Into the Blinding Light

I write the Splatoon fanfic “This Place We Called Home” on AO3 and post official art, sneak peeks, and general updates! https://linktr.ee/ikatako38

[ikatako38]

Welcome to my blog!

Hi! Info on my fanfics, tips for navigating this blog, rules on submitting asks and posts, and a list of my alts are below the cut! If you want to submit a post to the blog, please read the rules down below! Thank you so much!

WIPs and fic Masterpost

Picrew Masterpost

Content Schedule

My Works

This blog is dedicated to my three ongoing fanfictions on AO3. If you haven’t visited them yet, click on the links below to get started!

This Place We Called Home (TPWCH) - Splatoon, M/M, Agent 24

Mi Hogar Eres Tú (MHET) - Versión en español de TPWCH

The Words We Left Unsaid (TWWLU) - Haikyuu, M/M, Kenhina [HIATUS]

However, I overwhelmingly post about that first one on here! I also used to post a series called Daily Jugoru that highlights vocab and grammar from TPWCH’s accompanying conlang (known as Juburanotako). But I haven't done that in a while, and it's quickly losing relevance as Three learns more Octoling.

I’ve also started posting memes about TPWCH, because why not? (Also haven't done this in a while lol).

Navigating This Blog

Every organizational tag I use on this blog is included below. To go to that tag, click on the corresponding tag at the bottom of this post. The nice little feature of doing it this way is that this intro post will always be here at the top if you want to switch tags.

To see everything related to TPWCH, including status updates → #this place we called home

To see TPWCH official art → #tpwch official art

To see TPWCH picrews -> #tpwch picrews (or the masterpost)

To see TPWCH Fun Facts -> #tpwch fun facts

To see all TPWCH memes (including incorrect quotes) → #tpwch memes

To see TPWCH incorrect quotes, → #tpwch incorrect quotes

To see everything related to the Daily Jugoru, including status updates → #daily jugoru

To see only the Daily Jugoru and other Juburanotako posts without the status updates → #octoling language

To see everything related to TWWLU → #the words we left unsaid

To see everything related to TWWFL -> #this way we found love

To see everthng related to TTWCF -> #this thing we called freedom

To see everything related to MHET → #mi hogar eres tú

To see TWWLU official art → #twwlu official art

To see ALL my art → #tako’s art

To see TPWCH fanart -> #tpwch fanart

To see ALL submissions -> #tako’s sumbissions

To see TPWCH guest fics -> #tpwch fanfic

To see the ridiculous carp my predictive text, autocorrect, and spellcheck gets up to → #adventures in google docs

To see/blacklist status updates → #tako’s updates

To see/blacklist other random things → #tako’s squidposting

To see an agent -> #(Neo) Agent 3/4/8

To see an OC -> #seyu, #lyle, #lucía, etc.

I also use other tags such as #splatoon, #haikyuu, #fanfic, #conlang, which I use to categorize my posts in the broader site, but I don’t suggest using for navigation. Many of these are just a holdover from back when I didn’t know how Tumblr worked and just stuck with me lol

Submitting Asks and Posts

You can submit an ask or a post at any time! I’d be ecstatic to answer any questions about TPWCH—or anything, really! 

And we now have fanart being consistently submitted to the blog, which is a literal dream come true! If you want to submit a fanwork, please follow the rules below to make sure it ends up in my hands and on the blog! (I promise they’re not scary rules! :P)

Fanworks of this fic are totally welcome and will immediately earn you my everlasting love and appreciation! Please send me any of your own creative work related to This Place We Called Home with the “Submit Fanwork” button if you want me to post it to the blog! AND SUPER IMPORTANT PART: You need to DM me on Tumblr or leave a comment on AO3, otherwise I won't see it! This goes for fanart, fanfiction, chat memes, you name it! And fun fact about submitted fanworks: they get reblogged once a month for three months! That means you'll appear on the blog a total of four times for each post you submit! (I may space them out a bit more than that if there’s a particularly high volume of traffic on the blog to ensure than every fanwork gets its fair share of appreciation!)

