#cole brookestone hence

[thetournamentofelements]

SEMIFINALS

This one should be fun!

[memory-redacted]

physic therapy cat

Pt1 of the other ninja meeting lloyds cat

[temporarypenintraining]

ya'll ever think about how Krag is listed under Cole's "Elemental Family" in the Book of Spinjitzu? And it was canonically written by Jake so did he like, interview Cole and ask about his family and Cole just straight-up claimed a yeti from another realm as his son or what.

[temporarypenintraining]

Okay YES. 100% agree op. Something I've analyzed about Cole's character is that, out of the whole cast, he's the one who heals the most. When we first meet him, he's a closed-off, no-nonsense leader-type. He runs away from home after the loss of his mother and starts mountain climbing, as well as other highly dangerous activities (according to some pseudo-canon books). These sources claim that he was "testing his limits", and that may be true, but to me this feels like a self-destructive tendency (he was climbing without gear, might I add). He was in a really bad place when he met Wu, and the fact that he just kinda spilled his life story to an old man on a mountain implies to me that these emotions had been building up inside him for a while. Joining Wu's Ninja team gave him a sense of meaning and belonging, it gave him a chance to fulfill his promise to his mother. It helped him heal his relationship with his father and with dance. In season 4, Cole tries again to hide away from the world, from expectations, from his own grief. He still hasn't worked through his issues. His whole ghost arc tested his personal strength (I have a lot of thoughts about this arc that I'll save for a different post), it fed into a lot of issues he already had, but he worked through them and became stronger for it (with his Lava arms and such). In Crystalized, Cole is the only guy who really stays after Nya's death. Jay goes to the lighthouse, Kai and Lloyd get jobs, Wu loses himself in research, Zane is physically present but emotionally absent, but Cole? Cole is here, Cole is the one trying to get the team back (this also highlights just how far Lloyd has fallen since season 4). Cole has healed, he's able to process his grief at losing Nya, then get back on his feet and keep going, keep fighting. I have a lot of feelings about this op.

Given all the context provided to us by various flashbacks throughout the series, I think Cole's true potential scene has a lot more complexity to it than at first glance.

The first time you watch it, it's pretty standard. He had a difficult relationship with his dad, but after making amends he was able to let go of the thing holding him back and move forward. It's a simple but sweet story, and it's a wholesome lil episode overall.

But THEN we watch all his flashbacks in seasons 8, 13, and the Core shorts, providing us SO much more information about his family history. And when we consider the fact that Lily's death played a major role in his and his father's strained relationship, his true potential starts to take on a new dimension. Let me explain.

First, the flashback from Core. For those of you who haven't seen Core, there's a scene where Cole is feeling overwhelmed so he tries to, as he puts it, "find balance", and ends up conjuring a fond memory of his mom in order to calm down.

This is such a short sequence, barely even 30 seconds long, but also tells us a LOT.

Given his age and appearance, we can assume that Cole is pretty young here. Considering how his mom is up and about and seemingly pretty healthy in this memory, this also likely takes place sometime before she got sick

We can also conclude that dancing was a significant part of not just Lou and Lily's relationship, but their household overall. And given Cole's little smile as he watches them dance, he seems to have genuinely enjoyed it as well. This evidence is corroborated by other instances throughout the series where Cole is more than happy to dance or whistle, maybe even sing if he feels comfortable enough to do so. So he does genuinely enjoy this sort of thing

This would suggest that Cole didn't always have the belligerent attitude towards performing arts like he did in "The Royal Blacksmiths", nor does he carry such an attitude after that episode. As early as season 2 we see him dancing as he fights bad guys and whistling as he helps repair the Bounty. He's had instances of stagefright, yes (the Snake Jaguar incident is the first one that comes to mind), but after making amends with his father he's never shown a dislike for that sorta thing. It's not the dancing he hates, it's the fear of judgment

(On a related note, Cole's insecurity about other people's approval seems to be reflected in his arc during the Ice Chapter, where he became paranoid that everyone hated him for losing the Traveler's Tea and went to extreme lengths to fix his mistake. Or how, in the Character Encyclopedia, it mentions that Cole gets easily distracted by tiny mistakes, and how he tends to fatalize over all his screwups until they end up distracting him. Needless to say, Cole is afraid of letting people down. Residual anxiety from the Triple Tiger Sashay Incident, perhaps? Which, if you really want to be punched in the gut, could also come from Cole being insecure about his inability to save his mother.)

