3 weeks, 2 insecure insights with myself, 1 Mountain Dew bottle with a dank tune playing in the background... and 0 Damns given was all it took for me to make this story. I don't own anything; credit goes to artist Teevz-Art (link below) for making up the characters that this Fanfic focuses around on. (Also, thanks for letting me do this in the first place.)
If you want to make me do more work, maybe leave a review so that I can know how many spelling errors I make. Don't expect things to be 100% accurate to the game; reason being me not owning Splatoon 2 or watching any gameplay of it. Sorry about that.
This story begins as a lone Octoling Soldier with a backpack walks across the desolate landscape that is Octo Canyon. He has a single destination, given to him by his higher-ups to scout out potential obstacles to the undergoing plans of DJ Octavio. Seeing some colored ink that wasn't his own, he sighs and decides to yell out his frustrations while going towards his destination.
But this particular Octoling was not the usual soldier in Octavio's army. He was much more than that.
In fact, before he was a soldier... he was a star. A rock-star, to be specific.
A couple of rocks and pebbles roll down a small hill. A figure carrying a small backpack trudges up to the top. He mutters something out-loud for no one to hear.
"...Damn grandpa... always messing up relations with those squid-bags." Tai said as he struggled to climb the small bluff that was in the way of his assigned recon designation. Considering that he was supposed to be stealthy while advancing towards his destination, being an Octoling with a standing-out shade of teal tentacles while yelling his frustrations out in the open of a canyon wasn't what many would call... stealthy.
But no one was around, so he didn't really feel like he was failing horribly at his scouting mission.
...Except for the part that needed him to wear the shades he got from the higher-ups. He hated those.
As much as he didn't want to do this, he had to follow his grandpa if he didn't want to end up angering his only source of shelter and food for the time being.
That didn't mean he was putting on the shades, though.
His equipment rustled in the backpack with every step he took up the bluff, and as he finished the climb, he slid back down the other side and continued on his way. A few minutes later, he reached his destination, and he heaved his backpack down from his aching back with a sigh.
Tai let his mind wander back to the days of his band; to the days when he was living a great life. Although he didn't hate his grandpa, he did hate that he had to transition back to boring old Octarian living. The worse part of it was that he even had to go straight into the army, due to a request from good ol' grandpa Octavio. As much as he loved his species as the next Octarian, he wasn't quite sure that he was fighting for at all. They were ok back in Octo Valley, so why start another fight with the Inklings here?
His question will never be answered, he realizes.
Oh, how he wishes he could go back...
...
Now, if you were to look at Tai Octavio a few years before he "personally" got drafted into the Octarian army, you would have known him as a cocky prick who only played the kazoo as an instrument instead of his guitar in a band of misfits trying to make a name for themselves. It had been only 4 years before when he presented himself, his brother Kou Octavio, and their Octarian friend Barney (insert last name here) as the Octo Bros.; the newest rock band to rock Inkopolis Plaza.
Unfortunately, at the time of their big reveal, they weren't exactly welcomed with open hands.
Probably due to the current events at that time, which were their band's species stealing a very important and necessary power source, the Great Zapfish, from the city's power supply.
There was even an already existing pop-culture duo, the Squid Sisters, and other popular existing bands that Tai immediately forgot the names of. Add the fact that the band popped out of Octo Valley right after the Great Zapfish got rescued by the SquidBeak Splatoon, and you get a lot of Inklings' reactions towards them being less than ideal than what Tai, who was (unfortunately) the leader of their band, would have wanted. But that didn't stop their band from becoming a renowned name in the Inklings' music industry when they started out.
The Octarians' music industry was already flooded by both their grandpa Octavio and Turquoise October anyways.
Shortly after their reveal, Tai and his brother proved themselves a talented and fresh duo, straight from the ground up. The funny thing was that their first known track was originally a joke about Kou having no "Takoyaki" balls to admit that he wasn't sneaking peeks at a certain squid from the squid sisters. Nevertheless, its sound and beat were so entrancing to the kids down at Inkopolis Plaza, that by the time the week ended when they first published it, a lot of Inklings' heads and tentacles were rocking to Tai's vocals and guitar, Kou's bass solos, and Barney's drums.
