#post crystalized

[impulsivefanwriter]

Ninjago Magazine Comics Translated Issue 98 - The Kidnapping

If you didn't know, Blue Ocean has a variety of non-canon Ninjago comic magazines. I'm working on translating a few of my favourites from German to English for you all to enjoy (see Issue 85, the first one I translated, for more details). This story is post-Crystalized. Your tags and reactions to my first translation gave me motivation to translate more, and I'm glad people are enjoying them! If there's any in particular you want to see, let me know and I'll see if I have it.

Issue 85 (Post-Seabound) -- The Sea Monster

[goldenavenger02]

found my place

His heart was pounding when the darkness allowed him to come up for a quick moment, just a few seconds to let him thoroughly panic before a hand tightly grasped onto his with the hushed voice insisting, “hey, hey, it’s okay.”

And with that, he was pulled back under.

For @senseigrace, edited by @21st-century-ninja

Lloyd’s thoughts had been hazy since the final battle.

He knew it wasn’t his final battle with the tight rope that destiny had around his neck, but he couldn’t help but hope that it was the last time.

That this was the last time he would have to fight The Overlord, the last time he would have to see Harumi and the last time he had to see Garmadon.

He tried to find the bright spots in all of it, like how Nya was back and even had regained her powers, how Ninjago was rid of the persistent darkness that tried to engulf it, but despite that, his mind just kept wandering back to the darkness that lingered inside of him.

Even the sunrise exercises, training hours and meditation sessions that he was still expected to show up for despite being the only participant were unable to center his absent mind; nothing could erase the memories of the mental and physical pain that was associated with becoming something that he wasn’t, even if there was a small voice inside of him begging him to forgive his father.

Which had led Lloyd to where he was now, standing outside of Master Wu’s bedroom with his hand knocking lightly on the doorframe; he highly doubted his uncle was awake, given that the time was nearing two in the morning, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t lull himself to sleep.

But, to his surprise, it only took a few rapid, soft knocks for Master Wu to open the sliding door and given that he was still wearing the clothes he had spent the entire day in, Lloyd couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t the only one who was struggling to sleep in the eerily quiet monastery.

“Come in, Lloyd,” his uncle insisted as he stood to the side, allowing Lloyd to walk inside; his usual meditation setup with the tray of burning incense and the red, fraying carpet was still out as well as the secondary brown carpet that was reserved for lessons, “I’ve been expecting you.”

‘Why am I not shocked?’ Lloyd thought as he sat down on the familiar brown carpet, crossing his legs when he had fully brought himself to the ground.

“You haven’t been sleeping,” Wu called him out, “because something is troubling you.”

“Have you heard from the others?” Lloyd asked, hoping that his lie would be enough to quell his master’s prying, only to get the head shake that he had been expecting along with a sigh.

“Not since they left. But we both know that’s not what is keeping you awake, if anything, you should be sleeping better without the late-night video game sessions.”

Lloyd pulled in a breath to try and calm his nerves, pressing his palms into each other so they wouldn’t shake before the truth spilled from his lips, “I just…I’m worried, Master Wu.”

“About the others?”

“Well, yes, but no,” Lloyd stopped to bring in another shaking breath, feeling his heartbeat pound in his ears, “I’m worried about becoming like my father” those words resulted in Wu raising his eyebrow with what he hoped was curiosity instead of disappointment, “and the whole Oni form thing isn’t helping me feel better about that.”

“My brother was slowly corrupted by the darkness inside of him from the Great Devourer, the Oni inside of him simply propelled it,” Wu insisted, his voice growing eerily steady like it did every time he spoke about Garmadon, “we each follow our own paths, Lloyd. Paths that we are not even aware that we are on.”

“So, you have no idea if I’m going to end up like Garmadon.” Lloyd sighed as defeat seeped into his bones, “or if I’m going to turn into an Oni and get stuck like that.”

“I’m afraid I do not, nephew,” Wu agreed, “but, what turned your father into what he is now, was corruption of what once was truly good. The things that turned him into what he is now, they no longer exist.”

Lloyd nodded; he knew that the Devourer was long gone, that the Oni masks were destroyed and that the Golden Weapons had been returned to raw, elemental energy. 

Nothing existed that could corrupt him the same way it had destroyed his father.

“But, and you’re not going to like this, you should continue to work on controlling your Oni form.”

“Have you not been listening to me?!” Lloyd couldn’t stop himself from shouting as he stood up, “that sounds like doing exactly what Garmadon wanted me to do! He wants me to be like him, you know that, right?! He wants me to let go of all of my emotions, my sentimentality, anything that makes me human!”

“Lloyd-”

“I can’t end up like him, Uncle Wu!” 

And with those words, Lloyd felt like he was eight years old again; terrorizing Ninjago, releasing the Serpentine and being everything that he thought would bring his father back to him only to get taken in by the ninja, screaming and fighting as they made him board The Bounty.

He hadn’t even noticed the hot tears rolling down his cheeks until his uncle approached and brought his hand up to wipe them away before pulling Lloyd into a tight hug which only made him cry harder.

