#5 minute crafts to fuel your nightmares

[phalangelala]

When you open fb for the first time in 3 months and are immediately accosted by this nightmare (but you're secretly delighted because you can send something to your tumblr fav @elodieunderglass )

[isaacthedruid]

Please allow me to tell you about one of my favourite cartoons through this informal essay I did for school a couple of months back. 

Gravity Falls and How it Did The Unimaginable

**SPOILERS... KINDA**

The 2010s saw the creation of some of the most iconic animated tv shows ever made, the likes of Adventure Time (2010), Steven Universe (2013), Over the Garden Wall (2014) and The Legend of Korra (2012). To explain why this era’s shows are so admirable is honestly rather difficult. Yet, there are many factors that can be taken into consideration when looking for an answer.

The past decade was very successful in perfecting their craft and utilizing the animated format to their favour, creating some of the wackiest and fascinating cartoons ever made. With the advancements made in both 2D and 3D animation for film, this bled into the world of TV as well.

To mention that 2010s cartoons have stunning visuals would be an understatement. Everything about the animation was beautiful; the strong colour palettes, the clean and imaginative character designs, the colourful and immersive backgrounds and especially the mesmerizing worlds that can be found within episodes that are half an hour.

This era’s cartoons also led to a massive shift in storytelling, writing longer-running stories that spread out across seasons while also swapping out episodic adventures for serialization. This heavily aided in the popularization of these shows, due to the rise of internet fandoms and dropping the taboo that cartoons were only for kids. Many shows acknowledged their older viewers by leaving clues and even puzzles to be solved by the theorists who have a large appearance on social media platforms like Reddit, Twitter and Tumblr. As the shows progressed, their fandoms created many theories for what they believed might happen within their favourite series. The top three shows from this era all utilized these changes, being at the forefront of the shift and helping guide the creative vision of 2010s cartoons.

Often regarded as many people’s favourite cartoon, Gravity Falls presented one of the best mysteries of the decade with two seasons and only 40 episodes. Inspired by Twin Peaks and The X-Files, it’s considered as the kids’ version of these two iconic shows as this cartoon acts as many people’s first introduction to horror through bright colours and fun characters.

This series follows the adventures of Dipper and Mabel Pines, twins, who are sent to spend their summer with their great-uncle or Grunkle Stan in Gravity Falls, Oregon. This town is full of oddities like supernatural creatures, insane and eccentric inhabitants, and many puzzles. The Pines twins must adjust to the weirdness while uncovering the mysteries and protecting their new town.

While living in Gravity Falls, the twins are forced to work in the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap created by their Grunkle Stan that overcharges unlucky tourists, teaching about fake monsters despite there being real creatures all over town. On his first day in Oregon, Dipper accidentally came across a mysterious journal written by an unknown author that explains all the oddities to be found in this strange town. This book acts like an encyclopedic of the Weird for Dipper, an inquisitive 12-year-old kid who seeks answers.

Dipper is an extremely intelligent kid, his brain being far more developed than his body. He’s rather awkward and self-conscious as he often stumbles over his words or gets embarrassed trying to talk to girls. Despite this, the boy is an adventurer at heart who just wants to grow up and skip his upcoming teenage years.

While Mabel is quite the opposite in many ways, she is loud and has an in-your-face personality. Mabel is bouncy and fun, she is so excited to start high school. She is easily excitable and for the larger part of the series, she is in her boy-crazy phase. Mabel is a girly-girl as she likes all things; glitter, unicorns, rainbows, partying and crafting. Yet, she doesn’t often compare well with many of the other girls in town, they see her as weird and “too much”.

(In all fairness through, it is not too kind to either of the characters as their personalities are more complex than just awkward nerd and artsy girl-girly.)

Dipper and Mabel’s personalities are very different but somehow, they—along with their Gravity Falls family—manage to solve mysteries and save the town, multiple times.

Gravity Falls is an honestly genius series that completely changed the way cartoons were made. Originally when writing a series, you’d create a base of your story; characters, the universe and a basic plot. Yet, when creator, Alex Hirsch (who was in his early/mid-20)s and his small team first began constructing their show, they planned out everything they could possibly think of for the first season. Additionally, outlining some answers for their biggest mysteries that would be answered at the end of the series.

Despite being rated TV-Y7, this series really pushed the boundaries of kids’ television. From the teeth being ripped out of a deer’s mouth by a demon, rearranging the functions of every hole on a man’s face to an aggressive pop-rock sock puppet show that ended in a dramatic slow-motion scene of the puppets burning. Gravity Falls wasn’t afraid to get a little weird or creepy. Or create some genuine nightmare fuel. 

From the beginning, Gravity Falls had built a mystery into its series, hiding secrets and clues all throughout the show. Most notably were the backwards-recorded message and cryptograms, using roughly nine different kinds, even creating two of their own.

The inclusion of cyphers and mysteries for fans to solve is possibly the reason why this series was so successful. As one of the first shows to do something like this, Gravity Falls used social media and internet fandoms to its advantage.

As mentioned earlier, cartoon fans have quite a presence on social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr. They create theories and share fun ideas about their favourite shows. Viewers of Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe were all included in their share of theory fun.

Sometimes, fan theories end up being correct but when you’re Gravity Falls creator, Alex Hirsch, you don’t just watch from the sidelines as your viewers figure out the biggest mystery of your show. No, you create a hoax to get your viewers off your trail and that is what he did. Around 2013, only halfway through the first season of the show, viewers had started to follow the clues, theorizing who was the author is Dipper’s mysterious journal.

Unfortunately for the Gravity Falls production crew, the viewers were right— for the sake of readers who have never seen the show, I will not mention who the author was as it would be the biggest spoiler.

In 2013, a supposed leaked image of a tv showing a younger version of the show’s crazy old man character, Old Man McGucket, writing in the infamous journal was uploaded anonymously (by Alex Hirsch) to 4Chan.

Despite the image only being on up for a few hours, it spread like wildfire. Much to the team’s success, theorists stopped searching for the answer to “who is the author” and just accepted the image of McGucket as the truth.

To further push the fake-out, three words were posted to Alex’s Twitter, “fuming right now.”

The tweet was deleted a few minutes later and fans genuinely believed that someone from the Gravity Falls team had leaked the most important part of the story.

While doing research, I came across a Reddit post from April 10th, 2013, the day after ‘leak,’ Alex’s tweet was uploaded. In this post, user, TheoDW uploaded an image of Alex’s tweet with the caption, “It seems that Hirsch got mad at last night’s leak. He already deleted this tweet.”

Seeing the reactions of these Redditors in 2013 is kind of weird and crazy to look at. “He has every right to be upset. Someone internally released a plot revealing screen shot of series breaking spoiler information,” a deleted Reddit account commented.

“This is Alex Hirsch’s biggest success by far, he spent a huge amount of time carefully planning out the series, and then in a moment someone releases a major spoiler. It would make anyone upset,” the user, Time_Loop commented.

“Seriously, this is a nightmare for a storyteller, and shows a breach of trust. I feel so bad for him–honestly, I hope whoever did the leak gets caught and appropriate action is taken. You don’t f–k with someone’s story like this. It’s unprofessional.” the user, lonelybeloved angrily commented.

In 2014, this ‘leak’ was finally disproven when viewers were given an episode on McGucket’s backstory and an amazing tweet from Alex Hirsch. 

Alex had post an image of himself playfully pointing at a monitor with the supposed leaked picture with the caption, “1) Make hoax  2) Upload to 4Chan  3) Post angry tweet about "leak" 4) Delete tweet 5) Let internet do rest”

It is so interesting to look at these comments know that all of this was orchestrated by Alex.

I wish I had been old enough at the time to follow theories and fandom stuff like I do now with current cartoons but really looking at this from an outside perspective, this was insane!

The real author wasn’t revealed until 2015 and when viewers first got the answer to this biggest show on their screens, they must have freaked out!

Following the finale in 2016, a single frame of a stone version of Bill Cipher, the show’s villain, flashed in after the credits had finished.

Alex Hirsch and his team actually created a real-life statue of their villain for their viewers to find and on July 20th, 2016, the Cipher Hunt began.

By following clues, the Hunters found themselves all over the world; Russia, Japan and then travelling throughout the United States for the final 12 clues. When the hunt took them to Los Angeles, actor, Jason Ritter (voice of Dipper Pines, also a massive fan of the series) and Alex Hirsch’s twin sister, Ariel Hirsch (the inspiration for Mabel) joined in the fun helping the search.

Finally, the hunt ended on August 2nd when someone tweeted out an image of the found statue in Oregon, the same state in which the fictional town of Gravity Falls exists. The Cipher Hunt had ended but finding the statue wasn’t Alex’s goal for the scavenger hunt, it was about the journey and bringing together the viewers, more than having them actually find the statue.

Creating its own hoax, an international scavenger hunt and quite a bit of nightmare fuel, Gravity Falls was a show truly unlike any other.

The 2010s saw some of the strongest cartoons ever made, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe acting as the leaders for multiple different changes in the medium; storytelling, worldbuilding, interaction with viewers, utilizing social media, representation and further pushing music into the cartoon world. From what was created this past decade and what has already been released in 2020, I’m so excited to see what comes next.

I have another one of these which is on Steven Universe’s representation and music if you would like to see that too!! 

[creeped-out-ranked]

Creeped Out is a horror anthology series shown on CBBC in the UK and available on Netflix elsewhere. It’s an excellent show, fun for kids with loads of crossover appeal for adults. But the big entertainment sites tend not to cover it, and I haven't been able to find a definitive ranking of all the episodes anywhere. So I decided to create my own, because why not?! This list includes season 1 and season 2; I’ll add further episodes as they’re shown.

Before we get into this: there are some spoilers in here. I’ve tried to keep them to a minimum but sometimes, to describe what's good (or bad) about an episode, I need to discuss elements of the plot.

Every episode of Creeped Out, ranked from best to worst

1. ‘Slapstick’ (Season 1, Episode 1)

The first episode of a series is rarely the best, but Creeped Out bucks the trend—‘Slapstick’ hasn’t yet been bettered. It’s the perfect combination of cozy and creepy, with a quintessentially British setting (a seaside town complete with Punch & Judy shows), a puppet antagonist who’s somewhere between unnerving and amusing, and a relatable main character. Even the score is the best of the bunch: its sinister take on fairground music really adds to the atmosphere. The plot—Jessie wishes her parents were ‘normal’, and lives to regret it—is compelling, and in contrast to some of the weaker episodes, you actually understand why the characters do the things they do (even the bully is given a bit of a backstory). ‘Slapstick’ is a gem, and more than any other episode, it stands up to repeated rewatches.

2. ‘Trolled’ (Season 1, Episode 3)

Sam leads a double life: he’s secretly NoFace, an online troll who often targets his closest friends. When he ignores a message warning him to stop trolling, things start to go very wrong. This episode is set in the plush surroundings of a boarding school (one of Creeped Out’s more notable backdrops) and the contrast between Sam’s environment and his online life is both palpable and believable. The dynamic between Sam, Fitzy and Naini is established very effectively—you really feel Sam has something to lose. Extra points for the properly bleak ending, too.

3. ‘Kindlesticks’ (Season 1, Episode 9)

This episode is a fan favourite, and it’s not difficult to see why. ‘Kindlesticks’ came out of nowhere, landing in the middle of a few mediocre episodes, and doesn’t seem at first glance to have the most exciting setup: a bad babysitter getting her comeuppance. Yet you’ll likely find that the tale of Esme, her charge Ashley and his imaginary friend Kindlesticks will drag you in, spit you out and leave you reeling. It’s a simple idea executed perfectly, with what is undoubtedly Creeped Out’s best delivery of a twist. Seriously, I didn’t see that coming at all.

4. ‘Splinta Claws’ (Season 2, Episode 10)

Admittedly, it isn’t difficult to make a Christmas episode good—add lots of sparkly decorations and a bit of ‘Carol of the Bells’ and you’ve already nailed the atmosphere. ‘Splinta Claws’, in which two boys get trapped in a department store along with a possessed animatronic Santa, builds on that to create an inspired take on PG-13 seasonal horror. It’s the self-aware script that really makes this episode; the ‘frenemy’ relationship between anxious Mikey and street-smart Lawrence, plus the characters’ recognition that the slow-moving Santa isn’t that scary (despite its nightmare-fuel face). An effective combination of action, emotion and humour results in a spooky festive treat.

