**** She knew that bringing up this topic would be extremely out of place, but she nevertheless wants to gain some insight into what people think of it, think of change without warning or clue. ****
Time and time again I end up asking myself: Why? Why am I suddenly so uneasy with myself, with the way I am? I look in the mirror and it’s the same old me staring back but with an expression of fear and blurred outlines. Those eyes follow my gaze attentively whenever I look at the streaks of my hair and I see them reflected with dripping water. My hand held up to the glass feels only a thin layer barring me from the person on the other side, the person that look so alike but differ much at the core. A single misstep would break the wall between us, and I fear, I fear of converging with that personality and being when it is clearly not Nya Smith.
I remember it well, the face that is the same as mine, whose conscience and memories were forced into me and burned in my thoughts. A shadow of her remains regardless of all that have been done to fix this disrupted reality, and even thinking of her existence is a taboo. In this messed-up time scavenged from the wish of a broken man and remains of a city in destruction, not everything is truly gone. Even now I wonder, I cannot stop myself from thinking: what if?
What if he is still around, free, looking for another chance to bring back his love? What if one wish isn’t enough to restore it all, that we are forever in danger of a second pirate plunder and I the sacrifice offered again without resistance? What if I am so similar to her, mirror image of the djinn’s beloved quartermaster, that I will no longer be able to distinguish myself from her and distance myself from this past, present, future?
What if I had a different look, a different hairstyle, a different appearance when all of this happened? Even a few inches difference could have saved me, protected them, convinced him that I am not his Dilara and spare the team so much trouble.
If I ever want to move on from this, I have to change. I must change. I can’t be the same as I was before, I can’t bear to be the same as before. So why? Why do I so desperately want to erase my past image, begging for a way to keep on living without this lingering fear and uncertainty? I can never be myself again, not after what had happened. Not after what he did. Not after…
“Alright, fine. Don’t laugh at this, I…” she pouts. “…I thought since both you and P.I.X.A.L are rocking the long hair so much I should join the squad and give it a try.” She avoids eye contact and starts stirring the uneaten pasta once again. “There, I said it”
“That…is such a bad lie, Nya!”
“That’s no lie!” her lips curls up into a smile, and she takes a bite of the untouched plate for the first time. “Stop giggling. You’re enjoying this way too much.” “You had me in the first half! I thought it was stalker at work or a crazy fan situation when you brought it up with that stormy look. Glad that isn’t the case.” “Pfft, stalkers? Fans? I can take care of myself very well, Skylor Chen. Those creeps better watch out! Plus, how do you swing around hair that long while kicking butts?”
“That’s why you tie it up high. Ponytail is good enough for medium length, and I assume that’s what you’re aiming for?”
“Well, not right away,” Nya replies as she takes in another bite of butter and chicken, long cooled and melted from the lengthy conversation.
“Like you said, change takes time.”
Mirror Image-End-
This was really good!
Also I love how insightful you made Skylor in this short story, I think it really fits her character.
That... is actually really deep. O.O I like to think that the events of Skybound left a deep impression on Nya, and this is officially one of my favorite head-canons. OvO
Very well-written, too. For such short stories they each leave a heavy impact on the reader... It's amazing.
This whole story came from the idea "What if there are other reasons behind the character re-design?" I think so too---it's a shame that we don't get to see more of how much impact these events have on the characters themselves. But I guess that's what fan-fics are for. :3 Ahhh thank you for liking this head-canon!! ^v^
“Alright, fine. Don’t laugh at this, I…” she pouts. “…I thought since both you and P.I.X.A.L are rocking the long hair so much I should join the squad and give it a try.” She avoids eye contact and starts stirring the uneaten pasta once again. “There, I said it”
“That…is such a bad lie, Nya!”
“That’s no lie!” her lips curls up into a smile, and she takes a bite of the untouched plate for the first time. “Stop giggling. You’re enjoying this way too much.” “You had me in the first half! I thought it was stalker at work or a crazy fan situation when you brought it up with that stormy look. Glad that isn’t the case.” “Pfft, stalkers? Fans? I can take care of myself very well, Skylor Chen. Those creeps better watch out! Plus, how do you swing around hair that long while kicking butts?”
“That’s why you tie it up high. Ponytail is good enough for medium length, and I assume that’s what you’re aiming for?”
“Well, not right away,” Nya replies as she takes in another bite of butter and chicken, long cooled and melted from the lengthy conversation.
“Like you said, change takes time.”
Mirror Image-End-
This was really good!
Also I love how insightful you made Skylor in this short story, I think it really fits her character.
