#pyro lego why must you do this to me

[aners-v]

Almost lost this bitch to public transport, AGAIN

[destinygoldenstar]

Kailor Is Canon, But Not Good Enough For The Show ; So I Finally Read ‘Quest For Lost Powers’ (Commentary Part 3; The Fire Fiends)

<< Part 2

Hey, remember when Kai got jumped by furries?

(My viewers annoyed with me) (Me)

Welcome back to the world of SLURP.

I'm kinda glad I'm doing commentary on Tumblr and not YouTube because then I'd have to use my voice. And I am currently sick. So it would not be pleasant to listen to someone who sounds like they're dying, when in reality they're just being shoved orange juice down their throats and getting headaches. (But I hate oranges, so maybe I am dying.)

We're continuing with Chapter 2 of the Fire Chapter.

Cause it is pretty much the Fire Chapter but with Skylor. I'm not the biggest Skylor fan in the show, but she's just being a girlboss in this book so I'm here for it.

Let the women do something dammit.

Last chapter, Kai's being a butt and sulking on the job.

Then he got jumped by furries.

And now he has decided that in order to get his fire back, he must hunt down a stray Pyro Viper.

Or sorry, FIRE FIENDS.

Come on, pick a name and stick with it Ninjago!

And you know what? At least unlike the Fire Chapter in the show, Kai gets to have a sweet fill of revenge.

Okay I'll stop. (No I won't) Let's get into it. We are starting right where we left off from last chapter.

They just had their encounter with the furries.

(I will not be surprised if I lose followers for this alone.)

[“Whoa, slow down, Kai,” she said. “I mean, it’s good to see you’ve got some pep back in your step, but are you seriously going to run to the outskirts of Ninjago wearing a stained sweatshirt in the middle of the night?”]

Uh, Skylor, have you met Kai? Clearly not.

Also he was wearing a HOODIE in the illustrations. So... Skylor is not fashion smart either.

That, or someone was just too lazy to change this line to 'stained hoodie'.

I'm a writer myself, I notice that stuff!

[“You don’t need to come with me,” Kai shot back. “This is a personal quest, and I’ve got to do it on my own. I can handle this."]

I'm... ugh.

I'm not as mad at that line as I feel like I should be.

I'm working on a Kai essay, and so you know, one of my talking points is that Kai can barely handle anything on his own. So this is deeply ironic that he says that.

And like, yeah, it is kind of a personal thing he needs to do. Sometimes your own thoughts/feelings are what you need to get out of a tight spot in your mental state, and contrasting feelings from another person clash with that.

He's not being MEAN about it... YET.

And SPOILERS, Kai is supposed to be the one in the wrong. Keep that in mind. Kai is wrong for his thought process.

[A flopping fish from the fish tank slid out of his sleeve and fell to the floor.]

How does that even happen? How did the fish get in his hoodie when we're dealing with LEGO clothing physics?

Did the fish try to take a bite out of Kai?!

[“I know you’ve got this. It’s just…maybe a road trip would be good for us. I mean, we haven’t

even been out on a real date yet.”] [“I visit you every night at the noodle shop,” Kai protested.] [“That does not count as a date,” Skylor replied.]

OH RIGHT KAILOR'S A THING NOW.

Um... WOW. Okay that's embarrassing for me.

I legit FORGOT that Kai asked Skylor to be his girlfriend in Crystalized.

That scene in the show just caught me off guard, because I thought they already were dating.

So TWICE now, the status of their relationship is news to me.

I'm more of a lavashipper, but I don't hate this. I just wish the show built up to these two better. But you know, good for them.

[He hadn’t been the first to leave. Zane, the Ice Ninja, had retreated to the Samurai-X cave with the android P.I.X.A.L., who had created some experimental software that she thought would help Zane regain his Ice powers.]

Okay slow down guys, we haven't gotten to their stories yet!

But that's also interesting. I am glad we're getting backstory on what happened and why they moved out.

[Then Cole, the Earth Ninja, had left the city for a simple life on a farm, and Jay—well, the Lightning Ninja didn’t tell anyone where he was going.]

That, or Kai just didn't care enough about his in law to get that information.

I know they're friends, but to me these two are rivals that work together who deep down want to get rid of each other.

[Nya, the Water Ninja, was busy saving the world in her revamped Samurai-X mech.]

You'd think once she got her powers back she'd ditch Samurai all over again. But no she's keeping it and reinventing herself.

Actually, I like that for her.

But we'll get there when we get there.

