#Ninjago Analysis

[sharksandjays]

This is sort of going off my recent artwork but I really wanted to take a moment to talk about Jay's adaptability. Specifically weapons. With the other ninjas, they seem to stick to one thing. Kai seems to always stick to a sword, Zane a long distance weapon, Cole an impact-based weapon, and Nya a spear-type weapon. (Lloyd still has the same sword he's had since season 11.) And while Jay does stick to chained weapons, he shows a lot of comfort with continously changing weapons in situations of need.

Personally, I think it's to make up for his element. Lightning is an incredibly powerful element that is likely very difficult to control. He probably doesn't WANT to use it much outside of his usual shocks and power outages. Unlike Lloyd, he doesnt need that much power because he's usually not fighting The Big Bad.

So he makes up for it with variety. With hand to hand combat, agility, speed, adaptability of weapons.

I mean, just look at all of them.

(And dont get me STARTED on how insane it is that he reguarly uses kusarigamas. That's RIDICULOUSLY DIFFICULT TO MASTER. I think this guy needs a ton of respect just for using chained weapons.)

But the coolest thing, to me at least, is that it looks like he specifically trained in the other ninjas weapons. (Maybe the others did too? But i dont really see it as much with them.)

This scene in crystallized is what got me.

Cole literally just threw his weapon to Jay, trusting him to know how to use it. And Jay kicks butt.

I wonder if a little 15 yo Jay trained in the training yard for hours, frustratedly hacking at something with a katana, then training with a hammer, switching to a spear, then to a bostaff, then to sai, and just keeps going and going until he's comfortable with all of them. He cant be the weak man on the team. If his power isnt going to cut it, then he needs to master weapons. Master combat. He wont be the weak link. He refuses to.

Anyways sharkanalysis is back

#ninjago #ninjago thoughts #ninjago jay #jay walker #sharkanalysis #analysis post #ninjago analysis

[psychologicalwarclaire]

When did Jay forgetting her become Nya's worst fear? | An analysis

We know from the mirror at the Explorer's Club that Nya's worst fear used to be being ordinary, and not having her powers. However, in Crystallized, she faced that fear.

You know what else happened in Crystallized?

She forgot Jay.

She forgot who she was, her friends, her family, and the love of her life. Even though she is back to herself now, Nya remembers what it was like to forget everything. It must be terrifying to think about.

Imagine Nya post merge, searching for her friends, for her family, for her yang. She knows from experience that destiny cannot keep them apart for long. Even if Jay was dead, Nya knows it's only a matter of time before she sees him again. Because she knows that there is no physical barrier that can hold them apart.

Except.

Nya knows the power of memory loss. Nya knows the power of things never even happening in the first place (cough, Skybound).

At some point since the merge, Nya must have developed a new fear. Searching an unrecognizable land, traveling the Realm of Madness, alone, she must have thought about when she was merged with the sea. Alone. And she must have thought about Jay. Alone. And Nya must have thought about how awful it would be for Jay to be in that situation of amnesia.

Slowly, the fear of Jay losing his memory, the fear of the only thing that could truly keep them apart, must have set in.

Jay forgot Nya. Her worst fear is just around the corner.

And I, for one, and stoked to see her fear soon become a reality.

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #jaya #ninjago jaya #ninjago spoilers #nya #analysis #ninjago analysis #cookie crumbs

[lunar-eclipse-bunnies]

crying once again over cole's symbolism

death being tied to him, the earth ninja, makes so much sense. all that comes from the earth (students, children, mothers) someday return to it in a never-ending cycle. not even cole, a manifestation of the element of earth, is free from it

and the fact that his initial weapon is a scythe, a farming tool,

and is ANOTHER symbol of death and mourning hits me so fucking hard because this was NEVER intended in the beginning of the show but naturally evolved from it

and then transfering his weapon to a hammer, a symbol of revenge and justice, building up to master of the mountain where he truly comes into his own, avenging his mother AGHHHHHHH

and despite the fact that he is the strongest, has the most to be angry and vengeful for, cole chooses to be good and kind. just because his mom asked him to, because he knows the good he can cause:

"I will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust."

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON DAD COLE. ON THE SYMBOLISM BETWEEN COLE, THE EARTH, NURTURING AND GUIDING YOUNG WU, HES ARGUABLY THE BEST WITH CHILDREN, AND DOMESTIC WORK REGAURDING THEM, UGHHHH

even just between cole and his own mother; keeping her son grounded and whole, despite her passing, the fact that decisions she made as the earth elemental master had ripple effects that long outlived herself, the fact that she lived on not only through her son, but through her reputation among the mountain inhabitants and the good she did for them--

their NAMES, even! Cole -> coal -> victory, or literal charcoal black.

