#decade of spinjitzu

[legogender]

okay i have to say i am actually a strong defender of Snake That Makes You Evil. it sounds stupid on paper but thats only if u take it at face value? i do actually think the concept is crazy good what with the venom slowly corrupting how garmadon thinks about things and him being fully aware but unable to stop it.

its also not Just the venom that makes him evil. in the spinjitzu brothers books you can actively watch the fsm and wu and… really EVERYONE around garmadon become more and more wary of him despite not much really changing. it becomes a permanent blight on him that he is repeatedly told he needs to cure. but he hasnt really even changed in his own eyes

i personally prefer it to have been a pure fateful accident but the involvement of the overlord in the bite makes it arguably even more tragic. it becomes more than a childish mistake. garmadon was doomed from the moment he was born.

[sepublic]

Can I just say I'm so glad we've gotten more Realm of Madness lore after more than a decade? I always found it pretty underrated and overlooked, an artifact of early Ninjago, despite playing a pretty important (if understated) role in Garmadon's storyline from the Pilots to S1. It's one of the first realms we were introduced to, and established the idea of more realms for Ninjago, back when the Underworld was its afterlife.

The Craglings having a whole episode was already good enough for me, but then we got the Administration, which will likely have more plot relevance even after S1 of Dragons Rising! The Administration truly earns this realm the title of Madness, and gives it an identity to stand apart from other dark places like the Underworld or Cursed Realm. The world Garmadon describes as pure shadow and evil is the DMV.

And knowing that the Administration was located in the same realm Garmadon went to get all this power... It really makes me HC that he got the power (and necessary limbs) to wield all four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu by just applying for the permits and licenses required to do so at the Administration. After waiting an ungodly amount of time in line, Garmadon finally got his forms and registration in order and was imbued with the power he needed, and then immediately left the building to make a beeline straight towards the Mountain of Madness; There, Wu intercepted him, which leads to the whole scene from S1.

“Hello, I would like the power to wield all four weapons of Spinjitzu.”

“You need a permit for that.”

“Okay, where do I begin?”

“You need a permit to ask those kinds of questions.”

“Jesus Christ.”

This is why it took Garmadon so long to return to Ninjago.

[nyaskitten]

The FSM Family is like, BEYOND inherently tragic and heartbreaking...

The FSM was said to be born from the ashes of the Oni/Dragon War, and his whole childhood, possibly even further along the road, he was pursued by Oni and Dragon (well for all we know the Dragons stopped after he left the First Realm, but the Oni were still desperate.) He could never escape suffering, he's fought so many battles in his youth that it hardened him, almost as if it stripped him of all emotion and joy.

The FSM had a son, and another son. Both were forced to bear the pain of a father whose gone through so much its made him a terrible man.

Garmadon, his first son, was bitten at a young age by a serpent created (Idk if the Overlord created her but I decided he did) by the incarnation of evil, which brought his darkness to slowly overwhelm him. For millennia, he fought against it, he held it back. He had a wife, and a son, and he was happy, but the temptations overrid him, and he succumbed to them. He tried to steal the weapons, and in return he was struck down to the Underworld, unable to leave without the power of the weapons. Then, when freed, he continued his dark scheming, and went to a realm wherein he could manifest the ability to wield all of the Golden Weapons. In doing so, he brought himself closer to destiny.

When he got his son back from the Serpentine, he left, because through whatever compelling darkness, he could never truly be good. He left, and eventually, he took the weapons, and eventually he became the Overlord's vessel, and then he was freed, and then his brother turned against him for a period of time, and then he sacrificed himself to save Ninjago, and then he was resurrected as this dark, cold, unfeeling monster. He was only the worst parts of him, and now his son can barely even bear to speak to him! All of this suffering has brought him all too far from his family! The ones he once loved!

Wu... oh Wu... he was the favored, pure son of the FSM. The FSM was awful to both sons, but Wu was certainly favored (as evidenced by Garmadon's line in the Pilots which flatout said Wu was always FSM's favorite, and season 8 telling us that FSM kept a lot of shit from Garmadon and he told it to Wu instead.) Wu was from a young age, just constantly being betrayed and abandoned. Betrayed by a serpent he befriended, betrayed by two brothers which he clearly cared about, abandoned by the odd child he took in, and betrayed AND abandoned by his own brother! He spent a couple decades alone, no family, probably no friends either. His brother was gone, he was alone, he knew his brother wouldn't be gone for good, but that didn't stop it from hurting. Additionally, he had the weight on his shoulders of the Green Ninja Prophecy, and the fear of the chance maybe HE was supposed to be the Green Ninja at one point (Book of Spinjitzu,) as well as knowledge of a catastrophic, world-destroying event known which would cause all the realms to come together, and eventually they'd be destroyed!!

Now Lloyd... he was robbed of his childhood and molded into a destiny he didn't deserve. He lost his father, he was possessed by his uncle's former student/Green Ninja wannabe, he lost his uncle in a magic Time Vortex, he fell for a girl, and she was the secret leader of a biker gang/cult which wanted to resurrect his father, TO KILL HIM!!! He watches as the girl he liked dies, the building she was on crumbling to the damn ground! He fucking dies fighting the Oni! And he doesn't choose to rest even though he SHOULD rest! He's been through so much... he needs to just rest... AND THEN his best friend is killed, or so he assumes! Because turns out his friend is actually in another realm and he committed genocide at one point and he has to live with that!

Then he's in a magic videogame and oh would you look at that? He watches two of his friends sacrifice themselves to help him, Jay, and Nya win a race! AND the girl he likes is now a digital manifestation feeding on his guilt and pain! YAY!!!! THEN, Nya merges with the sea, and he's devastated, he's broken! He quits, not wanting to be responsible for anyone ever again. Then the girl he likes is revealed to have been resurrected by the Overlord, in a council of villains, and he has to tap into his Oni side, a side he fears due to how he can only see it as his father, someone he's TERRIFIED of becoming! And then he like, loses all his friends for approx 5 years and lives in isolation, and has no clue where any of them could possibly be so. YAY!!!!

[thecatundertheladder]

More info for my fsm lives au!

In the first few thousand years of Ninjago's existence, the First Spinjitzu Master was relatively involved with humanity's development. Not in a 'so this is how you make a vaccine' sort of way, but they would help out when crops failed and would travel around Ninjago giving out random bits of advice, all while trying not to interfere with humanity's progress.

(He did have a brief stint as the emperor of Central Ninjago as a young adult, but that was an accident)

Fsm did slip up occasionally with the whole 'let humanity progress naturally' things though, so every now and then a random human would be 'blessed' with the knowledge of how photosynthesis works.