Thankie! ^u^
I'm glad you like that! I'm trying to figure out how to write/portray Skylor's character, and it seems like being insightful fits pretty well.
-last edited on Aug 13, 2020 6:52:08 GMT by TeaLeaf❀
Post by TeaLeaf❀ on Aug 13, 2020 6:51:23 GMT
Beloved (Post Season 3)
“Benji! Wake up!”
“M-hm?”
“We’re here, sleepyhead! You’re going to miss the sign.”
Benji, the little boy, finally stirs and manages to blink open his tired eyes. His mother smiles and turns her attention back to the front, looking out from her side of the car to spot something in the white world. He has to sit up and stretch his neck to reach the window, and right as he does, a huge billboard comes into his view.
[Welcome to New Ninjago City]
It’s a bit partially distorted by static, but Benji is still amazed to see the letters flash, vanish, then return again just under a few seconds. There’s a giant soda bottle with bubbly words popping and moving on the other side of the digital billboard, and seeing it reminds him of the fuzzy drink he had for lunch. Mom is taking pictures while muttering oohs and ahhs, and Dad seems to be happy, too, even though he’s more focused on the road than on the sights. It has been a long, long trip. They woke up early today before the sun rose, and Benji didn’t even know where they were going until they were far from home. Mom explained to him how the city has reopened at last after a month of cleaning and rebuilding, and there are new places they can visit that she guaranteed would be tons of fun.
But what made him more excited than anything else was the promise of snow. For some reason, the city has become a snowy wonderland, and that means he gets to play in the white stuff for the first time in his life! Winter isn’t that cold where they live, and up until now, “snow” is something he saw in picture books or on TV. Benji feels giddy and warm just catching glimpses of white on either side, and he wishes he can leap out right now to dive into them. Alas, Dad keeps driving on and departs from the road, and soon instead of white, there are the black and gray of buildings higher than he can imagine.
He slumps back to his seat. “The snow is gone!”
“Don’t worry, dear. There are plenty still lying around the city. I’m sure we’ll come across some.”
“Really?”
“Of course, Benji.” Dad smiles as he speaks. “I doubt the snow will go away any time soon. It’ll take at least one more month for all this ice to melt.”
-last edited on Aug 13, 2020 6:56:44 GMT by TeaLeaf❀
Post by TeaLeaf❀ on Aug 13, 2020 6:56:09 GMT
“Why is there ice?”
“…You’ll find out today.”
A mystery! He likes mysteries, and Mom’s wink made him sure that the answer will definitely be worthwhile. So until he discovers what it is or finds some fresh snow, Benji decides he will let them drive forward. They find a parking lot and begin their visit by foot, his hands safely held by Mom and Dad walking on either side of him. Breathing in the air helps him understand why he has to wear such a heavy jacket when it is still hot back home: the city is misty and chilling, and he can’t spot the sun anywhere when the sky is shrouded in so many clouds. He can see his own breath, a vapor trail that flies upward and disappears, only to return with each new puff.
So this is what it’s like to have snow.
They come across a bench covered in white, and Benji breaks away to run his palm across its surface. The crunchy cold substance is nothing like what he expected, and before he can touch it more, he is led back to the street, to the crossing at its end. Hopping from one white stripe to the next, with Mom and Dad swinging him up to make the jump each time, Benji laughs aloud and does a little spin once they reach the other side. It’s a happy moment for them in this quiet, gray city, whose traffic was light and business slow compared to the way they were before. Benji remembers how Dad used to tell him all about New Ninjago.
There are flying cars, Dad would say. Big robots that help protect everyone and make sure the streets are safe, neon signs that make the city bright even when it’s night, and a giant tower with a thousand lights where the genius man Cyrus Borg works on his newest inventions. That sounds so cool! he had replied. I want to see a car fly!
He sees none of that now. The cars they come across have their wheels firmly planted on the ground. There are no crazy lights or flashing signs. There aren’t robots running around at all, and the tower, the massive tower that looms above any other building, is dark and crumbling. Broken glass and pieces of ice scatter all over its stair steps, and the mismatched height makes it the loneliest thing in the city. Benji wonders if Mr. Borg is lonely as well.
-last edited on Aug 13, 2020 7:00:30 GMT by TeaLeaf❀
Post by TeaLeaf❀ on Aug 13, 2020 6:59:43 GMT
“Look, Benji.”
Mom gives him a nudge, and he directs his attention back to the place before him. The open space, the tall trees…yes, it must be a park. A very empty one. He wants to ask if he can go play on the slides, if there are slides, or maybe have Dad push him on the swings. But so far, all he can see are rows and rows of trees, a little fountain whose water doesn’t flow, and a statue on a rising platform somewhere straight ahead.
