#I need more Lloyd & Overlord fics actually

[yhwcomeback]

Since you like fanfictions and such, you ever had something you wanted to have read about but it didn’t exist?

Hear me out, Lloyd and the Overlord being friends.

like it's been idk how many years, both are still alive and kicking, but after fighting for centuries they are tired and decided "yknow what? We're best friends now" and that's it, that's the fic.

[garden-bug]

Ninjago crystallised gets a 4.5/5 for me!

Overall, nice conclusion to the series, it had all the energy and fun and dynamics I adore, and the call backs to previous seasons were pretty great. The story with Sally was sooo fun! I love Zane. His moment with Pixal in ‘Compatible’ made me cry.

More time could have been given to Nya, y’know, coming back to life. I was going to say more time for Lloyd and Garmadon as well but leaving some loose ends felt natural actually. Zane’s emotions being off could have been more of a source of tension I really liked that concept.

My biggest qualm is with the overlord design. He was not scary! Yes S2 overlord was our childhood sleep paralysis demon, but come on! He was so cool. The tension suffered from his lacklustre scariness. I guess they don’t want to traumatise kids like that anymore huh (as my 8yr old sister put it: “yeah I was kind of traumatised by that.”)

Second biggest issue is Harumi. From this season I believe Harumi is irredeemable and that her motivations are a sham. I loved her in S10 and I think she’s a really cool character; this season just didn’t do it for me. Her ‘death’ in season… uhh I’m losing track WHENEVER was perfect symbolically and for her character.

1) She works with Pythor who released the great devourer… did she not know? But then betrays the Overlord because he created the great devourer. I feel like this is a much less direct link…

2) She believes that because she suffered everyone else should suffer too. She’s smart but not smart enough to see that reviving big evil baddies is never going to end well for her. I think she’s probably insane for trying the same thing twice and for not caring how many people suffer or die as a result of her actions in the same way she suffered and her parents died. She needed a very proper redemption arc for me to even consider her as a romantic interest for Lloyd. Oh my god. My sweet Lloyd deserves someone who can give him the whole world. I don’t care how many parallels there are or how they are the opposite. It doesn’t change the fact that as of the end of crystallised, Harumi is still manipulative, evil, selfish and cruel. HARUMI RANT OVER. I am glad that Lloyd never stopped believing in her though… but it’s not as though that’s the reason she changes sides, which would’ve been nice. I can’t help but feel like their relationship would be incredibly toxic and they’d have a lot of issues. (Harumi redemption believers DNI this girl is not redeemed) That being said I’m open to fanfic interpretations of their relationship because we can just head cannon our way outta this one (pls lmk if there are good Harumi redemption fics).

I would say S2 finale was more emotional. Ohh and S3. Nothing will beat Zane’s sacrifice. That scene changed my life.

Vanya… I don’t think Cole needed a romantic interest. That’s another discussion though.

IM SO EXCITED TO START DRAGONS RISING!! My sister was crying that Ninjago ended and I was like DO NOT FEAR CHILD THERE IS HOPE-

[icy-watch]

Well, this took me a lot longer than I thought it would, but correct and incorrect predictions are under the cut!

Correct

Something going on with the Vengestone. It was turned into an army of stone soldiers who don’t go down easy.

The person behind the Venstone ring feels like an old enemy. Enemies. Harumi isn’t that old, but the Overlord? He’s about the same age as the First Spinjitsu Master.

The boys are going to get out of prison. And with Fugi-dove!

The Council will take up the second half of the season. Yes!

Nya’s powers weren’t completely stripped away. You know how you just get that feeling sometimes? Yeah, this was one of those.

Lloyd’s infiltration of C.o.C.K. will go as well as everyone expects. RIP Lloyd. At least your ex didn’t want you dead.

The Monastery will blow up 1 final time. And it did.

Lloyd and Harumi are going to have a Time together wandering thru the Primeval’s Eye. They got to reminisce about the last time they were there.

The Bounty will need to be stolen. It’s somewhere in Ninjago City. It was and it was surprisingly easy to steal back.

Lloyd and Garmadon will have an awkward father-son conversation. They needed more than 1 awkward conversation.

Christofern is going to cause a strain in Garmadon and Lloyd’s relationship. Our poor lil green buddy did.

Lloyd’s Oni Form isn’t going to look like a regular Oni. He was golden.

There’ll be a little reunion between Garmadon and Harumi. They saw each other twice and shared a very short conversation. Yeah. Little reunion.

Training Lloyd to use his Oni powers isn’t going to help him reach his Oni Form. He needs to be thrown into battle for that. Yeah, this always seemed obvious to me. He’s so in control of his emotions - he’s had to since he’s been training as a CHILD - that trying to let go of that part of his consciousness is going to take more time than they had.

Nya’s powers will come back very, very soon. She did. She just needed a little bit of time.

The calls to Merlopia and Shintaro will go out in the next episode. They did, but no one was sure whether or not the messages would reach the other in time, if at all.

Incorrect

Pythor is behind everything. We were robbed!

Pythor is Vinny’s roommate. This would have been funny, but Garmadon being Vinny’s roommate? So much better.

Aspheera is going to take away the ninja’s powers.

The Kabuki masked person was someone from Darkly’s. Honestly, seeing Gene or Brad be the bad guy would have been a whole lot of fun.

The Crystal King is Morro. This would have been an interesting plot.

The Crystal King is Garmadon. He was too busy being a dad to his green son.

Someone isn’t going to make it to Tim’s gas station. It’s most likely going to be Lloyd. They actually all made it, which was a surprise.

Lloyd is going to lose himself to his Oni Form, join the Overlord, and have to duke things out with the other ninja. …If someone wants to write this fic, I won’t be bad, Like. At all.

Garmadon is a plant dad farmer or being hidden by Mayor Trustable somewhere. I got the plant dad part right, but not well enough to mark this as a partially accurate prediction.

Seeing Garmadon fight alongside the ninja will make Harumi realize that she doesn’t have to live in anger and hurt her whole life. Sadly no. I think, if they’d been able to give all of the characters more screentime and more time to develop different relationships more, this could have been explored.

Misako won’t find what they need for Lloyd to transform into his Dragon Forms in time. Surprisingly, she did. But it wasn’t for Lloyd. It was for the og ninja.

Wu’s gonna die this season. They set it up, and they didn’t execute it. Kind of really disappointed about that. 

Harumi will capture Garmadon and Lloyd before they can rejoin the others. She didn’t, but she and Mister F were able to get a transmission and figure out where the Resistance was hiding.

Partially

Aspheera’s staff was moved because the alarm was going off. It was moved, but not bc the alarm was going off. It was moved bc the ninja asked about it and Aspheera.

Jay and Fugi-dove are going to work together at some point and prove they’re a good team, much to Jay’s annoyance.They did work together in the final battle, but Jay never acknowledged Fugi-dove.

The ninja are going to run into McBrag and they’re going to be separated again. Well, they did run into McBrag…

The ninja are buried in an old steam powered train car. Either Cole’s going to dig their way out, or Pixal, Nya, and Skylor are going to go there and try to recover their bodies and find them alive. Well, Nya did come to save the boys, but she knew they were alive.

The corners of the paper from the Library of Domu need to be folded in order to figure out how to reach Dragon Form. The method was written on the inside, but the prophecy laying out what needs to happen was on the part that was folded over.

Something big will happen to trigger Lloyd reaching his Oni Form. Something like Christofern getting hurt. More like his dad dying. Again. But not really.

Something will happen to break Harumi’s obedience to the Overlord. Something like Lloyd dying. The reveal of the Overlord having created the Great Devourer, who actually killed her parents was more than enough.

Unconfirmed

The mayor was planted in that position for a reason. He’s easily manipulated.

And that's a wrap on Ninjago.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started watching this show. I had the barest knowledge going in. I'd seen clips over the years, but that was really about it.

I'm really glad I watched it. It was a lot of fun. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I scared my poor dog more times than I can count. Who knew a show about some silly little LEGOs could give you so many feels?

Thank you all so much for joining me on this.

So, what's next after this? There's still a little over a day left on my poll. There's a clear front winner, but I won't declare anything until it's done. But I'm thinking starting the new show on Monday? Y'all are more than welcome to stick around and watch me react to the next show before I dive in to Dragons Rising. It should be just as much fun (and painful, I'm told).

So, I'll see y'all again soon!

(I'll be posting my correct and incorrect predictions tomorrow and responding to everyone then. XOXOXO -Icy💜)

[spicyicymeloncat]

Crystalised part 2 ep 20 spoilers

Ohhhhh mannn I have a post that aged poorly indeed

The fact that the mug says no.1 dad in this very moment

Garmadon is wearing sandals

Wu and Lloyd literally just March right on in

Garmadon putting chicken stamps on the letters. Okay either both wu and Garmadon like chickens or deep down Garmadon remembered wu likes chickens

Wu fumbling over his words in frustration <3

Vinny’s dad in the photo <3

Garmadon bestie you’ve tried to conquer Ninjago like three times. Once with Harumi, once when Lloyd was just made a ninja, and at least once before hand. But you also protected Ninjago from the serpentine wars , Chen twice, and the time twins as well as whatever was in the comics. Like I feel like your score is kinda even.

So he just randomly walked around in the streets? Did people report him? Or did the police just think it was all hoaxes bc everyone is always over paranoid about Garmadon? That they gaslit ppl when they really did see him?

Garmadon didn’t even set anything on fire things just start burning when he’s around

I CANT BELIEVE SURVIVALSHIPPING IS REAL?? I called the overlord a gay fool 3 eps back but it turns out I was the gay fool all along

Vinny <3

He does look horrifying here

Damn Garmadon sounds so very formal

Vinny’s dad in the photo <3

THEY MADE IT SO INTIMATE???

Oh yeah I see you jealous suckers watching this and wishing you were vinny

But honestly good for you survivalshipping, I thought it was a random ship based on a single good interaction and peoples need for dilf garmadaddy but now I see that you are chosen ones of the writing team and street Andreasen has blessed you with this ship

Vinny gale besties moment

GARMADON HAS OUTFIT CHANGING POWERS??? *furiously scribbles on the magical girl au note pad* AND TO BE GOOD ALL HE DECIDED TO CHANGE WERE HIS GLOVE COLOUR

Oh wait cuz Oni are shapeshifters

Ninjago the city that never sleeps. Calling times of crisis an average busy day. For real was the guy high? I assume he’s not paid enough to ask garms for real money. Also ohno vinny’s stuff. Guys can you redirect me to some awful roommate Garmadon fics bc I’m sure these have already been written

Wu is generally just kinda impressed. And also completely distracted

So you’re telling me Garmadon moved in with vinny and then got a plant son?

Okay so I think this confirms that show Garmadon named Lloyd. So far he has two sons and their names are both puns

He swung the pizza around

I can’t believe show Garmadon and movie Garmadon have become the same character

Also L Lloyd you got replaced by a plant

L LLOYD GARMADON CARES MORE ABOUT HARUMI THAN YOU WOWW

also I kinda hate the Harumi Garmadon family dynamic yknow

OKAY S3 REFERENCE WITH THE NON VIOLENCE

Garmadon your as bad as making dad jokes as you are at being a dad. Well Tbf making bad dad jokes is kinda the point. Whatever Garmadon is a bad dad joke in himself

Actually valid reaction if any of my material possessions got wrecked I’d too go ape shit

Wu: *seeing Garmadon go absolutely feral* Lloyd write that down write it down

Also Wu you also presumedly have Oni blood?

And presumedly more than Lloyd?

I love how wu immediately defaults to “let’s do what Garmadon is doing” maybe he still looks up to him in some way

[lennon-cuddlywump]

The Biggest Cheesecake

Here’s my half of a fic trade with @fires-of-ninjago , based on some roleplays and chats we had.

“Hey will you hurry up with the popcorn Kai? The Golden Girls marathon is starting!” Cole called. “I’ve already got the onion rings!”

“Yeah yeah I’ll be there! Still don’t see why I couldn’t have put any butter on it.”

In an instant everyone glared at the fire ninja. “Besides the obvious reason, Zane needs it for the world’s biggest cheesecake he’s baking. He wants to break the world record!”

“Really now, I don’t think he’ll mind if I-”

Cole immediately grabbed his friend, shoving him onto the couch. “Just one drop of milk can turn the entire monastery into a biohazard! That’s also the real reason it burnt down in that upcoming Crystalized episode. Despite what the writers might lead you to believe.”

“Um Cole? Who are you talking to?” Lloyd asked, muffled from his cheeks full of popcorn. “Nevermind. Hopefully Zane can get the cheesecake done in time for the show!”

Back in the kitchen, the nindroid was blending together about a truckload of cream cheese with a wave of sour cream, ten dozen egg yolks and a tonne of sugar. “And that’s just for the cake part, the graham cracker base included an entire store’s worth of crackers mixed in with as much melted butter as I could get my hands on.”

It would have taken hours to bake if Ray didn’t come over and insist on using the last of his element to finish it instantly. As long as he could get the first slice of course, he didn’t get to eat much dairy products as a result of having two lactose intolerant members in the Smith family line. “Ooh that smells so good! Can’t I have a tiny slice right now?”

“It’s still cooling, after that I’ll decorate the top. Since we’re all watching the Golden Girls I’ll be designing us as the characters, obviously I will be Sophia. I’m still thinking about the others.”

