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mariecuttlefish · 1 year

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...Like You Mean It [4k words, MariexShiver]

Hi there! It's been a while since I had a new fic to post, but I've had Mariver on my mind a lot lately, so I got the urge to write something with them. This started as a one-shot, but now that it's "done" I'm considering adding a couple more chapters; we'll see where it goes!

External links: [Google Docs], [AO3]

Warnings: None. Appropriate for all ages.

Description: Shiver has a crush on Marie, but she isn't sure how to make a good impression. Frye is there to offer advice (and a bit of teasing).

"Sooo... what's the problem here?"

Frye and Shiver sat together in the living room of their shared apartment. Frye, as she typically did, had taken up a comfortable position on her favorite bean bag, chin propped up in her hands. Shiver, on the other hand, had opted for the more unconventional approach of sprawling across the couch, face buried in her arms underneath a pile of pillows. Not what Frye would have chosen as a good way to sit, but she could respect the originality.

"The problem is I made a fool out of myself," Shiver groaned, her voice muffled by the layers of plush she'd chosen to hide herself with. "Again!" Her tentacles bubbled with frustration, blue ink simmering into shades of teal and hot pink before evaporating away as soon as it lifted off the surface.

"Aww, c'mon, Shiv." Frye leaned forward a bit, giving herself just enough reach to pat her bandmate's shoulder. "I'm sure it didn't go that bad. You're great! No way is anyone gonna have a bad time spending the day with someone like you."

Shiver grumbled out something that was either an unintelligible answer or a deliberate attempt not to answer at all; Frye had to admit, she was good at agonizing when she wanted to. Lifting herself up from the floor and sitting up straight, Frye moved to lean against the couch and crossed her arms. "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened? I bet it's not half as bad as you think it is."

"Ugh..." Shiver shifted slightly and turned her head to look at Frye, a pout clear on her face. Her frown only deepened as she saw the upbeat grin Frye offered in return, lips pulling downward into the same exaggerated grimace she wore so often during their live appearances -- an obvious tell that she was trying not to smile herself. "Okay, fine..."

—

Though the skies were clear and blue on the surface just a short trip upward, Alterna was enjoying a serene and scenic morning. Artificial sunrise cast the massive dome in hues of orange and pink, glinting off the false snow and frosted waters and replacing them with a glimmering sheet of sparkles far into the distance. All around, the cacophonic buzz of millennia-old machinery gradually coalesced into an ambient choir, accented by gentle music that drifted in from unseen speakers. The air was blustering cold -- it always was down here, even when the environmental simulation seemed to imply a warmer shift -- but Shiver hardly minded. She was the Cold-Blooded Bandit for a reason, after all; no amount of chill was going to put her off.

Of course, it didn't hurt anything that Boss Marie had brought along a spare coat to make sure Shiver didn't freeze to death during their scavenging expedition.

...Or that just standing next to the Boss was enough to make Shiver suddenly start heating up on her own.

"Thanks again for coming to help out," Marie said, though she didn't look up from the pile of gadgets she was sorting through. "Callie is off visiting family for the weekend, and the rest of the splatoon is working on clearing fuzzy goo from the surface, so I was worried it'd just be me down here today."

"I thought you said your grandpa was here too?"

"Oh, he is, but--" Marie glanced toward where her grandfather had fallen asleep in an old beach chair they'd left unfolded a short distance away. "...well, Gramps isn't really in a position to help out with this stuff, anyway."

Shiver stared at the shrunken elder for just a moment, then shook her head and dragged her attention away. It was still weird seeing someone that dehydrated alive and kicking. "Yeah, I guess that's fair. Hey-- how much do you think this would sell for?" she asked as she picked up something that looked like a handheld television. The sides surrounding the screen were adorned with a mish-mash of buttons and knobs, but the indecipherable human text made it hard to guess at what anything did.

Marie turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget we're here to catalogue this stuff, not pawn it off back in Splatsville. A lot of it might be junk, but this place has some major historical value." Despite her somewhat stern tone, there was a hint of a smile on her lips. Shiver tried to ignore how cute her expression looked.

"There has to be some stuff we can sell, though. Right, Boss?" With some dismay Shiver returned the whatever-it-was to the nearest pile and casually made her way to stand behind Marie, watching over her shoulder as she took notes on a set of strange-looking figurines. "This place has to be the world's biggest treasure hoard, and we're the first to find it! It'd just be wrong to leave it all down here without cashing in."

Marie rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, a quiet giggle escaping her. The sound of her laughter took Shiver off guard, and almost on instinct she snapped her fan open to hide the tinges of red that painted her cheeks. "Look," Marie said, "Sheldon is still waiting to hear back from the researchers at his dad's museum. We need there to actually be some artifacts left for them to check out once they get here, but once they've had a chance to study the place, we can look at selling stuff off for charity like you want. How's that sound?"

"I-I guess that's fine," Shiver answered, keeping her face hidden. If Marie noticed her sudden change in demeanor, she didn't bother to comment on it. That was good; no way did Shiver want to admit that a smile and a laugh had been enough to fluster her. Even if that casual, lopsided grin the Boss always wore really made her want to lean in and--

"Where are the other two, by the way?" Marie's voice snapped Shiver back to the present, and it took her a moment to process that she meant Frye and Big Man.

"Oh, uh--" Shiver shook her head and tried to re-center herself. Of course Marie would ask where the others were; Deep Cut hardly even went shopping without each other. She snapped her fan shut to stall for just a moment; the natural pauses she could create with sudden fan gestures worked wonders for giving her room to think.

"They're both busy today too," she started. This was a lie. "Frye is working on teaching her eels a new routine--" Frye was probably lounging around their apartment watching reruns of soap operas. "--and Big Man took his little sister to Inkopolis to visit Wahoo World--" Big Man hadn't been to Wahoo World ever since learning he was too wide to fit in the roller coaster cars. "--sooo you just get my company today, Boss!"