His chest heaved harshly, his body shook and all he could do was grasp tightly onto his uncle, burying his head into his shoulder.

Master Wu didn’t speak, he just kept one hand on Lloyd’s back and let the other one gently brush through the golden wisps of hair, but it didn’t do much to quell the sobs of what he had been keeping in longer than he should have.

But, when his eyes started to sting and his ears started to hurt, he finally managed to pull himself away from Wu’s shoulder, wiping his face on his sleeve.

“I-I’m sorry,” he muttered under his breath, “about yelling at you.”

“I would rather you aim your anger at me then someone else, nephew,” his uncle insisted before putting his hand on his left shoulder, “now, even though I don’t assign bedtimes any more, it is much too late for the two of us to be awake. No sunrise exercise tomorrow, but I expect to see you awake before noon.”

“Goodnight, Master Wu.” Lloyd nodded, letting his shaky legs guide himself to his bedroom.

But as he walked, he couldn’t stop the thoughts of worry from creeping back into his mind to try and narrow down any object that could possibly corrupt him.

…

The post-battle haze didn’t leave Lloyd’s brain when he awoke the next morning; in fact, between the throbbing directly in his forehead and the heat in his cheeks, the haze was only stronger than it had been in the last few weeks.

His vision was blurry as he squinted in the darkness, trying to gain his bearings only to see the familiar form of his uncle hovering over his bed; even though there was a look of worry covering his face, he couldn’t help but feel relief when he identified him.

“Master Wu?” Lloyd’s voice cracked as he spoke, making his cheeks feel more flushed than they already were and his jaw started to ache, “is everything okay?”

“Everything except for you, nephew,” Lloyd knew that when he was referred to by “nephew” instead of his name that Wu was worried about him but it wasn’t until he felt Wu’s familiar hand rest on his forehead that he was able to process that he was sick, “you’re running a temperature.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Lloyd insisted as he started to sit up, only to be met with what he could only describe as a stab of pain directly in his shoulder blades, “ah!” the cry of pain tore out of his throat and tears sprang into his eyes involuntarily.

He tried to slow his breathing as he was gently pushed back onto the mattress with a hand on his shoulder, but when the pain in his back dissipated, he was met with the throbbing in his forehead returning with a vengeance and nearly making him sick along with a chill starting to seep into his bones and spread throughout his body.

He couldn't stop himself from shaking as he pulled his legs inward toward his chest and pressed his head harder onto the pillow to try and muster up some relief.

“W-what’s…” Lloyd managed to pull a painful breath into his aching chest and fought the urge to cry out again from the ripples of agony, “w-what’s wrong with me?”

The last words Lloyd heard before the darkness pulled him down deep into unconsciousness were the unmasked, terrified words of his master, “that’s what your mother and I are trying to figure out.”

…

“-is going to have to hold him still.” 

“I’ll do it.”

Lloyd couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. All he could do was listen in on the words spoken by his bedside as pain continued to make its way through his back, his head, his teeth, his hands and his sides and he was pulled into someone’s comforting arms.

He could tell that despite the rough hands seemingly trying to press on every area that throbbed or stung, he was being supported by someone’s chest against his back.

“This is bad, Wu.” The smooth yet deep voice finally broke through his hearing, “this wasn’t supposed to happen for years.”

Lloyd could recognize that voice anywhere; whether that was in the deep recesses of his childhood, those few good years followed by the worst years of his life, only to be face to face with something that was everything but what he needed. 

He could recognize the voice of Garmadon anywhere.

But, despite his harsh touch against his aching shoulder blades, there was the gentle hand in his sweaty hair that gently made its way from the top of his scalp all the way to where his thin, blonde wisps touched the bottom of his neck. 

It was the only thing that kept Lloyd from fighting the paralysis that held him tightly in its grasp because he knew that no matter how much his uncle wanted to continue to foster a relationship with Garmadon, he would never let him put an unnecessary hand on him.

If he had asked a question, had managed to make his lips move or even had found it in him to try and move, he didn’t know.

All he knew was that his uncle knew, because the touch somehow became even more gentle as his familiar whisper lulled him back into the darkness.

“Everything's okay, just go back to sleep."

…

“You need to call them, Wu.”

“If this is what Garmadon says it is, then it will pass.”

“Regardless of whether it will pass or not, you know as well as I do that they will want to know what’s going on.”

“They are all in the process of trying to regain their elemental powers, Misako.”

“And they all left you their contact information if they were needed. My son needs them right now.”

A long heavy sigh and the same gentle touch running through his hair before his uncle finally responded.

“Very well.”

Darkness enveloped Lloyd yet again almost as quickly as it had let go.

…

His heart was pounding when the darkness allowed him to come up for a quick moment, just a few seconds to let him thoroughly panic before a hand tightly grasped onto his with the hushed voice insisting, “hey, hey, it’s okay.”

And with that, he was pulled back under.

…

When Lloyd awoke again, his head was throbbing and even though it was now centered in the top of his skull, it still made the pain radiate throughout his face; despite that, he finally managed to pry his eyes open once again.

The lights were off, making it difficult for him to focus on anything.

