#Snail shell studio

[the-woods-call-me]

Wild Paths 🌲🪵

Snail Shell Studio Milk Tea Girl head with Phantom Hotaru hair pieces on Romankey body; clothing handmade. 🪡💪

[kaban-bang]

OH FUCK

DOES THAT MEAN KENTREGINA IS A POSIBILITY???

[puppetstim]

source

[speakingofcomics]

[paprikaries]

"Mammon" _ Immortal Snail Assassin _ Character redesign/ concept art inspired by "Mammon" from "Helluva Boss" (spindlehorse studio/ Vivziepop) It's Mammon but he's a giant demonic Snail in an evil clown disguise. His eyes are on the sides of the head, the opening of the dress is the mouth and shows the teeth, the shell is represented by the crown on the fake head of the clown, which is none other than Mammon's castle itself. His arms are chains of green light, his hands are gauntlets of hollow armor. The chains end up straight in the demon's mouth. The soul of Fizzarolli chained to the demon is represented on the hand. Forced to serve him by pushing the damned souls to enter Mammon's tent to seek entertainment, they end up being swallowed up by the monster. The demon is like a ghost, representing futile entertainment that leaves nothing and slowly devours the soul..

[rebeccathenaturalist]

COOL SNAIL ALERT!!!!

Okay, so yesterday I was teaching my Introduction to Mycology Class for Wildcraft Studio School at Tryon Creek State Natural Area just south of Portland, and while our main focus was on various fungi, we found some other cool stuff along the way, too!

One of the highlights of my day was this particular snail:

That is a Pacific sideband snail (Monadenia fidelis), one of our native terrestrial gastropods (as opposed to several invasive species found in the PNW and beyond). What makes it stand out is that the shell is entirely lacking the usual brown background on which various stripes are overlaid; it looks more like the yellow shell often seen in some Haplotrema species, such as the native H. vancouverense.

This is a more typical specimen, found not far from our extra-pale oddball above:

As you can see, the body color on the two snails is almost identical, so it's not albinism. I considered whether it might be a rare case of invertebrate leucism, but I was only able to find one reference thereof, in a paper on a single leucistic scorpion. I think, though, it's more likely just a normal variation where the brown pigmentation is at an extreme minimum.

It's not surprising that this mutation would be exceedingly rare; that yellow shell stands out like a beacon amid the darker colors of the forest floor, making any paler snails easier for predators to spot. OTOH, H. vancouverense is found in similar habitats and does have a typically yellow-colored shell, so maybe it's not as much of a liability. And when I looked at iNaturalist results for M. fidelis, there were a very few paler-shelled individuals mixed among the more common reddish-browns. They weren't clustered in one part of the species' range, but scattered throughout.

Anyway, I thought you all would appreciate seeing this!

[friendly-neighborhood-gambler]

Since we hit one of the goals on the note post thing, here’s chapter one of my currently unnamed fanfiction

Chapter 1: Deep Sea Dancing

“CUT!”

Frye stood up from her cushion, stretching out her arms and legs. Shiver and Big Man beside her start discussing lunch plans, but thinking straight is the last thing on Frye’s mind. As she absentmindedly flexes her calves, her mind races, running a mile a minute with pictures of memories. Memories from middle school, where Shiver, Frye, and Big Man first bonded. From the early days of their band, with Big Man’s endless positivity and Shiver’s relentless negotiating. And yet, even with these great friends, Frye can’t help but feel as if… as if she’s missing something. She gazes around the recording studio, trying to find what she might be looking for.

Grasping her jacket from the dumpster she had left it on, Seawyd shrugs it on and stares out of the alley. As she gazes out, her eyes adjusting to the lights, she takes in the sights of Splatsville, and the bustling Octolings and Inklings making their way to the tower or the shops. Seawyd steps out from her spot in the shade, walking towards Hotlantis. Harmony looks up, barely batting an eye as Seawyd smiles. As Seawyd shops for some decorations, Frye walks in, her shoulders slightly drooping as she grabs several bags of chips and armfuls of plush toys.

“‘Sup.” Harmony mutters, her eyes locked on her super claw toy.

