Local Bear Apologist

Okay so I was listening to Wave Goodbye, the Splatoon 3 Credits Song, over and over like a normal person, when at some point I realized when they get to the portion that starts the Calamari Inkantation lyrics, there are non-filtered voices singing. Humans Voices. (Pictured is around the point where that section starts)

Then I thought to myself: What if the Calamari Inkantation originated as a song humans made on Alterna? A song to help them continue despite their world falling around them. Then I started looking into the logs and reflecting on past events with the song and..

Let’s just say Sunken Scroll #23 from Splatoon 1 saying: “Nowadays, this song and dance may as well be carved into the very DNA of all Inklings.” ..might be a tiny bit more literal than expected. Let’s take a look at what we know.

The Calamari Inkantation is a literal incantation. Series of words, or a song in this case, that causes magical effects. It has, in many cases, been known to give strength, physical or otherwise, to those who have been in audible range of it. Ex. Giving Cuttlefish the strength to break out of his restraints and Smallfry to temporarily evolve(?) into Hugefry.

With that said, I believe the “Calamari” part could be from the place it was “founded” in and taken on as a traditional song for. Calamari Country. Which is where Callie and Marie come from. Perhaps the Inklings of the area long ago found the sheet music.

Moving on, the part of this that helps this theory’s case is Alterna Log005: Fresh Intelligence Awakens.

After the liquid crystals that retained decades of humanity’s wishes was absorbed by the squids, octopuses, and other sea creatures that inhabited Alterna’s waters.. it imbued them with fresh impulses that “bore a striking resembling to humanity’s passive desire to return to the Earth’s surface”.

Interesting. The desire to return to the surface was slowly fused into their DNA. You may be thinking “But what does this have to do with the Inkantation?” And that’s exactly where I’m going with this.

So if we are to think.. the Calamari Inkantation was made by the humans on Alterna, perhaps filled lyrically with their wishes.. and the sea creatures absorbed the desire and wishes of humanity to return to the surface through the liquid crystals.. and the Calamari Inkantation gives sea creatures the literal strength to move forward..

And the INKADIA-BORN OCTOLINGS, who were SUFFERING in poor conditions UNDERGROUND in DOMES heard the CALAMARI INKANTATION and suddenly their “SOULS WERE FREED” and THE DESIRE TO RETURN TO THE SURFACE AND THRIVE WAS EVOKED INTO THEM AGAIN?

AFTER YEARS OF LIVING A HARD MILITARISTIC-STYLE LIFE WITH BEING INDUCTED INTO THE ARMY AT A YOUNG AGE, THEY FOUND THE STRENGTH TO LEAVE THEIR ENTIRE OLD LIFE BEHIND? TO RISK IT ALL. EVEN THEIR OWN LIFE. TO JOIN WHAT THEY WERE PRESUMED TO BE THEIR WORST ENEMIES ON THE SURFACE IN HARMONY?

After thinking about all this and rewatching the Octo Expansion Surface Cutscene (from that last GIF), I nearly wanted to CRY. They had never seen the real sky before, the real SUN before. They made it. Not only the Octolings but humanity’s final wishes made it too.

That’s my theory. Perhaps I’m wrong but either way I would love to see what people think. Thanks for reading.

Oh and also, since it named the “Inkantation” that means someone knew of its power... This just in, did the Inklings cheat in the Great Turf War?

YIKES I was gonna reply to this, put it in my drafts with the intent to reply later, and then forgot about it for uh. Until i just opened my drafts now like 4 months later. sorry bout that. I cant remember if i reblogged it before or not (? maybe not??), but I remember seeing it floating around! Pre S3, I'd assumed before that the info about the song being etched in their DNA was to be taken literally. I'd also thought that the widespread idea of the inkantation being a mere "mind control breaker" was wrong, as more signs pointed towards the inkantation being a song of inspiration. And yeah, the Alterna logs talking about that feeling of "freshness" in their DNA or whatever as they evolved with crystals in their bodies... I honestly think the idea that the calamari inkantation somehow being tied to the inkling/octoling's origins in alterna and their absorbing of humanity's hopes and dreams to see the surface in their DNA is not really a theory, it's moreso what is actually being implied about the nature of the inkantation.

some other points in the post: -I'll say I'm a bit iffy about calling the Inkantation literal magic since "inkantation" is just the localized name... but maybe im just coping about the hugefry thing since that did look pretty magical when splatoon has spent the entire time being soft sci-fi. i kind of hate it lol

-the "calamari" in the name is outright stated to be because its from calamari county, no need to speculate there

I wonder if we will ever get an answer exactly how the inkantation existed in the human era... but it being a song of inspiration in human era alterna as well is a solid theory.

I would love to try and do this myself, but I, unfortunately, can't read Japanese nor have access to the Japanese dialogue. I know that you were one of the people responsible for the Octo Expansion Re:Translated mod, which is now my go to for characterization for Octo Expansion related things.

Sorry if this was kind of random and I understand you're busy right now (not to mention the game hasn't even been out for that long for something like this to be accomplished at this moment), but I've been curious for some time now.

@SoggiestWafflz has actually been transcribing the JP dialogue in Return of the Mammalians, and they have also retranslated some bits too, but not all. You can see it here! There aren't plans for a "ROTM Retranslated" sort of thing on my end yet since its pretty early. I did take a shot at retranslating some of the lines a few days after the game came out because i was kind of lost on those specific points. big takeaway from when i looked at the jp version was that grizz's lines are more flowery business speak. meanwhile the english version while they tried to do some of that, they just made him. lean fully into business puns even though that was never part of his previous characterization. it just feels inconsistent... *buries head in hands* For the Earth's ambassador thing... (after cuttlefish tells grizz to untie him) ENG: Ropes? Those are Corporate Engagement Facilitators. And they're helping me save the world. I simply require a representative of Earth. Like you. Don't you see? You're going to help me. JP: ワタシはこれからこの地球に生きる すべての者を救う... キミは地球の代表として、 その手伝いをしてくれたまえ From here on I will live on this Earth. And to save us all... You, as a representative of Earth, will help me do that. To me it reads a bit more clear in JP that Grizz just needed cuttlefish to help him carry out his plan to bring back mammals and not to like. literally tote him around like a representative? but like. i think the point of grizz's dialogue (this is acknowledged in the jp text too) is that it sounds kind of insane and confusing..... Now about the brain thing... ENG: Your brain...ensconced though it may be in your hideous form...contains the beautiful essence I need!

JP: 経験を積み上げた君の頭脳は美しい。そのエキスであれば申し分ない With your cumulative experience, that brain of yours is beautiful. It's extract(/essence) would be perfect."

As with each generation born, they may have less of the original “essence” imbued in them. Though this is kind of a baseless theory.

So, the interesting thing about the Calamari Inkantation is that it wasn't written by the Squid Sisters, just modernized by them. No one knows when it was really written. It's supposedly a song of celebration and gratitude for the bounty of the sea, and the melody is said to be carved into the Inkling's very DNA.

Let's assume this is true.

But... How would it be in their DNA? Is it really just that catchy? So catchy that those who hear it sometimes have auditory hallucinations? So catchy that it makes them desire freedom and autonomy?

Here's my theory: it's not just so catchy it's like it's in their DNA. It is, quite literally, a part of their being and their very instincts.

I believe that the humans of Alterna wrote and sang the Calamari Inkantation to honor the life and sanctuary the water in Alterna's caverns gave to them. They sang it so much that the liquid crystals absorbed the melody, so when they all came crashing down, the aquatic life absorbed it too. The aquatic creatures carried that with them as they rapidly evolved, passed it down through generations, eventually ending up in Calamari County.