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finn-m-corvex · 7 months

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Whumptober Day 21: Vows

Day 21! It took a while to get the ball rolling on this one, but I managed, and I'm actually somewhat proud of how it came out. It's definitely a bit of a bang-up job but hey, still works! And that's what matters!

Taglist: @splinnters @abigailxoxo @tornoleander @mondothebombo @ghostwalloper @toastingpencils37 @lightning-chicken

Words: 2.1k

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

It wasn’t supposed to be him standing here instead of her. He shouldn’t have been the one to make it out of there, thrown through a portal and watching as the only girl he had ever truly loved stayed behind, facing down her captors with the fiery spirit that reminded him of her brother and the calculating calm that he associated with her and her alone.

Jay flinched as he tried to get off of the bed in his parents’ trailer, his various injuries flaring up in pain as he leaned on his elbows. It had only been a day since he arrived and crashed into one of his family’s various junk piles, so he knew that he didn’t heal all that much, especially with the poor sleep from the night before. But he was healed enough to start walking, barely, and he needed to get out of this room before he started to go stir-crazy.

Both his mom and his dad were out, picking up various supplies to try and take care of him and for emergencies in case Nadakhan decided to take up this chunk just in case. Jay missed his mom and dad, but he wouldn’t lie; he was angry, and he was disappointed with them, and he hated the feeling that twisted in his gut whenever he saw his pa’s smile and his ma’s brown eyes.

Did Jay really have his pa’s smile? Or Cliff Gordon’s?

Thankfully, his parents had the foresight to clear the path to and from the front door, and Jay shuffled across the hardwood, regretting every step. Pain shot up and down his legs, making his snapped ankle throb in agony as he grit his teeth against the sensation. He deserved every second of this.

“C’mon Walker, you’re better than this,” Jay muttered angrily, finally reaching the door, “it’s in your name, goddammit.”

Picking up his foot, Jay was glad no one was around to hear him scream as he set it down. His knee buckled, and suddenly he was falling on his ass on the front stairs to the trailer instead of the soft sand. His back twinged in protest, and he started grumbling as he picked himself back up and plopping down on the bottom step. He rolled up his pant leg to inspect the damage, and immediately wished that he hadn’t.

The ring of purple bruises around his ankle was a sight that he was used to seeing, but it didn’t make it any easier to process.

So he was going to have to limp for a little while. Okay, that was fine. Not like he didn’t do plenty of limping on the Misfortune’s Keep, so it should just be like before. Except now he wasn’t lugging around a giant ball and chain with him, so in theory it should be even easier.

It was not easier.

Thinking about the ship only made all of his injuries ache even more, and Jay kept having to stop moving just so they would settle down and stop making his vision split in two. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he reached the car that his pa was working on before Jay fell out of the sky, and he reached into Ed’s toolbox to grab up a screwdriver and start working on the engine. Might as well make himself useful if he was going to be stuck here for a little while, right?

He had to start coming up with a plan. But he didn’t even know where to start.

Absentmindedly messing with the timing belt, Jay tried to remember what his dad was talking about when he was explaining what was wrong with the car. It had something to do with the valves, right? Valves were pretty easy.

Bending down hurt like a bitch, but the pain was a welcome numbing from the guilt coiling around his heart. Sure, working on the car served as a good distraction, but Jay forgot how much his mind started to wonder whenever he engaged with anything mechanical. The phantom weight of the ball and chain was keeping him in place, making it very hard to work around the engine as he took out part after part.

Soon enough, he had an almost completely disassembled engine block laying next to him. He just undid all of his pa’s hard work.

“Dammit,” Jay muttered, feeling the tears sting at the corners of his eyes. Wiping them away only spread the motor oil from his hands to his face, but it was something that Jay was more than used to. Not just the oil, but the suffocating sense of uselessness that was drowning him

Oh well, broken things could always be fixed. That’s what Pa always told him.

Except the only person that knew how to fix Jay was a dozen miles or so in the sky, and he still had no idea about how to save her.

“You’re not broken,” he muttered to himself, but he knew that it wasn’t very convincing. “Lloyd was broken after he had to fight his dad, Zane was broken after he fought the Overlord, and Cole was broken when he became a ghost. You are not broken.”

…right?

Thinking back to the past was something that Jay tried to avoid doing, but it was the only thing he could do as he grabbed up the parts and put them back together. Part of him wished that he brought his old Walkman and headphones with him, just to help distract from all of the negative thoughts buzzing around in his head, but Jay did not have the energy to try and stand back up after plopping down into the sand.

He didn’t even know what music he would’ve listened to, because he took all of his favorite stuff with him to the first monastery, and he hated the old records that his folks kept around in a repurposed china cabinet.

Music. Music reminded him of Cole. His favorite big brother, the first one he ever had and the one that he would never be able to let go of. Cole was there for as long as Jay could remember, a steady presence at Jay’s as the blue ninja worried himself sick every night for the first two weeks at the monastery. They were so young when they made their first vows to each other; to always be by each other’s sides no matter what, to be the best brothers that they could be.

And of course, because Jay was a fucking idiot, he had to go and ruin their vows over a girl. Like Cole wasn’t there first.

His promises didn’t mean shit, did they?

But then Cole’s didn’t mean shit either, because the earth ninja promised to never go somewhere that Jay couldn’t follow. Then he went and became a ghost, and Jay was caught up in whether or not he should’ve marched his ass right back into Yang’s Temple and become a ghost right alongside his brother, just so that Cole wouldn’t have to go through that on his own.

Thinking about that reminded him of Kai, who did insist that they stay at Yang’s Temple to try and fix it before begrudgingly admitting that they had no choice but to leave it behind. Kai was the brother that he could never get along with, the one who Jay had so little common ground with that it may as well not exist, and yet Jay knew that Kai would be one of the first ones to leap to Jay’s defense. He made Kai a promise too: he was always going to take care of Nya, to keep her safe no matter what.

Jay couldn’t keep that promise either.

Just like how he couldn’t keep the promise he made to Zane about how all of them would be together forever when the ice ninja had first joined them, pulling him into his and Cole’s brotherhood with ease. It took a while for Jay and Cole to adjust to the new person in their routine, but they managed just like they always did. It was the three of them against the world, and then the three turned to four, then five, and finally six.

Lloyd got his habit of promising things from Jay, and Jay knew that. The difference between them was that Lloyd’s promises were as strong as steel, while Jay’s broke like glass at every opportunity. Part of him wished had hoped that Lloyd wouldn’t pick up on it, or it would’ve been one of those things that he grew out of, but to Jay’s dismay neither of those things were the case. But at least his little brother managed to keep his promises.

His thumb was jammed in between two parts of the engine as his focus slipped, but Jay didn’t bother to try and free it. If anything, the pain was grounding, and Jay bit his lip as he jammed it tighter. There was something inside finally feeling satisfied at his actions, something saying that he deserved every speck of pain that he was receiving. It was some sort of twisted penance for his crimes, his sins.

But there was no sin greater than leaving her behind.

“I’m so sorry, Nya,” he sobbed. Jay brought his fist and banged it against his injured ankle, and the limb screamed in pain. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Jay failed her. He promised Kai he would keep her safe, promised himself, promised her, and as soon as he finally had to step up to the plate he failed. Every broken promise, every shattered vow lay heavy on his heart, and if Jay closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough they twisted into the shape of chains. The same chains that used to keep him contained on the pirate ship. His lightning was angry, telling him to stop hurting himself, but Jay couldn’t stop.

The chains were heavy on his wrists, and no matter how hard Jay tried he couldn’t lift his arms more than a couple inches. Around his ankle was the ball and chain again, this time three times as heavy, and the irrational part of Jay’s brain wondered what it would feel like to pick it up and toss it over the edge of the ship—

No. No. He could not go down that rabbit hole again, not when Nya still needed him. There was a chance; a snowball’s chance in hell, but a chance nonetheless. Jay had to take it.

Oh hey, look at that. The engine was almost done.

“Probably should get that Walkman,” Jay muttered, lifting himself off of his ass and starting to make the trek back to the trailer. The burning pain in all of his limbs was a welcome change, and Jay relished in the way the pain numbed everything else that he was feeling. Every step made him want to throw himself back down into the sand, but he finally managed to climb up. His Walkman was sitting on the coffee table and Jay snatched it, throwing the headphones on over his head and starting to walk outside.

When something caught his eye.

It was a small photograph, hanging up by the wall next to the front door, and Jay felt more tears sting at his eyes when he realized what it was a picture of.

The first time Nya had come over for family dinner, all those years ago. She was smiling, her makeup covering her beauty mark smudged and fading, and she was laughing as Jay tried unsuccessfully to shove a piece of strawberry cake in her mouth. Jay looked overjoyed, the smile on his face practically splitting in half, icing covering his cheeks. There was a slight sheen on both of them from the flash of the camera, even though Jay never realized that his parents ever took this photo.

His heart squeezed when he took it off the wall and held the wooden frame in his hands; it was a frame that his mom made, he could tell. The date was carved along the bottom, and Jay was startled to see a couple of tears land on the clean glass. Wiping them away, Jay clutched at the frame.

