You Know Those Kid Sections At Barnes And Nobles With The Little Stage And The Kids Books (or Really

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

i watched the ninja movie last night

Every single day of my life I think about how Kai has so so SO much love in his heart. He loves people so genuinely and he wants them to know it. He hugs Nya SO MUCH and always encourages her. He supports Cole with words of affirmation and physical touch. He playfully teases Lloyd and ruffles his hair. He has so much love to give and doesn’t hide it even when he’s been through so much. It’s not in his nature to be angry and prickly, that’s a defense mechanism. It’s in his nature to be caring and loving.

the reason the kai cole jay team gets more done than the nya zane lloyd team, despite the latter group being the braincell holders of the group, is because kai is willing to do whatever it takes to reach his goal, cole’s been a rebel and down to break rules and expectations since birth, and jay’s a rat bastard.  hope that helps

can you do an analysis on how each ninja fights??

YES!!! btw this isnt just from my head, this is from a person who binged ninjago 50+ times and has been watching it since she was 3. i have watched it enough to come up with an analysis i promise

Cole:

Although he’s decently skilled at it , Cole does not like far ranged combat - its not his strongest suit. Mainly because he doesn't like far ranged weapons. However, when this type of combat is needed, he simply chucks boulders at whoever needs to be taught a lesson.

 Cole is definitely the king when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. His strong body structure (awesome muscular build) enables him to throw harder punches, and on top of that he has his super strength that gives every hit he throws an added bonus (enemies really be flying all over the place when this kid fights). You can try to throw a punch at him but it would be like punching a brick wall. Cole is also a very powerful ‘kicker’, and has an excellent defense. Cole uses scythes/war hammers as his default weapons, and could use other weapons such as the ‘morning star'(yk, the big huge weapons with spikes on them, like the chain connected to a huge spiky ball. that would be so cool). Also, he could probably slay with gauntlets. Like cmon. Cole is able to use heavier weapons and hit harder because when it comes to physical strength, he surpasses all the ninja.

However, he is a tad little slow due to his size, but his skull breaking punches make up for it and more. He uses his elemental powers to his advantage, also throwing small but dangerous rocks at his enemies in between his punches, and sometimes finishing them off with a boulder punch ( a punch + a boulder. boulder punch. its super effective). Cole is normally extremely patient but on the battlefield he simply prefers facing enemies head on. He still observes them and make’s sure to know what he’s getting himself into. Not the most analytical in the team, but he certainly isn't lacking much in that department.

He works the best with all ninja, but especially well with Kai and Jay, since they compensate for his ‘slower’ attacks. Also, yk the small and tall fighting methods... (big uses hands and throws small in the air, small jumps of off big’s back, etc ) gotta love em. With jay, he’s more on defense to keep jay’s back covered. When cole is fighting with  kai its like Cole  trying to minimize a feral cats damage while also trying to maximize the feral cats damage ( hint: kai is the feral cat). 

Nya:

Nya is the Queen when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. She also has a strong body structure, similar to Cole, and so she also throws some nasty punches. Although she doesn’t have super strength like Cole, to make up for it she  fights in smooth yet harsh motions, using water to disrupt the enemies movements/slow them down so she can pinpoint their weak areas and break their noses. She is the queen after all.

Her default weapon is a spear, bc she likes to use pole-like weapons. Pole-like weapons such as spears and lances allow Nya to thrust forward with them, and have a long distance they can cover without having to actually stand far, unlike far-ranged weapons. This goes well with her water powers as water hits harder with increased pressure and is able to take any form. Nya could probably work well with whips too, or like form water whips. That would be cool.

She doesn’t like far ranged combat simply because its ‘boring’ for her.

Nya is a little faster than Cole, but she still isn't the fastest (more about that below). She tends to analyze enemies before attacking, or analyze them while attacking. Either works! She also tends to outsmart her enemies by  appearing weaker than she looks, or looking at their fighting style and then adapting a counter-style (water is adaptable, after all).

Nya also works well with all the ninja. However she works best with Kai, Jay, and Zane. With Kai and Jay its also the small-tall method (Nya’s taller than both). With Jay and Zane she has elemental reactions, since water and lighting are more effective together (shock shock shock + more shocks) also they have chemistry + nya helps zane freeze at larger capacities, also both are super smart and are good at strategies. With kai, nya just works well . yk. reading eachother with simple glances. when together enemies being devoured within seconds. destroying whoever hurt the other. fun!