5. ‘Tilly Bone’ (Season 2, Episode 9)

Telling a story backwards is a bold move, and initially, it makes ‘Tilly Bone’ confusing. Some viewers might find themselves wanting to switch off as they wonder what the hell is going on. But stick with it, and a fascinating tale unfolds, with layers, details and clues to be picked apart, nods to classic horror, great performances (especially Alice Franziska Woodhouse as the disquieting Junebug) and some of the series’ most original and surprising ideas. It’s formally innovative, daring and altogether one of the most impressive pieces of work Creeped Out has yet produced.

6. ‘Marti’ (Season 1, Episode 4)

Kim is initially delighted when her new phone’s AI helps her to become more popular, but things take a turn for the sinister when ‘he’ claims to be in love with her. ‘Marti’ cleverly uses this premise as a kid-appropriate way to explore themes of coercive control and abusive relationships. I have a feeling this episode may have been inspired by the 2016 movie Bedeviled—there are lots of similarities, right down to Marti’s voice—and it says a lot that in 25 minutes it crafts a better, more meaningful story than a full-length horror movie for adults was able to manage. Often unfairly slept on, ‘Marti’ is the talented underdog of the series.

7. ‘Takedown’ (Season 2, Episode 8)

‘Takedown’ is intriguing because it departs completely from the series’ typical aesthetic—there's lots of shakycam, a grainy feel to the cinematography, a muted colour palette. It’s shot more like an indie film than an episode of a kids’ show. It focuses on Alexa, the only girl on her high school wrestling team, who uses a weird chain text to wish for more strength. Since this is Creeped Out, it’s no surprise that her ‘gift’ comes at a price. With its gritty feel and the authentic friendship between Alexa and Lucky (‘cheers to root beers’, anyone?), this episode is something really different, and all the more memorable for it.

8. ‘No Filter’ (Season 2, Episode 6)

Like ‘Trolled’, ‘No Filter’ is a thoroughly enjoyable example of what a series like this should be aiming for, which is essentially a junior version of a Twilight Zone episode. There’s a recognisable starting point—who hasn’t used filters or Facetune to make their selfies look better, and who bothers reading all the T&Cs?—and when Kiera’s eroded face is revealed, it’s one of the few moments in the series to create a genuine shock. Plus there’s a proper pantomime villain, just as it should be. The ending might be a little jumbled, but it’s entertaining enough that that can be forgiven.

9. ‘Cat Food’ (Season 1, Episode 2)

Happy-go-lucky prankster Stu pretends to be ill so he can skip school, but gets more than he bargained for when he discovers the elderly neighbour, Mrs McMurtle, is actually a shapeshifting monster. ‘Cat Food’ is a fun, comedic episode (the only one yet to make me laugh out loud) and, while there isn’t a great deal of substance to the story, it’s efficiently told and neatly resolved. Rhys Gannon is great as Stu and it’s just an all-round fun time.

10. ‘The Traveller’ (Season 1, Episode 11)

While the vast majority of Creeped Out episodes take place in a distinctly middle-class milieu, ‘The Traveller’ switches things up by focusing on Jodie and Brandon, troublemaking kids on an inner-city estate. They come across a device that can pause time, and it’s all fun and games until a blue-skinned man starts hunting them down. The plot is a bit more Doctor Who than your average episode, and the combination of urban setting and sci-fi story is surprisingly successful. There’s also an emotional gut-punch of a moment when Jodie finally understands the problems she’s been creating for her mum.

11. ‘The Call’ (Season 1, Episode 6)

‘The Call’ isn't one of the strongest stories in Creeped Out’s repertoire. An unpopular girl is drawn to an environmental activist and discovers she’s a siren, gaining powers into the bargain—interesting enough, but not enormously original, and inevitably a gateway to slightly tedious lecturing about plastic etc. It stands out mainly because of a stellar performance from Rebecca Hanssen, who reminds me of a young Olivia Colman. Hanssen really inhabits the character of Pearl, and shows how excellent acting can elevate an ordinary plot and script.

12. ‘The Many Place’ (Season 2, Episode 4)

With their holiday scuppered by torrential rain, three siblings wander a hotel and find themselves lost in a maze of realities. ‘The Many Place’ is designed as an homage to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and spotting the references is part of the enjoyment here. The story takes advantage of the liminal, disconcerting nature of a large hotel to craft a series of alarmingly plausible terrors, and the ending features the best twist since ‘Kindlesticks’.

13. ‘One More Minute’ (Season 2, Episode 1)

‘One More Minute’ kicks off the second season with a pure hit of enjoyment that doesn’t take itself too seriously. When Jack can’t tear himself away from his favourite videogame, he finds time passing quickly—scarily quickly. While it may not be among the best, everything about this episode is solid: it’s (appropriately) well paced, the relationships are soundly fleshed out, and it’s all wrapped up well.

14. ‘Itchy’ (Season 2, Episode 2)

It may have one of the show's sillier premises—the villains are... head lice—but I have a soft spot for ‘Itchy’. Perhaps it’s the setting: a military academy on an English island feels fresh when you compare it to the many identikit homes and high schools in the series. Perhaps it’s the strong performance from Oliver Finnegan as protagonist Gabe. Either way, there’s something low-key charming about this episode.

15. ‘Side Show’ (Season 1, Episodes 12 and 13)

This two-part season finale is set in the early 20th century and centres on a troupe of circus performance whose ringmaster won’t allow them to venture beyond a magical barrier. Overall, ‘Side Show’ isn’t especially creepy; it’s more of a fantasy story that feels like it could have been its own separate series. The advantage of this is that there’s more space for character development and worldbuilding. The disadvantage is that it doesn’t truly feel like part of the Creeped Out universe.

16. ‘A Boy Called Red’ (Season 1, Episode 5)

Vincent and his dad aren't getting along, but when they go to stay at the latter’s childhood home, Vincent finds an unusual way to reconnect: via a time-travelling portal. The switches between past and present are handled admirably, and Boris Burnell Anderson is a standout as AJ. There’s a lot to like about ‘A Boy Called Red’; it just doesn’t stand out as especially memorable when compared to some of the stronger Creeped Out stories, perhaps because there’s no real antagonist. 

17. ‘Bravery Badge’ (Season 1, Episode 7)

A troop of Girl Guides—sorry, ‘Hedgehog Rangers’—head into the woods for a camping trip. When the girls start falling into a strange trance, it’s up to a moody, reluctant Ranger to save the day. The setting here is promising, the campfire scene is a highlight, and the urban legend about the missing troop is a great touch. Unfortunately, the good stuff is undermined by questionable acting and a somewhat ridiculous supernatural menace. Though I will admit the singing is quite creepy.

18. ‘Shed No Fear’ (Season 1, Episode 10)

Set in the 1970s, with some decent period detail, this episode follows two boys as they battle a mysterious shadow-creature inhabiting an old shed. It’s cute to see Greg and Dave rekindle their friendship and tell the smarmy football captain to get lost, but the threat of the Shade is never particularly well-developed. The title also annoys me. Outside the context of this episode, nobody has ever uttered the phrase ‘shed no fear’. It isn’t even a good pun!

19. ‘The Unfortunate Five’ (Season 2, Episode 5)

Five kids in detention meet their match in a seemingly sweet, yoga-loving teacher who pits them against each other. Establishing five protagonists and two villains within the space of 25 minutes is a tall order, and it’s one this episode doesn't meet. ‘The Unfortunate Five’ has a good concept and also boasts one of the series’ goriest images (when Faye attacks Hawkins and blood spatters across the glass—I’m kind of surprised CBBC didn’t cut that). But the flimsy, unmemorable characters doom it to the lower reaches of this list.

20. ‘Only Child’ (Season 2, Episode 7) 

This could have been great: the story of a girl being menaced by her demonic baby brother, while her parents are convinced she’s just jealous, has lots of potential. Yet ‘Only Child’ doesn't really work. The denouement is rushed and muddled (exactly how does Mia identify the link between the baby’s power and the feedback sound?) and the low-budget special effects don't help. It also suffers from being set entirely within the Tuthill family’s apartment, which looks like a cheaply decorated show home. 

21. ‘Help’ (Season 2, Episode 3)

A very meh installment about a brother and sister who are overly reliant on their family’s Amazon Alexa-like virtual assistant. It’s basically a weaker version of ‘Marti’ with a much less impactful message. The siblings are barely fleshed out, and the episode shares with ‘Only Child’ a sterile-looking set that doesn’t resemble a real family home at all.

22. ‘Spaceman’ (Season 1, Episode 8)

If episodes like ‘Trolled’ and ‘No Filter’ represent what a show like Creeped Out should be, ‘Spaceman’ is exactly what it shouldn’t be. If ‘Cat Food’ proves how well humour can work within a scary story, ‘Spaceman’ shows exactly how it can go wrong. The tale of unlikely pals Spud and Thomas finding a crashed spaceship is by far the worst thing Creeped Out has come up with—it’s implausible, unfunny and not remotely creepy. Avoid.

[timeoutotour]

Clear Sky, 13°C

A25, Portugal

Tuesday 9th April 2019

When I woke up this morning after having had a reasonable nights sleep, something was amiss. As normal I checked my watch and found it to be 0800hrs , but shortly afterwards when perusing the news on my phone, the time read 0705hrs , I was a little puzzled but it didnt take too long for the penny to drop. Portugal is in the same time zone as the UK and so yesterday when crossing from Spain we had gained an extra hour. Hurrah ! First job of the day was housekeeping, i.e. water , waste and rubbish. From research I knew there to be a state of the art commercial services just on the outskirts of the town . The facility was fully automated and even had a jet wash facility with a high rise platform so one could clean the roof of your van. I didn't feel this necessary as mother nature had been periodically jet washing the van over several days and the roof was in pretty good order. The services were time limited to four minutes for 2 Euros which included balck waste and fresh water refill. Team work was deployed with Rhian on fresh water detail and me on black waste. We were successful in completing both tasks within the time limit . Tea and medals all round. Next on the list was to travel to our next destination namely Aveiro which was about an hour away on non toll roads(more of which later) and which had been described as the Venice of Portugal. As we were arriving in the town we stumbled across a Lidl . Provisions were generally in short supply so we made a pit stop and after a light snack made our way to a car park within easy walking distance of the town centre. Aveiro was a pleasant town with a small canal system running through its centre, I think the Portuguese tourist department had been a little ambitious or even mischievous in describing it as a Portuguese Venice but there was a nice ambience , boat rides up and down the canals on powered traditional wooden craft once used for harvesting seaweed for fertilising the land. Now a little about the toll road system here in Portugal which quite frankly is an absolute nightmare and ridiculously over complex. My so far limited experience of the normal A roads is that they are of very poor quality , over congested with heavy traffic and HGVs and that the infrastructure appears to have been very much neglected to encourage use of the toll motorways. Fair enough. France and Spain have a very easy and effective system whereby you approach a manned or unmanned Peage(toll area) pull up to the machine , take a ticket and when you leave the road, insert said ticket into machine, insert debit card in machine, no PIN required , 10 seconds, job done. Portugal has a much better hi tech modern way which uses ANPR(automated number plate recognition) cameras on gantries across the motorway which scan every vehicle number plate passing beneath. As a road user in a foreign registered vehicle you have the following options

(cut and pasted)

How do I pay the tolls?

Foreign licensed vehicles

Toll Card

These are pre-paid cards that can be loaded with €5, €10, €20 or €40 credit, and have an additional service cost of 0.74€. They can be purchased online here, but also from other places including CTT post-offices, Easy Toll Welcome Points, tourist offices and the following service areas:

All within A23 highway

All within A22 highway

Celorico, Vouzela and Aveiro on the A25 highway

Viana do Castelo and Vila do Conde on the A28 highway

Almodôvar on A2 highway

Estremoz on A6 highway

Barcelos on A3 highway

Seide on A7 highway

Once purchased, cards need to be activated it by sending a text message including a code on the card and the license plate of the vehicle so that it can be associated. The cards last for one year or until the balance is exhausted, which you can check online.

Do you have remaining credit on your card? It can also be refunded within 6 months, but only if a credit card was used for the payment.

Toll Service

This is also a pre-paid product, with 2 available options:

Unlimited use for 3 days, with a cost of €20 (plus 0.74€)

A single or round trip on two pre-defined routes:

Spain – Porto Airport, via A28 or A41

Spain – Faro Airport via A22

It can be purchased online here, at CTT post-offices, Porto’s airport, or at the following Cepsa service areas:

Viana dos Castelo (A28)

Abrantes (A23)

Olhão (A22)

Easy Toll

This is the easiest option for foreign visitors, especially those driving from Spain. It can be purchased at an Easy Toll Welcome Point without having to leave the vehicle, and it associates a credit card (Mastercard, Visa or Maestro) to the vehicle’s license plate. There is sign up cost of 0.74 € and each journey has an administrative cost of 0.32 €.

