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elisaminimeneghini · 5 years

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Italian Nats 2019 Recap

The 2019 Italian national championship was held in Meda on September 13-15 and it was also a trial for the upcoming worlds. Asia D’Amato won the AA competition, followed by Desirée Carofiglio and Giorgia Villa. Alice D’Amato came in 4th, Elisa Iorio in 5th, and Martina Maggio in 6th. These 6 gymnasts make up the team plus alternate that will compete in Stuttgart. My personal recap below the cut.

(Pic from GAI on FB)

- Asia D’Amato showed up in really good shape at this competition. She was the only one among the Brixia girls to hit 4/4 which allowed her to win the competition with a 55.200 (no bonuses). Her vault boosted her total with a 14.900 for her DTY which clearly shows that she’s been working on an Amanar lately (which hopefully she won’t debut before next year). Together with her Yurchenko half-on half-off she qualified in 1st for VT EF and went on to win that title (easily) with a 14.375 avg. On bars she struggled a bit with a close pak catch, but recovered and still made UB EF where she then counted two falls but it really wouldn’t have mattered as this is her worst event. On beam she was the only one to hit consistently at nats and also at the previous friendly meet in the Netherlands, even though she only has a 5.1D. On floor she brought her FTDLO (pretty piked and not landed very well) + DLO. She still needs to do a lot of cleaning up on the landings but I’m glad they worked on her stamina, since she finally managed to hit the full routine twice without dying. Casella revealed that the long term plan is for Asia to bring back the double arabian in third and only do 3 passes total (FTDLO, DLO, double arabian...send thoughts and prayers).

- Desirée Carofiglio also looks in an amazing shape. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen her look this confident and solid AA as she is now and I’ve been stanning her for ages so I know what I’m talking about. She was second only to Asia (who had a huge advantage with the big score her DTY earned her) in the AA and only by .2! Absolutely crazy. On vault she has her good 1.5Y back and a second vault which is a fhs pike. She unfortunately sat her 1.5Y in EF which kept her out of medals, but that’s clearly a fluke. She hit bars both in quals and EF, and she’s showing a lot more confidence and cleanliness of execution. Her Nabieva, while still on the pikey side, is getting consistent and her handstands have improved a lot and she scored a 14.000 on both days on this event, finishing in 4th in EF only because the 03s are excellent here. On beam she consistently hit her solid routine, going 13+ on both days and earning again a 4th place. But it’s FX where she truly shines with her beautiful front tumbling and great choreo. She brought back her front layout to double front tuck and her Dowell which she landed extremely well every time and this plus her awesome artistry (with a little help from Lara Mori not being very clean and Giorgia Villa not making FX EF) earned her the gold medal on floor. Overall, an amazing competition for her, and I hope this showed Casella he can count on her for more than just floor at worlds.

- Giorgia Villa, despite not having the best day in qualification (oob by two miles on her triple twist on floor and fall on beam on her tuck full), with her huge vault and bars she managed to snatch the bronze AA medal ahead of Alice D’Amato (who wasn’t exactly thrilled about her 4th place LOL, see pic, she’s in the pink leo)

Anyway, Giorgia still managed to make UB and BB EFs (beam was a bit of a splatfest in quals) and she won gold in both with superb routines. On bars Giorgia now has a consistent 6.2 routine which is full of connections including ricna-pak-maloney-bhardwaj which she sometimes connects to the VL. On beam, the roundoff tuck full has a decent hit rate, but since it’s such a hard acro, it will forever make me nervous. I’m very happy that (for now at least) she has taken out the double pike dismount in favor of a simple double twist which she can stick and, since her twisting form is great, gets wayyy less deductions. It should be noted that there have been hints from Brixia and GAI that both Asia and Giorgia are training Amanars (which is not surprising as both their DTYs are looking really good and you can tell they’ve been working on that extra twist lately, from the way they land the DTY). Hopefully and realistically, we won’t see them before next year but this is both exciting and terrifying. On floor, I’m also pretty confident that a Silivas is in the works for Giorgia, since her full-in is beautiful and high. I hope she ditches the DLO forever in favor of that. At nats (or at the dutch friendly) she hasn’t done the DLO so yay for that.

- Alice D’Amato looked like she was going to medal in the AA over Giorgia but she counted a fall on beam on her new double wolf turn and that put her in 4th place instead. Vault and bars looked great for her as well, however her floor needs extra work as her opening DLO is still short and so is her triple twist in second. This was particularly clear in FX EF, where she landed both passes kinda badly and then scratched the rest of the routine while touching her ankle...It *looks* like it shouldn’t be anything major, but she will undergo some checks before she can be declared fine. Hopefully she’ll be ok, it would be such a shame if she got injured again after all the struggle with her previous comeback. She won the bronze medal on bars with a great 14.200 routine.

- Elisa Iorio looks like she will be the one not doing AA at worlds out of the 03s right now, unless they’re having her peak riiiiiiight before worlds. She’s looking strong on bars, her best event, but on beam, the other event where she should shine, she’s still inconsistent. On vault, she brought back her DTY which, despite not looking dangerous, is not up to speed with the D’Amato and Giorgia’s, “only” scoring a 14.400 (for comparison, Desy’s 1.5 scored a 14.3). This has me wonder whether she’ll be vaulting or not. She definitely won’t be doing floor I’d say, since she got a 12.900 for a hit routine. I think unless her DTY improves in the next few days (unlikely) they should just have her do UB and possibly BB. I don’t know if I would bet on her or Desy’s consistency more tbh. Right now I’d go with Desy. She won silver on bars with a good routine. She didn’t connect out of the pak but she did connect Ezhova-VL which is very impressive. I wish she’d be able to bring back her endo dismount combo but I think she’s been having issues with it since she’s grown quite a bit. So now she’s just doing a double front.

- Martina Maggio proved once again that she can be a great backup asset and she will most likely be the alternate at worlds. She brought back her 1.5Y that is looking strong. Her bars and floor have a low D, but because she’s so clean and precise, she gains in E what she lacks in D. It’s on beam that she could offer the most to the team, with her cleanliness and consistency. She has added a double wolf turn on beam With her 5.3D, she managed to win silver in EF on this event, right behind Giorgia Villa. I’m so happy that she’s back on all 4 events after being injured repeatedly for such a long time.

- Lara Mori didn’t do AA and generally didn’t look too sharp BUT this is definitely understandable as she’s not planning on going to Worlds. This was her decision, she specifically asked Casella not to go because she wants to try and go the world cup route to qualify for Tokyo and get a spot no one will take away from her (smart). For this reason, she doesn’t need to do AA or to peak until Cottbus. Despite this, she still managed to make BB and FX EF and to win a silver medal on floor after a good routine, if a bit unpolished, with a .2 oob. I truly hope she will manage to qualify for Tokyo, however unlikely. It breaks my heart to think that it’s gonna be either her or Vanessa (or neither), but tbh if I had to pick one I’d 100% go with Lara, no matter how sentimental I am towards Vany. Lara is an amazing gymnast and she deserves so much more than what life (and Casella) has dealt her so far. Best of luck to her.

This competition also marked the return from injuries of Giada Grisetti, Maria Vittoria Cocciolo, and Noemi Linari. Giada especially looked very sharp and ready on all 4 events, despite some downgrading. I hope all 3 of them will manage to stay injury free because they can really be assets for the future.

Another notable result is Irene Lanza’s solid AA performance. She made all EFs but beam (where she was third reserve) and snatched a bronze medal on vault with just a FTY. For someone who seemingly came out of nowhere last year (in terms of national team assignments), she’s grown immensely and she should be really proud of herself.

Here are the EF rankings.

#assoluti 2019 #asia d'amato #desirée carofiglio #giorgia villa #alice d'amato #elisa iorio #martina maggio #lara mori #giada grisetti #irene lanza #noemi linari #maria vittoria cocciolo

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realswofficial · 4 years

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MEGGY’S DESTINY REVIEW

With an epic journey and the tragic loss of a possible friend if such events didn’t unfold under her belt, our favorite squid humanoid (minus the squid part) fulfills a promise to her long-gone rival in this coming-of-age YouTube video which is not only a feature short-film but a step forward for this family of mentally-challenged paisanos. Howdy everyone, SuperWarrior here and welcome to this review of SMG4’s first ever movie (or special extended episode depending how you look at it), “Meggy’s Destiny”. Let’s just say we are in for a TREAT today, and before we begin I must advise you: This review is SPOILER-HEAVY, so if you haven’t seen this movie yet GO WATCH IT then come back here once you’re DONE. I’m already throwing this out there, I HIGHLY recommend watching this video if you’re an SMG4 fan or very interested in these kinds of stories. Are you done? Well then grab your Ink Bois and buckle-up, you’re in for a RIDE.

「昨年は大変でした」 “Last Year Was Rough”

To start off the synopsis, our adventure begins with Meggy resting in her bed telling us her backstory on how she was introduced into the SMG4 universe, met Mario for the first time, and reminiscing the dozens of journeys they and her new friends went on together. But her past year came with a price. All thanks to the SMG4 gang’s anime-related hijinks, a spiraling lead of events caused the casualty of Meggy’s bitter rival, Desti. When the two cephalopods were held captive at Francis’s Ink Prison, she discovered her enemy never truly despised her at all and was only looking forward to her humiliation when it came to competition. During the octo’s funeral, Meggy in her new form vows to finally win a Splatfest tournament in her honor. Just imagine if Desti was a much bigger character, Final Hours would’ve had an even bigger impact on the series than it already left. Months have passed since the group’s biggest misadventure yet and the final tournament is right around the corner.

「マルーナーズベイで相手を守れ！」“Keep Opponents at Marooner’s Bay!”

It’s the next day and the Splatsquad is finishing up training for tomorrow. Mario, Luigi, Meggy, and Tari are about to hone their Turf War skills one last time with the rest of the SMG4 group cheering them on in the bleachers. The team successfully completes their exercise as their friends congratulate and wish them luck for the big day. Professor E. Gadd suggests if they want to be victorious, they’ll have to use his latest inventions or as he calls them Ink Bois to even the score since none of them can hide in and slide across ink. Meggy gets a surfboard, Luigi uses a roller chair, Tari obtains a keyboard, and Mario owns a… lawnmower. Meggy refuses to use her gadget because of her pride and confidence, claiming that the advantage is personally insulting. The squad begins another round with their new devices by battling each other, she manages to survive until Tari knocks her out. Everyone cheers (besides Meggy) for the humanoid cyborg and they all go to the former Inkling’s apartment for a wrap-up party. During the celebration, Axol checks up on her but Meggy hides her concerns about losing saying she’s just fine. Then Mario offers her a game of Pin The Tail On Boopkins of all people (ok, not sure what he did to make this a thing) and she happily accepts.

「レース・トゥ・ザ・フィニッシュ！」 “Race To The FINish!”

