celestial-ninjas

[celestial-ninjas]

I think I wouldn't mind Zane's NPC-ification quite as much as I do, if it didn't feel like they were also retconning the fact that he was ever a person to begin with.

Like, sure, I totally understand. Dragons Rising has a huge ensemble cast, and the RGB trio + new ninja are the clear focus. And I don't mind that! Everyone who does get proper narrative attention is written so wonderfully and I adore what we have. But...sometimes it feels like they're just kinda divvying up everything that makes Zane who he is and giving it to everyone else, and never even briefly acknowledging Zane's ties to those traits.

Remember when Zane used to have prophetic dreams foretelling future events? Me neither. Hey Lloyd, how are your visions coming along?

Or, y'know how one of Zane's most integral plot lines, character details, and motifs is his struggles with memory and identity? Remember that time he got amnesia and was then both manipulated and magically corrupted into being a villain? Nah that never happened, anyway check out what Jay is up to now

Or, does anyone recall how Zane is a canonically really good cook with pies so delicious they made Jay cry on screen? No that's Arin's thing, actually

Heck, we even have our quota of ~Silly Robot Beep Boop Bop~ jokes fulfilled by Lobbo!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on any of the other characters for having these traits. Nor am I arguing that Zane should have a singular monopoly on these types of storylines. But when they take traits that have for so long been primarily associated with Zane, like cooking and visions and amnesia, and share them with someone else without even briefly acknowledging Zane's prior involvement...idk. It just feels like they're trying to repackage all the things that make Zane interesting while still writing him out of the narrative. It feels like they're going "whaat? Zane, have personality outside of being a generic robot character?? That never happened!" Like they're just trying to have their nindroid and kill him too.

And I mean, to some extent I can understand their hesitation. It's the same reason the Mr. E/Echo reveal got scrapped in s8 - theres just way too much going on right now, and the narrative load required to explain somwthing this complicated during a reboot/sequel would just bog down an already very complicated story. Zane has a very convoluted backstory that, for new fans dropping in to the sequel series for the first time, may be difficult to explain. How do you recap Zane's history with amnesia in a neat an tidy way for the next gen story, when there's already so much going on?

Like i said, i get that. But they could at least make, like, brief blink-and-youll-miss-it allusions, yknow? Like how they played the Ice Emperor theme during Zane's existential crisis during drs1, or when Zane told Zanth not to follow dancing birds in drs3. Tasteful, subtle, doesn't require much insider knowledge and newer fans could easily interpret it as a noodle incident comment without losing out on their comprehension.

Maybe after Jay gets eliminated from the Tournament, Zane offers to go after him saying, "I've lost myself once or twice before. If anyone understands what he's going through, it's me." And if you want to preserve the plot unobstructed, maybe you can have it so that either Zane fails to get through to Jay or Jay is gone without a trace before he can get to him. Maybe there's a brief scene of Zane making a pie to try and cheer Sora up, but she can't eat it because it reminds her too much of Arin. Or maybe Lloyd has a panic attack over his visions and Zane is the one to offer him the advice about not fighting the vision and letting it come naturally.

Don't you see how easy that is? You would change literally nothing about the story at large, and you're not detracting from the main plotlines or character arcs that are quite validly dominating this series. But you're also throwing a bone to the people who actually like Zane. Like???? I'm not even asking for much here, man :/

Idk. Maybe I'm just bitter and need to touch grass, who's to say

[celestial-ninjas]

Jordana of Arc

[celestial-ninjas]

Kissing. Biting.

[celestial-ninjas]

Movie Lloyd's dragon mech ON TOP!!!! tlnm mechs are so peak...

[celestial-ninjas]

I think Kai took on the dead master of fires symbol. I could be wrong and he wears it before but I don’t remember it.

Kai before dragons rising and the merge where he found the mech and the dead masters symbol and clothing

(The aforementioned clothes and beaded necklace with the symbols on them)

Kai with the symbol on his clothes in dragons rising.

