#i now have a burning desire to list couples in alphabetical order

[niphredil-14]

may i request a theo x mc couple fight fic please?

IkeVamp Theo/MC -- Dissension

Fandom: Ikemen VampireWarnings: NonePairing: Theo/MCGenre: Fluff/angst

My vampiric lover, Theodorus Van Gogh, as we all know, is the epitome of possessive. Whenever I would be speaking to someone of the opposite sex, for over three measly seconds, Theo would approach, wrap his arms around my waist, place his chin atop my shoulder, and glare almost physical daggers at my ‘pursuer’. It seemed that there was no limit to Theo’s jealousy, but hey, it was just another part of the man that I had come to love. Shortly after I began my relationship with the younger Van Gogh, a certain playboy had become a very dear friend of mine. Arthur had decided it best to lay off of the flirting with me and rather, treat me as a friend instead of another of the ‘skirts’ that he chased after. In fact, we had become such close friends that we often hung out just to chat for hours on end. This particular instance had my blue-haired friend and myself seated in the lounge conversing his newest work in progress while playing a game of cards, which, might I add, I thought that I had improved greatly at ever since versing Arthur. He had continued explaining his latest chapter after laying down a seven of clubs. This installment of Sherlock Holmes had the detective trying to find a kidnapped noblewoman. I have mentioned before that though Arthur took a slight step down from his habitual flirting, this does not, however, indicate that he had altogether stopped. As the majority of you most likely know by now, it is nearly impossible to get through a conversation with this man without an attempt, on his part, to get a reaction out of me, either it be by jesting my relationship with the dutchman or by his common, teasing way of flirting with me. The man opposite me had apparently decided that after his play in the game, while I was absorbed in contemplating a way to prevent his victory, it would be the perfect occasion for a bit of his sarcastic attempt at courting. As I have previously stated, we had been talking about Arthur’s newest book, which featured Sherlock Holmes and his reliable partner: Dr. John Watson, both of which had taken up the task of finding a missing noblewoman. As to keep on the already decided topic of conversation, Arthur chuckled and decided to ask a rather bold question in relation to his writing. The query was:          “Say, my dear MC, for this story, I must be rather familiar with the female anatomy. Do you think you would allow me to do a bit of research concerning the subject?” Just at that moment, I heard a low, throaty growl and was then roughly pulled by my elbow to my feet. My mystery attacker held me flush against his chest with his arms crossed around my waist, and snarled when the novelist looked at my dropped handful of cards and commented, “Oh my, there was simply no chance of you winning, MC, was there?” I turned my head to look at the man holding me and was met with no other face than Theo’s, and dear God, did he look angry.           “And just what the Hell do you think you’re doing?” Theo barked at Arthur.           “Oh, nothing, Old Chap! Just giving a friend an invitation!” Arthur replied, cheerily. Theo’s increasing anger was all too noticeable for my liking, so I tried to diffuse the situation.          “Theo, no matter what he says, you know that I’m yours. I would never take him up on those offers, you know that.” I turned to look up at him, but the fire burning in his irises was too intense to bear, so I diverted my gaze once again. I felt the rumbling in his chest before a sharp voice cut through my ears,          “He was flirting with you, MC! There is no excuse for that!” The brunette swiftly turned his scrutiny towards the writer once more. I was baffled by Theo’s anger. Arthur had always been flirtatious, and he most likely always would be. Everything he said was to be taken with a rather large grain of salt. Theo had witnessed Arthur’s toying before, and sure, he was never happy with it, but he had never gotten so irate.           “Love, you know better than to take anything Arthur says seriously, he just jests, it’s alright.” I tried to get Theo to calm down, but it was to no avail. Arthur had stood up at this point, and it’s a good thing he did because not three seconds after I spoke did Theo respond with,          “Why the Hell are you defending him?! Is he your boyfriend? Is he the one pleasuring you? Is he the one who has loved you unconditionally?! No, I am! But, you know what? If you would rather spend your time with this jerk-off, then fine! Be with him!” As he tightened his grip on my arms, then harshly shoved me into Arthur’s chest, where the author held me tight. My heart was beating too loudly in my ears for me to make out Theo’s parting words before he stormed out of the lounge and slammed the door behind him.           A few moments passed where I just stood there in Arthur’s arms, shaking as I pressed my face into his chest. These moments were short-lived, however, and Arthur soon gently guided me by the arms out of his embrace.          “Are you alright, MC?” Arthur inquired with a worried look on his face.           “My upper arms are a little sore, but I’m alright. And you?”           “I was not the one being so rudely manhandled. I’m sorry, I crossed the line with that one, I shouldn’t have said it, I never intended for things to get so out of hand..” Arthur apologized.           “It is far from being your fault. Theo overreacted, he should have known that you didn’t mean it.” I assured my friend. He let go of my arms and an awkward silence dominated the room. “I, I’m sorry, Arthur, but I need some time to myself right now. I hope you won’t hold it against me if I were to leave you to clean up our game?” I asked.          “Not at all, MC, take all the time you need,” Arthur said in a comforting tone and gave me a pat on the head as he turned to pick up the cards. This was my cue to exit the room.           I spent the rest of the day doing two main things. The first, finding any possible work I could to distract me from the previous events of the day. Anything from polishing the silverware, to cooking, to rearranging the library in alphabetical order of the authors’ last names. I would do anything and everything to not give myself the time to reflect upon my eleven o’clock break. The second thing I did was desperately avoid both Theo and Arthur. Though, it seemed that was not a very difficult task, as the appeared to be avoiding me and each other as well. I had done a rather sufficient job at both of my previously mentioned tasks, but when I had gotten all ready for bed and had lied my head down on the pillow, there was no avoiding the memory and the rushing wave of feelings and emotions that had been dragged along with it.  It was impossible to escape my own mind and before long, tears had begun to roll down my cheeks. I tried to will them away, but the utter sense of betrayal and hurt overcame my desire to simply fall into a deep slumber without the pain and embarrassment of getting there through weeping.           The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining at its highest point. As soon as I had realized that, I jumped out of bed and got dressed, only then did I noticed the tear streaks staining my cheeks from the night before. I rushed to scrub them away, but I was only partially successful. After this, I ran down to the kitchen where I found Sebastian preparing lunch.           “Sebastian! I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to oversleep. Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked. He paused his actions and turned back to me.           “Good morning, MC. I’m glad to see you’re awake. As for your inquiry, you seemed to have needed the rest, so I let you have it, especially concerning the fact that you got so much work done yesterday, that there is barely any left today.” Sebastian explained. The blood drained from my face, if there was no work to do, that meant that there was nothing to do to distract myself from my woes.           “But surely, Sebastian, there is something for me to occupy myself with today?” I asked, anxious about what his answer would be.           “There are a few things you could do. First of all, would be to bring the residents some rouge. The second would be to set out the laundry to dry. The third would be assisting me with dinner later tonight, and finally, you could head into town to pick up some more coffee beans.” He informed me. That list seemed exceedingly short, even with only half a day to finish all of it.  I would have to find some other things to do to kill time. However, I would rather be working constantly than not be doing anything at all. And so, I got to work. I started with hanging the laundry out to dry so that when I got back from town with the coffee beans I would be able to bring the clothes in for the night and then help Sebastian with dinner. So, I went from room to room -except for Arthur’s and Theo's, I let Sebastian get those, without fully explaining why- collecting the laundry. After I had washed those, I hung them up on the clotheslines, and because it was so bright and warm out, they dried quickly. As soon as I had finished hanging the clothes, I walked to town, deciding that it would take up more time, and give me less time to think. However, this plan backfired horribly. rather than give me more time to work, and less time to think, it did the polar opposite. All I could think about was Theo’s anger and Arthur’s comfort. Theo knew that I was good friends with Arthur, and he knew that I only had eyes for one man and that that one man wasn’t Arthur. I was so unbelievably head-over-heels in love with Theo that this small argument was tearing me apart on the first day. I hadn’t seen him at all that day, because I had been avoiding him out of fear of the awkward situation that would become a reality if the two of us were to meet. I missed his hugs, I missed his kisses, I missed hearing his ‘good mornings’. I missed him. I couldn’t stand the pain of separation. Soon enough, I made it to our coffee bean supplier with the money, purchased the beans, and walked back to the manor, attempting to rid my thoughts of Theo. About halfway back, I broke into a run. I couldn���t bear to be alone with my thoughts like this. There seemed to be no crueler torturer in that moment than myself and my mind. After about five minutes of on and off sprinting, I made it back. I walked into the storage cellar and placed the majority of the beans there, bringing only one bag into the kitchen with me. By this time, it was about three-forty-five in the afternoon. I had made it back just in time to start dinner with Sebastian. And so, we worked and cooked, and baked for about two hours, bringing us to about six o’clock. At this time, we brought all the food into the dining room, where nine of the vampires were sitting. I noticed that two were absent, those being Arthur and Theo. After dinner, Sebastian and I cleaned up, but the entire time my mind was stuck on Theo. It was as if I were walking around in a dream-like state, only partially aware of what I was doing and where I was going. Not long after that did I head to my room to prepare myself for sleep once again. Just like the eve before, I cried myself to sleep, as I was unable to detach myself from my emotions, and devoid my mind of Theo.           