Now it’s the first day of the Splatfest and the team arrives at Deca Tower preparing for the opening round. Meggy hallucinates seeing Desti nearby, making Tari worried but Meggy once again says she’s fine. The Squid Sisters (presumably Off The Hook is on vacation) announce the beginning of the tournament and explain the rules of the round: A race in the SPLATstacle Course as a test of agility and skill and any fighting during this round will result in disqualification, whoever makes it within 20 minutes advances to the second round. Splatoon purists, it’s time for your lesson in universal lore facts. For those of you who were wondering, the tournament shown in this movie is NOT based on any event from the game series. This Splatfest is primarily original for the sake of the story as Callie and Marie said it themselves: it’s apparently the last ever tournament due to them being less cost-effective (likely since interest in Splatoon died down after Chaos vs. Order) and they’ve decided to do something different to make it special (unless they ever get proper funding again). I do not make the rules, nor do the writers. This series is not meant to follow any canon video game lore since this interpretation of the Splatoon universe is different from the official just like the Mario one. And to those who think humans cannot be in Inkopolis since they don’t exist anymore, a little game called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate already kinda threw that rule out the window. Anyway before the race starts, the team is abruptly introduced to their new rivals, Team Killer Ink. The two briefly have a back-and-forth as expected from typical rivalries like this, then all competitors stand at the start and the race begins. Everyone races to the finish while beating the following obstacles: sliding down rails, avoiding buzzsaws, shooting Zapfish dolls at hoops, avoiding water sprinklers (which is a given for the Splatsquad), climbing a tower which Meggy manages to do with a lava butt-bounce, and long jumping a huge gap towards the goal. Our heroes run into trouble with the last obstacle thanks to the Killer Ink’s leader pushing Meggy off, but the team successfully rescues her with 30 seconds remaining. Later that day, Meggy walks around frustrated about her rivals teasing her for being human and she tries to calm down with an order of ice cream. However, Crusty Sean notices her and explains that his food truck has a strict “no humans” policy. Then she travels to other shops which also happen to have the same sign from earlier. Yeah, I’m not one to reference real-life history but someone needs to tell this side of Inkopolis that it’s not 1965 (or in this case 2015) anymore. This might be the most confusing part of the video as everyone refusing to serve Meggy doesn’t make sense even for this universe. If she was able to live in Inkopolis after becoming human, why is this a thing NOW? Didn’t she help save the town with her friends? But it turns out this sequence might’ve been a dream all along as Meggy sees her past self. She tells her that she is nothing without her old abilities and she only won the round because of her friends’ help. But Human Meggy claims she’s capable on her own especially without the surfboard, her Inkling self leaves, and she wakes up.

「スクワイドラン」 “Squidward Run”

The second day of Splatfest is here and Meggy throws away her gadget as Axol oversees her entering the tower. Later on, the Squid Sisters introduce the second round which is attacking an army of Squidwards. First team to 100 and wins and advances to the finals but attacking teammates will cost 10 points. The battle begins as the four teams scramble to earn the winning score. Everything seems well until Meggy struggles to keep up with her team. Nearing 100 points, Mario spots a cannonball of Squidwards and the Ink Brigade team wins the match (not Killer Ink, this is a different team). The Splatsquad is shocked to have lost resulting in Meggy breaking down crying. She regrets throwing away the board as it would’ve helped them out to win and she runs away. Mario grows suspicious of the Brigade’s victory and proceeds to investigate.

「メギーの絶望」 “Meggy’s Despair”

That night, Meggy is depressed about her failure thinking about letting Desti down. She exclaims “Don’t be sad”, but it turns out to be Axol looking over to cheer her up. He hands her the surfboard she trashed earlier, saying that the professor upgraded his Inkweaver and is willing to test both of them out. They both spray and slide down the building which cheers Meggy up missing what it felt like having those abilities. Meanwhile back at the stage, Mario, Luigi, and Tari search for clues about the rigged match. Mario trips on something, and it happens to be a switch behind some plants. He activates it revealing a cannon that shoots out Squidward clones, and it turns out that the winning team had cheated and the three rush to tell the news. Back to Meggy and Axol as the two finish their fun, she is enlightened but still complains about the board since it reminds her of her past. Axol explains that the device does not take away from her personality or shows sign of weakness, despite being one the best manga artists out there he relies on his trusty pen to unlock his true potential. What really matters is being yourself and the advantage is nothing to be ashamed of. Meggy agrees but she wishes he had told her before they lost the tournament. SUDDENLY the Squid Sisters barge in to tell her the good news: The Splatsquad is back in the Splatfest. Thanks to the trio’s detective work (which Mario desperately wants all the credit for), the Ink Brigade has been disqualified for tampering with the arena and her team can compete in the finals. Everyone is ecstatic, especially Meggy since she is relieved to have one last chance to fulfill her promise.

「あなたに勝利を約束しました」 “Promised You a Victory”

Back to her dream, Meggy makes a deal with her past form to use the Ink Boi and she evaporates into particles floating in the breeze. Then Desti shows up asking her how it feels to fulfill her dream, but she says it’s not about winning and is doing this for her. Desti smiles and knows she will win. Then it’s the third day and final round at Walleye Warehouse, where the Turf War begins with Splatsquad against Killer Ink. Poetically as Callie says, it ends where it all began this time with standard rules. The match starts and the heat is on between the competitors resulting in some cool tricks from the Squad team. As time gets closer to zero, tension builds up when three of our heros get splattered and it’s down to Meggy. But through her skill and determination she knocks out three opponents with a triple-combo kill buying her time. The Killer Ink leader tries to escape and she chases after her. Nowhere in her sights, the leader surprise-attacks Meggy and looks up getting mocked and then hallucinates Desti as if she was right in front of her. Meggy exclaims she’s only getting started. Using the surfboard, she throws her Splattershot at her, kicks her own weapon and knocks her out. 15 seconds left and the Squad spray as much of the warehouse as they can. Time is UP, and silence looms over the arena when the score is tallied (I wonder if Judd and Li’l Judd are there). And the winner is…. TEAM SPLATSQUAD. Everyone cheers and Meggy has finally made her vow to win for Desti with tears of joy. The SMG4 crew congratulates their friends and Bob declares another party back at the apartment to celebrate the wondrous occasion. But E. Gadd shouts for a thank you for his inventions.

「何でもいい！」 “No Matter What!”

Back at Meggy’s home everyone is gleefully partying the evening away and she is finally proud to have completed her momentous task and thanks Axol for his help. Meggy goes outside to the rooftop viewing the sunset and Desti’s spirit appears. She asks what she’ll do now, Meggy replies with what she meant about her friends but Desti explains all she saw was her constant training and mourning her loss and she needs to move on. Meggy responds saying that it’s been difficult to forget so she makes it easier with a hug. Desti thanks her for keeping the promise and they both say goodbye. She fades away into the sky and Meggy is comforted knowing she achieved closure. Overhearing Mario playing Pin the Tail again, she rushes back to her room to play with her friends as the camera shifts to the sunset concluding the film.

「涙ぐましい、間抜けな、楽しい映画」 “A Tear-jerking, Goofy and Fun Film”

I love this movie A LOT and the positive reception is well-deserved. Luke, Kevin, all of you guys down at Glitch Productions, FANTASTIC work for bringing justice by finishing what the Anime Arc left off. I have nothing but true praise for this masterpiece which we’ll finally go over. The editing is well done especially during certain scenes along with the video’s overall tone make it close to the feeling of a feature-length movie. I know, 40 minutes doesn’t necessarily count as the arcs do a better job satisfying length but it holds the record for being the longest SMG4 video ever. Characters are spot-on with Meggy having the starring role to boot. The comedy is par for the course like the usual SMG4 video, but I’m glad it doesn’t clash with the overall story and serves its purpose for a good laugh as it usually does. And there are memorable moments such as Meggy crossing paths with her Inkling self, Axol helping her and my most favorite part, the ending when Desti hugs her and says goodbye. That’s powerful AND beautiful. But nothing is ever really perfect as my only problem is that there isn’t much of a bump in quality with the visuals like how most shows upgrade their art style when they’re turned into movies. I don’t think the whole thing falls apart because of it, I just wanted to know what the video would look like had it looked as good as the poster, but looks aren’t everything if you have a great plot to back it up. Maybe someday Garry’s Mod 2 will be released and the next movie will look even better than this one also becoming the new standard for future videos, who knows. If you’re confused or don’t agree on why I love the current state of the channel, it’s because we would like to see them at their true potential. By the looks of it, they might be taking baby steps or they might not be far off soon enough. Meta Runner and Glitch Productions were made from their ambition and hard work and is pretty commendable from their background of making videos initially for fun, and this movie may as well be the bridge for things to come. Whatever happens, I wish all of these people the best of luck. With all that said, I’m giving Meggy’s Destiny a perfect 10/10 and nothing else needs to be spoken.

That’s all for my review everyone, I really hope all of you enjoyed it and the film as much as I did because SMG4 DEFINITELY pulled it off. Most of my friends love it and wish them the best too. So thank you guys so much for watching and once again thank you Luke and your friends for giving us something special after all these years, please keep it up don’t let yourselves down. See you guys later and we’ll meet again for more reviews and reactions and peace out!

#smg4meggy #smg4 #smg4desti #desti

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inktank-thinktank · 5 years

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Splatocalypse Now

My friends, the final Splatfest is upon us. And you know what that means. Plot implications for Splatoon 3.

We have been looking over the material released for Splatocalypse, and have prepared some analysis and interpretation, to not only help you make what you deem is the correct choice for the Splatfest, but also to prepare you for what is to come.

I’m warning you now, if you click into the Read More, there will be major spoilers for nearly every aspect of the Final Fest: Splatocalypse event, INCLUDING datamined material. Enter at your own risk.

First, we should note the theming. 'Splatocalypse'. This theme of a Splatoon apocalypse pops up in many places in the material we are to observe, and seems an almost overbearing theme. Nintendo is being direct this time - what happens is going to deeply impact the world of Splatoon.

Indeed, the music that plays during the trailer, according to the Live in Makuhari album coming out three days after the Splatfest ends, is called 'Haikara (Inkopolis) Memorial Mixtape', by DJ Octavio.

EDIT: OatmealDome has informed me that Haikara Memorial Mixtape is likely a NEW song that we have not heard yet! The song in the trailer is most likely ‘SPLATOCALYPSE （ファイナルフェス告知映像BGM）’ (SPLATOCALYPSE - Final Splatfest Announcement Video BGM), the immediately previous track on the album.

After a brief summary of Splatfests to-date, we open to Pearl and Marina. When Pearl is on-screen, we get a sound effect of rushing flames, while Marina is accompanied by sounds reminiscent of computers and technology. This is notable, especially when viewed in combination with other material, giving us an... 'inkling', of what is to come. The first thing that I think needs considering in combination with this is the Splatfest gear.

What we see is quite telling.

In English, the gear names are ‘Jetflame Crest’ (the motorbike helmet), ‘Fierce Fishskull’ (the fish skull, obviously), ‘Eye of Justice’ (the helmet with the screen on it), and ‘Hivemind Antenna’ (the shades).

As per this Reddit post, which we will be referencing a lot going forward, the names are ‘Burning Broiler’, ‘Giga Fishbone’, ‘Justice Brain’, and ‘Cosmic Antenna’.

Team Chaos’ gear puts off an air of being very ‘Mad Max’-inspired, very befitting of both ‘chaos’ and the apocalyptic themes. It is also worth noting that the helmet containing the word ‘broiler’ in the name is a connection to the Salmonids, who we know from the Splatoon 2 Ikasu Art Book use cooking implements as weaponry because they see life and death and consumption of other living things as all part of a cycle.

