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andypantsx3 · 6 months

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SOMETHING IN THE WATER | 5 | SHOUTO x READER

SUMMARY: As a future marine biologist, you’ve scored big on your final internship: a summer in the tropics, researching the waters off the coast of a lush, sunny island. But what you thought would be all beach days and piña coladas turns out to be the revelation of a lifetime when you haul in a handsome merprince, and discover not everything in these waters is quite as it seems. TAGS/WARNINGS: mermaid au, interspecies relationships, mating rituals/courting behavior, (sort of) case fic, aged up characters, eventual smut, fem pronouns/afab reader LENGTH: 3.5k of est. 21k, 5th of 8 chapters

It was pollution. No doubt about it.

Under the lens of one of Kamui’s microscopes, the evidence was incontrovertible. The piece of white coral Shouto had brought you sported distinct traces of industrial processing chemicals that had almost certainly contributed to its bleaching, the concentration high enough that it had also probably choked the life out of the nearby environment.

It was high enough, in fact, that you were absolutely floored your team hadn’t come across even a hint of anything similar before. Based on the levels, you should have been finding at least smaller traces close to the area it came from, but nothing you’d found so far had even hinted at anything like this.

Which begged the question, just where in the hell had Shouto gotten it from?

When you legged it back down to the beach, however, both the merman and your sandwich were missing. The only evidence of his presence were the slices of mozzarella that had clearly been picked out of the sandwich, laid out cleanly on the wrapper you’d left behind.

You’d sighed and cleaned your trash up, then slogged back to your room for a shower and a few hours of sleep, stowing the coral away safely to show to your team in the morning.

When you awoke, however, you realized you would have no way of explaining to them where you’d obtained it, and no way to point them any closer to the source of the issue. You resolved to find Shouto as soon as possible to figure out what was going on, hopefully before the scheduled tour of Sunfish.

You rocketed through your morning tasks, and hurriedly volunteered to take over trap checking duty, disappearing out the door before Yu could so much as get out a reply.

You boated north to the reef where you’d first met Shouto, and jumped into the water before you’d even gotten your snorkeling gear on properly, certain the merman would somehow find you. You’d nearly finished checking the trap, kicking off the seafloor to rise back to the surface when a hand seized your elbow, guiding you back up.

Shouto’s handsome face was staring back at you when you yanked off your goggles, his distinctive hair slicked back with ocean water, the scar around his eye a deep pink in the sunlight. Sunlight glittered off the droplets on his skin, making him look even more ethereal than he usually did, and your breath momentarily seized in your chest.

“Hi Shouto,” you said, your face going hot when it came out weirdly breathy. Embarrassing.

A tiny little smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, and his fingers flexed on your elbow. “Hello,” he said in his deep, even tone.

Even that simple greeting somehow made you flush. You quickly marshaled yourself, trying to remember you had come here with an agenda, not to float here stupidly in the water, staring at him.

“Shouto—that coral you gave me yesterday? One of them has the signs of the pollution I was looking for!”

Shouto blinked, a droplet of water sliding down the side of his straight, handsome nose. Your eyes seemed weirdly glued to it as it reached the edge of his mouth.

“Then you liked it? It had…microbes?” he asked.

You nodded distractedly. “Sort of. Signs of microbial unhealth and chemically-induced bleaching. And I did like it. I think you might have actually solved the whole case for me!”

Shouto’s mouth pulled into a fuller, happier smile, just enough to bare the tops of those sharp teeth. You blinked, momentarily stunned, looking back up into his eyes to find him watching you intently.

“You liked it. My gift,” he said, something strangely smug in his tone. A little thrill raced through you, a frission of pleasure, at having put that expression on his face, that tone in his voice. Your ears went hot, and you pointedly did not think about why his pleasure made you so pleased as well.

“Yeah, I loved it,” you nodded, startled when Shouto’s fingers slid from your elbow to your wrist, lifting it up to his face.

But then in the next instant his expression shifted, his brows furrowing and the edges of his smile dipping. Instantly, you mourned the loss of it.

“But…you are not wearing it,” he said. “Either of them.”

Your eyelashes fluttered themselves in another disconcerted blink. Had…that been a requirement? Had he said that to you, yesterday?

You didn’t think you’d had much conversation between him handing over the bits of coral and you rushing off to the lab with them, but maybe that had been his expectation of what you would do with them. Maybe that was a common merperson thing, and you were too ignorant to think of it.

In fact, you hadn’t even taken the time to ask him why he’d given the coral bits to you, too focused on getting them under Kamui’s microscope like a huge disrespectful idiot.

You flushed, suddenly feeling incredibly rude. Was this a merperson custom you had just flagrantly ignored?

“Am I—? Is that something your people, um, do?” you asked. “Wear coral?”

Shouto nodded, those mismatched eyes still glued to your bare wrist. His fingers carefully shifted to encircle it, like he was replacing the expected bits of coral with his own hold on you. Your face burned and you paddled a little bit harder in the water, expelling nervous energy.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t know. Of course I will wear them, I just need to find some kind of string—” A sudden thought seized you. “Except—-well, Shouto, I need that white coral to prove pollution. I need to show it to my team, and be able to explain where I got it from. They might need to send it off as evidence.”

Shouto’s fingers tightened on you, though you noted he was still mindful of his claws. A hissing noise exploded out of him, and that scraping feeling burned at the back of your throat again, the bioelectric signal of his distaste clear enough.

“It is yours, not theirs,” he hissed, his handsome face suddenly all twisted up.

You could quite literally feel how distressed he was, and your heart throbbed with the realization that you were the cause.

You immediately backtracked, horrified. You shifted in the merman’s grip, twisting your hand to grab his wrist too, and put your other hand to his shoulder, holding him firmly.

“I’m sorry—Shouto, yes of course it’s mine. Of course I won’t give it to them,” you said, trying to angle your face to look into his eyes. “I didn’t realize—of course I will keep it with me.”

To your surprise, Shouto calmed immediately. The snarl faded from his mouth, his lips resuming their normal soft, sweet shape, and his other hand came to rest at your waist, pulling you a fraction closer to him.

“You promise,” he asked, though it was phrased more like a statement than a question.

You had to fight back a shocked laugh at how easily he’d been rerouted, and how unbelievably fleeting and childish that little tantrum had been. A prince of his people and here he was, getting fussy with you!

There was nothing for your exasperated snort, your helpless smile. “Yes, yes, I promise. But you have to help me collect another piece of white coral from where you got it originally. I promise it’s important.”

Shouto’s hands tightened on you, and you found yourself being dragged closer, so that he was holding you up in the water, only inches from the hard planes of his chest. His tail brushed against the inside of your thigh, the scales rasping lightly over the skin there. You went still, a little thrill racing up your spine at his sudden, more immediate proximity.

“You want me to take you there,” he said, his voice suddenly a little deeper.

You blinked. “I—yes? Is that…okay?”

Shouto’s eyes narrowed in on you, and you shifted nervously in his hold as his pupils went a little more slitted, a little more inhumanly focused. “It is an area of some significance to my people, though it is now difficult to get to. Your kind has begun to touch it.”

Your interest piqued. Humans had begun to touch it, alright. Judging by the chemical processing agents left behind on the piece of coral Shouto had given you, you could guess exactly which humans had touched it, too.

“Is it Sunfish?” you couldn’t help but ask, perking up in his hold.

