#especially squiddo videos…

[locusfandomtime]

you can really tell the different audience demographics of Lifesteal vs Hermitcraft by the comment sections because the average spokeishere or whatever comment is like “LIKE THIS if you are a real Spoke fan!!! ❤️👊😎 if this comment gets 100 LIKES ill tell my mom to subscribe 🤪 who else is watching in 2028❓❓😂” whilst the average ethoslab comment is like “my wife is giving birth but this is more important”

[xezriel]

I think I may be just a bit of an Ashswag fan…

[aipurjopa]

close enough. welcome back season 5, all it took was uu!spoke losing all of his friends <3

[therealsquiddo]

can we get like a thing of how you see lifesteal!squiddo ?

( as in stuff about what happened with the nuke, how they thought ash was gonna kill them and was okay with it, yk^_^ )

Sure :)

When it comes to Lifesteal Squiddo- or any character on any SMP- you have to consider the doylist perspective (out of universe) versus the watsonian perspective. (In-universe)

Lifesteal Squiddo is just a very dramatized version of my real life self... Like, how in real life when something mundanely bad happens, you might exaggerate and mime fainting for a laugh; that's what Lifesteal Squiddo is. I do that because it's entertaining and it's my job to entertain you. When something bad happens, I don't care, it's just our jobs- but to Lifesteal Squiddo it's the end of the world. When something good happens, I'm probably pretty happy, but to Lifesteal Squiddo it's the greatest thing ever.

With the nuke, the entire time I was thinking "How can I work this into a video? This will be a dramatic plot twist, people will like this..." and that sort of thing. But to Lifesteal Squiddo there is no Youtube, so she was just angry.

In real life, on my first day on Lifesteal, I didn't really understand that it was sort of a roleplay thing because I'd never properly played on an SMP before. So, I was nice to Ashswag because he'd added me to the server and I felt like I was in his debt, plus I wanted him to be on my team or whatever. But then I ended up with a character who had been nice to Ashswag for no reason, and I'm like, "okay, maybe he's their hero or something. Maybe they look up to him. Maybe she sees something in him that nobody else does". Squiddo was okay with Ashswag killing her because she was so ashamed that she'd disappointed somebody who she so badly wanted to befriend. In real life, I was okay with it because it meant I finally had an excuse to log off lifesteal to go to sleep ahaha

Although, I actually was happy when Ashswag gave me hearts, I really did think he was going to kill me. I'm glad I get to keep playing. I couldn't sleep that night because I kept smiling... That's probably the only time Lifesteal Squiddo and myself have felt the exact same thing

Anyway, with the election stuff, I thought the entire thing was brilliant!! I'm so so happy that 4CVIT and Red won, especially after I dropped that horrible video about him (which, please don't actually believe it's real!!) I just kept thinking, he's going to get such an insanely good video from this. For Squiddo though, from a doylist perspective, Ashswag voting Mapic and then banning me/her is him drumming up suspense. It's our job, he's good at his job, it makes sense. But from a watsonian perspective, Ashswag has suddenly switched up on Squiddo for absolutely no reason, which is going to make her very sad. Hopefully that explains it well enough!

[dailysquiddo]

“HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY IN THE VOID, FUCKERS. BECAUSE YOU’RE GONNA BE THERE FOR A GOOD. LONG. WHILE.”

or, basically the climax of the Dailysquiddo lore thing, in which Squiddo realizes ashswag mattered to her once. The whole of lifesteal is in a war, and then she and Ashswag get hit by a giant tnt blast, or well, squiddo jumps in front of him… and breaks her glasses. Whoopsie. she absolutely loses it and unleashes full force relative power, opening a portal to the void. And she gets to drop an f bomb because I think she deserves it. Especially since character wise she nearly lost someone important AGAIN, and she is loyal to A FAULT … but it’s fine. It’s F I N E , HA HA HA.

this is also technically a redraw of the lifesteal void video thumbnail, but I got increasingly feral as the lore came to me in some sort of elaborate brain rot state, I’m so normal I promise (lying)

[paddysol]

I’m very intrigued by the lifesteal stuff on my dash courtesy of you but I have no idea where to start with it. any chance you could share some recommendations for getting into lifesteal?

I've actually had this question answered before and I'm still just as unsure if I'm the best person to consult (I am going to just copy most of what I said with minor changes bc Ive learned more ✨)

Ok so disclaimer time! I pick favorites and stick with them and have accepted the consequences of not knowing anything outside their povs (also I'm a yt girlie at heart so i lowkey rely on videos than livestreams)

So Lifesteal is still very much a half foot in, half foot out deal due to most of the events usually happening on livestreams so I’m always a bit late on the current happenings.

If you dont mind just throwing yourself into the lore without knowing jackshit, I'd recommend watching PrinceZam, Kaboodle, Pangi, or Derapchu (for livestreams specifically) - I'm sure there's other folks, but I do know that they tend to stream fairly often.

In terms of youtube videos (and slightly being able to catch up on lore) I'd recommend Squiddo (who is a personal favorite of mine, most of her videos tend to be within the half hour mark and are incredibly entertaining the whole way through) as well as Rekrap, JumperWho, Roshambo (though not much for s6), Spokeishere, and Flamefrags. (There are others, as well I'm just listing who come sto mind that)

If you want to get into older seasons I'd recommend watching Branzycraft as he had a fairly regular upload schedule. A lot of lifesteal folks also tend to post longass videos detailing their server journey - though this is often towards the end of seasons or even a bit after. I also recently discovered that saints exist within the fandom and some important events of arcs (such as the eclipse fed/wormhole from s4 have been clipped together into one video).

I have realized (and this may be my own doing) that there’s usually gonna be unexplained gaps in knowledge which is something I’ve just kinda accepted tbh. (Like in general, especially considering the nature of the server and everyone playing 5D chess)

I also tend to doomscroll through character specific tags on tumblr and usually people can be found rambling about events/characterization which is a bit like putting together a puzzle but it slowly comes together (which a piece or two missing)

Again, I hope this was helpful and if anyone has any additional info please feel free to add on!

[unluckyplanet]

I made a fic inspired by Squiddo's most recent lifesteal video! Which was truly an experience especially for someone who only watches their and branzy's pov.

[skrimbl-thesrunkli]

I felt silly goofy :3

SO, SQUIDDOS PERSPECTIVE OF LIFESTEAL AND also kinda content smp HAS INSPIRED ME TO MAKE AN SMP FOR ME AND MY FRIENDS!!

So, If You've Heard Of Lifesteal You Know That If You Kill Someone Or Someone Kills You, You Either Gain A Heart Or Lose A Heart. This Also Applies To You Dying In General. You Lose A Heart If You Die.

Now, Have You Heard Of Double Life? It's Where Two People Are Linked With Their Hearts, Sharing Hearts! You Have 3 Lives This Way.

Now.. What If We Used Both? :3

LIFESTEAL LINKED.

It's An SMP I'm Making For Me And My Friends. I'm Planning Chaos, Destruction, and also silly goofy hijinks.

I Don't Know How Any Of This Will Work, And I Don't Know How To Make Videos. Especially Minecraft Ones That Look Good.

Though, Me And One Of My Friends Who Helped Me Test The Server To See If Bedrock Players Could Join, Decided On Something..

It Doesn't Matter Who We Get Paired With, We're Allies. And We Will Make A Casino To Scam People.

IT'S GONNA BE GOOFY SILLY I SWEAR!!

Anyway, This Is The Logo I Made! (I hate it.)

