#why the hell they never bring him back like Garmadon comes back so much like

[delara25]

Me just casually waiting for Nadakhan to be in the new season:

[dorizardthewizard]

Ninjago Crystalized E22 - E30 thoughts

forgot this was in my drafts

EP 22

ronin is a legend. he got done so dirty like... he had such a good arc in s5 only for the writers to revert him to a generic thief. and the ninja were just chill with getting him locked up in ninjago’s prison for the worst criminals?? what the hell guys. add onto this how corrupt/ incompetent the leadership and justice systems in ninjago seem and... phew, that’s some bootlicking from our favourite little legos /hj

nya knowing stuff about plants is so cute. let them have more interests outside of ninja-ing!

the production value on these fights really is good

oh wow master wu could really use an elemental dragon right about now!

"i fished out the last one" LOL

doing it again in the same canal LMAO thats an L having to give wu mouth to mouth. also not sure that’s what you should do with someone who still has water in their lungs

EP 23

aww cute jaya moments

nya has her powers back! wow i sure enjoyed her well developed arc that was so worth them bringing her back!! /s

aww i love these kids having their own little counterattack. kiddos aren’t your families looking for you?

love how antonia went from wanting to quit to being adamant they should fight back

"i am not about to lead a bunch of children against the embodiment of evil and darkness!" soooo like every other season? "that never stopped you before!" TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUTTA MY MOUTH LOL DRAG HIM

kind of surprising just how many times wu wants to quit and others have to remind him that ninja never quit, my brother in fsm you taught them that

btw this should have been the s10 ending just oni instead of the overlord. still mad about how rushed that season was.

EP 24

honestly idc about lloyd’s whole angst with his dad, they act like sensei garmadon never existed. evil garmadon hasn’t even been around long enough for lloyd to be super disappointed in him on a personal level like that. why can’t he instead be angry at this garm because he’s not the father he remembers and only serves as a walking reminder that he’ll never see sensei garmadon again.

dragon form let’s goooo

side note i miss lloyd saying dregon

omg the ice emperor are we actually talking about this

oh we're just gonna brush over it and make it a joke. got it.

RONIN MVPPP

borg tower yet againnnn also this guy was so focused on his projects he didn’t realise the apocalypse was happening? i love him

pixal: ronin why are you helping us?

WOW WE REALLY JUST IGNORED SEASON 5 HUH JUSTICE FOR RONIN

EP 25

few notes here bc i was too busy staring at the lava

the way he softly calls coles name when he wakes up ToT

kai fighting by himself to protect cole dsfgsd lowkey wish that fight had been extended for the wump but also so skylor can come just in the nick of time

i like the implication that skylor doesnt keep those powers forever, she has to touch an elemental master again to “recharge” so to speak. makes her much less op so that’s cool.

wu broadcasting on all frequencies but wouldn’t the bad guys hear him too?

that transition from the ninja running over the manhole to lloyd and garmadon being in the sewers is super cool. i love cinema.

lloyd's argument with garmadon gives the implication he's mad at him for never being a good father but THATS A MOVIE PLOT NOT THE SERIES ARRRRGHH

what could’ve been cool if instead they made lloyd not want to embrace his oni side bc he's scared of the anger and resentment building up in him over all these years of being the green ninja. y’know like the fandom keeps harping on about but is never actually portrayed in the show.

one thing i like about these new seasons is the clear motifs and musical character themes. paper delivery professionals for the win.

the paper kids wearing home made outfits with pots on their heads gives me such codename kids next d00r vibes

actually i like these post apocalyptic vibes, with everyone trying to look for each other and hiding but rallying secretly.

aww that happy moment with the family then kai and skylor hhhhngngng if only they delved more into skylor and her childhood crying

EP 26

omg kai finally having his speech skills back!!!

weeeeell kinda. actually it's effective lol he's so cute with kids.

had to pause this skylor and kai moment bc im dying from cringe. also lmao all these seasons and they weren't really together? oh he hasn't even spoken to her all this time?? skylor was at nya's funeral i swear ToT

here's an F for the lava fans. it was a pleasure shipping with you o7

zane is broken yet agaaaaim

if jay and the others could figure out the hint about the newspapers then surely the bad guys could

RACER 7 I MISSED YOUUUUUUUU

also she's basically antonia lmao could they not have thought of a different design

"that paycheck of yours? kiss it goodbye"

I LOVE HER

stop fakeout deathing me with zane lmao we've done this 50 times already. wow she gave up pretty quickly huh.

oh for god's sake they'll reverse the fakeout death THAT quickly? i give up. and he lives just because of an emotional speech? please

can't believe tommy made a big deal about this and made everyone think they would split up somehow. oh wait he does that all the time and the fandom runs away with it every time. if you wanted emotional moments for zane and pixal you had a story about suppressing grief and trauma right there! why was pixal ok with him completely turning off his emotions earlier anyway?

oh well pixal's squeal of delight was adorable though

EP 27

lloyd: relying on others isn’t weak!

cheers i’ll drink to that. again this could have been really impactful after an arc about trusting too much to mistrusting too much to finally hitting that balance.

cuta jaya moment but nya's arc this season is basically generic “believe in yourself” and like. we've done that before. they literally just brought her back to return to the status quo for the “last” season.

racer 7: speed. i am speed.

ok i know i complain about ignoring the old seasons but at least they tried to tie in the other new seasons like calling vania and benthomar and all that. it's basically a replacement for when previous seasons would bring back the other EMs and such and i guess it makes sense since this is a different era of ninjago. all of that falls apart when they insist on bringing back characters like garmadon though...

oh finally they didn’t fall into the canal for once!

oh no if they make cole and vania get together i’m gonna...read the entire hs epilogues and hs2. worst thing i could think of.

the others are either gonna find another way to find out what happened and come to help them in the nick of time, or this was just a way of explaining why no one else came to help.

EP 28

oops i watched the final eps drunk after a party and I still haven’t gone back to rewatch them ^^; umm fun moments, dragon form was ???? out of nowhere and should have had a whole season centred around achieving this form, Nya’s character regressed, rushed ending considering how much history they had to tie up, llorumi bad and i miss those little legos already

[ninjago-bingo]

final month recap

wow, everyone.  we’re here.  we’ve made it.  we’re reached the end of our bingo time, and i’m absolutely floored by the sheer creative output that i’ve seen over these last four months.  everyone, take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back!!!  no matter if you made 1 piece or 10, there’s now a work of art out there in the world that wasn’t there before.  and truly, that’s super heccing rad no matter how you look at it.

so let’s celebrate!  for this recap, we have a total of 20 new pieces, bringing the total amount of ninbingo pieces up to 50.  in the span of four months, this little event has created 50 individual works (five of them in the last day!)  holy cow ya’ll.

i’m putting out this recap now, but don’t worry, it’s not the end yet!  any submissions made to the end of the 30th still count and this post will be updated accordingly :D

fic:

all the things i’ve never done by @sa-you-na-ra. tumblr || prompts: competition and teasing

It’s always a funny thing when the ninja realize new things about each other. Even though living with each other meant they had to see each other all day, there were still small habits or actions that amused the others.

(mod comments: all these little interactions made me smile so much :D looking forward to the rest!)

error 404: answer not found by @m-aster-of-spinjitzu. tumblr || prompt: memories

Akita and Zane talk after the battle in ‘Awakenings’. The conversation… doesn’t go as either of them expect.

(mod comments: the nuances in this fic are fantastic!  also Akita is always a win :D)

Five times kai was a good brother by @/master-of-fluff. tumblr || ao3 || prompts: nightmare and brother

I'm writing kai centric stuff again.

(mod comments: kai IS the big bro of the team!!! i support him all the way!!)

How Garmadon became a chauffeur by @master-of-fluff. tumblr || ao3 || prompt: driving

"um...Kai? Don't you think we should go Slower?" Garmadon asked nervously trying not to panick as they raced down the road at what had to be over the speed limit.

(mod comments: who let Kai drive?  no but honestly this is canon alskdfj)

little things by @/rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: hugs and crying.

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things." -Kurt Vonnegut

Lloyd’s tired of being left behind. How is he meant to be the green ninja when he always has to work harder, train better, and wait longer to go on missions with his team? He wants nothing more than to be their equal.

At least, that’s what he thought he wanted.

(mod comments: a post-ep-18 resolution scene?  SIGN ME UP!)

Neither Snow Nor Rain by @fangirltakesall. tumblr || ffn.net || prompt: post-fight

After their return from the Never Realm and all its troubles, Zane is quiet and Nya is incredibly worried. A call to action to a peculiar sort of battle might be enough to change both of those things.

(mod comments: the concept of these two on their own mission together is just so good! excited to see how their dynamic plays out!!)

Never Put Off Until Tomorrow by @/rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: video games and chores

…what can be done today, yada, yada, yada, we all know the saying. So do the ninja- when Master Wu is drilling it into their heads every minute of every day, it’s kind of hard to forget.

Naturally, it only takes them a week (and the biggest new video game in Ninjago) to do so.

(mod comments: this is so in character that it’s frustrating lol.  also Pixal ftw!!)

oh take me back to the start by @/rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: comfort and 3 am

The past should be left in the past. Or, at least, that’s what Jay keeps telling himself. Nadakhan is gone. It’s not logical to still be afraid. But he is, and now everything that he left behind suddenly feels like it’s never going to be the same again.

Cole isn’t so convinced.

(mod comments: Cole is truly the man we all deserve in our lives.)

On Our Own by @redefine-your-identity. tumblr || prompt: home

It’s been a few weeks since Kai and Nya’s parents disappeared without a trace. Needless to say, they’re struggling.

(mod comments: OU C H no poor babies 😭 the relationship dynamic here is great!)

orange and gold by @/m-aster-of-spinjitzu. tumblr || prompt: cooking

...I just need more Cole and Vania content, they seem like they'd be great friends.

Basically it's just 'Cole goes to visit her there, they almost burn down the kitchen, and make way too many puns', lol.

(mod comments: I also always need more Vania content!! the puns in this were breadful!)

permafrost by @/rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: loss of control and promise

It’s not like this is the first time this has happened. It’s not like none of his teammates have ever suffered this kind of guilt and pain. It’s not like Zane himself hasn’t walked through hell before and come out the other side (mostly) in once piece.

Except, this time, it is. It shouldn’t be different, but it is.

(mod comments: super sweet moment between two ninja who deserve more interaction like seriously!!)

Precautionary Tale by @/fangirltakesall. tumblr || ffn.net || prompt: protective

Fighting is different now, and Zane doesn't know why. Yes, he is titanium now, but why should that change anything? It seems to be changing everything, although is all really as it seems?

(mod comments: a great start to a zane-centric fic!  interested to see where it goes next :D)

Star-Ninja! by @rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: siblings and competition 

What happens when the loveable gremlin the ninja adopted off of the streets introduces them to Starfarer comics?

Chaos ensues, of course.

stuck with you (through bright and blue) by @/rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompt: protective

Kai only wants two things: to protect Lloyd, and to give him the best birthday ever. Unfortunately, Lloyd seems hell-bent on making that as difficult as possible. Kai’s always prided himself on achieving the impossible, but dealing with human emotions is much more complicated than beating up Garmadon’s generals or shooting enemies with fire, as he quickly learns. Movie!verse

(mod comments: happy birthday lloyd!! look at him getting the love he deserves uwu)

Take a walk in the rain. by @/master-of-fluff. tumblr || ao3 || prompt: rain

Cole had always loved the rain, the way it smelled, the way it felt on his skin, and especially the mud! Whenever it rained his Mother would put on his rain coat and boots And they'd both go out and splash around in the puddles and make mud cakes and do all sorts of things.

(mod comments: this fic made me smile a lot :D loved the way it was arranged!) 

the hues of an empty sky by @/m-aster-of-spinjitzu. tumblr || prompt: crying

Missing memories, or having two of them for one moment - not quite the same, but if there’s one thing Jay’s leant over the last few weeks, it’s that literally nothing makes sense anymore.

Or, some Skybound aftermath, Zane actually expressing emotions about his memory switch being turned off for all those years, and what was supposed to be a ‘they tell everyone about the erased timeline’ fic, but it turned into a 'two characters who barely interact on screen talk at like one am in the morning, and don’t actually tell the other what exactly they’re alluding to the whole time’ fic that I wrote at like one am-

(mod comments: Skybound resolution? SIGN ME THE HECK UP YES)

The Make-Cole-Realize-How-Much-We-Love-Him Competition by @21st-century-ninja. tumblr || ao3 || prompts: bets and competition

Jay and Kai share a horrified look.  “He really doesn’t get it,” Jay says.

Kai shakes his head.  “We need to show him somehow.”

“Show me what?” Cole asks, exasperated again.  

“How much we love you!” Kai exclaims.  “Somehow, it’s not getting through your thick skull that we want to sit next to you because you’re you, so I’m gonna have to just prove it to you.”

(mod comments: a silly little movie fic!)

twitter was a mistake by @/21st-century-ninja. tumblr || ao3 || prompts: teasing and birthday

Kai 🔥 @flaminhotninja ☑

so who was gonna tell me that Jay used to be a game show host huh

🌺✨ the Gift of Jay ✨🌺 @zaptrap ☑

Replying to @flaminhotninja

NO WHO SHOWED YOU

(mod comments: twitter was a mistake)

two halves of a broken whole by @/rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: scars and post-fight

The Sons of Garmadon have been defeated. Garmadon is in prison. The city has been saved.

In the aftermath of the battle, Nya is more than ready to take a much-needed break. But the life of a ninja is messy. Recovery is never that simple. Although the wounds may have healed, the scars still remain.

Zane’s scars seem to match up, though. And maybe together, they can begin to heal.

(mod comments: aggressive care is my jam, and this is it!)

wait by @rosiehunterwolf. tumblr || ao3 || ffn.net || prompts: home and memories

Lloyd’s not so great at being patient. It’s not his fault though- maybe he would be better at it if waiting didn’t always end up being so disappointing- if people actually kept their promises. But this time’s going to be different, he knows it. His father will come back for him. And Lloyd’s going to wait.

As long as it takes.

(mod comments: baby.  baby boy.  baby.  protecc him plz.)

[themadauthorshatter]

Time to check back in in Kai.

PG-13 NINJAGO REWRITE PILOT EPISODE 2!

We open on Zane as he ninja flips and parkours ahead of Wu and Kai. Wu's fine, but Kai's tired and asking if they can take a very fast five minute break.

Wu complies and they take a seat on the grass, Kai falling flat on his back, reminding Wu that they had a deal.

Yes, they did. And Wu says Kai can ask whatever he wants.

First question: Why did they take Nya?

Garmadon's doing. Who's that? The guy that ordered Samukai to attack Four Weapons and take Kai's sister. There you go, happy? Next question, please.

What did they want with the map? Wu explains, not as fed up this time, that the map leads to four golden weapons, which Wu is trying to find, so they need to go get it back.

What makes these weapons so special? They're elemental. Fire, earth, lightning, and ice. And they can do some pretty cool stuff, though Wu's never seen it happen, because he helped hide them. Supposedly, though, they have the power to get people in and out of the Underworld, which makes Kai's eyes widen.

Kai jolts off his back and asks what they're waiting for and tells Wu to keep leading the way.

Wu, in a mood, asks what happened to taking a break, but Kai says that can wait becuase they need to go.

Wu obliges and they continue onward, though find Zane standing in front of them, about 10 to 15 feet away. Kai asks him if he could get moving, but Zane doesn't respond. Kai and Wu get closer and see he's trembling and seizing, crumbling to the ground and jerking around as his eyes roll back.

Wu acts quickly and holds onto him until he stops siezing. Kai doesn't see it fully, but does see Wu help up Zane and hold an arm over his shoulder.

