I'm actually just as curious as to what you think I'm gonna answer cuz, I'm ngl, to me, the question is basically: "Why do you like blue?"
Idk man, I just like blue 🤸♀️
So yeah, idk man, I just like them together 💚❤️
(Rambling below, be warned LMAO)
tl;dr I've been obsessed with Kai for 14 years of my life and he acts a lot more like the Kai I love with Lah-Lloyd than he does with Skylor
In simple words: Kai was the original main character of the series, and so when Lah-Lloyd was made the main character instead, my brain went: "Well, in theory, wouldn't it make sense for the two main characters to like each other?" and then BOOM! I saw someone else put them together and my brain went: "YEAH! EXACTLY LIKE THAT!! 🫵"
In a convoluted rant: I loved Kai from the moment I saw him in the pilot episode when I was 3 years old, he will always be my hero, saviour, best friend, brother, and therapist, and so to me, he's supposed to be strong, and confident, and reliable, and sensible............and then SKYLOR HAPPENED—
I loved Kailor actually, still like it now 🫶 but I HATE, and I mean HATE, it is a PURE GUTTERAL HATRED of how Kai acts around Skylor 💔😭💔😭😭😭💔💔 He is NOT strong, NOT confident, NOT reliable, and DEFINITELY NOT SENSIBLE 🥀🥀🥀
Anyway, I liked Kailor regardless because I absolutely loved that Kai was getting some attention from the writers 💞
Then I watched Season 5 which was, at the time, all Netflix had, and I believed that was the end of Ninjago. So, little 8-year-old me decided, "Hey, what if YouTube has more Ninjago stuff?" and low and behold, this video shows up in my search.
That "someone else" I mentioned before is MayLovesAkidah, behind I think all of the art in the video, including the Greenflame ones 💞
What I'm leading up to here is that: my little teeny brain saw Kai and Lah-Lloyd together and I realised, unlike with Skylor, Kai acted like his normal self! The one I loved!!
And that was that.
.........so yeah ig maybe it does go a bit deeper than "I just like them together" LOL
I think this is also why I......cough cough, dislike, to put it nicely, lavashipping, because Kai is also generally the one who's "not strong, not confident, not reliable, and not sensible" in the pairing :p
(Also why I find that I don't really get along with lavashippers much either, they may love Kai as much as I do, but they love a different Kai to the one I do 💔)
...........I also hate Cole, there's that too
oKAY OKAY I DON'T HATE HIM BUT LIKE 😭 He's my least favourite 🥀
This turned into a longer post than intended mb 😶 I hope at least this is a satisfying answer?? 😭 I'm still curious as to what ppl want to hear me say when they ask me why I like Greenflame, like, do they want me to say: "Oh, I like getting hated on and being told I'm a horrible person every day, yeah, and like, I really really love that there's so much controversy about Lah-Lloyd's age so that people think it's okay to scream their opinions at me wherever I go!! It's really fun 🥰"
⏳️ There are only 2 WEEKS LEFT to fill out the interest check for Yin & Yang: A Greenflame Wedding Fanzine! 💍 We hope to see you at their wedding ceremony! 💫 (Links below.)
i love you all and i need you to stop writing trauma as a single breakdown scene in the rain after which the character is Healed and Ready to Love Again. that is NOT trauma :(
⊹ Trauma doesn't announce itself. it shows up as your character suddenly not being able to eat a specific food, or going very quiet in a loud room, or laughing at the wrong moment because their nervous system decided that was the appropriate response. it's mundane and weird and it makes no sense from the outside. the dramatic flashback sequence is the least realistic part. the most realistic part is your character suddenly needing to leave a grocery store for a reason they can't articulate.
⊹ The body keeps score and it keeps it in the strangest places. a particular smell. the quality of light at a certain time of day. a tone of voice that sounds like someone who hurt them. your traumatised character doesn't think "this reminds me of the bad thing." their heart rate spikes and they don't know why. they feel wrong and they can't locate the feeling. they're irritable for three days and only later, if ever, do they make the connection. write the disconnection. it's more honest.
