World-building of Splatoon

[Aykorn]

The universe of Splatoon is certainly a unique one, with squiddy shape shifters and marine life all living on in a sorts of "squid-tokyo" with a questionable economy and history.

But I'm sure that roleplayers and writers alike have their own explanations and headcanons for the splatoon world! This thread is here to discuss the rules and machinations of Inkopolis and the splatoon world in general.

Post headcanons about different species, explain game mechanics, think about how real world activities would translate in Splatoon! Come up with mythology and lore, maybe technology, maybe physiology, food, culture... you name it!

This can be a place for discussion concerning RP rules or fanfiction ideas. Bring up topics you'd be curious about hearing people's opinions on, and feel free to post other people's headcanons, for instance... some of Splatoon AU's answers to asks.

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Lemme start the ball rolling with that. Here's something recent on the Splatoon AU tumblr.

"Would rain be considered a natural disaster for the inkling race? Unless they can just respawn or have an umbrella I suppose"

"Luckily they have an advanced weather forecast system so they can evacuate when there are any sign of rainfall. Some young reckless inklings play a game called “Guppy”, the squid who runs inside first is declamed the “Guppy” and has to buy all the other squids some ice cream!"

What do you think about rain in Inkopolis? Water? Natural disasters? Risky Inkling games?
Again, feel free to post your own ideas and questions, too!

 

[Kbot]

Alright, well, I'll go ahead with something I posted a while ago and re-post it here. @Aykorn, you've seen this before.

I present to you: The Splatoon Timeline.

It's based on the Sunken Scrolls and I think that it's accurate.
A few notes:

• The Egyptian Turf Wars and the Second Flood could be flipped. It's kind of up in the air, and doesn't matter a whole lot. They're around the same time.
• The Second Flood did not cover all land, but came considerably close, whereas the First Flood completely covered all land

Sorry it's sideways, I can't do a whole lot about that. :p

Lemme start the ball rolling with that. Here's something recent on the Splatoon AU tumblr.

"Would rain be considered a natural disaster for the inkling race? Unless they can just respawn or have an umbrella I suppose"

"Luckily they have an advanced weather forecast system so they can evacuate when there are any sign of rainfall. Some young reckless inklings play a game called “Guppy”, the squid who runs inside first is declamed the “Guppy” and has to buy all the other squids some ice cream!"

What do you think about rain in Inkopolis? Water? Natural disasters? Risky Inkling games?
Again, feel free to post your own ideas and questions, too!

I mean, it's not a natural disaster if you're outside playing games. A Tsunami, on the other hand, would be absolutely devastating.

 

[ReedRGale]

Well from what little we know about Squid physiology, it's probably at least inconvenient to walk outside when it's raining due to how their bodies react to water--literally fizzling out and essentially splatting. I mean, seeing as respawn is a thing, though, I like to believe that every Inkling, after losing physical form, returns to some respawn point so that they are never really in danger unless that spawn is destroyed.

So yeah, it's probably not too dangerous to them. Mostly inconvenient.

 

[Cuddlefish]

I've said this elsewhere, but my headcannon is that it's not just a game mechanic that you can swap your inkling's sex on the fly, that's actually something they're biologically able to do.

Also, what's this about inklings being water soluble? I was under the impression that they drowned in the water first before exploding into ink and only then dissolving. There's a line Marie says about inklings only being able to swim in ink, and the inkling's water death animation has a moment of them struggling as if they're trying to swim before they poof into a cloud of ink similar to when a player disconnects. I don't think any contact with water is a problem for inklings, it's just being submerged to the point of drowning that kills them.

 

[Aykorn]

I've said this elsewhere, but my headcannon is that it's not just a game mechanic that you can swap your inkling's sex on the fly, that's actually something they're biologically able to do.

State-of-matter fluid and genderfluid inklings are the best. Yesss, this.

Inklings drowning then dissolving actually makes a lot more sense, though I've always thought that they just panic in water because they know they'll burst in a second.

Idea of mine here: What if inklings are able to change the properties of their ink like they're able to shift colors? I've had the idea that inklings could make themselves up with a hydrophobic solution or ink, and that would allow them to stay in water longer (but still drown if they aren't careful). Of course it wouldn't be practical for ink battles or normal everyday stuff; probably expensive?

...That would make the Waterslide splatfest choice less of a suicide-slide.

 

[dapperlace]

Along the lines of "not just a game mechanic", would they dye their clothes with ink in certain areas so that they can affect it?

 

[DarkGold777]

In response to all this talk about "dissolving in water", I don't think Inklings dissolve from water contact. The worst we've heard is that they can't swim from Cuddlefish and Marie (post-August update, and she states NONE of them can), but nothing about dissolving, which bring me to my theory and headcanon:

Inklings can self-splat themselves as a failsafe.

When Inklings splat in water, they poof in the same smoke seen when they "disconnect" or fall from a large height, which leaves me to believe that they can do this so they avoid drowning and truly dying.

