In Season 16 In Finale Episodes The Scene  Where  Skylor Was Making Noodles For People In The Newspaper

Id like to think Kai and Wu are both the shortest members of the team and kinda have a dynamic similar to Edward and Pinako from FMA - that is, constantly mocking each other for being short despite being short themselves

did we all just collectively forget about the only realistic death in ninjago

Something I’ve noticed is that Kai only puts on his egotistical persona when he’s with a stranger or someone he barely knows. He pretends he only cares about himself when he wants to make a first impression because that’s a personality that makes most people leave him alone. He acts like he’s a big shot around fans because that’s what they expect him to be. He pretends he’s the self centered one because it perfectly hides how much he hates himself. It makes him look less “weak”. He openly laments how he couldn’t protect anyone in season 11 because he’s at a low point and lets it slip through the cracks. He’s a genuinely kind and loving person but he assumes that if he shows that he’ll be ridiculed.

Ever since he was a kid and had to raise himself and Nya he’s been prickly and vicious because otherwise people will take advantage of him. It’s a coping mechanism derived from never having a stable parental figure that made him feel safe.

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

Pondering about how Kai has made his power a part of his identity so much that it’s become a point of complete toxicity to himself . Without his power, he spirals into an immense self destructive phase, undervaluing himself to a total zero.

We continuously see how highly he depends on his powers, titles (green ninja, fire maker, etc), people (wu, social followers) to determine his self worth. Not to mention his cocky and prideful persona in front of others is likely a ‘safety system’ he derived for himself so he is not taken advantage of, or left behind (credits to his childhood). After all, confidence and pride (to a certain extent, of course) are considered attractive qualities to look up to, admire, and not necessarily to mess with.

He’s constantly trying to do as much as he can in so many different things, trying to prove his worth. Because he does not know who he is without them. Without people. Without titles. Without powers. He believes that just truly being himself is not of any value to those around him, and that if he cannot be of service he is absolutely worthless.

do you guys remember in the beginning /middle of ninjago we would rarely see cole but in the recent seasons he finally has the spotlight he deserves

we all know out of every ninja he had one of the BEST self centered season like master of the mountain (season 13) was absolutely AMAZING and cole SLAYED like the king he is and just <333333

our beloved our king how could anyone hate him

also I feel like people always underestimate cole and his power like kid is the master of EARTH you do realize he can split the earth open or crush your skull right but he would probably choose to hug you instead

Lloyd II

lloyd part I 

rgb siblings + sensei wu

part one

I don’t think we talk enough about the scene where Lloyd farts on screen

my favorite thing about ninjago is that they are selfish heroes. not for themselves, but for each other. they prioritize each others' lives over saving the world so often... it just feels so human.