Begin Again

Chronicles of an Ex-Human in Inkopolis

Lily is an odd Inkling who's learning to live in the big city of Inkopolis among other marine life. She's also ex-human, after being flung far into the future from her own time. But it's hard to keep a secret like that from the New Squidbeak Splatoon, who found her, Off the Hook, who think she's connected to the NILS facility, and DJ Octavio, who wants her and her history for himself.

A Splatoon AU.

After finally playing Splatoon's Hero Mode in 2018, and the Octo Expansion shortly after, I got really immersed into the lore and world building of Nintendo's franchise. I ended up beginning to daydream during work about being dropped as-is into that universe. After daydreaming this for about a week I decided I needed to write this down: to document the adventure playing out in my head that I didn't want to forget, and as a means to improve my creative writing processes.

After that, writing led to daydreaming more led to writing more and suddenly I have 100,000+ words on a cringy story idea. Fuck it. The fiction translates a number of in-game mechanics into plausible in-universe devices, or details.

This has been written with the assumption that the reader may already know the Splatoon series - I don't know if it's readable to those who don't know the games.

The story as published can be read here, at Fanfiction Online, or on FanFiction.net.

Parts

  • Part 1 - Fish Out of Water (9 chapters, 23,411 words)

    Some cosmic bad luck and a little bit of magic resulted in a human waking up in another body, in a time where squids rule the earth. As they acclimate to their new surroundings, they find themselves on a journey to reclaim the remnants of their past, and adjust to their new life in Inkopolis.

  • Part 2: Legacy (13 chapters, 52,536 words)

    Pearl doesn't believe in coincidence. She and her bandmate Marina, and their new friends Captain Cuttlefish, and Agents Three and Eight of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, just saved the world from humanity's creation. Suddenly all of the ancient tech falling from the sky, and the Inkling girl that seems to be collecting them, looks a lot more suspicious and sinister. Could she be connected to the human organisation 'NILS'?

    Lily has been living in Inkopolis for about a month and has begun training with Lorne (Agent 4) in Turf War battles. She's also ex-human, after being flung far into the future from her own time. She just wants to settle in and make the best of her new life. Too bad she's about to be found out.

  • Part 2.5: Stories of an Ex-Human in Inkopolis (5 chapters, 24,132 words)

    Life hasn't been normal for Lily ever since she arrived in Inkopolis from twelve thousand years ago, and touched the lives of the New Squidbeak Splatoon and the musical duo Off the Hook. But now that she knows the truth behind her arrival, and has gained some closure on her old life, she has a chance to establish a new life, turn a previous hobby into a career, and experience the world's offerings in the name of preserving what's left of the human era.

  • Part 3: Down Under (4 chapters, 15,996 words)
    In progress, last update: 04/12/2020

    A year after Lily's arrival in Inkopolis, she's prouder than ever to call herself an Inkling. And as the Chaos v. Order Splatfest looms ever closer, her friends have gotten her some gifts to mark the anniversary, including a part in the final concert, clothes, inkling oddities - even DJ Octavio got her a pair of shades!

    Oh no.