Frye breathes out a sigh of anguish, barely paying attention to anything else through her obvious confusion. From the other side of the store, Seawyd clatters around clumsily, and Harmony and Frye wince as a loud crash echoes through the store. As Frye stomps aggresively to the counter, holding her box of snacks and plushes, her presence catches Seawyd’s attention.

“Hey, you’re Frye, right? That legendary dancer?” Seawyd asks, her voice quiet and full of awe.

Frye scoffs. “What does it look like? You want an autograph or something? Whatever, just make it snappy. I’ve got somewhere to be.” She stares at Seawyd expectantly as she pays for her items.

“I know that this seems kind of worthless from a nobody like me, but… I think you’re pretty fresh.” Seawyd gazes at Frye with a gaze of pure admiration and joy, sending a wave of uncertainty through Frye’s body as her odd feeling of lacking before returns.

“Uhm… thanks? Your fit is pretty fresh too. I like the shoes.” Frye mutters awkwardly, slightly shocked from the casual vibes of the complete stranger in front of her. Meanwhile, Seawyd, smiling like a maniac, places the shirt she was ordering on the counter and reaches into her wallet, pulling out enough coins to pay for all the junk Frye just bought.

“Here. It’s on me…” Seawyd says, her voice barely above a whisper as she stares down slightly at Frye.

H-huh?! I’m the rich one, she shouldn’t… she couldn’t… Frye thinks to herself, struggling to comprehend what the carp is going on. “O-oh… you… no, I can’t accept that. I’m a professional, and you’re just… well, I don’t know what you do.”

“I c-can show you… if you come to the Hadopelagic tonight…” Seawyd mutters, her voice full of sincerity as she craves to be validated by her beloved role model. Seawyd’s body grows less shaky, her confidence obviously escalating as she stares into Frye’s vibrant eyes. “If you go down the alley to the right of Grizzco that leads to Marigold’s tableturf stand, then take a left and knock on the wall with some graffiti on it, they’ll let you in. You’ll know the wall when you see it…” Seawyd blushes, seemingly shrinking as her confidence falters. Her lips quiver gently, and she quickly pays for her purchase before sprinting out the door.

What the shell was that about? Frye thinks to herself. Shrugging, she picks up her box of snacks and plushies and heads out the door, waving goodbye to Harmony with an uncomfortable smile on her face.

Holy sea snails, I didn’t just do that, did I? Seawyd nibbles absentmindedly on the sleeve of her shirt, eyes wide in fear at the situation that just unfolded. Me. A pathetic loser. Asking someone as fresh as Frye fluking ONAGA to come to a dingy club? Someone like her would never appreciate someone who hangs out with the lesser inkfish. As Seawyd spirals deeper and deeper into the vicious thoughts of self doubt, she remembers a friend of hers, an angsty Salmonid named Ranu. Remembering his choice words about her mental state, Seawyd stands up rapidly, scaring another Salmonid who was walking by. I don’t care. Whether she shows up or not, I’m putting on one shell of a show tonight.

“Oh, Frye… are you okay?” Shiver inquires, her voice somehow both apathetic and caring as it usually is. “Last time you paced like that, one of your eels had just died. Do I need to put some tea on?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me about Pyaara. She was a good one.” Frye collapses onto the couch of Deep Cut’s shared apartment, breathing a labored sigh. “Sure, Shiv. Put some tea on the stove. I’ll drink it… whenever I get around to it.” As Frye borders on tears, awkward situations and sad memories fresh on her mind, Shiver wanders the kitchen, preparing a pot of tea. Adding the special treatment to the water to make it potable, she decides to inquire further.

“Frye, dear… I can tell something’s wrong. And I know that it hurts for you to keep secrets. So please. Tell me what’s troubling you.” Shiver leaves the pot, sitting next to Frye on the plush couch.

Sniffing gently, Frye whispers out, her voice quivering. “I know that Deep Cut… w-well, Deep Cut is and always has been us three, right? With the few exceptions of Big Man and the Squid Sisters… it’s just been us.” She sighs, her foot tapping agitatedly. “But… I don’t think I want that. Something in me… sort of like back when we were younger. You and I, that weekend trip to Camp Cuttlefish…” Frye and Shiver both look upwards in unison, their faces brightening a little at the memories.