The truth was that Shiver had asked her bandmates both to stay behind when she'd heard it would just be Marie showing up today. They were the only two who knew about the growing crush Shiver had been harboring in the weeks since the trio had encountered the New Squidbeak Splatoon, so they'd fortunately understood when she brought up wanting the chance to hang out with Marie alone. Granted, both of them had teased her relentlessly about it; but at the end of the day Shiver knew her lifelong friends were rooting for her.

Shiver's acting skills must have paid off, because Marie didn't seem to doubt her explanation at all. She just shrugged and picked up another strange object to examine, still wearing that adorable smile. "It's a busy day for everyone, I guess," she said. "Well, your company is always nice, so I'm not complaining."

—

"I mean-- ' Your company is always nice' ? What did she even mean by that?!"

Frye raised her eyebrows, smiling slyly. "Just spitballing here, but... it kinda sounds like she meant she likes spending time with you?"

"Well duh, I'm great. But-- agh!" Shiver rolled off of the couch, hitting the floor with a thump . " Just-- listen to the rest of the story, okay?" she said, lifting her arms toward the ceiling before letting them flop lazily back down to her sides.

"I'm all ears! You're the one who interrupted yourself." Frye reached out to boop Shiver's nose, then fell back laughing when Shiver mimicked biting at her finger . "Okay, okay-- go on, Shiv, I promise I'm listening."

"Good." Shiver narrowed her eyes to make herself look more intimidating. It didn't really work, given that she was still laying on the floor in her pajamas, but Frye refrained from commenting on that fact.

—

If Shiver had been blushing before, she must have been bright red now. Had the Boss actually just said that? What was the best way to respond to that?!

Once again her fan moved to cover her face, and she averted her gaze in an effort to play it off. Act cool, Shiver. Don't make it obvious. She managed to keep her external composure for the most part, but internally she could only scramble to think of a re ply that wouldn't be suspicious. After a moment, she settled on what felt the most natural:

"I mean, of course it is! I'm none other than the Shark Tamer of the Splatlands , after all. Who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon with me?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she wanted to smack herself for speaking them. Seriously? That was the best we could think of? High waters, she's going to think we're an idiot.

Surprisingly, though, Marie just laughed again. With a nonchalant wave of a gloved hand, she leaned down to pick up a large black case and popped it open to analyze the contents. "Well, mighty Shark Tamer , do you think you can help me tame this pile of 'treasure'? The stuff in here alone is enough to keep me busy all day. "

Shiver froze for a brief moment, processing the situation. She had chosen perhaps the least graceful way to answer a simple compliment , but Marie seemed to take it in stride without an issue -- and even more importantly, the way her voice smoothed out the words 'mighty Shark Tamer' set Shiver's hearts fluttering . This is no fair! How is the Boss this effortlessly cool?!

She didn't voice that thought, of course. Instead, she simply stammered out, "I-- uh, yeah! Of course!" and quickly set to work. Maybe it would have been wise to have Frye and Big Man come along after all, she thought; she was way out of her depth here, and without having them to bounce banter off of , there wasn't much choice except to try and talk to Marie without losing her cool . She could only hope she'd be able to make it through the day without embarrassing herself too badly…

Marie ended up leading the small talk for a while after that; Shiver was suddenly too nervous for her typical antics, focused instead on trying not to stick her proverbial fin in her mouth again. The upside to this was that it meant a lot of time spent just listening to Marie talk -- letting her go on about her day, her career, her thoughts on the other agents, her family life... but the downside was that, every time Marie stopped to ask "Is something wrong?" or "You there, Shiver?", Shiver had to rush to come up with some explanation for why she'd suddenly begun staring off into space that wasn't the completely honest answer of Sorry, I'm just thinking about sitting in your lap and falling asleep to the sound of your voice, because if she said that she would almost definitely never be invited to one-on-one hangouts with the Boss again.

And of course, despite her best efforts, Shiver couldn't help but toss in her own self-aggrandizing comments here and there. And of course , she felt almost immediately embarrassed by nearly everything she said. Despite this, though, Marie seemed to be amused by it all; she laughed or smiled at nearly everything Shiver said, even when Shiver felt beyond stupid for it.

What was going on? Was Marie laughing at her or with her or... both? Shiver was all about theatrics -- she had all the charisma in the world onstage and knew exactly how to work even the toughest crowds; so why was it so hard for her to figure out how to act in front of just one person? Why was she second-guessing everything she said despite getting nothing but positive feedback?

—

"Mind if I interrupt?" Frye interjected. Shiver narrowed her eyes and pouted at her again, but they both knew she didn't actually mind. "It sounds to me like Shivvy's afraid of acting natural."

"Wha--?!" Shiver sat up, her face twisting in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know," Frye said with a wave of her hand. "You're a performer, Shiv! You're so used to hyping yourself up all the time that you aren't sure how to be un cool." She leaned over to where Shiver's fan had been left sitting on the side table next to the couch, scooped the fan up, and gently bonked Shiver on the head with it before placing it in her hands. "You need to let yourself relax a bit."

Shiver blinked, drooping slightly. The energy in her ink had died down now, and her expression flattened as she fidgeted idly with the closed fan. "I don't get what you're saying. My whole problem is that I don't know how to act cool around the Boss, and you want me to try to be... less composed?"

"Yeah!" Frye grinned.

"...I'm not sure I follow."

Frye rolled her eyes. "Shiver, you know you're the coolest, most confident person I've ever met." And a whole lot of other things, too…

"Naturally," Shiver answered, hiding a grin behind her now-opened fan.

"And acting cool and scary and wild is great for when you're putting on a show..." Her head lolled toward Shiver, and she gestured outward to emphasize her point: "...but if you wanna bond with somebody one-on-one, you've gotta be your true self! The Boss might get a kick out of you acting all tough, but if you really want to impress her , she needs to know what the real Shiver is like!"

Shiver thought on that. After a moment, she turned her gaze to the side, slyly twirling her fan in tiny circles in front of her. "And who's to say the real Shiver isn't tough and cool and--"

"Shiv, I've known you since we were three ," Frye said flatly. "You sleep in shark-print boxers when it's too warm for pants . You have a collection of shark plushies big enough to hide Big Man underneath. You once cried when Master Meg a got sick for a week."