The scent of the freshly baked cheesecake soon got the attention of a certain fire master, slipping away as the others were glued to the TV. “Just a little handful, I can just cover it up with more cream cheese.” Kai thought, tiptoeing his way towards his precious.

“HA! Thought I wouldn’t catch ya?” Lloyd snickered, pouncing onto the older man. “Zane put me in charge of cheesecake watch!”

“You huh? He must be using less sugar than usual.”

“Oh very funny, unlike you I can control my cravings.”

“Unless it involves mint chocolate balls. Tell ya what, I can cut you in for a slice if you let me have mine.” Kai whispered, staring deeply into the beautiful cheesecake just sitting there waiting to be eaten.

“Hmmmmmm. You got it!... HEY EVERYONE!! KAI WANTS THE CHEESECAKE!”

“LLOYD! YOU TRAITOR!!”

Before Kai knew it, Cole and Nya were on top of him like two wolves on their prey. “There’s no way you’re gonna eat all that! Just a regular cheesecake was enough to drive off the Overlord when he tried to reappear!” His sister snapped. “Don’t make me bring in the ball and chain!”

“Lemme guess, that will be how he’s defeated in Crystalized? Provided the author isn’t right about her prediction that it’s actually Clouse.” Cole joked. “Hey where’s Lloy-”

“Oh this is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had! So creamy and you can really taste all the sugar inside.” The famed green ninja moaned, his fingers covered in whipped cream. “It’s too bad Kai can’t have this.”

“OOOH THAT DOES IT!” Mustering up all his strength, Kai kicked his two teammates off his back and took a huge bite out of the cheesecake. “HAHA!! I finally have my precious!”

Another bite was taken soon after, followed by a third. He would have gone for a fourth if he didn’t get a block of cream cheese thrown right at his face. “You barbarians! I spent all day on that!” Zane growled, his right arm was now a cannon shooting down everyone with cheese.

Cole didn’t mind too much, as he could catch it all in his mouth, however it didn’t last once a loud rumble came from the fire ninja. “........ Uhh.. RUN LIKE HELL! KAI’S GONNA BLOW!!!”

[kittydemon9000]

Because there are not enough: Soulmate AU, but with a twist(sort of) that’s based on a fic I read that I absolutely adore but cannot find again :’)

Basically when you’re born you will have a certain amount of marks on your skin, each one representing a soulmate. Now, these can be romantic, platonic, familial or any other kind of bond and you can have any number of them. The most common is two or three, but it is possible to have many more. 

See: The Ninja.

Now for how the bond itself works. Basically, when you meet your soulmate, if you exchange blood, called a Soulbond, you get sent back in time to various points in the other’s life and can interact with them. You can’t speak with them, but you can do things like touching or poking. You can’t actually move them though.

So yeah. Onto the actual story, and from Kai’s perspective because Yes.

So growing up Kai has 6 soulmarks. A wave of water on his right shoulder(that one was easy to figure out, being Nya, and she in turn has a small fire for him on her left shoulder), a lightning bolt, rock, and metal snowflake on the right side of his chest, a gold dragon with green eyes on the left side of his chest, and a helmet with two swords crossed underneath on his back. Nya has all the same marks, just in different spots, as well as a light orange rock(amberphoenix time)

Now, growing up Kai never really had an interest in finding his soulmates. He knew he would find them someday, if the light touches and phantom hugs were anything to say by, but he didn’t need to find them now. He was too busy running the shop to worry about that.

But then he gets all involved in the ninja stuff.

Now, funnily enough, the other three ninja don’t actually realize Kai their soulmate for a while. Like, a long while. Kai is pretty private when it comes to his marks and the other’s respect that.

In fact, they don’t realize until partway through S3. I know that’s a while but let’s just say it for the sake of plot

And at that point, it’s a collective moment of “okay how are we this stupid”

But then, Kai suggests they wait until after they defeat the Overlord, because he’s felt touches from all of them and if they don’t soul bind that would basically guarantee they all live and probably succeed. And seeing that logic as pretty sound, they all agree.

So um. Yeah that kinda backfires. 

Now, normally the would try and refute it, however Zane’s mark went gray. So uh. Yeah.

Also, bit of a quick interlude, for a while they thought that perhaps Samurai X(Nya) could be one of their soulmates, but then when they find out it’s Nya they go “Oh. Alright then guess not”…. I mean technically she still was but none of them made the Water Connection nor did they show the exact marks they were referring to so eh

ANYWAY, Kai tales this partially as a personal failure because he took away Zane’s chance at a soul bond because he was stupid enough to hold it off. The reason he resorts to drinking is to numb the feelings of his other soulmates trying to pull him away.

He actually gets so far in that he doesn’t notice when Zane’s mark regains color.

Ofc, the others definitely notice and are now in a mad scramble to find Kai so he can help them find Zane, and Kai swears he’ll soul bond with all of them once they find him.

Well…..he certainly tried I’ll give him that. S4 happens in all it’s glory, Nya and Skylor find out they’re soulmates, and they’re working on figuring out if Zane can still soulbind Like That. Then just as they’re settling down in S5 and getting ready to try it, Morro happens, Lloyd gets captured and Cole gets ghostified, so now they have to find a way around that, then S6(which still gets erased but they didn’t have time there either), then DotD which solves the Cole Issue, then S7, until finally. FINALLY. They have a chance.

They decide to do it in the order I introduced their marks: Jay, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd, then a few months later finally Pixal since they learn she was the new Samurai X

Kai spends most of his time with them as a sort of protector. He’ll warn them if danger is coming but also function as a heated blanket and gives hugs.

He’ll warn Jay when some bullies are coming his way and gave him the finally push to test out his flying machine where he met Wu.

He stayed close to Cole in the months after his mom’s death and helped him make the decision to leave Marty Oppenheimer's.

When Zane lost his memories he helped nudge him in the right direction and while he was trapped in Chen’s dungeon kept him company.

In those nights Lloyd was alone, he wrapped him in the biggest hug he could, doing his best to keep him warm.

And when Pixal was trapped inside Zane, Kai made sure she knew he hadn’t forgotten about her.

[zaptrap]

like, as far as ninjago goes, none of the flaws were really that new i guess? like

undoing stuff from past seasons: they retcon stuff like every season, but it still sucks that they immediately undid seabound. there was probably a better way to bring nya back, but id have to think on it more. maybe something where water-dragon nya is fighting the vengestone army, but then starts losing her powers, and the others are like WAIT GUYS MAYBE WE CAN GET NYA BACK THIS WAY or smth, idk. Oh, i will say though- seabound was honestly the first time i actually bought jaya as a couple who like.....actually like each other and it was nice seeing them being cute in this season too lmao.

the Big Bad being defeated too easily: this one's actually really funny cuz the overlord has been defeated very simply like...3 times now lmfao. season 2, he ate lloyds golden dragon and then exploded. season 3, while tonally great, was basically just zane shooting a ton of ice at the overlord and then exploding. i think they could've amped up the hype for the overlord "dying" a third time, but the exact method in which he was defeated (getting frozen and killed by golden energy) is 3-for-3 lmfao.

quick aside, but why would oni power have been the key to defeating the overlord? if the overlord is the embodiment of evil and oni embody destruction. to me, dragon/golden power made more sense. still enjoyed oni lloyd tho, hope we get to see more in the future. like maybe dragon power becomes too much and he needs to use oni to return balance or smth

forced romance: has been around since the pilots lmfao.... while i normally hate this shit, it didn't feel too egregious this season? (besides that kailor scene lmfao that was kinda cringe). early season jaya was like, painful to watch lmfao it was like "nya is girl.... SHE MUST BE WITH JAY!!!! even though they never get along and haven't shown any reason to like each other besides jay liking gorl!!!!! THEY'RE IN LOVE GUYS!!!!!!" and i did catch a whiff of that with harumi and lloyd, but they didn't like, actually do anything explicitly romantic????? weird redemption arc thing but i like harumi and llorumi so smth smth bias lmao. i REEEEAAALLY WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER DURING THE MERGE MAN

weird power nonsense: yeah idk what was going on here LOL. i need someone to explain to me how powers work in this series cuz they change it every season lmfao

poor writing/pacing: *gestures to skybound rewrite fics*

Other thoughts:

i actually liked lloyd this season LOL he's very.... stale bread normally so seeing him ACTUALLY BE ANGRY FOR ONCE was nice. HE HAS A LOT TO BE MAD ABOUT ITS NOT LIKE HE DECIDED TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE he just has to deal with everything!!! i know people and characters deal with stress in their own ways, and not everyone deals with it via anger, but like. angry is fun. angry makes ppl fight other ppl and ppl fighting makes serp very happy hehehehe

EVERYTHING. WAS PURPLE. AND PURPLE IS MY FAV COLOR so i literally have aesthetic bias towards this season EVERYTHING WAS EYECANDY LMFAO

In terms of rewatchability, I could see myself rewatching at least parts from this season. There were a lot of moments I liked, and a some that I loved. Unliked..... a certain other season.......... lmao........

i'm not sure where this ranks of my "fav season" list. maybe upper middle? id need to make a list but in order to make a proper list, id need to rewatch skybound...and hands of time..........idk man.........................idk.......................................

yeah idk i had a good time watching this lmao. and now i get to rewatch DR! wyldfyre my daughter im on my way

LMAO i actually rlly enjoyed crystallized. it obviously has flaws but i mean, so does every season

[grimbeak]

Reasons why the ninja assumed/thought/realized that Wu was bullshitting them ab there just being 3 elements ((also i haven’t watched the beginning seasons in a few months so bare with me here (some of this stuff i will bullshit when it actually comes to writing the fic bcuz there’s really no explanation))):

*The nunchucks of lightning, which Wu said were there ‘just in case someone lost their weapon’ 

*The fact that no one was able to use said nunchucks without getting zapped (except lloyd when they figured out he was the green ninja, but... still)

*Whenever Wu said smthn ab Lloyd being the master of all 3 elelments (fire, earth, and ice) and Garmadon was there, Garmadon was looking at him like ‘dude ik you don’t wanna tell them ab libber n her kid since libber got banished to the cursed realm but you gotta tell them sometime otherwise this is gonna mess literally everything up’ 

*The fact that the overlord was Very Confused about there being only 3 ninja 

*The four pillars in the temple of light

*The four swords from the temple of light

*Literally everything in the temple of light 

((ab the great devourerer and any other time they needed to use the tornado of creation,,, fuck dude idk they just fought harder ig))

*Master Chen/Clouse commented that he was surprised there was only ‘three of you ninja’, and he definitely wasn’t talking about Zane. Garmadon was internally like ‘istfg did that fucking brother of mine STILL not tell them’ 

*At this point Kai, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya all thought there was another master that Wu wasn’t telling them about, so when Nya was revealed as the master of water they were all like ‘heyyy that’s who he meant.’ 

*It was not who he meant but he let them think that

*Morro said something along the lines of ‘I’m not the only elemental master he hasn’t told you about’. Wu refused to tell them ab Libber n her kid still because he’s a cranky old man. 

*When the preminent was destroyed, Lloyd felt like he lost a part of himself/his powers (Jay and Libber both dying). 

*This is more related to bruise than anything but in his reflection in the tomb of the FSM, Cole was still invisible but far in the background of his reflection, he could just see a blurry figure (Jay) standing ominously. 

*and uh then skybound happens and the island happens and alll the ninja are like ‘ok why tf does this feral child have lighting powers wtf’ 

[i-love-ninjago-kai]

Hi again!! I hope this isn’t too soon to ask again, I don’t want to burden you. Anyways, I really loved your last Kailor posts and though I’d love more on that, I wanted your thoughts on Kai keeping things locked up emotionally because I noticed that was something you’ve mentioned a few times. I’ve been working on an angsty Kai fic (post s3 stuff) where of course he hides everything he’s going through, and so I’ve been thinking about that a lot and how he’s been like that. Like him being more secretive from an early age to protect Nya and how that habit stays. Also how he deals with others being suspicious that he’s hiding stuff and how he’d react when confronted about it. I know this is a lot to unpack though so if you don’t want to that’s fine! :) (this was too long for an ask that’s why I did a submission)

- Submitted by @ofmagicandmusic -

Hey there friend, thank you! It warms my heart that my rambles can be helpful haha,

Sure, I’ll see what I can do :)

(Gonna be putting this one under read more too.. Sorry!!)

So... Kai doesn’t necessarily hide when he’s struggling with something, or rather, he’s really really bad at it. He’s a very emotive person, albeit he leans more toward the negative side of emotions. If someone doesn’t know him well, Kai is just brash and has a million dollar glare that could burn you alive, and a temper to be wary of.

However if you do know him, have seen what really goes on behind his eyes, it’s a little more complicated. We see that generally when Kai is in a good mood, he’s wearing a contented smile and is altogether pleasant to be around, that’s the side that Kai tries to show the media only.

But that’s not all Kai is. There’s plenty of days when he’s irritable and grumpy, and you have to be careful not to set off his volatile rage, he’s feeling all this and.. Nothing is wrong. Everyone is in good health, things are good in ninjago, all together things are well. Kai just has days when he’s angry, and the team knows this, and they love him all the same, happy Kai, or angry Kai.

Now... it’s deciphering whether or not Kai is having and Angry day, or he’s actually struggling with something, is when it gets tricky.

Because Kai will always give you the same answer when you ask. 

