#why is she explaining who jay is to lloyd??

[mislamicpearl]

Just improving some lines, don't mind me.

[agenericplaceholdername]

Why Nya and Jay Can Remember Skybound

By the time Jay makes his final wish in Skybound, the realm crystal and Zane’s falcon have been destroyed, PIXAL has been deleted, Lloyd is an old man, large chunks of land have been ripped out of the ground and are poised to fall back onto Ninjago, and Nya is dead. Those last two parts are most important for Jay, the only character with a wish remaining (if you ignore all the Ninja replacements, who never made wishes and conveniently left after the real Ninja returned). Thus, Jay makes his final wish: “I wish you had taken my hand, and no one ever found that teapot in the first place.”

After Jay makes his wish, time is reversed and the Ninja return to where they were in the first episode of the season. The paparazzi is about to find the Ninja and all of them but Nya use airjitzu to hide from the helicopters. Jay asks Nya to take his hand, which she originally rejected, on the basis that, “I can stick up for myself” and “I'm a ninja, and I'm nobody's girl.” However, after Jay’s final wish, Nya uses airjitzu, which she learned over the course of Skybound, and takes Jay’s hand.

While they remember the events of the season: 

“I remember! I remember it all!” – Nya, The Way Back

“Me too!” – Jay, The Way Back

They don’t care how they do:

“But how?” – Jay, The Way Back

“Who cares.” – Nya, The Way Back

I, on the other hand, do care, and that’s what this post will explain. The other Ninja experience some deja vu, but aside from a subtle reference to Skybound in season 8 and a mural depicting the events of the season, indicating that Master Wu (or at least the painters of the monastery) was told, only Jay and Nya actually remember what happened.* Functionally, Skybound is an alternate timeline that never occurred.

This is not the first time Ninjago has dealt with alternate timelines! In Season 2, the Ninja time travel to the past and create an alternate timeline where Nya is kidnapped later on by the Ninja disguised as skeletons, Lord Garmadon from the future fights Kai at the fire temple, and the Ninja use the golden weapons to send the Mega Weapon into space. This timeline is erased when the Mega Weapon is destroyed, with series creator Tommy Andreasen confirming that the only change that the alternate timeline left is that the Mega Weapon ended up in space – the pilots still happened as depicted in 2011. At the end of the episode, the original four ninja remember the events of the episode, along with Garmadon, Nya, and Wu, but not Lloyd, who was not present. Wrong Place, Wrong Time’s time travel is extremely confusing, largely because Lloyd doesn’t just not remember the time travel but also doesn’t remember the Mega Weapon at all.

If the logic of Wrong Place, Wrong Time holds, then only those present for Jay’s last wish should remember it.** That means Jay and Nadakhan, obviously, but also the rest of the Ninja, but crucially, not Nya, since she was dead at the time. Now, perhaps the rest of the Ninja don’t remember, since the wish was between just Jay and Nadakhan, but that still doesn’t explain why Nya remembers Skybound.

Now, perhaps you could explain Nya’s memory as Jay’s wish was about her – Jay wanted Nya to take his hand. And this would work, except that Jay’s wish was also about Clouse. While he’s not named directly, Nadakhan ensures Clouse never finds the Teapot of Tyrahn in the first place.*** Now, if Clouse had remembered Skybound since the wish was about him, then it would have been very straightforward – Clouse would remember that Nadakhan tricked him into wishing it all away and stopped searching for the teapot. Clouse is instead chased off by angry citizens of the Village of Stiix while still searching for the teapot. You could argue that Clouse remembered Skybound but was arrogant enough to keep searching, but there’s zero evidence of this, so while this theory isn’t necessarily wrong, I think there’s another, better explanation that covers why Nya remembers Skybound but Clouse didn’t (Clouse also never mentions this in the Dark Island Trilogy).

The most logical explanation why Nya remembers Skybound is, based on the rules of wishes established in Skybound, love. And no, I’m not talking about how Jay “wished from the heart” so Nya ended up remembering Skybound.**** I find it hard to believe that Jay’s true, heartfelt intention was to make sure that he and Nya remembered events that never occurred. Instead, let’s look at what Jay wanted. He wanted Nya to take his hand and Clouse to not find the teapot. The second half is easy, since Nadakhan is more than capable of altering the actions of others with his wishes – after Jay’s first wish, the mailman comes out of nowhere, and so does Nya after Jay’s second wish.

Theoretically, Nadakhan could override Nya’s free will and have her take Jay’s hand – except for two problems. First, on a metatextual level, this would run totally counter to Nya’s entire message in Skybound, as muddled as it is. Having Nya take Jay’s hand because of a wish would not only undermine the entire point of Jay’s growth over the season (Jay goes from saying “Maybe a wish is what it takes! Maybe this is how she falls for me” in Public Enemy Number One to asking Nya, “Well, what do you want?” in The Last Resort) but also utterly obliterate Nya’s agency, the exact thing she spent the season fighting for. Now, can Ninjago have totally contradictory messages? Of course! Skybound is a case study in mixed messaging on this very issue! But there’s a second, in-universe reason why Nadakhan can’t make Nya take Jay’s hand, and it’s not for the reason that Tommy Andreasen gives, which is that Nya is dead, and Nadakhan can’t control the dead. Nadakhan is more than capable of making dead people do things, since he literally brings Delara back to life earlier on, and he is capable of doing multiple things in one wish, by making Lloyd both older and wiser.

The reason is that you can’t wish for love! This is one of the first things Nadakhan says (“You can’t wish for love, death, or more wishes” – Nadakhan, Infamous). Nya makes it very clear that the reason she won't take Jay's hand is because she doesn’t, or refuses to, love Jay at the start of Skybound. Having her take Jay’s hand because of a wish would mean he wished for love.

However, right before Nya dies, after the whole plot of Skybound has happened, Nya does love Jay, so Nadakhan is not magically making Nya fall in love. Instead, Nya takes Jay’s hand of her own agency, but this can only happen because Nadakhan ensures that Nya remembers the events of Skybound, so that the love that was created naturally, not as a result of wishes, does not go away, and he fulfills Jay’s wish.

Thus, Jay remembers Skybound because he made the wish, Nya remembers Skybound because she needs to to love Jay to take his hand, and Clouse, the other Ninja, and the rest of Ninjago don’t remember it because it never happened.

——————————————————————————————————

*And technically Zane if you include Ninjago: Decoded

**The same time travel logic sort of holds in Lost in Time, where the Ninja in the present are aware of the changing timeline after having been present for the Iron Doom's time travel. That being said, they are also still affected by the changes in the past (Zane reverts to his pre-rebuilt state when Ninjago's advanced technology is undone).

***It would have been very easy to twist that wish into no one having ever found the teapot, that is, Captain Soto would never have found the teapot, but whatever.

****I think it’s possible that Nadakhan didn’t twist Jay’s wish because it was from the heart, but that’s totally unrelated and not based on any actual evidence. The Ninjago wiki seems to think this: "Nadakhan, being hit with the venom and with Jay’s wish being pure, has no choice but to grant it" [emphasis mine].

[kindaasrikal]

I got bored so now I’m slapping you all with Lloyd headcanons from someone who percieves him as a stupid teenager. Yippe.

Lloyd, despite everything, is the BEST when it comes to money. Especially with negotiations. If the original price of something is ‘unfair’ to Lloyd, he will make sire that price of 300 drops down to 20 bucks. No one understands how he does it, least of all Ronin who feels like he just got robbed of 280.

Lloyd’s hair is naturally blonde, the same shade as Wu’s, whose hair was exactly like Lloyd’s grandfathers, the Fsm. Misako, Garmadon, and Wu all already knew that Lloyd got the blonde from the Fsm, but Lloyd, oh poor innocent dumb 10/15 year old (early seasons, so right after the tea and after they met Misako) Lloyd, had a crisis over it. After finding out Misako and Wu were almost a thing, and having no idea how the Fsm looks like, he waddled over to Wu one night, tears in his eyes, and asks his uncle why he has blonde hair. Wu, not thinking much of it, was prepared to start explaining science to him as well as show a picture of the Fsm. Until, he saw the rhetorical worry and the accusation in Lloyd’s eyes.

“Ah…nephew. What are you really asking me right now?…”

“Wu…Garmadon is my dad, right?????” And Lloyd’s about to start sobbing. Wu had to sit him down, explain he would never, and bombard Lloyd with photo’s of the Fsm and young Garmadon, who looks exactly like Lloyd. Safe to say that the next day Zane began teaching Lloyd everything he should’ve learnt in school. Specifically science.

Lloyd, after losing his element by almost dying, learnt how to manually make his eyes glow. So sometimes it’s a dim light, other times he rivals a flash light. He loves using it in staring contests, he cackled the first tike he used it on Jay who yelped back and couldn’t see anything other than a weird shadow light thing for the rest of the day. Jay then bribed Zane to do that to Lloyd, who learnt his lesson to only ever flash his eyes at Kai.

Lloyd used to read fanfiction on Wattpad years ago in Darkley’s, so sometimes when he’s captured or in a situation, he starts narrating like a 14 year old girl with a crush on BTS/Harry Styles/One Direction. “My glowing green emerald eyes stared deeply into the abyss, hoping someone, anyone would come save me…and slowly, as my lean and strong body wiggled for freedom, I saw Fritz Donnegan-” “LLOYD I SWEAR WHEN WE GET OUT-”

Lloyd knows how to tap dance. To doom.

Once, Lloyd tried to be Spider-Man by using his element to make green lasso’s or smth. Little did he know he almost blew up half of Ninjago city when everything he grabbed with them started blowing up. You learn something new everyday. Though, the Commissioner didn’t like that excuse all that much.

Lloyd enjoys growing his extras two arms out and then hanging off of Cole’s back like how baby’s do with the baby carriers. He didn’t like that comparison all that much, Kai.

Lloyd is the type of person to do things so reckless, especially when it comes to emotionally attached villains. He will happily cuss out his dad when he’s on a oni rampage, yes he will go out and have coffee with Harumi, the girl who is knows to all of Ninjago city as the quiet one and call her “Salumi” the whole time, yes he will summon Morro and tell him all the cool stuff he did as the real green ninja, yes he will visit Pythor and give him snake food as a present. All of them are concerned and/or annoyed.

