the previous point but I only remembered it afterwards. We know it’s gonna happen, but how? Also notice that while Bakugo always says ‘number one hero’, Deku always just says ‘greatest hero’, which kinda aren’t the same thing. Maybe it’s just cuz I’m a Bakugo stan, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to just let the rival characters be content with number two? Either ‘Bakugo is the number one in ranking while Deku is the greatest hero’, or ‘Deku is the greatest and number one hero but their rivalry hasn’t ended and it’s a push-pull’ thing. Or just kill one of them (cough Bakugo cough) and it’ll be fine.

21. Other people finding out about OFA

I don't think it's going to stay a secret between Deku, Bakugo and All Might anymore. At the very least, the people involved in the fight against Shigaraki, like Shoto, Aizawa and Endeavor should be given an explanation on why Shigaraki was targeting Deku in particular. At worst, it becomes public news and Deku will now have to deal with a much a greater pressure of everyone expecting him to take up All Might's mantle. I'd rather go with the former, but the latter is also interesting I guess. Or if not those, they'd have to come up with a really good excuse.

Anyways that’s all I can think of for now? There’s probably way more at the back of my head. I’ll just edit whenever.

[zetsubou--artsu]

A Ray of Light

Okay so I think I’m at the point wherein I need to look at my messy folders and start uploading some of these fanfics I wrote as a self-indulgent thing ahahahah ;w; Just a heads up: Oriana is Ignis and Io’s daughter and this follows through the Extra Verse timeline from Episode Ignis. THAT MEANS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN/PLAYED EPISODE IGNIS YET AND ARE PLANNING TO PLAY/WATCH IT SPOILER-FREE, THEN YOU SHOULD BACK OUT NOW BECAUSE THIS HAS MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

Warnings: Spoilers for Episode Ignis, really tiny implied sexual thing at the end, lots and LOOOOOTS of family fluff ahahAH

"M-Mama!"

Sandy-blond hair neatly and loosely braided behind her crying face, Oriana wiped her tears with her chubby little fingers as she called out for her mother.