“No, I’m fine.” “I’m Alright.” Or a glare with more ice in it than what Zane can produce.

Kai has a really, really hard time letting people in. He’s spent his entire life doing things himself, and he doesn’t really see a reason to change that. No one was there for him when he was dirt poor, raising his little sister, and he handled it. 

Sure, it left irreparable damage, and his stress and loneliness festered into intense trust issues and low expectations for others, but he handled it. 

He took on ignacia’s judgmental and pitying stares, watched as no one really reached out a hand to help. He raised his little sister because she’s all that mattered. He doesn’t need anyone’s help.

Kai doesn’t need people to solve his problems for him, he doesn’t want them wasting their effort on him. Especially if he’s got it all under control.

He’s got it all under control.

And then Zane died, and Kai couldn’t handle it. Kai should be able to handle everything, he’s been cheated and life has been cruel to him, so he should be used to it pulling stuff to hurt him. 

But Zane is dead, and Kai doesn’t know what to do. Kai always knows what to do, and now he doesn’t. Everyone is mourning and comforting each other but it doesn’t even matter because Zane is still dead.

And it should have been him. Zane was everything Kai isn’t and didn’t deserve to die that way. Kai? Kai is expendable, he knows he’s no lynchpin or what holds the team together.

So why didn’t he die? Kai would’ve traded anything to take Zane’s place because it’s not fair. Kai has been put in an unfair situation, his entire childhood was unfair. Fine, he lived through that.

But this is wrong. It’s so wrong it makes him sick because he wants so badly to change it, but he can’t. He feels so deeply at fault that he is nauseated to even be in the team’s presence. Because he knows they can see how miserable he is, and he wouldn’t dare make them think he can’t handle his pain alone.

So he leaves. It’s night time, and everyone is still so, so tired from the overlord, and their loss. No one wakes, or even stirs as he leaves through the bounty’s window.

It’s not hard for him to make a new identity, this place is full of people who’ve run away too, he hasn’t been in the press much yet, and it’s not like these people care, all of them are as miserable as him. Who were they to judge him?

He falls into a spiral of fighting and drinking, his dingy little apartment he’s managed to rent is only used to sleeping at this point, or nursing his more serious injuries he receives at various fight clubs. At some point he stops trying to feel better. He doesn’t deserve to feel better, so he doesn’t.

He makes ‘friends’. Well, they’re not really friends, they’re terrible people who in reality couldn’t care less about him. But misery loves company, right?

The bruises he comes home with don’t even phase him anymore. When he came home to the team with bruises, he’d allow himself the pleasure of complaining a little, maybe letting himself sleep in a little longer. 

Now they just feel like a part of him, they change areas an severity, but in the end they’re all the same, and Zane is still dead. So does it really matter?

He doesn’t like the taste of the alcohol he drinks, it’s bitter and the still good part of him is ashamed to be drinking it. But it makes him forget, just for a little while, so does that matter either?

Shame pools in the pit of his stomach when Lloyd confronts him, he’s nursing a drink while he’s talking to the kid. He shouldn’t see him like that, but he does, and it’s too late.

Lloyd doesn’t ask him how he’s doing when he sees him, which Kai is sort of thankful for. He doesn’t really know how to answer. Because it’s obvious he’s bad, really bad. But even after sinking so so low and feeling so so... Awful, Kai still doesn’t want to ask for help.

He either doesn’t deserve help or he doesn’t want it. At this point he’s not sure.

He has to really look to find one of his gis, since he burned  most of them up one particularly terrible night. A ninja doesn’t go around looking for a fight, but Kai does, so he burns his whatever evidence is left of who he was.

I wish I could say that Kai get’s better after his time in hiding, working with the Slither Pit. But really... it get’s worse, because now Kai is so ashamed of what he’s done, and how that time changed him. 

He’s got new scars that don’t have honorable explanations, made some very bad people angry and he prays they never come looking for him. 

Worst of all, he abandoned them. He abandoned Nya, his sister who already knows the pain of abandonment. He repeated history, leaving her when he was the one person who promised never to.

But she forgives him, and in a way, he thinks that’s worse than her being angry. So he holds a grudge for the two of them, if she’s not going to be mad... Then he is.

So now asking for comfort is a luxury, that he absolutely doesn’t deserve. He neither wants, needs, or deserves help from his friends, not from his family, or anyone.

Well... Unless you’re Skylor. Skylor always gives him this... This look when he’s keeping something in. This look has to be magic because it makes his jaw unhinge and suddenly he’s talking. Talking to her.

And the first time it happens it scares him, because now she knows. She knows everything and she’s going to tell everyone how messed up he is (As if it’s not obvious)

So he waits for the team to ask questions. They never do, because Skylor never told them. 

She told them nothing. Everything she knows about him is still... Just in her mind.

The smart part of his mind knows that’s not great. To only open up to one person, but Kai is so afraid to show weakness, because he can’t. He’s spent his entire life having to be strong, he can’t break down, he has to be ready because sometimes the others aren’t.

He has to be a steady flame, that persists, and doesn’t go out.

Sorry this is long... I could go on!!! But it’s already soooo long and I went on some tangents, Sorry!! Hope this is helpful!!!

[purplerose244]

I don’t care

Hi!! This is my fic for the @ninjago-valentine-exchange!! Thank you so much for organizing this, I really had fun writing this! 🥰

Special thank also to @nightlybirdie for the lovely fanart I got to respond to! It’s such an adorable little comic! 😍  I thought making a songfic about the same song you choose would have been fitting, since it really is very Lava like ❤🖤❤🖤

Here we go! Enjoy!! 😊

Summary: It's just another celebration party after all, Cole should be used to feeling left out.

Turns out, someone is very not okay with that.

Also on the AO3

We’re at a party we don’t wanna be at

Trying to talk but we can’t hear ourselves

Red your lips I’d rather kiss ‘em right back

With all these people all around I’m crippled with anxiety

 It wasn’t that Cole hated parties.

Although it wasn’t that he loved them either.

“… so thank you again, ninja!” Tipping his hat, the police commissioner finally finished his speech, one that after such a long time spent with them fighting crime and evil beings – like ten years or something? – was starting to sound vaguely repetitive. “Now, without further ado, let us begin this celebration party! To honor our saviors!” The crowd cheered, all the police members bowed at them, and it was finally time to forget about the danger and relax.

… right.

Alright, the black ninja wasn’t a party-pooper – he wasn’t never going to give Jay that satisfaction. There were of course great pros about being here after all, starting from the fact that the very reason there was such a big event in the first place was because they had saved the city once again – he needed to remind Lloyd to bring the sign ‘days Ninjago City wasn’t attacked’ back to zero. This was a celebration in their honor, a thank you for their determination and commitment and for keeping their world safe every time. He could see familiar faces into the crowd, having fun, enjoying the peace that once again so difficulty they had managed to regain.

The music was nice. Nowhere near his usual choice, and he knew he was going to grab his headphones and blast soft rock at full volume as soon as they were back at the monastery, but nice nonetheless – relaxing too… oh… oh, no, no dozing off. His friends were all there, dancing, talking, perfectly in tune with the festive atmosphere.

Oh, there was also a buffet, that was nice. It was also an extremely generous one, with tarts, sandwiches, shrimps and so on, one that could make even Zane’s nindroid mouth water. The black ninja himself had finished his recognition at the table, even though he had ended up with a glass of whatever while standing on the side of the ballroom. All he knew was that it was sparkling and slightly bitter. Not really his taste.

Nothing felt like his taste right now… but that went beyond his beverage choice.

He tried to widen his collar, for the fifth time in the last hour. He should’ve known better than borrowing a suit from his father, besides their obvious different sizes. Even beyond the blatant reality that being the master of earth pulled out muscles that a dancer just didn’t have, it was the most irritating reminder of the time he had spent trying to meet his pa’s expectations by joining a quartet. It had been a while since that matter had been solved, there was no point into sulking over it. There were more important matters ahead.

His finger went to his collar. Sixth time. Great.

Was he the only one holding on instead of having fun? Again?

One impressively loud laugh shook his from his thoughts, and he didn’t have to look to recognize Jay, near their latest used-to-be-enemy-but-now-they’re-our-pal. Great, someone must have asked what happened during their adventure, there was no way Motor Mouth would have missed the opportunity to vent – as long as his obnoxiously talkative nature didn’t bring their new friend back to the evil path. Right next Zane was showing off his dancing skills, that familiar endearing view that probably involved his famous funny switch. Or not, that nindroid was lovable no matter what after all. From the resigned but fond smirk of Pixal, leaning against the wall not far while watching the robot making a spectacle of himself, he wasn’t the only one thinking that.

Lloyd had been kidnapped by a few reporters of the NGTV, although despite the awkward atmosphere he looked like he could handle himself – which wasn’t new, man that kid was indestructible. And even though he was confident that Nya was not the biggest fan of formal clothes just like himself, like the pro she was she knew exactly how to deal both with her dress and the people crowding around her. Besides, she deserved a bit of spotlight.

His friends were having fun, that made the master of earth happy unconditionally. Although he would have liked to share that light-heartedness, or simply being willing to let himself go for once. Well, they were doing fine, he could end this and finally go home by himse-

Wait. No. Something wasn’t right.

Where was that? Where was the crowd of people getting consistently louder and more insistent the closest they got to their red hero? Where was the never-ending flirty attitude that was almost a main characteristic of the master of fire? Where was the improvised meeting of the Kai fan club happening every single time they ended an adventure, like these screaming admirers had been silently waiting for the end to end just to see their diva?

A shiver caught him. Surprise? Confusion? Relief? Cole wasn’t quite sure, he just knew that there was no massive amount of chocolate hair nowhere in the ballroom. A pinch in his chest made his back straighten up. He took the slightest sip of his drink, grimacing at the taste.

Then, someone shouldered him. Wow, silent as a ninja. Then again, it wasn’t hard at this point recognizing his teammates without looking.

Especially someone as warm as him.

“Apologies my good sir, but it looks like we’re in quite the predicament over here.” Yep, he could see Kai’s smirk in the corner of his vision, moving up his mouth with that little dimple on the corner. “This is very clearly a party-fever, non-sulking area. You better correct your behavior, or I will be forced to take drastic measures.” Kai stuck out his tongue as he cracked his knuckles, despite himself Cole couldn’t help half a laugh.

Only half, because this guy could be very irritating when trying to push his reasons on others – the cow yak predicament between him and Jay was never going to be forgotten and was actually brought up again every once in a while. Only half… because there was something mesmerizing at seeing the reckless master of fire getting cleaned up in a classy and refined suit. White immaculate shirt. Perfectly stirred jacket. That little red bow over his neck, because if this guy didn’t like to show off that red was his color on every occasion then the Overlord was a good guy.

You could say a lot about the red ninja, really a lot.

Not having style? Not between that – of course his ego didn’t need to know this.

The black ninja huffed, catching himself before he let his eyes lingering on him for too long – thank you master Wu, poor unaware sensei probably didn’t know his meditation lesson were being used to hide a crush.

“Drastic measures as kick me out? Because first, I would like to see you try.” Kai was strong, but not earth strong, thank you very much. “And second, I can leave on my own, thank you.”

Another shoulder. Much quicker than the other.

“Nah huh, this is also a very restricted non-ditching area.” Now he was cornered. Which wasn’t much because it was only Kai and his mischievous look. Also it was Kai and his mischievous look. “You either have fun and enjoy yourself, or security will escort you to prison in a conga line.”

“Really?” The hothead dared to shrug, like this made-up nonsense was a fact and these ‘laws’ were beyond him. “You don’t have to be a bringer of justice here too, just leave me be a solitary public figure for five more minutes before leaving.” A little frown moved his scarred eyebrows, which looked a little too knowing for some reason. “Besides, don’t you have a fan club to return to? I’m not seeing brown wigs twice your head moving around, that’s worrying.” A third shove, this time the black ninja let out a proper laugh. The red ninja’s hair only got crazier and crazier since they met, and it was always funny.

Endearing, too… dang it feelings!

The master of fire crossed his arms over his chest, pouting yet smiling.

“I can have a party without getting assaulted by my fans, you know? Besides, it’s been a while since we had a proper celebration, I wanna be with my team for once.” It was surprising and also very not. Kai was that much of an egomaniac, he loved the attention; but he loved his family even more, and it was true that they didn’t get much time to enjoy simply be united – trying to survive a villain while experiencing discoveries and development didn’t count as a relaxing bonding experience.

Cole gave a look at the crowd. The others were all still there.

“I’ll give you that, should we call up the others then?”

“No no no, you don’t get out of the radar that easily!” Again with the grin, what was that dangerously pretty head of his plotting? He looked focused too, it was scary. “Cut loose, will ya? You always end up in the corner at these things, you could at least pretend like you wanna be here.”

The black ninja winced.

“Gosh, you sound like my dad.” He definitely didn’t want to think about his dad in front of his crush. “We’re not all social butterflies, okay? I’m fine being myself.”

“Oh that’s not it, you’re okay. You being you is amazing.” Was that flirtatious? Was that a random compliment? Dang it, Cole had known him for too long, he couldn’t tell the difference anymore! “But whenever we get to an event like this one you always look like you would rather go back fighting and it sucks. Not being much of a party person is fine, I just want you to have some fun that’s all.” Ah. There it was. Underneath the mocking, the arrogance and the flirts, was a guy that could fire up a group of ninja with the power alone of his blatantly sincere words. Being against the next reason Ninjago City needed to be rebuilt, or while trying to give a random party some meaning. “Besides, speaking of fans, I know you have some. You could improvise a convention too.” He gestured towards him with both hands, like he was presenting him for a talk show.

