splats

Splats is the plural form of splat, a noun and verb used across art, media, and technology. As a noun, a splat is a mark or stain produced by a sudden impact, wet surface, or thrown liquid, often leaving an irregular blob. As an onomatopoeia, splat describes the sound of something striking a surface with a wet or heavy impact. The plural splats is commonly used to describe multiple such marks or sounds.

In art and media, splats refer to paint or dye splatters used deliberately for texture, abstract effect, or chaotic composition. In comics and film, onomatopoeic splats are used to convey impact, sometimes depicted as repeated splats across a panel.

In computing, splat denotes an expansion operation that expands a collection into individual elements. Languages vary: Ruby calls the array expansion operator the splat; Python uses * and ** for positional and keyword unpacking; JavaScript uses the spread operator … for similar purposes.

In video games, splat commonly describes the effect or sound of hitting a character or surface. The term is used generically to describe ink or fluid marks on surfaces in games; a notable example is the Splatoon series, which centers on covering terrain with colored ink, creating visible splats.

In design and typography, splat marks are sometimes used as decorative elements or textures in posters and album art, echoing informal or playful aesthetics.