#anyways Lloyd didn't even get to be a kid

[marybeatriceofmodena]

What did Andrew Lloyd Webber do to make Patti Lupone upset? Sorry, saw your tags and i was curious

Oh.

Oh honey.

You sweet child.

Anyway, get ready for one of the most infamous showdowns in all musical theatre history, with the guy who writes the straightest musicals on Broadway (derogatory) and the one and only, the matriarch, the queen, two three-time Tony award winner Patti LuPone.

So, Andrew Lloyd Webber was basically kind of a boy genius in his prime - he met his future collaborator Tim Rice when they were 17 and 20 respectively, he wrote his first big hit, Jesus Christ Superstar, at 22, with Tim Rice writing the lyrics. And it was kind of a big deal at the time because the topic was controversial (you know, the Passion with rock music), but also because Broadway wasn't that far off from its golden age and let's just say the music and style were very different from, say, My Fair Lady. Or The Sound of Music. Or Funny Girl. It was basically the Rent/Hamilton of its time. (Yeah, Stephen Sondheim was around at that time, he worked on West Side Story which was revolutionary in of itself, but he's kind of an oddball in this case. You'll understand why later.)

Their real follow up (I'm not counting Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a variety of reasons) was a little musical called Evita, which you might know mainly because of a song called Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Or at least, your mom has probably heard it once at the very least. It's that song that's oversung from a musical while being out of context along with I Dreamed a Dream for Les Misérables. Or Memory from Cats.

Evita tells the story of Eva Peron, the wife of an Argentinian dictator, who basically screws her way to the top and ends up becoming the mistress of Juan Peron and the most beloved woman in her country through guile and deceit. Yes, I know the historical accuracy is very much debated but I know jackshit about Argentina's history except the bare basics so don't come at me. It was first produced in the West End in London, with Elaine Paige in the role, but because of Equity issues, she couldn't reprise her role for the Broadway production. So a Julliard graduate who was mostly starring in David Mamet plays got the part instead, and that was Patti LuPone.

Patti... did not have a good time during Evita, because the part is basically the kind of score where you can tell the composer is used to writing male parts, but most female singers have a two-octave range (yes, you got Julie Andrews who used to have a three-octave range, and many others, but they're exceptions), so she struggled a lot. That being said, if you listen to live recordings of her, you wouldn't be able to tell, and it got a lot easier later on. But she had this to say:

"Evita was the worst experience of my life. I was screaming my way through a part that could only have been written by a man who hates women. And I had no support from the producers, who wanted a star performance onstage but treated me as an unknown backstage. It was like Beirut, and I fought like a banshee."

This is from Patti's autobiography, which she wrote in 2007 - 8 years after shit with ALW went down. With all that said, she won a Tony Award for Evita, and she pretty much became a musical theatre household name from then on. She played Fantine in Les Misérables, Nancy in Oliver!, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. Meanwhile, ALW's next big hits were Cats (I'm not even kidding, Cats was a hit), and, you guessed it, The Phantom of the Opera, which he wrote in part to showcase his then wife Sarah Brightman's triple threat talents.

So, you need to understand before I continue that ALW, from my perspective, has always had a bit of an inferiority complex. He's basically associated to writing these commercially successful musicals that show a big spectacle but aren't ultimately substantial. I'm not sure I entirely agree with that, but I do think that if he didn't have Hal Prince, Maria Bjornson, Charles Hart and Gillian Lynne backing him up for Phantom, it would have probably been a Rocky Horror Picture Show knockoff people would have forgotten about pretty quickly. This is what I mean:

Yep, that was Phantom before any of the people I mentioned above (and Michael Crawford) were really involved.

Remember how I said Stephen Sondheim was an oddball? The thing with him is that his musicals weren't always commercially successful, but in general, in part thanks to being Leonard Bernstein's protégé, he was generally pretty well-respected and it was considered that his work was bringing musicals to a whole other level. Without Sondheim, you wouldn't have Jonathan Larson, and you wouldn't have Lin-Manuel Miranda. I am convinced ALW is resentful of that, and when you stop and think about it for more than 10 seconds, it's so obvious he REALLY wants to be Sondheim or at least command the same level of respect, but that's a story for another day.

So, after Phantom, ALW had other musicals that followed that either got a meh reception or outright flopped. Then there was Sunset Boulevard, which is based on the movie of the same name with Gloria Swanson. Despite all of her griefs for Evita, Patti LuPone agreed to partake in the musical as Norma Desmond, for its production in London, with the promise that she would transfer to Broadway once that production would open. And overall, after a string of flops, Sunset was actually doing pretty well.

HOWEVER. One day, while reading the gossip column of a newspaper, Patti found out that contrary to what she was promised, Glenn Close, who was meanwhile starring as Norma in the Los Angeles production, was to play Norma on Broadway. That was a complete surprise for her since no one on the production team had bothered to tell her it was happening - and keep in mind that for the news to come up the way it did in a gossip column, it probably would have necessitated a delay of a few weeks between the producers and the newspaper, which would have given them plenty of time to break the news to Patti. And Patti kind of needed the leg up because she was pretty bitter that a) Madonna was cast in the Evita adaptation instead of her; b) they actually lowered the key to fit Madonna's voice range, and she still had to expand her own to be able to sing the (lowered) score. And trust me, Patti is mad about it to this day.

So of course, she trashed her dressing room, the cast and crew weren't even mad about it because they were as shocked and angered as she was by the news. Patti sued Andrew Lloyd Webber for breach of contract, namely for 1 MILLION DOLLARS (yup, those are the real numbers), won, used the money she got from the lawsuit to get a swimming pool, which she called (and I SHIT YOU NOT) the Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool. Since then, Webber is dead to her, to the point rumor has it she had part of a building blocked during an event so she could get out of it without coming across Webber, because she hates him so flipping much she doesn't even want to be in the same building as the guy.

(There's also drama that happened with Faye Dunaway who was supposed to replace Glenn Close after she went from Los Angeles to Broadway, except they abruptly closed the show down after Close left, but that's a story for another day)

So with all the bad press, and with ALW forced to pay 1 million dollars for Patti's lawsuit, that led Sunset's productions to close earlier than expected. ALW has stayed around since, with... mitigated output, so to say. The lowest point for a lot of people is Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom, which some people love, and that's fine, but it didn't do well with either critics nor fans of the original show, which ALW is EXTREMELY BUTTHURT ABOUT. And like, there are so many stories I could tell about LND alone, but I will share my own crack theory about it, since it does relate to the ask.

Anyway, buckle up.

So. There have been jokes going around for years that the Phantom in LND is basically ALW's self-insert, where he displays to the world that he's totally not over Sarah Brightman leaving him (in part because making Phantom kinda ruined their marriage lmao), despite, you know, having married since. (Aaaaaakward.) So LND basically becomes this really uncomfortable therapy session where a man writes a self-insert musical about how his ex-wife made a big mistake of leaving a sensitive artistic soul such as himself. The characters from Phantom who appear in LND are all more or less unrecognizable as a result, and one who gets it worse (in my humble opinion) is Meg Giry, who was basically Christine's sweet and loyal ballerina friend who basically went into the Phantom's lair on her own to save her friend despite the danger. In LND, she's basically a bitter hag (because ALW hates women, guess Patti was right about that), who really likes the swim and even has a stripping vaudeville number about it, written in universe by the Phantom, no less.

For comparison, here's Don Juan Triumphant (the Phantom's opera in the original):

And here's Bathing Beauty (the vaudeville number):

Yeah, so... do you see why people hate LND already?

And that's not the only thing with Meg! She's also pining for the Phantom to pay attention to her and threatens to drown the Phantom and Christine's secret love child when he makes it clear that he's gonna love Christine for EVA AND EVA.

So, with everything we learned today about ALW, would someone like him view someone like Patti LuPone as some sort of crazy, bitter diva who's obsessed with him for whatever reason? Absolutely. Would he be petty enough to insert Patti LuPone into his self-insert musical, which gave us the version of Meg Giry we got in LND? Of course. Why does Meg love to swim so much and why does she drag Gustave out ostensibly for a swim? Is it a dig at Patti's Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool? Maybe.

I kind of hope we find out one day if that theory is true. And maybe start a kickstarter so Patti can add this painting from the 2004 movie in her collection.

Fun fact: during the process of casting for the 2004 movie adaptation of POTO, ALW allegedly suggested Patti LuPone to play Carlotta... only for Joel Schumacher to have to awkwardly remind him that they were not on speaking terms. The idea was therefore promptly dropped.

[sharksandjays]

yup thats right folks. its my monthly jay analysis post.

But now!!! Its about Prime Empire.

Ok guys look. Prime Empire is a terrible focus season. Jay had absolutely no character development and no power development. Nada. Nothin. Its just a “focus season” because he came up with the plan to make the villain good again and had more lines than usual (plus his little “abandoned” speech.)

HOWEVER!!! The Prime Empire shorts do say something. So, as we know, the Wildbrain seasons tend to poopoo on Jay’s character and boil him down to the funny cowardice character who is the weakest of the team. But something the shorts do attest to is the fact that Jay is STILL a ninja! The MOMENT he went into Prime Empire and saw something unjust he stood up to it. He tried to warn people. His desire to protect people goes beyond his job its his identity.

(i'm so sorry for the crappy captions. Youtube's gonna youtube.)And like the meme I posted earlier, he handled himself pretty darn well without the others. He didn't even complain about being alone. He accepted his situation pretty quickly and was already starting to fight against Unagami before the ninja found their way in. (Which you could argue could be because he is experienced with the situation in Skybound.)

And about the League…everyone makes fun of it but i beg yall to think about it for a hot moment. Who all was in Prime Empire?

Thats right. Kids.

When Jay fights the red visors in the shorts, you see the squeals of a bunch of players once they recognize him. Its very childlike and you have to realize that these people are just avatars.

All the people we saw get sucked into the game were kids. Of course theyd flock behind a ninja! And Jay had no problem taking them in and entertaining them and keeping them safe because that was his job! And they all dressed up like him and acted like him because he was their idol!!! And Jay wasnt complaining lol.

Jay acts all unsure of himself most of the time, but Skybound and Prime Empire make it canon that he is a great leader! And an even greater ninja! Sure, compared to Cole he's not as strong. Compared to Nya his personality might not stick out. His power isn't focused on like it is with Kai and Zane...and he isn't the main character chosen one like Lloyd. But these small scenes in his focus seasons remind us that he still was chosen to protect people and is very gosh darn good at it!

I mean, look at him kick red visor butt without even an OUNCE of a complaint about being without powers. (WHILE LOOKING LIKE A SOPPING WET CAT THIS MAN) But yeah appreciate this fight scene please.