Lilly -> lily (flower) -> passion, rebirth, purity, abundance. literally white flowers.

she was the flower that nurtured a victorious coal.

#gah i just get so emotional over these two #ninjago cole #cole ninjago #cole brookstone #cole brookestone #lilly brookstone #lilly brookestone #lego #lego ninjago #ninjago #speculation #analysis #character analysis #ninjago analysis #lilly ninjago #ninjago lilly #word vomit

[plazsma]

thinking about that time jay said he was upset about losing nya to cole, but he was more upset about losing cole altogether

im thinking about it so hard

like imagine being in a homoerotic battle with someone who you considered to be one of your most trusted people yet he has Stolen ur girlfriend and turned into an Enemy but ALAS you still love them so much u actually say 'well man i cant lie yeah the girlfriend part sucked but i missed you more'

like what the freak bro

#bruiseshipping #they are on my mind tonight #they shouldve stopped the fight with a kiss #in season four #hgosh #ninjago bruise #ninjago jay #jay walker #cole brookestone #ninjago cole #ninjago headcanon #ninjago analysis #rey thought

[rainofthetwilight]

okok this has been in my thoughts for a WHILE

so. the fsm had two kids. one's colour was purple n the other was gold/yellow

lloyd technically adopted two kids. one's colour is pink and the other is also gold/yellow

the pink/purple kids are more impatient and wouldnt trust people easily

the gold/yellow kids are more confident and are big firm believers

guys?????

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #ninjago fsm #ninjago lloyd #ninjago sora #ninjago arin #ninjago garmadon #ninjago wu #ninjago analysis #levi's ted talks #i swear if this was intentional i am grabbing the dr writers and shaking them REPEATEDLY #like holy shit #im not good with words and this is all i got im sorry #its just so symbolic and for what #ninjago spoilers

[spicyicymeloncat]

Look Kai’s angst to me isn’t “he had to raise his sister bc his parents went missing”.

To me, Kai’s angst is: without his parents he felt unsupported and he “lost his way” to quote the show. Feeling resentful and internalising their disappearance as some act of spite against him, which is why he feels the need to prove himself (trying to be a better blacksmith than his dad in the pilots, wanting to be the green ninja), and boost his ego; he’s coping with the abandonment.

However this is very self focused meaning he doesn’t spend the amount care people think he does towards Nya. He doesn’t fucking raise her. And btw I’m not saying he neglects her bc I don’t think you can neglect someone if you don’t have to fulfil that duty in the first place. She’s not a little baby in need of fatherly love from her brother who is like 2 years older than her. And yeah I think Kai probably should’ve paid more attention to her a little bit but that’s it. And the fact that he didn’t is interesting for both of them.

It’s like people ignore Nya’s constant theming of being independent and being left out. She always feels that she’s falling behind in s1, which is why she eventually decides to do her own thing. Her own true potential is about trying to be perfect because she’s got her own high standards due to feeling like she’s not good enough because she was abandoned and then afterwards she was only seen as “the girl ninja”.

Also every time Kai and Nya talk about their relationship in their childhood they always mention how they were equals in raising eachother and that Nya was independent and that Nya helped and supported Kai.

#ninjago #ninjago analysis #I’ll never not #i won’t tag characters bc Ik this is maybe still a hot take

[viewlumia]

Nothing will be more weirder than the Ninjago fandom acting like Cole was in love with Nya throughout Rebooted.

Through the entire Love Triangle ordeal, he never actually acts for Nya, instead only reacting to Jay. Observe:

Blackout

In the previous episode, The Art of the Silent Fist, there was a scene between Cole and Nya. Throughout that episode, Nya was struggling with her newfound feelings towards Cole (given to her by a machine I might add but that's a conversation for another day). Nya talks to Cole in that scene and it ends with them holding hands and Cole jokingly saying "Don't tell Jay."

Why am I bringing this up? Because I honestly have trouble looking at that through a romantic lense. I often see people use this as evidence even though it doesn't match up with how the show would later indicate romance (they looked at each other so they're in love now! Chemistry, what's that!) More importantly, Nya never actually articulates her feelings for Cole in this scene. This is crucial when getting to Blackout. In Blackout, after Pixal blurts out that Cole is a perfect match for Nya, not Jay, who entered the room at the time, his first instinct is to attack Cole as soon as he saw him! From the POV of Cole, this looks like his friend calling him names and a whole lot of other things seemingly out of nowhere, he never actually heard about the "Perfect Match" results and that combined with the previously mentioned scene leaves us with a Cole who isn't in love with Nya and is only focused on Jay.

