Everyone Is Literally Full Of Themselves

Given all the context provided to us by various flashbacks throughout the series, I think Cole's true potential scene has a lot more complexity to it than at first glance.

The first time you watch it, it's pretty standard. He had a difficult relationship with his dad, but after making amends he was able to let go of the thing holding him back and move forward. It's a simple but sweet story, and it's a wholesome lil episode overall.

But THEN we watch all his flashbacks in seasons 8, 13, and the Core shorts, providing us SO much more information about his family history. And when we consider the fact that Lily's death played a major role in his and his father's strained relationship, his true potential starts to take on a new dimension. Let me explain.

First, the flashback from Core. For those of you who haven't seen Core, there's a scene where Cole is feeling overwhelmed so he tries to, as he puts it, "find balance", and ends up conjuring a fond memory of his mom in order to calm down.

This is such a short sequence, barely even 30 seconds long, but also tells us a LOT.

Given his age and appearance, we can assume that Cole is pretty young here. Considering how his mom is up and about and seemingly pretty healthy in this memory, this also likely takes place sometime before she got sick

We can also conclude that dancing was a significant part of not just Lou and Lily's relationship, but their household overall. And given Cole's little smile as he watches them dance, he seems to have genuinely enjoyed it as well. This evidence is corroborated by other instances throughout the series where Cole is more than happy to dance or whistle, maybe even sing if he feels comfortable enough to do so. So he does genuinely enjoy this sort of thing

This would suggest that Cole didn't always have the belligerent attitude towards performing arts like he did in "The Royal Blacksmiths", nor does he carry such an attitude after that episode. As early as season 2 we see him dancing as he fights bad guys and whistling as he helps repair the Bounty. He's had instances of stagefright, yes (the Snake Jaguar incident is the first one that comes to mind), but after making amends with his father he's never shown a dislike for that sorta thing. It's not the dancing he hates, it's the fear of judgment

(On a related note, Cole's insecurity about other people's approval seems to be reflected in his arc during the Ice Chapter, where he became paranoid that everyone hated him for losing the Traveler's Tea and went to extreme lengths to fix his mistake. Or how, in the Character Encyclopedia, it mentions that Cole gets easily distracted by tiny mistakes, and how he tends to fatalize over all his screwups until they end up distracting him. Needless to say, Cole is afraid of letting people down. Residual anxiety from the Triple Tiger Sashay Incident, perhaps? Which, if you really want to be punched in the gut, could also come from Cole being insecure about his inability to save his mother.)

Now let's look at the next flashback in the chronological order: the bedroom scene from season 13.

This scene doesn't tell us quite as much, but we do get clued into a few details regarding Cole's relationship with his mother

In the beginning of the scene, Lou is leading Cole down a hallway and into Lily's room. And when Cole finally sees her, he is wary at first, even turning to his father for confirmation and reassurance. Then, at Lou's encouragement, he approaches her with excitement and relief. Given his reaction, he probably hasn't seen her in a while. Either because he wasn't able to enter her room since she's been so sick, or because she's spent all of her time in either a hospital, hospice center, or some other kind of care facility

Let's go back to that thing about Lou, actually. This quick and quiet interaction between him and Cole suggests that on some level, they do have a functioning and loving relationship at this point. Lou is at this point attentive to his son's emotional needs. Keep this in mind going forward

"I want you to promise me, Cole, that you will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust." This right here is where we see Cole's motivation for becoming a ninja. He'd gotten into a fight at school in an attempt to stop a bully, and instead of berating her son for fighting, she told him that she was proud of him for doing the right thing even if he got in trouble

This does seem to fall in line with what other few details we have about her character - she's a strong, powerful warrior who was capable of defeating Grief Bringer on her own, and seems to be a somewhat pragmatic, no-nonsense individual who says it like it is - a trait Cole seems to have inherited from her. (Example - when Cole said he didn't want her to be sick anymore, she replied with, "I know. But we don't always get what we want.")