Similarly, we know that sunglasses of the shape the Hivemind Antenna / Cosmic Antenna take have historically been linked to Octarian mind control technology, such as the hypnoshades worn by Callie and the Octolings you fight in Hero Mode 2.

It is not difficult then to surmise that Team Chaos ties in to the concept of a Mad Max style apocalyptic wasteland, somehow related to the Salmonids, while Team Order ties in to the concept of a false utopian society controlled by mechanisms of technological oppression.

Now, moving back to the trailer...

Over the course of the trailer, we are shown who is on each side, out of the major characters. I will summarize our beliefs as to why each character is on each side, as this will influence later covered topics.

TEAM CHAOS

Starting with Team Chaos, we have the Salmonids. This is quite obvious. The Salmonids have always been agents of chaos, chiefly known for overrunning early Inkling settlements and even going as far as consuming the Inklings within.

There is also Iso Padre, which may come as a surprise to some. However, as a former test subject of TARTAR’s, it is clear he would want as little to do with ‘order’ as possible when presented the option. He seems okay with Kamabo Co. in Octo Expansion, but in a way that seems...detached, wistful, almost like he’s given up on a life free of oppression.

Spyke is another obvious one, being a gangster and someone who, y’know, steals stuff and runs an actual pyramid scheme.

Agent 4 is also fairly obvious; official art depicting Agent 4 has always shown her to be a trickster of sorts, and less serious than her predecessor, Agent 3.

Callie is also an obvious one, being the spontaneous, excitable, freedom-and-fun-loving one out of the Squid Sisters.

Flow, being a ‘hippie’ of sorts, likely is on chaos in terms of ‘personal freedom’. And, y’know. Being able to be high all the time most likely.

For Annie, the first game implies that out of her and Moe, Moe is the one really ‘in charge’ of things, and, well... Moe is hard chaos. Play Splatoon Wii U, guys.

Li’l Judd is Team Chaos because as we know, he has an inferiority complex and resentment for Judd, being his clone, and generally is more of a tricksterish character. Also, being a kitten, Li’l Judd would likely be more playful, again ‘chaos’ as in ‘freedom’.

Pearl lays out her motivation for being Team Chaos rather starkly in the Splatfest announcement (which we will get to later).

And, I saved this one for last, because it’s somewhat surprising... Despite the Octarians being Team Order, Octavio is Team Chaos. This could be due to a thinking that he must win at any cost, and a willingness to use manipulation tactics to move his people towards supporting his war on Inkopolis. It could also be due to a mental slippage from so many repeated losses.

“But wait!” I hear you say. “If Octavio is Team Chaos, why are the shades, ostensibly tied to hypnosis, a Team Order gear piece?”

I would argue there that the hypnoshades, while used by Octavio, fit more into the Octarians’ wheelhouse of order through technology and regimentation.

TEAM NEUTRAL

Judd being Team Neutral is obvious. He judges the Splatfests, and unlike Li’l Judd, is generally more ‘neutral’ in tone.

Sheldon is probably Team Neutral because, well, he sells you weapons no matter what side you’re on in Splatfest, so...

And Mr. Grizz is Team Neutral because he’s out for his own interests, which exist apart from all other teams (note he’s apart from the rest of Team Neutral, and upside-down).

TEAM ORDER

Cap’n Cuttlefish is Team Order for having been part of the military, as well as actively fighting for the safety and security of Inklings.

Marie is Team Order being the more relaxed yet traditional one of the Squid Sisters.

Agent 8 is Team Order being an Octarian, and thus a part of their regimented society.

This brings us to the Octarians in general, who are Team Order being a regimented technocracy where large focus is put on people serving a specific function (see Marina’s Chat Room), as well as again the technological oppression aspects. They may also be simply following Marina, as we know that Agent 8 idolizes her, and that the Octolings who escaped to Inkopolis did so because they were inspired by her.

C.Q. Cumber is Team Order because, as Nintendo has stated, he really wasn’t concerned with what TARTAR was up to, he was just doing his job. Order at its finest.

TARTAR is Team Order for obvious reasons. It desires ‘order’ in the sense of purging the capricious, impulsive Inklings and petty, warlike Octarians, instead replacing them with a new ‘superior’ race of beings, created from its successful test subjects.

Agent 3 is Order because, well, she made the idea of ‘being the hero’ a central part of her identity, see adopting the ‘3′ cape into her outfit (something she had no reason to do).

Jelfonzo being Team Order makes sense, given that Nogami has stated that the Jellyfishes are all actually a large hivemind organism, who may have a significant hand in sponsoring Turf War, suggesting since Turf War is according to the Splatoon Ikasu Art Book largely subsidized by the government, the Jellyfish hivemind has a significant hand in Inkopolis’ government as well.

As with Pearl, we will discuss Marina’s choice more in-depth later, as it is looked at rather deeply in the Splatfest dialogue.

The only ones who we cannot seem to figure out are Murch, Bisk, and Crusty Sean, however we know that Sean has some...strangeness to him, only accepting tickets and getting defensive when you point this out, and the ‘Crustwear XXL’ shirt, a shirt advertising his food truck, being Grizzco gear. Perhaps he supports Team Order because of an involvement with corporate bureaucracy?

Similarly, my best guess with Murch is that, since he only engaged in the gear scrubbing and ordering scheme because he idolized Spyke, he realized at some point that Spyke was a criminal, and wanted to distance himself.

Now on to the leading ladies themselves. Pearl’s reasons for being Team Chaos run VERY deep, and a larger overall analysis is necessary.

Pearl’s motivation for Team Chaos seems to be primarily rooted in wanting a world that is ever-changing and not static, finding a world that stays the same boring and uneappealing. She also seems to act somewhat as an agent of chaos, declaring in the Splatfest dialogue both in English and Japanese that whichever side wins the Splatfest will be the form the world takes going forward.

In the English dialogue, she invokes ‘Splatfest law’, which is something created wholesale by Nintendo of America, however the implication either way is that whoever wins will remake the world in their own team’s image.

Additionally, in the Japanese dialogue, Pearl states “all I know is I don't want a world that's always like this!“, spoken in the same sort of way as when someone says things like ‘I wish things would be like this forever’.

Marina’s reasons for being Team Order as well are somewhat complex. She is primarily worried about stability and control over her life and her situation.

In fact, Pearl’s statements about Team Chaos, in the Japanese dialogue, are replied to in ways that show that she’s worried that Pearl would eventually even grow bored with Off the Hook, and flippantly want that to be over and ‘change’ as well.

It’s worth noting that Marina’s theming shows an erring towards technology, and technological order as we’ve seen before usually is something dangerous in the Splatoon universe. This may hint at what direction ‘her world’ would go in if she wins the final Splatfest.

Marina does, however, express trepidation in the Japanese dialogue about reshaping the world in the winner’s image, only doing so because Pearl is pushing things in that direction.

Moving forward, we will be addressing the assets and imagery the game has been preparing for the Splatocalypse event, and how that ties into the theming of a Splatoon apocalypse.

First, and the elephant in the room... ‘Dear Senpai’, or as it’s being called by Nintendo of America, ‘MC.Princess Diaries’, the new Shifty Station stage.

The stage is quite obviously based on another brush Inkopolis has had with the apocalypse, that being the NILS Statue fight from the Octo Expansion, where Pearl and Marina, with the help of Agent 8, narrowly stopped TARTAR from destroying Inkopolis. The fight, and indeed all Turf Wars in the Final Fest event, come complete with the discordant Turf War intro sound from Octo Expansion, and Dear Senpai comes with Hyperbombs and the ‘Princess Cannon’ (the Killer Wail from the first game). Information from OatmealDome states that three sets of Hyperbombs each appear throughout the match, each time consisting of two per team, while the Princess Cannon is spawned once per match for one player to use in the form of Pearl coming down from the helicopter outside the stage.

We know that Team Chaos is strongly coded to involve Salmonids, and we know Team Order is strongly coded to involve technological oppression, but again per OatmealDome we have our first look at how this would play out.

The stage chronologically takes place after the NILS Statue fight, with the wreckage of the NILS Statue seen in the background, being tended to and examined by Jellyfish, who again are part of the Inkopolis government. And, if you recall during the final fight, the NILS Statue is utterly swimming in TARTAR’s corruptive ooze, as well as the remains of TARTAR itself. Could we perhaps see the return of TARTAR via the Jellyfish hivemind? This would explain also how it would be Team Order despite being ostensibly dead.

You may wonder why I haven’t discussed the actual terrain of Dear Senpai, or the post-Splatfest dialogue. In fact, Nintendo pushed invalid dummy data in its place to prevent data mining. In the case of Dear Senpai, they pushed the Shifty Station from Frostyfest, and in the case of the post-Splatfest dialogue, barebones dialogue with nothing beyond a winning team announcement.

As most should already know, the Final Splatfest will have all 23 previous Shifty Stations on a rotation, two every two hours like the other maps, before running Dear Senpai for the final 24 hours. Interestingly, while we know that Dear Senpai is to take up the full final 24 hours , the two hours immediately preceding it also have only a single Shifty Station stage: Tentacle Warning / Sweet Valley Tentacles, the Shifty Station from the Squid vs. Octopus Splatfest. As a brief aside, all of the Shifty Station names in Japanese are puns on manga titles, and all the ones in English are puns on novels.

This is what the Inkopolis Square skybox will look like during the Final Fest. A video showing the Square with this skybox and Splatfest mode on can be found here. We don’t know what the Square‘s event decorations will be, if any, but this immediately brings something to mind: Blade Runner 2049.

Screenshot from the relevant point in the movie for reference.

Furthermore, at this screen when you press ZL+ZR, this sound plays. Sound familiar? It sounds to me like the clock tower bell in Majora’s Mask. In fact, both are the same note, a C4.

Additionally, we know that the music for the Final Fest is a combination of Off the Hook and Squid Sisters music. Per OatmealDome:

New battle music for Final Fest!

Ink Me Up by Squid Sisters (Splatoon 1)

Shark Bytes

Calamari Inkantation

Fly Octo Fly

New 1 minute left music!

Now or Never! by Off the Hook, feat Squid Sisters

Now or Never! by Squid Sisters

This suggests that the Squid Sisters are to play a major role; however they do not appear in any of the Final Fest assets, meaning this likely is hinting at them playing some role in the Final Fest’s impact on Splatoon 3. This is corroborated by their appearance in the Splatocalypse trailer, wearing Pearl and Marina’s signature crown and headphones, respectively.

In closing, I think it can be easily surmised just what is going on. Team Chaos has strong ties to Salmonids and a theme of Inkopolis being overrun or falling to ruin. Team Order has strong ties to TARTAR and themes of technological oppression and control. The Splatfest announcement dialogue implicates Pearl or Marina respectively as bringing on a possibly related, possibly simply additional, chaotic or orderly world for each bad outcome to exist in. And the strong focus on the Squid Sisters implicates that, yet again, Callie and Marie will be pitted against each other.

It is truly a matter of ‘pick your villain’. Except unlike Splatoon 1, where the loser was the one who was turned against us, and instead of being against her will... This time the winner, or at least the winning side, is the one who will turn wicked.

Who and what form will this take? Only time will tell.

#Splatoon #Splatoon 2 #splatocalypse #splatfest #final fest #theory #video games #author math #author shinygirafarig #author slimeade

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paragon-yoshi · 6 years

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Improvement-Ideas for Splatoon 2 (Opinion Alert!!!)