Now let's look at the next flashback in the chronological order: the bedroom scene from season 13.

This scene doesn't tell us quite as much, but we do get clued into a few details regarding Cole's relationship with his mother

In the beginning of the scene, Lou is leading Cole down a hallway and into Lily's room. And when Cole finally sees her, he is wary at first, even turning to his father for confirmation and reassurance. Then, at Lou's encouragement, he approaches her with excitement and relief. Given his reaction, he probably hasn't seen her in a while. Either because he wasn't able to enter her room since she's been so sick, or because she's spent all of her time in either a hospital, hospice center, or some other kind of care facility

Let's go back to that thing about Lou, actually. This quick and quiet interaction between him and Cole suggests that on some level, they do have a functioning and loving relationship at this point. Lou is at this point attentive to his son's emotional needs. Keep this in mind going forward

"I want you to promise me, Cole, that you will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust." This right here is where we see Cole's motivation for becoming a ninja. He'd gotten into a fight at school in an attempt to stop a bully, and instead of berating her son for fighting, she told him that she was proud of him for doing the right thing even if he got in trouble

This does seem to fall in line with what other few details we have about her character - she's a strong, powerful warrior who was capable of defeating Grief Bringer on her own, and seems to be a somewhat pragmatic, no-nonsense individual who says it like it is - a trait Cole seems to have inherited from her. (Example - when Cole said he didn't want her to be sick anymore, she replied with, "I know. But we don't always get what we want.")

Note that he's still pretty young in this scene. While it's hard to tell specific age, he's probably anywhere between 7 and 10. I'd hazard to guess that this memory occurred relatively early on in his mother's illness

Next up: the flashback in season 8, wherein we see the extended version of Cole's first encounter with Wu

One important thing to note here is that he said he 'just' lost someone, meaning that Lily's death must have happened fairly recently, even though we first see her illness back when Cole was much younger

This means that Lily's illness wasn't a quick thing. It likely lasted for a significant chunk of his childhood, watching his mom slowly spiral into a sickness he can't protect or save her from, with him and his father growing increasingly estranged as it happens

Lou is never home, always out performing. Cole interprets this as his father not caring, but we can easily interpret this as Lou's own attempts to cope. Remember that Lou was once quite supportive and very in-tune with his son's emotional needs? By now, Lou has become a far more distant, estranged, borderline neglectful person in Cole's life due to his inability to grieve in a healthy way

Let's bring back that point in the previous flashback about Lily being a pragmatic, no-nonsense person. "With her gone, I guess it's up to me to be the responsible one." In the wake of his mother's death and father's increasing absence, Cole had to step up and take responsibility. He was trying to take up the space in their family she had once filled.

By the time Cole's true potential episode comes up, I would argue his mother's death is still relatively recent. And all of the interactions between Lou and Cole really have an extra lil flavor when you take that into consideration

So what does all this add up to? Well...

What's the main conflict between Lou and Cole in "The Royal Blacksmiths"? Lou wants Cole to become a performer, a dancer like him. When discovering Cole's a ninja he says, "...I'm not going to wait around to watch you make a mockery of our family's legacy."

We already know that dancing was a major part of their family dynamic, and in particular Lou and Lily's dynamic. To Lou, performance is a family matter.

While we don't have any hard evidence of this, the Triple Tiger Sashay Incident doesn't strike me as something Lily was present for. If that's true, then she'd probably already fallen ill by that point (meaning Lily's illness began at least by the time Cole was 7). And if THAT's true, then we can conclude the following:

Lou, confronted with the impending reality of his wife's death, began clinging to dance and performance as a coping mechanism and likely projected this onto his son. He clung to it as a way to hold onto her, and started to go a bit overboard with it. Hence why he began pushing Cole too far.

