#its freakin bats

[miss-moondust]

Pros: my mouth

Cons: my mouth

[420litbaby]

🖤🎃🧡🦇

[inyourheartofhearts]

🖤

[wretchedlittlething]

Just wanted one picture of my lingering cute spooky toe before I clean it off to repaint them all

[wraithsoutlaws]

KEEP LOOKING

[othmeralia]

Look! It's freakin' bats. I love Halloween.

Image from: A philosophical account of the works of nature (1721) by Richard Bradley

[flaming-toads]

Can I ramble about how in The Worst Witch '98 S1ep10 Sorcery and Chips, that after destroying the potions lab Miss Hardbroom tells the girls to do some preparation before class tomorrow and the next day HB is livid when Mildred arrives a mess but she explains that she went to get fresh ingredients for their class and I just love it because first of all it's something Miss Hardbroom encourages (the traditional methods of collecting ingredients instead of ordering them) but also Mildred woke up early when she usually oversleeps and had her broom which she's still quite awful with btw like it's freaking taped together dude lol but she's just really out here trying her gosh darn best.

But yeah anyway this episode is about a toy robo-dog that is brought back to life with magic and brainwashes everyone via computer lab to feed him treats all day online! We're talking world domination baby!! Ain't that fun?!

[candyheartedchy]

SANS @ YOUR SONA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpFBsNy1dQw

JDHGFJGHGFG IM WEEZING

[themuskrater]

IT'S DA FREAKING BAT

[hyenabrainedpup]

Im gonna feel so shit tomorrow at the zoo but im still fucking going bc uni is too damn expensive and the bat cave they have is fucking sixk

[realjem-art]

been thinkin about delilah bat form again recently so i FINALLY drew it. teehee

[yookimi]

@jikoku continued from here

if inumaki enjoys one thing , it ' s food he doesn ' t have to fix . it ' s a plus that it ' s yuta making cookies rather panda or maki trying to concoct some new recipe that inumaki gets roped into trying . no thanks . so yeah , he ' s relieved to see yuta instead , no, yuta is most definitely not his favorite .

there ' s an enthusiastic nod given , a wave of the hand to display how he ' s okay and able to help . golden optics floating over the various shapes and sizes of cookies , distantly he wonders how long yuta has been doing this -- but lets the thought slip . he ' s not the most artistically gifted , would rather dip fingers into fertilizer than paint . still ! he wouldn ' t miss this . family activities were still a foreign idea in his mind , although they still made the roundabout , circling around in his introspection , reminding him of the things he went without . it ' s only wounds left to heal , scarred . for the better bonds , his true family all live within close quarters . here .

a smile is offered with the stretch of his arm , just long enough to reach the purple and black food coloring to mix into icing that he ' ll use to TRY and design some bats . it doesn ' t go the favorable path , as he tries to decorate , the icing meant to go this way ends up going that way .

[estrellami-1]

Ten Minutes

Didn’t love this when I first wrote it. Left it in my drafts for a LONG freakin’ time. Found it again and no longer care, so here yall go; have fun! Probably not a part 2 to this one.

Steve takes a breath, then another, as he waits for the line to connect. He grits his teeth, feeling eyes on him. He does his best to ignore them.

“Munson residence, if you’re calling about the murders I’ve been absolved of, try going to hell instead.”

“I need you to pick me up.”

A pause. “Stevie?”

Steve takes another breath. Tries to unclench his jaw. “Please.”

“Yeah, of course, I’ll be right there- what-”

“My parents are in town.”

Another pause. “I’ll be there in ten. Try not to kill them.”

Steve laughs humorlessly. “Just hurry.”

“Ten minutes,” Eddie says, and hangs up.

Steve sighs, places the phone in its socket, and turns back to face his parents.

His mother is narrowing her eyes at him. “Who was that?”

“A friend,” he says lightly.

“Who, that Hagan boy?” His father scoffs.

“No. Not Tommy. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”

“Oh, Steve,” his mother tuts. “Always so dramatic. We’ve not even been gone a year-”

Steve laughs. It sounds hollow. “Try four years,” he informs her. “And three concussions. Did you hear about the mall two years ago? Or the boy who went missing four years ago?” He shakes his head when his mother looks at him blankly. “That’s what I thought.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” his father snaps. “And don’t you dare speak to your mother in that tone again, Steven. You’re still a child and I won’t hesitate to reprimand you as such.”

“I’m twenty,” Steve says evenly. “I’ll be twenty-one in five months.” He crosses his arms. “The last time you saw me, I was a freshman in high school. I’ve graduated. I found jobs. Lost some friends and made some better ones.”

