#we really need some Jay & Lloyd bonding on screen

[cyclondoojay]

a very dear headcanon to me in 3

2

1

yeah yeah okay okay all you want

rgb siblings is very cute and all that, but you can't change my mind about Lloyd seeing Jay and Nya as parentals figures. no. no you can't.

this is my religion and i belive in the jaya parents for lloyd and I'll take this hc to my death bed.

like one time, when Lloyd was still a child, but also after some time from "child's play" (don't really remember if this was the name of that episode, but you get it) and so around Nya's age, he called Nya mom by accident, and she was like "omg how you just called me-" (and if you think about her growing without one is even better) and then she was like the most Lloyd had spend his time with on the bounty, so for me it make so much sense, but keep listening.

yesterday i read this really cute oneshot where jay comforted lloyd and had some cute time together and then this really grow strongly on me (sorry i can't remember the name but it was really good and cute i can't.. but it was like arin & agentwalker bonding and then younglloyd & youngjay also bonding) (<- i really recommend it, it's on Ao3) anyway- (after a brother) he sees jay, with the years going on, more and more like a father

(cuz the brother role for him is mostly occupied by kai ofc)

anyway, also jaya was the firt couple that lloyd has seen and grow with even before pixane, and don't even get me start with when they broke up and lloyd was really sad for like the first months, hoping that they could go back together again (and when he sees them after all that trauma called "skybound" although some years had passed, he was happy that they were back again)

and yeah, you think now that he is all grown up, and everything, he changed his mind? I'll answer that for you

NO. NO. AND NO.

even if Lloyd did not call jaya dad or mom, he still sees them as, metaphorically talking, parents, and when he really need like a motherly hug or a fatherly talk he goes to them, and absolutely love and feels a child again when the three of them are together (even if it doesn't seem so from like Motm, but trust me, I'm like this to. like from my face it seems like am bored, but inside am so happy while doing something that i like, it's simply called teenage life... or trauma in their case)

anyway, i don't really remember anymore what i wanted to say, but I'll conclude saying that when Nya and Jay fights over something, Lloyd's "sad" too, or when they go out on a date or just act like a married couple he's just so happy. Let's talk seriously now, they're the first couple he's met since he was like 10 and he subconsciously associates them as second parents, so it's obvious that sometimes he feels like he's their child when he's with them.

(also don't totally saying that now his couple standards got better after skybound and ALSO after seabound... let's pretend all that harumi and lloyd stuff doesn't exist in this)

i know, you don't even know anymore why you reading this, and i don't even know what to write anymore, but if want to end this post well, i had to..

(its a really big SPOILER for DR2 Pt1 so read at your own risk)

now Kai isn't there again, but even before, they hadn't seen Jay, so now Lloyd is alone with her mother Nya (and also the others yeah but) and this means that his "parents" and brother aren't there for him (again) and i can't wait any longer for all the oooh so lovely angst- HELP ME)

okay, finally I'm done. thank for listening to... this.

[frostystorm12]

Okay. Hear me out.

We need a slice of life season. Where the ninja have to face real life issues, be their own villain. Maybe they just face ordinary criminals occasionally, but the seasons attention would mostly be on the ninjas themselves. Their relationships, their freaking parents could come back too!

It would give Jay and Nya time to sort out their awful relationship, give maybe Wu and Cole some bonding screen time, Kai could occasionally leave to visit Skylor and give them some more chemistry and screen time! it would give characters like Kai and Jay, Zane and Nya, Cole and Jay, Kai and Nya, Cole and Wu, Nya and Skylor, Kai, Nya and Lloyd more screen time to build up their friendship and relationship, like- These guys have almost died multiple times.

Maybe Lloyd leaves to find his dad?! Like- maybe he just has some sad father and son moment with him where he knows Garmadon will never be the same but he’s atleast glad his fathers back. That would be sad as heck. This could also be an opportunity for Wu and Garmadon to bond! Those two are brothers!

We could get one episode dedicated to the ninjas parents like seriously, we need more Edna and Ed, Lou, Cyrus Borg and where the heck is Maya and Ray?! These peoples kids have almost died multiple times, show us how they feel about it! It would be interesting for Cole to tell Lou about what happened in Master of the Mountain and bond over Lilly.

So there is no end goal here really, it’s just a nice slice of life and them being a family. What do you think?

[parachutingkitten]

Imma Rant About How Pixal Deserves Better (cuz what else is new)

I love Pixal. That’s no secret. But the writers need to make up their minds about if they want her to be a member of the core cast or not, cuz it’s driving me nuts. Now, this is not a ‘pixal needs to be a ninja!’ post, cuz no, she doesn’t. Her being samurai x is an awesome and coherent move story wise. Moving from samurai x to the water ninja was a natural transition for Nya (even if I personally didn’t like the execution that much, but whatever- that’s a rant for another time), but if they tried to do it for Pixal, it wouldn’t make any sense. This doesn’t mean I’m against Pixal having the potential for ice powers- I wrote a fic about her reaching her true potential for goodness sake- but that also isn’t what this is about. This is just a post about her being a member of the team, because the writers have been playing her with only one foot in the door for four seasons now, and it’s NOT working. 

Remember in season 1 and 2, when Nya was samurai x? Yeah, sometimes she would stay behind, but most of the time, she was going on the missions with them. She got to interact with all of the boys. When the ninja got captured, she got captured. When the Ninja went on a large scale mission, she went with them. Down. Out of the Bounty. She worked with the Ninja, beside them, not in a totally separate B plot with just Wu. Her role in the team was admittedly different, but it was still equal. But now, samurai x, as Pixal, is the designated ‘stay behind’ character. And it’s played like this big sacrificial move, and she does some cool things while the team is gone but the one big problem with it is THE TEAM ISN’T THERE TO SEE IT! So it doesn’t expand her standing within the team. It doesn’t give the satisfaction of a big heroic moment, because it’s a B plot! The one purely Pixal centered episode EVER was the one in season 11 where she fights the preeminent. Guess what? The only team member there is Wu, it’s a b-plot filler episode, and it’s never brought up again. 

And yeah, that’s the only Pixal focus episode in the whole series. She’s a side character in season 3, she’s non existent in seasons 4-7, season 8, her reveal episode is cluttered with baby Wu/Harumi drama, and she’s not even physically and mentally there until the last few seconds of the episode (that rewrite is on it’s way, promise), season 9 she’s drowned out by the EMs, season 10 she has half an episode to shine where, once again, she ‘stays behind’ in a b plot with 0 character growth, which leaves the one episode in season 11 where she is the true 100% focus, and even then... it’s ‘stay behind’ b plot filler. Pixal hasn’t even been given a decent character arc... ever! She has like 2 (and a half) arcs total in the whole series. Season 3′s ‘getting a heart and falling in love’ arc, Season 8′s ‘I am samurai x arc’ which they don’t even explore that well, and then arguably, if you really squint, season 4′s ‘becoming part of Zane’ arc, but even then, that’s pretty much discovered and wrapped up in one episode. Complain all you want about Cole not having his own full season, but at least he’s got himself several well written, entertaining, A-plot, multi season arcs. The ‘Holy crap I’m a ghost’ arc, the ‘frustration with my best friend’ arc, and the ‘I am a father now’ arc. Say what you want, but he’s a main character of the show, and one of the go-to characters the writers love to throw stuff at, with distinct relationships with his cast-mates. 

