AN: Welcome to "Nature Versus Nurture: Various Nuggets!" This was supposed to be a small thing and now it's almost 10,000 words, and doesn't that just describe me as a writer. Whoops. This is going to be Part 1, notes on the story as a whole; Part 2, notes on individual chapters; Part 3, other songs that almost made it into the song list and their sections/selections; Part 4, ficlets that didn't make it into "Nature Versus Nurture" (note that this does indeed contain fic, so it's not just one big AN and doesn't go against FanFiction's guidelines); Part 5, responses to readers and reviewers; and Part 6, ideas on what I might publish for Ninjago fanfiction next, which you can vote on in the poll on my profile. Ready? Here we go! EXTRA NOTES: Edited on 11/28/2017 for errors and upon request. Edited on 1/16/2018 for further errors.
Part 1
Notes on "Nature Versus Nurture" as a whole:
I came up with the original idea for this after watching "Child's Play" for the first time in August of 2012. It sat on the backburner for about three years, then I started outlining it (whenever I was supposed to be focusing on other things, mostly, ha ha). I wrote most of the first draft in November of 2016 as my NaNoWriMo project and rewrote it and finished it up through May of 2017. Then I got to start publishing!
"Nature Versus Nature" (which I like to shorten as NVN) went through many names, including "From the Mouths of Children" (from the saying "truth/wisdom/praise from the mouths of babes"), "Back to Childhood's House" (from a quote which I can no longer find), "Carry It With You" (from Tom Stoppard's quote "If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older"), "In the Way He Should Go" (from the Bible, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not part from it"), "Father Knows Best" (no idea what's from, but which I thought sounded too much like a Tangled AU), "Only A Child Can Bring" (from a quote by Liz Armbruster, "I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring"), "The Great Man, His Child's Heart" (from a quote by Mencius, "The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart"), "Not Flesh and Blood But Heart" (from a quote by Friedrich von Schiller, "It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons"), "The Twice-Told Tale" (from Victoria Secunda's quote "Sons are for fathers the twice-told tale"), and "As Morning Shows the Day" (from the quote by John Milton, "The childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day").
Tropes I played around with in NVN include Fountain of Youth, Applied Phlebotinum, Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing, Fanfic, Identity Amnesia, Heel-Face Turn, Face-Heel Turn, Archnemesis Dad, The Voiceless, Glad I Thought of It, Didn't Think This Through, Call-Back, Arc Words, Plot Threads, Suspiciously Specific Denial, Raise Him Right This Time (Inversion), Kidfic, Parents for a Day, Sssssnaketalk, Precious Photo, Switching P.O.V., Literary Allusion Title, Fake Kill Scare, Dysfunctional Family, Big Entrance, Villain Opening Scene, You Wake Up in a Room, Color-Coded Characters, and Motif.
Arc words I played around with in NVN are "Not the weirdest mission we've ever been on," "See you in a few," and "Trust."
Part 2
Notes on individual chapters:
1. Credit for inspiring the idea for these first few chapters goes to RandomObsessions123, who was going to be my beta reader way back in 2013 (up until my inspiration for NVN decided to drop off the face of the earth, ha ha). Thank you so much for being the first to believe in this story! This chapter is also the only one to have a partial graphic novel adaption, with much thanks to my little brother.
2. Three things to note here. 1, I myself have a certain problem with speaking and making sounds sound right, and I've always been irritated by media that magically cures that, be it by "proper motivation" or whatever. So when I came up with the idea that Zane/Ghost wouldn't speak until a very dramatic point in the story, I knew I wanted a foil for him, someone else with a problem with speaking. That's when Jay got his stutter, which he had as a kid and worked very hard on overcoming until he speaks "normally" as a late teenager. I wanted it to be Jay because 1, making the character who speaks the most have a speech problem interested me, and 2, little!Jay is the second youngest and I thought giving the almost-baby a speech problem would be adorable. 2, little!Cole and Kai and Jay have almost the same personalities as their late-teens counterparts right off the bat, which I knew I wanted. No babyifing here!
3. Protective little!ninja! Also, the concept for this chapter just makes me laugh, and also kind of cry. Lord Garmadon playing the good guy, which is funny because he's actively lying through his pointed teeth as he does so, but sad because he does want to be good, it's shown in the show, but he can't.
4. Now we finally get to see how the ninja actually became kids. Well, sort of. I enjoyed playing with Lloyd adjusting to his new older self throughout NVN, and this first chapter with him in it shows that right away. In addition, it was while writing this chapter that I came up with the idea for rotating through every major character's point-of-view, including saving Zane/Ghost's lone POV for the dramatic confrontation with Lord Garmadon.
5. Lord Garmadon POV! Here was where I came up with the idea that Lord Garmadon falls in love with the boys as much as they fall in love with him as father and sons, and the idea of him trying to deny it for as long as possible, what with "He was an evil, evil, evil being, too evil for a family. This wasn't him trying to make a family from the new family of the ones he had lost. Not at all" and all. He's so convincing.
6. Schrödinger's shoes, you guys. I was on chapter twenty or so when I realized I'd been referring to shoes (and socks) the whole fic and Legos don't technically have shoes most of the time. So I came up with that term. Also, I got great joy out of every time I gave the kids new outfits and got to describe them.
