Anonymous reviews:
ika tako gamer: Well, I think there's been four reviews since last week. Quite a bit! Anyways, I'll answer your questions. First of all, both Agent 3 and Geneva have a lighter shade of green, I would say. Geneva's ink color is in the cover image, so you can decide for yourself. As for Iris, she's a grumpy person in general: she's a perfectionist, so she wants everything to be up to her standards. If something doesn't go her way...then she's not happy. She's also a bit like Giovanni - she wants to show that octolings are better than inklings, so it's more like a one-sided rivalry. There's some hate mixed in too with her experiences, but she knows that anything's better than Octarian society. Thus, she tolerates living in Inkopolis. Turf wars are fun too. I think that's a sentiment most people in Inkopolis share. Anyways, I'm glad Alexis is your favorite! She's certainly one of the more interesting characters to write. It's also interesting to hear the similarities between her and your OC, too. I'm also kind of surprised Bonnie's one of your favorites, too. I suppose out of all the Rainbow Squids, she's the one I base off of my own experiences the most. She has strict parents and feels restricted by them, and she's rather reserved, but she can speak out when necessary. So, perhaps she's one of the most relatable? I guess only you can answer that.
Well...the Splatoon universe knowing about TMNT isn't out of the question. They do discover a lot of human artifacts from our time in the Splatoon universe. And sometimes put their own spin on it, too. I'm aware of the SpongeBob vs. Patrick Splatfest. And since everyone in the Rainbow Squids except Alexis is a Splatoon 1 squid, they would know about it, too. Maybe I'll have them reference it at some point.
As for Alexis and her nightmares, I wouldn't say it's just a fear. It's more like trauma from her adventures. Being forced to save the Great Zapfish at a young age does a lot on you. She'll get better over time, but it'll never truly go away. I suppose that's a major theme in "The Rainbow Squids" - overcoming the traumas of your past. Agent 3, Agent 4, and Agent 8 all have trauma, but they do have the strength to grow beyond it. It's more prominent in the later chapters when they're more present, but I do plan to develop this more. We still have two and half seasons to go! ...Hard to believe I'm halfway through Season 4 already.
Now, on to the story.
Perry's PoV
Perry walked along the streets of Inkopolis, humming his new song to himself. The block he walked in today wasn't one he walked in often, but it did feel strangely nostalgic to him. The streets were tight, clotheslines hanging from window to window. Some jellyfish were even trying to balance on them. Parallel parking was a necessity here, but nonetheless, driving through here seemed like a nightmare. It was sunset down, casting the street in a strange sepia light.
In his aimless wanderings, something suddenly caught his attention, his head snapping up. A grey tail that looked orange in this light slithered into a building, disappearing almost immediately after he noticed. Curious, he started to run towards the building, soon arriving at its entrance. Oddly enough, the door was open, purple curtains lining the doorframe. He pushed through them and entered the room.
The sight was unusual, to say the least. A small light glowed in the center of the glass table, casting the room in blue, amplified by the purple walls. Some curtains displaying star designs hung from the back wall, a door peeking through them. Some beanbags sat in the corner of the room, and various magazines lied beside them. On the shelves were various trinkets. There were snow globes, bobble heads, and even wooden carvings. Just where did he stumble into?
Of course, behind the glass table was the creature he saw before, their species now clear—they were a hagfish. Their skin was slick with slime, though the magenta shawl they wore seemed unaffected by it. They wore a fedora on her head, and their barbels were long and flowing. They looked behind them to see Perry and jumped, quickly turning around to face him with large, simple eyes not too dissimilar to a jellyfish's.
"You're a surprise..." the hagfish muttered with an airy, feminine voice.
"Well, I saw you, so I followed you," he explained. The purple-haired boy pulled up a beanbag and plopped down in it, his limbs sprawling out. "So, what's the deal with this place, lady?"
"This place..." She raised a fin-like hand and tapped it on the glass table. "It is meant to be somewhere calming. Where you can talk freely, and I give advice in return."
"So like a counselor?"
"I suppose it can be like that."
"Hm..." Perry brought a hand up to his chin. "Dunno if I need any advice right now."
"You may still talk," noted the hagfish. "I will be here to listen."