The Curse of The Golden Master

In this clip, after the ninja head into the sewer like a certain other group of color coded ninja, Jay gets into another spat with Cole after Cole dared to *checks note* look out for Nya's safety. This causes the two to get into an argument and ignore Nya falling from the broken ladder.

Now this scene on it's own doesn't mean much, but when paired with the other episodes mentioned, it starts to paint a bigger picture. This scene is a tipping point for Cole, going from someone clueless about his situation and fighting with Jay to letting this petty, near one-sided rivalry get in the way of the task at hand.

This scene is honestly the perfect representation of the Love Triangle in Rebooted: it was never really about Nya, she was just a stepping stone to get to Jay yelling at Cole over a situation he has no idea he's even in. Cole isn't out of the woodwork either as he begins to ignore Nya solely so he can insult Jay, but hey, it can't get any worse right?

Codename: Arcturus

It got worse.

In Codename: Arcturus, we see Jay, Cole, and Nya at the movie theater to "prove who Nya should go out with." Now, you may ask "doesn't that sequence end with both Jay and Cole asking who Nya will date and her kidnapping a cleaning robot?" yes, it does! But the important thing here is that it wasn't even Nya's idea in the first place ("Hey, it wasn't my idea to go on a double date to decide between you two.") Interesting thing of note, this is the only episode in the entire season where it's actually shown Cole fighting for Nya's affection, but even then it's not really about her, it's about getting back at Jay more than anything.

I know someone will come in wondering about "authorial intent," the intent in question being that Cole could be a potential love interest for Nya moving forward, but while I can see the intent, I can also acknowledge that what actually landed on the page and later the screen does not match the intent at all. Instead of Cole falling in love with Nya and getting into a spat with Jay that way, we got Cole treating Nya like a stepping stone to get back at Jay, disregarding her feelings in the process.

TL;DR: Kai should've knocked Jay and Cole upside the head for being weird about his sister

#I did not intend for this to become an analysis but here we are #I would love to hear your thoughts and rebuttals on this anaylsis #please i need human interaction #honestly i formatted this really bad so hopefully this makes sense #ninjago #ninjago analysis #cole brookstone #jay walker #nya smith #nya jiang #jay ninjago #nya ninjago #cole ninjago #ninjago cole #ninjago nya #ninjago jay

[fanficmaniatic]

Not to be the over analyzing Cole fan… but am I the only one both surprised and delighted by this shot?

Cole is in the front and center, running, and he looks SO cool! I am rotting for him and everything he does!

Now, I need to admit this is weird. Cole is rarely put in front and center for shots, he is usually in the back, SPECIALLY in running shots, that’s why I have the head cannon that due to his weight/muscle he is not that fast (When compared to the other Ninja) And the show seems to follow this. To be honest I am having a hard time thinking of a running shot when he is front and center that doesn’t belong to Master of The Mountain. Because in there it doesn't matter whether or not he is the fastest, he was the focus character, therefore the focus of the shot goes to him.

And THAT'S what has me so intrigued. Master of the Mountain was Cole’s focus season, his moment to shine, it made sense when he was leading the Upply for him to be front and center... But Now? I am surprised it isn't Nya.

Okey, ignore for a second, the fact that Cole was one of the main 4, ignore the fact that he was the original leader of the team. Dragons risings is a soft reboot. Meaning that while all the other seasons are still relevant, A soft reboot is written in a way someone that has not watched the previous seasons can still jump in and follow along. That's why we have Arin and Sora, new characters that allow the writers to re-explain old concepts without it looking like the characters we grew up with are being idiots.

With this in mind I have to ask... Why is Cole front and center? (And I repeat, he is my absolutely favorite character here) but from the soft reboot perspective... isn't Cole a new character? isn't Cole someone new to the team and therefore new to the plot and narrative? In relationship to the plot and narrative of the soft reboot, Sora is the character we have spent more time with, yet it doesn't make sense for her to be front and center. Sora has not expressed desire to be the leader, and doesn't have the push to lead a team (at least not rn, when we only have her development up to half s1, and the trailer for part 2). Nya on the other hand, she is a character that through Sora's eyes -our POV character in essence- has some sort of authority, we have been with her for longer too. Nya is someone Sora can look up to, learn from, and follow... So it would make sense to have Nya in the front and center... Yet she is not even next Cole.

Notice how not only are both Sora and Nya parallels at the back, not front, they are also blurry... In fact, Cole is the ONLY character in this shot who is not blurry. In addition to being front and center, the animators blur the other characters as Cole runs closer to the camera. Hell, even in the composition, you could draw a clear triangle with the other characters, and Cole is a the peak. He is the focal point, and this ensures the viewer is looking at Cole, but more importantly HIS expression.

