#the real master should be Cole

[agenericplaceholdername]

This is actually really interesting to consider -- I'm not sure if you meant this as a prompt for discussion or not, but I suppose based on the length of this response I had some thoughts to say. I'm not sure I believe all the arguments made here, but just an alternate perspective.

To be fair to Lloyd, despite the years since S5, only in S7 does he actually try to be a master (which he succeeds at by the end of the season) and at no point does he take on students (until DR).

As for learning Spinjitzu, the Ninja learn Spinjitzu in the pilots by doing the training course a couple of times and suddenly "the key is ready to be found" when they fight the skeletons. Lloyd learns Spinjitzu after 0 training (he complains to Kai, "When will I learn Spinjitzu?" in the same episode* that he does Spinjitzu for the first time, with zero Spinjitzu training in between** -- must be a Green Ninja thing). Nya learns Spinjitzu off screen - and it's unclear how long this took (although she had been training on the same course as the Pilots Ninja and had been able to do Spinjitzu when possessed by the Overlord). We know it took weeks for Wu to teach Aspheera Spinjitzu.

Much like Sora, Lloyd and Nya also take a whole season to reach their true potentials through Wu's training. Meanwhile, the other four unlock the true potentials only after Wu leaves them. And despite Wu's demands to train, it's only the competition to become the Green Ninja and the later threat of the Serpentine that forces Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane back into shape to begin with. Meanwhile, Lloyd learns from his mistake of directly copying Wu in "Crossroads Carnival" (S1, E3) and lightens up, causing Sora to be slightly more open to training in the first place.

I'm not entirely sure what's up with Arin's Spinjitzu, given that after learning it from Ras's teachings, there are red shatterspin-esque particles in it. We also never see Frak do Spinjitzu, so it seems like what prevented Arin from doing Spinjitzu was not an inability to do the technique (if it was, then Frak would know the technique as well) but some sort of mental block which Arin conquered or suppressed by accepting Ras's teachings of "taking from life what you need" and "forcing the world to work the way you want it to."

Lloyd's students also do learn quite a bit from him, with the Ras fight in "The Battle of the Second Monastery" (the S1P1 finale) designed to show how far they've come by beating the adversary who took them out easily in the season premiere. Season 2 walks back on this with Arin upset about how little he's progressed. That being said, while Lloyd doesn't teach him Spinjitzu, Arin still has learned from Lloyd. Ras tells him he hasn't gotten any better from their first fight, but he's lying. When Ras first fights Arin, he stops Arin's kick with one hand and throws him to the ground, ending the fight in under five seconds. When Ras fights Arin in "The Forest of Spirits" (S2, E9), he still beats Arin with ease, but Arin is far more resilient and Ras uses his hammer against an unarmed opponent. Lloyd also helps motivate Sora in the Tournament of Sources and (sorta) provides her with the wisdom that helps her win the whole thing.

Kai might be a better teacher - I'm not sure. He doesn't teach Lloyd Spinjitzu (he learns that on his own) and I don't know how much credit he gets for training Lloyd generally (since the rest of the Ninja were involved with that). I don't think he trains anyone after that (minus him telling young Wu to be confident in S9) up until S15, where he's teaching a class of children to "obliterate your enemy before they see you coming" (excessive force)***. He dislikes this so much that when Cole and Zane show up, he leaves with them despite having a kindergarten class later that day. I hope their parents got their money back. He then trains Wyldfyre (on Lloyd's advice) and does successfully teach her self-control. However, much like Lloyd with Arin and Sora, he doesn't teach her Spinjitzu.

Incidentally, both Kai and Lloyd are able to train villages to defend themselves (Kai and Lloyd in S11, Lloyd -- with Arin -- in DRS1).

The show has been building to a contrast between Lloyd and Ras's teaching styles since S2P1, with some focus in S2P2 (thanks to Frak), but now that Arin is with Ras, I'd hope that the writers are planning to address what specifically Lloyd did wrong and how he can learn from it. Right now it seems like Lloyd is a bad master for unspecified reasons -- did he not push his students hard enough? Did he put too much pressure on Arin to be "the greatest of all the Ninja"?**** Was he too overprotective (see him going with Arin and Sora to Imperium vs Wu who intentionally sent the Ninja on missions alone)? Was he not receptive enough to their concerns (like Arin wanting to find his parents)? Is he unwilling to be critical when needed (unlike Egalt)? All of these are potential options but the narrative doesn't pick one, so I get the frustration.

FWIW, my view on it is that Lloyd's biggest asset (and what caused him to lose Arin) is that he views the Ninja (including his students) as his family. He is protective of his family, he inspires them but also puts them on a pedestal, he avoids being critical, etc. This is what ensures Sora feels accepted and ultimately willing to tell her parents that she "has a new family now ... that loves me for who I truly am," unlocking her true potential. Meanwhile, Arin saw the Ninja as a symbol, a symbol of hope -- if they could come back, so could his parents. As he spends more time with them, his greatest fear isn't just that he'll disappoint his parents when he finds them, but that he'll view the Ninja as his family instead of them (S2, E3). Arin leaves for a bunch of reasons, only some of them related to Lloyd, but fundamentally, he becomes fixated on his "real" family, while Lloyd and the rest of them are an imperfect substitute. Ras would never pretend to be family to Arin; their relationship is purely transactional. The story isn't about Lloyd's way of demonstrating how to punch vs Ras's, it's about the difference between them as people -- caring vs efficiency, patience vs force, etc. I hope (assume?) that S3 develops this.

In addition, the closest we get in S2 as to the difference in philosophy between Lloyd and Ras is that Ras thinks people (ie Lloyd) are too busy passively waiting for the world to harmonize. I doubt Lloyd is supposed to learn that Ras is right about this - but a synthesis of those teachings -- one must accept the motion of the universe with a more proactive approach (helping shape the flow of that motion) -- might be the move.

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

*Pirates vs Ninja (S2, E2)

**the closest thing we see is him randomly unlocking super strength while training with Jay

***Farewell the Sea (S15, E1)

****(DRS2, E6)

Maybe Lloyd just shouldn't be a master.

He's clearly not very good at it. He's been trying it since season 5, and his first real students both take FOREVER to make any progress. Sora takes a whole season to unlock her powers, but apparently isn't taught spinjitzu in any of that time- the literal first thing we see taught to any of our characters in the original show. Arin somehow makes backwards progress with Lloyd, and then after doing like three poses with his friend seems to get it instantly.

Like... seems like he's just not very good at teaching. Maybe he should hand the position over to Kai, he's got a natural knack for it, a lot more experience, and a much higher success rate as far as I'm concerned. Master Kai for the win.

[sepublic]

There's something just so romantic and domestic about Geode to me... Geo having to take care of his kids on his own, and then the universe literally drops the coolest, baddest husband he could ever imagine right on his doorstep one day. He's the dude who helped resolve the Geckle/Munce conflict that led to Geo being unwanted in the first place. He's the son of Lilly, whom Geo would've heard stories about.

And I love how Cole could've easily just moved on, because he needs to find his fellow ninja for like. The greater good or whatever. But he can't just leave anyone behind, especially people who are forgotten for whatever 'justifications' are offered. That's why Cole's a hero, because no innocent lives are acceptable as sacrifices. He's a bleeding heart who cares too much to look past it, he promised his mother to stand up to those who are cruel and unjust, for those who are hurt and downtrodden. He will always consider the little guy.

Just imagine Cole making that decision, announcing it to the finders that he's going to stay. Imagine Geo's reaction. Imagine Geo not letting himself get too attached at first because he'll be gone, and then he hangs around after all. Cole didn't know how long he'd be here but ninja never quit, as long as there's people in danger he owes it to them to help, even if it kills him.

The domestic vibes of them looking after the kids together, watching them, coordinating the family. The fact that the land of lost things always has this perpetual romantic sunset going on. It's just them, their kids, and this rampaging death machine that is technically the reason they got together in the first place, because without it Cole might've continued with his journey.

And you think Geo was just a little bit worried when it was 'over', when Sora and Nya helped to resolve that issue. Cole had no more reason to stay and protect them, plus he even has a new call to action from his old master! Back to being a hero, back to the times before them. At least there's no rampaging death machine anymore, and Geo chides himself for being selfish, he should be grateful his kids are safe and Cole is reunited with his REAL family...

AND THEN HE COMES BACK!!! COLE COMES BACK AND REMEMBERS!!! He knows what it's like to be lost and forgotten, or at least feel that way, so he'll never forget.

