parachutingkitten

[parachutingkitten]

Reasons we need Akita in the DR main cast:

Give Riyu a mentor on the team who is also an animal and so can meet him at that level

Someone to make old jokes about. She is canonically much older than the rest of the cast, and comes from a realm much less technologically advanced than most people's baseline- she and wyldfyre can bond over that

overbearing older sister figure for fritz/excuse to visit the never realm again

non elemental master rep, plus a rather unique, violent fighting style and real world tactical skills to mix things up

makes total sense for her to break off and do a solo mission if you need her to (like the show seems so fond of doing)

outsider to the ninja dynamic, can always offer an alternative point of view to the main cast in terms of culture, values, and priorities

Lone wolf forced into a team dynamic is always a great time

Potential to finally give zane ice emperor closure by maybe forming a relationship with akita, and then they could be besties, and it would give zane the actual character development and focus this show has been missing for him

Finally put the mechanics of the never realm to rest, smoothing over not only the confusing twist of s11, but also fulfilling the promise made on its closing shots

lloykita slow burn (obviously)

[parachutingkitten]

I did hear that with the addition of Frak's death in p2 pretty late in the process they had to move a lot of stuff around, structuring the climax to focus more on that, but they do want to keep the 'all ninjago's forgotten loose ends come in to resolve the narrative with no explanation' climax, but it's supposedly been pushed back to next season. Just hoping that gives them enough time to add in others that have earned their place in the line up, like Echo Zane and Akita.

Found a transcript of an early draft of part of the last episode of Dragons Rising Season 3 Part 2. It was dated September 2024 so my guess is that things will have changed significantly from here to when the episode releases, but it's still interesting to see some of the writers' preliminary ideas.

EXT. THE SPECTRAL LANDS - WELL OF THE LOST - NIGHT

CLOSE ON - The NINJA and JAY WALKER/ROGUE lay on the ground, defeated.

SCENE CUTS TO -

THUNDERFANG (triumphant) You fools thought you could defeat me? Now your souls will give me the power I deserve, restoring me from this twisted half-life. The SOURCE DRAGONS will stand no chance against me. Nothing can stop me now!

A bolt of lightning strikes THUNDERFANG.

THUNDERFANG Who dares attack--

CLOSE ON - LIGHTNING-TIDES and LAVA-TIDES, standing arm and arm. The LIGHTNING-TIDE JUDGE holds a poster depicting KAI, NYA, and WYLDFYRE, the same poster as shown in "The Missing."

LIGHTNING-TIDE JUDGE If anyone is going to destroy those annoying, gargling-voiced interlopers--

LAVA-TIDE LEADER --Especially the one called Wyldfyre!--

LIGHTNING-TIDE JUDGE --It will be us! Hurl the glow rocks!

The camera PANS UP to THUNDERFANG as he looks down on the menagerie of TIDE-FOLK, all throwing vengestone.

THUNDERFANG (incredulous) If the Ninja couldn't beat me, what makes you think a pile of rocks can? <His laughter turns to a snarl> Now--

UNKNOWN VOICE (v.o.) Wherever there are criminals!

CLOSE ON - The NEW NINJA, appearing in a cloud of colorful smoke.

FUSCHIA NINJA Wherever there are convicts!

TEAL NINJA Wherever there are felons! You will find--

CLOSE ON -

THUNDERFANG (angry) Enough of this! I carry the SOUL ENERGY of thousands. You have nothing. I will-- what is this?

The camera PANS DOWN to reveal ENERGY leaving THUNDERFANG'S body as he starts to shrink.

CLOSE ON - DORAMA, propelled forward as he rides his MYSTICAL CANE like a broomstick, while THUNDERFANG'S energy flows into it.

DORAMA (gleeful) Surprise! Yet another dramatic DORAMA entrance! Draining exotic energy is such a fun hobby, don't you think. A real showstopper!

The NEW NINJA and TIDE-FOLK break off their attack as DORAMA continues stealing THUNDERFANG'S energy. Various other side characters enter the SPECTRAL LANDS holding weapons, such as LOBBO, KREEL, and MR. FROHICKY. ZANT-TANZ can be seen in the background, stacking the vengestone brought by the LIGHTNING-TIDES.

THUNDERFANG (desperate) Ninja! Wait! Stop this! I have knowledge! Do you want to know why WU caused the Merge? What RAS'S plans are? Who his MASTER is? Where WYLDFYRE came from? Who the ADMINISTRATOR is? How to get JAY's memories back? Please!

LLOYD stands up and looks at THUNDERFANG, who is the size of TEEN RIYU now.