Shiver's pupils shrank. Before she'd been averting her gaze to preserve her cool airs; now she was doing it out of embarrassment. "Y... yeah, well, so what?"

"So you're a huge, sappy dork is what!" Frye grinned and reached up to tease Shiver's mantle. " And it's okay to let that side of you show! The Boss obviously already likes hanging out with you; just let your guard down and stop worrying so much about looking cool, and I bet she'll be head over heels before long!"

Shiver was silent, still avoiding eye contact. Frye knew how to answer that; sitting cross-legged and laying her hands in her lap, she slowly leaned to the side, plastering the goofiest smile she could manage onto her face as she inched into Shiver's field of view. Shiver glanced her way for a split second before looking away again, turning her head further to the side. Frye followed suit, scooting over to keep herself firmly within Shiver's peripheral. This turned into a short chase until, at last, Shiver ceded; with an exasperated sigh, she morphed into her swim form, at which point Frye reached out to scoop her out of the air.

"Fine, you win," Shiver grumbled, her tentacles wrapping around Frye's hand. "But I'm not sure how I'm even supposed to 'let my guard down'. It's easy around you and Big Man, but she's different! Just being around her makes me feel like... like I need to compete to prove that I can keep up with her. No matter what we're talking about, I can't help making it about myself!"

Frye cocked her head to the side, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That is a tricky question. You said she kept laughing at it, though, right?"

"Yeah. I'm worried she's laughing at me, because she kept acting like it was funny even when I just sounded dumb…"

"Maybe," Frye admitted, "but maybe that's actually a good sign! A lot of people will laugh at anything somebody says if they want to make a good impression. It's like... positive reinforcement or something. Who knows," she added with a coy look, “maybe the Boss has a crush on you?”

Shiver blushed at the idea, then blinked. "But you laugh at all my jokes, too?"

"Uh--!" Frye's eyes widened, and she cleared her throat. We can tackle that one later, she thought. "Uh, well, anyway, you didn't finish your story! How did the rest of it go?"

—

"Well," Marie began, clapping dust from her gloves as she rolled her neck, "I think that's a good day's work. What do you think, Shiver?"

"Oh, uh--" Shiver shrugged, setting down a strange, colorful cube mechanism she'd been messing with. "You're the boss here, Boss! I'm set to go home if you are!" She offered a grin that probably looked as awkward as it felt. The idea of going home and relaxing sounded nice after so much tedious work, but then she would have to say goodbye to Marie; as clumsy and off-kilter as she'd felt this entire time, she was still reluctant to end their time together.

Marie started to say something, then looked over at Shiver and paused, tilting her head. "Are you alright, actually? You seem... a little tense."

"I'm fine!" Shiver answered quickly -- maybe just a bit too quickly, because Marie looked concerned now. She tried to double down. "Just... kind of tired! I'm built for the rough-and-tumble life, after all, so all this standing around and counting things is pretty exhausting."

Marie didn't seem to buy it entirely, but at least she smiled at that, which meant she wasn't too worried (and also that Shiver got to see her smile again...). "Well, if you're sure. Maybe next time I'll set up some training dummies so you can practice your bandit skills."

Okay, Shiver thought to herself, we have an opportunity here. We need to think up something charming to say before she goes. Is it a bad idea to ask her on a date? Probably. Would it be weird if we asked her to walk us home? Her thoughts raced through her mind, searching out a good farewell line to help make up for how awkward she'd been all day.

Marie was right in front of her, checking over the things she'd written down today to make sure it was all in order. "Seriously, though, thanks again for showing up to help. This would have been a lot less fun if I didn't have you around," she said with a smile. Shiver felt her hearts skip a beat at that last part; briefly short-circuiting, she blurted out the first thing to come to mind.

"Saturday night!" Her hand shot up to cover her mouth near-instantly.

Marie blinked. "...huh? What about Saturday night?"

"Uhh--" Shiver stumbled on her words. "Saturday night is... I'm free to hang out again!" she clarified. "I mean-- to help you with this cataloguing stuff! But we can also just hang out and do other things, if you'd like to--" Things like stargazing, holding hands, watching documentaries about sharks…

Marie took a moment to process, then giggled. "Sure, hanging out sounds nice. I'll look forward to it."

"You'd better! 'Cause I don't just let anyone hang out with me, you know!" Please, stop talking, Shiver. Stop talking at literally any opportunity. Once again Marie laughed, and once again Shiver had no clue what that laughter even meant.

"I'll see you around, Shiver," Marie called over her shoulder as she turned to head toward the exit. "I hope you have a nice evening!"

Then, she was gone, leaving Shiver to digest the events of the afternoon. Shiver stared after her for a while after she'd left -- then sank slowly to the ground, hands covering her face. That was so embarrassing.

—

"Wait, wait, wait," Frye said. Shiver was still sitting in swim form in her arms, tentacles drumming idly against her wrist. "She said she wants to hang out with you this Saturday? So you got a date?"

"Wh--" Shiver sputtered. "It isn't a date, it's just hanging out! She even called it hanging out when she texted me on the way home!"

Frye raised her eyebrows. "She texted you on the way home?"

"Oh, she said she wanted to make sure I got home safe, and that she forgot to reply to my selfies--"

"You've been sending her selfies?! "

Shiver slid back into her upright form, rolling out of Frye's hold in the process and sitting up against the couch. "Well, yeah? Is that weird? At first I just wanted an opinion on an outfit, but then she was really nice and said I was pretty and stylish and..." Shiver started to blush. "...it kind of just became a routine thing?"

Frye stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief. Realization was beginning to set in. Is the Boss actually crushing on her too?!

"What? What are you staring at me like that for?" Shiver leaned away, looking just a little alarmed. "Did I say something?"

Laughing at all her jokes, complimenting her selfies, offering to hang out together... deep blue, she IS! Frye had to stop herself from blurting out her revelation; she still didn't know for sure, after all, and if Shiver hadn't made the same realization it would probably just stress her out for Frye to say it out loud.

