#welcome to octopia lore dump

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

Residents of Octopia, meet your heroes - the Scavenger Team!

Millicent is the definition of the perfect soldier - powerful, determined, and hard working. She's also one of the strongest Elites left, only rivalled in strength by Felicia, her oldest friend. Although she seems cold at first, she soon warms up to people, though keeps a serious tone at all times. As the captain of this platoon, she leads the group through the deserted domes and makes the final decision on what scrap to take and what to leave behind.

Claire always puts fashion before everything, even commissioning a unique armour plate for her role in the team. She constantly tries new styles with the few materials she has access to, and is probably the most popular person in Octopia, aside from Four of course. You may think she's only been placed on the team just to boost its popularity, but underneath that cool exterior, she's a fierce warrior with deadly skills. Acting as Millicent's second in command (hence the singular seaweed on her goggles), she keeps morale high with her positive attitude.

Obi is one of the oldest Octosnipers, even having battled the original Agent 3 in Octo Valley. Though it was there that he discovered he had an irrational fear of inklings, and so he started training other Octosnipers for combat instead. When Four arrived, his phobia sparked up again, but he soon realised there was nothing to fear and now he's pretty good friends with her. Obi uses his goggles and his keen eyesight to spot intact technology within the darkness of the defunct domes, and also carries tools just in case.

Oona is an extremely rare Blue Ringed Octarian, which means she is smaller (but certainly not weaker) than other Octohurlers. DJ Octavio originally planned for a specific unit within the army just for Blue Ringed Octarians, which means she was constantly on standby for combat, but this never came to be as there was never enough Blue Ringed individuals. She studied technology in the meantime, and is now the smartest technician in Octopia - these skills certainly come in handy, as she examines scrap to work out what technology they need from the rubble.

And finally, Samuel, a humanoid Octarian like the Octo Samurai. Since there's no concrete lore for this subspecies - not even an official name - I've decided how this all works ':)

As a quick summary, instead of letting a cut off hair tentacle develop normally, it can be taken and genetically altered into a humanoid Octarian. This means that they're specifically designed for a purpose, like the Octo Samurai was created just to wield the Great Octoweapon - but Samuel doesn't know his purpose. In fact, no-one knows who designed him, with the only mark of his creator being the heart at the end of his tail. Obviously this has left him with a deep sense of inadequacy and he often questions why he was made.

Fortunately for him, he has found a purpose within the Scavenger Team. He's incredibly strong, which is useful for clearing a path through the rubble, and he also carries all the scrap they take in a backpack. For once, he doesn't feel like such an outcast - he's a hero.

Bonus: Millicent and Claire without their goggles ^_^

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

Here's an introduction to some of the residents of Octopia! One of the main goals of Welcome To Octopia is to draw attention to how the Octarians are individuals and fully fleshed out people rather than just soldiers, so here's the appearances, personalities and struggles of some of the background characters!

-Odelia

An Octoball who hates the stereotypes that octoballs are small and helpless, so puts on a cool and independent persona to combat this. Also opts to walk around on her legs whenever she can, rather than rolling around or being carried, even if it's harder.

-Ollie

One of the very few babies in Octopia, since the birth rate is so low (this may be important information for future chapters *winks*). No-one really knows how to take care of him, since all the caretakers have already left the domes, so he just gets passed around from person to person so they can play with him and feed him.

-Oswald

An Octotrooper, usually an upbeat and friendly guy, but he's been feeling a bit depressed ever since he contracted a disease that makes his skin itchier and his tentacles droop. It's nothing too serious, but with almost no medical resources in Octopia, he is forced to live with it, so secretly he's desperate to escape to the surface in search of a cure.

-Oswin

A tentakook who is calm and contented, no longer skittish and fearful as he was when he was a soldier. Nowadays he works as a farmer, arguably the most important job in Octopia. Though he struggles sometimes with limited crops, he is much more cheerful now that he's not in the ranks of the army.

-Orion

An Octostamp who works as a waiter, he is old enough to have trained to be a soldier but too young to have actually fought against the New Squidbeak Splatoon. He is eager to learn about anything and everything, and always kicks up a friendly conversation with those he serves.

-Olga

One of only two Twintacle Octotroopers that isn't one of Four's bodyguards, as she's still only a teenager. Though she's too young to have ever been in a battle, she's just as grumpy and determined as any Twintacle, and is one of the only residents in Octopia to openly despise staying in the domes, wanting to leave and explore the surface.

-Oscar

A child Octocopter, who is so young that he hasn't had any combat training whatsoever, though he longs to fly like his older peers used to. Unfortunately for him, there's almost no flying technology left in Octopia, so he has to settle for his propellor hat.

