Something I think the various Ninjago shows do really well is the characterizations of each Ninja. If it was bad, then kids wouldn't wanna watch the show or buy the Lego sets to reenact their favorite moment and create new scenarios for the Ninja to go through.
However, for the past few years a problem I've had with the TV show is that some characters feel more... useful than others. Then there are moments when one character is missing, but the team seems to operate just fine without them, and I think that does a real disservice to the characters.
In contrast, take the ATLA episode "Sokka's Master". It's one of my favorites because it separates Sokka, the only non-bender in Team Avatar, from the rest of the team. The episode demonstrates to both us and the rest of Team Avatar why Sokka is essential to their team. Without him, they're bored, can't figure out where they are or where they're headed on a map, and are overall completely directionless. Its like the precursor to those dime a dozen fantasy mangas where the weak member of a dungeon divers gets fired and the rest of the party ends up deeply regretting it.
I want the Ninjago TV show to demonstrate to us why each member is essential to the Ninja Team, and why without one of them the Ninja Team is worse off or have to work twice as hard to compensate.
Dragons Rising had such a good opportunity to explore this, but unfortunately it seems like the biggest problem the Team faces from being separated across the merged realms is lack of manpower and not much else. In lieu of this, here are some of my ideas as to how each character could prove to be essential to the Ninja.
Lloyd - The Leader. This one is definitely the most obvious. He's had a very clear leadership role since he became the Green Ninja, and ever since Wu left this distinction has only gotten more pronounced. However, I do find myself wishing to see a bit more of a dark streak with him. He was originally introduced as an antagonist, and I don't know about y'all but I still find myself enjoying Three Days Grace ever since I played the Halo 3 campaign at a friend's house while listening to AMVs of their songs.
Kai - The Weapon Master. Although there was never anything to support this, I always thought that Kai made the weapons that the Ninja used in the pilots. He is a blacksmith, after all. I think it would be cool if this aspect was more leaned into and not only make him the guy that creates all the swords and throwing stars and whatever other simple weapons the Ninja use, but to also be the best one at using those weapons. A sword is obviously his go to, but put any kind of simple weapon in his hands and I think he'd be able to use it very well. Imagine how much cooler it would have been in season 11 if Kai managed to defeat Aspheera's sheer power with his incredible swordsmanship skills. It'd certainly tie into his arc that season much better than what we actually got.
Jay - The Scout. Remember that scene in the pilots where the Skulkin cars were trying to reach 88 mph or whatever and Jay was gaining on them just by running? The writers sure don't! Though in all seriousness, whenever the Ninja need to learn a new technique to do something, Jay always picks up on it really quickly. First to perform Spinjitzu and summon his Golden Weapon Vehicle, second to unlock his true potential, third to summon his Elemental Dragon, he managed to surprise Ronin when practicing Airjitzu, not to mention his laundry list of hobbies. If they really leaned into his speed, combining that with his skills as a Ninja would make him perfect for running ahead and reporting back on the enemy forces. In my own little world, I like to imagine him as a PG version of the Scout from TF2 (Jay even had a slight Boston accent in the pilots!).
Cole - The Muscle. This one is also fairly obvious due to Cole's signature Earth Punch, but I feel as though it should be noticed more when he's not around, especially in Master of the Mountain. If I'm remembering correctly, they don't fully acknowledge his absence until they're locked up in the Vengestone cage about to be executed. If I regularly hung out with a dude that could lift a car over his head, I'd be lamenting about his absence whenever I needed to lift a heavy box.
Zane - The Information Officer. Another obvious one, but in this case I feel as though they lean a bit too heavily into it. Yes, he's a robot and yes, it's his job to know things, but I want to see his more dorky and silly side from time to time. Give us more Zane following a bird because it danced and him just chilling (literally) in the fridge at midnight for no reason type of stuff. After all, his greatest fear is losing his humanity.
Nya - The Strategist. I feel as though on a 'don't judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree' level, Nya is just as smart as Zane. Due to his physiology, Zane can hold much more raw information many times over Nya, but I feel as though Nya is much better at putting that information to use. Going back to Master of the Mountain (I realize I'm referencing it a lot, its still fresh in my mind), when Kai and Zane were lost, they relied entirely on the raw data from Zane's internal compass, and because of that they got lost and had to rely on Geckles capturing them to reach their settlement. On the other hand, when Lloyd, Jay, and Nya were lost, Nya was able to determine the location of the Munce settlement by searching for signs of life and finding footprints. Also, I think this characterization fits the Master of Water really well considering water adapts to whatever environment it resides in.
The new Ninja from Dragons Rising are still very inexperienced and still haven't really found their grooves within the team, but I'm still gonna try and analyze them here.
