#yes that is king and purple for scale

[running2reanimation]

Still thinking about Them...

[novaursa]

The Last Dance

- Summary: The Dance of the Dragons is over. You and Aegon finally find peace.

- Paring: twin!sister reader/Aegon II Targaryen

- Note: reader is referred to as Y/N, is twin sister and wife to Aegon II, and is bonded with dragon called Starfyre. These events happen right after The Searing Flame. To read all of the chapters in chronological order, or more of my works, visit my blog. The list is pinned to the top.

- Rating: Mature 16+

- Word count: 5 119

- Tag(s): @sachaa-ff

- A/N: This is the chapter that finalizes this series. That being said, there will be more twin!reader/Aegon II stories to fill the gaps.

The air is filled with the scent of salt and smoke as you stand on the balcony of Dragonstone, the sea churning below in restless waves. The horizon is cast in hues of deep purple and amber as dusk sets in, but your attention is wholly on the sky, where two golden streaks dart through the twilight. You feel Aegon’s presence beside you, a warmth against the cool stone at your back. His scarred arm is under your hand, his skin rough and uneven beneath your touch, a harsh reminder of Rook’s Rest and the countless betrayals that led you here.

Yet there’s still strength in him, a burning defiance that never faded even after all the wounds. You rest your head on his shoulder, feeling the tension in his muscles, the way he seems to hold his breath as he watches Sunfyre and Starfyre circle above. It’s not just the raw power of your dragons that grips him—no, this is something more primal. It's the joy of seeing them together again, as they were always meant to be: siblings, mates, war-dragons forged in the heat of fire and vengeance.

“There,” Aegon murmurs, his voice low, strained. He points to a shadow in the clouds—Grey Ghost. The wild dragon had stayed hidden for so long, slipping through the cracks of Dragonstone’s defenses, but not tonight. Sunfyre and Starfyre had scented him out, and now there would be no escape.

You tighten your grip on Aegon’s arm, feeling the thrill of it, a dark satisfaction blooming in your chest. The shadow resolves into a shape—a dirty, scarred creature with wings tattered from battles long lost. Grey Ghost is no match for your dragons, but he’s quick, darting between clouds, trying to outmaneuver the gleaming pair that pursue him.

Starfyre leads the chase, her silvery form a flash of brilliance in the twilight, her scales glimmering like starlight against the darkening sky. The alabaster undershine of her wings catches the last of the sun’s rays as she twists and turns, a deadly dance that lures Grey Ghost into false confidence. Her movements are elegant, fluid—every beat of her wings purposeful, calculated. The Star Dame, as you’ve come to call her in the intimacy of your thoughts, is a creature born of night and light, her presence both ethereal and deadly.

Sunfyre is close behind her, a shimmering blaze of gold that seems almost unnatural in its brilliance. The awkward bend in his healed wing does nothing to diminish his ferocity—if anything, it makes him all the more terrifying, a creature that defies the laws of nature, a king among dragons that should have been crippled but refused to be. His roar echoes across the sky, a sound of pure fury that reverberates through your chest, making your heart race.

“They hunt as one,” you whisper, awe lacing your words. You lift your head from Aegon’s shoulder to look up at him, catching the gleam of pride in his eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

Aegon’s mouth curves into a small, crooked smile, a hint of the man he was before the war marred him. “Beautiful, yes. But more than that—vengeance.” He says the last word with a bitterness that lingers in the air. Sunfyre and Starfyre had been denied their chance to fight side by side for too long, much like the two of you. But now, the skies belong to them again, as they should.

You don’t respond, letting the sight before you speak for itself. Starfyre suddenly plummets, diving at a steep angle that seems reckless until Grey Ghost veers, startled by her speed. It’s then that Sunfyre strikes, a burst of flame searing the air as he barrels into Grey Ghost from above, jaws snapping at the smaller dragon’s neck. Grey Ghost shrieks, a sound full of desperation as he tries to shake free, but Sunfyre holds on, his talons digging deep into flesh.

Starfyre swoops in, her silvery wings flaring as she joins the fray, her jaws clamping down on one of Grey Ghost’s wings. You watch as she tears through it with merciless precision, ripping membrane and bone with a single twist of her head. Blood sprays across the sky, dark and ominous, and Grey Ghost’s struggles grow frantic, but they’re futile. Starfyre and Sunfyre tear into him together, a dance of coordinated destruction that speaks of deep, intrinsic connection.

“Together, they’re unstoppable,” you breathe, unable to tear your gaze away. You feel Aegon’s fingers intertwine with yours, his grip tight and possessive. He’s watching them too, but you know he’s seeing more than just dragons tearing apart a weaker foe—he’s seeing the future, the strength you still hold, the power you’ll wield together to take back what was stolen from you.

When Grey Ghost finally falls, his body torn and mangled, he drops like a stone into the sea below. You both watch in silence as the waves claim him, dragging him under until he’s nothing more than a memory.

Starfyre and Sunfyre wheel in the air, circling each other before flying back towards the keep. The bond between them is palpable, a mirror of your own with Aegon. Sunfyre’s awkward wingbeat matches Aegon’s own struggles, while Starfyre’s radiant strength reflects the resilience you’ve both clung to, even in the face of loss. The dragons’ victory is your victory, and as they draw closer, you feel a sense of unity, of destiny.

Aegon turns to you then, his scarred face shadowed but his eyes burning with resolve. “We will reclaim what is ours, Y/N,” he says, his voice a quiet promise. “With our dragons, with our strength—we will not be broken.”

You meet his gaze, and there’s a fierce pride in your chest as you nod. “We are not broken, Aegon,” you reply softly, but with steel in your tone. “We are fire and blood.”

As the night closes in, the sky dark and filled with stars, you stand together in silence, hand in hand. Sunfyre and Starfyre land on the courtyard below, their golden and silver scales gleaming even in the dim light. They are kings and queens among dragons, just as you and Aegon are meant to be.

And as long as they soar, so will you.

The dread in the throne room is thick enough to choke on as you stand beside Aegon, your hand resting lightly on Daena’s shoulder while Baelon clutches the edge of your gown. The echo of footsteps and clinking chains resound through the stone chamber as Alfred Broome and his men drag the remnants of Rhaenyra’s forces into the hall. They are bruised, bloodied, and defeated—a pale reflection of the power Rhaenyra once held. Among them, her young son Aegon clings to her, his eyes wide with fear as he takes in the fearsome sight of the dragons looming in the distance outside, their golden and silver forms visible through the open arches.

Sunfyre and Starfyre wait like harbingers of death, gleaming in the twilight.

You feel Aegon’s arm tense beside you, a flicker of pain passing through him from his old wounds. But there’s more than just physical pain here—there’s a deep, simmering rage that’s been brewing since the moment Blood and Cheese ripped your family apart. You and Aegon have been waiting for this moment, dreaming of it in your darkest hours. And now, it’s finally here.

Rhaenyra is forced to her knees before you, her once-proud visage a mask of defiance even in chains. She looks older than you remember, her face gaunt and hollow, but her eyes still blaze with the stubborn arrogance that led her here. Her remaining Queensguard lie dead, slain by your forces as they tried to resist one last time. There is no one left to protect her.

You meet her gaze with cold satisfaction, leaning forward slightly as you speak, your voice sharp as a blade. “We have long awaited this moment, Rhaenyra. Ever since you sent those assassins to kill our sons—two innocent boys, slaughtered because of your ambition.”

Rhaenyra’s lips tremble, but she doesn’t back down. “My sons died as well, Y/N,” she retorts, her voice shaking with fury. “Jace, Luke, Viserys… you cannot know that pain.”

“You dare to compare?” Aegon’s voice cuts through the air like the crack of a whip, silencing her. He steps forward, the limp from his injury barely noticeable as his anger gives him strength. “This war began because you could never let go of our father’s lies. He promised you the throne, and you clung to that entitlement like a drowning woman clutches driftwood.”

Rhaenyra opens her mouth to speak, but Aegon doesn’t let her. “You speak of your lost sons as if their deaths were a justification for your madness, but it was your own hubris that led them to the grave. If you had shown even a hint of reason, none of this would have happened. Y/N and I never wanted the crown. We only wanted to love each other and grow old with our children. But the crown was pushed onto us—pushed by your ambition and vanity.”

Your heart twists as you think of the peaceful life you and Aegon could have had, far from the bloodshed, if only Rhaenyra had accepted the reality of your father’s death that relinquished her claims. But that was never an option for her, was it? Pride, ambition, and greed had consumed her until there was nothing left but this hollow shell of a queen.

Rhaenyra’s defiance cracks then, her eyes filling with desperation. “Please, Aegon—Y/N—my son—”

But Aegon’s gaze hardens. “It’s too late for pleas, Rhaenyra. Your choices have brought us to this point, and now they will swallow us all. Even your precious children.”

You see the flicker of fear in her eyes, the realization that there will be no mercy here. This is no place for mercy. This is retribution.

With a nod from Aegon, the great doors are opened, and Sunfyre’s golden form stalks into the throne room, his scales gleaming like molten gold in the torchlight. His eyes are locked on Rhaenyra, filled with a burning hunger that reflects the rage in Aegon’s heart. Starfyre follows him, her silvery wings brushing the stone walls as she moves with lethal grace, her pale blue undershine glowing like moonlight on water.

Rhaenyra tries to scramble back, pulling her son behind her, but she is chained, her movements futile. “No… please… not like this…”

The lords and ladies captured alongside her begin to cry out in terror as they realize what’s about to happen, but their voices are drowned out by the low, rumbling growl from Sunfyre. Aegon takes a step forward, his voice cold and resolute as he gives the command that seals his half-sister’s fate. “Dracarys.”

Sunfyre’s roar is deafening as flames erupt from his maw, engulfing Rhaenyra in a searing blaze. Her screams are short-lived, drowned in a cacophony of dragonfire and crackling flesh. Starfyre joins in, her breath cold and silver, mixing with Sunfyre’s golden flames in a mesmerizing yet horrifying display of raw power.

The smell of burning flesh and melting metal fills the air as the dragons tear into what remains of Rhaenyra, their jaws snapping and rending flesh. The lords and ladies bound beside her wail in despair, some of them collapsing to the floor as they are forced to watch the gruesome feast. Elinda Massey’s shrieks are especially piercing as she claws at her own eyes, unable to bear the sight.

But it isn’t over. Not yet.

Young Aegon, Rhaenyra’s last remaining son, stands paralyzed with terror, his small body trembling as he stares up at the dragons. You feel a pang of pity—he’s just a child, after all—but that pity is fleeting. This is the price of war, of ambition that knows no bounds. There can be no loose ends, no heirs to continue the cycle of bloodshed.

You turn your gaze away as Aegon gestures for the guards to push the boy toward the dragons. Sunfyre sniffs him, his nostrils flaring, but it’s Starfyre who moves first. She lowers her great head, her eyes glinting as she opens her jaws wide and snaps them shut around the child in one swift motion. There is no scream this time—just silence as she swallows him whole.

A hush falls over the throne room, broken only by the crackling of fire and the quiet sobbing of those left alive. Aegon turns to you, his expression unreadable, but you see the weariness in his eyes, the weight of everything that’s passed. “It’s done,” he says softly, and you feel the words settle like stones in your chest.

“Yes,” you whisper, your voice distant, “it’s done.”

The war may not be over, but this chapter has ended in blood and flame. You can only hope that, when the ashes settle, there will be something left to rebuild. Something more than this endless cycle of death.

But for now, all you can do is hold your children close and hope that the fire will fade, that peace will come in its wake—even if that peace is a fragile dream, trembling on the edge of a knife.

The sun is low in the sky as your carriage finally creaks to a halt outside the Red Keep. The city is cloaked in uneasy silence—no cheers greet your return, no banners wave in celebration. King’s Landing feels hollow, as if the ghosts of those lost in the war still linger in its streets. You step out first, the weight of the crown heavy on your brow. Aegon follows, his limp more pronounced after the long journey, yet he holds his head high, his expression a mask of stoic resolve. Your children, Daena and Baelon, cling close to you, their wide eyes taking in the somber scene as they disembark from the carriage.

Ahead of you, standing at the base of the steps leading up to the Red Keep, is your mother, Queen Alicent, her face drawn with lines of sorrow and weariness. Beside her is Helaena, her once-luminous eyes now dulled by grief and loss. They are the last remnants of your family, the survivors of a war that has cost you all more than you could have imagined.

Alicent's breath hitches when she sees you, her eyes scanning you and Aegon as if needing to assure herself that you are truly there, alive and whole. Tears glisten in her eyes, and she covers her mouth with trembling fingers as her composure shatters. “My children,” she whispers, and it is as though the weight of years collapses in those words—years of fear, of war, of loss. She hurries forward, her regal bearing breaking into a desperate, motherly rush as she throws her arms around you both, clutching you as if afraid you might vanish like so many others.

