#grandpacephalopods-rp

[warriorsofsplatsville]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

Vulture signs, trying to sweep debris off the floor of one of the labs. He doesn't know how exactly almost every inch of the rocket tower got trashed, but that seemed to be the case. He half-blamed Biela.

It was...upsetting, this time of year. The last Christmas he truly enjoyed was twelve thousand years ago, with his father, mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was mundane; similar to the standard American Christmas sold around the holiday seasons, but it was home. It felt warm, and fulfilling, and....

....He didn't have that anymore. He couldn't have that anymore. It was impossible to replicate that.

He pauses his cleaning and huffs, setting the broom aside and pulling out his phone. He can't stand being alone, not right now. He hesitates before shooting a text.

[T, you free today?]

He stares at the screen, absently waiting for a text back, if any.

[splattales]

grandpacephalopods-rp:

The bouncer silently let Queenie appeal, sighing and crossing his arms. When she finished, he just shook his head. “Not all life in the city has fins, so it’s obvious you’re a shellfish-morph. I’m not sure what ink you’re trying to pull over my eyes, but you’re going to have to try a lot harder than that to get into Inkopolis hall.” The sailfish sneered. “Um- Queenie—” Eelrune nervously tried to interject, fully aware at this point they were probably not going to bullshit their way into the building.

-

Queenie’s fuse was easily reignited. “Ex—Excuse me?! Perhaps I didn’t hear you correctly!” She reaches for her purse, opening it to find that there’s … not nearly enough coinage inside to bribe anyone. It was never wise to carry large sums of money around Splatsville, and she had intended to pay her way through Inkopolis by card. Gritting her teeth, she snaps the purse shut again. “Well—! If you’re too blind to see sense, then it’s your loss! Your establishment doesn’t deserve to be graced by my presence.”

She turns heel, grasping Eelrune by the arm to lead her away. “My Inkstagram followers will hear all about this disgrace, mark my words! … Que cabrón ..."

Once they’re well out of sight, Queenie loosens her grip, and her firm, stoic posture wilts like a flower in winter. “I’m … I’m so sorry, Eelrune. I’ve never, ever been turned away from any establishment before. I really thought…” She covers her face. “I just—I really wanted to take you there.”

-

[sunshinelulusplatoon]

“Yes Grandpa Takowasa. I’ve been better on self care,” Lulu joked,“But really, I’ve been busy. Grandpa’s been wanting me to start my own music brand so we’ve been bring in new voice to the music company from around. Some nice good singers and groups. With...um...nice..lead..singers.”

To that Lulu had a slight blush on face.

“Actually...um...It’s a bit embarrassing to ask my own folks, especially Grandpa, so if you don’t mind,” Lulu remarked, bright red now, “Um...any, uh, advice, um, on not-being-a-studdering-mess-in-front-of-guys-and-actually-talking-to-them-normally!”

[kamabocolossus]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

It had been a whole week since T had helped him and he had yet to get a chance to thank him due to being resting in that time, now that he was all better  he planned to change that.

Although he’d met with T briefly prior to getting his help it was only after the fact he was able to get a pin on his residence, mostly in thanks of traces he was able to pick up from when Daisy had taken him home. He knew his arrival was unplanned and probably a bit rude but he didn’t care, all he was worried about was if he was interrupting something else. NILS walked up to the door and knocked.

[askdjoctavio]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

Octavio barged into his alternete’s place, two small glittery octoling children under his arms. A shiny umbreon with a silver bell collar tagging along close behind him.  “Ya gotta help me Doc, my idiot brother never got Beatrix and Charlotte their checkups and they’re almost a year old!”

[warriorsofsplatsville]

"Fair, fair. Being a parent is a huge responsibility. Though....you know....I-I wouldn't mind that in the future." Vulture admits in a mumble, face growing red.

"Yes....hm. I just have a feeling that being bit might be related to Wormy's escape. But it's nothing more than a theory. Pay me no mind. Let me know when you find Wormy though, for sure."