Anyways, Jay doesn't get enough credit as a ninja. We forget he was trained for longer than Kai, has one of the most dangerous and powerful elements, is the reason the team can handle intense situations without freaking out, is the master of not one--but TWO chained weapons (known to be one of the most difficult types to master!), and is the ENTIRE REASON THE BOUNTY FLIES??? without ever being acknowledged for any of these! Cut him some slack guys he's awesome. Prime Empire does him so so so dirty.

[sosa2imagines]

Broken Hearts. Part 10

Warnings- Mean exes, angst, kind of hostage situation.

Your heart raced in your chest as you tightly clutched the dummy phone in your hand. Anger and anxiety boiled within you as you mustered the courage to speak. “What are you doing here?” you demanded, your voice cold and firm.

Bucky's dark smile widened as he replied, his tone almost mocking. “Why not, doll? I'm here to eat and meet you.”

Peter and MJ could sense the tension crackling in the air, and they moved discreetly to your side, their protective instincts kicking in.

Peter discreetly turned toward you, his expression filled with concern. “Y/n, who is he?” he asked quietly. You didn't take your eyes off Bucky as you responded coolly, “No one important.”

Bucky's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he interjected, his tone patronizing. “Now, DOLL, that's not how you talk to your customer.”

Your anger flared at his condescending tone, “Don't call me that.” you snapped.

MJ firmly told Bucky, “Sir, please leave.”

However, Bucky arrogantly ignored her plea and attempted to make an outrageous offer. “Tell you what, you both leave her and work for me and my buddy, and we will pay you triple what she pays.” he said, cockiness lacing his tone.

However, to Bucky's surprise, both MJ and Peter immediately responded with a resounding, “NO.”

MJ's voice rose as she shouted back, “We don't want anything from you or your buddy. Get out.”

Your smirk widened with pride at their firm denial.

Bucky's gaze shifted toward Peter, and you could sense the ominous tension building. With a sly smile, Bucky asked, “What's your age, kid?”

Peter hesitantly responded, “Seventeen.”

Bucky's smirk widened as he redirected his attention to you. “You know, if you ever want tips on how to satisfy a girl, you can ask,” he started to say.

But before he could even finish, your hand connected forcefully with his face, leaving a fiery smack mark.

Bucky's eyes widened in shock and surprise, his hand instinctively going to touch his burning cheek.

Peter and MJ's eyes widened in shock at your bold move, their faces filled with a mix of admiration and disbelief. “Whoa,” Peter breathed, stunned by your reaction.

“Bitch,” Bucky hissed, his anger surging as he roughly grabbed your hand.

Immediately, both MJ and Peter rushed to your side, “Hey, let her go!” they exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with concern and worry. But Bucky just tightened his grip further, ignoring their pleas.

“Kids, leave us alone. We can handle it from here on.” Steve appeared, stepping towards you and Bucky, a serious expression on his face. “We can handle it from here.” he affirmed.

Meanwhile back at Fortress of Solitude

Lloyd couldn't help but break into a cheerful sing-song voice, addressing Nick. “Wake up, sexy Fowler!”

However, Nick, his head resting on the table due to a severe hangover, let out a groan of complaint. “Shut up, and this is your fault!” he mumbled, blaming Lloyd for his current state.

Lloyd chuckled, his eyes glittering mischievously. “My fault? I just wanted my friends to have a good time.” he defended himself.

Nick, his head still resting on the table, weakly protested, “Yeah right. Never listening to you again, and please tell me you didn't make Y/n drink like me and Barber.”

Lloyd feigned innocence, a sly grin on his face, “Nah, I wouldn't do that to Sugar.” Nick raised his head from the table, groaning as he rubbed his forehead. “Good,” he muttered. “Where is she anyway?”

Lloyd smile, his gaze fixed on the still-groaning Nick. “She's at her café. She'll be working for a couple of days,” he informed Nick.

Nick nodded thoughtfully, a flicker of understanding crossing his face. “It will be a good distraction for her,” he concurred. “She needs something else to focus on other than that prick Steve.”

Lloyd chuckled, his trademark smirk playing across his face. “I can distract her better,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Nick groaned, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. “Enough with your dick!” he protested, shaking his head.

Lloyd glares at him, before clearing his throat “Anyway Barnes is back in town.” “What?” Nick's head snaps towards Lloyd, his expression filled with disbelief and anger.

Lloyd continued, his voice grave. “Sugar saw him yesterday, and I saw him too, but I feigned ignorance and asked Jake to confirm, and guess what?”

“He's back with his precious Steve,” he muttered through gritted teeth. Lloyd nodded solemnly, confirming the news. Present time.

Steve chuckled coldly, his eyes scanning the cafe. “Let me do a quick tour of this place,” he said, a hint of smugness in his tone. “But first, hand over your phones.”

MJ and Peter immediately spoke up in unison, their voices firm and resolute. “No!” they exclaimed, their eyes narrowing at Steve's demand.

Steve's impatience grew, his tone turning more ominous as he threatened. “Come on. Hand them over. I'll give them back, unless you want me to snatch them!” he warned.

MJ and Peter exchanged a brief glance with you, their worry evident. They looked at you uncertainly, seeking reassurance. You offered them a gentle smile, silently reassuring them that it would be okay and gesturing for them to cooperate.

Steve looked around the cafe one last time, his gaze lingering on the counter. “Well, there's only one phone on the counter.” he noted, holding MJ and Peter's phones in his hand. Bucky chimed in, his interest piqued. “What about the office?” he inquired.

Steve shrugged nonchalantly, his tone dismissive. “Nothing, just her purse in there.” he replied, a hint of disinterest in his voice.

Realization struck you suddenly as you recalled where your real phone was tucked away in your purse. A glimmer of hope sparked within you, as you realized the chance to contact Lloyd.

As you discreetly signaled to MJ and Peter by shaking your hand, the one with the dummy phone, their eyes widened as they tried to understand your message.

Oblivious to your ploy, Steve, without even looking, reached out and grabbed what he assumed was your phone from your hand.

Steve confidently made his way to the entrance, his actions deliberate as he flipped the sign to 'closed,' locking the door, isolating Peter and MJ within the office.

Peter's gaze met yours for a final lingering moment, his eyes filled with a silent plea. Sensing his unspoken message, you mouthed to him, “PURSE,” silently instructing him to look for your phone in your purse.

“Come on, doll, have a seat...” Bucky beckoned, gesturing to an empty chair. “We are here to talk.” His tone commanding yet mocking.

Your heart raced in your chest, the pet name he used making your skin crawl. Reluctantly, you took a seat, your eyes never leaving his.

In the cramped office, Peter and MJ huddled together, concern etched on their faces.

“MJ, we have to do something,” Peter whispered urgently, his eyes flickering towards the closed door where Steve and Bucky were likely to be on the other side. “We need to help her.”

“I know,” MJ nodded, her voice filled with frustration. “But they have our phones. What can we do?” Peter frowned, trying to recall the brief interaction before being locked away. “Wait,” he said, his voice growing more hopeful.

“She was shaking the dummy phone,” Peter explained, realization dawning on him. Peter's eyes widened in understanding. “She said 'p-u-r-s'“ he spelled out.

MJ nodded vigorously, her mind racing. “Her purse!!!” she confirmed. “It's the only thing left here.”

MJ quickly dived into your purse, rummaging through its contents, found your phone.

“Damn it, it's locked,” she cursed, frustration lacing her voice. Peter leaned in beside her, his impatience growing. “Type random passwords!” he urged, his voice a whisper.

MJ shot him a glare. “Patience…” she replied, her fingers hovering over the phone. “I think I can swipe the password from the prints on the screen.”

With a few muttered curses, MJ cautiously attempted the password a couple of times until, finally, she succeeded in unlocking your phone.

MJ shoved your phone into Peter's hands, her expression growing worried. “Here,” she said urgently.

Peter quickly glanced at the name on the last contact labeled “Lloyd” and looked up at MJ. “Who's Lloyd?” she asked, curiosity evident in her voice. “I don't know,” Peter replied. “Just check the emergency contact numbers.”

Peter scrolled through your phone, his heart racing, and spotted Lloyd's name under the emergency contact list. His eyes widened as he read his name aloud. “It's Lloyd.”

“Then call him!” MJ urged, her voice filled with desperation. Peter nodded, his thumbs trembling as he quickly dialed Lloyd's number.

“I remember, he was at home earlier with Y/n.”

Lloyd's voice came through the phone, assuming it was you on the other line. “Hey Sugar, already missing me?” he teased, a hint of playfulness in his tone. Nick, sitting nearby, rolled his eyes at Lloyd's typical demeanor.

“Umm...hello sir Hansen” Lloyd's tone changed to one of concern. “Who are you?” he asked sharply. “Who is it?” Nick asks, seeing Lloyd tensed. “Peter,” came the nervous reply. “Peter who?” Lloyd questioned, his unease growing. “May's nephew,” Peter added, explaining the situation further. Lloyd's voice grew tight when he heard the mention of your name. “What are you doing with Y/n's phone?” he demanded.

Peter's voice trembled as he urgently explained the situation to Lloyd. “Mr. Hansen,” he began, his words racing out in a rush. “Y/n needs your help. Some guy named Barnes... and her ex... they're here. They've taken our phones and locked me and MJ inside the office.”

Lloyd's response was instant and visceral. “THAT FUCKER!!!!” he roared. “Sir,” Peter pleaded, “please hurry.”

Lloyd's voice hardened, determined. “On my way, kid!” he replied firmly.

MJ fidgeted anxiously, her eyes darting towards the phone. “What did he say?” she asked, her voice tinged with urgency. Peter relayed Lloyd's words, a hint of hope in his voice. “On my way kid.” he repeated, the term echoing in the air.

MJ cocked an eyebrow, her irritation flaring momentarily. “Why does everyone keeps calling us kids?” she muttered more to herself than Peter, her eyes rolling slightly in annoyance.

Peter just shrugged in response, a sheepish smile on his face.

Nick watched as Lloyd's expression hardened, knowing something was amiss. “What happened?” he asked, grabbing his guns and preparing himself for the worst.

Lloyd's tone was tight with anger as he responded. “Barnes and Steve are at the café. They've taken their phones and locked the kids in the office.” Nick's jaw clenched at the news. “That fucker and his side kick will pay!” he growled, his voice sharp and filled with a promise of retribution.