After gaining positive feedback from those who listened to the song, Kou himself even admitted the track insulting him was catchy.
But only because he pulled-off that sick solo on his bass guitar.
With Tai's guitar, Kou's bass, and Barney's magical drum-playing (He has no arms, so how does he do it?), they got out some fresh-hit singles after that small incident; growing into their "thing" the moment right after and throughout their band's lifetime. They eventually grew to produce some of Inkopolis Plaza's "Top 100 Hit Soundtracks". Squids, Jellies, and sea creatures of every race tuned into the trio's music. From the softest rock by Kou to the loudest thrash by Tai, the band hit all the expectations of cephalopods of all ages that were fortunate enough to listen to the variety of songs that they put all of their heart, soul, and willingness to work onto.
Throughout their band's lifetime (although more often than appreciated), they took tremendous breaks. Sometimes, out of pure laziness, they would only put up a single new song or track every month. And surprisingly, the band's fans were ok with it. With the new rock genre that their band showed light upon, squids were rocking out to tunes that even the Squid Sisters were giving recognition towards. And because they couldn't wait for the new single to come out, the fan-base of the Octo Bros kept busy listening to already existing tracks which made their popularity and music spread even farther.
Their band even rivaled the Squid Sisters in over-all ratings at one point in time; though this was possible only due to the number of Octarian migrations from the grounds of Octo Valley to the surface of Inkopolis.
Besides Turquoise October and their grandpa, there wasn't really any competition when it came to music preferences down when it came to Octarians from Octo Valley. For the Inklings though, it was the complete opposite thanks to the multiple bands residing and performing in the city already. Thankfully, the Octo Bros. had some old fans to help praise their work to others, which ultimately turned out to be their only reason as to how they were as popular as the Squid Sisters.
For a while.
Being successful at something was something Tai and Kou rarely experienced, even in their kid years. Because of it, all the newfound fame got into Tai's head too quick since their reveal a month ago. So Kou, being the older brother of the two, had to control some questionable and possibly dangerous acts their band committed that could have made their reputation drop as low as Octo Valley. The last thing the band wanted was to turn out as one of those groups which didn't care for the government. Covering up all of their shenanigans in Inkopolis was harder than performing in front of a crowd live, and it didn't help that they were being closely watched by the Inklings to make sure no funny business goes down again on the city's power supply lowering suddenly. Stress was common throughout the 3 band members of Octo Bros., but it rarely showed. Barney helped with that, considering that he was the silver lining between the thin line that was Tai's and Kou's relationships they shared with each other. Not to go into details, but Tai hated the fact that Kou wasn't as jealous as he was towards their current biggest rival in the music industry.
Kou, on the hand...
...Well, take a look at Tai and tell him that he wasn't a being of pure disappointment to his face with straight eyes.
Besides, they were having too much fun being famous. Both in their band and in Inkopolis Plaza's own Turf Wars.
While Kou was doing his own thing with his Heavy Splatling over by the corner in any Turf War match he part-took in, Tai was actually having fun and working with the other participants that just so happened to be on the same team as him.
Some players say that Tai was the one that led a secret group that only used weapon variants of Sloshers. They called themselves the Buckets of Tears, for anyone that played against them left the Turf War lobby in... well, tears. How the group like that lasted long enough to win a ranked championship was a mystery to everyone.
Especially since Tai was... Tai, to simply put.
As months of new tracks and singles go by, their band is one of the more popular and fresh ones out there. Sure, their band's fame didn't put down the Squid Sisters or any other bands as Tai would've wanted... but being popular and not-in-bankruptcy satisfied everyone's personal needs and his narcissistic ego for the while that they were relevant in Inkling society. During this time, Tai group, "The Buckets of Tears", was disbanded for whatever reason. Those that were part of it never tell what happened, even to this day...
Shortly after that event, a year passes by from the date that marked the fiasco by their grandpa Octavio. Then, something that no one expected to happen... happened. One day the Octo Bros. find themselves down a rival. After a certain Splatfest, for some strange reason, the Squid Sisters separated. This news was delightful to Tai, as he had always hated them, their fame, and their fortune. Due to the iconic duo, they were always the second choice for everyone in Inkopolis. Not surprising to anyone though was Kou's dismay to the news. (Tai liked the Squid Sisters a lot. Especially Callie. Like, like-liked her.)