His is the only expression that is 1) clear to see, and 2) not showing fear. He is angry, focused... determined.

This bring the actual question of the post... Why use these visual framing devices this way if not to give Narrative focus to Cole?

Could this episode focus on Cole? could we maybe see how he found the formling and the serpentine? notice too how they are next to Cole, and in front of Nya and Sora -aka closer to Cole (Maybe both figurative and literally)-... Could this episode touch on his new team, perhaps show him leading? Because I can't think of another narrative reason as to why they would put so much visual focus of a running scene on Cole.

And you could say "Duh, the episode is of when they find Cole, of curse they are going to focus on him" and You'll be correct, but also you are not getting my point. What I am saying is that, if this level of focus is anything to go by, Cole fans are going to eat, this episode is going to be a meal. Cole is about to kick some mech's ass so bad that bitch is going to go back to the mechanic crying and we as viewers are going to have front row seats to the whole thing.

Cole might be having a focus episode where his leadership skills are shown, where he is being fatherly, where he is showing himself as the responsible rock of the team. THIS is not any focus episode, this is a five start restaurant meal. A buffet.

Anyways... I am trying to keep my hopes low, but I needed to put this out there real quick.

#thanks for reading my decent into insanity #this is what I use my Visual storytelling degree for mom #anyways #Cole did so adopt those kids huh #the rocky family #ninjago #dragons rising #sora ninjago #Nya ninjago #nya smith #nya jiang #cole brookstone #cole ninjago #dragons rising spoilers #ninjago analysis #meta #analysis #wait does this qualify as meta? i trully dont know so lemme know #ninjago meta

[froginninjago]

I know we always talk about the influence of Kai's element on his emotions and general demeanor, but I think we need to acknowledge the other ninjas as well.

Yeah, the guy with fire is hot-headed, we all saw that coming. But there's also the fact that he's an older brother, and seen to embrace the role. It's easy to forget that fire is necessary for life as well as destruction.

The earth elemental is like a rock. He's usually calm and controlled. But also, when he does get mad? It isn't small. He holds grudges, and doesn't seem to let go of them easily. He's more stubborn than we give him credit for.

I have to say it: The ice guy is cool. He's neutral in most situations, and holds strong values. But also, the things he do take time, like ice. Of course, unlike actual ice, he can't wait centuries to crack one large rock. But at the same time, he does. Through careful planning and considering all the factors, he chips away at everything slowly so you don't realize everything that's happened until it's full force.

Talkative, energetic, sporadic lightning guy, I know. But also: lightning guy that's often underestimated, like actual lightning. A lot of people don't think about lightning as being as destructive as fire or other natural disasters, but that's just because it's so rare that it actually hits full force. He's just the same, he may attack or do things often enough people are careful, but he's incredibly underestimated.

Girl who controls the water having constantly changing emotions, like the tides? Sounds just about right. But also: the way that she's shown as a kind force, like how water is necessary for life. But on the same coin, the immense power she holds and just doesn't unleash often, because she knows the destruction it would cause. She may have moods that change like the tides, but the tides still cause massive waves.

And we don't talk enough about the influence of what seems to be the master of life. He may be called the master of energy or power, but those are so all-encompassing you may as well call them life. But it's the way that he's introduced as someone wild and uncontrollable, incredibly hard to work with. Until you find the trick. Then he's one of the strongest forces you have.

#lego ninjago #ninjago headcanon #ninjago analysis #ninjago zane #ninjago kai #ninjago nya #ninjago jay #ninjago lloyd #ninjago cole #even though i didn't mention anyone but kai by name #they're still the focuses of the post #i just think its a really cool thing #Ninjago thoughts

[crossroads-of-the-raven]

Just a Little Something about how long Zane was dead for in Ninjago between Season 3 and 4

In Ninjago Decoded Zane said that he downloaded all 74 episodes plus the holiday special of Jay's game show, 'The Ultimate Ninja Challenge' (a.k.a 75 episodes)

Taking in the schedules for American Ninja Warrior and Wipeout, which appear to be the inspiration for Jay's game show.

American Ninja Warrior is a half hour long show that airs four episodes in a day and another four the following week as a full season (at least when it first came out, IDK about now).

Wipeout is an hour long show (with commercials) that airs a new episode, once a week.

Understanding these two details:

At Most - eight episodes per season, at one season per year with 75 episodes total equals a little more then 9 years (to be precise, 9 complete seasons with 3 episodes of the tenth being aired)

At Least - one episode per week with 75 episodes total equals almost 18 months a.k.a. a year and a half (to be precise, 1 year, 5 months and 3 weeks)

In Compromise for the two shows with a leaning towards the Wipeout influence: Let's say, two episodes per week with 75 episodes total equals 9 months and 2 weeks (this is on the idea of Jay leaving before the filming of the 76th episode).