The master of earth grinned. His chest felt warm, as always. Curse this guy for being cute. Curse him for being here instead of somewhere else wowing some random guest, blessing him with his company. He was right about not being together enough. Cole did miss having peaceful times with his teammate… he had missed spending time with Kai.

 But I’m told it’s where I’m supposed to be

You know what?

It’s kinda crazy coz I really don’t mind

When you make it better like that

 He took another sip. Grimacing. He shook his head.

“My fan club is nowhere near as wide as yours.”

“It’s not a challenge you know… although if it was, we all know who would win…” The red ninja flexed his arm. The jacket moved accordingly, showing off results of a training that even without involving massive rocks looked still impressive.

Cole swallowed over a sudden dry throat, only to frown.

“Huh… Lloyd?”

Kai blinked and sulked down altogether.

“Lloyd indeed.” They looked at each other and laughed.

The previous song slowly faded, a new rhythm took over. To Cole’s relief, it was something less ballet-like and more vivacious, capturing a few couple and individuals into the ballroom to enjoy the music. Jay was showing off impressive dancing skills, although him coming out of nowhere with a new ability wasn’t unheard of – roller skating, skiing, how did he even have free time to learn where he would always invent and eat junk food? Nya wasn’t too far behind, crossing path with Zane and improvising something together, laughing all the way. Lloyd was about to shake his head with a snicker and step away, only to have Pixal push him in with a little grin.

It was so peaceful. Them having fun, enjoying themselves, doing something other than risking their own lives and protect the land. They were the moments the black ninja loved the most.

Kai was humming himself, smiling just as widely. Cole chuckled warmly.

“You look like a very proud father.”

The red ninja arched an eyebrow and smirked.

“Wouldn’t you like that, honey.” Oh dang it, was he for real?! Was that a flirt?! Was that a little blush or for the master of fire having red over him was as natural as igniting flames?? Was he going somewhere with this, help, abort, something, anything! “We should chime in and join Zane and Jay, make a reprise of the Blade Cup Tournament! I remember the choreography still, bet we could show it to Nya, Lloyd and Pixal too.” Alright, never mind, false alarm… possibly, again, it was confusing.

Cole took another sip. It possibly tasted worse at every try, he didn’t even know why he was holding the glass still. At least he looked refined… or something.

“No way, I’m not going through that again.”

“Oh come on, I thought you got over your dancing complex with the Triple Tiger Sashay.” Kai shrugged, looking at him right into the eyes. “You dance good too, it’s a waste.” Was he in vain of compliments today or he was silently mocking him through an elaborated plan?

… nah, he wasn’t one to make complicated plans. He was a pretty face, and an airhead.

Cole shrugged.

“I don’t mind dancing, not as much as I used to at least. I even like it nowadays.” Having a hobby besides saving Ninjago was kind of important to not completely lose it – and playing videogames became a little too competitive once Jay or Lloyd got in the zone. “But it’s a little too connected to what my dad used to expect me to be and sometimes I don’t wanna even brush that thought.” They were good now, of course they were. But they spent time apart because of it. It was still hard to think about it. “… I don’t like to think that it would’ve been easier to just bear and go on. It makes me wonder what I would have become in that case, through tedious dancing lessons and failures.” Wow, his insecurities were put under a test, and there was no menace in sight for once.

Urgh, nope, not tonight, not after the mess they had been forced to fix for their city. Tonight it was about feeling light, thoughtless and happy. He needed a joke, a mockery, something, and while their official jokester wasn’t available Kai was the next best thing.

Any moment now… any moment now…

… okay now he was deliberately teasing him with those pretty eyes of his. He looked even sappy now, their shoulders were touching. He was so warm.

“It’s… kind of a scary thought, you know. Thinking of a you in a reality in which we haven’t met.” He smiled, one enigmatic, slightly worried smile that Cole couldn’t remember to have seen before. “But master Wu would’ve found you anyway, right? I don’t want to think of a world where we don’t know each other.” Because he was a precious teammate of his. “That’s not right in my head, I kinda hate it really.” Because they were too close as friends to even conceive it. “I’m just happy to have the strong, kind, incredible Cole by my side for this life.” Because he… cared. Because Kai cared about all the people in his life, all the precious members of his family.

That included him. As a… as…

The master of fire was staring at him, lips pressed tight together, burning cheeks and glimmering eyes. His face radiated heat, beyond the temperature itself; it was like an image so hot it got blurry, yet the beauty of it was nitid and flawless.

Cole was mesmerized. Then he slowly took a step back from his condition, finding the energic music fading away around them, and the red ninja still froze with his eyes on him.

It made him smile.

Having his attention always made him smile.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Kai!!” Because it wasn’t for granted and it wasn’t as easy as it was, back when they had started their legend as the ninja team. Now they were celebrities, and having a group of fans jumping excitedly in front of the brunette was ordinary administration. “Kai! You’re so cool, thank you for saving us again! You are our favorite ninja, can we get a picture? And a photo? Possibly both, if you can!” There were a couple of girls, one guy and a kid jumping from one foot to the other. All looking at ease and confident with their dresses and manners, addressing one of the heroes of this island.

Huh. The party had started to get nicer a few minutes ago, now it was back at being dull. Awkward. Uneasy. Solitary. Once again the too tight suit became very vivid, especially around his arms and chest. Once again the music, that had gone back at being slow and classic, got at his nerves. Once again he was being a spectator, looking at the scene like it was airing on television.

Kai was smiling naturally, he was more than used at that kind of attention. But his eyes were quick at focusing on him, and another little frown moved his forehead.

“Thanks for the support guys, but I’m a little busy right now…”

Cole rolled his eyes. He hated pity, so much. It felt like a slap right now.

“No you’re not idiot, come on, show your fans some respect. They get to see you without the city falling apart for a change!” The group nodded eagerly, eyes brightening the room. The red ninja wasn’t looking at them, his eyes were fixed on his teammate and it was even more irritating. “I’ll be at the buffet if you need me, have fun.” He looked hurt. What right did he have to get hurt? From what even? The master of earth was the one casted aside, for a change!

He walked away from the scene, losing Kai’s voice between excited shouts and squeaks from the group. Like that was new, it was always the serious, uncharismatic, downer of the team the one getting less recognition. He had known that when he had met this band of crazy people that he had started to call family. He had known that when Lloyd had taken charge and lead them towards one victory after the other. He had known that when Nya had been called into action, showing off once and for all that she was the real deal. There was always someone before him, brighter, to capture the attention. Being a robot, being an inventor, being the most handsome guy in existence…

… and it was fine.

Cole wasn’t stupid not unrealistic. He knew who he was, he knew his skills and his pros. He knew there were many people cheering for him too, he knew that Ninjago City loved him. Having less focus didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do his best to give back that support. But moments like these made him feel like it was unfairly easy to be pushed away in favor of something better. This really wasn’t what he was used to. The party, the attention… him.

It wasn’t about the attention after all. It was about feeling inadequate. Unlike others, he wasn’t born for the attention. Others were ready to burn to catch everyone’s eyes through their beauty. Cole only wished the difference wasn’t always this upsetting.

The guests were walking around him as he passed through. He didn’t actually want to go back to the table, he had simply said the first thing that had come to his mind – with that one girl so close to Kai thinking had been very difficult. Then the police commissioner had called the attention upon the impressive cake that was being brought in by a carrier. Shaped like the monastery, with their faces on the base. Wasn’t he the absolute dessert lover that he was, he might have found the cake too cute to even attempt a bite. Then again he really was, which was no secret at all. The chief of the police department was more than happy to give him the first slice.

White chocolate and blueberries. He hated himself for being so irritated, he would have wanted to enjoy his cake without bothering images into his head. He knew it wasn’t that big of a deal. Whenever there was a party, his mind just liked to remind him how uncomfortable he felt. It was only a matter of waiting for it to be over. Then he could share a bag of candies with Lloyd, or pull some weights with Nya, or meditate with Zane, or train with Pixal, or destroy Jay at videogame. Or do anything, absolutely everything, that involved spending time with Kai.

Just for the sake of having him near… ah, dang it, feelings again!

He swallowed a bit harshly, all of the sudden he couldn’t have more. The slice was half eaten – yeah he liked to have that big of a first bite –, and even after spending the night munching over those little snacks that couldn’t contain more than one or two calories each. He felt full. He couldn’t even enjoy his dessert now, might as well leave before anyone noticed him. He had planned on leaving much earlier so it wasn’t a problem.

Cole looked down at that forsaken drink, arching an eyebrow. Maybe it was good with sweets? Maybe that was what made it good? He drank, grimaced and grunted. He moved to put the drink on the table once and for all.

A quick ninja hand snatched the glass. A second later it was emptied.

“Finally, you were driving me crazy with this thing!” Kai, smiley and innocent, almost knocked down another glass as he let the empty one fall over the table. “All night sipping and hating!”

The black ninja’s mind was empty. From nothingness, only one doubt emerged.

“… you’ve been watching me?”

 Don’t think we fit in at this party

Everyone’s got so much to say

When we walked in I said “I’m sorry”

But now I think that we should stay

 That wasn’t probably the question to ask, no matter how much the master of earth was stubborn over the idea that nothing was a big deal at the moment. Something like ‘what are you doing here’ would have sounded out of place though, and teasing directly about what happened to his fan club didn’t sound better. Besides, the handsome master of fire finished his drink putting those perfect lips right where Cole’s had been just a second ago, and the black ninja’s strategic leader brain that had many times got him out of a bad situation wasn’t working.

Or maybe it was? There were very few things that could really, actively melt his heart like this. The red ninja’s blush was one of them. It had to have something to do with his element, the reddening was absolute and total. Like watching a thermometer reaching the maximum.

“J-Just a little! One or two times!” Liar, Cole had been doing this sip and regret thing all evening. The thought alone was an injection of giddiness. “Not up for cake? That’s new.”

Oh. He felt a little more in vain for cake. Two bites later it was done.

“I was taking a breath.” It was easier with him around. Did he know that? “You’re done with the fans? That was quick.” Kai huffed with superiority, but the black ninja was no fool: he could see the girl from before sighing a little, like she didn’t get nearly as much red ninja as she had been expecting. “You didn’t have to leave them behind for me.” That came out exactly as badly as he thought it. Why did he say it anyway? Why was the master of fire this shocked and fearful? “Kai I’m not some special case that you have to take care of, you know that. You don’t have to hang around me just because.” Huh. It came out like that.

Huh. Kai looked one with his element, burning from his forehead to his neck, looking almost sunburned. Adorable. So adorable, even while Cole was waiting for whatever was going to come from this situation. Which was, beyond his expectations, the red ninja’s rough and long hand slowly reaching for his, holding it tight.

Warm, so warm, so unfairly warm.

“I… I hang out with you because I want to. I want you to have fun because I…” He swallowed, hardly, and it felt like a light was switched on in the black ninja’s mind. “… I like when you have fun. When you s-smile, too.” It was so different from the usual flirty attitude that this guy used. It would have sounded like a mockery to any other. “I like being where you are too, that’s all I need… I-I mean it!” But Cole knew this guy, he knew him too well not to know that flirting was a show.

This awkward, embarrassed, red gorgeous person was the real deal. One that came out only when the time was right, and the person was right.

Cole was right. He was… right?

“I… I don’t know what to say.” He really didn’t and it was the worst possible answer. But it was true. What did you say to someone you harbored feelings for that showed interest back towards you? Thanks? Same here? I love you?? It was true but it was out and everything felt unnecessary and uneasy again.

The hold tightened. Kai was still blushing, but he was smiling with that special energy into his eyes. The one that usually meant a very bad plan coming, or one heck of an idea.

“No need. Just come with me.” Not like he could resist him right now.

Right on cue the music had changed, slowing down. The master of earth had a suspicion the one holding his hand was behind this – not like bribing Dareth currently at the console was particularly hard, especially with a couple of Puffy Potstickers in hand. Then again, the one holding his hand was this handsome fella that was leading him towards the center of the ballroom, between fanciful people and a couple of eyes in awe at seeing their heroes there. It was easier to ignore the comparison, the feeling of inferiority, while feeling Kai’s fingers clenching around his palm, shaking firmly. It was cute. So very cute. Cole could barely see in front of himself between all these people, yet it felt like nothing was really shouldering him as he passed through.

There were lights above them. Were they always there? Cole didn’t notice before, which was silly since it was all dark outside. His head was lighter, he didn’t have control over his strength even if he had wanted to break free from that hold. He didn’t. Not when the red ninja had that familiar determination making his entire body tense. Not while he turned around, smirking.

Still blushing. Still holding his hand. The master of earth looked down. Two pairs of feet staring at each other. Memories of the dance lessons came flooding back.

He looked up. Those glimmering embers made it much better.

“You brought me here to dance?”

“Impeccable deduction, Rocky.”

“Do you even know how? Dancing in couple is not the same as in a group, and we both know you have awful balance.” It was the only thing that made him regret throwing the battle against Jay back at the tournament of elements: losing the possibility of seeing this klutz making a fool of himself on roller skates. Confident Kai? Goofy and charming. Energic Kai? Attractive and brave. Angry Kai? Literally hot. But man, clumsy, adorably unsteady Kai? A wholesome force strong enough to break every single mountain he had ever climbed in his life.