“That’s a big statue.”
“Yes, it is. Let’s get closer.”
“Okay!”
There’s something different about this place. If this is somewhere fun like Mom said, why isn’t she taking pictures? The flowers are in pretty shades of pink, and there are mountains of leftover snow. If they had relaxed their grip, Benji is sure he would’ve already finished building a snowman. They are both smiling a lot less, however, and Dad is holding his hand so tight that he can’t pull away if he wants to. He sniffles, and he decides to count his steps instead to ignore the cold.
Ten. Mom and Dad stop, and so does he. Benji glances up and feels his parents free his stiff hands, and his eyes sparkle at the freshly fallen snow on the unmoving statue. It’s a person, he realizes. A man with a sword is looking up, gazing beyond the heavens and obviously unaware of the black, sculpted stone slabs that surround him in an arc. Benji can’t see the man’s face: it is masked. But that doesn’t stop him from thinking how smooth and clean the figure is under the layer of snow, and the man seems to radiant a mysterious, silvery glow.
An answer to the mystery! Once he draws closer to the man’s feet, the little boy discovers a plaque at the base of the statue. It reads:
[Zane Julien: Beloved Brother, Hero, Nindroid. The Titanium Ninja]
(And OH MY GOSH the way you describe visiting Ninjago City at this time through the eyes of a little boy like this is just GENIUS and so well-written! Makes me think of how events of the show like that would have affected the normal civilians' lives and childhoods.)
(And OH MY GOSH the way you describe visiting Ninjago City at this time through the eyes of a little boy like this is just GENIUS and so well-written! Makes me think of how events of the show like that would have affected the normal civilians' lives and childhoods.)
-----the feels have struck again u~u *hands you tissues and comfort cookies*
(Thank you, Tigress! ^0^ I'm in this big Rebooted mood recently so I decided to write about it. I wonder about that sometimes...I feel like these normal civilians probably all have an epic/terrifying childhood as a result of all these constant attacks )
-last edited on Aug 17, 2020 7:01:02 GMT by TeaLeaf❀
Post by TeaLeaf❀ on Aug 17, 2020 7:00:25 GMT
“Who is he?” Benji asks. What’s titanium? he wanders.
“…He’s one of the brave ninjas who protected the city a month ago,” Dad explains. “He took down the bad guy and saved everyone by himself.”
“He did?!”
Mom nods. “Yes. And when he did, he covered the entire city with ice.”
“Wow.” He studies the statue again with this newfound knowledge. The man is so much taller than him, but he doesn’t appear distant or lonely to the little boy.
“I want to meet him! Where is he now?” Without waiting for an answer, Benji continues happily walking and skipping around until a bird flies from the trees to the man’s shoulder. Excited by this development, he waves to it as it lands and grins when the bird ruffles its feathers and twitches its head as if responding and greeting him in its own unique way. He jumps, waves even more, and lets out a yep when the bird flutters down to waddle closer to where he is.
“Hello, Birdie! Do you like snow?”
The bird blinks.
“I like snow. It’s my first time seeing it.” Benji declares, feeling proud as he does. “You know, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have brought me here if this ninja-man didn’t make the city snow. I really want to thank him.”
It taps its feet.
“I don’t know where he is, though,” he traces the ice. “He must have been super strong and brave to take on the bad guy by himself. What do you think, Birdie?”
The bird turns its head to the side.
“Silly Birdie, don’t be like that! Look at how big he is! He has to be strong to be a ninja-man!” He laughs. “Hey, do you know what…umm… ‘tai-tei-nee-uhm’ is?”
“Benji!”
“Just a moment, mom!” The little boy watches the ice melt in his palm, then at the bird that hasn’t squawked once. “You’re a very nice birdie. If you see this ninja-man, can you tell him I said ‘thank you’?”
Before he is done talking, the bird spreads its wings and takes to the skies.
“Hey, wait!” He shouts at the creature. Once he sees it disappear behind another row of trees, Benji jogs as fast as he can after the fleeing bird. Dad warns him to not run too far, and he does a little wave to show he heard.
-last edited on Aug 17, 2020 7:08:23 GMT by TeaLeaf❀
Post by TeaLeaf❀ on Aug 17, 2020 7:07:49 GMT
The trees open up to a narrower path. Leaves and snow have piled up on top of one another, so he has to slowly inch his way past, one small step at a time. Not many people have walked here, it seems; it wouldn’t be that messy otherwise. He likes it though: it’s like going on an adventure printed in one of these books he reads at home. Little Hiroshi hacked away branches with his knife to clear a way into the forest last he saw, trying to find the secret jewel caged inside the bushes and vines that no one else had seen before. He doesn’t have a knife, and the park isn’t a forest, but Benji figures he is just as good an adventurer as Hiroshi.