LLOYD I guess of those would be nice to know and that last one is bound to happen at some point, but we're not dedicating much effort to answering these questions.

THUNDERFANG You seriously don't care? Isn't that bad storytelling?

LLOYD Bad storytelling? Oh... you're speaking as a viewer! I was speaking as LLOYD in the show, someone who isn't spending a lot of time on figuring out why WU caused the Merge (for example). But from an audience perspective, aren't people generally in favor of longer form storytelling? I'm sure all the truly relevant questions, like those about WU and RAS'S MASTER will be answered in time.

THUNDERFANG The show is manufacturing hype to the point where no matter what the answer is, it will be unsatisfactory, while angering viewers who want a quicker reveal! I'm not blaming the writers wholesale; some of this is their doing, but some is because of executives and other "powers that be." You'll never know who the ADMINISTRATOR isssss--

THUNDERFANG shrinks into nothing.

[parachutingkitten]

The only satisfying answer to me is that Jay's mom died in childbirth.

We know that Cliff was a jerk, because he either left her before she found out she was pregnant or knew and abandoned her anyway- all of this after they were at least talking about their honeymoon. So you've got a single mom who is actively fighting, trying to do good by her kid.

If she died trying to protect him from some outside force, that kind of diminishes her fighting ability, and if the threat is big enough, there's no reason the other EMs wouldn't also be involved in the fight. If she died in combat with them, Jay would have been told, and we probably should have seen/heard about it by now. Like if turns out the EMs have just been sitting on this info not telling Jay for years that his mom died in battle, that's messed up. If she died on her own, or under mysterious circumstances, why have we not gotten a revenge plot of some kind out of it? That seems like something the EMs would want to do. If they're long time friend and teammate who was going through a really tough personal spot randomly disappeared, you think they would make a big deal of it, and want Jay to have as much info as possible, even if they haven't cracked it yet.

If she got magically entrapped or banished or whatever, that opens the door to her coming back, which I can not stress enough, is a bad idea. A magical death of any kind leaves plausible room for a magical resurrection, and we don't want that. We already have like half the team with magically resurrected parents, we don't need to add to that list. I also find it highly unlikely that the EMs wouldn't know how she disappeared. And if they know, I see no reason not to tell Jay, especially when there's no way he hasn't asked. If they're refusing to tell him, we would have heard about it, cuz that's a huge breach in trust, like that's a crazy huge plot point to just happen off screen, our adult authority figures lying to Jay about his mom.

Basically, I think Jay not knowing what happened to his mom/looking for more info on her at this point in the timeline is a crazy set of circumstances to be under. It just doesn't make sense to me. So, I think he does know.

And if he knows, and it's something magical and/or hyper specific, it would not make sense to be so vague about it in narrative like in Prime Empire. But if it was something more natural, like Cole's mom, it makes sense that we haven’t gotten a direct cause spelled out yet. If we're running under the assumption that she is for sure gone, the only way our given language and handling of it thus far makes sense is if it was something mundane that took her.

And if she just abandoned her kid for any number of reasons, but is still alive and well, it's insane that she hasn't reached out yet, or that no one's been able to track her down- again, I feel like that would be a high priority.

If she's secretly evil, that makes absolutely no sense, and is highly unsatisfying, because it means Jay wasn't abandoned for a good reason, which is the whole thing in Prime Empire. Also we don't need more possible villain parents.

No. She died to give life to her kid. That's enough. It was a complicated situation. It was the child of a guy who betrayed her. It obviously was not an easy pregnancy if it ends that badly. But she wanted to give him a life, even if it meant risk to her own. And that sacrifice is enough to be a huge motivator. You don't need anything else. There's no one to get revenge on, no bad guy to point at, it's just about the love she had for Jay.

Except Cliff. Pretty safe to assume he's a bad guy in whatever scenario you cook up. In fact, in my current guess for how things went down, it's pretty likely that he's the one who dropped the kid off on a random doorstep because he didn't want to deal with him. So... yeah, screw him. And hey, you still get to have all those fun abandonment issues to dig into!

Plus, I think the angle of having a character with a parent they never got to actually meet, and never get the chance to is something new to the show, with new themes to explore in story. Like, sometimes the people who loom largest over our lives are the ones who we never knew, and that's interesting to me. Like, give me Jay angst that doesn't have to mess with convoluted magical circumstances, just make it real, that's all it needs.

[parachutingkitten]

my genuine best guess for who the administrator is:

No one. They don't actually exist.

In our like one piece of dialogue we actually have about the administrator, Zane says:

"They speak of a leader called the Administrator, but as far as I can tell, no one has actually seen this person."

