We’re Just Left Alone to Cope
There are 5 stages of grief for every living creature, even immortals. Once Minne had been banished from Ninjago for unknown reasons, the two brothers were left to cope with the missing presence.
1. Denial—Both Garmadon and Wu carried on their normal life, occasionally calling for Minne as if she was still with them. Only the harsh silence served as a reminder of their lost sister to which the spiral began once more. Her empty room, her staff no one else could lift, the empty seat at the table—it started the separation of the brothers.
2. Anger—It burned and consumed both brothers after they were confronted with reality. Garmadon forgot all about trying to appear as a good person, obliterating parts of Ninjago as he pleased—all to forget, to rebel, do anything so that Ninjago will remember who exactly caused this. Wu snapped as well—for the first time, without the fear of his Father’s disapproval, without needing to appear as the pious and benevolent son—he destroyed his Father’s possessions, the incense smokes, the scrolls, because what good were they if he couldn’t protect his family?
3. Bargaining—Garmadon was willing to burn down the entire realm, annihilating it just to bring his sister back. He bargained his lineage, his powers, just to find his sister. Wu was willing to trade his life to find the realm crystal to bring her back—he could never find the map.
4. Depression—Wu & Garmadon reached this stage at various moments, often after their anger-fueled destruction. Garmadon would stare blankly at the destruction and chaos while Wu would block everything in hope to forget. Both didn’t talk to each other until the final battle between brothers.
5. Acceptance—Only Wu moved onto this stage, starting to take up his role as the master once more after the final battle between brothers. A lonely path by himself, the sole survivor of the first generation—until she returned back to the land, back to her family to which the whole process of going through grief was for naught.