Fanfic Recs / Splatoon

aka: Splatoon 2

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth getting splatted for.

These are recommendations made by tropers for Splatoon fanfiction, all of which have to be signed lest they receive a communication error. After a few samples, you will be able to note the interests of the tropers recommending them, and judge whether you might be also interested in a certain 'fic.

Remember the rules - no self-recommendations. Find somebody else who agrees that your story is great to start the page! Use the template found here; a copy of the template is just below. Do warn when a fanfic may head into sexual territory or non-canon. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.

Reviews of fics are encouraged, but if you choose to write one, please make it substantive, and give specific details about what you liked / disliked in the fic. If you want to give a fic a thumbs-up without writing a full review, you can add your troper handle to the Recommendations Line. Please refrain from posting "Comments" or Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

Recommendations Template

Title of the Fanfic by Author OR Fic Trope Page, by Author (Link)

• Recommended by: Troper Name(s).
• Synopsis: What's the story about? Give here a brief summary of the plot. It would be also useful to point out in what moment of the series the story takes place. If it's a Gen Fic but it has some romantic elements, note here the characters involved too.
• Pairing(s): If it's a Shipping Fic, list here the pairings that feature in the fic (warn here if it's het, male slash or female slash). If it's a Gen Fic, remove this line. To tell the difference between the two, notice if the focus of the fic is on a romantic relationship or if it focuses on the other aspects of the story. In case of doubt, classify the story according to the genres it's been tagged: the Romance tag for Shipping, absence of that tag for Gen Fic.
• Tags: If any are known. This would be things like W.A.F.F., Lemon, Dark Fic, any known Crossovers etc.
• Status: Completed, ongoing, canceled, deadfic? This is where that label goes.

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General Fics

Splatoon, by GameraGaming

Recommended by: Myself (That's legal, right?)

Synopsis: A human teenager wakes up in a very, very strange new world. There are odd creatures with tentacles for hair, and strange creatures intent on sucking his life force to power their city. But, with the help and guidance of four idols, three Inklings and an Octoling, he might just make it through. How will this human deal with this?

Status: Complete.

Notes: I might have made this, but it IS a really good story! Sequel: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53369431/chapters/135074101(Basically Complete)

First Aid Kits and Deep Secrets, by Littlemapleleaf. Read here.

• Recommended by: Masterweaver.
• Synopsis: “...go ahead,” the Octoling spat, “Kill me.” Its speech was slurred, and it sent a chill down Agent 3’s spine. “I’m dead anyway.” In which Agent 3 has to deal with the aftermath of defeating DJ Octavio, a possible oncoming invasion, and her quickly depleting wallet, all while taking care of an injured Octoling who might want to kill her.
• Pairing(s): F/F Agent 3 and random Octoling. There's also a M/M and another F/F ship later involving OCs.
• Tags: Blood onscreen, torture offscreen. Published before the sequel.
• Status: Complete.
• Agent 3 rescues Octoling is a common plotline for Splatoon fics, but First Aid Kits does it well. The development of the characters' relationships feels realistic, and while May and Lacey are certainly the focus of the fic the ensemble has time devoted to their own thoughts and experiences, painting an ever-growing web of heartbreak and triumph.

Her Fractured Spirit, by LadyHood. Read here.

• Recommended by: Masterweaver
• Synopsis: It's been a month since Marie and Agent 4 rescued Callie from DJ Octavio's clutches. Life with the usually peppy idol just hasn't been the same. Lost in her troubled thoughts, Callie has holed up in her room and refuses to talk to Marie about what happened. As her cousin slips further into depression, Marie fears that things between them might never return to normal. Will she have to say goodbye to her best friend? No. She can't let that happen; she won't. Marie comes up with a plan; let's pray that it works...
• Pairing(s): Pearl/Marina and M/M OC. Not exactly core, but relevant.
• Tags: PTSD
• Status: Dead; last updated March 2018
• Another fic with a focus character and, surprisingly, few viewpoints from that character. It's primarily about Callie recovering from the events of Splatoon 2, but more accurately it's about everyone around her dealing with their own struggles as they try to adjust to her presence.