[celestial-ninjas]

I’m drawing Jay again nature is healing. Anyways his crashout arc is so funny to me

[celestial-ninjas]

guys there's more to the "lost my sister" line than Nya becoming the ocean, I feel there's also callbacks to the first ever time he 'lost' his sister, to the Skulkin wayyy back in the pilots. Something that feels like a personal failing to him, surely. and the event that ultimately started his journey to where he is today.

obviously the water themes and everything can relate back to Nya becoming the ocean, but recalling her kidnapping at the start of the series adds whole other layers of devastation to some of the visual and verbal themes

[celestial-ninjas]

never getting over how Kai still sees Nya as a baby oh my god

[celestial-ninjas]

guys there's more to the "lost my sister" line than Nya becoming the ocean, I feel there's also callbacks to the first ever time he 'lost' his sister, to the Skulkin wayyy back in the pilots. Something that feels like a personal failing to him, surely. and the event that ultimately started his journey to where he is today.

obviously the water themes and everything can relate back to Nya becoming the ocean, but recalling her kidnapping at the start of the series adds whole other layers of devastation to some of the visual and verbal themes

[celestial-ninjas]

Kai is so much more powerful in Monstrosity than whats shown in dragons rising, like he fucking flash bombed a dragon 10x bigger than him

IT LOOKS LIKE A FUCKING STAR

Like the ninja are all really powerful, Lloyd going God mod, or when they unlocked their true potential back in season 1, Nya controlling the entire ocean. Cole doing that weird move thing his mother was trying to do (forgive me I don't remember what it's called).

Not to mention throughout the show they've all displayed growth in character and their element.

But I guess I didn't truely gauge how powerful kai was if he didn't have the risk of casualties or his family around,

Because these attacks are the emotions of a desperate man, who's clinging to hope of seeing his family again that's if they were even alive. (Because he didn't know if they were alive, the only reason he didn't think about that was because if he did he would shattered) these are flames unconstrained from risk. He isn't afraid og holding back because if he holds back he won't get home. He only holds back when killing becomes monstrous in his eyes. Which is why he didn't kill the egg, why he stopped daidan.

Like he set himself of fire to charge up Rusty, And he channelled Daidans fire into this attack

And I just think it's so crazy that we never see him do this kind of stuff in ninjago or dr.

I think the closest to this power we saw in ninjago season 11 when he gained his powers back after aspheera took them, and again that was powered by the drive to protect his family.

I always find fire is related to passion, or drive to do something. It can create, so beautiful and kind but it can also destroy, be so painful and angry.

Kai feels like a perfect mix of the two a force to be reckoned with when there is no one around to stop him, or kind protective and family centred.

His fire, his strength is so driven by his passion, his family, his emotions which just makes his character so much more than just the Hot Head. I love how deep Kais development is he's got so many different layers to his personality and I'm so glad they're finally exploring and making his character more interesting.

[celestial-ninjas]

Monstrosity trio!!!

[celestial-ninjas]

Idk why, but this shot of Kai is so funny.

He kinda looks like an owl with his oversized fur cape and standing on a branch.

[celestial-ninjas]

just in time before Monstrosity drops

[celestial-ninjas]

I could never get over how Kai just practically almost drowned himself

Smth about dying in the ocean and his sister becoming the ocean

God these Legos are gonna be the death of me man 💀🖐️

[celestial-ninjas]

Oh I just love this!

Monstrosity gave a good look on Kai's fire power, well a more look into it , I just love these shots they are just wow , like the floating glowing fire ball that is just so bright is actually so cool and beautiful!

And that final slash is just awesome!, it shows how kai manages to defeat bigger enemies without the need to actively be in a dangerously close distance, and besides he's so cool doing it!

And he's so jumpy, my poor baby , like he glanced back so quickly and then when he saw 2 monsters fighting he quickly left the scene, he suffered too much

And to think rusty just followed him around is too adorable!!

[celestial-ninjas]

hearing you loud and clear OP this is the best most terrible thing and it'll be on my brain all day

Wait wait no no overthinking time. Nya jumping into the water to save her family. Kai walking into the water because he thinks it'll bring him back to them. Can anyone hear me

[celestial-ninjas]

me and my brother saw this in a ninjago quiz years ago and thought it was The Funniest Thing Ever. to this day we still refer to ninjago as ‘dude, wheres my nunchucks?’ and we have no plans to stop quoting it