“Ah, yes… I remember that.” Shiver muses, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Well, what do you propose-”

Before she can get the rest of her sentence out, Frye jumps in, her voice rapid with embarrassment and need. “I received an invitation to a club tonight. They said they wanted to show me something.”

“That sounds awfully suspicious. Are you sure you can trust them?” Shiver clicks her tongue, staring at Frye with her signature glare. “You can definitely go, but I should come along just in case.”

Already planning her outfit and barely in the conversation anymore, Frye nods absentmindedly, her face brightening. “Of course, of course… the more the merrier.” She rushes off, her sadness all but forgotten.

Shiver shakes her head, smirking nonchalantly. “About what I expected from you, my dear Frye. You never stay upset for long.”

Seawyd shivers in anticipation, the loud music banging in her ears as she prepares to perform. After the founding of the Hadopelagic Club and the rocky introduction of Salmonids to Inkadian and Splatlandian culture, Seawyd had been exposed to the culture of the new variety of Inkfish. After breaking through the previous barrier of fear and hatred built by Mr. Grizz, the culture had so much influence on Seawyd that she decided to tell the story through dance, and developed a special style of both vocals and movement that led to her becoming SquidParty of One. As she walks out onto the dance floor, she spots Frye and Shiver in the crowd and waves timidly as Frye turns to see what the ruckus is about. Seawyd smiles as she receives a smile and a wave, then reaches the center of the dance floor, ready to perform like she’s never done before.

“Ladies and Gentlesquids… you know her, you love her, it’s the one and only Seawyd!” The roars from the crowd reach insane levels as Frye and Shiver almost get crushed by the flood. The music clicks on, and the performance begins, the very air seeming to reflect the rhythm of Seawyd’s movements. As Frye stares on in awe, she begins screaming along with the crowd, cheering on the act while slowly sliding closer. Suddenly, Seawyd flips into the air in swim form, and a pair of hands pulls Frye back as Seawyd splashes down onto the dance floor, blasting ink into the air to create a sort of makeshift confetti. “W-wow… that…” Frye jumps around excitedly. “Was incredible! Shiv, did you see that?! She did a Splashdown! On command!”

Shiver gasps in delight as she observes the spectacle. “Wow. That street chick wasn’t lying, she can dance.”

As Seawyd slides and dances to the rhythm, she even begins to sing, her voice resounding through the room as she screams to the crowd. Frye pumps her fist to the rhythm as Shiver watches in amusement, secretly overjoyed at her dear friend having so much fun.

After her performance, Seawyd collapses into a booth in the club, pounding back a pouch of her favorite drink. Frye and Shiver sit across from her, the former struggling to contain her excitement as she bounces in her seat.

“That was… INCREDIBLE!” Frye exclaims, throwing her hands into the air. “I didn’t know people could just… use specials like that! How do you do it?”

Seawyd sits up, her face deadpan yet energetic. “I’m not entirely sure, but if what Marina says means anything to you, then I’m pretty sure they removed my special limiter.”

At the mention of Marina, Shiver’s eyes widen slightly. “Hold up. First off, you know Marina? And secondly, who’s ‘they’? Who removed the special limiter?” Shiver stares at Seawyd with vicious eyes, her eyebrows raised as she awaits an answer.

“‘Course I know Marina. She helped me condition to society when I escaped from the Deep Sea Metro.” Seawyd looks up slightly, a dreamy glaze in her eyes. “At this point, with all she’s done for me, I’m forever in her debt.” Frye pouts slightly, slightly upset at her expression, as Shiver bores holes in Seawyd’s face with her glare. “And about who ‘they’ are, well… I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that I’m partially sanitized. No memories, but no green skin yet. Like Eig- oh, you three wouldn’t know Eight. Nevermind.”

“Sanitized? What’s that?” Frye cocks her head, her other emotions briefly all dropped for curiosity.

“It’s a long story. You’re probably best off asking Marina, since I barely heard a word she said.” Finally remembering who she’s talking to, Seawyd nearly trips over her own feet as she stumbles back a bit. “I sh-should probably be g-going now… see you around.” She turns and begins to leave, but as Shiver and Frye return to the dance floor, they hear a thump as Seawyd hits the floor behind them. They spin in unison, taking a moment to process Seawyd’s body. Realizing the situation, they roll her over, checking her vitals.