This was what he was fighting for. What every single one of them was fighting for.

He couldn’t give in now, not when there were so many people counting on him to be able to smile tomorrow. Not when she was counting on him too.

Closing his eyes, Jay took a deep breath. “I will save you, Nya, and every day I will put a smile on your face for as long as we’re together.”

And this was going to be the last promise he ever made himself, because Jay broke it then he was going to break right alongside it.

#ninjago #ninjago jay #finn's writing #whumptober day 21 #whumptober 2023

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vivilingriphyn · 7 months

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Love the art!

Though I must know, why is Skybound your favorite season?

Reasons why Skybound is my favorite season.

It has stood up to the test of times, especially in my mind in the most unhealthy way possible.

It's the only season where it has STUCK to me since I was 6 and to this day it was only season that keep popping back up and the season where it pulled something in my child brain and the start of my spiral on thinking more fudged up Scenarios in my heads, alternate possibilities and more way to make the season even more messed up than it actually was and as a kid back then that watched cartoon 24/7 and watching that season of Ninjago felt fresh and something I couldn't properly understand back then and that uncertainty of what the fudge was happening made me eat up that season out of pure curiosity and need to understand what was happening, quickly spiraled into an obsession.

That even my child self became quickly aware of and never spoke of Ninjago ever again since and stopped watching but it NEVER made me stop thinking about Ninjago ever since then if I see a lego my brain would immediately think of Skybound and begin to delude myself that, that lego piece was Jay and my brain would spiral once again into my internal world of fanfics, and even when I finally first joined fandoms like undertale, mdzs etc. if I have enough time to myself, my brain would quickly turn to Skybound every chance it gets.

My obsession turned to annoyance but also began to turn to fondness once more and into acceptance, that I just accepted I will never escape Skybound, that the first ever fandom I ever joined wasn’t undertale but Lego Ninjago before I even understood what fandoms were. And Skybound will forever be stuck with me for the rest of my life just like how Jay's trauma from Skybound will forever be stuck with him for the rest of his life.

Nadakhan might've not succeeded in breaking Jay entirely, but definitely succeeded in making me give in and accept that I will never escape from Skybound in the 10 years that I been obsessed with it to an unhealthy degree but it will still forever hold a precious place in my heart, because I wouldn't be the self aware fudged up person that prefers fanfics over canon that I am today.

Thanks a lot Nadakhan :)

Also this is just the major reason why it's my favorite season. Because I have such a goldfish memory but Skybound has clung to my brain for so long that it can just become my favorite JUST because of pure resilience alone. Also because I've been fighting to forget about Ninjago but Skybound and my Brain said no so it's the season that takes the number 1 spot for me when it comes to Ninjago.

And I honestly wanna say more but also can't say more as to why It's my favorite. I feel like I need to rewatch the season after 10 years just to refresh my memory. And ask that question to myself. Just why?

And finally answer questions that my child self couldn't ask others out of fear of being too out of place and being teased and bullied for something I held strong feelings and passion towards back then and now I'm coming back to this now and of course my immediate thing that I do the moment I walk a back into this fandom is to go I went to Ao3, went to filter, and immediately typed in “Jay Walker” and “Nadakhan”

And God I never felt more happy reading fanfics of these two for the first time. In 10 years of my obsessions finally coming to fruition and I will EAT UP every skybound fanfic, headcanons etc. out there.

Also Skybound was the season that securely made Jay my favorite character. And yes I've also been obsessed with him for over 10 years ever since I first watched Lego Ninjago, like a fudging yandere that has no other reason to love their senpai just to be able FEEL something.

Wodnwkdnas I'm probably just spouting out pure nonsense, and an empty meaning and reasons as to why I love Skybound but, eh people love things for various of reasons so I might as well tell as to why since you asked, also gave me an opportunity to rant so… Thanks! ^^

Also here's a WIP for a Skybound Drawing I'll be doing, that'll maybe be posted in the future along with some of my personal Headcanon that's related to skybound, cause when you've been obsessing with a season for over 10 years without rewatching it and basing everything from you goldfish memory, make you think a lot, especially a lot of headcanons ╮⁠(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)⁠╭

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dress-and-impress · 1 month

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Post of what I would do to re write Skybound

Thinking about how shitty Skybound is and I personally would’ve had that season focus on Nya and her journey as a ninja… like you would have Nadakhan trying to rebuild Djinjago (I think that’s how u spell it?) BUT instead of the focus on jay (it completely messed up his entire personality and made ppl hate him but honestly why would u make the comic relief character annoying and sexist). Have Nya as the main ninja focus. (U can also explore how she loses her brother first with the whole Djinn wish situation).

The way Nya’s arch would work is the idea of her feeling pressure and the constant need to live up to the standards of the other ninja (especially being the only female on the team). Like for example have more scenes like with Dareth saying “you added a girl to the group” and “why don’t u teach these girls how to apply makeup”: these scenes would be more so of the public and trying to overcome what the public thinks/says/expects of her.

It’s very big to explore and looks a lot into not stereotyping BUT granted at that time the show was very much a dominant male demographic

The whole Jay arch was rlly sucky and if anything Jay would have been alongside this self discovery for Nya and helped her out and supported her decision (which at times he would get nervous and make things obvious that he likes her). Could’ve been a rlly good and healthy way to make Jaya happen cos Jaya is amazing and I love the ship.

Anyways that’s just my 2 cents of how I would’ve re written skybound cos a whole bunch of people I’ve seen have shared how they would have done it

#ninjago #ninjago skybound #ninjago nya #ninjago jaya #ninjago jay #skybound sucks #Skybound rewrite #I actually love the idea of jay being adopted cos it connects with a new kind of audience #maybe just not have fritz donagen as his dad tho

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writing-hat · 2 months

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Out of curiosity what inspired you to write bbnb?

(turned out longer then I thought so it's under the cut (I don't wanna clog people's dash ajeskgsjre))

I'll be honest it was not. the good kind of inspiration since it was during a relapse. I think it's obvious I wasn't in a good place when I started writing this fic fklselgersh I just happened to be rewatching ninjago at that time and s6 happened and I was just. ew. what a fucking creep that guy Nadakhan is.

also what the actual fuck is this season. anyway.

BbnB was just supposed to be something off the side, blow off some steam, publish that for the feeling of liberation and boum yknow done (I really hope you didn't read the first version because it was. awful. and horrible. cuz I really just wanted to write something messed up and gory with no good ending whatsoever to cope agersgkd)

but then yknow i felt like this wasn't fair to Jay (my fave of the show have you noticed) and not fair to the people reading either, or even to me, and I remembered how much missed potential there was for that guy

and I just understood that if anyone could get out of this situation it would be Jay and yknow I love his character so much and have been frustrated with how the seasons had been treating him those last years (not mad, frustrated is all, I still really like his character in those seasons!!) that I needed to remind myself in some way of how badass that guy is

like come on! this is jay walker!! the guy that discovered everything first every time! the one that thinks outside the box! and the one reasonable when the situation demands it!

also lightning HELLO?! There's so much going on here!!!! His powers are so fucking overlooked I swear there's just SO MUCH to be done with all of that (I'm still not done exploring his powers in bbnb and in other fics I have so. many thoughts about that (too many? maybe))

so I'm gonna give him what I couldn't have and hope for the best for that guy lmao, while turning him in my head like the blorbo that he is for an indefinite amount of time

by the end of this fic, I want to Jay to have grown, and getting better at understanding himself, and thus understanding his powers. He's the lightning master baby! and he's forever going to be super cool!

but aha it will take a while and I have no idea if I'll manage that.

But I'll try!

Thanks for the ask! and sorry for the super long response akfergkserg see you around anon!

#there's also tons of missed potential with nadakhan and the misfortune crew #but I'm keeping those for another fic that'll be about them #hat's words #hat's fics #bbnb #anonymous asks are scary

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cboffshore · 6 months

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Right Here, Right Now: Main Character Decision Making In On Sea, Sunlight, and Sky

Or: a casual essay examining planning, privilege, and immediacy in On Sea, Sunlight, and Sky, because I had some Really Fun Thoughts about my work today and decided to write about them. This might be a little messy, but I think it's still worth a post.

Obviously, spoilers for the latest installment (which drives a lot of this essay by virtue of being the longest installment yet), and the series as a whole, so it's under the cut.

There's a core tenet in my work on OSSAS over the years: everything Nya and Nadakhan do is, ultimately, pointless. After all, these fics are meant as gap fillers to complete Nya's experience after "The Last Resort," and we all know how Skybound ends by now. (I hope. If you don't... maybe don't read this?) So what I've tried to remember this whole time is that I don't have to worry about long-term canon consequences, because no matter what I write, the imaginary timeline gets wiped clean no matter what. (Yes, I'm the kind of person who worries about canon compliance that heavily.) They're acting for now, not the next season.