"Hm..." He smirked. "Wanna listen to my song?"
"Your...song?" She raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Yeah, it's my latest song. Wrote it a few days ago." He pulled out his phone and displayed the song's page on SplatCloud, pushing it towards the hagfish. "C'mon, take a listen."
She stared at it for a few moments before pressing the play button, and a trap beat started to play. Soon enough, Perry's voice began to rap. Pride built up in his chest, knowing that someone other than his friends was listening to it.
"Perfect, reject, correct, defect," his voice started, repeating a few times. Then, the song went into the first verse. "I thought this was gonna be great! / Why am I starting to feel hate? / Was I wrong? Did it last for too long? / Cod, give me an answer already! / Answer already! Answer already!"
A brief interlude played, mixed in with disc scratches. "Are you...going through heartbreak?" the hagfish inquired. "Music is often a look into the soul."
"Nah, I just got a neat idea and wrote it," he clarified. "That's all."
"I see..."
After they finished, the bridge started to play. "It was love at first sight; that's what it was. / But turns out you didn't love me at all! / Now, now, give me the cause! / Surely you can reveal the fall! / But no, no, no, / It doesn't work this way."
Now, it was time for the chorus. "Perfect, reject, correct, defect." He started to bop his head along. This was his favorite part of the song! "I tried and I tried, / But now I've been denied. / Super stupid love, / Not asking what's above. / I think it's my fault. / No, I'm thinking it's yours!"
Another interlude played, and the second verse quickly began to be sung. "Changing faces every day, / To keep the heartbreak at bay. / Remember the fun we had together? / You sure don't! Change lovers at your leisure. / So that's how it is! / How it is! How it is!"
The notes of the instrumental went higher than usual before going down to their usual pitch as Perry's voice began to sing the bridge of the song. He sang the chorus twice before going through another instrumental.
"Now, good night!" the song finished. After a brief moment of silence, the hagfish looked up and merely stared at him, blinking. She pushed the phone back towards him, and he took it, putting it back into his pocket.
"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" She tilted her head, barbels flowing.
"Something I forgot to ask you," he replied. He leaned forward and asked, "What's yer name?"
"Just call me Noelle," she answered. "That's what most people call me."
"Aight." He leaned back into the beanbag. "My name's Perry."
At the sound of his name, Noelle shifted in her seat, her head raising with the change in flow of her barbels. "Perry, you say?"
"Yeah, somethin' wrong with it?"
"No, no. It just reminded me of one of my...clients. That's all."
Perry didn't quite believe her. "Hmm..." He put a hand on his chin, leaning forward as he raised an eyebrow. "Mind elaborating?"
"It's rare that I'm asked questions like these," the hagfish remarked, placing a hand on her chest. Still, her eyes remained wide. Regaining her composure, she then asked, "Do you know of the Sculpin Company?"
The purple-haired inkling's eyes widened, taken aback himself. "Yeah... My dad runs it."
"Your...dad."
"Yeah, my dad."
"So you're saying that you're the son of Jerry Sculpin, its CEO."
"Yep." He pulled out his wallet, then his driver's license, showing its contents to Noelle. "Perry Sculpin; that's my name."
She leaned forward to read it and then pulled her head back. "I see, I see." She gave a wry smile. "Well, I was going to explain to you about...you, but since you're here, then it appears I won't have to explain at all."
"You're saying my dad knows you?" He never mentioned you to me...
"No, no, not your dad," she corrected, shaking her head. "I've never met your dad."
"Oh."
"What I mean is, I know your mom."
Perry went silent, his brain processing the sentence the hagfish had just spoken. "You know my mom?" he finally whispered after a long pause.
"I do," she affirmed. A smile formed on her face as she stared out into the distance. "When I first moved to Inkopolis, she was my first friend. We went to high school together... Much time has passed since then, but we still remain good friends."
"You went to school with her?" he marveled, eyes wide. He leaned forward, hands gripping the table. "Tell me more!"
Noelle's eyes met his once more, and her smile fell. "Unfortunately, I cannot... When your mom left you and your dad, she swore to me not tell anyone about her relationship with you two. And not to tell anything about her to you."