Shouto inclined his head, a movement that brought his mouth almost dangerously close to yours. Your breath choked off in your lungs.

“Yes,” Shouto replied. “The…microbes you are interested in, then…? They are to do with Sunfish?”

You nodded excitedly, eagerly sucking in another breath. “Yes, yes! God, I’m so stupid, I should have told you earlier—anything to do with where Sunfish is operating is of interest to me. We’ve been testing the—um, the microbes to put it simply—around the area but if Sunfish has somewhere we haven’t been yet, that’s what I’m looking to know.”

Shouto looked thoughtful, and a claw trailed absently down the skin of your arm. You jumped, startled.

“Then I will take you,” he said, eyes cutting back to yours. “On one condition.”

You felt your eyebrows raise. Well that was unexpected of him. Who knew mermen knew how to bargain?

“Name your price,” you told him.

Shouto’s mouth quirked then, a hint of a sharp incisor showing, but the rest of his expression was strangely sincere. “I want dinner and a movie,” he said, a claw trailing sweetly, absently down the skin of your arm again. “Like you said humans do.”

You could feel your eyebrows escaping towards your hairline, your mouth going slack. “You want to watch a movie and have dinner,” you repeated, floored.

Shouto inclined his head, the damp strands of red and white mingling with the movement. “You said I would like a movie.”

Damn. You had said that, hadn’t you? But you couldn’t think how in the hell you were going to get Shouto to a movie. It wasn’t like there was a movie theater on this island, and besides that it wasn’t like you could just piggyback a real life merman into one.

You supposed if pressed, you could preload something on the shitty island wifi and then bring your laptop down to the beach and watch things that way. But what if someone spotted the light and came looking? Shouto could disappear quick enough, you had no doubt, but how to explain the laptop?

And then it occurred to you: the inn had a maintenance shed, just off the main office. A sudden image came to you of wheeling Shouto uphill in a wheelbarrow, getting him into the tub in your room, and setting up a few pillows for yourself, and some kind of dinner spread on the floor.

It was unconventional. But then—so was the idea of dinner and a movie with a merman at all.

You stuck out your hand, making a mental note to swing by the maintenance shed on your way back in tonight. “It’s a deal.”

Shouto stared at your fingers, seeming not to know what to do with the gesture, until you took one of his hands in your own, pumping it up and down. He held on for too long after that, those crimson-tipped fingers closing in over your own, warm and wet and strong.

“Then I will take you now, if you like,” Shouto said. “If you are ready.”

You nodded, paddling your feet a little uselessly in his hold, in eager anticipation. Confirmation of Sunfish’s activity, and the chance to see a place meaningful to Shouto and his people. It was a dream come true for any marine biologist.

Shouto let you go, following you slowly as you paddled back to the boat, swimming leisurely, looping circles around you. He helped boost you back into the boat, and then hauled himself up after you on the strength of his arms alone. The back of your neck went very warm, as you watched his muscle coil and flex as he pulled himself in, then looked at you imploringly.

“I will point the way and you will take us,” he said, slithering across the floor of the boat to slide in next to you behind the wheel. He peered at all the meters and dials interestedly, pressing a crimson claw to one.

You had to laugh at the ridiculousness of a merman sitting behind the wheel of a boat, and another wild idea occurred to you.

“Wanna learn how to drive?” you asked.

Shouto’s eyes slid over to you, turquoise and grey pinning you to your seat. “To operate the boat?”

You nodded. Another hot flush crept across your cheeks as a slow smile spread over Shouto’s mouth, those mismatched eyes glittering.

“Yes,” he said. “I should like that very much.”

You gestured him over to your seat, rising out of it as Shouto slid all that heavy muscle your way, the scales of his tail bright and fiery in the sun. He was warm and smelled like salt up close, and you tried not to take note of the way his bicep flexed as he moved to grip the wheel in taloned fingers.

You gave him a brief run through of all the meters and gauges, the fuel level meter, speedometer, the ammeter and engine hours. He seemed disinterested in all but the speed—a typical man, even if only his upper half looked it.

Then you showed him the throttle and how to turn the key to start and what degrees of movement of the wheel at a higher speed wouldn’t send both of you flying out of the boat. And then you sank down next to him, gripping the seat for safety as he started the boat, looking thrilled.

He guided the boat off the reef more carefully than you would have expected, but he grew bolder as you made it out into deeper waters, applying a ton of throttle instantly and sending you falling backwards in your seat. You zoomed across the gentle waves, horrifyingly fast, but unexpectedly smoothly for someone who had just learned. Shouto seemed intimately familiar with the island’s layout, navigating smoothly through some of the shallow channels that gave you an almost-regular heart attack, gliding easily across the waves and not seeming to catch a single one the wrong way.

A thrilled laugh bit out of you, getting lost in the wind as you sped across the sea. Shouto’s mouth pulled into a wider smile, looking pleased with himself, those sharp teeth white in the sun. You found yourself smiling, at the ludicrousness of being driven around by a merprince, and at how much Shouto looked like he was enjoying himself.

In almost no time Shouto was steering you into a shallow cove on the eastern side of the island a couple hundred meters away from where you’d laid out an observation station. As you slowed to a stop you helped anchor the boat, feeling your brows furrowing back down in confusion, the smile slipping off your face.

If there was any level of pollution in this cove then you would have known about it from the nearby observation station. You weren’t sure if Shouto had the right spot.

But as you turned back to him he pointed a claw towards the jut of the land, aiming with certainty. “There used to be a cave through which we could access the lagoon,” he said. “But it is blocked off to us now.”

You stared at him, befuddled. “Blocked off? By what?”

Shouto’s mouth thinned into an irritated line. “By some human invention—I do not know what it is.”

Your eyebrows raised. “Then—how did you get the coral out of this, uh, lagoon if you can’t access it?”

Shouto’s eyes dipped, following your words as your mouth shaped them, looking strangely intent. Your ears went hot.

“I climbed,” he said simply.

You whipped around to stare back at the strip of land rising into the jungle. You could just make out a clearing in the trees where you thought a lagoon might lay. And it was no small distance. Your jaw dropped, imagining Shouto having to drag himself over meters and meters of land to get there.

Your stomach fluttered, the white coral suddenly taking on a new significance if Shouto had gone to such trouble for it. It had to be more than just an area of interest to his people—-it more likely had to be extremely significant if this was the length merpeople had to go for this coral. No wonder he hadn’t liked the idea of you testing it, of you surrendering it and mailing it out and away, if he’d had to pull himself over land like that to get it.

And with this realization, a new, wildly disconcerting thought crept over you, an insane flight of fancy.

Was it possible that Shouto had given you… not just a friendly gift, but something even more meaningful than you had initially realized? If this was a site of cultural significance, and he’d suffered to get the coral for you—did it mean something a little bit more intimate than an exchange between new friends?

Your gaze darted back over to Shouto, sitting pertly in his seat. He struck such a handsome profile, all sleek muscle and delicately carved features, his face carefully-noted and almost supernaturally angelic. His coloring, too, was magnificent, the rose of his scar, the deep scarlet of his scales and his claws. And he was so sweet, and funny, and so very interesting. He was unlike anything—anyone—you had ever seen, and the thought of him fetching you a gift of special significance made an even more blistering wave of heat flare up in your belly.

You rose from your seat, determined to see this lagoon for yourself.

“Alright, you wait here,” you told Shouto, “I’m going to go check it out.”

