#for chima

[rayeverydangday]

The chi is gay now

[chimachapterbooks]

I debated on putting this on my main but I think it fits

[theriseofleon]

Pages 261-266...

Leon vs Davet...

[olivescales3]

With the reveal of an NB character in Ninjago, I feel that people are placing this theme on a pedestal because of this one single move of inclusion. Don't get me wrong— I'm glad that LEGO is including LGBTQIA+ identities into their themes, and I genuinely hope they continue doing so, but we're forgetting that they're investing a step forward into a theme that's always going two steps back.

I don't feel like pointing out the issues of Ninjago, especially because it's tiresome and it's not the point of this post, but I remember that there was an entire thread here on Tumblr about the problematic worldbuilding of Ninjago. I might write something about it as well, but it's unlikely.

Chima had a great amount of inclusion and diversity within its cast (though no canon LGBTQIA+ characters, unfortunately):

POC-equivalent characters (brown and blue crocodiles; vultures with tan and bright blue skin colors), of which a few of those are part of tribes that have a motif from predominantly white cultures (Longtooth and Lavertus, who are brown lions in a tribe with a roman motif; Ehboni, Eglor, who are black and dark blue respectively, alongside unnamed eagles of mixed origins [dark blue x white] in a tribe of greek motif, and even Ewald himself isn't white).

A majority of these characters are important to the plot and/or have reoccurring appearances;

Diversity in tribe lifestyles, with the Wolf Tribe being nomadic (and not going through the stereotype of nomadic traders).

Each vehicle in Chima follows the motif and lifestyle of their respective tribe. For example, crocodiles are ambush predators and require camouflage, thus their vehicles are heavily based on military vehicles, with camo colors and strong silhouettes;

Marginalized characters whose arcs actually end with them winning and gaining respect. The Ice Hunters vs. Phoenixes arc was an obvious allegory of colonization, and it ends with the Ice Hunters alive and thriving, while the Phoenixes (who started the war) lost and failed to 'educate' their enemies.

The Crawlers also have their arc finished with an anti-war and pro-diversity lesson, where Laval lends them Chi because it's not supposed to be earned, and instead is free for everyone, even though they had stolen all of Mount Cavora's Chi beforehand;

Characters whose appearance is distinctive and break barriers of ableism are not only present in Chima, but are also treated equally to other characters, without having their differences be a point, argument, or lesson. (Cragger with a blind eye, Crug with a prosthetic jaw, the Raven Tribe as a whole, Leonidas with distinctively shaped incisors and Longtooth with long canines).

However, the Rhinoceros Tribe is an unfortunate exception, as they're constantly depicted as dumb;

The Lion Tribe has a lot of diversity by itself, with lions having a variety of mane colors that represent hair colors in real life. Laval has red hair, Leonidas is ginger, Lavertus is blond, Lennox has brown hair;

Other cultural representations such as Dom de La Woosh being based on Brazilian carnivals;

There's Wonald, a vegan character;

My favorite fact of all: Chima and Chi are both real words who exist in multiple languages, and each of their meanings was instrumental to the interpretation we have in this theme. → Chi means: knowledge in japanese; water (literally) and source of life (figuratively) in chinese; god in igbo. Chima means "god knows all" in igbo → in LoC, the Phoenixes created Chi, which looks like water and is the source of life/knowledge in Chima, and they also sculpted Mount Cavora with each tribe's heads before they had even evolved.

All of this unfortunately flew over most people's heads, which is a bad thing, as all of the effort that was put on Chima's diversity was left unnoticed, but it is also a good thing at the same time, because everything was executed seamlessly and naturally, just like how people should view each other in real life (view one another without discrimination). However, this amount of care and thought put into adding a diverse cast of characters is probably not going to be seen again, in any lego theme or any story made by corporations/companies.

[fancysailormoondeadpoolvoid]

Pages 1-2-3-4 The story's prologue, Livinox facing lagravis

[raisedlikeaphoenix]

Raised like a Phoenix: Chapter 10 - Recharge

“You're sitting this one out.”

“What!?”