After all, they may of been a child when they created humans but he was also from a much more ancient and advanced realm then Ninjago, so he had much more information about how the world then humans, and even Merlopians, did at the time. I'm talking like they knew clouds were made of water, hygiene was important and prevented sickness, and that stars were made of plasma. Essentially, science was a much more developed field back in the first realm so Fsm knew stuff that a fledgling civilization wouldn't.

Sorry for getting a bit off track there. But basically all this means that some 10-20 thousand years ago (I haven't worked out a timeline yet) the average Ninjagon citizen was a bit more involved in the Fsm's life then modern day citizens.

But over the thousands of years of humanity's existence he has slowly pulled away from them and (once he was sure the humans wouldn't die out due to lack of knowledge) left them largely to their own devices. This means that much of Fsm's life has been reduced to myth and legend in the eyes of Ninjago's citizens (there are exceptions, though, like the monks at the library of Domu). However, he was still a public figure.

Granted most of the legends are essentially fact, however, some key information has been forgotten - such as Nyad, and the Very Important Fact of Fsm not being human.

What this means is when the First Spinjitzu Master suddenly drops of the map a number of decades before Lloyd is born, the humans fear the worst: that he's dead (the Serpentine know better but that's another story). Wu and Garmadon only make the rumours of their father's demise worse by telling humanity the truth; that he's most likely in the Departed Realm. Unfortunately, both brothers have inherited their father's habit of forgetting to tell people things. As a result, they accidentally forgot to mention that their father going to the Departed Realm to visit their friends (the OG elemental masters) is a relatively regular thing, and that they can leave at any time.

Soon after this announcement, the rumour that the First Spinjitzu Master is buried in a tomb filled with ancient artifacts and unimaginable treasures makes it's way through the villages and cities of Ninjago. The tomb in question is actually just a storage facility for all the magical and potentially dangerous items Fsm didn't want in the monastery when raising kids.

All in all, the average Ninjagon citizen doesn't know that the Fsm is alive and well (doesn't stop them from praying to him though). So the ninja, including Lloyd, are incredibly surprised when Fsm shows up to congratulate them on their victory some time after the overlord is defeated.

And, just to add to the potential comedy, Misako - who knew quite a bit about the First Spinjitzu Master as a result of her research and from being married to their son - didn't even know Fsm was alive until he showed up a few days after Lloyd was born to meet his grandson. She fainted.

[emerald-cloud23]

used to be in the mlp fandom until like 2022 and i still have very few songs on my spotify from that like decade long "phase" of being in the fandom

tHAT BEING SAID- i jus t listened to "unleash the magic" from the equestria girls: thefriendship games movie and i- okay, so, imagine human twilight as jordana, the magic she has as the source dragon energy she drained, the background voices as the wolfmasks (and maybe cinder too), ras as abacus cinch (the principal from twilight's school) who's trying to convince her to use the source dragon energy for his evil plans & spike's "twilight, no!" shout at the end of the song from, idk, sora? or imagine it's not even there. and the magic that canterlot high used in the movie as spinjitzu/elemental powers/whatever the ninja have that the villains don't.

sometimes i like to think i'm stupid for connecting songs from shows or movies with a different franchise but idk i think it fits. to me, jordana seems hesitant to do what ras wants in the different s2 clips we've seen so far which fits to twilight hesitating to unleash the magic she's collected throughout the friendship games

[nuesetine]

Decades Doever

A little idea I had laying in my bed. The basic thought process was: Ninjago's two characters who have literally been sent to a realm to rot in for literal DECADES. Morro, who's already struggling with his own exile from the departed realms finds a manipulated Zane and manipulator Vex. I mean both of them can't grow too old, and Morro probably would want a redemption for his deeds, the white ninja may be his path to doing it. Zane is interested in the departed realm, hearing that Morro is from it (even if it's not in the most pretty ways), it intrigues him to learn more about the former ghost, and how he may see his father one day. More Info underneath the cut!

Morro's literal backstory Once an elemental master dies they can not only see their family in the departed realm, but if they are not blood related nor can remember their family (cough cough, Zane), they can also meet the departed elemental masters that came before them. The little groupings of elemental masters hold great power, having the ability to traverse the 16 realms but regarded as something different than a ghost, more similar to a peaceful spirit or aura passing by. Unable to be seen by the living, sometimes depending on their mental will having the ability to converse in dreams and visions. When Morro finally get's sent to the Departed realm, as an orphan and being 50+ years old he cannot simply remember his family, so he get's sent and transported to the elemental grouping of Wind Masters. They don't like him. And so after a rather horrid argument the elders, the first elemental master of wind (FMOF), decides to send them down to never-realm, being previously used as a waste deposal of other Elemental Master's (more than just wind) that have gone "rogue" in the Departed Realm. The FMOF graced some mercy to Morro, convening with one of the form masters in order to see that they could return him in some sort of ghostly form, if they sent them down there as is, it would result him becoming living once more. Morro being the wonderous human (ish) being he is stumbles across this conversation, eaves dropping and taking notes. So when the final ritual(?) takes place he lashes out and does his best to ruin the spell, the only thing being that: 1. It works 2. He's not alive, and instead, has been merged with the storm. There he goes barreling down into the artic wasteland that provides an abundance of wind and storms to command, but despite the feast-like appearance of power and his element, Morro knows and regards this as a banishment. Dude got banished from death itself.

How Zane is connected in any of this Being also wonderfully banished and sent to the Never-Realm (via: Aspheera, Nacho Snake lady) he is also lost on his way. The only canon divergence or well difference being, when he's holding a staff he can feel another, stronger, rivaling, presence. Zane tries his best to fix the mech and eventually get's memory wiped by Vex. Back to the main plot line Morro additionally the counteracting sensation of another elemental power, and although it's not as strong as he isn't a master of Spinjitzu, he still senses it and decides to drift off on a storm cloud in that direction. Reaching the cave just when Zane plugs himself into the mech, disregarding the staff in general (in this AU I don't think young Wu would've told him about it), being confused in the slightest before getting a rush of Lloyd's memories he intercepted during possession of the titanium ninja, and dashing away behind the mech when he hears Vex's footsteps. Watching the whole exchange happen before his eyes, he decides to step in at the last moment, using his cool (very new) lightning powers. Being a somewhat super battle with the staff that he's honestly wonders how the ninja got a hold of, and his amplified form. During the exchange he does lay hands upon the staff and his powers go A-wire, somewhat breaks space and time, smacks Zane in the noggin to regain select memories. Vex fleeing the scene and barely recovering Zane prying Morro; who's form and right hand is practically melding into the staff, away from the supercharged stick. Although both mutually dislike each other they suppose they are both in the predicament of needing company for the days, weeks, and unbeknown to them, years to come. Morro not knowing how robotics or in general any mechanics in Zane works, opts for the: I'll just sit here and regret my decision as my partial robot friend has a reoccuring flashbacks for several decades while having an ongoing existential crisis I am little help to. Zane does believe Morro holds some interesting tales and description on, why and specifically how both are here. Morro just thinking it's something he can do to make up for acts, probably go see Lloyd (despite him probably bolting as soon as he see's the green gi), and maybe just maybe get somehow reaccepted back into the departed realms.

