#he’s friendship with Lloyd is favorite too

[thepurplecapr]

Morro design I finally got finished! I will give info on him soon

[xxxcertifiednerdxxx]

I can’t believe I’ve never seen anyone talk about a Miraculous Ladybug Lego ninjago au before. I feel like we are missing a golden opportunity

[crackedpumpkin]

Okay how about Cole dating f!reader and one of her ways of showing affection is by making flower crowns for him

Flowers and nature in general being one of her favorite things in life

Hello lovely!! I'll be real, this is the fastest ask I've ever written, with a record-breaking one and a half hours lmao

I hope you enjoy this!!! And thank you for letting me know because I didn't receive the ask the first time (Thanks tumblr.)

|| ꜰʟᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴꜱ || ᴄᴏʟᴇ ʙʀᴏᴏᴋᴇꜱᴛᴏɴᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ||

“Another?” 

Cole wakes up to flower petals tickling his nose. He lets out a loud sneeze, startling Kai awake. The fire ninja groans, covering his head with his pillow in an attempt to escape the rising sun. 

The earth ninja takes the flower crown you had snuck onto his chest in his sleep, a soft smile gracing his lips when he realizes you had probably put it there before you left for work. 

His fingers gently brush against the soft pink freesia, now wide awake as he sits up.

You usually went to work at five a.m. on the weekdays, but you only needed to stay there till three p.m. since your job was mainly remote. However, your supervisor was in a different country at another timezone, and you needed to be at the office to look professional.

You despised it, and so did Cole. 

He’d notice when you slipped out from under the covers, your side of the bed gradually turning cold. His arms felt empty without you, with your head snug under his and tucked into the crook of his neck.

You hated it too, leaving the comfort of his arms and bed the last thing you wanted before he woke up. So you resorted to leaving little gifts for him before heading off for work. Flower crowns, to be exact.

The habit had started before you, and Cole even started dating. You used to come over to hang out with Jay, the bubbly ninja eager to beat you in every video game he possessed. You had met him in a games store, ready to purchase the latest fighting game. 

You noticed a crowd around a gaming machine set up for demos and went over to look. That’s when you spotted the ninja in his blue gi practically smashing the buttons on his controller, earning himself a new high score. 

You couldn’t let him take your place as the reigning champion of the game, so you stepped up, challenging him to a match where you utterly destroyed him.

That’s when he invited you for a rematch, a friendly rivalry that sparked your friendship. 

When you arrived at the monastery for the first time, you were intimidated by all the ninjas, including their sensei. Though he was kind, it was slightly unnerving how he looked at you with a sense of foreboding.

And then you met Cole.

— — — — — — — — 

“Jay, what’re you having for dinner?” 

A deep voice startles you out of your concentration, but you don’t dare look up, too engrossed in beating Jay. 

“Uh, I dunno, anything, I guess. What’re you getting?” Jay says, eyes trained on the screen. You gnaw on your bottom lip in thought, mentally narrowing down who you had already met and whose attractive voice it could be. 

You had already met Zane, Lloyd, and Nya. So that only left either Kai or Cole. It couldn’t be the fire ninja, though, you had seen him being interviewed a while back, and his voice had a slightly higher pitch. This one had more of a baritone quality, a slight rasp at the end that made your stomach do funny little flips. 

So this had to be Cole.

You risk a quick glance, doing a double take. Your eyes unashamedly rake over the stranger’s muscular build, catching yourself ogling his biceps. You shake your head, cheeks flushing and praying that neither has caught you staring.  

Jay was still focused on the game, and Cole (you assume) was chugging down a glass of water. You find it hard to swallow, noticing how his skin has a glowing sheen from all the sweat. He had probably come back from a workout.

You tear your gaze away before he notices, still feeling the heat in your cheeks. You hear him set down the glass with a soft sigh, your body tense. 

Is your hair okay? Did you look homeless? Did he notice you staring?

Your mind races with thoughts until the words ‘Game Over’ flashes on the screen, a victorious shout from Jay snapping you out of your thoughts. You groan, tossing the controller to your side.

“Who’s this?” You turn, willing the flush in your cheeks and neck to subside. 

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you guys. Y/n, this is Cole. Cole, this is Y/n, my newest rival!” 

“Is that really what I’m being introduced as?” You grin in a joking manner, eliciting a shrug from your friend. 

“Cool. Are you sticking around for dinner? Zane might be cooking tonight.” Cole looks straight at you, waiting for an answer. 

You’re speechless, managing a nod. 

Were you just invited to dinner? With the ninja, no less??

— — — — — — — — 

“Here.” You place a flower onto Jay’s head, and he blinks several times before pulling it out of his hair.

“Is this mine?” He asks innocently, and you nod in response. 

“HA! Suck it, Kai! You’re gonna be the last to get one!” He shouts across the ship, holding it up triumphantly as you roll your eyes with an amused smile.

You had started the habit of giving flowers and little trinkets you found in nature to the ninjas. Zane was the first to receive one, a tiny acorn you had picked up during your walks in the park to recharge your social battery.

He had cooked a marvelous dinner, and you had randomly given it to him to express your appreciation. He had taken it with a confused yet thankful smile and proudly showed it to the rest during dessert. 

The rest of the ninjas became more invested in seeing who was the next one to receive anything. You had triggered their curiosity and anticipation once you had given Nya a beautiful piece of sea glass you had picked up at the beach. She treasured it like it was a diamond, keeping it on her dresser along with her jewelry.

Now, Jay had his small trinket.

Kai was next. He had made the time to help you go grocery shopping when your other friends were busy, driving you there and back in his car. He helped you unload the groceries, thinking nothing of it until you returned to your room for a brief moment, returning with a preserved amber leaf paperweight. 

“This is mine?” He asks, wide-eyed. He takes it from your hands when you grin, admiring the flickers of orange in the paperweight, the colours resembling the sparks of a fire. He wraps you up in a brief hug, excited to go home and show it off to the rest.

“Looks like Lloyd and Cole are the last to receive anything.” Kai chuckles, reveling in the fact that he had received it before they did. 

Your sheepish grin gives it away. His eyes widened. “Just Lloyd?” 

You shake your head with an embarrassed flush.

“Just Cole??” 

— — — — — — — — 

Truth be told, it was challenging to decide what to give the earth ninja. He was the most put together, the most vigilant of them all. 

And the most attractive. 

You had briefly considered a smooth pebble, its midnight shade reminding you of his gi. But that wasn’t good enough. You could imagine the disappointment in his eyes, comparing his stone with the other gifts you had gotten the rest of them.

Besides, it was too cliche. A rock? For the Earth ninja? 

You’d rather bury yourself six feet under.

You were sitting on a mat near the pond in the monastery, having been invited on a small picnic in the sunny weather. You had gathered an assortment of flowers in front of you, starting to absentmindedly weave together the stems into a flower crown. 

The ninjas were chatting away, and their senseis were sitting on the wooden floor of the small pavilion nearby, sipping on tea and watching their students fondly. You were almost done, looping the last flower through the stems.

“Is that mine?” 

Your breath hitches when you glance up, the shy yet boyish smile on Cole’s lips making your heart flutter. He sits down beside you, peering over your shoulder to get a better look at the flower crown you hold loosely in your hands. 

“Y-yeah.” You hope he doesn’t catch the stutter, though a slight upwards quirk of his lips suggests otherwise. 

“That’s a relief,” he laughs, leaning back with his face tilted towards the sun, “I was starting to think you had forgotten about me.” 

Your cheeks fill with a familiar heat, shaking your head with wide eyes. “No! I’d never forget.” You suppress an embarrassed groan at how your words came out, but you’re left breathless when you notice the soft dusting of pink on his cheeks.

“That’s good then,” He murmurs, peeking an eye open with a small smile. 

You bite down on your bottom lip in thought, summoning up all your courage to reach upwards and place the completed flower crown on the top of his raven-black hair, fingers brushing against his bicep. (Definitely not on purpose, of course. A total accident.)