“And what of that girl you were dancing around?” His mother asks. “Karen’s daughter?”

“We’re friends,” he says shortly, then moves through the kitchen, to the stairs. “Excuse me.”

“No,” his father says. “You’re not excused. Where do you think you’re going?”

Steve turns, one hand on the bannister, to look at the man who had terrified him the last time he’d seen him. It’s funny what interdimensional threats will do. “To pack a bag. I’m not going to stay here while you are.”

“And if I were to say we’re staying for good?”

Steve laughs. “Dad, you’ve said that before. Multiple times, actually. Those words mean nothing to me anymore.”

“And where are you planning on staying?” His mother asks. “Honestly, Steven, I thought we raised you to make better decisions than this.”

“Oh, I see. So it was raising me when I woke up at nine years old to discover you’d left and I’d have to find my own way to school. Then a week later when I had to ride my bike to the store to buy groceries. At eleven, when I looked the school counselor in the eye and said you’d be back soon. I had to go to my own parent-teacher conferences. At fifteen, trying to figure out high school classes. At seventeen when I got my first concussion. At eighteen when I signed my first legally-binding NDA. You hadn’t abandoned me. You were raising me.” He sighs, shakes his head. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

He makes his way up to his room and packs as much as he can. Clothes. Vinyls. The box of cash under the loose floorboard. Then into the bathroom. Toothbrush, deodorant, even his shampoo. Doubles back into his room to grab a bracelet off his nightstand; one El made him.

He looks around, grabs the nail bat, and makes his way downstairs. His mother gasps when she sees him. “What on earth is that?”

He looks at the bat. Adjusts his grip, twirls it around. “An NDA.”

The doorbell rings. Steve grabs his bags and moves towards it. “If you walk out that door, you’ll never walk back in.”

“Fine by me,” Steve says. He grabs his keys, tosses the house key at his father, and pockets the rest.

He opens the door and grins at Eddie, who’s looking at him worriedly. “Hey, Eds. Ready to go?”

Eddie blinks. “Um. Sure? Are you okay?”

“Sure,” Steve shrugs. “I’m getting kicked out. If you don’t want to take me I’ll just go bug Robin. It’ll only be for a little while, though, just until I find a better job and an apartment or something.”

“Like hell Wayne’s gonna miss this chance,” Eddie grins. “You know you’re his favorite.”

Steve smiles back, tosses his things into the back of Eddie’s van. “I hoped you were gonna say that.”

Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme @paintsplatteredandimperfect @i-less-than-three-you @alyelf @quarble @messrs-weasley @littlewildflowerkitten @vankaar @starman-jpg @bornonthesavage @steddie-there @goodolefashionedloverboi @andienotannie @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @platinum-sunset @just-ladyme @steddiestains @swimmingbirdrunningrock @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @martinskis-lydias @notaqueenakhaleesi @sleepyboosstuff @bestwifehaver @m-owo-n @thatonebadideapanda @finalmoondragon @velocitytimes2 @callmeanythjing @ajeff855 @ilikeititspretty @knitsforthetrail @sillysparrow @that-one-corvid @ace-is-bored @muricel @harpymoth @weirdandabsurd42

[kirra-qween115]

sometimes these noises are instead videogame voice lines I spit out like someone's yanked my pullstring

y'all I'm fucking weird I just be making noises sometimes like

[caelyne]

The Watcher ʕ 👀ʔ Thoughts

im going full spoiler here, so please dont read further if you have yet to play or care about that sorta thing. tldr, i liked it. Rain World is always a tricky game to recommend because its weird.. its very very good and i love it a lot, but theres so many elements about it that dont play out well for a lot of people. understandably so. this same sentiment applies to the dlc, even moreso, possibly. ill get into it below!

ive finally finished it after pretty much playing this game nonstop since it released on friday lolllll. im normal, alright? i'm not sure how i wanna structure this, but ill start with the opening.

the game begins in a surprising location, though you wont realize it at first. Hydroponics, the new subregion for Industrial Complex. when i emerged above the Outskirts karma gate, i admit i was a bit concerned. where was the new stuff? why am i here? it was disorienting. but i figured id start with the basic story beats: let's go see Looks to the Moon! i figured i'd run through drainage for the fun of it and keep an eye open for anything strange on the way. after running into a few king vultures and red lizards in outskirts, i was beginning to prepare for the worst in terms of enemy spawns and so i was taking it slow and easy.

then i found the rot. strategically blocking the only path to drainage. i then realized what was happening, and i freakin Loved it.

i really loved how they place you in an unfamiliar location, immediately setting your expectations that you are exploring completely unknown territory.. only for that facade to break as you realize you're still in the base game map. and then Further playing with your typical expectations of knowing to visit the Plot characters (Pebbles and Moonie) and very smartly controlling your movements by blocking off the paths to the iterators. Where else is there to go? The echoes.

