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dogtoling · 2 years

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What if Ink Tanks aren't what we think?

In today's post, I've been looking a bit into the functionality of Ink Tanks and I'm here to propose an idea: what if they aren't what they seem? A majority chunk of the fanbase (including me before Dec 24, 2021 2am) seems to assume that the ink goes from the Inkling into the ink tank, and from there to the weapon. But what if it goes from the tank to the Inkling? That's what we're talking about today!

(Note: This post is speculative and there still isn't a canon answer to any of this as far as I know. Feel free to agree or disagree with the points made here and add your own input; there's DEFINITELY things I've missed and not even looked at considering there's less than a day between me thinking about this and making this post. I simply want to share my findings and thoughts on the matter.)

Ink Tank designs and their implications

Why is this even a consideration? Well, we still haven't had canon confirmation as to how the ink gets from the tank into the weapon, and we know there are no wires. While looking into this and trying to work it out, I figured an alternative possibility, which I'm exploring a bit in this post.

So first, let's look at some of the Ink Tank designs

There are at least five different Ink Tank designs that thematically support the concept of the Ink Tank existing to circulate ink INTO the Inkling instead of draining ink from the Inkling, i.e making them a kind of hydration tool. The main tanks from Splatoon 1 and 2 are seemingly based on sports bottles, which are obviously meant for hydration (drinking), the Splattershot Jr. Ink Tank from Splatoon 2 is a baby bottle, once again meant for drinking; one of the Ink Tanks in Splatoon 3 is just a plastic bottle, and probably the most obvious parallel is the fact that the main Ink Tank design for Splatoon 3 is LITERALLY a hydration pack.

Most of these could definitely just be a coincidence and are simply designed after various bottles because of stylistic choice or the mere fact that these are all containers meant to carry liquids, but there's a lot more other containers that are also meant to carry liquids that don't carry the obvious emphasis on being hydration devices. I just find the recurring theme kind of peculiar. In theory, you could also include the IV drips from Octo Expansion in this category... it technically confirms that ink is and can be injected INTO Inklings at times.

How does the Ink get around?

Now, the issue of the Ink Tank drawing ink FROM the Inkling and linking directly to a weapon.

[text: It has been officially acknowledged that there is no tube connecting from an Ink Tank to a weapon, so it isn't a case of a tube getting in the way of animations]

And aside from that, surely, if the weapons WERE designed to get their ink right from the tank and a tube was required (which you would assume to be the case, right, since matter usually doesn't teleport) SURELY the tube being too difficult to implement into animations would not be the reason it was left out, considering it would've been a key element of the whole thing.

[text: It has been vaguely suggested that the ink may get to the weapon from the hand of an Inkling, but this is VERY early and vague, and ultimately the impression is that "more research is needed" in this specific dilemma]

EDIT: Link to the dev interview

These claims are sourced from a developer interview that I couldn't find in time for this post, but it is somewhere out there, and I don't remember this issue one-to-one, but essentially: the function of how the ink gets into the weapon was asked, and it was kind of danced around. To my knowledge, it was ACKNOWLEDGED that there indeed is no tube, which implies it was never meant to work with a tube like so. The ink coming from the hand - thing was, to my knowledge, brought up as a reference to fan art where it was depicted this way, and it wasn't debunked nor confirmed, just brought up. (Edit: This is likely not in reference to the fan art but instead "according to one theory in which the ink comes from the wrist", so it may be internal.)

But weirdly enough, there's actually a few specials in favor of the ink indeed being sourced from the hand (how this works exactly is a discussion for another day), namely the Splashdown and the Booyah Bomb. In both of these specials, the ink seems to specifically be sourced to the hand of the Inkling, which would imply they are able to emit ink quickly through their hands. Which would actually be a useful skill for climbing or hunting, for example.

Issues with the "Ink-Draining Ink Tank"

Let's take a quick break to address some concepts for the Ink Tank indeed being the ammo hold for the weapon, and the issues with this concept.

Wireless Ink Technology. Maybe the ink tank has some kind of pad inside that warps the ink from the tank to the weapon. I actually ran with this theory for some time because from a gameplay perspective, it seems the most plausible all things considered - the Ink does seem to drain from the ink tank and go right to the weapon, and we know for a fact there's no wires.

There's a few glaring issues with this, obviously, the first one being that there ARE NO WIRES. Typically, liquid does not TELEPORT. Let's say, though, that we can work around this with the wireless tech, given that Splatoon does have some pretty advanced technology that we really don't know the limits of, and warp tech could technically be one thing. Sci-fi is sci-fi.

Even then, though, there's STILL another problem with this specifically. The implication that the Ink Tank needs to be high-tech to be usable, considering it needs to be able to run warp technology. And this is not a problem in Turf Wars because we know the Splatoon 1 and 2 ink tanks are VERY high-tech, as we know they even have screens built into them, but...

Right, I REFUSE to believe this plastic bottle strapped into a backpack with a tube running out of it has WARP TECHNOLOGY baked into it. The fact that this plastic bottle ink tank is suitable as an INK TANK implies that an ink tank needs to be nothing more than a container that is capable of holding ink. And if there's no tubes coming out of it, that kind of implies immediately that this isn't being used to directly fuel a weapon. (Granted, yeah, there is a tube in this one, but as far as I can tell this tube never connects to a weapon either. There's very little footage to work with...)

Obviously, the other technical problem with ink-draining ink tanks is the question of HOW they're draining ink to begin with. Probably the most common concept is that there is either a siphon or a patch on the upper back of an Inkling where ink comes out of, based on a Sunken Scroll that shows us this:

This scroll does kind of imply that the ink sac goes towards the shoulder of an Inkling, but I don't really think this works for multiple reasons. First off, there ISN'T anything on the back of an Inkling, so once again if this was a major part of how the core game mechanics work, that definitely would've been reflected in the models. And if we assume there is a skin patch on the upper back that lets more ink through, that makes very little sense considering Inklings seem to already be able to emit ink through their whole body. Having an ink sac specifically connect to a very weird and honestly not that useful spot when the same functionality is already literally everywhere else seems very pointless to me. When this specific image is considered, my guess is still that the tube would be going up to the mouth, which is the only other thing somewhat highlighted in this picture, and also lines up with every other ink-using creature we see using ink organically spitting it out of their mouth - this might also explain why Inklings sometimes have "normal"-colored mouths and ink-colored other times, ignoring that it's probably just stylistic inconsistency.

Then there's the issue with the ink actually getting from the skin to the Ink Tank, and once again there is no other explanation than either warp tech or some kind of technology in the straps that vacuums up the ink and sends it to the tank. This is pretty much grasping for straws the way I've looked at it, because in some cases (I don't know if most), the straps itself don't even connect to the tank, but are a separate harness that the tank is attached to with a clasp. In a case like this which works if you twist canon a little bit to the left to make it potentially work, it can work, but it clearly is not intended to be like this.