He grins, sitting upright. 

“Nice crown, Cole!” Jay giggles, drawing the attention of the other ninja. 

“Why thank you, it was a gift.” He pauses to send a wink your way, but you look down quickly, flustered by the sudden action though you can’t help the shy smile that spreads across your lips.

You look back up as he saunters to the rest of the group, showing off his present. You watch how he laughs at something Kai says, your gaze soft as he glances back at you. You start like a deer caught in headlights. However, he doesn’t look away, nodding absentmindedly at Jay’s remark that goes unheard. 

Your mind is blank, a single thought floating around inside.

Flower crowns look good on him. 

[colekinnie-4life]

I’m upset so I’m gonna rant for a while

You guys need to know that Cole is my favorite character in Ninjago. He’s funny, can be relatable at some times, and is probably the nicest person on the show

My only problem with being a Cole fan is that we don’t really get much from him if that makes sense

Like in season one the only things that happen to him is he gets hypnotized by the serpentine and he comes out to his dad for being a ninja

Season 2 he does the exact same thing as everyone else. Sure he’s the first one (besides Nya) to turn evil but that’s for 3 seconds of screen time and it gets reversed

To be fair though it’s the same with Jay and Zane (I mean some people believe that Zane was just an animation error but I like to believe he turned evil tbh)

Season 3 had the stupid-ass love triangle that I will not be talking about because this already long-ass rant will become a fucking essay

Season 4 he was the first ninja to get kicked out of the tournament. Do you guys sense a pattern?

It feels like he’s always the last one picked for stuff. He’s the first one to turn evil, or to get kicked off the team. Or he’s shoved into an awkward love triangle where he doesn’t even like the girl in question.

What I’m trying to say is that he’s always the afterthought of the earlier seasons

In season 5 they kill him off

I guarantee this is because they didn’t know what else to do with him

Kai had the thing with Lloyd. Jay and Zane had that funny bit where Zane’s voice box broke and Jay couldn’t fix it right. Nya was training to be the water ninja. Lloyd was the villain of the season (technically not but who cares)

What does Cole get to do?

Oh yeah!

He fucking dies

Season 6 he does nothing except find out he can turn invisible and fly, only to end up only using the invisibility powers only once and then they’re never mentioned again

He gets stranded on the island with Nya and Lloyd and has that really awkward sexist line

“I dunno, because it takes a lot of paint to make em look good?” 💀

Then he gets kicked out of the plot while it focuses on Jay (not complaining, I love this season and the characterization of Jay),until he gets sucked into the soul sword. He gets out of the sword, then fucking dies again

He cries at Nya’s death and then time is reversed and he has one extra line that’s canon during this whole season

Day of the Departed

Lord have mercy

It’s supposed to be based around him. And the writers fucked that up.

The whole point of this special was to be centered around Cole, and they make it about the other ninja because he’s an afterthought

But whatever. He defeats the bad guy through the power of friendship after being chained up the whole 40 minutes and then turns back into a human with the coolest scar ever

Season 7, the only thing noteworthy is that this is the only season he has his scar be shown when he’s not using his powers. Besides that, he does absolutely nothing except for shout out Kai’s name when he gets sucked into the portal (fruity ass)

Season 8 is where he finally does something plot relevant instead of fucking dying or turning evil

He becomes a dad for baby Wu and that’s his role throughout most the season, besides being kidnapped after singing worse than my dad in the shower

Season 9. I don’t care that people call it a “Wu season”. This could be classified as a Cole season with how much stuff he gets to do. He’s still Wu’s adoptive dad, he’s the main guy who comes up with the plans, and he’s Rocky Dangerbuff, making this season 100% a Cole season/j

Season 10…

This is where my main argument comes back

Cole got too much stuff to do in seasons 8-9, so what do the writers do?

Why they yeet him off the destiny’s bounty of course!

This is my problem. The writers barely give him anything to do. He finally gets a few seasons where he’s able to be more than just a mannequin, and he gets kicked off the boat

Of course he survives this, because we can’t kill off a main character, we’ve got legos to sell!

(Even though they do this with Zane a million times but that’s a conversation for another day)

And even after that amazing scene where Cole falls off, there’s no reunion between the ninja. They’re just happy he’s alive, thrown his scythe, and after the tornado of friendship, Lloyd fucking dies and it’s focused on him again

Ughhhhhh

I love you Lloyd but the writers are so fucking obsessed with you

Give my boy Cole some more love dammit

Anyways I need to go to bed so I’ll leave it here for now, gonna pick it up tomorrow (I’m nowhere near done)

Just remember this until I return

Cole deserves better than being the guy who turns evil, dies, or is just thrown out of the plot entirely so it can focus on Lloyd

[weekend-whip]

Ninjago Fic Rec Week: Day 4

Prompts: Fluff / Cole Recs! (i'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of my favorite fics today aaaa)

Fluff Recs-

Good Hair Day: Kai helps Skylor do her hair, based entirely on a headcanon of Kai being good at doing hair (hey, his own style is a choice)

Little Brother: Lloyd realizes the perks of having five older siblings. Lots of sweet family fluff and young!Lloyd shenanigans <3

Nya, Kai, and That One Drink: Including this one specifically because it's probably the most lighthearted thing I've written yet that doesn't involve Jesse snknksnskn, the group goes for takeout in the X-1 Ninja Charger, only for one thing to lead to another and Kai winds up forgetting Nya's drink. What's a brother to do now?

Socks: Wu wearily but delightfully is forced to watch the ninja get way too much merriment out of a ridiculous pair of socks (I, personally, am of the belief that they belong to Lloyd, but—)

Five Times Jay Cheered Someone Up: And the one time he was cheered up in return (i am DISTRESSED that i didn't include this on my Jay list aaaaAAAA)

Five Times Lloyd Was a Pain: And the one time he wasn't. Child!Lloyd for the soul in this one!!!!

There's Insurance For That: In which Skylor gets a taste of the life of a ninja (and learning just how many places they've been banned from in Ninjago) Quite possibly my favorite lighthearted Skylor fic!!!

Cole Recs-

Sick Days: Sickfic, featuring Cole and having to contend with "Being useless", and the doting care

Passing On the Hammer: Cole has a meeting with his grandfather, while Jay tries his hand at being a fisherman and Kai thinks he can do the Triple Tiger Sashay. (Really a fic about Cole and his family's legacy, but Kai and Jay's antics are too hilarious not to mention snksnknksnk)

You're An Excellent Chef, Really *screams loudly* UGNH one of my very favorite fics exploring Cole and Zane's dynamic, will recommend every single time!!!! But, it's basically the duo bonding over cooking over the years. Makes my heart very happy <3

Quiet Weirdo: Cole and Nya friendship fic that the world definitely needs more of!!!!

Adjusting: PILOT BONDING, this time Cole flavored!! Cole's thoughts on his new budding team consisting of a chatty blue guy and the guy that won't stop staring at things. But a guy like Cole has never needed friends anyway, so he's got nothing to worry about, right?

Again and Again: MORE PILOTS BONDING but this time with Glacier! People keep asking me how Cole fell in love with Zane in Legacyverse and my mind always drifts back to a thing similar to this story! My personal investment aside, a nice fluffy fic about how Cole met Zane and they became friends with a touch of pining <3

You Worry Too Much: By the author of Chips and Salsa (another fandom Cole/Glacier classic), here we have a another tale centered around Cole's parents while he was growing up, and though it's a little more about Lou than anyone else, Cole ofc has a huge stake in the story and uwaah I love reading about Cole's family dynamics (both the fluff and the tragedy)

Some Climb Mountains: A retelling of how Cole met Master Wu, always gets me misty eyed because i am a soft soul ;v;

Cole and the Tastiest Broken Glass: S2 Pre-Child's Play, Cole and Lloyd bond over broken things, life philosophy, and candy. Cole and Lloyd sibling duo that the world also needs much more og!!