[When he wasn’t busy helping to rebuild the monastery, the Green Ninja continued to train, and Lloyd had tried to get Kai to train with him every day. But Kai’s heart just hadn’t been in it.]

I understand it, but YOU REDUCE THE BROS TO A FLASHBACK?!

Despite that, I love this for them. I love their dynamic overall. 💖

How long had that been going on? For awhile, right? Cause Kai was the last one to leave.

Lloyd knows how Kai feels about situations like this, and just wants to help his bro recollect himself. I've had anxiety, and I felt a depression when a close person to me moved to another country. I could not make friends for a long time after that, even when my family tried to help.

[“I want to try living an ordinary life,” he’d said, and he’d packed a bag of clothes and ventured into Ninjago City.]

...writers. Pick a motive.

To be fair, I think this is just a me problem. Maybe not though.

Does Kai want to still be a ninja? Does he not want to? Cause at the start of the book, he's not. Then he hears 'fire snake' and he decides 'nah I want to'.

Or maybe the furries motivated him.

[He found a place near the noodle shop, where he spent most of his free time. During the day he worked odd jobs around the city, and at five o’clock he headed to the restaurant and lingered there, talking to Skylor, eating noodles, and watching the giant TV.] [There wasn’t much to his apartment except a bed, a table, a bathroom, and a small kitchen area with a sink, mini fridge, and electric stovetop. The only time he spent there was to sleep. If he lingered for too long, he would be alone with his thoughts, and he hated that.]

Young Adulthood be like.

Also why didn't you say SLURPING noodles?!

[Kai changed out of his wet clothes and into some dry sweats.]

Sweats? That's a weird way to word that. That sounds like he has a hygiene problem.

[I’m not sure if I’m ready for this, Kai thought. But tonight I let a bunch of inexperienced goons with a ridiculous name kick my butt, and Skylor had to save it.]

HEY REMEMBER WHEN KAI GOT JUMPED BY FURRIES?!

[I need to be the Fire Ninja. And the only way I’m going to do that is to put on this uniform, defeat Fire Fang, and get my powers back!]

👏

I like this, actually. I like this scene.

I like that we got some backstory for his shoes. I LOVE that we actually got to SEE his headspace!

s11 didn't even give him that. And before you say 'well ones a book the others a show' you can STILL do stuff like this. Seeing the character's headspace goes a long way to understanding them.

What is that transition icon?

Like what is that supposed to be??

[“This is what we’re driving on our adventure?” Kai asked, wearing his uniform.]

…honestly I gotta agree with Kai on this one. Why does it have ONE WHEEL IN THE FRONT?!

This is a tricycle with no doors to protect the drivers/passengers!

And there’s LEGO studs sticking out!

Which is, surprisingly, VERY UNCOMMON for this show!

CHEN’S GHOST IS IN THE BACK WINKING

I don’t trust this thing.

Kai's face just reads "I should've written my will before this."

[“Looking good, Kai. Red is your color,” she said. “And your hair is styling.”]

(Kai) Thanks, it's uniform. And I use ten gallons of hair gel a day.

Even when I'm underwater, my hair is like a rock.

[She was an Elemental Master too, just like Kai had been. As the Master of Amber, she could temporarily use the powers of any other Elemental Master she touched. That meant that most of the time, she had to rely on her combat training in battle.]

THANKS, READERS OF THIS BOOK HAVE NEVER SEEN THE SHOW.

The audience already knows this!

[She’d been an ally to them— and a good friend to Kai—ever since.]

Good friend, you say?

[“So, where exactly are we going?” Kai asked as Skylor drove through the city streets.]

Why are YOU the one asking that?! YOU were the one who wanted to do this!

You don't even know where you're going?!

[“It’ll take us most of the day to get there. But I brought snacks!”] [She held up a bag from the noodle shop. “Not-so-puffy potstickers. Not good enough for my customers, but just fine for a road trip.”]

That is SAVAGE AND I LOVE IT.

Skylor just said "That is what you get for picking off my quality food peeps! I'll find use in my creations and I'm not gonna apologize for I made them."

Working at Hollywood be like.

I know I just said I'm not the biggest Skylor fan, but that's because of how the show treats her. In this book? She is a QUEEN right now.

[They drove for hours, listening to music, snacking, and talking. Their journey took them out of the city, over rolling hills, and through farmland. By the afternoon, the terrain had changed to more open, flat land. Kai could see what looked like desert sands in the distance, bordered by low, reddish mountains.]

That sounds like a very cute Kailor montage followed with pretty visuals.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE SHOW.

[As much as he thought he needed to make this journey alone, it was good to have company, especially Skylor’s.]

