#Ninjago rambling to the extreme…

[badboychaser]

as the resident cole AND morro guy, uve GOT to have some interesting opinions on wu, so im gonna bite the bullet and ask what u think of my epic guy of all time wu.

I don’t really like or dislike Wu. He’s more so a character to me that is just…there.

He served more as a guide character within the pilots-s2 to sort of introduce us to the lore and world of Ninjago outside of the Ninjas perspective when we weren’t focusing on their world- like Coles father, Jays parents/crush on Nya, Kais ambition towards the green ninja, Nya coming to terms with growing up as a women (saying this as afab), and Zane’s sense of purpose. I’ll get to Lloyd later.

I joke often about Wu forgetting to tell the Ninja about important situations such as the Time Twins, Morro, etc. as most people do, however, I see this more as a fault of the writers than anything else. Characters are bound to be written and expressed differently depending on the writers of the time. This extends to the character of Wu and very noticeably the Ninja throughout the later seasons.

*I’m gonna talk about Cole & Morro a lot but it’ll circle back to Wu I swear.

~ Cole ~

During the beginning of the show we’re introduced to Cole; whom is shown to be somewhat a leader of the group in sense that he’s strong-willed. He’s not afraid of taking down someone who’s threatening the lives of others, but he can easily shed that hard exterior to reveal a caring person. Someone who, later on, is revealed to have had this revelation in childhood as well. He wants to go his own path even if others advise against it.

I believe that Wu did notice this in Cole when Cole was younger. The particular age that Wu started officially training Cole is unfamiliar as the mainline tv show has retconned this a few times while the comics go their own way. Besides that, I don’t believe Wu ONLY wanted to train Cole to become a ninja I believe he wanted to train Cole a certain type of discipline- to pick his battles and to know exactly what he’s fighting for.

I see Cole as someone who would get lost without proper guidance. Someone who has the potential for destruction whether that be internal or external. Someone who fights for what he thinks is right and to help others, but may end up actually hurting those he loves to prove a point.

Cole turning into a ghost is one of the BIGGEST points in his character arc. He sacrificed himself to get the map inside the Temple of Airjitzu thus turning him into a ghost. He accidentally chose his battle incorrectly because he felt obligated morally to help more than he needed too. He knew he was fighting for Ninjago and against Morro, but he didn’t know what he specifically got out of the situation which put him in a type of purgatory. This purgatory is worse than what is normally described, because instead of being cleansed of past sins and mistakes he is substituted to watch himself create more mistakes and “live” through the ones he’s already made without amends. In a perfect world, Cole only realizes he can move forward from his ghostly form if he actively WANTS change.

Wu trying to aid and guide Cole through life so he doesn’t end up like a child he used to teach- only to end up seeing Cole stuck due to circumstances out of his control. Circumstances brought on by someone from the past. Someone who cannot move forward and doesn’t believe in change. Morro.

“I tried to warn you when you were a child

I told you not to get lost in the wild

I sent omens and all kinds of signs

I taught you melodies, poems, and rhymes”

The Yawning Grave - Lord Huron

~ Morro ~

Morro is the same as Cole, at least, in the sense that they’re both strong-willed. Wanting to go his own path and achieving the destiny he thinks he’s entitled too. Wu definitely saw a little bit of Morro in Cole at some point and I believe the ghost arc sealed it.

A lot is unknown about the relationship between Morro & Wu other than knowing that Wu took Morro under his wing to train him to become a ninja. Lore like this isn’t really explored much in Ninjago seasons as they like to focus on present situations instead of past ones. It did seem that Wu really did care for Morro and did try to comfort him after it’s revealed that Morro wasn’t yet worthy of the green ninja title. Although, when Morro started acting out that’s when Wu started to become stern which is where I believe a lot of people have misconceptions about his character.

While we don’t know much about Wus student of the past I think it’s safe to assume this is the moment where Wu recognized that people have to been taught and trained differently. Maybe he taught Morro wrong? Maybe Morro cannot be taught and had to experience hardships himself to actually learn? Next time it can be different- it has too.

The first time I watched Day of the Departed I thought Morro mentioning Coles danger to Wu was to get some type of ulterior motive and the writers were going to explain it at a later date. This..didn’t happen. Typically because of this I joke about Morro helping Cole to get “heaven points” or “helpin another ghost bro out” but if I were to look deeper into it (a territory that the writers had 100% no intention of) I like to picture it as Morro not EXACTLY forgiving Wu but accepting the fact that he’s done wrong and wanting a better life for someone else.

Morro has done bad things, he knows that, and he’s not immune to consequences. Whether or not it was his own fault or Wus doesn’t matter because it’s all in the past. What matters going FORWARD and helping others is the important part.

~ Lloyd ~

Lloyd had a bit of a tricky relationship with Wu. It’s very obvious that Lloyd loves his Uncle, but the lingering thought of his father does get in the way of that love sometimes. Wu was very sweet to Lloyd when they took him in during s1 and even advised the ninja to look past where and who Lloyd initially came from and focus on befriending him and moving forward. From then on mostly it was the ninja and Kai who raised Lloyd.