I made it myself :D

[enlighten3d]

hello !! im lime or allium o/ i use they/xi/bug pronouns mainly (but also use any neos), but uhh heres my pronouns page

utterly insane about mcyt, i post lots about unstable universe and kww collab rn! but im also into hermitcraft, life series, and the dsmp (and vaguely lifesteal but i only watch rek and squiddo lol)

my dms and asks are ALWAYS open, please talk to me if you want to !! i fucking love talking hhhhh especially about my fics... i follow people back most of the time! if i forget to send you a 'hello new mutual!!' ask, uhh sorry dsfjhkgd i reblog everything i see onto @electriccalming!

i write fanfic, mostly about mcyt! my ao3 is l1ght! my discord is literal_lime if you want to friend me! i will accept every frq unless your account is New i stream minecraft over at ipsedr on twitch! oh and i run @evil-mcytblrconfessions o7

i dont really tag my reblogs, for the record. i have very few original posts tags, but they are: #💥: posts where i am just Talking. most of my original posts are tagged with this #lime liveblogs : posts where im liveblogging my watching of something! currently unstable universe #me posting abt my fics on tumblr dot hell???? : self-explanatory. me posting about my fics (usually about Writing them) #ramblings abt ipsedr : me talking about well, being ipsedr. mostly is stuff about the little video series im making right now, starring c!ipsedr!

anyway dont expect anything coherent from this blog. im in the habit of unhingedly posting about kww collab at 3 instead of sleeping.

[fruityotterpop]

Splat 2 Charger Tips

This post was inspired by @skyplayssplatoon who recently made some tip posts to help out the community

Control Settings - For chargers, a lower sensitivity is usually better in order to keep your aim steady. My personal settings are -2 for motion control sensitivity and +2 for R stick sensitivity. Just like any weapon, test with different settings to see what works best for you. 

 (Sorry analog stick users, I’m not very experienced with those types of controls, if any charger mains want to give their settings in the replies it would be appreciated)

Aiming TIps - Try to practice aiming in the training room before going into any matches. It doesn’t need to be for very long and you don’t need to hit all your targets, but it helps bring your muscle memory back if you haven't touched a charger in awhile or you’ve been using other weapons. 

- If you have the time, change up your aiming practice in the training room too. Don’t just practice shots while standing still. Shoot while moving, from above, from below, while jumping off of ledges etc. These routines may seem tedious, but the practice will stick over time and will make your aim more consistent. 

- Snapping onto your targets is a useful and flashy method for getting kills. This video is a great example of what snapping looks like. However, for less experienced charger players, it’s a bad habit to pickup early on and can actually hinder your aim if you try to rely on it. 

Survival Tips - Splat 1 veterans will remember right-side peeking. The same logic still applies to Splat 2 and is pretty important when you’re facing other chargers. For those that don’t know, this helpful Splat 1 video by Squidkids will explain,

- A lot of chargers panic when enemies get into shooting distance. This usually results in a lot of panicked shots that don’t do a lotta damage. When players are close, try to calm down and hit the target with 2 semi-charged shots (i forget about this one too, so don’t worry if this doesn’t stick right away)

- Scoped chargers have a 5% increase to their range, but don’t get the ability to hold their charge. They also lose their field of vision when they zoom in. Try not to stay zoomed in for too long, because you may not see any enemies trying to sneak up on you.

- BOMBS. Chargers with bombs are godlike (imo). They’re the most useful and readily available method of keeping enemies away from you when they get too close. A tip @radiogirl15 taught me was to aim the bomb around your feet when you think you’re going to die. You’d be surprised with how many kills you can get when squiddos and octos aren’t expecting it. 

- Don’t be afraid to jump back to spawn. Chargers will find themselves in a pinch more often than not. As you practice, try to learn when to stand your ground and when to fight another day. It doesn’t take much Quick Super Jump to make this effective either. 1 or 2 subs can make a huge difference, try it out sometime!

(Secret tip, try this out in recon mode. Hold Down on the control pad (like you’re saying Booyah!) and quickly press X then A. If you do this correctly, you can superjump back to spawn without even opening up the map! If you want a clearer explanation of this, just ask in the replies or I can setup a video after this post)

Abilities - Similar to settings, abilities are up to player preference. They’re also dependent on what kinda charger you’re playing. There are a ton of chargers in the game now (; ;) so I’ve put the list underneath 

(Also, remember that abilities in Splatoon operate in diminishing returns. Try not to stack more than 1 main and 3 subs of any given ability and give your gear some variety!)

Note: These abilities are just recommendations and are not set in stone. Find out what works best for your own playstyle. Chargers that are empty have the same recommended abilities as their siblings for the same reasons. 

Splat Charger - Ink Saver Main (2 subs can allow you to shoot an extra charged shot from a full ink tank) 

-Ink Saver Sub (BOMBS)

-Ink Recovery Up (Less time in in the ink, more time shooting)

-Swim Speed Up (Helps your survivability, by making you more mobile)

-Quick Super Jump (1-2 subs, i dont wanna be a nag, but i love it)

-Special Charge Up / Special Saver (Mostly used for ranked, Stingray is useful in Rainmaker and Tower Control)

Firefin Splat Charger - 

Special Charge Up / Special Saver (Suction Bomb Rush is good for Splat Zones and Turf War)

Kensa Splat Charger - 

Special Charge Up / Special Saver (Optional for this charger, since Sprinklers helps you get your special really quickly)

Special Power Up (A better replacement for Special Charge Up, 1 main and 3 subs recommended to keep your baller intact in most situations)

Classic Squiffer - Main Power Up (1 main and 2 subs can increase your range to about the same length as a Goo Tuber) 

Swim Speed Up (This charger has the shortest rage out of its class. It benefits from higher mobility to get within distance and run away cause enemies will closer most of the time)

Quick Super Jump

New Squiffer - 

Special Power Up (Use for the same reasons as the Kensa Splat Charger)

Fresh Squiffer - 

Ink Saver Sub (The suction bomb is pretty ink greedy, so some Ink Saver Sub comes in handy) (The other 2 Squiffers have less ink greedy subs so they don’t need the ability as much)

Special Power Up (2 subs to 1 main is recommended because it increases the splash damage from your inkjet shots - makes it easier to land shots basically)

-The 3 Squiffers are pretty flexible and are mostly up to personal preference when it comes to which abilities you want to run

E-liter 4K - Main Power Up (1 main or 1 main and 1 sub is recommended, the increased turf coverage can help build up special quickly too)

Swim Speed Up (Since heavyweight weapons were buffed in patch 4.3.0 it doesn’t take as much swim speed up its weight class) (recommended amount from as few as 2 subs to 1 main 3 subs)

Ink Saver Main (2 subs grants one more fully charged shot with a full ink tank, 1 main grants two more fully charged shots with a full ink tank)

Special Charge Up (When you use your special, your ink tank automatically refills) (Use your specials wisely in order to keep your ink tank in the green)

Ink Resistance Up (With low mobility, this weapon can suffer from being stuck in enemy ink) (1-2 subs is recommended)

Ink Recovery Up (This weapon needs a lottttttt of ink)

Quick Super Jump

Custom E-liter 4K - 

Ink Saver Sub (Optional, but beakons are expensive)

Sub Power Up (Help your teammates out by getting them to your beakons faster) (If they use your beakons lol)

Special Power Up (Patch 4.6.0 buffed special up for bubbles so you don’t need as much) (2 subs to 1 main of special power up is recommended) 

Bamboozler 14 Mk I - Main Power Up (2 mains and 7 subs / or 3 mains and 4 subs will get you to the damage cap of 99.9 damage)

Ink Saver Sub (The curling bomb is a useful mobility option and if you hold the bomb it can make a great defensive option)

Ink Resistance Up (The bamboozler is the only charger that doesn’t make complete lines of ink when it isn’t fully charged) (You’re bound to get stuck sometime so this ability comes in handy)

Quick Super Jump

Bamboozler 14 Mk II - 

Ink Saver Sub (The sub isn’t as threatening or ink greedy so not highly recommended for this version)

Bamboozler 14 Mk III - 

Special Power Up (Like the Custom E-liter, use it to increase the size and damge radius of your bubbles)

Goo Tuber - Special Charge Up (Splashdown is a good panic special that can take enemies by surprise when they get too close) (Having the special more often helps especially)

Ink Saver Sub (Gee suction bomb! Why do you get 70% of the ink tank?)

Swim Speed Up (With more time to hold a charge, having more speed grants you more opportunities to utilize this unique ability)

Quick Super Jump

Custom Goo Tuber - 

Special Power Up (Same with the New Squiffer, helps with the inkjet)

Scoped Variants -  Same recommended abilities as their unscoped variants. 