This game is amazing, just like the first. And it definitely deserves all the praise and love it gets. However, I still believe this game has plenty of problems, that could be improved on. Because as fun as it can be, it can just as well be frustrating and morale crushing... Depending on what people you end up playing with and against... So first up, here is my list of problems I have with the game.

Problems with Regular Mode (Turf War)

Since Turf Wars is described as a casual mode, that anyone can pick up and play, it should also be the easiest to get into. And in a way it is, with an objective that is very easy to grasp. Just paint as much as you can and you win... But unfortunately, it's not as simple as that...

- Turf Wars IMO is the hardest mode of them all! That may sound surprising, but in my experience, I had by far the hardest time with Turf Wars. While I had a much easier and fairer time with Ranked. Why is that? Well the biggest reason is that Ranked Modes focus on one of two areas on the map (Clam Blitz kinda being an exception, with clams being scattered everywhere). But Turf Wars in universal: The entire map is the objective, rather than a few select parts of it. You have to stay vigilant at all times, since the opposition can be literally anywhere. With Ranked you can make a pretty good guess where the opposition is headed. But not in Turf Wars... Secondly, the tides can turn at the last minute, even if your team was ahead the entire time. (And most of the time, that's exactly what happens, at least in my experience) And thirdly, kills are effective. Perhaps even too effective. Giving players with superior skills an undeniable edge over beginners and other not quite as skilled players... And that's why a lot of people go for kills and try to completely lock the other team down. Which is incredibly infuriating when you're at the receiving end of it. And the maps don't really offer much in terms of sneaking around. Which sucks... So if you're up against godlike players and they completely lock you down, you might as well throw the game... It's not fun, believe me... - Matchmaking is random What Nintendo (and a whole lot of other people) sees as a good thing, ends up being a dealbreaker for me and many other people... And it's easily my biggest gripe with this mode. What players you're matched with and against, is all just a roll of the dice. Aka completely luck-based. And as such, winning or even your team just doing well enough, become mostly luck-based as well. And if you're having real bad luck (like yours truly), you lose most of the time and question your life choices... Either because the matchmaking decided to match you with teammates that are far less skilled than you or you are straight thrown into arctic water, by matching you against players that are so far above your skill level, that you stand no chance against... Sometimes even the two combined... It's really aggravating, when the dice roll results are so unbalanced. - Turf Wars is a little too winning-oriented I still remember the days of early Splatoon 1, where you simply had to get as many Turf Points as possible, to do well. Losing didn't matter, since winning only net you 300 extra points back then. The bulk of the points (and thus your money and EXP) came from your Turf Score. And I believe this is how Turf Wars worked best and it truly was a casual mode, where losing really didn't matter all that much. Unfortunately, with the update that added the New Level Up System post level 20 and now with the adoption of the same system in Splatoon 2, that is a thing of the past. You only need to reach 500 Turf Points to get the most points possible from the Turf Score. And you get the most EXP points for winning. And I believe that is why Turf Wars became so frustrating to play. After that update, you could see nothing but E-Liters in Splatoon 1 Turf Wars. And since E-liters were completely broken in that game, Turf Wars became impossible to play and enjoy, if you used any other weapon than that. And even in Splatoon 2, people became really aggressive and focus mostly on kills and base invading. Since that wins the game. And I am pretty sure, if Nintendo wouldn't have changed the Level Up System like that and stuck with the original all the way, people wouldn't be so tryhard in that mode.

Problems with Splatfest

- Toxicity I made a whole Tumblr-Post about it once. Link: https://paragon-yoshi.tumblr.com/post/175961272304/toxicity-in-splatfest-revised But to summarize: I believe Marina and Pearl act way too toxic during Splatfests (at least in the localization, since in the original japanese version they apparently don't act nearly as obnoxious). And it mirrors the toxicity coming from the players, as far as I have seen. Not to mention it makes the Splatfest a much more serious deal, than it needs to be... - Same problems as normal Turf Wars All the same problems from normal Turf Wars can be found here. You may think matchmaking would be the only exception, with the "Splatfest Power" system. Though even with it, it seemed just as random, which is a shame... Because the concept of Splatfest Power definitely goes into the right direction.

Problems with Salmon Run

- Not available at all times.< Okay, this is something nearly everyone complains about. So enough said here... - Being unable to use your normal clothes I HATE the working attire that Salmon Run forces on you. It's UGLY! I'd much rather use my preferred clothes from normal PvP.

Other Problems

- The game doesn't let you play with more or less than 8 players in a match Looking at other online shooters, pretty much all of them let you play with different amounts of players, rather than forcing a set number on you. (Let alone being able to enter and exit mid-game) I get that Nintendo wants to be original and likes to do things their own way. But in this case, I really wish they would've done it the same way other online shooters did. I believe we wouldn't be stuck in "Waiting Room Hell" nearly as much, if the game was more flexible with the number of people that can play at a time... - Abilities being locked to Clothes Clothes should be cosmetics first, period! And I don't believe it was a good idea to lock Abilities behind clothes. And it very often creates a dilemma to me. Since the clothes I really like, often have abilities I have no use for. While clothes with good abilities for me, often look ugly AF. So yeah, enough said here...

How Splatoon 2 could be improved

Let's tackle the small fry first...

Improving Cosmetics and Abilities

- Separate Clothing and Abilities I'd make Clothing completely cosmetic, while Abilities have their own slot-system. It could work the very same way as they work now, just without the clothes. And instead of buying clothes for abilities, you would buy... Let's say, Badges or something like that.

- Add more Clothing categories Like this: - Head (Hats, Caps, Headbands, Bandanas...) - Face (Glasses, Masks, Facepaint...) - Body (Shirts, Coats, Sweaters, Jackets...) - Wrists (Bracelets, Watches, Sweatbands...) - Hands (Gloves) - Legs (Pants, Dresses, Skirts...) - Feet (Shoes, Boots, Sandals...) - Accessories (Necklaces, Rings, Vests, Wigs...) Obviously that would mean, for example, Gloves are seperate from Body Gear now. As well as allowing you to wear Hats and Glasses at the same time. - Adding new customization options for your Inkling/Octoling Adding the following options would really perfect the character creation in my eyes: - Face (not just the eyes) - Voice - Height - Body Type (Skinny, Fat, Muscular, etc.) So people would be able to re-create their Inksona's much more accurately in-game... :3

Improving Salmon Run

- Unlockables: Normal PvP Clothes for Salmon Run and Salmon Run Work Clothes for PvP Unlock the Work Clothes as equippable cosmetics for other modes. And at the same time, from the moment you unlock them, you will always play Salmon Run with the clothes you have equipped. If you want your Work Clothes back, simply equip them to play the old-fashioned way. Both unlock after you reach a certain Rank in Salmon Run! - Make Salmon Run playable online, even when main shifts are closed. The logic behind this is: When Grizzco is closed, Inklings and Octolings can still work on their own and sell the Eggs they collect. This'd be a great way to make Salmon Run playable at all times, even when Grizzco is not available. However, it'd play a little differently... - You'd be able to freely pick your weapon. And it wouldn't change in-between waves. - Difficulty is still dependant on your rank. But it won't change. If you win, it won't increase. If you lose, it won't go down. - Players vote for stages and the game then randomly picks the stage from the voted options (Like Mario Kart 8 online picks tracks) - You only get cash at the end. Nothing else! - Since Mr. Grizz isn't around when you work on your own, there'll be no one to order you around or give you advice! So basicly, when Grizzco is open (which right now is the only time you can play Salmon run) it'd play as usual. But when Grizzco is closed, the above mentioned changes are in effect, until they open again.