“She seems as ok as she could be… breathing, steady pulse… we should take her to a hospital, Shiv.” Frye blurts out, her voice full of a paradoxically calm panic. Guessing her bandmate’s thoughts, she adds, “Then we can get home and you can finally open that gift I got you for the band’s anniversary.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shiver helps lift Seawyd onto a stretcher that the club owner brought out. “Well, I wasn’t planning on leaving such a skilled dancer here alone, but I have been wondering what was in that box regardless.”

“Well, it seems her vitals are stable. Not that they weren’t, but after we got some nutrients in her, she’s definitely feeling better.”

Shiver gives a curt nod to the doctor, her face taut and apathetic. “Thank you, doctor. It’s good to see this hospital is still in good shape. This place is awfully important to the Splatlands.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Miss Hohojiro. And you as well, Miss Onaga. Without the funding you provide, we’d still be operating out of a camping tent with rusty tools.” The doctor turns back to Seawyd’s bed, her body lying peacefully on the white mattress. “This one is incredibly malnourished. I wonder why, considering the food ticket program has reduced starvation among Splatlandians by almost 80% percent…” Musing to himself, the doctor leaves the room just as Seawyd begins to stir.

A guttural moan comes from the drowsy Octoling as she sits up, blinking rapidly. “What the shell…? Where am I?”

Frye smiles wide. “Splat Square Hospital. You passed out at the club last night, and we brought you he-”

Before Frye can finish, Seawyd jumps out of bed, but almost immediately falls over onto her face. “Ah, carp…!” As she slowly climbs back up, leaning on the bedframe, her breathing accelerates. “I was supposed to go see him today… how else am I gonna eat tonight?”

Frye gasps as a look of sympathy passes over Shiver’s face. “Wait, what? Who are you talking about, and what does he have to do with you eating?”

Seawyd glances up at the yellow-haired Inkling, tears flooding her eyes. “He’s got all the tickets, and we gotta bring him stuff to get some. Otherwise, we starve.” Collapsing back to the floor in a heap, Seawyd’s whole body wracked with guilt and horrible memories. “That’s how we lost Galeo… nothing but a withered corpse now.”

As Shiver begins silently brainstorming a plan to take care of this extorter, Frye leans down, patting her shoulder. “Seawyd… it’ll be ok, eventually. For now, you need to rest. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure that son of a fugu gets what he deserves.”

“Sounds lovely…” Her voice nothing but a grim whisper, Seawyd falls back under the blanket of void as she passes out again.

Pain.

Agony.

Voices all around Seawyd whisper and scream, throbbing pains aching through her head. Mind racing, thoughts slipping, the only permanent sensation excruciating suffering. Her eyes open, bloodshot and dilated as she takes in the bag she’s wrapped in. Pressing against the thin plastic and screaming, unaware that no one can hear, she thrashes like a beast in a net until a calming voice causes her to suddenly stop. Whispering sweet nothings into her ear, the voice divides into two, a gentle hum in her left ear and an inspiring whisper in her right as the bag moves down, passing over her head as she awakens to find herself in a small plush bed surrounded by stuffed animals.

“Where… what happened…?” Seawyd groaned, unaware of her body’s continued spasming.

“You passed out again, but the doctor discharged you since the only issue was feeding you.” Shiver shrugs, nonchalant. “But we didn’t want to send you back to that jerk stealing all the food tickets, so we brought you back to our apartment. Welcome to the humble abode of Deep Cut, I guess.”

As Seawyd adjusts to her surroundings, Frye’s face suddenly appears in front of hers. “Are you alright? You were doing a lot of screaming in the few hours you were out…”

Seawyd’s head tweaks, and she takes a deep breath before answering. “I… have dreams like that a lot. Something about being trapped in a bag or a tube, and banging to get out. I’ve been having them as long as I can remember. Given, that’s about 2 or 3 years, but quite a while regardless.” She tries to climb out of bed, but Frye pushes her back down.

