Kai Smith - Blog Posts
tell me im wrong.
ive said this so many times but one of my favorite parts about kai is despite his trauma, when he gives, it doesnt come with strings. hes not expecting anything from anyone- when he gives, he does so without ulterior motives. i think its so important to realize that kai understands the value of love and decides to share his love, share what he holds in his heart (that fact that he chooses to hold love in his heart despite everything is beautiful itself), with the world, despite the world not returning it to him.
he loved his parents yet again so effortlessly, and he has always loved his family, nya, lloyd, jay, cole, zane, pixal, wu profusely.
misc ninja part II <3
part I here
honestly if kai had a main villain he had to defeat, i think he should ‘defeat’ them with love.
think about it: it would be so on par with kai’s character, demonstrating kai’s courage to defeat an enemy by showing them the value of others, the fact that loving itself is something so courageous
i think that it would show kai in a true light, because we all know he isnt actually cocky or rude as ninjago potrays him sometimes
honestly it would be so cute to see kai extending a hand to his ‘villian’ and helping them up, and embracing them bc that is literally what kai would do.
ninjago missed so many opportunities with kai and it makes me so sad sometimes
in season 16 in finale episodes the scene where skylor was making noodles for people in the newspaper warehouse. kai was cheering everyone up and singing and passing out noodles and it made me so happy. like look at him. look at our fire ninja. he is so loving. i love kai so much
Kai with his haired gelled: GIRLBOSSING PORCUPINE
Kai with his hair down: Feral Cat In Need Of Restraining
similarly,
Nya with her hair tied: GIRLBOSS
Nya with her hair down: Mass Destruction Warning
I just finished the ninjago finale.
the worst parts were probably
---the major plot holes (like hello?? why werent maya and ray there before? why was the prophecy on a piece of origami paper? why didnt lloyd embrace his oni form?? wasnt the entire point to embrace it?? it coudlve been so much better if lloyd learned to love all parts of him)
---furthermore, the relationship between kai and skylor seemed soooo forced,
-----and i am not ready AT ALL to forgive harumi and let lloyd and them be a ‘thing’ like hellO??? i understand harumi is trying but she lied to lloyd BILLIONS of times thats just downright toxic.
-----not to mention we were ROBBED of RGB scenes. like hello?? sibling relations are just as important as romance?? why is ninjago getting rid of the best interactions (RGB) in the entire show??
---doesnt feel like a finale
---the fact that they are always losing their powers it getting really repetitive
---the ‘plot’ was very predictable and got a little boring
the best parts were
---- garmadon lord i love this man
---- i love christofern.
----i also loved minipix <3 (although a better name would be pixies)
----and i loved the interactions between kai and cole.
---also i loved that we saw the new merlopian king
---and im sorry but it was so funny when pythor told nya to go back to the ocean where she belongs.
---gotta say i also love vinny sm and aspheera is such a girlboss.
---- dragon forms were very pretty
--- the pixane scenes <3
---the newspaper kiddos
what if ninjago just renamed all fire hazard signs to kai hazard ones
life lessons with kai: red ninja tells you his favorite phrase
pov you’re a psychopathic sea creature who would like to dominate ninjago city and you encounter a five foot tall human hedgehog, who seems to have think that you’ve forgotten him, so you attempt to hit him with your tentacle tail
seriously though I wish we had more dialogue between these two.. the interactions r so funny
ninjago’s biggest flaw: death = development
ninjago has this consistent idea that the death of a character leads to the development of either said character, or the characters who grieve the death. while this concept can be written very well, ninjago can’t seem to get it right.
for example, nya’s sacrifice in seabound. i think her death could have been the BEST example in ninjago of how relationships can grow and strengthen over a shared loss. nyas ‘death’ could’ve been written as a wonderful way to deepen relationships between the characters, ESPECIALLY kai and jay. relationship development between those two would have been such a good concept, stabilizing eachother during times of grief, and so cole (who was, im sure we all agree, the most stable post seabound) would not have the burden of trying to help all members of the team, burying his own grief in order to aid the others, just as he had to do when his mother died.
