Aye there, readers!
Just a kid behind their laptop trying to write a decent story. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and write an OC. Why not? It is just a hand at trying different characterization. While they are going to be one of the main characters, the fic is going to focus more on the canon characters.
What I am going to do is gonna change POVs for different chapters like the third person omniscient sorta way. So, the character was basically a revolving joke around a couple of my friends. We see Lloyd needs a healthy relationship so who better than the master of happiness.
But, it's going to be a bit more angstier. It's gonna be Season 8 AU. Yes, it's gonna be very angsty, Garmadon is the villain, I cannot forget him. Some background info: Harumi's still in jail. Garmadon's summoned but he's waiting some time to strike and also, I'm talking too much so let's go weenies!
Out of Comics and Puppies
…
Chapter 1
Lloyd did a flip in the air, narrowly avoiding the obstacle below him and landed with both his feet planted firmly onto the ground. He looked around and avoided the lasers before blasting away the firearm.
"Lloyd-," Kai sighed softly, knowing that they had to replace the blaster again.
"M'sorry," Lloyd muttered, looking down.
"It's fine," Kai replied," By the way, I challenge Nya for a little duel,"
Everyone stopped in whatever they were in the midst of and knew that this was the fun part of training. Fighting each other to see who was stronger. Most people think of this as a way to assert dominance but for the ninja, it was all in good fun and lots of friendly banters.
"This is gonna be interesting," Jay said, being the first crowd around Nya and Kai. Lloyd stared at them intently, wondering who was going to win this round. Whoever fought with Nya, almost always got their butt-handed. Save for a few times when Nya decided to let them have their glory.
"I'm gonna go easy on ya,"
"Oh please, do me your worst,"
"Ready, set, Ninja-" Cole said.
"GO!"
Kai threw a bit of fire towards Nya, who easily extinguished it with a stream of water. Kai did a backflip, avoiding from getting engulfed by the wave of water and countered it with his fire which hissed as steam evaporated into the air.
Nya decided to start on the offensive and caught Kai off-guard, drenching the fire ninja's gi. Kai let out a growl as he headed straight into the only female in the room but Nya stepped away, avoiding the angry ninja's punch as he banged against the beam and fell backward.
"And, this is Nya's sixth streak in the week and it's only three days," Jay complained as he crossed his arms.
"I thought you loved Nya," Cole asked, amused as he got a playful punch from Jay.
"Good job, Nya," Zane congratulated.
"Do I get extra dessert?" Nya asked playfully.
"Ask Kai,"
Nya rolled her eyes at the Nindroid's cluelessness. However, Lloyd had been quiet for the entire time and everyone knew why. After what Harumi had done, he was quite sure that he was not going to trust any girl that tried to overly nice by just meeting him.
"Lloyd, you okay?" Cole asked, realizing how quiet the younger boy was. Lloyd shrugged off and remained quiet. Cole was not convinced though.
"Lloyd, you don't have to act strong, y'know," Cole said, his expression softened into a one of sympathy. The younger boy did not reply but instead stared at the floor. The good memories with Harumi flashed before his eyes and then it echoes in his ears that she was the Quiet One.
It hurt like salt rubbed into his wounds and no matter how much he trained he knew he would have to come to terms with them no matter what he tries to convince himself.
Kai noticed Lloyd and knew he had to do something. He knew the boy loved candy to death. But, he deserved more than a bunch of sweet treats. And then, it occurred to Kai. The latest issue of Starfarer. That is bound to cheer up their little brother.
"Hey guys, why don't we go to Doomsday Comix?" Kai began. That had caught everyone's attention.
"I thought we are going to get supplies for Baby Wu?" Jay asked, confused.
"Well, Jay, change of plans," as he looked at Lloyd who looked equally shocked at what his friends had said.
He deserved it after all he had done and now that Ninjago City's safe from the wrath of Harumi, the celebration was a bit overdue and there are still supplies for Baby Wu which can last him for a week more.
"Well, okay then," Jay replied as an afterthought with a sheepish grin spread across his face.
Well then, they are going to Doomsday Comix, instead of grocery shopping. Nothing shocking there. Nada. Zilch.
The bell rung as Lloyd was the first one to rush into the place that he had loved spending his time in childhood. There had been a few changes from the last time he had been here. The ninja looked amused that he was so excited when he entered the store. He had almost forgotten about Harumi.