The other non-invasive option for the ink-draining ink tank is that the inkling has to manually remove the ink tank mid match and spit ink into it to refill it which is ridiculous, ruins the pace of a match, and also at that point, why not just do that directly to the weapon which already usually has its OWN ink tank.

TL;DR when looking at the Ink Tank as a device that drains the Ink from an Inkling and signals it forward, pretty much nothing makes sense or works, there is no way of the ink ACTUALLY getting in or out of the tank, and no tubes has been pretty much confirmed not to be a stylistic choice, but the actual canon. (Yes, the fact that the Ink Tank really has no way for the ink to get in or out does also interfere with the Ink replenishing the Inkling-idea, but this really seems like an issue that won't be addressed for a while so we just have to deal. Maybe they LITERALLY drink out of it at this fucking point)

Is the Ink Tank really necessary?

Anyway, something of a final blow for the importance of an Ink Tank as a direct ammo hold for an Ink Weapon:

[text: It's unclear how much of this scroll can be taken at face value, but it depicts ancient Turf Wars and no one seems to be using an Ink Tank to fire their weapons]

The scroll in question is from Splatoon 1, and has many easter eggs in the image that might not be historically accurate in-universe, but some of it probably still means something.

[text: Marie using her charger with no Ink Tank in the Hero Mode finale (Splatoon 2)]

-> An Ink Tank does not seem to be a requirement for using ink weapons, so it probably isn't the direct source of ink.

And this is sort of a big deal; I didn't go on a deep dive to look for every instance of this kind of thing happening, but it seems like an Ink Tank is NOT a necessity for using an Ink Weapon, which would imply that it's not where the ink for the weapon comes from. This could also be supported by the fact that there are several Special Weapons where the Ink Tank is not present, although in the case of Specials it is pretty much outwardly stated that the ink is sourced directly from the Inkling.

Inklings, the limitless ink fountains... or are they?

For the sake of game mechanics and the game working at all, they kind of are, yeah. Like, an art book directly states that an Inkling using a special weapon is somehow able to emit an amount of ink at least 20 times their entire body volume within 10 seconds. But ignoring that part for a second, let's look into how they probably AREN'T limitless ink fountains. Namely, let's look at limited ink.

Limited Ink challenges! The first game has them, the second game has them. They're quite simple; you can't refill your ink, and you have to complete a course of obstacles with the ink you have, after which you no longer have ink. It is worth mentioning that in S1 challenges, running out of ink splats the Inkling out of nowhere, which could imply they LITERALLY run out of ink... although this may simply be game mechanic. (Thanks to Copyceps for checking this for me!)

So why is the ink suddenly limited here? If we assume that the Ink Tank draws ink from the Inkling and they can just generate endless amounts of ink, this wouldn't be a problem whatsoever. You would theoretically never "run out" of ink. If your Ink Tank runs out, just fill it back up. But if it's the other way around and the Inklings DO follow the laws of physics (to at least some degree), they're bound to run out of ink at some point, what with constantly burning it into not only weapons, but ink flow on their skin, and Super Jumping for example. This is when the Ink Tank carrying excess ink that it pumps into an Inkling makes more sense.

The thing is, you CAN actually refill Ink during these challenges, but just like (presumably) the Ink Tank ink, this ink is external. Namely, you can find Ink Refills to inject ink back:

(Edit: The Refill is apparently modeled after a rodent drip feeder. The rabbit hole just goes deeper)

Cap'n Cuttlefish seems to shed some light on the matter of limited ink specifically in OE I02 - Dinky Ink Station. "Don't let that turn you into a dried-up husk like me!" (Referring to the fact that he is "dried out" and doesn't produce much ink) -> Implies the ink for the fight comes directly from the player's body, i.e. you are actively losing ink while shooting, rather than depleting it from an external source

"Excellent - now your skin will be supple and silky smooth!" (Comment after obtaining an Ink Refill)

-> This comment implies that somehow, the refill affects your physical properties directly. Makes very little sense if the ink was going into the tank and directly into a weapon, as it would do nothing to alter the physical properties of the Inkling.

Both of these comments by Captain Cuttlefish seem to imply that the ink for your weapon is coming directly from your body as opposed to an external tank, and the ink inside an ink tank or refill might be going to supplement the Inkling internally as opposed to straight into an ink tank and to a weapon.

Conclusion

It is possible, if not very likely, that Ink Tanks work to rehydrate and refill an Inkling mid-battle to make sure they do not run out of Ink, rather than the opposite of draining ink from an Inkling under the assumption that Inklings are an endless fountain of ink and the ink tank somehow forwards the ink to a weapon. This is supported not only by some niche dialogue, as well as the thematic consistency of a lot of Ink Tanks being modeled after hydration devices, such as bottles and even a hands-free hydration pack.

This makes a lot of sense from a more logical standpoint, with the assumption that Inklings DO have limits, and there is only so much that an Ink Sac can carry and produce in a short time. Inklings constantly burn through their internal ink reserves during Turf Wars not only through the passive flow of ink coating their skin (visible in swim form and for example things like Ink Armor), but also while Super Jumping, and obviously through shooting weapons. It would be pretty insane to imagine that on top of these things, they would at the same time have a pack on their backs that drains loads of ink out of them at all times. It then makes quite a bit more sense that the Ink Tanks, which can probably be filled at Spawn (seemingly endless ink fountains), hold "extra ink" that is phased into the Inkling's body to make sure they don't dry out and are able to play the sport normally, as well as allowing for larger weapons and more action in general.

Thanks for coming to my tedtalk once again, if you read this far; that's crazy. If you have something to add or discuss PLEASE do because there's a lot left untouched (Like whatever the hell "the Limiter" is, we know so little I didnt even bother mentioning it), or if you have counterpoints to some of the points here. Either way, hope you have a nice day, and above all I JUST WANT ACTUAL ANSWERS <3

#squidthoughts #splatoon #many thoughts #please send ask or replies or hell even make your own post or addition #i would like to know what other people think about this

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sutimetravelau · 2 years

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would any of the twoies play splatoon? what weapon would they main?

I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!

okay ummmm I'm just gonna say they all play it (some more than others) bc its so fucking good. Although looking at Stevens actual games in the show, he's apparently more into RPGS... whatever!!! Here's their load out:

Twoie: wants to be multifaceted. He's kinda basic and just levels up his shit. Splattershot. Uses a bubble (Hehe) and rolls his clothes to have all similar slots to max out his defense, swim speed, etc... He likes salmon run best bc its teamwork. Hates squidbaggers and will only squidparty if everybody else is. Basic inkling boy with ponytail. Also uses those weird ass boosts crusty Sean gives you.

SB: customize, customize, customize!!! He LOVES GETTING OUTFITS!!!!! Also uses the boosts, but isn't as hardcore as Twoie is. Honestly, he values looking cute more than being powerful, and it makes him bad at the game... :( he gets very upset, never plays rank unless with pals. Salmon runs a lot. Hmmm I think he'd switch up what gender and race he was depending on how he feels. But idk I get octo girl (01) vibes from him. He thinks they're cute (hc octo girl and boy (02) are nb) he uses probably... Idk. Maybe he switches around. Maybe 52 gal? Bc bedazzled cute.