I'm Sure He Knows: More Cole + Wu bonding that speaks to me specifically, involving a conversation about a certain ghostly wind master who is no more.

Four Times Cole Helped The Guys With a Nightmare: And the one time they helped him. Cole's character at his purest in this one!!!

[only-lonely-stars]

Friendship and Fauna

Oneshot – (FFN) (AO3)

Written for the 2023 @ninjago-calendar project, for the month of October! Check out the future calendars on their blog. (Click here for their post about the 2023 Calendar, including the artwork which goes along with this oneshot.)

Summary:

On a cool autumn day, Sensei Garmadon takes the Ninja team (plus Nya) out on a nature walk. Hijinks and various lessons ensue. Post-season 2, pre-season 3.

It was a cool autumn day when Sensei Garmadon gathered the Ninja together. Under the aspens, golden with the turning of the seasons, he called them together in the courtyard of the Monastery of Spinjitzu and spoke to the group.

“Well, Ninja. I’m sure you’re all curious as to why I’ve called you here.”

The Ninja looked at each other in confusion. Jay shrugged. “No idea, Sensei.”

Garmadon smiled. “Look around you. It’s autumn!” He gestured at a great aspen tree, whose branches bent over the monastery wall and was shedding leaves one by one onto the cobblestones. “The leaves are turning gold. The wind is clean, the sky is clear.” He grinned at the teenagers standing before him. “Have any of you been out in nature recently?”

The Ninja looked around conspicuously– Kai whistled a ditty, Nya crossed her arms, and Zane simply smiled. No one said a word.

Garmadon chuckled and shook his head. “I thought so. Bundle up! We are going on a walk, and if I can, I will teach you a new lesson. It’s about time you had some more training.”

~✧~✧~✧~

After a relatively short time, the six were assembled again in suitably warm clothes. Zane in particular seemed to be enjoying the chance to wear a sweater vest with his favorite pink button-up shirt. Kai seemed happy enough to bundle up, even though he boasted to anyone who would hear about how he couldn’t possibly be cold– he was the Red Ninja, he controlled fire! He didn’t get cold.

As the group waited for Sensei Garmadon to return, Jay and Cole both tugged at a black scarf that Jay had been wearing previously. The tussle continued until Cole let go, allowing the scarf to fall and Jay to fall back on the ground. He yelped, rubbing his rear and wincing. “Hey, Cole! That was mean!”

Cole laughed, casually picking up the scarf and draping it around his neck. “Whoops. Get your own scarf!”

“I told you, I lost it! One of the kids probably stole it,” Jay sulked, crossing his arms pettily. “It was my favorite shade of blue, too.”

“Oh yeah? Why would someone want to steal your scarf this early in the year?” Cole laughed. “Maybe you just put it somewhere and forgot about it, like your gloves last year.”

“Oh, sure, keep on bringing up the past! When I get my hands on you–”

“Come on! What are you boys arguing about now?” Nya asked, coming up behind Cole and elbowing him. “It’s time to go.”

“Oh, Nya, I–” Jay stammered, blinking a few times as he stared up at her. “Is… is that my scarf?”

Nya looked down in surprise. “Is it? I found it in a box in the coat closet.”

“Uh… yeah! That’s cool!” He grinned. “You look good in it– you should keep it!”

“Uh…” She looked down at it. “Thanks? If it’s yours, you can have it back…”

“No, seriously!” Jay got up, brushing himself off. “Keep it!”

Cole grinned, slinging an arm around Jay’s shoulders. “Okay, motor mouth. Let’s just get going. Sensei wants to teach us something.”

As the three approached the rest of the group, they spotted Sensei Garmadon, Kai, and Lloyd having a heated discussion.

Kai sighed, shaking his head in dismay. “Lloyd, are you really going to wear just that?”

“What?” Lloyd looked at Kai, tucking his flannel shirt around himself defensively. “I’m warm enough!”

“Come on, Lloyd. It’s fifty degrees out there! You need more layers than that.”

“Kai, I’m fine.”

“Garmadon said–”

“I’m fine!”

Sensei Garmadon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. “Son, Kai is right. You will be cold if you just wear a flannel.”

“We’re going to be walking. I’ll be too hot if I wear a jacket.”

“A thin jacket can be tied around your waist, if need be.” Garmadon took a white coat off a nearby rack, offering it to his son. “How about this one?”

“Uh, no. That’s Zane’s.”

“Don’t you boys all share clothes?”

“No? Zane’s like, six inches taller than me. It won’t fit.”

Garmadon sighed, setting it down. “Fine. How about a sweatshirt of yours?”

“I don’t own any.”

“None?” He looked at the other Ninja. “Did none of you make sure Lloyd has some sort of layer?”

The other five shared a look, quiet until Cole spoke for the group. “We thought he had one, Sensei.”

Garmadon sighed heavily, shaking his head in disappointment. “I see none of you were taught to dress for the weather.”

Lloyd sighed. “Dad, can we just go? Really, I’ll be fine.”

“Fine. We will go, with you dressed as inadequately as you are.” Garmadon fixed his son with a stern look. “And no complaining.”

Lloyd grinned and saluted. “You got it, Dad! No complaining.”

~✧~✧~✧~

With all else equal, it was a beautiful day for a walk. The birds were singing their autumn songs. The trees sported their fiery hues, withdrawing their strength for the long winter ahead. Best of all, the seasons hadn’t quite turned to the point of the brisk, chilling winds of the boreal north. Mid-autumn was in full swing, and all of creation proclaimed their beauty.

Under the light of such a bright day, the team of seven began their walk into the forest. Jay and Nya held each other’s hand, swinging them back and forth with every step. Cole was nestled comfortably inside his thick hoodie, enjoying its fluffy lining and cozying into his black scarf. At the back of the group, Zane held his dendrology guide in one hand and his ornithology reference in the other, checking them for various species as he noticed them. At the front of the group, Kai and Lloyd walked just behind Garmadon, jostling each other good-naturedly. Together they made for an interesting sight, but there was not another soul on the trail to witness.

After they had walked a short distance, Garmadon stopped the group and gestured at the path before them, which forked left and right “May I have your attention, please?”

The six teenagers stopped and looked at him, pausing in their conversations. Cole cleared his throat. “What’s the problem, boss?”

“There is no problem.” Garmadon gestured to the fork. “Which way would you like to go?”

The ninja turned to look at each other, each of them shrugging in turn. “Where do they go?”

“Well, that’s a good question to start with.” Garmadon gestured to the sign at the trailhead. “Left, and we go into the thicker tree cover. Right, and we go along the ridge toward the creekside. Which looks more promising?”

Cole turned to the rest of the group, one eyebrow raised. “What do you say we go right? We should go see the creek.”

“What about the walk back?” Nya frowned. “But it does sound pretty… I guess we should take a look.”

“And get tired on the way back?” Jay shook his head. “Nuh-uh. No way. I say we should go left.”

“Sure, let’s go left.” Kai grinned. “That way I can set all the fires I want!”

“Oh yeah? In your dreams, Kai!”

“What’s that, firefly? I can’t hear you!”

“It’s lightning bug, you jerk!” Jay let go of Nya’s hand, stepping toward Kai. “Lightning! Bug!”

“Firefly.” He crossed his arms defiantly. “Fire. Fly.”

“Lightning bug!”

“Firefly!”

“Argh!” Jay balled his hands into fists. “C’mere! I’m gonna get you!”

“Catch me if you can!” Kai laughed, running toward the left path. “Firefly!”

“I will!” Jay ran after him, prompting Kai to run along the path. “Get back here!”

“Wh– Jay, Kai!” Nya called out. When they didn’t respond, she sighed. “What now?”

“Uh… maybe we should go after them,” Lloyd suggested. “They might get lost.”

Sensei Garmadon chuckled. “They will be fine. These two paths converge. We will meet up with them later; they may run along if they like.”