The ninjas soon followed after Lloyd who had already begun browsing the shelves for the latest issue on Starfarer. Lloyd really would love to spend a night by just curling up with a glass of orange juice and reading through Starfarer or maybe, have a field day by having a movie marathon.
Basically, the thing is that he is probably going to buy all the comic books he can with the money he saved and just read them, forget about all the responsibilities, depression, his dad and Harumi. Especially Harumi.
Lloyd sighed as he tried to find the issue he was looking for, however, he could not find what he wanted. At that moment, he just wanted to find his comic book and get out of this place before the paparazzi came.
"Hey, have you found what you need?" Kai asked from the next aisle, who was reading through the Thunderflash issues.
"No," Lloyd replied as he still tried to find the book he needed. That was until that he saw a couple of puppies ran under his feet. What? Puppies? What are they doing here?
Lloyd blinked in confusion. In front of him was three fluffy and soft puppies bouncing. He stared at the bundles of joy in awe as the cashier came stumbling over, trying to catch the canines.
She noticed him and immediately picked up one and said, "You want one?"
The silence was awkward as he stared at the girl before him. A lanky girl with messy short hair and in a tag, 'Joy' was written in loopy writing. Lloyd did not know how to react but he was slightly wary. He had an excuse but she was a normal teenager working in the comic book store. What's the worse that could happen?
"Uhm, what's his name?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Joe?"
"Hi, Joe," Lloyd waved to the tiny puppy. It yipped happily, squirming in Joy's grip and Lloyd could not help but chuckle at the tiny puppy.
"Can I hold him?" Lloyd asked with wide eyes. Joy carefully placed the squirming bundle on Lloyd's arm. It felt weird. Its fur was softer than it seemed as it seemed to turn around, trying to look at Joy ever-so-once in a while.
"By the way, do you need any help with anything here?" Joy asked, glancing over to the shelf of comic-books.
"Yeah, you know where the latest issue of Starfarer is?" Lloyd asked, his eyes pleading.
"It's here," Joy replied as she pulled out a book from the end of the shelf and handed it to the blonde boy. Lloyd fingered it, almost relishing the new comic book smell that it emitted.
Lloyd asked," Do you like Starfarer?"
"While Starfarer is nice and all, I prefer Thunder Flash," Joy said, almost so giddily that is looked like she was going to scream.
"You like Thunder Flash? Oh my god, did you see how Thunder Flash stopped the Captain Heat? That. Was. AMAZING." Lloyd said, his green eyes lit up with excitement as he talked without letting out a single breath.
"And, his sidekick, Kid Thunder, he was amazing. He just punched Captain Heat on the nose. That was so frikkin satisfying," Joy replied.
"Oh, and people have theories going around that Kid Thunder is actually faster than Thunder Flash himself," Lloyd perked in.
"Actually, that is canon in the latest series, but he's been slowing down recently. I know he's supposed to be the opposite of Thunder Flash, but that's ridiculous,"
"Same, same,"
"Uhm...I'll leave you two, talking here, I will probably go buy supplies for Baby Wu," Cole replied.
Lloyd nodded before asking Joy," Do you like Starfarer?"
"Oh yeah, and, did you read that comic where all the young heroes join? I think it's called Justice Crusaders. In the latest issue, Kid Thunder DIED! I cried for two foodgin' hours that day,"
"Oh yeah, and Nightbird, Kid Thunder's best friend, was left heart-broken. Like, can I blame him? I would be the same if I lost my best friend,"
"First Spinjitzu Master, Nightbird is so handsome, I could scream,"
"You have a crush on him?"
"Shut up, uhm, what's your name?"
"Lloyd,"
"Joy,"
"What school do you go to?"
"Ninjago High, you?"
"When I was young, I was kicked out of school cause I was such a troublemaker, back then and now I am homeschooled,"
"So, are you any smart?" Joy asked with wide eyes.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind, who do you live with?"
"My dad was like absent for most of my life so I live with my uncle, brothers and a sister, you?"
"I live with my mom and dad. My mom's a businesswoman so she's like always away so my dad usually takes care of me. We like to play a lot of games and my dad can cook great which I really love. His pancakes are so foodgin' fluffy, I love it! And, I would invite my friends over for dinner and they cannot stop talking about my dad's cooking!" Joy replied, literally glowing in happiness.