[randowolfwriter]

Thank you so much for the tag, @galactic-squiddo! You know I was wondering the same thing until I saw that you tagged me in this. Anyway, here I go!

Three Ships: Panjosé, Lumity, and Darkvolt (Two of these I have written fics for)

Last Song: Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode (totally not into this song because of a certain tv show)

Last Movie: Hilda and the Mountain King

Currently Reading: Something published, Roman Fever by Edith Wharton, and fic-wise, Trial and Error by ApatheticRobots. (It's an excellent rottmnt fic if anyone's interested, especially if Leo's your fave.)

Currently Watching: Endless clips of Kitchen Nightmares recycled and repackaged into compilation videos and it doesn't matter how often I see those clips, I still watch them like I'm watching them for the very first time. Also whoever runs the Youtube channel seriously needs a raise because some of those titles are god-tier.

Currently Consuming: Fried chicken

Currently Craving: Cocktail Sauce for some reason. Blame it on Zeke's and its fresh-frozen shrimpies.

I'll tag: @tittiedshrek @astralklutz @sasseraph @carnivorouspandas @cosmos-pokemon-party @aroace-kitty @release-the-bats-creations and @ anyone who'd like to do this.

tag 9 people you wanna get to know better!

tagged by: @rainbowchaox

three ships: Renscott, Ranchers, Poison Husbands (Martyn and Oli)

last song: Radio Song by Esperanza Spalding! I've been on a hella Esperanza kick lately

last movie: Puss In Boots: The Last Wish! such a good movie oml

currently reading: They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

currently watching: I don't really. watch. shows

currently consuming: shitty school nachos

currently craving: literally Any fruit. please. I want fresh fruit so bad

I don't think I have 9 people but I'll try! @feelinprettyblue02 @rainbowchaox @zedif-y @weaselishmcdiesel @applestruda @stiffyck

[squidiosyncrasies]

Haven't been on for a bit- weird asks: 36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? 59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? 61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? 76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? 93. nicknames? =Drew

36: honestly, probably those rage comics that were super popular in the early 2010′s

59: probably “ow” or something similar, with how much i say it in real life. i’m assuming fictional me is also very easily hurt :( especially with all the action involved in lots of games

61: i really wish i knew how to answer this question, but i don’t. i’m not someone who easily remembers and keeps track of exact quotes. i’m sorry about it in this case but i still really do appreciate you asking the question

76: oh no, please don’t make me choose just one (but probably fries, if we’re talking regular potatoes. i prefer sweet potatoes baked. mashed are also very good)

93: nick/nic/mico and squid/squiddo tend to be the most common, and eva sometime calls me “boyf”

(asks from here)

[darkdevasofdestruction]

How You Met - Akatsuki

Hoshigaki Kisame

You and your puppy went to the lake to enjoy your day off, eat some nice food your mum made for you and have a small swim in the chilly water. As you prepared your blanket and food basket on the grass, the puppy ran past you, yipping happily and jumping straight into the deep part of the lake. Now, you did know how to swim, but you were better at floating in shallow water and not the most confident swimmer either, so clearly, you were rather worried that she might drown or something. Unfortunately, she suddenly sunk under water with a yelp, and you started panicking, looking left and right, asking for help, but nobody seemed to be around when needed. Freaking out, you took off your flip flops and ran into the water, but you suddenly stopped in in fear, as you saw a menacing shark fin circling around your sweet baby.

"NO! DON'T HURT HER! P/N, COME HERE, BABY! FAST!" You were shaking and crying in fear, thinking of the brutal way your baby is going to die, when, instead of the threatening predator, out of the water, came a very tall and well-built shark-like man, holding your puppy in his grasp, protectively, walking in your direction, as she kept licking him, gratefully.

You were now crying of happiness, beaming in glee at the sight in front of him. All senses lost you, emotions overpowering you, and the only rational thing that you could do was to hug the life out of this blue stranger, and he only chuckled and ruffled your hair.

"I honestly c-can't thank you enough f-for saving her. I don't know wh-what I would without her." you said stuttering from emotion. "No need to thank me. I am just happy to help save the life of such a lovely creature." he said, grinning. "Yeah, I totally get you. I'm like that too, since it's why I decided to become a vet since very little. This baby was left abandoned in my clinic after her owners decided that a surgery would be too much time and money wasted." you said, taking her in your embrace and rubbing your head to hers, lovingly. "I hate people like that. Animals are much better than humans, and on that note, lack any evil intent." he said, sighing. "I'm happy to hear that someone else agrees with me, after all this time. People always thought I was crazy for thinking that way." you laughed, seeing his grin widen. "Likewise, I have to say. Will you be around tomorrow too?" he asked, scratching her behind her ear. "I'm not sure. I had this day off from my clinic, but I live in the village nearby, if you want to see me or p/n. I'm uh...Actually the only viable medic in these neighbour villages." you scratched the back of your neck, grinning sheepishly. "If you wouldn't mind a weird, blue shark guy walking around and scaring your patients-" "Nah, only the humans. The animals will surely love you. I have no doubt about that! Hope I'll see you around!" you cut him off, in glee. "I'll see you around, then. Take care and see you later, squiddo." he gave a side-grin and a military salute, as he left the place, leaving you and your lovely puppy enjoy the rest of your day off.

Uchiha Itachi

You were a regular visitor at the vintage bookshop cafe in town, since you absolutely loved to relax on a plush armchair on the ground, with your favourite book and the hot beverage of your choice to soothe your nerves after a long day at work. You were friends with all the employees there, knew all the regular faces and occasionally helped out with what you could. Your favourite was putting back books and arranging them by certain criteria, breathing in the mersmerising scent of coffee and tea. One lovely day, as you were reading "Da Vinci's Code" in your usual silent corner, you noticed a brunet man entering the video silently, and yet, he captured everyone's eyes with his mysterious, intriguing aura, as he walked to the belletristic section, seemingly looking for a certain book.

After reading one more chapter, you look up again and see him in the same place, still searching, so you put the vintage bookmark at the page you were at, gently put it on the table next to your tea and made your way to him, tapping him on his shoulder, smiling softly.

"Hello. I'm sorry to disturb, but you seemed to need help looking for a book. Correct me if I'm wrong, however, and I can leave." you said, trying to look at his gorgeous onyx eyes. "Thank you for your help, miss. I was looking for 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. I'd be grateful if you could help me find it." he replied, with a ghost of a smile. "Ah...Well, I believe I took the last copy of it, last week, I apologise. I can borrow it to you if you want. I'm almost always around here anyways." you said, recalling the amazing book you recently finished. "Are you not an employee here?" his eyebrow raised in confusion. "Nah, I just come around to relax and enjoy my time. I do tend to help around if I can, since they cant handle all the work, you know?" you replied, looking around in pride and content. "That sounds wonderful. Mind if I come around tomorrow to pick it up? I will return it as soon as I finish it." he said, looking grateful. "Sounds like a plan. Whenever you have time, I'll be here. That, over there, is my usual reading corner, but if you don't see me, just ask around for Y/N, okay?" you grinned, extending your hand for him to shake. "Uchiha Itachi. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for your help, I have to leave now. Have a lovely day." shaking your hand, he made his way out of the bookstore, waving his goodbye at you. "It was nice meeting you too, Itachi." with a side-smile on your face, you turned back to your corner, very smug at the looks the others were giving you.

Deidara

Your village was very well known for its fabulous festivals- so great that people, both ninjas and commoners, would get out of their way to attend them as often as possible, since they provided delightful food from all over the world, great games, and the best part that always comes at night- 

Fireworks!

And that is where you came from-

Since you were very little, you absolutely

LOVED

fireworks- the colours, the patterns, the noise, the smell, everything about them just made you incredibly giddy and overwhelmed with happiness, so, with time, you started creating your own fireworks, infused with elemental chakra and other tricky, secret stuff to make them even better than the common ones, which made the villagers happy to allow you to do every Firework Show, each night.

This night, however, the festival was in the same day as your birthday, which had you excited - tenfold the usual dose, if possible - and going up the hill, in your gorgeous traditional kimono that your mother gifted you, and needless you say, you put your best performance so far, incredibly satisfied at your work and the gorgeous display on the dark, starry sky.