⊹ trauma also does not make people universally sympathetic and wise. it makes some people controlling. some people funny at inappropriate times. some people very good in a crisis and completely unable to handle a normal day. some people are generously kind to strangers and absolutely terrible to people they love. trauma shapes behaviour in contradictory, inconvenient ways that don't resolve into a lesson. your traumatised character can be difficult to like. that's not a flaw in the writing. that's the WRITING.
⊹ Healing is not linear and it is not a destination. your character does not get better and stay better. they have a good month and then something small undoes two years of progress and they have to start again with slightly more tools than before. that's the actual shape of it. the spiral, not the arc. the scene where they finally open up and cry is not the end. it might not even be progress. sometimes it just means they were tired that night.
Things to consider when Writing about Found Family!!
⊹ Why can't they go back to their biological families. death? abuse? abandonment? disowned? running from something? sometimes people have families and just choose different people anyway. All valid but the reason matters for their emotional baggage
⊹ How did they actually meet.Thrown together by circumstances? gradual friendship that deepened? trapped somewhere together? saved each other's lives? worked together and it just happened?
⊹ What's the group structure. Is there a clear parental figure or is everyone equals. Are there siblings dynamics. the responsible one, the chaotic one, the baby of the group. Found families still have roles people fall into!!
⊹ How long have they been together? Newly formed groups are still figuring each other out with awkward moments. Established ones have years of history and inside jokes and shared trauma
⊹ What do they disagree about? found families aren't perfect just because they chose each other. They fight. They have different values and goals. Someone's always mad at someone else.
⊹ Is everyone equally committed or is someone still holding back? Trust issues are real especially for people who've been abandoned before. Someone's probably scared to fully let people in
⊹ Where do they live? Do they have a home base or are they always moving? Is it actually homey or kind of a mess? Who decorated? Whose stuff is everywhere? Do they have enough beds or are people on couches?
⊹ What are their traditions. weekly dinners? birthday celebrations they never had as kids? annual trips? stupid inside jokes that became rituals?
⊹ How do they show love. Some people are physically affectionate, some show love through acts of service, some are bad at emotions entirely but will absolutely kill for you.
⊹ What happens when someone new wants to join? are they protective and suspicious? Immediately welcoming? Is there a test/hazing? does the group fight about whether to let them in?
⊹ What happens when someone wants to leave. Do they let them go? Beg them to stay? Feel betrayed? People leaving found families hits different than biological ones!!
⊹ How do they handle one of them dating someone outside the group.? protective interrogations? feeling replaced/jealous? genuinely happy for them?
⊹ Do they have a shared purpose/goal or are they just together because they love each other. teams on a mission vs people who just became family. both work but feel different
⊹ What's everyone's trauma and how does it affect the group? Because people who form found families usually have TRAUMA. How do they handle each other's bad days, triggers, nightmares, self-destructive behavior
⊹ How far would they go for each other. just emotional support? lying to authorities? More?? where's the line and has anyone crossed it??
⊹ Is there a "Black sheep" or someone who doesn't quite fit but is still included. The one who's pricklier, harder to love, keeps messing up. Do they keep trying with this person or is there a breaking point??
⊹ How do they celebrate wins and handle losses together? grief shared is different. so is joy!!
Here's a piece about an interesting parallel between Kai and Nya that I found: how they react to titles.
Nya:
She hates depending on other people and is always trying to be as independent as possible, so she firmly rejects any label or title she's given. And even if she doesn’t necessarily hate most of them, she still wants to be more than that. She refuses to fit into a box when she's actually so much more. She wants to be perceived as her full self and not only the parts of her that are convenient for other people.
Kai:
Kai's self-esteem is very fragile, so when he gets a title that tells him he's valuable, he latches onto it. He craves validation and a label marking him as "good enough" is perfect for that. I believe this is also one of the reasons he was so obsessed with the Green Ninja.