In order to celebrate (And to cry about for Kou), they moved from Inkopolis Plaza to Inkopolis Square, where they heard all the new kids were going. The outcome of this decision only led them to more competition and having to have more work done in their band. They also gained a new, but short-lived rivalry. A new duo called Off the Hook quickly took the Octo Bros' spotlight from them, which quickly made the 3 of them realize that you needed an exposing leather jacket and a big forehead in order to be considered "fresh" in today's squid generation.
Tai and Kou both wondered how an Inkling and Octoling joined forces to create trashy and unoriginal electro music. That, and that they were starting to get better ratings than them. Half a year goes by from their move to Inkopolis Square, and the band finds themselves puny compared to the success of the Pearl and Marina, who even had the audacity to reach out to them and assure that they meant no-hard feelings. The worst part was that they were the first Octarians there in the first place! Tai was pretty sure that the only reason Marina joined with Pearl to make Off the Hook was that she took inspiration from their band, but couldn't find anyone else to play with except a desperate small fry called Pearl.
What a pair of mimics they were. If the floods were to rise again, at least they would be remembered as the first successful Octarian music group in the Inklings' eyes. They would go down in music history as the original Octarians to create Inkopolis' adored music. The greatest of all Octarian bands. The best.
...
And yet... after transitioning them from being fresh to Off the Hook being fresh instead, Tai couldn't blame those squids; they chose to move to Off the Hook and other music artists instead of staying with the Octo Bros for the upcoming new genre of music. He guessed that it was how the music business worked. THeir band technically committed the same act to the Squid Sisters, but that was a different occasion.
At that moment, he and his brother realize that no matter how hard you try, you're going to become old news at some point.
And Tai was, for the most part, ok with that.
To be fair, their band did knock out some competition when they had their rise to fame. It's just how music grows, he guessed. Surprisingly, he was pretty somber about this event. He didn't like how he was getting pushed away from the spotlight, but he grew to accept the fact that even the biggest stars fall someday.
It was their band's turn to fall. And Tai, realizing the situation, was accepting of that.
That didn't mean his band couldn't be a bit salty about it happening though. They had some time and talent left in the three of them, and they were going to put out as much as they can.
...Right after a quick break.
They needed to get out as much tension as they could before they got back to making what would grow to become their last songs from their band.
After the month that Off the Hook formed, those two get a contract that made them Inkopolis Square's new news hosts. Both Tai and Kou hated the duo at that point, but for very different reasons that don't have to be explained. Off the Hook accepted the deal and started blasting out their hottest tracks in Inkopolis Square. The Octo Bros. was starting to fall under "old-news" due to the new sensation in Inkling pop-culture.
The future started to look bleak for Tai, Kou, and Barney.
Guess who decided to help with that by escaping from the SquidBeak Splatoon's hold to do the same thing from about 2 years ago?
That's right!
None other than Grandpa Octavio. DJ Octavio, as he's known to others.
Escaping his prison that was a literal giant snow-globe back in Octo Valley, Octavio decided to steal all the Zapfish again. His reason? That he was still salty about a 14-year old squid beating him back when the Octo Bros. just formed.
The same squid who got praised as a national hero to all species because of it.
Revenge was the new goal here. Screw keeping his people safe and happy! He wanted to gain spoils of war!
Or, at very least, the spoils of beating the Squids in a rematch.
A rematch that Octavio thought they clearly weren't going to be able to win.
And why weren't they going to win this time?
Because he had a new plan. (And also because of Capt. Cuttlefish taking a break along with Agent 3 from the Squidbeak Splatoon.)
Sending out requests that Octarian people brought back down to the valley, Octavio watched as the people he led back at the valley in a fight for their homes and own welfare started going back down to the place where they lost everything. They were ranging from his loyalists to those who couldn't fit in or adjust to the new and stressful society that had Inklings as the dominant species out of all the others. Some even went back down there out of sheer force from both the Inkling and Octarian governments.