Not many people realised how much Lloyd looked like Misako until he wore her glasses as a joke. She started lecturing him about how bad his eye sight could get if he kept doing that, and all he said was “I’m not even human, i don’t count.”

Once Lloyd went to a place that prides itself for its inclusivity, and then had no idea if he should go to the mens bathroom, the dragons bathroom, or the oni’s bathroom. After taking a peak into the latter two, he quickly decided the mens bathroom is safer. Much safer. He dragged Nya to help him complain to the restaurant about there being no dragoni bathrooms around here and got free food out of it. So worth the embarrassment of saying “How am i supposed to reach the toilet??? HOW????”

[wyrmswears]

Hiii!

I know the au ain’t about Jay, but does he have an animal form? How did Edd & Eddna found him or he does not exist?

I do apologize for the amount of questions not being libber related😞

Pd. I also love wolf children i imagine Libby just recreating the feral Yuki scene right?

Hellooooo!! Had to think about this for a bit; I really didn't give Jay too much mind when making this AU lol. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed getting to flesh out this AU further using your questions so thank you so much for asking! :D I made the AU for Libber and Ice but it's always fun to expand on other characters and how the changes the AU makes affects them.

This post turned out longer than I expected (oops. I love infodumping about my AUs, sorry lol) so the answers in their entirety are under the cut! Spoilers for Prime Empire and Dragons Rising (though nothing particularly about s2) are mentioned though.

The short answers are: Jay is still adopted, Libber left him at the Walkers' doorstep before dying. And yes, Jay has a wolf form like Libber does, but he can't access it until after the Merge.

The long answers:

The second question is easy - the comic on my other post initially had a third page that would've answered this but I found it difficult to get to flow well so I scrapped it. When the Walkers arrive home after coming across Libber, they find Jay on their doorstep. The idea is that she had left him at a safe place as a final act before succumbing to whatever killed her. (Much like in Wolf Children, I don't have a particular cause of death thought out.) Ed and Edna don't make the connection between the child on their doorstep and the wolf on the highway of course, because why would they?

As for whether Jay has an animal form... On one hand I find it very amusing when characters of non-human heritage turn out to be just normal humans, and Cliff Gordon is still completely human in this AU, but I also think it'd be boring to ignore his heritage completely for the sake of the bit. After mulling it over I've come up with this:

Jay grows up showing quirks that align with him being half raijū, but nothing that can't be explained by him being the elemental master of lightning or just a peculiar (and probably neurodivergent) child; these are things like a fascination of thunderstorms, abnormal resistance towards electrical shocks, hyperactivity, a tendency to chew on things...

He has no idea that his biological mother wasn't human until after the events of Prime Empire when Wu, now aware that Jay knows he's adopted as he used it to reason with Unagami, requests to speak to Jay privately. He explains that, if Jay has an animal form then he shouldn't feel like he has to hide it from the team as he is sure that they'd accept him, much like Libber's teammates accepted her. This is sweet and all, but Jay is very confused what he means about having an animal form. And thus begins the explanation of who or what exactly Libber was.

After learning that he isn't completely human, Jay isn't really upset - hell, Zane and Lloyd have both dealt with the same thing and it turned out fine - but he only talks about it with Nya. This is part of my general characterisation of Jay where I feel like he doesn't keep too many deliberate secrets, but does only mention certain things about himself on a need-to-know basis meaning that, while he doesn't care if the team knows he's adopted, only Nya, Zane, and Pixal know that he is (Zane and Pixal for being present at the end of Prime Empire). Nya 'needs to know' because she is his yang thank you very much. Nya helps him to research about raijū and they find out that they can come in a variety of forms. Jay thinks he'd look like a noble and mighty creature, maybe a lion or an eagle. Nya thinks he'd be a chihuahua.

Nonetheless, that seems to be the extent of it; Jay doesn't figure out if he has an animal form or how to use it, and all that's changed is that Nya has become a lot more aware of her yin's oddities. That is, until Dragons Rising.

I think after the Merge, Jay has no issues with accessing his animal form: much like his mother, he's a wolf-like canid. If you told him, he'd probably never believe that he had spent the first 20-or-so years of his life with no clue to his heritage and no abilities related to it when his natural state of self after getting amnesia is to flux between forms. Maybe it developed as one of the strange effects of the Merge, or maybe its a new ability as a result of his environment, much akin to Cole's rock golem. Nonetheless, it serves as a message to Nya that this isn't the same Jay she knew before the Merge. He flaunts his heritage to the team that he never told and has changed, both physically and as a person, without her there to see.

As for the P.S, I'm not entirely sure what scene you are talking about - there's quite a few where I imagine Yuki could be described as feral lol - but Libber is overall quite alike to Yuki in my mind, particularly when she is younger and less concerned with hiding her wolf side.

[mx-julien]

each ninja was a different kind of teacher (except Lloyd who basically went on a year long press tour) and it also explains why Rebooted and after they seem a bit more responsible than in season 1 and the pilot

Cole has my favorite teacher characterization because he's objectively an interesting person with cool hobbies but when he is responsible for a group of children he just becomes Dad Who Is Helping Out At The Summer Camp. we never see his classroom, but given his proficiency in the arts we can assume he's the English teacher

since he went to art schools, he's probably not used to kids who aren't actually interested in what's being taught. the louder kids seem to dislike him (ref: running gag of "Mr Cole is the worst"), but that doesn't mean he's necessarily a bad teacher- just not one to humor pranks

also his and Kai's teacher outfits belong in the 1970s. I like the touch of making their ties the same color as their gis

little bit of meta: most of the people who worked on this show went to school in the 80s/90s so to them "older/boring" teacher outfits would look like this. also, as someone who was in the intended age range and saw it at the time of release, this sort of clothing conveyed that the ninja were doing a stuffy adult job- juxtaposed with their colorful gis

Kai appears to be the history teacher? his teaching style is likely structured and straightforward. given his nontraditional childhood, his frustration with the kids likely comes from both his jealousy that they aren't aware of how valuable schooling is and that Nya was much easier to work with when she was their age. at the end of the day he's an older brother who's now in charge of a bunch of kids

he's using an old-fashioned projector with film, which I assume (1) shows how low-budget they are, (2) emphasizes that Kai is out of his element (pun not intended), and (3) juxtaposes them with New Ninjago City

Zane is the one who doesn't know what a vape pen looks like but will listen to you infodump for an hour after class, then drive/walk you home because you missed the bus. he probably doesn't get any of the classroom humor or notice if the kids make fun of him. I can't imagine him ever getting angry at the kids, and he probably is very good at keeping them to a routine and a schedule

in rebooted episode 1 he seems to be teaching science? and the use of catapults is actually quite endearing- he's probably explaining tension and going to get his kids to make little models, which shows that he both is a pretty good teacher and hasn't realized that giving elementary/middle/primary schoolers their own catapults will only lead to chaos

he and Jay have personality-based outfits, with the snowflakes being an obvious allusion to Zane's element and the zig zags on Jay's emulating lightning

the little bowtie on Zane reminds me of Bill Nye the Science Guy (program with a a host of the same name who taught kids about science in a fun and accessibly way- very nostalgic for kids who went to american public school)

Jay is the exhausted teacher who's more interested in his hobbies than class material, and if you get him talking about that hobby, he won't stop until the bell. as a jokester, I think he'd get along well with the kids and definitely encourage them to annoy the other ninja

we don't see his classroom, but given Jay's skills he's probably the math teacher. he'd have a difficult time explaining things in different ways- very gifted people who learn well on their own often find it hard to teach things to others, though he would make sure he doesn't leave anyone behind

Nya definitely teaches math classes, but she probably handles tutoring as well since she's well-balanced in most subjects. it would also give her an intelligence network- kids come to her room after class/during lunch to complain and gossip. she uses it in the noble pursuit to antagonize the others

i'm used this video and the ninjago wikia because I'm on mobile and finding other sources would've taken too long

extra group photo I found! love the detail that Zane blinked (Dr Julien probably took the photo)

[thecatundertheladder]

More stuff for my Wu and Garmadon in the Tournament of Elements au! This is what happens on the ferry ride over to Chen's Island.

When Wu and Garmadon join them on the ferry, the ninja are, at first, confused as to why their senseis were allowed on it. After all, only elemental masters were invited to the tournament. You know, cause it’s the Tournament of Elements.

Lloyd: I'm surprised they let you on.

Jay: Yeah, they didn't even let my weapons on!

Garmadon: Well, we were invited.

Wu: We just weren’t planning on accepting until we realised you were going.

Kai: Wait, wait, so does this mean that you’re elemental masters too?

Cole: I guess it makes sense. They are the sons of the First Spinjitizu Master. So why wouldn’t they have elements?

Lloyd: So, what are your elements?

Wu: Hmm, we aren't actually elemental masters, but in this case, I suppose I am the master of Creation and my brother the master of Destruction.

Garmadon: We'll explain further when there are less curious ears.

Garmadon goes on to explain how everyone on the boat are all descendants of the original elemental masters. Of course, this is where Kai decides to fight Karloff [also side note I watched this episode before writing this and it's really out of character that Karloff tries to steal Skylor’s cloak but anyway].

Like Garmadon, Wu also just lets Kai fight by himself, so nothing much changes there.

However, Wu does wander off to have a conversation with Griffin Turner at some point because while canon says that Garmadon (and probably Wu as a result) has never met most of the EMs, I say that's unrealistic - that and it's implied that Garmadon has met Griffin. Anyways, Griffin does not think that Wu aged well.

Right before they arrive on the island Jay decides to take advantage of Wu being there, and ask what the tension between Garmadon and Clouse is all about. And Wu, being a shitty little brother, decides to tell him. Needless to say, the ninja were shocked to find out that Garmadon and Clouse had dated. Up until that point, the ninja (except for Nya – she and Wu hung out a lot) had been a bit wary about stuff like that around Wu and Garmadon. They were thousands of years old, who knew what archaic values they still had. So finding out Garmadon used to have a boyfriend was a surprise (but a welcome one, as it let them know that Wu and Garmadon were accepting of LGBT people). Out of the information gained that night, the ninja consider Clouse being Garmadon’s ex the most important part.

Of course, while this is all happening the other elemental masters are sizing up the ninja, Wu, and Garmadon. And they all have varying opinions based around how much knowledge they have of them.

