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tigerkirby215 · 3 years

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Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything subclass Tier List

(Artwork from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Posted by @robmichel_art on Twitter. Copyright Wizards of the Coast.)

I was going to make some comparison posts between the UAs and the full release of Tasha’s but other more qualified people are doing that, so instead in my continued effort to pretend that this account is for more than just me satisfy my character building obsession I decided to make a little tier list ranking the subclasses from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything from my least favorite to my favorite.

This list is going to be comparing the subclasses from Tasha’s to each-other, but is also going to be comparing the subclasses to the other available subclasses for the class they’re from. So even if I really like a subclass it’ll lose points if the class already had better options. I’m not going to talk about any of the reprinted classes from Eberron or Ravnica but I will talk about the reprinted Theros subclasses (Eloquence Bard / Glory Paladin) as for many people this will be their first time seeing them.

Also it goes without saying but this is just my opinion! So sorry if you really like the next class you’re about to see because it’s at the bottom of my tier list!

F TIER

Psi Warrior (Fighter)

Well something had to be the worst. Truthfully I really wasn’t interested in the Psi Warrior during UA but wow its full release leaves a lot to be desired.

First let’s get the obvious out of the way: “Worse Battlemaster LUL!” It is laughable how bad this subclass is when compared to Battlemaster. BM gets to give itself advantage, give allies advantage, move allies, fear enemies, grapple enemies, give enemies disadvantage... and by comparison Psi Warriors get to do a little more damage or reduce a bit of incoming damage.

The fact that this subclass requires Intelligence confuses me to no end. They changed both Rune Knight and Soul Knife to not require intelligence (even though Rogues are kinda expected to have good Intelligence to help with skill checks) but Psi Warrior still needs INT? It amazes me that Battlemaster, Rune Knight, and Echo Knight are all SAD (single ability dependent) yet Psi Warrior of all subclasses is the one they consider too strong if you can min-max.

The biggest problem with this class by far is the Psionic Energy Die. Having your main class resource only come back after a Long Rest is insulting. (It’s the problem that Samurai Fighter has had since it was printed and it’s really sad that Wizards of the Coast didn’t learn from that.) While Battlemaster gets bigger die that have more effects which come back on a short rest Psi Warrior can only recharge one die per short rest. Honestly this subclass would be so much better if you regained Psionic Energy Die when using Second Wind (as well as having a dedicated action for it) so at least then you could have more than one die per short rest.

The only good level in this subclass is level 7, entirely because you get to Fly when you Dash. I mean, sure the UA Dragon Monk can also do that but at least this is in the official rules. Everything else that this subclass gets is weak: Telekinetic Thrust lets you do what Battlemasters were doing at level 3, Guarded Mind is just bad (Monk? Never heard of ‘em!), Bulwark of Force is mediocre at best (I know like 3 people who actually understand how cover works in 5e), and Telekinetic Master is a laughably weak capstone. Your capstone as a Fighter is a situational 5th level spell that takes away your ability to attack? Meanwhile actual spellcasters are casting 9th level spells, and other martials are doing upwards of 50 damage per turn.

At first I was largely indifferent to the Psi Warrior but after reading over all its abilities its laughable how bad it is. It at least surpasses Purple Dragon Knight in terms of mediocrity (ironic considering that the two of them are beside each-other on D&D Beyond) but it’s the only true stinker of Tasha’s, and it gets the honor of being the second weakest Fighter subclass and the weakest subclass in this book.

D TIER

Aberrant Mind (Sorcerer)

This is the best subclass to play if your only desire is to cast spells, and I mean that in the worst possible way. While every other Sorcerer has a defined class role Aberrant Mind feels like the most generic milk-toast subclass that you pick simply because you didn’t know what to play. While Clockwork Soul defends, Divine Soul heals, Draconic Bloodline blasts, Shadow Magic sneaks, Storm Sorcerer evades, and Wild Magic does memes Aberrant Mind’s only major strengths come online at level 14+.

Telepathy at level 1 is a joke when compared to the other Sorcerers. CS can negate advantage, DS gets Super Bless on top of access to the Cleric spell list, DB gets free Mage Armor, SM gets super Darkvision and the Half Orc racial trail, SS gets goddamn flight, and WM gets to kill the party at level 1 with a level 3 fireball. Meanwhile AM gets the Message cantrip with a longer range.

Psionic Sorcery is okay. Getting cheaper* (citation needed) spells that you can Subtle Spell for free is alright. The subclass spell list is good and seeing as you can sub out the spell to take better ones if needed you can really get some useful magic for your kit.

SPELLS TO LOOK AT AS AN ABBERANT MIND SORCERER

LEVEL 1

Dissonant Whispers is honestly a really good spell to have, but Arms of Hadar is a bit situational. If willing you can swap it out with: the utility Divination spells (Detect Magic / Identity - remember that Sorcerers can’t Ritual cast so it might be better for someone else to take these), Hex, Sleep, or Tasha’s Hideous Laughter.

LEVEL 2

Gift of Gab from Acquisitions Incorporated is either going to be a complete joke of a spell or the most useful spell in your arsenal. Hold Person is the most obvious choice from second level. Tasha’s Mind Whip is a great single-target damage spell with some added utility, and is almost objectively better than Mind Spike because it doesn’t require Concentration.

LEVEL 3

Both Hunger of Hadar and Sending are great spells, and there really aren’t a lot of Divination / Enchantment spells at third level. The only one I can really recommend is Tongues if you need the utility.

LEVEL 4

Evard’s Black Tentacles and Summon Aberration are both extremely strong spells, but if you want to replace them for some reason: Arcane Eye is essentially just a better familiar, Confusion is a great AoE disruption spell, and Locate Creature can be useful in a pinch.

LEVEL 5

Honestly the spell list really opens up at 5th level. Just about any choice is good, so look on D&D Beyond to see what to take. If you know me I’m going to recommend Synaptic Static.

Psychic Defenses, like with Psi Warrior, seems to have been taped onto the class because WoTC realized how weak it was so they just threw more situational garbage into its kit to compensate.

Revelation in Flesh is pretty much the only good ability you get. And granted there’s some insane utility with this ability. Not-quite-Blindsense, fly speed (best one), swim speed (worst one), and the folding ability that I’m sure will result in some interesting stories on Reddit. Warping Implosion is also a great escape-utility ability but like it’s your 18th level capstone of course it was going to be good.

If I was going to play in a level 20 one shot I’d perhaps roll up a level 20 Aberrant Mind. (Or more like a level 18 Aberrant Mind with 2 levels in Warlock because Sorcerer’s level 20 capstone sucks lol.) But unless I knew the campaign was going to at least level 15 I wouldn’t even bother.

Oath of the Watchers (Paladin)

It was boring in UA and it’s boring now. I feel bad that I have so little to say about Oath of the Watchers, especially after writing massive paragraphs about Psi Warrior and Aberrant Mind. But Oath of the Watchers feels like the worst parts of Arcana Cleric to me. Only difference is that while Arcana Cleric gets Wizard spells you get Moonbeam and help with Initiative. This subclass feels more campaign-specific than PHB Ranger and that’s really saying something.

Swarmkeeper (Ranger)

It’s certainly the most unique Ranger, both in terms of concept and in terms of abilities. It actually has a lot of utility with a good spell list and the Gathered Swarm feature providing a lot of great utility to a martial character. The thing is that in all honesty this subclass is kinda boring until level 15. And the other big problem is that the fantasy and roleplay that this subclass provides is so strange. When you think “Ranger” do you think master of the hunt, traveling through multiple dimensions and slaying powerful foes from the shadows with a tamed beast at their side? Or do you think “hurr durr bugzzz”?

This subclass feels like the one you pick when you've played literally every other subclass available, or when you get them from a random character generator. Ironically enough I do actually have a friend who made a Swarmkeeper for a one-shot I ran back when this subclass was in UA. But the fact that they made the character just to test UA shows just the type of characters that will be made with this subclass.

Way of Mercy (Monk)

You either love it or you’re completely indifferent, is what I have found the general opinion of Way of Mercy to be. Guess which camp I’m in. This subclass literally just feels like a Cleric with mobility whose healing comes back on a short rest. Time will see how OP “I can heal every turn and get my Cure Wounds back on a Short Rest” not-Cleric will be, but until then the subclass is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. For the people who wanted to play a healing Monk I’m happy for them.

Path of the Beast (Barbarian)

If I can sum up Path of the Beast in one word it’s “underwhelming.” Form of the Beast gives you three above-average weapons to choose from, Bestial Soul gives you some movement buffs, Infectious Fury lets you do some decent crowd control or damage spiking, and Call the Hunt lets you buff your party.

The thing is... you’re fighting against “resist all damage” (Totem Warrior), “protect your allies with your JoJo Stand” (Ancestral Guardian), “smite with the wrath of God” (Zealot), or “shoot lightning out of your goddamn chest.” (Storm Herald.) It’s not a bad subclass and honestly compared to some of the existing Barbarians (Beserker, Battlerager, and honestly Storm Herald is bad too) it’s pretty strong. But it’s just so, so boring.

I need to preface this by saying that Barbarian is probably my least favorite class in 5e and for what it’s worth I’m certainly more interested in playing Path of the Beast than say Battlerager, but I can’t help but feel that this subclass just lets you hit things better as the class that does nothing other than hit things. The only real positive I see to this subclass is the flavor, which absolutely carries it above the likes of Totem Warrior and Zealot. (Both of which I think are objectively stronger than Beast Barbarian.)

Clockwork Soul (Sorcerer)

It been mostly unchanged from playtest even though as I stated Clockwork Soul was one of the subclasses I was a little worried about. But even then the subclass just feels so boring to me. It seems like this subclass is entirely designed to be the “no fun allowed” character who just says “No U” to everything the DM does. Don’t get me wrong it’s certainly a strong defensive subclass but I feel like if you want to play a defensive spellcaster you’re more likely to play an Abjuration Wizard or a Cleric in general.

And the lore just doesn’t really click for me? I can understand how you’d have dragon blood magic, shadow soul magic, and celestial infusion magic. But how the heck do you get a Clockwork Soul? I know Mechanus is a thing in D&D but I feel like for the average normie this won’t make any sense.

Also RIP in piss Heat Metal from the subclass spell list. Here’s my suggestion for spells if you want to play a CSS:

LEVEL 1 - Absorb Elements, Armor of Agathys, Featherfall, Mage Armor, Shield

LEVEL 2 (Aid and Lesser Restoration are good but Aid chews through your spell slots) - Enhance Ability, Enlarge / Reduce

LEVEL 3 - Blink, Counterspell, Fly, Gaseous Form, Haste, Slow

LEVEL 4 (Tasha’s Summoning Spells are good but Freedom of Movement is highly situational) - Banishment, Polymorph

LEVEL 5 - Animate Objects, Passwall

C TIER

College of Creation (Bard)

It has a lot of interesting abilities. Performance of Creation in particular is arguably one of the strongest abilities for someone who knows the equipment page well in the PHB. The problem is just that unless you have a very specific build in mind I don’t really know why you’d play the College of Creation? It feels like a Conjuration Wizard... but it’s a Bard. Perhaps the biggest irony is how much stronger this subclass feels when compared to the Conjuration Wizard, but you really have to be in the mood to play a conjurer.

Oath of Glory (Paladin)

Having some experience playing this subclass in a one-shot (Theros yay!): it’s very hit-or-miss. The spell list is amazing, the Channel Divinities are mediocre at best, the aura is garbage (10 foot +10 movement aura LUL), Glorious Defense is insane, and Living Legend is a capstone ability so of course it’s going to be good.

I think the main reason you’ll pick this subclass is for their subclass spells. And don’t get me wrong: Guiding Bolt and Haste are crazy good. But considering that Paladins usually want to blow everything on Smites?

When I played this character it was a 9 level dip into Paladin with a 3 level dip into Warlock. I didn’t use a melee weapon and opted for Eldritch Blast spamming. And that’s essentially this subclass as a whole: it wants you to be a spellcaster, which is great if you multiclass into a spellcaster (Aura of Protection is always good) but it feels bad as an actual Paladin.

The new Fighting Style that lets you get some cantrips as a Paladin might make this subclass better, but you’re still stuck being a half caster. Can’t escape the feeling that an actual caster would be better.

Path of Wild Magic (Barbarian)

It’s fun, is all I can really say. The subclass is built almost entirely around the Wild Surge table you get at level 3 and all the effects are strong. (Thankfully none of them are OP like in UA.) Unstable Backlash means that with luck you should eventually get a good Wild Magic effect.

The use of a d3 for Bolstering Magic is still a crime. It should just be a d4, with the spell slot restoration thing being “reroll on a 4.” (Or better yet: “roll a d4 and take half the roll, rounded up.” I still think having an RNG chance to get back a Haste or Fireball is a bit too strong.)

B TIER

Fey Wanderer (Ranger)

All I can say is thank god this subclass got better. It went from a weird pseudo-Paladin to a subclass with its own identity and theme. The only ability that’s really weak currently is Dreadful Strikes since it encourages you to spread out your damage for no particular reason. Horizon Walker had a similar problem but you could still focus damage as Horizon Walker. And you were doing more than a d4 of extra damage.

But beyond that this subclass is great! The subclass spell list is very strong. Otherworldly Glamour gives you some utility as a party face. Beguiling Twist... is honestly a little hit-or-miss. But it’s made up for by Fey Reinforcements and Misty Wanderer. Having a non-concentration summoning spell along with near-unlimited Misty Step is so insanely powerful to keep out of harm and to keep your DPS up.

Fey Wanderer seems really good at a lot of the things a Ranger wants to do. It’s a good skill monkey (being good at Charisma which other Rangers usually aren’t), a good damage dealer, a strong defensive support, a great single-unit summoner, and incredibly slippery and mobile. I don’t know if it’s enough to make me play the class (Ranger’s flavor is still iffy for me overall) but it’s definitely on my list for subclasses to try someday!