Note that he's still pretty young in this scene. While it's hard to tell specific age, he's probably anywhere between 7 and 10. I'd hazard to guess that this memory occurred relatively early on in his mother's illness

Next up: the flashback in season 8, wherein we see the extended version of Cole's first encounter with Wu

One important thing to note here is that he said he 'just' lost someone, meaning that Lily's death must have happened fairly recently, even though we first see her illness back when Cole was much younger

This means that Lily's illness wasn't a quick thing. It likely lasted for a significant chunk of his childhood, watching his mom slowly spiral into a sickness he can't protect or save her from, with him and his father growing increasingly estranged as it happens

Lou is never home, always out performing. Cole interprets this as his father not caring, but we can easily interpret this as Lou's own attempts to cope. Remember that Lou was once quite supportive and very in-tune with his son's emotional needs? By now, Lou has become a far more distant, estranged, borderline neglectful person in Cole's life due to his inability to grieve in a healthy way

Let's bring back that point in the previous flashback about Lily being a pragmatic, no-nonsense person. "With her gone, I guess it's up to me to be the responsible one." In the wake of his mother's death and father's increasing absence, Cole had to step up and take responsibility. He was trying to take up the space in their family she had once filled.

By the time Cole's true potential episode comes up, I would argue his mother's death is still relatively recent. And all of the interactions between Lou and Cole really have an extra lil flavor when you take that into consideration

So what does all this add up to? Well...

What's the main conflict between Lou and Cole in "The Royal Blacksmiths"? Lou wants Cole to become a performer, a dancer like him. When discovering Cole's a ninja he says, "...I'm not going to wait around to watch you make a mockery of our family's legacy."

We already know that dancing was a major part of their family dynamic, and in particular Lou and Lily's dynamic. To Lou, performance is a family matter.

While we don't have any hard evidence of this, the Triple Tiger Sashay Incident doesn't strike me as something Lily was present for. If that's true, then she'd probably already fallen ill by that point (meaning Lily's illness began at least by the time Cole was 7). And if THAT's true, then we can conclude the following:

Lou, confronted with the impending reality of his wife's death, began clinging to dance and performance as a coping mechanism and likely projected this onto his son. He clung to it as a way to hold onto her, and started to go a bit overboard with it. Hence why he began pushing Cole too far.

Remember, Cole did and still does enjoy dancing. But Lou's actions, all the pressure and judgment, pushed Cole away from something he loved doing. Something that, as we know from the Core shorts, he canonically associates with his mother.

In a way, being a dancer was Lou's coping mechanism, and being a ninja was Cole's. Both of them consumed with something that reminded them of Lily. When Cole and Lou make amends, there's so much more weight behind it than just Lou apologizing for pushing Cole too hard. It's about Lou recognizing how unhealthy his own coping mechanisms have been, and how his own grief has hurt his son. And it's about Cole remembering that when he's not facing pressure and judgment, he actually DOES love dancing.

Over time, as the series progresses, he sheds his serious and responsible persona and begins to loosen up a bit - he's healing. Now that he and his father have made amends and laid to rest all the contention between them, they're both able to heal and move forward.

It's like Jay said - "I think I know why Cole is so closed-off. It's because twinkle-toes here couldn't deliver the goods. Is that why you ran away?"

He may not be in denial like his father, but he can be a bit closed-off sometimes, and is quick to running from his grief instead of facing it. That's why he never vocalized his frustrations with Jay over the love triangle until season 4, just committing to the pettiness of the rivalry instead of being open about his feelings. And it's exactly what he did when Zane died, too - he left the team and ran off to be a lumberjack.

With this in mind, I'd be willing to bet that his distaste for dancing not only came from his father's pressure, but also an attempt to run away from his problems again. This time, by shutting out something that reminds him of his family.

His relationship with his father was holding him back, yes - just as much as his grief for his mother.