Weird detail to add in there, that no one has even seen them. Perhaps it's an excuse to conceal the identity of this person, because it's someone Zane would recognize. But if that's the case, you only need to establish that Zane has not seen them, not everyone. I guess it's possible that the administrator is just super secretive, because they have a big sinister master plan going on, but in that case it would feel weird for them to cut the plotline from the show. Logically, the most likely reason no one has ever seen something, is that it doesn't exist.

This sets up the administrator as a pretty clear Oz figure. They're this mysterious person said to be all powerful, and all controlling, but which no one has ever actually set eyes on, which narratively implies that none of that is actually true. I could see this as a brand new character we've never met before, just faking their way to success, literally Wizard of Oz style. You could even shove Ronin in there if you wanted, just make it a running gag that he is secretly tricking every society he comes into contact with into giving him power. But in my opinion, the set up pays off the best if the man behind the curtain does not even exist.

Like, that's the joke, right? There is no one actually in control of this mess of a bureaucracy, there is no plan in place, it's all just pointless busy work with no purpose because there is no one actually coordinating anything. The administration is an empty vessel chasing it's own tail and going nowhere. No one knows what they're doing, because everyone's just working through several layers of obstructive orders handed down through ten different people to the point of meaninglessness.

That's also why they're fine not including the story in dragon's rising. If the administrator were someone important, a fan favorite character of some kind, or key to the larger story, they would have found a way to keep the reveal in the show, that's not something you want relegated to a 'canon book' no one reads a year after the fact or what not. But if it's literally just no one, that's a reveal you can shelve for later. That's a fun little chapter in you 'stories from across the merged lands' short series. That punchline works well no matter what story surrounds it.

that's what i would do anyway.

[parachutingkitten]

actually kind of wild that rebooted ends on this giant cliffhanger of "woah, zane is back? Is this for real? How did he do that?!?!"

and then we just never get an answer.

[parachutingkitten]

Alright, I'm gonna say something because this is honestly ridiculous.

If the entirety of my thoughts on Pixal was "she's pointless" then it would have been a one sentence blog post, not an hour and a half long video essay.

WATCH THE VIDEO, I PROMISE THERE IS MORE.

and regardless-

Does this title claim samurai x is pointless? no.

Does this title even claim that pixal is pointless? no.

It simply asserts that she is the most pointless relative to our line up of other protagonists. Which I don't think anyone is going to fight me on. She was a side character who somehow tripped and fell into being a main character. If you are forced to cut someone, I can almost guarantee you that pixal is the first to go.

If you refuse to engage with my in depth argument, you do not get to write a whole debunk post about why it's wrong. If you were to actually watch the video, you would see that within context, I am talking about her current usage in dragons rising (which is pretty damn pointless), and the criminal underutilization of her character in the majority of the series when she has SO MUCH potential the writers regularly ignore.

IT IS A DEFENSE OF HER CHARACTER AS A WHOLE.

The essay takes an overly critical tone in the first half in order to steel man the argument in the second half- to subvert people's expectations and hammer home the point: That pixal is an INSANELY valuble member of the cast who has EARNED much BETTER than the plot is giving her. It is doing it's best to get everyone (who actually bothers to watch through it) to LOVE this girl.

Is the title a bit clickbait-y? Maybe. But it is an accurate reflection of my current thoughts. I think she is currently pointless, and I'm sad about it. The main climax of the video centers the pointlessness of what they've done with her in DR. It's what everything builds to, it's the thesis of the video, so yeah I think I'm within my rights to have it in the title. Could I have titled it "Pixal is generally underutilized" or "an analysis of pixal's writing" yeah, but that ain't gonna get views from anyone other than us Pixal stans, and I want the message to reach a wider audience. I want more people to get on the Pixal train, and this video is formatted so that a skeptic can come in, hopefully see their arguments represented, and STILL come out feeling better about pixal as a whole.

I am sick and tired of people who feel the right to fully assume the contents of an in depth video, especially those with relatively long runtimes, just based on a title which you've chosen to take in the worst possible interpretation. If you don't want to engage with the video, then fine, I understand an hour and a half long video essay on one ninjago character is not worth a lot of people's time. But if you want to have an opinion, then you've gotta actually

WATCH THE VIDEO.

In Defense of Pixal

A friend of mine showed me this screenshot, and I felt my blood boil at the sight.

to which I say- this is the stupidest take I have seen in an extremely long time. You're telling me that PIXAL aka

SAMURAI X

is

POINTLESS?!

Well, let's list all the reasons why this is wrong, shall we?