Posting fanart of my story to your own blog is also okay, but I ask that you do three things: [1]credit and ping me (@ikatako38) [2] link the fic (tinyurl.com/thisplacewecalledhome) and [3] spell the name of the fic correctly (This Place We Called Home).

Content-wise, I’m very open to any sort of AU or really anything else you want to do with my characters! If it complies with Tumblr’s (admittedly excessive) guidelines, you should be all set to go! If it would be labeled mature, just let me know that along with and content/trigger warnings in the DM you send me! I’m not currently avoiding any content warnings, but it’s nice to be prepared.

Thank you so much!

Alts

I currently have three alt blogs, listed here:

“Squids Don’t Have Bones” @ikatakoalt - for non-TPWCH related Splatoon stuff. This is just reblogs.

“Shades of Purple” @purplegays - for Zukka, Klance, and a little bit of Ranga. And now Sonadow/Soknux/Sonadoknux too, apparently!

“A Silent Glance Between Us” @puddinghead38 - for Haikyuu, and more detailed updates on my fanfic The Words We Left Unsaid. This one is basically dead.

“Ce Mur qui Nous Offre des Blorbos” @bugaboi38 - for Miraculous

“It’s Tako Tuesday Bois” @ikatakoirl - Writing blog and non-fandom or book fandom posts

“Rocket is My Babygirl” @raccoonboi38 - Rocket and GotG appreciation archive. Not planning on making any posts there, just reblogs so I can find them later

[ikatako38]

Also, thank you so much to @moonstonecanyon for this commissioned art of a scene form Chapter #16!

[ikatako38]

Some Fun AO3 Stats

In honor of Chapter #23 just being finished, I was looking at some of our stats on AO3 and I wanted to share them with you, because we have a lot to be proud of as a community for this fic!

In the category of M/M Agent 24 (crossovers excluded)...

This Place We Called home is #1 in Hits

We're also #1 in Bookmarks!

We're a close second in Comments (only down by 6!)

We used to be #1 in Word Count until another fic breezed past us last year, but we're still #2!

And we're bringing up a modest but respectable 6th place in Kudos! (Kudos tend to favor shorter fics, after all.)

I think it may be fair to say that TPWCH is the most popular M/M Agent 24 fic on AO3 that is currently still updating!

Of course, fanfiction writing is not a competition, but I think it just goes to show that we've built up a pretty sizable community around TPWCH, and especially one that has been incredibly supportive of me in writing this fic. When I started out, I never dreamed of getting this kind of following, much less having a whole Discord server for the fic where I've met several close friends. (You can join here!)

Thank you so much to everyone who has touched my life, even if just slightly, by reading and interacting with This Place We Called Home. I feel so honored to be able to make content for you all, and I hope I can continue to do so for a long time to come.

[ikatako38]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Sorry for the delay, everyone! This part wraps up Chapter #23, so go read it whenever you can!

[ikatako38]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Sorry I forgot to make the Tumblr post for Chapter #22.5 going up! They’re both up now!

[ikatako38]

January~February Upload Schedule

This one's actually happening. I promise.

As promised, I've created a bit of a TPWCH backlog to start off 2025 strong! I'll be uploading every Monday for the next two weeks!

Information

And what do we have to look forward to in the coming chapters? Chapter #22.5, for the first time in the fic, takes Callie's perspective and gives us a glimpse into Tsuku's life with the Squid Sisters. And in Chapter #23 - 1, we get the biggest revelation in the fic thus far. From Chapter #23 on, everything is going to start coming together.

[ikatako38]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

The TPWCH Full Recap is up on AO3!

If you would prefer to read it here, the recap is below the cut!

See this post for information of the upload schedule for the next two weeks!

1528 words

The fic starts two weeks after Eight’s escape from the Deepsea Metro. A Squidbeak Splatoon meeting is arranged, and Four attacks Eight on sight (1). Three insists that Eight come to live with him, and Three reluctantly shares a bed with Eight (2). Meanwhile, Marie talks with Four, but Four rejects the Squidbeak Splatoon and escapes (2.5).  