Still in her favorite blue Catoblepass-patterned dress, she walked around clumsily, sleep and tears still lingering on her mind. When she stumbled upon the kitchen, there stood her mother, long hair braided loosely and her long sweeping mint green dress visible. Oriana whimpered, a sound caught on by the young Scientia missus. She turned around gasping at the sight of her ever-lovely and adorable daughter, bawling her tired eyes once again. Io knelt down and hugged her, then lifted her up in a warm hug. The smallest Scientia sighed in content, tears still leaking out somewhat but now calmer than she had previously. Io hummed a song, as she rocked her daughter back and forth to pacify her more. Though it failed to get her to sleep, Oriana instead clutched tightly to her mother's torso, sea-foam eyes reflecting back to her mother's own pair. "Ori, what's the matter dear?" Io smiled, wiping the tears away as she kissed her forehead. Oriana snuggled into her mother's bossom as she mumbled a reply. "Papa was hurt. Mama was hurt. I miss papa... Papa makes mama and Ori happy." Io tensed a bit before smiling sadly, as she gently caresses her child's head. "Ori... papa is busy, you know that. He's fighting out there to keep everyone safe." "And when papa is home, you leave. Then sometimes, you and papa leave Ori alone..." 'Oh, Ori...' Io mentally chided herself, realizing that her daughter longed for the company of both parents. While Ori was safe within the walls of Lestallum, Io knows that the reality outside is not as complacent as it is within the last safe haven. It's only been seven years, yet time swept away any notion of what was once the city of joy and life. Outside was darkness, eternally engulfing the sky and the light, leaving a dreary and dead atmosphere. That's not even counting the daemons wandering about. Though her husband may have had a hand in preventing the worst, not all was spared. The preparations helped most people to seek immediate refuge within the safer walls of the reinforced Lestallum. Former-Glaives and Hunters alike also began performing patrols and rescue operations, some provided relief while others searched for supplies. Having handing over the intense parts of maintaining the city, the last of the 114th King's retinue began their sweep over Eos. For most part, none of them were successful but the thought of a happy future for everyone kept them going. As the pairs settled down with their own kids, the sacrifice of their own time for a bright future bore heavy weight on everyone. Io and Ignis had spent years looking for solutions to Noctis' problem, as what was shown to Ignis in his vision within the Keep. The years when there was still minimal light already kept them busy from family but now that darkness truly fell and daemons roam the land without an end, travelling has become twice as dangerous, especially when massive hordes form. Io had agreed with Ignis that someone should always be with Ori, as should one of them fall in battle... Io shook her head from the awful feeling, kissing her daughter's forehead instead. She needs to talk to Ignis, about how their daughter needs them, that time is running out both for when Noct once again emerges and for their daughter's childhood to end. The former Princess of Pacem didn't want her only daughter's childhood memories to be filled with dread and hopeful anxiety, waiting for both of their parents to arrive safely once more. She wants her precious girl to have stories to share to her future friend, her future husband, her future kids. She doesn't want her to tell them veteran stories of being stuck within the darkness as her parents fight to let her see the beautiful sun once more. Io nods to herself, resolute and determined to let her daughter have the best in life. Just as she had resolved to give their daughter a chance of peace, Io felt Ori's body tremble, as the girl began sniffling and holding back tears. The mother felt her heart ache for her daughter's anguished cries, once again rocking her gently and smothering her with kisses. Io walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, sitting on the couch to help her cradle Ori more. After what it felt like hours, Io's daughter dozed off, tired from all the silent crying. The mother sighed sadly, wanting to give her daughter everything she wanted but Io knows it's almost impossible to do so, not with so many things to do in so little time. Still, she would try, for her lovely Ori. As Io was about to bring Ori back to bed, she heard the door open and close with practiced grace and eloquence. Footsteps echo the floorboard as Io is stunned with momentary surprise. That shock slowly turned into joy as she felt her heart swell at the sight of her beloved husband, hair slicked back and still all in one piece. His gloved hand reached for his visor, taking it off as green eyes stared lovingly at the presence of his gorgeous wife. "Welcome home, Iggy." Io smiles breathtakingly, taking in the sight of her significant other. Ignis walks with a stride, and gently engulfs his two beautiful ladies in one warm embrace. "My love, it is truly wonderful to finally be home." Ignis kisses them both gently, love and affection filling his every fiber of being. The continuous search for an alternative solution drained him and his other three companions--Gladio, Prompto, and Loqi. Just as when all hope is lost, Ravus, of all people, contacted them and told them to meet with him in Tenebrae. The former Niff General-now-King, told them of a possible solution, one that is hidden deep within the recess of their former home. Upon clearing the way, deactivating some MT-jammers courtesy of the blond former brigadier, they found a hidden safe from Queen Sylva's room. Within the safe is a stack of books, hand-written by the late Queen herself. Ravus chokes up a bit, realizing these were hand-written styled diaries were the last pieces of memories his late mother took care of. In addition, an entire book is addressed to him. Quickly skimming the books, they had all found salvation. Queen Sylva was already given this vision of the future, one contrast to the bleak future her own daughter saw. A turning point, she calls it, would determine the fate of the King and his people. Conditions must be fulfilled to prevent the dark blight from ever winning. First, the king must head on willingly, seeking Providence within the crystal of his own choice. Second, the Usurper must be weakened to avoid bleak paths from forming under his free reign. Lastly, a bloodline of the Oracle must be present during the hour of the reckoning. Ignis clearly remembers the resolve and will Noctis wore as he stepped into the crystal, making the first condition valid. With the second one, he didn't know if it was enough, but Ignis tried his might to best the living starscourge as the royal adviser sacrificed all to the Ring to grant him unimaginable power. Lastly, all four looked at the silver-haired Tenebrean, hope forming and consolidating. Ravus stares back with fierceness and determination, finally realizing that his sister's work now falls onto him. Ravus promised them that he will do what it takes to bring back the light with them. They all returned home to their loved ones, heart full of hope and good news ready to be assimilated. Ignis removes his coat with swift ease and places it on the hanger. Suddenly, a muffled groan escaped from the young girl followed by a yawn and her head slowly rising from her mother's bossom. Her pudgy finger rubbed her crusty eyes from the tears earlier, earning a affectionate smile from the father of the family. Suddenly, Oriana's head snapped into rapt attention, realizing the newcomer from her sleepy daze. A joyous scream escaped from her lips as she quickly raises both her hands to reach out for the adviser. Ignis pampered his young princess as she squeals in delight within his hand. She clings to him with her entire body, refusing to let go despite the need for air. Ori calmed down after a while settling herself upon her papa's broad shoulders and nestling herself in his arms. Io looked at her family with a fond gaze, her heart settling from Ori's earlier mishap. Realizing that Ignis came home earlier than usual, Io couldn't help but ask her husband the status of the search. "More than great news, my dear. Queen Sylva had already detailed accounts of what must be done should the future she foresaw be the path chosen from our actions." "Then, that means..." "Darling, there is no longer any need for us to go forth and search for alternatives. The preparations are done, and we must simply wait for his Majesty's return." No more long nights of waiting due to the search around Eos. No more painful cries of Ori asking for both of them. Most importantly, their goal of averting Noctis' fate has been reached. Soon, Ori could grow up in peace and safety, without the curse of daemons plaguing her. Io covers half her face with her hands, tears leaking from the side of her eyes. She runs up to Ignis and hugs him along with Ori within his arms. Relief and delight oozed off of her as she laughs in bliss not found since their days spent before Eos turned to bare ruins. Ori worriedly looked at her mother's crying form and panicked, realizing that her papa might leave again or her mama might leave this time. She grips onto her papa's shirt, catching his attention. Near crying like her mother, Ori wrapped her arms around his neck as she begs him not to go again and to not let mama venture off. Their daughter's sudden change of emotions snapped the two rejoicing parents out of their reverie as they now try to comfort her. "Ori, my dear, your mother and I would no longer venture into long months without going home." "That's right. Your papa and mama's work are now done and complete." Io smiled lovingly, as she holds her daughter's small hands with her own. Ignis used his other free hand to wipe away the tears off of her daughter's charming face heart once again filling with warmth and tenderness as he observes their interaction. Ori sniffled, her face turning hopeful and eager, asking herself if she's dreaming. "Sweetie, you aren't dreaming. Your papa and I promise you would see us both more often now." "Listen to your mother, dear. Perhaps we could start planning for our adventures tomorrow, what do you say?" Ori bounced excitedly at the idea, babbling away and basking in the attention of both of her parents. The next day, she was not the least disappointed to find out that her parents were awake and not away just as they promised. As she led them to sit down with her on the floor to play 'Princess', Ori noticed her mother wincing a bit before waving her off, claiming she was just tired. The young Scientia felt shame creep up on her, thinking that it was her tantrums that made her mother tired. The sandy-haired child quickly hugged her mama, apologizing for making her feel tired. Ori glanced up and saw her mother's half-amused and half-blushing face as she reassures her that it wasn't her fault.