Let's begin with Rebooted. Pixal is introduced in the first episode (27, The Surge). Right away, she is designated as an android assistant to Cyrus Borg, taking the students, Nya, and Wu on a tour of Borg Industries.

Pixal, due to the hidden corruption from the Digital Overlord, is the reason that the Overlord was able to get Zane's blueprints for the android* army.

Pixal is the one to explain to the audience/the Ninja the true importance of the Techno-blades while Cyrus is possessed.

Pixal repairs Zane after he is attacked and heavily damaged by the androids at Garmadon's monastery.

Pixal, despite her lack of fighting techniques and experience, willingly goes into battle to try and assist the Ninja while they shut down the Power Substation

Zane shares half of his heart with Pixal, leading to his weaker state but greater connection to her. This also allows Pixal greater fighting experience with this shared connection, and the temporary ability to use spinjitzu

Pixal defends the Ninja while they are stuck in the Digiverse - at this time, Nya/Cyrus are both overwhelmed trying to keep the androids away from them

Pixal is the connection to Borg Industries and the technology, allowing for the facial recognition in Codename: Arcturus

Pixal is also connected to the security forces during The Void, allowing their escape

During the Ninjas' return to earth, Pixal is the one to get their coordinates for their vehicles to catch them

At the end of the Titanium Ninja to the beginning of The Invitation (S4) Pixal is the one to help rebuild Zane (implied through context clues and Shadow of Ronin)

Pixal's role in Rebooted is not only to assist the Ninja in defeating the Overlord, the connection to the new age of technology, but most importantly- allowing Zane a greater understanding to his android self, while he teaches her more about being human. This is a great shift in perspective for the pair.

Shifting into the Tournament of Elements, Pixal's role takes a sudden turn due to Chen (and Ronin's) interference with rebuilding Zane. When the pair are kidnapped and sold to Chen, Pixal's body is scrapped, leaving her as a neural drive.

Pixal is the first person Zane hears when he fully regains consciousness in Versus (37, episode 3)

Pixal is the one to urge him to remember who he was/is, to escape and find their friends - Pixal was also the key and trigger for Zane to regain his memories. "Pixal! We are compatible?" [ Zane ] "Yes, Zane! Yes, we are!"

Pixal becomes a second voice for Zane, assisting him in understanding his new body

Pixal becomes Zane's grounding when he has PTSD/Panic attacks over his identity crisis. At first, she thinks something physical is attacking him, but she quickly realizes that it's internal. While Zane is spiraling, feeling guilt that he isn't the White Ninja anymore, she is the one to get him to understand he's now the Titanium Ninja. She is his calming voice, his guide.

In Season 4, Pixal's main focus is assisting Zane as he begins his new life as the Titanium Ninja. She calms him down, helps him focus, and shows him how to use his new body. She is the one to help him remember who he was.

Possession, Skybound, and the DOTD have Pixal take a back seat for a while, being an assistant when Zane needs her help and his internal mechanic when he is injured, but there is a hidden point to her being in Zane's head. This comes into play during Season 7 [ The Hands of Time ].

Though, in Skybound, when Zane is in the battle of wits with N****an, Pixal tries to be the voice of reason. She tries to save him, but Zane's ego shuts her down. After Pixal is erased Killed, that is the reason that Zane allows himself to be wished away.

Going into the Hands of Time, this is when Pixal's role dramatically shifts. Due to being in Zane's head for years** at this point, she was able to understand and learn how to fight.

Due to Zane being attacked and injured in the Hatching (67, episode 2), Pixal is trying to repair Zane's internal injuries and unscramble his voice since Nya was unable to understand what was wrong with him. Due to this frustration, Pixal begins to build her new body within the Samurai X Cave

Over the next couple episodes, Pixal is still assisting Zane while building her new body, using the tech/computers from the Samurai X Cave. After she leaves Zane's head, Zane becomes distressed with her missing presence.

In the Attack (70, episode 6), Pixal makes her first appearance as Samurai X using Nya's old armor and mech. She risks herself to save Lloyd from falling to his death.

Secrets Discovered (71, episode 7) is one of my favorite moments with Pixal as she hides her identity from Nya. There are so many clues that point to Pixal being Samurai X through the end of S7, but we'll go one episode at a time. This episode not only has Pixal fighting Nya in hand-to-hand combat - meeting and surpassing her skill - shows her growth not only as a fighter but a character.

Nya: Not bad. You've clearly mastered several different fighting styles.

Samurai X: (As Wu) High praise coming from the former Samurai X.