Part 9- Part 11

Taglist- @imyourbratzdoll @blackhawkfanatic @ordelixx @sapphirebarnes @ilovetaquitosmmmm

@differenttyphoonwerewolf @vicmc624 @thezombieprostitute @nekoannie-chan @emerald-writes

@redbloodedgurl @cjand10 @chemtrails-club @slutforchrisjamalevans @gracescor3

@ghostlythinggoingaround @princezzjasmine @3xclusivemariii @ephemeral-oasis

@geeky-politics-46 @dexter99 @calwitch

@whore-for-chris-evans @caplanreblogsfics

@pono-pura-vida @renegadesgirl1991 @iwudbutnah

[thecomicsnexus]

TMNT: 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMICS CELEBRATION

July 2024

By Kevin Eastman, Edgar Alan Poe, Jim Lawson, Tristan Jones, Gary Carlson, Chris Allan, Erik Burnham, Lloyd Goldfine, Ciro Nieli, Andy Suriano, Tom Waltz, Ronda Pattison , Tom Napolitano, Steve Lavigne, Paul Harmon, Frank Fosco, Adam Guzowski, Sarah Myer, Luis Antonio Delgado, Shawn Lee, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Michael Dialynas, Pablo Tunica, Freddie E. Williams II, David Petersen, Ken Mitchroney, Aaron Hazouri, Dan Duncan, Sophie Campbell, Jodi Nishijima, Stan Sakai, and Emi Fujii.

Come and enjoy stories that will remind you of the 40 years of turtle history.

SCORE: 10 *

* Assuming you are familiar with these iterations.

This is a strange read, and curiously, there are three or four highlights for me, and they are not exactly the ones you would imagine.

Spoilers after the break...

The first story by Kevin Eastman is in the Mirage section of the book but... well... I'll leave at that... I wouldn't call it the Mirage we knew.

There is a story by Lawson and Lavigne with the Rat King that... it's fun. But, you know... I wouldn't even try to fit it in canon... the amount of continuity physics you need to bend to place this story is not worth the time. Just enjoy as a new story by these two iconic Mirage artists.

This other story by Tristan H. Jones and Paul Harmon requires more analysis. I'll revisit it on my gang wars video and try to give it more context... but unfortunately... it's just too vague. All I can say for sure is that it happens in the future of that incomplete saga, but the narrator just takes too many artistic choices to be taken at face value.

Also... I believe this is the first official (frontal) appearance of Agent Bishop (unless I got the character wrong, but Jones already tried to introduce him in this saga). I think he is still holding on to it, and I really hope he gets to tell his story. I wouldn't mind a mini-series... just saying!

The Volume 3 story was... not for me. The dialogue alone felt tired.

The Archie adventure was short, eventful, and funny... and it looks amazing too!

In just four pages a new character was introduced and... a new love story was implied! And it's not just a gratuitous cameo... this is a funny sequence.

The Saturday Morning Adventures (the de facto 87 story) looks amazing as usual, but I didn't find the story that interesting. However, it started a theme that would run across most of the stories in this special after this one: Master Splinter.

The 2003 story is a... loose canon?

Hun is Slash, and Shredder is back... so make of that what you want. All I'm going to say is that this felt a lot like watching the beginning of a 2003 episode, with the narration setting the tone.

The 2012 story was one of the least interesting in the previews, but I have to say... it was probably one of the best. It brought back a villain and it technically serves as an excuse to continue the series?

But to me the best thing about the story is the art. I am surprised Ciro Nieli didn't do more comic book work for the Turtles all these years. In fact, if they somehow decided to continue the 2012 universe in 2D in this style... I'm all in. Well, who am I kidding... I would be in anyway... but this looks amazing.

Andy Suriano did probably the most interesting story in the book. Now, I am not sure if his style doesn't translate well to static panels or what the problem is with the comic format... but it doesn't matter... this small story brought in a lot of things that ended on the editing floor after the show's second season was reduced to a few more episodes. There was a rumor about a female turtle, and not only it is here in all its glory, but there is also a brother?

And come on... it's so Lou Jitsu to die with a cliffhanger.

There are two IDW stories. One is another Splinter story, but the other one is perhaps one of the best in this book.

The Ronda Pattison story takes place just before the Armageddon game, and it shows the five turtles in full sibling dynamic (even Jennika). It was refreshing to see these turtles having fun for a change.

There are no stories by the new team, but... well... that's just starting.

[snugglebugs]

KAI SMITH flip (caregiver-leaning!)

Kai Ninjago Smith is ABSOLUTELY an age regressor are you KIDDING me are you JOKING me. He is BASICALLY CANONICALLY an age regressor!!!!

"I bet he loves being treated like a baby..." (Nya, Season 14, Episode 6, Call From The Abyss)... Yeah he does because he IS a baby. He is THE baby. He is BABY.

His entire traumatic backstory is that, after his parents were taken from him from an early age, he had to step into a parental role for his little sister and become the adult of the family while still being a child himself. He had to grow up before he even really had a chance to grow at all. On-screen, we see that once his parents return and he's no longer forced into that role of responsibility, he canonically regresses into childish habits and language we have never before seen him use or display beforehand.

"Ham and cheese sandwiches with crispy bacon? Oh thanks, Mommy! You're the best! Mm... bacon is the best, too!" (Kai, Season 14, Episode 6, Call From The Abyss).

Conclusion? Kai Smith is the most age-regressor to ever age regress ever I will not take criticism because I am OBJECTIVELY CORRECT.

Anyway!! I think Kai is regresses from 5-9~ years old. We can tell from his diction that he doesn't seem to be a baby regressor (at least in this scene), as he's capable of fully-formed sentences and has the cognitive skills required to play video games, so that leads me to believe he might be a little-middlespace regressor! Kai's parents left when he was around 5, so it makes sense he wouldn't be an infant regressor, but around the little-middle spectrum, regressing into the same range of years in which he didn't have a chance to be a child before.

I don't just think he's an age regressor, though, I also think he's a flip, too! He definitely has some care-giving tendencies built-in to him from having to be a caretaker for his little sister for so many years, and so he pretty naturally slips into the role of a big brother caregiver! I imagine he leans more towards the caregiving side then the regressing side, just because being a caregiver is what he's used to being - what he's always had to be - but that may be prone to change as he becomes more comfortable with his regression! He hates regressing around the other age regressors, especially when they're regressed, because he feels like when they're small he has to be big and adult to take care of them regardless of his own headspace. We can see his caregiver tendencies displayed in... countless interactions with Lloyd. Speaking of...

LLOYD MONTGOMERY GARMADON age regressor!

I am, once again, OBJECTIVELY correct. Lloyd is basically canonically an age regressor. He IS canonically an age regressor. He is, quite literally, a child stuck in a teenager's body -- as in he was a child and then magic age-up tea turned his body into a teenager's but still left him with the mental capacity of a child. Which is the DEFINITION of what an age regressor is!! Bodily an adult but mentally a child!! He IS an age regressor!!!!

And even if that WASN'T the case, he'd probably be an age regressor anyway, because, like. Look at him. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders since he was, like, eight, was unable to be a child because he had to endure constant rigorous training and when he WASN'T training he was undergoing countless traumatic experiences while he was still a child.

Lloyd: Well...The latest issue of Starfarer just came in at Doomsday Comix and it's a limited run, so if I don't go out and get it, it's going to sell out. Last they left off, intergalactic rogue Fritz Donnegan was surrounded by the Imperial Sludge, and if I don't find out if he gets out alright, I think I might have my own doomsday! Kai: The fate of Ninjago rests on your shoulders. As the Green Ninja, you have a giant responsibility to hold. I'm sorry, but you don't have time for such childish things. Lloyd: Other kids get to play and have fun. All I ever do is train...(Season 2, Episode 18, Child's Play)

I don't even think I need to argue my case that hard for why Lloyd is an age regressor. I think it'd be harder to argue why he ISN'T an age regressor, actually. TRY to argue that he's not an age regressor. TRY. I BET you CAN'T.

I don't have much evidence for this one, but I imagine he may be a pet regressor, too! He's an oni-dragon-hybrid, after all, and his heritage have proven to come with strong instincts regarding this animalistic half of his genes, as seen throughout the Oni Trilogy. Even if he doesn't have any physical traits, it's likely he at least has psychological ones. I imagine he growls, gnaws on things, et cetera!

COLE BROOKSTONE caregiver!

Look at him. JUST LOOK AT HIM. The most caregiver to ever caregive ever forever. He has chronic can't-stop-adopting-children syndrome. He's adopted, like, three separate children at this point. It is becoming a problem.

"Huh? Oh, no. Don't make that face. Don't cry. Oh, I can't take it any more. Hey, look at me. Hehe. Yeah. I'm not sad. Ha-ha, I'm not crying. Oh, fine. But this is between you and me. Shine, little glow worm, glimmer glimmer. Hey there, don't get dimmer, dimmer. You like that, huh? Well, there's more where that came from. Glow, little glow worm. Glow and Glimmer—" (Cole, Season 8, Episode 5, Dead Man's Squall)

When his mentor canonically (mentally & physically) regressed into an infant his first and immediate instinct was to adopt and care for them. If that isn't agere caregiver behaviour I don't know WHAT is. HE BECAME THE FATHER TO AN INDIVIDUAL REGRESSED FROM THEIR NORMAL HEADSPACE INTO A CHILD.... HE'S LITERALLY A CAREGIVER GUYS!!!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU WANT ME TO SAY!!!!!!! I AM JUST STRAIGHT-UP CORRECT!!!!!!!!!!!

JAY WALKER padded regressor!

Jay: Aah! [He picks up a ruined stuffed toy.] Mister Cuddlywomp… [sobs] is a teddy bear I used to love when I was five, but now he's totally lame and—

Cole: We know you still sleep with him.

Jay: And I don't care who knows it! Mister Cuddlywomp... (Season 7, Episode 6, The Attack)

Jay Walker is DEFINTELY a regressor. His personality has been noted to be very child-like and babyish at times, to the point where the fandom (and showwriters) tend to infantilize him, despite the fact that in his own right he can be a very serious character when he need be. As much as I do believe he's an age regressor, it's important to remember he can be very capable and competent character when he's big, too, and not to define him by his regression!

If he's any regressor, it's definitely a padded regressor. Throughout the show, it's become a running bit that he's a bedwetter and has a weak bladder:

Jay: But I don't wanna get wet. I...I only have one pair of underwear.

Kai: Jay, this is no time to be making jokes. The Bounty can only take so much.

Jay: You think I'm trying to be funny? (Season 2, Episode 9, The Last Voyage)

Harumi: Uh, forgive me, but is that... underwear?

Jay: We're usually more organized. Ahem. But our leader got lost in a time-stream. Uh, they're Cole's.

Cole: They're blue!

Kai: You're lucky they're not yellow. (Season 8, Episode 3, The Oni & The Dragon)

Jet Jack: Then tell us, who do these diapers belong to?

Kai: Oh, those are Jay's. Tell 'em, Jay.

Jay: Oh. I have a weak bladder. (Season 9, Episode 2, Iron & Stone)

These are only a few of many, many examples (You can find others throughout the show, such as in Only One Can Remain, The Darkness Remains, Darkness Within, etc) of this bit, and though it's usually spun as a joke, there's no harm and shame in it! I imagine the ninja do actually buy him diapers, and as much they tease and prod, they never actually judge him whenever he has an accident!

ZANE JULIEN caregiver!