One of the piles is deeper than he thought, and Benji lets out a cry when his one of his legs sinks completely into the snow, sliding on mud, dirt, and leaves. He shivers, feeling much colder now that he is half-buried. Struggling to get free, he tries to wiggle his arm, his feet, and pull them out as he does. His leg is still caught under the white stuff, and soon all the spirit of adventure left him, and the little boy bursts into tears.
“Mom? Dad?”
The snow scares him now. He didn’t think it would be so cold. Why did the brave ninja-man cover the city in this? Everyone would freeze, and he went ahead and did it anyway. Did he get permission from Mr. Borg before he did it? Did all the lights go out of the tower because it was so cold? What happened to flying cars, and why did the bird not squawk? It just stared at him and waddled and flew away.
He wishes he can fly, too.
While he was thinking all of this, someone has carefully lifted him up from the snow and back to solid ground. Benji wipes his eyes dry and expects to see Dad with his disapproving look, but the little boy finds another man, a tall stranger instead. He stands there open-mouthed, not sure what to say next. Luckily, the terror in his heart swiftly changed to joy when he sees a familiar face perched on the man’s right shoulder.
-last edited on Aug 17, 2020 7:21:11 GMT by TeaLeaf❀
Post by TeaLeaf❀ on Aug 17, 2020 7:18:53 GMT
“Birdie! You’re here!” The creature flaps its wings and settles on his arm. The little boy is overjoyed by this. For a moment, he forgot all about sinking into the snow and the strange man he doesn’t know. “Why did you fly away? I wanted you to tell that ninja-man ‘thank you’!”
“Ninja-man?” The stranger asks curiously.
“Yeah! Dad told me that statue over shows a brave ninja-man who protected the city a month ago. And he made it snow, so now I can see snow, too! Isn’t he great?”
“…I suppose.”
“I hope I can meet him someday. If I don’t, I hope at least Birdie will.”
“What’s your name, little boy?”
He peers up at the man. “Benji. Thank you for helping me, sir.”
“Well, Benji, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“That ninja-man passed away a month ago after he protected the city.”
“…Oh.”
“And he covered the city with ice when he died.”
“S-so…the statue…”
“Was made in memory of him.”
He stares at the bird. That’s why Mom and Dad weren’t smiling, he thinks quietly.
“Is this your first time seeing it, sir?”
“Why do you ask?”
“This is my first time at the park. I really like that statue.”
“Really? Why?”
“I like how he is looking up at the sky. There’s nothing to see there except clouds, but he is looking up all the same. He's seeing something beyond that, something we can’t see.”
“…What do you think it is?”
Benji smiles as the bird pecks at his jacket. “He’s seeing New Ninjago with flying cars and neon signs. He’s seeing Mr. Borg with his inventions and thousands of lights in that giant tower. He’s seeing the city now and what it will become. He sees the before and after. He sees the future. He sees hope.” He looks at the man directly. “So, I will hold on to my hope.”
The man seems amused by what he said. “Which one?”
“That Birdie will see him. It has a better chance than I do. I’m going home soon.”
As he speaks, the bird hops back to the man’s shoulder and gently taps its feet.
(And OH MY GOSH the way you describe visiting Ninjago City at this time through the eyes of a little boy like this is just GENIUS and so well-written! Makes me think of how events of the show like that would have affected the normal civilians' lives and childhoods.)
-----the feels have struck again u~u *hands you tissues and comfort cookies*
(Thank you, Tigress! ^0^ I'm in this big Rebooted mood recently so I decided to write about it. I wonder about that sometimes...I feel like these normal civilians probably all have an epic/terrifying childhood as a result of all these constant attacks )
*takes them gratefully and gulps down the comfort cookies*
(Right? I'd swear 90% of them would be suffering from a lot of PTSD. )
![[h]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/hfSwWMIrqfbcVMuaJTst.png)
![[derp]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/YqNTPqyQUocVMYXZgUAI.png)
![[heart]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/SynFAxjClulYuSIRbDRN.png)
![[uni]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/mPKcREJAtrpeAXSOgaOH.png)
![[y]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/WYWPH2VRo26pOFDid7QZ.png)
I'm trying to figure out how to write/portray Skylor's character, and it seems like being insightful fits pretty well. 
) 
) 
![[cook]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/XSYwdAkTEQMsodaDBxbE.png)