7. Originally, Jay was the one who got smacked in the face, but while I was writing I just couldn't make him follow directions and Cole got subbed in (little!Cole listens to what I try to write much better than little!Jay). Additionally, Ghost is adorable and I may or may not have cooed audibly when I came up with the ending for this chapter, and Lord Garmadon has started calling the boys "his" by accident.
8. I wrote this chapter because I wanted to see the kids react to different seasons with their "dad" but I didn't want them to stay with Lord Garmadon for a full year, especially because the timeline for Ninjago is messed up enough as it is. This chapter also contains what is possibly my favorite sentence I have ever written: "You are a weird, weird child, Ghost," Lord Garmadon told him seriously.
9. I love this chapter so much for so many reasons (I love every chapter so much for so many reasons, but this one stands out). It reminds me of Despicable Me, I got to throw in all sorts of foreshadowing to future seasons of Ninjago via the video names, Lord Garmadon finally accepts the boys and it's amazing… So many reasons.
10. The working title for this chapter was the acronym SOCKS. And no, I have absolutely no idea what that stands for, ha ha. Originally, the kids were going to find out from too-careless Serpentine babysitters while the kids did chores, but then I started developing the "photograph" motif and it all snowballed from there. Fun fact, photographs come up in five different chapters: 1, 10, 17, 20, and 22.
11. It was at this point in publishing that I was starting to get enough demands to explain why "Ghost" wasn't talking to the point that I wanted to mention it, because I knew it would be another ten chapters and I didn't want people getting upset over the wait. Also, I enjoyed writing the descriptions of the fight clothes way too much.
12. Climax one of two here! I count this and chapter twenty as the two "high points" storytelling-wise. Also, a rare Wu POV appears.
13. I love how Wu's first instinct on taking care of kid!ninja is basically the same as his brother's first instinct: lie until you figure the situation out better. I also loved writing all the different explanations in this chapter. Additionally, Lloyd is a ball of teen angst and I love him.
14. I like to call this chapter the Bechdel-test-passing chapter, but in review, I forgot to name the granddaughter. Whoops. Also, Lloyd just keeps angsting. I intended to explain that as Lloyd subconsciously being jealous of his friends for getting the dad!Garmadon he never really had, but I forgot, so that's touched on a little in the ficlet "After the Final Battle."
15. "And sometimes, when Kai got mad, or sad, or any emotion, really, he did stupid stuff." I love this sentence so much because it's true. I also love all of the reunions in this chapter and the group hug I got to end with.
16. Nya POV! I adored writing her point-of-view. It was also incredibly cathartic writing Lloyd's confusion over grown-up things versus kiddy things in this chapter.
17. Such. A long. Chapter. I intended to just briefly touch on shopping, get them to the amusement park, get the photo taken, get the boys overhearing Lloyd and Nya talking, and get them out of there. Instead, I ended up with over 8,000 words. Wow. Additionally, I agree with Jay and Kai. Shopping stinks.
18. Telling the truth makes things better, especially when you have deaged versions of your friends who are questioning you vigorously.
19. Wu's advice to Nya comes from two quotes: "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." - Corrie Ten Boom and "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." - Leo Buscaglia. And I loved everyone's reactions to the ending, because you all just KNEW Nya had jinxed them.
20. "Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore?" Because his name's Zane now, get it? Oh, I am so funny. Climax number two is very climactic, whoa.
21. The ninja return with the use of arc phrase "see you in a few" and I'm very happy in that this is where that phrase ended up going. This is where I used the "everyone laughs" ending that was so prevalent in seasons one and two of Ninjago. Seriously. Like, number the episodes off and you'll get about one in two or three that ends with everyone laughing. It shows up some in the later seasons too, I think, but definitely not as much.
22. It's all over, the story and Lord Garmadon's fatherly relationship with the kid ninja. But it carries in, the story in the shape of this oneshot and the relationship in the shape of those precious photographs.
Part 3
Other Songs:
"Landslide" by Dixie Chicks, which could've been a part of the kid!ninja choosing Wu over Lord Garmadon or a part of them growing up. "Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, children get older, I'm getting older, too."
"Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride, which probably would've appeared in chapter two or three. "A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate."
"Break Me Out" by The Rescues, which definitely could've been a part of the kid!ninja choosing Wu over Lord Garmadon. "Come with me, oh, this could be the only chance we get, we gotta take it. We don't do it now we'll never make it."
"Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne, which makes me think of Wu and Nya and Lloyd telling the boys the truth. "There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do, there's no other way when it comes to the truth."
"Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson, which makes me think of the boys finding out Lord Garmadon is evil. "Trying hard to reach out, but when I tried to speak out, felt like no one could hear me. Wanted to belong here, but something felt so wrong here."
"When He Loved Me (Woody's Song)" by Venice, which is honestly Lord Garmadon's POV on the boys leaving him. "So the years went by, I stayed the same, but he began to drift away, I was left alone."
"Warrior" by Demi Lovato, which makes me think of the boys after the fact sorting through their feelings about having had Lord Garmadon as a "dad" for a brief period of time. "You can never hurt me again."
"Immortals" by Fall Out Boy, which is because the first time we listened to it my mom thought they said "Garmadon" instead of "guard dog" and I've never been able to unhear it. "I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way. I'll be the watcher of the eternal flame. I'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams. Oooooooh, I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass. Oooooooh, I try to picture me without you but I can't."
"Stand" by Rascal Flatts, which is reminiscent of the boys picking Wu over Lord Garmadon. "Every time you get up and get back in the race, one more small piece of you starts to fall into place."
"Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts, which makes me think of chapter twenty-two. "Now I'm just rolling home."
"Ghost" by Ella Henderson, which is because I can't resist puns with the kids' alternate names. "Oh you never told me true love was gonna hurt."
"War" by Poets Of The Fall, which makes me think of so many different things that it's hard to pick one, but I'll pick thinking about Lord Garmadon teaching the boys to fight. "When I thought that I fought this war alone, you were there by my side on the frontline and we fought to believe the impossible."
"Peace and Love (On Planet Earth)" by Rebecca Sugar, which makes me think of an alternate ending in which the kids get to all be conscious when Lord Garmadon comes for them and they try to convince Lord Garmadon to go good. "Is there anything that's worth more than peace and love on the planet Earth?"
"Grow Up" by Simple Plan, which could've been a part of chapter twenty, probably. "Until the day I die I promise I won't change, so you better give up."
"We Are Family" by The Pointer Sisters, which could've been a counterpart to the amusement park part of chapter seventeen. "Living life is fun and we've just begun to get our share of the world's delights. High hopes we have for the future, and our goal's in sight."
"Oh No" by Marina & The Diamonds, which is Lord Garmadon trying to convince himself that the boys aren't "his" and he's still totally doing this for the sake of evil. "Don't do love, don't do friends, I'm only after success. Don't need a relationship, I'll never soften my grip."
"Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance, which is Lloyd's thoughts on the whole ordeal and also Lord Garmadon trying to do his best by the boys. "He said 'Son when you grow up, would you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned?'"
"Blackbird" by the Beatles, which is the boys trying to trust Wu, Nya, and Lloyd after their experience with Lord Garmadon keeping secrets. "All your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free."
"Let Love In" by The Goo Goo Dolls, which makes me think of the ending. "There's nothing we can do about the things we have to do without. The only way to feel again is let love in."
"All Of Me" by John Legend, which could've been part of chapter nine. "Cards on the table we're both showing hearts, risking it all though it's hard."
"If My Heart Was a House" by Owl City, which is one of my go-to songs about love and loss, making it good for the final chapter. "We got older and I should've known that I'd feel colder when I walk alone."
"Best Day of My Life" by American Authors, which fits into chapter seventeen nicely. "But all the possibilities, no limits just epiphanies."
"Can't Help Falling in Love" by Haley Reinhart, which is reminiscent of Lord Garmadon in chapter nine. "Take my hand, take my whole life, too, for I can't help falling in love with you."
"House of Gold" by Twenty-One Pilots, which makes me think of the kids realizing the truth about Lord Garmadon and resolving to go to Wu. "Let's say we up and left this town, and turned our future upside down. We'll make pretend that you and me lived ever after happily."
"Back to December" by Taylor Swift, which makes me think of Lord Garmadon at the very end. "But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right. I'd go back in time and change it but I can't."
"Technicolor Phase" by Owl City, which is always a Ninjago song for me, but in this case applies to the boys' villain names and to Lord Garmadon's impact on them. "You can go anywhere you wish 'cause I'll be there, wherever you are."
"This is Gospel" by Panic! at the Disco, which makes me think of basically Lord Garmadon whole relationship with the ninja. "If you love me let me go."
"Hello" by Adele, which is the ninja and Lord Garmadon reflecting in chapter twenty-two. "When we were younger and free, I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet. There's such a difference between us and a million miles."
"I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles, which is because Lord Garmadon tries, he really does (but it isn't enough unless they choose you too). "I am not scared of the elements, I am under-prepared, but I am willing."
"7 Years" by Lukas Graham, which makes me think of growing up in general and the ninja drinking magic tea in specific. "'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major."
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day, which makes me think of chapter twenty-two. "As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost."
Part 4
FICLET: SOLVED
"This can't be solved."
Four little words.
"This can't be solved."
They changed everything.
"This can't be solved."
Wu was shocked. He had always relied on tea, but here he was, unable to fix his problem (not that he would call it that to the four small faces he considered his problem) with tea. Certain that he was correct and Mystake was wrong, he left on a trip as soon as he packed his tea pot and staff, leaving the problem in the hands of his two remaining students.
"This can't be solved."
Nya wasn't as shocked as she should have been. After everything she had been through, an irreversible deaging incident was one of the lesser shocks of her life. The fact that it didn't shock didn't mean, however, that it didn't hurt. Every night for a week she cried herself to sleep, then she made herself forget her pain and she concentrated on caring for her four new little brothers.
"This can't be solved."
Lloyd was pretty shocked, but he was sensible about it. He didn't leave (unlike his uncle), didn't throw a tantrum (no matter how tempted he was), didn't even cry (at least, not in front of the boys, tearing up in front of Nya for months was a different story). He took to his new role of big brother with vigor and determination, skill and strength, care and humor.
"This can't be solved."
Cole knew what was wrong. He was eight now, a big boy, after all. (But not a big enough boy for what everyone wanted.) He tried to tell his new older friends that they should let him take care of his brothers and Nya and Lloyd should concentrate on stopping Lord Garmadon (not Dad, not anymore). Nya and Lloyd refused that offer, although they did allow that sometimes he could babysit. They said that Cole should focus on being a kid.
"This can't be solved."