-

Misako…I’m not a Misako lover. I don’t resonate with her character at all so I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to speak on her relationship with Wu. Not my place to say.

-

Reiterating, while Wu does do the infamous “there’s something I forgot to tell you…” that’s ABSOLUTELY just a writer shoe-in to push more seasons and should not actually reflect Wu as a character.

The way I see it; Wu at the beginning of the series was a character to push guidance and lessons for our characters to learn from so they can “defeat the big bad” of that season. A LOT misdirection of Wu’s character comes from s5. Honestly, I’m an early Ninjago season lover so anything after s7 is not my strong suit so I cannot speak for his character beyond that point.

I’ve been a little distant from Ninjago lately so I wish I could have given a more in depth response, so I tried to reason with what I already knew from the top of my head.

*Side note: I think “The Yawning Grave” by Lord Huron is a really good song to express the relationship between Wu, Morro, and Cole. Highly recommend the listen and looking up peoples thoughts about the meaning of the lyrics online.

*Side note: “Ninjago Mini-Movie #4: An Underworldly Takeover” is a good Cole and Wu focused short where Wu explains the relationship he had with his brother Garmadon after Cole gets curious and asks.

[lonleyzodiac]

The new elemental powers in Ninjago utterly destroy me especially how it’s clear why some of them got the powers they did, just using a few we’ve seen a lot of (going from the theory the new powers emerged from an aspect of the person)

Sora has a massive love and skill in technology to the point it’s a large aspect of her character, such an important part that eventually she became the first EM of technology post Merge.

Wydlfyre is extremely hot headed but also raised by dragons mostly especially Heatwave who’s a lava dragon and thus Wydlfyre will have a deep connection with heat especially, post merge turning into heat

Frak is clearly set up with an utter adoration of the ninja but especially Cole who’s got Earth, and being serpetine (a long history of being underground and I headcanon as having constricti ancestry) would eventually get quake

Then you have poor Geo, who’s clearly got a lot of feelings around being a geckle/munce hybrid (saying he’s a munce with geckle colouring despite having a geckle name and being confirmed a hybrid) and getting fusion of all powers, that’s the universes horrible sense of humour right there

[destinysbounty]

Oh hey, here's a Cool New Activity That Will Definitely Cause Zero Emotional Devastation:

Listen to "Remember You" from Adventure Time on loop for like an hour and think about it in the context of Lloyd and Zane/Ice Emperor. And then begin to think of an elaborate AU where Zane doesn't meet Vex and therefore never becomes the Ice Emperor, but the Scroll still messes with his head and makes him slowly lose his sense of self over the course of several decades. And then cry a little.

[helpmyinterestsareverywhere]

"Where's Unagami?"

"Where he belongs. He's home."

[nyaskitten]

Found this on the wiki but there's nothing on Lego's channel 😭😭😭 THEY'RE KEEPING ENGLISH CINDER AWAY FROM ME 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[theplatypusblue]

All the segments of teen Wu in season 9 are so funny cuz everyone’s just like “Wu, do you know where the dragon armor is?” and Wu’s actual unironic response is “Yeah it came to me in a dream ☺️”

And since they literally have no alternatives in this situation they just. Go in whatever random direction Wu points them in. And I get that’s kinda the point of the whole faith thing and everything but it’s so ridiculous that it’s both funny and terrifying at the same time.

[primeministerofantarctica]

cole being canonically gay would be fantastic because it'd be great for an already established and much-loved character to reveal they're not straight, but also (and this is the most important) it would completely decimate thousands of ship wars in an instantaneous explosion

[ghhoulsallt]

Ninjago Headcanons // Morro

Masterlist

AN: I love the AU where Morro goes through the Rift during the Day of the Departed and becomes human again/becomes apart of the Ninja (But due to the rumours that he'll be coming back in DR s3, this could also relate to that. Slightly unrelated, but I cannot wait to see Euphrasia and Morro's Dynamic in DR o(≧▽≦)o).

Type: AU, unorganised, General headcanon ramble

Warnings: Morro is severely traumatized, mostly angst

Morro is extremely possessive over everything, even if it's something small. He has an iron grip on everything he deems as his, even if it holds no sentimental value to him, varying from that one glass in the cupboard that has a slight crack in the lip but he refuses to throw it out, to that cat that lives in the dumpster in shadier parts of his patrol area that he's been slowly trying to coax into trusting him, to people. This is wholly due to the way he was brought up, or rather not brought up, constantly fighting for meals, consistently getting abandoned by 'caretakers'/people who he had clung to because of 'safety in numbers' until he met Wu, the green gi being ripped away from him when it was right there in front of him, and then essentially becoming a nomad and forcing himself not to get too comfortable while on his journey of finding the FSM's tomb. He's never exactly had anything or anyone except his powers, so now that he has a place – a person – to call home, he wouldn't be able to stand the loss of his newfound stability.