Realizing she was ignoring Shiver's question, she shook her head and offered a quick cover. "Sorry, I just got distracted thinking about something!" She grinned, tilting her head and gently knocking on her own mantle. "I really think it's going to work out though, Shiv! Just remember my advice and try to loosen up, and you'll be golden!"

Shiver still seemed noticeably uncertain, but the reassurance made her smile. "Thanks, Frye. I'm glad I talked to you." The sound of a stomach rumbling suddenly interjected into the conversation, and Shiver leapt to her feet. "I just remembered I forgot to grab lunch before I went to Alterna -- talk to you later, Frye! I need to eat!"

With that, she was off, leaving Frye sat alone in the living room. Frye watched her go and then, returning to her favored bean bag chair, put her chin in her hand and began to think.

I need to talk to Big Man later.

#splatoon #splatoon fic #frye #shiver #marie #mariver #tidal writing #i'm hoping they don't feel too out of character because we don't have *that* much characterization for deep cut yet #thank you to lickthecolorred for indirectly and unknowingly causing this

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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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a-table-of-fics · 5 years

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Cull Goes to Octo Canyon, Chapter 1, Draft 1

The cool blues of the shade. The muffled music coming from the Square. The dismal little drips of water. The back alleys of Inkopolis weren’t exactly fresh, and Cull knew that perfectly well. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to go out there. He wasn’t sure how he could participate in the sporting events that everyone bonded over. He was an artist, not a fighter.

Besides…Cull looked from side to side and shifted his beanie, ensuring it covered his hair.

No, he would find a different way to make a name for himself. Hopefully he would make his art stand out from the rest, and he could get respect that way. Yes. His graffiti. In a major city. In the back alleys. Unsigned.

He sighed, checking his phone. He would never live down that unsigned piece over by the studio. The angular crab was one of his worse works, and of course it would be the one publicized and praised by Off the Hook. Cull silently thanked Cod that so many others tried to take credit for it. They could have it for all he cared.

Shaking his head, Cull looked around. This alley wasn’t exactly prime canvas material. Not only was it a dead end, but it was way too cramped, and too far from where people actually were – even by Cull’s standards. Really, the only reason he came this far was so no one got hit by his Slosher. Even if it was just mashed-up plants, and not the ink that could be used as a weapon, that was one panic he didn’t want to start. Even with the respawn points everywhere, it would be a nightmare.

Well, maybe the wall over by Grizzco was cleaned by now. It was a little close to the Battle Lobby, but if he could get there unnoticed and paint over the stencil, he could get recognition for a good work of his. He already had the white and blue paints with him; all he needed was to remember the order of his stencils to make the freshest whale Inkopolis had ever seen!

Cull looked around, thinking of the quickest route there. Hopefully a discreet way, but so long as he got there quickly, it should be fine. He sprinted forward, leaping before briefly turning to squid form whenever there was an opening to the Square. So long as he moved fast enough, and shifted back before he landed, he figured he could get there unnoticed. Still, he couldn’t help but adjust his already-snug beanie; even if he wasn’t the freshest, he was certainly going to keep what looks he had.

Luckily, there weren’t too many hanging around Grizzco. Aside from that one sketchy-sounding bear radio, there wasn’t really much business for anyone back here. Still, Cull could make out some fresh art people had made with their own ink. Even if the ink would evaporate, he had to respect the detail and quality of the pictures while they lasted. He gently ran his hand against the wall, marveling at the art and having some doubt about the piece he was going to add. A reassuring piece of prose, promising all Inklings who cared to see it that they would have better days. A picture of that historical figure, that red human with the strange mark on his hat, proudly shaking hands with an Inkling. A shockingly detailed picture of the Off the Hook duo.

Almost as if on cue, the jumbotron on top of the Battle Lobby played the familiar song to announce more news from Pearl and Marina. Most people, Cull included, didn’t even bother to look up to see the stages available. Everyone enjoyed hearing the two’s quips and tips for the locales, but for many, it became background noise.

When the music skipped a beat, and there was the sound of distant yelling, however, everyone looked up, to see the top two idols of Inkopolis similarly baffled. Cull nearly dropped his stencil as Pearl hollered out to stop the show from cutting.

Marina barely contained a gasp, quickly hitting a few switches to bring the B-roll on their monitor. It was live footage of the tower above them. All the Inklings in the Square murmured to each other as they looked above the screen; something seemed to be missing.

“THIS JUST IN! The Great Zapfish has just… disappeared?!”

Cull gulped as he saw the complete absence of the giant catfish on the tower.

“Th-there’s more…?” Marina spun a record, and the image changed from the Zapfish-free tower to a picture of a young woman in a sun hat, with black hair and a playful grin, striking a forever iconic pose. The image on the screen flickered briefly but managed to stay on long enough for recognition to set into most squids. Cull, however, only recognized her vaguely. Maybe he saw her in a movie or show somewhere, but that was as far as he knew.

“Pop superstar Callie of the Squid Sisters has gone missing!”

“NOOOOO!” Pearl cried out, dashing over to her partner-in-crime. “Not Callie! Marina, do something!”

“Uh, r-right! I’ll put together a search—”

And then the jumbotron faded to black, as the sound went with it. Many of the lights and adverts around the square began to power off as well.

Cull never thought he’d hate the sound of silence this much. He looked at his stencils and shook his head. With so much happening right now, his art didn’t amount to a hill of plankton. He quietly put them away and started to head home. Maybe he could salvage some of his food before it all went bad. To say nothing about the forecasted heat wave…

He froze dead in his tracks when he had the feeling he was being watched. He tugged his hat down as he spun around just in time to see someone disappear into a grate in the ground, leaving light green droplets in their wake.

Cull blinked. He had been around Inkopolis Square for around three months, and he had never seen such a strange hole in the ground. It didn’t mesh at all with the general Inkopolis style, being a huge orange lump, and it didn’t look like it would be much good for collecting rainwater or anything.