“Not yet! We gotta make sure you eat something. Doctor’s orders and all.” As she steps out towards the kitchen, Shiver begins to file her nails as Seawyd slips back under the welcoming hands of slumber.

“Eight!”

Rubbing her head, Seawyd sits up, looking around at the desolate landscape around her. As she watches weird bubbles float around above her, taking in the sights of what seems to be a pale Deca Tower in front of her.

“EIGHT! Did you bump your noggin or sum’? I’m callin’ you- oh. You’re not Eight. How did you get here?” A whirring noise comes from behind Seawyd as she hops to her feet, and she turns to see… Pearl?

“Wait a sec… aren’t you that hood girl Marina helped out a while back? The one with the unlimited specials and all that junk? The name was… Meggy, right?”

“N-no, it’s… it’s Seawyd.”

“Right. So, uhh… you got any clue how you got here? ‘Cause it looked to me like you just dropped out of the sky.”

Seawyd shrugs. “Nope.” Blinking to make sure she’s seeing right, she cocks her head. “You look like Pearl, but you’re a…”

“Yep. I’m a drone now! Isn’t that sick?” Pearl cheers, doing a little spin. “Although I’m pretty sure this isn’t real… in fact, considering the fact that I can hear Marina from the top of that Deca Tower lookin’ thing behind us, I’d bet she’s having one of those dreams again…”

Seawyd looks at the Pearl Drone in front of her, confusion evident on her face. But just as Pearl goes to speak, her eyes widen, remembering Marina’s… “affliction”.

“Oh, yeah… those weird “super-lucid dreams” she would have. I remember getting pulled into a few of those while I was staying with you.”

“Yeah, those.” Pearl chuckles. “Surprised you remember, considering those-“ She bops Seawyd in the head with her drone… arm… things. “- memory issues you had, heh.”

Nodding, Seawyd begins to fade out again, as if Marina’s hold on her mind was weakening. She blinks, and all of the sudden, she was back in the apartment with a tray full of Inkadian delicacies.

“Here you go, Seawyd!” Frye bops up and down, grinning enthusiastically. Off to the side of the room, Shiver chuckles, still filing her nails.

“Hand-delivered by Agent 7 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Boss was with him, too! Said they saw you in the news, and that he recognized you?”

Seawyd chuckles. “As if. No one as popular as the agents would ever care about me.” Her eyes glisten with tears, but she hides them. “Shell, I don’t even know why you two care about me so much. I haven’t done anything. I’m just a low-life from the slums.”

Frye goes to move, but Shiver holds her back, leaning towards Seawyd. “Hey. No one in this town is a “low-life”. Everyone here has a job, whether it’s obvious or not. You made the most of your time, entertaining those who had nothing left. War veterans scarred from their tragedies, misfits banned from the Turf Battle Federation for things they can’t control, people who have loved and lost.” She grabs Seawyd’s chin, leaning into her face with fire in her eyes. “And let me tell you… when I saw you, I recognized you instantly. Do you remember someone by the name of Virchi, by any chance?”

“Uh… yeah, I think so. She was the girl who used to be a guy, right? She was pretty cool.” Seawyd responded, rubbing her hair-tentacles.

Shiver nods. “Yes, her. If you might have noticed, I’ve got this wrap around my chest. And it’s because you inspired Virchi to transition. She told me about your skills, and described you to me in such vivid detail that I had the same experience.” She chuckles again. “Believe me, before I started doing this, my back hurt quite a bit. You could ask Frye.” She winks at her compatriot before continuing. “Anyways, after I heard of you, there was just… something within me that made me want to be someone different. And because of that, I am who I am today.”

“Wow.” Seawyd stares at her, her eyes wide. “I didn’t know I had that kind of… effect on people.”

Shiver nods. “Mhm. Although I wouldn’t go about making any assumptions. Both her and I had been considering that option for a while before, seeing your freedom just gave us the courage to be.”

The tears come back into Seawyd’s eyes, but this time as signs of hope instead of sorrow. “I… I don’t know what to say to that.” She pulls Shiver and Frye into an embrace. “Thank you, so very much. For your hospitality, and your care, and-“

“Alright, I think we get it…” Frye stammers out, since Seawyd was accidentally choking her. “You can let me breathe now…”

“Oh, carp! Sorry…” Embarrassed at her actions, Seawyd leans back on the bed again. “Alright, I’m gonna lie back down now. I have a headache.”