The next day, Three takes Eight shopping for gear (3), and they do a few Turf War battles, where they meet Seyu, who gives Eight his number (4). Three helps Eight through a PTSD episode, and they receive an invitation from Pearl to visit their house. They play a party game there, which eventually leads to Eight getting asked questions about Seyu in a romantic sense. This upsets Three, and he storms off (5). With Pearl and Marina’s help, Eight texts Seyu, and they arrange to meet up. They offer to let Eight stay the night, but Eight chooses to go home with Three (6). Pearl voices her concerns about Three treating Eight right, but Marina reassures her. After Pearl falls asleep, Marina secretly slips away to go somewhere (6.5). 

The next day, Three and Eight go shopping to get Eight something to wear to the “date” with Seyu, but Jelfonzo seems to be discriminating against Eight. Eight asks Three to accompany him on the "date," and he reluctantly does. They go to a hidden place in Octo Valley called Takosula, where they eat at a restaurant. Seyu makes a fool of Three by  ordering Three’s meal extra-spicy without him knowing. Eight remembers a strange memory that doesn’t seem to be his own. Afterward, Three and Seyu bicker, and Seyu offers for Eight to come back to his place, but Eight declines and again chooses to go back with Three (7). 

A week or so later, Three leaves Eight at home alone to attend another Squidbeak Splatoon meeting, instructing Eight to stay at the apartment and not to go anywhere. Eight sneaks out to hang out with Seyu in Takosula, until he gets a fake distress text that appears to be from Three and rushes to Cuttlefish Shack in Octo Valley. It is an ambush, and Four appears yet again, but she is easily taken down by a device that Marie planted on her body back in Chapter 1. Four announces her allegiance to an organization called the IU (8). 

That night, Three dreams of the Spinal Phase of Octo Expansion (the elevator), but he forgets it by the morning. Three and Eight meet Seyu in Inkopolis Square to hear the Final Fest announcement, and all three of them feel uneasy immediately after hearing it. Returning home, Three sees his cape, which triggers the memory of his dream from the night before. Realizing the dream might be real, he freaks out and sends Eight away to protect him from Three’s self. Pearl and Marina take care of him while Three begins the Splatfest battles, and Three finds posters outing Octolings, sponsored by the IU (9). During the Splatfest, Eight plays Turf War with Seyu, and they watch a movie afterward. After that, sitting on a rooftop, they see a Cephaling with an Eye of Justice helmet walking robotically out of the city (10).

End of part 1. 

A week later, they are still waiting for the Splatfest results, but Pearl and Marina announce that the Eye of Justice helmets are not safe and have mind-control technology embedded in them. Pearl shows up at Three’s apartment and convinces him to take Eight back in. Three, Eight, and Seyu watch the Splatfest results together—Chaos wins. Over the next few weeks, a news channel called Foxfish News rises in popularity, eventually exposing Marina as an Octoling and both she and Pearl as lesbians. They also stage a protest against this, which becomes a real protest as passersby join in. Three, Eight, and Seyu join in as counterprotesters, and they clash with Four, who is there as a protestor. After returning home, Three gets a call from his aunt Lucía and remembers how he ran away from home (11).

One night, Pearl catches Marina sneaking out of the house, but she lets her go. Two weeks later, Marina disappears from their bed, not to bee seen again (11.5). 

Another night, Eight sees one of Three’s dream-memories, in which Three watches as his dad helps get a young Octoling boy arrested. In the morning, Seyu tells Eight about a secret Octoling meeting in Takosula. Misunderstanding Seyu’s instructions not to tell anyone, Eight promptly tells Three, who begrudgingly lets him go. He goes with Seyu, but the event gets bombed. Eight and Seyu have to take refuge in underground tunnels until Pearl comes to save them on the helicopter (12). Meanwhile, Three is worried sick until Pearl delivers Eight, then says goodbye and announces her intention to go hunt for Marina. Foxfish News reveals that it is associated with the IU, which has formed a task force called the Octoling Eviction Agency. When Three and Eight try to Turf War, an Octoling worker tells them it is no longer safe. Eight wants to visit Seyu, but Three doesn’t want him to; when he finally does, Three stalks them, but Seyu catches him and invites him in. They go grocery shopping, and Three and Seyu fight (13). 