"I was built to protect those who can't protect themselves!" (Zane, Season 3, Episode 8, The Titanium Ninja)

I don't know what else you want me to say guys... he said so himself.,,,,,,. was built to protect those who can't protect themselves...,.....

Zane's entire identity is hinged around adaptability. Though I could go on a WHOLE 'NOTHER ESSAY about Zane's relationship with identity, the point here is that he often adapts to what people need him to be! I mean, he downloaded thousands pieces of detective media onto his hardware in order to try to track down the other ninja after they went missing, if called for I imagine he could very easily slip into the role of caretaker (he WOULD download hundreds of resources on age regression to help the other ninja)!

I don't have a lot of evidence for this one beside source: bro trust me but bro. trust me. The Vibes,,,, theyre there

These are just my personal headcanons based on evidence I've gathered from the show - I am in NO WAY saying these are the only headcanons or that they are the "correct" ones!! In fact, if you have DIFFERENT headcanons for the ninja (esp. ones I didn't provide a lot of detail for), I encourage you to share them in the tags, I'd love to hear other's opinions!!!! ^^

If this gets enough interested, I might make a pt. 2, so stay tuned!!

[the-ninjago-historian]

New Dragons Rising Article!

(EDIT: I blurred out the episode title last minute. I was feeling paranoid about it. Lol. And I made some last minute grammer fixes. Enjoy!)

The episode titles and descriptions for Season 2 Part 2 just dropped today! There's TONS of new info and lore to unpack. So let's get started! *SPOILERS BELOW THE THE CUT!*

1: So first off we have The Shape of Motion. (This title is clearly parodying The Shape of Water. Lol.) It seems they will be picking up a new baby dragon! Riyu is gonna be a big brother! How cute!💖 I hope Arin finds his parents too. Poor guy.😔

2: Now we have Enter the City of Temples. The Ninja must have found out about the tournament and decided to go there. But why? We're not sure yet. I would think they would want to stay away from the tournament, considering what happened in the last one.😅 Also, Kai and Bonzle are attempting to escape. So that's cool! You guys will get to see them too!

3: Next is Gathering for The Feast. Some how I get an ominous feeling about that title for some reason. Lol. Also, looks like the Ninja's earned their invites somehow and are now in the tournament! And it looks this is the episode where we'll see the return of some old Elemental Masters!

4: Now we have Inside the Maze. This episode is VERY interesting. So much to unpack! Because it's the first mention of some new artifacts. The Horns. Specifically, The Dragon Horns. Arin and the others must have heard about them in the last episode. What are these horns exactly? Are they like instrument type horns? Or literal dragon horns? We'll have to wait and see. We also have a new character called Frak! And finally, something ALL you Jaya shippers have been waiting for...

JAYA TOURNAMENT BATTLE WITH AMNESIA JAY!!!⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊⚡🌊

This is gonna break y'all hearts, I know it.🤣

5: Next is United We Fall. Oh boy! It's named after one of my favorite TSFH songs! Haha! Just kidding! Anyways, poor Wyldefyre is pitted against CINDER?!?! The guy who broke her leg?! Yikes! Looks like it didn't go well either. And the Ninja will have to win they way back into the tournament through a race!

6: Now we have Truth and Lies. Finally a Wu mention! But it doesn't look good. I have a feeling Ras is lying though. Or not. And we'll get some racing action from the rest of the ninjas!

7: Next is The Shattering Sword. Sounds like something from Lloyd's vision, huh? And we get to see the new character Roby giving Arin a museum tour and some new info on the source dragons! (It would be hilarious if Roby was working for Ras the entire time.😂) And here's how to pronounce Roby's name, if you're curious.

8: Next is Clues and Suspects! Tons of cool stuff in this episode! Roby has a way bigger role then I thought! There's a new character mentioned named Bleckt? (I wonder if that's a typo?) Also, FINALLY A ZEATRIX MENTION! And they're transferring her powers for some reason? The how and why are unclear. Also, this new character Bleckt is somehow connected to Arin's investigation. And possibly part of The Administration, since they mention he has an office. My guess is that these Dragon Horn thingies were confiscated by the Administration or something.

9: And here we have The Final Game. That doesn't sound good. Arin learns a "Devastating Secret about the Merge" Uh oh. Cole stays behind to protect the Dragon horns! What??? Oh no! Sora faces off against Nokt and Wyldefyre is too late to stop the "Manipulation of the Games!" OH NO. Yeah, this one is gonna be pretty chaotic. Yikes.

10: Finally, we have Elements of Betrayal. THAT'S AN EVEN WORSE TITLE! It's making me more nervous than the last one!

There's a new location called The Monastery of Gates. That I guess these Dragon Horns are at? Arin, Zane, and Cole seems like a fun combination. Should be a cool fight! And it looks like the elemental masters have lost their powers once again are going to be fighting Ras and his wolf warrior army. NoBoDy SaW tHaT cOmInG. Pfft.

Aaaaaaand, that's it for now. Wow! So much stuff! Sounds like it will be a very exciting collection of episodes! Hope you had fun reading this!

Bye for now!

[bluestarjay]

Plasma is so loser bf x princess bf, and like,, I think we know who's who, even though they're both definitely losers. I see a lot of polyninja, a lot of lava, and a lot of bruise, but not enough plasma!!! They're so underrated,, here's some early show plasma for the soul 😎

When they first met, they hated each other. Wu had Jay, Cole, and Zane just, like, attack him out of nowhere! Obviously, it was for the test,,, but all Kai had gotten out of it were 3 annoying rivals. And the blue one? His first thought when he asked about his sister was, "Is she hot?" He was annoyed. His job was to protect his sister, and yet she was in the hands of some damned skeletal villains. How had he failed so badly?

Even though he had insisted that he wouldn't become a ninja, that it was just to save Nya, he had found a home at the monastery. He knew it was necessary to stay and help defeat Lord Garmadon. He had his sister and 3 annoying friends. But that was more than he could say he had before.

The most annoying of them was definitely Jay. He never shut up, and he was kinda dumb, but at the same time, he was brilliant. They had shared stories of how Wu had found each of them, and Jay mentioned a failed flying machine. Apparently, he lived in a junkyard and had grown up building things, which was pretty cool. He knew they were similar in that aspect. He, too, grew up creating things, and he was well aware of the patience and skill required for it. Jay, of course, was a whole lot smarter than him, considering that Kai never went to school, and Jay had been homeschooled for the past 12 or so years by his parents, who also happened to be incredibly smart. But considering how much of a genius Jay was, to be able to invent things with a reasonable chance of success, as well as the other artful skills he had mentioned, he lacked common sense. And it pissed the hell out of Kai.

After many months of getting to know the other ninja and a few encounters with Lord Garmadon's son, Lloyd, he could definitely say the other ninja had grown on him. Zane tended to be a pushover and always took things too seriously; he always mother-henned them when they got injured. He was kind, though. Cole was kind of a slob. He wasn't really one to say anything, though, as he was too, but sometimes it was like Cole was another breed. He was way too strong for him, too, so training with him always sucked. Jay wasn't any less annoying, but he had gotten used to nervous ramblings and pessimistic panicking in the face of danger. Seriously, he was a ninja! How was he gonna help save Ninjago if he couldn't handle spiders? But he should probably give him more credit. He was a pretty sheltered kid, living in a trailer in the desert. He had started to cling to Kai when it got too cold, since he wasn't used to the cold weather. At first, Kai thought it was annoying because all he had to do was grab a jacket. But then Zane started to do the same, and it became common to have Jay and Zane sit on either side of him when they played video games so they could bask in the heat he radiated. Honestly, he preferred just having Jay next to him than Zane. Only because Zane was too cold, even for him!

At one point, he noticed that what had been a simple, fleeting crush on Nya had become love for Jay. Jay was in love with Nya. His sister! The thought of it made his stomach ache, and he knew that he wouldn't let Jay go out with his sister, no matter what. Hell, he'd rather let Nya go out with Pythor than Jay!! And it wasn't necessarily anything against Jay. He just didn't want one of his best friends to date his sister!

But they went out anyway. To Mega-Monster Amusement Park?? When they were on a mission there?? He hadn't even given permission!! And then Jay unlocked his true potential because of Nya!! He wanted to be happy for them, truly, but he couldn't find it in him. He didn't know why, but he felt nauseous seeing Jay's glowing form next to Nya, hearing her say, "I like you best when you're you!" Well, no shit! Anyone could've told him that! A voice deep inside his head tells him *he* should've helped Jay unlock his true potential.

Another several months go by, and they've since had to deal with getting Lloyd adjusted to his new life as a teenager and the green ninja. He had a huge role to take, and he felt bad. In those few months, he had come to think of Lloyd as a brother. He was stupid to think he had a chance at becoming the green ninja himself. It was always meant for Lloyd. He knew it made sense; his role, no matter what, would be to protect his younger siblings. He's noticed that as Nya takes on her passion for engineering or mechanics or whatever the hell it is, Jay had worked on his own stuff less. And then when Pixal had joined, maybe he just felt useless? They already had people to take care of fixing their mech and vehicles, and his lightning was useful, but not really for the day to day mechanical jobs Jay tended to help with. He knew this because he tended to watch Jay sometimes. Not because he was being creepy or liked him or anything, obviously! But Jay was the kind of guy who needed some help sometimes. He noticed that Jay was a lot more restless without having stuff to do, so he bounced his legs, which got annoying because it shook the table or his feet tapped the floor a bit too loudly. Sometimes, he'd start drumming on the thing closest to him, which, again, got annoying real quick.

One time, when it was just the two of them, Jay started bouncing his leg and looked really anxious, and kai thought that maybe it was because Nya was fixing something in the next room over, and the clacking of metal and whatnot could be heard. "You good, man?" Jay stopped almost immediately and turned to look at him. Kai had several thoughts about Jay's hair, how it was almost definitely curly, but being straightened every morning. At the time, it had been raining, so even though Jay's hair wasn't quite curly, it was frizzing up and didn't look very good. And to think he made fun of Kai for having damaged hair!! Jay forced a smile, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be?" "I don't know, you've been shaking your knees like crazy, and you look half dead. Is it the rain messing with your powers? Or Nya?" Jay flushed and looked confused. "It's kind of the rain. Why- why would it be about Nya?" "Uhh well, she rejected you, didn't she?" Jay looked away from his eyes. "And she's taken over your role as the 'smart one' or whatever. She's out building and fixing things, and you feel like we don't need you anymore. But we do. Dude, you're so fucking smart and you don't even know! I didn't even go to school, you know? If you keep bottling everything up, you're just gonna end up hurting someone and probably yourself." Jay looked back at Kai, tears building up. Knowing him, he'd probably just start getting super defensive. "Dude, you just took that whole conversation from 0-100 right there, like, you aren't wrong, but where the hell did you get all that from?? And me and Nya, we just decided we were better off as friends, it's fine. I genuinely don't care all that much, Nya's really cool, and I'm fine just being friends with her! But she's been hiding out with Pixal, and every time I ask if she's got anything she needs help with, or if she's got something for me to do, she insists that they've got it! And I would totally just work on my own thing, but I can't because they're always in there, and it's awkward! Because what I've been doing my whole life, Nya has picked up in the past few months! And now they don't need me, and I feel useless!" As tears silently streamed down Jay's face, Kai wrapped his arm around Jay and pulled him towards his chest. Usually, he wouldn't do this for someone unless it was Nya or Lloyd, but he loved Jay.