"That was a great firework show, huh? Much more intriguing and fascinating than all the others I've seen so far. You did this, hn?" a deep voice said behind you, making you yelp in surprise and look back at the blond individual, with big, scared, fawn eyes. "Sorry if I scared you, yeah." he continued. "Just wanted to praise the artist and learn some tips from them." he grinned, confidently. "O-Oh! I'm really happy that you liked it! I did my best with this one! It's uh...A special occasion, might I say!" he smiled softly, trying to tone down your excitement. "Lemme guess, it's your birthday, hn? Special outfit for a special day, yeah." he said as he took out some clay his bag. "It is! Good guess, mate! What's this clay for?" you inquired, curiosity completely taking over you. "This! Is my art! Watch and learn, missy!" he gloated, as the mouths on his hands started shaping clay into a bird, showing it off. "Uhh~! So pretty! You're really talented!" you chirped, examining the birdy. "You think this is pretty? Look at this, yeah!" with that, he infused the clay figurine with his chakra and threw it high into the sky, then activated it by yelling "KATSU!", making it create a huge, fascinating explosion, leaving you awestruck, jumping up and down, clapping. "Art truly is an explosion, right?" you said, looking at him in admiration. "I couldn't have said it any better, missy. Glad to see there are other true art enthusiasts around, unlike my dull partner, hn! Well, gotta go now, missy!" he said, as he gave you another clay figurine. "Hope I'll see you again. After all, artists stick together, right?" you said, with a knowing smile plastered on your face. "You know it, missy! See ya around, yeah!" he waved, as he jumped on the back of a huge clay bird and flew away, leaving you look down at the little gift in your hands, smiling and blushing slightly. This sure was one hell of a birthday!

Akasuna no Sasori

Since you were  little, you've always been interested in herbal medicine and poisons, so much that you'd only research plants, both from your home and from abroad, which made you become a well-known merchant, which allowed you to travel all-over the world, practise and invent all sorts of antidotes and poisons.

You were very passionate about your hobby, and by now, you had several books in which you wrote every plant you've encountered, wrote its properties and where you saw it, and many other books for different potions, how you could make them, their effects and so on.

Obviously, you already knew everything by heart, but it was always nice to have it written down and drawn on paper, especially since drawing was also a passion of yours and it was the only way you could practise it.

You carried precious but dangerous information with you at all times, so it was little surprise when one day, when you finally found the perfect spot for new plants to document and draw, you got ambushed by a bunch of no-so-friendly looking ninjas who wanted to hurt you and take your precious notes from you, which angered you so. As soon as you found a run-down small shack, you hid in it and prepared one of your most powerful poisons so you could kill them all. The best part of this? You were completely immune to all poisons and venoms so no matter what the outcome would be, you wouldn't be injured at all. As soon as they entered the house, you raised your mask up to your nose and stealthily closed the door and with a simple jutsu and a very toxic and complex poison, you breathed out a deadly mist that engulfed the whole place, making the scums die in agony as you swiftly made your escape out of there, enjoying their screams of pain. The only problem was that as soon as you got out of there, you stretched your limbs and as you were about to take off your mask, you notice a red-haired man about your height with seemingly no emotions on his face, staring at you. Despite his stoic face, a glint of smugness was evident in his eyes.

"I heard you were good, but that was much better than expected. I can see why Leader wanted to recruit you." he said in a monotone voice. "I wasn't aware I was so famous..." you said quietly. "The day the Black Mamba won't be famous, I wouldn't be-" "Akasuna no Sasori." you chirped, cutting him. "Sorry, that was rude of me. Forgive me." "So you're aware of my title. Good. You'll be coming to the base without any struggle, then." he smirked at you with a slight patronising stare. "As long as I can continue my passions, I don't see any reason not to. Uh...Maybe the fact that you're criminals could be a strong point...But it would be much safer with than without you." you tried to speak coherently, trying not to make a fool of yourself in front of the person that became an inspiration when you were young. "Before that, uhm...Would you mind if I went home and get my things? I have a lot of important thi-" you started, but were quickly cut off by a dismissive hand. "I'm not a patient person. Go home, I'll be back to escort you to our base. Be ware, however, that I am not a patient person and my patience runs thin incredibly fast. Don't push your limits." he said, sternly. "I-I...Will keep that in mind. Thank you for giving me a chance." you said, low-key spazzic and wanting to get away from his intimidating stare. "Do not disappoint." he stated, before he left without a second word.

Well...That will proved to be a great opportunity for you to grow even further and become and even more qualified poison expert.

Pein

You were an amazing ninja, but after a horrible incident which got both your family and your team, consisted of your two best friends, killed, your village blamed and shunned you, making you be forced to go rogue and live the life of a criminal. You were scared and angry at the injustice that has fallen upon you, but there was nothing you could do, apart from living on your life the best you could. After that incident and your shunning, you became a target high in the Bingo Book's Top 10 Wanted Criminals, with a huge bounty on your head, due to your incredible stealth, tracking and mind-controlling skills, which is why, unknown to you, the Akatsuki were trying to recruit you.

Countless months passed since the incident, you managed to find a small but cozy place to live in and you got pretty comfortable with a common life, pretending to be a normal villager. You become the one to provide the small village with flowers and other city technology, so you were used to people knocking on your door, asking for commissions and other stuff to order and bring to the village store, so when a knock could be heard at your door, at first, you weren't surprised. However, that changed when, after so many years, you picked up the sense of an incredibly powerful chakra, which made you uneasy, to say the least, but if that person particularly went out of their way to find you, they were sure to know you were there, so acting anything but peaceful would not be in your favour.

Shivers ran over your body, anxious beyond belief as you quietly unlocked the door and opened it, hiding behind the door, gripping it, only peaking slightly at the stranger standing in front of me. He had short, messy orange hair, multiple piercings, the famous Rinnegan and the feared Akatsuki cloak. Biting your lip, you tried to calm your breathing and hold a decent conversation without showing your worry, since his stern glaze root you to the ground. By the way he was standing, fully composed and an air of authority around him, being here by himself, unlike the others, who seemed to always do missions with another partner.

"H-Hello. How may I help you?" you mustered, unsure of what to do. "You are Y/N L/N, am I correct?" he said in a low, monotone voice. "Y-Yes, who asks?" you clearly weren't surprised this strange knew your name, since you were a known criminal around the big villages. "My name is Pein and I am the Leader of the Akatsuki. I came here to recruit you, being one of those few people with more than average skills." he stated, not budging. "That's...Not so bad, actually. Thanks for considering me, I guess." you said, unsure of yourself, still biting your life. "I will be coming for you next week and I am expecting a definite answer by then." he said, nodding. "There's only one answer which would ensure I'll stay alive, anyways, so uh...You know the answer." you looked away, trying to escape his hypnotising stare. "Very well. Be prepared to leave next week. Also...I suggest breaking your justu. It is not going to work on me. Good day." as with that, he left you there, dumbstruck to the spot, still processing your encounter with the strongest criminal you've ever seen.

It was fun and you were looking forward to this new adventure.

Konan

All your life, you've been dealing with a lot of negativity from everyone around you, since you were the only ninja in the village and you were damned good at your job and with that, you gathered a lot of money and hate from others.

This, however, motivated you to become a better person and spread positivity in any way you could and that included telling people they are pretty, wishing them a great, sunny day and/or giving them flowers. It was, in your opinion, a very sweet way of making they day better and seeing them smile brightened up your own day as well. On the other hand, you only wished someone would one day do the same to you too.

And so, one day, you went to the market, saw some beautiful flowers, took three of them and left to walk around the city and settled for the nearby cafe. Unfortunately, it was all full, apart from one empty chair at a table for two where a gorgeous girl with blue hair was sipping tea and reading a book, which upon further inspection proved to be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Grinning, yet still feeling shy, you went besides her table, trying to fake confidence.

"Hi! Would it be okay if I stay here? Everywhere else is full." you smiled kindly. "I don't mind." she said, barely stealing a glance at you, but gesturing for you to take a seat.