I woke up in the morning the same way as the day ere, but this time on schedule. I walked down to the kitchen once again, but when I arrived, I found Sebastian talking to Theo. When I walked in and saw him there, my mind froze, and so did my body. Theo stopped talking when he noticed my presence, and he shot me a dirty look. It broke my heart all over again. Our eyes had locked, but despite his angry look, I found myself unable to look away. Trapped forever in his cold, icy eyes. We were snapped out of our gazes when Sebastian coughed twice, quite loudly. Suddenly, my heels seemed to be of more interest than the world or people around me. My mind and spirit seemed broken every day that I was forced to live without my lover at my side, and so, I made up my mind to try and diffuse the situation and apologize, even though I was under no impression that Arthur nor I did anything wrong.          “Theo, could I speak with you for a mo-” I began, but Theo cut me off by briskly walking out of the room. My head turned to follow him as he so coldly left me behind. In the span of two days, the manor had returned to its usual mess, and there was lots to do. I spent a rather long time dusting the furniture before moving on to cleaning the windows. I had been working on one in the west wing of the third floor when I was tapped on the shoulder. I stopped daydreaming, and my hand ceased its circular movements as I turned to look behind me, only to find Vincent’s bright blue eyes staring back at me. “Oh, Vincent! Good morning, how are you?” I greeted, but he seemed to ignore my question, something that was rather odd for the usually kind and polite painter.           “Please tell me what happened between you and Theo,” He pleaded. “I have to know.” I was stunned by that. Theo was so ticked off by the misunderstanding two days before, that he had gone to his older brother and complained - or talked enough shit- for said older brother to come and confront me about it. I stuttered out a few half-words before finding a sentence falling from my lips.           “I’ll tell you everything, but not here, please,” I said, a pout forming on my face.  And so, Vincent and I walked to the dining room, a room that was mostly uninhabited except for mealtimes, and sat down as I began to explain what had happened. “What you need to understand, Vincent, is that Arthur may be a flirt, but ever since I started dating Theo, everything of that sort that he has said to me has been nothing but satirical. He and I are nothing more than good friends.” I began to say when Vincent interrupted me.           “Did Theo know this?” He questioned.          “I thought he did, but it turns out that I was wrong to assume that. Anyways, Arthur and I had been playing a card game and talking about his latest novel, when he used one of his pick-up lines on me. It was, I admit, something that would be considered scandalous as well as suggestive if someone who didn’t know that he was merely jesting were to overhear. I am guessing that this is what happened with Theo, he didn’t know that Arthur was being sarcastic, that even if he wasn’t I would decline him. Before I even had the chance to respond, I was pulled up from my chair by Theo, and severely yelled at.” I just noticed that as my anecdote was repeated to Vincent, tears had begun to fall from my face. Vincent reached for a silk handkerchief that was folded neatly on the table and handed it to me. I wiped my tears and continued my retelling. “When I attempted to diffuse the situation, he accused me of not being loyal, of being in love with Arthur, and then proceeded to throw me into Arthur’s arms as he stormed out of the room. I feel terrible about it. I miss him terribly.” I told all of this to Vincent while he listened on, silently, nodding every once and again.           “That would explain why he’s been so upset. He has been working nonstop, and by the look of it, you have too.” The blonde stated, matter of factly.           “I hadn’t seen him or Arthur at all yesterday. And today, I ran into Theo in the kitchen, but when I asked for a minute of his attention so that I could apologize for any offense Arthur or myself may have caused, he just walked out of the room. I don’t know how to apologize if he refuses to look at me aside from angry and accusing glances!” I said. “I just wish that he would listen to me, or give me a chance to explain!” I exclaimed as I began to sob once more. Vincent leaned forward to embrace me, letting me get all my tears out as I repeatedly muttered, “I’m so sorry”, “I love him”, and “I don’t know what I did wrong.” Vincent just sat there, holding me, and whispering that everything would be alright. After I got a hold of myself, I asked Vincent the two questions that had been plaguing me ever since he approached me at the window. “Vincent, is Theo okay? What did he say happened?” Vincent darted his eyes around the room, letting me go, and rubbing the nape of his neck.           “I’m not sure that I should tell you, sorry.”           “Oh, but Vincent, you must! You simply must! It’s killing me to not know.” I pleaded, desperately. And, to my surprise, he gave in.           “H-he said that he was convinced that Arthur was interested in you and that he thought you might be interested in him too, so he got sca-” Vincent couldn’t finish the sentence, because the man of the hour ran into the room, grabbed his brother by the bicep, and dragged him out as fast as he had entered. But I didn’t need Vincent to finish the sentence, I had heard enough and I knew just what he was going to say. And with that, I made up my mind, tonight I would go to Theo’s room, and clear things up. I would make him hear me out!          As the evening rapidly approached, my anxiety increased by the minute. The clocked ticked away, and soon it had hit eight o’clock. Though my nerves were far from steel, it was painstakingly obvious that I could not go on like this another night. I couldn’t allow for the feud to carry on any longer. So, despite my apprehension, I walked lightly to Theo’s bedroom door. When I approached, I hesitated for a moment before reaching up to knock twice. Before my hand could make contact with the wooden barrier standing between my love and I, I heard his voice call to me from the inside,          “Come in, Hondje.” I was shocked, to say the least. How he was aware of my presence was unknown to me, but following his order, I opened the door and slipped inside. His gaze was harsh, but much less so than the one that had been directed towards me earlier that day and the one before. His eyes left mine for a moment and gestured to a seat, silently telling me to sit. As soon as I did, King stood up from his bed and came up to me and put his head on my thighs. There were a few seconds of silence, where neither one of us knew just what to say to the other, and so we just sat there, face to face, staring at one another, questioning who would be the one to break the silence. Eventually, I made the choice to speak and put an end to this dispute. I took a deep breath and began,          “Theo, I am terribly sorry if I upset you! I didn’t mean to, I swear.” His gaze softened, and I continued, “And Arthur didn’t mean what he said to me, you know he likes to jo-”          “Even when you are here, begging for forgiveness you can’t go without talking about other men?” Theo asked, a fire burning in his eyes. I moved my hand to pet King’s head.           “I wasn’t talking about him because of interest, Theo. I was apologizing on both my behalf, and Arthur’s, you know that I love you, and only you.” He huffed and a light pink flush dusted his cheeks.           “You shouldn’t have to apologize for him! He should be able to do that himself!” Theo barked. I looked down towards the golden retriever head t\on my lap, feeling quite chastised.           “Theo,” I began, feeling the tears in my eyes begin to well up. “I am trying to apologize. You don’t understand how hard these past couple of days have been for me. Not having the privilege of you at my side has caused me immeasurable pain and loneliness!” I abruptly stood up, tears streaming down my cheeks as though a dam had burst, letting free a tsunami of water that’s sole purpose was to drown my cheeks. “I have cried myself to sleep each and every night because your anger with me is unbearable! I don’t know exactly what I have done wrong, or how to fix it, but, dammit Theo, I am trying my hardest to set things right!” I sunk to my knees, settling for a sobbing session on the floor. King trodded up to me and licked my salty cheek. “I can’t go on like this anymore,” I muttered. I remained there for a few moments, wailing to myself, uncaring of what Theo could possibly think of me now. I had reached my limit, and now, all that was left of me was a sad, broken girl, sitting, crying, on her lover’s floor, with only his dog for comfort. I couldn’t even bring myself to my feet so that I could make my escape. I was frozen, save for the shaking of my shoulders, trembling of my lips, and the heaving of my chest. I had said all that I had meant to say, but it seemed that it was not enough to earn his forgiveness, and that thought drained any and all emotions and energy from me. I had grown dependent of Theo and his love and affection, and without him, I was left empty. A mere husk of a being that once was was all that I could ever anymore, even more dead than the vampires that I resided with. I knew that crying in from of him would do nothing to bring him back to me, and yet, I couldn’t find any shred of will inside myself to care, not about him seeing me cry, not about what this would mean for me, nothing. It was then when at least five minutes of my bawling must have past, when I felt two strong, muscular arms, wrap around me and hold me tight. A chin rested atop the crown of my head and placed a kiss there before returning to simply being supported.          “I am so, so sorry, MC.” Theo muttered. “I was possessive, I know that, but I can’t help but be filled with jealousy and fear when I see you enjoying yourself so much around another man. Especially when I see him trying to court you. You could do so much better than me, you could have any man you wanted wrapped around your finger with just a word. Can’t you see, we’re all helpless to you.” This new, vulnerable side of Theo was unknown to me and did a great job of surprising me. I looked up, and he removed his chin from my head, and looked down at me, with gentle, loving eyes. It was so rejuvenating, after days of separation. I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my face into the crook of his neck. We just sat there for some time, unmoving, until King let out a playful yelp, and tried to nuzzle between us and join in on the hug, as golden retrievers do. My boyfriend and I separated just enough for our furry friend to slip between and get some of the cuddles. I giggled at how odd the situation would look to an outsider, and Theo leaned down to give me a peck on the lips.