The thing is: my characters don't know that. In their fictional world, all of this is very, very real. Actions do have consequences, and besides being pointless, a lot of the shit I have Nya and Nadakhan do is just plain goofy from a distance. Gull swarm! Bullshit chase scene! Chess night that goes horribly wrong, set up specifically to mess with Nya! Everyone is fueled by spite and desperation the entire time.

That being said: that's all on purpose. Without consciously realizing it (although I know I recognized it on some level while writing), I spent OSSAS examining how Nya and Nadakhan both perceive and use immediacy - especially when reacting on the spot.

Let's take a step back and look at canon. Nadakhan's entire MO is, basically, to annoy his victims so much that they opt to just give up entirely by accepting his offer to wish it all away. Key components of this include:

Rushing his opponents and refusing to give them the time they need to come up with their own plan

Keeping them in one spot

Confronting them while they're alone

Most of the time, this works. I don't think I need to rehash that - you can pull up any confrontation in the season and watch these at play. The first hiccup we see is when Jay flips the script on him (accidentally), by getting so afraid that he makes a wish that summons Nya to the scene, which ruins that third component and forces Nadakhan to abandon the attempt. While these fics aren't about Jay, I wanted to mention this scene as a summary of how we know Nadakhan operates well before OSSAS slots into the timeline.

What do we learn from this?

On one hand, Nadakhan has a system in place - this guy likes his plans watertight. He's got rules that he plays by, generally without fail.

However: Nadakhan doesn't adapt well to change. We also see how he reacts when he finds out Delara's dead, his crew has been scattered, and his realm destroyed, so we knew about this already, but his confrontation with Jay helps highlight it. We also know that he sticks to his plans at all costs. Flintlocke attempting to convince him that he's got enough doesn't work, because at that point Nadakhan's so set on his very particular plan that he doesn't know how to accept that he's already won. (The commitment issues discussed in chapter 5 of the 2023 installment are different from what I'm talking about here, just so we're clear.)

Fatal flaw, that. And what a fun one - and very fun to use in my writing.

At this point in the timeline, whether he's willing to accept it or not, Nadakhan is fully in charge. He's got control over the skies; he's got mad resources; he's got Nya, who is central to his final plot and (despite all the chaos I keep letting her cause) is unable to leave. In OSSAS, he's got plenty of space and time; this allows him to read Nya and attempt to come up with solid consequences whenever she tries to rebel. For instance, in A Disappearing Act (Done Poorly), Nya uses her elemental powers to stage an immediate escape. This does not work; she's caught and brought back, and in Coughing Up Feathers, is forced to wear a Vengestone bracelet to prevent similar attempts. Ordinarily - under the rules Nadakhan's been playing by the whole season - this would be effective, right? Nadakhan used Vengestone on Jay to suppress his powers, after all. Why wouldn't this work?

Because the rule surrounding Vengestone has changed.

As of "Wishmasters," Vengestone amplifies power - but that's a relatively new thing at this point. Nadakhan hasn't interacted with Vengestone since the rescue mission (and according to my fic timeline had the bracelet made a while ago), so in CUF, I thought it would be appropriate to have him forget about granting that wish in order to let Nya weaponize it. Naturally, she does, and he doesn't figure it out until the following night (the prologue of If I Can Think (Of Something Clever)); embarrassed, he removes the bracelet from the equation and tries to figure something else out. His next attempts - destroying her comms bracelet and orchestrating a cruel false escape for Nya - are a lot more cut-and-dried, but still ultimately force Nya to look for alternative ways to resist that he's not expecting. Even when he thinks he's orchestrated it fully, he misses that. In the fake escape attempt reveal, he admits that he didn't expect her to use a chain as a weapon in addition to the torch he laid out. He also didn't expect Nya to react so violently to the image of Landon - he chose a friendlier face to approach her with, hoping she'd maybe cooperate when the end drew near, but didn't expect her to simply lump him in with the rest of the crew and fight him off the same way in the combat sequence. (Talk about a superiority complex...) When Nya points these things out to him, he panics and tries to change the subject.

Nadakhan's issue here is that he believes his plans are so solid that nothing can break them, so when hiccups like the Vengestone thing pop up, he's not entirely sure how to deal with them beyond simply shoving that to the side and moving onto his next scheme. This shows up in the IICT chess confrontation, too - when Nya doesn't react quite how he hopes she will to the bombs he drops, he either tries to redirect to the chess game or another topic to avoid feeling that shame of failure. This is because, like when he came up with his initial plan, Nadakhan plans for the long-term and doesn't worry about immediate effects. He knows his plan from top to bottom way before the crew catches on, and is unwilling to budge from it. He's had so much time and privilege to weave this tapestry that he can't imagine anyone going at it with scissors, so he doesn't arrange for any sort of Plan B.

Nya, however, is very much waving those scissors recklessly - at least, when she can reach them.

Unlike Nadakhan, Nya doesn't really have that same sort of space and time. She knows approximately what's going to happen, but not quite when. As fic author, I've given her about a week between her capture and the wedding - but she doesn't know that! For all she knows, at any moment, someone could barge in and drag her out to get hitched. She doesn't have the privilege to take her sweet time planning, so all of her moves are immediate reactions to her situation. Her escape attempt in ADA(DP) is a spur-of-the-moment plan triggered by her remembering a key detail about Nadakhan's quarters and making a wild guess about how she can weaponize it; the gull thing in CUF is an accidental discovery that she only gets to test twice before using it on Nadakhan. The longest she takes to formulate a plan is a day in IICT, which is the shortest amount of time she needs to gather the information to break out. After that, the combat scene is entirely improvised, and so are her personal attacks towards Nadakhan during the final chess scene. Everything she does is inspired by something either said, remembered, or realized in the moment. (Respectively: she weaponizes the line about Nadakhan's father teaching him chess, the dream, and the realization that Nadakhan fridges major problems instead of pivoting to deal with them immediately.)

As such, the effects of Nya's actions aren't long-term, at least not by design. She can't effectively plan for a future she knows so little about, and she's frustrated, so she takes it out on the now: little digs at Nadakhan that she knows he can't adjust to quickly or calmly, and actions that do serious damage to his attempts to control her.

Ironically, Nya's making snap judgements the entire time - the exact thing Nadakhan usually banks on when dealing with opposition. However, Nadakhan relies on those snap decisions being made to avoid him - not attack him.

Nya's cornered this whole time. Nadakhan's not trying to get rid of her like he is everyone else, so he tries to contain her. This upsets a key part of his usual strategy, which Nya recognizes early on (even if she doesn't really give thought to it - it's an unconscious undercurrent). By keeping her within easy reach, he's ironically given her a taste of the same privileges he has: he forces interactions that unwittingly help her learn about him and provides plenty of chances to push his buttons. Usually, he only interacts with people once or twice - enough to knock them off the map and shrug them off. However, he's pulled Nya into a position where he has to be around her to keep an eye on her... which goes two ways, of course. He's trying to read her; she's trying to read him.

Ultimately, Nya comes out on top - not because I think snap judgements are the way to go for most issues (I, too, like my plans solid and often dislike adjusting to new things), but because this is a season where how people react in the moment matters. We all know the season is resolved peacefully thanks to a quick, emotional judgement Jay makes; although this is very much not a Jay series, I like to think that Nya helps pave the way for this success by breaking down Nadakhan's self-confidence to the point where he really starts to lose his ability to insure his own work. (Let's talk about how he doubts Delara even loves him after she's resurrected sometime - I'm also trying to build into that.)

I don't really have a good ending for this - after all, I wrote this on an impulse - but isn't it neat how these things work out sometimes?

#ninjago skybound #ninjago nya #ninjago nadakhan #ninjago fanfiction #lila speaks #OSSAS tag #analysis freak lila back on her bullshit #december wip rambles

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galaxyhanart · 2 years

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Oh no S4 / the Tournament of Elements would not go well in the Cabinet Man AU would it-

I can see at least two options, possibly more- Jay being very traumatized into participating (feeling as though he's back in Prime Empire &, if this is after Skybound, also Scrap n' Tap), or Jay going much too hard because he defaulted to Entertainer mode because he's good at putting on a show! Right? It wasn't just skills from the game? Maybe he has worth as an entertainer! Maybe he can showcase that he's useful to the team!