“Oh, my children,” she sobs, her voice cracking with emotion. “You’ve returned to me.”

Aegon wraps his arm around her, his scarred hand shaking as he holds his mother close. “We have, Mother,” he says softly, though there’s a hollowness to his tone. The joy that might have been there is tainted by the ghosts of those who aren’t here to share this moment. “But we return to ashes.”

Alicent pulls back slightly, looking at the both of you with tear-streaked cheeks. “I prayed for this day—prayed every night that you would survive, that you would come back to us.” Her eyes flit to the children—her grandchildren—and fresh tears spill over. “But at what cost? Daeron, Aemond—” Her voice breaks entirely, and she covers her face, unable to continue.

Aegon’s jaw tightens. You see the storm of guilt and grief flash across his features as he looks away, unable to meet her gaze. You reach out and grasp Alicent’s hand, squeezing it tightly as you fight to hold back your own tears. “We all bear the weight of those losses,” you say quietly. “But we are here now, and we are together. We must hold on to that, for their sake.” You glance down at Daena and Baelon, who watch their grandmother with wide eyes, not fully understanding the depth of the grief surrounding them.

Helaena, who has been standing silently, finally steps forward. Her movements are slow, almost ghostly, as if she is a shadow of the woman she once was. Her gaze lingers on Aegon for a long moment, searching his eyes, before drifting to you. “The dreams never lie,” she murmurs, her voice distant and laced with sorrow. “They all fade, in fire and blood.” Her words are eerie, a chilling echo of all that has transpired, but they carry a truth that cuts deep. Helaena’s prophecies have always carried an edge of tragedy, and now, you see the weight of them fully realized in her vacant stare.

Aegon steps toward her, gently taking her hands in his. “We’re still here, Helaena,” he says softly, though there is a break in his voice. “You, Y/N, me, Mother—we’re still here. We will rebuild, for their memory.”

She nods slowly, but you see no hope in her eyes, only resignation. “They dance no more,” she whispers, looking past you as if seeing something far beyond the physical realm.

Alicent wipes at her tears, her hands shaking as she does so. “Come inside, all of you,” she says, her voice thick with emotion. “You need rest, and there’s much to discuss. But first, let us be together as a family.”

You nod, though the word “family” feels strange on your tongue now. So much of it has been torn away—brothers, sisters, sons. Yet, you follow Alicent and Helaena up the steps, Aegon at your side, your children between you. Inside the Red Keep, the warmth of the hearth contrasts sharply with the chill that clings to your soul. The familiar halls seem both comforting and haunted, each shadow hiding memories of the past.

Alicent leads you to the council chamber, where a small, intimate table has been set, not for matters of state, but for a quiet meal. Servants flit about with anxious glances, aware of the tragedy that hangs in the air like a storm cloud. You all sit, and for a long moment, no one speaks. The silence is heavy, broken only by the crackle of the fire.

Aegon is the one who finally breaks it, lifting his cup. “To those we’ve lost,” he says, his voice hoarse, barely more than a whisper. “And to those who still remain.”

You lift your own cup, feeling the burn of unshed tears behind your eyes. “To those who remain,” you echo, and the words are a fragile hope, a thread of unity in a world torn apart by fire and blood.

As you drink, you feel a sense of finality settling over the room. The war is over. The Dance has ended. But you know, deep down, that the scars it has left—on your family, on your kingdom, on your very soul—will never truly heal.

The chamber is dimly lit by the soft glow of a few scattered candles, their flickering light casting something akin to ghots long forgotten on the walls. The room is familiar, yet it feels almost foreign after all the horrors you’ve endured—so much time lost to war and death, to bitterness and grief. But now, for the first time in what feels like ages, you’re alone with Aegon, away from the eyes of lords and courtiers, away from the weight of the crown and the ghosts of the past.

The door clicks shut behind you, sealing you both within the warmth of the chamber. Aegon pauses by the threshold, his hand still resting on the handle as he takes a deep breath, as if he’s trying to steady himself, to remember that he’s home. You watch him in the flickering candlelight, the lines of his face etched deeper from the burdens he’s carried, but he’s still the man you fell in love with, still the boy who smiled at you with mischief in his eyes.

He looks at you then, and the tension that’s been holding him rigid melts away. His gaze softens, filled with a longing that nearly breaks you. Without a word, he crosses the room and pulls you into his arms, burying his face in your hair as if he needs to feel you, to know you’re truly there. You wrap your arms around him, holding him tight, and for a moment, neither of you speak—there are no words for the relief, the overwhelming need to be close after so much time apart.

“I’ve missed this,” he murmurs into your hair, his voice rough and choked with emotion. “I’ve missed you. So much.”

You tilt your head back, meeting his gaze. His eyes are shadowed with pain and fatigue, but there’s a warmth there too, a flicker of the love that has always burned between you. “I never let myself forget,” you whisper, reaching up to trace the scar on his cheek, a mark from Rook’s Rest that he wears like a badge of survival. “Even in the darkest moments, I held onto us. I held onto you.”

Aegon’s hand comes up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear that slips free. “I don’t know how we did it,” he admits, his voice cracking. “But we’re here. We’ve made it through everything they threw at us, every nightmare. You were the light that kept me going, Y/N. You always have been.”

His words are like a balm to the ache in your heart, the wounds left by loss and betrayal. You lean into his touch, savoring the warmth of his palm against your skin, the familiarity of it. “We’ve lost so much,” you say softly, your voice trembling as memories of those you loved flash through your mind. “But we still have each other. As long as we have that, we can rebuild.”

Aegon’s lips quirk into a faint smile, though it’s tinged with sorrow. “You’re right. We still have each other. And I swear to you, Y/N, I’ll never let you go again. Never. We’ve been torn apart too many times, but that ends now. No more battles, no more wars. Just us.”

He bends down then, his forehead resting against yours as his hands cradle your face. “Promise me, Y/N,” he whispers, his breath warm against your lips. “Promise me we won’t let anything—or anyone—come between us ever again.”

You close the distance between you, capturing his lips in a kiss that’s tender but laced with a desperation that speaks of all the pain, the longing, the fear of losing one another. His hands slide to your waist, pulling you flush against him as he deepens the kiss, pouring everything he feels into it—his love, his regret, his need.

When you finally pull away, you’re both breathless, your heart pounding in your chest. “I promise,” you whisper against his lips. “No matter what comes, we face it as one. I won’t let you go either, Aegon. Not ever.”

The shadows in his eyes soften, replaced by a rare glimmer of peace as he rests his forehead against yours again. “Together, then. Always.”

The warmth between you grows as he slowly guides you toward the bed, the softness of the mattress beneath you a welcome comfort after all the cold, hard battles you’ve faced. He lays beside you, pulling you into his arms so that your bodies are entwined, your head resting against his chest as you listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. His fingers trail lazily through your hair, a touch that’s both soothing and intimate, grounding you in this moment.

You turn slightly in his embrace, pressing a kiss to the scarred skin of his chest, a reminder of how close you came to losing him. “You’re mine,” you murmur softly, your voice thick with emotion. “And I’m yours. No one will ever tear us apart again.”

His grip tightens around you, as if the very thought of losing you is unbearable. “I’ll spend the rest of my days proving that, Y/N,” he vows, his voice low and filled with a fierce protectiveness. “I’ll give you the peace we’ve been denied. We’ll raise our children, grow old together, just as we always dreamed.”

In the quiet of your shared chambers, there’s no need for crowns or titles, no need for anything but each other. The world outside is a distant memory as you close your eyes, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek, the warmth of his embrace wrapping around you like a protective shield. You let yourself drift in that moment, in the certainty that, no matter what comes, you and Aegon are what remains.

For now, there’s only peace, the kind you’ve fought so hard to find. And in the comfort of each other’s arms, you know that no matter how many battles you’ve fought, the war for your love is one you’ve already won.

From this moment, the histories diverge depending on which account one prefers to trust: the sober record of Grand Maester Orwyle, the poetic tales of Septon Eustace, or the salacious rumors spread by the fool Mushroom. Yet all agree on the most important details: the years following the Dance of the Dragons were marked not by further bloodshed, but by an unexpected peace.

The Golden Restoration

The reign of King Aegon II and Queen Y/N saw a return to stability in the realm, albeit built on a foundation of ash and charred bones. The devastation left by the war was undeniable, yet it was under their rule that the rebuilding of King's Landing began. With Dowager Queen Alicent and Princess Helaena ever at their sides, the royal family focused on mending what was broken, both in the capital and within their own hearts.

Many lords whispered that it was Y/N, the Silver Queen, who held the true power in those years. Aegon, scarred both inside and out by the horrors of the Dance, found solace and strength in his wife, who had proven herself his equal in fire and resolve. Together, they were inseparable. It was said that not a single important decision was made without their mutual consent, and that in private moments, they ruled as one, much like Sunfyre and Starfyre—mates in both life and flame.

Their children, Princess Daena and Prince Baelon, grew strong and healthy under the care of their parents and grandmother, Alicent. The two were doted upon, not merely as heirs but as symbols of the future—unbroken despite the tragedy that had marked their early years. As time passed, the bond between Daena and Baelon deepened, mirroring that of their parents. It was said that they were closer than most siblings, so close that when they were of age, they wed in the tradition of House Targaryen, cementing their bloodline and continuing the ancient customs of their house.

The Brood of Sunfyre and Starfyre

In the year 137 AC, three eggs were laid in the royal dragonpit—eggs said to be the offspring of Sunfyre and Starfyre, the twin flames that had seared Rhaenyra Targaryen from the earth. Two of these eggs hatched, producing dragons of extraordinary beauty: one with scales of pale gold streaked with silver, and the other shimmering with blue-tinged starlight. These dragons were gifted to Daena and Baelon on their wedding day, marking the start of a new generation of dragonlords, free from the taint of the Dance.

Yet even in this time of renewal, darkness lingered in the shadows. Helaena never recovered fully from the loss of her own children and her brother-husband, Aemond. She remained a distant figure, often lost in her dreams and visions. Some say she foresaw her own death, whispering of “faded light” and “withered roses” in her last days. When she passed away in her sleep in 139 AC, it was whispered by Mushroom that she had seen a final vision: a land where the dragons had turned to dust, and no kings ruled but the winds.

Dowager Queen Alicent outlived her daughter by a scant two years. Her grief had aged her beyond her years, and she spent her final days in prayer, seeking forgiveness for the bloodshed her ambitions had caused. In her final hours, she clutched the hands of Aegon and Y/N, begging them to remember the lesson learned in blood: that the pursuit of power, when unchecked, only breeds ruin. It was said that Y/N, ever compassionate, was the one who comforted Alicent in her last breath, whispering that peace had been found at last.

The Passing of the Dragon-King and Queen

The final years of Aegon and Y/N’s reign were marked by a quiet contentment. They ruled justly, often seen together in council or riding their dragons above the skies of King's Landing. The scars of war never fully faded, but together they created a realm that prospered. Yet even the most enduring fires must one day burn out.

In the year 151 AC, King Aegon II and Queen Y/N were found dead in their shared chambers, lying in each other's arms as if asleep. Some claim they had simply grown weary, their bodies giving out after years of bearing the weight of the crown. Others, more fanciful in their tales, whisper that they passed together in a moment of shared peace, their hearts giving out at the exact same instant. Mushroom claims that a vial of poison was found beside their bed, suggesting they chose to leave the world together, unwilling to face a life without the other.

When their bodies were discovered, Sunfyre and Starfyre howled in mourning, their roars shaking the very walls of the Red Keep. The dragons, who had never been separated, circled the skies together before landing side by side in the dragonpit, refusing to be parted. In a rare display of affection between beasts, they nuzzled one another and remained in that position until the end of their days.

The bodies of Aegon and Y/N were burned together on a single pyre, their ashes mingling in a final union. Their reign was remembered as the “Golden Twilight,” a time when, for a brief, shining moment, the Targaryens had found peace. But even in this, the seeds of future strife were sown—two children, two dragons, and the legacy of fire and blood that would never truly be quenched.

Thus ended the tale of King Aegon II and Queen Y/N, the last Targaryens to die in each other's arms, bound in life and in death by the fires they had endured and the love they refused to surrender.

[tourturestarradio]

𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Pairing: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji (more added later) x Mermaid reader!

Prompt: After your family jewels were stolen you were determined to get them back joining you closest friend Monkey D. Luffy on his adventure to become the king of the pirates.

Warnings: none, this follows the live action!!