Or, echo, in this case. i do want to go back and reread the dialogue from our strange friend a bit further, but off the bat it was cool how manic and, immature? this echo was. a stark contrast to the echoes we're used to! they even look different.. in their appearance and the way they hover there. totally different mood from the Pompous, Egotistical echoes that could not pass the veil.

i liked how they slowly began to open up to you and you learn more about their plight. after knowing this game for as long as i have (pre DP!!), the mysterious nature of the echoes had lost their luster a bit. they're still utterly horrifying and beautiful, but theres only so many times you can see them and the mysticism begins to become normalized. it was nice to feel like you could unravel a bit of the mystery behind this particular character, who ultimately is a child from an ancient society that failed to ascend. i loved it.

i guess i should talk about the actual gameplay though? i mean this IS a game after all….. and this game..?

well, this game started off as a maze runner in early development, yeah? and it still IS that in its final iteration on release, but theres also more to it with regards to the world it built. there's so much to unravel in base rain world when it comes to the environmental storytelling of the regions and their original purposes and locations, the pearl dialogue with Moon, buddhist memes, the ecosystems, etc etc etc etc. so so much. if you're reading this, you know already.

watcher doesn't have a LOT of that. each region you visit are not physically linked, but are instead done so via warp tunnels that you find or create yourself. i see a lot of people being disappointed about that aspect, to which i can understand. it leaves out a lot of potential for the aspects that are integral to base Rain World that i just mentioned. but honestly? i dont really mind it all that much.

in leiu of that, we have an interconnected web of regions/dimensions/worlds/realities that are all linked in specific and highly confusing ways that serves as the campaign's stage for a large game of hide and seek with our new echo friend. a Maze, if you will.

despite the map on the sleep screen being quite confusing and overwhelming at times, i thought it was a very cool way of handling this dlc's universe. a big criticism that i have is that since things are so Physically disconnected, it ends up being difficult to remember where a lot of key features are. karma flowers, static warp tunnels, Daemon entrance tunnels, it was A LOT. especially once you start figuring out what you're supposed to be doing and what youre looking for. in typical rain world fashion, the game doesnt hold your paw much at all outside of a few brief and essential tutorial explanations on how to use The Watcher's abilities.

the echo placements are something im a tad mixed on. since the saint has a function that immediately tells you there is an echo within the region you enter, i have to assume that the decision to not use this indicator is an intentional design choice. on my first playthrough, i had a few dry spells of endless and endless wandering until finally i managed to happen upon the echo, upon which i'd be transported to a new world and run into a string of finding their new hiding spot nearly back to back. i'm unsure if thats just good fortune on my end? or if there is a tendency for the echo to teleport you to places near their next spot, but thats how it ended up working out for me in a few cases. as i type this, i honestly think i'd settle for some kinda indicator on the region map that at least tells you where a previous echo has been found, because gosh it is DEFINITELY overwhelming to keep all that stuff memorized. you could always write this stuff down ig, but it wasn't immediately obvious to me that the campaign's objective was to locate this guy again and again. i'm fine with this objective overall, but yeah it woulda been cool if there was something to help you keep track of your progress in that regard.

so ultimately, its a big game of hide and seek in a maze-like region, where each region is a small part of a larger maze, all the while you are still a slugcat that is fighting to stay alive in a strangely familiar, yet alien universe with new threats we've never seen or encountered before. I liked it. it was very cool.

what other criticisms do i have.. uuaahhh.. i guess the inclusion of modded regions isnt my favorite. mind you, i also dont really mind it either. idk, its difficult to articulate. the sense i got is that… in The Watcher's (campaign) context, there was less of a focus on world building and moreso on providing us stunning set pieces to explore that are Rain World.. but different from what we've ever seen before. which makes sense! we aren't in Five Pebbles anymore after all. its vague as to Where we are of course, though i believe the echo dialogue implies we're jumping through different stages of history. or perhaps alternate timelines? maybe alternate universes? all of the above? i guess i'll leave the rw scholars to disassemble all that. but anyway, the modded regions are fine, i suppose. theyre a nice way to reach out to the community and in terms of gathering potential temporal/extradimensional locations within the rain world universe, it works fine imo.

i also dont love the possibility that the expansion was rushed to meet the 8th RW anniversary. by all means, it feels SOLID as is, but if theyre planning on adding more content (which was explicitly stated by James, eventually culminating in the console release), i think i woulda just preferred to have waited until it was Finished with a capital F. it is what it is.