Also Master Chen is just a little too obsessed with snakes and oh look what our buddy has-

THIS ASK IS SINGLE-HANDEDLY MAKING ME CHANGE THE TIMELINE AGAIN SO TOURNAMENT OF ELEMENTS CAN HAPPEN BECAUSE OH MY GOD

fun fact! season 4 is one of my FAVORITE seasons in the whole show, I love Kai's struggle with power and his overall characterization this season (it also introduces Skylor my beloved!!) but since it isn't very jay-centric i was gonna let it slide

it'll require a lot of. hmm. fucky timeline stuff given season 3 sets up season 4 which sets up season 5 etc etc so i'll have to actually sit down when i have time and mess with the season order

BUT ANYWAYS YEEHEHEHE Jay is verrry good at putting up an act, but he actually does enjoy the attention of this kind of thing. He's used to being an idol and people cheering for him, and as messed up as his self-esteem is it does give him the occasional ego-boost

season 4 would likely happen before skybound does, since klaus becoming a ghost is what leads him to finding Nadakhan's teapot in the first place

He definitely wants to prove his worth on the team during the Tournament, but more than that he wants to make sure the group stays together. Getting put up against Cole is absolutely gut wrenching since in this AU there isn't any love-triangle BS bc that was a dumb plot point lmao but once everyone starts getting separated from each other is when he REALLY starts freaking out

events would definitely get changed and things would definitely be fun to play with ehehehe gonna have this bouncing around in my brain now thank u thank u

also yes if chen finds out jay has a SNAKE TAIL things would not go well At All

#i gave him that tail for fun but so far i've just been using it for angst purposes huh #ninjago #cabinet man AU #tournament of elements #ninjago s4 #jay walker #galaxyhantalks #ask

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marvelousrants · 1 year

Text

Exploring my idea from this post a little more

Everything was supposed to be back to how it was before, back to before Jay made his idioctic wish and the mess after it ever happened. Jay stared into the window’s reflection, disbelieving eyes meeting his own. No this was wrong, it couldn’t be right. Jay swallowed a lump in his throat, as his heart beat rang in his ears. No it couldn’t be right, this was just some cruel trick his mind was playing on him. He had brown eyes, he had always had brown eyes. So why was his refletion’s left eye and electric blue? No it couldn’t be right, his tired and overwhelmed mind was probably playing tricks on him. His breaths shallow, as he stared in disbelief. Sure he had lost his left eye in the alternate timeline, but it never happened in the first place as far as the others expect Nya knew.

His mind was just playing tricks on him he told himself, the others hadn’t commented on his change in eye color. Yeah just his stupid paranoid mind playing tricks on him. He heard someone distanctly call his name, he couldn’t make out who, but he lingered by the window just a little longer before he got his body to move again.

He had decided he hated the trick his mind was playing on him, a bitter reminder of his past mistakes and how he’d never been able to forget. That he’d be cursed to remember while the others didn’t, honestly they’d probably hate him if they remembered though. So he forced his stiff body to move and follow the others back to the bounty. Pretending like Misfortune’s keep never happened, because to them it didn’t. Silently whispers of they’d hate you if they knew playing over and over again in his mind.

—

Jay found himself with a rapidly growing hatred of his own reflection. Every time he saw his eyes he was filled with an overwhelming feeling of wrongness, it was wrong he knew it was wrong. It wasn’t some trick his mind was playing on him, Jay was pretty sure it was Nadakhan’s last laugh at him. Laughing at him because he foolishly thought he could escape his past mistakes so easily.

He hadn’t asked Nya about it for fear of seeming like a crazy person and they hadn’t really talked about the incident, neither of them ready, the memories still too fresh in their minds. Still they tended to keep close to the other, just so they knew the other was safe.

Jay stared into the mirror in his room, feeling nothing but wrongness. His brows frowned as he stared with hate into his own eyes. A part of him wanted so desperately for someone to see how wrong it was. A part of him knew he didn’t have the right to be angry, he had escaped his mistakes without any consequences and honestly a part of him ideally wished he had lost his eye permanently.

Jay punched the mirror not baring to look at his reflection anymore, his hand hurt and it was bleeding slightly. Yet he couldn’t find himself caring, at least he didn’t have to look into a stranger’s eyes anymore. His blood dripped to the floor as he took deep breaths. He knelt down, beginning to pick up the shards of the mirror, refusing to look into the shards and meet his own reflection again. He cut his hands a couple of times, but it didn’t matter to him, he had had so much worse. He dumped the shards in his trash can, covering them in some other trash for good measure so he didn’t have to look at them and threw a piece of cloth over the broken mirror, so he didn’t have to look in the reflection of what remained.

He stood in his room for a second unsure of what to do with himself, basking in the temporary relief of not having to look at those mismatched eyes. His hands were still bleeding, he should probably bandage them up, but that meant going into the bathroom and meeting those horribly wrong eyes again. He’d honestly rather just bleed, for now.

Nya had noticed his wounds the next time they saw each other, she didn’t ask how he had gotten them. She just took care of his wounds, not a single word exchanged between them as they sat in silence except for the occasional hiss of pain when she was partially rough with his hands. He could talk to her, she probably had her own ideas as to why and how he had gotten the cuts on his hands. Jay took a deep breath and braced himself.

“Have you noticed anything different since… you know” He asked, not daring to mention what had happened any more specifically than that. Nya stopped cleaning one of his wounds for a second as she looked up at his face, gray eyes with a hint of cyan meeting his brown mismatched eyes. She looked to be considering his question for a little while.

“I don’t think so, why?” Nya replied, her face and voice neutral, not giving anything away as to what she was thinking.

“Just feels strange” Jay said, looking away from Nya’s piercing eyes and down at his hand again. Was he really all alone with this feeling of wrongness?

They didn’t say a word to each other again after that, neither of them daring to poke the subject anymore than they already had.

#nya ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago #jay ninjago #jay walker #short fanfic #idk man

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lunarifie · 2 years

Text

Rewatching Ninjago

(With no context other than the episode)

Skybound 5-6

Jays showing Cliff Gs home to the ninja?? Isnt he afraid theyll think he made a wish to gain all this unexpected new stuff?

Okay but why is Jay LYING

I mean it’s understandable if hes not ready to tell them he’s adopted yet

But saying you saved up for a place like that while just not getting paid for doing your main job, which is being a ninja, is a bit unbelievable

I guess saying your Cliff Gordon the actor of Fritz donnegans biological son is kinda unbelievable too.

Nya: We need to look at that lantern. Jay, Hit the lights!

Jay: Lights! Right! Yes. Light. Uhhhhh lights lights lights… Where are the lights….

HFBDJSNFNDNR

Cole: You saved up for this place? Baloney. Every time you get money you waste it on junk food and video games.

HE KNOWS JAY SO WELL 😭

They’re best friends your honor

Also they definitely wanted Cole to say Bullshit.

Jay: and it turns out! My dads cliff gordon!

Cole:…

Cole: Who?

NCNDJFNFNSNR

GOD jay and cole are literally acting how me and my best friend act when the other drops some gossip or a secret

Theyre that tiktok sound that goes like:

Jay: I wont tell a soul. 🫡

Jay: COLECOLECOLE COLE I NEED TO TELL YOU A SECRET-

Wait wait

Its CANON that theyre best friends? I thought that was a fanon thing but Jay JUST said Coles his best friend

I love them sm :)

Please tell me Zane still has his falcon in newer seasons

Clancy my beloved

Hes doing his best

THE DESTINYS BOUNTY IS IN PIECES AGAIN

The ninja are going to the island for the venom to defeat nadakhan

Ok but how does Jay explain Cliff Gordons boat.

NO. THEY GOT ZANES FALCON.

Nadakhan: Take it apart.. until it talks.

IT CANT TALK 😭😭😭 YOUR GONNA KILL IT FOR NO REASON 😭😭😭

Zane: why do I need a canteen?

Lloyd: there may be no fresh water on the island.

Zane: but… Im a nindroid… I repeat, why do i need a canteen? 🤨

Shdjksnfjdbebd

Jay. Why are you reading Cliff Gordons wooing woman book OUT LOUD.

Jay, reading: tell woman what they want to hear…

Nya: watcha reading?

Jay: AAAAH. UM! Im reading, uh, discovering the power of your feminine side 😃

Smooth.

Jays acting as their lightning rod on the ship lol

Also its canon he can get electrocuted by storm lightning multiple times and still be fine

Jay really doesnt want anyone else to be taken by djinn :(

NO WAIT IS ZANE GONNA BE TAKEN PLEASE TELL ME HE ISNT

Holy shit Zanes smart.

He quite literally predicted that Nadakhan would come for him from Jays reluctance. AND ONLY FROM THAT DOES HE KNOW JAYS SPOKEN TO NADAKHAN BEFORE AND COMPLETED TWO WISHES

I wish they showed this analytical side of Zane more

ZANE. LISTEN TO PIXAL.

Hes still as self sacrificial as ever.

Zanes trying to outsmart nadakhan and trap the djinn away. But I know he wont be able to no matter how intelligent he is :(

It would have made so much sense for Zane to be the savior of this season. He made some really good wishes. Its also incredibly out of character for him to “wish for it all to go away” after Nadakhan deleted Pixal. Zane could have simply said for Nadakhan to bring Pixal back and he’d have used up his wishes. He wouldnt have captured nadakhan but Zane would at least be alive.

Aaand they crashed the ship.

Cole cmon man at least give Jay a chance to explain himself.

His anger is valid since Zanes capture could have been prevented if Jay said something

BUT STILL

Jay didnt wish for the boat and mansion he wished to not be born in a junkyard and to be able to give Nya anything she wanted

COLE. YOU DIDNT HAVE TO SAY JAY SAW NYA IN HIS FUTURE REFLECTION.

THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR.

Jay: IN MY DEFENSE! I JUST LEARNED MY PARENTS ARENT BY REAL BIRTH PARENTS!!!!

Dude just say your adopted.