P: inkling. Idk which gender. Uhh switches up weapons a lot. He almost never uses the shooters tho, opting for buckets or brushes instead. Fucking menace. Like the others he mostly does salmon, but also does normal battle. A little scared of rank unless its one he's good at. Likes playing w friends more and vcing. Feels bad sometimes when he wins if they destroy the team. He just wants every body to get along!!! (This might b all of them tbh) also wants to look cute, but will sacrifice that for being good (and will whine the whole time)

Hero: THIS MF... LOVES THE SINGLEPLAYER SM. HE HAS THE HERO SHOT REPLICA, HE HAS THE GOLDEN PIN (HOLY SHIT), HE HAS THE ARMOUR, HES GOT IT ALL... he loves looking cool and winning. Will 100% try to "help his team" as much as possible (hogging the rainmaker, diving headfirst into the battle) and will booyah for his team every time. Also spams "over here!" A lot. Bc he genuinely wants everyone to win and work together as a team. But like... Buddy... Also he uses octo 02 afro possibly. Also he is the person to, when squidpartying, also cover the map so he still wins.

Denim: I'm running out of steam for these but hmmm he's not hardcore. Hes the average player tbh. He likes ranked bc of the variety, and finds working w others a little taxing bc its so hard to community. Loves to squidparty!!! Him and SB just fuck around and draw in maps sometjmes. Inkling and octo 02. I think he'd try sniper honestly!!! He's a bit of a lone wolf, but looks out for his teammates. Sets up teleport beacons.

420: squidparties all the time. Its a little annoying. Also sometimes... Sigh... Squidparties in ranked... Oh no... Someone stop him... Also will shoot teammate for ruining squidpsrty or for being AFK. he's not that good. The games a bit fast for him He likes singleplayer. Uhhhhh probably boy or 02. He dresses weird. Uses... Idk. He can never decide what he wants. He rly likes the sloshing machine tho bc "Hehe its a washing machine". Or some basic gun.

Tats: good player! Fucking A+ ranked get it. Carries team, gets a little pissed when he loses. If the other team has given up, he feels so fucking bad and tries to help them get back out and fight again. Sometimes goes easy on opponents. Tried to get golden pin. Didn't. Inkling boy or octos. Shooter main.

ET: THIS JUST IN: TEENAGER GAMER RAGES AT BABEY SHÜT GAME. but hmmm octo 01 or 02, never inkling. Likes the octo expansion bc aesthetic and the music calm. Single player... Likes it. Gets pissed at teammates, so never salmon runs. He wants to look cool. Probably uses a blaster or a brella or a brush or an aerospray... Something cheap and infuriating. Hates ranked bc he's so bad but keeps playing bc he doesn't wanna give up. Didn't even try golden pin. LOVES THE LORE

#twoies

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hypocrisyofandrewdobson · 4 years

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Sorry about such a sudden submission after my first one, I just...really wanna talk about this. I’m also sorry about not shutting tf up about Formera, I just wanna try and give it a reboot, show it some love, actually put work in it-

Okay, so we have ALLLLLL seen Dobson’s horrendous Splatoon comic where he replaces all that business going on with the Splattershot with a solid ass black box, but I have no idea if we went over this sorry excuse for a spear he uses in one of his Formera comics:

Yep. THAT is supposed to be a spear. Now I’m not that much of a weapons expert, hell I suck at drawing them. But you know what I do when I suck at it? I doubt Dobson does it, but I actually contact someone I know, who actually does know his weapons, and get feedback and criticism. And that’s what I did for this, I showed my boyfriend the spear, and this is what he has to say about it,

“That’s a fucking club, not a spear. I’m serious, you’d be more effective using that as a maul. The spearhead is FAR too big, and the stick is too small. It looks more like a spear for ANTS.”

I feel if someone said that to Dobson, maybe just MAYBE he’d fix it. But, we all know he’d say “thanks for advice on an art piece I already finished, you stupid piece of Nazi shit!”

Everyone can unanimously agree this spear he made was FAR better than the one in the comic:

I am thankful I, unlike Dobson, can at least notice when something I don’t normally draw seems off and don’t have such a big ego that I won’t even bother getting criticism from people who have knowledge of this stuff better than me.

Let’s be realistic here, if he even tried making Keisha have a sharpened STICK for a spear, he’d fuck that up too, by making it inconsistent lengths.

What have we learned today, THOAD children? Maybe, just maybe, you should consider asking for feedback from someone who can properly tell you the inaccuracies of what you draw. Basically, don’t be a Dobson.

“Looking at older art vs newer art of Dobson’s is always interesting to me, because you can see the actual difference between him putting in effort and him just churning something out as fast as possible.” -THOAD

#Submission #Andrew Dobson #Tom Preston #hypocrisy #formera #comic #adobsonartwork #submission

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a-table-of-fics · 3 years

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Cull to Adventure, Chapter 5, Draft 1

[[As Tumblr increased the size limits for posts, I can finally put this chapter draft all together.]]

Marie was already in a sour mood, having woken up far earlier than preferred. But it got worse as she realized she might as well have slept in; hardly anyone was around today. The heat wave, combined with the fact that all games were postponed until the respawn points have power again, meant that no one was around. Marie knew she couldn’t move too far from where the Outpost was without drawing unwanted attention, but it was a bit demoralizing. She was glad she had the parasol for the scant shade it provided in the midday sun, but she still tugged at her kimono every so often.

Well, if she wanted to find her cousin and the stolen Zapfish, she would have to do it herself. She didn’t want a second celebrity disappearance to cause more chaos, but she didn’t have much choice. Agent 2 would have to complete the rescue mission alone.

As she looked in the Outpost for her Charger, she debated whether Gramps should be alerted at this point. She decided against it, still; he was probably stressed enough about his mission with Agent 3, and she didn’t want him throwing himself in danger trying to find Callie. That was her job, darn it!

She opened a drawer and found her charger waiting, but…where was her uniform? The armored hoodie, the short, the boots, even the headset were all missing. She rustled around; maybe a bit of disorganized Callie rubbed off on her…but no, they were gone! Someone was in here! They took the Splattershot and one of the Ink Tanks, too!

A flash of panic came over Marie; someone had come in, and the outpost was breached! But… wait, why wasn’t her charger taken? Or any other supplies? Just the Agent getup and weapons—Oh.

Oh no.

She ran out of the shack, stumbling over her kimono a few times as she went for the manhole to Inkopolis. She had to get to Ammo Knights, and fast. It was lucky there wasn’t really anyone in the Square; while Marie took care to make sure she wasn’t immediately recognized by the adoring public, she didn’t care as much in the rush she was in.

The doors to the Ammo Knights store burst open the moment she unlocked them. Sheldon barely had time to look up in shock before the idol was in the back, frantically booting the computer up. Several monitors came up, each showing different angles of a new part of Octarian territory. None of the cameras could see anything, but when Marie put the headset on and heard panting and slight whimpering, her suspicions were confirmed.

