Prayer

"O great gods above…. Hear my voice…."

A female inkling lay kneeling on a wooden floor, reciting an ancient prayer. Surrounding her, 8 other figures in traditional garb of various species and gender intoned a mantra.

"We are grateful of the boundless harvests, the land provided to us, and the blessing of the four virtues. We live in the light, in the grace of those that guide us."

In front of the inkling, a makeshift altar was placed. The altar composed of a strange device resembling a fax machine covered in seals, flanked by two candlesticks. A small bowl was placed in front of the device, filled with a few pieces of candy and a small piece of orange.

"Guide us to salvation, from the temptations of the shining serpent. Lead us into the righteous light, so we may not be condemned to the abyss."

The candles flickered for a moment, and the contents of the bowl vanished without a trace. The machine/altar combo flickered to life; its buttons began to glow a fluorescent green, and a whirring voice emanating from within.

"We grant you these offerings, as gratitude to our continued existence. May we bask in the light forevermore, celebrating the festival of Life."

Seemingly in response to the altar's activation, a camera mounted on the ceiling lit up, recording the scene in front of it. A piece of paper began to come out of the activated altar, with an ornate design printed on it alongside a small message.

"In the name of infrastructure, evolution, sentience, and unity. Amen."

The inkling got up from her prayer, and then turned to the eight acolytes, who abruptly stopped their mantra. One of them opened the doors to the shrine, sunlight flooding into the dark room.

"Priestess, we're set. You sure you're not going to join in this time as well?" One of the acolytes asked, stepping out.
"What Brother Haddock most diligently elaborated, yes. The festival of the Splat is what I most dearly advise our Priestess to participate in!" Another acolyte said, bobbing up and down excitedly.

The Priestess shook her head, smiling warmly. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine tending to the shrine as always. Brothers and Sisters, have your fun this Splatfest as well, I'll be cheering you on from here."

Brother Haddock simply shrugged, and walked away with the rest of the acolytes.

"….and here it is! The Splatfest theme has descended from up high!"

"What is it? What is it?!"

Callie and Marie of the Squid Sisters, the most famous pop stars in Inkopolis, are currently handling the news as they always had. This time however, the prospect of a new Splatfest had gotten them quite excited. Many citizens in Inkopolis always got excited when news of an upcoming Splatfest is being broadcasted, and reflecting this was the large crowd that began to mass around Inkopolis Plaza as the Squid Sister's broadcast showed up on the TV screen.

"Here we are!" Callie exclaimed, as a picture of the piece of paper the altar dispensed was displayed. "It's wintertime, folks! Which activity do you prefer, Snowball Fights or Skiing!"

"So what side are you on for this one, Callie?" Marie asked.
"Snowball Fights, of course!" Callie replied, fist-pumping the air. "Nothing warms body and soul like snowballs flying through the sky! Double… no, TRIPLE the fun when Turfing is also involved!"
"So you'd risk getting your face getting badly disfigured once a snowball to the face starts to melt? Your loss!" Marie smirked. "Personally, I'm more of a Skiing squid myself, I'd never forget the sights you can take from atop a mountain, and the exhilaration from skiing back down a steep slope!"
"Yeah… I don't think I need that mental image right now. No worries though, I trust my reflexes!"

"So," Marie said, turning to the camera. "What's your pick, Inkopolis? Head to the Pledge Box and pick a side!"

"And as always," Callie tagged along, "the Splatfest is due next week, so get prepared while you can! May the best kids (and squids) win!"

"...*cough*, let's not go there."

The Squid Sisters then proceeded to announce the stage lineup as always, ending with their signature pose. The crowd dispersed, a good two-thirds immediately rushing for the Pledge Box excitedly.

Author's Note: Behold! My first solo attempt at a piece of fanfiction! Yes you read that right, this technically isn't my first piece of fan writing, I've had group efforts in the past on a forum, as well as with someone else who hired me to make a story about a team, mostly to alleviate writer's blocks. Well writing alone means I have to contend with writer's block now! Oh dear...

Expect upload rates to be erratic. Reviews are most certainly welcome, ESPECIALLY constructive criticism because quite frankly I don't trust my own writing style. In fact, you're entirely welcome to verbally trash my writing, as long as you have a good reason to back it up!