“Sounds good to me! Shiv and I have to get ready for this weekend’s splatfest, anyways.” Frye saunters off, but Shiver stays back.

“You know… I think Miss Onaga’s got eyes for you, dear.” Shiver whispers, her voice imbued with a mischievous tone. “I’ll keep an eye on her while you rest. But I think you should choose me for this fest, the results might be fun to watch…” As Shiver steps out, Seawyd drifts away, unable to get her mind off the other Octoling’s confusing message.

[abirdietoldyou]

ANOTHER CRAB'S TREASURE: A Cod-damn Masterpiece

Total Hours: 37.9 Achievements: 32/32

Another Crab's Treasure is the second game from the Seattle-based studio Aggro Crab. Officially announced in 2022, this gem has been on my radar for a WHILE.

And I couldn't be happier to write this.

As said in my Steam review, heads up, it's my first official soulslike.

Another Crab's Treasure throws you fin-first into a colorful underwater adventure that flips the script on everything we've ever known a soulslike to look like. As someone with no real experience with the genre other than what I've seen from fellow content creators, I was immediately drawn in by the silly cartoonish world and all it had to offer. It was a breath of fresh air that put my 116 minutes on Elden Ring–all spent in character creation–to shame.

But don't let the cute shell fool you. This game has enough heart(kelp) to tug at the strings of even the most fortified- Sorry to all you thimble users out there.

You play as Krill, a charming crustacean forced to part ways with his beloved shell by one of the most evil things to plague the tide pools. Taxes.

Armed with nothing but an old discarded dinner fork and the power of Moon Snail Shells, you start on a quest to find your way home.

Testing the Waters: The Shallows

The Shallows is the game's starting area, with enough small crabs and minnows to put my local pond to shame. Here, players get their first chance to explore this game.

If you're like me, this would mean gathering every shiny thing lying on the ocean floor- And not that I blame you! This game is a crab trap full of them. Sadly, this excitement could lead to our little crab friend beheaded. Literally!

Tucked away in the world of Another Crab's Treasure are a handful of optional bosses you can beat before you even encounter the main boss of an area, one of which is dangerously easy to run into here. But have no fear, my crustacean friend. Walk far enough away, and you're free to get back to exploring!

Overall, The Shallows is the perfect starting ground for new and experienced players to learn the mechanics needed for the long journey ahead. From gorgeous Slacktide Castle to the mysterious Moon Snail's cave, The Shallows offers so much that even in the end, you'll be back.

The (Crab)Meat of it All: New Carcinia

New Carcinia is the gateway to everything the game truly has to offer. Even when you've progressed far past it, the area is a shopping hub PACKED with NPCs and stores that make it impossible to avoid. It's a gorgeous trash-built haven split between two levels showcasing one of the game's prominent underlying issues.

All it takes is one unlucky step on one of the many receipt bridges or getting too close to the edge, and suddenly, you're on the lower level.

A stark contrast to its bright and cheery upper level, the lower level of New Carcinia is where our cheery and colorful game takes one of its dips into the serious side of things. It is home to some of the most important characters you meet, each with their unique take on life mirroring the trials they've faced thus far.

The game EASILY juggles deeper topics while maintaining its lighthearted and cheery exterior throughout most of it. Despite its occasional treads in murky water, the story of Another Crab's Treasure is one to encourage you to look on the bright side.

When There’s a Will, There’s a Wave: Bosses

While the colorful and cheery world of Another Crab's Treasure is an impressive creative feat, the bosses that fit in it are just as incredible.

The way the team perfectly tied every arena to the unique themes of each boss adds so much more to the already charming level design. From a sushi boat housing the bane of my existence to a LITERAL throne room, you can tell they spared no expense when it came to showing every enemy the love they deserved.