furthermore, nya’s own death could have been a development strike for herself, but the show did not give her and nyad enough time to show nya once again reestablishing her sense of self, and collecting her memories. this lack of time nya had, and the lack of attention brought to kai’s grieving methods, combined with loss of potential growth between kai and jay, simply proved that what the writers were aiming for (nyas death--> development) did not work out. and im sure u all can think of the other examples where this idea does not work out.
but i think while the death= development IS a problem, there are times where they got it right, and it did lead to development at some point. for example, when the monastery doors collapsed on lloyd, and so he ‘died’ and met with the first spinjitsu master (plot contribution). and, cole’s ‘fall/death’ showed us an extremely rare occasion of kai being vulnerable and scared, and then nya into a phase of blaming herself, which led to kai comforting nya, showing the strength of the bond between the two.
so, ultimately, i believe the true problem, is : ninjago’s inability to correctly and deeply portray grief, because the entire idea of death= development is based on how individuals deal with grief (coping mechanisms), how they carry on with it, and the relationships formed/strengthened by it. if grief is written poorly, then death can never lead to development.
raging over the fact ninjago is ending without giving us major rgb plot content
very dearly beloved yet incredibly detested ninjago writers, since you cannot do it yourself, allow me to give you some guidance. introducing: a guide to writing kai
1: childhood. coping mechanisms, emotions, relationships, and so many other countless things are originated from our childhood experiences. show us how kai took charge, how he reacted when his parents left. did he break down crying, suck it up and get himself together for nyas sake? did his fear of being useless and his habit of undervaluing himself originate from the fact his parents had left him? I want to see kai move on as a child and yet stumble and fall at the same time. i wanna see the unresolved trauma please because we all know our boy has lots of that
2: green ninja. what’s wrong writers?? are you afraid to tell us his true motives for him wanting to be the green ninja? it’s because his constant fear of being worthless leaded to his wanting to be the green ninja? was he scared he couldn’t be able to protect those he loved? did he want to be green ninja out of fear of being undervalued and left behind by the team, like his parents left him behind? so many question so little answers
3: bravery through love. kai canonically represents bravery, but the ninjago short only presented this bravery through physical action. kai is one of the bravest in another act as well: love. kai’s continuation of love and care toward the team and kids in general has been shown time and time again in the show. physically affectionate, supportive, understanding, and caring to each ninja individually is literally kai’s thing. he readily loved his parents even though they ‘abandoned them’ long ago, when nya was not brave enough to (valid, btw). he is very vocal on how much he loves people, especially nya and lloyd. he loves kids and animals alike (making friends with dragons, naturally affectionate with kids). he wholeheartedly loves people despite the fear of not being loved back, and despite his childhood trauma, and i think thats the best and most beautiful kind of bravery. and i think if the show points this quality out for those who cannot see it, it would contribute so much to his character. kai is such a loving person he loves everyone i think i might cry
if you had the chance to redo kai and jay's fight in seabound,how would you do it?
glad you asked, dearest anon.
firstly, I would keep the fighting. but i'd make it LONGER. kai and jay would fight, but they'd argue alongside it too. i need to kai to say "she's my sister jay," PUNCH "i loved her so fvking much too" KICK and then i need kai to shed some tears and then i like to think his power is kinda linked to his emotions so he's crying and the flames are getting bigger and bigger and kai's winning the fight and then yk more arguing and tears and angst because im insane and then:
i need water nya to address jay AND kai. the fact that she only addressed jay HURT ME IN WAYS I CANNOT EXPRESS.
Grief: Kai and Jay
I chose to focus on those two because of one sole reason: the IMMENSE contrast between the ways Jay and Kai handle grief. Complete opposites.
before i Start i wanna say I don’t have anything against jay, I love him too guys
Jay, time and time again, shows self centeredness in times of grief (again, not saying it’s his fault that’s just how he copes) He leads himself to believe that only he ever loved this person, and that no on else feels the same way. jay is also very expressive- he cries, he mourns, he is verbal throughout his grief. for example, he talks to water in order to feel some grasp of nya close to him- it shows how expressive he his with his longing for her. furthermore, two more examples:
the widely known one: Kai and Jays fight. JAY is the one who suggested they shouldn’t be a team anymore, he is the one who started the fight, and he’s the one who said no one loved/missed nya BUT him.
now, one might say
“But Kai was inconsiderate! He knocked down Jay’s water glass!”
lemme tell you buddy. jay shouldn’t be talking to water glasses in the FIRST place. secondly, this was kai’s way of showing concern, and allow me to remind you that kai still bothered to show concern for jay, when even before the fight jay was saying things like “only I miss nya” “I love her” “we are nothing without her”
secondly, did u guys notice the immense regret and sadness when kai knocked his glass over?