Man, out of all of the ninja who got scattered in the Merge, Cole's whereabouts feel the most satisfying and fleshed out, the way they tie back to his character arc and themes and motifs, his past, everything. Zane was in The Egg, Jay was with the Administration (which IS interesting but also a new development), Kai and Nya had their own things and Lloyd struggled to be the lone ninja, which is also fitting. But with Cole, it just feels all so right and even a way to end off his character's decade-plus arc, I love it. You can tell the writers really care about Cole.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🖤 Black History Month ❤️

💛 Queer Books by Black Authors 💚

[ List Under the Cut ]

🖤 Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender ❤️ Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta 💛 Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 💚 I'm a Wild Seed by Sharon Lee De La Cruz 🖤 Real Life by Brandon Taylor ❤️ Ruthless Pamela Jean by Carol Denise Mitchell 💛 The Unbroken by C.L. Clark 💚 Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova 🖤 Skin Deep Magic by Craig Laurance Gidney ❤️ The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 💛 That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole 💚Work for It by Talia Hibbert

🖤 All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson ❤️ The Deep by Rivers Solomon 💛 How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters 💚 Running With Lions by Julian Winters 🖤 Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters ❤️ This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender 💛 The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum 💚 This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow 🖤 Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa ❤️ Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia 💛 Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 💚 The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

🖤 Pet by Akwaeke Emezi ❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 💛 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole 💚 Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron 🖤 Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann ❤️ A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney 💛 Power & Magic by Joamette Gil 💚 The Black Veins by Ashia Monet 🖤 Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon ❤️ The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow 💛 Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James 💚 Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

🖤 The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta ❤️ Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee 💛 A Phoenix First Must Burn (edited) by Patrice Caldwell 💚 Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson 🖤 Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles ❤️ Black Boy Out of Time by Hari Ziyad 💛 Darling by K. Ancrum 💚 The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode 🖤 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ❤️ Off the Record by Camryn Garrett 💛 Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers 💚 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

🖤 How to Dispatch a Human by Stephanie Andrea Allen ❤️ Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans 💛 The Essential June Jordan (edited) by Jan Heller Levi and Christoph Keller 💚 A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark 🖤 A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney ❤️ Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo 💛 Dread Nation by Justina Ireland 💚 Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome 🖤 Masquerade by Anne Shade ❤️ One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite 💛 Soulstar by C.L. Polk 💚 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell

🖤 Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender ❤️ Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby 💛 Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair 💚 The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 🖤 If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann ❤️ Sweethand by N.G. Peltier 💛 This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron 💚 Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon 🖤 Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett ❤️ Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez 💛 Memorial by Bryan Washington 💚 Patsy by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn

🖤 Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon ❤️ How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole 💛 Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackosn 💚 Mouths of Rain (edited) by Briona Simone Jones 🖤 Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia ❤️ Love's Divine by Ava Freeman 💛 The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr 💚 Odd One Out by Nic Stone 🖤 Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden ❤️ Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas 💛 The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons 💚 Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

🖤 Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert ❤️ My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson 💛 Pleasure and Spice by Fiona Zedde 💚 No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull 🖤 The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus ❤️ Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor 💛 The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 💚 Peaces by Helen Oyeyem 🖤 The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk ❤️ Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh 💛 Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San 💚 The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera

🖤 King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender ❤️ By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery 💛 Busy Ain't the Half of It by Frederick Smith & Chaz Lamar Cruz 💚 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo 🖤 Sin Against the Race by Gar McVey-Russell ❤️ Trumpet by Jackie Kay 💛 Remembrance by Rita Woods 💚 Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo 🖤 You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour ❤️ The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters 💛 Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi 💚 Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyem

[jollmaster]

What were the V's mortal life like?

finally I gathered all main thoughts about them 🖤 they're all jerks and their lives weren't easy

Vox

• born in 1900 to a family of dockworkers, was the first in his family to be born in California, so-called nisei; his parents were pure-blooded japanese who moved to the USA in search of a better life; their lineage had been christian since the Edo period, despite persecution

• spent youth in Nihonmachi (San Francisco's japantown), almost from the day it was founded

• worked with machinery and electricity and was very successful, but at the same time liked to walk in the harbor watching fish being caught (he loved the pungent smell of fish)

• spoke fluent Japanese and English, used the name Cole in english-speaking society, but anyway experienced racist prejudice against himself; future-Vox real name was Koi (carp in japanese)

• after 1924, he often helped compatriots with american citizenship and practically saw the birth of television broadcasting

• by the time of WWII he already had a wife and two children; their third son was born two months before Executive Order 9066

• in 1942 family was interned and he spent two and a half years in "relocation center", while the eldest of sons was shot on suspicion of espionage

• it was then that future-Vox lost trust in any government and decided that he would gather people around by himself (he would later advocate with all his might to minimize the contact of sinners with demons and establish himself in a separate region, spreading technology and broadcasting, and would choose the name Vox, or voice)

• all these anxieties, as well as workaholism, took a heavy toll on health, and he died of a heart attack in early 1950s

Valentino

• son of a prostitute (had no idea who his father was) and inherited her beauty

• had the same name in life as when he died

• born in a Montevideo brothel in the mid XIXth century; grew up in an unhealthy situation and even saw mother working

• later his mother became a brothel owner herself, and a rather harsh one at that; her upbringing laid the foundation for Valentino's crooked understanding of the world and hierarchy

• when he was about twelve years old and was already helping in management (counting money, carrying wine from the pantry, sweeping, all that), one of the customers wanted to take him to the room, but mother heard this and made a scandal, and son wasn't touched

• unfortunately or fortunately for himself, Valentino had learned that weakness means death, and the law of force is the main thing in the world

• was quite smart in business, ran a brothel when his mother was gone (she died, ironic as it may sound, of a cold fever), and prostitutes both respected him and were very afraid of

• Valentino treated women in a purely consumer way, he was generally the kind of master who yells and then can both caress and physically use

• however, he once paid for the funeral of one of workers when she bleeded and died after abortion, and even was near her in last hour; there were rumors that this child was his too

• his response to all questions was "how damn should I know who knocked her up"

• died in a fire; one of the workers, young Theresa, locked him in, he didn't get out in time and burned alive

Velvette

• Velvette is her stage name; real name was Violet, because of unusual eye color at birth

• was born in 1960s, inherited violet eyes from father: her mother was a somali who fled the country in search of a better life, and father was a white walloon (she spoke Somaligaa with mom and French with dad)

• parents divorced when Vel was a teenager but kept a good relationship

• went to France when she grew up and planned a career as a fashion designer

• to some extent it was her eyes that got her noticed by photographers and she later had a career as a model, although she didn't fit standards for height (too short) and skin color (too dark-skinned)

• she had a hard enough time, but she had a tough character and didn't hesitate to make way by any means necessary

• however, Vel never agreed to sleep with anyone in exchange for preferential treatment: no, she's an independent woman and she'll only sleep with someone who deserves it

• planned to earn enough money, leave modeling, go back to what she had wanted, marry a nice wealthy gentleman and have a son; not that she really wanted to have a baby, this just seemed normal to her

• Vel wouldn't have been very caring soft mother, but she would have tried to provide for child, hired a good nanny and been present in his life

• at the age of twenty-five she hit a girl with a car, but bought off the court

• the girl's father couldn't relive loss and bribed one of Vel's detractors to shoot her dead

• the killer was her ex-boyfriend

[moonlightdreams99]

Usagi's Stupid Ninjago Headcanons Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

Kai got so fed up with Wu not warning them about potential enemies that he started studying Ninjago history himself just to be prepared. He might end up becoming a historian at this rate.

Jay thinks of himself as 90% heterosexual. That missing 10% totally has nothing to do with Cole.

Zane once downloaded an entire dictionary of cutesy internet slang. To this day, no one has recovered from the psychic damage of hearing him say "UWU."

Cole collects crystals. There's no real reason why. He just thinks they're neat.

Lloyd listens to a lot of lofi and vintage love songs. Stuff from all the way back in the 50s and 60s. It helps knock him out whenever he's having trouble falling asleep.

Nya has started taking bets with the other ninja about what kind of monsters they'll end up fighting the next time Ninjago is in danger. Her latest guess is vampires.

Pixal would have been a theater kid in another life. She loves musicals and plays. She collects the playbills for every one she goes to.

Skylor couldn't get her anacondrai tattoo removed after Chen was defeated. So instead she got a ton of tattoos on her back to cover it up. (I haven't decided what kind of tattoos they should be yet).

Misako has insane levels of luck. She's pretty much guaranteed to win any luck-based game she plays. She is a master gambler.

Garmadon has a Chirper account. The only people who aren't too scared to interact with him are Misako, Vinny, Lloyd and the ninja, and the brave few who call him a boomer in the comments of every post he makes.

Wu and Garmadon like to mess with people by telling them stories about their lives and letting them try to figure out which ones are true and which ones are made up.

Harumi had an alt account on Chirper where she offered to write people's Garmadon X OC fanfiction for them in exchange for money she could use to fund the Sons of Garmadon. She didn't have any money of her own and if she took any from the treasury, the Emperor and Empress would find out. It was the only way she could get any funds for her plan. Running a biker gang / cult isn't cheap.