In fact, he considered going back to sleep for a moment when he didn’t see his mom, uncle, or even Garmadon when his eyes flicked downward toward the pressure surrounding his left hands and saw the familiar, scarred hand with the red fabric of a gi nearly covering it.

“K-Kai?” he managed to croak, only now realizing how much his throat burned and his jaw ached, only to feel a soft hand on his blanket-covered leg that belonged to, “Nya?”

“Lloyd!” Kai shout penetrated his skull in a way that he couldn’t do anything but wince, resulting in the sound of a hard ‘smack’ against skin that he could only guess was Nya, “my bad, bud” he added in a much softer voice.

“H-how?” He couldn’t help but ask even though he vaguely remembered his mom and uncle discussing calling the others.

“Master Wu called us,” Nya said with a nod of confirmation coming from Kai, “he said that you weren’t doing too great.”

“Granted, I don’t think anyone would be doing well while they were turning into an Oni-”

‘No, no, this isn’t happening,’ the anxiety started to swell at the thought of looking like, of turning out like Garmadon, at the mere possibility of his worst fear coming true, ‘not now, not now, this is not happening.’

“Lloyd?” Nya’s muffled voice tried to break through, “Lloyd, we’ve got you.”

‘I’m a monster. I’m turning into everything that’s wrong with me. They’re going to leave me again.’

“Lloyd,” the pressure around his hand tightened, forcing him to look up at Kai’s amber-colored eyes, the eyes that he associated with safety, “Lloyd, take a deep breath and hold it in. I need you to do that for me, okay?”

Lloyd couldn’t do anything but comply, the salty tears breaking away from his tear ducts and streaming down toward his ears as he pulled in a shaking breath.

‘In, hold, out, hold.’ He repeated the breaths that he was coaxed through like a mantra until his chest stopped shuddering and his cheeks grew sticky from the drying tears.

Eventually, Kai loosened the pressure on his hand enough for him to push himself upwards on his elbows and slowly prop his aching body against the pillows; his head felt way too heavy for his neck but the angle allowed him to take in the fact that Nya and Kai were really there.

“Here, let me just…” Nya paused as she reached forward with a soft tissue and wiped down his cheeks before running her hand across the top of his scalp while avoiding the two prominent sources of the pain that pulsed throughout his head, “there you go.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, despite the ache it sent throughout his mouth before letting it fall, “what do you mean, about what you said?”

Kai’s sigh was long, the kind he reserved when he regretted what he had said, as he responded, “your uncle and your da-Garmadon want to talk to you about it.”

“First Spinjitzu Master,” Lloyd cursed as he rubbed his hand over his face; the thought of having to talk to Garmadon about how he had become exactly what he had tried to mold him into and hearing him gloat about how he had been right the whole time made Lloyd’s headache come back with a renewed throb to it, “do I have to?”

“They’re gonna have more answers than us, Lloyd,” Nya shrugged hopelessly, “but we can always stall for you, say you’re still asleep.”

“Yeah, we don’t wanna push you,” Kai insisted before his free hand became alight with fire, “and you know, just say the word and I’ll hurl this at Garmadon’s face.”

‘Wait…fire?’

“You got your powers back?” 

“We all did, big shot,” Kai’s grin continued to widen as he extinguished the flame, “and I’ll give you all the details after you get some more sleep.”

Lloyd nodded, scooting himself carefully back onto the mattress so he was laying down before rolling onto his side and letting his eyes flutter shut. He felt Kai pull the blanket over his shoulder and Nya gently squeeze the same shoulder, but he just let himself welcome the darkness that engulfed him once again.

…

With help from Kai and Nya’s stalling and his first peaceful sleep for the first time in a long time, Lloyd managed to hold off the conversation for a solid five hours.

And despite that, when he finally managed to stand on his shaking legs and look at himself in the bathroom mirror, he still didn’t want to do this when he still had the option to lay down for a few more hours.

But the sharp fangs that protruded from his gums in the place of his canines and the nubs of horns that would have been fully hidden by his hair if he hadn’t just been victim to a raging fever and sweat reducing the natural volume worried him.

‘If I keep putting this off, are more things going to change?’ he couldn’t tell if he was imagining the red that had always made up his eyes trying to push through the bright green, if the Oni inside of him was fighting its way to the surface, ‘will I continue to turn into a monster until there’s nothing of me left?’

“Lloyd?” Nya’s voice was soft as it broke through the spiral and forced him to turn away from the mirror to see her slouched against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, “do you want me to go with you?”

As much as Lloyd wanted to say yes, he had a feeling that this was meant to be a private conversation between himself, Master Wu and Garmadon, something that the others would hear from him as soon as his father made his way out of the monastery.

“No, but…” he looked down at his fingertips, wincing when he saw the dark stain of dry blood under and around his fingernails from his claws forcing themselves out which sent him to the sink to try and scrub some of it away.

Nya approached silently, her hand coming down to rest on his shoulder as she spoke, “that promise I made to you, about protecting you? I still intend to keep it, and so do the others.”