He nodded, watching you closely as you went to the bag of supplies, fishing out a camera, the log book, your shoes, and a couple pieces of sampling equipment. You stuffed them all in a dry bag, rolling the top down tight and buckling securely.

“You will be careful,” Shouto intone in his deep voice, more an order than a question.

You smiled up at him, nodding your head. “Yes. I’ll be back in just a couple of minutes.”

He looked satisfied with that, and helped lower you down into the water to swim for land. He slithered off the edge beside you, sinking smoothly into the water like a dropped stone, and swam along underneath you, following you all the way until you clambered onto the sand. You hurriedly dug around in your bag for your shoes, stuffing your feet into them still sandy and damp as Shouto looked on.

Once properly outfitted, you followed the beach as it trailed off into scrub and bushes, and then into towering palms, making your way into the jungle. The sun shone brightly through the leaves, painting everything around you in shades of sunlit green, the air under the canopy thicker than on the beach. Your feet slid over the damp sand in your sneakers, a sensation you did not particularly enjoy, but you walked briskly, your curiosity leading you onwards.

In only a few minutes, the trees once again gave way to a small strip of sand, and you spilled out onto the beach of the lagoon.

It was instantly clear to you exactly what Shouto had meant. A large metallic wall dammed off one side of the lagoon, most probably blocking off the underwater channel Shouto had told you about. It had been bolted into the jutting coral and rock around it, sealing off any water flow. Around it, the ancient coral walls of the lagoon were bone white wherever the water lapped at them, disturbingly bleached of color, and you thought the scrub and the trees that had built up over the surface overtime looked a little bit unhealthy too.

Shouto had most definitely gotten his coral from here.

As you looked around your certainty grew, until you spotted the most damning evidence. Only a scant few meters away from where you had come out of the forest, there was a pipe dug into the earth, sitting about a meter above the water level of the lagoon. It was still shiny, clearly new, and it was also dribbling the occasional bit of liquid into the lagoon, as if someone were piping certain substances out and away from the rest of their facilities.

Your heart rate doubled at the sight, and you knew even as you unloaded your equipment to take samples that you had found exactly what you had been looking for.

There was no doubt in your mind that this pipe led back to Sunfish. And Shouto had indeed just solved this entire case.

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #shouto x reader #shoto x reader #todoroki x you #character: todoroki shouto

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spidernuggets · 22 days

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Ngl, if I was joker daughter reader and I had to experience everything I did, I’d probably never feel safe, even with Jason and probably stay living in the abandoned building. Sure, I’d try to have a relationship with Jason again, but I don’t think after all he said, I’d feel like it’d be way for him to sort of switch up on me like that so there would be this level of distance I keep. Don’t know if you’ll do a part three (I know ur not taking requests), but I think it’d be super interesting to see how her and Jason’s relationship would be like cause like, I feel like there would be this level of unhealthness where reader would be in such a out of self loathing and feeling like they genuinely can not open up to Jason about it (cause how can you?) and not feeling like she can fully trust him and be completely self reliant (cause she’s probably had to be her entire life considering most of her life was living under intense abuse by the joker, and it’s not something that would be immediately be fixed, especially with being and living with one of the jokers victims and still feeling guilty for not doing anything or not enough)

You know, a part 3 was never a thought of mine, but after this, it does seem like a good idea to bring out the aftermath and continuation of readers and jasons relationship.

So if people want a part 3, who am i to deny the request 🤔🤔

If more people want a part 3, I'll be happy enough to add it to my list of planned fics for the summer 🫡🫡

#mickeysideas #jason todd #jason todd x reader #red hood #red hood x reader #jason todd is my life #titans jason todd #i love jason todd #dc titans #jason todd titans #jason todd headcanon

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animefeminist · 3 months

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Immaturity and Impunity: Performative Masculinity in Baki the Grappler

Content warning: discussion of domestic violence, sexual assault, drug use, and toxic masculinity

Spoilers for Baki Hanma

Although Baki the Grappler is over thirty years old, the franchise has seen a global resurgence thanks to a fresh take as an ONA series hosted on Netflix. This was my gateway into the wider world of Baki, a charmingly ridiculous realm that, previously, I had only glimpsed through DVD ads, internet memes, and the occasional offhand recommendation if I were ever in the mood for something mindlessly violent (which, for what it’s worth, I’m usually not). But despite its enthusiastic embrace of playful exaggeration and dramatic pageantry, Baki the Grappler shouldn’t be written off as mind-numbing entertainment for the masses. A critical analysis of Baki as contemporary anime, and a part of pop culture more broadly speaking, can help us all better understand how performative masculinity functions—and why it is so potentially dangerous.

Itagaki’s long-running manga series has been adapted numerous times. These releases have taken many different forms, including an OVA, a television series, and various video games. For my purposes, I’m focusing on Baki (2018–2020) and its continuation Baki Hanma (2021–2023) in order to analyze depictions of masculinity in Itagaki’s original work while contextualizing them within current sociopolitical climates.

By way of a rocky relationship between an unrelenting father and an indomitable son, Baki posits that, unfortunately, we live in a world where might often does make right, be it morally, politically, or legally defined. When such culturally defined notions combine with socially enforced concepts of manliness, the results can be as problematic as they are potent. As much as I thoroughly enjoy TMS Entertainment’s animated rendition of Itagaki’s creation, I recognize how it can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, hurtful habits, and generally unhealthful lifestyles while also promoting discipline, perseverance, and self-reliance in equal measure.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

#baki the grappler #baki hanma #yujiro hanma #baki #articles

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comfortabletextiles · 2 months

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15 QUESTIONS FOR 15 FRIENDS

@bookshelfdreams tagged me!!! Time to talk about myself and chew you all an ear up

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not really I think... My mom just really liked the name

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? A few weeks ago, because I was absolutely overwhelmed about how to deal with the side effects of the shingles medication I got.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? NO and I don't want to. I'm born to be the eccentric aunt/uncle

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED? Oh boy, lots! Childs gymastic. swimming, baseball and softball, capoeira, parkour, Aikido, riding... (I think that's all) And gym if gym counts to keep the back pain and mental unhealth demons hat bay

DO YOU USE SARCASM? Never, I'm the nicest not sarcastic person on this planet

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Teeth... Don't ask me why at least it used to be teeth... Now I don't really know anymore, maybe their voices

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR? Greyish blue with a rusty halo around my pupil (I'm very fond of them)

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings! My live is stressful enough, pls let me escape

ANY TALENTS? Not to flex, but I don't have to follow baking recipes to a T and baked a few things completely without one 😎

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? In a hospital and also worked at for a short amount of time. Fun fact!

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? Just look through my blog ist a fairly accurate representation 🤣

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? The most perfect cat

HOW TALL ARE YOU? 1,66m

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? biology!!!

DREAM JOB? I like being a nurse... But one day I'd like to have an online shop and a little stall at fairs to sell plant dyed fiber stuff

Last song La Llorona by Natalia Lafourcade

Favorite colour: all of them depending on context

Last show: Mashl

Sweet/savory/spicy: yes

Relationship status: Married to the most patient guy 😌

Last thing I googled: a leather shop in my city

Current obsession: THIS bag: what I'm looking for leather shops for. So I can practice and make that one one day 👀

Looking forward to: April, I have a week off work there!