The ones who have never met or heard of any of them before see them as easy pickings. I mean, a bunch of teenagers and two old guys, seriously, how hard can it be to beat them?

The ones who have met Wu and Garmadon before, but only briefly, are a bit more wary of them, but still think they shouldn't be too hard to beat.

The few who know Wu and Garmadon quite well (like Griffin) are definitely nervous to be up against them, and they have enough sense to know that if the ninja have been trained by them as well, there’s a good chance that they are going to be tough opponents as well.

And, of course, the elemental masters who have heard of how the ninja defeated the Overlord are a bit shocked to find out that they are teenagers. Cause what the hell? Why are teenagers out there defeating God's arch-nemesis?

So basically, it's a direct correlation between how much the EM's have heard of the ninja and/or their senseis and how much they view them as a threat.

[spinchip]

for the fic prompts- something about your hometown glory au maybe?

OOPS. 2300 WORDS.

There’s a dinner in the grand hall two days after they arrive on Chen's Island. Clouse had been the one waiting on the shore to welcome them to the tournament and explain that they would be given two days to settle in before the competition began, with the night of the second day an introductory dinner with Lord Chen himself. They had all jumped at the opportunity to experience the luxuries the palace had to offer before fighting against one another. Cole particularly loved the fully stocked mini-fridge in his room, packed full of all his favorite treats. He made sure to interact with the other contestants as well- know thy enemy, or whatever.

Jay had mostly left him to his own devices, following that girl Nya around like a lost puppy. Cole had known Jay long enough to understand his obsession with love- he wanted to be in love very badly, and Nya was just the newest target of his affection. Whether it would last remained up for debate.

Cole inexplicably found himself running into the ice master, Zane, a lot over the next few days. Zane tended to hover around Kai and Nya or Cole and Jay, when he wasn’t off on his own, but Cole always seemed to stumble upon him randomly in the halls. Sometimes, Zane would have this look on his face-not quite guilty, but like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. Cole never asked why Zane seemed to be poking around the halls on his own, and Zane never explained. They ate all their meals together.

When Jay had squeezed himself into a seat next to Nya at the welcome dinner, Cole had hung back and sat with Zane and the kid, Lloyd. There were soft murmurs throughout the hall as they all anticipated Lord Chen's arrival. When Cole glanced over at Zane, the ice master was frowning softly, the barest hint of a crease between his brows. Cole felt a chill creep up his spine that had nothing to do with the other man's element.

Chen threw open the halls at the front of the room dramatically. He gathered himself to his full height and cleared his throat, a hush falling over the room, “All rise for Lord Chen.” He announced.

They all stood from their chairs respectfully, standing tall and squaring their shoulders as Lord Chen made his first appearance of the tournament. He wore long, expensive robes that billowed with every step. Delicate embroidery and beading catching and twinkling in the hall's warm lights. He was flanked on each side by several samurai in strangely shaped helmets and elaborately tattooed faces, each with a sword on their hip who marched in time. Several women fanned out behind him as well, their faces painted theatrically in swooping kabuki makeup. They fluttered forward to pull out Lord Chen's chair, others throwing themself forward to unlatch his fancy outer robe and remove it, revealing equally elaborate but more practical robes beneath. One woman hurried to fill his glass with water and his cup with tea, bowing as she stepped away from the table.

Lord Chen, in contrast to his neatly put together robes and serious air, was a scruffy looking man. His eyebrows and his mustaches were wild and unmaintained, the red makeup around his eyes applied sloppily- even the salt and pepper of his hair seemed to get the memo and came in in awkward stripes along his sideburns. “Sit.” He commanded, his voice rough and scratchy.

Cole sat along with the others. The Samurai fanned out across the room, looking intimidating and mean, but made no move to draw their weapons.

Lord Chen's face was kept in a neutral scowl, eyes narrowed and assessing as he raked them across the gathered crowd. Then, his lip twitched- and just like that, he gave up the act and grinned broadly. He threw his hands out, a new air of levity breaking through his serious act, “Welcome,” He shouted, “to the Tournament of Elements!”

He smiled, arms outstretched. A long moment of silence passed, no one knowing quite what to say. His smile never dimmed even as his arms dropped and he settled into his seat, “I am delighted to have you all here, in my home. Please, eat!”

The moment the words come out of his mouth, servants flood into the room each carrying trays of food and drink. They serve each of them a small appetizer dish artfully arranged on the plate. The dinner continues in a similar manner, with each consecutive dish brought out ceremoniously. It's easily the most expensive meal Cole has ever eaten, with puffer fish a delicacy he never thought he’d taste.

The dinner passes quietly. So quietly, in fact,that after the third course Chen himself scoffs, “No need to act so shy! You are my honored guests. You are permitted to speak freely!” He makes a shooing motion with a piece of sashimi in one hand, “Socialize!” He orders.

Hesitantly, chatter fills the room. Zane quietly instructs Lloyd on how to properly eat some of the more exotic foods on his plate, and Cole not-so-subtly eavesdrops and mimics him. He can hear the sound of Jay and Kai arguing down the table, which has quickly become a regular occurrence among the two.

“You have a beautiful home, Lord chen.” Neuro says politely.

“Isn’t it lovely?” Chen smiles, sipping his tea.

“It is,” Zane agrees, and his voice slices across the room as he directs his eyes to the head of the table, “I suppose it must be, since you cannot leave.”

Chen's easygoing smile freezes on his face. The room grows quiet and strangely tense, Cole shifting uncomfortable. Zane's eyes are that bright, intense blue, and all his attention is focused solely on Chen.

Clouse speaks next, recovering smoothly from whatever Zane had just implied, “Lord Chen has been well documented as a recluse, but this tournament is his return to the public eye. He has always been intrigued by the elements, and has chosen to face the world once more for the opportunity to see you all in action.”

It sounds like damage control. Chen is still smiling, but there’s something dark swirling in his eyes now.

“Of course.” Zane nods graciously, “It must be difficult to come out of hiding considering his role in-”

“What was your name again?” Chen interrupts abruptly, grin tight along the edges.

“I believe you know my name.” Zane responds neutrally, “You know everything about us.”

When Cole was younger, when he still lived with his father, he could always tell when his dad was angry by the way his lips pulled tight over his teeth. Like he was suppressing the urge to snarl. He always walked away then, leaving Cole to practice his fouette alone with his fathers disappointment hanging over his head. Chen has that same tightness around his mouth, but there's a fury to it that Cole can practically taste that hangs electric in the air.

“You are awfully presumptuous.” Chen says jovially, the sharp blade of danger brutally apparent to Cole.

Zane dips his head, “It was not my intention to offend,” He says, despite the fact that Cole is one hundred percent certain that was exactly his goal. He looks up and meets Chen's eyes, “My name is Zane. I am the master of Ice.”

“Ice.” Chen echoes, “Symbolizing stillness, coldness- the absence of love. Death, even. What an element to be saddled with, but it seems it fits you well.”

There’s something there Cole can’t pick up on, some uneasy threat. Chen continues, “Despite that, I still welcome you to my island and I am eager to see you fight in the tournament.”

Zane regards him quietly, “Thank you for inviting me.” He says evenly as dessert is served.

Chen turns away from Zane and stands, addressing the whole table warmly, “Never before have so many Elemental Fighters been under one roof. I see Master of Fire, Earth, Shadow, Speed, even a prophesied Green Savior.” His eyes linger on Lloyd before he moves on, “I must welcome you again to the Tournament of Elements! Here, we will pit you against each other in friendly combat to reveal which element rules over them all! The rules are simple. Every match will be different. No two fights will be the same. Your powers will keep you in the Tournament. Use it or lose it!”

Karlof rubs at his beard, “Hmm, What does Karlof win?” he asks with narrowed eyes. It seems Cole wasn’t the only one to pick up on Chens strange behavior towards Zane- in fact, most of the table looked uncomfortable and wary, now. Zane had revealed teeny pieces of fact about Chen he was trying to suppress. What was he hiding?

“Win and stay on the island. Win it all, and you'll receive fortunes beyond your wildest dreams!” He flings an arm out and one of the lush curtains to the side of the room is pulled aside by one of his woman servants, revealing stacks of cash that nearly reach the top of the vaulted ceiling. There’s a collective gasp through the room, and Cole can practically see everyone's suspicion fly out the window at the size of that prize, “-and lifetime supply of Master Chen noodles. But no one is here because of noodle. You want the glory of being the greatest fighter in all of Ninjago!”

Jay is practically drooling at the sight of the money, as are several of the others. Cole gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but even he can’t shy away from a prize like that. Earth could win this thing- he could win this thing. He knew he could. Coming home with all that prize money… proving himself as ninjagos number one warrior… this was his chance to prove himself. Maybe then his dad-

A cold hand grips his bicep and Cole turns around to look at Zane, whose face is tense with worry.

Cole feels that same cold chill up his spine again.

“What happens if we lose?” Lloyds little voice pipes up, carrying ominously across the room.

Chen's smile grows strained again, but he doesn’t miss a beat, “Lose? Who here likes to lose?” A few of the others laugh at that, “Now please, enjoy my island. It's a super fun, happy place. Hahaha. Fun time on me! We will begin the first challenge of the tournament bright and early tomorrow morning!”

With that, he sweeps out of the room with a flourish. His servants and guards go with him.

Clouse stands as well, “Lord Chen formally requests you all retire to your rooms for the night.” He says bluntly, completely disregarding Chen's words not five minutes earlier, “We must prepare for the first challenge and that requires you all to stay in your rooms until morning. Our servants will escort you.”

As they are marched back to their rooms by several of Chens samurai, Zane stays close to Cole. It feels like a funeral procession.

“Cole, I have a favor to request.” Zane says quietly as they approach the rooms, the Samurai finally out of earshot.

“Uh, What is it?” He whispers back just as softly.

They arrive at Zanes door quickly and Zane barely has time to speak before the guards are ushering him away- he looks at Cole with those intense, knowing eyes and simply says, “I need you to find me.”

And then the door closes behind him with a finality, and the others are escorted to their rooms in similar fashion. Cole can barely sleep all night, but when he finally does doze off it feels like only a few seconds have passed before the rising sun cuts a path across his eyes and wakes him. He has a quick breakfast from his minibar and joins the meandering mass of contestants as they walk down to the grand hall once more.