They continue, which we see in a time montage, which shows Wu half carrying Zane, until Zane gets better enough to run ahead of them again, until Wu is leading Kai to the monastery, where Kai, quite tiredly, questions, why Wu expects him to fight in a place of peace.

Wu corrects him: he's not fighting, he's TRAINING, and his first lesson is patience.

Wu commands Kai to sit tight and wait while he goes in to grab some things for him.

Kai watches him go inside and has a big brain moment: He turns his heel and spins, continuing until his body burns and he falls down.

Wu returns and shakes his head; LESSON. FAILED.

Kai asks how they're training, if there's nothing there and Wu reveals the training equipment. Kai will train alone in the beginning, and must complete the training course.

Kai gives it a go and gets beaten off by a spinning mini obstacle course.

Kai lies there and asks if this is the only way he can save Nya. Wu replies, beginning that he knows Kai is frustrated and just misses his sister, but must focus. Kai cuts him off and asks again if this is the only way to save Nya.

Wu sighs. Yes. This is the only feasible way Kai can save his sister. He knows because, once upon a time ago, he was Kai. He lost his brother, so he tried getting him back on nothing but his wits and whims. The world beat the EVER LOVING F*CK out of him for it. Wu needed a Wu in that moment of his life. He doesn't have a Wu. He has a Kai, and Kai needs a Wu, so he's got one.

Kai nods and gets back up, ready to try again. He has a question, though: how long does he have to complete the course?

Wu sits cross legged, places a cloth on his lap, and prepares and drinks some tea from a small cup.

Kai's annoyed at this, because Wu did all that in a matter of seconds, and asks how he knows Kai can do all that in the same amount of time. He's a blacksmith, not a gymnast.

Wu picks up the tea, cup, and cloth, and states that Kai is his father's son, and Ray was a man who was nothing, but ambitious to accomplish his goals.

Kai asks if Wu really knew his father and Wu goes inside, telling Kai to keep practicing.

Kai only watches Wu leave and then looks around. TV perspective, we get Kai's perspective as he looks around. The training course and equipment is now bigger and there's more space between them. The only thing we hear is the wind and some bird song, but, out of the perspective, Kai tenses up and hugs himself. Cut to a bird's eye view of Kai in the monastery as he looks around, the empty space more than obvious when we see him on his own.

While still in this shot, we see a couple figures leap over the training equipment, all of them in black. Kai doesn't notice them, but the camera does, focusing on the two. One is much of built and muscular than the other, who is more expressive, giving Muscles a confused glance before turning back to Kai.

They observe the anxious Kai, who stands and does just about nothing until Wu returns.

We cut to this happening and Wu asks why Kai hasn't been training, seeing as he's hell bent on saving his sister.

Kai counters that he can't exactly train properly, if there's no one to give him pointers on what he could improve.

Wu is suspicious, but takes a seat anyway and tells Kai to practice.

Kai nods and takes a breath, running and leapong onto the obstacle course.

Which jumpcuts to him faceplanting on his new bed, fully clothed, bruised, and groaning from the massacre that was training.

Wu, standing at the door, remarks that tripping and getting swept up in the obstacles is not a massacre, but lets Kai be overdramatic just a little longer.

Kai sits up and asks if they're doing this again tomorrow.

Wu nods. They're doing this every day until Kai gets through the training course.

Kai sighs and nods, willing to training even though he's going to be hella sore tomorrow.

Wu commends him for getting here and at least doing training and lets him go to bed, so he can rest.

Once he's gone, Kai changes into some pajamas and lies down in his bed on his back, staring out the window. He then turns on to his back to stare better, and to just reflect.

This is the furthest he's been from home, and the longest he's been alone. And not having Nya with him isn't helping.

He hears the floorboards creak outside his door, and Kya jumps to his feet and throws the door open, looking into the hallway; "Nya!?"

Nope. No one's there, much to Kai's dismay, which we see clearly as he goes back to his room and gies to bed.

TV perspective, the camera pans away from Kai's door to the not-as-muscular ninja as he's on the ceiling, having wedged himself in a corner to avoid detection(so ninja).

We zoom/cut in on him as he's joined by Zane, who swings down to him, hanging upside down by his knees, and silently greets him.

Jay- if this was legit, we wouldn't know by now, but this is for simplicity sake, sorry- almost says, "Hi," but Zane shushes him and points to Kai's door.

Jay nods and Zane points down the hall and gestures, 'outside.'

Jay nods and we cut to Wu in his room, meditating as three figures surround him from behind and kneel down. Wu turns and faces them, greeting them with a head bow, which they return.

Wu asks for what they found and we cut to the Underworld, more specifically Nya being thrown to the ground with her hands tied behind her back as Samukai takes a knee, apologizing for his absence and tardiness to Lord Garmadon himself, who we and Nya see as the camera is panned up.

He's shrouded in smoke and darkness, the smoke because of some dying embers that act as an insense that make him strong, for magic BS reasons I can't come up with other than it just looks cool and would look cool.😅

Garmadon asks if Samukai was just wasting his time on tormenting people like Nya, who looks between them in fear.

Samukai denies wasting time, because he found the map for finding the four golden weapons.

Garmadon chuckles and commends him for finding the map, and then asks why the hell he's standing around and wasting his time, when he should be working and getting his ass and army to the surface, so he can find and retrieve the weapons.

Samukai reports his army got weekend whipped by Sensei Wu and his rag-tag team of ninja, which confuses Nya. Garmadon notices her confusion and politely commands she voice her thoughts, please and thank you.

Nya does so, saying that her brother said ninja weren't around anymore, not a group of them, at least.

Garmadon laughs and approaches and kneels down in front of Nya, telling her that if she's in the Underworld and seeing living skeletons, there are ninja left in the world, and she will bring them right to him.

Nya's confusion returns, along with some fear, and we cut to Kai as he trains, wearing a uniform provided by Wu.

He does well enough, but fails when he notices Zane agility his way to Wu and whisper something to him before leaving.

Kai asks who that was, but Wu tells him to be patient because, for now, that was no one of consequence and Kai will meet him later. Now, however, he'd better be focusing on training.

Kai does so, but in an awesome montage that shows him training and slowly realizing he's not alone, which we see when Jay hand springs behind Kai while Kai's brushing his hair, Cole meditates beside Wu while Kai trains, and, and this is going to freak people out, but trust me on this, Zane crawls across the ceiling as Kai sleeps, at least until Zane falls and Kai races out of bed to see what it is. He finds nothing, because Zane threw himself out the windkw and is caught by Cole, who gets him back inside.

After a week or so, in the early morning, Kai steps out to the training course with Wu next to him. Kai stands resolute, determined and focused before noticing Zane, Cole, and Jay take their places on different points of the roof, though Zane is next to Cole😉. Wu readies a cloth on his lap and barks for Kai to begin.

We see a split screen view as Kai races forward and Wu picks up his little teacup. Cole leans forward a little bit and Jay, who was sitting, hops into a crouch. Kai passes the first two obstacles with almost sheer ease before noticing Wu filling his cup. Thinking fast, he flips and throws a sword at Wu as he reaches the next obstacle. Wu ducks out of the way, which almost gives Jay, Cole, and Zane heart attacks. He's fine, which he shows by taking a sip of tea, but stops as he looks at and shakes his cup, like uppends it. Damn Kai, made him spill his tea😔. Speaking of Kai, he races through the last obstacle and practically launches himself beside Wu, picking up his tea kettle and offering a cup.

Wu stares up at Kai, impressed with him, and a little offended, because you don't touch Sensei Wu's tea, but holds up his cup.

Kai pours him some tea and takes a seat as Wu drinks, asking if this means he passed. Wu, not pausing from his tea, nods. Kai then asks, very excitedly if it also means they're going to save Nya. They lock eyes and Wu gives a, "Mm-mm." and finishes his tea.

Kai, thrown through a loop here, asks what they're doing then, what all that training was for, if it was nothing at all, but enjoyment for Wu, who tricked him into joining.

Wu picks up his cloth, cup, and tea, and explains he gave Kai a choice, and Kai chose the better of the two. He was not manipulated, at keast not in the way Kai thinks, which is, "if you want your sister back, come to my side, which is the dark side." The training wasn't for nothing, either. He's going to need it later.

Kai asks what that means, but Wu leaves, telling Kai to rest for the day, because he's earned it.

Kai gives a look of confusion and that fades/transitions to Kai in a bathroom as he brushes his teeth. He's worrying about Nya again, but he's also thinking about what Wu said, about how he needs his training. Kai wonders what he needs it for, and is too distracted to see Jay, Zane, and Cole sneak up behind him.

Kai finishes up his dental hygiene(keep those cavities away, Kai👍), and stares at himself in the mirror, mentally promising to save Nya, then notices too late that Jay is behind him.

ACTION TIME! Jay pounces and grabs onto Kai from behind with an arm and his neck. Kai tries shaking and throwing Jay off him, but ultimately does so by elbowing him in the ribs and face, which makes Jay let him go.

Before Kai can celebrate or ask who this guy is, he gets his legs swept out from under him by Cole, who also kicks him. Kai turns to fight him, but Cole is joined by Zane. All three glare at him and Kai glares back, readying himself for a fight.

Cut to Wu as he meditates and is in a state if hearing nothing but bird song, leaves ruffling, and wonderful outdoor noises. TV perspective, we stay focused on Wu as Kai is kicked into frame by Zane, who kips up to keep fighting.

Kai more or less pushes himself up and punches Zane away before shouting for Wu. Jay stops that with a tackle. Cole runs by, stops, but continues with Zane following.

Kai is quite literally thrown outside as Jay races around him, no cool visuals other than he's there one second and gone the next in a blur.

No time to worry about that because Cole leaps into the fray with Zane hopping off of any high place he can until he's in a battle stance next to Cole and Jay.

Kai backs up a little, but gives an, "AHA!" as he picks up and draws a katana.

The trio respond accordingly, Jay showing off his nun-chuck skills, Cole unsheathing and twirling a scythe before holding it out to Kai blade first, and Zane holding out his hands and "magic tricking" shurikens in between his fingers.

They all charge toward each other, Cole and Kai going at it for a bit before Kai pushes and kicks him away. Zane throws his shurikens at Kai, who deflects them with his katana, and Jay races forward, which leads Kai to have to ignore Zane for a bit to take care of him.

He dodges the nunchucks and grabs Jay, throwing him down and punching him hard in the face.

Cole spots this and literally throws Kai off of him.

"Enough!" Wu shouts.

All three stop, though Zane helps Jay to his feet and Kai sits up. The three bow and reply, "Yes, Sensei," like before, but this time Zane is completely silent.

Kai stands and asks if these three maniacs are Wu's students as well, and Wu nids, which leads Kai to kick himself.

Jay also has confusion: If Kai's this new kid Sensei told them about, then why didn't Wu tell them sooner? And why four, because last time he checked, there was always three in a group. When Jay starts stuttering and can't form words, Cole puts a hand on his shoulder and carlifies that they're all confused at the new arrival of a fourth ninja, seeing as the three are all close with one another already.

Wu grins and admits hes glad for the question and spinjitsus towards and past all of them, giving them plain gold emblems that are tied around their gis, though Kai gets his own now, too. They're all still in black, but that'll change, trust me. They also have their weapons, as well, so there's that.

And here, Wu introduces the ninja to Kai, and vice versa, and us the audience.

Muscles and strongest of the group, leader of the team, is Cole, who's as grounded and strong as stone. He's been training under Wu the longest and has since become his confidant and right hand; so if Wu's not around, Cole's in charge.

Speedy is Jay, who's as bright, as powerful, and as fast as a lightning strike. Jay removes his hood and first greets Kai and admits he's a little more than all that. He builds too, and dabbles in poetry, from time to time("But, OP, I thought you said Jay doesn't like reading?" I said from time to time, so don't worry about it), has tried and failed at cooking, but did fix the oven in the process, and lots of other things he's about to go into before Wu taps his staff against the ground to politely silence him.

Dropkick is Zane, whose as silent and dangerous as a winter's night. He's the most practically skilled, too, being able to cook, track, see the future, sort of, and be just about anywhere anytime. He's the newest after Kai, having been training for only a year under Wu's wing. And in that time, he's seldom spoken a word.

Kai asks if anything happened to make him mute and Jay stage whispers to him that 'seldom spoken' doesn't mean 'mute.'

Last, but not least, is Kai, who burns hot as a flame and just as quick to act.

With the meet and greet over, Wu gets to the point: Samukai and his army are on the move, and they need to act NOW because if that bonehead gets his hands on the weapon, there'll be hell to pay.

Kai asks about saving Nya, which gets Jay curious. Wu tells Kai to cool it because they'll save her soon enough, for now they need to catch up with Samukai.

Wu tells them all to go to sleep, so they're all rested for tomorrow, and retires for the night, leaving the boys alone.

Jay wonders if Wu was being serious about tomorrw, but Cole removes his hood and tells Jay not to worry. They've all fought the skeleton army before, so this will be a cake walk.

Zane and Jay exchange a galnce, Zane giving a shrug, and Jay asks if there are really dragons guarding the weapons, like Sensei said, correct him if he's wrong.

Cole shrugs it off. Kai asks if he's got a problem with dragons, but Cole simply says he has a team, a new kid, an army of bastard skellies, and four weapons on his plate, no room for dragons, thank you very much.

To change to subject, Jay inquires about who this Nya girl is, and Kai snarls that it's none of his business. Cole barks at Kai to be nice, because Wu never had to ask Kai to come along.

Kai sighs and states that if this is voing to help him save Nya, then so be it before he leaves to get some sleep.

The other three watch him go. Jay gives a, "huh," and wonders if this is an 'Orpheus and Eurydice' situation or if this is a family matter, but Cole tells both Zane and Jay to keep an eye on Kai; as much as he trusts Wu's judgement, he isn't ready to trust Kai, who's settling into bed.

The episode ends with match cuts of Kai in the monastery and Nya in the Underworld. Both are lying flat in a bed, but Kai is in his room while Nya is in a cell, guarded by a pair of skeletons.

[dershloop]

this is part of my Hell On Earth AU but can be read as a standalone thing!! it takes place before the actual plot its just kai mourning over Lloyd.

Title: Now You're Gone

Words: 564

Warnings: Major Character death i guess??? idk its sad. no swearing tho so pog me

Relationships: none. greenflame, dont interact or ill eat ur first borns. nd all of ur children. u ship pedo ships why do u have kids ew.

“Hey big man,” Kai said softly, slowly approaching the dusty headstone. He put down the single flower on the newly turned soil and crouched just next to it, brushing the dirt and dust off of the engraved, metal nameplate. “Lloyd Garmadon,” it read, “2005-2016. A son to few, A brother to some, A Hero to many.” Kai let himself sit on the damp soil next to the headstone, not caring about the early morning due seeping through his jeans. He was numb to the damp; he was numb to the cold. All he felt anymore was pain and regret.

“Sorry I didn’t come to see you for a couple days, things have gotten really busy,” Kai said, his voice hoarse from lack of sleep, “I don’t think anyone really believes what’s going on. They’ve just kinda… stopped talking. None of us talk anymore it’s driving me insane. Even Jay’s gone quiet,” he chucked a little, closing his eyes and remembering a time before all this, “I know. Jay barely says a word anymore. I wish you were here to see it, I think you’d laugh.”

Kai sat in silence for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened. A dangerous idea, really but… it was somewhat comforting. To hear his voice again. He would give anything to just see him again, to hold him and never let him go.

“I know I say this every time I come Lloyd but… I’m sorry. For everything. I’m sorry I didn’t jump in, I could’ve saved you. You might still be here. But,” Kai took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill out his eyes, “Instead, you’re at the bottom of an infinitely deep cavern. Cold… and… and…” He couldn’t finish the thought. He tries with all his might to swallow the rocks lodging themselves in his throat but he couldn’t. He was too weak, he could no longer fight it. The tears started slow, rolling down his face one by one, tracing their own little tracks down his cheeks, before quickly barrelling out. Kai wrapped his arms around the grave, resting his head on the cool stone as he sobbed, wishing he could bring his little brother back.