A quick cough from the man of the house distracted them all and immediately caught Ori's attention instead. She gave her mother one last worried glance before running towards her father's position asking to be held up. The tactician lifted her up and let his gaze stop at his wife's form. He smirked a bit, spotting one of the marks he left her from last night's joyous celebration. Io caught on to what her fellow tactician triumphantly smiled about, her lips forming into a pout. The intense gaze and amused light glinting on her eyes told otherwise, however. All this took place as Oriana hummed and bathed in the comfort and love of her now complete family.

[fieldsofplay]

Top Albums of 2019

Top Albums of 2019.

25.  William Tyler – Goes West

For those of you reading along, I want to thank you for sticking with this blog for basically an entire decade at this point. Jeez, where does the time* go? To that end, I’m gonna put out a decade list sometime next week, so to keep my sanity somewhat in check, this years tops list is going to be a little more abbreviated than usual. A few less records, a few less words, but still the same self indulgence you’ve come to know and expect.  To that end, William Tyler.  Tied for my favorite cover art with IGOR.  This is beautiful finger-picked cosmic acoustic guitar music with some nice flourishes added by Brad Cook and the usual suspects.  Perfect for fall days.  I accidentally heckled him at a concert about the Andy Griffith show, but I was only trying to say he shouldn’t be ashamed about liking that program.  The shame still haunts me, much like this music. *A fictional social construct

24.  Floating Points – Crush

Now I’m not going to sit here and pretend to know much about electronic music.  I don’t know the deep history, I don’t know the technical lingo, but like pornography, I know it when I hear it.  Much has been made about the impact opening for the XX and being limited to minimal gear while doing so had on Sam Shephard, and I’ll admit the differences from Elaenia is palpable.  Where that album felt minimal, Crush is maximal, bursting with colors and ideas, not unlike the beautiful painting that adorns its cover.  I never quite knew what the phrase Intelligent Dance Music was supposed to mean, but to me, that’s precisely what this is. You could dance to “LesAlpx” if you wanted, or you could just throw it on headphones and drift away to its unceasing pulse. Find you a man who can do both.

