So this is something that has been on and off with my mind for I think about close to a year? I forgor, but basically the past few days my mind has been in a mental frenzy trying to jot down notes in a document as ideas flow in my mind. With that ramble done, I should answer the question:
What is Splatoon: Octo Cuetos?
Glad you asked random individual. Splatoon: Octo Cuentos is the name for my own personal AU regarding Splatoon. Beyond my own interpretations of the cast based on what has been officially stated and my own personal head canons, there are also a few OCs. Not only that, but story events will go down in their own way with using what is in the games as a foundation. But things will be twisted to work with the personalities of the main characters as I see fit. Just a thing for fun, as is the case with AUs in general for people.
As for the subtitle, Octo Cuentos, that is due to the fact two of the main characters are Octarian Octolings that go by the name of Orra and Celeste. Are they meant to be the Agent 8? No. In a way, they are a means to explore the idea of the perspective of Octarians from the time in the Octo Domes to building a life on the surface. They do play some roles in the 'main story' campaigns of Splatoon 1, 2, Octo Expansion, 3, and Side Order. But they are not the central protagonists in those stories, usually in the role of deuteragonists. But for this AU, the basically are the protagonists of the AU as a whole as it follows their journey, growth, and involvement in events that they get wrapped in. Some quick info on them:
Orra (Non-Binary. Age: 26 (S1)/28 (S2)/33 (S3). Octarian Octoling)
- An ex-Recon Soldier in the Octarian Army, they always had a drive to create and thus had dissatisfaction in what they perceived as an existence of only surviving. After Octavio's defeat and learning of Marina Ida's dessertion, Orra would follow in her footsteps alongside their only friend, Celeste. After getting some aid from the leader of the No. 9 gang Inochi, who was sympathetic to the Octarians, they and Celeste would start their new lives in Inkopolis Square. They would be employed at Grizzco, getting some help from Celeste that led to the duo having quite the sizeable advantage in performing the job compared to typical employees at the time. Among their interests are listening to music, creating art, sketching, and partaking in Turf War for fun. Their main weapon of choice is the Inkbrush, them discovering their passion for this weapon during their time in Grizzco. While they did partake in Ranked Battles, they never did that well nor were that invested in them compared to Celeste. But teaming up with Celeste was fun nonetheless in either Inkfish sport. Events later on during the 'Deep Sea Metro Incident' would lead to them being scarred by Sanitized Ink. Orra is a massive fan of Marina Ida, and thus of Off the Hook. Unlike Celeste, Orra quite likes the music of the Squid Sisters, having found the Calamari Inkantation to be a really fun tune. Not only are they fluent in the Octarian dialect, they also know how to speak in the Inkadian dialect and Salmonarian dialect.
Celeste (Female. Age: 20 (S1)/ 22 (S2)/ 27 (S3). Octarian Octoling)
- An ex-Elite Soldier that used to be Captain of the Takoshake Unit. While steadfast in Octavio and the Octarian cause, many events that happened as a result of the New Squidbeak Splatoon's assault on the Octarian Army and eventual defeat of Octavio would lead to her beliefs being cracked. The final nail would be the desertion of Marina Ida, a fellow Elite who was considered the epitome of Octarians. Consoling with the only person she felt safe in disclosing this shattering of her world, Orra would be the one to eventually suggest the idea of following in Marina's footsteps. Conflicted with abandoning her Takoshake Unit, she ultimately would leave. While Orra was much more optimistic in forging a future in the unknown of the surface, Celeste had been ridden with anxiety with many what ifs haunting her mind. To make money, she would work at Grizzco. Her previous experience in training battles with the Salmonids proved to be extraordinarily helpful in this job. While initially not into the idea of Turf War, she was convinced by Orra. With her previous skills as an Elite, Celeste would prove to be a demon at Turf War and eventually Ranked Battles. A way to relieve stress and earn more funds. Her main weapon of choice would be Charger weapons, her incredible eyesight proving helpful in using the weapon and relaying information to teammates. One of her hobbies that she picked up initially out of necessity was cooking. Wanting to better her and Orra's diets, she eventually grew to love the art of making food, testing new recipes and ideas.