Pixal also uses 9 separate voices from allies across the seasons -Ronin, Dareth, Misako, Garmadon, Kai, Wu, Cole, Nya, and Skylor - to which only Pixal was present (whether that is in Zane's head - Ronin/Dareth/Skylor) or in person (Misako/Garmadon/Kai/Wu/Cole/Nya).

Before Nya leaves, after she passes on the Sam X Cave, Pixal (as Skylor) says "A girl's gotta have her secrets, right?" Skylor never said this - Nya did in The Art of the Silent Fist in Rebooted.

in Out of the Fire and into the Boiling Sea, Pixal makes her first appearance as Samurai X 2.0 officially in her blue armor. During this episode, more hints about her identity are used. [ To Cyrus ] "Cyrus Borg. I am relieved you are safe. I have been looking for you... I was able to hack into Zane's scanner. He located you and I came... (to Zane) You can say I'm hard-wired that way, Nindroid. Now, let's get you home." Within these three lines, its revealed that Sam X has a connection to Cyrus, they have the ability to hack into Zane's scanner, and they were 'hard-wired' - all references back to Pix. This episode also has her protecting Cyrus and being able to match Zane's speed in reciting all 1300 numbers of code

In the finale of Season 7, after time is changed, Samurai X vanishes until everything is returned to normal.

The Hands of Time season focuses on Pixal shifting from a bystander into taking charge of her own life. She didn't want to be stuck in Zane's head any longer, she wanted to become her own person again. She proved herself as a worthy fighter and successor as Samurai X, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Having Pixal physically separate herself from Zane allows him to become his own person once more, but not ruining their relationship.

Season 8, the Sons of Garmadon, introduces Pixal as the protector of the people on a personal level. While the Ninja are busy with world-ending threats, Pixal is the one to travel through the streets and save those from smaller threats. She is the one to regroup the Ninja in the Mask of Deception. Though her first appearance as Samurai X 3.0 is short in the Jade Princess, it shows that the Sons of Garmadon consider her a threat and retreat.

With Pixal/Samurai X being a threat to the SOG, Harumi hacks into her to be a distraction and escape from the Bounty in Dead Man's Squall. Without Pixal, Harumi wouldn't have gotten the trap into the Bounty's systems, or sent the attack on the ship.

Pixal is able to regain her autonomy while maintaining her healthy relationship with Zane. Zane respects her decision to build a new body, telling her that it was always her choice, and that he likes seeing her like that. They support each other and have healthy communication about boundaries and their goals.

Pixal defends the Ninja from the SOG while the Bounty is out of commission, giving them time to realize that Harumi was the Quiet One - it was also Pixal's search that revealed where the signal transmitted originated from.

Pixal also continues to fight against the SOG during Big Trouble, Little Ninjago

Moving into Hunted, we're going to discuss what Pixal accomplished in the few episodes she has.

Pixal trains with Lloyd using her mech, she supports him as he struggles to grieve the loss of his family. Pixal is able to defend herself even without her mech. When it came time to prove herself, she challenged Emperor Garmadon ONE ON ONE, nearly hitting him - this allowed Skylor, Lloyd, and Nya to escape from the Stone Colossus while Garmadon was distracted. At that point in time, Garmadon was extremely powerful and violent. She sacrificed herself for them, ending up being sent to Kryptarium Prison after the mech crashes. After she is able to break out of Kryptarium, she returns to help take down the Colossus with the Vengestone chains.

March of the Oni has Pixal in an incredibly invaluable role - She is the one to stay behind to get Lloyd and Garmadon from the Oni while the rest of the team went to rescue the trapped civilians at NGTV tower. If she wasn't there, this wouldn't have been possible. Pixal willingly risked her life, not knowing if the cloud would kill/poison/freeze her, to save Lloyd. She saved Lloyd and Garmadon from the Oni.

Season 11 and onward has Pixal taking on the role of engineer/inventor. Pixal designs and creates the brand new Samurai X cave underneath the Monastery. She also built...

Cole's bike (S11)

Kai's 4x4 (S11)

the Land Bounty (S11)

the Titan Mech (S11)

Zane's shuricopter (S11)

Pixal's Kaiju Mech (S11)

repaired the sentry canons outside the Monastery (S13)

the Jungle Choppers (s14)

the Hydro-Bounty (S15)

the APS Suits (S15)

Jay's Motorbike (S16)

Cole's 4x4 (S16)

Zane's jet (S16)

Kai's MTV (S16)

the Ultra Combo Mech (S16)

assisted with Nya's upgraded Samurai X mech (S16)

the hundreds of Min-Pixs (S16)

Pixal, once again, proves herself to be the defender of Ninjago/the People while the Ninja are busy with another threat.

