page 5 updated on 8/19/19
Hello people. Welcome to the next short story in the Atoll Lab series. I Plan to alternate between this short vignette and that of Prince tomcat of Grumman. I enjoyed a long 2 month break of playing games, and going to shows with the love of my life. I suppose I could have just quit, but Id rather continue Atoll Lab with a few more short stories that hopefully wont take 3 years to finish. The Poll is not favorable to this comic, Either because I am not as great a story teller as I thought I was, or that visitors just come here for porn that updates less and less as time goes on. If you are one of the latter, I am sorry. Porn Is coming, but this year I have events staggered across multiple weekends that will certainly cut into my art time. If you are still here, thank you for continuing to enjoy what I do.
I will move the Prince tomcat collection to this post soon. However, I was never really satisfied with the bath scene. I may end up throwing out the previous 3 pages in favor of something that doesn’t ramp up so quickly on perversion (at least until Tomcat shows up.) The Russian translation of Atoll Lab is still pending, I’ll keep you posted.
What will they do with him? will kill? Have some fun?
*** Plane in the middle not Planet, ugh I need to proof read first… ***
@... Sora – Man when you posted about it being the guy from Panel 1 and 2 from Atoll, I went back and checked. Looks to be the same Cessna, two bladed prop and all but it’s missing the pontoon floats! That planet in the middle only has conventional landing gear. Maybe she will get the floats later, but once a Dire’s ‘Alive’ can they be modified like that?
@Zara, Dire Machines can be modified a little bit, but not unlike the human body, the nature of the nanomachine colony Is that It’s basic job is to keep regenerating. Eventually It will actively resist modifications if they are not reinforced.
Sora: It is the same person, both have exactly same scar on the face.
Whats wrong with dire’s eyes at picture No. 15? They have no pupils. It looks weird.
@Moll: since they are these “sudden monsters in the dark” this was all this guy could perceive at first glance so it was a stylistic choice. If I added in the pupils it would be less scary.
bad touch! bad touch!
@clog: I got your YouTube post and yes indeed this is a bad touch! They are just scared :3
Page 15 is great I love the fact both machines have an angry faces and one in the middle doesn’t. Not sure if that the plane that who I think it is going to help him and make him feel better. Also for while I was made guesses if this was the father who we seen with his daughter and his cenessa mate with him.but kept thinking wasn’t until that corporate object fell from the sky and gave him that scar in his face.geez everything comes goes back to the atoll lab project gotta know if anyone foreseen this event or even the almighty lemarchand could have planned something like which I kinda doubt he pulled something like this off. Great job and effort for the story so far I cant wait for outcome of all this new era that is happening.
@Sora: This Guy is Moon’s father alright. Good catch on the scar too! Though Moon’s mom is not necessarily in that hangar at the time, their were 14 civilian craft in the hangars and a fuel truck. 12 of witch are femme cessnas.
It’s not likely Lemarchand had anything to do with the random ships accidentally getting caught in earths gravity. He was still swindling Neodymium and helping No-Name at the time this happened on the mainland.
Hanger door slides open, a beat up battered human crawls in startling 3 newborn Dires… Not what I was expecting but that’s awesome the expression on those Cessna’s faces!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9RAZxNdCk8
I love how you go back over the already published ones and fully shade/detail them in to perfection. This guy’s opening the hanger I’m super excited to see exactly what awaits him inside 😀
Thanks for translating Ratbat into Russian! Despite the fact that I still can’t figure out where one comic is and where the other is. Do not leave the site – this is the light in the window among this world of people who are not interested in aviation!
P.S.- Your love is aviation !?)))
Wow these comic panels are coming out fast now, it’s getting interesting I can’t want to see what the bleeding man does when he goes up to his Truck. Anxious to see what personality the freshly Dire pickup will have.
Ouch
it’s the end of the world as we know it and i feel fine!
Good good, a new panel. But we want more !
@moll: I got you covered. More pages on the way -rb
Oh boy a new panel! Looks like the little Rig is becoming a Dire before the viewers very eyes.
Glad to see you continuing on Ratbat, I generally check the site a couple times a week to see comments and if you posted anything new 🙂 This comic’s got a lot of potential as you have your original dire comic to set up the premise.
Plane dires fear almost no one except this guy Monsieur Mangetout he eats them for dinner.
How is going with Calamity? I really appreciate this comic.
Hellyeah another update!!!!!!!!!!