Some super basic stuff for now because I don't want to be making this post way too long as I do want to also go over a few things regarding the other big characters of this mythos. And who better to talk about than the Agents! Everyone's favorite bunch of blorbos in their head canons. In regard to this mythos, Agent 3/Captain, Agent 4, and Agent 8 are a thing. However, due to the way the mythos goes, there is no Neo Agent 3. The Return of the Mammalians story for Octo Cuentos will already be stacked with so many characters, there isn't a further spot for an entirely new character. Though in a sense, Orra serves the role of Neo Agent 3 for that story. That is what I will leave for now. But what about the other 3? Well, let us go over some quick bios on them:
Agent 3/Alma (Female. Age: 16 (S1)/ 18 (S2)/ 23 (S3). Splatlandian Inkling)
- Hailing from the Splatlands, Alma lived a life being one with the breeze. An early bloomer in controlling between her squid and Inkling form, she would go from place to place around Splatsville to sleep and eat. Alma's primary form of supporting herself was scrap hunting. This would cause her to have run ins with others, her biggest opps being the then younger Deep Cut. Eventually, meeting an older Inkling by the name of Poolso, he helped her further refine the lifestyle of a vagabond. In time, learning of him being from the lands of Inkadia, she would wish to visit those lands due to feeling bored with the Splatlands. By age 15, she would make it to Inkopolis to begin seeing the sights. Due to her wits and skills, she managed to actually be pretty good at Turf War, catching the attention of a one Craig Cuttlefish. While not caring about this whole 'Great Turf War' (something not known by Splatlandians), she would agree to partake in his pleas for help on the grounds of her having fun and the promise of some good food. Seeing this 'New Squidbeak Splatoon' as nothing more than a silly gang she joined, the events of the 'Deep Sea Metro Incident' not only led to Alma getting scarred by Sanitized Ink but led to a rethinking about what this NSS was all about by the founding members. Eventually, this would lead to her eventually becoming Captain of the NSS. Her favorite weapon to wield is the Blaster weapon.
Agent 4/Chee (Female. Age: 15 (S2)/ 20 (S3). Inkadian Inkling)
- Living outside the megalopolis that is Inkopolis, Chee was quite the fun-loving individual. One of her passions growing up was exploring the outdoors, seeing all the cool landscapes. When she wasn't out trekking in the woods, she could be found indoors playing some video games for fun. Later on, she would eventually partake in streaming for fun a variety of things. She had learned about the sport of Turf War and had a lot of fun partaking. In fact, she eventually got so good, she would even be eligible for Ranked Battles. One day when in the city, she decided to head out to summit Mount Nantai for fun. But the mountain wasn't her primary objective. No, that was to go see an area of land she read about. Chee would eventually get to gaze over the crater filled landscape to see her objective: the Octo Valley. As she got closer, she eventually would notice a strange building that had an incredibly well-dressed Inkling worrying over something. After some initial shock between the two, this woman by the name of Marie would eventually request the help of Chee, seeing her as quite a fit looking individual, to aid in her troubles. This would cause Chee to be recruited as Agent 4, her going up against not only the remnants of the Octarian Army, not only DJ Octavio, but Marie's own cousin who she was desperate to find. While quite a messy situation, Chee would take it in stride and good fun as best as she could. Afterall, she had a big heart and couldn't leave Marie to suffer. Her favorite weapon to wield are Dynamo Rollers.