Cull had gone into Octo Canyon alone.

Marie took a deep breath, turned the mic on, and coughed politely.

“Eh—” started Cull’s yelp, before he remembered where he was and clammed up.

“Oh good, you remembered the headset,” Marie said, keeping her voice level. “Okay, I think we can get you through this, but… I’m not sure where you are…”

“C-came in a-and made it to ch-checkpoint…”

Marie checked. The simulated sunny beach area in Octopolia did have a trail of green, including some inflated sponges. And it led right to a smaller respawner, directly in front of a massive road of pink ink. From where the camera was situated, Marie could see a Balloon Fish, but there were a few things behind it that were too blurry to see.

“They got some- some kinda robot b-bombs!”

“Octopods?” Marie asked. “Shouldn’t be a big deal, right? They just run at you.”

“…B-but that one at the start was so fast…C-can I really take more than one in a f-fight…?”

Marie leaned back in her chair, noting where the blurs were.

“You don’t have to, ex-Agent 4! If you can take that Balloon Fish, the Octopods should all pop with it!”

“B-but if I go up there, w-won’t they pop it and…?”

“Nah, they’ll run up to try to blast you. The Balloon Fish’ll be fine!”

Bad time for a joke, Marie realized, as she saw something shake in the respawner.

“Look, look,” she said, frantically trying to clear Cull’s head of some of the anxiety. “All you gotta do is keep your distance! Pop that balloon before the Octopods get to you.”

Cull finally surfaced, out of the respawner, and swallowed. He looked at the expanse of Octarian pink before him; it was going to take a lot of ink to even get to the Octo-bombs. He started firing, and Marie saw that his attention was divided between his path-making and the upcoming encounter.

“Hey, eyes on the prize, kid, not the road!”

Well, now the kid’s movement was slower, but at least he seemed more alert.

A thought came to Marie.

“…Ignore that when you start driving, ok?”

The Octopods started to rush in, but it was too late. Cull had already hit the Balloon Fish, taking the bombs and their weird red balloons with them. Octarians had the strangest ways of holding Power Eggs.

“Nice.”

That just left a layout of crates in a flattened “u” shape against the wall, a wall which had two Balloon Fish attached to it. As Cull looked up and around, Marie took a moment to swap through the cameras, finding a launchpad at the top, and the next camera showed a checkpoint. Thankfully, nothing between there and their current position Cull would have to worry about.

“All right, so just pop those balloons and swim up there. Nothing to worry about.”

Cull looked, hesitantly, but nodded. The Balloon Fish made short work of those boxes and covered the wall in green. But… he hesitated, rubbing the back of his head. Marie could hear sheepish mutters of “uh” and “oh boy” over her headset. She was about to ask what the holdup was, maybe throw in a joke about enjoying his handiwork, but all that came out was “wh” before she realized the problem – he was a slow swimmer when it wasn’t a vertical slope.

And she had seen the kid climb, too. This looked like a tougher thing to scale, sure, but his grip back then was impressive, and she was sure he could have figured something out. At the very least, it would probably be better than him struggling to swim up like he would have to now.

“Okay kid,” she said, attempting to hide her haste in correcting this, “I don’t usually recommend this, but you might want to try a running jump here.”

“O-okay…”

Marie watched as the ex-Agent stepped back, steeled himself, and sprinted to the wall. He jumped, and Marie thought he was going to slam into the wall, his squidforming was so close. However, it wasn’t close enough to conceal the fact his tentacles were… well, half-gone. He disappeared in the ink in a flash, but Marie could still tell, especially as he splashed and struggled to get the vertical movement.

Marie couldn’t do much more than watch; explaining how to swim to a fellow Inkling would just be dumb, and she wasn’t good at motivational platitudes. Still, she could try to encourage.

“Almost halfway there. Just keep breathing.”

“Just got past the second Balloon Fish; you’re almost there!”

Cull finally slipped over the edge onto wooden floor again. He couldn’t even kidform, and Marie could hear him panting and fully view his squid form.

His fins were much more disk-shaped than most, making his silhouette look less like an arrow and more like a mushroom with a point on top where his mantle ended. His skin had a spotted texture, as if someone had lightly sprayed him with darker green paint. More prominent, however, were his eight arms, all irregular stumps of what was expected, clearly from an injury long ago. His two tentacles, while about as long as most Inklings’, were notably thinner, and showed the same signs of being cut off at the end.

And Marie had sent him headfirst into danger. Worse yet, he refused to leave.

Cull wasn’t panting for too long; he soon kidformed, and was silent on his walk to the launchpad. Marie wasn’t sure what to say; she may like snarking, but humiliating someone was something else entirely.

A few quick key presses, and Marie could watch him land on the next section, where there didn’t seem to be much going on. There was a single sponge floating in the middle of a gap in the road, but not much else to see other than a few pillars. As Cull tentatively clambered down in case there was something, Marie switched to the next available camera. She could see Cull fill the sponge with ink to make a bridge in the distance, but more importantly, there were patrolling Octarians moving in a synchronous circle on some grates that were jutting out of one of the pillars.

“Octotroopers above you,” Marie called out, as Cull walked forward. She could see him step back onto the sponge, looking up and spotting the enemies. He tentatively moved forward, but never so much that he committed to a plan before stepping back. Thankfully, neither Octo seemed to have seen him, their gaze focused squarely on what was in front of them rather than what was below.

“C’mon,” Marie said, after about fifteen seconds of this, “You gotta do something if you wanna get outta here!”

“Uhm…”

“Oh for— just go! Take ‘em out and find a way up!”

Well, at least he was moving forward. The bad news was, the Octarians saw him, and began firing shots through the grate. At least the ex-Agent 4 was aware of this, and trying to zig-zag a little bit. He made it under the grate, with only a few spatters of pink on him for it. When he shot straight up and splatted one of the Octotroopers, however, his reflexive ducking was not enough to stop himself from being coated in green ink.

Despite herself, Marie had to stifle a snicker. Maybe it was just a needed release from stress, but there was something adorable about that pratfall. It reminded her of something that happened when she herself was younger, when she played one-on-one with Callie. The exact same thing happened to her, except she completely missed Callie…

“Y-you there?”

Marie took a breath, composing herself. Cull didn’t need the idea that she was laughing at him, nor did he need to hear her worrying about the other Squid Sister.

“Yeah, um… look for a way up the pillar. Looks like the grating goes to another floor… Just watch for that Octoslob and you’ll be fine…”

But Cull wasn’t looking up now. His attention was caught by something out of range of the cameras. He fired ink offscreen, slowly and carefully. Marie didn’t hear any return fire or Octarian shouts from his microphone, but all the same, this was concerning.

“Uh, I said ‘up’ the pillar…”

“Th-there was a lot of pink ink over here…J-just want to be sure…”

“I understand that,” Marie said, quietly kicking herself for not thinking of the possibility of an ambush, “but they’d have a hard time chasing you up. You might be better off—”

She heard the sound of wood breaking, and hoped to the Crane that Cull was alone; she’d be hard pressed to help him if she couldn’t see.