23.  Nerija – Blume

Let me be the first to tell you that jazz is back! Centering largely in London, there is thrilling music being made by the likes of Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, and this year, by Nerija. Breathing new life into a long moribund form (at least until Kendrick Lamar started featuring jazz musicians on his albums), Blume literally does just that, unfurling jazz from a long dormancy.  While I’m not normally a fan of the guitar in jazz, here it keeps the whole thing moving forward, as the horns swirl around in a supportive role and the percussion cooks.  “Riverfest” is the best exemplar, as the guitar chimes with joy while the cymbal-crashes enliven the vibe.

22.  Florist – Emily Alone

A tale as old time (song as old as rhyme): member of ambient-electronic band puts out solo acoustic album, about the sadness of moving to LA and finding oneself.  No one is reinventing the wheel here, but I can’t help but feel little touches of Florist’s electronic full-band output in Emily Sprague’s solo record—the way the words repeat, subtly, but building meaning with each little phrasal repetition. Plus, the ocean is a recurring image, and dear lord do I miss the sea. If you want to listen a sad girl sing sad songs accompanied by acoustic guitar, you aren’t going to do better than Emily Alone this year.

21.  Kevin Morby – Oh My God

Possibly the best Kevin Morby record?  No one else would say that, but I will.  If so, why is it so far down the list? Well, when you consistently put out amazing records year-after-year it becomes difficult for any individual album to make an imprint on the “culture.” I think “Seven Devils” is possibly his finest tune.

20.  Sacred Paws – Run Around the Sun

My friend David turned me on to this band right before I was about to embark on a road trip up north in the middle of the summer, and let me tell you, that was the perfect time to first experience Run Around the Sun.  Noodly guitars burst out of every seam on this record, as bubblegum lyrics tie the whole shebang together.  If you ever wondered what the Shangri-las would sound like if Johnny Marr played lead guitar, I give you Sacred Paws.

19.  Jamila Woods – Legacy! Legacy!  

On Legacy! Legacy! Woods takes the R&B of the excellent Heavn and applies a jazzier sheen, to excellent results.  One need look no further than the track titles (“Frida,” “Miles,” “Basquiat,” “Baldwin,” “Sun Ra” etc.) to see that Woods is consciously engaging with the titans of history, and here, while she doesn’t exactly reach the heights of those innovators, she certainly begins to carve out a legacy of her own as one of the best voices in a currently thriving R&B scene.

18.  Mt. Eerie & Julie Doiron – Lost Wisdom, Pt. 2

On Lost Wisdom, Pt. 2 Phil Elverum (of The Microphones) and Julie Doiron (of Eric’s Trip) recapture the magic they bottled on the first Lost Wisdom back in 2008.  It is hard to imagine sparer music than this, but the duo make so much of a pair of voices and few plucked guitar or banjo lines.  As with all of his music of late (for obvious reasons), loss hangs all over Elverum’s output, but here, the loss is more mood and less of a literal presence (with the exception of the blistering “Widows”).  Few songs I can think of capture a single, specifically odd phenomenon quite like “When I Walk Out of the Museum.”

17.  DIIV – Deceiver

As capital-G guitar music recedes further into irrelevance, it’s good to still have a band like DIIV kicking around, who make shoegaze like it’s still 1991.  And it’s a good thing they are still making their beautiful walls of feedback, as heroine has repeatedly knocked this band off the rails of what appeared to be a very promising career.  This is ominous, portentous music, that swirls with white noise and black despair.  Shoegaze is premised on making beauty out of the squall of overdriven electric guitars, and DIIV make beauty of the squall of 21st century opiate addiction.