Pixal’s interactions with the team all feel so forced. Like the writers want to include her, but don’t know how to. Mainly cuz they don’t know how to write her when she’s not around Zane. Her scenes with Zane are drop dead adorable! And... I suppose her alone time with Wu was...okay. But it’s like when she’s not alone with Zane the writers forget who she even is. That season 11 episode? They play her weirdly innocently. I’m sorry, that’s not Pixal at all. It’s been established since season 3 that she’s our grounded, painfully realistic, sass robot. Where is this “does that mean you’re not mad at me?” stuff coming from? Thing is, later in the episode, she’s acting like herself. So... idk what happened in the middle there. But because they don’t know how to write her in the context of the team, most of the time she’s reduced to standing around in the background. Even in fight scenes. Why? WHY?! You obviously want to include her? How do you do that? Maybe, I don’t know, HAVE HER INTERACT?!

Seriously, this isn’t that hard to fix. You split up the team all the time. Just have her go on a mission with Jay. Or Cole. Or Nya. Or anyone other than Zane. Play it for laughs. Play it seriously. Play it for those sweet sweet wholesome vibes. Idk. Just have her do something! These characters have stuff to bond over! Jay has a fascination with Borg industries in general, that would be fun to play off of. Cole and Pixal both have a pretty DEEP untouched emotional baggage. Lloyd and Pixal both have this sort of “not part of the pilot cast, joined later and never really integrated 100%” vibe going for them. Kai and Pixal have beef! This could be one of the great Ninjago rivalries! Nya and Pixal can bond over samurai x, that’s a total gimme one! These characters have relationships ripe for building, but they just DON’T TALK TO EACH OTHER! 

Every main character. EVERY MAIN CHARACTER has at least one episode (but likely many more) dedicated to them, where they do something real cool, single handedly save the day or something, and the whole team comes and hugs them and says “wow, great job!” “You’re an important and valued member of our team!” “This is why you’re great!” and... I just want one of those for Pixal. Please. Pretty please. Just so she can have some validation. Just so that the main cast can acknowledge her existence. And as trivial as this one episode may seem, I think it’s really important. She needs her big ‘save the team’ episode. She never had a sort of “true potential” moment when she really proved herself, and I think that’s really what she needs. Think about how good the Royal Blacksmiths episode was for Cole. He spills about some of his baggage, each of the team members is forced to interact with it, and try to understand it, and in the end they all work together to help him get past this rough patch in his life, and he ends up looking like a boss and saving the day in the process (also note, probably the best group hug ever in Ninjago history). Now, you could argue that since she doesn’t have a element, her being samurai x could work to give her that episode. Great. Cool. That makes sense. But Pixal doesn’t have a “true potential” episode- she has a “reveal” episode, where the ninja have to fight her cuz she’s evil and she doesn’t end up saving the day, Nya does. You see why even though it’s technically “focused” on Pixal, it isn’t meaningful at all to her character?

Thing is, I wouldn’t even be that mad... if she were a Skylor type character. I like Skylor as much as the next chick, and say what you want about her screen time, but at least she has a defined role within this universe! If Pixal was Zane’s cool robot gf/ samurai x - secondary protector of the city - that popped up for a cameo once in a while and played a larger role in seasons that merited her, I would be fine with it! Borg isn’t a big character, but he gets appropriate screen time, some seasons more than others, and he still feels like a cared about piece of the canon! This would work pretty well for Pixal too! Would I like this better than her being an active part of the main team? Hell no! I think her being on the team is the right way to lean, but as of right now, she’s just doing nothing of substance. I’d rather the screen time she has be meaningful than have her as a token nothing in the background of every episode.

That’s my main point here. Either start respecting her as a character, or stop pretending she’s on equal footing with the team. We already know season 12 isn’t gonna improve on that. The ninja go into the video game world and Pixal stays behind. Granted, Zane doesn’t go either, so maybe we’ll get some good content. But again, it’s the B plot, and with Zane. Nothing we haven’t seen before. (I could keep going about how the show has been pushing Zane out of the picture even back in season 3, but again, a rant for another time) 

Anyway, this rant pretty much sums up why most of my fanfic is Pixal-centric. It’s a character the writers just REFUSE to write for but has a decent amount of screen time, so there’s a lot of possibilities. Might do another rant about the whole ice powers thing. Idk. Just needed to get this out. thanks for reading :)

[dorizardthewizard]

TLNM musings, part 2

Okay, here I ramble about problems with the movie. Ended up adding more stuff since I first wrote this :’P

Screentime and characterisation of the other ninja:

One of the biggest complaints from fans... they're all introduced individually with very different personalities, they’re told they each have a special element they control, making you feel like they should each get some moment to shine and affect the plot of the movie, but then none of that happens. Ultimately you could take out all the ninja and the story would be the same, you don't even necessarily need them for Lloyd's character since his journey of reconnecting with his father and bringing his family together can still work without them. It's so sad because if you read and watch extra material, you can tell thought went into their personalities, but we never get to see this as they're all just lumped together, mostly there to support Lloyd's development.

For someone who hasn't seen the show, it must feel a bit off seeing characters with distinguished personalities and no payoff for it; take Zane for example. Imagine not knowing anything about the characters and seeing one of them is a robot, for some reason? You wonder why he's a robot, what significance that has for the plot and why it's important for his character (I mean they missed a big opportunity to develop Zane from always trying to fit in and seem like a “normal teenager” to accepting that he's different but that that doesn't mean he's less valid), but then this really specific characteristic is never expanded on except for comedy purposes. People probably thought “oh, guess it makes more sense in the show”, but this just detaches viewers and makes them feel like they're missing something if they haven't seen the show beforehand.

Sigh, still gotta give the crew credit for fitting in a load of little subtle details about the ninja, I had to rewatch it a couple of times because there were things I didn’t notice at first, like Kai sliding down a bannister in the Temple of Fragile Foundations and falling off :’D

Group dynamic:

Another thing that bothered me is that the movie isn't that good at making you care about them as a team. They're already established as friends but I wish there were more material showing us how much they care about each other. The Kai hug scene was 10/10 but then when Chen and the other cheerleaders started picking on Lloyd, nobody said or did anything? In merchandise it said Kai is a hothead who isn't afraid to speak up or stand up to people, then show it in the movie! Him and Nya should have been on the verge of tackling that guy to the floor! Ok, I can see Lloyd asking them not to get into fights as it makes people hate him even more and he probably feels guilty if one of the ninja gets into trouble because of him. This would still have given more emotional connection between the characters but we're never shown it, except in the novelisation where Cole tries to block Lloyd from his locker so he doesn't see the insult written on it, I think. But again, we shouldn't have to read/ watch extra material for that.