Arin - ???. Right now, Arin's main skills are his unique Spinjitzu skills and his talent with a grappling hook. Its still so early in his Ninja training that he hasn't really carved out a distinct role for himself, though I hope this changes as time goes on. Not too long ago I proposed a cool idea for his future if any of y'all wanna take a look at that here.
Sora - The Technical Specialist. While I don't enjoy the idea of PIXAL being replaced as the Ninja's primary vehicle builder, with Sora being the Elemental Master of Tech it seems very possible that this is where things are headed. Instead of that, I think it better for her to either focus on using her skills in the field or to specialize in Mechs. Both of these ideas come from the Elemental Mech mini-series. I thought the idea of switching up parts on a mech in the middle of a battle to be a fun concept and one giving credence to her being a Field Tech, and whenever she uses her Elemental Powers its for the purpose of creating or altering or fixing a mech about half of the time.
Wyldfyre - The Dragon Expert. Even before the Merge, the Ninja encountered Dragons a lot. Now that there are dragons seemingly everywhere, Wyldfyre seems like the perfect liaison for communicating with these dragons, assuming she can learn to cool off when its needed. She also seems to know a good amount about dragons, considering that she was easily able to identify the Wasting Sickness and make a soup to help ease the pain it caused. There's still a lot she needs to learn before anyone can consider her an expert, but with her love of dragons and the belief that she is one, I think she'd be more than willing to learn.
And there you have it. If you have any ideas or head cannons or questions surrounding this topic, I'd love to hear them!
Important charas and the refs I've decided so far:
š„ -> Mymt
š§ -> Ssk
ā” -> Uswkmr (Ystn)
ā° -> Bnki
ā -> Zngt
š¤ -> Hcgr
š¢ -> Jriy + Skmt
šŖ -> kinda Tksg
š -> Orcmr + Nosk
I don't think a lot of you guys are appreciating the fact that when I say yeah I think Jason Todd killed Felipe I'm thinking of my Robin Jason specifically and my Robin Jason looks like this:
*Spidey and the Sinister Six having their usual fight*
Doc Ock, landing a hit: Youāre getting slow Spider-Man! Age finally catching up to you?
Spider-Man: You wish! I havenāt even hit my 30s! From those costumes I can already tell I failed to save you guys from those midlife crises! Sorry by the way.
Vulture: Watch it wallcr- wait⦠Did you just say your not in your thirties yet?
Spider-Man: Surprised that this spiders so young and spry? Well-
Electro: Dude Iāve been fighting you for at least 5 fucking years! How old even are you?
Shocker, joking cause heās the only one who picked up no grown adult acts likes Spidey: Donāt swear in-front of the boy you donāt want him to pick it up.
Rhino: Christ! Youāre tellin me I almost crushed some 12-year-olds skull all those years ago?
Spider-Man, regretting his quipping: I was not that young! Like just starting freshman year but-
Sandman, horrified as heās the only one with a kid and dad instincts(as of my iteration): I couldāve killed a kidā¦
Shocker, genuinely curious: Are you even old enough to drink? Cruel to kill a man who aināt had his first drink yet.
Electro: Please tell us youāre at least over 25 as of this fight. Hell, Iāll take over 21!
Spider-Man:ā¦.
Sandman, realizing just how young he really is: Oh my god.
Spider-Man: My birthdayās coming up soon so I guess it counts?
Doc Ock, exacerbated: It. Does. Not!
Vulture: What would your mother think if she knew her son was out here risking his life telling poorly constructed jokes?
Spider-Man, offended cause it quips slap: 1. My jokes are great 2. She and my dad are dead so-
Sandman, hysterical cause holy shit he almost killed a kid orphan: OH MY GOD!
Our goal was survival, but now survival defines our existence! šµšøš
We are living in extremely harsh conditions, where our tent has been severely damaged and no longer provides the necessary protection.
The cost of building a new tent right now is about 1000 euros, and it is an essential shelter for our family, which is suffering from difficult living conditions.
We also face a severe shortage of food, especially basic items like flour, which has now reached 100 euros. Securing daily food would help improve these conditions.
My brother Samer is suffering from the absence of essential medications for stabilizing his health, and their cost is extremely high.
Campaign Link
@dlxxv-vetted-donations & @a-shade-of-blue vetted
@gazavetters , my number on the list is (#75)
paliliberation, my number on the list is (#171)
Our important links are here
https://gofund.me/363ae8ca
My name is Mahmoud, and today I am writing about my family
Iām husband and father of two children we evacuated at the beginning of the war. but my family is still suffering inside Gaza
My family was a beautiful, cheerful family that loved life and they love each other.