“I promised I’d look out for you,” Kai sobbed, rubbing his thumb slowly up and down the grainy headstone, feeling minuscule piece come unlodged and attach themselves to his thumb, “I was going to be your older brother and take care of you but I couldn’t even do that. I’m so, so sorry Lloyd,” Kai continued to cry, his tears leaving marks on the cold stone and freshly turned soil.

Reluctantly, Kai pulled back a little, still leaning on the headstone, trying to catch his breath. Tears still streamed down his face, no matter how much he scrubbed at his eyes they wouldn’t stop pumping out tears. It didn’t matter anyway. It wasn’t like anyone back at the monastery would care if he went back, red-faced and damp with saliva and snot running down his face. He looked like a child but at this point, it didn’t phase him. He lifted his legs and hugged them into his chest, resting his head against the gravestone. His baby brother was gone, and it was all his fault, of course, nothing phased him. Lloyd was dead and there was nothing he could do about it now.

[sibillascribbles08]

If you could take creative control of ninjago what would you change

Christ...

WELL

Actually no idk where to start with this there’s so much anon there’S SO M U C H I guess I’ll do a run of MINIMAL changes tho (for as long as I can)

I don’t think I have to change much in the first two seasons, thankfully, since the writers actually sat down to think about what they were writing at the time but g o d did it go to hell afterwards

Season 3 - This Zane focused season is going to be ZANE FOCUSED DAMN IT. We’re focusing on his loss over his Father, having salt rubbed in the wound by having his father’s work turned into an evil army, and being faced with the fact he’s obsolete compared to it all. He keeps trying to stack up numbers to win, recalculate things, and it’s why his line at the ending ACTUALLY has impact. The thing that sets him apart from the nindroids, his ability to love, is what allows him to defeat the Overlord.

Jay, Cole and Nya love triangle is DESTROYED. Pixal, Zane and Cole is the new love triangle and later OT3

Season 4 - The explanation for the other EMs being around is far less stupid. Garmadon establishes that oh yeah all of your parents had elemental powers and even talks about a few of them because holy SHIT. Cole mentions his mom because he should have done that a g e s ago. Is this supposed to be a Kai season doesn’t feel like it. Open the season with better explanations of why the ninja split. Emphasis the fact that Kai blames himself for what happened to Zane, and continues to do so throughout the season. Add that to why he’s so desperate to save Skylor from her dad (not willing to lose someone else). We still lose Garmadon, Kai and Lloyd have a talk at the end of the season. Also ZANE IMMEDIATELY GOES TO GET PIXAL A NEW BODY WTHHH????

Season 5 - Idk this season was pretty good over all I think. A bit better lore established into the cloud kingdom, hints that they don’t actually control fate they just think they do. Explain where the FUCK NIMBUS CAME FROM?? Water can still beat up ghosts but idk feel like there should be some other factors involved, some magic. Kai and Zane figure out they can make water a LOT sooner. Also why doesn’t Kai just set the preeminent’s house armor on fire??? Should have. OH I did forget since this season is supposed to be for NYA GETTING HER WATER ELEMENT how about she actually GO WITH THE NINJA AND DO SOME SHIT SOMETIMES??? I don’t mind her training, specially Ronin helping her but like??? Wtf why not have her ENGAGE, idiots.

Season 6 - I’m the weirdo who actually likes season 6 but that doesn’t mean it’s not without its issues. I don’t mind Jay wondering about where he stands with Nya but his behavior throughout the season has to stay consistent. When he agrees with Nya he needs to let it go he needs to LET IT GO. IT LITERALLY SHOULDN’T BE BROUGHT UP AGAIN UNTIL THE LIGHTHOUSE. He also needs to linger more on his birth father (and besides he should have suspected he’s adopted since season 4 cause he knows neither of his parents had lightning powers). Zane doesn’t ignore Pixal’s warning about Nadakhan but if she’s off somewhere else idk how she gets threatened I’m sure Nadakhan could figure it out. OH and time can still reset and stuff idc but like, Jay and Nya need to talk about it and they need to GO BACK FOR ECHO. EVEN IF THEY DON’T FIND HIM THERE.

Day of the Departed - just wish it was longer tbh, but major changes: Why do the ninja not seem to care that cole is FADING OUT OF EXISTENCE and Lou should be a lot more worried about his son.

Season 7 - I mean, it’s mostly a trash fire, but I think it’d be a lot more enjoyable if they actually had good sibling dynamics going on. Acronix following his brother because he always has, but starts questioning their plans as things go. At first their relationship is much better, which is why they best Kai and Nya, but by the end that flips over. Actually have Kai and Nya having an ISSUE. Kai thinks their parents could have been traitors, Nya seemingly doesn’t care because she’s so wrapped up with her samurai x stuff being stolen. They end up fighting and don’t make up until the boiling sea. ALSO GIVE RAY AND MAYA A BETTER FUCKING EXCUSE FOR BEING GONE THEY COULD HAVE FUCKING SHANKED KRUX WHEN HIS BACK WAS TURNED GET OUT OF HERE HE HAD NO LEVERAGE.

Also Machia isn’t dead okay she’s just in the past she WILL COME BACK

Seasons 8 and 9 I’d say are pretty solid honestly? My minor changes: Garmadon isn’t Garmadon he’s a fucking fake get out of here with that shit THE REAL GARMADON WOULD NEVER. We actually learn where Mr. E came from I don’t even care if it’s just Harumi and UV talking about how they found him in a scrap heap and got him fixed just give me something. Stop treating Dareth like SHIT. Ronin and The Commissioner plan a jail break long before they’re let out in season 9. Teen Wu is a lot less... air headed. Like seriously he seems to have more logic when he’s a child it doesn’t add up. I’m not saying he has to remember everything but wth?? Oh, and Mistaké isn’t dead fuck you.

Season 10 - ............................................ delete it and start over. Literally, hate all of it, get it out of here. Four episodes for villains you built up like FUCK in the last two seasons??? All of them fucking as big as people???????? cowardly, weak, uninspired, I don’t want it I’m just going to have to redo this whole gd season. A) Oni leader is a QUEEN now and she can be up to 30 feet tall no I do not give a FUCK B) Fake ass Garmadon is revealed to be a different oni entirely he was an agent for the queen the whole time but never finished his mission C) She can still paralyze a bunch of people but man Lloyd you’re going to need more than a shiny tornado to fight her off. D) In fact you need to summon your other great grandma so the two of them can get over their divorce spat. E) Where’s the mask of vengeance bring that back into play. F) Mistaké shows back up to help. I suppose plot wise it can?? Mostly run the same but I think they’re going to have to run much farther than the city with how fast she spreads her reach. Also she’s weak for Lloyd because he’s the smol great grandson and he has to use that to his advantage to slow her down. Mistaké makes something that can unparalyze people and they get some of their allies back before the finale thank god. Faith isn’t just in a coma the whole GD time.

Season 11 - Fire half? Good. I need a much better reason why the ninja go to the never realm tho because wow did they just make everyone out of character in that last episode. The ninja have no reason to just ignore Wu and shove him out like that. Wu has no reason to NOT NOTICE LLOYD IS BREAKING INTO HIS ROOM WHEN HE WAS KICKING THE NINJAS ASSES IN THE FIRST EPISODE. Ice half?? ... h Yeah no they should have known Zane was the emperor from the start LMAO. Or at least suspected the possibility. The decades of time passing??? Deleted. Maybe give it a year. Idk why it’s just Lloyd snapping Zane out if why aren’t the other ninja involved like p l e a s e. Also kill Vex with an ice spike, thanks.

Season 12 - Over all I liked what this season had going but there... should have been more. And that ending felt so crunched together like damn... Unagami was a p cool villain at least BUT idk, despite all the focus on the plot so much of it didn’t feel tangible enough. Even if we’re going to focus more on the video game world I want to see more of what these NPCs are up to. Should have tossed in a couple of filler episodes. Also can someone just kill the Mechanic too SMH (and they should have tied Wu up in something sturdier how did he not just break out of that WHATEVER)

Suppose I’ll stop there I haven’t season season 13 yet.

Oh, the timeline itself needs some fucking work too. At least establish Wu and Garmadon’s sudden aging. At least establish how old Zane is (I’d believe he was built 40 years ago but I find it hard to believe he was active for all of it). Establish that yeah the FSM really did basically fuck off like idk 14 years ago and idk why the show acts like it was so long ago it couldn’t have been based on the other facts we know have Wu learn that his dad is a bitch ass motherfucker and he needs to ditch.

Honestly there’s more but like................. this is the simple version

[aweebwrites]

Move on Dragons Ch22

uwa! sorry for disappearing again! I was just distressing over the financial side effects of this pandemic has on my family is all. I hope you enjoy that lil art piece in apology! I'll keep doing my best with updates!! Thank you for reading!!!‘Come on bud. Say Jay. Jaaaaaay.’ Jay cooed at Nix who was laying before him on his stomach on the deck of the Bounty, looking at him with curious shiny eyes.

“Maybe you’re asking too much of the little guy.” Lloyd huffed, watching the two not too far away, Little G watching as well from his perch on his head.

“And those guys aren’t?” Jay huffed, looking to where Kai was trying to coax Rux who was being held by Cole, into using his powers again by showing off his fire breathing, the latter looking entranced as Zane supervised. “Besides, the big dad said it himself. They should be learning to talk by now.” He says as he looked to Nix again then slithered closer to the dragonling so his snout was almost touching his nose.

‘Come on Nix. Jaaaay.’ He cooed and Nix only licked at his nose, pulling a laugh from the lightning ninja. “You are waaay too cute for your own good.” Jay smiled as he nuzzled Nix’s snout with his nose.

“Maybe you should try other words than your name. It takes a while for dragons to learn to effectively communicate after all. Our language isn’t exactly easy to learn.” Shard suggested, watching them all from his place laying just beside the ship, the other dragons gone to do their usual rounds. “Words- sounds that might be easier for you aren’t so easy for them. Names are one of the most complicated since they’re of a specific sound combined with a specific tone, both of which neither of them have a grasp on as yet.” He continued.

“He has a point.” Nya had to agree, watching the two nearby, on break from her last mission to help administer some antidotes for an excited poison dragon’s fumes in a village nearby Jamanakai village.

Luckily the fumes only caused nausea and headache and nothing life threatening. The people there held no grudges however and eagerly welcomed the friendly dragons as they dropped by for a drink by the lake near their settlement with food and curious pats and climbing the dragons found endearing.

“Alright then, so what kind of sounds you have in mind?” Jay asked Shard who paused to think.

“Nix.” The dragonling responded to his name by turning his head to look at the older dragon. ‘Bone.’ He rumbled low and Nix blinked at him as he repeated it again.

‘... Bone.’ Nix repeats after a while listening to Shard say it.

“Yeah! You said it! You spoke!” Jay cheered the little guy on, picking him up and swinging him around.

Nix clearly didn’t understand why Jay was so excited but it made him excited and the dragonling gave a high, happy chirp as his chubby tail wagged.

“Jay his back-!” Lloyd was cut off by Jay slowing down dramatically with Nix still in arms, spinning with him slowly in the blue energy that engulfed them. “Well then.” He huffed, amused.

“Nix’s powers are less likely to cause trouble at least.” Nya shrugged.

“Face it Kai, the kid doesn’t want to use his powers- though he’s having a hell of a time watching you use yours.” Cole huffed at Kai who shot a ball of fire from his mouth and having it explode outwards in the sky like a firework.

“Yes so I recommend not performing your extravagant fire tricks on and over a very flammable mostly wooden ship that holds a high amount of rocket fuel surrounded by very flammable trees.” Pixal called down from the bridge of the ship.

“Pixal does have a rather strong point.” Zane pointed out and Kai huffed smoke through his nose as the fiery glow of his chest  started to fade.

“Then how else are we going to get him to use his powers?” Kai asked them, placing his hands on his hips.

“We don’t.” Cole shrugged. “No doubt he’s a little traumatized from all the commotion the first time he used them caused so we just have to wait until he’s comfortable using it again.” He told Kai, scratching Rux’s stomach like he likes, smiling once he purred and turned over for a better angle.

“And when he does, Little G has to be close by, which means Lloyd has to be close by since the little guy would rather burn than be away from him.” He added, looking across at where said oni was watching them, the dark dragon tilting its head curiously at the mention of his nickname.

“Who knows how long that will take though.” Kai pointed out as he sat cross legged, glancing down at his permanently half shifted feet, wiggling his clawed toes.

“The reality of the situation is less urgent than you think.” Zane spoke up lightly, reaching over to Rux to scratch under his chin, an amused smile tugging the corner of his lips once Rux’s right leg began to twitch, his purrs growing. “At this point, I’m certain Vortica knows how to solve the situation of Garmadon’s fractured soul and it’s only a matter of time before Sensei Wu brings the other half of him here. While reversing time on Little G would prove insightful, with or without that occurrence, the end result will be the same. Garmadon will be whole again.” He elaborated.

“Yeah. I mean if she monitors dimensions, no doubt she’s seen this happen at least a couple of times.” Nya shrugged.

Before anything else could be said, Jay suddenly stumbled to a stop.

“Woah. Did he just use his powers?” He asked, looking down at a still happily wiggling Nix.

“He sure did.” Lloyd confirmed and Jay beamed at Nix again.

“Look at you becoming a big, strong dragon!” He cooed at Nix and the dragon gave a happy chirp of ‘bone’. “A talkative boy too!” Jay grinned at Nix wiggled in his arms from his almost violent tail wags.

“You already talk enough for us all Jay.” Cole says dryly and Jay shot him a glare before setting Nix down again, his arms starting to ache with the weight of the growing dragon.

“What else can we teach the little guy?” Jay asked Shard and the white and blue dragon paused to consider.

“Usually young dragons begin learning how to call for a parent by now with a specific sound at a specific frequency but well, their parents have long passed since they were fledglings as I was told.” Shard murmured in thought. “For now, I suggest taking things slow. He learned one word quickly but I highly doubt he will be able to learn another so soon.” He told Jay who deflated a little before sitting down, laughing as Nix crawled into his arms.

“Alright bud. One day at a time. Maybe we should show you what an actual bone is…” Jay hummed as he stroked his head, Nix purring as he did.

“What about you Rux?” Kai asked as he laid on his side, a hand on his cheek and the tip of his large wing being kept just out of the young dragon’s reach. “Feel like saying ‘bone’?” He hummed, watching as he set to pounce at his wing.

“What can he say?” Cole chuckled. “He’s a free spirit. He’ll say bone and use his powers when he wants.” He says as Rux jumped up, snapping his jaw at Kai’s wing he lifted out of his reach, leaving Rux to miscalculate his fall and land on his side.

He sprung up again before they could inquire if he was ok, setting to pounce again. Zane huffed, watching the young dragon attempt to bite at the tip of Kai’s wing again. He was persistent, Zane would give him that much.

______

“Looks like there’s gonna be one heck of a storm tonight.” Cole murmured as he leaned against the railings of the ship, watching dark clouds move in from off the sea, cool winds wrapping around him as they blew by.

“You’re telling me.” Tempest huffed next to him, eyes on the sky, flashing with the lightning in the clouds before he gave his usual smile. “My kind of weather…” He hummed, the tip of his horned tail gently tapping the deck.

“I hope you aren’t planning on flying out in this kind of weather.” Tempest leaned his head back to look at the green eyed Nindroid as she narrowed said eyes at him. “I’ve grasped the extent of both of your capabilities and in a storm of that magnitude, you would only end up in trouble.” Pixal warned, giving him an unimpressed look once he laughed light and airily.