-Olympia

A sassy Octotrooper who mainly hangs out with Odelia and Olga. Though her rebellious nature shines through, she is content to stay underground for a while longer as she's secretly afraid of leaving everything she's ever known and starting again in a completely unfamiliar place. She cut the tip of her tentacle off for a cool hairdo, though this did not turn into a child as this only happens when an Octoling cuts their hair. Olga looks up to her and cut her hair in a similar way to be more like her.

-Otto

One of only a few Octocommanders left, he is quiet and caring, and loves nothing more than hanging out with his friends. He desperately wants to leave the past behind, as he hated being a soldier and rejected the offer to work as a protector of Octopia. (Yes, this is the Octocommander that Neo Three sees which causes her to feel guilty about splatting the Octocommanders in Chapter 2 and crashes into the wall)

I even doodled that one scene in Chapter 5!

I may make some more Octoling characters in the future, but I wanted to focus on the Octarians as they're overshadowed more often.

Btw, you can do whatever you want with these characters, whether it's related to Welcome To Octopia or not! Just make sure to credit me if you do ^_^

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

There has been this burning question on my mind for a while now...

Do you think Octo Samurai would enjoy Octopia? Have you drawn him?

I think Octo Samurai would love that all the remaining Octarians have a (relatively) safe environment to live in, and I'm sure that he would be very popular. Living a life of fun and relaxation would suit him a lot.

Unfortunately, he was one of the brave souls to face whatever was down in the Deepsea Metro, with the aim to rescue the people who had fallen down there, only for him to never return...

Though his legacy lives on with Samuel, his protégé. I'll introduce him properly in a future post, but he's a humanoid Octarian like the Octo Samurai, and whilst they aren't directly related, Samuel looks up to the Octo Samurai like a father since they were the only humanoid Octarians in the domes.

He even ties his hair up like the Octo Samurai!

Thank you so much for the ask! This guy really deserves more love <3

Edit: find out more about Samuel in this post! If you have any further questions about him and/or his relationship with the Octo Samurai, my ask box is open :3

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

is there octolings in that octo city?

If you're referring Octopia, then yes! Though there are only about 20 left, since most have fled to the surface - there are far more of the other Octarians like Octotroopers, Octoballs, Octocommanders etc.

Since I'm prioritising Octarian side characters at the moment (there are already plenty of ex-army octoling OCs out there), I only have 4 fleshed out octoling characters, two of which have already had prominent roles in the fic.

On the left is Felicia, Four's personal bodyguard and head of security, and on the right is Cynthia, the girl who showed Callie around the resort.

If you couldn't already tell, Felicia is tough as nails and very headstrong, though we may see a softer side to her in a future chapter... (*winks*)

And, of course, Cynthia is extremely cheery and innocent, but deep inside she knows the truth about the dire situation the population of Octopia is in.

Then there's these two - they don't have names yet but they're part of the Scavenger team. I can't wait to introduce them soon properly!

There may be 2 more at some point but not for a while, as they're still in the early concept stage. Since octolings are more humanoid, they're a lot harder to design than tentacle shaped creatures 😅

That's one of the reasons why I won't be making all 20 octolings into fully fleshed out characters, with the other reason being for flexibility. I'm purposefully leaving it so that, if any readers have their own octoling OCs, they can imagine them in Octopia if they want to.

Thank you so much for the ask! If anyone has any further questions, feel free to ask me :3

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

What policies do Octopia have for outside visitors who aren't part of the NSS?

Absolutely none allowed.

(Well, sort of...)

Four has to be careful of the propaganda she feeds Octopia - she has to ensure that nobody wants to visit the surface, as she believes that this is the only way to protect the Octarians. So she makes sure that there's minimal mention of anything above ground, and when anything crops up, the surface is always painted as a harsh, unforgiving place that holds nothing of value.

But there's also no anti-inkling propaganda, since Four is an inkling herself, of course. This leads to awkward questions like 'If inklings don't hate us, then why aren't we allowed to go to the surface?', which Four tries to avoid at all costs. Deep down she knows that keeping the Octarians underground is wrong, but she keeps telling herself that she's improving their lives and protecting them from the cruel world that rejected her. A world with Marie and everyone else who abandoned her in it.

So this means that nobody is allowed in or out of the domes.

Except when some Salmonids occasionally drop by to exchange power eggs for Octarian tech. Since they have no zapfish left, Four renegotiated the trade agreements with the Salmonids so that they have just enough power eggs to fuel Octopia. After all, the Salmonids need a lot more tech due to increased raids from Grizzco.

Thank you very much for the ask!!! It's nice to just ramble about Octopia since it lives in my head rent free 24/7

I still have more nuggets of lore so ask and you shall receive :D

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

Has anyone ever tried to escape Octopia?

