Ninjago Nya - Blog Posts
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.
yeah everyone focuses about nya’s connection to nyad, but if nya is technically one with the ocean, and nya is basicslly a part of kai, isnt kai basicslly connected to nyad too?? like wouldn’t it be awesome if human nya still had the ability to talk to nyad after she unmerged and stuff?? And since nya can do it kai could kinda do it too??
like if nya could talk to nyad as separate beings, but still be connected, through their magic? and kai maybe not being able to talk to nyad but being able to feel her, embrace her because after all, nyas blood is within him too, and so with alongside shared blood comes shared bonds, right?
can you imagine kai feeling upset or maybe lonely, nya not being there bc maybe she’s on a mission so he sits alongside the ocean, nyad joining him and creating little jellyfish that float around kai, to cheer him up?
can you imagine kai and nyad dancing across the shore, nya secretly recording them from a distance?
and maybe whenever kai goes near the ocean, nya and nyad can both feel his warmth and so there’s an array of fish and various sea creatures that suddenly appear alongside kai, kinda making the ocean a bit more magical?? idk I think It would be such a beautiful concept
raging over the fact ninjago is ending without giving us major rgb plot content
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
the superhero: lloyd
the supervillain: kai
the mayor: nya
can we have kai and nya content??
rgb siblings + sensei wu
part one
I get sad when someone says one ninja sacrificed more than the others for ninjago
like no :( they all hurt so much all their sacrifices are equally painful :((( give them hugs please
sibling angst is best angst
MORE RGB HEADCANNONS PUHLEASE
here you go love:
-kai and nya WOULD do the ‘thats my f-ing evil twin’ tiktok trend with eachotehr. they’d slay it tbh
-zane taught kai origami so now kai leaves origami hearts in random things that nya and lloyd possess and he thinks they don’t know it’s him but they know ( and they love it).
-when the rgb siblings go to a pool lloyd and nya tip over every floaty kai rests on
-they have a 3 minute long handshake.
-if lloyd nya and kai are on the same laser tag team the opposing team is SLAUGHTERED within SECONDS.
-lloyd and nya are cooking?? my dear, the only thing they cook is disaster
-LISTEN hear me out : kai does ballet
-lloyd loves sour patch and sometimes kai will throw a handful of sour patch at him. randomly. for no reason. lloyd NOMS THEM ALL UP. not a single one lands on the floor.
crying screaming sobbing on the floor because no one loves nya and lloyd the way kai does
he’s always looking at them with unconditional love
people ask me why I’m so distraught over ninjago ending and when you tell them it’s because your emotionally attached since it’s been there since your childhood and you’ve grown up with it and even though it does injustice to your favorite character it still has your favorite character and you sound like a crazy person when in reality you just can’t let go of something that brings you comfort so easily even though it’s just some stupid tv show
Isn't it so incredibly interesting how both smith siblings handled their trauma in drastically different ways? But isn't it also beautiful that everything they went through together simply made them love & support each other in bajillion different ways!?!!
Nya’s mindset of, ‘’I don't need anybody, I can do everything myself. I can rely on only myself,” just means that “My parents betrayed me and let me down when I needed them the most, which has damaged my ability to trust.’’
This is hyper-independence, and that is a result of trauma. It was likely one of her prime ways to protect herself from vulnerability, building walls to protect herself from feeling a pain similar to what she felt when her parents disappeared, making it hard for her to love. She shows signs of ‘self-sabotage’ because she refuses to ask for help, and does not show vulnerability. She declined any affection (except kai, bc he was the only person who had not betrayed her/only dependable & trustworthy person in her childhood) in the earlier seasons, and has trouble doing things if she cannot execute them perfectly. Kai undoubtably worked hard to support her, and so Nya pressured herself to meet certain objectives for Kai’s sake, to ensure Kai’s work didn't go to waste. This likely lead to her habit of perfectionism, which with time, became a bigger breeding ground for severe toxicity.
