Y/n L/n's Survival Log: Entry 587
With a weak roar of pain and defeat, the Sea Dragon Leviathan fell limp, it's flesh ripped and torn by the drill on Sigma.
You emerged from the vehicle, knife in hand to get cuts of this creatures meat. This is what you first resorted to, in order to keep your mental health. You would hunt down any creatures you could, cut them up, and eat them.
So far, you had eaten at least one of every creature to exist in the Safe Shallows, and the surrounding biomes. Even the Reaper Leviathan, which had once terrorized you for months on end, ended up on your plate with some potatoes and lantern fruit.
By the way, you were right about Reapers being mostly muscle. The only good cut you got from it was tough, chewy, and only flavored by the other food you ate with it.
The Ghost Leviathan was useless for nutrition, as its main body consisted nearly only of its vital organs and that weird gel-like flesh. The Sea Dragon, however, was a refreshing break.
Cooking was difficult, as this creature's flesh was well adapted to the heat, but once you got past the skin and the muscle, you got actual taste. You couldn't be surprised, as it was the heftiest of the leviathans you could find without going into the dead zone.
Yeah, Sea Dragon was an easy favorite, with the Lava Lizards and the Oculus being close seconds and thirds.
You left the car of Off The Hook, as they headed off to work, leaving you to enter the grate leading to the Octo Canyon. The morning was more urgent for them. They seemed really invested in speaking with those two people(8 and the Cap'n), so much so that they needed to get work out of the way as soon as they could.
You emerged, forming into your full body, revealing the area to be empty, except for a sleeping Octavio. Shrugging, you sat down by the door to the cabin, grabbing your phone. You had recently begun fiddling with music making apps. They were screwy, and (at least to you), inferior to using an actual instrument to record, and a program to string the recordings together.
After a few minutes of futzing around, you heard liquid sloshing as Marie emerged from the grate, in her regular Kimono, cause screw normal clothes.
"Oh, morning Y/n." Marie greeted you. You gave her a wave as she spoke.
"Callie sent you?" She asked.
"Yup. Told me you needed my help yesterday." You told her. Marie sighed, rolling her eyes as she opened the door to the cabin.
"Not really, just told my audience I'd have a friend with me today. I would've liked to get Callie, or maybe Pearl or Marina, but you'll suffice." Marina stated, holding the door open for you.
"I choose not to be insulted by that." You said, walking in.
"You don't get insulted by anything, Coffee Addict." Marie countered, sitting down in the mostly empty space. It was just a few throw pillows, surrounding a low table with a few set pieces for anyone doing a radio show.
"Pretty barren in here." You noted. Marie shrugged, sitting down.
"I've only done my show here for a while. Everything else has been done at home." Marie paused for a moment, sitting down.
"I'm not starting the show for a while, so make yourself comfortable." In response, you sat down on a throw pillow, staring at a radio Marie had in a corner.
"Hey Y/n, I have a few questions." Marie told you. You looked over at her, as she sat down across from you.
"What exactly did you do before meeting me? I know Pearl and Marina well enough to know that they don't lie, so you were definitely on the streets, right?" She asked. You nodded, slowly taking in a deep breath. Something must have changed with your stature, something Marie noticed.
"You okay?" Marie asked. You nodded, closing your eyes.
"Yeah, it's just..." you paused for a moment.
"I don't answer questions relating to how I got the way I am." You spoke, softening up. Marie nodded, looking down.
"I see. I see."
Y/n L/n's Survival Log: Entry 700
The problem with dedicating yourself to do something for your mental stability, was that dedication meant getting the job done quickly. In a little over two hundred days, you had killed, cooked, and eaten one of almost every creature in this crater. The only ones you didn't kill were the Sea Emperor, for obvious reasons, and the ghost creatures, like the ray and the leviathan.
Before you sat a plate of steak from a Sea Dragon, accompanied with a potato and a cup of coffee. Truly food for a king. You slowly ate, facing Ashley's ID care. You looked to the pda you had set aside for her recordings, reaching out to start a recording. Your finger hovered over the play button, but you pulled it back. You didn't need the emotion today.
You needed to find a new goal, or you would go insane. Everything was scanned and categorized, then eaten. You took a sip of coffee, grabbing the PDA, instead looking at the blueprints. There were several blueprints on it you hadn't put into practice. Maybe they would give you something to do. You looked through the blueprints, seeing several mechanical parts. Switches, motherboards, joints.
You couldn't learn engineering in a day, but you had a few years, maybe this would do.
"Yeah, as much as I talk bad about Callie, she's still my sister, and I love her." Marie told you, the mic in the center of the table on, and broadcasting.
"Yeah, it's pretty clear." You responded, leaning forward.
"You can always tell when two people are really close. The big giveaway for me is not when they start guessing each other's words or when they move in together, but it's when they start casually talking crap about either each other or themself." You told Marie, before continuing.