The Legacy of Humanity, by Chigger

• Recommended by: Masterweaver
• Synopsis: A Splatoon story featuring the fall of humanity and the origins of Judd, to the battle of Octovalley and beyond. Contains multiple perspectives which include one of the last 100 humans left on earth, the awkward agents 3 and 4, an Octoling that will do anything to save her race, and of course, the squid sisters.
• Pairing(s): M/F, which is also Human/Octoling. And some other ships, too.
• Tags: Suicide, warfare.
• Status: Completed
• There are surprisingly few Splatoon fanfics that deal with the question of whether there were human survivors, and even fewer where the human survivors number more than one generic insert. The Legacy of Humanity not only fits these two categories but is well written, illustrating the cultural struggles between Inklings, Octarians, and a long lost race as they try to seek peace while tensions and extremists push for war.

Kids Like Us, by Queen Akito

• Recommended by: Masterweaver
• Callie and Marie meet Marina properly for the first time, and have a talk about what to do about this potential new threat.
• Status: Oneshot
• A short little fic wherein Callie and Marie have a frank and honest discussion about enemy spies and inherited racism.

My New Life as an Online Bootlegger, by Kabii

• Recommended by: Masterweaver.
• Synopsis: Annie moved closer to Inkopolis square for two reasons really, to be close to her friends again and to finally kick-start her new business. What was that business? She set out to make the hottest trends even hotter by recreating every stitch with a special twist that could make an inkling's ensemble significantly more fresh. The problem? She didn't know how she was going to get sponsors for her biggest project, the new online shop she planned to open; her business. Who was going to help spread the word about something this shady!? She thought the answer would take F O R E V E R to find but, to her surprise, it didn't. She just didn't expect to find it in the midst of a mugging.
• Pairing(s): Annie/Spyke, maybe. Nothing's happened yet, but the crush is there.
• Tags: A kid gets mugged. He's saved, but it happens.
• Status: Ongoing
• An interquel that explores the life of NPCs who aren't related to the core campaign. And an excellent one, where they actually have a life, instead of just hanging around their shops for whatever reason. As much as people love the singers, PCs, and Octarians, the rest of the world still exists, and fics like this do their job of exploring it quite well.

Nadir, by ReedRGale

• Recommended by: Masterweaver.
• Synopsis: Life throws us for curves sometimes. Sometimes those curves just so happen to be a direct trajectory to the bottom of a deep cliff. It happens. What you wouldn't expect is how that can entirely change the perspective of an individual. A quick dip of the toes into a different point of view can change one's life forever. Inklings know almost nothing of their Octoling neighbors. Little more than that they won the Great War. That was the end of it. They are blissfully unaware that their cousins and rivals, the Octolings, they had to deal with the repercussions of that war for ages. This story follows a young inkling and his plunge into the new, dark, dying world of the Octolings and their struggle to survive.
• Tags: Graphic violence, with included death
• Status: Dead (last update October 2016)
• Another common Splatoon fanfic is the Octarian reaction to the PCs. Nadir throws in a twist by having the primary story take place after the first game, and guiding us through the traumatized society via an oblivious but intelligent inkling and an angry scottish octoling just trying to get him out of her life. Then the inkling's friend gets involved... All in all, an excellent examination of what the game's events would actually do to a society, if outdated by the release of the sequel.

Not Like The Others, by Roguespirit

• Recommended by: Masterweaver.
• Synopsis: An series of short stories about people in the universe of Splatoon who do not conform to the norm or fit in with the majority. These short stories cover a number of different subjects and genres. Rating subject to change.
• Status: Dead on technicality (last update Nov 2018); has four Complete short stories, but is not marked as finished and has not been updated for at least two years.
• Roguespirit in general has excellent worldbuilding in her fics, examining the aspects of Inkling culture as it relates to family and bonds. Not Like The Others is the first of her fics I read, and the one that inspired me to go through her whole catalog of Splatoonfic, even at just one chapter. It stands as stark contrast to some of the darker stories in the fandom, not denying the more depressing aspects of the setting, but presenting a main character who just wants to help and actually stands with an oppressed community. Just the right level of adorable to cleanse the palette.