It wasn't long before Octarian populations all around Inkopolis in general reached numbers as low as 3 digits. Those that stayed were either able to... or not. Those that weren't had the choice of going back down to the valley immediately, or risk getting punished by both species. There were cases of civilians being imprisoned and sent back anyways, Inklings and Octarians being splatted, and worse; all because they didn't want to go back to their old, dangerous, and severely un-fresh lives they had down in that Valley.
Fortunately, the 3 members of the Octo Bros grudgingly did some legal documents and paperwork that made them citizens in both the Inkling and Octoling societies. That way, they weren't forced to go back to their past home in the Valley... along with other Octarians that had the time, resources, and will to do the same thing.
Sometimes, even with the paperwork and approved documents, they were still forced down back to the valley for reasons unknown. They were really the only ones safe because they had so much fame and popularity from the Inklings that still listened to their music. The government in Inkopolis didn't want to disrupt or erase things that those Inklings' considered fresh, both out of fear and respect for the squids.
That being said, big-name companies, groups, and brands could still leave Inkopolis out of pure choice if they wanted to. Those that did usually had a shout-out and special event about it before they left. Or they just left a note on the front door.
Worked either way for the Inklings in charge of the government. Especially if at one point in time, a certain group decided to leave that may have caused trouble for them before...
At some point, Octavio, not seeing his grandsons from the masses of Octarians coming back to the valley, decided to recall them from the surface himself.
And that was why the Octo Bros. disbanded; all three of them had to go back. Mainly Tai and Kou, because 1: They were still Octarian Citizens by law, 2: Because their grandpa requested them to, and he was an Octarian government official, and 3: The competition in the music industry was getting stiff.
Why stay in a place where you couldn't benefit from anymore?
It wasn't hard to see that new bands were rising up along with Off the Hook. Tai realized that to keep their band's name up, they'd have to actually do stuff, but more often. Clearly, new releases every week was better than a single new track every month. No matter how good-sounding he and Kou made their last songs, the crowd's demand only grew greedier and greedier; leading to the gradual decrease in their band's popularity. New, pressuring anonymous messages from fans and haters alike drove the three Octarians to the edge with stress as if they weren't on the edge already.
It was then decided that they would pump out one last song before they hit rock-bottom, to signal their official leave from the music business and leave their last mark in Inkling society.
The performance that was scheduled just before their trip back to the Valley was amazing. Rocking out old songs, dishing out never-before-heard tracks, music from other bands remixed into their taste... all of them that they could play was played before that one final song that they created just for that very occasion. The party lasted all night, Octarian style. Off the Hook was there, and Tai could have sworn he saw the eyes of reminiscence form in Marina's eyes. He couldn't blame her; he, Kou, Barney, and others from their species had the same eyes all the while the party continued. The event truly showed all who attended the shining aspects of their culture and how much they enjoyed it. The Inklings enjoyed it themselves, talking about the even non-stop for at least a week.
Sadly, after a short while, high-ranking officials came to escort them back down.
Taking long, last looks of their once-lived legacy on the surface, the three of them took the long and unpleasant trip heading back down into the slums of Octo Valley. Along the way, they met familiar faces they couldn't recognize anymore. It seemed like the life got sucked right out of them, and they were experiencing the darkest days of the Octarian race once again.
Once they reached there, the officials made them meet up with their grandpa and his new accomplices. He then announced to them and everyone who was there in the valley that they would be moving to another home. A home that would be better than the crumbling buildings and platforms that was Octo Valley. They were moving to... a Canyon.
But not just any Canyon. Oh, no.
Octo Canyon.
The same canyon that was residing next to the city, Inkopolis Square.
And so Octavio began mobilizing every single Octarian from Octo Valley into Octo Canyon. That, unfortunately, included Tai, Kou, and Barney.
And at that moment marked the official separation of the Octo Bros.
Tai and Kou were sent to different aspects of the re-building Octarian army, while Barney was left to struggle in the Octarian workforce that was struggling to meet demands from the higher-ups in the Octarian government.