"Hey, that's not what I'm saying at all- ugh." He slouches against the desk. "Like I said, maybe...maybe in the future. Who knows. Haha..."

"Hey, there you go! Pa-Pa! You got the hang of it, lil buddy." He chuckled. Though he ends up stopping and feeling incredibly embarrassed at T's next comment.

"Oh jeez....no, not nearly...kids would probably look at me and think I'm weird. I'm always playing around with chemical compounds and other science stuff. Besides I can't...picture myself as a father, you know? Like I could do all the things a father could, yeah, but if I were to look at myself in a family photo, I don't think...I don't think it would look right. It's hard to explain." He looks down at his feet solemnly. "Like....in old family photos of mine, my pops had that dad feel to him. I don't think I could do the same."

"Vulture! It's urgent!" Xingxi whispered from the doorway, waving files in the air. "LJ called! The deadline is almost up! We have to deliver these files!"

"Huh? Now? It can't be this soon, can it...?" Vulture looks at the clock to his dismay. There were only about two hours left, and Vulture still had to depart from Alterna.

"Sorry, Sergio. Looks like I gotta go. It's time. I promise I'll be okay, yeah? I love you....oh, and tell the little guy I said to take care, yeah? And hopefully Wormy comes home..." Vulture, begins gathering papers into the folder and sighs.

"....I love you. See you later." He repeats before hesitantly hanging up.

"Hey, T. How's it going? I know it's been a while since we talked....I've been a little busy." Vulture called him over the phone. "Anything interesting happen on your end?"

"A-ah- I feel like I should be asking you that question-" T stumbles on his words, frantically looking between the alien and the phone.

"Things have been thankfully....... uninteresting." He lies, nervously adjusting the phone in his hand. "W-well- outside of Wormy going missing.."

[octowussabi]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

It was a great day for visiting the surface … though Sabi’s opinion of ‘great’ meant it was slightly cold, a little cloudy, and there were very few other people about. He’d brought his brother along, too – heaven knows Tay needed to get out of the palace once in a while. He’d been getting better, but it was all the more important to keep an eye on him because of that.

After insisting that Tay wear some arm warmers (he had not been happy, but complied) Sabi had taken him to Inkopolis Pier to visit the arcades. To be doubly safe, the location was in another world – or so he hoped. The method he’d used to get there was walking and wishing. It was unlikely anyone would recognise either of them as Octavio anyway, but Sabi wanted to take as few chances as possible. Some young Octolings could be very perceptive.

“Hey, I think I know those guys,” Tay says suddenly, snapping Sabi out of his thoughts. They were still strolling along outside, so it was easy to scan the area for other people. Tay points, and sure enough – yes, Sabi knew them too. He was about to say so, but he’s interrupted by his brother loudly coming to a realisation:

“Wait a minute, that other one… that’s the fraud that tricked me into adoption!”

“Oh dear. I had a feeling Reed couldn’t have come from anywhere else…”

“I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!”

“Wait, no—”

[anemonedeep-blog]

In The Big City

Anna may belong to a more deep sea variety of octolings, but that didn't mean she was at all fond of the cold. Sure, the falling temperatures didn't bother her on a physical level, just on a mental one. She grew up on the warm, tropical beaches in the south. Winter was dumb, and shouldn't be a thing! Maybe that was why she found herself drifting away from her secret explorations of other octovalleys for the time being. The kettles were home to her now, but the open air and the slightly more sun warmed state of inkopolis appealed to her just a little bit more than the cold underground. Even so, Anna was dressed a little more warmly than usual. A dark blue pair of jeans, knee high brown boots lined with short fur on the inside for added warmth, a white tangtop, and then a tan, loose fitting sweater over that with large blue zigzags running from her lower chest on the right side, down to her lower hip on the left. A bit of pink and a splash of white in the sweater too. Her tentacles, all minus the two that framed her face, were pulled up into a ponytail for once too, actually held up with a ribbon rather than the pins she used normally for work.