(If Morro entered through the rift and joined the ninja force before the Merge and he got separated during, I think he genuinely wouldn't be able to handle losing everything around him, especially not Wu)

This also leads to him being a bit of a hoarder, he struggles to bring himself to get rid of things he no longer needs because he was so used to not having many material things as a child that he doesn't want to go back to fighting over scraps of food, being so alone that he doesn't even have items to accompany him.

Morro is actually pretty open with his emotions, but not directly. If he hates someone, they will know because he stands there with his arms crossed and a look of pure disgust on his face like a child who was just told no.

This also works vice versa, such as when Morro is happy/content you can see his eyebrows aren't pinched. It's such an odd sight to the ninja because Morro is constantly in intense thought, and therefore constantly frowning.

I also headcannon that while Morro has a strong relationship with his element, his mood does affect the weather. It's to the point where if the wind's a little too strong it's most likely because he's in a bad mood.

Morro gets along the best with Cole, mostly because of the whole ghost thing and they both have an understanding of what it was like to lose the human part of yourself.

He and Lloyd also have a deep understanding of each other because of the possession arc, they have their own memories and each other's, and in a sense they'll always be connected. But this has led to odd moments where they can't tell whose memory was whose. This has also lead to Morro (After Possession) realising that being the Green Ninja was not all it was cracked up to be.

[angeldrawsstuffs]

Hi Angel back again to offer her unsolicited meta opinions about Lego themes (specifically Dreamzzz).

So, because of recent leaks, I’ve seen some speculation online Dreamzzz is going to come to an early end, possibly not making it past 2025. Now, before we go any further, let me make something extremely clear:

That is all rumors and speculation based on different rumors/alleged leaks about a canceled large set. To my knowledge, nobody who has actually worked on the theme in any capacity (show or sets) has said anything in relation to either of these. The information about the canceled big set came from leakers and the other speculation derived from that. This is ALL hearsay from the past 24-48 hours. Nothing is official, take it with a pinch of salt.

Ok now that we’re on the same page about the validity (or potentially lack thereof) of the claims/speculation, time to get into a mini rant/ramble I have so Buzzfeed-ishly titled:

Why Dreamzzz Being Cancelled Would NOT be a Good Thing AT ALL For Lego (and why even non-fans should care!)

So, you may ask: “Angel, why would you say this is a negative for Lego as a whole? Themes get canceled early all the time! In the hypothetical-and-currently-unsubstantiated-scenario Dreamzzz is canceled, it wouldn’t have that much of an impact!” well, nonexistent strawman I made up because I suck at making my point, it has to do with the way original Lego IPs are currently set up. Like it or hate it (or in between!), the beginning of Dreamzzz, even a before that, one could argue, was the start of a new era for how Lego handles their IPs. Gone are the days of getting multiple new themes a year, each lasting a planned 2-3 years, before entering a mapped out and anticipated retirement, maybe being cut short or extended a bit depending on sales. From what I’ve observed, it seems the priority is longevity of a theme over quantity of themes. Another factor is this is the ideas from those many themes over the past few decades have been slowly merged into other, larger themes like City, Friends, or even Ninjago. So, back in ye olden days of the 90s to the 2010s, a theme (specifically an original IP) being cut short was no big deal because there were like- 3-4 others running alongside it and several more in the foreseeable future. But, currently, that’s not the case because Dreamzzz is the only new IP to release and be running in the 2020s. Think about Lego’s currently running original IPs, not original themes as a whole (Icons, Creator, Ideas, etc.), but IPs (Ninjago, Power Miners, Atlantis, etc.). As of right now there’s really only four:

City, Friends, Ninjago, and Dreamzzz.

Take Dreamzzz out and you’re left with three. As much as it sucks, Dreamzzz being canceled won’t bring back the old format of IPs, in fact, I personally believe it would push back any return of that format or a similar one even further. Why do I believe this? Well, unfortunate as it may be, we’ve seen this song and dance before with plenty of other brands. New, original thing fails, executive people have to look at the “why”, and the conclusion is that people just don’t want new stuff and we should rehash the same stuff over and over and over again. Obviously that’s the very WRONG conclusion, but look at Disney and Pixar as a prime example of this. Of course I have a LOT (like- a lot a lot) more faith in Lego than I do the mouse, but do we really want to run that risk?

Also, circling back to my point about IPs being cut earlier than planned wasn’t as big a deal back then because there were a bunch of others already out and planned for release that could fill that void quick. But now? With the new formatting for IPs? As far as we know, there’s no new Lego IPs planned for the foreseeable future. Unless Lego’s somehow kept some new IP under such wraps that not a single person outside the company, not even online leakers, have found anything out about it, even its existence, (which very rarely happens to my own knowledge), there’s nothing currently planned. If Dreamzzz goes, there’s nothing to take its place or keep new IPs chugging along.