Order of the Scribes (Wizard)

Order of the Scribes is the best default Wizard, which is its biggest strength and its largest weakness. Getting a free colored pen is fun and flavorful, being able to get all your spells back if you lose your spellbook is insanely useful, always having an Arcane Focus is great, being able to replace the damage type of your spells is MASSIVE, getting to cast a Ritual Spell with its normal casting time is situationally fantastic.

Getting what essentially amounts to a free familiar is amazing. Getting what essentially amounts to a free spell slot (to upcast a second level spell) is great, and is honestly worth multiclassinging into for a lot of classes. Being able to negate incoming damage as a Wizard (IE squishy d6 hit die baby) is huge, even if you lose a lot of spells in the process. (I assure you by level 14 you’re going to have some useless spells that you’re never going to cast.)

But the problem with Order of the Scribes is that it has to compete with Divination, Evocation, Chronurgy, and War Wizard. If you have any specific build you want to go for then the specific schooled subclasses are better. But if you “just want to cast spells or whatever” Order of the Scribes is a lot of fun.

I actually have a character who’d fit Order of the Scribes very well, it’s just that Chronurgy feels so much more fun even if it doesn’t fit him as well. And that’s literally the exact problem with Order of the Scribes summed up in one anecdote.

Peace Domain (Cleric)

You may be forgiven for thinking this subclass is just a Life Cleric that doesn’t wear Heavy Armor, but the Emboldening Bond and the upgrades it gets are incredibly useful. Protective Bond in particular is such a massive power boost to the tanks of your party, giving them mobility and letting them take damage for squishy allies.

Peace Domain is by far the best party buffing spellcaster. They make everyone else amazing, and while that may not be fun for everyone I’m a garbage Yuumi main so it’s right up my alley.

Circle of Wildfire (Druid)

“iT dOeSn’T hAvE fIrEbAlL aNyMoRe It’S bAd BeCaUsE nO fIrEbAlL” oh get over your Fireball fetish Reddit. Circle of Wildfire is carried pretty much entirely by its flavor. It’s such a unique take on a Druid it’s impossible not to find at least some build to make with this subclass.

That’s not to say that it’s a bad subclass! The summon feels weak but you get two of them per short rest. Having a powerful subclass feature tied to short rests is really nice as a spellcaster. All your other features are very useful and flavorful, though my one complaint is that Cauterizing Flames is hard to use in Theater of the Mind.

It’s just a very fun and unique subclass that offers a unique flavor to Druids that they don’t normally have. I’m sure a lot of players will be motivated to try a Druid just to take a crack at this class. Hopefully they realize that only you can prevent forest fires.

A TIER

Phantom (Rogue)

I’m actually surprised how much I like this class to be honest. I made a Phantom Rogue once as a joke for a one-shot and to my surprise the subclass is actually very powerful and fun! It surprisingly just feels like a better Rogue, but considering how strong Rogues are normally that’s all the better for Phantom Rogue. You can easily fill any skill proficiencies your party needs thanks to Whispers of the Dead, and Wails from the Grave really lets you increase your DPS.

Tokens of the Departed got a major boost from UA since it now lets you use Wails from the Grave more, but the flavor of being able to ask the souls of the dead for information is also great. Ghost Walk is just insanely useful in general, and Death’s Friend lets you do double Sneak Attack damage every turn! Imagine how much damage you’d do with a crit!

The flavor is the one thing that I think hurts this subclass, as it’s really hard to make essentially an undead Rogue without immediately being labeled as an edgelord. But if a party ever needs a Rogue to do all the things that a Rogue does this character is perfect!

I’m personally awaiting the day to bring back Bill, the Undead Kobold Detective.

Way of the Astral Self (Monk)

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JoJo subclass. I like JoJo. This subclass was overpowered in UA but the final release manages to capture the same feeling without being broken. Let’s go over the features one by one:

Arms of the Astral Self gives you a JoJo stand rush against everyone close to you, letting you recreate the flavor of JooJ without breaking action economy too much. But being able to prioritize Wisdom is huge to keep your Stunning Strike DC high while still getting good attack damage. But it’s still not OP since Dexterity is tied to your AC. It’s perhaps a little strong for multiclass builds (you can use your spellcasting modifier to attack) but multiclassing into Monk has always been kinda iffy, and Shillelagh has existed since the PHB was released. It should also be said that having Reach weapons as a Monk is huge, since you don’t have to get the Mobile feat to do hit-and-run.

Visage of the Astral Self is a nice social feature for a subclass that doesn’t normally get social features. Body of the Astral Self gives you more defense and offense. And Awakened Astral Self just further increases your defense and offense.

Excluding weeb shit this subclass just has awesome flavor. I’m actually planning on playing this subclass soon. (I’m playing a Cleric / Monk multiclass and I’m only level 2 in Monk currently.) I’m surprised myself that my first Astral Self character isn’t a fucking JoJo OC, considering that I already have a grand total of about 5 JoJo OCs.

Twilight Domain (Cleric)

Twilight domain also surprised me with how interesting it is. I don’t really have much to say other than it has a good mix of defensive, offensive, and utility abilities. Your subclass spell list is very strong for the most part. Eyes of Night and Vigilant Blessing are both just generally useful. Twilight Sanctuary isn’t insane but it’s consistent and it’s nice. Steps of Night is very strong and has a nice aesthetic. And Twilight Shroud is a good boost to your Channel Divinity.

The honest truth is that Twilight Domain feels kinda weak by comparison to some of the other Clerics. It’s no Forge, Grave, Life, or even Order Domain is all I can say. The fact that all your features only work in the dark is iffy if you don’t have shadows to sulk in. But along with just generally having good abilities the flavor is really what carries this subclass.

Here’s a meme:

Armorer (Artificer)

Artificer is one of my favorite classes so it’s no surprise that a new Artificer subclass excites me. Armorer fills a niche that I think Artificer didn’t have, and surprisingly it’s not the “tank” archetype. Armorer is still a good tank but the Infiltrator armor also gives you an option to play the subclass at range.

What I like is that Armorer is a subclass that doesn’t have a summon and puts more focus on your infusions. Armor Modifications is such a great feature that really brings the customization to Artificer. It truly lets you make your character your own instead of focusing on concrete class features. It doesn’t surpass Warlock Invocations for customizability, but it’s still great to get two personal magic items of your choice.

Yeah this subclass is going to be used a lot for min-maxing. Giving Wizards easy access to Heavy Armor is a little scary. But really if a Wizard wants to take a 3 level dip just for armor and the Guidance cantrip let them. Let the squishy boys have some AC for once.

Circle of Stars (Druid)

Full disclosure: I’ve been wanting to make a Stars Druid after the Rise of the Mountain expansion came to Legends of Runeterra. My first Druid had Telepathy (I took the Telepathic feat as a joke since I had a floating ability score) and it helped me realize how crazy a Druid with telepathy was for espionage. After seeing The Trickster celestial card from LoR I felt the artwork hit all three of my qualifiers for a character: class I want to play, great theme, and furry.

(Artwork by Kudos Productions. Made for Riot Games.)

My personal interest in this subclass aside: it has such a wonderful aesthetic that’s perfect for any character who wants an astral connection. The features are also great: Guiding Bolt is a strong spell to have as is Guidance, and having reactionary Bardic Inspirations is nice for a spellcaster.

But of course the main feature of Starry Form lets you still play the game normally while also benefitting from your Wild Shapes. Stars Druid is probably the second best Wildshape Druid despite not actually Wildshaping. Free Bonus Action attacks is huge, extra healing is always helpful, help with concentration (and Flight later) is really swell, and resisting all damage while not-Wildshaped is very helpful and lets you play as a pseudo Frontliner.

Stars Druid just does so many nice things and I think it’s a great subclass that can fit into any team comp. Druids are already insanely useful (arguably one of the strongest classes in 5e) so to have one that can do so much is massive.

Soulknife (Rogue)

Much like Phantom Rogue this subclass feels just really good in general. You can boost your skill checks and also add not-Bardic Inspiration to your attack rolls to do more guaranteed damage. However this subclass is by far the best Rogue for infiltration. Yes: even better than Assassin. (Though I’d perhaps suggest learning how to use a Disguise Kit.) 1 mile telepathy, teleportation, and invisibility all seem to be built for infiltration. If you have a DM who likes infiltration, espionage, and other encounters that don’t involve combat then Soulknife is by far the best subclass on offer.

But of course you aren’t picking Soulknife just to sneak around! The Psychic Blades are easily the most useful feature not just for Rogues, but for many builds! Having an unlimited supply of thrown weapon suddenly makes a lot more builds viable. My dreams of a ranged Paladin or ranged Barbarian are somewhat crushed by RAW, but there are still some niches that can be filled with unlimited throwing weapons.

Fun fact: you can’t do extra Rage damage with thrown weapons, but you can use Reckless Attack on thrown Finesse weapons. What’s more interesting is that you can’t use Divine Smite on thrown weapons, but you can use Improved Divine Smite on thrown weapons. But of course you can always talk to your DM to see what their final ruling is.

Rune Knight (Fighter)

You can become Giant which makes my stupid furry ass horny for Volibear and Nasus.

I mean I’ve gotta be honest like 75% of the reason I’m hyped for Rune Knight is to become a giant. But the runes are also very strong, giving the subclass some Battlemaster-esque gimmicks that have a bit more magical flavor than the other martials. I also really like that the subclass gets boosts to their skills, allowing you to help out of combat as a Fighter.

There isn’t much I can specifically praise about Rune Knight because the whole subclass is fantastic. It’s a very good mix of defense, offense, and utility both in and out of combat.

The Fathomless (Warlock)

Sheeyutu Nagakabouros. Nagakabouros-shee-shok.

Having played a Fathomless Warlock in UA I can safely say: it’s a good subclass. Having a consistent source of Bonus Action damage is nice, and being able to use it defensively is also great. Extra spells known as a Warlock is nice (and Evard’s Black Tentacles is a great spell!) And a teleport with a mile distance is rather crazy.

So much of the subclass is built around the tentacle which is great because the tentacle is such a great Bonus Action damage source. I really wish I had more to say but the power of this subclass starts and ends at how great having what amounts to an extra Eldritch Blast as a Bonus Action every turn is.

S TIER

College of Eloquence (Bard)

Yup. One of the best subclasses in this book was also in Theros. It helps that my favorite D&D character of all time was a College of Eloquence Bard.

This subclass got so much better since UA. Reliable Talent for Charisma checks at level 3 is fucking nuts! And on top of that Unsettling Words is a great way to soften enemies up for devastating spells. Universal Speech at 6th level pretty much singlehandedly enables the “peaceful” route with a lot of enemies, allowing you to talk your way out of problems.

But this bard is the king of inspiration! Unfailing Inspiration fixes the biggest problem with the Bard class, and Infectious Inspiration multiplies your Bardic Inspiration to a ridiculous degree. This Bard is just so reliably fantastic at Bard things, all while still being a full spellcaster that can make it harder for enemies to deal with spellcasters. It doesn’t get anything special from its subclass but you only got 3 features from your subclass as a Bard anyways. Baseline Bards are amazing and the insurance on your features from this subclass makes it all the better.

The Genie (Warlock)

If the fact that I stick Warlock levels into literally every build didn’t prove it I really like Warlocks, and Genie Warlock is easily the best Warlock subclass. Period. I actually have a post in the works where I go in-depth as to why Genie Warlock is so good. But in short:

Being able to choose between four subclass spell lists is crazy good. Like ridiculously good. A single level in this subclass gives you a Bag of Holding, a (single person) Leomund’s Tiny Hut, and a damage boost to all your attacks every turn!

6th level gives you damage resistance which is always good, but I seriously can not stress how ridiculous non-concentration Flight is for a Warlock. Your spell selection and spell slots are already so limited, and this subclass lets you get all the utility of flight pretty much whenever you please. Just think about how strong Aaracokra are and then consider that this is basically the Aaracokra’s only racial trait.

Sanctuary Vessel lets you upgrade your Leomund’s Tiny Hut power to affect the whole party. By this point you can indeed Long Rest in the lamp, and I need to stress how less suspicious a lone lamp is to a giant bubble of magical force. You could easily hide the lamp somewhere and (if the party is traveling light) be practically undetectable.

Oh and Limited Wish? So you know how the best feature of the Bard is their Magical Secrets? What if you got to choose (practically) any spell of 6th level or lower whenever you please? The only “problem” with Limited Wish is that you have to know every spell that you can pick from, but whenever “too much choice” is a problem in a game of infinite choices you know it’s a good feature.

Genie Warlocks do everything that Warlocks want to do so well. More damage on all your attacks to maximize the value of cantrip spamming, mobility to keep safe without spending spell slots, more high level spells, and giving the party a safe place to rest and recharge. I played a full Genie Warlock and absolutely loved it. I highly recommend this subclass to anyone who wants to play a Warlock. It’s just so versatile and useful I’m sure anyone can find a way to enjoy playing it.