[sigilscriber]

Origin and Casting of my Sigils.

Origins of the Sigils I create and cast:

  The Sigils you see here are created from a magick runic alphabet that I created myself many MANY years back in my childhood. At first they started off as just a simple alphabet I created for my own story series I was making. However I quickly discovered as I was drawing them, events in my life were changing in tune with the story. I realized then I had created something much more powerful than just some silly runes and symbols. I was already pagan as well as practicing magick so I adapted them to my faith and working, and well, that’s was that. After a couple of more years of mastery, I converted my whole holy book and BOS into the sigils: All hand drawn and written. Over the last 5 years I have had my sigils displayed and sole in local metaphysical shops and the Tea house where I work. I have also had two art expositions with them.

 The runes that I use here are used not just for sigil work and writing but also divination practice as well. Being that my practice is all done its own language, there are more and less letters that you typical A-Z English/Latin alphabet. For instance, there is NO letter “C”. In total there are 32 letters.  Each letter also represents an aspect of magick all its own. All much like as a Norse Rune.

 The often asked question at this point is “Do I need to learn the alphabet you follow to work with the sigils?” The answer to which is “No.”

 How to Cast/Manifest the Sigils that I post:

 To this question there are many options. But of course you first should indeed be a student of the arts of magick and witchcraft. Or at the very least, and open mind, the understanding of manifestation and the strong will of desire, belief and release.

 “Do I need to believe in a pagan pantheon” You ask? No. The sigils manifest no matter what your belief and if you are willing to work to make then be.