"Take a simple insult, like... 'your breath smells,' for example. If I went telling everyone that Callie had bad breath, she'd probably murder me in my sleep, and I would be shunned from society for insulting a pop icon. But if Calle went at you like that, you'd more likely just punch her in the shoulder while everyone laughed at the humor." You pointed out.
"Yeah, it's really when you guys can just be together and understand when something's meant as humor." Marie told you.
"Exactly." You responded. Marie gave you an approving hum, tapping her chin.
"So, I've been telling stories about myself for a while, why don't you tell me some stories from your childhood?" Marie asked. You nodded, drumming on the table.
"Well, let's see... I grew up in the plaza all my life... never really got into turf war... oh!" You clapped, pointing at Marie.
"Have I ever told you about how I got into stable living on my own at fifteen years old?" You asked. Marie let out a snort, taking a sip of her water bottle.
"Wait, you said fifteen years old?" Marie asked, a look of disbelief on her face. You nodded at her.
"Yeah. It sucked, and I didn't really grow to like it until I got into a daily rhythm with my life, but in short, I had to work at a coffee shop from age fourteen, because my parents weren't doing the best they could with their lives." You told Marie.
"Ooh, that's gotta suck." She told you, looking at the clock to her right.
"Honestly, it's nothing I worry about. My dad was growing old, and my mom was too worried about him to really raise me, leaving me to kinda become the head of the house. I got a job at a coffee shop that was near my home, and whenever I got paid, I put part of it to helping my parents out." You said, thinking back on the memories.
"Taking care of your parents. At fourteen too..." Marie sucked in some air through her teeth.
"It's cool though. When I turned fifteen, I realized that that kind of living was doing neither of us any good. They were beginning to grow really reliant on my money, even asking me for my full paycheck." You continued, pausing for a drink of water.
"So I packed what little I had and left. Out the front door while my parents were left with one last handful of money to help them get themselves sorted. Never saw them again, and to this day, it has yet to bother me." You let out a light chuckle, sighing.
"Maybe they pulled themselves together, maybe they didn't. Either way, if they couldn't get the time to help their child grow, and this may sound selfish, but I'll take the time to grow myself, and let them help each other, if that's all they can do." You said. Marie nodded, putting down her water bottle.
"I can't say you're really a jerk for that. Why neglect something, only to cry when it leaves? You have a life too, and dedicating it to them when you had your own dreams was noble, but actually kind of foolish." Marie agreed.
"Me and Callie began our careers at a young age, and you can see how that turned out." She spread out her arms, looking at the clock again.
"Alright, I'll place an order to get some food delivered, and I'll need you to be outside to pick it up." Marie told you.
"Got it. I'll be tuned in while I wait." You told her, getting up.
"I'll do calls while you're out, so don't miss it." Marie told you. You nodded, pulling out your phone and closing the door.
The sounds of Marie's podcast were muffled by the door, as you got to the grate, entering it.
Emerging at the square, you sat down by the grate, grabbing a pair of earbuds, and opening a radio app. You plugged in the earbuds, and opened the channel Marie was on.
"-start taking calls now." Marie spoke. Immediately, there was a click.
"You're on air!" Marie greeted.
"Wait, really?" The voice that responded sounded shocked, before clearing their throat.
"Well, first of all, I'm a massive fan, and I just wanted to know how you and your friend met." She asked.
"Well, we actually met at the square, a long time ago. If I remember correctly, I was getting ready to do some turf war, and I was an idiot, and left my charger in the studio. Luckily, he was there, and I got him to quickly relay the message to Callie, who was still in the studio, who brought me it. After that, even though he wasn't very good, we played a few games." Marie spoke on the radio/phone.
"We won some, we lost some, but he made a fun guy to hang out with, so we continued to hang out for a bit. We lost contact after a bit, and now, five years later, we met back up shortly before Callie's hiatus." Marie finished.
"Wow, that's actually so cool, thanks for telling me!" The inkling that got the call said, before hanging up.
"Hello, you've reached Marie!" Marie greeted the next caller. This one was a guy.
"Hey, this is actually a question for your friend, when he comes back." He told Marie.
"Of course! Just tell me the question, and I'll ask him when he comes back." She responded.
"Okay! I just want to know if he's ever been in a relationship!" He asked. This got a chuckle from Marie, as you rolled your eyes.
"Okay, I'll ask him. But between you and me-" she began whispering this part.
"He's probably the biggest virgin you'll ever hear from." This got a good chuckle from the caller, and another eye roll from you.
"Alright, thanks, Marie!" With that last word, he hung up. You unplugged the headphones, standing up. It'd been a bit, so you'd need to be ready to pick up Marie's order.