“Huh…Is that…?” he said, after a pregnant pause.

“Hmm? What was that?”

“N-nevermind, I must be mistaken…”

Marie heard some paper rustling, and then some grunting and splashing before Cull emerged from behind the pillar, now on the second floor. He took a few breaths, leaning against the column, before finally heading to the wall.

After making a break through a few more Octarians and some kind of wall-cleaning robot, he made it to a dead end. Behind a bunch of crates destroyed by a nearby Balloon Fish, there was nothing but a sheer drop to the facilities miles below. To his left, he could just see a large wooden wall, with the launchpad there. He groaned.

All Marie could say was “Sorry, kid, but you gotta make it through this.”

Cull stepped back to look, but he didn’t know if he could make another climb like that so soon. Instead, he looked to the re-inflated Balloon Fish, and then at the wall; not even at the launchpad!

Marie was at a loss for words when she saw the kid start clambering onto the enormous ink bomb, and rather quickly at that. Sure, Cull slipped once or twice, but he never once lost his grip. Within fifteen seconds, he was wobbling on top of it, looking almost like an eight-year-old bouncing on a waterbed. He sat down and started rocking, as if he was trying to get comfortable.

“Okay, look,” Marie finally said, “I get it may be tiring, but that’s no excuse for lazing around and…”

She stopped when he stood up, the Balloon Fish rolling back so far that Marie stood up, shocked at how far over the ledge Cull was. Cull, for his part, had an expression like he swallowed a sunfish whole, but kept his eyes to the wall he had to climb. He took one step forward, waiting for the Fish to roll enough…

And then he jumped. His hands reached out, and he was able to grab onto the ledge. By all accounts, he shouldn’t have been able to keep his grip, but it was dawning on Marie that he was a whip-lash squid.

He hoisted himself up, finding another piece of Sardinium, then looked over the edge to see about that launchpad. It was a simple swing down, and Cull was on his rapid way to the next area.

Marie was there to witness each remaining step. The ambush from above, where Cull leapt screaming into his first Splashdown. The attack immediately after, where he managed to actually take one or two of the Troopers before they even landed. Cull getting splatted again by the remaining Octarians, though he didn’t gasp as frantically when he respawned this time. He was able to finish off the other Octotroopers and make it to some more sponge-scaling situations and an easy battle.

After a bridge made from sponges filled with Balloon Fish ink, Marie’s eyes widened. Up ahead, a bulbous flying thing she knew all too well, and she was about to cry out a warning, but stopped herself. She was already dealing with a bit of a nervous wreck; no sense in giving him a heart attack in all three of his.

Instead, she said, as plainly as she could, “An Octobomber. Gross.”

“What—” Cull started, before yelping. He just saw a Splat Bomb land by him, and it wasn’t his.

Marie sighed as he respawned. Even if she didn’t want to scare the kid, that warning may have been less than helpful.

“Sorry, squid,” she said, apologetically. “Didn’t want to scare you…”

Cull walked back over to where he was, far more slowly this time. Shooting gobs of purple at him was one thing, but now they were hurling bombs at him!

“Ugh… how close is the Zapfish?”

Marie blinked. She hadn’t even been looking for the Zapfish; she was just making sure this kid got out alive.

“Um…”

She could see Cull looking around, mostly up and at the corners of platforms. She assumed he was looking for the camera, but he was nowhere close. At least it kept him safe while she re-calibrated the ZapSeek program that Sheldon wrote.

“Let’s see… the Zapfish is… uh…”

“Ye—?” was all Marie heard in response, before the computer suddenly went black. Her eyes widened, and she frantically mashed the power button, but all she heard was the equally frantic clicking of the button.

Sheldon opened the door behind her, frantically pulling out a set of keys. He dashed to a caged area behind the computer, where he kept the generator.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, trying each key in turn as fast as he could, “Without Zapfish, we gotta rely on this generator, and as you know, this is an old thing, and the fact is, it’ll take a bit to refuel it and start it up again, not to mention the computer booting time—”

“Sheldon!” Marie said, sharply. “Just tell me what I can do to help get it back! There’s a kid lost in Octopia here!”

“Right, right,” Sheldon’s capped silhouette nodded. “Sorry. So, I need you to take the rip cord here and wait to give it a good yank! There’s a coupla things I gotta keep in place over here while you do that…”

Marie walked over, but saw multiple cords that looked pull-worthy.

“Um…”

“You got the rip cord?”

“No…”

“All right, hold on…”

The sound of Sheldon pouring whatever the generator needed slowed to a halt, and he patiently walked over, instantly finding the correct cord and handing it to her.

“I’ll let you know when to pull. It might take a few tries for it to start, but keep at it.”

Marie nodded, not understanding when she heard a variety of switches being flicked, as well as some clatters.

“All right, you ready?”

She pulled the rip cord. A rumble, but nothing else.

“Okay, try again.”

It took a few more pulls, but the generator eventually roared to life.

“Now, lemme take care of getting you started, and I’ll be out of here…”

Marie didn’t dispute that. She was a lot of things, but she was no computer squid. She waited for the slow booting, the password entry, the appropriate programs written by Sheldon…

It felt like hours, but everything Marie was used to was back up. Sheldon saluted, then went back to working on his weapons.

Right, so she could flip through the cameras again, and find Cull who was… still standing at that checkpoint. Her audio wasn’t working, but she could tell he was just calling out, trying to get a response.

It took a minute for Marie to find the volume and fix it, but she was greeted with a quiet, almost fearful “…hello?...Yes?...Is the Z-Zapfish close…?”

“Yeah, hang on,” Marie said, putting on a practiced smile. “It was just a technical thing, sorry.”

“O-okay…”

“Just keep moving forward, m’kay? That Octoslob might have bombs, but he’s pretty slow, so just keep on your guard, okay?”

Cull gulped, but still started taking steps forward. It was slow and halting, with him looking around as if he was expecting the Octobomber to have flown to where he was.

Marie wasn’t going to spur him too far forward; the camera systems for other areas were still loading, and she didn’t want Cull dying down there, especially if it would be from something super avoidable.

Suddenly, after some tentative advancement, Cull ducked into the ink. Marie switched from the loading screen back to him the moment she heard a splash. He was nearing the Octobomber.

“Remember, kid: those Splat Bombs have timers on ‘em. Keep moving, and don’t let ‘em catch you! That’s a rule of the battlefield!”

Cull wasn’t moving.

“Come on, this is no time for hide and splat! You gotta move forward! Once you get to the Zapfish, you can get out of there!”

“But…” Cull whispered, still not so much as swimming an inch, “I-I don’t know…”

“Look, kid,” Marie sighed. “If you want to find your way home, you need to get past this guy. I already told you; keep moving and you’ll be a harder target for him!”