ATTENTION HERE:

!!) Because the credit card is linked to the vehicle, the membership needs to be cancelled, otherwise, the same credit card can be charged in the case of a new customer renting the same vehicle.

!!) You are not allowed to use Via Verde lanes with options 1 (Toll Card), 2 (Toll Service) nor 3 (Easy Toll), unless you have a special device called transponder (see option 4).

These are the only 4 Easy Toll Welcome Point available:

A28 – Viana do Castelo Service Area

A24 – at 3,5km from Chaves/Veribn border

A25 – Alto de Leomil Service Area

A22 – next to Castro Marim/Ayamonte border

  Easy Toll Welcome Point (source: http://www.carhirefaroairport.com/a22-toll-payment.htm)

Via Verde Visitors

Aimed at longer stays or frequent visitors, you can rent a temporary transponder device for €6 for the first week then €1.50 per week plus a refundable deposit of €27.50. You have to register a credit card with the system and tolls are automatically debited from the card. It is valid for a maximum of 90 days and can be used on electronic toll roads

.............

You see my point ?

You may say , why use the toll roads but as previously stated many of the roads are in very poor order and the extra distance, fuel etc, make it very difficult and time consuming to avoid them. Suffice to say I visited a Post Office to purchase a prepaid ticket and expect a lengthy legal battle with the Portuguese authorities on our return to the UK ! I read an article stating that the Portuguese tourism industry are lobbying the government to make changes to the system as it is significantly affecting visitor numbers and I for one would certainly have to think very seriously about returning after this experience. Anyway using our newly purchased toll ticket we made our way about an hour south to a nice little beach aire at Praia Lavos. More of the same coastline really, big dunes , big seas. So far no plan for tomorrow

Boa Noite

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[thesteadydietofeverything]

‘Ni No Kuni II' Fights Fire with Friendliness

I played the final chapter of Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom hours after President Trump, a world leader cartoonish, short-sighted, and petty enough to fit fairly inconspicuously among the cast of villains in this storybook JRPG, announced and carried out an airstrike on Syria. As our country resigned itself to add fuel to the fire of one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history, and risked upsetting its already tenuous relationship with other powerful nations, I helped the cat-eared boy king, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, and his gang of eternal optimists, fulfill his mission of uniting the world under the banner of peace and happiness ever after.

As with many moments of this game, it should have felt cheap. To reduce the world’s ever-complicating and deepening evils of poverty, war, and power to something that can be resolved by the good-natured idealism of youth and a bit of combat that feels hardly more violent than a schoolyard scrap. And yet, I was moved. And it wasn’t the first time. This is a game that regularly turns saccharin, unrealistically tidy storytelling into genuinely affecting moments: moments that feel significant not just for their heart but almost urgently vital in their message. In our politically tumultuous age, where the burdens of inequity and violence feel heavy enough that predicting humanity’s imminent demise has become commonplace, Revenant Kingdom offers a balm equally aggressive in its dedication to locate and cultivate the goodness in everyone: the more ostensibly villainous the person in question, the more powerful the eventual redemption.

Since the game was obviously in production for a number of years, it’s unlikely the creators predicted our current placement on the doomsday clock at two minutes to midnight in the year it was released, but the opening scene begins with the collective nightmare scenario of 2018: the nuclear destruction of a city that looks conspicuously like New York. The president of this unnamed country, Roland Crane, is driving into the city as the detonation occurs, and he only has moments to witness the annihilation of his home and his people before he finds himself transported to a fantastical land, in the private chambers of the newly annointed young King Evan. After only moments of confusion, Roland seems to embrace the escape afforded by this mysterious event, helping Evan flee his own kingdom after his late father’s duplicitous advisor, Mausigner, stages a coup.

For long stretches of the game, Roland rarely mentions his destroyed homeland, but it’s a powerful enough opening image that the game doesn’t need to continually remind us of it - we know that Roland’s thoughts and actions must stem from his recent trauma, regardless of how shockingly good he is at hiding it. That image never left my mind during my roughly forty hours of play through Revenant Kingdom’s otherwise beautiful, charming, and whimsical world of entertainingly accented anthropomorphic denizens, just as it never leaves Roland’s. It’s an audaciously memorable way to stage the game’s ambitious anti-war themes.

It’s also a sharp departure from the decidedly more personal story of the games predecessor, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. While that game, Level-5’s agreeable collaboration with Studio Ghibli, began with a similarly traumatic event - the death of the protagonist's mother - the stakes felt decidedly smaller. With Ghibli out of the picture this go around, Level-5 has maintained the original’s gorgeous, anime-inspired cell-shaded art style, and Joe Hisaishi once again turns in a fantastic score, but despite these aesthetic similarites, the gameplay of Revenant Kingdom is largely unrecognizable from its predecessor.

While White Witch had fairly standard turn-based, Pokemon-style combat, Revenant Kingdom is more action oriented, in the vain of something like Kingdom Hearts. Inventing combos of light and heavy attacks is fun enough, but the simple hacking and slashing at the heart of combat is complicated and balanced by a number of other systems, including dodging/rolling/jumping, “Higgledies” (little Pikmin-esque creatures that grant certain powers and spells during combat), and most importantly, the “Zing” effect. Every character can switch between three weapons freely during combat, each of which builds up a meter. Once that meter reaches 100%, that character can unleash a special move, anything from a devastating physical attack to an elemental spell. Keeping the Zing cycle going through combat is an actively engaging juggle, something that makes for rarely stale or repetitive combat. It helps that, also unlike White Witch, this game keeps grinding at a minimum, a trait that in comparison to most JRPGs feels surprisingly generous.

After Evan is ousted from his throne, he settles down in a relatively unoccupied territory where he builds a new kingdom from the ground up, which he names Evermore. This conceit introduces two other brand new systems that Revenant Kingdom employs, to varying degrees of success. One is a military combat mini-game called Skirmish battle, in which the player controls squads of soldiers as they face down enemy armies, such as rogue bandits intent on stealing his land. The combat here is automatic, with soldiers engaging each other on their own as soon as they’re close enough. Where the player comes in is in positioning and morale boosting - there’s a rock, paper scissors system in which sworded soldiers can easily best axed soldiers, axed soldiers beat speared, and spears beat swords. The player rotates these squads in positions that are most efficient, all the while ordering them to charge and defend at opportune moments. It’s a simple system, one that’s hardly a pain to engage with, and yet one I was rarely happy to have to do. There’s too little control over soldiers to make it much more than a mindless exercise, and there are sharp spikes in enemy levels that mean if you’re trying to complete all the side quests involving Skirmishes, you’ll have to do a decent amount of grinding. Thankfully, this is largely optional, and though you do have to be a certain level to complete sections of the main game, it never feels like too much.

What felt more at odds with my enjoyment in this system, though, outside of its exact mechanics, is its language and presentation, which just doesn’t seem to match the whole spirit of the game. Evan builds Evermore in the name of world peace - he wants to end war by bringing all nations of the world together. And yet, part of the game has him doing this by engaging in actual battle. The regular combat system feels more excusable for this, as you’re mostly fighting actual monsters or robots, and it feels primarily in the name of defense rather than offense. But that Evan is building a standing army of soldiers to wage war seems antithetical to the rest of the game. Even though it’s generally presented in a cutesy way, using the chibi character designs of the overworld, it’s a bit hard to reconcile.

One can similarly lob these criticisms at the very fact he maintains a monarchical structure in Evermore, but this is where the other new game system comes into play, which feels decidedly more thought out. The player gets to help build Evan’s new kingdom in a manner that doesn’t feel entirely removed from Metal Gear Solid V’s Mother Base building. You build new structures around the kingdom, from shops that help you develop new weapons, armor, spells and Higgledies, to bazaars, lumber yards, farms, and other services that earn you various resources, which can help with both crafting and with completing the game’s many side quests. To manage these places, you select citizens of your kingdom that are particularly suited to the task at hand. Engaging with the multiple menus of managing Evermore isn’t always fun - there’s a lack of intuitiveness in the layout that makes certain tasks more tedious and time consuming than they really ought to be. I hope that this is the kind of quality-of-life issue that could be fairly easily fixed in subsequent patches.

Citizens join your kingdom when you complete side quests, which usually involve doing some sort of favor for them before they agree to pack up and move. There can be a certain lack of imagination in the player tasks for side quests, which too often involve simple fetch or delivery quests. And yet, side quests are compelling for a number of reasons. First is that every time you gain a new citizen, it feels like a legitimate reward that allows you to move forward with a new project in Evermore. And between quick load times, multitudinous fast travel points scattered around the world map, and an airship that can get you just about anywhere within mere seconds, the pacing of these quests feels appropriately zippy in relation to the task at hand. It’s not difficult to knock out half a dozen side quests in the course of an hour, a time investment that feels more than worth the effort.

But most importantly, these quests allow you to engage with your subjects in a way that fascinatingly subverts the inherent power dynamics of your respective positions. No task is too small or demeaning for King Evan. Even when it feels like he really should have more important things to do, he faces delivering love letters or searching for missing personal items with the same enthusiasm and gravity of purpose as he does taking down a giant monster that threatens the safety of a city. This is a common discrepancy among open world games and RPGs such as this, the question of why someone burdened with such a weighty quest would waste his time helping someone with their menial, asinine shit. Rarely does this discrepancy feel so thoroughly justified as it does in Revenant Kingdom. Evan is a King that works for his people without a single thought as to what may or may not be beneath him. It’s not surprising that with such unwavering devotion, he so quickly gains such a strong following. Most of these many side characters are, in turn, funny and charming characters in their own right. Level-5 did an excellent job adding fun character and voice flourishes to the localization, and engaging in this dialogue is often its own reward, outside of whatever more tangible payments you receive.

Most of the main cast of characters outside is also well done, particularly Evan and Roland, but also the burly sky pirate Batu, who is a blast to control in combat with his giant axes and hammers, and his fierce daughter Tani. Some of the characters introduced in the latter half of the game feel a bit more like afterthoughts than the core group, but are all serviceable enough. A particularly delightful character is Evan’s Kingmaker, Lofty. All kings in this world are blessed with essentially the divine right to rule by virtue of the bonds they make with Kingmakers: towering, elegant beasts who grant their Kings with legitimacy and defend their kingdoms. Evan had one back in his home kingdom of Ding Dong Dell (just one of the many delightfully titled proper nouns to be enjoyed in this game), but once ousted, he has to go through a ceremony to get a new one for Evermore, and ends up with Lofty, a tiny, deformed-Lisa Simpson looking creature who speaks with a thick Welsh accent and the more universal dialect of sarcasm. His dialogue, like that of Drippy’s from the previous game, is one of Revenant Kingdom’s true joys.

Added to the mix is a cast of villains that make for fairly obvious, but overall successful social commentary. There’s a corrupt king who rigs the luck-based legal system of his government to ensure he always comes out on top, a secretive ruler who enforces draconian laws on her citizens, a tech-wizard CEO whose corporation has become so large it’s merged with the government and works its labor force to death, and most compellingly, Mausinger, the one who dethroned Evan. Being young and kept in the dark while he was at Ding Dong Dell, Evan was ignorant to the racial inequities of his kingdom, where humans and cat people forcibly kept economic and political power from mouse and rat people, which formed the basis for Mausinger’s coup. Evan’s reckoning with the evils of his home kingdom is one of the more fascinating story threads in the game, one I was pleasantly surprised to see delved into.

It’s one of the many moments where Revenant Kingdom eschews the black-and-white morality of most JRPGs, while nevertheless leaving questions of who the heroes are and who the villains are decidedly unambiguous. Goodness, the game implies, is the potential for improving, for recognizing one's mistakes, no matter how well-intentioned they may have been, and vowing to do better. This is a universal, all-powerful concept in the world of this game. It may be intentionally reductive, a childishly and fantastically simple solution to humanity’s history of injustice, but the message rings shockingly true. Maybe in a more nuanced age of history, that truthfulness might have felt just a bit hollow, but the bluntness of it lends it a quality that for 2018, feels critical. It’s the militantly good-willed, all-out assault of optimism that we could really all use right now.

8.7

[mavda]

Melted

Ch.1 | Ch.2 | Ch.3 | Ch.4 | Ch.5 | Ch.6 | Ch.7 | Ch.8 | Ch.9 | Ch.10 | Ch.11 | Ch. 12 | Ch.13 | Ch.14 | Ch.15 | Ch.16 | Ch.17 | Ch.18 | Ch.19 | Ch.20 | Ch.21 | Ch.22 | Ch.23 | Ch.24 |

Ch.25: Dirt and stomps

Link was done with Robert's monologue, "Do me a favor and shut up, will you?"