Kai knew he shouldn't be younger than Nya. Kai knew he was supposed to be the big brother, the caretaker, the strong one, the helper. Kai also knew Nya was now older than him, and Kai knew there was nothing he could do about it. There were other things that Kai knew too, though. Kai knew that Cole still whimpered in his sleep over the training incident and sometimes needed a cuddle to keep him from waking up from nightmares about Lou dying. Kai knew that Jay still stuttered a lot and wanted support, support about his speech, support in his budding inventing skills, support getting over when he tried to be brave and got rebuffed for it. Kai knew that Zane was still getting used to be Zane and not Ghost, that Zane still didn't know exactly who he was, that Zane was self-conscious about being the only one without any family in the whole group. Kai knew that he could help Nya by helping his new brothers.
"This can't be solved."
Jay knew he was an inventor, because he came up with things all the time. Jay liked his new family, but he missed his Ma and Pa. He came up with a schedule for nights spent at home on the Destiny's Bounty and at home in the junkyard and Nya and Lloyd supported him. When Cole approached him one day with tears in his eye and a dance in his step, Jay came up with a schedule for him too. Jay liked to spar with Kai, but sometimes Kai was too rough. He came up with a little robot that could be set on different settings for sparring. Lloyd cried when he saw it, and Nya got a lump in her throat that Jay could hear in her voice. They took him by the hands (Jay loved it when they took him by the hands) and led him to a closet, and they showed him the big training robot that big him had come up with and improved with Nya. Jay liked Zane, but Zane didn't like himself. Jay came up with a book from the local library about AIs and androids and all things supposedly sci-fi but really real for Jay's life. Zane didn't say anything about it, but Jay saw the little boy curled up reading it at least four times over the following week and when Nya took it back to the library, Zane asked (actually asked for something!) for the book to bought for the boys' growing personal book stash. Jay was a good inventor, even if he wasn't as good as an inventor as big him had been, but Jay figured he had all the time he would need to become better.
"This can't be solved."
Zane knew he was called Zane, but he didn't know if he liked it. Time went on. Jay called him "Zane" when the older boy gave him the book on robots, and Zane smiled. Kai called him "Zane" when Kai cuddled him after a nightmare, and Zane thanked him. Cole called him "Zane" when the eldest of the four boys cut up Zane's slice of cake for him, and Zane accepted it. Lloyd called him "Zane" when Lloyd taught him new fighting moves and styles and messed up with his hair with fond tussles every time, and Zane giggled. Nya called him "Zane" when she taught him to make violetberry soup and lemon pie and pot roast and ranch salad and new types of salsa, and Zane gasped in excitement. Wu even called him "Zane" when the old man came back (finally, finally, finally) from his trip, and Zane clapped his hands with glee. Zane kind of thought that it was okay, being Zane.
"This can't be solved."
Time went on. A funny man named Dareth became one of their babysitters. Lloyd's mom joined them and joined Lloyd in his role as team mother. They found Zane's dad, who was super surprised at his son's new short stature and lack of memories but rolled with it with the best of them. Lloyd fought and defeated his dad (not their dad; okay, maybe a little their dad), who became good. The fight was over.
"This can't be solved."
Wu, Nya, and Lloyd started a school, which Cole, Kai, Jay, and Zane attended. Zane's father passed away, and they all attended his funeral. Lord Garmadon, now Sensei Garmadon, and Misako started a sanctuary and the boys, Wu, Nya, and Lloyd attended its opening. Above all else, everyone, from parents to kids, attended Saturdays at Sensei Wu's, when the large, strange family was whole.
"This can't be solved."
But it didn't need to be solved.
FICLET: AFTER THE FINAL BATTLE
"Hey, uh, Garmadon, can we talk?" It was the four original ninja, standing around the kitchen table awkwardly.
Garmadon kissed Misako on the forehead. "You go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll see you in a few."
His wife (and how wonderful was that, that he could call her that again without the evil in his blood boiling) nodded, kissed him on the cheek, and left the room.
"Do you want me to leave too?" Lloyd asked.
"No, I think you should hear this," Cole stated. "Garmadon, we remember everything that happened when we were young and in your care."
Garmadon flushed. "If my apologies earlier weren't enough, I'm more than happy to-"
"He did not say that it was a bad thing," Zane offered, because that was his name, Zane, not Ghost, and he had a father who loved him more than Garmadon ever could have while evil.
"You wanted to be Lloyd's dad. But you couldn't be, because of the whole 'evil runneth through my veins, maketh Ninjago over in my image thing,' so you found substitutes, and I've got to say, you weren't all that bad at it," Jay chirped.
Lloyd made a small, almost wounded sound, like he hadn't put the pieces of the picture together before. "I just realized that's part of why I was so… Volatile when you were kids. Not just because everything was flipped on its head, but because you got the fatherly side of Dad I never got."
Garmadon scooted his chair closer to Lloyd and gave his son a side hug.
"And it was definitely a very fatherly side. You know, we were kids and we didn't know what was going on, but we did love you," Kai said softly. "I don't think we could be like that again, but I'd like to have some sort of friendship or mentorship or something with you, Lord Garmadon."
"I'd like that as well," Garmadon answered, smiling at all five of his boys. "But don't call me by that name. Call me… Call me Sensei Garmadon."
FICLET: WHAT IF'S?
Lord Garmadon collapsed on his bed still clutching the Megaweapon in one arm. He stared up at the ceiling despairingly. He hadn't been able to get his boys back.
He ran through the scenario over and over in his head. What if he had gotten there earlier and got Ghost knocked out so the boy couldn't scream for help? What if he had brought some Serpentine as back-up? What if he had wished for the boys to love him?