[jinxed-ninjago]

Alright I know I said I was going to sleep but something just occurred to me.

Seabound actually does really well explaining why Chen didn’t need the elements of Water and Wind for his spell in Tournament of Elements. It is absolutely possible that he only needed the ones the First Spinjitzu Master could control.

“But then why would he have also needed Amber but not needed Time?”

Time had been dormant for decades at that point. It is absolutely possible that he used Amber as a replacement for Time. Likely? Idk. But since the Master of Amber is his daughter, he would’ve more readily had access to Amber than Time so he absolutely could’ve used Amber instead of Time. Essentially, he technically needed Time but since he didn’t have access to it he used Amber instead.

Idk how much sense this post makes, it’s 3:45am lmao

[kyokittymeow]

Time Twins Oneshot ~ Lost in Time

Have this oneshot of our favourite twins, since many people wanted to see it!

This one is reaaally short and not even that good, i'm sorry ;-; but i hope you still enjoy it!

Next one is gonna be a bit longer!

"Hold my hand, brother!" Acronix yelled. "Don't let go!"

 Krux clung desperately to Acronix's hand as the two traveled through the tumultuous vortex of time.

After the battle against Wu and Garmadon ended in defeat, the Spinjitzu brothers drained their elemental powers with their blades and sent them into a self-created vortex where they would be lost forever.

But the twins decided to follow the time blades and are now hurtling through time, unsure of where and when they will arrive.

Krux felt his strength draining away. The time vortex was too strong. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. "Acronix!" Krux shouted. Panic flickered in his younger brother's eyes as he understood. "Hold on! We can do it!"

Krux looked hopelessly into his brother's eyes before he was ripped away from him and fell into the depths.

"KRUX! NO!" Acronix yelled in horror.

Krux woke up with a choked scream and sat bolt upright in his bed. Frightened, he looked around until he realized that he had only dreamed. He took a deep breath. A nightmare. And it was always the same.

 Acronix's voice was still ringing in his ears. Fearful and painful. Krux sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "You old fool..." he growled to himself. "Pull yourself together."

As he had somewhat recovered from the shock, he got up and went into the kitchen. He was far too stirred up to go back to sleep, so he made himself some tea.

Lost in thought, he stared out the window while sipping his cup. Almost forty years had passed since he hid in this museum, pretendig to be the friendly Dr. Sander Saunders, and waited for his brother's return.

Four decades all alone without his twin brother who was his only family. The pain was unbearable. It was like someone had ripped half of his heart from him. He felt incomplete.

Ever since they were little, they have always been together, inseparable. An unbeatable team. Who would have thought that this would change so quickly? That his greatest fear would come true: losing his brother.

Krux quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, as if afraid someone would see it. There was no room for weakness. He had shed enough tears already. He had to be patient. The time would come soon. And then, together with his brother, he will take revenge on Wu for everything he did to them.

He will perish, and with him these unbearable ninja.

[thepeanutbutterwizard]

Venomous Teachings au: Wu

Alrighty, time to talk about the Venomous Teacher himself.

Wu, at first glance, is a dignified man, wise and powerful. A stern but fair teacher, who does all that he can to protect the world and all in it. He’s a man that his students, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Kai, can look up to, and rely on for guidance and stability.

At first glance.

In truth, Wu is a master manipulator; he’s subtle and cunning, manipulating people and situations to his advantage with ease after hundreds of years of practice.

He recruited all four Ninja the same ways he does in cannon, other than him being responsible for Nya getting kidnapped. The Map wasn’t hidden at Four Weapons, so once Kai is fully trained and introduced to the other three, they aren’t immediately able to go after the Golden Weapons.

Instead, Wu has the Ninja start to make a public name for themselves as an elite team of warriors fighting back against the terror of ‘Lord Garmadon’ and his Skulkin Army. They pretty much become celebrities, and there's definitely merch of them.

Though Wu looks normal enough, he does have some visible corruption from the Great Devourers Venom he meticulously keeps hidden

The veins first started appearing after he fully succumbed to the Venom’s mental corruption, and have slowly been spreading over the last decade.

During the year Nya and Garmadon are working together to escape the Underworld, Wu is carefully controlling everything about the Ninja. I’ll go into more depth about just how different the Ninja and their dynamics are compared to Cannon in a different post, but basically Wu fosters a codependent relationship between Cole, Jay, and Zane, while isolating Kai, encouraging his lone-wolf tendencies and temper.

Once the Underworld Duo make it back to Ninjago, Wu tells the Ninja, and he spins a story about how Garmadon seems to have used his dark powers to brainwash Nya, forcing her into helping him and giving her powers and inhuman features.

Kai is absolutely incensed by this, which along with discrediting Nya before shes had a chance to tell the boys what’s really going on, is something Wu planned on. Wu is focusing on Kai so much bc he’s trying to beat the Green ninja prophecy.

Wu assumes that he’s the Dark Lord in the prophecy, like Garmadon in Cannon, but Wu believes he’s clever enough to trick destiny. It’s why he trapped Garmadon in the Underworld and started impersonating him. Wu thinks if he can make someone else into the Dark Lord, and train a Green Ninja that’s completely loyal to Wu himself, he can satisfy destiny's plans and get a super strong minion out of it.

Wu thinks Kai might just be his Green Ninja.

And who better to be that false Dark Lord than Garmadon?

Whenever ‘Lord Garmadon’ needs to make an appearance, this is what Wu wears. I considered giving him one of the Oni Masks, but this one is only enchanted to change his voice.

Wu is more focused on using his words and his powers and magic he’s learned over the years than throwing hands, so while he is still physically capable of fighting, and a master of Spinjitzu, if he were to go up against Garmadon in a purely physical fight, he’d get his butt handed to him. But with his powers, he’s pretty much a one man army.

Everything with Wu doesn’t end with the Overlord, or even with him getting cured of the Great Devourers Venom. The main plot of the Dark Lord Wu arcs focus on the Golden Weapons and eventually the Mega Weapon, with the Overlord (and Lloyd being the Green Ninja) not coming up until much later.

This is entirely so Lloyd can actually have a childhood. He’s getting his Main Character status revoked until he’s older.