“I dunno, Sensei. I think I should follow them,” Nya mumbled. “They might get hurt.”

“Be my guest, Nya, but do not feel obligated.” Garmadon gestured to the left path. “If you wish, follow them. I believe the rest of us will take the right path.”

“Okay, sure.” She smiled at Garmadon and tied Jay’s scarf a little more tightly around her neck. “I guess I’ll see you guys later!”

Lloyd waved as she started jogging down the trail. “Bye, Nya!”

After the three had disappeared from view, Cole chuckled. “Well, that narrows down the group. Are we going right, then?”

“Yes, I believe we are.” Garmadon shook his head in amusement. “Shall we?”

~✧~✧~✧~

After a short while, the group (sans Kai, Jay, and Nya) stopped a large clearing. A slope led up to a grassy area, ringed by tall trees. Aspens, birches and maples towered over the clearing, and a layer of yellow leaves covered the forest floor as the maples’ red foliage clung for just a little longer. From somewhere nearby, the sound of trickling creekwater filled the silence, and the occasional rustling from squirrels and deer kept the Ninja from thinking they were truly alone. Through it all, a cool breeze blew, and Lloyd shivered.

Cole glanced at the younger boy, snickering quietly. "You okay there, bud? You look cold."

"I'm fine." Lloyd crossed his arms, smiling at Cole. "Not cold!"

"You sure?”

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Lloyd grinned, shivering a little more. "Honestly."

"Uh-huh." Cole smiled, putting an arm around his shoulders. “I think you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying!” Lloyd protested, though he didn’t fight Cole’s hug. “It’s just chilly out.”

“Yeah, I know.” Cole ruffled his hair. “Tell you what. Take my hoodie.”

“What? But then you’ll be cold!” Lloyd shook his head. “I won’t take it.”

“You sure? I’m too warm, really. You see me?” Cole gestured to himself. “I’ve got enough insulation on my own, bud.”

“I– but…” Lloyd hesitated. “I guess I’m a little cold.”

“There ya go! That’s enough for me.” Cole let him go, tugging off his hoodie in one smooth motion. “Let’s get you bundled up.” Lloyd hesitated, but Cole handed it to him insistently. “Put it on.”

“I… okay.” Lloyd sighed, clumsily putting it on. He took a moment to find the arms and neck, but when he finally got it straight, it slipped on easily. The garment was at least two sizes too large for him, and it hung from his lanky frame with loose material in just about every area. Even so, it was still warm, and he smiled as he wrapped it a little more tightly around himself. “Thanks, Cole.”

“Hey, no problem.” Cole grinned, ruffling his hair again. “Sensei, do we need to keep going?”

“No, wait.” Zane held up a hand. “Be quiet.”

The rest looked at him expectantly. Lloyd briefly scanned the canopy. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“No, look. There’s a hawk above us.” Zane smiled, slowly pointing up.

Sure enough, in one of the birches above him, a dark shape rested. A bird of prey, not small of stature, sat on a branch bereft of leaves. Its sharp beak, honed for predation, gave it a characeristic silhouette against the sky. It watched them, tracking their movements with its bright yellow eyes. 

After a moment, the bird’s eyes rested on Zane, and he watched in silence. Zane returned the gesture, taking in the brown and tan bands of color across its wings and tail.

“It’s a mountain hawk-eagle,” Garmadon commented quietly. “Good catch, Zane.”

“I didn’t know Nisaetus nipalensis was common to this area,” Zane muttered. “Birds this size aren’t often found at such a low elevation.”

“That’s true. This specimen must have a reason for being here, hawks are not common fauna in our region.” Garmadon glanced at the others with a smile. “Do you see what Zane has found, simply by paying attention?”

Cole shrugged. “It’s a cool bird. What’s special about it?”

“It’s a rarity here, Cole, to see this species. That is what is special. Of course, Zane has always been good with birds.” Garmadon looked to his son. “Lloyd, what can you learn from this encounter?”

Lloyd frowned. “That you know a lot about birds?”

“Aha, yes. That is true. I spent several years studying birds in great detail after my apprenticeship to Chen ended. What else?”

“That Zane knows about birds too?”

“Yes, but did you not already know that? Zane is knowledgeable about many things, birds are no exception. You’re not seeing something.”

“I… don’t know.” Lloyd shook his head. “Something important, I’m guessing.”

“Something about the forest we are in, and the animals within it.” His father smiled, glancing up at the hawk. “Lloyd, to find a bird of prey this size in this forest means that this forest is healthy. Animal life is abundant here. Just like the tracks and traces we are seeing, or the deer, this hawk-eagle is proof that small animal life is also thriving. If it weren’t abundant, this bird would have nothing to eat.” Garmadon gestured at the forest around them. “All life in this forest interacts with all other life. They foster each other’s growth and success, sometimes dying in the process. We are the same.”

“I don’t know, Sensei. Isn’t that kind of a stretch?” Cole crossed his arms. “We’re not animals. The forest doesn’t need ninja.”

“Of course not. It needs people. Whether you’re a ninja or not, you can cut down a tree or hunt an animal. You can learn from the animals and derive what you need from them, just the same as this bird.” 

“Sensei,” Zane interjected quietly. “Look.”

Garmadon turned. The hawk, having spotted Zane, was shifting on its branch. It flapped its wings, clearly restless.

“What is it doing?” Zane asked, gaze fixed on the bird. “I do not recall my falcon behaving in such a way.”

“Maybe it is trying to get more comfortable… I do not know.”

“I think… it wants to fly down here, Sensei.”

“Maybe it does.” Garmadon smiled. “Why don’t you let it perch on your arm?”

Zane smiled, reaching out his arm. The bird seemed to register the change, ruffling its feathers. “Hello, my feathered friend. Would you like to come down here?”

Surely enough, the bird extended its wings and flapped– once, twice. It hopped to the edge of the branch, prompting Zane to smile a little wider. Then, in a flash, it spread its wings and swooped down, coming to land on his arm.

Lloyd laughed. “Wait, that’s it?”

“Apparently.” Zane chuckled softly, carefully reaching out to the bird with his free hand. It examined his hand, turning its head slightly. “Hello, friend. Nice to meet you.”

The bird nodded slightly, clicking its beak together a few times. It eyed the group, and when it saw Garmadon, it chirped.

Garmadon laughed. “Hello to you too. What do you have to say?”

The bird chirped again, looking at Zane next. It hopped along his arm, re-adjusting its purchase on his arm with its sharp talons. When he did not flinch, it chirped again.

Zane smiled, gently stroking the feathers on its back. “Do you find this amenable, my friend? You are an interesting creature.”

Lloyd and Cole shared a glance, both snickering. Cole cleared his throat before speaking. “Uh, tin can? Are you sure he can understand you?”

“I don’t suppose why he shouldn’t.” Zane looked at Cole, his expression completely serious. “Do you think he does not understand me?”

“Uh, I dunno man. He’s a bird. He doesn’t speak Ninjargon.”

“Yet he does not seem to misunderstand my body language.” Zane cracked a smile. “He knows we mean no harm. Would you like to say hello?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Cole elbowed Lloyd gently. “Do you want to say hi to the bird?”

“Ha, I’m good. Thanks.” Lloyd grinned. “This one’s all yours, Zane.”

“As you wish.” Zane chuckled, glancing at the peaceful bird resting on his arm. “Thank you for your visit.” When the bird chirred, he stroked its feathers again, noting how it shifted. “You may continue your hunting, friend. May you be successful.”

The bird chirred again, watching him carefully. After a long moment of staring, it spread its wings, readying for takeoff. Then, in a flash, it kicked off his arm, pushing it down as it took flight.

The group watched as the hawk ascended, rapidly propelling itself toward the top of the forest canopy. Zane waved. After a minute, it was completely obscured from view.

Cole laughed. “Kai and Jay are never gonna believe this.”

~✧~✧~✧~

“Whaaaaat!? We missed a cool bird?” Jay whined.