Arenas aside, the bosses themselves are a force to reckon with. The game houses 18 bosses–five completely optional–for Krill to conquer on his adventure. Each boss has a weapon more unique than the last, including but not limited to tea infusers, hair driers, and even toilet brushes. On the optional side, Krill is up against bike locks, a caged monstrosity reminiscent of a Resident Evil monster, and the fists of the Grovekeeper.

These bosses are in no way impossible, but here is where "let's try this again" becomes a mindset rather than just a phrase. As someone who has dodged many Unblockable attacks and rolled into even more Aggro ones, the trip home will not always be as easy as slipping into the nearest current and being done with it. Another Crab's Treasure is a game that makes you work for your victories while making them all that much more memorable.

Besides, how many of us can say they fought an eel shooting bread out of a toaster and lived?

I Shell Never Leave: My Final Thoughts

Going into this blind as someone who had never touched a soulslike was an EXPERIENCE. It was so easy to find myself getting sucked into the world and all its little problems that, despite my regular schedule, I consistently found myself putting in 9+ hours each stream. I couldn't put it down, even with how often I saw the death screen.

Regardless of how much I had already seen between the developers' TikTok page and all the trailers that had come out, I would never have expected to get so hooked so fast. Barbed Hook-ed even.

What started as a silly little adventure about paying your taxes led to one about pollution, corruption, self-discovery, and the message of doing what is right–for the sake of others AND the planet we call our home.

A message so powerful that I couldn't help but cry as the credits rolled and my chat and I closed the cover on such a beautiful story.

Today, over two months later, I STILL find myself replaying it, never being able to move on from a silly little adventure I had in a world bigger than myself.

So, my final verdict for you, my dear birdwatcher:

A Krill-ion/10

Despite becoming the Queen of Soft Locking, Another Crab's Treasure is a microplastic gold mine of heart and soul. And my game of the year.

Here is a game I don't see myself shelving anytime soon because, in my own words:

Thank you for stopping by for the Raven Report!

[mouldy-gremlin]

Finally got around to firing up my 3d printer.

After many hours of cursing and googling as well as a few ritualistic sacrifices i finally got it to print successfully.

And now my child is born

Behold the greatest creature the monster manual has to offer! The glorious flail snail!

Gunk, a shiny shell, a bunch of flails, a beautiful smile... The list goes on.

I mean look at this lovely face.

Looking forward to getting some paint on it.

Haven't quite figured out how I'll do the shell yet, thinking the airbrush is gonna be seeing a lot of action.

The model is by Yasashii Kyojin Studio over on myminifactory.

Probably not exactly the colours I'll be going for but close enough

I also printed another figure at the same time but he'll have to wait until saturday before i post any pictures of him.

[1dragon-mustard1]

Ok, the void kingdom in hollow knight I headcanon like I'm pretty sure most people do to have been submerged by the void sea because snail shamans and the whole history of evolution of life theme in game

In the background of the abyss we see bark like pillars with dalek eggs

(not my image, found on 2019 wiki guide)

And lots of circular shell structures

It wouldn't be remiss to assume that the abyss was alot like earths deep oceans but bug or these guys

It wouldn't be wrong to assume the geo caches and really just geo are what used to be void citizens assuming because of the statues the void kingdom encompassed all of hallowsnest

It's also fun to imagine alot of the stuff we explore in game are what used to be underwater, under void lol, caves

And because I like Aerial, mixing these assumptions together you get that the void kingdom was likely made of large shell structures as seen in the first drawing

As for the life blood, that where life blood beast and Deepnest come in, specifically glowing shrooms

So, the life blood cocoons are the life blood beast babies and that's where the whole taboo thing came from, but the butterfly structure around it is more like an unfertilized egg, it's what your meant to eat

Don't let the movement and flying trick you, the life blood beast is probably some kind of literal god that was dating the void - it has magic sperm we don't know what that does

Cause its in God's home, probably meaning the void kingdom was rich in ores like pale ore n stuff, so everything was probably covered in those copper swirls but void er ized

Anyway that stuff was fine to eat, cause these are fish bugs not humans or homosapiens

But like the rocks and stones in studio giblies Laputa, the way to extract the healing properties of the egg sperm butterfly things was lost with the arrival of the radiance

Head canon the radiance was with this guy

(gamer walkthroughs)