16.  Earl Sweatshirt – Feet of Clay

Earl continues the excellent experimentation of Some Rap Songs in the (slightly) more structured Feet of Clay.  Whereas Some Rap Songs felt like fragments, the tracks on Feet of Clay (almost) feel like “songs” proper.  Earl continues to quickly sweep the ground out from underneath you, whether it’s in the form of oddly woozy backing tracks that can’t really be called “beats” or the sub 2-minute run times, but he seems to pack slightly more structure into those abbreviated entrants, even if there are a lot less of them than there were on Some Rap Songs.  Right now no one is pushing the boundaries of hip-hop like Earl, and each new release, even if the total run time is under 15 minutes, is a thrilling event.

15.  Better Oblivion Community Center – S/T

Yes, last year I had Boygenius as my number one record, but if I’m being frank, and I am, this is the better collaborative album put out by Phoebe Bridgers.  At first blush a record between the up-and-coming Bridgers and the largely has-been Conor Oberst seems like a desperate grab at continued relevance by the latter, but having seen them live, I must admit the pairing makes perfect sense.  The energy between the two is infectious, and while they share a common fascination with emo, they really draw the best out of each other.  Bridgers plays the Emmylou Harris role from I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning to perfection, and Oberst plays the Kenny Rodgers in “Islands in the Stream.”  For a period I could not turn on Radio K without hearing a song from this album, which is strange because, as a college radio station, every hour is usually completely different.

14.  Chromatics – Closer to Grey

In a certain way, Chromatics are victims of their own tendency towards self-mythologizing.  Their last two official albums were absolutely perfect slices of Italo-Disco, equal parts late night ennui and seething dancefloor longing.  There was way more guitar on those albums than most anyone would appreciate on first glance, and yet Ruth Radelet’s smoky vocals were unquestionably the star.  In the interim Johnny Jewel (the mastermind behind the band and basically everything on Italians Do it Better) famously destroyed all the copies of the long teased Dear Tommy after a near death experience, provided essential music to Twin Peaks: The Return (which included multiple Chromatics performances at the dear Road House), and then suddenly dropped Closer to Grey out of the sky, with neither warning nor fanfare.  This record is everything you would want a Chromatics record to be, but perhaps that is part of the reason it didn’t really make a major impression. It felt a little Chromatics-by-the-numbers, right down to the cover of “The Sound of Silence” to open it up.  I absolutely love this album, and if it weren’t for the incredible quality of albums put out this year, it would certainly be a top-10 or top-5 in any other year (hell, in the terrible-for-music 2018 it would have been number one by a mile).  Perhaps the biggest frustration is just how fucking good “Light as a Feather” is.  It hints at a version of Chromatics influenced by Portishead, and now that’s all I want more of.

13.  Thom Yorke – ANIMA

Doubt it if you will, you sneering youngsters, but Thom Yorke and his more well-known band are currently making some of the best music of their careers.  Just as A Moon Shaped Pool was a much needed return to form after the completely forgettable King of Limbs, with ANIMA Yorke gets back to what made The Eraser so compelling all the way back in 2006.  While a fondness for Aphex Twin is no longer at all exceptional in rock music in 2019, it was in 2006, and with ANIMA, Yorke gets back to the creepy, clicky, paranoid distrust of modern consumer culture that is solidly his wheelhouse.  Bonus points for using Netflix and a pairing with PTA to make America care about a long form music video again in 2019.

12.  Black Marble – Bigger than Life

I would call black Marble my favorite new band of the year, but the thing is, they aren’t new, just new to me.  Bigger than Life is their third record, and first for Sacred Bones (whose distinctive album art is what first caught my eye).  Because their music is comprised solely of arpeggiated synths, melodic bass, and clinking drum machines, overlaid with melancholicly narrow vocals, it is easy to accuse Black Marble of being a little same-y.  However, if you, like me, worship at the temple of New Order, than this is the band for you.  I have lived with their three extant albums the last couple months (the second, It’s Immaterial, being my favorite), and in reality, this is really the only music I want to listen to.

