"Reach for the Stars!"
CoralStar is a fanmade idol duo and host of Inkopolis News in Project Splatoon 3, created by Alexis "Squeaky" Pflaum. They provide announcements for stage and game mode rotations, as well as Splatfests and other news, from CoralStar Studios which is located in the popular vacation hotspot of Inkopolis Bay. The duo consists of Riva, a cuttlefish, Lumi, an inkling, as well as support from Squishy, a sea cucumber.
Appearance
Riva
Riva is a 23 year old Cuttlefish, of the species Metasepia pfefferi. Standing at 6'0", she is the tallest idol known. Her hair is white, fading to lavender at the tips with fiery-colored spots on her tentacles. Her bangs have a diamond shape cut into it, which is a signature shape seen across the duo's appearance. She has two sharp eyelashes on each eye, black eyebrows and a beauty mark above her right eye. She has orange eyes with white diamond-shaped pupils, a shape which is shared by her partner Lumi. The red triangles under her eyes are not makeup, but rather a mark that is exclusive to her specific species.
She often wears very grandiose clothing, which matches her diva personality. The clothing which she is usually seen wearing consists of a black jacket with a fiery-colored pattern, a golden zipper and black plumage worn over a reflective dress and purple leggings. She also wears golden bracelets, black high heels and a hat fashioned like an anemone. Her clothing, along with that worn by Lumi, is designed by Obsidia, a fashion company owned by Riva's family.
Her signature color is purple.
Lumi
Lumi is a 19 year old, 5'0" Inkling, of the species Euprymna berryi. She has long black hair, which uniquely emits bioluminescence throughout its length, creating a striking blue pattern with black spots. Also unlike regular inklings, Lumi was born with an abnormally high amount of tentacles, boasting almost twice as many as usual, as well as having pale fuchsia skin. This has lead to much praise by fans and critics of the duo, citing her appearance as one of a kind and iconic. She has two sharp eyelashes on each eye like Riva, although instead of having a determined expression she has a dreary one. She has a beauty mark above her left eye, and has magenta eyes with darker diamond-shaped pupils as well.
Her clothing choices are those of comfort, opting for more casual and cozy attire as she spends most of her time indoors. She is often seen wearing a black sweater with cool-colored shapes spattered across, leggings which fade from blue to purple, comfortable black boots and a large pink bow which ties her long hair together.
Her signature color is blue.
History
Both Riva and Lumi hail from Hauia City, the bustling tropical capital of the Hauia islands, situated in the middle of the great ocean. In ancient times, this place was supposedly referred to as "Ha-why-ee". Prior to the events of Project Splatoon 3, the two moved to Inkopolis Bay to become the new hosts of Inkopolis News as well as spreading their fame to the iconic city of colors, with the arrival of the new headquarters of Obsidia.
The fashion company Obsidia was founded over 50 years ago in Hauia City by Riva's family, and her parents have since inherited it and pushed it to new heights, becoming one of the titans of the clothing industry. Being born into a family of fortunes, Riva has known a life of luxury. But with it comes an isolation from an ordinary life as a kid. She did not have many friends growing up, but one friend stuck with her until today. Riva had met Lumi when her family was invited for dinner at the equally opulent residence of Lumi's family, who were longtime friends.
Both of them shared a passion for singing and music, as inklingkind is saturated with idol culture which has a huge impact on its youth. Since that evening, the two took any opportunities to hang out as their familial businesses mingled. During their teenage years, their time together grew more and more limited. Riva went on to become a spokesperson of the company and a highly-praised model for the fashion line, while practicing her singing on the side. Lumi remained mostly in her dimly-lit room forging works of art of the musical kind. Although they were both apart, they knew that one day they would work together to make something great.
That time would come to pass once Riva's solo singing career had taken off, and Lumi's music started topping the charts. The highly anticipated reunion of childhood friends was a time to remember for their fans, as once CoralStar had formed, their popularity rose ever higher.
When Obsidia had set its sights on Inkopolis, the duo arrived with it, to have a blast as pop idols and to promote Riva's brand fit only for the freshest of folk.
Personalities
Riva
Riva's nickname "the Reef Diva" stemmed not just from her success as a model, but also from her pursuit of singing. She is known for a wide range of voices - be it strong, soft, raspy, high or low. Her songs in her solo career were a lot more audacious and risqué at first, but she has since branched out to numerous styles after CoralStar had formed. Although there are still some diehard fans who hope to see the old Riva come back some day. She has unmatched knowledge on all of the fashion trends in the world, and displays her highest enthusiasm when the topic arises, which is often. She judges people by their fashion sense, and thus those who are unaware might find her to be rather pompous. Otherwise, she settles for a cool temper and exudes her lovable, dependable nature, especially towards Lumi, whom she treats like a little sister.
Riva thrives in the ecstatic recognition from her fans, always putting on her biggest smile to greet them and sign as many autographs as they desire. She always wants to make a big entrance - seeing the duo arrive in Riva's limousine is something to be expected. She remains humble in her prosperity, however, wishing to make the world a better place in whatever way she and Obsidia can.