The master of fire huffed with superiority, which was already promising. Around them a few couples were getting together, slowly moving with the rhythm.

“Please, I defeat evil lurking behind our backs on regular basis. I can handle a dance.” His eyes went down on his feet, while he unsurely grabbed his other hand. “You just gotta work with me, first you move the left… right… no left, left!” Left went right over his partner’s foot, and it was gone right away ironically almost as it got burned. “D-Don’t laugh, I got this!” Screw everything, the master of earth was very glad Ninjago had been in peril just to arrive at this specific moment.

Ah, but he was the responsible one, wasn’t he? Snickering right in front of the brunette’s face while he was doing his dang best at not stomping onto his feet would have not been very mature.

… continuously at least, he could take one giggle.

No one could call one giggle immature. Or two.

“I can hear my father’s pleas from here.”

“Shut up, I’m getting there! Right foot, sorry, then left…” Wow, it was almost impressive considering Cole had managed to see him before almost gracefully practicing spinjitzu with them. Then again, it was so like him it hurt. “There there’s the… huh… casket?” Oh dear, he meant the casque? Yep, definitely good pa wasn’t here. The black ninja almost blacked out he was laughing so much – pun not intended –, wiping away a single tear. Then he looked up, embers were staring. So focused and bright they were too much to look at. Kai grinned. “At least your smile is back.” The softest curve ever.

It was impossible not to look at it. It was baffling how many people were attracted to the master of fire solely for appearance and superficial charm. Yet this part, this tender side of him was the most lovely part. The most hidden too, reserved only to those who got close enough to the fire to get burned, without regretting a single moment.

Cole giggled again, stepping forward. Automatically he took charge, assuming the position that had been sculptured into his mind by years of dance lessons. Kai’s hand was still shaking as he took it, his eyes were trembling too. It made the black ninja smile more.

“It’s easy to smile when I’m with you.” Another incredible thing about this guy, it made all the people around him more confident. Stronger. Him included.

Kai gaped. He stuttered, looking down, up, at him and not.

Then he sighed, whining weakly.

“I was trying to properly confess, Boulder Brain.” It would have been such a shameless, anticlimactic moment for anyone. Gosh if it hadn’t dissolved all the anxious anticipation the black ninja had. “Why did you have to one up me right now?” Maybe it wasn’t only Kai that made him feel this at ease, maybe it wasn’t only them knowing each other so well. Maybe there really was one and only, for life, and the master of earth knew it by instinct.

A pretty good instinct too.

Cole grinned, stepping closer because dang if this didn’t feel immensely good.

“Force of habit, you’re just that slow.” Dang if this easiness between them wasn’t the most comfortable feeling he had ever felt. “You should really put your mind into training a little more, prove that you can keep up with me, Fireball.”

Music was changing, people were moving, the party was continuing and neither of them was looking anymore. Who cared anyway? What was important right now?

Warmth was.

Kai’s hand on his cheek was. Kai’s softened eyes on him were.

“I can do that. You know I never quit in front of a challenge.” One blink of an eye later, their noses were brushing. Another blink, their breaths were caressing each other’s lips. One last, the master of fire turned that kind of serious. The one that put everything on the table, because he considered a moment that important. “… I hate when you ditch a party.” Cole held together a little gulp. “And it’s not about you not being a party person, or wanting you to have fun, or even for you to get the credit you deserve. It is in part, but it’s not all.” He smiled, his thumb tracing gently his cheek, so very careful with him. Him, the lifter of their team. Him, the mighty master of earth. Him, the one that could manifest an earthquake with a punch. “It’s just that I miss you every time. You make everything better for me… I want to be with you as much as I can.”

It was never about that after all. It was never about who he was or what he represented, for either of them. It was just about two guys, two friends that had been lucky enough to get closer to each other reciprocally. In comparison to this, everything felt so meaningless.

The room was empty, the music was gone. It was just them.

Cole closed his eyes.

“You could convince me that parties are cool, you know. Then I won’t ditch anymore.” His closeness, his heat, his presence. The black ninja wanted to take in everything about this moment and never letting go. “I feel like I’m on the right path right now…” Wow, they weren’t even together yet and his flirty tendencies were already rubbing on him. Was he really that gone already for not minding it one bit?

Ah, who cared, Kai was so close he could hear him swallow. His thumb was still shivering, and it made his heart flutter. Then he laughed, low and sincere.

“Let’s see if I can be convincing.” He whispered.

Kissing the red ninja was exactly how he had imagined. It was warm, a little clumsy, so very sincere and vigorous. It reflected how he moved, how he acted, how he fought, how he protected. Yet it was nothing like he thought. It was so sweet it made his eyes pinch, it was delicate and even a little uncertain. It was him on the inside, the him that didn’t always want to make an impression, the him that had so much love to give to his most precious ones. It was him. In every possible way, it was him.

Cole smiled, kissing back, holding onto him as he was held back.

He liked parties. And he loved Kai.

 ‘Cause I don’t care when I’m with my baby, yeah

All the bad things disappear

And you’re making me feel like maybe I am somebody

I can deal with the bad nights

When I’m with my baby

[basicallyjaywalker]

Did someone say an excuse to talk about manashipping (lloyd x jackie) and fuocoshipping (kai x hannah)? YES!!!

Manashipping

Backstory: Jackie ran away from home but ended up getting kidnapped by the Stone Army and taken to the Dark Island during S2. She joins with Garmadon and the Overlord and after he becomes good she continues staying and studying under him for S3. This is how she and Lloyd meet! It starts as them exchanging conversations in the yard between practice skirmishes, then staying up at night to talk, then a mutual crush neither of them knows how to address, then a full-blown love affair! Main conflicts that follow them are the fact that they both feel like they aren't worthy of the other unless they show them service in some way, often putting themselves in danger and falling apart when the other gets hurt because of them. The plus side of this is that they are both extremely devoted to each other and able to break through to each other when no one else can.

Favorite facts: Jackie is taller than him. T4T couple <3 I have the start of an idea for a fic about their romance but I'm waiting until I finish the series to complete it. I haven't yet seen DR but I know they're still together during it and training Arin and Sora together. Jackie's magic allows her to draw power from others and when she and Lloyd use their powers together it makes tracks of gold appear with the normal shimmery amethyst that shows up

I also have a playlist for them. I worked really hard on it and this is the perfect excuse to share it >:3 I might do a whole analysis of them based on this one day because it's currently divided into "Songs that fit how Jackie feels about Lloyd," "Mutual affection songs," "Songs that fit how Lloyd feels about Jackie" and I have the list somewhere in my mess of a desk

Fuocoshipping

Backstory: They first meet during the tournament and Hannah cannot STAND his ass. Kai feels pretty likewise (two stubborn people butting heads? Unheard of (adored trope)). Over time they grow closer through realizing that they share a lot of similar traits (being protective of those they love, feeling a need to prove themselves to others) and Hannah is extremely conflicted because her previous two attempts at love ended badly and she is never sure if she'll hurt Kai, he'll hurt her, or some terrible combo of the two. Through the power of healing and communication, though, they're able to push past that and be happy together <3

Favorite facts: also possibly T4T? give me a few more months the he/she Kai thoughts started coming around the same time as I thought about Hannah possibly being she/he. Kai found out Hannah's favorite candy was strawberry mentos and started eating packs of them before dates so when they kissed she tasted them on his breath <3 Hannah has filled pages worth of songs about this man and she will never show them to him. When they first started dating Hannah dyed red streaks into her hair.

I'm working on a project with these two at the moment actually! It's AU based but I'm pretty excited for it :) I've learned to stop trying to predict when my writing will come out bc it never works but it is in the works. In the meantime, playlist be upon ye! this should hopefully be a good mix of them being happy and cute together and Hannah having terrible horrible awful emotions in the early stages

I'm feeling like some Ninjago Oc x Canon appreciation! Reblog this post and use it as an excuse to talk about your Oc x Canon ships!

Share their backstory, your favorite facts about them, their ship name-whatever you want!

[sarcasticsir]

No Need To Be Afraid When I'm Here With You

Okay so this fic was entirely self-indulgent. It's also my first fanfiction so that's something. This has been in my notes for a while now so fuck it, I'm posting it.

In which Garmadon and Lloyd traverse the serpentine tombs. The only problem? Lloyd's afraid of the dark.

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As the serpentine and humans had only just recently become allies, someone had to go check on them to make sure they were doing okay in their new home. Lloyd had volunteered, needing something to keep his mind off of Zane, and his dad had decided to accompany him since the ninja had left the week before.

Lloyd had actually been looking forward to this trip. He was curious about the serpentines culture, and what their new home was like. Of course, he had overlooked one small (huge) detail. They're serpentine, so they live underground. Where it's cold and wet. And, more importantly, dark. Very dark. As in pitch black, can't see two metres in front of you kind of dark. The kind of dark where something could be following you, and you would never even know until it's too late.

So Lloyd may have a slight fear of the dark. Slight. He figured it probably first came from that one time the other boys locked him outside during the night in the middle of a violent storm. As a 5 year old, it was terrifying. But for a 5 year old who had already been a little afraid of the dark, it was pure torture. But that's in the past, the past is past and all that. It was fine really. He was fine. That was what he kept telling himself as they entered the new serpentine tomb.

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It wasn't even that bad. It was well lit by glowing torches that lined the walls. The heat they produced chasing away some of the cold. Still, Lloyd didn't like the way the shadows lining the walls would move hauntingly as the torches flickered in a faraway breeze. He inched closer to his dad, telling himself that it was just because of the cold, not because he was scared or anything. He's the green ninja, he's fought darkness before. Ah. There was the other reason he was (not) afraid of the dark. The Overlord.

Lloyd's train of thought was thankfully cut off as they arrived at the serpentines chambers. After the usual greeting and some talking, Lloyd found himself wandering off a bit. His father seemed to have it covered anyway.

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Garmadon and Scales were having the usual dad conversation, as Lloyd had decided to call it. Wait, Scales was a dad now. That was weird to think about. But Scales Jr. seemed nice enough where they played (um, did he say played? No, no, he meant- wait-) on the floor, just within Lloyd's earshot of the pair. Lloyd realised from what the two adults were saying, that their conversation seemed to be coming to a close. He considered getting up and joining them, but decided against it, choosing to continue chatting happily with Scales Jr. about the Starfarer comics he so cherished.

That was until Scales asked about where Garmadon and Lloyd were going. Lloyd noticed his dad hesitate for only a second, before answering truthfully. It was okay. They were allies now. They could be trusted. Scales was now telling Garmadon about a new tunnel that had just recently been drilled that would take them closer to where they needed to go. Oh, cool. That was nice of him. The path they had taken had been pretty far away from his dads monastery. He might even get some training in before it got too late. Lloyd came back from his thoughts to see his father waving him over. He quickly said goodbye to Scales Jr. and promised that the next time they visited, he'd bring some of his comics with him. He then turned and happily bounded (walked) his way over to his dads side. Lloyd pouted as his dad swept a hand through his hair affectionately with a bright grin on his face. Lloyd returned the grin with a small smile of his own. Maybe today was gonna be a good day.

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His bubbly mood was immediately smashed into a billion tiny pieces as soon as he saw the tunnel they were taking home. Lloyd could see what Scales meant now when he said that it was recently made. The hard ground was uneven and rough, making Lloyd trip every few steps. But that wasn't even the worst part. No, the worst part was the lack of light sources. It was the unnerving darkness creeping all around him.

As Lloyd already said. He doesn't like the dark. He wasn't about to show any signs that he was scared though, of course not. He couldn't let his dad, his sensei, know. He's supposed to be the green ninja, the most powerful ninja in all of Ninjago. He shouldn't be afraid of anything. But he is. And he hates that. His dad doesn't need to know that though.

"Watch your step here son, the ground's pretty uneven up here," Garmadon says suddenly, breaking the silence, and Lloyd notices that the floor seemed to be sloping up a bit. Maybe they were almost out? He hoped so. Lloyd stumbles for what must be the 50th time since they started this treck. He barely catches himself before he falls flat on his face, silently thanking Wu for the balance exercises. Lloyd can't see his fathers face, but he can feel his gaze on him and can only imagine the look of concern he's being given.

"I know you're a rebellious teenager, but maybe listening to me now and then wouldn't hurt." Nevermind, Lloyd was wrong about his dads concern.

"Well I can't exactly listen out for all the rocks in my way, now can I?" Lloyd had always been pretty sarcastic, but it only seemed to occur more often when he aged up, much to the dismay of his family.

"That was quick" Garmadon replies, a smirk audible in his words. Lloyd doesn't answer, too preoccupied with the ever increasing pit of anxiety growing in his chest. He really didn't like the dark.

Garmadon must have sensed his son's anxiety, because he slowed down his pace to walk beside Lloyd. "What's wrong?" Lloyd could just about see Garmadons face now, his features painted with worry as he squinted down at Lloyd.

"Nothing." A lie. Great. Lloyd really doesn't want Garmadon to find out about his fear. Yes, he's admitting it, he's afraid of the dark. He just wants to get out of there and into the light, away from the shadows (and whatever could be hiding in the pitch black of the tunnel).