#Tasha's Cauldron of Everything #ranking #tier list #dnd #dnd 5e

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alonelysimp · 3 years

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❧ Fun Facts

Albedo and Sucrose kinnie** (I'll list the rest ig)

If you know what time zone, I'm in no u don't its 4am and I'm making tortellini (my sleep schedule matches that of "normal" in AEDT/EST Australia, I use/post in EST/EDT since its arguably the most popular in America)

if you make a vine reference I will marry u on the spot /p

there's a good chance I've seen an anime even if it isn't listed on my carrd, but whether or not I remember much of it is a completely different story

I've been rping as Barbara for... months now. Originally, it was on my Barbara main genshin acct but... she's my rp character of choice now ;;

❧ Spotify stats

my top artists according to Spotify <3

Yu-Peng Chen BABYMETAL ヨルシカ / Yorushika Reol BAND-MAID LADYBABY Maretu Araki The Longest Johns Moe Shop

Top Genres

Idol Rock / Kawaii Metal Pop / Indie pop / Post-teen pop Shanty Vocaloid Otacore J-pop / J-pixie

Top Tracks

Lobby Music (Kahoot) Snow-Buried Tales (Yu-Peng Chen) Envy Baby (Raon Lee) L'arrivo Della Signora (Yu-Peng Chen) Never Coming Back (Evan Call)

❧ Simp List

Tartaglia/Childe Ayaka Signora Xinyan Amber *Childe is the only one i self ship tho <3

❧ Other Accts

Art blog is @dango-ylan (same stuff as on my ig)

Shitposts and the like @grass-cant-save-me

Instagram is your.local.astronomy.nerd

uh my carrd is here !! [ x ]

❧ Tone tags

(ones i need are marked since I listed all I might use on this blog, I usually assume /j)

Full list here [ x ] (not mine)

/j - joking

/hj - half joking

/nsrs - not serious

/srs - serious *

/s - sarcastic

/gen - genuine *

/nm - not mad

/lu - little upset *

/lh - lighthearted

/nbh - nobody here

/rh (or /rt) - rhetorical *

/t - teasing

/ref - reference

/ij - inside joke

/c - copypasta

/p - platonic

/r - romantic

/sx - sexual intent

/nsx - non-sexual intent

/pos - positive connotation *

/neg - negative connotation *

/neu - neutral connotation

please be respectful and don't use the incorrect tag on purpose "as a joke" to confuse people

❧ Kin list

(vaguely in order from most to least)

Albedo

Sucrose

Varian (t:ts/rta)

Pidge (vld)

Alice (genshin)

Kaeya

Kenma (hq)

Traveler (genshin, specifically Lumine)

Zhongli

Saiki (Saiki k)

Killua (hxh)

Gorou

Hange (aot)

Migi (Parasyte)

Yuri Plisetsky (yoi)

Back to navigation [ x ]

#masterlist

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commenter2 · 3 years

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Rivet and Clank bio pic review

This is a post going over the pics of Rivet and Clank.

Ill start with Rivet first since it just came out: https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/1387391407971704836

On a small note the tweet itself states that Rivet has maker skills, which kinda reminds me of how originally the plot for Into the Nexus had the Lombaxes returning and how the Lombaxes were placed in different factions like warrior, pilot, and mechanic and I feel like this could be a reference to that.

The first pic is of Rivet and on the bottom left side of it reads “Trust no bot”.

That quote is interesting as it makes me believe that along with constantly dealing with robots hunting her down, maybe she had a robot friend like Clank but it betrayed her to Emperor Nefarious and maybe as a result she lost her arm while escaping ? Maybe that small robot in the trailer that was next to Nefarious when he said Emperor was her Clank ? I wonder how this will effect her relationship with Clank, I mean they are working together but maybe she has trust issues with him during their adventure ?

The next pic is of her hammer, which is just a hammer version of Ratchet’s wrench given it literally has the excat same traits as it. I wonder though if this means the hammer will have a special mechanic just like the kinetic tether on Ratchet’s wrench ?

The next one is a bit surprising as its revealed that Rivet’s base seen in the trailer is on Sargasso. It makes sense as Nefarious hates organic life forms so what better place to hide from him then on a planet rich with organic life forms. It also explains why she is fighting that bug shaped vehicle in the new trailer as she is probably trying to prevent her hideout from being revealed to the forces of Nefarious.

The last pic shows that she wants to save the omniverse from tyrants like Nefarious. We also see her performing her version of the hyper-strike on what I think could be AU versions of Puffoids (from the 2002 and 2016 games) that live in lava.

There is also a 5th pic somewhere of her arm saying she built it after losing her arm to Nefarious and shows that her rift tether is built into it.

Next is Clank: https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/1384854479401635842

The first one is a picture of Clank and just like with Ratchet there is Lombax writing on the bottom left corner which translates to “Gift for Ratchet”. Its probably a reference to how the universe “gave” Clank to Ratchet by making Clank crash on Veldin in the first game or some people think its Orvus talking but either ways its nice.

The next pic goes over how resilient he is and the 3rd pic shows us an image of a Nefarious Trooper as seen in the release trailer, though I believe they talking about the AU Nefarious here.

The 3rd pic going over how sturdy the troopers are but are “no match for Clanks ingenuity” which combined with the 2nd pic makes me think that Clank might fight theses guys in someway during Clank levels. It is said Clank has new interdimesional powers in the game so who knows what he could do ?

Speaking of the troopers they look amazing and well designed. Also IDK about you but there appearance kind of remind me of the suits the Drophyds wore in TOD with the eyes giving me a bit of a Tyhrranoid vibe.

There are also billboard pictures of what looks like Ratchet in the background of the 3rd pic. He is in a meditative pose and seems to be floating, he is also wearing a cape. Maybe in this dimension he became a non violent mystic or maybe he died but became a symbol of peace or the resistance the female Lombax is a part of ?

The last pic tells us Clank’s goal, which is to repair the dimensions, which was stated we could do on the rift apart page on playstation.com, however it seems like Clank will try and fix all of them with the Dimensionator “before it rips the space-time continuum apart, or worse”.

We also get a pic of the Dimensinator here and though it has some simple labels like its trigger and power indicator in a form of a simple red antenna, the biggest thing from the pic is this “missing phase quartz”. That is intriguing as when we saw the demo fans thought the crystal at the center of the Dimensinator was a Surinox Shard so this makes me wonder what a phase quartz is. Did Nefarious just call it that as he never heard of a Surinox Shard before ? Now there is a crystal in the back of the Dimensinator, so maybe that is the phase quartz and its being taken out to be fix given that Ratchet shot it in the demo.

What are your thoughts to the pics ?

#ratchet & clank #ratchet & clank: rift apart #insomniac games #rivet #playstation 5

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three--rings · 4 years

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Author Interview

Sharing from @somanyjacks-writes, cause excuse to talk.

Name: Kim, threerings

Fandoms: Mo Dao Zu Shi, Yuri on Ice!!!, Dragon Age, The Penumbra Podcast, The Magicians...others?

Where You Post: AO3 I like having my fic and replies all in one permanent place where they won’t get deleted without warning. I may have learned from past incidents.

Complete: My total fics is 66, but only 62 are complete.

Incomplete: 3 abandoned over the past 15 years (yes one of them is THAT old), 1 which is still being worked on. As for other WIPS, if I just count ones I’m actively working on, I have 5. Six if you include “nearly started writing on it in the last few days.” Seven if you include my original novel, but I haven’t touched it in a WHILE.

Coming Soon: Coming next is almost definitely the 5th story in the String Together Our Lifetimes series, barring that last scene going very badly or getting really inspired on something else. I could finish up the PWP SangCheng with Trans Nie Huaisang if I get inspired though. Less Likely the Ace Wangxian, only because I think there’s more of it still to write.

Do You Accept Prompts?

I’m historically really bad at writing things when I’m supposed to, so I tend not to. Same with most fic exchanges and such. If there’s something I SHOULD write, my brain just goes NOPE and refuses.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write:

EXCITED? Writing is supposed to be exciting? Umm, well the most exciting thing has been this 5th story in the 3zun series. Because it’s ambitious and uh, risky? But also the Sangcheng was super exciting for a couple days. And I really wish I could recapture my initial excitement for the Ace Wangxian because it fled.

Favorite Story You Wrote:

Gosh, this is hard. The one I’m proudest of is probably Pulses that Beat Double, because it’s neat having written an entire historical romance novel. But as for favorite, I still have a really big affection for Strangers to Love. And also I really think the how and the when and the roughness baby is one of my best, but it’s Penumbra Podcast, which is a small fandom, and not my most popular fic in that fandom.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story:

We have a new champion! my soul brought to life by you, my A/B/O Wangxian fic has now overtaken Pulses that Beat Double, my Victuuri Victorian AU.

Story You Were Nervous to Post:

All of them? Haha. Yeah I’m pretty much convinced everything I write is trash until I get enough external validation. I seem to recall I was pretty nervous before posting my first A/B/O fic, Devil’s Frenzy, which was Fjord/Molly in Critical Role. (And is one of my abandoned fics. But that’s canon’s fault, not mine.)

How You Choose Your Titles:

So Many Song Lyrics. For a classier option, Poetry. Alternatively, if I have one word in mind for the fic, I will look that word up in thesauruses until I find something that works as a title.

Do You Outline?

It depends. My longer fics get outlined, loosely, and I break things down further into notecards that become scenes as I think more about it. Scrivener makes this really easy, so anything beyond a few scenes gets done that way. (For example I have the entire series for String Together Our Lifetimes plotted out in one scrivener project, then divided into stories. When I don’t do this I forget vital things...I’m looking at you Ace Wangxian fic.

See? There’s my STOL file with all the outline on the left. Scrivener is awesome and I want all writers to know about it!

I’ll tag (if you want to, no pressure): anyone who wants to join in; please tag me if you do!

#writing memes #writing #my fiction

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theoanetflix · 5 years

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Trailer Theory!

This part of the trailer is killing me. Like, they really overloaded me with just these few shots. I have other posts I want to make but I have too much to say about the trailer for 1 post so I’m splitting it up.

This post is loooong so I’m putting the rest under the cut :)

Okay so, we now know for definite that there’s multiple dimensions. And that the dimensions have split before. I think the reason that The OA likes to be called ‘The OA’ more than any other name she’s been given might be because she’s had so many names in all the different dimensions, whereas The OA is one unifying name. In the trailer, a man calls her Miss Azarova, which was her surname back in Russia at the beginning of season 1. I’m assuming in season 2 we’re with “Nina Azarova”, not “Prairie Johnson”

Originally I thought that this season would take place in multiple dimensions, and I’ll make a post about that as well, but to me it seems more likely that it’s going to take place in just one. Well, at least OA (or ‘Nina) will be in 1 dimension. I’m not sure about the others, I need to do more digging. We know that OA meets back up with the captives but we don’t know which dimension that’s in yet.

This is my rough addition to the flowchart we see. The triple lines show the path that season 1 took, and I think season 2 will loop round so that we move from ‘Prairie’s Dimension’ to ‘Nina’s Dimension’.

The red text shows the split in each dimension (The two... ‘Forking Paths’.. if you will ;)... S1E6). There are some splits we’ve never seen so I’ve put question marks there. I split it every time we see OA interact with Khatun. It’s likely that the paths forked every time she had an NDE, but we know that the five movements are the only way to stay in a dimension, so I think that even if the paths did fork, they didn’t go far. Therefore it didn’t seem worth including them. However, when OA gets hit on the back of the head, she meets with Khatun and chooses to live. That’s what makes me think there’s another full fork where either she chooses to stay with her father. (or maybe she doesn’t try to escape at all. If that’s the case, there’s a dimension where she’s still blind) Maybe those dimensions will be explored in this season, however I think if they are explored it’ll be in later seasons.

I think there isn’t a time jump after the ending of season two. We’ve seen behind the scenes photos where Brit Marling is in the wolf jumper with the gunshot wound, so I think the season will start off in “Prairie’s Dimension” and then we’ll see OA wake up in “Nina’s Dimension” which is what we see at the beginning of the trailer.

The reason I’m so certain that we’re in “Nina’s Dimension” is because that’s what’s on the left hand side of the flowchart, and it seems to be what’s been filled in first. And I think if anyone were to make this sort of flowchart, they’d fill in their side first. As well as that, on the right, one of the things listed is ‘PRAIRIE’. ‘NINA’ isn’t listed on the other side, probably because she didn’t think it was necessary to write her own name. Also, we’ve seen her be introduces as Miss Azarova. It makes sense that she’s Nina Azarova for the entire season.

This is the only other shot in the trailer where she’s wearing the same outfit she wore while writing on the wall. It’s the shot where she says “Homer” before she lists Scott, Rachel, Renata, BBa etc...

I think this scene might be her piecing everything together, so it’s likely it comes near the end of the season. At the beginning of the trailer she answers that the president is Obama, so she seems to have memories from “Prairie’s Dimension”. However, we know dimensional travelling can cause amnesia. She may have forgotten a lot of what happened and spends the season remembering. I didn’t notice her scars in the trailer but I’m sure they’ll play a part, since they were intended to help the captives remember the movements. It’s got to be significant that we barely see Homer in the trailer. He has two of the movements on him, they never wrote down the 5th. This flowchart could be a ‘map’ to help her find Homer, or it could be what jogs her memory of him. Or it could be something else entirely! We don’t know! I just know I’m excited for the new season!

#i'm very tired idk how coherent this is #the oa #oatheories #oaspoilers #mine #text #photo #season 2 #prairie

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geek-gem · 5 years

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I've seen Bumblebee again

Edit I've just realized I made the stupid mistake I had seen as seem and I only noticed it in my activity messages stupid of me sorry.

So in this post there is gonna be spoilers about the film, especially I'm gonna be rambling a bunch, I'm gonna sound ignorant. Including this is coming from a ex Transformers fan. Who has feelings about this franchise.

Well first film I've seen of 2019 everybody. I still like the film a lot. Just walked to this McDonald's near the cinema 16 theater in Sierra Vista.

But yes I like this film a lot and decided to see the 11:50 am showing instead of the 10:50 am because I decided not to take the chance because it was too close at that time.

Let me talk about some stuff. I literally feel like this is a reboot because a lot of the stuff in this doesn't make sense. Or what someone else said a soft reboot but I literally feel like how this film was set up. Decided to move to a table I'm usually at.

Because okay I never seen The Last Knight and mainly don't want to. But considering past events like Megatron stuck in the artic(the original 2007 film), the Primes and the Fallen(Revenge Of The Fallen), the Ark(Dark Of The Moon), possibly even the creators shit(Age Of Extinction), and what I've read and heard Unicron is Earth, Bumblebee even in a poster and footage from a trailer or promo was around during world war 2.

Including I haven't watched the video by HN Entertainment but just looked it up there was a Megatron deleted scene.

Even though one of the final scenes is Bumblebee becoming a camero I can't think I feel during production because of how The Last Knight's box office result went Hasbro did it or whatever. I'm not trying to make up a story it's my own theory. Especially the style of how the robots look so G1 like.