Me looking at Nadakhans sky village: I want to go there.

Jay. let go of the lady wooing book. You dont need it. IT GOT YOU INTO THIS MESS.

Please Jay stop complaining 🙃 even though I feel sympathy for you, pleaaase just read the room.

Jays pissing me off rn 💀

Just APOLOGIZE and EXPLAIN Yourself.

JUST STFU AND GET THE TIGER WIDOW VENOM.

theyre all so done with his shit 😭

Jay: HOW DO I GET VENOM WHEN HIS FANGS ONLY COME OUT WHEN HE TRIES TO BITE ME?!?!?!!?

Cole: THEN LET HIM BITE YOU.

Jay: IF I GET OUT OF HERE, IM GONNA BITE YOU.

Cole: 😶

JFNDJDNFJSNTJNR

THATS CANON?!?!?!

I SAW A DRAWING OF THAT EXCHANGE AND THOUGHT IT WAS MADE UP DHFBSJFBSJBF

Nadakhan: Delara was filled with fire too...

Nya: Not fire. I'm a tall glass of water.

HELL YEAH THE WOOING BOOK IS DESTROYED!!!!!!

Lloyd: HURRY UP AND GET THE VENOM.

Jay: IM SORRY! I NEVER HAD TO MILK A GIANT SPIDER BEFORE!!!!!

Cole landed a hit on Nadakhan!!!

Good for him honestly

Love how the ninja just phase through Cole sometimes it's so funny

They didn't even know how big the spider was and then Jay comes running out with a creature bigger than a bear on his trail

Jay: (about to get eaten alive by a spider)

Nadakhan floating with a teacup on his hand: Now would be a perfect moment for that second wiiiish...

Jay: FUCK. OFF.

Honestly with how many times the spiders grabbed Jay with it's fangs, it's hard to believe he hadn't touched the venom

Ohhhh so THIS is when he kidnaps Jay.

When did they get duck-tape 💀

Damsel in distress trope but it's the girl as the knight and the boy as the damsel

Imagine how Jay must feel though. His friends hate him. he (thinks he) lost the venom. And now he’s kidnapped.

Nadakhan: I can see why she once like ld you… You’re stronger than you appear. But I know it’s all an act.

Nadakhan: Deep down, you’re scared… You know your weak. You make jokes to mask that your afraid…

Damn.

Usually stuff like that is hinted at but to outright say it is something

Jay: (hanging off the bottom side of the ship like a spider with a ball chain on his leg)

Nadakhan: your not afraid, are you funny man?

Jay (somehow repositioning himself and cleaning the bottom of the ship) I LOVE IT. 😤

Hes such a little shit I love him

Cole (giggling after learning that they cant get off the island with their energy dragons)

Nya: Whats so funny! 😒

Cole: Oh, I was just thinking about what Jay might say…

Cole (with a perfect Jay impression): YOUR TELLING ME?!?!? THAT WE WENT TO ALL THAT TROUBLE TO GET THE VENOM AND NOW WE HAVE NO WAY TO GET OFF THIS ISLAND?!?!?!?

Cole: haha… Gone one day and I already miss him spazzing out.

Hes literally in love with him

(Platonically, for ppl who dont ship bruise)

Nya, girl, honestly you had every right to be mad at him. Dont feel guilty. Jay didn’t even apologize!!!! He also dialed up his little shittiness to 100 after that!!!! Hes fine 🙄

Its sweet that Lloyd trusts Jay to be strong

Cole and Lloyd: We can build a raft! Whats gonna stop us!

Nya: AN ENDLESS SEA FILLED WITH UNKNOWN CREATURES THAT WANNA EAT US??!?!?

Nya: That was uh, my Jay impression…

Clancy is so nice

Ive never heard Jay ever be this silent on frame

Its surreal.

Jays actually so clever

How is he moving and jumping around like that with a whole ass bowling ball attached to his leg 😭

GO JAY GO!!!!!

Now I remember why he's my favorite character :)

He got the note in the bottle to the ocean!!!!!

Man skybound was actually so cool I hate that it was erased from the timeline

Nadakhan: Eat! Have dinner with me. It's no trick!

Jay: ...

Nadakhan: 😃

Jay:

Jay: (starts devouring every consumable thing in front of him)

Jay: Sorry man, I don't know who this lost love of yours is. But she's not Nya! Nyas too good for the both of us. She makes up her own mind.

Well at least Jays got her character down

Nadakhan: Everything that is mine... I've had to work for. This food, this ship, this crew.

Jay: That accent :)

Okaaay. So if Nadakhan marries someone, he can have infinite wishes?

That makes no sense.

Lloyd: she'll be ready to sail soon.

Nya: Why are all boats she's?

Cole: uhhh idk! Maybe because it's takes a bucket of paint to make then look good?

Coles in his misogynistic arc

Cole (after Lloyd leaves): you know, I think the real reason sailors name ships after women is because we name them after the most important people in our lives. Mother, wives, sisters.

Ok he's forgiven

It's sweet that Coles standing up for Jay to Nya.

He called himself Jays best friend 🥺

Cole (trying to avoid the sand monsters): don't move... I think they're attracted to noise...

Lloyd: HEY GUYS! LOOK AT HOW MANY PALM LEAVES I FOUND- 📢📢📢

Nya used airjitzu for the first time!!!

I genuinely like nadakhans crew

Clancy: I can keep swabbing the deck if I like it! 😤 It relaxes me and I get to choose how it I wanna spend my free time!

Jaaaaay. You were manipulating so well!!! You just HAD to come off strongly.

Is it manipulation if it's the truth though? I mean Nadakhan ISNT telling his crewmembers everything.

Geez. This is kind of depressing to watch. Jay getting pummeled in a fighting ring by Nadakhans crew.

Nadakhan: You could… wish it all away?

Jay (on the floor absolutely totaled): bring it on.

Jays surprisingly stubborn and resilient

Clancy: you should eat food. you-you fought really well out there… held your own like a real pirate. Heres an eyepatch, so you can look like one!

Clancy so sweet :)

I understand that lego ninjago cant show blood or bruises but the way Jays voice actor is slurring his words gives a really good impression that Jay was beat up real bad :(

Flintlocke: you always talk to yourself?

Jay: Only when I think im by myself 😒

Ronin and the Chief got Nya Cole and Lloyd off the island!!!

I still dont forgive them though.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #Rewatching Ninjago

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x-catspace-x · 2 years

Text

Ok so, I saw this AI writer thingy called InferKit and I was curious and apperatly it will finish your sentences and such. So of course i written a Skybound story bit and holy moly the AI was not messing around.

The Bold Purple is my writing

The rest that is not in Bold purple is the AI writing

TL;DR: Nadakhan fucking did anime villain move on Jay and now Jay has life crisis.

The blood dripping from Jay's nose stained his blue Gi into a dark purple as his worst enemy manically laughed. Nadakhan's hands were smothered with his friend's blood and Jay couldn't do anything as they were ripped apart, piece by piece.

"You total fuck head Nadakhan!" Jay's angry words have done no damage to the djinn as he laughed even harder and louder.

"This ends now boy!" But his laugh was cut off by the staff slamming against his head, and a piercing spike coming through his chest.

Y/N - So, now what you are going to do with him? Jay shook his head slightly and looked away, turning away to see what his assailants would do. His eyes caught a glimmer of red coming out of the vents and a startled cry of pain rang out. A demon flew out the vent and right into one of the piles of bodies, who now woke up and jumped to their feet.

Jay jumped and caught the demon before it fell to the ground. The demon had no collar, no visible weaknesses, and wasn't even damaged. Its eyes were blank and its mouth was unhinged, letting out a scream of pure pain.

"Jay!" The demon called out as Jay took a closer look at it. "What the fuck did you do to me?" The question floored Jay. He didn't remember anything after the tournament.

"Who are you?" Jay wasn't certain if he wanted to answer that or not. What had happened to him was more than a little worrying. The fact that he couldn't remember anything was frightening. He didn't know what he was. He didn't know his own name. Jay's mind was racing with a million and one questions but he didn't know what to ask first.

He had never been more confused in his life. "Uh.." Jay stuttered. He hated being put on the spot.

Nadakhan's booming laugh rumbled throughout the room and Jay jumped, he didn't know if he should answer or not. He closed his eyes and squeezed his head in his hands. He wished his former teacher would just go away. He wanted nothing to do with this guy, this man. He would be better off in the pits where he belonged. But he couldn't say that, even if he knew what he was, he didn't want to say it. The desire to stick it out, to make it through to the end, came out of his mouth. "What am I Nadakhan?"

Nadakhan's laughter had died out and his eyes lit up.

"You're an empty shell." Nadakhan smiled down at him. "You're what's left of my worst nightmare."

Y/N - Wow, Jay was pretty confused, I think Nadakhan was trying to do a pretty cool twist, I loved how confusing he made this guy.

What's going to happen with Jay?

Nadakhan broke his gaze from Jay and smirked. "A tragedy to be sure," Nadakhan said proudly. He didn't think his first demon was strong enough, but now he could see how Jay would have perished. "I'll let you see your gameplay."