The sun was bright and warm either way in this inkopolis. And Anna wore a pair of shades over glowing green eyes as a little smile lit up her face, lips managing to keep up that smile as well as curling around a straw as she sucked down a mango smoothie. She was getting quite a few stares, like everyone wasn't really quite sure what the hell to do about her presence, but it was something she was fairly used to by this point, honestly. All of her traveling to alternate dimensions had proven to her that not all octovalleys were getting along with their respective inkoplises. Not that she couldn't blame either side for not really wanting to bridge that gap. But it wasn't going to stop her from going where she wanted to go! It's not like she was on private property or anything. No, no, Anna was quite content where she was, on a bus stop bench, not really waiting for a bus so much as just taking a break from her sight seeing near the outer edges of town, a little closer to where octovalley's entrances began, but not within sight of them.

It was a place she should have been familiar with, but the buildings and the streets were different, and every now and then, as the smoothie in her hands became more and more empty, she'd set it down on the free spot next to her and take a picture of the surrounding area to interrupt her idleing. And then she'd let the camera drop back around her neck once more.

[splxtterstxrs]

Familiar Place, New Faces

@grandpacephalopods-rp

A small cyan octoling was running around with two inklings in agent uniforms as they were walking down in Octo Valley, looking down there to make sure everything was okay and no funny business going around. That was until the little girl ran off while the two just had their eyes off of her for one minute and ran into someone....or someone’s leg, she’s small.

[warriorsofsplatsville]

The two were laying on the bed, just staring at the ceiling (and occasionally at each other).

"So...that T guy helped revive me from just bones, and you're saying he's a different version of the TARTAR project....and that lady is ALSO a different version.....not gonna lie babe, that's really confusing."

"I know it is. But they did the job. They brought you back, and that's all that matters now."

"Yeah....." She seems to get lost in thought. "I guess the most educated guess is that they want to hear what I know."

"Yeah, I mean....we were the professors that tried to save the world."

"Trev, I....listen. This is going to sound weird, and outlandish, and just....impossible, and kinda betraying, but after you went to sleep, something happened. Or I guess....someone happened."

"Huh?" He sits up with his arm to look at her. "What do you mean, someone?"

She looks conflicted, but then decides to say it.

"Tara. She came back to the lab."

"What?! Why?! After walking out?! What could she possibly do to try and help at that point?!" He exclaims, his voice growing louder by accident. He hopes no one has heard that outburst

"She didn't come back to help. She....she sabotaged the Ark Polaris. And then she....

"She killed me, Trev."

@warriorsofsplatsville (Getting rid of that toppost lol)

“Yeah….I don’t know why. Whether it was cold feet, or something darker. But….I just know that Annalise and the rest of the human race paid the ultimate price.”

“The Ark Polaris…..that was her idea. Annalise. From where I’m from.” He mumbles quietly. “She had such a kind heart. She just wanted to save those poor animals. It’s a shame what became of them, and then the Ursine Anomaly.”

He shakes his head. “But enough about the past for now. I can’t change it, so there’s no good dreaming about what could’ve been.”

Vulture notices the slight shock that appears on his face, but decides that it isn’t important.

“Oh - right now? I didn’t think you’d be free, but…” He scrounges around in his pocket for something, eventually pulling out a folded piece of paper. It’s a map of Inkadia. “I’ve been saving this for a while now. The wind can bring you all sorts of useful things.

When examined closer, it was shown to be covered in red circles and lines, some faded ink, some newer. But they all pointed to one place.

“I think….I think we were over here.” He points to a spot marked “The Great Turf War Craters”. “I know, I know, it’s practically a continent away from here, my pod got swept all the way out during the flood, but those sea folk finished that big bridge now. It should be hell of a lot faster than trekking the long way. I think they installed a maglev system on the upper part of the bridge, we could be there within hours if we go now, I have some equipment that we can bring along, and-”

He catches himself. “Sorry, the prospect of finding a way to bring Annalise back, plus all the science stuff gets me really excited. Old habits die hard.” He feels his face grow red from embarrassment .“Well, uh- shall we prepare? And go?”