Robert shook his head in frustration, "You'll end up marrying her and I'll be there to tell you 'I told you so'."

They were nearing the end of the cave, and there was no sign of anything but babas and keese, Robert had kept on insisting that Zelda was practically waiting for Link to make a move, and Link was growing more and more frustrated by the minute. "Robert, for the hundredth time, Princess Zelda is a nice-"

"You do know she's called 'Ice Princess' for a reason, right?"

"Well, maybe I invite people to talk to me. You tried to kill me like a week ago and by now I know all your sappy backstory."

Robert put a hand to his chest, mock shock on his face, "Well," well, what? It was true. Blondie had a way with people, "Well, it doesn't change the fact that I can feel it."

Link squinted his eyes, tried to discern enemies in the dark, "It?" Robert had the gall to clean his throat, "Oh, for the love of Hylia, Robert-"

Robert curled his tongue, enjoyed Link's discomfort and said, "Love, buddy, lo-"

A metalic sound, impossible to be natural, echoed throughout the walls that surrounded Link and Robert.

A second, and Robert found his voice, "Did you-"

Link shushed Robert, "Yeah, I heard it, too. Lower the lantern's light, keep quiet and follow me."

Robert's hand trembled, the sound had been faint, but it had been from a sword. No doubt. A sword, for Hylia's sake.

Link waited for Robert to catch up, "Hey, just stay behind me and I'll take care of it."

Robert nodded, then grabbed Link, "You get stabbed and I'll run away, I swear."

Link smirked, "Sure, as fast as you can."

Link advanced, sword and shield in hand. Robert was silent - Link was not thanking the monster in his head - and Link could feel excitement run through his body.

"You're smirking, you sick bastard."

Link got close to Robert, "Maybe I'm happy not everyone back in the castle is a liar."

Robert nodded. Point taken. "Well, let's see your magic."

A three-minute walk away and Link could start to smell and see the streaks of smoke in the rooftop.

"Do they have a fucking fire going on?"

"You can do fires inside caves if you keep them small enough."

Robert hummed a worry-filled agreement.

Link repeated, "Yeah, they are dangerous, which is why you gotta keep them small."

"Okay," Robert was not convinced. "Why didn't we make a fire, then?" Robert had been cold.

"Because they're a hassle and we had a lantern."

"I was cold."

"Sorry?" Link then shook his head, "You should've told me."

Robert remembered the way Link had given an edge to his words, the way Link had looked dangerous with closed eyes, "Yeah, well, you were pretty pissed."

Link was starting to hear a distinct murmur getting closer, and he remembered their conversation, "Ah, right. You were spying on me."

"I mean," Robert made a shrug that Link couldn't see, "Everyone is."

Link sighed, "Well, be a pal and tell me what they know."

"Am I gonna get like friendship points?"

"You're gonna move from the 'I do not trust you' group to the 'He has been honest and is trying to change his attitude' one. Your choice."

Robert made a silence just to spite Link, he had been planning on telling him anyways, "Just so you know, everything I've been telling you is because you have been nice with me."

"Is that the way to your heart?"

Robert made as if he was thinking, "I think so. Don't go telling everyone, though."

Link pointed to a baba spot, Robert eyed the space with disgust, "Yeah, ok, so. They think you have nightmares, and I say think because even though there have been like three maids who said so, you look menacing enough for people to doubt it."

Link frowned, menacing? Him?

"They also know you're and orphan, that you are fairly good with the sword and shield, that Her Majesty has been overly nice with you, and that a maid has been trying to get into your pants to no avail."

Link blushed and turned.

"Ooh, nice reaction."

"So they spy on me all day long?"

"Sure they do, they wouldn't want to miss anything to blackmail you."

Link remembered Zelda in his room, Zelda holding his hand. A cold shiver ran down his spine. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, now I'm not allowed inside the itty bitty details since, you know, I'm a Castle now, but that was everything they knew back then."

Link nodded. Well, if Zelda hadn't told him anything then they didn't know, "They have too much free time."

Robert snickered, "You're the new toy. As I said, give them time and you'll lose your enticiness."

Link shushed Robert.

"Are you blushing? I meant enticiness as in-"

Link covered Robert's mouth with his hand, pointed to the winding wall in front of them. The fire's light painted the cave orange.

"Turn off the lantern and keep behind me."

Link crouched a little, there was no sound aside from the fire's cackling. Was it night outside? No way, maybe midday. If these were the monsters who roamed at night then of course they would sleep at this hour, though.

"The fuck is that?"

Link glared at Robert who was pointing to one of the monsters down there.

"Shut up." Robert whined and looked up as if asking for providence. Link looked down again, a rather small group, twenty, maybe? And were those? Link realised what had scared Robert, "They're lizalfos." And the others were bulblins. All of them. Link frowned, he had defeated King Bulblin before his fight with Ganondorf, King Bulblin had respected Link's strenght and had promised to stop fighting. Him and all of his followers.

Robert repeated the name in silence. More like creepy reptiles, green and weird and with swords. Nightmarish.

"I'm gonna go while they're asleep. The only ones who could pose a threat are the lizalfos, they're quick and clever. Hide behind a rock and don't even breath if they're near."

Robert's pulse was going a mile an hour, not even while training for becoming a knight had he felt like this. "Can I scream?"

Link pinpointed the lizalfos place and then turned, "Only if you're about to die. I'll rush to you."

Oh, Link was a goddess send. Oh, Link was so nice and brave.

And when Robert hid and Link made sure he could not be seen, Link jumped.

Link fell soundless, he had made sure he grabbed his sword and shield tightly to prevent them from clanking. Link tiptoed through the monsters, they were sound asleep, one snored loudly and made Link stop in his tracks. He was near, a couple more steps and he would-

One bulblin stretched his leg and touched Link's. Link eyed the bulblin with his breath held. The bulblin scratched his head, mumbled in it's unintelligible language and looked to Link's direction, to a crouched hylian armed with weapons, and he died with the start of a scream.

Link cut the bulblin's head off and ran to the fire. While the monsters started to wake up one of them went to attack Link with his fists closed. In a swift motion, Link cut the bulblin's hand and then slashed at his body in an upward move. Link started to hear the quack of the lizalfos and he hurried to put out the fire. Dirt and stomps, and now all of the bulblins were screaming, confused and being easy targets.

Link danced through the monster camp, was able to kill one of the three lizalfos that seemed to lead the group. When the bulblins were scarce and the two remaining lizalfos were zooming in on Link, Link rummaged through his pocket and grabbed a deku nut.

A blinding light shone in between them and the monsters covered their eyes. Link felled the two lizalfos while they were swinging their words blindly. The three bulblins left were grumbling and wiping at their eyes.

Robert saw the fire go out and had to ate the scream on his throat. He felt tempted to glance to the battle but the fear of being detected won over. It was kind of funny, Robert would have never thought that this was a situation he would ever have to live. The moment Robert started to hear the gurgling shouts of the monsters, the screeches of the reptiles and the desperate screams that came from the monsters... Robert felt a shiver run through his spine. When a deku nut exploded, Robert turned a little, let his head be seen from there, just enough for him to see Link. Link, who was practically plodding to the remaining monsters, one hand its hands up in surrender, and Link made quick work of them.

Robert turned to his previous position, his pulse quick. He had never been so scared before.

Zelda grabbed her arms, looked out the window. She had been playing with her memories these past days, with her dreams and hopes. Had she lost something along the way? Zelda knew for a fact that the common folk would say that she had lost her smile, her happines, her vibrant personality. Zelda had thought it slanders and lies, a carefully crafted machination to make her give up. It hadn't worked, it had only fueled her up. It had only-

The door opened without a knock and Zelda knew that it was William.

"Tim is asking to have Link train some guards when he comes back, and-"

Zelda didn't move.

"Something wrong?"

A lot of things, actually, but nothing that could be said so freely, really. Nothing that Zelda could really say to William, either. Not when he had given up so much for her. Zelda sighed and turned, "I'm tired."

William had no way to tell Zelda that she had never been able to lie to him.

[recovering-and-healing]

SELF CARE TIPS

Set aside some time, to allow yourself to work through each step. Don’t rush or skip ahead. Self Care is important, and you deserve to devote some time to it.

You may want to go through this routine as soon as you wake up, as a preventive measure.

1 - Have you eaten in the last four hours?

If you haven’t eaten in a little while, your body needs fuel. It’s time for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

If there’s a specific food you want, it’s okay to eat it! You don’t have to eat perfectly healthy all the time– no one does! Just also use your brain a little, and notice the quantity you’re eating, and how healthy it is for you. You’re probably just fine at trusting your gut and knowing what your body needs.

Making a meal is hard for you right now, and that’s okay! Everybody struggles with cooking sometimes.

You have some options:

You can cook a meal for yourself.

You might have ready-made meals in the fridge.

You can get take-out or delivery.

You can go to a restaurant.

Take-out, delivery, and restaurants are a little more expensive than cooking on your own, but how you spend your money is your decision. It’s okay to treat yourself!

If you’re going to cook on your own, you have to decide what to make. A friend, partner, or family member can help with this. Here are some ideas for easy foods you can eat right now:

Pasta with butter, sauce, cheese, vegetables, and/or meat

Ramen noodles

Sandwiches

Rice

Grilled cheese (This can have meat on it, if you want!)

A smoothie or milkshake

Baked or fried potatoes

Eggs, pancakes, and/or bacon

Macaroni and cheese

Canned soup

Salad

Vegan

Boxed mashed potatoes

2 - Have you taken any medication you need to take?

Medication needs to be taken on schedule, or your body might react negatively.

Take some time now to take any pills, do any tests or injections, or apply any ointments prescribed by your doctor.

If this is a persistent problem for you, you may want to set a smart phone alarm so you remember to take it at the same time every day.

3 - Are you keeping yourself hydrated?

Drink a glass of whatever liquid you like best. Water is ideal, but don’t beat yourself up if you’d rather have tea, soda, juice, or milk. Soda will actually make you feel thirstier, but if it’s easier for you, then that’s okay!

4 - Can you take a guess at how many hours you’ve slept out of the last 24?

Everyone is an individual with different sleep schedules, but most people need 8 hours of relatively uninterrupted sleep. If you had less than that, and/or woke up frequently, and/or had nightmares, it might help you to take a nap.

Take a nap. You can finish this self-care guide when you wake up.

Ideally, let yourself sleep naturally, and sleep until you wake up. Obviously, this isn’t always possible. Otherwise, set an alarm for yourself, with plenty of time to wake up and get yourself together between your nap and your responsibilities.

5 - Are you in pain?

If there is something your doctor has prescribed you for pain, you should take it or do it.

For aches and pains, take an aspirin. You may also want to apply a heating pad or a cold pack on whatever hurts.

If you have a stomach ache, there are medications for that, like Pepto Bismol, and hot tea may also help.

Be nice to your body, and try to do “replace” the unpleasant pain with some pleasant alternative sensations, like good smells and pleasurable textures.

6 - Is something about your environment distressing or uncomfortable? Are your surroundings the right temperature?

If you’re too cold, you can try putting on some warm clothes, using a space heater, turning up the heat in your home, putting on a blanket, and/or snuggling with a pet or another person.

If you’re too hot, you can try putting on cooler clothes, turning on a fan, or turning up the AC in your house.

7 - Are your surroundings dirty or smelly?

It’s hard to feel okay in an environment that is unfriendly for whatever reason. If your surroundings aren’t clean, set a timer for five minutes and take care of the biggest problems, like leftover food, pet messes, or dirty clothes.

Chores can be scary and exhausting, but that’s not what we’re doing here. We’re just taking a little five-minute clean up to make ourselves and our homes happier!

8 - Do you feel unsafe because of the people, or lack of people, in your surroundings?

If you can, try to remove yourself from situations that are overwhelming or feel unsafe. If you can’t relocate entirely, take frequent breaks, or tune out with headphones.

9 - Does your body feel uncomfortable, sweaty, or dirty?

If you have the energy and ability to take a shower, it may be a good idea. If you are unable to take a shower, here are some things to do instead:

Wash your face

Put on lotion

Change your clothes

Use dry shampoo

Whatever physical self-care activity you like best!

10 -  Do you know why you’re in a bad mood, or not feeling well emotionally?

(Remember, any answer is okay!) If there’s something on your mind, we’re going to do our best to take care of it.