And, as you predicted, someone holding a pizza box entered the square, waiting by the post box about ten feet(3.3 meters) to your right. You walked over to him.
"Order for Y/n?" The delivery guy asked you. You nodded, handing him some bills.
"Thank you." You told him, taking the box.
"Yeah man, enjoy the food." He told you. You nodded, walking back to the grate.
You slammed the door open, walking in with the pizza box.
"Food!" You shouted, placing the box on the table.
"Why thank you." Marie told you, gingerly taking a slice of pizza.
"You missed some calls. There's actually a small list of questions people wanted to ask you." She told you, sliding a slip of paper across the table, towards you. You took it, pulling the mic closer to yourself.
"Alright then... let's see here...." unsurprisingly, the first question was exactly what you heard.
"Have I ever been in a relationship? Nope. There was someone I had my eyes on a few years ago, but they left my life shortly after, and since then..." you thought back to the last month.
"Well, there is one person I'd like to get closer to..." you mentioned.
"And I know exactly who that is." Marie told you. You smiled at her, looking at the paper again.
"Let's see.... how does it feel being a friend of a pop star?" You read out loud.
"Well... it feels almost natural." You stated.
"I know that most people dream of even being within a few feet of people like Marie and Callie and Off The Hook and whatnot, but once you actually do, and get to know them...." you stopped for a bit, looking at Marie.
"...they're just normal people. If anything, they're only more popular. They don't have fake personalities, nor do they just try to only appease people. They are their own persons, with their different personalities. That's what people seem to misunderstand most." You finished. Then you remembered what you were doing.
"Ah, sorry about that rant. Is there still time for me to answer questions?" You asked Marie. She slowly nodded, her face conflicted.
"Yeah, take all the time you need."
Y/n L/n's Survival Log: Entry 734
Around you lay several dozen objects. Crumpled papers, machine parts, broken writing utensils, and a lot of empty coffee cups.
Some papers had music staffs written on them, along with notes, forming a few different songs. Some had diagrams of parts around you, forming together into simple machines that would distract you. A wind up toy, a fidgeter, a flashlight, and so one. And in the middle of it all, you were fast asleep.
A cold cup of coffee sat beside your head, showing your failed attempts to stay awake. It rested on a stained piece of paper, with several different staffs on it, each bearing different tunes on them.
You fidgeted for a second, slowly opening your eyes. It took a moment to realize where you were. Letting out a light groan, you reached out, grabbing the cup of coffee, taking a sip from it.
You sat up, looking at the papers around you. You were so damned tired, yet you still had so many ideas you could write down, so many tunes and motifs you could write into songs.
You finished the cup, tossing it behind you. You reached out, grabbing a pencil, before leaning over the sheet of music parts.
You had two-no, three big song ideas you could write down. One was Lifelight, the old song you tried to write so long ago. The other, a strong, almost metal tune surrounding the warriors Ashley told you about, the Winged Hussars.
The third was an almost entirely instrumental concept you'd been tossing around your head. It had one verse and a chorus, best sung by a female. The song itself was mostly horns and drums, with some guitar, and a sick ass beat you could really get behind.
But, other than the songs, you could also be building devices from all the bits and pieces you put together. You had so much you could do, and only so much time.
"Woo!" Marie shut down the podcast, ending the show for today.
"That was a good one, wouldn't you say?" Marie asked, you nodded, taking another slice of pizza.
"They seemed to like me." You remarked, swallowing your bite of pizza.
"Yup. Not gonna day you were amazing, you were pretty alright for a first timer, but good job." Marie told you, before lifting her hand, motioning to the door.
"Now shoo. I've got things I need to do." She told you. You nodded, walking out of the cabin. Marie shut the door behind you, leaving you in the silence of the Octo canyon. Left with nothing else to do, you walked back to the grate, giving Octavio the finger before turning into a squid, falling through the grate once again.
Inkopolis Square greeted you with the same warm air as always, accompanied by the sounds of inklings living their lives. Some sat at outdoor tables, eating food or playing on their phones, some entered and left the Shoal, playing arcade games, and some played turf war. You looked into the lobby for turf war, thinking of entering it for a second.
Before you could make your decision, your phone buzzed. You pulled it out, using your hand to shield the screen from the glaring light of the sun, getting a view of the notification. It was a text from Marina.
Hey, we had to leave work early today. We're sorry, but what's happening right now is VERY important. Shoot us a call when you can, and if you're home fast enough, we can get you in.
"If you're home fast enough..." you looked at that line, spacing out for a moment. It could've been a mistake on Marina's part, but she called her and Pearl's house your home. She could've just put 'Pearl's house' as easily, but no, she typed 'home.'
You pulled yourself out of your thoughts, pulling up Marina's contact, and pressing the call button. As the phone began to ring, you started to walk back.
"Got it! Hacking into Kamabo Co's mainframe now!" Marina declared, tapping at her laptop.