Especially that final mid credits scene with Bumblebee and Optimus I honestly feel that was shot to basically reboot the film franchise of when the Autobots came to Earth. Unless they got off later it's all bullshit.

This film is a reboot or whatever.

Unless some how even the idea and I'll talk about some Days Of Future Past stuff happened. I should just talk about the movie.

I honestly feel the best thing about this movie was Charlie's and Bumblebee's relationship. Because I seriously feel emotional about it and how well developed it is. Even though I understand the criticisms about this film being cliche I understand. Yet I feel it works because of how the movie is set up.

Really over time I'm having this big liking towards Haliee Steinfeld I really do. Honestly the rest of the cast is good too still. I still like John Cena and especially the character of Memo. Very likable even though really the only reviews I've seen are Ragin Nation and FilmJunkee.

Had to go to Google then Wikipedia to spell his name right.

Especially seeing on news on Google Screen Rant made a news article 3 hours ago about how the post looked back at it they call it a post credits scene it was a mid credits scene about how it retcons Michael Bay's Transformers. No shit is does because I literally feel they did it they did that to reboot the Bayformers universe. Ether it was Travis Knight or someone told Travis hey man can you put this scene in the movie or some one did.

Really one character I didn't like was this Tina bitch. Seriously I remember the first time and even watching this the 2nd time. This blonde bitch I'm surprised during that cliff scene Bumblebee didn't roll up the window to hurt her arm or even open the door to push her. Or hell I'm surprised Charlie didn't even get violent.

Yet really glad her car was totaled.

In fact it's weird watching this film I wanna be honest. I am so used to the harshness of the Bayformers. Because I feel like in certain scenes I expect Charlie to say, "FUCK YOU!" to some of the characters. Especially the action.

I'll be honest the Bayformers films mainly that 4th drove me off of and even the 5th despite I never seen it. I'm a ex fan yet I like other parts of the franchise.

But I like the action. Yes Michael Bay's action scenes aren't the best and I guess the best way you can call them a mess. I like the set pieces. Seriously I basically grew up with those first three films.

I still like the first that film got me to become a Transformers fan I saw it four times, the 4th time being the Imax release. Because of Bumblebee to be honest it was weird for this film not be PG-13 but it's great.

Yet I weirdly want another big Transformers film that has this heart this film had.

Or just the idea of such a film like that. You know how fucking beautiful those The Last Knight trailers are they are fucking amazing until you hear the films reception.

Especially I've talked about how I would love to see Charlie again grown up. I want her to be a protagonist in one of those films. She's older in her early 50's sorry to say well she was born in 1969. I just want to see her and Bumblebee again. Especially while before I got to think more about how this is a reboot. Yeah also Agent Jack Burns and Memo if you want especially more development on him.

Remember that old idea I've talked about what if we had a movie where the rebooted movie verse met the dimension of the Bayformers. In the end the Bayformers dimension dies like a passing the torch thing. Including shit like now it's like a grown up Charlie meets Cade Yager and Sam Witwicky.

But really I feel like considering the last few movies Shia Labeouf might not wanna come back, including Mark Wahlberg because he said The Last Knight was his last Transformers film. Yet I feel with how this film changed the timeline, I don't think that's gonna happen.

God I'm seriously interested in what's next.

So I see and it's on Google the screen writer for this film has an idea for a sequel. Fucking fabulous, because I want one. I went to see this again because I'm worried it's failing. There is so much good shit out right now but some movies aren't getting money. Yet I don't wanna say they are bombing like but 3 Buck Theater made a video about this and I see a thumbnail by Ragin Nation this is a bomb please no.

I want a big Transformers film that is better then the Bayformers films. Including I wanna be excited for Transformers again and this film made me happy. I'm excited for whatever films comes next. Probably the 6th or even that Cybertron prequel because seeing those Cybertron parts was fucking awesome.

Can I just say Shatter and Dropkick are a nice antagonist duo. Considering the film was more simple then the others. They we're nice antagonists. While not like Megatron or whatever else had to go to the Wikipedia page of this movie to see their names in case. Yet yeah their different and cool.

Also when we get more and better Transformers films can we have a better version of Grimlock my favorite? Voiced by Gregg Berger had to Google search him up I got his name right but his first name has two g's. Can we have a version of Grimlock like Fall Of Cybertron portrayed him and what I've heard of the G1 comics please can we have that. Because that version would make more sense then the development Optimus had in the 4th movie and would fit Grimlock better. Especially what I hear about the 5th movie. Sorry if I'm rambling.

Especially I weirdly want Charlie to interact with a angry stubborn Grimlock who thinks his way of handling things are better.

Tags dealt with but I think I've said all that I might of wanted to say or something. Really do like the movie and want more films but hopefully and I don't wanna stress Travis Knight but can he be involved still some how. I mean these films can be big so I don't wanna have him stressed out. But can we have more directors like him or something.

Edit(I did a lot for this but taking off the edit mentions like 4th) forgot this like this whole thing this reunion of characters it's like the Infinity War of Transformers which okay and I just thought a few seconds ago before editing this. I'd rather have that big some what Infinity War event be a different version of Unicron who's not Earth instead he's his own planet who wants to eat Earth and basically humans, Autobots, and Decepticons have to team up to stop him I'd rather have that. Been wanting that for years ever since they were promoting the 2nd movie. or just whatever bring more awesome movies like this especially big ones too.

okay I added Jack Burns tag because I liked him as a character. But I didn't wanna leave Memo yet he doesn't have a last name and I feel it be weird if that was just his tag. Especially someone put a Jack Burns tag and yeah I wanna see John Cena again. That may sound weird but I liked his character too.

#transfomrers #bumblebee movie #bumblebee 2018 #charlie watson #grimlock #optimus prime #jack burns

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vo-kopen · 5 years

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Update on my new eldritch horror short story

I’m not sure I am using that term right, basically it’s about the rampage of the spawn of a horrific primal god in a small town. It’s not a cosmic horror, no connection to other dimensions or space, but it is about very old god from the dawn of man. Kinda touches on some Lovecraft horror, but it’s my own creation, based off an artifact found two years after he died. It’s a 35,000 to 40,000 year old ivory sculpture of a man with a lion’s head, and it is said to be the earliest known example of figurative art. And I thought “hey that’s so old no culture today really has any connection to the lion man, so I can play with it with less chance of accidentally being offensive. Plus it’s so old it’s kind of close to the origin of this species of human, so that’s cool too. Makes the primal god work for the story. Here is some photos of the lion man by the way.

Anyway the point is I am now 10,034 words into this short story/novella. For reference I came up with the design of the primal god back on Thursday, and it’s Sunday now. The first drafts of chapters one and two are finished, and I have written the first page of the first draft of chapter three. In short this was an incredible weekend for writing for me. Though again, this spurt never kicks in during NaNoWriMo. :/

Now just to stress for friends who are interested, there are some potentially triggering stuff in what I have currently written if this thing, especially in the first chapter. This includes cops attempting to fake the suicide of a black lesbian. An autistic man in another cell overheard and he is strangled too. Now the pair of them survive (and they are in fact the protagonists of the story) but it still is an opening chapter of police brutality and might be triggering for readers. Especially as it draws on recent real life events (recent as in within the last five years)

Part of my concepts was that I felt like I should feature heroes that Lovecraft would consider villains (dude was seriously racist and classist) and I wanted to also discuss social issues in society, which required those voices. I myself am autistic and proud, and writing stories without autistic main characters makes me … itchy. I don’t have a problem. But in general I prefer to write stories from the point of view of victims in society, and given Lovecraft’s bigotry along with the problematic elements in the genre, I felt I needed to critique his “approach” and talk about white supremacy. I am a writer, I have a duty to talk about real problems in the modern day. It can be a bit anvillous, but sometimes you need a moral to be blunt for it to be understood.

There is also plenty of body horror to be wary of, not surprising given the genre. The monster of this story has no skin, just exposed muscle tissue that drips with blood. His abilities are equally horrific, he can summon tumorous javelins from any wooden surface, and in the process the wood begins to grow growths of muscular tissue. He also kills a whole lot of people, impaling them with javelins and stabbing them with knives of bone. He also harvests those knives from his victims. Since body horror permeates the skinless man, I wanted to warn any friends interested in the story about this element, in case it might be triggering. I don’t find my writing too grisly, but I wrote it and my standards are not everyone’s.

Other than that, I’m not sure how long it will ultimately be, maybe it’s current 2/5ths of the final length, maybe it will end up longer. I should note it is not a part of Anxieties of 2017, so I might post this sometime, assuming I finish it. It’s kind of a stand-alone story, the nature of the god doesn’t fit in with the rules I go by in Anxieties of 2017, so for right now this is another one-shot, similar to my earlier octopus barbarian short story/novel.

@thefingerfuckingfemalefury @muceybbds @majingojira @filipfatalattractionrblog @jogress @akirakan @neshtasplace made another post on this just to clarify somethings from the last post I thought I had missed. I should also note this is my first forey into this genre, I am not an expert and I am not sure if I have balanced the tone. Still I felt like trying something new, and clearly the inspiration was there. 10,034 words in three days is pretty good for me is all I am saying.

#horror #body horror #my art #short stories #actuallyautistic

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kelanfilms · 3 years

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Stop Signs: The Joys of the Edit

Due to the everchanging weather onset, continuity for our film was looking to be a big task to maintain. As AD I was onset to note these changes/mistakes and write messages to my editor self, but there was a couple of times I was dealing with other things and in post have realised somethings happened, for example: Georgie’s hair flowing wildly in the wind, shoes and feet appearing, clouds changing and necklaces jumping in/out of jumpers, and the bench... we don’t talk about the bench. So my first day was spent noting down cuts that would be used only where necessary and sorting out my workflow.

After each day on set I’d been transcoding and logging the files ready for edit but unfortunately by day3 I was exhausted so left it for the train-ride home. Unfortunately this is when Avid decided to stop working for my laptop. The second Avid opened my laptop became so slow it barely worked, and the program wouldn’t allow the day3 footage to transcode. With editing at home I didn’t have room for error with Avid, so decided to do what I really didn’t want to, and turn to Adobe Premier Pro. Thankfully this program was working quickly and for now, working well with the files. I am concerned about issues presenting themselves in the exporting process so have booked a tutorial with Kieran to discuss the workflow and exporting issues that may need amended to ensure there’s no error. Because we are working quickly our crew has left a lot of room for issues and resolvement in the post-production process (there’s always something), so I’m not feeling too stressed.

Due to the wind on Day 2 of shooting a lot of the camera and sound slates aren’t matching. When shooting in the wind we could barely hear each-other so it’s no wonder the slate numbers got lost. As well, on the day the wind was so high that the clapper board would become another instrument getting blown away, and nobody had hands free to hold it, especially during the boot shot. [I think in future as a team we check the wind as well as rain, and during recces, don’t choose wide open spaces as the primary location, we should have a backup that’s as sheltered as we can from the weather]. So in post I’ve had to sync where I can for these outdoor shots, but as they don’t contain dialogue I think Anne-Marie could foley/SFX these sections easily enough. To ensure we both know what’s going on and that she’s prepared for any issues I’ve had with sound during the edit (Sound’s my least favourite thing to deal with unless I’m completing it myself, I can understand my mess of an audio track, other people... not so much, so I’m having to ensure that Anne Marie can understand what I’ve done and what’s where and any issues that may arise).

The Edit Process:

The First Cut: 15th April

As always with my first cuts I set to work on initially blocking out the story on the timeline, going through each cut and finding the moments of the performances that told the story for me. Unfortunately with Hollie’s full script in there the film was 7.5mins (1.5mins over the limit), so I requested her to cut pieces of dialogue she was willing to part with. After a discussion we decided to make it more of a rant from Georgie, and take away the bits of Brodie’s dialogue that she was ignoring anyway. The first cut as always is a bit untidy so it needs work but it’s good to get into the flow. One thing I’m struggling with so far is the continuity in the shots, due to the weather cuts are interrupted by moving hair, wind, water getting rough then still, and due to our location quite a few trains and dogs interrupting. So it’s a case of trying to build a good edit around the perfect bits of dialogue and performance to create emotional moments. My aim with the edit is to prepare a new cut and build on it every day, and send uploads to the director and sound designer so that issues are resolved before a picture-lock attempt. By feeling the changes with each draft I feel my faith growing in my abilities and also connect and think about the film more, so it’s a process that really works for me too.

Link for first cut: https://youtu.be/PeZvG8euYWc

2nd Cut: April 17th

The 2nd draft was completed 2 days later, and will be tidied into draft 3 for rough cut tutorials. I’ve included a temporary phone ringtone to get the atmosphere of the phone there so that I can attempt to include the tension I saw in the script, however these shots aren’t as jumpy as I’d imagined so that may have to be rethought. Lines have also been cut, but I’ve been careful where to do it. Georgie is now on less of a rant with Brodie and it’s now a flowing conversation, so I’m intrigued as to what Hollie will think of this. For me, I feel like I get the story more when Brodie’s not interjecting, everything we understand is coming from our protagonist now. We are also now back into the 6min mark which is a good sign, as the original draft went over by 1.5mins, and I’m really feeling the story coming through the edit a lot more.

Below: Draft 2 Timeline (17th April):

Link for 2nd cut: https://youtu.be/Odk2UCY1LSE

3rd Cut: 19th April

Following notes from my producer (which I heavily agreed with), we decided to cut the car sequence down (3 shots for 50secs was always too long), and adjust the shoes being taken off. Klaudia wasn’t a fan of the necklace sequence, but I think after tidying it has potential. The closeup is a nice shot too and gives a bit more dimension to the complexity of Georgie’s turmoil. She says she doesn’t care for her mum, but that moment is a nice sense of connection whether she likes it or not. So in draft 3 I went to work doing this, this cut is now 5mins 30secs which gives room to bring back more of the dialogue especially for Brodie now. It’s just a case of finding his key moments, as he was a younger actor sometimes you can see him thinking his lines so the performance is lost or the lines come out a little one note, so it’s just a job of finding his key moments (and there are a few lovely moments from Robbie so it’d be great to bring these back). I’ve also noticed the 180 line is being crossed in the edit far too much so I’m going to need to use the wides and Georgie’s CU to amend this. I think this problem has arisen as the film was not shot with the 180 line in mind onset, when I asked where we were working from/where the line was I was told “I don’t know” by a crew member so I think maybe that’s why a lot of our shots contradict themselves in this sense. So the next draft will really focus on solving/hiding the 180 problem to make the space more understandable to the viewer. I think because we see the full scene in the master shot when Georgie walks over it isn’t confusing to a viewer, but does make the edit look a bit lazier.