11 - If there is something in your mind, set a timer for 15 minutes, and work on a solution.

If it’s something you can change, then great! If not, do your best to reach out to someone and talk about it.

12 - Remember, 15 minutes and only 15!

You can go back to whatever it is after we’re done working through this together. We’re just taking baby steps in the right direction.

13 - Sometimes, we don’t know the source of our bad feelings, and that’s okay.

14 - Do you feel anxious, nervous, keyed-up, paranoid, scared, or on edge?

If you’re generally anxious but don’t know why, that’s okay!

If you’re feeling anxious about something specific. That’s okay! Set a timer for 15 minutes and do something to take care of that worry. Maybe chip away at a task that seems insurmountable. You can do it!

15 - Here are some ideas for grounding activities:

Take deep, calm breaths.

Notice and list things in your surroundings.

Expose yourself to strong, pleasant sensations, like a pleasing smell or a favorite blanket.

Say out loud your name, your age, the date, and your location. List some things you’ve done today, or are going to do.

Splash water on your face or run your hands under the faucet.

Do a body scan meditation, or pay close attention to each of your body parts one by one.

Make tea. Feel the warmth of it in your hands, and the taste as you sip it calmly. Listen to music.

Play a categories game, and name some types of dogs, or clothing items, or gemstones, or countries, or anything else you can think of.

Write in your journal.

Take a mindful walk, either inside or outside. Pay close attention to your body and your surroundings.

Squiggle. Wiggle around. Dance. Stretch. Be silly and active for a few minutes.

Any other favorite grounding technique you’ve heard of or can think of.

There’s nothing wrong with experimenting!

16 - Do you feel triggered? Are you having flashbacks? Is something traumatic or upsetting from the past weighing on your mind? Did you have a vivid nightmare?

If you’re feeling triggered, see if there’s a practical action you can take to lessen your distress. Can you block that unsafe person from your Facebook, for example?

If not, reach out and tell someone safe how you’re feeling. Just express yourself! Human contact works wonders when you’re not feeling well emotionally.

Remember that you’re here in the present, and nothing from your past can hurt you. If you like, you may want to try some grounding exercises to reinforce that idea.

17 - Are you feeling dissociated, depersonalized, or derealized? Do you feel far away, foggy, or unreal? Are you not sure who you are?

Go back to number 6 and try the grounding activities.

18 - Are you feeling depressed, sad, or upset?

Feeling depressed isn’t fun, but it doesn’t last forever! Don’t be mad or disappointed with yourself for feeling depressed.

Take 15 minutes and accomplish something small, like loading the dishwasher or making a friendship bracelet. You are not a failure, and your situation is not hopeless! You are a superhero, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

19 - Are you feeling lonely?

Everybody feels lonely sometimes. If you’re feeling lonely, there’s ways to reach out to people!

You can talk to someone in your house, or call someone on the phone. You can also use texting or Facebook messenger to speak to someone. You may want to talk about how you’re feeling, or you may not. Anything you want to talk about is okay!

If that isn’t or doesn’t seem possible, you can post a general message on Facebook, Tumblr, Vent, or another internet service, about whatever you want!

20 - Are you feeling foggy?

If you are feeling foggy, you might need some exercise.

21 - Do you have the energy and ability to go for a walk?

If you can’t take a walk, that’s okay!

Here are some alternatives:

Jumping jacks

Bouncing on the bed

Dancing

Push ups or sit ups, if you like doing them

Walking up and down the stairs

Yoga

Wiggling, squirming, jiggling around; being silly and active and having fun!

If none of those are or seem possible, just sit outside for some fresh air!

22 - Do you have pets at home?

Playing with pets can be a great way to take the edge off when you’re not feeling well. It doesn’t matter what kind of pet you have, just take some time to interact with them. Pet your cat, take your dog outside, feed your fish, hug your lizard…

23 - Take half an hour and do whatever you want to do right now.

This can be anything: crafts, watching TV, laying on the couch, taking a walk, playing Farmville… your choices are literally endless!

Obviously, don’t do anything that’s bad for you, like feeding addictions or harming yourself or others

24 - It’s time to reassess.

Maybe now that you’ve done all this self care, you feel better– great! Maybe you don’t, and that’s okay too. But hopefully you’ve cleared things up and you know what to do next to take care of yourself.

You deserve self care, so even if it’s hard, do your best!

Good luck!

source: Jace Harr - Please do not remove the source

[gamerszone2019-blog]

No Man's Sky Beyond Review

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/no-mans-sky-beyond-review/

No Man's Sky Beyond Review

In 2019, No Man’s Sky

is the water fight of games. When your water balloons are stacked high and your water gun is full it’s an absolute blast. But inevitably, you run out of liquid ammunition and have to pause for several minutes, soaking wet and shivering, while you operate a hose and refill your stores for the next round of fun. While the recent Beyond represents another significant step in the right direction for No Man’s Sky that improves itself in almost every area, the uninteresting harvesting and survival mechanics that underlie it all remain incredibly grindy and frequently mind-numbingly tedious. It often feels like it’s been made by two teams with opposing views on game design, who are each tugging at either side of it until eventually agreeing to meet in the middle or tear it in half.At its best, No Man’s Sky plays like an increasingly elaborate interstellar Animal Crossing. You travel the stars and visit strange, procedurally generated planets in a never-ending quest for loot and money to spend on upgrades for your survival suit and weapon, ships to pilot, rovers to drive, and bases to build. Every time you think you’ll log off for the night, another notification pops up that reminds you about that one last thing you really wanted to do, and before you can say “I need an intervention,” it’s 5 AM and you’re redecorating your fifth base on some remote world or taming a bizarre creature that looks like the lovechild of Big Bird and an octopus.

Here’s how you tame and ride creatures in No Man’s Sky Beyond

It’s easy to appreciate the improvements and additions included in the Beyond update because they’re apparent as soon as you boot it up. Improved graphics highlight things like detail on your ships and a revamped tutorial and mission guidance system makes it much more clear what you should be working toward at any given time. Unlocking new technologies has been reimagined as skill trees that are easy to understand. And these are just a few of the highlights on the massive laundry list of things in the Beyond update that make No Man’s Sky vastly more interesting than it’s ever been.

With Beyond, No Man’s Sky is vastly more interesting than it’s ever been.

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But the same things that make playing No Man’s Sky a wonderful, habit-forming odyssey that would make Tom Nook proud often work against you — like when you find yourself repeatedly grinding the same materials and crafting the same parts over and over again in an ongoing effort to fuel the numerous engines of interstellar life. You’ll spend tedious hours mining rocks to craft metal plates that you need to make starship engine fuel just so you can take off in your ship and see the still-impressive, completely seamless transition from ground to outer space and back again. And even though No Man’s Sky’s carrying limitations have been even further loosened with the Beyond update your inventory still fills up almost constantly, ensuring that the grind will never be defeated. With few ways to automate resource gathering, exploring the cosmos often takes a back seat to waiting for your mining laser to melt a tree into resources for minutes at a time.

And, considering how central exploration is to No Man’s Sky’s appeal, it’s staggering just how many mechanics still seem dead set on preventing you from doing just that. Why are your sprint and jetpack capabilities meters so limited, and why does using them draw from your life support meter? Why does every language have to be learned one word at a time, meaning that even after dozens of hours of playing you still can’t really understand any of the alien races you encounter? Why, for the love of God, does every planet in the universe have violent weather events every couple of minutes that require you to shut yourself indoors or hide in a cave and wait out to survive? Time and time again, No Man Sky begs you to explore it but then (quite literally) forces you walk, not run.

Hello Games’ Sean Murray walks us through Beyond’s many improvements in the video below.

It’s odd that No Man’s Sky still has so many irritating elements, because it’s also very clearly aware that they exist and tries to smooth over the issues rather than simply fixing them. For example, combat remains as dull and repetitive as ever, so the appearance of hostile lifeforms and robotic sentinel space police has been reduced instead of trying to make fighting them more entertaining. Space dogfights also remain monotonous and overly simplistic in Beyond, and while controls seem to have improved and encounters don’t drag on as long, fighting off pirates is never more than an annoying interruption to your travels.

Beyond brings NMS dangerously close to what we all thought it was when it was first revealed.

“

And yet, there’s something truly special about No Man’s Sky after the Beyond update that brings it dangerously close to being what we all thought it was when it was first revealed years ago. Getting lost among the stars, seeing strange and unique creatures, and claiming a piece of the nigh-limitless galaxy for yourself by building a home are all rewarding and all but completely unique to No Man’s Sky. It’s hard not to fall in love with it in the brief pockets of time where it isn’t forcing you to beat your head against a wall for an hour while you search for a deposit of copper but the stupid Dr. Seuss planet you’re on has is uranium.

In the course of my travels, I found myself stranded on a massive water planet filled with aggressive jellyfish, stared in awe at some bizarre life forms that were made up of levitating crystals, and explored the murky caves on an atmosphere-free moon. Of course, regardless of how they look every planet still has an identical loop of gathering materials, hiding from inevitable and frustrating storms of heat or ice or toxins, and maybe building a base or riding an animal or two along the way. But still there’s an undeniable rush of excitement in discovering and exploring a planet for the first time that doesn’t go away even after hours of play.

Beyond also alters and consolidates No Man’s Sky’s three main storylines into a more cohesive set of quests that intertwine, and they are much more accessible for it. One of the best-kept secrets of No Man’s Sky is that the story is actually fairly complex, with twists and turns that even go so far as to explain the reason behind the universe’s existence. But frankly, the vehicle by which the story is told – an endless chain of fetch quests and vague conversations with generic NPCs – makes the whole thing not at all worth the effort. Your time is better spent doing the things that are entertaining to you, finding your way to the end of the main quest lines only if you manage to find joy in doing so. (Or, y’know, YouTube exists.)

No Man’s Sky Beyond Screenshots

Multiplayer features have been drastically improved with Beyond, though it still falls far short of today’s standards in many ways – especially where organization is concerned. The Anomaly space station is now a social hub that allows you to encounter other players organically rather than by invite or chance (though doing so is still quite rare), and together you can undertake short group missions via The Nexus or even visit one another’s bases by stepping through a massive teleporter. The number of players in a single instance has been bumped up from four to eight on consoles and up to 32 on PC, but actually organizing activities together can be a bit of a nightmare. For starters, you’re given very few tools to find one another in the expansive galaxy, and unless everyone is communicating and staying together it’s easy to get lost or left behind with no easy way to rejoin your friends. If you find yourself without the required materials to launch or pilot your ship when everybody else takes off, for example, you’ll either get left behind by your friends or will hold up the group while you go shoot a laser at some plants for a few minutes. Sharing resources with one another is still, sadly and inexplicably, not an option.

Sharing resources with one another is still, sadly and inexplicably, not an option.

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Most of the major and strange multiplayer glitches from last year’s NEXT update (in hindsight, a very funny name now that it’s the previous one) have been ironed out, though you’ll probably still encounter the odd bug now and again. I had incidents where my partner couldn’t see the enemies attacking me, or animation issues making it unclear when one of us was firing our mining laser. Playing with others makes the grind of No Man’s Sky much more bearable, but oftentimes because having someone to share in your pain can be really cathartic.

VR makes its debut in No Man’s Sky with the Beyond update (on PlayStation VR and PC, at least), and wandering around an undiscovered planet and hearing unknown critters walk up behind you is an exciting and sometimes unnerving experience. Using hand tracking with Move wands or Oculus/Vive/Index/etc controllers to aim your weapons and tools feels natural, even if you’re still just engaging in the usual monotony of harvesting. Using VR in space flight, on the other hand, is an overwhelmingly positive experience which benefits from your character being stationary and blurriness not mattering quite as much in the darkness of the void. And while it doesn’t fix the monotony of dogfighting, it absolutely makes it more immersive because you can look up through your ship’s canopy.

Watch 10 minutes of No Man’s Sky in VR below.

Movement options offer a static mode with teleportation and click-turning that can be a bit hard to learn but is easy on those of us with weaker stomachs, or a smooth-movement mode that acts the same way the non-VR mode does. However, on the PlayStation VR it was so low-res and blurry that it might make you lose your lunch like it did mine… twice. Still, seeing the galaxy of No Man’s Sky from a true first-person perspective can be a breathtaking experience, even if technical limitations mean there’s still a long way to go before it makes us feel like we’re really there.

Source : IGN

[purplemoonchild77]

this isn’t mine, just reblogging.

SELF CARE TIPS

Set aside some time, to allow yourself to work through each step. Don’t rush or skip ahead. See care is important, and you deserve to devote some time to it.