Cole had been ruminating over Zane's request all night, trying to understand what he meant. Maybe he wanted Cole to stand with him this morning? He stands on his tippy toes and looks over the crowd, hunting for Zanes signature white hair. He frowns, turning around and looking behind himself too- where was he?

“Oof!” He grunts as Jay crashes into his side.

“Morning!” Jay greets with a grin, “How’d you sleep?”

“Not well.” Cole admits.

“Me neither! You know why? Because it occurred to me last night that Chen said there would be one winner last night- one!” Jay smiles with a manic edge, “Which means our genius team up plan is out the window. They’re gonna tear me apart!” He gestures at the others wildly, a few of them shooting him a weird look.

Cole snorts, “You’re the master of electricity, Jay. I’m sure you can hold your own.”

Jay throws himself onto Cole, gripping the collar of his shirt and sagging to the floor in anguish, “I’m going to die!”

The grand hall had been cleared of the dinning room table, the raised dais now the focal point of the room that Clouse was standing on as he waited for the last contestant to linger in. Clouse clears his throat, “Before Lord Chen arrives, I have some unfortunate news.” He clasps his hands together and summons an extremely fake looking frown, “Late last night, due to a family emergency, Zane chose to drop out of the tournament and leave the island.”

That cold chill is back. Zane didn’t have any family, that was one of the first things he’d told Cole.

I need you to find me.

“He is being transported back to the mainland by our ferry, which is our only way off the island. It will return in a few days, but for now that means we are unable to leave.” He says apologetically, “But I can ensure your accommodations here are more than adequate enough that you won’t want to go!” He says with a grin.

“Now, it is time for our first challenge: The hunt for the Jade blades. Lord Chen will explain the rules.” He says with a bow, graciously stepping aside so Chen can take center stage with his signature flourish.

Zane didn’t leave on that ferry.

Cole had a feeling no one would be leaving on that ferry.

[stargalaxxy]

⋆˚ʚɞKai Smith x Reader𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ Oki,, so I know it's been a while.... but I swear I see requests given I just need time to think how much time.....idk But I thought while you wait why not post shortiesss... So I hope you guys enjoy this ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ ᡣ𐭩 (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)*.ﾟNow Playing: Apocalypse by Cigarettes After Sex ⭑.ᐟ

Tw. Fighting???

‧₊˚ ⋅My Comfort °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Racing around every room was not how you wanted to spend your free day, turning each room you entered upside down in a desperate search,

“Where is it!?” you frantically flip over the gaming rooms couch haphazardly. “Woah (y/n)? what’s wrong?” Lloyd follows your frantic movements as you pass him, 

He stares at you as you finally pause debating your next move as you swivel your head left from right. “Are you looking for something?” Lloyd peaks his head over your shoulder looking down to try and make sense of your change in behavior. 

Your hands grow clammy as you rub your index and thumb together, a soft whine leaves your closed mouth, brows arching upward with concern. 

Lloyd has honestly never seen you like this, “do you want me to ge-“ before Lloyd could finish you gasp racing outside in a hurry. Using this time to answer his own question Lloyd goes to retrieve your boyfriend in hopes of calming you down.

“N-no Riyu, please let it go!” you were involuntarily playing tug-o-war with your comfort doll. With building anxiety, you give in partially to Riyus tug after hearing fearful rips.

“P-please Riyu this is not a toy!” tears begin to bubble as the baby dragon shakes his head playfully, much like a puppy. He was slow to making the connection of the sentimental value of the toy. 

The display brought many eyes as Lloyd comes out with Kai, at sudden realization Kai sucks in air through his teeth cringing at a predicted site.

“oh shi-"

Errip-

You fall back on your butt with an oof, the torn half of your stuffed doll in hand the other on the ground now forgotten by the dragon who pranced over to Arin. It takes a moment for you to process what had happened, to the others it was like waiting for the jump scare in a horror movie. All were at the edge of their seats for what would happen.

Coming to action you jump up and quickly grab the other end of your toy and raced back inside pushing aside anybody that was in the way,

“What’s wrong with (y/n)?” Sora picks up Riyu tilting her head as Arin looked concerned as well. Kai makes no effort in explaining as he runs after you, Jay rubs the back of his head anxiously as he ponders on how to explain your dilemma. “Well, that doll Riyu had is important to (y/n), she’s had it for years...” Jay looks to where you ran off as Cole nods, “I always seen it in her room she’s so protective of it” Cole crosses his arms as Zane even agrees. “I have recalled her once saying that it was special to her, however I do not understand how an object could hold so much sentimental value.” Zane tilts his head as he ponders. Sora shakes her head, “no way I completely get it! Poor (y/n) I feel horrible..” Arin looks down guiltily as well, “I should’ve been watching Riyu..” Lloyd shakes his head, “what’s done is done, I’m sure (y/n) will be oki.. Kai will make sure of it” Lloyd walks over to pat Sora and Arin on the head a small comfort.

Kai walks over to your door hearing objects being harshly knocked down, you were looking for something again. Opening the door, he finds you with a box, it was old and had a few holes, it was an old sewing kit that master Wu gave you way back to when you first joined the ninjas, your hands shake as you search around for what he can assume a needle and thread. “(y/n)..” Kai’s voice was drowned by the jostling of items being moved in the box as you lift your hands to a needle and very small piece of thread. Not enough to fix your doll, 

Kai’s mouth shifts as he watches you try and shakily push the thread through the eye of the needle, however as one would guess it wouldn’t be easy with the state that you’re in. 

“(y/n)..- (y/n) that’s not gonna work” Kai walks over to take the needle and thread, as if he had threatened you Kai catches the meanest glare from you. “Don’t touch me.” Your words were sharp almost cutting Kai, he knew how you could get with this doll, but it never got this bad…

“(y/n), just lemme help you..” Kai goes to try and take your hand in a way to calm you down, “I don’t need your help, just leave me alone” you rise to your feet storming out of your room with your broken doll passing concerned faces you leave.

Tears fell down your face as you hiccupped hiding your face in your sleeves you turn into a old building, it was deserted of customers grabbing materials you needed you place onto the counter startling the cashier with your sudden appearance.

“Is (y/n) still not back?” master Wu sits with the cup of tea in his hands as Kai paces running his hands through his spiked hair, “no, she completely stormed out.. and it’s been hours now” Kai slumps on the couch defeated. “She totally freaked out, I shouldn’t have reached to her so suddenly I know how she gets with that doll” “it’s important to her” “I know, but doesn’t she know she has me?” “Does she?” the back and forth between the young adult and the old man came to a stop as Kai leans his head back against the couch. 

Kai has always been there supporting you, however that doll had always seemed closer, it was dumb of him to admit but at times he was jealous of how much more it seemed you cared about the doll than your own boyfriend.

Of course this was all in his head, you have always been affectionate with him, however not as much open. For years it seemed as though you struggled to talk about your feelings, instead you had the routine of shutting yourself in your room hugging your doll close to your body. Instead of confronting you, Kai seemed to let you wallow, assuming it was the way of how you cope not wanting to step over boundaries.

Kai sighs as he leans up standing off the couch and grabbing his jacket, sensei opened his eye peaking at the man who was leaving to find you. 

Your hair was soaked from rainwater your clothes no different as you walked inside, a bag of sewing supplies in your hands as you looked defeated and tired. 

(Y/n) had just walked through the door before I could walk out to find her, she was completely drenched “(y/n)..” Kai calls to her with worry as he grabs her hand, (y/n) could feel his hand slowly start to warm hers. Wanting to say so much Kai said nothing in the moment of both of you finally coming back together, so he said the only thing that made sense to the moment, 

“Hey, let’s get you warm and outta’ those clothes”

A fuzzy towel laid on your head with fresh pair of pajamas, sitting beside Kai in silence. Your outburst was the only thing on your mind, your hands in your lap as your stare down at the floor hearing Kai hum as he sews your doll back together. Guilty wasn’t appropriate to describe how you felt, ashamed maybe.. embarrassed. Sorry didn’t feel enough for Kai. But what else could you say..

“K-“

“(y/-“

You both stop as you stare at each other, “s-sorry, you go.” Kai fiddles with the string as he directs his attention to you, “Kai, I’m so sorry for yelling at you, you didn’t deserve that. I got so scared of losing this doll that I let my emotions get the better of me..” you look to Kai before falling your gaze to the floor again.

“No, this is important to you, (y/n)”

“But you’re more important than that silly doll!” the desperation in your voice brought a new mood in the atmosphere. “that doll, I had it for so long, it’s been with me through a lot of tough times.. sometimes it felt like the only thing.” You stare down at the doll before continuing, “I always seemed to lose the people important to me. That doll was the thing that stayed..” Kai looks down at the doll rubbing its stitched body with his thumb.

“When I joined you guys, I found a new family, and when we started dating… I began to worry more, what if I lose you.. The more people a meet and care about the more I feel I might lose them.” The lump in your thrust seemed to refuse to move no matter how much you tried and swallow it down, “the closer we got the more scared I became.. These missions aren’t getting easier, they never are, so seeing you get in trouble kinda makes me revert to the one thing I know I can’t lose. But after today, I know that losing anything and everything possible..”

You take a breath as you sat everything on the table, your heart on your sleeve. You never been so vulnerable, but you knew Kai deserved to know what was on your mind, your grip tightened feeling your nails pierce the skin of your palm as you wait anxiously for anything.

Kai places your doll in your lap now fixed, looking up Kai smiles, “(y/n), thank you for telling me what’s been on your mind.. I want you to know, I’m your boyfriend I want you to share everything that you’re feeling so that I can help you, even if I can’t.. I don’t want you to feel like you’re handling this on your own.”

“But you’re right, anything can happen to me, but that will never stop me from being by your side. Even when it feels like I’m not I’ll find a way to hold you as if I were.” Kai tilts his head catching a glimpse of tears bubbling in your eyes, he chuckles as he pats your head rubbing it affectionately before pulling you into his chest. “I love you, (y/n), nothings gonna stop me from loving you,” Kai chuckles as he rubs your back, “sorry to say but your stuck with me, from this life and the next..” hearing you giggles muffled into his jacket Kai’s smile widens. “I want you to talk to me and lean on me, (y/n) that’s what I’m here for, oki?” Kai turns his view to the back of your head as you nod, “oki, I love you Kai..” you sniffle as your grip tightens on his jacket as if he would slip away from you.

