Splatoon and all related characters and equipment are owned by Nintendo. My creations are only those of original characters (OC). Any resemblance to a real person, living or dead, is unintentional, but would be pretty freaking sweet if it happened.

"Happy birthday, sweety!"

"Happy birthday, dear!"

"Thanks, mom!"

"Thank you, mother, thank you father.

Yutaka smiled happily. So did Sorui. This is the story of two inklings; they have not met, they are not friends, and their only thing in common might be their race. The only thing in common, period.

Sorui glaced out his bedroom window. Bluefin Depot can get foggy at night, and in the morning there's often days where the fog doesn't burn off all at once, leaving a grey blanket resting over the old railway. Sorui and his mother had been blessed with a house with a view. And Sorui himself had been blessed with a mother who cared for him deeply. Sure, she worked long hours, and yes, Sorui was often alone in the house, which was dilapidated with age, but not run-down. But Sorui liked it; the fog was calming, in a certain way. The way the sea left a moisture on the streets just enough so that the occasional weed grew near the side of the road, but nothing ever broke the center of the cobblestone path, the way the house felt cool and nostalgic rather than broken and dim, the way the sound of the waves broke the silence to rock any young one to sleep, Sorui liked it.

It was his birthday. He was 15. All Inklings have a full humanoid form at 14, and most take advantage of that opportunity to join the most popular of passtimes: turf wars. Sorui didn't. He wanted to, but he didn't feel it was right to ask his mom for a blaster when the money could be used to do other things. Sorui's mother, too, was very blessed.

"I have a gift for you." She said.

"You do?" Sorui smiled. Sorui loved getting gifts. Usually because that meant he got to give something in return. Indeed, his mother was truly blessed.

"You remember, right? There were some rule changes they made to the turf wars a short time ago?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I got you...this!" She pulled a large, purple object from behind her back, with a small red ribbon on the top.

"A bucket?" Sorui looked at it with curiosity.

"A Slosher," his mother corrected. "it recently became legal to use these in a battle."

"A Slosher..." Sorui repeated, taking the purple plastic in his arms. He hugged it tightly.

"A Slosher!" He exclaimed. "A Slosher! A Slosher! Then...this means...?"

"Sweety, you should be having fun. The other kids your age have already had a year's worth of practice! Just...promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Don't worry about wins and losses, have fun with it."

The green-colored Inkling, in a plain anchor-tee and a pair of white shoes, hugged his very blessed mother.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, mom! I love you."

"A Splatling! A Splatling!" Yutaka exclaimed. "It's a Splatling!"

"Of course, dear. They recently beca..."

"Recently became legal! Yes, yes!" The cyan-colored Inkling hugged the gun's barrel tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"Anything for you, dear. There's cake waiting for you downstairs." And with that, her parents closed the door.

Yutaka hugged her new weapon tightly for a long while. When she had her fill, she smiled as she looked out the window. Golden sunlight poured through the glass. The highway near Moray Towers was already filled with cars heading off to work in one direction or another. Yutaka drew the curtains. She walked over to her closet, and opened the door. She arbitrarily went with a more casual Tricolor Rugby shirt with some Squid-stich Slip-ons and to compliment the whole ensemble, a squid hairclip, which she fastened on her left-side tentacle.

"Today is going to be a great day!" She thought, as she rummaged through her things. Her elbow knocked something hard; she grasped the handle of her old Krak-on Roller. She remembered running through her first turf wars with the giant thing; the first time she tried it, she fell over backwards after trying to life it over her head. Luckily that had just been a practice battle with her friends, it would have been embarrasing to make such a scrub mistake in a real battle.

"I wont be needing this any more." She murmured. "I wonder if the store might take it back, give it to someone else who can use it..."

"Yutaka, dear! Cake!"

"Coming mother!"

She hefted her new weapon and walked to her door.

Today was going to be a great day.