Despite Kai offering her unconditional support, Nya likely did not want to overburden him with her troubles so she kept a lot of things bottled up. Her independency also probably derives from her will to try and make things easier for Kai (and later the team) so she minimizes asking for help. Rarely asking for anything at all, insisting on dealing with issues herself. She dragged this habit with her throughout her life, likely in fear of rejection. When it comes to grief and loss, she has a very unhealthy habit of pushing it down, trying to not feel anything especially when others are around (ex. in Hunted when nya and lloyd thought the others were dead, she pushed the grief down/started hiding it and distracted herself by focusing on/helping lloyd). When it comes to grief and certain other things she puts herself below others, prioritizing their needs instead of hers. All of these things are results of and/or mechanisms she developed from her childhood trauma.
Nya requires a lot of verbal affirmation and physical touch to open up (kai is an exception). A lot. Remember, it took a long time until she actually told Jay she loved him. But what Nya needed is was patience, and Jay was displaying that, and never criticized her for not saying ily back.
She could have chosen to leave all the burden on Kai, but when she couldn’t remove it, she did everything she could to lighten it. Trauma gave nya so many reasons to be an untrustworthy person. Trauma made loving people hard for her. Trauma made love a battlefield for her. Trauma made future relationships difficult for her to ease in. But despite this, Nya chose to be trustworthy. Trauma didn’t make her brave. She made herself brave so she could accept Jay’s (and the teams) love, and in time, selflessly tore down her walls so she could love him back. She chose to be there in the times of need for others, just as her brother was there for her. Her trauma gave her opportunities and opportunities to be scared, but she chose to stand her ground. She chose to be brave.
Kai’s <3
https://theatlasrealm.tumblr.com/post/692060841958408192/isnt-it-so-incredibly-interesting-how-both-smith
every ninja has their own unique telltale for lying that no person but the people within the ninja can pinpoint
when lloyd lies they can tell by his voice, it has the slightest unsure and unsteady tone
when jay lies he sometimes stutters and fidgets with his hands
zane doesn’t do lies [ except for white lies that are beneficial (thanks to kai) ]
cole cannot lie.
whenever kai or nya lie ( both siblings are the best liars on the team ) you can tell by studying their eyes; since they are the most expressive part on their body, and I don’t mean darting or dilating pupils. I mean if you have enough practice you can gaze into their (very beautiful) eyes and study their eyes to see if they are smiling or sad. like yk the “he’s smiling but his eyes aren’t” type of stuff. idk how to explain this ok. it works in my head (and sometimes only the other sibling can tell when one sibling is lying.)
We all know Kai’s coping mechanisms for grief are extremely destructive. He became an alcoholic to deal with Zane’s death, and openly said he wished he would be dead instead of him.
BUT During Nya’s death (at least nearly after the year, who knows what he was doing the months before he opened a dojo, probably definitely crying himself to sleep every night and other sad sad things. another quick reminder kai felt the same amount of pain jay did.) he surrounded himself with kids. On the outside, doesn’t seem so bad. He’s a teacher. At least he’s not an alcoholic! Yay?
No. Not yay.
He surrounded himself with Children. Little girls (and boys) who undoubtedly reminded him every single day of his baby sister. Kai was basically torturing himself, forcing himself to remember that he was unable to protect his nya. Seeing all these eager kids wanting to learn how to fight, seeing these parents send in their Tom’s and their Jennifer’s, through desperation he tried to help protect them so the guilt of failing to protect Nya was less suffocating. So that neither Tom or Jessica’s parents go through what he went, and so that when the guilt is just a little less suffocating , because it probably won’t ever not be suffocating, he can try and just maybe scrape the courage and try living and breathing in the honor of the life she, his baby sister, nya, lived, telling her story and fulfilling her dreams (likely what nya would have wanted) instead of drowning in the grief of the life she couldn’t live.
lets all start a revolution so we get more kai and nya and lloyd let us all rise and conquer
may our goals awaken from beneath the everlasting darkness and reign for eternity
we want rgb grief. we want our dynamic. im so sick of romance focused troupes. IM SO SICK OF ALL THIS ROMANCE GARBAGE. I WANT SIBLINGS. GIVE US SIBLINGS. I WANTED TO SEE MORE OF THEM. I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THEM. ONLY POTRAYING JAY AS THE MAJOR PERSON AFFECTED BY NYA’S DEATH IS NOT OKAY. HOW MANY TIMES AM I SUPPOSED TO SCREAM OUT,” KAI RAISED HER!! LLOYD AND KAI LOVED HER TOO!”