Part 1

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮

⋆｡°✩ ┊         ┊       ┊   ┊    ┊        ┊               ┊         ┊       ┊   ┊   ˚★⋆｡˚  ⋆ ┊         ┊       ┊   ⋆                                                                                                         ┊         ┊       ★⋆ ┊ ◦ ★⋆      ┊ .  ˚            ˚★

𝐒𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 my brothers I swam around to find the secret room, my father was as usual out doing important man stuff whatever that was...I got to the door placing my hand on it, I wondered how my dad even got that purple glow. I focused hard onto the door, squeezing my eyes shut "work dang it!"

I focused as hard as I could a light blue glow formed around my hands causing the heavy door to seemingly unlocked, smiling widely I stared at hands "it worked!" I pushed open the door and saw a line of necklaces.

Mines being all the way at the end, I swam up to it looking at all our different necklace designs.

They all had the same gem stone they were just different colors. I ran my fingers across my necklace picking it up carefully.

I swam out of the room closing the door behind me, I quickly swam out of the house and up to the surface to where me and Luffy would hang out on the docks.

I slid the necklace on, I didn't feel any different whatsoever. I looked down at my tail and saw well, my tail. Not a single leg in sight, I rubbed the necklace "hm maybe it isn't magi-" I saw a light green spark "huh?" the water started to swirl around me light green sparks zapping around my tail.

I started to grow dizzy as the water spun me around, but oddly enough I felt my tail start to separate into two my flipper shrinking in size and my scales disappearing. I squeezed my eyes shut as the bubbles flared up into my face, I looked down as the bubbles stopped.

And I saw...legs! actual human legs!! I climbed onto the docks, I tried to stand up but my legs wobbled and I fell down "aha! I have legs!" I still had my fins but they were smaller and the webbing in between my fingers was gone and my normal (f/c) skin looked blotchy some patches of skin were a (s/c) while others were (f/c). My father had told me about it but I had time remembering what it was called.

It was similar to what humans experienced called vitiligo. 

I looked back down to my legs wiggling my toes, I tried standing up again, I stood up straight my legs wobbling "o-ok making progress..." I took a step forward and fell flat on my face "ow..."

"Oi, you need help...uh walking?" I looked up and saw one of shanks crew mates, had brown skin and a blonde afro, I nodded "aren't you Luffy's little pirate queen?" he asked, could feel my fins warm up "u-um yes" he tilts his head, he pulled me up to my feet holding the back of my dress.

Wait I had clothes? I had a swimsuit that looked like a dress, I held the back of the males pants stumbling trying to walk "right foot....then left foot...right foot then...left foot..." I mumbled, I wobbled with every step but hey! At least I was walking!

As we walked I saw so many different people! Big, small, short, tall, pretty, ugly, it was very exciting!

"Oi Luffy guess what fish grew legs!" I heard the taller male exclaim, I peeked from behind his leg I saw Luffy sitting down looking sad a few stitches under his eye. He tilted his head but his eyes lit up as he saw me standing I waved to him. He jumped down from his seat and ran over to me tackling me down into a hug.

"You have legs!" he smiles widely, I smiled back nodding "they're hard to use though..." Luffy held my hands "here i'll help you!" we both began walking I followed his walking pattern.

He had a cheeky grin on his face "see it's not so hard is it?" we walked around the small bar a green haired woman looking down at the two of us with a smile.

Letting go of me he exclaimed "hey wait look what I can do!" Lifting his arm the woman cut in "Luffy no." he frowned and dropped his arm. I rubbed his back "well m-maybe you could show me around?"

Luffy brightened up tremendously "yeah! come on let's go!" he tried to run off but I wasn't used to moving too quickly and toppled over on top of him "s-sorry!" my fins glowed as I stumbled off of him. He sat up his cheeks dusted light pink, but he still got up and held my hand helping me walk.

Eventually he let go of my hand "you should try it on your own!" I gulped "b-but what if I fall!"  "come on Y/n just try it!" I shakily let go of his hand steadying myself I muttered "right foot first...then left foot...right foot...left foot"

Luffy smiled "see you're doing it!" I continued to walk around "I think I got it!" Luffy hugged me tightly "yay! I knew you could do it!" I hugged back tightly.

They two's friendship grew as strong as a rip current, nothing could truly pull the two apart. Over time the mermaid would sneak back to the surface to hang out with her only friend.

Then she suddenly just disappeared for a few months, Luffy waited for her everyday, for hours but she just didn't show up which wasn't like her at all.

He thought she just decided not to return.

Suddenly she was back, saying she had to take care of a few things for a while. Oddly enough she wouldn't return home, she'd swim around for a while but then she'd just come back up on shore.

Whenever Luffy asked about it she'd get upset and change the topic so Luffy just didn't talk about it anymore.

Growing up Luffy's brown skin got lighter but he still had a tan, his hair stayed curly, but he grew taller.

But not taller than Y/n, she grew to about 5'10 pretty tall but all that height was from her tail, the longer your tail the taller you'd be if you had legs, so it's safe to say she wasn't done growing.

Y/n looked mostly the same apart from her hair growing longer, but she grew to be a real beauty. Most people were either looking at her face or her thighs.

Another fun fact about being a mermaid, it made your thighs thicker for some weird reason. Y/n was a tad bit embarrassed about it but Luffy had utterly zero problems with it.

He quote "love how squishy they are, and they are great to lay on" but she must keep a watchful eye out. On more than one occasion he bit her thighs because they reminded him of marshmallows.

The only thing Y/n hated about being on land was the fact that she had to wear clothes! In all the time she spent as a mermaid she only ever had to wear a bathing suit top, that's it!

Apart from that she didn't need to worry about pants or skirts or shorts! But she hated the feeling of any fabric rubbing up against her legs specifically her fins that were located on the sides of her calves.

Y/n would wear short skirts, or shorts, shirts weren't really a problem for a while until, her gills stretched out a bit on her neck so anything rubbing up on that made her uncomfortable.

So she wore tank tops or tube tops, no long sleeves because once again her fins got in the way.

.

Speaking of the two somewhere far off in the east blue a boy with pink hair and round glasses cleaned the lower deck of a ship mildly annoyed when he heard a thumping noise and muffled voices.

"W-Wait don't move I think I can kick out the lid.."

He followed the voices to a barrel that was shaking around.

"Your legs are in the way"

"u-um Luffy can y-you move your hand"

"why? i'm only touching your thighs?"

"N-No you're n-not"

"hey look your fins are glowing!"

The pink haired boy cocked his head to the side slowly stepping closer to the now glowing barrel.

"o-ok watch your head I'm gonna kick the lid"

Just as the voice said, a hard thumping noise and suddenly the lid slammed off the top, he heard more shuffling and a head popped out, it was a boy with a straw hat.

The pink haired boy shouted and stumbled away, Luffy got out of the barrel, while Y/n pulled herself out, but not without knocking over the barrel causing her to fall over.

Crawling out Y/n dusted herself off fixing her necklace. She tried to stand at her full height but she smacked her head on the roof of the lower deck. "O-ow..." following the sound of Luffy's voice she saw him talking to a pink haired boy, he stared at her.

She smiled and waved at him, he loosely waved back. They both stopped when they heard low snoring "wait is that a sea beast?" he snickered, the boy shook his head "no it's just Alvida snoring. if you both want to get out of here it's now or never" the two followed the boy.

Peeking their head out from the lower deck Y/n, Luffy, and the boy made their way up top Y/n staying close to Luffy.

She glanced around them seeing the sleeping crew mates, the pink haired boy handed Luffy an oar as he was about to send both them off but Luffy turned "Y/n do you need-" he stopped when he accidentally smack the oar into the side of a pole causing it to ring out loudly.

Y/n panicked as the crew started to wake up, while Luffy didn't look fazed at all.

"What's going on?"

Walking up a woman most likely the captain looked at the three, her gaze stopping on the pink haired boy. "Koby what's this? you're betraying me now?" Koby stammered "n-no captain Alvida...let me explain-"

She looked over at Luffy "you're too short and scrawny to be Roronao Zoro." he smirked at her "I'm Monkey D. Luffy," she placed her white hat on "never heard of you." "well, remember that name because i'm gonna be king of the pirates."

Both her and her crew laughed, Y/n glared lightly at the woman. "You must be new around here boy. because who's the most powerful pirate on the seas?" she looked around hearing her crew mates yell out "Captain Alvida!" she looked at Koby who stood silently.

She raised a brow "I'm sorry I didn't hear you Koby? who's the most powerful pirate on the seas?" Koby gulped nervously Y/n gently pulled Koby behind her "h-he doesn't have to answer you." Y/n wanted to punch herself in the face for stuttering. Alvida looked her up and down.

Clicking her tongue she asked "who're you?" Luffy smiled over to his close friend, "I'm Y/n Angelfish and I'm gonna be Queen of the sea!" Alvida looked somewhat interested "Angelfish huh?...so there is still one of you left." Luffy looked mildly confused, but he spoke "Koby is his own man, right?" he looked at Koby "shut up,"

Alvida spoke again "no, no, no he's not. He's mine and he'll always be mine." Luffy chuckled and raised the oar up "that's not what he told me. he said you were mean, and cruel, and you're as dumb as a sea cow" poor boy was shaking like a leaf.

Alvida was fuming now she swung the spiked club at the three, they ducked down causing her to hit the side of a wooden banister.

She swung the club back around making the people around her back up seeing as she almost hit them. One of her crew mates pulled out a gun and shot Luffy but he only puffed his chest out and the bullet popped right on out.

Shocking everyone but Y/n.

"Woah that was fun."

Alvida looked confused "what kind of monster are you?" she asked swinging at him once again only for him to stretch his torso and evade her attack.

He smirked at her "the stretchy kind."

He reached his arm back stretching an abnormally long "Gum gum!" her swung his arm forward "Pistol!" punching Alvida right off the boat.

Y/n looked over the edge of the boat, "uh is she gonna be ok?" Luffy only shrugged and walked away muttering something about needing food for a few days. Y/n was going to follow him but suddenly got light headed, she gripped the side of the boat "u-uh Luffy..." he turned around.

Seeing how she wobbled he came to her side quickly "you forgot how to walk again?" he joked, Y/n let out a small dry chuckle "water..." she mumbled, Luffy nodded and helped her sit on the side of the boat while Koby watched in confusion.

That confusion changed to shock as he watched Luffy push the girl overboard. He ran over leaning over the edge "w-what did you do?!" Luffy kept his smile "don't worry she'll be okay. Trust me, now come on let go get some food."

Koby looked over the edge, he could have sworn he saw a faint green glow but it quickly disappeared. Luffy dragged him away "come on"

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮

A/n: hope you enjoyed!

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 763: The third year's start!!

Pag 2

1: Ten seconds until the start

Pag 3 /4

1: Let's run with everything we have!!

The last Inter High of the third year Sakamichi, start!!

Pag 5

1: Yeah!!

2: Let's go!!

3: Let's pour our whole guts into it!!

4: Yes!!

5: Let's go!!

6: Teh!!

Pag 6

1: The first day of the boy's Inter High competition in Fukuoka, starts now!!

It's here!!

Pag 7

1: All the cyclists are beginning to run, with the big bridge connecting Kyushu and Honshu through the Kanmon Straits in the back!!

Goo!

Waa, splendid!!

Do your best!!

Pag 8

1: The entrance of Kyushu, here from Moji city in Kitakyushu, going south, they'll fight for three days

Gooo

It's Sohoku!

Yeah!!

2: Waaaaa

The wind is so strong!

The cyclists are so close!

So fast!

Pag 9

1: Kumadai you can do it!

Fukuokaa!!

Their fight will unfold on the stage of Kyushu's nature!!

2: There are so many cyclists

Which team will win?

3: The one you need to pay attention to in the first place, is the one in the front with yellow jerseys

Pag 10

1: Chiba's representative, the two times in a row champion, Sohoku

The third year they call “Mountain King” took the top goal two years in a row!!

Huh... then it's decided already!!

2: Another one is the one with the blue jersey, Kanagawa's Hakone Academy

They were the team that kept winning before, and they're so strong they say that in that team “everyone is an ace”

Huuh... that's amazing too

Pag 11

1: Then there's Kyoto representative, with the purple jerseys, Kyoto Fushimi, who make the race unpredictable every time!!You can already feel their peculiar tenacity!!

They look scary

2: So those three!?

Well, yeah, but rumor has it that this year the mountain bike champion is participating, too

4: MTB!? The off-road one!?

That's right!!

5: And I guess the local Kyushu team won't keep quiet, and Hiroshima is strong too

There's a strong element of uncertainty in road racing

There are a lot of people, and the distance to cover and the time are long too

6: It's not the stronger one who always win

Huh

It's always been said that....

Pag 12

1: Until the finish line is crossed and the race is over, you never know what can happen during a road race!!

Pag 13

1: Hyoo... there's so many people, teh

2: They're all waving their hands, teh!!

Ahhh.... so many people, the scale is so different from the prefectural qualification, teh

3: What's wrong, newbie!! Hahaha

Ka-Kaburagi-san!!