~

So obviously we don't get a ten year time skip between Seasons 3 and 4 and I clearly haven't factored in how long it took to set up Jay's game show in the first place, however, I don't think it's that far outside the realm of possibility that the time skip was at least somewhere between 9 and a half months and 18 months. This certainly gives enough time for moss to grow on Zane's statue and for angst among the Ninja Team (<- Including Nya, Pixal and Skylor).

Enough time for Jay to get his own game show.

Enough time for Nya to gather what she needs to fix the Bounty.

Enough time for Cole to get a job without people knowing who he is.

Enough time for Lloyd to be with his father before Garmadon's Season 4 self-sacrifice.

Enough time for Zane to rebuild himself only to be kidnapped by Ronin and sold to Master Chen.

Enough time for Pixal to be kidnapped as well and held in Chen's dungeon where the Mechanic pried her open and took her apart piece by piece.

Enough time where Skylor's training was put into overdrive as she had to watch her father put every last detail into place for the Elemental Masters, like a spider preparing its web for the flys.

Enough time for Kai to get his own apartment where he exists alone with thoughts that are far to loud and condemning for a protector who lost his brother, to craft a place for himself in an underground fighting ring that won't ask questions, where he can fight and forget, only to be constantly plagued by his every waking moment asking, 'why wasn't it me', and thinking, 'it should have been me'.

#Ninjago #Ninjago Rebooted #Ninjago Tournament of Elements #Kai Jiang #Kai Smith #Kai Jiang Smith #Kai Ninjago #Ninjago Kai #Skylor Chen #Skylor Ninjago #Ninjago Skylor #Pixal Borg #P.I.X.A.L. Borg #Pixal Ninjago #Ninjago Pixal #Hostess Analysis #Hostess Analysis - Ninjago #Ninjago Analysis #Just a Little Something #Tag edit #Ninjago Decoded #Important detail from Ninjago Decoded #Just a Little Something - Ninjago

[tornoleander]

Even as the gremlin child raised in evil boarding school Lloyd cares about others safety. Even Kai who really hasn’t been great to him before this point.

And then we have Kai considering saving a fang blade over an actual child.

Morally questionable but the ambition makes Kai interesting.

#ninjago analysis #ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago season 1 #ninjago rise of the snakes #ninjago lloyd #ninjago kai #lloyd garmadon

[sharksandjays]

guys.

guys Built To Protect plays when Jay recharges the ship.

guys.

#its not zanes theme but its from the track built to protect #im actually sobbing #the symbolism #the fact that he was gonna die #hrgh #ninjago thoughts #ninjago jay #ninjago analysis #sharkanalysis #ninjago #jay walker

[kadextra]

LETS GO rambling and analysis time now that I finished part one

MAJOR MAJOR spoilers under the cut

KAI

NOOOOO how is he gonna get out??? I will say him as the first to use rising dragon felt extremely deserved, I clapped and cheered during that fight scene. but now he’s stuck in the netherworld with the remaining forbidden five and that’s scary.

teared up seeing Nya activate her rising dragon style in her grief for him. in the next part she’s gonna find out Jay forgot who she is too… so much heartache for Nya 😞

really enjoyed Bonzle in these episodes as well, learning about her origin of being a spell, her journey of discovering herself as a person and finding a found family :’) at least she’s with Kai now….

and I’ve felt terrible for Lloyd every episode. him getting slammed by those visions constantly, unexpectedly, even in the middle of a fight which sends him spiraling, that’s so rough :((

It’s obvious they’re a representation of panic attacks/he has developed a canon panic disorder- like Lloyd literally says it at one point. they happen suddenly, give anxious fear about present and future events, he gets scared about having another one so he tries to cope by not sleeping (unhealthy coping method) and is taught later on to try accepting the feelings and ride it out which is a way irl therapists teach. good to see some more exploration of mental health in this show!! I’m glad the other characters are taking notice and trying to help too in the ways they can

speaking of mental health, Arin has been interesting to watch. he’s reading to me more as an autistic-coded character lately (like that line about not understanding social cues???) and we’ve been seeing lots more negative self-esteem issues and insecurity from him. watching him make mistakes during the training sessions, get scolded, then close himself off was hard to listen to

how Sora decided to hide the truth about Arin’s “spinjitzu move” that saved the day at the end so he would feel proud of himself for achieving something hurt my heart- she is such a sweet friend who wants her bestie to be happy but like. keeping secrets is gonna have consequences down the line... and moreso it’s just painful to see how deeply Arin’s self-worth is tied to what he’s capable of doing, what he can do for the team. he’s already insecure how would he feel to find out ppl are lying so he can be happy? he’s a string that’s gonna snap one day and judging from that beatdown moment with Lord Ras it’s not going to be pretty, I sense some sort of villain arc approaching for our son