I love to headcannon that butterflies remind Kai and Nya of each other bc of this memory
Like Kai or Nya would gaze at a butterfly and think about the other and that’s just so adorable
NINJAGO: VILLIAN EDITION
alternatively: modern ninja as villains w/modern weaponry (no powers)
Cole :
weaponry: shoulder guns, shoulder cannons. physical strength king - kneel before him. i feel like the type of shoulder gun he would use is:
also im not sure if ‘gauntlets’ would be considered modern but idc and im gonna show you anyways <3
not sure if you can tell but the pink-haired girl (vi) is using gauntlets. honestly any kind of gauntlet would look good on cole. pistols/bombs aren't really his thing, so if he doesn't have his trusty shoulder gun its punching time!! ouch!!
pastime hobbies: collects rocks. has a pet rock. spends stolen money... on expensive rocks. big foodie btw. knows and has eaten at every 5 star restaurant in the country. artist.
role in evil villain plans: on field member, normally gives out orders/directs missions. takes care of opponents with ease (scary good puncher). occasionally the getaway driver, best music taste. also an incredibly skilled artist, always leaves graffiti behind a crime scene. would never hurt a kid. loves robbing art shows. somehow always gets blood all over his clothes so he just shows up wearing black. has enough patience for assassination, and is incredibly skilled at it too. also muscular tattooed cole supremacy
code name: skullcrusher
Nya:
Weaponry: normally sticks to a pistol in one hand, but rotates with shoulder guns. hasn't mastered either one, but decently skilled with both. queen of physical strength. shoulder gun (1st pic) + pistol type (2 pic):
(she doesn't wield double pistols though, just one)
pastime hobbies: hacking, creating bombs (she and jay are the ‘bomb’ team, creating and disabling bombs is one of their prime talents.)
role in evil villain plans: nya ( + lloyd/zane) come up with the plans. girlie plays two roles: 1) stays in the evil lair and gives the on-field members information, monitors coms, and she is humanities cause of identity theft. 2) fighting on field , because hey; if you want something done right you do it yourself. similar to cole, also excels in physical fights. handles money/finances and reigns over the black market. people fear her online and in person. Also, she and jay make bombs together
codename: glitch
Kai:
weaponry: i have said it before and I will say it again: kai. mastery over double pistols. both hands. agility + double pistols = this is what i call supremacy. also, he uses bombs. terrifyingly. (who else did you think nya and jay made bombs for?)
yes. these are pistols. ik its hard to see but i promise they are pistols
pastime hobbies: training, pranks, retail therapy (he is the biggest money spender.)
role in evil villain plans: flirts with law enforcement, engages them in a false sense of security. can also blink pretty and look harmless in order for the enemy to drop their guard. excellent liar/actor, does not have enough patience for assassination. he thinks that being the last thing his enemy sees is a blessing for said enemy. isn't afraid to wear white clothes when killing bc somehow he evades every blood drop (he is the most agile, after all). when things don't go according to plan, kai’s in charge. he works best in unpredictable situations.
codename: inferno
(For a fighting style analysis check out my post abt that!!)
if people like this I guess i’ll do the others too!!! also all weaponry pics are from Honkai Impact 3rd <3
Smith sibling headcannons ft jay and cole <3
nya uses Kai and Jay to workout like who needs weights when you have your surprisingly light brother and yang (cole fights over kai and jay with nya bc he needs some ninja weights too!!)