Some days later, Eight sees an out-of-context dream-memory of Three’s which makes him conclude that Three tipped off the IU to the secret Octoling meeting, causing the bombings. He slips away in the night and goes to Seyu’s, where Seyu confesses his crush on Eight. Eight has another strange memory. They go to Inkopolis Tower together, but Seyu forces Eight into a kiss not realizing he isn’t ready for that yet, and Eight flees, now on his own (14).

We check in with Four, who is getting introduced to IU headquarters by her uncle, Steve. Four expresses discontentment (14.5). 

Two days after Eight’s disappearance, Seyu calls Three and tells him what happened. Three finally admits to himself that he likes Eight romantically. Three continues wasting away for five more days until his aunt calls, and she arranges to come visit in person. As she is encouraging him, Eight texts him asking to meet (15). All this time, Eight has been in Takosula, mostly talking with the new de facto leader after all the leaders disappeared in the bombings: Jeluva. He encourages Eight to reach back out to Three when he’s ready, as having Agent Three speak to the homeless Octoling refugees on Squidmas would boost morale. Eight meets with Three and kisses him, and they both confess their feelings for each other (16). The next day, Three meets up with Seyu, and they make amends, but on Seyu’s way home he gets kidnapped (16.5). 

Over the next few weeks, Eight and even Three grieve the loss of Seyu. They do Salmon Runs to make money, where they meet Leo (17). On Christmas morning, Three and Eight share chilaquiles, then they head to Takosula for Three to speak. He faints, but Eight catches him. Later, they find a homeless orphan girl and Three insists they take her home to care for her, against Eight’s wishes. They name her Tsuku (18).

Back to Four now, she witnesses a work accident causing casualties among the mind-controlled Octolings. She meets Yuki, who she clearly finds attractive, but as her uncle watches on, she kicks Yuki away (18.5). 

Some time later, the IU targets Three and Eight, and they become public enemies. Eight comes to resent Tsuku for taking time away from himself and Three. Tía Lucía comes over to watch Tsuku while Three and Eight work things out in the other room. They also meet Three’s Uncle Lin (Lucía’s husband), and Three’s long-lost high-school friend Lyle, who happens to be their landlords’ son (19).

On Valentine’s Day, Eight asks Lucía to take Tsuku for the day so that he can spend it with Eight. They enjoy their time alone until Eight has a key memory triggered, revealing that he knew Marina intimately in his past life. While they both realize that returning to the Deepsea Metro and collecting more Mem Cakes would provide more answers, neither is willing to subject Eight to that (20).

The next morning, Lucía and Lin return Tsuku, but they return some time later with a present for her. This tips the IU off, and they attack, breaking down the apartment door and chasing them through the complex. After Lucía sustains a minor injury, she and Lin escape otherwise unscathed, but Lyle sacrifices himself to make sure that Three, Eight, and Tsuku can get away. They meet with the Squid Sisters, and Three and Eight pass Tsuku off to them before heading into the Deepsea Metro (21).

End of Part 2

Tensions between Three and Eight spike almost immediately once in the Metro. Eight forgoes food and sleep while undertaking grueling challenges in order to obsessively recover more and more memories. He was a much different person in his former life, betraying close friends and even his girlfriend in the name of the system. After graduating as valedictorian, he became Marina’s protégé. Finally, he finds the Marina Mem Cake and shares the memory it triggers with Three through their mental link (22).

[ikatako38]

sorry heres a quick doodle happy late birthday!!!

- 🔥🐟

~

AGGHGHGFSGJJ OMG THANK YOU DO MUCH!!! I was having a rough day but this made it infinitely better. 🥹

It’s still my birthday in the Western Hemisphere :P

[ikatako38]

Update from 12000m in the Sky!

As I’ve previously mentioned on this blog, I’ve had a study abroad in Japan planned for a long time. Now it’s finally the time!!! I’ll be landing in Japan in about three hours.

I’ve used part of my flight time to work on TPWCH, and I’m happy to be able to announce to you all that, at 5000+ words, Chapter #23 - 1 is finished! Now the only thing to catch up on is… the Recap of Part Two. Which I was supposed to do first. Whoops. I guess I got ahead of myself.