Dareth used to be a movie star. Well, he starred in one movie. A martial arts action flick that was supposed to be the start of his career but ended up being such a box office bomb that nobody else would work with him. He'll still defend the movie as a "classic" whenever someone else says that it's bad.

[royonninjago]

The Ninja's Roles Within the Team

Something I think the various Ninjago shows do really well is the characterizations of each Ninja. If it was bad, then kids wouldn't wanna watch the show or buy the Lego sets to reenact their favorite moment and create new scenarios for the Ninja to go through.

However, for the past few years a problem I've had with the TV show is that some characters feel more... useful than others. Then there are moments when one character is missing, but the team seems to operate just fine without them, and I think that does a real disservice to the characters.

In contrast, take the ATLA episode "Sokka's Master". It's one of my favorites because it separates Sokka, the only non-bender in Team Avatar, from the rest of the team. The episode demonstrates to both us and the rest of Team Avatar why Sokka is essential to their team. Without him, they're bored, can't figure out where they are or where they're headed on a map, and are overall completely directionless. Its like the precursor to those dime a dozen fantasy mangas where the weak member of a dungeon divers gets fired and the rest of the party ends up deeply regretting it.

I want the Ninjago TV show to demonstrate to us why each member is essential to the Ninja Team, and why without one of them the Ninja Team is worse off or have to work twice as hard to compensate.

Dragons Rising had such a good opportunity to explore this, but unfortunately it seems like the biggest problem the Team faces from being separated across the merged realms is lack of manpower and not much else. In lieu of this, here are some of my ideas as to how each character could prove to be essential to the Ninja.

Lloyd - The Leader. This one is definitely the most obvious. He's had a very clear leadership role since he became the Green Ninja, and ever since Wu left this distinction has only gotten more pronounced. However, I do find myself wishing to see a bit more of a dark streak with him. He was originally introduced as an antagonist, and I don't know about y'all but I still find myself enjoying Three Days Grace ever since I played the Halo 3 campaign at a friend's house while listening to AMVs of their songs.

Kai - The Weapon Master. Although there was never anything to support this, I always thought that Kai made the weapons that the Ninja used in the pilots. He is a blacksmith, after all. I think it would be cool if this aspect was more leaned into and not only make him the guy that creates all the swords and throwing stars and whatever other simple weapons the Ninja use, but to also be the best one at using those weapons. A sword is obviously his go to, but put any kind of simple weapon in his hands and I think he'd be able to use it very well. Imagine how much cooler it would have been in season 11 if Kai managed to defeat Aspheera's sheer power with his incredible swordsmanship skills. It'd certainly tie into his arc that season much better than what we actually got.

Jay - The Scout. Remember that scene in the pilots where the Skulkin cars were trying to reach 88 mph or whatever and Jay was gaining on them just by running? The writers sure don't! Though in all seriousness, whenever the Ninja need to learn a new technique to do something, Jay always picks up on it really quickly. First to perform Spinjitzu and summon his Golden Weapon Vehicle, second to unlock his true potential, third to summon his Elemental Dragon, he managed to surprise Ronin when practicing Airjitzu, not to mention his laundry list of hobbies. If they really leaned into his speed, combining that with his skills as a Ninja would make him perfect for running ahead and reporting back on the enemy forces. In my own little world, I like to imagine him as a PG version of the Scout from TF2 (Jay even had a slight Boston accent in the pilots!).

Cole - The Muscle. This one is also fairly obvious due to Cole's signature Earth Punch, but I feel as though it should be noticed more when he's not around, especially in Master of the Mountain. If I'm remembering correctly, they don't fully acknowledge his absence until they're locked up in the Vengestone cage about to be executed. If I regularly hung out with a dude that could lift a car over his head, I'd be lamenting about his absence whenever I needed to lift a heavy box.

Zane - The Information Officer. Another obvious one, but in this case I feel as though they lean a bit too heavily into it. Yes, he's a robot and yes, it's his job to know things, but I want to see his more dorky and silly side from time to time. Give us more Zane following a bird because it danced and him just chilling (literally) in the fridge at midnight for no reason type of stuff. After all, his greatest fear is losing his humanity.

Nya - The Strategist. I feel as though on a 'don't judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree' level, Nya is just as smart as Zane. Due to his physiology, Zane can hold much more raw information many times over Nya, but I feel as though Nya is much better at putting that information to use. Going back to Master of the Mountain (I realize I'm referencing it a lot, its still fresh in my mind), when Kai and Zane were lost, they relied entirely on the raw data from Zane's internal compass, and because of that they got lost and had to rely on Geckles capturing them to reach their settlement. On the other hand, when Lloyd, Jay, and Nya were lost, Nya was able to determine the location of the Munce settlement by searching for signs of life and finding footprints. Also, I think this characterization fits the Master of Water really well considering water adapts to whatever environment it resides in.

The new Ninja from Dragons Rising are still very inexperienced and still haven't really found their grooves within the team, but I'm still gonna try and analyze them here.

Arin - ???. Right now, Arin's main skills are his unique Spinjitzu skills and his talent with a grappling hook. Its still so early in his Ninja training that he hasn't really carved out a distinct role for himself, though I hope this changes as time goes on. Not too long ago I proposed a cool idea for his future if any of y'all wanna take a look at that here.

Sora - The Technical Specialist. While I don't enjoy the idea of PIXAL being replaced as the Ninja's primary vehicle builder, with Sora being the Elemental Master of Tech it seems very possible that this is where things are headed. Instead of that, I think it better for her to either focus on using her skills in the field or to specialize in Mechs. Both of these ideas come from the Elemental Mech mini-series. I thought the idea of switching up parts on a mech in the middle of a battle to be a fun concept and one giving credence to her being a Field Tech, and whenever she uses her Elemental Powers its for the purpose of creating or altering or fixing a mech about half of the time.

Wyldfyre - The Dragon Expert. Even before the Merge, the Ninja encountered Dragons a lot. Now that there are dragons seemingly everywhere, Wyldfyre seems like the perfect liaison for communicating with these dragons, assuming she can learn to cool off when its needed. She also seems to know a good amount about dragons, considering that she was easily able to identify the Wasting Sickness and make a soup to help ease the pain it caused. There's still a lot she needs to learn before anyone can consider her an expert, but with her love of dragons and the belief that she is one, I think she'd be more than willing to learn.

And there you have it. If you have any ideas or head cannons or questions surrounding this topic, I'd love to hear them!

[the-ninjago-historian]

Ninjago: Into The Deep (Master Post, Summary, and Q and A!)

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by! If you've been on my blog, you probably know about this upcoming project. But for those of you who don't, what is Ninjago: Into The Deep? I'll tell you! Ninjago: Into The Deep is a fully fleshed out Ninjago fan season inspired by legendary fantasy works such as Narnia, Lord of The Rings, and even classic Disney films and more modern adventure stories like Avatar: The Last Air Bender. Here's the summary!

Things are looking up for the Ninja since their battle with the Crystal King! Jay and Nya have gotten married, Lloyd is now training to become a sensei, and Ninjago City hasn't had a major disaster in over a month! (A new record!) Everything seems to be going well, until the team receives a mysterious letter from Queen Vania, requesting their presence.

Once they arrive, they discover an evil plot, orchestrated by former king Vangelis, to overthrow Vania and take the throne again! And having a taste of conquest while on the Crystal Council, the disgraced monarch has his sights set on the rest of Ninjago as well! Powered by a new energy source, Vangelis is now far too powerful for the Ninja to defeat with their current abilities. They must find a new way to defeat him!

This takes the Ninja on a quest to a new world! The magical and beautiful subterranean kingdom of The Deep Lands! There, they must find the Elemental Beasts. Seven creatures created by the FSM and imbued with elemental powers, to teach the first Elemental Masters how to use their abilities. And who control the very balance of nature itself! From these magical beings, the Ninja will learn new powers and skills that are beyond their wildest dreams, and take down Vangelis once and for all! So join us, as we meet new friends, experience new powers, and journey Into The Deep.🍃🌊🔥🪨❄️🐲⚡

So that's it! I also have some cool concept art that should be finished soon!

Now here's some Q and A to answer all your questions! Some are from one of followers, and others I added in just to give general information. 😁 If you don't see a question being answered that you would like to see answered, please feel free to send it in!

(Under the cut because this is LOOOOOONG.)

First some general info.

Q: How will the episodes be released?

A: Each episode is three chapters long. Therefore, split into three parts. (Kinda like how you would have two commercial breaks in a real episode of Ninjago!) One episode will be released every week! Via a released chapter every Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: How many episodes will there be?

A: 16-20. About as many a regular season of Ninjago would have!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: What is this series rating?

A: G - PG! I don't do adult humor or gore. So it will be about as kid friendly as a usual Ninjago Season!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: Will there be exclusive characters?