Below: The draft 3 timeline. (Blue audio is camera, audio tracks need to be tidied).

Link for 3rd cut: https://youtu.be/gu5Tb3z7a14

The 4th Cut: 20th April

I’m feeling confident in how this edits now coming together. I’ve sorted a tutorial with Andrew for tomorrow and am preparing 2 more drafts for then, so that following his comments we can picture-lock tomorrow evening, giving Anne-Marie enough time to get her sound done. (And for me to colour-grade).

Below: The Draft 4 Timeline (the tracks that are displaying “out of sync” were a few frames out when they synced so they are correct).

Link for Draft 4 Cut: https://youtu.be/kISNk4BKCMA

The 5th Cut: 21st April “Potential Picture-Lock Day”

With the 5th cut I’m feeling more confident we’re there with locking picture. Small tweaks and issues have been resolved and I’m hoping to fine cut and lock it today to send to Anne-Marie for sound. Currently I believe I’m colour-grading so with the programs I have it will be done on Premier, so I’ve been touching up the colour in drafts as I go to get them all similar. Then if Hollie wishes for specific LUTS/Looks then I’ll apply this week, and hopefully be done with the project this weekend to give me time to finish assignments for other modules.

This cut is definitely the strongest, I’m feeling more of a tempo and having the temporary phone in there is giving me a feel for the story. I’ve highlighted points of Robbie’s performances more, and given a little more reaction time but unfortunately due to wind the actors couldn’t hear each other (so that emotive reaction is often absent in all our shots from day2).

All in all though, feeling strong for our tutorial with Andrew today (that feeling may change after that...)

Below: The Draft 5 Timeline, undergoing colour correction for one of the brighter shots.

Link for the Draft 5 Cut: https://youtu.be/3wCQtG6lU5Q

Picture Lock! Draft 6 & 7

Following comments from the lecturers and team we have moved to do a quick redraft before picture lock. The first redraft focused on the lecturer’s comments and ensuring the film didn’t sit on the line of action.

Draft 6: https://youtu.be/v5ZaEA6e0Qo

After this redraft I decided we needed to get rid of the Georgie close-up because it was too jarring being on the line. The pacing was amended too but due to shot choices and continuity (wind going through folks hair, and movement, was spoiling cuts), so I created Draft 7 - the picture lock.

Picture lock (draft 7): https://youtu.be/54AvA3lFxMg

I am happy with the picture lock but wish I’d had more time. In order to upload the AAF and MXF files to our sound designer that took 2 days off of our schedule due to my internet, so even an extra week on this would’ve allowed me to perfect it. Apart from that I am happy with the film and it’s definitely an improvement on some of my other edits. We’re still awaiting the recordings for the start and end to close up the story for the viewer, and reduce the narrative questions, so I’m intrigued to see what that’s like. I’ve mentioned to the director that these voicemail recordings have to hit the mark, as I’m worried they’ll be too vague and won’t answer the questions needing answered (are they going to the funeral? is it a funeral? legit what is happening in this world?). But we shall see, for now though, that’s my primary role as editor done.

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fullysowerewolf · 6 years

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My Likes and Dislikes for Sonic Forces

Likes:

The story, with its dark tone and mostly cohesive narrative, for me ranks up there as one of the best in the series. It’s tied with Unleashed currently as my 5th favorite Sonic story.

The supporting cast is superb and everyone in it are the most in character they have been since practically forever. Knuckles being the biggest example of this.

The gameplay is good, fun, and enjoyable across all four playstyles, though some are more fun than others.

The Avatar concept and how they were handled in the story with their own character growth arc.

The character creation is huge and has plenty of clothing options and physical features and is pretty great. Would really like to see it again in a spinoff game of sorts.

Eggman’s characterization was great and is at his most threatening and darkest in the series. Crusherthedoctor’s recent post on his portrayal explains this point well.

The voice cast brought their A game and have greatly exceeded expectations. Hopefully they will be able to keep up this kind of performance in the future.

Warren Graff actually did a decent to good job with translation, as both scripts are practically 1:1 with each other, with only a few things left out or mistranslated.

The music is amazing, though I know for some the amount of synth/techno is annoying, personally I think all the tracks are good to awesome. Another thing is how the all of the vocal tracks specifically tie into the themes of the story, which hasn’t been done since at least Black Knight.

Infinite. Just. Infinite.

The different changes and remixes to classic levels was a pretty cool idea and was done pretty well.

The fact that Forces and Mania are actually connected and tie into each other is a great idea and I hope that Sonic Team keeps doing more in depth continuity things like that.

Mind control wasn’t a factor or used here and that is a very good thing. Especially in the case of Shadow.

The Wispons are fun to use and are a big part of why the Avatar stages are so good to me.

The fact that Sega/Sonic Team are actually branching out into story driven DLC for the first time with Sonic, as well as slowly making other characters playable again.

On that note, Playable Shadow.

The character dialogue in the radio chatter mostly as well as in the cutscenes is really enjoyable. Everyone almost always has something important to say that fits with the events of the plot.

Dislikes:

The story has a moderate case of “Tell, don’t Show”, which brings it down a fair bit. It really could have used a few more cutscenes to really bring the ideas and plot points it was trying to make together.

Levels are too short and needed to be longer.

Classic Sonic didn’t serve much of a point other than to add another playstyle to the game. I know the his addition was probably set in stone long before Mania, but I feel they should have just left him out of it and just had the Phantom Ruby teleport to Forces at the end without Classic.

Sonic and especially Tails characterizations were wack and a bit off at times. Sonic’s is more forgivable since shrugging off (or at least pretending to) mental trauma is sort of his thing. But they still should have made more of a bigger deal about him being captured and tortured and should have shown the effect that had on him. Tails is much worse and this has been going on since probably Unleashed or longer. Hopefully these issues get addressed and fixed in a later story.

Not enough enemy variety, it was mostly just the same robots throughout the game. There really should have been different robots Eggman had to have made during his reign over the planet.

The difficulty was markedly rather easy, even on Hard mode.

Sega needs to not use any more returning levels and bosses after this game, this also includes the Wisps. It was tolerable here, but I don’t think the fandom can take much more of seeing Green Hill, Chemical Plant, the Death Egg, and so on after Forces, same goes for seeing bosses like the Egg Dragoon and the Wisps for the fifth time.

There wasn’t an option to change the height and body type of the custom characters, which is a damn shame. More species would have been nice too.

The last Infinite boss was a let down. I was expecting Infinite to go really crazy with the Phantom Ruby like he did during the Avatar’s Metropolis City stage, but he didn’t.

The “Is Classic Sonic from the Past or an actual other Dimension?” kerfuffle that still hasn’t been solved.

No (fake) Shadow or Chaos fight.

Why aren’t there more Wispons? I thought that the achievements stated that there were over 50 wispons? Why are there only six? It seems like a cop out to only have six (technically 7) actual wispons and have the rest just be upgrades to them. We could have had a Rocket Wisp rocket launcher or a Cyan sniper rifle wispon.

Misc.:

These are various likes, dislikes, and mehs that I found not too big of a deal to put into the major ones.

D: Wish there was some way they could have incorporated actual, full on voice acting for the custom characters/avatars. With the ability to pick your voice like in Mass Effect.

M: I wish that the Avatar had a super form, or better yet, a Phantom Ruby powered form to fight Infinite with.

D: Why do they need to make a fake Metal Sonic? Couldn’t Eggman just use the real one?

D: I wish the forgotten Sonic characters were in this.

D: I wish there were more enemies in the final battle scene besides the known illusions, like other anthros working for Eggman either of their own free will or via force and other robots made by Eggman.

L: The return of “Long time no see”

L: That Jackals, Wolves, Dogs, and Bears are now officially canon Sonic species.

M: The Chaos Emeralds weren’t in the game. Would have liked a brief explanation about why no one used them in the story but it’s not that big of a deal so eh.

M: Dark Sonic wasn’t in it or made canon and neither was Hyper Sonic

M: Cream, Vanilla, and Gemerl weren’t in it.

M/D: Blaze wasn’t in it. They could have found a way to include her in there, I’m sure.

L: Some of Adventure’s plot points were brought up again.

L: That creepy chestburster moment during the final boss.

L: Those creepy giant, twisted Infinite abominations.

D/M: Sonic wasn’t the leader of the Resistance. I still think they could have really made a great character arc for him in Forces if they had made him the leader. But I;m still glad they made Knuckles leader since he got some much needed character rerailment and him being the leader helped with that.

M: No Sonamy unfortunately

L: I like the little cube figure manifestations that appear when ever you have the Asteroid wispon equipped.

D: The final phase of the boss apes too much off of Sonic Colors’ final boss. It’s an okay fight all things considered, but I would have liked it if it had a more unique fighting style.

M: Some of the locations in the game have been changed from where they’ve been traditionally in Sonic lore, such as Green Hill being in the middle of a continent instead of being in South Island. This kinda irks me but it’s nothing that really ruins the story.

If I were to give Forces a rating, despite how dumb scores have become and how they’re abused and used arbitrarily by gaming media to put more or less value and worth on a game as a crappy shorthand measuring stick for what people would enjoy, I would give it objectively 7-7.5/10 and for my personal score 8/10.

It is a fun, enjoyable game. It’s not as good as Generations gameplaywise, but that doesn’t make it unplayable or not enjoyable in the slightest. Don’t buy into the ever constant Sonic Hatebandwagon and give it a shot if you want a high speed platforming experience. If you’re more a Mario style platformer fan, aren’t fond of the boost style gameplay, or don’t like a more serious toned Sonic game, I suggest skipping it.

#my post #sonic the hedgehog #sonic forces

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recommendedlisten · 5 years

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The battle wounds of a DIY music blogger are directly reflected in the eye strain due to excessive screen time that such a human is subjected to, and this week, this writer is definitely seeing stars. This isn’t just because Solange and Carly Rae Jepsen are once again turning their sights toward global domination, or the fact that highly anticipated releases from folktale aliens Big Thief, blushing dreamweaver Hatchie, or hardcore angels Fury made great first impressions with their newly-announced albums. There was also scene heroes Emily Reo, Kitty and Potty Mouth doing things on their own terms, too, all the while up and comers BRUTUS and Jackie Mendoza continued to impress with intriguing new dimensions in their respective sounds. In short, this week’s music was very extra, and there’s still a heavy order left to discuss.

Here’s the best of the rest from the week of February 24th, 2019…

American Football feat. Elizabeth Powell - “Every Wave to Ever Rise” [Polyvinyl Records]

On March 22nd, American Football will release their third self-titled effort, and remarkably so, despite the long stretch between their 1999 genre-molding classic and the now, the Midwestern emo pioneers have evolved with the times rather than just rummaging through nostalgia in their sound. A major factor in that on this outing has been the inclusion of guest vocals beyond Mike Knsella’s own hum, as we recently heard third wave emo icon Hayley Williams of Paramore serenade the growing pains on “Uncomfortably Numb”. The LP’s latest preview “Every Wave to Ever Rise” is further proof of both, as it features Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell joining the quartet for a gorgeous listen of ghostly arpeggios that sparkles at the surface like refracted water, as Powell’s soft presence co-mingle a faint spell in layered langued. “Truth or dare / Love is the cross you bear / J'ai mal au cœur, c'est la faute de l'amour,” she sings in its chorus. American Football have also tacked on west coast dates to their North American tour, bringing along emotive next-gens Illumanati Hotties, Tomberlin, and Pure Bathing Culture with them.

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Control Top - “Chain Reaction” [Get Better Records]

It’s not very common for a band to have announced an album and its first single well into a year in advance of when it actually becomes slated on the release calendar, but that’s what Philly punks Control Top managed to do when they set “Type A”, off their forthcoming debut full-length Covert Contracts, into the wild last March. Despite the passing of time since, the trio -- comprised of frontperson and bassist Ali Carter, drummer Alex Lichtenauer of HIRS / Get Better Records’ and Bleeding Rainbows guitarist Al Creedon -- remain fiercely awake and confrontational on the LP’s second preview “Chain Reaction”. As Carter tells Stereogum, “The song takes place in the middle of an argument... Vitriol is flying and emotions are running high. With our culture’s growing appetite for anger and conflict, a petty disagreement can easily escalate into a full-out shouting match.” Knife-like guitar riffs daggering over even sharper angles are the vehicle for her choice words as thumping rhythm mimics the non-stop adrenaline drip that ensures emotions remain high and heated. “I'm looking for an open door / But all I see is a broken mirror I can't take it anymore / I wish I could disappear / What start,” Carter shouts, hurling herself at the edge of a point of no return. The album, by the way, officially arrives on April 5th, and they’ll be supporting Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers on the road this spring.

Covert Contracts by CONTROL TOP

Deafheaven - “Black Brick” [ANTI-]

It would seem that for every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction in Deafheaven’s catalog. Last year, the band released the listmaker Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, a listen that you could arguably consider their most accessible work to date in the way they focused on elements of slowcore, shoegaze, and even some gothic balladry thanks to an assist from Chelsea Wolfe, but make no mistake about it -- Deafheaven can be depended upon delivering a reminder that they’re still a metal band despite what the purists hate on them with whenever they push the genre’s corners out a little further into the experimental unknown. “Black Brick”, a new one-off single, is a sharp-toothed epic doing just that by ferociously pulverizing itself up through a scorched earth as George Clarke’s black metal howls damn us all to their intense hellscape. The listen will come in use beginning next week when the band heads out on a co-headlining tour with fellow metal outliers Baroness and avant outfit Zeal & Ardor.