He *loved* Jay.

Holy shit was he in love with Jay???

Ughhh, this was so bad!!

He's in love with the boy who was in love with his sister!

They might’ve been just friends, but that was still weird, wasn't it? He'd definitely have to talk to someone about it,,, He looked down at Jay, who was still tucked into his chest, and oh wow, even though his hair was straightened every single morning, it was really soft! Jay had by now stopped crying and let out a long breath. He looked at Kai and smiled. Had Jay always had a scar on his lip? He wondered how he got it. And were those lichtenberg scars on his shoulders; and beginning to creep up his neck? And his eyes, they were entirely brown, but his left eye was partially a deep, dark brown compared to the lighter chocolate color of the rest.

"Kai?" Uhh yeah?" "Thank you."

[riagraie]

Ninjago AU Headcannons

so obviously, this includes OC content. if you don't like OCs, don't read that part/ignore other hc ig?

anyway, this is for my AU of Ninjago, Echoes of the Echoed. The timeline is set to be between Crystalized (s16) and Dragons Rising Season 1. So there shouldn't be any spoilers?

this is just a bunch of random hcs I have for the ninja (and Hanna) in my AU. some of these are adapted from other people, some of them are mine.

Kai

he has naturally straight hair so he uses curlers to put wave in it. by curlers, i mean the ones your grandma uses overnight. he also sleeps in a bonnet

bro wears eyeliner. not a lot, but when asked he will admit to it.

he knows how to cook a meal and is probably the best chef (minus Zane bc Zane is goated) but doesn't like to cook

he is terrified of bugs. any kind of bug, it doesn't matter. he doesn't want to look at them, he doesn't want to be near him, and if he was alone in the monastery and found a spider, the entire thing would be up in flames.

when he gets spooked, sometimes fire will shoot out of his shoulders.

when someone on the team is upset or struggling with smth, he forces them to do self care nights with him

he paints his nails black or red

he's an insomniac, has been since his parents left. it got better around s11 but still struggles with it. when he can't sleep he likes to do blacksmithing. nya and pixal set up a station in the X Cave for him to do it quietly.

Jay

adhd, adhd, adhd, adhd, adhd, adhd-

he doesn't know what his biological mother looks like and he likes to try and imagine it.

the reason his hair curled after s7 is bc of puberty. some people's hair gets curly :/

when he uses his powers his spine will glow blue and have offshoots of the same color that look like lightning. it's sick af

he always carries his yin medallion with him. he might be wearing it, he may be holding it, it may be chillin in his pocket, but it's always on him.

after the events of s15 and then after s16, jay brags about how easy it was for him to grow a beard. it pisses lloyd off.

the eye that he hurt in Skybound(s6) is ever so slightly a lighter shade of blue than his other eye. sometimes it still hurts him and on those days it looks bloodshot and he wears an eye patch.

his favorite kind of art is watercolors.

he's got a wicked spice tollerance

Cole

he forced Zane to teach him how to cook basic things. but, he is a very skilled baker naturally

he's great with kids bc he lets them swing off his arms like monkey bars

cole is black and bc his dad never did, kai taught him how to take care of his hair.

he likes having long hair bc it covers his scar from when he was a ghost.

right after becoming human again, he kept forgetting he wasn't a ghost and kept running into walls and doors

he has seriously considered becoming a streamer

cole is terrified of singing because his mother used to sing him to sleep.

Zane

sometimes he feels what pixal is feeling bc they share a heart

even after nya came back in s16, zane didn't turn on his emotions again until nya convinced him too. he then cried for three hours straight.

he will laugh without hesitation at a dad joke. he will also crack up as he's trying to tell a dad joke

he still has pictures lloyd drew him in s1 until childs play.

he's easily annoyed by people who break traffic laws.

he rarely swears, but swore more when he was pretending to be a pirate in s15.

after figuring out him roleplaying a detective in s12 annoyed Pixal, he downloads and roleplays things for other missions they are on together. like the pirate thing in s15.

he lets kai paint his nails

Nya

unlike kai, her hair is naturally wavy and she used to straighten it from the pilot-s7. then she kinda gave up.

she decided to grow out her hair bc she wanted to look more like her mother, but then hated having hair against her neck all the time and started putting it up.

she can bench press jay and she has a sleeper build

she gets pissed when she sees someone in the arcade getting close to her and jay's high score on the dance machine

she's a light sleeper

she's terrified of snakes

when she's upset about something, she will either beat the shit out of the training equipment (then proceed to fix in in a huff) or just build random things

she's seriously considered building jay a robot dog. but she never went through with it

Lloyd

when he's really happy, sleeping, or meditating, he purrs.

he's got freckles that look like diamonds bc of the dragon scale thing

hes got fangs, his ears are pointed, and when he's pissed or enamored by something his eyes turn red. naturally, his pupils are a bit pointer, aren't as round basically

lloyd knew about his oni form before the events of s16 but never told anyone. he's known about it since s9 when he had a nightmare and woke up to see himself half-shifted in the mirror. he asked mistake about it, she explained, he asked her to not tell anyone, and she didn't. neither did he.

he likes mints because he likes hard candies better, gives him something to fidget with

he's always bustling with energy bc of his element. he can't sit still for the life of him.

he can still control the individual elements of creation as well as water and wind. he found out he could control wind after s5 and he could control water after s15.

when he uses his powers, his eyes glow whatever color they are (red or green) for up to an hour afterwards.

he has super hearing and super smell. he can also partially see in the dark if theres just a little bit of light

he hates ants

he has consistent nightmares. nearly every night. unlike the visions in DR, he doesn't flail for his nightmares, just jolts awake.

he loves photography and has many professional grade cameras. he likes it because he gets to hold memories.

when he's upset at someone, he unconsciously switches to yelling at them in Oni language.

he can understand and read the Harmonizer language but can't speak or write it.

Hanna

she's filthy rich. her parents own a very successful real estate business and a shipping company

she doesn't talk to her parents and doesn't like talking about them

she has an accent bc of being part Harmonizer but she hides it bc it led to a lot of people not understanding her. the closest thing it sounds like irl is a Russian accent.

she sometimes talks in the Harmonizer language, especially if she's frustrated or sleeping.

she can understand and read the Oni language.

after shifting to full harmonizer the first time, the black and gold lines on her skin became visible when human if your close enough to see them

she requires no form of skin care but still joins kai for skin care nights.

she has bad periods and struggles with migraines bc of her powers

she could feel something was off before the crystal king formed in s16. she has a scar on her knuckle from where she punched harumi in the face

she loves sports bikes. she liked going fast and breaking traffic laws. but, safety is her top priority even for herself and never goes out without making sure her and any backpacks are in full gear.

after s15, she had a lot of anxiety attacks

she knew about Lloyd's oni form bc she accidentally walked in on him one day he struggled to mask it.

she is also really good with kids

she heals pretty quickly bc of being part harmonizer, and because of that, most of the wounds she gets scars over.

she hates being in the spotlight

so thats them, let me know what you think. should I do more hcs? let me know ab that too. uhh

hope you enjoyed :D

[thecatundertheladder]

how about fsm's and lloyds first meeting in the fsm lives au?

First of all thank you so much for asking!!! I had a lot of fun writing this even if took ages. Right so I haven't completely figured out when the ninja actually meet Fsm, but I'll get to that later. I do have a rough timeline so probably in between seasons five and six (Possession will obviously get retconned a lot). Garmadon is alive btw.

Lloyd had never really made the connection between his grandfather and the First Spinjitzu Master. Like sure he knew it logically, but there was a real difference between 'my grandfather is the First Spinjitzu Master' and 'the First Spinjitzu Master is my grandfather'. And besides, the guy was dead, as far as he could tell, so it didn't really matter other than 'hey I inherited cool powers and also his arch nemesis'. Honestly, the only things Lloyd knew about his grandfather were that he invented spinjitzu, used the golden weapons to create Ninjago, fought the Overlord, and he had two kids, who happened to be Lloyd's dad and uncle.

So naturally it was quite a shock when one day at breakfast Wu announced that his father was coming to visit in a few days.

What resulted from that statement was a rather long and, uh, productive (not really) conversation (a very loud debate).

Cole: What?! But he’s supposed to be dead! Kai: No no one of my village elders said he just left this realm and would return when we need him most. Morro: Nah grandpa just does whatever he likes. Though he was in another realm last time I checked, at least that's right. Jay: What the fuck does that even mean?!

That ,of course, sparked a whole other debate about why Morro knew that. It got sorted out in the end, eventually, after a few thrown noodle bowls.

But while the others seemed to calm down after that, Lloyd steadily got more anxious. Because this was his grandfather, the man who had created Ninjago itself, and fought the Overlord the first time. Yes, Lloyd had done that as well, but what if he didn’t met his grandfather's expectations? What if he was disappointed in him?

Morro, on the other hand, was pretty excited to see his grandpa again; it had been two years, and despite Morro taking advantage of Fsm's omniscience to inform him about various coming and goings, he hadn’t had an actual conversation, and he had a lot of things to show him as well. But Lloyd had seemed pretty anxious since Wu’s announcement, so, like any good older cousin, Morro cornered him on the way to breakfast.

Morro: What’s up with you? You’ve been anxious ever since dad told us grandpa was coming here. Lloyd, mumbling: What if I don't live up to his expectations? Morro: Huh? Lloyd, louder: What if he's disapointed in me? Morro: As someone who's actually meet him, his expectations are don't die, and don't kill innocent people. Pretty low expectations if you ask me. You'll be fine.

This makes Lloyd feel a bit better, but he's still anxious, and he refuses to talk to anyone else about it because, to him at least, it seems a bit dumb to be anxious about meeting his grandfather when no else is (they are, Lloyd just hasn't noticed).

Anyway fast forward to The Day of The Arrival. Lloyd gets up earlier than usual in order to mentally prepare himself for meeting God. And, since he's expecting to have a few hours before the First Spinjitzu Master arrives, he doesn't really bother to make himself presentable before making his way to the kitchen.

This was a mistake.

Because when lloyd enters the kitchen there's man(?) sitting at the table wearing a black kimono with gold detailing. And Lloyd's first though is 'fuck, its the First Spinjitzu Master' before he realises that the man (? seriously why is it so hard to tell) is in his late thirties at most. So Lloyd's next thought is 'why is this random person in my kitchen?'