@... Wave : what do you mean wave they already like eating humans *budunk tink* thank you thank you I’ll be here all night
I meant to say the mouth reeking of fuel would not bother me.
@wave; it wouldn’t bother me either because I got mechaphillia, but most people would be I think. People are very effected by smells, people act like they are fucking dying when they walk by a smoker these days.
Thanks for the answer ratbat and trust me gasoline is a great smell, so is diesel. One last question what part of earth is Grumman kingdom?
@... wave: gasoline and diesel are great smells and a part of true machine musk. Just like humans smell salty when they sweat. It’s never really explained where the Grumman kingdom is, but I’m thinking it’s currently over Montana or Utah atm.
Hay ratbat I have a question for you could a dire eat a human if it needed to for survival?
@... wave: Dire machines don’t have stomachs or any sort of G.I. Tract. They can’t eat human food and don’t go to the bathroom either. Some can take fuel through the mouth, but choose not to as humans don’t like to kiss machines with a mouth reeking of Avgas
i fourth that
@... Kcidical: you guys are silly. I’m flattered 🙂
Motion passed thank you for joining the meeting
I third that
i second that
Kirbu I just have to agree with you on that
For whatever it’s worth, I really appreciate you sticking to your guns and making these comics. Your visual style and storytelling’s more than enough to get me invested in what you have to share, even when the surface details alone wouldn’t typically grab my attention. I find military vehicles too unrelatable and complex, but you characterize them in such a grand, appealing fashion! Getting a glimpse at the start of the outbreak has been wonderful. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this story. 🙂
@kirbu;: thank you so much for the kind words. I have to assume that no one wants to read because the time investment to sit down and read a comic Taking away from other things. I’m also slow to make these, and I have no idea if the story is good or not. I just do the best that I can with the time I have. But thank you so much <3
I wonder who that is in the car??
AWESOME A NEW PAGE IN THE COMIC!!!!! This is why I stop in every day just in case 😉 Thank you Ratbat and I wish you well in the new year!
OOOOOOOOOOOH SHIT RATBAT’S AT IT AGAIN!!!!
I really like seeing that the inner of the helicopter is starting to have the root of nanite and it fluids starting to take over the machine while the drivers are confused about it. I’m guessing that the machine is gonna wake up while the drivers are still inside of it or is it still feeling it way to completely control the entire helicopter. so far great job with this update on the story I really lovin it.
BOO! happy Halloween folks time to watch Hollywood’s failed attempt at scary movies and b movies Galore!
Did I see an eye of that tentacle thing behind that pilot’s seat?
Pilot: “yo dude do you have something on your hands that seemingly defies logic then you some Starlight tissue paper perfect for those situations #sponsor”
Copilot: “I hate you”
Pilot: “Yo dude do you have something on your hands that seems unnatural then you need some Al Karam tissue paper perfect for those sticky situations #sponsored”
Copilot: “I hate you”
Sweet next update up and coming. Let us know how you are doing buddy down here in the comments when you are up to it ok?
Copilot: “What the fuck is on my hand?”
@Ratbat
I’ve expressed that concern in the past a few times, I’m sorry you are going through this right now as I have seen so many incredible artist give it up due to a few ignorant assholes. This is your hobby and we the viewers just happen to be along for the ride to enjoy your wonderful imagination and expression.
Their are things you draw I don’t care for as it’s not my personal taste… But I don’t bitch about them and do enjoy just seeing the art style and your improvements over the years. Even if the Subject isn’t exactly what I prefer I can still appreciate the time and effort you put into it. That’s how ALL the people visiting here or D.A. should be as it’s basically free entertainment and I am thankful that you continue to take us on this adventure in your mind.
Do what YOU want to do, unless you take on a paid commission or something or want to do a piece for a good friend. Otherwise this should be all what you enjoy, screw what anybody else says don’t cater to the haters bud!!!
Now if you need time away, then take the time away… If you don’t return to this site I will be depressed but fully understand the reasoning behind it. The only thing I can offer from my own tiny bit of experience on the Net is to just doodle and draw without uploading anything. Store the stuff in your notepads or computer files and just do it to enjoy it. Then if and when you decide to come back you will have a portfolio you can pick from.