The sun was beginning to set, stars trickling the sky. The perfect time to take a giant bird as dark as night and a wolf as quiet as a shadow out to save their respective warriors.

But Cragger stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, refusing to let Laval leave their house.

“Remember that conversation we had about taking breaks? Well, I think you should start now.”

“But two of our friends are out there in the exact same place! Are you sure you can handle both of them? I still think I should come.” Laval tried to scootch out the door but Cragger scooted in his way.

“Nope. Go back to bed or something. Rest.”

“Come on-”

“Nope.

“Let me-”

“Nah.”

“Just-”

“Nada.”

They continued to play this game of keep away, soon smiling like dorks as they playfully fought. Just like old times.

“Heh, heh! Cragger! Come on!” Laval chuckled, attempting to worm around the crocodile.

Cragger stuck out his tongue. “Not today, fur boy. Between Li’Ella and I, we should be fine.”

“Actually, Li’Ella can’t come this time.”

The two turned to see Flinx, fiddling with a communicator in his hands.

“She has to help Tormak with… something. And wanted me to tell you guys. Those vulture guys messaged us too. Saying that the Hunters are in the junkyard looking for the next pair of firewings.”

The two looked at each other, then back at the phoenix.

“What kinda ‘something’?” Cragger asked, curious.

A nervous smile painted his face, as the firebird chuckled. “Well, it's sort of a surprise…”

“Huh. Well maybe you can help out Flinx!” Laval suggested.

“Wha- really?” Flinx shifted, clearly unsure of how to feel.

“Yeah! We can use a bird to rescue a bird! Come on!” Cragger said.

The little guy looked conflicted. Maybe he was scared of the Hunters. After all, if his father wasn’t here, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why.

But Flinx's eyes filled with rage and passion, grinning as he gave Cragger his answer. “Yeah! Let's get those frosted freaks!”

The three cheered, pumping their hands in the air.

“Alright then let's GO!” Laval ran out of the house when Cragger was distracted, much to his friends' surprise.

“Laval! Get back here and take a break!” Cragger yelled, chasing after the lion. Flinx followed after the two as the Laval maneuvered around people as they reached the lantern lit town square.

Squaks, roars, and yelps were heard as they ran through the streets. Many jumped out of the way of the running zombies, others almost dropping what they held in their hands.

Despite losing sight of him in the crowd, they heard Laval giggle the whole time as Cragger continued to yell at him to take a break.

“NEEEEVEERRRRR- AHH!”

Cragger thought the lion had tripped as he ran around the now annoyed town goers. When the two reached Laval however, they saw Spinlyn holding the lion, wrapped up in spider silk.

Like a little burrito.

The prince struggled in his restraints as the Spider Queen handed him off to Cragger.

“You're welcome.”

-

Cragger had placed Laval in his bed, still bound in spider silk but with the added weight of almost all the blankets and pillows in the house except the ones Gorzan was using. (The gorilla decided to stay the night as well, in a separate room. It really felt like Laval’s new home was turning into all their revived friends' new home.)

At first Laval had put on a pout that the croc had called cute (making him blush a little) and refused to sleep. He sat there in the dimly lit room, in the totally NOT cozy blankets, with the totally NOT cozy pillows, and waited for NOT sleep to come.

But as Laval snuggled deeper into the soft fabric of the plush pillows and blankets and as his eyelids grew heavier, he figured a small nap wouldn’t kill him. Again.

He wasn’t entirely sure how long he was asleep for. It was night time when he woke up so it wasn’t too long.

But it felt nice to just rest without having to worry about anything. He knew Cragger could handle getting Razar and Worriz back on his own. (Whether he had the patience to handle their attitudes was a different story.)

He sighed in contentment as he began drifting out of sleep after a while, simply enjoying the softness of the covers.

When he opened his eyes however, he was not expecting a certain bird to be staring at him. Or rather a certain raven-eagle hybrid to be exact.

Laval yelled as he struggled to get up, realizing a little too late that he was still bound in spider webs.