Lloyd, suspicious: Who are you and why are you here? Fsm, smiling: I'm your grandfather, and I'm your grandfather. Lloyd: You can't be my grandfather! You're like thirty! Fsm: I am not thirty, I'm a shapeshifter. Fsm, now vaguely concerned: You didn’t know that? Why didn’t you know that?

So, luckily, Fsm, by being themself, manages to almost completely allay Lloyd’s anxiety by getting up, telling Lloyd to follow him, and going to find both his children so they can smack them on the head because come on you two this is Morro all over again (Fsm can't really talk though, his godly domain should really be 'forgetting to tell people important information'). Because he can understand Morro not knowing that Fsm - and subsequently their descendants - isn’t human, but Lloyd is actually related!

Lloyd, meanwhile, is shocked. God, his grandfather, is in his house, looking all of thirty, and stalking through the monastery all while grumbling under his breath about his kids not telling Lloyd something, all while Lloyd trails behind him like a lost fawn.

It’s then Lloyd remembers his pyjamas and bed hair, and he just, internally cringes. Like, c'mon, this is the First Spinjitzu Master, and here he is looking like he just got out of bed (that he actually did just get out of bed is completely pointless in Lloyd’s mind). But something about this thought process must have shown in his face and body language (never mind that Lloyd is behind his grandfather), because suddenly the First Spinjitzu Master (man Lloyd really has to get his name) is turning around, stopping Lloyd in his tracks.

Fsm: Stop that. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I am 25,000 years old, and I have raised two children, I have seen a lot worse than bed hair.

That makes Lloyd blush, but his grandfather is already on the move again, seeking out his children.

Of course, once Fsm does find their children, Lloyd has the pleasure of finding out that his grandfather his half oni, half dragon (“dragoni”, his father says, “easier on the tongue”).

But once Lloyd processes that he’s not fully human (and, like in the show, he’s pretty calm about because it makes a lot of sense when he actually thinks about) he starts to bond with his grandpa and damn the First Spinjitzu Master is not anything like he expected him to be, but honestly, Lloyd is actually kinda relieved about that. He’s a lot more approachable than Lloyd expected, and it seems he’s where Wu and Garmadon got the more, um, eccentric sides of their personalities. Lloyd is still a bit nervous around him, but that slowly goes away over the few weeks that Fsm is staying for.

Throughout those weeks, Lloyd kinda starts to get comfortable around Fsm. Lloyd shows Fsm a bunch of video games (I've decided this includes Minecraft because, listen, Fsm would be great at Minecraft (specifically creative mode) and you can't tell me otherwise), as well as board games, which leads to the interesting revelation that Mystake (Mystake?! Who runs the tea shop?!) banned Fsm from playing uno a few months after it come out because he tackled someone after he had to pick up 16 cards.

Hope you enjoyed!

But yeah I’ll probably do a separate post for the family bonding.

Also I feel like I need to give fsm a proper name at this point. I’ve been calling them imaragami (ih-ma-rah-gar-mi) since I started thing this whole idea up but tbh it’s just a bunch of random syllables put together (I’m kinda attached to it at this point tho). But anyway what do you think?

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 172 spoilers and thoughts that are actually very happy about this episode because we got a lot of good panels i really liked the art for this week and more below the cut

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BEFORE WE BEGIN. I NEED EVERYONE TO SEE. JAVIER BLUSHING AT LLOYD LOOK AT HIM THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE OH MY GOOD GOD ALDKFJLSKJFLSKDJF!??!?!?!?

he's embarrassed at his lord which means he is blushing about lloyd on a technicality which means yes llovier is real. thank you goodnight. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAA

i am so serious when i saw this panel i started yelling and kicking and smacking every solid object with my hands within a two foot radius. jesus christ. jumpscare of the century in the best way possible. i love this panel so much. javier is very cute. and he's blushing bc of lloyd. WAHOO!

anyway lloyd and his dramatic ass,,, my god he's such a loser goofball /aff WAHAHA it's okay lloyd i think you're cool,,, even if no one else agrees,,, obsessed with how his eyes are a diff color and how there's just smoke slipping past his lips HELLOOO

i think given the chance suho could have been a theater kid or smth. i'd believe it.

more of javier being embarrassed by his lord LMFAOOO GOD THEY'RE SO CUTE AND STUPID

we also got more panels and info about credos!!! yay!!! lloyd's reaction to the rock paper scissors reveal was really good LMFAOOO

it seems like,,, jang-cheol!credos really didn't want to die, not at the hands of the protagonist and certainly not at the hands of his own people, so he introduced korean-style rock paper scissors and gave it enough flair so that the demons would believe it's a proper way of dueling,,, it's a clever n smart solution it just comes across as silly to people who know what it really is AHAHAHA

"that too is a teaching of the great credos" LMFAOOO he probably couldn't really figure out how to embellish it that much so just left it as is HAHAHAHAHA AND JAVIERS "?????" LOL

giggled very badly at how tense this panel appears surrounded by chanting of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS! ROCK PAPER SCISSORS! LMFAO

like,,, this is SERIOUS,,, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TO DECIDE YOUR FATE,,,!!!! HAHAHAHAHA

AND FINALLY THE PANEL WHERE LLOYD THROWS OUT BOTH SCISSORS AFTER STARTLING THE DEMON I REALLY LIKE THE WAY THIS PANEL LOOKS IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT. STUPID CLEVER IDIOT. OF COURSE HE'D DO THAT. CHEATING LOSER. THAT'S SMART. GUARANTEED WIN. I HATE YOU /AFF

and everyones reactions HAHAHAHAA i fucking love how scuffed the legends behind this stuff are LOL

it does make me wonder,,, how these legends even come to be?!? who the hell was writing the knight of blood and iron??? lmfao??? like first the one with the lightspeed runner with the centaurs, and now this??? is credos behind this legend specifically, is this part of the bullshitting he had to do to get the demons to believe him? I'M VERY AMUSED AND SUPER CURIOUS LOL

and then lloyd trying to be cool again,,, you were VERY cool lloyd I LOVE THIS PANEL A LOT IT'S VERY VERY COOL!!! i love love love the composition of the art this week it's great!!!

plus javier's reaction HAHAHAHAHAHHA

i actually really liked the episode this week!! the pacing feels a little bit better than the last couple of episodes, i'm not sure if i can properly explain why i feel that way but it definitely feels better to me! but also, i have no idea whether or not this falls in line with the novel context so others may have differing opinions LMFAOOO

i think in general i really liked the art in this episode, the panels really were super awesome this week! and the overall gags were both hilarious and gave more world-building info (in a very indirect way haha) which i really liked. i always love tearing that stuff apart and coming to my own conclusions about Why these characters do what they do, so that made me happy/satisfied hehe

still thinking about that blushing javier panel. jesus that is like a DRUG. i feel my neurons activate every time i see it. CHRIST

i really really hope the next episodes keep up this pace! i like that they spent time to build up the rock paper scissors punchline/explanation, bc it makes it easier to feel like there are things happening. it was harder in the earlier eps for this arc (specifically 169, where we breezed past the eight demon kings - it felt fast bc while the solution was simple, we didn't have build up or time spent with them!) but now we're actively giving time for the punchline / for the action to run its course, which i really like. YAY!

that's all from me this time, i'm very excited to see what they'll do next,,, finally the railroad will be started!!! see y'all then!!!

[destinygoldenstar]

I want to talk about THIS scene from the episode "The Forgotten Element" in Season 4

This was the scene that spawned many Evil Kai AU fanfictions.

(And like... I get it)

As a kid, I was always jaw dropped by this scene, but I didn't understand this scene too much.

Like, what was the point of this Evil Kai AU if it was for a minute and it was resolved so quickly?

They were building this up the entire episode and even before it, so was that all for nothing? Did it not mean anything? What was the point of this anyway?

And then it clicked with me WHY that was.

The problem was that I was only focusing on what's present in the moment and not all around it.

In the moment itself, Kai is holding the staff, it holds too much power, it corrupts him and spills all of is bottled up negative emotions about destiny and the Green Ninja, how he feels about it all being wrong, that he was somehow 'not good enough' compared to a child, and how he should've been the one with all the power all the glory and all the abilities in is veins.

"You had all the power, now it's my turn!"

"Nothing that I don't already feel!"

"I should've been the Green Ninja!"

That's straight up TELLING.

And it makes sense. Kai wanted to be the Green Ninja more than anyone ever since he heard of that prophecy. Ever since he was told he was the Master of Fire by Wu he went from 'do everything for Nya and be a parent' to 'I can be special and worthy in a way I couldn't ever see in myself'. And then it all turned out to be for nothing, Kai being 'special' was all a lie, and the prophecy went to this bratty kid that Kai was tasked to babysit. Then Lloyd would proceed to be very well recognized and Kai was just... the forgotten member that nobody understands the motives of. 'You wanted to take the place of someone who did something sacrificially heroic? How dare you. SELFISH.'

BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT.

This all sounds like a villain origin story that would happen in the season, right?

The build up is all there. The bottled up emotions. Skylor's influence. Chen taunting him in this episode about it and getting into his head about his parents, something that is VERY PERSONAL to Kai.

So if it ended up being just ONE MOMENT and that's it, then this was all for nothing, right?

NO.

Why? Because that's not what this aspect of the episode is about at all.

This was all NOT build up to Kai becoming a villain.

This was about Kai REJECTING that villainous side of him.

He's been 'on the villain's side' at the start of the episode when Chen decided not to enslave him.

Another motif of this episode is what gets said over and over again in the B plot of the episode, that being the prison escape from the Noodle Factory. "The power of positive thinking"

Kai is learning this as well, but it's his own personal battle to come to that. Part of being positive is being positive about yourself.

He's been scolded for being selfish constantly. Again, how dare he want to take someone's place, someone who was better than him in every way and they all knew it. These people are oblivious, they can't read his mind, they're misinterpreting his words, and for some reason nobody apologizes for that.

We've seen him be insecure of his own abilities. When he feels like he can't do something, he goes 'If only I had this ability'. An example being the Digiverse.

Part of the lesson there was that he had to allow himself to have the power he needed to get out of a tight spot. As an old fashion and a devoted brother, makes sense why he'd struggle with this.

And then when Chen gets in his head, it's the same thing again, he's selfish and he wants the power and that's all he cares about.

Everyone is saying you're selfish, therefore it must be true.

And this is the first time Kai ever actually CALLS THE PERSON OUT for accusing him of being one dimensionally selfish.

Yes he falters back when Chen mentions his parents, but that's still a notable step. (And he would continue to call out their accusations in Possession)

The episode consists of Kai being on the villain's side and playing the role of the deceiver. Him being smart by playing the emotions of Chen and Skylor rather than be a logical thinker. (WOW. An episode that doesn't make Kai dumb and instead makes him smart in a way that fits his character. That is sad how rare that's shown anymore.)