 There are many ways to cast/release sigils depending who you ask. Some techniques will work better for others. I find there is 2 major popular ways if releasing a sigil. Burning it, Burying it or Tending to it. I personally opt for Tending to it. Meaning it is not destroy or discarded. Instead it is carried and/or left in a special place to be constantly fed more energy. HOWEVER you may find a few in my list that I WILL suggest burning or Burying. By in large I will not burn, bury or release a sigil unless the sigil is used in either a spell to release someone or something or curse someone.

 “Hold it! You perform curses??” Yes my friend, I do. It is part of my faith. However I do not do it blindly and I take many precautions prior. Normally when I curse someone it is because the person or action is hurting/hurt someone or something so badly that I ask the Gods to assist me in making sure what comes around goes around.  I also see cursing someone like healing an illness or disposing old food from your fridge. Left Unattended, such elements are not healthy. I do believe in Karma does come back around but I always watch my words carefully as I cast a spell or sigil.  

 “Do you have curse sigils in your list?” Yes I do. BUT I do not suggest you use them UNLESS you are willing to be completely accountable of your actions and know exactly what you are working with. And I highly encourage you to ask for my help over attempting to do it hap-hazzardly on your own. One does not just grab rancid food from the fridge and toss it into the kitchen bin. It must be disposed of cautiously and properly, so it does not come back to make you sick or stink up the house. And then you should still cleanse the place and self after.

 So let’s start with first taking a sigil from my board that you need to use. PERSONALLY I would prefer you to redraw the sigil yourself. I use a slight cursive digital brush but you do not need to. As long as you get the basic shape. You can draw in a color that works with the spell you are wanting to manifest (if you know anything about color magick) or just in pencil or pen. Color is NOT vital. Of course not everyone is an artist. You can trace it over if you have something like tracing paper or a light box. But you certainly can just use a print out. However you choose, the next step is to charge it. Again depending how you ask there are many ways of doing this.  The following technique is mine and the one I suggest:

 Using a pencil, pen, wand or your finger, slowly trace over the sigil. As you do concentrate on your goal and the person who you are casting it for. There is no order that you need to follow in the drawing: Top to bottom or vice verse. At the same time take slow deep breaths. As you exhale, envision energy coming from your core center, down your arm, into your hand and out your finger or implement, setting the sigil ablaze in a great light. If it helps, imagine yourself like a superhero or Wizard on a movie that casts energy from their hands. (This part may sound silly for some, but I find it works well for many that have a hard time envisioning and focusing.)

 Sigils can also be carved into objects such as candles, wood, clay and other soft materials. They can also be draw into sand or dirt, even traced on water or drawn in the air with a stick of incense.  

 Okay your sigil is traced/etched. Now, hold it in your hand for a good while. Close your eyes and with all your will, want and heart (and help from whatever gods you believe in) empower the sigil or the object the sigil is etched into, empower it with your goal. Take time with this. See in your mind your goal clearly and coming true. You can chant any prayer, wish, words or oral spell you want. By the time you are done, the sigil/object should almost physically feel like it has a small pulse of energy all its own.

 At this point what you do with the sigil depends on the sigils intent. For desires of money, wealth or anything to come into your life, I would place it somewhere special, such as a home altar or stored somewhere safe. Every time you pass by it, take a moment to say a incantation or prayer over it. At the very least once a day. If the sigil is to release something away (a bad person, ill health, a bad habit, dangerous influence) You may wish to either burn it or tear it up and let the wind carry it away. Some people that carve such intents into a candle, will just want to have the candle burn all that way down, or if carved into clay or wood, will want to bury it.

 If your goal is true, your intent honorable with no lie attached and you are willing to help it manifest, Gods willing-the intent will come to be. Always remember “Even a Miracle Needs a Hand.” So if you are asking for money, get out there and see what you can do to make it so. Spells do not work like they do in movies and TV. If your goal is for heath, make sure you are eating healthy, taking whatever meds are needed and listen to your doctor.

 There is so much more I can go on with this but for now this is the skinny. PLEASE I encourage you to ask questions. You can ask me here or send me a private message. 

[tortoisesforhire]

Shipping!! And couple dynamics in fiction

So I’ve been looking a lot at like, specifically the couples that I ship and support in various media and the couples who I absolutely abhor and want to die in a fiery fire of fire, and I started asking myself...why? Why Alex? Why do you hate them so? Oh I’m so glad you asked self! I shall tell you!

Let’s look at a case study for What I Absolutely Hate OMG Why; Buffy and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Muahahahaa!! Yes, I know, How DArE I betray the Ultimate Ship! But see, I don’t really care.) I haaaaate BuffyxAngel, I hate them in the beginning of Buffy, I hate them in Angel and I hate them in the comics. They are a garbage couple of garbage-ness. (sorry not sorry) 

I’ll explain; so Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a fifteen year old girl gifted with Chosen Magical Girl powers to save the universe from monsters, she and her loyal scoobies go on to slay, smash and otherwise pwn the dark forces of the night. Horay! Only alas! Here comes Angel, he’s Dark and Spooky and Filled with Self Loathing! What is a poor girl to do? He’s chiseled and mysterious with a wounded heart of gold all wrapped up nicely for Buffy to save. With her ‘love’. Ahem. 

From the get-go this relationship is Hella toxic, Angel’s entire arc when involved with Buffy revolved around Buffy; whether its Buffy saving the day or Buffy saving him. Saving him from himself, from his past, from his evil-sex-curse (don’t even get me started on that little bit of writing I mean wtf Joss?) all the while Angel is over a hundred years old and Buffy is sixteen. She is a baby! Infant little slayer tasked with saving (and often dying) for the world, and here comes this wounded heart vampire boy who leeches off of her goodness. All they do is take from one another, but the narrative is set up so that we believe their soulmates, doomed to be apart for all time. It’s gross. 

And they represent a very prevalent relationship archetype in fiction; Doomed Soulmates. This idea that an innocent badass naive teen girl gets swooped off her feet by a wounded hero with a dark past and the two prance off into the sunset in all their fractured glory. (Hello Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Shadowhunters etc etc) It simultaneously manages to cast the female in the role of both victim and savior while the man is reduced to Sexy Fallen Angel who serves only to further her story. 