Improving PvP Modes

- Make Ranked Mode available from the start Aka, no longer having to unlock Ranked by reaching level 10. You can jump straight into competitive, if you want. This actually goes hand in hand with the more drastic changes I suggest, further down. - Ability to play with more or less than 8 players AT THE VERY LEAST FOR REGULAR MATCHES! Like I said, being able to play with different amounts of players would greatly cut the time we spend waiting for a lobby to fill up. It works well for all other online games of this kind. So why shouldn't it in Splatoon as well? And the ability to enter a match mid-battle, could easily fix uneven teams in a match. Plus, if teams are uneven, I'd like to have some "handicap effect" in place, giving the outnumbered team a boost in some way, until it's even again. The greater the difference in numbers between teams, the higher the boost. - Allow players to create "Custom Lobbies" with their own rules Essentially this would revise the current "Private Battle", give it more options to customize your game, as well as the choice to either make it public or friends only. Obviously you could join any open lobby from a list of available lobbies, if you want to join a custom game, rather than create one. The host of the lobby would set the rules. Like choosing maps and Game Mode. In this regard it'd work exactly like Private Battle does now. But it'd offer far more options for the host to customize their game: - Time Limit (so you can play Turf Wars for longer or less than 3 minutes of you want. Same with Ranked and their 5 minutes) - Maximum Number of Players - Respawn Time - Ink Capacity - Damage/Life - Abilities On/Off - Items On/Off etc. This would allow for some much needed diversity, allowing you to play the familiar modes in very different ways... Lastly, I'd still allow EXP and Money to be obtained from this (at least if it's a public lobby). One possible concern some of you might have, is that if the Time Limit is ridiculously high (like 30 minutes for example), you'd have to sit through the whole thing. Well no, you wouldn't. Since other online games of this nature allow you to enter and exit mid-game. So that very same option would allow you to leave at any time. Of course, the downside is that you won't receive any EXP or Money, if you don't play the match until the end. And now we're getting to the changes for Regular Mode (and Splatfests) As far as I can see, there are two ways to improve it. One very simple way and one drastic way, that changes Regular Mode in some significant ways... The simple way is: - Make "Splatfest Power" a feature for normal Turf Wars This would be the easiest way to fix the issue of unbalanced match-up's in Turf Wars. Since, if it works as intended, there'd at least be some sort of balance between players and their skills. It wouldn't be perfect, but IMO it's better than nothing. But like I said, there is another, more drastic way to go about it. And I am sure some people will lose their mind and want to see me on a chopping block for coming up with these ideas. (If there's anything I learned, it's that people don't like big changes. Especially if it's a game changer!) I'll be blunt: I believe Splatoon would be better, and appeal to much more people, if it were half Party-Game and half Competitive Game! The key to this lies in the "Regular/Ranked Split" Make "Regular" the "Party Side" of Splatoon, for casual players who want to have good old fun. While "Ranked" would be the fully "Competitive Side" of Splatoon, where you need to have superior skills to come out on top. While the, above mentioned, "Custom Lobby" feature would allow players to customize their games, and give their matches the best of both worlds maybe. Or turn their games into something different... If you wonder why I would do it like this... Well, have a look at this informative reddit post, that talks about Party Games and Competitive Games. Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/281eja/why_smash_is_a_party_game_and_what_the_melee/ It's about Smash Bros (and quite a lengthy read), but a lot of the points there should apply to any game! And you might understand why I'd vouch for the following changes... - Add items to Regular! Let me stress this one more time: REGULAR MODE ONLY! ITEMS WOULD NOT BE IN ANY RANKED MODES!!! This system isn't even new, since the Battle Dojo from the first game, actually had items! Items from Single Player and Octo Expansion (adjusted for Multiplayer) would appear here. And they would appear all over the stage. It'd have items such as "Battle Armor", along with the ability to stack armors for more durability... "Ink Tanks" that refill your ink, as well as temporarily increase your Ink Capacity... "Canned Subs" to swap out your Sub Weapons, until you get splatted... "Canned Specials" giving you instant access to the depicted Special Weapon... The "Full Power Up" from the first game's Battle Dojo, increasing all of your stats for a short time... On top of that, I could imagine some specials from the previous game returning in item-form. And maybe some original items. Such as temporary upgrades like "Spread Shot", "Rebound Shots" or "Homing Shots". Items would mostly appear randomly. But when a team is at a disadvantage or player imbalances are detected, items would spawn more closely to the players/teams at a disadvantage. Again, I stress: ONLY REGULAR MODES WOULD HAVE ITEMS! Ranked on the other hand wouldn't have them. So if you loathe items and random chance in games, just play Ranked and be happy. Or make your own "Custom Lobby" and turn them off! And since I mentioned the Battle Dojo from the first game so many times... - Revise Battle Dojo from the first game and make it a new Regular mode I really believe "Balloon Battle" from the first game would make a really good new Regular mode. Just like it was in the first game, the objective would be to pop as many balloons as possible and rack up points. You lose points if you get splatted and whoever has the most points, wins! But of course, there'd be some changes: - Obviously, it'd be a team mode now. So now the points of every team member are added up for the Team Score. And the team with the higher Team Score wins. If there's a draw, there'd be overtime, until one team takes the lead. - Add balloons with multiple colors that are worth more points The normal balloons would earn you 1 point for every one you pop. However, this game would also have balloons with multiple colors, which are worth more points. Of course, the more points a balloon is worth, the less often it appears. - Balloons would spawn more frequently and in multiple areas all over the map If you are one of the few people, who ever got to play the Battle Dojo in the first game, I think you might remember how it works. There is an area marked on the map and balloons will spawn there after some time. But in this mode, the balloons would spawn much faster, instead of having to wait for like 10 to 20 seconds for them to spawn. Also, balloons would also now appear in multiple areas all over the map, instead of just one area. And also in different intervals. So it'd be much more chaotic now. Turf Wars is all alone in the Regular mode. It's time to add a new Regular mode for once, instead of giving all the new modes to Ranked only. Of course, since it would be a new Regular mode, it'd also have items. - Splatfest Ranking and Scoring The way you'd rank up and thus earn Sea Snails, I'd do a little differently. Again, I think it is too winning-oriented. Instead, while winning is one way to earn points for your title, I'd add more things that can earn you points. Like helping out a teammate, splatting enemies that fire at your teammate, assisting in a splat, Booyahing together in the first 10 seconds of a match. These things would net you more points towards your title. So ultimately it's not so much about winning during Splatfest, as it is about sticking together and working as a team. Performing teamwork actions would actually reward you more, than just winning the match. And it'd perfectly work with the team-mentality of Splatfest. An "Alternate Way" to handle this would be to ditch the Splatfest leveling altogether and instead collect "Splatfest Tokens". You earn Splatfest Tokens after every match, depending on how much turf you inked, whether or not your team won and by performing various teamwork actions during the game, like the aforementioned examples. Again, you would get the most rewards out of working well as a team and not for winning. You could spend Splatfest Tokens at a vending machine for Sea Snails, Ability Chunks, unique gear or Food/Drink Tickets (which you could freely pick even). You know funfair's in real life, where you can win tokens and exchange them for various rewards? Yep, that was my main inspiration for this alternate idea for Splatfests. And it's very fitting in my eyes. ;) And that's it! That's all the ideas I have that could really make Splatoon 2 better. Or maybe even a possible sequel. If you want a polite discussion, I'm all for it. But I won't be talking with people that obviously want to troll, completely trash me for my ideas or performing any inconsiderate, disrespectful or hostile action against me. That's all. See you.

#Splatoon #splatoon 2 #ideas #improvements #concepts #turf wars #battle dojo #balloon battle #party game #competitive game #regular #ranked

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 7 years

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Splataclysm! - chapter 6

Oh wow, I’m really on a writing roll today (I say, knowing this chapter has been 90% complete for like a month already and I couldn’t be bothered to finish it until today) Anyway yeah, here’s more of the Splatoon AU fic, it got kinda silly hehe

Also on AO3

Sabrina couldn’t help staring through the window in awe. The Squid Sisters themselves were in the studio, chatting to each other, only a few metres away. All that separated Sabrina from them was a panel of glass! She wished she could meet them. How inspirational were they?

But it probably wouldn’t happen. Sabrina knew she wasn’t a good singer anyway, she could never be like them. She should just focus on battling.

Turning around, she saw that Chloé was still leaning against the railing, watching Inkopolis Plaza down below them. Or rather, watching someone in particular.

“Are you still looking at Alya?” Sabrina asked. Ever since the final Splatfest, where both Alya and Chloé had chosen the same team, they had decided upon a truce to their rivalry. Now it seemed that Chloé was just fascinated with her.

“I don’t get it,” Chloé said. “Why would her friends just leave her like that? First Nino, then Marinette and Adrien… in fact, why would Adrien just leave me like that…”

“I don’t know,” Sabrina said, standing beside Chloé and looking down at Alya too, who was doing something on her phone. “Maybe Adrien’s father made him leave or something.”

“True. But now Alya’s all alone.” She shook her head. “I should have been a better friend to her much earlier on, shouldn’t I? I thought rivalry was an important thing! I thought having a rival would make me better somehow! But it didn’t. I was just stubborn.”

“Why don’t you go talk to Alya?”

“I don’t know if she’d want to talk to me.”

“But you’re not rivals anymore.”

“Still, that doesn’t mean we’re friends!”

Sabrina put a hand on Chloé’s shoulder. “You managed to make friends with me, didn’t you? So you can make friends with Alya too.”

Chloé smiled at her. “Thanks, Sabrina. You’re right. I ought to try.” She looked back down at the plaza. “Do you think I should switch weapons? I’ve been using a Splattershot for a while but I don’t know, I think I might be better off with a .52 Gal…”

“Are you doing this because Alya uses a Gal? I’m pretty sure she uses a .96 Gal, though.”

“Alright, Alya may have inspired me. But a .52 Gal is much easier to use so I’ll at least start off with that. Then Alya and I will both be using Gals.”

Sabrina chuckled a little. Chloé and Alya… would they be Gal Pals then?

Down below in the plaza, Alya wasn’t the only inkling around.

“Aw, come on Rose!” Nath said, pulling Rose towards the Lobby by the arm. “Just one Ranked Battle? Please?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “It’s far too competitive, I always feel like everyone’s being so aggressive–”

“But I’ve never tried it before and I don’t want to do it alone! Pretty please?” He put on his most adorable expression, hoping it would work on a sweetheart like Rose.

“Alright then,” she said, her face softening. “But just one match. I believe the current Ranked Battle mode is Splat Zones, and that’s not so bad. I’d say it’s the least aggressive out of the three.”

“Then let’s go!”

Just then the large screen in the plaza lit up, ready for another announcement. Nath and Rose stopped to watch. The Squid Sisters appeared on the screen, all dressed up in their bling as usual.

“It’s stage changeover time!” Mireille said, punching a fist up in the air. “Let’s see what the Turf War battle stages are!”

“Here they come,” Aurore muttered, looking as if she was reading lines off a telescreen somewhere.

“The first Turf War stage is… Arowana Mall! Hey Aurore, remember that time we went to that café here and bought seven helpings of ice cream?”

“I remember you spilling at least two of them on the floor,” Aurore replied, her expression unchanged.

“Ahem, yes… anyway, the other Turf War stage is… Flounder Heights! Doesn’t Plagg live here?”

“I think so, I’ve seen him commuting into the city sometimes.”

“Nice! And now for the Ranked Battle stages. The next Ranked Battle mode is… Tower Control!”

Rose sighed, leaning on her Carbon Roller Deco. “Tower Control is so stressful…”

“And the first Ranked Battle stage,” Mireille continued, “is Kelp Dome! Aurore, do you know if they grow chip plants here?”

Aurore stifled a yawn. “I seriously doubt it, Mireille…”

“Right, right, I knew that. Anyway, the other Ranked Battle stage is… Walleye Warehouse! And ooh yes, even we’ve heard the juicy stories… off in a remote corner of the warehouse, two young inklings are–”

“BATTLING!” Aurore said quickly, putting on a giant grin that looked very out of place. “Yep. Battling. We’re not spreading any rumours, are we Mireille?”

“No, no, of course not, haha!” Mireille chuckled nervously. “Alright, that’s it for now. We’ll see you later for the next battle stage announcements. And in the meantime…”

The two Squid Sisters put their hands up in unison and sang, “Stay fresh!”

Nath turned straight round to face Rose. “What rumours? Please tell me! I know I’ve been here for a while now but I still always feel like a newbie, so out of the loop…”

“Oh, it’s just something silly,” Rose said, giggling a little. “Juleka told me about it, she hears everything. It’s not anything terribly important, just some silliness, I’m surprised the Squid Sisters even mentioned it…”

“So what is it?!”

“You know Lê Chiến Kim, right?”

“Of course I do, I’ve been splatted by him like seven hundred times.”

Rose giggled again. “So have I! Anyway, apparently a while ago he was bragging that after a match at Walleye Warehouse, he went and hid off in a corner and kissed someone.”

“Who?”

“No one knows, he’s been keeping it a secret. Most people guess it must have been one of his teammates, but who knows? It’s a mystery! And now Walleye Warehouse is somewhat notorious for being… well… romantic, I suppose…”

“How can a noisy, smoky factory be romantic?” Nath scoffed. “And what if Kim’s lying?”

“He may be a show-off, but he’s not a liar.”

“Whatever.” Nath held up the new weapon he was going to try out, the N-ZAP ’85. “So, should we go battle?”

“Fine, I suppose. But like I said, I’m only doing one match. Tower Control is really not my thing.”

Seeing her dejected face was enough to make Nath feel a little guilty for dragging her into this. It was like kicking a guppy. He leaned forwards and gave her a quick hug.

“Thank you Rose, you’re an awesome friend.”

There – that had cheered her up! She gave him one of her massive smiles.

“It’s no problem! With you it’ll be fun! Let’s get going.”

They went into the Lobby together and joined a match. Since it was Nath’s first time he had automatically been assigned a rank of C-, the lowest, so he was matched up with other players of similar ranks. Rose had done few enough Ranked Battles that she was still a C- rank too, so they were assigned to the same team together along with two other people.

While the team was getting ready, Nath read a little information booklet that explained the rules of Tower Control. In this mode, there was a small square tower with a little post in the middle of it. It started off in the centre of the battle stage, and whenever one of the teams “controlled” it (by having at least one of their members standing on the tower) it would slowly move along a predetermined path towards a goal near the enemy team’s base. The objective was to get the tower as far towards the goal as possible within the time limit, and stop it falling into enemy control.

That sounded simple enough. Of course, there were a few more rules, such as the match going into overtime if the losing team was in control of the tower when time was up, or that if the tower reached one of the goals then the team in control would automatically win by knockout, etc. Nath decided he would get the hang of it better by actually taking part.