Requiem of The Splattered by MaizeTheYellowInkling

• Recommended by: Tropemaster 849
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: An odd disease has spread through Inkopolis, it's not only taking away the minds of those infected. It is also taking away their color. A cure has been manufactured, the only problem is getting the cure out there. Callie and Marie are left with the task of saving not only all the inklings, but the octolings as well. Will they succeed as heroes of hope?
• A zombie apocalypse story with Callie and Marie at the forefront. The duo is perfect character and bounce off of each other completely. It not very dark for a zombie story, but it has suspense and heart of one. Well worth a read if you like the Squid Sisters in the main roles.

Dedf1sh by Darkford

• Recommended by: lalalei2001
• Status: Dead; last updated June 2018
• Synopsis: Welcome to the Deepsea Metrrr23sd m**&N. Accessing C:/Users/7154. Loading file.... A character study of the mysterious dedf1sh and how she became enmeshed in the facility.

You're A Kid Now by Sovereign and Unbroken

• Recommended by: lalalei2001
• Status: Dead; last updated February 2016
• Synopsis: Turning 14 is, arguably, one of the biggest things in an inkling's life. But, even when you're not just a squid, you're still being told what to do, how to dress, how to be "fresh". But youth naturally rebels, and the rebellious culture has taken hold in Inkopolis. With so much pressure to be cool, it's easy to forget to just have fun. It's time for these kids to be kids!

Red Tape series by dbluewillow

• Recommended by: lalalei2001, seconded by smoov22
• Tags: Action, Suspense, Violence, Adventure
• Status: First story is Complete (The Reluctant Hero), the other two are Dead.
• Synopsis: The New Squidbeak Splatoon is the city's the first line of defense against threats both domestic and abroad. Their only goal is to protect the citizens of Inkopolis, by any means necessary. When your enemies don't play by the rules, though, neither do you—laws become merely suggestions when the lives of innocent people are at stake. Do whatever it takes to keep the peace, agents. Just don't let us catch you doing it.
  • The Reluctant Hero: A young man heads to the city to locate his missing friend, but he finds much more than he bargained for. And just like that, Agent 4 stumbles into a world of security threats, covert ops, and conflicting responsibilities. (Complete)
  • K is for Kamabo: In the wake of Octavio's most recent capture, Callie stays behind to seize a leadership position in Octo Canyon. Back in Inkopolis, Captain Cuttlefish and Agent 3 discover something fishy beneath Mount Nantai. And Eight, a former soldier, finds herself caught in a struggle that she wants no part of. Whether the Octoling likes it or not, her worldview is about to get an expansion. (Dead; last updated July 2019)
  • Insurmountable: Alone and outnumbered, Agent 3 finds herself the target of an explosive conspiracy. The fearless operative has spent years running covert operations and killing with impunity, all in an effort to protect Inkopolis. But even within the city, some believe the time has come to bring her down. Now the hunter is the hunted, and Agent 3 must race to save one more life: her own. (Dead; last updated April 2019)

Inkopolis In The Morning, by Gale_Breeze.

• Recommended by: tm2dragon. Seconded by Himmel.
• Synopsis: After escaping what probably should've been certain death, Agent Three is not allowed to sleep. She is instead asked to babysit an Octoling, stop the Captain from committing murder, figure out the exact scope of what the hell happened this morning, and try not to murder Agent 4. She can probably do all of that except the last one.
• Pairing(s): Slight F/F Agent 3/Agent 8, F/F Agent 4/Marie
• Tags: Comedy, Action, Slice of Life
• Status: Complete, part of an series. On Hiatus (Three stories are complete, fourth is on Hiatus)
• Takes the popular characterization of Agent 3 as an anti-social, grumpy, and slightly unhinged badass and runs straight off the rails with it. The hilarious inner-monologues of acknowledged "Edgelord with a Gun" Agent 3 are the main draw of this fic, but you'll stick around for the cool action scene and intriguing mystery. Has an Complete sequel, The Surface Is Weird And Confusing And Generally A Place Of Little Logic, which switches the perspective to Agent 8.
  • Has a sequel - Night In At The Idol's Apartment (Complete)
  • The fourth story, Pale Summer Moonlight is on Hiatus as of 8/26/22.