“So Annalise was the one behind the Ark… Yeah, it’s a shame their best wasn’t good enough. Would’ve liked to see some familiar wildlife, you know? … Not so much bears, but you know, like, rabbits, dogs.. anyway.” Tartar frowns.

“No, it’s better to focus on the now. Reminiscing is better when you run into old friends, I’d say.” He nods.

Tartar looks over the map, following the lines and crosses until it gets to that central point. “Had the time to plan this out, huh? I guess it helps to know- my life would’ve been much easier if I remembered where the professor’s coworkers were holed up…”

“Oh damn, really?” His face lighted up in interest. “Yeah- No, you’re good. I’m basically just stuck smelling the roses and reading documents right now anyways, I can spend a day trying to help. All in good fun.” Tartar offered Vulture a handshake, waiting for the other to grab what they could. In-between packing trips, he somehow gained a bottle of water.

[splattales]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

Queenie was never truly alone.

Not in the sappy and sentimental sense, either. She was literally haunted by her grandmother. But the presence of the dead could never replace that of the living. Marina had gone to visit her family for the holidays, and while she’d invited Queenie to come along, she’d shut down the suggestion.

Even lying face-down on the caravan bed, she felt justified in her decision. The octoling had five-or-something siblings, and Queenie wouldn’t have been able to deal with a family so raucous when she had none of her own.

“No, I shouldn’t. If you wanted to be there so badly, you should’ve just gone yourself. Leave me be.”

She’d managed to secure a job, at least. The human museum wasn’t open yet and being a tour guide wasn’t glamourous in the slightest, but it was better than having to constantly admit she was unemployed, and not by choice. She’d had some TV interviews, too, but they hadn’t garnered her as much popularity as she’d hoped.

After a moment of just lying there, Queenie takes out her phone, scrolling through previous texts. She hadn’t seen Eelrune since Splatfest, but she’d been messaging her. Once or twice a day, to not seem desperate. Because she wasn’t desperate.

‘Marina’s gone home for the winter holidays. Do you have any plans yourself?’ It was a cautious ask. Eelrune had parents, and a demanding job. The human didn’t want to come off as hopelessly lonely, either, but she had an excuse... ‘I’ve bought you something, but I wouldn’t want to interfere with your schedule.’

[splattales]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

Queenie raises her arm to knock on Eelrune's door, but hesitates, swallowing a lump that crawls up her throat.

She had been visiting her at the clinic every-other-day for about a year, now, and it hadn't done anything to quash her secret feelings.

If anything, her affection had grown - they had become better friends, yes, but Queenie's war with herself never ceased. She simply COULDN'T tell her now, it would ruin everything, just like before -

The human shakes herself. Now was no time to be paralysed by nerves. She was going to go out with her friend, and they were going to have a good time, just like they'd planned. Steeling her resolve, she knocks on the door.

It had been … harder than she expected to acquire any information about Inkopolis Hall. It was evidently somewhere that only existed in Eelrune's universe. But bus timetables to Inkopolis had been much easier to find, as was the expected price range, so she had been satisfied enough building their plans around that.

This thought leads to another nagging feeling of doubt, but she crushes it with her surety that everything will be fine - at which point, the door opens, and she puts on a smile.

"Hel-lo~" she trills. "Are you ready to head out?"

[splattales]

@grandpacephalopods-rp

Pansy chewed on her fingers, purposelessly looking up at the staircase as she drifted in and out of her thoughts. She had so much on her mind lately. It would do her well to talk with Groa about it, but he was still at work right now, and the squid wasn’t sure she could even form her musings into a coherent sentence. More importantly, she didn’t want him to worry too. It wasn’t just their egg, there was the current case about the missing nudibranch, and the things Ribbon had said over the phone about Grizzco, and Slushie’s problems at school, the human/bird duo living in her house, and—AND DINNER. IT WAS HER TURN TO MAKE DINNER.