In terms of interests, aside from fashion of course, Riva is a fan of movies, and has been able to make appearances in some big titles. This path never got too far since she had little room to fit it in with her idol and modeling careers. She also has a passion for the popular sport that is turf wars. While some may see it as some sort of attempt to appeal to younger audiences, the truth is Riva never had the opportunity to partake in the thrilling sport when she was younger. She had thus formed a society of adult fans of turf wars, and hosts exclusive tournaments both across the city and in some privately-owned venues.
In terms of relationships, it had been mostly quiet until very recently, where rumors were spreading that she is in a relationship with lead vocalist Zeal from the metal band Hadal Zone. Riva is known to be a big fan of the band, so perhaps these rumors ring true...
Lumi
The quiet and reserved Lumi hails from an equally prosperous family as her partner's. Instead of fashion, her family's company, Aequorion, delves into computing and technology. From an early age, she developed her passion for electronic music making. After garnering a decent following online under the username "BubbleTpop", a moniker that she is now embarrassed about, she wanted to go big. Once her and Riva's careers started to gain traction, Lumi's aspirations were finally made manifest.
She mostly keeps to herself, and speaks softly if at all. Before CoralStar, she was too shy in public - Riva has since helped her break out of her shell, which lead to the discovery that Lumi can in fact sing, and in an adorable way as well. At first, Riva mostly took the role of vocals, but the fans unanimously yearned to hear Lumi's voice more often, to which they now share the role, which also changed the style of their music to be more playful and cute as a result. Lumi still maintains her role as composer for the music and mixing, a role she did not want to forego.
Although her small and fragile appearance might warrant the thought of an anxious public presence, Lumi has grown quite comfortable on the big stage thanks to Riva. She doesn't relish the crowds of fans and paparazzi as much, however. When relaxed, her intellectual and nerdy side shows its colors, which usually sidetracks her. She is a believer of statistics, and likes to stick to whatever is proven to work, much to the dismay of her friend who likes to break boundaries.
She has a dangerously sweet tooth. It is not uncommon to see her enjoying a dessert or some bubble tea, even when live on Inkopolis News. She has a blog where she reviews all of the tasty treats that can be found in Inkopolis, which has a huge following.
Lumi has a lot of time to herself, and this has manifested into another pastime of hers, that of relative secrecy. Having spent so much time online, she had developed an online personality that releases genres of music that wouldn't work in her main career. making music of the heavier kind, oozing with raw electronic sounds and dubstep, she has a place to vent this passion away from her public personality. This caught the attention of Onyo, her older sister, who is a DJ and vocalist for the band Hadal Zone. Flattered to see her sister follow in her footsteps of the underground music scene, she agreed to keep this alter ego a secret. Whether or not the truth will be made public, only time will tell.
Squishy
Lumi is often seen accompanied by the sea cucumber Squishy, the lesser known third member of the group. What few would come to realize is that he is a lyrical genius, responsible for writing many of the songs that the duo performs. He has a master's degree in literature. He met Lumi online, looking to kick-start a new path in songwriting. He sometimes provides samples for her tracks, from what she quotes is his "adorable muttering". To the uncultured onlooker, Squishy is regarded simply as Lumi's purse pet. It often comes as a shock to those who find out who he really is.
When the mastermind is not doing his work, he lounges atop Lumi's head. The physical burdens of a cucumber are great, so he greatly appreciates Lumi's willingness to bring him around. Although he is sometimes concerned that she takes too much delight in playing around with him, much like the cuddly pet he appears to be.
Music
CoralStar's music is created by Vocaloider/Utau-er. English lyrics have been created by Caitlin Koi.
Project Splatoon 3 - Inkopolis Bay Nights feat. CoralStar
Splatoon 3 Splatfest Main Theme - Divas of the Reef (Ancient Record Extraction) feat. CoralStar
Travel Beyond the Bay feat. CoralStar
Karaoke Session with Riva (feat. Lady by Yubin)
♪ Inkopolis Bay Nights ♫ CoralStar ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ - Lyric Video
♪ Divas of the Reef ♫ CoralStar ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ - Lyric Video
Official Art
Fan Art
Some of the many pieces of fan art for Riva and Lumi.
Both Idols
Riva
Lumi
Trivia
- Riva's name is a portmanteau of the words reef and diva, which mimics her title as the Reef Diva.
- Lumi's name derives from the word bioluminescent, of which she emanates this biological light more so than normal inklings.
- The name of Lumi's family company, Aequorion, is derived from the word aequorin, a protein that produces blue light found within a species of jellyfish.
- Riva's design, personality and style of singing is inspired by Japanese singer Reol. Lumi's singing voice is inspired by Japanese singer Nanahira.
- Riva's weapon class of choice is the Brush. Her favorite weapon in particular is the Flipbrush, a new weapon which she helped design and is endorsed by Obsidia.
- Lumi's weapon class of choice is, to the public, Brellas, but in reality she prefers Splatlings. Her favorite weapon is the Typhoon Splatling, a new weapon created by DELTA, a subsidiary of Aequorion.
- The name CoralStar alludes to their tropical heritage (coral) and their designs having a celestial basis (star). Their catchphrase, "Reach for the Stars!" also derives from the breathtaking starry skies that can be seen from the Hauia islands.