After a second (presumably waiting for the fat flying octopus to look away, which Marie had to admit would be a decent strategy), Cull emerged and started running, firing wildly as he did so. The Octobomber flinched as ink hit them, and they spun around, quickly lobbing a bomb at the Inkling intruder. Cull kept running forward, barely out of the blast’s range. He kept shooting, somehow missing half his shots as he did so.

It gave the Octobomber enough time to fire another bomb. Marie would have congratulated Cull on his plan of circling to avoid the explosives, but she was too busy gasping as he inattentively moved towards the edge.

“Kid, watch it—”

“Yeah, just keep movin’! Works great!”

He cheered as he splatted the enemy, but the cheer was short lived as he fell off the ledge.

Marie didn’t see his ghost swim up. She waited, desperately scanning every pixel, rotating every camera, but she saw nothing.

She started breathing again when she saw his hands inch onto solid ground, followed by the rest of him.

“Oh, thank Cod,” Marie said, more under her breath than anything. “Right, so….”

The hacks into the next area of security cameras finally loaded. Marie wasn’t sure what the delay was. Something about cache? She’d have to ask Sheldon later, but for now she looked into the next set of cameras, and…

“Hey, good news!” she said. “You’re almost to the Zapfish and outta there!”

“Uh, y-yeah…” Cull said, sounding like Marie did when she first learned how to fake smiles. “Uh, al-almost might be a strong word…”

“What are you talking abou—oh.”

A quick pan of one of the cams showed the problem. A series of dry sponges formed a line from the floor Cull was on to the floating island the Zapfish was on. Even if he used the Balloon Fish lined across the sides to fill them up, this would be a struggle for him to swim up what most Inklings could with just a bit of effort.

“Er… yeah, this might be tough…” Marie trailed off. “I’m sure you can make it up there, though…”

“Nnn…”

She saw him standing there, craning his neck to see the sun-shaped wall far above him. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could tell he wasn’t exactly readying up for the climb. Heck, he was walking back to a ledge (thankfully, a part with a railing this time). He looked around a little, but he didn’t see anywhere else he could try to go.

The blue skies made from blue monitor light surrounded him on all sides, illuminating a sparkling blue sea under him. Looking out on the wooden platform into the distant waters like this was filling him with nostalgia, back when he could only be halfway between squid and kid at most. He remembered having to brush his tentacles off his eyes a lot, to see a cloudless sky like this, with rocky beaches and wooden docks. The false sun was still a good one, adding to the illusion pretty well. Even if the air was still the stale air you’d find in caves, it didn’t matter; the atmosphere was so much like that of a beach, giving a very surreal vibe of familiarity along with the floating platforms, debris, and screens. This was inspiring.

“You okay, kid?”

“Hmm? O-oh, yeah, j-just needed a moment…”

He pulled himself away from the view, having calmed himself a bit. He took a breath, and looked at the challenge before him.

He fired at the first sponge until it was dripping with ink. He took a breath, and climbed up to the top of it. It was easier to just climb up the one, and he still had a dry, shrunken sponge in front of him.

He stepped onto the dry sponge, and was about to fire to inflate it as well, but he realized he’d have to do still more climbing with the other pair up ahead. He wasn’t sure if he’d be up to that; even that one small swim took effort. He still wanted to get the Zapfish in something resembling a timely manner, so he looked either way. It’d be a tricky thing, but he’d done crazier tagging a spot on Moray Towers the one time.

Standing on the tinier platform, he looked at the Balloon Fish on either side, and popped one.

Marie’s jaw dropped. She just saw Cull get flung like a ragdoll as the sponge exploded out to its full size under him. He flailed and hollered, but not as intensely as she thought it warranted. Heck, it almost seemed planned, as he landed flat on his back on top of the next set of filled sponges. He grunted, but he quickly got up and leapt at the final wall between himself and the Zapfish’s platform. A couple of grunts and kicks against the wall, and he could move from dangling by his fingers to actually getting onto the platform.

From there, Marie could view him freeing and petting the Zapfish. He sat down as the platform moved to the exit, the Zapfish on his lap. It was kind of adorable, honestly.

#cull goes to octo canyon #cull to adventure #splatoon #splatoon 2 #splatoon 2 fic #chapter 5 #draft 1 #cull to adventure full chapter

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ventoaureorun · 5 years

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Passione x Splatoon 2

Cos the NA Inkling Open was yesterday and I finally watched the stream, I have much hype to do this headcanon. ✖ Bruno Buccielati✖ - Mains the E-Liter 4k but is a general versatile backliner (he can still splat with a bamboozler fight him). - Sneaky sneaky ink mines! He loves ink mines, the lying in wait to surprise enemies, slow them down, work as recon for his team is very Sticky Fingers. - Favourite mode is Rainmaker, because his support abilities are the best then, he’s the one that snipes a route for the rainmaker holder to swim. He’s a general S+ rank, when he plays with the rest he’s the one settling the callouts. - Likes Last Ditch Effort, Haunt and Stealth jump for main abilities, all his subs are full slotted swim speed. (It helps him support his team after getting splatted.) ✖ Abbacchio Leone ✖ - Sorella Brella. He protects Bruno while he snipes. - He loves autobombs, reminds him of Moody Blues doing everything on its own. It also helps push enemies into splatting range for Bruno to finish off. - Favourite mode Splatzones, he’s not a good slayer but a great midliner so he’s good at spacial awareness, inking protecting the zone. He’s not very good at the game and is generally stuck at A rank. - His gear is all ink recovery up to keep up with his turfing. ✖ Guido Mista ✖ - SLAYER!!! He uses Kensa Splattershot Jr. His kill count is always HIGH. - His aim is great so instead he uses torpedos to find enemies and pincer them between his sub and him. - His favourite is Clam Blitz, he’s always the first to a power clam, always somehow surviving and killing WITH the power clam. Also somehow ranked S for most modes but X for Clam Blitz. - He’s a full Kensa lover, all his gear is main power up. ✖ Giorno Giovanna ✖ - Dynamo. Support. He covers for the people Mista misses while pushing. - If you see him you are already dead. Giorno’s timing is TERRIFYINGLY GOOD, he knows how to very effectively make use of his weapon’s power and range. - His favourite mode is Tower Control, he’s fluctuating between X and S+ for all his modes. Giorno’s stingray aim is godlike he’s always the one finishing off the enemy on the tower. - All full slotted Ink saver main to help him survive with a Dynamo’s heavy ink usage. ✖ Narancia Ghirga ✖ - N’Zap 89! (He picked it cos it was orange) Slayer. - He loves tentas. It’s like Aerosmith’s scouting and slaying. He, loves, tentas. - His favourite mode is Tower Control, it is easy for him to play, the clear objective and the beacon effect drawing all enemies to the tower helps him easily find enemies to slay. He’s stuck at S and trying his best to rank up. - All his gear is special charge up, he’s that one person on the enemy team that tentas you 15s into the match. ✖ Pannacotta Fugo ✖ - Zink Mini Splatling. When he’s in the zone and really needed he’s a terrifying slayer, otherwise he’s a good midliner he support’s Narancia’s slayer tactics. - The toxic ink storm special reminds him of Purple Haze, he uses it for zone control forcing people away from the objective before he finishes them. - His favourite mode is Clam Blitz, he’s the one that hides at the back with 9 clams waiting for Narancia to rush and take down the barrier before he jumps in grab the last clam and slam dunks another power clam in. He used to be S+ but slowly dropped to A after not playing for a really long time. - His gear is all run speed up but he also uses respawn punisher, it works well with his slay rate but also drags him down when he gets splatted too often. ✖ Trish Una ✖ - Bloblobber. A support. - She works really well as a support, ink storm to help move people away from objective and splash wall to help the other mid/backliners like Fugo, Giorno and Bruno. - She’s not really good at the game but synergises well with the team, she helps fill slots when the rest are busy. She’s an overall S rank but doesn’t play much anymore. - Her favourite mode is turfing during Splatfest to be honest, Trish is super hardcore about ranking during Splatfest, she loves Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters she finds the idea of squid idols adorable. - All her gear are generally randomly slotted, she aims for aesthetic gear like Pearl and Marina’s amiibos instead.