So then, hypothetically say Dreamzzz is canceled and doesn’t make it to 2026 (which, I am going to say I do not think will happen, I personally believe, if the big set being cancelled is true, it may be to make room for smaller, more affordable sets, since that’s the most consistent criticism of the theme as a whole). What then? Well, if the path most other companies have taken of “nobody wants new things” comes into effect, then that would probably mean not getting another new IP for a while. While Ninjago, City, and Friends all have a lot to offer, it’s clear people want something new. To be clear, it’s not the guaranteed path in this hypothetical-and-currently-unsubstantiated-scenario.

What’s my solution? Well, I’m a teenager on the internet with no business knowledge or expertise in any kind of related field so OBVIOUSLY I’m qualified to talk on this (/lh /s). But, in all seriousness, the best I can say is make criticisms known, but with the stipulation of that the theme should be able to continue and buff out the dents, as I would argue we’ve seen happening. I believe Dreamzzz has potential, a lot of it. But losing that potential to an early cancellation could possibly spell trouble down the road for Lego’s original IPs.

Once again, this is just a sleep deprived Angel spewing her opinions onto the internet. Hope I made my point clear enough and that this isn’t a totally incoherent mess of a post. Also, I’m personally not looking to debate/have to defend my thoughts here, as shallow as that may seem, so if you disagree vehemently with every word: that’s alright! I’m just not interested in an online back and forth about it (especially cuz I’m a terrible debater, lol-). Anyway, thanks for reading this long-ass post if you’re still here, have a wonderful rest of your day/night, and wear your seatbelt! /ref

[plasmara]

new chapter of sparks has got me going insane… need to theory craft… because JAY. HM. Something is FISHY. Now, my theory is that it ALL connects to that weird dream Kai had about Jay when they were younger. Specifically, a part of the ending sounded… familiar…

“When Kai reaches the corner, he can’t see anything. Just a dropped backpack in the grass. The distant slam of a door. And the quiet echo of footsteps already too far away.“

A DOOR YOU SAY? AND WHERE ELSE HAVE WE SEEN A DOOR?!?

“His eyes scan the image again. Not the unmarked door, not the jagged lines and shapes scattered around — just one thing in particular. A sharp S-like logo, scribbled in the upper corner.

He’s seen it before.”

Surely this extremely common word being used TWICE means something. Something big. and even more so there are clear connections marking Jay Walker here to this even before he’s… doing whatever he is now.

“Time to bring in W? High risk — likely noncompliant. Prepare for Phase I? NS opposition.”

‘“I was thinking out loud,” Kai mutters. “We don’t know anyone else that starts with W.”’

Are you sure about that one, Kai? When you’re speaking to Jay Walker? And there’s still plenty of layers to the mystery, too. “It’s not like he particularly liked anyone, though he seemed to have a soft spot for Walker. God knows why, Kai thought…”

why does wu have a soft spot for jay? maybe it’s his charisma and charm, sure, but it would still feels a little strange…

“But the more they hung out, the more he But the more they hung out, the more he realised just how similar they were, both sharing the dream of joining the FBI one day.”

and wow what a coincidence that both of them wanted to join the FBI one day! I’m not too sure how common that is for kids to have as their dream job, but isn’t it nice that they connected over it? surely there was no specific event that triggered this desire to join the FBI. Or IS THERE?

my (admittedly insane) theory is that Jay was kidnapped as a kid by the same mystery organization/person/entity that is now taking over New Ninjago City. he’s been stuck in this even before the beginning.

the description of events from Kai’s dream already lines up with Jay getting kidnapped (dropped backpack, footsteps being “too far away”). that isn’t something that one randomly drops into a dream (or perhaps a flashback disguised as a dream…) him getting kidnapped would also explain both his and Kai’s reasoning for joining the FBI. The FBI does get involved in missing person cases, especially involving kids, so it’s completely plausible that the FBI was the one to find Jay after he got kidnapped. It’s also plausible that Wu was involved in finding him years ago and still remembers him today, explaining why he would have a soft spot for him. Of course, Jay seems to have a spotty memory regarding the mysterious symbol that is closely related to the door, so it’s not out of the question that he also wouldn’t remember Wu (or anything else that may have been done to him, for that matter). The mysterious entity behind NeuralSync (and/or whatever else it’s building up to) already knows Jay Walker (“W”) would be important in the future for their plans, and now it’s moving him onto the board.

either that or, yknow, I’m going insane ;D

(sorry for the extremely long ramble/theory! sparks is awesome and has so many cool mysteries)

oh my gosh. don’t apologize because this was so incredibly fun and interesting to read!!! like WOW WOW WOWWWWWWWWIIIIIEEEEEE I FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING A DETECTIVE DRAMA UNFOLD IN REAL-TIME . i LOVE reading theories for my works, it’s SOOOOO BDBDBSDSLDK I’M SCREAMING

and you picked up on so many things (that i may or may not have put there on purpose……Hehehehehehe)

and the idea that their past might be more complicated than it looks……hmm………….interesting………………………

i won’t say anything spoilery but just know i read this whole message about five times i absolutely Loved it. it felt like a fic in itself. please never stop. you are single-handedly making this fic an event for me. Might have to start switching up the plot to throw u off

[samfroggie]

Here to talk about Ninjago and my oc again, potential spoilers for Season 3 Part 2 because I caved due to the amount of spoilers I already saw. You've been warned!