11.  Big Thief – U.F.O.F. / Two Hands

If you’re reading this than you likely already know how much I love Big Thief, and you might be a little surprised that one, if not both, of the records they put out this year is not sitting atop this list based on how much I’ve professed my love for this band over the course of 2019.  So here’s the thing, the highs on both of these albums--“U.F.O.F.” “Not”--are better than anything else anyone has done this year, but to my ear both records suffer from a flew blah-ish passages that prevent either album, on its own, from achieving top status.  However, if you borrow a few tracks here (Cattails, Contact) and a few tracks there (Shoulders, Two Hands) and made one album out of the highlights of both sessions, you would unquestionably have the album of the year.  That Big Thief gave us two records brimming with amazing folk rock ideas is a blessing.

10.  Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

Hey, do you remember Sharon Van Etten put out an amazing record in 2019? I bet you don’t.  The culture moves so fast these days that albums from January might as well have been released five years ago, and it seems to me like this record slipped off a few peoples’ radars as the year progressed, which is a shame, considering how damn good it is (her best imho).  There are few runs on an album I’ve enjoyed more this year than “Jupiter 4’s” electro-throb into “Seventeen’s” Springsteen chug into “Malibu’s” comedown.  Bonus points for being my dear friend Hadley’s downstairs neighbor for all those years.  Ah Brooklyn, how I miss thee.

9.  Black Midi – Schlagenheim

Yes, that most reliable of music-critic tropes: the hot young band from London.  Black Midi made waves with a legendary youtube video of their live show, and having seen it in person, let me tell you, even that now infamous video doesn’t do them justice.  Much like its gobldy-gook made up title, Schlagenheim is an amalgamation of strands of music that don’t really fit together but somehow they pull off with aplomb.  At times they play with the hardcore fury of Minor Threat, while at others the proggy interconnectivity of Rush at their most arena-rockish, all with a weird dash of David Byrne wiry energy holding it all together.  If they come to your town, go see them, just don’t stand in the front unless you want to be swept into the maelstrom.

8.  Helado Negro – This is How You Smile

Did you love Little Joy (the Strokes sideproject) but wish it was occasionally electronic and periodically in Spanish? If so, I give you Helado Negro. This is the prettiest record of the year; it never goes above a certain emotional register / decibel range, but it inhabits the spectrum in which it lives like a ghost in its occasional electronic flourishes.  This is a record for someone with a long drive with something to think about. “Seen my Aura” is simultaneously funky and restrained, acoustic and electronic, and emblematic of the joys of This is How You Smile.

7.  Sturgill Simpson – Sound & Fury

Each of Sturgill Simpson’s last three records have been fundamentally different from one another, and each has been excellent, which is almost impossible to accomplish.  Metamodern Sounds in Country Music introduced many, like myself, to a new voice in an often overlooked medium, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth dusted off the horns from Elvis’s stax-era and romped around, and now with Sound & Fury Sturgill looks to the outlaw tradition (and ZZ freakin Top) he’s so-often been associated with, but rarely resembled, to crank out an incredible record that is far more “rock” than it is “country.” Throw on a heaping of 80’s-era Springsteen synths and you have the recipe for a record that makes me very, very happy.  The two halves of “Make Art not Friends” have little business coexisting within a single track (the first half sounds like Tangerine Dream, the second half Arcade Fire) and yet it is precisely in this tenuous cohabitation that Sturgill has produced his best record to date.

6.  Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride

Vampire Weekend started out their career being accused of stealing from Graceland and ended up becoming Paul Simon.  Funny how that works out sometimes.  Modern Vampires of the City has become, next to Sound of Silver, the definitive record about life in New York during my era (2005-2016).  On the follow up, the band, newly shorn of Rostam Batmanglij (whose solo record is also phenomenal, even though he’s maybe one of the worst performers I’ve ever seen), decamped to California, and Father of the Bride revels in both the California sun and a well earned sense of accomplishment.  “Hold You Now” is my favorite song of the year, it is simply stunning.

5.  Bill Callahan – Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest

There is a bit of theme developing here at the top of the list: established artists putting out arguably their best work deep into storied careers, and no one on this list is deeper into a more storied oeuvre than Bill Callahan.  Between Smog and under his own name, Callahan has been releasing consistently great albums since 1992, and to me, Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is his finest work to date.  Having found domestic bliss, so the press materials state, Callahan is content to sit back and let that world-weary baritone spin out all the comforts of a well-worn chair near a fire in a hearth.  This is the type of record that gives you hope that happiness isn’t the exclusive provenance of the young.