And to do that he had to convince everyone that he was on the villain's side and that he has turned.

So THIS moment is not build up to Kai becoming a villain truly, it's a test on this own side of him that he must acknowledge exists. How this way of thinking isn't healthy, it's petty, it's not worth it, and he shouldn't be lingering on something when he himself is capable of so much.

And then NO ONE EVER TALKS ABOUT HOW KAI WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE THE STAFF AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT.

He could just grab the staff again and be corrupted again, and that's it. But HERE, there is no one paying attention to him to tell him what to do.

Which means this is all Kai's choice.

This is Kai CHOOSING to REJECT that villain inside him, and instead proceed to a more positive outlook, one that would benefit everyone.

That's countering all the selfish accusations more than anything else.

As a kid I was confused as to why there wasn't a scene where Kai acknowledged what happened when he was corrupted and how you go from that to 'Kai wants to protect Lloyd'

Him breaking the staff IS that scene. (It's just so fast that it's hard to see on a first couple viewings) He NEVER wants to see himself as that corrupted figure again, and is willingly choosing what role he wants to play now. That's the transition there from that Kai to Possession Kai. (Possession Kai = Best Kai)

This is one of my favorite episodes of the show because of how much justice was done here in so many ways.

[lloydfrontera]

EXCUSE ME SIR WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

this is literally not true what the hell is lee hyumnin doing

this whole conversation was completely out of character for both of them. in the novel og lloyd is way more crass and rude the entire time, he doesn't even ask about julian himself and he never expresses any regret or apologizes for anything he did out loud.

and he absolutely hates javier. i cannot emphasize this enough, it is never even hinted at that og lloyd ever cared the slightest about javier. nevermind that he wanted to be his friend or felt sorry about breaking his sword and harassing him as kids.

"Fine. Let's hurry. I never liked that jerk anyway. I don't want to bump into him"

"You don't like him?"

"No." Ghost Frontera nodded at Lloyd's question. And in the most obvious tone, Ghost Frontera retorted, "It's not fair for a human to look like that. I hate him. I feel like life is cheating me whenever I see him, and it pisses me off. I've been in a bad mood ever since my father put that bastard on my side to guard me."

does this sound like a man who just "wanted to become friends with him"??

this is history revisionism and i won't stand for it!!/j

and like. does this really look like a kid who just wants to be friends

like. does it.

again javier is six years old here. he saw his parents die in front of him a year ago and then spent an entire winter on the streets fending for himself and is just now finally settling into a new place that was supposed to be safe for him

he looked like this

look at him. he's a baby.

they're not even the same age!! og lloyd is five years older!! there was never a point in their relationship where og lloyd wasn't just a bigger and older kid harassing a child five years his junior!!

and he didn't feel sorry about it. at least not enough to make amends or even apologize.

and the problem with making og lloyd more sympathetic is that it undercuts just how much he'd fucked up. it makes it look like it was just a misunderstanding and that everyone should've just tried a little bit harder to understand him when no!!! they did try they did love him he just didn't care about it!!

and it's especially egregious when the webcomic seems hellbent in making lloyd look like a total dickhead at every moment possible!

making him kick og lloyd into the reincarnation gate??? telling him he sounded pathetic and didn't want to hear him for another second????why are you making your protagonist so fucking unlikable??? what's the fucking purpose of that???? how come the character that acts like a total asshole in the novel gets to be sympathetic in the adaptation but not your fucking main protagonist??????

that's the main issue actually! making og lloyd more sympathetic always seems to be at the cost of making everyone else look worse which fucking sucks!! because he's not meant to be like that!!! that's not the point of his character!!!

not to mention that they completely rewrote og lloyd's wish to not be born as a human in his next life??? like??? at this point you're just. making shit up. not even trying to follow the original source.

this episode was just. bad. nothing i can really rescue about it it's straight up just a bad adaptation

i hate it here lmao

[yanderelegoninjago]

When They Get Jealous

Summary: Someone's getting a little to flirty with their girl Characters: Lloyd Garmadon, Cole Brookstone, Nya Smith, Kai Smith, Jay Walker

Lloyd Garmadon

He always had this fear in the back of his mind that you would leave him for someone better, so when he saw someone trying to hit on you he couldn't help the fear growing in his chest and this other icky feeling

You deserve the best and he would give it to you, even if it means letting you go

Thought when it seems you're getting annoyed, he decides that he should step in

"Hey, why are you bothering my girlfriend?"

"Oh girlfriend? I didn't know you were dating that Garmadon kid"

"I'm not a kid," he stood infront of you protectively now because he didn't want them getting violent with you because it seemed they were getting aggravated

"I would have told you if you would have let me talk-"

"Yeah if I wanted to listen to you talk, I would of"

He glared at them, about to say something, but you end up grabbing Lloyd

^"It's not worth it Lloyd. Let's just go"

Cole Brookstone

He's one cocky man, so I doubt he'd allow someone to flirt with his girlfriend

In fact he won't even notice that someone's floating with his girlfriend, because how could anyone be stupid enough to flirt with his girlfriend

But when he did look for you because he wanted to Jay to tell you some stupid joke, he was surprised to see some guy leaning on the wall trying to get close to you

At first he shook it off because there's no way he saw what he thinks he's seeing

He'll walk over to you, wrap an arm around your shoulder, "Who's your friend babe?"

"Babe?"

"Oh yeah, this is my boyfriend I was telling you about. Though you weren't listening"

"Yeah whatever, I have to go anyway-"

Cole tightened his grip around you, while you squeezed out

"Okay Cole, he's gone, you can let go-"

"I'm never letting go baby"

Nya Smith

That good old Smith aggression runs through her blood

Her jealousy knows no bounds and she'll be very passive-aggressive to whoever's flirting with you

"Oh really? I couldn't tell with all that gunk on your face, but I'm so glad you're confident in yourself. I wish I had your confidence"

"Nya, that wasn't very nice!"

"Neither is flirting with a taken person"

The flirter will row there eyes and walk away, but not before responding, "Yeah, well I can do better anyway"

"You wish!"

Kai Smith

That good old Smith aggression runs through his blood

He will start throwing hands I can feel it

You'll have to hold him back, because if not, he's going Ninja on them

You'll apologize while walking off with him

"Who did they think they were? Talking to you as if they're dating you? Why didn't you stop them?"

Great, now he's turned on you

"I would of if you gave me a chance"

He doesn't want to hear it and ends up ignoring you, much to YOUR annoyance

You'll have to apologize to him, even though you did nothing wrong, but he doesn't care

Jay Walker

He has abandonment issues, so with some guy hitting on you he felt sad

He did have an even icker feeling of possession over you because you're HIS girlfriend and you should be loyal to your significant other

Instead of coming off aggressive, he'll enter the conversation with a joke

No one even knows he's jealous, they just think he's having a good time

Until he starts laughing a little too much and his smile doesn't seem all that friendly

You can get the hint even from a mile away

Though the person who was previously flirting with you can't say anything bad, because they'll look like the bad guy

His hold will tighten around you and you could feel him practically squeeze your waist

[mislamicpearl]

(DRS2P2 SPOILERS)

Dragons Rising AU where everything is the same but Zane is written like an actual character. (also more screen time for Euphrasia)

Please reblog this post instead if you want to share.

Some explanations:

I've ranted several times before about how dissatisfied I've been with DR Zane. I just feel like he's so disconnected from the rest of the characters, like the writers don't really want him there but have to have him anyway because he's an OG and part of all the sets and all. So they find lame excuses to leave him behind, or render him useless, or treat him like an emotionless machine, or just give him the dumb comedic side plots like the Zane lookalike contest or babysitting a silly frog man. It's so frustrating seeing him treated this way as he was my favorite ninja when I was binging the series, and it wouldn't even take that much to give him more presence in the show. So these small scenes sort of just came to me in a rush and I had to draw them to cope.

It bothers me so much that Zane is the only one of the OG ninja aside from Jay (who's got amnesia) who doesn't get hugged whenever he reunites with the others. Like you can't even pretend it's because he's not a hugger or because the others feel weird about hugging him or something, because they've done so many times throughout the show before. So now to have them just kind of not make a big deal about seeing him again after years have passed makes it seem like they just don't care as much about him anymore?? So yeah, definitely had to rectify that. Didn't draw Kai and Nya hugging him because I already drew that awhile back.

I had made a post about Euphrasia taking Mr. Frohicky's role in the show instead, but I want to clarify this does NOT mean she would have his same status as a side character whose only job is taking care of the monastery, it's just to put her in a better position to be close to Zane and the other ninja and be more involved with main events. I think Zane could've really benefited from having a next gen kid to take under his wing like the others.

I feel like people might potentially take offense with me letting Zane be the one to catch the piece of training equipment before it could hit Lloyd, rather than the other way around, because that scene WAS cool and it showed how far Lloyd has come as a ninja master, so I don't necessarily want it changed; this was just the easiest way I could think of to show Zane having won the Element of Reflex (also he's still the one surprised by it while Lloyd is unfazed).

[littlelegoman]

LMK NINJAGO CROSS OVER, BUT IT'S JUST LLOYD AND MK SWITCHING PLACES FOR A WEEK

Tang (possibly Pigsy, too): Wow, that sounds like a lot to go through as a child. And you bodily became 18 when you were 12? I'm so sorry, they shouldn't have done that to you..

Lloyd: Well-- it was to save the city--

Tang: What did that city ever do for you? I mean, your whole life is just one tragedy after another; your mother abandons you, your father is locked away, you get sent to a boarding school to make you evil and you still get bullied there. You're manipulated multiple times by adults, and sure, you tried to do that once to them, but you were a child. They were adults. That's not fair.

Lloyd: It was destiny, I had to because of the prophesy...

Tang: No, you had a choice. You didn't have to do all that, and even if you wanted to, you could've waited till you were mature enough to understand the severity of it. Your uncle trains you-- actually, he forcibly takes you, which legally would happen anyways as your only relative, but the law was never involved, not to mention you were under the impression you'd be hurt.

Tang: It's not your fault either. You were coerced into it. The prophesy never said when you had to defeat your father, right?

Lloyd: Well, I don't entirely remember....

Tang: You needed an adult who wasn't going to use you, and you never got that. You never got a childhood, and that's terrible. I'm so upset that this happened to you because no kid deserves this. I'm not completely okay with MK being the Monkie Kid; I mean, look at all the danger it's put him through - but at least he was an adult, old enough to make his own conscious choice.

Lloyd: I...

Lloyd: Thanks, mom.

Tang: It's no pro-- wait what?

MK: And you have elemental powers?! Oh, that's so cool! I don't have any of those, really. I mean, I can do a lot of things that the Monkey King can do, but I don't think controlling elements was one of them.

Zane: It is awesome, of course, but we have years of years of unpacked trauma.