#Splatoon 2 #JJBA Headcanons #JJBA #Passione #Vento Aureo #Bruno Bucciarati #Bruno Buccellati #Trish Una #Narancia Ghirga #Abbacchio Leone #Giorno Giovanna #Guido Mista #Pannacotta Fugo #Yes I love splatoon #DM ME IF U WANT TO PLAY SPLOON WITH ME PLEASE. PLEASEEEE.

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gaming-rabbot · 5 years

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Salmon Run and Presentation

A (not so) brief dissertation on narrative framing in video games, featuring Splatoon 2

With the holidays in full swing, I took advantage of a deal one day when I went into town, and finally got my hands on Splatoon 2. Having loved the prior game as much as I did, waiting this long to get the sequel felt almost wrong. But like many another fellow meandering corpus of conscious flesh, I am made neither of time nor money.

Finally diving in, I figured I might take this excuse to remember that I write game reviews, sometimes. You know, when the tide is high, the moon blue, and the writer slightly less depressed. I ended up scrapping my first couple drafts, however. You see, a funny thing was happening; I kept veering back into talking about Salmon Run, the new optional game mode the sequel introduces.

Also I might look at the Octo Expansion later, on its own. After I get around to it…

Look, the base game already has a lot of content to explore, and as previously stated, I am sadly corporeal, and not strung together with the metaphysical concept of time itself.

My overall thoughts, however, proved brief, so I’ll try to keep this short.

(Mild spoilers coming along.)

Gameplay wise, I think the story mode is much improved upon by handing you different weapons for certain levels which were specifically built with them in mind. Whereas the prior game left you stuck with a variant of the starter splattershot all the way through. This keeps things interesting, pushes me outside of my comfort zone, and it’s a good way to make sure players will come from a well-informed place when deciding what weapon they want for multiplayer; which, let’s face it, is the real meat of these games and where most players are going to log the most time.

I also love the way bosses are introduced with the heavy drums and rhythmic chants and the dramatic light show. It endows the moment with a fantastic sense of gravitas, and manages to hype me up every time. Then the boss will have an aspect of their design which feels a bit silly or some how rather off, keeping the overall tone heavily grounded in the toony aesthetics the series already established for itself.

Narratively, I felt rather okay about the story aspect of Story Mode. The collectible pages in the levels still have a certain amount of world building, though this time it seems more skewed toward explaining what pop culture looks like in this world, such as, an allusion to this world’s equivalent to Instagram.

Cynical as it is…

That’s definitely still interesting in its own right, though perhaps it’s less of a revelatory gut-punch as slowly piecing it together that the game takes place in the post-apocalypse of Earth itself, and the inklings copied ancient human culture.

We still got some backstory for this game’s idol duo, though. And that, I appreciate. It means Pearl and Marina still feel like a part of this world, rather than seeming obligatory for the sake of familiarity, given the first game had an idol duo as well.

Meanwhile, perhaps it is a bit obvious that Marie’s cousin, Callie, has gone rogue, and that she is the mysterious entity cracking into the radio transmissions between her and Agent 4. If I recall correctly, that was a working theory that came about with the first trailer or two. That, or she had died.

As soon as Marie says aloud she wonders where Callie has gone, I knew right away. And that’s just in the introduction.

That said, on some level, after stomaching through certain other games and such that actively lie or withhold information to force an arbitrary plot twist for plot twist sake, it feels almost nice to go back to a narrative that actually bothers to foreshadow these things. Plus, having gotten already invested in Callie as a character from the first game, I still felt motivated to see the story through to find out why she went rogue. And, loving the Squid Sisters already, there was a hope in me that she could be redeemed, or at least understood. In terms of building off the prior game’s story, Splatoon 2 is moderately decent.

Also, I mean, c’mon. The big narrative drive might be a tad predictable, but hey, this game is for kids. It’s fine.

That, I think, is something I love the most about Splatoon. Despite feeling like you’re playing in a Saturday morning cartoon, and being aimed primarily at children, it doesn’t shy away from fairly heavy subjects. Such as the aforementioned fact that the humans are all long dead and you’re basically playing paintball in the ruins of their consumerist culture.

Which brings me to what fascinates me so much about Splatoon 2: the way in which Salmon Run is framed.

You see, on the surface, Salmon Run appears to be your typical horde mode; a cooperative team (typically comprised of randoms) fights off gaggles of foes as they take turns approaching their base in waves. Pretty standard for online shooters these days, as was modernly popularized by Gears of War 2, and Halo ODST.

I say “modernly,” as the notion of fighting enemies as they approach in waves is not exactly a new concept for mechanical goals within video games. Rather, the term itself, as applied to multiplayer shooters, “horde mode,” became a point of game discussion when Gears of War 2 introduced the new game mode by that same name back in… 2008?

No, no that can’t be right. I played Gears 2 back in high school (I had worse taste back then, okay?). Which, from my perspective, was basically yesterday. That game being ten years old would mean I myself am old now, and that just can’t be. I’m hip. I’m young.

I am, to stay on theme here, fresh.

But okay, existential crises and game talk terms aside, the writing team behind Splatoon 2 probably decided to absolutely flex when it came to the narrative surrounding Salmon Run. It is one of the most gleaming examples of the nontraditional things you can do with writing in video games, to really elevate the experience.

Let me explain.

You see, narrative in video games typically falls into one of two categories: either the story sits comfortably inside of the game, utilizing it like a vehicle to arrive at the destination that is its audience’s waiting eyes and ears. Or the narrative, on some level, exists rather nebulously, primarily to provide something resembling context for why the pixels look the way they do, and why the goals are what they are.

Not to say this is a binary state of existence for game writing; narrative will of course always provide context for characters, should there be any. It’s primarily older, or retro games that give you a pamphlet or brief intro with little in the way of worrying over character motivation, and the deeper philosophical implications of the plot, etc (though not for lack of trying). These would be your classic Mario Bros. and what have you, where the actual game part of the video game is nearly all there is to explore in the overall experience.