Besides, it'd stink if they couldn't get drinks from the vending machines. They're made of water, too, you know. :P

 

[Hesoca]

I like to think that Inkling bodies are a shell of ink covering over the actual Inklings, and that the actual Inklings are the little ghost-like creatures that float away when an Inkling is splatted.

As a theory, it explains a lot of the weird mechanics involving Inkling physiology:
+ The fact that they burst into ink upon being splatted (essentially their ink bodies becoming overfilled by/reacting to enemy ink)
+ Their respawning ability (the actual Inklings can flee from battle and create a new body from the team's ink basin)
+ Their ability to morph between forms and physical appearance on the fly (their liquid forms are completely manipulable by the actual Inkling)
+ Their ability to shoot a heck-ton of ink over a short period of time (by pumping it out of their shells) and their ability to recover ink by swimming in it (essentially pumping the ink back into their bodies)
+ Their reaction to water (landing in water would cause the Inkling body to dissolve and force the actual Inkling to return to the base for a new body)

The only problem with this theory is that it doesn't really explain the morphing capabilities of any of the other sea creatures. The Octolings probably follow a similar physiology to the Inklings (as they splat and morph in relatively the same way). Then again, the only creatures that we've ever seen morph between forms are the Inklings and Octolings; it's entirely possible that many of the mechanics related to Inklings and Octolings work differently in other species.

 

[ReedRGale]

@DarkGold777 I agree with everything but the last part--I like to think that their drinks are inkbased because I mean, that's what they seem to be made of.

@Hesoca I tend to agree with you about the ghost-part being their actual body. I like to call it the "essence" of the inkling. And yeah, it makes you wonder of any other species can morph forms.

 

[Aykorn]

Here's some more world building food for thought: What ideas do you have about the non-inkling inhabitants of Inkopolis?

Do all Anemones have clownfish? How do they get acquainted with these companions?

If Jellies can't speak the Inkling language, why are they around Inkopolis so much? Where are they from?

Why do we have mostly humanoid species, than completely crustacean-people? Can other species transform, like Inklings and Octolings?

Was there a reason other species aided the Inklings, but not the Octolings in the Great War?

What marine species do you think would look cool that we haven't see yet?

 

[Joseph Staleknight]

In response to all this talk about "dissolving in water", I don't think Inklings dissolve from water contact. The worst we've heard is that they can't swim from Cuddlefish and Marie (post-August update, and she states NONE of them can), but nothing about dissolving, which bring me to my theory and headcanon:

Inklings can self-splat themselves as a failsafe.

When Inklings splat in water, they poof in the same smoke seen when they "disconnect" or fall from a large height, which leaves me to believe that they can do this so they avoid drowning and truly dying.

Besides, it'd stink if they couldn't get drinks from the vending machines. They're made of water, too, you know. :p

I'd like to say that Inklings can swim in water just fine, which justifies Water Slides. However, the inability to do so in-game can be justified in two ways:

• Once enterprising youths began to abuse the pools of water in turf war stages to avoid fire and pick off people easily (especially those with Chargers and Splatlings), SquidForce began receiving complaints about this imbalance. So to address this issue they modified the official full-body undies used in turf wars to automatically splat anyone attempting to hide underwater. It worked so well that in the present day Inkling youths take it for granted that falling into water is dangerous in the same sense that not stepping on certain squares in order in hopscotch is--not so much fatal as penalizing. The Squid Sisters simply make it sound overwhelming to discourage players from attempting such a tactic.
  
• Octo Valley has a security system for various water pools which scans for enemy Inklings. Once that system finds one attempting to swim their way through, it sends electrical pulses into the water to fry them. Of course, the system is not perfect; Octarians tend to trip the switch themselves when Agent 3 makes them fall into the drink.

As for tall heights, they already have the undergear auto-splat when falling a certain depth.

Here's some more world building food for thought: What ideas do you have about the non-inkling inhabitants of Inkopolis?

Do all Anemones have clownfish? How do they get acquainted with these companions?

If Jellies can't speak the Inkling language, why are they around Inkopolis so much? Where are they from?

Why do we have mostly humanoid species, than completely crustacean-people? Can other species transform, like Inklings and Octolings?

Was there a reason other species aided the Inklings, but not the Octolings in the Great War?

What marine species do you think would look cool that we haven't see yet?

I don't really have much of an idea about the first one (though I guess symbiosis still exists for them?), but I can answer the others:

• Jellies flock around Inkopolis Plaza for the same reason foreigners tend to flock around Shibuya; it's very tourist-friendly despite being a major hub of the native culture. Jellyfish themselves come from various overseas lands, whether for work, pleasure or sightseeing.
• As far as I know, only Inklings and Octolings demonstrate the ability to shift between forms. Maybe Sheldon as well, given that he can hide under his shell/hat when switching to Ammo Knights from another store. Thus, I'd have to say that turf wars for other species are far more reliant on stealth and deception as they have no compact form to zip around in at a moment's notice.
• My guess is that representatives from every sapient species tried to hold a convention to figure out how to survive the ensuing flood. However, things went south when the Octoling representative showed up late and began finding faults with the proposal at hand without making helpful suggestions. His bile was especially directed toward the chief representative, an Inkling. Soon, negotiations collapsed between the nascent factions, and it was not long before Octavio began leading the first assault against the other sapient races.
• I don't think we'll see whales because of certain matters, but I would certainly like to see sharks and maybe seals added to the mix. Adding sapience and worldliness to those two species--especially those with a former predator/prey relationship--will certainly be something to think about.