"Lloyd, I know you. I know something's wrong. You can tell me, it's okay," Garmadon says, tone soft and caring. Fuck. Lloyd can't tell him. What would Garmadon think of him if he found out his son, his son who he is actually proud of, is afraid of something so silly as the dark. Lloyd averts his gaze, immediately regretting that decision as all he can see is black. The pressure in his chest becomes stronger, making it hard to breathe, and Lloyd worries that he's going to start hyperventilating. He wants to cry.

"Son, please," his dad presses, and Lloyd hears his footsteps cease at the same time as a weight grips Lloyd's shoulder. In hindsight, he really should have known that it was his father's reassuring hand on his shoulder, but Lloyd was scared and it was dark and he couldn't see. He flinched rather violently backwards, losing his footing and falling on his butt on the cold, hard ground.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Garmadon is crouching in front of Lloyd now, and Lloyd suddenly feels awful, seeing the look of concern and the warmth that he's still getting used to seeing in his fathers crimson eyes. "Please tell me what's going on, son." Lloyd takes a breath, feeling the jagged floor beneath his hands, attempting to ground himself. He lowers his head and squeezes his eyes shut tight. His dad may be disappointed in him after this, but he can't bear to lie to him when his dad's so worried about him. Well, here goes nothing. "I'm afraid of the dark," he whispers out in one breath, keeping his eyes closed, not wanting to see his fathers reaction. "Oh," his dad is just barely audible, and Lloyd can't really make out how his dad is feeling. He prepares himself for whatever is coming next.

And then the one thing Lloyd didn't prepare himself for happens. A familiar, gentle pressure cups his face. Lloyd slowly opens his eyes, meeting his dads loving gaze. His father strokes his thumb across his cheek, wiping away a tear that Lloyd hadn't even realised was there. That weight in his chest makes itself known again by rising to his throat and Lloyd finds more tears spilling onto his flushed cheeks. His father pulls him to his chest, holding him close. Lloyd burrows his face into the crook of his dads neck as his father strokes his hair comfortingly.

They stayed like that for a while, and Lloyd's sobs quieten to slight hiccups and sniffles. "Please don't leave me," Lloyd's voice is muffled where his face is still resting against the silky, lavender scented fabric on Garmadons shoulder, but judging from what Garmadon says next, Lloyd figures he heard him. "What?!" Garmadon pulls away from their hug to place both his hands on Lloyd's shoulders with a firm but comforting grip. "Why would I leave you?" Garmadon asks, bewildered. Lloyd swipes at his eyes with his sleeve, "because."

"Because why?" Garmadon pins him with a penetrating stare and Lloyd squirms under his gaze.

"Because I'm a disappointment." Lloyd feels the sting of tears again but stubbornly ignores it.

Garmadon makes some noises that Lloyd can't quite understand before taking a breath and asking with a forced calmness, "why- why are you a disappointment?"

"Because, I'm supposed to be the saviour of Ninjago, the green ninja, and I'm afraid of the dark," Lloyd mutters, picking at a hole in his sleeve and avoiding his dads eyes. Garmadon hesitates, choosing his next words wisely. He had forgotten how bad Lloyd's 'I have to constantly prove myself, even at my own peril or else everyone I love will hate me and abandon me' fears were.

"Just because you're afraid of something, does not make you weak, and it certainly does not make you a disappointment, in fact, if you weren't afraid of anything, you'd be a fool," Garmadon answers, giving Lloyd a reassuring smile when he looked up, "I love you, sweetheart, and I am very proud of you, I always will be, no matter what. It's okay to admit that you're scared, that's a very brave thing to do." Garmadon seemed to think about something for a second before saying "How about I let you in on a little secret?"

That got his sons attention. Garmadon chuckled, "you have to promise that you won't tell anyone though, okay?"

"Okay I promise," Lloyd answered, curiosity temporarily taking over what was left of his fear.

"Not even Wu."

"Okay dad, I promise I wont tell anyone."

"Or Misako."

"DAD!" The mischievous grin on Garmadons face melted into a fit of laughter.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Garmadon could see that the suspense was killing Lloyd, he was thoroughly enjoying this, but there was also a point to what he was about to tell his son, "I'm actually afraid of snakes."

"Wha- really?" asked Lloyd, wide eyed.

"Yes, really."

"But what about the serpentine?" something seemed to click in Lloyd's mind.

"I didn't want you coming alone."

"O-oh" Lloyd gazed up at his dad, a small smile forming on his lips after a few seconds, "thank you." Garmadon returned the smile, and quickly moved to ruffle Lloyd's hair, eliciting a groan from the teen and a bat at his hand.

Garmadon stood up, offering a hand and helping Lloyd to his feet. He figured they must be near the surface now, but judging from the slight shake in Lloyd's hand, his son was still scared. "Would you feel better if I held your hand the rest of the way?" offered Garmadon, hoping to somehow make his son feel safer.

Lloyd considered his father's words carefully. A part of Lloyd told him no, that that was childish, but then again, he hadn't held his dads hand since he was a child (which, in his defense, really wasn't that long ago), and he figured he was probably a little (a lot) touchstarved. So it only took him a few moments before shyly responding "yeah." Garmadon took Lloyd's smaller hand into his warm, calloused hand, briefly squeezing it before the two walked side by side through the darkness.

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It didn't take them too much longer to find the exit. Lloyd felt relieved seeing the bright rays of sunlight scattered across the rocky floor. He didn't run ahead, surprisingly, instead choosing to stay by his fathers side. Garmadon still held Lloyd's hand as they walked home, and Lloyd was glad for it. The more time he spent with his dad, the more he realised that it didn't matter what he did or felt or that he was the green ninja. His dad's love was unconditional. And he showed that love through small gestures, like hair ruffles or hugs, and Lloyd was all too happy to return the gesture.

[that-is-where-they-wait]

That is Where They Wait Ch 13: This is Why Jay’s Not Group Leader

previous / next all chapters AO3 FFN [HAHA 13th CHAPTER ON HALLOWEEN, I’m a GENIUS. jk I’m just dead, sorry everyone, happy Halloween. hugs and kisses to the 5 (five) people that still give a damn about this fic] res·pite | /ˈrespət,rēˈspīt/ | noun | 1. a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant. 

The shadows created by his tiny flame cut stark figures on the walls, the floor, and both their faces. They were far too sharp to be natural, too unsettling to be ignored. Kai was getting sick of the agitation thrumming under his skin.

This room they'd found was nice and all, especially considering the door had a lock, but they couldn't stand around and wait for safety forever. The longer they stayed put, the longer they risked getting well and truly lost. And seeing how Karlof had been lost when Kai'd found him cornered by the spirit, that was definitely a risk.

Kai twisted the knob and pulled.

The door stayed put.

Frowning, he tried again. And again, tugging more harshly. Still nothing.

They'd just gotten themselves locked inside the room. Did it lock from the outside or something?!

Frustrated when persistently pulling at the door did nothing, Kai yelled and punched it as hard as he could. A moment later, hissing and rubbing his knuckles, he realized that was a mistake.

"Let Karlof try," the other man said, buckling up to attack and slamming the door with all the force he had. Both of his gauntlets hit the wood with an impressive, booming 'thud', but the door held. Kai squinted — were there even any cracks on the thing?

"Uhh … do it again," he suggested hurriedly. "Maybe if you keep at it, it'll start to crack."

And Karlof did take a few more spirited swings at the door standing in their way. No good; somehow the door was still in one piece. Not even anything other than hairline cracked. (Just how did a stinking door manage to be stronger in the face of Karlof's punches than him, anyway? Ouch, his ego.)

"Doesn't make sense! How is door not broken already?" Karlof asked, absolutely dumbfounded.

"Great question! Wish I knew." Petulantly, he threw his leg back and kicked. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing, and he was left glowering at the door as his toe throbbed briefly. The last bit of the flame in his hand winked out as he lost his focus, and he had to generate a new one. (Blast their weakened powers.)

Okay, so this was an exasperating turn of events. But hey, they could find another way out. Kai's free hand flew to his chin as he thought about it. Maybe they didn't have to break the door …

"Hey, Karlof. Maybe if you use your metal powers to rip off the hinges. You think we could get the door off that way?"

Karlof just stared at him for a second.

"Karlof don't particularly care."

Hold on, what.

"Walked all day just to get to stupid mansion, then ran around forever just to get away from ugly monster. All Karlof want right now is some rest."

"Tell me you're joking," Kai hissed. "We can rest once we get back to where we were! Unless you wanna be wandering around lost."

"Breaking down door takes energy. Karlof don't have energy right now. Plus, if we can't go out, monster can't come in," Karlof pointed out.

He had a point. Kai remembered what the others had said about the magic surrounding everything. It leeched their energy, didn't it? Karlof looked pretty wiped. He was loathe to stay away from the others any longer than necessary, and he hated how everything about this place felt, but it'd be just mean to deny the guy a chance to rest. He liked to think he wasn't that much of a jerk.

Karlof grimaced after a moment. "Also … maybe pulled leg muscle while running. Don't know for sure."

"Oh, and of course you save that for last," Kai groaned. "Okay, fine. We'll stay in here a while. You're just lucky the door's locked."

"What I wouldn't give for a working camera right now, to capture the look on your face." Cole shook his head and chuckled.

No one had counted on the passage from the clock workshop taking them right back to the room they were staying in — least of all Jay and Skylor, who had their first taste of the passages from a bewildered posse of ninja stumbling out of the wall. They'd both jumped nearly clear to the ceiling; poor Skylor had actually almost fallen off of the bed she was sitting on trying to scramble to her feet.

"Ohh, shut up! The wall just opened up out of nowhere and spit you out; what was I supposed to think?! You would've have been just as startled!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, zaptrap."

"It was pretty funny," Lloyd said, smile muted but genuine.

"Helpful," Jay huffed. "You wouldn't happen to have found them, would you?"

Cole shook his head and gestured at the empty space to his left. "What do you think?"

Jay sighed, expression dropping. "Thought so. … You guys mind explaining why the walls just spit you out?"

"Please," Skylor added. "If you're going to give me a heart attack, at least tell me why."

Lloyd turned to really see her, and noticed that she was fiddling with what looked to be the pieces of her crossbow. Then he did a double-take. Before he could say anything, Zane spoke up.

"Apologies for startling you, and hello, Skylor. It's good to see that you're — oh my."

"Yeah, I know." Skylor grinned ruefully, eyes obscured by…

"Those are Kai's shades," Lloyd blurted out. "How come …?"

"Ask Jay," she shrugged. "He had the idea of giving them to me in the first place."

"Hey, I couldn't dim the lamp or fireplace anymore or they'd go out, and I know Kai's always carrying a pair of sunglasses with him, so …yeah."

"They really do help, though," Skylor said. "It's easier to fix this thing" — she frowned at her broken weapon of choice — "when I can keep my eyes open."

"Good to hear it," Zane said, ever the one to keep tabs. "But hopefully you won't be needing it too soon." Skylor frowned, but didn't respond.

It was hard to figure out how he felt about this. On the one hand, heh. Of course Kai kept sunglasses on him at all times.

On the other hand, the fact that they were Kai's only pulled worse at something in Lloyd's chest. If they didn't find him fast, Skylor using his sunglasses was gonna feel more like a sick joke than anything …

He expelled the thought quickly.

Kai would be okay. He had to be.

Cole went around haphazardly patting different objects in the room until he knocked back a glass lantern on the mantelpiece shutting the passage entrance, meriting a few snickers at how silly he looked. Then he started telling Jay and Skylor how they'd discovered the passage system, but gratefully let Zane explain the uglier details. Lloyd jumped in to describe their surroundings in the open hallways and several rooms that had been explored as well, including some of the more eccentric details. Skylor, having evidently taken on the role of unofficial scribe out of sheer boredom with her current situation, reached for a notepad and started scribbling away, asking questions ever so often.

"You know what I think is going on here?" Jay said, after a beat. "We crossed dimensions walking through the forest and now we're in a horror video game. That's what happened."

"Jay."

"Listen, I'm right," Jay declared, with far more confidence than he had any right to have. "Think about it. Everything's too quirky. Too conveniently inconvenient."

"Jay, I swear to Lloyd's grandfather I will hurt you." The effect of Cole's words were mostly nullified by the fact that he was shaking his head in his hands. (And for the record, it was still weird when people swore on his grandfather.)

"Explain," Skylor said, openly giggling at the absurdity, and Zane looked as confused as he did amused.

Ahh, good ol' Zane.

Still, the fact that Jay was joking around when there were people missing rubbed him the wrong way.

"I'm serious! We just so happen to be stuck in here because the doors won't open, and they can't be busted down, and the windows are barred! Have you ever heard a more video-game thing in your life?"

"Splendid situational analysis skills right there, Jay," Cole responded drily. "A+. What do you propose we do to solve this?"

But then again … Cole had been tensed up and radiating apprehension, the entire time they were searching, to the point where it had started to make Lloyd nervous, too. He looked like he was beginning to lighten up again, as he poked at Jay's ridiculousness.

"Whoa, hey, I didn't ask for leader talk! Just saying. Not to mention, that ugly ghost clown respawns when you kill it. That's some next-level malarkey right there."

"D-don't call it that," Skylor gasped in between laughs. Evidently the pain meds had kicked in.

"And why not, huh? Are you trying to tell me it doesn't look like a clown and the Overlord had a really ugly baby?"