“No need to hold on so tight babe, ‘m not going anywhere.” Kai rubs your back as you shift your body closer into his, your breathing turns even as you let out one last shaky breath. Pushing your body forward with your knees you lay on top of Kai whose head meets your pillow. He grins as he runs his hand a top of your head, quiet snores leave your slightly open mouth as Kai watches your body rise and fall.

Looking down Kai finds your doll on the floor, every night it would be him, you, and your comfort doll. But tonight, it was you and him,

And that is how he will keep it for as long as he can. 

I'm sorry if this is short, I honestly had the thought and wanted to write it down on the spot,, It's currently 2:30 in the morning, and I have classes tomorrow so there is gonna be so many mistakes I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up to this not remembering making it... ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১ But I hope you guys enjoy it, again don't worry I see your guys requests I jus need tiiime... sowwy

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Love, ⋆˚࿔ Karrots 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[avatar4life]

As always credits to @crimson-cherry for this beautiful art.

Reader was walking around the city when she and her friends noticed the ninjas in weird uniforms "uhhh, why are they dressed like that?" Namir asked confused and a bit amused by their looks as reader sighed in embarrassment "it's... Wu's tea shops uniforms" she said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck "you mean the one he's trying to make a business out of?" Phytios said as he took a bite of his candy"yup" she confirmed it as they all looked at the ninjas showcasing their powers"... where's your brother? Isn't he always with them?" Strymyr asked as he looked at each of the ninjas but didn't find Lloyd"I don't know, all I heard from his conversation with the ninjas is him going to the museum to help" she shrugged her shoulders, she never knows where her brother is unless she eavesdrops the conversations between him and his 'family'. After a while they got bored and it was time to go back to their respective homes so she walked back into the tea shop on the mountain "hi reader, welcome back..I didn't know you were out" Misako said with caring visible in her voice. Reader just nodded at her and went behind the counter to the cash register as the first two clients came, a mother and a daughter, clearly close to one another, making reader feel bitter as she only saw that happen between Lloyd and Misako. Just as she was about to give them the bill for the teas they chose, the ninjas barged in in a clear state of panic, all talking over one another "ninjas, calm down. Can't you see? We have our first clients" Wu said as he pointed at the mother and daughter. The little girl, who looked around reader's age, which is 10, stared at the ninjas in awe and admiration 'ugh, great another fan of the oafs' she thought in bitterness. She looked at Wu and to her surprise she saw a look of worry in his eyes "ninjas, you four weren't my first pupils" he said but gets interrupted by the little girl pointing outside. Reader follows her line of sight and sees Lloyd "Look, it's Lloyd!" The little girl said in excitement, but reader has a feeling in her chest, like a heavy stone is there as she looked closer 'that is not Lloyd' she thought.

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

One thing led to another and now she was hiding behind the counter as whatever took Lloyd's body was fighting with master Wu and Nya after the ninjas got defeated by him. She peeked her head from the counter before seeing some symbols coming out of the old staff that Wu always carries with him. Fortunately before the possessed Lloyd could ran away with the staff Nya let a shelf fall and stop him, making reader gasp out of worry for Lloyd but then remembering that that thing was not her brother. She soon ran out of the shop with Nya and to the Bounty, along with the others ninjas.

She looked around worried as she counted the people on the ship "where's Kai?" She said because even though she didn't like him or Nya, she didn't want for them to be separated like she and Lloyd now are, and for a while have been after the tomorrow's tea incident. The ninjas looked at her before noticing Kai fighting with Lloyd, or whatever took his place. Soon Nya brought down the Bounty's anchor and grabbed Kai as they flew away. Reader sighed in relief for a brief moment before noticing something "he's following!" She yelled loud enough to be heard . The others look outside as they noticed the possesed Lloyd flying on a dragon "quick use your powers!" She yelled at the ninjas "we can't! We lost them!" Jay tells out of panic "what?!" She yelled back, now panicking too. Soon Wu interjected before the panic could escalate "I need to deciph the symbol on the staff before he can!" And then Zain added "me and Kai will protect you while Jay and Cole fight off that guy!" He explained the plan as he, Wu and Kai already run inside "what?! Why do we have to do that?!" Jay said, still in a stage of panic "cause I'm the smart one" Zain added with a hint of cockyness in hus tone, making reader roll her eyes before running to hide in her room. As soon as she got there she sighed in relief before yelling surprised and shocked and scared as she sees a spirit in front of her "who are you?! Are you with whatever took my brother's place?!" She tells before the spirit kneld down in front of her "I'm not here to cause you arm. I know you feel useless, unable to do anything to help except hide and hope for the best. You want to help save your brother from Morro right?" It said as it voice was neutral and calm despite the situation "... Morro?..yes, I want to help. But I'm useless, my powers cause destruction. I inherited all my father's bad things and obviously Lloyd had to inherit all his good traits." She said bitterly as she felt the heavy feeling on her chest again "I can help you change it all. But this must require focus, determination and the understanding that it will come to a cost" it said to her, looking at her as it sat down in front of her by the door "...will this helping me save my brother from Morro? Whoever that it" she asked "you care for him, Why? He abandoned you for his new family with the ninjas and your uncle Wu? Why do you want to save him?" It asked curious "I'm not doing it for myself, I know me and him will never be close again. But Ninjago needs it green ninja and the ninjas need their brother. I will do anything, even sacrifice myself if I have to, just so Ninjago could have their precious hero back" she explained determined to the spirit "so can you help me or not?" She added with a glare, as menacing as it can be coming from a 10 year old as if to warn the spirit to choose wisely "you're determined, focused on your goal and ready for whatever the cost may be. I will train you, little lighthouse, to transform your darkness.." it took her hand and showed a black and purple flame on her hand "..into to light" it finished his sentence as it maked the previous dark and cold flame into a bright and warm one. She looked at the flame on her hand in awe before the Bounty crashed again something "I have to go now, but do not worry, I will be back" it said before disappearing in thin air.

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

Soon the night came and they all looked at Wu for an explanation on what actually happened and so he explained the story of his first pupil, who he previously in the past thought was going to be he green ninja and was named Morro, making reader look at him in surprise as she reckoned the name from the spirit 'so he was his first pupil? Uh' she thought as they continued to listen before the ninjas asked their own questions and the falling asleep, soon getting followed by Nya and Wu. Reader stayed awake as she looked at the sky 'wherever you are spirit, I hope you are right and can teach me how to save Lloyd' she thought before falling asleep on the floor, nor having noticed said spirit looking at her from on top of tree branch with one thought in mind

"may the lesson begging, little lighthouse"

WOOOO I FINALLY DID THE FOURTH CHAPTER!! Have a good reading

[lightning-water]

Jaya in Crystalized that’s what consumes my head (the first 6 episodes specifically)

It’s the way that Jay went to the LIGHTHOUSE, because it’s a special place for them it’s the first place she revealed how she really felt to him it’s their first real heart to heart, it’s the way he has DOZENS of paintings of her! like oh my goodness i can’t. it’s the way he kept glasses of water nearby at all times so he could speak to her even if it wasn’t real, it’s the way he can’t function properly without her, and how when Nya went to the lighthouse later there were more of the floating letters in the room he was in, so he read more of them

Nya the whole time wandering around the ocean was like “i lost something” and “there was someone else” i choose to believe she was talking about Jay, it’s the way she got her memories back because she had read Jays name, and when she did get her memories back the first thing she did was go to the lighthouse, and she truly believed Jay was in there, she climbed ALL those stairs so she could see him, and when she goes back to Nyad to ask for a way back and Nyad tells her there is no way, then asks why she is said her very first words are “but Jay and Kai” like Jay and Kai were why she was choosing to go back, she then says her worst fear isn’t loosing her powers anymore it’s loosing her friends/family.

When Jay was not cooperating with anybody and was physically fighting with Kai the only thing that stopped both of them was Nya, then as soon as she is able to materialize the first thing is “Jay i need your help” because she knew he would do anything for her and the way he automatically ran to her side and said “what can we do just tell us” hadn’t even asked how she did that or where she had been it was how can we fix you to get you back we will do anything for you… ughhhhhhh that’s so perfect. Then while she’s explaining he’s listening only talking when she begins to melt away into a puddle and he’s just calling out her name as more of a reassurance or out of fear than anything else then when zane freezes her with no warning that is the first time jay takes his eyes off of her that entire scene and his entire voice dips when he asked what did you do, that’s his angry voice and then when zane does explain what he did jays first response “is she ok?” my goodness he was thinking about her well being the whole time. He then turns back to her and looks at her while explaining what she said then when Master Wu refuses to let Aspheera out, jay says “this is the closest thing we have ever had to plan to save Nya” but he says it stern and angry, if it had been anyone else he would’ve been more calm toward master wu

When they go to the Mayor to ask to free Aspheera, Jay interrupts Lloyd to say she’s the heart of our team and we thought we lost her like Jay didn’t have to say that she’s the heart of the team but he choose to compliment her in that sentence. It’s the way he looks at her while zane is continuing freezing her, he’s just staring at her the WHOLE TIME ,my heart. Then Jay is the first to say “I’m in” when Lloyd suggests BREAKING THE LAW for her.