Perry felt his heart sink. "What? C'mon..." He pouted. "And I'm her son."
"I know, I know... But that is the promise I made."
The purple-haired boy looked away, avoiding the hagfish's gaze. For a moment, he was so close to discovering the truth about his mother, meeting someone who could answer the questions his father refused to answer. Yet, in his mother's selfishness, she forced one of her closest friends to keep quiet. ...Why would anyone do such a thing? He didn't get it. He's been met with secrets before—the New Squidbeak Splatoon, for example, but there is a reason to keep it secret: for the sake of keeping peace in Inkopolis. But this? There was no reason to keep it a secret. Why would a mother not want to meet her own child? So much about her didn't make sense.
"Perry?" Noelle repeated. "Are you there? Hello..."
He glared at her. "What?" he grumbled.
"I do have one thing I can give you."
"A 'thing?'"
"Yes, from your mother."
Immediately, his interest was regained. "Ooh, what is it?" he asked, perking up.
"One moment..." The hagfish moved out of her seat, slithering over to a shelf full of trinkets. She grabbed a wooden fish statue from the topmost shelf and carried it over to the table they were situated it, placing it front of Perry. Some slime from her hands glistened in the fluorescent light, but otherwise, he had to stop and admire the detail on it. He recognized the fish as a sculpin, and it seemed to circle a wooden base, being held up with wooden rods. Its mouth was open, carrying an orb made of gold within. "Take the locket out." He stared at her, perplexed. "The golden thing."
"Oh!" Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the orb was in two segments, indeed being a locket. He dislodged the locket quite easily, the pendant falling into his hand. He brought it up to his eyes to examine it. He didn't see a chain, so he supposed that whoever put it in there took it out beforehand.
"Now, open it," Noelle instructed.
He opened it quite easily, revealing a picture of a newborn inkling inside. Their eyes were wide open, the light of the camera reflecting off of them. The purple squid was surrounded by baby blue blankets, with no other objects in the background. The other side of the locket had his name engraved into it.
"I..." His voice trailed off, mouth gaping open. Was this him? He never saw many baby pictures of him. This was quite a rarity...
"That's you," the hagfish confirmed. "Soon after you were born, your mom asked her father—your grandfather—to make a statue symbolizing the family she had married into. She bought the locket, and dedicated the statue to you." She sighed. "She brought the statue to me when she left your dad. She hoped that someday, I could give it to you if we ever crossed paths."
"So..." He closed the locket and placed it back into the mouth of the statue. "I can keep it?"
"Yes," she affirmed.
"Thanks." He pulled the statue closer to him. "At least she'll give me this." A new idea popped into his head, and he faced Noelle again. "Can't you at least try to see if my mom wants to see me?"
"I figured she would notice the statue gone. So, that will be an opportunity to talk about you." She clasped her hands together. "Even if I promised not to tell you about her, I'll see what I can do. After all, I give advice. And sometimes, I help people along the way."
"So... How're ya gonna tell me? Do I just come back some time?"
"I can give you my phone number."
"OK, OK... That's easy." He pulled out his phone and opened the contacts list, pressing the 'new contact' button. "So, what is it?" They exchanged phone numbers, and then Perry put his phone away, lifting the wooden statue off of the table. "I guess I gotta go now."
"Yes, yes. One of my clients will be arriving shortly. Unless you want to meet her, I advise for you to leave."
"Aight." He turned around and started heading towards the exit. Before he could step out into the sunlight, however, he stopped and looked over his shoulder, directly at the hagfish. "...Thanks."
Noelle dipped her head. "You're welcome."
He pushed the curtain out of his way, stepping back into the streets of Inkopolis once more.
A/N: This chapter is on the shorter side, but we did get some more development for the "where's Perry's mom" plot. This plot has been one of more persistent ideas of Season 4, and I'm happy to finally put it into motion. Hopefully you guys like it. Now that we're at the halfway point, I suppose I should start thinking about the Season 4 finale and the next bonus story... I do know the point of view for the bonus story, and I do know of the main plot point that I plan to have happen in the finale, but I still need to think of the situation that leads up to this plot point. ...There's still a few months before that. We still have half the season to go, after all! With that, Branchwing, out.