So..I have a mini theory that someone is gonna be sacrificed at the end of season 3, and personally I think it's either Arin or Lloyd but I'm leaning towards Arin. Either in battle or as a cost for summoning the Arc Dragon.

So what if that happens and Lloyd, finally, goes into his Oni form out of his anger/grief?

Aside from the fact that oh damn losing his student again made him go ape-shit this poor guy, but Juno would see it for the first time.

Now, she just watched Arin, a kid she's essentially been a second mother to since the merge, lose his life for some reason or another. And now she looks at Lloyd, a guy she didn't care for at first only to grow to love him later, lose himself and start acting violent and aggressive in a way she'd never seen before.

She wouldn't know how to react, her emotions are all over the place. She's grieving Arin, anxious over fending off the Dragonians and the F5, and fearing for Lloyd and not understanding what's going on with him.

I imagine she'd been told about Lloyd being part Oni and part Dragon from someone else but it never occurred to her that it would affect him in times of extreme distress.

I've mentioned before that she doesn't treat emotions as something to be afraid or embarrassed of, she just accepts them as they come and doesn't tend to think before acting if her emotions are high enough. If her heart is telling her to do something, she'll do it. So what does she do?

She runs to him.

Keep in mind, she knows she's probably being dumb, she knows she's more likely to put herself in danger if she does this, but she doesn't care. Lloyd is in distress, not thinking straight, and he needs someone, and she's willing to be that someone.

She pulls him back, making sure he can see her, before he goes off and causes more damage than he'd want to make. She's shaking as she holds him close, not caring about his appearance. He pushes her away, and she's slammed into a tree, gasping as the wind is knocked out of her.

She coughs but doesn't take her eyes off him. She takes a moment to get up but any words she may have had are caught in her throat as she still struggled to catch her breath. She looks at him in shock, genuinely not expecting him to attack her, but she isn't angry, she knows he doesn't mean it.

Lloyd wouldn't hurt her on purpose.

His eyes, nothing but a deep purple pool of anger and hatred, stare back at her's. Lloyd blinks, his mind registering who he's looking at. And in a moment, his body relaxes, his rapid heartbeat slowing and his mind clearing. His intense expression fades into one of shock, guilt, and then..grief.

He begins to apologize, and Juno finally catches her breath and approaches him again. She assures him that it's okay as he transforms back, and she holds him again as he breaks down, crying for probably the first time in years. She cries too, but not as openly. The battle still rages on around them but neither can pay it much mind right now..

Okay so I rambled on for longer than I intended to! Sorry if this went off the rails but I have..many thoughts about Season 3's ending.

I may either write a story or make art for this idk

[lonleyzodiac]

Movie plasma but it’s Jay being extremely obvious about his crush on Kai who keeps accidentally friend zoning him even though he also has a massive crush on Jay he just doesn’t know how to actually show that.

[polycule-playoff]

Trigun vs Ninjago

What do the colours mean?

Trigun:

"This polycule deserves to win because it is a classic and unbeatable group of really cool characters who go extremely well together, and is very supported by the media from which it originates. Their group dynamics are super fun, and even with their different motivations, you can really feel how much they care about each other. This polycule makes so much sense, and I really think it deserves a chance to hold its own in this competition."

Ninjago:

"Okay so the ship name is polyninja and it’s made up of all the pairs in it so let me just write them all out and what makes them all cute-

Oppositeshipping: Kai x Zane God I could ramble about them for so long. Kai is the Master of Fire, Zane is the Master of Ice. They balance each other out in powers, personality, approach- but at their core, they’re the same. Both loving and protective and true to themselves. They’re opposites, but instead of clashing violently, they make an equilibrium.

Lavashipping: Kai x Cole Cole is a leader (kinda? It’s complicated) and Kai absolutely HATES being told what to do (especially before he gets his character development) but he respects Cole enough that he listens to him anyway. And when Kai is aggressive and causing problems, Cole is unfazed and willing to work through the issue without demeaning or being mean to Kai (except jokingly this man WILL tease the heck out of all his friends).

Plasmashipping: Kai x Jay Okay so these two are just idiots. Red and Blue duo and absolutely stupid. They’re actually decently intelligent on their own, but if you put them together they just. Forget how to be smart I guess. Jay is loud and chaotic and Kai is also loud and chaotic (but in a different way) and they cause so many problems together simply because they do not think them through. They’re also very mean to each other but they do it affectionately <3

Bruiseshipping: Cole x Jay Best friends to lovers. We have a canon scene where Jay compares his feelings for Cole against that of his love interest literally he goes “I was upset about losing Nya, but I was more upset about losing you.” He straight out says his feelings for Cole are more than that of his literal love interest WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED if you need more I have more they’re also so dorky in season 6 Jay flat out lies to everyone and they all buy it except Cole, who pulls him aside and is like you can’t lie to me I know you too well for that now what actually happened. They are so so cute together <3

Glaciershipping: Cole x Zane Cole is calm and a solid grounded rock, and Zane likes dependability and routine and things being how they should (he’s autistic if you couldn’t tell from that description). Cole is stressed sometimes, and Zane is someone who listens. Even if he doesn’t always know what to say, he listens, and really, that’s more important than saying anything at all. Cole is gentle and understanding with Zane and doesn’t mind explaining social things to him, no matter how obvious they seem to everyone else. He’s willing to be patient and understanding with him, and Zane shows him the same courtesy back.