“Lighten up. I meant it was good for sleeping.” He told her, resting his elbow against the railing and his cheek in his palm as he grinned at her still, the grin- as with all his smiles and laughs- never quite reaching his eyes that were noticeably darker than Jay’s bright blues.

Cole huffed next to him, knowing he definitely meant for flying. But he wasn’t wrong. Storms like this are great when you’re all bundled up in bed and warm. He hopes the same applies for the napping twins in the make-shift nest of blankets and pillows in the middle of their room. They don’t seem particularly bothered by storms but you never really know…

“Cole! Tempest!” They both glanced at Lloyd who was calling them from the living- and eating quarters below the bridge. “Lunch is ready!” He told them and Cole pushed off the railing.

“Let’s go. Jay told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t go eating anything raw.” He says to Tempest who looked genuinely amused for once.

“The threat of a whole day of screaming is more than enough to keep me in line.” Tempest hummed as he headed in, his stride a lot more elegant and graceful than Jay’s- much like the snake he half was.

That made Cole think. This Tempest seems a little different from the tempest of the First Realm. Maybe the whole becoming half serpentine changed him a bit…

“Cole.” He snapped his head up to see Lloyd looking at him with red eyes holding a hint of worry, Tempest too looking at him over his shoulder. “You coming?” He asked and Cole huffed as he walked over.

“Yeah. I was just thinking.” He says, ruffling Lloyd’s hair between his horns as he walked by.

“Hey! No-one messes up my hair!” Lloyd called after him, fussing to straighten his hair again.

“Tell that to literally everyone else.” Cole called back with a laugh as he took his seat and Lloyd huffed, totally not pouting as they too took their seats.

____

“Man, the rain’s really coming down.” Kai says as he gathered their used dishes, balancing a few on the flat tip of his tail as he did, looking out to where Lloyd and Tempest were seated by the sliding doors that were half opened, looking out as the rain pelted the ship.

“I don’t know about you but it makes me wanna take a nap.” Nya says around a yawn, leaning against Pixal who had joined them for conversation, not minding at all that she can’t actually eat like Zane can.

“Weather patterns show that it might keep raining until well into the night. Perhaps back until into the morning.” Zane says as he too looked out from his seat around the table too.

“Hopefully no dragon gets in trouble then. It’ll be a hassle moving around in weather like this.” Nya says as she got up to wash the dishes with Kai as it was their turn.

“Unlikely. The dragons like to hunker down for weather like this. Lightning dragons might be out but they’d be grounded instead since they don’t need to fly to gain a boost of energy from the electricity charged air.” Pixal explained, her studies on the dragons coming in handy.

It wasn’t every day that she got an opportunity like this after all.

“That’s good. I plan on having a nice long nap after this.” She says as she followed behind Kai as he carried the dishes to the sink.

“Dibs on the tv.” Lloyd says as he got up, heading towards said device and curling up on the couch.

“All yours.” Cole says as he got up with a stretch, his joints popping as he did.

He couldn’t stop himself from jolting at a sudden and deafening crash of thunder however.

“Holy f-” Zane cleared his throat. “... Fudge!” Cole breathed, a hand over his chest.

He shot Tempest a glare as he laughed at him- the effect lost when a bright flash of light came with an even louder boom of thunder, startling Cole again. Tempest’s laughter was cut short when a sharp, high cry sounded. Cole was moving before he could even comprehend it, his feet taking him down the stairs quickly. He grunted once Rux ran right into him, landing on his butt in the hallway below. He did hold the young dragon closely as he all but crawled into his chest, trembling in his arms, whimpering fearfully.

“Shh. It’s alright. I’ve got you. It’s just a storm, you’re alright.” Cole reassured, holding the young dragon close.

He glanced up once a whining chitter sounded, finding Nix there, not at all afraid but certainly looking worried and afraid for his brother.

“Don’t worry Nix. He’s alright.” Cole glanced back, noticing that everyone had also gathered, Jay walking by to take Nix in arms.

“Poor guy must have been frightened out of his sleep.” Kai says, stroking Rux’s head from where he was, leaned over Cole. “He’s been awake and asleep through storms before, no problem.” He says as he knelt next to the two.

“Those lightning strikes were rather close as well…” Zane murmured as he shifted his attention between the two dragonlings.

“It’s just a storm… It won’t hurt you…” Cole continued to murmur low, pulling out his large dark wings to wrap around Rux to make him feel safer.

“Maybe it’s best to bring them above deck where everyone else is.” Nya suggested and Pixal nodded her agreement.

“Alright. Sounds good. I’ll grab their blankets.” Kai says as he walked passed them to the end of the hall.

Cole moved to get up- when another deafening rumble of thunder went off and Rux gave a terrified cry.

“Cole! Rux!” Jay yelled and Cole looked down at the dragonling as his right side glowed amber.

Uh-oh.

Cole didn’t have a chance to even attempt to set Rux down before amber blinded him.

Rux gave a small yelp once he was suddenly dropped, whimpering as he got to all fours.

“Cole…” Zane whispered with wide eyes and Cole stood there, not needing to see what happened to him.

This feeling of being disconnected like this, feeling as if his body was turned off… He’s felt it before, had dealt with it for months before. Rux turned back time on him… And he turned it back to one of the worse times of his life.

_______________________________

_______________________________

(uwa! sorry for disappearing again! I was just distressing over the financial side effects of this pandemic has on my family is all. I hope you enjoy that lil art piece in apology! Let’s just pretend I added scales to all of his wings, tail and feet. Also his hands look normal on the ground but they’re rather thickly padded in the palm area. I'll keep doing my best with updates!! Thank you for reading!!!)

[textsfromninjagoblog]

Misako: A Stupidly Long, Spur-Of-The-Moment Character Study

Ok, so I saw a post on here by @justninjatrash asking if anyone in the fan base likes Misako and I got a ridiculous wave of inspiration to share some of the theories and LOTS of headcanons I had.

The short answer is yes, I do like her.

(Also, this is only going to deal with her as a mom and her relationship with Lloyd. So anyone who wants to bring up the WuSako mess can take it up with the H. Bros 'cause every single shipping issue is their fault.)

Warning: LONG! (And basically all headcanon)

~~~~~~

The first thing that comes to mind whenever somebody talks about Misako is how she abandoned Lloyd at Darkly's, and wondering why she didn't either keep him, find a normal boarding school/orphanage or just leave the kid with Wu.

I've got an explanation for this, but I'm gonna have to give you some context first:

Even with how screwy the timeline of this show is, she definitely had to be pregnant with Lloyd before Garmadon was banished to the Underworld. She saw her husband's descent into madness up close and personal, and now knew that he was fully evil. Being the kind of threat he was, it seemed pretty clear that he was the great darkness that would be defeated by the Green Ninja.

(No one could've saw the Overlord coming.)

Well, she ALWAYS knew that little Lloyd would be saddled with the destiny of being the Green Ninja. (She says so in S2 Ep7 I believe)

So even before he's born, she starts her research on the prophecy, hoping that she can save her family from destruction.

In time, the sweet lil green bean we all love is born. Although she adores him, his birth also fills Misako with panic. This is because she's still no closer to stopping the prophecy, and she's learned all she can from local sources, so she'll need to travel far in order to gain more information.

Now let's be real, the continent of Ninjago is a freakin' death trap. Not exactly ideal for any traveler, let alone a baby!

So, she's left with two options: bring Lloyd with her into unknown and dangerous territory where both of them could easily end up dying (leaving Ninjago mega-screwed!); or find someone to take care of him but have to leave him for who knows how long. (Which sucks, but at least he's ok.)

We all know she decides to leave Lloyd at Darkly's, seeing it as her only feasible choice. But why?

Because the name of Garmadon now has one hell of a bad reputation.

Darkly's was far from her first choice of lodging for Lloyd. However when compared to leaving him at a normal school/orphanage, where he'd definitely be treated as a danger to everyone and ostracized for being 'Lord Garmadon's son', it seemed like a better bet.

She probably figured that those at Darkly's would treat Lloyd like a king due to his parentage!

So they take Lloyd in, always eager for a new student. But with no way to contact his still-banished dad, the staff and other students don't believe he's actually the Dark Lord's kid and well, we know the rest.

But why didn't she save herself the trouble of gambling on a boarding school and just leave Lloyd with Wu?

Because she wanted Lloyd to have a (relatively) normal childhood!

Long before Misako would marry Garmadon, he went off to train at Chen's. But you know what else happened during this time?

Morro.

So imagine being panicked about where your kid is going to live and thinking about dropping him with his uncle. Sounds good, right?

Then you remember that the last kid he cared for ran off and has now mysteriously disappeared, all over the EXACT PROPHECY that you're trying to keep your child away from for as long as possible.

So yeah, Misako decided that Wu was definitely NOT a good caretaker. Also, I can only imagine that she wanted Lloyd to have at least a small part of his life where destiny wasn't bearing down on him and he could just be a kid.

(No one would've expected that to include unleashing the freaking Serpentine, but hey, go big or go home I guess!)

~~~~~~

So that explains why Misako left Lloyd where she did, but what about why she never made contact with him while they were apart?

That's a bit more complicated...

I imagine she'd left letters for Lloyd at the moment she left him that explained everything, with instructions for the staff to save them for Lloyd till he's old enough to read them. However, either by malice or simply forgetfulness, the staff at Darkly's end up never giving them to Lloyd.

She never writes to him or sends packages because she knows how clever Garmadon is, and it's only a matter of time before he returns. She knew that if he somehow found Lloyd's location, it could prove catastrophic, so she leaves no traces that could be followed. This is also why she never visited in-person.

But that wasn't the only reason. She knew that she was risking her life on her journey, and while she loves and misses Lloyd, she didn't want him to become attached to her; only to end up devastated should she meet an early end.

~~~~~~

Here's my take on the events leading up to and after S2 Ep7:

Skipping ahead to the time period right before S1, Misako had fully intended to go back for Lloyd now that he was older and she had completed her field research. However, after calling Darkly's to ask about Lloyd, they said that he ran off and they couldn't find him. So she writes to Wu, reasoning that Lloyd ran to the Monastery.

What she doesn't know, is that the Monastery was burned down and everyone is now living on the Destiny's Bounty. After waiting weeks for a response that would never come, she becomes despondent and throws herself into her work, which is in her mind the only way she can still protect her son despite his unknown whereabouts.

S1 happens, but only the Ninja know who released the Serpentine and we know that story.

Time-skip again to S2. I can only imagine that after she moved onto the Bounty that she explained everything to Lloyd, from the letters she left to the reason she never came by to how much she loves him. Tears are shed and the path to forgiveness begins, but of course we don't see this thanks to the sheer chaos of the show's writing.

~~~~~~~~

So basically I see Misako as a mom faced with the unthinkable and is trying to do her best even when the situation presents no reasonable options. She's a strategic survivor to me, and is very strong to be able to handle such turmoil and heartbreak without cracking. (If only they did a better job conveying all this....)

And to do it all for the sake of her family? Now that's love!

[parachutingkitten]

Season 4 Analysis

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I am going to be applying the concept of criticism to a TV show you presumably love and adore as much as I do. If you do not want your idea that the show is immaculate to be challenged, I would not advise reading past this point.

Mood for the season: It's a SuPeR fUn HaPpY pLaCe!!!!!

You don’t need to, but if you are interested, and haven’t seen my analysis of past seasons, you can find those here:

Pilot

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Hey guys! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Season 4! We are here! I am SO biased with this season. It has problems man. It has ALL the problems! ALL the plot holes! ALL the stupid, stupid stuff, but I LOVE ALL OF IT! okay, let's back up. I'm about to drop some context on you. 

So, when you're a military brat you tend to make friends with whoever you can, and when I lived in Germany I had a friend who was fandom OBSESSED. She, at the time, was super into Homestuck, something I managed to avoid being sucked into, though I do know more about it than I would like. Anyway, this was the point at which I started getting sucked into Ninjago. So, I figured that if I could trust anyone with a strange obsession, it was her. I showed her the last episode of season 3, and she decided she was just going to dive head first into it with me. We watched season 4 together as it came out, we talked about it, had a bunch of inside jokes about it, I wrote some very short fanfiction about it, she made some OCs, one in particular that I remember was Stormy, a ditzy cloud master who wore pink, we shipped him with... one of my OCs, I don't remember. She hadn't watched the first two seasons, so I had to fill her in on a lot, but she was the first person I ever fandomed with, and it was over season 4. So I guess you could say season 3 was the grand beginning of my love for this show, and season 4 was the peak of my fangirl experience (at least for that phase of my life).

Plot

This season is a real mixed bag. Coming off the heels of the first season, nothing makes sense. Suddenly there are more elements, completely discrediting Lloyd's supposed power of four powers. And now it's genetic, which brings up the problem of Jay, who... if either Ed or Edna were masters, they would have slipped by now (but also like, how cool would it be if Edna just busted out with lightning powers) and then Zane who... doesn't have genes. It makes the world bigger, yes, but it also discredits the lore of the last two seasons, and brings up the question "Where the hell were the rest of the EMs when the Great Devour attacked? Or the stone warriors? Or the final battle?!" Anyway, it's a bit jarring and sudden to say the least. It definitely was not planned beforehand. There aren't even any hints in season 3. Like wouldn't it be cool if in season 3 we saw them go to the noodle shop, or Wu was really vague about elemental questions. It would make a lot more sense then. Idk. It opens the universe up to the plotlines of most of the future seasons, but it does sort of discredit the first two. This season is also kinda choppy feeling wise. You go from the mood the past season have had in the first episode to this sort of native tribal feel on the island, and then the factory and then back to Ninjago. It's kinda a mess. Overall it was just an excuse to put these characters in cool situations (which I have done before, I understand). Which I get, and it makes for some cool stuff, but I don't think any of it ends up meshing together super well in the end. When I think of this season I think of the tournament. I forget about the whole snake stuff at the end most of the time. I forget about the while Garmadon conflict. The fact that I forget that's there has to be a bad sign, right?

Characters

Character work this season is really pretty good for the most part! There are a lot of new characters. And they all are very distinct and fun, and even when two people you don't know especially well battle, you're still really invested. All of the Cole and Jay stuff is pretty good this season! Major upgrade from season 3. The whole fight scene is absolutely fantastic. Garmadon is freaking awesome this season. He keeps on trying to kill himself, and it's stupid, and the show sort of acknowledges that it's stupid, cuz Lloyd is just like 'dude, what the heck'. Kai's arch this season is pretty good, exploring his darker side and putting that intense conflict in front of him was good. I can tell you one thing, I like it a heck of a lot better than season 7, but we'll get to that when we get to that. So, yeah. Overall improvement in character! It doesn't dive super deep or anything, but it all works and is all interesting.

Skylor

So... she is one of the reasons I call this season the fanfiction season. We have a whole bunch of other elemental masters we've never heard of, and one of them their power is... all the powers. I can not tell you how much this ticked me off! And she hardly ever uses them! She has pretty much infinite power, and she doesn't think to use it, pretty much ever! There are no restrictions on her! This is what I hate Skylor for. And I do mean hate. BUT aside from that, strictly character wise she is done pretty well. She feels pretty fake and overly sassy at the beginning of the season, but there's a reason for that. It's an act. But it's not like she changed her personality to fool him, she intensified her personality to cover her intentions. Her arch feels pretty natural. That one scene where she does the evil laugh... that was weird. But aside from that, it feels okay. She was raised to think that lying and cheating is the norm, so when someone presents her with another option she begins to change. It makes sense. I love the scene where Kai and her look at each other through the prison bars and (even though their freaking legos) you can feel her realization that she's ashamed of what she's doing now. And after she makes the transition, she's just really chill. Like, I would like to hang out with her. I guess it is kinda sweet that even though she had all of the powers of... ever, at the end she's happy to just run her noodle shop. It's kinda poetic. Anyway, she may be a bit overpowered, and she feels like a bit of a Mary Sue, but overall her personality and interactions are enjoyable enough for me to mostly ignore that. I do agree that she is best used in moderation. She doesn't need to be part of the team. I wish we had a quick cameo each season, but whatever. What we have now in season 9 is nice, but she definitely needs to step back out of the spotlight in future seasons (knock on wood) in order to remain as likable as she's been.