Along with the good ole’ fashioned verbal and emotional manipulation, Wu is able to magically manipulate the Ninja. Once the Ninja get ahold of all four Golden Weapons, after some stuff with the Serpentine and the Underworld Duo trying their hardest to keep the Sword of Flame away from them, Wu is able to use his power to manipulate the Ninja’s minds through the Weapons, and then the Mega Weapon.

It’s not a straightforward mind control deal; he alters their worldview, making it so they see him as the ultimate good in the world, no matter what he does, what he tells them to do, and who they have to fight.

Eventually though, Wu is defeated. But not cured, not just yet. In a huge fight, Garmadon is able to get ahold of the Mega Weapon, and uses it to drain Wu of his powers. This creates an Amulet like the ones the FSM created to drain Wojira of her powers. Garm doesn’t try to get rid of the Venom bc the FSM tried using the Golden Weapons to heal Wu when he was first bit, but it didn’t work.

This nearly kills Garmadon, as he hadn’t trained to wield the Mega Weapon, but he does ultimately survive, though not entirely unscathed. And As for Wu, well, losing his powers, his ninja, and any hope of achieving his goals throws him into a downward spiral.

He’s imprisoned in a high security cell in Kryptarium Prison, and kinda just lets himself go. Wu is occasionally sought out for exposition, where he’s a useful jerk, but he pretty much just gives up. Stripped of his powers, and with his identity as the true cause behind the Skulkin raids made public, all he can do is sit and stew in his cell.

Or is it?

Anyway, my inbox is always open for questions! I’m making this post at like, five in the morning after not sleeping, so I’m not sure if it’s as coherent as I wanted it to be, but whatever.

[cn-graphics-archive]

Please note: the years included in my posts are not neccesarily when the graphics were made. For example, something tagged as "1999" may have been made before then, but I found it on the Wayback Machine under the year 1999.

Directory (below the cut)

Sort by channel/programming block:

Cartoon Network

Boomerang

Toonami

Adult Swim

Sort by decade:

90s

2000s

2010s

Sort by year:

1998, 1999

2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006

2011

Sort by series:

(Spinoff series will be listed next to their original series)

A:

Adventure Time

The Amazing World of Gumball

B:

Ben 10, Ben 10: Omniverse

C:

Camp Lazlo

Codename: Kids Next Door

D:

Dexter's Laboratory

E:

Ed, Edd n Eddy

F:

Family Guy

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

G:

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

H:

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi

I:

J:

Johnny Bravo, JBVO

Johnny Test

Justice League

K:

L:

Looney Tunes, Duck Dodgers

M:

N:

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

O:

P:

The Powerpuff Girls

Q:

R:

Regular Show

S:

Scooby-Doo

Sailor Moon

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Samurai Jack

T:

Teen Titans

U:

V:

W:

X:

Y:

Z:

Other:

General CN (for things that just relate to Cartoon Network rather than its programming)

Not graphics (for posts I make that are not graphics)

[star-light-shadows]

My Ninjago AU - The 4 Ninja

This is Outdated

Go to this post for the updated version and more about the AU

As I said in my original Ninjago AU post, The 4 Ninja are young adults months away from graduating high school. In secret, these 4 train under Master Wu, son the first Spinjitzu Master, to protect Ninjago from danger and evil after the end of the fabled council of elemental masters.

As part of their training, they have acted as protectors of Ninjago City from hoodlums and criminals. They must train and fight threats of escalating magnitude, all while keeping their identities hidden from their school and their families, which led to them taking up the semi-fake part-time job of playing music as a band.

Nya Smith - Ninja of Fire

Age - 18 Codename - Ember

Lloyd's adopted elder sister.

Hotheaded but rarely hot-tempered, Nya's grit, willpower, and willingness to listen to her teammates make her an effective leader. She also has a protective instinct, which usually is used on her brother, but occasionally comes out on her team.

Wu met her as a young teenager when she vandalized his sister Misako's shop. Orphaned at a young age by the mysterious disappearance of her father, the bitter young firestarter was formed into a rude delinquent by her questionable childhood environment. Wu, however, saw that she could be a good person if she was only given the kindness and love of a family, so he convinced Misako to adopt the young girl. With the flames of bitterness inside her heart being molded into a protective passion. She eventually became the founding member of the Ninja after she protected Wu from an attacker by unleashing her elemental power of fire.

Jay Walker - Ninja of Lightning

Age - 18 Codename - Spark

Quick-witted and quickly-scared, Jay may seem like a comic-relief, but when its up to him to help his friends, the lengths he'll go know no bounds. Brilliant inventor and brilliant fighter, backing this bird into the corner may be the last mistake you ever make.

Wu met Jay as a young girl whose custom-built toy malfunctioned and bumped into Wu before crashing and ceasing to work. Disillusioned, she was close to giving up her dream of becoming an inventor. Before Wu sat down and encouraged her to never doubt that she can do great things just because of a simple mistake. Nearly a decade later, Wu would find Jay testing a pair of mechanical wings, and succeeding in flight. Seeing the sense of inspiration in the young man led Wu to see the spark of elemental power inside.

Cole Morrow - Ninja of Earth

Age - 19 Codename - Mountain

Strongly charismatic, competitive, and easily distracted, Cole comes off as the typical handsome jock, or burly brute, but he's dependable no matter the situation. The emotional rock of the team, he also often has to reign in their chaos.

Wu met Cole while meditating at the top of a mountain that Cole and his friends were climbing for sport. Surprised to find an old man at the top of such a steep rock, Cole's competitive spirit led to him climbing an even more dangerous mountain weeks later, a mountain he may've been ready for, but his partner was not. Wu would visit the funeral of Cole's boyfriend to console Cole, telling him that competitiveness can be a wonderful quality when you don't let it cloud your judgment, encouraging one to better themselves, a desire most honorable. Cole took the advice in stride and vowed to make up for his partner's death by becoming better and learning from his mistakes. The determination Wu saw made him inspired him to recruit Cole, for his will was strong as stone.

Zane Julien - Ninja of Ice

Age - 19 Codename - Crystal

Quiet and perceptive, Zane is often described as cold and calculating. While he may not show very much emotion, he is very considerate. With a special awareness and the ability to evaluate every fine detail, he is a master strategist essential to any major plan.

Wu met Zane wandering in the forgotten woods. Lost not in a literal sense, but feeling lost in the metaphorical. Having recently discovered that he was not human, as his inventor father had led him to believe, Zane ran away. Wu assured him that just because he is made of Metal and wire does not mean that he is any less than flesh and blood. After reuniting the android with his creator, Wu would meet Zane again several years later. Having made close friends with a a pupil of his father's, Wu saw Zane finding his clan despite his differences. While he hasn't yet told them of his nature due to the pain it's caused him in the past, Wu saw a cool head, a heart of steel, and most importantly, a compassion and affinity with his band that lead Wu to discover the power of ice hidden inside.