Instead of moments showcasing the ninja’s friendship and close bonds, we got the opposite- everyone turned on Lloyd incredibly quickly for one mistake. Sure, it was a pretty big one and resulted in Garmadon taking over the city and their mechs being wrecked, but Lloyd was the only one doing anything about Garmadon at the time and he didn't exactly know what the consequences of using the ultimate weapon were; it's not like he knew it could potentially hurt his friends. In fact, how did the ninja know he used it anyway? That would mean they already knew about it and what it could do, yet Lloyd was not told? In which case, how can they blame him?? Damn it Wu, why couldn't you just tell Lloyd that using the weapon would unleash a cat that could destroy the city, instead of vaguely saying the weapon can be dangerous in the wrong hands. That's taking too many pages from TV Wu's book!

Honestly, it's like the ninja were just one character either shunning Lloyd or supporting him, depending on what the plot needed :/ That scene where they're talking with Garmadon while carrying him through the jungle really rubbed me the wrong way because first, no one seemed to care that Lloyd is so snippy because he's been forced to work with the man who made his life hell, and second they joke about Lloyd with that very same person and imply they don't respect Lloyd as leader, as Jay says he doesn't usually want to listen to him when he's talking? What??

 Lloyd and Garmadon’s relationship:

I mentioned this in part 1, but they really didn’t execute this well- I feel like they had so much fun playing up Garmadon being the worst dad in the world that they forgot to give him redeemable qualities. It took me a second viewing to realise his relationship with Lloyd was actually pretty messed up, because they played off his despicableness as comedic and glossed over it by suddenly giving him a flashback to make it seem like he’s sorry. They wanted to go for the father-and-son-have-issues-but-reconnect story, and had Lloyd say “I wish we didn’t have to fight all the time” in his emotional ending, but that’s a line usually present in a daddy-issue story where both have a part to blame and there's issues with communication. In this, though? Lloyd did nothing wrong! It was just Garmadon being trash, and there wasn't even a particular scene of him recognising and apologising for his actions- not the bit about driving Misako away, but how he treated Lloyd after.

The message is all mucked up - hoping to find some good in neglectful parents is just gonna get you hurt, and in a story like this it would make more sense for the protagonist to realise they don't need validation from this guy, shouldn't feel like they have to keep connected with toxic relatives just because they're family, and that they should focus on the friends and family who actually love them (although, whether Lloyd's friends were even portrayed as liking him is a different story). I mean, Koko could just teach him to throw and catch! Does he have to have two parents just for that?

 Tone and humour:

I think another main reason this movie didn't do as well was its more childish tone and dialogue; unlike the previous two movies, it was marketed at younger children. One of the main reasons TLM and LB were so successful is because of the self-aware jokes that could actually be enjoyed by adults too, while in this movie I may have properly laughed only a couple of times. Plus, in its effort to connect with kid's humour it just got cringy in some parts, like the Ultimate Weapon compilation. It would have been funny if it was ironic, like Amazing World of Gumball style, but it just didn't come across like that, so I can see why many jokes fell flat for older audiences.

People probably had different expectations for the overall tone as well- everyone loved the previous LEGO movies because of their constant barrage of action, witty jokes and a ton of references. This was never the selling point of Ninjago, but TLNM didn’t manage to capture the show’s dramatic style and deep lore-driven plot either.

The writers:

Okay last thing. This movie had three directors, six producers, six screenwriters and seven people working on the story. Compared to most animated movies, that's a lot, and its shows. It feels like they had a few different ideas and themes and couldn't quite patch them together, with vague messages like “looking at things from a different point of view” being thrown in as well to try and link it up. I guess at the end of the day, this is a father-son story, and that makes it very difficult to fit in a power-of-friendship plot at the same time, but still. Also, the shifting plot and ideas is really clear in the trailers, I mean half the stuff there wasn't even in the movie, it's as if the entire story was changed!

 Final verdict? I think an overall theme with this movie is that the writers wanted to overhaul Ninjago to introduce it to new viewers, but also wanted to keep the fans happy so shoehorned in lots of elements from the show without giving them enough development. This just disappoints fans and alienates general audiences, which is a problem since Ninjago doesn’t have a huge following already backing it up like LEGO Batman did, and could have been the pilot for more original LEGO lines making it to the big screen. It was a technically amazing movie, with beautiful animation and visuals, an epic soundtrack and stunning voice acting, but it was also such a waste of potential.

 The only other thing we can do is think about how it could have gone differently, so here's some of my ideas :'D

NOT using the deleted time travel plot. I know that after being disappointed in a movie you welcome any alternative, but giant mechs were already a big deviation from the ninja theme; flinging in time travel as well would be too much for non-show watchers. Plus, I thought we were all complaining about how time travel in Ninjago always just messes things up :'P

Also not following the show closer. We have over 10 seasons of the show, the whole point of a movie is giving a fresh take; using a giant snake or the Overlord possessing Garmadon again would just be boring.

Delete the first act? One of the best parts of the secret high school heroes trope is seeing how they juggle both lives, if you're gonna drop it after half an hour there's not much point of it being there.

Could instead just have Garmadon attacking again, the last invasion attempt being ages ago. Maybe the ninja rediscover a rich history of elemental masters protecting Ninjago when Wu decides to get a new team together to fight the new threat?

Make it about learning master building instead so they build their mechs at the end, and then gain elements in a sequel?

Or don't mention anything about elements and have every ninja individually go through an obstacle to obtain an elemental weapon, then they all lose them but don't know they're not necessary, so it's actually a surprise that the power is inside them? Everyone gets a sort of true potential moment?

Ninja having to warm up to Garmadon's son, so we have a plot of Lloyd slowly gaining their respect and becoming leader?

Higher stakes at the end, make the Shark Army more threatening and have them turn on Garmadon using Meowthra, so there's still an intense climax of the ninja fighting the army before Lloyd reaches Meowthra and gets his emotional ending?

Get rid of the live action sequence, or make it fit the message of the story more?

Feel free to add any ideas/ thoughts!

[silver-ninja-of-the-tides]

Silver and Gold 4--Not Just a Tournament

Chapter 11--Know Thine Enemy, But Know Thy Friend

Summary

Fractured once, then fractured again. Four of the heroes of Ninjago have hung up their ninja gear and vainly started anew. And they’ve convinced themselves that they’re not going back.

But as Lloyd and Janet try to piece their team back together, a mysterious invitation to a massive tournament tells them that Zane is alive.

Bonds will be tested. Suspicions of everything they know and don’t know will arise. It all goes down at the Tournament of Elements.

(First chapter)

Janet’s POV

Well. Dinner was nice, despite the man who runs this whole island. But at least we had a good time. For now.

Now we just have to find a way to get some answers. And speaking of answers . . .

“Garmadon?”

He looked to me.

“Remember that conversation we had with Wu about the First Spinjitzu Master talking to me?”

“Ah. You’re wondering if we ever found an answer.”

“Have you?”

“Mmh well—”

“What’s going on over there?” Cole asked. We were all on the second floor, and his attention was on the crowd of competitors that had gathered around the leader boards.

“Didn’t he say that was it for the day?” Des asked.

“Yeah . . . he did,” I said, narrowing my eyes. We turned around and walked back down the stairs, and the closer we got, the more we could tell how eager the murmurs were.