He fell off the bed in his panic, groaning in pain as he rolled on his back to look up at Reegull, who wore a black apron (covered in different colored goop), a dark green dress, and one high heel next to his peg leg.

The hybrid didn’t say hello. Rather he said, “Get up. I want to take you to my lab to study you before the eagles do.”

Ewald had asked Laval if he could come into the eagles' newly built lab for some test but understood that he still needed time to adjust to his new body on his own before he underwent any experiments.

Reegull apparently didn’t.

“How did you-”

“Pick your lock!”

At least he had the courtesy to cut Laval out of his spider silk bounds.

“Are the other two here?” He asked, looking around the room as if they were hidden away.

“Only Gorzan. Cragger went to get Razar and Worriz.” Laval got up off the floor.

“Alright then.” He took Laval’s wrist and walked over to the next room. Opening the door, they saw Gorzan sitting on the bed, flipping through a book about plants with his feet. (Good thing a gorilla’s feet are like a second pair of hands.)

Before he could say anything, Reegull said, “You are coming too.”

Gorzan looked at Laval’s unimpressed face then at Reegull’s eager one.

“Okay.” He spoke.

-

Reegull’s lab was quite similar to his old one. Just like all the other raven’s homes it was mostly made of scrap metal that was probably just stapled together.

But there were bits that didn't seem like something the alchemist would collect. Colorfully woven tapestries, comfy couches with blue and green color pallets, it all felt different… but familiar.

“So, you're not gonna cut us open, right dude?” Gorzan asked.

Reegull was pulling out some test tubes and needles, mumbling a distracted “Maybe.” Making Gorzan wince.

“He’s not gonna do anything we don’t want to Gorzan. Not on my watch.” Laval reassured him.

“Yes… but you must remember that in order for progress to be made, sacrifices are necessary. We all must give up something in order to get what we want…”

Laval couldn’t help but find truth in Reegull’s words. After all, he and his friends sacrificed themselves in order to save Chima! And they still failed. He couldn’t help but find the idea of trying it all over again extremely terrifying.

If they don’t succeed this time, will there be anything left of them to be revived? Will they all return to that cold, dreamless sleep?

And what if the Illumination succeeds, what will happen to them?

It felt like it didn’t matter. Win or lose, Laval and his friends are going to die either way.

“Alright then… First! A blood test…” Reegull said.

The hybrid would pull out many different contraptions and machinery, asking for samples and tests to do with the zombie-like warriors.

Some they would allow, like taking fur samples or letting Reegull look into their different colored eyes. But of course, they would draw the line at things such as cutting off limbs and seeing if they can be reattached or finding out if they can drink poison or acid.

“For the last time! You can’t CUT US OPEN TO SEE OUR BRAINS!”

“But surely it would have changed in the time you’ve been gone! Just let me make a small incision…”

“How can you make a small incision?! You're cutting open our heads?!” As Laval and Reegull argued, Gorzan sat on the couch and looked around the room.

I wonder if any of the gorilla dudes have tamed the pretty plants outside the village, they thought.

Catching up with his tribe after being revived felt like taking a breath of fresh air after drowning. They partied for quite a bit, chatting about how everyone was doing, and what Gorzan missed. It broke his heart to hear that they had lost a few members, but it felt pretty tubular to meet newer ones.

Maybe we can revive long gone dudes, but would they want to come back as chi zombies like us-

His train of thought was interrupted when his eyes locked with another pair. Another pair of eyes that didn’t belong to Laval or Reegull.

Hidden in the corner of the room there was a little raven girl with green eyes crouched behind a couple of boxes.

The two were locked in a silent staring contest, neither refusing to blink.

“Uh, dudes? Who's that?”

“Who?” Laval asked, as Reegull looked over to where Gorzan was gesturing to.

He groaned. “Ugh! Rubiz! I’ve told you! You must stay upstairs!” Reegull scooped up the raven child from her hiding place and began heading up stairs. Rubiz hanging from his hook by the hood of her vest.

Laval began to follow, and not wanting to be alone, Gorzan did the same.

“Is she your kid?” Laval questioned as they headed up the stairs.

“Nope.”