4: It started

Huh!?

5: Finally, the Inter High!!

Pag 14

1: I'll show everyone here what I can do!! Take a look, newbie!!

2: This is the genius Kaburagi Issa's!! Super Special Strong-

3: Start Dash!!

Listen up, Rokudai

Yessir, teh

The red on the referee car means we can't surpass it

Pag 15

1: As long as that racket-like thing is red, this is a parade run

2: Until it gets turned round and becomes green, the race is in a neutral situation

Horuaaa

It means we have to run slowly and safely

3: There's no point in jumping ahead here

And if someone did that, he's just an idiot

Are you watching me, Aoyagi-san!! Haha

Teh... Aoyagi... san..

I'll surpass the care ahead of us!!

4: Once it becomes green, the speed will increase

Don't fall behind

5: Ye... yessir, teh!!

6: Hahaha I guess I left them behind of quite a lot

Waaa!? They're still right behind me!? Imaizumi-san, you're so fast!!

Choose a senpai to refer to

Ah.. huh... yessir, teh...

Pag 16

3: We've pretty much passed the residential area, teh

The parade will go on for a few more kilometers

4: Once we get on a wider road and can confirm it's safe, then there's the real start

Ohh

Pag 17

1: My first Inter High....

What on earth is it... the Inter High....

2: Ahh... my heart is pounding, teh...

Yeah, enjoy the scenery and the heart pounding while you still can

3: Teh!?

4: Once the race starts you won't have time to look at the scenery or take a breath

6: You- you have enough time to take a breath

Ro- Rokudai-kun

Don't bully the first year, Hotshot

7: Onoda-san!!

Pag 18

1: Only a little

3: Almost... none... the Inter High!!

I see... teh

Onoda-kun... you were even worst than Hotshot now..

Huh!?

The Inter H...igh sounds harsh

4: No, uhm

Uhm, it is

5: It's incredibly hard

It's so hard you could collapse

6: Your whole body falls apart and you can't even take a breath!!

Fall apart...!!

He's really putting the boot in...

Pag 19

1: But we run with all our strength

2: with everyone supporting each other

3: If we connect

Connect...

4: and we run until the end with all our might

7: When everything is over and we look back at it

Pag 20

1: We'll feel like it a really irreplaceable time

2: That difficult moment

Pag 21

1: When we were angry, frustrated, or when we smiled

We'll remember everything

2: Then, we'll think that we're happy we didn't give up

3: “Think”....

“Wish”....

4: That's....

Pag 22

1: That's the Inter High!!

3: If there are people who have “power” in their words

4: For me, it's this person

I've been thinking it since I've met him

5: Are you... in trouble?

Follow me

6: He usually seems unreliable when he talks, and there are times when he's awkward, but

… yes

Pag 23

1: His words always strike my core!!

Yessir!! Teh!!

That's right, Onoda-kun

You're right, Onoda

You can bet on it..!!

Yes!!

Pag 24

1: Thank you so much, teh

For bringing me, who didn't know anything, in such a brilliant and heart shaking world!!

Pag 25

1: Huh!? Everyone else too!! You were listening!?

Ah... uhm.. I was talking to Rokudai-kun...

2: Hahaha, we heard

3: And thanks to it, I'm all fired up!!

Don't get fired up more than this or you'll turn into ashes quickly

4: I-I'll run with everything I have, teh!!

5: So that you can fulfill

6: your dearest wish you told us about when we were coming here on the ship!!

Pag 26

1: “Dearest wish”

5: Yokosuka-Kokura ferry, off the coast of Kochi Prefecture

7: Well, the schedule after we arrive is roughly like this

Remember it yourself

Yes

Yes

Pag 27

1: Now if you get too excited you'll only get tired, and now it's okay to relax

Get a good night's sleep today, when you wake up tomorrow we'll go ashore

Yes!

2: Onoda, you want to say anything?

Huh!?

5: Let's... let's do our best

6: Yessir!!

Yes!!

On!!

7: Good night

Good night!!

8: Can I ask one last thing?

Pag 28

1: Earlier, Naruko-san said that our objective for this Inter High is to get our “third consecutive victory”

To be on par with Hakogaku, who is the only team to ever win three times in a row in the history of the Inter High

4: I agree, I also think we have to do it

But I there's one thing I'm curious about, and I don't think it's been asked yet

5: Onoda-san, what's your objective this year?

What are you running in the Inter High for?

[terminalkisser]

A pair of massive, powerful serpents slithered up Minos' arms as he extended the duo outwards. In the purple lighting, their white scales seemed to be made of polished quartz as they moved.

"Pyramus," the king said, holding up his left arm - "And Thisbe!" - and then the right.

Gabriel scoffed. "Of course you named your snakes after the doomed lovers of Babylon. Yes, that checks out, knowing... you."

[simpsations]

Dragon male x male reader

In a well known kingdom, surrounded by mountains, dubbed the kingdom of the mountains by all that bare witness to the vast and beautiful lands.

The King Meldric, of this land was a seemingly kind soul, the most respected alpha, one of the most powerful and peaceful rulers across the lands. His daughter, princess Claire, was said to be the most beautiful omega woman in the kingdom, blessed by the gods.

The king cared for his daughter more that anything, so when how entered his daughter's sleeping quarters he was shocked to the core to find it bare and tattered nothing but small spurts of blood and a large fire-orange dragon scale left as evidence.

-------------------------

The word of the missing princess spread through the kingdom faster than the speed of light. The king's men traveling through the villages and valleys in search for the praised princess.

They searched day and night in hopes of finding the princess, but they came up empty handed. The king set out told all of the tragic events begging those who were deemed strong to help find his beloved daughter and bring her home. Most pushed it aside stating that if the princess was supposedly taken by a dragon she withe already be dead or forcibly mated with the beast, and they couldn't fight against a dragon, other voiced pitty or concern, staying optimistic about the negative things that could have happened.

The king's words soon reached a small village, then got to you, an Omega male, the only son of the chief of your village. The second eldest of four.

Even though you were on such a low rank you had worked hard to become a knight, though still in training.

Once you got word of the princess' disappearance, from one of the drunk general heads, you decided that it would put you in a good light to save the princess.

----------------

This lead you to where you where now, out side of a large cave, your body covered in armor that was almost too stiff for no reason. You could very much hear the loud cries of the dragon.

Once you finally entered the cave it seemed to be well lit to show a large scaled mound surounded in black chains that looked to have violet vainds running through the iron. Another pathetic cry was heard as the chains seemed to glow slightly.

While making your way closer to the beast while trying not to make a sound, you accidentally kicked a stone across the Rocky ground.

The sound of the stone finally dropping caused the beast to rise up and turn it's head towards the offending you. It's slits for eyes became almost invisible, a deep rumble in it chest as it bared it's teeth to you through a muzzle.

The dragon seemed to be hurt and slightly afraid of you. The large beasts stared seemingly angry yes the young omega could sense a large amount of distress in it.

Taking the sword from it's sheath around your waist, you brought it to the chains, ready to hack through them, though once the sword toughed the chains the vain like purple substance seemed to fade away with a white light, the chains loosening untill they lay surrounding the dragon, to both you and the beasts surprise.

The dragon's pupils dilate slowly as it looked from you and the chains. The sound of a horrid scream sounded behind the dragon.

Looking to see the lost princess seething looking not as perfect as the stories say, the dragon was quick to turn and snarl at her, before she could start questioning the two, the dragon opened it's mouth and shot a blast of fire at the princess, only stopping when it deemed the princess dead.

You stood there in shock, trying to back away quietly, you're armor making a noise that alerted the dragon, it's head and long neck moving to block you from the entrance of the cave.

"Uh.. I don't mean any harm..." You slowly lowered your sword to the ground and rose your hands Into the air in surrender, backing up only to hit the body of the beast.

Suddenly the dragon was engulfed in light, it's body morphing into a more humanoid form, it wings shrinkened slightly, it long red hair fell down to it's mid-back, it's skin was a pale completion with the same fire-orange scales that the large dragon had, it's tail bacame shorter and thinner still long enough to drag on the ground, it towered over you by a foot, scars littered it's chest neck and thighs.

Although the figure looked intimidating, it's eyes set on you as a deep purr sounded, almost vibrating thought the cave.

You looks nervously at the now humanoid dragon, taking notic of his lack of clothing, while he just stared at you like a puppy about to get a treat. You were quick to turn your back to look away from the bare man in front of you, you attempt to exit the cave now that the dragon's he's isn't in the way, but the winged man was quick to wrap his arms around you and hold you tight to his body, he smelt strong of pine wood and wild berries, for some reason you felt contempt with staying in the arms of this strange dragon man as well. "Garnot's savior? Garnot's mate?" The actual vibration of his voice deep in his chest shook you, the dragon man not letting you go any time soon sat himself down with you cradled close to him.

______________________________________________________________________

Sorry I killed the princess off so quickly, I wasn't in the mood to do much on her.

I couldn't think of any forms of dialogue.

This request is from @obsessivevoidkitten I hope you enjoyed it.

I'm not to versed on the omegaverse

I literally deleted the longer version of the beginning of this, I'm sorry.

[reagomyeggo]

a sheet i made for my new asoiaf dragon, freilyr !

also known as the frost giant, freilyr is large but lithe and elegant in appearance. platinum-white scales shimmer with a blue iridescence, her frills/fins holding a light lavender color and her back accented with a sable in the same shade. her wings are striped lightly with a purple pattern. her eyes are a stunning sapphire blue. her flames are shock white with fire-orange tips.

she-dragon of queen daemyra targaryen, she is often found flying over the city of kings landing with her rider. the two are often accompanied by the queen consort venya velaryon and her dragon, bruunaxes, who is freilyr’s bonded partner.

freilyr is built moreso for speed and agility than brute force, but has no issues fending for or hunting for herself.

(yes, the lesbian queens have lesbian dragons bc who am i if its not sapphic in every way possible. also, in this universe the houses are not related at all, no inc*st thx)

layout of the sheet inspired by siosin_ on instagram

[emerald-cloud23]

Genuinely hate what they did with the Serpentine Lore in s4 if I can be honest and ramble my frustrations here? (I go and talk about other Serpentine too)

The Anacondrai, both the dead tribe and the cultists, have very obviously a different shade of purple scales and a severe lack of black/yellow markings and crystals that Pythor has as well as the very different neck and head shape which are all very valid reasons to be disappointed in their designs, I am too. But it gets worse.

S1 shows us how Scales became the Hypnobrai general- he got different markings, got a tail and was the only one who held the staff. There was a second in command (which was Scales' previous rank in the tribe) and each member of the tribe that wasn't the general had legs. Plus, there's about four to five different designs per tribe (depends if you count the leader/general with their clearly shown special markings and tail). There is only one general per tribe.

The s4 Anacondrai lack all of that. All of them have a tail, even Garmadon and Skylor recieve snake tails despite clearly not being the Anacondrai general. This season mentions there's multiple generals in the Anacondrai tribe, yet we're only shown Anacondrai with the tail. Not a single one with legs or distinct designs. The lack of a resemblance to Pythor's markings, colors and head/neck shape is enraging enough but the absolute lack of diversity in their designs is so painful to watch as someone who literally has a degree in media design. They make it look like Pythor, even pre-bleach, like a completely different type of Serpentine while all the others are the same bland carbon copies of each other. They're literally my least favorite tribe because of this and I don't even have any Serpentine minifigures yet (except Crystalized Aspheera, but I'm getting to her later anyway) but even if I did, I wouldn't want to display them. I'd willingly display any Serpentine tribe except the Anacondrai. And that's saying something for someone who finds the designs of the Vermillion reminiscent of guts and thus dislikes them.

On the topic of the Vermillion, why not briefly discuss why there's not a single one of those with a Serpentine tail? Easy: they're the tiny baby snakes that just somehow through Ninjago logic can form human-sized Serpentine that can talk and do everything perfectly. They're basically just the little baby snakes though, and last I checked babies can't take over leadership positions.

Now, a brief look at Aspheera because people don't like that she has the ghost tail in sets instead of the Serpentine tail. And that's also really easy to answer: she's not a general, she's a sorceress. Not a general. Yes, she has a tail in the show but she has a completely different rank from the other Hypnobrai of her time that we know of (btw, I love that Char is in the flashbacks with her (except when she frees Wu and Garmadon), that's so cute imo). Speaking of Hypnobrai, did you pay attention to her in the flashbacks vs. her when she's released from the pyramid? When she's young she has Hypnobrai markings on her head but when she is free she doesn't. Why? I'd say it's like the earlier mention of markings, like how the general has their own distinct markings for whoever takes that spot & that exiled Serpentine (remember, she was to be magically entombed for her crime of overthrowing the king) just lose their markings altogether so you can easier identify those that are no longer a part of the tribe. There, problem solved. And for the question on how she could absorb fire and crystal powers? Simple: sorceress. She ccould've probably used Nya's water in crystalized too, if not for the New Ninja and police coming to lock the ninja up.