He and his teammates were transported to Kelp Dome for the first match. It was a large indoor greenhouse full of all sorts of plants and food being grown everywhere, making it hot and humid. According to the map the tower was on top of a large platform in the open central area of the battle stage.

Rose started giggling for some reason.

“What’s funny?” Nath asked.

“Oh! It’s just… well, have you had a look at our opponents?”

Nath took a look. Some random guy called Justin, that was alright… and the others were…

“The Slaughter Squad!” he yelped. “How is that funny? We’re going to lose for sure!”

Rose managed to stop herself laughing long enough to answer. “If this was a Turf War we’d lose, but when it comes to Ranked Battles, they’re only rank C- for a reason! You’ll see what I mean!” She collapsed into giggles again.

Nath still wasn’t sure. Alright, fair enough, Kim and Alix wouldn’t be too bad to deal with probably. But what about Max, the legendary unsplattable inkling? Was he still going to be using an E-Litre 3K Scope?

Sure enough, taking a look at what weapons they were using, it was true. Max was still using his E-Litre. The other two had switched to using Tentatek Splattershots. That made sense, since Aerosprays would not be ideal for the kind of fierce battling needed for Tower Control. But Max, with his ridiculously long-ranged Charger… Nath shivered just thinking about it.

The signal played for the match to begin, and Nath immediately jumped off the starting platform onto the low ground, shooting orange ink everywhere. The N-ZAP ’85 had a very quick fire rate and reminded him somewhat of using the good old Splattershot Jr. that he had started off with, though thankfully with better range and accuracy. Maybe he would actually be good at using this one!

One of his other teammates inked the side of a wall and swam up it to get access to the tower much quicker than going the long way around, and Nath followed. They arrived in the central area to see that the other team had already got to the tower first, with Kim standing on top of it raining down Suction Bombs everywhere, and Alix running around on the ground shooting at anyone who came near.

Nath noticed a laser line from somewhere high up and quickly swam away, hopefully out of reach. Kelp Dome had narrow grated walkways running above most of the arena and it looked like Max must have been standing up on one of those, trying to splat people from there.

Anyway, there was no time to lose. The tower was already moving towards the finishing point near his team’s base and he had to stop it from getting there!

He swam up to the side of the tower, unnoticed, while Alix was off chasing Rose. Then he leapt into humanoid form for a second and threw a Splat Bomb onto the tower, hoping that would force Kim off it. But Kim merely went around to the other side of the tower and used the post to shield himself from the explosion.

Alright – maybe direct action was better. He shot orange ink up the side of the tower, swam up onto it, then tried to splat Kim by shooting at him directly.

For some reason, Kim suddenly jumped off the tower, leaving Nath standing there alone. Huh, that was weird. But good! It was good! The tower was now in his team’s control and had started heading the other way.

He went around to the other side of the tower for a better view of where the tower was going, only to see that Kim had left a Suction Bomb there. Nath backed up as quickly as possible but it was too late – the bomb exploded, splatting him in bright blue ink, and Kim went back onto the tower and regained control.

In the several seconds it took Nath to respawn back at his home base, he could see several interesting things happening on the map. His teammates were all distracted and not focusing on the tower. Rose was in a battle with Justin, and the other teammates seemed to be chasing Max and trying to splat him – though surely that was futile, considering Max’s title of “unsplattable”. Meanwhile, the tower was getting closer and closer to the finish, closer and closer to knocking them out completely!

Nath knew it was up to him to stop the tower. He couldn’t afford to make any silly mistakes this time, like not noticing a sneaky Suction Bomb. He had to be careful and do this properly.

The tower was already closing in on the final stretch, down one of the side corridors – though calling it a “corridor” didn’t seem right, since Kelp Dome was so big and spacious. Nath swam over towards there as quick as he could…

Then stopped, staring in disbelief.

“…and I was on the tower first, so you get off and protect it!”

“The tower goes faster with more people on it so will you just let me stay here–”

“But you’re always getting splatted, you’ll sabotage the whole–”

“There’s no one around! Just let me on the tower, you big oaf, we’re meant to be a team!”

Nath couldn’t help it – he burst into laughter. Of course it wasn’t the first time he had seen Kim and Alix furiously arguing with each other, but right in the middle of battle? Oh, this was just too good!

“There, go splat that guy!” Kim said, pointing at Nath. Nath tried to hold up his N-ZAP ’85 and shoot at them but he was still laughing too much to aim anywhere near well enough.

“Why don’t you go splat him? I thought you said you were the one who’s good at splatting people, huh?”

“Oh, just get off my tower you stupid midget!”

Kim picked up Alix by the scruff of the neck and threw her off the tower. Within a few seconds she had climbed back on and started violently hitting him with her weapon.

“HOW DARE YOU CHUCK ME OFF THE TOWER, YOU COMPLETE, UTTER–”

A string of interesting swear words followed. Nath finally got his laughter under control, knowing that he couldn’t waste this chance. If those two were busy having a full-on fist-fight in the middle of battle, at least they weren’t concentrating on him. He ran closer and started shooting at them. That seemed to stop the brawl immediately.

His N-ZAP didn’t have quite as much range as the Tentatek Splattershots, not to mention that it was two on one. He was splatted within just a few seconds. The other two immediately went back to fighting each other.

Respawning back on his home base, Nath knew it was hopeless. None of his teammates were anywhere near the tower so he couldn’t Super Jump there quickly, and trying to swim all the way there would take too much time. There was no point. He watched the map, seeing the tower getting closer and closer and…

There. The tower reached the goal and the signal played for the end of the match. The inklings were all Super Jumped to the centre of the arena where Plagg was waiting to judge them, as always.

“You know,” he said, in a completely monotone voice, “there is a rule that states no physical violence allowed or you will be disqualified. But then again, that rule only applies when you are attacking people from the opposing team. There’s nothing that forbids you from fighting your own teammates. So I guess I’m not allowed to disqualify you complete morons, as much as I want to, since you technically did nothing wrong. Congrats on the win.”

Without another word he vanished.

“I’m not the one who started the fight!” Kim said indignantly. “That thing hit me first.”

“I’m not a thing and I am this close to hitting you again!” Alix snapped.

“Ew, the thing’s trying to speak to me. Max, make it stop.”

Max simply sighed and Super Jumped away.

“Oh fine then, just leave me here with an overly violent little rodent who seems to like trying to beat me up–”

“We should probably go,” Rose muttered, tugging on Nath’s arm. “I don’t like arguments.”

Of course she didn’t. Nath, on the other hand, was finding this far more amusing than he should. At least it was distracting him from the fact that he’d lost his very first Ranked Battle, even though he’d had a chance to win it.

“Fine,” he said. He and Rose Super Jumped back to the plaza. They landed rather near where Max had landed. How was that guy so cool? He hadn’t even needed to say anything to his idiotic teammates, he just left. What gracefulness. What… freshness.

“Phew!” Rose said, a smile back on her face. “I told you Tower Control is aggressive, though I wasn’t expecting it to be quite that aggressive. A real fist-fight, honestly! Did you witness it yourself? What caused it? I would think that they… Nath? Hello?”

She waved a hand in front of his voice. He snapped out of his daydream. Had he been staring at Max? He really didn’t mean to. He was just… trying to figure out how to be that fresh. Of course.

“Yeah, I’m listening,” he said.

“Oh, right! Sorry.” Rose continued to speak. Nath wasn’t really listening that much, though. What type of sunglasses was Max wearing? Why did he wear them all the time? They certainly looked good, that was for sure. And that jacket, that jacket looked good too. And that whole attitude, the whole way of life, being unsplattable and carrying that E-Litre 3K Scope around everywhere with him even when he didn’t need it, just because it fit his aesthetic…

Nath tried to shake himself out of it. He wasn’t feeling jealous, was he? No… so then what was he feeling?

Another boss battle. Another time for Adrien to use his Kraken. Yet again, he felt the toxic Octarian ink overtaking him. But this time he wanted to stay awake – he had to stay awake! He had to help Marinette defeat the “Octonozzle”, as this Octarian boss was called.

Why had he used his Kraken? They were doing fine without it. It might have been difficult, but they would have lived. He didn’t need to do it. Why was he always so impulsive? Using his powerful weapons just to be on the safe side, even when he didn’t need to. And this time, all it was doing was causing him pain.

“Chat Noir, stay safe!” he heard Marinette call to him, as if from a distance. She pushed him towards the edge of the arena and then ran off to fight the boss herself. She was so good at being the hero. Afraid of nothing, excellent at everything. Would Adrien ever be able to reach that level? Maybe, maybe not. It would take a long time, that was for sure.

“You okay, bucko?” he heard Captain Fu ask him through the radio.

“I…”

He couldn’t reply. If he opened his mouth anymore, he might be sick. The edges of his vision were starting to black out.

No! He didn’t want to faint again. The boss wasn’t defeated, it wasn’t safe to just suddenly pass out right here. But this Octarian ink that he had absorbed while transformed into the Kraken, it was hurting him. Killing him. It felt like his blood was sizzling.

“Take a seat if you want, bucko. You’ve earned it.”

Had he though? Had he really earned it, when Marinette was out there still fighting?

Feeling dizzy and sick, he slumped onto the floor. The world seemed to be spinning around him. He could see Marinette shooting at the Octonozzle’s tentacle, though it seemed blurry from here, and he could see her stand back as the Octonozzle burst into pieces. All that remained was the butterfly that it had been holding captive.

Oh, thank goodness. The boss was defeated. It was safe.

Without even realizing it, Adrien had ended up lying down, swimming in and out of consciousness. Vague memories drifted past him, nothing concrete. Was that a side effect of prolonged exposure to Octarian ink? Reliving your memories? Because that had happened to him the first time, too.

“Chat! Chat, are you okay?”

He could barely even hear Marinette. Heck, was that even Marinette? Or was it Captain Fu? He couldn’t tell through the ringing in his ears.

Closing his eyes, he finally let the darkness wash over him completely.

A park, with everyone on skateboards and having a good time. But Adrien waits outside. He won’t enter. Not without…

“Why don’t you want to go in?” he asks.

Those grey eyes turn to look at him with less enthusiasm than he has ever seen. “I’m not really… welcome here, I guess…”

“Why not?”

A sigh – not a tired one, but a sad one. “I have an enemy here.”

“You have an enemy?!” Adrien can’t help but feel shocked. “How could anyone be your enemy?”

“You don’t battle with me much, you don’t know, but…” A soft hand squeeze. “I’m not really as nice to other people as I am to you.”

“I know that,” Adrien admits.

“Yeah. I wish I could be better. I just…” A harder hand squeeze now. “I find it so hard to apologize! And I’ve got this reputation already, and I don’t wanna change it, I worked so hard to get here. But I always get so jealous and reckless, and a certain person here at this skatepark hates me very much, and I wish I could change that but I just don’t even know where to start…”

Adrien always loves receiving hugs, but now is the time to give one. He never tires of feeling that precious warm hoodie fabric against his arms.

“I’m proud of you for trying,” he says. “You know there’s a problem and you want to change. That’s the first step. And I love you.”

A long pause. His words must have really had an effect.

“I… I love you too, Adrien.”

Of course. He knows that. He smiles into the hoodie, feeling lucky for once.