 

[Aykorn]

undergear auto-splat

I think this is a cool idea!
I've seen stuff about Inklings being able to slat themselves on will, but this is pretty practical (and less morbid??), considering they're rigged with things like seeing their ink levels and such during turf wars.

Jellies flock around Inkopolis Plaza for the same reason foreigners tend to flock around Shibuya; it's very tourist-friendly despite being a major hub of the native culture. Jellyfish themselves come from various overseas lands, whether for work, pleasure or sightseeing.

:D Bit of a headcannon of mine. The reason we see so many Jellies watching turf wars is because they pay to enter around battlefields to spectate. Th cash goes into paying inklings for participating.

 

[DarkGold777]

@Joseph Staleknight: That theory about the underwear is probably false, as the update's news for Saltspray Rig has Callie suggesting cannonballing into the water, and Marie points out that she can't swim, before adding, "None of us can!" Note that that would be outside of turf-wars, so the underwear would not be required to wear.

 

[ReedRGale]

Once enterprising youths began to abuse the pools of water in turf war stages to avoid fire and pick off people easily (especially those with Chargers and Splatlings), SquidForce began receiving complaints about this imbalance. So to address this issue they modified the official full-body undies used in turf wars to automatically splat anyone attempting to hide underwater. It worked so well that in the present day Inkling youths take it for granted that falling into water is dangerous in the same sense that not stepping on certain squares in order in hopscotch is--not so much fatal as penalizing. The Squid Sisters simply make it sound overwhelming to discourage players from attempting such a tactic.

That theory about the underwear is probably false, as the update's news for Saltspray Rig has Callie suggesting cannonballing into the water, and Marie points out that she can't swim, before adding, "None of us can!" Note that that would be outside of turf-wars, so the underwear would not be required to wear.

Not really so much about canonical world-building all the time. Sometimes it's just interesting to think about what the world could be like. In any case, he addressed your note. ;)

 

[Postwreck]

What I'm mostly curious about is how big, in terms of the economy, are the ink sports? Like, are there other, bigger fields in the world? Obviously, most of the clothing companies and such are based around the ink sports, as well as a large portion of the music industry.

 

[Joseph Staleknight]

Well, there are baseball uniforms and B-ball jerseys, so those sports must also exist albeit to a lesser capacity than they would here and now. I'd say that given the importance of turf to the Inklings, ink sports are big business indeed.

 

[redacteddd]

Unlike most people here, I view Squidforce as a clothing brand affiliated with whatever organization runs the whole thing. I view them as some kind of board put up by the city of Inkopolis to manage both regular and ranked cicuits and ratify new stages, weapons, and ability based gear.

Other stuff:

• Judging by how the testfire had Squid Research Lab players and the lab was given their own inkling language logo, we can assume they exist in-universe, and aren't just a promotional tool.
• The Squid Research Lab isn't composed of actual scientists, rather just some very curious people who managed to get their hands on interdimensional tech that led them to Inkopolis. The government of whatever the nation's called allows them to study inklings in exchange for some knowledge about the human race.
• Blackbelly Skatepark isn't actually a slatepark.

 

[Aykorn]

Blackbelly Skatepark isn't actually a slatepark.

What, how do you figure this???

I've always thought that battlefields double as functional areas when off rotation. That way they make the most of space? There were a couple wars started over there not being enough land.

Plus, you can see other park like areas around the Skatepark, and jellies doing... park things.

Maybe not all areas are like this, but at least the Skatepark and Arowana mall.

 

[DarkGold777]

What I'm mostly curious about is how big, in terms of the economy, are the ink sports? Like, are there other, bigger fields in the world? Obviously, most of the clothing companies and such are based around the ink sports, as well as a large portion of the music industry.

I bet the sports teams regularly change colors, based on the fact that we have color-changing baseball jerseys and caps and football helmets.

 

[redacteddd]

What, how do you figure this???

I've always thought that battlefields double as functional areas when off rotation. That way they make the most of space? There were a couple wars started over there not being enough land.

Plus, you can see other park like areas around the Skatepark, and jellies doing... park things.

Maybe not all areas are like this, but at least the Skatepark and Arowana mall.

I couldn't think of any other headcanons to post so I just dug up an old one that's kinda disproved by an inkopolis news statement. I figured that because the placement of the ramps doesn't make any sense and why would inklings skateboard if they can do all this crazy acrobatics in turf war?