Then you have games like Hotline Miami that purposely sets up shop right in the middle to make a meta commentary about the state of game narrative, using the ideological endpoint of violent 80’s era action and revenge-fantasy genre film as inspiration and the starting point to draw comparison between the two. It’s bizarre, and I could drone on about this topic.

But I digress.

Despite falling into that latter category, that is to say having mainly just an introduction to the narrative context so you can get on with playing the game, Salmon Run is a stellar example of how you can make every bit of that context count (even if it does require the added context of the rest of the game, sort of, which I’ll explain, trust me).

First, a (very) brief explanation of how the game itself works, for the maybe three of you who haven’t played it yet.

A team of up to four inklings (and/or octolings) have a small island out in open waters. Salmonid enemies storm the beaches from various angles in waves. Each wave also comes with (at least) one of eight unique boss variants, who all drop three golden eggs upon defeat. Players are tasked with gathering a number of said golden eggs each round, for three rounds, after which their failure or success in doing so shows slow or fast progress towards in-game rewards.

And it’s all an allegory for the poor treatment of labor/workers, utilizing the fishing industry as both an example and a thematically appropriate analogue. Yes, I’m serious.

First, Salmon Run is not available through the main doors like the other multiplayer modes. Rather, it is off to the side, down a dingy looking alley. And when you’re shown its location, either because you finally entered the Inkopolis plaza for the first time, or because the mode has entered rotation again, Marina very expressly describes it as a job.

A job you should only do if you are absolutely, desperately hard strapped for cash. You know, the sort of job you turn to if, for one reason or another, you can’t find a better one.

An aside: technically, playing Salmon Run does not automatically net you in-game currency, with which to buy things, as regular multiplayer modes do. Rather, your “pay” is a gauge you fill by playing, which comes with reward drops at certain thresholds; some randomized gacha style capsules, and one specific piece of gear which gets advertised, to incentivize playing.

The capsules themselves drop actual paychecks in the form of aforementioned currency, or meal tickets to get temporary buffs that help you progress in the multiplayer faster via one way or another. Which, hey, you know, that helps you earn more money also. Working to get “paid,” so you can get things you want, though, still works perfectly for the metaphor it creates.

When I first saw it open up for rotation, I found out you had to be at least a level four to participate. Pretty par for the course, considering it’s the same deal with the gear shops. But, again, it’s all in the presentation; Mr. Grizz does not simply say something akin to the usual “you must be this tall to ride.” He says he cannot hire inexperienced inklings such as yourself, because it’s a legal liability.

After returning with three extra levels, I was handed off to basic, on-the-job training. Which is only offered after Mr. Grizz (not ever physically present, mind you, but communicating with you via radio), the head of Grizzco, uses fairly typical hard sell rhetoric when it comes to dangerous, or otherwise undesirable work: calls you kid, talks about shaping the future and making the world a better place, refers to new hires as “fresh young talent,” says you’ll be “a part of something bigger than yourself.” You know, the usual balancing act of flattery, with just the right amount of belittlement.

Whoa, hang on, sorry; just had a bad case of deja vu from when the recruiter that worked with the ROTC back in high school tried to get me to enlist… several times… Guess he saw the hippie glasses and long hair and figured I'd be a gratifying challenge.

The fisher imagery really kicks in when you play. Which, I figure a dev team working out of Japan might have a pretty decent frame of reference for that. A boat whisks you out to sea with your team, and everyone’s given a matching uniform involving a bright orange jumper, and rubber boots and gloves. If you've ever seen the viral video of the fisherman up to his waist in water telling you not to give up, you have a rough idea. Oh, and don't forget your official Grizzco trademark hats.

It’s on the job itself where a lot of what I'm talking about comes up the most; that is to say, despite buttering you up initially, Mr. Grizz shows his true colors pretty quickly. While playing, he seems to only be concerned with egg collecting, even when his employees are actively hurting. This is established and compounded by his dialogue prior to the intermediate training level, in which informs you about the various boss fish.

Before you can do anything remotely risky, even boss salmonid training, Mr. Grizz tells you he has to go over this 338 page workplace health and safety manual with you. But, oops, the new hire boat sounds the horn as you flip to page 1, so he sends you off unprepared. “Let’s just say you’ve read it,” he tells you, insisting that learning by doing is best.

This flagrant disregard employee safety, in the name of met quotas; the fact we never see Mr. Grizz face to face, making him this vague presence that presides over you, evaluating your stressed performance with condescension; that we are not simply given the rewards as we pass thresholds to earn them, having to instead speak with another, unknown npc for our pay… It all drives toward the point so well.

The icing on the cake for me is when a match ends. You, the player, are not asked if you’d like to go back into matchmaking for another fun round of playtime. Rather, you are asked if you would like to “work another shift.”

The pieces all fit so well together. I shouldn’t be surprised that, once a theme is chosen, Splatoon can stick to it like my hand to rubber cement that one time. It has already proven it can do that much for sure. But it’s just so… funny? It’s bitterly, cynically hilarious.

Bless the individual(s) who sat in front of their keyboard, staring at the early script drafts, and asked aloud if they were really about to turn Mr. Grizz into a projection of all the worst aspects of the awful bosses they’ve had to deal with in life. The answer to that question being “yes” has led to some of my favorite writing in a video game.

All of these thoughts, as they started forming in my skull, really began to bubble when I noticed Salmon Run shifts become available during my first Splatfest.

Splatfest is, to try and put it in realistic terms, basically a huge, celebratory sporting event. Participation nets you a free commemorative t-shirt and access to a pumping concert featuring some of the hottest artists currently gracing the Inkopolis charts.

The idea, the notion, that a hip young inkling (or octoling) might miss out on one of the biggest parties of the year because they need money more than they need fun? It’s downright depressing.

It got me thinking. I looked at my fellow egg collectors. In-universe, we were a bunch of teen-to-young-adult aged denizens missing out on all the fun because we desperately needed the cash. We became stressed together, overworked together, yelled at by our boss together. But in those sweetest victories, where we’d far surpassed our quota? We celebrated together.

Spam-crouching, and mashing the taunt, something changed. I felt a greater sense of comradery with these squids and octos than I did in nearly any other coop game. And it’s all thanks to the rhetorical framing of the game mode.

It accomplishes so many things. It’s world building which wholistically immerses you in the setting. But mainly, its dedication to highly specific word choice does exactly what I mentioned earlier: it elevates the experience to one I could really sit down and think about, rather than use to while away the hours, then move on to something else. So many games make horde modes that feel inconsequential like that; it’s just for fun.

There’s nothing wrong with fun being the only mission statement for a game, or an optional mode of play. But this is exactly what I mean when I say this is the nontraditional writing games can do so much more with. And Splatoon 2 saw that opportunity, and took it. And what a fantastic example of bittersweet, cold reality, in this, a bright, colorful game meant mainly for children…

Happy Holidays, everyone!

#Rabbot Reviews #video games #review #Splatoon 2 #Salmon Run #narrative #framing

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