ough, and ive already seen posts from people thats essentially just soyjack shit that centers around the world map discussion and boils down to old thing is for smart people, and new thing is superficial and not good. i just hope most people can distinguish between personal preferences and expectations to the actual quality of the expansion.

anyway. other stuff i liked!! gonna just bullet point this:

i LOVED THE MOTHS!!! GRRR!!!!!!!! i love how theyre docile up until the point where violence breaks out and they just fly you into the sky and drop you back to the ground. i also love that vulture are just On Sight with them. they're so cute too. their little head tilts… aaahhh.. i wanna draw them!!!!

the music slapped. next.

signal spires. utterly gorgeous. those structures in the background.. the whales.. aaa

the warp tunneling and cloaking effects were also SUPER cool. i also actually kinda predicted that the cloak could be upgraded and provide additional movement options since there was a LOT of areas that seemed to be impossible to traverse without loading yourself up with spears.

the new 'karma' symbols are water ripples

the ending was just very sweet and i loved getting to see a brief glimpse of that ancient society. this might also be entirely cope, but as someone who likes to think of slugcats being bout the size of a large cat, i have questions about the scale of Ancient Urban. for gameplay purposes, i think theres a level of abstraction, in addition to the fact that it was also explicitly mentioned by VC that it is left intentionally vague, to the size scale of the game, but that room with the shop and the storage closet and the bedroom and the void baths and the rooftop bridge and the pipes connecting each room together was.. inconsistent? i think? this doesnt even mater i just have autism, but its F*CKIN with my brain!!!!!!!!!! HOW BIG ARE SLUGCATS JAMES. PLEASE

THE PRINCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! actually outer rim is also just super fucking cool too. im soooo intrigued on whats happening there. i actually got the rot ending first lmfao. i couldnt stay away. by the time i realized what was happening with the rot, it was too late, so i just went IN on it. also he looks like videocult guy.

huahh!!! that was long.. turns out i have a lot of feelings abt this game. I GOTTA FINISH THOSE LAST PROMPTS TOO AAAHHHH EXPECT ART SOON

[maggplays]

Obsidian (Frogs of Fall part 2)

Here is the second (actual) installment of Frogs of Fall, read the first part of the story in this post, the full story on AO3.

Sebastian is late for his meetup with Raven, she eventually loses patience and goes in search of her tardy boyfriend.

Sebastian/fem farmer (Raven OC) Below the fold: mild language, monster knife fight Full story: NSFW: mild language, monster knife fight, smut Quick read, just over 2400 words Read on AO3 here: Part 2: Obsidian Part 1: Frogs of Fall

Obsidian

Tick-tap-tick-tap-tick-tap… the clock mocks me from the wall, counting away the seconds, as I impatiently tap my fingers. Sigh. It’s 10:07. He's not coming. I grab my phone, starting a text for the fourth time, then discarding it. If he doesn’t want to come, I shouldn’t push it. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. But what if… Marlon’s parting words when he stopped me outside the mine prick at the back of my mind. “Watch your back out there, guild members have reported an unusual number of nuisance monsters near town.” I’ll visit Raz tomorrow and ask what he knows. I smile to myself, he hates when I call him that. Disrespectful, I believe he said. Really his name is too long. I just don’t have time for it. 

Screw it. Better to move than sit here wondering. I scribble a hasty note for my boyfriend, Sebastian, in case he does come by before I get back and head for the door, leaning back mid-way through to snatch my dagger off the wall. My feet carry me towards the well worn trail leading to the carpenter’s shop as I flip the dagger hand to hand, watching the obsidian blade catch the moonlight. It’s a beautiful knife, Seb’s gift for my last birthday, he carved it himself and honed the edge to razor sharpness. The handle fits my hand perfectly, the balance true. 

Nothing seems unusual, the night chorus of frogs and insects soothes my ears, a gentle evening breeze lifting my hair. I probably should have grabbed my jacket, the air is decidedly crisp, leaves fluttering down from the trees. I pass my Nexus, choosing to walk the path. If Seb was coming, it would be this way. A light shimmer dances over my skin as I pass the barrier surrounding my farm. Instantly the pleasant night sounds cease and I pause… this isn’t right. Something brushes past my ear… shit… cave bat. I freeze in place, closing my eyes and focusing on the air around me. Still, nearly stagnant. There it is, a slight vibration. I hold my dagger in a edge-up grip… wait… wait… flicking the dagger upwards, I drop to a crouch in one fluid motion, feeling slight resistance as the knife finds its mark… then the soft thud of a bat near my feet. 