Which is either how she got the in or they was like fuck this and she killed them

Anyway

Mosquitoes have a water stage as larvae, whoes to say they didn't string together like frogs and make illuminating grasses

Whoes to say plants weren't like that too, for all we know coral could talk and then diverged into mushrooms in the fungal wastes and the glowy shrooms in Deepnest

Making the shroom warriors and stuff not plants, but animals

[the-woods-call-me]

Seeing the first leaves change colors…! 🍁😍

Snail Shell Studio “Phantom Hotaru”

[janedyson4thyear]

painting

with hilma in mind ive been really chanelling my geometric vibes

Af Klint and The Five mediumistically created work with which they hoped to transmit a supernatural knowledge of evolution via subversive coded signs, including gendered images of spirals of the natural order

if the snail’s shell spirals clockwise, for af Klint, it is associated with the power of emotion, and, in a traditional manner, she connects this power to the feminine principle.

this is only taken as a trad take if you are still trying to firmly connect feminine traits to the female.

Ive decided to push out of my canvas confides and paint around much more deliberately.

this is a callback to frequent comments I get in every crit about the marks around my work (I'm very messy) my hand prints (I'm a finger painter) and streaks all around the studio are hard to miss. its about time I use this intentionally.

using the wall around the canvas brings up questions of permanence, where the art ends, layers, and texture.

I want people to look at this work and maybe not even realise that there's canvas in the first place. I want people to want to keep looking. so much colour and texture.

[puppetstim]

source

[jamieroxxartist]

So yesterday we had a pretty intense issue in our home. Studio Dog Mei Ling's current favorite toy Baily (the Snaily) had to be repaired. Bailey, a stuffed snail fabric dog toy, was a gift from like 6 months ago from Aunt Jenn & Mary. Dani says that they cannot remember where they got Baily, because we have been wanting to get a new Bailey and swap it out for Mei because ole' Bailey is looking a little rough. Pretty worse for wear.

So yesterday I picked up all fluff off the floor, and Bailey, and got to work. The fluff was put back inside and some new fluff was added. And Bailey had about 100 holes!

I got out the needle, thread, and scissors and after an hour or so of repair, well the operation was a success, sort of. I didn't know if this would work because Bailey now looked sort of like a Fallout Ghoul. There's a lot of scar tissue. A Lot. A whole lot.

During the entire procedure, Mei Ling tried to keep it together. There was a lot of quiet whimpering and she stayed right at my feet, looking up at me, worried about Baily.

Despite Bailey's new repaired look, it did not bother Mei Ling in the slightest. Mei was just so pleased to have Bailey back. Relief washed over her and she carried the repaired dog toy around for the rest of the day and night.

Even when it was time to go out and potty, a conversation had to be had about how Bailey was not allowed outside and Mei Ling could play once she came back in. She begrudgingly left Bailey inside and quickly did her business and rushed back inside.. to get Bailey.

When we got Mei from the Shar Pei rescue one of her first toys was a stuffed taco dog toy. The inner fluff etc are long gone, in fact, all that remains to this day (from like 2017) is the skin of the toy, the shell. And it is still a treasured toy. Mei will bring it out, so delicately, every so often. Just to show everyone how great it is.

Back when it bit the dust we tried to throw it out. That led to a crying dog at the trash bin. So I took it out washed it and she still has it today. Just the skin, but she still loves it.

As far as Baily the Snaily goes, we have looked everywhere and a new replacement Baily cannot be found. I guess this toy was a limited run or something. But Bailey is fixed for now.

I think that the next repair will move over to Dani's plate and patterns will have to be made and an entirely new Bailey will have to be constructed. But that's ok, Dani's pretty good at the whole sewing cosplay dealio so she should be able to handle a Bailey the Snaily.

But for now, crisis averted and all seems well at least with Mei and Bailey.

[dpargyle]

'to weigh the awesome horror of every god in a snail's shell'

(Sketchbook Pro, Realistic Paint Studio, PhotoMosh, beFunky Photo Editor, & Canva)

Pexels Imagery (Edited & Transformed): Matt A // Valera Moroz // Sadegh Merouy Milan // L.F // Engin Akyurt // Mwabonje Ringa