"Goodness," Zane remarked.

"Jay, do you ever think before you open your mouth?" Cole groaned, exasperated chuckles slipping out despite his best efforts. "Ever?"

"It's a personal point of pride to improv anything and everything I say," Jay said matter-of-factly. "Come on, you know this."

"This is why you're not group leader."

And since when was Lloyd the one to growl at any sign of fun when things were rough? He'd seen the way Jay's face had dropped when Cole announced that Kai and Karlof were still missing, and according to Zane he'd fought it before. If he was goofing off, it wasn't for lack of understanding the gravity — it was in spite of it.

So he'd bite. He'd pick back up the pieces of the child left over from when he'd been too small for the green gi, and play along. When they went back out to search, it'd be easier to keep his morale up if he let loose a little now.

They needed this.

"You know, Jay does have a point," he chimed in now. When everyone's attention turned to him, he grinned and clarified, "About the video game thing. Also the things in here are so … weird, they might as well be props. Like the clocks! What would anyone do with that many clocks?"

"And it does seem odd that there would be so many weapons on display …" Zane murmured under his breath.

"Yeah, exactly!"

Jay beamed. "Finally, someone sees it my way! I would bet my hand that this is all because of that dumb discount survivor Kai got at the shady store across from Doomsday Comix. I knew there was something weird about it. You should never trust a shady discount game."

"Hey, Kai got that game for you, because he was sick of you bellyaching about the Temple being haunted!" Cole replied. "Think an awful lot of me, doncha? Won't even take the former ghost's word that there's no ghosts in there."

"Uh, like I'd take your word for anything! Why don't you take this?" Jay threw a pillow at Cole's shoulder, much to their shock. They held their breath and waited for their reaction … and Cole worked his jaw for a second, then promptly picked up the pillow and nailed Jay in the face with it.

"Whoa, hey!" Lloyd cried. They paused and looked at him again.

"... We don't have nearly enough pillows for this."

Jay only blinked for a split second before grinning, balling up his blanket and whacking Cole with that instead.

Skylor doubled over laughing.

Absolute mayhem ruled for all of five minutes. Zane had been unwittingly dragged into the pillow/blanket fight that had evolved, and Lloyd figured if everyone else bar the one person who couldn't was doing it, he was definitely throwing himself into the ring. It only lasted up to Cole and Zane ganging up on him and wrapping him into a blanket burrito until he was screaming uncle. Even if she couldn't participate, Skylor was absolutely living for the chaos; she was practically munching on popcorn, tossing stray bedding into the fray (from a safe distance) for the rest of them to pounce on.

When they eventually settled down and sobered up, the air settling down on their shoulders again wasn't as oppressive. The soft afterglow lingering after they'd laughed some of their stress out made everyone feel a little more like they would be okay in the end, like they could go out and search again and they'd find everything they needed to — Kai, Karlof, and a way to escape this awful place and put it behind them for good.

But for right now …

"So. What's next?" Cole fluffed a pillow and set it back on the bed he'd grabbed it from.

"We should go back out and keep looking," Lloyd stated, grabbing a blanket off the floor and pointedly folding it in an apologetic-looking Zane's direction. Cole snorted — Zane might've felt a liiiiittle guilty about teaming up on Lloyd and accidentally knocking Jay down with a pillow, but he'd enjoyed every bit of that fight, and Lloyd knew it and he knew they both knew it.

"So soon?" Skylor asked. "You were gone for a while. Maybe you should take a break or something first …"

"Yeah!" Jay agreed, putting away his own blanket. "You were walking in secret passages and stuff! Aren't you tired? I know I'd be."

"If we do go out again, we should switch out who remains here with Skylor to prevent that," Zane said.

"Not 'if'," Lloyd said. "It's dangerous out there, and didn't you say Kai was injured? Karlof doesn't have any idea what he's up against if he bumps into it, either. Not to mention, we haven't even seen a trace of Shade around longer we wait, the worse our chances of finding them are. I say we keep looking a little longer."

Cole grimaced. He understood Lloyd's impatience, of course. He was worried, they all were, and nothing about their current situation looked good. And every second they spent trapped put him painfully in mind of another haunted building that had preyed on their fears and ended in nothing but trouble …

But the green ninja's insistence on searching until they found their missing was beginning to look near-obsessive. And while he hadn't said a word about being tired, his group had been on the move almost constantly since before they'd even arrived at the mansion. He'd fought for his life once already, and the building's magic was persistently weakening them. He had to be tired. Cole knew he was.

For the kid's sake, Cole hoped again that they were alright. If they weren't …

He shut the train of thought down before it could set itself off. He could do without losing his composure like that again, particularly now that he wasn't as isolated.

"Ech. I was actually thinking we have lunch or something first. It's been a while since any of us ate."

"Lunch …?"

Ohhh First Spinjitzu Master he could not be serious.

"Yes, Lloyd," he said dryly, "sometimes human beings need to eat food. You know, to survive and stuff."

"I know that!" Lloyd exclaimed. "But how do you know that it's lunch time, specifically?"

Cole paused to consider it. Usually, his appetite was the subject of a fair few jokes, but here he was using it as a surprisingly reliable indicator of when they should eat, sharpened with fatigue as it was. Because he was absolutely basing this off of his appetite.

A crinkle broke the quiet. Heads turned to see nothing else but Jay, teeth already sunk into a granola bar and blinking up at them.

"What?"

Cole sighed, rummaging through his backpack and frowning when it took a minute to find him anything worth eating. He unwrapped a sandwich as he said his next words.

"First trail mix at unholy hours of the morning, now this. If you're going to keep snacking precisely when it's not time to eat, you can't turn around and wonder why you're never hungry. I mean, not to suggest there's ever a bad time to eat, but you know what I mean."

"But I'm not hungry enough to eat a full meal!" Jay protested. "Any more than this and … I dunno. Don't feel up to it. And aren't you a fine one to talk?"

"But he has a point," Zane said, concerned. "Your appetite is usually larger than this. Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Nah," Jay said dismissively, though he polished off the bar and didn't make a move to eat anything else. "I'm just not that hungry. Besides, I'll just save it for later."

Cole opened his mouth to tell him to eat at least a little more, anyway, but the last thing he'd said made him think.

Because when he considered it …

"We're starting to run low on food, aren't we?"

"Now that you mention it, I guess we are," Lloyd said, surrendering to the fact that they were eating now and pulling out some food. He didn't immediately eat it, though. "And we can't go get more, can we?"

"I have extra food in my bag," Zane offered, looking a little meek. "... The truth is, I kept storing food and snacks in it for missions and never remembered to take them out. It might not be all that much, but perhaps it could help us last a little longer."

"Hoarder."

"Hey, it's saving our hides now, isn't it?" Lloyd elbowed Jay. "Be nice."

"But I'm afraid it won't last us forever …"

"Right. We gotta think long-run," Cole said. "We have backup food, but there's …" He took a moment to count. "Five of us. Seven including the missing two. And none of us are running on full strength. This stuff's gonna go fast. If Zane's stash runs out, we've got no way to get more from outside, plus there's no way anything in here would be edible."

"Blegh." Jay made a face. "Can you imagine what it'd be like? The mold probably has mold growing on it. No thank you."

"Thank you, Jay, you're really doing wonders for my appetite." Skylor groaned.

"You're very welcome."

"Keep it to yourself," Cole said. "Just because you're not hungry doesn't mean you have to make sure everyone else isn't."

Jay harrumphed at him but didn't say anything else.

"We need to ration, don't we?" Lloyd said.

"I don't like that," Jay said. "That implies we're staying here."

"... Not that I like the idea," Cole hated it, in fact. "But again, we might have to start thinking long-term. Hopefully, Kai and Karlof aren't far, but who knows how long it'll actually take to find them. And that's not even taking into account how we'll find a way to escape …"

"Okay, you've made your point," Jay moaned. Cole followed his gaze to Lloyd, who was eating his honey sandwich with dark eyes, and sighed, feeling another twinge of worry.

"Well, this doesn't bode well for me," Skylor commented. "I didn't think we'd get holed up this long."

"Is this about food? How much do you have?" Zane asked.

"Mm? Only about enough for a day and a half, plus snacks. And that's being generous," she admitted sheepishly. "I've only got a little more left."

"It's alright," Cole replied. "None of us were really expecting it. You can just … mooch off of Zane?"

"Well, geez." Skylor raised an eyebrow. It was pretty funny, paired with the sunglasses. "When you put it that way."

"Don't worry," Zane reassured her. "Feel free to take what you need."

"Pft. Alright," Skylor said at last. "Thanks."

"Glad we got that set straight, but what're we gonna do about water?" Lloyd brought up. "My bottle's nearly empty."

"He has a point," Zane said. "Having food is essential, but we cannot afford to dehydrate, either."

"Man, Nya'd be nice to have around for that," Cole sighed. "... But it's probably a good thing she's not here."

"It's been well over a day and we still haven't contacted her."

"Maybe longer, even," Jay sighed glumly. His eyes flickered with worry for a second. "You … don't think she'd come looking for us, do you?"

"Don't sound so hopeful, Jay," Cole warned him. "There's no way it'd end well if she did."

"It was bad enough when I ran into it," Lloyd added. "If it stumbled into her before we did …"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jay whimpered. "Forget I said anything."

"But do we need a water master for that?" Skylor cut in. "We could try to melt ice and make do that way."

"PIXAL has the same idea. But that would be most efficiently done with a controlled heat source such as Kai's fire, and Kai isn't with us right now," Zane said. Lloyd's face darkened.

"I know, but once we find him. Because we are going to," she said pointedly.

"I suppose I could just set some ice near the fireplace and let it melt, even though it would still be slow," Zane said. "Until we find Kai, of course."

"Right," Lloyd answered before Cole or Jay could say anything. "We will." But the room felt tenser again, more quietly charged than it had before.

How much longer they could keep that conviction up remained to be seen.

[aweebwrites]

Time Out

Warning: kinda s11 spoilery. I mean, it has a few themes you'll find in the first episode or two but nothing into detail. Just the setting.

____________

"You almost sawed my bike in half you asshole." Cryptor growled once the major villain of the week was taken care of.

"What? You mean that two wheeled deathtrap?" Kozu countered with a fanged sneer as Cryptor glared up at him, something the nindroid never expected to do.

Ever. The former General was fucking tall.

"And your four wheeler scrap heap is any better? It looks like you just thought: hey! Let's see how many buzz saws I can add to this piece of shit while still calling it a vehicle!" Cryptor snapped, parking his bike in its slot in the Ninja's base beneath the Monastery.

"Like your so called bike is any better! Why are weapons to the vehicle with no intention to use them!" Kozu growled back, hopping out of his Land Shredder as the ninja came in moments later, panting in exhaustion. "Unlike yourself I have personally built my Land Shredder from the ground up as do all soldiers. It is built to attack and defend." He justified and Cryptor scoffed.

"Have those two really been arguing the whole way back?" Lloyd says, blinking at them as they slid out of the Land Bounty.

"Yep." Cole says, popping the p.

"Ugh. I'm too tired and sore to make a crack at them." Jay groaned, arching his back so it popped.

"Ditto." Kai sighed, leaning against the massive wheel of the Land Bounty.

"Someone has to stop them before they end up fighting again." Nya pointed out, resting a hand on her hip.

"Well, Cryptor would be more likely to win if he goes for Kozu's hair." Zane pointed out and they all recalled last time he did that then winced.

"It wasn't me but I felt that in my scalp." Cole says with a grimace.

"I say let em fight it out. It'll be good for them." Kai says, heading toward the elevator.

"Are you sure? You know how easily riled up Cryptor is." Jay pointed out.

"And I know how stubborn Kozu can get." Lloyd added. "It's a recipe for disaster." He warned.

"If you wanna part them, then go ahead. I know I need a nice, long soak in the hot tub." Kai says with a stretch as the others murmured their agreement, piling into the elevator.

Lloyd looked at the two still arguing then back at his friends.

"Wait for me!" He called out, rushing over to the elevator once it began to close.

"... Stealth! Anyone could spot that scrap heap from a mile away!" Cryptor growled at Kozu who growls back.

"Oh? And your fancy little bike is so invisible during broad daylight." Kozu says sarcastically crossing his upper arms while setting his lower arms on his hips.

"At least it's not a heaping pile of parts!" Cryptor snapped, taking a threatening step closer and Kozu does the same, both of them glaring at each other down.

"Keep talking brother, and you will see just who becomes a pile of parts." Kozu growled low.

"Is that a threat?" Cryptor asked with narrowed eyes, pulling out his red bladed katanas.

"Can't compute?" Kozu mocked, pulling out his own swords strapped to his back in all four arms.

"That's enough." Pixal interrupted, walking between them and pushing them back. "You, are acting like children." She says, shooting them both a glare.

"If any one here acts like a child, it's this overgrown one." Cryptor says, gesturing to Kozu who growled louder, only to be cut off by Pixal holding a hand up towards him.

"Since you both want to act like children, you will both be punished like them. Both of you upstairs. Couch. Neither of you are to move until you get over this silly little spat." She says sternly, shooting them both firm looks.

Kozu rose his brow at the daring Nindroid. It was… Respectable of her to not even show an ounce of fear in the face of two former generals.

"Couch. Now." She reiterated more firmly and both Cryptor and Kozu shot each other a glare before stepping down. "Drop the weapons and go." She ordered them and Kozu looked to her blankly.