You may want to go through this routine as soon as you wake up, as a preventive measure.

1 - Have you eaten in the last four hours?

If you haven’t eaten in a little while, your body needs fuel. It’s time for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

If there’s a specific food you want, it’s okay to eat it! You don’t have to eat perfectly healthy all the time– no one does! Just also use your brain a little, and notice the quantity you’re eating, and how healthy it is for you. You’re probably just fine at trusting your gut and knowing what your body needs.

Making a meal is hard for you right now, and that’s okay! Everybody struggles with cooking sometimes.

You have some options: -  You can cook a meal for yourself. -  You might have ready-made meals in the fridge. -  You can get take-out or delivery. -  You can go to a restaurant.

Take-out, delivery, and restaurants are a little more expensive than cooking on your own, but how you spend your money is your decision. It’s okay to treat yourself!

If you’re going to cook on your own, you have to decide what to make. A friend, partner, or family member can help with this. Here are some ideas for easy foods you can eat right now: -   Pasta with butter, sauce, cheese, vegetables, and/or meat -   Ramen noodles -   Sandwiches -   Rice -   Grilled cheese (This can have meat on it, if you want!) -   A smoothie or milkshake -   Baked or fried potatoes -   Eggs, pancakes, and/or bacon -   Macaroni and cheese -   Canned soup -   Salad -   Vegan -   Boxed mashed potatoes

2 - Have you taken any medication you need to take?

Medication needs to be taken on schedule, or your body might react negatively.

Take some time now to take any pills, do any tests or injections, or apply any ointments prescribed by your doctor.

If this is a persistent problem for you, you may want to set a smart phone alarm so you remember to take it at the same time every day.

3 - Are you keeping yourself hydrated?

Drink a glass of whatever liquid you like best. Water is ideal, but don’t beat yourself up if you’d rather have tea, soda, juice, or milk. Soda will actually make you feel thirstier, but if it’s easier for you, then that’s okay!

4 - Can you take a guess at how many hours you’ve slept out of the last 24?

Everyone is an individual with different sleep schedules, but most people need 8 hours of relatively uninterrupted sleep. If you had less than that, and/or woke up frequently, and/or had nightmares, it might help you to take a nap.

Take a nap. You can finish this self-care guide when you wake up.

Ideally, let yourself sleep naturally, and sleep until you wake up. Obviously, this isn’t always possible. Otherwise, set an alarm for yourself, with plenty of time to wake up and get yourself together between your nap and your responsibilities.

5 - Are you in pain?

If there is something your doctor has prescribed you for pain, you should take it or do it.

For aches and pains, take an aspirin. You may also want to apply a heating pad or a cold pack on whatever hurts.

If you have a stomach ache, there are medications for that, like Pepto Bismol, and hot tea may also help.

Be nice to your body, and try to do “replace” the unpleasant pain with some pleasant alternative sensations, like good smells and pleasurable textures.

6 - Is something about your environment distressing or uncomfortable? Are your surroundings the right temperature?

If you’re too cold, you can try putting on some warm clothes, using a space heater, turning up the heat in your home, putting on a blanket, and/or snuggling with a pet or another person.

If you’re too hot, you can try putting on cooler clothes, turning on a fan, or turning up the AC in your house.

7 - Are your surroundings dirty or smelly?

It’s hard to feel okay in an environment that is unfriendly for whatever reason. If your surroundings aren’t clean, set a timer for five minutes and take care of the biggest problems, like leftover food, pet messes, or dirty clothes.

Chores can be scary and exhausting, but that’s not what we’re doing here. We’re just taking a little five-minute clean up to make ourselves and our homes happier!

8 - Do you feel unsafe because of the people, or lack of people, in your surroundings?

If you can, try to remove yourself from situations that are overwhelming or feel unsafe. If you can’t relocate entirely, take frequent breaks, or tune out with headphones.

9 - Does your body feel uncomfortable, sweaty, or dirty?

If you have the energy and ability to take a shower, it may be a good idea. If you are unable to take a shower, here are some things to do instead: ⁃  Wash your face ⁃ Put on lotion ⁃ Change your clothes ⁃ Use dry shampoo ⁃ Whatever physical self-care activity you like best!

10 -  Do you know why you’re in a bad mood, or not feeling well emotionally?

(Remember, any answer is okay!) If there’s something on your mind, we’re going to do our best to take care of it.

11 - If there is something in your mind, set a timer for 15 minutes, and work on a solution.

If it’s something you can change, then great! If not, do your best to reach out to someone and talk about it.

12 - Remember, 15 minutes and only 15!

You can go back to whatever it is after we’re done working through this together. We’re just taking baby steps in the right direction.

13 - Sometimes, we don’t know the source of our bad feelings, and that’s okay.

14 - Do you feel anxious, nervous, keyed-up, paranoid, scared, or on edge?

If you’re generally anxious but don’t know why, that’s okay!

If you’re feeling anxious about something specific. That’s okay! Set a timer for 15 minutes and do something to take care of that worry. Maybe chip away at a task that seems insurmountable. You can do it!

15 - Here are some ideas for grounding activities:

⁃ Take deep, calm breaths. ⁃ Notice and list things in your surroundings. ⁃ Expose yourself to strong, pleasant sensations, like a pleasing smell or a favorite blanket. ⁃ Say out loud your name, your age, the date, and your location. List some things you’ve done today, or are going to do. ⁃ Splash water on your face or run your hands under the faucet. ⁃ Do a body scan meditation, or pay close attention to each of your body parts one by one. ⁃ Make tea. Feel the warmth of it in your hands, and the taste as you sip it calmly. ⁃ Listen to music. ⁃ Play a categories game, and name some types of dogs, or clothing items, or gemstones, or countries, or anything else you can think of. ⁃ Write in your journal. ⁃ Take a mindful walk, either inside or outside. Pay close attention to your body and your surroundings. ⁃ Squiggle. Wiggle around. Dance. Stretch. Be silly and active for a few minutes. ⁃ Any other favorite grounding technique you’ve heard of or can think of. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting!

16 - Do you feel triggered? Are you having flashbacks? Is something traumatic or upsetting from the past weighing on your mind? Did you have a vivid nightmare?

If you’re feeling triggered, see if there’s a practical action you can take to lessen your distress. Can you block that unsafe person from your Facebook, for example?

If not, reach out and tell someone safe how you’re feeling. Just express yourself! Human contact works wonders when you’re not feeling well emotionally.

Remember that you’re here in the present, and nothing from your past can hurt you. If you like, you may want to try some grounding exercises to reinforce that idea.

17 - Are you feeling dissociated, depersonalized, or derealized? Do you feel far away, foggy, or unreal? Are you not sure who you are?

Go back to number 6 and try the grounding activities.

18 - Are you feeling depressed, sad, or upset?

Feeling depressed isn’t fun, but it doesn’t last forever! Don’t be mad or disappointed with yourself for feeling depressed.

Take 15 minutes and accomplish something small, like loading the dishwasher or making a friendship bracelet. You are not a failure, and your situation is not hopeless! You are a superhero, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

19 - Are you feeling lonely?

Everybody feels lonely sometimes. If you’re feeling lonely, there’s ways to reach out to people!

You can talk to someone in your house, or call someone on the phone. You can also use texting or Facebook messenger to speak to someone. You may want to talk about how you’re feeling, or you may not. Anything you want to talk about is okay!

If that isn’t or doesn’t seem possible, you can post a general message on Facebook, Tumblr, Vent, or another internet service, about whatever you want!

20 - Are you feeling foggy?

If you are feeling foggy, you might need some exercise.

21 - Do you have the energy and ability to go for a walk?

If you can’t take a walk, that’s okay!

Here are some alternatives: ⁃ Jumping jacks ⁃ Bouncing on the bed ⁃ Dancing ⁃ Push ups or sit ups, if you like doing them ⁃ Walking up and down the stairs ⁃ Yoga ⁃ Wiggling, squirming, jiggling around; being silly and active and having fun!

If none of those are or seem possible, just sit outside for some fresh air!

22 - Do you have pets at home?

Playing with pets can be a great way to take the edge off when you’re not feeling well. It doesn’t matter what kind of pet you have, just take some time to interact with them. Pet your cat, take your dog outside, feed your fish, hug your lizard…

23 - Take half an hour and do whatever you want to do right now.

This can be anything: crafts, watching TV, laying on the couch, taking a walk, playing Farmville… your choices are literally endless!

Obviously, don’t do anything that’s bad for you, like feeding addictions or harming yourself or others

24 - It’s time to reassess.

Maybe now that you’ve done all this self care, you feel better– great! Maybe you don’t, and that’s okay too. But hopefully you’ve cleared things up and you know what to do next to take care of yourself.

You deserve self care, so even if it’s hard, do your best!

Good luck!

[hatmanreviewsmovies]

Us

Major delay, I know and I’m sorry.

Hat 1- Story: When a Wilsons, a young black family, make their annual visit to the wife’s parents house in suburban California , they pay a visit to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. What no one else knows is that the wife, Adelaide, had a traumatic event there in her childhood. After having a nice visit with friends at said beach, a family of doppelgängers shows up on their driveway that evening. What follows must be expearienced in person.

All in all, this is a unique and brilliantly crafted work. The story is laid out pretty much perfectly, with the first two thirds planting crumbs of foreshadowing that are followed up in subtle or not so subtle but still brilliant waya, each move getting an answer. The third act, when the first night ends and the answers arrive, it gets a little less interesting but that is not to say it’s not well done. This story is extremely well crafted by a writer who truly earned his place among Oscar winners. .9/1 hat

Hat 2- Performances: This cast is... there’s no better word, awesome. Each of the 8 person named character cast, plays themselves and their doppelgänger. The Wilsons, who are planted in realism just enough to put you in at ease, are each perfectly acted, and their doubles equally terrifying in their other similarity. The other half of the named characters, the white Tylers, are a brilliant satire on the classic white Californian family. There is some very direct but never the less hysterical poking fun of this concept. What’s awesome about the performances of these actors as two characters, is that you can tell other than some stunt work and some slight digital adjusting, there is no computer assistance in these truly transformative roles. And it is all the better for it. 1/1 hat

Hat 3- Craft: All bow down to Jordan Peele, creating top notch social horror and thriller films. His directing and writing here makes a damn near perfect second film in his career. Perfectly moving from horror tension to brilliant comedy in small doses, this could easily be a two screenplay two Oscar situation. Again, the third act does slow down and opens up, but it doesn’t lose interest for the audience. Peele is a true auteur, creating one of a kind scripts directed with a subtle or brutal hand, when each is needed. This is fantastic work on both parts. 1/1 hat

Hat 4- Entertainment Value: It takes a minute or so to put together what’s happening but once you do, you’re set on a ride unlike any other. While it does get less intense in the third act it doesn’t get boring. Perhaps a little more work was needed to keep the same or similar tone in this last part but the story is engaging enough to keep you engaged. .95/1 hat

Hat 5- Memorability: This. Film. Will. Be. Remembered. It belongs on the list of the great horror works of the 21st century, never going for a cheap jump scare, but digging deep into psychological fears and nightmare fuel of your darkest parts of your mind. This film is absolutely brilliant. 1/1 hat

TOTAL: 4.85/5 hats

[photosofusly]

Exclaim!'s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far

As originally seen on Exclaim.ca.At this point last year, we’d already experienced massive album drops from the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, Radiohead, David Bowie and Drake; by the end of the year, we were left wondering just what was left to come out in 2017.

The answer is a swathe of albums by artists whose names might not adorn stadium marquees, but whose work shone brightly as beacons for another good year in music. Between long-awaited debut full-lengths, worldly, philosophical album statements and surprising genre crossovers, 2017 has seen a wealth of riches.

As the year’s halfway mark approaches, we’ve separated the great from the merely good in order to present the best albums released so far this year.

Click next to read through the albums one by one, or use the list below to skip ahead to your favourites.

Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far:

1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. 2. Sampha – Process 3. Feist – Pleasure 4. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 5. Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked at Me 6. Drake – More Life 7. Jay Som – Everybody Works 8. Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog 9. Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ 10. Slowdive – Slowdive 11. Power Trip – Nightmare Logic 12. The xx – I See You 13. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 3 14. Thundercat – Drunk 15. Oddisee – The Iceberg 16. Code Orange – Forever 17. Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens 18. Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy 19. Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound 20. Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer 21. Do Make Say Think – Stubborn Persistent Illusions 22. Incendiary – Thousand Mile Stare 23. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana 24. (Sandy) Alex G – Rocket 25. Future Islands – The Far Field 26. Timber Timbre – Sincerely, Future Pollution 27. GAS – Narkopop 28. Paramore – After Laughter 29. Ryuichi Sakamoto – async

29. Ryuichi Sakamoto async (Milan)

A good deal has been made of the possibly autobiographical nature of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s triumphant return, async. The disc landed a little less than three years after his throat cancer diagnosis, and is replete with mournful synth lines, scratchy noise (if ever there was a track that made you want to clear your throat, it’s “andata") and spoken word segments about mortality.