Now, let’s flip this and look at some relationships that are Wonderful. Since I started picking on Buffy I’ll stick with that theme for a bit and talk about one of my Favorite Couples (srsly I love them) Buffy x Spike. (I bet you thought I was gonna talk about Willow x Tara, don’t worry, I’ll get there.) I adore Buffy and Spike’s relationship for several reasons but one of which was because it wasn’t planned. Buffy and Angel were very obviously a part of the story plot from the get go, their narrative beats were very expected and typical. Buffy and Spike? They were so organic. They were allowed to develop and grow and change as time went on. A big problem I have with the aformentioned horrible relationship is the age difference, it’s a weirdly common thing in fantasy fiction where the guy is like a hundred years old and the girl is like, a baby. And yeah, Spike is also like a hundred years old with a dark past, but at the point where they start their relationship Buffy is an adult, she’s been through some shit, they’re both wounded and fractured and their respective experienced place them on equal footing. 

Honestly, there’s so much in their relationship dynamic that I love and idk if I have the space to put it all here so I’ll just cover the highlights. So a) their beginning is very unhealthy and it is allowed to be unhealthy. It’s not framed as innocently romantic or pure or whatever. It’s rough and sharp edged and exactly what you would expect from two people as damaged as they are. They hurt each other, and then save each other and hate each other, but love each other. And this is allowed to be unhealthy to the point where both of them say it and try and untangle themselves from it. B) They get each other, Angel was always trying to subtly control Buffy. To pull or push her into something else, he saw her as this pure righteous savior figure, so she felt she had to be that. Spike see’s her as a warrior, someone who has died multiple times and isn’t okay, someone who has killed and learned to live with the scars. Someone like him. He accepts her exactly as she is, and she learns from this to see him as he is and accept him (and herself) more fully. C) They act like a real couple acts. Real couples don’t just wrap themselves around one another and coo and sigh about how in love they are 24/7. Real couples hang out, real couples don’t live in this extreme hot/cold dynamic, they just interact normally. And Buffy and Spike, no matter where they are in their relationship have that dynamic, that easy camaraderie where they can just exist with one another. They’ve seen each others absolute worst and love each other in spite of it. They’re complex and they grow together, into and around one another. It’s great, it’s beautiful, I have a lot of feelings. 

But the real difference between them is a fundamental difference in equality. The Angel/Buffy dynamic was never equal. And it frames emotional abuse tactics as romance and I find that quite creepy. 

I think the real difference between Good Couples and Bad Couples is in the intentions of the writer when writing them. With Buffy/Angel we were being sold something, this Tragic Romance picture. With Ross/Rachel we’re being sold on the ultimate Will They/Won’t They (they shouldn’t), with Sam/Jack it’s the quintessential Jock/Nerd. They decided on an image before hand and then tried to tailor the narrative to suit that image. Whereas Good Couples, couples that really resonate with an audience are couples that result from the narrative itself, not the other way around. 

Tara x Willow showed up out of no where and and struck deep, all of us little baby queers saw that and were like Yes! That is Me! Right there! And then they developed like a real couple would, they went through real struggles (mostly, I mean I doubt any of us have ever lost our memories due to an evil goddess from another dimension but hey, who knows) we got to bear witness to their love and cheer it on from beginning to end (the ending that shall not be named). 

I’ve always loved relationships that take characters from really different places and allow them to grow and learn about one another in new and exciting ways. Monica and Chandler who are so different but who are able to appreciate and celebrate those differences with one another. Cory and Topanga who share a childhood and are one another biggest fan throughout their whole lives, growing and sharing those experiences. Mary and Matthew, Claire and Jamie, Jim and Pam, Jessica and Luke, all these couples are couples who are allowed to be broken together. Allowed to grow and change and aren’t stuck in the same stagnant place where they started. 

Romance is a fun fictional genre, it’s exciting to explore and endlessly interesting when done right. But it’s easy for it to get stale. I want stories that bend the rules, who discard them altogether. I want a romance that changes, give me a story where two people love one another in continually changing ways. Don’t just tell me two people are in love, prove it. Prove to me that they are soulmates, allow them to prove it to each other. 

One of my favorite stories, and I talk about it all the time, is OurImpavidHeroine’s Wuko-verse. She starts with Mako and Wu, weaving this exquisite love story between two people who could not be more different but who love one another and then make it work. They have problems and work through them. Then she introduces this third character Qi who just shoves in and makes themselves at home and now we get to explore what that is like, and how that changes things. She approaches Polyamory not as some kind of kink, it’s not about sex, she just follows these characters in their relationship and love and trust for one another and it’s so organic and beautiful that you can’t help but root for them. She takes your expectations and destroys them, disregards what you thought you were here for, well now you’re here for this! And that, I think is what romance is about. It’s not about Happily Ever After, it’s about How Do They Make It Work. How do they fight for each other, with one another, how do they grow, where do they compromise, how do they raise children, what about career, what about this or that or whatever. She allows them to be real. 

Most romances, I find, don’t allow their characters to be real. To act like real people. I want to read a Cinderella story where she has to adjust and learn to be royalty, how does she go from extreme abuse and poverty to suddenly being in charge of a country? How does he help her? What about the kingdom? How do they feel about having a maid as a queen? I want that story. I’m tired of romances that only exist in the beginning of a relationship. The ‘falling in love’ part. I’m tired of ending at the first kiss. I’m tired of this whispy ‘happily ever after’ bullshit. Give me the grit! Give me the drama! Give! Me! The Meat! 

In Amazon’s Mrs. Maisel, season two see’s her parents trying to reconnect. Her mother runs away to Paris because she finds she has no place or purpose with her husband or daughter anymore. She’s invisible at home so she leaves and finds herself in Paris. Remembers how to be happy and alone once more. When he shows up after he’s done throwing a fit he takes the time to live with her in Paris, to fall in love again, to fall in love with what she loves, to listen to how she feel’s. It’s this beautiful picture of two people in later years learning how to love one another again. That’s the sort of romance I’m here for, not this bubblegum high-school bullshit. Don’t give me Love At First Sight, that’s crap, give me Love After Fifty Years, Love Eventually, Love after War, Love in Spite of Everything. That’s the kind of relationship we’re missing in fiction. 

[sylvaetria]

Tips for Sigils

Anonymous said: Hello! I'm sort of interested in becoming a witch. (I'm still a little skeptical about it, but that's probably normal, right?) I've been looking through your blog and some of the general tumblr tags, and I'm interested in sigils. I was wondering if you could give me some tips on sigils or just witch stuff in general? 

Hey there! 

I’d say skepticism in witchcraft is pretty common, yes, especially when you start. I was at first, too. But once I started seeing my magic in action, getting the results I wanted, and feeling myself becoming, well, magical, the skepticism started going away. Of course, some days are still hard, I start doubting myself again, but being able to see the successes, and even just enjoying what i’m doing completely, really helps make it easier to deal with. 

You definitely came to the right person for sigils though! :D 

I do already have a [Sigil FAQ] post over on my sideblog @sigiliuvenum​ that you should check out, if you haven’t already. 