[halfbakedideas]

You Can Rest Now, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon

<b>No. 31 A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL</b>

Comfort | <s>Bedside Vigil</s> | “You can rest now.”

It has been a thousand years since Lloyd has last been with his family. A thousand years of protecting Ninjago on his own. A thousand years of watching Ninjago grow and change around him.

A thousand years is more than long enough.

XXX

In the last thousand years, Ninjago has undergone so much change. New Ninjago City has flourished, consuming much of the land around it as urban sprawl devoured the land. As quickly as it flourished, the city crumbled; nature taking back the land. This cycle went on for decades; growing, shrinking, growing, shrinking, over and over. Old mountains levelled and new ones rose. The sea claimed more territory and promptly surrendered it again.

The other ninja — the human ones — lived decently long lives when compared to the civilians that they protected day after day. Their elemental powers had granted them those extra years. But their time runs out sooner rather than later.

Eventually, Lloyd is the last one left. Zane and Pixal had stayed with him for as long as they could manage but far too soon the very last piece of hardware that could hold them rusted through and the two androids crossed the river to join the others on the other side. 

Lloyd, like the rest of the First Spinjitzu Master’s bloodline, has had a very long lifespan. He has had well more than triple that of a regular human. But he cannot live forever, now his time is finally up. He will finally, after all these years, get to join the others again.

In the end, he lived longer than Wu managed to, coming to a close at nearly two thousand years. Ha had lived hundreds upon hundreds of years without his friends — his family.

Lloyd knew as soon as he was awake that morning that today would be his last day in the human realm. So he spent that day packing up. Getting the monastery ready to finally be inhabited by others.

The Monastery of Spinjitzu that he lived in with the others an age ago no longer existed. Its walls had fallen victim to nature. The wooden supports and the paper shoji were eaten bit by bit by termites. The Mountain of Impossible Height it was built upon was eventually levelled out until it was no more than a small hill.

As his time drew nearer, he could see the others on the other side. All six of them, even Wu, were waiting for him. His brothers were calling to him.

“Join us, Lloyd,”

“Leave Ninjago behind, you have done everything you can there,”

“Isn’t one-thousand years long enough in that realm?”

Their voices echo in his ears as he writes a letter detailing what he wishes to be done with his body once his spirit has crossed the river. He knew that his wishes will not be met; he is a long-time celebrated hero so there will be a state funeral held for him when the public got word that he has passed on.

Decades upon decades have passed since his friends crossed the river. In that time he had trained their descendants, then the descendants of their descendants, and then their descendants.

Not a day has passed since Lloyd has missed his friends. It’s been so long since he had last been with all of his friends. Long story short, he misses his family. But he will join them on that side of the river very soon. Soon they will be reunited again.

When the letter is completed. He heads outside to watch the sunset that had begun to drench the sky in oranges and yellows with specks of red splattered across.

As the last of the colour fades from the sky, Lloyd’s spirit followed it from his body. Before he can leave the human realm, he checked up on his friends’ descendants and Ninjago one last time.

He’s so so close now. His friends were right there, surely no more than thirty steps away.

Still, he hesitated.

What if Ninjago still needed him? What if a villain showed up to take control of the continent (the chances of that happening had decreased to almost zero in the last hundred years or so).

But he can hear the others calling for him. To leave Ninjago behind to join them. Convincing him that there was no need for him in Ninjago anymore. That he has done enough. That he deserved to finally take a break.

They were right there.

Lloyd gave in. With one final glance back towards the First Spinjitzu Master’s realm he took a step over the bridge and towards his family.

When his feet hit the ground on the other side, the others don’t hesitate a moment longer to wrap him in a long-awaited hug. All of them looked just as Lloyd remembered them from all those years ago.

The group breaks apart at the sound of Wu’s voice. “It is good to see you again, nephew,” he said.

“Same to you, Master Wu,” he answered. Now that greeting was over and done with, the others offered their own greetings.

His uncle was dressed in a robe that somewhat resembled what he wore when he ran that teashop all those years ago. While the others were dressed in more casual clothes.

“Where’s Misako?” Lloyd asked, fearing that he already knew the answer.

“She is with Garmadon,” Wu told him, confirming what he had thought.

Of course, she was not here. Even freed from the constraints of life his mother is too busy for her only son.

XXX

An indeterminate span of time (the concept of time as it was in Ninjago is not really a thing here) later all of them are seated around a table somewhere further in the departed realm. Or that’s where Lloyd believes they are.

The blond is telling his uncle and siblings tales of the years that he spent in the First Spinjitzu Masters realm after their departure when someone approaches them.

“Master Lloyd,” the person says and the whole group knows instantly who this newcomer is: the First Spinjitzu Master.

Lloyd gets up from his spot to walk with his grandfather.

“Thank you for protecting my realm for as long as you did,” The First Master inclines his head in a half bow after he speaks.

What does Lloyd say in response to that? What can he say in response to his grandfather thanking him for protecting the realm that he created?

“Oh, you’re welcome?” he tries. His grandfather chuckles at how unsure he sounds.

As the pair continue their walk, the landscape and scenery around them form and disappear, forever changing. Until it finally settles on the green field with the yellow flowers that Lloyd had first spoken to the First Master all those years ago during the first Oni Invasion.

The First Spinjitzu Master stops walking and turns to face him.

“Protecting is behind you now, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon. You have earnt the time to rest now.” he tells him.

That may be true but there has to be something — someone here that he has to protect. Surely there has to be. He’s spent over a thousand years protecting to go from that to…nothing is like trying to bring a raging flood to a complete standstill.

“I’m not sure I would be able to do that,” Lloyd says, truthfully. “I’ve spent so long protecting that I’m not sure if I’d be able to suddenly not do that,” he explains.

“I thought you would say something like that,” the FSM says. “Unfortunately, there is no need to protect anyone or anything here, there is no ability for anyone to be injured nor die as everyone here has already died,”

“Then…what do I do?” he asks. This is the first time in many, many years that he does not have a purpose or prophecy-bound deed to fulfil.

“You will have to find that out for yourself,” the FSM responds vaguely.

That’s really helpful. Lloyd thinks sarcastically. Although, now he knows where Wu had gotten his favour for cryptics and vague sentences from. Lloyd has turned away from him to examine some of the flowers. 

“However, with your friends to help I am confident that it will not take long,” the creator of Ninjago continues. When Lloyd turns back again, his grandfather is nowhere to be seen.