There’s much more than nostalgia at work here, though. The 65-year-old, who calls both Tokyo and New York City home, delivered us a complex, at times difficult listen. Yet async remains wholly accessible. It’s beautiful without being pretty, engaging and, at the same time, comforting.

Is the disc’s title short for asynchronous, which refers to events "not occurring at the same time"? Maybe reading his illness and subsequent recovery into that is a stretch, but Sakamoto’s pre-release materials describe his interest in "the blurred lines of life and artificiality/noise and music." The line between good and poor health is often similarly tough to distinguish, but its exploration would fit perfectly amidst the tender thoughtfulness evident here. Kevin Press

28. Paramore After Laughter (Fueled By Ramen)

Paramore have gone through their share of professional and personal turmoil and lineup changes since their chart-topping self-titled LP. Bassist Jeremy Davis left, drummer Zac Farro returned seven years after an acrimonious split and singer Hayley Williams admitted in pre-release interviews that she often doubted they would ever record another album. The trio address this adversity head-on on the startling, emotionally complex After Laughter, a tuneful, effervescent full-length on which Paramore mostly trade what was left of their punk and emo roots for New Wave synths, sinewy Afrobeat-influenced guitar riffs and percussive Technicolor pop that evokes Talking Heads, Paul Simon and Tango in the Night-era Fleetwood Mac.

In contrast with the soaring, ebullient melodies, the lyrics reflect the band’s tumultuous recent past, most prominently on the LP’s first single, the cathartic "Hard Times." Hitting rock bottom has rarely sounded better than on After Laughter, one of the year’s finest pop albums. Thierry Côté

27. GAS Narkopop (Kompakt)

Wolfgang Voigt has kept busy over the last 17 years through his various projects, but he’s been neglecting the one that earns him the most attention. Capitalizing on last year’s elaborate GAS box set, the 56-year-old returned with his fifth album under the moniker like no time had passed.

His new 75-minute opus, Narkopop, surveys different moods and pulses, filling in the vast space with a range of textures and styles: drone, ambient, neo-classical and minimal techno. The results can be mesmeric and beautiful, though he’s not averse to stirring up discomfiting moments to throw the listener’s meditation off, either.

Although it follows the GAS template in its design and structure, Narkopop, like its predecessors, is very much its own entity and an exciting next phase in the oeuvre of electronic music’s most intriguing characters. Cam Lindsay

26. Timber Timbre Sincerely, Future Pollution (Arts & Crafts)

The sinister synths that flood Timber Timbre’s sixth LP leave little doubt that the Canadian band’s latest record, Sincerely, Future Pollution, isn’t entirely optimistic about humanity’s course. The free-floating folk-noir ensemble, led by the haunting vocals of Taylor Kirk, reach new vibrancy on this record by harkening back to ’80s-era Bowie, drum machines and dystopian narratives to create an album that, like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, comprises a cinematic whole yet is approachable enough to enjoy in individual parts.

Evidenced by the cascading melodies of "Moment," the wide-swath guitar strums of "Sewer Blues" and the clavinet-bumping "Grifting," Sincerely, Future Pollution is much more concerned with world-building than 2014’s sensuous Hot Dreams in both theme and vision. As they have each release since 2006’s Cedar Shakes, Timber Timbre somehow manage to enhance their ever-evolving sound once again here; this time, they do so by borrowing from the past to craft an album as fresh as it is timeless. Mackenzie Herd

25. Future Islands The Far Field (4AD)

Less immediate than 2014’s Singles but ultimately more rewarding, the hooks on Future Islands’ The Far Field are subtler, the sound a little wearier. Anchored by the soulful, strange vocal stylings of Samuel T. Herring, the band still know how to write songs that will sound great at the outdoor festivals they’ve graduated to since the smash success of "Seasons (Waiting on You)" — and there are several of those here — but the real revelation is the bold steps they’re taking in the face of their success.

The woozy, weird "Candles" and the call-and-response Debbie Harry duet "Shadows" are proof that the band aren’t content to play it safe. By resisting the urge to go bigger, Future Islands have instead gone deeper, to devastating effect. Dave Mix

24. (Sandy) Alex G Rocket (Domino)

Eight albums in, the restless Alex Giannascoli — aka (Sandy) Alex G — refuses to be labeled simply as "indie rock." On Rocket, he tackles it all — bittersweet alt-country ("Bobby"), industrial pseudo-rap ("Brick"), auto-tuned R&B ("Sportstar"), weirdo psych-pop ("Witch"), ramshackle experimental noise ("Horse"), and the list could go on — yet it all still feels oddly cohesive, shrouded in a mysterious lo-fi intimacy narrated by Giannascoli’s melodic and dazed vocal style.

Hints of self-doubt, anger, sarcasm and bliss blend together effortlessly thanks to a strange and freaky concoction of plucky acoustic guitar, screeching synthesizers, dazzling violin, piano, saxophone and even random dogs barking. Rocket readily mutates around unsettling emotions using inventive fictional personas; it’s a curious approach, but it grounds the record to a quietly relatable content, and incites new feelings with each listen. Chris Gee

23. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Flying Microtonal Banana (ATO)

Like most of their previous efforts, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s latest project was tied to a concept from the outset — this time around, microtonality.

Flying Microtonal Banana might be the band’s most ambitious concept album so far, using a collection of microtonal instruments to weave unique melodies and Eastern-flavoured harmonies into the band’s usual frenetic grooves. That experimentation shines on tracks like "Open Water," with riffs that sound like an electrified snake-charmer, and "Billabong Valley," on which lead guitarist and singer Stu Mackenzie’s vocal lines mirror the eerie and hypnotic guitar melodies.

Rather than allowing themselves to be boxed in on Banana, though, the band run wild with the concept, transcending the chromatic scale to pull together one of the best psych-rock experiences of the year. Brandon Choghri

22. Incendiary Thousand Mile Stare (Closed Casket Activities)

Incendiary’s Thousand Mile Stare is a blistering return for the Long Island hardcore outfit. In the four years since their last record, Cost of Living, the music industry has seen some dramatic changes, particularly in relation to the current political climate. With these ten tracks, Incendiary prove that not only are they still relevant, but they’re on the forefront of their scene, leaders in an increasingly anxiety-ridden landscape.

The album’s eye-opening lyrics and gut-busting riffs are perfectly exemplified in "Front Toward Enemy," as frontman Brendan Garrone yells about "Fearing revolution": "They got their trigger fingers moving / The threat of oncoming war." Thousand Mile Stare’s unforgiving interpretation of a genre the band helped build, coupled with the passionate message they continue to spew, help make it one of hardcore’s most important release of 2017 thus far. Griffin Elliot

21. Do Make Say Think Stubborn Persistent Illusions (Constellation)

Do Make Say Think have never made a weak album, but nobody expected the legendary Torontonian instrumental octet to come back with such vital urgency after the longest recording gap in their lifespan. Perhaps it should’ve been clear though — they declare literal "War on Torpor" on Stubborn Persistent Illusions’ opening track. And to back the claim, this music is anything but lethargic or mentally lazy.

Everything we love about the band is present — the brash energy of punk rock, the rhythmic complexity of jazz and Afrobeat, the patient, bold dynamics of classical, and those epic, richly interwoven tapestries of guitar melodies and horn harmonies — but while these pieces share obvious genetic material with the band’s best work, none of it feels like an exercise in cloning. It’s like new sonic lifeforms are evolving from the band’s collective primordial soup to populate heretofore unexplored corners of their distinct sound world.

Beautifully realized with the utmost of love and respect for the act of co-creation and a work that may well be the new high water mark in post-rock, Stubborn Persistent Illusions is an absolute gift to fans of the ineffable magic of musical collaboration. Scott Gray

20. Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky)

For a decade-and-a-half, future-minded hip-hop heads and Anglophiles alike wondered how to get grime over to North American audiences. In the last two years, it’s finally happened, thanks in no small part to Skepta. But while he may have been the one to open the door, absurdly tall South London MC Stormzy has burst through it with enough force to remove hinge from frame.

On Gang Signs & Prayer, Stormzy serves up a perfect blend of crisp, rapid-fire delivery, aggro battle rap, heartbreaking introspection and surprising R&B sensibility. Stormzy is a perfect poster child for the new wave of clever, pop-savvy grime MCs. Chris Dart

19. Cloud Nothings Life Without Sound (Carpark)

Almost every year, an album is released that immediately stands out from the punk-leaning, guitar-slinging pack. It was Beach Slang a couple years ago, and now it’s Cloud Nothings’ turn with Life Without Sound, a record that sheds any of the extraneous influence of the past and find the band at their most cohesive and emotionally resonant yet.

The shift in sound from previous LP Here and Nowhere Else is noticeable. The guitars are a little less ragged, the hooks maybe not as prominent, but while the intensity has been dialled back, it ends up refocusing the group’s vision, and elevates Cloud Nothings’ sound to the next level. Marked by themes of self-evaluation, isolation and desperation, Dylan Baldi’s lyrics feel relatable, without being cliché. Those moments where Baldi’s emotionally driven lyrics hit hardest seem perfectly balanced against the band’s momentous riffs, which burst from every angle out of the speakers feeling alive and purposeful. Anthony Augustine

18. Full of Hell Trumpeting Ecstasy (Profound Lore)

Following a pair of collaborative albums with experimental noise artists the Body and Merzbow, Full of Hell stripped away a lot of the chaotic noise elements found on those releases for a more focused and cohesive record. In just a little over 20 minutes, Trumpeting Ecstasy finds the grindcore powerhouses launching a savage assault of blast beats and ear-piercing shrieks with just enough variation to let each song stand on its own.

Throughout, the band manage to infuse their abrasive tracks and organized havoc with thoughtfulness and care, as evident on songs like "The Cosmic Vein" and the blisteringly fast onslaught of "Branches of Yew." And though they’ve dialled back the experimental noise here, the band still manage to fit those sounds into the delicate yet aggressive title track. Trumpeting Ecstasy is a slab of viciously hostile grindcore not meant for the faint of heart. Joe Smith-Engelhardt

17. Kelly Lee Owens Kelly Lee Owens (Smalltown Supersound)

Within its few seconds, Kelly Lee Owens’s self-titled debut evokes the familiarity of an old favourite. Her spacious, pop-inflected techno is both vivid and economical, wringing nuanced emotions from simple elements. "S.O" and "Lucid" show the patience of a seasoned pro, enchanting listeners with cozy ambience before introducing a beat, while "C.B.M." and "8" go straight for the throat, showcasing thumping bass and mind-bending drone, respectively.

Owens’ concise, focused lyrics feel naturally expressive, as soothing as a well-worn mantra. Yet she refuses to coddle her listeners, and both "Anxi." and "Throwing Lines" hint at internal discord without breaking the record’s placid surface. Kelly Lee Owens is as invigorating as it is inviting, and it only gets more welcoming with each repeated rotation. Matthew Blenkarn

16. Code Orange Forever (Roadrunner)

Leading up to the release of Forever, Code Orange’s third full-length album, many questions orbited the band and their future: Would the shift from Deathwish Inc. to Roadrunner Records dilute their unrelenting sound? Would Code Orange’s loyalty to producer Kurt Ballou begin to yield stagnant and predictable results? Having demonstrated much promise in the past, but never fully delivering on their potential, Forever had to be the band’s best effort yet.

Code Orange answered by punishing all scepticism with nauseatingly visceral riffs, behemoth breakdowns, jarring passages and concussion-inducing percussion. Forever is the band’s heaviest and most menacing album to date, while offering the most diversity, too. Having been released only two weeks into the year, the record will face much competition in the battle for 2017’s best heavy record, but it’s inarguably in the conversation; this shit is thoroughly, aggressively good. Lukas Wojcicki

15. Oddisee The Iceberg (Mello Music Group)

It’s an understatement to say that many of 2017’s headlines have inspired cultural malaise. But, as usual, tense political climates have led to some seriously reflective music. And Oddisee’s latest project, The Iceberg, recently joined the highest echelon of socially conscious rap albums.

The 12-track LP delivers a healthy dose of social commentary, discussing police brutality, immigration, gender inequality and, of course, Donald Trump’s presidency. In such an unpredictable era, an album like The Iceberg helps listeners make sense of the world while also disseminating an important message: You’re not alone.