We have children are make fun and they the source of happiness for home
Until one day, the sounds of explosions overtook them. Days passed, and these days were very difficult for everyone in the family. Suddenly, my father fell ill, and it was determined that he was suffering with cancer, and needed surgery outside the Gaza Strip. But, because of the situation, he was unable to leave Gaza for treatment ā eventually, due to lack of medical care and after suffering with his symptoms, he died. Five days after my father death, his children (my brothers- and sisters) were injured after their home was targeted. My brother suffered a double amputation of his feet and one hand, and his other siblings were injured as well, including a severe back injury.
https://gofund.me/363ae8ca
My family suffers under these difficult situation and they have been displaced several times in more than one place.
The money raised will go towards evacuation fees for my family of 16 members : 8 adults and 8 children. I hope everyone will help my family, and help them receive the urgent medical care they need.
https://gofund.me/363ae8ca
@90-ghost @el-shab-hussein @sar-soor @vakarians-babe @plomegranate @fallahifag @fairuzfan @brownpaperhag @mitzle @prokopetz @notbrucewayne48 @communistchilchuck @sayruq @kordeliiius
Multiverse Designation: Earth-8118
Quirk: Hyper-Sense!! Peterās physical senses are extremely sharp and acute. This gives him an awareness of his surroundings that are hyper-detailed, allowing him to get an almost premonition-like ability to detect danger. When Peter IS in any degree of danger, he begins to experience a tingling sensation in his mind similar to that of a headache. This quirk lets Peter react to threats, often before they happen!
Peter Parker was thought to be quirkless and high-strung for years! An intelligent and inventive boy, Peter dreamed of being a hero, like many young people in the heroic capital of the United States: New York. However, despite a history of some quirkless heroes managing to become pros, Peter didnāt have anything in common with those specimen.
He hadnāt trained his entire life, nor was he particularly athletic, his only talents seemed to involve science and inventing.
Instead, Peter resigned himself to attending New Yorkās Kirby Academy (One of the four great hero schools in America: Lee Academy, Kirby Academy, Siegel-Shuster Tech, and Finger Academy) enrolling in their hero support program. It was in this course that he would thrive, inventing web-shooters, a specialized piece of equipment that was meant to be used for villain capture, with a webbing fluid that he developed that was stronger than steel, once it solidified.
Peter would also develop a number of other gadgets, such as HUD Lenses which served as miniature computers, and a costume which could cushion impact, and was resistant to even cutting and some low-end bullet-fire, woven from a non-dissolving version of his webbing that he used in his web-shooters.
On weekends Peter would often spend time in the city, testing his support gadgets on low-level thugs, as a vigilante, sneaking his gadgets out of the school against policy. Parker knew if he could prove that his support equipment was effective enough to allow a quirkless boy like him, who only had an understanding of leverage and momentum to serve him beyond the devices could take down villains, then his gadgets would be good enough for Stark Industries, a combination support company and hero agency run by his favorite hero Iron Man, might hire him on so he could support his family.
Tony Stark was one of the greatest heroes, having not only designed his own support tech that he used to fight crime while quirkless, but also designed some of the support tech for the likes of Captain America and Thor.
However, one villain would escape. Marko Flint, the Sandman, would evade Peter, as his quirk rendered Peterās attack, webs, and any other means of capture pointless. And Flint wasnāt so willing to let Peterās attempts at capture go without punishment. Retaliating, Flint would follow Peter home, and attack him, his uncle Ben, and aunt May.
Fighting furiously to protect his family, Peter was ultimately out-matched, and before any pro heroes could arrive to intervene, and chase off the villain, Uncle Ben would be stabbed through the heart by Flint, as a show of what happened to people who crossed him. And he was sure to let Peter know that if he hadnāt tried to play at hero, Ben would still be alive.
The information surrounding the attack on the Parkerās home would become heavily publicized, including the use of support equipment that was stolen from Kirby Academy, and Peter was very nearly expelled.
However, Tony Stark took an interest in the story, and would intervene on Peterās part, taking over the cost of tuition as a Stark Foundation scholarship, and taking up the role of mentorship over Peter. Telling Peter that what he created was already more than enough to work in the same capacity as a hero when heād started, but that he knew Peter had the ability to be better.
Re-enrolled at Kirby Academy, Peter began working on a new project. A costume that could function much like Tonyās Power Armor, conferring to its user strength, speed, and durability.
When the time came for Kirby Academyās Sports Festival, Peter would appear, showcasing his newĀ āSpider-Suitā using the accommodations afforded to support students that allowed them to use their own inventions. With this suit, and the discovery that he did, in fact, have a quirk; he was able to take the top spot in the festival, and receive an endorsement to begin in the Hero Course after Summer break. Additionally, due to his status as a support dept. student formerly, he would be permitted to continue using their facilities to develop his own equipment, as it was a hallmark of his ability to perform.