Inkopolis Chaos, by CrystallicWolf108.

• Recommended by: Ordeaux26, dynamicDiscovery
• Synopsis: It is a trilogy of fanfics. The first one is about Samuel Turfblu trying to prove the innocence of an Octoling named Natalie Octarine while evading the bully named Scarlet. The second one deals with the disappearance of several Octolings by the Octobusters as well as two important people in Samuel's life returning. The last story deals with the heroes confronting the ultimate Big Bad and man is she nasty.
• Status: Completed

Snapshots of an Unlived Life by EikaPrime

• Recommended by: Lily The Litten
• Synopsis: A series of vignettes following Marina.
• Pairing(s): Pearlina near the end, not the main focus though.
• Status: Complete

New Squidbeak Splatoon: Uprising by Toon Think

• Recommended by: NajaNerd66
• Synopsis: In the bad ending of the Octo Expansion, Inkopolis and everyone in it is destroyed, with Cap'n Cuttlefish, Agent 8, Agent 3, and Off the Hook left to pick up the pieces. Struggling among themselves and their inner demons, the New Squidbeak Splatoon must assemble again to face off against new world leader Commander Tartar and uncover more dark secrets of the Kamabo Corporation.
• Status: Complete

The Polaris Project, by Piston 24. Read here.

• Recommended by: Nut Senate
• Synopsis: A human is woken up from cryostasis and enters the world of the Inklings and Octolings. He is forced to grapple with both hostile forces from the past and new threats from the future as he tries to make his way in a strange new world.
• Tags: Graphic depictions of violence
• Status: Ongoing
• A personal favorite of mine, this is a spin on the Human in Splatoon subgenre. Well-written and includes art by Falken Jr. Crossposted to FF.net as well. If you're into guns, explosions, and action, this fic has that. If you're into emotional pulls and a protective found family-esque relationship, this fic has that too.

The Salmonid's Mermaid by WolfStarmie

• Recommended by: Supercomputer 276
• Synopsis: Stroganoff was minding his own business when he finds an inkling baby in the waters. Against his better judgement, he decides to raise it as his own child. But... can an inkling truly live in salmonid society?
• Tags: Major character death
• Status: Ongoing
• A Big Shot adopts a baby Inkling. Hilarity, found family, worldbuilding, and the adorableness of a child learning about the world ensues. Easy a good read for those wanting a slice-of-life look at what Salmonids do the rest of the time.

graaaamps, you can't say stuff like that anymore by CryoInferno

• Recommended by: RacattackForce
• Synopsis: Octoling New Agent 3 and her interactions with Cap'n Cuttlefish during the Crater.
• Status: Oneshot
• A fun little one-shot based off this tweet which mines comedy from the fact that the Fantastic Racism some characters display during Splatoon 3's "Return of the Mammalians" campaign remains even if you're playing as the race they're badmouthing.

Cracked Snowglobes Under Leaky Roofs (and the steps taken to mend them) by mossible

• Recommended by: Hemmyeg
• Synopsis: A century spent hidden away from all that the surface brings had shaped DJ Octavio into who he truly believed himself to be. But, when he's met with not just one familiar face, but many, when his plans to steal the Great Zapfish are thwarted, Octavio soon begins to realize just what he left behind on the surface, all those years ago...
• Pairing: Cap'n Cuttlefish/DJ Octavio, though it hasn't had much of an impact yet.
• Status: Ongoing
• I think this is one of, if not the single best, fanfics that depict DJ Octavio in all of his glory, and my favorite characterization of him. An interesting adventure through the plots of Splatoon 1, 2, and 3 from the perspective of one of the main villains, exploring his thought processes throughout all of it. The OCs that the writer has added are likeable and adds to the world-building, as well.

Shipping Fics

Headphones and Notepads, by CJ_Walker.