“Jay, it’s fine.” Kai shook his head dismissively. “You know Zane befriends every animal he sees.”

“Yeah, but this was a rare bird! And we missed it!”

“Yes, I know that,” Kai hissed.

“Knock it off, you two,” Nya interjected with a sign. “You really don’t know how to behave.”

“Hey, we know just fine, thank you very much! Besides, don’t you remember that I was the one who taught you?” Kai grinned at his sister, elbowing her in the ribs. “Respect your elders.”

“Hey, Sensei’s my elder, not you.” Nya grinned at Garmadon. “Not trying to call you old.”

Garmadon laughed. “Please, I’m well aware that I am old. What was it again? One thousand, two hundred and forty-three years this past April?”

Cole laughed. “Wow, gramps. You’re still counting?”

“When you get to my age, it would be a shame to stop.” Garmadon smiled at Lloyd, who grinned back. “After all, being around you Ninja makes any man feel young again.”

“Aw, yeah? We make you feel young?” Jay preened. “So we must be the best Ninja ever! Totally super cool!”

Kai laughed, grabbing Jay in a headlock. “Not you, zaptrap!”

“Hey, lemme go Kai!” Jay protested, pushing against Kai’s arms as Kai pressed his knuckles into Jay’s hair and gave him a noogie. “Get off of me!”

“Not until you say uncle!”

“Ow! Never!”

As the two wrestled, Zane sighed and shook his head in amusement. “Some things do not change…”

“Of course not. Youth is the same as it has always been.” Garmadon turned to Zane, smiling. “Perhaps it is time to end the lesson. What have you learned during this walk?”

“Well, plenty about the native flora and fauna, to begin.” Zane glanced down at his guidebook. “I suppose I could have learned that from a book, but nothing replaces the experience of discovery.”

“Certainly. What else?”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Jay cried out, successfully pulling himself out of Kai’s grip– complete with messy hair that stuck out every which way. “That the forest is really cool!”

“Yes, that too. What else?”

“The creek was pretty nice, as far as creeks go.” Cole shrugged. “It’s cool to see that this forest has predators in it still.”

“Yeah, so far people haven’t screwed it up that badly,” Nya added. “No matter what they try.”

“It was cold,” Lloyd mumbled, pulling Cole’s hoodie closer against himself.

“Yes, we will have to take you shopping.” Garmadon smiled, putting an arm around Lloyd’s shoulders. “There you have it, Ninja. A successful nature walk, and a few small lessons that were not too overbearing. You’re free to go now, if you want.”

“Well, sure.” Kai shrugged. “But this place is kind of cool… it would be a shame to just leave.”

“So let’s stick around! I brought food!” Nya gestured at her car. “It’s all in the trunk.”

“Oh, score! Picnic!” Cole cheered. “You’re the best, Nya!”

Nya blushed faintly, smiling at the compliment. “Thanks. Let’s get to it!”

With all decisions made, the Ninja made for their vehicles. The cool wind still blew, the trees’ falling leaves rustled, and all the forest kept its autumn vigil. 

Later that afternoon, a few snowflakes began to fall. As the Ninja joked and laughed over their meal, a faint cry of a hawk was heard from within the forest. Soon, the coming year would bring much hardship– a returning enemy, a new army, and the loss of a friend– but it would not be without its joys. Until then, the six friends and their teachers enjoyed their short-term peace and bliss.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

What are each of the ninja's relationship to their respective guardian? Do they ever make time to go visit their guardians? Will they be significant in the focus seasons of their respective ninja, or the focus seasons of their home realm?

They do make time to visit their Guardians when they can, although traveling all the way to the farthest corners of the world can be a tad inconvenient so it’s not terribly often. They also know that they can visit Vulcanell anytime (as he is the closest to the city, until Genesis is on the scene again) who can then summon the others, but they try to save that for extreme emergencies only.

I can promise they’ll definitely be prominent in the Ninjas’ focus seasons during the NRG Arc (Seasons 11-15), but beyond that I’ll include them if I can make it make sense! (We won’t be seeing much of them in S2 as they’re still recovering from S1, but stay tuned!)

As for the relationships themselves:

Zane never feels compelled to visit Eirlys, though when she decides to make an appearance for him he’s certainly not going to turn it down, and will make the most of the time with her. She misses him a lot when they’re apart, but she’d never show it snksnksnk. She acts like a puppy around Zane (and Pixal, and Cole if she’s in a good mood), and everyone else she’s a stoic lone wolf snksnk

Cole also doesn’t go out of his way to see Ruamoko too often (probably because going to the Western Province requires going through West Haven), but when they do get the chance to reconnect he always feels guilty about not trying to do more. Ruamoko never takes it personally, as he too is something of a rolling stone, but he’s always proud to see Cole thrive, and is happy to support Cole’s friends when he can <3

Jay always wants to visit Tawhiri but he never gets around to it (similar to visiting his parents, ha). When he finally makes good on his promise to take Nya to the Floating Ruins though, Tawhiri does not take well to Nya’s presence and that kind of puts a rift between them and it hurts Jay’s feelings. They reconcile during Skybound, though…but the same can’t be said for the other ninja (as they’re always going to be terrified of her temper gkdnslfdj)

Kai lucks out with Vulcanell, due to his close proximity and the amount of opportunities they’ve already had to fight side by side together. Vulcanell is a bit intimidating towards everyone else, but turns into a softie around Kai. Sometimes he sneaks out when he’s feeling particularly bad to go vent to Vulcan (and sometimes he does the same for Nya—she’s pretty close with Vulcan too).

If Wojira wasn’t, well, Wojira, I imagine she and Nya would be pretty close. …Though now I want an AU where Wojira is more benevolent and wasn’t forced to sleep through the terraforming of her realm and had the chance to connect with masters of her elements—

Lloyd also lucks out—when Genesis returns, he’s always patrolling the Central Province via the skies (a la the dragons in Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom) and is quick to come when there’s a drastic crisis (or simply if Lloyd calls him). There’s a strong bond of respect between them, similiar to Lloyd and the GD, but not quite a genuine friendship until some more time passes.

Epsilon basically becomes Lloyd’s pet, so, y’know. He might have a favorite without even trying—

[boghermit]

Giving you characters: solas, karlach, thrall and sorin markov

I'm skipping on Sorin because I honestly know next to nothing about his lore. 😭

SOLAS

How I feel about this character: I love him. I hate him. I want to pat his bald head. I want smack his bald head. Stupid baka idiot. (Affectionate / Derogatory) Romantic ships: I ship him and one of my Lavellan characters (Declan). I've also seen Solas/Varric floating around and that is the BIGGEST brain shit. Whoever thought that one up Gets It. Platonic ships: I love his friendships with Varric, Cole, and Iron Bull. Unpopular Opinion: He wouldn't have been as popular if his voice hadn't been so pleasant to listen to. Like seriously, does Gareth David-Lloyd do audiobooks? One thing I wish would happen / had happened in canon: 1) He should have looked like his concept art. 2) I kinda wish he was lying about the elvish gods being elitist slavers because I really liked the elvish culture and the traditions around the gods. He could be lying - that's Fen'harel's whole thing, lying and being a trickster, right? But at his point it's pretty obvious that wasn't and isn't the direction they're going in with his character and the lore. 3) I hope we don't have to kill him. If we do, fine, but I'll be sad about it.

KARLACH

How I feel about this character: She's absolutely perfect. I love her design, I love her story, I love her voice acting. Romantic ships: Her and Wyll, her and Astarion, or a poly of the three of them. She's cute with Dammon too. She was also very cute with my paladin Tav but I like the previous ships better. Platonic ships: Her and any of the other five main characters, her and any of the tieflings, her and Jaheira 100%. Unpopular Opinion: I think her original ending was a better statement on making the best of what little time we have. BUT. At the same time I much prefer her having a happy ending, because if any character deserves a happy ending, it's her. Also I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, but I really like the datamined Karlach look where she had heavier scarring and sharper features.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened in canon: I just wish she had more in-game content to burn through. And I know they aren't making DLC, but could you imagine a DLC where we help her (and possibly Wyll) fight their way across Avernus? They could get Mick Gordon in on it too.