Karlof

Love him. Freaking love him. Honestly, I probably relate to him the most. He's the first loser of the tournament, he avoids trouble, he sticks to what he knows, and he says it like it is. I love his interactions with everyone down in the noodle factory. He's like this perfect blend of optimism and pessimism. His interactions with Cole are beautiful. Their chemistry is really great. One of, I think everyone's favorite masters, and there's a reason why.

Shade

So... typical darkness character. Obviously selfish. But once the climax hits, I actually like him a lot. He kinda serves as an antagonist at first and then flips. It's kinda cool seeing a character with moral boundaries that far out. He's purposely suspicious to take attention away from Skylor, which I get. I think he has a lot of missed potential, but nonetheless, a decent character.

Neuro

I absolutely love his power! I love his manor, I love his voice. He may well be my favorite EM. I don't even know what else to say about this guy. If Karlof is who I am, Neuro is who I'd like to think I am. Calculated, calm, reasonable, and much like Karlof again, not too risky. I like him a lot. Cool guy. I like seeing how far he's willing to go for the ninja, and where certain lines are for him. It's kinda cool to watch. He could use a friend though. I HC he and Paleman hang out. Both quiet. Both reserved. Neuro could probably locate him in a room even if he's not visible. Idk. Anyway, I like him a lot! Great character.

Griffin Turner

Classic speedster. Good enough. Not much to say. He's fun. He's cool. He's what you'd expect. Decent screen time. None of it particularly character developing. For what he is, he's good at it.

Jacob

So, let's ignore the part where they made us think he was dead. He's a lot of fun. Good for them getting a blind character in there. Still confused on what his powers can... do? But I like his spunk. I think we all have a little soft spot for him.

Chamille

One of the only girls and she's pretty much evil. Why do girls have to be evil at one point to be interesting? Idk. Don't really care for her, don't really think much about her. Whatever. She's there. She serves her purpose. Fine. Okay. Moving on.

Paleman

Friggin love him. For the master of light to be invisible is a great move, and pretty creative. His voice is kinda obvious, but very distinct. It's a creative background character to have. I like him a lot. Again, I feel he could use some more love. See above Neuro HC. Like him a lot and... yay.

Bolobo

Kinda missed the "mother nature" pun... could have had at least one more female master... that's okay. He's cool enough. Kinda disappointing though. I mean, vines? Is that it?

Gravis

Gravity is a dang cool power. Idk what else to say. He doesn't get a ton of screen time, so it's hard to praise him too much, but yeah. I really like that. Actually had an FC (she was a villain but you know whateves) with the power, so seeing that be a real element they used is really cool.

Ash

I don't like him. He's very strange. He's just got that one laugh. He seems comically over the top a jerk. I like the way his mouth looks though. Unique and kinda cool. I was looking on his Wiki page, and it said he and Chamille kissed in the background at one point? Is that true? I am way curious now

Tox

Okay. She's nonexistent here, no personality. I guess she's kinda tough. Yeah, this gets confirmed later in season 9, when she speaks. But even there she's pretty nonexistent. Here's my idea. Instead of having all your females being 'tough' why not flip expectation on its head? I think it would be way funny and clever if the master of poison was super friendly, and bubbly, and genuinely a nice person. I'm thinking almost like Jay's (lightning... or I guess adopted) mom, levels of talkative and nice. Wouldn't that be kinda fun? Idk. Whatever. It is what it is.

Kapau and Chope

Best villains ever 10/10. 'Nuff said.

Romance

KAILOR

Okay, I freaking love them! They're not my favorite couple or anything, but they work really, really well… under certain conditions. There are a few bumps I can't ignore. Can we have a protagonist in the show who doesn't send googly eyes at their future love interest the first moment they see her? And remember when they made us think Kai and Skylor were related... yeah... why did we need to do that? That was... kinda uncomfortable. BUT other than that, Skylor is exactly what Kai needed. First, he needed a redhead. Duh. Second, he needed someone who would see right through his Kai shmoltz and be real with him. Third, she had to be fun. And finally, she needed to wear the pants in the relationship. And Skylor fills ALL of those requirements! I like that Kai falls for her right away, and I love that she doesn't think she likes him until... she totally does and it's like 'Oh SNAP!'. I love that weird scene where Chen walks around with Kai like he's already his son in law, that cracks me up! I guess I like them more in theory than in practice. It feels a touch forced, and it needed a bit more time. Point being, the beginnings of the relationship are extremely awkward and strange, but towards the end of the season, it gets good! I just wish we could see more :)

The... love... triangle

Alright, by now, you guys should know how I feel about these things. They suck. They're stupid. I hate them. They're pointless. And this season is... quite possibly the stupidest. So... the whole Garma-Wu-Sako... thing this season is that Wu wrote a letter to Misako a long time ago, and Garmadon stole it, and then... Misako *groan* used it to determine which of them she was going to marry... okay. Yeah, Garmadon, that was a crap thing to do. But you know what, he was evil. Wu should have just signed the thing when he wrote it. But also, Misako... WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' GIRL?! Why... would you let a letter... be the final deciding point? I don't get that. And my main problem is that she basically chose her husband based on his writing ability. The thoughts Wu had in the letter obviously directly express what Garmadon wanted to say. In the end, his feelings for her were still the same. The only thing different is that he didn't write it. He's not good with words the way Wu is. But the show treats it like he lied about his feelings, and didn't even like her. Like he was using her for personal gain or manipulation or something. Idk. The whole thing makes no sense. Now, maybe if he did something to make Wu directly look bad or disingenuous THAT would be understandable. But... idk. I don't get it. Misako sucks. Let's move on.

Villians

Chen

Chen is my favorite villain. Hands down. No competition. Any way you slice it. I friggin love the heck out of this dude. And here's why. First off, he's a very comedic villain that still remains extremely threatening, which is an extremely thin line to walk. I mean, think about it. With all the other villains, they were intimidating, and the henchmen provided the humor. Here, I guess you could say they flipped it cuz Clouse is pretty intimidating, but Chen is still crazy scary on his own. And here's how they do it: He's insane. Straight up, he has lost his mind. Nothing he does makes sense, but that's fine, cuz it probably makes total sense to him. You can laugh at the quirky things he does, but also live in fear knowing that he has trap doors installed EVERYWHERE. Why? Cuz he likes them! Is there a better reason than that when you're crazy! That was my problem with people with Pythor. He is so smart, why didn't he ever think that the devourer might eat him too?! There is no explanation. But with Chen, that doesn't matter! He wants to be a snake! Why? Why not?! No flaws in that thinking, right? This is also why I like Ultra Violet so much. She's the only one to rival his position, but because she's more of a side villain, I don't feel that's enough to dethrone him. With insane villains, you never have any idea what they're playing at, if it's smart, or how to counteract, cuz they're just insane. I mean, seriously,

"Chen, the ninja have figured out our plan, what should we do?"

"COOL! Let's tell EVERYONE our plan!"

And it works! I love his voice. Just the way he says things makes me so happy! He's having so much fun, and I have fun with him! 10/10 villain. Great work.

Clouse

I can't get past the voice. It sounds so over the top evil and... it's kinda annoying for me? He has a decent backstory and such, but whenever he's on screen I always find myself wishing it was Chen. He just sucks the fun out of everything and leaves nothing there, so most of his interactions aren't particularly interesting. I don't know. Never really thought much of him.

Humor

Needless to say everything with Chen works! Everything with the EMs works. Jay's whole Positive Thinking streak is amazing! There's not a lot that falls flat on its face. It's really pretty fantastic.

Favorite joke: too many to count. If I had to pick one...

Chen's: the reds, the purples, the super dark purples!

Drama

This season has some damn good drama. It has my personal most sad moment in all of Ninjago. I'm of course talking about Garmadon's death...  JK! XD I WAS LAUGHING ALL THE WAY THROUGH THAT SEQUENCE! But we’ll get to that later. Okay. But for real, my personal most heartbreaking moment is when we find out Pixal is scrapped (of course it's Pixal related) but seriously, watching this for the first time, it broke my heart hardcore. I audibly gasped. They have these conversations, and she realizes he doesn't remember her, and it hurts her because they were comPATABLE GOSH DANG IT! And then he starts remembering, and she knows she can't go with him, so she lies to him to give him the motivation to make it out, and then the reveal, and Zane's heart breaks, and your heart breaks. This whole scenario reminds me of my own writing, it has all these things I enjoy using. Distinctions between fantasy and reality, characters lying to each other to protect them, and an ending realization of total and complete emptiness. Of course, Pixal is added into his head, and all is fine and dandy. It works for this season but serves her worse in future seasons. Regardless, that moment when Pixal says 'scrapped' is the most depressing thing I've ever seen. All of the Zane drama this season works really well. Zane having an identity crisis is something I didn't think the show would handle. When Zane says he's just a clone if himself I was like 'oh, dang! They went there!'. It's almost like he's comparing himself to Cryptor, and it's some heavy stuff. Everything this season is shrouded in mystery. I love that. For the first half of the season or so, I really like the tournament stuff. But as we get Cole, and especially Jay in the noodle factory, that plotline gets much more interesting. I don't get into the Nya and Lloyd and Garmadon stuff that much. The stuff with Kai is okay. But overall, there's some good stuff.

Climax

Okay, so... I... I mean I like the build up. The thing with all the trucks is really good. Most of it was really pretty good with all the EMs doing stuff the ninja would usually do. But the whole ending thing, with getting mini Pythor involved, and you know. The whole Garmadon death thing. He died an honorable death and all that, but... idk, I can't get past Lloyd's voice. As he reads him off I just couldn't stop giggling! It's so overdramatic, they feel like they need to make Lloyd mad at his dad for whatever reason so he can come back at the last second, and it all feels so forced. And then the ending is super overly cheesy for how serious the show wants to take itself at that moment. Idk. I don't like it. One of my least favorite finales.

Spotlight episode

There are some good ones to choose from this season. Some real good ones. But the one I find myself watching the most is Ninja Roll. This episode doesn't have too high stakes, it doesn't make much sense, it's kind of pointless, but it perfectly encapsulates the reason I watch Ninjago. I don't know exactly why I watch Ninjago. I'm not into the action most of the time. The romance is cute, but not potent enough to warrant watching the show. The humor isn't revolutionary, the characters aren't especially deep. No, the reason I watch Ninjago is cuz it's fun. Ninjago is just a good time. It has just enough of all of those aspects to make for something I love. It makes me smile. With seasons 8, and especially 9, Ninjago has shifted into this darker action based, lore-driven thing, which I thought I would like, and I do, but I think it's lost a bit of that fun factor. In my opinion, Ninjago is it's best when it's self-aware, and doesn't take itself overly seriously. When you don't have to end the season on an ominous dark cliffhanger. I mean really. What is this? Chima? No. I just want to go hang out with the ninja and the gang, whatever it is their doing. This episode takes advantage of every situation a roller derby with the ninja provides. Of course Jay roller skates with his mom. Of course, Kai is incompetent at it. Of course, Chen cheats, of course, it all comes down to Lloyd. Of course, there's freaking buggies that Chen releases! This whole episode makes me smile and laugh and it has a good message. This is what I miss about Ninjago, and that's why it's my spotlight.

Misc

I know everyone always teases Jay about his TV show, but what about Kai and his wrestling career? I just feel like that would come up more often

I completely subscribe to the theory that Pixal was scrapped to fix Zane cuz they beat him up so badly when capturing. I'd kinda like to think Pixal even volunteered herself for it... ONE SHOT IDEA

I have to scratch... my face.

I need a number on the trap door to button ratio on the island

This season has my favorite intro of any season. Mainly cuz the remix is FIRE and I hate the fact that they don't have an extended version that sounds more like the opening itself. 

So all together, the word to sum up season 4 is fun. Definitely not technically the best, or the smartest, or the most well done, but it's my favorite because of nostalgia, my inner child, and because it makes me smile. I love this season.

- Maya (Parachutingkitten)

[rip-a-dip-dip-you-potato-chip]

will this be a legit tumblr fic series? no, absolutely not I just felt like writing something. Everything else will be bullet points since I can knock out like, two to three seasons in one go.

Shannon (Shan) Maywether.

Oc introduction P1

This takes place in between season 1 episodes 10 and 11 in like a mini sode I like to call "Eye of Unfairness" its a play off the fact Shan means unfortunate and unfair in Scottish (something I recently learned)

Also feel free to change out Shannon's/Shans name for your OC if you want to! I don't mind! Keep in mind this fic was made with Shannon's personality and physical condition in mind. I also wouldn't mind feed back!

Third person POV

A day had passed since the reveal of the green ninja. It was a surprise to learn that Lloyd, a kid, was the supposed chosen one. It was shock to, well everyone on board the Bounty.

It was Wednesday, so Shannon was tasked with cooking for the day. She stood, cutting vegetables for the side dish she was wiping up alongside the English breakfast she had made. Her mind was filled with ‘what if's’. As an older sister to 10 younger brothers, 4 of which that happen to be around Lloyd’s age it was startling for her. There was no telling when the 'Final Battle' will take place and what would happen during it, took the focus from the sharp edge of the blade she was holding.

"ow, damn it-" dropping the knife on the cutting board as she cursed. Bringing the cut wound to her lips she sucked on it as she searched for the bandages they kept in the kitchen just incase if kind of thing happened.

After finding bandages and bandaging the cut Shannon finished fixing up the salad. Just as she set the freshly tossed salad on the table the other residents of the ship walked in.

"Morning Shannon" "Mornin' Zane"

The other ninja mumbled a good morning as well as they took their set's at the table and began eating the breakfast prepared.

"Hay Shannon what happened to your hand?" Lloyd asked looking at the older girls hand.

"Oh, accidently cut myself." She replied placing her coffee cup down looking over at the small blonde. She ruffled his hair earning a ‘stop it’ from the boy, and chuckled at how messy his hair was now. 

The rest of breakfast went without much problem seeing as how everyone was still riding down from the adrenaline that was yesterday. It all seemed peaceful still Garmadon walked in.

Shannon's POV

Garm walked in, late as usual. And as usual we where all kinda put off with what he was eating. Dark matter grubs I think there called? Never payed much attention to this sorta thing really. I just can't get the truth we uncovered yesterday. Lloyd being the green ninja. Its going to hard for him I can tell.

Letting out an tried sigh I got up with my now empty plate and made my way over to the sink.

"Shannon, the Bounty is landing in a bit. You wanna come run groceries with me?" Nya asked as I passed her.

"Uhh, sure just tell me when you're planning on leaving." "You got it!"

____

Third person POV

As stated by Nya the Bounty had landed not long after they finished washing the dishes. The boys were outside training. Shannon seated cross-legged on the steps just watching with Wu. Garmadon had disappeared back into the ship, probably his room for the time being. Lloyd was hanging around the place too, inside reading. And Nya was getting ready to head out.

It wouldn't be for another 10 minutes till Garmadon emerged from where ever he was.

And unfortunately for everyone he was at the steps of the ship leading to where the ninja were training, and felt like causing some chaos.

Now it's not the man's fault, he has the venom of an equally evil snake brooding in his veins.

He knew he couldn't mess with the ninja, it was like a principle thing seeing as how they where tolerating his presence on the ship. Wu literally came to what might have been hell to most folks and brought him back to Ninjago to save his son. Nyas off limits, and as much as he wants to, his son, Lloyd is probably still shaken from not just the green ninja thing, but the snakes as well.