Remember, Cole did and still does enjoy dancing. But Lou's actions, all the pressure and judgment, pushed Cole away from something he loved doing. Something that, as we know from the Core shorts, he canonically associates with his mother.

In a way, being a dancer was Lou's coping mechanism, and being a ninja was Cole's. Both of them consumed with something that reminded them of Lily. When Cole and Lou make amends, there's so much more weight behind it than just Lou apologizing for pushing Cole too hard. It's about Lou recognizing how unhealthy his own coping mechanisms have been, and how his own grief has hurt his son. And it's about Cole remembering that when he's not facing pressure and judgment, he actually DOES love dancing.

Over time, as the series progresses, he sheds his serious and responsible persona and begins to loosen up a bit - he's healing. Now that he and his father have made amends and laid to rest all the contention between them, they're both able to heal and move forward.

It's like Jay said - "I think I know why Cole is so closed-off. It's because twinkle-toes here couldn't deliver the goods. Is that why you ran away?"

He may not be in denial like his father, but he can be a bit closed-off sometimes, and is quick to running from his grief instead of facing it. That's why he never vocalized his frustrations with Jay over the love triangle until season 4, just committing to the pettiness of the rivalry instead of being open about his feelings. And it's exactly what he did when Zane died, too - he left the team and ran off to be a lumberjack.

With this in mind, I'd be willing to bet that his distaste for dancing not only came from his father's pressure, but also an attempt to run away from his problems again. This time, by shutting out something that reminds him of his family.

His relationship with his father was holding him back, yes - just as much as his grief for his mother.

Now, let's fast-forward a few seasons to the Day of the Departed special. Cole's ghostly curse has caused him to begin fading from existence, and while he sets out on a quest to remedy the situation, his father waits back home, worried about his absence.

"Cole? Cole? Where are you? My son was going to meet me before the show to light a lantern."

And since Day of the Departed lanterns are lit to commemorate the dead, I am 200% sure that lantern Lou'd been holding was going to be for Lily. He and his son were going to meet up and remember her together. That detail may have been pretty insignificant to the plot, but it feels kinda huge to Cole as a character. I really doubt this is something he and his dad would've done back in season 1, showing that both of them are finally able to confront the truth of Lily's death in a healthy and supportive way. Not only that, but it suggests a closeness between them that simply hadn't been there pre-reconciliation. Not only have Cole and Lou healed in their own rights, but their relationship has healed as well.

Anyway, this was all a very long-winded way of saying that I love Cole Ninjago, and the more I learn about his past the more I want to CRY.

[kachowblueninja]

I love how in season 1 episode 3, Cole mocks the fact that jay wont see his parents by pretending to be on the phone with his own and saying "what kind of a son would i be if i didnt want to come see my mom and dad".

A little later we find out he hasnt spoken to his dad in years and his mom is dead??? Dude thats dark humor and im living for it

[sofivicfest]

I drew Cole withj period cramps last month hi

[c00and]

You’re my Gaia

A thank you to the Lostshipping Community for being some of the coolest people ever :)

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[pillowdrawz]

Ninjago Abaddon Au: "Master of Earth"

I love Cole sm he should be a bamf like toph. He can Metalbend,All the bends that involves the earth he can do it idc.

He is a MASTER OF EARTH FOR A REASON COMMON.

Also Abaddon au is where Cole is a doctor, he stays as a Leader cause no way in hell They are going to Put all the pressure as a leader to the youngest.

In this au Lloyd Grew up pretty normally at 18 he was found and trained to become the green ninja he js pretty much a fast learner also he has a pet snake named athena (Which is also the great devourer's daughter btw but Since Athena grew with love and care since she was a baby by lloyd she is good-)

.

[traffic-light-eyes]

Cole deserves the world

[snazzilystoopid]

Cole Brookstone Headcannons!

