Archive of Our Own ^beta

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[Image: Marina has taken a photo of some of the construction on the Giant Clam Stage. Deep Cut can be seen in the distant background lifting some heavy machinery.]

Hello hello! Marina here! I’ve decided to log some of the progress we’ve been making on the GRANDFEST! I won’t be publishing all of this just yet, as that would be a really big spoiler… >_<

But maybe when it’s all over, I can post it for everyone! It’d be like a big behind-the-scenes reel, but in diary form.

We’ve already done all of the planning for what we all want to see in such a huge splatfest. All of the idol groups met up at Pearl’s place to discuss ideas… it was quite chaotic, and suuuper long, but we have so many cool things planned! ^^

Honestly, it is just… SO crazy how much we’re gonna be putting into this.

I remember one of the discussion points we brought up was about the stages. Most of the group wanted to go all out with the stage, but some also stressed the importance of being close to the fans, or having good acoustics. It was like we were about to have a whole new splatfest just for choosing a stage! >o<

And then Pearlie chimed in… “Uh, guys, you know we have the budget for ALL THREE of those stages, right?” >v<

Right now, we’ve got some construction going on at the Giant Clam Stage. I’m so excited to be singing and dancing here… they haven’t been installed yet, but there are going to be a lot of light fixtures and giant screens. I remember Deep Cut wanted them, which makes a lot of sense! They have those in their splatfest performances for Anarchy Rainbow. >v0

It's going to be a LOT of construction... luckily, that's one of my strong suits! It'll be so fun assembling everything. I'll get back to writing soon!

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[Image: Marina has taken a picture of her Callie and Marie plushies leaning on each other.]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Callie and Marie just let me in on a HUGE secret!!!!!!!!! They’ve decided to write a NEW SONG, and they showed me what it sounds like so far!!!

It. Is. AMAZING!!! It’s a combination of Bomb Rush Blush and Tide Goes Out! >v< I tried so hard not to faint from excitement when I realized.

I really like how Marie sings the lines to Bomb Rush Blush, and hearing Callie in the sections for Tide Goes Out is really cute! Honestly, I think Marie’s been getting more fancy with her singing, and I am SO here for it. I can hear it in their self-cover of City of Color!

I’m also a big fan of the descending arpeggios that happen in the Bomb Rush Blush section, as well as the synth bits around that part!

I wonder if they’ve ever done covers of each other’s songs… I should ask them later!

It kind of reminds me of something that happened during our meeting… in the later hours of the meeting, we decided to take a break by talking about the teams we would be representing. I remember Callie made the argument that even if bad things have happened in the past, we can learn from our experiences and grow. <3

And then Frye jumped at the opportunity to use that as a point for Team Future…

It’s all so confusing, isn’t it? It reminds me of the Chicken vs. Egg Splatfest LOL

But serious talk… I think that Callie might have been referring to when she went missing all those years ago. I don’t know what happened when she did, but it must have been so scary for both of them… Either way, I’m just glad that they’re okay now!

So I think that Blushing Tide might be a way to represent Callie’s sentiment. That’s just one of the things I admire about them. Even if they might have fights, they still work together, and they are always there for each other in moments of weakness.

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[Image: Frye, Shiver, and Callie are hyping up Big Man. They appear slightly blurry in the photo. Marie is resting on a bench with Pearl, who offers her a drink. Marie gives a thumbs up to the camera.]

We decided to have a Tricolor battle! Pearlie and I were on one attacking team, and of course the Squid Sisters were teaming. Since Deep Cut is a trio, they brought one of their friends to fill in for the fourth slot.

They were an inkling with a cute side braid. But when Deep Cut brought them in, Callie and Marie recognized them! So I guess Pearlie and I are the only ones who haven’t met them before… ;_; to be fair though, we were doing some pretty important stuff in the Memverse…

But the mystery inkling ended up being a skilled fighter! ^_^

I’ll skip the details of the fight, since I think Frye was recording the whole thing. But what stuck out to me the most was how Big Man made a dive for the Ultra Signal at the end! His push was the reason Deep Cut’s team ended up winning ^^ He did a great job, and everyone’s congratulating him in the photo lol

He’s being really humble about it too, saying that he couldn’t have done it without his team. I think he should give himself some more credit!

Note to self: I’ve got to ask Big Man how the ink tank connects to his slosher, I really want to know the mechanics!

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[Image: Marina and Big Man are at a table, sitting across from each other. Big Man is working on a laptop. He is so focused that he doesn’t notice Frye and Shiver pounding on the door to get his attention.]

Today I did some music work with Big Man! I did some toplines for Color Pulse and he was gathering samples from Anarchy Rainbow and Calamari Inkantation.

His works are amazing, like REALLY good. We discussed some of our favorite sound effects to use in our songs. It was great! It’s nice to chat about technical things with other producers. Everyone here is focused on music, of course, but I think everyone has their own perception of its inner workings. Big Man, of course, is no exception.

I asked him where he gets his inspiration from. It was really sweet- he said while he does take inspiration from the things around him as well as other artists, Shiver and Frye are his main muses! He said he thinks their confidence is rubbing off on him, and I agree. He’s starting to sound more outgoing in the tracks where he sings with them ♪

I think the three of them make a perfect team!

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[Image: Marina has dug into a box to take a picture of her old pair of Octoleet goggles.]

We’ve been looking for staff members to help around during the Grandfest.