Tai was never part of the army, nor did he want to. Doing things, in general, wasn't generally... his thing. Especially if it was outside doing splatting suckers with his bucket, doing solos on his guitar, or showing off his buff body to the women. (Spoiler Alert: He's not buff.) But his grandpa made sure that he joined as well as everybody else that was still in Octo Valley, for the sole reason of Tai putting his non-existent combat skills to the test for "the greater good of their species." After having the quick move to the canyon, they struck Inkopolis Square at dark; stealing any power source the Inklings had. Oh, and we can't forget about their main target; the Great Zapfish. The army hunkered down to guard the Zapfish that they had stolen. The Great Zapfish went to Octavio's slimy tentacles again. With the power secure, Octavio was able to fuel his plan for revenge. New equipment and weapons slowly began to slowly be created. With the new developments in his army, Octavio was sure he couldn't lose this time.
But being on the safe side...
He forcefully split the two Octoling brothers apart by putting one of them in the most daunting task of all in the army.
Octavio was sure that his grandson's array of skills would help him in his effort to secure a critical objective in that his plans required to keep at all times.
Unfortunately for Tai, Kou got that job. Instead, his lackluster skills were instead put to the test of scouting. A test that Tai couldn't hope to pass.
During the meeting where the two brothers were informed of this, many arguments were had, many tables got banged on, and a bucket got twirled in a defensive manner. In the end, Tai got a backpack, a set of rules to follow, and a boot to the ass as he got kicked out of Cephalon HQ to start his first mission. He got back looking like he fell 3 stories.
During the mission, he somehow did. And survived.
At first, Octavio and his higher-ups were generally disappointed in Tai for his lack of effort. But they started to depend on him when their greatest fears start to be confirmed.
A new Agent was on their way to stop them. Agent 4.
And it looked like the squid was on a higher level of skill than the last one.
With the rest of the scouting parties too scared to go out into the canyon out of fear of this dangerous agent roaming around, Tai was usually the only one to be sent out on scoutings and status reports of the general area of the canyon. Tai didn't really mind; it was better than standing around all day in a smelly underground bunker the called Cephalon HQ.
He accepted the missions out of pure boredom, for what else was there to do? With the band split and everyone in Octo Canyon listening to the new tracks of Turquoise October, making music seemed like a waste of Tai.
He liked doing it with his bandmates better, anyways.
The commanders of the Octarian army gave him missions that were usually to just go to a place and report what he saw.
Every time he went out, he came back in a single piece that looked like it went through an Inkstrike. But hey, he wasn't splatted at least.
...
Fast forward a few fruitless missions, a few close calls, and a time period of over half a year, and we arrive back to Tai... who is now currently yelling his frustrations out into the wilderness.
"Really grandpa? Did you really have to make me a boy-scout? I could be doing something better you know!" Tai called out to no-one in particular. He already lost his way just minutes ago, and was in… wherever he was now. The only reason he got to his rendezvous in the first place was that he flipped his map, which was upside down, to begin with when he first left. Now arriving at his issued scouting site, he noticed that whatever this place was. It wasn't to his liking. After making sure his stuff was good, which consisted of a map, a standard-issue OctoShot with an Ink tank, a pair of binoculars, a communications radio, and some food rations, he checked his surroundings and gave another disapproving glance.
Tai wasn't fond of nature that much, given the many hours he spent with his brother lazing around, making songs in their studio back in Inkopolis Square, or trashing their grandpa's royal abode. The last reason was also the main driving point behind their group; they had to pay back what Octavio paid keeping his grandsons around. At least they were to pay it off in their time in the band. Tai tried not to imagine what could have happened if they failed at completing all their debts to their grandpa before they got shipped back to work for him...
A slight shudder goes up Tai's back.
After seeing nothing of interest for about 10 minutes, Tai decided to move somewhere else. Nothing was going to happen in this place. Re-packing his things, he checked his ink-tank and gave himself the good-to-go. Walking towards the direction he picked for himself, he decided to check his map again after 10 minutes from leaving his scouting post. "...Where is this place? Let's see..." Tai reached for the map of Octo Canyon and quickly looked as to where he was now. For a second he thought he was way back at Only then would he realize that moving forward was a mistake.