No. No, he couldn't have done that. That would've been manipulating them, changing them, making them do things they didn't want to do and think things they didn't want to think, and Lord Garmadon knew that feeling too intimately to ever do that to anyone, especially his boys.
It was almost like real parenting, Lord Garmadon mused. You were given small, precious lives to hold for a short while, you taught them everything you could, you held them as close as you could for as long as you could, and then when they grew up and went to live their own lives, you let them go and moved on, but always looked back.
It was time to let his boys, no, the ninja, go to live their lives, and time for Lord Garmadon to move on. (And yes, okay, he would still look back.)
FICLET: KINDERGARTEN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
Mr. Wu Ninja is the teacher of a very special kindergarten class. He has only four students, and he has two helpers from the local college who come to help on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the occasional Friday now and then when they aren't too busy.
Wu's first student is Cole Buckett. Cole is the oldest of the kids, and by all rights should really be in first grade by now, but his father forgot to get Cole signed up last year, so here he is. Cole is the leader of the group. He stops Kai's schemes to distract Nya (Nya being both one of the helpers from the college and Kai's older sister), he kisses Jay's knees when Jay scrapes himself trying to fly off the top of the jungle gym (an act that is probably unsanitary, but so cute that Wu can't bring himself to stop), and he reads to Zane whenever the littlest boy gets that longing look in his eyes (which isn't to say that Zane can't read as well as Cole, but more to say that Zane enjoys being read to). This isn't to say that Cole is perfect, for he's only in kindergarten after all, and kindergarteners get into all kinds of mischief even when they aren't trying. Cole doesn't look where he runs (and dances, and leaps, and moves in general), and more than once he's run into the school janitor and knocked down the man's mop or broom or water bucket or dust pan. The janitor, Wu's brother Mr. Garmadon Ninja, always just sighs and gives Wu a long stare, then guilts Cole into cleaning up with him. Cole's a good boy, so he usually does it, though once in a while he'll guilt Kai or Jay in turn into helping him. Cole's father isn't such a good boy. Lou Buckett is a professional entertainer, a singer and dancer by trade, but sometimes loses track of time. More times than Wu can count, Lou will forget to pick Cole up, often leading to the other three boys staging a protest and staying with Cole, because when Lou does remember he's the first one in the pick-up line. This isn't to say that Lou is a bad dad, because he cares deeply about Cole and is always listening intently to his son's recounting of the day when the two leave. Lou's just a bit distractible, and Wu's chewed him out for it as if Lou was one of his kindergarteners more than once, much to both of their shame. Generally, though, Cole doesn't cause any trouble, so Wu doesn't have to guilt Lou into doing too much. And Cole's well-fed, well-rested, well-clothed, and well-behaved, so Wu figures it's all good, just like Cole.
Wu's second student, Kai Smith, is the second oldest and a little troublemaker if Wu's ever met one. This isn't too much of a problem, Wu figures, because kids need a bit of a sense of fun. In general, Wu allows Kai's sense of fun to run wild, as long as he doesn't hurt anyone or have the potential to hurt anyone. Kai has glued Jay's shoelaces together, Kai has strapped Zane's stuffed bird to the ceiling fan, Kai has deliberately set things in Cole's path when the older boy is dancing, and Kai has set loose the class pet, a snake named Snappa, more times than Wu can count (there are a lot of things that happen more times than Wu can count, Wu realizes; Wu should probably go back to kindergarten himself). But Kai is also caring. He and Cole taught Jay how to tie those shoelaces in the first place, a big step for the third oldest boy. Kai cuddles Zane whenever the little boy wakes up from naptime with tears in his eyes from nightmares. Kai tells Cole when something is in his way as long as Kai wasn't the one to put it there in the first place. And with the perfect older sister and not-so-perfect backstory Kai has, Wu can't begrudge the boy a little acting out. Kai's parents died last year, and Kai's older sister Nya has been taking care of him. Nya is also coincidentally (or rather, not so coincidentally) one of the two students from the local college who comes into class to help with the kids. (The other is Wu's nephew, Garmadon's son Lloyd.) Nya is studying Engineering and mainly comes into class to see her brother, but she also comes in because she's interested in inventing tools for parents of young children and wants to see the situations that Wu's kindergarteners get into. (Lloyd, on the other hand, is studying to become an elementary school teacher himself and wants to get a taste for the job.) With Nya's perfect disciplinary record and perfectly put-together persona, Wu figures it's only natural for Kai to act out a little in regards to the perfect example impossible for the little boy to follow, and that's without factoring in the trauma that has to come from losing his parents at such a young age. So Wu lets Kai act out a little, knowing that it's the young boy's main outlet for his emotions.
Wu's third student and third oldest, or second youngest, is Jay Walker. Jay is a mix of Cole's caring nature, Kai's daring mischievousness, and a large dash of curiosity all his own. Jay likes to invent, but most of his inventions end in chaos or at the very least a pair of scraped knees. Creating a pair of wings from cardstock paper and staples, Jay jumped off the top of the jungle gym and crashed to the pavement. Coming up with a system for sneaking an extra snack, Jay accidentally took one from the kindergarten class next door, causing temper tantrums for the next three days. Jay creates and destroys, makes and takes, gives and gets. This is even without saying his tendency to team up with Kai to cause mischief. Jay's parents, an older couple called Ed and Edna, dote on him, rarely saying no. However, Jay isn't spoiled, and is the first to offer his cot for anyone to nap on if called to do so (although Wu suspects that's more due to Jay's desire to avoid napping himself).