And the whole part where their identities are revealed after breaking the law and Lloyds all like “Guess we’re the bad guys now” and they all just accept it?!?? no fighting at all that isn’t Jaya but i just thought that was sweet how Nya was more important than their futures

When the guys arrive after Nya almost melts through the floor and Jay looks so worried at her and i can’t with his face he’s terrified for her and when aspheera aims her staff at her he looks at her and only looks back when aspheera says revenge. Then when Nya is brought back she takes one breath and Jay who is UNDER PEOPLE is calling her name and running over to her and is at her side immediately and says her name more quietly this time. it’s the way she looks at him and just immediately cuddles up to him and jay just smiles and yells it worked while cuddling closer to her and the way Jay and Kai are just sitting with her when lloyd looks up and goes to get aspheera out. it’s the way that when lloyd returns and everyone is in handcuffs Jay and Kai are just smiling at Nya the WHOLE TIME like they are getting arrested and the new ninja are talking officially putting them under arrest and those two are not even listening and just staring at nya with a smile on their face and when they are being escorted out jay looks at her and says “take care of Nya. Tell her I love her.” oh my heart was not ready for that and the way when Master Wu carries her in and onto the couch the first thing besides “am i back?” was “where’s Jay?” let me tell you i broke, she was fully expecting jay to be there with her but he wasn’t because he couldn’t then when they are throwing the guys in the truck jay instead of freaking out like he would have said “ya, but we did it… Nya is home” with a smile and just closes his eyes that was i think the most at peace i have ever seen him like my heart those two are my definition of true love 😭❤️

[theplatypusblue]

Okokok dragons rising s2p2 REWATCH thingy it’s mostly me noticing small details and shit I missed the first time. Ramble-y at points lol

Many many big spoilers below (also it’s long)

Ok so like….. first episode it gets established that all the dragon tribes fall under the jurisdiction of each of the source dragons…. Neato. More world building shenanigans

WYLDFYRE PEAK YIPPEE. Nya said Lloyd was helping her with her precision, and there’s this really cute animation moment where’s she’s firing her flames like she’s shooting a gun lol

Ok so like Frak taught Arin how to make Merlopian Berry Crème pie…. Frak is merlopian question mark(?) (I don’t think it makes sense timeline wise lol don’t listen to me)

I like the scene of Zane training it reminds me a little bit of that scene from all the back in s1 where’s he’s just tuning everybody out

So like the tournament thingy takes place at the same spot as that flashback with Wu and Bonzle in season 1 (maybe?) I wonder why Wu was hanging out there so long ago lol. (I mean lily might have been at the last one too but like who knows)

ROBY PEAK!!!! My only issue with him and Bleckt is that I wish the writers would’ve really hammed up the comedy between the two. Made them just completely unserious. Would’ve made Bleckts betrayal a little more impactful maybe. (Imagine a bunch of goofy cartoony gags between the two, only for the eventual reveal that bleckt actually genuinely wants roby dead. Woulda been crazier)

Ok so seven headed source dragon thingy. It’s either symbolism like roby said or we are eventually gonna build up to an ultra-dragon adjacent situation. Somehow. Idk how. But maybe it would be cool

Ok random thought. I think it’s pretty clear at this point that elemental powers come from and are associated w the source dragons. You can extrapolate the connections (fire and heat come from motion, plants is probably from life, etc). I think you can remedy the whole “the new elemental powers are stupid” thing by thinking about them more as the elements of the source they are associated with , rather than elemental powers in the traditional sense of our world (If that distinction makes sense lol idk how to explain it non-stupidly. It’s just a matter of framing)

That being said, I really like zant-tanz lol I think it’s his voice teehee. Silly whimsical snail man. Shame he had to get kicked out but then again…. He had some rock stacking to do at home

Ok ok ok I think some parts of the Jay fight are kinda lame (“and I will always hate you” 🙄) but things make more sense from jays perspective I think. Imagine you’re coming from a place where everyone devalued ur individuality and didn’t care abt you as a person, and then you come to this tournament where ur opponent (who ur literally fighting against in this ~tournament~) suddenly starts telling you you’re the love of their life n stuff (and ur also being manipulated but besides that even). I would also just assume that they’re being weird and try to kick their ass.

“Not sure I can pull it off… it’s arriving too soon” what exactly was Wu trying to pull off lol? crazy theory time 100% NOT real NOT going to happen: Wu is trying to bring someone (I’m betting his dad) back from the dead, cuz like departed realm shenanigans and the merge maybe. But we also don’t really know how departed realm stuff works yet, so there’s not much we can extrapolate from there. Idk.

I’m sorry but I always think it’s really cool when cinder bounces people around like a basketball teehee. He’s a very fun character to watch during fights.

Similar-ish point to my Jay spiel from 2 seconds ago but like. Arin’s convo w Frak abt how shatterspin is super evil actually makes me laugh a little bit. Cuz Arins going on about like “oh dude it ~~shatters your goodness~~ you can’t ever do shatterspin” and internally Frak is like “is this guy actually fr” lmao. On my first watch through I was literally like “Arin stop you sound so fucking brainwashed rn” shfjfjjfkfkgkgla

Ok ok so Ras wanted all the elemental powers so he could get a dragon icon somehow…. Lloyd just got his gifted to him tho. (Might be another matter of force vs harmony — you can either do all the hard work to get all the powers and make ur own icon, or the source dragons will just like. Give you an icon. If ur cool enough or whatever)

Dragon Ivory stores powers, dragon horns can give u power but then they make u angry or smthn… dragon ivory can also be used to communicate w the nether space….... hhhrrrnnngg dragon lore im trying to make it make sense in my brain hrrrnngg

Frak is so nice and respectful he’s such a good guy lol (I have to DRAW HIM. Being COOL. Because he IS. I’ll get to it eventually)

Small nitpick but like. The way the tournament is organized kinda makes no sense….. cuz all the plot relevant fights involving the ninja happen at the beginning, so they’ve been in multiple fights and get multiple powers. Then there’s a montage of them fighting other elemental masters who only have one power. So the whole thing is actually completely unbalanced and unfair. Turns out Roby does suck at organizing tournaments lol

God that one shot of nokt running at the camera hunting the arc dragon is so fucking perfect the colors are just mmmmmmhhhh so good I gotta redraw it I gotta redraw it so baddddddddhhhhhhhhhh

Ohhhhh the final couple of fights the composition and the coreography were sooooo good we are backkkkkk we are soooooooooo backkkkkkkkkkk

TLDR: I remember it being good and then I rewatched it and it was still good. Yayyyyyyyy

[crappy-coffee]

I think the Ninja running a tea shop should’ve been expanded on. Not for any important reason, I just wanna make the Ninja work in customer service.

I NEED Lloyd to be a tired teen who snaps at a Karen for complaining her iced tea isn’t hot. She mumbles “kids these days” and Wu has to (unfortunately) stop his nephew from lunging across the counter to grab her throat.

Cole has to explain way to many times that NO they do not serve peanut anything, no not even in their cookies, because Jay is deathly allergic and it’s posted on a sign up front and if they want to complain they can Kiss his Boots

Kai’s on kitchen duty because tea is easy and needs heat. But goddamn some if the orders people come up with are weird. Like it’s a tea shop why are we combining candy floss with green tea. Why are people asking for whipped cream. What is happening.

Zane helps with baked goods (bc who doesn’t like a cookie with warm tea :] ) and struggles significantly less but he also has to do runs to tables. Some people complain to him about the food and he’s like “I have 7 more orders to do Please talk to your server :[“ but that doesn’t stop people. Plus people keep asking him to cool off their drinks. I desperately need Zane “I know I was built to protect but I Swear To All That Is Holy if one more customer makes an Ice Machine joke I’m freezing Borg Tower” Julien.

Words cannot describe how much I need a scene of a customer screaming at Nya to get the manager, and she pulls a “I’m the manager.” Bonus points if the customer then says to get the owner and Nya gets out Wu and/or Ronin.

[agenericplaceholdername]

Dragons Rising S2 E6-10 Thoughts

This is the last post in the series! Maybe I’ll do these for Season 2 Part 2, maybe not. But either way, here’s some thoughts on the Dragons Rising, Season 2 midseason finale:

To Mysterium!:

Geo you might not be trained, but you and the Finders were holding your own against the Wolf Masks

This scene exists solely to advertise the sets (tbf the whole show is but this is super obvious)

In The Temple of the Dragon Cores Zane has a full map of the Merged realms; now he has nothing?

Lloyd tries to reassure Arin and just puts more pressure on him :(

Fun scene with Kai and Nya

Such incredible disguises

Orange Frohicky!

I’d buy a disco toaster

Why would a cloud be on a map? And why does poison affect Zane?

Why do you hate humans, Egalt? What happened in your past?

What do you mean trick map, Cole? Are maps that change by magic(?) commonplace?

Arin vs Lloyd is not fair

Egalt!

Jiro walking on two legs is kinda strange

Are these supposed to be the same people from Gangs of the Sea or just the same character models

Poor Arin

“Well, he is a professional actor”

Dorama’s humor has overstayed its welcome

“No self-respecting school allows the students to escape”

Purple imperium drones

I doubt that’ll be the end of Dorama, but honestly I’d be okay if it was

Fugitives from Madness:

Cole this monastery looks identical, just recolored

How did that mark get there? Are the monasteries linked somehow? What about when the Monastary was destroyed (multiple times)? Did that impact the Mysterium monastary

So is Gandalaria gonna explain everything about the Monastaries? Or who this “Sprite” is? (the answer is no)

Sora cmon he clearly didn’t go through the last pillar

“Stop being so hard on yourself” someone learned her lesson from last season

Already posted about the Egalt & Wyldfyre scene but it is SO GOOD

I get the desire to use the Zane/Cole/Bonzle/Gandalaria stuff as lighthearted stuff to contrast the emotional stuff in the A plot, but it feels like the episode just grinds to a halt when we cut to them

Still nice that Gandalaria accepts Bonzle

“You can never force the motion of the universe to bend to your will” I know a certain tiger who would disagree

Why is Gandalaria’s storehouse in a different realm? Not a plot hole, bc Gandalaria is totally the type of person to do something like that, but what was the thought process?

“Yes, nearly 9%!” 

I love the Countershot scene. Great music, great for Kai and Nya, sorta nostalgic

The Blood Moon rising is so ominous (also the moon does not rise this quickly, or over the whole planet at the same time)

Did the Forbidden Five place a curse on the Dragon Masters? Why do they turn to stone?

I love how the Administration, a society from an entirely different realm, uses the word “Nindroid,” invented by Jay

THEY IMPOUNDED JIRO?

The Administration is so goofy

The way Michael Adamthwaite says, “Told you” sounds like Jay

The Administration immediately vaporizes their own paperwork lol

Gandalaria is nuts

JAY??

So many great scenes this episode

Secrets of the Wyldness:

Wyldfyre pretended to be stone once? Assuming Kai tickled her out of it like Wyldfyre tries to do to the Dragon Masters?

Kai why don’t you try to do Rising Dragon now

Thank you Cole for yelling, “The Wyldness” even though that future never comes to pass so that the Ninja know where to go

Gandalaria, Janet’s got nothing on you

I mean if the Departed Realm is part of the Merged Realms, a dead man could still owe a fine

“I hereby demand your surrender.” “Uhh… no. Thank you.”

