#so the whole thing about samurai x is that they are outperforming the ninja and stealing the ninjas' thunder

[destinysbounty]

Screw it, it's time for more elemental roulette AU stuff - Morro Edition

Morro not just being a member of the team, but being one since the very beginning, is perhaps this AU's most significant point of divergence. That much is obvious. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this has so many more impacts than I had originally realized when I first started planning out this AU.

The basics are still the same. He's still an orphan, was still adopted by Wu, and still has a borderline fatal need to be the green ninja. The main difference is that in this AU, he didn't die horribly 40+ years ago. He's still alive, and he's roughly the same age as the rest of the team.

Now for the differences.

Since the Golden Weapons haven't yet been gathered at the start of the AU (this whole shebang starts during the pilots), Morro and Wu haven't had the opportunity to discover that he isn't the green ninja. So they're still at that early point in their relationship, with Wu believing Morro to be the chosen one and Morro training excessively to prepare himself for the path he thinks destiny has laid out for him.

I personally hc that the reason Wu was initially so reluctant to share information about the green ninja prophecy was due to his baggage over losing Morro, and he was determined not to have that happen ever again. However, that hasn't happened in this AU. And since Wu didn't go through that experience, he hasn't yet learned the lesson he would have from it. So in this AU he isn't quite as reluctant to impart information about the green ninja prophecy. And while Wu tries not to make it quite so apparent, the others aren't blind. They know Wu thinks Morro will become the green ninja. Which is...interesting. For a number of reasons.

Think about it like this. Morro and Kai are both self-destructively obsessed with proving themselves worthy of the green ninja title. Both of them are at a point in their character arcs where they haven't overcome those behaviors. What happens when you combine Morro and Kai under these circumstances? Nothing pleasant, that's for sure!

Once the Golden Weapons are united and safely in the ninjas' possession, obviously Wu and Morro will test to confirm their beliefs - and then watch in surprise and a teensy bit of horror as those convictions are crushed. Morro isn't the green ninja. And he gets just as bitter about it here as he was in canon. And this only exacerbates the tensions between Morro and Kai. Kai sees this as his chance to prove he's the green ninja instead, Morro is determined to prove destiny wrong, and they're both...painfully competitive about it. Like, dangerously so.

Eventually, they all get their true potential arcs. Since Jay and Zane aren't in the og4 here and don't become ninja until later down the line, Cole is the first one to unlock his true potential, followed closely by Nya. Then comes Kai, when he realizes that Lloyd is the green ninja and comes to terms with this fact.

Here's where things get spicy. See, I personally kinda like the green cousins dynamic. And I think it'd be really cute if Morro and kid!Lloyd initially got along pretty well. Morro is the only person who's edgy enough to match Lloyd's energy and earn the kid's respect. And having been a homeless, unsupervised child himself, Morro can empathize with Lloyd's situation in ways no one else can. I think Morro would also project his resentment towards his own parents onto Misako and Garmadon, which results in him being a bit protective over Lloyd. So like, edgelord green cousins being angsty and stupid together. Wholesome. I love it. 10/10

BUT. Then he learns Lloyd is the green ninja. The one thing Morro wants more than anything in the world. To be the chosen one. To be someone important. But now his snot-nosed brat of a cousin is destiny's golden boy and not him? Morro doesn't take that news nearly as well as Kai. From Morro's perspective, Lloyd took his destiny from him. Lloyd stole what was rightfully his. You've all seen season 5, you know how this goes. Except...now there's this added layer of conflict. Morro cares about Lloyd. They have a fond relationship. But now that's being turned on its head due to jealousy and pride, and of course a mountain of insecurity/self-worth issues. So he loves Lloyd and cares for him deeply, but he's also struggling to tame a newfound fierce bitterness towards his beloved cousin. Messy internal conflict abound

It takes Morro a long time to overcome this issue and finally unlock his true potential, and as such he's the last member of the team to do so (discounting Jay and Zane, who don't begin their ninja training until later). I have a few ideas for how that would go down, but however it happens it needs to touch on the core of Morro's motivations. Much to think about.

Also, can I just say how funny this new og4 dynamic would be??? Like, Kai, Morro, and Nya all have notoriously bad anger issues. They're all feisty and prickly people, and I'm sure they would have a hard time getting along at first. Especially Kai and Morro. But then there's Cole. Who's just kinda...idk vibing I guess. The Only Chill Person Here, Apparently. He is the only thing keeping these three from ripping each other's throats out, and he deserves a goddamn award for it. And also some very strong coffee.

Of course, to be fair, at this point in his character arc Cole is also pretty stern and serious. So I guess they're all kinda prickly right now. Which basically means that in the beginning of this AU, the ninja team is essentially just😠😠😠😒

#oh god i just realized #so the whole thing about samurai x is that they are outperforming the ninja and stealing the ninjas' thunder #but like. *jay* is samurai x in this au #which means this silly comic relief dumbass is somehow obliterating three angry perfectionists without breaking a sweat #they all hate him at first. SO much #and id like to think that even after becoming a friend/ally/teammate #jay still finds delight in tormenting morro #ninjago #elemental roulette au #morro #morro ninjago #destiny post