Wu's fourth student is Zane Julien. Zane is the youngest boy, and the strangest, and the most well-behaved. He never makes trouble, never runs over the janitor or sets loose the snake or jumps off the jungle gym. The only problem with Zane is that he almost never talks, something very unusual for a child his age. This is a problem that Cole, Kai, and Jay as well as Nya and Lloyd have all noticed, and all taken their own ways to remedy. Cole reads to Zane and pretends not to know the more challenging words every now and then, and once in a blue moon Zane's thin voice will pipe up to offer the correct word. Kai pranks Zane, often taking away the littlest boy's stuffed animal and holding it dangling just out of reach until Zane speaks up and orders Kai to give the fake bird back. Jay involves Zane in his inventing plans such as showing him how to click together Legos to make toy stilts. Nya teaches Zane from her Engineering textbooks, purposefully going so fast that the little boy has to peep up and ask questions. Lloyd gives Zane piggyback rides until Zane is squealing with glee. Wu himself just watches over Zane, and makes sure to always tell him that if the boy wants to talk, Wu is there to listen. And occasionally, Zane has taken him up on that offer. But mostly, when Zane talks, it's to his beloved father, Dr. Julien, when Zane is being picked up at the end of a long or exciting day.
Wu loves his job, and Wu loves his kids at his job. But even Wu has to take time off from work sometimes, and that's when his brother switches from janitor to substitute teacher, and the four boys go wild with him. Garmadon deviates greatly from the lesson plan and teaches them karate moves. This might anger any other teacher or any other set of parents, but Garmadon gets permission from the parents before any new moves are taught and Wu? Wu sees Garmadon using the same outlet that saved the older brother from being involved in dark things in the past to give kids an outlet for their own emotions. So Wu wouldn't change a thing.
FICLET: HOLIDAYS
In another world, the children stay with Lord Garmadon for a full year.
They celebrate Christmas. Snappa brings in a tree from who-knows-where and they spend a full day decorating it, mainly homemade ornaments made from such materials as empty bulbs, glitter, popsicle sticks, glitter, hot glue, glitter, felt, and lots more glitter. They also do popcorn and cranberry strings, but that mainly means that Kai and Jay eat the popcorn and Ghost and Cole eat the cranberries. Lord Garmadon holds Ghost up to put the star on top. (Lord Garmadon also secretly puts an ornament he and Misako got for their wedding, and the boys not-so-secretly peek at it all the time.) They have hot cocoa and pretzels late on Christmas Eve, and the boys get to have a sleepover with Skales while Lord Garmadon and Snappa desperately wrap presents and stack them around the tree. Lord Garmadon decides his gift is going to be the looks on the boys' faces, and he cries happy tears when it turns out each of his boys actually got himself something scavenged from the Serpentine. Ghost gives him a mug that has "World's Greatest Boss" on it but with "Boss" crossed out and "Dad" written below it in strangely neat handwriting. Jay gives him a homemade alarm clock so that "you don't have to come wake us every morning, you can just have the clock do it." Kai gives him a tie made out of the boat-patterned shirt. Cole gives him plastic flowers. Lord Garmadon gives them all hugs, points them at the pile of presents around the tree, and lets 'em rip.
They celebrate New Year's. They play video games and board games and card games for hours. Then they watch one cute and silly kiddie TV show, supposedly to take up the last of their time until the ball drops in Spinjitsu Square in Ninjago City, but really to knock the already sleepy boys right out. The only ones to make it to midnight are Cole (Midnight himself), Lord Garmadon, and, surprisingly, Jay. Kai, Ghost, and the designated babysitter Snike all conk out at varying times: Kai after the second round of Uno, Snike somewhere around the first game of Jenga, and Ghost not until the credits of the TV show. Jay and Cole high-five when the ball drops, then they immediately run to their bunk beds and fall asleep (well, Cole does; Jay tries to but falls asleep on the floor and has to be moved by his dad).
They celebrate Easter. Lord Garmadon wishes for the power to temporarily transform himself and turns into a middle-aged man in his Sunday best. He dresses the boys up (with varying degrees of success) in formal outfits and they go out to brunch.
They celebrate Independence Day. Cole recounts all he remembers about Ninjago's history from memory, leading to a very amusing retelling in which Serpentine, a massive goat statue, boat races, police involvement, and lots of singing and dancing all take place. Kai isn't allowed near the fireworks yet somehow is right next to them when they are set off. Jay crowns his brothers and father with flowers brought in for specifically that reason. Ghost is incredibly confused about everything, even more than he normally is, and clings to whoever is near him at all times, but he separates from Lord Garmadon for a minute when Lasha cuts the cake and Lord Garmadon counts that as a success. Lord Garmadon remembers the real, true story of Ninjago fondly and bitterly at the same time and holds onto the presence as he holds Ghost's hand and pulls Kai, Jay, and Cole into a game of Serpentine Tag.
Above all, they celebrate birthdays. Each celebration is unique to cater to each of his boys' own uniqueness, but Lord Garmadon makes sure each one feels extra valued on their special day.
FICLET: WHEN I GROW UP
Ghost likes the book about robots. Lord Garmadon thinks the littlest boy may want to be an inventor when he grows up.