The Absolute Worst (overhated episode IMO) has Pixal stop Ultra Violet, the Mechanic, and Fugi-Dove from escaping prison

Pixal's big episode - the Kaiju Protocol (underrated episode IMO) - has her take on the undead Preeminent ONE ON ONE in Ninjago City. when the Preeminent was alive, it took Nya reaching her true potential to kill her - Pixal defeated her by herself! Pixal was willing to die to protect the people, even if it meant she wouldn't get to see Zane again. Pixal was also the shift in Wu's anger in the Ninja going to the Never Realm. She is the one to convince Wu not to give up hope.

In Prime Empire, Pixal and Zane are left in Ninjago while the others travel into the game world. Pixal and Zane are the ones to try and track down Milton Dyer - assisting the Ninja from the other side.

Ninjago Confidential (also underrated) shows Pixal vs Zane's personalities. Pixal is no longer quiet and reserved like she is in Rebooted. She can be sassy and snarky, overly blunt, exasperated, yet willing to go along with Zane being a detective. Even when Zane is kidnapped and she is alone, she chose to put on his hat and take on the detective role. Not just putting on the hat, but doing the accent, seeing things in grayscale, and narrating aloud. No one would've known if she didn't do it, yet she chose to play along with Zane's theory about being a detective.

"I was desperate and willing to try anything. Even Zane's detective theory. So I put the hat on and went for broke. There had to be a clue somewhere in this rundown crazy world. I might've lost my partner, but not my resolve. The answer had to be somewhere here in this place Dyer called 'Videogame City.' .. Zane was right. Talking aloud in a funny voice seemed to help! I decided to stick with it."

Pixal doesn't take shit, especially from Dyer's close-minded view. She understands that Unagami is an A.I who is alive, just like her. That complex beings can become their own conscious selves, that they're not that different from humans. She's the one to help convince Dyer about Unagami's emotions.

Pixal isn't given a big role in Master of the Mountain, choosing to stay at the Monastery to repair and rebuild while the others visit Shintaro.

In the Island (S14/Special), Pixal is the one to know about the Storm Belt, about Twitchy Tim, to pilot the Bounty toward the Island of the Keepers, and to send the jungle choppers at lloyd's request.

Seabound has Pixal get a larger role. She and Zane are the ones to learn about Kalmaar's power from the tartarus trench during the rescue mission. She's the one that designed and built the Hydro-Bounty and the APS suits that are later used, along with the mini-subs for the ninja. Pixal fights to protect the citizens, to protect her family. She pilots the Bounty when Ninjago City floods, rescuing civilians. Pixal gets angry when Kalmaar/Wojira fire/attack the Bounty. "Nobody fires on my ship."

Pixal grieves for Nya after she merged with the sea, being present with the Ninja during the 'funeral'/celebration of life ceremony.

Crystalized has Pixal in the role of Engineer/Inventor with her mini-pix army. She is a part of the resistance against the council, fighting against the returned villains. Pixal's big moment is toward the end of the season with Zane.

After Zane's jet crashed, Pixal made her way toward him, finding him in pieces due to the intensity of the crash. She risks her life to get him to Borg Industries to repair him. She shows intense compassion for him, fear over his severe injuries, annoyance/exasperation at the 'Ice Emperor's' outbursts, and heartbreak when it seemed that Zane wasn't going to survive.

Compatible is the first episode where Pixal confesses to Zane, in person, how much she loves him and how much he means to her. Her voice is somber and quiet, mournful, before she kisses him goodbye.

“Please, Zane. If you can hear me, give me a sign. Anything... It seems the Zane I knew is gone. I will say my goodbyes, and then we will join the fight... Zane. I was once just a Nindroid. A machine. And then, long ago, in a different battle, you gave up half your power source to save me. In that moment, you changed me. I felt things ... I never felt before. I felt ... love. For you. Our friends need us now, and I must go to battle. If I am able, I will return. I do not know if there is anything after this life for beings such as you or I, but if there is ... I will find you there. Goodbye, my Zane. (She kisses him, then turns to the others.) I am ready now.”

When Zane wakes up, Pixal is so overjoyed that she leaps into his arms, is spun around, and is beaming. Zane tells her that she saved him, that she brought him back. Zane and Pixal are each other's lifelines.

Dragons Rising separates Zane and Pixal due to the Merge. We see how Zane is without Pixal for long periods of time. He not only misses her, but grieves her loss. He never stopped looking for her, hoping to find her. Season 3 finally brings them back together in the First Realm.