“I know.” Lloyd agreed, knowing fully well that the others wouldn’t hesitate to take Garmadon down at the first sign of danger, that they had all been very uncomfortable with his methods of trying to teach him how to control his Oni form to the point that the insult toward Master Wu was the breaking point for them.

“Do you need anything before you go talk to them?” She asked while he pulled his hands away from the sink and wiped them dry on the brown towel that hung next to the sink.

Lloyd nearly bit his tongue in order to keep himself from saying ‘I need to get out of this conversation’ until he remembered that he had fangs now and he would actually like to keep his tongue, so he settled for looking up at Nya’s grayish-blue eyes and asking.

“If it’s not too much to ask, there’s a new Starfarer movie. It’s the reboot series, so it’s not as good as the original ones, but-oomph” he couldn’t hold the sudden wince of pain as Nya hugged him tightly, but she pulled away nearly as fast as she hugged him.

“I’ll let the others know, we’ll be waiting for you,” she insisted, leaving the room with one more look and a “good luck”.

Lloyd forced his legs to bring him towards his master’s quarters and as he brought his hand to the door in a series of swift knocks, the only thought that filled him was ‘here goes nothing.’

No one opened the door, but it was unlocked when he gently nudged it, so he let himself in; he wasn’t surprised to see Master Wu and Garmadon both sitting down at the small table pushed into the back of the room, talking softly over cups of tea.

He cleared his throat, instantly gaining both of their attention from their private conversation, but he kept his attention focused on Wu’s face despite his father’s voice being the first to speak directly at him.

“He lives.”

Lloyd swallowed back his anger as he crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look him in the eyes and keeping his attention on a slightly darker spot on the hardwood floor.

“The least you could do is sit down with us.”

“I’d rather stand.” Lloyd tried to keep back as much of the bite in his tone as possible, if only for Master Wu’s sake of having to mediate between the once-close father and son.

“How are you feeling, Lloyd?” Wu asked while filling a third teacup which he reached over to hand to Lloyd once it was three–fourths full.

He took it gratefully, the warmth from the light brown liquid warming his palms while the scent of chamomile and vanilla worked through a few of his nerves; it smelled like Steep Wisdom, like coming into his uncle’s room late at night when something was keeping him awake; above all, it smelled like home.

“I’m feeling better,” Lloyd finally looked back up at his uncle with a nod before glancing over at his father, “do you know what all of that was? Is that why you were brought here?”

“That’s exactly why I was called here,” Garmadon insisted as he stood and approached Lloyd, “Wu and I may have similar genetics, but when it comes to the Oni side of it, I have much more experience.”

The lightest touch in his hair had him flinching away from the hand that was more than likely trying to get a closer look at the horns that had emerged from his skull, and the shame only really hit him in the chest when he saw the confusion and what seemingly was regret on Garmadon’s face.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“I’ve changed, Lloyd,” Garmadon cut him off, “and you still think that way of me? You still think I would hurt you?”

“I’m trying.” Lloyd swallowed to keep the tears from falling out of his eyes, “I’m trying to let you back into my life, but after that stunt you pulled, I…” Lloyd reached his free arm up to his face to wipe the tears off of his cheeks even though he knew they would quickly be replaced.

He was angry at his father, yes, but the real emotional weight of just how hard it was for him to have him and then lose him, only for him to come back but not as the father he remembered only for him to act as though he was losing him again, was finally smacking him across the face right in front of the man himself.

“The transformation you went through, that wasn’t supposed to happen until you were much older, when you aged from an adolescent Oni to an adult Oni,” Wu filled in, letting Lloyd’s unfinished sentence hang in the air, “but between your genetics and the Tomorrow’s Tea, Garmadon and I have come to the conclusion that your body assumed you were ready.”

‘Damn Tomorrow’s Tea,’ Lloyd couldn’t help but think as he nodded along with what his uncle was saying while setting down his untouched tea, “but that’s the end of it, right? The horns and the teeth, that’s it?”

“Well, that’s part of the reason that it was so hard on you, that I was so hard on you, aside from you being too young,” Garmadon cut in, only now Lloyd could find it in himself to actually look at his father’s glowing, red eyes, “the Oni side of you will always fight to let itself out unless you learn to control it. If you keep fighting against it like you have been, there is a high chance that more of your Oni features will end up like your horns and teeth. Permanent.”

“So the purple eyes, the claws, the wings and the extra arms?” Lloyd swallowed at the sight of the mental image he was faced with, the ruthless Oni that fought for dominance, “they would always be there?”

“Precisely,” Garmadon confirmed, making Lloyd’s stomach twist, “but you are closer to controlling it between this transformation and unleashing your Oni form, you just have to learn how to bring it out when you want it to come out.”

He didn’t respond to his father but focused his attention on his uncle as he asked, “I don’t suppose you could teach me that.”

Lloyd couldn’t help but deflate when Master Wu shook his head, “Your father is the most equipped to guide you through this training, Lloyd.”

He nodded and turned back to Garmadon, bringing his eyesight upwards to look at his glowing red eyes, the ones that used to remind him of home the same way the scent of his uncle’s tea did now, before finding it inside of himself to ask, “when do we start?”