someone send these people to therapy they’re so traumatized

in another news: Cole and Geo gay love! homosexuals! maybe a QPR! I don’t care whatever it is, it’s clear they love each other

it wouldn’t be a ninjago season without the destiny’s bounty crashing and burning <333 and it was nice seeing Jay for 10 seconds again <3333

now my current question is what’s the source dragon tournament thing Lord Ras’ master is talking about??? tournament?? 👀 it’s basically implied that master is a source dragon or a being that rivals their power

can’t wait for the next part to release agugugsjkhkdbqjdpgsiduggjneosgktnalfhdiqkwkfjfialwkg

#ninjago #ninjago spoilers #ninjago analysis #ninjago dragons rising

[taddymason]

What do you think about S6 Jay? I've always felt conflicted about his character due to this season, (but that comes from the fact that Skybound is a total mess). I didn't like how he used his wishes to impress Nya so she would date him. It annoyed me that he kept making decisions that wronged his friends because he couldn't let go of the idea she didn't want a relationship with him. I'm conscious this is the consequence of the messy love triangle from season 3, but it would've been nice to see Jay growing up from his relationship with Nya. (And if the writers were so desperate to make Jay and Nya endgame, at least they could've shown us Jay apologizing for everything he did during the season (lying to his friends, not accepting her refusal). They could've shown us Nya bring up the love triangle, and why she went for Cole when she was with Jay. You know, resolve the problems in their relationship and the things each of them did).

But no, they show us Jay making his final wish: "I wish you had taken my hand, and no one ever found that teapot in the first place". That decision feels like he hasn't progressed about his relationship with Nya from the start of the season. At the beginning of Skybound, she clarifies she doesn't want to be with him, so why would Jay wish she had taken his hand? Like, she's dying, and he's still thinking about that moment. What the hell? There were so many ways that scene could've gone, instead of Jay making her do something against her will. (Kind of? I think that depends on the interpretation of each person).

On the other hand, I didn't like how Nya's feelings were handled. One of the main problems her character had to face in season 6 was feeling she wasn't able to choose her destiny. She found out she was destined to be with Jay, and Nadakhan was forcing her to be with him. She literally said she felt that her whole life had been defined by other people, rather than by herself. However, at the end of the season, Jay wishes she had done what she didn't want to do at first.

I don't know, Skybound feels like an amount of missed opportunities for Nya's and Jay's character development.

Oh, skybound. skybound.

This season is a disaster for me and probably the season I feel the most conflicted about.

Overall I think most of the characters this season are pretty ooc. From Cole making sexist jokes for no reason, to Lloyd remaining strangely quiet throughout the EP5 conflict, to Jay throwing his own friends' security out the window to be with Nya. NOT EVEN S3 JAY (which was also a low point) WAS LIKE THIS. Even with all of his insecurities or rivalry with him, as soon as the situation demanded it or Cole was in danger (S3EP9) Jay could focus on what was at stake.

Instead, for some reason during the middle of the season Jay is EXTREMELY desperate to be with Nya to the point that he doesn't even care about his own team.

Look, I don't even mind that they make a season where Jay is an asshole and has to confront the consequences of his actions to learn to be more mature and aware of what he does (most of my fics are like that anyway). Do they want to do a season where Jay lies until his mistakes blow up in his face and where his selfishness is finally tested? I'm on board. If there is something that makes him such an interesting character, it's his flaws. Jay is selfish, he lies very often, he is opportunistic, and that makes his arcs so different from everyone else's.

Now, I hate that this is all solely because of his obsession with Nya. I've said it before but the worst thing about Jaya is when she becomes Jay's only motivation and interest to do everything he does. The season punishes Jay for resorting to wishes, not for continuing to believe that he has the right to be with Nya as if it were a necessity for him. The moral of the season shouldn't be "if you wish something enough, you'll find a way to make it happen" but; you don't need to be with someone else to be happy. Jay doesn't have to depend on Nya for his own happiness, and the season surprisingly never says otherwise.

From start to the ending, Nya remains Jay's final motivation. Literally her final wish is him imposing her will on her again (I know the wish supposedly didn't affect Nya but I think it's a mistake to make a character's wishes remain static from the beginning to the end of history).

so basically the season is a bunch of wasted potential that could have been a really good season to develop both characters. There are good things in S6, I'm not going to deny it. Jay from EP6 onwards has some pretty good moments, like him learning to be a leader, showing that he is a capable and intelligent member who ends up motivating others (Jay inspiring people is a rant for another day). And it's probably the most seriously the show takes his character.