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Ex Hex - “Rainbow Shiner” [Merge Records]

Mary Timony’s Ex Hex is another one of the many artists with new music out on March 22nd, as the glammed out indie rock trio led by the former Helium frontwoman will break their five year stretch of silence since 2014′s debut Rip very loudly with the release of its sophomore follow-up It’s Real. So far, we’ve heard Timony, bassist Betsey Wright and drummer Laura Harris spin us through an intergalactic romance and toughened us up with a pep talk with their power-pop licks, but with the album’s latest advance listen “Rainbow Shiner”, the trio go full-on Detroit Rock City with a hair metal twist in their glittering of arena-sized riffs that’s got a big swagger to it. Cheap faux leather, studded vests, tatted arms, and chipped nail polish white-knuckling a vintage muscle car with the windows down may come to mind when taking this one in, which is to say, it’s smashes through the stereo with an effortless, dangerous cool.

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Nothing - “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping” [Relapse Records]

Shoegazing shape-shifters Nothing outdid themselves once again with one of last year’s best heavy albums in their third studio effort Dance On the Blacktop. Over the years, however, the Philly punk band has amassed an impressive string of covers released in the interim between albums, showcasing a malleable side to their sound in applying textures of loud echoes in the dark to listens you may not originally deem adjacent to Nothing’s own sonic vortex. If you ever wanted to have them all in one place, then you’re in luck, as Nothing’s takes on Concrete Blonde, Low, New Order, Ride, and their latest, a feedback-drenched interpretation of Grouper’s “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping”, will appear on Spirit Of The Stairs – B-Sides & Rarities, due out on March 6th. The compilation includes those listens alongside B-sides, demos, and live versions of songs that stretch the full span of their catalog, making for an essential listen for anyone who considers them a completist. Like many, Nothing heads into SXSW as they tour throughout the entire spring, with one leg featuring CANDY and Tony Molina, and another co-headlining with Basement, supported by Gouge Away and Teenage Wrist.

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PUP - “Free At Last” [Little Dipper / Rise Records]

Stefan Babcock is upping his Debbie Downer game for PUP’s upcoming third studio effort Morbid Stuff. Now that he’s made it perfectly clear to the “Kids” that life is meaningless (but it’s what you make out of it), he’s piling on the self-loathing and destructive habits with the album’s second preview “Free At Last”. The listen is characteristically wild and reckless in axe-edged riffs and beefed up drum crashes that topple charging versus into big chorus sing-a-long -- in this case, the deprecating, “Just ’cause you’re sad again, it doesn’t make you special at all...” -- that lifts Babcock’s gloomy sneer of reality into a comforting rallying cry of a punk anthem. Preceding its debut, the band released the lyrics and a basic chord chart to its fans asking them to record the song without hearing it, and those results are now the now the basis of its music video. Charly Bliss’ Eva Hendricks and celebrity stan Finn Wolfhard make guest appearances throughout the altered edit final instructional as well.

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Show Me the Body - “Madonna Rocket” [Loma Vista]

Art-minded hardcore trio Show Me the Body have signed on with major indie Loma Vista for the release of their forthcoming Chris Coady-produced sophomore effort Dog Whistle, due out on March 29th. A slicker side of the studio as well as a cohesiveness in the trio’s carnage has already been defined through the crunchy static of the album’s lead single “Camp Orchestre” and again resurfaces through the collision of fast moving walls of ‘80s-era British post-punk and NYC hardcore of its second preview “Madonna Rocket”. It’s a dash that barely makes the three-minute mark over wiry guitars, relentless drumming and frontman Julian Cashwan Pratt snarling over the sea-sawing teetering that intensifies as the listen wears on. “When I meet someone that’s good, I want to die with them / Dead friends / I still want to say goodbye to them / Aside from me, aside from them / All I have is family / I will die with them” his words thrash into bodies. That he finds in the track’s accompanying visuals, a dual shot performance clip recorded at the band’s Corpus DIY spaces in LA and New York City.

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War On Women - “The Ash Is Not the End” [Bridge Nine Records]

The great feminist punk band War On Women were also among one of the creators of last year’s best heavy-hitting albums with their sophomore effort Capture the Flag, an album built around unabashed socio-political anthems and a controlled grip around melodic hardcore aggression. Their screams for activism and change in a current climate that could stand to be burned to the ground by their plight continues on “The Ash Is Not the End”, the Baltimore quintet’s contribution to Adult Swim’s Singles series. What’s most noticeable about this listen, as opposed to the gritty firestorms of earlier, is how a greater degree in pop heroics akin to Paramore’s rockier moments in turn pronounce Shawna Potter’s time’s up declaration. “It’s all just a matter of time,” she spears through crisp cut riffage. You’ll be able to catch War On Women all over the world this spring and summer, including dates opening for Jawbreaker’s east coast tour.

#the best of the rest #american football #control top #deafheaven #nothing #ex hex #pup #show me the body #war on women #Songs #new music & videos

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taliesin-19 · 7 years

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Fic Recs Part 2!

I did one or two of these a while ago, so you can just click on the ‘fic recs’ tag if you want. But for part 2, I’ll start out with some general fics that I’ve read recently and enjoyed, and then go into more specific recs that people asked for.

1. Ginny Chronicles by @justalittleconfusing (Part I complete, Part II actively updating)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12312469/1/Ginny-Chronicles-Part-1-Little-Girl-Lost

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12470990/1/Ginny-Chronicles-Part-2-The-Lioness-Within

This is a canon-compliant series from Ginny’s pov that starts from her 1st year and is continuing on. The author has created a perfect characterization of young Ginny. She begins as her talkative, curious, bright little self, but as the story progresses, we slowly see her ‘descent into madness’ as Tom cleverly manipulates her. It’s truly wonderful writing, packed with so much emotion that you can’t help but feel everything that Ginny is feeling. Before reading this, I’d never given too much thought to what Ginny went through in the Chamber of Secrets, but now, I can really see how this experience must have haunted her and eventually shaped her to become the independent, feisty, stubborn girl we all know and love. I’m beyond excited to see how the author handles the coming years and Ginny’s growth, as well as her relationship with Harry.

2. I’m Not The Only One by Potato19 (incomplete, but actively updating)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12365803/1/I-m-Not-The-Only-One

AU story set in Harry’s 5th year, his parents are still alive and he has a half-brother after James cheated on Lily. Also, HHr.

You’re probably thinking, why in the world would I read, let alone rec such a story? It has a bunch of red flags, yes, but this is honestly so well-written. It’s like a breath of fresh air. The characters are charming, complex, and funny. The dialogue is always spot on. And there’s just this aura about it that is so pleasing, and yet sad at the same time. As someone who can’t really stomach HHr stories these days, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually enjoyed their chemistry. Both their characterizations are just slightly different enough to canon to make it work. But it’s not even the romance that drew me in. It was the relationship Harry has with his mother and Sirius, and his best friends Neville and Luna. If you enjoyed Perks of Being a Wallflower, or any other coming of age book where the characters are outcasts, then I think you’ll enjoy this.

Some downsides: James Potter is not a pleasant character in this story. I’m not sure if I could call it bashing yet because the author may reveal something in the future or flesh out his character more, but at this point, I can’t stand him. The same goes for his son (Harry’s half-brother) who I hate more than Draco Malfoy, which is saying something. Also, at this point, I’m not entirely sure where the story is heading plot wise. It may have something to do with Voldemort, Harry/Hermione, James and his bad choices, or all of the above.

Despite that though, it’s just a nice drama/romance fic with great characters. And I’m eagerly awaiting an update!

3. Rogue’s Bet by Hufflepunk (incomplete, but updated not too long ago)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12240216/1/Rogue-s-Bet

Light-hearted AU story where Voldemort never rose to power and Harry had a happy childhood (raised by Sirius I believe, but not sure if reasons were given why). Honestly, this is just a fun fic. Harry is a bit of a douche, but not a horrible person. All the Gryffindor dormmates are tight-knit friends and very believable teenagers. Ginny’s characterization is absolutely amazing and hilarious.The author states that the story is more character-driven than plot driven, which is very apparent as soon as you read it. There are some minor plot threads here and there, but the crux of the story is the boys’ and Ginny’s friendship, and the trials and tribulations of being a teenager.

Downsides: Harry’s love interest as of now is Daphne Greengrass, and while I don’t mind reading stories with her or any other minor character from the series, I don’t particularly like her characterization, here. She doesn’t fit well with the tone of the story, in my opinion. And I would much rather have Harry and Ginny together. But the fic is still in-progress so things may change.

4. The Casebook of Harry Potter by Chris400ad (incomplete, but still updating)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12373224/1/The-Casebook-of-Harry-Potter

I actually beta this fic, so I may be biased, but you can take my word for it that it’s a great story. It’s AU (surprise, surprise), post-Hogwarts, with a Sherlock!Harry that consults with the Aurors to solve crimes while Daphne Greengrass plays the role of Watson. The author knows his Sherlock Holmes, I can tell you that much. Harry is a wonderful depiction of the character. The perfect amount of snark, arrogance, and genius. The dialogue is witty, the interactions are fun, and the cases are well thought out and intricate. It’s still in its early stages, but I would highly recommend following this story, and maybe dropping a review to give the author a good kick in the bum. If you like Sherlock Holmes, you’ll love this. If you don’t, give it a shot anyway!

Now for some specific recs that people requested:

Dark!Harry AUs where he’s raised or mentored by Voldemort. Like I said somewhere before, this particular subgenre of fanfiction doesn’t produce the greatest stories because they’re usually riddled with bad tropes and bashing. The ones I have been able to stomach are mostly just guilty-pleasure fics, so here are a few:

1. A Shattered Prophecy by Project Dark Overlord (Complete)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2762511/1/A-Shattered-Prophecy

This is actually the story that Kurinoone’s Darkness Within is based on, so you’ll see some similarities. I prefer Kurinoone’s version, but you can give this one a shot too. The major difference I see between the two (besides the plot divergence that eventually happens) is that this story doesn’t have as much heart. I feel like the characters and dialogue are more wooden. I actually teared while reading The Darkness Within, but with this, there weren’t really any emotional moments. I suppose the major difference is that A Shattered Prophecy is more plot driven, while The Darkness Within is really both plot and character-driven.

Harry is still pretty bad-ass though, so it’s worth it, I suppose.

2. The God of Death: Black Beginning by I Am Atrocity

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11868509/1/The-God-of-Death-Black-Beginning

Same premise with this fic, except Harry intentionally goes to Hogwarts on a mission from Voldemort instead of being captured by the Order and forced to attend. This story is pretty enjoyable, but the biggest downside for me is that Harry isn’t as badass or methodical as I would’ve liked, He doesn’t get redeemed which is rarer in a dark Harry story, but I like my villains more sophisticated. I also really don’t like the HHr relationship or Hermione’s characterization, in general. But again, these are guilty pleasures, so I forgive a lot of things.

Barty Crouch was fun, though, and he has a great friendship with Harry, so that’s a plus!

3. Imprisoned Realm by LoveHP (incomplete, but updated recently)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2705927/1/Imprisoned-Realm

So, this story has a slightly different premise in that canon Harry gets pulled into another dimension where there’s a dark Harry roaming about (I believe the two interact telepathically or something, but I can’t remember). Anyway, we do get some scenes from dark Harry’s pov which are awesome, and canon Harry switches places with him at some point. Idk, it’s a long story man. The major plus for me are the dark Harry scenes which, unfortunately aren’t as abundant. The major downsides are the canon Harry angst, the mentions of rape, and some other plot points which I don’t want to spoil. To be honest, I read this one a while ago, so I don’t even remember how it ends. But give it a shot if you want. I happen to really enjoy dimension hopping fics, so that’s probably why I stuck with it.

Anyway, that’s that for now. I’ll probably think of more eventually. And maybe I’ll do a list of Dark Harry fics not raised by Voldemort. Sorry these weren’t exactly glowing reviews, but I wanted to be honest with you guys lol. If I set your expectations low, then they can only go up, right? ;)

#fic recs #dark harry #fanfiction #hpfanfiction #Harry Potter #my posts

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yusunabydearmstrong · 7 years

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“R I C K V E R T I D O”

First that all, I should be writting the third part of “CORRUPTUS” but I’m doing this one short. Honestly this was inspired for The Citadel of Lost Child http://archiveofourown.org/works/6286300/chapters/14404426 made by FutaGogo (Darling if you foun this here is my apologize Oh boy, I’m so sorry I couldn’t resist to do something with the same topic :( I am a disaster for myself) Also I think @oyajiukeprpr is gonna enjoy this ;) Remember: One Shot ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "So, what time does your shift end, Morty?"

"I already told you. I won´t going with you, you know that my work has no rest"

"Is always what you said, isn’t it? Every fucking time I ask you hang out." Greaser Morty slammed his fist against the clerk's desk, and he far from annoying simply took his things and placed them elsewhere.

"Every time you invite me out, I’m busy at inventory’s night, or is disease week, or I'm just not in the mood. Like now."

He bent down to pick up a retractable pen disguised as Rick, and took plus of putting a pocky in his mouth before looking back at his opponent; for a moment he seen more aggressive, as if at any moment he was going to start to hitting him.

The nervousness of the clutter disappeared a few seconds later when he saw that there was no response to his impulses, and decided to leave there before going mad; Of course, not without first leaving his final warning.

"Oh, but you will, we'll get on my motorcycle, I'll fuck you so hard and you’ll shout too loudly my name that you'll forget yours."

"H-How can I forget my name if we both have the same!"

But the bad guy, luckily, was away from him.

Once the nursery reception was clear Morty Storage was able to exhale all the frustration that clients like he provided him, he thought then, that it was the perfect time to check out the Day Care and maybe clear his mind for a while on the television.