"Thanks Marina!" An unfamiliar female voice spoke into her headphones.
"It's no problem 8, now go get that thang!" Marina told her, finishing her hack. Pearl sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"This is gonna make three now, right?" Pearl asked.
"Yup. At this rate, 8 and the Cap are gonna be out by tomorrow evening." Marina told her. In her pocket, her phone began to ring, playing a song literally nobody in earshot had ever heard. It was instrumental, with no lyrics, and almost techno in style. Honestly something Marina would like.
"Sorry, gotta answer this." Marina spoke into the mic, standing up. She took her headphones off, before pulling her phone out. As expected, it was you calling.
"Hey, Y/n." Marina greeted, tapping her foot.
"Hi Marina, just wanted to know if you two are okay." Your voice responded. Marina sighed, lightly smiling to herself.
"Yeah, we are. We're just in the middle of something urgent-"
"Does it have to do with 8?" You interrupted. Marina fell silent, before lightly giggling.
"They're just people we chat with online, Y/n. Trust me, it's not...."
"I'm not an idiot Marina." You spoke over her, silencing her again.
"You and Pearl have spent the last week over your laptop, speaking with those two every chance you get. You're either obsessing over them, or something's wrong. And if I know you, you're not about to skip work over an obsession." You told her. Marina paused, going over what you said.
"...yeah, something's up, that we're trying to help out with. Don't go worrying yourself over it though, me and Pearl have it under complete control." Marina insisted. You stayed silent for a moment, as Marina held her breath.
"...alright. I'm on my way.... home." You spoke slowly, as Marina let out a sigh of relief.
"Good to know. We'll be waiting." Marina told you, hanging up the phone.
"Didn't know you changed your ringtone." Pearl remarked as Marina sat back down.
"I did it a while ago, you just don't pay attention." Marina gave Pearl a light smile, putting on her headphones.
"It's something Callie recommended I listen to. Something from an artist she likes." Marina told Pearl.
"Hey Marina, who was that?" 8 asked over the comms.
"He's a-"
"Her boyfriend." Pearl interrupted. Marina looked over at Pearl, taken aback.
"We both know that Y/n is a friend and guest at our home, Pearl." Marina corrected her. Pearl scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Guest my ass. You're the one who kept him around. Gotta take responsibility someday." Pearl told her.
"Ugh. That was Y/n. He's a good friend of ours-"
"You gotta make the move Marina-"
"That we've had around for a while. You'll meet him when you get to the surface." Marina told 8.
"Okay. I'm getting to the next station in a bit, so I need to get ready." 8 told Marina.
"Of course. Take your time."
It was a long walk, but you made it to the Pygmy mansion. A buzz let you in, revealing Pearl and Marina, both holding mugs of coffee in the dining room, in front of the laptop.
"...it's getting pretty late. You sure you need the-"
"Not one word, Y/n." Pearl warned you. She took a sip, recoiling from the bitterness.
"Okay, but don't take it black if this is your first time having coffee." You told her. Pearl shrugged, taking another sip.
"There's leftovers in the fridge. Eat up and go away, this is more important than you could probably imagine." Pearl told you, as Marina intently studied the screen.
"Got it, you two have fun with that." With those words, you walked into the kitchen, getting into the fridge. Yes, they were doing important things, which you had to respect, but if this concerned something like someone's life on the line, that's something you couldn't ignore.
You walked up the stairs, holding a plate of microwaved leftovers. The walk to your room seemed way too long, but you made it, grabbing your PDA and getting into bed.
Opening the PDA revealed a whole new setup than the usual Alterra branding. This one in particular held all your logs, the complete 4546B flora and fauna encyclopedia, and the controls to the small army of vehicles you had in the water. But right now, you wanted to test something else.
"Come on... come on...." you attempted to boot up a program, watching the loading bar progress, before a satellite view of Inkopolis flashed onto your screen.
"Yes!" You pumped a fist, before taking a bite of your food. This was some kind of fried bird, which tasted amazing.
You managed to manipulate the view of the camera, bringing it to the area connecting the Neptune and the shoreline. Several blue markers fizzed into existence, marking the current location of all eleven Seamoths you had deployed, as well as an additional orange marker for Omega.
You smiled at the view, chuckling to yourself.
"Ah, what'd I give to have you back." You shook your head, looking down your shirt, at the ID badge you were wearing beneath it.
"I miss you, Ashley." You thought back to 8, how important that must be for Pearl and Marina right now, to put aside everything in their lives for this right now.
"But let's hope I can live long enough to see my promise fulfilled." You placed your empty plate aside, and your PDA beneath your bed.
Pulling the covers over yourself, you steadied your breathing, closing your eyes. Within a few minutes, you were fast asleep, passed out.
~ASnazzyGuy
~4031 Words