“Whose kid is that then?!”

“One of Dom’s” The hybrid said as he opened the door.

“IT'S THE WITCH!” A young eagle yelled as a young rhino threw a pillow at Reegull, nailing him right in the face. Laval and Gorzan chuckled.

“Oi! You kids better stop that!” Reegull scolded the two youngsters as they stuck their tongues at him.

“Boys please calm down.” A familiar voice said.

Laval gasped. “Is that-”

Don de la Woosh stood beside the door ushering the other children back to the play area in the center of the room.

Laval had to admit: the former speedor racer had seen better days.

Scars traced his face, many surrounding one of his eyes. Blinding it permanently. He wore a light blue silk robe, with yellow and red flower patterns stitched along the sleeves. As he walked, he had a slight limp, but he gave them a welcoming smile.

“The Whoosh?! What are you doing here?” Laval smiled back at the sight of his idol.

“Why, The Whoosh lives here!” He chuckled. “Someone has to look after all these little ones after all.”

“Well, a ‘little one’ decided they wanted to look at my stuff, Jewel.” Reegull raised the little raven girl up towards the peacock.

“Jewel?” Gorzan and Laval remarked.

“Oh, little Rubiz is just curious. Isn’t that, right?” The young raven nodded her head as she was handed off into Whoosh’s arms.

“Come, come. Why don’t the Whoosh make you some tea?” He led them through the play area.

It was painted blue with a large green and yellow circular carpet in the middle, children's toys and mini playgrounds set up for children from all sorts of tribes to play with. Many played with dolls, board games, or simply napped on some mini beds.

“Dude, do you watch over all these little dudes by yourself?” Gorzan asked, as they headed down the hall to a kitchen.

“Yes. Someone must look after the children after all. You know how dangerous the Outlands could be…” Whoosh said sadly.

Reegull scoffed, leaning against the wall as Laval and Gorzan sat down. The Whoosh put Rubiz in a highchair and handed her a cup of fruit to munch on.

“Okay, this is eating me up. Why is Reegull living in your basement? And why did he call you Jewel?” Laval interrogated the star racer.

The old birds gave each other a look, before bursting out laughing, much to the two's confusion. Rubiz kept munching on her fruit.

“Oh, Laval. Reegull is my husband.”

There was a moment of silence as Laval processed what his idol had just said.

“Oh! Congrats, you two!” Gorzan said, supportively, not missing a beat.

…

“WHAT!?”

The Whoosh and Reegull. THE WHOOSH AND REEGULL? WHAT? What? What?

“You…” Laval pointed to the Whoosh, who patted Rubiz on the head.

“And… you…” Reegull was grinning like a super villain as he gave Laval a small wave.

“I… wha… who… you… just…”

He turned to the Whoosh. “How…” He whispered.

The Whoosh chuckled. “We met after the war. I was fleeing for my life, gaining a few scars along the way.” Gesturing to his face. But he recalled the tale like it was nothing more than a pleasant dream. “I was having a hard time finding anyone in the Outlands, when my knight in silver feathers rescued me from the jaws of a mighty beast. And took me to the village.”

The peacock brought Reegull into a hug as the alchemist rolled his eyes.

“You say it like I was some hero… I didn’t even-”

“Oh, HUSH! You came to my rescue.” The Whoosh cupped Reegulls face and for a moment, it was only the two of them. In the moment.

“That’s all that matters, mi amor. That’s all it took for me to be with such a handsome devil.” The two practically touched beaks and if it weren’t for the feathers, Reegull’s face would be completely red. He waved his hand aside.

“Oh! Stop! I’m not that handsome.”

“Yes, you are. You're beautiful.”

The two continued to stay in their own little world for a bit, with The Whoosh swaying his husband side to side as if they were about to slow dance.

Gorzan grinned at the sight, Rubiz was too focused on her fruit bowl to care, and Laval watched the whole thing like he was watching someone drink expired milk. Or like he was watching his idol kiss someone who tried to turn Chima into chickens. Oh, wait! He WAS!

When the two were done, The Whoosh cleared his throat. “How about that tea?”