Which left Shannon.

The young lady had made it clear since there first interaction, that she held nothing against the dark lord. In fact she even played along with his bullshit if she felt like it. Best part, she can hold her own too. She may not train with the boys often but she knows spinjitzu, and has proven to be a good fighter, Shans just lax and a go with the flow kind of person.

With that in mind, he decided to make a comment.

"Not going to change?"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Shannon questioned, she didn't bother to look at him, as she took a swig from her tea that Wu had generously offered.

"With the amount of purple you wear you might get mistaken for a snake"

"Phff, at least I don't look like a took a bath in tar"

With that, a swift yet not powerful smack to the back of the teens head was earned. It was supposed to be playful, harmless but as the force of the hit passed through the youngers head, the sound of heavy glass hitting wood made itself known. This caused the boys to stop and turn there attention back over to the steps on the deck. As Shannon looked up, it became evidently clear she was missing her right eye.

Panic ensues.

Jay, Cole, Kai, and Zane screamed at the fact there friends eye was now just gone. Garmadons just standing there questioning if he put more power than he initially thought he did. Wu went wide eyes as he stared at the girl next to him, seeing small streams of blood leak out the now empty eye socket. Lloyd and Nya came running out to only to scream themselves.

With a sigh Shannon picked up her Eye and monical that had fallen.

"Guys, chill out!" She yelled.

"CHILL OUT! SHAN YOU EYE FEEL OUT OF YOUR HEAD" the Blue ninja yelled. Pointing at the eye in the Burnetts hand.

"Its a glass eye bolts for brain's" Shan retorted.

"Glass eye?" Cole repeated.

"Yes, a glass eye! Why did you think I wore a monocle instead of regular glasses? Sure I can't see jack with my right eye but it acts as a shield of sorts!"

"I-im so sorry, are you okay Shannon?" Garmadon asked.

"Ya, im fine" she answered.

____

After that everyone had gone inside. Zane grabbed the medical kit to disinfect and put a temporary patch over Shannon's eye. Garmadon had taken the glass eye and with the recommended disinfectant Shannon just so happen to have on her, put the bloody thing in a black glass cup filled with warm water and the disinfectant liquid mixture, to clean it. He may be the bad guy, but he's never really hurt anyone to the point they lose something like an eye.

Once done he gave the glass to Shannon who was now sitting in the armchair.

"So, umm how'd you uh- you know lose you eye?" Kai asked weirly, he feared there might be some sort of trauma along with it and didn't want to trigger it.

"You don't have to tell us!" Nya quickly added.

"Na its fine" Shannon said as she waved off there concerns.

"I was about seven when it happened. Home invasion. The guy had a gun. I had heard sound from downstairs and curiosity got the best of me. I think your all smart enough to piece together what happened next" she said. Everyone kinda relied back at the mear mental image.

"Yikes" Jay, shivered at the thought of it.

"I mean it’s not all that bad I guess. Altho I didn't have a say in whether or not I got a fake eye"

"What do you mean you didn't get a say in it?"

"It’s exactly as I say it is. When I woke up my depth perception was crap, but I had both my eyes. It wasn't until the doctor told me my parents were admit about me having one"

"So are, you like going to be ok or?"

"I'll be fine green bean, if anything this was a good thing, means I need a new one. Thankfully I shot my brother text about one lot long ago." Shannon said dismissively

"Brother?" Wu questioned.

"Okay, Nya you ready to got out?"

"Ya but it can wait-" "I'm good, I swear Nya lets go" the older girl instead as she got up and dragged Nya out the ship for their planned outing. (She put the glass with the eye in the table as they left)

"Well that was, concerning" Cole said as the two girls disappeared.

____

It was around midday the girls were not back yet. Jay was still unnerved by the eye in the cup being in such an open area, moved it over to the kitchen counter. Training was cut short because of the incident. Wu taking into account not just the mental impact of one of his charges eyes popping up in front of them, but the buildup of stuff they'd been having to deal with since his absence. Besides when the girls get back they all need to talk of a plan to get the Fang Blades back from the Serpentine before they can awaken the Devourer. 

Wu and his brother where out front on the deck talking, it felt like forever to the two of them since they last spoke in such good terms. The guys (pluss Lloyd) where inside playing video games as a pass time. It wasn't long after when the sound of a car, a taxi, could be heard coming there way. As the taxi came to a stop the guys had logged off there game and stepped out to grate the return of the only two females on their team. 

But instead of the raven and green tipped brunette haired, a blond tipped brunette boy stepped out the vehicle (not before paying of course) and made his way over to the Bounty. 

“umm, dumb question since there aren't many flying ships around, but is this the Destiny's Bounty?” The Boy asked as he neared the ship. upon closer inspection the boy was wearing a leather jacket with a white under shirt, and jeans with a pair of black converse. He had a mailman bag slung over his shoulder. 

“ya it is, what bring you all the way out here though?” Cole answered as he crossed his arms. attempting to look menacing which seemed to be working.   

“uh, I came to drop something off for my sister, Shannon?” The boy answered.

“Shannon, as in the monocle waring Shan?” Jay asked 

“yes! that one!” 

“Cool, Cool... wanna climb on board?” Kai asked him.

“Would I!” The boy, Shannon’s brother made is way up on the Bounty.

“By the way, what you name” Zane asked as the brunet dorded.

“Shane, Shane Maywather and might I say it’s a pleasure to meet the guys my sister has been staying with after all this time.” He, Shane replied.

____

“wait, so let me get this straight” Cole stood with his hands on his head, clearly confused by what was said. 

Its been about an hour since Shane was let on borde and the guy could see why his sister liked it here so much.  

“there are 10 of you? including Shane makes 11″ Cole sated. Shane just nodded as he let the earth ninja racape what Shane had told them. Wu and Garmadon where in the kitchen intently listening to the conversation they were having.  

“yup, Shan and I are the oldest, there where are the quads; Jason, Mayson, Tyson, Carson.” He started again listing his younger siblings.

“Then the triplets; Asher, Carter and Xavier. Then the last set of twins; Franklyn and Merlyn” Shane finished. 

“No wonder Shannon can deal with us so well” Jay said looking astonished.

“ya she had to deal with 9 younger brothers and one older one” Kai remarked. Shane snickered before correcting him.

“Shannon is the oldest, in fact despite us being twins, she’s technically a year older than me.” 

“But isn't being twins, like two people being born on the same day?” Zane inquired.

“True, but you see, my mom had Shannon on december 31st 1995, at around 11:55pm, I then happened on january 1st 1996 at 00:02am in the morning” Shane explained.

“dude” Jay commented. Shane laghed.

“yup,Shannons the ‘big sister’ of the house” He said glancing about.  

“i'm surprised though, i though Shannon would have at least mentioned something about you guys to us” Lloyd pipped in. He enjoyed Shannons company she made him feel welcome. And when she caught him setting up the prank for Kai as his uncle had asked him to, she gave him some pointers on how to eviscerate Kai’s high score. Even took some pressure off him as she stayed in the room in anticipation for the fire ninja so they wouldn't get too suspicious. To learn Shan had several younger brothers, like Jay commented, meade scene in how she was not only dealt with them but was able to deal with his father so well.

“Honestly,it's do be expected. Because Shannons the oldest our parents are hard on her... We come from a fairly well of family to the point where money is more or less a play thing to our folks” Shane started, the ninja(pluss Loyd)went wide eyed.

“so you're saying you guys are rich?” Jay asked dumbfounded. Shane fidgeted with his fingers.

“Y-Ya pretty much. But Shannon, and our parents, they... They don't get along at all. For all i can remember, the only time i've ever had with Shan was when she wasn't in any of her classes or extracurriculars. They pushed her to be perfect, and at the same time pushed her away. Looking back there where countless arguments over a lot of what they where doing” Shane said looking down at his lap. 

“There was this one argument that just hit the nail in the head though, a couple years back, it was during dinner and our parents had invited a business associates family over. They had a son, about three years older then Shannon and I. Our parents had announced that he would be Shannons fiance and thighs went downhill fast” Looking up once more Shane let a had run though his hair as he relieved the memory. The guys were taken aback by this, seeing as how Shan was arguably one of the most level headed people they knew. 

“sounds stressful” Kai quipped not really knowing how to respond to that, bur as a brother to a sister himself he could understand the feeling of not wanting your sibling to do be forced into doing something they don't want to. 

“You don’t half of it” Shan said with a sigh. 

“After that, she stormed out never to be seen scene again. At least physically, she managed to keep contact with me, we talk but not as much as either of us would like...” He finished leaning back and letting the surprisingly soft couch engulf him. 

“I’m glad though,she deserves a break after everything” Shane commented.

“ya well if you call fighting an army of skeletons, snakes and eventually Garmadon a brake, then you my friend are in need of a vacation as well” Jay replied plopping down next to Shane with a dorky grin. The tenshin that had been building in Shane dissipated, yup he could really see why his sister liked it here so much. 

____

Dropping the topic of who much his and Shannon's parents where that talked about other random things. It was a little bit later when the girl got back.  The two where catting about, something girl related when they walked into the main room of the Bounty. 

“Hey! Welcome back! And guess how came to visit?!” Jay sang, gesturing to Shane who was seated next to him. Shannon looked over at her bother in shock she thought-

"Good to see you again Sister!~" Shane said as be bolted form where he was sitting to envelope Shannon in a hug. As he did Shannon dropped the bags she was holding, seemingly shocked that her blood brother was here. 

“Shane?” She breathed, then hugged him back, leaning into it. 

After a bit the two separated.

“It’s good to see you again Shane! How have you been?” “Good, good, what about you? what happened to your eye? Where is it?” 

Shan laughed a little and shook her head.

“There was an accident this morning, Garmadon hit the back of my head and it just popped out” Shane stood still. Taking in the information. Once complete he turned and tried to lunged to where Garmadon was, if it wasn't for Shannon having grabbed him in that split second. He probably would have gone into a full on fist fight with the dark lord. 

“Lemme go! I'm going to eviscerate him!” Shane hissed struggling against his sisters grip. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master that Shannon trained with the boys ocashinaly. 

“Calm down little brother it was an accident” “Like HELL”  

The two go back and forth a little more till Shane camls down. Garmadon rightfully spooked at the fact that this, well mannered, e-boy looking, kid was threatened to ‘eviscerate’ him. 

“Fine, I won’t attack him, doesn't mean I won’t like it” Shane said mutting that last bit. 

“Seriously (1)Balach Milis, if you applied this anger properly, you wouldn't have to deal with what Eric and Lizzibeth right?” Shannon said as she let him go. picking up the grocery bags, and placed them on the counter. 

“(2)Flùr Gaoithe, you know when it comes to Mama and (3)Athair I can’t do do that!” He complained like a small child. 

“You really need to grow a backbone” Shane said shaking her head.

___ 

Things had settled down since then.  

“It’s getting late, I should get going, I have band practice tomorrow and need the rest.” “boo, skip and just stay here for the week” “Flùr Gaoithe” “Balach Milis“ 

With that The younger twin got up, gave his sister the new glass eye she had asked for, said his goodbyes, shot Garmadon one last glar, and left. 

“Your brother seems like a nice person” Gramadon said looking over the the greet tipped girl. 

“Ya, he’s awesome. Wish he was less of a pushover tho” 

Jay feeling thirsty, walked over into the kitchen. He spotted the black glass cup, completely having forgot about the eye inside it. Now you can't really see anything at the bottom. And Jay, in his infinite wisdom, thinking it was just some random cup of random water that had been left on the kitchen counter, and drank from it. 

“OH GOD” 

 “Did Jay drink from the eye glass?” Lloyd asked his uncle who was watching from the blue ninja form the table.

“He drank from the eye glass” Wu confirmed. The others erupted into a fit of laughter and giggles. 

__________

 (1)Balach Milis - Sweet boy  

(2)Flùr Gaoithe - Wind flower 

(3)Athair - dad

this was translated using google translate, the language being Scottish Gaelic. I know Ninjago was based off of asian culture. But like I said, Shan it scottish for unfortunate and unfair. Also nothing in the lore of the show explicitly states that Ninjago is the only continent on the planet. 

I HC that there are different parts of the world. its safe to say Ninjago is the main land where a lot of the exciting things happen, but across who knows how long away there are different countries. And Shannon’s family like immigrated to Ninjago, during it’s early years where big contributors and financial support, in building the city. 

but ye this is a mini sode, i came up with. criticism is always welcome! I will be doing bullet notes for Shan and Melody, and maye Gold to since i have an active fic about her that i haven't updated in, forever but yaaaaa. 

till next text post i guess lol                          

[yuki7900archive]

(Movie) Garmadon x Misako Pt. 1

PART 2

Hope you guys enjoy ^^

Garmadon always enjoyed the battles he had with the ninja. Sure they scuppered his plans a lot but it kept things interesting, ya' know? What was an evil warlord without a righteous hero? A very powerful man actually, if you thought about it, because no one would stop him and he'd just, like, rule the world and stuff. What? It's the truth!

This one brawl in particular was quite entertaining for him. He watched from above as his soldiers fought off the six ninja with their fish weapons. The ninja were winning, unsurprisingly, but he'd still caused a fair amount of mayhem and destruction today so the day hadn't been a total failure. They'd been a bit late to the party this time around, though. Usually, they arrived when he'd only got through 1/8 of the city, this time he'd gotten through at least 3/8. Oh well, mechs are hard to maintain. Maybe some of them were having a few technical errors. Garmadon understood that. Hey, he may have been a terrorist trying to take over Ninjago, but he wasn't a complete monster.

Eventually, his arch nemesis/son, the green ninja appeared in all his glory. He was giving that same, pouty sort of frown he always gave. The "teenage angst" look as Garmadon called it. His son had a lot of issues with him, which the warlord couldn't understand. Garmadon had never been around him for the young boy's entire life. How could he even be the problem?

"Dad." Lloyd growled as he unsheathed his katana and slowly walked closer to his prey. The boy was quite the dramatic, really. Kind of like him, the man supposed. He always saw so much of him in his son, at the same time seeing a fair amount of Koko in him too. Lloyd has his theatricalness and stubbornness, and whilst their eyes were not the same colour, the emerald hues he had definitely stood out much like his contrasting, blood red ones. Meanwhile, he had the courageousness and determination from Koko's personality. He also had the same thick and smooth hair as her (except blonde instead of ginger).

He briefly remembered a time when Misako's hair had been curly. She used to curl it for work and tie it up in a quick and messy bun. Little stands would slip out of place and curl over her cheeks. It was cute. She was cute. Now she kept her hair straight and used these crimson chopsticks to tie her hair back with (yet somehow it looked neater than when she used a bobble. She was a magician in some ways).

He hadn't seen Misako in a few weeks, now that he thought about it. Probably because he hadn't been around in a few weeks. The last time he was here, he wasn't on official, warlord business, he had come to see her. He, ahem, "obtained" an array of different flowers, along with a small cherry blossom hair clip that he thought she might like. He'd seen it in a shop window during his last attack and, again, "obtained" it. It was the middle of the day when he strolled into her workplace and knocked on her office door. The only reason people weren't arresting him was because Misako had told them not to. They all seemed unsure but he thought they should've been thankful. If they had tried to arrest him, he would not have given them an easy job. He would've probably hissed at a few people, then jumped straight through the window and ran at lightning speed out of Ninjago city.

Instead, Koko had let him into her office and they'd begun to talk.

---

"Garmadon," Koko sighed as she shut the door behind her and turned to look at her ex-husband. He had a large grin on his face. Not one of despicable amusement, just the goofy little smile he gave to her when they were alone. He only ever gave that look to her (as far as she was aware). "What are you doing here?"