Jay closed his eyes as his stomach dropped. He knew what it meant. He had no clue what it meant, but he could figure it out.

Nadakhan spun around and walked back to his cabinet. The demon sprung up and approached the cabinet but couldn't see anything. It had no eyes, no ears, no mouth, just a mask. It struggled to reach its paws but fell back as it could not use them to touch anything.

The demon struggled, letting out a weak cry. Nadakhan knew what was coming and simply walked away.

"I had a good run, you know?" Nadakhan said as he began to walk into the back room.

A demonic yell echoed from the room and Jay rushed to the scene. He threw himself into the mess of debris. "Ahhhhh! Jay! Jay!" The demon threw itself against the wall of the cabinet as if it were possessed. Jay watched it with mouth agape. It was trying to crawl up the cabinet. "My name is Nya!"

"What's your name?" Jay called out.

It made another loud screech and tried to hold onto the edges of the cabinet, but it was too weak. The cabinet began to shake as Mohandas slid towards the ground. The demon tried to jump off but couldn't stand on its own, it tried again and failed. "My name is Cole."

"What? What is your name?" Jay couldn't contain his confusion. "Do you know your name?"

"My name?" Cole was confused. "My name?"

"Nya was killed!" Jay shouted as he grabbed onto Cole's collar. The demon yelped and swung its fist. Jay barely dodged the blow and looked around. "You killed your own mother." He looked up at the demon. "You tried to crawl up the cabinet and failed." He laughed hysterically. "You're not a demon. You're a human."

Cole screamed and jumped from Jay's grip. "I know my name!" He began to shake as he began to hyperventilate

#ninjago #what the fuuuuck #ninjago skybound

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destinysbounty · 2 years

Note

🏴‍☠️ or ⚡ :-D?? For the emoji ask game, lol

[Send me an emoji and I'll give you a headcanon based on it]

A pirate flag and a lightning bolt? Lol i feel like I'm legally required to make this one about Jay, huh. How about this! I'll do one for each emoji

🏴‍☠️: Judging by the events of both the Dark Island trilogy and the 'could be canon' story "Splinter in the Blind Man's Eye", the rest of Nadakhan's crew still exist somewhere in Ninjago (altho both of those stories have differing takes on what happened to them, with Dark Island suggesting they went to prison and Splinter suggesting they stayed on the island). But either way they're just. Still out there. Chilling. I'd like to think that over time they gradually began to recover their memories of Skybound, which is very important to me because Flintlocke's character arc was one of my favorite parts of season 6. Watching Flintlocke become increasingly skeptical of and disillusioned with his captain, to such an extent that he became one of Jay's allies as they staged a mutiny, and even mourned when Nya got hit with the venom - yeah I like Flintlocke, okay? Listen. Skybound itself was a mixed bag, but it absolutely popped off with the crew of the Misfortune's Keep. Give me some morally dubious pirate found family rebelling against their evil captain. So until they return back on screen again, I'm gonna hold out that the Misfortune's Keep gang eventually remembered Skybound and are now living their best lives (probably committing crimes).

⚡: Jay recharging the submarine had lasting consequences. He never told anyone, and once Nya became one with the sea he didn't see much reason to do so anyway, but experiencing such an intense electrical charge while underwater nearly killed him, and he spent days afterward dealing with a messed up heart arrhythmia. Like, muscles spasming, heart fluttering, all sorts of funky stuff. But he put it aside because they really, really didn't have the time to deal with it. And in the weeks after Nya died, every time his chest seized up served as a reminder of the time he did something right with the intention to help Nya, which only rubs salt in the wound of how he failed her right when she needed him most.

BONUS: this ask inspired me to reread the Dark Island trilogy, and i just had to share this moment from the end of the third book

#'lets get crazy. seven' cole i love you #ninjago #jay walker #ninjago jay #nya smith #ninjago nya #flintlocke ninjago #ns6 #ninjago skybound #ninjago dark island #ninjago seabound #destiny post

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rosiehunterwolf · 3 years

Text

Why Skybound's Ending Works

And why it was actually, to contrary belief of some of the fandom, a good season.

So I read this book a while ago. It was a good book, an enjoyable read, but I remember being really disappointed in the ending. Today I was looking through my bookshelf and I found it again, which made me start thinking about why, exactly, I didn't like it.

While there were a few different gripes I had with it, the main point came down to the fact that at the end of the book, after the climax had been resolved, the main character still wasn't happy, and she found a way to reverse time so that the whole incident never happened.

Sounds familiar, right?

I've never been a big fan of stories that basically undo everything at the end. I feel like it's a cheap ending and gets the main character out of learning his or her lesson, and often leaves me as a reader (or viewer in the case of a show/movie) with a sense of unfulfillment. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, as this is the biggest complaint I've seen about Skybound in the fandom.

So, if this is true, why don't I feel the same kind of dissatisfaction with Skybound that I do with this book?

My first thoughts were maybe that because the book is a standalone part. Ninjago is a long show, now spanning 15 seasons (12 at the time I first was watching Skybound) and having one season that was a dud wouldn't upset me that much because there were so many. But if this were true, I would feel disappointment when I thought about Skybound in particular, not Ninjago as a whole, right? But I didn't. I still genuinely enjoyed the season, and I didn't feel scammed by the ending at all.

Upon further depth, I realized that it was the execution of this time-reverse.

The way the book I read worked, was that the main conflict had already been resolved, and peace had been declared, but the main character wasn't happy in her situation. She realized this wasn't what she wanted, and then time was reversed. Most media which undoes the plot goes something along this route, in my experience.

As a writer and reader, let me tell you that having another conflict after the main conflict just doesn't work. The main climax is supposed to build tension, put the consumers on the edge of their seats, and then have a short resolution period at the end to satisfy the consumers, but not stretch it out for any longer than necessary, because the climax was what we were all here for. Having another plot afterwards, even if it is internal, like this one was, takes away from the main climax, and suddenly it doesn't feel very engaging anymore. Everything throughout the book/show/movie is building up to the climax, and once that is over, it's time for the story to be done. Additional plots following the climax are what sequels are for.

Skybound doesn't do this. Instead of having more plot after the conclusion (which usually leads into the time reverse), it makes the time reverse INTO the climax.

The plot is building as Jay and the others prepare to kill Nadakhan. But when the plan goes awry, and now Nya is hit with the poison too, Jay's focus switches to her. This isn't a new climax, it's just a switch of focus as suddenly there are larger priorities to fix. A shift of focus, done right, can make things even more intense because now there are two threats- in this case, stopping Nadakhan, and saving Nya from death.

Jay's wish is all he has left. As soon as the venom wears off, Nadakhan will be all-powerful again. They are running out of resources, of ways to fight him. Jay has to end him now, or they lose against Nadakhan, possibly forever.

But he's not going to sacrifice Nya for this either. As we know, Nadakhan twists the wishes in anyway he can to benefit him, so Jay needs to make his wish as simple and straightforward as possible. He can't save Nya and stop Nadakhan.

That is, unless he prevents this whole mess from happening in the first place.

This is wonderfully executed, because Jay isn't actively seeking to do this out of his own selfish wants, or because he wants to fix something he did in the past. He does it out of necessity, because it's the only way he can think of where everyone on his side gets out alive. Like I said before, I feel like reversing time usually makes it so that a character is getting a cheap solution to their problem, one where they override all the lessons they learned throughout the story. But this is not the case with Jay. It's not a cheap ending, it's just an abrupt one, because Jay realized that this was a threat he wasn't strong enough to face. It takes humility, it takes courage- and it greatly improved him as a character.

One of the other main gripes about time-reversal plot is that there's no consequences. The characters spent all this time fighting to defeat some conflict, only for all of that to be undone and putting them right back at square one.

While this is somewhat true for Skybound, they handle it in a way so that the characters still get something out of it. Most people don't remember, but Jay and Nya still do. Those memories are still very much real for them. Skybound technically did happen, it was just reversed. It's not like it never existed. For Jay and Nya, who still remember, those experiences and traumas are still very much real.

I think the main prospect might be Nadakhan's teapot, though. Let's recount the exact wording of Jay's final wish:

"I wish you had taken my hand, and no one ever found that teapot in the first place."

Jay's wish is in past tense. "I wish you HAD," "no one ever FOUND" (instead of finds). Jay didn't wish that no one would find the teapot ever, just that they wouldn't have found it in the past. This means, while, it would fix the past, the future is still uncertain. Nadakhan could still potentially return, because Jay's wish wasn't specific enough.

While I am not super confident that he actually will, just the potential for it makes this a much better ending. Skybound, while erased, still is very much real, and so is Nadakhan. Jay's original plan was to kill him, but now he's just dormant in the teapot.

Skybound's ending wasn't cheap. It was a way for Jay to realize that he wasn't always going to win, and that no mistake could ever be completely erased.

