#zangst

[raishifts]

hihi 🫶🏻

[razena8]

"It was all my fault. I don't seem to fit in anywhere, and I only seem make things worse where ever I am. It would be better if I simply disappeared... right...?"

I always wondered what had actually happened after the Monastery was burnt down. I don't doubt that Zane had seen the Falcon again, but I doubt following it to the Bounty was the only thing he did.

[cast-iron-bug]

" this isn't about numbers! ....it's about family-"

Day 14 of Ninjagotober!!

Prompt: Sacrifice

[spadookleds-void]

Zane's identity issues. Currently thinking about how in earlier seasons (particularly season 1 and possession) they wanted Zane to act differently than he was, whether that was by making him malfunction or making fun of his 'odd' behaviors

and then how in later seasons Zane seems to consistently lose himself, willingly or not

like he becomes the emperor and then he becomes a detective, and then a pirate captain

it's almost like at some point Zane becomes too scared to be himself (i mean that version of himself became the emperor, right?) and he knows that his friends don't like that version of him either (they've all but chased him out because of it...)

and then we get dragons' rising where he emerges AGAIN after missing so many years, and now he can't even put his own value onto Pixel, he just kind of stays home because at least he can plug himself directly into technology (he can become who his friends want him to be)

and then he finds out about the Zane festival and, amazing! maybe people do like him for who he is!

But the whole thing just seems to boil him down to a robot, the first awful truth about his identity that he realized (don't even get me started on him failing all of the tasks to be Zane's look-alike)

and he had accepted being a nindroid at the time, but slowly over time people begun to see him as 'the robot' There's something so profoundly sad to me about Zane and his fight to be himself, to be more than just a weapon, or battery, or 'the nindroid' Zane so desperately wants to be who he knows he is, but the world seems to put him in a box and it's easier to just make himself fit.

[bluescreenvirus]

If you're still looking at prompts, then how about a something with Kai waking up from a nightmare? Perhaps one where he was reliving Zane's death?

Where have you gone, Zane?

---

A lil silly AU inspired by this ask! Imagine if the effect of the golden weapons was!! worse than death. So now, Zane is splintered between time and space, between existing and not existing. Now he "haunts" the ninja in hopes he can lead them to clues on how to bring him back to reality. But they can't understand him.

[general-yasur]

What mask shall be bestowed upon him next?

[wyvspike]

// SPOILERS FOR NINJAGO SEASON 11 //

It's difficult to let go of your identity. Especially when you've been living as someone you're not for half your life.

Close ups:

I could spend ages talking about how upsetting Zane's time was in the Never-realm and how it must have affected him, but I couldn't be bothered to put it into words. So I drew it instead! :D

[omgjayaaa]

I’ve discovered I enjoy writing zangst

[destinysbounty]

I've decided to try getting back into fic-writing again! Feel free to check this out if you'd like. Any and all support is appreciated!

Synopsis:

Aspheera didn't kill Zane, but she didn't banish him either. Instead, she trapped his soul inside her Staff.

Unfortunately for him, no one actually realizes this until they try using the Staff to restore Nya's humanity two years later.

[starwolf479]

Season 4 - Angst Idea

Okay - just a thought floating around in my noggin The ninja went to Chen's island on the idea that Zane was there - I think there was one line about it possibly being a trap but that idea was quickly shot down. If there was a possibly, they were going to try! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now onto the angsty au ideas: there are two options

Option 1) Zane was never revived. The rouse that he is alive continues for the entire season only for it to get ripped out from under the ninja at the end. Save for Skylor, they lost everything. They went there to get back Zane, didn't get him, AND lost Garmadon and PIXAL They find her scrapped in the dungeon at the very end- while gathering evidence for the police report - they have to inform Cyrus Borg that his daughter is dead Option 2) As soon as they arrive, Chen informs them that the island is inescapable. They are trapped... and Zane is dead. With Zane being dead the team no longer has a common goal and falls apart all over again but even more violently than the first time. To have hope and get it ripped apart violently... they can't handle it One problem Zane is alive. The others don't look for him. He hears the guards talking about the falling out. He hears Cole walking by his cell. He hears Jay and Cole arguing. With the bits of memories that he does have he remembers their happy times, and so, the fighting KILLS him. It is only after Skylor uses Zane's power that Kai realizes that Zane is still alive. He "betrays" Lloyd, which Zane hears about and believes. Alone in his cell, save for his scrapped girlfriend trapped in his head, Zane believes that he has lost everything