Now, let's fast-forward a few seasons to the Day of the Departed special. Cole's ghostly curse has caused him to begin fading from existence, and while he sets out on a quest to remedy the situation, his father waits back home, worried about his absence.

"Cole? Cole? Where are you? My son was going to meet me before the show to light a lantern."

And since Day of the Departed lanterns are lit to commemorate the dead, I am 200% sure that lantern Lou'd been holding was going to be for Lily. He and his son were going to meet up and remember her together. That detail may have been pretty insignificant to the plot, but it feels kinda huge to Cole as a character. I really doubt this is something he and his dad would've done back in season 1, showing that both of them are finally able to confront the truth of Lily's death in a healthy and supportive way. Not only that, but it suggests a closeness between them that simply hadn't been there pre-reconciliation. Not only have Cole and Lou healed in their own rights, but their relationship has healed as well.

Anyway, this was all a very long-winded way of saying that I love Cole Ninjago, and the more I learn about his past the more I want to CRY.

this is so accurate - a Ravenpuff

Shared house traits

Gryffindor & Hufflepuff -sweet summer child -close, intimate, heartbreak mending hugs -giggles “that’s what she said” -likelihood you’ll fall in love with them +9999999% -probably still owns a stuffed toy

Ravenclaw & Slytherin -already wrote an encyclopedia on all the ways they’re better than you -judging you not-so-silently -“my words are both poison and exilir. tempt me, if you dare.” -intimidating at first bUT THEYRE ACTUAL CINNAMON ROLLS -“aw you didn’t have to do that!-…what do you want?” -too many trust issues, someone just HUG THEM

Gryffindor & Ravenclaw -already stalked you on all your social media accounts -board games. video games. gaaames.  -always has a mess. somehow knows where everything is.  -BUSY. friends, hobbies, school/work, internet til 2am, busy. -PUNS

Slytherin & Hufflepuff -knows who they will search for first during the apocalypse -“i trust you with my life. don’t let me down” -literally gives the best first impressions -it’s actually a little scary how much they could be hiding -work, work, work, workwork

Hufflepuff & Ravenclaw -“god you’re so fucking weird and i love it” -that friend who never yells at anyone until they do and everyone is terrified -my otp is better than yours -“rules were not made to be broken unless i say so” -happier when all is peaceful and quiet

Gryffindor & Slytherin -“NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN YOU CALM DOWN” -that friend that shares all the hot selfies they find. (bless them) -has never made a good decision after 2am -*loses something* *blames it on you* *finds it 2min later with their stuff* -selfie game too strong

This Post tells me that we all want Tommy to adopt every possible mob that shouldn't be adopted and, you know what? Fine!

Here's Tommy getting every single mob he really shouldn't:

It started off easy. Tommy was a big man and he really liked animals, as every big man should. What he didn't like was how unfairly certain types of dogs and horses were treated...

So one day, when a small eight-legged pony approached him just to amicably stare up at him he knew that he wouldn't be able to part from it. Therefore Shroud was now the second official member of the Innit household! Foolish seemed to like him a lot as well, so Tommy didn't really think anything of it.

On another day he found himself being tackled by Baba, the snow horse that he saw near Technoblade's house. Tubbo let out a shriek when seeing this, but Tommy knew that she was just trying to play, so he scratched her ear and brought her home. Clearly, if she ran away it meant she wanted a new owner, so who was he to refuse? He added a little snow enclosure in the basement and made sure to keep Baba cool. Tubbo didn't really approve, but what does Tubbo know anyway?

Then it was the turn of Clementine, a very nice lanky dog that appeared one day in his home and never left. Foolish said that he should have killed her and called her a pest, but Tommy thinks that Foolish is just an asshole. It's not Clem's fault that she's not comfortable with people staring at her! They should learn to respect her boundaries already! So he built another room for her, with a taller roof this time. His house was sure becoming quite popular, huh? Not that it wasn't expected with him being the biggest of men!