The man took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of Misako's desk, facing her armchair as she came and sat down in it moments later. He placed the hair clip on her desk and carefully slid it towards her, the bouquet of flowers held out towards her. She was a little shocked at first, not totally understanding why he was doing this at first. It wasn't her birthday. It wasn't any special occasion as far as she was aware. What was he planning?

"Go on a date with me?" He tilted his head and his grin widened as he awaited a response. Koko sighed.

"Garmadon..." She was about to speak some more when Garmadon held one arm up and signaled her to stop.

"Hear me out. Please?" He said, a hint of excitement in his voice. The woman shouldn't be listening, she knew she shouldn't. He was evil for crying out loud! Just a matter of days ago he'd kidnapped a bunch of babies from the nursery downtown. He only gave them back because she shocked him with a taser and he dropped them. Luckily none of them were hurt as officers caught them all. But still...a part of her still loved him. As much as she didn't want to admit it. Even after their past, the fact he still wanted her back...it made her heart swell and butterflies flutter in her stomach. She leaned back in her chair and rested her head in the palm of her right hand.

"Go on." She hoped she wouldn't regret this. Her ex continued to beam a jagged smile at her as he placed the flowers down on the table and began to explain. She picked up the bouquet and examined them, cursing to herself as he'd gathered a pretty bunch. He always knew the right ones to get. Damn it he was so good when it came to this stuff, and he was supposed to be a warlord! Since when were they good at all this?

"You come back to my lair, I'll make you some dinner. We can chat, catch up, and just have some time to relax. I won't blow anything up, you don't arrest me for unleashing countless attacks on the city, just a regular old date. Like we used to have." She had to admit that did sound great. A night off from work and from being a mom. Wu could take care of Lloyd for the evening. And Garmadon not destroying something? That took serious restraint on his part. He really was trying so hard. At the same time though he was still evil. He still hurt people and caused fear throughout the city. No one knew when the next attack would be. He gave no mercy to his enemies and Misako knew this all too well. He'd seen him on the battlefield and he was ruthless. Utterly, utterly ruthless.

She didn't say anything for a few moments as she pondered what to do. Yes or No? Go on a date or decline? If she said no then she was sure she'd regret it in the long run, whether it was from a broken heart or just because his anger could lead to more chaos and devastation to Ninjago. Hell, he could even go as far as to hurt her in some way, although she doubted it, you should never say never! At the same time, if she accepted, Lloyd would most definitely not approve. She'd have to keep it a secret from him, but how long would that really last? He wasn't oblivious to stuff. And how would he deal with the idea? Would he go ballistic too and do something?

"I..." She looked in his crimson eyes as they stared hopefully at her. It only crushed her heart more. "I can't."

Garmadon's face fell into dismay and disappointment as he was rejected by the woman he loved. Again. This hadn't been the first time he'd asked her, she'd said no in front of entire crowds of co-workers before and on countless occasions too. But somehow he always hoped she wasn't serious. That she was just saying it. Now? Now he wasn't so sure.

"But..." He blinked twice. "But why?"

"It's not that I don't still love you Garmadon! I swear! It's just," the woman sighed and picked up the hair clip that rested in front of her. She shut her eyes tightly as she swiveled her chair to look out of the window, the flowers cradled in her arms. "It wouldn't work. It didn't work in the past so, it definitely won't work out now." She muttered.

"I see." He stated as he stood up from his seat, trying to contain the anger and upset bubbling in his stomach. Without uttering another word, he left the room and walked right out of the building. Nobody stopped him. Not when they heard their boss quietly sobbing to herself as she looked out of the window. They hated seeing her cry but arresting Garmadon would honestly make the whole situation worse. So they simply shut her office door and left her alone for a while, her flowers on the floor and the hair clip clutched in her delicate hands as she held it close to her chest.

---

"Dad? Hello? Are you paying attention?" Lloyd snapped his dad out of his thoughts, his hands on his hips. Garmadon's eyes blinked a couple of times before he shook his head to wake himself up.

"Uhm...Yeah. Yes, I am green ninja!" He pointed his staff at the teen, an immediate despicable grin spreading across his features. He didn't look very convinced by that response. "Prepare for battle!"

The boy got into a battle stance and jumped forward to swing his sword in his foe's direction. It narrowly missed him as Garmadon leaned back, coming back up and raising his staff to hit Lloyd over the head with it. Just as he was about to bring it down, a voice cried from down below. A female voice. She didn't sound like she was in pain, rather they were shouts of triumph. It sounded a lot like...

They both immediately came to a halt and ran to the side of the ledge to look down at the ground below them. They saw the other five ninja, kicking butt as per usual, however, there was a sixth person fighting alongside them. A woman with bright, orange hair. Misako!

"Mom? What are you doing?!" Lloyd cried to her as she kicked a soldier in the stomach with her heels. The man with the faux shark helmet yelled out as he fell onto his back and curled up into a ball, sobbing hysterically as the pain was unbearable. Misako looked upward and waved at the pair, a pleased smile on her face.

"I got bored of waiting! Head of police never get to do the fun stuff! I just have to stand there and give orders."

"Mom-" The blonde boy groaned and facepalmed. He then pinches the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Look, just, go back to safety, okay?"

"What?" She gave a singular laugh in amusement and also slight annoyance. "No way!" She argued back before punching another one of Garmadon's men in the face. He fell on his back as well and was out cold in an instant, a black eye sure to be there when he woke up in a few hours. Misako sure had a powerful punch...

As mother and son carried on arguing with each other, Lloyd having hopped from one piece of debris to another and down to the ground floor so they could talk and fight bad guys at the same time, Garmadon remained where he was with all fours arms crossed. His eyebrows were furrowed in slight confusion with a puzzled frown on his face. He wondered if it was always like this at home, or perhaps this was a recent development. From what he could tell, Misako hadn't been aware of her son's secret. Maybe that had changed? It seemed so. If he hadn't mentioned it then she would've brought it up just then (after discovering her son was basically going around trying to kick his dad's behind), without a doubt. Ah well, he had more important things to worry about.

He leaped down to the ground in the centre of the battlefield and began to assist his men in the fight against the secret ninja force. They needed all the help they could get, considering how badly they were losing. He was going to have to tell his General to kick her training techniques up a notch. Where was she anyway? When he got his hands on her, she would be shot out of the volcano for sure.

"Mom, please-" The boy tried pleading, begging, any way of convincing her to leave. But unfortunately for him, it wasn't working like he hoped it would.

"This is not up for discussion. I'm helping you guys." She patted her hands together as she rubbed the dirt off of her palms.

Garmadon was right, they were both pretty determined in getting their way. He got why Lloyd was annoyed; he wanted his mom to be safe, which was fair enough. In all honestly, Garmadon wanted her to head back to a safe zone too. He knew she could fight but her fighting made everything so much complicated. He wanted to win Ninjago, but that meant defeating her. He didn't want to do that. That aside, he also didn't get why Misako wanted to join in in the first place. Was it the same reasoning as their son? Protect him from the shark army? Probably; that was the reason she left in the first place.

Eventually, Lloyd left her to it but instructed Nya and Kai to keep an eye on her. Misako was about to argue back before deciding against it, knowing it was probably the only way she'd get to continue. He focused his attention back on his dad and the two began their duel over again. This time Garmadon performed the first swing of the blade as he unsheathed it and almost took off a chunk of his son's blonde locks. Lloyd gritted his teeth as he glared and began slashing his sword against his enemy's. They both attacked with full force as they hopped from place to place. They split debris in half with the sheer force they were using. They screamed and cried at each other in rage and pain as they tried to wear each other out and make the final blow. As they fought they ended up underneath what remained of a concrete building. The ceiling was cracked as the beams holding them up were falling to bits.

"Give up dad!" Lloyd seethed, as their swords continued to clash. "You won't win!"

"Ooh~ I'm shaking in my boots Luh-Lloyd." His tone was one of mockery which made the ninja snarl at him as he tried to kick the man in his side. It backfired however as Garmadon's free hand shot out and lifted him up in the air before slamming him into the ground. The boy could only gasp as pain shot through his body. The warlord proceeded to pick the boy up by the neck before throwing him back on the ground again. This time he slipped across the gravel and the stones scraped against the teenagers back. He cried out in pain.

"I'm disappointed son," Garmadon muttered as he towered over his son's tiny body. All the while, Lloyd didn't look fearful. He simply frowned. "You usually fight better than this."

No response came from the boy, which was rather unusual. He normally had some form of comeback, a witty and sarcastic insult or something similar. Was he ill or something? Perhaps he just wasn't in the mood today. He knew that feeling, but on those days he just lay in bed and didn't bother conquering Ninjago. Why didn't Lloyd just lie and bed and not be a ninja for a day? That would be extremely helpful for him.

Suddenly a large bang was heard. Everything seemed to slow down as Garmadon turned behind him to see the pillar in the corner, holding the remains of this building upright, had crumbled completely. When he'd turned himself back around, he saw the other pillar had collapsed entirely too. Everything seemed to flash before his eyes in that moment. His childhood, his ninja training, all his goals and ambitions, his hard work. Was it all for nothing? Was this his end? Had his son finally got rid of him once and for all? He had no idea what happened. How they'd even fallen in the first place. But it was no matter now. He was dead for sure.

"NO!" He heard a desperate cry before he felt himself get pushed out of the way and land on top of Lloyd. A large cloud is smoke engulfed the father and son. They coughed and spluttered, Lloyd pushing his dad off of his body and trying to wipe the smoke away with his hands. Garmadon was too stunned to say anything. He simply got up and helped trying to clear the smoke. However, once it finally had disappeared, he soon found himself unable to speak nor move at all. At least not for a few moments. About two seconds later he was running to that pile of rubble when he saw that pale hand sticking out of the wreckage. He cried out and screamed as he pried off all of the heavy debris, Lloyd, Wu and the other ninja all by his side and aiding him. All of Garmadon's generals and soldiers stood in place. The war lord's voice was scratchy and his heart was filled with dread. He couldn't believe it.

Koko had pushed him out of the way. She'd saved his life.

[dorizardthewizard]

TLNM musings, part 2

Okay, here I ramble about problems with the movie. Ended up adding more stuff since I first wrote this :’P

Screentime and characterisation of the other ninja:

One of the biggest complaints from fans... they're all introduced individually with very different personalities, they’re told they each have a special element they control, making you feel like they should each get some moment to shine and affect the plot of the movie, but then none of that happens. Ultimately you could take out all the ninja and the story would be the same, you don't even necessarily need them for Lloyd's character since his journey of reconnecting with his father and bringing his family together can still work without them. It's so sad because if you read and watch extra material, you can tell thought went into their personalities, but we never get to see this as they're all just lumped together, mostly there to support Lloyd's development.

For someone who hasn't seen the show, it must feel a bit off seeing characters with distinguished personalities and no payoff for it; take Zane for example. Imagine not knowing anything about the characters and seeing one of them is a robot, for some reason? You wonder why he's a robot, what significance that has for the plot and why it's important for his character (I mean they missed a big opportunity to develop Zane from always trying to fit in and seem like a “normal teenager” to accepting that he's different but that that doesn't mean he's less valid), but then this really specific characteristic is never expanded on except for comedy purposes. People probably thought “oh, guess it makes more sense in the show”, but this just detaches viewers and makes them feel like they're missing something if they haven't seen the show beforehand.

Sigh, still gotta give the crew credit for fitting in a load of little subtle details about the ninja, I had to rewatch it a couple of times because there were things I didn’t notice at first, like Kai sliding down a bannister in the Temple of Fragile Foundations and falling off :’D

Group dynamic:

Another thing that bothered me is that the movie isn't that good at making you care about them as a team. They're already established as friends but I wish there were more material showing us how much they care about each other. The Kai hug scene was 10/10 but then when Chen and the other cheerleaders started picking on Lloyd, nobody said or did anything? In merchandise it said Kai is a hothead who isn't afraid to speak up or stand up to people, then show it in the movie! Him and Nya should have been on the verge of tackling that guy to the floor! Ok, I can see Lloyd asking them not to get into fights as it makes people hate him even more and he probably feels guilty if one of the ninja gets into trouble because of him. This would still have given more emotional connection between the characters but we're never shown it, except in the novelisation where Cole tries to block Lloyd from his locker so he doesn't see the insult written on it, I think. But again, we shouldn't have to read/ watch extra material for that.

Instead of moments showcasing the ninja’s friendship and close bonds, we got the opposite- everyone turned on Lloyd incredibly quickly for one mistake. Sure, it was a pretty big one and resulted in Garmadon taking over the city and their mechs being wrecked, but Lloyd was the only one doing anything about Garmadon at the time and he didn't exactly know what the consequences of using the ultimate weapon were; it's not like he knew it could potentially hurt his friends. In fact, how did the ninja know he used it anyway? That would mean they already knew about it and what it could do, yet Lloyd was not told? In which case, how can they blame him?? Damn it Wu, why couldn't you just tell Lloyd that using the weapon would unleash a cat that could destroy the city, instead of vaguely saying the weapon can be dangerous in the wrong hands. That's taking too many pages from TV Wu's book!

Honestly, it's like the ninja were just one character either shunning Lloyd or supporting him, depending on what the plot needed :/ That scene where they're talking with Garmadon while carrying him through the jungle really rubbed me the wrong way because first, no one seemed to care that Lloyd is so snippy because he's been forced to work with the man who made his life hell, and second they joke about Lloyd with that very same person and imply they don't respect Lloyd as leader, as Jay says he doesn't usually want to listen to him when he's talking? What??

 Lloyd and Garmadon’s relationship:

I mentioned this in part 1, but they really didn’t execute this well- I feel like they had so much fun playing up Garmadon being the worst dad in the world that they forgot to give him redeemable qualities. It took me a second viewing to realise his relationship with Lloyd was actually pretty messed up, because they played off his despicableness as comedic and glossed over it by suddenly giving him a flashback to make it seem like he’s sorry. They wanted to go for the father-and-son-have-issues-but-reconnect story, and had Lloyd say “I wish we didn’t have to fight all the time” in his emotional ending, but that’s a line usually present in a daddy-issue story where both have a part to blame and there's issues with communication. In this, though? Lloyd did nothing wrong! It was just Garmadon being trash, and there wasn't even a particular scene of him recognising and apologising for his actions- not the bit about driving Misako away, but how he treated Lloyd after.

The message is all mucked up - hoping to find some good in neglectful parents is just gonna get you hurt, and in a story like this it would make more sense for the protagonist to realise they don't need validation from this guy, shouldn't feel like they have to keep connected with toxic relatives just because they're family, and that they should focus on the friends and family who actually love them (although, whether Lloyd's friends were even portrayed as liking him is a different story). I mean, Koko could just teach him to throw and catch! Does he have to have two parents just for that?

 Tone and humour:

I think another main reason this movie didn't do as well was its more childish tone and dialogue; unlike the previous two movies, it was marketed at younger children. One of the main reasons TLM and LB were so successful is because of the self-aware jokes that could actually be enjoyed by adults too, while in this movie I may have properly laughed only a couple of times. Plus, in its effort to connect with kid's humour it just got cringy in some parts, like the Ultimate Weapon compilation. It would have been funny if it was ironic, like Amazing World of Gumball style, but it just didn't come across like that, so I can see why many jokes fell flat for older audiences.

People probably had different expectations for the overall tone as well- everyone loved the previous LEGO movies because of their constant barrage of action, witty jokes and a ton of references. This was never the selling point of Ninjago, but TLNM didn’t manage to capture the show’s dramatic style and deep lore-driven plot either.