Besides that, here are some tips! 

▶ Try to be as specific in your intent as you can be. I say this because magic will take any path it can to bring your desires to you, and not all of them are, well, desirable. Say, for instance, you wanted to do a spell for money, and you weren’t so clear about how you got it. Within a couple of weeks, there ends up being an accident, which results in you getting monetary compensation for damages. You still got money, but maybe not from the best of sources. Or, I did a sigil to help me get out of work early - I got let out three minutes before my scheduled shift end. It technically still counts as early, right? 

▷ Allow some time for the sigils to work. They are easy and simple magic, yes, but it may still take some time for it ti manifest in your life. In some cases, a sigil may harbor results immediately, but that is not always the case with every sigil you use. Don’t be disheartened if you get immediate results with one sigil, but it takes some time for the next. I believe that certain intents that have more “impact” take longer to mainfest, but that is just my views. 

▶ Try not to get too discouraged if a particular design is taking a while. I once had to draw over thirty sigils for one intent before I finally found a design that I liked. It can take some time, but the more you practice and work with sigils, the easier it gets. 

▷ If you are just starting working with sigils, I really recommend that you do write down your statement of intent and go from there. I know it is possible to create sigils without it, but it helps keep the intent in your mind as you are working, provides a focus, and breaking down the statement to make the sigil from really helps imbue the design with your intent if you’re not sure how else to do it. 

▶ If you find you are having troubles drawing a specific sigil, try changing the wording for the statement of intent.

▷ Other methods that you can try if a sigil is being particularly stubborn - try an alternative creation method; translate the sentence into another language; use another alphabet besides the one you are using. 

▶ Honestly, even if your sigil creation method works great for you, try using some other ones. It’s fun, and gives you a chance to really explore your style and push the boundaries of your sigils. After all, chaos magic is all about experimentation and trying new things. It certainly can’t hurt, anyway, lol. 

▷ Add whatever you feel is necessary to your sigil for it to be complete, or remove whatever you feel you don’t need. By this I mean - having trouble working in that W? Don’t add it! Need something to balance it out? Try drawing extra dots, circles, or lines! I use dots as a way to add balance to some of my work. Do whatever you feel the sigil needs to finish its design. 

▶ Also, if you’re having difficulty creating sigils with whole letters, try breaking them down into their basic shapes! An A would be / - \, G comes out to be ( -, etc. I honestly prefer doing this, because the sigils end up looking more abstract and arcane, and less like letters thrown together, and that fits my aesthetic. 

▷ Seriously, warp your pieces however you need to in order to make your sigil. 

▶ I have found that liking how the sigil looks can help increase its power for you, much like with tarot decks. It adds another connector between you and the sigil, and it is known that personal connections can make all the difference in magic. 

▷ It also does take some time to build up a “style” with sigils. Looking back on my first year of sigil working, I don’t like any of the designs anymore. And i think that’s okay. As we grow as magic workers, our wants and likes will change for what we are donig, and that is cool. But really, it does take some time to establish a stile of sigil work that you like. Drawing a lot of sigils can help round out your style, but it’s also important not to burn yourself out too! 

▶ On that note, it has been known to happen that one may get tired after drawing a number of sigils in one day. I was once at a point where I could do 16 sigils in a day, and not feel a single ounce of drain; now, I’m lucky if I can get three done. The point is, you may feel drain, you may not, but if you do, it is important to make sure you get some rest - grab yourself a snack and something to drink, get comfy, and do something that makes you happy to recharge. 

▷ While creating a sigil does put energy into it, a sigil should still be charged additionally once it is finished - if only to make sure there is enough energy in it to act out its purpose. 

▶ On the topic of charging, I have found that matching the charging method to the intent has proven great for potent energies. By this I mean, use a fire charging method for a sigil that is for energy or creativity; water is great for emotions of all kind. Of course, whatever you feel is best or will work best for you is the most important thing. 

Alright, that’s what I can think of right now! If you want any info on creation or charging methods, I have a huge list of those, and other general sigil information, in the [Sigil Magic Resources] list over at @sigiliuvenum. You don’t have to read or try them all, of course, but it is handy info to know - just read through a few, look for something you like, and go! 

I hope that helps you anon, best of luck! 

[therandombanjo]

Songs From 2018 (one per artist)

Another mixed bag of stuff i either enjoyed a lot, thought was excellent or interesting (regardless of taste… sort of), emerging artists to maybe look out for, and generally music that for whatever reason connected with me in some way, including the odd earworm i just couldn’t shake. Hope you enjoy some of this too and find something new to be taken by. There’s a spotify playlist (below) for easier listening but for the music that wasn’t on there, i’ve posted links next to them so do check them out! Spotify:

(As ever…. as i don’t tumblr or blog or anything (besides this list), this won’t be seen by many (if any?) people so if you like it or think it’s of any worth in any way, please do share this along)

In Alphabetical order:

The 1975 - Love It If We Made It

700 Bliss - Ring The Alarm         (Moor Mother & DJ Haram collab)  

Advance Base - Your Dog      (Owen Ashworth is a longtime favourite and always love what he puts out. Such a gifted lyricist and such an empathetic deliverer, just always cutting deep, just always sounding uniquely him. The records & artists he’s putting out on his Orindal footprint are really impressive too - Julie Byrne, Gia Margaret, Dear Nora - so do keep an eye out on those releases)

Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert - Quantum Theory Love Song

Alasdair Roberts w/ Amble Skuse & David McGuiness - a. The Fair Flower of Northumberland b. Johnny O’the Brine (One of my favourite records this year, a quietly inventive old folk beaut from one of my favourite singers on earth. Included two as a. exemplifies his singing that i love so much and b. better highlights the inventiveness of the record)

Alison Cotton - All Is Quiet At The Ancient Theatre

Amen Dunes - Miki Dora

Anderson .Paak - 6 Summers

Angelique Kidjo - Once In A Lifetime        (From her complete re-imagining of the Talking Heads classic Remain In Light record, with all her Benin spirit infused)

Anna & Elizabeth - Mother In The Graveyard

Anna Calvi - As A Man

Aphex Twin - T69 Collapse

Aqueduct Ensemble - Cut Grass I

Arctic Monkeys - Four Out Of Five        

Armand Hammer - Alternate Side Parking       (Elucid & Billy Woods)

Arp - Reading a Wave

audiobooks - Call of Duty Free

Barry Walker - Late Heavy Bombardment

Beach House - Dive

Ben Vince - What I Can See     ft. Micachu

Big Red Machine - Forest Green          (Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) & Aaron Dessner (The National) project. I’m likely never not gonna be into Justin’s work, he’s always stretching himself with virtually no regard to expectation and always finding interesting and new spaces)