[only-lonely-stars]

Splintered Ice

Oneshot – (FFN) (AO3)

Summary:

For all intents and purposes, the Ice Emperor is dead. However, his ghost remains, in icy joints and frosted eyes. How can Zane trust himself not to become him again? How can he heal? How could anyone begin to forgive him?

Ice cracks. It splinters. It shatters. Zane shivered; every movement, punctuated by the sound of fractures. What was it like to move freely- to not be frozen to his seat? To feel human, instead of frozen? To feel alive…

Crack, crack, crack, snap. The cold anthem of his existence. An orchestra of fractured glass. Horrible, beautiful.

Everything was white and gray. What did color look like, again? His mind was sluggish. No matter where he looked, the world was hidden by a panel of frosted glass, shielded from his tyranny. Maybe it was better that way.

The door creaked open, and Zane's frosted eyes slowly panned to it. He started, edging away as Pixal approached him with a plate of hot food and a sympathetic smile. Whatever she was saying was lost to his ears; he backed away, trying to tell her to flee. What if she froze? What if there was no way for Kai to thaw her? What if he controlled her?

No sound escaped his throat; only the sound of cracking ice. Pixal smiled gently and nodded; she gave him space but stayed in the room. How foolish. Zane shivered violently, snowflakes falling from his hair. Why wouldn't she leave? Didn't she value her safety?

Logically, Zane already knew the answer. She was a nindroid, like him. She believed he wasn't a threat. But what if he was? What if she was wrong?

Something clinked loudly on the ground; an icicle, falling from his hand and joining the pile below.

Was it just Zane, or did it feel like the world was tilting off its axis? He leaned on his hands, trying to support himself as the world spun out of order. What was happening to him? The warmth of the sun streaming through the window felt far-away, glinting off his metal in a painful glare on the permafrost.

Pixal shielded her eyes, and Zane felt pure, unadulterated guilt. It swelled up in his stomach, hot and painful and unnatural. He hated it. How could he let this happen?

Zane hugged himself tightly, attention turning inward. Maybe he deserved this, as punishment for freezing the Never Realm and all its people. Because he believed Vex. Maybe he deserved this for so blindly thinking he could safely reboot that accursed mech. It- it was all his fault, anyway! If he hadn't dragged it into that cave, or hadn't tried to fix it, or had looked around before he interfaced with it, or had backed up his memories again, or had just thought twice about what Vex said, this wouldn't be happening!

He heard a muffled voice, murmuring comforting words, but he knew he didn't deserve them. Pixal was always so compassionate. Too compassionate for a slow, outdated droid like him. An old operating system in a new body- a relic, whose only value was his power source.

Was he always like this? Maybe the veil had just been lifted away, showing the true horror of his nature– his inhumanity, finally on display for an entire world to see. It was all he could do to afford himself the mercy of gratitude that it wasn't Ninjago that saw his awful nature. They used to know him as a beacon of justice, light, and truth. What was he now? A tyrant? His memory banks were empty of decades of information. What had he done for the past twenty years? Thirty, perhaps? Maybe even forty? All of it was blank, wiped from his mind by the very staff that corrupted him.

Where was that accursed staff, anyway? Had he truly broken it? Even now, he could remember the feeling of it in his grip, heavy and slick. It released hidden power– did it also release hidden intentions? Maybe he had always wanted to rule. He still felt its heavy weight in his hand, cold and cruel.

Zane shivered again, and more snowflakes fell into the food before him. The world had stopped spinning, leaving him feeling numb. The plate of food in front of him was no longer steaming, having its heat sapped by his ice.