“Once your horns finish coming in, you’ll have better balance that way,” Garmadon’s voice was unwavering and void of any emotion that Lloyd could try and pick out, “should be about three days from now.”

“Okay,” Lloyd nodded in agreement and hoped that he hadn’t just signed up for hours upon hours of misery, “is there anything else that you need to tell me?” 

“No, nephew,” Wu assured him, “you may leave now.”

Lloyd had never left a room faster, even if it was just to breathe in some less stuffy air and avoid having to process everything that had just happened. ‘Processing can happen later.’

And with that thought, he made his way downstairs toward his promised movie viewing and the others all while trying to keep his mind clear of any thoughts about his dad, the Oni or the pain that still occasionally radiated through his head and down his neck.

He had never been so relieved to see the others in their usual places, PIXAL and Zane setting up the movie, Cole holding the popcorn bucket that Jay had gotten when the two of them and Nya had gone to see the last Starfarer movie that had starred Cliff Gorden in the titular role, Jay and Cole already starting to eat it despite the fact that the movie hadn’t even started.

Given that Nya and Kai were sitting on the couch, leaving the spot in between them for him, Lloyd could only assume that Jay and Cole’s playful bickering had resulted in the two of them being banished to the floor like always.

Lloyd took his spot on the purple couch and shamelessly rested his aching head on Kai’s warm shoulder, his eyes already trying to flutter shut.

“Lloyd, the least you could do is try and stay awake long enough for the movie to even start.” Kai joked while wrapping his arm around him and gently rubbing his hand up and down his right arm.

“I’m gonna stay awake, ‘nless you put me to sleep.” Lloyd mumbled from where he laid, but made no move to sit up which only continued to enable Kai.

“Be nice,” Nya chastised as she finally got Cole to move the popcorn bucket upwards so she could reach some, “he’s been sick, he can sle-” she cut herself off after putting a few kernels in her mouth, “who the fuck seasoned the popcorn with ranch?”

Nya and Cole bickering about the ethics of putting ranch seasoning on popcorn was only stopped by the familiar intro music that indicated that PIXAL and Zane had finally gotten the movie started.

Lloyd tried to pay attention to the newest installment in his favorite franchise, but his eyes continued to try to flutter shut, Kai’s warm hand on his shoulder was the closest thing to a comforting embrace he had gotten in days and the blanket that someone had tossed over his body was so soft that he couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to stay awake during the first fight scene.

All he could really focus on before he drifted off wasn’t the classic “Fear? Fear isn’t a word where I come from” line, it wasn’t Jay saying that the design of the spaceship wasn’t comic accurate only to get loudly shushed by everyone else.

It was that for the first time since standing on that floating rock next to his father and Harumi, his thoughts were no longer hazy; for the first time in a long time, Lloyd’s thoughts were clear and for the first time in a long time, he welcomed the veil of sleep with open arms.

[akariarda]

You are not a monster

After Crystallized.Garmadon's angst and his family who is conforting him.

@ogzieoggleton Thanks so much for the request!!!

"Father," Lloyd looked confusedly at Garmadon, who was rummaging through his room.

"What are you doing?" Concern was clearly heard in Lloyd's voice.

"Nothing," Garmadon chuckled falsely and hid something behind him. Unsuccessfully, as a Hawaiian shirt fell out of his bag from behind.

"Is that yours?" Lloyd asked in amazement.

"Um, yeah," Garmadon nervously picked up the shirt, but other things fell out of the bag. A brush, pictures, clothes...

"Um, no, it's not mine," Garmadon falsely laughed again and collected everything back in the bag.

Lloyd stood silently in shock.

"Are you... leaving us?"

"Maybe," Garmadon swallowed.

"Why?!" It was Lloyd's only question, to which Garmadon sighed.

"I don't deserve to be here," Garmadon turned towards the window and continued to stare out of it.

"Of course you deserve," Lloyd gently approached him and put his hand on his shoulder. "You helped us defeat the Overlord, rebuild the monastery..."

"Lloyd, let me go," Garmadon turned away from his only son.

"Let's talk..." Lloyd insisted.

"No," Garmadon said softly. "No talking."

"What's going on here?" Misako came in from the door when she saw the strange scene in the room.

"He doesn't want to talk to me and wants to leave!" Lloyd complained to his mother. Garmadon didn't respond to that, just continued to stare at the wall.

Misako gestured for Lloyd to leave for a moment, then leaned on the window sill.

"Why are you leaving?"

Nothing.

"Garmadon..." Misako persisted.

"I don't want to talk..." a rough response.

"You'll break Lloyd's heart.He will miss you."

Only sad frown.

"I will miss you."

A surprised whisper.

"Stop being childish!" Misako tried the last method and raised her voice.

"Who's being childish!?" Garmadon sharply turned and angrily looked her in the eyes.

"Um, mom, dad...?" Lloyd looked confused at his parents.

"Go out for a minute, Lloyd," Garmadon waved his hand.

"Explain yourself," he said and leaned against the window.

"You want to leave without saying goodbye, and you don't understand how much we'll miss you. Lloyd needs a father, no matter how grown up he is."