All the Ricks where sleeping in their cells, the guards were on turn and he check his phone to find a message from Miami Morty, also know like Madam Morty. He wanted meet the boy at his club, a place called Rickstíbulo, wich was a kind of brothel but fill with kinky Ricks.

What is this about?

Of the Morty's revolution, of course. A few years ago, the Mortys were used as human shields to protect the Ricks' frequency; -like tools. Before they even become adults.

Those scientists who bragged like their grandparents did acts distant from the concept of 'family'. They used them as pets, fighter machines, sex toys, guinea pigs, and if they lengthen the list, it might seem annoying.

There was once a real Morty –Everyone thought at first that he was the EVIL one-, outstanding to others for his brilliant intelligence. He’d been ignored as he grew up with a despised Doofus Rick, over there in one of many dimensions. He and a group of brave men - now known as The Council of the Mortys - were faced with changing this reality joining with the weaker ones.

They took the Citadel and stripped any trace of authority from Ricks, but retained them for later enslavement. The controlling chips that once existed were used against themselves, and the lure was always the same; seduction.

It was easier to fight those bastards when they were vulnerable or distracted; and this Morty – heroically named as Mortimer llV - devised a spray substance that froze the age of the Ricks, so they would suffer the terror of eternity being repeated again and again without the hope of having to die for age.

However, the Smith blood still ran through the veins of these boys, which made it difficult for most things to come out normally well; With Ricks' absence, the way of relating began to be with each other (Morty x Morty) and falling in love with a Rick was a taboo - unless it was something purely sexual, like the Rickstíbulos that Miami Morty set up on the sidelines of the council.

Those Mortys who opposed the revolution were eliminated, because they were considerate like traitors.

...

Morty A-031 was also known for being the caregiver. The 'asylum' as many called it, was part of the great mockery they did to the Ricks, adopting them and abandoning them in small cells until someone else played them for a while and then it became an infinite loop.

Only he saw the fear in the eyes of some scientists, only he knew how many were innocent and who deserved their punishment. He had this-secret-fondness for taking care of them, protecting what was left of them. When he was offered the post he didn't hesitate a moment to take it, thus could justify his frequent contact with the -lovely’s-Ricks.

As soon as he remembered the time when the Mortys were martyred and the Ricks were in charge his memory played with him, although he never saw it that way; A-031 loved with all his being to each one of the Ricks by the simple fact of being it.

He was like a Super Fan.

And all that was left behind as soon as they began to hunt the traitors, to persecute them as in an inquisition directed by that group of 'brave ones'. There were audio and video cameras around the city, shutters for Ricks' vehicles without registration, and their adoption procedures, health care centers that provided Mortys with mandatory sedatives to keep their 'pets' at line. There were even rent assassins Mortys to get rid of these when they became a burden.

There was nothing he can do to save them.

…

"This rain doesn’t stop, will be a storm?" He said more to himself than to his companion, a rather worn-out Rick doll who was lying somewhere in the back of his car.

Because at the age of 24, he still had this memory of his childhood.

The traffic light changed from blue to yellow, and it was his turn to move on the slippery avenue, it was very late at night judging by the nil traffic, and the dangerous craters that threatened to break up his vehicle only welcomed him to that neighborhood Dangerous where he went; Right the place that council decided to encapsulate the aberrations that the Mortys made to have fun.

He slowed, letting his pupils decode the message in discreet purple neon in front of him.

¨R I C K V E R T I D O¨.

A-031 had never entered a Rickstíbulo, it was something more than disgusting, it was hurting, think about all those Ricks being forced to have sex by a fist of desperate Mortys. A chill ran down him spine, and he clutched her hands as tightly as he could against the wheel.

That wasn’t why he was there.

Right?

"Babysister!" Said one of the guards. "You came to see the chief? Or are you finally going to be encouraged to fuck one of these watery asses? "

"J-Just let me in ..." he spat aggressively, pulling the knot in his throat so he could speak.

"That's why you don’t have a boyfriend, dammit, but I suppose you take sex free at the nursery, so you're absolutely right. I wouldn’t come to this place either, if there was a cleaner one! "

"Look, I don’t have time to joke, I don’t know what Miami Morty wants of me, I don’t think I can help him.

"Oh boy, nanny! " he rubbed elbow with his sleeping companion "It's an interview with the most interesting Morty in the world!"

He opened the narrow door for employees, and then Morty entered with a scrambled stomach; Nothing more than a few meters and the smell of sex and confinement penetrated strongly. The place was a seemingly normal furnished home of at least three skillful floors where the Ricks lived 'unhurriedly', the customer who entered had the right to abuse whatever he wanted wherever he wanted, and even play chase them when they tried to hide; there were no doors or partitions in any room, and the windows were heavily protected by stifling bars; In such a way that it was always an ambiguous environment; And the schedule was 24 hours.

Morty A-031 was escorted through a polarized glass aisle to the elevator leading him to the 5th floor. The guard accompanied him to the feet of the Miami office, from there he returned wishing him the best of luck. He swallowed, knocked on the door to enter, but to his surprise, it was already open.

He’d never tried to handle such a situation that fast, far from being an office, it looked like a deluxe suite, with an elegant circular bed in the middle of the room and half a bar of liquor on one side of the desk. Miami Morty was lying on his bed while a three-eyed Rick licked his feet lasciviously.

"Hello, my dear, please have a seat. Would you like a Rick? "

The owner kicked the three-eye ribs so he fell down and placed in fetal position toward the floor. The seat was ready, Morty only grimaced.

"No thanks, I'm fine like this."

"As you wish," he snorted. "You see, my Ricks have been getting sick, some are already very weak and others aren’t selling so much ... I found out that you're the nursery’s caretaker and so ... I'll get to the point. I have a very big proposal for you, it’s an opportunity for everyone.

Morty felt a bad feeling.

"I want buy you the oldest Ricks you have, those idiots who were left behind, we both know nobody's going to adopt them. Then I’ll murder these sick I have right now. I’ll buy you new ones, you have more space, I have more sales; and when those get sick I would change them and we all win. Cool, isn’t it?

It had to be a joke

"I don’t think it's going to work, the Ricks I have are...

"They're less watery than the ones I have now."

"The council will ask me about their whereabouts if I sell them, and-" He sweated cold.

"Oh you’re a love, you don’t want me to be sued, but look I have a surprise" hit Rick in the shin and he runs to the desk to bring the guest a copy of the certificate-of-approval "I cost a bribe, but the process It's legal now."

"I can’t give you any because ..." his voice cut off, he began to despair.

No one would touch his Ricks.

"Are you opposing? Are you against the Ricks' suffering? If so, I can make you rot in jail and stay with your stupid nursery, maybe I can open another Rickstíbulo there"

"I-I can’t give you any until you pick the nominees! I can only give you the most attractive, you know, more money for you. Give me a week to think what can I do with this situation. "

"That's my Morty!" Oh beautiful! For a second you deceived me, yes you are a naughty, I love you. What's more, I'm going to give you one of my Ricks as an early payment; But not of those Ricks AIDS that I have in the first levels. For you, I’ll give one of my exquisite purchases, and that will give yourself an idea for what I want.

When the fingers thundered, a grate ran to reveal a ladder, Miami passed first, prompting him to accompany it, was the fourth floor. A pleasant smell of coffee and plastic slipped through the nervousness of A-031, and continued to see the bluish luminosity that stretched to the end of the hallway. Unlike the lower floors, the cells clearly showed the specimen to be chosen, and once selected it was released to take it to the room (the one at the end of the hallway).

Most of the cells were empty, except for a few who had unique Ricks, to tell the truth, not even working in a garden center imagined seeing them. A Test X90 that looked sad at him, a Rick Slavedoll who had his arms and legs amputated, a trans! Rick who showed with no problem his genitals to the guests and finally a rock with a hole in the center who had a lab coat on.

"What an… interesting collection," he said.

"Thank you, my dear, I hope..." suddenly desperate shouts rang out from the room, a thick menacing voice, silencing the other deeper "Did you look someone you like? which one should I give you? "

"What was that sound?"

The moment of silence showed the cries, now unilateral, from the room.

"It's just a customer using the room, you shouldn’t worry, it's not a big specimen, now; If you choose the stone one…"

But the cries he heard didn’t sound even remotely to any Rick, especially because he thought he heard them in a lower volume; fearfully. Curiosity assaulted him at the worst moment, interrupting abruptly the single conversation of the Madam.

"I want to come in, I want the one inside."

The opponent's eyes rolled with anger.

"Well, but I want you to get me like the ones out here, not like that that you decide to take with you" took out a set of keys and lasted a couple of eternal seconds for both Morty A-031 and for being suffering inside the room until open "All right, any Morty who is there, your time is up, there's no refund."

The digital door screeched at the key and revealed the interior of the room, to the luck of the user he’d finished, smoking in a corner of the extensive bed where another bundle could be seen trembling.

As a result, the client was Biker Morty, and even beneath the bedcover (white pearl, stained with damp fresh blood in some places) one could see the enormous erection resting. An extra puff of cigarette smoke, he didn’t seem to disturb the presence of the other two.

"Okay little piece of shit, now you have another owner, get the fuck up and come here Rick, you have to make a good impression and satisfy him as the whore you are," Miami asked patiently, Storage was petrified at the scene.

"Hey, my friend, an apology, I didn’t know anyone else was interested in this fool and I signed him with my mouth "Biker released the owner in a mocking tone and then looked at A-031 with a giggle "I already loosened his ass but I came in it, I hope it doesn't bother you.

"Don’t worry Biker, you're one of the few who uses that idiot, and I didn’t even know he was leaving today," Miami concluded, watching with curiosity the "emotion" of his new partner by putting both hands in his mouth, as if stopping a Cry of happiness

Or holding the vomit because the impotence.

"You're not hearing me or what, crap?!" - yelled again at the body destroyed in bed "I'm fucking telling you to come here, Tiny Rick!"

Finally, the shape moved on, first seated, then the little one get out slowly of the high bed, and when he did, strips of blood and semen drained out from its buthole, until slowly touching the floor, he was really short and was rubbing his eyes from tears, tiredness.

After this, he covered his private parts with his hands, as if he could disguise with it what Biker’d just done. Pretending that all marks of fresh bites were invisible to the spectators; after all he didn’t distinguished them in the middle of all the pain.

"Well, see you next week to check how my new acquisitions are going. You know the way-out, I'll stay here to comfort my poor client." Miami got into bed, eager to discover the sheets to found the motorcyclist's weapon. "And take that thing away from here; there are straps in the hallway.”

"Sure," he said, noticing the teenager's fearful stare, then put a hand on his back and pushed him lightly to get him out of the room.

But of course, the boy didn’t walk correctly, he had practically destroyed his hip, not just his childhood.

Back at the exit he neither spoke a word; Morty took one of the sheets from the Miami bed and placed it in such a way that only his face was visible. Rick just let himself be done. Then Morty pick him up as if he were a kind of soft sack and crossed as fast as he could the rest of the house.

Upon arriving at the exit a great sigh escaped him without permission.

"Hey buddy, what are you carrying there?" shout the guard.

Morty paled, didn’t really want anyone else to see his little one.

"Drugs" he lied "I'm leaving now."

The astonished guard, received a nudge on the part of his companion Morty asleep.

Morty A-031 put Rick lay in the back sit, and drove crazily until his home. The younger were half unconscious, but even like this he didn’t quit his eyes from Morty, as a silently sign of gratitude.

"You’re going to be safe as long as you are with me." He promised.

Promise.

#rick sanchez #rick and morty #rick sanchez and morty smith #rickandmorty #Rick y Morty #fan Rick Morty #fanfic #yaoi #tiny rick #super fan rick #super fan morty #miami morty #biker morty #rick and morty fanart #one shot

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photographerguide-blog · 5 years

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The Winners Of The 2018 Underwater Photography Competition Will Take Your Breath Away

New Post has been published on https://photographyguideto.com/must-see/the-winners-of-the-2018-underwater-photography-competition-will-take-your-breath-away/

The Winners Of The 2018 Underwater Photography Competition Will Take Your Breath Away

Underwater photography opens up a dimension of Mother Earth we don’t normally see. Blackwater diving and shallow reef paddling would be incredibly hard to explain if it wasn’t for the vivid images people brought from beneath the surface. Celebrating the beauty of waters from all over the world, the 7th Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest has just announced its winners, and the pictures speak for themselves.

“The purpose of the [competition] is to find and promote the world’s best underwater photographers and their work,” Underwater Photography Guide’s Managing Editor Nirupam Nigam told Bored Panda. “We’d also like to bring public awareness to the beauty of marine life and the necessity of its conservation. Ocean Art is about discovering and putting a spotlight on new/innovative photographic techniques, amazing animal behaviors, and the beauty of the world’s oceans.”

The judges evaluated thousands of entries from 70 countries before deciding which of them deserved to receive the over $80,000 in sponsor prizes across 16 different categories. “The 2018 competition was our most competitive year to date with a record number of entries. Images from this year’s competition show just how far underwater photographic technology and innovation from underwater photographers have come. As this innovation continues, we have seen a shift in preferred subjects for underwater photographers. It would seem that more photographers are now confident in shooting large pelagic subjects such as sharks, rays, humpback whales, and crocodiles. Although these are impressive subjects by themselves, we looked for the very best photos regardless of the subject. This year we saw an increase in entrants from Asia.”

Scroll down to check out the best images from the competition and read the stories behind them!

#1 1st Place, Wide-Angle Category, “Gentle Giants” By François Baelen

This unique encounter happened in September 2018 in Reunion Island (Western Indian Ocean) where the humpback whales come here to breed and give birth. The mother was resting 15 meters down, while her calf was enjoying his new human friends. Trust : this is what came to my mind, when this close to 30 ton-animal, still hunted today by mankind, allowed me to freedive behind her and take that shot. From down there, everything seemed unreal: that huge tail centimeters away from me, the calf, my friend free diving symetrically. I knew I would not get a shot like this one again. The post production was all about getting a good white balance and reducing noise, because this photo was taken with natural light only, 15 meters deep.