A horrible thought occurred to him. Was someone sucked down there, to who-knows-where? If so, what, or who¸ did such a thing to some poor Inkling? He peered into the grating, but he couldn’t see much. He could hear what sounded like someone swimming in the distance. There was no way to be sure if that was the Inkling who went under. Shouting a “hello” didn’t seem like a good idea either; not only would it be a little mortifying to be caught shouting into a random drain, but if this other person was caught by someone or something, drawing its attention might cause issues of its own.

He gulped and looked around to made sure no one else was looking at him. Luckily, everyone was too focused on the energy crisis. He took a deep breath, turned into a squid, and dove in. It was slow going, but Cull found that this was a linear pipe. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to lead to any sewers, but that just raised the question: where was he going?

All he could hear was his echoed breathing as he traveled through, and the awkward chatter of the others in town faded away. It was far too dark to see anything, but the walls of the pipe felt surprisingly smooth, even when they started to get thinner and squeeze on Cull a little bit. It was almost as if they were meant to be moved through…

Finally, Cull saw a light up ahead. He breathed a sigh of relief. Not only could he breathe easy, getting out of squid form and this tight tunnel, but he could also be happy that nothing was in the sewers attacking Inklings.

Still, where did this lead…?

He emerged, swiftly turning back to kid form. He squinted in the sunlight, looking around. This didn’t look like any place he had ever been. If the floating rocks weren’t a dead enough giveaway, there was also the fact this place looked like it was carved out of a mountain over a century ago; it was a far cry from the modern comforts of Inkopolis. Mossy, mostly stone, and a lot of gargantuan tentacle statues. All this ancient architecture made the relatively new flags and somewhat beat-up shack stand out. Was that a barbeque grill over there?

His eyes settled, and he saw someone with their back to him, obscured by a green oil-paper umbrella. Slowly, the umbrella moved, and the Inkling behind it turned around. Clad in a well-kept kimono, she had a beauty mark and gold, starry eyes, not unlike Pearl, and she had grey tentacles tied into a bow.

“Hey!” She smiled slightly when she saw him, with the well-trained look of a comedy actor performing after a messy divorce. “You showed up! As soon as I saw you wandering around in the square, I knew you were the one…”

“Uhh…” was all Cull managed in response, as he took a step back.

“I’m Marie,” she said, putting a hand up. “I know you’re probably a bit starstruck, but I need you to get over it. Yes, I’m that Marie.”

She let both of her wrists go limp, in a manner not unlike Off the Hook did to conclude their broadcast.

“Y’know…from the Squid Sisters.”

After a few seconds of looking around awkwardly, Cull tilted his head.

“Wait, you’ve never heard of me?” Marie asked, eyes widening. “For eel?”

“Ah, see, I don’t really watch TV…” Cull said, idly tugging his beanie down. “Sorry…”

Marie huffed. “Well, you’re obviously not very cultured, but you’ll have to do. See, I’ve got a little… thing I need help with.”

“Not very cultured? I mean, I…do art…” Cull mumbled, trying to sound indignant.

“The Great Zapfish isn’t just lost…it was squidnapped by the Octarian menace, and--”

“Um, are you sure?” Cull asked. “It…seems unlikely that anyone could just grab the Zapfish like that…”

Marie shrugged. “Fair point. But I’m not just an absurdly talented pop star; I’m also Agent 2 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon – a secret society of heroes who save the world from Octarians!”

Cull swallowed. “O…kay, then…”

He looked down at the grate he was still standing on, and back up at Marie.

“I know this sounds unbelievable,” she sighed. “But believe me, I’ve been keeping an eye on those slimy Octos for some time, and I’m sure they’re behind this!”

If only Callie was here to back me up… she thought.

“Huh?” Cull asked.

Marie blinked, realizing she said that out loud. She shook her head.

“Ahem, as I was saying, I need your help to recover the Great Zapfish. What do you say? Are you in?”

Cull looked again at his feet. Most of him wanted nothing more than to run home and hope he wasn’t chased by a madwoman. However, the rest of him thought of Flow. She had done so much for him; given him employment, advice, a back room to hide in, a shoulder to cry on…

What kind of friend would he be to turn away from a possible lead to the Zapfish that visited her every day until recently? She absolutely adored “Miffens”. She still smiled and greeted customers warmly, but Cull noticed she was talking a lot less, and was starting to stay by the back door. Even her shrimpy companion Craymond was less zippy these days.

If Marie was right…

“…I take your silence as a ye—"

“Yeah,” Cull sighed, not lifting his head back up. “I’m in.”

#cull goes to octo canyon #chapter 1 #draft 1 #all together now #splatoon 2 #cull to adventure full chapter

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a-table-of-fics · 3 years

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Cull to Adventure, Chapter 9, Draft 1

Marie brought a third fan, pointing it at the couch she had laid Agent 4 on. He was already getting some consistency back, but she wanted to make sure. She wasn’t worried about any mess on the couch, as the ink would soon evaporate anyway. She set it to “low,” like the others, then turned to pet the Zapfish who was powering all three. She was there for a few moments before going walking over and getting another Lamprede from the cooler she had.

“You did good out there, Agent 4,” she said, handing it to him. With a small smile, she added, “I sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Cull looked over, nodding appreciatively with a still-sloshy head.

“I didn’t think the Octoweapons would be fully operational, though,” she continued. “Gotta hand it to the Octarians; they know how to prepare.”

“So I’m gonna fight m-more ovens?” Cull groaned.

“I don’t know about that,” she replied, “But I do know we’re gonna need the big guns.”

She reached into her kimono, revealing a walkie talkie attached to a cord.

“Hello, Sheldon, can you hear me? Over.”

“Loud and clear, Mar-“ Sheldon started, before correcting himself, “erm, Agent 2. Over!”

Marie had to lean back from her device as Sheldon squealed with excitement, before clearing his throat and continuing.

“Agent 4, you’re in good hands! We at Ammo Knights have over 542 million years of trusted service, and I’m proud to say my weapons can be of help to the New Squidbeak Splatoon! What better place for a test run than the real-world conditions of saving Inkopolis, am I right? You’ll even get to use them once developed, and I think you’ll—”

“Okay,” Marie interjected. “Down, boy. I think Agent 4 gets the point.”