Kai also uses those titles as a shield, a façade to hide his true emotions. Even if they might not be entirely true, he will adapt to fit into each specific box. After all, if he shows people exactly what they believe, they won't bother looking deeper and so they won't notice the weakness and ugliness beneath the mask.
Although as a final note I have to mention that a lot of Nya's titles are demeaning because of misogyny while all of Kai's are empowering.
Both of them have issues with showing vulnerability but while Nya uses her "perfect" image and independence to push people away, Kai tricks them into believing a mask.
“Operation Coffee Spill is a go.” “You’re going to spill coffee over our teacher? On purpose??” “Relax. It’s iced, I'm not gonna hurt them. Although… Maybe a bit of worry would make for a nice dramatic confession...” “Oh, absolutely not. Forget what I said.”
“Look. They’re eating lunch together.” “Is it lunch… or is it lunch?” “Don’t say it like that.”
“What if we send flowers to A in B's name?” “You're a genius. We just need their adress.”
“Did you see the way Mx. A looked for Mx. B during the drill?” “Oh, yeah. I've dreamed about someone having a look like that in their eyes for me.”
“Mx. B, Mx. A said your speech at the summer festival was brilliant.” “Oh—did they?” (students high-five in the back row)
“You're never gonna believe it. This morning, A did not let go when they handed B a book, stared in her eyes and asked if she enjoyed it.” “Oh my god, they are so doing it.”
“So, is it true that they were sick on the same day?”
“Oh my god, they just called each other by their first names.” “In front of students? Oh, they might as well do it on the desk.”
“You're not gonna believe it. Mx. A was wearing Mx. B's jacket today.” “No.” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes!” “Oh my god.”
“Mx. A teased Mx. B about being late. And they smiled.” “…They smiled? I've never seen them smile before. They can do that?”
“So are we all in agreement?” “Yes.” “100%.” “They’re together.” “Or they will be.”
[Prompt Calender: May 8th, Teacher Appreciation Week]
☆ She had irises like polished walnut. Brown so deep it almost disappeared into itself, and then the light caught it and showed you everything.
☆ She looked at me and her eyes were the color of good coffee and I decided, right then, that I wanted every morning to start with both.
☆ His eyes were the brown of old books and he looked at me like I was a page he kept returning to.
☆ He had brown eyes that went darker when he was trying not to say something, and I spent half my time around him inventing reasons to make him feel things he couldn't hold back.
☆ He had brown eyes the color of old blood dried on stone. Warm-looking, almost kind, which was the most dangerous thing about them.
☆ She looked at you and her irises were dark as scorched earth and just as empty of regret. Something had burned here. She had watched it burn.
☆ His irises were the exact color of the moon before it rises fully--that dark, burnt-brown horizon glow that arrives before the light does.
“Dangerous area for a pretty thing such as yourself to be wandering alone.” “What? Why, it looks pretty safe…?” “Oh, it is. Just full of tourist scams. I can show you the real deal.”
“Wow. Is it always this pretty here?” “Yeah. Well, maybe a little prettier today.”
“Oh my god, we're gonna miss the last train! Come on!” “Calm down. Train's never on time. We got time.”
“Don't let go of my hand.” “Yeah, it's pretty busy. Wouldn't want to lose you…” “Hm? Oh, sure. That too.”
“Wait, slow down. Say it again.” “You’re getting it wrong on purpose, aren't you?” “Maybe I just want an excuse to hear you repeat it.”
“You’ve been staring at that view forever.” “I’m not looking at the view.”
“You know, I've actually never done this before.” “What? It's like, the most famous attraction of the city!” “Yeah, a tourist attraction! I'm barely ever even in this part of town.”
“Cancel your reservation. My grandmother said she will not let you think that stuff is real local cuisine. She'd been at the stove all day and the family is feral for dinner already.”
“Next time, you'll get to show me your city, alright?” “Can't wait.”
[Prompt Calender: May 7th, National Tourism Day]
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