@roboticchibitan @cephalopodvictorious @swords-n-spindles @moonymoon90 @auressea

Uuhhh and anyone who feels like it! I'm noisy 😈

#tag game #tags

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purpleheartskies · 11 months

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(These are general thoughts and not directed at anyone in particular.)

Since s5, it's weird how much people actively dismiss storytelling techniques, characterizations, body language in acting, and basically any aspect of storytelling or filmmaking that depicts how toxic and dysfunctional the blended "family" is, and this includes the nuances of Robby's and other characters' behaviors, the use of the pregnancy as an obvious negative plot device, and the ongoing and worsening trauma Johnny has been subjecting Robby to. It's been hard keeping up with the fandom's moving goal posts about what counts as storytelling.

There's also something to be said about the notion that Cobra Kai, being a "comedy", won't explore trauma, mental health, and dysfunctional relationships, although it's clearly exploring these topics. Comedy comes in many forms, some of which are dark or sardonic in nature. The writers have also called Cobra Kai a "dramedy", which is an equal blend of comedy and drama (aka "tragicomedy"). This is what the show has always been. Comedy can also be done at different levels in storytelling. s5e4 is a great example of this. People got a good laugh out of Johnny's antics during the uber scenes, though this is also a comedic yet sad portrayal of how unhealthy Johnny's behavior is. But what is also "funny" about the episode is that it starts with Carmen's dream family with her dream version of Johnny who is put together and mature, but the rest of the episode depicts how Johnny really is: the mess that he's been throughout the series. That meta storytelling took place over the whole episode, and that's also "comedy". The prom episode in s4 had a similar format. Robby had been left out of the "happy" "family" photo early in the episode, and for the rest of the episode, pretty much everyone in the photo had a crappy night while Robby had the best night out of all them (sadly, one of the few episodes that Robby actually "won" compared to the others). Johnny's silly antics are "comedy", while Carmen's "dream Johnny" in s5e4 and the "happy" "family" image in s4e8 being unraveled by exposing the ugly truths is "comedy" too. In fact, there are some comedies in which the overall "joke"/lesson of the story is not only on certain characters as they come to some profound realizations at one point, but on the audience as well. In general, it makes no sense when people claim that this is a "comedy" and "not that type of show" so trauma won't explored in the show. Trauma is fair game in comedy and has always been in play in this show.

Trauma is not only a significant part of Robby's characterization and character journey, but trauma is also part of Johnny's, Kreese's, Silver's, Daniel's, Sam's, Tory's, Hawk's, Kenny's, etc characterizations and character journeys. All of them are characterized to have preexisting traumas and/or experience traumas during the series that drive their behaviors and stories. The story also explores what happens when characters adopt Cobra Kai's / Eagle Fang's aggressive mentality to cope with their traumas. Are people really going to deny that trauma is explored in the story, just so that they can, for example, enjoy the toxic blended family as wholesome despite seeing how dysfunctional it is in all its parts? Johnny and Robby's relationship as well as Miguel and Robby's "rivalry" aren't the only unhealthy aspects of the blended family. Johnny's relationships with Carmen and with Miguel are also dysfunctional. Johnny is an emotionally immature alcoholic who is incapable of keeping down a job, something that Carmen willfully ignores while she parents him. Johnny is also unhealthily obsessed with Miguel, not only risking Robby's well-being for him but also getting impotent over him spending time with another sensei. Nothing about the blended family is good, and that's the point. Johnny isn't capable of having healthy relationships, and Carmen obviously isn't inclined to healthy relationships either. She's an enabler. She enables Johnny's unhealthy behavior with Miguel by making Johnny feel responsible for Miguel's bad behvaior, and she only corrects Johnny's behavior that she views as a problem for her family while ignoring his other faults. She also enables Miguel's selfish and entitled behavior, like how she's never held him accountable throughout the series and how she didn't even discipline him for running away and endangering all of them like he had. Miguel also feels a sense of entitlement over Johnny. Miguel admit to Hawk and Demetri that he wouldn't "let" Robby being with Johnny "get to him", as Miguel believes that he has a right to be upset about Johnny spending time with his own son. People choose to ignore these aspects of Johnny's, Carmen's, and Miguel's characterizations. People especially ignore Johnny's unhealthy behavior in his relationships even though it's a very important and obvious part of Johnny's characterization due to his traumas.

In s5, Johnny's whole arc with the plot device baby was about how his past traumas continue to negatively impact him, especially his inability to properly be a father to Robby. Johnny was fixated on using the baby as yet another "chance" to make up for his failures with Robby, while continuing to fail with Robby. The baby is such an obvious plot device that was used in a toxic way for both Johnny's and Robby's character journeys. In fact, the baby was used as a negative plot device to worsen Johnny's relationship with Robby in s5 just like how the Diazs have always been negative plot devices to worsen Johnny's relationship with Robby since s1.

Johnny's also still an alcoholic, who hasn't gotten his shit together. He started out the series commiting assault while drunk, and he ended s5 committing assault while drunk. It's funny that people say that Johnny has grown just because he himself claims he has (by quoting Rocky, no less), even though he's clearly portrayed as not having grown. So, people think that Johnny has "grown" even though Johnny's still a deadbeat alcoholic with poor mental health who continues to treat his kid like shit, commit crimes and assaults, and give self-centered, self-pitying speeches, while people also think Robby has "grown" because he suddenly seems to no longer have the years of trauma he's been characterized with and that has been worsening since the start of the series? There's a double standard and lack of logic in this thinking. Even the last line spoken about the baby by another character was Silver's words to Johnny: "at least you won't be around to screw up another kid." A line that not only acknowledges what a continued mess Johnny is (given what he did that night), but also acknowledges that Robby is "screwed up" because of Johnny.

Oh, and I'll say it. Even "comedies" have baby plotlines that end in a miscarriage. King of Queens is an example of a sitcom that had a pregnancy/miscarriage arc. Another goal post that people move is that the show isn't "that dark". Are people gonna say that King of Queens was a "dark" show or went "too dark" because they included a miscarriage plotline in it? People act like the obviously toxic blended family is the immutable endgame. But it's not immutable, and as far as storytelling goes, it's been written to fall apart.

Storytelling in shows/films involves characterization, dialogue, cinematography, music, and other audio and visual elements. I know I'm stating the obvious, but from what I've seen people have been purposely picking and choosing what they want to ignore from these things when it comes to the story. For example, it makes no sense when people say that the body language in the Robby scenes in s5 doesn't matter, even though body language is so key in film. Animations for example make sure to include body language for the characters. More recently, the actors in The Mandalorian said they have to exaggerate their non-facial body language when they have their helmets on. Actors also hire body language coaches to help them with their roles sometimes, like Ke Huy Quan did for EEOAO. This isn't to say that the story or production in Cobra Kai doesn't have flaws here and there, but people really, and I mean really, act like the story is a mindless thought dump that is only there to appease fans of Johnny's and Miguel's characters, even though (1) these two haven't been as relevant to the main dojo war plot of Cobra Kai vs Miyagi-Do for these past few seasons and (2) they have two of the worst characterizations and journeys of the "good guy" characters: minimal to no growth, uncaring and unempathetic towards their loved ones, and pretty self-serving (even their relationship is self-serving for each of them), to name a few things. Meanwhile, Robby is still at the center of the dojo war, through his connections with the other characters, and Robby has some of the best character traits. It seems like people in general are choosing to fundamentally misunderstand the story because they still want to believe it's the "Johnny and Miguel show". (I guess, Daniel, Silver, and Chozen's whole dynamic and storyline this season was less important than Miguel running off to find his dad and literally nothing coming of that, as he just went back to focusing on his obsession with Sam soon after he returned. /s)