And, in case you missed it, Chapter #22.5 is ALSO finished!

Shortly after I’m settled in in Japan, all three will be posted on a regular schedule. We’re so close to being back!!! I hope you’re all excited!

[ikatako38]

Happy Squidmas, everyone. I have pneumonia ☹️

[ikatako38]

Chapter #23 - 1 Sneak Peek

Chapter #23 is coming along nicely! I’m currently at 2300 words and counting! Chapter #23 will likely be split into two parts, and Part 1 should be ready soon! A sneak peek is below the cut! You can expect more sneak peeks to come.

After a couple seconds, he felt something patting around near him and realized it was Eight feeling for his other hand. He took it, and they sat there facing each other, legs crossed on the seat, eyes closed, outstretched hands intertwined.

Three sat there all tensed up, waiting for Eight to do something. But he didn’t.

So after a minute or two, Three decided to try to focus. On what, he wasn’t entirely sure. The feeling of Eight’s skin. The rumbling of the train. The stale odor that seemed to permeate everything down here.

And then he felt it. Like a fog that blanketed the metro, the tracks, and every station. That feeling of dread… now felt somehow more tangible. The subtle thrum of pain, almost imperceptible at any given moment but wearing its victims down over time. The same sensation he always felt radiating from his eye.

And this noxious cloud… it was conductive, almost like some sort of magnetic field. And all that fog was gathering and swirling around a single central point—Eight. As if he was sucking it in. He was saturated in it, so much that it must be weighing him down. And Three was willing to bet he looked the same way to Eight.

Suddenly, Eight’s grip tightened on his hand, and he felt a force shove its way into his mind. He pushed back just as hard, plunging into it.

For a moment, he saw flashes of memory streak by all around him. And then everything came into focus.

[ikatako38]

Chapter #22.5 Sneak Peek

Chapter #22.5 is COMPLETE!!! It’s just over a thousand words, so it’s a pretty decent length. However, in accordance with my previous update, I’m going to keep it in the backlog until the new year.

Until then, here’s a sneak peek below the cut!

“Hold on a sec… you really do care about her! Don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I just don’t… know to…” Marie flourished with one arm as she reached back into the cupboard with the other. “You know.”

“None of us know how to take care of a kid. It’s incredible how well Three and Eight have done so far. They’re barely more than kids themselves.”

“I imagine it’s easier to know what kids need when you didn’t get those things yourself.”

Callie silently watched Marie pull more and more ingredients out, trying to keep the emotions churning inside of her from bursting out. “Coddammit… why is everything always so sad lately.”

Marie just shrugged. “Welcome to the apocalypse.”

[ikatako38]

Another Update

Do people even read these anymore?

Hi!

TL;DR: read last paragraph (bolded)

First of all… I miss you all so much!!! As I always say, thank you so much to everyone reading this for sticking around. It really means the world to me.

This summer has been extremely rough for me. I don’t need to rehash the details, I’m your curious I believe I gave some in a previous update. The important part is that I’m finally doing better now. For the first time in over a year really, I finally feel like I’m same strange enough to begin focusing on myself a little bit again, rather than just surviving. And part of that is making time to write and engage with fandom!

At the same time, it is also sadly true that, especially with the Grand Festival behind us, the Splatoon fandom is slowly going dormant. Many of the Splatoon creators I know are moving on to different fandoms. Especially for a Splatoon 2 fic, the interest level is understandably small and ever-shrinking. Much of today’s Splatoon fandom never even played the second game or Octo Expansion. And a lot of that is due to my own timing; I’ve been behind since the beginning, and long hiatuses squandered much of the wave of interest coming from Splatoon 3.

That being said, I can try to be proud about the things I did accomplish in that time. A Discord server that’s a bit quieter but still thriving after nearly two years, my longest single project ever at over 500 pages, tons of beautiful fanart that I still look at often because they make me so happy, so many friendships… some short-lived but others genuine and hopefully long-lasting—and above all, so many amazing memories that I hope I can cherish for years and years.