“Right,” Sheldon replied. “Well, come back tomorrow and I’ll get an Ammo Knights Enhancifier for you. It’ll automatically upgrade your weaponry and even make different bombs for you, if you can provide materials and enough energy from Power Eggs.”

“S-sounds good,” Cull said, finally felling solid enough to get onto his feet. “I…I think I need s-some time, anyway. It’s getting late…”

Marie nodded. The sky was already starting to fade from pink to purple, a lovely sight even in a place like Octo Canyon.

“Well, you can stay here for the night,” she said. “I mean, Agent 3 slept at an outpost like this, too, you know.”

“I… I kinda want to go home…” Cull admitted, taking a few semisolid steps to the grate to Inkopolis. “Got a few things t-to take care of…”

“You sure? You might still wanna…”

Marie paused, taking in Agent 4’s expression.

“…Suit yourself,” she finally said, “but the offer stands, okay?”

Cull looked back and gave a thumbs-up that was just a little runny, then disappeared into the grate.

Marie sighed, watching his inky footsteps disappear with mild interest before turning the fans off. Gently, she picked up the Zapfish and prepared to take it somewhere.

***

“Youuu okay?” Flage asked, in her usual sing-song voice. “I know it’s been ho-ot, but you’re not looking so great.”

“Y-yeah, I’ll… I’ll be fine,” Cull said, reflexively pulling his beanie down a little.

“Come now,” Flage said, reaching for the front of his hat, “Wearing a beanie in this he-heat? Don’t be silly!”

Cull leaned back so quickly that he almost fell right over the bench’s armrest.

“Please don’t,” he said.

“Oh, sorryyy,” she said, scooching backwards a little. “Forgot that’s pa-art of your look.”

“Y-yeah,” Cull said, leaning back up, “Guess…guess you could say it is.”

He shook his head; he didn’t have it in him to stay mad at her. She was trying to help, after all, and it’s not like she knew of his haircut.

“A-anyway,” he asked, looking for a change in subject, “what brings you to this bus stop? I-I thought you lived in Inkopolis.”

“Oh, that I dooo,” she replied, “but I hear there’s some goooood stargazing out by Bulrush Lake!”

“Ah,” he nodded. “That sounds nice.”

“Yeah, and you know it’ll be a sight to be-holdwhile the power’s still out! Goootta count my lucky stars!”

“I… I guess…”

“Besides, I need the ref-er-ence for my next piece. My next painting will change the world of art, buh-leave you me!”

“I-I’m sure it will,” Cull said, nodding slowly. “I’d l-like to see it s-sometime, if that’s okay...”

“Of course it is!” Flage beamed. “I would looove a fellow artiste to look at my work!”

“Oh, I’m n-no a-artiste,” Cull said, laughing nervously. “I-I just l-like drawing…”

“C’mon now!” Flage said, lightly patting Cull’s arm. “I’ve seen your graffi-tee, and pop art has a place in the art world!”

Cull’s beanie was almost entirely over his eyes at this point. Enough green ink rushed to his face to make him look sick.

“Y-you saw my stuff…?”

“Pret-ty easy to recognize,” Flage beamed, adjusting her glasses. “I saw your ta-ttoo, remember? You’re always draaawing within it, and you do great stuff!”

It was a horrible time for Cull to realize he left his gloves back at the Outpost. His no-doubt melted doodles were on full display right now, and he was sure the actual tattoo wasn’t looking as clean as it should have.

“I… I think I f-forgot something,” Cull managed, standing up to leave. The Outpost wasn’t sounding so bad right now. Not even Flage’s oddly soothing melodic voice was enough to numb his panic. “I gotta… I gotta go.”

“Was it something I said?” Flage asked, looking up.

He just wished he could ask her to stop patronizing him; who just gave underserved compliments out of nowhere? As it was, though, he didn’t have the nerve, and simply shook his head before heading back to the Outpost.

Once he was a safe distance from being seen by anyone, he stopped worrying about that general shame and finally noticed that unlike last night, some of the streetlights were on. Even as he stayed in the alleyways behind Inkopolis Square, he could see light trying to reach him from the main plaza. He looked over, and could see an Inkling in a gas mask and flippers spray painting the wall of the arcade, easily seeing his duck-based piece.

Cull cringed. He recognized that style; this was the guy who was always one-upping his own pieces whenever he made something he was proud of. To be fair, Cull had taken to doing the same thing, placing his high-effort pop art next to this guy’s detailed paintings, but still.

Anyway, it was getting really late, and if he had bones, they’d be aching from the long day. He quietly continued over to the manhole, and ducked into the Outpost.

He saw Marie sleeping on the couch, humming tunelessly as she snored. Quietly, he crept forward, looking for a different place to sleep, preferably a more private one. He saw his gloves lying on that coffee table, and snatched them up quickly.

As he did so, his foot bumped against something. He looked town to find a handle to a trapdoor. Curious, he gently moved the coffee table aside and lifted the door to find at least fifty plush Zapfish staring at him. It was a bit weird, but Cull could only yawn in response, not being able to question anything anymore. He clambered in, and appreciated how soft the pile was as he slowly closed the door again, listening to Marie’s humming as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Marie’s eyes slowly fluttered open, then squinted under the noonday sun. Slowly, she got up, and saw an orange grill-looking thing right in front of her, with Sheldon messing with some wires on a side panel. He seemed to be having some difficulty, though, as Marie could hear some violent banging, and he looked increasingly concerned, practically burying himself into unknowable machinery.

“Tech issues?” she yawned, sitting upright.

“Oh, don’t get me started,” Sheldon said, in a tone that made Marie wish she didn’t. “I checked everythingand there’s still that noise! The pistons are well-lubricated, the automated scan is perfectly calibrated, the motor is fresh off the assembly line—”

“Right, right,” Marie nodded, “you don’t know where it’s coming from. Anything I can do?”

