Smoothie

Smoothie’s childhood was pretty normal up until the disappearance of their older brother when they were seven years old. Their parents became much more distant and buried themselves under a bunch of work. Smoothie grew up lonely because of it and had to cope with the loss mostly on their own. They made a vow to find their brother a few months after losing him. Seeing how it affected their parents made them want to find him to bring them happiness. As they grew older, the more distant their parents became. So Smoothie learned to be independent early on. They took care of most of the household chores by the age of ten. They tried to make their parents proud so they worked hard to excel at school. But only came to realize that it didn’t seem to help. Their parents wouldn’t even so much so as congratulate them or go to their ceremonies, claiming that they were too busy with work to attend. It hurt, but Smoothie just took it as them not trying trying hard enough. 

Their parents just avoided talking to them other than to tell them to do chores for them. Both of their parents often locked themselves away in the work room or were busy at work. Smoothie rarely saw them at home on a regular basis, often greeted by an empty home after school with all those chores to do, with glimpses of their parents returning home late into the night. 

It was even rarer that they got to talk to them, and were lucky if they actually listened. Both of their parents didn’t entertain their arguments and often walked out of the house or into the work room when Smoothie confronted them about how they felt. Their parents would always remind them that they can’t help it because they miss Grim and it’s too much to deal with. Smoothie slowly learned that their parents didn’t seem to care much about them or just wanted them gone. They even tested this out by staying at a friend’s home for a few days. When they came back home, their parents barely noticed that they were gone. They weren’t even upset, and things went back to normal. 

This event put Smoothie even more into spiraling depression. When they became a teenager, they started to hang out with their friends more and spent less time at home. They still excelled in school and sports, developing a taste for competition. However things would change when their mom became very sick from years of overworking herself. She was forced to stay home to recover. When Smoothie learned about this, they went home. This was a stressed time as even their dad took off work to care for her. Smoothie wanted to help anyway that they could. With the amount of downtime they had they finally got to spend time with their parents. Although they ended up confronting them about their overworking tendencies. However both weren’t convinced they had one and ended up having a massive argument with Smoothie, believing that nothing was wrong. And denied everything that they did to Smoothie. 

It took until that moment for Smoothie to realize that there was nothing they could do to help them unless they found Grim. From then on they avoided their parents as much as possible. Eventually Smoothie went off to college, then moved out to Inkopolis in search of Grim. 

Already knowing the inkling language, and familiar with city life, it didn’t take them long to settle down. They got a job right away, and worked on trying to find any leads to their brother. Though they quickly became sidetracked and allured by a certain ink sport. Smoothie would play a lot when they weren’t busy with work. They even joined a team. The team was lead by Spice, and she was recruiting members. Through this Smoothie met Spice, Saylor, and Wingding. And two weeks later they met Cuddles. Cuddles was completely lost and was in a crisis when they met. Smoothie felt bad for him and decided to help him out. Because of this Smoothie and Cuddles became fast friends.

Things were ok for about two months, but then Smoothie noticed the growing tension between Spice and her friend Wingding. And because of it Wingding didn’t like them or Saylor. They didn’t like Wingding, as they thought she was mean and bitter. But things changed when they discovered salmon run. They needed extra money and heard of the various promises that grizzco had to offer. So they started doing shifts every once in a while. Here is we’re they learned that Wingding also did shifts and happened to be very good at the job. Smoothie saw for the first time that she wasn’t always mean and bitter. They became intrigued by her and suggested that they form a group. Wingding hesitated but took them up on their offer. They later asked if Cuddles wanted to join and then Cuddles brought Valor along too. Wingding and Smoothie would most do most of the work in the shifts. And because of that the two grew a friendship. This team wouldn’t last long, as Smoothie was still actively competitive in ranked modes. They just didn’t have enough time to for it. 

One day Wingding and Spice got into a heated argument. And seeing that there was about to be a fight, they stepped in the middle of it. Wingding picked them up and almost beat them but luckily came to her senses. After that incident Spice would disband the group. And they all grew distant from each other. Except for Smoothie and Cuddles.

Smoothie didn’t know what to do after that. It left them in a bad state of mind. So they decided to focus on looking for their brother. Cuddles tried to help them, and got Valor to help. Valor didn’t like them and that was very clear to Smoothie. So it complicated the situation. Valor lead Smoothie and Cuddles through the deeper parts of Inkopolis, trying to find information about Grim. And as usual nothing came up. After a few weeks of this dangerous search, they gave up, feeling even worse. They got depressed about it. They took a break from playing competitively, and did mostly nothing but mope around. 

Another thing they were dealing with was an emerging crush they had on Wingding. It made them feel confused, and they didn’t know what to do. They were still distant from Wingding yet couldn’t stop thinking about her. And when they confided to Cuddles about it, he was absolutely shocked. He told Smoothie that dating her was bad idea because she wasn’t a good person. This upset them and they ended up arguing with him. 