A: Yes! Several! Some including the Elemental Beasts, and even Cole's Grandfather Rocky! More will be released as the series goes on.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: Will the season ever be animated?

A: If I aquire the time, resources, and skills, absolutely!

Now, let's answer some questions from one of my followers and awesome friend @dexter-the-dog!

A: Probably the only thing that makes it an Alternate Universe is that Dragons Rising isn't canon to this story. Other than that, it should fit nicely with the canon.

A: YES! The Elemental Beasts! They are so cool! I can't even put it into words! Currently, there are six Elemental Beasts. One for Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Lightning, and Air. The Air Beast will have a very important role to play in this story! I'm also partial to Cole's Grandfather Rocky, who will also be making an appearance! He's a very interesting guy. And super powerful too! After all, he fought the Serpentine and the Time Twins! So he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve!

A: As Doc would say, #NoSpoilers! Lol! But there is a really cool scene were Nya uses her powers in a new way! It should be EPIC. So cool in fact, I just might animate it!

A: Ah! I can answer both of these! Since Into The Deep is a fan season, it will try to fit into the canon as closely as possible. That being said, the characters are exactly as you would see them in the canon show. No backgrounds or roles changed. But whether they will gain new abilities or new roles? Well that I can't say without spoiling things.

A: It's definitely the Cole x Vania story I have planned. Lol. Yeah, I ship them. I think they're cute. And they'll have plenty of cute moments in this story!

A: Into The Deep happens about a month or two after Crystalized. :)

A: I've been waiting to answer this one! The Elemental Beasts take on a mentor role for each of their appointed ninja. They will help them learn new abilities and fight their inner demons to truly become their most powerful selves. They're also are basically Nature Spirits. Each one controls a certain element in nature from their base kingdoms in the Deep Lands. Because of this, they can never leave to go up to the surface, or the balance would be offset. This factor is important, so make sure you remember it while reading.

And that's all the questions I got! That was fun!

Before I end this post, I'm gonna tag a few people I remember being interested in this thing! (@rinkunokoisuru @shatteredhope123 @miraculous-stud @nocturnal-nexu @dexter-the-dog) Hope you guys enjoy all this info! And thank you for all your love and support. It's really kept me going.😁🫶

Well, that's all for now! Keep an eye out for updates! And I'll see you around! Bye! - ✒️🐉

[weekend-whip]

Ninjago Fic Rec Week (2024): Day 4

Prompts: AU/Movieverse/OCs! (Catching Up! I uh skipped Day 3 oop but I've got plenty to offer for this day! Which is...also late...don't look at meeee)

Aus WITH OCs (or as I like to call this list, my own personal indulgence corner. All the AUs/Movieverse stories I've read are ones that get recc'ed a lot already + I myself have already recc'ed them at one point or another, soooo let's throw some pure spotlight onto some OC stories! Even if a lot of it is connected to me to some degree that's irrelevant):

As The Years Pass By: A fic currently in the process of being rewritten/reworked but still chock full of next-gen Dragons Rising goodness! And it stars the one, the only, Jenna and Ethan from @rainofthetwilight!!!! This fic made me fall in love with her characters and I've loved reading/seeing/drawing these two adorable kids ever since!!!!

Dad!Jay AU by @taddymason: An AU so good I'm still catching up on reading it bit by bit to savor it for longer *-*)9 All the stories in this series are worth the read alone for the accumulation of taddy's character Kaida (a girl who needs no introduction–she's that awesome guys, trust me) but also the eventual father-daughter bond with amnesiac!Jay that is gripping and engaging aaaaall the wall through!!

I Carve This Poem From the Harshest of Storms: Another I'm not caught up with YET (a running theme for this Fic Week, it seems hgfhgfdfgds i'm sorry I'm slow and have a short-attention span). It follow two fascinating peeps in The Administration following The Merge, and without giving too much away, @theartsyswissapple ‘s voices for the characters just POP and make them feel SO real and it's been intriguing to read so far so yeah others should give it a try too!!!

What it Takes for You to See Me: A Spinjitzu bros story with added FSM and Mystake goodness too!!! This is one I've just started reading myself, but you know I love some throwbacks to Wu and Garmadon's past! And the OC here, @marhan-writes-n-draws's Amka, fits into the setting like a glove!!

Honeycomb: Gotta give a shoutout to @miqotepotatoe's Lucy while I'm here too!! Some short, sweet snippets of the Ninja Team's best (and most yellow) cheerleader!! I love her dynamic with everyone, and especially Cole <3

The Space Between Us: A very deep and heart-wrenching introspective into @k1ngtok's characters Lynda and Jamie, Master(s) of Space. It's story about siblings and bonds at its core, but also be mindful of tag of you're looking to dig deeper! (it also takes place in legacyverse technically but that's neither here or there I promise)

Flowery Language Another super funny and endearing story by King following Jesse (hey it's my boy!!) and Antonia on the case to discover who's been leaving flowers in Jesse's locker (spoiler: it's not Cole lmao). It's actually a semi-sequel to this old thing *I* wrote however long ago, but thaaaat's not required reading (though it does help). If you want more of a fix for the Jesse-Antonia duo + more of Jamie, this is the story to read!

Learning to Love (Again): Yet another King fic based in legacyverse (a coincidence), this one kiiiind of takes place during Season 2/Book 3 and follows Jamie on his quest to truly show his friends (Nya, Antonia, Harumi, Jesse, and...Olivia?!) just how much he cares about them through the power of love languages over the course of a week and it is AWESOOOOOOOOME!! Soooo many touching and feel-good moments, mostly soft slice-of-life with teenagers being teenagers, and is a great pick-me up when your soul is feeling sad ;w;)/ I advocate for this one just for the warm soft friendshippy-feelings it gives me alone!!! AAAAAA—

Something About Morning Glories: Jesse (oop there he is again) takes it upon to himself to comfort Jay after the latter finds himself concerned about something following obtaining his True Potential. A duo I desperately want to write more about but can't yet, so this little bit of foundation for their relationship will have to suffice for now ;w;)/

(and if you're still clamoring for more of a certain magic pink fool, there's plenty more where that came from; perhaps there may be a Jesse-Antonia friendship origin story on deck soon, along with maybe some DR stuff~! ...listen there will never be a good chance to self-advertise like this again!! BE YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!! SELF-LOVE BABY!!!! *-*)9 )

In the Company of the Stars: A tale as old as time—a Royal!AU where the fair groundskeeper of a palace's garden (that's the OC) falls head over heels for the prince far out of his league (that's Cole)—except, the prince absolutely likes him back...albeit only as his secret, suave alter-ego. But is that really true—and, more importantly, is there bigger problems to deal with right now???? There's romance, mystery, good food, royal drama, angst, fluff, sabotage, magic, a whole bunch of flowers, Harumi causing chaos on purpose, Skylor throws Chad across a room, Jay goes on a rampage a some point, Kai can't flirt to save his life—the author just needs some fresh motivation to post the darn next chapter already because the ending's gonna be really really good ;V

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Sony's problem is they don't have any mascots, and all their well known characters aren't that mascot-y either.

Consider: Nintendo was able to make a videogame entirely out of mascots. It has 100 of them. For some reason they all fit in the game.

Warner bros was able to do the same thing. Fricken Warner Bros! Everyone knows Harley Quinn, Finn the Human, Jason Voorhers (lol), Steven Universe.

Xbox has Master Chief. Core and centre, Master Chief. Do they even need anyone else? Well they could throw in the Gears of War characters and even some Fallout bros if they want.

Sony has... Nathan Drake? Whoop de doo. Actually let me look at the list:

Hooray! You can play as... *checks notes*... Cole MacGrath! Twice!

Like yeah playing as Raiden or Big Daddy would be legendary in Smash bros, they even had Dante(!!!), but they have far too many Serious characters and not enough silly mascots. It's just not the same as Smash.

They should do something like Soul Caliber where it's a real fighter and not a party fighter. Then you can have Aloy and Kratos fight each other and people will be excited about it. Maybe throw in Crash Bandicoot DLC to make the fans absolutely lose their minds.

[snazzilystoopid]

Hello there, fellow Ninjago fan....

I wonder, are you looking for Ninjago fics to read..?

WELL GOOD NEWS I'M HERE WITH A LIST OF AMAZING FICS FROM QUOTEV JUST FOR YOU!! <33

List is below heheh

Also just real quick: Some of these fics are not updated often/not updated anymore! These are all fem readers/ocs, but if they are gn or male I'll lyk. These are also catered to Cole lovers (ofc) but there are some other pretty good ones too!!

Dandelions~ Lloyd x Reader

https://www.quotev.com/story/15255742/dandelions-LloydG-x-reader

This is a reader insert, and I think is a gn reader if I recall. I haven't read it in a while, but I do remember really enjoying it! It's rarely updated, and has under 100 pages currently, but it's worth the read. Promise!