Jay’s lighting is both yellow and blue

And so ends Jay’s part in S2P1

Does this even count as a Zane fake out death? It lasts less than a minute

“We can’t give up until we find Bonzle” why would she be hard to find? She’s supposed to just be under the Monastery — where you told her to go

The Cloud Kingdom with the Blood Moon behind it is so ominous

Goodbye Jiro

Fortune telling tea is weak, Gandalaria needs to get some spirit smoke

There’s a strange effect on the Bounty crash scene, I guess it’s the effect of Theroxian magic

RIYU MY GOAT

“Instant doom” if you all down the cliff. Remember this

Kai, Wyldfyre, and Sora is such a fun trio, I’m glad we get them together for the next few episodes

Don’t worry Sora, that won’t be the last time the Bounty will be destroyed

Is Gandalaria’s magic similar to Clouse’s? Or Hazza D’ur’s?

Shoving people in a box is typically not the best course of action

“I’m a scientist,” says Jordana earlier this episode. By the end, she’s overpowering the High Sorceress of Mysterium’s magic. No wonder Theroxian was banned

Why would walking in the direction of the moon mean you’re heading to the ritual?

Good luck Arin and Riyu

The Forest of Spirits:

Ras flashback?? Poor guy

“We are the masters of our destiny now” he says this with such malice. The Writers get out alive because this is a kids show, but a different show would just have them executed

I don’t have a fear of heights but you’d better believe I’d develop one if I was falling to my death

Poor Lloyd

The crumbling Cloud Kingdom tower in Lloyd’s vision actually happened in Writers of Destiny (and I don’t think happens later)

Jordana, that's not very nice of you. 

So much is going on and then we have to waste time messing around in the mystical storehouse. Gandalaria isn’t even an unfunny character, but this bit just drags

Riyu flying has a great bit of music, looks awesome, and is just plain fun. Arin is so happy :)

Fun battle scene

Okay, remember before about the “instant doom” thing if you fall off the cliff? Well Sora just murdered someone

Arin is genuinely apologetic, but there was no need to mention you still don’t remember Jordana’s name

Bonzle and Arin are so funny together

Wait how did Jordana get this car — did Ras build it? Buy it?

Either the Ninja trained for a good amount of time or Wyldfyre just heals super quickly

“I’m always adorable”

The Shadow Dojo looks so cool

The first look at the Forbidden Five in the M. C. Escher- inspired Nether-Space is so cool

Ras, physical abuse does not lead to a good rating on Glassdoor

Such a heartbreaking scene for Arin (and cool one for Ras). Tells us a lot about both of them. And to be fair to Arin, he does last longer here and Ras has a weapon

Great ending to an overall solid episode

Rising Ninja:

Arin sees Lloyd and Nya as his parents im crying

Heating up metal while it’s touching someone sounds like an easy way to burn them

Great cut to intro

I doubt wearing the wolf masks when the Gong is hit impacts Sora, Wyldfyre, and Kai since you probably have to let your soul be shattered, while they’re fighting it

You didn’t accidentally do Rising Dragon, you were explicitly training to do it

Great one take

Is Nokt in charge of the Five? How’d they decide he goes first

Really am not commenting a lot here because the whole battle is just so much fun

“She’ll miss my sweet shatterspin”

You’ve rewatched this part dozens of times, I’m sure— Kai doing Rising Dragon and Lloyd v Ras is so awesome

Nokt looked cooler before he opened his eyes or removed the extra cloak

Even Euphrasia gets a big moment, although I don’t know how that seemingly limited amount of wind is enough

Nya unlocking Rising Dragon is cool

Why doesn’t Cinder attack Lloyd while he’s having visions?

Sora this was probably the right move, but not telling Arin… idk how that’ll go

Teleporting the entire Shadow Dojo is super powerful; Ras’ Master must be a big threat

“Did we win?” honestly a good question Arin- most of the 5 didn’t escape, but at what cost…

“Where are we?” Good question too Cinder

Did Nokt just trip? What happened?

Jordana???

Ras’ Master is def not happy

Bittersweet way to end S2P1, while leaving a lot of thing for Part 2 to build on and/or resolve

And that’s it! Overall, I’ve heavily enjoyed each installment of Ninjago: Dragons Rising, and am looking forward to rewatching Season 2 Part 2 for the second first time! If you’ve already seen it, make sure to watch it on a legal site so Lego knows there’s demand to keep this great series going.

[kindaasrikal]

Cole headcanons, because apparently when I’m bored I think about Cole (and Morro, and Cryptor, surprisingly enough):

Cole is annoyingly acrobatic. In fact, when they first started doing their ninja stuff he was the most flexible and acrobatic, when it would make more sense if it was Jay or Kai due to their builds or elements. Not once did he ever share the reason as to why being Lou putting him into ballet, gymnastics, and having him train at home to peak flexibility because Lily was the one who did it before, so Lou was not gonna stop until Cole reaches Lily’s expectations. (Lily used to do the splits easily in front of Cole and Cole was determined to do that too, no one could stop the force that was baby Cole. As much as Lou started the idea, he wanted to stop because he kept thinking it was too much. It was Cole staring him dead in the eyes and saying ‘Mama wants me to’ that pushed him to continue. The dance stuff was all him though). He actually helped Jay train into being more flexible pre-pilots and later helped Nya do the same.

Cole understood Lloyd’s desire for sweets a bit too much, and instead of pushing it down and making Lloyd learn control, he encouraged it and now Wu had too deal with two sugar rushed ninja.

Cole used to argue with Kai all the time when they first began training together, until one day he had had enough. When Kai huffed and walked away after a particularly heated argument where not even Nya could get Kai to calm down and Zane and Jay couldn’t pull the two apart, Cole stomped up behind the shorter male, picked him up, and teddy bear hugged him until Kai apologised. It’s Cole’s version of when older siblings keep you head locked until you apologise. Kai was an embarrassed mess because Cole wouldn’t stop complimenting him and sharing his point of view like a healthy adult whilst he was still huffing. He didn’t argue with Cole for the next week and agreed each time the other told him to do something. Nya couldn’t stop laughing each time Jay and Zane mimicked the moment. The only reason Cole did that was because he remembered a big argument between his mum and dad when he was younger, and when it got heated from his dads side, his mum just picked Lou up and held him until he calmed down and she was able to think with a clearer mind.

Cole absolutely LOVES throwing dirt at people, and when they found out Nya’s element, he was able to convince her into helping him make mud to throw at people. They had to run when Zane had enough and froze the mud to chase them with it.

Cole likes to pop out of the ground at random times. Lloyd had to quickly learn to watch where he stepped, less his foot connects to Cole’s face again.

Cole actually planned to sell fake ‘special, one of a kind rocks!’ During that one time they were poor as dirt. It would’ve worked amazingly well too, seeing as everyone knew he was the earth ninja. Despite Wu not being there to tell him off, Kai had fun smacking Cole over the head for that idea.

Cole is probably the only ninja completely willing to commit crimes, especially fraud and theft.

Similarly to how Jay had to teach Zane how to live a tad more normally and how to understand society, Cole had to do the same with Kai and Nya. Wu could not be trusted because everyone realised he was just a tad of a recluse.

You know how Nya stepped onto that soulmate machine thing and it said Cole was her perfect match? Well, after Cole threw away his weird need to prove it right (lowkey think he was just matching the energy Jay had given and got petty) he called his dad up and explained it all and how they somewhat worked it out but it was still weird with Nya, and Lou lowkey just laughed at him, and reminded Cole of all those fairytale book’s he used to read and how they tended to explore the topics of found family and friends. Cole didn’t understand, but Lou explained that soulmates aren’t just the people you love romantically, but the people you love platonically. Cole and Nya sat down together just an hour later and Cole had to share this epiphany to the person he considered a sister, and understood him just like he understood her.

Cole is usually dragged into helping Pixal in her personal projects due to his strength, but he knows she also enjoys his company.

Cole and Vania share late night texts about their lives after not talking for weeks and they talk for HOURSSS just sharing everything they’ve been through recently.

Cole struggled to learn how to swim. Mainly because his element enjoyed making him more sinkable rather than floatable.

Cole went through the phase of having decently tight curls as a child, to loose and flowy hair, to extremely tight curls. He likes having a new hair style every week, from wavy hair and ponytails, to dreads and puffs.

He wears hoodies in the hottest of heats just to prove to Kai that he can. (He can’t its all sweaty by the end of the day)

If Morro stuck around Cole would absolutely force him into living and healing. Ghost duo my beloveds 🫶

Yes these are head canons leave me alone ajdghdhd

Cole the man that you are.

Edit: guys why is it telling me this is a mature post i swear its just cole being a lil loser

I FIXED IT NVM

[justanotherninjagoblog12]

Finding them after the merge

Gender neutral reader

Some are longer than others

Also, Jay remembers you but you're the only one he remembers

One more thing Cole, Lloyd and Zane will be a separate part because I'm writing this late at night and can't come up with anything for them right now

Characters included in this Jay, Y/n, Nya and Kai

Kai

You were making your way back to Ninjago when you happened to pass by some mountains on the way back to Ninjago. When you heard a commotion. It sounded like fighting and you were going to ignore it that was until you heard a voice yell " BRING IT ON YOU OVER GROWN LIZARDS!" You froze in your tracks you knew that voice anywhere it was the voice of your fiery hothead boyfriend. " Welp I guess Ninjago will just have to wait. " You muttered before going towards the voice. Only to be stopped by muddy rocky creatures when you got close to Kai's voice . " Who go's there?" One of the creatures asked pointing it's sphere at you. You raised your hands up in surrender. " I mean no harm I just thought I heard someone I know over here. " You replied. " There are none of your kind here leave." One of the creatures replied and you turned to leave. That is until you saw something out of the corner of your eye a male with spiky hair showing off to some of the creatures. You took off running towards the male with the creatures chasing you the male turned around just in time to see the commotion and get tackled into a hug by you. " KAI IT'S REALLY YOU I WAS STARTING TO LOSE HOPE I'D SEE YOU AGAIN!" You yelled a little bit to loudly while hugging him. Kai stood there in shock for a few seconds before hugging you back. " Y/n is that really you?" Kai asked. " Yes porcupine, it's really me." You replied . " Hey what did I say about calling me a porcupine?" Kai asked pretending to be hurt you rolled your eyes and kissed him he kissed back. Kai then explained to the craglings the name of the creatures how you weren't a threat .