After taking a cup of hot chocolate, you took out your book from your bag, but something was urging you to talk to the girl, so that's what you tried.

"So, Mary Shelley, huh? I love her work too. She's a genius." you said, unsure. "She's amazing. This must be one of my favourite books and the perspective of ethics is very intriguing." she stated with the ghost of a smile on her face, finally looking at you.

Grinning at her, you continued talking to her about the morals and ethics of the book, the author and many other books with similar topics, until you both finished your drinks and you realised you had to go home. As a way to say goodbye, you paid the bill for the both of you, then smiled at her and handed her one of the flowers.

"It was lovely meeting you and I'm very happy that I got to meet someone as beautiful as you who also shares my tastes in books. You brightened up my whole year with this encounter and I only hope I could make you smile. I hope to see you again, if you wouldn't mind." you said with a grin on your face, gripping on your book, swinging back and forth on your spot, shyly. "I would love to. It was an honour meeting you." she smiled and you could swear the whole room lit up. "I'm Y/N. It was a pleasure meeting you too...?" you stated, hoping for her to tell you her name. "Konan. Thank you for paying for my tea as well." she said, extending her hand for you to shake. "Special people deserve special treatment. Will I be seeing you again soon?" you asked, hopeful. "You will. Farewell, Y/N. Have a bright day." she smiled at you, nodding and leaving the place.

It took you everything you had not to jump-hug her or kiss her cheek in happiness, but you managed to restrain yourself and only grinned at your success and went home, extremely proud of yourself.

Kakuzu

You were a retired ANBU ninja who decided that she's enough death in her life in a short amount of time, so you decided to take up healing and other relaxing activities, like tending to your new flower garden, crocheting and taking care of your kitten. It was all going great, so far, finally managing to get over your trauma and learning again how to relax and be happy. As you were tending to your little piece of heaven, you suddenly got startled by the sound of a tree breaking and a thud. You sighed, got up and went to investigate the annoying sound, which proved to be an unconscious, weird-looking, injured man. You checked to see if he had a pulse, which admittedly, he had, but at the same time, as you took off his mask, you immediately recognised him as one of the most mysterious and dangerous Akatsuki member, high-listed in the Bingo Book you constantly kept in your position. What was more, apart from his name and village, nobody knew anything about him, which made him all the more dangerous, since clearly, every person he encountered and fought never lived to tell the tale of his true powers...Or at least his chakra nature. Not that it mattered, anyways. You were no longer a ninja and nor were you intending to go back to that stressful life, but as soon as you finished your medical training, you swore an oath never to let any person die, if you can help (which, on the other hand, never states that I couldn't possibly maim them at least, thankfully.)

His injuries were incredibly bad and if he wasn't as weirdly, inhumanely powerful as he was, he wouldn't have survived another breathe - which now he could take with ease. Sighing after hours of healing, I stretch your arms, satisfied with your work, when suddenly, a hand grasped your neck and you see Kakuzu raised to a sitting position, his glare being ominously highlighted by his long hair, draping over his face.

"Rude...!" you gasped, trying to breathe, as you put your hands on his wrist, trying to make him stop strangling you. "I healed you!" "Not a wise decision." and although he said that, the grip on your neck became slowly softer until it completely released you. "Sheesh...Kinky. At least get me a cup of sugary coffee or something." you mumbled, rubbing your neck, looking away. "Why would you heal a criminal?"  he said, completely ignoring your previous reply. "Criminal or not, it is my duty as a healer to save people, evil or not. Can't do much about it, huh?" you stated, as a matter of fact. "You have a Bingo Book next to you and yet, you don't seem afraid. Why?" he asked, peering into your eyes. "The risk I took was calculated...But boy, am I bad at maths."you chuckled, trying to ease the tension. "Are you aware of the incredibly huge bounty on your head?" it was more like a statement than a question, as he handed you his own Bingo Book to look at. What came as a huge surprise, as you flipped through the pages you also had in your own book, was a page dedicated to yourself- Your name, your village, your chakra nature, your skills and an unimaginable sum under your picture. You whistled in shock at the page you were staring at, then you slowly and lifted your eyes, making eye-contact with the famous Bounty Hunter, as a chilled shiver took over your body

"So...You're going to kill me and hand me in for the money, huh?" you asked, unsure of his intentions. "Money runs the world and ethics nor morality do anyone a favour. It would be ridiculous not to do so." he stated, without any remorse. You gave a scared laugh, thinking about your last moments, but they never came. Kakuzu, instead of killing you, stood up, towering over your small frame "Fortunately for you, I still have an ounce of morality left. Enough so that I won't kill the healer who did me a favour, despite knowing who I was." and he left without another word, leaving you blinking in surprise. For some reason, this encounter left you with a giddy heart and not only from fear, but from a bit of admiration too.

Hidan

You weren't an actual ninja, being from a smaller village with very few actually training by going to other big village's Academies, but you and your mum learnt how to be very the best healers around, which was why the place you lived at became a small clinic for every kind of people to get treated, either for free, or make donations.

Today was significantly more boring than usual, no conflicts, fights or small 'wars' happening, so you decided to let your mother run the place while watching a movie on your laptop, as you went out to stretch your legs, enjoy some fresh air in the nearby forest, stand by the stream and take in the godly perfume of the flowers.

The birds' symphony that had you lose yourself on Cloud 9 was, however, abruptly stopped when out of nowhere, a screaming head was catapulted in your direction, at a rather fast speed. Your eye twitched at the disturbance and you merely cocked your own head to the left, in order to avoid the annoying thing projecting your way. Happy enough, it slammed into the tree close to you, which made it stop yelling...For a short while.

"Can you shut up already? Some people are trying to enjoy the peace and quite this place offers."you told the annoying talking-head next to you.

This head, apparently, had silver hair, slicked back , slightly messy from the throw, and amethyst eyes.

"The hell is your problem, bitch?! Can't you have any bit of sympathy for a decapitated man?!" he glared at you. "Can you blame me? I just wanted to have one free day to relax and instead I...You know what? This is actually hilarious. How did you end up like this?" you smirked at him, resting your jaw on your hand. "What does it matter?! Just stitch me back to my body and leave me alone!" he said, trying to roll on the ground. "And where is your body, anyways? I couldn't possibly dream of some magical way to detect your body in the middle of nowhere, right?" you chuckled at him, then grabbed him by the hair, making him look at you directly. "You're even more annoying than that asshole, Kakuzu! Argh, just wait till I see him! That way! Go, now!" he said, trying to spin to show you the direction. "Kakuzu? Is he your boyfriend, or what? Domestic fight?" you snickered, getting up and walking in the direction he was instructing. "Boyfriend?! What the hell is wrong with you, bitch?! That jerk is absolutely horrible and has no regard for my religion! Besides, who cares about relationships?! All I need is Jashin-sama's blessings and I'm good." he thundered, clearly offended by the idea of him being in a relationship. "I suppose that's why you're immortal, huh? No normal person could get decapitated in a revenge-porn acti-" "DON'T EVEN DARE CONTINUE THAT SENTENCE! Or, I swear, the first thing I do when I get back to my body is to make you into a sacrifice!" by this time, the foam forming in his mouth almost drooling down his chin in anger. "You forgot the key-point of this. I could just as simply toss you farther away, just like your partner, much smarter than you, did." you winked at him. "Here! There it is!" he yelled in slight smugness. "Ah...Poor you...You look like a fish on the land, struggling to breathe." you replied in fake sympathy, as you sat down besides his body, getting the emergency scroll from your purse and taking out your sewing kit to help the poor idiot become whole again. As soon as you finished the procedure, during which he kept continuously whining and chatting about weird stuff, he got up and rubbed his neck, stretched, clearly relieved to be back. "You know what? I think you did a much better job than that asshole! Thanks, bitch!" he said, beaming. "My name is Y/N and I'd like you to call me by my name, not some stupid nickname your boyfriend calls you." you glared at him. "You know wha-" he tried to continue the sentence, but he was cut off by a loud, angry, booming voice echoing through the forest.

                          "HIDAN!!!"

"Is...This your boyfriend?"

you cocked your head in confusion and amusement at their antics.