The writers:

Okay last thing. This movie had three directors, six producers, six screenwriters and seven people working on the story. Compared to most animated movies, that's a lot, and its shows. It feels like they had a few different ideas and themes and couldn't quite patch them together, with vague messages like “looking at things from a different point of view” being thrown in as well to try and link it up. I guess at the end of the day, this is a father-son story, and that makes it very difficult to fit in a power-of-friendship plot at the same time, but still. Also, the shifting plot and ideas is really clear in the trailers, I mean half the stuff there wasn't even in the movie, it's as if the entire story was changed!

 Final verdict? I think an overall theme with this movie is that the writers wanted to overhaul Ninjago to introduce it to new viewers, but also wanted to keep the fans happy so shoehorned in lots of elements from the show without giving them enough development. This just disappoints fans and alienates general audiences, which is a problem since Ninjago doesn’t have a huge following already backing it up like LEGO Batman did, and could have been the pilot for more original LEGO lines making it to the big screen. It was a technically amazing movie, with beautiful animation and visuals, an epic soundtrack and stunning voice acting, but it was also such a waste of potential.

 The only other thing we can do is think about how it could have gone differently, so here's some of my ideas :'D

NOT using the deleted time travel plot. I know that after being disappointed in a movie you welcome any alternative, but giant mechs were already a big deviation from the ninja theme; flinging in time travel as well would be too much for non-show watchers. Plus, I thought we were all complaining about how time travel in Ninjago always just messes things up :'P

Also not following the show closer. We have over 10 seasons of the show, the whole point of a movie is giving a fresh take; using a giant snake or the Overlord possessing Garmadon again would just be boring.

Delete the first act? One of the best parts of the secret high school heroes trope is seeing how they juggle both lives, if you're gonna drop it after half an hour there's not much point of it being there.

Could instead just have Garmadon attacking again, the last invasion attempt being ages ago. Maybe the ninja rediscover a rich history of elemental masters protecting Ninjago when Wu decides to get a new team together to fight the new threat?

Make it about learning master building instead so they build their mechs at the end, and then gain elements in a sequel?

Or don't mention anything about elements and have every ninja individually go through an obstacle to obtain an elemental weapon, then they all lose them but don't know they're not necessary, so it's actually a surprise that the power is inside them? Everyone gets a sort of true potential moment?

Ninja having to warm up to Garmadon's son, so we have a plot of Lloyd slowly gaining their respect and becoming leader?

Higher stakes at the end, make the Shark Army more threatening and have them turn on Garmadon using Meowthra, so there's still an intense climax of the ninja fighting the army before Lloyd reaches Meowthra and gets his emotional ending?

Get rid of the live action sequence, or make it fit the message of the story more?

Feel free to add any ideas/ thoughts!

[aweebwrites]

The Story of Father and Son

(Here it is @ninjagotree101!)

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"He's so small..." Garmadon whispered, holding his son for the first time.

"Babies are supposed to be small." Misako says with a smile, recovering from the birth in bed, watching her husband.

It had taken several minutes to convince him that he won't hurt their son by simply holding him. The babe gurgled in his father's arms, eyes still closed and Garmadon looked down at him in wonder. Such a small child would grow into a great man. He could already tell.

"What should we name him?" Misako asked him and Garmadon paused, looking at his son, at his tiny balled up fists, his adorable button nose, at the thin blond hair on his head then smiled.

"Lloyd." He whispered and Misako smiled.

"Welcome to the world, Lloyd Garmadon."

_________________

"Quite the quick learner, isn't he?" Wu says, watching his nephew go, toddling his way around the room while giggling as the brothers shared a cup of tea.

"Indeed. Just 9 months and he can walk on his own. Not for long, but he's determined." Garmadon says with a smile, watching his son slam his tiny hands against the wall before falling on his bum, giggling still as he clapped his hands.

The sight made both brothers chuckle. Garmadon's smile soon fell.

"I wish his aunt could see him..." He says softly, bringing a somber mood over the two.

"As do I, brother." Wu whispered, looking into his tea.

Their youngest sister Kira had fell prey to the evil the Great Devourer's bite had inflicted on her when they were children a some time ago. It was their fault. They were practising in the training yard with her when Garmadon's sword ended up over the wall. While Garmadon and Wu had been arguing about whether or not to go get it themselves or telling their father, Kira had gone over the wall to get it on her own. Her cry of pain once she was bit was what alerted them that she had gone. Garmadon had climbed over the wall to get to her while Wu had gotten their father. It was horrifying watching her eyes flicker to red and back as she insulted their father and blamed them.

They never forgave themselves for that day. Then, after the serpentine war, the venom consumed her completely and she came to take the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu. They had to fight their own sister and in the end, they were helpless to watch as she had fallen to the underworld.

"Da da?" Garmadon was pulled out of his thoughts by his son holding onto his leg, looking up at him with a clearly confused look.

Garmadon chuckled, setting his cold tea aside and picking him up, pressing a kiss to his chubby cheek.

"Don't worry Lloyd. It's in the past now." He says to his son who looked up at him with large green eyes.

He then began babbling happily, clapping his hands and Garmadon melts.

"He really is something else, isn't he?" Wu says with a smile as he stood then plucked him out of his father's hands. "Let's say you and your favourite uncle go on a walk, him?" He says to Lloyd who cooed, yanking at his growing beard.

"Ow!" He yelped and Garmadon laughed as Lloyd did. "Your father taught you do do that, didn't he?" Wu queries as he took him outside.

Misako took her chance, walking forward to speak with her husband.

"Garmadon." She says and he looked to her curiously. "... We need to talk." She whispered and he frowned.

_________________

Garmadon watched Misako go, Lloyd whimpering in his arms at just a year old. She had reason to believe that Lloyd was the prophecised green ninja and wanted to stop the final battle that would no doubt drive their family apart. He had tried to convince her to stay, to find another way but she had made up her mind.

"Goodbye... Misako..." He whispered once he could see her no more, Lloyd's tears falling then as he started to wail. "Don't worry son. I'm here. She will be back." He whispered to his son, turning back into the Monastery, bouncing him gently.

She requested he didn't tell Wu or Lloyd of what she discovered and raise him as normal. He may not be as sure as she is about their son's destiny but he would raise Lloyd with love as he had always intended to do.

___________________

Garmadon was preparing lunch for his son and his brother when his three year old son whom Wu should be giving a bath ran in giggling, his uncle not too far behind. He glanced over his shoulder and choked back a laugh before clearing his throat.

"Brother, why is my son running around the Monastery naked and dry? And why are you soaked?" He asked him, fighting back a laugh.

"There is a very interesting story behind this brother." Wu says sheepishly.

"Unka Wu fell!" Lloyd yelled up at his father and Garmadon snorted.

"To be fair, he's quite light on his feet." Wu says, picking him up. "I'm not the one who needs a bath young one. Come along." He says as he walked back to the bathroom, tickling Lloyd along the way.

Garmadon chuckled as he continued to cut apple slices for his son. His brother was a piece of work.

__________________

"Dad! Look!" Lloyd says once he arrived at school to pick him up.

He blinked as he looked at the drawing his son was holding up.

"Very nice son." Garmadon says with a smile, crouching before him.

The drawing was of four figures but he couldn't for the life of him tell who three of them are. The one with the noodles on his face must be Wu and he is only assuming he is on this as well.

"There's Uncle Wu and that's you and that's me and that's mom." He says, pointing them out and Garmadon's heart twinged at the mention of his wife.

It's been years since she's left. She sends letters he reads to Lloyd but they both missed her. He smiled and ruffled his son's hair.

"It's wonderful son. I'll put it right on the fridge as soon as we get home." Garmadon says, picking him up and Lloyd grinned a wide smile at him, his front teeth missing.

"Let's go home and show your uncle." Garmadon says, slipping the drawing in his bag and Lloyd cheered as Garmadon bid his teacher goodbye.

___________________

"Dad!" Lloyd yelled, rushing into his room as he meditated.

"What is it son?" Garmadon asked, looking at his 11 year old with a smile as he bounced eagerly on his heels.

"Uncle Wu brought the last one in!" He says eagerly, tugging at his father's arm.

"So he's found the last ninja. Let us see now, shall we?" Garmadon says as he stood with his son's help.

"His hair is weird though..." Lloyd says as he walked before his father.

"That isn't a very nice thing to say Lloyd." Garmadon scolded then opened the doors to the outside where his brother had just sat, pouring himself some tea. "But you are right." He whispered and Lloyd giggled.

"Today you fail, tomorrow you try again." Wu told his newest student after finishing his tea in one sip.

"But-"

He only flipped back into the room and closer the doors behind him.

"Patience." He says then turned to his brother and nephew.

"Wait. If he's going to be using the training course, what about after school practise?" Lloyd asked his father and Uncle.

"We will still have them. The course was made to be shared after all." Wu told his nephew, patting his head.

"And speaking of school, have you done your homework?" Garmadon asked his son with an arched brow and he laughed sheepishly before taking off.

Both brothers chuckled, watching him go.

"Has Samukai made any more moves?" Garmadon asked his brother, growing serious.

"Not yet but we must keep vigilant. I fear our sister is up to no good." Wu whispered and Garmadon nods, grimacing.

______

"Hey Zane, could you help me with my homework again?" Lloyd asked, carrying his books over to the ninja in training as he spoke to Cole and Jay.

"I can help out with that stuff too you know." Jay pointed out.

"Yeah but you keep forgetting I'm 11 and I can't understand when you start talking about engineering when all I want to know is what a plateau is." Lloyd says drily, sitting before Zane and Cole laughed.

"Oh snap! He got you!" Cole laughed out as Jay glared at him. "That's what you get motor mouth!"

"Lloyd, do you know why Sensei Wu told us to stay away from the training yard for a while?" Zane asked as he looked over his homework for him.

"Yeah. It's getting boring being cramped up in here." Jay says, laying back against the ground.

"Yeah but I'm not supposed to tell you. It's a surprise." Lloyd says as he sharpened his pencil.

"A surprise?! Like party surprise?! Like cake?!" Cole asked excitedly.

"No." Lloyd says, killing his hopes and dreams.

"Let's start with social studies..." Zane says, setting the book down.

______________

"This is impossible!" Kai huffed after another failed day.

"Not impossible." Garmadon says, walking out after his brother went in. "It requires patience and practise." He continued as Lloyd sat by the teapot his Uncle left outside.

"My dad can do it in no time!" Lloyd grinned and Kai rose a brow, looking over the elderly man.

"I doubt that." Kai huffed, crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah!" Lloyd growled then pulled out his juice box. "Bet you my dad can finish the course before I finish my juice box." He yelled, waving it on the air.

"Lloyd, please." Garmadon says, amused.

His son had too much faith in him.

"Well, let's see what you've got, old man." Garmadon turned to Kai then.

"Old man?" He says with narrowed eyes and Kai smirked. "Start drinking son." He says, walking over to the start of the course.

Kai smirked, watching the kid pull the straw off of his tiny juice box. There's no way- Kai's smug smirk fell, watching the old man flip, twist, kick, jump and punch his way through in a flash, picking his kid up before the telltale sound of an empty juice box sounded.

"Ha! Told you!" Lloyd yelled, sticking his tongue out as he hung onto his father.

"Next time, don't make bets for other people." Garmadon told his son, heading inside. "Let's leave him be. He looks like he has a lot of training to do." He says with a smirk.

And train Kai did. No way in hell was he going to be one upped by an old man! Especially when his sister was at stake!

____________

"It's not fair." Lloyd pouted after watching the ninja and his uncle leave to find the golden weapons.

"The mission ahead of them very dangerous and crucial Lloyd." Garmadon says, urging him back inside the Monastery. "We aren't going, not just your safety but to ensure their success. That and you still have school." He added.

"I wish I could be a ninja! Then I could go on awesome missions and I wouldn't have to go to school!" Lloyd yelled, running over to the training equipment and kicking a punching bag with a grunt.

"Make no mistake Lloyd, ninja or not, you will go to school." Garmadon told his son who groaned.

He looked him over as he started to run on the training piece, kicking the dummies there down, determination on his face. He remembered Misako and what she had said about Lloyd.

"Being a ninja isn't all fun and games son. But maybe, you'll figure that out on your own." He says with a warm smile and Lloyd beamed at his father, hopping off the training piece.

"I can become a ninja?" Lloyd gasped at his father.

"If that is what you wish." Garmadon nods and Lloyd cheered. "But you still have to finish school first."

"Awwww dad..."

_______________

"Our sister has escaped." Was Wu's solemn news upon return to the Monastery with the ninja, the golden weapons, Nya and four dragons.

"Our fears come true." Garmadon whispered, carefully watching his son as the dragons sniffed and nuzzled him, abandoning their ninja. "She could return at any time. We must remain vigilant." He says to his brother who nodded.

"Hey dad!" Lloyd yelled and they all turned to where he was, holding onto Wisp's snout as the dragon lifted him off the ground. "Can we keep them?" He asked with big green eyes and Garmadon chuckled.

"Certainly." He says and Lloyd cheered.

____________

"It's totally unfair. They're our dragons, why do they like him so much?" Jay says with a pout, watching the dragons they released for a quick flight gathered around Lloyd, giving him all of their attention as he laughed, petting their snouts.

"Him and Sensei Garmadon." Kai says with narrowed eyes.

"What about me?" Garmadon asked as he walked out, Rocky immediately walking over, lowering his head so Garmadon could pet his snout.

"What are you guys? Dragon tamers?" Cole asked, waving Rocky's favourite snack in the air but he hadn't even glanced at Cole.

"Let's just say... It's in our blood." Garmadon says with a smirk.

________________

"Hey dad, can you teach me how to fly one?" Lloyd says once Garmadon came to find him, not surprised to see him by the dragon stables.

"Hmmm. I don't see why not. Which one should we take?" He asked him and Lloyd looked over all four dragons craning for his attention.

"How about... Shard!" He says excitedly, pointing the ice dragon out.

"Alright. Stand back." He says and Lloyd does, watching excitedly as his father opened Shard's stable taking his hand and leading him inside.

Shard helpfully lowered himself so Garmadon could help him up before climbing on behind him.

"Alright, now we start by-"

"Let's go boy!" Lloyd yelled, jerking the reigns and Shard roared before shooting out of the stable, making Garmadon yell as Lloyd hollered.

"Woah! Don't get ahead of yourself son!" Garmadon warned holding onto his hands holding the reigns and slowing Shard down.

"That was fun!" Lloyd grinned back at his father as Shard began flying at a leasurly pace.

"I'm glad one of us liked it." Garmadon huffed but smiled at his son. "It's important to keep a steady hand. If you pull too suddenly-"

"What?" Lloyd asked, doing just that and Shard dove down, making Garmadon yell again, quickly taking control of the reigns and making Shard fly up, just in time to avoid crashing into the ground.

Once he got him steady, Garmadon placed a hand over his rapidly breathing heart, trying to catch his breath.

"Perhaps we should start with demonstrations for now." Garmadon spoke once he didn't feel like he was about to have a heart attack.

He was getting too old for this.

"Fly on dad!" Lloyd grinned and Garmadon chuckled, navigating Shard to fly over Jamanakai village before circling back towards the Monastery.

"Hey dad?" Lloyd says, looking back at his father.

"Yes son?" Garmadon asked, keeping his eyes on the skies.

"Thanks." He says with a smile, looking out at the view. "I love you dad." He whispered and Garmadon's heart swelled.

"I love you too son. Always." Was Garmadon heartfelt response and Lloyd grinned.

He may have almost suffered a heart attack twice but it was worth it for this moment.

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(HGNN GARMADAD GIVES ME LIFE!!! Me back at it again with creating ocs for the sake of plot. That aside, I could go on forever but I'm working on this Overdad themed fic as well so I decided here was a good stopping point. Quick point: Lloyd won't be the one to release the serpentine but he'll still be captured and need rescuing by the ninja, his dad, uncle and aunt. Kira loves Lloyd to bits ok and family is just as important to her as conquering Ninjago. Hope you guys liked it!)