As for the weight, It took me nearly 18 months to get to where I am now, and I’m finding maintaining that 170-175lbs is JUST as annoying as trying to loose the weight… Your body get’s so used to the status quo you have to really change things up to get it loosing again. I changed my diet 5 times, upping the excersize or lowering calories until something seemed to work. The only thing that kept me on it fully was writing down every single calorie I consumed for actual food, and now I’m even keeping track of the higher calorie drinks like Coffee and Tea UUUUGH. It’s a battle, but one that can be the most rewarding feeling in your life!
I wish you well Ratbat, take all the time you need and if you want to chat with your fans you have this comment section with all of us cheering for you.
@Ratbat
I know the feeling of the scales not moving. I’m guessing that means your body has optimized its food intake and the only way you can go lower is more exercise or keto. Limiting food intake is only a small part of a healthy lifestyle.
“A snowflake reported my comic on DA, witch led to the whole gallery being taken down (because why the fuck am I over there when I pay half a grand each year running my own site?)”
I think DA has a policy against certain kinds of artwork, it’s a pile of trash anyway. If you want to post your art anywhere, at least do it on Pixiv. You won’t have to deal with annoying asshats there.
“Ive been feeling that a lot lately. And the people who are closer to me via chat, just do nothing but Bitch that Im not drawing more male human on female machine porn. Or gay plane on plane, or “Eww I hate porn! Draw something that isn’t porn!” Essentially the shit I am NOT INTERESTED IN.”
Those kinds of people mean no harm, they’re usually fans even. What you should do is tell them that you aren’t interested in those things, or tell them to commission you if they want certain types of art (a friend of mine told me about that one, he says he never gets annoying request anymore). I know they can be annoying, but if they’re really that much of a problem you should say it to them. People don’t set out to intentionally deflate an artist’s desire to draw.
“The one time in years I draw a dragon, I get comments from people who are like “I knew you were a fur fag.””
This shit.
This shit right here.
THIS MOTHERFUCKING BULLSHIT RIGHT THE FUCK HERE.
I was told something like this once, but I wasn’t mad at the asshole who said it to me. I was mad that the furry community has managed to successfully appropriate fucking all animal and anthro art. ‘Oh, you think dragons are cool? You must want to suck reptile cock!’. Goddammit, they’ve made weary of drawing anything non-humanoid lest I become associated with them. I’ve seen some people say that aliens are furry. Fuck, it makes me so mad.
Sorry, I’ve ranted about this before, but it’s something that makes my blood boil. I’ll tell you what I told you on your dragon post: fuck the embarrassing fetishists, draw the cool monsters you want to draw.
“When I finished one of my last atoll pages, I had a guy tell me that my cityscape page looked “lazy”. Dude didn’t even know how long it took or how just how shit I am at environmental design and how I PUSHED THROUGH despite all that. ”
He was probably trying to be constructive. Most of the time, when people critique art, they’re trying to help the artist improve. They’re NOT trying to drag you down or insult you. Art is very personal, you can feel attacked when criticized. Remember the viewer doesn’t have that same kind of deep attachment to the work, keeping it in mind softens the blow of harsh critique.
I don’t know how to end this post, but I’ll tell you to think about what gives you your artistic passion. If something is blocking your creative flow, (such as an annoying person) try to avoid it if possible. I hope it helps.
Dear Ratbat, do your stuff, do your comics about what you want and dont give single f*ck about partyshitters and moaning idiots.
Its your game. But obsene and erotic stuff posted at Devian Art is easy fruit for people trying to hurt you. I would not post this tuff there. This should be at here.
But mainly, dont give up!
While I’m happy to hear from you ratbat knowing that your ok. I’m also sad to hear that your going through ruff time right now. While I may be one person telling you this but I know for a fact that your are an amazeing artist who draw with a passion when comes to things you enjoy drawing. I know it may not mean much me saying that but everything you done here or on DA you should be proud of your work. Your artwork and stories have many people enjoying and interested in your stuff including myself. No one is perfect you shouldn’t let anyone telling you that just because how they don’t like the way you draw some certain things shouldn’t be taken away the fact you still a great artist. And don’t let anyone tell you that you have to draw what they want because they demanded cause you owe nothing to no one. were here because we love your hard works and all the efforts you put in to it you shouldn’t stop doing things you love doing especially when being harassed by others who probably hate your work or wants you to stop drawing. I’m also happy that I came to this site seeing all your artworks you have here and on DA especially when i was nervous about admitting my feelings when i first told you on how I felt about it.I hope you will feel a bit better soon ratbat and to see more of your artwork and comic in the future.
don’t give up just do what you want when you want and don’t let anyone tell you to do something else people can be dicks but its ok also have a good day
Hey Ratbat, been a good while since you posted any comments. How is your Diet coming along, I about had a heart attack I got on the scale last week I was down to 165lbs from 308 at the highest. I was ecstatic, then I realized I”m actually a bit UNDER weight for the first time in my life! My Doctor wanted me at 170, so now I get to try and gain a couple pounds but not get off the diet!!!