Element of Wishes~ OC

https://www.quotev.com/story/15032547/ELEMENT-OF-WISHES-LEGO-Ninjago

I LOVE THIS FIC SMM!! This is an OC fic, following the story of an elemental master of wishes, who also just so happens to be half-djinn! It currently has over 200 pages as well. You read through the events of Ninjago as normal, but also get to read interesting parts about the mc's own personal quest to find answers! SKYLOR ALSO PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN IT AND I LOVE THAT SM (Most of s1 has been skipped though). Cole is the current love interest, the author can sometimes leave updating for like 4 months lmao, but they have started updating regularly again! One of my all-time favourite fics! I'M CURRENTLY READING IT RN AND I LOVE ITTT

The Master of Wind~ OC

https://www.quotev.com/story/7985682/The-Master-of-Wind

I another one I haven't read for a bit, but let me tell you: I LOVED THIS BOOK WITH A BURNING PASSION OMG. Its also pretty long, with like 900 pages lol. I generally love the concept of a master of wind, more so because I love Morro, but anyways, this book is spectacular. The love interest is Lloyd, and its a bit of a slow burn, but its worth it. Sadly it hasn't been updated for 3 months now, but I am hopeful that the author will update it soon!

Just An Illusion~ Reader Insert

https://www.quotev.com/story/14405232/Just-an-Illusion

Another short-ish book with under 100 pages, but I really loved this one!! The fic begins at the Tournament of Elements, and I don't think there is a current love interest. But seriously the way I read and reread this book is acc insane 😭 The fic unfortunately has been left for 8 months as I think the author is taking a break, but I'm pretty confident that Just an Illusion will continue!

Stoneheart~ OC

https://www.quotev.com/story/14081498/Stoneheart-Ninjago-Masters-of-Spinjitzu

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. The fic follows the story of an OC, who isn't from Ninjago, and who ends up joining the Ninja. Another MASSIVE book with over 800 pages and chock-full with a bunch of amazing original characters, and you're in for a good ride, trust me! I don't think there is a definite love interest, but it does seem to be leaning towards a certain character hehe (and no its not Cole unfortunately). Its being updated regularly-ish and I promise you will NOT regret reading it!

The Infinite Series~ Reader Insert

https://www.quotev.com/story/14276031/Infinite-Serenity-INFINITE-SERIES-BOOK-1

Another fic I enjoyed, this tells the story of the reader who died and had been reincarnated into a show from their childhood, LEGO Ninjago (obviously lol). There are two books in the series, the first one is linked above and you should be able to find the second one from there. I don't remember if there was a love interest or not but I do remember that the mc's personal story is really cool and so so creative! Book 1 had around 400 words and book 2 has like 300, however it hasn't been updated in 7 months 💔 still worth the read!

The Last~ Reader Insert

https://www.quotev.com/story/10806407/The-Last-LEGO-Ninjago-Masters-of-Spinjitzu-X-Reader

THE LAST. I LOVED THE LAST SO MUCH OMG. IM JUST SO SAD IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2021 😭💔. This book is a Reader insert, where the mc is the last of their species, and joins the Ninja team, though I don't remember if there was a love interest or not, you'll have to read to find out because I really don't remember haha. Though the book has just over 100 pages, there aren't many chapters, and I don't think it's past s1 yet. Its still a good read, however, and I think a lot of you guys would like it!

The Colour of Hope & The Race Against Time~ OC

https://www.quotev.com/story/15708101/Ninjago-The-Color-of-Hope

THIS FIC IS EPIC. ITS AMAZING. It follows the story of a girl who becomes a target for a mysterious gang, and ends up in the care and protection of none other than the Ninja! (The Colour of Hope takes place between Day of the Departed and s7). The love interest is Cole, and the writing as absolutely phenomenal! This is a series, and the first book is linked above. The next book has only recently been made, so I have the upmost confidence that it'll be regularly updated, since the first one was too! Book 1 had around 250 pages I think. I PROMISE. You will wanna read it.

The Indigo and Black Series~ OC(s)

https://www.quotev.com/story/11634295/Indigo-and-Black-Pilots-Rise-of-the-Snakes-and-Destiny-of-the-Green-Ninja

I ENJOYED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! This follows the tale of not 1, but 2 mcs who are both OCs! One is the master of Time, the other, the master of Forces + Shadows. A Three-part series with 3 books, and the love interests are Cole and Kai! (Sorry Kailor fans 😭) The last book was updated around 6 months ago, but I did some digging and turns out the authors are still working on the next book, so I hope it comes out soon!

Kiss Me Baby~ Reader Insert

https://www.quotev.com/story/14954138/Kiss-Me-Baby-Ninjago

Suprisingly, this is actually a fic based on the universe of the Ninjago Movie, and I really enjoyed it! The reader is a confident teen who joins Ninjago High, but is secretly the mystery person who managed to get Lord Garmadon into prison, putting a stop to all his attacks on Ninjago City. A short book with under 100 pages, but it is also going through a rewrite if I recall. No definite love interest, but there is an implied one (once again, *sigh* it isn't Cole). Also, just throwing it out there, I was awake at like 4am reading this 😭

The Truth~ OC

https://www.quotev.com/story/9767787/The-Truth

THIS BOOK WAS LEGENDARY. I REREAD IT ALL THE TIME OML I LOVED IT. This book is all about a girl who somehow knows every member of the Ninja, though they don't actually remember her themselves. It begins at the Tournament of Elements, and runs right up to March of the Oni, where it has stopped being updated for quite a few months now 💔. The love interest is Cole, and honestly can I just say, this book was written SO WELL. Like I wish I could write like that 😭😭

Aaaaand that is all! If I DID have to pick my top 3, it would be as follows:

1ST~The Truth

2ND~Element of Wishes

3RD~ The Colour of Hope & The Race Against Time

I personally think these ones were/are the most engaging and exciting! I'm not saying the others were bad though. You'll wanna read them all. Trust me.

I hope yall enjoy these fics! <33

[starlightswitch]

At the Tone, Please Record Your Message

@flashfictionfridayofficial Inspired by "Dad's Old Number" by Cole Swindell, and [spoiler]

“Hey, Mom. I just wanted to call and say… I miss you? It’s weird because I don’t think I ever left you a voicemail before you… you know. When you were alive. It just felt like a way to talk to you that wasn’t… that was better than going to… your grave… Anyway. I miss you. I love you. Bye.”

“Hey, Mom. I got my first college acceptance. Can you believe it? I bet you’d be jumping up and down with me. I miss you. Bye.”

“Hey, Mom. So I decided where I’m going to college and Danny isn’t going to the same place. Which is why I thought of you because I know you and Dad were long distance for a while. I wish I could ask you for tips. I guess I could ask Dad but… I don’t know, it feels like more of a mother-daughter thing. Plus I think he thinks we’re not going to stay together. Which is weird when you and him were literally long distance. Anyway. I miss you. Bye.”

“Hi, Mom. This is weird because the last few times I tried to call you—call your number, whatever—  it didn’t go to voicemail, so I thought maybe Dad took your phone off the plan, but it worked this time. Anyway, I had to tell you I met this guy—and I bet you’d be grinning like ‘I told you so’ right now because I thought I’d never find someone after Danny—but I really like this guy. It’s just so—I just love hanging out with him. I wish I could tell you all of the details, but it would never fit in one voicemail… I think—”

“Hi, Mom—oh and hi, Jerry. And thanks for saying I can still call Mom’s number and leave voicemails, even though it’s your number now. I really, really appreciate it. So—Mom, I’m still talking to that guy—his name is Sawyer—and he still hasn’t asked me out. So I wish I could ask you if I should ask him. I just really don’t want to make the first move because what if he’s not really interested? I really like him though! …anyway, I love you. Bye.”

“Hi, Rose. Yeah, I don’t mind you listened to my voicemail for my mom. It’s your voicemail! And how personal can I get in like, a minute? So—I took your ‘unsolicited advice’ and, well, this message is for Mom too—he’s my boyfriend! I’m so excited! He was also nervous about asking me out, which, yeah, seems kind of obvious in hindsight. I just had to tell you, Mom, because… he’s such a great guy. I think you’d like him. I wish you got to meet him. I miss you so much… bye.”

“Hi, Mom. My senior project is all scheduled. I just called Dad to invite him, because we get to invite people when we present it, so I had to call you too. I wish you could be there. I’m going to be wearing your pearl necklace—Dad asked if I wanted to which was so sweet. And Sawyer will be there and some of my friends. I’ll be picturing you in the audience too. I love you. Bye.”

“Hi, Mom. I got an A on the project! They said it was really good work. I can officially graduate now! Oh—thanks for the good luck wishes, Jerry and Rose!”