“What’s all the commotion?” Jay asked as we made our way through. Finally at the front, we all gasped at who was in this surprise round.

“No . . . He can’t do this!” Cole objected.

“He already did,” Lloyd said, and my sister and I exchanged worried looks.

Cole looked to Jay. “We gotta fight . . . each other!”

“Ugh. Why does it say I have to fight Cole?” Jay complained. “It didn’t say that before! I’m not ready to fight! It was supposed to be my day off.”

“I tried to warn ya but you never listen! Talk, yes. Listen, not so much.”

“Guys,” I warned.

“Is there a problem, Ninjas?” Clouse asked as the other competitors were walking off.

“You cheated!” Cole accused. “You changed the brackets!”

“Oopsie.”

“Whaddowe do?” Lloyd asked as Clouse and the accompanying thug walked away. “They can’t fight each other! We came here to become whole, not fall further apart!”

“You can’t undo what’s been done,” Garmadon said. “My only advice is to be at peace with it.”

“Peace?!” Jay snapped. “One of us has to lose! Oh my gosh. It’s totally gonna be me! He’s got super strength, and whaddo I have? Quick, tell me! What do I have?!”

“Don’t listen to my dad,” Lloyd argued. “We find Zane then none of us have to battle. Your fight isn’t until tonight so we still have time to figure out what Chen’s up to, and stop this.”

“I think I know just the person who can help,” Kai said. “And I think he already knows.”

We followed Kai out of the room and out to a courtyard where the other Elemental Masters were. He scanned the area for Neuro before leading us over to him meditating. Oh boy . . .

“We need your help, Neuro,” Lloyd said.

“You think I can get close to Chen to read his mind, so you can find your robotic friend and not have to fight,” the Master of Mind said.

Wow. He’s good.

“Don’t forget—”

“You still need to know what Chen’s up to because he’s hiding something,” he continued, cutting Kai off. Okay he’s really good.

“That’s really impressive, Nerdo,” Jay complimented.

“It’s Neuro, Master of the Mind, and Cole thinks Jay won’t last long in a fight.”

“Pfft. You think that?”

“Well you just said it yourself!” Cole accused.

“But you didn’t have to believe it!”

“Don’t be offended, Cole,” Neuro went on. “Jay here thinks you’re the least valuable Ninja.” Did he just—

“Ya don’t say?” Cole sneered. Instantly that set them off.

“We wanted you to help, Neuro,” Lloyd stated. “Not make things worse.”

“But why would I help?” Neuro said. “You’re competition. The sooner you’re out, the better for me.”

“If you want what’s best for you, just look into my head and you’ll see what this tournament is all about.”

Neuro focused on Lloyd for a few moments before a look of concern crossed over his face.

“It’s only a matter of time before Chen steals your power, too. So, are you in?”

Zane’s POV

No matter what I did, I still could not break free from my restraints. There must be some way out of this . . .

“Zane, you’re built differently,” Pixal explained. “You have to search deep within yourself.”

Deep within myself . . .

I began to scan through my new and not-so-new functions before deciding on opening a compartment near my wrist, activating a spinning shuriken.

“Yes! That’s it! You’re remembering!”

I heard voices coming from outside, and I soon detected that they were coming closer. I frantically looked from the door to the shuriken, and I quickly deactivated it before feigning unconsciousness.

“Huh. Eh I guess I was just hearin’ things,” a man said from outside. “C’mon, let’s go.”

I waited for their footfalls to fade out before opening my eyes.

“It’s not safe,” Pixal cautioned. “I suggest you break out when everyone’s at the big fight.”

“You mean, we must break out.”

“Yes . . . Of course.”

3rd person POV

The dreaded arrival of the fight was upon them, and still the Ninjas had not found a way out of the match that pit Cole and Jay against each other. So while the boys set off to prepare for the inevitable, Garmadon and the girls took for the stands.

“I don’t believe this,” Destiny grumbled. “I don’t believe any of this. Next thing you know Chen’s going to pit me against my sister.”

“Careful with those words, Destiny,” Garmadon warned.

“I know I know. It just infuriates me that this guy can do anything he wants while we have to be passive about it.”

“I don’t like it, either, Des, but it’s what’s gonna happen,” Janet said. “And no matter what, we have to see this through.”

The trio climbed the steps to the loud stands and found their seats, which overlooked the circular arena that was decorated with red lanterns and the Anacondrai symbol. And at the top of a pole in the center was a Jadeblade. From the stands, they could spot Cole and Jay warming up aggressively.

Kai then spotted Neuro running up to him. “You’re cutting it close. So what did you see into his head?”

“I’m sorry,” Neuro admitted. “I couldn’t get past Clouse.”

“Good. Then we can finally put our feud to rest,” Jay spat. “Gladiator style!”

“But I did see something. For a brief moment, I saw inside Clouse’s mind. The powers he’s collecting--they’re for a spell.”

“A spell for what?” Kai asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s in his spell book, on page 149. I’m sorry it’s not enough to stop the fight. I wish I could’ve done more.”

“That’s okay. You’ve done what you could.” Disappointed, Kai shook his head in Lloyd’s direction.

“You don’t have to say it,” Cole said, preventing Lloyd from speaking. “It was inevitable we were gonna have to face each other. It may as well be Jay. This fight’s been a long time comin’.”

“Well I’m not at peace with this,” Lloyd said. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t still find peace with each other. We don’t have control when we fight, but we do have control how we fight. Jay’s not your enemy. Chen is. Remember that.”

“Wu once said the best way to defeat your enemy is to make ‘em your friend. But how are you supposed to defeat your friend?”

Cole’s POV

Lloyd backed away from the door as the bars lowered, and I raised my mask as a fanfare rang out.

“Let the Tournament continue!” Chen announced once Lloyd cleared out. “Jay, Master of Lightning, versus Cole, Master of—”

Let’s just get this over with.

I flipped over a stream of lightning and pounded at the ground, sending a wave of rocks speeding toward Jay.

And he flipped back with a laugh. “That’s all you got? Least valuable Ninja!”

“Eat dirt, Bluebell!” I shouted. I hurled a wave of rocks at him that he evaded, and I used the earth to block a shot from Jay. Oh he doesn’t know what he’s up against.

Zane’s POV

With everyone at the fight, I was able to cut through the chains. Now all I had to do was free Pixal, escape this prison, and find my friends.

“Hurry, Zane! Before they come back!” Pixal urged.

After a few more moments I was finally able to cut through the bars and enter the room she was being held in. “I’m through. Now let’s get out of here.”

Instead of Pixal, all I saw was pieces of scrap.

And one of her arms.

“Pixal . . . You’re . . . you’re—”

“Scrapped. I know. But I couldn’t tell you. Not when you needed to get out of here. Sadly, this is where my journey ends.”

Even though she could not feel my hand, I held hers.

“But not for you. Zane you must go alone. Find your friends, stop Chen; I know you have it in you. And don’t worry about me.”

Both of us pressed a hand to the screen. It was cool to the touch, but it wasn’t her I was feeling.

“I will always be a part of you.”

I glanced to a neural drive flickering with every word she spoke. Maybe there is another way . . . “You’re right. You will . . . always be a part of me.”