Hope everything is good your way I check in at least a couple times a week.
@Zara: Im still holding at 300lbs unfortunately. I lost 100 lbs this year. But the scale has not budged for a month or 2, and believe me I am basically eating nothing at this point. I have 3 and 1/2 more months to bank and additional 20 lbs for the 100 pound goal next year. I am proud that I lost 100lbs, but not proud that isn’t not continuing as it has. So I haven’t really talked about it, I’m upset.
The biggest problem is simply.. an art crisis.. [ I decided to delete this because I’ve been acting like a princess and I need to grow a thicker skin. Thanks ppl. ]
Oh, Florida, I miss Florida. I miss Florida so much. Good work on the gym, y’all. When you start seeing visible progress that’s when you’re hooked. It gets you excited and you just want that goal already but be careful, once you reach your goal don’t drop it cold turkey, start to cut back a little bit at a time and get into a steady schedule to keep the weight off and stay healthy. Mix of cardio and weight lifting will help you maintain your weight. As for that back pain certainly be careful, as you probably suspect it could be from your body changing possibly too rapidly, keep a watchful eye on it please.
@Gingy: everyone in the facility I work at has noticed my face and how thin it has become. I am a weight loss mascot for the ladies at work and I can’t dissapoint them. Even If I have stalled a bit on my diet, I get right back on that horse. I do it for my spine, my dad, my boyfriend.
I would almost say what I need now is weight training more then I need the fat burn. Without pants, it looks like someone left a chocolate Easterbunny out in the sun cuz their is no muscle for the skin to hold onto.
@... Ratbat and Anon – Ok glad to hear that everything is ok. And cool a prequil/alternative view of the main story sounds pretty good to me.
Congrats on the weight loss, it so SUPER hard to do. I was 175.2 pounds this morning meaning I am only 5 pounds away from my final goal I set for myself 16 months ago UUUUGH. At this point every ounce is a battle since I am 5’9″ tall and have very wide shoulders aka big boned. But keep it up it is worth the sacrafice, it will also help with your back dramatically if you loose a lot of weight!
I have a bone spur in my right heel bad enough to make me need those medical insoles and special shoes. Since loosing the 133 pounds I have gone back to wearing my pull on boots and with normal insoles, the bone spur doesn’t hurt anymore. My back also used to ache quite often, now it’s rare for it to act up. Pain in the butt for sure, but worth it in the long run.
I hope you find a good solution to sitting for long periods, I went through many chairs until I found this very old 1980’s office seat I am sitting in now. All metal, fake leather material, and it just seems to help keep my legs from going numb.
I am heading to a convention in Tampa in a few days, got my costumes all ready and time off from work approved. So yes my day is going quite well thank you 😉
@Zara: That’s anouther thing I forgot to mention! Fucking heel spurts. I have them so big you could arrest navy aircraft off the top of a carrier with em. Huge Achilles and plantar heel spurs. It makes going to shows and dancing with my boyfriend the Pitts. I wear Newballance 990’s, plus orthotics, plus heel cups now.
Spurs can be surgically removed but recovery time is 4-6 weeks per heel. I can’t take a vacation that long much that I wish I could.
Shit gets real bad when your fat I swear.
@Ratbat: Edenworldsaga? I haven’t heard of that in years. Was it ever finished? I stopped following it after awhile. I’ve been following your art since your mecha days. I could be remembering things wrong but I’m certain I used to talk to you on 4chan a lot.
“Been having a little crisis inside. Do I keep making porn when I’ve already beaten that horse to death? Or continue to make comics for myself?”
If you don’t want to make porn then don’t, there’s nothing wrong with SFW comics. Your art style is fantastic and would suit traditional black and white comics well.
“I’m a bit aimless atm. Though I have 2 more comics to do, I feel as though I am no longer sure what my goal is.. the point of this rampant mechaphillia.”