“I… I don’t know,” Sheldon admitted. Marie could see in his goggles as he turned to her that he’d been at this for some time; his eyes were turning pink.

“Here, why don’t you sit down for a bit? You might need less time doing, more time thinking, y’know.”

“But what about what you said—”

“Nevermind that,” Marie said. “You gotta rest. Besides, that thing about inking and thinking…. That’s for squids of action. You don’t even ink, so don’t sweat it!”

“Um, okay,” Sheldon nodded, that spiel taking far more energy than it should have. He walked up and sat at the end of the couch, still having the diligence to close the panel beforehand. He couldn’t even flinch as the Enhancifier continued to bang and make odd wailing noises. Marie, however, wasn’t about to have it while she waited for Agent 4 to come back.

“So how do you turn this thing off?” she asked, standing up to look at the machine.

“That’s the thing,” Sheldon sighed, “it hasn’t been on for two hours! I’ve never seen something like this before, I tell ya…”

Marie hummed. A machine making those noises when off? She was no tech geek, but that sounded weird to her.

She leaned closer, listening to the noises. Now that things were a lot quieter, she realized the noises were coming from belowthe Enhancifier. With a couple of false starts and a lot of grunting, she moved it aside, and was now standing on the trapdoor Sheldon had covered.

Without the giant hunk of metal over the door, it was far easier to make out a familiar panicked voice. Marie wasted no time in stepping aside, and the door burst open. Cull popped out, gasping like his life depended on it.

“Oh Cod, I’m so sorry,” Sheldon said, running over to him. “I don’t know how I didn’t see the door there… I legitimately thought it was an issue with the Enhancifier, and…”

“I…it’s okay,” Cull said, after a moment. “I’m s-sure you didn’t h-hear me…”

“What were you even doing down there?” Marie asked, gently lifting him up onto the proper floor.

“R-ride home wasn’t working out,” Cull said, eyes glued to the floor. “I was… just gonna sleep h-here for one night, s-saw your thing of plushies, and…yeah.”

“I thought you had moved that table to give me space to work,” Sheldon said. “If I’d known he was in there, I wouldn’t have…”

“N-no, it was me. I just… I’m sorry…”

“Here,” Marie finally said, gently pulling Cull aside, “Why don’t you take a break, and then you and Sheldon can move this thing somewhere that makes sense, like… that corner over there. In the meantime, I’m getting myself something to drink. You guys want anything?”

Cull was suddenly aware of how hoarse he was, and nodded.

“C-could use some water.”

“That triage took its toll,” Sheldon admitted, “and I think I need a picker-upper. You got any Seafoam in that shed?”

“Sorry,” Marie said, silently wondering how much he had on a regular basis, “but I got a coffee maker and a few mixes.”

“That’s alright, then. I’ll get it in a bit.”

“That’s fine,” Marie nodded, “but don’t mess with it, okay? It’s Cal…”

Her face fell somewhat, before she coughed and turned to the shed.

“…It’s not mine. So don’t go tinkering with it.”

It was an awkward wait while Marie was heating up tea for herself. Cull had some ice water and had more interest in half-melted ice cubes than any Inkling Sheldon had ever seen.

After what felt like forever, Cull finally looked up, at least in Sheldon’s general direction.

“Um… you s-say this thing can upgrade my Splattershot?”

“Not just that,” Sheldon said, perking up. “It can get you the hottest new kinds of explosives, and even help you conserve your ink through a process I like to call ‘The Hibernation Effect’. Through a careful, multi-layered tubing system, we can safely extract less ink for the same shot, and even make the refilling process more comfortable than ever…”

Sheldon’s more detailed technical explanations started to go into one ear and out the other, but Cull was more interested than ever in the Enhancifier. He got up while Sheldon was still pouring an endless stream of info out of his mouth, and looked to see how this thing worked.

Thankfully, there was already a screen ready, with icons not only representing his Splattershot and Splat Bombs, but also, as Sheldon said, his ink tank, as well as other weapons he had seen on TV sometimes. There were even some of the newer ones, like the umbrella-looking one and the Dualies.

Below each icon, he saw estimates of the materials needed – so many Power Eggs to keep the battery going, and so many kilograms of Sardinium. He’d have to ask where the stuff he found was stored once Marie came back out.

“Cool, right?” Sheldon said, stepping up next to Cull. “Here, I got a bit of Sardinium and a pack of Power Eggs for testing right here. Just pick something and we can watch the magic happen! I’ll even let you get an exclusive sneak peek of how it does it!”

“Oh, um, okay.”

He took a second to look over the choices. Another kind of bomb seemed nice – that homing one was looking tempting. Then again, the machine was promising a faster firing rate and some better accuracy if he went with the Splattershot…

“Ooh, why don’t I show ya the Hibernation Effect?” Sheldon piped up excitedly. “I bet you’ll want more ink in that tank, yeah? Even your Splat Bombs’ll take less fuel to get the same kick!”

“Um…s-sure,” Cull nodded.

It wasn’t his first choice, since he was hoping to not have to shoot as much, but maybe it would help with his no-doubt abysmal shooting. After all, if he was filling the air with ink for longer, he’d be missing less, right? And, yeah, Sheldon probably knew what he needed better than he did; why else would he be so eager to decide for Cull?

While Cull tentatively tapped that upgrade, Sheldon had, in the blink of an eye, fetched the ink tank in question. With a couple of quick taps on a side panel, the orange lid opened to reveal protective glass, allowing Cull a full view of the machinery inside. Lights came on, and some robotic arms whirred to life to wait over a moving conveyor belt. Sheldon had inserted the glass capsule into a door on the side. It was soon drawn to the middle of all the machinery, and Cull was prompted to insert the materials needed. He flinched as a slot jumped out in front of him.

Sheldon, being more ready, was quick to pour a bag of Power Eggs and a couple bricks of Sardinium into it. Power Eggs fell into miniature battery packs, while the Sardinium was melted and converted to a variety of parts. Almost immediately, the arms got to work, disconnecting the tubes and prying the lid off. Cull found it neat to watch, even if he didn’t understand any of what was going on. Sparks flew, wires were added, and even the glass was polished inside and out.