Birds Of Passage - Another Thousand Eyes

Black Midi - bmbmbm      (Heard about them non-stop all year, about being this incredible live band, and all teenagers, so been intrigued for quite some time. Virtually no online presence, remaining somewhat mysterious, and only a couple of pieces to go by, but curious to see what’s coming from them) https://soundcloud.com/speedywunderground/sw024-black-midi-bmbmbm

Blocks & Escher - One Touch     

Blood Orange - Saint

Bodega - Name Escape

Bonny Doon - I Am Here (I Am Alive)       

Bruce - Elo

Capitol K - Fennel Dance

Cat Power - Stay

Channel Tres - Controller

Chris Carter - Cernubicua

Christina Vantzou - Some Limited and Waning Memory

Christine & the Queens - 5 Dollars

Colter Wall - Wild Dogs

Cool Maritime - Mossage

Cornelia Murr - Man On My Mind

Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain

Damien Jurado - The Last Great Washington State

Daniel Avery - Slow Fade

Daughters - Long Road, No Turns

David Thomas Broughton - Drifting Snow       (An old, unreleased recording lying around, brought out as a seasonal single, and i think it’s beautiful. My favourite live performer, and i would encourage anyone who sees this to check him out both on record and if he's ever in a town near you.) https://davidthomasbroughton.bandcamp.com/track/drifting-snow-seasonal-single

The Dead Tongues - Pale November Dew

Dear Nora - Simulation Feels       (12 years away, and back after renewed interest in their re-issued Mountain Rock LP last year courtesy of Owen Ashworth’s (Advance Base) Orindal Records)

Deux Trois - Roy

DJ Koze - Muddy Funster     ft. Kurt Wagner       (It’s probably fair that “Pick Up” is the best song on the record, but I’m a sucker for Kurt so liked this one a lot too)

Dolphin Midwives - Mirror

Doug Paisley - Drinking With a Friend

Drinks - Real Outside

Durand Jones & The Indications - Don’t You Know

Earl Sweatshirt - Nowhere2go

Earth Eater - Inclined

Emily Fairlight - Body Below      

Empress Of - When I’m With Him

Eric Chenaux - Wild Moon      (Most likely my favourite record from this year, if not any it feels right now. I’m fully begulied by it. Fair play to you if you recognize the sounds you hear as a guitar!)

Erin Rae - Bad Mind      

Erland Cooper - Solan Goose

Ezra Furman - Suck The Blood From My Wound

Fatoumata Diawara - Kanou Dan Yen

Field Report - Every Time

Flasher - Who’s Got Time?

Frog Eyes - Pay For Hire

Fucked Up - a. Normal People or b. Came Down Wrong   ft. Jennifer Castle & J Mascis

Gabe Gurnsey - Ultra Clear Sound

Georgia Anne Muldrow - Blam

Gia Margaret - Groceries     (Wonderful debut on Orindal)

Glenn Jones - The Giant Who Ate Himself

Grouper - Driving

Hailu Mergia - Tizita

Haley Heynderickx - Oom Sha La La

Hatchie - Sure

Helena Hauff - Hyper-Intelligent Genetically Enriched Cyborg

Hen Ogledd - Etheldreda       (The great Richard Dawson’s experimental group, connecting the ancient/medieval with the present in a way that definitely rewards with more listens)

Hermit & The Recluse - Sirens       (New project from the rapper Ka, who continues to fascinate, with producer Animoss. This time the concept record combining his personal street stories with Greek mythology, with Orpheus vs The Sirens)

Hilary Woods - Kith

Homeboy Sandman & Edan - #NeverUseTheInternetAgain       (Nice to hear Edan once again after so long, and especially with a favourite of mine in Homeboy Sandman)

Ian William Craig - Discovered In Flat

Idles - Danny Nedelko         (Probably my favourite song of the year, and one of the most beautiful, impassioned & dearly needed statements of love & community we need right now. The video moved me to damned tears, it’s so beautiful)

The Innocence Mission - Green Bus

Institute of Landscape Architecture - Melting Landscapes       (field recordings documenting Alpine glaciers and their changing landscape) https://landscapearchitecture.bandcamp.com/releases

James Blake - If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead

Janelle Monáe - Make Me Feel

Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Gold Purple Orange

Jeff Tweedy - I Know What It’s Like

Jennifer Castle - Tomorrow’s Mourning

Jenny Hval - Sleep

Jeremy Dutcher - Mehcinut

Jerry David DiCicca - Watermelon

Jessica Pratt - This Time Around         (Massive fan of Jessica and this is without doubt one of my absolute favourite songs this year)

JFDR - My Work (String Version/Live)

John Prine - Summer’s End

Jon Hopkins - Emerald Rush

Joseph Shabason - Forest Run       (From his 2nd record, Anne, a touching record on his mother’s Parkinson’s Disease featuring interviews with her over his ambient, sax-effected work)

JPEGMAFIA - 1539 N. Calvert

Julia Holter - I Shall Love 2

Julia Jacklin - Head Alone

Kacey Musgraves - Slow Burn       (I was late to this record, but i may have listened to it more than any other come December-time.)

Kadhja Bonet - Delphine

Kamasi Washington - Fists of Fury

Kathryn Joseph - From When I Wake The Want Is

Kelsey Lu - Shades Of Blue

Khruangbin - Maria También

Kim Petras - Heart To Break       (There’s actually a chance this is my favourite song of the year)

Kurt Vile - Bassackwards

Lambchop - The December-ish You

Landless - The Trees They Grow Tall

Laura Cannell & André Bosman - Golden Lanes At Dusk

Laurence Pike - Life Hacks

Leikeli47 - Girl Blunt

Let’s Eat Grandma - Falling Into Me

Lisa O’Neil - Factory Girl [trad]        

Lizzo - Boys

Lonnie Holley - I Woke Up In A Fucked-Up America

Louis Cole - Real Life     ft. Brad Mehldau      

Low - Quorum

Lucinda Chua - Whatever It Takes      (experimental cellist & composer who, as well as making expansive, looped soundscapes, also writes and sings in an equally spellbinding fashion)

Lucy Dacus - Night Shift

LUMP - May I Be The Light        (Laura Marling & Tuung’s Mike Lindsay collab)

Maarja Nuut & Ruum - Kuud Kuulama

Maggie Rogers - Fallingwater

Makaya McCraven - Butterss’s

Malibu Ken - Acid King           (Aesop Rock & Tobacco collab)

Marie Davidson - Work It         

Marisa Anderson - Cloud Corner

Mary Lattimore - It Feels Like Floating

Maxine Funke - a. Boy On The Bow or b. One Step a. https://maxinefunke1.bandcamp.com/track/boy-on-the-bow b. https://maxinefunke1.bandcamp.com/track/one-step

Mich Cota - Kijà/Care                (Two-spirit Canadian Algonquin artist who, after seeing her supporting Baby Dee at Cafe Oto very recently, had me excited for the bangers to come!)