Technoshipping: Zane x Jay Android x their mechanic ship. While it’s been a while since they’ve shown it in canon, back in the earlier seasons, Jay is shown to be pretty much the only one Zane trusts to work on any of his systems. They’re also an ADHD x Autism couple and it’s so cute I swear. Jay has lightning powers and Zane is an android so Jay has to be very careful and I had a point but I can’t remember what it is. Anyway they’re very gay.

Polyninja: Kai x Cole x Jay x Zane All of the above ships combined. They all have the best dynamics together with their playfulness (Kai makes fun of Jay and while Jay goes >:0 Cole makes fun of Kai in retaliation) and they all love and care for each other so much (platonic or romantic). It is late where I am and I’m running out of words but they are so shaped to me and I love them all so so much thank you for reading all of this insanely long thing I’m aware I wrote a lot here-"

[basicallyjaywalker]

Wanna ramble about a moment/character in ninjago you think people need to talk about more?

I don't know who you are anon, but I'm glad you asked!

I am desperate for people to character-analyze Wu. I'm desperate for a lot of character analysis including Nya but since I got a lot of my Nya feelings out with some lovely folks the other night (edit: the other night was a month ago dw about it. this took a minute) I'm going with Wu this time

Master Wu to me is such an interesting case of a character who it is so easy to ignore the bits of the show that hint at his wider issues and traumas. He is a man defined heavily by his family and by his past. A lot of criticism he gets, I think, is due in part to that.

I've mentioned before that I've been rewatching S1 with a friend of mine and intermittently pausing to infodump on them about interesting character things I notice from that season. A lot of that has been Wu-focused because despite having seen RotS dozens of times throughout my life (watching it on CN, watching it on Netflix when only it and Legacy were around, rewatching it with friends) I have only just started noticing the seeds of character written in.

I might also just be reading too much into things, but hear me out

In S1 (and by extension, the pilots), Wu is characterized as your typical old wise teacher. In the first few minutes of EP1: Rise of the Snakes, he is chewing out the Ninja for playing video games instead of training. The line he uses? "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today."

It's a line that gets repeated throughout the series. In fact, it gets repeated that very episode when the ninja go (pun not intended) to fight the Hypnobrai and a literal pre-teen. At first, it seems to just be a piece of wisdom. Some old proverb Wu's picked up over the years, possibly one he even coined himself. However, in EP7: Tick Tock, Wu tells the story of who, possibly, first told him this.

(Source: Tick Tock/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added.)

It was Garmadon. Now, I'm not gonna dwell too long on Garmadon, if you spend five minutes talking to me you'll learn he was the first character whose story I obsessed over and I want this essay to be about Wu, but I think he plays a role in Wu's overall story, as does Wu's family as a whole.

Prior to this, Wu and Garmadon's relationship has been more of a sibling rivalry taken to a good vs. evil extreme. We didn't know why Garmadon was evil and we didn't know about Wu and his relationship as kids. However, this scene establishes the backstory. They were, as Wu puts it, "the best of friends." That is, until Garmadon gets bit by the Devourer going to get the katana Wu lost.

Now, I know the Devourer bite was destined to happen because of the Overlord or some shit, but Wu doesn't. As far as he's concerned, Garmadon getting bit was a direct consequence of both his mistake and his cowardice. He lost the katana. He was too scared to get it. Garmadon went over instead. Garmadon got bit.

The scene goes on to show the FSM tending to Garmadon in the aftermath. Wu is watching from behind the door, likely told to stay back, but concerned. And in his POV, we get this intense moment, where Garmadon turns, looks directly at him (his eyes turning bright red for the first time), and says "It's all Wu's fault!"

(This clip should begin at the start of Wu eavesdropping. If it doesn't, skip to 0:58. I highly recommend also paying attention to Wu's body language during this scene.)

The camerawork does a great job of showing how this probably felt for Wu. It zooms in, Garmadon's voice echoes, and the background blurs. We see in the flashback that this is a moment Wu has etched into his memory. Not to mention, he was likely a very young child when this happened. LEGO characters' ages are weird, but Wu in this scene has the Big Eyes, which always seem to be used for characters under 12. We don't know exactly how much older Garmadon is to my knowledge, but he doesn't have the Big Eyes, so he's probably closer to 12 and a few years older than Wu for sure.