LOOK AT KAI’S EXPRESSION. he is DEVASTATED. he didn’t MEAN to. and on top of that, he is closing his eyes. if you’re a total kai observer, like I am, you’ve noticed that he looks away or dissociates if situations are too emotionally overbearing for him (nyas death, both times, when chen tells him about the fact that his parents might be evil and left them on purpose, etc etc). kai even said sorry, in a heartbreaking tone. he UNDOUBTEDLY would have apologized more profusely if jay didn’t attack immediately.
the other example is Season four, episode two. The ninja were in chens place discussing Zane’s death. jay says “I moved on. I feel guilt. These are not good feelings!” again, kai feels like he is being indirectly attacked, due to jay subtly suggesting that only he feels guilt. kai then says, “You think you feel bad? Imagine how I feel!”
and you might think oh but Kai is being self centered now. no. He’s not. Because remember what Lloyd told him before? Lloyd said Kai was selfish, for wanting to die instead of Zane. Kai felt suppressed and used jays words as a chance in desperation to vocalize some of his pain because he had no other chance to. And every time kai stated ANYTHING related to Grief, it’s automatically considered selfish whereas when jay does it it’s totally fine. kai’s feelings are ALWAYS being dismissed.
Kai handles grief destructively. He drinks, blames himself, mentally tortures himself. He literally has never cried in front of the others and silences his grief because he is criticized for it, especially by jay. It’s not that he isn’t vocal, it’s the fact that he CANT be. He’s SCARED to be.
both were in immense pain, but, and I literally don’t even know how many times I’ve said this, but the show needs to properly address this problem. kai being portrayed as selfish during grief is UNFAIR, and does not make sense AT ALL, when everything he says or does contrasts ‘selfishness’.
all the ninja have unique characteristics and they are so individually unique and reflect their nature
for example,
kai’s smile ( + dimples <33333 ) is bright, fearless, and contagious, his eyes radiate love and warmth, his laugh energetic and filled with enthusiasm
jay’s freckles remind you of stars, his smiles are timid yet adorable, his laugh loud and silly
cole’s hugs make you feel at home, eyes embedded in admiration and protection, his laugh is strong and smile is gentle yet valiant
lloyds laugh is quite mellow, voice smooth and soft, eyes curious yet immensely fond
zane’s words are a striving source of comfort, eyes tender, voice calm and patient, smile polite yet encouraging
nyas eyes remind you of calming waves against a shoreline (or when she’s mad, the complete opposite), voice firm and assertive, smile bold and daring
your honor, I indeed firmly believe that nya and lloyd are taller than kai
the superhero: lloyd
the supervillain: kai
the mayor: nya
can we have kai and nya content??
GUYSSS!!! Kai is AMBIDEXTROUS!!
I WAS REWATCHING THE OLDER SEASONS AND, he holds the sword of fire with his LEFT HAND. AND IN RECENT EPISODES holds swords in both hands and USES THEM with both hands and HOW HAVE I NEVER REALIZED THIS?!?!?
ninjago headcannons ll
-kai sleeps like a cat
-jay loves eating chobani yogurt (incase you don’t know, it’s a brand of yogurt that has one little thingy full of yogurt and the other thingy u can flip over and add cookie dough or chocolate chips or whatever)
- nya and kai are those crazy madmen racing on the street ways that all the moms shake their heads at
- nya cannot parallel park but she can tokyo drift
- one day lloyd hit his head on the table so kai hit the table back.
- cole can digest anything ( poisoning him to death? lol nice try he loves to nom poison)
-kai bought lloyd most of his game/comic collection
- nya has a bellybutton piercing
part one