MK: Same!! :D

Red Son: Your father... was okay with you becoming a hero?

Lloyd: He wasn't the best, but it's not completely his fault. The whole venom and oni thing really messed him up. He knew what he was, and he... deep down, he wanted a safe world for me, and fhst meant a world without him.

Red Son:.... I see.

Lloyd: So, uh, you want to be like your father?

Red Son: Well, of course I do! I'm not some a simple-minded peasant like Noodle Boy or Dragon Girl! My father's legacy is one to behold with pride.

Lloyd:... but?

Red Son, sighing: but my father barely recognizes my greatness; and Noodle Boy and his peasant friends do....

MK: Why is... why.. (MK, trying to talk about Garmadon)

Wu: Ah... My brother and I share Oni and Dragon blood... when he was bitten by The Great Devourer, it caused his blood to turn cold.

MK: Does that mean you can become evil too?

Wu, caught off guard: Oh. I..

Wu, sighing: Yes. That is a possibility. I trained my students the best way I knew how... I.. admit I wasn't the best

MK, smiling brightly: HAHA, yeah, you weren't!

Wu, offended:

MK: Wait-- you ABANDONED your son to an evil school?!

Misako: I-- I did.

MK: Why not send him to a normal school?! Or with Mister Wu?! If you knew he was gonna beat up his dad, wouldn't it have helped if he grew up with morals???

Lloyd: I mean no offense, Sun Wukong, but I don't know why MK still likes you.

Wukong: Honestly, I don't either

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

The Eyes Have It: Final Part

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Summary: Hotch is stepping down, giving Derek the opportunity to rise in his place. Derek wants to fight for you but is forced to deal with the case at hand. You, on the other hand, are forced to deal with the ugly side of prison.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

Even as the officers take all day to scour the streets for the unsub, they don't find anything. It's not until the next morning that two more people are murdered. A male and a female. He's back to murdering two people. However, there is something different about this crime scene compared to the other ones. He murdered them at their house, so he cut the wires in the electrical box and killed all the lights. If they can't see then they can't fight him back. He probably used some night vision aid of some kind in order to kill them.

The perfect hunt.

The woman's carotid was severed and her eyes were missing, just like the others. However, the man's eyes are still intact. He didn't take them. Why? Why is he different? Upon closer examination, there is a laceration on his left eye but not his right. He probably fought back trying to save the woman and the unsub ended up cutting him accidentally.

They theorized that the unsub could be collecting them but what if he needs a set? An injury like that ruins the collection. They're trophies. Someone who collects eyes could be into taxidermy, and that is something the team can use as a lead.

"A taxidermist?"

"Morgan might be onto something. The unsub's collecting sets of eyes that need to be flawless because he's preserving them as a trophy of some kind."

"We said he was a hunter. What do hunters collect for trophies?"

"What if we're wrong about him being a doctor?" Spencer asks. "It makes sense. A taxidermist has all the skills and supplies needed to preserve eyes and other body parts."

"Do they know how to surgically remove eyes like this?"

"Yeah, they have anatomy knowledge. They have to cut through muscle, tissue, and nerves to remove hide. It's the same thing for eyeballs."

Penelope calls JJ who places her on speakerphone.

"Garcia, you're on speaker."

"Comrades, I cross-referenced John with Okie City animal stuffers. Turns out, he wrote a $250 check as some sort of deposit for Lloyd's Wild Game Shop six weeks ago. Now, this place is scant miles from the farm road where our first victim was dumped."

"Does Lloyd have a record?" Phil asks.

"Lloyd Bulford has one recent record from the city, and it's a death certificate. He died four weeks ago of emphysema."

"Did he have any employees with criminal records?"

"He's got no employment records at all. He has a twenty-eight-year-old son named Earl who lives with him. He has a petty crime record and counts of animal cruelty."

"Garcia, get everything on the son."

"Okey-dokey."

Penelope takes a few moments to look the information up.

"Is there any record of mental illness?" JJ asks.

"No, but his mom had a degenerative eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa which would eventually lead her to go blind. Considering his crimes, that's super weird, right? Anyway, she died in a car accident when he was eight. Then, he gets expelled from school for getting in a fight with a kid and trying to gouge the kid's eyes out. I have no record of him returning to school, he has no employment records, he's never filed for taxes, and he doesn't have a credit card in his name. Besides his driver's license, there's no record of him at all."

"That's probably why he didn't show up on any of our lists," Derek says.

"Sounds like he's totally dependent on his dad. When his dad died, there's no one left to check up on him."

"Okay, his dad drove a 1990 dark brown Chevy cargo van. Looks like creditors took the house this week and a lien was put on the business."

"He lost his dad, his house, and is about to lose the family business. Care to choose a stressor?"

The team heads straight to the store but Earl isn't there when they arrive. It's a taxidermy store in the front with a few small rooms in the back where he's been sleeping. Without a house to stay in, he's been dependent on his father's business to keep a roof over his head. When they look into the windows, they immediately see a pool of blood on the ground.

"Hotch, I see blood. We're going in."

The front doors are locked but the back doors are open. They walk in one by one with guns trained in front of them, clearing out the place.

"That's gotta be John's blood," Emily says. If John was the first one to be killed and only had a dumpsite, then he must have been killed. It wouldn't make sense if the blood were the other victims. "He comes here to see his animal, they argue, and then this happens."

"He's been sleeping here," Hotch announces when he finds the back room where the cot is. "If he's not here then he's out hunting again."

Emily and Derek inspect the animals out of curiosity but become concerned when they see some of the animals don't have any eyes.

"This one doesn't have eyes," Derek says.

"Neither does this one."

Derek inspects more and comes across an animal with a realistic-looking set of eyes.

"Oh, my God. This one has eyes. I know what he's doing with the eyes."

With a little bit more snooping, they come across pictures of Earl and his father. They're not great pictures because they tell the story of a boy who wasn't given what he needed to succeed in life.

"Look at these. He's been hunting since he was a kid. He never went to school. He probably spent his entire childhood here. Somebody this socially isolated no doubt has mental issues. Looks like he only knew two things--hunting and taxidermy which was fine as long as his dad was supervising him."

"Now his gatekeeper's gone and he's loose."

Hotch finds the customer book he has everyone sign when they want him to provide services. He flips through the pages at every single customer that has ever bought from him.

"Wait, this address is familiar," Phil says. "It's on Junction Road where the teenage girls got killed."

"I think he's attacking all over town close to where his customers live."

"I know the customer on Dry Creek Road which is close to where that jogger got killed in the park."

"What about where the couple was murdered last night?" Derek asks.

"Close to this address here," Phil points.

"Okay, so he's delivering these animals to his clients' homes and then sticking around the neighborhood to find victims. Looks like there are two more addresses after the last murder."

"Alright, we need to split up," Derek decides.

"I'll get units to both locations," Phil says.

The entire team splits into two with Hotch going with Phil and Emily and Derek going with a few other armed officers and Rossi. Hotch finds the van Earl is using, and with a little patience, he saves a woman who is about to get her eyes gouged out. Earl is taken away, the woman is looked at, and all the animals fit with human eyes are taken in for testing. There are tens and tens of animals with human eyes which means there are tens and tens of victims waiting for justice to be served.

When the team touches back down in Virginia, Hotch busies Spencer enough to not allow him to visit you. When he told you he'd try his best to keep Spencer away from you, he meant it. Derek, Rossi, and Emily leave to visit you since they miss you dearly, but you're less than thrilled to see them. Of course, you're happy to talk to people you know and cling to some sense of normalcy, but you hate that they have to see you with a bruised face.

The bruise didn't settle well so your jaw is covered with a dark purple bruise that has spread up to your eye on the same side. The trio is excited to see you but eyes turn wide when they see your injury.

"Oh, my God," Derek whispers to himself.

You sit down across from them and pick the phone up at the same time as Derek does. Emily is sitting next to him while Rossi is standing behind them. The place can only fit two people at a time but Rossi doesn't mind standing.

"It looks worse than it feels," you white-lie.

"I hate that you're sitting here right now. You shouldn't even be here." All you can do is shrug. "Hotch says he's working on your case but it looks like nothing is being done for you."

"I'll be fine, Derek," you sigh. Derek opens his mouth to say something else but you're quick to cut him off. You really don't want to talk about that because then you're forced to think about who killed those seven men and how they're free right now. "I hear you got Hotch's job."

"It's only temporary. The board is coming down on his ass pretty hard. He gave it to me to keep himself on the team."

Even through the thick glass, you can feel the waves of guilt coming from him. He feels guilty for taking the job knowing Hotch wanted to give it to you.

"Derek, don't do that to yourself. I'm glad it's you. You have strong leadership skills. You'll knock it out of the park, I'm sure," you wince in pain.

"Y/N, you're not okay."

You look down and let the tears fall freely. You hate that they're seeing you this way but what can you do? You look up with your eyes wet and your face even more puffy.

"I'm fine, Derek," you cry. "I'll be fine."

"Spencer--"

"Don't bring him here," you panic. "Please keep him away. You have the power to keep him busy." You're crying too much to make sense but Derek understands you through your cracked voice. "I love him and I miss him but I do not want him here. He can't see me like this. He has an eidetic memory. He won't be able to forget this. Please promise me you'll keep him away."

"I promise," Derek whispers.

"Let me talk to Emily." The phone is passed onto her, and she gives you a sad smile. "Don't give me that look."

"It's hard seeing someone you care about like this."

"I know. It's not forever... I hope not. I have faith that I will get out of this. Whether or not I still have a job, that's up to Strauss."

"You didn't kill them. She can't fire you because of this."

"I think she can. Not for killing someone but for going to prison. Anyway, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything. You name it."

"I can only imagine what seeing my empty chair is doing to you. Distract them enough to get them through the week. I know it's a lot to ask of you but knowing you're worried about me won't do me any good in here."

"Okay, I'll try," she nods.

Rossi taps Emily on the shoulder and gestures to get the phone. She passes it to him and looks you right in the eye. He says something to Derek and Emily and they both get up to leave. He must want to talk to you privately.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey, Rossi," you sniffle.

"I know how hard it is in here for you. I can see it in your eyes."

"Don't tell the others but it's so hard for me," you cry. "I feel everything. I don't know how I'm sleeping at night. I get nightmares all the time because of other people's pain. Please don't tell the others."

"I won't. Listen to me. I know it doesn't seem like it, but things will get better. We are not going to give up until you're back in that briefing room with us. You fake as much of it as you can and push through until the end. Hold your head up high and don't let anyone dim your light."

"Okay," you nod.

"I mean it, Y/N. I know it doesn't seem like it now but I think you're the only one of us that could survive prison and come out okay."

"Thank you, Rossi."

Rossi's words stick in your head well after he has left. Even when you're lying in your bunk bed, his words echo in your head, and you use it to help you get some sleep.

"Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you." - Guru Nanak

x

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