It also seems that people want "realistic" characterizations, but when they're given that, they complain. They move that goal post too: "Make it realistic... but in the way I want it to be." The thing is trauma and dysfunctional relationship behaviors aren't "black and white". They're not straightforward. They're messy and complicated. And sadly, many trauma survivors, especially those with cptsd, can behave how Robby did in s5: fawning / people pleasing to an unhealthy degree to feel safe and accepted. I've mentioned this in many recent posts. I've also seen others acknowledge that Robby acts like a "chameleon" when he needs to, as seen in previous seasons. Robby's cptsd has been worsening throughout the series, and Johnny and Miguel have played huge roles in it. This continues to be the case in s5. They're essentially the "bad guys" in Robby's story, moreso than even Kreese and Silver are, despite these two being the main "bad guys" of the series. This is an example of how the show continues to be gray. Kreese and Silver haven't hurt Robby to the extent that Johnny, Miguel, Daniel, and Sam have. One person's "good guy" can be another person's "bad guy". Why would Robby like and praise Johnny and Miguel the way their fans do? In s5, Robby was in unsafe situations with them, and he did what he needed to to appease them, especially Johnny.

Wrt the other characters' journeys and their traumas in s5: Kreese had a whole arc with a therapist this season that added more insight into his character. Sam keeps trying to find ways to control the people and situations around her to feel in control and safe as she copes with her trauma from the school fight, which was worsened by the house fight. Daniel was totally paranoid and off balance, especially the first half of the season, because of his trauma from Silver in kk3. Kenny was also still affected by all the bullying he'd endured, and he felt empowered by CK to act on his anger towards Anthony. (Also, Kenny's arc is unique to the others because he only bullied his bully, not random people and his former best friend (like Hawk did) and not some random person he'd felt slighted by (like Miguel still does and like Tory did). Not to mention, Robby had taught Kenny the "right way", but Kreese and Silver's Cobra Kai teachings won out.)

Overall, it makes no sense to look at the whole story and say, "Well, everyone's traumas are still a part of the story... except for Robby's." Another thing about many nuanced "comedies" is that they're meant to be thought provoking. Instead of ignoring important details to cheer on the toxic blended family, maybe we the audience should be paying attention to all the consistent details and calling out the toxic blended family. Even the writers have confirmed (in their recent CKK interview) that (1) they didn't rush the story ending in s5 because they knew they would be renewed (they only rushed production because Netflix ordered the season early to fill a slot in their Fall lineup) and (2) all the "feelings" that the characters had are all still there.

#cobra kai is robby's story #robby keene

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fanby-fckry · 2 months

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🍭🎀 for the ask game!♡

Let's Get ((REAL)) fic writer asks

Thank you! <3

🍭 why did you start writing?

When it comes to writing in general, I’ve had a passion for story telling for about as long as I could write.

I remember there was an assignment in like 1st lr 2nd grade where my teacher had the class add “spider legs” to their stories, which were basically strips of paper that you could use to add more details to things without erasing. She used to call my spider legs “elephant legs” because I’d add line after line on every “leg.”

As for fanfiction specifically, I did it out of spite.

I saw someone say that RadioApple could never work because Lucifer likes to tempt people with sex (not canon but ok) and Alastor’s asexual. Plus the power difference would make it unhealth and wrong. :/

And in response, I wrote Tempting Entertainment: the precursor fic to UH3.

So uh, thanks random RadioApple anti from 2019. You changed my life forever, and now I have an ongoing series of RadioAppleSiren kinky queer platonic polycule fanfics that get an insane amount of interaction and comments from people telling me how much they liked my work/how wholesome the unholy 3 are/how my portrayal of Alastor’s aroace-ness.

Also, get fucked because UH3!Alastor sure isn’t.

🎀 give yourself a compliment about your own writing

I need to stop reblogging ask games that have this as a prompt, because beloved mutuals are insistent on sending it every time, and I’m going to run out of nice things to say about my work eventually.

Also, I sent one back to you as revenge but the nice kind. If I have to appreciate my work then so you!

Hmmmmmm what do I actually say about this? And what haven’t I said already?

Oh! I think I’m pretty good at noticing the trends that happen when my characters start “writing themselves” and acting accordingly.

I accidentally wrote UH3!Alastor with a bunch of my own Cluster B traits in addition to the implied canon traits. And while I tried to minimize them for a while for fear of The Discourse™️, eventually I decided it was better to double down and write with my own perspective as a person with a personality disorder in mind.

Recently I came to the realization that UH3!Alastor may have a gender preference for women when it comes to platonic and sensual attraction, which I had kind of assumed wouldn’t happen in this AU, but he did it anyway. I’m gonna be keeping an eye on that, and might be updating his microlabels.

He doesn’t know his own microlabels, but it helps me keep my writing consistent. Previously I’d had him down as panaesthetic, pansensual, and panplatonic but I think he’s actually bisensual and biplatonic. His aesthetic attraction isn’t at all based on gender; meanwhile while he can experience sensual, platonic, and queer platonic attraction to any gender, he seems to have a noticeable difference between women and everybody else.

I blame his father for this. I also blame him for a good portion of the Cluster B symptoms. Wow, I really wanna write some backstory about Alastor’s relationship with his father, because it’s hinted at in UH3 in several places, but it doesn’t come up a lot and I have so many things to say.

Uhh, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, my writing! Complimenting it!

Sometimes my characters write themselves, and I think I do a pretty good job chasing after them and taking notes. :3

#fanby answers #boyywithluv #and they were mutuals #fanby: uh3 #fanby: uhverse #uh: alastor #uh: radioapple #uh: radiosin #discourse cw #id in alt text #hazbin hotel #alastor #radioapple #radiosin

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digitalstowaway · 11 months

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Klavier who gets unhealthely attached to Apollo early in their relationship

Who needs Apollo's reassurances every day and needs promises and coddling

And who gets worked up when Apollo is a touch vague about what he's been up to, where he's been

Who has had full-blown panic attacks because Apollo forgot a lunch date

It builds up until Apollo is exhausted and tells Klavier he just needs a weekend to himself. Only for Klavier to overthink his clipped tone and heavy sigh.

Because there's two things that go around in Klavier’s mind on repeat: 1) is someone going to hurt him like Kristoph did and 2) is he capable of hurting someone like Kristoph did

#klapollo

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firstprince-ao3feed · 4 months

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Arms Open

Arms Open https://ift.tt/A1xnhTv by 286474 “I'm glad you called.” Henry laughed bitterly, “I almost didn't. It took me hours and a lot of liquid courage.” “Did you think I would be mad at you?” Alex asked hesitantly. They'd been friends since college, there was no way he could ever be mad enough at Henry that he wouldn't come get him if he needed him. Henry's head fell further down the window, “No. I just… I knew that if I called you, it would start another fight with him. And I couldn't decide if the comfort of seeing my best friend was really worth the extra fight I'd have to have when I finally go home.” —- It’s been 2 months since Henry moved out of their shared apartment to move in with his boyfriend, and Alex has barely heard from him anymore and he hates it. But when Henry has a fight with his boyfriend and calls Alex to pick him up, Alex is there with arms wide open. Words: 7209, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor/Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Roommates, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Getting Together, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Light Angst, unhealth relationship (not henry and alex), no infidelity, Rimming, Anal Sex via AO3 works tagged 'Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor' https://ift.tt/3kBL5D4 January 15, 2024 at 12:16AM

#IFTTT #ao3feed #red white and royal blue #rwrb #firstprince #286474

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thedo0zyslider · 1 year

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Explosions Across Lifetimes - Chapter Five: Stress Reliver -4k words

Fwhip buries himself in work after the last meeting, to an unhealth extent. Jimmy gets worried and steps in. Soft moments ensue.