“Hi, Mom. I’m literally about to go line up for graduation. Can you believe I’m graduating college? I’m wearing your pearl necklace again. Dad said I can keep it. I always miss you on days like this and just want to talk to you. Ack, I really have to go line up!”

“Hi, Mom. I don’t think I finished my message but I graduatedddd! Whoo! Jerry and Rose, I got your congrats message while I was at dinner—thank you! Dad asked who you were and I kind of fudged the answer, but I told Sawyer later. He said you sounded like great people. I thought you should know.”

“Hi, Mom. I got a job! I’m like a real adult now, can you believe it? Makes it harder to go see Sawyer though. He’s still at college because he’s getting a Master’s degree. It makes me think of wishing I could ask you for long distance advice, but you know what? I know I can do it this time. Because I’m really pretty sure this relationship is it. I bet that’s how you and Dad felt. I do really wish you could meet him—he’s the best. Love you. Bye.”

“Mom. I’m engaged! He got this coffee shop we really like to do a special called the Match Made in Heaven that was my favorite flavors and then when we went out on the porch he got on one knee and said he’d be honored to spend the rest of his life with me and the ring is so pretty! I literally rehearsed that to fit it into a voicemail. But, uh, I love talking about it so, um, Rose, if you want to hear more about it feel free to call me? Mom, I love you and I miss you and I can’t believe I’m getting married and you’re not going to be at my wedding. I know I’ll be thinking of you all day. We all will.”

“Hey, Jerry or Rose. Both of you, really. It’s Ellie, and this message is not for Mom, it’s for you… I was wondering if you’d like to come to my wedding? You’ve sort of been there for my whole relationship so I’d love to have you there, and I was going to send a Save the Date but I don’t have your address. It’s November 16th. If you want to come just give me a call back and give me your address, okay? I’d really love to have you. Okay, bye.”

(...also inspired by that guy who gained a grandma when she accidentally texted him)

[squib-2006]

Dr pt2 spoiler warning

This was a fantastic set of episodes

• Kai and wyldfire are everything. Kai having to deal with someone who acts like he did in the earlier seasons is poetic justice and funny as hell.

• I also like how they kinda tried to explain why Kai seemed calm after sea bound and nyas seaifcation. I guess Kai meditating with wu would make him calmer. At least it confirms that Kai was upset (even if they didn’t show it)

•I am kinda upset that nothing from skybound was brought up with the Djinn. I personally don’t really like skybound but I still find that it could be used more than just oh yah that happened right wink wink. I mean we had to suffer through skybound for something right?

• I actually really liked sora and nyas whole plot with the Djinns curse. It was fun and had a nice conclusion.

• Coles return is great I love his little gang in the land of forgotten things. My favorite has to be the skeleton girl (I forgot her name probably cuz they only say it like 2 times) she’s funny.

• I do wish there was a scene where nyas like btw I found Cole and the other ninja react. I mean she does mention it at the end but no one except Zane has any real reaction.

• Beatrix going off the rails was really funny. It felt like someone gave a teen with daddy issues an insta death weapon.

• rapton switching sides kinda came out of left field for me. Like the guy isn’t the brightest bulb in the box I think it would be more likely for other characters to switch sides. Also how did he recover from being tased so quickly? Man was out cold and not two minutes later he was up and walking around.

• kinda felt that the whole being sucked into non existence should have had more lasting effects (totally not because I want to traumatize or brutally injure Kai no why would I want that /s) tho fake out deaths are pretty par for the course with ninjago, this one actually didn’t make me feel all that much cuz I knew the moment wyldfire got pulled in that this was a fake out. They wouldn’t kill one of there new characters that quickly.

•so wus just legitimately fudging dead. Never thought we would see the day when this old mad would just peace out. Also ghost wu legit looks like he’s slowly loosing his form or something cuz in the first half he appears with his full body but in the last scene he’s in he’s just a chest and a head. It might have just been a stylistic thing tho.

•I’m not mad jay only showed up for around 30 seconds (this just might be my bias tho cuz jays probably the ninja I care the least about, not that I hate him or anything he’s just not that interesting to me) it’s kinda refreshing for me cuz nya gets to be her own character for a bit and not be completely attached to Jay and Jay gets to take up less screen time (if I am being honest Jay had so much focus in the wild brain seasons it kinda got annoying to me personally) idk if he’s actually lost his memories or if that leak is wrong cuz it would make sense cuz he has not searched for the ninja (specifically nya cuz that man is a simp for his gf) Arin missing him by a second is hilarious to me.

•not sure about how I feel about Lloyd being the linchpin for the entire thing. Part of me thinks that it would have fit the shows themes better if all of them used their elemental powers or something else to power the cores to fix everything. But another part of me understands that Lloyd get main character privileges cuz he’s the son of ninjago god.

•still kinda frustrated that they are changing how elemental powers work. Originally they were from the first spinjitzu master, but the whole source dragon being the source (for lack of a better word) of the elemental powers, it completely retcons and nerfs the first spinjitzu master. It would have made more sense if they still came from the powers of the fsm and were gifted through the source dragons to people.

•the implication of the cursed realm merging with the rest of the realms brings up the question if the departed realm merged to? Does that mean no one can die??? Or is there some sort of force that still keeps the departed realm separated from the rest (like how the people in the land of the forgotten can’t leave) or can some dude just wander in to the departed realm and see like there dead grandma chilling with the fsm having tea or some crap like that.

•Lloyd going I forgot there are two of them now towards Kai and wyldfires antics is peak writing. And all the arson and explosions the two created is just beautiful.

•I think the Kai and wyldfire duo should be called like the arsonist or the kaboom duo

•THE HUGGG!!!! My boi was so happy looking when the tackle hug was done.

•I just cant get my brain to shut up about these two. They give off tired dad who sometimes gives in to his old chaotic ways he’s sworn he’s grown out of and living embodiment of chaos and fun daughter who drags her dad into crazy things.

Tdlr I loved this second half and had a few issues with it but it was still really good.

[memarrymilf]

House of the Dragon (Dance Moms Au)

AN: This is based off of a fever dream i had while adjusting to my new anxienty meds, good luck.

The Targaryens had a long line of success within the world of dance, some even considered them royalty. Many flocked to the studios that they would dance at, though they had danced at the same studio since they were 2. Alicent Targaryen, nee Hightower is a real dance mom, and she loved her children equally.

Interview with Alicent Targaryen (Mother of Aegon, Daeron, Aemond, Y/N and Helaena Targaryen):

Alicent (31): “My children have danced with Criston Lee Cole since they were babies, and we never lose.”

Aemond (7): “I am the best, sorry.” (Clearly, he was not sorry.)

Helaena (8): “I just like the sparkly costumes.” (Queen of not giving a shit.)

Daeron (6): *Isn’t here. *

Aegon (9): “I don’t really care, I don’t try, but I win anyway.” (Unbothered.)

Y/N (9): “I hate being here, but I’m the best at what I do.” (Does Jazz hands, with no facial expression.)

Alicent: “We are on Criston’s competition team, and we love being here.” (Clearly, she does not love being here.)

Rhaenyra Strong, nee Targaryen had danced at Criston’s studio when she was a young girl. Her sons have made quite the name for themselves in the dance world, and she supported them all the way. She just wants to see them dance.

Interview with Rhaenyra Strong (Mother of Jace, Luke, Joffrey and Visenya.):

Rhaenyra (30): “We are all just so excited to be here.” (Looks like death.)

Jace (8): “I will be the next James Cordon, no one wants to see me but I’m always there.” (Seems to be giving up on life.)

Luke (7): “I really love my mom.” (Puppy dog eyes.)

Joffrey (6): “I like dance.” (No thoughts, head empty.)

Visenya (6): “Yall already know who I am, my names Visenya and I’m the best jumper on the team.” (Crazy Topher eyes.)

Rhaenys Velaryon, nee Baratheon was dance royalty when she was a coach for Criston’s studio. She decided to step down from her position when her children were born.

Interview with Rhaenys Velaryon (Mother of Laena and Laenor Velaryon):

Rhaenys (42): “My children are the dancers that they are because of me.” (Very proud of herself.)

Laena (9): “I am the duet master.” (Smug.)

Laenor (8): “My sister is insane.” (Looks around as if she would appear.)

Rhea Royce, divorced mother of 2, devoted Christian and very vocal about all of her thoughts. Pro guns and Pro-choice, she just thinks everyone should be dead.

Interview with Rhea Royce (Mother of Rhaena and Beala):

Rhea (28): “My girls love dance, and I want them to be happy.” (Sincere.)

Beala (7): “My mother is the best mom ever.” (Honest.)

Rhaena (6): “I love doing Acro and tricks.” (No thoughts, head empty.)