-

“I don’t get it.” Laval mumbled as he saw the two old gay birds bump each other playfully with their hips as they prepared the kid’s snacks. The sight made most of him sick to his stomach. But a small part of him couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Gorzan took a sip of his tea from a helpful straw.

“Whatcha mean, dude?”

“How can someone sooooo messed up, date and marry someone so cool?!” The two walked out of the room, playfully teasing each other as the lion whispered. It reminded Laval of Eris and Rogon, with all dumb flirting they did. (Thinking of those two made him wonder how Cragger was doing.)

Gorzan smiled kindly.

“Well, maybe he needs this. It’s like you and Cragger. You were there for him when he needed you. And it helped the dude realize how much of a bummer he was being.”

The idea of Cragger and him being like Reegull and The Whoosh made Laval feel like he had a tummy full of butterflies. If only it could be that way…

“Hmm. Gorzan, do you think Cragger likes me?”

Gorzan chuckled. “Of course, Dude!”

“But… likes-LIKES me?”

“Oh.” The gorilla blinked. He hadn’t talked to anyone about his feelings towards Cragger. He wanted to say something to the croc but it felt the moment he realized how he felt there was always something going on. Whether it be a war on ice zombies, bugs, or with the very crocodile he loved the moment he met up with him at the Forever Rock, on the night before they left for the Outlands.

“Well… have you asked?” Gorzan asked.

“No. Should I?”

“Of course, you should.” Reegull butted into their conversation, with Rubiz sitting on his shoulders.

“Hmm. And what do you know?” Laval demanded.

Reegull rolled his eyes as he leaned towards the lion.

“I know that Dom makes me the happiest bird alive. Every day with him, I treasure more than any raven will treasure a well-earned trinket. I study everything he loves more than an eagle will study the stars, because I want to make him happy. Asking him out was the greatest thing to happen to me. So, if I knew I only had so much time with my precious Jewel, I would make every moment worth more than gold.”

Laval was speechless.

But, as much as he hated to admit it, Reegull was right.

If he was going to die all over again, the time to make a move on Cragger was now. Or never. Laval nodded. “Okay, I think I will. He should be back pretty soon anyway so we should get going.” Laval drank the rest of his tea and stood up from the table, and immediately felt dizzy.

“Whoa…” He mumbled. Maybe he got up too fast? But why did he continue to feel like the room was spinning.

“You alright, dude?” Gorzan’s voice sounded so distant. Why did he… sound… so distant… What… was… happening…

“Your chi-” He heard Reegull say from miles away. His vision was beginning to blur as he tried to balance himself.

He felt so… weak.

So… tired…

So… cold…

The last thing he saw was the worried face of his friends as he fell to the floor.

Chapter 9 <- ⭐️ -> Chapter 11

[mysharona1987]

[jasper-the-menace]

Fun fact! If you don't know how to get your formerly-villainous main character to do something good, just give him a praise kink!

[tossawary]

One of my favorite "identity / secret" reveal situations I've ever read in a book series was when the "orphan" protagonist had been kidnapped and the kidnappers were trying to ransom him to this guy he'd only heard of in passing before. And it was a relatively serious scene, but in humorous summary, it went a little like this:

Kidnappers: "We have your son."

Some Guy: "I don't have a son."

Kidnappers: "..."

Protagonist: "..."

Some Guy: "Wait, let me call my ex."

[sourmonkeyfoot]

guys I tried to cook food

[furmewolfy]

LEGO is just crack for autistic people

[rayeverydangday]

I want to do keychains for pride month! I might change these up the background tho but I like where it’s going

[chimachapterbooks]

In the Lair of Lavertus

“I can't sleep," said Cragger.

Laval rolled over on his sleep mat and peered at the Crocodile through half-closed eyes. "Do what you always do. Count swamp sheep."

"Tried that," said Cragger. "I also tried singing Crocodile lullabies to myself."

"Crocodiles have lullabies?" Laval asked.

"Sure," said Cragger. "They're mostly about what we're going to eat the next day."