Later on, Smoothie was approached by a very high ranking team called Visionary Purple. The leader of the team, also known as Fern saw potential in their skills. She recruited them and they accepted. Their life picked up again, being filled with a long schedule. They would have to attend long practice sessions in order to catch up to the rest of team, which didn’t take a lot of time. They got along well with the team except for Wilbur. They formed a fast friendship with Fern over the next few weeks. And eventually they both started to fall for each other. Their team was doing very well around this time. But Smoothie and Fern’s relationship started to create tension between them and Wilbur. He wanted to leave the team but Fern kept him from leaving. 

After another month or so, Smoothie and Fern started dating. Wilbur was very distraught over that and he left the team. Fern decided to have the team go on a hiatus. Smoothie didn’t mind as they just wanted to spend more time with Fern. However this focus on her, made them realize that she wasn’t fully genuine. Over time her more toxic side came out. She was very controlling, and didn’t really listen to Smoothie. She was easily upset if they didn’t give in to her demands, and was rarely willing to compromise with them. This made Smoothie feel as if they had made a terrible mistake. And they felt trapped. Their relationship would only last another month before a breaking point was reached. And that was when Fern nearly beat them. Smoothie broke up with her quickly after that, and wanted nothing to do with her. 

They were shocked by the incident and it took them a few weeks to be ok again. They went back to their old lifestyle. They mostly just worked and spent time by themself. Eventually they started to hang out with their friends again. They got back in touch with Cuddles, and started talking to Wingding again. They still had an unwavering crush on her. They eventually got back to playing turf war and got recruited into another high ranking team. This time the team was Bleeding Cedar. The leader, known as Maddox, was welcoming to Smoothie. And they got along with the team better than their previous one. They especially got along well with Cedar. They grew a close friendship even considering Cedar as their closest friend. Their team did very well. Another thing was that the team also made music so Smoothie helped them where they could. This was one of the highest points in their life. 

With newfound joy and confidence Smoothie decided that it was time to confess their feelings to Wingding. Smoothie was nervous about her reaction but wanted to hope that it would turn out ok. When they told Wingding about their feelings she was shocked, and almost didn’t believe them. But she accepted their feelings, and they started dating. Smoothie was ecstatic. 

Another thing that happened around this time was that they found Grim. Smoothie found him while on a camping trip with Wingding, Cedar, and Maddox. Grim was found naked, wondering aimlessly one early morning. He was very disoriented, but surprisingly recognized Smoothie, thinking that they were his mom. Smoothie was beyond themself and started to cry. They didn’t know what was wrong with him. But he had a high fever, and had a eerie green color that speckled his skin. Smoothie rushed him to hospital. That was where he was discovered to have been experimented on and was experiencing the effects of sanitization. They called their parents and told them the news. This resulted in them flying over to Inkopolis to see him.

Smoothie hadn’t talked to their parents in years and it was awkward. Smoothie told them about what happened to Grim and how they found him. Their parents were overjoyed and started to cry in happiness. They were by Grim’s bedside all the way up until he was discharged. During his time in the hospital, Grim made somewhat of a recovery. He was only partially sanitized, and was found just in time to reverse some of its effects. However Grim would have to relearn how to do basic things such as talking, and walking. He went back with his parents and Smoothie visited often to help Grim. Smoothie would take 3 hour trips at least 3 times a week. Smoothie still felt conflicted about their family. Their parents didn’t even so much as ask or were curious about their livelihood. They just talked about Grim’s progress and how happy they were. Smoothie tried to ignore their inner feelings towards them. Once Grim’s language improved. It was clear that Grim’s mind was repairing exponentially and he was on his way to making a recovery. Over time, Smoothie refocused on their own life, feeling disheartened by their parents. They visited less but always kept in touch with Grim. 

Life was good for a while. There was an upcoming tournament, and Smoothie’s team was really hyped about it. They were too until they saw who they were going up against. It was none other than Visionary Purple. Smoothie immediately told their team that they shouldn’t participate because they were scared of Fern. But Maddox convinced them that everything would be ok. Smoothie was on edge the whole time leading up to the tournament. But they tried to act cool and brush it off. 

However they were right as everything went wrong on the day of the tournament. During their battle with Fern’s team, Fern had it out for Smoothie. She targeted them the whole game, and ended up breaking their arm towards the end of the game. She tried to play it off as a mistake but it was clearly not that. Fern’s team was promptly disqualified and she was completely banned from playing the sport. Fern was furious. Smoothie was in disbelief and shock. Their team instantly regretted not listening to them. However things got worse as once Smoothie was looked after by the medic, they went to the locker room and Fern was also there. She was angry and instantly attacked them. They got into a fight and she had to be pulled away by their team who heard the commotion, but she beat them up badly. Fern and her team ran away shortly after that. Smoothie felt terrible and didn’t even let Cedar call a medic for them. They just wanted to go home. So they did, completely ignoring their team’s concern. 