“Lloyd! What are you doing just standing there?” Nya’s voice asks. He turns to the source; Lo and behold there are the others all still seated around that table and not that far away from him.

Hadn’t he been walking away from them? From what he has experienced this far, this realm seemed to not work on the same rules regarding space and time that Ninjago did.

“Join us, we’re sharing embarrassing stories!” Jay adds before he promptly gets whomped on the head by a pillow held by Cole. Where did he even get that pillow?

Lloyd joins them.

This realm is strange, to say the least; For the first time in well over a millennium, Lloyd doesn’t have a purpose. But he has been reunited with his family again. And all that he is concerned with right now is how Kai’s face matches their shirt as Nya tells a story from their childhood or how all of Wu’s former students (Lloyd included) want to disappear from their seats as the master recounts their misadventures with various magical teas.

All that matters right now is spending time with his family again.

[my-random-thoughts-take-13]

Neverrealm Timeline

Hey I know there are so many who think time passes differently in the Neverrealm since Zane was there for what we consider decades but next to no time passed in Ninjago. But please also remember that when the Ninja got back from the Neverrealm still some time passed. If around 40 years is the equivalent of at most a week then a week is the equivalent of probably a couple minutes. And with the Kaiju-protocol we know that isn’t the truth. Hence the difference in time probably being from the way he was banished instead of the place. 

I mean, it isnt entirely unresonable to think that Aspheera might have been able to send him through both space ánd time. She was holding the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu and was a sorceress who knows how to take elemental powers away, even without he scroll as seen in ns16. Her doing this at least makes more sense (to me) then time in the Neverrealm passing at a similar pace for ONLY as long as those 5 other ninja are there. You’re free to disagree or disprove my point though!

[orangeoctopi7]

Take the Long Way Home

Previous Chapter

AO3 link

Gravity Falls

For the third time that night, Zane closed his eyes to better concentrate on his magic sensor. He could definitely sense some magic in this basement lab, especially coming from the control console on the other side of the blast doors, but nothing as powerful as the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu.

So far in their search of the basement lab, they had found a book and a pair of glasses, both of which Stan said belong to his brother, but nothing else out of place, as far as they could tell. 

"It's not here." Zane finally concluded. "Perhaps it somehow was transported upstairs?"

"How would that even happen?" Stan asked. "Upstairs is a mess, we'd never find it." He was obviously eager to get going with the portal. "You're sure you had it with you when you fell through?"

"Yes." Zane insisted. It had only been earlier today. There was no way his memories could defrag that fast. 

"Well, Ford had his journal and his glasses with him when he went through. Maybe stuff like that just doesn't go through portals."

"Perhaps…" Zane agreed. He wished he could know for sure. This was too dangerous of an artifact to just leave behind in another realm. "If you do find it, don't open it. It has a powerful corrupting influence. If you can't send it back to Ninjago where it belongs, then destroy it."

"Sure." Stan nodded. "Now let's get that portal up and running."

He walked over to the large red lever standing in the middle of the lab and pulled it. Nothing happened. Stan grunted in frustration and pulled it again.

"Are you certain you know how to turn it on?"

"No, I don't know how to turn it on! I just got here earlier today!"

Zane sighed. Despite the fact that this was supposedly his brother’s home, Stanley knew very little about the place or how it operated. Although, he supposed that wasn’t too out of the ordinary. If Cole or Kai found themselves in a similar situation, they probably wouldn’t have a clue about such technical operations either. 

The nindroid decided to check out the control console on the other side of the blast doors. Hopefully that would give him some kind of clue of how this portal worked. He was taken aback by how old the computer equipment was. He himself was almost 40 years old, he’d been built not long after the old Serpentine War, but he hadn’t ever left the birchwood forest until his father’s supposed death. Up until about 8 years ago, the only technology he’d been familiar with had been his father’s other inventions. 

Obviously this portal was decades behind what Zane was used to. He was at a loss how he was supposed to interface with this computer. He didn’t see any access ports or cables. The best he could find was a sort of printer off to one side, and a continuous sheet of paper with data printed out on it. There had to be at least ten pages worth here, and while he could read faster than any human, it was still going to be much slower than being able to connect himself directly to the mainframe. 

Still, it was the best he could do for now, without attempting some creative wire splicing, which he was reluctant to do on his own. The data readouts were certainly interesting. The amount of energy it took to operate was tremendous, and the amount of strain it put on the fabric of the universe was concerning, but he trusted that whoever built this had taken this strain into account and had safety measures in place to counter it. Unfortunately, the readouts did not give him any hints as to how to turn the portal back on.

“Any luck?” Stan asked. He looked as worried as Zane felt. 

“I’m not familiar with this technology. I can’t find a way to connect myself to it. How was it turned on before?” He half expected Stan to simply say that his brother did it.

Instead, the stranger cast his gaze to the floor, almost like he was ashamed. “W-we were fighting. Knocked into a few consoles, must have pushed some buttons or something.”

“Do you remember which consoles you ‘knocked into’?”

Stan flinched and rubbed his shoulder, where Zane now noticed there was a serious, fresh burn. How had he missed that before?

“That one there, for sure.” Stan pointed to a console near the blast door with a red hot symbol embossed into the side. 

“Let me see your shoulder.” Zane changed the subject.

“It’s fine. I’ll worry about it after we get this portal turned on.”

The nindroid ignored him and walked over to take a closer look. A mirror image of the symbol was burned into his skin. Stan grumbled but didn’t pull away. It was bad, at least a second degree burn, and there were still bits of fabric welded to his skin. It was pink and puckered and starting to blister.

Luckily, Zane had plenty of practice treating burns. Over the years, Kai had occasionally been careless when practicing his elemental powers, especially when he was first getting used to them. He knew applying ice directly to the wound would do more harm than good, but something cold could help sooth the pain. He carefully laid a hand over the burn, lowering the temperature, but not actually generating any ice. Stan flinched at the initial contact, but soon let out a sigh of relief. 

“How’re you doing that? Is that a robot thing?”

“No, it’s not a nindroid thing. I’m an elemental Master of Ice.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

It was easier to show him than explain it. Zane reached his other hand out where Stan could see it and generated a small block of ice. 

“...Holy Moses.” Stan said with wide eyes. Apparently he’d reached his limit for being surprised by what Zane could do. “We’re wasting time, we gotta get that portal back on.”

“This burn needs to be treated. You’ve got pieces of fabric welded to your skin, it will get infected if it isn’t cleaned.”

“It can wait!” Stan insisted. “My brother’s in danger! Your friends are in danger! Every second counts!”