Also.. The pyro vipers? They're mummies. I assume they've been long dead even before Aspheera and the pyramids lava 'ignited'/revived them. I've no guess what tribe they could've been from but I definitely doubt that it would be a fire-related one. However, the Hypnobrai evolved physically and changed into the type that we've known since 2012 some time after Aspheera got locked in the pyramid. I also like that we got to see the Hypnobrai no longer being purely blue/grey with some yellow but that there's also some pink and purple ones now. That is, what I would say, a result of the four Serpentine tribes being locked under Ninjago city and uniting in more ways than just "we're all friends now".

[jaehaera-targaryen11]

The Dragonpit with: @goldaegontargaryen

Jaehaera kept following her father, she knew that her father had skipped the reception and the girl was glad of it. Jaehaera wasn't exactly fond of change, her purple eyes got wider when she noticed that King’s Landing was louder than Dragonstone. She wasn't very keen on making friendship, afterall why would she exchange her dragon for a childhood companion she barely knew?

Even though Jaehaera was young, she knew Aegon wasn't a typical father. Most nobles, prefered sons. Boys were precious. Boys were heirs, lords, knights and heros. They bring glory, status and good fortune to their houses.

They would sire even more boys to carry on their ancestral bloodline. And girls…were well girls. Most of the time they were just exchanged for a political alliance. Even with two sons, Aegon always made time for Jaehaera.

His only daughter.

“I think Morghul ate one sailor's hands. There was some yelling during the night.”, Jaehaera said calmly as if it was expected. “Mayhaps he was hungry.”, the girl continued.

Jaehaera's eyes were too busy studying the change of scenario, the Red Keep looked far more vivacious than Dragonstone. Almost everyday it seemed like there was something new and exciting to do. It seemed exactly like the history books described how the court was like. Although, she was clearly too young to join the court, probably. Even tho, one decade seemed like a long time for Jaehaera. She would get to meet the rest of her extended family.

Her aunt or…half aunt, Jaehaera could never recall, would be queen.

“Yes, I am excited to be here. Wait, when was the last time I was here, father?", Jaehaera asked, confused as she didn't have a singular memory of the damned city.

As they entered the dragonpit, Jaehaera quietly walked until she reached Morghul. Morghul was dark as a nebulous night. She carefully went to pat his scales and wrapped her arms around his neck. Or at least she tried to. It didn't seem like a very wise thing to do.

“Isn't he lovely?”, Jaehaera asked her father.

[baylikeselephants]

Just finished Iron Flame (I know I’m behind) but here are my notes I took throughout the book.

Also would like to say I CALLED IT with Andarna

Iron Flame

Chapter 1

* Again like in book 1 tairn says “for now” about Xaden being the most powerful… interesting

* Go off girl you tell them you ain’t gonna be talked about

Chapter 2

* okay so first Violet thinks Naolin was something more to Brennen….

* But tairn won’t so much talk about him. He did turn venin taking in too much to save Brennen yeah?

* My sister made sure I saw the rune shaped scar on Brennen’s hand. That’s basically confirming to me that Naolin turned venin and that he did so and saved Brennen and now Brennen is marked to kind of signify that Brennen is his and he can do what he wants with him (like a wyren)

* Ooo a wardstone? That’ll come in handy

* Sgaeyl doesn’t like Brennen. Shit shit shit

* Andarna!!!! She’s got black scales (for now??) that look kind of purple? She won’t be one of the traditional colors will she?

* The delulu!!! “Mom won’t kill me” says Violet. Bitch that lady kill you for a sammich

Chapter 3

* 99% sure we can’t trust Dain????? Seriously Violet?

Chapter 4

* Dun dun dunnnn

Chapter 5

* I hate this bitch (Dain’s dad)

Chapter 6

* “And miss all the drama” andarna my sweet child 🤣

Chapter 7

* Ridoc “no one wants my genuine reactions” I fucking do bro

* Oh yes we’re back on the “just a reminder Jack is very very dead” no the hell he’s not you shut your face

* Go off girl you get those books and shit I dunno

Chapter 8

* Varrish is friends with Dain’s stupid dad. Great.

* THE KING’S SON? Aight then. Go off I guess.

* Annnnd Liam’s sister. Got it

* Solas. We hate him. Also he’s an orange.. we haven’t (I don’t think) met an orange we didn’t end up hating their rider

* Tairn go baby! Woot woot chomp him chomp chomp

Chapter 9

* Poor Violet. I fear the nightmares will only get worse

* Well she’s dead

Chapter 10

* Okay the big kid is venin too got it. And sent by dick heads dad

* “Watch me” lol Xaden

* He wrote her a letteerrrr lol

Chapter 11

* Mira was reassigned to Athebyne?? Of course

* Eat him tairn

* Damn he didn’t eat him

* Yeah yeah yeah I do wanna know if it’s a coincidence or not that she bonded a feather tail after her dads work on the book about them

* The bitch searched her

* Lmao but not tairn

Chapter 13

* The bitch. Both of them. Carr AND Varrish

* She got got

* Hopefully by the torture people and not by someone trying to kill her

Chapter 14

* okay good

* Okay bad

* Jack fucking Barlowe’s dragon. Great.

* Dead

Chapter 15

* I like Rhi a lot….. that means she’s gunna die

Chapter 16

* Jesinia is also toast isn’t she

* Hehehe she got sloane to train. Go off girl

* Stupid varrish. He can suck a dick

Chapter 17

* But I like Jesinia 😭

Chapter 18

* They fighttttin

* Nolon says he’s healing a soul? Maybe? Maybe not?

* Oh. Is he trying to heal a soul?? Like venin… maybe a particular bastard Jack Barlowe?

Chapter 19

* Have I said that I hate Varrish and his stupid motherfucking dragon

* I love that tairn is literally making Varrish beg for forgiveness but by gods this is going to come back to bite Violet in the ass I’m certain

* At least she kind of talked to Rhi

* Stupid motherfucking asshat

Chapter 20

* Lmao “Uhg let’s go throw knives at shit” is the most Mira thing

* Why would ya tell Mira you crazy lady. That’s gunna backfire. I feel strongly we shouldn’t trust one of the siblings so I’m choosing to trust neither

Chapter 21

* Kill Dain. Hate him.

* I really don’t think I believe him.

* I do about her mom though. That lady is a bitch and Violet is stupid for not believing him

* I thought he knew!!!!! Aaric to the rescue!

Chapter 22

* The fucking torture shit

Chapter 23

* Stupid bastard Dain and stupid bastard Varrish

Chapter 24

* the knives unlock the door

* Nice

Chapter 25

* why did a scribe walk by?

* Caroline? Wait she’s only mentioned with Jack barlowe yeah? Oh boy

* Annnnnnd now she’s running out after the whole leaflet thingy

* Devera pockets hers… is she part of the revolution then? I know that’s a long shot but why keep it?

* Annnd there’s Jack. Got it… yay….

Chapter 26

* Xaden is hurt

Chapter 27

* Rondezvous? Hm. Not dangerous I’m sure

Chapter 28

* His ex, Cat?

* Yes

Chapter 29

* Oh good grief

* Get the dagger Rhi

* She got it phew

* Girl you stupid I mean probably not but like a little

Chapter 30

* okay look I know violet isn’t gay but Rhi is and she got a thing for Violet

* Annnndddd there’s a sub level vault

* Jack didn’t get healed (see: he is venin) he just got masked

* Bye bye Eya

* Huh

Chapter 31

* Jack? Okay then.

* A prince who hates his father lol

Chapter 32

* Yeah okay. Xaden killed Aaric’s brother. That checks

* Sneaky sneaky

Chapter 33

* Aaric is bold

* Phew that was close

* Those better be the damn books though. I’m worried they are not

* I feel like Varrish will be waiting on them or something when they get back

Chapter 34

* Uhg stupid Bodhi. Why did you say “well that was blissfully uneventful” you dumbass. Now shit for real for real about to hit the fan

* Bastard Nolon. Why would you take anything from ANYONE right now. Don’t drink that shit

Chapter 35

* I hate Nolon. I knew I hated Nolon. Because he “revived” Jack but uhggggg

* Don’t answer shit Vi

* Liam! Hi buddy

* Haha. Tairn is hunting Solas.

* Stupid Dain. I hate this bastard too

* This is stupid but is he going to try to get her out? Probably not right?

* Well damn if he didn’t do it

* Varrish is dead? Here’s hoping. He did get killed with the venin killing knife

Chapter 36

* show them all!!! Bitches

* andarna is black? That’s not her final color though is it?

* Hehe. You needed dragons right

Chapter 37

* Okay so these nightmares… do we know that it’s not kind of real? Like-hear me out- the venin, in this case the sage, when powerful enough can project into people’s subconscious and haunt them

* Dirty dirty

* Oh no

* “We’re all that’s left of the squad that fought at Resson” usually is followed by another one of them dying

* Tell ‘em Xaden

* ANDARNA!!!! This isn’t a bad thing right……..

Chapter 38

* SHE WILL TOO BEAR A RIDER 😭 SHE HAS TO

* I love andarna lol

* MIRA? This bitch better be joining or I’m fixin to throw hands

* She’s gunna kill Brennan

* Or punch him lol he kinda deserved it though so

Chapter 39

* I just am in love with the fact that she hasn’t seen this bitch in years and POW punches him in the face

* Go off Vi

* I don’t know if they’re gunna have wards though. This feels too easy

* Thought so..

* wait iron rain…? Do they have blood moons in this world? Rain under a blood moon would be iron rain

* Oh boy Vi. I would say calm down girl but ya know

Chapter 40

* Xaden is there lol he’s gunna kill her

Chapter 41

* CAT IS HIS NIECE 🤣 I’m dead

* I know Violet isn’t gay but my god she is gay coded. “…shows her elegant figure to its best advantage…” bitch you gay

* I was literally about to say this bitch sounds like Dain

* No but yeah why didn’t violets shields block out Cat?

* Fuck.

Chapter 42

* It’s a shame Xaden didn’t kill him. But violet is correct. Then they wouldn’t have answers

* Brennan. Babes. No hontey. Why we gonna arm these bitches

Chapter 43

* Don’t die lols

* Tairn is so sassy. He really said bitch you didn’t bond a little house cat you bonded a mother fuckin lion

* Tairn says “kill us” he doesn’t think he’ll survive another rider (aka violet) dying. I don’t think I’d heard that from him yet. Like I knew that he was ~unlikely~ to survive but I didn’t know he would admit it

* Awwww a babyyyyyyy

* Lu is gunna die isn’t she. Damn this stupid arrow thingy

* Or ridoc. Ya know whatever. It’s not like I’m attached to any of these characters REBECCA.

Chapter 44

* at least ridoc is okay Brennan got there

* Everybody knows within the area… including the venin

* Right. Great.

Chapter 45

* Good babes. We don’t trust Jack.

* Reddish sheen to andarna’s scales???? Hm interesting

* Runesssssssss

Chapter 46

* AHA. I knew the knives unlocked the door and it had to do with the runes

* Hmmm interesting. So the rune to protect the marked ones was designed to counter the signet of the rider whose dragon would kill them. So melgren’s dragon killed them and the relics do provide the hiding from him thus countering the signet.

* Xaden trained cat too. Yippee

Chapter 47

* should’ve killed her

Chapter 48

* Xaden has a way with words but like in a respectful kind way not a demeaning “I’m better than you” way

Chapter 49

* Hehe

* Dain. Still don’t trust him fully

Chapter 50

* Oh yippee…… here they come

Chapter 51

* Oh well I feel stupid. The translation is iron ~flame~ not iron ~rain~ so what could that mean…. I got nothing for this one

* Oh the dragons lol not the people I would’ve gotten there eventually I promise

* Girl no. Why you gotta say shit like that. Why shouldn’t we raise the damn wards (other than they don’t work but she don’t know that)

Chapter 52

* Rhi is the best

* Treason. Again. How fresh. It’s not like this always leads to trouble

* This is a prophecy not an empty threat. I think the stupid sage is coming into her mind (see: Naolin isn’t dead and is venin and still connected to Tairn and thus Violet) and telling her what will happen. I expect by the end of this book.

* The “let’s go” is giving Shania Twain lol

Chapter 53

* “We don’t eat our allies” lol little buddy poor andrana

* Uh… why is there a breeze?? Am I reading too much into that?

* And now gravity shifts!!? No no no

* TYPICAL. SHOULDVE KILLED THAT BITCH SOLAS TOO

Chapter 54

* Bitch you hurt andarna you fixin to die today whore

* Go for his other eye lol

* She is as Naolin was???? Uh. Okay a siphon sure but Tairn tends to mean things in multiple ways that we don’t always get the first read though so this comment scares me

* Uh yes bitch we’re ready to hear about the deal with her mom

Chapter 55

* Damn wyvern

Chapter 56

* No but for real why wouldn’t they go ahead and power that wardstone?

