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This lil idea was inspired by the fic "To Be the Son of Garmadon" by StoriesAreMagic (stories are indeed magical)! :DDD
That was a great book! The humor was charming and actually made me laugh out loud! XD (The beginning of the story took me out the game-)
Anyway, onto the idea!~
So, what if in this AU, Garmadon is the ruler of Ninjago (debating on whether or not Misako should join him)? He knows about the prophecy of the Green Ninja and the people who will aid him. He knows elementals will help the Green Ninja, but he doesn't know which ones specifically.
The Elemental Masters tried to stop Garmadaddy before, but they failed (ha!) and that's why Garmadon is the ruler. Because he's paranoid, he orders his army to look for elemental masters and makes it illegal for anyone to have powers. Any and all elementals will be locked up.
Right now, Garmadon is on the hunt for the specific elements who will try to stop him in the future. I wonder, should someone already be captured? Maybe Cole? No, wait, Zane? Anyway-
So, if any and all elementals will be locked up does that include Lloyd? (Garmadaddy: "oF COURSE NOT-")
Like Wu, Garmadon knows who the Green Ninja will be. Because he's paranoid, he hides this from Lloyd; not just by not telling him either.
You see, Lloyd showed signs of being the Green Ninja early on in life. In other words, Lloyd unlocked his Green as a child. To prevent Lloyd or anyone else from finding out he's an elemental, Garmadon went to his scientists.
NOTE: Yo, I'ma plop Koko into this. The thought of Koko being evil is just... idk, it's cool to me. Also, Garmadon and Koko ruling together is just... it's beautiful aoxbslzbsla!! I imagine evil Koko being kind and smart but also manipulative. Kinda like one of those sweet-evil types. One of those nice villains that is sweet but not sweet at the same time. I imagine Garmadon being dense, oblivious, and dramatic. But he's also smart, cunning, and dramatic. For example, a mix between the season eight Garmadon and the movie Garmadon.
So, let's say Koko proposed the idea of taking away Lloyd's elemental power completely. The scientists had an idea in mind, but they would need to use chrono steel for it. Trying to find chrono steel would take too long. So, the scientists proposed the idea of V-Guard (Vengestone Guard) as a placeholder. They're still going to look for chronosteel, tho!
V-Guard suppresses elemental power; it blocks Lloyd's elemental energy from flowing throughout his body. For example, if Lloyd were to have the drug in his system as he stood in front of the Golden Weapons, the weapons would not react.
Garmadon and Koko tell Lloyd it's important to take the medicine because *insert believable health issue here* and Lloyd remains unknowing and oblivious (like father, like son-). That is, until he starts feeling... odd? It's not a good "odd" either. Ya boi is in this uh... strange...pain?
Over the years, Lloyd's elemental power grows and Garmadon forces his scientists to make the drug more effective. But if they keep making the drug stronger, they risk putting Lloyd's health in danger.
Lloyd has felt "strange" before, but it's never been this bad. It's his elemental powers freakin' fed up with being pushed down. The odd feeling is Lloyd's element fighting against the drug, rejecting it. But this year (when the AU takes place), it's especially bad.
Could V-Guard be accidentally leaked onto the streets of Ninjago? I mean, would there be a point? Yeah, it would help elemental masters conceal the fact they're elementals, but...
Oh, *Liiiiiiggghttttbuuuuulb* what if V-Guard affects people who aren't elementals differently? For example, it makes them high-
V-Guard would most definitely be illegal cuz it helps elementals hide. If someone's caught with it, they'd probably be under suspicion of being an elemental themselves or helping hide one.
One of the big boi scientists who helped make products for Misako and Garmadon has a (relationship-wise) distant family member who's an elemental. Let's call this scientist... Dr. Lucius Adler! Well, Dr. Adler was the one who leaked V-Guard onto the streets. He paid a guy named Ronin (*insert Kai smirk*) to deliver V-Guard, under the name of "ethereal," to his family member directly. Idk how, but from there the drug spread. There are copied variations of ethereal (V-Guard) where some people tried to replicate the recipe but couldn't get it right on the dot. The variations' appearances look slightly different from the original's too.
NOTE: Outside the Garmadons' Volcano Tower Castle, V-Guard is known as "ethereal" or "ether." The drug lost its official name outside of the Garmadon Palace.
Koko found out it was Dr. Adler who leaked V-Guard and had him "fired." Oh yeah, they took Dr. Adler's elemental family member too. Somehow, Ronin was able to get away. ToT Ethereal (V-Guard) being in the streets is one of the reasons why el-detectors exist.
El-Detectors (Elemental Detectors) are made to detect elemental power. If a person's elemental power is flowing through their body, then it will be detected. If a person's element is still lying dormant within their soul, it can still be detected. Almost every person in the Garmadons' Vengestone army has an el-detector.
El-Detectors were already being made anyway. It's just that the creation of the mechanic, getting more workers who specialize in that field, and gathering the materials for it took time. Because of that, el-detectors were made after the creation of V-Guard. Oh yeah, the el-detectors are in public places too! You know how metal detectors are? It's like that!
If you're an Elemental Prisoner, then you get special treatment! You'll be gifted with a designer choker that will kill you if you try to use your powers!!!
Introduciiiing, v-bands (vengestone bands)!!! :DDDDDDDD
A v-band prevents elemental power from being used. If an elemental tries to use their element while wearing one, it won't end well. A v-band creates a thin but sturdy filter layer inside the body. If an elemental tries to use their powers with the v-band powered on, the element will have nowhere to go. The power would just kind of combust inside the person's body, which would not feel good. An elemental would die if they tried to do that more than once. V-Bands also conceal elemental power. They don't stop the flow of elemental energy, but they do conceal it. Why? Cuz one of the materials to make the band was vengestone. T o T Oh yeah, can't forget that they have trackers in them! Well, all the prisoners have trackers—should they all have trackers?-
Koko and Garmadaddy could just use regular vengestone cuffs. But why not be extra!? Besides, v-bands are studier. It won't be easy trying to break one or take it off.
NOTE: Should the prisoners be able to leave their rooms and go to a special place where they can chill? It's kind of like a prison courtyard, except it's inside. Hm... maybe. An inside courtyard isn't the only place they'd be able to go to. A special arena where the elementals are forced to fight each other for the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago's amusement, maybe?
NOTE: V-Guard was made first, el-detectors were made second, and v-bands were made last. V-Bands are still relatively new, so there could be bugs in them. *wiggles one eyebrow aggressively*-
I wonder if Koko and Garmadon would want Lloyd to carry on their legacy? Most likely, but how would they do that? They'd probably have to reveal that they're cruel at some point. Hm... maybe subtly desensitizing him? For example, it's kindof like Ryoba Aishi teaching Yan chan how to properly clean up blood. Maybe they'd start when he's young because those are the years when humans are most vulnerable to influence.
Would desensitizing cross their mind, though? Lloyd's their son, after all, and they're most definitely not going to treat him like they treat their prisoners. So... would desensitizing be too cruel a thought to do to their own child? I mean, I did say "[subtle] desensitizing." Hm... Yeah, I think they might do that. I feel like Misako would be better when it comes to the whole "subtle desensitizing" thing.
So, let's say they go through with the "subtle desensitizing." What if they kind of err... progress the violence they expose him to as he gets older? I can also imagine them raising Lloyd with a certain mindset. But it doesn't affect him so badly that he's evil in the future.
This one is pretty long! :DD So, I'm going to stop it right here. I might make a part two centered around potential backstories for some of the other characters.