Agent 8/Eight (Male. Age: 14 (S2)/ 19 (S3). Octarian Octoling)
- Originally from the Octo Domes, he would seek out a new life on the surface after eventually not able to live with life there. While on his way towards Inkopolis, the young soldier was tranquilized and captured by unknown assailants. Eventually waking up in the arms of an Octarian Elite by the name of Celeste, he would wake up with no memory. After escaping with the detained Celeste, Orra, and Cuttlefish, the four would be joined by Alma who tailed behind. After being welcomed by a strange phone as subject 10,008, he would be put on a quest to reach the 'promised land'. Being christened the title of Agent 8 by Cuttlefish, Agent 8 would go on their journey through the Deep Sea Metro with Cuttlefish, Celeste, and Orra. After many twists and turns that led to stopping the world ending threat of Commander Tartar, Eight, as he would be known, would get the chance to live life on the surface. With only some memories recovered, he would join with Orra and Celeste under their care. From there, he would gain a passion for birds, loving to observe them and even keep some as pets. To not be a freeloader, he would eventually find employment at the iShipIt company. His love for birds had him yearn to find more information on them, leading to him eventually making use of the internet to find more knowledge on birds. But this also led to him finding other fun stuff about the digital highway. A pass time he would grow to love is watching streams, leading him to discover and eventually forge a friendship with Chee. While not one to partake too much in Turf War, Eight does enjoy Splatfests. His favorite weapon to wield are Dualies.
That should cover the main protagonists and the Agents. But I do want to mention two more characters. One has already been mentioned, but the other is a bit interesting. First off, the mentioned character:
Poolso (Male. Age: 30 (S1)/ 37 (S3). Inkadian Inkling/Mammalian Inkfish)
- A rebellious individual, he was one that basically lived it rough since his youth. Shaped by his experiences in Inkopolis Square and around, he grew to have a love for the idea of living how he wants, where he wants, and doing what he wants. Basically, the lifestyle of a vagabond. While not one for authority, he wasn't beneath helping others if he saw fit to do so. Learning about the existence of the Splatlands, he would eventually make the journey across highway 108 to eventually reach Splatsville. From there, he would feel at home with the culture of the people and the street folk. It was sometime in his stay in Splatsville that he would meet the young Alma. Seeing some aspects in himself in the young Splatlandian youth, he would mentor Alma in all that he knew about the lifestyle of a vagabond. Forging more than a mentor/student dynamic, they grew to be quite good friends. His tales of his times in Inkopolis made the young Alma interested in those lands. Helping her get across highway 108 to reach Inkopolis, he would head back to further explore the Splatlands. However, one faithful decision would cause his life to forever change as what was a means to earn some cash had him and many others become prisoners and test subjects in Alterna to a one Mr. Grizz. Exposure to a strange, fuzzy ink mutated him and the others into strange, fuzzy lifeforms. While having seen the grizzly fates of those who crossed Mr. Grizz one too many times, Poolso had no intention to stay a prisoner to this freak. He would bide his time with those he managed to ally with. Finding a way in secret to figure a plan to oppose Grizz and escape, it would be a long seven years till fate would smile on him and his rag tag group when some people managed to break in a begin to make a ruckus.
The other character... so you know how I mentioned that Orra would basically serve the role of Neo Agent 3? Well, there is an equivalent to Smallfry. But it isn't a tiny little dude:
The Mind whose Dreams Surge from the Boundless Abyss/ Seishin (Female. Age: 35 (S2)/ 40 (S3). Boss Salmonid Chum)
- A Salmonid from a tribe known as 'Gran No', she and her tribe reside among others in the region known as Lost Outpost. For many generations, her tribe would yield some of the brightest minds of Salmonid kind. Thanks to them, they were instrumental in the economic treaties with DJ Octavio. With the fancy Octarian technology, many among the Gran No tribe would come up with ways these devices could be modified to more fit general Salmonid culture and aid in the Salmon Run rituals. This Salmonid would be the one to create a weapon known as a 'Scrapper'. Loving her invention and fascinated with the stories of the 'invading warriors' and their many different weapons, she would ultimately make a plan to infiltrate the territory of the Inkfish. Gather knowledge of their weapons to not only make her Scrapper even mightier, but to pass on the knowledge to Salmonid kind so they can become even stronger and tastier. Fortune would shine on her as she managed to catch the scent of Octarians among those in Inkopolis, one in particular being familiar to her. With the alliance of Orra and Celeste set, she would be given the alias of 'Seishin' to make talks easier. Seishin was eager to learn all she could from her allies, certain that with each passing day, she would be closer to fulfilling her dreams.
That should be it for now as an introductory blog post regarding this AU and the major players. In time, I will eventually come up with designs for all, bring up other characters, share story events, and lore bits regarding Splatoon: Octo Cuentos. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer whatever ya ask. 😄