"Do you need a husband," Garmadon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Misako said after a brief pause. "We all need a family."

"We can't be a family," Garmadon coldly replied and started collecting his things from the floor into the bag again.

He didn't want to look at Misako or Lloyd, thousands of emotions were swirling inside him.

"Why?" Misako asked desperately.Garmadon paused and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"Because I'm a monster," he whispered and continued packing. Then he stopped when he felt Misako's hand on his shoulder. She squatted next to him.

"You're not..." she whispered gently.

"It doesn't matter how you look, you're still the man I loved, that I love.Father of our son."

"How do you know it's me?" Garmadon whispered.

"I see it," Misako began, but Garmadon stood up and gently brushed her hand off his shoulder.

"Lloyd thinks I'm a monster," he told her.

"It's not true..." Misako started but Garmadon abruptly cut her off.

"Don't lie to me, Misako!" Garmadon was angry with sadness and despair.

"You didn't see how he reacted when he achieved his True Potential. Besides, you don't seem to know that his biggest fear is becoming like me!!"

When he said that, he turned to see the expression on her face. She was shocked and sad at the same time.

She didn't know how to respond to this.

"It's not true, dad," Lloyd entered the room.

"Yes," Garmadon muttered and turned away from Lloyd.

"I'm afraid he'll become like evil you, not like you are now."

"I'm not different from before..." Garmadon muttered.

"You are, you're changing. You're reverting to your old self," Misako intervened again and approached Garmadon.

"Seriously?" Garmadon looked at the two of them.

"Dead serious," Lloyd said and hugged him.

That was the moment when Garmadon couldn't hold back his tears anymore and buried his face in Lloyd's head. With a hand, he pulled Misako, who stood behind him, to join the hug.

"Do you think we'll be okay? Do you think we can be a family again, that you can forgive me for everything I've done..."

"We can," Misako said and kissed him on the cheek, leaning her head on his.