"Zane! What are you--"

Before she could finish her sentence, I removed the drive and inserted it into my system, and it only took a few moments for her to appear within my system. It may not be her entirely, but at least I have one part of her.

“Zane! You’ve taken my neural drive and imputed it into your processor! You’re ingenious!”

“Not ingenious. Upgraded. I’m sure there’ll be other surprises about me we’ll find out together. But until then, let’s both get out—”

An alarm suddenly went off within my system, and Pixal began to warn me.

“Zane! Behind you! Initiate evasi-i-i—”

Before I was shut down, I was able to see a man whose dark hair was tied back, and he wore a sinister grin.

Cole’s POV

Jay and I pushed against one another with our powers, but soon he was the one that began to overpower me.

“Stronger than you thought, ey?” Jay spat. “That’s your betrayal flowing through my veins!”

“I’m lookin’ forward to the peace and quiet when you’re out of the tournament!” I snapped.

With a burst of strength I knocked Jay to the floor, and he dazedly raised his head as the crowd went wild.

I . . . I almost hurt him. This isn’t right . . .

“Ugh, what are we doing? I don’t want you out! You’re not my enemy. Chen is!”

“Ohhh sure,” Jay grunted as he pushed himself up. “Lower my guard by pretending to be my friend, then swoop in to steal the prize!” His hands summoned two streams of lightning that he was ready to fire. “Typical Cole maneuver!”

“I never meant to hurt you, Jay. If I knew it would destroy our friendship, I’d take it all back.”

His eyebrows furrowed, and he stopped stalking toward me. “Well, if we’re being honest, I was upset about losing Nya but . . . I take blame for that. I was more upset about losing you. We used to be good friends!”

“The best, right? We should’ve been honest with each other instead of bottling this up.”

“Agreed. But how are we supposed to stop fighting? We can’t both win!”

“Well, maybe we can draw it out ‘til they call it a tie. Quick, attack me, but not hard.”

The both of us charged at each other before missing most of our “hits,” causing some people in the crowd to boo us. But, y’know, Jay did make a few close calls.

“Release the Condrai Crushers!” Chen shouted. Both of us looked to the red doors swinging open to let four of the said vehicles loose on us, and each of them began to circle us.

“I got your back!” I said.

“And I’ve got yours!” Jay replied.

“Ninjaaa-GO!” We performed Spinjitzu as we darted out of the way of a crusher, and he crashed right into the wall. Hah! How’s that?

I bolted right into the path of another one before jumping up and pounding my fists into the ground. The crusher was jerked into the air by a ramp made by yours truly, and I caught the tail before throwing the crusher into a third one.

The last one jerked itself around to head in my direction, and Jay leapt up, landed behind the driver’s seat, and shocked the driver until the crusher came to a complete standstill. The blades stopped just inches away from me, but I knew Jay had me covered.

The crowd cheered as we stood victorious in the face of Chen’s challenge, but the man wasn’t having any of it.

“Enough!” he barked. “I know what you are trying to do. If neither of you will win, then both of you will lose!” He furiously began pressing buttons, and with every button press a piece of the floor dropped into a seemingly endless pit.

Instantly we leapt from one tile to the other to keep from falling. But eventually we were both gonna run out of floor.

“We can’t both lose! Chen’s right! There can only be one!” I said.

“Then it should be you!” Jay exclaimed. “You and I know I’m lucky to have even made it this far! You take the Jadeblade!”

I whirled around and jumped my way to the pole before scaling it. Upon grasping the hilt, I was tempted to claim the weapon as my own.

But it wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

Without a second thought I threw the blade to Jay, and the instant he caught it Chen declared him the winner.

“Loser! Master of Lightning moves on,” the man said.

“She’s yours, Jay. I should’ve bowed out long ago. Win this thing.”

Like everyone else, I was sent down below for Chen to steal my powers. Jay’s got this. They all do. And if they don’t, then Chen wins it all.

Nya’s POV

“Anything on your end?” I asked as I drove through the Outlands.

“Not a single thing,” Ryan replied through the speakers. “They may be Ninjas, but I know that even they can’t vanish into thin air. They have to be around here somewhere."

All of a sudden, a familiar bird passed into view, and I lowered my binoculars.

“Why did you call me here?” I asked, only for it to call once in reply.

When I faced the map of Ninjago, I pressed a button to scan the area for any sign, big or small, of the Ninjas. The scan then flew far beyond the borders of Ninjago and locked onto a small island.

“Zane’s beacon . . . coming from somewhere off the coast! But that’s impossible.” Immediately I contacted the others. “Sensei Wu, come in! This is Nya. Do you read? I think I may have found the Ninjas.”

(First chapter) (Next chapter) (Previous chapter)

[eyeofthewolfe]

Breaking Earth (Ninjago Fanfic): Prologue & Chapter 1

Based roughly after the events of Season 8 (which I have no clue of what they are, but I am including the characters of Ray and Maya).

Haunted by his scar, Cole wonders if it really has an effect on him. Meanwhile, the team is bonding as a large family.

Prologue

The young boy watched the classic car speed away, leaving the exhaust smoke to cover both the boy and his one bag of luggage. With a quick wipe of his nose, the boy reached down with his right arm and strained to lift his heavy load with his long spaghetti-thin arm. The boy dragged both his bag and his dampened spirit towards the staircase that lead to a main building, the center of campus. He didn’t even glance at the giant metal letters that spelled out his new home that he dreaded.

The boy reached the bottom of the concrete stairs and looked up, facing his new future. He slicked back some strings of jet black hair that had fallen onto his forehead, and then lifted the bag once more. He began to climb the stairs, taking each step slowly and begrudgedly.

A third of the way up, the edge of the bag wasn’t lifted high enough to clear the next step, and the pressure in the boy’s sweaty and hurting hands was too much to bear. The handles slipped from his grasp and the luggage tumbled and rolled back down a few steps.

With a groan mixed with a sob of both annoyance and sorrow, the young boy ran his small fingers through his thick hair slicked back with tons of gel, and looked upwards towards the horizon and over the tree tops.

The young boy froze when he saw the mountain.

This boy has seen many a mountain before, but this mountain was shaped, textured, and placed in perfection in every way. The sun shimmered on its rocky surface and the bit of snow at the top was blinding white. The clouds couldn’t hide its grandeur, and it soared over the trees like a master looking over his students. It wasn’t the beauty that made the boy stare; it was the power the mountain emitted that made his heart skip a beat.

A wave of warmness fell over the boy, like he was given a hug from the sun. Suddenly, the boy saw something good in his new situation, something he was ready to dare. He lowered his hands which accidentally knocked his black hair over his forehead, but he did not care: he no longer had strict rules to live by. He untucked his shirt and rolled up his sleeves that showed more of his lanky arms-that needed to change if he was to succeed in this new challange- and then lifted his bag with a new spirit and determination.

The boy never looked back as he headed into the woods to meet his new destiny.

 _______________________________________________________

Chapter 1

There was no escape.