“Ugh!! Get off me you disgusting… shit!!” A voice from further down the track, followed by sounds of shuffling feet and the squish of slimes.

Seb? Before I can think I race down the path, dodging branches and avoiding tree roots by memory and a sense for the green. I pull up sharply, taking in the scene before me. Seb’s shadowy form, crouched and holding a long branch like a staff, keeping a trio of voracious slimes at bay, two dead at his feet. The others bouncing and dodging in a dizzying frenzy, determined to reach the warm, energy-filled body behind the swinging branch. Armed with only a dagger, this will not be easy, I’ll have to get close. No time for strategy, I leap ahead, appearing from the shadows like a spirit, skidding into a spinning slash, dispatching the first slime and disorienting the other two. “Raven, go left!” I duck and roll to the side, keeping my arms tight to my body to avoid any contact with the slimes or other hazards. 

Seb swings his makeshift staff, I feel the displaced air as it flies inches above my head and hear the thud of impact. The startled slime squeaks at the blow, bouncing directly towards me as a quick thrust of my dagger sends it on to the next life. One more. “Dammit! Get off you freakin’-“ Shit, I forgot Seb can’t see in the dark like I can. The slime is behind him, just out of his view. “Seb, down!” He drops and I leap over him, touching his back to orient my body, descending on the final slime from above, making quick work of it at the edge of my blade. Seb spins towards me, grabbing my arm. “Raven, are you-,” I press my fingers to his lips, closing my eyes and listening… reaching out into the night, searching for any sign of unusual movement. Seconds tick past, nothing. I suck in a shaky breath and drop my hand, turning my attention to Seb. He’s panting slightly, eyes wide, adrenaline pumping, causing his hands to twitch. 

“They’re gone, let’s go,” I unceremoniously clasp his hand, pulling him towards the farm and safety. He pauses to snatch a gym bag and follows, right on my heels. As we approach the Nexus, I glance back at Seb. His hoodie disheveled, but undamaged, his pants… coated in slime. “Seb, take off your pants.”

“Wh-what? Now? Yeah they’re nasty but…” 

“I’m serious, you have to get rid of them, that coating of slime will attract more monsters and those jeans are not crossing the barrier here. If slimes start popping up on the farm, it’ll take me weeks to get rid of them. Besides, that crud doesn’t come off. You can scrub those jeans as much as you want, they’ll never get clean. Believe me, speaking from experience.” I take a breath and touch Seb’s cheek. “Please, trust me. Do you have clothes in your bag?”

He nods. “Well… yeah, but… these jeans were clean this morning, I was planning to wear them again tomorrow. The only pants I brought are… those ones. You know.” His mouth twitches and I can’t help but chuckle.

“You mean you only brought your frog pajamas? Heh! Well, it’s not far, nobody is going to see you. Quick, get those nasty things off and throw them over the fence there, I’ll grab them tomorrow and add them to the burn pile.” Seb quickly turns away, pulling off the slime-coated jeans, careful to avoid getting the stinking goo on his hands. He tosses them away, and I can’t help but watch him in his hoodie and boxers. He pulls on the frog pants, they’re very thin and worn, wildly inappropriate for a cold night in the woods.

“Okay, c’mon, I’m freezing here!” I grin and take his hand, stepping through the barrier and striding quickly towards the house. 

I push open the front door and we step inside, Seb visibly relieved to be in the relative safety of the cabin walls. “Damn. Raven, you showed up just in time, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t…” his voice fades away, and he looks down at the floor. 

“You took out two of those things before I even got there, but I’m glad I came to find you. Wait here, first things first.” I grab a first aid kit from the shelf by the door. “Inspection time. Even if you’re not badly injured, a small abrasion can get infected if slime touches it.” I unzip his hoodie, pulling it off, checking his arms for any scrapes or scratches. All clear. I lift up the back of his shirt, one small abrasion on his lower back. Seb hisses and I wince in sympathy as I gently spread the disinfecting ointment on the scrape. It’s not bad, barely bleeding, but with slimes you don’t take chances. “Sorry, almost done… okay. That’s it.” I quickly check over the rest of him, pulling up his loose pant legs, smiling at the cute little frogs scampering around the fabric. It would have been tragic if they’d gotten slimed. 

Seb’s breathing has calmed, he seems to have recovered from the ordeal. “Hey Raven, I made it to your house, it’s not midnight yet so I’m not too late.” He chuckles, standing to pull me into his arms. I sigh and hold him close. I blew off Seb’s concerns about the slimes, but he was right. That could have gone tragically wrong.

Read the remainder (smut) on AO3: Obsidian

Part 1: Frogs of Fall