nya cannot touch her toes and kai does take advantage of this (nya doing touching toe exercises and kai touching his toes AND bending his body into a pretzel to show off)
kai is a feral cat and kid!lloyd was his feral accomplice in crime (present Lloyd has a part of him that still is..)
kai and nya as kids used to have a tradition of having a ‘sleepover’ and doing each other’s hair when either of them were upset. this passed down to Lloyd too
jay falls asleep during a movie? let’s hope Lloyd and Kai are far away from any nearby sharpies. just saying…
Out of the three smith siblings kai is the best cook but it’s not his fault the kitchen keeps lighting on fire he swears by this and yet we have no proof..
all three of these lads (kai, nya, Lloyd) suck at art (Lloyd is considerably decent since cole helped him with this since cole is the teams artist)
kai likes to read, preferably historical fiction (he became a history teacher guys+ I think it would be really cute that someone as energetic as Kai would like to read and I love that ) and Lloyd likes comics and so whenever nya goes out with jay or alone or something, she makes sure to bring back a book and comic for two certain people
is anyone else like super scared and excited for part two of crystallized like I wanna watch it the moment it comes out but at the same time I never wanna watch it but I’m excited about Lloyd and garmadon and the oni but
I’m terrified that someone might die or that lloyd might get even more traumatized (the poor kid) or that we won’t get the kai and nya scenes we have been begging and pleading for or the development arcs
like tommy anderson has done so good and so horribly bad at the same time
man idk how to feel about this.
Respectfully, some of you in the ninjago fandom REALLY need to get this in your ears:
the amount of grief jay felt about nya’s death IS NOT LARGER THAN THE AMOUNT OF GRIEF KAI FELT.
familial love and romantic love are two different things. and yes, depending on circumstances and the people themselves, one can be stronger than the other.
BUT NOT IN NYA’S CASE. KAI AND JAY LOVE NYA EQUALLY. JAY DID NOT MISS NYA MORE THAN KAI. KAI JUST HID HIS GRIEF, AND MAYBE IS COPING IN A DIFFERENT WAY. KAI AND JAY ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. BUT THEY LOVE NYA EQUALLY.
so stop saying jay was more upset over nya’s death when kai literally held her when she was a child and raised her and was there for nya her entire life. nya missed them both, and they both missed her. thats it.
I think the reason why I love Kai and Nyas dynamic so much is because of three reasons
1) I’m a sucker for any sibling dynamic
2) the entire fact that their childhood consisted of only each other + they know each other so well; probably better than they know themselves and I could go on and on and on about how 10000 different reasons why Kai and nya ( +Lloyd!) have the best dynamic in the entire show and that’s why this same show GATEKEEPS THEIR MOMENTS LIKE BRO. GIVE US KAI AND NYA HUGS/MOMENTS/THINGS/TALKS/EVERYTHING IN S16 TO MAKE UP FOR SEABOUND.
3) their elements
I believe that out of all the elements in Ninjago ( or in any other show, or LITERALLY just nature itself ) fire and water are the most unique because of one reason: they are the elements that are embedded with the convergence of opposites. creation, and destruction. life, and death. light, and darkness. for example:
Water provides shelter for sea creatures. Water keeps us hydrated, nourished. Water can provide us with energy (dams). Yet, water causes floods and tsunamis. Water can cause you to drown. Water takes lives.
Without the sun we would die. The sun helps plants grow and protects us from the cold and is the source of all our food. Fire burns down forests and destroys homes. Fire inflicts pain and burns on human beings. Fire turns anything in its way to ashes. Fire takes lives.
See? good and bad, bad and good. And the fact that both their elements hold these concepts is such an amazing thing to me because that just seals the wholesomeness of their dynamic even more.