* Tairn 😭 “she now suffers with a burden that should have been mine”

* Did Xaden just loose control there for a second?

* I wondered if it was related to intentions. Particularly because of the scene with Dain. No way Xaden let him live without knowing his intentions

* Obviously this isn’t the end of it right but yay the wards work!

* Okay the wards kind of work

Chapter 57

* This bitch I swear. He just got here and I hate him (melgren)

* Yes babes dark wielders have runes omg keep up girl

* Stupid runes

* Also just the fact that Brennan pulled a “YOU THOUGHT BITCH” on his own mother

Chapter 58

* If they’ve been sitting there…. It’s not.. it’s some kind of trap…

* Yeah.. well back to where it all started I reckon

Chapter 59

* Of course Brennan won’t go. Bastard

* Andarna baby I swear to god

* Nolon. The bitch. Kill him

* Of course it’s Baide

* Bye bye Baide

Chapter 60

* For once I guess Dain is okay

* Also. Why the fuck. The actual ever loving fuck. Would you keep that bitch alive

* Agree Vi, mistake to leave the stone and after all Violet has done you’d think her mom might consider her daughter’s opinion for more than two seconds

* YAY! Brennan (the bastard) can mend the wardstone (I hope)

Chapter 61

* “no one dies today” bitch. I think they do

* “I am the storm” yeah ya are bitch let’s go

* But for real someone is about to die aren’t they

* Hehe sgaeyl. Hey bestie

* Rhi said bitch I dare you

Chapter 62

* Not the “good maybe you’ll stay in it”

* Why not hopeful…? What won’t Marbh say

* Typical andarna. Like no chance our girl was sitting on the sidelines watching the whole damn thing obviously

Chapter 63

* “That wasn’t hiding” uh.. what’s that mean vi

* THE SEVENTH DRAGON IS ANDARNA BECAUSE SHES NOT GUNNA FIT INTO ONE OF THE TYPICAL DENS THANK YOU VERY MUCH???

Chapter 64

* She just looked a dragon in the face and called his bastard ass out. Alrighty girlie. Go off

* It is because he knows she’s destined for something greater. That’s why he didn’t kill her

* PURPLE!!! HA

* Okay then… bye bye mom….

Chapter 65

* oh no no no. No cheering. I get it wasn’t easy but babes that was too easy

* Told you Xaden would be venin at some point

Chapter 66

* Okay look. Of all people who are gunna know it won’t be Jack barlowe will it???

General

* if Jack isn’t dead and is venin (because how else would he survive that) did his dragon break the bond with him or is he venin with a fucking dragon

* Wait— if Jack is venin then the wards don’t work like they think they do. Because either venin can get through them or they can be “born” in them.

* Not once… not one single time does Brennen or tairn say that naolin is dead. I feel confident he’s alive and venin

* Wait wait wait… does Violet know what Naolin looks like? I think so.. but would she recognize him if he turned venin? Was he the teacher person thingy at Resson?

* Okay.. okay hear me out. I think andarna is going to be one of two things… either she will be purple orrrr with violet’s comment about her looking green but the blowing it off like it was reflective of the grass. So my other thought is that she’s like… a chameleon? And can adjust her color based on what is needed

* BABES. So Melgren (spl?) can’t see groups of the marked ones right? But why? Here’s my thoughts—my first thought was that is was somebody’s signet, but Sarah said no lol. So my second thought, are the dragons masking them? Are they able to do that? Ooo but also what about this— is it in the tattoos? Like the tattoos have runes in them and they are greater in numbers and blah blah blah. The marked ones have to know how it works. Yeah I like the tattoo idea best right now. Because the marked ones can’t be seen even if they haven’t bonded from what I understand so it can’t be dragons.

* Hold the fucking phone. If Brennan is venin or controlled by venin or whatever (see : rune thingy in his hand) is that why the wardstone thing didn’t work?

* Xaden will turn venin at some point. I have no basis for this. It is just a guess. An educated guess based on RY’s writing but a guess. Violet could also? But not sure. I personally like Xaden a bit better

* On the solas is dead note (which I hope he really is but god knows with RY), the whole “two daggers left in solas” thing. That’s gunna come back and bite her in the ass isn’t it?

[gabessquishytum]

So a mash-up of Dream with a strap on and cam boyfriends. Dream who is still called the shaper of forms because he has a cock to fit any fantasy from domestic to utterly ethreal and will go all out on special effects makeup when the scene calls for it. The audience often gets a whole ass serving of artistic vision with their porn.

Hob is the ever enthusiastic partner and audience stand in who gets to have his back blown out with all kinds of new and interesting things. There may or may not be a viewer created ranking list of the strap ons based on how quickly they reduce Hob to a whining, droolling mess.

Needless to say, the patronage tier where viewers can send in strap ons to be used in a scene is growing steadily in popularity.

-💥

Ooo yes! Dream, the king of fantasy dildos!

His collection is pretty legendary at this point, and he never runs out of new things to try out on Hob. It's got to the point where companies will literally sponsor him to show off their newest, weirdest contraption. More often than not he'll tell the audience exactly what he thinks of each toy - how it fits against his own body, how heavy it is, whether the texture feels good. Hob isn't really in a position to say much during the videos, but his moans and cries and the speed at which he resorts to begging generally acts as a pretty good honest review of whatever Dream is using on him.

Hob loves it when Dream goes all out with his makeup and costume. Sometimes their bedroom is turned into a proper little film set with Dream going out to get the right ambience for each video. He releases the BTS videos for viewers on the higher tiers and sometimes he will literally spend 6 hours getting ready for a shoot. Meanwhile Hob handles the occasional q&a video and enjoys waxing lyrical about his favourite toys.

Their most popular video involves Dream, covered from the waist upwards in intricately painted blue and purple scales, absolutely destroying Hob’s ass with a "dragon size" dildo that's approximately as thick as his fist. The gifs from that video pop up occasionally on Hob’s social media feeds, and his hole literally flutters with the muscle memory of that particular session...

[thelittlestaxolotl]

glad you enjoy long asks ^^

I’ve got some more :

For Blue

What’s your favourite potion (idk if Blue makes potions in this AU if he doesn’t ignore the question , I have another one just in case) How frightened of Alan were you when you met him on a scale to 1-10?

What kind of food do you eat?

How are you feeling => ?

For King

4. If you are King who do you rule?

5. Do you care about purple? Like look after them , give them food?

For Yellow

6. Do you like to read books? If so what kind of books? If not what do you enjoy doing?

7. Does Yellow like using redstone? (He might not in this AU-)

8. How’d you and Alan meet ?

For Green: (a lot of em)

9. Do you enjoy hugs or head pats or whatever cuz Purple enjoys headpats ^^

10. If we would tell you where Purple is what would you do?

11. How are you? You might be a bit shocked about your friend but..

12. What kind of music do you enjoy? Perhaps just singing?

13. Do you sometimes try to talk to Alan?

14. What’s your relationship with other fairies? (Not purple)

1.1. "My favourite potion? Oh, so many to choose from, I can't de-"

"Awkward potion."

"-H-hey, that's my ask!"

1.2. "11/10. I thought he was a hunter who poisoned my river to make me get out. Good thing Sec were with him that time."

2. "Fish, shellfish, seaweed, whatever you can find in a river and on shores. Although I'm an omnivore, so I can eat whatever others would prefer."

3. "Numb. As always since the poisoned river incident."

4. "King is more of a nick name. I'm a viceroy of one of the biggest towns in our country."

5. "...Yes? I don't think he agrees with me, but I look after his safety and well-being."

6. "Reading? I don't like fiction, but I always read any redstone directory I and Alan can find."

7. "Damn yes. This is the main reason I befriended a human. They can do so much stuff with it, it's all just incredible!"

8. "Unlike the others who were forced by circumstances to get along with a human, I did it purposely. I was watching them for a while, joining them more and more and slowly blending into their lives."

"Long story short, it was slowly but surely."

9. "Purple's weird. Whatever affection that doesn't include messing with my hair."

10. "Went to save him! What kind of question is this?"

"You surely wouldn't know what are you doing."

11. "I'm fine, but still worried."

"He hadn't slept last night, like, at all-"

"SHUT YOUR NON-EXISTENT MOUTH"

12. "All of 'em! And I mean each and every."

13. "We all do. It mostly looks funny."

"We've worked out several ways of communication, so this is not such a problem now."

14. "I can't remember my colony and I've never seen Purple's colony. That's all I can say."

[em-mermaid]

Let’s Prank Your Boyfriend

(read on AO3 here)

It’s time.

The button makes a satisfying click and a joyful tune fills the air. He reaches out to catch his prize, letting diamonds fall to the ground around him. And finally, in his hands is a large purple crown, fit for a king.

Doc sweeps his thumb along the jewels delicately embedded in the golden rim of the crown and takes a moment to admire how the purple velvet compliments the green of his fur. This will do nicely, he thinks.

The crown of Grian’s desires. A way to get back at that pesky bird. It’s time to put his plan into action.

He reaches up and places the crown atop his head. It fits perfectly between his horns, almost as if it was made for him.

He looks around at the empty streets of the shopping district. The early morning sun glints off the nearby windows, but no hermits are inside. The weight of the crown makes him feel powerful. He needs someone to celebrate this victory with him. He needs to show off this prize.

Mumbo’s best friend, huh? It was almost too easy.

Pesky bird is in for a surprise.

A quick flight later and he’s standing outside Mumbo’s vault door. It’s dark, imposing, even in the bright morning light. Creeping vines seem to crawl towards him, simultaneously urging him closer and warning him away. Sculk sensors click and chitter at his approach.

He raises a hand to knock but the door springs into life before he can. Pistons shift and clank loudly and the door opens with grandeur as a slime block launches him into the doorway to land face to face with a startled Mumbo.

He’s wearing his standard suit and tie, perfectly tailored and freshly pressed. The large black wings on his back shift and shimmer when he steps into the sunlight. His tail flicks back and forth as purple eyes glow with an untold power. It takes Doc’s breath away.

“Oh, hey dude! What’s up?” Mumbo greets with an endearingly awkward wave.

“Good morning,” Doc greets with a smile. He sees the moment Mumbo notices the crown atop his head and watches as Mumbo’s jaw drops open.

Doc smiles and puffs out his chest. Purple eyes flick downward before quickly averting. A pink tinge appears in Mumbo’s cheeks.

“Do you like my crown?”

Mumbo shuffles in place and smiles up at him. “It looks great!” He rubs at the back of his neck. “I just didn’t think anyone would have one yet.”

A grin grows on Doc’s face and he chuckles. “Don’t doubt the power of the Goat!” He steps forward, close enough that he could touch one of Mumbo’s wings if he reached out. Close enough to see the shimmering scales lining his cheekbones. “And you know full well that the Goat can’t resist The Button. I have to be the best.”

Mumbo’s flush darkens, but he doesn’t step away. “Ah yes, well, I suppose that makes sense.” They both know that this was a deliberate design choice.

“Now Mumbo, my new best friend, I have a proposition.”

“A what?” he squeaks.

“A proposition that we team up to prank your pesky neighbor.”

“Oh, right, of course. A prank proposition.” His wings shift with excess energy. “What kind of prank were you thinking?”

Doc nods his head towards the floating rocks behind him. “Perhaps we should first step inside to avoid prying eyes. This will work best if pesky bird doesn’t know that I have the crown.”

“Right,” Mumbo agrees, stepping away from Doc. “Yeah, come on in.”

Mumbo turns and begins descending the stairs into the vault. Doc follows and watches as Mumbo hits a button to close the door behind them. The canking of pistons cover the sound of their footsteps echoing through the chamber.

The vault is modest on the inside. Well, modest aside from the glass covered stash of diamonds kept under the floors. Chests line the dark walls and shulkers are stacked in the corner. A Hotguy poster hangs directly ahead and Doc can’t help but admire it, despite having a matching one at home.

Mumbo clears his throat and Doc tears his eyes away from the chiseled abs of his favorite hero in favor of the handsome man in his presence.

“Would you like some tea?” Mumbo gestures towards the small kitchen and table tucked away behind the stairs.

“Sure, sounds wonderful.” The wooden chair creaks as he sits and, delightfully, it is large enough for him to fit comfortably.

Mumbo places a pot of water on the furnace before glancing back at Doc, wings shifting to clear his line of sight. “So you want to prank Grian?”

Doc nods with a grin. “Mhm.”

“I mean, you know me, I'm always ready to prank him,” Mumbo muses as he joins Doc at the table. “Is there a reason for this prank or is it just because you want to?”