4.  Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains

If I were to really sit and write out all of my thoughts about David Berman this blurb would probably be 10 pages long, at least, so rather than spill a bunch of digital ink lamenting the loss of a true inspiration, I’ll just try and stick to the album itself, which is almost impossible now in the wake of his suicide shortly after its release.  Even on first blush this was a difficult hang, clearly the product of someone who lost their wife to a series of poor decisions / mental difficulties, and who hadn’t come to terms with it.  Understandably so.  Berman remains endlessly quotable, right up to the very end, and “we’re just drinking margaritas at the mall” remains emblematic of his ability to compress the tedium of middle american misery into a single haunting, yet, hilarious, image.  While “Nights that Won’t Happen” lives on as his suicide note directly to the fans (“The dead know what they’re doing when they leave this world behind” ; “all the suffering gets done by the ones we leave behind”), and it is hauntingly beautiful, it still makes me cry every time I hear it. As does most of this record. So the song I’ll carry on with me, and can still actually listen to, is “Snow is Falling in Manhattan.” Just a beautiful song from a beautiful man.  

3.  Tyler, the Creator – IGOR

I really don’t have the words (well, clearly I have some) to express just how impressed I am by the arc of Tyler’s career.  The one-time shock-rap flash in the critical pan quickly turned into forgettable homophobe who perfectly fit a description of Eminem’s fan base I once heard: kids who call their mom a bitch to their face.  The first startling change came with Flower Boy, which came right on the heels of his step out of the closet.  Flower Boy is a really great record, but it still largely sounded like Tyler, just a more mature version who stopped saying cringe worthy shit.  IGOR is something entirely different.  I honestly don’t even know what to call it. It’s not a rap record, and there are honestly entire tracks on it where I’m not sure what it is he does on them, but my god, this thing is incredible.  It’s basically a Parliament album for the end of the world, and if the earth is going to burn down around us, we might as well dance our way out, which is precisely the party Tyler has orchestrated here.  I cannot wait to see what he does next.

2.  Angel Olsen – All Mirrors

All Mirrors isn’t just clearly Angel Olsen’s best album by a clear margin, it is the best pop album made by anyone in sometime.  Just like black clothes make anyone a little slimmer, orchestration can make any pop song sound symphonic, but most pop acts don’t have the power of Angel Olson’s voice to match the bombast of the string section and percussion.  It feels like the term Beatlesesque has started to fade from the critical lexicon, but this music is truly akin to the orchestral richness of “I am the Walrus” or “A Day in the Life.”  People celebrate Lana del Ray for her torch songs (and I really liked Norman Fucking Rockwell, even if it didn’t quite make this list in a stacked year) but no one carries a torch like Angel Olsen.  I was initially reticent to catch her live show this tour, it was on a weeknight, it was cold, I had to go downtown, I’d seen her a couple times already, yadda yadda yadda, but I knew deep down I really wanted to see if she could recreate the power of these songs on stage (the inverse of how that equation usually goes).  Reader: she did.

1.  (Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar

House of Sugar may not be quite as experimental as IGOR, or as pop-perfect as All Mirrors, but it takes those two impulses and melds them together into what is my favorite album of the year, even if strictly speaking it may not be the “best” as measured against the other entrants in this top 3.  “Hope” was actually a “hit” song on the local college radio station, and understandably so; it sounds like Elliott Smith and tells a comprehensible story about a friend who died from an overdose.  But “Hope” is jut one facet of House of Sugar, which is a veritable hall of musical mirrors.  “Walk Away” is hypnotic in its repetitions, “In My Arms” is a legit straightforward acoustic love song, “Sugar” sounds like The Knife (no joke), “Sugarhouse” could have been on The River, and while I already said “Hold You Now” is my favorite song of the year, “Gretel” has something to say about that.  I saw a show right when this album came out, and as the band left the stage for the final time the soundguy cued up “Gretel” not, I’m guessing, because the band requested it, but because it rules and he just wanted to share it with everyone as they receded into night.

[teddy-feathers]

@lost-and-found-jc

Bones, Picked Clean the one you read but still prob one of my all time faves. Eventual harem but mostly just... Reader meeting the scary ones first and treating them like people, while calling out the nicer ones on their bs. Also i need more horrortale niceness in my life okay?