The frost over his eyes was thicker, but he saw Pixal, edging closer to him. She put her hand on his, and Zane felt even more numb. She had to know he was going to freeze her, right? Did she really trust him enough not to be afraid? He frowned, unmotivated to correct her mistaken trust. She would see eventually. He remembered so little about her anymore, but he remembered that she would never budge when she chose to do something. She was grounded. He didn't remember being like that, even though he knew he was once. Didn't someone once tell him that time erodes memory and mind alike?

Maybe it would be okay to submit to her affections, just once. Surely it wouldn't hurt her, right? Slowly, he knitted his fingers together with hers, as small chunks of ice splintered from his joints. She held his hand tightly, and murmured in his ear. Zane shook his head, clearing the frozen fog for a moment. He needed to eat; as one of the perks of being Borg's most advanced machine, he ran almost like a person would. Including digestion.

Pixal raised a piece of warm bread to his mouth, and he ate without tasting. The warmth radiated through him, gone too quickly. He ate more, giving her a faint, frostbitten smile. She was too good for him. How did he deserve her care?

The food was gone before Zane realized. When was the last time he had eaten? Either way, the room felt less cold. Stable. Almost like home. With Pixal, anywhere felt like that, he was remembering. He felt safe.

He blinked slowly, watching the frost on his eyes break off as ice and fall. His ears were ringing- weird. Pixal took the dishes and kissed him on the cheek, but he was unable to look at her; as he tried to turn his neck, the sound of ice breaking heralded his effort. Instead, he focused on clearing his mind. A few deep breaths brought a sense of calm, and Zane relaxed a little. He hadn't hurt Pixal. She was safe from him.

A few more bits of ice fell out of his hair, looking akin to diamonds. Zane smiled for a fleeting moment. He would be okay, right?

He sighed. "Okay" was a relative term at best, after all. For now, for his own safety (and more importantly, for everyone else), he would stay isolated. He laid down, looking at the ceiling as tendrils of frost again invaded his vision. Just for now, he would wait…

It wasn't hiding, right?

No, it wasn't. It couldn't be. It was really self-preservation.

Zane smiled faintly, closing his eyes. It was a good idea to stay away, just for a little longer. Even if it meant locked, icy joints. Even if it meant an inability to sit up. Even if it meant disappearing. It was in everyone's best interests. It was a good thing.

[penofwildfire]

Zangst ft my OC Janus

[sillystupidgayartkid]

I heard someone ordered a classic zangst?

@sleepingracoon

[cast-iron-bug]

✨🔥🐉DRAGONS RISING CONTENT! May contain spoilers! 🐉🔥✨

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Fic writers and zangst lovers grab your pens -

All the realms are connected now...and that means ALL of them...

With the knowledge that the neverrealm is visitable and active, seen from subtle references like the once blizzard samurai appearing in scenes and Arins snowberry pies existing...pies made from berries originating from the neverrealm -

Imagine the angst potential with Zane if he ever has to pass through or come in contact with the neverrealm a second time...

.... now well aware of the things he's done as the ice emperor....

...the lives he's ruined..

...the ones he's ended-

....Just food for thought! :)

[falconinthealps]

I think that after the Never-Realm, Zane would have trouble controlling his power. He’d been so strong for so long that he wasn’t used to his normal anymore, and he’d spent so much time as the Ice Emperor that there were actually affects on him and he is more powerful. I think the horrible duality of that would be that he’d be terrified of himself. Every night he can see the faces of all the people he’s hurt, and hear them screaming in his dreams. Everyone around him is so happy that he’s home, meanwhile, he doesn’t think he really came back. He’s an imposter in his own body. He spent so long trying to find himself and lost it all. Now, he doesn’t know what to do.

[bluescreenvirus]

Thinking about how Zane had literally nothing, nothing at all. No memories, no family, no place. The ninja never really accepted him all too much at first, he wasn't sure who he was.

And then the Falcon appears, it helps him, and it becomes his first sense of identity. He finally feels like he has something. Like, woah, at least I am here. I'm a living being and this bird has a connection with me.

Only to find out he was a robot, and that bird was only programmed to connect with him. That he was never a human and would likely never be seen or treated the same. That he could never see himself the same. That he was simply built, abandoned, and forgotten. That he had no mother and no true father.

Just imagine how that would tear someone apart. Goddamn.