"Tentakeel Outpost?" Tai shouted. He never knew he was far behind enemy turf. For all he knew, the new Agent 4 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon had been quick to adapt to their new weaponry and reached the 3rd Great Octo Weapon in a matter of 2 weeks. "Man, that squid really wasn't taking their time," Tai said to himself. "Better head back to friendly turf. Who knows what might happen if I continue going up the path..." Tai nervously said to himself. He wasn't one to get nervous, but in a situation like this, he had all the right. Putting back the map, he turned around and started his run back to Cephalon HQ.
Then he took a left.
After literally 2 minutes, he took a left again.
He was never the best at having a sense of direction.
Thinking the direction he was blindly running at was the way to HQ, he started to feel sweaty and tired when suddenly, he spotted something out of the usual Octarian-ordinary.
"Wait, why am I running towards a shack?" Tai pondered to himself before skidding to a halt to think. He could recall no buildings as furnished and maintained as good as the shack in any of the sectors he's been in. There were just usually debris and metal platforms, just like in the Valley. Hell, the shack, which was in a middle of a freaking canyon, was better kept than Tai's old apartment which he shared with his bandmates. Tai shook those questions from his head and asked himself a more important question.
Why was it doing out here? Surely it wasn't out here for a vacation home. It looked like one, but who would want to visit here? Especially with the word going out that Octarians are back to their old roots. Ever since they took the Great Zapfish again, Inklings have been questioning relations with their cephalic neighbors. The Octarian image has been lowering to the point where any Octarian living in Inkopolis Square was harassed by the Inkling masses if they weren't anyone famous or popular.
But then again, when were relations between the two species ever good?
Besides, you'd have to completely sell yourself over to them and become a slave to their society if you wanted to live there nowadays. And even then, what would they want from those Octarians?
...
*cough* *cough* Marina *cough*
...
Well, no point in standing around. Scouting did need him to gather intelligence of importance. And maybe, if he were to come across something that could benefit his grandpa.
...OK, there's probably nothing of importance to the Octarian race in the shack, but Tai was pretty tired from his 7 minutes run into out of enemy territory. Well, if worse comes to worse, scare the living squid bags out of any possible Inklings that could now be in the area, take some food, and have a rest. Then when he's had his full, search the shack, find something to bring back, and get a half-scolding from grandpa Octavio for being 5 minutes late.
Hmm. Sounded less like a worse and more of a best to him. Besides, going around places getting information is what scouts tend to do, right?
Or were those spies?
...What difference does it make? He'll bring back something of interest to show that he isn't completely useless.
Wait, he's forgetting something... Oh yeah. Don't get caught. Was that a scout thing? Or just a general order? Tai decided it was common sense. After all, what Octarian would get caught dead in broad daylight running around a Canyon? The idea was simply absurd.
...
...
...
*Growl*
"Ugh... Shut up you." Tai said to his rumbling stomach. "We'll get some food, but not before I make sure I don't die while hopefully eating a sandwich." He says to himself while finding a spot to settle down his stuff. He hides it, knowing there's the minuscule chance that he gets captured or splatted by the enemy. He did bring his OctoShot and Ink tank, for when he needs a quick getaway.
Or a weapon.
Tai starts filling up his tank with his Teal ink and makes sure the coast is clear for him to reach the shack undetected. "This gonna be a piece of Takoyaki." He whispers to himself while silently approaching the other side of the shack.
Oh, how Tai would come to regret those words.
Approaching the shack from what it seemed to its right side, he starts to relax his posture when he finally appears from around the back of the shack. Heading towards the front and taking a couple of steps forward, his heart almost stops.
He sees an Inkling dressed in an elegant, lime-green colored traditional kimono who looked like he was waiting for him.
The same thing happens to the Inkling as well.
Looks like today was going to turn out a very interesting day for the both of them.
And there we go. A single chapter. Not bad for a first chapter. Again, tell me if you want more (maybe put in some ideas or references) and tell me what's horrible about this attempt at reviving a dead concept. (Link to Inspiration on Twitter: /teevzart?lang=en) Check out their artwork! (And encourage them to pick up the heap of garbage that is the Octo Bros.)
Until my willingness to work perks up again, stay tuned in for the next chapter... or not, I guess. Whatever floats your boat.