THRALL

How I feel about this character: I have such a soft spot for him. He was one of my favorite characters back when I played WC3 and pre-Cata WoW. I'm really glad they've brought him back in recent expansions. Romantic ships: Him and Jaina would have been good. Platonic ships: n/a Unpopular Opinion: 1) My most unpopular opinion is probably liking him at all. People give him the Gary Stu label a lot. 2) I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion but I didn't like him in Cataclysm. One thing I wish would happen / had happened in canon: 1) He shouldn't have been the one to kill Garrosh, although I will concede that the cutscene was badass and I like that he felt guilty about it later. 2) If he was going to be with anyone, it should have been Jaina. His history and overall dynamic with her was way more grounded than with Aggra, who has almost no personality and seemingly exists only to be his wife. But this is Blizzard we're talking about, and their romantic subplots are mid on a good day. 3) He should have been allowed to keep Doomhammer. As much as I was excited that Blizzard let us use it, I was like "Thrall bro are you really giving THIS to ME?" And then one of the most iconic weapons in the series just disappeared after Legion. Is he aware that he can still hit things with it, even without his shaman powers?

[honestmouse20]

Okay, personal thoughts on dragons rising under the cut. Spoilers ahead!

I didn't care too much about Wildfyre going into part 2. she was cool but not really a character I was fully invested in. That is, until her and Kai went on their little quest/mission to get the dragon energy core. They were so Sweet! I loved how Kai had to be the responsible one and how Wildfyre had to learn how to thikn before she acted. They're a really good dynamic and I their relationship growing during this season felt very natrual and good!

Zane! also not one of my favorite characters. But him speaking to a broom with Pixal's photo taped to it got to me okay? I do wonder now where she is.

Mr. Frohicky (idk how to spell things, i've been up all night. give me a break lol) I did Not expect him to return after the crossroads episode back in part 1. He's actually grown on me a lot. It's still kinda weird bc the tone of this show is just a Bit different than previous Ninjago. But it's not bad and I wouldn't hate seeing more of him in the future

Lloyd. God he got so much character develepment this season but especially in part 2! From him trying to do everything on his own to upkeep the Monastary and then finally excepting help, to getting much better at teaching the new ninja. I really loved all the scenes with him an Arin and how their relationship has gone from Arin being a fanboy, to genuine respect and friendship. 10/10

Speaking of Lloyd. What on Earth was all that stuff he saw Again when he acted as the conduit again? I really hope we get more info on those vision in the next season. That's the one big mystery that they havn't really touched on

last lloyd thing, mayeb it's just the angst lover in me, but I really hope there's some kind of conequence to him acting as the conduit. Maybe it starts really draining him or maybe it just makes accessing his power a little harder. I hope they explain it or at least like, mention it.

I'm actually kinda glad they didn't go the whole route of having Nya distrust the Djinn guy who'se name i can't remember lol. It was a nice expectation subversion. Bc my first thought was that he was gonna be evil/ have heard that *she* was the one who tecnically destroyed Djinnjago. I really like that they helped him the way they did and the lesson it taught Sora

Speaking of Sora. I love her. I still fully belive that her power is creation but if it is just 'tech power' i really like how they're handling it. LIke we all Knew it was never Ryu's power she was using but the moment *she* figured that out still felt genuine and deserved because we saw her go through the process of realizing whta was holding her back. 10/10. no notes

Freaking COLE! So him and Lloyd are tied as my favorite charaters bc yee. But holy shit even tho it was 5 am when i got to his episode and i was exhausted. I sat up on the couch and just lost my shit. One, he's still so good at finding people in trouble/captured and deciding he's their protecter. I love him so much. and two. was it just me or was that whole episode so freaking queer coded it isnt funny? Like, even more so than his true potential episode back in S1.

Shipping aside, I really like how on par with his character his episodes were. Even tho they were short and I really crave more about him, they did a good job of leaving just enough questions to keep us interested while also showing us the important parts. Plys the new ability rock monster thing is cool

in that same vein. what the fuck does 'the earth is screaming' mean? hello that shits terrifying? My theory atm is that its' the realms fighting the merge bc it's like unnatural or something. but idk. i would have liked to hear more about that

Zane's car!!!! I own that set and holy fuck it did not dissapoint! At first i was kinda bummed it didn't do Actual spinjitzu, at least I don't think so. But him spinning wildy and saying 'this is adequate' or whatever, is so freaking funny! also it's super fast and looks epic. no notes lol

and Jay! we see him! I'm not really a big jay fan but I am curious what theyr'e gonna do with him next season

and finally, i Really liked all the references to past seasons/events! Even if it wasn't in your face, it was still really nice to be able to see all the pices of the past sprinkled throughout. It was also funny to see Sora being surprised Lloyd is the FSM's grandson. 10/10

If i think of more I'll make another post lol

god i need to re watch the season already

i have SO many thoughts. HOw am i supposed to go to work later and be an adult while ive got these little plastic ninja running through my head at full speed

[websitewizard2005]

lloyd allen. for the ask gamw..

Literally forgot every single thought I've ever had about Lloyd Allen while I was writing this even though I think about him 24/7. The mind is cruel.

First impression: I thought he was so boring and I did not give a shit about him at ALL lmao. one of my friends at the time who was a fellow shaperaverse cosplayer was cosplaying Raven and since we were known for doing couples he was like "ricky you HAVE to cosplay lloyd" so after I listened to radio hour I was like ugh ok I guess I have to give a shit about this guy. How do I make him cooler.

Impression now: my babygirl my princess I am climbing the walls of my enclosure every time I think about him etc. he's just like me fr. I think he's such an interesting an complex character and I want to analyze him and simultaneously I think he's ridiculous and I love making fun of him. I mischaracterized him so badly from the years of 2020-2022 but now I see the light.

Favorite moment: i’m gonna be predictable and say either of the gnome murder scenes. ESPECIALLY the second one. what possessed him. also the time he compared raven to a dog.

Idea for a story: I want to write a fic that's set on the night where he kills(?) the first cultist after being attacked & goes to Matt's apartment, where it would be after the two of them had had a fight and were on a break from their relationship. Examines Lloyd's personality and issues with relationships at that point in his life.

Unpopular opinion: I do not think he sees Asha as a mother figure at all. I don't even know if that's a common fan perception but I feel like I've seen it around and I do not agree. They are 4ever siblings/besties to me. Also I think him having a terrible time adjusting to his new body and spending half his time still being a doll is really narratively unsatisfying, even though it does make sense and has good angst potential. (and I feel part of it is a justification for the liveshow puppet lol) I'm kind of on the fence about it because on the one hand I love it when he's miserable but on the other hand it just feels redundant and unnecessary to make him suffer like that beyond what is supposed to be a happy ending.

Favorite relationship: definetly lloydven. it's not even a competition. they have had me in a chokehold since I was 15. literally the toxic yaoi ever. beyond that i’m really intrigued by lloyd & michael’s friendship as well as the dynamic of the august sky playhouse as a whole.

Favorite headcanon: god I don't even know. I have too many thoughts about him to remember what is and isn't a headcannon. the world will know my lloyd headcannons whenever the demon posesses me to post them on tumblr dot com.

[universitypenguin]

You talked about Lloyd’s kinks but what do you think princess’s kinks are 👀👀👀👀

I have many thoughts about what her kinks are! This ask deserved a whole paragraph per kink, since female sexual psychology is an area I very much enjoy exploring when writing my female characters! Here we go…

1. Bondage & Submission - This is definitely Princess’ number one kink. She’s excited by the thought of Lloyd desiring her to the point that he demands submission. What turns her on the most is seeing how badly he wants her. She wants to drive him so crazy that he loses control because he absolutely has to have her. Interestingly, this has been one of her private fantasies for a long time, but she was afraid to bring it up with her previous boyfriends. The first time she fantasized about submitting to someone she knew in real life was six months after she began working for Lloyd. It was only after they developed a close friendship that her level of trust in him was strong enough to have an erotic dream about submitting to him. Before this, her bondage and submission fantasies were strictly based on fictional men and romance novel heroes. It came as a shock that, in such a realistic dream, she could put herself at his mercy and still feel pleasure while so vulnerable.