Interesting question!

Since most Octarians are quite dependent on someone to lead them, none of them would ever dare actually leaving - disobeying the will of the leader (previously DJ Octavio, now Four) is heavily frowned upon. That doesn't stop some people, like Olga, from openly yearning for the surface, though. There's no doubt that life would be better and easier up there.

If an opportunity to escape ever arose, lots would feel tempted, and some may choose to take it, but the last time that happened, those poor, poor souls ended up in the Deepsea Metro. No-one wants to end up like that.

Octolings, on the other hand, are a lot more autonomous, and of course most are on the surface now. The last few remaining in Octopia are fiercely loyal to the Octarian way of life and refuse to leave. Four even gives them all important jobs to ensure that if they ever do want to escape, they would feel obligated to stay.

No-one has tried to escape yet. But if anything catastrophic were to happen, it would be a just matter of time before someone gets fed up and tries to leave. Whether anyone else would follow, who knows... Four plays a careful game, keeping them all underground.

It's quite a sticky situation; if the New Squidbeak Splatoon wants to rescue them, they have a lot of work cut out for them...

Thanks for sending me an ask! I really appreciate it when I get more opportunities to ramble about these lil blobs that live in my mind rent free ^_^

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

Hii! I've got two questions: how are the remaining domes structured? How many octarians and octolings are still around?

Hey bestie 👀 Thank you for answering my plea for an ask🙏

1. There are only two domes left in operation, one of which is Octopia, whilst the other one contains all the houses and farms needed to sustain the remaining Octarians. There's also a small, newly dug out dome which acts as a base for Four. Here's a very basic map to visualise it

I tried to do a more detailed one but I still can't draw backgrounds that well 😅😭

Essentially, Octopia looks exactly how level 2 of Octo Canyon looks in game, except all the platforms have been shuffled around so that everyone can traverse it easily. But the general look is still the same.

Side note: This is where I got the name of the fic. Cuz the level is called 'Welcome to Octopia'. Get it? Aha. Haha. I'm so funny and creative guys trust

The other dome is less fun, and just has all the essentials like houses and a (makeshift) hospital. It looks kinda like the settlements found at the bottom of certain levels in Octo Canyon.

See those houses down there? Yeah. I think most people don't realise that it's not just the lore that makes the Octarians a developed and civilised species, it's literally in the games. I imagine that the levels we play are situated high above Octarian society so that they could act as a last defence against an Inkling invasion, which also proves how propaganda really affects the beliefs of everyone trapped underground. That's just a headcannon tho!

Every other dome has been all but destroyed. Literally. Every. Single. One.

I mean, that's what happens when two of the campaigns are all about stealing electricity from the Octarians!! Yeah, they stole it first, but they're just trying to survive because they lost a stupid war 100 years ago and are still suffering because of it

*Ahem* Anyways!

2. There's only about 200 individuals altogether, as most Octarians have been splatted or sanitised/fuzzified, and most Octolings have migrated to the surface.

Whilst all sub-species of Octarians are intelligent, Octolings are more autonomous and don't necessarily need a leader to guide them, so there are only about 20-ish Octolings in Octopia. These are the people who were so influenced by propaganda that they refused to leave or the one's that just waited too long to do so and are now trapped once more.

The remaining Octarians are ones who weren't in the army when Grizz attacked, meaning some of them may have military experience and were injured so they weren't taken. Lots of them do want to leave but, as I mentioned earlier, they believe they need someone to lead them, and so far Four has proven she will do anything to protect them, so... they remain content for now.

Thank you so much for the ask!!! I needed to ramble about this sooner or later or I think I would've exploded <3

I still hunger for more asks tho - anyone else who has a question, my ask box is always open!

[justyouraveragealternanfuzzball]

Octopia... healthcare?

I'm glad you asked!

[Bringing back this map for reference]

There are a few first aid stations set up in the Work/Rest dome (I should have a name for it by now tbh), but no hospitals, since they all got destroyed when most of the domes collapsed. The few doctors spend most of their time there and provide free healthcare to anyone who needs it.

They usually deal with small injuries from the activities in Octopia, like sprained tentacles. However, when it comes to more serious issues like diseases, they aren't very equipped to help out - they just don't have the resources to treat people.

For example, people like Oswald who have non-communicable diseases just have to learn to deal with it (his condition is detailed in this post). Those who are contagious have to quarantine and hope for the best. Thankfully, no-one has gotten that sick yet...

Four realises that this is a problem, and has tried to change to trade agreements with the Salmonids so that they can import some medicine in, but to no avail, since they ask for more technology in return - technology that they don't currently have.

Thank you so much for asking! I'm always up for rambling about Octopia :)