#ninjago #ns6 #ninjago skybound #rosie rants #ninjago discussions #ninjago analysis #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #ninjago nadakhan

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ninjaslegos · 3 years

Note

Can you write a Lloyd X reader where the reader has the power to distort memories and their evil parent forces them to wipe out the teams' memories of them in front of them all and it's REALLY REALLY ANGSTY. (Thank you :D)

OKAY OKAY the reason why this took a while is because I had to think of a reason why their parents might do this, but I think I got it figured out!

All of Them Empty but Mine

Where this was the only way anyone could get out alive; but now you have no one.

It hurts you to use your power, so you just never have. In order to wipe or change memories, you have to live through them, which is taxing on your brain, and sometimes caused you physical pain as well. You father had gone through several wives in order to breed you, the perfect child, but you were smarter than him and ran away. You vowed to never use your power, as he wanted to use it as a force for evil.

Now you had a new family, a better one, who took care of you like you were one of their own. You cried with them, laughed with them, made friends and enemies with them, and even fell in love with one of them. It was a beautiful experience, and you were glad to have shared it with them.

However, something new was happening in Ninjago, like it always did when evil was on the rise, but something about this was different. Usually there was an army working for one bad guy, but this time it was just one person. With the exception of Nadakhan, which you happened to remember because your powers made you immune to memory loss, including ones induced by time travel and paradox.

"Well we shouldn't underestimate them, it could be that they're just a loner of some sort, but it could also be that they're a very powerful foe. We shouldn't split up." Lloyd stated, as the whole team of ninja tried to come up with a plan.

"But we have no idea where they'll strike next, they don't have any sort of pattern to their attacks." Zane offered the information.

"He's right, they could be anywhere by now." Kai frowns.

Jay sighs, "we don't even know what they're after. First they attacked the museum, but stole nothing. Then they went to Stiix and took down one of the ports, but that was it."

"I talked to Skylor." Nya bites at her lip nervously. "The person we're after, it's a he. She saw him when he entered her restaurant and made a mess of it."

"Was there anything else?" Cole asked.

She nodded. "It's not a something he's after, it's a someone. He didn't say anything to her, he just said 'they're not here'. Then he ran off."

Jay looked over to you. "You look sick. What's wrong?"

You shake your head, "oh, sorry, I was just trying to think of who he could be looking for..." There was the possibility it could be your dad, but he hasn't looked for you before; you thought he gave up. Why would he start now? No, it had to be someone else. "Wu doesn't have a clue, but Mystake might. She's old and wise, too."

"It's a start." Lloyd puts a hand to his chin. "Okay, we'll all split up and gather information-"

"But you just told us not to split up!" Jay complains.

"That's because I thought we were gonna fight him now..." Lloyd sheepishly responds, before steeling his nerves. "We're just going to gather information on this guy. We need to know who he is, and who he wants. (Y/N) can go to Mystake's, Kai will go to the police to see if they learned anything too, Jay and Cole, you will go to previous sites and look for clues. Nya, you and I will go to different villages and warn them, and Zane, you can watch security cameras to see if we can track this guy."

"Sounds like a plan." Kai grins.

Everyone else takes off to perform their assigned task, but Lloyd halts you by grabbing your wrist. "I love you." He kisses you gently, surprising you. "Stay safe, okay?"

"Lloyd," suppress your giggling, "where is this coming from?"

He gives you a hug, "it's just that we've never been separated on a mission before."

"Morro. Literally when he possessed you and took you away from me for almost a month." You cross your arms and give him an expectant look.

"Okay, fine," he rolls his eyes, "but that wasn't my fault. This time, if something happens to you, it will be."

"Oh, relax. Mystake's shop is in a place that guy already hit; he won't be back there so soon." You snort. In order to assure him you'd be okay, you give him a hug back, and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be okay, Lloyd. Promise. You worry too much."

"Yeah, but, like, you're my partner. It's my job." He grins.

"Second job. Ninja first, remember?" You give him a thumbs up before you part ways, "I love you too, sweetheart."

That was yesterday. Now Lloyd was freaking out, and trying not to cry as he sat on the couch, calling your phone for the 50-something-th time. Even the other ninja were worried about you, but tried to comfort Lloyd instead. He stayed up all night for you, and looked exhausted.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon; maybe they lost or dropped their phone." Kai pat his shoulder. "They're clumsy like that."

"Yeah, Lloyd, calm down. It's not like they're dead." Jay spoke up, earning himself a punch in the arm from Nya. "Ow!" He yelped.

"It's okay to feel worried for your lover, but you should also concentrate on looking for them, or nothing will get done." Zane advises.

Lloyd sniffs, standing up, "yeah, you're right."

"Are you sure you're okay to move? You look like you'll fall asleep on your feet." Cole frowns, but Lloyd waves him off.

"I can sleep when I find them." And that was that.

It wasn't until a few minutes into the search that his phone got a notification. He jumped on it immediately, finding it was from you. It was a map location, with a text telling him you were lost. I tripped and fell down a hill on my way home, and couldn't get back. Can you pick me up? He nearly screamed with excitement at the thought of you being safe, and texted you back immediately. Yeah, yeah, of course! Just call me next time, okay? I was worried sick for you!

"Wait." Zane put a hand on his shoulder after reading the texts from you. "I feel like this is not (Y/N) talking to you."

"Of course it is," Lloyd scoffs, pulling his shoulder away. "Look, I'll call them to prove it." He taps the button and lets it ring. You pick up and he smirks. "See? It's them. Let's go pick them up and then we can catch this guy." Everyone was pale, their eyes wide with shock and horror. "Huh? What is it?" He turns the phone towards him to see why everyone was freaking out.

He stopped breathing, and his heart began to pound. His phone slipped from his grip and fell to the floor with a light thud, and his body started to shake. Screen up so everyone could see; you were passed out and tied to a chair, head hanging limp so no one could see your face. The video cut out and the location was sent to his phone again. Can you pick me up? The question seemed much more sinister this time.

"We...we have to go."

"Are you dumb? This is obviously a trap!" Kai smacked him over the head. "He got specifically your partner, to lure specifically you, who is also the leader and grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, by the way, into his trap."

Zane shook his head, "that doesn't make sense, (Y/N) and Lloyd keep their relationship private to the public, no one knows about them except for us. He had a different reason to kidnap (Y/N)."

Nya bites her tongue, before speaking, "well, they did mention they were running away from their father."

Cole nods, "she's right, (Y/N) told us about it when they were talking about their power."

"I don't care what anyone else has to say about it," Lloyd picks up his phone and starts walking towards the location on the map, "I'm going to get my partner, and if no one wants to help, then I'll go alone."

Jay smiles, "I won't let you go by yourself! I'm coming."

"Me too," Cole catches up to him, "you're going to need all the help you can get."

One by one, the other ninja hop on board, and soon they're all on the path to your holding spot. It doesn't take long for them to reach you, especially with their dragons to help, and they surround the building. Lloyd enters first, coming in through the front.

It appeared to be empty, except for you tied up in the chair in the center, but he still proceeded with caution. "(Y/N)?" He whimpers, coming up to you and putting a hand to your cheek. The rest of the ninja are hiding in the shadows, waiting for any sign of danger. "It's okay if you don't wake up, I'll get you home."

The moment he touches the rope around your wrists, all the lights in the building shut down, and something pulls him away from you. He struggles against it, but whoever has him is too strong. By the time the lights are back on, a man similar in look to you stands in front of the ninja, locked in a cage of Vengestone. He chuckles, and puts a hand under your chin. "Wake up, (Y/N). Your friends are here for a play date."

At the sound of his voice, your head snaps up, and you're awake. You don't do anything but struggle and scream against the ropes, spitting threats and profanities at your father. "I don't want anything to do with you! Let me go! I'll kill you!"

He tsks, and shakes his head. "Is that any way to greet your father? Honestly, I thought your mother raised you better than this." His eyes widen, "oh, yes, I forgot about what happened to her. I'm terribly sorry, my baby." His words are insincere.

"Don't ever call me that! You lost the right to call me your child when you killed my mother!"

He simply taped your mouth to keep you quiet. "Children can be so loud sometimes." He sighs, then walks over to the cage. "You," he looks at Lloyd, "I must congratulate you on winning their heart; it must've been hard."

"Actually, it isn't." Kai snaps. "You're just a terrible father!"

His head whips to face him, and it makes the fire ninja nervous. "Did I ask you anything? Children these days have no manners." He scoffs.

"How's this for no manners?" Jay asks, before blowing a raspberry at him.

He snarls in distaste, exposing sharp teeth. "Wh...what are you?" Cole's voice shakes as he waits for an answer.

Your father grins, showing off more. "A monster child comes from monster parents. Do you have any idea how hard it is to selectively breed for a child like my dear (Y/N)? They didn't get any physical traits from me, but they did get the ability to chew through solid steel, and manipulate the mind."

"You used (Y/N)'s mother?! You're sick!" Nya yells.

"No!" He yells, eyes flashing red. "It is you who are sick! Humans are a disease; a weakness who use your numbers to push around those who are not like you! But we monsters are strong, much stronger than any human. My plan is to use my child's DNA to mutate the entire human population into monsters, so we will become the strongest in the whole of Ninjago!"