2. Orgasm Control - This kink is a continuation from submission. Her desire to be dominated is mainly about pleasure. She wants to be the subject of Lloyd’s attention, of his desire. For as long as possible… 😈🤤😵‍💫 And then there’s the fascination with discovering how far he’ll push her and how much she can take. She wants to find out what’s on the other side of the mental barrier that stops her from continuing when she’s overwhelmed. She trusts him not to go too far and wants to enjoy the aftercare, because she thinks he’d be phenomenal at aftercare.

3. Role Play - This kink is mainly an excuse to re-enact her favorite scenes from historical romances. Lloyd is very enthusiastic about playing the marauding Scottish Highlander or Viking pillager. He’s subscribed to a historical romance recommendation blog and reads the spicy scenes to get ideas for new material. He frequently suggests books for you to read and has favorite authors. This Halloween he wants to play out a scenario where he’s a pirate. He thought up a scene that goes like this: he kidnaps you right before your wedding, as revenge on your father who owes him a fortune. When he finds out that the man is marrying off his only daughter to pay for a debt to someone else, Pirate!Lloyd is so outraged that he steals you for himself.

4. Exhibitionism - This one isn’t extreme, but it’s definitely there. She finds the risk of exposure exciting and it heightens everything about the experience. She’s willing to engage in this with Lloyd because she knows he’s too possessive to allow someone else to see her. Having his hand up her skirt in a nightclub gives her a sense of danger. Lloyd has a cabin in the woods with a swimming hole, which is the first time she’s been skinny dipping. On the rocky waterfall, where the flat area moves into the next level, a make-out session turned into more, which was her first experience with outdoor sex.

5. Pain - Princess’ pain kink is for moderate pain, not the hardcore stuff. It’s one of her less frequent kinks and when Lloyd discovers it, he’s taken completely by surprise. He worries about her pain kink because he knows he’s capable of taking things too far. It scares him to think that he could accidentally take things too far and hurt her. But he’s okay with a spanking and works his way up to a few light instruments after he gets comfortable. He draws the line at leaving a mark, or striking with a closed fist. But he quickly realizes that the pain kink is connected to the orgasm control kink. It helps distract you from the pleasure and draw out the experience for a more intense finale. That’s something he can get behind a hundred percent. Once he learns there are firm limits on the amount of pain you’ll allow him to inflict, Lloyd feels safe enough to explore this kink with enthusiasm.

[spinjitsuburst]

1, 8, 13 and 20 for Jay!!!! -the character ask game!

Character ask game

1. First impression of them

I have to be completely honest gang…….. I hated Jay when i first started ninjago HSKSHDKDH

to be fair I kinda hated everyone but Zane and Lloyd everyone was kinda mean early season one LMAO but I just thought Jay was too loud and kinda mean. He kept getting better like mid-season 2 and beyond and then Skybound smacked him with so much character development that I was like :O then he slowly got better and then Prime Empire broke my brain chemistry and he was officially my favorite from that point on

8. Your favorite outfit of theirs

Oh y’all know this already

alternatively the airjitsu robes from season 6

13. Your favorite friendship they have

I’m a simple man you put Jay and Cole together platonically or romantically and I melt I think they’re so fun, especially the post season 4 dynamic

20. A weird headcanon

I like the idea that he collects a lot of odd trinkets but he’s too lazy to display them so they just sit in a pile in his closet

[mewnia]

Annon-Guy: I asked other DotNW fans this, but what are your thoughts on;

Emil/Ratatosk, Marta, Tenebrae, Richter, Aqua, Alice and Decus as characters?

What do you think of Emil X Marta and Alice X Decus?

Sure thing, dude! I'll make this the last post of tonight's Tales of Sunday, too. Let's set this up the same way I did on this post.

Emil: He's baby boy baby! I know a lot of people who play (and dislike) DotNW can't stand Emil's cowardice and hate towards Lloyd at the beginning. Besides the hating Lloyd part, I always found it very relatable! Admittedly it's still a character flaw for him to get over, but I don't find it as annoying as others do. But I love him, I love his development, and his eventual friendship with Lloyd. I think his character was handled really well. And dude. Especially how he feels responsible for Aster's death and stealing his life? Relatable, I would feel the exact same way 100%.

Ratatosk: Spicy baby! Honestly his character development was a lot of fun to see through the story, especially how it all comes to a head when he fights Emil in the true ending. (I also love the detail that he's just as good a cook as Emil, he just doesn't care about presentation lol). The way he gets soft for Marta is very sweet, too. I have mixed feelings about how his character is handled in the crossover games, though.

Marta: Haha, like I said, she's not my favorite Tales Heroine, but she's not bad. I also loved her as a kid! She was like a silly self-insert for me at the time. Her weapon has always confused me, and her battle combos aren't great, but bringing optimism to contradict Emil's pessimism was always a nice touch. I especially love her relationship with Tenebrae, and her eventual friendship with Colette. I'm not a ~huge~ fan of her reading too much into Emil's interactions with the other female members of the party ("I see you're into older women now" like what the hell), but when she's sincere I really appreciate her.

Tenebrae: love him, snarky doggy boi :3 His clothes are the same as his skin... always bothered me, ha! Besides Repede, I think he's one of the better designs of a dog character in the series. LOVE his tail hand. Iconic design. 10/10.

Richter: He's fine, he serves his purpose. I wish I could love him as much as other fans, but much like Yuan, I never really clicked with him. His motivation and how much he believed in Aster is very moving, though! And his theme? Top tier.

Aqua: she's a character. Love her design!

Alice: a really good character to hate! Her baby voice makes my skin crawl, her malicious innocence is entertaining. All her nicknames for people suck, and I think that just adds to it. To be clear, I don't hate her as a character that exists! I'm glad she exists, she adds to the plot and to fleshing out Marta. It sucks she gets dropped for a good while after the raid on the Vanguard base. But man. I hate her.

Decus: he's fine. I tend to have a bias towards characters that have a lot of jewelry (due to my phobia) in not liking them as much as other people? He's in the story to exist as a Lloyd-framer and a mirror to Emil, but otherwise they don't do much with him that matters. He's comedic. Too much so. You can't take him seriously even when they want you to because he's too goofy.

This next section I assume you mean like, shipping wise?

Emil x Marta: They're cute! I like them a lot, as characters, but not so much as a couple, I guess? They're a cute high school couple in a Christian School setting, but once they head off to college either they're going to need to really make things work or settle with being friends (close friends!). That's the vibe I get from them. I don't see them completely separating, but I also don't see them like. Having kids. At least, not without problems.

Alice x Decus: they're a mirror to Emil and Marta's relationship! That's... about it. I'm going to be completely honest, I don't really have any thoughts about them other than that is a toxic relationship. They're okay!

[impuretale]

Alright - Headcanon Asks yeah?

All of them! Every last one for a character in the Stand. Which character for each headcanon up to you.

Okay [cracks knuckles] I can try that! I may wind up going back to a few more than others but it just tells you which ones I do the most thinking on. Also by and large this is specific to the 2020 miniseries but will figure in wider canon sometimes.

SO

Headcanon meme ask list is here.

☾ - Larry Underwood's dreams and visions, even those alluding to Mother Abagail, are as disturbing as they are at the start of the series because he's still taking coke. Hence why his vision of her calling him to come and see her is intermixed with that of his dying mother.

★ - Joe/Leo Rockway still has dreams about both Larry and Mommy Nadine as he grows up.