You waved at Hidan as he was violently dragged away by his partner.

Ah, what a happy couple~!

[inklingleesquidly]

THE WISDOM OF LEE SQUIDLY

CHAPTER 5

Lee Squidly has been called into  action. Callie has gone missing and according to Marie he’s her only hope in finding her. There is a lot more going on in Octo Canyon than Lee truly knows but Is he up to the task when he is uncertain of even his own feelings?

A new journey of discovery awaits our hero as he comes to realize what the true meaning of the relationship between the Squid Sisters is, and what they mean to others..

Featuring @agentis-zephirum‘s squid and a special mention of a special squid by @splat-tendency

Chapter 4 can be found here

Word Count: 3,372

“Let’s see; green ink, pink shirt, innocent starry eyes, and probably found getting bullied by everyone everywhere. Yup, you definitely fit the bill, Squiddo.”

Out of all the places Lee had been to in Octopus country he never would have imagined finding himself in what he could only describe as a secret safe house bunker. It was quite cramped but seemed to provide basic amenities. There was a cot for sleeping which he and Mooky sat upon. The squid that had brought them here was brewing a pot of tea at a small area for preparing food. He noticed a sequestered room behind a closed door which he presumed was a restroom, and finally there was some sort of big work desk with monitors depicting multiple windows with different video feeds.

He was getting too caught up in observations that the urgency of the situation suddenly returned to him. Lee wearily worried, “With all due respect ma’am, we have to get back, we gotta help my friend, he’s in danger, he’s–.”

“Plant it,” the older woman said sternly, pushing him back down with her hand on his shoulder.  After adjusting her glasses and offering him a cup of steaming tea, she explained, “This new generation of hypno shades the Octarians are using are unlike anything I’ve seen before. The technology is so sophisticated that even if you got them off, the victim keeps hearing the same song in their head. Wherever the signal is broadcasted from, their brain has been fixed to keep hearing the frequency no matter what.”

Glancing over at a pair of those shades laying dismantled on the work table, she bluntly said, “You and that pink squid are better off where he is. You’ll just get yourself splatted, or worse running in and trying to rip off his shades.”

That was a crushing blow for Lee, “Fynn,” he helplessly squeaked under his breath.  Knowing another friend of his was in danger and utterly beyond his help according to this woman… he could only let out a defeated sigh.

The mystery lady’s eyes shifted from side to side and she grimaced at the site of him. This kid looked like he was about to cry and she wasn’t particularly experienced when it came to handling crying children.  “Hey, hey,” she tapped him on the shoulder with her palm, “Come on, I got you out of there didn’t I, and your friend is probably gonna be fine so cheer up, Squiddo.”

Squiddo, Lee repeated, she keeps calling me that, just like–.

He gasped at a thought he had, “Say umm—umm uh—Miss–,” he bit his tongue, suddenly realizing he had forgotten her name.

“Miss Pearlessence, Master Lee,” Mooky reminded, “She is one of our contacts.”

“Right,” Lee breathed, “Miss Pearlessence do you know a man named Mister Zephirum?”

Pearlessence let out a noise through her pursed lips; they quivered as she tried to force herself not to smile so wide. She then giggled, “Hoo hoo hoo, do I know him? I practically babysat that doofus for 20 years.” She adjusted her glasses again and sized up Lee, “Hard to believe the Miracle Kid he’s so fond of is the one I’m supposed to meet.”

“Miracle Kid?” Lee repeated questioningly. Putting aside his optimism; he never would’ve imagined “fond” would be a word used to describe him by the grumpy ex-agent who lived on his apartment floor.

She said, “You bet Squiddo, Marie Calimari seems to think the same thing to, she wanted me to meet you especially and help you out. No offense though but I can’t see what they’re seeing, you’re definitely not Agent material.”

There was nothing Lee could do to argue with that, nor would he want to, he had a much bigger concern in mind. “With all due respect Miss Pearlessence, do you have anything about Callie for me?”

His last bastion for information aiding in his quest quickly dashed his hopes, “Nope, afraid not, sorry Squiddo.” She spun around in her chair and examined the glowing monitors.  Her fingers skimmed across the screens, enlarging and minimizing some windows, studying them. “I’ve been keeping tabs on just about every squid Marie got to roam around this canyon and not one of them knows anymore than you or me.”

Lee and Mooky peeked over her shoulder and the little butler held his clamp hand to his cheek. “Oh my stars, there are over 100 simultaneous audio and visual feeds running at once on these all-in-one compuers.”

Pearlessence groaned, “It’s more of a strain on me than it is the computers.” She lifted her glases to rub her eyes, “If I didn’t owe Cuttlefish and his family a favor I wouldn’t be doing this.”

“Huh,” Lee wondered.

Her next remark seemed utterly cruel, “Let’s just say out of Cuttlefish’s granddaughters, Callie is the one I’m least fond of.” Lee gasped, speechless at what he heard. He was so flabbergasted that he looked to Mooky for guidance on how to react but only saw the same uncertain look as his own in the pint sized servant. Pearlessence wasn’t finished there, “Don’t get me wrong, she’s a sweet girl, and has such a kind heart, a little too kind I would say. She’s so sympathetic to others that I’d say it’s possible she’s willingly working with the Octarians.”

Lee said nothing but he silently agreed with everything the woman said. He knew Callie had particular reasons making her especially sympathetic to the plight of Octopods so that wasn’t an impossibility. He didn’t take too kindly to Pearlessence‘s continuing criticisms, “But if not and she went and got herself captured, that just proves what I thought that she’s sloppy and has bad instincts unfit for an  Agent.”

Her tone completely changed, much to Lee’s dismay on another subject, “Now Marie on the other hand, she’s top agent material!” He grumbled but she started to smile with an almost passionate excitement, “She’s focused, organized, stays true to her mission, gets exceptional scores on the Agency physical and psychological evaluations, and is an insanely talented sniper. It’s no wonder Agents far and wide these days look up to her,” she revealed how countless Agents idolized and strived with all they had to emulate her. “She’s one of the best of the best, no doubt about it; field agents know it and especially the top brass of the Agency know it. That’s why she’s in the top consideration to succeed Cuttlefish for the rank of Captain once that old fart finally decides to retire.”

“Huh,” Lee wondered, bewildered as he took in all of this information.

Blowing a puff of air and readjusting her glasses, Pearlessence then said, “Believe me when I tell you, Squiddo, that girl is staking a lot on this operation, A LOT. If the Agency finds out about everything she’s done here–,” there was a pause in her words as she strived to really elucidate her thoughts. “Let’s just say it’s crazy what she’s going through to get her cousin back,” hoping that would encapsulate the sheer scope of this mess they found themselves woven into.

 All Lee could do was dwell on those thoughts. He was only able to keep listening as Pearlessence really drove the point home. “Seems like no matter what she’s always being eyed by everyone all the time; that singing that they do, when she plays Turf Wars, and her work as an agent. When I was her age I had to put up with that much scrutiny to, it nearly drove me up a wall.” Lee looked down into his cup, taking in the final words she said, “But if anyone can handle it, it’s definitely Marie Calimari!”

Without uttering a word, Lee stood up, set down his untouched cup of tea, and started to leave. Though confused, Mooky followed him, and they got the attention of Pearlessence who didn’t notice until she heard the sound of door sliding open. “Huh, you’re leaving?? Well all right then, don’t do anything crazy, Squiddo, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted if I find anything.” He had nothing to offer in response, just an unceremonious shutting of the door concealing the safehouse once again.

It was still the early afternoon of his second day meandering through Octo Canyon and he hadn’t anything to show for his efforts; no clues, no hints, no information at all.  Still trying to keep spirits high, Mooky asked energetically, “Well Master Lee, what shall we do now? Perhaps we should reconnect with one of our informants to see if they discovered anything new?”

“No,” Lee mumbled, “C’mon Mooky, we’re heading back to Tentakeel Outpost.”

“Whatever for, Master Lee?”

The weary Inkling ran his hand through his hair, weighing his options as his tentacles bounced back in to place. “There’s someone I need to talk to,” he divulged.