I think the season would be better if it ended up addressing other things as well. There are many hints of Jay feeling worthless, Jay being insecure because he is poor/weak, believing he needs to be with Nya to be happy. And the season doesn't do much with this anyway. So, wouldn't it be better if the season wasn't Jay and Nya getting back together, but rather Jay realizing his own worth as a person? What if Jay resorts to wishes because he doesn't feel valuable as a member of the team? because he starts to believe that Nya is a better blue ninja than him? Or because his powers begin to fail and weaken as he is not maintaining his true potential by allowing himself to be consumed by his own insecurities? There are MANY ways to resolve this conflict without having Nya come back to him as some kind of prize.

...This is spoilers for my Skybound rewrite btw

but yeah, I agree with everything you say, Jay and Nya deserved better this season and I think what affected it the most was making the ending have to be these two getting back together with just ONE episode of them speaking sincerely

Sorry for the long post, Ty for the ask! ^^

#jay ninjago #ninjago #jay walker #ninjago jay #Ninjago Skybound #Ninjago Skybound AU #ninjago analysis

[heyimcelery]

Okay so I watched all of Ninjago Dragons Rising s2p2! I've got so many thoughts and I'm dumping them all here in a long list. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

to start: Cole!! He's a family man! He's got a boyfriend and they hold hands and they care for their kids and Bonzle so obviously came out to them and omg I wanted to cry. The joy of acceptance. I mean come one she kept saying how alone she felt, they're found family, she was repeating that she chose he town name and identity and the villains were insistent that she wants a person but just a spell like come on

But there's more than that, I have questions I have concerns!! Like wtf happend on Coles quest?? With Sensei Wu??? Like he disappeared and turned up again and said he would explain but never did.

Cole also came back from that in his bolder form so did he figure out he could do it on his own then? Is that what he learned on his quest?? If so it's gonna be a little awkward when he tried to explain that to his bf Geo.

With part 2 I really want to see the whole gang meet them and talk and catch up on everything. Like cole has been missing since the merge and no one this season cared. At all. They hadn't seen him in ages- didn't even know if he was alive until drs1 but nope no worries or concerns. Not even a question of what he was up to.

When he came through the portal Zane wasn't worried or confused at all, just oh? You need some help?? Sure let's beat these bad guys and not worry or show emotions! Is a tearful reunion for my fav character too much to ask?? Cuz he clearly deserves it. :(

And then into both Zane and Coke this season!! Love them!! They've always been my fav duo (gonna have to start shipping geo/Cole/Zane as poly now) it was so fun to see them going around together with Bonzle. They had some great moments and I'm praying we get more in the next part.

On the other hand it was a shame they got such small roles- just seperated from the others as a way to help Bonzle. It means they didn't have the same lessons or knowledge the others got which is totally unfair!! They have a lot to catch up on. They also never got a chance to be part of the main battle

It's dumb but I was kinda hoping for Cole to show off his stronger powers (he always seems to get new powers every other season but that's a discussion for another day). Like sure he could use his robotic mech suit but that's been done before! He can do his boulder thing now (unless somehow he still thinks he can't which means he kept up that form for several days on his quest) and when he made that giant mid hut to protect his family!! I want to see him do that again! Let me man go ape shit to protect Bonzle.

And on another note, Geo my beloved, you should get a chance to shine with your powers. A chance to show off or at least have a talk about them with Cole.

Next up WyldFyre. I was worried they would make her the annoying comic relief cuz if her injury but her talks about losing loved ones and dragon culture and her home were really sweet and it was great to see some development so driven by battles. I love those too don't get me wrong but like I needed to see this side of her. And I adore her relationship with Kai, being besties/mentors/dad for her works so great for both characters.

I will be first to admit that

Kai wasn't really my favourite. If you couldn't tell I love Cole followed by Zane. Always have and likely always will. I suppose that early Kai reminded me too much of some guys form my class and they turned into shitheads and I've always struggled to reconcile Kai's image form theirs. He was always a little too brash, hotheaded, and too often written as stupid to fall into my good graces.

And yet this season I adored him. Of course I've never hated him but like this season made me see what all his fans (many many fans) see in him.

I thought Kai being the first to master such a new, difficult and crucial skill was incredibly satisfying. Form all the way back to season 1 he's been the butt of jokes- having to learn he's not the centre of the universe and sometimes it's others like Lloyd who are the chosen ones. That's all great but him now getting a starting role, his ability being fueled by thoughts of his family, by his childhood and by protecting is friends was just too good to ignore him. Love this form of his character more than any other I've seen.