Jay definitely wants to be an inventor when he grows up. Or a mechanic. Or a veterinarian. Or a pilot. Or a ninja. Or a truck driver. But mostly he wants to invent, and he practices by taking apart every mechanical device Lord Garmadon brings to him, those intended as toys and those definitely not intended as toys. Lord Garmadon smiles anyway.
Kai doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up. He's mostly concerned with the moment and the present, but Lord Garmadon thinks that Kai would be a good father. More likely, Kai would say he would want to be a spy.
"When I grow up, I want to be just like you," Cole tells Lord Garmadon earnestly, and Lord Garmadon has to turn away to hide his tears.
Part 5
First of all, thank all of you as a group for reading NVN. Now, for thanking those of you I know of individually and alphabetically!
AlwaysImaginative01, thank you for reading and favoriting!
AreiaCananaid, thank you for reading and following!
Bayboo20, your reviews were thoughtful and made me think about my own writing (and they were flattering, which I will never get over). Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!
Cerenda, thank you for reading and favoriting!
Dog Child, your comments inspired me so much, you have no idea, especially all the ways you said you liked NVN (and my writing style, eek!). As for the songs, most of them I already knew and actually wrote the chapters to fit them more than found the songs to fit the chapters, but for some of them I searched key words such as "children." Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Doorlords, thank you for reading and liking!
Ebony umbreon, I agree, Jay's parents are amazing. And I love that you caught on right away that Nya jinxed them with her "we don't have to worry about Garmadon" comment ("that's what she said," that made me laugh). Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing!
EchoZane, I agree, Zane is so cute! Especially as a lil' punkin. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
EerieDragon, thank you for reading, following, and favoriting!
Fangirlsbefangirling, thank you for reading and liking!
FlickingCandle, you saying you loved my story made me so happy, especially because I love yours! Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!
Hnannah, you made me smile when you told me the specific parts you liked. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Iamthefluffernutterman, thank you for reading and liking!
IcyIce, I squealed internally (and probably externally, ha ha) when you told me you thought NVN was the best and you wanted me to keep making stories. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
IfOnly42, your review of chapter nineteen made me laugh and grin. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Imagine forevermore, I see you there. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing!
Itzbunnehgames, thank you for reading and liking!
Kairi4ever15, thank you for reading, following, and favoriting!
Loki God of Evil, your review made me think. Thank you for that, sincerely. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Melodious-angel, thank you for reading and liking!
Musiclover435, it's kind of mean, but I'm glad I made you want to cry :P. It means I did my job as a writer well. Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!
Nagasha, you were probably my most faithful reviewer and my main binge-reviewer. That was amazing for me to experience. Your reviews were always thoughtful and sincere. Thank you for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!
NeverUnderestimateWords, I loved watching you get into the story and quite possibly Ninjago itself. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing!
Ninalb, I'm sooo glad you binge-read this so late at night when you first found it. I've done that for so many stories and it's incredibly flattering that someone would do it for one of my stories. Don't worry, your reviews made lots of sense (and sometimes hurt in a good way: "Be jealous Lloyd. He loves them more! I knew Lord G. always wanted to be a father"). Thank you for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!
NinjagoMLP77, I'm glad I gave you the feels and am even more glad you told me so. Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!
Ninjataffy, thank you for reading and liking!
Omegathekid, thank you for reading and favoriting!
OsirisRed, thank you for reading and favoriting!
PixelatedNinjas, I loved all your reactions. Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!
QueenOfNinja, thank you for reading and favoriting!
Ram-dragon-tm, thank you for reading, following, and favoriting!
Raspberry-smash, thank you for reading and liking!
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi-Cat, thank you for reading and following!
RJ, I adore that you requested updates constantly. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Samiam2468, thank you for reading, following, and favoriting!
Seashell88, thank you for reading and following!
ShinyShiny9, thank you for reading and favoriting!
Skirain, thank you for reading and following!
Spottedfrost7, awww, did you really cry? That's amazing (for me as an author, not for you; I'm sorry if I really made you cry, but also not). Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing!
TGnat, thank you for reading and favoriting!
That One Fangirl Over There, thank you for reading and following!
The-master-of-balance, thank you for reading and liking!
The Miraculous Seven, thank you for reading and favoriting!
Twelvewildkangaroos, thank you for reading, following, and favoriting!
Vixenlovesninjago, you got it right on the money. Thank you for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!
Waveylovesyohioloid, thank you for reading and liking!
YoungestThunderbird, you flatter me. Thank you for reading, favoriting, and reviewing!
Zanemyfavorite07, awww, you're sweet. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing!
And to all my unnamed guests, you're awesome! Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Part 6
There are nine ideas here which I am semi-seriously to very seriously considering writing soon for Ninjago. After you read this (and maybe even review if you liked the ficlets, I hope), feel free and even encouraged to head over to my profile and vote on the poll for up to three of these.
Idea 1: Measure of a Man
Official summary: When a girl shows up claiming to be Dr. Julien's daughter and heir to his estate, Zane's personhood is called into question. Angst, hurt and comfort, and even whump abound as the entire ninja team must investigate who the Tinkerer really was and how far they'll go for someone they consider family.
Unofficial summary: In which I copy from Star Trek all the way to the title. Also, I came up with one fic and five endings (in various shades of light and darkness and darker darkness) and am determined to somehow use all five endings. It would be very Zane-centric.
Pros: I really like angst and hurt/comfort and whump and this story would be full of it. Also, I get to pay homage to Star Trek, which is always a plus.