Nya

You didn't find her she found you while looking for the dragon cores. You had been staying with Arrakore a djinn, which with what happened with Nadakhan probably wasn't the best idea. Arrakore had found you injured and unconscious and took you in. You of course were very weary and didn't trust him at all at first but over time the two of you eventually gained each other's trust. You laugh as a dragon ran up to Arrakore. " An old friend of yours Arrakore?" You asked between laughter. " I don't know why I keep you around. " Arrakore replied looking at you. " Because your lonely and secretly enjoy the company. " You replied smirking. A young girl probably somewhere in her teens came into the cave followed by a baby dragon and a woman. The woman was wearing a light blue ninja gi and a light blue mask. You and the woman had a few awkward moments of eye contact before she pulled down her mask " Y/n?" The woman asked. " Nya? NYA!" You exclaimed happily running over to her. Nya punched . " That's for scaring me when I couldn't find you. " Nya said then pulled you into a kiss. " That's for everything else. " She finished. " So are you going to introduce us?" The teen girl asked. " Oh right Sora this is my partner Y/n. Y/n this is Sora. " Nya said. " Nice to meet you kid." You said smiling at Sora.

Jay

You wandered down the halls of the building it was so big and you, Lloyd and Arin had all gotten separated. You hoped one of them had found the dragon core you three had come for. You were muttering to yourself as you continued to wander the halls not really paying attention to where you were going when you bumped into someone's back. " Hey watch where you're.........Jay?" You asked as the male turned around he wasn't wearing his blue ninja gi instead he was wearing a black suit and dark blue tie. " can I help yo...... Y/n?" Jay asked as his eyes met yours. Jay could see the hesitate in your eyes he smiled softly and encouragingly as he opened his arms. He still had the same smile the smile you had missed the past few years. The smile that made your heart race it was him it was your Jay. " Jay....." You said crying happy tears as you walked into his arms. " I missed you so much my love. " You said crying tears of joy and Jay leaned down and kissed your temple softly. " Not a day went bye that I didn't think about you. " Jay muttered to you. " That's cheesy Walker you're a dork." You muttered still hugging him. " Yeah but I'm your dork." Jay replied. " That you are Jay that you are. " You replied happy to have your soul mate back.

[hoshiumi78]

I’m gonna make a little happy “rant” here about Lloyd from Ninjago and just the cartoon in general.

I’ve always liked Lloyd. Ever since I was a kid, he was the one who I favorited over the others. Sure, Kai is awesome, Cole is super inspiring, Nya is an absolute baddie, Jay is funny, Zane is real cool, Pixal is an amazing robot girlfriend and samurai, Skylor is such a cool and strong female character to look up to, and etc. (Dareth, Nelson, Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Morro, Cyrus Borg…)

And yeah, a lot of people “like Lloyd” because he’s the “Green Ninja” or he’s “super cool”, but for me… that’s not it (I mean, a bit of it is, hehe. But not all of it). And as I become older in my teenage years, I’ve honestly been thinking about it a lot. I’ve been thinking about why I like this Lego character so much, and why this is the only “children’s” show I actually fan over where I can watch the show over and over throughout the years, write fanfics for hours on it, and spend my money on the sets and merch…

***Now I should probably say before I start, I’m not some crazy obsessive fan lmao. I just really like this character and show, and I want to shine some light on Lloyd (differently than he already receives, of course lol).***

Lloyd has been through a lot, yet he still came out as stable as he is (at least as much as the cartoon shows to the audience). One thing about Ninjago I like is how they make the characters realistic. I didn’t particularly realize this until I got older and I re-watched it, but all Ninja have a unique story before, during, or after they became Ninja. Though one thing that differs Lloyd from the rest is how young he was when he clearly knew his situation with his father, mother, “Ninja-acknowledgement”, family, etc. And I know what a lot of people are going to say, “But what about Kai and Nya? Cole? Possibly Skylor?” And I know, I agree. Unfortunately, all the ninja had to grow up with something traumatic in their childhood (the only one who didn’t was Jay; though later he had to find out he was adopted, which stinks finding out the way he did. I’m just glad Ed & Edna were as amazing as they were <3). The one thing that all the rest of the ninja have besides Lloyd within these situations, is they all still had *someone*. Kai had Nya, Nya had Kai. Cole still had his father, even under the circumstances. Skylor still had her father and etc with the rest. Lloyd had *no one* as a kid, and it makes me want to give his little baby-self in seasons 1-2 a massive hug.

I remember when I watched seasons 1-7 (especially 1-2) as a middle schooler, I thought little and early-teen Lloyd was so annoying (still do). But now, years later, it makes me really sad to think about his story. He’s the only ninja who had received *no* love from his parents or anyone around him until he met the ninja, and even then he later had to learn what *that* meant and how to have self-love… which he still has trouble doing a lot of the time throughout all the seasons. It makes me want to give him an even bigger hug!

And one thing about Lloyd I truly admire, is even through all of this crap, he *still* cares about his mother and forgives her so easily! The way his mother abandoned him as a child I completely disagree with, and how she just left him saying she was doing it for “him” (even though it *really* was for herself), and yet he STILL treats her kindly and respectfully, which is amazing of him. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t forgive, it’s just how he accepted it like a champ is something that is completely admirable. Especially with how young he really was…. You have to remember Lloyd was only around 10-ish years old around seasons 1-2, yet he was able to accept his mother with opened arms. And sure, he probably was only doing this because he was attention-starved (explains why he wanted to become like his father as a kid), emotionally-starved, and starved for love, yet still as he got older and probably realized this more and more about his mother and their relationship, he still has *always* treated her with respect and kindness. And sure, people within this fandom get mad at how bitty Lloyd acted, yet we also have to remember how he was raised, which really wasn’t being “raised” at all.

Then we go into Garmadon and Lloyd’s relationship, which is a whole other can of worms. Yet unlike Misako, Lloyd’s mother, as a fan I 100% respect Garmadon as a parental figure than I ever will for her. Sure, he’s the biggest and baddest villain throughout the series. And sure, he too abandoned his son; yet unlike Lloyd’s mother, Garmadon made *up* for that time lost, and personally, I give him my upmost respect for that. He gave his son what he was lacking in receiving from his parents, and actually *cared* enough to do that for Lloyd. He showed his son what if felt like to actually be loved by your parent (in his own ways of course), he gave his son attention, and he showed what it was like to have an emotional connection with your child. GARMADON ACTUALLY SOMEWHAT HAD A REASON TO ACT THE WAY HE DID, HE WAS BITTEN BY A SNAKE THAT MESSED HIM UP FOR LIFE, YET UNLIKE MISAKO HE *STILL* TREATED LLOYD MORE AMAZING THAN SHE EVER COULD. Yet instead, throughout the 5 most healthy seasons of Garmadon and Lloyd’s relationship, especially seasons (3-5), SHE DIDN’T EVEN PUT IN THE EFFORT TO MAKE THIS A FAMILY RELATIONSHIP! Instead, she was hanging with Wu, Lloyd’s uncle. And I know for a fact we *all* know something’s going on there, which as a kid I even noticed, and I absolutely hated even then!!! Misako would pop in like everything was fine and dandy every-so-often, and yet Lloyd STILL treated her amazingly!!! That’s why Lloyd is my favorite! No matter what anyone does to him, says to him, or how he is treated, he still cares for them! He still wants them to have a happy ending, and he hasn’t even had his yet. It makes me really happy that he had the opportunity to meet the ninja, because without them as the loving family they are, I don’t think he would *at all* be the same kind-hearted character he is. The real loving people in his life are the team, and even though this is all fake and just a “silly” cartoon as some would call it, I’m GLAD he was given such a loving atmosphere.

Then we go into Seasons 8-16. Lloyd grew up, finally caught up mentally to his body (which I found terrible that he had to go thru that, yet he STILL acted like a champ when there were no expectations to!!!) and this is where I like his character even more. Still, even through all the darkness and pain he had to go through growing up (it gets worse as he gets closer to adult-hood), he still acts amazing! His father now isn’t his real father anymore, his mother is completely gone into oblivion (gone like she always has been, pfft), and he falls in love with someone who manipulates him because she herself is broken! (And yes, I probably should say now that I do ship Llorumi. Some of you may think I’m crazy, which I am lol, but I also have my reasons for supporting it, and I will most likely (someday) make a post like this explaining why I do, but right now we’re focusing on Lloyd. ;)) Yet Lloyd *still* forgives, accepts, and loves!!! After years of thinking about and watching this show, I’ve finally narrowed it down to those three attributes within him that I’ve seen consistently throughout the series. I believe we should all look up to Lloyd for this! Just being able to forgive and love the same people who had hurt and abused him, is truly a wonderful thing a person can achieve!

Plus, Lloyd is also funny, entertaining, and would be an amazing person if he were to be real. Sure, he has his own stuff he stores deep inside of himself, and he probably jokes as much as he does because he’s trying to make everything look okay, but ya know what? That is some amazing writing right there! Being able to make a LEGO “CHILDREN’S” show entertaining for kids to watch, but it also is able to make the older audiences feel recognized and noticed in attributes and personalities within some Lego Ninja? That’s some crazy awesome writing! It truly shows how if the right minds are put together, a show for “kids” can turn out to be fun and *emotional* for us older audiences to watch because we see these characters within ourselves.

So there it is, my rant as to why I do really love Lloyd as a character and not just some “Lego Ninja.” There’s some others, I mean his personality in-show and mine irl match up pretty well, so there’s that lol. I also like how he sits and listens to your problems and gives advice. He honestly is ✨the man✨ But there’s also multiple other things I didn’t even get around to mentioning in here that I like about his character too! There’s so much to unpack it feels within these characters. It’s almost as if this show *isn’t* for kids anymore, and it’s growing along with the viewers, yet still pertains to the “children” mindset.

Anyways, I’ve already spent two hours of my life writing this, so I’ll stop haha. But if you made it this far, feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts. I’d love to know. :)

P.S. HoW iS LlOyD, a PlAsTiC LiTtLe LeGo So GoOd LoOkInG <3333