There’s going to be a lot of food vendors there! I know that Deep Cut wanted to handle that part. They wanted to have people apply to be able to supply their own kinds of festival food, rather than hiring vendors. Kinda like the booths at a cosplay convention… I think it’s a great idea. Frye said she wanted to support small businesses, especially those from Splatsville.

I think Callie and Marie were focused on getting bodyguards and ushers, so I said that Pearl and I could take care of finding DJs and musicians for each stage!

We had already found enough musicians for the live performances (which are absolutely beautiful to hear), so it was time to recruit some DJs…

Then, Callie and Marie came up to me with someone I really didn’t expect to see again.

DJ Octavio.

…It had been so long.

I was wondering how he was even here- and I was wondering why he even showed up!

Callie and Marie explained everything to me, which took a while. Honestly, I’m still trying to process it all. But DJ Octavio would be helping out with the Grandfestivities.

That whole ordeal got me thinking about the past- more specifically, my past. Quite fitting for the theme, isn’t it?

I do understand what the Squid Sisters meant by how the past shapes who you are today. It really does. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for that heavenly melody, or if Pearl hadn’t…

…Well, I shouldn’t focus on that >o< I’ll get back to working on the Grand Festival!

I’ll probably have to check in with Octavio sometime after the fest is done. He’ll be hearing our music, after all…

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[Image: The sky at night.]

Marina here! Reporting live from the Grand Festival grounds… T-minus 30 minutes before we start the performance featuring all of us on the Giant Clam Stage!!!!!! >o< It’s gonna be amazing, and great, and exhilarating, and so many other words!!! I don’t know if I’ve ever sung and danced for this long, but the weather’s looking absolutely great for it. I absolutely cannot wait to get started!

I’ve loved all of the opportunities I’ve gotten to experience this year so much. The world tour with Pearlie, and now this…

I absolutely can’t wait to see the ocean of glowsticks, and especially all of the fireworks we have planned!~

It’ll all be so much brighter and fuller than where I grew up in Slimeskin Garrison, and in the barracks where I spent my days with Acht.

Speaking of which, they are totally going to be invited to our after-party! I was planning it earlier- I think once everyone has rested from performing all weekend, we should go to a barbeque restaurant or a revolving sushi place! ^_^ Eight will be invited too, of course! But I should probably work out more invites later…

Last part of the entry– I’d just like to give all of my thanks to the people who I get to spend the present with. I’m so thankful to be surrounded by Pearlie, Acht, Eight, the Squid Sisters and Deep Cut… and of course, all of the supporters of Off the Hook!

I’ll be sure to put on the best performance for you all!!!

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[Image: The sky at sunset.]

Hey everyone!!!!!! ^_^ There’s been a lot of commotion between shows, and we just wrapped up the announcement for the fest’s closure. I’ll just be updating this in between shows!

We’re still doing performances of Into the Light for the stray citizens, and honestly, I really can’t blame them for staying! This whole experience was so amazing and life-changing for me. I’m so lucky to have this kind of life! <3 I love getting to perform for you all, and the Grand Festival Grounds were really amazing to see come to life.

Thank you all so much for supporting every group here, thank you for fighting in the Splatfest even if you weren’t on Team Present!

I guess we’re all waiting on the Splatfest results now, huh? I’d love to give Judd and Lil’ Judd a visit, to thank them for all their hard work… but they don’t allow visitors in during tallying. It’s definitely so they can focus more, but also maybe to avoid bribes? I’ll be sure to pet them lots after, though!

No matter the Splatfest results, everyone, we will still stay together as one community. And Pearlie and I will be here for you to bring you the best music you’ve ever heard!

Thank you, a thousand times thank you to all of my fans.

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[Image: A picture of a sleepover-like scene between all of the idols at Pearl’s mansion. Everyone is gathered around a TV with many plates of snacks.]

Here’s us all prepped to see the Splatfest results!!!

Before they actually released, we decided to camp out and watch some movies. To fit the theme, we wanted to watch some older movies and then some more recent ones. But then we got carried away and started putting on films that we had starred in.

I feel like I would have been too focused on the plot to spot the cameos, but luckily Deep Cut shouted where they were on the screen. ^_^

And of course I knew where the lovely Squid Sisters were! And I can’t miss Pearlie when I see her. <3

But let’s focus on those results!!! I’ve been holding my reaction back all this time, hehe

I was honestly SO shocked, but then it also made sense to me, a little bit? I’ve heard that Team Past didn’t give up at all, not for one second! So, honestly, congrats!

And Team Present fought so incredibly well!!! >o< words can’t express how proud I am of you!!! Good job, team!!! ^_^

Shiver reread the score for Team Future over and over again, but she ended up keeping a cool smile for Frye and Big Man. Despite the loss, they seemed happy with the work they put out and ready for what the future had in store for them! And honestly, they should; they did such an incredible job. If I sound like a broken record, just know that it is true, hehe ///>v//

So, what now?

I think it’s everyone’s general consensus to keep on focusing on our music. Of course, we have made plans to hang out some more. But there’s lots in store for me and Pearlie!!!

I’m personally very intrigued at what the Squid Sisters will be doing next, since their team won. They have such a wondrous tale to their past… those two are so talented. They even helped me out in the far past, so I really am thankful for how my backstory has turned out.

<3 This splatfest was so much fun, everyone. I’m very happy with how it turned out, even if it was a loss for us. I hope all you fans feel the same way!

Alright, gotta go! Marina, signing out. 0v<