A hop, skip, and a jump later; Lee and Mooky returned to the hub in which their adventure began. There, Lee instructed Mooky to wait nearby while he made his way to the lone wooden structure in sight. “Marie, hello, Marie are you here,” he shouted urgently as he circled the shack, seeking out the idol in question.

The door slid open and out came the weary woman. Rubbing her eye with the back of her hand, she groggily mumbled, “I’m up, I’m up, I’m here, who’s call–,” seeing him out of the blue caused her drowsiness to swiftly fade away. “–Oh Lee, it’s you,” she grumbled under her breath. Making a lazy attempt to fix her robe and adjust her collar, she cleared her throat, “All right, let’s hear it; what did  I do now that you came all the way back here to yell at me for?”

That tone of contempt and exhausted exasperation she had toward him wasn’t going to deter Lee from saying what he needed to say. “Marie,” he began, “I’m sorry.”

Her breath got caught in her throat, causing her to sputter in disbelief, “Peh- pih- whu—you’re sorry? W-Why?” Marie stomped her foot and grinded her teeth, “Someone upsets you and you apologize to them? Do you say sorry to people who bump into you or splat you a dozen times?”  

She was ranting and raving with disbelief but Lee quietly, calmly restated his apology. “Marie, please, I really am sorry. I’m sorry for everything I said to you before.” He bit his lower lip, and his fingers fidgeted until they were practically tied in knots, struggling to approach this subject as best he could to truly show his sincerity. “All this time I was thinking about how mad I was at you but I never thought of why, because of how much Callie meant to you.”

Her posture grew more relaxed and she said nothing as she and Lee slowly made their way to sit down on the stoop of her wooden command center. There, Marie listened to him report everything he had done and learned from his informants over the past two days. He was supposed to learn about Callie but he ended up learning far more about Marie instead. From Blueshift, Jonn, and even Miss Pearlessence, he shared everything.

After what felt like forever; feeling like he was endlessly repeating himself and struggling to get his point across, Lee concluded, “And that’s why I just—I—I was really unfair to you. I do know what it’s like to not think straight when you’ve lost someone really important to you, an-and I was so—I was really kind of thinking of myself. With things between me and Callie being what they are I didn’t think at all about—just, what she meant to you and everybody else. Again I’m just, I’m, I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t expect her to accept his apology, but he couldn’t tell what Marie was thinking. Did she even listen to him? He probably shouldn’t have expected her to do that either what with how wishy washy, angry, and dismissive he had been. The tense silence between them could be cut with a knife.

“You know it’s funny,” Marie finally said, “When you’re always in the limelight, people just lay and wait for you to screw up. They expect it, they want to use it against you however they want. For me, everyone wants to me to meet their expectations; They tell me all the time that I’m perfect, that I’m a model Agent, that I’m such a big influence, that so many others look up to me and want to be me, that I’m the ideal squid for… whatever.”

He could just barely hear her next words, the ire in her voice made her mumble, “I hate it,” she said. “They all say they love me but I bet if they really really got to know me and had to deal with me, they’d change their tune.” The look on her face changed from one of aggravation to sorrowful remorse. “Callie is the only one who truly understands me; she’s the only one I don’t have to worry about being myself around.”

That confused Lee, surely she knew her fans and friends did know they really did like her for who she was? The realization would hit him when she admitted, “She’s the only one who truly accepts that I can be selfish, and bigheaded, and mean even though I don’t try to be. She takes all of that from me,” she mumbled, covering her eyes with her palm, “And all I ever do is take her for granted.”

Lee opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He had even less to say when he heard quiet sobs escape from her mouth, and saw her shoulders start to jerk with each sob. “She’s always been there for me, through everything in my life, and that’s why I keep trying to be as perfect as everyone else wants me to be. It’s for her, it’s always been for her. Callie’s the one who always believe I can do anything and with her around, hiff, I really feel like I can.” The influence Callie had on Marie really resonated with Lee. He touched one of his hands to his ear, the silver metal of Callie’s earring he kept so near and dear made his hand tremble. Marie quaked anxiously as she said, “But without her around I just—I—gyuh—I don’t feel like I can do anything.”

Marie uncovered her face to reveal an unimaginable sight; her eyes were puffy and welling up with liquid as she stared up at the canyon’s false sky. She huskily breathed, “Lee, do you remember when I told you how much I want to go into space?” He did remember, so he answered with a nod. “I want to go—and never look back, just find somewhere I can call my own, away from all the pressure, the glamour, the fame, and all that garbage and just be with the people I love—especially Callie.” That was enough to finally break her, with a loud gasp she covered her face with her hand and began to weep, no longer caring about restraining herself in front of the boy before her.

Bawling loud and unrestrained, Marie squeaked, “I miss her so much, I want my cousin, my sister, my best friend back so bad.” Her cries grew louder, raspier, desperate as she pleaded, “I can’t do this without her—I just can’t! I want so bad, so so so bad to go back to the way things were. I want to sing and dance with her again, I want to go on missions with her, I want us to go to home together, I want to go back to the way things were, just like the old days.”

Lee needed to say something, anything to the distraught woman whom he now knew more than ever desperately needed the squid they were seeking– more than he did. He could’ve and should’ve said something to ease her woes but what she had said cycled repeatedly in his mind.

Just like the old days, he kept hearing.

“The old days,” Lee repeated under his breath. Suddenly, not unlike a light bulb in an animated cartoon turning on, a miraculous idea popped into his head. “That’s it!” He declared out of nowhere.

“Huh,” Marie choked out through her tears.

Springing up to his feet, Lee had an energy about him that was completely different from when he arrived in Octo Canyon. His eyes twinkled bright, his smile stretched wide, and he shook his balled fists in inspiration, “I think I know where Callie might be!”

“What,” Marie breathlessly asked again, trying to inhale through her stuffed nose and rub tears away with her fist.

In response he offered her a packet of tissue paper he stored in one of his cargo pockets. Then, he exclaimed, “Maybe we haven’t found Callie in Octo Canyon because she’s not even in Octo Canyon!”

Using the tissues to purge her sinuses and wipe away her tears and running make-up she wondered, “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a long shot but I think it might be worth to check one more spot.” His clenched fists vibrated to match his excitement; he was convinced his hunch was correct. “Just hang on for a little bit longer, okay, if I’m right, we’ll have Callie back before dinner time!” With that, he turned around and with his certainty driving him; he was ready to race away.

“WAIT,” Marie shouted, stopping him just before he could move. His sudden complete shift in attitude and tenor was bewildering but Marie found herself awed and dumbstruck by his hopefulness. When he turned to face her, she gingerly held her parasol in her hands and said, “You know, there’s a lot of crazy weirdos that are obsessed with my cousin. Out of all of them,” she peered up to flash him an earnest, optimistic smile, “I’m really glad she met you, Lee Squidly.”

At any other time Lee would be bothered by a backhanded compliment like that but not now, “Thanks Marie,” he said, not losing his confidence. With that he sped off, collecting Mooky and running with all of his might.

Mooky yelped as he looked over his shoulder at Lee, “Acck, what is going on Master Lee, where are we going?”

Lee looked back at him, excitably proclaiming, “Hold tight Mooky, we’re going to Octo Valley!” It finally came together for him; he couldn’t do this for himself anymore. He couldn’t do it for a fleeting chance to see Callie again—and maybe, possibly reconcile their differences after their talk about his life. He couldn’t do it for the slim chance of being her knight in shining armor. He had to find Callie for the sake of others, others who wanted Callie back and to see the Squid Sisters reunited.

Not stopping to rest for even a moment, Lee ran and ran and ran, running until he reached a sewer he could dive into. He was on autopilot; making his way to the other major area of Octopus country. He found the kettle he was searching for; an uninhabited unclaimed background piece in the heart of the Octarian Homeland. He smacked away an overgrowth of plants caught in his way, remembering this place as if he had been here yesterday.

It was the same kettle Callie had brought him to for his training in Special Energy control.  He was thoroughly convinced she was here, or at least had been here, he wouldn’t waver in that belief. Suddenly, SQUISH, his foot touched something that definitely wasn’t grass. Lee looked down to find something that made his heart skip a beat, pink ink! The ground was absolutely covered in it, and low and behold, as improbable as it was, someone stood a short distance away with their back turned to him.