Michael Nau - Funny Wind

Milo - Stet

Miss Red - Dagga

Mitski - Nobody

Moses Sumney - Rank and File

Moulay Ahmed El Hassani - Yak Ennas Mlklil Darou Labas 

Mount Eerie - Tintin In Tibet      

Mountain Man - Rang Tang Ring Toon      (8 years since their last record, and so good to hear their harmonies once again. Ever as beautiful and transportive, but this time more wiser. It’s a really lovely record and such a needed balm)

Nap Eyes - Every Time The Feeling

Nathan Bowles - Now If You Remember          (Didn’t know this was a cover, originally by Julie Tippetts, but it lodged itself in my head pretty good. Aquarium Drunkard rightly suggested an album or two back that, if Banjo Futurism is a thing then Nathan Bowles would likely be leading the pack. The remainder of this record definitely reflects that)

Nathan Salsburg - Impossible Air

The Necks - Body https://thenecksau.bandcamp.com/album/body

Neko Case - Hell-On

Nils Frahm - My Friend The Forest

Noname - Ace       ft. Saba & Smino

Nostrum Grocers - ‘98 gewehr         (Milo & Elucid collab)

Oliver Coates - A Church

The Orielles - Bobbi’s Second World

The Other Years - Red-Tailed Hawk

Ought - Desire

Our Native Daughters - Mama’s Cryin’ Long      (New group project with Rhiannon Giddens, of Carolina Chocolate Drops, inspired by New World slave narratives and reclaiming/restoring black women’s stories)

Panda Bear - Dolphin

Parquet Courts - Wide Awake

Penelope Trappes - Burn On

Peter Broderick - Words Of Love       (An unreleased Arthur Russell song Peter got to record after befriending friends and family of the great man. Part of a free album Peter released of Arthur Russell covers at Christmas featuring one other unreleased song. Do check it, it’s lovely)

Phosphorescent - Christmas Down Under        (I could pick many from this record, but the sci-fi-like presence in the vocals gives it a strangeness and position i really loved)

Preoccupations - Espionage

Pusha T - Come Back Baby

Richard Swift - Broken Finger Blues        (Such a dear and sad loss. I actually included this song a few years ago when Aquarium Drunkard featured it, so feel like i should select a different one from this most-recent record.... but dammit if it doesn’t highlight the very best of Swift’s talents).

Richmond Fontaine - Horses In Las Vegas https://richmondfontaine.bandcamp.com/track/horses-in-las-vegas

Robby Hecht & Caroline Spence - Over You

Rocheman - Parades I & II        (Caught/discovered Rocheman supporting Jenny Hval earlier this year in a church, and was really into it so I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here)

Rosali - I Wanna Know

Rosalía - Pienso en Tu Mirá

Rosanne Cash - She Remembers Everything

Roy Montgomery - Outsider Love Ballad No. 1   ft. Katie Von Schleicher

Saba - Life

Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes - BOA

Sam Lee & Peter Wiegold - Rambling Boys

Sandro Perri - In Another Life 

Sarah Davachi - Third Hour

Sarah Louise - Bowman’s Root

The Scorpios - Mashena

The Sea & Cake - Any Day

Seabuckthorn - Disentangled

Seán Mac Erlaine - Cotter’s Dream

Serpentwithfeet - Bless Ur Heart

Shad - Magic    ft. Lido Pimienta

Shannon & The Clams - The Boy

Shit & Shine - You Were Very High

Sidi Touré - Djirbi Mardjie

Sidney Gish - I Eat Salads Now

Snail Mail - Heat Wave

SOB x RBE - Paid In Full

Soccer Mommy - Your Dog

Sons of Kemet - My Queen Is Harriet Tubman

Sophie Hunger - I Opened A Bar

Sophie Hutchings - Repose

Sorry GIrls - Waking Up

Sourakata Koita - Ha-Madi     (I don’t usually include too many - if any - reissues, but i love kora music and this record, “en Hollande” (’84), was a great discovery this year)

Stella Donnelly - Boys Will Be Boys      (I was sure i had this in last year’s list when it was a single, but appears not so including it now with the album release).

Steven A. Clark - Feel This Way

Suuns - Make it Real

Swamp Dogg - Answer Me, My Love

Szun Waves - Constellation

Terje Isungset - Blue Horizon     ft. Maria Skranes   (all the music is played by intruments made of ice)

Theo Alexander - Matter of Balance

Tierra Whack - Black Nails or Hungry Hippo      (A record of 15 one-minute tracks, full of ideas and all kinds of fun. Check out the “Whack World” short film for the record) 

Tim Hecker - Keyed Out

Tinashe - Throw A Fit     (Came across this song randomly via a Youtube video of dancer Jojo Gomez, and the attitude of it all just kind of thrilled me)

Tirzah - Gladly

Toby Hay - Bears Dance

Tom Demac & Real Lies - White Flowers

Tomberlin - Seventeen

Tracey Thorn - Queen

Tracyanne & Danny - It Can’t Be Love Unless It Hurts    (I think, actually, that Jacqueline off the record would edge my choice here, but i needed a little more Tracyanne (Camera Obscura) in here to highlight the two of them)

Tropical Fuck Storm - You Let My Tyres Down     (Aussie band made up of various Aussie bands, most recognizably Gareth Liddiard of The Drones, with an excellent debut record “A Laughing Death In Meatspace” that along with their name fits the music on this record. It’s acerbic, feral, sardonic, and plain great)

Ty Segall - Every 1′s A Winner        (Just an absolute killer Hot Chocolate cover, of all things!)

Ursula K. Le Guin & Todd Barton - Heron Dance

Valee - Womp Womp     ft. Jeremih

Valotihkuu - Walking Through Dew Drops On The Lawn

Vera Sola - Small Minds

Vince Staples - FUN!

Virginia Wing - The Second Shift

Witch Project - Manifest

Womans Hour - Don’t Speak       (So great to hear them finally return)

Wooden Shjips - Red Line

Y La Bamba - Mujeres

Yo La Tengo - a. You Are Here and b. Ashes

Yoshinori Hayashi - Overflow

Zilla With Her Eyes Shut - Whatever It Is