There's quite a lot so enjoy ^^

First of all, I headcannon that he's Filipino

One of the tallest ninja, Zane is just a little taller

His favourite colours are black, orange, and green

One of the reasons he grew out his hair is because his mother was the one who always trimmed it for him before she died

He also grew it out to hide his ghost scar

He's a MASSIVE gym rat

The guy is absolutely shredded, and legit built like a greek god so rest assured this man has a jacked-up physique

He has a pair of orange/silver headphones he takes almost everywhere with him

A very good dancer, and also has such a beautiful singing voice (he never sings in public)

He plays the drums and guitar

He's definitely the therapist friend (along with Pixal, Zane and Nya)

He sometimes feels a little lonely, especially since almost all of his friends are in relationships (more or less lmao) and he sometimes wishes he had someone like that to confide in

He's bi, hasn't got a particular preference but he also doesn't usually date

He gives the best hugs

Cole's a pretty chill guy, but mess with his friends n he'll pound you into oblivion

He's closest with Jay and Kai, but can actually find himself venting to Zane or Nya all the time

When Lloyd was younger he used to take him to candy shops because he felt bad about rubbing it in his face when they first met

He probably has the closest relationship with Master Wu, except for Lloyd bc their family obviously

He and Vania sometimes stay up all night playing prime empire. She's an absolute boss at the game and Cole's determined to be better than her

He cannot cook to save his life, but something about the instant noodles he always has hits different hehe

Thank you so much for reading!! Lmk if you want me to do any other characters <3

[thetournamentofelements]

THE FINAL ROUND!

FIGHT!

[memory-redacted]

Kinda under the weather recently, but I finally drew designs for the other ninja

[temporarypenintraining]

no one asked but I am going to detail my "Cole and Wu are the lone survivors in the First Realm" AU because screw you that's why. -So basically it's exactly what it says on the tin. The Ninja use the traveller's tea to escape the Colossus but it's too late and Kai, Jay and Zane are killed, leaving Cole and Wu alone in the Realm of Oni and Dragons. -Wu ages slower than in canon, at a basically human rate (which is still faster than his normal rate). -Cole decides that integrating into the Hunter society gives him the best chance at survival, so Wu is raised as "Dangerbuff Junior" the whole time. -Back in Ninjago, it starts out about the same as in canon but Garmadon ends up remaining emperor for 5 years as opposed to the like, month he had in Hunted. -Mystake gets to live as repayment for killing her off in canon and the Tea Shop AU. -The Resistance is even more depressed, especially since they know for a fact that at the very least Zane is dead. -How do they know this? Nya found Pixal sobbing in a corner covered in frost. -Lloyd's arm injury (from season 8) keeps flaring up and getting re-injured to the point where it's safer to just amputate it. -Eventually the Serpentine have to get involved because this whole evil takeover is going on for a lot longer than they thought it would. -Cole is initially very against the idea of killing/eating dragons but eventually it becomes clear that he doesn't have a lot of options and he ends up becoming a really good dragon hunter and he and the rest of the group grow very close. -Wu's memories are hazy at best and, again, he's ageing at a normal human rate. He makes friends with the other kids and stuff and pretty much just IS a hunter kid. -Heavy Metal ends up trusting Cole enough to reveal who she really is, at which point he also reveals who he really is and who his son is, at which point Faith is like "Wait he's the FSM's son?? And you didn't bother to mention it until now???" -Cole rallies everyone to overthrow the Iron Baron at some point idk. -Over his reign, Garmadon slowly starts to reconsider the whole "being an evil emperor" thing, but he's already pretty committed to the bit at this point. -His 5-year reign is ended when he's straight-up murdered by his son (because let's be honest, his character can't really go anywhere from here and there's no chance of reconciliation). -Cole and Wu (or rather Rocky Dangerbuff and Dangerbuff Junior) are in the First Realm for 10 years. anyway everything else is still in the works and I haven't fleshed it out yet but I just really like this idea.

[llannasvsp]

Use this as a space to yap about ghost Cole and the implications of that because I want to see how you all feel about him.

[kachowblueninja]

Cole being a micheal jackson fan fuels my life

[rainbow-flavoured-skittles]

headcanon that Cole's childhood bedroom had that chalkboard paint on the walls so that he could draw on them