I do really like this aspect of Kai's character. Kai at the start of the show would never just enjoy himself around anybody like this. Unless it was Nya.

It really shows that in terms of THIS, Kai has come pretty far in letting people into his life and just being a dumb kid again. It's wholesome.

I know people hate it. I don't hate the concept itself of Kai being happier, I think it's wholesome. I just don't like how it's executed as 'arsenal klutz/can't be taken seriously anymore'.

Again, Kai essay, I'll get to it and talk about that.

[Can I really beat Fire Fang without my Elemental Powers? he wondered to himself.]

...

SEASON 2.

TOURNAMENT.

POSSESSION.

YOUR INTODUCTION IN THE PILOTS.

Do I HAVE to put up a counter EVERY TIME he whines about this?!

I'm gonna do that, counting last chapter

"I don't have my powers ToT" : 4

I won't count that flashback. He didn't say anything about his powers there.

[“IT’S KAI THE FAMOUS NINJA! HE’S COME TO SAVE US FROM THE FIRE FIENDS!” someone yelled, and the villagers began

to swarm Kai.]

Kai proceeds to have Skybound flashbacks.

This is toxic fans of a cartoon character in a nutshell.

Oh wait, Kai doesn't remember Skybound...

I to think when this happens, he subconsciously gets anxious, and he asks himself "Why do I feel a great wave of DREAD?"

[“Okay, okay, everyone, please back off! You’re messing up my hair,” Kai said, and the villagers quieted down and obeyed as the ninja patted his hair back into place.]

DIVA KAI. We love it.

[“You will find Fire Fang there, in the Lake of Fire,” he said.]

Is it one of those geothermal lakes?

Yeah that's all actually heat.

[“Those who live around the crater have always worshipped fire. They kept to themselves. But when Fire Fang arrived, they worshipped him. And that’s when the trouble started.”]

[A teenage boy spoke up. “They began to attack the villages in this region, burning down houses and bringing the plunder back to Fire Fang.”] [“They have attacked us once already, and we’re trying to rebuild,” a man added.] [Kai gazed around at the village, and saw what he hadn’t noticed before. Some of the homes were just shells of charred wood. Other buildings were under construction with fireproof bricks made of red clay.]

Oh I actually love that backstory for these creatures.

I always wondered this about the Pyro Vipers. Because fire is such a destructive element that's very often used for wars, destruction, just burning things to the ground. Yet here Kai is using that element for good. So these sort of villains are like the anti-Kai in terms of how you can play with fire. And you know, also be aware of damage you cause and what you do when you screw up or get too emotionally unstable.

We didn't get that though. It was just 'You have firepower, yoink, it's mine now" And Kai gets no character development related to his fire besides "I want it back"

And it's the same here, unfortunately. This is just lip service to a deeper narrative they could've done.

I think that would've been glorious development for Kai.

Or at least, made a better rivalry between him and Aspheera.

[“And the Master of Amber, too!” Skylor said]

I did not edit that. I did not mess that up. There is, legit, no period at the end of that sentence.

This may just be a problem with my copy, let me know if it's different for yours, but WOW.

What the heck editors?! There's a thing called editing the text, right? Where you check for grammar errors?

Yet SOMEHOW, this NEVER got edited and fixed.

This sentence didn't get punctuated.

What happened?!

[“We’re glad you’re here, Kai, but haven’t you…well, people say you’ve lost your

powers.”] [“He’s still a ninja!” Skylor interjected.] [Kai frowned. “It’s okay, Skylor. It’s true. I don’t have my Elemental Powers of Fire. But that’s only temporary."]

"I don't have my powers ToT" : 5

I don't like that these people are basically saying "You're useless without your powers"

That's what s11 reinforced. And I hated it. I hate it here too.

And before you argue with me that the message there was that you didn't need your powers, may I remind you that Kai not being able to use the forbidden scroll was a factor in how Zane got banished, Kai not having his powers nearly KILLED a whole realm of people and he needed to get it back to save them, and Nya had to learn to bend ICE.

GOSH I hate how this book reminds me of s11...

P.I.X.A.L doesn't exist.

[Clang! Clang! Clang!]

SLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP.

[“This way!” Skylor cried, and she raced toward the direction of the fireballs.]

I had to look back to see if I read that right. I did read it right.

She raced TOWARDS it.

"Yeah this way everyone! Let's go get set on fire!!"

THAT’S THE END OF THE CHAPTER?!

Okay we’re going HARD.

Also that guy in the back is just 😂

No one’s gonna help out that poor dude?

Continued in Part 4>>