#GAL PALS #haha do you get it #because their weapons are called... nvm #anyway this chapter is the true reason i wrote this entire fic #kim and alix legit fighting over the tower when they're ON THE SAME TEAM #is something i needed in my life #please imagine metalopod blasting in the background while those two beat each other up #it's glorious #miraculous ladybug #splatoon #i can't be bothered to tag everyone i'm going to bed #random stuff #splataclysm #aish writes

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 7 years

Text

Splataclysm! - chapter 5

Hey does anyone remember that really weird Splatoon AU fic I was writing? I promise I didn’t forget about it. I’m gonna try and get it finished as soon as possible because I have been in such a Splatoon mood lately. Anyway, have some Octoling appreciation :D

Also on AO3 as always

It wasn’t long before the next Splatfest was announced in Inkopolis. The difference was that this time, it was the final Splatfest. The Squid Sisters were becoming too busy to regularly host them.

“It’s so unfair!” Nath complained to Rose as they walked towards the voting booth to pick their teams. “I didn’t get here very long ago and I’m only ever going to experience one Splatfest while everyone else got to participate in loads!”

“At least this is the most interesting one!” Rose said. “Usually our team choices were things like Barbarian vs Ninja, or North Pole vs South Pole. But this time? Mireille vs Aurore! That’s much more exciting!”

Nath sighed. “I don’t even know who I’ll pick. They’re both equal to me.”

“Same! I’m going to feel ever so bad for having to choose between them!”

Of course Rose would. She was just too nice for her own good. Nath was slowly starting to feel weirdly protective over her, like a little sister, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

There was the voting booth up ahead, where people picked their teams and were given a “Splatfest Tee” to wear for the duration of the event to signify which side they were supporting. Nath was about to go up and just flip a coin to pick a random side when he noticed who the inklings standing at the booth were.

The Slaughter Squad.

“Let’s just stay back a second,” he muttered, grabbing Rose’s arm and pulling her aside.

The Slaughter Squad seemed to have trouble choosing too. They didn’t appear to notice that they were completely blocking off the voting booth from anyone else who wanted to vote and had already made up their mind.

“What do you think, Max?” Kim asked.

Max just shrugged, his sunglasses obscuring his expression but body language betraying that he seemed rather bored.

“Mireille does tend to always win,” Alix said.

“Yeah, duh, we all know that. No need to point out the obvious, jeez.”

“Alright, I was just saying!”

“So anyway, I think we should pick Team Mireille. Everyone always picks Aurore’s team so the multiplier will be in our favour and whatever other maths stuff Max told us about last time.”

“But if everyone knows that Mireille always wins, and this is the final Splatfest, then more people might pick Mireille and the multiplier might boost Aurore’s team instead…”

“Oh shut up,” Kim snapped, shoving her aside. “We’re voting Team Mireille and that’s final. Right Max?”

Max just shrugged again, very much looking like he was stifling a yawn.

“Okay, that’s settled. Team Mireille it is.”

The three of them pressed the left side buttons on the machine and were given three magenta-coloured Splatfest Tees.

“I hate these stupid t-shirts,” Alix said, scrunching hers into a ball.

“Of course you do, you’re way too small to fit in them properly.”

“Actually I hate them because all the abilities I worked so hard to earn on my hoodie just go to waste for these two days when we’re forced to wear these instead–”

“I don’t care. Let’s go.”

Nath watched the Slaughter Squad walk off, suspecting that he might have been gripping Rose’s arm just a little too tightly. How were the Slaughter Squad so fresh? How did they become so good? Was it practice? Luck? Were they just born like that?

Well, he suspected in Kim and Alix’s cases it might be luck and practice. But Max? Max “Unsplattable” Kanté? That guy just oozed freshness, so easily, so effortlessly, with his E-Litre 3K Scope slung over his shoulder, that 3-star triple Damage Up jacket, those sunglasses catching glints of the light from the sky and buildings around them, the way the sun seemed to shine its rays on him specifically, basking him in some kind of ethereal glow like a sort of immortal omnipotent being–

Nath looked away quickly, blushing. He hadn’t realized he was staring.

“Have you decided on a team yet?” Rose asked, distracting him from his rather overactive mind.

“Hm?... Oh, yeah…” He loosened his grip slightly and led her over to the voting booth. “I’m picking Team Mireille. I don’t want to lose my only Splatfest, and if she always wins, well…”

“Good choice!” Rose said, beaming up at him. “I think I’ll pick Mireille too! Then the two of us can be on the same team.”

He smiled back, feeling oddly comforted at the thought of Rose being his teammate. She was pretty much still his only friend here. It was good to have her around.

They cast their votes, then were given Splatfest Tees to wear. The actual Splatfest would begin the next day, so they didn’t have to wear them until then. Meanwhile in the plaza, a large stage was being set up near the television booth. Apparently every Splatfest, the Squid Sisters would perform their songs standing up on here. Nath couldn’t wait to see it. Of course he’d heard them perform live before – he had been there to watch them win the Youth Folk-Singing Contest in the first place – but here in Inkopolis, where they were celebrities, it would feel much more exciting.

“Oh! I’ve got a new message!” Rose pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“Let me guess, it’s from Juleka?” Nath asked. Juleka seemed to be the only person Rose got messages from these days.

“It is, it is! And oh listen… she’s asking me if I’d want to get a coffee… that’s so sweet…”

“You don’t even like coffee,” Nath pointed out.

“I know, but still! It’s the thought that counts!”

“Have you even met Juleka before? In person?”

“Of course I have!” Rose frowned at him, looking slightly annoyed for once. “I know I don’t tend to battle much, but I have asked her to update my gear with more ability slots before. I’ve spoken to her a lot. She’s just shy, she doesn’t like going out of her way to talk to people. It doesn’t mean I can’t get to know her well. And where better than a coffee date at Arowana Mall?”

She had a kind of fire in her eyes that he hadn’t seen before. Huh, she really cared about Juleka, didn’t she?

“You should ask her to be your girlfriend,” he said on a whim.

“You think so? I mean, I would love to, but… she’s… a sea urchin…”

“No one bats an eyelid at Mylène the anemone and Ivan the inkling.”

“True! You’re right, maybe I should ask Juleka!” She giggled a little. “So, what caused your sudden dramatic turn-around, Nath? According to Juleka you weren’t even willing to give her my number at first…”

Oh drat, Rose knew about that? How embarrassing.

“I was just being stupid,” he said quickly. “Seriously though, you and Juleka deserve each other. You both seem to like each other a lot, so why not?”

“Aww, Nath!” Rose hugged him. “Do you really think she likes me back?”

“Well why else is she asking you on a coffee date to Arowana Mall?”

“Good point! Anyway, I’d better reply and then head off to go find her. I’ll see you later, okay?”

She started typing away on her phone as she walked off.

Well, now what? Nath found himself wishing he had more friends. People often tended to go battling in groups, but he just wasn’t close enough with anyone else. It wasn’t like Rose ever battled much anyway.

He sighed, watching all the other inklings milling around in the area. Why couldn’t he just talk to them? He had always been so shy, so reserved, so quiet. And now, here in this city, he wasn’t fresh enough either. How long was it going to take?

Octo Valley was slowly becoming more unforgiving as the Octarians were improving their forces. Some of the foes that Marinette and Adrien had to face were much more difficult than before, with advanced weaponry that could only have been stolen from the inklings. How was that possible? Did they get the information from Nino? And where were they keeping him? How long would it be until he could be found?

The most difficult of the Octarian enemies so far were the Octolings. They were essentially the Octarian versions of inklings – humanoid creatures that could shift into octopus form at will and swim through their own ink, with weapons and bombs just like the inklings used. It was far more tiring to fight them than any of the other, simpler Octarian enemies.

“This kettle looks a lot like Kelp Dome,” Marinette said to Adrien as they entered a new area. “It’s like they’ve copied it.”

“I was thinking the same thing…”

“Beware of the Octolings!” Fu warned them through the radio. “There’ll be plenty ahead, no doubt!”

“It’s no problem,” Marinette said. “We know this course inside out. Adrien, you go right. I’ll go left. We’ll meet back in the centre. If you need any help or find the butterfly before me, just let me know by radio.”

“Are you sure we should split up?” Adrien asked.

“It’ll be fine.” Marinette smiled at him, hoping she looked encouraging. “You can do it. Octolings are just like inklings, right? Pretend it’s a Turf War or Ranked Battle and you’re just splatting your opponents. I’ll be close by to help if you need it.”

“Alright. Thanks, Marinette.”

He put his Krak-On Splat Roller on the ground and began running off down one of the side paths. Marinette turned to the left and headed the other way.

It wasn’t difficult at first. Sure, Octolings were tougher than other Octarian enemies. But Marinette was a battle veteran, she was used to difficult situations. This kind of thing didn’t feel particularly out of the ordinary for her. She splatted Octoling after Octoling, keeping her eyes out for the butterfly, trying not to feel too guilty. Octolings really did look like inklings to her. At least they would respawn – though hopefully not too soon.

She had reached the opposite side of the dome when she heard something that sounded incredibly familiar. Was that… the Squid Sisters? Singing?

Marinette ran towards where the sound was coming from, though cautiously in case it was a trap of some sort. Sure enough, as the music got louder, she did recognize it. That definitely was the sound of a Squid Sisters song, and not just any song. “Calamari Inkantation”, as it was called, was the inkling song. The most famous melody in existence. The Squid Sisters had covered it and their version was topping the charts, it was such a favourite among the citizens of Inkopolis.

Hiding behind a wall, Marinette slowly inched forwards and had a look around the corner. There! A radio was sitting on one of the platforms, playing Calamari Inkantation. And someone was sitting in front of it, quietly singing along.

Not just anyone. An Octoling.

Marinette lowered her weapon slightly. Why was an Octoling listening to inkling radio stations? And singing along? Marinette hadn’t even thought Octolings could understand the inkling language. It usually took jellyfish and other sea creatures long enough to learn.

The Octoling… she had a lovely voice, that was for sure. She was sitting facing the other way so only the back of her was visible. Her tentacle hair was longer than most Octolings usually kept theirs, a beautiful auburn colour with gentle curls. It swayed slightly in the breeze.

Huh, a breeze? Here, underground? Maybe the Octarians pumped air into their caves or something. Or perhaps this Octoling’s hair just moved like that on its own. Marinette watched in fascination.

The song came to an end, and the sound of the radio presenter followed.

“…And that was our good old Calamari Inkantation, by the Squid Sisters we all know and love! I hope everyone out there was singing along! Now for the Splatfest news – our final Splatfest, Mireille vs Aurore, has begun! We can’t say for sure what the results will be yet but surely it’ll be close…”

“I’m missing a SPLATFEST?!” Marinette yelped, unable to stop herself. She quickly put her hand over her mouth and dipped into squid form.

The Octoling switched off the radio and jumped up, looking around. Marinette stayed as still as possible.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

The Octoling had spoken in inkling – oh, she had spoken in inkling. Singing a song was one thing, but she had really said a sentence in the language. She could speak it. Her words had a strange lilt to them, her voice sounding slightly lower and smoother than that of inklings. Marinette held back a gasp.

“I know I heard someone…”

The Octarian turned around. Her tentacles were cut short at the front into a fringe, and she had little foxtails dangling down by her shoulders. Most Octolings wore visors but this one didn’t – her eyes were green, a beautiful, leafy green that was surprisingly uncommon on this wasteland of a planet.