Bitty Hunt is another harem style however the Reader is a bitty. Its hilarious and while I would recommend anything by this author, this story along with Tits and Dick are my faves.

Chipping Away its a bit dark. Well okay its pretty dark but theres a feeling of hope persisting despite everything that i enjoy. Gruesome bits discribed a little though. Reader is a medic from a shitty surface and falls into a horrortale makes friends with frisk. Ship with sans i think whose big. Also not technically horrortale as the designs of the chatacters are from a lesser known au currently called something like undertomb(?) But its still got the cannibalism and you don't need to know that really except to know why theyre described different in this story.

Dumb swapfell papyrus moved out away from his brother for reasons and is a socially akward fuck.

Rain Rain Go Away its long. Its funny. Theres sibbling shenanigans. Odd magic human world building subplot. Mostly its just cute and fluffy and Reader is so nice and happy. Self indulgent as hell and i appreciate that.

Skeleton Squatters and the LandLady one of the more popular harems. Readers life is too stressful so she goes to take a weekend break at an old family property. A bunch of skellys have moved in and uh well Reader makes friends and her friends are there for her. And then the shipping begins.

Slave Tale i love everything by this author however a lot of it especially this story deals with self harm, self destructive behavior, and sexual abuse of one form or another. However there is a lot of excellent characterization, development, and worldbuilding.

The House Next Door another harem and while i will go ahead and warn you that the writer makes the mistake of shoving too many people's dialog into a single paragraph, I'm going to urge you to ignore that as its worth it. Reader has a family that we've just found out about in the last handful of chapters which is interesting but essentially... Reader has three jobs and thh crazy random happenstances of running into a skeleton of skeletons who all end up living in the mansion next door. Right now theyve just finished team building and i think it did wonders for their friendship levels.

The Skeleton Games underfell surface timeline. Reader is a vampire. They share an apartment wall with underfell sans who's a noise asshole so Reader trolls them through the power of video games and they become friends. Its funny af.

Not Your Prey a spin off of the skeleton squatters but you don't have to read that one to get this one. Fellswap papyrus and a demi reader.

Ain't this the Life? IF you're an adult I recommend this series. Warnings for fellcest and the fact that while not every part is porn its pretty damn close and will at least reference it. That being said... Fellbros are stuck in a post pacifist timeline of undertale with classic sans and all. Theyve adjusted okay all things considered but despite them being from the 'fucked up edgy timeline' theyre way more well adjusted in some ways then sans. But they both have a thing for sans and the smut is just a convenient excuse to get inside everyones head and see how messed up they are and how well theyre putting eachother back together. Its super cute and shippy on one level uh but the author posts content warnings but i Will say consent is the greatest kink here.

Winter in your Bones not gonna lie this is a stright up romance novel set in Alaska. A lot of questions dont get answered but thats not the point the point is that its a romance novel between Reader and Sans. Complete.

The Party Incident and other Embarrassing Anecdotes painful with the secondhand embarrassment but... Funny as fuck and worth it. Your shippers heart will get broke about halfway through but im given to understand everything turns out better for it. Theres also bonus AU content and other POV content.

Be All My Sins Remembered I like this one but its painful in nonfunny ways. MC is socially avoident but lives in a dorm going to college and then the skellybros move in and social shit ontop of interspecies incidents get out of hand. But misunderstandings are starting to get cleared up and its really worth the read.

Bitties of the Mt. Ebott Area one of the few things ive read thats Complete and its a bunch of complete fics to boot. Theres some interfamily drama but overall good wholesome things ger better vibes.

Thunderstruck underfell papyrus gets some major character development... And also joins a band. He and his brother are in a surface timeline with the classic undertale bros.

Okay there's like way more but that being said i also recommend just going to ao3 going to the undertale fandom section and then hitting [sort by] most kudos or whatever and checking out those. They are popular for a reason and they are really good and i think several here are pretty close to the top of the list.

I didnt recommend even nearly all of my faves or even just a lot of the ones ill go back and read. Mostly because my attention wanders and im not caught up on a lot of them. If you like one work of an author def check out the rest by them - and check out the inspired by / spin off works because theyre usually really good.