Only about a minute passed before the ink tank was rolled back out the way it came in, landing safely on a tray.

Sheldon watched in anticipation as Cull gingerly picked it up, looking at the shiny new lid and siphon hoses.

“Looks nice,” Marie said from behind, nearly making Cull drop his new tool. “Surprised you went with the ink tank, though.”

“Sh-Sheldon said to get this one…”

“The guy knows his stuff,” Marie said, “but you gotta find what works for you, okay? I know you will.”

Cull nodded.

“Anyway, get yourself suited up, and we can see how that ink-saving whatchamacallit works in action. I bet it’ll still help.”

Marie turned to Sheldon.

“We’ve been keeping the stuff Agent 4 has found in the cupboard, if you wanna go and get paid back.”

Sheldon saluted, walking in and getting the items he used before lifting the manhole cover and disappearing.

“Didn’t even get his coffee,” Marie sighed, shaking her head.

***

“Hey, wait!” Sheldon called out, taking both Marie and Cull by surprise over the radio. “You might wanna try out something different here! I can send you a Roller, and we can see if it works out better for you. Plus, you know, these weapons need a good ol’ field testing…”

“Erm,” Cull said, looking at his Splattershot, “I-I’m kinda already here…”

“Yeah, we’d have to recall Agent 4 if we wanted to—”

“No, no, I can also test my newest delivery system! For the past two years, I’ve gotten a hold of some old tech from my gramps, and found a way to get a remote drone and all its electronics through these grates, and even greatly extended the signal through careful use of the latest—”

“You think you can send it down to him?” Marie asked. “Sure; try the first tower on the left once you get to Suction-Cup lookout. You think your whatchamacallit can fly that far?”

“Well, the battery kinda had to be skimped on to get it to work, but I could drive there! Can you wait a few, Agent 4?”

“I… I guess…?”

“Great! I’ll let you know when I’m there! Try to hang on until then, okay?”

“…Sure…?”

***

The spawner was surprisingly comfortable to sit on, considering it was a large metal plate with ink swirling below glass. Still, it gave Agent 4 a nice place to relax as he looked around the smoggy area. It wasn’t much to look at, apparently being an industrial area with floating steel platforms and a greenish tint to the air. In the distance, there were hanging orange lights to punctuate the gloomy area. The air smelled of motor oil and something like ink blended with iron. Interestingly, there were some yellow traffic signs laid on the right that showed squid icons, and those looked pretty new.

He didn’t have much time to think about that, however, as a low buzzing noise turned his attention upwards. A black and yellow drone descended, carrying a large case. Cull’s gaze followed it as it lowered to eye level and started orbiting him.

“Go ahead and swap your Splattershot out for this bad boy,” Sheldon said. “See how you like it!”

Cull pulled the case off the drone and opened it, revealing an intricately folded lump of yellow plastic and steel. He yelped as, almost immediately, the contraption sprung to life, leaping out towards him as he jumped back, dropping his gun. Within half a second, the machine had stopped, revealing itself to be a massive Roller, not too different from the ones Cull saw in commercials pretty frequently.

“Real beauty, isn’t she?” Sheldon said. “Go ahead and give ‘er a whirl! But first… please put that poor Splattershot in that case. I don’t want it getting scratched…”

Cull nodded, picking his gun up and putting it back into the same case the Roller burst out of. Sending the drone on its way, he turned to his new weapon, testing the handle. Yup, the thing was almost as heavy as it looked, but he was used to paint rollers anyway; he was constantly re-painting the walls at home, after all.

He started to push his Roller forward, and he was astonished at how smoothly his ink coated the floor as he went. He was used to having a rough time, but moving forward with this monstrosity was a breeze!

Well, at least for the first fifteen or so seconds. When he was out of ink, the sheer weight of this thing slowed him to a crawl. Apparently, all that smoothness was just his ink; the mix of metal and foam was not doing his advance after the first Launchpad any favors.

“You gotta lift that up for a bit,” Marie said. “Remember, you only have so much ink, even with that enhanced tank.”

“Um… okay…”

Surprisingly, it was pretty easy to lift the Roller. The challenge was balancing with it; everything above the handle was so massive he found himself tilting every which way. He stumbled around, trying to find some kind of way to keep his weapon upright.

What was worse, he knew Agent 2 and Sheldon were watching this performance, probably snickering to themselves about it.

“Keep it close to your chest,” Marie said, without a hint of humor in her voice, somehow making it worse. “Bend your knees a lil’, keep the Roller straight up… yeah, like that!”

Cull somehow felt sillier now that he had something like the right posture, but at least he could stand, and he could feel his ink tank refilling.

“Just watch for the Rolinium around here!” Sheldon piped up. “I think this is a processing plant for the stuff…”

Up ahead, there was a giant bundle of what looked like Roller sleeves, and an Octotrooper waiting on some kind of large, automated brush. Cull was about to try to rush forward, balance be clammed, but both voices shouting for him to stop landed him right in front of the bundle.

“You can activate that Rolinium with your own,” Sheldon pointed out. “It’ll fly right ahead into the bad guys!”

“Probably a better way of getting a feel for the thing, too,” Marie added. “Don’t have to get up to that Octoslob with a weapon you’re not used to this time.”

Agent 4 nodded, shifting his grip a bit as he looked at the Rolinium. If he could launch this like Sheldon said, he’d have to time it. He was just glad the Octotrooper hadn’t noticed him; he was sure the guy would have had the same idea and just launch the Roller sleeves at him.

He had to slam his weapon down as soon as he tried to lean it forward. A violent splash of ink hit the Rolinium before he could run into it, and it immediately accelerated, barreling right into the unsuspecting Octatrian.

“Nice one!”

Cull knew he didn’t deserve that praise, so he just nodded and literally pressed forward with the Roller.

#cull goes to octo canyon #cull to adventure #chapter 9 #draft 1 #Splatoon #splatoon fic #splatoon 2 #splatoon 2 fic #cull to adventure full chapter

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