Marinette moved backwards a little. It was a mistake. The Octoling’s eyes snapped down to where Marinette was hiding in the ink.

“You’re there, I know you are! Please come out! I promise I won’t attack you!”

“Don’t fall for it,” Fu muttered through the radio. Marinette had forgotten he was there. “She’s just luring you into a false sense of security. Better to splat her on sight.”

It was true. Octolings were not to be trusted.

But this Octoling… she didn’t have a weapon with her. She was entirely defenceless. And anyway, how could she be all bad? She had been listening to inkling radio, right? Apparently she liked the Squid Sisters. She couldn’t be an enemy to the inklings.

Marinette slowly stood up into her full humanoid form, still keeping her weapon close just in case. The Octoling’s expression softened as she watched.

“You’re an inkling,” she said quietly, keeping her distance. She looked a little afraid. “You’re one of the ones travelling through our lands and taking the butterflies away.”

“I’m taking the butterflies back,” Marinette clarified. “They were ours to begin with.”

The Octoling sighed. “That’s true…”

“What are you waiting for?” Fu said. “Splat her! She’s right there!”

“Why were you listening to inkling radio?” Marinette asked, ignoring Fu for the moment. She was too intrigued now. She needed answers.

“I love the Squid Sisters,” the Octoling replied. “They have such amazing voices! And amazing songs! I want to be a singer too, so it really inspires me.”

“Don’t you have any Octarian idols of your own?”

The Octoling shuffled around nervously. “We’re not supposed to make our own music. Our leader likes us to listen to his music only.”

“Your leader doesn’t sound very nice…”

The Octoling shrugged. “What can we do? Inklings won’t let us have any land up on the surface, and we can’t go back in the sea. Our leader and our kettles are all we have.”

Oh, so was that why they were stealing butterflies? Because they didn’t have anything else? To them, the inklings must seem so privileged. Marinette was starting to feel rather bad indeed for how many Octarians she had splatted recently. Weren’t they just doing exactly what she was doing? Trying to protect her home and her friends?

“You’re not as bad as they’ve told us the inklings are,” the Octoling continued. “Are all inklings like you?”

“Every inkling is different, I suppose. Maybe some are good, some are bad.” Like Octarians, she thought to herself, though she didn’t say it out loud. Fu was still listening, after all, and he hated all Octarians no matter what.

“You seem like a good inkling. You just want to get your butterflies back. I understand.”

“And I want my friend back too,” Marinette said, feeling stronger as she thought of Nino. “He’s been kidnapped and we don’t know what’s happening to him down here. Me and my fellow agent have to rescue him.”

The Octoling nodded. “I know who you’re talking about. Your friend. He’s… well… please don’t be too shocked when you find him, okay?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“He might be a bit different now. Well, a lot different. I don’t know exactly what our leader has done with him but I’ve heard some rumours.”

“What rumours? Please, tell me what’s happened to Nino!”

“I don’t know!” The Octoling looked scared again. “Even if I did, how could I tell you? You’re an inkling! You’re… you’re an enemy…”

“Exactly,” Fu said, sounding impatient. “She’s your enemy, now just splat her already!”

“We don’t have to be enemies,” Marinette said.

“I know,” the Octoling replied. “But what can I do? I’ve already betrayed my people enough by telling you all this. And listening to your music. And wishing I could move to Inkopolis and be as fresh as all of you are–”

She snapped her hand over her mouth, looking around as if she was expecting someone to be spying on her.

“It’s okay,” Marinette said. “You don’t have to tell me anymore. I’ll, uh, leave you alone now…”

“Wait! I just want to know… what’s your name?”

Marinette hesitated. No one was supposed to know her identity, not even people back home.

“Ladybug,” she replied finally. It wasn’t a total lie. “What’s your name?”

The Octoling hesitated too. After a few seconds she said, “Volpina.”

That must be a lie. Marinette just nodded.

“Volpina. Thank you. I wish you luck in your singing career.”

“And I hope you can rescue your friend.”

“WHY AREN’T YOU SPLATTING HER?!” Fu screeched.

Marinette hurried away, back towards the outer edges of Kelp Dome. How could she have splatted “Volpina”? Sure, Volpina would have respawned, but still. It would have seemed so unfair.

Things were still not sinking in. An Octoling who was a fan of the Squid Sisters? Who wanted to move to Inkopolis and be just like the inklings? Marinette carried on trudging through the dome, but she just couldn’t get her mind off it. She couldn’t get her mind off Volpina.

This Splatfest was not going well. Nath had decided to try out a Blaster, and his teammate Ivan was just staring at him in dismay.

“What?” Nath asked.

“You’re using a Blaster,” Ivan replied, his voice completely monotone. He sounded more disappointed than Nath had ever heard him.

“Yeah? So? I like trying out new weapons.” More like, he kept trying out new weapons because he still hadn’t found one that fit, and Tikki wouldn’t help him with it.

“You’re using a Blaster. For a Turf War.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Ivan rubbed his forehead. “Blasters are for splatting. Not for inking.”

“Well so are Chargers, right? And Max uses a Charger!”

“Max is an exception to every rule. Some people might be alright at using Blasters during Turf War, but you? On your first try? During a Splatfest, when it actually matters whether we win or lose?”

Ouch. Did Ivan really have such little faith in him?

“Relax, Ivan, it’ll be fine,” he said. “Okay, so I know Blasters have a low fire rate and stuff. But they have exploding bullets! I’ll be able to splat people way more easily, so they won’t be able to ink any turf, and we’ll win. That’s how it’s going to work.”

Ivan just sighed. “I sure do hope so, Nathaniel…”

The match that followed was a disaster. It was true that Blasters did not cover much turf. Nath had hoped that the bullets would make up for it, but the low fire rate meant that if Nath missed his shot, the opponent would have time to splat him before he could take another shot. And that happened far, far too often. Nath was terrible at aiming. The only thing that kept him going through the match was the Squid Sisters music that was blasting through the speakers, keeping his motivation up.

“I knew our team would lose,” Ivan said once the match results had been announced. The rest of the team members were trudging away solemnly. It seemed that people took losing Splatfest battles much more seriously than normal battles.

“It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Nath said, looking at his Blaster. “You’re right, this weapon sucks for Turf War. I should have thought about that first.”

“Hey…” Ivan looked like he was trying to smile, though it didn’t look particularly genuine. “You still did pretty well for a Blaster, though.”

“No I didn’t! 400p? That’s awful!”

“And what did you get on your very first match here in Inkopolis?”

Nath thought back. It suddenly felt like a long time ago. “I think it was about 140p…”

“See? So you are improving!”

Well, that much was true. He wasn’t anywhere near as bad now as he used to be. Alright, so he wasn’t amazing yet. But at least things were changing.

“Thanks, Ivan,” he said, really meaning it. “Hey – are Heavy Splatlings easy to use, by any chance?”

Ivan picked his Heavy Splatling up off the floor beside him. “Not that much. It took me a while to get used to it. But this is the exact kind of weapon I love. I can keep back, away from the front lines, but still protect my teammates when they need it. And unlike a Charger, I don’t need to bother with single, accurate shots. I can just pummel the opponents until they give in.”

That sounded amazing. “Maybe I’ll try that next.”

“Sure, but remember, it’s still hard to get the hang of. Most weapons are. Maybe a Mini Splatling would be better for someone as… well…” Ivan looked down at Nath from his rather high-up point of view.

“Yeah, okay, I get it,” Nath muttered. “I’m small. But I can lift a Heavy Splatling, don’t worry.”

Ivan’s smile looked a lot more genuine now. “I’m sure you can. Good luck, Nath. I know this is your only Splatfest so I’m really hoping we win.”

“Me too.”

“Will you two hurry up and go away?” Plagg called from the centre of the arena. “I need to start the next match!”

Oh – of course! Nath quickly Super Jumped away.

Heavy Splatling didn’t work so well. Mini Splatling didn’t either. Just like Chargers, those weapons had to be charged up before being fired. And Nath was constantly being splatted while waiting to charge. It was just so, so tedious.

“Tikki, what kind of weapon should I be using?” he asked her after yet another lost Turf War. At this rate Team Mireille were going to lose the Splatfest for sure.

“That’s not up to me,” Tikki said.

“But I’m trying out so many different things and it’s not helping!”

“Well, you do seem to be very good at using a Splattershot these days…”

“Everyone’s good at using a Splattershot. And anyway, I’m not above average when I use it. It just doesn’t feel like the kind of weapon I should be using. I know there’s something out there that’s perfect for me, and I just need to find it!”

“In that case, here is my advice.” Tikki took a deep breath. “Watch your teammates and opponents very carefully. See what weapons they’re using, what playstyles they are employing. Do they play aggressively? Cautiously? Defensively? Are certain strategies better with particular weapon types? Do some analysis. See if you can imagine yourself in their positions, whether or not you would feel comfortable playing the way they do. Use that to help you narrow down what sort of weapon you want to use.”

That was pretty much what he had been trying to do already. But getting mad at Tikki wouldn’t achieve anything – she was just trying to help him.

“Thank you,” he said. “I think I’ll stick with a Splattershot for now…”

“That sounds like a good idea. But let me know if there’s anything else you want to try out!”

“I will. But I’ll wait till the end of the Splatfest first.”

Tikki glanced at a clock on the wall. “Isn’t that in about 2 minutes?”

What?! Nath looked at the clock to see–

No! The Splatfest was about to end! Did he have time for another battle?

Without even bothering to say bye to Tikki, he raced out of the door and across the plaza towards the Lobby. Surely he could make it in time?

But he didn’t. The doors were closed. And a few seconds later, the screen in the plaza lit up with an announcement from the Squid Sisters. He turned to look, trying not to feel too grumpy.

“And that’s the end of the final Splatfest!” Mireille said, punching a fist up in the air as usual. “I can’t wait to find out the results!”

“Same!” Aurore said, a rare smile on her face. “We’ll let you all know when the results have been calculated. In the meantime, carry on with all your regular battles, and stuff.”

“And now to announce the Turf War stages…”

Nath didn’t bother to listen to any more. This Splatfest was over, and he had hardly contributed at all. He’d lost most of his matches. It wouldn’t be a surprise if his team lost.

The next morning, he sat in his apartment drinking a rather large mug of coffee and feeling more glum than usual. He had been intending to psych himself up to find out the results of the Splatfest and then go into the plaza when he was ready. But the morning newspaper had arrived and already told him the bad news.

TEAM AURORE WINS FINAL SPLATFEST DESPITE GAINING FEWER VOTES

Wasn’t that exactly what Alix had been warning her teammates about? Most people would have voted for Mireille, expecting her to win, and the mysterious “multiplier” (whatever that was) would give enough of a boost to Aurore’s team to drive her to victory instead.

So that was it. Nath had lost his only Splatfest. He would never get a chance to participate in another one again, ever, in his life.

He grabbed an energy drink off the counter beside him and dunked it all into his coffee mug. He was definitely going to need it today.

#this fic accidentally ended up very tomato centric and i'm not sure how #but anyway have some julerose and lilanette #(yes lila is the octoling)#miraculous ladybug #cinnamon roll tomato cutie #rose lavillant #le chien kim #max kante #alix kubdel #marinette dupain cheng #lila rossi #ivan bruel #tikki #splatoon #random stuff #splataclysm #aish writes

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