Doc drops his head into his hands and lets out a frustrated groan. “Him and Scar blew up my tunnel bore! These two don’t even know how not to break the most basic of machines. Don’t they realize how many hours it takes to put one of those together even if it is simple?”

He feels something wrap around his ankle and freezes before realizing it’s not just something, it's Mumbo’s tail. He looks up in surprise and meets a concerned yet teasing gaze.

Mumbo’s tail is wrapped around his ankle.

“Ha yeah they tend to do that, it happens to me all the time. Grian seems drawn to every contraption I build.” Is it just in his head or is Mumbo leaning closer now? “What kind of prank were you thinking?”

Mumbo’s tail is around his ankle and Doc is still wearing the crown.

Ok Doc, he thinks to himself, you need to keep your cool. This is good, perfect even. He can’t remember the last time the two of them had even spent any time alone together. Maybe at the spawn village? Or was it back in Boatem? He’s not sure. Regardless, here they are now in Mumbo’s vault and he has this rare and perfect opportunity of being the center of Mumbo’s undivided attention. He can’t waste this.

He clears his throat and leans in conspiratorially. “As you know, pesky bird has been wanting the best friend crown for a while, but he should know by now that the Goat always wins when it comes to The Button.”

Mumbo laughs. It’s something light, yet hesitant. “Is that why you picked me to help? Because of the crown?” His tail moves as if to pull away.

“No, no!” Doc exclaims, reaching out to take Mumbo’s hand in his own. “I picked you because of your ideas. Plus, you have such a handsome face.”

For a moment Mumbo pauses, eyebrows furrowed as he looks down at their hands. The silence stretches on as a variety of expressions flit across Mumbo’s face, too fast and subtle for him to understand and Doc begins to wonder if he’s overstepped. But then Mumbo smiles softly and moves, turning his hand upward to interlock their fingers.

It's an awkward angle for their wrists as they hold hands across the small table, but it feels like a step forward. A step towards something new.

When Mumbo finally speaks, his voice is quiet, barely a whisper, but it’s steady. “So you want to use the crown?”

The air around them feels charged. Doc squeezes Mumbo’s hand and when he responds he makes sure to keep his voice low.

“I want to tempt him with the crown that he so desperately wants. I want to make him pay. And then, with your permission of course, I want to taunt him into taking the best friend crown only for it to cause the destruction of something dear to him.”

Mumbo looks up, startled, but the mischievous glint in his eye tells Doc all he needs to know. “What are you going to destroy?”

“That is where you come in, my dear Mumbo.” Doc’s voice rumbles into the space between them as he begins to use his thumb to draw shapes onto Mumbo’s hand. He watches as Mumbo shivers. “I was hoping you would have an idea. Of course, it doesn’t need to be anything too important, just something to cause a little distress. A little shock. We can always rebuild.”

The flush returns to Mumbo’s cheeks. “We could blow up my vault door.”

Now it’s Doc’s turn to recoil. “Why would you blow up your own base?”

“Well, I’ve been building traps for him all season so he can try to break into my vault. And I was already thinking about blowing up the back part anyway so I can redesign it.”

“You are going to redesign your entire base?”

“Yeah? I don’t think it looks sinister enough.”Doc stares at him. Taking a moment to really look at him. Mumbo’s hair is messy, but not unkempt. It’s pushed back as if he styled it recently, but had already run his hands through it as he thought through his plans for the day. His wings rest comfortably behind him, still shimmering under the skylight. Doc’s eyes trace the crease between Mumbo’s eyebrows and the shape of his lips as he purses them in contemplation of the task ahead.

He’s not sure how it slips out but he hears his own voice whisper. “I could kiss you.”

Brief surprise flickers across Mumbo’s features before he leans in, resting his chin on his hand. “Yeah?”

“Mhm,” Doc nods.

“Then do it.”

Doc leans in minutely, but it’s not close enough. “Damn table is in the way,” he grumbles, keeping their fingers interlocked as he rises to clear the distance around the table in two swift steps.

Purple eyes are looking up at him and then, with a slight tug on their joined hands, the eyes are coming closer along with the rest of Mumbo’s body until they are pressed flush against each other. Mumbo’s warm breath mingles with his own and the gravity finally pulls them together, their lips joining in a dance of fire and flames. Years of taunting and teasing finally crashing inward to this singular moment of grasping hands and beating hearts.

They break apart panting, foreheads touching as they breathe together. Doc lets out a chuckle. “You made my mouth all tingly.”

“Ah yes well,” Mumbo lets out a breathy laugh. “That will be the electricity. Dragon’s breath and all that.”

“So are you saying that there is a spark here?” Doc brings his hand up to brush his thumb along Mumbo’s cheek. “That’s not a very safe thing to have around a creeper, but I’m not going to complain.”

At that Mumbo properly starts laughing, the near magical sound filling the kitchen. He shakes with it as he leans forward and presses his head onto Doc’s shoulder. Doc can’t help but chuckle along with him.

Slowly, it trails off into quieter giggles. “Yeah,” Mumbo agrees, finally composing himself. “Yeah, but here we are.”

“Here we are,” Doc confirms.

For a moment they simply stand, wrapped in each other's arms and basking in the warmth of the embrace.

It’s Doc that eventually breaks their shared silence. He keeps his voice low, trailing his hand down Mumbo’s arm to lace their fingers together. “How about we get started on that redstone, hmm?”

Mumbo's eyes light up and he beams. “Now?”

“Why not?” Doc shrugs.

“Right, yes!” Mumbo exclaims, leaning towards the table to grab a small book and quill. “What did you have in mind?”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

On a scale of Blegh to Slay Girl, which OB character design is the best and worst?

I'll be talking about my own thoughts in this post, but if you're interested in seeing a larger sample size's opinion on this question, you can check out the results of this poll! Vil was initially hardcore in the lead, but over time (I think because someone datamined and shared Malleus's full body OB design during the period in which the poll ran) Malleus overtook him.

From personal Blegh (worst/least liked) to Slay Girl (best/most liked):

Azul — This is the first “real” look we’ve had of his true form, and it doesn’t leave a good impression on me. It’s not that I don’t like Azul’s look as an octopus, the proportions of his tentacles just seem… off?? Like I feel like they should be much longer than they actually are. Additionally, the design of the tentacles makes them look plasticy and fake, almost like pool toys you’d blow up and then whack around in the water.

I also feel like because of Azul being an octopus, the design feels a little empty and the designers overcompensated by cover up the empty space (ie slapping random stuff on). The placement of the shells on his lower body is very weird on him, and compared to his collar (the necklace, the coral spiking off his shoulders) there’s not a lot happening here. The harsh black blot against the grey-purple of his skin also looks very jarring (which, as you’ll see, will continue to be a point of contention for me as we get into other OBs). Perhaps the only element I like in Azul’s OB is his crown, which resembles King Triton’s (you know, after Ursula yoinked it from him). It’s not too much embellishment like the elements at his collar, and it’s not oddly placed like the shells are.

Vil — I like his sleeves, veil, and little metal talons!! I also appreciate this his single glowing eye has blot running down like tears or running mascara! … That’s about it. I find that nothing else about his look does it for me 💦 Vil’s chest feels… oddly empty?? It’s like he has no form at all there because of how unnaturally smooth it is. And while I kind of get where the devs are going with the religious imagery and the incorporation of peacock feathers, I don’t think it all visually meshes very well together. The blot that his fabric fades into ends up looking like weird clumps of hair sticking onto the ends of Vil’s train and sleeves because no one was there to hold them up for him to keep them clean.

His crown is meant to make him look regal and imposing, but I just giggle a little because it looks so… chunky that it comes off as comedic and top-heavy (like he’ll keel over from the weight of it any second now). Yes, I understand it’s the same crown as that of the Beautiful Queen; I just think the extra things they added to it (ie the peacock feathers in the halo) gives additional weight that isn’t needed. I’m not sure if I get the weird spikes at his waist either; it was probably to better color distribute the scarce white in his look, but I feel like some other design element would have made it look less disjointed.

Malleus — This look is what I jokingly call “Nosferatu”; it reminds me a LOT of a stereotypical vampire, from the cape and slicked back hair to the zombie-like tint to the skin and draconian is this considered a pun clothing. The skin (being a reference to Maleficent) is, of course, a muted green color. That… just makes Malleus look hella seasick to me DX maybe like he has some cyanosis coming on??? In any case, I don’t like it. hdisbskskxos ANOTHER THING, THE GLOW IN THE DARK/LIGHT UP HORNS AND TAIL ARE SO FUNNY 😂 It doesn’t make me take him seriously as a threat when he’s over here lighting up like a lava lamp.

The main thing that makes me like this design a little over Vil’s is that the colors of neon green and deep blue-purple offer a greater contrast between the super dark parts of his clothing. There are also little details I appreciate, like how the blot on Malleus’s face forms little black scales like that of a dragon or a lizard and the continuous incorporation of thorns throughout the design. There are thorns over his torso, thorns crawling up his waist, thorns forming the “cage” of his skirt, and thorns climbing up from his cape—it really sells the imagery that his own insecurities and loneliness are swallowing him. The thorns on his chest are of particular interest to me 👁️ It’s like Malleus has “walled off” his heart to intruders, refusing to let them into his perfect dream world where no one leaves him. It just works well thematically!!

Jamil — I know Jamil���s OB design is really unpopular. I didn’t initially like it that much either, but the more and more I thought about it, the more I realized that while I don’t think the outfit is awful, it’s Jamil’s physical traits that drive people off from him. I actually really enjoy many elements of his OB: the tattered veil, how his skirt flares out at the end, the shoes, the beads, the draping cloth of his sleeves… The problem is, that’s not what my eyes are immediately drawn to. I’m way too busy staring at his snake hair and fake facial hair to notice anything else 😂

The snake hair looks so goofy (I think because of them lacking a lot of detail), and I'm not sure if the hair turban was a good choice either. I think it gives kind of clashing ideas as well??? The idea of snake hair invokes thoughts of Medusa, who is more closely linked to Greek mythology (which, thematically speaking, is more of an Ignihyde thing than a Scarabia thing; I’m not saying that Idia should have snake hair, but the fact that it was put on Jamil who had no association with Greek mythology may feel slightly off). The blot pooling at his chin and forming pseudo facial hair is also pretty silly (I know it's to mimic Jafar's goatee, but it's still weird to see on Jamil). Altogether, it creates a weird initial impression, especially when combined with the various over-the-top facial expressions Jamil makes while in this form.

Riddle — Here’s the part where I admit I probably ranked Riddle high due in part to nostalgia and because I’m really into Alice in Wonderland motifs 🤡 I think it’s a nicely balanced design, not only because of the even distribution of black and red in the dress (plus white as a much needed accent color), but you very clearly get the “Queen of Hearts” vibe without the very obvious overabundance of hearts everywhere. There’s a lot of neat little details, like the roses at his waist, the “spider legs” of playing cards, the loops of the bow that form a “heart” behind him, and the incorporation of suits into his choker and various other areas.

One thing that I think helps Riddle really stand out is just how small he is compared to everyone else; his OB outfit helps to further emphasize that, with the length of his dress’s train curling around him. We see the size difference highlighted in the battle against him as well. Riddle’s Phantom looks over him while he floats slightly hunched over, as if a puppet on strings. It makes me think of how his mother still has a strong hold on him, so she’s the one “in control” of his strings, the one influencing his toxic behavior. That lends Riddle’s OB a lot more personality in my eyes.

Idia — Cringe lines aside, I like how different and dynamic Idia’s OB is! The electronic mouth guard helps him be a lot more expressive than he usually is, and all the blue flames and swirling blot creates a super distinctive look. (I’m especially a fan of the vortex of blot that makes up the lower half of his design.) Blue and black work really well together, and I also feel like that color combination is good for emphasizing the sleek, cybernetic armor Idia sports, with the black part being metal and the blue part being the lights/energy/magic/electricity coursing through that powers it.

I guess the one big con against Idia’s design is that it doesn’t much resemble Hades. However, I tend to find that I have a preference for more subtle design elements in OBs, so I don’t really mind this. There’s enough sprinkled in to get the idea, from the stripe of cloth hanging from Idia’s clavicle to the slender (resembling the robes of Hades), pointed fingers of his gloves (again, similar to Hades), and even the vortex of his armor (like the spirits of the underworld swirling around). A lot of the tech elements help make Idia stand out and tie back to the trauma he experienced, so I think retaining the robotic nature of the OB is a must!