And that’s really important for me to remember. Truth is, and I don’t even think I fully recognized this until now, but I’ve definitely been struggling with a feeling of failure surrounding TPWCH. And that’s in no way because of, but rather really in spite of all you readers, who have been nothing but supportive, often not just as a fan but as a friend. So that you for that! ^_^ But what can I say, I’m hard on myself. That feeling makes me avoid writing, which only increases the feeling of failure, and so on and so forth.

But putting it all together, I have no idea why it took so long, but I’m finally realizing that the kind of engagement I’m clinging to is just not possible anymore… and not because of any fault of my own. People just… move on. Fandoms ebb and flow (hah). Even I haven’t been nearly as involved in Splatoon as I used to be.

So… I’m going to try to fully let go of that blame and regret. I used guilt to motivate myself, and it worked for a while, but eventually it just burned me out. I used to think it was cliché and dumb, but I really do need to learn to just write for myself and my friends (yes, that includes you!)

So, what’s the plan then?

My plan, for now, is to do something I haven’t done since the very beginning of the fic: create a buffer. My obsession with pushing content the moment it’s ready has not only caused me stressed but also a poorer reading experience for you all.

I’m going to take down the Part 1 Recap. Then, I’m going to keep working on the Part 2 Recap, Chapter #22.5, and Chapter #23. The nice thing about this is that I can work on them in any order I want, or simultaneously! When I finish, likely near the end of the year, I’ll post the Part 1 Recap, Part 2 Recap, Chapter #22.5, and each part of Chapter #23 at regular intervals. That should give me some time to work on Chapter #24 as those are releasing, and we’ll see where things go from there! By then, I’ll be headed to Japan, and who knows what that will be like!

That may feel like a long time away, but don’t fear! I’ll also be posting Sneak Peeks here irregularly, so you can still have a little content to hold you over and keep up the excitement!

Thank you as always to everyone who has had an impact on my life through this fic! You all mean so incredibly much to me 🥹

[ikatako38]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

The Recap and Behind the Scenes of Part 1 is up on AO3!!!

[ikatako38]

Coming soon...

[squidthusiast]

Ok, but why do I imagine Eight being the unofficial child of Pearl x Marina?

Because I imagine Eight was minding their business and all of a sudden, Pearl would slam the paper down and said “You’re adopted now”

Basically OTH at the start of their world tour haha, I love that they took Eight with them.

I have more detailed thoughts under the cut for those interested in my ramblings, analysis and interpretations of the characters.

Disclaimer: This is my own take on it, don’t let it ruin your fun!

I personally don’t really subscribe to the fandom’s ‘pearlina moms’ headcanon.

On the one hand, I am an absolute sucker for the ‘found family’ trope, and I definitely think Agent 8 and OTH fit in it!

On the other hand, I think people immediately put Pearl and Marina into the ‘parenthood’ box, a little too eagerly. Not saying this specific ask is that, btw, it just reminded me of some instances i’ve seen.

I personally think that the relationship between OTH and Agent 8 is a little more nuanced & sibling-esque, for the following reasons:

1. Within canon, we often see 8 being referred to as a friend by both Pearl and Marina.

Pearl does it more explicitly (see that one interview at her house), whereas with Marina it’s more insinuated (ex. In the Side Order dev diaries, she starts calling Agent 8 as ‘Eight’, which is stated to be a name used by their friends).

Pearl seems to be an accidental-duck-parent of sorts who haphazardly collects octoling teenagers & young musical talent. It goes in line with her whole mentor-esque leader personality, and i’m sure these disoriented teens find relief in an idol who seemingly knows what she’s doing (she really doesn’t).

However she doesn’t act in a parental manner. More-so like your estranged gay cousin who hit it big in another country and is down to show your queer little butt the ropes.

Marina on the other hand seems to have a more empathetic approach with Agent 8 (opposite to Pearl’s brashness). Marina clearly connects with Agent 8 through their shared experience as defected octoling soldiers, and probably sees her younger self in them. She’s already caring as it is, but this is accentuated during octo expansion given the circumstances.