I think I know what your problem is, you only ever draw mechaphile art right? You might need to draw different types of art to get your flow back. Landscapes and cityscapes are great challenges to break away from the monotony.of drawing the same things for years on end.
I also want to say I’m saddened to hear about your back issues. How’d you develop it? My uncle had chronic back and neck pain after getting in a car crash, he was in constant suffering for two years before he decided he wasn’t able to handle it anymore. I’m not sure if yours is quite as bad as his was considering you only said it was a “pain in the ass”.
@Anon: the back issues is something I did to myself since as far back as I could remember. It had a lot to do with a double stigmatism that I never treated since getting my eyes checked in high school. I didn’t see the need for glasses because I didn’t know their was a problem with my sight. I managed things by pushing my face closer and closer to the paper so the words and shapes weren’t as blurry. If I look up at the moon right now with no glasses on, it streight up looks like a Venn diagram. As as result of 20 years of stooping over to draw and read, I bent my t-spine into a “C” shape. It started growing bone spurring as a result of the stress, untill I arrived at the point in at now- early onset degeneration of several vertibre. If they ever apply stem cell regeneration for spine and disc therapy in the future, I’ll probibly be one of the first people in line for a new t-spine. One thing I do want to stress is that being obese for years did not do me any favors. I may have just about lost 100lbs this year, but that pain genie is never going back into the bottle.
Also you mentioned that I should get out of my shell and start experimenting with different painting styles, subject matters. I prefer to explore the man machine relationship when it comes to telling stories with art. But like my boyfriend also mentioned- you could be onto something. I have a fascination with rain scapes, snowy back drops and dark places. It may do me some actual good to just get a little something different in my routine for a while. One of my favorite artists is a guy named Simon Stalenhag, if you google his art, you’ll get an idea of what I am currently interested in.
I have a Udemy course for 3D modeling on the back burner, I wonder if I’ll actualy get to it this year like I said I was..
Going back to The back pain though? It’s starting to become a chronic issue. I’m thinking I’ll have to lay flat on the floor or my bed just to get shit done in the near future.
@Zara: She sometimes goes on little breaks, I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about.
Hell, at one point I think she went several years with little internet activity.
@Anon: you are definitely familiar with my history o_o
We’re you around for edenworldsaga stuff?
Been having a little crisis inside. Do I keep making porn when I’ve already beaten that horse to death? Or continue to make comics for myself? I’m a bit aimless atm. Though I have 2 more comics to do, I feel as though I am no longer sure what my goal is.. the point of this rampant mechaphillia.
But I have to psych myself up to doing this for myself constantly. I got a new page in the works however abouve.
Hey Ratbat I’m worried about you, it’s been a while since you have responded or posted anything. If you are burnt out I can understand just let us know if you are feeling ok bud.
@Zara: I’m here now. Been meaning to make a blog post for several days actually. I’m also super shitty at getting back to my messages x_x
The first 2 months I went on break, it was an actual break. I meant to come back full force at the end of June, but went into a sort of artistic existential crisis. I posted a new in progress picture above that I’ll be working on this week. (Will update prince tomcat next week too hopefully) Before that I’ve got to dive back in and answer the unanswered comments today.
Thank you for coming back and checking in on me however. I hope your Day is going well so far.
Hey Ratbat I hadn’t noticed this had been posted. So far this looks like it could be interesting, is this a sequel/prequel or not related to Atoll Lab?
As for the readers who didn’t rate the last major comic favorably WTF? If they didn’t enjoy it they why did they keep coming back? I though it was a great original story that I enjoyed.
How goes your weight loss, is it victorious?
@Zara: As of July I am a mere 14 pounds away from my goal this year. Though a constant slew of birthdays,summer parties,outings, shows, have delayed things quite a bit- we are still on schedule to meet that 100lbs loss.
More so then anything however, is my back pain has kicked up quite a bit this year making sitting at my desk for long hours a real pain in the ass. (Currently looking at a configuration that will let me lay flat and keep my spine streight.)
The statistics on who actually read the comic are a little disheartening, but if you consider the fact that most webpages only have a 10-20% retention rate, a 40% readership is actually pretty good. (It requires an hour of reading time to get through- for some that’s a pretty tall barrier to entry and I’m fine with that.)
Calamity is a bit of a prequel also, but takes place around the end of the events of Atoll lab. It’s showing a small part of what was happening on the mainland while Nono and friends were battling it out with Neodym. This one will be a much shorter story.