• Recommended by: Midello_Felteve
• Synopsis: Pearl finds herself meeting an unlikely superhero on the bus ride home from one of her band rehearsals.
• Paring: Marina/Pearl
• Tags: Punk/Metal!Pearl - Freeform, Disabled/impaired!Marina, Urban City Life, Fluff and Humor, Mild Angst, Physical Disability, from strangers to friends, Swearing
• Status: Completed
• Notes: The third (and so far longest) entry of “CJ's Corner of Pearlina Short Stories”, this oneshot entails Pearl meeting Marina on the setting of a public bus, uniquely depicting Marina as deafened from an incident two years prior. Originally starting with a sour mood and a petty anger over someone taking her self-proclaimed bus seat, Pearl softens when Marina offers her to borrow her headphones, leading to the two of them conversing through Marina's sketchbook. Pearl flounders understandably with her mistakes of talking to a deaf octoling, even doing so when she says goodbye only realizing once off the bus of her stupidity in “telling” Marina her Snapperchat handle. The two don't loose ties with each other however, with Marina practically hijacking the bus for a moment to reunite with Pearl, giving her the excuse of returning the 99¢ pen she gave her.

i remember you, by ZippyZapmeister

• Recommended by: Masterweaver
• They told me you had gone to ground, and your rad groove was concrete proof that you had made it safe and sound... In which Agent 8 contemplates one of her recovered memories.
• Pairing(s): Marina/Pearl, Marina/Agent 8
• Tags: Heartbreak.
• Status: Oneshot, Octo Expansion spoilers
• This is one of those fanfics that takes a minor background detail and expands on what it could mean. It explores the emotions of Agent 8 as she recollects her time before... and how she reacts when she realizes Marina has moved on. Just the right level of bittersweet.

Into the Light by sharkpup

• Recommended by: lalalei2001
• Status: Complete
• Pairing: Pearl/Marina
• Synopsis: Marina felt powerless knowing she couldn't do anything about the people who hated Pearl.

I've Got Your Back by CJ_Walker

• Recommended by: Lapsem
• Synopsis: An alternate-universe retelling of how Pearl and Marina met, grew closer, fell in love, and learned to trust each other, different from how it was related through the Octo Expansion.
• Pairing: Pearl/Marina
• Tags: Alternate Universe Fic, Dark Fic, found family, Hurt/Comfort Fic, non-sexual nudity, past traumas, slow-burn romance, strangers to friends to lovers
• Status: Ongoing
• Most of the time, I avoid reading fan fiction for works that I enjoy because I believe that Sturgeon's Law is firmly in effect for the medium, but I've Got Your Back is one of the best and most emotional things that I've ever read. Not only is the angst and fluff strong in equal measure, but the progression of their relationship feels totally natural, especially considering the past traumas that they've been through in-story, and it doesn't rely on any number of unrealistic relationship tropes. I've never felt such investment in two characters' relationship before.

Crossover

The Inkvader, by Evangelos5647

• Recommended by: Tarbtano
• Synopsis: Callie and Marie get tracked down to a hotel by a homicidal Captain Falcon and engage in a very over the top battle with him involving guns, knives, Kung-Fu-Wu-Tang text, and Jojo & Metal Gear references.
• Tags: Black comedy, violence, blood
• Status: Completed
• Do not take this one seriously at all, though it is well animated in Source Filmmaker and has excellent sound effects use. It's basically a crackfic in video format.

"Super Paper Splatoon, by Bubblegum_Animatrix

• Recommended by: Gamera Gaming
• Synopsis: 1,500 years ago, It was rumored that a dark prophetic book foreshadowed the end of every world. Because of this, extreme measures were taken in multiple worlds, including the creation of another prophetic book, this one made to counteract the dark one. Now the time has finally come, as Count Bleck prepares to end every world. You may have heard this all before, have you? Well, what if the heroes weren't Mario and his friends? Enter Marina Ida, former octarian soldier and proud member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. After two of her close friends got kidnapped by the count, she is soon told that she is one of four heroes the worlds all needed. Now, alongside Marie, her goal is to gather the eight pure hearts protected in different worlds, find Callie and Pearl, and defeat the count. Time is of the essence, though, as the end of the worlds is arriving quicker than the girls hoped...
• Tags:
• Status: Ongoing
• Notes: This is a REALLY good fanfic, with clever references to Super Paper Mario, and it even has short comic-like things as illustrations! ...It's not been updated for a while, though...