Those unmistakable black and pink tentacles, it was too good to be true, but Lee wanted to leap for joy. Callie, he thought, even short of breath in his mind, Don’t worry Marie, Callie is coming home, I promise you!

[paddysol]

any recommendations on how to get into lifesteal? i've seen a few videos out of context but idk where/who to start with

Hmm, I’m not quite sure how to answer to be entirely honest (lowkey bc I’m also trying to figure that out and I tend to keep to the same people). Lifesteal has always been like half in half out kinda deal due to most of the events happening on livestreams so I’m always a bit late on the current happenings.

But!! I do recommend watching some of the folks who put videos up on YouTube (Squiddo is a personal favourite of mine, most of her videos tend to be within the half hour mark and are incredibly entertaining the whole way through - I do know that Rekrap, JumperWho, Kaboodle, Framefrags, and Mapicc tend to keep up with their yt channel as well. I’d also recommend Branzycraft if you want to get into some of the older seasons. (There’s a couple others as well but I don’t tend to watch them so I can’t say for sure)

I have realized (and this may be my own doing) that there’s usually gonna be unexplained gaps in knowledge which is something I’ve just kinda accepted tbh. (Like in general, especially considering the nature of the server and everyone playing 5D chess)

I also tend to doomscroll through character specific tags on tumblr and usually people can be found rambling about events/characterization which is a bit like putting together a puzzle but it slowly comes together (which a piece or two missing)

(I hope I was somewhat helpful? I sincerely do apologize if I wasn’t aaaaa)

(Also if anyone also has recommendations and wants to jump in please do!)

[felassan]

Tomorrow, beyond, [ME]: Andromeda & [you]

Okay squiddos, so - it seems like in terms of Mass Effect: Andromeda news/information, tomorrow (Feb 23rd) is gonna be big/good.

The press were recently given significant looks at the game. If shinobi is to be believed, “they got several hours of hands-on”, and the embargo lifts tomorrow, supposedly at 9am Eastern. That’s 2pm GMT (here is a timezone converter if you need one). Apparently, the press will be allowed to discuss everything they saw in their previews, including missions they played, side missions, gameplay, lore, all six squadmates and how the game begins (but not how Ryder becomes the Pathfinder). 

Even if shinobi can’t be taken at his word or he’s just “predicting” stuff which is obvious/otherwise known (he seems to do that sometimes), there’s other things floating around. IGN have tweeted about a long and thoughtful 2000 word ME:A preview article that should surface at some point tomorrow. [EDIT: UPDATE - This article is going live on IGN at 6am PT, and is reportedly spoiler-free, with the writer saying that she doesn’t discuss the story or narrative at all.] IGN are holding Unlocked (I think that’s a podcast) tomorrow at a specific time so that they can talk about Andromeda there too. Dev Ian Frazier tweeted that the press who saw chargen will be allowed to talk/answer questions about what they saw tomorrow. This Reddit user (who is presumably part of the press) is gearing up and taking questions for an AMA about what they saw during 3 hours of play, saying that they can post answers from 1am Australian eastern time on Friday morning (which is around 9am Eastern, you guessed it, tomorrow [if I’m calculating things right -!]). Beyond “tomorrow” specifically, there are more videos in the gameplay series to come (supposedly the next one may coming out on Friday), Jaal information coming at some point (people are speculating tomorrow for that based on the times the previous character profiles were put up), etc. 

Even if shinobi is just saying things, it’s definitely true that with the previews and such tomorrow, there could be spoilery information or things that some would consider spoilery among the news. And, tomorrow itself aside for a second, with stuff like PAX (March 10-12th, BioWare are going to have a panel there and they say it’s going to be big, Cora’s writer will be there [EDIT: UPDATE - the panel and Q&A is from 4-5pm local time on March 10th, and is stated to contain never-before-seen gameplay and new secrets about what lies beyond the Milky Way, but no spoilers]) on the horizon and the upcoming early access trial, we’re definitely entering the period where some spoilers are going to start flying around. Therefore for those of you who are intending to go dark or considering going dark, I’d say now might be a good time to do so (just my opinion). If you’re looking for an alternative, safer community to fill your “Mass Effect discussion” fix til the game comes out (sadly on Tumblr people can’t all be trusted to tag things properly, and there’s no moderation of that sort of thing), I think r/masseffect might be a good shout. From the sounds of things, it seems like the mods there will be doing their utmost to enforce and ensure that people can browse the sub without stumbling into blatant, poorly-handled spoiler titles and information.

[EDIT: UPDATE - Ian has tweeted more details about the potential for spoilers. Press played both early and mid-game content, so light spoilage is possible. Read carefully.]

Now, I would have had to make a post with the following housekeeping information and request at some point soon anyway, so off the back of the above, now is as good a time as any.

For those of you who feel you know enough already, want to discover the rest in-game as you play or who are otherwise concerned about spoilers, but want to keep reading my blog, here’s some essential housekeeping relating to spoilers: this is not a spoiler-free blog. However, starting from tomorrow because of the lifting embargo and stuff, I’ll be tagging spoilers with all of the following tags - “spoilers”, “spoiler”, “Mass Effect: Andromeda spoilers”, “Mass Effect: Andromeda spoiler”, “Mass Effect Andromeda spoilers”, “Mass Effect Andromeda spoilers”, “Andromeda spoilers”, “Andromeda spoiler”, “MEA spoilers” and “MEA spoiler” - in an effort to catch as much of them for as many of you as possible. Hopefully that list is extensive enough. Add to your blacklist as applicable. It’s hard for me to say right now what will constitute a spoiler for me to tag in the first place... Any further or detailed story information I’d class as a spoiler, same for specific details about missions and further information on characters (not including Jaal’s official character profile, if he gets one), basically anything not officially said or revealed by BioWare themselves in their marketing, and further down the line, all things I find out from playing the game after launch definitely - but I’ll try my best. Any leaked or supposedly-leaked information is already posted/discussed under a cut with pre-warnings - any more of these will be now be tagged with the same spoiler tags. Hopefully that helps you out somewhat with your experience of my blog, anyway. I’ll understand if you need to unfollow for a while or would rather be safe than sorry, etc. If you have any issues, questions or requests regarding this sort of thing, feel free to send me a message.

On that note, I actually don’t want to know much more about the game in terms of lore, characters and story than what I do right now, so I’ll be trying to avoid spoilery stuff myself. I definitely don’t really want to know stuff to do with characters/story that comes from sources other than BioWare’s official marketing (EXCEPTION: the list of LIs and their sexualities). With that in mind, from now on news/information posts might be patchy or otherwise not contain everything that’s come to light. I’ll be trying to navigate the spoiler minefield to find spoiler-free rundowns of new information put together by other people who don’t care about spoilers, and especially towards and following the early access trial and launch itself I’ll be limiting my time on Tumblr and other sites, stuff like that. I want to enjoy and discover the game as I play it just as you do. Also with that in mind, I’m turning off Anon asks from now until after I feel I’ve played through the game sufficiently (probably a week/some weeks or so after release). I’m doing that because in the past (DA:I) people have seen fit to send me spoilers on Anon, for whatever reason. Sorry in advance for any inconvenience caused by these things, especially the Anon thing (cause I love getting messages!). :( Because of this preference to not be spoiled I also have to ask that you don’t send me links to new leaks, send me asks discussing spoilers from articles that you haven’t seen me post about, ask me my thoughts on [x] story revelation that you haven’t seen me post about, tell me about your reaction to something that happened in your playthrough shortly after launch, etc until a reasonable amount of time since launch has passed or you see a post from me saying I’m turning on Anon asks again or that I’ve finished my initial playthroughs (something to that effect).

Closer to the trial and to launch I’ll reblog this information a couple of times. My liveblogging tag for the game is going to be “MJ in Andromeda”, so you may wish to blacklist this also.

Hopefully we can work together to keep the game unspoiled and our Tumblr site-experiences as regular and smooth as possible. :)

Thanks for reading, sry for the longpost, I know it was pretty damn dry.