“...Alright.” Zane conceded with an annoyed sigh. “But if it still isn’t running after an hour, we need to take a break and clean that wound. I doubt your brother would be happy to come back to find you injured.”

A mixture of emotions Zane couldn’t parse flickered across Stan’s face at that comment. He strode over to one of the other consoles abruptly. 

“I’m pretty sure we knocked into this one first.”

Stan led him from one console to the next, trying his best to remember which ones he had knocked into during his fight with his brother. Zane did his best to examine each one for any clue of which button or lever or switch had been turned on. Finally, they tried to turn the portal on again. 

It still remained dormant.

The Never Realm

The engine Stanford had pulled from the mech wasn’t a normal combustion engine like he’d hoped. It seemed to be closer to some sort of fuel cell. But it still gave off heat, which was his main concern in this frozen canyon. It seemed like it could run for a long time on little fuel, which was good, because he had no idea what it ran on. 

Ford’s stomach grumbled and he looked down at the fish he’d taken from Vex. He hadn’t been eating much since Bill’s betrayal. It was easier to stay awake when you were hungry. But he had to be careful to at least eat enough to keep him going. Passing out from a lack of nutrients would be just as bad as falling asleep. Now that he was stranded out here, he’d also have to try and ration what little food he had. Luckily, with the freezing temperatures, the fish would keep for a while. He had no firewood, so there was no way to cook them, but he’d had sushi a couple of times and liked it just fine. Of course, he supposed this would actually be sashimi, since there was no rice. 

He shook his head. He had to stop thinking about food. Instead the researcher turned his attention to the scroll he had found, and began to do his best to decipher it. 

It was a symbol substitution cipher, not unlike the one Bill had taught him soon after they met. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, but at least it was easy to translate. The first section of the scroll simply said “The Forbidden Art”, but he found more information as he unrolled it. It started with a warning that the scroll had a corrupting influence, which supposedly was why it was forbidden. Ford scoffed. He hadn’t felt any such influence using the thing. 

He hesitated as he thought back to the cave paintings where he’d first learned of Bill. Oh how he wished he’d heeded those warnings. Maybe he should heed this one. But when he looked back down at the scroll, those worries immediately washed away, like he’d never had them in the first place. 

As he continued to read, it went into detail describing the proper positioning, stances, and movements to perform the forbidden art. It was interesting, reading it when the magic of the scroll had already enabled him to perform it without a thought. He wondered if this description was a necessary part of the magic, if it somehow engrained this description into his mind subliminally. 

Eventually, he began to feel his eyes droop, despite his hunger and the cold. Ford shot up, intending to start pacing, but instead he felt dizzy, and his vision almost blacked out. So maybe he did need to eat. 

He did his best to clean the fish using his pocket knife and some scraps from the machine. It probably wasn’t sanitary, but he didn’t have a lot of options. The fish was rich and fatty, and he had to stop himself from eating the whole thing. 

As he’d feared, he was even more sleepy after eating. Even the fear racing through him at the thought of sleep wasn’t enough to drive off the drowsiness. He had to wonder if Bill would even bother with him now that he had no access to the portal. He shivered. He didn’t want to find out. 

Eventually, though, sleep did come. He was surprised when he woke with the sunrise the next morning. No unexpected pain, no bleeding from his eye, no nightmares even. The cave was untouched. Bill had actually left him alone!

The Nightmare Realm

“Why are we not going after your enemy?!” Vex complained loudly, his spirit floating along after him as Bill piloted his body back towards the ice castle he’d fled just days ago.

“YOU’VE SEEN WHAT SIXER IS PACKING. YOU REALLY WANT TO GO UP AGAINST HIM WITH THAT SCROLL MANO A MANO? YOU’D BE A SPOT OF SOOT ON THE ICE. WE’RE GETTING SOME REINFORCEMENTS.”

“The warriors of the north want nothing to do with me, how could you possibly hope to make them my reinforcements?”

“OH, YOU’LL SEE!” Bill replied in a singsong voice. 

It wasn’t long before a couple of guards found Vex, and dragged him before their king yet again. 

“Vex.” Grimfax glowered. “When you were last here, you had the gall to try and replace my advisor and stir up conflict with the Formlings. Out of courtesy and compassion, I offered you warm food, drink, and clothing before sending you on your way, but you rejected my hospitality, and even threatened that I would regret not treating you better. If you are not here for an apology, you will be the one who regrets your actions.”

“You see? You see how he treats me?” Vex whined, although Bill was the only one who could hear him. “Make good on our deal, and make him pay!”

“OH, BUDDY, YOU’VE GOT ME ALL WRONG!” Bill ignored Vex’s complaints and strode forward towards the king. Several warriors sprang to action and barred his way, but Bill just walked around them, lazily dodging each attack. “I THINK WE GOT OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT THE OTHER DAY, AND I JUST WANTED TO COME BY AND SAY I’M SORRY.”

“What!? No I am not! Stop your nonsense this instant!” Vex cried.

Grimfax raised a brow in surprise. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. He hated to turn people away in this harsh climate, so he wanted to believe that Vex’s apology was sincere. But his behavior was suspicious, to say the least. 

“LET’S MAKE A DEAL. I’LL TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR OFFER FOR FOOD AND DRINK, THEN YOU WON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME AGAIN. IN FACT, TO SHOW THERE’S NO HARD FEELINGS, LET’S SHAKE ON IT!”

Grimfax hesitated. This definitely seemed like a trap. But he was a warrior, heavily armored and well trained. Even if Vex tried to stab him while they shook hands, he knew how to protect himself against such things. And then he would have a good reason to throw this troublesome wanderer in the dungeon before he caused more problems. He cautiously extended his hand, on his guard.

He’d been expecting Vex to pull out a dagger, or to have some kind of poison barb hidden on his person, but all he did was shake his hand. Then Grimfax felt an odd pulling sensation, and suddenly he was having an out-of-body experience. He looked down at himself, standing perfectly still, and at Vex, who had started sputtering indignantly. With a sickly flash of yellow, Grimfax saw his own eyes open, and an unfamiliar voice came out of his mouth.

"RELAX, VEXY, YOU'LL GET WHAT YOU WANT." Bill piloted his new puppet to stand and turned to the man standing just off to his right. "LET ME GUESS, YOU'RE THE ADVISOR?" 

The advisor nodded, confused.

"THOUGHT SO. YOU'RE FIRED."

Now it was the advisor's turn to sputter. "My Lord, what… why?!'

"IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT, FOLKS!"

Gravity Falls

Stan wanted to throw up. He wanted to scream. He wanted to break down and cry. He wanted to bang his head against that portal until it started working, not sit here while a strange robot from another world insisted on treating his burn. All those years of his father pounding "Men don't cry" into his head and the complete stranger standing behind him prevented him from doing any of it.