Cons: Maybe other people don't like angst and hurt/comfort and whump? I'd need to work on Dr. Julien's backstory a lot, whiiiiich could also be a plus if you're a fan of him.
Idea 2: Just Like Clockwork
Official summary: Zane has been living in a tree his entire life, never knowing anyone other than his father. He loves his life, but he wants more. After much begging, his father finally allows him to enter to the outside world. The natural place for Zane to go to experience real life? High school.
Unofficial summary: This would be my take on a High School!AU (except a few certain someones who make cameos as elementary schoolers and an elementary school principal). It would also be Zane-centric, which is gonna be a trend here (five out of nine, whoops).
Pros: It has a set structure, which I love, and not too many characters or story arcs to balance.
Cons: It's obviously not the canon High School!AU, since that would be the movie. I'd also have to figure some things out regarding Dr. Julien in this AU.
Idea 3: Lloyd Wright: the Zane Experiment
Official summary: Lloyd Wright knows what it's like to be different. He and his mismatched 'family' are unique, strange, special. On the plus side, they can do things that no one else can. On the minus side, there are people who would stop at nothing to capture, use, and possibly destroy them. You win some, you lose some. Based on Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment.
Unofficial summary: I accidentally a Maximum Ride AU of Ninjago, is that dangerous?
Pros: Since Maximum Ride is already written out, it would be really easy for me to write.
Cons: Since Maximum Ride is already written out, it would be really predictable for you to read (if you've already read Maximum Ride).
Idea 4: Trial and Error
Official summary: When Garmadon went to jail and his wife Misako wasn't there to take their son, it fell to Garmadon's brother Wu to raise Lloyd. But Wu was in the middle of restarting a foster home. What is a family and how do you manage one? (What happens when you remove the supernatural stuff from Ninjago and replace it with gangs and a functional government, but leave all the dysfunctional kids?)
Unofficial summary: This is the ninja-as-Wu's-foster-care-children AU I've been playing around with for, I dunno, three years? It's pretty complicated.
Pros: This would be interesting to write, to see how I balance plot threads of, what, seven main characters and seventy secondary characters? It's something like that, anyway. Also, I love this story and think you guys would love it too.
Cons: It would get dark (lots of warnings on these chapters: alcoholism, child neglect, child abuse, and gang activity, to name a few), and it would get both long and complex, which would mean a long writing process, which would then mean a long time until I published any of it.
Idea 5: (Idea 5 has been removed upon request.)
Idea 6: So Small
Official summary: Chen didn't get all of Zane. He missed a couple of memory chips, a few data banks, and a whole lot of height. The reconstructed Zane has the mind of a child and the body to match. He has no idea what's going on, no idea where his dad is, and no idea who any of these people are, not the scary ones who took him and definitely not the nicer-seeming ones who somehow know his name.
Unofficial summary: You know how in Nature Versus Nurture Zane didn't have any memories as a kid? Imagine if he had most of his memories from living in the treehouse with Dr. Julien. Imagine how adorable he would be. Imagine.
Pros: Cute, sweet, and relatively short would be three phrases to describe this fanfic.
Cons: It may be too repetitive of a theme with Nature Versus Nurture.
Idea 7: Name
Official summary: Here's the thing. He knows exactly who they are. He knows all sorts of things about them, from their fighting styles to their teeth brushing habits. But he doesn't know them. (Or, Garmadon doesn't actually know the ninja's names and tries desperately to figure it out without tipping anyone off. Somehow, he ends up angsting.)
Unofficial summary: It's that idea from early Nature Versus Nurture that Lord Garmadon didn't know the ninja's names at first, but set after the Final Battle.
Pros: This fic would be super short and to-the-point, plus a little Garmadon angst because who doesn't love angst?
Cons: Not everyone loves angst or short!fic.
Idea 8: Technophobia
Official summary: Noun, a fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices. (A group is rising that insists going back to less technologically advanced ways will save Ninjago. This does not bode well for Zane.)
Unofficial summary: Zane, I'm sorry I do this to you so often (but not sorry enough to stop).
Pros: It's the third of my three Zane angst/hurt/comfort/whump fic ideas (that I'm seriously considering, ha ha), so similar pros apply as to those. Plus, it would be a chance for me to try my hand at a "season" of Ninjago, a hypothetical season eight, with balancing humor, team-building, and a smidge more darkness than usual in canon.
Cons: NOT EVERYONE LIKES ANGST/HURT/COMFORT/WHUMP, SAM. Also, I need way more planning for the plot.
Idea 9: The New Team
Official summary: When an unexpected visitor shows up at the Destiny's Bounty, Jay and Nya realize they're not the only ones who remember Nadakhan. (Also, Tiger Widow's venom makes it harder for a djinn to manipulate the world.)
Unofficial summary: Remember the back-up ninja team from late season 6? So do I, but apparently the Hageman brothers don't, since the members of said team have basically all been forgot about excluding Ronin and Dareth. I'm kinda salty about it. There so much potential to so many of those characters, so hey, why not have something where those people remember!
Pros: It has a set structure, amazing characters, and people actually talking to each other and telling each other the truth about things. Additionally, I'd get to rescue Echo Zane again! ("Again" being in reference to the implied rescue at the end of "Reverberation, Reflection, Repetition.")
Cons: It probably wouldn't fit into canon very well, I guess.
That's all, folks. So, thanks again for reading "Nature Versus Nurture," and thanks for reading this! See you (in a few)!