"We are weapons." Cryptor says for them both and Pixal shot him a glare.

Cryptor sighed then dropped his sword, Kozu following suit as well, all four swords clattering to the ground. Cryptor then turned away, walking towards the elevator, Kozu following behind them.

"I'll be watching." She warns once they were both in opposite ends of the elevator.

Both rolled their eyes at that, ignoring Pixal's 'I saw that!'. The short elevator ride was uneventful aside from the board they shot each other before stepping out. They headed over to the couch and sat down at opposite ends like the children they were acting like.

After a moment, Kozu couldn't help but relax into the couch, his body tense from the just as tense fight they had previously. This baddie he was called in to help with had the power of short distance teleportation and a very heavy hit. He blocked a blow from the bastard with his bare arms and felt it rattle through his entire body. He had to take a moment to make sure he wasn't actually damaged. Finally able to unwind after the tense and close battle, he couldn't help the little purr that began rumbling in his chest. His wasn't the only purr that caught his ears.

Both Kozu and Cryptor looked at each other wide eyed, their purrs stopping abruptly. They both lifted a finger to point at each other in shock.

"You can do that?"

"You purr too?" Both said at the same time and they blinked at each other.

Huh. It appears they're more like each other than one would think. Cryptor leaned back against the couch.

"Fuck, today was fucked up." He higher, running his fingers through his hair. "... I could have taken that hit you know." He gruffed after a moment.

"We did not know that for sure." Kozu hums, allowing himself to relax into the couch, throwing his upper arms over the back of the couch.

"I'm made of titanium. Virtually indestructible. I can handle myself." Cryptor huffed, annoyed and upset that these idiots always risk themselves for him.

"Virtually is a far cry from total indestructibility." Kozu pointed out, allowing his eyes to slide shut. "Accept it and move on." He adds and Cryptor shot him a glare then sighed.

He glanced across at the Stone Warrior once he began to rumble with purrs again. The sound had Cryptor releasing locked gears as he relaxed even more. The couch suddenly felt really cozy… His purrs also mingled in the mix, a higher and shorter pitch comparing to Kozu's longer, deeper rumbles. His eye lid began to droop as exhaustion began to droop as exhaustion settled in. He hadn't had the best night's sleep last night- or the night before and who knows how much more after that? His head nodded as he began to drift… He jolted awake once he felt his head bump into something- Kozu's arm. The soldier gave an amused huff then pulled the startled Cryptor closer so he was half laying against him, head resting on his broad expanse of a chest. Cryptor… Tried not to feel a little jealous. Kozu increased the volume of his purr, running his fingers through Cryptor's hair as said Nindroid melts against him, purring in content as he closed his eye.

"... My brothers are often like this when tired. I suppose the soldier does not fall far from the general." Kozu spoke after a moment and Cryptor only hums.

Kozu could talk as long as he wanted, as long as he kept petting his hair. That thought hat Cryptor curious. He looked up at the Stone Soldier then reached up and ran his fingers through his mass of hair. Kozu's reaction was instantaneous. He leans into the touch with a deeper, more pleased purr. Huh. He disliked thinking of that part of his past but, it looks like the general doesn't fall far from the general either. Kozu took his hand from his hair and set it against his own chest.

"Sleep. You are tired." Kozu rumbled and Cryptor rose a brow, long spotting the duller shine of his eyes.

Kettle calling the pot huh. He was too tired to argue anyway. He closed his eye again, ears taking in their mixed purrs, the sound luring him to sleep. Kozu watched idly. He hadn't been very pleased to accept that he was replaced with Cryptor himself. In fact, for the longest while, he was nothing but hostile to the Nindroid who returned the sentiment. But then as he was slowly called into their tougher missions, he watched the Nindroid. He was… A curious entity. An entity he began to see as just as much his brother as his stone siblings. The Overlord, his father was a car point in both of their lives neither of them wished to even think of. He was independent and wasn't relying on him but he understood what it was like, what he had gone through. Even though they never spoke words of it, it made being himself, the Kozu without the lives of the remaining Stone Soldiers balancing on his hands easier. He became an escape. This place became an escape. He sighs softly to himself, closing his eyes and taking him his mechanical brother's purrs. He'd rather not get into that right now. He relaxed, his own purrs deepening and lengthening.

He could use a nap…

______

When the others returned from the hot tub, it was to the utterly adorable sight of the two cuddling on the couch, purring up a storm.

"Awww…" Jay whispered.

"Who would have thought Kai would be right." Lloyd says, impressed.

"He wasn't." Pixal says, stepping out of the elevator. "I had to put them in time out." She says and Kai snorted.

A low, annoyed growl came from the large Stone figure whom was still asleep and they all took an unconscious step back.

"I came to warn you of that. Let them rest." Pixal says, ushering them away.

"Well, at least they aren't fighting." Kai says then looked back with a grin.

"Yeah. Nice to see them getting along." Lloyd smiled then headed to his room with the others.

____________

(Dabs. I've been posting a lot of Kozu content lately but this isn't an actual full on post. It's just a smol drabble I wanted to post. I have another to post either later or tomorrow and the actual fic of today later on. I hope you liked it @sayijo!)

[infjarts]

The Ninjagotale comic has been discontinued

This is not early April Fools. It is unfortunately the reality of the situation right now. Let me explain (synopsis of the story also under the cut).

There are several reasons that I am discontinuing the comic.

1. I can't get myself to do the next page. I just... can’t. Its not that I don’t want to get it out. I just lack the motivation once I open the file on my computer.

2. I feel like it’s not original enough. I can't call it my own. I got the idea from someone else (with their permission), and I know there are at least 3 more interpretations out there.

3. I want to dedicate the spare time I have to Insanity Brothers. Its a story that didn’t exist before, there's only one. And I’m far more excited about it.

4. Ninjagotale doesn't need to have anything to do with Ninjago anymore. That’s not what its about anymore. Its about the struggle between Yellow and the Chara of the world. The fact that the characters are all from Ninjago doesn't impact the story at all. Their personalities are the same as in Undertale, the rules are pretty much the same, it’s not that different. It can just be an Undertale AT with the regular characters and an entity that is chasing Yellow around, trying to get rid of them.

5. I am going through an extremely hard time right now. My brother has become emotionally and verbally abusive to the entire family and I need to get something off of my plate to deal with all of the stress of that.

I think I need to rethink the world and turn it into its own Undertale AU where it’s the same characters of Undertale except for Yellow. Yellow is very much their own thing. I also think what I’ll do is make it a concept/story that I continue to make content for, just not an actual comic. So I’ll release the story synopsis, everything, and I might make new designs and an illustration or joke comic or two, but not an official comic or fic.

Alright. Here’s the story that was going to happen.

Yellow has an actual name: Rhynn. Rhynn is the “Reindeer” child mentioned in the discord.

They were a kid from another AU whose creator was going to destroy it. Their parents were scientists post-pacifist route who worked with Sans on the surface studying the anomaly, and they discovered their world was about to be destroyed. So they sent Rhynn into the multiverse to settle in an empty world so that their world would build back up around them. But something went wrong, and their code broke apart and rearranged itself into a virus that can use anyone as a vessel as long as they have their soul. This virus then traveled between Universes, feeding off of the destruction they left in their place. Here is a little thing I made practicing gender neutral hairstyles that actually is concept art of Rhynn’s past vessels. It gives you an idea of what their stage one form is:

Rhynn’s stage 2 form is when they have a vessel but aren’t concealing themselves. It varies according to just how much they want to reveal. It can be anything between this:

and this:

The creature behind Frisk!Rhynn here is their true form:

The Overlord is not a virus, but a super powerful antivirus software trying to destroy the Rhynn virus.

Fast forward a thousand years of destroying things to Ninjagotale. The Frisk of the AU is about to fall into the Underground for the first time, but Rhynn intervenes and kills them, taking over their soul and body before they gain the ability to save and load. They then play Undertale normally, intending to reach the surface and spread destruction there. 

However, the Overlord antivirus finds the Rhynn virus when Rhynn tells Lloyd/Asriel their true name. To throw the Overlord off, Rhynn swaps the AU and resets to “refresh” and activate the new code. 

Hence we now have Ninjagoswap. Rhynn and Morro travel through the Underground, only to discover there is already a Morro/swap!Chara going through the Underground, doing a genocide route because he and much of the underground have been affected by the Overlord’s presence. 

Morro, now the “fallen child” with a ghost Rhynn following them, hurries to Kai/swap!Papyrus to warn him about the murderous human. Kai joins them in hurrying to prevent Cole/swap!Sans from being killed, and they arrive, only to find swap!Morro already there. Instead of killing Cole, however, he uses his knife to corrupt him as well. Hence this illustration:

Kai knows he can’t win, so the good guys retreat. Swap!Morro and Cole then move through the Underground, corrupting everything. When they reach Jay/swap!Alphys, Cole easily overpowers him and corrupts him as well.

Meanwhile, Kai and Morro head to Nya/swap!Undyne’s lab to find her crying over Jay, having seen everything on the cameras. Nya agrees to help them, and builds the technoblades. They will have to enter the digiverse/void and use them to destroy the Overlord. Remember, they still don’t know that Rhynn is the true villain, so they’re all just going by what Morro relays to them from Rhynn.

Suddenly Jay, Cole, and swap!Morro all barge in and attack. Nya and the amalgamates hold them back while Rhynn creates a new save file, and this time they turn it into a fell world. They escape just before the corruption is too much and the world collapses. But unbeknownst to everyone else, the Overlord saves Cole just in time and brings him to the digiverse. 

The Overlord tells Cole the truth and makes him his right hand. Cole asks if they have to kill his brother, because he still cares about Kai. The Overlord says if he manages to bring Kai to their side, he can be spared. Cole makes a vow to save his brother.

Meanwhile in Ninjagofell, Morro and Rhynn have switched places again since they’re not in a swap world anymore. Kai goes off to mourn for his brother by himself, so while he’s gone, Rhynn takes the opportunity to think about what to do next. They figure once they’re in the digiverse, they will be able to break rules enough to make Morro physical. So they have three people, but four technoblades. So they decide that they need Lloyd/Asriel because a god-like being would be a nice thing to have. But in order to do that you’d need seven human souls, and there are only six here, Morro points out. But Rhynn disagrees. Because Frisk has fallen down at this point. 

Morro realizes what they are about to do, and they try to argue against it, but as a ghost, they can’t do much else. He watches helplessly as Rhynn steals the six captured souls and goes to find Frisk. They encounter them and Lolley as they are leaving the ruins and entering snowdin forest.

They access the code and rob Frisk of their control of the save file. Without having to worry about Frisk respawning, they kill them and take their soul. They then tell Lolley that they have seven souls now, and they need him to turn into Asriel to help them save the world. Lolley is too scared, so Rhynn changes the code again so that everyone forgets Frisk existed, and Lolley then complies.

Lloyd, Kai, Morro and Rhynn then head to fell!Cole to get him to help them enter the digiverse. They do, and upon entering, they turn Morro corporeal. Kai decides he’s had enough of following this suspicious child around and demands answers. Instead of telling him everything, Rhynn corrupts Kai and makes him a pawn of their own. Unlike the overlord’s corruption, the influence is less suggestion and more force by inflicting pain on the victim to get them to comply.

With the other three in tow, Rhynn makes their way through the digiverse, which is basically the Underground but looks like the digiverse from Rebooted. They arrive at Judgement hall, the Overlord’s lair, and try to use the technoblades to wipe him out, but it only forces him out of the code and he becomes a giant dragon. Cole suddenly appears and corrupts Lloyd. Three fights break out at once, Kai vs. Cole, Morro vs. Lloyd, and Rhynn vs. the Overlord.

Kai is eventually knocked to the ground by Cole, and Cole starts to reason with him. We have this scene:

Cole corrupts Kai. Realizing they are losing, Rhynn turns into their stage two form. This allows them enough power to defeat the Overlord, releasing all those under his influence. They then say that they no longer need the others and can now dispose of them. Morro then engages Rhynn in a fight. Hence we have the private version of this illustration, where you can see Rhynn in Morro’s blade:

The fight then goes into a stage 3 in a separate dimension when Rhynn turns into their true form. Eventually Morro beats them, and suddenly... pre-virus!Rhynn appears, cleansed of the virus. They then thank Morro and tell him that they will fix the code and send them all back to the original Ninjagotale timeline. This scene then happens:

...They give Morro their stolen soul from Frisk. Now Morro can stay corporeal without the need for a host. With a final goodbye, Rhynn fixes the code and sends Morro and the others back. Without a soul or a vessel, they then disappear and finally gain the peace they were robbed of so long ago.

The story ends with Lloyd using his seven human souls to break the barrier in Ninjagotale. The monsters are then freed without the presence of a Frisk. swap!Kai and Cole go to live with classic!Kai and Cole (swap!Kai may or may not be introduced to Skylor/Grillby by classic!Cole) and Morro and Lloyd go to live with Misako. 

And that’s the end of it. I may release more about the reconstruction of it later, like redesigns and little content snippets like blurb comics and illustrations, and explanations of other ending ideas, but that’s about it. I’m sorry for disappointing you all. I hope you all can understand about the circumstances, and I hope you stick around for more Insanity Brothers. It’ll be an animatic series, so I’m real excited for it! 

Love, Piper