Pixal in Dragons Rising continues her role as Samurai X 4.0 and engineer/inventor.

Pixal shows a gentleness around Zane after she's rebooted, looking at him lovingly. "Shall we do what we do best?" She can be smug, but not overly so. She knows her strength, she knows how well she and Zane work together.

One thing that has been getting overlooked is the fact that Pixal challenged TWO of the Forbidden Five without an elemental power. She woke up and within 20 minutes was fighting Nokt for the Prismatic Blade. She managed to last a while, even though she couldn't match Shatterspin. Pixal also challenged and decimated Zarkt - he never landed a single hit on her.

When Zane is nearly killed from overriding the train's controls, she gets snarky and snaps at Rapton.

P.I.X.A.L.: If it wasn't for that Nindroid there, you and your poorly named "Freebooters" would all be smashed against that cliff... The only reason you and your hair-piece are still alive is because of Zane, who needs a lot of help to survive this. So you are not only gonig to let me use your gear, you are going to help me find the pieces I need to save him. Have I made myself clear?"

Zane tells Pixal that she was his guideline, his compass, his push to keep moving, just like how she was in Season 4.

Zane: "During my most dire times since the Merge, when I was losing hope, I would hear a voice in my head. A voice that would center me, giving me drive to continue, even when the odds were increasingly against us. That voice, P.I.X.A.L., was yours."

For those saying that Pixal is emotionless and dull - you have been watching the wrong show. Pixal is kind, yet can be snarky and very sassy at points. She can be dramatic, passive, quiet and loud. Listen to how her voice actress changes her voice throughout the seasons. In Rebooted, Pixal's voice starts off monotone and sharp, but slowly becomes more emotional through the season. Season 4 shows relief when Zane remembers her, sorrow when she thinks she's going to be left for dead, elation when Zane finds a way to save her. Kaiju Protocol shows resolve and determination in the face of danger and death. Ninjago Confidential shows a playful side, going all in on the noir detective facade.

Saying Pixal is pointless is saying the elemental powers are pointless. You're missing a whole pillar to the show. Pixal very easily could've been a one-season character like Akita, but she was continually brought back better than ever. Pixal is the defender of the people. Pixal is an inventor. Pixal is a family member. The joy that Zane and Nya showed when Pixal returned in Dragons Rising shows how much she means to the team. She may not have been around since the very beginning; but if you removed Pixal, you're not only removing a core pillar to the show, but erasing a rare main female voice. Pixal isn't just Zane's girlfriend, just as Nya isn't just Jay's girlfriend. They're their own people with their own strengths and weaknesses. Pixal challenged the strongest villains without elemental powers, Pixal supported her family during hardships, and Pixal kicks ass.

TLDR; ParachutingKittens made a stupid claim, Pixal is awesome and kicks ass thank u very much.

[parachutingkitten]

okay, I straight up do not believe that the lego marketing department demanded that pixal be brought back into the show in order to sell more sets. cole i believe. cole i get. that makes sense. but pixal? i just refuse to accept that is an actual conversation that happened. that this all purple side character only a small portion of the audience ever cared about was so important from a set perspective that they demanded she also be present in show.

[parachutingkitten]

I’d say my biggest problem with the possibility of SoraFrak actually happening is why are we giving both of the two new female leads introduced in the show straight romances, meanwhile Arin still gets to be single?

In a big picture overview kind of way, I do get where you're coming from. It would be nice to have a female character not involved in a romance plotline. But I don't know that I can put the weight of that on this ship. I mean, that's what put me off of Lloykita at first, and now I think it's one of the best written things in the show, so I think it's a valid point against the show's treatment of this stuff, but not really against this ship in particular. And DR has shown some improvement on this front. They avoided shipping their two main characters, which is a huge deal. Lostshipping will hopefully be confirmed, but at the very least has been implied to the point of pretty much being canon. And Roby you could argue is a reverse of the old show's female love interest clearly created to be a female love interest trope- kind of turning the tables to equal out the playing field. If Euphrasia ever gets to join the main cast, maybe she'll get to be a single pringle, I think it'd mesh with her personality well. And really, if it took the show this long to give Sora a romance plotline, with another main character, who is distinctly non-human, while they both have their own separate stuff going on no less, that's a win in my book, at least with this franchise's track record. If they are able to write this well, with a multi season arc where things develop naturally, then I'm excited to see what they do. I think there's potential, but there's always plenty of room to screw it up. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.

[parachutingkitten]

"Don't worry, our main characters will definitely get the chance to interact with each other in the fourth season of the show!"

