One fateful E3 conference, a game that would change my world was revealed... Splatoon for the WiiU!

I have a memory of sitting at the kitchen table, dingy laptop in front, as I watched a presentation on Splatoon's squid to inkling mechanic. Excitedly, I looked on a certain anonymous image board to see it lit up with fellow excitement. What was (allegedly) the first fanart for Splatoon (ever) was repeatedly shared- an orange Inkling girl with a splattershot in her hand. These memories have stayed with me ever since.

While I was late to the scene, I checked in with news for the game when I could. I remember when the Slosher (a bucket) was released, I knew in my heart I had to play what was considered (back then) a silly weapon. That's what I set out to accomplish when I finally recieved the Splatoon and WiiU pack for my birthday.

Splatoon bloomed into something that has become a part of who I am as a person. In this entry to the series, I made some wonderful friendships, drew a lot of art on the miiverse, and had so much fun interacting with the in-game multiplayer culture. If I could experience it again for a day, I certainly would!

Pictured right: My original inksona from Splatoon! She represented how I changed the genders of my character pretty often, with her tentacles tucked into her beanie. I just loved inklings so much, I wanted the full experience!

I don't remember much of how I started out when I got on the game. From my memory, I know I had a lot of difficulty with the online connection (I remember it becoming unbearable, even!) early on in my splatting career, learning to curb my gamer anger, and having a strong grinder mindset. In this game, the rotations lasted 4 hours at a time, but I barely noticed it since I was playing so much. I would play as soon as I got home from school (or after my post-school nap) and keep at it until late into the night, or even an hour before I was supposed to wake up before school. Woof!

When I was able to get into the ranked modes, I loved them. Rainmaker was my absolute favorite mode to play, as I could take easier control of the situation as compared to zone's immobile point and tower, which followed a route (and didn't have any stops!). My favorite weapons to bring to ranked were the 52. Gal and my handy-dandy Splattershot Jr,. Later down the road, I took up the Bamboozler, since it was said to be a difficult weapon with a hard learning curve (and I was up for a challenge).

I don't have too much to say on the topic of the single-player campaign, but I know I had immense difficulty with Octavio (to the point I wrote a sappy post onto the Miiverse detailing my disappearance from having to make so many attempts). Otherwise, it was an enjoyable look into the fresh, new world of Splatoon. I really enjoyed the Sunken Scrolls, and took the time and effort in retrieving every one of them. I ought to go back and put them onto this page- I hold a lot of importance in the lore they shined a light onto!

I have to admit, Splatoon's fashion inspired the way I dressed IRL, as well. I loved the clothing the inklings wore a lot, so you can bet I enjoyed my in-game wardrobe, even if those E-Liter fits weren't so stylish (gotta have that Damage Up, ey). However, there were a few pieces I had that were absolutely vital to me. Namely, my Striped Beanie, Varsity Jacket, and Red Hi-Tops. They're what my inkling's wearing in the first section, including many of my Miiverse artworks! (Although, looking back, Opening Gambit feels like a silly ability to be running on a Slosher and Splattershot Jr,...)

Ahhh... the true battle for honor! Splatfests are a special event in Splatoon where you can choose one of two teams to fight for! Whether it be for glory or for bragging rights, I always found this to be the best time for my competitive nature to shine! Well, aside from ranked modes that is. Group up and go for gold!

When I had entered the battlefield, I had already missed a few splatfests at that point. But not to worry- I was able to enjoy the rest to the fullest! I seriously looked forward to splatfests, even if nowadays, people seem to dislike them....

Callie vs. Marie

July 22-24 2016

The ultimate, the final, the splatfest to end all splatfests!! 48-hours long (double than the usual!), this was probably the most hype of them all. I drew plenty for it, too- my adoration for Callie could not be ignored. Go Team Callie! Despite the odds, I kept battling it out on the splattlefield, trying my best on godforsaken Moray (but hey, Walleye's in!). While I stayed up a grueling amount of hours, it was all for naught. My win streak, reborn, perished before me, and the storyline for the next installment of the series was set into motion....

I didn't have much of an internet presence, to start. So I didn't put myself out there often when it came to the Splatoon community. But I did enjoy looking at other people's creations, and wished I could be a part of the events and projects fans would run. Although I ended up never participating or making a mark during Splatoon's lifetime (barring a short stint in the Amino community), I still was able to enjoy watching from the sidelines.

Something I had still been using at the time was Tumblr. I loved seeing the artwork people made on there, even dedicating a blog to reblogs of their work. I saw other artists make amazing comics and beautiful illustrations, and I felt so inspired to be a part of a talented community. Over on Twitter, I was introduced to the Japanese side of the fandom, and their works wow'd me constantly. In fact, I still have some artworks from that era saved onto a USB drive (having had them on my old phone). Of course, I did take a look-see on a certain anonymous image board, and that provided me with even more wonderful illustrations of inklings to enjoy. Splatoon life thrived in the drawings of these artists, and I loved it.

On Amino, since I had access to the Japanese Apple store, I was able to download apps people made related to Splatoon. There were only a few things, but I vividly remember a squid-raising game someone had put up on there. I played it and did a review on Amino, and people seemed to like that. So that's something fun I did, along with participating in the Amino splatfest (I only remember this thanks to the Miiverse drawings I made for it, ha!).

Otherwise, my days were quiet, as I spent more time playing the game than being online when it came to Splatoon. The people I knew who did play didn't play Splatoon much, and seemed to even hate playing it, so I only had my in-game friends to hang around with.