spitblaze:

ALL of this is headcanon and conjecture. I do draw on points from the game’s canon to demonstrate my ideas, but this is all ultimately subjective. Feel free to agree or disagree with all this, its all good.

Okay so its kinda weird that calamari inkantation can literally make octos defect, its just a song no matter HOW much of a banger it is. So like there’s obviously more at play here than te song being Just That Good and I like to think it has something to do with the song not changing a worldview per se, but kinda shifting a BIG assumption that most octolings have about Inkling society.

We know from some of the sunken scrolls from the first game that the Octarians are clearly very biased against Inklings, if the needlessly charged language in what’s supposed to be a purely scientific document about inkling anatomy is any indication. So there’s clearly a deep-seated cultural assumption that Squids are the ‘bad guys’- they’re dangerous, they’re merciless, and they stand against everything a Good Octarian Citizen would stand for. They’re not classically brainwashed, definitely, but they’re victims of some hardcore propaganda and fearmongering.

On top of this, if Marina’s Octarian file is any indicator, the Octarians are definitely still fighting this war. It may not always be directly at odds with the surface, but to them, the war never ended- it just went cold, and the Zapfish stealing isn’t just practical- they’re ‘assaults’ on the enemy forces.

So. What does this have to do with Calamari Inkantation changing hearts and minds? We don’t really know what Calamari Inkantation is about, but it’s probably safe to say that it’s not a war cry, it’s not violent- more likely, it’s an anthem of hope and inspiration, something to pump you up for victory just on the other side. But- it’s almost definitely not about war, much less with the Octarians. Octarians are taught that Inklings are warmongering monsters, that they’re ruthless and cruel- but if that’s the case…why is this song so upbeat? Why isn’t this song about battle with the enemy? For that matter, why aren’t MOST of these songs about battle? It prompts a lot of Octarians to do some digging, to question what they know about the Squids, about what their own society tells them, and how this one song clashes so drastically with their mental image of everything Squid society is. And in some cases? They escape. The war is over, so nobody on the surface will worry about them. Inklings are carefree and upbeat, so looking a bit different probably won’t be a concern.

So, long story short- it’s less that Calimari Inkantation is ‘spellbreaking’ or anything- it’s a song constructed in a way that leads to a path that makes the naturally inquisitive and scientific Octarians rethink what they know about their society and the squids.