Support Equipment Web-Shooters: Peterās first invention while attending Kirby Academy, these wrist-mounted spinnerets are able to fire pressurized fluid from them, as well as manipulate their shape and pattern once they pass the threshold of the shooterās nodes. Originally bulky, large, and only able to be used to create lines and shapes, as well as nets. During the testing process, in which Peter had been fighting as a vigilante, Peter began upgrading the shooters to become more compact and versatile, appearing as little more than a pair of wristwatches until engaged, and with the ability to factor a number of custom settings, such as taser-webs, web bullets, impact-based webbing, magnetic webbing, flaming web, insulated web, web grenades, web shields, and the like. These shooters also include assisted aiming, which Peter can access from his lenses so as not to alert others with an aiming beam. -Web Grenades: Small orbs that the web-shooters can produce, which can almost immediately expand from the size of a marble, due to pressure, to the size of a baseball. The bombs can be set to either trigger on impact with a hard surface, or set to a timer. Once detonated, the grenade will loose a wide casting of webbing nets that ensnare any who are within its range of detonation, usually going as far as 15 feet, but having been known to go as far as 25 in some cases. -Web Trip Mines: Mechanical devices with a more precise web-shooting system than its counterpart, the Web Grenade. A Web Trip Mine is able to fire cast webs from both the hole in the center of its top, as well as the bottom, allowing it to ensnare two targets against each other simultaneously, rather than strictly capturing one target to a wall. -Concussive Blasts: A modification that Peter added as a means to hope and counter Flint Marko. By creating a repulsion, similar to that of Iron Manās own, but based on more of a pushing power than a true beam of energy, bursts of force can be fired from the web shooter, from a nozzle situated just beneath the spinnerets. These blasts of force are actually strong enough to send athletic adult men flying back. āSuspension Matrix: An upgrade of the science from the concussive blast addon for the web-shooters, it uses wider pulses of the same force to create a sort of gravity field that will suspend those within its range into the air. This was further designed to sabotage the ability of Marko Flint to deconstitute, and keep him apart, in many grains, rather than any larger shape. This matrix functions for a short time, and must be recharged over several hours.
Spider-Suit: In its earliest incarnations, this was a suit woven from a variant of Peterās Web Fluid that he used in the Web Shooters so as to foster durability and flexibility. Over time, this suit was enhanced to have different variable modifications that Peter has installed into different versions of the suit. Peter has developed roughly seven different versions of the Spider-Suit. The second generation of suits would begin to include unique electron-field manipulators in the gloves and soles which enabled him to adhere to surfaces by simply tensing his fingers, or triggering a pressure-reader along the toes of his costumeās feet. This is accomplished by mimicking the property of a repulsion and attraction quirk heād studied in medical journals, inventing a generator which inverted the charge of electrons within the suitās molecules, making his hands and feet like natural magnets to whatever they touch, if Peter activates it. More advanced models of the costume would begin to include lenses that served as miniature computers for Peter, or any wearer, to use so as to track his own vitals, ammunition, the condition of different gadgets, search and surf the internet, and analyze an opponent. The most advanced, and frequently used, versions of the suit reached an apex that make the costumes more akin to power armor, however. Through the use of a harness woven between two layers of the costumeās fabric, Peter is able to rely on a state-of-the-art system of micro-hydraulics and magnets to enhance his strength to superhuman levels. The suit originally enhances Peterās strength by a factor of 20 (making him able to lift roughly 1 ton in the first version of this system), having an impact on not only his ability to lift and punch, but also to move acrobatically. As well as a passive-observation system that alerts the wearer to certain external stimuli based on a series of pre-programmed conditions. This, for a normal wearer, might give one just enough time to react to certain slower-moving projectiles and sneak attacks from an enemy, but in tandem with Peterās quirk makes him a frustrating target to hit.
Spider-Tracers: Small devices that Peter designed to track targets for stings, or to be able to pursue escaping villains. Tiny, almost the size of an actual spider, these robots arenāt particularly durable, but are very effective at adhering to surfaces, skin, fabrics, and the like. These robots will broadcast on a specific radio channel which Peterās lenses can tune into, but only within the range of several miles.
Spider-Drone: Drones that have been modified by Peter to act as combat support against multiple targets. Each comes equipped with a series of web-shooters, and can fire with similar settings to Peterās own wrist-mounted shooters. He doesnāt make excessive use of these, as a destroyed and abandoned drone could result in a reverse-engineering of his inventions.
Ahh finally I managed to finish all of these sets! šš¦ It was really fun because Iām currently trying to get out of my comfort zone by drawing a lot of small details ahahaha~
Well, Iām currently kinda obsessed to jidaigeki media including those adapted from the actual histories and legends hehe~
I also snuck their personal crests into their outfits/items, try to find them! š
[Click/tap each picture to see the caption of who as who, or read under the cut if the caption doesnāt show up]
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