Leona — The single major qualm I have with this design is his lack of footwear 🥲 I never want to see bare feet (I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say it’s related to a traumatic childhood memory). Other than that, I think this is the most cohesive design of the OB boys. It's not too much, but it's also not too little, and the colors aren't too garish, nor too much black. The slicked back hair and furry collar resemble a lion's mane, and even something as understated as Leona's silhouette is made to better resemble his Disney counterpart (Scar's body shape is replicated using a corset of sorts). The blot covering his hands also gives him sharper nails, similar to a lion's claws. Leona's jewelry is also an interesting choice; the necklaces, of course, resemble the teeth of a predator, but everywhere else the jewelry seems very shackle and chain-like, perhaps alluding to how Leona feels resigned to his fate because of something he cannot control (his birth order). He's trying to break free of those attempts to keep him down, rebelling against people's low expectations of him.

The fabric that's draped over his lower half is a little on-the-nose; it's ramshackle and stitched together, resembling "scars" (geddit, cuz "Scar"). In the context of an OB though, I think I can overlook this. All of them feel broken, so seeing torn and ruined elements only makes sense. You can see his tail chilling inside of that cage of stitched fabric, but just barely because there's also golden cloth in front mostly covering it. To me, this is a good thing because tails on humanoid characters kind of unnerves me 😅

Anyway, those are my thoughts on all the OB designs ^^ I hope that was at least somewhat interesting to read.

[midnight--capricorn]

I started worldbuilding for my hypothetical FE ROMHack and now it's everyone's problem

(It's not actually a problem I swear)

This world has no name. The kingdoms (as of now, there are just four) have no names currently. For now, I'll refer to them as their colours: Blue, Purple, Green and Grey. (yes, they're colour-coded, any character from one of these areas has the colour somewhere on them, no matter how big or small, so for example, our first duo, Wiljem and Valentin, are from blue; and our red and green cavs Hartwin and Dragomir, as well as the myrmidon Cydon are from the grey kingdom.)

For this, we're focusing on the Blue kingdom because that's the part I developed a little more than the others.

All info under the cut

CLIMATE- How is it and how are the people there adapted to it?

[Blue] is a very cold place, to the point it can and will snow on most days, and people stay inside at night if they can. However, it also has an extremely clear view of the stars and possibly even some galaxies if one does decide to brave the freezing temperatures and overwhelming darkness.

If wool isn't a farming thing for this kingdom, it is a highly valuable import to make clothes of and line them with. Fur is also a highly valuable material for lining an outfit, though due to hunting laws fur is only really on the clothing with those of a higher status- or a thief who would rob those rich people blind (Valentin).

The cold makes people highly resilient, and if they aren't and don't have shelter, they will most likely die.

TRADE AND ECONOMY- What sort of jobs are there? What goods do they import/export?

As noted, wool is a highly valuable material for this kingdom due to its requirement in making good-quality warm clothing. (I am going to have to research if sheep can survive in cold climates, my guess is possibly but also I don't know if they can survive what is essentially a tundra. They can survive Scotland, is that close enough?)

Lakes and the ocean tend to not actually be that frozen year-round, so fishing is a huge industry in [Blue]. However, due to the coldness of those lakes and the sea, any accidents can quickly turn fatal. There are laws in place to prevent overfishing and causing the extinction of the fish in this sea, especially since it's not just their meat that's sold- it's also the highly iridescent scales. To rich people, of course.

As far as this goes this is still very underdevloped and I will have to continue on this further.

CULTURE- Festivals, Religion, etc.

Ok so this part is VERY underdeveloped, only thing I really have here is the religion part

So there's these two dragons- neither are good nor evil they're neutral forces- the Aurora (ice) dragon and the Nova (fire) dragon. I haven't gotten much besides that ngl.

They disappeared off into the stars and it is believed that every person's soul joins them in the stars once they pass on (which does reflect some cultural beliefs of real life iirc I will have to study those too)

[Blue]'s royal family and church leaders don't tend to intersect, until Wiljem came along. Normally the first-born son, so Wiljem in this case, would be the ruler. However Wiljem has more affinity for being a priest, so while rule was supposed to go to him it'll go to his older sister when the king dies (and he's a fire emblem parent you know what will happen)

There is a specific mountain in [Blue] where the stars are clearest on very specific nights of the year, and every member of the clergy is supposed to make a pilgrimage to it at least once on one of those few nights. Even members of the church of the other kingdoms may join these pilgrimages to get a taste of the practices of [Blue]'s church.

Ok that's kind of all I've got for worldbuilding so now I'm going to list the current amount of characters we have for this kingdom:

WILJEM- The Lord of this hypothetical ROMHack (and plot in general)- a prince who in later life is meant to join the church. Uses staves and light magic.

VALENTIN- A thief who broke into the castle for his big heist at the worst possible time, but it led to him technically saving Wiljem's life so they've put that aside. Dresses like nobility despite not being so for... some reason (you won't get that reason though). Please, for the love of the Aurora and Nova dragons, don't bench him. He can be benched but he's important. (he also has a paired ending with Wiljem)

Wiljem's sister (currently unnamed)- Crown princess of the land. Kind, but rather stubborn and pushy. a Pegasus Knight.

Wiljem's father- King of [Blue]. In typical fire emblem parent fashion, he dies. Honestly I haven't gotten much besides that.

An unnamed Cleric who was going on a pilgrimage before the invasion and murder of the King- Held hostage by Leena, a mage knight of [Purple] and Aelius, a wyvern rider of [Purple].

yeah that's all I got for now cya

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 4 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 4:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.59

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 5

Ranking Breakdown: 13 5s; 9 4s

Season as a whole thoughts:

I'm genuinely wondering if Season 4 might end up being the highest rated season when this project is all said and done. And that's interesting because it is not a season I immediately think of when I think of a season with a lot of my favorite episodes- I think of 3 and 7 first. But Season 4 is just so consistently entertaining! As I got towards the end of it, I noticed that I had not given any of the episodes a 3 yet- but looking it over again, that checks out. I'd really be happy to watch any of these episodes any time I am in the mood for "Bob's Burgers"- there isn't a "meh" or a mixed review in the bunch. And since I have already rated episodes from later seasons when I've caught them on cable, am pretty certain that this might be the only season with no 3s or lower in it.

But honestly, one of the things that really makes "Bob's Burgers" standout among TV comedies for me- and one of the things that motivated me to do this rewatch- is that I think it has been really consistently good for a really long period of time. And if Season 4 was the most really consistently good season- well, then, maybe it makes sense for it to be my (mathematically calculated) favorite! (But we've still got a lot of seasons to go...)

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"My Big Fat Greek Bob": One of the "sleeper hits" of the season- I had forgotten how much fun it was! Bob's bond with the frat guys, the kids exploring the frat house, Linda and Gretchen's "lady goods" parties- it's all a hoot! And one of the pleasures of doing this rewatch has been realizing how much I enjoy many recurring BB characters- not in a "they are my new Blorbo I must create a billion head canons about them!" way but just in a "hey, it's nice to see you in this episode!" way. So, hey, Dr. Yap, it was nice to see you in this episode!

"Turkey in a Can": One of the hardest "Bob's Burgers" questions you could ask me is to name my favorite Thanksgiving episode- making me choose between this one and "Dawn of the Peck"?! Please no! The scene in the bathroom on Thanksgiving is one of the funniest bits of chaotic humor on the show ever. If I'm not cracking up when Gayle declares "It's the end of the world!" and kisses Mort, you should check my pulse because I'm probably dead.

"Purple Rain-Union": "Won't you enter my Acropolis and make my yogurt Greek?"- how come Aunt Gayle's name never comes up when people are discussing the greatest songwriters of all time?! Also, I love the scenes with Jen (one of my all-time favorite recurring characters) in this one- especially her hilarious "pep talk" to Linda. I also love the way Louise's nonsensical "everybody gets a black eye" plan somehow works!

"Slumber Party": Yes, the slumber party plot itself is great! Yes, Jessica and all the other recurring characters who debut in this episode are great! But what I really love about this episode is the amount of screentime and dialogue devoted to Little King Trashmouth!! "It's a rac-coup d'etat!" and "Aw, babies getting rabies" are two of my favorite ever Linda quotes! Let's just say that if I lived in Seymour's Bay I would be a crazy raccoon person alongside Linda and Teddy. I love those alley rascals!

"Easy Com-mercial, Easy Go-mercial": Hey, Randy, it was nice to see you in this episode! After "Fraud of the Dead", I was thinking about Louise directing that film and also directing the Meatman film in "Ain't Miss Debtatin'" and wondering if there were any other indications in the show that she had this interest in directing. So, it was interesting to rewatch this and note that Louise not only insists that she should direct instead of Randy because she came up with the script idea, but even when Randy is directing scenes of the commercial that she is not in, you can see Louise standing next to him mimicking his actions- like, it's not just about her wanting power or not respecting Randy (although both things are true) she's genuinely interested in directing!

"The Frond Files": Our first three stories anthology! Two things I really love in this one: the way Louise writes that ridiculous argument between her and Gene at the end of her story-it's the most sibling thing ever! Also, I LOVE the coloring and designs of the "Fart School for the Gifted" segment- it's just really beautiful art to accompany a really silly story! (I also love Linda's tearful reaction to that story and Bob insisting to Frond that he ending is ambiguous). I also loved the use of black and white for (most) of Tina's zombie story.

"Mazel Tina": Another fun thing of the rewatch has been noticing story types/structures that the show reuses that I enjoy- and this is one of them, where the Belchers are go to a place together (Tammy's bat mitzvah) and then all have separate little adventures there ("Mutiny on the Windbreaker" and "Legends of the Mall", are among other stories of that type). I particularly enjoy Louise in this one- Louise talking Janet into quitting her job and following her dreams is hilarious, as is all the Tammy-Louise interaction. One of the things that makes Tammy a great recurring character is that she has her own different dynamics with each of the Belcher siblings- they all mess with her, but in completely different ways.

"The Kids Rob A Train": So, as I have written in other long posts and in fics, one of the reasons I enjoy Louise and Rudy's friendship is that we can see it evolve over time. They don't automatically become besties after "Carpe Museum"- in this one Rudy tells Beanbag that he knows the Belchers from school, not that they are his friends. And I think we see some key moments in the development of their friendship in this one- Rudy's patience with Louise's siblings during his presentation about the train, Rudy and Louise's back-and-forth as he tries to get her to hand him the chocolate through the window, and his fake allergic severe reaction and her panicked response. But even if you aren't as obsessed with that relationship as I am, this episode has tons of great things- Bob's "friendship" with "Ramon" the boy riding the bike next to the train, Gene's outfit, the thrilling musical score!

"The Kids Run Away": Another sleeper hit that I never really appreciated until this rewatch. I particularly love that Gayle is actually helpful in resolving the Louise cavity crisis in this episode. Yes, Gayle has a LOT of issues, but I think she does try to be a good aunt and a good sister.

The "How Bob Saves/Destroys the Town" two-parter: Most of the time, my ratings are mainly based on how much I enjoy the comedy, story, and character beats of the episode- I haven't really rated any episodes up or down based on how they look visually- and I readily concede that is not really my wheelhouse, I don't really know much about evaluating animation or direction in animation from a technical perspective. That being said, both parts of this two parter were probably the first episodes of the show where I repeatedly thought about how beautiful it was! There are many great shots that make the episodes seem more cinematic or theatrical (the spotlights on the singers during the musical numbers) rather than "just" an episode of television. The view of the town when Bob and Calvin are on top of the rollercoaster is particularly great. And I love how they brought back so many recurring characters, even if it was just for silent cameos (like Darryl and Logan being in the background for part of "Bad Things Are Bad")! This episode really shows how much the show had grown over four seasons- how it had developed a setting and a ton of characters, both supporting and main, so that you really cared about them. A fantastic ending for a fantastic season!

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-This season seems to have more plots involving Bob working somewhere other than the restaurant ("My Big Fat Greek Bob", "Bob and Deliver") and more plots about the family or members of it being in physical jeopardy (the first three episodes, "Christmas in the Car", the two-part season finale) than most seasons. I remember noticing that when it was first airing and worrying that it was a trend that might lead to the show becoming less grounded (like "The Simpsons") and that if we got to 10+ seasons we'd be seeing stories about Bob becoming a temporary chef for NASA and the family being stranded on the International Space Station or nonsense like that. Obviously, this concern was misplaced. if anything, the show has become more grounded as it's gone on, making episodes about things my retired aunt and uncle do as hobbies (birdwatching, hunting for mushrooms).

-I try not to nitpick jokes, but it bugs me in "Mazel Tina" when Gene yells "One Luftballoon!" after seeing Tina's blood red face. Yes, the English version of Nena's "99 Luftballoons" was "99 Red Balloons"- but "luft" doesn't mean "red" in German, it means "air" and "luftballoon" just means "balloon"-it has nothing to do with it being red! So, he's just saying Tina's red face looks like a balloon, which is an odd joke. Sorry, this is incredibly dumb, but y'know I took German for two years in high school and I need to use it occasionally so I don't feel like I wasted that time...

Thanks for reading! See you in Season 5!