The teenager dressed in black had frantically searched every hallway and room in the unfamiliar building. Voices of people he knew echoed everywhere but none could be seen. The walls were unbreakable, as the teenager had found out, and every door lead onto another new room and set of hallways that had no pattern or consistency.

Stopping to catch a breath, both brown eyes frantically scanned the room for any signs of an exit. Every room looked the same: technologically advanced with computer screens of random people, but no real person could be found.

“We need backup!” Echoed a friend from a nearby hallway. “There’s too many of them!” cried another familiar voice from another hallway. “Help us!” came from behind him.

The teenager fell to his knees in both exhaustion and stress. He covered his ears and began to scream to block out the voices, but all it did was make the voices louder and closer.

“STOOOP!” The scared teenager screamed as he lifted his hands above his head and slammed them on the ground. As he did so, his arms lit up to a glowing magma orange. On contact with the floor, disaster struck.

A wave of orange and green energy spewed from the slam and the entire building was instantly leveled. The building wasn’t just knocked down; it was completely annihilated. Concrete debris was now ash. Computer and metallic technology was mere rubber sprinkles. The environment had completely altered from a building to a light rain of ash and rubber, all from the destruction of the glowing arms.

The teenager draped in his black robes slowly stood in the sea of ash, rubber, and pebbles. Shaking with fear, he looked at the damage he had done.

“Help,” came a weak cry from behind him.

The teen spun around and saw a group of colorfully dressed teenagers lying still on the sea of ash. The one standing rushed to the group and stared in horror as their skin began to crack and drift away as if they were ash too.

“No..” whispered the one in black. He felt something brush his leg. He looked down.

The cracked face of his best friend stared upwards. “What have you done,” he whispered as his body began to decay to ash.

The teenager standing pulled back his hood, letting thick black hair to fall over his face as he fell to his knees and grabbed the blue robes of his best friend. “No! I didn’t mean to-“

The areas he touched on his friend broke to pieces on contact, and he watched as his friend turned into pieces of ash drifting into the wind.

With a huge thud of his heart, the teenager sat up and grabbed the sheets around him, gasping for breath.

He instinctively looked around, making sure he didn’t wake anyone, but then quickly remembered that he had his own room now since moving into the temple. He closed his eyes and tried to sigh in relief.

“Nightmares again, Cole?”

Cole flinched and held back a yell. “Yang?!” he snapped, his heart pounding. “How many times have I asked you nicely not to haunt my room!”

The ghost sensei materialized into his more physical form as he stood at the edge of Cole’s bed. The elderly man sucked in a breath through his teeth and narrowed his eyes. “Please refrain from using the h-word, if you don’t mind.” Sensei Yang spoke calmly.

Cole rolled his eyes and wiped his soaking forehead with his tshirt. “Do you watch me every night?” the ex-ghost groaned as he glared at the master of the house.

The elderly man shrugged. “I wouldn’t use the word every, but it is pretty close to that.”

“Dude,” Cole droned. “That’s just creepy. It makes it worse that you are a ghost.”

“Careful with the g-word too. And not creepy. You are actually funny to watch in your sleep.” The ghost chuckled to himself. “Did you sleep with a stuffed animal when you were younger because it looks like you are supplementing that with your sheets. And it is adorable.”

The black ninja quickly evened out the sheets, including the wad next to him, and then sank his head back into his pillow. “If you don’t mind, I am going to try to go back to sleep.”

The ghost drifted around the side of the bed. “After that nightmare? I don’t think so.”

Flashes of the nightmare returned to Cole’s memory: the never ending maze of the tech building, the voices of his friends, the destruction that he caused, Jay turning into ash…

“Well, I’m going to try.” Cole grumbled as he turned over in his bed, facing away from Sensei Yang.

“Good luck.” The older man grumbled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here watching you.”

“That’s weird. Don’t ever say that again.”

“That I’m watching you?”

Cole groaned and shut his eyes, trying to fall back asleep. He could hear the faint laughter of his ghost friend behind him.

 __________________________________________________________

“I think Ninjago’s greatest hero,” Kai began as he lifted his mug, “Is coffee.”

The team all chuckled at Kai’s remark as they sat around the table in their PJs. Master Wu, however, gasped. “Kai, how could you!” he spoke with a smile. “You are a traitor to tea lovers.” The team then broke out into actual laughter.

Kai clanged his cup with the man sitting next to him. “I still am not used to sharing breakfast with you, Father.” He spoke warmly. Ray smiled and ruffled his son’s already messy hair. “I have been waiting for these moments for almost two decades, and every moment I am with you is a memory that I will never forget.”

Nya, who overheard that conversation, smiled and sipped her coffee. She turned to her boyfriend, whose spine was basically visible under his striped pjs. “Jay, why are you sitting up so straight?” Nya whispered into his ear.

“Your parents are present,” Jay spoke through the corner of his mouth. “I suddenly realize the importance of pleasing your parents.”

Nya giggled and lightly punched his arm. “They will embrace you, so you don’t have to try to be anyone else. Besides, I’m dating you, not a fake version of you.”

Nya kissed his cheek and Jay relaxed some. Just then, Maya walked past. “Good morning sweetie,” she said as she walked by. “Morning, mom,” Nya smiled as those words left her lips.

Maya turned to the teenage boy. “Good morning Jay,” she said just as sweetly.

“Good morning Miss Maya.” Jay said back quickly.

The older woman grinned. “Please, just call me Maya.”

“Okay,” Jay squeaked as the black haired lady kept walking past. Nya took Jay’s hand under the table and squeezed it. Jay held onto it throughout breakfast.

Misako sat down in between Lloyd and Sensei Wu, giving her son a kiss on the forehead and the elder a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning to you both, Zane is almost done in the kitchen.”

“Whatever he is making smells delicious,” Lloyd commented as the kitchen doors swung wide, revealing the titanium nindroid holding a platter with a pink apron tied firmly around his body.

“What an entrance,” Ray whispered to Maya as she sat down next to him.

Zane slid the platter on the middle of the table, revealing a heap of golden-brown scrambled eggs, sizzling bacon and sausage, fluffy pancakes, and a bowl of steaming grits.

“I love when Zane cooks,” Jay said with his mouth watering.

Zane untied his apron and sat in his seat. “Shall we start?”

“Wait, we are still missing someone,” Lloyd said. “Did anyone wake Cole?”

“No need,” came the person Lloyd spoke of as he turned to corner to the dining room with a yawn. “I could smell the bacon from my room.”

The team laughed as Cole took his seat next to Jay. “Alright,” Master Lloyd said as he looked around the table at the large and happy family. “Let’s dig in!”

Within seconds, it was harder to decide if the clatter of plates and silverware were louder than the voices and laughs of the family around the table.

 ____________________________________________________________

Cole wiped his face with his towel and ruffled his wet hair. The steam of the hot shower fogged the mirror, but the glowing green scar was very visible through the clouded reflection. The ninja paused, then wiped the glass with his hand so he could see his face clearly. He gingerly touched his scar and traced his finger on the mark. There was no harsh feeling to the touch, and Cole imagined it was just a permanent mark of his ghost life to forever haunt his image. He stepped back and looked at himself, especially eyeing that scar. Finally, he shrugged, for he thought it looked pretty cool. He fixed his hair and quickly dressed into his ninja robes before exiting his room.