Imagine that. Being in elementary school and your older siblings gets hurt. They're acting strange. They're lashing out at your father. Then, they blame it all on you. They're hurt because of you. Wouldn't you internalize that?

I could go on about Wu's relationship with Garmadon, but again, I think I've spent enough time on it and I don't want to only focus on that. It's an important part, but there are others.

Let's talk about Wu's relationship with his dad.

Now, I have not yet read the Spinjitzu Brothers series. I cannot speak to any development of Wu and the FSM's relationship in there. I have, however, read The Book of Spinjitzu and blogged some of my thoughts on it here, including some of what it says about Wu.

For those who haven't read it, first, there is a Google Drive folder floating around with all of the canon spinoff books/graphic novels in it. Here's the link if you wanna read them!

The FSM is an... intriguing figure. I mean, in the series he's basically god? He made the entire world. That's already a very high bar to live up to. Then, in Book of Spinjitzu, there's a few specific parts that, when I read them, signaled that Wu internalized a specific message when he was young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 3).

Wu does not want to disappoint his father. It is up to him (and Garmadon until he turns evil) to "uphold the legacy of Spinjitzu" and, by extension, his family. He says he was "very young" when this was explained to him. Considering he seems to already be training at an elementary age, "very young" means VERY young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 16).

Here, we again see Wu being very aware that he has some large burden to carry. Something else interesting here is that the thought of the Green Ninja Prophecy is already weighing on him too. His considering if he might be the Green Ninja is of extra interest because of how the Green Ninja Prophecy and the--I wouldn't call it obsession, possibly fixation?--with who it is factors into his later actions, but we'll get to that later.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 19).

This one in particular gets me because it comes after Wu mentions Garmadon becoming more evil. It is a statement of power. Wu knows that the legacy of Spinjitzu now rests in his hands alone. He cannot let himself fall the way Garmadon did. He cannot disappoint his father. Whether or not the FSM intended it, Wu always knew the fate of the world rested, at least in part, upon his shoulder. He knew this from the time he was a young boy and it remains in his mind to this day.

Now, these quotes are indirect, but they all point to one clear idea: As a child, Wu internalized the idea that he alone is responsible for keeping Ninjago safe. He will play a pivotal role in its history.

There's not evidence in this book that the FSM's was a bad father, per se. However, just because one doesn't set out to harm their children, doesn't mean they won't. I often say Wu has an "Atlas complex," which I have no idea if it is an actual concept but use it to refer to this idea. Wu feels as though he is responsible for holding up the world, much like Atlas. He must keep the balance, he must solve the Green Ninja prophecy, he must make his father proud.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 61).

I'm going to get further into what this means for Wu as a teacher to the current Ninja Team, but for now let's look at Wu's first foray into teaching.

Morro. Wu's Biggest Mistake.

That might seem like an overstatement, but it's not.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

Okay he says regret, not mistake, but I was paraphrasing.

Let's turn back to his quote about his destiny. Wu writes, "Is my life's mission to be the Green Ninja? Or maybe it will be to find the Green Ninja and protect him (or her)??"

From a very young age, Wu was not only aware of the Green Ninja but prophecy but also thinking about his place in it. We see this again when he takes Morro in and trains him.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added)

A big thing Wu is criticized for here is making Morro believe he is meant to be more. That he is the Chosen One. And Morro, being a young homeless orphan just now given some semblance of power and protection, latches onto that. And I can see it, but when you take into account the above that he was trained from (likely) a younger age than Morro and given a similar level of responsibility, it becomes more understandable. Wu is just doing what he was taught. He doesn't believe that he is harming Morro until it is too late.

This is the entire story, but I'm specifically going to be discussing 1:36 onwards here. I also wanted to add that rewatching this scene made me lay down on the floor! What the fuck! But I digress.

There's a lot going on in this scene. For one, Wu washing his hands of Morro in some ways, but not others. He turns his back on Morro when he tells him that destiny has decided, but looks at him again when Morro storms out. He goes to save Morro from the Grundal, but decides that he cannot "teach those who would not listen." Most importantly, when Morro leaves to go find the Tomb of the FSM, Wu leaves the door open. He waits for Morro to return, but never goes after him. And Morro never comes back.

Wu gives Morro's fate a dismissive response at the end of his ghost story ("I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm") but it's clear he still cares deeply about him in the finale of the season.

Wu's VA in this is phenomenal btw. That "Please Morro!" and "MORRO!" make my heart ache.

Morro believed Wu stopped caring, but he didn't. Even after all he's done, even after trying to destroy all of Ninjago--destroying what Wu had spent his life trying to protect--Wu tries to save him. He begs for Morro to come with him. Morro refuses, Wu watches him perish.

Someone else Wu is close to is gone. Wu again considers himself responsible. Everything is his fault.

And finally, we reach Wu today. A cautious, secretive man. He loves his students, this much is clear. Even as early as the pilots, he drops his wise teacher persona to joke around with them.

