Waterphoenix21 - WaterPh0enix

And the winner of the Biggest Daddy Issues contest by a long shot is Lloyd Garmadon!

I can’t say I’m surprised. From being destined to fight him at such a young age to being forced to banish him to a cursed realm, only to have him resurrected in his worst, evilest form, most of Lloyd’s traumas are related to his father. He even almost beat Lloyd to death, declaring he has no son, attempted to kill his friends in a very gruesome way, and finally, replaced him with a potted plant. That’s messed up on so many levels.

But to tell you the truth, Mao Mao is the one who inspired me to make this poll. Shin Mao favored his older daughters and neglected his son all his life to the point he never even got his name or age right, but Mao Mao still looked up to him, giving him unconditional love and unquestioned respect. I think the last part is what truly makes it tragic. Shin Mao doesn’t treat Mao Mao half as badly as Garmadon treated Lloyd and is described as passive-aggressive, rather than downright abusive. Yet it amazes me how many episodes focus on the long-lasting psychological effects that Shin’s treatment had on Mao. Mao Mao’s self-esteem is extremely fragile and inconsistent to the point where he’s either egotistical or self-depreciative with almost nothing in between, and there are a lot of suppressed fears, insecurities, emotions, and desires that constantly bubble up and affect Mao and everyone else around him.

Despite all this, he still tries to be the best father figure for his little apprentice, encouraging her dream and reassuring her of her own fears and insecurities.

While Lloyd’s past with his dad is the most scarring, he rarely shows those scars, unlike Mao whose entire personality and day-to-day struggles are based on it. Lloyd and his friends are often shown processing their traumas in their different ways (usually in the first episode of the season), but after a while, we return to the status quo and there are very few notable changes in the ninja’s personalities. Like, let’s wrap this up quickly, guys, there’s a new villain in town! This, to be fair, makes sense given the overarching story of Ninjago whereas Mao Mao’s more slice-of-life, over-the-top cartoon hijinks style allows for more moments in which the characters can breathe, get a good look at themselves, and address their personal issues. Mao Mao even goes to a therapist every Thursday, which is something we’ve all agreed for years that Lloyd desperately needs.

Monkie Kid is somewhere in between, having both a lot of lore, but also some more laid-back episodes, especially in the first seasons. Since unlike Lloyd and Mao, Red Son isn’t the main character, his relationship with the Demon Bull King doesn’t get as much spotlight, but it’s still pretty tragic when you think about it. Red Son waited for centuries after his father was imprisoned under a mountain, and the first thing the Bull King does after he returns is treat him like a henchman rather than a son. They do get noticeably better after a while though.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who voted!

I didn't expect so many people to be interested so I decided to turn this into a full Daddy Issues tournament. Feel free to check it out if you'd like.

Back in 2015-2017, I used to make lots of these Ninjago Pony AU Microsoft Paint edits. They're a bit outdated since it was before the Movie redesigns, but I thought I finally shared a few. These are some of my favourites:

Little Lloyd

The Water Ninja Big Sis

Jay Being Jay

Kai vs Morro

Dream Team

Misako

"You made me believe!"

Best Friends Until the End of Time

I just watched the first 6 episodes of Ninjago Dragons Rising Season 2 that came out in Germany (I learnt some German as a kid so I understood about half of what they were saying) and I'd like to give just one minor early spoiler.

You know how some of us have been complaining for years that for as much as Lloyd's been traumatized season after season, villain after villain, it doesn't really affect his personality or mental stability all that much? Like for the most part, Lloyd is pretty chill, reasonable, wise even, and that's great. I always liked that about him and watching him grow into this person over the last 10+ years has been nothing short of amazing. I'm seriously so proud of the little green dude, but sometimes I feel like the writers are afraid to really dive into the long lasting effects this kind of trauma would normally have on someone's mental health. Probably since it's a kids show and they think they can't handle this sort of thing, although some kids face some pretty traumatic experiences in real life which really should be acknowledged more.

Anyway, they finally did it, THEY GAVE MY BOY ANXIETY!!! 🥳🎉

Like actual panic attacks, he even calls them that! They usually don't last very long and he can snap out of them relatively quickly, but they are handled pretty well and well integrated into the story.

Also, Nya is Lloyd's emotional support (yay Dragon Siblings), like she's been since Hunted or Sons of Garmadon actually. She's the one Lloyd opens up to the most and she's the first to notice whenever something bothers him.

It can be as subtle as a glance, a smile or a touch on the shoulder, but Nya always knows how to comfort Lloyd, and this just makes me so happy

Anyway, this season's been great so far and I can't wait for the rest of the episodes to come out. Sorry for ranting

Nya from Ninjago is not a ninja. She has never been a ninja, and should never become a ninja. Nothing against ninjas, but she has been a samurai for 10+ years. We all grew up with Nya and why would we let them change her for absolutely zero reason? The new writer should just create a new character that is a ninja, not rewrite one of the best lego characters in history. Sign this petition if you agree Nya should stay a samurai. Once we reach a good amount of people who have signed I will not contact the new writer on instagram because that would be stupid. He should ignore us forever, but if he happens to see this I hope he has a good laugh.

Sun Wukong: Macaque, I've written a love poem

Sun Wukong: Would you like to hear it?

Macaque:

Macaque: Is it to yourself?

Sun Wukong: It's entitled "Orange is the New Sexy"

Sun Wukong: Lady Bone Demon, my old arch enemy.

Macaque: ... I thought I was your arch enemy?

Sun Wukong: I have a life outside of you, Macaque!

Killow: *sharpens knife* We've got ways of making people talk.

Killow: *cuts piece of cake*

Cole: ...Can I have some?

Killow: Cake is for talkers.

Don't mind me. Just saw a bunch of homophobic Ninjago comments on YouTube so I'm making these as a coping mechanism:

Geo: Do you love me?

Cole: We’re literally married.

Geo: Yeah, but as friends or—

Geo: Is something burning?

Cole, leaning seductively on the counter: Just my desire for you.

Geo: Cole, the toaster is literally on fire.

The toaster:

Cole: Look at me straight in the eyes and tell me the truth, Geo!

Geo: You can’t expect me to look into your eyes and be straight

Cole: Geo and I are no longer dating.

Geo: Cole, that’s a horrible way of telling the kids we’re getting married.

Cole: I truly go into housewife mode when I'm someone's soulmate- like, I'll make you pancakes and bacon every morning.

Geo: This is a lie.

Geo: I'm literally dating him. This is a lie.

Geo: HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO COOK A PANCAKE, WHAT IS THIS.

Cole: We both look very handsome tonight.

Geo: You know, if you'd just said that I looked handsome, I would have said, "So do you."

Cole: I couldn't take that chance.

Cole: Do you want to explain the text you sent me last night?

Geo: It was autocorrect.

Cole: Autocorrect wrote "You're so hot. Please step on me."?

Geo: Yes.

Geo: My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized.

Cole: *steps on a caterpillar and proceeds to drop to his knees and sob while apologizing profusely*

Geo: That one. I want that one.

Geo: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt.

Cole: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit.

Geo: The stars are so beautiful...

Cole: They're just giant balls of gas.

Geo: You know what, if you're just going to ruin this, then-

Cole: And yet none of them are as huge as my love for you.

Geo: Oh...