Jay:

Jay is not the best at hand to hand combat, but as a ninja he is obviously still not someone to be taken lightly. He cant throw hard punches, but he can throw fast punches. Lightning is not a slow force, after all! Jay may not be excelling in physical strength but he is arguably the fastest ninja. 

His size also gives him an advantage, since he’s not heavy or tall, he’s able to double his speed  and rapidly attack his enemies. He tends to tire out his enemies first, using speed and swiftly strikes them with lightning to take them down. You think he’s teleporting? Nah he’s just hella fast dude

Jay isn't very ‘analytical’ but does very well with limited materials; he can invent/create something that can get them out of any sticky situation, not quite perfect yet very effective! This is a skill that is unique to him, as he invents best with scarce materials.

Jays' default weapon is nun chucks. He doesn't really like any other weapons. He loves metal nun chucks because remember, metal conducts electricity. He can simply use them as a weapon, and then use his powers and so the whoever he hits the nun chuck weapon with ( or any metal weapon really) would get a hard electric shock. Ouch. He would also do really well with Chakrams (if ur too lazy to google it, they are circular weapons- kinda like circular boomerangs with sharp edges. ).  Doesn't mind far range combat, and isn't bad at it either. He has no preference, as long as he gets to work with nya LOL

Jay works well with all ninja, especially with nya (reasons stated above) and works well with cole (also stated above). 

Zane:

Zane is good in hand-to-hand combat, and his punches hurt quite a lot ( he has metal hands, after all). He would be ranked second when it comes to hard punches, very close after Cole and Nya. His body structure... is... well... metal.  

His defense is the best out of all the ninja mainly because who would wanna punch a tin can (its certainly do able, but boy it hurts). Zane tends to do 100% analytical fighting, he estimates the enemies moves and studies how they fight. He is the most analytical fighter.

His moves are careful and calculated. He takes the next course of action based on statistics. However, this sometimes does not work when it comes to ambushes, or unexpected fights as there is no time to observe or estimate. That’s all right though, because Zane isn't entirely dependent on this, as he does have his powers to slow/freeze enemies down. 

You wanna know how many enemies are left? Ask Zane, he can scan the area. You wanna know an enemies weak point? Dw, Zane can scan it for you. Thanks Zane!!!

Zane  excels in mid/far ranged combat- he’s the best ninja for the job. His default weapons are shuriken's and bows, after all. He has the patience for it, and has excellent aim. If the ninja had guns, he would be a dangerous sniper.

Zane works well with every ninja, but has an advantage working with Nya (as stated before) and Pixal

Kai:

Kai is similar to Jay when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. He can throw punches, but cannot throw hard punches (he was trained to be a blacksmith though, so I’d say he’s a little behind zane). But he is extremely fast, closely second to only Jay. His biggest advantage in hand-to-hand combat is agility. Kai is the most agile ninja, and his immense flexibility (he is also most flexible)  gives him an upper hand in many situations. He also has the best reflexes ; his nimble moves make him a hard target. You wont see a ninja ur gonna see a gymnast. A gym-ja. 

Zane and Nya are the best logical planners, but logical plans need time and observation. Kai excels the most when faced with ambushes or fast-paced situations ; he’s always on his toes and his impulsivity becomes beneficial, since he takes quick action and takes advantage of  chances that the other’s would never have noticed. He’s also as astute as Nya and Zane, just in a less logical, and in a more of a crafty way. He isn’t a patient fighter though, so he sometimes gets himself into... situations.

His default weapons are sword/katanas, and he uses them as an extension of himself; the best swordsman on the team.  What’s that? You want kai to do far-ranged combat? Bestie, for kai, far ranged combat is just throwing fireballs from a distance. You might as well throw bombs at ur enemies. Kai doesn't do well with far-ranged weaponry. If Kai had short ranged-pistols, like one on each hand (like Jinx from Arcane or Kiana from Honkai Impact) he would also reign supreme.

Kai works well with all ninja, especially with Nya (stated above) , Cole (also stated above) , and Lloyd (lloyd works really well with every ninja, but he has patience and he helps kai think things through). 

thats it for now!  i’ll reblog and include lloyd in this after part two of s16 comes out, bc i wanna add his “oni-style”

part two

We need more dilf kai and overprotective lloyd and nya

Hell yeah we do!

These two will murder anyone who looks at Kai for too long.

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

Lloyd II

lloyd part I 

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.