As with Morro, he trains them like his father did him. He even uses the same methods his father used when he trains them.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 32)

While he is hard on the Ninja, wanting them to succeed and training them to help defend the Realm, he lets his guard down more than it seems he did with Morro. He also learned a valuable message from his experience with Morro when he hides the Green Ninja Prophecy from the Ninja, getting angry when they start to push themselves in the same way Morro did upon learning about it. It's clear he doesn't want a repeat.

Now, I can't speak for later seasons (I will eventually) but this fear of repeats, his students going down a dark path because they're tempted by power or greatness, losing someone else, likely drives Wu not telling them other important information. That is just a passing thought though.

Final notes:

I'm currently in the process of rewatching S7: Hands of Time. I actually got this ask right after finishing EP68: Scavengers, which opens with Wu having a nightmare. In it, he and Misako are walking outside of Yang's temple. While walking, Misako delivers this line in response to Wu reminiscing about the time they've spent together:

(Source: Scavengers/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

This line, to me, is Wu's subconscious trying to tell him something he needs to hear. It's hinting at what might be his greatest flaw. Wu is haunted by his past, by his mistakes. He finds it difficult to tell others because of both his guilt and his desire to not put that worry upon them. In this very season, he makes the mistake of trying to face his past on his own, and he nearly dies for it.

In the same episode, you see Wu trying to make sure Lloyd doesn't make the same mistakes.

(Source: Prev)

Wu stresses the important of the team. It's as if he sees Lloyd blaming himself for what happened to Wu, sees him doing the same thing Wu has, and is trying to prevent him from doing the same thing. This is further emphasized when, after Wu falls asleep (well, fakes falling asleep), Lloyd says "Wu's mistake was going in alone. So was mine."

Master Wu is, like many characters in this show, someone who is more complex than meets the eye. He is not just a wise, old teacher. He is a man who, throughout his life, has made mistakes and carries the weight of each of them on his shoulders. He is a man who tasks himself with making up for those every day. He is a man who wants better for his students, his family.

Until the day he dies, he will guide and protect his students. And possibly? Even after death too.

[nyaskitten]

its so funny that the literal incarnation of evil is less evil to me than the facist dictator and the guy who killed his people to lie and control them better.

[kadextra]

LETS GO rambling and analysis time now that I finished part one

MAJOR MAJOR spoilers under the cut

KAI

NOOOOO how is he gonna get out??? I will say him as the first to use rising dragon felt extremely deserved, I clapped and cheered during that fight scene. but now he’s stuck in the netherworld with the remaining forbidden five and that’s scary.

I teared up seeing Nya activate her rising dragon style in her grief for him. in the next part she’s gonna find out Jay forgot who she is too… so much heartache for Nya 😞

Really enjoyed Bonzle in these episodes as well, learning about her origin of being a spell, her journey of discovering herself as a person and finding a found family :’) at least she’s with Kai now….

and I’ve felt terrible for Lloyd every episode. him getting slammed by those visions constantly, unexpectedly, even in the middle of a fight which sends him spiraling, that’s so rough :((

It’s obvious they’re a representation of panic attacks/he has developed a canon panic disorder- like Lloyd literally says it at one point. they happen suddenly, give anxious fear about present and future events, he gets scared about having another one so he tries to cope by not sleeping (unhealthy coping method) and is taught later on to try accepting the feelings and ride it out which is a way irl therapists teach. good to see some more exploration of mental health in this show!! I’m glad the other characters are taking notice and trying to help too in the ways they can

…speaking of mental health, Arin has been interesting to watch. he’s reading to me more as an autistic-coded character lately (like that line about not understanding social cues???) and we’ve been seeing lots more negative self-esteem issues and insecurity from him in these episodes. him making mistakes during the training sessions, getting scolded, then closing himself off was hard to watch

How Sora decided to hide the truth about Arin’s “object spinjitzu” that saved the day at the very end so he would feel proud of himself for achieving something hurt my heart. she is such a sweet friend who wants her bestie to be happy and feel proud of himself but like- keeping secrets is gonna have consequences down the line. especially when we all know this is a touchy subject for Arin right now. it’s just painful to see how deeply Arin’s self-worth is tied to what he’s capable of doing, what he can and cannot do for the ninja team. he can’t use elemental power he can’t do spinjitzu properly, he’s already insecure so how would he feel to find out ppl are lying to his face so he can feel happier? he’s a string that’s gonna snap one day and judging from that beatdown moment with Lord Ras it’s not going to be pretty. I sense some sort of villain arc approaching for our son

(someone send these people to therapy they’re so traumatized)

In another news: Cole and Geo gay love! homosexuals! maybe a QPR! I don’t care whatever it is, it’s clear they love each other

And it certainly wouldn’t be a ninjago season without the destiny’s bounty crashing and burning <333 was also nice seeing Jay for 10 seconds again <3333

Now my current question is what’s the source dragon tournament thing Lord Ras’ master is talking about??? tournament?? 👀 it’s basically implied that master is a source dragon or a being that rivals their power

can’t wait for the next part to release agugugsjkhkdbqjdpgsiduggjneosgktnalfhdiqkwkfjfialwkg