A03 Link

The Count kept to himself for the next few days, which wasn’t unusual normally. Fwhip was known among the manor staff to be a bit reclusive, especially when times were stressful. Though he usually emerged to eat, but the few people employed under the Count hadn’t seen him since he returned from the meeting over three days ago.

Fwhip had locked himself in the forge for the most part, only leaving to occasionally slip into his study late at night. He’d been forming the redstone dust he had in storage into crystals, which was a lot harder than it sounded. His little crystals worked well on the smaller patches of corruption, but he was unsure how much they would affect the bigger tentacles. He could figure that out later though, when he had a steady supply of them. For now he needed to get more redstone, which he would do once the current supply was all used up. He was not putting off reasons to leave the forge and stop working, not all.

He’d been distracting himself, he had to admit. The ginger didn’t want to think about the last meeting at all, even though he needed to process the information Scott had given them. Whenever a thought about it crept up he shoved it down, replacing it with another thought of how to kill the corruption currently threatening his citizens, and if his little redstone trick would cure Sausage. He ignored those thoughts all well, because missing Sausage hurt a lot. Fwhip didn’t want to feel hurt right now, he wanted the satisfaction of winning, of beating the demon at their own game, so there was no time for hurt, only inventing.

By ignoring recent events he was also ignoring Jimmy, which Fwhip felt pretty bad about. They were already scarcely communicating and then he’d gone radio silent for a few days. The Codfather was pretty upset after the meeting, so it would be nice to check up on him. Yeah, it definitely would be nice too, they were kinda a thing after all.

Fwhip sighed as he pulled out his communicator, a small break wouldn’t hurt. His last one had been two days ago, so another was probably due by now. He typed his message to Jimmy slowly, hands shaking with exhaustion.

fWhip: Hey

fWhip: You doing good?

The half dragon stared at his screen blankly, waiting for a response. He’d finish this conversation then go back to work, no reason to pause every few minutes to reply to the Codfather when he could get it done in one go.

His communicator dinged, shaking Fwhip out of dozing. When had he begun to fall asleep?

Solidarity: I’m okay. How about you?

fWhip: I’m fine

fWhip: I miss you

He huffed to himself after he sent the last message, wondering why he was being so sappy. It must have been the effects of working too long making him soft. Though the message wasn’t a lie, he did miss Jimmy quite a bit, more than he could care to admit. Fwhip rested his head on his arm, waiting for Jimmy to respond again. He’d begun to doze off again before another message was sent, but it was fine. He was just resting his eyes for a minute, he’d finish talking to Jimmy then go back to work afterwards as planned.

Solidarity: aww, miss you too, you sap

….

Solidarity: Fwhip?

Solidarity: You there babe?

Solidarity: Your concerning me i’m coming over

_______________________________

Jimmy was impressed he managed to slip away from his council as quickly as he did that morning. They’d been hounding him a lot lately, and he was sure it had to do with the Count he was currently on his way to see. The Council was…less than thrilled he was getting personal with someone from the Grimlands, the Cod Empire’s mortal enemy, let alone its Count of all people. Jimmy hadn’t outright confirmed anything of course, but rumors were always abound when it came to the emperors (and especially their relationship statuses,) and it was now more of an open secret that Count Fwhip was privately courting the Codfather.

The Council had questioned him as to why he was visiting the Grimlands when he announced that he would be departing and Jimmy had told them it was to familiarize himself with the culture of their new trade partner. It wasn’t really a lie, since he was curious about it, that just wasn’t the reason for this particular visit. He’d seen some of the more scholarly council members nodding approvingly and Jimmy was able to leave without much protest after that. It was possibly the only good lie he’d ever told in his life.

Jimmy hadn’t bothered walking anywhere, taking off with his elytra as soon as he was outside. Worry was clawing at the back of his mind. Fwhip was surprisingly good at responding to messages, so for him to not for more than five minutes was decently concerning. Best case scenario was that he was temporarily distracted, but that was unlikely, as Jimmy still hadn’t received a response. His message had been sent close to fifteen minutes ago, so it was likely Fwhip was hurt or sick. And considering recent events Jimmy wouldn’t be surprised if he’d made himself sick while tinkering with something.

He landed in the Grimlands in record time, opening the door to Eastvale’s manor without knocking. He’d been over enough times to skip such niceties anyways.

After about ten minutes of searching the manor Jimmy was at its front door again, the worry clawing at his mind had increased tenfold. Fwhip wasn’t in his house, that became clear after the first five minutes of searching, but Jimmy had looked further just in case. He decided to check the forge next, not knowing where else the Count could be.

Jimmy found his way to the steaming building easily, only hesitating for a moment before pushing the heavy metal door open. He knew Fwhip didn’t like people going into his work areas unauthorized, but this was a matter of the Count’s health, so he could get over it.

It took Jimmy a moment or two to adjust to the forge. He was surprised at how dim it was, despite the massive reactor in the back corner, radiating light. It was also a fairly hot building, steam constantly pouring out of massive tubes and into the air. The heat was probably also due to said massive reactors.

“Oh,” He muttered, taking in the scene in front of him once his eyes adjusted.

Fwhip was sitting at some sort of table he had in here, presumably to store things he needed for the reactor, as the table was more of a desk with drawers at every corner. Jimmy assumed that's what it was for, he didn’t know what Fwhip did in the forge. Though logically he needed a place to store…whatever he put in that reactor. It didn’t look like a very comfortable place to sit, since the desk and matching chair were made out of metal

The Count had fallen asleep at it despite that, head buried in his arms. Jimmy sighed, stepping over the mess that was apparently on the floor till he stood beside the work area. The Codfather took a glance at the desk, seeing a communicator still turned on. Just as he suspected, Fwhip had fallen asleep during their earlier exchange.

He sighed, looking at the sleeping man in front of him. He didn’t want to wake Fwhip, but he couldn’t leave him here, especially not with the very unstable looking reactor pulsing in the background. Jimmy gently touched Fwhip’s side, fully prepared to carry him back to his bedroom in the manor.

The action jolted the ginger awake, his head snapping up in confusion. Jimmy startled, taking a surprised step backwards. “...Jimmy?” Fwhip muttered holding back a yawn as he blinked away sleep. The Count was still recovering from his sudden wake up, eyes darting around frantically as if he was unsure where he was. “What are you doing here?”

“I, ah, got worried.” The cod said, smiling down at Fwhip fondly. “Wanted to see you again.”

“Oh.” The half dragon responded, blinking some more. “Well I’m fine, you can go now.” He waved a gloved hand for dramatic effect. “Or stay, if you want too.” He added, as if he’d forgotten that they were no longer enemies.

Jimmy repressed a sigh. It was clear Fwhip was overworking himself, and it wasn’t just because he fell asleep in the forge of all places. His hair was a mess, clearly going unwashed for days, and his eyes were sunken with way too many dark circles under them. That man needed rest, badly.