"That sounds.. relaxing, I guess," said Laval. "So why can't you sleep?"

"I don't think I like this place," answered Cragger. "Or maybe I just don't trust our host."

Laval, Cragger, and their friends were on a quest to free the Legend Beasts and restore the flow of CHI from Mount Cavora. On their journey through the mysterious Outlands they had encountered Lavertus, a very odd Lion who lived in a fortress he called his "Lair." He had offered the team to stay there and use it as a base, as long as they didn't go wandering around after dark.

Cragger got to his feet. "I'm going to take a look around. I think this Lion is up to something."

"None of us should go wandering," Laval warned. “Lavertus told us it isn't safe, and that, at least, I believe…”

"I know, I know, Lions love following rules," Cragger said, heading for the door. "Well, Crocs make their own." Laval went after him. "And we all remember what happened because of that. Sometimes, I think you break rules just for the sake of breaking them. Fine—if you're going, l'm going with you."

"Why?" Cragger asked.

"To make sure you don't mess things up ... again," said Laval.

"Come on, we're on the same side now. You can trust me." Cragger flashed a toothy grin before turning away.

"I used to," muttered Laval, following after him.

——————

It was easy to see that Lavertus's home was designed to make sure any stranger would rapidly get lost inside.

Hallways looped around on themselves, doors led to solid walls, and staircases that went up somehow managed to leave you on a lower floor.

"Ive never seen anything like this," whispered Cragger.

"I wish I wasn't seeing it now," answered Laval. "What do you expect to find, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Cragger. "Nobody builds a house like this unless they have something to hide."

"Or they had the directions upside down," Laval said, shaking his head.

The two moved on. After another half hour of searching, they came upon a corridor lined with doorways on both sides. One by one, they opened the doors.

"Closet. Closet. Closet," said Laval.

"Staircase!" cried Cragger.

Laval rushed over to see what the Crocodile had found.

But when he got there, Cragger was standing at an open door looking into another closet.

"Where are the stairs?" asked Laval.

"They were here a second ago," said Cragger, shutting the door. "Then they weren't."

"Hmmm. Try opening the door again," said Laval.

Cragger opened the door a second time. When he did, the staircase was back. “That’s weird,” said the Crocodile. "Let's go see what's down there."

"Got any breadcrumbs?" asked Laval.

"Huh?" snapped Cragger.

"To leave a trail to find our way back," said Laval. "What happens if the stairs disappear again when were halfway down?"

"Good question," said Cragger. After a short pause, he added, "You go first."

"Right," said Laval. "Because turning my back on you is my favorite thing to do. ... Not."

The pair stumbled down the staircase side by side. At the bottom, they found an iron door. To their surprise, it was unlocked.

"He must not have thought anyone would find this spot," said Laval.

"Or maybe he wanted whoever did find it to be able to get in, because he knew they wouldn't get back out again," answered Cragger. "You go first."

"Wait a second!" said Laval, turning around to face the Crocodile. "This whole thing was your idea! Why do I have to keep going first?"

"Um, because you're such a fierce fighter and you can handle whatever comes at us?"

Laval glared at Cragger. "Yeah, I'm fierce," he said.

"You might want to remember that if you have any tricks planned. Anyway, I'll go first, because we're supposed to be friends... and that's what friends do."

The Lion pushed the door open, even as Cragger said, “Tricks? Me?"

"Yes, you. Just because we're on the same side again doesn't mean—"

Laval stopped short and his eyes grew wide. He and Cragger had stumbled upon the biggest workshop either had ever seen. It was packed with strange devices, big and small. Some were incredibly complicated and others were extremely simple. At a glance, the only things Laval recognized were Speedor wheels and other parts of a Speedor bike.

"Incredible," said Laval. "Eris would love this!"

"If Lavertus made all this, he must be some kind of inventor," said Cragger. "But he didn't tell us. Why keep that a secret?"

"I don't know," answered Laval. "But look at this stuff. Some of it looks like weapons. It could be dangerous. We'd better tell the others."

Just as Laval was speaking, the floor shifted underneath them. The Lion and Croc were knocked off their feet.