Jay was leaving his quarters at the same time. “Hey, you okay? This morning at breakfast it looked like you didn’t get a lick of sleep.” The blue ninja asked as he fixed his robes.

Cole shrugged. “I got some. There were a few bumps in my dreams, but I got enough sleep.”

“That’s good,” Jay noted. “I haven’t really asked this, but does your scar hurt? It looks really cool but I dunno if it’s painful or anything…”

Cole shook his head. “No, I don’t even feel it.”

Jay raised an eyebrow as the two made their way down the stairs. “Really?”

Cole nodded with a small grin. “Sometimes I forget its even there.”

The two shared a chuckle as they walked out the front door to the Bounty parked on the floating landform. Cole scratched at an itch on the back of his neck and tried to forget about his nightmare last night

[aberrantchaser-blog]

The Lego Ninjago Movie Spoiler full Review

Table of Contents: Personal Background, Review, crush/love letter, Ambivalent, Things I wish they: expanded on, had, had done, Irritated slightly by, kept in, noticed.  The things I enjoyed: thought clever, funny, lessons, liked, tugging on Heart Strings, Fun observations. 

Background I’m not part of the Ninjago show fandom (though I have seen spitbrix’s & tannerfishies’s videos on the subject). I just saw the 1st TLNM trailer on May 21st & have been intrigued ever since & somewhat crushing on Lloyd Garmadon for 4 months.  My crush kind of died yesterday, after I’d seen the film twice. Why? read on to find that out, & what I thought of the film in general.

Review If I were to give this film a letter grade it’d be a C, not an A as it didn’t do everything right, not a B as it didn’t have only a few missteps, but not a F because I don’t think the film failed so badly as to warrant that grade, or a D for barely passing.  

No the final grade I’m giving this film is C for average, not extremely good or extremely bad, just in the middle, maybe somewhat forgettable to general audiences.  To me at least this film causes me enough pain to want to forget it sometimes.  

When this film lands it lands well, the heart of the story is well executed, when it doesn’t stick the landing it drags the score/grade down, but not enough to ruin 100% the film/or my experience of it.

Sure I came out of the film feeling mainly disappointed, I had spent around 3 hours with the film, & $15.59 for my 2nd viewing, but just because it disappointed me doesn’t mean I want other people to not see it, or for this film to bomb at the box office, as I’d like the Lego aesthetic to still be present on the big screen, & would like Lego to do well on future films advertising in house brands.

In crush terms, yo Lloyd the makers of the film set up a great profile (marketing) for you, yet the “date” I went on with you showed that you weren’t as great as your profile set you up to be.  The allure, intrigue, mystery I felt for you made me want to get to know you, & your story was wanting. The charm you showcased in trailers also seem to have been lost/cut out in your film.  (I had hoped that your film would make me fall for you more, that the time I spent obsessing over you wasn’t wasted, that you as a whole would be worthy of my attention when I finally got to see your story.) I suppose 1 sad irony of this situation is that I wasn’t able to take my owned/your representative minifig to see you on the big screen on the day of your film’s premiere.

& Yet your platonic chemistry with your dad, your desperation in wanting to fill that dad shaped hole in your life, & you working through your mixed emotions on your dad was what saved your film for me.

In short you weren’t a horrible date, but you weren’t the best you could have been either. Like your mom who expected the best of your dad, & her wanting the best for you, I too expected the best showing from you, which I didn’t get, but I still do want the best for you despite that disappointment, just maybe not with me in whatever possible futures still exist.    

The rest of this post will be a list of either emotions, followed by what parts of the film invoked that emotion in me, or things I wish the film had done, & maybe not done or likes & dislikes.    

Ambivalent: I’m not sure this film should get a sequel.  I’m also unsure about recommending this film.  

Expanding on Lloyd being bullied. Dorling Kindersley hereby abbreviated to DK’s Essential Guide memorably detailed the harassment Lloyd faced in school, producing a spirited protective response among fans, the book also generated sympathy for Lloyd in me, but that sympathy really had nowhere to go in the film.

Kate Howard’s adaptation of the film into the jr novel did flesh this issue out as well, 1 memorable exchange being Kai offering a hug out the anxiety/stress thing, + articulating that Lloyd was finding it tougher to cope with the ostracization.  

Things I wish they:

Expanded on Koko’s backstory. The team’s camaraderie.

Had: More Martial Arts. For a martial arts film, this film has a surprising lack of it.  Only showcase of martial arts moves I recall is Lord Garmadon vs Wu, & slightly during Garmadon’s 2nd attack, with Wu beating up mooks while Lloyd steals the Ultimate Weapon, hell Wu gets most close quarters combat scenes!  Only scene involving other people were when the ninjas were fighting Garmadon’s many fired generals, & that scene was too brief.  The ninjas return to the city after Garmadon steals the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon is more of a showcase of each ninja’s individual elemental powers, not martial arts. The Ninja Formation Featurette set up my expectations to be high, I’m disappointed at the result. (especially considering I had forbidden kingdom on the brain when I went to see the film.)

When DK’s Essential Guide bought up the ninjas relying too much on their mechs, I didn’t know the issue would extend to the majority of action/fight scenes in the film.

I really wish they had kept in that scene with Lloyd & the baby which they showcased in Trailer 1 + Outtakes, especially what they had in outtakes! That showed good physical comedy reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s old work. At least we would have 1 ninja having time to adequately showcase their martial abilities/skills.  

More time, really felt like film was too short to do all it could have.  

More interior shots of the Destiny’s Bounty.

Had done: Had the ninjas use their personal weapons. DK’s Essential Guide as well as the 1st time we saw the ninja in Trailer 1, hyped me up for that.  

Instead both above issues/scenes are kept to the 1st few scenes of Good Morning Ninjago.  

Speaking of the other ninja, while I expected this film to lean more to Lloyd + friends, instead of being a true ensemble piece, & expecting not to be disappointed with that, I am surprisingly sad about the other ninjas not each getting much time to shine.  Hell if I hadn’t read the Essential Guide or seen the Behind the Bricks Featurette, I likely would have no or very little sense of their personalities.

A more personal beef was I wish they could have showcase Lloyd’s dragon mech more.  It hurt when the mechs got totaled by Meowthra, but it didn’t hurt as much as it could have.  Wish the film could have shown us the Ninja 1st debuting the mechs, then montage the ensuing status quo of ninja mechs beat garmadon, that would have made it really hit home when the mechs weren’t able to beat the Garma Mecha Man, signifying a change of the status quo in Lord Garmadon’s favor, & have the pain of the mechs being lost hurt that much more when Meowthra totals them.

Like Ghost in the Shell Have a montage of the city to get to know the place, Lloyd parkouring home after the 1st day isn’t enough, all that have 1 or all of the Ninja be able to take a moment & just appreciate their city, find it beautiful, like that mind controlled garbage guy did vs the Major in her invisibility suit.

Dorling Kindersley hereby abbreviated to DK’s Essential Guide + The Making of the Movie excerpts made me really interested in Ninjago City, just a shame we didn’t get to explore it more.