Lloyd bangs his fists against the cage, "I won't let you do this to them! Can't you see that they don't want any of this? You're the only one!"

Your father looked over his shoulder to glance at you, crying in your chair and shaking your head, before he closes his eyes. "My little (Y/N)...does not know what they want. But I do. Soon they'll see that this is for the best."

Instead of crying harder, you get angry, thrashing around in your chair. It tips and falls to the side, and you continue squirming on the ground until you can rub the tape off your mouth. You bend your legs upwards so you can chew off the rope around them, then you work on standing up, and you come off the chair. Hands working at the rope behind your back, you yell at your father. "Let them go! Let them all go, and give up!"

He chuckles, "and who's going to stop me? You?"

The rope around your hands finally fall off and you sniff. "Yeah." You prepare for an attack by getting into a defensive position.

The difference between monsters and humans is that while some might look like humans in their morphed form, they will always be faster and stronger than the average one. Your bodies became hard to distinguish blurs in the building, as you punched, kicked, and blocked each other. The winner of this battle was clear; you were younger, and stronger, but your father had an advantage over you that would force his victory over you. All he had to do was put the knife to the right neck.

"Stop! One more step and I'll kill him." Your father was panting, and bore a scratch on his cheek from one of your nails. In his hand was a shuriken he stole off Zane's body when he stuffed him in the cage, and the tip of it was at your boyfriend's throat, as he held him against the bars.

Both of you looked much different from before. Tails sprouted from both of your backs, ears became sharper and fluffier, and little horns appeared off your heads. You both looked like true monsters now, and while your father loved your new look, you hated it.

Coming down from your intense anger, you revert back to your humanoid form. "No, please," you clasped your hands together and begged, "let Lloyd go, I'll do anything, please."

He continued panting, then shook his head, "no, see? If I let him go, he'll just come running to save you the moment someone frees him and his little ninja buddies from this cage. It would be much easier to kill them all in one go, and then you'll have no choice."

"Y-you...you won't do it." Your voice trembles with uncertainty, "if you do, you lose your bargaining chip. I'll be depressed, but you won't have me anymore. Your plan will fail." You chuckle, "you've lost. Just give up."

His jaw clenches as he continues to think. "I don't need to kill all of them, then. Just this one in particular. The one you love so much." He lets out malicious laughter, and presses the shuriken harder.

"NO!" you fall to your knees. If you ran over to help, he would've died, but if you didn't he still would die. You were running out of options.

"Any last words?!"

You pull at your hair for any solutions, you were running out of time, but you found one. "Wait! Please, listen to me!" You wipe your eyes and take a deep breath. "Their memories. I can erase myself from their memories. They won't come looking for me, and you can let them go. Please, I told you I would do anything, even if it means hurting myself to use my power."

Lloyd shook his head as best he could with a weapon to his neck, "(Y/N), you can't! I love you, you promised you wouldn't use it on us!"

"Lloyd, Lloyd," you crawl up to him on your knees and reach out to hold his hand. Your father lets him go temporarily so you could cup his cheek instead. "I have to, honey, I have to. If I don't you'll die."

He starts to cry. "You said you'd be okay. You promised me when you left that you would be back."

You smile sadly. "I promised I'd be okay. I'll be alive, Lloyd. And you will be, too. All of you will be."

"Hurry it up, already." Your father growls. "How do I know you'll even erase their memories, anyway?! I'll know if you're tricking me."

You gulp and shake your head rapidly. "I won't, I'll erase every little thing about me. It'll be like I never existed. You'll know."

There was outcry from the ninja. They all insisted that they didn't want to forget you; that they'd rather risk their lives than forgetting, that there had to be another way, and that ninja never quit.

You shook your head again, "that's the difference between you and me. You are all humans and ninjas. I'm just a monster. I give up so you don't have to."

They continue pleading to you, but this time, you don't listen.

"You haven't even used your powers in years; this could kill you!" Lloyd screamed.

You started with Zane first, as you spent the least time together, and there would be less memory to go through. Arms out like you were going to give him a hug, you closed your eyes and fixated on his mind. When you opened your eyes, both yours and his began to glow, and one could faintly see images of places and things and people. Once you were finished going through his memories, his eyes closed and he fainted.

The others screamed, either jumping back or rushing to see if he was alright, but you couldn't focus on that right now. You had to be quick, because your father looked impatient. "Hurry up, you're wasting my time. I could easily kill them and finish this."

"No!" You yelled at him angrily. "You'll have all the time in the world after this; just let me work!" You were in a bad mood now from this headache you were having.

Cole was your best friend, and he began to beg. "(Y/N), doesn't our friendship mean anything? Listen to me, you don't have to do this. We can just reboot Zane, or something, and you can let the rest of us free! We can help you!"

You tried not to cry. "I can't. He'll just kill you." You point to your father. "You're my best friend, and I don't want you to see the rest of this. That's why you're next." Tears spilled despite you telling yourself not to, but it couldn't be helped. Hands shaking, you concentrated on him next.

Jay and Kai were huddled up together in the corner, nearly scared to death over what was happening. Cole fainted as well, and you hunched over, holding your face. When you pulled your hand away, there was blood on it. Your nose was bleeding.

"(Y/N), you can't do this. You're hurting yourself!" Lloyd grabbed the bars and pulled on them. "I love you more than anything, please! I'll die if it means you live and the others remember you."

"I can't let you do that!" You frowned. "I love you more than anything, that's why I'm risking my life for you!"

"So why can't I risk mine?!"

"Because the world needs you!!" You shouted. Trying to calm down, you wipe the blood off your face, but it just smears across your upper lip. "You're the Green Ninja, the leader. I'm just a monster." You turn to face Jay, who looks more frightened than Kai. "You can't change my mind about this."

Once Jay is done, you move on to Kai. "I'm growing impatient." Your father warns.

"I'm trying!" You snap at him, before blinking something out of your eyes. It's more blood. Your head is pounding, and you feel both rage and sorrow. "I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying! Just shut up and let me work, you pathetic excuse for a father!" You pick up the chair and hurl it at him, but it just breaks across his chest and doesn't do much damage to him.

"You watch your mouth; you're lucky I even agreed to let you do this, you sniveling, ungrateful brat." He smacks you hard across the back of the head. "Shape up your attitude, before I change my mind."

Crying and bleeding, you don't argue this time, and just work on erasing Nya's memories of you. Like the others, she faints when she's done.

Lloyd leans in to whisper to you, cautious of listening ears. "Can't you leave anything? A clue, a day, your name, just something to remember you by? So I can come back?"

You shake your head. "Everything, Lloyd. If I don't, my father will surely hunt you down." You kiss him. "Remember, being a ninja is your first job." You then discreetly point to his pocket. "And you still have my contact."

He understands. "But you'll get hurt. Look at you, you're barely standing, and you're bleeding from basically everywhere." It was true. While your nose dried up, the blood from your eyes mixed with your tears and kept flowing, and after Nya was finished, your ears began to bleed as well.

It was a painful truth, but it was one that needed to be said so Lloyd would know you would still be alive. "My father wouldn't let me die. He needs me too much."

Lloyd began to cry, "(Y/N), I love you, I love you so much."

You kiss him one last time. "I love you too. So much." It's too much to bear, and you can hardly stand to do it. Looking through Lloyd's memories is both heartwarming and painful. He loved you more than anything, and you saw everything all over again; from your first meeting, to your first kiss and date, and even all the times you had fun together. Instead of erasing his memories, you stole them, to keep for yourself as a comfort when he was gone. "I love you, I love you," you kept whispering to him throughout the whole procedure, until he fainted as well.

"And you're sure every single memory was erased?" Your father asks, kicking at Lloyd's leg as a test to make sure he was out.

You growled at your father for treating him like that. "Yes. And I can prove it." You went through your own memories, looking up at the ceiling to project them. The moment you closed your eyes, though, you were out like a light. You expended too much energy, and you wouldn't be awake for a couple days while your body recovered.

One by one, the ninja woke up. They were in hospital beds, and looked around as they tried to figure out what happened.

Luckily, a nurse came by to check on them. "Oh, you're awake! That was some nasty car crash you were all in, you were out for a while! It's a miracle you made it without too many outside injuries, but you all had concussions."

To his left were Lloyd's street clothes, and for some reason, he felt the urge to check his phone. Sure enough, he found it in pockets, and there was a notification. He opened it up, a text from someone named (Y/N). Hey, Lloyd, I hope you're feeling better by the time you read this. I still love you. He kept reading it over and over, feeling creeped out by a stranger messaging him like this. He ignored it and blocked the number, "fans these days are crazy." He muttered to himself. He would always feel like he was forgetting something, but he would never know what.

#I was supposed to finish this yesterday but my allergies were SO BAD I literally couldn't see the screen #hnnnng I hope this is angsty enough; I feel like I put most of the angst in what isn't spoken vs what is #like the angst comes from the thought of reader always longing for Lloyd; but him not feeling it back so they never see each other again #that sort of thing #idk let's just get to tags #ninjago #ninjago lloyd #lloyd x reader #blood #injury #angst #oneshot

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