angelfish / fish whisperer is a Crossover fanfiction between SMPLive and Empires SMP created by serilly on Archive of Our Own. It is the first long-form entry in the Expandedverse, a large crossover universe that intends to bring together many MCYT series.
The story focuses on Cooper, a fish hybrid who was raised by his adoptive father Thala in SMPLive, who feels like an outsider. One day, his best friend, a dog hybrid named Travis, finds an odd shell on the shore of a beach outside of Spawn City and brings it to Cooper, who takes interest in it. The two return to the beach and discover that the shell has started glowing, and happen upon a message in a bottle describing the story of two siblings descending from the Ocean Empire who were cursed to forget the ocean. Cooper feels oddly connected to this, and the two decide to go on a journey to find the Ocean Empire.
The fic can be read here
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This work contains examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: Cooper is referred to by other characters he is close with as "Coop" occasionally, and the same with Travis and "Trav".
- All There in the Manual: Some supplementary information about the characters can be found on the author's Tumblr.
- Dark Secret: Travis is ashamed of his demonic nature and tries his hardest to keep it under wraps.
- Deadpan Snarker: Cooper tends to have a snarky comment for just about any situation he finds himself in.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: The plot is mainly driven by Cooper feeling isolated and not understanding what his place in the world is, and trying to figure it out.
- Ear Fins: Cooper has a pair.
- Fantastic Racism: Thala fears and despises the ocean and everything that lives within it, which he tries to instill into his son, despite said son being a fish hybrid.
- Fish out of Water: Literally — Cooper is a fish hybrid who was raised on land and feels distanced from everything around him as a result.
- Genre Savvy: Travis has a moment of this in Chapter 1:Travis: Maybe you’re like, destined to see that message! This is just like a fantasy novel, this is so exciting!
- I Am Who?: The main plot of the story is about Cooper learning that he is the estranged sibling of Lizzie and Jimmy of the Ocean-Swamp Empires.
- Interspecies Adoption: Cooper is a fish hybrid adopted and raised by a human.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The curse that the Ocean royalty are placed under states that if they are to leave the ocean, they will forget that whole side of themselves.
- Little Bit Beastly: Travis is a dog hybrid who frequently uses his ears and tail to express his emotions.
- Lost Orphaned Royalty: Cooper was found as an egg by Thala and raised from hatching, leading Cooper to be wholly unaware of his royal lineage.
- Meaningful Name:
- Thala Sopho comes from "thalassophobia", the fear of the ocean.
- Cooper, Lizzie, and Jimmy's last name, "Tetra" is a species of fish.
- Travis's name, Traverius Supra, is a play on his username, supertraves.
- Message in a Bottle: The protagonists find one that sets up the background for the plot in the first chapter.
- Mysterious Past: As of Chapter 3, very little about Travis's past is known besides the whole being a demon thing, and even that is from supplementary material.
- Our Demons Are Different: The tie-in one shot story "cat v. dog" reveals Travis to be a shapeshifting "trickster demon" who disguises himself as a dog hybrid.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Cooper is a humanoid fish hybrid with a tail and facial fins.
- Parental Abandonment: Cooper's sea god parent died soon after laying its cluch of eggs.
- Plot-Triggering Book: The book "Myths & Legends of the Ocean, Vol. 1" that Cooper finds in Chapter 2 contains important information that helps steer the plot.
- Prehensile Tail: Cooper is frequently shown to use his tail to point things out or push things.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Travis's true name, Traverius, is derived from the Christian three-headed dog demon Naberius.
- Sneaking Out at Night: Due to Thala's strictness, Cooper sneaks out with Travis to visit the beach at night in the first chapter.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Travis is revealed to have this ability in a tie-in short story.
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Travis asks this in Chapter 3, earning a snarky (and worried) retort from Cooper:Travis: It'll be fine! What's the worst that can happen?
Cooper: We die in the middle of nowhere and can't respawn?