And now Kai is trapped :(

I'm glad he's got Bonzle with him tho so hopefully they can have each other's backs (she's meant to be a POWERFUL spell after all) they'll need each other if they're trapped with those other 4 guys. If they can apparently demolish everything then I'm rather worried for the duo. Tbh I'm sure they'll survive just fine, probably making jokes at Cole's expense all the while.

On a side note, I found it super cute how WyldFyre was willing to protect and go down with Kai. Besties I'm telling ya

Now Jay. I've never thought too hard about him I know he's one of the favs of the fandom but like Kai I was never so besotted with him. Still a great guy and omg I feel so bad. One of his worst fears was always being alone and now stuck, confused, forced to hide such a fundamental part of himself.

On the other hand he's got a gun now so that's fun!!

And you can't talk about him without mentioning Nya. He worst fears being him forgetting hurts my soul. And she was so sure it could never be true that she snapped out of her nightmare state!! She's going to break when she finds out.

She's already grieving her own brother, we saw her break down into WyldFyre (more proof she's an honorary sibling by now) but now knowing what's happening with Jay, I'm saying the angst is going to be overpowering. It's a greek tragedy fr

Part 2 is going to be rough. Jay only had a single scene but it's already a sign for the worst to come.

Speaking of things being rough, Lloyd is going THROUGH IT!! give this poor guy a break. I do appreciate that we physically get to see the effects of all his trauma- that everything that's happened has real consequences for his character and the story but I can't help but feel bad.

I've also suffered from anxiety for most of my life so to see it in a character like that feels really personal to me. Hope he gets a little break though, god knows he deserves it.

Have to say it's pretty funny that Lloyd's had so much Oni trauma that he forgot that he's part dragon too. Yes ninjas dragons can do spinjitsu why are you surprised at this point

The animation this season has been incredible, the fights were beautiful the angles so interesting and dynamic and I could go on for hours about how much I love it. It's always great when kids -and even animation in general is treated with respect. It doesn't dumb it's ideas and stories and characters for the sake of it's younger audience, and that makes it so much better for me who is definitely out of the age range.

I have my more points to make but I've been adding stuff in and off for ages so I'll probably go through this all later. Thanks for reading, please I want to know your own thoughts too I love discussing that kinda stuff!!

<3

#cole ninjago #ninjago kai #ninjago cole #lego ninjago #ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #ninjago dr spoilers #ninjago analysis #dragons rising season two #spoilers #ninjago spoilers #thoughts #discussion

[rainofthetwilight]

honestly, when i first saw sora's backstory, i didnt react much, but now im noticing everything and its just really sad to think about

see this little kid who was full of hope? see this girl, that was just an innocent kid full of life, having that one role model that every kid had in some point of their lives?

this girl was then stripped away from everything she loved the moment she realized the truth, that this "role model" of hers was abusing poor innocent creatures, that their people have been brainwashed by this so-called emperess she actually used to follow, having your own parents shun you and take away everything you had and isolate you just because you knew the truth, and said truth wasnt just something bad, no, it was a fucking nightmare to think about, imagine taking that all in at 10

if the merge never happend, she would've been stuck in that sucker of a realm her whole life. she wouldve never been able to continue her childhood, her love for tech, nothing just absolutely nothing. she wouldve been locked away and alone forever, she wouldnt even have her own family by her side

the fact she didnt even hesitate to leave when the merge happend is heartbreaking, she was so fucking young, and was treated so poorly by everyone. imagine staying like that for probably months. she even named herself after that freaking dragon to respect her.

and as someone who actually experienced what sora had to endure when i was a kid, being shunned by my family for nearly a year during that time, i just have to point out that:

ana and sora are two completely different charcters.

when ana left, she became sora. a completely new person that was an ending with a new beginning, seeds that became remenants.

I know alot of people will disagree with me and say that lloyd had a tougher backstory, or maybe harumi, etc, but every charcter experienced something the other wouldnt handle, making no tragedy rougher than the other

i have nothing else to say but..damn

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #ninjago sora #ninjago ana #ninjago spoilers #ninjago analysis #<- thats a tag??? #sora ninjago #ninjago writing may suck sometimes but when it comes to the angst? #goddamn bro... #the angst of this show is so fun to analyze and talk about #its an “its okay i didnt need my heart anyway” kind of thing #gonna get in my “time to make myself fucking cry with angst” car and analyze arin's backstory to cry even more 😎💧 #ninjago lloyd #ninjago harumi #<- briefly mentioned #levi's ted talks #also im sorry if i went too overboard with this #i just relate to sora so much #even tho i have good relations with my family and parents now those times can never be forgotten