And, well, so far no one was too weirded out by it. Sure, they would give Tommy some weird looks, but nothing too bad. In comes the fiery dog. This time Tubbo was very adamant about how: "That's not a dog bossman, that's a fucking blaze!" but since Tommy didn't understand what that meant he elected to ignore it. Couldn't be that important anyway. And Fiery dog was nice! He never shot fireballs at him, only ever using them to turn on the furnaces when asked. He was a nice dog and Tommy really couldn't understand what everyone had against him!

It got worse when he brought back a small slimey horse and a small jumpy horse. Ranboo called them "Slime and Magma Cube" so Tommy assumed the hybrid could speak with them and that those were their names. This time it was Wilbur's turn to come to him in concern. He even apologized for leaving Tommy alone and other shit, apparently assuming that Tommy was bringing all his dogs and horses home as a substitute. He wasn't. They were just nice and people around him misjudged them, so he wanted them to have a family. Not because he could relate to the feeling, just because he was nice like that!

Then it came the turn for the screamy dog. That one was admittedly quite big. So much so that Tommy had to make the biggest nether portal he could manage to bring her home, but it was worth it! He didn't like the name "Ghast" that everyone suggested, so he went for Genevive. He made the biggest glass dome he could for her and Tubbo even helped. Apparently, it was because "You're gonna get yourself killed if I'm not here with all these hostile mobs around" whatever that meant.

Along the way, he also got one of the pillager's horses, who he called Betty, and one of the Nether's ugly horses (who kinda looked like Techno if Techno was a horse, so he called it Better Techno). At that point, people were mostly resigned though. Somehow none of the mobs were aggressive towards Tommy. And, sure, the boy's house was becoming more and more of an eyesore with every expansion, but no one tried to do anything about it because none of the mobs were quite as friendly towards them. That said they were sure that there was nothing Tommy could do at this point to surprise them...

Well, Tommy found a weird dark portal surrounded by blocks he'd never seen. And he jumped in before DreamXD could do anything about it. -why is he like this?

On the other side he found the biggest dog he'd ever seen! It had huge ass wings, cool claws and it breathed out a purple fire that covered the whole ground. Tommy was amazed at her beauty so he told her as much when she lowered down towards him.

"Aren't you the prettiest dog ever? Look at you! You're amazing!" she seemed to like that. So much so that she snuggled up to him for quite a few minutes before lifting him with her mouth and going towards a portal in the center of the pillar. Tommy was sad to leave her behind, so he was ecstatic when she followed him on the other side!

*Tommyinnit made the achievement [FREE THE END]*

*Tommyinnit made the achievement [NEW END]*

Okay, perhaps everyone else wasn't quite as welcoming toward Big Dog as he'd hoped, but Tommy was sure they would warm up to her! And soon they would stop saying stuff like "Tommy that's the Ender Dragon! It's the one thing that could kill us all! Please bring it back where you found it!" and start saying "Wow Tommy, you're the biggest of men and that's the coolest dog I've ever seen" as they should.

Yes

Emergency cleaning: Unfuck your whole house in the shortest time possible

So, your landlord/parents/home inspector/favorite movie star is dropping by, and your place is a disaster. You don’t have much time to clean it up. You’re in emergency mode. Let’s get started.

Don’t panic. Panic leads to fear, fear leads to procrastination, procrastination leads to the dark side. You can do this, but you have to stay calm.

Unlike maintenance cleaning, we’re not looking to completely unfuck one space at a time. Instead, we want to decrease the overall mess in stages, spread evenly across the whole area that we’re concerned about. If you think your home is at Level 10 filth, we want to bring the whole thing down to a Level 9, and then down from there. One really clean spot in an otherwise messy home is not going to be helpful here.