I feel however that, unlike Pearl, Marina has a bit of a harder time actually forming a bond with Eight at the beginning. Their similarities (seemingly) end at their shared experience, and probably leaves Marina awkwardly wondering how to approach them further. What we can assume though is that they become closer friends during OTH’s world tour, given the events described in the Memverse Dev Diaries.

Meeting Eight during difficult circumstances (OE) and helping them get out creates a sense of camaraderie between them, which probably devolves into genuine care, established friendship and a strong bond amongst the three overtime.

2. Pearl and Marina are very career-centric both in Splat 2 and 3.

It is reasonable that the two young idols, who see their fame and musical recognition rise spectacularly & fast, are not particularly interested in settling down at this point in their lives.

Now entering her late 20s, Pearl is most definitely still interested in keeping the ball rolling with Off the Hook’s international success. Her character often points towards restlessness, freedom and discovery. There has definitely been character development in regards to her maturity in Splatoon 3, but these aforementioned traits are still ever present in her demeanour & decision-making.

Marina on the other hand can be seen slowly blossoming from a supporting character to being her own person. She definitely develops more self-confidence by Splatoon 3, but is still naturally bashful. It’s clear that she is allowing herself to explore & open up to new things for her own sake. She remains a caring and somewhat nurturing individual, but she is at a stage where she’s learning to live for herself and not for others.

Parenthood (and all the responsibilities and sacrifices it entails) at this moment of their lives would probably freak Pearl out, and stunt Marina’s personal growth.

3. The age gaps between OTH and Agent 8 are too close for it to create a parent/kid bond.

This makes their relationship a little hazy in regards to roles; 8 is still young enough that they may seek out rolemodels and mentors (still relatively influenceable), but they’re also nearing their 20s. By this point they are fairly self sufficient, have a sense of their personal values & identity, and they are relatively responsible & mature.

Pearl and Marina are 8’s seniors by approximately 4-6 years. However, in Splatoon 2 they’re entering their early 20s and their career has just begun to take off.

They are both still relatively youngsters, albeit older & more mature(? glancing at Pearl) youngsters than 8. This places them in a position where they can guide 8 and offer certain support and resources, but lack the maturity and experience of a full-fledged adult. This would approximate their relationship closer to that of siblings in a family setting.

Pearl & Marina are also less likely to feel a duty towards Eight as an adult would with a child. Instead, the latter’s circumstances are more likely to incite feelings of rapport and compassion as a fellow young inkfish.

Now, with all of this said, I will acknowledge that friendship/found family is MUCH more nuanced than a strict binary.

From personal experience in my last years of college, I did find myself caring for my fellow freshmen as though they were my kids, in certain ways. Hell, I called them my kids.

I acted as a proud parent whenever some of them achieved something, attempted to pass down my knowledge to them, and was protective of them to a certain extent.

They also annoyed me sometimes, like younger people do haha. And i’m sure I annoyed them too!

So I wouldn’t put it past OTH to call Eight their kid and have this mentor/parent-esque rapport with them in certain circumstances.

This is all based both on canon & my own interpretations of it, but still closely aligned to what has been shown in-game.

So if you have a different interpretation of Agent 8 and OTH, that’s great! I love to see people’s personal headcanons. Ultimately, Agent 8 is meant to be somewhat of a blank slate for the players to mold, with some hinted-at personality traits of their own.

As long as you have fun with these characters, that’s all that matters. This is just my personal opinion on their relationship in-game.

If you read all of this, you deserve the biggest golden star for listening to my incessant yapping 🤲⭐️

Feel free to bother me about this or other opinions you may have in my inbox, just be kind please!

[ikatako38]

Pfft and then there’s my crazy ass over here who had Marina and Eight romantically involved in the Domes but they both forgot 💀

[abyssdotwav]

I love reading fanfic so much but I can’t read romance for the life of me bc I get all fuckin giggly and the moment something gay happens I throw my hands up and cheer “faggot!!!” Lovingly

[abyssdotwav]

AND THERES A SLIGHT LANGUAGE BARRIER!!!! THEY STILL UNDERSTAND EACHHOTHER!!!!!!

[ikatako38]

I see you don’t think you can hide from me XD

(Also… the angst is coming dw 🙂)