#2 Honorable Mention, Portrait Category, “Curiosity” By Kyler Badten

My freedive parter and I were surrounded by green sea turtles feeding on algae that washed out from the rocky shoreline on Oahu’s North Shore. I turned to see this turtle swimming directly at me, which was a truly remarkable behavior that I have never experienced before. As I set up to capture the unique encounter, the curious turtle saw her reflection and continued to slowly approach until nearly bumping…

#3 Honorable Mention, Nudibranch, “Sheep On The Shot” By Chun Ho Tam

My dive master showed me this cute sheep during a dive in Lembeh, Indonesia. Its rouge face attracted me and I decided to take a face shot with snooting it to create a spot light effect.

#4 5th Place, Wide-Angle Category, “Eclipse” By Edwar Herreno

From August to November, golden rays migrate in large numbers in Costa Rican Pacific waters. No one knows the exact reason, but it can be to protection from predators or as a social/mating behavior. I was looking for this picture for years and after several weeks searching and working with biologist specialised in rays, I spotted a good place using my drone. I did several dives in this area and waited patiently, then When they came on top of me, I was shock and forgot that I had a camera in my hands. Any effort I did for this encounter, word it! Simply magic moment.

#5 1st Place, Macro Ocean, “Ancistrocheirus” By Jeff Milisen

One of the things that makes guiding a blackwater dive so rewarding is the chance to spread my passion to the 6 eager customers. But even guides have to let loose, and for that we find empty boat seats and tag along to hone our skills. On this night, I was going holo holo (for pleasure) when I found this sharp-eared enope squid just under the surface. Most enope squids are small and thus difficult to shoot. As they mature, the difficult paralarva comes into its own. Every detail in the arms, organs, and chromatophores blasts to life in radiant color. Such was the case with this gem of a specimen. At around 3 inches in length, it was easily the largest and prettiest sharp-eared enope squid I recall finding. I caught the guide’s glance and let him show it to the nearby customers, but soon the animal fled down, so I followed where the guide couldn’t. We descended past forty feet, fifty feet, sixty feet while I continued watching, studying, and shooting. Anywhere else and these would be shallow depths, but the middle of the ocean at night is a lonely place. I cruised slowly by seventy feet, the guide’s torch watching me. At eighty feet the kraken’s dancing and squirming still entranced me. Finally, at ninety feet deep, it was time to leave my new little friend at peace.

#6 3rd Place, Wide-Angle Category, “Two Inquisitive Friends” By Celia Kujala

The Australian sea lion is one of the most endangered pinnipeds in the world. One place they can be found is Essex Rocks in the Jurien Bay Marine Park. I was in shallow water, when two Australian sea lion pups swooshed in my direction. They were playing and zipping around each other in what appeared to be a beautiful underwater ballet. However, what happened next was even more special. As they neared me, I must have piqued their interest because the two playful friends became two inquisitive friends and swam to check me out. I was able to capture them at the exact moment they were perfectly posed and staring at me with their curious eyes. I love observing wildlife underwater, but the moments when one connects with wildlife are even more extraordinary. I hope to share with people the magic that I felt.

#7 Honorable Mention, Mirrorless Macro, “Face To Face” By Rafi Amar

When I took this picture, a lot of sharks were walking around me, and my Buddy did not understand why I was diving with a macro lens, but I had to photograph this shy fish. For more than an hour I waited for this picture but finally it was worth it.

#8 3rd Place, Marine Life Behavior, “Love From A Father” By François Baelen

When it comes to clownfishes, we can safely say that Daddy does everything he can to make sure the next generation is safe. He takes care of the eggs by making them breathe with his fins; he removes dust, debris and dead eggs from the nest. This was a really lucky shot as I was trying a new wetlens (+20 diopter). It is pretty hard to use because its depth…

#9 Honorable Mention, Portrait Category, “Nemo” By Matteo Visconti

The relationship between the ocellaris clownfish that dwell among the tentacles of Ritteri sea anemones is a good example of mutualism. The territorial fish protects the anemone from anemone-eating fish, and in turn the stinging tentacles of the anemone protect the clownfish from its predators.

#10 2nd Place, Novice Dslr, “Smile Of A Friend” By Antonio Pastrana

In my photo dreams I always had the idea of capturing a wild crocodile. But even when I have seen many in the wild, I have never been able to get in the water with one. That morning we saw this crocodile called El Niño. I was told he was nice enough to let you get close to him. He was watching us for quite some time and, when we decided to go in the water, I was nervous but excited. I approached him close to 10 feet when he started to move towards me, I got more nervous than before but he moved gently so I knew he wasn’t mad. He came towards me but dived underneath, so I turned around to follow him closely. When he turned around to face me, I had the opportunity to take this picture with a big smile. After getting the shot I edited in Lightroomma bit of exposure, less contrast, some highlights and less shadows and some clarity cropping the image on the right bottom side to get more close and giving the shot more balance.

#11 1st Place, Cold Water, “Grey Seal Face” By Greg Lecoeur

#12 Honorable Mention, Portrait Category, “Roar” By Jinggong Zhang

This kind of species chaenopsid blenny was found in rocky reefs around Japan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It features a Mohican-like “haircut,” which is usually in red, yellow, or black. This photo of blenny cleaning up its lair was taken in Kanagawaken, Japan.

#13 2nd Place, Wide-Angle Category, “Paddle Boarders Sunset” By Grant Thomas

Stand up paddle boarders were out exploring the shallow reefs at sunset. I wanted to demonstrate the innate bond humans have with the ocean, whether we are physically in it or floating on the surface. Our inherent relationship with the ocean is eternal and we must care for it in a way that ensures sustainability for the future.

#14 2nd Place, Underwater Art, “Two Worlds Collide” By Jordan Robins

‘Two Worlds Collide’ is an over under photo captured of a vivid sunrise at Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay. Above the water is clouds in the sky bursting to life with colour from the rising sun. Below the water is a series of parallel lines of sand formed by the continual rise and fall of the ocean.This photo took nearly six months to capture with multiple failed attempts along the way. I wanted to capture vivid colours in the sky contrasted with the crystal-clear water and unique formations in the sand below the water’s surface. On this particular morning, I was rewarded with an amazing sunrise and crystal clear calm water.I used my two inon-z240 strobes to light up below the water and balance the exposure with the sky. During post processing I added a little bit of blue to the water to create a dynamic contrast with the fiery reds in the sky, creating an almost psychedelic like scene.

#15 Honorable Mention, Underwater Art, “Light Beam” By Alexandre St. Jean

Cenotes are sacred places to the Mayans. They are doorways to Xibalbá – the Mayan Underworld. On an expedition through the Yucatan Peninsula, Professional Freediver Carlos Coste and I were brought to a very beautiful and remote Cenote by our friend and local guide, Pedro Castillo. There, we were privy to a beautiful, clear and unoccupied Cenote. As we got our gear on, a light beam appeared in the water from above. For a couple hours each day, the sun peaks through the hole of the Cenote and shapes the light into a perfect tube. Needless to say, we used every second of light to capture photos of this wonderful phenomenon in order to show its mystical beauty. The sense of awe and tranquility felt in Cenotes are enrapturing. You can definitely feel the energy of Xibalbá.

#16 4th Place, Portrait Category, “Eye To Eye” By Shane Keena

A curious and quite playful humpback whale calf comes in for a close look in an amazing few seconds between two sentient beings. This calf was rolling around as its mom slept then swam towards me, turning and slowing down just long enough for us to make eye to eye contact.

#17 5th Place, Marine Life Behavior, “New Life” By Flavio Vailati

I usually dive in Capo Noli Italy. One morning in July I met a beautiful specimen of an octopus in a tube that was caring for its eggs.

#18 1st Place, Marine Life Behavior And Best Of Show By Duncan Murrell

Spinetail devil rays, (Mobula japanica) engaged in rarely observed or photographed courtship behaviour with two males pursuing one female.

#19 1st Place, Nudibranch, “Inside The Eggs” By Flavio Vailati

During a dive in Anilao, Philippines I found this nudibranch and I waited for the best time to make this shot.

#20 2nd Place, Compact Macro, “Red On Green” By Kate Tinson

North Sulawesi is Kate a wonderful go-to dive vacation spot. This shot was taken on our first day of the trip at Bunaken Island in June 2018 after arriving at 1am that morning. The colour of the coral and the beautifully symmetrical patterns are always attractive, and I was lucky enough to capture a very co-operative coral goby who posed like a real professional which produced these wonderful complementary…

#21 2nd Place, Portrait Category, “Croc In The Mist” By Christina Barringer

“Croc in the Mist” was a fierce shot. As quick as this young croc made its appearance, it charged towards my dive partner. With no camera to use as a barrier, she was vulnerable. As it kicked up the sand, visibility became poor. So I quickly pushed myself in front of my dive partner and dove down, using my large camera as a barrier. But first, I just had to…

#22 2nd Place, Marine Life Behavior , “The Fight” By Anders Nyberg

Me and my dive guide were looking for some Ghost Pipefish and other small critters, so I had prepared my Nikon D500 with a 105 mm macro lens. Swimming around and looking for small stuff, suddenly we saw these two two beautiful male Anthias fighting and spinning around. I was aware of my camera gear would be quite wrong for this to Anthias but I had to try to take some pictures. The hardest part was that I needed to be a bit far from the Anthias because my macro lens, so there was a lack of light from my strobes. Despite that I managed to catch these two anthias fighting by using a long exposure so it has given the image an ethereal glow and energy. Neither me nor the dive guide had seen anything like it and it was a fantastic experience. For post-processing I used white balance, contrast, shadows, clarity, sharpening and dehaze

#23 4th Place, Macro Ocean, “Dance Of Love” By Jinggong Zhang

Sea horses usually have a long dance of courtship before mating. They will move in sync and swim around each other. After a few seconds, the female puts the eggs into the males’ pouch through ovipositor to complete the fertilization. Unlike most species, the birth of the sea horses are done by males. This mating photo was taken in Minamatashi, Kumamotoken in Japan. This species sea horses was officially recognized in 2017. To hide from natural enemies, sea horses usually swim out of hiding seaweed and mate at sunrise in the morning. After mating, they hide into the depths of seaweed immediately.

#24 2nd Place, Mirrorless Macro, “Bubble Life” By Owen Yen

When I saw this green nudi in Boergeseniaforbesii(Siphonocladales), I felt that it looks like the HULK but more cute. It ate the chlorophyll and stay in Boergeseniaforbesii to make its own BUBBLE LIFE.

#25 2nd Place, Cold Water, “Burst” By Tyler Schiffman

: I was diving the break wall in Monterey bay and this week in particular had over 40 foot vis for 3 days straight. I had been shooting kelp bursts all day as the light was exploding amongst the canopy above. I had framed this shot waiting for a sea lion to swim by. After 5 minutes, one swam up and paused for a few seconds, I took…

#26 3rd Place, Nudibranch, “Frosted Pearl” By Bettina Balnis

Beside giant jellyfishes, octopuses, and seastars – all subjects too big for my macro lense – I suddenly saw this beautiful creature crawling on a kelp leave. Fantastic. I watched it until the end of the dive. Never saw such a beautiful nudibranch again

#27 4th Place, Wide-Angle Category, “West Coast Flowers” By Geo Cloete

Each year during the early spring, the normally barren looking West Coast landscape of South Africa undergoes a magnificent transformation as millions of wildflowers bloom and decorates the landscape in a kaleidoscope of colours as far as the eye can see. When I stumbled upon this scene of sandy anemones (Aulactinia reynaudi) whilst exploring the West Coast coastline, it immediately reminded me of the yearly flower season of the region. Only in this instance nature treats us to this beautiful display year round and a wonderful reason to appreciate and give recognition to the wonders of our coastline much more. In order to capture as wide a field of view as possible, I relied on my trusty fisheye lens and applied a lens correction function.

#28 2nd Place, Nudibranch, “Polycera Quadrilineata Posing” By Fredrik Ehrenström

This image was taken in the early spring 2012 at 10 m depth in the algal belt surrounding the old ferry dock of Bremsnes in Norway. Spring time is nudibranch time along the coasts of Scandinavia. The one-year-old adults spawn and large amounts of fully grown adults (3-4 cm) can be seen on the leaves of Oar Weed (Laminaria digitata), together with their curtainlike eggmasses. Some individuals raise their bodies…

#29 3rd Place, Macro Ocean, “Speedy Cuttlefish” By Fabio Iardino

During a night dive, I met this cuttlefish. Intrigued by his way of moving, I tried a technique of slow sync flash to get a shot with an effect of movement.

#30 1st Place, Mirrorless Wide Angle, “Spotted Dolphin” By Eugene Kitsios

Before you enter the water with a pod of dolphins, you never know what the interaction will be like. Sometimes you may have a great encounter, where the dolphins will curiously swim around you or show you some kind of playful behaviour. Other times they may leave you without interest. The best way to interact with them is to let them decide. Times where you are accepted by the pod…

#31 6th Place, Marine Life Behavior, “Cleaning” By Liang Fu

A white-banded cleaner shrimp hopped into the mouth of a grouper to have some leftover food. While at the same time, the grouper has its mouth cleaned by the shrimp. This cleaning behavior ensures both species mutually benefit from this symbiotic relationship. I am fascinated by this behaviorbetween the grouper and the shrimp. To capture this moment, I tried to use a snoot with side-back lighting to create a strong shadow of the body of the grouper while at the same time lighting up the mouth. Lucky enough when a shrimp jumped just on the edge of the mouth, I got the photo that I was hoping for.

#32 1st Place, Underwater Art, “Disco Nudi” By Bruno Van Saen

I was trying to create an image right out of the camera using special own-made backgrounds. But at the end, it was the photoshop filter ‘swirl’ which helped me a lot to end up with this creative image.

#33 1st Place, Mirrorless Behavior, “My Babies” By Fabrice Dudenhofer