DK’s Essential Guide actually set up a lot of things that wasn’t in the film. Like each member of the team getting an arc, & using their preferred weapons in hand to hand combat, their personalities, detailing Lloyd being bullied, Garmadon’s army, really expected that new General #1 who tore off Lloyd’s arm to play a bigger part, like she took over the Shark Army ala Starscream when Garmadon left to track Wu, giant stone dog guards that would guard the Ultimate Ultimate weapon temple, & help Jay complete his arc.  Maybe the ninjas using a Tornado of Creation to rebuild the city after Meowthra’s destruction. Maybe more expansion on Lloyd/The team all being Master Builders. The DK & Lloyd’s Scholastic book give the impression that Lloyd designed & built the teams’ mechs himself.

Irritated slightly by: the use of hard knock life.  the Ultimate Weapon random montages.

Kept in maybe trailer 2’s going back to roots, & what Lloyd says before his arm is torn off, I haven’t felt this good in a long time, & Lloyd’s yeah but I feel like there’s more to Garmadon that I need to know.   

What I Noticed: the film is more consistently heartwarming, but the marketing was more consistently charming, funny.  

Some shots were definitely made to be seen in 3d, especially some in the mech battle in Garmadon’s 1st attack, I saw the film in digital.

eyeofthewolfe, I really envy that you’re 1 of the people who aren’t feeling like me, I want to be part of this in-group of yours. But ultimately I’m not, hope you’ll still accept my point of view as valid, & that we can continue to talk while still respectfully disagreeing with how we each see the film.  

Since I want to end on a good/happy note.

What I thought was Clever took my 2nd viewing to recognize the parallels between each Lloyd/Dad scene + the concept of catch, granted I like they were more subtle with it in the Behind the Bricks featurette.  

The Inner Piece metaphor, which I should have also taken literally considering this is a lego film.

The 6 or so cut shot of the effect of Lloyd’s Dragon Mech Missile Massacre.

Some of what those poor fired generals said to Lord Garamdon when he asked for suggestions.

Despite being somewhat irritated by not calling it, all said fired generals banding together to become antagonists.

Wu’s lines about defying the [The Mentor Dies] trope.

Funny some of what Garmadon does during that GMA style montage & other attacks on the city.

Apparently Wu’s like Sun Wukong’s master Old Boy in the odd birth department.

Lessons learning to see things from a different point of view.

Learning to rely on something else besides tech.

Liked the score, voice acting. 

Tugging on Heart Strings nearly every scene with Lloyd & his dad whether bickering or bonding. The scores A Wish & A Ruined City, Arm Popping Flying Lesson, The Lady Iron Dragon, Here Kitty Kitty, Big Hug.

& the Koko/Lloyd scenes.

Lloyd, Misako, Nya teaching the fired generals new life skills.  

Fun facts 1st viewing 1 kid I presume gasping in outrage when the Kid referred to Lloyd as just a kid.  

2nd viewing really like some kids commentary on how Wu couldn’t die & other show references. Wish I could recall what jokes got the most laughs though.

Lloyd really reminded me of RWBY’s S2 Blake in worrying bout what the antagonist was up to, which the vol 5 theatrical showing was advertised in the theater I was seeing the film in. 

That & he was a nice mix of Atla’s Zuko/Luke Skywalker in the dad issues department, although Lloyd/Wu’s bond more reminiscent of Zuko/Iroh.

Maybe another comparison could be made between this film’s familal relationship & Despicable Me.

[parachutingkitten]

Character Thoughts - Lloyd

I want to do more analysis stuffs, and I need some time to rewatch season 5 to continue my season analysis, so I figured I'd do this. I'll do whatever characters you want, I'll definitely hit the main 6, but if there are any side characters, I'd be happy to do them as well!

Okay. Time to get real. Honest and unpopular opinion. I don't like Lloyd. I kinda hate him.

If this upsets you, please consider actually reading the whole thing before screaming at me.

Idk if it's just a thing I've got against main characters or something, but I really don't get it. He has no defining character traits. I mean, he's a good kid I guess, and he's brave and noble and all that crap, but he's just... boring.

His backstory has the potential to be interesting, but they do nothing with it. His relationship with his dad is inconsistent as hell. Does he respect him? Or not? Has he worked through the whole evil dad thing? Or not? Has he forgiven his mother? Or not? Does the whole skipping years of your life thing effect him at all? Or not? What about his impulses from when he was a bratty kid? Does he... have them?

We've spent seasons and seasons and SEASONS on Lloyd's baggage and gotten absolutely nowhere. Even in seasons when he's not the focus he's got to be important. He's got to go off on his own, or be the key to some... thing. He's got to go off with his dad and angst in the forest, or get lost or possessed or be the last one standing. And I really don't get why it ALWAYS has to be Lloyd. Especially after season 2. His purpose has been fulfilled. He did his destiny or whatever. Now he should be just as powerful as everyone else. No more special treatment.

I don't know what it is. He never like... makes mistakes. He doesn't have any real character flaws. He can be kinda impulsive sometimes maybe. Sometimes he's kinda gullible and sometimes not. Any mistakes he makes are like "oh geez, responsibility is all on me and I'm so important and cool, isn't this tragic? The fall of a hero?"

He's not human, he's just a bunch of hero tropes wrapped into a person. That's why he doesn't have a personality, his character traits fluctuate depending on what trope fits the convenience of the plot! Say what you want about Kai's impulsive stereotype, or Jay's goofy stereotype, at least they're consistant.

Speaking of the team, what even is his relationship with anyone? I don't mean headcanons, or theories, or your interpretation, I mean how does he treat Kai and Cole any differently? Who in the team is he closest to? What's his relationship with Nya? What about Zane? Where's the differentiation? I feel like the other 5 have a history and bonds and connection, and he was dropped in there. Then, without any development, they were totally buddy-buddy all of a sudden.

Now, I get why he's appealing. Especially to little kids and stuff. He's the main ninja, he's got cool powers, and is strong and easy to self insert. Ninjago is a kids show. I get it.

I also can understand the potential appeal of Lloyd. He's got this sort of ying yang sort of backstory, he's had both broken and perfect families. He has the potential to be really interesting and thought provoking and emotional.

But none of that is in the show.

I feel like that's something I'll hit on a lot in this series. We as a fandom have assigned a lot of headcanons to characters, and made theories and interpolated a lot (I am so very guilty of this with PIXAL) but when you step back and look at it... none of it is in the show. The show has so many great ideas and concepts, but it doesn't do stuff. We as a fandom have done that legwork for them. That's something to be proud of, but it's also important to realize that that's what it is.

Not to say that ninjago is a bad show or anything. It's great, and I still love it, but when someone doesn't like a certain aspect as much as you do, I think this is likely the reason.

Anyway. I don't like Lloyd, even though he's the face of the show and all. Whatever. Just my opinion. I can stomach him fine. I'm not an active Lloyd hater or anything. I just... don't care for his screen time very much.

If you love him. Cool. Try and enlighten me as to why in the notes. I'd like to know what you like about him.

Anyway, if there's someone you want to hear me vent about next, let me know!