SHORT KAI HCS/SMITH TRIO HCS
—-Kai visibly Looks shorter than the rest of the ninja however he looks taller than Jay only because of his hair gel but in reality he and Jay are the same exact height
—-I said this before and I will say it again to reach kitchen cabinets or any high place kai either does one of two things :
1) airjitzu’s and sets the entire place on fire 2) becomes an Olympic gold metal gymnast
THERE IS NO INBETWEEN
—- Kai doesn’t get bothered much that cole and Zane are taller then him bc they are older… but the fact that his YOUNGER SIBLINGS are taller than him keeps him awake at night..
—-sometimes when nya or lloyd wake up in the middle of the night, scared and shaking, they go to the same person they’ve been going to all their life for nightmares: Kai
—-kai influenced/helped Lloyd a lot. And I mean a LOT, just as much as he helped nya. hair care routine? yeha kai showed Lloyd. how to deal with panic attacks? kai helps him breathe, and taught him how to handle it in case Lloyd is ever alone. Also someone else also said this btw but Lloyd’s weapon is a sword gee I wonder why
—-KAI IS THE FASHIONISTA SIBLING I REPEAT HE IS FASHIONISTA SIBLING-
nya: Kai if I was in your shoes
Kai: first of all my shoes are pieces of art second of all you shouldn’t even be in those shoes good lord we need to go shoe shopping I can’t have my dear sister walking around like that
—-guess who’s holding all the shopping bags when the trio goes shopping! Ur right it is nya and lloyd
“kai please stop we don’t need more clothes”
“lloyd, life is a runaway what do you mean we don’t need more clothes”
“kai that’s it we are going home if I have to carry one more bag-”
—--nya and Lloyd can’t hide crap from kai he just knows
Lloyd, thinking: I hate myself
“hey Lloyd u okay buddy??”
“YEAH!!”
Kai brother instinct triggered
Kai pulls out weapon: abominable hug
weapon was effective lloyd is feeling better
—-kai is a good liar/actor to most people except nya girl sees right through his facade
nya, “hey kai everything okay?”
Kai,” yeah don’t worry everything’s fine!”
nya gently hugs kai and Kai has an emotional breakdown: a sequel
—-kai,”how’s the weather up there”
nya and Lloyd,” we weren’t aware garden gnomes could talk”
—- when any one of them is sick the remaining two know exactly what to do.
Nya is sick? Give her some soup ! Give her some space! She’s independent and isn’t a fan of being taken care of (lloyd respects that!) but yk kai….Kid isn’t scared of nyas rages 💪
Lloyd is sick? give him some soup! make him laugh! hug him! Thankfully he’s smart enough to stay in bed and recover because he knows if he does that the recovery process will be faster! the real question is if kai knows that…
Kai is sick? Code red full lockdown bro is gonna go try and discover a new species while burning at a high temperature. um kai isn’t scared of nyas rages but when she yells at him for not resting while sick she’s like ten times more scarier someone save the poor boy oh look savior lloyd has arrived oh wait nope false alarm he’s yelling at Kai too
—-they all casually share hoodies, graphic tees, etc. but for Kai it looks little too big.. um…. don’t tell him that though…..
—--if things are too overwhelming for Kai he goes to nya and Lloyd. everything seems to melt away when they look up and smile at him
—-don’t insult nya or Lloyd in front of Kai or Kai’s gonna do a full sailor moon transformation and then into a VICIOUS garden gnome.
—-whenever nya’s inventions/ideas don’t work out, she gets angry and frustrated at herself due to her perfectionist nature. Kai always manages to make her feel better
“hey don’t worry nya, you have wonderful ideas and such a smart brain! you created so many things and I couldn’t have been more proud. how about we go eat a snack and then you can come finish this project later! I’ll even help!
—-Kai is really good with ‘feminine’ stuff like sewing (he probably used to stitch up ripped clothes when him and nya were kids) and hair. he knows 7384377348 different hairstyles and does nya’s hair whenever he can. he also tried to teach Lloyd but the poor kid became jumble of confusion. he managed to teach him braids though!!!
you think this is it? naw shawty I’ve got part two coming out soon.