But storytelling is only part of the battle when putting together a masterful rap project, and like only a handful of other hip-hop artists, Oddisee produces his own beats. Throughout The Iceberg, the 32-year-old pushes the boundaries of the genre by layering unorthodox instrumentation with dense synths and prominent percussion. Imagine a hip-hop track guided by an organ; Oddisee did, and he made it sound dope. Anya Zoledziowski

14. Thundercat Drunk (Brainfeeder)

Like a wild night out featuring several shots of tequila, Drunk is zany and random, an immensely entertaining journey through Thundercat’s colourful mind.

A blend of angelic vocals, quirky lyrics ("I think I left my wallet at the club," he croons) and dizzying bass lines that defy human logic, Drunk has anthems for every variation of inebriation. There’s the fun and fidgety "Tokyo" for the restless drunk, "Drink Dat" for the flirty lush among you and "Lava Lamp" for the more sombre imbiber. "Friend Zone" plays like the gratifying tipsy text you’ll later regret sending, while "Jethro" feels communal and deeply spiritual, like a heart-to-heart between two buzzed strangers at the bar. Featuring clever, full-bodied production from collaborators like Flying Lotus and Soundwave, Drunk is great at first and gets even richer over time, a merry indulgence without the hangover. A. Harmony

13. Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 3 (Independent)

The political ire of nonconformists El-P and Killer Mike has long been at the forefront of their music, and the same can be said of their latest, Run the Jewels 3, a finely executed confrontation of the ruling class and a perfect closer for their album trilogy.

On top of its gorgeous, hard-hitting production, RTJ3 features help from an impressive list of collaborators including Danny Brown, BOOTS, Trina and Kamasi Washington. Run the Jewels have crafted a sound and style that stands alone, and here, it’s sharpened enough to go for the throat. The duo’s ingenuity is recognizable almost immediately, and impossible to duplicate. If their first two records laid the groundwork for battle, RTJ3 finds the rap iconoclasts in the thick of it. Ashley Hampson

12. The xx I See You (Young Turks)

It seems almost contradictory to say that the xx expanding their sound could make their material more intimate — especially given the way they already wore their emotions on their sleeves — but that’s exactly the case with their third album, I See You.

On their first two records, the band matched lovelorn confessions with spare, reverb-heavy guitars, distant drums and the hushed vocal deliveries of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft. This time around, producer Jamie Smith, fresh off his excellent solo record In Colour, infused the record with his signature sample-driven production style, adding a whole new level of character to the band’s signature sound without distracting from the emotional heft of the songs. The record is easily the band’s most ambitious, but also their most rewarding, featuring gems like Madley Croft’s heartbreaking vocals on "Performance" and the danceable "I Dare You."

Their sound palette has expanded considerably, but so has their conviction as a group, a fact that’s clear from I See You’s beginning to its end. Matt Yuyitung

11. Power Trip Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord)

The "crossover" in crossover thrash is on the continuum of metal to punk, but for Power Trip, there’s a whole other crossover happening — from hardcore underground to metal mainstream. With over 10,000 copies sold, Nightmare Logic is quickly becoming a phenomenon, and with good reason — it’s phenomenal.

While artists worry about a sophomore slump, Power Trip have delivered a sophomore slam dunk, outshining their previous material that is, itself, far from lacklustre. There’s new confidence here: Riley Gale’s powerful snarl is now less reverb-soaked; "Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)" and the title track manage to turn straight-ahead chugs into memorable, headbangable riffs; and the opening groove of "Soul Sacrifice" and the blaring thrash with which "Firing Squad" comes out of the gates are incredible. And that’s just the first half of the album.

Not since Municipal Waste blew "rethrash" open a decade ago with their penchant for partying has a band had a better shot at bringing thrash back to its one-time glory as one of the world’s biggest heavy genres. Bradley Zorgdrager

10. Slowdive Slowdive (Dead Oceans)

Releasing a record is a tricky proposition for any reunited band, let alone one as monumentally adored as Slowdive. Come back half-cocked and you’ll risk disappointing fans; refrain from making anything new, and you’ll leave listeners (and band members alike) wondering what could have been.

The British shoegazers deftly avoid both possibilities with their latest LP (and first in 22 years), a self-titled album filled with woozy atmospherics, ethereal vocals and reverb-drenched guitars that pack the same wallop as crumbling ice shelves.

Slowdive aren’t exactly reinventing themselves here, but with their core songwriters having spent the last two decades in the understated Mojave 3, and the whole band having toured together since 2014, Slowdive is a lean and impressive set of songs that improves upon what they do best. Hell, it might even be the best album of their career; it’s certainly the most fully realized. Matthew Ritchie

9. Joey Bada$$ All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ (Cinematic Music Group/Pro Era)

Joey Bada$$’s second studio LP, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, was released early this year, debuting at #5 on the Billboard Hot 200. It marked a departure from his debut album; where that record served more as a showcase of his wordplay and an homage to the golden era of hip-hop, this time around, Joey packed his 12-song project with scorching political commentary that aimed to draw awareness from the younger generation of listeners that have come to hold the 22-year-old rapper in high regard.

Alongside releasing political-minded singles "Devastated" and "Land of the Free," Joey claimed that "I was put here on this Earth not only to inspire but to wake people up" in the lead-up to AAB’s release. Having heard its entirety, that makes sense; the album is a defiant assertion of his status as a leader of millennials and a timely collection of (almost) entirely self-produced, anti-establishment anthems Riley Wallace

8. Mac DeMarco This Old Dog (Royal Mountain)

Mac DeMarco, a hero for the kids with his onstage antics and an inspiration to "keep it light" while wearing a pair of seen-better-days red Vans and an equally beatup baseball cap, has become synonymous with goofiness and good times. So when This Old Dog, his third studio album, was announced, it was easy to assume that he’d continue to bring the "jizz jazz" signature sound that he popularized — but he didn’t.

Instead, DeMarco proved to critics and fans alike (likely shocking both a tad) that not only can he pen a great tune, he’s equally capable of bringing the party and pulling at your heartstrings. He’s teased at this sort of softness before, with tracks like "Still Together" from 2 or Salad Days’ "Let My Baby Stay," but This Old Dog’s focuses on sweetly strummed guitars, melodies that provoke nostalgia and lyrics that address love and his estranged father, with a few surprises thrown in (the slinky "On The Level" and bouncy "Baby You’re Out"). It’s a wonderful surprise, and a sweet one, too. Cosette Schulz

7. Jay Som Everybody Works (Polyvinyl)

Melina Duterte has said that her debut album as Jay Som was inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen’s E•MO•TION, a talking point that has reverberated throughout all of her press. True, songs like "Remain" and "One More Time, Please" bear at least some similarity to Jepsen’s more slow-danceable heartbreak anthems, but reducing Everybody Works to this comparison ignores the album’s character and breadth.

"The Bus Song" is an absolutely timeless indie rock sing-along that makes a solid argument for the return of gang vocals, "1 Billion Dogs" is a fuzzed out alterna-banger and "(BedHead)" is ingenious slowcore. The Jepsen comparison is most on-point in that Everybody Works is so perfect that it sounds like it was laboured over by a team of songwriters and hip producers. But it wasn’t — it was recorded by Duterte, alone in her bedroom. Josiah Hughes

6. Drake More Life (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic)

If VIEWS was the angry rebuttable to Drake’s authenticity being challenged, More Life is the realization that introspective and peace-seeking is his most authentic artistic self. While its swollen "playlist" designation allows for a few unnecessary inclusions, the majority of Drake’s tenth full-length project finds him at his absolute finest.

The underlying theme is celebratory, including the sewn-in appraisal for an increasingly varied selection of global influences. For a brief moment a year ago, it looked as if Drake’s unchecked dominance may be coming to an end, a notion that seems ridiculous in retrospect. Emerging as a humble victor suits Drake best, and allows us all to reap the real spoils. Michael J. Warren

5. Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me (P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.)

"Death is real."

In the past two decades that Phil Elverum has been singing about mortality, nothing he’s said before has been as hard-hitting, direct and heavy as these three words. Recorded during the months following the death of his wife, Geneviève Castrée, A Crow Looked at Me is a document of Elverum’s thoughts, fears and reality.

But what makes his eighth Mount Eerie LP so compelling is how it stands as an example of peerless art. Elverum couldn’t have been thinking of his fan base, record label or any musical scene while recording these songs; he was creating music out of pure necessity, as the 11 songs featured on this LP are bereft of choruses, bridges or even a proper rhyming structure. A Crow Looked at Me is an album Elverum almost certainly wishes he never had to make, but alas, death is real, and therefore it exists. This resulting meditation on grief is both stark and stunning. Daniel Sylvester

4. Father John Misty Pure Comedy (Sub Pop)

Father John Misty’s all-encompassing Pure Comedy finds Josh Tillman addressing the absurdity of human life, the effect of technology on the way we connect with others and the inherent meaninglessness of being here, but he does it all with shocking affection, in an Elton John-esque guise.

Far from a cynical polemic, Pure Comedy is a monster of a record that is never as hopeless as it may appear. It tries to shine a light on the possibility of a brighter, happier future by pointing out trivialities like the ridiculous weight we ascribe to our online presence ("Ballad of the Dying Man"), or by holding up a mirror to our strange human existence/experiment on its title track.

In its final moments, during "In Twenty Years or So," Tillman drives home just what we can learn from and do with meaninglessness: Find our own meaning. And as he sings, "I look at you as our second drinks arrive / the piano player’s playing ‘This Must Be The Place,’ and it’s a miracle to be alive," it’s clear that beauty and meaning and love are not so hard to find — even in a world that might suggest otherwise. Matt Williams

3. Feist Pleasure (Universal)

Leslie Feist’s first record in over half-a-decade might just be her best. Somewhere between the delicate sophistication of 2007’s The Reminder and the rougher bombast of 2011’s Metals, Pleasure finds Feist at her most dynamic, weaving timbres as seemingly contrary as woodwinds and gain-y blues guitar into songs that swing dramatically from placid to stormy in seconds — and that’s just in the first five minutes of it.

Even at their loudest, these songs are minimal: "I Wish I Didn’t Miss You" climaxes with Feist’s voice wailing through a watery delay effect over just her acoustic guitar; "Any Party" sounds like one when the gang vocals join her and her guitar for the chorus; and the propulsive "Century" is lent almost all of its urgency by a crackling layer of handclaps. They’re simple ingredients, but in Feist’s deft hands, they sound like pure Pleasure. Stephen Carlick

2. Sampha Process (Young Turks)

Though many listeners may have first become acquainted with Sampha through his guest features with Drake or SBTRKT, the UK native has firmly established himself as a solo artist with Process. It isn’t just his buttery tenor that makes his long-awaited debut LP a standout of this year so far, but his talent as both a writer and producer, too.

Drawing on the process of overcoming his mother’s passing and his own personal hurdles in music-making, emotional strength is a thematic constant across the record’s ten tracks, from the percussive drive of piano and drums on "Blood on Me" to the hushed keys and enveloping pads of closer "What Shouldn’t I Be?"

The most powerful moment of Sampha’s Process comes when he strips the electronic wizardry away, though; the breathtaking ballad "(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano" finds him seated at the ivories to lay bare his love for both his mother and music. Calum Slingerland

1. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. (Interscope/Top Dawg Entertainment)

Given music’s subjectivity, and Exclaim!’s long-standing policy of allowing writers to freely express their opinions, our original review of Kendrick Lamar’s latest caused some expected consternation. It’s an album that was praised by some, and fell short for others. After polling the Exclaim! writer’s pool, the overwhelming consensus was that DAMN. is the most beloved album released in 2017 so far.

Over sonically skeletal production, Lamar bares his truths and insecurities, fleshing out the songs with new layers and textures as he dramatizes the various characters he uses to speak on his behalf. He balances societal heartache and ferocious resilience, serving as a mouthpiece to tell the stories of his generation, as well as those before him and after us — and unapologetically, at that. The war chants of "DNA." and the introspective depth of "DUCKWORTH." offer jolting insights into the lives of young black Americans, while the animated "HUMBLE." and daunting "PRIDE." explore the waves of fear and acceptance that come with that day-to-day existence.

Whether you love DAMN. or not, for all that it stands for thematically, you have to admire Lamar for laying it all out on the table. Erin Lowers

View Full Article Here: Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far

Exclaim!’s Top 29 Albums of 2017 So Far was originally published on CALM | We Drive The Calmest, Strive Regardless