-Monday 13:54-

The mothers and their children enter the studio at the same time, almost rehearsed. Alys is sat at the front desk, shuffling through the papers that have slowly been piling up on the surface. Alys was the choreographer for Criston’s studio. She prided herself in being the best and producing the best dances.

The children all love her.

Interview with Alys (choreographer):

Alys (21): “I love working with the kids, I don’t love working with Criston though, he’s insane.”

She smiles up at them as they pass the desk. “Good afternoon, ladies, hi kids.” A chorus of responses floods the room, they all head to get changed and the mothers to help their kids. However, Alicent stops at the desk.

“Good afternoon, Alys.” the words are soft, tender. A soft smile plays upon her lips, she has always been kinder than the other mothers.

Alys smiles in response, “Hi,” she too has a tender smile upon her face. Alicent doesn’t linger too long before she heads back to help her kids get ready to dance.

-14:30-

“Kids get in here!”

The children flock towards the voice, Criston is stood at the front of the room, by the mirrors. On the mirrors, photos making a pyramid.

The mothers walk in after them standing to the side of the room. “Time for pyramid,” a sinister smirk appears upon Criston’s face, the children shudder with fear.

“On the bottom of the pyramid,” he removes the page covering the photo, “Jace, you fell out of your turns and boggled the pirouettes, I’m just glad that the judges were looking at Aegon and not at you.” Jace lowers his head in shame.

“Next, Rhaena, your jumps were slow, and your timing was off half the time.”

Rhaena too looks to the ground, unable to meet Criston’s eyes. “Next, Laenor, you missed half a step, I’m disappointed. Next, Joffrey, you didn’t stick out to me. Next, Beala, you were good, I’m waiting for you to be great.”

Criston starts revealing the next row, “Luke, you were cute, but we don’t want cute, we want compelling. Next, Helaena, you did good. Next, Laena, your turns were good, but you had sickled feet. Next, Visenya, you did the best jumps, very nice.” The children who were yet to be revealed what spots they received seem much more at ease now.

“Next, Aemond, you did what was expected, good job. Next, Y/N, you were the female lead, and you exceeded my expectations. And at the top of the pyramid, Aegon.”

Aegon does not react to this at all, because Aegon doesn’t care. “This week the group routine is intitled: Dance of the Royals, it is about a family at war over who gets the throne now that the king is dead. There will be two sides of this ‘war’ the greens and the blacks. Each side has a lead dancer who together will almost be preforming a duet in the midst of the ‘war’. Aegon, you will lead the green side, Y/N you will lead the black side. Then I also have 3 solos and one trio to give out.”

His eyes scan over them, “Aegon, Y/N, Aemond, you three have solos, as you are at the top of the pyramid. Laena, Beala and Helaena you are in the trio, the trio is called: Pigs and Us, it is about the struggles of being a woman in this world. It is contemporary, and very emotional. Aegon your solo is called: The Taker, it is jazz, and it is about the benefits that society give men but deny women. Aemond, your solo is titled: God’s Eye, it is contemporary, it is about a battle between two warring souls. Y/N your solo is titled: Dry-eyed and Docile, it is a ballet solo, and it is about a young girl who is taken from her life and married to a man much older than her. All the solos are designed to win, so you better win.”

The children are promptly dismissed to start learning the choreography.

-Upstairs: the mothers-

“Well, ladies, what’s new?” Rhea Royce, mother of two said enthusiastically. (AN: It took me several minutes of contemplation to figure out how to spell that, but that is mostly because I am an idiot.)

Alicent glanced over at Rhaenyra making an annoyed face, Rhaenyra covers her snickers by coughing. “I have decided that Luke, Jace and Joffrey will be taking a few extra privates this week and next week to help them out a little.” Rhea rolls her eyes.

Interview with Rhea (mother of Beala and Rhaena):

Rhea (28): “Rhaenyra will do anything in her power to give her kids extra help, its not right. Now, my little Beala, she would thrive with some extra privates.”

-Mothers-

“That’s wonderful, I bet they’ll appreciate that.” Alicent smiled at Rhaenyra.

Rhea rolled her eyes once more, “Yes, I’m sure.” She pauses briefly trying in vain to regain her composure. “What do you ladies think of the dances for this weekend?”

“Oh, I’m very excited, I love the idea for the group and the solos for my kids, I’m sure they are going to love it.” Alicent practically gushes.

Rhea, ever the bitch, rolls her eyes once more (AN: I can’t stop.) “Of course, you would be thrilled, three of your kids got solos and the other one got a part in the trio.”

“What is your problem?”

Rhaenys makes no comment on the inevitable fight, simply enjoying the show.

“My problem is that Criston clearly has favourites, and your kids are at the top of that list. He keeps giving them solos even though they can’t dance.” Rhea is yelling now.

Alicent looks at her for a moment before replying, “Sis- you better be joking.”

“I’m not joking, and I’m definitely not your sis, bitch.”

“Oooooooohhhhhh.” Fucking Rhaenyra, her best friend is about to fight someone and yet she jokes around.

“You better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up hoe, because I’m not the one.” Rhea actually looks pretty intimidated; you would be too if there was a scary lady dressed in a green power suit willing and ready to beat your ass.

Rhea: 0

Alicent:1

Rhaenyra snickers again. “Haha,” that seems to hold a more mocking tone.

Alicent shoots her a look of disproval, Rhaenyra’s resolve seems to quickly fade upon meeting her gaze. “Sorry,” she mutters, clearly not sorry.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”  Alicent looks smug as ever.

-the children-

Aegon is doing pirouettes in the centre of the room, taking up so much space that everyone else has to dodge his feet in order to survive. He doesn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Aemond keeps threatening him that if he doesn’t stop, he will shove his ballet shoe up Aegon’s rectum.

As Aegon continues to ignore his brother Jace makes his way over to Criston, “I’m sorry Mr Criston, but could you please tell Aegon to stop?”

Criston narrows his eyes towards the boy as he scrutinizes his choice of clothes. He straightens his posture before dropping down slightly to get close to Jace’s face. “Bother me again and I will kill you, you little twerp.” He whispers harshly to the literal child that he is beefing with.

[opalobviously]

Me personally, involving the Drake n Kendrick beef?

I'm a full Kendrick fan, West Coast Mfs-but, I can see what Drake was *going* for.

His problem was he was treating this like he was just battling a rapper with less numbers than him. On Paper? this is true, and Drake's strategy for the beef makes sense.

-Respond to Like that with push-ups, a decent hit, clearing out all of his opponents at once except for Kendrick (And, little did he know, Rick Ross n Future)

-troll a bit and goad Kendrick into responding faster so he could slam him (I don't think he went abt this right, and I will elaborate on that in a second)

-after he gets a chance to let his responses out? Killshot. Bring in the heavy hits, the allegations, make it clear you won the beef, and dip, make it clear the smaller artist simply isn't worth more time and effort.

It's overall not a bad strategy....on paper.

But this is Kendrick Lamar.

As Any Avid Kendrick Fan will tell you, Kendrick is a Masterful Lyricist, a pretty deep dude in general, and, above all, a man who is persistent in using his music to push a message no matter what. Beyond the Moral high ground this seems to place him on at times, that simply means he isn't gonna give up. Drake should have expected more bombs after Family matters-in fact, he should have expected a lot. So, I'm gonna be going over how I personally would have done the beef with Kendrick, because at a certain point it was inevitable.

Pushups:

To be perfectly honest, I think Pushups was a great song. It was a decent response to Like that, as well as snapping back at the other people aimed at Drake, like Rick Ross, Future, Metro Boomin, the Weeknd, and I believe Ja Morant, even aiming a light stray at J Cole for dipping. At this point in the beef, it was still up to either side, so I make no changes here.

Taylor Made Freestyle

Definitely what I consider the first Lyrical Fuck Up of the beef. Considering the Allegations on Drake not being a real rapper, being a culture Vulture, and having ghost writers, I genuinely cannot see how he thought using AI voices was a good idea in the slightest, not only of the legendary Snoop Dogg, but of the Late Great Tupac Shakur. In the eyes of almost anyone west Coast, it highlights the fact that you don't give a single solitary FUCK about the culture, much less are a part of it. What I do here, is simply adjust the angle. I still think that dropping Taylor Made is important, but I abandon the AI idea in it's entirety. Instead, I focus much more heavily on the Taylor swift and K dot thing, calling him pussy in as many ways as possible without using AI. Maybe a couple bars along the lines of:

Sniper from the mountain aiming low so I can Pop a Vet Aimed at the king but you missed, now I'm Cocking Back Can't believe some white chick is the reason you ain't Dropping yet She probably make you get her more money for her Private Jet

Reasonable lyrics for a beef like it was at the time I think. Contains a couple double entendres, sounds decent, hits pretty hard, and has the same general intent: Make Kendrick mad, and give him more that he has to respond to.