Her mind raced for a solution. Slushie had already come home from school, and there were snacks, so he’d be okay for another hour or two. He could passively watch the egg and call her if anything happened while she was getting groceries. Mr Jeff was likely home, too, though her only evidence was the occasional cawing noise from upstairs. Unless he’d left his bird? It seemed unlikely. But she hadn’t seen him today, and as the homeowner it was her duty to make sure he was alright, and…

“Jeff? You there?” Pansy calls up, hesitating for a reply. “Would you like to come to the store an’ help me choose dinner…?”

[sunshinelulusplatoon]

“It’s called hair T,” Lutarna huffed with annoyance.

The tension between the two always annoyed her but she kept her cool as she knew he meant well but was stubborn about believe anything she said half the time.

Waiting and hearing the child speak, Lutarna gave a clap with encouragement.

“There you go sweetheart. That’s it,” Lutarna hummed.

Getting back up, she gave T a smirk and a look of, “Yeah sure, I’m right and you know it.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you two alone since you two are on good footing. Call if you need anything. Actually, he probably hasn’t ate anything. Why not try to make him something and see if he will repeat more words. It’s a good start,” Lutarna suggested.

Pulling her phone, she gave a small wave to the child.

“Bye sweetie. Auntie has to go for now. Be good for Papa, okay,” Lutarna hummed before looking at T with another smirk, “And behave yourself. I don’t want Gids calling up and telling me you lost him again.”

With a wave, Lutarna walked to another room to portal as to no spook the child.

"T, I think little man was trying to tell you something," Lutarna points out.

"See? Now you scared 'em."

[warriorsofsplatsville]

@grandpacephalopods-rp @sunshinelulusplatoon

It was late at night. A gentle wind blows through the city of Splatsville and the sky sparkled with thousands of twinkling stars. The square was bustling, filled with Deep Cut's music. In the distance, however...

Dal finally heaves the last of the equipment down into the sewers, setting it up into a decently-sized corner, by the murky waters. They set up their base about three quarters of a way from Alterna's entrance; close enough to access the area easily, but far enough from being detected.

Vulture was counting the amount of provisions they had (kids got hungry after all), and then turns to the four agents. "Are you ready? We're about to begin."

Mirage nods. "Yeah, ready as we'll ever be. Cod, it smells awful down here..."

"Yeah, there's zero chance of us smelling normal ever again....that's what I keep telling you guys, but...." Sandy sniffled, both her emotions and the pungent smell making her cry. "But I guess I'm good to go."

Plat was absorbed in a text book in hand before looking up. "Oh, yeah, I'm good. Sorry, studying a little in the meantime..." He flips through a few pages.

"You know I'm good to go." Minu quickly adds. "Easy job, really. Grandma could do it in two seconds flat."

"Right...." He pulls out his phone and snaps a few quick photos of the base camp, the table with equipment, the entrance to Alterna, just a general understanding of the area via picture. He then sends the photos to T. [Hey, we're ready. When you're ready, open a portal up to here, send whoever wants to help through.]

He pauses. [....Don't worry about me, either. I'll be just fine.]

He then switches messages to Lutarna, readying a set of coordinates. [Alright Lutarna, it's revenge time. Here's the coordinates. Hop over when you're ready.]

"So....what will we do when your friends get over here?" Plat crosses his arms.

"We'll go over my plan. I know that tower inside and out. I have an entrance point in mind..."

Xingxi pops in. "Alright, Gravitational Pull is here and ready to help!"

"Thanks, Xing. I'll have you and Dal hang back, if that's alright..."

"Let me at 'em!!" Biela growled.

[sunshinelulusplatoon]

“They are always like this,” Lulu sighs, “What’s up with you? Haven’t seen you play in a bit. Granted, neither have I.”