Smoothie tried their best to recuperate and process what happened to them. They were hurt and scared. Smoothie texted to their teammates that they were ok and needed time to themself. For the next few days they tried their best to patch themself up and push down their feelings. They spent most of their time around Wingding, but even she started to pick up that something was really off about them. She confronted them about it, which lead to a heated argument. Smoothie tried to push her away, but she ended up accidentally grabbing them by their broken arm. They screamed in pain, and Wingding was instantly concerned. She asked them what happened. Smoothie tried to make up an excuse, but she picked them up and looked closer at them. She saw the bruises and cuts, and started to freak out. She let go of them, now very concerned. Smoothie didn’t want to tell her about what happened, afraid of how she would react. They tried to make excuses, but Wingding started to get angry and snapped at them. She  ended up kicking them out of her home, and broke her tv with a vase in anger. 

Smoothie was stunned and spiraled into a panic attack. They ran home crying. Later on that night, once they felt a little bit better, they thought that a bath might help them relax and soothe them. But as they were preparing the bath they were suddenly startled by a loud noise. They went out into their living room and saw that Fern had broken into their home through the window. Smoothie was scared and tried running away but was attacked by her. She cornered them into the bathroom and attempted to drown them but they fought back, and tried to get away. And things quickly escalated when Fern got a hold of a pair of scissors and started stabbing them. Then she started stomping on them until she thought they were dead. 

Smoothie’s neighbors heard the commotion and had already called for help. Fern tried to get away but was arrested quickly. Smoothie was rushed to the hospital in life threatening condition. Their skull was fractured and they had been stabbed multiple times. They weren’t expected to live. Meanwhile Wingding went over to their home to check up on them and apologize for how she acted. But was met with yellow tapes and an ongoing crime scene. She asked about what happened and was told by their neighbors about it. She rushed to hospital and demanded to know about Smoothie’s condition. After waiting for a few hours she was told about their grave situation. She broke down in tears, feeling shocked and devastated. After calming down she called Cuddles and Cedar and told them the news. They both joined her in the hospital waiting room. It felt unreal to them. 

As the hours ticked by, they waited in devastated silence until Wingding asked them if she should tell their parents. They unanimously agreed. Wingding called them and told their mother about what happened. But instead of what she was expecting, their mom didn’t seem disturbed. She simply told her that it was too late to go to the hospital and told her to send them her best wishes. Wingding immediately became enraged, and told her that they were most likely going to die. Their mother hung up after that.

Smoothie would undergo life saving surgery and barely survived, even having to be resuscitated once. They went into a coma after that. Once in the recovery room, and stabilized, Wingding was allowed to see them and was horrified at what she saw. Their face was almost unrecognizable. For the next couple of weeks. Wingding, Cedar, and Cuddles were adamant about staying by their side. Their other friends and team would visit too. Eventually the news got to Grim. He was dropped off at the hospital by his parents but they didn’t bother walking inside. Grim was heartbroken seeing Smoothie in such a state. 

Smoothie didn’t wake up until a month later. They couldn’t speak or move their limbs. But luckily they were coherent and understood what was going on around them. They couldn’t ask about what happened since they had a broken jaw, but was told by Cedar. They didn’t remember exactly what happened at first but slowly the memories did come back. It was clear that they had severe psychological damage as they experienced night terrors and panic attacks. They were completely unable to care for themself due to their physical impairments. And they quickly grew frustrated over it. 

When it was time for them to be discharged, they didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t stomach going back to their home. And their parents refused to help, making an excuse that they didn’t have space for them. Smoothie was  heartbroken by that. But Wingding offered for them to stay with her. They were still mostly bedridden, and couldn’t do most things on their own. They were still in the process of getting their mobility back, and they had a lot more healing to do. Together Wingding, Cedar, and Cuddles cared for them. But it would prove to be a tumultuous time.  

Smoothie’s mind was very much broken. They didn’t act like themself, and suffered from mood swings and depression. They would act out in fits of rage or were inconsolable. They were very prone to snapping. Another thing was that their severe ptsd made it feel as if walking on eggshells with them. They would break down at the sight of scissors, hearing glass shatter, and seeing bathtubs would send them panicking. Wingding even had to remove hers from her bathroom in order for them to be comfortable. They were also extremely paranoid about windows. Because of this living with them was difficult. 

Their relationship with Wingding was at its lowest point. Wingding didn’t know how to handle their current mental state. And they would often argue. Cedar would have to intervene. Wingding was often away from home because of how they acted. They nearly broke up too, but Wingding was too stubborn. And Cedar kept reminding her that it would get better. So she tried. Eventually as Smoothie healed, they became closer to their old self. Though they still struggled with their trauma and had to learn to live with a lot of anxiety. Physically they made a near full recovery except that they lost the ability to turn into squid form. And they also have tremors, dizzy spells, and struggle with nausea at times. It took them more than a year to recover.

Once they were well enough and could take care of themself again, they moved out on their own. They wanted to regain that feeling of independence and also wanted time to themself.