☆ - Kojak the dog fathers puppies and lives a good, long dog life.

☠ - Lloyd Henreid's gold tooth that appears after arriving in Vegas, is not purely cosmetic. One of the first people who wound up on the telephone poles didn't understand the pecking order yet and thought he was an easy target to take a swing at, and while Lloyd scrapped back, Flagg finished the matter by establishing that he picks his soldiers and they are off limits.

✿ - Flagg is very accustomed to his partners passing out before the end and tends to hit such a devastatingly huge dip in adrenaline afterward that he could probably benefit from aftercare, which never happens because his partners are out. When your mind is open to the eldritch horrors and arriving leaves everything exposed and unguarded, you don't experience post-nut clarity so much as post-nut disparity. This is not a big enough deterrent to warn him off from the practice itself, but then it is very canon that he finds this kind of exposure necessary, even if unpleasant. Wizards, amirite?

■ - Glen Bateman tends to live in clutter. Where he puts something down is just where it lives which means his home dwelling can contain a lot of organized piles of stuff -- it looks like a mess and on occasion he will be very "shit I need to clean I'm out of surfaces" but he knows where everything is.

♡ - Lloyd Henreid is in love with Randall Flagg and doesn't really expect anything from it -- he isn't afraid of him as Julie thinks he is. What he's afraid of is the notion that Flagg only tolerates him. This leads to him trying too hard to be accommodating, on occasion.

♥ - Fran ignores or rebuffs Harold's romantic advances because even if her feelings go beyond "kid I used to babysit that I thought was annoying when I was a teenager" it is not romantic in origin -- she also projected a lot of her little brother onto him, who died when he was little. So him making it after Trips was bittersweetly important because he has always been the younger sibling that made it. Even if it is something she distanced herself from because childhood trauma is hard to deal with as a kid and a teenager, and her friendship with his sister made it a quietly kept secret. She recognizes that's unfair and not something he asked for, but she didn't ask to be the object of his unrequited affections either.

☮ - On the way to Boulder, Glen went fishing a few times with Stu, which seemed to relax him. They would usually catch things and Glen would joke, if they did not, that his loud speechifying scared the fish away.

♦ - Stu cannot play any instruments and his singing is for the shower and the radio only.

☯ - Harold loves PayDays (canon) but absolutely hates fruity candies. After trick or treating he and his sister would barter for their favorites and his willingness to let go of higher-value candy like chewing gum for chocolate meant it was a largely pleasant experience where neither sibling had much reason to steal from each other's stashes.

▼ - Fran hates swimming and can only do it because her parents made her take lessons when she was a kid.

∇ - Assuming my New Game+ theory re: the 2020 miniseries and Flagg holds water, Mother Abagail is also just as aware that events have transpired before and is less ruffled by Flagg because she's literally had these conversations with him multiple times.

♒ - Flagg has a sweet tooth (book/TDT canon) -- with a fully stocked kitchen and permission to fuck around and find out, Lloyd discovered this when he made deep fried oreos and then almost didn't get to have any.

☼ - Lloyd Henreid's XIX tattoo is an easter egg but he got it because it was his first tattoo, on his 19th birthday, and he couldn't think of anything else cool to get.

ൠ - Randall Flagg has no pop culture memories from after 1994. His car has a tape deck because it doesn't occur to him that cars wouldn't have one. He keys into new music pretty quick but all his favorites and the ones that get stuck in his head are from well before that and come from a variety of places.

[weekend-whip]

Ninjago Fic Rec Week: Day 2

Prompts: AU+Movieverse/Jay Recs! *vibrates at the thought of Jay content*

AU/Movieverse Recs:

if you could date any of the ninja, which one would you date?: Lloyd experiences the world's worst second-hand embarrassment and the rest of the ninja absolutely are not helping. Not actually shippy, just really funny and Lloyd has a (mostly) light-hearted hard time.

Reference Letters: Kai is tasked with recruiting some fresh talent to the Secret Ninja Force, and what starts as a joke to welcome Lloyd Garmadon into the squad turns into a genuine crusade for his friendship. The Green Ninja, however, is having none of that. (It goes exactly how you expect it to and gah it's beautiful. Kai and Lloyd duo forever!)

Who's the New Guy? He Looks Awfully Green: Movieverse fic in which Lloyd is the last to become a ninja, and the last to learn everyone else's identities. It's full of team-bonding (collectively and one-on-one!), hilarious Wu moments, and Movie!Lloyd being Movie!Lloyd ;w;)/

Jay Recs:

Unfortunately, You're Amazing: Jay faces the dilemma of *maybe* possibly kinda sorta having a small little totally non-consequential thing for Samurai X. But beyond that Jay just gets to be his dorky, smart, snarky, easily impressed self and it's so fun and delightful to read, I go back to it all the time!

Play to Win: An au/ canon divergent whump fic where Jay and Cole are roped into a round of Scrap-N-Tap...and that description does NOT do it justice, but if you like emotional tension, a heaping of personal distress, and a Jay who is unfortunately one step ahead of everyone else, you'll love this. Probably not for the faint of heart, definitely for the angsty daredevils (such as myself)

Jay and the Important Differences Between Spider Pokemon: Pokemon AU that explores Jay's "perplexing" fear of spiders post S6. A fascinating and fun idea for a plot, plus, there's Pokemon. it's all good stuff!

And She Wore Blue, Right?: Jay starts suddenly having reason to look into who his birth mother is...was. Hits just right for people who've always wondered how the show might have tackles this little interesting conundrum.

turtle or the hare: WOW I forgot I read this one aaaaaaaa BUT Jay inadvertently meets his bio mom in a rather...expected place. God their personalities are so similar yet mesh so well hnnnnnnnng (we could have had it aaaaaaall)

Jay and the Deafening Sound: ...this one's mine BUT I've got all three categories covered—extremely about Jay, takes place in the movieverse, and has shades of my legacyverse au to boot <3 Not-so long story short, Jay finds himself up against the main faction of the Shark Army all on his own and finally has a good excuse to pop off with his powers <3

this doesn't really have a title but it IS really very good: A scene or so where Jay and Kai spat over caring for each other too much and it's just such a beautiful depiction of their relationship, rocky tho it may seem ;w;)/

The Fantastic Mr. Walker: All these years later and it's still my favorite Jay-related thing to exist. Really gotta re-read it again so I can be delightedly distressed all over again <3

[lellu]

TV series but make it that game you’ve been playing recently and rambling about

Tales of Symphonia!!

Favourite character: Sheena. I love her a lot. Ninja from another world sent to assassinate The Chosen One, dooming that world to save her own? Except she gets to the other world and sees how its people are suffering and they become important to her too so she joins the party and tries to save both worlds?? She made a huge mistake that got many people she knows killed but when people need her to go back to that place and try to do it again she says yes??? sign me up. shes just fundamentally good and i love her.

Funniest character: Man I love this game but very few of the attempts at comedy land. I'll give Presea points for consistently making Zelos look like the fool he is though

Best-looking character: Sheena again. <3

3 favourite friendships (i dont care much for any romantic ships here lol): Colette and Sheena, Lloyd and Genis, Lloyd and Colette.

Least favourite character: Zelos. Part of the one percent? Fantasy racism? Sexism? he can do it all. and on top of that hes a fan favourite and that makes me more annoyed that he exists

Least favourite ship: Zelos/Sheena. he's an asshole and pisses her off and i think its supposed to be endearing but. i fucking hate Zelos and it just really isnt.

Reason why I watch it: Fun game (though itd be more fun if my sister's switch worked better), i like Tales, i really like Sheena and Colette, i havent seen much of Presea but she's interesting, Lloyd and Genis have grown on me.

Why I started watching it: I fucking love the Tales series its got my favorite combat system of any game ever the music is pretty good and the stories are always engaging. I stopped by the video game store the other day and it was a choice between this and Tales of Arise which i haven't heard anything about and therefore dont trust.