Thank you for the reviews!
PizzaDragon: Alright, I'm going to answer at each point you told in your review.
It must be said that with Project Neo getting tons of attention, the story seems to have one true conflict: although, the conflict is so large that smaller conflicts come out from it. The ones who don't have any relation with Project Neo are slowly disappearing, do you notice? I never considered this much of a problem, since the situation always seemed drenching with mystery: if you think about it, there weren't any major conflicts before Project Neo's reveal. None of the characters kept looking for the Stingrays: they were the ones showing up in unpredictable moments.
See the "random storylines" as the characters getting to know more about the world they live in and deal with new situations, before tackling back the main problem. Again, I don't see this as much of a problem... don't you want to know something more than just reading about Project Neo all the time?
Also, what do you mean by wanting more fun? Are you looking for Comedy fun? Action fun?
Now, the characters. I want you something to understand... it's not always possible to not let certain characters stay silent: there are several motivations behind this, like a character's personality or even the simple fact they happen to be in the middle of the situation.
Mirii for example, she is really involved with Project Neo: if she doesn't do anything, then who else is going to tackle Project Neo? Mirii's mother is involved, people talk about Mirii too... what Bars or Grina can do about that? It wouldn't make any sense. That's why Mirii usually is the character who talks a lot and does many things: because she's the one actively doing something to solve Project Neo's mystery.
Grina has her moments, not just because of the backstory... but also because of her overall personality. I can't do that for the other two characters: Hun's personality doesn't let him get tons of attention, unless he's probably all alone like in that "Surprise Attack!" arc. Bars is usually a character who chills out in the background: seeing him suddenly in the center of the situation would be something too illogical for him.
With that, I don't mean to say that it's impossible to give other characters their moments... it's that it's much harder for them to receive those moments, unlike Mirii and other characters. We'll probably see more about Mirii... although other characters might get some brief attention.
Last, who is acting like an imbecile exactly? I'm sure not Hun: the fact that he's ignorant doesn't mean he's stupid. You meant Bars? Well, he might had occasions where he's an idiot... but he also did something useful! But why a character must be smarter...? I hope you don't mean that the character must be a genius: that would be an exaggeration!
You did good writing down your opinions. You just need to explain yourself a bit more: exactly, why certain characters can't be idiots (not too stupid, of course)? What do you mean by "fun"? And why you used "we" instead of "I"? I mean, do you talk with other people about my story?
Well, that was the answer.
Alright, if you are liking this story so far, please send in a review!
A large smell of meat, bread and cheddar cheese invaded the air around a table: a mountain of 10 burgers were resting on a silver plate, located in the middle of the table. Grina's eyes were sparkling, pointed at the burgers, with her hands clasped and mouth open.
"Oh my pond…!" Her hands moved on her cheeks. "… best dream ever!"
A left hand grabbed a burger, situated at the top.
"Like, let's devour this monumental landmark for good!" Bars lifts his burger a bit, while grinning and looking at Grina.
"Gonna need another stomach to contain all this awesomeness!" Grina picked a burger, holding the meal with both her hands.
Munch! Munch!
Bars and Grina's cheeks were inflated as their mouths were moving up and down. Mirii was holding a kitchen knife with her right hand and a fork on her left hand: her head was turned over the two Inklings, as her eyelids were in the middle and a sweat drop was resting on her head's right side.
"I hope they will change their mind, once they'll get older: no one can survive after eating this literal mountain of junk." She shakes her head, staring at her plat of green salad and a slice of meat.
Her knife gently cuts the meat, with the fork skewered in it: she pulls the fork, opening her mouth and pulling the piece of meat inside.
"Hmm… tasty. The natural oil of this meat is truly the key element, who let this meal satisfy immensely my sophisticated palate." She munches faintly, with her eyes closed. "The chefs must have a degree with the maximum grades possible, as well as maturing years worth of experience."
Opening her eyes, Mirii turns her head to the left: she saw different tables, each with a varying number of different plates, which have at least 5 different meals on them. The bottles were mostly filled with Inkling water, others had wine and very few tables had soda cans on them.
Voices were many, as the words were easily covered by other words in an endless loop: Mirii's eardrums were slightly irritated. Mostly Inklings were sitting behind those tables, 2 or 3 were Sea Urchins sitting behind the same table.
The floor had white tiles, in the shape of rhombus. Behind Mirii, a canteen counter which had two Inkling women wearing a white outfit and hat. The walls were divided in two odd-shaped waves: the upper wave had a lighter orange and the lower one had a darker orange.
Mirii's head turns over her right: Hun's hands were grasping a burger, which had signs of bites. Her eyes expanded.
"Hunley!" Her eyebrows lowered.
Hun turns over the girl instantly, with the eyebrows raising.
"How could you eat that collection of junk?!" Her eyebrows went down a bit more.
"I-I wasn't suppose to eat this?" His mouth downturns, as his hands let the burger fell on his plate and sweat jumps out of his forehead.
"You are going to feel unhealthy pain in the future, if you keep eating those burgers." Her eyes squeezed. "Stop eating that non-fresh food, Hunley."
Hun seals his mouth, as his head lowers.
"Why you attacked poor Hunry, Mirii?!" Grina frowns, looking at Mirii, while holding her burger which was half-bitten. "He was enjoying his meal!" She turns over Hun. "Is that right, Hunry?" She smiles at him.
"Well…" He rose his head, staring at Grina. "It was good, but"
"Just trust me on this one." Her right eye winks at him. "Finish off that burger: you are going to smile, afterwards!"
"Don't!" Mirii bends a bit over Hun. "Your stomach will suffer because of it!"
Hun turns over Mirii, with his mouth downturned.
"Girl, like why you say that this burger is not fresh?" Bars shrugs, with his left hand holding a small piece of burger.