Family Matters

Family matters is probably drake's best song in the beef, and it makes sense. he had intended for it to be the KILLSHOT, and I am willing to wager that he had at least some parts of it ready as soon as he dropped Pushups, just waiting to see Kendrick's response so he could add something responding to his own song and make it a complete slam. If I'm Drake here, I focus more on the wife beater allegation, just by a little bit. To be clear, how Drake (or his ghost writers?) did it was very good, with a hard hitting quotable line

"When you put your hands on your girl, is it self defense cuz she bigger than you?"

Even my family, all west coast ride or dies, thought Drake got Kendrick when Family matters dropped. It was great, the timing of it, the intensity of it, the fact it dropped same day as 6:16 in LA, it was just awesome.

Then....the real bomb dropped.

Dealing with Meet the Grahams

It was at this point in the beef that Drake was CLEARLY cooked. that was a fucking horror scene. The worst part is that Drake couldn't use the same route: Kendrick aired out his own dirty laundry on Mr Morale. It would be stupid to try and use that angle anyway, Kendrick predicted it all the way back in Euphoria. So, the KILLSHOT didn't work. Here, if I'm Drake, I'm panicked, because a response is needed, but if it's lackluster, that's it. First, deny the allegations of pedophilia IMMEDEATELY (I'm pretending that in this universe I am a Drake, who did not commit anything listed here). The daughter I can reveal as a fake later, let them talk, let hype build up. but the Pedo shit? can't fly, can't let me turn into P Diddy. once that's in place, I spend maybe 2 days working on a final kill shot

The Heart Part 6

My problem with this one is that it felt like he was trying to go out on his own terms when the people clearly did not want that. his biggest fans needed to see him Whoop Kendrick back, not say it's summer vibes time. now, the fake daughter drop? genius if it's true, however, the IMMEDEATE denial of it earlier makes the move have less oomph, so I don't do that myself. also, FOR GODS SAKE DONT BRING UP MR MORALE IDIOT, HE LITERALLY TOLD EVERYONE YOU WOULD DO THAT IN LIKE THE FIRST PART OF EUPHORIA

"Fabricating stories on the family front, cuz you heard Mr Morale

A pathetic Master Manipulator I can smell the tales on you now..."

Exapserated sigh at this Canadian Dumbass

Anyway. What I do is the daughter drop, and deny, questioning the Validity of the rest of Kendrick's claims. Maybe, just maybe, make a hint to Michael Jackson having been Alleged of the same stuff? they never did prove he did it you know, and they straight up patted him down, took him to court, everything. It'd be a decent comparison, because a decent amount of people are still conflicted on whether he did it, even with all evidence pointing to say he did not. After that? idk, but I would personally make a song on BBL drizzy to make fun of Metro Groomin.

ACTUALLY.

that's exactly what I would do.

Make a song on BBL drizzy, dissing Kendrick for affiliating with Metro, of whom just as much if not more proof of grooming tendencies is out as Drake, thanks to those damn tweets (Metro was born in 1993, no matter how you spin it, the earliest of the tweets he was 18, 2011, and the tweet "She may be young but she ready" happens in 2014, when he's 21 years old. concerning to say the least)

"You a hypocrite Dot, Idiot Dot, and above all you a liar. How you shooting at any pervert that lives, but Metro's out the line of Fire?"

and yeah, that's about it.

Kendrick totally won btw, this is a theoretical "What if Drake was ACTUALLY a rapper, not a little bitch boy who uses ghostwriters and AI to do all his work?"

[differentdragonpeanutknight]

Ranking the Ninjago seasons in my own stupid opinion Pt. 2: Damn, What a Mess

Again, sorry in advance

Once again, here is how things go: I'm here for the writing. Animation and style are good points, but the turning point to me is how well written a story and its characters are, so the next season on my list is-

18. Prime Empire

I like the aesthetics of Prime Empire, I really like them a lot. I love video games, and I like isekais. But this season is a mess. Too much things to do and talk about and too little episodes to make the plot works, and even if some characters have compelling stories, the laws of the game are pretty much nonexistent, so we don't know why or how NPCs get free will and fight their own coding, nor any explanation of how Unagami is able to create a portal that brings the game into the real world. The only explaination is that a lot of energy is needed.

Going back to how there's too little time to work with the plot, Lego needed to release a few shorts in YouTube to help with context for the full season, and even that wasn't enough to build off some crucial parts, like the Ninja leveling up or finding out about the Keytanas.

And to finish it all of, this season... Was supposed to be about Jay. He was the mascot character on the boxes, he was the center of the poster, and yet he doesn't do much in his own season. The only moment where he's able to do something is when no more hero is available.

So there's that. Which means I can go to the next topic, which is-

17. Day of the Departed

It's... fine at first notice? It has a really good concept, a nice atmosphere, and finally gave Cole a chance to be his own character (good bless). We have a good conflict, a good villain in Yang, one of the most humanized villains of the show in my opinion; and even if this special made Cole human again, I like the way they did it.

However, that's just one side of it. The returning villains plotline, which is... weird the way it was put out. All of them were defeated in 2 minutes of screentime, and they barely felt like a threat at all. And the I have the least problems with was Pythor, who I think made sense to want revenge around. And don't even let me begin by somehow Cryptor having a soul and being able to come back. That was bizarre.

So yeah. The B plot alone downgrades this special a lot for me. It really should have been a season. Maybe that would've saved it.

And now we can go to the last placement today, which goes to-

16. Hands of Time

I have mixed feelings from this season... I used to hate it, but people made me like this season a lot more. But oh my god what a messy product. The animation is... questionable. The writing is off, and the plot feels really dumb when it tries to take itself seriously.

Still, I like all of the ideas this season has. Giving some more development for Lloyd's messy master path, focusing on Kai and Nya's parents and how they affect them, Pixal dettachment from Zane to become her own person and hero and his struggle to the fact he doesn't have her around, Cole trying to deal with being human again with his new powers... Everything that sounds good in paper, but got a execution more obnoxious than everything I saw coming from this show. Apart from that, it's a enjoyable watch, and it's not like the characters don't have their personalities, they're just a bit off.

Also the time travel plot was only important in the last episode, so there's that.

So this is it for now, next time will be time for the C tier, the more controversial one yet in my opinion. Until then!

[ninjas-and-coffee]

What I love rn about the Ninjago Live action panic is that it has almost nothing about the plot. It's about the collective and primal fear of Chris Pratt and whitewashing.

I have seen a couple plot posts, but like there was nothing to prepare us for the crackfic high-school au of the other movie. So I don't think there's any need to try and guess the plot.

Maybe we should make our own movie. Like guys, we could make the anime everyone lowkey wants from the creators. Almost everyone I know has some version of a plot fixing rewrite or retelling thats almost beat for beat with the source material. But like better with longer character arcs and more cultural accuracy.

Like besides humanity's allergy to group projects, why don't we just do it???.

Like I'll start with the basis of my retelling: S1 but with an already teenage Lloyd releasing the serpentine as a misguided attempt to gain his father's attention and being a shadow villain to the serpentine problem. Followed by a zuko style redemption arc when it is accidentally revealed that he's the green ninja in a combat situation.

The first half of the season is about the teams backstories and picking up the lore crumbs on the serpentine and why Garmadon and Wu separated while trying to figure out who has motive, and opportunity to release the serpentine. And since the Golden weapons are conduits for their power. Their true potential is learning to control their power separately from their weapons by becoming "whole" and reaching their full potential. The second half of the season reveals Lloyd's story and his shift from causing harm to gain attention to just asking for it and learning to be loved. (Yes, and sorry its Lloyd centric but he's the villain of the story untill...) Then the serpentine realize they're better together than apart and relase the Great Devourer and you essentially know the rest.

It would have a rather grim/serious tone and probably have some mixture of the demonslayer or attack on titan style. Leaning into the Japanese lore and possibly leaving hints about the nature of Oni and Dragons as more myth and legend than fact. Until a *minor god (the devourer) is released and this leaves the door open for other things to slowly become real. Personally I think the dragons could have been more sentient and revered than was shown, and I'd probably change Lloyd's name to be something Japanese with "Lloyd Garmadon" as a title he gave himself to be more like his father and it just sticks in the others minds so they keep calling him that until he's ready to shed that skin. I'd probably change the others names too or at least make them region specific. I hate hate hate childs play so I'd delete it. And Nya would take up her samurai training after being kidnapped so she doesn't feel like a burden on her brother. And uh Cole will be gay but due to the time period he feels unsafe telling others and learns to trust them. Also I'd probably kick the time period back to late Edo era Japan because the way of the ninja was still studied but becoming harder to come by. And gives a reason why there are no other Ninjutstu masters or students running around. So they're be reviving a somewhat dying art and be praised for it by commoners.

So now I ask. If YOU could retell Ninjago in a episodic anime how would you do it? What does it follow? What would you remove and why?