"Whoa!" said Laval. "What was that?"

"Laval, look!" cried Cragger, pointing at the iron door.

"The stairs are gone!"

Cragger was right. The doorway leading to the stairs now led to a solid wall.

"We're trapped!" Laval realized.

"No, we're not," Cragger said, racing into the heart of the workshop. "There has to be something in here that can get us out."

"Cragger, don't!" Laval cried.

But it was too late. Cragger had bumped into one of Lavertus's inventions: a big metal cannon. It immediately shot out a tangle of ropes that wrapped around him.

Cragger toppled backward, falling into a stone chair.

The arms of the chair closed tight on either side of the Crocodile and held him fast.

"Hang on," shouted Laval. "I'll get you out."

But as he raced toward Cragger, the floor rumbled again. A small catapult on top of a tall shelf went off, launching a little rock at the head of a life-size Gorilla statue. The statue sprang to life, plodding forward and knocking into more inventions as it went. Soon, the air was filled with arrows, jets of flame, and bursts of water.

"Great job," called Cragger. "If we weren't doomed before, now we really are."

"Just ... stay there!" yelled Laval. "I'm coming!"

"Where do you think I'm going to go?" Cragger struggled against the ropes. "This thing makes one of Gorzan's hugs look like a bunny cuddle."

Laval was about to reply when, suddenly, he heard a loud groan behind him. He turned just in time to see the loud groan behind him. He turned just in time to see the Gorilla statue tipping forward! Laval tried to spring out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. The statue toppled on top of him.

"Oof!" the Lion exclaimed. The heavy statue pinned him to the ground.

"Laval! Are you okay?" Cragger called.

"Yeah, I think so," Laval said. "But I'm ... LOOK OUT!"

Laval's eyes grew wide as a flame cannon went off beside Cragger. In an instant, the Croc was surrounded by flames!

"CRAGGER!" Laval cried.

For a moment, Laval couldn't see anything but embers and smoke. Then, he heard coughing. When the smoke cleared, Cragger was sputtering and waving his arms.

Instead of hurting the Croc, the flames had burned right through the ropes tying him up. He was free!

"Talk about luck." Laval exhaled. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a little singed," said Cragger. "You?"

Laval squirmed under the statue. "Been better. Could use a little help here."

Cragger moved toward Laval. But as he did, the floor shook again. The whole room turned, and the stairs by the doorway reappeared. All Cragger had to do was make a run for it and he would be free! But the room could shift any minute and they would disappear again.

Cragger met Laval's gaze for a split second. Then he turned and ran.

"Cragger?" Laval's heart sank. The Crocodile wouldn't really leave him there?

Would he?

Suddenly, Cragger swerved and jumped over a marching group of Skunk mechs. He snatched a wrench from one of the mech's hands and skidded to a stop right beside Laval.

"Quick!" he said, using the wrench for leverage against the statue. "We'll push together-hurry!"

Together, the two managed to pry the Gorilla statue off of Laval. Cragger helped him to his feet. "Let's get out of here!" he shouted.

Running faster than they ever had before, they shot through the room and made it out the door just as the floor was starting to turn again.

Together, they clambered back up the stairs. When they got to the top, the Lion and Croc leaned heavily against the wall, gasping for breath.

"Thanks," Laval said finally. "For a second there, I wasn't sure you were going to come back for me."

Cragger shrugged and gave a big Crocodile grin.

"We're friends, right? That's what friends do."

Laval smiled and clapped Cragger on the back. "It sure is."

[theriseofleon]

Pages 256-260...

Mother Son Reunion! And also the Forever Rock becoming on fire...

[olivescales3]

Aromantic flag colorpicked from Cragger / AroAce flag colorpicked from Laval

"Even some of the least sappy humans get a little mushy about love around Valentine’s Day. Do other animals love their mates — or family, or friends — in the same way we love one another?", The Washington Post

[suntzuanime]

I love the Unconnected Marketeers crew so much! Look at these cute little gacha game publishers!

(Source is the fan-comic Chima Book 2 by Pote)