"I don't think otherwise," Lloyd smiled. "Do you know what the best way is to recover from a stressful morning?"

~~~~~~

"Seriously?" Garmadon asked.

Following Lloyd's instructions, all three of them lay on the floor.

"Is it that this is the best solution?" Lloyd proudly stated.

"You are a genius son," Garmadon said sarcastically."Were you eavesdropping on us in the room a little while ago?"

"No," Lloyd swallowed. "You were screaming so I heard you."

" Yeah," Garmadon said not really convinced.

"Well, I guess it's actually comfortable," Misako noticed.

"Huh, you see," Lloyd said to Garmadon. "Mom says it's comfortable."

"If you say so, who am I to argue," Garmadon said sarcastically, and all three of them laughed.

Even when they stopped, Garmadon continued to laugh. His heart was bigger than the universe.

For the first time in a long time, he felt like everything was going to be okay and that they could be a family again.

You can request something if you want!

[comingofthedawn]

[sentientsnakeskin]

Why do all these characters have nicknames and why can i never clock them. I’ve spent the whole time in the yellowjackets fandom slowly figuring out everyone’s given names from their nicknames and it’s psyching me out. It took me so long to figure out that lottie’s given name was charlotte and every time i remember that van’s given name is vanessa i have a miniature heart attack. Mari’s full name is probably maria. Fuck. Gen’s full name is probably genevieve. Shit. Jackie might be short for jacqueline. Crying rn. The fifth season is gonna come out or smth and tell me misty’s real name is mysterious quigley and i’ll have no choice but to keel over and die

[sugarbear2001]

[wildermouse]

plitvice lakes, croatia

[moresandmanstuff]

[seance]

DEAD BOY DETECTIVES + the onion headlines

[imchoccy]

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

[akascow]

hey uh not for nothing but uhhHHHH

blue... and red ? alrighty

[starcrossedstarfishes]

Crystal: You don't think I can fight because I'm a woman!

Charles: I don't think you can fight because you're wearing a wedding dress! For what it's worth, I don't think Edwin could fight in that dress either.

Edwin: Perhaps not, but I would be radiant.

[goldenavenger02]

i'll tell you that he runs because he loves me

(for @hms-siren who requested Kai & 53 for the Spotify Wrapped Fic Requests. My 53rd most listened to song was My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys by Taylor Swift)

So, while she was strong and ready, she had to do it.

For both of their sake, she had to break up with Kai.

Skylor's emotions flared as the door opened.

The door of the restaurant opening wasn't unusual during a rush, it meant business was steady and good and normal.

With how long she had craved normal on her father's island, she still found herself constantly reaching for it and that was due to the subject who came in the door.

"Hey, Sky."

That voice, forever unwavering in its smooth delivery, was the same voice that only offered distance and leaving for months at a time.

And yet, she still found herself falling for it every time.

"Your usual?" She responded as she took in the smudges of dirt and mud covering his cheeks and clothes that he hadn't even changed out of before tracking the latest mess of Ninjago into the building.

He nodded and she punched it in, wishing that she could just take in the soft scent of smoke and every single scar on his face that had drug her into curiosity when she had met him the first time.

And yet, even with the deep, exhausting love fighting tooth and nail to emerge from her lips and force this feeling down yet again so she could just live in his chaos, she just swallowed hard and forced herself to stay steady.

"Once it comes out, we…we need to talk."

She knew that this was going to break him, probably more than it was going to break her, but with the way it was going now, she knew that the combination of unrelenting distance and never talking to her about it was going to make her combust one day.

So, while she was strong and ready, she had to do it.

For both of their sake, she had to break up with Kai.

…

Kai used the napkins sitting at the booth in the back to try and wipe some of the soot off of his face as he waited for Skylor to arrive.

The exhaustion in his bones was weighing heavy, only matched by his adrenaline ebbing way too slowly. It had been way too close today and he knew that he wouldn't be able to eat on The Bounty.

Not when it had been way, way too close.

He looked up at Skylor when she brought the meal over on one of the trays; usually he would be concerned that she didn't have food with her as well, since she tended to take her break when he arrived but he had been late due to the fight.

He didn't want her to wait on him when everything about his life was all too unpredictable.

"So?" He asked, snapping her vision away from a couple in the booth across from them, "what did you want to talk about?"

She let out a heavy sigh, the kind that came with a lot of baggage, "you were late again."

"Yeah…I know, The Mechanic is ramping things up, hence the whole…" he trailed off, gesturing a hand to his dirty face and clothes, "every time we try and stop him, he comes back with a vengeance and-"

"Even if you stop him, something else will come up," Skylor cut him off, her tone bitter and sad in a way that made Kai's stomach roll painfully, "I know the drill by now."

"Whoa, Skylor, it's not like that."

"But it is, isn't it? Every time things settle down, and I think that maybe, just maybe, things will be normal for a second, something else comes up. Morro, the Time Twins, Harumi-"

"Okay, maybe it is like that, but I can't give up on this," Kai cut her off, "the others are mine and Nya's family, you know?"

"…I thought I was too," and Kai flinched at the sound of tears in Skylor's voice, he hadn't seen her cry in years, "but you don't even talk to me about anything meaningful or important. All I ever get from you are shitty memes or emojis if anything when you could be dying."

"Sky, that's not fair."

"But it's fair to keep me in the dark? Not to tell me why you're over an hour late to dinner when you promised me after the whole crystal mess that you would fucking communicate better?"

"Skylor, Zane almost died today cause of The Mechanic! I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was going to be late mid battle, I was a little preoccupied!"

"But you're always "preoccupied"! I knew that I would come second to the ninja the second I started dating you, at the very least coming in after Nya and Lloyd, that's fine," she huffed, venom practically spewing from her lips, "I didn't realize that I had to come after Ninjago's latest crisis!"

"Well, you should have!" Kai shouted, finally reaching his boiling point, "I'm sworn to protect, you know that! I've told you that! Maybe I would tell you this stuff if you didn't get pissed every time I forget to text you back!"

The air was thick, the couple across from them and as he breathed heavily, he watched as Skylor stood up and dropped the receipt on the table.

"Pick up your stuff tomorrow from my apartment. I'm done."

And like a rush of wind, the anger was instantly replaced by panic as Kai stumbled out of the booth while she began to walk away.

"Skylor, Sky, wait. Just hold on for a second, Skylor-"

"You make me feel so alone, you know that? I spend every day terrified for you and all I get are cat gifs in return," She demanded as she turned around, the words like a dagger to his chest, "I know that you're sworn to fight for Ninjago, but if…if this was ever going to work out between us, we needed to swear to fight for each other too. You were never going to do that for me."

"Skylor-"

"Goodbye, Kai."

And with that, she pulled her hand out of his worn gloved palm and disappeared behind the swinging door, leaving Kai to stand in the empty restaurant with his heart shattered on the floor.

[akariarda]

Because I can

After Crystallized, Garmadon annoys Lloyd in every possible way.

Request from ao3!

"Come on, dad.." Lloyd sighed irritably. He looked at all the mess his father had made and left on the table.

"Dad!" Lloyd called out to Garmadon, who was in the bathroom at that moment.

"I'm coming out!" Garmadon yelled and exited the bathroom.

Apart from a towel covering part of his lower body, he had nothing on.

"Dad, please!" Lloyd blushed and turned his head.

"What?" Garmadon looked at him, pretending to be innocent.

"Please, put some clothes on.." Lloyd begged.

"Alright, fine.." Garmadon shrugged. "Even though we're all men here.." L

loyd didn't want to watch it anymore and went to the bathroom. He was looking for his toothbrush when his foot slipped.

BOOM!

"Ow!" Lloyd exclaimed in pain as he hit the floor.

There was a puddle of water underneath him.

"You didn't hurt yourself too much, did you?" Garmadon entered laughing in the bathroom.

"You did this on purpose!" Lloyd angrily looked at Garmadon.

"No.." Garmadon poorly acted.

It was especially bad because he couldn't hide his laughter.

"Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself too much?" Garmadon asked.

"No," Lloyd sighed. "I'm fine."

He just wanted to end the embarrassment as soon as possible.

"Are you sure?" Garmadon raised an eyebrow. "I heard a loud 'boom'.." Garmadon seemed to be enjoying everything.

"I'm fine.."

"But you screamed so loudly... Like a little girl.."

"I'M FINE!" Lloyd yelled.

He was so irritated that he wanted to throw things around. Only his dad could bring him to this state.

"Please, leave." Lloyd spoke in a calmer voice.

"Fine." Garmadon shrugged and burped as he left. Lloyd furrowed his brows at that..

Just another thing he had to get used to when it came to his father.