“No, I’m staying.” Jimmy said. “And I’m getting you to bed.”

“What!?” Fwhip exclaimed, though his voice was so drowsy it wasn’t very effective as an exclamation of anything. “Why!?”

“You look like death that’s why,” The cod stated it blunt, stepping forward again so he could grab hold of Fwhip’s arm. “Up you go!” He tugged the other to his feet, the half dragon letting out a yelp of surprise at Jimmy’s strength. He stumbled for a second, unbalanced by the sudden motion, before catching himself with a hand on the Codfather’s shoulder.

Jimmy ignored the grumbles of complaint Fwhip made as they walked back to the manor, the latter practically leaning on him the whole way there. It was kinda cute seeing Fwhip so affectionate, but that was only because he was absolutely exhausted. That ruins the cuteness factor a lot, Jimmy thought as he practically dragged the Count up the stairs to his manor. He was surprisingly heavy, and Jimmy wondered if he'd have been even heavier when asleep. Probably so, but the Codfather could still lift him if he had too, though he didn't think Fwhip would appreciate being carried in full view of the public, no matter how sick he was.

Though he did fully pick up Fwhip when the front door of the manor slammed shut behind them, figuring it would be the easiest way to transport the Count. He was not risking Fwhip stumbling up the stairs and to his bedroom on the second floor. The Count didn’t need to get a concussion in this state, or worse, crack his skull.

Fwhip didn’t protest much to being swept off his feet or carried bridal style, only letting out a small yelp of surprise. That was concerning. Usually the ginger would have some indignant response to being treated like this, or would make some flirty, flustered remark about how strong Jimmy was. Instead he just snuggled up to the Codfather's chest, burying his face in the soft green fabric of Jimmy’s shirt, letting himself be carried up the stairs. Jimmy frowned as he managed to nudge open the door to Fwhips bedroom. That was really concerning.

He gently laid Fwhip down in his bed, watching as the man nearly melted into his bedsheets. Jimmy frowned, noting the slight redness to the Count’s face. That wasn’t a good sign.

The Codfather pressed a hand to Fwhip's forehead, brows furrowing when he felt heat radiating from the other’s pale skin. Shit. Jimmy almost hissed in frustration. Fwhip had worked himself into a fever. Great. He sighed, turning to rummage through any drawers in the room. If Fwhip was sane, which the Codfather wasn't sure he was, he'd have a few healing items stocked away in his bedroom or somewhere nearby.

Fwhip did in fact have a little bit of sanity left, as a handful of healing potions and golden apples were hidden in the bottom drawer of a nightstand, along with things like bandages and disinfectant. Fwhip seemed like the type to accidentally injure himself a lot, so it was logical he'd have healing supplies so close by. For once Jimmy was grateful for how concerningly accident prone his partner could be.

The Codfather carefully placed the items onto the top of the nightstand, casting a glance at Fwhip. He needed to be kept cool, which the scarf and coat he always wore certainly wouldn’t accomplish, especially with the humidity already present outside. He began to move a now unconscious Fwhip into a sitting position, slowly removing clothing items until the Count was left in just pants and a white undershirt. When that was done Jimmy managed to get the Count to drink the healing potion, before going to the bathroom to place a wet towel on his forehead.

He furrowed his brows again, watching Fwhip’s chest fall up and down. Jimmy didn’t know why he was worrying over things like breathing when Fwhip had just overworked himself, but he was. He just needs to rest. Probably. Hopefully.

He sighed for what felt like the millionth time since arriving in the Grimlands. The cod sat on the bed next to Fwhip, deciding he would stay until the other was fully healed. He should probably notify his council of that, and the few people that worked for Fwhip. He'd do it later, after Fwhip woke up. Just in case.

________________________________

There were voices coming from somewhere, Fwhip could tell that much. He just didn't know who was speaking, or where they were. He distantly wondered how someone had gotten into the forge. He’d sworn he’d locked the door, but maybe he’d forgotten. It was possible as things seemed to be slipping his mind more and more frequently, with how focused the Count had been on his work over the past few days.

Fwhip felt his ear twitch, straining to hear the voices through the pounding in his head. Strange, he didn’t remember having a headache. He thought one of the voices--he was only able to make out two distinct ones--was Jimmy. Why was Jimmy in the Grimlands? No, it couldn’t be Jimmy. He had an empire to run, it was probably someone else. Fwhip wondered, desperately trying to listen to what was being said to no avail. The half dragon wanted to open his eyes, but they felt heavy and immovable.

Whoever was in the room had apparently noticed his stirring, as Fwhip felt the other side of the bed (when had he been put in a bed? ) dip with the weight of another person. The back of a hand pressed against his forehead, which made Fwhip realize something wet had been laying where the hand was now placed. The person moved to run their thumb along his cheek and Fwhip leaned into the touch, nuzzling into the gloved hand.

The person went to run their fingers through hair soothingly, causing a low purr to rumble in Fwhip’s throat. He decided that the mystery person was indeed Jimmy, only by the soft way they were holding him. He snuggled up as close as he could, letting the hands playing his his hair slowly lull him back to sleep

________________________________

Fwhip was warm when he woke again, so much so he wanted to fall right back asleep.

He didn’t fall back asleep though, for the Count felt the most well rested he had in….months probably. It was time to get up and get back to work, that was the one thing on Fwhip’s mind as soon as he regained the ability to form coherent thoughts again. Curiously there was another warmth at his side, one that wasn’t his bedsheets, a mystery that had to be solved before he could return to his redstone crystal experimentation.

He looked around, now able to open his once heavy eyelids, only to find that the warm presence was Jimmy, sound asleep to his right. Fwhip blinked in surprise, wildly glancing around the room to the sleeping figure beside him.

The Codfather’s head was resting on the nightstand beside the bed, a rare moment where the whole of Jimmy’s face was exposed. Sunlight from his bedroom window was landing on both of them, illuminating Jimmy’s soft yet sharp features. Normally blonde hair looked rich and golden in the afternoon light, because it was apparently afternoon now. His head was resting on Fwhip’s shoulder, arms wrapped around his torso. He'd never noticed those small freckles lining Jimmy’s cheeks before, and maybe it was his morning brian, but those were incredibly adorable . Fwhip started to turn until he was facing the blonde, careful not to leave Jimmy’s grasp, tracing his fingers over the freckles and pressing soft kisses to them. Jimmy's arms tightened around him in response, nuzzling into Fwhip’s neck further. The Count let out a fond huff, pressing one last peck to Jimmy’s skin before starting to sit up.

Jimmy grumbled something unintelligible as the weight in his arms shifted, brown eyes opening slowly. The Codfather stared at Fwhip for a good minute, shooting upwards as soon as he processed the ginger was now awake. The Count watched with mild curiosity as Jimmy stood, stumbling a bit. He still wasn’t sure why they were cuddling in his bedroom, or how they’d gotten there in the first place. Though he wasn’t complaining about the cuddling bit, not really.

“How you feeling?” Jimmy asked, voice slightly slurred with sleep. The cod’s tail brushed against the floor lightly, its owner picking up a bowl of…what appeared to be soup from behind the Codfather’s head on the nightstand. Why was there soup in his bedroom? He also noticed his coat, goggles and scarf on the floor, which made Fwhip realize there were no black sleeves almost fully covering his clawed hands, and that he was in just his pants and white t-shirt. Jimmy must’ve underdressed him at some point, and undressed wasn’t really a good word to use there was it?