Zane obviously knew what he was doing when it came to treating this kind of burn. Stan was actually a little annoyed at how gentle and careful the robot was being. He needed something to take his frustrations out on.

With that thought, Stan suddenly jerked his arm to see what would happen, and immediately regretted it.

"Gah!"

"Please try not to move."

"I've been sitting here not moving for ten minutes, how much longer is this gonna take?"

"It will take longer if you continue to squirm and complain."

"We should be working on fixing the portal!"

"We have been trying to get it turned back on for over an hour. At this point, the extra time it takes to treat your burn now will prevent losing more time over the next several days. And, as I said before, the longer you continue to squirm and complain, the longer this will take."

Stan hated that this guy could just logic his way through Stan's argument so easily, it reminded him too much of Ford. The way Ford used to be when they were teens, not the hollow-eyed mess that had called his brother all the way out to the middle of nowhere only to send him away again with nothing but a book and instructions to get as far away as possible. It was like the universe had decided to send him a replacement as a cruel joke.

"Hold on, several days!?" Stan exclaimed while still trying to stay perfectly still. "This – this isn't going to take that long, is it?"

"I should be able to finish cleaning your wound in just a few more minutes."

"That's not what I mean! I mean the portal! If I was just working on it by myself, I could see it taking weeks, maybe even months, but – but you're a robot, you're smarter than me, you should be able to figure out how that thing works!"

"I am a Nindroid. I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves, not to repair machines. I've had a little experience with building, but never anything as sophisticated as this."

Stan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't want to hear it.

"So you're useless? Is that what you're saying!? I've got a freaking robot here and all you can do is make some stupid ice!? It's a blizzard out there, I can get that myself!" Stan yelled.

"I am not useless, and I'll continue to do my best to help you. I only want to manage your expectations."

Zane's voice was as level as ever. Maybe a little concerned. Maybe a little exasperated. But despite Stan's growing anger, the robot never raised his voice, and that only fueled Stan's rage.

"Manage my expectations!? This isn't some car repair! My brother is gone! And what did I get in his place, an emotionless hunk of chrome? Do you even care?"

"Of course I care." Zane still didn't raise his voice, but he at least had the decency to sound hurt by Stan's words. "I was separated from my friends when we were under attack, and I'm sure being separated from your brother hurts just as much. But as much as I want to fix this portal right away, that doesn't change the fact that I don't know how." He looked down and sighed, more to himself than to Stan. "I wish PIXAL was here. Or Nya or Jay. Any of them would be better at this than me."

That gave Stan pause. Zane seemed to have his act together. He'd been ripped from his home by a sorceress and he was calmer than Stan was when the Stanleymobile was running low on gas. And yet, the robot was sitting here, feeling completely inadequate for the job he now had no choice but to do himself, knowing someone else who could do it so much better. Someone who wasn't even in the same dimension anymore. 

Just like Stan.

"...Sorry." The anger slowly drained out of Stan. "I didn't mean – I know you must care, you attacked me when you showed up trying to figure out where you were."

"You attacked me first." Zane corrected him.

"Whatever." Stan waved his comment off. "So how long is this gonna take then?"

Zane was quiet for a moment before answering. "It's impossible to say when I know so little. I need more data. That book your brother left behind, would it have more information on the portal?"

Stan tried to think back to what Ford had said about the journal earlier that day. He'd kind of been fixated on the part where Ford told him to take the book and get on a boat and sail as far away as possible. But he had said something…

"I remember Ford said the journals, plural, explain how to operate the portal. And this was the last one left."

Zane smiled with relief. "So we do at least have some information available to us. Where are the other journals? How many are there?"

"I dunno." Maybe Ford had convinced some other estranged friends to get as far away as possible with them.

"Oh." There was a hint of annoyance in Zane's voice. "Well, hopefully the information in this first journal will be enough. And I'm sure there is more information in this lab and upstairs as well."

"Right. Uh, I'll look upstairs, you can search the lab."

Zane lightly patted the edge of the bandage he'd just finished tying on Stan's shoulder. "You should rest. This needs time to heal." Stan opened his mouth to protest but Zane cut him off. "If you feel you must keep working on the portal, at least do something that you can do lying down. You read through this journal, I will look for more information upstairs."

Stan grimaced. Upstairs was a mess. Like, murder hut mess. And it felt wrong to let a stranger just sift through the shambles of his brother's life when Stan himself didn't know what had happened to make Ford leave his house in such a state. Ford had always been more cluttered than clean, but whatever was going on upstairs was well beyond even the worst clutter.

But at the same time, Stan was exhausted, physically and mentally. He doubted he could sleep, but just sitting and reading seemed a lot more doable than trying to find anything useful upstairs.

"Alright." 

Stan picked up the journal and Ford's glasses, then showed Zane the way upstairs. After more searching than he would have liked, Stan found a couch they could clear off. He laid on his side opposite of the newly bandaged burn and started reading. Zane must have thought Stan needed privacy, because he left as soon as Stan was situated.

For the first time that day, Stan allowed himself to cry. At first he tried to hold it back, but what he read in this journal was just so Ford, so excited to discover new things, filled with needlessly long vocabulary and stupid puns on the same page. And it all served as a reminder that he hadn't seen his brother in over ten years before today, and now he was gone.

Soon Stan was sobbing so hard he couldn't keep reading, and he knew Zane must be able to hear him, but now that he'd started it was impossible to stop. If the robot came in to check on him, he was too busy bawling to notice. It felt like hours before finally, he cried himself into an uneasy sleep.

[dysfunctional-lego-ninja]

This is extremely late, but I wanted to get this done before midnight, and I did :)

Ninjago has meant so much to me for the six years I’ve been a fan. It’s inspired me to write, draw, and pursue excellence and improvement in what I love. The lovable characters, the potential for world-building, the fantastic plot premises, the gorgeous musical score, and the wonderful writers, artists, and voice actors who work so hard to put this all together and continue to tell a fantastic, timeless story that all ages can enjoy. . . it’s honestly a rare and beautiful thing to find in this day and age.

It’s always managed to bring a smile to my face, sometimes even a good laugh or tears. But I cannot express how grateful I am that this wonderful, wonderful story has been brought to life and has continued a bright, inspiring existence for ten years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ninjago.

(I’ll be posting a follow-up tomorrow with some fun tidbits about the drawing, for now, enjoy, and happy ten years, Ninjago.)

[zeeboomblebee]

I’m watching S15’s finale as early as possible. I can’t help but think about how this will be the last time we ever hear Kirby Morrow gifting his voice to Cole in a Ninjago season. I’m not ready to say goodbye.