~~~~~~

"Can you turn down that music!" Lloyd tried to catch up with Garmadon, who was singing while cleaning.

"Please!" Lloyd yelled, but Garmadon couldn't hear him over the loud music.

"Dad!" Lloyd shouted and turned off the music.

"What?" Garmadon turned around.

He was wearing some funny apron that made him look like he stepped out of a cartoon.

"Why are you wearing Zane's old apron?" Lloyd looked at him confused.

"Why did you turn off the music?" Garmadon questioned furrowing his brow.

"Because it's too loud..." Lloyd crossed his arms and defiantly looked at Garmadon.

"Ah, a man can't even listen to music these days without someone being bothered."

Garmadon indifferently stated and turned the music back on, even louder than before.

"Turn it down!" Lloyd said and turned off the music. "Please, it's echoing through the whole monastery.."

"No, it's not." Garmadon said and turned the music back on, this time even louder.

He just moved the radio so Lloyd couldn't turn it off again.

"Ugh.." Lloyd clenched his fists. It seemed like Garmadon was trying to annoy him as much as possible all day.

~~~~~~

"Slow down, dad, please." Lloyd said as he tried to keep up with Garmadon, who was walking as fast as he could.

"We agreed to go for a walk, not a jog." Some passersby were giving them strange looks.

Garmadon turned to the nearest child with their mother.

"Sorry about this, my son is not very physically adept. He's out of shape.." Garmadon was humiliating Lloyd.

Lloyd blushed. As they approached, he heard people whispering,

"Green ninja?"

"It can't be.."

"They all got lazy after defeating the Overlord.."

"Don't repeat that again!" Lloyd angrily said as they passed the crowd.

He was still as red as a pepper.

"I'm sorry.." Garmadon approached the nearest person he could find.

"No! Lloyd said and pulled Garmadon by the hand.

"Hey!" Garmadon protested. "I wanted to ask where I can buy a soda!"

"You have enough soda at the monastery." Lloyd sighed irritably.

~~~~~~

"Then you go left." Lloyd showed Garmadon how to play his latest Playstation game.

"Alright." Garmadon said and turned right.

"Wrong way." Lloyd warned him.

"To me, this looks right." Garmadon said. Soon, a message appeared on the screen:

'You lose.'

"This game is stupid." Garmadon said angrily and unplugged the cables to turn off the game.

"Don't do that!" Lloyd panicked. "You could break it. I've been saving up for this for months."

"Sorry." Garmadon didn't sound apologetic.

He burped and put his feet up on the chair. He placed his feet right on Lloyd's poster.

The poster of the game for which he had also been saving for months.

"Why do you keep putting your feet on the table again!" Lloyd angrily stood up and glared at Garmadon.

"And on my things again!."

"Okay.." Garmadon said and moved his feet from the chairs.

"It' not okay!" Lloyd was all red. "You're intentionally annoying me all day!"

"You look like you're about to cry." Garmadon noticed.

"I'm not!" Lloyd turned away angrily.

Although it wasn't far from the truth. He just wanted to cry out of frustration.

"C'mon, Lloyd, come here." Garmadon stood up and called him over. "Your poster is fine..."

Saying that, Garmadon shuffled him a bit.

"I'll buy you another one.."

"It's not just about the poster..." Lloyd sighed calmly and turned to Garmadon. "Why do you intentionally annoy me all the time?"

"Why?... because I can?" Garmadon shrugged.

In his defense, Lloyd caught him off guard.

'Because you look cute when you're angry..' He didn't say that out loud.

"I just feel good.." Garmadon tried to explain. "Like we're bonding again.."

"I understand." Lloyd sighed and smiled after he calmed down.

It was a weird way, but he tried to connect with him.

"Do you want to play a better game now?" Garmadon asked Lloyd and adjusted the cables again.

Well, he tried.

"Sure." Lloyd said and suddenly hugged Garmadon. Garmadon was surprised for a moment and then hugged him back.

"You really drove me crazy today.." Lloyd sighed.

"I know." Garmadon smiled and rubbed his head. "I'll try to do it a little less,my little green bean.."

"Please.." Lloyd begged.Garmadon just smiled even more at that.

[saiscribbles]

Wulfenite

"For a fusion to work, there needs to be balance. An imbalance can cause your fusion to lose touch with reality, see things that aren't there, and eventually fall apart. That is to say, if one of you is falling apart, your fusion will as well. To find balance, you must understand your feelings. To understand your feelings, you must see them clearly without running from them." - Garnet, Mindful Education

After 83 years we finally have our Jasper and Spinel fusion!

Fusions

Iolite | Spessartine | Zultanite | Wulfenite

[idliketobeatree]

dead boy detectives + text posts part 1/?

+ bonus