“I’m feeling…better” Fwhip muttered, the bowl being gently placed in his lap and Jimmy practically shoving the spoon into his hand. He made a small note to not spill any of the liquid on his covers. “That’s good.” Jimmy said, looking pointedly between him and the soup. Fwhip got the message and began to slowly eat the food, finding it slightly cold, as if the meal was a few hours old.

“Sorry if it’s cold,” The cod apologized, noticing how Fwhip’s nose crinkled slightly at the temperature of his first spoonful. “I made it about an hour ago or so.”

“ You made it!?” Fwhip asked in surprise, almost choking on what he could now tell was a type of cream soup.

“Why?” Jimmy began, slightly frowning with anxiety. “Is it ba-”

“No, no, no!” Fwhip cut him off quickly, looking downwards at the bowl. Jimmy had made him soup . “I just didn’t know you could cook. The soup is really good,” He smiled.

The Codfather’s face turned red at the compliment. “Yeah, um, yeah. Lizzie taught me a few years ago--how to cook. Clara and a few other staff said they could cook you food instead, but I kinda insisted too”

They sat in silence for a few minutes after that, a comfortable silence thankfully. Jimmy watched as Fwhip slowly finished the soup, eating it almost lovingly. He was still grappling with the fact that Jimmy had made him soup . The Count wasn’t sure why the act struck him so much, other people had cooked for him before, even Sausage with his ironically terrible culinary skills. Though he supposed no one had ever made a meal just for him and him only, when he was weak and needed to be cared for. No one insisted they specifically make him food before, not when he was sick, maybe that was why. It could also be because of his…affection for Jimmy. Maybe that was why it meant so much.

“Hey,” Fwhip said once he was done with the meal, the bowl begging returned to its original place. “How did I even get here? In my bedroom, I mean.’”

“Oh.” Jimmy blinked. “Well I got worried when you didn't answer your comm yesterday.” Fwhip spluttered slightly at the last part. A whole day!? He’d been down for a whole day!? If Jimmy noticed his splutter he didn’t comment on it, deciding to continue his retelling instead. “So I came over here, found you passed out in the forge from overworking yourself and um kinda…took care of you.”

They both flushed red at the last few words, Fwhip more intensely than the Codfather, who kept talking through his flustered state. “You had a fever, so I worked on bringing it down.” Ah, so that was what the wetness on his forehead had been.

Fwhip fiddled with the bed sheets, clutching them between his fingers a few times. “Thanks, for doing all of that.”

“No problem.” Jimmy muttered. “Just don’t do it again.” He added sternly, and Fwhip nodded vigorously in agreement, knowing Jimmy would have his head if he did do it again, their relationship be damned. The half dragon made grabby hands a moment later, beckoning the other forward. Jimmy blinked curiously, moving closer until he was almost eye level with the ginger. Fwhip felt around on the nightstand for a bit, finding the Codfather’s head. He placed the hat atop Jimmy’s head once more, taking care to adjust it the way Jimmy liked it. The cod man’s face was flushed a pretty scarlet when the hat was fully adjusted, Fwhip smiling up at him softly.

Jimmy leaned in further, catching Fwhip’s lips in a sweet kiss. The Count leaned into it, butterflies suddenly fluttering widely in his stomach. It was a gentle kiss, a gloved hand coming to cup Fwhip’s cheek lovingly. They pulled away from each other at the sound of the door opening, breathing heavily from the length of the kiss.

Clara cleared her throat as she came into view. “Didn’t mean to interrupt you two lovebirds,” She didn’t look flushed from catching them, she’d seen them do far more than a simple smooch after all. “Good morning by the way, sir.” She said, nodding at Fwhip, who just blinked back. It seemed he was still a bit out of it from all the overworking.

Jimmy mumbled an apology, watching as Clara placed a glass of water on the nightstand, taking the dirty bowl in the process. She dipped out of the room with a curtsey, which impressed Fwhip a good bit. How she was able to do that without dropping the bowl would forever be a mystery to him, one of those Clara specific skills she possessed. She locked the door behind her.

Jimmy waited until his employees' footsteps faded into the distance before he settled next to Fwhip in the bed again, slipping under the covers this time. Fwhip flopped backwards, leaning on Jimmy and forcing the other to curl around him. The cod buried his face in Fwhip’s hair, the stressor worrying over the Count crashing over him after two days of nonstop fretting. The half dragon sighed contently, closing his eyes as Jimmy wrapped his arms around his torso once more.

“Hey,” The Codfather muttered against russet locks.

“Hi,” Fwhip purred, feeling himself begin to doze off again in Jimmy’s warm, comfortable embrace.

“Did you do that, overwork yourself, because of the last meeting?”

The count was wide awake again at those words, feeling his whole body tense and snapping his eyes open once more. Jimmy relaxed his hold on Fwhip’s midsection, allowing him an opportunity to slip away if he wanted too. Fwhip didn’t take it though, as he was trying to work up a response in his head. He eventually settled on a simple, “Yeah, yeah that’s why.”

“Do you wanna…talk about it?” The Codfather asked hesitantly.

The half dragon took a deep breath, steadying himself. The emotions he’d been repressing for what, a week now? Time didn’t matter, all that did was that they were flooding back through him all at once, so much it was overwhelming. Jimmy’s grip on him tightened again, giving Fwhip an anchor as he processed.

“I just,” He began unsteadily, trying to keep any sort of anger from his voice. “Scott- he just lied so easily about it, and I don’t know why!!” Fwhip growled, the elves' name feeling like dirt on his tongue. Not understanding Scott’s motivation for lying was driving him up the walls, as the engineer saw no logical conclusion for it. “He should’ve just told us, people would still be alive if he had! Sausa-- he’d be happy and with us right now! And then he hurt you and-”

Jimmy’s soothing clicks cut Fwhip off as soon as tears started to prick at the corner of his eyes. They weren’t tears of sadness, rather they were from anger, frustration, the searing pain of being betrayed by someone he’d thought of as good, a friend even.

“I’m mad at him too.” Jimmy muttered, voice breaking. “But I wanna talk to Scott about that in person. It’s kinda about our…past relations mostly.”

Fwhip nodded understandingly, letting himself relax against Jimmy once more. He didn’t really want to hear about the mess that was Jimmy and Scott’s small courtship, just watching it unfold from the sidelines had been painful enough, hearing about it was probably going to be worse.

“He’s so getting kicked out of the Alliance,” Fwhip mumbled, sleep once again creeping into the edge of his voice. The Codfather made a click of acknowledgement in the back of his throat, pressing a comforting kiss into soft ginger hair.

The Count allowed himself to be lulled back to sleep, Jimmy once again beginning to play with his hair. He wasn’t as tired as he had been these past few days, but a little more sleep never hurt anybody, especially when they were so deprived of it in the first place.

He was certain Jimmy would be there again when he woke for a third time, whenever that was. Be it in a few hours or the next day Jimmy would be there, ready to help Fwhip properly get back on his feet and resume his work slowly. Scott was a problem for later, for now all Fwhip needed was this, soft recoveries with his favorite person in the world snuggled against him.

For now, this was enough.

#ron.writing #ron.fic #empires smp #empires fanfic #empires s1 #jimmy solidarity #fwhip #empires fwhip #fwhimmy #empires season one #esmp s1 #explosions acorss lifetimes

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