"Who are your friends?"
"My friends? They are a cool bunch. There's this one girl called Raine. She loves sweaters and has lots of freckles. She's like in the school athletic team and is very flexible! Then, there's Joanne. She's um...a cheerleader. She's like very preppy but she cares a lot. She brings a lot of cookies to school and I love it!"
"Cool! I don't have many friends I can talk about but I can talk about my brothers!"
"Oooh!"
"The first one is Kai and he has a bad temper. He's also very protective. And, then, there's Cole, he's the oldest and very responsible. He likes cake a lot. Also, he cannot cook. They all come out burnt. Then, there's Jay and he talks very fast and he also can run very fast if he actually puts in the effort. He likes scarfs too much and he likes to read Starfarer too! He's also very smart and can make lots of mech. There's Zane and he can cook really well, He can make pancakes in the shape of shurikens and dogs. He's also like can run for very long but he can get weird sometimes but we all love him anyway. And, there's Nya. She's cool and chill. She's actually very smart. She and Jay make a lot of new mechs. She also is the one who keeps the ship clean. I don't know what I would do without her!"
"Your siblings sounds so cool! I wish I had those kinds of siblings. I have this little brother and he's so fookin' annoying. He tried to pull my goddamn hair!" Joy wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, a-and, what movie is your favorite?"
"Oh, you know that movie - Thunderflash 3? And, I can't forget Darkman and Nightbird, oh my god, did you watch Snakeman, oh my god, I was shooked at the ending"
"Oh my god, I love all of them! I can't wait for the next installation of the Nightbird,"
"They say it's released next month!"
"Oh my god, we should definitely go watch it!"
"Lloyd, it's been two hours!"
Lloyd was jolted out of the conversation and behind him was Kai standing, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. Lloyd gave a sheepish grin as he stood up.
"We can discuss when to meet for the movie later. Can give me your phone number?" Lloyd asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"61567890," Joy replied as Lloyd saved it into his phone.
"C'mon, Lloyd, we gotta leave," Kai replied.
"Okay, okay!" Lloyd raised his hands in defeat as they left the store.
There was another ring that reverberated through the shop as there they were, Joy's two friends, Raine and Joanne.
"Joy, did you realize Lloyd Garmadon was in your shop?" Joanne looked like she was practically squealing at the sight of the blonde-haired boy that she had just been conversing with.
"Wait, I thought he was just a cute nerd that looked like Lloyd Garmadon,"
"Dude, that is Lloyd Garmadon,"
Wait, all this time she was just talking to the Green Ninja. The guy who saved the city like six times and actually appeared countless times in the news. She was internally screaming that the guy she was just talking to was actually the most famous name to ever be heard throughout Ninjago City. She blinked several times.
And, they had the same taste in movies and comics!
Joy could not believe her eyes. How could she had been so clueless? All of it made sense - like which other Lloyd had brothers named Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane and sister called Nya. And the father was absent because he is trapped in the underworld!
She mentally facepalmed as her friends chuckled at her.
"I see now," Joanne said, with a mischievous smirk on her face.
"YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON LLOYD GARMADON!"
Joy flushed tomato-red as she stared at her so-called 'friends'.
"I'm not!" she said defensively. Even if she did, she did not stand a chance. Like, he was the most popular person in Ninjago City and there were thousands of girls after him!
"You got a boyfriend! You got a boyfriend," They sang, their tone playful. Joy glared at them, embarrassed.
Yeah, you have reached the end, yay! I threw around a lot of DC references. Kudos to those who figure it out! I really love some feedback from the readers. I rewrote this three times and took some suggestions. I would like to thank Kay Hau for helping me churn this story out better. I guess ya'll should check out her stories, they are great.
Also, Joy was originally a supposed joke actually and it took a damn lot of checkers to get this stuff done but all the checkers can make mistakes so I apologize for anything you find. I say this is a whole lot improved from the first draft. My first draft was horrendous if you say. Any further constructive criticism is welcomed. But, flames, as usual, have no place here. They hurt people's feelings and we are here to be welcoming community.
Toodle-do,
Kiap Kiap