"Because burgers are generally unhealthy, Bars." Mirii rose her head, staring at the boy. "They are oily and full of unnecessary ingredients like that cheddar cheese."
"You need those ingredients to make the food taste good, girl!" He throws the last piece of burger inside his mouth. "It's like you eat meat without salt."
"I do eat meat without salt…" Mirii puts her own cutlery on her plate, then she folds her arms.
"What about its oil? Like, that was the part I enjoyed the most about the meat here." His right hand took another burger.
"Th-the oil?!" Mirii's tentacles went zigzag, as her shoulders rose.
"Yeah! Like, if I was the chef that would be pretty much the bomb I would focus on: so strong and dominant, you would waste time just thinking about it!" He took a bite on his burger, munching it.
"Nnngghhh!" Sweat covered Mirii's forehead, as she grits her own teeth. "St-still, burgers are too unhealthy!"
"Naaah, those ones are nothing like that." He waves his burger up and down, in front of Mirii. "I can recognize the meat in them, same for the bread: like, those fast food meals you get to eat they usually rely too much on their spices, which they are good… but the basics are kinda ignored, just because they use probably cheap meat and bread."
Mirii's right cheek twitched, as her irises shrunk and her face was frowning.
"Wh-what are you saying…?! Since when you had an eye for details?!" She shook her head quickly, as her right forefinger points at him. "Are you lying to me?!"
"Why?" He shrugs, as he took a glass full of cola. "Like, I get to eat this stuff a lot…" His mouth opens a bit, as a bit of cola liquid slides inside: he moves the glass away from his mouth. "Especially in different fast food restaurants. You gotta be a bit selective though, since some food are just plain garbage. That would also not make me look fresh at all."
His head turns over the burger he's holding.
"This one must be the best burger I ever ate in my whole life: not only it's throwing a party in my mouth, but you don't even get noisy neighbors trying to shut you up." He smiles. "Well, for such treat I really feel to be da king with this meal! Although, I wouldn't mind getting a basic meal like you have over there, once in a while…"
Mirii snorted, as her arms stretched down.
"Bars… I didn't thought you would act this rational." She rose her head. "Why you decide to use your mind, just for junk food-related matters?"
"Well… it's not true I just think for that…" Bars face got neutral, as he took a quick bite over his burger. "Maybe it's because I don't like getting in your way, girl… you know, I kinda feel squishing you down with my words." He chuckles.
"Or you could crush a person's problem with your rational thoughts." Her hands took back her cutlery. "Silence would do nothing but let you being treated like a lifeless wall."
"Great words, Mirii!" Grina smiles, as she turns over Bars. "You see, Barsy?! You should become the mastermind behind Inkinators!"
"N-not the mastermind…" Mirii bites her own lips.
"Ha ha, naaaah!" He takes another bite on his own burger. "I may be tall, but I can't see everything at all. Like, you need a small genius for that!" He looks over Mirii, as his right eye winks.
The girl kept looking at the boy, as a piece of meat entered inside her mouth: she smiles.
"Is there something else you would like to talk about? Of course, something you noticed and you wish to let the team know about it." Her kitchen knife was cutting a small piece of meat.
"Oh… heh!" He blushes a bit. "Hmm…" He looks up. "Like, I kinda wish the Turf War Station would just open up."
"Why?" Mirii's mouth gulps down a piece of meat.
"Because that was the reason why Inkopolis is the most awesome place in the entire planet!" He opens his arms. "Like, that is the chance for any Squids to be truly someone, you know. Mostly, Turf Wars also kinda help people out too…"
"How so?" Mirii folds her arms, as her eyes squeezed.
"Turf Wars ain't just there to give you money… I mean, there is a reason why Regular Battles are more popular than Ranked Battles. That's because they are so good at relieving from stress." He nods. "Yeah, like after doing homework you just can't wait to take a dip inside your own ink and forget about life for a moment."
He drink cola liquid from his glass.
"Outside the Turf Wars, what you got? Problems, girl. The real deal you have to face anyway, or else you get squished like nothing! You always want to be stronger than the other, since you want keep going in this world… but sooner or later, you would get so stressed out and not have any strength to utilize. Like, your mind gets mad at everything!"
His arms rest on the table, behind his plate.
"That's where Turf Wars get in: being the best isn't really as important, since splatting and inking the ground is like a primordial instinct. When you get into the field, you just want to Aaaaaaah at every ground or opponent you see… and when the battle is over, you get a smile on your face: satisfied, unstoppable, ready to tackle this giant world you live in."
Mirii's mouth was left open.
"… he's right… Turf Wars could also be used as a relaxation method." Her irises moved to her right. "At the same time, though… if the Turf War Station officially opens, the cavies from Project Neo would be forced to participate in newer experiments…"
"Wise words, Barsy!" Grina's fists were in front of her mouth, as her eyes sparkled and her cheeks blushed. "Having fun can help you so much, in such cases…!"
"Eh eh, yeah!" He grins, as he turns over Grina. "It's kinda sad seeing the entire city without some strengths to share. Like teenagers, might decide to rebel heavily against this!"
"Turf Wars helped Inkopolis financially, after all…" She frowns a bit. "A city without a rich economic system would collapse and not offer a safe life for its inhabitants… or anything improvable."
Her eyes fell on her plate, which had a small piece of meat and some traces of salad.
"Whatever Project Neo is, it must be stopped at all costs: even though Hunley might receive the cures soon, he's still involved in this project... if they run experiments on him, he might be in danger… no! I will not even let hints of such event happen!"
Mirii lifts her posture.
"After lunch, I'm going to pay my brother a visit: for now, he might be the only lead I have which will help me understand more about Project Neo's secrets."