Get prepared. You’ll want to shut the computer down (or turn the modem off if you need your computer to play music). Trust me. Get your music going. Gather up trash bags, your vacuum and mop, some rags or paper towel, sponges, and other cleaning supplies. Use what you have on hand. Don’t get distracted running to the store and spending an hour browsing cleaning supplies. A multi-purpose cleaning concentrate or a jug of vinegar will be just fine.

Breaks are very important. Depending on your time constraints, work in 20/10s (20 minutes working, 10-minute break) or 45/15s. But take breaks because otherwise you’re marathoning, and marathon cleaning is no one’s friend. Keep hydrated, don’t forget to eat, and check in with yourself frequently to make sure you’re physically doing OK.

Make your bed. This will be your home base if you get overwhelmed or need somewhere clear to take a break.

Start with the garbage. Going from room to room, throw out anything that is obvious trash. Once you fill a bag, take it out. Repeat as many times as necessary.

Move on to dishes. Gather the dishes from all over your house and bring them to the kitchen. If you can, start them soaking in a sink of hot, soapy water or start loading the dishwasher. After the dishes are all in one place, spend one 20/10 getting started getting them under control.

Now it’s time for your flat surfaces. Countertops, tables, dresser tops, etc. Clear them off and wipe them down. Don’t get distracted in too much sorting and organizing. We’re in crisis mode here. There will be time to get in-depth once this is all done. The same applies to cabinets and closets. Unless you have reason to believe people will be opening closed doors, leave these alone for now.

Attack the floordrobe and shoe pile. Get your clothes either put away or in the hamper. Start a load of laundry if you need to, but keep in mind that laundry and dishes have three steps: wash, dry, and put it away, goddammit!

Get random stuff up off the floors. If something is trash-worthy, throw it away now rather than just move it around a bunch of times. Otherwise, put stuff where it belongs.

Take another 20/10 or 45/15 to catch up on more dishes, if needed.

Head into the bathroom. Pour some cleaner in the toilet bowl, fill the sink with hot water and cleaner, and either spray the tub and shower with cleaner, or fill the tub up with some hot water and add cleaner and let it soak. Put everything away that’s out and shouldn’t be, clean the mirror, counters, and toilet seat. Sweep or dry mop the floor. Wipe down the sink and tub/shower, and give the toilet bowl a scrub. Mop the floor.

Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.

Vacuum everything you can, and sweep everything you can’t.

Walk outside of your house (don’t lock yourself out, please). Walk back in and see what catches your eye first. Go and deal with that.

If you’re being inspected or your landlord is coming in for repairs, spend time on whatever area they’ll be focusing on.

Give the whole place one more once-over and pay attention to anything you’ve missed so far.

It’s an old trick, but if your place is a little funky-smelling, put a pan of water on the stove on low heat and add some citrus or cinnamon or vanilla. Don’t leave it unattended or forget about it.

Take a shower, put on something clean, and eat something.

You can do this. It’s overwhelming, yes, but it is not impossible. You just need to do it. You have a list. You have directions. You have a whole bunch of Internet strangers who have been there before and who are cheering you on. You can do this, but you need to get started.

Why are you still here? GO. START. NOW.

'you wouldn't pirate a-' i would steal anything from any company. anything in the world. i dont even want it i just hate you

Some predictions for Double Life:

Scar is going to die while filming his intro or something by walking off a cliff or big hole.

Ren and BigB are going to be the first red lifers.

Joel is going to make a trap in his base and Etho is going to "disarm" it, bringing them to red.

Bdubs and Impulse are going to be the first two to be killed by red lifers.

Jimmy (when red) is going to be jumped while exploring or gathering food and get killed, making him and Tango be the second people off the series. Probably Joel and Etho kill him.

Pearl is going to kill Scott.

Someone is going to fall off Pearls tower.

{x}

[image id: AO3 tag that reads “i said there would be no angst. i lied” end id]

TikTokers are such pussies when it comes to ships. “B-but they’re not canon 🥺🥺🥺😭😭😖😖” honey back in my day we shipped characters from entirely different medias uphill both ways in the snow