[parachutingkitten]

I get being short on time, and I'm even willing to assume the writers got less time then they originally wanted, but if the answers to these questions are not important enough to the plot where cutting them is an easy and viable option to save time, then I don't think the mystery was going to be very well written anyway. Like, I would expect the answers to these questions to be things that matter to the larger story, that's why the mystery is fun, because you have to guess how everything pieces together, how it's all interconnected. But if the answer is just an incidental thing with no effect on anything else, then honestly I kind of don't care...

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE NOT GOING TO EXPLORE WYLDFYRE'S ORIGINS IN THE ACTUAL SHOW ARE YOU FUCKING GENUINELY SHITTING ME. THIS IS ACTUALLY POSSIBLY THE STUPIDEST CREATIVE DECISION I'VE EVER HEARD WHY SET UP "BABY APPEARS IN MYSTERIOUS SPACESHIP" IF YOU AREN'T GONNA EXPAND ON IT IN THE FUCKING SHOW WHAT THE FUCK OH MY GOD THIS FUCKING SUCKS FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKKKK

[parachutingkitten]

OH MY GOSH I LOVE THE EYES!!!

Rough Master of Time PIXAL sketches, based off of @parachutingkitten’s recent PIXAL video essay. As a PIXAL Fantastic and Time Twins Enjoyer, I was a big fan of the concept <3

[parachutingkitten]

Lloyd/Akita reunion hug, but Lloyd is the one who jumps into Akita's arms and she spins him around.

[parachutingkitten]

Zane sacrifices himself by putting his life on the line because he values the lives of others more than his own.

Pixal sacrifices herself by disregarding her personal wellbeing because she values her life less than others.

They are NOT the same...

[parachutingkitten]

Do you have any headcanons for Lloyd X Akita marriage?

Here, have these Formling marriage customs I made up while daydreaming:

When you're at a point in a relationship in which you feel that you are personally ready to make a marriage commitment, regardless of how the other person feels, you start carrying around a bond ribbon. You're not expected to wear it visibly, or even let anyone know, but you have it on your person at all times, or at least while with your partner. If you think your partner is also ready for a marriage commitment, you ask them if they would like to exchange ribbons. This assumes that they are also carrying a bond ribbon, signaling that they also feel ready to take the next step with you. It's a gamble, but if you know your partner well, hopefully you'll know when to ask. If they are also carrying their ribbon, that's a yes. You exchange ribbons, tying them around your partner's wrist, which then stays there until the wedding day, when they are ceremonialy tied together before being cut/untied from your wrists. This pair of now connected ribbons is then hung over the door of the couple's lodgings together, blessing their new shared home with luck and prosperity.

The ribbon can be a literal ribbon, or something that can serve the same purpose like string, or a strip of fabric. Your ribbon represents you, and so can be personalized accordingly. Some people like to get a real fancy piece made up for the occasion, or it can be a physical item from the relationship, or your personal life which holds emotional significance. Shy partners might mean neither person is brave enough to ask the question, and so they both go on carrying their ribbons for each other far longer than necessary, just waiting for the other person to ask. A short discrepancy in how long each person is carrying their bond ribbon is generally seen as a better omen, as it means you were both ready to commit around the same time.

I imagine a lloykita proposal where Akita finally pops the question, and Lloyd is unaware of the whole bond ribbon thing, but maybe he's been carrying around a ring. He frantically goes to rip a strip of fabric off his gi, or untie a shoelace or something so he has a ribbon to give to her, and it's this beautiful messy jumble of the both of them doing their best to express their love.

[parachutingkitten]

This might be too ooc but imagine that movie lloyd and akita bicker a lot and have a similar dynamic in show with akita not knowing him as the son of garmadon OR the green ninja and when wu sees them hes reminded of koko and garm with the whole bickering but into eachother thing.

Lloyd in movie realisezss that akita is the only one he can be more bratty to and not be seen as evil and her teasing never hurts unlike everyone elses. Also akita has no concept of school so she has only negative opinions on it cause lloyd seems to hate it

They give off cat x dog dynamic

you- you get it. this is it. this is them. it's SO them. The teasing that's fun because you know for certain they don't hate you essential.

[parachutingkitten]

Idea for a Master of Time Pixal design:

She has an off-shoulder gi that exposes her core, except instead of being two halves like Zane’s originally was, it’s split into the four colors of the time blades

man, I love this idea. You could center her whole design off of the time colors. Redo her purple markings in a mix of the four. This would be so cool...

[parachutingkitten]

Had a couple of thoughts about Pixal and accidentally made a two hour video so...

check it out if you like :)